Thomas D. Milling
| Thomas DeWitt Milling | |
|---|---|
Thomas DeWitt Milling as a Colonel.
|
|
| Born |
July 31, 1887 Winfield, Louisiana |
| Died | November 26, 1960 (aged 73) Walter Reed Hospital |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1909-1933 1942-1946 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Officer of the Order of the British Empire Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Legion d'Honneur (France) |
Thomas DeWitt Milling (July 31, 1887 – November 26, 1960) was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Air Force.
He received his flight training from the Wright Brothers and was awarded Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) pilot certificate No. 30 on July 6, 1911. Although Milling was not the first U.S. Army aviator, he was the first to receive Military Aviator Certificate No. 1 on July 5, 1912. Milling also received the first badge awarded to an American military aviator in October 1913.
Milling was born to Judge Robert E. Milling and the former Ida Roberts in Winnfield, Louisiana, the seat of Winn Parish, and attended public schools in Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish. He was appointed a cadet in the United States Military Academy on June 15, 1905. He and graduated on June 11, 1909, with the degree of bachelor of science and commissioned a second lieutenant, Cavalry.
Milling reported to the 15th Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in September 1909 but his tour of duty was cut short when War Department Special Order 95, dated April 21, 1911, assigned Milling and 2d Lt. Henry H. Arnold to "aeronautical duty with the Signal Corps," and instructed them to "proceed to Dayton, Ohio, for the purpose of undergoing a course of instruction in operating the Wright airplane."
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Wikipedia