The Air Force and friends began celebrating the service’s 60th anniversary as an independent force last year with the dedication of the new Air Force memorial. Since then, people—young and old—around the globe have commemorated the momentous event on Sept. 18, 1947, in a variety of ways. Click here to find a collection of images from some of those activities. And, click here to reach the Air Force 60th calendar for activities still to come.
Happy Birthday US Air Force: 78 Today
Sept. 18, 2025
Seventy-eight years ago today, on Sept. 18, 1947, Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson swore in Stuart Symington as the first ever Secretary of the Air Force, and the Air Force officially became the first new military service since the Revolutionary War.