The U . S . Air Force ( song ) " The U . S . Air Force " is the official song of the United States Air Force . Originally , the song was titled as " Army Air Corps " . Robert MacArthur Crawford wrote the lyrics and music during 1938 . In 1947 , when the Air Force became a separate service , the song became the " Air Force Song " . History . In 1937 , Assistant Chief of the Air Corps Brig . Gen . Henry H . Arnold persuaded the Chief of the Air Corps , Maj . Gen . Oscar Westover , that the Air Corps needed an official song reflecting their unique identity in the same manner as the other military services , and proposed a song competition with a prize to the winner . However , the Air Corps did not control its budget , and could not give a prize . In April 1938 , Bernarr A . Macfadden , publisher of " Liberty " magazine stepped in , offering a prize of $ 1 , 000 to the winning composer , stipulating that the song must be of simple " harmonic structure " , " within the limits of [ an ] untrained voice " , and its beat in " march tempo of military pattern " . Over 700 compositions were received and evaluated by a volunteer committee of senior Air Corps wives with musical backgrounds chaired by Mildred Yount , the wife of Brig . Gen . Barton K . Yount . The committee had until July 1939 to make a final choice . However , word eventually spread that the committee did not find any songs that satisfied them , despite the great number of entries . Arnold , who became Chief of the Air Corps in 1938 after Westover was killed in a plane crash , solicited direct inquiries from professional composers and commercial publishers , including Meredith Willson and Irving Berlin , but not even Berlin ' s creation proved satisfactory , although it was used as the title music to " Winged Victory " by Moss Hart . Two days before the deadline , Crawford , a music instructor , aviation enthusiast , and professional musician billed as " the Flying Baritone , " personally delivered a sound recording of his entry , which proved to be a unanimous winner . Mrs . Yount recalled that Rudolph Ganz , guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra and a consultant to the committee , was immediately and enthusiastically in favor of the winner . The contest rules required the winner to submit his entry in written form , and Crawford immediately complied . However his original title , " What Do You think of the Air Corps Now ? " , was soon officially changed to " The Army Air Corps " . Crawford himself publicly sang the song for the first time over national radio from the 1939 National Air Races . Not everyone was fond of the song . During a dinner of September 1939 , Mrs . Yount played a recording of the song for Charles Lindbergh and asked his opinion . He responded politely to Yount , but years later remarked in a diary , " I think it is mediocre at best . Neither the music nor the words appealed to me . " Arnold did not share Lindbergh ' s opinion : he sought to fund publication of band and ensemble arrangements of the song for nationwide distribution . However , the Air Corps did not have enough money to publicize the song , so Crawford arranged a transfer of the song ' s copyright to New York music publisher Carl Fischer Inc . , including a perpetual performance release in favor of the U . S . Air Force . Additional songs . In addition to the U . S . Air Force song , there have been several other songs that have been at times used by the Air Force regionally and nationally during public events . However , none of them was ever identified as " the Air Force song " . One song in particular , " Men in the Air Force Blue " , written and copyrighted in 1966 , was for a time in the mid 1960s and early 1970s a favorite among Air Force personnel both in country and abroad . The song was written by Eve Lawson , the wife of Technical Sergeant Lawrence E . Lawson , while they were stationed at Niagara Falls . She initially performed the song locally but soon went on to perform at several public events for the Air Force in Washington D . C . It was during one of these performances that the song caught the attention of President Lyndon B . Johnson who had one of his senior military aides write a letter to her thanking her for the contribution of the song and of her performance . Following the song began to catch a more broad following with performances by Eve Lawson on local and nationwide radio and even an appearance on Liz Dribben ' s Dialing for Dollars television program . Performance of the song . Most commonly , only the first verse is performed , though in professional performances all four verses may be presented . The song is often sung at Air Force - related functions , and is sung before Physical Training ( PT ) exercise by basic trainees at Lackland Air Force Base . Although not the Academy ' s official fight song , the first verse of the song is also frequently played at United States Air Force Academy sporting events and at other Academy functions , such as parades . Third verse . The third verse ( " Here ' s a toast . . . " ) has a different melody , and a more reverent mood than the rest of the song to commemorate those who have fallen in the service of the Air Force and the United States . This verse is sometimes performed independently of the other verses . The third verse is sung by itself as the Air Force Academy ' s alma mater after most Academy sporting events , with the entire Cadet Wing participating after a football game . It is sung in conjunction with Army ' s Alma Mater and Navy ' s Blue and Gold , when the teams combine to participate in the singing of both Academies ' songs . The third verse is also traditionally sung by Academy cadets and graduates to honor the passing of a fellow cadet or graduate . Changes in lyrics to rhyme with " Force " . Following the initial change on June 20 , 1941 of the American air army ' s name from " Army Air Corps " to " Army Air Force ( s ) " , to the post - World War II 1947 establishment of the separate " U . S . Air Force " , an attempt was made to change the sixth line of each verse so that the last word rhymed with " force " instead of " corps " . Thus , " Off with one helluva roar ! " became " Off on one helluva course ! " ; " Gave us wings , ever to soar ! " became " Gave our wings every resource ! " ; and " We ' ll be there , followed by more ! " became " We ' ll be there , ever on course ! " These changes appeared in the 1972 edition of the USAF publication " Air Force Customs and Courtesies " but were never popular , and the lyrics were later reverted without fanfare in later editions . Alternate song : U . S . Air Force Blue . An unofficial Air Force song , " Air Force Blue , " was composed during 1956 by Marilyn Scott and Keith Textor , who specialized in providing music for radio and television commercials . It was sung by the Basic Airmens Choir of Parks Air Force Base , California , at SAC ' s 25th anniversary on the Dave Garroway Show in 1956 , and released as a feature in the " Air Force News " newsreel as sung by Mitch Miller ' s chorus and orchestra . " They took the blue from the skies and a pretty girl ' s eyes and a touch of Old Glory ' s hue , And gave it to the men who proudly wear the U . S . Air Force blue . The U . S . Air Force Blue ! Oh , they are men with a dream on America ' s team , They ' re a rugged and ready crew . And you can bet your boots the world looks up to U . S . Air Force Blue . To U . S . Air Force Blue ! They know where they ' re goin ' , they ' ve set their course , the sky ' s no limit in the Air Force . They took the blue from the skies and a pretty girl ' s eyes and a touch of Old Glory ' s hue , And gave it to the men who proudly wear the U . S . Air Force Blue . And you can wear it too ! The U . S . . . Air Force . . . Blue ! " The video can be found on YouTube . The Air Force bought the rights to the song and released it into the public domain . The current arrangement , by MSgt Tom Dosett , has the following lyrics : " We take the blue from the skies and some pretty blue eyes And a touch of Old Glory ' s hue , And fervently declare we ' re proud to wear The U . S . Air Force Blue . We have the drive and the dream in America ' s team We ' re a rugged and ready crew And you can bet your boots the world looks up To U . S . Air Force Blue . We know where we ' re going , we ' ve set our course The sky ' s no limit in the Air Force ! And when the blue from the skies meets the gleam in our eyes And a touch of Old Glory ' s hue , We fervently declare we ' re proud to wear The U . S . Air Force Blue . "