HomeNewsArticle Display

Tinker's Air Force Ball celebrates heritage, current accomplishments

  • Published
  • By Danielle Gregory
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  Tinker members came together on Sept. 19 to celebrate the recent 61st birthday of the United States Air Force at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Tinker celebrated the birthday with dinner, cake cutting and dancing. The theme for the night was "Heritage, Honor and Valor."

On Sept. 17, 1947, the national military establishment, including the Office of Secretary of Defense and the Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force, were born. President Harry S. Truman approved the National Security Act of 1947 on July 26. He outlined the duties of the three military services. Each were responsible for the area in which it operated, ground, sea and air. The official date of the founding of the Air Force was Sept. 18.

"With the successes of air power across the two world wars it is not hard to understand why the creation of the separate Air Force was included as a provision in the National Security Act," said Mr. Garry Richey, guest speaker.

Mr. Richey is a member of the senior executive service and the director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas. He provides maintenance engineering, supply, transportation, contracting, civil engineering and security forces support for 13 flying wings and training wings. Mr. Richey began his career at Tinker in 1977 in Logistics Management. He closed his Tinker career as the executive director of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.

"Our air dominance has ensured that no U.S. ground forces have been attacked from the air since 1953. Over the past six decades, it has been Airmen who have answered the called to serve around the world, Airmen from our total force," said Mr. Richey. "In reality, air power ceases to exist without the people behind the hardware, strategy and history."

Mr. Richey said that numbers sometimes make a bigger impression than anything else, so he explained exactly how the Air Force excels and continues to excel. Airmen fly an average of 300 sorties a day, one million since Sept. 11. They are deployed to more than 135 countries world-wide and have fulfilled 524,000 deployments since the global war on terror. Airmen around the world ensure that one aircraft takes off on a mission every 90 seconds, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he said.

"Tonight, I call on you to renew our commitment to service. Most of us have given our lives and careers in the armed services or civil service. I ask you what better time to serve our Air Force, serve our country than in a time of need?" said Mr. Richey.

There are five key attributes to help us serve successfully he said: aspiration, preparation, perspiration, collaboration and inspiration. He explained how each of the five characteristics played into the daily roles of the Air Force work force.

"I am blessed to have been born in this great country, blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in the defense in our nation and the freedoms we cherish and to have spent my career working with people who are dedicated and determined to serve with honor and valor. As we enter our 61st year as an Air Force, there is no way to know the challenges we face, but rest assured we will rise to those challenges," said Mr. Richey.