Your heritage

Published March 1, 2011
By Col. Stephen N. Whiting and David Bullock
21st Space Wing commander

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- I know you've all heard the quote: "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." What you might not have heard is the first part of George Santayana's famous quote: "progress, far from consisting of change, depends on retentiveness."

It's our ability and our efforts to remember the past that help us to build on it. Now, some of us are history buffs and others... not so much. But hopefully, whether you're half way through "The Complete History of America" or are waiting for the movie version to resume your studies, you can still appreciate the type of history that is about you. Your heritage.

The heritage of the 21st Space Wing is much like the Wing itself - diverse with global significance. The lineage of the 21st dates back to 1942, long before Sputnik or Apollo pioneered the frontier of space. During World War II, while in its incarnation as the 21st Fighter Group, two of our "ancestors" distinguished themselves as fighter "Aces." Major Crim and Captain Matthews helped us compile a score of 60 downed enemy aircraft over the Pacific in 1945.

Remarkably, we were equally adept on the ground. On Iwo Jima in March 1945, Col. Kenneth Powell led 21st personnel against an enemy battalion in literally hand-to-hand fighting. We lost 14 of the wing family that day, but the enemy fell back, leaving 250 dead on the field. In the air and on land, the 21st is an organization to be reckoned with.

Nine years later, the 21st was known as the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing and was relocated to Chambley, France, as part of Twelfth Air Force and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Our presence in France was intended to aid in the defensive stance against the Warsaw Pact headed by the Soviet Union. It was here where the Wing's shield and our motto of "Strength and Preparedness" were born. In fact, Chambley Air Base continues to be a part of our Wing. Our veterans meet every two years for a week of comradeship, old memories, and the opportunities to create new memories. The group also holds biannual conferences, hosted by Peterson in 1996 and more recently in September of 2010.

As if anticipating our future role in space, future astronaut 1st Lt. Michael Collins joined the 21st Fight-Bomber Wing at Chambley. Collins' next assignment was to join NASA, taking part in the Gemini 10 mission in 1966 and in the first moon landing mission, Apollo 11, in July 1969. Although a part of the first team of humans to land on the moon, then-Lt. Col. Collins remained in the command module Columbia as command pilot, while Neil Armstrong and Air Force Col. Buzz Aldrin physically landed in the lunar module, Eagle. In 1978, our wing's astronaut retired from the Air Force with the rank of major general. Finally, travelling the bridge to space built by Maj. Gen. Collins and many like him, the 21st was ordained the 21st Space Wing in 1992.

Our 21st Space Wing "family" - that is to say the wings and groups that have borne the 21st designation and are our direct forebears - were international in orientation. These units served in such exotic locales as Hawaii, Iwo Jima, Saipan, Guam, France, Japan, Greenland, and Alaska. We also made extended deployments to Libya, Germany, Korea, the Caribbean, and South America. And, in 2011, the wing continues to deploy units and personnel throughout the world.

Today, the mission of the 21st Space Wing remains international. With 39 units and five associated units, spread over 29 locations in six countries across 14 time zones and with 13 weapon systems, the 21st Space Wing remains one of the most geographically diverse wing in the U.S. Air Force.

The men and women of the 21st Space Wing can be extraordinarily proud of our heritage. We are a space wing that has conquered enemies in the air and on the ground. We have made our mark in dozens of countries and continue to maintain excellent ties with the six countries we still reside in. One of our ancestors traveled to space to enable the first moon landing. We are an organization forged by Airmen of the highest caliber and currently operated by Airmen cut from the same cloth. Airmen who, by remembering their heritage, can build on past success to take the 21st Space Wing to even greater heights.