Historical Awards Honorees Announced by Air Force Historical Foundation
📣 2023-2024 Air Force Historical Foundation Awards 🏆
Get ready to honor some history-making heroes in the Air Force and Space Force! 🚀 The Air Force Historical Foundation (AFHF) just announced the winners of their annual awards for 2023-2024. Here are the stellar individuals and units we'll be celebrating next year:
🎉 Unit Awards:
- Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle Award: Space Delta 4, the first-ever Space Force unit to take this prestigious accolade, based at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. They're crafty pioneers responsible for strategic and theater missile warning to the United States and its allies. 🌐🔬
- Outstanding Training Unit Award: The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. This impressive unit, a part of Air Education and Training Command, graduates more than 400 world-class pilots and 300 air control professionals annually. 🤝️🛰️
🎉 Lifetime Service Awards:
- Gen. Carl "Tooey" Spaatz Award: Legendary Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), dean of AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. He's a powerhouse in Air Force history, authoring the influential "Global Reach-Global Power" White Paper and playing a pivotal role in developing the concept of "effects-based operations." 📄💪🛰️
- Lifetime Achievement for Space Award: Inaugural recipient Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.), the Explorer Chair for the Mitchell Institute's Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE). Nicknamed "Gene Kranz in Space," this epic astronaut spent a whopping 11 years serving NASA and executed crucial satellite deployments essential for national defense. 🚀
In the Air Force Historical Foundation's 2023-2024 awards, we will recognize several trailblazers and accomplished units within the Air Force and Space Force next year. Space Delta 4, stationed at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, will receive the Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle Award for their role in providing strategic and theater missile warning to our nation. The 56th Fighter Wing, an essential part of the Air Education and Training Command at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, is being awarded for their outstanding training efforts, producing more than 400 pilots and 300 air control professionals annually.
Respected military figures will also be honored with Lifetime Service Awards next year. The Gen. Carl "Tooey" Spaatz Award will be presented to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), recognizing his significant contributions to Air Force history. As dean of AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, he authored the influential "Global Reach-Global Power" White Paper and played a crucial role in developing the concept of "effects-based operations."
Additionally, Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.) is the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement for Space Award. His 11-year tenure at NASA and his role as the Explorer Chair for the Mitchell Institute's Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) earned him the nickname "Gene Kranz in Space." Chilton's essential work on satellite deployments contributed significantly to national defense and security.
These annual awards highlight the essential role of the Air Force, Space Force, and their supporting units in our nation's preservation, as well as their advancements in technology, science, finance, and the space-and-astronomy sector. We look forward to honoring these history-making heroes and their invaluable contributions to warfare, defense, aerospace, and space exploration.
