Alumni News • United States Air Force Academy

May 8, 2023

Air Force Academy honors Spirit 03 aircrew legacy

(from left-to-right) Randy Helms, Colorado Springs City Council president and U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1979 graduate; Lt. Col. Colin LaFavor, 16th Special Operations Squadron commander; Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent; Michael Van Hoomissen, Academy Class of 1979 president; Karen Roberts, Maj. Paul Weaver’s sister; Jennifer Lavery, Weaver’s sister; and Mark Hille, Air Force Academy Foundation and Association of Graduates president, dedicate an AC-130H Spectre gunship sculpture during a ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., to memorialize the aircrew of Spirit 03, May 5, 2023. Maj. Paul Weaver, Spirit 03 aircraft commander and...

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April 13, 2023

Junior cadet selected as Academy’s 24th Truman Scholar

Cadet 2nd Class Isobel Dernlan, recipient of the Truman Scholarship U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 2nd Class Isobel Dernlan, Class of 2024, has been selected to receive the highly competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship. The junior was named among 62 Truman Scholars selected from 705 applicants nominated by 275 colleges, universities and military service academies. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation selects Truman Scholars from finalists who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, as well as academic excellence. Each...

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November 22, 2022

Senior cadet selected as Academy’s 43rd Rhodes scholar

Cadet 1st Class James Landy, recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- –U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class James Landy, Class of 2023, has been selected for a highly competitive Rhodes Scholarship, a fully funded postgraduate program at the University of Oxford in England. According to the Rhodes Trust website, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international scholarship program. The scholarship was established in 1902 by philanthropist Cecil John Rhodes, a British mining magnate and South African politician. Winners are selected on the basis of academic achievement, personal integrity, and leadership potential,...

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October 6, 2022

Enlisted faculty member speaks out on teaching Air Force Academy cadets

Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Hunt, an enlisted faculty member at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Story by Ray Bowden, all photos by Trevor Cokley U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Look no further than the U.S. Air Force Academy if you need proof of the shrinking education gap between today’s commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Hunt, one of 10 senior noncommissioned officers in the Academy’s enlisted faculty program, possesses credentials to impress even the most polished academic. The Buffalo, New York, native holds a master’s degree in business administration-human resource...

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October 4, 2022

RED HORSE squadron constructs new dining facility in Jack’s Valley

Civil engineers from the 819th RED HORSE Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana construct a new 4,000 square-foot dining facility in the FERL compound in Jack's Valley expected to open for cadets next year. The team broke ground on the facility in April. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Tim Sobieski) U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Civil engineers from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana expect the new 4,000 square-foot dining facility they’re building for cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., to open next summer. According to Capt. Tim Sobieski, RED HORSE project engineer, construction on the facility in Jack’s...

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September 19, 2022

Scoring on the soccer field before settling into service

Tristan Trager, Class of 2022, currently plays professional soccer for Atlanta United 2. (courtesy photo by Atlanta United) By Blaire Brush U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Even before Tristan Trager completed his geospatial science degree at the U.S. Air Force Academy, he was drafted by a Major League Soccer team. That was January 2022. Five months later he completed his bachelor of science degree and all other Academy requirements and then joined Atlanta United’s minor league team, United 2. Making the adjustment from cadet to pro athlete took some getting used to. Trager...

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September 15, 2022

Air Force ‘legends’ tour Air Force Academy, discuss leadership and teamwork with cadets

Story by Ray Bowden, photo by Trevor Cokley U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Several retired Air Force senior officials visited the U.S. Air Force Academy to highlight the Air Force's 75th anniversary and discuss leadership and character with cadets. Their visit kicks off the 2022-2023 National Character and Leadership Symposium theme, leadership and teamwork. The Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership hosts the annual symposium. Dubbed the “Legends Tour,” the event put four retired top generals and two retired chief master sergeants in the spotlight with cadets to share their experiences as commanding...

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September 9, 2022

Parents’ Weekend celebrates family support

(U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) By Ray Bowden U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Families and friends flooded the U.S. Air Force Academy for Parent’s Weekend, an annual event celebrating cadets’ extended circles as they work to earn their gold second lieutenant bars, Sept. 2-4. Harry Lundy, manager of the Academy’s Barry Goldwater Visitor Center, said Parents’ Weekend ranks among the school’s most popular public events, matching the graduation ceremony and Falcons’ football home games in scope and attendance. “When you walk around the terrazzo on Parents’ Weekend and talk to parents...

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September 7, 2022

Cadet travels to S. Korea, competes in global hackathon

Cadet 3rd Class Junhyung Park (left), an electrical and computer engineering major at the U.S. Air Force Academy, stands with his GeNovation teammates during the Junction Asia 2022 Hackathon in South Korea, Aug. 12-13. The popular annual hackathon brings students and industry experts together to create software and computer code to address challenges faced by international companies. (Courtesy photo) Story by Ray Bowden U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A sophomore cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy joined hundreds of computer developers in South Korea to compete in a popular international computer science...

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August 25, 2022

Guide to Falcon football season 2022

Falcon head coach Troy Calhoun leads the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcons into Falcon Stadium as Air Force met conference rival Wyoming at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sep. 21, 2013. The Cowboys defeated Air Force 56-23. (Air Force Photo by Mike Kaplan/Released) By U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Falcon Football at the U.S. Air Force Academy offers many unique and fun traditions that are sure to delight fans of all ages. Here is the definitive guide to Falcon Football season 2022. The season kicks off during Parents’ Weekend on Sept. 3 as...

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