On This Day in History

  1912: Lt Frank P. Lahm opens an Army Air School at Fort William McKinley, Philippines, with two volunteer students, Lt Moss L. Love and Corporal Vernon L. Burge. Burge later becomes the Army’s first

  2007: The Air Force marks its 50th consecutive successful launch with an Atlas V loaded with six experimental satellites.

  1924: Lt Eugene Hoy Barksdale and his navigator, Lt Bradley Jones, fly a DH-4B, powered by a 400 horsepower Liberty engine, from McCook Field, OH to Mitchel Field, NY using instruments only.

1942: The US Army Air School at Tuskegee, AL for black aviators graduates its first class. The five military pilots include Capt Benjamin O. Davis.

  1944: Operation THURSDAY. Through 11 March, allied aircraft and gliders airlift Brig Gen Orde C. Wingate’s Special Force (Chindits) with 9,000 personnel and 1,400 mules and horses from India at night to a location

  2002: Operation Anaconda/Medal of Honor.  For valorous service this date, air combat controller TSgt John A. Chapman is awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on August 22, 2018 by President Trump. Citation: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3526/chapman-john-a.php

  1991: Thru 30 June, C-5s and C-141s move fire-fighting men and equipment to Kuwait to battle more than 500 burning oil wells set by retreating Iraqi forces.

    1963: The first Minuteman squadron, the 10 SMS, becomes operational at Malmstrom AFB.

  1990: The combined Lockheed and USAF F-117A Stealth Fighter design team receives the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1989.

  1949: MACKAY TROPHY. Through 2 March, from Carswell AFB Capt James Gallagher and crew fly the 43rd Bomb Group’s B-50 Lucky Lady II (No. 46-010), on the first nonstop around-the-world flight. They fly 23,452