Tuesday, March 10th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Tuesday, March 10th --  On this day, back in 1956 -- Cadet Charles Zaleski, Class of ‘59, wins the Rocky Mountain A.A.U. 177-pound division wrestling championship in Laramie, Wyoming.  It was the first athletic title brought to the Air Force Academy.  …Also on this day, back in 1988 -- President Ronald Reagan presents the 1987 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to members of the Academy football team in a White House ceremony.  Sixteen seniors represented the team at the Oval Office event.  …for the latest video for cadets, by cadets, follow us on YouTube @ USAFAOfficial. 

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Monday, March 9th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Monday, March 9th --  On this day, back in 1969 -- Captain Robert Rex, Class of ’63, is killed when his O-2A “Skymaster” aircraft is shot down during an operational mission in Laos.  His name appears on the Graduate War Memorial on the Academy Terrazzo.  …Also on this day, back in 2013 -- The Academy basketball team defeats twelfth-ranked New Mexico, 89-88, in Clune Arena.  The Falcons won when Todd Fletcher, Class of ’13, took a pass from classmate Michael Lyons and hit a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining.  It was the Academy’s fourth-ever victory over a ranked team, and New Mexico was the highest ranked team Air Force had...

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Weekend of March 7th and 8th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Weekend of March 7th and 8th --  On this day, back in 1971 -- The play “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is performed in Arnold Hall.  The event was sponsored by the Allied Arts Society.  …Also this weekend, back in 2007 -- FalconSAT-3 is launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, one of five satellites deployed from the first-ever Secondary Payload Adapter Ring used with the current-generation Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.  …all content for the Academy History Update is provided by Retired Lt Col Steve Simon, USAFA Class of ’77. For more heritage information, visit the Association of Graduates website at USAFA.Org  

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Friday, March 6th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Friday, March 6th --   On this day, back in 1973 -- Construction begins on airmanship facilities at the Academy airfield.  New facilities included runways, buildings, hangars, and a 48-foot-high control tower.  Construction was completed in late March 1974.  …Also on this day, back in 2022 -- Academy wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson, Class of ‘24, wins the heavyweight division of the 2022 Big 12 Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He defeated Oklahoma State’s Luke Surber in the finals, becoming Air Force’s first Big 12 champion.  … For more information about what’s coming up and what’s going down at the Academy, listen to our cadet radio station by picking up the free KAFA mobile app, available...

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Thursday, March 5th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Thursday, March 5th --   On this day, back in 1988 -- Colorado gets a second area code.  The new area code, 719, included the Academy and most of southeast Colorado.  The rest of the state kept the original 303 code.    …Also on this day, back in 2025 -- The four-day Culminating Exercise, or CULEX begins.  The intensive Cadet Wing-wide training program was designed to test and enhance cadets’ warfighting readiness and leadership skills.  The Academy’s largest-ever culminating exercise of its kind, it marked a major step in the evolution of the Academy’s approach to training.  …for a behind-the-scenes look at cadet life, follow us on Instagram at AF_Academy! 

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Wednesday, March 4th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Wednesday, March 4th --  On this day, back in 1976 -- Captain Lance Sijan, Class of ’65, posthumously becomes the first graduate to be awarded the Medal of Honor.  President Gerald Ford presented the award to Captain Sijan’s parents at a White House ceremony.  On January 22, 1968, then-First Lieutenant Sijan died while in captivity in North Vietnam.  He had been reported missing in action after he ejected from his disabled F-4C "Phantom II" aircraft on November 9, 1967 during a night bombing mission near Vinh, North Vietnam.  …Also on this day, back in 1998 -- The fifth National Character and Leadership Symposium begins at...

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Tuesday, March 3rd

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Tuesday, March 3rd --  On this day, back in 1984 -- The Allied Arts Society and the Cadet Welfare Fund present all-female jazz quartet Jasmine in the Arnold Hall Ballroom.  The appearance was part of the “Catch a Rising Star” Series.  …Also on this day, back in 2021 -- The Association of Graduates’ Checkpoints magazine reaches its fiftieth anniversary.  Initially called the Association of Graduates Magazine, the first edition of the quarterly magazine was published and labelled “Winter 1971.”  With the Summer 1979 issue, the magazine was renamed Checkpoints.  …for the latest video for cadets, by cadets, follow us on YouTube @ USAFAOfficial. 

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Monday, March 2nd

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Monday, March 2nd --  On this day, back in 1991 -- Comedian and talk show host Jay Leno performs in the Arnold Hall Theater as part of the Class of ‘91’s 100s night festivities.  …Also on this day, back in 2019 -- The grand re-opening of the Planetarium takes place.  The facility had been closed since 2004.  It was opened to the public two days later.  The renovation project was funded and managed by the USAFA Endowment.  …for the business-focused social media side of the Academy, follow us on Linkedin @ US-Air-Force-Academy 

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Weekend of February 28th and March 1st

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Weekend of February 28th and March 1st --  On this day, back in 1955 -- Officials meet in Washington D.C. to discuss the possible use of a nuclear reactor for heat and/or power for the Academy.  Representatives of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Air Force Academy Construction Agency, and engineering consultants Syska and Hennessey participated.  …Also this weekend, back in 2004 -- The Air Force men’s basketball team defeats San Diego State 61-49 in Clune Arena to win its first Mountain West Conference title (and its first conference championship in any league).  …all content for the Academy History Update is provided by Retired Lt Col Steve Simon, USAFA Class of ’77. For more heritage information, visit...

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Friday, February 27th

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Friday, February 27th --   On this day, back in 1953 -- Reaching the mandatory period of thirty-eight years of service, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon retires.  The next day, he was recalled to active duty.  On June 30, he once more reverted to retired status, only to be recalled again on November 8, at the personal request of President Dwight Eisenhower. General Harmon served as the Academy’s first superintendent.  …Also on this day, back in 2014 -- Mike Farrell, social activist and actor in the popular television series M*A*S*H, speaks at the 21st Annual National Character and Leadership Symposium.  … For more information about what’s coming up and what’s going down at the Academy, listen to our cadet radio station...

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