United States Air Force Academy

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100s Night

100s night for the first-degree (senior) cadets takes place approximately 100 nights before graduation. It is an opportunity for the class to join with the Legacy Class over a formal dinner and celebrate 100 days to graduation and commissioning as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. Cadets are given liberty for the weekend to celebrate, while fourth-degree (freshman) cadets “decorate” their rooms in a festive manner.

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Job Drop

Sometime between September and December, firsties will find out their Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC)! Months earlier, they submitted their top 3 rated jobs (pilot being the most requested) and top 3 non-rated jobs (intel is the most requested). The traditional Job Drop occurs in each squadron and usually includes games, scavenger hunts or other activities to reveal the AFSCs.

COMMISSIONING CODES


Fountain Jumps

Our seniors make a big splash when they jump into the Air Garden fountains to celebrate the completion of their final exams. Cadets typically wear their flight suits or Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms and their class baseball cap. They can also incorporate inflatables into their jump for added fun. The tradition is allowed only to seniors who have completed their last test as a cadet and is believed to date back to the first class of graduates who took the plunge in the spring of 1959.

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Graduation

Graduation Week is comprised of many activities and events across the Academy. Cadets and their guests take part in receptions, award ceremonies, baccalaureate services, concerts, parades, air demonstrations, and commissioning ceremonies. The week culminates at Falcon Stadium with the Graduation Ceremony. Speakers rotate between the President of the United States, Vice President, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force. At the close of the ceremony, cadets are dismissed and ceremoniously toss their caps into the air. Cheers and celebration are quickly silenced by the roar of the legendary Thunderbirds flying overhead to honor the graduating class.

GRADUATION EVENTS