LeMay was Army until 1947, when the Air Force was rightly taken away from the Army (and again, it only became a part of the Army due to the Army’s political pull). If anything, most of the Army generals at the time were against using resources to develop the Air Corps, because it took money away from their horses, trench-digging tools and officers’ clubs.
The Air Force wasn’t rightly taken away from the Army. It is still fire support for the vast majority of its mission.
To argue that the Army Air Corps was Air Force is to argue that Army Aviation is Air Force, which it isn’t.
As has been proven time and again, air power doesn’t win wars. Occupation and destruction of the enemy wins wars.