COL. MITCHELL FOUND GUILTY OF INSUBORDINATION, FORFEITS PAY FOR 5 YEARS
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 18, 1925, The Evening Star reports that last night Col. William Mitchell* was "meted out punishment of such severity as to place the air crusader in virtual peonage and bondage for the next five years."
The Colonel's sentence, which came as a result of being found guilty in a court martial, includes...suspension from rank, command and duty, and forfeiture of pay for five years.
The Star describes the sentence as "the most unusual in the annals of military court-martials."
JFK+50 NOTE
Col. Mitchell antagonized US Army administrators during the 1920s for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the press. His full-pay forfeiture was changed to half-pay by President Coolidge & he resigned from the army on Feb 1, 1926. He lived on a 120 acre estate in Middleboro, Virginia.
*William Lendrum Mitchell (1879-1936) was born in Nice, France & served in the US Army 1898-1936. WLM played a key role in creation of the US Air Force. He served in WWI commanding all air combat units. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal after his death.
SOURCES
"Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence," by Jason Korman and Brig Gen John Teichert, USAF Retired, December 16, 2025, National Museum of the Air Force, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
"Mitchell Reduced & Pay Cut Off For 5 Years By Decision of Court," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., December 18, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
