USAF Memorial Finally A Reality

As part of its year-long 60th anniversary celebration, the US Air Force dedicated a memorial nearly 15 years in the making Saturday.

When Air Force Memorial Foundation Chairman Ross Perot Jr. officially presented the memorial to President Bush he said, "This memorial says to everybody who visits, today and tomorrow, 'This is the spirit that helped build the Air Force. This is the sacrifice that helped defend our freedom. This is the courage that helped build our nation.' On behalf of a very grateful country, and a grateful people, it says, 'Thank you.'"

Visitors to Washington DC will easily see the three spires comprising the memorial atop a promontory in Arlington, VA. The memorial overlooks the Pentagon and sits adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery.

With Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, AF Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley looking on, President Bush formally accepted the Air Force Memorial from Perot.

Before Saturday, the Air Force was the only US military service without a memorial. President Bush noted, "A soldier can walk the battlefields where he once fought. A Marine can walk the beaches he once stormed, but an Airman can never visit the patch of sky he raced across to defend freedom. And so it is fitting that from this day forward, the men and women of the Air Force will have this memorial."

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force McKinley, representing the service's enlisted members, said, "This is a long over-due tribute to all those who are a part of this ongoing cycle of dedicated and talented Americans who serve in the Air Force."

The memorial incorporates three stainless-steel spires curving skyward arranged concentrically about an Air Force Star embedded in the structure's concrete foundation. As you approach the memorial, you'll walk along the Runway to Glory at the entrance. You'll pass a bronze Honor Guard statue and see arranged at either end of a central lawn granite inscription walls. A prominent feature of the memorial is a glass Contemplation Wall bearing a representation of the lost wingman formation flown by the comrades of fallen airmen.

President Bush dedicated the sculpture, designed by a renowned architect, the late James Ingo Freed, to all past, present and future service members of the United States Air Force.

The President said, "A long blue line of heroes has defended freedom in the skies above. To all who have climbed sunward and chased the shouting wind, America stops to say your service and sacrifice will be remembered forever and honored in this place by the citizens of a free and grateful nation."

Some interesting facts you may not know about the memorial:

• The highest spire soars 270 feet skyward
• Each spire wears a 3/4 inch-thick stainless steel skin
• The total weight of the structure is 7,300 tons
• The support structure holding each spire upright extends 40 ft into the bedrock below
• Inside each spire preventing its collapse are six 2,000 lb steel balls which move opposite to wind-induced oscillations

As part of the dedication celebration, several aircraft, ranging from World War One bi-planes to today's stealth bombers and fighters, flew over the crowd and memorial in chronological order, providing visual evidence of the evolution of military flight.

Aside from evoking feelings of freedom soaring aloft, the three spires represent many meaningful symbols. They reflect the service's three core values: Integrity, Service and Excellence. Additionally, they manifest the Total Force Concept of Active, Guard and Reserve components of the service. And finally, they are reminiscent of the famous "bomb burst" maneuver performed over countless awed audiences by the Air Force Thunderbirds -- and performed again over the cheering crowd before a newly dedicated Air Force Memorial on Saturday.

"We commemorate today the courage of the men and women who wear the Air Force blue," said President Bush. "We remember those who gave their lives for their fellow Americans. We mourn their loss, we pray for their families and we consecrate their legacy here today."

ANN joins President Bush in thanking and honoring the past, present and future members of our United States Air Force.

FMI: www.af.mil