The U.S. Air Force Became a Separate Military Service on This Date
September 18th. - The U.S. Air Force became a separate military service on this date in 1947, as part of the National Security Act, which also established the Department of Defense. The U.S. Army first setup a military aviation unit in 1907 and in 1909 bought its first aircraft from the Wright Brothers. While the Army's aviation unit was known by a number of different names, during the years of major expansion in World War II, it was officially called "the U.S. Army Air Forces," although the previous name "U.S. Army Air Corps" was still widely used. Today, the U.S. Air Force has more than 325,000 officers and enlisted personnel stationed at bases in the U.S. and around the world.
