December 21, 1944
1944: Gen Henry H. Arnold becomes General of the Army (5 stars), the first airman to hold this rank.
1944: Gen Henry H. Arnold becomes General of the Army (5 stars), the first airman to hold this rank.
1943: For extraordinary heroism this date, radio operator TSgt Forrest Vosler receives the Medal of Honor. Citation: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3041/vosler-forrest-l.php
1972: Operation LINEBACKER II: President Nixon orders this 11-day all-out bombing campaign against targets in Hanoi and Haiphong, one of the most heavily defended areas of the world. Altogether, the USAF completes 714 B-52 and
1903: Orville Wright makes the first sustained, controlled power airplane flight in the Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk. In the fourth, and longest flight of the day, flown by Wilbur, the Wright Flyer
1964: The 1st armed reconnaissance mission is flown in Laos, code named Barrel Roll. This mission initiates continuous tactical fighter operations in SEA.
2001: President George W. Bush informs Russia that US would withdraw from the 1972 ABM Treaty to develop and implement a missile defense system.
1944: MEDAL OF HONOR: Maj Richard I. Bong, with 38 aerial victories, receives the medal from General MacArthur in ceremonies in the Philippines. Citation: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2646/bong-richard-i.php
1941: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States; Congress respond in kind with a similar declaration against them.
1954: On a rocket-propelled sled run, Lt Col John P. Stapp attains 632 MPH (equal to Mach 1.7 at 35,000 feet) and decelerates to zero in 1.4 seconds. He experiences the greatest G-force ever endured