What sticks around after nearly three decades at the U.S. Air Force  Academy? For Lt. Col. (Ret.) Tom Mabry ’80, it’s the cadets. His greatest reward wasn’t the roles or recognition — it was calling names and watching cadets cross the stage at graduation. Col. Mabry shares some of his story with Heritage Minute host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77.

In this edition of Heritage Minute Podcast, a behind-the-scenes look at how the U.S. Air Force Academy tells its story. Host Lt Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is joined by Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Dean Miller, a former USAFA public affairs specialist and strategic communications leader, who explains why relationships and trust matter most. Miller reflects on what he carried forward from the Academy — integrity, service and excellence — and how those values matter in every role.

This April in Colorado Springs, more than 600 members of the Long Blue Line will come together to mark 50 years of women at the U.S. Air Force Academy

For five decades, thousands of women have helped define the mission and legacy of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Today, leaders like Lt. Col. (Ret.) Tanya Hurwitz ’95 are bringing those stories full circle — connecting past impact with future generations.

In this edition of Heritage Minute Special, Col. (Ret.) Jack Anthony ’78 discusses the pioneers who lived on the land before the founding of the U.S. Air Force Academy — including the McAlroy family.

Col. David McAlroy ’03 joins the conversation to reflect on discovering his family’s connection.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

Groundbreaking began in October 2023. By September 2024, employees signed the final beam at the topping out ceremony. Staff moved in May 2025 — bringing the Association & Foundation and the Falcon Foundation together under one roof.

Designed in the Academy’s modernist style, Wecker Hall features collaborative workspaces, meeting rooms and a dedicated podcast studio. Its geothermal field, rooftop solar panels and energy-efficient design support a net-zero vision — maximizing stewardship.

Named in honor of Dr. Bill Wecker ’63 and his late wife, Mary Linn, the facility reflects a commitment to growth, sustainability and the future of the Long Blue Line.

In this edition of the Heritage Minute Special, Maj. Julian "Cosmo" Gluck ’12 returns to the U.S. Air Force Academy to reflect on the enduring legacy of the late Gen. Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, the U.S. Air Force’s first chief of staff and a foundational figure in American airpower.

This episode examines Civil Air Patrol’s origins and the significance of the Spaatz Award. Julian shares how early exposure to military traditions shaped his own path to USAFA and why preserving heritage remains essential to developing future leaders.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

The bronze statue of Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold standing in front of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Arnold Hall was dedicated on Nov. 5, 1993, following a multi-year effort led by the Falcon Foundation. After receiving superintendent support in 1991, the foundation selected sculptor Glenna Goodacre and raised approximately $150,000 to bring the project to life.

The statue depicts Gen. Arnold in uniform, standing beside a globe and pointing toward Europe — a reflection of his global vision and leadership. Members of the Arnold family attended the dedication, including daughter-in-law Barbara Arnold and her son, Robert.

Today, the statue remains a lasting symbol of the leadership legacy that continues to inspire USAFA cadets and graduates alike.

Above Arnold Hall’s main entrance stands a statue of Col. James Jabara — America’s first jet ace and the second-leading ace of the Korean War. Dedicated in 2004, this monument is closely tied to the Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship, an annual honor established in 1967 and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Association of Graduates and the Jabara family. The award goes to a USAFA graduate, living or deceased, whose actions directly associated with an aerospace vehicle set him or her apart from contemporaries. The first recipient was Capt. Donald Stevens ’60 in 1968, and past honorees include Karol Bobko ’59, Steve Ritchie ’64, and Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger ’73.

With the unpredictable weather here at the Academy, having an indoor athletic training facility is a near necessity.  The Holaday Athletic Center has capably served that purpose for more than a decade.  The 92,000 square-foot multi-purpose building cost $15.5 million, all of which came from private donations.  The center was the first major project for the USAFA Endowment, the fund-raising organization established in 2007 and now known as the Air Force Academy Foundation.  Lynn and Bart Holaday, Class of ’65, made the lead gift of five million dollars.  Ground was broken for the structure on 1 October 2010.  The ceremony made for a somber event, however, as Lynn Holaday had passed away earlier that morning after a long struggle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.  The building that bears her name was ready to go exactly nine months and twenty-one days later, with the dedication ceremony taking place on 22 July 2011.  The Holaday Athletic Center can accommodate football, lacrosse, and soccer, in addition to other athletic activities.  In fact, its value to the Academy far exceeds athletics.  For example, in the past few years, it has served as the arrival point for the new classes as they report to the Academy for in-processing and Basic Cadet Training.  The facility is bare bones, as it does not include heating or cooling.  Air flow is provided by those Big Ass fans up there.  Yep, the name of the company that made them is Big Ass Fans.

The second part of the This Heritage Minute Special dives into partnership, preservation and a unique perspective of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Erwin Roemer, former U.S. Air Force Academy cultural resources manager, reflects with host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ‘77 on Roemer’s decades of experience working with tribal nations and federal agencies. Hear how the Academy's landscapes connect with generations past and present.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

Native Americans have a long and proud history of military service. In fact, they are among the most represented ethnic groups in the U.S. armed forces.

In this special episode of the Heritage Minute podcast, Erwin Roemer shares how that tradition continues at USAFA today.

LISTEN to the Cathedral Rock episode referenced here.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

In between Vandenberg and Fairchild Halls, in the shadow of the Core Values Ramp, is the green oasis known as the Mall of Heroes.  This mini-park is the gift of the Class of 1964.  It features statues of three Academy legends.  The first statue to be dedicated was that of First Lieutenant Karl Richter, Class of ’64, who was shot down and killed on 28 July 1967 during his 198th combat mission in Vietnam.  The Richter statue was dedicated on 27 May 2008, just before the Class of ’08 graduated, as Richter was the class’s exemplar.  It would be eighteen months until more statues were added, causing some cadet comedians of the time to call the area “The Mall of Hero.”  Before long, however, Lieutenant Richter had company.  On 6 November 2009, during its 45-year reunion, the Class of ’64 dedicated and ceremonially donated to the Academy the Mall of Heroes.  The ceremony included the unveiling of two new statues, honoring Captain Valmore Bourque, Class of ’60, the first Academy graduate killed in combat, and Captain Lance Sijan, Class of ’65, the first Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor.  Since then, as cadets march down the ramp and past this area en route to the Stillman Parade Field, they execute an Eyes Right and salute these icons.

This Heritage Minute Special features Col. (Ret.) Leonard "Lucky" Ekman, Class of 1963, who shares the remarkable story of Maj. Robert Lodge ’64 — a fighter pilot, warfighter and patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting America's interests during the Vietnam War. Col. Ekman shares his personal mission to see the Medal of Honor posthumously awarded to Lodge. Listen today!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

The Academy and the saber have a long and rich history, dating back to the very beginning of USAFA’s existence.  Most of the early Air Force Academy planners were in fact West Point graduates.  They brought many of their programs, artifacts, and traditions to the new school in Colorado.  Included in that category is the saber, which has been carried by wing, group, and squadron leaders while marching or participating in ceremonies.  In 1961, only three years after the Academy moved from Lowry Air Force Base in Denver to its current location, cadets founded the Cadet Sabre Drill Team.  Its mission was – and still is – to demonstrate professional military skills and discipline through the performance of intricate saber manual.  One of the few U.S. military units that perform drills entirely with sabers, they delight audiences throughout the Rocky Mountain area and beyond.  When I was on the AOG Board of Directors in the mid-1900s we demonstrated the importance of the saber in Academy culture. In this very room, we established the Academy’s first donor club, naming it The Sabre Society.  For decades, graduating cadets have been able to purchase German-made sabers from the Cadet Store for their personal use.  In 2008, the Association of Graduates took over that program, selling and renting sabers for use in weddings and other events.  An exciting change in that process took place in 2024, when production of the edged weapons was brought home.  Excalibur Outdoors, a sister company to Kilroy’s Workshop in Colorado Springs, has taken on the task of producing these items.  This “Buy American” initiative will decrease shipping costs and permit greater interaction with the manufacturer.

In Part 2 of this 3-part series, Heritage Minute Special host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77, gets his conversation started with Mr. Duane Boyle, recently retired USAFA architect, a position he held for many years. The two discuss Duane's role as the Academy’s Architect, his work and impact, specific projects, and their shared experiences having worked together over the years going back to the 1980's.

You don't have to wait for all parts to publish. You can listen to the full 1 hour and 22 minute conversation at your convenience here:  https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/49y8c5jbsc9aadew/HMS_PARTS_1-3_DUANE_BOYLEajqmk.mp3

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

Do you know who the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Stillman Field is named after? What about the milestones that take place there? Do you know what the mass of lush green grass’s name was before, in 1994, it earned its current moniker? Find the answers to these questions (and more you didn’t know you had) in this Heritage Minute.

In this Heritage Minute Special, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is joined by Col. (Ret.) Max Miller ’59, a proud member of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s first graduating class. They discuss a significant event that occurred 70 years ago, as well as Col. Miller’s long and distinguished service to the Air Force and the USAFA community.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

From sweat-soaked pages in Jacks Valley to ceremonial handoffs at the Acceptance Day Parade, Contrails is more than a handbook — it's a rite of passage at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Dive into the legacy in this edition of Heritage Minute!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

In Part 2 of this 3-part series, Heritage Minute Special host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77, gets his conversation started with Mr. Duane Boyle, recently retired USAFA architect, a position he held for many years. The two discuss Mr. Boyle's role as the Academy’s Architect, his work and impact, specific projects, and their shared experiences having worked together over the years going back to the 1980's.

You don't have to wait for all parts to publish. You can listen to the full 1 hour and 22 minute conversation at your convenience here:  https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/49y8c5jbsc9aadew/HMS_PARTS_1-3_DUANE_BOYLEajqmk.mp3

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

For graduates and cadets who trained here as basics, Jacks Valley will always occupy a special place in our memories.  Here, we crawled in the mud, fought with pugil sticks, experienced tear gas, climbed obstacles, and did many other things for the first time in our lives.  The Jacks Valley real estate was not part of the originally envisioned Academy installation.  Prescient planners, however, wanted more land as a buffer.  They feared that in decades to come, development and population encroachment would press up against the Academy.  Of course, time has proven them to be correct.  They added one valley to the south – Pine Valley – and one to the north – Jacks Valley.  This enclave gets its name from the people who were on the land before the Academy’s arrival: Cleo and Zelda Jack, who had owned the 480-acre ranch since 1942.  Ironically, they were only in the valley that now bears their name because they had been ousted from their previous ranch.  The Jacks moved to Colorado from the Socorro, New Mexico, area after their property was acquired by the government to make room for atomic bomb development and testing.  While the Academy used the valley for other military purposes – a skeet range opened here on 28 May 1960 – it wasn’t until 1966 that it became the Basic Cadet Training encampment.  On 25 July 1966, members of the Class of ’70 marched to the training site from the Cadet Area, claiming the distinction of being the first class to have the Jacks Valley experience we know today.  They received training in individual combat techniques, outpost duties, day and night patrols, fire and movement, individual firing positions, and first aid. While the general experience has endured, training has evolved, and other changes have taken place.  For example, basics no longer pitch tents to sleep in.  The Jacks Valley Mitchell Hall is also a building rather than a tent.  In 2019, something new and exciting for graduates began: participation in the annual Jacks Valley March Back.  That year, approximately 200 Academy graduates were the first alums to accompany basics and their cadre on their return to the Cadet Area from Jacks Valley.  Grads ranging from the Classes of 1961 to 2019 marched with members of the Class of ’23 that day.  Thirty-one members of the Class of ’59, at USAFA to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of their graduation, awaited them at the Class Wall.  The tradition continues to this day.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, Heritage Minute Special host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77, gets his conversation started with Duane Boyle, recently retired USAFA architect, a position he held for many years. The two discuss Duane's role as the Academy Architect, his work and impact, specific projects, and their shared experiences having worked together over the years going back to the 1980's.  

