Photo By Staff Sgt. Keith Thornburgh | Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. and former Arnold Engineering Development Complex...... read more read more
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Arnold Engineering Development Complex Historian Ken Sloat referred to the AEDC 75th anniversary open house event as a “marriage” of the Complex’s past, present and future. “To celebrate and join these together, we’re going to add items to a time capsule that will be sealed until 2051, which is our 100th anniversary,” Sloat said during the June 27 event at Arnold Air Force Base, headquarters of AEDC. Those who placed items in the capsule included civic leaders, legislators and former AEDC commanders. In addition to items placed in the capsule during a gathering held at the Arnold Lakeside Complex on Arnold AFB the evening before the anniversary celebration, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais during the open house presented a U.S. 250th anniversary challenge coin for inclusion in the capsule. With the open house taking place in the midst of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, DesJarlais also included soccer ball into the capsule in the hopes of bringing the U.S. team some luck. Jay Strobino, field representative for U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, put into the time capsule a signed letter written by Blackburn as well as her challenge coin. A trio of former AEDC commanders sent items for inclusion in the capsule. Retired Air Force Col. Phillip Conran, who served as AEDC commander from 1983 to 1986, contributed a reminder of what was both his worst and best memory from his time leading the complex. He provided a piece of steel mounted to a wooden plaque. The plaque tells the story of the Nov. 8, 1985, detonation of a rocket motor during a test that destroyed J-5, one of AEDC’s rocket test facilities. “Thanks to a long list of correctly followed safety protocols, there wasn’t even a single injury,” Sloat said. “Under Col. Conran’s leadership, a replacement for that critical test capability was designed and built in less than one year, and it was completed under budget.” Retired Maj. Gen. Stephen “Pat” Condon, who was AEDC commander from 1986 to 1989, provided a piece of rebar used in the construction of the J-6 rocket test facility built following the reconstruction of J-5 and completed under his leadership. Retired Col. Art Huber, AEDC commander from 2006 to 2009, contributed a personal note. In part, it reads: “The people of AEDC who have risen to so many challenges over the past 75 years have much to be proud of for their contributions to our mission and defense and much more to be hopeful for in the years ahead. You are the key to aerospace power, our nation’s asymmetric advantage. To the men and women of AEDC’s past, its present and its future, I salute you.” Huber also provided the key to the city of Tullahoma he received during his time as AEDC commander. Several former commanders attended the anniversary celebration to personally place their contributions in the capsule. Among them was retired Air Force Col. Larry Graviss, who commanded the Complex from 1993 to 1995. Graviss provided a three-page requirements document written by Frank Wattendorf in the 1940s that outlined the six facilities, including wind tunnels, needed for a new test center. This center was later constructed and dedicated as Arnold Engineering Development Center on June 25, 1951. It was redesignated as Arnold Engineering Development Complex in 2012. Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, who served as Complex commander from 1995 to 1997, placed into the capsule a book about the work of Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold and Theodore von Kármán to advance American aerospace capabilities entitled “Architects of Air Supremacy.” “Their vision led directly to the establishment of Arnold Engineering Development Complex in 1951,” Wiedemer said. Wiedemer also added a printed description of the AEDC Fellows program signed by some of its inductees. The program, managed by the Arnold Community Council, recognizes AEDC personnel who have made substantial and exceptionally distinguished contributions to the nation’s aerospace ground testing capability. He also included in the capsule a prayer adopted by Air Force Materiel Command for Airmen fighting in Operation Desert Storm, as well as a coin that reflects the sentiment of the prayer. Retired Maj. Gen. Michael Brewer, AEDC commander from 2011 to 2012, placed a 60th anniversary hat in the capsule, as the Complex celebrated its anniversary under his leadership. He also included a note addressed to future members of Team AEDC. “It’s not often you get to pontificate not only to the present but to the future, so I took that opportunity,” Brewer said. Retired Col. Raymond Toth, also a former AEDC commander, added to the capsule as well. “The biggest thing I remember from being here from 2012 to 2015 was a time where we had sequestration, and we unfortunately had to send a number of our folks home; layoffs and furloughs,” Toth said. “The reason why that stuck with me was you hear about how great this workforce is, and it truly is and was for the last 75 years and it will continue to be. But the thing that really stuck with me most was how the community pulled together. And, yeah, AEDC is a fantastic place and the people who make miracles happen here every day are amazing. But equally amazing was how this community pulled together to take care of the folks who were affected by that, and we were still able to get the testing that we needed to get done done.” With that, Toth placed into the capsule a document that contained eight AEDC-related predictions for 2051. “The one thing I will say that I expect to remain the same is we won’t be able to do it without the people,” Toth said. “Like we’ve done for the last 75 years, this community and people who make this place what it is today will continue to be the backbone.” Air Force Test Center Commander Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, who served as AEDC commander from 2017 to 2019, referred to the period he led the Complex as a time of national “awakening.” U.S. officials realized that the nation’s adversaries were catching up from a technological standpoint. “What we realized is it was time to double down and double down on that pacing challenge from our strategic adversaries,” Cain said. “During that time, I worked with guys like Dr. Tom Fetterhoff and Mr. Ed Tucker on a message to both Capitol Hill and to the Pentagon on resourcing hypersonics. We made several trips to D.C. to do that.” Cain placed a memento from these efforts into the time capsule. He placed a burst disc from testing of the Mach 14 capability in AEDC Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 at White Oak, Maryland. Although since exceeded, it was the first time AEDC achieved speeds of that magnitude. Outgoing AEDC Commander Col. Grant Mizell placed into the capsule a letter from himself that outlined current challenges and recent efforts undertaken to help prepare AEDC for the future. “It’s talking about what we see today and what we see moving into the future; what are the big initiatives that we put into place around this time,” Mizell said. “One of the big initiatives we put in place in these last two years was a look to the future, ‘AEDC 2051’ is what we call it. That was our prediction, the things we want to start building today and where we want to start moving and planning as we look forward.” Mizell added that, as they gather to reflect on the past, future members of Team AEDC raise a glass to toast their predecessors. To help with this, he placed into the time capsule a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey from a barrel AEDC commissioned the distillery to prepare for the 75th anniversary of the Complex. Mizell had one more item to include. “I’d like to add the AEDC current Commander’s Coin to the time capsule,” he said. The sealed time capsule will remain in the lobby of the Administration & Engineering Building at Arnold AFB.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2026 09:02 |
| Story ID: | 570113 |
| Location: | ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
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