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  • Staff Sgt. Maynard H. Smith

    Medal of Honor, 1943On his first combat flight over Europe, Staff Sgt. Smith's bomber took heavy damage. Acting quickly, he not only fought off enemy fighters and tended to the wounded, but also put out a serious fire. He was the first enlisted airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor.Click here to

  • Sgt. 1st Class Harold O. Nicholls

    Distinguished Service Cross, 1919Sgt. Nicholls repeatedly volunteered to act as a balloon observer in the last offensive of World War I. Three times he rose up beneath a hydrogen-filled balloon only to narrowly escape after it was hit by incendiary bullets. Fortunately, Nicholls survived to accept

  • Sgt. 1st Class Fred C. Graveline

    Sergeant First Class Fred C. GravelineFirst Enlisted Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, 1919Sergeant First Class Fred C. Graveline was part of a small group of enlisted men who flew combat missions in World War I, and the first of only two enlisted men to receive the Distinguished Service

  • Air Force Orange County Chopper

    In 2005 Orange County Choppers Inc., in Rock Tavern, N.Y., built this motorcycle to support the Air Force Recruiting Service. Inspired by the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor, Orange County Choppers incorporated the Air Force symbol into the wheel rims and shaped the rear view mirrors to resemble the

  • R&R: Rest and Relaxation

    The 5th Air Force carried military personnel from Korea to Japan (usually from Seoul to Tachikawa near Tokyo) for badly-needed, three to five day R&R (Rest and Relaxation) leave. Many took the train from Tachikawa to visit Tokyo while others visited the peaceful surroundings of Japanese national

  • Army Green to Air Force Blue

    After the U.S. Air Force became a separate service in 1947, it created new blue uniforms. Even so, Air Force personnel during the Korean War continued to wear U.S. Army uniforms from existing stocks, including the famed "pinks and greens" clothing and "crush cap" hats from World War II. In some

  • Dust, Mud and Snow: An Airman’s Life in Korea

    Life on the K-bases remained fairly basic throughout the Korean War. USAF personnel generally lived in tents with wooden or concrete floors and stored their meager possessions in furniture cobbled together from scrap wood or crates. These tents were blistering hot in the summer and freezing cold in

  • K-Bases in Korea

    The USAF had numerous air bases in Korea, and many of these were former Japanese airfields. The spelling of Korean locations on maps varied greatly, and villages had a Korean and a Japanese name. A "K" number identified individual airbases in both northern and southern Korea to prevent confusion

  • Korean War Introduction

    "The Air Force is on trial in Korea."- Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, USAF Chief of Staff, 1950 The U.S. Air Force was only three years old as a separate service when North Korea invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950. The next three years brought significant changes in technology, roles and tactics,

  • The Story of the MiG-15bis on Display

     In November 1950, the communists introduced the Soviet-built MiG-15 into battle. Its advanced design and exceptional performance startled United Nations forces. The U.S. hoped one of the planes could be acquired for technical analysis and flight evaluation. However, MiG-15 pilots were very careful