September 4, 2020

AF Academy commandant pins on second star Sept. 3

Maj. Gen. Michele Edmondson's family pins on her second star during her promotion ceremony from brigadier general to major general, Sept. 3, 2020. Edmondson is the Air Force Academy's commandant of cadets. While those in the audience at Edmondson's promotion ceremony in Arnold Hall Ballroom sat at least six feet apart and wore face masks, family members may not wear face masks when in each other's company. Story by Ray Bowden, all photos by Joshua Armstrong, Sept. 4, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy is now a major general, following...

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August 24, 2020

Progress to renovate, restore Cadet Chapel is ongoing today

(U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley)   Story by Mila Cisneros, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs, Aug. 24, 2020 JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is renovating an iconic Air Force symbol: the Cadet Chapel at the Air Force Academy. The $158 million project aims to fix structural damage to eliminate a longstanding leakage problem after years of ineffective smaller repair efforts. The AFCEC is also managing rehabilitation on the 52,000-square-foot building while retaining its original character and defining elements. This includes the 17 steel spires of tetrahedrons, which soar to a height...

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August 20, 2020

Warthog pilot receives 2020 Jabara Award

By Ray Bowden, Aug. 20, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- This year’s Colonel James Jabara Award went to A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot Capt. Alexander Boules. Boules, a 2015 Academy graduate, deployed to Afghanistan in 2019 and took part in a heated nighttime airstrike to rescue Afghan special operators trapped by the Taliban. Boules flew into a battle zone peppered with flashes from rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Taliban. “When I tuned-in the Afghan team’s radio frequency, I heard frantic yelling,” he said. The summertime battle lasted more than five hours and along with Boules, involved another U.S. A-10C and two...

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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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