March 19, 2019

Academy welcomes newest ‘Cadet for a Day’

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet for a Day, Je'Moni Ford. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, March 19, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Je’Moni Ford, a local area fourth-grader, loves to play the drums. Two years ago, his parents noticed something on his ring finger, which his doctor initially mistook for a friction blister from his drumsticks. It turned out to be Sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Je’Moni endured six surgeries to remove the cancer and reconstruct his hand. He had to relearn how to tie his shoes. But he never gave up on playing...

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March 18, 2019

Air Force Academy senior leader and cadet candidate break innovation barriers

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Yann Wollman (left) and Col. Houston Cantwell, the Academy's vice superintendent, present their idea -- the “What’s Up” App for event planning -- to senior leaders during the first Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Innovation Rodeo, March 1, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Armando Perez) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, March 18, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- These days, you don’t have to be a science major or a faculty researcher to make a difference in the research arena and solve problems for the Air Force....

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March 18, 2019

Air Force Academy cadets honor fallen graduate

(U.S. Air Force photo/Darcie Ibidapo) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, March 18, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy honored Capt. Mark Weber, a 2011 graduate killed in a helicopter crash while serving in Iraq, on the one-year anniversary of his death with a memorial and dedication ceremony March 15. “His sacrifice represents the truest form of selflessness a service member could have,” said Cadet 3rd Class Riley Holt the lead ceremony organizer. Weber, formerly of Cadet Squadron 12, began his Air Force career as a contracting officer but later became a combat search and rescue officer....

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March 15, 2019

Air Force Academy’s Class of ’22 gets ‘recognized’

(U.S. Air Force photo by Cadet 1st Class Emily Graves) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, March 15, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Class of 2022 marked their formal induction into the Cadet Wing March 9 after taking on the rigors of Recognition. Recognition is an intensive military training assessment that includes a variety of physical, mental and emotional challenges to measure how well the cadets have performed as individuals and team members since arriving for Basic Cadet Training at the Academy in June. “Recognition is not something you are given, it’s something that is earned, and that’s really special...

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March 8, 2019

Cadets grab attention on world-wide debate stage

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets 1st Ciera White (left) and Class Samantha Potter (Courtesy photo from Gina Iberri-Shea) By Ray Bowden, March 8, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two senior cadets have made a name for themselves and the Air Force Academy on the global forensics competition circuit. Air Force Cadets 1st Class Samantha Potter and Ciera White have debated against students at Harvard and Stanford, the universities of Oxford and Cape Town, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and others in the last year. “Forensics is not about dead bodies -- it’s a debate program,”...

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March 7, 2019

Healthy eating initiative at Air Force Academy designed to promote fitness, readiness

By Laurie Wilson, March 7, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Each year, more than 1,200 first-term enlisted service members are let go from the Defense Department for failure to meet weight standards. The Air Force Academy is working to decrease this number with its Smart Fueling Initiative. “We spend enormous time and energy conducting our physical training, but we also need to be training our cadets and Airmen how to fuel their bodies,” said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria. The Academy is the flagship Air Force installation for the DoD’s Smart Fueling Initiative. Col. Shawn Campbell, 10th Air...

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February 28, 2019

Navigating back from suicide: Air Force Academy provides assistance to survivors

(U.S. Air Force illustration by Airman 1st Class Kathryn R.C. Reaves) By Laurie Wilson, Feb. 28, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --She sat motionless, hands gripping a luke-warm mug of coffee, trying to comprehend the shocking news that just devastated her world.  “I never even saw it coming,” she thought. This scene is more often than not a common experience for those left to cope in the aftermath of suicide. Maybe you’ve been here too. Last year, 58 active-duty Airmen and three reserve Airmen committed suicide, less than in 2017, but still troubling said the director of Air Force...

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February 26, 2019

AF Academy invites public to grand opening of new planetarium March 2

(NASA photo) U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Feb. 26, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  If you like things that fizz, pop, and smoke, you’ll enjoy an afternoon with the Air Force Academy’s special science guest, Steve Spangler. To celebrate the grand opening of the Academy’s new planetarium, Spangler will host a show at Arnold Hall, 3-4 p.m., March 2, followed by an open house at the planetarium, 4-4:45 p.m. Spangler is well-known for showing millions how make a geyser out of soda and a roll of Mentos. He's a regular guest on Ellen DeGeneres's popular TV show, with 20 appearances so...

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February 21, 2019

‘In the right place at the right time’: Academy cadet to be honored by Red Cross for helping driver in rollover accident

Story and photo by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 21, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  An Air Force Academy cadet will be recognized at the Red Cross Colorado Springs Hometown Heroes Dinner, March 14, after responding to a vehicle accident outside the North Gate last fall. Cadet 1st Class Kristen Nye, of La Center, Washington, said it had been a regular Monday afternoon and she was turning to base when a cement truck exited the freeway onto the roundabout, raised onto two wheels, and toppled onto its side. “It’s like something you would see in a movie. It hit so hard,”...

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February 19, 2019

Academy to host former SECDEF at Leadership Symposium

  U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Nov. 19, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.  – – Leon E. Panetta, former Secretary of Defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is scheduled to be a keynote speaker for the annual National Character and Leadership Symposium at the Air Force Academy, Feb. 21-22. The annual event brings together thought leaders from diverse backgrounds to speak about the importance of sound moral character and leadership. Also scheduled to present are Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright and Caryl Stern, president and CEO of United Nations International Children’s Emergency...

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