Wednesday, April 30th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Wednesday, April 30th-  On this day, back in 1971  -- Major General Frederick Anderson is honored with a Falcon Foundation scholarship.  Robert Purcell, Chairman of the Board for Lear Siegler, made the presentation in the Officers’ Club.  General Anderson had been a pioneer of strategic air warfare, and commanded the Eighth Bomber Command in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.   …Also on this day, back in 2022  --  Defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, Class of ’22, is drafted in the sixth round of the National Football League draft...

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Tuesday, April 29th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Tuesday, April 29th-  On this day, back in 1993  --  The Academy Band’s “Wild Blue Country” performs on The Nashville Network’s “Nashville Now” program.  The band was a frequent guest on the highly rated show, bringing favorable publicity to the Academy.  …Also on this day, back in 2014  --  Colorado Springs Mayor Steven Bach visits the Academy to present the Spirit of the Springs Award to Cadet Madeleine Girardot, Class of ‘16, for performing the Heimlich maneuver on a choking Colorado Springs teen while on a trip to Virginia Beach,...

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Monday, April 28th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Monday, April 28th-  On this day, back in 2021  --  Lieutenant General John Shaw, Class of ’90 and Deputy Commander, U.S. Space Command, speaks in the Arnold Hall Theater.  He discussed the importance of the Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character as it related to U.S. interests and capabilities in space.  His audience consisted primarily of cadets who would commission into the Space Force upon graduation the following month.  …Also on this day, back in 2023  --  Members of the Academy football team receive the 2022 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy from...

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Weekend of April 26th and 27th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Weekend of April 26th and 27th-  On this day, back in 1988  --  Pioneer aviator Pat Patterson, 88 years old, speaks to cadets as part of the Department of History’s guest speaker program.  In 1919, he had opened what may have been the first commercial aircraft sales office.  He went on to be a barnstormer pilot and an aircraft designer.  Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle mapped out his raid on Japan while visiting Patterson’s home.  …Also this weekend, back in 1993  --  Two Academy grads launch into space aboard the...

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Friday, April 25

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Friday, April 25th-  On this day, back in 2000  --  The Academy men’s soccer team scrimmages Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids at the Academy.  Cadet Rich Cullen, Class of ’00, who had been drafted by the Rapids, was in goal for them in the second half, making five saves in the 3-1 Rapids win.  …Also on this day, back in 2016  --  Brigadier General (Retired) Malham Wakin delivers the Polaris Hall Inaugural Lecture.  General Wakin served on active duty for 42 years and taught at the Academy for 57 years. ...

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Thursday, April 24th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Thursday, April 24th-  On this day, back in 2015  --  The POW Memorial Sculpture Dedication Ceremony takes place in Doolittle Hall.  The sculpture, located in the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion, contained the names of the 33 Academy graduates who had served as prisoners of war in Vietnam.  Nineteen of those POWs attended the dedication.   …Also on this day, back in 2021  --  Approximately 50 cadets fly aboard UH-1N "Huey" and HH-60G "Pave Hawk" helicopters.  The flights, hosted by pilots from the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base,...

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Wednesday, April 23rd

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Wednesday, April 23th-  On this day, back in 1995  --  Cadet Steve Russ, Class of ’95, becomes the fifth Academy football player drafted by a National Football League team when the Denver Broncos choose the linebacker in the seventh round.  He would play in the NFL from 1997 until 2000, and go on to coach at Air Force.  …Also on this day, back in 2015  --  Nineteen Academy-graduate Vietnam War POWs visit the Cadet Area.  This was the largest congregation of these POWs in Academy history.  They had lunch on...

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Tuesday, April 22nd

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Tuesday, April 22nd-  On this day, back in 2009  --  Astronaut and former United States Senator John Glenn Jr. receives the 2008 T. D. White Award during a visit to the Academy.  The award, established in 1962, was presented annually to a U.S. citizen who had contributed significantly to the national defense of the United States.  …Also on this day, back in 2014  --  San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Class of ‘70, is named National Basketball Association coach of the year.  He joined Don Nelson and Pat Riley as...

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Monday, April 21st

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Monday, April 21st-  On this day, back in 2003  --  Rhodes Scholar Bart Holaday, Class of ’65, and his wife Lynn establish a scholarship to send cadets to the University of Oxford.  The Holaday Scholarship, named in honor of his mother, was awarded annually to the top-ranking Academy graduate who competed for but did not receive a Rhodes Scholarship.  Cadet Timothy Bruner, Class of ’03, was the first recipient.  …Also on this day, back in 2018  --  Dr. Thomas Jones, Class of ’77, is inducted into the Astronaut Hall of...

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Weekend of April 19th and 20th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Weekend of April 19th and 20th-  On this day, back in 2012  --  The Academy Cyber Competition Team wins the 2012 NSA Cyber Defense Exercise.  The cadet team not only defeated West Point, Annapolis and the Coast Guard Academy, but also scored higher than both teams from the Air Force Institute of Technology and one from the Royal Military College of Canada.  …Also this weekend, back in 2017  --  The seventh telescope in the Academy’s Falcon Telescope Network is installed at Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado.  The FLC-Falcon was...

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