-The Inside Stuff You Gotta Know-
"The Warrior who cultivates his mind polishes his arms."
Symbol:
The symbol of the Society is a pair of gold wings, a white star, and a red ball in the star. Below this is a set of two blue wreaths, with the inscription "Arnold Air Society". The gold wings signify courage, the white star signifies purity, the red ball signifies the blood shed by American fighting men, and the blue symbolizes the sky in which we fly.
Flower:
The official flower of the Society is the Crimson Glory Rose.
History:
Dramatic growth characterized the AAS from its obscure beginning in the spring and summer of 1947. It proved the ideals upon which the organization was founded, namely high moral, mental, and physical attitudes. These aims were molded in the formation of the Society in order to help train future Air Force leaders.
At a summer camp in 1947, a group of AFROTC cadets from Cincinnati, Ohio, discussed the possibility of an honorary society and presented their idea their cadre. A committee of cadets was formed to write a constitution and to find a name. A unanimous decision was made to honor General H. H. Arnold. The permission to use his name was granted in December of 1947, with the provision that the society begin on a local basis at the University of Cincinnati with the expansion of a spontaneous nature.
In April of 1948, the USAF officially recognized the Society. Shortly thereafter, the Society became a project of the Air Defense Command, whose duty was to see that the local group became nationalized. In September 1948, the Air Defense Command sent copies of the Society's constitution to all universities and colleges throughout the nation, with the hope of forming similar organizations. Within the next year, twenty new squadrons were formed.
Many new ideas came about in the early 1950's, including the National Conclave. The conclave is used as a central means of determining policy of the Society. At the first NATCON at the University of Cincinnatti, Mrs. H. H. Arnold was named Honorary Sponsor. That year the Society officially became the "Arnold Air Society".
Code of Conduct:
I - I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
II - I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
III - If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
IV - If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
V - When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give my name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
VI - I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of, wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence.
Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along and
Flung my eager craft through the footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delerious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew
And whlie with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.