Bethany Village salutes the U.S. Air Force on the 64th anniversary of its establishment as an independent military service. For more than six decades, the men and women of the Air Force have been models of integrity, service before self and excellence. We are proud to have a number of Air Force retirees living at Bethany Village.
In honor of those who served, Bethany will celebrate the birthday of the Air Force on Friday, September 16. Resident Air Force veterans and veterans’ spouses (as well as veterans from other service branches wishing to recognize our residents who have served in the U.S. Air Force) are invited to attend. We will also show the movie “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” on Friday, September 30–a classic movie highlighting the true story of “The Doolittle Raid” and our boys in the air.
Bethany’s “base of operations,” Dayton, Ohio, is also home to Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). From its beginnings as the Wright brothers’ testing field, WPAFB has evolved into headquarters for Air Force worldwide logistics, systems development and procurement, aeronautical engineering. Today Wright Patterson is an almost $60 billion enterprise equivalent to a Fortune 34 company. In addition, WPAFB is home to an extensive research laboratory complex, education center and medical center. It is also the site of National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which attracts visitors from around the world. WPAFB also provides “shelter from the storm:” Five C-130s and one C-17 found temporary refuge at Wright Patterson during hurricane Irene.
Since 1997 (the Air Force’s 50th anniversary year), WPAFB has hosted the official Air Force Marathon on the third Saturday in September. This year’s event – which includes a full marathon, wheelchair race, half marathon, 10K and 5K – will be held September 17. All levels of runners from around the world will be participating. Over the years, the competition has grown to include more than 12,000 enthusiasts. The marathon course traverses historical places across WPAFB such as the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Wright Brothers Memorial Monument. The Air Force Marathon course is certified by the USA Track and Field Association and is a Boston marathon qualifying race.
Spectators at the marathon’s start and finish lines are welcome.
