Happy 67th Birthday U.S. Air Force

  • Published
  • By Maj. Gen. William N. Reddel
  • The Adjutant General of New Hampshire
CONCORD, N.H. --  Relentlessly committed to the defense of liberty, the United States Air Force celebrates its 67th birthday today, Sept. 18.

The origins of the USAF lie in a decision made just four years after the Wright Brothers conducted the world's first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

In 1907, the U.S. Army Signal Corps created an Aeronautical Division and put
it in "charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines and all kindred subjects."

As aviation technology improved, the Army's air force grew bigger.  An independent military arm became virtually inevitable after the Army Air Forces became an autonomous U.S. Army Command in 1942 and then grew substantially throughout the remainder of World War II.

On July 26, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 on board the presidential aircraft, the Sacred Cow, and set the creation of the USAF in motion.

Our own history at Pease has been equally extraordinary thanks in large part to your dedication and commitment.  Like those who've come before you, you've met every challenge and exceeded every expectation.  Our future is bright because of your hard work, day in and day out.  Unlike any other branch of the service, you have to be ready to fight tonight, meaning within hours -- not days and not weeks.  Think about it.  Since Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, you have been supporting continuous operations around the clock.  More than 20 years of non-stop operations.  Amazing.

It's noticed.  It's appreciated.

This week, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James told a reporter, "Some days I'm in Washington, where there are meetings and there are decisions to be made on policy matters, budgetary matters, working with the Congress. Other times, I'm out and about and I'm seeing our Air Force in action.  And that's really the favorite part of my job, when I get to meet face-to-face with our airmen and women around the world.  If there is one thing, above all other things, that gives me great optimism about the future of our Air Force, it is the innovation, it's the hard work, it's the dedication and motivation of the airmen that I meet (sic)."

(Information provided to the men and women of the New Hampshire Air National Guard from Maj. Gen. William N. Reddel III)