Bio
Captain Connor Clancy graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2020. After graduation, Connor attended North Carolina State University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in History, completing his thesis, “Dismantling the Shrine of the South: The Evolution of Confederate Memory and Commemoration in Lexington, Virginia”. After graduation, in 2022, Connor attended the Security Forces Officer Course at Camp Bullis, Texas.
After technical school, Captain Clancy returned to Colorado and served in multiple Security Forces roles at Peterson Space Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station between 2022 and 2025. Most recently, Connor was the Operations Officer for the U.S. Space Force’s largest Security Forces unit, protecting NORAD and USNORTHCOM. Connor joined the Department of History as an instructor in the summer of 2025.
Education
Master of Arts, History, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. (2021)
Bachelor of Science, Military History, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (2020)
Professional Experience
History Instructor, Department of History, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 2025-Present)
Battle Captain, Combined Force Protection Cell, 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea (2025)
Operations Officer, 21st Security Forces Squadron, Space Base Delta 1, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. (2024-2025)
Officer in Charge of Security, 21st Security Forces Squadron, Space Base Delta 1, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, Colo. (2023-2024)
Flight Commander, 21st Security Forces Squadron, Space Base Delta 1, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. (2022-2023)
Honors & Awards
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
U.S. Navy Expert Rifle and Pistol Medals
U.S. Coast Guard Expert Rifle and Pistol Medals
Captain Kenneth F. Thiele Award, U.S. Air Force Academy Department of History, 2020
Research and Scholarly Interests
Military History
American Civil War and Reconstruction
Memory and Commemoration
World War II
Vietnam
Publications
Presentations
“Bloodlines of Liberty: 250 Years of American Military Service,” Heritage Eagle Bend Genealogy and Veterans Society, Aurora, Colo., 2026.
“Put a Twist on ‘Em: Military Masculinity in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War,” Society of Military History Annual Meeting, Norfolk, Va., 2021.
“Every Man a Tiger: U.S. Army Training at Fort Polk and Tiger Land during the Vietnam War,” Rocky Mountain Military Affairs Society, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2026.
“To Struggle and to Understand: How the 1921-1924 Mount Everest Expeditions Renewed British Nationalism Propelling the Revival of the Empire,” Phi Alpha Theta Missouri Valley Historical Conference, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Neb., 2019.
“Rookie Ball: How the Union Army Was Routed on Their Battlefield Debut at Manassas,” Rocky Mountain Military Affairs Society, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2019.