On the eve of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, President Obama called on Americans to honor those killed that day by building a nation worthy of their memories. “As we mark the anniversary of Sept. 11, I invite all Americans to observe a National Day of Service and Remembrance by uniting in the same extraordinary way we came together after the attacks,” he stated. “Like the Americans who chose compassion when confronted with cruelty, we can show our love for one another by devoting our time and talents to those in need,” he said. (Obama proclamation) (See also: Airmen of 9/11 from Air Force Magazine’s 2011 archive.)
Happy Birthday US Air Force: 78 Today
Sept. 18, 2025
Seventy-eight years ago today, on Sept. 18, 1947, Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson swore in Stuart Symington as the first ever Secretary of the Air Force, and the Air Force officially became the first new military service since the Revolutionary War.