You don't have to wait for parts 2 and 3 to publish. You can listen to the full 1 hour and 22 minute conversation at your convenience by CLICKING HERE

Thank you for listening!  

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

In August 1958 when the Academy completed its move from Lowry Air Force Base in Denver to this permanent location, the cadets first accessed the cadet area by marching up this ramp. ----more----

Arriving cadets have been doing so ever since. Every summer, appointees assemble on the footprints, get welcome with their first taste of Academy hospitality, and then head up the ramp to begin their Cadet careers in 1964 the words, "Bring Me Men" were mounted above the ramp in two foot high aluminum letters. The phrase is from a poem about westward expansion written by Samuel Walter Foss entitled The Coming American, first read at a fourth of July celebration in Connecticut in 1894 it contains the lines, "Bring me men to match my mountains. Bring me men to match my plains. Men with empire in their purpose and new eras in their brains." The words began to seem incongruous in 1976 when female cadets enrolled for the first time, as demonstrated by the iconic photo of appointee Julie Richards at in-processing. After decades of discussion and controversy, on March 28, 2003 the phrase Bring Me Men was removed from its spot over the battle ramp. On September 29, 2004 the words "Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in all We Do, were unveiled above the ramp. A black gate protecting the ramp was added in 2001 is the result of security measures instituted in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Before then, the ramp was wide open.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

The Air Force Academy cemetery is the only active base cemetery in the Air Force. In that regard, the USAFA cemetery is similar to the West Point and Annapolis cemeteries, which are also operated by their parent services, and the Arlington National Cemetery, which is administered by the Army. Consequently, the Academy cemetery has unique criteria for burial eligibility is outlined in Headquarters United States Air Force Academy instruction 34-501, which was published on 13 November, 2018. There are several exceptions and qualifiers, but the main categories of people eligible for burial at USAFA are USAFA cadets, Air Force military personnel assigned at USAFA at the time of their deaths. USAFA graduates all active duty and retired Air Force four star generals and lieutenant generals, specific former Academy senior staffers, original cadre from the Lowry days and mid-70s air training officers who supported the enrollment of the first female cadets, specific relatives of eligible members and Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross recipients. The instruction also has a waiver process. The 10th Air Base Wing Commander can disapprove a request for exception, but only the superintendent can approve an exception. These criteria and acres of space to expand ensure that eligible individuals can continue to be buried here far into the future.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Air Force Academy cemetery has breathtaking natural beauty and an exceptionally impressive roster of people who have chosen it as their final resting place. It also holds a large number of important structures. Most visible is the memorial pavilion. After many years of events being negatively impacted by inclement weather on 11-May, 2007, this facility, funded by the Association of Graduates, was dedicated at the time. The $4.7 million structure, funded by more than 11,000 graduates and friends, was the largest single gift ever made to the Academy. Other structures at the cemetery include the locator building with the same architecture as the memorial pavilion. It contains kiosks allowing visitors to locate any grave marker and learn about the lives of the deceased. The Memorial Wall, dedicated in 1981, contains plaques from air related units, commemorating their service and acknowledging their comrades who died as a result of combat. The 40 foot tall American Legion Memorial tower was also dedicated in 1981 in memory of those who have served their country from the Revolutionary War to the present. The tower was originally located on the Hill west of the Cadet Chapel. It was moved here in October 1996. A bronze sculpture of an Air Force honor guard was installed in October 2007. The eight foot tall statue, a gift from Mr. Ross Perot, is a replica of the Statue of the United States Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC. The Airman on the Meadow and Winged Refuge statues located near the memorial pavilion were dedicated in November 2011. The uplifted arm of the airmen evokes the John Gillespie McGee poem, High Flight, while the Winged Refuge is a set of 17 1/2' foot Art Deco wings that honor aviation and its relevance to the Academy. Mission.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Appropriately, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, the Academy's first superintendent, was the first person buried here. He has since been joined by an impressive roster of Air Force and Academy leaders.

At the risk of omitting noteworthy individuals. Here are some of those who are buried here. 

General Carl Spots, the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Three other chiefs of staff, Generals Curtis LeMay, John McConnell and John Ryan. 

Eight superintendents, including the first six, Captain Valmore Bork, Class of '60, the first graduate killed in combat. He shares this hallowed ground with dozens of other graduates and heroes who gave their lives in defense of the United States. Master Sergeant William Crawford, United States Army, the only Medal of Honor recipient in the cemetery and the first enlisted person to be buried here. Notably, he was a janitor in Sijan Hall, a cadet dormitory when a classmate of mine, Cadet Jim Moschgat, uncovered his story while reading about World War II; Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Harris, Korean War POW held in solitary confinement for 14 months, and author of the Contrails quote, “Many of us learned as doolies, if I can't go back with my self respect, I won't go back at all.” Colonel Lee Black, the first Preparatory School commander; Captain Charles Bush, Class of '63, the first black graduate; Brigadier General Robin Olds, triple ace and former commandant of cadets. A 100 acre site has room to grow in hopes of serving graduates and heroes long into the future.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

During his days as a cadet, Col. (Retired) Jim Moschgat ’77 made a remarkable discovery: one of the Academy’s janitors was a Medal of Honor recipient. Listen now to hear the amazing story of William Crawford.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Traveling around the 18,500-acre Air Force Academy campus, one can see breathtaking natural scenery, modern architecture, and tributes to Air Force and Academy pioneers.  ----more----

There is a place that features all of these attributes:  the Academy Cemetery.  Nestled amid pine trees east of the Cadet Area, the 100-acre facility is the final resting place for nearly 2,000 individuals.  The burial ground dates back to the earliest days of the Academy’s existence at the permanent site.  On 22 September 1958, less than a month after the cadets moved down from their temporary home at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, General Order Number 32 established the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery.  Less than a week later, on 28 September, the initial funeral was held.  Appropriately, that ceremony honored Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon.  Sadly, the Academy’s first Superintendent had not survived to see the Class of ’59, USAFA’s first class, graduate.  On 22 February 1957, he had passed away at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, due to cancer.  The entire Cadet Wing, as well as the Academy staff and hundreds of relatives and friends, participated in the ceremony.  It was the first occasion on which the Cadet Wing wore the all-white parade uniform designed by pioneering Hollywood movie director and producer Cecil B. DeMille.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

April 1, 1954 is the day President Dwight D. Eisenhower shook hands with then Secretary of the Air Force, Harold E. Talbott. The president had just signed legislation authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Air Force Academy. USAFA’s Founders Day has been celebrated on April 1 ever since. 

(Left Image) President Dwight D. Eisenhower (seated) shakes hands with Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott on April 1, 1954, after signing legislation authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Looking on (from left) are Congressman Carl Vinson, Georgia; Gen. Nathan F. Twining, Air Force chief of staff; Congressman Dewey Short, Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; James H. Douglas, undersecretary of the Air Force, and Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, special assistant for the Academy.

 - (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force Academy McDermott Library Archives)

(Right Image) The first class of Air Force Academy cadets at the Academy's first home, Lowery AFB, Denver, CO.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

In this Heritage Minute Special: Col. (Ret.) Darrel Whitcomb '69 recently led a reunion of his classmates and emceed a briefing outlining their roles during the Vietnam War. The group heard from fellow pilots, search-and-rescue team members and former POWs. Join the conversation between host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 and Col. Whitcomb, a passionate historian and published author with a great many stories to tell.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Located just west of the Service and Supply Area at the south end of the Academy is Ice Lake.  A century ago, it was bustling with industry.  ----more----

During the winter, this lake, and several others in the Colorado Springs-Monument area, would freeze solid.  Workers would harvest the ice using a one-handed version of the loggers saw.  The ice, cut into blocks, would be used to preserve perishable food in early-day refrigerators, appropriately called “ice boxes.”  Pioneers establishing homesteads in the area that is now the Academy included Aaron and Martha Blodgett, namesake of nearby Blodgett Peak, and David Edgerton.  Edgerton was the namesake of a town that emerged where Ice Lake is today.  The local public school district, now called Academy District 20, got its start here in 1874.  It was organized by County Superintendent Robert Douglass, whose name is tied to the Academy’s Douglass Valley.  In its early days, the school district covered 36 square miles and The Edgerton School, located near the lake, was its only school.  With the establishment of the Air Force Academy in the 1950s, the school district quadrupled in size, expanding to 130 square miles.  The town of Edgerton, however, joined several other settlements on Academy grounds that disappeared.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

In this edition of Heritage Minute Special, host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is holding a reunion of sorts. ----more----

His guest is a hire of his from a few years back. Meredith Harlow is the Academy’s Curator of Artifacts. Listen in as the two discuss Meredith’s background, and the work she does preserving the things at make USAFA’s history and heritage unique.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Tucked away in the Douglass Valley woods, along the stretch of the Falcon Trail between the Community Center and Falcon Stadium is the oldest structure on the Academy and one of the oldest in the Pikes Peak region.  ----more----

This is officially called the Pioneer Cabin.  It has been known as the Capps Cabin, but in reality was built by William A. Burgess, another early settler.  Around 1870, Leonard and Mary Ann Capps established a homestead just south of where Falcon Stadium is today.  The foundation of that three-room building is still visible.  This structure, the Pioneer Cabin, was built by Burgess in 1871.  It was re-named the “Capps” cabin because, when Falcon Stadium was built in 1962, graves of the Capps family were moved to the site of the Burgess cabin from their original burial site near where the stadium’s fifty-yard line is today.  The five graves include Leonard and Mary Ann Capps.  On 29 July 1961, Academy officials, led by Colonel Edward Stealy, deputy base commander, and the Palmer Lake Historical Society dedicated the cabin, as well as the Pioneer Cemetery.  A plaque memorializing the members of the Capps family was unveiled, reading, “This cemetery symbolizes the many pioneer families who originally settled this region.”  In January 1975, the cabin was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

In this edition of the Heritage Minute Special podcast, host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ‘77 is speaking with the Academy’s Command Historian, Dr. Brian Laslie.  During this conversation, we get into his love of history and how that led him to  the Academy.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The “Gallery of Great Airmen” is an artistic gem located in the Exemplar area of Fairchild Hall.  ----more----

