USO Canteen Freeper Style USAF Happy Birthday .... September 18,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and AntiJen

[Snow Bunny]

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Happy 55th Birthday to the U.S. Air Force

The first heavier-than-air flight took place in 1903 when man went aloft in hot air balloons which were used for aerial observation in the American Civil War, Franco-Prussian War, and American campaigns in Cuba. Air balloons over the battlefield provided rapid, accurate reconnaissance of enemy forces. Steerable airships, or dirigibles, were the logical replacements for balloons, but air power developed from the epic, controlled-power flight of Wilbur and Orville Wright which occurred at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on Dec. 17, 1903.

Almost from the beginning of military aviation in the U.S., some men such as Billy Mitchell had urged the creation of a separate air force. During World War II, the Army Air Force was almost independent from the Army, but this was only a temporary wartime situation. However, experience gained during the war had shown that an air arm independent and co-equal with the Army and Navy could perform satisfactorily.

After months of inter-service and congressional negotiations and compromise, on July 26, 1947 President Harry S. Truman on board the presidental aircraft "Sacred Cow" signed the National Security Act of 1947. The measure established an independent Air Force for "offensive and defensive air operations" and placed the Army, Navy, and Air Force on an equal level under a civilian Secretary of Defense. The Department of the Air Force began operating as a separate entity on Sep. 18, 1947 at which time W. Stuart Symington was sworn in as the first Secretary of the Air Force. General Carl Spaatz, WW II commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe and in the Pacific, was named the first USAF Chief of Staff.

The U.S. Air Force thus entered a new era in which airpower became firmly established as a major element of the nation’s defense and one of its chief hopes for deterring war.

Under the National Security Act, the functions assigned to the Army Air Force’s commanding general transferred to the Department of the Air Force. The act provided for an orderly two-year transfer of these functions as well as property, personnel and records.

Later, under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958, the departments of Army, Navy and Air Force were eliminated from the chain of operational command. Commanders of unified and specified commands became responsible to the president and the secretary of defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The act redefined the functions of the military departments to those of essentially organizing, training, equipping and supporting combat forces for the unified and specified commands. Each military department retained resource management of its service.

Aviation Firsts

Air Force Medal of Honor Recipients

US Air Force Academy

Famous Air Force Aircraft

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Famous Aerial Operations

US Air Force Museum

Air Force Vision

- Global vigilance, reach and power.

Air Force Mission

- The mission of the U.S. Air Force is to defend the United States and protect its interests through aerospace power

Air Force Management

The Department of the Air Force incorporates all elements of the U.S. Air Force. It is administered by a civilian secretary appointed by the president and is supervised by a military chief of staff. The Secretariat and Air Staff help the secretary and the chief of staff direct the Air Force mission.

To assure unit preparedness and overall effectiveness of the Air Force, the secretary of the Air Force is responsible for and has the authority to conduct all affairs of the Department of the Air Force. This includes training, operations, administration, logistical support and maintenance, and welfare of personnel. The secretary's responsibilities include research and development, and any other activity prescribed by the president or the secretary of defense.

The secretary of the Air Force exercises authority through civilian assistants and the chief of staff, but retains immediate supervision of activities that involve vital relationships with Congress, the secretary of defense, other governmental officials and the public.

Field Organizations

The nine major commands, 35 field operating agencies, four direct reporting units and their subordinate elements constitute the field organization that carries out the Air Force mission. In addition, there are two Reserve components, the Air Force Reserve, which is also a major command, and the Air National Guard.

Major commands are organized on a functional basis in the United States and a geographic basis overseas. They accomplish designated phases of Air Force worldwide activities. Also, they organize, administer, equip and train their subordinate elements for the accomplishment of assigned missions. Major commands generally are assigned specific responsibilities based on functions. In descending order of command, elements of major commands include numbered air forces, wings, groups, squadrons and flights.

The basic unit for generating and employing combat capability is the wing, which has always been the Air Forces prime war-fighting instrument. Composite wings operate more than one kind of aircraft, and may be configured as self-contained units designated for quick air intervention anywhere in the world.

