March 13, 2020

Air Force Academy to begin early release of cadets

Staff report, March 13, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, and with multiple members of our base populace being monitored, we have made the conservative decision to begin an orderly dismissal of a large segment of our Cadet population. The goal of this action is to maximize the chances of graduating our senior class on time for our Air and Space Forces while ensuring the best possible care for the entire base populace.  We did not make this decision lightly; we consulted with our medical professionals, sister service academies and local civic leaders,...

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March 12, 2020

Air Force Academy to temporarily close to visitors starting March 13

Staff report, March 12, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – As a precautionary measure, and in response to the world and nationwide spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Air Force Academy will temporarily close to visitors as of Friday, March 13, 2020 at 5 p.m. While we understand this action will be disappointing to some, your health and safety as well as that of our military, civilian personnel, family members and base community is our top priority. There are no reported cases of COVID-19 on the Academy; however, Academy leadership will continue to evaluate the situation and take risk-based measures...

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March 6, 2020

The Weekly Lead: A focus on DoD’s banned substances; coronavirus update & more

The Weekly Lead  Senior Capstone focuses on Banned Substances Cadets at the Air Force Academy designed their senior capstone project to educate cadets and Airmen on the Defense Department’s banned substances list, which changes regularly. The project promoted awareness of over-the-counter products containing hemp material and Cannabinol – “CBD – two of many substances you can’t use if you wear a U.S. military uniform. Read about their project here: https://www.usafa.edu/news/af-academy-senior-capstone-increases-awareness-of-banned-substances/     Coronavirus Update The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has accessed the risk of the Novel Coronavirus to the...

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March 5, 2020

AF Academy senior capstone increases awareness of banned substances

News feature: 'Read the Ingredients' Cadet 1st Class Melissa Brunkal speaks to a class of law students at the Air Force Academy, Feb. 25. She and Cadets 1st Class Alex Hankhouse, Hailee Macias and Isaac Turner presented their capstone project concerning Defense Department and Air Force drug policies and familiarizing cadets and Airmen with the DoD banned substances list.  Story by Ray Bowden,  photos by Trang Le, Feb. 5, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Four law students hope their senior capstone project helps cadets at the Air Force Academy make smart decisions about products containing ingredients and substances banned...

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March 4, 2020

Senior NCO beats odds, fulfills dream of teaching

Master Sgt. Gloria Kuzmicki is a Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership instructor at the Air Force Academy's Dean of Faculty. She teaches approximately 300 freshman, sophomore and junior cadets.  Story and photos by Master Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes, March 4, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - “Educate,” “Motivate” and “Inspire” -- three words Master Sgt. Gloria Kuzmicki said she’s tried to live by during her near two-decade Air Force career. It seems fitting, then, that she’s an enlisted academic instructor at the Air Force Academy. “I didn’t think that teaching in the academic classroom was something I would...

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February 28, 2020

Shining a light on the forgotten story of Fortune Wright

(Masozera with a statue of Frederick Douglass) By Cadet 1st Class Manzi Masozera My family is from Rwanda and Uganda, and I’m a first generation American. I’m also a senior at the Air Force Academy. I chose to major in English because speaking and writing skills are key to being an effective leader; however, I soon realized literature pondered the human condition and grappled with topics like prejudice and inequality. During the summer of my junior year, I conducted research at the National Archives in Washington D.C. where I found the amazing story of Fortune Wright, a soldier, who served...

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February 16, 2020

Academy, NHL release statement on NHL Stadium Series game

A near-capacity crowd takes their seats prior to the ceremonial puck drop during the NHL Stadium Series game Feb. 15, 2020, at the Air Force Academy, Colo. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Feb. 16, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.-- Multiple efforts were made by the NHL and Air Force Academy to warn attendees about potential traffic delays getting to the sold out Stadium Series game yesterday. In addition to website and social media posts, and signage along the I-25 corridor in the week leading up to the game, the NHL alerted the more than 43,000 fans who had purchased...

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February 10, 2020

USAFA renews commitment to preserve more-than 16,000 acres of natural open land

Staff report, Feb, 10, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The top officer at the Air Force Academy signed a plan pledging to preserve a 16,494-acre expanse of land at the base. Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, the Academy superintendent, signed the new master plan that governs facility development at the base in late August. That plan includes a commitment to restrict future development to approximately 89 percent of the installation’s natural areas and open space. “The Air Force Academy is a very special place in our nation’s history and we want to ensure it remains that way for decades...

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February 10, 2020

Special ops pilot, astronaut receive 2019 Jabara Award

Left to right: Maj. Caitlin Reilly and Col. Nick Hague are applauded by U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria (right) and the Cadet Wing during the Jabara Award presentation ceremony at the Staff Tower in Mitchell Hall, Feb. 7, 2020. Hague, a 1998 Academy graduate, is an astronaut. Reilly, a 2007 Academy graduate, is a special operations pilot.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Trang Le) By Ray Bowden, Feb. 10, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The 2019 Colonel James Jabara Award went to Col. Nick Hague and Maj. Caitlin Reilly in a ceremony at the staff tower in...

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February 5, 2020

Landeskog takes off at Air Force Academy for Avalanche game against Kings

Story and photos by Nicholas J. Cotsonika @cotsonika / NHL.com Columnist AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Gabriel Landeskog is used to flying up the wing as a forward for the Colorado Avalanche. But flying an F-22? A single-seat, twin-engine stealth fighter plane capable of going twice the speed of sound? "Is it going to make me nauseous?" Landeskog asks. "I don't know," says Matt Pulver, a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the captain of the Air Force men's hockey team. It's Jan. 13, and Landeskog is pretending to be a cadet for a day ahead of the 2020 Navy Federal...

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