The large display features portraits of 68 leaders.  Included are such iconic Americans as the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, General Benjamin O. Davis Junior, Bob Hope, and General Jimmy Stewart.  The Falcon Foundation donated the works of art to the Academy on 6 May 1966.  Many of the individuals immortalized here are namesakes of scholarships provided by the non-profit.  The Falcon Foundation was incorporated in Texas on 7 April 1958 as “The Mitchell Foundation.”  That name didn’t last long, however, as the heirs of General Mitchell objected to the use of his name for this purpose, and the organization was soon renamed “The Falcon Foundation.”  The organization’s primary objective is to fund civilian prep school attendance for prospective cadets who did not receive direct entry into the Academy.  The Falcon Foundation has been extraordinarily successful in this endeavor, having provided approximately 4,000 scholarships, the first three going to members of the Class of 1963.  The number of Falcon Scholars who have graduated from the Academy is approaching 3,000.  Included in that number are Bart Holaday, Class of 1965, the first Falcon Scholar to also become a Rhodes Scholar; General (Retired) William Looney, Class of 1972, the first Falcon Scholar to attain the rank of four-star general; and the two most recent past Air Force Chiefs, retired generals Mark Welsh III, Class of 1976, and David Goldfein, Class of 1983.  The Falcon Foundation’s contribution to the Academy is by no means limited to scholarships and these paintings.  Among its many other gifts to the Academy are the fifteen-foot bronze statue of an eagle on the trail between the Visitor Center and the Cadet Chapel, the Schlomo Katz paintings normally displayed in the Jewish Chapel, and General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold in front of Arnold Hall.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Maj. (Ret.) Don Rightmyer ’73 has spent a lifetime chronicling and preserving history. Like Heritage Minute Special host, Steve Simon ’77, he has a love of history. Unlike Steve, who developed his passion for the field only about 20 years ago, Maj. Rightmyer's dates back to his days as a USAFA cadet. These kindred spirits have been drawn together by their mutual interest in history and heritage. 

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

There is an artifact in the Academy’s Community Center area that predates the Academy by more than 140 years. 

----more----

In 1813, townspeople in and around Neuville, in the Normandy region of France, raised funds for a church bell.  Before the end of the year, the resultant bell took its place in the church’s Gothic bell tower.  As is customary in France, the bell was given a name - Caroline Antoinette.  The 835-pound bell included 28 pounds of silver, which was said to give the bell its pleasing tone.  In 1950, shortly after-World War II, several churches in the area consolidated, with Neuville’s slated to be demolished.  Caroline Antoinette was sold to raise funds.  The purchasers donated it to a nearby U.S. Air Force Base.  Unable to display it properly, in 1958, base leaders donated the bell, valued at $5,000, to the Air Force Academy.  On 22 January 1967, the Base Chapel in the Community Center was dedicated, with the bell displayed in a 53-foot tower to the west of the building.  Nearly three decades later, in October 1996, the tower and the bell were moved to their current location on the other side of the Chapel, to draw parishioners to the front entrance.  On 11 November 2018, the Academy participated in a collaborative effort known as the “Bells of Peace” to mark the centennial of the Armistice that brought an end to World War I.  Caroline Antoinette tolled at 11 a.m. to commemorate those who served and those who died in what Americans fervently hoped was the “War to End All Wars.”

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

This is where it all began.  July eleventh, 1955, 306 basic cadets arrived at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, to begin their journey at the United States Air Force Academy.  ----more----

Not much remains of the former base.  But if you listen intently enough, you can still hear the faint echoes of the first members of the Long Blue Line.  President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that established the Air Force Academy on April first, 1954 – Founders Day.  Less than three months later, on June twenty-fourth, Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott announced that Colorado Springs would be the Academy’s permanent home.  He also tasked Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon with finding a temporary location in Denver while the Academy's permanent campus was being built.  He chose, Lowry Air Force Base.  Lowry has a rich history.  The Denver branch of the Army Air Corps training school opened for business in the old Agnes Phipps tuberculosis sanitarium on October first, 1937.  A few months after opening, it gained the name Lowry, in honor of Second Lieutenant Francis B. Lowry.  A Denver native, he was killed in France during World War I aerial combat while serving as an artillery observer and aerial photographer for the Army Air Service.  In the early 1950s, Lowry Air Force Base served as the Summer White House for President and Mrs. Eisenhower.  Lowry hosted cadets for a little more than three years, from the Academy’s opening in 1955, until the whole operation moved to its permanent site in late August 1958.  While at Lowry, the Academy established its academic, military, and athletic identities, formalized its Honor Code, chose the falcon as its mascot, and started many traditions that continue to this day.  After the Academy moved south, Lowry continued on as a training installation.  By 1966, however, commercial air traffic from nearby airports had increased and the city grew up around the base.  Flying operations were ended due to concerns about crashes into surrounding residential areas.  In 1991, the Commission on Base Realignment and Closure recommended the base’s closure, citing savings by consolidating training at other locations, the lack of active runways, and the base’s high resale potential.  Lowry Air Force Base ceased to exist on 30 September 1994.  More than a quarter-century later, many remnants of the base remain, and the Academy’s former presence is still felt.  One important structure, Building 880, which served as the Commandant of Cadet’s office, was added to the National Register of Historic Places during a dedication ceremony on September fourth 2007.  Here in Lowry's Hangar One, now home of the Wings Over the Rockies Museum, is a display highlighting the early years of the Academy.  Other Lowry buildings that remain from the Academy years include “The U” Academic buildings, the Eisenhower Chapel, and Hangars One and Two.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Host, Steve Simon’77, is joined by Colonel (Retired) Randy Helms, USAFA Class of ’79.  Among his many accomplishments, he leads the Association of Graduates’ Class Advisory Senate. The two get into that and many other topics in this conversation.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

In the early 1960s, some enterprising residents of Douglass Valley tried to build a neighborhood ski area in the west end of the valley.  ----more----

Evidence of the ski tow structure they built survives to this day.  A Department of Defense map of the academy identified a ski tow in the far south west corner of the academy reservation.  Documents discovered in the McDermott Library’s Special Collections branch contain information about the effort covering the period September 1961 to December 1962.  Planners obtained permission from base leadership and, using non-appropriated funds, built a platform atop the east-west ridge and began clearing some ski runs to the north.  The documents outlined a grand plan for this neighborhood project.  In late 1962, however, the effort was abandoned.  Reasons included a lack of snow, difficulty clearing paths for runs, and problems with the rope system.  Despite its failure, skiing has always been a part of the Academy.  In 1964, Academy personnel organized a ski club to develop, maintain and support skiing and other winter sports.  USAFA had a varsity ski team from 1958 to 1972, which trained at the now-closed Broadmoor Ski Area.  While the Academy no longer has a varsity ski team, it does have competitive cadet clubs devoted to downhill, cross-country, and freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

And there's still more. Steve serves the Association of Graduates and Foundation as writer and historian. As a recognized authority on all things Sabre Society, Steve wrote a feature piece for the December 2024 edition of Checkpoints Magazine on the Sabre Society's 30 anniversary year and a major change in the manufacture of USAFA's cadet sabres. That article is linked below as a free downloadable PDF file.

In addition to his Checkpoints piece, he has also hosted two Heritage Minute Special podcasts, collaborated with the AOG's Ryan Hall to produce a companion video (embedded below), and much more.   

READ MORE BY STEVE SIMON IN THE DECEMBER 2024 CHECKPOINTS

*FREE PDF DOWNLOAD*

MORE ON THE SABRE SOCIETY HERE

 - Video written and produced for Checkpoints Magazine by Ryan Hall and Steve Simon

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Almost all of the Air Force Academy football games are televised, drawing large national audiences.  ----more----

For most of those viewers, Falcon Stadium is their primary view of the Academy.  Consequently, it is important that the facility help tell the story of the Academy and the Air Force.  That was the rationale behind recent efforts to utilize the stadium as a venue to inform and inspire fans.  Air Force and Academy leaders and historians adopted an idea already in use at the Naval Academy’s War Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, in which they display the names of some of their most historic events.  Phase I of the Air Force Academy’s signage project is in place, highlighting five major air campaigns:  Berlin Airlift, the 1948–1949 operation to supply Berlin with food and other supplies after the Soviet Union blockaded the city, closing all road and rail links;  Allied Force, the 1999 air campaign in Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War;  Inherent Resolve, the 2014 campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria;  Desert Storm, the 1991 operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation;  and Linebacker II, the December 1972 bombing campaign to force North Vietnam leadership to agree to a peace treaty.  Phase II of the Falcon Stadium heritage project could add an additional 20 campaigns.  In addition to that signage, depictions of the forty cadet squadrons’ patches were added to the tunnel used by the teams.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Located just south of the Academy’s North Gate bridge along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and the New Santa Fe Regional Trail, Husted began in the early 1870s.  Railroaders and citizens of the area chose to name the community after local lumberman Calvin Husted.  Husted grew into an important stop on the Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande Railroads, with a grocery store, a café, a church and a school.  Residents included railroad workers, ranchers and entrepreneurs.  One descendent of these pioneers, David McAloy, graduated from the Academy in 2003.  Sadly, Husted was the site of a horrible tragedy.  On 14 August 1909, two passenger trains collided head-on.  Twelve people were killed and another 42 were injured. Incidentally, one of those killed was train crewmember James A. Gossage, grandfather of future Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rick “Goose” Gossage.  As long as trains were the primary mode of transportation, Husted thrived.  In the 1920s, however, progress overtook the town.  The automobile began to supplant the railroad, and a new highway, U.S. 85-87 – now Interstate-25 – was built.  With that, the town began to fade away.  In fact, by the time the Academy was being planned in 1954, it was virtually a ghost town.  The only remaining Husted building is the Reynolds House, built in 1894, near what is now the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.  The land in and around Husted did make one more contribution, however, serving as the location of the concrete plant that supported the construction of the Cadet Area.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Thus the Sabre Society was established. Since then, a great many programs have been funded benefiting USAFA and its cadets. Join founder, Col. (Ret.) John Kelly ’65 and Heritage Minute Special host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 for an inside look at the organization.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

----more----

The imposing 120-foot high formation is made of volcanic clay and sandstone.  The geologic wonder at the west end of Jacks Valley has had, and continues to have, importance to Native American tribes.  Later, pioneers would visit the site.  Many of them would literally “sign in,” carefully carving their names or initials into the hardened clay, sometimes adding a date.  For example, Lewis Flegell was a pioneer who lived during the 1870s in what today is Douglass Valley.  He signed the rock numerous times.  Mr. Jerome C. Kinner signed the rock in 1921.  He had a general store and gas station in the now-ghost town of Husted near what today is the North Gate.  Albert and Jeannine Bishop lived near Cathedral Rock in the late 1800s.  They not only carved their names, but added a little heart and their three children’s names: Oscar, Lillian and Phineas.  Jack Anthony, Class of ‘78, and archeologist Dr. Bill Arbogast of the University of Colorado are among the researchers who have studied the many pioneer signatures on the rock, a section of which Jack calls “Signature Wall.”  Unfortunately, like the nearby flatiron, Cathedral Rock is off limits to visitors.  It is near the firing range, and the layers of sandstone are easily damaged, making it an environmentally and culturally sensitive area.  Despite that, Cathedral Rock remains a cherished Academy landmark.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

First, some background:  On May twenty-first, 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh landed his aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic.  The flight brought worldwide attention to the capabilities of airplanes, improving the prospects of an Air Force Academy.  Now, fast-forward thirty years.  To commemorate Lindbergh’s achievement, on May twenty-first, 1957, Major Robinson Risner flew this plane, appropriately named the Spirit of St. Louis II, on the same New York-to-Paris route . . . but a little faster.  Risner’s flight took 6 hours and 37 minutes, one-fifth of Lindbergh’s time, and set a new trans-Atlantic record.  The plane has been on display here since 1983.  Incidentally, Major Risner went on to become Brigadier General Risner, best known for his leadership and heroism while a prisoner of war in Vietnam for seven years.  He is the exemplar for the Class of 2021.  A Risner statue, funded by Ross Perot, stands nine feet tall in the Air Garden on the Terrazzo.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

It is a static display of sorts, though decidedly not on purpose.  And it is way up there, on the side of Blodgett Peak.  Let’s go have a look!

