Past, present and future soar at Air Force fifty

First Lt Earl Bolton looked heavenward as a beautifully restored P-51 "Mustang" raced across the skies over Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, remembering events of 46 years before. It was April 1951 and the pilots of the Wyoming Air National Guard's fledgling 187th Fighter Bomber Wing was preparing for its trip to Korea. The 187th's members, many of whom had served in the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II, were among the 45,000 Air National Guard members mobilized in response to the expanding war in Korea. Bolton remembered those days and thought of the five unit pilots who never returned home after their P51s were shot down by MiG 15 jets. He thinks of his old friends whenever he hears the P-51's distinctive Rolls Royce Merlin engine. A veteran of two wars, Bolton recalled with pride his service in the Air National Guard and the Guard's contribution to history.

"I take a great deal of pride in my Air Guard service," Bolton said. "I believe the Air Guard is as essential now as it was during Korea."

As the P-51 flew overhead, Wilbur Richardson stood proudly in his 8th Air Force uniform from World War II and talked to spectators. Richardson, who flew on 30 missions in the 94th Bomb Group's B-17 Kiss Me, said seeing a restored B-17 taxi down a runway brought back many memories.

"It's good to see the old plane flying, but I don't really want to get in one again," Richardson said. UI think I spent enough time in B-17s."

For Richardson, who volunteers at the Chino, California, Planes of Fame Museum, it is not the memories that these planes bring back that are important. Rather, the lessons that they can teach today.

"It is important to remind people, especially younger people, of what happened during World War II," he said. "People have to know what the United States accomplished and they have to know that we would have lost the war without the Air Force." Teaching is what motivates Vi Cowden, and other members of the Women Air Service Pilots (WASP) Association. According to Cowden, the more than 1,000 WASP members, who flew every type of aircraft in the AAF inventory during World War II, are all but forgotten by people today.

"It's been an uphill battle for us to let people know we even existed," Cowden said. "When we checked into our hotel, the people there didn't even know that women had flown planes during World War II." She added that it is great to get together with old comrades, but that the real purpose of the the association is to remember 38 WASPs who gave their lives during World War II and to serve as role models for Air Guard women, who today fly the Guard's fighters and transports.

Passing on the legacy of past accomplishments to the generations of today and tomorrow is what motivates people like Bolton, Richardson and Cowden to do their part as members of the Air Force family to celebrate the Air Force's 50 years of service. All three were in attendance for the Air Force Association's (AFA) 50th anniversary celebration, an event that will go down in history as one of the biggest "family" reunions on record. The AFAs celebration was conducted April 22-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where more than 10,000 members of the Air Force family gathered to celebrate the "Golden Anniversary" of the United States Air Force (USAF). Air Force Fifty (AF50) was the largest event in the yearlong celebration of the anniversary. It was designed to honor the people and accomplishments of the service's first 50 years as well as to highlight what the future holds for the country's youngest service.

The celebrations featured a huge industry display area, numerous veteran reunions, an international Air Power Symposium and an impressive stage show. Gen Ronald Fogleman, Air Force chief of staff, also hosted the first Global Air Chiefs Conference in conjunction with the AF 50 celebration. This conference allowed the air commanders-in-chief (CINC) of more than 80 countries to gather and discuss global applications of air power. Fittingly, the celebration concluded with one of the largest air shows to ever "take-off."

The National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) supported AF 50 by holding several activities that highlighted the important contributions the Air National Guard has made throughout history. The NGAUS began its AF 50 activities by conducting its Spring Executive Council meeting the week of AF 50.

MG Richard C. Alexander, the NGAUS president, said the Executive Council's presence in Las Vegas demonstrated the NGAUS' commitment to the Air Force's 50th anniversary and to the continuing of equal partnership the Air National Guard enjoys in the Total Air Force. Executive Council members spent a busy two days prior to the opening of AF 50 discussing NGAUS membership; Army National Guard (ARNG) funding shortfalls; potential ARNG force structure reductions; and other important issues (see story page 8).

