The Air Force Public Affairs Hall of Fame recognizes those Public
Affairs professionals who have made unique, significant, and lasting
contributions to the United States Air Force.
Members of the Hall of Fame, whether enlisted, officer, or civilian,
were groundbreaking leaders in one or more of the specialties
encompassed by the Air Force Public Affairs career field — Band,
Broadcasting, Visual Information/Combat Camera, and Information/Public
Affairs. They secured their places of honor in the history and
traditions of the Air Force by their ceaseless and eminently successful
efforts to earn it the trust, confidence, and appreciation of the
American people.
The Hall of Fame has both a physical and virtual location. A wall
display at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland opened
in February 2025. The display,
pictured in the story below, features the
“Pioneers” – the original fifteen members of the Hall of Fame. The
virtual Hall of Fame on this website features both the Pioneers and the
nineteen more members who have been inducted since the Hall of Fame
began in July 2021.
To read about the accomplishments of the distinguished professionals who
have been honored as
Hall of Fame inductees, see the list below.
Know someone, living or deceased, who you feel is worthy of this unique
honor?
Go here to learn how the nomination and selection process works.
By: Clem Gaines
After several years of coordination and design, a wall display featuring
the Air Force Public Affairs Hall of Fame has been installed at the
Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland.
The Air Force Public Affairs Association (AFPAA), in coordination with
the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, established the
Hall of Fame (HOF) in 2021 to recognize and honor those who made
significant and lasting contributions to the creation, growth and
operation of the Air Force Public Affairs family of career fields,
including the information/public affairs, band, visual
information/Combat Camera and broadcasting specialties.
According to Art Forster, AFPAA’s HOF committee chairman, “We modeled
our Hall of Fame after the Army Public Affairs Hall of Fame that was
created by the Army Public Affairs Association and the Office of the
Chief of Army Public Affairs in 2000. They later established a wall
display at DINFOS to honor their HOF inductees. We subsequently decided
to build our own display so DINFOS students would learn about the
pioneers who helped build and grow the Air Force Public Affairs career
field.”
The Air Force Public Affairs Hall of Fame display highlights the fifteen
members of the first, or Pioneer, Class of 2021. Scanning a QR code on
the display provides direct access to AFPAA’s website and the Hall of
Fame section that includes photos and bios of all HOF members who have
been inducted since 2021.
The display includes additional information about AFPAA, the Hall of
Fame and how to submit a nomination. It is located across the hall from
an Air Force Public Affairs heritage display. A ribbon cutting ceremony
will be held at a later date.
To view the list of all the members of the Hall of Fame, click or tap on
the "All Inductees" tab. You can also search for an inductee either
alphabetically by the first letter of their last name, or by when they
were inducted.
Click or tap on an inductee's picture to learn more about their
accomplishments and their lasting contributions to the Public Affairs
profession.
If you are a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Association, the
Combat Camera Association, the Air Force Musicians Association, or the
Air Force Broadcasters Alumni group, and know of a deserving candidate
for induction into the Hall of Fame, you can submit a nomination to the
Hall of Fame Committee by
completing the nomination form below.
Selections for induction into the Hall of Fame are made on an annual
basis. The deadline for submitting a nomination is December 1st of each
year.
The Hall of Fame Committee consists of representatives from AFPAA, the
Combat Camera Association, the Air Force Musicians Association, and the
Air Force Broadcasters Alumni group. The committee reviews all
nominations received and makes recommendations for each year’s class of
inductees. The committee’s recommendations are then shared with the
SAF/PA Director for his or her input, prior to a final selection
decision by the AFPAA Board of Directors.
The members of the Hall of Fame Committee are:
If you need additional information about the Hall of Fame or the nominating process, please send your questions to the committee via email to: hof@afpaaa.org.