The mountain on which the aircraft rests towers over the Academy at the southwest corner of the campus.  It is named for pioneers Aaron and Martha Blodgett, who established a homestead in the Pine Valley area in the 1860s.  Other pioneers said the Blodgetts were kind and helpful, sort of the Pine Valley welcome wagon.  Maybe that’s why the mountain is named after them.

Blodgett Peak reentered Academy consciousness in 2012 when the Waldo Canyon fire spread to Blodgett and forced the Academy to move in-processing from Doolittle Hall, where it had been every year since 1995, to the Field House.

On 23 February 1943, a U.S. Army Air Force C-49J crashed here, on the north face of Blodgett Peak.  Perhaps due to the steepness of the terrain and the remoteness of the wreckage, it was not moved.  Lieutenant Baxter Ireland and two crew members died in the crash, which occurred during a training mission from Denver to Pueblo when Lieutenant Ireland became disoriented in inclement weather.  The War Department’s explanation of the accident was succinct, listing the cause as, “Collision – Other Object.”

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The station was the brainchild of then-Cadet John Severski, Class of ’71, and came into being only due to the perseverance and ingenuity of John, several other like-minded cadets, and a few supportive USAFA staff members.  It was a classic Do-It-Yourself project, as they begged, borrowed, and scrounged the necessary equipment to build a studio in Vandenberg Hall.  When Academy officials applied for a broadcast license, they requested that the call letters be either KAFA or KDET (pronounced “cadet”).  Obviously, the FCC approved KAFA.  At 6:57 p.m. on 17 January 1971, the station began broadcasting with 10 watts of power at the frequency 89.7 on the FM dial.  Following the National Anthem, the first song played was “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” by Crosby Stills and Nash.  The Superintendent, Lieutenant General A. P. Clark, then delivered a welcome message.

KAFA has undergone changes over the decades, but is still largely as its founders dreamed and designed it.  After going off the air for a time in the 1980s, it has broadcast continuously since 13 February 1989.  The format has varied slightly, but has largely stuck to its rock roots.  The frequency has changed three times due to signal-bleed into commercial stations’ coverage, and is currently broadcasting at 97.7.  Since 1 May 2008, KAFA has been available online, making it accessible to graduates, parents, and other interested listeners anywhere in the world.  Funding for the streaming has been provided by the Association of Graduates since day one.  KAFA has served the Academy community by broadcasting live from significant events such as graduation, in-processing, and even sporting events.

In 2018, after nearly a half-century in Vandenberg Hall, the station moved to this state-of-the-art studio in Fairchild Hall.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

GEN. LORENZ' BIO

GEN. (RET.) STEPHEN R. LORENZ ’73

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FALCON FOUNDATION

RECOMMENDED READING:  LORENZ ON LEADERSHIP

Nothing speaks better to the subject of effective leadership than the need to develop professionally. General Lorenz believes that leadership is tied to a continuing study of the profession, thus the need for leaders to read. He particularly advocates reading biographies of great leaders. He found that learning from other’s experiences helped keep him from wasting time reinventing the wheel. And reading, like any other leadership development, is a lifetime experience because, as he describes it, “Life is a marathon, not a 50-yard dash.”

 - Copy credit:  Amazon.com

READ "LORENZ ON LEADERSHIP" HERE

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The work of art is located on the north wall of the Cadet Field House multipurpose area.  Forty feet high and 320 feet wide, it consists of four panels.  Each quarter panel is set in a different season and depicts one year in the life of an Air Force Academy cadet.  The first panel portrays the Academy in summer and shows typical events in the life of a Doolie.  Three-degrees, or sophomores, have the autumn; two-degrees winter; and Firsties spring.  The painting shows some of the primary milestone events that take place for each class.  Appropriately enough, it begins with Basic Cadet Training and concludes with Graduation, complete with hats in the air and Thunderbirds flying overhead.  The Honor Code and Core Values are also displayed on the top and bottom of the painting, respectively.  The Class of 1976 commissioned the $50,000 mural, which was painted by Michael Esch.  The design process took more than a year, evolving into a composition that includes military, academic, athletic, and character-development aspects of the Academy curriculum.  With that complete, work on the mural commenced on 21 July 1997 and was completed in October 1997.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Like the other facilities in the huge building, it saw its first use in 1968 -- May fourth, to be precise -- when Olympic gold medal winner Peggy Fleming skated at the dedication.  The primary tenant of the rink, as you might imagine, is the Falcon ice hockey team.  The first game on the rink was an 8-6 victory over the Colorado All-Stars, a collection of former collegians, in an exhibition game played on November twenty-ninth, 1968.  During the first shift of the first period of that game, before the safety nets were put up, a puck went over the boards, through the “shatter-proof” glass and onto the running track in the multi-purpose area.  The first intercollegiate game was an 8-1 loss to Notre Dame in December 1968, while the first intercollegiate victory came against Ohio State the following month, by the score of 6-4. Since then, the hockey team has enjoyed remarkable success, with seven trips to the NCAA tournament.  Air Force was the first-ever service Academy team to earn an NCAA bid.  Decorating the south end of the arena are murals honoring six of the Academy’s best-ever hockey players.  One honoree is my ’77 classmate, Chuck Delich, who still holds the NCAA record for most goals in a career, with 156.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

This 6,200-seat venue is best known as the home of Falcon basketball, but also hosts volleyball, wrestling, and the annual Wing Open boxing championships.  The arena’s first basketball game was played on November thirtieth, 1968, a loss to the University of Colorado.  The first victory came two days later as the Falcons defeated Valparaiso.  In addition to sporting events, Clune Arena has played host to concerts, cadet award ceremonies, high school graduation ceremonies, and major speeches.  At least two former United States Presidents have spoken in Clune Arena, Gerald Ford in 1979, and Jimmy Carter in 1985.  The venue was named Clune Arena during a dedication ceremony on December sixth, 1993.  Colonel John Clune, Navy Class of ’54, served as the Air Force Academy’s Director of Athletics from November 1975 until July 1991.  During his tenure, the Academy began a comprehensive 10-sport women’s program and joined the Western Athletic Conference.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Air Force Academy’s cavernous Cadet Field House contains facilities for intercollegiate basketball, hockey, and track & field, among other sports and events.  Sometimes IT'S mistakenly called Clune Arena.----more----

The Field House has not yet been named for any individual.  The building, which contains more than 217,000-square feet of usable space, is actually three separate athletic venues under one very large, very flat roof.  One of the three venues is Clune Arena, the area primarily used for basketball.  Sharing space with Clune are the Cadet Ice Rink and the all-purpose area that is mostly utilized for track & field events and training.  The Field House did not come online until nearly a decade after the first USAFA cadets graduated.  On April twenty-second, 1968, with construction complete, the final acceptance and transfer of the Field House occurred.  Five days later, Academy-assigned personnel and their dependents participated in a special “Preview Showing” of the Field House.  The Academy basketball and hockey teams first began competing in the Field House in the fall of 1968.  Among the countless track-and-field stars to excel in the building are Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter and our own Olympic gold medalist, Alonzo Babers, Class of ’83.  The five-decade-old structure is currently undergoing a massive multi-year renovation.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Using condemned SERE rigs and local aviation pilots, these cadets made several jumps in the Colorado area. During that spring, a few cadets by the names of Aronoff, Davis, Kelley, McCurdy and Sijan – at their own risk and expense–made a number of demonstration and competition jumps to include our 1st collegiate-national appearance in Wisconsin winning a gold medal. They had no sanctioning from the Academy; truthfully, the Academy had no idea. When words of their jumping escapades got back to the superintendent, the Academy leadership was facing a dilemma—punish these outlaws or reward these collegiate competitors—needless to say, there were some rocky times those first two years, but after receiving a challenge from the Commandant of West Point to compete in a Para meet—club status resulted in May 1964. Under the careful guidance and nurturing of Cadet Pete Johnston, the club grew with great renown not only in the cadet wing, but the skydiving community as well. His efforts along with those of the graciously volunteering officer and enlisted core such as Capt Craig Elliot, Capt John Garrity, SSgt Mort Freedman and MSgt James Howell helped set the foundation for the now internationally known United States Air Force Academy Parachute Team Wings of Blue.

- Copy courtesy of the AOG and USAFA.org

READ THE FULL HISTORY HERE

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Thunderbird Overlook was dedicated on June first, 1982, with Secretary of the Air Force Verne Orr in attendance.  According to the plaque at the site, the overlook “was created to remind the young men and women of the Air Force Cadet Wing of the pride, professionalism, discipline, dedication and teamwork that a career in the World’s finest Air Force demands!”  The Thunderbirds flew the T-38 from 1974 until 1982.  The final flight in the T-38 ended in tragedy on January 18, 1982, when four aircraft in the Diamond Formation crashed during training in Nevada, killing all four pilots.  This T-38, given to the Academy in 1981 by officials from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, has the Thunderbirds paint scheme in remembrance of that accident.  When the T-Birds resumed flying in April 1983, they were in the F-16, the aircraft they have flown ever since.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

Located at the intersection of North Gate and Stadium Boulevards is a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, tail number 50083.  On December twenty-fourth, 1972, the bomber known as “Diamond Lil” became one of two B-52Ds credited with a confirmed MiG kill in the Vietnam conflict.  During the bombing mission out of U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield in southern Thailand, the bomber's tail gunner, Airman First Class Albert Moore, shot down a MiG-21 northeast of Hanoi during “Linebacker II” action.  It was the last confirmed kill by a tail gunner in wartime using machine guns.  In October 1983, the aircraft, donated by the Strategic Air Command, was flown to Peterson Air Force Base by Captain James Rowland, Class of ’78.  His classmate, Captain James Stahl, was the radar navigator on that final flight.  In December 1983, with the wings and tail removed to allow the plane to travel on roads and under bridges, it was taxied to the Academy.  The static display was dedicated by General Bennie L. Davis, Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command, on September seventh, 1984.  Incidentally, there are two other aircraft at the Academy with kills.  One of the others, an A-10, is located a couple of miles down Stadium Boulevard.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

This particular A-10 is amazing.  It is known as “The Chopper Popper.”  Flying this plane on February sixth, 1991, Captain Robert Swain, Class of ’79, scored the first ever air-to-air victory in an A-10, shooting down an Iraqi Bo 105C helicopter during combat operations over Iraq.  On September seventh, 2002, the A-10 was dedicated and took its place at the Overlook.  The A-10 is one of three static display aircraft at the Academy with an enemy aircraft kill.  Coincidentally, one of the others was also dedicated on September seventh, but eighteen years earlier.  I am talking about the B-52 at the north end of the base, which shot down a MiG on Christmas eve 1972.  But that’s a subject for a different Heritage Minute.

