The Air National Guard expects to have at its 60th birthday celebration this fall a few of a group whose numbers are diminishing more quickly now—the original airmen who returned from World War II to form Air Guard units in their respective states. TSgt. Mike Smith with the National Guard Bureau reports reminiscences from some of these airmen, including 90-year-old retired TSgt. Harry Emily of the Colorado Air Guard.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.