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U.S. Air Force News

  • Bataan Death March veteran legacy marches on through ISR Airmen

    The year is 1942, and Pfc. Francis Michael Bania of the 10th Signal Service Detachment, and 75,000 other U.S. and Filipino servicemen, marched for several days, about 65 miles, to prison camps in the Philippines. During his grueling journey, Bania had no idea that many years later an Airman would

  • AF's 1st HC-130 takes its final flight to retirement

    After more than 50 years of faithful service and rescue missions spanning the globe, King 52, the first HC-130P/N configured for Air Force rescue in 1964, retired March 6, 2017.Accompanied by its 920th Rescue Wing dedicated crew chiefs and a nostalgic aircrew, the aircraft, tail number 4852, heads

  • Fairchild kicks off 75th anniversary

    Fairchild Air Force Base kicked off its 75th anniversary with a celebration event here with Spokane area elected officials, civic leaders, honorary commanders and others March 1, 2017.Col. Ryan Samuelson, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander and David Condon, the Spokane mayor, both gave remarks

  • 903rd AEF to hold 50th anniversary

    Original members of the 903rd Aeromedical Evacuation Flight will gather at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in May, 2017, to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Established in February, 1967, the 903rd AEF was the first Air Force tactical aeromedical unit used in a combat area.

  • Red Tail legacy comes full circle

    Airmen assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing take great pride in the heritage created for them by the Tuskegee Airmen. Today a key piece of the wing’s history has once again returned to its flightline.

  • Presidential honor bestowed on AF officer

    When the President of the United States travels, stateside or abroad, there is an advance team who arrives weeks ahead to handle airport logistics. These team members, or agents, volunteer for the job and are the “best of the best” at what they do. That is why Maj. Francisco "Cisco" Leach, the 25th

  • Ellsworth ‘Rock Star’ wins AF Entertainer of the Year

    “Hi, I’m Senior Airman James Pratt, and I’m stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota,” he said, introducing himself to the crowd. “I competed in and won the Air Force Worldwide Talent Competition. Being a musician and in the Air Force has been a humbling experience for me, to say the

  • USAFE: Yesterday, today, tomorrow

    From the creation of Eighth Air Force in 1942, to Operation Atlantic Resolve in 2017, U.S. Air Forces in Europe has answered the call to service for 75 years.USAFE’s 75th anniversary is Jan. 19, but the command will celebrate the diamond anniversary of the U.S. Air Force presence in Europe on Jan.

  • AETC’s 75th Anniversary and the birth of a professional Air Force

    On Jan. 23, 2017, Air Education and Training Command celebrated its 75th anniversary — a date much more important in our nation’s heritage than a simple mark in time. Jan. 23, 1942, proved to be the birth of a professional Air Force – men and women precisely selected and trained to fly, fight and

  • Scott AFB celebrates century of service

    Located in the heartland of America, Scott Air Force Base marked the historic milestone with a kickoff celebration Jan. 7 that helped launch a yearlong effort to honor its heritage, thank its mission and community partners and posture the installation for the next 100 years.

  • AF unveils latest ‘Veterans in Blue’ exhibit

    The seventh volume of “Veterans in Blue” is now available online. The exhibit captures 28 stories of heroism and service by Air Force veterans. Each veteran’s portrait is also displayed at the Pentagon.

  • Lost, found, repatriated

    In early May 2016, Andy Fuller, a groundsman from Royal Air Force Honington, England, swept his metal detector over the soil of what used to be known as RAF Knettishall. Once designated as U.S. Army Air Force Station 136, the base was home to the B-17 Flying Fortress, an aircraft utilized for

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Archie Williams

    As an Olympic gold medalist and command pilot, Lt. Col. Archie Williams proved time and again his skill, discipline and determination were among the best.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Apollo 15

    Manned by an all-Air Force crew, the Apollo 15 mission was considered a great success. It was the fourth time man had landed on the moon.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: AF museum opens new building

    The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, is showing off its brand new hangar full of historical aircraft and tons of Air Force history. It features four sections: presidential, research and development, space, and global reach.

  • Hanscom historian captures share of Air Force-level award

    Hanscom Air Force Base historian Randy Bergeron has earned a share of the Dennis F. Casey Award for Excellence in Periodic History in the Albert S. Simpson Category for co-authoring the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's periodic history last year.

