Army's Air Force tale is soaring one

How did the Army get an Air Force? Do you know?

Some youngsters probably think it has always existed, but that is not true.

The U.S. military had air forces even in World War I. The first step came in 1907, it was a division of the U.S. Army, called the Aeronautical Division, staffed by one officer and two enlisted men. 

In 1914, the Army created the Aviation Section to replace the Aeronautical Division. In 1917, it went to 131 officers and 1,087 enlisted men to fly 55 aircraft. In 1918, it became the Division of Military Aeronautics commanded by General Billy Mitchell with an armada of 1500 planes in World War I. They shot down more than 720 German planes. 

In 1926, another name change to one that lasted, the U.S. Army Air Corps (pronounced "core").

In 1938, General "Hap" Arnold took command. In World War II, there were 2.4 million airmen who had flown 300,000 aircraft, never again to be that large. It was as large as the ground forces. So in 1947, the official separate branch was created, the U.S. Air Force.

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran and business owner in Priest River. He served in the 1st Infantry Division.