History
The school traces its roots to the Air Corps Tactical School founded in 1946. SOS became an arm of Air Command and Staff College in 1950 when the Tactical School closed. Colonel Russell V. Ritchey, founder and first commandant, opened the Squadron Officer Course at Maxwell that same year. In 1959, SOS became a separate Air University school reporting directly to the Air University commander.
Since its activation, the program has received the following awards and recognition:
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (four times)
- 1 Jan 1969 - 31 Dec 1970
- 1 Jan 1973 - 31 Dec 1974
- 1 May 1980 - 30 Apr 1982
- 1 Jan 1983 - 31 Dec 1984
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award (ten times)
- 1 Jan 1985 - 31 May 1986
- 1 Jul 1993 - 30 Jun 1995
- 1 Jul 1997 - 30 Jun 1998
- 1 Jul 1998 - 7 Feb 2000
- 8 Feb 2000 - 30 Jun 2001
- 1 Jul 2002 - 30 Jun 2003
- 1 Jul 2003 - 30 Jun 2004
- 1 Jul 2005 - 30 Jun 2006
- 1 Jul 2006 - 30 Jun 2007
- 1 Jul 2007 - 30 Jun 2008
Read more about this topic: Squadron Officer School
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“... that there is no other way,
That the history of creation proceeds according to
Stringent laws, and that things
Do get done in this way, but never the things
We set out to accomplish and wanted so desperately
To see come into being.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Every library should try to be complete on something, if it were only the history of pinheads.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894)
“The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)