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When the U.S. Air Force Got More Recruits Than It Could Handle

2 minute read

Though aircraft had proved their military use beyond a doubt in the World Wars (and far earlier), the pilots and others who made that war effort work had been part of a series of different organizations, largely under the supervision of the Army. It was not until President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 that the U.S. military got a separate Air Force for the first time in its history. That innovation was effective Sept. 18, 1947 — 70 years ago this Monday.

And, from the beginning, it was no secret that the Air Force was a desirable assignment for those in the military.

The appeal of the air was on full display in 1951, as documented by LIFE Magazine, when the possibility of being drafted for the Korean War sent young American men scrambling to volunteer for the military gigs they wanted before the choice was taken out of their hands. Rather than serve as Army infantrymen, they figured, they could take to the skies. (Or, even more appealing in some recruits’ eyes, they could stay safely on the ground taking care of the planes.) The result was a “recruit stampede,” as LIFE put it, that the still-young Air Force wasn’t quite prepared to handle.

At Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, thousands more recruits than expected — three times more, in a 12-day period, than volunteered for the Army in a whole month — jammed the processing centers, leading to a shortage of everything from uniforms to space. It was clear to see how that rush to join up could cause problems for the military effort, as preference for the Air Force, followed by the Navy, could leave the Army wanting.

But it was also obvious that there was something about the Air Force that left these young men more eager to serve there than anywhere else. Today, with more than 300,000 active-duty personnel in an all-volunteer Air Force, it’s clear that the allure remains.

Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Youthful Air Force volunteers wait to buy their shoeshine kits. Deluge of recruits was so great at Lackland that kitchens served chow round-the-clock, and harried officers feared sewage breakdown. Equipped for 21,000 recruits, Lackland had 56,000 at peak of volunteering.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Old hands at Lackland—there seven days—examine forms they will need when interviewed by guidance counselor who will try to find what jobs they are best suited for.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Tests are given each recruit to determine mechanical and mental ability.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Waiting for uniforms, recruits are herded like cattle through stockade built in base athletic building which was converted into a processing area.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Dour volunteers peer out of their tent, one of hundreds borrowed from the Army to meet the emergency.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. "At Ease," in civilian sport shoes, two recruits stand in formation. Supply of military shoes ran out in the rush.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. "Policing" area work detail picks up stones by hand, a job which keeps drill ground neat and the recruits busy. In the background a group of newly arrived volunteers are being assigned to their tents.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Hooded recruit, wearing oddly assorted clothing issue, peruses a copy of the base newspaper.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Orderly drill is practiced by recruits at Lackland as they "dress right." They are divided into flights, numbering 70 men, commanded by flights chiefs.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. Before target practice members of Flight 162 unpack, assemble and wipe the Cosmoline from .30-cal. carbines which they will use firing on the range.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.
Air force recruits at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas, 1951.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com