Happy Birthday to the Air Force Reserve

Today, April 14, 2020, the Veterans Land Board salutes the 72nd birthday of the Air Force Reserve! Its mission is to “provide combat-ready forces to Fly, Fight and Win”. The AFR has been helping the Air Force to accomplish its goals since 1948 when it was formed by order of President Harry Truman. At first, it was only a standby force, but it now comprises 20 percent of the active-duty work of the United States Air Force. The Reserve also has some unique groups, such as the Weather Reconnaissance (Hurricane Hunters), Modular Aerial Fire Fighting (MAFFs) and Personnel Recovery (Pararescuemen).

Sometimes active duty personnel feels concerned about reservists, but as Tech Sergeant Terry McGovern of Hurst, Texas, tells about deployment to Iraq: “We Reservists and Guardsmen had that port functioning without any hiccups or delays. When they [active duty soldiers] arrived, they joined in an already smooth-running operation. We worked side by side for six months, never questioning. We did our jobs, supported each other, and other branches of the military from our country and others, with a great deal of respect for what each person did in their part out there in the real world!”

McGovern also tells a humorous story of a cargo load traveling from Travis AFB in California to Hickam Air Base in Hawaii. The flight ended up on CNN News the next day, because a stowaway had taken refuge on the plane, and had crawled out once they arrived in Hawaii, making it the first opossum to visit the island! McGovern created a “Declaration of Dangerous Goods” for the next flight out, which referred to the “Marsupial Express” with the Latin term for possums in the description! It goes to show that these soldiers, while they take their jobs seriously, also enjoy what they do and how they do it.

The Veterans Land Board salutes our brothers and sisters in the sky who fly for and support the Air Force Reserve and wishes the AFR many happy birthdays to come.