Other wings continue to operate a single aircraft type ready to join air campaigns anywhere they are needed. Air base and specialized mission wings such as training, intelligence and test also support the Air Force mission. Within the wing, operations, logistics and support groups are the cornerstones of the organization.

Field operating agencies and direct reporting units are other Air Force subdivisions and report directly to Headquarters U.S. Air Force. They are assigned a specialized mission that is restricted in scope when compared to the mission of a major command. Field operating agencies carry out field activities under the operational control of a Headquarters U.S. Air Force functional manager. Direct reporting units are not under the operational control of a Headquarters U.S. Air Force functional manager because of a unique mission, legal requirements or other factors.

Major Commands Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga. Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii United States Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany

Historic Air Force Songs

Itazuke Tower

(Tune of "Wabash Cannonball")

"Itazuke Tower, this is Air Force 801,
I'm turning on the downwind leg, my prop has overrun;
My coolant's overheated, the gauge says 1-2-1,
You'd better get the crash crew out and get them on the run."

"Listen, Air Force 801, this is Itazuke Tower,
I cannot call the crash crew out, this is their coffee hour;
You're not cleared in the pattern, now that is plain to see,
So take it once around again, you're not a VIP."

"Itazuke Tower, this is Air Force 801,
I'm turning on my final, I'm running on one lung,
I'm gonna land this Mustang no matter what you say,
I'm gonna get my charts squared up before that Judgment Day."

"Now listen Air Force 801, this is Itazuke Tower,
We'd like to let you in right now, but we haven't got the power,
We'll send a note through channels and wait for the reply,
Until we get permission back, just chase around the sky."

"Itazuke Tower, this is Air Force 801,
I'm up in Pilot's Heaven and my flying days are done;
I'm sorry that I blew up, I couldn't make the grade,
I guess I should have waited till the landing was okayed."

Let's Have a Party

Parties make the world go round
World go round, world go round
Parties make the world go round
Let's have a party.


Now, we're gonna tear down the bar in the Officers' Club (Boo)
We're gona build us a new bar (Yay)
It's only gonna be one foot wide (Boo)
But it's gonna be a mile long (Yay)
There's gonna be no bartenders at our bar (Boo)
There's only gonna be barmaids (Yay)
Our barmaids will wear long dresses (Boo)
Made out of cellophane (Yay)
You can't take our barmaids to your bunks (Boo)
They take you to their bunks (Yay)
You can't sleep with our barmaids (Boo)
They don't let you sleep (Yay)
Soda's gonna be ten bucks a glass (Boo)
Whiskey free (Yay)
Only one to each pilot (Boo)
Served in buckets (Yay)
We're gonna throw all the beer in the river (Boo)
And then we'll all go swimming (Yay)
Now no girls are allowed in the USO hall (Boo)
With their clothes on (Yay)
There'll be no lovin' on the dance floor (Boo)
And no dancing on the lovin' floor (Yay)

Glory Flying Regulations

(Tune of "Glory, Glory Hallejulia")

Hap Arnold built a fighting team that sang a fighting song,
About the wild blue yonder and the days when men were strong.
But now we're regulated 'cause we don't know right from wrong,
The Force is shot to hell...

CHORUS:
Glory flying regulations
Have them read at all the stations
Burn the ass of those that break them
The Force is shot to hell.

Once they flew B-26s through a hell of flak,
and bloody dying pilots gave their lives to bring 'em back,
Now they're playing ping-pong in the operations shack,
The Force is shot to hell...

I've seen them in their T-Bolts when their eyes were dancing flame,
I've seen their screaming power drive that blasted Goering's name;
But now they fly like sissies and they hang their heads in shame;
The Force is shot to hell...

Now one day I buzzed an airfield with another happy chap,
We flew a hot formation with my wingtip on his lap,
So they passed a new directive and we'll have no more of that,
The Force is shot to hell...

So now mine eyes are dim with tears for happy days of old,
We loved to take our chances for our hearts were young and bold,
From now on we have no choice but live to be quite old,
The Force is shot to hell...

[ST.LOUIE1]

God bless them!

[Aeronaut]

As always, our honor and pleasure.

[Kathy in Alaska]

and thanks for stopping by.

