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No official USAF motto
Integrity First
Service
Before Self
Excellence in All We Do
US Air Force Core Values
"No one comes close"
And
"Uno
Ab Alto"
(One over all)
Unofficial US Air Force Mottos
"Libertatem Defendimus"
("Liberty
We Defend")
2nd Bomber Wing (2nd BW)
"Kiai O Ka Lewa"
("Guardians of the Upper Realm")
5th Bomber Wing (5th BW)
"Mors
Ab Alto"
("Death From Above")
7th Bomber Wing (7th BW)
"Guardians of the North"
28th Bomber Wing (28th BW)
“FOLLOW
US”
509th Bomber Wing
"Semper Paratus"
("Always Prepared")
9th
Reconnaissance Wing (9th RW)
"Aut Vincere Aut Mors"
("Win or Die")
1st
Fighter Wing (1st FW)
"Fourth but First"
4th Fighter Wing (4th FW)
"Attaquez et Conquerez"
("Attack and Conquer")
8th
Fighter Wing (8th FW)
"The world's most lethal war fighting team"
27th Fighter Wing (27th FW)
"Return With Honor"
31st
Fighter Wing (31st FW)
"Fire From the Clouds"
33rd Fighter Wing (33rd FW)
"Attack to Defend"
35th Fighter Wing
(35th FW)
"Tutor et Ultor"
("Defender and Avenger")
49th Fighter Wing (49th FW)
"SEEK, ATTACK, DESTROY"
52nd
Fighter Wing (52nd FW)
Spangdalhem Germany
"VIRTUTE ALISQUE"
("On wings with courage")
111th Fighter Wing, 103rd
Fighter squadron
A-10s, Willow Grove Air Reserve Station
"Aduentes Fortuna Juvat"
(Fortune Favors the
Bold)
366th Air Expeditionary Fighter Wing
Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
"One team, one mission!"
37th
Training Wing, Lackland Air Force Base Texas
"Cum Grano Salis"
("With a grain of salt")
VS-38, Air Antisubmarine
Squadron "Red Griffins"
"In God we trust: All others we monitor"
5th
Reconnaissance Squadron (5th RS)
"Combat Ready Combat Proven"
463d (AMXS) Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Little Rock
Air Force Base, Arkansas
C-130E and C-130H / Air Mobility Command
"Mors Ab Alto"
("Death From Above")
13th Squadron,
9th Bomber Wing
"We were going by there anyway"
327th AS / 913 AW, Willow Grove ARS Station PA
"Death
on call"
U.S. Air Force ROMAD / TACP
(Tactical Air Control Party)
"These things we do that others may live"
- USAF Pararescue
“Defensor Fortis”
("Defenders of the Force")
United States Air Force Security Forces
"Excellence
in action .... Always"
91 Security Forces Group (SFG)
Minot AFB, ND
"Any Task, Any Place, Anywhere."
460th Security
Forces Squadron, Denver, CO
United States Air Force Space Command
Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC's)
4245th Strategic Wing, had the motto of
"Peace Through Strength"
"Peace is our Profession"
Air Force's Strategic
Air Command (SAC's)
USAF SAC Original motto was "War is our Profession Peace is our Product"
"Peace is our Profession"
was adopted about 12 years after the formation of SAC
"The Force Behind the Force"
72nd Aerial Port Squadron
US
Air Force Reserve, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
"The impossible we do every day, Miracles takes a bit longer"
4404th CSG/PERSCO
Dhahran AB, Saudi Arabia
New CMSAF insignia debuts
Nov. 1
 |
 |
WASHINGTON -- Chief
Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray explains the significance of his new stripes during an interview in his Pentagon
office Oct. 21. His new insignia becomes official Nov. 1. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi)
| | by Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
Air
Force Print News
10/29/2004 - WASHINGTON -- A
new chief master sergeant of the Air Force insignia debuts Nov. 1, and stands out as a highly distinguished symbol representative
of all Airmen, officials said.
