Today's Airmen follow tradition of valor, honor

  • Published
  • By Col. Victor Loranth
  • 514th Aeromedical Staging Squadron
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Our Airmen's Creed pledges us to a tradition of honor and a legacy of valor. Yet, how often do we pause to take time to remember and reflect on the extraordinary acts of heroism that have been woven into the fabric of our Air Force?

Since World War I, Airmen have served this country with the highest distinction and have left us with a warrior tradition of service, gallantry and sacrifice.

The first Airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor was Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Service during WW I and lost his life on a mission to supply an army battalion that was trapped behind enemy lines. Bleckley's heroism in repeatedly flying directly into anti-aircraft fire to drop supplies to the ground troops began the Air Force legacy. He made the ultimate sacrifice and his medal was awarded posthumously.

By 1941, the Army Air Service had grown into the United States Army Air Forces and was actively engaged in preparing for probable war with the Empire of Japan and the Third Reich. That war came on December 7, 1941, with the stunning surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. It was that day that Lieutenants George Taylor and Ken Welch took off in two P-40 Kittyhawk fighters to engage over two hundred Japanese planes attacking the base.

With courageous resolve they took the fight to the enemy and both men became aces that day. Such examples of valor were not only exhibited by these pilots but their ground crews as well. In the face of enemy straffing attacks and the need to run into burning hangars for ammunition belts, maintainers refueled and rearmed the fighters several times during the entire morning.

In 1942, the 8th Air Force, then known as the VIII Bomber Command, began a campaign of precision daylight bombing based out of England that by war's end had crumbled the entire German war machine. These bomber crews and later escort fighter pilots fought the highly trained and experienced German Luftwaffe. The price was high with over 45,000 battle deaths for Airmen. Thirty-six Medal of Honor citations were authorized and twenty-two of these were awarded posthumously.

By 1948, the United States Air Force was established as a separate service branch. The first challenge for the new service was the Russian blockade of Berlin. There would be no surrender of the city to the Russians and the Air Force was called on to provide humanitarian relief in the form of food, medicine and fuel. The only way to deliver these supplies was by air.

Overall, the Berlin Airlift, delivered 2.3 million tons of supplies by transport aircraft flying around the clock in all types of weather for more than nine months. Seventy airmen dedicated their lives to that mission allowing Berlin to remain a free city. The men and women who supported this mission really were the guardians of freedom and justice.
The legacy continued into the skies over Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre in 1951, Capt. James Jabara became the first jet-to-jet air ace in history.

In Vietnam, the courage of the Airmen executing the bombing campaign and maintaining tactical supply to ground troops added to the extraordinary Air Force story.
By the time of the Gulf War in 1991, airpower had evolved into a highly sophisticated electronic enterprise which enabled the systematic destruction of enemy assets without requiring the massive bombing campaigns seen in WWII. Even with the electronic age, the valor exhibited by Airmen in the historic air campaign was on display for the entire world. Airpower and the men and women who delivered that power had totally neutralized an enemy's ability to fight.

The examples cited may be placed into a framework of unique missions which only air forces can perform. The use of airpower is relegated to specific taskings, which are interrelated with the overall war plan. However, the today's mission for Airmen is in many ways not much different from the missions of the past. The fight for dominance of the air space over the theatre of operations, strategic interdiction and the need to ensure logistical support via air transport are still unchanged. The use of airpower today is but a modern modification of the use of airpower over the past century.

Today's Airmen are linked to past taskings that are unique to the Air Force. A precious gift, a tradition of honor and legacy of valor, has been clearly left in our care. Our standards are very high, and as Airmen, we will not fail in our obligation to protect and defend our country.