May 28, 2019

Grad Week Feature: Military and Strategic Studies at Air Force Academy put cadets at ‘tip of the spear’

(U.S. Air Force photo/Dave Ahlschwede)  By Ray Bowden, May 28, 21019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- All those Air Force Academy graduates flying combat missions overseas? If they’re under 30, they were all students in a military and strategic studies class. It’s not just pilots who say they’ve benefited from these studies -- its officers in more than 150 career fields across the Air Force. “The Academy’s Military and Strategic Studies department educates future Air Force officers in concepts of military strategy, contemporary operations and the integration of air, space and cyberspace power,” said Dr. John Farquhar, an Associate Professor...

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May 24, 2019

Air Force Academy to host Class of ’19 graduation parade May 29

Staff report, May 24, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy’s Class of 2019 Graduation Parade is scheduled for May 29 at Stillman Parade Field east of the main campus. Pre-parade events begin at 7:55 a.m. when various aerial events take place. This will be the last parade for the Class of 2019 as they turn over leadership of the Cadet Wing to the Class of 2020. Events are free, open to the public, and tickets are not required. Seating is first-come, first-served. Visitors should enter the Academy through the Academy’s North Gate, at Exit 156 off I-25....

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May 24, 2019

‘War Costs People’: Vietnam Vet, Academy grad honors classmates killed in action

(Graphic courtesy of Andrew Biancur) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, May 24, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.  -- Every year on Memorial Day, Andrew Biancur and his wife visit the Air Force Academy Cemetery. He holds a bucket full of soapy water while his wife kneels and cleans each gravestone from the graduating class of 1960. She never lets him help, although he’s often offered, because she says he’s done his part. Biancur is the first Academy graduate to see combat in Vietnam. Once the stones are cleaned, the two leave flowers for each man and head home, but Biancur’s effort...

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May 23, 2019

Schulte Award marks decade since namesake, Academy graduate killed in Afghanistan

Commentary by the Center for Character and Leadership Development staff U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- On May 20, 2009, 1st Lt. Roslyn ‘Roz’ Littmann Schulte became the first female Air Force Academy graduate to be killed in action in the war on terror. Lieutenant Schulte and Shawn Montgomery Pine, a contractor and retired Army lieutenant colonel, were killed when their convoy was hit by a improvised explosive device. In honor of their daughter’s sacrifice and legacy, Schulte's parents Bob and Susie Schulte have made a trip to the Air Force Academy every May since 2010 to recognize an outstanding cadet...

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May 23, 2019

‘Remember the guardians of the past’: Top Air Force officials release Memorial Day letter to Airmen

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, May 23, 2019 WASHINGTON -- One-hundred-fifty-one years ago, citizens gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Civil War soldiers as part of the inaugural Decoration Day. Today, the citizenry of this great nation know this observance as Memorial Day. We actively reflect on the sacrifice made by our Airmen, Coast Guards, Marines, sailors and soldiers who gave their last full measure of devotion for our liberty. As we remember the guardians of our past, we also express deep gratitude to the 685,000 military and civilian Airmen embodying integrity, service before self and excellence, that...

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May 22, 2019

Academy Prep School celebrates graduation of 180 cadet candidates

(U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley) Story by Tech. Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, May 22, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – An auditorium filled with families, friends and faculty celebrated the graduation of 180 Air Force Academy Preparatory School cadet candidates May 20. The ceremony marked the successful completion of the Prep School’s 10-month curriculum. 235 cadet candidates were admitted into the Prep School for the 2018-2019 academic year. Of the graduates, 176 received appointments to the Academy and are scheduled to report for Basic Cadet Training in June. Addressing the audience, Preparatory School commander, Col. Timothy W Thurston II, quoted...

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May 20, 2019

Update: Air Force Thunderbirds release practice, performance schedule for Academy graduation

(U.S. Air Force photo/Jack Braden) Staff report, May 20, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team is scheduled to conclude the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2019 graduation ceremony with a 30-minute performance above the Academy, May 30. The performance is expected to begin between 2-2:30 p.m., just after the hat toss. The Thunderbirds will arrive in Colorado Springs May 27 and fly over the Academy around 11:30 a.m. for a site survey. The team will practice their full performance over the Academy’s Falcon Stadium from 10:30 – 11:45 Tuesday, May 28. As...

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May 17, 2019

Academy hosts wing commanders, command chiefs

Wing commanders from across the Air Force get a briefing on the U.S. Air Force Academy's remotely piloted aircraft systems during a tour of the Academy earlier this month. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jennifer Spradlin) By Jennifer Spradlin, May 17, 2019 U.S. AIR ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy is slated to welcome more than 700 wing commanders and command chiefs this year as it supports an Air Force initiative to create greater understanding between its wing leaders and the accessioning sources that produce officers. The Academy hosted the first round of these leaders on a tour of airfield operations, various...

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May 16, 2019

‘A bad break’: Traumatic injury can’t keep Academy cadet off rugby pitch

Jessica Beyer (bottom row, second from left). (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, May 16, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Jessica Beyer is a competitor. She’s a no-nonsense girl from Dunlap, Illinois, a town where cows outnumber people. At six, she fell in love with flying while watching the Air Force Thunderbirds perform and set her sights on the Air Force. Beyer, a cadet third class, found rugby during her freshman year at the Air Force Academy, and by her sophomore year, she was one of the team captains. Her goal was to win the...

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May 15, 2019

Air University, Air Force Academy are flagships of education

By Staff Sgt. Quay Drawdy, Air University Public Affairs, May 15, 2019 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- For current or future Air Force commissioned officers, two names represent the pinnacle of education within the force. While these flagship institutions have, up to now, worked mostly independent of one another, Air University and the U.S. Air Force Academy have come together to formally synchronize their efforts for producing future leaders for the service. With signatures fresh on a Memorandum of Understanding, AU and USAFA are further developing initiatives ranging from cyber education and prototyping to educational innovation and faculty cooperation, all...

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