Photos by john larson
PATRIOTIC. The Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Color Guard from Washington High School presented the colors during the Veterans’ Day event at War Memorial Park.
A monument recognizing the contributions of the United States Air Force to our nation’s freedom and security was dedicated during a Veteran’s Day ceremony at War Memorial Park in Tacoma Nov. 11.
Colonel Tom Hansen, U.S. Air Force (retired), discussed the origin of Veteran’s Day as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I. He explained the evolution of the holiday over the years.
Lt. Colonel Richard Seiber, U.S. Air Force (retired), is the chaplain for the McChord chapter of Air Force Association, which organized the event with Tacoma Historical Society. Seiber explained why the chapter wanted a monument in the park.
The U.S. Air Force came into existence as a separate branch of the military after World War II. Prior to that it was Army Air Corps, a division within the U.S. Army. Army General Billy Mitchell is widely regarded as the father of the Air Force. He served in World War I, working closely with military leaders of the allies in planning air combat operations and becoming one of the top American combat airmen.
After the war Mitchell was a strong advocate for the airplane component of the American military. His views were often in conflict with leaders of the Army and Navy, leading President Calvin Coolidge to order his court-martial. Mitchell was found guilty of insubordination.
Seiber said Mitchell’s adversaries failed to understand his vision, “even after they saw with their own eyes what an air force could do.”
The monument recognizes the dedication and patriotism of people like Mitchell, current members of the Air Force and those who are still missing in action. “No member of the Air Force should ever be forgotten,” Seiber said. Their service has created “what has become the best Air Force in the world.”
Seiber discussed the contributions of the 332nd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The black fighter pilots who made up this group never lost a bomber they were protecting during the war, he noted, and they paved the way for the eventual integration of the armed forces.
Robert Branscomb, president of the McChord chapter of the Air Force Association, and General George Babbit, U.S. Air Force (retired), placed a wreath in front of the monument. A remembrance bench was also dedicated during the ceremony.
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