Peterson Air Force Base held a birthday party last week where the participants got to pick the celebrated age.

Like 25? You can celebrate the silver anniversary of the 21st Space Wing. Is a mature 35 more to your liking? Blow out the candles for Air Force Space Command.

Bigger numbers were offered, too – 70 years for the Air Force itself and 75 for Peterson Air Force Base.

“It’s a great day to celebrate,” said Col. Doug Schiess, who leads the space wing.

The baby of the bunch is the space wing, which came into being in 1992, when the Air Force merged a pair of Colorado Springs units.

While it is headquartered here, the 21st has units all over the globe, from the arctic reaches of Thule, Greenland, to the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Spread through 13 time zones, the wing’s 9,000 airmen and civilian workers monitor missile launches around the planet and track objects in orbit. They’re also the landlords who run Peterson and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.

“We have continued to evolve and rise to the challenge of the past 25 years,” Schiess said.

The next birthday in line is for Air Force Space Command, which was established in 1982 to manage the Air Force’s growing constellation of military satellites.

The command, headquartered at Peterson, runs key systems including the Global Positioning System, which provides navigation for the military and cab drivers worldwide.

September will bring the official birthday for the Air Force, which was split from the Army by the National Security Act of 1947.

In May of 1942, the growing Army Air Corps first came to Colorado Springs, with trainees using what was then the Colorado Springs Airport to prepare for combat in Europe and the Pacific.

Peterson Air Force Base is named for Lt. Edward Peterson, who died in a training flight over the field on Aug. 8, 1942.

Schiess said the 75-year relationship between Colorado Springs and the Air Force has evolved, with the town embracing its airmen like no other place in America.

“Colorado Springs is one of the most friendly neighborhoods we have ever seen,” he said.

Jeff Greene, chief of staff to Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, said the city will continue to be a friendly home for its 40,000 active- duty troops.

“Part of what makes this community so great is our partnerships and collaboration,” Greene said. “Colorado Springs is proud to be home to the 21st Space Wing.”

The wing is prepared for a long stay in the city.

Schiess and other officials planted a time capsule with memorabilia from the unit that will be opened by 21st Space Wing airmen during the unit’s golden anniversary rites in 2042.

“None of this would be possible without the support of the community,” Schiess said.