May 30, 2025

From Cadet-for-a-Day to Class of 2025 graduate

Then-Cadet 1st Class Mark Carnes, Class of 2025, is pictured in front of the F-15 Eagle on the U.S. Air Force Academy Terrazzo, May 12, 2025. Carnes will begin EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - At the age of 15, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Mark Carnes visited the U.S. Air Force Academy and made a life-changing decision: to become a cadet and fulfill a childhood dream to fly fighter aircraft. Carnes’ ambition...

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June 2, 2025

Academy Dean retires after 29 years of service

Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty, gives a speech during her retirement ceremony at Fairchild Hall here, May 30, 2025. The blue and white pennant has been with Letendre since childhood and symbolized her goal of attending the Academy. Throughout her 29-year-career, Letendre found herself serving in multiple roles here such as the Assistant Professor of Law, Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Law, and more recently as the Chair of the Social Sciences Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Tech. Sgt. Sahara Fales U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications...

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June 3, 2025

Graduation Breakdown: Class of 2025 stats

U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2025 graduates toss their hats skyward in Falcon Stadium May 29, 2025. Class of 2025 stats indicate 791 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force, and 93 were commissioned into the Space Force as second lieutenants. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Harry Lundy U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - More than 900 cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony at Falcon Stadium May 29. In all, 791 Class of 2025 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force, and 93 were commissioned...

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June 6, 2025

Service Before Self: 2nd Lt. Billie Botes’ combats veteran homelessness

Marine veteran Carl Lewis salutes Cadet 1st Class Billie Botes at the Cadet Squadron 14 commissioning ceremony at Arnold Hall in the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 28, 2025. Botes met Lewis while volunteering at Marian House Kitchen and requested that he render her a first salute as an Air Force officer to honor his positive influence on her life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sonie Munson) By Sonie Munson U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Marine veteran Carl Lewis renders a first salute to then Cadet 1st Class Billie Botes, Class of...

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June 9, 2025

Integrity first: 2nd Lt. Caleb Kavanaugh’s leadership path

Cadet 1st Class Caleb Kavanaugh, Class of 2025 president, speaks to graduates and audience members during the U.S. Air Force Academy’s 2025 graduation ceremony held at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 29, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - U.S. Air Force Academy military trainer Master Sgt. Nicholas Filip first met 2nd Lt. Caleb Kavanaugh when Kavanaugh joined Cadet Squadron 6 four years ago as a four-degree. Filip appraised the prior-enlisted cadet from that first meeting as “the boldest and most confident...

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June 18, 2025

Academy Military Trainers provide mentorship; discipline

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kimberly Kouete, Cadet Squadron 38 Academy Military Trainer, poses for a photo with her cadet squadron on the Terrazzo before the Founders’ Day Parade at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., April 12, 2025. In her role as an AMT, Kouete shapes cadet leadership, discipline and officer development through mentorship. (Courtesy photo provided by Kimberly Kouete) By SSgt Michael Ward U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Academy Military Trainers, or AMTs, shape cadet development. These enlisted leaders provide real-world perspective, mentorship and leadership, often forming some of the most...

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June 27, 2025

Class of 2029 appointees arrive for in-processing

A Class of 2029 basic cadet is learning to stand at attention on one of the footprints at the base of the core values ramp, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., June 25, 2025. He is receiving instructions and guidance from a member of the cadet cadre. U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – More than 1,100 Class of 2029 appointees took the first step in their journey to becoming U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force second lieutenants with their arrival at In-processing Day June 25, 2025, at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. In-processing...

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July 16, 2025

The breakdown: Class of 2029 in-processing stats

Appointees wait to board the bus that will take them to the footprints area, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., June 25, 2025. The Class of 2029 in-processing stats show cadets were admitted from every state, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Harry Lundy U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Class of 2029 appointees arrived for in-processing, followed by six weeks of Basic Cadet Training, on June 25, at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. Basic cadets are in their first phase...

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January 23, 2025

Academy professor shapes tomorrow’s cyber leaders

Dr. Shannon Beck, U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences assistant professor, poses for a photo at the Academy, Colo., Jan. 17, 2025. Combining her passion for teaching with a wealth of real-world experience, Beck plays a critical role in developing the next generation of leaders in an increasingly digital world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Adalyn Greene). By Mackenzie Mendez U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Dr. Shannon Beck, Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences assistant professor, is a key leader in shaping the future of cadets at the U.S....

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January 2, 2025

Cadet 1st Class Luca Valenti selected for Holaday Scholarship

Cadet 1st Class Luca Valenti will pursue two years of graduate studies at Exeter College at Oxford University in Oxford, England, as the recipient of the 2024 Holaday Scholarship. U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Luca Valenti, Class of 2025, has been selected for the Holaday Scholarship, a fully-funded 2-year postgraduate program in the United Kingdom. After graduating from the Academy in 1965, Bart Holaday spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Exeter College at Oxford University. He and his late wife, Lynn, created the Holaday...

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