Roy Carrington Kirtland (14 May 1874 – 2 May 1941) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

soldier, officer and aviator. Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico was named for him. He was among the first American military aviators and he recommended

Henry "Hap" Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

for aviation training.

Biography

He was born on May 14, 1874, in

Fort Benton, Montana Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Established in 1846, Fort Benton is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Montana. The city's waterfront area, the most important aspect of its 19 ...

to Thaddeus Sanford Kirtland and Ann Virginia Carter. He married Helen K. Parker. Kirtland joined the Army in 1898 and was commissioned on August 1, 1901, as a second lieutenant in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

. In 1911 he was transferred to the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

and placed in command of the U.S. Aviation School at College Park,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

from April to June 1911, and served in a number of capacities with the Signal Corps Kirtland then commanded the First Aero Squadron in 1913 until his return to the infantry division in 1915. He rejoined Signal Corps aviation in 1917 and was tasked to organize four Air Service Mechanics Regiments, subsequently commanding the third in France. While overseas, he served as the Inspector for aviation in England and air service rest camps. After the war, Kirtland became a flight instructor, commanded aviation supply depots and graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

. During the 1920s he served with the General Staff until his appointment in 1930 as

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Langley Station Langley railway station is in Langley, a suburb of Slough, Berkshire, England. It is down the line from and is situated between to the east and to the west. The station is served by local services operated by the Elizabeth line. History ...

and as acting commandant of the

Air Corps Tactical School The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...

. He retired in 1938 after 40 years service. Colonel Kirtland was reactivated in advance of

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 ...

at age 65. He served at

Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10 ...

. He died on May 2, 1941, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Moffett Field, California Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...

. He was buried at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

Legacy

At special request from General H. H. Arnold, Albuquerque Air Army Airbase was renamed Kirtland Army Airfield.

References

External links

Roy Kirkland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirtland, Roy C. United States Army officers United States Army soldiers 1874 births 1941 deaths Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Members of the Early Birds of Aviation