Since the Mighty 97th began operations just a month
after WWII, the flaming spear has been recognized as a
symbol of strength and global reach.
Within months of
formation, the flaming spear was on board the first American
heavy bombers, raining destruction on the Nazi forces of
occupied Europe. During the war, leaders of the free world,
presidents and prime ministers, sat in briefing rooms and
wore the spear on their uniforms. Some of the Army Air
Forces founding fathers ... Eaker, Doolittle, and Spaatz, flew
on the missions where the flaming spear came to life in
bombs dropped on the enemies of freedom. Even the men who
dropped the first atomic bomb once proudly wore the Mighty
97th signature spear.
Following the victory over evil, the
flaming spear became a fixture over the American skies,
developing a quicker way to refuel aircraft in flight and
later the flaming spear maintained a constant presence in
the air on the side of nuclear armed bombers, serving as a
deterrent to another global conflict. During many missions
the sight of the flaming spear on a fuselage of a refueler
was a welcome sight to the bomber crew exercising its global strike
capabilities.
During the Vietnam conflict, the spear of
the 97th came to life again, leading missions over hostile jungles,
protecting the lives of those fighting for freedom on the ground and
destroying the depots and dens of those attempting to curtail the
unalienable rights of life and liberty. As the world evolved, so did
the mission of the Mighty 97th.
With the Cold War won, and the need for mass
bombing over, the flaming spear remained a worldwide image. Every
student pilot, boom operator, and loadmaster who needed to deliver
troops, supplies, and humanitarian aid, wherever and whenever the
need arose, passed through the gate where the image proudly shines.
Yet our heritage is not forgotten or
unlearned ... When our nation calls, the men and women of the Mighty
97th carry the image of the flaming spear to deployed locations
around the world protecting those freedoms Americans hold most dear.
U.S. Air Force video by
Airman 1st Class James Johnson - January 2017 Video edited by USA
Patriotism!
