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High in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, three Lockheed F-80 Shooting
Stars skim the Rim Highway as they return to March Air Force Base. Fall 1948 marks the first
anniversary of the United States Air Force, and the freshly painted jets of the First Fighter
Group sport their special blue squadron markings and the new “USAF” designation on their wings.
The 94th Fighter Squadron’s commander has just put his newest pilots through a grueling morning
workout over the Mojave Desert. Having slipped through the Cajon Pass, he now leads his planes in a
low sweep along the mountain slopes of this calm morning air. On a turn-out, terraced 2,000 feet |
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