![Kirkpatrick on Air Force’s 75th birthday: ‘Nellis … [is] an integral part of this community’](https://d33ioocfz0fzi4.cloudfront.net/jns-media/38/c8/11887729/sign.jpeg "Kirkpatrick on Air Force’s 75th birthday: ‘Nellis … [is] an integral part of this community’")
Lights on the Las Vegas welcome sign recently turned blue to celebrate the 75th birthday of the United States Air Force.
City and Air Force officials turned the lights blue in a ceremony at the sign on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, according to a news release from Clark County. A related ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) recognized Aviation Nation 2022 and marked the end of the celebration on Nov. 5 and 6.
“Nellis Air Force Base and the men and women who work there are an integral part of this community, and I’m proud to join them in celebrating the Air Force’s 75th birthday,” Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Clark County commissioner, said in the news release. Kirkpatrick’s district includes the base.
Over 100,000 people were expected to attend the free event at Nellis AFB, also known as the Home of the Fighter Pilot, the news release noted. Aerial performances by the Thunderbirds, the F-25 Lightning II Demonstration Team, and other aircraft were featured.
“We’re excited to welcome the community onto the base for this weekend’s air show,” Col. Jason Wild, 99 Air Base Wing vice commander, said in the news release. “Aviation Nation is a great way to showcase what we’ve been working on over the last couple of years, and ultimately, it’s a way to give back to the community for the tremendous support and this show of solidarity.”
The Air Force was founded on Sept. 18, 1947, according to the news release, though it began as part of the United States Army Signal Corps in 1907.
