ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
John DeShetler, 316th Wing historian, is hard at work in his new position-one that involves much more than recording events that occurred long ago. "When people think of historians, they think of people who sit in rooms and blow the dust off book covers," said Mr. DeShetler. "But, it's so much more than that. I am capturing what is happening in the present for research in the future."
During Mr. DeShetler's military career, he witnessed the attack on the Khobar Towers in June 1996. "I wanted a job where I would be able to capture all that happened," said Mr. DeShetler. "There was an overage of weapons people and they were allowing people to retrain, so I cross trained into history."
Mr. DeShetler also considered his future when deciding into which area to cross train. "I saw greater opportunities in research and writing," said Mr. DeShetler.
Mr. DeShetler looks forward to tackling the challenges that lie ahead. "I am starting the 316 WG history program from scratch," said Mr. DeShetler. "It's a brand new history office and I look forward to setting the standards for the 316th Wing."
One of Mr. DeShetler's main priorities is covering the stand-up of the Wing from 22 June 2006 to the end of this year. Mr DeShetler is working on the development of the 316th Wing's first history report to include the wing's mission, operations, and local activities. "I provide a scope as to how the 316th as the host wing supports the Andrews mission as a whole."
Mr. DeShetler said that of the five common questions including, who, what, when, why, and how, as a historian, his focus is on the how and why. "How and why are the two most important questions in history," said Mr. DeShetler.
For more information about the 316th Wing and Andrews AFB history, contact Mr. DeShetler at john.deshetler@andrews.af.mil.