DAFB honors 70 years of heritage

This weekend the Dover Air Force Base is hosted a celebration to honor its 70 year history.  Thunder Over Dover is also part of the celebration of the history of the base, and a way to show off what it has to offer.

The Dover Air Force Base opened its doors to the public for the first time in eight years, and Colonel Ethan Griffin says the open house was a team effort that took a year to organize.

"And see them really working together great as a team and seeing all of the parts come together to make the great demonstration of air power that we see here at Dover Air Force base happen."

The two-day event served as a double purpose.  Highlighting the military branch and engaging people who might be thinking about a career in the armed forces. 

"We talked then about the  spectrum, the continuity of care of our airmen from when we recruit them all the way through to when they transition out as civilians.  That's a part of what this is.  Today we are in the spectrum where we are bringing airmen in and building the enthusiasm for air power," said Col. Griffin.

There were several high-flying demonstrations including the USAF Thunderbirds, the Army’s Black Daggers parachute team, a P-51D Mustang demonstration and aerial acrobatics.

Event organizers expect roughly 100,000 spectators total for the weekend, after 40-to-50,000 came through on Saturday.

The ties between the base and the community goes back to before World War II.  The community gave  about 500,000 acres of land as a promise of partnership with the Air Force, the-then Army Air Core.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor the War Department made good on that promise, converting the property into an an Army Air Corps airfield, just ten days after the Japanese attack.

When the Air Force was established in 1947, the facility was renamed Dover Air Force Base in January, 1948.

"75 years later, here at Dover Air Force Base, we stand with as strong of a partnership as we have ever had with our community.  Right along side that it's the 70th year celebrating our United States Air Force as a service, and lastly as you mentioned, this is the 300th anniversary for the great City of Dover that has its own legacy and pride dating back to revolutionary times," said Col. Griffin.

If you want to learn more about the Dover Air Force Base, you can call any recruiting office or the public affairs staff at 302.677.3372.