February 23, 2018

“Dr. Ruth” shares Holocaust survival story, educational journey

Master Sgt. Jasmine Reif, Feb. 23, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Dr. Ruth Westheimer spoke about her life as a Holocaust orphan and the importance of ethics and respect for human dignity at the National Character and Leadership Symposium Feb. 22. Westheimer grew up in Germany until 1938 when the Nazis came to power. Her family thought the upheaval would be short lived until the morning the Nazis walked into their apartment and led her father away. She remembers her father waving to her with a little smile. It was the last time she saw him. “My father was...

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February 21, 2018

Warrior Games to return to Colorado Springs

DoD Warrior Games Public Affairs, Feb. 16, 2018 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS) -- Community and business leaders joined military representatives at the Air Force Academy Feb. 15 to mark the 100-day countdown until athletes arrive in Colorado for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games. Now in its ninth year, the Warrior Games are returning to Colorado Springs, the city that hosted the inaugural Games in 2010. The event is free and open to the public throughout the competition, June 2-9. The Warrior Games are a Paralympic-style competition between the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command. The...

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February 14, 2018

Speeders ticketed in construction zone, tri-intersection bridge work on schedule

By Ray Bowden and Laurie Wilson U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy saw a spike in speeding tickets given this month near the tri-intersection bridge. Citations were given to drivers of vehicles in the construction zone near the intersection of Pine Drive and Stadium Boulevard, where work is being done to refurbish the tri-intersection bridge. “For first-time offenders, the next step may include removal of driving privileges on-base,” said Col. David Harris, Academy vice commander. Chief Master Sgt. Shadd McKee, manager of the 10th Security Forces Squadron, said the suspension of base-driving privileges is based on a...

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February 6, 2018

USAFA’s Equestrian Center helps wounded warrior ‘thrive in life’

U.S. Air Force Academy Equestrian Center Manager Billy Jack Barrett (left) and Dr. Dave Andrews, former Air Force major and medic pose for a photo at the Equestrian Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Laurie Wilson) By Laurie Wilson, Feb. 6, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Winston Churchill said “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man." Dr. Dave Andrews, former Air Force major and medic, believes this is absolutely true. His recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder started with a four-legged “therapist” stabled at the Air Force Academy Equestrian Center, part of their...

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January 30, 2018

Anna Weilbacher named Rifle Athlete of the Week

By Madeline McGuire, Jan. 30, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --This week’s Air Force Academy Rifle Athlete of the Week is junior Anna Weilbacher of Leona Valley, Calif. At the Citadel/VMI matches in Charleston, S.C. last weekend, Weilbacher was the overall top scorer on both days of the competition, Jan. 27-28. In the first match, she fired a 581 in smallbore and 594 in the air rifle. Her aggregate score was 1175, which led all shooters in the match. Weilbacher went on to lead in the Jan. 28 match against the Bulldogs, firing a 584 in smallbore and 592...

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January 29, 2018

Aim Higher

Kristin Stewart, Jan. 29, 2018 Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. For one Airman, the motto “aim high” is an understatement. From collegiate athlete to Ph.D. scientist, the sky’s the limit. Capt. Olawale Lawal, Air Force Research Laboratory and 2013 Academy grad, shared his experience and life lessons during the University of West Florida’s ROTC commissioning ceremony. Lawal, the youngest of five boys, was born in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. He credits his upbringing for his athletic and academic success. “In Nigerian culture, they set high expectations for their children. Whatever you do, they expect you do it at a...

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November 16, 2017

Air Force Academy cadets continue to support Colorado Springs

By Maureen Welch, Nov. 16, 2017 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets from the Air Force Academy will be out in full force Nov. 17-19 supporting several community service projects across the Front Range. This school year, cadets have volunteered more than 13,000 hours to more than 70 community service organizations in the Colorado Springs area. “In the month of October, the Cadet Wing completed 46 different volunteer events with 30 local partner organizations,” said Cadet 1st Class Hannah Rogers. This weekend, the cadets will lend their efforts to Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, Fort Carson’s Warrior Transition Battalion and...

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January 26, 2018

Cadets, faculty earn research awards at USAFA

(From left: Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy; Cadet 1st Class Molly Phillips,  overall winner of the Thomas D. Moore Award for Outstanding Cadet Summer Research; Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center; and Col. Gary Packard, vice dean of faculty, stand onstage Jan. 25, 2018 in Polaris Hall during the 22nd Annual Research Awards Program ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Charlie Rivezzo) By Ray Bowden/Jan. 26, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet and faculty researchers were the focus of attention Jan. 25 at the Air Force...

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January 24, 2018

Breaking the status quo: USAFA educator develops program based on mountaineering and special ops background

Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo, Jan. 24, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – If you told Lt. Col. Rob Marshall leadership starts at the top, he’d take you literally. Part mountaineer, part special operations pilot, he’s spent a lot of time living his life at high altitudes. Marshall is by no means the casual adventurer, he’s a world-class mountaineer, having led climbs of the highest peak on each continent, including Mount Everest, and ferried special operators in and out of war zones as a CV-22 Osprey pilot. These days, the 2001 Academy graduate is...

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January 22, 2018

Remembering Capt Lance P. Sijan, USAFA ’65

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, Jan. 22, 2018 U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Fifty years ago today, Lance P. Sijan (USAFA Class of 1965) died as a prisoner of war at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”  As we remember him today, I want each of us to reflect on what his contributions and legacy mean to our service and our Academy.  While I encourage you to read one of the many books written about Captain Sijan, today I want to share with you the last line of his Medal of Honor citation.  It reads: “Captain Sijan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and...

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