The new insignia contains the Great Seal of the United States of America and two stars
in the upper blue field. The chevrons and the laurel wreath surrounding the star in the lower blue field remain unchanged
to retain the legacy of the stripe worn by all 14 chief master sergeants of the Air Force.
The decision for the re-design
came from a number of factors, officials said. Air Force enlisted insignias have evolved over the years, while maintaining
the historical roots of the Airman star and chevrons. Today, each grade has a definable rank. Some positions such as command
chiefs and first sergeants have additional distinguishing features.
Senior Air Force leaders, former chief master
sergeants of the Air Force and Airmen throughout the service encouraged a re-design of the CMSAF insignia. In 2002, the process
began to select a stripe that would be an even stronger representation of our enlisted force.
“A lot of people,
including my predecessors, have said that the current stripe, although it is a distinctive stripe, may not be easily recognized,”
said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray. “Many young Airmen thought the stripe should have more or
be more. They tell me, ‘It’s hard to tell the difference between you and other chiefs.’”
That
distinction is important, Chief Murray said, because the chief master sergeant of the Air Force is the senior representative
of more than 300,000 enlisted Airmen.
“One of the foundations of the enlisted corps is that every Airman should
have the same equal opportunity to promote through the ranks and to achieve (his or her) goals,” Chief Murray said.
“One of our Airmen serving today will be the 15th CMSAF and then the 16th and so on,” the chief said.
“This honorable position provides not only something for Airmen to look up to, but provides a goal and motivation for
their service. When they see our nation’s emblem in the new stripe, it will help them to realize this position, and
the person who holds it, has the ultimate responsibility of leading and representing all of our Airmen -- America’s
Airmen. This new stripe clearly identifies who represents them to the chief of staff, the secretary, Congress and the American
people.”
A new insignia is not a new idea, nor is it something Chief Murray said he devised alone.
“In
2003, a formal statement was made in a meeting between the Air Force chief of staff and former chief master sergeants of the
Air Force that we should change the insignia,” Chief Murray said.
“The first CMSAF, Paul Airey, truly
embraced this and has been a leading proponent for change,” Chief Murray said. “It is something that has been
supported by those before me and is something I believe is more for our Airmen to identify with, in what we stand for, in
support of our nation.”
“It was definitely time to update the stripe,” retired Chief Master Sgt.
of the Air Force Eric W. Benken said.
Chief Benken is also a strong supporter for the latest change. During his tenure,
he created the command chief master sergeant position out of the former major command senior enlisted advisers and gave them
a star in the top field of their insignia. Many people said that insignia began to overshadow the CMSAF insignia.
“The
old one served us well, but the change is necessary, and it’s for the better. The new stripe also aligns us more with
the other services’ senior enlisted leaders and that is a clear benefit as we go down the joint service path,”
Chief Benken said.
Inspiration for the re-design came from the CMSAF’s official emblem, which contains the seal
that has been the official national symbol since 1787.
Insignia of the top enlisted leaders from the other services
provided additional inspiration. The insignia of the sergeant major of the Army also contains the seal. The insignia of the
master chief petty officers of the Navy and of the Coast Guard contain an eagle with three stars above it. The sergeant major
of the Marine Corps’ insignia uses its service emblem and two stars. All stand out from the ranks of their peers and
subordinates.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said he liked the new stripe so much he wanted Chief Murray
to put it on as soon as possible.
“This is the right time, and the right level of attention has been brought
to it,” Chief Murray said. “Even though (he) had already made his decision, (General Jumper) introduced it first
to all of our senior officers at Corona. They warmly embraced it and, in fact, they said 'sew it on immediately.'”
”As
we continue to evolve as an Air Force, we must always preserve the honor of those who served before us,” Chief Murray
said. “It will be a privilege to be the first of many to wear this stripe that maintains our heritage, yet provides
an element of distinction to the highest enlisted position.”
