[Barrett]

In the mid-20s Mitchell made increasingly inflammatory statements about the status of US military aviation. Finally he pushed things too far (in the opinion of his superiors) when he accused the army staff of criminal incompetence and/or stupidity which had led to the deaths of many airmen. Just for spice, he included the navy after the airship Shenandoah was ordered into a summer storm over the Midwest, resulting in heavy loss of life.
Mitchell also advocated an independent air force, free of army influence--heresy in those days. He was found guilty of gross insubordination (the verdict was never in doubt) and booted out of the service.
He died during WW II but afterward Congress voted the medallion as a sort of apology.
Some of Mitchell's concepts were prescient; some were wiggy. Originally he was a supporter of aircraft carriers but later seemed to recognize their "threat" to land-based airpower and negated their utility.
Mitchell had many acolytes, including Hap Arnold. The Russian expatriate, Alexander Seversky, was the most vocal and accepted most of Mitchell's dogma at face value. Read "Victory Through Airpower" (1942) for illumination.