Historical exhibit showcases 'Father of the Air Force'

  • Published
  • By Ken Carter
  • Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --  When faculty and students enter the Academy's Arnold Hall they now get a closer look at the Father of the United States Air Force.

An exhibit honoring Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold that has been in the works for three years has come to fruition.

According to Paul Martin, a museum specialist who serves as curator of collections, the exhibit is designed to inform visitors about the life and career of the former General of the Air Force.

The exhibit is intended to be more or less permanent, although certain sensitive objects such as General Arnold's uniform will be changed out over time for purposes of preservation.

"Most of the objects (on exhibit) were given to the Academy from General Arnold's estate in 1963 and 2000," Mr. Martin said. "The general's widow, Eleanor Poole Arnold, made the initial donation and this was followed by a donation of objects by his grandson, Robert in 2000."

Mr. Martin suggests the formal evening dress uniform may be considered the most historically significant.

"It was originally made for him as a lieutenant," he said. "Although worn only on very formal occasions, it was a part of his military career from its inception to at least 1941 as indicated by the lieutenant general rank on the cuffs."

The impact that General Arnold had on the Air Force as it is known today is difficult to quantify.

"This is a tough one; he did so much," Mr. Martin said. "I believe that his influence is still very much a part of the Air Force mission, although many current members of the Air Force do not know that much of the doctrine they practice today is based on his keen foresight, thus the purpose of this exhibit and others like it."

General Arnold created the modern Air Force via his unique vision and perspective gained through the experience of World War II. He may have summed it up best when he wrote in Global Mission in 1949: "As Chief of the Army Air Forces, I had yet another job. That was to project myself into the future; to get the best brains available...and determine what steps the United States should take to have the best Air Force in the world 20 years hence."

Mr. Martin, a former B-52 Stratofortress aviator from 1971 through 1976, is also working to revise and update the Astronaut Wall in Arnold Hall and reinstall the portraits in the Exemplar Gallery of Fairchild Hall.

"I feel very strongly in the old adage that 'what is past is prologue,'" he said. "There is virtually nothing now occurring in either the Air Force or in the other services or in life itself that hasn't been tackled before. If we preserve our history and properly document it, we can learn a lot from it and hopefully not repeat the mistakes of the past."