United States Air Force
Introduction
Many things have happened since the first flights of Wright brothers
from that small grass strip In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in December 1903. The military very soon expressed their interest
in these heavier-than-air vehicles and the forerunner of the current USAF was founded on 1 August 1907 as the Aeronautical
Division of the US Army Signal Corps. The first aircraft, a Wright Military Flyer, was accepted on 2 August 1909 and at the
end of the month the Signal Corps leases some land at College Park (MD) for their first airfield.
At first only used as
reconnaissance aircraft soon the aircraft are equipped with small guns and bombs to do some more damage to possible enemies.
Only a few years later these aircraft see their first wars. In March 1916 the 1st Aero Squadron goes south for punitive actions
against Mexico and Pancho Villa. In the same month the Escadrille Americaine, later renamed Lafayette Escadrille, was formed
by American volunteers in France to help out in World War I. Soon after being renamed US Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941 their
biggest challenge yet started in December 1941 when the United States declared war on Japan and joined World War II. Thousands
and thousands of airmen flew even more missions over Europe, Africa and Asia and successfully beat the suppressors. The War
ended by dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading to Japans surrender on 2 September 1945.
Sponsored Links
Cold War
The development of new aircraft leaped in WWII. The German engineers developed a lot of sophisticated equipment
and the US, and other forces had a good look at them. This all helped to get the first North American XP-86 Sabre jet aircraft
in the air on 1 October 1947 from Muroc Dry Lake, California.
The relationship with the Soviet Union worsened at the end of the forties. Thousands and thousands of aircraft, like
F-80s, F-84s, F-86s, F100s, B-47s and B-52s, were manufactured to deter the Russians. The US had a strong presence in Europe
with many airbases in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It did not take al long time before the
Korean war stood at the doorstep which lasted from June 1950 to July 1953.
Next was Vietnam. Many words have been spoken about this war which was a very bad experience for the US military. Politics
did not allow the military to do their job and the American population questioned why their sons had to fight in a strange
country so far away. More than 8500 aircraft were lost by all US services and many servicemen were killed or captured.
The eighties saw the introduction of a lot of new hardware. President Reagan reinstated the B-1 program and hundreds
of F-15's and F-16's were delivered. During that decade another "sneaky" aircraft was developed, the F-117 stealth fighter.
A few years later its big brother, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber followed.
It took the American military a long time to get over the political Vietnam "conflict". They were given the chance in
1990 when the "Mother of all Dictators" invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Within days dozens of US planes were flown to Saudi
Arabia which started an air campaign to bomb the Iraqi invaders. This time no political intervention and General Norman Schwarzkopf
was given a free hand during 'Desert Storm'. Because of that and the Coalition Forces outclassed Iraq by state-of-the-art
equipment and far better training this resulted in a quick liberation of Kuwait.
After the Cold War
In the same period there was a small revolution in the Soviet Union. The communist party had to
step down and more liberal people came to power. The relationship with the US improved eventually leading to a large reduction
of the US forces and closure of many US bases in Europe. The USAF had to rethink their strategy as a large tank fighting battle
over central Europe was no longer a current scenario. Now they have to prepare for fighting simultaneously at two locations
anywhere on the globe. This was evident at the end of the nineties when the US still had a strong presence in the Middle East
and President Milosovic of Yugoslavia ordered the slaughtering of the Albanian population in the province of Kosovo. The UN
ordered intervention and the biggest deployment since "Desert Storm" went to the Balkan.
A devastating blow hit the US on 11th September 2001 when fanatics destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the
Pentagon by using commercial airliners as cruise missiles. Many people were killed and a worldwide hunt for the attackers
began. It was soon clear that Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organisation were behinds this and the US started to hunt them
down by starting a large air campaign over Afghanistan. After approximately two months most terrorists were killed, captured
or had fled the country so a new government could take their place.
Now
Because of all the deployments the moral among the troops became low. Many servicemen were away from home for
more than 120 days a year, which is not good for family life! That is why the Expeditional Air Force (EAF) was introduced.
