Unlocking the past of the 917th Wing

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Crystal Marie Jordan
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs Office
Barksdale Air Force Base, La. --  "When I speak to a crowd of people and mention the word "history", I can almost hear half of them let out a sigh," said Master Sgt. Kenneth Sloat, a historian for the 10th Air Force at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas.

"I can even see them slouch down into their seats," said the historian. "They assume that history is just a bunch of dates needing to be memorized. History is so much more than dates. It's the story of what our Airmen did to make our units what they were, and are today."

This key to the past of the 917th Wing on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., is lacking. The wing is currently searching to recruit a historian into the unit.

Historians are the unit's link to the Air Force Archives at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. They are ultimately responsible for collecting and archiving the unit's accomplishments for future researchers.

These Airmen spend their days collecting documents about their respective units and putting together their annual report, which is submitted to the archives after being approved by Air Force Reserve Command.

"The job, simply put, is to ensure that today's accomplishments are available for tomorrow's researcher," said Sergeant Sloat.

"Thirty-eight years ago, the 917th Military Airlift group entered a time of transition and gave up their C-124 Globe Masters, after nine years of accident free service, for the A-37 Dragon Fly," said Sergeant Sloat, while speaking of the rich history of the 917th Wing during its time as a Tactical Fighter Group. "While keeping its name, the unit experienced another period of transition when it converted from an A-37 Dragon Fly unit to an A-10 Thunderbolt II unit in 1973."

Assembling and submitting happenings such as these are not the only responsibilities bestowed on these historians. They are also responsible for teaching lineage.

"Teaching lineage is basically explaining a unit's emblem, or patch, to Airmen," said Sergeant Sloat. "Each emblem has a meaning; all the items on it have significance and it's the fascinating part of our job."

"There are a lot of rewarding things about this occupation," said the historian. "The most rewarding has been the knowledge that I am responsible for sharing. Without me, the unit's history would not make it into a library, which will be available for 30, 40 or even 100 years from now."

Without a unit's historian, deeds of today go without record. Without a historian, future researchers will not learn about today's mission, said Sergeant Sloat.

Every unit, especially a unit with a history as rich and lengthy as the 917th Wing needs an Airman to unlock its past.

To apply for this position, please contact the 917th Wing Recruiting office at (318) 456-9182.