Military officer training has always placed enormous value on leadership development. The goal is to build transformational leaders. “Transformational leadership promotes positive and meaningful change in people, teams, organizations, nations and societies.” These leaders articulate a vision, company values, challenge the old way of doing things, and encourage continuous improvement. Discussions of transformational leadership in the Air Force often lead to Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, United States Army. General Mitchell was one of the most controversial and outspoken advocates of aviation during the postwar period of the 1920s-1930s. He was an Army Soldier/Airman and an inspirational leader. He experienced an awakening while leading the Army Air Forces in Europe during World War I (WWI). “He saw beyond the limitations of the crude aircraft of the time and recognized the aircraft's potential to completely transform warfare. Furthermore, he was determined to awaken his nation to the need for air power.” However, he had a rebellious personality that clashed with the army and the national leadership. Between the end of World War I and his death in 1936, General Mitchell persisted in trying to convince military and civilian leaders of the importance of aviation and potential dominant role in future wars. Mitchell was a tactical soldier and aviator who wanted all Air Force to be under one command. separate and equal service, under a cabinet department of the Air Force responsible for civil and military air forces. At the same time, he worked within the Air Corps to develop its doctrine, training and operational capabilities for current and future conflicts. General Mitchell influenced a generation of Air Force leaders with technical experts... middle of paper... sacrificing careers for greater Air Force development, demonstrates why Airmen, military officers and Today's government leaders owe him a debt of gratitude. Works Cited John J. Sosik and Don I. Jung, Full Range Leadership Development: Pathways for People, Profit, and Plant (New York: Psychology Press, 2010), 14. William D. O'Neil, “Transformation” (Annapolis: US Naval Institute, 2002), 1.Ibid., 2.Giulio Douhet, The Command of the Air (Washington: Air Force History and Museums Program, 1998), 30.Alfred F. Hurley, Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power ( Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975), 61.Edgar H. Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership 4th Edition (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010), 291.Alfred F. Hurley, Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power, 69 .Edgar H. Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership, 293.