[tomkow6]

09/18/02 - OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- Airman 1st Class Conner Maher (left) and Col. Gregory Ihde cut cakes at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in celebration of the Air Force's 55th birthday Sept. 18. Maher, 20, is deployed with the 822nd Expeditionary Security Forces Group from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. Traditionally, as the most junior airman at Bagram, he was selected to participate in the ceremony with Ihde, the senior Air Force officer here. Ihde is dual-hatted as director of the Air Component Coordination Element for Combined Joint Task Force 180, and is commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. In the background is special guest Army Brig. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, CJTF 180 director of staff. (Photo by Senior Airman Tina Rivera)

[tomkow6]

SECAF, CSAF send Air Force birthday message

Fifty-five years ago, President Harry Truman, with a visionary stroke of his pen, established the U.S. Air Force as a separate armed service. Since then, we have revolutionized the nature of warfare and enabled a new universe of discovery and operations in space. With its attributes of speed, range, stealth, awareness and precision, our nation's outstanding Air Force will continue to deliver global reconnaissance and air dominance, as well as the great deterrent power those capabilities make possible.

From the days of providing humanitarian relief during the Berlin Airlift to the historic display of airpower during operations Desert Storm and Allied Force, and now in the war on terrorism, our airmen have served with extraordinary integrity, selflessness and dedication. Across the spectrum of operations, whether standing guard for deterrence, conducting joint combat operations, fulfilling our global expeditionary commitments, or defending the homeland, our Air Force has answered its nation's call. However, we cannot rest on our past successes. We must renew our commitment to adapt our current systems, modernize our force, and transform our air and space strategy to the challenges of this new era.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the importance of air and space dominance to the joint warfighter is clear. We owe much to the legends of airpower whose determination and vision resulted in an independent Air Force. Today we celebrate our heritage and look forward to a bright future thanks to airmen across the globe: active duty, civilian, Guard, Reserve, retirees, veterans and their families.

Happy Birthday to the world's premier air and space force, the U.S. Air Force!

[ArrogantBustard]

Here's some more historical USAF stuff.:

It's rocket! It's a jet! It's BOMARC!

The supersonic Bomarc missiles (IM-99A and IM-99B) were the world's first long-range anti-aircraft missiles, and the first missiles that Boeing mass produced. The program also represented the first time Boeing designed and built launch facilities. It used analog computers, some of which were built by Boeing and had been developed for GAPA experiments during World War II.

Authorized by the Air Force in 1949, Bomarc was the result of coordinated research between Boeing (Bo) and the University of Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (marc).

The missiles were housed on a constant combat-ready basis in individual launch shelters in remote areas. The alert signal could fire the missiles around the country in 30 seconds. The Model A had a range of 200 miles, and the B, which followed, could fly 400 miles. Boeing built 700 Bomarc missiles between 1957 and 1964, as well as 420 launch systems. Bomarc was retired from active service during the early 1970s.

(BOMARC used a solid fuel rocket to get up to speed, then a pair of ramjets turned on for cruise. It carried a nuclear warhead, and was designed to "disrupt" incoming Soviet bomber formations.)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Beautiful graphic and song, Victoria. Thanks, and see ya tonight.

[Pippin]

KEWL!!!!

[HiJinx]

Too Kewl, tomkow!
I am sitting on this page, considering posting this pic and article...
And you beat me to it!

[ST.LOUIE1]

KEWL!!!!

Thank you, Pipster!

You're "KEWL", too. : )

[HiJinx]

Before I came along, my Mom worked as a secretary to the Program Manager at Wright-Pat for missile systems. IIRC, her PM worked SNARC.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Tom, that is an astounding picture of the Stealth refueling. Thank you for finding it and sharing.

[tomkow6]

Sorry! Great minds think alike! (I think........)

[Pippin]

(((((HUG))))))

You have mail!(p) =^)

[Pippin]

Hi, TomKow!

[kneezles]

I thought that this was worth repeating at this time.

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are,God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Jen, for the wonderful Birthday presentation for the United States Air Force.

Happy Birthday USAF!

[ValerieUSA]

From this morning at the local arboretum

[Pippin]

Thank You, Valerie! It's beautiful!