Tag: United States Air Force (USAF)

Spotlight on 342-C: Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force Activities, Facilities, and Personnel, Domestic and Foreign, ca. 1940–ca. 1980

by Kaitlyn Crain Enriquez, posted in Military, Photographs, Still Pictures, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Air Corps

342-C is a series of photographs comprised of color transparencies, slides, and negatives that document the activities of the U.S. Air Force and predecessor agencies, including the Army Air Forces (AAF). The images in 342-C heavily cover periods of war from World War II, through Korea, to the Vietnam war. However, there is also documentation of … Continue reading Spotlight on 342-C: Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force Activities, Facilities, and Personnel, Domestic and Foreign, ca. 1940–ca. 1980

Throw a Nickel on the Grass and Have a Doughnut

by Jake A Miller, posted in Cold War, Military, Motion Pictures, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Vietnam War

Unfortunately, the subject of the film in the title has nothing to do with actual donuts and a whole lot to do with the kind pictured below, the circular aiming sight of a jet fighter, referred to as a "doughnut" in pilot vernacular. Specifically, the film documents the United States Air Force and Navy findings … Continue reading Throw a Nickel on the Grass and Have a Doughnut

Captain Chuck Yeager: Breaking the Sound Barrier

by Kaitlyn Crain Enriquez, posted in Military, Photographs, Still Pictures, U.S. Air Force

On October 14, 1947, USAF Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager flew a Bell XS-1, nicknamed "Glamorous Glennis" (a tribute to his wife), over Rogers Dry Lake located at Edward's Air Force Base (formerly named Muroc Air Force Base). The X-1 reached a speed … Continue reading Captain Chuck Yeager: Breaking the Sound Barrier

Gov and Basketball

by kquinn, posted in Fun, Photographs, Sports, Still Pictures, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Washington D.C., women in the military

What a beautiful time of the year for basketball.  The Kansas Jayhawks had their One Shining Moment, the NBA Playoff bracket will be underway soon, and the weather outside is getting nice enough around the country to ditch the snow boots and lace up the sneaks.  Using these happenings as inspiration, I decided to take … Continue reading Gov and Basketball

Spotlight: US Air Force World War II Photography

by Sarah Bseirani, posted in Photographs, Still Pictures, U.S. Air Force, World War II

Photograph of Members of the Tokyo Raid; Local Identifier: 342-FH-3A-48559-59885AC; NAID: 148728204 If you’re searching for World War II-era United States Air Force photography, look no further! Earlier this year, scans were added to our online catalog for nearly all of the World War II, US Air Force photography. Originally, the military branch was known … Continue reading Spotlight: US Air Force World War II Photography

Aliens at the Archives

by mattheichelbech, posted in Photographs

On December 30, 1947, the United States Air Force (USAF) began the process of collecting and evaluating all facts related to flying saucers and other types of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Between 1947 and 1969, 12,618 sightings were reported to the USAF program titled Project Blue Book, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Scientists and … Continue reading Aliens at the Archives

Before They Were Famous: Actors Who Appeared in Government Films

by Audrey Amidon, posted in Motion Pictures

Robert Mitchum To the People of the United States, 1943 (Local Identifier: 90.13) More than a decade before he terrorized children as creepy preacher Harry Powell in Night of the Hunter (1955), and two years prior to his Oscar-nominated role as Lieutenant Walker in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), Robert Mitchum played a grounded … Continue reading Before They Were Famous: Actors Who Appeared in Government Films

From Mariel Harbor to Eglin Air Force Base: Cuban Refugees and the Mariel Boatlift

by Richard Green, posted in Photographs, Reference

This post was written by Beth Fortson.  Beth is an Archives Technician with the Still Photos Branch in College Park, MD.  In April 1980, after desperate attempts by Cubans to gain asylum at the gates of the Peruvian Embassy, Fidel Castro was pressured to ease restrictions on emigration and granted those wishing to immigrate to … Continue reading From Mariel Harbor to Eglin Air Force Base: Cuban Refugees and the Mariel Boatlift

The Roswell Reports: What crashed in the desert?

by lmacondray, posted in Audio Recordings, Military, Motion Pictures, Video Recordings

Decades after the Roswell Incident people are still fascinated by it. Last October we wrote about National Archives moving image holdings relating to Project Blue Book and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). In addition to Project Blue Book we also have records relating to the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The U.S. … Continue reading The Roswell Reports: What crashed in the desert?

Declassified Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings – 3rd Quarter

by lmacondray, posted in Audio Recordings, Declassification Quarterly Reports, Motion Pictures

In an effort to provide information on recently declassified motion pictures and sound recordings the Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch will publish a quarterly list of newly declassified records. This quarter's list includes sound recordings relating to former Marine Sergeant Jon M. Sweeney who was a prisoner of war (POW) in Southeast Asia from … Continue reading Declassified Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings – 3rd Quarter