Pacific Airmen celebrate Reserve’s 70th birthday

Members of the 624th Regional Support Group along with other guests celebrate the Air Force Reserve 70th anniversary here April 13.

Col. Kenneth Lute, 624th RSG commander, along with Airman 1st Class Hamilton Thompson and Airman Basic Deanna Clay kick off the celebration with a cake-cutting event.

“It’s important to remember where we started and where we’ve been,” said Lute. “There is a rich history of service in the Air Force Reserve. I’m proud that we’re adding to that history by providing combat-ready Citizen Airmen to fly, fight and win.”

Lute talked about the importance of military service. He went on to ask those in attendance trivia questions about the Air Force Reserve. He mentioned famous people who served, such as James Stewart, who achieved the rank of brigadier general as Reserve Citizen Airmen.

The 624th RSG, which has units in Hawaii and Guam, provides nearly 700 combat-ready Airmen who specialize in aerial port, aeromedical support and civil engineering operations for worldwide employment.

The Air Force Reserve was created as a separate component on April 14, 1948, when the Army Air Corps Reserve was transferred to the Air Force. The Air Force Reserve lineage dates back over 100 years to when Reserve Airpower was established in the National Defense Act of 1916. Today nearly 70,000 Citizen Airmen are stationed locally in communities throughout the United States and overseas and serving globally for every Combatant Command in air, space, and cyberspace.