Born: May 30, 1918 at Jeannette, PA
Entered Service: Westmoreland County, PA
Date/Place of Action: January 11, 1945 - Luzon, PI, Pacific Ocean
Unit: 82d Tactical Recon Squadron, 71st Recon Group, 308th Bomb Wing, 5th Air Force
Presentation: At Luzon, Philippine Islands
By Major General Ennis C. Whitehead - April 03, 1945
Date of Death: June 25, 1990
Buried at: St. Clair Cemetery - Greenburg, PA
|
| Henry Eugene Red Erwin
Staff Sergeant, US Army Air Corps
|
Born: May 08, 1921 at Adamsville, AL
Entered Service: Bessemer, AL
Date/Place of Action: April 12, 1945 - Koriyama, Japan
Unit: 52d Bomb Squadron, 29th Bomb Group, 314th Bombardment Wing, 20th Air Force
Presentation: At Fleet Hospital 103, Guam
By General Curtis LeMay - April 19, 1945
Date of Death: January 16, 2002
Buried At: Birmingham, AL
|
| Raymond Larry Knight First Lieutenant, US Army Air Corps |
Born: June 15, 1922 at Houston, TX
Entered Service: Houston, TX
Date/Place of Action: April 24 & 25, 1945 - Northern Po Valley, Italy
Unit: 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force
Presentation: G.O 81 - September 24, 1945
Date Of Death: April 25, 1945 (Killed In Action)
Buried at: Houston National Cemetery - Houston, TX
| Birth of the United States Air Force
Shortly after noon on July 26, 1947 the engines on President Harry S Truman's airplane were warming up to ferry the President to the bedside of his dying mother. Before the plane could lift off the runway at the National Airport in Washington, DC a courier drove up to deliver a briefcase. Inside were three important documents, the result of months of debate in both the halls of the Pentagon and the chambers of Congress.
The first was a Congressional action, the National Security Act of 1947 establishing the Department of Defense. The second was Executive Order No. 9877 defining the roles and missions of the United States Armed Forces. The third was the nomination of James V. Forrestal as our Nation's first Secretary of Defense. On his plane, before departing, the President signed all three historic documents, charting the course for the future of the United States military. That course was based upon the historic lessons of nearly two centuries of struggle by a young nation for survival. It was bolstered by the experience of decisive victories in two world wars. Among the lessons learned...the importance of air power and the need for aerial supremacy.
Thus it was that the first document, the National Security Act of 1947 not only established a Department of Defense to unite the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. It recognized the unique role of the American airman and separated him from the rest, establishing a whole new branch of military service. From the embryo nurtured in two world wars was born the United States Air Force.
|
T
he jet age, and the new United States Air Force, came to Korea when American and South Korean forces were still reeling from the surprise invasion from the North. Within a month our Nation's newest branch of service proved its superiority, wiping out the 150-plane air force of North Korea. For six months American pilots ruled the skies and gave ground troops necessary support to turn the tide of the ground war. Then, China entered the war.
In the three years that followed more than 1,000 US Air Force airplanes went down. The newest branch of service suffered more than 1,700 casualties. Along the way, however, the brave knights of the skies destroyed more than 1,000 enemy tanks, 18,000 bunkers and gun emplacements, and put more than 100,000 enemy vehicles out of service.
Air Force fighter pilots not only found themselves pitted against the jet-powered Soviet MiGs, but restrictive rules of engagement that prevented them from following their prey across the Yalu River. The traditional ingenuity of the American airman faced new tests in MiG Alley and elsewhere over North and South Korea, and the men of the US Air Force rose to the challenge. They won ten out of every eleven engagements of the war.
Victory in the air came at a great price during every war. During World War I, 3 of the 4 men awarded Medals of Honor died in their moment of valor. During World War II of the 38 airmen awarded Medals of Honor, only 15 survived. Four airmen of the new United States Air Force received their Nation's highest military award in Korea. NONE SURVIVED!
|
Yüklə 2.58 Mb.