Chairman’s Corner: Independence Day 2010

Filed under DoD News by on July 2, 2010 at 1:35 pm {2 comments}

This Independence Day we celebrate our Nation’s 234th birthday.  As this holiday weekend approaches and we enjoy parades, picnics and fireworks, I hope we also take a moment to remember the generations of Americans who have safeguarded our independence.

Today, there are more than 200,000 uniformed American men and women deployed in harm’s way, protecting us.  Their steady lives of dedication remind us that our Nation’s promise must be tended to everyday.  I won’t forget the gifts of their service far away from home or the sacrifices of the families who wait for their return.

Another way we tend to America’s promise is through our care and acknowledgment of our wounded warriors, their families, and the families of our fallen and our missing in action.  For many, their healing will last a lifetime, and our commitment to them should be equally enduring.

President Dwight Eisenhower once observed that freedom resides in “the hearts, the actions and the spirit” of our people.  Today, especially, we celebrate everything that Americans do – in both action and in spirit – to render that freedom inviolate.

The Joint Chiefs, their families, Deborah and I wish every citizen a happy and safe Independence Day.  Happy Birthday America!

- Adm. Mike Mullen

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    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

    (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Buttner)


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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

    Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname “Lucky” “because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft.”

    Read the story of a flight that helped Lester earn his nickname here.


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    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.