The US Air Force turns 75 on September 18, the date when the Air Force formally separated from the US Army under the terms of the National Security Act of 1947. But if you really want to trace the origins of America's air power, you need to go back to the Civil War and
. . George Cahill (November 5, 1925 - July 2, 2018) served with the 390th Bomb Group during World War II. He remembers always wanting to fly planes. But he didn’t think he’d become a togglier. Toggliers were enlisted bombardiers—they toggled open the bomb bay door switch. Bombardiers and navigators sat
. . Peter P. Zivic Jr. grew up in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a teenager when Hitler invaded Poland and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Peter Zivic followed the daily developments of World War II daily. He supported the war effort by training younger pilots; only a close call kept
. . Ernest Ziga of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania served with the Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. After training as a flight cadet at Yale University and earning a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, Ernest shipped west became a B-17 maintenance officer. In the South Pacific he served with the 873rd
. . Tom Wiley flew over 50 missions as a B-17 pilot in the 15th Air Force in Italy during World War II. He never wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to be a Marine, like his WWI veteran father. But, as an ROTC cadet at Ohio State, he was
