Townsend F. Dodd
| Townsend F. Dodd | |
|---|---|
Captain Dodd seated in his aircraft
|
|
| Birth name | Townsend Foster Dodd |
| Born |
6 March 1886 Anna, Illinois, United States |
| Died | 5 October 1919 (aged 33) Bustleton Field, Philadelphia |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Service |
| Years of service | 1909–1919 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Langley Field; Chief of Staff, Material; Chief of Materiel and Assistant Chief of Supply, Air Service; G-2, Air Service, First Army |
| Battles/wars |
Banana Wars World War I |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
| Spouse(s) | St Clair Dodd |
Townsend Foster Dodd (6 March 1886 – 5 October 1919) was the first commissioned US Army aviator. As a University of Illinois graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, he joined the Coast Artillery Corps and shortly thereafter became an aviator in the US Army Air Service. Dodd sat on many boards of review during the service's infancy and was one of the members who condemned pusher planes in favor of tractors. He served with General John Pershing on the Mexican Border where he set records for endurance flying. During World War I he was first assigned as the Aviation Officer of the American Expeditionary Force in 1917. He was later replaced by Colonel Billy Mitchell and was reassigned to the Bolling Mission.
He was the first US pilot to receive the Distinguished Service Medal during World War I. Dodd was promoted to colonel on 14 August 1918 and at the end of the war he was appointed the Chief of Staff, Material under Mitchell. Dodd was then posted to Fort Sam Houston at San Antonio. With the completion of the war he reverted to his pre-war rank of captain and became the commander of Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia. After returning home from the war he competed in endurance flight competitions and during one such contest he crashed and died. Nine years after his death Dodd Army Airfield was named in his honor.
Dodd was born on 6 March 1886 to Zachary Taylor Dodd and Ruth Anna Dodd (née McLean) in Illinois. Dodd attended the University of Illinois, from where he graduated in 1907 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Ruth Dodd was one of the Charter Members of the Order of the Eastern Star of Illinois. He was married to St Clair Dodd with whom he had no children. In 1914 Dodd won the Mackay Trophy. He died in 1919 in an air crash.
On 25 September 1909, Dodd was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. He was transferred to the Aviation Section, Signal Corps in 1912. While there he became a fully qualified military aviator. In the War Department General Order #39, dated 27 May 1913, Dodd was listed as one of the "original military aviators". On 13 February 1913, he established a non-stop duration of flight record, by flying 244.18 miles in 4 hours, 43 minutes in aircraft SC 26 (a Burgess Model H). Promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, Dodd was ordered to join the 1st Aero Squadron at Texas City, Texas, on 9 March 1913. In June Dodd, along with his squadron, transferred to the San Diego Signal Corps Aviation School (now known as Rockwell Field). There he participated in various flight experiments and sat on boards to establish training requirements and aircraft specifications. Dodd qualified as a military aviator on 30 December 1913.
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