Henry H. Arnold

Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) rose to the highest ranks in two separate branches of the U.S. military, becoming a General of the Army and later a General of the Air Force. He was the only officer to hold five-star rank in both services and the only U.S. Air Force general to ever wear five stars. A pioneer in aviation, Arnold served as Chief of the Air Corps from 1938 to 1941 and later as commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces. He also launched Project RAND, which eventually grew into the RAND Corporation, a major global policy think tank, and helped found Pan American World Airways.

The Wright Brothers taught Arnold to fly, making him one of the world’s first military pilots and one of the first three rated pilots in U.S. Air Force history. Despite a fear of flying that developed from his early experiences in the air, he pushed through it. During World War I, he oversaw the expansion of the Air Service, and he became a protégé of Brigadier General (later Colonel) Billy Mitchell.

Just before the United States entered World War II, Arnold took command of the Army Air Forces. Under his leadership, the force grew a hundredfold—from roughly 20,000 personnel and 800 front-line combat aircraft into the largest and most powerful air force the world had ever seen. He strongly backed technological research and development, and his tenure saw the creation of the intercontinental bomber, the jet fighter, widespread radar use, global airlift capabilities, and atomic warfare as pillars of modern air power.

Arnold’s most common nickname, “Hap,” came from “Happy.” Some accounts say work colleagues coined it in October 1911 when he worked as a stunt pilot in silent films; others attribute it to his wife, who started using it in letters after his mother died in 1931. As a child, his family called him Harley; his mother and wife called him “Sunny.” At West Point, classmates called him “Pewt” or “Benny,” while his staff and close subordinates referred to him as “The Chief.”

**Early life and career**

Arnold was born on June 25, 1886, in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. His father, Dr. Herbert Alonzo Arnold (1857–1933), was a physician from the prominent Arnold family, which had deep political and military ties. His mother, Anna Louise “Gangy” Harley (1857–1931), came from a “Dunker” farm family and was the first woman in her family to finish high school. Arnold was Baptist but had strong Mennonite connections through both sides of his family. Unlike her husband, “Gangy” was described as fun-loving and not rigid in her beliefs. When Arnold was eleven, his father served as a surgeon in the Pennsylvania National Guard during the Spanish–American War and remained in the Guard for the next 24 years.

He attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1903. (The school’s athletic fields now bear his name.) Arnold had no plans to go to West Point—he was preparing for Bucknell University and the Baptist ministry—but took the entrance exam after his older brother Thomas refused to do so, defying their father. Arnold placed second on the list and received a delayed appointment after the original nominee was discovered to be married, which was against academy rules.

Arnold entered West Point as a “Juliette” (one month late), having just turned 17. He spent his cadet years as a “clean sleeve” (a cadet private) and helped found the “Black Hand,” a group of pranksters, which he led during his first-class year. He played second-team running back on the varsity football team, threw shot put for track and field, and excelled at polo. His grades ranged from middle to lower in his class, with his best marks in math and science. He wanted a cavalry assignment, but his inconsistent demerit record and a cumulative class rank of 66th out of 111 cadets led to his commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Infantry on June 24, 1907. He initially protested the assignment (there was no commissioning requirement for West Point graduates in 1907), but was persuaded to accept a commission in the 29th Infantry, then stationed in the Philippines. He arrived in Manila on December 7, 1907.

Disliking infantry duties, Arnold volunteered to help Captain Arthur S. Cowan of the 20th Infantry, who was temporarily mapping Luzon. When Cowan returned to the U.S., transferred to the Signal Corps, and was tasked with recruiting two lieutenants to become pilots, he contacted Arnold. Arnold cabled his interest in transferring to the Signal Corps but heard nothing for two years. In June 1909, the 29th Infantry moved to Fort Jay, New York. En route through Paris, Arnold saw his first airplane in flight—piloted by Louis Blériot. In 1911, he applied for a transfer to the Ordnance Department because it promised an immediate promotion to first lieutenant. While waiting for the required exam results, he learned that his interest in aviation had not been forgotten.

**Military aviation pioneer**

Arnold quickly wrote a letter requesting a transfer to the Signal Corps. On April 21, 1911, Special Order 95 detailed him and Second Lieutenant Thomas DeWitt Milling of the 15th Cavalry to Dayton, Ohio, for flight instruction at the Wright brothers’ aviation school at Simms Station. Though they were taught individually, they were part of the school’s May 1911 class, which also included three civilians and Navy Lieutenant John Rodgers. Arnold began lessons on May 3 with instructor Arthur L. Welsh and made his first solo flight.