Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91 By Tobias Naegele Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died...
History
Inside the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) headquarters in Arlington, Va., two striking walls line the main corridor that draw visitors into a vivid journey through the history of American airpower and spacepower. Known as the Heritage Hall, this...
Leader—Warrior—Scholar. Jimmy Doolittle is perhaps the most recognizable aviator in American history. He was famous throughout the interwar period for his daredevil stunts and racing plane exploits. Soon after Pearl Harbor he flew the legendary raid on Tokyo, leading a...
How a rogue planning cell engineered the most decisive air war in modern history. When the exercise “Internal” Look kicked off at a mock command center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in July 1990 no one knew quite how...
Readiness and sustainment are the clear priorities for Air Combat Command boss Gen. Adrian “Elmo” Spain, but the career fighter pilot has three other focuses too: Adapting to the strategic environment, modernizing for the future, and empowering leaders at the operational level. “If we [have to] go fight,...
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as ...
America’s Air Force today is smaller and older than it was in my day, but what worries me more than size or age is just how ready we are to fly, fight, and win in a future war. I graduated...
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