During the meeting, Brig Gen William Spruance (ret.) introduced Capt Brian Fox of the Montana Air National Guard, winner of the Spruance/NGAUS' 50th anniversary essay contest. Fox said that he was excited to be present for the Executive Council meeting and was glad to see that company grade officers had a voice in the Association. The NGAUS Committee on Company Grade Issues (CCGI) convened during this Executive Council meeting (see CGO Bulletin on page 26). The CCGI members expressed their concern over active-duty officers commanding National Guard units They also continued their plans for the NGAUS 119th General Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"Being present at that meeting reaffirmed for me why company grade officers should be participants in this Association," Fox said.

AF 50 began with an evening reception in the Las Vegas Convention Center's main exhibit hall, which featured displays from 170 industrial, 60 Air Force and more than 150 reunion groups.

Appropriately, the past and future collided at the exhibit opening when Brig Gen (ret.) Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, unveiled a full scale replica of the famous X-1 aircraft Glamorous Glennis in the midst of exhibits displaying some of the defense industry's most advanced air power technologies. The replica will be used throughout the year at various 50th anniversary events to represent the Air Force's earliest accomplishments and to illustrate how the Air Force continues its advancement into leading aerospace technology.

Defense industry representatives explained to 10,000 registered visitors some of the state-of-the-art technology Air Force members are using, or soon will be. Jack Griff, Litton Data Systems director, field marketing and chairman of the NGAUS Corporate Advisory Panel (CAP), said many NGAUS CAP members set up booths in the exhibit hall. When visitors came by their booths, they were quick to point out the important role of the Air National Guard during history and as part of today's Total Air Force

Jack Connolly, business development manager for Northrup Grumman, echoed Griff's sentiments about the importance of the Air National Guard.

"Northrup Grumman has been working with the National Guard for a long time," Connolly said. "The Air Guard is important to my company and is a critical part of our long-range plans."

Intermingled with defense industry exhibits were displays from the Air Force's major commands including, Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Material Command. The Air National Guard exhibit was one of the most prominent exhibits in the hall. It featured a National Guard C-26 special mission aircraft from the National Guard Bureau's Counter Drug Office (CDO). Col Steven Couchman, CDO chief, special programs, said the ANG exhibit had received a lot of favorable attention from senior Air Force officers and numerous foreign air leaders interested in the counter-drug capabilities of the aircraft and the Guard's counterdrug programs. The counterdrug technology used in the plane was developed by the Guard and is now used by law enforcement agencies, active component units and foreign air forces.

The heart of the show was "Reunion Alley," home of more than 150 Air Force veteran's associations and organizations. Special interactive computer kiosks allowed visitors to look for names of any registered AF 50 guest. This allowed old friends to reunite after years.

The NGAUS membership booth and 50th anniversary of the Air Force historical exhibit, Silver Wings, America's Air National Guard 1916-1997, was also in Reunion Alley. Col Ray Magill (ret.), the NGAUS Executive Council Retired/Separated Representative-Air, said he received many favorable comments, and even recruited three Guard retirees.

The historical exhibit attracted a large number of visitors who stopped to look at the artifacts and watch the videotape that explained the Air National Guard's long tradition of service.

Among the visitors to the booth were Col Bernard F Fisher and Maj Jay Zeamer Jr., both recipients of the Medal of Honor Fisher, a former Idaho Air National Guard member who's name appears in the National Guard Memorial's Medal of Honor Gallery, said the exhibit brought back many memories of his service during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Brig Gen. Lloyd Johnson (ret.), president of the 9th Air Force Association also visited the booth. Johnson, a P-47 foghter pilot during World War II, joined the Nebraska Air National Guard after the war and served in the Air Guaer until his retiremnet. "I have flown all sorts of aircraft in booth the active componet and Air National Guard, in peace and war, and I can tell you, there is absolutely no difference between the two. The caliber of the people in the Air National Guard has always been fantastic," Johnson said. "The Air National Guard just gets better as time goes by. There isn't a mission out there that the Air Guard can't perform."

While stories of past experiences were being swapped in Reunion Alley, the audience at the Air Force 50 Air Power Symposium heard speeches by civilian and military leaders addressing the future USAF role and global air power.

Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall addressed the symposium on the rapid pace of change since the Air Force was founded. Secretary Widnall stressed it was not the technological changes that are the most incredible part of its story "It is the ability to evolve, to respond quickly to changes in the international arena and to technological opportunities as they arise. In the end, the most impressive story in the development of the Air Force is the story of our people's willingness-even their eagerness-to step up to change and maturation."

