Air Education and Training Command celebrated its 75th anniversary on Monday. “Think about American airpower in context for a few moments,” wrote AETC historian Gary Boyd. “For the first four decades, from 1903 to 1941, there were starts and stops, triumphs and tragedies, but never before a consolidated and scientific approach to training throughout the airpower pipeline.” The War Department first activated what is now AETC on Jan. 23, 1942, as the Air Corps Flying Training Command, it was redesignated as the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command two months later. The command added technical training to its mission a year later. By the end of World War II more than 200,000 pilots, 48,000 navigators and aircrew, and 1.9 million technical training graduates and 2.8 million basic military training graduates had moved through the command, according to the AETC history page. On July 1, 1946, the command was redesignated Air Training Command, which it remained until 1993 when ATC merged with Air University on July 1, 1993, becoming Air Education and Training Command. “The legacy of AETC is a proud one, a story of men and women of genius and of innovation,” said Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, AETC commander, during an anniversary celebration at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, on Monday. “We are the first command and the foundation of airpower for America. Airpower truly does start right here.” Previous AETC commanders retired Gen. Hal Hornburg, Gen. Donald Cook, and Gen. Edward Rice also spoke at the ceremony as did AETC command chief CMSgt. David Staton. Famed Doolittle Raider retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole was an honored guest.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.