The Aeronautics Commission is one of the oldest in the American Legion. Aerospace, is made up of two components “Aeronautics” (aviation) and “Astronautics” (space).  With the commercialization of space, this is becoming an important sector of the economy as more of the astronautics requirements are moving over to the civilian sector.

So what does this mean to the Legionnaire and what are the goals of today’s Aerospace Commission?  The Aerospace Commission supports all four of the American Legion pillars:

• Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation – Each year the military has about 12,500 active duty pilots among its ranks. That means that approximately a thousand experienced pilots join the civilian aviation community each year, with thousands more experienced jet engine mechanics, aerospace engineers, avionics technicians, flight controllers, loadmasters, and other aviation related career fields.  This transition from military to civilian career strengthens the backbone of our aviation community and infrastructure.
• National Security – Although the aviation and space programs in the military do not fall within the purview of the Aerospace Commission, the very same concerns that Legionnaires had in 1919 are true today. Without the infrastructure of a strong civilian workforce and production capability, then the needed defense assets cannot be supported.
• Americanism – The safety of our aerospace transportation infrastructure is protected by those whom inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state, and nation. As air travel has become a common place event, taken for granted by most, it is a common target for those whom would like to do harm to the nation and the citizens of the United States.  Furthermore, the United States cannot let any other nation in the world surpass our technological lead in the aeronautical and astronautical sciences.  This lead in technology provides the nation with a blanket of security, which although gives us commercial economical benefits, also endows us with the capability to stay ahead of every other nation in military capability.
• Children & Youth – Prior to WWII, the American Legion helped set-up aviation training programs for youth and air fields all across the country. During WWII, the nation produced over 300,000 aircraft for the war effort, and thanks to the American Legion, we had experienced pilots to fly them.  In order to maintain that technological edge, we need to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs in our schools from K-12, and continue that support through our collages and educational institutions.  Our children of today will be the pilots, engineers, scientists, and astronauts of tomorrow.

If you would like a presentation at your Post or District meeting, please contact the Chair of the Aerospace Commission, Kevin Burns (kevinrobburns@gmail.com).  We can set-up a Zoom meeting that can accommodate up to 500 people, or for onsite meetings after the pandemic, we may be able to provide either provide a speaker or set-up an interactive presentation with a Zoom meeting hooked up to a projector or large screen via an internet connected computer.

Author: Kevin Burns

Kevin is the 2024-25 Area 5 commissioner and chairman for The American Legion Department of California Aerospace Commission.