Wesley Chapel veteran was member of first U.S. Air Force squadron
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - In the wake of World War II, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. It reorganized much of the nation's defense forces, including the establishment of a new branch called the "United States Air Force."
Fern Kinion, of Wesley Chapel, was one of the first to sign up.
In 1947, Kinion was working in rural Kansas, when a news article caught her eye.
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"I was working as a secretary and saw in the newspaper that the Air Force was going to be a separate service," she recalled.
The opportunity for adventure was too much to pass up. On her lunch break that day, she went across the street to sign up at the federal building. After passing a physical, Kinion was off to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
The new branch of the military received nation-wide interest.
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"When we went on the train to Lackland, the news media was everywhere," she said.
She was a member of the very first unit of the first U.S. Air Force squadron, and one of the first women to formally be allowed to serve in the United States military. It was an accomplishment that carried a great sense of pride.
"And not pride for me, but pride that I was able to do things and contribute in some small way," said Kinion.
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She went straight to officer school and became a second lieutenant. She worked in recruiting, an area she was passionate about.
"Being in the military teaches you discipline, dedication and a responsibility," she said.
She was transferred to Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany and became a captain. From there, this small-town girl from Kansas got to see the world.
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"Near London, near Paris, near Rome and Casablanca, I traveled to each of those to do some administrative work," she recalled.
The end of her military service came when she met a pilot and got married.
"This is back in the early years," Kinion said. "At that time, if you were going to have a family, that was it, you could not stay in."
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Seventy-five years later, she looks back on her decision to join the Air Force as one of the best she's ever made. She hopes her journey inspires future generations.
"I hope people will look at that and maybe take the opportunity to serve in some way and make the country a better place," she said.
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