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Podcast: Your History Your Story
Episode: S8 Ep05 General Hap Arnold: Aviation Pioneer and Visionary
Description: Born in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1886, Henry Harley Arnold, later nicknamed “Hap”, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1907.
Initially commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the infantry, a role he disliked, Arnold later jumped at the opportunity to train at the Wright Brothers Aviation School in Dayton, Ohio. It was there, in 1911, he became one of the first three qualified pilots in the US Military.
During the decades that followed, Arnold advanced in rank and responsibilities, becoming the Commanding General of Army Air Forces in 1942. During WW2, Arnold was responsible for overseeing a massive expansion of U...