BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY AIR FORCE HANDBOOK 84-106 OF THE AIR FORCE 17 APRIL 2020 History AEROSPACE HISTORIAN OPERATIONS IN PEACE AND WAR ACCESSIBILITY: Publications and forms are available on the e-Publishing website at www.e-Publishing.af.mil for downloading or ordering RELEASABILITY: There are no releasability restrictions on this publication OPR: AF/HO Certified by: AF/HO (Mr. Walter A. Grudzinskas) Supersedes: AFH84-106, 2 April 2020 Pages: 54 This publication provides guidance for Air Force Historians and augments Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 84-1, History and Heritage Management, and Air Force Instruction (AFI) 84- 101, Aerospace Historian Responsibilities and Management. This publication provides information and instructional material for Air Force Historians to produce their periodic history in support of the Air Force mission. This publication applies to all civilian employees and uniformed members of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. This Air Force publication may be supplemented at any level; supplements must be reviewed by this publications office of primary responsibility (OPR) prior to a supplements certification, approval and implementation. Refer recommend changes and questions about this publication to the OPR using the AF Form 847, Recommendation for Change of Publication; route AF Form 847 from the field through the appropriate functional chain of command. Ensure all information collected and maintained as a result of processes described in this publication protected by 5 USC 552a, The Privacy Act of 1974. Ensure all records generated as a result of processes prescribed in this publication adhere to Air Force Instruction 33-322, Records Management and Information Governance Program, and are disposed in accordance with the Air Force Records Disposition Schedule, which is located in the Air Force Records Information Management System. SUMMARY OF CHANGES Paragraph 3.1.2. was updated to reflect current information. 2 AFH84-106 17 APRIL 2020 Chapter 1—THE HISTORIAN’S CRAFT 4 1.1. The Historian as a Function of Command. ............................................................ 4 1.2. Roles and Responsibilities. .................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2—THE COMMAND HISTORY REPORT 10 2.1. The Modular Command History Report. ................................................................ 10 2.2. History Collection Plan. ......................................................................................... 10 2.3. Topic Selection. ...................................................................................................... 11 2.4. Working Files. ....................................................................................................... 13 2.5. Privacy Act information. ......................................................................................... 13 2.6. The Research Process. ........................................................................................... 14 2.7. Historical Sources. .................................................................................................. 16 2.8. Analyzing Historical Sources. ............................................................................... 17 2.9. Writing the History. ............................................................................................... 19 2.10. Formatting the Report. ........................................................................................... 20 2.11. Report Anatomy. .................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3—HISTORICAL OPERATIONS IN CONTINGENCIES AND WAR 33 3.1. Air Force History Operations. ................................................................................ 33 3.2. Operational History Team. ..................................................................................... 34 3.3. Historians and Echelon Documentation. ................................................................ 35 3.4. Wartime History Reports. ...................................................................................... 36 3.5. Levels of Warfare. ................................................................................................. 37 3.6. Deployments. ......................................................................................................... 37 Attachment 1—GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION 40 Attachment 2—FOOTNOTE EXAMPLES 44 Attachment 3—HEADING EXAMPLE 47 Attachment 4—CHRONOLOGY EXAMPLE 48 Attachment 5—SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND CASE FILE NUMBERING EXAMPLE 49 Attachment 6—CASE FILE EXAMPLE 50 AFH84-106 17 APRIL 2020 3 Attachment 7—NUMBERING ALLOCATION TABLE 52 Attachment 8—SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS 53 4 AFH84-106 17 APRIL 2020 Chapter 1 THE HISTORIAN’S CRAFT 1.1. The Historian as a Function of Command. Historians at all levels reside on the commander’s staff as a separate two-letter staff agency. As such, the historian has access to venues and perspectives that provide a holistic view of the spectrum of unit activities. In this sense, the historian exercises sound judgment when integrating within the staff and establishing trust among key stakeholders that provide important documentation and information. 1.2. Roles and Responsibilities. The historian is responsible for a number of important activities within the unit, all of which revolve around the unit mission. These include documenting the unit’s activities, maintaining the unit’s archives, visualizing the unit’s heritage, and providing responses to inform leadership or the general public that relate to the unit’s unique history. 1.2.1. Capturing Activities of the Present. The Air Force historian’s role within an organization focuses on harvesting information on the unit’s current activities. This differs from what many perceive as a traditional historian who focuses on past events and interpreting or reinterpreting those events in light of current scholarship. Air Force historians, as part of their units, focus on mission accomplishment and the myriad subjects that affect the mission. This may include manpower, weapon systems, or infrastructure issues, all of which will be of concern to the unit’s leadership and Airmen executing the mission. Documenting these events can be a challenging task, often requiring the historian’s presence at locations scattered across the installation. The history office is usually occupied by a single historian, and these activities must be documented within a given workday. The challenge, then, is to ensure the installation and its units are aware of the historian’s role in documenting daily operations. 1.2.1.1. Instilling Historical Mindedness. The historian helps develop historical mindedness within the unit by becoming visible. This is accomplished by visiting work centers, observing unit activities, and making appointments with key participants to discuss their work center’s roles in mission accomplishment. Participation in exercises will also be critical to the historian for two reasons. First, the historian gains a better understanding of the nature and reasons for the exercise as it relates to the mission. Secondly, participating in the exercise exposes key participants to the historian’s role in observing the exercise and documenting important activities as they relate to the scenario. Finally, instilling historical mindedness is an ongoing activity as new personnel arrive within the unit. However, this presents opportunities to share the unit’s history or documentation with newly arrived Airmen. 1.2.1.2. Building Relationships. The historian must build relationships within the unit. Trust will not be automatic. Further, as many new historians may incorrectly assume, documentation will not automatically arrive in the office. The historian must seek it and this can only be accomplished by visiting the many work centers that constitute a large wing, numbered air force, or major command. Listening skills are one of the most important tenets for a new historian. Listening to a mission briefing, explanation of responsibilities by a shop chief, or speaking with key leadership helps the historian gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of a unit mission. Observing is another important tenet. Building bridges within the unit is dynamic unto itself and requires constant dialogue with personnel from all agencies or units within the organization. The historian must also AFH84-106 17 APRIL 2020 5 remember that relationships are reciprocal. Pushing information to personnel is as important as receiving the information. Informing personnel of why their perspectives are important is key to building relationships within the unit. Trust is developed when the historian reciprocates with a professional demeanor, is courteous, responds to all inquiries regardless of how simple, and shows a genuine interest in the individuals being engaged. Simply stated, the more time the historian spends out of the office engaging with work centers or key participants the more the historian will understand the unit. 1.2.1.3. Building an operational office. Historians are one of the few personnel within the unit that have an opportunity to have a holistic view of the unit mission. This is by virtue an outgrowth of the historian’s mission to chronicle the unit’s mission via access to many important meetings, observation of key events, and engagement with every organization or work center on the installation.