Happy Birthday US Air Force: 78 Today

Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson swore in Stuart Symington as the first-ever Secretary of the Air Force 78 years ago today—and with that the U.S. Air Force became became the first new U.S. military service since the Revolutionary War. 

On social media, Pentagon and Congressional leaders, the Air & Space Forces Association, and many others celebrated the Air Force birthday with special messages. 

“For 78 years, the dedication, innovation and excellence of our Total Force #Airmen have ensured that we can fly, fight, and win – delivering decisive airpower anytime, anywhere!” Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink wrote. 

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David A. Flosi declared: “78 years of air dominance. 78 years of unmatched Airmen. We are the world’s greatest flying force. Happy birthday, Air Force!” 

Achieving an independent Air Force, equal in stature to the Army and the Navy, was a long time coming, and it required steadfast, sometimes bull-headed drive from the likes of Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold and Gen. Carl A. Spaatz—not to mention the loss of some 78,000 Airmen in World War II and the devotion, innovation, and creativity of hundreds of thousands more Airmen and civilians throughout the war.

For a definitive account of what it took to establish an independent Air Force, read “The Founding of the Force,” a 1996 feature in Air Force Magazine by Air Force historian Herman S. Wolk.

Much of the Air Force’s more recent history can be understood through by looking at the Air Force’s Chiefs of Staff. Air & Space Forces Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Tobias Naegele interviewed 10 living former CSAFs in a 2022 series: 

Gen. Larry D. Welch (CSAF No. 12): ‘Last of the Cold War Chiefs’
Gen. Michael Dugan (CSAF No. 13): ‘The Invisible Chief’
Gen. Merrill A. McPeak (CSAF No. 14): Discordant Visionary
Gen. Ron Fogleman (CSAF No. 15): Quest for Stability, Last Stand on Integrity
Gen. Mike Ryan (CSAF No. 16): Like Father, Like Son
Gen. John Jumper (CSAF No. 17: ‘I Tried to Always Make Things Better’
Gen. T. Michael Moseley (CSAF No. 18): ‘Buzz Was Right’
Gen. Norton Schwartz (CSAF No. 19): ‘The Accidental Chief’
Gen. Mark Welsh (CSAF No. 20): Surviving the Budget Control Act
Gen. David L. Goldfein (CSAF No. 21): The ‘Joint’ Chief

At air shows across the country, the Air Force has celebrated its history with “heritage flights,” with modern fighters like the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor soaring alongside World War II-era aircraft like the P-51 Mustang. Check out a gallery of some of the best heritage flight photos from 2025 below.

And did you know that the Air Force technically has two birthdays? Editorial Director John A. Tirpak detailed the story of the 1947 National Security Act for the Air Force’s 75th anniversary in 2022.