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{{RefimproveMore citations needed|date=November 2011}}
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{{Infobox military person
|name=Thomas DeWitt Milling
|birth_date= {{birth date|1887|7|31}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1960|11|26|1887|7|31}}
|birth_place= Winfield, [[Winnfield, Louisiana]]
|death_place= [[Walter Reed Army Medical Center|Walter Reed Hospital]]
|placeofburial=
|image=Thomas D. Milling.jpg
|caption=Thomas DeWitt Milling as a Colonel.colonel
|nickname=
|allegiance={{flag|United States of America}}
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}}
'''Thomas DeWitt Milling''' (July 31, 1887 – November 26, 1960) was a pioneer of military aviation and a [[Brigadier General (United States)|brigadier general]] in the [[U.S. Army Air Corps]]. He was the first [[Air Force Aeronautical Ratings|rated pilot]] in the history of the [[United States Air Force]].
[[File:TurpinThomas 2163467736D. 5f339b91a6Milling, oUnited States Naval Lieutenant before 1913 (cropped).jpg|thumb|400px350x350px|Milling andsitting [[Jamesat Cliffordthe Turpin|Cliffcontrols of a Turpin]]biplane inbefore 19121913]]
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.
 
==Background and education==
Milling was born to [[Judge]] Robert E. Milling and the former Ida Roberts in [[Winnfield, Louisiana|Winnfield]], Louisiana, the seat of [[Winn Parish]], and attended public schools in [[Franklin, Louisiana|Franklin]], the seat of [[St. Mary Parish, Louisiana|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 [[bachelorBachelor of scienceScience]] and commissioned a [[lieutenant|second lieutenant]], [[Cavalry]].
 
==Aviation pioneer==
Milling reported to the 15th Cavalry at [[Fort Leavenworth]], [[Kansas]], in September 1909 but his tour of duty was cut short when [[United States Department of War|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."
 
''"Up to this time the Army had no prescribed tests for qualification as an airplane pilot. Now it adopted the FAI regulations and required all army fliers to pass these tests in order to be rated as pilots. All qualification certificates for airplane, airship, and balloon pilots were issued by the Aero Club of America, the only U.S. representative for the FAI."'' (from the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]], Centenniel of Flight exhibition)
 
Milling began his training on May 3, 1911, under the tutelage of Wright instructor [[James Clifford Turpin|Cliff Turpin]]. However the next day Orville Wright took an interest in Milling and went up with him. On May 8, after just one hour and fifty-four minutes of flying time, Wright authorized Milling to go up alone, and he made his first solo flight. Milling landed in an unorthodox downward spiral, alarming onlookers that included Wright, Turpin, and Arnold, but appeared in control the entire time, and the Wrights included a modified maneuver in future instruction. Milling flew daily for six weeks, except in bad weather, mastering takeoffs, landings, turns, and rudimentary maneuvers.
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Milling returned from France in January 1919 and served in a variety of assignments for the next seven years: assistant chief, Training and Operations Group, including president of a board to determine all aerial laws, rules and regulations, (January 1919 to June 1920); officer in charge, [[Air Corps Tactical School|Air Service Field Officers' School]], [[Langley Field]], [[Virginia]] (July 1920 to June 1922); assistant commandant, Air Service Tactical School, Langley Field (June 1922 to January 1925); operations officer, Second Bombardment Wing, Langley Field (January to June 1925); and Air Service Engineering School, [[McCook Field]], [[Dayton, Ohio]], completing the course in August 1926.
 
Milling then attended the [[Command and General Staff School]] at Fort Leavenworth. Graduating in June 1927, he was assigned to the War Plans Section, Office of Chief of the Air Corps in Washington, D.C., where his duties were mainly administrative in connection with war planning and legislation. In June 1930, Milling was sent to the [[Colorado]] [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] in [[Denver, Colorado]] to serve as an Air Corps instructor. In September 1931, he served briefly at [[Rockwell Field|Rockwell Air Depot]], California, then was admitted to [[Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center|FitzsimmonsFitzsimons General Hospital]], Denverin [[Aurora, Colorado]], where he was a patient from October 1931 to July 31, 1933, when he retired from active duty due to poor health.
 
==World War II service==
During [[World War II]], Milling was recalled to active duty as a [[Major (United States)|major]] on March 16, 1942, to serve on the War Department Decorations Board in Washington, D.C., and was promoted to lieutenant colonel April 27, 1942, and to colonel September 24, 1942. In December 1942, he served as the air representative on the [[United States Congress]] Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee and later was a member of the Joint Intelligence Staff in the office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, until December 1943, when he returned to the War Department Decorations Board, serving until March 1946. Milling again retired on July 24, 1946.
 
He died at [[Walter Reed Army Medical Center|Walter Reed General Hospital]] on November 26th26, 1960.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107309758/veteran-pilot-taught-by-wright-dies/ |title=Veteran Pilot, Taught By Wright, Dies at 73 |newspaper=[[The Bellingham Herald]] |location=Washington |agency=AP |page=3 |date=1960-11-27 |access-date=2022-08-09 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Although Milling never actively served as a general officer, he was advanced on the retired list to the rank of [[Brigadier General (United States)|brigadier general]], with his date of rank retroactive to June 13, 1940.
 
General Milling has been awarded a number of decorations, including the [[Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)|Distinguished Service Medal]]; [[Legion of Merit]]; Most Excellent [[Order of the British Empire]], degree of Honorary Officer; Officer of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)]]; French [[Legion d'Honneur]] (Chevalier).
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*Coffey, Thomas M., ''Hap: the Story of the U.S. Air Force and the Man Who Built It, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold'', Viking Press (1982)
*Nalty, Bernard C., editor, ''Winged Shield, Winged Sword: A History of the United States Air Force'' (1997), {{ISBN|0-16-049009-X}}
 
==External links==▼
{{Portal|United States Air Force}}
*http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/preww1/cof-2.htm
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
▲==External links==
*{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617235541/http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/preww1/cof-2.htm|title=The Signal Corps' First Air Installations and First Military Aviator Rating|date=June 17, 2006}}
*[http://earlyaviators.com/emilling.htm Thomas DeWitt Milling; earlyaviators.com]
 
{{authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milling, Thomas Dewitt}}
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[[Category:Members of the Early Birds of Aviation]]
[[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (UnitedUS StatesArmy)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Honorary Officersofficers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:ChevaliersKnights of the LégionLegion d'honneurof Honour]]
[[Category:United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces generals]]
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