Dover celebrates history, sacrifices

  • Published
  • By Col. Steven Harrison
  • 436th AW commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  This Sunday we will celebrate Women's Equality Day in commemoration of passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Fewer than a hundred years ago, women were not allowed a voice in our government. Thankfully, times have changed!

In less than a month, Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins will deliver Dover's 5th C-17A Globemaster III. A member of the class of 1980 at the Air Force Academy, the first class to include women, she was one of the first female USAFA graduates to pin on brigadier general and is now serving there as the first female commandant of cadets. She was also the first female commander of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and is an accomplished mobility pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours in the KC-10, C-17, C-5, KC-135R, KC-135A, and T-37.

Prior to the 19th amendment, most of these feats would have been considered improbable if not impossible. Women were not allowed to vote, let alone command in one of the world's most powerful militaries. Yet General Desjardins and those who went before her challenged the ideas of what was possible and changed the status quo.

The Air Force has a history of making the improbable routine. No one in U.S. military history had ever launched bombers on combat missions from aircraft carriers prior to Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle's raid on Japan in World War II. It was also believed that no person could exceed the speed of sound before Capt. Chuck Yeager dispelled those myths on Oct. 14, 1947, one month after the U.S. Air Force became a separate service.

So it's only fitting that, on Sept. 15th at Dover Downs, we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the birth of the United States Air Force with a 'Heritage to Horizons' theme. There will be no speaker ... just an entertaining tribute to Airmen of the past and present who have made our service great, and all those who continue that tradition into tomorrow. Tickets are available from your squadron representative. Bring your dancing shoes, and I'll see you at the 2007 Air Force Ball!

Speaking of Air Force tradition, the Air Force's Tops in Blue gave a spectacular show to a "sold out" crowd at Delaware State University Monday! It was a wonderful evening that honored our history and heritage by way of a high-energy musical show. Nobody does it better than Tops in Blue, and no one appreciates their excellence and their message more than the Dover Community!

Many thanks to Delaware State University for hosting the show in their Education and Humanities Center, to our many volunteers who made it happen, and to Services and Public Affairs for running point. Great work!

Congratulations to all of our new staff sergeant selects! I know that you worked long and studied hard to earn those stripes. You're taking a big step into the non-commissioned officers corps and the responsibility that comes along with that new paycheck is not one to be taken lightly. You will find that managing your fellow Airmen will be one of the toughest and most rewarding parts of your career, but I know you're up to the charge. We will look to you to keep our mission safely on-task and on-time, continuing the world-class service that is the Team Dover trademark.

Finally, thanks to all of you for your continuing terrific work in support of the Global War on Terror! Twenty-four/seven, around the world and around the clock, our men and women are busy delivering freedom and savings lives. Together we are writing the next chapter of Air Force history, and doing our part to change the world in the process. Sixty years of Air Force excellence ... impressive, but only the tip of the iceberg for the world's dominant air and space power. Tomorrow brings new horizons and accomplishments that are unimaginable today, and you can be certain that Team Dover will be right in the thick of it!