They Wanted Wings

摘要

The Air Force's predecessor organizations-the Army Air Service, Army Air Corps, and Army Air Forces-ran aviation cadet programs over a period of some 48 years, from their inception during 1917until their final termination in 1965. These programs varied greatly in size and scope. They came and went. Still, all of the cadet programs had this much in common: They all were set up and launched when time was short, facilities limited, and combat imminent. Each of the programs produced the pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and other personnel to meet the country's needs, and did so in huge numbers, sometimes almost as if by magic. The Air Force Academy, Reserve Officer Training Corps, and Officer Training School-all leading to or requiring a college degree-are now well-established as the paths to a military commission. Yet it is worth recalling the times when aviation cadets gave the nation huge numbers of officers, often straight out of high school.