United States Air Force Academy

Go to home page

A dream come true

Commentary by Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, Sept. 25, 2020

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — I am humbled and honored to take command as the 21st Air Force Academy Superintendent. It really is a dream come true! I want to personally thank Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria for his incredible 35 years of selfless service, and especially his exceptional leadership over the last three years here at the Academy.

The change of command ceremony represented a very special day for my family and me. To come back where my career started, to see and thank my family, friends and mentors, and to have the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Chief of Space Operations here … has all been a tremendous privilege.

I am eager to join our exceptional permanent party, staff and faculty to continue developing leaders of character for the nation’s Air and Space Forces. What excites me most; however, are the cadets. They are why I’m here … they’re why we’re all here, and doing all I can to enhance their development and make their dreams come true will be my sole purpose during my time at USAFA.

To top it all off, we get to return to the great Colorado Springs community, which strongly supports our military members and families. My wife Amy and I look forward to seeing familiar community faces again, and we are eager to meet many more for the first time.

Thank you for supporting the Academy, our cadets and our mission to develop leaders of character.

[Editor’s note: Silveria is the former Academy superintendent and will officially retire from the Air Force October 31.]