US Army Chief Historian Speaks to CME Cadets

The Army’s Chief Historian, COL(R) Charles Bowery, Jr. (SES), addressed the forty-seven cadets enrolled in Introduction to Applied Aerodynamics on the history of Army aircraft during an evening lecture period. Mr. Bowery highlighted the technological advances beginning in the pre-Civil War era to modern day that have driven Army Aviation advancement and modernization to meet the needs of the overall force. He emphasized the importance of guiding the future of aircraft design by understanding the past. Mr. Bowery is the Executive Director for the United States Army Center of Military History, responsible for the overall supervision and direction of historical matters throughout the Department of the Army. His responsibilities include management of fifty-seven Army museums (including the West Point Museum), more than thirty historical centers, and overall supervision of the Army's military historians and history detachments. Mr. Bowery served on active duty for twenty-three years as an Army Aviation officer, commanding at all levels from platoon through battalion and serving overseas in Korea, Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is a published author, speaker, and battlefield staff ride leader focusing on the American Civil War, and has taught Military History at the United States Military Academy. As commander of the 1-4 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, Mr. Bowery played a significant role in the leader development of his junior officers, three of whom currently serve on the USMA faculty; CPT(P) Ashcraft (CME), CPT(P) Brown (DEP), and CPT(P) Delcuadro-Zimmerman (Math).