Historian tells of Gen. H.H. Arnold’s path to perseverance in leadership

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) Historian Chris Rumley recently spoke at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Tennessee Section meeting about General of the Air Force Henry "Hap" Arnold's life and legacy.

Rumley remarked that few people know the details of Arnold's life or the types of adversities Arnold endured before he built and led the largest Air Force the world has ever known.

"I think it is important for the communities surrounding Arnold Air Force Base to know something about the man this base was named after," Rumley said. "You know, Hap Arnold's short list of accomplishments is pretty amazing. He was taught to fly by the Wright Brothers in 1911; his first solo flight was on a Wright B Flyer with propellers driven by a chain and sprocket mechanism linked to a piston engine."

Rumley spoke about several of Arnold's other accomplishments to the AIAA members, such as he was fourth in line to the Army chain-of-command during WW II, and he was one of only nine men who ever wore the rank of Five-Star General. He also noted that Arnold is the only person to receive a Five-Star rank in two military services - the Army and Air Force.

Rumley said, "That is an impressive short list, yet outside the Air Force, Hap Arnold is virtually unknown."

Joe Wehrmeyer, an AIAA member and AEDC engineer, attended the meeting and recalled parts of the speech that were memorable to him.

"To me, the most fascinating thing about Hap Arnold's life story is how he was with the Air Force at the beginning; when he was one of two pilots for two Wright brothers' airplanes," Wehrmeyer said. "And then all the way to the end of World War II, when the Air Force had over 75,000 airplanes - all under his command."

In 1912 Arnold received the first Mackay Trophy for flying a 42-mile triangular circuit and for establishing a new world altitude record of 6,540 feet. Later that same year, after narrowly avoiding a crash that would have been fatal, he decided to quit flying.

"He was really shook up after that event and told his superiors, 'I cannot even look at a machine in the air without feeling that some accident is going to happen'," Rumley said. "He asked to be relieved from flight duty and the request was granted. That could have been the end of his story with the Air Force. However, Hap came back to a flying squadron four years later with some encouragement from friend Billy Mitchell who promised him a promotion to Captain if he would overcome his fear of flying."

There were other difficulties that occurred before Arnold would present the need for an aerospace research and development program in a press conference. And Arnold didn't shy away from controversy.

"In 1925, he was nearly thrown out of the military for his role in the Billy Mitchell Court-Martial," Rumley said.

The court-martial cited that Mitchell violated the ninety-sixth article of war in that he spoke out about two military flight disasters blaming the Navy and War Departments for incompetency and negligence.

Rumley said, "Hap Arnold was warned that testifying on Mitchell's behalf could damage his career, but he took the stand to defend his long-time friend anyway. After the trial, Hap was accused of improperly using his position in the information office to influence the outcome of that trial and was given two options, resign or face his own court-martial.

"This is another point in Hap's story where he could have simply disappeared from our history. He chose the court-martial, but the Army decided instead to exile him to Ft. Riley, Kan."

Rumley recalled that there were other instances where Arnold's career could have sent him in different directions but he persevered.

"He learned lessons from his failures, maintained a positive outlook and made the best of every assignment," he said. "I think that is a good lesson for each of us. The sum total of General Arnold's assignments gave him a unique experience and background to lead that was unmatched by any of his contemporaries. When our nation needed a Hap Arnold, it was no coincidence that Hap Arnold was ready to lead. We owe Hap Arnold a debt of gratitude for his visionary leadership that helped win the war and gave our Air Force a technological advantage for over 50 years."

Wehrmeyer compared Arnold's leadership to other people of technological vision.

"He was a mover and a shaker for a new technological phenomenon, like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were for the personal computer or Henry Ford for the affordable car," Wehrmeyer said. "Chris' talk really brought home that point to me."

Rumley said that due to Arnold's leadership the Air Force grew from 20,000 to 2 million people. And that the aircraft inventory increased from 1,800 to nearly 80,000.