HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Senior leaders unveiled an official motto for Hanscom Air Force Base, “Revolutionizing the Warfighter’s Edge,” and dubbed the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk the official installation mascot following a Community Action Board meeting last month.
Officials described the effort to identify a single motto as a way to foster cohesion and connectedness across Hanscom’s diverse mission sets.
“We wanted a way to articulate how everyone at Hanscom contributes to our mission and how that affects the Air Force’s mission while staying grounded in our local community’s history,” said Carolyn McCafferty, installation community support coordinator.
McCafferty has led the ongoing community engagement project since last summer, pulling inspiration from Air Force Materiel Command vision of “One AFMC: collaborative, innovative, trusted and empowered,” and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center mission to acquire and support war-winning capabilities while “providing the warfighter’s edge.”
The end result was a tagline senior leaders felt was inclusive to all of Hanscom’s mission partners.
“This new motto touches every facet of the Hanscom mission, whether it’s within the digital, network, or readiness arena,” said Col. Katrina Stephens, installation commander. “It serves as a reminder of how we are constantly accelerating change at Hanscom by revolutionizing the warfighter’s edge.”
The decision to name the P-40 Warhawk as the base mascot is also rooted in Hanscom’s heritage of innovation, said McCafferty.
“The P-40 was an important contribution out of Hanscom Field during World War II,” said McCafferty. “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor where we have been, and where we will continue to go.”
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts leased the Bedford airport to the War Department for use by the Army Air Forces during World War II. Fighter squadrons trained here in 1942 through 1943. The 85th Fighter Squadron and the 318th Fighter Squadron, who trained on the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, went on to combat in the North African and Europe theaters.
The P-40 Warhawk static display that remains on Hanscom, known as “the Stump Jumper,” was dedicated June 1, 1989 at the corner of Vandenberg Drive and Marrett Street here.