- Image Credit:  Ted Robertson

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

A bronze statue in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen is on display outside Harmon Hall on the Academy’s Honor Court.  The plaque affixed to the statue’s base reads:  Quote:  “They rose from adversity through competence, courage, commitment and capacity to serve America on silver wings and to set a standard few will transcend.”  Unquote.  The statue, completed by Tuskegee Airman and artist Clarence Shivers, was unveiled and donated to the Academy in 1988 by the Hook-Jones Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.  A wreath-laying ceremony is conducted at the site each year.

The term “Tuskegee Airmen” refers to all who were involved in the Army Air Corps program to train African-Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft during World War II.  At a time of racial segregation in the military, the Tuskegee Airmen answered the call to arms and flew a total of 1,578 combat missions during the war.  They flew fighters on ground attack and bomber escort missions over Europe and North Africa.  Approximately 150 Tuskegee Airmen lost their lives while in training or on combat flights.  On March 29, 2007, the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that may be bestowed by the United States Congress.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The first graduating class — the Class of 1959 — dedicated the statue in 2009 during its 40-year reunion.  Character, education and leadership are the values inscribed on the monument, and are meant to inspire future generations of cadets.  Harmon was a graduate of the West Point Class of 1915, known as “the class the stars fell on” for its large contingent of general officers – 59 generals, or 36% of the class.  Among his classmates were Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley.  Harmon served in combat roles during World War II and would spend many years advocating for an air academy.  He served on two site selection commissions that would eventually propose Colorado Springs as the permanent site for the institution.  Commission members considered 580 sites in 45 states before making their final recommendation.  On August 14, 1954, General Harmon was appointed as the first superintendent of the Academy.  He would retire from that role on July 27, 1956, and pass away on February 22, 1957, more than two years before the first class would graduate.  In 1958, Harmon was the first individual buried in the Academy Cemetery, and the next year the Academy’s administration building was named in his honor.  In 2004, as part of the Academy’s fifty-year anniversary, he was officially declared “The Father of the Air Force Academy.”

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

To honor him, a bronze sculpture of Sijan is on display at the Southeast Asia Plaza of Heroes.  Situated on the Heritage Trail adjacent to the Association of Graduates’ Doolittle Hall, the work of art was dedicated on November 6, 2015.  Sculpted by artist Jim Nance, Class of 1971, the sculpture depicts Sijan’s perseverance and determination.  On November 9, 1967, First Lieutenant Sijan was reported missing when he ejected from his disabled F-4C aircraft during a night bombing mission near Vinh, North Vietnam.  Despite serious injuries, he managed to evade capture for 46 days before being taken prisoner of war.  After failed escape attempts, he died in captivity on January 22, 1968.  Sijan was promoted to captain while a POW.  On March 4, 1976, Sijan would become the first USAFA graduate to be awarded the Medal of Honor.  President Gerald R. Ford presented the award to Captain Sijan’s parents at a White House ceremony.  A few months later, on May 31, 1976, the Academy’s newest dormitory was dedicated and named Sijan Hall.  A statue of Sijan also graces the Cadet Area, joining statues of Valmore Bourque and Karl Richter in the Mall of Heroes.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

----more----

Jim Nance has made a name for himself by being an amazing sculptor.  Examples of his work abound at the Academy, including at the Air Warrior Combat Memorial near the B-52 inside the North Gate and on the  Heritage Trail outside Doolittle Hall.  

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The bronze sculpture, valued at $400,000, has a wingspan of 24 feet and weighs 10,000 pounds.  Jon Hair, the “Official Sculptor to the United States Olympic Team,” created it.  Dedicated on August 29th, 2008, the sculpture was given to the Academy by philanthropist Irwin “Ike” Belk, who was present at the dedication.  He commissioned the statue “to honor United States Air Force Academy graduates for their selfless service to our nation.”  Belk, who passed away in 2018, served in the intelligence career field in Europe during World War II as a member of the famed Eighth Air Force.  After the war, he became a Belk Department Store executive.  He funded similar giant mascots at more than 40 other colleges and universities, many in his native North Carolina.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

In the “old” days, (the fifties, sixties and early seventies), Army and Navy were afraid to play the Falcons in Colorado – something about the altitude.  ----more----

Games were played in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C, and Baltimore, among other places, but not until 1966 did Navy venture out here, followed by Army the following year.  Neither was eager to return.  Former Air Force Academy Athletic Director George Simler conceived a way to get them into Falcon Stadium regularly – the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.  Begun in 1972, the annual round-robin tournament sees the three schools vie for football supremacy, with the winner earning the Commander-in Chief's Trophy and, frequently, a trip to the White House to meet the actual commander-in-chief, the President of the United States.  Air Force was a little slow on the uptake, not winning the trophy outright until 1982, but we currently hold the overall lead, with 20 victories.  Navy has secured the Trophy 15 times and Army 8.  The three schools’ alumni associations jointly sponsor the Trophy.  Go Air Force!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Cadet and later four-star general John Lorber, Class of ’64, scored the first touchdown in the 34-0 win over in-state rival Colorado State.  Navy first played here in 1966, while Army made its initial visit a year later, in 1967.  Other gridiron highlights include 1985’s fourth consecutive victory over Notre Dame, a game that turned on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, and the 1997 win over San Diego State that marked the first overtime game in NCAA history to end on a defensive score.  The stadium has hosted every Air Force Academy graduation since 1963, when President John F. Kennedy spoke and presented diplomas.  That was the first of eleven Presidential visits for graduation so far.  The stadium has also hosted many other events in its illustrious history.  Entertainer Bob Hope filmed a television special in the stadium in 1980 that featured Diana Ross of the Supremes.  More recently, the stadium played host to concerts featuring the likes of Tim McGraw, the rock band Train, and Blake Shelton.  Jon Stewart emceed and Kelly Clarkson sang at the Opening Ceremonies of the Warrior Games here in 2018.  In February 2020, Falcon Stadium will play host to the National Hockey League game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Most commonly known for leading his “Raiders” into battle during WWII, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle’s life and work extended far beyond his time as a pilot. Heritage Minute Special guest, Col. (Ret.) John Abbatiello, Ph.D., shares a few little known facts about the famous pilot. Enjoy Episode 5 of the Heritage Minute Special!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Rather than build the stadium near the Cadet Area, designers chose a natural bowl approximately two miles southeast of the campus.  The Air Force Academy Foundation provided the funding for the $3.5 million facility.  Groundbreaking took place in October 1960, and less than two years later, the stadium was ready for action.  On September 22nd, 1962, the first football game was played, a 34-0 victory over Colorado State in front of more than 41,000 fans.  A month later, actor and Air Force Reserve Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart emceed the official dedication, an event that also saw the Air Force Thunderbirds make their first Falcon Stadium appearance.  The first graduation in the stadium took place in 1963, with President John F. Kennedy the guest speaker.  Every Air Force Academy graduation since has been held here.  The first night game in Falcon Stadium was played in 1989, using rented lights.  The stadium was fitted with permanent lights three years later.  Four years after that, in 2006, artificial turf was installed.  The press box and the scoreboards have received multiple expansions and upgrades.  At 6,621 feet above sea level, Falcon Stadium is the second highest facility in major college football, with only our northern neighbor, fellow Mountain West Conference-member Wyoming having a stadium at a higher altitude.  In addition to football and graduation, Falcon Stadium has played host to concerts and special events, and is home to Falcon lacrosse.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The Buddhist Chapel, known as the Vast Refuge Dharma Hall, was dedicated on 29 October 2007.  It is located in the downstairs area, just to the north of the Jewish Chapel.  The chapel was the gift of the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism and The Friends of Zen.  An Air Force Academy graduate from its first class, the Class of 1959, was instrumental in its creation:  Friends of Zen founder and Vice Abbot, Reverend Dai En Hi Fu (DIE EN HE FU) George Wiley Burch.  He organized the fundraising effort through the Association of Graduates.  Ed Shure designed and built the chapel.  It measures 300 square feet and is freestanding within the existing structure.  It is constructed of Port Orford Cedar, a rare, fragrant wood used for temple building in Japan.  Takayuki Kida, a traditionally trained Japanese woodworker, designed and built the altar and alcove, which are made from American cherry and ash.  The Buddha figure is from Burma and the large lion-topped cencer is from China.

The Academy Cadet Chapel also contains a Muslim Prayer Room, as well as an All-Faiths room which provides a worship area for smaller religious groups.  A Prayer Circle is located on the hill west of the Chapel, primarily for use by earth-centered faith groups. Finally, the Chapel staff has dedicated space in both cadet dormitories, and access to rooms in Fairchild Hall, the academic building, for use as needed.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The architecture is a circle within a square, symbolizing a tent, and paying tribute to the global mission of the Air Force and the everlasting presence of God.  Mr. Ludwig Wolpert of the New York Jewish Museum designed the chapel interior.  The Chapel seats 100.  Its walls are made of panels of translucent glass separated by stanchions of Israeli cypress.  Normally, paintings of human images are not found in Jewish synagogues, but the Academy is different, as it features the nine-painting set created by Shlomo Katz.  The works of art, painted in 1985 and 1986, depict biblical stories of brotherhood, flight, and justice.  Mr. Katz painted the scenes on wooden panels that he had pre-curved to precisely fit on the curved walls of the chapel.  The floor of the foyer is made of 1,631 pieces of Jerusalem brown stone donated by the Israeli Defense Forces in 1960.  The foyer walls are made of purple stained-glass panels alternating with green and blue stained glass accent windows.  The foyer also houses a Torah Scroll that is more than 200 years old.  It was among 38 scrolls discovered in an abandoned factory in Poland, part of a collection of religious artifacts that the Nazis had accumulated to put in a museum to show the world remnants of an “extinct people.”  Donated to the Jewish Chapel in April 1990, the “Holocaust Torah” is dedicated to the memory of all those murdered by the Nazis, and those who fought against the Nazis.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The walls are made of panels of amber glass, giving the effect of dust and dirt.  The glass is set between aluminum strips that amplify the sound of the wind.  The Chapel seats 500, with room for another 100 in the choir loft.  The screen behind the altar measures 18 by 45 feet.  It portrays the coming together of all elements of the universe.  It contains two ten-foot-tall Italian Carrera marble figures, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.  The marble was drawn from the same quarries used by Michelangelo.  The altar, which is also made of Italian marble, is covered by a baldachin (bald-a-kin) like those that would be used to provide protection from dripping water in a grotto.  The six-foot-tall crucifix on display is made of nickel-silver.  The mold used to make it was broken after casting.  The Catholic Chapel has 14 Stations of the Cross carved from four-inch marble slabs – also Italian marble.  The backgrounds are made of multi-colored tiles, and each contains a small cross made of olive wood from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.  The organ, designed by Walter Holtkamp, is comprised of 1,950 pipes made of wood, various alloys of tin and lead, and polished copper.  The vestibule features four stone pieces representing Saints Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke.  They were carved by Scott Davis using marble from . . . Colorado!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel stands alone as the only chapel at a service academy that accommodates all faith groups under one roof.  ----more----

