March 12, 2020

Air Force Academy to temporarily close to visitors starting March 13

Staff report, March 12, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – As a precautionary measure, and in response to the world and nationwide spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Air Force Academy will temporarily close to visitors as of Friday, March 13, 2020 at 5 p.m. While we understand this action will be disappointing to some, your health and safety as well as that of our military, civilian personnel, family members and base community is our top priority. There are no reported cases of COVID-19 on the Academy; however, Academy leadership will continue to evaluate the situation and take risk-based measures...

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March 6, 2020

The Weekly Lead: A focus on DoD’s banned substances; coronavirus update & more

The Weekly Lead  Senior Capstone focuses on Banned Substances Cadets at the Air Force Academy designed their senior capstone project to educate cadets and Airmen on the Defense Department’s banned substances list, which changes regularly. The project promoted awareness of over-the-counter products containing hemp material and Cannabinol – “CBD – two of many substances you can’t use if you wear a U.S. military uniform. Read about their project here: https://www.usafa.edu/news/af-academy-senior-capstone-increases-awareness-of-banned-substances/     Coronavirus Update The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has accessed the risk of the Novel Coronavirus to the...

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March 5, 2020

AF Academy senior capstone increases awareness of banned substances

News feature: 'Read the Ingredients' Cadet 1st Class Melissa Brunkal speaks to a class of law students at the Air Force Academy, Feb. 25. She and Cadets 1st Class Alex Hankhouse, Hailee Macias and Isaac Turner presented their capstone project concerning Defense Department and Air Force drug policies and familiarizing cadets and Airmen with the DoD banned substances list.  Story by Ray Bowden,  photos by Trang Le, Feb. 5, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Four law students hope their senior capstone project helps cadets at the Air Force Academy make smart decisions about products containing ingredients and substances banned...

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February 10, 2020

USAFA renews commitment to preserve more-than 16,000 acres of natural open land

Staff report, Feb, 10, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The top officer at the Air Force Academy signed a plan pledging to preserve a 16,494-acre expanse of land at the base. Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, the Academy superintendent, signed the new master plan that governs facility development at the base in late August. That plan includes a commitment to restrict future development to approximately 89 percent of the installation’s natural areas and open space. “The Air Force Academy is a very special place in our nation’s history and we want to ensure it remains that way for decades...

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February 10, 2020

Special ops pilot, astronaut receive 2019 Jabara Award

Left to right: Maj. Caitlin Reilly and Col. Nick Hague are applauded by U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria (right) and the Cadet Wing during the Jabara Award presentation ceremony at the Staff Tower in Mitchell Hall, Feb. 7, 2020. Hague, a 1998 Academy graduate, is an astronaut. Reilly, a 2007 Academy graduate, is a special operations pilot.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Trang Le) By Ray Bowden, Feb. 10, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The 2019 Colonel James Jabara Award went to Col. Nick Hague and Maj. Caitlin Reilly in a ceremony at the staff tower in...

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February 5, 2020

Landeskog takes off at Air Force Academy for Avalanche game against Kings

Story and photos by Nicholas J. Cotsonika @cotsonika / NHL.com Columnist AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Gabriel Landeskog is used to flying up the wing as a forward for the Colorado Avalanche. But flying an F-22? A single-seat, twin-engine stealth fighter plane capable of going twice the speed of sound? "Is it going to make me nauseous?" Landeskog asks. "I don't know," says Matt Pulver, a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the captain of the Air Force men's hockey team. It's Jan. 13, and Landeskog is pretending to be a cadet for a day ahead of the 2020 Navy Federal...

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January 28, 2020

USAFA Prep School inducts Shell 77 pilot, Capt. ‘Tori’ Pinckney, as 2020 Exemplar

Michelle and Larry Castro help Col. Timothy Thurston unveil the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School’s 2020 Exemplar in honor of the late Capt. Victoria A. “Tori” Pinckney in the Falcon Club at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Jan. 24, 2020. Cadet candidates selected Pinckney because she was a leader of the people and always valued service before self. The Castros are Pinckney’s parents and Thurston serves as the Prep School commander. (Photo by Trevor Cokley) By Tech. Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton, Jan. 28, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet candidates with the Air Force Preparatory School inducted...

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January 24, 2020

Academy cadets make playoffs at national moot court competition

From left: Maj. Kenneth Hyle, U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets  Matthew Pryor, Caitlin Bitting, Moira Casey, Noah Jensen, Aryemis Brown, Abbigayle Weaver and Maj. Wolfgang Weber pose for a group photo. Hyle and Weber are assistant law professors at the Academy and coaches for the Academy's Moot Court Team. The cadets seen here are on the Moot Court Team. (Courtesy photo) By Ray Bowden, Jan. 24, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets at the Air Force Academy represented the university at a national-level collegiate court competition Jan. 17-18, making it deep into the tournament before eventually standing aside...

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January 23, 2020

Learning the language: Enlisted Airman improves Chinese language skills with cadets

Maj. Kevin McGuiness (left), a Chinese language instructor, and Airman 1st Class Curtis Fields, a security forces Airman, discuss paperwork McGuiness will use in class, Jan. 14, 2020, at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Fields is attending the class to improve his own Chinese language skills and is also helping McGuiness conduct an unofficial audit of the class. (Photo/Trevor Cokley) Story by Ray Bowden, Jan. 23, 20120 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Most of what Maj. Kevin McGuiness had to say in class Jan. 14 might have been in Chinese, but his students didn’t mind. Neither did Airman 1st...

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January 13, 2020

Academy’s commandant and dean put new spin on training, academics for cadets

Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, the dean of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy . Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Trevor Cokley, Jan. 13, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two generals said their teamwork will positively affect the Air Force Academy in the New Year and beyond. Cadet Wing Commandant Brig. Gen. Michele Edmondson and Dean of Faculty Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre said the changes made late last year to the Academy’s training and research programs bode well for the school’s future. “These modifications will allow cadets to train with a deliberate objective based purpose that structures...

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