Happy Birthday United States Air Force!
“Fly, fight and win…in air, space and cyberspace” — mission statement for the United States Air Force (USAF).
First, there was the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), which was the aviation branch of the United States Armed Forces between 1926 and 1941. On June 20, 1941, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was established and six years later, on September 18, 1947, it became a separate branch of the military known as the United States Air Force. The USAF is the newest branch of the U.S. military, and is the one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced air forces.
To support that mission the USAF has a vision:
“The United States Air Force will be a trusted and reliable joint partner with our sister services known for integrity in all of our activities, including supporting the joint mission first and foremost. We will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable global vigilance, reach and power for the nation.”
We’re very proud to have some USAF Veterans working here at the Texas Veterans Land Board, including Eric Brown, Deputy Director of our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries and Monica Brown, Manager of Communications and Business Development. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Eric Brown served as an Aerospace Ground Equipment mechanic and was stationed at Clark Air Force Base in the Phillipines during the famous Mount Pinatubo eruption. Listen to Eric tell his story to James Crabtree, program coordinator for the VLB Voices of Veterans oral history program.
In addition to Eric Brown’s story, there are many other interviews with U.S. Air Force Veterans in the archives of Voices of Veterans including William Gregory, Trisha Hildreth, Rosa Kissling and Rich Buickerood.
Col. William Gregory
William Gregory completed his first flight 75 years ago at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where he was a student at the time. A year later, in February of 1941, a group of recruiters from the U.S. Army Air Corps came to the university to administer tests to students interested in joining the aviation cadet program. Six months later, Gregory received an acceptance letter from the USAAC. He was just 21 years old.
On April 29, 1942 Gregory graduated from the cadet program and went on to fly P-38’s during World War II. He and his squadron escorted B-17’s, B-25’s and B-26’s on countless missions. Their squadron was the first ever selected for dive bombing missions using P-38’s.
When the USAF was created, Gregory continued his role as a pilot and eventually became part of the clandestine U-2 spy plane program. There, he rose to the position of squadron commander. It was his squadron, in fact, that flew many of the spy missions over Cuba during the Cuba Missile Crisis. Gregory reached the rank of Colonel and was later awarded a medal for his service by the CIA, as well as a letter of appreciation by President Kennedy.
Trisha Hildreth
Trisha Hildreth joined the USAF in 1970 when she was 20 years old and went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. In 1972 she became one of the first enlisted women to be stationed at Lages Field, on Tiserra Island in Azores, Portugal. Hildreth now resides in Lenorah, Texas and volunteers for the Texas Permian Basin Honor Flight Program.
Maj. Rosa Kissling
Rosa Kissling was born in Hawaii and grew up in the Philippines, where she joined the USAF in 1990 as an enlisted member. In her Voices of Veterans interview, Kissling remembers fondly why she joined, “I was looking for adventure, trying to explore the world, trying to see more than just my little piece of the Philippines, and the Air Force seemed like a great way to do it.”
After going to her Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Guam and basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Kissling attended school in Pensacola, Florida for intelligence training. After eight months she graduated and became a Communications Signal Intelligence Analyst and was eventually commissioned as an officer and served as both an intelligence and communications officer before retiring in 2012.
Col. Rich Buickerood
Rich Buickerood served in the USAF from 1966 through 1992. He joined the Air Force ROTC while at Rutgers University and graduated in 1965 with a commission as a second lieutenant. Buickerood attended pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas where he competed with over 60 other young pilots to become a fighter pilot. During his career, he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, saw action in Vietnam, and flew F-100C, F-4 and F-16 fighter jets.
The VLB Voices of Veterans oral history program seeks to record the stories of Texas Veterans and archive the transcripts for future researchers, historians, genealogists and the general public. For more information visit www.VoicesofVeterans.org or contact the program coordinator, Monica Brown, at 1–800–252-VETS (8387) or monica.brown@glo.texas.gov.
