Early+Life

Billy Mitchell was a son of a US senator, he grew up in Milwaukee, enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War and received a Signal Corps commission (1901). Assigned to the aviation section (1916), he learned to fly the following year and immediately became a forceful and outspoken advocate of military air power.

"The son of a wealthy United States senator from Wisconsin, Mitchell was born in Nice, France, on Dec. 29, 1879, while his parents were on vacation. He grew up in Milwaukee and attended Racine College and Columbian University (now The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.). Before graduation, however, he enlisted in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry in 1899 as a private to fight in the Spanish American War. Because of his father's status, Mitchell quickly received a comission, but the war ended before he could get into the fight. Nevertheless, he stayed in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and served in Cuba and the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection. Sent to Alaska in 1901, Mitchell distinguished himself by successfully laying a telegraph line through some of the most remote parts of that territory. While stationed in Alaska, Mitchell studied [|Otto Lilienthal's] glider expiriments, and he wrote an article in 1906 predicting that wars would soon be fought in the air and under the sea. After attending the Army Staff College, Mitchell became the only Signal Corps officer on the Army General Staff in 1913. Since Army aviation was assigned to the Signal Corps, Mitchell became familiar with the early military aviators. Made the deputy commander of the aviation section in 1916, he took private flying lessons at the age of 38."

OWN WORDS (PARAGRAPH FORM)

William Mitchell was born in late 1879 to an affluent family during a vacation in Nice, France. His father was a member of the US Senate. Before he graduated from Columbian University (Later renamed "The George Washington University") he enlisted in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry to fight in the Spanish-American War as a private. His father's status in politics attained him allowance, and he did not have to fight on the front. He decided upon staying enlisted and was soon sent to the Philippines during the Insurrection. In 1901 he made himself known by putting telegraph lines through many isolated parts of Alaska. Working in Alaska, he wrote his first written discourse about warfare being fought with aeronautics. After working in Alaska, he attended the Army Staff College. He became the "only Signal Corps officer on the Army General Staff in 1913." After, he was made Commander of the Aviation section in 1916.