November 14, 2019

Academy unveils artwork commemorating fall of Berlin Wall

Story by Janine Dreger, all photos by Trevor Cokley, Nov. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Thirty years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall – the ultimate sign of the Cold War and its Iron Curtain – fell. One day before this 30-year anniversary, a sculpture memorializing the historic event was unveiled at the Air Force Academy’s McDermott Library. Created by Colorado artist Veryl Goodnight, the sculpture features wild horses breaking west through the ruins of the Berlin Wall. “The sculpture is not about horses – it’s about the freedom of the human spirit and overcoming...

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November 14, 2019

AF Academy’s Flying Team gets top prize at national competition

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Pat Timmons was the No. 1 overall top-scoring contestant and No. 2 top pilot at the Region 1 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Contest. (Courtesy photo) Story by Ray Bowden, Nov. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy’s Flying Team took first place at a regional flying competition at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, Colorado, Oct. 21-26. It’s the cadet Flying Team’s 33rd consecutive win at the Region 1 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Contest. The cadets topped five other...

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November 13, 2019

Academy triathlete preps for world competition next summer

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 13, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Gabriel Fels is training for the biggest race of his life. After a meteoric rise, the Air Force Academy junior will have to balance his academic and military obligations while recovering from a broken toe as he preps for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada, next summer. Fels injured his toe during a recent triathlon in Avon, Colorado, finishing the race before the cold temperatures and adrenaline wore off. “It’s a tough sport. No getting around that,” he said. The six-week recovery period is...

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November 13, 2019

Taking care of Airmen: How the AF Academy’s Peak Performance Center helped a cadet 

Story by Ray Bowden, photo by Master Sgt.  Julius Delos Reyes, Nov. 13, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Alberto Moita thought he was going crazy. It was Oct. 15, 2018, Monday morning, and while his classmates chatted about their weekend, Moita was in the grip of a nervous breakdown. “I was very nervous and shaky,” he said. “My anxiety was going up and I felt like my thoughts were going 100 mph.” Less than 48 hours earlier, a motorcycle rider drove through a red traffic signal at the Bijou Street and I-25 intersection and collided with the car...

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November 5, 2019

Academy profile: 2018 grad continues education at MIT

Interview by Jennifer Spradlin, November 5, 2019 Second Lt. Austin Gadient, a 2018 Air Force Academy graduate and Charlottesville, Virginia native, is slated to earn his graduate degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology later this year. MIT is world-renowned for its science and engineering programs and has a highly competitive selection rate, admitting only 2,000 students each year to its graduate programs. Gadient hopes to bring that competitive edge to his Air Force service as a developmental engineer at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. What attracted you to the Air Force Academy?...

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November 4, 2019

Barrett publicly sworn in as secretary of the Air Force at AF Academy

Newly sworn Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett thanks family, friends and colleagues during her ceremonial swear-in as the 25th Air Force Secretary at the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Nov. 2, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne Clark) By Charles Pope, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, Nov. 4, 2019 ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Barbara M. Barrett was publicly sworn in Nov. 2 as the 25th Secretary of the Air Force at the symbolically potent U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, using the high-profile location to salute the service’s history and potential as it...

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November 1, 2019

AF Academy names airfield in honor of Tuskegee hero

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein (far right) stands with Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett (second from right), relatives of Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.,  Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Kaleth O. Wright (far left),  Air Force Academy Superintendent Jay B. Silveria, and other staff members at the Academy Nov. 1,  2019, when the Academy officially named its airfield in honor of General Davis, an original Tuskegee Airman. (Photo by Trevor Cokely) By Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 1, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the first African...

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October 29, 2019

AF Academy’s snow route helps mitigate winter weather

10th Civil Engineering Squadron, Oct. 29, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY. Colo. -- This year’s winter season was heralded-in by lots of snow, another reminder we need to prepare for snowfall and poor driving conditions at the Air Force Academy. “After the past week and with the forecast for next week, it is clear winter has arrived,” said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria. “This month’s snow events are a good reminder that winter weather conditions are back for Colorado. Our experts in the 306th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight predicting a colder than average winter with above-average snowfall. Silveria...

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October 29, 2019

Strengthening alliances: AF Academy hosts partner nation cadets during International Week

A cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy (bottom right) sits next to Polish Air Force cadets during one of several regional seminars during International Week, Oct. 23, 2019. The annual event at the Academy exposes U.S. partner nation cadets from around the world to different cultures and perspectives, and gives the group several opportunities to team up and mingle. (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley) Story by Ray Bowden, Oct. 29, 2019 U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. -- Service academy cadets from around the world gathered at the Air Force Academy for International Week, Oct. 21-24. The Academy hosted cadets...

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October 25, 2019

Air Force Academy airfield to be named after Air Force trailblazer

Story by Jennifer Spradlin and Meade Warthen, Oct. 25, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy will pay tribute to the barrier-breaking career of Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the Tuskegee Airman and World War II pilot, when it names its airfield in his honor, Nov. 1. “For our family, this is the greatest honor that we could ask for,” said Douglas Melville, his great-nephew. “The airfield at the Academy is one of the busiest airfields in the entire world, and it’s an honor that his name will live on that airfield until infinity.” Davis entered...

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