Courtesy Photo | 1962 at James Connally Air Force Base, Texas: Air Force Staff Sgt. William Heard,...... read more read more
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By Tamara Eastman, DeCA historian
Social media-friendly version: The Defense Commissary Agency is proud to congratulate the United States Air Force on their 79th birthday on September 18, 2026. Happy birthday U.S. Air Force!
FORT LEE, Va. —This year marks the 79th birthday of the U.S. Air Force. It offers over 200 active-duty career fields that span health care, intelligence, cybersecurity, aviation and more. There are opportunities to serve full-time on active duty or part-time through the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. Airmen gain specialized technical skills, enjoy travel opportunities around the world and education benefits.
On July 26, 1947, Congress passed the landmark National Security Act, laying the groundwork for the modern Department of Defense by establishing the National Military Establishment. Until this point, American military power was divided between just two main departments: the Army and the Navy, which included the Marine Corps.
However, recognizing the critical role of aviation during World War II, this same legislation officially carved the Army Air Forces out of the Army to establish the U.S. Air Force as a fully independent, co-equal military branch.
This rapid restructuring culminated on Sept.18, 1947, when W. Stuart Symington was sworn in as the nation's very first Secretary of the Air Force.
Once the Air Force was created, it inherited all of the Army Air Forces’ facilities, including commissaries. The Air Force stores were a major benefit for military families, especially those living overseas in Germany and Japan.
For many years, the separate military services ran their commissaries with some assistance from the various service headquarters. They served airmen and their families with pride and began to standardize some of their methodology and terminology with the implementation of the Armed Forces Commissary Regulation of 1949.
Initially, local commanders were responsible for their bases’ commissaries. Stores made their own decisions about commodity purchasing, shelf stocking, hours and more. There was little standardization, no continuity of operations, no uniformity and no real career path for civilian or military commissary workers.
In 1952, the Department of Defense instituted a 2% surcharge on purchases at all military commissaries, and this gradually increased until 1983, when it reached the current 5% level. The surcharge pays for supplies and equipment as well as renovation, construction and maintenance of commissaries.
In the early 1970s, Air Force commissary policy and guidance came from the Supply Support and Services Office at Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon. Professional assistance came from the Air Force Commissary Stores Branch in the Air Force Services Office in Philadelphia, part of the Air Force Logistics Command.
When the armed forces became all-volunteer in 1973, the commissary benefit’s importance to recruitment and retention increased. In 1976, the formation of the Air Force Commissary Service (AFCOMS) centralized guidance and control for the Air Force’s 181 commissaries under one agency headquartered at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas.
Before AFCOMS, all branch commissaries were supplied by the Army Quartermaster Corps. AFCOMS continued to manage the Air Force commissaries until the Defense Commissary Agency was formed in 1991.
The Defense Commissary Agency is proud to congratulate the United States Air Force on their 79th birthday on Sept. 18, 2026. Happy birthday U.S. Air Force!
-DeCA-
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, disabled veterans and other authorized patrons and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which supports the costs of building, modernizing and sustaining commissary facilities. A core military family support element and valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military services and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2026 10:57 |
| Story ID: | 574739 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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