The United State Air Force (America's Flying Services)

The youngest of our Military Service Branches, the Air Force became a separate branch on Sept. 18, 1947.
Originally part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the years prior to WWI, by the time War Two started, it was called the Army Air Force. (AAF)

Considering it's humble beginning on Aug 1, 1907, after the Wright Brothers initial flight off the sand whipped dunes of Kitty Hawk, the Air Force has become the symbol of America's Military might world wide in just 100 years.
American pilots who wanted to go "over there" and fight for freedom before our official entry into WWI used French and British airplanes.
These were the lads of the famed "Lafayette Escadrille".
They were American and Canadian boys, trained and led by French officers.

Later, when we finally entered the conflict, it was the famous 94th Aero Squadron, the "Hat in the Ring" group. Their most famous pilot was Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, our first true American Ace. A larger than life hero, 26 confirmed kills made him our top Ace.
He was a fixture in American aviation for many years afterwards.
During WWII, at 52 years of age while flying a secret mission in a B17 Flying Fortress, he had to ditch at sea in the Pacific.
He survived in a raft for 24 days before being rescued.
Some of his other accomplishments included founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and helping to found and serve as President of Eastern Airlines.
Rickenbacker Causeway, one of the main routes from mainland Miami to Miami Beach is named after Capt Eddie. He was also the first of 17 Air Force men to win the Medal of Honor, America's highest award for conspicuous and uncommon valor.

The period between World Wars brought many changes to aviation.
Barnstormers toured the country, so that even boys like my father in rural West Virginia were able to thrill to their exploits. Many of them caught the flying bug, and volunteered for the air services in the next horrible war.
The casualty rate in WWII was horrendous, especially for the boys in the 8th Air Force in Europe. At times it approached 50 percent.
Some very famous people flew B17's for the Mighty Eighth, among them actor Jimmy Stewart and Tom Landry, legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Commercial flight service started as a means of postal delivery, but soon became the mode of long distance travel, for those that could afford it.

WWII caught us with our pants down, so to speak.
America had already developed some first class Bombers such as the B17 Flying Fortress, but our fighter technology was woefully lacking.
The German Luftwaffe had two superior air to air fighters, the BF109G and the Focke Wulf FW190. The Japanese had what was arguably the superior fighter in the world, we called it the Zero. But, with our industrial might and ingenuity, we caught up fast.

The top ace overall in the war was Major Richard Bong, USAAF.
He flew the split tailed twin engined P38 Lightning, and finished the war with 40 confirmed kills before being killed in action himself.

One of the most famous aviators of all time is Gen Chuck Yeager.
A humble West Virginia boy like my dad, he flew the legendary P51 Mustang, still one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.

Chuck Yeager is another American legend, right out of a Hollywood script.
He had 11.5 confirmed kills, but was shot down over Germany during a mission.
With the help of the French Resistance, he managed to evade scores of Germans who were looking for him until after many months he made it back to England.
But his story was only beginning.
On October 14, 1947 he became the first man to break the sound barrier in his Bell X-1, which was named Glamorous Glennis, after his wife. (the same name he gave his Mustang.)
I have been privileged to see Chuck fly aerobatics exhibitions in air show.
A wonderful movie about the space program depicts Yeager's accomplishment, "The Right Stuff". He is still living, and still maintains his flight status!

We were already in the atomic age, and the jet age by the time the Korean War started in July of 1950. Many brave Air Force pilots lost their lives in Korea and Vietnam.
Air defense technology caught up to aircraft technology, particularly in Vietnam.
Legendary pilot Capt Bud Day personally helped to nurse Senator John McCain (USN) back to health after his shoot down and treatment by the NV's. He was one of many American pilots who were shot down and spent many years in harsh captivity in North Vietnam.

The period between the end of WWII and the fall of the Soviet Union was also the Cold War.
For the most part, our air crews were the last line of defense against the threat of a Soviet Nuclear Sneak attack. It was a very tense and nerve racking duty.

Today, although the threat is quite different from any they have faced in the past, the men and women of today's all volunteer Air Force stand in the breach for all of us.