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Remember your heritage
Posted 6/29/2012 Updated 6/29/2012
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Commentary by Lt. Col. Eric Sikes
20th Bomb Squadron commander
6/29/2012 - BARKSDALE AFB, La. -- Aviation was born in the minds of two brothers dreaming of what was possible. Air power was born in the minds of great military thinkers anticipating what was probable. Today's Air Force is the culmination of these tremendous dreamers and planners who set out with a goal and realized a dream.
As part of that Air Force, our bomber community has a long and proud heritage that is traced back to 1917. In honor of our ninety-fifth birthday, the 20th Bomb Squadron would like to give tribute to aviation's rich heritage.
It all began in 1903 on the shores of Kitty Hawk, N.C., where airplanes were invented and aviation was born. This new technology quickly spread to military planners and strategists began dreaming of the utility of the mighty air machine. The first milestone was reconnaissance, which gave military leaders a completely new view of the battlefield.
It did not take long, for planners to realize that adding weapons to these reconnaissance platforms could greatly lengthen the military's arm to strike the enemy behind the front lines, in what were previously well protected and impenetrable areas. Military foes then had to shift from protecting their flanks on land and water to protecting a new threat from the skies. Overnight, air power became as important as land and naval power and mankind woke up to a change in their centuries-old battle tactics. From this early establishment of airpower, the 2nd Bomb Wing and its bomber squadrons were born.
Many things have changed since those early days of aviation. Air power has evolved from simply supporting the troops on the ground to dominating the spectrum of warfare. Airplane technology has surged from bi-wing air machines to supersonic stealth jets, and what was originally the Army Air Corps has grown into a separate military force with a mission that has grown from airspace, to outer space, to cyberspace. Today, the Air Force stands ready to strike our enemies anywhere, anytime, in any way.
Yet, despite all the growth and changes, many things have not changed. Airmen remain our single greatest asset. Airpower still has to be integrated with land and naval power, and airplanes will always need to be improved and modified to stay ahead of enemy threats. Troops on the ground continue to need air support, and air support continues to need the support of our nation.
As the Buccaneers look back over the timeline of our squadron, the members who comprise it have a tremendous debt of gratitude to pay to all those who have paved the way to where we are today. We celebrate 95 years of a heritage that is the American dream. Aviation has grown from reconnaissance to strategic bombing, and along the way has helped win World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and the ongoing war against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. We are the world's most powerful Air and Space Force and pay tribute to all the men and women who made us great.
Buccaneers, Mighty Deuce, Mighty Eighth and Strykers, remember your heritage!
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