  • Air Force trailblazer returns to Ramstein after 54 years

    It doesn’t happen often but occasionally Airmen get the opportunity to meet an Airman who, in 1947, was there when the Air Force first stood on its own -- those trailblazers who laid the first bricks of airpower on the long blue line.

  • BLUE: Out of Vietnam

    Air Force TV has released the latest episode of the Air Force's flagship television program, BLUE.

  • Surviving the Holocaust: Former Soldier, AF civilian tells his story

    Fear. In one word, Bob Behr used fear to describe how he and most of the Jewish community in Germany lived their lives from 1933 until the mid-1940s. In that time, Behr would suffer persecution, work in forced labor, be arrested and sent to the Theresienstadt “camp-ghetto” with his family, and

  • Tech Report: The B-52 Stratofortress

    For the last 60 years, the B-52 Stratofortress has had an incredible career as the U.S. military’s main bomber. Even though it's 60 years old, it still has plenty of years of service left.

  • B-52 integrates, trains with French allies

    A B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, conducted a long-range training sortie April 20, to train and integrate with the French air force.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Lafayette Escadrille

    A century ago, American Airmen began to fly for the French Air Service in World War I. This episode looks at their role in the war effort. Yesterday's Air Force is a history and heritage featurette series profiling significant people and missions from the Air Force's past.

  • Randolph remembers Doolittle Raid’s impact on WWII

    The Doolittle Raiders were honored at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, April 18 during a ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of their Tokyo raid during World War II. Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, a co-pilot in Doolittle’s bomber and one of two surviving Raiders, was in attendance and recalled

  • Doolittle Raider raises toast 74 years after historic mission

    One of two surviving Doolittle Raiders visited Fairchild Air Force Base for a commemorative toast April 18 in honor of the 74th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Former Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, who served in the Army Air Forces as a member of Flight Crew No. 7, was part of the air raid

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Cheyenne Mountain

    Since April 20, 1966, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado has been protecting the skies over North America. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is near Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and falls under Air Force Space Command.

  • Women's history: Honoring WWII AF flight nurse

    During World War II, an American flight nurse was captured, becoming the only female U.S. military member held prisoner of war in the European Theater. Her name was Lt. Reba Z. Whittle.In 1943, Whittle joined the Army Air Forces School of Air Evacuation, where she trained as a flight nurse. It would

  • Celebrating Women’s History Month

    On a daily basis, women of the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support; maintain both the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper; safeguard control centers; administer medications; file records and maintain secured communications capability. They

  • Yesterday's Air Force: Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.

    Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. was the Air Force’s first African-American four-star general. He trained Tuskegee Airmen and even faced former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi at Wheelus Air Force Base, Libya.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: The Challenger disaster

    It was 30 years ago that the much-anticipated launch of Space Shuttle Challenger quickly turned to tragedy. Here's a look back at this fateful day, as well as the successes of the shuttle's previous missions.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: Secret Squirrel

    Operation Senior Surprise (Secret Squirrel) began the bombing campaign against Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. It kicked off Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Robin Olds

    Robin Olds was one of the Air Forces' most iconic fighter pilots. Olds is rated as a triple ace, having shot down a total of 17 enemy aircraft during World War II and the Vietnam War.

  • AF twins receive French Legion of Honor for WWII service

    Seventy-one years after their World War II service in the Army Air Forces, identical twin brothers -- retired Air Force Reserve Majs. Raymond "Glenn" Clanin and Russell "Lynn" Clanin -- received the French government's highest distinction, the Legion of Honor medal.

  • Allies in a new era

    Two captains stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan, discovered that their military roots go deeper than they had anticipated. Both Airmen are descendants of sailors who fought in the Battle of Midway in World War II, although fighting on opposite sides.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: Reverse Lend-Lease

    The logistics of war are complicated and having the right aircraft at the right place and time is a key to victory. At the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War II the Reverse Lend-Lease program set the U.S. up for success.

  • Veterans in Blue: honoring those who served

    The Air Force maintains a special portrait display in the Pentagon as part of its commitment to honoring the devotion and service of veterans. Volume VI will replace volume V of the Veterans in Blue project this November.

