Hiram Mann

Hiram Mann (May 23, 1921 Mann was a member of the "Red Tails," as the Tuskegee Airmen were called at the time, so-called because the tails of the P-51D Mustangs flown by the African-American pilots in combat missions were painted crimson red. (The term "Tuskegee Airmen" did not come into use until the creation of a veteran's organization in 1972).

Mann was one of just six Tuskegee Airmen to attend the dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen monument at the Orlando Science Center in 2013. The Orlando monument is the first in the nation dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen. An inscription on the plaque reads, "Their example inspires future generations to reach to the skies and to realize that all things are possible."

Hiram Mann died at a hospice in Titusville, Florida, on May 17, 2014, at the age of 92. His wife of years, Kathadaza "Kitty" Mann, died March 2, 2012. He was survived by his son, Gene Mann, and three grandchildren.