Dated and captioned by hand, 'Flying Cadet Detachment, Mather Field, Sept. 25, '18,' this photograph offers a rare, precisely documented view of the aviation cadets training at Mather Field, California, in the final weeks of World War I. Established earlier that year near Sacramento, Mather Field trained U.S. Army Air Service Flying Cadets in preparation for pilot duty overseas. The Armistice, signed just weeks later on November 11, 1918, would end the war before many of these young men saw combat, making this image a poignant snapshot of a training program cut short by peace. Project: 218714