Photo By Senior Airman Tabatha Chapman | U.S. Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, center, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces...... read more read more
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Yesterday marked the grand re-opening of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa’s Tunner Conference Room, a project three years in the making.
Project lead Mr. Rusty Ely, telecommunications specialist and design lead Ms. Lauren Brouillette, USAFE AFAFRICA Protocol and former USAFE-AFAFRICA archivist, were tasked with the redesign and relaunch of the headquarters building’s most prolific room.
Few individuals contributed more to the operation and organizational development of airlift operations and logistics than Lieutenant General William Henry Tunner. Lt. Gen. Tunner is credited with the education of the military and the public on the importance of military air transportation. Colloquially known as “the father of airlift,” he pioneered his theories, ideas, and actions during World War II and continued until his retirement in 1960. Tunner graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1928 and chose to go into the Air Corps, where he trained as a pilot.
Through commissioned pieces of Air Force art and poignant photographs, the story of Lt. Gen. Tunner’s career and his impact on airlift and the U.S. Air Force are on display. Before military forces could grasp the strategy of airlift in wartime, Tunner proved the projection of airpower in the China-Burma-India theater during WW II and
developed search and rescue operations. The airlift over “The Hump” (the Himalayan Mountain chain) kept China fighting against Japan.
Less than a year after the official formation of the U.S. Air Force, the United States took on the operation to feed, supply, and offer hope to Berliners cut off by the Soviets. Tunner led Operation VITTLES, the Berlin Airlift, where he overhauled and streamlined flying and logistical operations to the point of maximum efficiency; an aircraft landed every 45 seconds.
Tunner pivoted from airlifting goods to Berlin to Japan and Korea, where airlift evacuated troops to and from the Korean peninsula and helped stifle North Korea’s communist agenda in the Kimpo Airlift. In a seven-year period, Tunner organized and led three historic airlifts; his efforts directly contributed to the reputation and proof of concept of the importance of airlift in peacetime and wartime.
Later, as commander of USAFE, Tunner took great strides to improve local community relationships, encouraged collaboration, and executed Operation KINDERLIFT for the children of West Berlin. German children were taken on aircraft for a vacation outside of West Berlin, an escape from the effects of Communism.
Tunner trained his pilots differently; “…not to risk their lives or their ships, but to fly skillfully and safely and deliver those planes in good condition.”
The Tunner Conference Room showcases the wide-spanning history of Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner, and the legacy he created for airlift, a legacy that carries on even today.
“I have been convinced that we can carry anything, anywhere, anytime.”
| Date Taken: | 02.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2025 10:30 |
| Story ID: | 490722 |
| Location: | RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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