U.S. Air Force photo
This is a photo taken from Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell's court-martial, 1925. After commenting on the crash of the Naval dirigible Shenandoah, he was charged with insubordination and conduct "to the prejudice of good order and military discipline." The U.S. refused to see the truth, but, unfortunately, the Japanese did - the result was the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Gen. William
"Billy" Mitchell
1920s -- The Mitchell court-martial showed how truth and vision can be unwelcome in the military. Mitchell was an outspoken critic of the government's failure to develop an Air Service. He demonstrated how easily naval ships could be destroyed by aircraft, The but the Joint Board of the Army and Navy promptly announced, "The battleship is still the backbone of the fleet.".