September 24, 2019

Academy hosts Pathways to Prevention Summit, promotes healthy relationships

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Sept. 24, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Recent studies show an increase in loneliness and isolation in Americans, which can be linked to interpersonal and self-directed violence. The Air Force Academy, recognizing these issues are playing out in military and civilian communities across the country, hosted the Pathways to Prevention Summit, Sept. 23-24. “Our focus for the summit is not just on reaction and response [to violence], but prevention through an emphasis on developing strong protective behaviors,” said Dr. Ken Robinson, Academy violence prevention integrator and summit organizer. Robinson, a former Air Force chaplain,...

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September 11, 2019

AF Academy to host retirement ceremony for Dean of Faculty Armacost, Sept. 13

The U.S. Air Force Academy will host an official retirement ceremony for Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost (seen here), dean of the faculty, Sept. 16, 2019. Armacost will retire from the Air Force after 30 years of military service. (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley) Staff reports, Sept. 11, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy will celebrate Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost's tenure as  dean of the faculty and his 30-year active duty career with an official retirement ceremony, Sept. 13 in Arnold Hall. Armacost, the Academy’s 10th dean, was nominated to that position in May 2013 by President...

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September 11, 2019

Academy cadet shares 9/11 story

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Sept. 11, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Eighteen years ago, in the midst of the 9/11 attacks, terrorists slammed a hijacked Boeing 757 into the Pentagon. Hanna Born, now a cadet at the Air Force Academy, and her infant sister Heather, were in daycare when the plane tore through the west side of the building. Hanna was 3 years old. Service members from inside the Pentagon rushed to the daycare and evacuated the children. Born described how they carried cribs with multiple infants for half-a-mile and guarded the children until military police officers could...

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September 10, 2019

AF Academy cadets compete for 1st time in reserve officers’ competition in Estonia

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Ethan Haley prepares his sling during the rifle marksmanship portion of the international military competition. United States service members participated in the 2019 Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) Military Competition Commission in Tallinn, Estonia, Aug 4-10, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Nina Ramon )  205th Press Camp Headquarters By Ray Bowden, Sept. 10, 2019 U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. -- Two cadets and an officer at the Air Force Academy helped Team USA win several medals at a military challenge in Estonia last month. Cadets Ethan Haley and Thomas Walker, and Lt. Col. Rob Marshall, competed in...

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September 9, 2019

‘Some gave all, all gave some’: AF Academy pays tribute to ‘Spooky’ crew members

(U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) Story by Janine Dreger, Sept. 9, 2019 U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. -- A monument engraved with the names of 86 Airmen who died in the Vietnam War was unveiled at the Air Force Academy, Sept. 6. All were AC-47 Spooky crew members killed in action. “It’s kind of tough to read those names,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Dale White, a former AC-47 crew member, at the unveiling ceremony. Along with the names of the Airmen killed in action, “Some gave all, all gave some” is inscribed on the memorial. “Many of our members either...

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September 6, 2019

Academy cadet, pilot says family support keeps his dreams aloft

Cadet 1st Class Alexander Brown. (Photo/U.S. Air Force Academy) By Jennifer Spradlin, Sept. 6, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- As a boy, Alexander Brown had a big dream: become a pilot. Brown, now a senior at the Air Force Academy, said his family helped him turn that dream into a realistic goal. “I tell people that no matter how big your dreams seem to others, if you believe in that dream, find the right people to support and mentor you, and go for it,” he said. At 10, they bought him a flight simulator, which he modified to include...

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September 4, 2019

Cadet commentary: Soaking up Operations Air Force ‘like a sponge’

Back row, middle: Cadet 2nd Class Spencer Flint and other cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy pose for a photo during their Air Force Operations visit to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, this summer. (Courtesy photo) Commentary by Cadet 2nd Class Spencer Flint, Sept. 4, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- I traveled to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma this summer for two weeks with other cadets to take part in Operations Air Force. It’s a program designed to help cadets better understand how the Air Force works and how officers, noncommissioned officers and successfully team up to complete...

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August 28, 2019

’99 Academy grad credits Academy airfield with changing his life

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Aug. 28, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Twenty years into his career as an Air Force aviator, Lt. Col. Richard Pantusa firmly believes two things: aviation is a team activity, and no team is successful without trust. He credits his experience at the Air Force Academy Airfield for introducing him to these concepts and changing the direction of his career and ultimately, his life. “I came to the Air Force Academy expecting to have a career in research and development [as an engineer], but my exposure to the aviation programs at the Academy after...

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August 27, 2019

Air Force pilot trainee accepts tennis award, life’s challenges

Story by 2nd Lt. Robert Guest, Aug. 23, 2019 JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Second Lt. Isaac Perez, a former tennis player at the U.S. Air Force Academy, has been named a 2019 Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award recipient by the National Collegiate Athletics Association. Perez will be presented with the award during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York Aug. 24, 2019. "Isaac was a role-model for my team the day he stepped on our courts and has always displayed the utmost respect and sportsmanship while representing the Academy," said Dan Oosterhous, head men’s tennis coach...

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November 13, 2019

Academy triathlete preps for world competition next summer

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 13, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Gabriel Fels is training for the biggest race of his life. After a meteoric rise, the Air Force Academy junior will have to balance his academic and military obligations while recovering from a broken toe as he preps for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada, next summer. Fels injured his toe during a recent triathlon in Avon, Colorado, finishing the race before the cold temperatures and adrenaline wore off. “It’s a tough sport. No getting around that,” he said. The six-week recovery period is...

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