William 'Billy' Mitchell -- 'The father of the United States Air Force'

On July 21, 1921, to prove his contention that air power is superior to sea power, Colonel
William "Billy" Mitchell demonstrated how bombs from planes could sink a captured German battleship. An excerpt from the article:

"Mitchell asked for a test to confirm that airplanes could bomb ships.

Congress and the Navy reluctantly gave in and on July 20 and 21, 1921, Mitchell and the 1st Provisional Air Brigade demonstrated to the world the superiority of air power.

He and his unit sank the famous, "unsinkable," Ostfriesland, a captured German battleship.

However, the Navy was not pleased with the outcome of the tests; countering that Mitchell cheated by exceeding the parameter of the tests.

Nonetheless, the Navy began developing aircraft carriers, while Congress continued to cut the Air Service's budget.

Mitchell was transferred to Fort Sam Houston, where he was assigned as the aviation officer of the Eighth Corps in 1925.

He lived on Fort Sam and resided in Quarters 14 (now designated as the Billy Mitchell House) on Staff Post Road. His office was in the Quadrangle.

Mitchell's frustration climaxed after the Navy's airship Shenandoah crashed due to weather in September 1925. Mitchell publicly accused the Navy and War Departments of "incompetence and criminal negligence."

In a statement to the press, he said, "Brave airmen are being sent to their deaths by armchair admirals who don't care about air safety."

That published statement was the beginning of the end of Mitchell's military career.

In November 1925, Mitchell was called to Washington D.C. and court-martialed on the charge of "Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline and in a way to bring discredit upon the military service."

Mitchell was convicted of insubordination, but rather than serve a five-year suspension, Mitchell decided to resign his commission.

During retirement in Virginia, he continued to be outspoken on the importance of air power. He wrote books, newspaper and magazine articles, and gave lecture tours until his death, Feb. 11, 1936.

Mitchell received several honors following his death including a posthumous promotion to major general by President Harry Truman.

A military aircraft bomber, the B-25 Mitchell, was named after him. In 1979, Mitchell was inducted in the International Hall of Fame.

Mitchell predicted that a war between Japan and the U.S. was inevitable. That prophecy came to fruition Dec. 7, 1941. Mitchell's presence on post and the Centennial of Military Flight will be celebrated March 2 beginning at 8 a.m. with exhibits, a fly over by a Wright "B" aircraft and events throughout the day."