COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Team BLAZE-

Happy 70th Birthday to you and your UNITED STATES AIR FORCE!

The world as we know it was forever changed on a historic December morning in 1903, as two brothers successfully controlled and sustained a 12-second flight. Four years later, America was introduced to its first Airmen, 18 pilots, 100 support personnel, and 31 planes, all belonging to the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Even before the Air Force was a separate service, Airpower started here at Columbus AFB. 75 years ago, in February 1942, the first student pilots from Columbus graduated the United States Army Air Corps' Twin Engine Advanced Flying School. Over seven thousand more would graduate over the next four years. At the height of World War II, the United States had 2.4 million Airmen and 80,000 planes- can you imagine!

As airpower was being forever cemented into the rich history of our country, there were a handful of innovative thinkers advocating for an independent Air Force and on September 18th, 1947, the United States Air Force was established as a separate service. These airpower pioneers have passed on to us the responsibility for continued innovation and leadership in the air, space, and cyberspace domains.

As Airmen, ingenuity and innovation is in our DNA- it is what we have done ever since we took to the skies over 100 years ago. It was ingenuity and innovation that allowed Airmen to unleash the power of the atom, to break the sound barrier, to walk on the moon, to employ weapons from the air and destroy targets well behind enemy lines with devastating effects, crippling the efforts of the enemy on the front lines- ultimately saving lives and shortening conflicts.

It was innovative Airmen that developed air-to-air refueling, and un-manned flight operations that not only provide us with real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, but also provide kinetic effects as well. And it was innovative Airmen that envisioned and developed our core competencies that allow our Air Force to deliver Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power with unmatched effectiveness allowing us to hold any target in the world at risk, 24/7, 365.

Our Airmen Fly, Fight and Win.in Air, Space, and Cyberspace. We make the seemingly impossible look easy!

Our piece of the Air Force mission is to Produce Pilots, Advance Airmen, and Feed the Fight. Every member of Team BLAZE is vital to the execution and success of this mission.

So far this year, we have flown over 54,200 sorties, 72,000 hours, and graduated 302 pilots with one more class to go this fiscal year. We are consistently the busiest airfield in AETC and the third busiest airfield in the Air Force.

Columbus graduated 60 Airmen with their Community College of the Air Force degree and we have had 44 Airmen Leadership School graduates. How's that for Advancing Our Airmen!

We did all this while simultaneously feeding the fight by sending 74 members of Team BLAZE downrange to support our Combatant Commanders in the AOR.

I thank you and your families for your service, sacrifice, and commitment to the defense of our Nation. I continue to be humbled and honored to serve alongside you. I could not be more proud of Team BLAZE and it is truly evident that Air Power...Starts Here!

-BLAZE 1