Fairchild historian prepares AF Ball video Published Aug. 16, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Connie L. Bias 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Air Force Ball attendees here will enjoy a historical treat during the Sept. 8 celebration. 92nd Air Refueling Wing historian Dan Simmons, with the help of 92nd Communications Squadron multimedia professionals, has spent the last few months creating a local presentation highlighting the wing's history, people and aircraft. The video's making began at the beginning of the year, when the wing kicked off an ongoing Air Force 60th Anniversary celebratory series. Wing gatherings spotlighting the anniversary have showcased guest speakers who have served at Fairchild throughout the base's history. While wing leadership and event planners have stayed busy with these events, Mr. Simmons has stayed busy planning, writing and producing a culmination video that will merge Fairchild's present-day operations with its rich heritage. "Mr. Simmons has collected extensive footage, both photo and video, of the wing for us to put together," said Tech. Sgt. Ron Van Ausdal of the Communications Squadron multimedia center, who is currently creating the final video product. "Sixty years of history will be shown at the ball, showing all of the aircraft we've had here, starting in the 50s and running up through today. It's going to be a great presentation." Specifically, the presentation will start with the 92nd Bombardment Wing's creation here Nov. 17, 1947, two months after the Air Force was established in September of the same year. The base's Air Force Ball will be a "dual celebration" of the two, said Mr. Simmons. Since the 92nd's inception, the wing has been home to B-29 Superfortress, B-36 Peacemaker, B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. Together, the speakers highlighted in the upcoming wing presentation have flown each of these aircraft, seen the base grown from pre-Bombardment Wing days to today, and led the wing through that history. Retired Maj. Ed Majeski attended the dedication ceremony renaming Spokane Air Force Base after Gen. Muir Fairchild. Retired Col. Francis Potter, currently a volunteer at the base refill pharmacy, was at Fairchild for 15 years, on and off, before his retirement in 1969, and has been here since. Maj. Gen. James Hawkins, 18th Air Force commander, flew B-52s here during the 80s, and was involved with Fairchild's role in winning the Cold War. Maj. Gen. Erv Lessel of the Air Education and Training Command was the wing commander during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. These men watched Fairchild's history literally in the making, and on Sept. 8, members of Team Fairchild will be able to hear and share some of that history. But the video, just like Fairchild and the wing, doesn't stop with the past. Current wing leadership will also speak about the base and its role in today's Air Force. Col. Van Fuller, 92nd Mission Support Group commander, will start out, commenting on the changing role of combat support troops. "The colonel will talk about the role of combat support troops in the Air Force today, particularly with the Global War on Terrorism," said Mr. Simmons. "In the old Cold War days, pilots and maintainers were the ones who deployed and were in harm's way; support people usually stayed at home. Now that has flip-flopped, and combat support people are sometimes more in harm's way than our aircrews and maintainers." Finally, Col. Thomas Sharpy, 92nd ARW commander, will wrap up the video with an address to the Airmen who make Fairchild's mission happen every day. "It's not really about the airplanes we've flown over the last six decades," said Mr. Simmons. "It's about the people who flew them, who maintained them. It's about the people who support the mission." And it's those very people to whom Mr. Simmons' video is targeted - the Airmen who continue to create Fairchild's history, progress and success. (This story is the first in a four-part series on the Air Force Ball.)