Date: 2003-10-08
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from California (Chairman HUNTER) for bringing this bill to the floor. and I rise in support of the bill offered by the gentleman from New Hampshire. H.R. 2755. which would authorize the President to posthumously promote the late William "Billy" Mitchell. United States Army. to the rank of major general. General Billy Mitchell was often called the Nations air power visionary. He was an outspoken advocate of the importance of strategic air power and its vital role in our Nations military strategy. Many consider him to be the father of todays United States Air Force. He was born in 1879 to Wisconsin Senator Colonel John Lendrum and his wife. Harriet Becker. in Nice. France. And he left college before graduating to enlist in the First Wisconsin Infantry for the SpanishAmerican War. He rose rapidly through the ranks and received a field commission in the Signal Corps. and in 1912 he became the youngest member of the GenerAl Staff. It was there that he became interested in aviation. which was at the time assigned to the Signal Corps. Although Billy Mitchell was 38 years old when he learned to fly by taking private flying lessons. he accomplished much during World War I. For example. he was the first American airman to fly over enemy lines. He was the first American officer under enemy fire. and he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. the French Legion of Honor. and commanded the largest aerial armada in history. He commanded all American combat units in France and was elevated to the rank of brigadier general. By the early 1920s. General Mitchell began to advocate the creation of the Air Force to be independent of the Army. This was essential. he said. because aircraft would one day cripple the Navy and render battleships obsolete. When his colleagues dismissed this concept. he proved his point at Chesapeake Bay in 1921 by testbombing and sinking several captured battleships. In 1925. General Mitchells relationships with his superiors deteriorated even further. and he was reduced in rank to colonel. It was the tragic crash of the Shenandoah. a Navy gasfilled air ship which killed 14 Navy crewmembers. which led General Mitchell to issue his famous statement. General Mitchell accused senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and. as the gentleman from California said. "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." Mitchell was courtmartialed. found guilty of insubordination and suspended from active duty without pay for 5 years. Instead. General Mitchell elected to resign. and he retired to a farm near Middleburg. Virginia. But from his retirement. he continued to promote air power and its importance and warned of the dangers posed by other nations. particularly Japan. Nearly 20 years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. General Mitchell expressed concerns of a possible attack by foreign aircraft against the Philippines and against the Hawaiian Islands. However. he would not live to see his predictions come true in 1941. Tragically. Billy Mitchell died in New York City on February 19. 1936. It was not until after his untimely death that the ArmyAir Force in World War II adopted his ideas and plans. Ten years after his death. Congress awarded Billy Mitchell the Congressional Medal of Honor. Twenty years later. many Americans would learn more about the life of General Mitchell in the 1956 film "The CourtMartial of Billy Mitchell." Decades later. General Mitchells thoughts and principles on air power continue to guide us all in the air strategy of the United States Air Force. and so it is fitting that we recognize the enormous achievements of General William Mitchell and promote him to major general. Mr. Speaker. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and to provide General Mitchell with the recognition that he deserves. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.