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Air Force Reserve turns 64

  • Published
  • By Col. Bob Thompson
  • Air Force Reserve Public Affairs
WASHINGTON --  In a world where a cell phone is outdated in less than a year, the Air Force Reserve continues to grow more and more high-tech and leading-edge as it celebrates its 64th birthday.

Back when the world had only a handful of jet aircraft, no space travel and not an inkling of the Internet, the "Air Force Reserve" was created by President Harry S. Truman on April 14, 1948.

"Congratulations to the men and women of the Air Force Reserve on our 64th birthday," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of Air Force Reserve at the Pentagon and commander of Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. "I am extremely proud of the outstanding Air Force reservists serving on missions around the world in air, space and cyberspace."

After the Air Force became an independent service from the Army, Truman formally established the Air Force Reserve, which he envisioned would continue the tradition of service - "being ready when called upon" - that was founded by the Army Air Service reservists of the First World War who flew wood and canvas biplanes.

"Our thanks go to those who have gone before us and paved the way for us to succeed," Stenner said. "I doubt that those founders who created the Air Force Reserve in 1948 dreamed that we would have a strategic depth of more than 836,000 people in the Ready, Standby, Retired and Active Duty Retired Reserve."

The Air Force Reserve is part of the three component "Total Force" and works as an equal partner with the Regular Air Force and Air National Guard.

Today's Air Force reservists work in every job specialty in the Air Force. They safeguard nuclear weapons and guide Global Positioning Satellites. From bases in the United States, reservists fly remotely piloted aircraft in combat half a world away. They track hurricanes out at sea and bring medical supplies and food into disaster areas to save lives around the world.

Consisting of officers, enlisted and civilians, the Air Force Reserve is tasked by law to fill the needs of the armed forces whenever more units and people are required than are in the regular forces. Air Force reservists, often called "Citizen Airmen," provide the military a surge force as well as conduct daily operations. They have answered the nation's call in every major combat engagement, disaster response and humanitarian crisis since the component's inception.

Those events include the Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. More recently, Air Force reservists supported relief operations for people affected by Hurricane Katrina, Haiti's earthquake and Japan's tsunami. Reservists have served in combat in Iraq and Libya and continue to serve today in Afghanistan and Horn of Africa missions.

"Spanning nearly six and a half decades - with the last two decades of continuous combat - the Air Force Reserve has fulfilled the legacy of our early air pioneers," Stenner said. "Today's reservists provide the nation outstanding capability and have exceeded the potential seen by the visionaries who created our Reserve Component."

For more information on the history of the Air Force Reserve, go to www.afrc.af.mil/library/history