Shortly after noon
on July 26, 1947 the engines on President Harry S Truman's airplane
were warming up to ferry the President to the bedside of his dying
mother. Before the plane could lift off the runway at the
National Airport in Washington, DC a courier drove up to deliver a
briefcase. Inside were three important documents, the result of
months of debate in both the halls of the Pentagon and the chambers of
Congress.
The first was a
Congressional action, the National Security Act of 1947 establishing
the Department of Defense. The second was Executive Order No.
9877 defining the roles and missions of the United States Armed
Forces. The third was the nomination of James V. Forrestal as
our Nation's first Secretary of Defense. On his plane, before
departing, the President signed all three historic documents, charting
the course for the future of the United States military. That
course was based upon the historic lessons of nearly two centuries of
struggle by a young nation for survival. It was bolstered by the
experience of decisive victories in two world wars. Among the
lessons learned...the importance of air power and the need for aerial
supremacy.
Thus it was that
the first document, the National Security Act of 1947 not only
established a Department of Defense to unite the Army, Navy, Marines
and Coast Guard. It recognized the unique role of the American
airman and separated him from the rest, establishing a whole new
branch of military service. From the embryo nurtured in two
world wars was born the United States Air Force.
