Alfred Austell Cunningham
Oxford Dictionary of the US Military:
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Alfred Austell Cunningham
Cunningham, Alfred Austell (1882-1939) U.S. Marine Corps officer and aviator, born in Atlanta, Georgia. Cunningham organized and commanded the 1st Marine Aviation Force, which flew forty-three missions in support of Allied ground troops (1918), and led bombing raids on German submarines. At the end of World War I he became the main lobbyist for marine aviation; in 1920 Congress designated 1, 020 marine personnel for aviation service.
Cunningham was the first marine corps officer assigned to aviation duty, and the date he reported to Annapolis (May 22, 1912) is considered the birthdate of marine aviation. By firmly attaching an aircraft component to the organization of the corps, Cunningham earned the title “Father of Marine Aviation.”See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
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Oxford Dictionary of the US Military
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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