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Billy Mitchell Research Paper

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Considered an aviation pioneer by many, Billy Mitchell (1879-1936) recognized the potential of air power as an integral part of national defense. His strong beliefs led to a court-martial for insubordination in the 1920s. The key role played by air defense during the Second World War II vindicated him. William ("Billy") Mitchell was born in Nice, France, on December 28, 1879. He was the eldest of ten children born to John Lendrum Mitchell, who came from a politically active Wisconsin family, and Harriet Mitchell. When Mitchell was three years old, the family returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up in Milwaukee, Mitchell spoke French just as fluently as English. He and his siblings also learned German, Spanish, and Italian. In The Billy Mitchell Affair, biographer Burke Davis noted that Mitchell was "small, wiry, and utterly fearless." His nanny spent a good deal of her time trying to control him. When he was told not to climb the family greenhouse, Mitchell attempted to scale it on an almost daily basis. He also enjoyed guns and horses. Mitchell's father was elected to Congress in 1891 and to the Senate in 1893. Important guests were often invited to the Mitchell home and, as Davis noted, "There was an air of freedom in the household which encouraged the young Mitchells to grow up in their own way." The children …show more content…

It began in October 1925. There was a lot of media coverage and Mitchell used the trial as a sounding board for his ideas. The court-martial lasted seven weeks. The board deliberated for only one half hour before convicting him of insubordination. He was found guilty on eight charges. Davis wrote that the board "sentence[d] the accused to be suspended from rank, command, and duty, with the forfeiture of all pay and allowances for five years." Half of this was later restored. Mitchell resigned from the army in February 1926 and went to his farm in

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