|
|
|
|
lincoln.ne.gov | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
 |
City of Lincoln Parks & Recreation Veterans Memorial Garden |
All Airmen MemorialHISTORY OF THE AIR FORCE At a few minutes past noon on the 26th of July 1947 the President of the United States signed into law the National Security Act of 1947. The United States Air Force was officially created on the 18th of September 1947, but had existed as an arm of the U.S. Army from 1 August 1907 when the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps was established. The separation of the Air Force from the Army took two years with an orderly transfer of functions and personnel. The independent U.S. Air Force is successor of the U.S. Army Air Force, an autonomous air arm that became the largest Air Force in history during WWII with 2,737,292 personnel and 787,757 aircraft. The first Secretary of the Air Force was Stuart Symington and the first Chief of Staff was General Carl Spaatz. The newly formed United States Air Force's primary mission was that of nuclear deterrence, and the responsibility for carrying out the mission was given to the Strategic Air Command, formally the Continental Air Force. The Strategic Air Command was one of three Air Force Combat Commands as a long-range strike force of combat aircraft. The other two combat commands were the Tactical Air Command and the Air Defense Command. The Tactical Air Command's mission was to be able to carry out tactical air operations anywhere in the world. The Air Defense Command was responsible for stopping and destroying enemy air weapon systems fired at the United States. Most defense dollars when to the Strategic Air Command because of its mission. In 1947, the Air Force was in the process of building its new organization and also trying to cut back to a size that could be supported by a defense budget. In 1947 the Air Force had 218 combat groups. By the end of 1947 they had gone down to 52 combat units. In 1950 because of budget limitations President Harry Truman lowered the Air Force combat groups to 48. From 1945 to 1947 the Army Air Force worked in a paradox. Dismantling its wartime force and disposing of thousands of obsolete aircraft, which simultaneously building restructured nuclear-capable fleet of aircraft and educated airman. Two components under the Air Defense Command, the Air National Guard and the Air Reserve, were introduced to facilitate this objective. In the Air National Guard and Reserves the concept of the "citizen airman" was born. The Air National Guard became an important part of the post war Air Force. The Air Reserve also organized and trained under the Air Defense Command, primarily to maintain a qualified roster of Air Force Officers and Enlisted Men in times of national emergencies. Guard and Reserve duties included the Air Defense of the United States, military air transport and logistic activities. "Citizen Airmen" also provides the Air Force with a trained contingent pool to draw on in times of need while maintaining a smaller active duty Force. By: Billy D. Williams, SMS (ret) USAF
|
|
Veterans Memorial Garden
