Robert Knight Morgan
Colonel, U.S. Army Air Forces

Robert Knight Morgan was born on 31 July 1918 in Asheville, NC.

Morgan was the pilot of the "Memphis Belle," the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber that flew 25 combat missions during World War II over Germany and France. He and three other members of the Memphis Belle's crew were made Honorary Colonels of the State of Tennessee in 2000. The crew flew the historic number of 25 bombing missions during World War II on 17 May 1943. The Belle was the first heavy bomber to complete 25 missions in the European Theater and then return to the U.S. It was the magic number of missions needed to be sent home.

Morgan co-authored a book about some of his experiences, "The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle," with Ron Powers.

Death and Burial

Colonel Robert Knight Morgan died on 15 May 2004 in Asheville, NC. He is buried at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, NC.