Upstairs, under the pinnacled ceiling that soars 99 feet overhead, you will find the Protestant Chapel.  The stunning sanctuary featured walls – actually it is all ceiling – made of tetrahedron-shaped spires and more than 24,000 blocks of stained glass.  There are 24 different shades of glass, with more than half of those being tones of blue.  The colors graduate from dark in the back of the room to light at the front, to symbolize coming from the darkness into the light of God.  Other than the ceiling, the most impressive feature is the organ.  It has more than 4,300 pipes, which, coincidentally, is the approximate number of cadets who attend the Academy.  The smallest pipe is the size of a pencil, while the largest is wide enough to hold a soccer ball.  The Chapel has 76 walnut and mahogany pews that seat twelve-hundred people.  The end of each pew is designed to resemble a World War I airplane propeller and the backs of the pews the leading edge of a high performance jet wing.  The front of the church features a curved multi-colored screen with semi-precious stones from Colorado and pietra santa marble from Italy.  Mounted above is the cast aluminum Soaring Spirit Cross that measures more than 46 feet tall and 12 feet wide.  As I mentioned, the Chapel can accommodate worshippers of all faiths.  The floor contains 27 inches of sound-proofing to allow a Protestant service here and a Catholic service below to be held simultaneously.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

In this edition of the Heritage Minute Special with host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ‘77, the two longtime friends and colleagues sit down to talk about leadership, Vasquez’s military career and his recent recognition as an honorary member of the Association of Graduates.

PHOTO ALBUM:  Honorary AOG Member Award Ceremony

CHIEF IN THE NEWS:  Role Model for Cadets

Chief Master Sgt. (Ret.) Bob Vásquez, third from left, is congratulated by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Hans Mueh '66, from left, Lt. Col. Carl Chen '06 and Mark Hille '97

CHIEF'S MENTORSHIP BUILT LEADERS By David Bitton

REPRINTED FROM CHECKPOINTS MAGAZINE, JUNE 2024

Shouting “HEIRPOWER!” while high-fiving cadets between classes in Fairchild Hall and taking time to listen were some of the ways Chief Master Sgt. (Ret.) Bob Vásquez positively impacted a generation of future military officers. His 19-plus years of dedication and service at the Air Force Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development were recognized during a March 19 ceremony where the Association of Graduates inducted him as an honorary member.

“Chief Vásquez has certainly met and exceeded the requirements for being named an honorary member,” Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation CEO Mark Hille ’97 commented during the ceremony.

Vásquez mentored and instructed thousands of four-degree cadets in the basic character development course, VECTOR (Vital, Effective, Character Through Observation and Reflection). He also helped craft similar courses for the entire Cadet Wing.

As course director, he grew and developed the curriculum and expanded its offering from a few evening hours after classes to an eight-hour session each semester.

Admittedly, Vásquez says that wasn’t enough time to develop character but it provided an opportunity to plant seeds in future Air Force and Space Force leaders.

Cadets often told the chief that the course allowed them to think about and reflect on their purpose for attending USAFA and the Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character.

“The four degrees loved being there,” Vásquez says. “Feeding them helped.” He joked that enlisted personnel at the Academy liked that the future officers had to get through him and VECTOR to graduate, which was true.

HAVING AN IMPACT

Vásquez’s impact didn’t stop with the character development course. He was intentional in when and where he interacted with cadets every day.

Most school days at 9 a.m., the chief would walk around McDermott Library talking with four-degrees.

“I’d say, ‘Good morning, how are you?’ The important part is I would listen for the answer,” Vásquez says. “When I heard, ‘Outstanding, sir.,’ I’d say, ‘How are you really?’ That’s when they would open up.”

“If I had any significant impact, it was from one-on-one conversations.” The chief tried to make sure each cadet he worked with felt heard.

“We say that leaders lead people,” Vásquez says. “Really effective leaders lead persons, individuals. How are YOU doing? Not y’all.”

His impact didn’t end at the library.

Vásquez has fond memories of walking the long hallway on Fairchild Hall’s east side, watching cadets quickly and quietly heading to their next classes. That’s when his, “Hello, how are you?” and high-fives would break the silence and lighten the mood.

Over the years, the chief often asked first-degree cadets what they would miss most about the Academy.

The initial answer was often, “You, sir,” with the second being their fellow cadets.

“They embraced the suck together for four years,” Vásquez says. “They are now part of a Long Blue Line family.”

INDUCTION CEREMONY

Now an honorary member of the Association of Graduates, Vásquez jokingly says he’s part of the Class of 2024.

Family, friends and colleagues joined him for the ceremony at Doolittle Hall.

Vásquez left a lasting impact on Lt. Col. Carl Chen ’06, who currently serves as operations branch chief for NORAD and USNORTHCOM at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

“His most important lessons ingrained in us the understanding that those we lead are real human beings who should be treated with compassion, dignity and respect,” Col. Chen commented during the gathering. “The chief once told me that when it was time for him to advance to the rank of chief master sergeant, he was asked if he was truly all in. What I can tell you is that he was all in then, he was all in during his more than two decades of service for our Academy and he’s still all in today. There’s no one more deserving of this honor than you. Congratulations.”

Col. Chen nominated Vásquez for the honorary membership and Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Hans Mueh ’66, a member of the AOG board of directors, says the board voted unanimously to induct Vásquez as an honorary member.

“I asked if any of the board members knew the chief,” Gen. Mueh, a USAFA Distinguished Graduate, said during the ceremony. “After the laughter died down, better than half the board explained that I wasn’t the only one familiar with the chief’s impact on graduates.”

Gen. Mueh has known Vásquez for more than 20 years and says Vásquez helped improve the Academy’s honor and ethics education for all cadets.

“He led that effort and can rightly take credit for the authorship of most of the honor lessons we still use today,” Gen. Mueh says. “To me, he’s been a friend and mentor, and I’m in awe of the consistent message of integrity he has lived and shared.”

CHIEF VÁSQUEZ

After posing for photos as the latest Association of Graduates honorary member, the chief started his speech this way:

“I’m Chief Master Sgt. retired Bob Vásquez."

“I produce shining stars for the United States of America. Now, let me tell you something about this place we call America. There’s no place like this place, anywhere near this place, so this must be the place. Isn’t this a great day to be an American?!”

Cheering and applause followed.

“My heart is about to explode with pride,” he said while looking out at his wife of more than 46 wonderful and fulfilling years, Debbie, his two daughters and two of his six grandchildren seated in the front row.

“He was very passionate about his time with the cadets,” Debbie Vásquez says. “It was hard for him to retire after 30 enlisted years and 20 years at the Academy, but he’s ready to do his own thing, like more writing and traveling.”

Tesa Vatcher, who lives in Colorado Springs, says she can’t go anywhere in town where someone doesn’t know her famous father.

“She’s heard responses like, “Oh my goodness, we love him,” and “He shouts HEIRPOWER! in the hallways.”

At first, many cadets would assume the chief was shouting “air power,” referencing the U.S. Air Force’s dominance in the skies, but that isn’t the case.

Vásquez says his main purpose in life is spreading the idea of “heirpower.”

His book, “Wisdom Acquired Randomly (W.A.R.): What I learned at the United States Air Force Academy without ever graduating!” shares lessons of cadets/heirs being shaped into the leaders of tomorrow.

“An heir is a successor. Power is a capacity to act effectively,” he explains.

Vásquez thanked Col. Chen for the nomination, Gen. Mueh for his support, the Association of Graduates for welcoming him with open arms, and his family for all their backing over the years.

“It was an incredible feeling when I heard the nomination was accepted,” Vásquez says. “Chiefs don’t cry, but sometimes our eyeballs sweat.” 

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

After winning a spirited national competition to earn the right to design the Air Force Academy, the Chicago-based firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill put 34-year-old architect Walter Netsch in charge of the Chapel’s design.  The strikingly modern Cadet Chapel became his most famous creation.  It has received several architectural awards and appeared in countless magazines that extolled its beauty.  Today, its beauty is unquestioned, but the design originally raised many questions and caused a lot of controversy.  Influential people in the late 1950s, including members of Congress, did not like it.  Critics of that time called the Chapel design “a shocking fiasco,” “an accordion,” and said that attending services there would be like worshipping in “a skating rink.”  While Congress briefly delayed funding, Netsch and company prevailed.  The Chapel was built by the Robert E. McKee Construction Company of Santa Fe, New Mexico, between 1959 and 1963.  The cost to build the Chapel was $3.5 million for the structure, while the furnishings, organs and other interior items were funded through private donation.  On Easter 1959, an offering was taken on Air Force bases throughout the world to help finance the completion of the interior.  The Chapel was dedicated on September 22, 1963.  Since then, the aluminum, glass and steel structure has become the top man-made tourist attraction in the state of Colorado.

Beginning in 2019 and continuing for several years, the Academy’s most visible building will be closed for renovations and upgrades.  Construction will take it back to the steel skeleton, a look well-known from early 1960s photographs.  Once completed, the renovations will seal the Chapel structure, which has leaked since its inception.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

It also lists the dates of their captivity and, if applicable, release.  Unfortunately, two graduates died in captivity:  Captains Lance Sijan, Class of ’65, and Michael Bosiljevac, Class of ’67.  Nineteen of those POWs, as well as family members of the deceased, attended the sculpture’s dedication ceremony on April 24th, 2015.  General Ron Yates, Class of ’60, initiated and oversaw the project.  In addition to his class, the Classes of ’63, ’64, ’65, and ’67 provided funding.  The 2000-pound bronze plaque, called “Honor Bound:  A Portrait of Courage,” was sculpted by Jim Nance, Class of ’71, who flew one of the C-141 missions that brought POWs out of Southeast Asia in 1973.  Incidentally, his father spent three years as a POW in World War II.  Then-Cadet Joseph Flescher, Class of ’14, served as the model for the determined and defiant POW depicted.  The metal used in the sculpture includes more than 100 donated copper POW bracelets that were melted into the bronze.

IMAGE GALLERY

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The facility pays homage to Air Force Academy graduates who served and sacrificed during the Southeast Asia conflict.  Plaques list each of the 150 Academy graduates who died in the war, from the Classes of 1959 to 1972.  Other plaques pay tribute to our sister service academies.  The Pavilion has nine granite benches, one for each of the Class of ’70 graduates killed in the war, and a flag perpetually at half-staff.  The black granite wall is evocative of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  The Pavilion bisects a blue wall, representing how the war impacted the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates.  One key feature inside the Pavilion is a bronze bas-relief map of Southeast Asia that includes locations of major bases and operations during that conflict.  It was sculpted by Vietnam veteran Jim Nance, Class of ’71. The Pavilion also has interactive screens, which provide context to the war, with information on the culture and news of the times.  The front wall points to the Cadet Area to remind cadets of graduate heritage during the war, a legacy of heroism and service presented and preserved by this remarkable facility.

