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Enola Gay Controversy

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to outline even deeper overall defense reductions in a speech he’s giving at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kan., on May 8, 2010. The speech is part of the two-day celebration of the 65th anniversary of VE Day, the date of Germany's surrender in World War II. Here, Gates is shown while appearing before the press in the Pentagon on April 6, 2009. On that day, now known as "Black Monday," he outlined major budget cuts, including halting F-22 production and canceling the Air Force's CSAR-X rescue helicopter program.

DOD photo by Cherie Cullen

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.