U.S. Army Col. Phillip Cochran, the commander of the 1st Air Commando Group, flies an aircraft over Burma during World War II. Cochran’s achievements and struggles in the Pacific, as well as those of U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Alison, reinforced the need for a separate and independent Air Force branch of service and paved the way for many technological advances in aviation in the years since. (Courtesy Photo)