General Frank M. Andrews

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, he graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1901 and from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1906.

Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on June 12, 1906 – a year before the US Military bought its first aircraft in 1907.

He then began a series of Infantry assignments around the World, but really wanted to fly. In 1914, he married Jeannette Allen, daughter of Major General Henry Allen, in 1914. General Allen delayed the aeronautical aspirations of his son-in-law by once reportedly declaring that “no daughter of his would marry a flyer”. It seems we pilots had a bad reputation from the earliest days !

However, after the US entered World War I, Andrews finally saw his dream come true, as he was assigned to the Aviation Division in August 1917 and promoted to Major. In April 1918, Andrews entered flight training, earning the Junior Aviator Rating at age 34. His wife, Jeannette, would also eventually also obtain her Private Pilot He then began assignments to command various aviation training airfields in Texas and Florida. Following World War I, he replaced Brigadier General Billy Mitchell as Air Officer of the Army of Occupation in Germany,

After additional leadership assignments, Andrews was promoted to Lt Colonel and Colonel. In March 1935, Andrews was appointed by General McArthur to the General Headquarters Air Force, which consolidated Army Air Corps units under a single commander. Andrews was promoted to Brigadier General and to Major General less than a year later.

A vocal proponent of the four-engine heavy bomber, Andrews advocated the purchase of the B-17 Flying Fortress in large numbers as the Army's standard bomber. In 1939, Andrews was charged with readying the entire Army for America's inevitable involvement in World War II. In January 1943, Lieutenant General (3 star) Andrews was appointed commander of all United States forces in the European Theater of Operations, replacing Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In February 1943, Andrews was assigned as Commanding General, United 1943, Andrews was assigned as Commanding General, United States Forces, European Theater of Operations. On May 3, 1943, Andrews and 13 others perished in a crash of a B-24D Liberator in Iceland – only the tail gunner survived. Andrews was the highestranking Allied officer to die in the line of duty to that time in the War. Andrews is buried

at Arlington National Cemetery.

On February 7, 1945, the previously-named Camp Springs Air Base, Maryland was renamed Andrews Air Force Base (now Joint Base Andrews), in his honor. For his exemplary service and contributions to Aviation in Tennessee, our Nation and

the World, General Frank M. Andrews is enshrined in the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame this 27th day of September, 2025.