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“This is a great day for America. With these three soaring spires, we honor the millions of Americans who have worn the uniform of the United States Air Force and its predecessor organizations.”

With those words and more, Ross Perot, Jr. welcomed hundreds of Air Force veterans and their families, friends and supporters to the October 14 dedication of the United States Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Joined by President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley and other dignitaries, Ross presided over the formal dedication of the Memorial overlooking the Pentagon and adjacent to Arlington Cemetery. The Memorial’s most distinctive physical attribute is its three spires—the highest soaring 270 feet—intended to impart a sense of accomplishment in command of the sky. The spires also are intended to evoke the image of the precision “bomb burst” maneuver performed by the Air Force Thunderbirds.

Ross played a key role in the event as chairman of the Air Force Memorial Foundation which raised more than $30 million from more than 140,000 individuals and organizations to fund the Memorial. The Air Force had been the only branch of the US military without a memorial.

The ceremony on October 14 included, in addition to presentations by dignitaries including President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld, musical tributes to fallen airmen and veterans with the U.S. Air Force Band & Singing Sergeants, a video presentation “Spirit of the Air Force” and an aerial review. The aerial review included flyovers of aircraft dating back to World War I, a B-29 and a Stealth bomber. At the ceremony’s end, F-16 fighters belonging to the Thunderbirds precision flying team performed the bomb burst maneuver upon which the Memorial’s spires are modeled.

Two days earlier on the evening of October 12, Perot Systems Government Services hosted a reception in honor of the Memorial’s dedication and the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. The reception held at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum brought together more than 400 Air Force active duty personnel, veterans and supporters. Among the veterans were recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, including USAF Col. George E. “Bud” Day who had been shot down over Vietnam, held prisoner, and tortured by the North Vietnamese for many years.

At the Smithsonian reception, Col. Day described seeing the Air Force Memorial and being impressed. “It is spectacular; inspiring; hard to describe,” Col. Day said. “Whoever owns that sky—owns the world. I want to thank each and every one of you and particularly Ross Jr. It is because of the persistence and patience of Ross Jr. we will have a memorial for generations to come.”

Speaking at the Perot Systems Government Services reception at the Smithsonian, General Moseley said the Air Force Memorial was “long overdue” and he recounted how Ross, Jr. had joined the U.S. Air Force in 1983 and earned his wings in 1984. “He has never forgotten his bonds shared with other airmen,” said General Moseley. “He was a pivotal driver in building this Memorial—I thank you from our (Air Force) family.”

Responding to the praise, Ross, Jr. recounted how as a boy his father had taken him to prisoner-of-war gatherings and countries such as Laos and Cambodia where US military men had been missing in action. He said his own involvement with the Air Force came about because of those contacts and others involving heroic aviators and military men. He recounted as a boy meeting USAF General Robbie Risner who had spent more than seven years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. General Risner “pinned his wings on me—that is how long I have wanted to be in the Air Force.”

Ross Perot, Sr., speaking at the Smithsonian reception, noted that retired General Risner could not be at the event. But he said General Risner and Col. Day reflect the best America has to offer, and the nation must always remember to honor its heroes—something that the Air Force Memorial does.

Jim Ballard, president of Perot Systems Government Services, also participated in the Smithsonian reception, including narrating the history and symbolism of the Medal of Honor Flag which was presented to Colonel Day by General Moseley. “To think of what Bud Day went through really embodies perseverance and the will to survive. He is an extraordinary airman and hero to us all,” said Ballard. “I feel honored to play a part in such a significant event.”