  • AF veteran survivor of three wars, plane crash

    Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen, a humble, soft-spoken 89-year-old fighter pilot, served his country during three wars, encountered Soviet MiG fighters in battle and survived a jet crash before ending his flying career as the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, now known as the 311th Fighter

  • WWII flying ace encounters new generation of aircraft

    Seventy five years ago, a 20-year-old Tom "Ginger" Neil flew a Hawker Hurricane for the Royal Air Force, shielding his homeland against thousands of German bombers in the Battle of Britain -- the first ever battle decisively fought in the air. This month marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the

  • German village honors fallen US Airman

    Second Lt. Priesley Cooper Jr. was shot down during a mission 70 years ago near the village of Dietingen, Germany, during World War II. Cooper remained buried at the village's local cemetery until 1950 when he was moved to an American cemetery in Belgium. But the village felt they could still do

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: Flak-Bait

    During World War II, Martine B-26 Marauders dropped thousands of bombs and one of those aircraft survived more missions and dropped more bombs than any other — the Flak-Bait.

  • Our enlisted heritage: A look back at how teamwork shaped the modern AF

    A wealth of knowledge filled the room when five former chief master sergeants of the Air Force took the stage to share perspectives and stories about how they have inspired and been inspired by the modern Air Force during the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition

  • Yesterday's Air Force: The president's pilot

    On Sep 11, 2001, America was under attack and the president was hundreds of miles away. The pilot and crew of Air Force One made sure the commander in chief stayed safe and helped get him where he needed to be to lead the country.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: The B-36

    After World War II the threat of nuclear weapons was felt by every man, woman and child in the country. America knew it needed a platform to help deter a nuclear strike, and the solution was the B-36 Peacemaker.

  • World War II Airman's remains identified

    The remains of an Airman missing since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors, said the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in a Defense Department news release issued Aug. 6.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: Luxembourg

    On July 12, 1944, two U.S. B-17 Flying Fortress bombers collided over the small town of Perle, Luxembourg.Though 71 years have passed, the event has changed the lives of many people, including Roger Feller, who witnessed the crash. He has since dedicated his life to never forgetting the American

  • Through the glass: Vet looks back

    The heritage center at Travis Air Force Base has many pieces of military, history rich with old war stories. One piece, a bullet-riddled B-24 Liberator windshield, tells the story of a man from a small town who went on to fight in World War II and gave more than 40 years of service to his country.

  • Jumping into history

    Prior to the launch of the Allied invasion of Normandy, the remarks made by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, to this day, still carry weight for one of the Soldiers he was addressing.

  • Doolittle Raiders share Congressional Gold Medal with the world

    On April 18, 1942, 80 men inspired a nation by flying 16 B-25 bombers off the deck of the USS Hornet and dropping ordnance on Tokyo. Now, 73 years later, Congress honored these men with the Congressional Gold Medal, presented to the Raiders in Washington D.C., April 15.

  • Air attaché in Berlin honors B-17 crash victims

    Col. David Pedersen, the air attaché to Germany, represented the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin March 22 on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Memorial Monument, which commemorates the crash of a B-17 Flying Fortress in the German town of Großräschen.

  • Challenge coins: A tradition of excellence

    Throughout the time we spend in the military, we collect many things. Whether they are mementos, awards or habits, such items are kept to remember those special moments we never wish to forget. Challenge coins are an example of these memories, as they are a form of recognition of the hard work and

  • Air Force's first female chief

    In 1960, Chief Master Sgt. Grace Peterson became the first female chief master sergeant. She was not only the first female chief master sergeant; she was part of the original group of senior NCOs to be selected for the rank of E-9.

  • AF general shatters both gender, racial barriers

    Born about the time the Tuskegee Airmen were earning their reputation over the skies of North Africa and Italy, Marcelite Harris would go on to break a number of racial and gender barriers during an illustrious Air Force career.

