Photo of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Samuel Galan, a UH-1Y Venom crew chief assigned to Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron (HMLA) 169, opens fire while conducting an interdiction mission over Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 3, 2013. Galan, from Houston, Texas, is deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps

From 1794, when French balloonists dropped messages from the basket of l’Entreprenant to report on Austrian troop movements to the first use of Morse code conveyed by electrical cables by Union aeronauts in 1861, armies developed means of coordinating intelligence gathered from the air to their forces on the ground quickly enough for it to be useful. The airplane entered the picture in 1911 during the Italian invasion of Ottoman-held Libya, when the first scouting flight was followed within days by the first hand-dropped explosives. In 1912 British experiments with wireless signaling enabled the airplane to provide troops and artillerists what they needed to know in real time, and throughout World War I improvements in the aircraft led to more means of harnessing their potential to provide well-coordinated close air support. By 1918 that included airdrops of ammunition and supplies, as well as specialized ground attack planes, taking the fight down on the enemy.

Introduced to military use during World War II and made practical during the Korean War, the helicopter became an indispensable supplement to the airplane, with the added advantage of being able to land and depart from terrain where an airplane could not—a critical asset to which many a medevaced soldier owed his life.

FRANCE - CIRCA 1910: Artillery manoeuvres, guided by a plane, at the camp of Chalons-sur-Marne (Marne), on August 1910.A Farman III biplane performs scouting duties during a French artillery exercise near Châlons-sur-Marne (present-day Châlons-sur- Champagne) in 1910. A year later Italy would use warplanes in earnest in Libya. (Branger/Roger VIollet, FPG, Print COllector, Corbis (Getty Images))

Photo of Bulgarian airmen prepare for a mission to drop a bomb by hand on Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey), from their Bleriot XI aircraft, during the First Balkan War, circa 1913. The Bulgarian Air Force was the first to use aircraft for offensive military action.Bulgarian airmen in a Blériot XI-2 set out on a bombing mission against Ottoman defenses in Adrianople (present- day Edirne, Turkey) in 1913 during the First Balkan War. (Branger/Roger VIollet, FPG, Print COllector, Corbis (Getty Images))

Illustration of Trench Strafing, First World War, (c1920). 'British low- flying scouts co-operating in an infantry attack on the Western Front'. Biplanes shooting at Germans in the trenches.An S.E.5a (left) and a Sopwith Camel strafe German trenches as the prelude to a British ad-vance in late 1917. Fighter pilots, who were fair game for every enemy holding a gun, considered it a “dirty job,” but it increasingly became a regular part of their duties. (Branger/Roger VIollet, FPG, Print COllector, Corbis (Getty Images))

Photo of Junkers Ju 87D Stukas peel off to attack a Soviet road column in a classic use of the dive bomber as “flying artillery”—provided there is no aerial opposition.Junkers Ju 87D Stukas peel off to attack a Soviet road column in a classic use of the dive bomber as “flying artillery”—provided there is no aerial opposition. (Bundesarchiv)

Photo of Carrier-based Grumman TBF-1 Avengers soften up Japa-nese fortifications for advancing Marines on Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, on Feb. 1, 1944.Carrier-based Grumman TBF-1 Avengers soften up Japa-nese fortifications for advancing Marines on Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, on Feb. 1, 1944. (National Archives)

Photo of a U.S. Marine spotter plane flies an artillery control mission over the front lines on Okinawa, Japan on June 2, 1945 during World War II. Below, smoke rises from artillery and mortar fire on enemy strongpoints.A Stinson L-5 Sentinel does artillery spotting for Marines on Okinawa on June 2, 1945. (U.S. Marine Corps (Associated Press);)

Photo of a U. S. Navy photographer readies his reconnaissance camera for a shot from an airplane. Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia. | Location: Norfolk Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.The observer in a U.S. Navy aircraft trains in aerial photography at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va., in 1940. (Branger/Roger VIollet, FPG, Print COllector, Corbis (Getty Images))

Photo of a Eastern Aircraft TBM-1 spearheads a Marine assault on a hidden Japanese strongpoint on Okinawa on April 1, 1945.An Eastern Aircraft TBM-1 spearheads a Marine assault on a hidden Japanese strongpoint on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. (R.A. Bailey (U.S. Marine Corps))

Photo of from the air of a US Skyraider from Attack Squadron 75 dropping three bombs over the Korean countryside during the Korean War, Korea. Smoke rises from bombs that have hit the ground. The planes flew from the US Navy aircraft carrier the USS 'Bon Homme Richard 1952Douglas AD-4 Skyraiders of attack squadron VA-75 from the carrier Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) hit communist positions in Korea in 1952. (U.S. Navy)

Photo of showing Cooperating with radio-equipped forward combat controllers, a Vought F4U-4 Corsair bombs an enemy bunker in Korea on Aug. 19, 1952.Cooperating with radio-equipped forward combat controllers, a Vought F4U-4 Corsair bombs an enemy bunker in Korea on Aug. 19, 1952. (U.S. Marine Corps )

