documents of all 88 wings in the Air National Guard. With the stroke of a pen, the collective memory of the entire Air National Guard was eliminated.

One the surface, the move appeared to effect only 88 people. In reality, the removal of the positions and the personnel trained in the program will have a dramatic and long term effect on the Air National Guard. In the not-too-distant future, when the Air National Guard again faces a BRAC or quadrennial defense review or when bottom-line decisions are made regarding funding, weapons systems and mission areas, the ANG will then realize that it cannot prove that its needs are legitimate. There is a saying in certain Air Force circles that states: "if it isn't written down somewhere, it didn't happen." The ANG seems to have forgotten or ignored that maxim.

For the Air National Guard, removal of historians from operational wings in the 50 states and territories the conclusion is inevitable; their operational histories will be lost, along with their achievements and the contributions they make to national defense.

Once again, another old cliché comes to mind and it is this: "penny wise and pound foolish." In an attempt to complete the processes ordered by a Secretary of Defense insistent on transformation, the net result is the loss of valuable data and records that have long been used to preserve for posterity, the achievements of the nation's youngest service.

For future researchers, historians and government officials, that lack of information will create questions in the future too numerous to answer.