The Wright Brothers first powered flight on December 17, 1903 changed everything. On August 1, 1907 an Aeronautical Division was established in the Chief Signal Officer section of the US Army; study the flying machine and its military application.
Late that year the Army decided that they wanted an airplane, and in 1909 the Wright Brothers delivered the first military airplane.
From the early days, planes crashed, men died, but the service pushed on, undaunted. World War I had many men serving in the US Air Service. Gaining experience in flight and in war; these men would form the backbone of the AAF for WWII.
Early pioneers of the AAC were Billy Mitchell and Hap Arnold. Through the years the AAF would produce such names and leaders as Tooey Spaatz, George Kenney, Ira Eaker, Jimmy Doolittle, Claire Chennalut, Tex Hill and Paul Tibbets. While these were some of the few household names of the AAF, there were thousands of men who serviced the planes, flew the, crewed them and provided additional support services. All of these men and women are to be honored.
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