#VetsWeek: Soaring to Great Heights: The Proud Legacy of America’s Air Force
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This week, America celebrates its proud heroes who have served and continue to serve this great nation.
Today, we’d like to recognize those veterans who uphold the values of “integrity, service and excellence” – United States Air Force veterans.
The Early Years of the U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force began as a division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1907, charged with handling “all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred subjects.”
The Army Signal Corps later adopted new technologies, testing its very first airplane, flown by Orville Wright, at Fort Myer, Virginia on August 20, 1908. The Army formally accepted its first airplane on August 2, 1909.
The Air Force would remain a part of the U.S. Army until the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947, which formally established the U.S. Air Force as a distinct and separate branch of service.
Since then, the Air Force has continued to keep our nation safe, serving in wars, conflicts and operations including both world wars, the Cold War, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The U.S. Air Force Today
The U.S. Air Force has come a long way since its early days as a small division under the U.S. Army. As of June 2017, there are 318,415 active duty members, 62,037 officers and 256,378 enlisted members in the U.S. Air Force. Furthermore, in a far cry from the handful of aircraft operating in the early 1900s, today the U.S. Air Force has more than 5,638 aircraft in service.
The U.S. Air Force has surged in size, role and capacity, and its core functions have expanded over the years to cover air, space and cyberspace.
DID YOU KNOW?
Some of the most famous U.S. Air Force veterans include:
- Chuck Norris – Chuck Norris served in South Korea in 1958 as an Air Force security forces member. It was here he learned some of his famous martial arts moves!
- Johnny Cash – Johnny Cash enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and served as a Morse Code operator, intercepting Soviet transmissions in West Germany.
- Morgan Freeman – After graduating high school in 1955, Morgan Freeman turned down a theater scholarship and joined the Air Force, serving as a radar technician for nearly four years before returning to acting.
- Charles “Chuck” Yeager – Longtime U.S. Air Force general and pilot Chuck Yeager made history in 1947 as the first person to break the sound barrier in flight.
Honoring Our Air Force Veterans
This Veterans Day, Concerned Veterans for America thanks all those who have served and those who continue to serve the United States as members of the U.S. Air Force.
The post #VetsWeek: Soaring to Great Heights: The Proud Legacy of America’s Air Force appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.
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