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Celebrating 60 years: Air Force anniversary reminder to Airmen of persevering spirit and role in mission

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  Today is the 60th anniversary of the Air Force. In several hours, the Air Force Ball will commence. Many Airmen will reminisce and plan for the future. Team Tinker will likely remember its role in the Air Force mission and its persevering spirit, as the Air Force Chief of Staff recently did in a memo.
   Gen. T. Michael Moseley penned a memo about the Air Force mission, the Airmen and remembering those who pioneered the way. He wrote about the importance to recognize the warrior ethos to fulfill future missions.
   "To me, our warrior ethos is the warfighting-focused culture, conviction, character, ethic, mindset, spirit, and soul with foster in all Airmen," Gen. Moseley wrote. "We're duty-bound to imbue our newest Airmen with these warrior virtues during basic training and foster them throughout every Airman's career."
   Although Gen. Moseley wrote the memo for today's Airmen, he could have referred to the pioneer Airmen, many of whom had direct ties to Tinker. Among them are Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker, for whom Tinker Air Force Base is named; Maj. Ernest J. Fawbush and Capt. Robert C. Miller, who were the first to forecast a tornado in American history.
   In June 1942, an Oklahoma native, who was one-eighth Osage Indian, led a flight of LB-30s in the southwest Pacific to a bomb strike against the Japanese. He was killed, yet his sacrifices did not go unnoticed. Four months later, a new military installation in central Oklahoma was named after him and became Tinker Field.
   Nearly six years later, a major and captain stationed at Tinker Field, detected a significant tornado, five days after a devastating tornado ripped through Tinker, causing more than $10 million in damage. Maj. Fawbush and Capt. Miller forecasted the storm about three hours before it hit.
   "The Airman Warrior tradition was built by visionaries and practitioners who charged us to believe in and advocate the value of air power for the nation," the general wrote. "The legacy -- the contrails they left behind -- defines who we are, shapes what we do, and sets the vector for our future. We stand on the shoulders of giants."
   In today's environment, the goal to persevere is still in the forefront, yet the scenario has changed. The global war on terror, in which Airmen protect both the ground and sky, is among the top challenges. Although difficult, Gen. Moseley said the Air Force will persist.
   "The association between Air Force and flying is universal, inherent and undeniable," the general wrote. "Yet, over the years, we have become so technically proficient and specialized that we have sometimes drifted from our core essence and let our functions override our mission-focus and warfighting orientation.
   "We must never forget that our Air Force isn't just a conglomeration of diverse specialties, skill sets or jobs," Gen. Moseley wrote. "Ours is the profession of arms. We are Airmen Warriors -- dedicated to flying, fighting and winning."