Air Force 58th birthday—earning our wings

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force CMSAF Gerald R. Murray

Remarks at the Air Force Ball, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., Sept. 17, 2005

It's truly an honor to be here with you all tonight as we mark the creation of our Air Force as an independent service. I'm grateful to be celebrating this milestone with some of the finest men and women serving in the world's greatest Air and Space force today.

Fifty-eight years ago, the stroke of President Harry Truman's pen launched America's Air Force. Interestingly, President Truman was flying aboard the "Sacred Cow"--the predecessor to "Air Force One," when he signed the National Security Act of 1947. So, we were born "in the air" and our dominance of the skies continues today.

As a force we've witnessed the world change in almost unimaginable ways in our nearly six decades. We fought wars in Southeast Asia--Korea and Vietnam--as well as in Southwest Asia--the Persian Gulf. We witnessed the end of a decades-long Cold War and the rise of a Global War on Terrorism.

We are now seeing the seeds of democracy taking root in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and in other nations around the world. Our Air Force is continuing to play a pivotal role in making these remarkable changes possible.

Air Force Airmen are not only making historical contributions on the battlegrounds, but also through humanitarian relief. The deadliest disasters in our lifetime came in the form of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and an equally powerful tsunami, ravaging Asia and the coastal areas of East Africa. More than 200,000 people from 12 countries lost their lives and a region was devastated. In a course of weeks, your Air Force delivered over 15 million pounds of humanitarian aid to tsunami-stricken countries.

Now the call to save lives has come in again..... this time on our own homeland.

Like many of you, for the past three weeks I've been transfixed by the images from our Gulf Coast region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The scope of destruction is unprecedented in American history. Some 90,000 square miles--that's an area roughly equivalent to the size of Great Britain, is devastated.

I traveled with our Secretary, Pete Geren, to the region yesterday and I can tell you first hand, the military response to this disaster has been nothing short of amazing.

Our Air Force, active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve have led efforts in heroic ways.

Day after day, helicopter rescuers plucked men, women and children from rooftops during the largest search and rescue operation since Vietnam. In the first week alone, Air Force pararescuemen airlifted more than 5,000 people from the New Orleans area.

One of those rescuers, Senior Airman Jack Earnshaw, a PJ (pararescueman) from Nellis AFB said, "There's nothing more rewarding than giving back to our country and serving Americans."

They make it look easy, but the fact is, these rescues are dangerous. They demand every bit of skill these teams can muster, as they dodge power lines, trees and confined spaces to reach flood victims.

Airmen from your team have been right there in the thick of things too. For the first time in our history, Air Force Space Command deployed eight helicopters and crews to aid in the hurricane relief. This is truly significant as these Airmen are normally dedicated to "top cover" security for America's ICBM force.

Disasters of this magnitude often call on people to do the extraordinary....to break the mold. Air Force Space Command answered the call. And with the help of Malmstrom Airmen, lives have been saved and scores of victims have food, water and a dry place to sleep.

There was also an amazing effort at the Louis Armstrong Airport, where many of the injured and the elderly of New Orleans were brought for evacuation.

Our military medical teams treated more than 6,000 people in the first 96 hours and helped over 14,000 so far.

Our aircrews are delivering an incredible amount of food and critical supplies to the three states, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In the first week alone, Air Force planes delivered nearly 5,500 tons of supplies to Katrina relief sites. Today they have flown more than 2,500 flights, and moved over 27,500 passengers.

Keesler AFB, Miss., which was right in the path of the storm, provided shelter for than 6,000 Airmen and their families. While the base sustained tremendous damage, there were no casualties. Although nearly 1,000 base houses and facilities are damaged beyond repair, the runway was re-opened in only 11 hours after the storm swept through. Now, Keesler has become a vital staging are for Gulf Coast relief efforts.

With storm clouds still on the horizon, C-17 Globemasters and C-130 Hercules aircraft started flying in much-needed food and water. When they left, they evacuated critically ill patients, expectant mothers and technical training students to other bases. With all the air traffic, in three days the base quickly transitioned from the 99th busiest runway in the Air Force to the 5th.