General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold     Information researched from http://www.af.mil/bios Born- June 25, 1886 Retired- June 30, 1945 Died- January 15, 1950   Born in Gladwyne, PA, and a graduate of the 1907 class at the U.S. Military Academy, Henry H. Arnold was a young man headed for success as he was taught by the Wright Brothers to fly, and was commander of the Army Air Forces in the United States’ victory over Germany and Japan in World War II.   Arnold began his career as a member of the 29th Infantry, serving two years in the Philippine Islands. He returned home for a short while and was then redirected to the Signal Corps and sent to Dayton, Ohio, where he received instruction from the Wright Brothers. In June 1911, Henry H. Arnold became a pioneer along with other early military aviators.   After learning to fly, Arnold became an Instructor Pilot for the Signal Corps aviation institute in College Park, MD. Later, in November, the school was moved to Augusta, GA., where he served until he returned to College Park in April 1912. On June 1, 1912, Arnold began setting flight records as he established a new altitude in a Burgess-Wright airplane and participated in air maneuvers in New York and Connecticut. On October 9, 1912, he became the first to win the MacKay Trophy as he flew a reconnaissance flight from College Park to Washington Barracks, D.C. to Fort Myer.   Henry Arnold became the first military aviator to use radio to report observations as he took over the position of area observer of Field Artillery firing at Fort Riley, KS later in 1912. Then in November, he moved to the Office of the chief Signal Officer in Washington and was later promoted to first lieutenant in 1913. Between September 1913 through March 1916, Arnold rejoined the 13th Infantry. In May 1916, he received a promotion to captain and was sent to a flying school in San Diego, CA.   Between February and May 1917, Arnold went to Panama where he organized and commanded a new air service. Then as the U.S. joined the rest of the world in World War I, he was sent back to Washington where he was promoted to major in June 1917 and became a full colonel only two months later in August, and was the officer in charge of Information Service in the Aviation Division of the Signal Corps. Soon after, the Office of Military Aeronautics was created. Arnold immediately became the assistant executive officer and then in February 1918, became the assistant director. At the end of the war, Arnold was sent to France in 1918 for inspection of aviation activities. When he returned, he was named supervisor of the Air Services at Coronado, CA. Upon returning, he also became the air officer of the 9th Corps Area at the Presidio in San Francisco.   Because the war had come to an end, Arnold returned to the rank of captain in June 1920. Only a month later, he was promoted to the rank of major, and continued to hold that rank until 1931. In October 1922, he served two years as the commanding officer of Rockwell Field, CA and then continued on to the Army Industrial College, where he graduated in 1925. Upon graduation, he became chief f the Information division in the Office of the Chief of air Corps. After testifying on behalf of General Billy Mitchell, he returned to Fort Riley, KS, where he commanded Air Corps troops. He went on to complete the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth and became the commanding officer of the air depot at Fairfield, OH., in 1929.   In February 1931, Arnold became commanding officer of March Field, CA., after his promotion to lieutenant colonel. The later in 1934, he rounded up his second MacKay trophy as he led a flight of ten Martin B-10 bombers from Washington D.C. to Fairbanks, Alaska. Then in February of 1935, Arnold leaped from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general and began commanding the 1st Wing of General Headquarters Air Force at March Field, CA. After his continued support for the development of bombers, he became the assistant to the Chief of Air Corps in Washington in 1936,  and was promoted to major general and appointed to Chief of the Air Corps in 1938.   On June 30, 1941, Arnold’s title was changed to chief of the Army Air Forces then in December, received the rank of lieutenant general. In 1942, he became the commanding general of the Army Air Forces. Under the leadership of General Arnold, the military’s air power changed from 22,000 officers and 3,900 planes, to almost 2,500,000 men and 75,000 aircraft. In 1943, he attended the Casablanca Conferences after a 35,000 mile tour of North Africa, Middle East, India and China. He was later promoted to a four-star general in March 1943, and in 1945 suffered a heart attack.   On June 30, 1946, General Henry H. Arnold retired from service. By this time he had earned honors such as “three Distinguished Service crosses, the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and decorations from Morocco, Brazil, Yugoslavia, Peru, France, Mexico and Great Britain.” He also wrote several books, including “Global Mission.” Finally, on May 7, 1949 General Arnold became the very first and only general of the Air Force, with five star rank granted by the U.S. Congress.