For 76 young people, enlisting in the Air Force took center stage in front of a San Francisco 49er football crowd of 70,000. It was actually the third such event for the 49ers. The first half-time enlistment ceremony took place in 2004. The 49ers entertainment director Lorie Murphy says this year’s swear-in “captivated the entire halftime show—the response was as loud as when the team scores a game-winning touchdown.”
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.