Now everybody knows in advance when the have to deploy and for how long. Also the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve
Command are involved in the EAF to release the regular forces.
Modernization of the fleet is underway, although because of skyrocketing prices of new military hardware not everything
desired can be bought. The last C-141 Starlifter was retired in 2006 and the majority of the C-17A Globemaster IIIs have been
delivered. Two Langley AFB (VA) squadrons have transitioned to the F-22A Raptor and the Elmendorf AFB (AK) is up next to receiving
two squadrons. The Air Force would like to buy more of both types, but budget restrictions will probably not allow it.
About
fifty C-130Js have been delivered by August 2006 and a couple of dozen more are on order. The Air Force still has to decide
whether it wants to upgrade the current fleet of C-130E and C-130H, against ever increasing costs, or buy more factory fresh
C-130Js. The tanker problem has still not been solved. The proposed KC-767 lease never went ahead and a new program has been
written. Hopefully sometime in the 2007/2008 timeframe a final choice will be made so the Air Force can start replacing the
old KC-135.
The Joint Strike Fighter is now known as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The first one is about to make
its first flight sometime in 2007, but production has been postponed by Congress as to want to see first if everything will
work as advertised.
In the mean time over T-6A Texan II have been delivered to the Air Education and training Command and
the end for the T-37B is in sight. Only the 14th FTW at Colombus AFB (MS) and the 80th FTW at Sheppard AFB (TX) make full
use of the Tweety Bird. Also sneaking in after a lot of problems is the revolutionary V-22 Osprey. Four have been delivered
to the school at Kirtland AFB (NM) and the first deliveries for an operational unit are planned for the end of 2006.
CIA Director to Retire From Air Force
Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, director of the Central
Intelligence Agency says he will retire from active duty but intends to stay on at the Agency. His retirement, after
39 years of active duty, will be effective July 1, 2008.
A spokesman for the CIA said this was not the first
time an active-duty military officer had retired from the military but continued as CIA director. Admiral Stansfield Turner
became CIA director in 1977, retired from the Navy in 1978 and stayed at the CIA until 1981.
New Web-based assignment application debuts March 3
2/20/2008 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE
BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The power to apply for your next home-basing and follow-on assignment will soon be literally
at your fingertips.
Starting March 3, all active-duty enlisted members and officers, lieutenant colonel and below, who
are slated to serve an unaccompanied tour of 15 months or less will have the ability to submit Web-based applications from
any location worldwide, 24/7.
The new self-service application process is part of Air Force leadership's ongoing commitment
to Personnel Services Delivery Transformation.
"This change will help streamline the application process by eliminating
paperwork and unnecessary trips to the military personnel element," said Letty Inabinet, chief of the assignment programs
and procedures branch at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "Starting March 3, an Airman will be able to fill out the application
online, and if eligible, the system will validate it on the spot and send it to AFPC for consideration."
Even though
the HB/FO assignment program will be Web-based, the benefits remain the same.
"The program continues to be a win-win
for the Air Force," Ms. Inabinet said. "It helps reduce stress among our Airmen who don't know where their next duty station
will be after they serve the unaccompanied tour, and it provides stability for our Air Force families."
Home-basing
assignments offer Airmen an assignment back to the same continental U.S. location, or long-tour location in Alaska or Hawaii,
from where they left. Follow-on assignments offer Airmen assignment consideration to a preferred CONUS location or the overseas
long-tour location of their choice. Airmen can choose up to eight CONUS locations and up to eight overseas choices.
For
convenience and accessibility, the application will be made available March 3 at the Virtual Military Personnel Flight. The program's guidelines are outlined in Air Force Instruction 36-2110, Assignments. Applicants are encouraged
to thoroughly read the sections on entitlements and restrictions before submitting their application.
For more
information about the program, visit AFPC's "Ask" Web site and search for "Follow On." The 24-hour Air Force Contact Center (toll free 1-800-616-3775, DSN 665-5000) is also available
to answer questions.
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