August 19, 2020

Graduate Spirit Mission

Class of 2022 cadets briefly reveal the red side of their masks By Nicole Cox, USAFA Graduate Liaison United States Air Force Academy red classes conducted a COVID-19 themed spirit mission this week. Led by the Class of 1998, RTBs from the Classes of 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 2010 (among others) raised a monumental $12,198 to buy reversible face masks for the red Class of 2022. The average donation to the effort was $98. The masks were purchased through the same company that makes the Academy's issued black masks and are black on one side and red on the...

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August 19, 2020

Academy cadets unveil class of 2023 exemplar

Col. Leo Thorsness By Ray Bowden, Aug. 19, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The exemplar for the sophomore cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy is a pilot, prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient. Each year, cadets vote-in their class’s exemplar, or role model. Previous exemplars include Gen. Carl Spaatz, Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Brig. Gen. William Mitchell and Capt. Lance Sijan. “The exemplar program is important because it gives each Academy class someone who represents the values and character traits they want to internalize and live by,” said Cadet 3rd Class Joshua Scahill, head of the...

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August 18, 2020

Class of 2024 first to use new advising program MyMajors

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Aug. 18, Photo by Josh Armstrong U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Picking a major is a big decision for any college student, and it’s no different at the Academy, where cadets are required to declare a major by October of their second year. The Dean of Faculty is building on existing advising resources by making a customized version of MyMajors, a web-based program used at other universities, available for the first time to the Class of 2024. “We believe this tool will make traditional advising events, like Majors Night, more useful to cadets by opening...

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August 17, 2020

Academy grads celebrate bond after motorcycle crash

Story and photo by Senior Airman Noah Sudolcan , 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs, Aug. 17, 2020 OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- [Editor’s note: this report is based on a news story written by Senior Airman Noah Sudolcan] Two Air Force Academy graduates stationed at Osan Air Base were not about to let a motorcycle accident get in the way of their friendship. Capt. Louis Bloom, an F-16 pilot assigned to the 35th Fighter Wing, suffered a knee injury after a motorcycle crash. Bloom’s high school friend and Academy classmate, Maj. Christopher Ng, a surgeon assigned to the 51st...

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August 14, 2020

Academy supt caps off 35-year AF career with ‘final flight’

Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Trevor Cokley, Aug. 14, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria took his final flight as an Air Force pilot here Aug. 14. A final flight is a tradition for superintendents who leave the Air Force Academy for another assignment or retire from the Air Force. Silveria was the passenger in TG-15 sailplane glider flown by Cadet 1st Class Robert O’Connor. The flight began just after 9 a.m. and landed just before 10 a.m. to the cheers of a flight crew with the 94th Flying Training Squadron. “I took my first...

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August 12, 2020

Health, safety are top priorities as cadets begin academic year

Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Trevor Cokley, Aug. 12, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- School is again in session at the Air Force Academy with more than 4,000 cadets back in class. The academic year began Aug. 12, with cadets attending classes both online and in small groups to give them more room to maneuver between classmates and allow for maximum social distancing. Senior officials and medical experts at the base are relying on deliberate precautions to decrease the spread of the coronavirus, including numerous COVID-19 tests for each student and social distancing measures in and out of...

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August 11, 2020

Academy cadets celebrate Acceptance Day

Story by Ray Bowden, top photo by Josh Armstrong, Aug. 11, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy welcomed the Class of 2024 into the cadet wing with a ceremony and parade at Stillman Parade Field here Aug. 10. Despite strict parameters to mitigate the coronavirus, including spatial distancing, mandatory wear of face masks and a very limited audience, Acceptance Day held all the tradition one would expect at an event usually attended by thousands of friends and relatives. “I congratulate the Class of 2024 on navigating a new training environment even while adapting to the basic...

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August 11, 2020

Pinnacle of a career: Academy faculty members earn physical therapy fellowship

Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Sarah Goldblum, Aug. 11, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Four former faculty members at the Air Force Academy earned a fellowship from a leading medical foundation specializing in physical therapy. Lt. Col. Joel Dixon, the school's associate athletic director for sports medicine, said the fellowship, sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, shows the commitment to patient care shared by the new fellows, Majors Justin Gleed and Teressa Petosky, Capt. Jon Ruzich and Lt. Col Tisha Sutton. “This fellowship is the pinnacle of a medical career,” Dixon said during the...

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August 10, 2020

USAFA Pandemic Math Team

Maj Erin Almand tests COVID samples By Nicole Cox, USAFA Graduate Liaison When the United States Air Force Academy made the difficult decision to send the majority of the cadet wing home in March, its faculty and staff immediately got to work to find ways to protect cadets and the Academy mission. Experts from multiple disciplines came together to tackle the problem and answer an important question from the Superintendent: how might we safely return the entire cadet wing to the Academy for in-person instruction during the ongoing pandemic? Maj Erin Almand, a 2009 Graduate and Assistant Professor in the...

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August 7, 2020

Air Force Research Laboratory supports cadet research

Story by Whitney Wetsig, Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs, Aug. 7, 2020  WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – With support from the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Academy expanded its summer research program for undergraduate cadets and is provided virtual research opportunities to the largest group ever in the school’s history. “Thanks to AFRL, many more of our future Air Force and Space Force leaders will be exposed to research during their undergraduate studies,” said Col. Chris McClernon, the Academy's associate dean of research. Seventy-four scientists and engineers from the AFRL advised 165 cadets and worked with them remotely to...

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