Part Three: The Officer's Wife
“[Colonel Schilling] was not one to be bound by rules..."
-- Betty Raab Kennedy, staff historian with Headquarters Air Mobility Command
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Walking along North Edison Street, she picked up the scent of hamburgers and hot dogs, heard children’s laughter from the yards, and admired the tidy, freshly mowed lawns. Though not a resident, she was familiar with the weekend routines. Bucket hat man washed his car while his wife sat on the porch knitting a baby blanket; her belly was visibly larger—surely a baby was expected soon. Next door, the Bickersons tended their garden. Their exchanges sounded harsh, but that was simply their way of interacting.
North Edison Street felt like a completely different world compared to her apartment complex, despite being only five miles away. On Saturday evenings, no one was ever outside there. Residents were either out dancing, passed out drunk in bed, or sitting in a laundromat.
This is the street where he lived with his wife and two sons. She knew at this hour he would be in the garage with his team, sitting at the card table. To anyone passing by, they looked like men playing a game, not masterminds planning Trans-Atlantic fighter jet flights.
She didn't come to see him; she was there to see her. Every glimpse—watching her bring drinks to the men, chat with the wives while the children played in the sprinklers—etched itself into her memory. Weeks prior, she had seen the man pull her onto his lap, her head thrown back as laughter burst out, sending a sharp wave of longing and jealousy through her chest, a raw ache she’d never experienced.
As she walked, she exchanged greetings with nursemaids pushing strollers, their last walk around the block before bedtime. She wasn’t concerned about recognition; she’d gone to great lengths to hide herself. As a police detective’s daughter, she understood surveillance. That evening, she wore a curly brown wig and dressed as a housemaid. She had sewn the dress herself months earlier using a Simplicity pattern. Before making her uniform, she had observed that the neighborhood help favored dull gray fabric with a white Peter Pan collar and apron. As she walked, she carried her handbag with the white apron draped over her arm, giving the appearance of a woman whose shift had just ended.
Rounding the corner, just a few houses away, her heart leaped. His Jaguar XK120 approached, but he wasn't behind the wheel. A woman with auburn hair, her hair held back by a silk scarf, wore cat-eye sunglasses, a slight smile on her face, and passed her, never once looking her way. It was as if she were invisible. Yet the woman herself, driving that car, was all anyone could see. She resembled Katharine Hepburn but exuded the elegance of Grace Kelly—confident, cheerful, and intelligent.
She felt that same familiar pang of jealousy and considered turning back. However, having come this far, she swallowed her discomfort and pressed on. She spotted the men in the garage—as expected—studying documents. The garage was too distant from the street for her to see further. A group of children played in the yard, chasing fireflies with butterfly nets. If she weren’t so overwhelmed by humiliation, she might have laughed.
She’d seen enough. She wanted to disappear. The urge to flee was overwhelming. The wig felt suffocating. Sweat trickled down her scalp in the early summer heat. The cleverness she felt when she first donned the uniform was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of inferiority. The discomfort deepened after seeing the woman who lived the life she dreamed of.
As she returned to the bus stop on Williamsburg Blvd, she fell in line with the other maids and baby nurses heading back to their own dreary apartments after their long day's work. While some seemed to question her presence, none voiced anything directly, or perhaps she just didn't notice amid the tumult in her mind.
The sight of her driving his precious, outrageously expensive Jaguar, something seen only in Hollywood magazines and driven by stars like Clark Gable and Lauren Bacall, said more about his feelings for her than the time she witnessed him pulling her onto his lap. All her fears were coming true in that moment.
It was only a matter of time before he would end things with her. With the move toward punishing, even court-martialing, officers found guilty of fraternization on the near horizon, she would be cast aside and forgotten. As she sat on the bus, the stale, hot air and smell of body odor caused bile to rise in her, and immediately upon exiting, she bent over and vomited, bits of it hitting her white stockings and shoes.
As she straightened herself and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, she knew what she had to do.
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In April 1946, as tensions escalated in Iraq and Iran, the 56th Fighter Group based at Selfridge Field, Michigan, was put on alert. Commanded by Colonel Schilling, who was 28 and already had graying black hair, the group's role was to support the enforcement of the Truman Doctrine and containment strategies as U.S. influence pushed Soviet forces to withdraw.
David Schilling Jr. recalls that the Schilling family, living together for the first time at Officers' Quarters on Selfridge, embodied the quintessential American family. He told David Schilling's biographers of his mother’s involvement in the Officers’ Wives Club, hosting dignitaries, and her love of playing Bridge.
Bridge is a strategic, skill-based card game played by four players in two partnerships. Players bid in an auction to set a contract, then aim to win the set number of tricks during the game. The game combines mental discipline with social flexibility, often appealing to those who enjoy solving complex problems and competing strategically within a partnership.
Georgia was a woman who was not only the perfect hostess but also wicked smart.
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On September 18, 1947, the Department of the Air Force, an agency of the Department of Defense, was established.
Following the Air Force's establishment as a separate entity in September 1947, pilots struggled as the Air Force remained under the Army, with strict infantry tactics and rigid seniority rules enforced. Dave, like many young fighter colonels, was demoted, and bomber priorities overshadowed the efforts of dedicated pilots like him. David was not someone who simply accepted things he disagreed with; he played a key role in advocating for the purpose and role of fighter aircraft.
