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Kunsan Airmen go Guardian

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mya Crosby
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea --  

Three Airmen from the 8th Communications Squadron made history and transferred into the ranks of the U.S. Space Force during an enlistment ceremony at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Feb. 1, 2021.

Airman 1st Class Emmanuel Londono, Airman 1st Class Anton Soloshenko and Airman Nickolai Patchin, are the first members of the Wolf Pack to enlist into the U.S. Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Col. Jennifer Phelps, 8th Mission Support Group commander, presided over the ceremony and spoke to the new U.S. Space Force Guardians.

“Today, you guys gave up the title Airmen and became Guardians,” Phelps said. “I’m sure there is a lot of excitement and unique opportunities waiting for you as you all transition to the United States Space Force. I couldn’t be more honored to enable that transition for you.”

Continuing to pave the way, today’s USSF Guardians have the responsibility of acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to combatant commands.

“One of the main reasons I joined was to be a part of history,” Soloshenko said. “It’s an honor. It was a hard choice for a lot of people, but I ended up being very enthusiastic about it. I applied and finally got accepted. I’m excited for the bigger focus on cyber security.”

From “Fly, Fight and Win” to “Semper Supra” (Always Above), the three Airmen rose their right hands to take the Oath of Enlistment for the Space Force.

“This goes back to the great heritage within the Air Force,” Phelps said. “Think back to 1947, when the United States Army Air Corps broke away and became the United States Air Force. This is just that next step in that evolution.”

Space operations has had a presence within the Armed Forces dating back to 1982, when Air Force Space Command stood up during the Cold War-era. Established Dec. 20, 2019, with the enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Space Force is a continuation of the nation’s mission to support and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.