Dates

• Existence: 1887 - 1922

Biography

Roger Charles McNally was born in 1887. He joined the United States (U. S.) Army in 1917, after walking about 400 miles to an enlistment center from the school in Alaska where he was teaching for the Department of the Interior. After World War I, McNally stayed in the U. S. Army Air Service and was subsequently sent to Italy to assist with the Army’s purchase of the airship Roma. McNally remained in Italy for nearly a year and essentially became one of the officers of the dirigible, though the leadership role of McNally and his fellow pilots was never made official. The crew brought theRoma to the United States, where it was modified and tested at Langley Field (Virginia).

McNally, who had been promoted to Master Sergeant, was on board the Roma on February 21, 1922, when the airship crashed. He died in the fire resulting from the crash, along with 33 others. He left a wife, Mabel, and three children: Will, Margaret, and Rogene.

Source:

Biography derived from collection materials.

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