April 3, 2018

Academy kicks off AFAF campaign

AFAF campaign By Tech. Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes, April 3, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- As part of its charitable tradition, the Air Force Academy kicked off the annual Air Force Assistance Fund campaign April 2. “AFAF is an annual effort to raise funds for the charitable affiliates that provide support to our Air Force families in need, including active-duty, reservists, Guard members, retirees and our dependents including surviving spouses,” said Capt. Danielle Duso, installation project officer for the AFAF. "The Academy’s goal this year is just under $45,000 and if even 25 percent of our members contribute...

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March 21, 2018

72 hours: Cadet saves suicidal man, assists finding crashed plane

By Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, March 21, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- There’s a lot more to the Air Force Academy’s honor code than not lying, stealing or cheating and tolerating those who do. “To me, it’s about doing what’s right all the time and having the courage to act when it matters most,” said Cadet 3rd Class Jack Bell, Cadet Squadron 29. In the span of 72 hours, Bell talked a suicidal man off a Colorado Springs overpass and helped air traffic controllers in Northern California locate a downed aircraft. When it comes to living with honor,...

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February 23, 2018

“Dr. Ruth” shares Holocaust survival story, educational journey

Master Sgt. Jasmine Reif, Feb. 23, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Dr. Ruth Westheimer spoke about her life as a Holocaust orphan and the importance of ethics and respect for human dignity at the National Character and Leadership Symposium Feb. 22. Westheimer grew up in Germany until 1938 when the Nazis came to power. Her family thought the upheaval would be short lived until the morning the Nazis walked into their apartment and led her father away. She remembers her father waving to her with a little smile. It was the last time she saw him. “My father was...

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February 9, 2018

AFCENT band hits right notes on ADAB

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jeremy Grant, Air Forces Central Command band trombonist, plays a popular song after a concert at a school in the United Arab Emirates, Jan. 28, 2018. Grant played a song made popular by online personalities known as trombone dad and oven boy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr.) Airman 1st Class Darrion Browning, Jan. 31, 2018 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates Members of the Air Forces Central Command Band from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, visited Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates on Jan....

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January 29, 2018

What the new core curriculum means for the USAFA Class of 2021 and beyond

Interview by Marsha Barancik, Jan. 29, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy launched a new core curriculum the fall of 2017, beginning with the class of 2021, to develop cadets through more integrated academic, military, flight training and physical education experiences. All cadets, regardless of academic major, are required to complete the core curriculum. This curriculum is designed to build proficiencies in each of the nine U.S. Air Force Academy’s Institutional Outcomes. Dr. Steve Jones, Academy Senior Associate Dean, shares how the Academy’s institutional outcomes are being integrated. What is fundamentally different with the...

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January 29, 2018

Prep School honors class exemplar

Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, Jan. 29, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy’s Preparatory School held its annual Exemplar Dinner Jan. 26 to honor Lt. Col. Ida Widmann as the Prep School’s 2018 Class Exemplar. For nearly two decades, each class at the Prep School has chosen an individual who “exemplifies” the type of person the class wishes to emulate. Ida attended the Prep School as a cadet candidate in 1987 before earning her appointment to the Academy and graduating in 1991. Ida excelled both academically and as a leader,...

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January 29, 2018

Aim Higher

Kristin Stewart, Jan. 29, 2018 Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. For one Airman, the motto “aim high” is an understatement. From collegiate athlete to Ph.D. scientist, the sky’s the limit. Capt. Olawale Lawal, Air Force Research Laboratory and 2013 Academy grad, shared his experience and life lessons during the University of West Florida’s ROTC commissioning ceremony. Lawal, the youngest of five boys, was born in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. He credits his upbringing for his athletic and academic success. “In Nigerian culture, they set high expectations for their children. Whatever you do, they expect you do it at a...

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January 24, 2018

Breaking the status quo: USAFA educator develops program based on mountaineering and special ops background

Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, Jan. 24, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – If you told Lt. Col. Rob Marshall leadership starts at the top, he’d take you literally. Part mountaineer, part special operations pilot, he’s spent a lot of time living his life at high altitudes. Marshall is by no means the casual adventurer, he’s a world-class mountaineer, having led climbs of the highest peak on each continent, including Mount Everest, and ferried special operators in and out of war zones as a CV-22 Osprey pilot. These days, the 2001 Academy graduate is...

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January 22, 2018

Remembering Capt Lance P. Sijan, USAFA ’65

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, Jan. 22, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Fifty years ago today, Lance P. Sijan (USAFA Class of 1965) died as a prisoner of war at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”  As we remember him today, I want each of us to reflect on what his contributions and legacy mean to our service and our Academy.  While I encourage you to read one of the many books written about Captain Sijan, today I want to share with you the last line of his Medal of Honor citation.  It reads: “Captain Sijan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and...

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January 21, 2018

Government Shutdown Impact Information

Learn how the government shutdown is affecting services and facilities at the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a result of the government shutdown, the following departments at the U.S. Air Force Academy will be affected: 10 AIR BASE WING: SECURITY & SAFETY: Defenders & firefighters are exempted. They are on post and on shifts under normal schedules. Ambulance services are contracted and remain on shift and on site. MEDICAL: Military personnel are on regular shifts, some key civilian providers and practitioners are exempted and will continue seeing patients and taking appointments. There will be impacts to provider and appointment accessibility....

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