View our Air Force Trivia winners or see if you won!
Day 1
Question
Until the term "airman" came into use, Air Force enlisted personnel were called "soldiers." Who was the Air Force chief of staff who directed that change?
Answer
Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg directed the change in 1950. Over time, the term has evolved to refer to all uniformed members of the Air Force, including officers.
Winner
Lt. Col. S.W. Maas
Day 2
Question
Who was the first air ace of the independent Air Force?
Answer
F-86 pilot Capt. (later Col.) James Jabara shot down his fifth and sixth MiG-15s on May 20, 1951. Jabara would later raise his aerial victories to 15 to become the second-ranking ace of the Korean War.
Winner
SM Sgt. Robert Silvernail
Day 3
Question
On Oct. 7, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration named seven military officers as the first U.S. astronauts. Three of the seven were from the Air Force. Who were they?
Answer
Gordon Cooper, Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton were Air Force officers. The other Mercury astronauts were Walter M. Schirra Jr. (USN), John H. Glenn Jr. (USMC), M. Scott Carpenter (USN) and Alan B. Shepard Jr. (USN).
Winner
MSgt (ret) Brian Lewandowski
Day 4
Question
Who was the first airman to receive the Air Force Cross? (Careful, it’s a trick question).
Answer
The Air Force Cross replaced the Distinguished Service Cross in 1960 as the second-highest award for valor for members of the Air Force. All future awards would be of the Air Force Cross, even for actions pre-dating its introduction. The first Air Force Cross was awarded posthumously to U-2 pilot Maj. Rudolph Anderson Jr., who was shot down by a Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile over Banes, Cuba, during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
Winner
LTJG Ryan Jarmer
Day 5
Question
Who was the first female general officer in the Air Force?
Answer
Jeanne M. Holm was promoted to brigadier general on July 16, 1971. She was promoted to major general effective June 1, 1973, with date of rank July 1, 1970, becoming the first woman in the armed forces to reach two-star rank.
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This coin honors the 60th Anniversary of the United States Air Force and pays tribute to all the courageous men and women who have served this invincible force.
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