COMMENTARY>>Our part in history

By Maj. Dennis Higuera

314th Maintenance Operations Squadron commander

Tuesday marked the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On that fateful morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet docked there. Unprepared for war, we entered World War II.

Like our nation, the U.S. Army Air Corps was unprepared for war. But those early Airmen, our forefathers, stepped up to the challenge and transformed the Air Corps into the mighty U.S. Army Air Force. From the legendary Doolittle Raiders to the Tuskegee Airmen, they proved the importance of air power to warfare, leading to an independent Air Force.

We in the airlift business can also look back proudly at the exploits of our airlifting forefathers. Prior to World War II, air transport was basically a ferrying command, delivering U.S.-built aircraft to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease Act. When the demands of combat in WWII challenged our airlift capabilities, those early airlifters met the challenge and developed airlift into a major force. From the airdrops that launched the Normandy invasion to the resupply of the “Beleaguered Bastards of Bastogne,” combat airlift showed it was an integral part of air power. Throughout our history, from Khe Sanh during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam to the first Gulf War, we can look back with pride upon the great examples of combat airlift.

Here’s a date that won’t go down in history but signifies our part in history here at the Rock: Nov. 29. That’s the date C-130E tail number 62-1788 was inducted into the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to retire. Indeed this plane has a story to tell, especially its last mission in Vietnam. On the last day of the war, 62-1788 and its crew encountered heavy enemy fire on a mission to Dalat - Cam Lai. Despite more than 400 holes from shrapnel, the rugged bird enabled the crew to complete their mission, earning crew members the Silver Star Medal. But not only does 62-1788 tie us to our history, it also signifies the fact that history continues.

As we retire our venerable C-130Es and remember their exploits, it’s important not to get stuck looking back. For while we remember our proud past, we must continuously look forward to our future and know we build our history one day at a time.

We come into work every day, professional Airmen, eager to accomplish our mission. This is the attitude that drives our future. It’s no different than those who walked before us. They didn’t think about their place in history, they just did their job the best they could in order to accomplish the mission.

So, as you go about your duties, whether performing training missions here or combat missions overseas, know you’re not just accomplishing the mission - you’re building our part in history.

The successes of today are our collective accomplishments tomorrow, continuing our rich and proud heritage that will continue to inspire future generations of the greatest air and space power the world has ever known.