Generations of Service

In this short study you will meet several such families, and you will learn about their relationships and the reasons some have seen a clear path that has been forged by the generations ahead of them. Myriad reasons motivate these multiple generations of Airmen, some of which are clearly expressed, while others are just felt: honor, pride, responsibility, patriotism, courage. The author herself is experiencing the family tie of common service: she served as an active duty, now reserve, officer; her husband served as an active duty enlisted man and officer and is now an Air Force civilian. Her grandfathers served during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and as of the writing of this foreword, her brother-in-law is in the process of enlisting. Generational succession, legacies if you will, are certainly not unusual in the Air Force, or the other services for that matter. The twenty-one families you will meet in the pamphlet only scratch the surface. They represent a much larger body-one that serves the nation, subordinates its personal desires to the greater good, and makes history every day. We are confident you will find their stories interesting and uplifting.