Base community celebrates Air Force's 60th Anniversary Published Nov. 1, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Carissa Lee Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A crowd of more than 450 Airmen gathered Saturday night at the C.J. Davidson Conference Center at Angelo State University to celebrate the Air Force's 60th birthday at Goodfellow's Air Force Ball. "Heritage to Horizons" was the theme of this year's gala, and the ball's committee put together several video presentations highlighting the great accomplishments of the United States Air Force throughout the 60 years of its existence. Looking toward the future, guests were also treated to two video clips showcasing some of the Air Force's finest and brightest upcoming officers. Other highlights of the event included a special dedication of the POW/MIA table, in which a book was placed on the table containing the names of the more than 1,750 still unaccounted for servicemembers. More than 100 Team Goodfellow members stood vigil for the 24 hours leading up to the ball, reading the names of those still missing or unaccounted for. At the conclusion of the vigil, the book was brought to the C.J. Davidson Conference Center and laid on the POW/MIA table. During dinner, a San Angelo singing group, The Tonesmen, sang several patriotic songs to the crowd. At one point, friendly service rivalry became apparent after the Tonesmen led the crowd in the Air Force Song. The other military services represented didn't miss the chance to sing their respective service songs, each one a little louder than the next. A new addition to the Air Force Ball this year was the reading of the Airman's Creed. An Airman, non-commissioned officer, senior non-commissioned officer and a company grade officer each read one section of the creed. The highlight of the evening was the guest speaker, 2nd Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Michael Gould. The general was the 17th Training Wing's guest for several days prior to the ball and his speech was the conclusion of a successful trip. During his visit, General Gould spent time with many Airmen around the base, had lunch with Goodfellow's recently-returned deployees and participated in the wing's monthly promotion ceremony.
