A US District Court judge has ruled in favor of the Air Force and against former Air National Guard pilot Maj. Harry Schmidt, who had claimed USAF violated privacy rules in revealing a letter of reprimand written about him following a hearing into the Tarnak Farms friendly fire incident in 2002. Judge Jeanne Scott in Springfield, Ill., found that the “competing public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs Schmidt’s privacy interest.” Schmidt had accepted a hearing before a general officer in lieu of a court-martial.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American
