Dayton museum marks 75th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force this weekend

The U.S. Air Force was born on Sept. 18, 1947, when the first Secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, was sworn into office following the signing of the National Defense Act. A year-long commemoration wraps up this weekend with a host of events at and around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Doug Lantry is a curator and historian at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton. He says the anniversary is a good time to stop and reflect.

"This particular anniversary lets us look into our past and appreciate all the airmen and civilians that came before us, and it also lets us look into our future to continue the innovation and acceleration and thriving that the Air Force depends on and needs," he says.

The Air Force has strong ties to Ohio and the Miami Valley because the state is the birthplace of aviation, thanks, of course, to the Wright brothers.