In the aftermath of the second World War, U.S. leaders saw a need to restructure our military forces in an era of growing tensions of the Cold War, and the need to demobilize nearly ten million Americans serving in uniform. The National Security Act of 1947 separated the Army Air Corp from the U.S. Army, and the United States Air Force was born.
Sept. 18, 1947 has been recognized as the anniversary of the Air Force, marking the date that the first Secretary of the Air Force, William Symington, III was sworn in, 77 years ago today.
The U.S. Air Force has over 350,000 service members in uniform in 2023, and hundreds of thousands of civilian contractors that serve the Air Force’s missions around the globe. The IAM is honored to represent some of those service contractors who provide the backbone to the finest flying force the world has ever seen.
(Photo Courtesy: US Air Force Academy, May 30th, 2024)