Aubrey Thomas Hornsby I (January 8, 1895 – May 23, 1981) was a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

officer and pioneer aviator who reached the rank of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He began his Army career during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as an

artillery observer An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire su ...

, seeing service in

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and

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, then continued to serve as an aviator and administrator through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, after which he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Biography

He was born in 1895 in

Eclectic, Alabama Eclectic is a town in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1907. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,193. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Eclectic was founded by Dr. M. L. Fielder, ...

, to Judson Anne Nichols (1869–1953) and Jackson Lee Hornsby (1868–1954). His father was a merchant. Hornsby graduated from Elmore County High School in 1915, then attended the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

and Southern University for two years until he volunteered in the Army as a Private in May 1917. Less than six months after his enlistment, he had earned his commission and was appointed Second Lieutenant in November 1917, in the Field Artillery Reserve. In May 1918, he transferred to the American Expeditionary Force as an Aerial Observer serving in France,

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, and Germany for one year. He returned to the United States in 1918, married Nancy (Nannie) Mae Thomas of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

on August 15, 1918, and they had three children: Aubrey Thomas Hornsby II (1922–1983) who was born in Virginia; William Lee Hornsby (1926–2005); and Jack Hornsby (1927–1978). William and Jack were both born in Alabama. Aubrey was then stationed at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

, on Long Island until July 1920. Along with his transfer to Kelly Field in Texas, he was promoted to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

. In 1921 Hornsby graduated from both the Air Service Pilots' School and the Air Service Bombardment School. He participated in the 1922 experimental bombing of surrendered German battleships as a contemporary of

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

, and he won the second place award in the 1926 Liberty Engine Builders' Trophy race. This was an air-race held among fifteen top military pilots at the Sesquicentennial International Exposition in

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to celebrate the nation's 150th birthday. In 1930 the family was living in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. As a captain he commanded Clark Field in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Gunter Field Gunter Annex is a United States Air Force installation located in the North-northeast suburbs of Montgomery, Alabama. The base is named after former Montgomery mayor William Adams Gunter. Until 1992 it was known as Gunter Air Force Base or Gu ...

in Alabama was built in 1940 under his leadership and he was the first base commander. This was an important training center built prior to, but in expectation of, US involvement in World War II. Originally it was known as Army Air Corps Basic Flying School, later as Gunter Field, and now as part of Maxwell Air Force Base. Hornsby assumed that position on August 27, 1940, and was replaced 28 months later by Colonel Raymond L. Winn on December 28, 1942, one year after Pearl Harbor. It was at Gunter Field that the assembly line system of maintaining planes, whose time-saving efficiency had attracted wide attention, was pioneered, based on Hornsby's experience in aircraft maintenance. As a Brigadier General, Hornsby commanded the

308th Bombardment Wing The 308th Armament Systems Wing (308 ARSW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Armament Center, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 30 July 2010. History : ''For additional ...

of the United States Air Force for part of 1946, while it was stationed in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

as part of the occupation force and involved in weather research. In 1946 he was awarded Army Distinguished Service Medal "for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility."Militarytimes.com
/ref> Aubrey Hornsby died in 1981 in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

Postings

* 1917-18: American Expeditionary Force (Europe) * 1918-20:

, Long Island in New York * 1920-22: Kelly Field, Texas * 1922-24:

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...

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* 1924-27: Maxwell Field, Alabama * 1927-30:

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* 1930-32: Clark Field,

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

* 1932-33: Maxwell Field, Alabama * 1933-37: Bolling Field,

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* 1937-40: Maxwell Field, Alabama * 1940-42:

* 1946-46: 308th Bomber Group - Korea (various)

References

* Gunter History, AU/HO Office, Pg. 47, (Circa) 1943

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields is an online database detailing information and first hand memories about airports in the United States which are no longer in operation, or are rarely used. The website was started by Paul Freeman in 1999 a ...

: by Paul Freeman. * R. Manning Ancell; The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers;

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

; Greenwood Press, 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornsby, Aubrey 1895 births 1981 deaths People from Elmore County, Alabama Air Corps Tactical School alumni United States Army Air Forces generals