In the late 1940s, David, in his role as the Staff Planning Officer at the Pentagon, was responsible for raising awareness among fighter pilots through air shows, races, and exhibitions. He notably took high-ranking officials, including Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington, on his first jet flight. He coordinated major national events, including the Cleveland National Air Races, the Las Vegas gunnery meet, and the 1949 Presidential Air Show at Andrews AFB. These events highlighted Air Force teams, showcased new systems, and bolstered funding efforts. During the 1949 Air Show, Schilling also guided President Truman on an aircraft tour.
At the same time, in early 1948, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Schilling conceived Operation Fox Able One, the first transatlantic jet fighter flight. The mission involved 16 F-80 Shooting Stars flying from Selfridge to Furstenfeldbrück, West Germany, with fuel stops along the way.
The operation's goal was to prove the feasibility of quickly deploying fighter jets overseas rather than relying on the slower method of shipping them. The successful execution of Fox Able One inspired similar operations in subsequent years and underscored the growing importance of aerial refueling for long-range fighter support.
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Clarke Newlon
January 1, 1957
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Honoring the History of Boxted Airfield, USAAF Station 150, England
Bill Gibson, childhood friend of David Jr. in Arlington, Virginia.
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In 1949, U.S. military leaders supported the idea of creating a unified military justice system. The following year, a proposal was made to Congress to establish the first Uniform Code of Military Justice, intended to apply to all military branches during both war and peacetime. Its goal was to create a consistent legal framework for the U.S. armed forces. A key part, Article 134 – The General Article, serves as a broad provision for behaviors that harm good order and discipline or discredit the armed forces. This includes activities such as fraternization, which covers improper relationships, including business dealings, friendships, or romantic connections within the military.
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David came up with the idea for the Air Force gunnery meet in Las Vegas, where top gunnery, rocketry, and fighter-bomber teams compete fiercely. It also served as a platform to test systems, spot the best, fix bugs, and share ideas. On May 2, 1949, he hosted the first Air Force gunnery contest at Las Vegas Air Force Base, now known as Nellis AFB in Nevada. The event featured aerial gunnery, dive bombing, skip bombing, and rocket firing.
The 332nd Fighter Group, a group of African American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, secured first place in the competition. The group included Capt. Alva Temple, Lt. James Harvey, Lt. Harry Stewart, and Lt. Halbert Alexander, who served as the backup pilot. Their victory drew only sparse applause. Following the contest, the Airmen and their support staff were denied entry to the Flamingo Hotel's nightclub by security guards, who claimed the casino was for “Whites only.” The large silver trophy commemorating their success was stored away and forgotten for 70 years. Today, it is displayed at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
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73 Years After Winning First "Top Gun", Black pilots are honored
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Robert Mitchell Weidman, Georgia's beloved father, passed away from pneumonia at the age of 56 in Detroit on November 8, 1949. His death was a result of a fall. In the first week of January 1950, he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Despite Robert Weidman's sudden death, his affairs were in order, and the bulk of his estate went to his widow, son Robert M. Weidman, Jr., and Georgia.
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In 1950, David Schilling was committed to persuading the Air Force to adopt the probe-and-drogue aerial refueling system. He flew a British jet from Manston, England, and successfully demonstrated refueling with its probe-and-drogue system. Upon returning to the US, he convinced the Air Force to fund research and development to modify two F-84s to be compatible with the British system. In March, he traveled back to England for ten days and was there on the night of March 17, 1950, when Georgia was found dead at home from a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet was fired from his .765-caliber Walther pistol, a war souvenir.
Within 24 hours, Arlington Coroner W.C. Welburn ruled her death a suicide, and no autopsy was performed. Georgia's uncle, Navy Capt. John M. Ocker arrived at the scene moments after receiving a call from David Jr. He told police and reporters that Georgia had been in good health and spirits when they had dinner two nights earlier. In his opinion, the idea that she had taken her own life was unfathomable.
A powerful man in his own right, Ocker was the head of Naval Intelligence's Plans and Procedures, overseeing strategic planning and crafting rules to ensure military personnel understood U.S. policies. After the police left, Ocker and his wife stayed at the house with their nephews, waiting for David to return from England.
The coverage of Georgia's death made headlines around the world.
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Detroit Free Press: Col. Schilling's Wife Ends Life With Gun.
Wartime Ace Once Was Stationed at Selfridge; Find No Reason For Act
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On March 22, Georgia was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Less than ten days after the funeral, David left the boys at Arlington to attend the 2nd US Gunnery Meet in Las Vegas.
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Following the death of her husband and, four months later, her daughter, Georgia's mother, Tillissa, entered the Sacred Heart Sanitarium on April 18, 1950. Situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this spa catered to affluent patients seeking treatment for mental or nervous issues, offering water therapy, massage, exercise, and nature-inspired treatments.
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On May 5, 1950, Congress enacted the Uniform Code of Military Justice, establishing a standardized criminal code and uniform legal procedures for all military branches.
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During the week of May 14, David flew Assistant Air Secretary Harold Stuart from Washington, DC, to Tulsa to attend a ceremony marking National Security Week. He piloted a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, and their flight lasted just over 2 hours and 45 minutes.
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“Why, ol’ Bill joined the air force and was assigned to take flight training down in Florida."
"That was bad," said Schilling.
"That was good," said Schilling
"No, that was bad," said Stuart, "because about halfway down, the parachute ripped."
"No, that was good, because right beneath him, he saw a great big haystack on some guy's farm."
"That was bad," said Schilling.
"No, that was good," said Stuart, "because he missed the whole darn haystack."
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