Yesterday's Air Force - Part One

The U.S. Air Force provides air support for land and naval forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. Since then, American Airmen have been breaking barriers in air, space and cyberspace, resulting in global vigilance, reach and power. They’ve shown tenacity in Korea’s MiG Alley, endurance in Vietnam’s Rolling Thunder campaign, decisiveness over the skies of Baghdad during Desert Storm and resilience in Iraq and Afghanistan. Airmen are now fully engaged as part of America’s Joint Force in every region of the world and every mission area across the full spectrum of military operations. Airmen span the globe and Airpower has become the “oxygen the joint team breathes.”