60 years of Air Superiority

F-16A, F-15C and F-15E flying during Desert Storm. (U.S. Air Force photo)

60 years of Air Superiority

An F-35 Lightning II, from the 461th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., receives fuel from a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, from the 151st Air Fueling Wing, Utah Air National Guard, Feb. 22, 2012. The 151st Air Refueling Wing routinely supports air operations across the western United States. (U.S. Air Force photo)

60 years of Air Superiority

Air view of bombs dropped by U.S. Air Force, exploding on three parallel railroad bridges across Han River, southwest of Seoul, capital of the Republic of Korea. Bridges were bombed early in war to delay advance of invading North Korean troops. (DoD/National Air and Space Museum, #50-9025-306-PS)

Capt. Klinker was 27-years-old when she died April 4, 1975

Capt. Klinker was 27-years-old when she died April 4, 1975 when the first aircraft supporting Operation Babylife crashed. Klinker was the last nurse and the only member of the Air Force Nurse Corps to be killed in Vietnam. Capt. Mary T. Klinker was posthumously awarded the Airman’s Medal for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal.

66 percent of Pacific air force assets destroyed in hours

A burned U.S. B -17C after the Empire of Japan attacked Wheeler Air Field Dec. 7, 1941. The attack well known for crippling the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet also left approximately 700 U.S Airmen killed or wounded and 66 percent of the Air Force strength in Hawaii decimated. The Japanese lost only 29 pilots from more than 350 planes launched from aircraft carriers north of Hawaii. (Courtesy Photo/Tai Sing Loo, Pearl Harbor's main cameraman 1918 to 1948)

Wheeler, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941

Resourceful aircrews remove parts from a P-40 destroyed in the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Wheeler Air Base for us on other repairable aircraft.

Wheeler, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941

Members of the Hawaiian Air Force's Headquarters Squadron, 17th Tow Target Squadron and 23d Materiel Squadron watch Japanese high-Ievel horizontal bombers heading toward Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. (John W. Wilson)

Wheeler, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941

A report entitled “7 December 1941: The Air Force Story” compiled by the Pacific Air Forces Office of History obtained this photo of Wheeler Air Field taken by a Japanese Empire pilot to record the battle damage to the U.S. Air Forces Dec. 7, 1941.

Old Glory Dec. 7, 1941

Old Glory waves over Hickam Field, bearing silent witness to the brutality of the Japanese attack Dec. 7, 1941. This same flag later flew above the United Nations charter meeting in San Francisco, over the Big Three conference at Potsdam, and above the White House Aug. 14, 1945 when the Japanese accepted terms of surrender. It was part of a historical display at the Air Force Academy until returned for permanent display at Hickam Air Force Base in 1980. (Air Force Photo)

Korean War Armistice

(U.S. Air Force graphic/Corey Parrish)

Former U-2 pilot posthumously awarded Silver Star

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presents the Silver Star, posthumously awarded to Capt. Francis Gary Powers, to the captain’s grandchildren, Francis Gary “Trey” Powers III and Lindsey Barry, on June 15, 2012, in the Pentagon. Captain Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960, and received the decoration for the heroism he displayed while held prisoner by the Soviets. He was released in 1962 but subsequently died in a 1977 helicopter crash. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Brownlow)

Former U-2 pilot posthumously awarded Silver Star

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz celebrates with Gary Powers Jr. and Dee Powers, children of Capt. Francis Gary Powers, after Schwartz presented the captain’s posthumous Silver Star to the family on June 15, 2012, in the Pentagon. Captain Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960, and received the decoration for the heroism he displayed while held prisoner by the Soviets. He was released in 1962 but subsequently died in a 1977 helicopter crash. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)