November 8, 2016

‘Airmen Are the Best Defense,’ Col. Dunn Says at All Call

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. Air Force Academy --  Col. Troy Dunn, commander of the 10th Air Base Wing, hosted an all call in front of a full house Nov. 4 in Arnold Hall. Along with thanking the 3,000 Total Force Airmen assigned to the wing’s 11 squadrons and two staff agencies and their families, he praised the positive results of the Defense Department Climate Survey taken across the wing earlier this year. “The [survey] response was a lot higher and a lot better than last year and the results show the level of concern...

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November 7, 2016

Cadet Exchange Program Combines Talents, Opportunities

By Tech. Sgt. Mike Slater, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The saying goes "to truly know someone, you must walk a mile in their shoes" but until recently, Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and Air Force Academy cadets had little crossover in their paths to becoming Airmen. The AFROTC Exchange program gives cadets on both sides an opportunity to walk in each other’s shoes: ROTC Cadets can attend the Academy for a semester and Academy cadets can spend a semester at a civilian university. “Each side has their own 'perks' and each...

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October 31, 2016

‘For the Bulls’: CS-06 Wins Commandant’s Challenge

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Cadet Squadron 06 won the Commandant’s Challenge Trophy Oct. 29 at the Air Force Academy. Cadet 1st Class Jack Corriere, CS-06 commander, chalked-up the win to the squadron’s dedication to its motto, “For the Bulls.” “It means in everything we do, we do for each other and the squadron,” he said. Corriere said CS-06 prepared in advance of the competition, a physically and mentally demanding 48-hour training exercise and contest between the Cadet Wing’s 40 cadet squadrons. “Our squadron-training and military-training event staff set up two...

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October 28, 2016

Academy’s Command Chief Gets Ready for ‘New Adventure’

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Chief Master Sgt. Max Grindstaff, the command chief at the U.S. Air Force Academy, capped-off his 30 year Air Force career with a friendly invite to the family and friends attending his retirement ceremony, Oct. 27 in Polaris Hall. “We’ll take some selfies and we’ll eat some cake … Tomorrow is a new adventure,” he said. Grindstaff told the crowd he’s ready for “new adventures,” but seemed a bit surprised to be attending his own retirement ceremony. “I’m just not prepared,” he said. Grindstaff is...

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October 26, 2016

Deployed Ops: Cadet Gets Lesson in Leadership in Middle East

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Cadet 2nd Class Susan Kwon, a geospatial science major from Cupertino, California, returned this summer from a three-week stay at an Air Base in the Middle East. The trip was part of the Air Force Academy’s Deployed Operations Program, which sends sophomore and junior cadets to overseas units to see how Airmen team up to complete the Air Force’s mission. Kwon’s time with Airmen and officers at various units included a tour of Kuwait City with an agent assigned to the Air Force Office of...

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October 24, 2016

Energy Action Month Update: Academy Reduces Utility Bill by $1 Million

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs / Published October 24, 2016 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Energy experts at the Air Force Academy said due to an increasing awareness of energy conservation and cost-saving measures, the school’s utility bill plummeted by $1 million in the 2016 fiscal year. The energy bill for the 2016 fiscal year was just above $6 million and hovered around $7 million for the 2015 fiscal year, said Wayne Inouye, the base’s energy manager. “We met and surpassed [Federal] energy-reduction goals,” he said. Larry Newton, resource efficiency manager at the Academy, said...

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October 21, 2016

1st Sergeants’ Council Gets Ready for Harvest Share

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Airmen might find an unexpected present on their doorstep next month, courtesy of the First Sergeants’ Council. The council is prepping for Harvest Share, a program to assist lower-income families on base during the holidays, said Master Sgt. Kyle Capehart, the Academy command staff’s first sergeant. “Each family will be given a free Thanksgiving meal,” he said. “Customers at the commissary can purchase a $5 or $10 bags of food to be given to these families. Our goal is to collect 177 bags of food.” The bags stay...

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October 19, 2016

10th CES Firefighters to Compete in Championship

By Ray Bowden, Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  First responders at the Air Force Academy are gearing up for the Firefighter World Championship next week in Montgomery, Alabama. The annual competition pits firefighters from around the world against each other in a series of timed trials, including a five-story tower climb and hoisting a 175-pound rescue dummy. “It’s been deemed the toughest two minutes in sports,” said Academy Fire Chief Ken Helgerson. Helgerson, and firefighters Roy Dalton, Bill Gates and Anthony McMurtry are scheduled to compete in the weeklong challenge beginning Oct. 24. “It’s...

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October 18, 2016

Senate Confirms 4 Permanent Professors at Academy

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Four officers were recently confirmed by the Senate as permanent professors at the Air Force Academy. Col. Mark Anarumo is the permanent professor for the Center for Character and Leadership Development, Col. John Cinnamon heads the Aeronautics Department, Col. Steven Hasstedt heads the Biology Department, and Col. Scott Williams heads the Mathematics Department. The president nominates permanent professors at the service academies and the Senate confirms the nominations via voice vote. The Senate confirmed the Academy’s new permanent professors Sept. 28. "Congratulations to our new...

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October 13, 2016

Cadets Support Front Range Volunteer Efforts

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Scores of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets volunteered for several community service events Oct. 14 across the region. The cadets donated their time to 43 community organizations, including the Red Cross, the City of Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department, and the Care and Share Food Bank. Cadets worked with the Red Cross to install fire alarms in at-risk homes, planted Sage plants in Garden of the Gods, and handed-out food at the Care and Share Food Bank, among other activities. The volunteer work was organized by the...

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