News Release

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a resolution introduced by Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) to recognize the achievements of the U.S. Air Force on the 60th anniversary of its creation as an independent military service.

Click here to watch Congressman Spratt speaking on the House floor.

In a statement to the House, Spratt said:  “Although the hardware gets the headlines, it’s the people who make it work, and make the Air Force what it is.  When General Horner came home from the Persian Gulf in 1991, I asked him who were the unsung heroes, and he answered without hesitation, ‘Well, for one, it’s our NCOs; their quality has gone out of sight.’  I was reminded of what General Horner said when I was at Shaw Air Force Base not long ago, and met with the Fighting 20th and its wing commander, Colonel Post, along with airmen and women, many of them about to deploy.  They will be part of some 35,000 other airmen deployed across the globe.  Because of them, and others like them, we have the best air force in the world, bar none.  

“House Concurrent Resolution 207 is our way, as members of Congress, and citizens of this nation, of recognizing the United States Air Force--its leaders and its airmen--for consistently proving their worth to the nation, and helping make this the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Complete Floor Statement by Rep. Spratt

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 207, recognizing the 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force as an independent military service.  I thank my colleague from New Mexico, Heather Wilson, for her partnership to bring this bipartisan measure before the House.  I want to also recognize the outstanding leadership of my fellow co-chairs of the Air Force Caucus, Cliff Stearns of Florida, Sam Johnson of Texas, and Jim Marshall of Georgia.

“Sixty years ago in July, President Truman and Congress distilled the lessons learned in World War II into landmark legislation, known as the National Security Act of 1947.  On September 18th, the Armed Forces were reorganized under a Department of Defense, and the Air Force was established as a military department co-equal to the Departments of the Army and the Navy. 

“The question of whether air forces should be a service on their own, separate from the ground forces, arose long before it was resolved in the National Security Act of 1947.  Over a period of forty years, airmen earned that recognition, beginning with the Aeronautical Division’s earliest exploits  in 1907, followed by the derring-do of the Army Air Service in World War I; and then by the superior performance of the Army Air Corps, later the Army Air Forces, in World War II.  America’s airmen performed so well that when battles were fought in the air, they were won decisively, making air superiority a standing assumption. 

“This tradition started during World War II, with aviators like General Doolittle.  During the war in North Africa and Europe, General Eisenhower and General Spaatz, as commander of the Army Air Forces, worked well together.  General Eisenhower came to appreciate the capabilities of air power and the role of the Air Force in achieving victory.  He called General Spaatz “the best operational airman in the world,” and was convinced that the Air Force should exist alongside and equal to the Army and the Navy.  Ike compared this arrangement to a “three-legged stool,” where each leg is essential to the whole.  It’s a principle alive, well, and working today.

“Since its origin, the Air Force has stayed abreast of our national security requirements, adding missiles to aircraft, and through a long Cold War deterring any attack on our country.  The Air Force is typically called when we need to gain lasting air superiority or deliver troops and materiel, whenever and wherever the need arises.  Its airlift and tanker capabilities give us the advantage of “remote presence;” its satellites supply us with surveillance and communication capabilities that are the gold standard, surpassing any country in the world.  Not only has the Air Force achieved a “technical overmatch” against our adversaries in the air, but in space and cyberspace as well. 

“In today’s Air Force, over 700,000 “Total Force Airmen” are at work, exercising vigilance, reach, and power around the world.  As we speak, they are operating intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft and spacecraft, supplying early warning, real-time intelligence, and situational awareness to the war-fighters.  They are a critical presence in the battle space of Afghanistan and Iraq.  They are lifting cargo and passengers, using refueling assets to build air bridges, projecting power and sustaining the fight. 

“Although the hardware gets the headlines, it’s the people who make it work, and make the Air Force what it is.  When General Horner came home from the Persian Gulf in 1991, I asked him who were the unsung heroes, and he answered without hesitation, ‘Well, for one, it’s our NCOs; their quality has gone out of sight.’  I was reminded of what General Horner said when I was at Shaw Air Force Base not long ago, and met with the Fighting 20th and its wing commander, Colonel Post, along with airmen and women, many of them about to deploy.  They will be part of some 35,000 other airmen deployed across the globe.  Because of them, and others like them, we have the best air force in the world, bar none.  

“House Concurrent Resolution 207 is our way, as members of Congress, and citizens of this nation, of recognizing the United States Air Force--its leaders and its airmen--for consistently proving their worth to the nation, and helping make this the land of the free and the home of the brave.

“Let me conclude with the resolving clause:  ‘Now, therefore, be it resolved…That Congress remembers, honors, and commends the achievements of the United States Air Force in serving and defending our country on the 60th anniversary of the creation of the United States Air Force as an independent military service.’”

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