Winged Defense

Book excerpt: Mitchell antagonized many people in the army with his arguments and criticism and in 1925 was demoted to colonel, and later that year, he was court-martialed for insubordination after accusing army and navy leaders of an "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." He resigned from the service shortly afterward. Following his death, however, Mitchell received many honors, including a commission as major general. He is the only individual after whom a type of American military aircraft is named: the B-25 "Mitchell" bomber.