Next Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day…
KSQM honors veterans with special programming recognizing a specific branch of our military each day for this entire week, culminating on November 11th.  We honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for all Americans.

Today, we dedicate our broadcast to the honor of the United States AIR FORCE and SPACE FORCE, and all who have so nobly served.

Here’s an AIR FORCE “Fun Fact”:

An Airman first broke the sound barrier.

In 1947 Retired Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager was only a captain when he broke the sound barrier in an experimental Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft named "Glamorous Glennis." He flew at Mach 1.015 at an altitude of forty-two thousand feet, kicking off a race of pilots who competed to do the next big thing, eventually leading to outer space and a man on the moon.


Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:


An Ace isn’t just a good pilot. They’re the best combat pilots.

An “ace” is a pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. The top jet ace in U.S. Air Force history is Joseph C. McConnell Jr, a “Triple ace” who shot down 16 MiG fighters during the Korean War over a four month period, bagging three on his last combat mission of the war. His record still stands.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in aerial combat.  In 1954, he was killed while test piloting an F-86H fighter-bomber.


Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:

The Air Force tracks Santa

Perhaps one of the coolest jobs Air Force members are tasked with is to watch and track Santa as he treks the globe on Christmas Eve. The NORAD Santa Tracker goes live every December to track Santa’s trip around the world, courtesy of the North American Aerospace Defense Command AKA the Air Force. NORAD has maintained this tradition since 1955.
 
Today, you can download apps to follow along on your smartphone.  You can also follow along on the website: NORAD SANTA (dot) ORG which fires up on December 1st.

Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:

If you’re a weatherman in the Air Force, you’re probably a battle-hardened commando.

Before the Air Force sends squadrons of $150 million aircraft into areas, it likes to know what kind of environmental conditions are waiting for them. But the kinds of places where it sends such aircraft aren’t exactly friendly or hospitable to U.S. military operations. To gather meteorological and geological intelligence, the Air Force sends in Special Operations Weather Teams—commando forces with special training to read the environment and report back.

To join such an elite fighting force, these men endure a punishing training pipeline that tests their mental and physical limits. The airmen who make it through earn the coveted gray beret and crest, and are trained to jump out of airplanes, climb mountains, snake through jungles, blow things up, and use small unit tactics in hostile territory.