The man leading the transformation of the Air Force to a space and air force, is Gen Howell M. Estes, CINC, North American Aerospace Command. He discussed the important role that space operations are already playing.

"Many people are not aware of the critical role that space systems already play in joint and combined operations," General Estes said. Global Positioning System (GPS) is being used as a way to connect the other services, the civilian sector and our allies, and will continue to be developed in conjunction with other systems that will provide accurate data to soldiers wherever they may be. Space command is also involved in efforts to develop ways of getting improved systems into space, ensuring that the Air Force is as successful at space superiority as it has been with air superiority.

General Fogleman noted the tremendous political changes that have occurred in the world in the 50 years the attendees have worn Air Force blue. The presencefor the first time of all the global air chiefs, General Fogleman said, was an illustration of positive change.

Gen Col Petr Stepanovich Deynekin, CINC, Russian Air Force, congratulated the USAF on its first flight in 1907, which was flown by the New York National Guard's 1st Aero Squadron. He then noted the Air Force's birth as a separate service after its "liberation" from the Army in 1947. The Russian CINC, a Cold War Soviet bomber pilot who had once been turned away from American air space by future Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Merril McPeak (ret.), said he now hopes, regardless of the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russia and the United States will respect, not fear, one another

"Nothing unites people around the world like aviation," he said. Air power of the past, present and future was shown during a two-day airshow at Nellis Air Force Base. It began with three World War II planes paired in flight with three modem jet fighters. After the initial fly-over, the crowds-estimated to be more than 300,000 over both days, were able to watch reviews of beautifully preserved and rare historic aircraft, witness the power of the USAF and enjoy several aerial demonstration teams.

Historic aircraft on display that attracted a lot of attention were a Russian MiG 15 and four F-86 Saber jets that we flown during the Korean War. Col Jack Rosamond (ret.), a former Colorado Air Guard member, flew one of the F-86's that he had restored. Another show stopper was an F4 Phantom, featuring the famous shark's teeth design on the front. It was flown by Maj Gen Stephen Ritchie the only ace in the Vietnam Conflict.

The power of today's Total Air Force was demonstrated by F-15, F-16 and A10 fly-overs. A glimpse of tomorrow's Air Force was given during the B-2 Stealth Bomber and F-117 Stealth Fighter demonstrated the technology taking the USAF into the 21st century.

When they were not entertaining the crowds from the air, the aircraft were parked, along static aircraft displays, allowing people to get a closer look at them. One of the first display areas that people could see upon arrival at Nellis Air Force Base was set aside for cargo and transport aircraft from the early The California Air National Guard's 129th Air Rescue Wing flew in one of its C-130s. Airmen Damon Foss and Timothy Conklin were both kept busy explaining the equipment they used during the recent floods in California to save five peoples lives. Col Thomas Williams said that people seemed very interested in the 129th's mission. However, Williams said that while the planes are impressive, it is the people who deserve the credit.

"The Guard can fit seamlessly into active duty units. When we deploy we are ready to begin operations immediately," he said.

The fighter aircraft area was one of the best places to see how far the Total Air Force has come. Here, visitors could take a look at everything from wood-and-canvas biplanes, of the same type flown by the New York Guard's 1st Aero Squadron, which laid the groundwork for American military aviation; to the P-51 "Mustang" flown by the Michigan Air National Guard's 107th Observation Squadron over the beaches of Normandy in 1944; to the F-86 flown by the Texas Air National Guard's 182d Fighter Bomber Squadron during the Korean War

The grand finale of the airshow and the AF 50 celebrations was the missingman flight, in honor of all of the airmen and women killed in service. It was flown by beautifully restored, vintage aircraft and highlighted by the performance of the USAF Thunderbirds, the USAF's aerial demonstration team.

This dazzling performance was witnessed by Maj General John L. France (ret.), the NGAUS past president. General France, a veteran pilot of the Vietnam War, once flew as a member of The Minutemen, the Air National Guard's official aerial demonstration team. In an interview after the aerial demonstration at AF 50, he gave the airshow high marks.

"This was the finest airshow I have ever seen in my entire life," General France said.

For General France and all those who were able to attend AF 50, the events marked a truly once-in-a-lifetime juncture between the past, present and future of our nation's flying force.

Copyright National Guard Association of the United States Jun 1997
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