Having a brother-in-law in the USAF - you would think I would have known this...but I didn't. Now, I know and so do the corps members here in Milwaukee.
During the month of November, I unfortunately only spent about 1 full week in Milwaukee due to travel for work, family, and the holiday - so a good portion of my "Milwaukee time" was spent at the General Mitchell International Airport. I was flying to places like the San Antonio International Airport and the Kansas City International Airport which made me question why Milwaukee was trumped by this General Mitchell guy when it came time to name its airport.
General William "Billy" Mitchell grew up in Milwaukee during the late 19th century as the son of a Wisconsin Senator and enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898. While he did take a break from his education through the end of World War I, Mitchell ultimately completed his college degree at Columbian University (now George Washington University). He was first introduced to aeronautics during his appointment with the U.S. General Staff, but he was told that he was too old to be a pilot. Forecasting that airpower would be the future of the military, Mitchell used his own personal funds and time to take lessons at a civilian school and then went to France to observe their airpower. Mitchell was eventually licensed as U.S. Army pilot and made a name for himself by advocating for better air tactics like he had seen in France as well as a separate air force like the one in Britain. While the end of Mitchell's career in the military is still debated - a heavily publicized court-martial due to Mitchell's critiques of his commanding officers' decision, Mitchell is still known today as the "Father of the Air Force" for his unceasing promotion of a separate branch in the U.S. military. Mitchell, unfortunately, passed away 11 years before the birth of the U.S. Air Force in 1947.
Some biographers have noted that the posthumous honors General Mitchell has received, including being our airport's namesake, is not just his service to our country, but because of his ability to intelligently forecast the future, and his willingness to sacrifice his career for his beliefs.
No comments:
Post a Comment