IMAGE GALLERY

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

This winged horse, a gift from the Italian government, has been on the Academy grounds since before our first class graduated.  The Pegasus statue is a replica of one displayed at the Italian Air War College in Florence.  In mythology, Pegasus is noted for invincibility in war, as well as glory, knowledge and inspiration.  The sculpture stands more than 10 feet tall and weighs eight and a half tons.  The ball on the base represents planet earth.  The marble used for Pegasus was quarried in the Apuan Alps near where Michelangelo obtained the stone for many of his projects.  The carving of the sculpture was supervised by noted Italian sculptor Mario Moschi and was dedicated on May 15th, 1959.  General Silvio Napoli, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, was the guest of honor at the ceremony.  The statue stood outside the Arnold Hall Ballroom until the spring of 1994, when it was moved to Doolittle Hall.  USAFA lore says that Pegasus will fly under certain circumstances, but in this case, it “flew” in a more conventional way, by crane and truck.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Reprinted from the March 2024 issue of Checkpoints Magazine Written by Jeff Holmquist

“This is certainly long overdue,” Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh ’66, a member of the AOG board of directors, commented during the gathering. “What a special and distinguished career supporting USAFA and its graduates.”

Kroboth has long been considered a valued part of the USAFA family — a key contributor to Checkpoints magazine and a mainstay at Jim Glaza’s ’60 Jurassic Park tailgate party hosted by the Academy’s first four classes — but his induction cemented his place in the institution’s history. Affec- tionately known as “Kro,” Kroboth was joined by family, friends and colleagues for the special gathering at Doolittle Hall.

“I’m proud to be named an honorary member,” he says. “It’s exciting and humbling.”

Calling him “the man behind the curtain,” Gen. Mueh suggested that Kroboth was the unassuming early employee of the AOG. He was the lone member of the AOG’s communications team in the early years and among just a handful of employees of the alumni organization back then.

During his lengthy tenure with the AOG, Kroboth served as editor of Check- points magazine and director of publica- tions for the organization. For the past 20 years, he’s worked part time as “Gone But Not Forgotten” and Class News edi- tor, among “the most widely read pieces in Checkpoints,” Gen. Mueh says.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould ’76, then- CEO of the AOG and the Air Force Academy Foundation, reported that the board of directors voted unanimously to induct Kro as an honorary member.

“It didn’t take much to convince the board,” he says. “From honesty, integrity, selflessness and excellence across the board, you epitomize our core values. I hope that you feel this invitation for you to become one of us is heartfelt, because it is.”

Proof of Kro’s selfless service is found inside each edition of Checkpoints, Gen. Gould notes. There are no bylines identifying the significant work he’s been doing for decades.

“There’s no credit-seeking on Tom Kroboth’s part,” he says. “He just published this year in and year out, four editions a year, for 40-some years and not looking for any credit. You deserve all the credit, and we are so honored to be able to bring you into the AOG as an honorary member.”

CORRALING A MUSTANG

Expelled from Central Catholic High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for smoking in the men’s bathroom, Kroboth decided to enlist in the military in 1955.

He initially joined the Marine Corps Reserve under the delayed entry pro- gram, expecting to officially swear into that service in the fall. But when he arrived for inprocessing, the line for the Marines was terribly long. No one was standing in the Air Force line, however, so Kroboth enlisted with the nation’s newest military branch instead.

“This airman was almost a Marine, but luckily for us he chose the blue,” Gen. Gould says.

He served as an enlisted airman for 12 years, rising to the grade of technical sergeant. He was a boom operator in the KC-135, KB-29 and KC-97 during that time, assigned to Strategic Air Command. He was first stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas, and later headed to Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington.

Kroboth was then selected for the Airman’s Education and Commissioning Program and attended Syracuse University. While there, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s de- gree in mass communications. He also met and married his wife of 52 years, Jan, while getting his degrees.

Maj. (Ret.) Tom Kroboth, second from right, celebrates his induction as an honorary member of the Association of Graduates with his wife, Jan, and, from left, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh '66 and Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz '73. (Photos by Ryan Hall)

Kro gained editing and writing experience for the Syracuse newspaper while finishing his coursework, and then received an Air Force commission.

“I’m a Mustang,” Kroboth says proudly. “That’s what they call officers with prior- enlisted time.”

After a brief stint as an Air Force re- cruiter at Syracuse and assignments in Korea, Germany and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Kro headed to USAFA, where he has stayed ever since.

FINDING HIS NICHE

Kroboth arrived at the Academy as a major in 1978, assigned to the Directorate of Gifts & Alumni Affairs, the Academy agency that originally handled AOG operations, as director of gifts and memorials. In that role, he also contrib- uted to USAFA’s alumni publication, then known simply as the Association of Graduates Magazine.

“He was really on the ground floor of all AOG operations,” Gen. Gould says.

Kro transitioned from the Air Force in 1981 rather than be transferred to a new base and job. He retired one day and came to work for the AOG the next, at the same office and the same desk, essentially in the same position.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he was essentially the AOG’s entire communications staff, responsible for Checkpoints magazine and the Register of Graduates.

He helped grow the magazine’s size and quality and incorporated new technolo- gies, including the use of computers.

“Tom was dragged kicking and scream- ing into the digital age,” Gen. Mueh says. “But he did it anyway because he knew it would make the product better.”

Kroboth’s first computer password was “NoWay,” his silent protest to the untimely retirement of his trusty electric typewriter that remained on his desk for decades after.

He held the title of editor and direc- tor of publications until 2001. Kro then served as assistant editor until 2004, when he switched to a part-time position.

Kroboth officially retired from his part-time role at the end of 2023.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz ’73, president of the Falcon Foundation, nominated Kro for honorary membership designation.

In his nomination packet, Kro is described as one of a handful of people who have had a direct and positive impact on literally every Air Force Academy graduating class, from 1959 to 2023.

“I think that the one word that describes Tom and Jan is service,” he told the crowd. “Service to our nation, service to our Academy, service to our graduates and service to the AOG.”

He noted that the couple has also sponsored more than 20 cadets through the years, having a lasting impact on the lives of future officers.

“Everyone you touched you’ve made better,” he added.

“Tom Kroboth has certainly met and exceeded the requirements for being named an honorary member,” says Wyatt Hornsby, vice president of marketing and communications for the AOG and Foundation. “That’s why this is such a momentous occasion.”

In accepting the honorary membership, Kroboth thanked a long list of mentors and friends who encouraged and support- ed him along the way, including former AOG Executive Director Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Wheeler ’64; former AOG Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gary Howe ’69; Col. (Ret.) Dick Rauschkolb ’70; Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dick Coppock ’61; and Col. (Ret.) Jock Schwank ’60.

“I think that the one word that describes Tom and Jan is

service. Service to our nation, service to our Academy,

service to our graduates and service to the AOG.”

— Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz ’73

The Honorary Member program permits the Association of Graduates to recognize non-graduates who have championed the AOG’s mission to “serve and support the United States of America, the United States Air Force, the United States Air Force Academy, and the graduate community.” The designation is limited to 25 living recipients. Kroboth is the 44th individual to be inducted as an honorary member in the history of the AOG.

The first honorary membership was awarded on Oct. 3, 1981, to Mrs. Gail McComas, the Academy’s first Cadet Wing hostess, who served from 1955 until 1977. Other selectees include former Arizona U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, World War II aviation hero (and AOG headquarters building name- sake) Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, and former Dean of the Faculty Brig. Gen. Robert McDermott.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

While every graduate contributes in his or her own way, some are worthy of special recognition.  The AOG’s Heritage Trail contains pedestals dedicated to the Distinguished Graduate Award recipients.  The Distinguished Graduate Award recognizes exceptional graduates who have set themselves apart by making extraordinarily significant contributions to our nation and/or their communities.  The award, jointly presented by the AOG and the Academy, was established in 1999 and first presented during Founders Day 2002.  The initial recipients, technically the 2001 honorees, were General Ronald Fogleman, Class of ’63, and Mr. Harry Pearce, Class of ’64.  The pedestals are made of granite quarried in South Dakota.  Each pedestal weighs just under two-thousand pounds.  The prestige of an institution is measured by the accomplishments of its graduates.  Distinguished Graduates are among those who provide an example of the qualities we Zoomies value.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

It was dedicated on June 17th, 2004, when members of the class were at the Academy for their 45-year reunion.  The stone and mortar structure serves as a gateway to the Heritage Trail and was intended to inspire cadets to reflect on the oath of service and commitment they had chosen for their lives.  Before crossing the bridge, the cadets, who aspire to someday join the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates, read the text on the bridge-mounted plaque: “To each incoming cadet:  The path to which you aspire has been consecrated by the blood of heroes and paved with the selfless service of countless men and women like you.  If you would be worthy of this Heritage:  Make integrity the bedrock value of your life; Let your actions always be guided by an unshakeable sense of duty, self-discipline, and personal responsibility; Become a lifelong student of history, war, humanity, and leadership; Be prepared to sacrifice everything to defend the principles upon which our nation was founded; Cross this bridge with the determination to live a life that will make all who went before proud of you.”

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

It is part memorial, part inspirational park, part museum, and part educational facility.  The Heritage Trail concept dates back to 2002.  The Class of ’60 led the way, while the Classes of ’69 and ’73 provided additional funding for the first phase.  Since then, new features have been added by other classes.  At the head of the trail is a quote attributed to George Washington: “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”  The trail also features the Class of ’59 Challenge Bridge, pedestals recognizing Distinguished Graduate Award recipients, and the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion.  These sites will be profiled in future editions of the Heritage Minute.  The Trail also features: A Class of ’70-funded replica of the Graduate War Memorial located in the Cadet Area, which honors graduates who have died in combat; and a node donated by the Class of ‘89 dedicated to Valor and honoring a classmate, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Shea, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.  The Heritage Trail provides inspiration to cadets, who visit early in their Academy tenures, as well as to graduates and others who tour the facility.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Located on 24 acres of land on the Air Force Academy, just southeast of the Cadet Area, is Doolittle Hall, the Association of Graduates’ headquarters building.  The facility is named for General James “Jimmie” Doolittle, who led the April 1942 raid on Tokyo that gave a huge morale boost to the United States and its allies. 

Groundbreaking for the alumni house took place on May 28, 1991, with one of General Doolittle’s sons and a Doolittle Raider among those in attendance.  Just over a year later, on August 21, 1992, the 35,000-square-foot facility was dedicated.  The building houses many historical displays and plays host to a variety of cadet-, graduate-, and Academy-related events throughout the year.  Doolittle Hall also houses two other Academy-supporting foundations, the USAFA Endowment and the Falcon Foundation.  On June 30, 1995, the first phase of the Class of 1999’s inprocessing took place at Doolittle Hall.  Every inprocessing between then and 2017 started at Doolittle Hall, with the exception of 2012, when it was moved to the Field House due to the Waldo Canyon Fire.  Doolittle Hall continues to be a focal point on in-processing day, as the building and grounds play host to the incoming basic cadets’ family members.  Basic cadets visit the facility late in Basic Cadet Training, a day devoted to learning about the Academy’s rich heritage and accepting the challenge of taking the first steps toward joining the Long Blue Line of Academy graduates.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

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Operation Homecoming image credit:  whoa.org, Mr. Don Quigley, contributor 

THE BACKSTORY 

This Heritage Minute special presentation is guest-hosted by George Hayward, author of The Party Dolls: The True, Tragic Story of Two Americans’ Attempted Escape from a 1969 Hanoi POW Camp.  He is a recognized authority on the history of Americans held captive during the Viet Nam war, and the horrors they faced.

