July 28, 2023

Cadet cadre lead basics through Jacks Valley training

Cadet 1st Class Jared Cruz checks in with Leadership Readiness Course cadet cadre at Jacks Valley July 24, 2023. The cadet cadre executes the Basic Cadet Training mission under the supervision of enlisted and officer experts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Blaire Brush)   By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- The young men and women who arrived at the U.S. Air Force Academy a month ago learned what it takes to survive and thrive here, thanks to the cadets who’ve already experienced Basic Cadet Training teaching them. The cadet cadre members are not only...

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August 7, 2023

The Breakdown: Class of 2027 Stats

Class of 2027 basic cadets battle through the Obstacle Course during Basic Cadet Training at Jacks Valley July 24, 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. - More than 1,130 cadet appointees arrived for U.S. Air Force Academy In-processing Day June 28, 2023. The training concluded Aug. 4 and the basic cadets will enter the Cadet Wing during the Acceptance Day Parade Aug. 9. The breakdown This information is based on data from the Academy’s Operations and Analysis Directorate, released Aug. 3. — In...

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August 16, 2023

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...

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August 21, 2023

‘First Falcons’ continue connection with current cadets

Retired Lt. Col. Curtis Cook, a U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1959 graduate, talks to Class of 2027 cadets on the Challenge Bridge at Doolittle Hall Aug. 1, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)  By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Each year, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s first graduates meet the newest class of cadets at the Challenge Bridge. The Academy’s “First Falcons,” as retired Col. Max Miller and retired Lt. Col. Don Brooks call themselves and their classmates, funded the bridge at Doolittle Hall on the Heritage Trail...

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June 13, 2023

The breakdown: Class of 2023 stats

The most diverse class in U.S. Air Force Academy history, the Class of 2023, graduates June 1, 2023 at Falcon Stadium. Cadets wearing a silver sash are commissioned into the U.S. Space Force and those wearing a gold sash are commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - More than 900 Air Force and Space Force cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony at Falcon Stadium June 1. In all, 806 Class of 2023 cadets were...

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August 23, 2023

Cadets hone cultural skills during language immersion trips 

Cadets 1st Class Ainsley Durand and Ameen Khan spent part of their summers before their senior year overseas in U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty Office of International Programs language immersions. This summer, 138 cadets and 13 faculty members participated in language immersions in nine countries. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Summer language immersion opportunities at the U.S. Air Force Academy help sophomore and junior cadets develop their cultural competence while studying abroad. Cadets improve their foreign language abilities while experiencing a new culture....

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August 23, 2023

‘Nature’s fighter pilots’ attract attention of future cadets

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Elena Castañeda, falconry cadet-in-charge, displays Kuzco, one of the Academy’s 11 falcons, Aug. 17, 2023. The 2-year-old anatum peregrine falcon came to the Academy with an injured wing in 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rayna Schmidt) By Randy Roughton  U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- On Sept. 2, the falcons some call “nature’s fighter pilots” will once again entertain fans at a U.S. Air Force Academy football game. Three of the Academy’s 11 falcons fly at halftime at Falcon Stadium games, led by Ace, a 17-year-old Gyr-Saker...

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August 28, 2023

Cadet aspires to fulfill childhood astronaut dreams

Cadet 2nd Class Luca Valenti escorted Col. Raja Chari for three days during the Artemis Program astronaut’s visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy for the 30th National Character and Leadership Symposium in February 2023. (Photo courtesy of Cadet 2nd Class Luca Valenti)  By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Several seemingly insurmountable obstacles stood in the way of Cadet 2nd Class Luca Valenti’s path to the U.S. Air Force Academy. But a childhood dream of an astronaut career kept him working to overcome each challenge until he became a cadet at 22. The...

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August 25, 2023

Physics professor seeks impact beyond the classroom

Dr. Kimberly de La Harpe, a U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Physics and Meteorology professor, has been on the faculty for 12 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton  U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Dr. Kimberly de La Harpe, a U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Physics and Meteorology professor, aims to make her impact as an instructor in three areas: in the classroom, in the lab and in her community. “Any time you are dealing with faculty, there are three pillars to our jobs,” de La Harpe said....

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August 29, 2023

American Battle Monuments Commission Shows Centennial Documentary

Cadets majoring in history interact with American Battle Monuments Commission Vice Chairman Daniel P. Woodward at the screening of the centennial documentary “Our Promise: 100 Years of the American Battle Monuments Commission” in Arnold Hall Aug. 21, 2023. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Cadet 2nd Class Connor Brezenski) By American Battle Monuments Commission Staff U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- The U.S. Air Force Academy and the American Battle Monuments Commission, the federal agency established to care for America's fallen service members overseas, hosted a screening of the commission’s centennial documentary Our Promise: 100 Years of the American Battle Monuments Commission in...

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