Strategic Air Command

Bombers high

Riding the air

Every man

Doing his share

Men of war

Better beware

When the Air Force

Takes command

Bombers high

Ready we stand

Minutemen

Guarding the land

Thunder rides

Here in our hand

When the air force

Takes command

Our legions

Are legend

Our wings

Own the blue

With jets

Winding free

And men

Flying true

Ride the wind

Follow a star

Find the foe

Strike where they are

Round the world

Isn't too far

When the air force

Takes command

America today is watching her skies with grave concern.

For in these skies of peace, the nation is building its defense.

To the officers and men of The United States Air Force,

to The Strategic Air Command, whose cooperation is gratefully acknowledged,

and to the young men of America who will one day

take their places besides them, this motion picture is dedicated.

Well, here we are.

An Elderly Parson, shouldn't yield to temptation this way.

Oh, nonsense, Dad.

The sun will do you good.

Good morning.

Hi, darling!

Hey, that boy's good.

Who is he?

He's a rookie named Brewster. Just up from Columbus.

Hi, Joe. How am I doing, coach?

Well, you're comming along.

Coming along, huh?

This daughter of yours is kind of hard to please, you know?

Say, how about that Brewster kid? Doesn't he look sharp?

No. They ougth to play him at third.

He doesn't move well to the right.

You want him to take my job.

Oh!, in 3 or 4 years, perhaps.

He's young. He can wait.

Yeah, true.

What's going on now, Robert?

Intersquad game. Reds against the blues.

I'm captain of the blues. See you later.

Oh, that reminds me.

I forgot to give Dutch a message.

Some Air Force friend of his named Rusty Castle

phoned and said he was comming over.

Oh, well, Dutch won't care much

one way or the other.

How do you know he won't?

Well, I just know.

He's and old war buddy of his, a flyer or something,

and I know Dutch.

The last thing he wants is to hass over old times.

You seem to know you husband very well

considering the short time you've been married.

Oh, I do! I know him like a book.

- Is that so surprising? - Well, rather.

Why?

I've known your mother for 30 years.

What I don't know about her would fill a very large book.

Now, I'm just going to show you.

Brewster is comming to bat,

and Dutch likes him.

And the kid always hits to the left.

Now, you just watch Dutch.

If he connects,

he's going to try to make it look like a hit.

See what I mean?

Any more questions, Dr. Thorne?

Well, I guess we better go, Dad.

Good morning, reverend, Sally.

Hi, Tom.

Well, our boy looks pretty good.

Yes, he's coming along.

Can't you stay a while?

No, thank you. Dad has to work on his sermon,

and I have to go home

and get ready for the housewarming.

You just stay here and watch your livestock at work.

And pretty expensive livestock...

especially your husband.

Yes, well, feeding him is no cinch, either, you know.

I'll see you later. Tom. Bye-bye.

- Mrs. Holland? - Yes.

I'm Rusty Castle.

Oh, yes, of course!

This is my father Dr. Thorne

and Mr. Doyle.

Hello, Mr. Doyle.

Well, I'm glad to meet you, General.

- General? - Rusty!

Rusty, how are you?

Hello, Dutch.

Boy, am I glad to see you.

Hey, you're looking great. How are you hitting them?

Oh, I'm getting in shape.

- Did you meet all these people? - Yeah.

Why didn't you tell us you were coming to town?

Well, see. I was over at a staff meeting at MacDill...

Oh, General Castle did phone.

I haven't had a chance to tell you. I'm sorry.

Oh! Oh, well, that's all right!

When, you just got here at the right time.

We're having a houseworming tonight.

How about staying over, huh?

Well, I...

- Oh, please do! - Along, come on!

I'd be glad to.

Good.

Well, I've got to run, sweetheart,

and I'll see you later.

I'm awfully glad you can stay, General.

Thanks, Mrs. Holland.

Goodbye, reverend.

Well, what do you know? What's new, Rusty?

Well, come on, give me the lowdown.

That's just what I came to do, Dutch.

But I think it better wait until later.

Oh? What, is something cooking?

Yeah, in a way.

Is that so?

Hey, Dutch, you're up!

Oh!, I'll see you later.

Dutch is pretty valuable to the Cardinals,

Isn't he, Mr. Doyle?

Valuable?

He drove in 152 runs last year.

He just signed a $70.000 a year contract.

We don't pay salaries like that

for fun, General.

Yes, I can understand that.

Dutch was the best B-29 commander I had.

Not many men with his judgment, coordination,

and whatever else it takes

to come through in the pinches.

Why did you ask me that, General?

Why?

I was thinking...

He'd be just as valuable to S.A.C.

S.A.C? What's S.A.C.?

Strategic Air Command.

We're the Air Forces's Global bombing outfit.

Oh. You're the boys that dropped the A-Bomb?

Well, I hope not.

Our job is to be ready and able

to strike back anywhere in the world

if this country is ever attacked.

And quite a job you got there, General.

Yes, It's a big job, all right.

Our greatest problem is personnel, Mr. Doyle.

We need mature, experienced leaders in S.A.C.

Men like Dutch.

Are you trying to tell me they want Dutch back in the Air Force?

That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, Mr Doyle.

Oh, boy!

Well, this is the craziest thing I've ever heard of.

What do you want with a guy me age?

I haven't flown and airplane in 6 years.

I've never even been close to a jet.

Look, Dutch, we don't need young kids in S.A.C.

We need old hands like you, experience.

Well, where's the fire?

I, I, I just don't see the necessity.

You would if you were in my seat.

Look, do you realize

that we're the only thing that's keeping the peace?

By staying combat ready, we can prevent a war.

Dutch, if I didn't beleave that,

If my commanders and crew didn't believe that,

I couldn't get a single airplane off the ground.

But I I've don't my share.

Doggone it, why do you have to recall me?

I'm not recalling you, Dutch. This wasn't my decision.

Believe me, I fell worse about it than you do.

I asked you to take that reserve commission

just as a gesture for old time's sake.

I never thought the time would come.

All right, whose decision was this?

General Hawkes.

I even tried to talk him out of it,

but they're calling up everyone in your reserve classification.