Lt. Penny Grossman, USAF, Clark Air Base, 1972

George has known Penny for more than 20 years. He has known her husband Barry, also retired Air Force, for more than 30 years. But he'd never heard any of this until just a few months ago. Penny's stories moved him to tears, and, according to George, she shed many tears in the telling. A short time later, she recorded her memories on audio, which George has agreed share with you.

Mr. George Hayward, Author, The Party Dolls

Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE PARTY DOLLS

In May 1969, at the peak of the Vietnam War, two American prisoners of war escaped from a brutal North Vietnamese prison camp. Their story is one of incredible bravery against the longest of odds—and also one of bitter conflict. Air Force Captains John Dramesi and Ed Atterberry escaped with help from their fellow prisoners, but that help was not given freely. Their attempt killed one man and brought many others a lifetime of pain.THE PARTY DOLLS tells the true, tragic story of an escape code-named the “Party.” The story is told by the men who lived it, American POWs, via interviews conducted by the author some two decades ago, but never published until now.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The Medal of Honor dates back to the American Civil War.  In December 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation establishing a Medal of Honor, making it the oldest continuously issued combat decoration in the United States.  The Medal of Honor is generally presented to its recipient or family member, in the name of Congress, by the President.  One President, in fact, received this honor – Theodore Roosevelt.  His son also earned the Medal of Honor, making them one of two father-son recipients.  The others:  Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Douglas MacArthur.  Since its inception, The Medal of Honor has been awarded more than 3,400 times.  The rolls include one woman and one eleven-year-old, both Civil War recipients.

The first four of the more than 60 heroes memorialized on the Wall at the Academy are from World War I.  Captain “Eddie” Rickenbacker was the first, earning his for aerial combat in 1918.  Also in World War I, Pilot Harold Goettler and observer Erwin Bleckley, both lieutenants, were awarded the Medal for conspicuous gallantry for their mission to deliver supplies to troops trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest, a mission they did not survive.  Incidentally, their World War I unit, the 50th Aero Squadron, was activated at the Academy from the early 1980s until 2007, under both the Commandant of Cadets and the Dean of the Faculty.

An additional 38 aviation-related Medals of Honor were awarded in World War II and four in the Korean War before the Air Force-specific Medal of Honor was created on April 14, 1965.

Fourteen Air Force members received Medals of Honor for their service in the Vietnam War, including three enlisted warriors:  Airman First Class William Pitsenbarger, Chief Master Sergeant Richard Etchberger, and Airman First Class John Levitow.

Certainly the Medal of Honor recipient cadets are most familiar with is Captain Lance Peter Sijan, Class of ’65, the only Air Force Academy graduate to have one bestowed on him.  On 9 November 1967, then-First Lieutenant Sijan was reported missing after he ejected from his disabled F-4C aircraft during a night bombing mission near Vinh, North Vietnam.  Despite grievous injuries, he managed to evade for 46 days before being captured.  He died in captivity on 22 January 1968.

Two Medal of Honor recipients taught at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s after the conclusion of their Vietnam tours, serving as great role models for the cadets of that era, to include me.  Both officers flew helicopters and were recognized for their heroism on rescue missions.  Captain James Fleming taught on the faculty, while Captain Gerald Young served as a flight instructor.

Several other recipients who appear on the Academy’s wall are very familiar to cadets and staff members.  Jimmy Doolittle is the namesake of the Association of Graduates’ alumni building.  Medal of Honor recipients chosen as class exemplars, leaders for cadets to emulate, include Jay Zeamer Jr., Richard I. Bong, Frank Luke, and George “Bud” Day.

THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE WALL IS ALSO AN EXEMPLAR: THE CLASS OF ’26 HAS CHOSEN MASTER SERGEANT JOHN CHAPMAN, KILLED DURING COMBAT IN AFGHANISTAN, AS ITS EXEMPLAR. 

The Medal of Honor Wall at the Air Force Academy serves as a reminder of the legacy left by these aviation heroes who went well above and beyond the call of duty.  These stories of integrity, service before self and excellence provide constant inspiration and motivation to the members of the Air Force Academy Cadet Wing who pass this display every day.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

On the sixth floor of the Academy’s McDermott Library is a temperature — and humidity-controlled room that houses one of the institution’s most historic collections.  The Colonel Richard Gimbel Aeronautical History Collection — totaling about 20,000 items — is one of the world's best collections of artifacts and publications documenting the human dream of flight.  Gimbel, a military aviator during World War II and an heir to the Gimbel's Department Store fortune, began collecting aeronautical memorabilia after buying a trunk full of aviation-related materials at a bombed-out London bookstore.  He would go on to collect many items for his aeronautical collection, including books, manuscripts, coins, prints, postcards and comic books.  The collection covers the transition of flight from hot-air balloons to parachutes and powered flight.  In the mid-1950s, aviator Charles Lindbergh learned about Gimbel's collection and suggested to his friend, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, the Academy's first superintendent, that the institution pursue the donation of the collection.  During his lifetime, Gimbel never confirmed that he would bequeath the collection to the Academy.  But in 1970, when Gimbel died, his will left the collection to USAFA.  The oldest item in the collection, dated to 2700 B.C., is a stone seal from southern Mesopotamia that bears the image of an outstretched eagle.  The Gimbel book collection includes a German volume from 1493 and an Italian volume from 1489.  The collection's numerous medallions commemorate the first manned balloon flight in France in 1783 and the Wright brothers' historic flight in 1903.  The collection even includes a Mickey Mouse cartoon book that depicts flying.  Cadets access the Gimbel collection for research, but it is also open to the public by invitation or by writing to the Academy library director.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

One of the most interesting areas in the McDermott Library is the stunning circular staircase pinnacled by a replica of the Wright Brothers' airplane. 

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The aviation pioneers, appropriately enough, occupy the uppermost region of the facility, at the top of the striking three-story spiral staircase.  The geometrical staircase was designed to satisfy the Superintendent, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon.  Harmon didn’t care for the rigid, square Modernist architectural style, so the Academy project’s lead designer, Walter Netsch, designed the staircase to provide General Harmon with some variety.  By the time the Orville and Wilbur Wright busts were dedicated on April 20, 1979, they had actually been at the Academy for nearly eleven years.  They were donated to the Academy on November 22, 1968, by Retired Air Force Colonel Milton Seaman, the Academy’s first liaison officer.  They have been displayed in several locations.  First, they were located on the footbridge in front of the Library, where cadets would rub the busts’ heads for luck on their way to the academic building for exams.  The statues also resided in the Air Gardens in front of Mitchell Hall before moving to their current location.  The area also features a quarter-scale replica of the Wright Flyer of 1903 suspended under the skylight at the top of the stairs, a bust of Charles Taylor, the engineer who built the engine for the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, and other displays.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The collection of 31 military shoulder arms dates from 1763 to the 1970s.  Donated by Lieutenant General Albert P. Clark, sixth superintendent of the Academy and a prisoner of war during World War II, the rifle collection tracks the evolution of arms through the decades — from the early single-shot muzzleloader to fully automatic weapons.  Some of the earliest firearms on display are a French Charleville Musket and a British “Brown Bess” musket — used during the Revolutionary War.  The Clark collection also includes various types of bayonets and fighting knives used by the combat soldier over the past two hundred years.  The rifle collection was donated on March 14, 1973, and has been on display for cadets and visitors to study ever since.  A West Point graduate, Clark became well known for helping to organize a massive escape attempt from a German POW camp.  Those events were the inspiration for the 1963 film, “The Great Escape.”

DOWNLOAD THE CLARK COLLECTION CATALOG

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The idea for the memorial was conceived by Captain Richard T. Mathews, from the Class of 1960, who served as the first alumni secretary.  The $24,000 cost of constructing the memorial was covered by donations by graduates and parents of graduates.  The memorial was eventually presented by the Association of Graduates to the Cadet Wing on October 10, 1970.  The names of Air Force Academy graduates who have lost their lives in combat are etched in the three slabs of Starlight granite that make up the memorial.  The inscription at the top of the memorial reads, “In memory of our fellow graduates who have fallen in battle.”  At the dedication ceremony in 1970, Brigadier General Robin Olds, commandant of cadets at the time, challenged the cadets in attendance, saying quote “Remember these names.  Honor them.  They are a part of you, the wing.  They represent your past, as you today represent our future.  Reflect in their example of selfless devotion to duty, and gain courage so that, when you face your test, you may add honor and glory to the annals of the wing – and of the Air Force – and of our country.”  With the addition of two fallen warriors in October 2023, the names of 190 Air Force Academy graduates are carved into the Academy’s Graduate War Memorial.

SEE THE LIST OF NAMES HERE

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

Col. (Ret.) Jack Anthony ‘78 (R) is the Academy’s recognized authority on our “pre-history,” which has earned him the handle, “USAFA Before USAFA History Guy.” Join Jack and Heritage Minute host, Steve Simon '77 (L), as they share stories about a of few of Jack's favorite historical sites on Academy grounds — and some untold stories as well!

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

It’s the Air Force Academy’s 70th year bringing up great leaders who go on to serve the nation in uniform!----more----

You might be surprised at what you don't know about the institution or its founding. Heritage Minute podcast host, Steve Simon, a 1977 USAFA grad, recently joined Fox 21’s, Krista Witiak, for a fun, rapid-fire Q & A about the school’s history and heritage! Watch now!

Credit and Special Thanks: KXRM FOX21, Colorado Springs, CO; Krista Witiak, FOX21 reporter; Shane Crigger, Fox21 News Director, and Dean Miller, USAFA Public Affairs

HERITAGE MINUTE IN THE NEWS PART 2

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

In this episode of Heritage Minute with Steve Simon '77, the stories behind the F-15A and F-16A fighters on display at the west end of the Terrazzo in the cadet area. These aircraft represent planes that have been flown by countless Academy graduates, and have recently played key roles in America's national defense.

What happened next resulted in 300 broken windows, more than $50,000 in damage and a grounded pilot. How did it happen? And did the pilot ever fly again? Get the full story in this episode of the Heritage Minute podcast.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

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The memorial features two granite slabs, representing the Twin Towers, atop a five-sided foundation that represents the Pentagon. The words, "World Trade Center," "The Pentagon" and "Shanksville, Pa." are etched onto the memorial.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

----more----One key mission of the Association of Graduates is to highlight some of those things that make the Academy the special place that it is.

Whether it’s a statue honoring a war hero, a static display of historic aircraft or a collection of important memorabilia, these reminders help tell the story of USAFA and the big Air Force through the decades.

Heritage Minute Podcast Channel Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon '77

The Heritage Minute Channel and Podcast is a production of  the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation