Airpower on the wane?

I just read Martin Van Creveld's The Age of Airpower. It is an excellent history of airships, airplanes, and helicopters. It walks one from early manned airpower (from the Wrights) to today just after the Iraq surge. I am not ready to give Van Creveld the applause because he believes airpower is on the wane, partially due to David Petraeus' wishing to leave most airpower at home in insurgencies. I think they still have their purpose, especially planes such as the A10.

I am in Tucson, where the A10 has a mainstay, so that may influence it. I have also heard about the A10 being significant for close air support with the infantry. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the history of airpower.

Do you believe airpower is less necessary for waging warfare? Respond in the comments section or tweet me @jtarb1 on Twitter.

6 Ways to Honor Veterans

1. Don't ask, "Did you kill anyone?"
Don't bring back bad memories.

2. Offer to pay for their check.
If you see a Veteran wearing a unit hat at a restaurant, you can offer to pay for their check. Even if they don't accept your payment, they'll feel honored.

3. Ask them about their service, but see #1.
Ask them about their unit or what they did for the military. It'll likely bring back good memories. Just don't ask about killing people.

4. Offer to buy them a drink, and see #3.
Offer to buy them a drink. Ask about their service. Just don't go to excess with buying them drinks. There are a lot of service members with alcohol or former alcohol-based problems.

5. Find out about the military.
Find out about the service. This will give some common ground to understand when you ask about their service. I have had people ask if the infantry took care of babies. Ugh.

6. Buy them a gift card.
A gift card, even of small denominations, will be a great way to show your appreciation and make sure the business you support is paid for their service, rather than spent on rent (or whatever).