Squadron 19 returns to the ‘Starship’
U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 19, now Starship 19, members show the new squadron flag after the re-designation ceremony at Polaris Hall Aug. 12, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 19 returned to the “Starship” in a re-designation ceremony at Polaris Hall Aug. 12. For the second time in the squadron’s 63-year history, alumni and members call their squadron Starship 19.
Before the 1975-76 Academy school year, squadron leaders obtained written permission from “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry to use the Starship name and phrase. The letter remains in the Academy Command Historian Office’s Special Collection Archives. Seventeen years later, Squadron 19 changed to “Wolverines,” a name that remained for 30 years until the re-designation ceremony.
A bridge to the future
Squadron members said they wanted to make the change to pay homage to their history and alumni, reflect the creation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019 and acknowledge the recent reinvigoration of civilian and military space activities, said Cadet 1st Class Mark Lema. Lema led the re-designation campaign.
“We’re going to have to work on integrating it as part of our culture and that takes work and effort,” Lema said. “But I think there’s positive energy here. We’re going to be more connected with our graduates, building those relationships and bonds and bridging our history to the present and our future. We have a lot of excitement right now because this is new and because it ties back to our history but also the future of the Space Force as our newest military branch.”
Retired Gen. David Goldfein, 21st Air Force chief of staff, speaks at the re-designation ceremony of U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 19 at Polaris Hall Aug. 12, 2023. The squadron returned to the Starship 19 name they first borrowed from “Star Trek” in 1976. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
Among the squadron’s retired general officers are Gen. David Goldfein, the 21st Air Force chief of staff, and Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, former United States Northern Command commander. Both generals spoke at the re-designation ceremony.
“We are getting back to our roots,” said Goldfein, a 1983 graduate and chief of staff from 2016 to 2020. “We are getting back to Starship 19.”
The approval process
Cadet squadron patches are not subject to the same approval process as official Academy organizational emblems, said Academy command historian Dr. Brian Laslie. He praised the cadets for considering the U.S. Space Command in the squadron name change.
“The cadets from Starship 19 have put in a lot of time and effort into making this happen,” Laslie said. “It’s obvious that it was very important for them to make this change. As a cadet joins the U.S. Space Force, it is important that representation from that service is found at an early point in the cadet’s career. It’s important for at least some of these squadrons to have some type of space flair to them.”
U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 2nd Class Charlotte Choo puts on her new Cadet Squadron 19 patch during the squadron’s redesignation ceremony at Polaris Hall Aug. 12, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
Lema and other Starship 19 members first discussed the re-designation before the 2022-23 academic year. They sought guidance from the command historian as well as Lt. Col. Andrew Atanasoff, former air officer commanding, and Tech. Sgt. Alex Arebalo, one of the squadron’s air military trainers. The squadron eventually received approval from Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, then-Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Paul Moga, and group commander Col. Brandon McBrayer. Lema also credited retired Maj. Geoff Phillips and Cadet 1st Class Kyle McCarthy, current squadron commander, with leading the transition to the Starship 19 era.
In March, the squadron received approval notification from the Academy Cadet Uniform Board. The board meets twice a year to address cadet concerns about uniform wear.
The original Starship 19 patch (left) includes the iconic Star Trek phrase, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” The revised patch has been modernized with the new motto in Latin, which translates to “Live Long and Prosper.”
New name, new motto
A new squadron patch and motto accompany the new name. The current members had the old Starship emblem but believed it needed an update. The top of the patch designed by Cadet 2nd Class Cassidy Rosa, now reads “STARSHIP 19” to represent the squadron’s new name. In place of the iconic “Star Trek” phrase, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” is the squadron’s new motto: “Vive Diu Et Prospere,” a Latin phrase meaning “Live Long and Prosper.”
The Starship 19 emblem also features four stars on the top left of the patch that represent the different class colors. The arrangement of the stars with equal spacing represents the squadron’s unity among the classes. Above the stars is the larger Polaris with Earth behind it and the ship flying in the other direction. This change from the original Starship patch represents the Air and Space Force’s progress in the past decade, particularly in space and cyberspace, Lema said.
“Now I’m excited to see how we transform the squadron,” Lema said. “I want to see how our squadron leadership unites us in this effort. I think this change will impact the squadron because it’s going to help us build better unity with our graduates, our present cadets and our permanent party.”
Col. Brandon McBrayer, Cadet Group 2 commander, Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, Dean of Faculty, Col. Matthew Husemann, vice superintendent, retired Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, former commander of United States Northern Command, Cadet 1st Class Mark Lema, Tech. Sgt. Alex Arebalo, and retired Gen. David Goldfein, 21st Air Force chief of staff, pose with members of U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 19, now Starship 19, after the re-designation ceremony at Polaris Hall Aug. 12, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
See photos of the ceremony at Flickr.