Sifting through the sands of time: Historian chronicles 442nd wing heritage

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Morrison
  • 442nd Fighter Wing historian
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  “By command of General Arnold:”

These five words undersigned on Army Air Forces Regulation No. 20-8 dated July 19, 1943 established the Army Air Forces Historical Division under the “…supervision and control of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Intelligence.”

So began an exhaustive program to collect, analyze and record information of historical significance to the Army Air Forces. The Historical Division, the forbearer of today’s Air Force History Program, built the framework that would, according to Air Force Policy Directive 84-1, “…enable the Air Force to understand the present and plan for the future while remembering its heritage.”

So why is history so important that it requires its own Air Force Specialty Code for officer and enlisted personnel engaged in these activities? Well as George Santayana put it in 1924, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Point taken, there is some merit in avoiding future mistakes by understanding the lessons learned of past actions and their consequences. But what role does the Air Force historian have in making those lessons learned applicable to the global mission of today’s Air Force and its leadership?

To begin with the Air Force History Program is charged by the Secretary of the Air Force to; collect, record, and preserve valuable historical information in both peace and war; research and analyze information to write, publish and distribute publications on past Air Force activities; provide historical perspective and factual data to Air Force leaders at all levels; answer information requests; and promote institutional heritage and awareness of air and space power within the Air Force.

It’s a tall order but not an impossible one. Here is how it’s done in today’s Air Force Reserve and the 442nd Fighter Wing.

At the wing level the reserve unit historian usually works in a one-person office. These offices are staffed with Airmen who have retrained into the historian career field from a previous AFSC. The wing historian is involved in most facets of the Air Force History Program. At this level the historian gathers information and produces an annual periodic history, which is reviewed by the commander and submitted to Air Force Reserve Command and the Air Force Historical Research Agency. While the completion of periodic histories is the primary function of the historian, it’s not the only aspect of the job. Wing historians construct and maintain historical displays, create historical pamphlets and review requests for unit emblems and guidons.

The wing historian is not alone in performing these duties. Many units in the Air Force Reserve have Unit History Representatives. These Airmen gather information from their units and filter it to the wing historian. This cooperation between the different units in a wing and the wing historian is invaluable in getting the job done.

In addition to unit representatives, the historian works with public affairs and serves the wing commander directly as part of the wing staff.