Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Army Air Corps Enlisted Pilots
1912 — 1942
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 23, 2016
1. Army Air Corps Enlisted Pilots Monument
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, World I • War, World II.
Location. 32° 24.248′ N, 86° 14.949′ W. Marker is in Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Memorial can be reached from the intersection of Avenue D and Libby Street. Located at the Enlisted Heritage Hall on Gunter Annex and requires base access. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 550 McDonald St, Montgomery AL 36114, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Operation Noble Eagle (here, next to this marker); Vietnam Service Memorial (here, next to this marker); Operation Eagle Claw (here, next to this marker); Operation Allied Force (here, next to this marker); Korean Service Memorial & Medal (here, next to this marker); Khobar Towers Memorial (here, next to this marker); Southwest Asia Service Medal (a few steps from this marker); "That Others May Live" (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex.
Regarding Army Air Corps Enlisted Pilots. In 1939 there were only 55 enlisted pilots in the then-U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC). On 3 June 1941, Public Law 99 was enacted,
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Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 23, 2016
2. First enlisted pilot - Corporal Vernon L. Burge.
Corporal Vernon L. Burge became the first enlisted pilot three years after the Army bought its first airplane. He was Lt. Benjamin Foulois' mechanic on Signal Corps airplane No. 1 at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in 1910, and Lt. Frank Lahm taught him to fly in the Philippines two years later. In August 1912, Burge received aviator's certificate No. 154 from the Federation Aeronautique International and also was promoted to sergeant.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 23, 2016
3. Wide view of monument area.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 23, 2016
4. Enlisted Heritage Memorial Park
Photographed By Larry Gertner, May 5, 2021
5. Enlisted Pilots 1912-1945
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 534 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 23, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on May 5, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
