Next Monday, April 16, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., plans to launch 70 of its F-15Es to destroy more than 1,000 targets on bombing ranges across North Carolina. The training mission is meant to pay homage to the wing’s heritage by marking the massive bombing raid against Germany on April 16, 1945, during which 4th Fighter Group fighters destroyed 105 enemy aircraft, vaulting the group’s tally to 1,016 total enemy aircraft destroyed, “more than any group or wing in Air Force history,” according to 4th FW officials. “We proudly carry on the legacy of the 4th Fighter Group’s victory today with the F-15E Strike Eagle,” said Col. Patrick Doherty, 4th FW commander, in a release. He will lead next week’s training strike. “Even though today’s fight is different, the dedication of our airmen has not wavered and we are still Fourth, but first,” added Doherty.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…