One man made military history by taking a flight more than a century ago. 

Curtiss Field Park in Falcon Heights is named after Minnesota’s first large airport. 

In 1920, Brigadier General Ray Miller made a historic flight at Curtiss Field. 

“I would argue not enough people know about Brigadier General Ray Miller,” Randal Dietrich with the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley said. 

In 1920, Miller and others pushed leaders in Washington, DC, to create an aviation military unit in Minnesota. Hoping to prove a point, Miller and two others flew from Curtiss Field to Washington. The trip paid off.

“They did receive that recognition of being the first nationally recognized National Guard unit in the country,” Dietrich said.

The 109th Observation Squadron was formed and it led other Air National Guard units in Minnesota. Miller became known as the father of the National Guard. 

“His contributions were so important to our state and to our nation,” Dietrich said.