William L Kenly 1918 photo (public domain). All photos public domain (notify me if Wikipedia and other websites have mischaracterized the rights).
I visited Arlington National Cemetery today and saw for the first time the grave of my great-uncle, Major General William Lacy Kenly. He was Chief of Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces during World War One. He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal in 1918 for having “rendered services of inestimable value to the Government in positions of great responsibility.” According to a Wikipedia page on him, Kenly “was the titular head of the newly-established United States Army Air Service” for part of World War One. Here’s a page on his record from the World’s Military History Wiki.
A more detailed record of his service is available here, including the battles he fought in the Philippines. He also won a Silver Star for his combat role in Cuba in 1898.
Until doing genealogy research a few years ago, I was completely unaware of the role of Gen. Kenly in World War One. My grandmother passed away 20 years before I was born and I heard almost nothing about her family history when I was growing up.
The Kenly family emigrated to America from Scotland in the 1700s, settling in the Baltimore area. Another one of my Kenly ancestors was the commander of the Union forces at a Civil War battle in what would be my hometown a century later. The 1862 Battle of Front Royal, Virginia helped establish Stonewall Jackson’s claim to military greatness.
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