  • Bagram remembers Operation Anaconda’s fallen

    Senior Airman Jason Cunningham and six of his special forces comrades including Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, Army Sgt. Bradley Crose, Army Sgt. Phillip Svitak, Army Spc. Marc Anderson and Army Cpl. Matthew Commons, traded their blood for freedom in the

  • Airmen missing from WWII accounted for

    The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Feb. 23, that the remains of U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

  • Museum volunteer shares story of service

    It was January 1945, and 21-year-old Lt. Donald Clark found himself piloting a C-47A Skytrain over the Western Front as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end. The aircraft was on its way to resupply Lt. Gen. George Patton's 3rd U.S. Army, and its tanks, with fuel and ammunition, as they began

  • Dempsey praises Scowcroft during dedication ceremony

    Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the career of retired Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft during a dedication ceremony in honor of Scowcroft’s achievements Jan. 13, held at the National War College on Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.

  • AMC Museum: It all started with one wrecked airplane

    The ever-growing Air Mobility Command Museum boasts a collection of 33 aircraft, a staff of more than 170 volunteers and a visitor experience that rivals the most notable museums in the country -- but it all started with one wrecked airplane in 1986.

  • Roll Call: Giants among us

    The Air Force’s senior enlisted Airman released the latest installment of Roll Call, urging Airmen to continue to honor veterans, past and present, beyond the holiday.

  • AF leaders share Veterans Day message

    Air Force senior leaders sent a Veterans Day letter to all Airmen, reminding them to proudly uphold the legacy of service interwoven in the Air Force's fabric. Airmen were thanked for their service and encouraged to thank fellow veterans on this day of remembrance.

  • Native American legacy of honor, dedication

    During November, the nation pays homage to the contributions of Native Americans throughout history. On Aug. 3, 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month, thereafter commonly referred to as Native American Heritage

  • Legend behind 'Pardo Push' visits Seymour Johnson Airmen

    The 4th Fighter Wing welcomed one of the Air Force's most heroic fighter pilots from the Vietnam War for a base visit, Oct. 10. Retired Lt. Col. Bob Pardo, known for saving the lives of a fellow F-4 Phantom crew with what became known as "Pardo's Push," visited the 4th Training Squadron's F-15E

  • Remembering Rosie

    Thrust into the depths of war Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. employed all its resources to meet the enemy in battle quickly but one resource began to run out -- manpower. There were a lot of things that changed during that time; one change that grew not only out of necessity but also from a sense of duty

  • Former CSAF Fogleman honored for contributions to airpower

    Rainy weather couldn't dampen the spirits of those who attended the unveiling of a bronze bust of former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, who was recognized Oct. 9, at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois for his contributions to the air mobility community.

  • ISR agency remembers, honors its legacy

    Four of the most influential leaders of the Air Force intelligence community were forever enshrined into the heritage of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, during a ceremony here Sept. 27.

  • Women’s legacy parallels Air Force history

    As we celebrate the Air Force’s 67th birthday, we talk of how far we’ve come and look ahead to what the future holds, but it’s just as important to look at where we’ve been. The story of women in the military, specifically the Air Force, parallels that of the Air Force itself. In fact, for women

  • Enlisted Heritage Panel convenes at AFA

    Former chief master sergeants of the Air Force shared experiences and challenges they faced in their careers during the 2014 Air Force Association Air & Space Conference, Sept. 17.

  • POW/MIA: 1,482 Airmen still missing

    Nearly 1,500 Airmen are still missing and unaccounted for from various conflicts and there are more than 83,000 Americans still unaccounted for across the Defense Department.Every year the nation pauses on the third Friday of September to remember the sacrifices and service of prisoners of war,

  • Look past 1947 for Air Force roots

    Maybe it's a genetic thing I share with them, but I agree that Air Force history predates Sept. 18, 1947, and think we should do a better job of recognizing that. The problem is, of course, what to use as a starting date for such remembrances?

  • Air Force uses lasers to preserve space history

    Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 is best known as the launch site for NASA's "Friendship 7," the flight that brought John Glenn fame as the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Now, more than 50 years later, the complex and other National Historic Landmarks are rapidly falling into decay.

  • Uncommon gallantry: Remembering Bernard Fisher

    Retired Col. Bernard Fisher, who risked his life landing his A-1E Skyraider to rescue a fellow pilot while North Vietnamese troops unleashed a storm of bullets toward him, died Aug. 16, at age 87.

  • C-130 celebrates 60 years, still going strong

    In 1954, the song "Rock Around the Clock" was playing on the radio, Oprah Winfrey was born and the first issue of Sports Illustrated appeared on newsstands. The same year, on August 23, the YC-130 Hercules made its maiden flight...