- Peyton C. March, Jr.
Peyton Conway March, Jr. (
December 31 ,1896 -February 18 ,1918 ) was an American soldier and pioneer aviator. He was the son ofPeyton C. March and Josephine Smith Cunningham and was born atFort Monroe where his father was stationed.He attended
Lafayette College .In 1917, March enlisted in the
United States Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps Aviation Section. He trained in Toronto, Ontario andAustin, Texas .In 1918, March was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Corps after completing flying tests and gunnery instruction.
In February 1918, he was seriosuly injured in an airplane accident and died of his injuries in
Fort Worth, Texas on February 18. The following month, on March 11, 1918, March Field (laterMarch Air Force Base , nowMarch Air Reserve Base ), located ten miles southeast ofRiverside, California was named in his honor.He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery .
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