[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the U.S. Air 
Force on its 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated across the 
country on September 18, 1997.
  On July 26, 1947, the National Security Act was signed into law by 
President Truman. This act established the U.S. Air Force as a separate 
branch of our Nation's Armed Forces. On September 18, 1947, W. Stuart 
Symington was sworn in as the first Secretary of the Air Force. Eight 
days later, Gen. Carl A. Spaatz became the Air Force's first Chief of 
Staff.
  While 1947 marked the beginning of the Air Force as we know it today, 
the U.S. official involvement with the military applications of flight 
actually started 40 years earlier in 1907. On August 1 of that year--
just 3 years after the Wright Brothers' historic first manned flight--
the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps was 
established. This was the forerunner of today's Air Force. The 
Aeronautical Division's mission was to ``take charge of all matters 
pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred 
subjects.'' It is from this initial mandate that the Air Force has 
evolved into the indispensable force which today provides the United 
States with ``Global Reach, Global Power.''
  With its founding in 1947, the Air Force became an equal partner with 
the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps in our Nation's Armed Forces. It did 
not take long for the Air Force to make history. Within 2 weeks of its 
creation, the Air Force hit the first of many impressive milestones. On 
October 14, 1947, a young Air Force captain by the name of Chuck Yeager 
courageously piloted the X-1 on the first supersonic flight.
  Beginning in June 1948, it was the Air Force that was called upon to 
take the lead in the Berlin Airlift. Dubbed Operation Vittles and over 
the course of the next 15 months, the Anglo-American airlift delivered 
a total of 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, and supplies to sustain the 
people of that beleaguered city.
  The theme of this 50th anniversary year for the Air Force--``Golden 
Legacy--Boundless Future''--is very appropriate because facing 
challenges has been the hallmark of the Air Force. They have always 
aimed high. The Air Force has achieved countless numbers of aviation 
firsts that are the envy of the aeronautical world. Lesser known 
actions, though, are also an important part of the Air Force's golden 
legacy and should also be celebrated. For instance, on July 1, 1949, 
the Air Force became the first service to announce an end to racial 
segregation in its ranks.
  The greatest strength in all of the military services has always been 
in its members themselves. Without any doubt and question, Gens. Hap 
Arnold and Jimmie Doolittle and Sen. Ira Eaker are great Air Force 
legends in their own right. So too though is Lt. Col. John Paul Stapp, 
a Air Force flight surgeon who in 1954 rode a rocket sled to 632 mph 
and then decelerated to zero in 125 seconds. He survived more than 35 
times the force of gravity in order to determine if a pilot could eject 
from an airplane at supersonic speed and live. We should also remember 
Col. Robin Olds who, on January 2, 1967, became the first and only U.S. 
Air Force ace with 12 victories in World War II and 4 victories in 
Vietnam.
  Over the past 50 years the men and women of the Air Force have served 
with honor and distinction in the major conflicts of Korea, Vietnam, 
and in the Persian Gulf. They have been the faithful stewards of two-
thirds of America's arsenal of nuclear weapons. They have kept the 
peace deep below the Earth in missile silos and high in the heavens in 
reconnaissance aircraft.
  The Air Force truly does have a golden legacy that we should all take 
time to reflect upon and honor. I am confident that the Air Force's 
rich history is the foundation of its boundless future. Regardless of 
any future threat our Nation may face, the Air Force will meet the 
challenge just as they always have.
  I know my Senate colleagues join me in celebrating the 50th 
anniversary of the United States Air Force.

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