The Air Force Historical Foundation’s 2008 Awards Banquet brought together nearly 100 guests for an evening that honored researchers, editors, writers and officers who have chronicled – and created – the U.S. Air Force’s long history.
This year’s ceremony – held October 6 in Arlington, Virginia – saw the Foundation recognize four individuals for their extensive contributions to air power history, capped by a presentation by guest speaker General Ronald R. Fogleman (USAF ret), former Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
Our photos below provide some of the event’s highlights (click on the images for a larger version):
| The 2008 Awards Banquet was preceded by an informal operations talk with special guest USAF Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. Deptula candidly discussed many of the issues facing the U.S. Air Force today – including new technology, “jointness” within the U.S. military and the service’s role in the global war on terror – before opening the floor to the audience for a question-and-answer session. |
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Air Force Historical Foundation President and Chairman Lt. Gen. Michael Nelson (USAF ret.) and Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula (left, center) presented The Best Air Power History Book Award to Col Stephen P. Randolph (USAF ret.) for his Powerful and Brutal Weapons: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Easter Offensive. |
| The Air Power History Best Article Award was presented by C.R. (Dick) Anderegg to Lt. Col. Donald R. Baucom, (USAF ret.), PhD., for his two-part series “Wakes of War: Contrails and the Rise of Air Power, 1918-1945.” During his acceptance speech, Baucom (right) thanked the Air Force Historical Foundation for sponsoring Air Power History, which he stated gives air power historians a great vehicle to publish the results of their research. |
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The Major General I.B. Holley Award honors contributions to the research, interpretation, and documentation of Air Force history through a lifetime of service. Following the inaugural presentation last year to the award’s namesake, this year’s winner was Brig. Gen. Alfred F. Hurley, (USAF ret.), PhD (right) – a former chair of the Department of History at the U.S. Air Force Academy and former President of the University of North Texas System, who has published extensively on air power during his career. |
| The General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award was presented by Foundation President and Chairman Michael Nelson to Maj. Gen. John R. Alison, (USAFR ret.) Maj. Gen. Alison (left) is the second recipient of this award, which honors those who have made a sustained, significant contribution to the making of Air Force history through a lifetime of service. A highly-decorated World War II combat ace and veteran of the Korean War, Alison is considered the father of Air Force Special Operations. |
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Michael Nelson – who will end his “tour” as President and Chairman of the Air Force Historical Foundation in December – was presented with a special keepsake to commemorate his five years as head of the organization. This glass model of the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C. is engraved with a quote from Gen Carl “Tooey” Spaatz: “We better be prepared to dominate the skies above the surface of the earth or be prepared to be buried underneath it.” |
| The Foundation’s 2008 Awards Banquet closed with a special presentation by guest speaker General Ronald R. Fogleman (USAF, ret.), who reinforced of the importance of air power – stating that in the broadest sense, it is the dominant military, economic and political force in the world today. |
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We were able to organize the 2008 Awards Banquet with generous support of our sponsors:
