The Senior Military Service Sends Its Regards . . . .
. . . to a bunch of youngsters that ran away from home years ago. (smile)
Today is the 69th birthday of the United States Air Force. The USAF was created by the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. While the act itself was signed by the POTUS on 26 July 1947, many of its provisions did not come into effect until 18 September of that year.
What is today the USAF had previously been a part of the US Army – in fact, several different parts. Here they are, in chronological order, courtesy of Wikipedia:
• Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps – 1 August 1907 to 18 July 1914
• Aviation Section, Signal Corps – 18 July 1914 to 20 May 1918
• Division of Military Aeronautics – 20 May 1918 to 24 May 1918)
• U.S. Army Air Service – 24 May 1918 to 2 July 1926)
• U.S. Army Air Corps – 2 July 1926 to 20 June 1941) and
• U.S. Army Air Forces – 20 June 1941 to 18 September 1947
Yes, you read that correctly: what is today the USAF was once part of the US Army’s Signal Corps. Go figure.
The USAF was made an independent military service by one of the provisions of the National Security Act of 1947. It became an independent service on 18 September 1947. As a result, the USAF celebrates 18 September as its official birthday.
So, since it’s official: Happy Birthday, Zoomies.
But we still need to talk about your service’s policy of giving priority to building on-base golf courses, clubs, and quarters – then asking Congress for more money so you can buy planes and finish building runways. (smile)
(Historical note: two other US Army organizations exist which could conceivably be viewed as USAF parent organizations. However, neither of these is generally regarded as being a predecessor organization of the USAF.
The Union Army created a Balloon Corps during the Civil War. This organization existed from 1861 to 1863, and was generally used for observation of the enemy. Many if not most of those in the organization were civilians accompanying the Union Army vice Union military personnel; the organization’s leadership was civilian. Though of some military utility – particularly during the Peninsula Campaign’s Battle of Seven Pines – the organization was effectively disbanded in the summer of 1863.
The US Army Signal Corps in 1893 also created a War Balloon Company. This was a military organization, and over its lifetime appears to have had a total of two balloons (consecutively; the second was produced after the first was no longer serviceable). The second was reputedly named the Santiago and saw some use during the Spanish-American War. The unit appears to have been disbanded prior to the creation of the Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division in 1907.)
Category: Air Force
Signal. Yeah baby. Pro Patria Vigilans.
Oh, and happy birthday to the USAF.
The Junior Birdmen are growing up? naaah, not yet!
I wish our parents would stop spoiling the baby with expensive toys (F35).
That’s been happening ever since the USAF got itself “SACumcized”, Sapper3307. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for things to change any time soon.
Happy Birthday to my chosen branch of service. (Twenty six years, 9 months, and 7 days).
Happy birthday, flyboys.
Happy birthday to all you wingnuts!
Happy Birthday to the AF. You’re a month younger than my wife, but she’s still better looking.
Sapper above mentioned the F35. When are you going to stop spending money on it? The F35 is like the Dian Zeemin of airplanes. No matter how many face lifts or boob jobs you give it, it’s still gonna be a dog.
Anyway, cut the cake and enjoy yourselves.
Hey,wait a minute, Claw, when you say boob are you talkin’ about (.)(.) or the USAF officer corps?
And don’t pick on me for bein’ Army, my half-brother did about 28 years in USAF. Hell, he had a couple of tours in Southeast Asia before I got over there in ’68.
I would like to thank the USAF for not lying about its age. Happy Birthday.
Is that a dig on the Coasties? 😉
We remember where we came from. Heck, USAF still works pretty closely with the Army. I’m pretty sure in my 6 years in the USAFR that I spent more time on Army posts than at AFBs.
Where’s Curtis Lemay when we need him?
Happy Birthday, Zoomies!
Button those pockets! Oh, it’s the Air Force. Never mind.
“But, sarge, I got a haircut six weeks ago.”
I’ve known, for a very long time, that the Air Force was originally a part of the U.S. Army.
Here’s something else that many people don’t know.
If you take our history, as Western Civilization, even the navy had its origins in the army. During the ancient times, when the waters had to be used for warfare, soldiers crewed boats. Many of the earliest strategies involved bringing the boats together so that they could fight, “like they were on land.” Navies eventually evolved into its own entity.
Geez, I hope you haven’t kicked over a hornet’s nest on this one. Wouldn’t want the oldsters to hurt themselves. 😎
I am not ever, never, no way, no how, climbing into a ball turret, especially if that a/c is leaving the ground.
I have had the pleasure of flying in the B-17 “909” a few times. It is owned by the Collings Foundation and is currently touring the northeast. Having seen that ball turret up close I have to agree with you. No way in hell am I getting into that thing. Might as well put me in a clothes dryer or washing machine.
Sorry. Already put a Marine in the dryer…no room for you.
Build golf coruses then go back and ask for more money. Yep that one is about as original and accurate as the one about putting salt peter in basics trainees’ chow. C’mon Hondo, I know you can bring something stronger to the table. My beloved service is trying to implode from within. We have the worst senior enlisted advisor in our history and the only person who seems to inspire Airmen for a common purpose is the guy at tbe John Q. Public blog. Yep, Happy Birthday to us….I’m glad I’m retired.
