Aiming high

Jesse Mann has always had his eye on the sky.

As a child he dreamed of flying, of becoming a pilot. As an adult, he had the fortitude to turn those dreams into reality.

The Columbia Falls resident attended flight school after graduating from the University of Montana on an Army ROTC scholarship. To say the program was rigorous would be putting it lightly. His days started between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., where he’d show up to the flight line, log multiple hours in a training helicopter before setting down around noon for lunch. Classes would follow in the afternoon and after a break for dinner, he’d hit the books until 10 p.m. every night.

The stakes were high.

Two failed tests and you were out.

Just like that.

After a year and three months of intensive training, Mann finished second in his class. He and his “stick buddy” had their pick of aircraft and duty assignments. Mann decided on a Blackhawk billet stationed in Hawaii. The twin-engine choppers are known for their speed and versatility — a Blackhawk rating could be the gateway to careers as a medical pilot, Border Patrol or with the U.S. Coast Guard.

But first Mann would have to weather a long, and at times, dangerous deployment in Iraq. He flew mostly in the northern part of the country near Tal Afar and the city of Tikrit, the hometown of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. He was an assault Blackhawk pilot for 16 months beginning in 2006. The year was marked by a surge in sectarian violence across the country, rampant suicide bombings and the deaths of 873 American troops.

“I was taking the infantry to the fight every day, and we’d control all the airspace around while they were on the ground and we’d come in and pick them up and take them back,” Mann said.

The pick-up and drop-off process was a far cry from a simple load and go. To maintain visibility and ensure a safe landing, Mann needed to be faster than the dust cloud that would inevitably rise when he touched down. To do so, he came in fast and hard, unloaded up to 11 soldiers in a hurry, and was back in the sky all in a matter of seconds.

“It was pretty fast, and we needed to be,” Mann said. “We were most vulnerable when we were sitting on the ground.”

As an assault pilot, in addition to taking soldiers to and from the fight, Mann was tasked with watching out for IEDs and other threats on the ground. He’d look out for “fresh digs” on or near roadsides, or suspicious vehicles that could be carrying explosives.

“There’s a lot of intense missions — probably the ones that were the most surreal or hardest to deal with but you’re proud to do it … were our hero missions. It’s when we were flying our soldiers that were killed down to Balad Air Force Base,” he said. “Those ones were always tough. Sometimes there were body bags, sometimes there weren’t. That was pretty surreal.”

In addition to his duties as an assault pilot, Mann was occasionally called in for casualty evacuations. Sometimes the Blackhawks were the closest aircraft to the scene and waiting for a medical chopper to arrive could mean the difference between life and death for those on the ground. Time was of the essence.

Mann also had to contend with the constant threat of surface-to-air-missiles, which meant he flew no higher than 125 feet.

“We were flying fast and low, which was amazing,” he said. “You really became a pilot in Iraq because you didn’t have the FAA regulations — you had to fly to complete the mission.”

In the course of his 16-month tour, Mann flew a total of 370 combat missions and nearly 1,000 hours in theater.

“I’ve never laughed harder, but at the same time, I’ve had moments where I’ve never cried harder too because you’re saying goodbye to one of your co-workers or an infantry guy that you became close to,” Mann recalled.

Overall, he defines his time in Iraq as a “great experience,” but after returning home in 2008, his commander called with another mission: 12 more months overseas. Another year away from his wife, child and baby on the way.

He knew that back-to-back deployments wouldn’t be good for his family life, so Mann transitioned out of active duty and into the Army Reserves. The Army Major has now hit his 18-year mark of service and also works by day as a financial advisor with Edward Jones.

Instead of taking to the skies, he’s helping future soldiers chase after their dreams. In the reserves, as a West Point Officer Liaison, he helps high school students navigate the military academy application process while also leading training exercises for ROTC students at the University of Montana.

In his free time, Mann gives back to his fellow brothers and sisters in arms through the nonprofit he co-founded: Montana Wounded Warriors.

In 2010, he and Neil Baumann decided to form an organization that would help veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan heal from the after-effects of combat through outdoor adventures.

“We take out anywhere from 65 to 85 veterans a season during the hunting season,” Mann said. “We’ve had so many success stories of veterans who never thought that they’d be able to hunt again or fish again but we’ve had so many ranches and different areas opened up to us that it makes it possible.”

Montana Wounded Warriors is run by an all-volunteer board comprised of both civilians and veterans.Overhead is virtually zero as their volunteers are unpaid and they don’t produce costly mailing campaigns, so every dollar raised goes directly to the veterans. And although their names are similar, the group is not affiliated with the national organization, Wounded Warrior Project.

Mann said Montana Wounded Warriors strives to match the individual veteran with a specific outing and aren’t a fan of the “one and done” approach.

“We have tended to take certain veterans on multiple different outings because it gives them something to look forward to, a reason to keep living,” Mann said. “Right now, nationally about 22 veterans a day are killing themselves.”

Mann, a Montana native who grew up hunting and fishing, has witnessed firsthand the transformative power that the outdoors can have.

“When we took [a Marine veteran and double-amputee] out hunting, he had a breakthrough moment, a lot of tears,” Mann recalled. “In his mind, he was no longer crippled, he could do this. His passion for the outdoors ignited and he’s now a river guide in Wyoming.”

“A large portion of our veterans have really turned the corner and become productive members of society again, and realized that the world’s not out to get them,” Mann said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to be a part of. The state of Montana and the Flathead Valley really welcomed us with our arms wide open.” To learn more about Montana Wounded Warriors or make a donation, visit www.montanawoundedwarriors.org.

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.