A/TQ covers - Airlift/Tanker Association

On the Importance of ‘History‘
I didn’t choose to feature a photograph of
past A/TQ covers on the cover of this edition of
the magazine for an ego boost (well, not entirely!)
– it just seemed like a great way to illustrate
this edition’s cover story by Greg Cook.
When Greg suggested, and volunteered to
write, a story about the first 20 years of the Airlift/Tanker
Association, I quickly took him up
on the offer, although it didn’t seem possible
that the Association was already two decades
old. Thanks Greg, for the great suggestion, and
the great story. Getting a description of the Association’s
first two decades down on paper is
significant – history is important.
It has been said that the past causes the present,
and so the future. Any time we try to know
why something happened – whether a shift in
political party dominance in the American
Congress, a major change in the fortunes of
war, or an outbreak of hostilities in this or that
part of the world – we have to look for factors
that took shape earlier.
That being said – this year marks the 70 anniversary
of the beginning of a massive airlift
effort over the Himalayas that would be come
to be known as “The Hump.” In the decades
since then some hstorians have found it fashionable
to characterize the China-Burma-
India Theater (CBI) as a ‘forgotten’ theater,
low on the Allied list of priorities during the
war. To be sure, the European, Mediterranean,
and Pacific theaters all enjoyed greater access
to scarce manpower and material than did
the CBI, which had to cope with an extended
line of supply snaking all the way back to the
United States.
In the great scheme of things only a few
American combat troops served in China, Burma,
or India. But saying that the CBI was an
ignored theater is wrong. It occupied a prominent
place in Allied councils, as Americans
sought an early Allied commitment to reopening
China’s lifeline so that China could tie
down massive numbers of enemy troops and
serve as a base for air and naval operations.
In the days before television sets and the
nightly news were ubiquitous, the American
media, with its romantic fascination with
China and the Burma Road, followed the campaigns
closely and kept its audience informed
on the exploits of the likes of Vinegar Joe Stilwell
and Merrill’s Marauders. Interest in the
theater began to drop after early 1944 as estimates
of China’s military capability declined,
but Allied leaders continued to keep a close
eye on developments in a region where they
still felt they had much at stake. History proves
them right – we haven’t taken our eyes off the
region since!
Yes, history is important. It is what “lessons
learned” is all about.
Congratulations to all of this year’s Association
award winners – you have become an import
part of air mobility history.
Collin Bakse, editor
Chairman’s
Comments
Gen Walter Kross
USAF, Ret
Welcome to Anaheim. On behalf of the Airlift/Tanker Association’s
Board, I welcome you to this year’s A/TA Convention—our 44th
gathering—and to The Air Mobility Symposium and Technology
Exposition (co-sponsored by Air Mobility Command and A/TA). A
close review of this opening paragraph reveals the new construct
for our “annual convening of Mobility Airmen.” In the past, The
Air Mobility Symposium was the professional centerpiece, the heart
of our gathering, wrapped in the A/TA Convention – both events
occurring simultaneously. Beginning with these 2012 events, the
Convention occurs first in time, Wednesday (31 October) and
Thursday (1 November). Then, in sequence, The Air Mobility Symposium
and Technology Exposition occur Thursday through Sunday
(1-4 November). Keeping the two events clearly separate helps
us adapt correctly to recent DoD policy changes.
Earlier this year, we coined the term, “A/TA 2.0.” We did this to describe the temporal bifurcation
of our annual activities, but also to focus on another important change this year. For the
first time, Air Mobility Command has elected to leverage the high quality of our professional
core – the Symposium’s speaker, panels, seminars, and performance awards – by holding a
number of other such professional conferences and events in conjunction with the Symposium
itself. So for the first time, many of the Symposium’s attendees will be wearing two hats, so to
speak. They will be attending a smaller conference – focused on a specific subject matter area,
then they will attend the Symposium itself immediately following. These dual-hatted attendees
will be asked, in some cases, to attend specific seminars and the Technology Exposition to
fully round out the desired learning outcomes of their specific “mini-conference.” This professional
leveraging of the Air Mobility Symposium allows AMC a cost avoidance in travel funds.
Hence the name, A/TA 2.0.
You will note a few other differences this year, as well. First, overall attendance is markedly
lower than in recent years – driven by overall austerity and recent events. Still, the quality
of both the Convention and the Symposium/Exposition, remains as high as in recent years.
First, our annual awards and the global recognition is unchanged – from our Young Leadership
Awards to this year’s Hall of Fame Inductee, SSgt William H. Pitsenbarger. Of course,
our awards program culminates in Saturday night’s Hall of Fame Banquet, which I urge each
of you to attend as we honor “SSgt Pits.” Second, we will forgo our annual Super Panel in the
“Big Room” in favor of a briefing all should see on Libyan Tanker Operations, presented by
Brig. Gen. Ken Lewis.
On Friday, 2 November, The first ‘at large’ session of The Symposium will start early – so
check the final schedule when you register. After brief opening remarks, you’ll get a chance
to see the “premiere” of a newly-created Air Mobility Video that should energize everyone
present. Soon after, we will be most honored to hear from our Keynote Speaker, General
Mark A. Welsh III. Our other key speakers will include AMC Commander Raymond E. Johns,
Jr., Transcom Commander William M. Fraser III, ANG Director Lt. Gen. Harry M. “Bud”
Wyatt III, AFRC Commander Lt. Gen. James “JJ” Jackson, and Chief Master Sergeant of the
Air Force James A. Roy.
So welcome indeed to A/TA #44. All of us in A/TA are proud and honored to host all of
you – Mobility Airmen and those that support you – at this annual
convening and extraordinary professional event.
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A/TQ • Airlift/Tanker Quarterly • Fall 2012