February 6, 2018

USAFA’s Equestrian Center helps wounded warrior ‘thrive in life’

U.S. Air Force Academy Equestrian Center Manager Billy Jack Barrett (left) and Dr. Dave Andrews, former Air Force major and medic pose for a photo at the Equestrian Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Laurie Wilson) By Laurie Wilson, Feb. 6, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Winston Churchill said “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man." Dr. Dave Andrews, former Air Force major and medic, believes this is absolutely true. His recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder started with a four-legged “therapist” stabled at the Air Force Academy Equestrian Center, part of their...

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January 30, 2018

Anna Weilbacher named Rifle Athlete of the Week

By Madeline McGuire, Jan. 30, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --This week’s Air Force Academy Rifle Athlete of the Week is junior Anna Weilbacher of Leona Valley, Calif. At the Citadel/VMI matches in Charleston, S.C. last weekend, Weilbacher was the overall top scorer on both days of the competition, Jan. 27-28. In the first match, she fired a 581 in smallbore and 594 in the air rifle. Her aggregate score was 1175, which led all shooters in the match. Weilbacher went on to lead in the Jan. 28 match against the Bulldogs, firing a 584 in smallbore and 592...

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January 29, 2018

What the new core curriculum means for the USAFA Class of 2021 and beyond

Interview by Marsha Barancik, Jan. 29, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy launched a new core curriculum the fall of 2017, beginning with the class of 2021, to develop cadets through more integrated academic, military, flight training and physical education experiences. All cadets, regardless of academic major, are required to complete the core curriculum. This curriculum is designed to build proficiencies in each of the nine U.S. Air Force Academy’s Institutional Outcomes. Dr. Steve Jones, Academy Senior Associate Dean, shares how the Academy’s institutional outcomes are being integrated. What is fundamentally different with the...

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January 29, 2018

Prep School honors class exemplar

Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, Jan. 29, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy’s Preparatory School held its annual Exemplar Dinner Jan. 26 to honor Lt. Col. Ida Widmann as the Prep School’s 2018 Class Exemplar. For nearly two decades, each class at the Prep School has chosen an individual who “exemplifies” the type of person the class wishes to emulate. Ida attended the Prep School as a cadet candidate in 1987 before earning her appointment to the Academy and graduating in 1991. Ida excelled both academically and as a leader,...

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January 29, 2018

Aim Higher

Kristin Stewart, Jan. 29, 2018 Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. For one Airman, the motto “aim high” is an understatement. From collegiate athlete to Ph.D. scientist, the sky’s the limit. Capt. Olawale Lawal, Air Force Research Laboratory and 2013 Academy grad, shared his experience and life lessons during the University of West Florida’s ROTC commissioning ceremony. Lawal, the youngest of five boys, was born in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. He credits his upbringing for his athletic and academic success. “In Nigerian culture, they set high expectations for their children. Whatever you do, they expect you do it at a...

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January 26, 2018

Cadets, faculty earn research awards at USAFA

(From left: Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy; Cadet 1st Class Molly Phillips,  overall winner of the Thomas D. Moore Award for Outstanding Cadet Summer Research; Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center; and Col. Gary Packard, vice dean of faculty, stand onstage Jan. 25, 2018 in Polaris Hall during the 22nd Annual Research Awards Program ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Charlie Rivezzo) By Ray Bowden/Jan. 26, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet and faculty researchers were the focus of attention Jan. 25 at the Air Force...

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January 24, 2018

Breaking the status quo: USAFA educator develops program based on mountaineering and special ops background

Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, Jan. 24, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – If you told Lt. Col. Rob Marshall leadership starts at the top, he’d take you literally. Part mountaineer, part special operations pilot, he’s spent a lot of time living his life at high altitudes. Marshall is by no means the casual adventurer, he’s a world-class mountaineer, having led climbs of the highest peak on each continent, including Mount Everest, and ferried special operators in and out of war zones as a CV-22 Osprey pilot. These days, the 2001 Academy graduate is...

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January 22, 2018

Remembering Capt Lance P. Sijan, USAFA ’65

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, Jan. 22, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Fifty years ago today, Lance P. Sijan (USAFA Class of 1965) died as a prisoner of war at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”  As we remember him today, I want each of us to reflect on what his contributions and legacy mean to our service and our Academy.  While I encourage you to read one of the many books written about Captain Sijan, today I want to share with you the last line of his Medal of Honor citation.  It reads: “Captain Sijan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and...

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January 17, 2018

USAFA grad earns Airman’s Medal for saving lives of 3 swimmers

By Kristin Stewart, Jan. 16, 2018 EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A 20th Space Control Squadron Airman who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2015 was honored with an Airman's Medal for his actions Jan. 10. First Lt. Dominic Vicino distinguished himself by risking his life to save three others March 31 at Miramar Beach, Florida. That day, swimming was prohibited because of dangerous wildlife and life-threatening riptide conditions along the Gulf Coast. Vicino saw two people waving their arms approximately 100-yards offshore. “I realized they were in distress, so I dropped my belongings and bolted for the water...

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January 10, 2018

USAFA grads bring A-10 thunder, lightning during fight against ISIS

By Staff Sgt. Trevor Rhynes, Jan. 10, 2018 INCIRILIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFNS) -- The 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron is wrapping up a deployment that saw heavy involvement in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Their efforts focused on Raqqa for approximately three months. During this time, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs participated in an urban close air support role. Pilots focused on protecting friendly forces as they maneuvered in the city between large buildings in which the enemy hid and used as fighting positions. “It was a difficult location to work in and we faced some situations that...

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