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  • Stripes and Wings: Enlisted Pilots WWI & WWII

    "It is not the policy of the War Department to train enlisted men in flying aeroplanes ..." –Rebuke to Lt. Lahm's report that he trained Corporal Vernon Burge to fly in 1912.More than 4,500 enlisted Airmen became pilots and served alongside their far more numerous officer counterparts. Corporal

  • Nerves of Steel: Boom Operators

    Formally known as in-flight fuel specialists, enlisted “boom operators” play a key role in enabling aircraft to fly farther, faster. Operating aboard tanker aircraft, boom operators refuel aircraft in-flight to extend their range. This capability transformed the Air Force’s global reach during the

  • Enlisted Thunderbirds: Precision on the Ground

    Since 1953, the precise work of enlisted Thunderbirds has provided the solid foundation for the air demonstration squadron’s excellence in the sky. Over one hundred enlisted Airmen representing nearly thirty career fields serve as Thunderbirds each year. Their hard work enables the team to operate

  • Port Dawgs Move the Mission

    Enlisted Air Transportation Specialists, affectionately known as “port dawgs” or “porters,” expedite passengers and cargo through aerial ports to destinations all over the world. Porters are supply chain experts who work around the clock to get things where they’re needed, fast. They coordinate load

  • Missile Technicians: Always Ready

    Enlisted missile technicians have supported nuclear deterrence since the late 1950s by ensuring that the USAF’s strategic missiles are always ready to launch.  Following successful test flights of the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 1957, the Air Force began recruiting

  • Enlisted Maintainers: Pride in Ownership

    Enlisted maintainers inspect, repair, and maintain aircraft using expert technical knowledge and skill. They take great pride in the ownership given to them: to provide aircrews with mission ready aircraft.The Air Force relies heavily on enlisted maintainers to keep aircraft flying. Enlisted

  • Staff Sergeant James Meredith Desegregation in the Air Force

    “The desegregation of the Air Force was the most significant thing since the Constitution of the United States which claim[s] that all men should be equal. Nothing has done as much as the desegregation of the Air Force to make that a reality.” - Dr. James MeredithDespite President Harry S. Truman’s

  • Staff Sergeant Nyle Mickley First Enlisted Aerial Victory of the Korean War

    On June 29, 1950, the US Air Force crossed the 38th parallel into communist territory for the first time during the Korean War. The objective: destroy the enemy’s primary airfield at Pyongyang.Eighteen B-26 Invader aircraft from the 3rd Bombardment Group (Light) entered enemy air space just before

  • Chief Master Sergeant Duane Hackney Most Decorated Enlisted Airman

    Born to Rescue   With over twenty-five years in service and more than seventy individual awards and decorations, CMSgt Duane Hackney is recognized as the most decorated enlisted Airman in Air Force history. Serving most of his career as a pararescueman, his legendary status began in Vietnam in

  • Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Fisk High Risk, High Reward

    Son Tay Raid   On November 21, 1970, then SSgt. Wayne Fisk, a pararescueman, joined the all-volunteer search and rescue operation at Son Tay, North Vietnam. Sixty-one American POWs were reportedly held at the camp. Although no prisoners were found, the raid was considered a tactical success. On the