If I recall correctly, I first heard that well over 30 years ago – while on an AFB, from an AF officer. I haven’t seen much since to convince me that that joke doesn’t correctly describe the USAF’s basic culture.
The USAF, ever since during World War II, has placed a premium on “taking care of the troops” with respect to creature-comforts and living conditions – far more of a premium than the other services. IMO, perhaps over time USAF leadership has forgotten that budgets are in fact limited – and every dollar spent on cable TV for the barracks (oh, sorry – the “dorms”) is one less dollar available for things like equipment, training, repair parts, and other logistical support.
Lord knows DoD budgets of the 1950s reinforced the perception that “money is no object” for the new USAF – precisely when it was developing it’s own organizational culture. While the other services in general had to make do with less (1951-1953 excepted), the USAF expanded hugely during that time frame. And it largely kept its “share” during Vietnam and afterwards also.
Nice living conditions are indeed good to have; we all enjoy those. But it’s the latter (equipment/training/logistical support) that’s critical in winning wars.
I am not saying leaders should be indifferent to the welfare of their troops. But IMO the worst thing leadership can do is fail to provide the troops enough tools and resources to do their jobs when the organic fertilizer hits the rotating air movement machinery – because that costs lives in combat.
And don’t get me started on the USAF’s penchant for ridiculously expensive toys. When a single aircraft (B-2, approx $2.2 billion unit cost) costs roughly 1/2 half as much as an entire freaking nuclear aircraft carrier (Nimitz-class, approx $4.5 billion unit cost), something is hugely wrong.
All the services have succumbed to the “more costly means more effective” canard to some degree. But among the US military, the USAF is the poster child for “expensive toys”.
Yeah, but I don’t see your Nimitz-class a/c carrier flying around dropping bombs. 🙂
Don’t forget that the Army has almost as many aircraft as the Air Force – and probably more that actually fly. 😉
Happy Birthday!
The Army has the largest fleet of aircraft (fixed and rotary wing) of all the Armed Forces.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder
Climbing high into the sun
Here they come,
zooming to meet our thunder
At ’em boys give ’em the gun
Down we dive
spouting our flame from under
off with one heck of a roar
We live in fame or go down in flame
Hey ! nothing can stop the US Air Force
(despite the generals)
proud to have been an airman !
Except, lightning within five!
“My solution to the problem would be to tell [the North Vietnamese Communists] frankly that they’ve got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we’re going to bomb them into the Stone Age. And we would shove them back into the Stone Age with Air power or Naval power—not with ground forces.”
I think he understood how war is supposed to work. We’re supposed to win or not be involved.
Happy Birthday to youse Boys and Girls. Love you turds. Fly High!!
Air Force Fighter Pilots …
Q: How do you know if there is a fighter pilot at your party?
A: He’ll tell you.
Q: What’s the difference between God and fighter pilots
A: God doesn’t think he’s a fighter pilot.
Q: What’s the difference between a fighter pilot and a jet engine?
A: A jet engine stops whining when the plane shuts down.
An Air Force Colonel was addressing a group consisting of several Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and one Air Force man and said: “I have a nice easy job for the laziest man here. Put up your hand if you are the laziest.” 24 men raised their hands, and the Colonel asked the Zoomie, “why didn’t you raise your hand?” The man replied: “Too much trouble raising the hand, Colonel.”
concerning the fiasco called the F-35, this also goes for the Navy & Marines….they say if the internet goes down, you can’t even start the bird ??? its fuel temperature sensitive, fuel causes the tank insulation to melt, this is supposed to be a combat acft?????????????
If this is true and not “internet rumor” …WTF were they thinking ???? when they came up with those sort of design flaws, from my experience most aircraft write ups are avionics issues, many are red X items, things such as symbol generators, HSI’s, radar spiking, IAC computer, CRT screens and they get a big red x right on the screen when they go “tits up”…most of my experience with these things are mainly on Gulfstream bizjets and Sikorsky S-76 helicopters
on a parts basis, I was never a “spark chaser” nor was I when in the USAF, where my experience was primarily survival equip and parachute rigging with the F-111 another controversial acft in its day and some F-4D/E/RF-C, the 111D was notorious for avionics failures, often at the end of the runway at run up, I had buddies that were “spark chasin’ radiodar fixers” that griped like enlisted gripe when we were hangin in the barracks day room playing pool or what ever else we did for off duty mischief & amusement…anyway all some adversary has to do is an EMP attack and they just grounded a very large portion of our future air force, I think congress the acft designers & manufacturers the generals/admirals, the secretaries of AF & Navy have all been drinking to much expensive scotch & “so,duh”
All that said about the F-35, many new, revolutionary airframes (and aircraft carriers, etc.) have problems when just being brought on-line. Over time, these are usually resolved and the weapon system lives up to it’s potential and sometimes beyond. Will the 35 live up to it’s potential. Don’t know. I’m too long out (27 years) to have kept my finger on the pulse and haven’t really kept up with weapon system development over the years. But I’m not ready to throw away the potential. Both the F-16 (and F-18) had severe growing pains and they turned out OK.
Now, if we could just spend a little more money on some state-of-the-art golf courses, then we be going places… 8-;