Tuskegee Airman Fighter Pilot

About the Book

This book honors the Tuskegee Airmen, known as "Red Tails" who never lost escorted bombers during World War II. These decorated African American pilots overcame the prejudicial report of the 1925 War Department Study that concluded" Blacks cannot fly a complex airplane." Eleanor Roosevelt who was flown by a Black pilot dispelled these myths along with the success of the fighter pilots in the war. Two issues are clarified: 1) who is considered an Original Tuskegee Airman? 2) The difference between the two experiments, namely, the Tuskegee Experiment involving the study of Syphilis and the Tuskegee Pilot Experience. This personal account of a Tuskegee pilot provides insights into the struggles of the pilots in the 1940’s. Six values anchored their success, namely, intellectual attainment, collective responsibility, creativity, faith, overcoming fear and determination. The unique timelines from 1861 to 2007 enables the reader to decipher the events leading up to the Tuskegee Pilot training and the achievements during and after the war culminating with each pilot receiving Honorary Doctorate degree from Tuskegee University and being awarded the coveted Congressional Gold Medal by President Bush. This book documents Lt. Col. Hiram Mann's progress from a bellman at a Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio to studying romance languages at Philander Smith College and becoming a pilot in the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group. Insights are provided about these pilots fighting the enemy in Europe only to return to a segregated military and civilian life.

About the Author

Patrick C. Coggins, a native of Georgetown, Guyana, former I.I.E. Scholar completed his Ph.D. and J.D. at the University of Connecticut. Since 1991, he served as the Jessie Ball DuPont Endowed Chair Professor, Founder/Director of the Multicultural Education Institute, Stetson University. In 1997, he became the Eminent Scholar in Residence for Multicultural Studies for Palm Beach County School District. He led a team who developed the District's African and African American History Curriculum Frameworks. Dr. Coggins co-founded the nationally acclaimed "Project Harmony" which trained over 25,000 youths to positively deal with racial violence in public schools. He is Vice-chair of the Florida Commissioner of Education's Task Force on African American History and member of Holocaust Studies Task Force. He conducts workshops in Managing Cultural Competence and Closing the Achievement Gap. His scholarly works include: "Confidentiality of Drug and Alcohol", "Fraud Detection and Control", "From the Ground Up: Tuskegee Airmen Ground Support Personnel", "African American History", "HIV-AIDS in the Caribbean" and manuals on Cultural Competence, Valuing Cultural Diversity and Closing the Achievement Gap. He received the 2004 FEA Mary McLeod Bethune Human Relations and Civil Rights Award, nominated for 2005 Onyx Magazine Award, and received Honorary Doctorate of Laws for his contributions to the Addictions field in 2004. Since 1997, he has been advocating for honoring the history of the Tuskegee Airmen with joint lectures. He believes that the efforts of these Tuskegee Air personnel were the impetus that nudged the United States of America to integrate the military and provide equal opportunities for all military personnel regardless of race.