Photo More typically used as a night fighter, a U.S. Marine Grumman F7F Tigercat provides close air support for colleagues on the ground in Korea.More typically used as a night fighter, a U.S. Marine Grumman F7F Tigercat provides close air support for colleagues on the ground in Korea. (U.S. Navy)

Photo showing, September 18, 1965 - Bien Hoa, South Vietnam: Helicopters, carrying members of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, fire on a Viet Cong position as they prepare to land about eight miles from Bien Hoa. This was the Brigade's first jungle operation since its arrival in South Vietnam.Bell UH-1 Iroquois “slicks” transport elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade to their first operation 8 miles from Bien Hoa, Vietnam, while other Hueys, armed with machine guns and rockets, plaster a suspected Viet Cong position on Sept. 18, 1965. (Bettmann (Getty Images))

Photo of, Responding to reports of Viet Cong mortar attacks on two landing zones in 1966, a Vought F-8E Crusader of U.S. Marine fighter (all-weather) squadron VMF (AW)-312 unloads on a target after its element leader dropped its bombs.Responding to reports of Viet Cong mortar attacks on two landing zones in 1966, a Vought F-8E Crusader of U.S. Marine fighter (all- weather) squadron VMF (AW)-312 unloads on a target after its element leader dropped its bombs. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Photo of U.S. paratroopers come to the aid of a fallen buddy after being evacuated from Hamburger Hill on the western edge of the A Shau Valley, May 1969. Troops of the 101st Airborne suffered heavy casualties in 10 days of close quarters fighting before finally taking Ap Bia Mountain.On May 19, 1969, amid the grueling 10-day struggle for Ap Bia Mountain, aka “Hamburger Hill,” a wounded trooper of the 101st Airborne Division is medevaced by Huey helicopter to the nearest facility. (Associated Press)

Photo of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Samuel Galan, a UH-1Y Venom crew chief assigned to Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron (HMLA) 169, opens fire while conducting an interdiction mission over Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 3, 2013. Galan, from Houston, Texas, is deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine CorpsSergeant Samuel Galan of U.S. Marine light helicopter attack squadron HMLA-169 breaks up a Taliban ambush in Helmand province, Afghanistan, using a minigun mounted in a Bell UH-1Y Venom helicopter gunship on Feb. 3, 2013. (Corporal Alejandro Pena (U.S. Marine Corps))

FRANCE - CIRCA 1910: Artillery manoeuvres, guided by a plane, at the camp of Chalons-sur-Marne (Marne), on August 1910.Photo of Bulgarian airmen prepare for a mission to drop a bomb by hand on Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey), from their Bleriot XI aircraft, during the First Balkan War, circa 1913. The Bulgarian Air Force was the first to use aircraft for offensive military action.Illustration of Trench Strafing, First World War, (c1920). 'British low-flying scouts co-operating in an infantry attack on the Western Front'. Biplanes shooting at Germans in the trenches.Photo of Junkers Ju 87D Stukas peel off to attack a Soviet road column in a classic use of the dive bomber as “flying artillery”—provided there is no aerial opposition.Photo of Carrier-based Grumman TBF-1 Avengers soften up Japa-nese fortifications for advancing Marines on Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, on Feb. 1, 1944.Photo of a U.S. Marine spotter plane flies an artillery control mission over the front lines on Okinawa, Japan on June 2, 1945 during World War II. Below, smoke rises from artillery and mortar fire on enemy strongpoints.Photo of a U. S. Navy photographer readies his reconnaissance camera for a shot from an airplane. Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia. | Location: Norfolk Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.Photo of a Eastern Aircraft TBM-1 spearheads a Marine assault on a hidden Japanese strongpoint on Okinawa on April 1, 1945.Photo of from the air of a US Skyraider from Attack Squadron 75 dropping three bombs over the Korean countryside during the Korean War, Korea. Smoke rises from bombs that have hit the ground. The planes flew from the US Navy aircraft carrier the USS 'Bon Homme Richard 1952Photo of showing Cooperating with radio-equipped forward combat controllers, a Vought F4U-4 Corsair bombs an enemy bunker in Korea on Aug. 19, 1952.Photo More typically used as a night fighter, a U.S. Marine Grumman F7F Tigercat provides close air support for colleagues on the ground in Korea.Photo showing, September 18, 1965 - Bien Hoa, South Vietnam: Helicopters, carrying members of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, fire on a Viet Cong position as they prepare to land about eight miles from Bien Hoa. This was the Brigade's first jungle operation since its arrival in South Vietnam.Photo of, Responding to reports of Viet Cong mortar attacks on two landing zones in 1966, a Vought F-8E Crusader of U.S. Marine fighter (all-weather) squadron VMF (AW)-312 unloads on a target after its element leader dropped its bombs.Photo of U.S. paratroopers come to the aid of a fallen buddy after being evacuated from Hamburger Hill on the western edge of the A Shau Valley, May 1969. Troops of the 101st Airborne suffered heavy casualties in 10 days of close quarters fighting before finally taking Ap Bia Mountain.Photo of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Samuel Galan, a UH-1Y Venom crew chief assigned to Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron (HMLA) 169, opens fire while conducting an interdiction mission over Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 3, 2013. Galan, from Houston, Texas, is deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps