Checkpoints March 2003

up front

C1C PETER A. JOHNSTON, ’66 PARACHUTE INCIDENT

SUPERINTENDENT’S NOTE

THE RETURN OF

After a five year absence, the Academy’s IFT program is home again.

Tom Jones, ’77, shares USAFA experiences and how the Academy played a role in preparing him for a career as an astronaut.

A toast to the host...Col. Steve Hoagland, ’70, pays respect to those who serve in uniform. grad

Dr. Barry Crane, ’67, confirmed by the Senate for a high position in the administration and Linda Cubero, ’80, named among the 100 most influential Hispanics.

Professor Aaron Byerly, ’78, named 2002 Colorado Professor of

Capt. Leighton Anderson, ’92, and Capt. Edward Lengel, ’92, named the winners of the 2003 Jabara Award for Airmanship.

Association of Graduates

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

3116 Academy Dr., USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475

Receptionist (719) 472-0300

DSN 333-4513

Fax (719) 333-4194

E-mail aog@aog-usafa.org

Web site www.aog-usafa.org

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

President/CEO: Col. (Ret.) James A. Shaw, ’67

Executive Assistant: Leah Lucio

Receptionist: Michele Cowan

Mail Distribution: Darrell Cornett

FINANCE

Vice President: Larry Smith, ’71

Accountant: Joyce Love, Cindi Kinder

DEVELOPMENT

Vice President: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gary S. Howe, ’69

Administrative Assistant: Rita Baker

Annual & Class Giving: Chery Flores, Director

Elizabeth Winn, Assistant Director

Sabre Society: Becky Hureau, Administrator Regina Graves, Assistant Administrator

Corporate Giving: Gary S. Howe, ’69

Planned Giving: Gary S. Howe, ’69

Stewardship: VirginiaTonneson, ’80

Data Entry: Sandy Luckhurst, Supervisor

Dawn Wallick, Gift Administrator

John Rice, Biographical Updates

Barbara Meyer, Address Updates

Chris Barry, Matching Gifts

Pavers: Elizabeth Winn

Memorial Funds: Elizabeth Winn

CAMPAIGN

Vice President: Sean Pieri

Administrative Assistant: Rita Baker

Campaign Coordinator: Col. (Ret.) Brian Binn, ’72

Major Giving: Russ Laney, ’76, Brian Binn, ’72, Jennifer Bateman

Research: Laura Mastriano

INFORMATION SERVICES

Vice President: Col. (Ret.) Chuck Denham, ’67

Director of IS Operations: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jack Mueller, ’70

Director of IS Systems:: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Rich Trentman, ’81

Programmer/Analyst: Christy Peppers

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Vice President: Col. (Ret.) Dick Rauschkolb, ’70

Director of Marketing & Media: Bob McAllister

Media Designer: Sarah Wright

Multimedia Specialist: Ken Wright

Website: Ken Wright

Checkpoints and Register of Graduates:

Editor: Bob McAllister

Assistant Editor: Tom Kroboth

Advertising: Dick Rauschkolb/Bob McAllister

Chapter

Marty Marcolongo, ’88

Class News: Tom Kroboth/Ken Wright

SERVICES

Vice

Rich Downing, ’70

contents continued...

off the shelf

CHECKPOINTS

E-mail: aog@aog-usafa.org.) It is provided as part of a membership package ofwhich the magazine subscription annually accounts for $10. Single copies of CHECKPOINTS for members $2.50. Periodicals postage paid at the U.S. Air Force Academy, CO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change ofaddress to CHECKPOINTS, Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, 3116 Academy Dr., USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or attitude ofthe Association ofGraduates, its officers or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Association of Graduates of the products or services advertised. Copyright, Association of Graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, WINTER 2003.

AOG y from the Board Chair

Dear Members,

Yes, Ladies and Gendemen, that’s me as a “firstie”— 42 years ago. And for you younger folks out there, yes, most of us had hair that short. I thought perhaps the picture might help to focus us back to why we have an AOG. It’s to support the Academy, our cadets, our graduates and friends of the Academy, and our heritage/traditions.

One of the ways we celebrate our heritage/traditions is Founders Day, which this year will be Friday, April 4th at the Academy. Important activities on Founders Day will be to honor our 2002 Distinguished Graduate Award winners, Gen. (Ret.) Bob Oaks, ’59, and Dr. Paul Kaminski, ’64, as well as the 2003 Jabara Award winners, Captains Anderson and Lengel from the Class of 1992. I encourage you to come to Founders Day at the Academy. Also, I encourage local AOG Chapters to celebrate Founders Day.

It’s nice to see Introductory Flying Training has begun (resumed) at the Academy airfield. See the article on page 13 for details. Also, in this issue you’ll find a ballot with nominees for the Board. We have a mix of returning members and new members, all ofwhom are highly qualified and dedicated to serving our association.

I’m also extremely pleased and proud to recognize Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Skip Scott as an Honorary Member of the AOG. As most of you know, Gen. Scott was Superintendent from 1983-1987. During part of his tenure, I had the privilege of serving on his staff as Commandant of Cadets, so I know firsthand from then, and on to the present, how much he has contributed to the Academy and the AOG. See page 12 for more on Gen. Scott.

I have commented in nearly every recent article about the high quality of this magazine. Well, it comes as no surprise to me that Checkpoints has earned a silver award from CASE (the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) District VI in the category of Most Improved Alumni Magazine. Well done to the Checkpoints staff!

I am delighted to see that our membership is increasing, which tells me we are doing a better job of “telling our story” and explaining the many benefits of being an AOG member. But, let’s not rest on our laurels. We still have classes with membership well below 50% (skim through the class news section and

you’ll see what I mean), so be a recruiter! Bring folks back to reunions, chapter meetings, a visit to Doolittle Hall, or whatever, to rekindle that attachment.

Finally, and very importantly, I ask each of you to “stay tuned” for information that will be forthcoming soon about the major fundraising campaign the AOG is about to conduct on behalf of the Academy. The AOG staffwill be the focal point, and the board of directors will oversee the campaign, but it will be closely coordinated with the other foundations and associations that support the Academy. The campaign will provide private funds to accomplish needs identified and prioritized by the Academy that do not qualify for government funding; e.g., certain “brick and mortar” projects, endowments, training enhancements, academic chairs, prep school scholarships, improvements to athletic facilities, and enhanced character development programs. They will provide the “margin of excellence” we all want to see at our Academy. West Point and Annapolis have both conducted similar campaigns with great success. We are hopeful, with your support, of achieving similar success. This is the biggest project the AOG has ever undertaken, and it is not without risk, but the cause is right and the timing is right, so we need to “get on with it!” The campaign will run during the Academy’s 50th Anniversary, which will be celebrated from 2004 thru 2009 (from authorizing legislation in 1954 to the first graduating class in 1959).

All the best for 2003!

Marcus A. Anderson, ’61 Board Chair

AWORDOFTHANKS

I had the pleasure ofattending LIFT right before Thanksgiving break, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the AOG for the invitation and the exceptional time and effort that made it a true success. It was by far the best leadership seminar I have been to. Not only did we have an opportunity to learn about ourselves with the personality test, but we also set down tangible goals to accomplish in a definite time frame. These two aspects made LIFT a true leadership growth experience and not just a feel-good day with limited application. I’d also like to thank you for the book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities ofa Leader. This will no doubt go a long way in helping LIFT attendees take what we learn and apply it to our leadership at USAFA and in our personal lives.

I will not hesitate to recommend this program to friends and leaders in the Wing. I only wish that the resources existed for all of my classmates to attend.

Very Respectfully,

C2CJames Valpian

CHECKPOINTS

Congratulations for the efforts of the editorial staff of Checkpoints. The publication seems to get better with every issue. It is a very professional and visually appealing synopsis of cadet and graduate life. Keep up the fine work!

Many thanks,

Lt. Col. (Dr.) MichaelJ. Opatowsky, Class of1980

Received the latest Checkpoints last night and wanted to commend you and your staff for all of the improvements over the last couple of years. The format and content (my articles aside) have improved dramatically and it really sends a strong message to your members!

Eric S. Holt CFA, Class of1991

Fatal Parachute Incident

I very much enjoyed reading about the pace of air operations at Pine Valley airstrip in the article, “High Heaven,” in the Fall issue. It brought back memories ofhanging in my Para Commander 2,000-feet over the airfield, warily eyeing all the co-altitude gliders. I must, however, point out the inaccuracy of the article’s statement the no cadet has lost his life in a glider or parachute incident. ClC Peter A. Johnston, Class of 1966, lost his life during a jump from a C-47 over Pine Valley on 19 March 1966, less than three months before he graduated posthumously.

Pete was a natural leader and an inspiration to all of us. He guided us from an outlaw bunch ofweekend jumpers, to a safe and professional Sport Parachute Club, to what has now become the Wings ofBlue. Pete was a founder and a guiding light, and jump mastered most of us through our beginning free falls. He was the heart and soul ofthe team in its formative years and led us in pre-dawn runs through the snows ofFebruary to ensure we would cope in the August heat ofjump school at Fort Benning. The Class of’66 lost one ofits finest that day, and the Air Force lost a future leader.

Thank you for allowing me to set the record straight. Pete, we remember.

Respectfully,

Ronald Blum, Class of1967

Peter AJohnston Class of 1966

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The good life includes:

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Superintendents Note

Lt. Gen. “JD” Dallager, ’69

Greetings, and warm regards from the Academy! Another semester is well underway and, as usual, the place is hopping. Thanks for taking the time to tune in. Before I update you on a number of recent developments, I d like to pass on my deepest condolences to Lieutenant General A. P. Clark (USAF, Ret.), and his family. As many ofyou know, General Clark was the Academy’s 6th Superintendent (1970-1974).

The Academy lost a longtime friend and role model when General Clarks wife of 65 years, Mrs. Carolyn Wilbourn Clark, died on 16 December after a long illness. Mrs. Clark was an exemplary military wife, devotedly caring for three children while her husband was a POW duringWorldWar II, loyallysupporting her husband during his military service, and graciously mentoring a host ofyoung military wives. A service in Mrs. Clarks honor was held here on 7 January.

Class of 2003

The Class of 2003 is looking forward to graduating and joining the ranks of the men and women in our armed services that are engaged in the war on terrorism. As with the Class of 2002, some pilot-qualified cadets will not go to pilot training. Out of a class of 1,000 cadets, there are approximately 659 PQ cadets desiring to attend pilot training and only 548 slots available. Selection was competitive: cadets had to be in the top 83% of their class to obtain a pilot training slot. Of the nonrated cadets, 82% received one of their top three choices, and only 16 cadets did not receive any oftheir top six choices.

Admissions

As the Class of 2003 prepares to move on, were getting ready for the entrance of a new class of future Air Force officers. Application numbers for the Class of2007 are about 15%

ahead of last year at this time. Were expecting a class ofapproximately 1,280 with 51% potentially pilot-qualified. On a related note, the Air Staffhad asked us to consider increasing the Cadet Wing to 4,400, based on legislation allowing the SECAF to do so ifdesired. The SECAF has elected not to increase.

As I write, USAFA is preparing for a visit from the General Accounting Office (GAO). Based on congressional concern regarding the admissions policies of the service academies, the GAO has been mandated to evaluate USAFA (and USMA and USNA) and report on the following objectives: (1) Evaluate Department of Defense (DoD) oversight of the military academies; (2) Determine the extent to which DoD, the Services, and the academies have conducted studies on admissions issues and on cadet/midshipman performance after graduation; (3) Assess how admissions criteria are being applied for vari-

ous groups admitted to the academies, and what has been the performance and treatment of these groups while at the academies;

(4) Ascertain (via survey) the general perceptions of academy students and faculty on quality of life issues. They expect an initial report to Congress by 31 March 2003.

Academics

Let’s talk for a few minutes about the Dean’s top seven priorities.

ACCREDITATION - The engineering division hosted the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in November. They’ve been working hard to uphold the “Top 4 undergraduate engineering program” ranking as cited by US News & World Report.

CONSTRUCTION - The latest phase of Fairchild Hall construction just finished and all but four departments are in their

permanent locations on the sixth floor there. USAEA did not receive the congressional insert that would have finished the entire sixth floor. We’re waiting on outyear military construction funding to complete the project.

TECHNOLOGY - The Class of 2006 was the second class to receive laptop computers. The laptops are very powerful (1.4 GHz, 40 GB Hard Drive!) and come with many upgrades. Wireless devices are being installed in the academic facility and the library, giving cadets more mobility when studying and performing research. Were working hard to incorporate all aspects of technology into the cadets’ education. On a related note, research for the Air Force and others is continuing to expand, increasing from $5.0 M to $8.5 M over the last year. Current projects include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, aging aircraft, chemical and biological weapon detection systems and FalconSAT. These research projects exemplify “relevance” because they’re integrated with faculty and cadets, tied to direct mission systems, and are creating excellent learning opportunities for our cadets.

THE LIBRARY - The Princeton Review recently ranked the library as #1 in the nation. The library recently spent $1.0 M purchasing 6,500 new volumes and subscribing to 1,600 print journals and more than 40 major online databases. We’ll be naming the library after the first Permanent Dean of the Faculty, Brigadier General Robert F. McDermott (USAF, Ret.), in the spring.

MANNING - Manning continues to be a challenge as the operational Air Force faces shortfalls in many career fields. We’re using the total force concept and actively pursuing Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers to augment our active duty force. We now have nine Air Reserve Component (ARC) members on the DF staff, of which five are USAEA grads. They’re providing cadets with the benefit of both their solid educational background and their superb and varied

operational experiences. Also, we’re hiring more civilian scientists and engineers to assist our technical departments.

CURRICULUM - A recent major curriculum change is being implemented and all cadets in the Class of 2006 and beyond will graduate with 148 hours for any disciplinary major. The new curriculum includes more cadet options and emphasizes the areas that the Secretary of the Air Force wanted us to address. The goal is to produce more scientists, engineers, and foreign language-speaking cadets. First-year experience and first-year engineering courses have gone extremely well and we’re gathering cadet survey data to focus on areas that we can improve. We’re still in the process of developing a standardized “2Ft. 101” seminar for all firsties. The goal of this pass/fail course is to help firsties transition to becoming second lieutenants.

CADET PRIDE/DECORUM - Lastly, faculty and cadet pride, decorum, and standards are being emphasized to focus on the DF mission statement, “Inspire and educate cadets and faculty to serve our nation with integrity in peace and war.”

MilitaryTraining Update

As the Academy works to improve on its already excellent academic program, high standards are being emphasized and redefined in other aspects ofcadet life. The 34th Training Group is continuing to overhaul cadet summer programs. Combat Survival Training (CST) and Global Engagement (GE) are being reviewed for operational applicability and realism. I’m particularly proud of the developments we’ve made in GE. As a result of this dynamic training experience, our cadets will be prepared for bare-base operations. They’re learning all the skills they’ll need in our expeditionary Air Force—from mess-hall setup to maintaining a perimeter—they’re trained to deploy! Regarding CST and its related programs, there’s a chance that Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) will return in full to the Academy. This is a result of an Air Force requirement for more career fields to have the training, and the limited capacity at Fairchild AFB to meet the need. If SERE returns, a major difference from previous offerings will be that

resistance training will be conducted primarily by Air Force or contractor personnel. Cadets will still play a major leadership role in all other facets of SERE training and the administrative portion of the program. Were cautiously optimistic that we’ll receive Air Staff approval in time to implement the modified version of SERE for the 2004 summer programs.

The Operations Group recently broke ground on a new airfield control tower. This state-of-the-art facility will provide a single location from which to monitor flight operations, and will also include a large observation deck for visitors. Construction should be complete in 12-14 months. Also, activity surrounding Introductory Flight Training (IFT) has really heated up. We hosted our official “roll-out’’ of the Diamond DA20-C1 “Falcon” on 25 November, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) began training twelve members of the Class of 2002. ERAU developed a curriculum that allows students to experience UPT-like training both during ground briefings and in the air. Daily “stand-up” briefings give students a chance to perform under pressure. The DA20-C1 Falcon has modifications that allow students to fly with the stick in their right hand and the throttle in their left—this will provide a

smoother transition to the T-37, T-38, and T6. On 4 January, 109 cadets started training, and there were 18 Falcons at USAFA. After all aircraft are delivered, ERAU will receive 2 FAA certified DA-20 simulators to augment student training and enhance instructor proficiency. At full strength, we’ll have the capacity for 300 students a year to receive 50 hours of training. On a related note, it’s finally time to say “adios” to the T-3. The 52 T-3s that have been stored here since they were grounded in July 1997 are being dismantled and shipped to Hondo, TX for storage.

The Center for Character Development (CWC) continues to work a number of initiatives resulting from the Honor Task Force (a.k.a. Cams’ Report). Chief among these is the recommendation that we teach honor by the case method. As a result, we’ve implemented case study training for cadet honor staff and USAFA officers and increased cadet honor/ethics case studies and seminars (vice lectures). Also, we’ve added honor and core values education for all USAFA permanent party and emphasized honor and core values at commanders’ calls. In February, CWC’s National Character and Leadership Symposium will host students and scholars from around the globe. AOG support for this symposium (and many of our character development programs) has significantly contributed to the Academy being recognized as a world class institution in this critical area. By the way, did you know that our cadets gave over 30,000 hours of volunteer community service last year? From Big Brothers/Sisters to Habitat for

2003

Humanity, they have impacted the greater Colorado Springs area in ways that will last well beyond their tenure here. They’ve put the core value of “Service before Self” into practice as they’ve helped the youth, homeless, and homebound in our community.

Athletics

We’ve made great progress on the addition to the Cadet Athletic Facility. The Athletic Department staff plans to move into the new building in June, and the ceremonial ribbon cutting is planned for 20 June. Additionally, the AOG continues to aggressively pursue funding for the Athletic Hall of Excellence, designed to honor Academy athletes who have made significant contributions in sport and in life.

I know many ofyou followed Fightin’ Falcons football this past season—they did a fantastic job representing the Academy and the Air Force at home and away games. I enjoyed seeing many ofyou at the games—thanks for your support of our great program! Under Coach DeBerry’s leadership, the Falcons finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and finished third in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) with a 4-3 mark. The Falcons started the season 6-0 and were ranked as high as 15th nationally. For the first time in school history, the Falcons defeated teams from the Big 10 and Pac-10 in the same season. The Falcons also won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the 16th time overall and 14th time under Coach DeBerry. The Falcons closed the season at the 2002 San Francisco Bowl on New Year’s Eve in a nail-biter loss to the 19th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. The bowl game was the 17th in school history and 12th under Coach DeBerry.

I’m proud of our other teams as well. The women’s cross country team finished third at the conference championships, marking the fourth consecutive year with a top-four

finish. The team also finished in the top three at the regional competition and qualified for nationals. The men’s cross country team finished fourth at the MWC championships. The water polo team finished the season with a 16-12 record and a third-place finish in the Western Water Polo Association. The mens soccer team finished 8-9-2 overall, while the women were 7-12. The volleyball team finished the season with an 8-22 overall record, improving over last year by four wins. Both basketball teams are off to great starts. The women’s team has already surpassed last year’s win total, and the men’s team is off to their best start in school history with an alldivision I schedule. Our swimming teams are doing a great job too—the mens team is currently 8-1 and the women are 11-4. That’s a quick re-cap—you can stay up-todate with all of our teams by logging on to www.airforcesports.com.

10th Air Base Wing (ABW)

Our world-class support team continues to lead the charge to more fully operationalize the Academy. On 24 October, we bade farewell to Col. Brad Ward as he took the reins as the AFSPACECOM inspector general. Brad provided tremendous leadership over the last two years, especially during our post9/11 security and deployment ramp-ups and

September’s Unit Compliance Inspection.

On the same day, we welcomed a new ABW Commander, Col. John G. Miller, ’78, who came to us from the Joint Staff. Col. Miller is a Master Navigator with more than 2,100 hours in the B-52 and T-43. Under John’s lead, the ABW is currently undertaking and continuing extensive projects to improve and support the Academy infrastructure. Major projects include the addition to the Cadet Athletic Facility, the airfield control tower, multiyear programs to upgrade Fairchild Hall and Sijan Hall, and the Cadet Area Protective Perimeter (CAPP). CAPP is essentially a “base within a base” concept that will allow for greater security ofcadets, faculty, and staff while maintaining the integrity of the unique Academy architecture. Civil Engineering estimates a June groundbreaking for the first phase ofthe protective perimeter.

AOG Support

The Association of Graduates continues to leave its mark on almost everything we do at the Academy. The AOG’s continued monetary support for many of our cadet programs—almost $1M this year—allows our young men and women to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities that would otherwise go unfunded. Indirect support in the form of planning and hosting class reunions, inprocessing, open houses, and a wide array of other gifts in services and time make the AOG an indispensable part of every aspect of Academy life. In a joint venture, the Academy and the AOG purchased a large screen and projector system for use in Mitchell Hall—the only place the entire Wing gathers daily. This state-of-the-art system permits us to efficiently get the word out to cadets on a number of issues and allows us to showcase the remarkable accomplishments of our graduates—the

members ofThe Long Blue Line—at every meal. Two of those graduates—General (USAF, Ret.) Robert Oaks, ’59, and Dr. Paul Kaminski, ’64, will be honored as the 2002 Distinguished Graduate Award winners at ceremonies surrounding Founders Day in early April. By the way—the next time you’re “surfing,” you’ll want to check out the AOG website: www.aog-usafa.org. You will find great pictures of cadet life on the site. The bottom line: the Academy and the AOG are inextricably linked. Our cadets wouldn’t have many of their current “margin of excellence” opportunities if it wasn’t for AOG funding—thanks for giving the AOG your full support!

In closing, I’m grateful for your great support over the past few months. I’ve enjoyed seeing and hearing from many of you, and I’m thankful for your continued interest and involvement. Continue spreading the word and sending great candidates our way, and encourage the cadets you’re in contact with to “keep marching” on the road to becoming leaders of character for our great Air Force and Nation. We exist to make our Air Force better! And that’s what we’re doing! Thanks again, and God Bless! S

Lt. General Winfield W. Scott, Jr

Becomes Honorary Member

Lieutenant General Winfield W. Scott, Jr. was recently awarded Honorary Membership in the Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy in recognition of his longstanding, dedicated service to the United States Air Force and to the Air Force Academy.

uring his 37 years of active service, General Scott excelled in command and staff positions from squadron level, to major commands in Alaska and Korea, to Air Force Headquarters and culminating as the 10th Superintendent of the Air Force Academy.

From June 1983 to June 1987, General Scott led the Academy through many challenges and achievements.

Early in his tenure, he was faced with resolving a major challenge to the honor code within the Cadet Wing. His skillful handling of this incident resulted in renewed confidence and credibility in the Honor Code, and an improved system for processing honor cases. He

was also instrumental in establishing the Soar-For-All program, which gave all cadets the opportunity to experience the thrill of flying. On the academic side, he oversaw implementation of the program to provide personal computers for all cadets, which were tied to the faculty through a Local Area Network.

He was also instrumental in gaining approval for, and overseeing construetion of a much-needed visitors center for the Academy. This privately-funded, $4 million dollar facility has become a tremendous asset to the Academy and a focal point for its many visitors.

Finally, General Scott’s focus on spiritual and character development

as a fourth pillar of excellence at the Academy set an important example for cadets, the Academy and the Air Force that has paid huge dividends ever since.

Throughout his four-year tenure, General Scott worked tirelessly to move the Academy forward. His visible, charismatic leadership was felt everywhere, from cadets, to his staff, to senior Air Force leaders, to the AOG, to the Board ofVisitors, and to the local community.

For these good works and his continued support of the Academy, its cadets, the Falcon Foundation, and the AOG, General Scott is the newest Honorary Member of the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates.

Photo By Ken Wright

IFT Returns to USAFA

Story and photo by TSgt Ken Wright, AFNEWS

fter a five year absence, the Academy’s Introductory Flight Training (IFT) program is home again, and at full throttle.

In November, 12 lieutenants from the Class of 2002 became the first fledgling pilots to take part in the new program.

IFT pre-screens cadets and lieutenants before attending specialized undergraduate pilot training (SUPT), a costly one-year program. Because of that expense, identifying the most qualified students has remained a priority at the Academy.

“Without a pre-screening process [at the Academy], we found attrition rates at SUPT almost tripled,” said 34th Operations Group Commander, Col. Brian Bishop.

Once the Air Force saw attrition rates skyrocket at SUPT bases, the message was clear; IFT needed to return to the Academy.

Now cadets who want to become pilots must first fly single engine airplanes. This pre-screening helps Academy officials decide if cadets have what it takes to make it through pilot training.

The Academy had an alternate introductory program. In 1998, it started sending cadets and recent graduates to civilian airfields for introductory flight training. That improved the attrition rates at the next level of flight training. But officials realized without direct military oversight, a critical part of training future combat pilots was missing.

The Air Force felt including some aspects of military pilot training-like formal stand-up briefings, pilot checklists, and standards for reacting to emergencies-would better prepare students for specialized undergraduate pilot training. Plus, an on-base program would eliminate travel time from the cadets’ busy schedules.

In July 2001, officials announced a new program would bring IFT back to the Academy’s airfield.

What’s changed? Bishop said, “The program’s execution.” What hasn’t changed is the goal-sending students to specialized undergraduate pilot training who have the greatest chance of success.

The Academy launched the new program under a contract with one of the country’s premier flight training schools, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

One change is the university will provide civilian instructors; the old program had military instructor pilots. However, officials emphasize direct military oversight is an important pillar of the new program.

“Although students will receive guidance primarily from EmbryRiddle instructors, Air Force pilots will continue to check the progress cadets make throughout their training,” said Maj. Kevin Mastin, director of operations for the 357th Flying Training Squadron.

“A military pilot is going to use a plane to conduct war,” Mastin said. “We must make sure he or she is prepared to fly for the military.”

“If we see a trend with a student pilot, such as high anxiety, or continued air sickness, the student might be encouraged to take a different career path,” Mastin said.

Student pilots must now log 50 hours behind the stick in a Diamond Katana DA20-C1 Falcon aircraft to graduate. Before, they only had to have 18 to 25 hours. Graduates receive Federal Aviation Administration private pilot licenses.

Academy officials hope to train as many as 300 students in the program’s first year, and possibly 540 per year in the future. S

USAFA CADETS DECLARE

By Space Warfare Division 50th Education Squadron

Photo by Ken Wright

The year is 2022.. .space-based radars and space-based lasers are common inhabitants of interplanetary space. Hostilities between nations are now often quelled via assets in space.” Sound like a cheap ripoff from a page out of a Star Trek script or sound plausible?

For the very first time in USAFA history, cadets in MSS 485, Space Operations and the Warfighter, are planning and executing future warfare in space. Outside of typical classroom lecture, exercises, and Graded Reviews, these cadets are deeply involved in application-level learning. The emphasis and majority of the course’s curriculum are not on theoretical concepts, but instead what the operators in the Space & Missile Operations career field do in military space operations-how space supports the warfighter-and is a warfighter. To put the cadets in a hands-on, operational mindset, MSS 485 is enabling them to experience the potential of future space warfighting capabilities via wargaming.

Since November 5th, the 10 cadets currently enrolled in MSS 485 have been participating in a Satellite and Missile Analysis Tool (SMAT) space wargame conducted by Mr. Marc Herklotz, Mrs. Robin Herklotz, and Mrs. Kathy Gue from the Space Warfare Center (SWC) at Schriever AFB, Colo. According to Marc Herklotz, Senior Space Analyst at the SWC, the cadets are “learning how to plan space tactics—how to plan, fight, and win a space war.” t>

BEHIND THE SCENES

Developed by the Space Warfare Center, SMAT uses standardized algorithms for accurate modeling and simulation of orbital and ground-based systems to provide a comprehensive, 3-dimensional animated visual modeling tool for analysis of orbiting bodies, ballistic missile trajectories, and their relationship to the Earth. SMAT is Air Force Space Command’s premier modeling and simulation tool for space analysts, mission planners, educators, trainers, and warfighters.

“The SMAT wargame is both useful and entertaining. After 4 months of learning what space warfare is, the wargame gives us a good visual of how a possible war in space could develop. The wargame itself is also fun, but more than that it helps develop in our minds the capabilities of space assets, what works, and what does not work,” notes ClC Jamison Richart.

The MSS 483 cadets are currently divided into “Red” and “Blue” teams, given a geographic area of the world, and are competing against one another. Using assets such as Fixed and Mobile Ground Based Lasers, Ground and Space-based Radars, Ship Based Radar, and Space Based Lasers, the opposing sides select the locations of their ground and space assets. This becomes the basis for each team’s Space Order of Battle. Cadets must also consider things such as cloud cover, sensor coverage, and satellite fields of view. Attack or defensive opportunities for each team are consolidated into a separate “Red” or “Blue”

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The Academy is gearing up for its 50th Anniversary (2004-2009). If you have a story, photos, movies, or traditions from your cadet days, please contact us at editor@aog-usafa.org

Space Tasking Order (STO).

The “Red” and “Blue” STOs are then merged and an algorithm is used to compute which assets are destroyed or degraded by each side. Concepts such as probabilities of kill, sensor visibility, look angles, and cloud cover, and “dice roll” logic are used to determine successful shots. Each round is fought until one side runs out of assets or falls below a pre-determined “lose” point value. The cadets view the execution and results of their plan. Mr. Herklotz further notes, “In order to win future battles, we’ll have to use an integrated air and space methodology.” And this wargame is reinforcing that mindset in USAFA’s warfighters of tomorrow.

According to ClC Danny Magruder, “The SMAT wargame has made it easier to visualize what the future ofspace actually holds. With the addition ofthe potential to be fighting in space within the next twenty years, it has added a fourth or fifth dimension to war.”

“The SMAT wargame helps the cadets gain an appreciation for the intricacies of employing space assets to achieve their objectives. Our instructors have always used applications such as the planetarium, simulators, wargames, or flying in the aircraft to reinforce lessons taught in the classroom. SMAT continues this tradition as we increase our emphasis on space across the curriculum,” said Lt. Col. Michael J. Mclnerney, ’85, 50th Education Squadron Commander.

MSS 485 is currently offered in the Fall semester to first and second degree cadets and is continually expanding its enrollment. Whether we see these space capabilities in 2022 or before, USAFA cadets will have already deliberated and experienced a war in space! IS

The 50th Education Squadron’s Space Warfare Division conducts futuristic space wargames that give cadets a glimpse of how wars may be fought later in their careers.

’70 GRAD

CAPTURESTHE MEANING OF PATRIOTISM

Let me give you a little background on what prompted me to write the article, i have been overwhelmed with the wave of patriotism that has swept the nation since 9/11. It is what I have always felt. And having grown up in a military family, it is what for a long time, I thought all Americans felt. The 60s and 70s and even the 80s were difficult times for patriots. It wasn’t until after the GulfWar that the American public seemed to begin to remember that soldiers don’t make policy, they just do their best to carry it out.

Since 9/11, when I have worn my uniform around town, as I have always done on active duty and on my way to and from my Reserve

I Remember Them Well

by Colonel Steve W. Hoagland, ’70

“The names ofso many I knew are inscribed on that black granite wall in Washington, D. C. Together we shared our patriotism, our principles, and our commitment to country. Together we played, laughed, studied, worked and became part of a team.”

duties, I have been regularly approached by people who just want to shake my hand and say thanks. I have been struck time and again with the contrast this experience creates relative to the experience all of us who served around the Vietnam War years faced. It is certainly a marked contrast with the experience I had in 1975 as Commandant of Cadets in the AFROTC program at UCLA. I have never served in combat. In fact, I have never even been in a combat zone. It’s not that I tried to avoid it, it’s just that it never happened. I have spent thirty years in uniform, have filled most of the squares, have done the best job I was able at what I have been asked to do, and will retire from the Reserve as a Colonel in April. I’m proud of my service career, but in some ways I feel as if I got it “on the cheap.” When I think of the many officers I knew who are not alive to see and bask in this rising tide ofpatriotism as they so richly deserve, I feel as if I owe them something. (Furthermore, I feel the same way about all who have served in combat whether or not they returned. But at least those who returned and are still alive lived to experience it personally.)

I resolved the other day to write this article to try to express how I feel. If nothing else, it is the least I can do to try to say thanks.

A TOAST TO THE HOST...

It is a heady time for those of us who wear the uniform. American flags are everywhere. So are parades and patriotic celebrations. The virtues ofAmerican fighting men and women are eloquently lauded in public. Veterans of past conflicts speak with pride, and are revered for their commitment and sacrifice. When we wear the uniform in public, we are approached by people who are anxious to convey their thanks for the job we do. Those who have given their lives for our country are remembered with dignity, grace, and gratitude. Thousands ofyoung men and women are

considering a military career because it provides something more than income-it provides the pride and satisfaction that can only come with service to a cause greater than self.

Witnessing all ofthis so near the end ofmy thirty-year career in the Air Force/Air Force Reserve, I am struck by a sense ofguilt, but even more so by a sense ofsadness. I attended the Air Force Academy in the 60s, and then on to pilot training and an Air Force career. That career gave me so much, and enabled me to meet so many capable and caring people, yet it never asked that I put myselfin harm’s way.

The names of so many I knew are inscribed on that black granite wall in Washington, D.C. Together we shared our patriotism, our principles, and our commitment to country. Together we played, laughed, studied, worked and became part of a team. Together we reveled in the unrestrained joy of flight. Together we learned the importance of integrity, of persistence, ofservice, of what it takes and what it means to be the very best. Together we withstood the insults and the indifference.

Today, I stand alone. Alone I receive the handshakes and the thanks. Alone I am praised. Alone I am honored and respected. Alone I witness the nationwide swell of pride and patriotism that all of us felt and yet couldn’t express outside of our small military circle. They are not here.

I feel guilty, because I do not deserve these things. I feel sad, because so many of those who so very much do deserve them, cannot receive them. But I do not feel alone, because I remember them well, and because I know that all of those who continue to serve do deserve these things. I accept whatever accolades come my way with humility, because I know that I am accepting them on behalf of those who have made it possible for me to be here—those who have truly served this country throughout its history, and those who are serving today. With the deepest reverence and respect, I raise my glass... H

An Astronaut Graduate looks back from space

t was a clear but cold winter afternoon in Colorado Springs. Snow dusted the Black Forest, and the face of the Front Range was already in shadow as the sun sank westward in its abbreviated arc across the sky. I searched

through my telephoto lens for a Cadet Wing formation on the terrazzo, but from

weather below had been perfect, and my camera captured USAFA and its environs in a portrait I’d savor after our return to Earth. This past fall I returned to the Academy for my Class’s reunion, celebrating 25 years since our 1977 graduation. Aside from seeing

old friends, touring old dorm rooms,

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

and

watching

the Falcons administer my altitude such details were indistinguish-

By Tom Jones,

’77 a wonderfully thorough drubbing of able. Besides, at 3 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, the only sign of life I could expect to see around the cadet area was a steady stream ofCorvettes leaving the parking lots. With the Zoo centered in the viewfinder, I checked the focus one last time and triggered the shutter. As I floated my Hasselblad camera back to its Velcro berth on the flight deck, the shuttle Atlantis carried me eastward at five miles per second. I smiled to myself I’d had days as a cadet when even an opening velocity from USAFA ofMach 25 would have struck me as too slow.

Atlantis had just left the International Space Station (ISS) the day before, and after ten days of non-stop work installing the Destiny laboratory at the Station, this was my crew’s first real chance to enjoy the view of Earth passing 240 miles below us. On this pass across the United States, I ’d made a point ofgrabbing a spot at the window to see Colorado Springs and the Academy. The

Navy on a perfect fall afternoon, my visit gave me a few days to consider the role the Academy played in preparing me for a career as an astronaut. In preparing for a talk I was to deliver at our class’ reunion banquet, I’d spent several hours going over my old photo albums and slides to jog my memory for shared USAFA experiences. Those old photos and conversations with my classmates reminded me of many Academy lessons that helped me up that “stairway to heaven” yes, spaceflight does put one in mind ofparadise. Upon reflection, no other career experience was more important to me in realizing my boyhood dream ofspaceflight as my four years at USAFA. I spoke with other graduates who’d gone on to serve as astronauts, and they were generous enough to share their thoughts on how their Academy years prepared them for success, on and offthe planet.

I chose the Academy over a civilian college because 1 wanted to fly, and one day, preferably, in space. Back in 1973, becoming a jet pilot

was the way one got to test pilot school, and the resumes ofthe Apollo astronauts showed this teenager that test piloting was the ticket to an astronaut career. Bent on exploring space in some capacity, either as an astronaut or scientist, I made the calculation that the straightest route to space began with military aviation. The Air Force Academy offered the best odds ofsecuring a pilot training slot. Case closed.

Those first few months at USAFA didn’t offer much in the way ofexploring the stars. I never saw the Skylab space station during doolie year: something distinctly unpleasant happened whenever I took my eyes off the marble strip to stare at the sky. It wasn’t until three years later that an Astro 101 assignment spurred me to predict its next few passes and actually go outside to spot Skylab. I couldn’t help thinking there was a giant gulf between cadet realities and that seemingly unreachable space station.

Space men were easier to spot at USAFA than space stations. Wernher von Braun, the father ofGermany’s V-2 missile, and later the driving force behind the Saturn V moon rocket, came to Arnold Hall one night to lecture on the future exploration ofspace. He was kind enough to answer (for no doubt the millionth time) a question from a star-struck doolie about what courses would be

The author, TomJones, 77, with assembly tools outside the InternationalSpace Stations Unity module, 12 Feb 2001. The ISSsolar array wings are visible in the backgivund. Jones’ crew delivered the Destiny laboratory module via \shuttleAtlantis, 7-20 I .Feb 2001. STS0981348-012.

most valuable in pursuing an astronaut career. I also caught an Arnold Hall talk by two other space heroes Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo veteran Wally Schirra, and Air Force Colonel and Apollo 15 commander David Scott. After their presentation I mustered enough courage to walk up and introduce myself; not a smart move in retrospect. I approached the legendary Schirra, stuck out my hand, and gushed, “Great lecture, Captain Scott!” Overcome with embarrassment, I hoped the retired Schirra wouldn’t bother to pass on my name to NASA’s permanent “no hire” list.

You could always count on the chaplains to provide a break from Call to Quarters and a decent meal away from Mitch’s, and the padres hit a home run one evening when they invited Jim Irwin, Scott’s fellow moon-walker on Apollo 15, to speak. Colonel Irwin described his adventures driving the Lunar Rover on the rim of Hadley Rille canyon, beneath the looming slopes ofthe Apennine Mountains. His 1971 lunar mission had brought him spiritually closer to God, Irwin said, and he’d established the High Flight Foundation to share his experiences with a global audience. Walking back to Vandenberg that evening, I brought away not only Irwin’s autograph, but a new sense ofboth the demands and privileges ofspaceflight. IfJim Irwin thought the Academy taught “the right stuff,” maybe a bit of it would eventually rub off on me.

Fast forward through pilot training, five years behind

of a SAC B-52, graduate school in the planetary sciences, and a brief tour with the CIA. I arrived at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for training with the thirteenth astronaut class, “The Hairballs,” in the summer of 1990 (the name stemmed from that lucky number 13, our unofficial black cat mascot, and the choking noise our instructors made upon learning they’d been assigned to work with us).

Our spaceflight training began thirteen years after I’d left USAFA, but I found that much of our NASA coursework had its roots in material I’d seen at the Academy. I remember pulling out my old Astro textbook during that first year in Houston for briefrefreshers in orbital mechanics. That broad grounding in engineering and the physical sciences, reinforced over the years by later study, was the perfeet foundation for taking on NASA’s astronaut training curriculum.

Another astronaut who also valued his Academy preparation in astronautics is retired Air Force Colonel Bo Bobko, ’59. The first Academy graduate to fly in space (I don’t think I’ll ever forgive Bo for the number of times upperclassmen grilled me about his name and accomplishments.), Bo flew on three 1980’s shuttle missions, commanding two ofthem. A member of the Academy’s first entering class, he remembers that for his fellow cadets at Lowry, space was a fresh, wide-open field ofstudy. He had “extraordinary instructors,” many fresh from developing and testing the first guided missiles and ICBM’s, and they infused their Aero and Astro courses with a wealth ofpractical experience. While the Academy didn’t offer academic majors at the time, (“Major Bobko, how can you have a B.S. degree in nothing?”), Bobko says the school gave

Astronaut Karol “Bo Bobko, 59, became an Air Force Manned OrbitingLaboratory astronaut in 1966. NASA selected him as thefirst USAFA graduate astronaut in the civil spaceprogram in 1969. He worked on the Skylab and Shuttleprogramsfor 14years before hisfirst shuttleflight on STS-6 in 1983.

him the general preparation he could have applied in almost any technical career. From his cadet days at the dawn of the space age to his still active role as Vice President for Strategic Programs at SpaceHab, Inc., (a commercial space company), Bobko has always been grateful for the initial boost he got from USAFA.

In 1990 I was happy to learn that my ’77 classmate Col. (Ret.)

Charlie Precourt was selected as a member ofmy astronaut class, the Hairballs. Charlie emphasizes the leadership skills he picked up at the Academy as a key to his success over four shuttle missions. From Jacks Valley field exercises, to the confidence course, to the SERE trek through Saylor Park, to the intramural fields on weekday afternoons, “the Academy provided a steady diet oftraining in leading, following, and making good decisions,” he says. He recalls that cadet wing duties offered many opportunities to practice leadership in a large, multi-faceted organization. That training was almost tailor-made for Astronaut Charlie Precourt, ’77, mans the commander’s station on the flight deck ofthe Space Shuttle Discovery during the last NASA rendezvous with Russia’s Mir space station. STS091-360014 (2-12June 1998).

his on-orbit role as shuttle commander, leading his crew through a rendezvous with Mir, for example, while also managing competing demands from the Astronaut Office, NASA managers, Russian space program officials, and NASA’s Mission Control Center. Another valuable leg up from the Academy, Charlie says, was his introduction, through language training, to foreign cultures. His experiences as a cadet exchange student at the French L’Ecole de L’Air helped him deal with the ISS partners when he became Chiefofthe Astronaut Office in 1998. Now NASA’s Deputy Manager for the International Space Station program, his exchange tour in Europe and military studies ofthe former USSR currently help him manage the diverse (and sometimes competing) national interests within the Space Station partnership.

Another astronaut grad who worked extensively with the Russians is Major General Kevin Chilton, ’76. Kevin was the pilot on my rookie shuttle mission, STS-59, commanded shuttle mission STS-76, and later served as the Deputy Program Manager for the Space Station. In that role, he led the effort to forge the agreements between NASA and the Russian space agency that would control assembly and on-orbit operations. Kevin cites the Academy’s academic regimen as a springboard into his later spaceflight training: the

CHECKPOINTS, WINTER 2003

Kevin Chilton, ’76, commandedSpace ShuttleAtlantis on a 1996rendezvous with the Mir space station. Kevin, at center, isjoined on Atlantis’ flight deck by the Mir-21 crew, commander Yuri Onufrienko (left), andFlight Engineer Yuri Usachev. STS76, 22-31 March 1996

math and engineering courses gave him a tool kit ofskills “so broad and deep” that it made him comfortable tackling any discipline, and served him well as he became a fighter pilot, test pilot, and shuttle commander. But Chilton, an engineering science major at USAFA, says that his exposure to the humanities there was at least as valuable as the technical curriculum in his management work with the Space Station, and later in foreign military affairs at the Pentagon. Now serving there as Director ofPrograms under the USAF Deputy ChiefofStaff for Plans and Programs, he notes that “I got a better education in the humanities, thanks to the core curriculum, than I would’ve received at many liberal arts colleges.” Chilton feels that the technical and liberal arts education provided by the Academy is “the foundation for pursuing your personal interests down the road, or taking on a future job with confidence.”

I first flew with Kevin as a mission specialist astronaut in 1994 with the Space Radar Laboratory, a wide-ranging Earth sciences mission using three advanced synthetic aperture radars. As Payload Commander for the second flight of the Laboratory six months later, I had to lead SRL science operations and juggle other in-cabin experiments during a packed 11-day mission. My USAFA education proved a big asset during the two years ofscientific training leading up to the flights. The Academy’s high academic standards and heavy course load not only gave me a thorough grounding in the basics ofscience and engineering, but they also forced me to learn quickly, to grasp the essentials of a new subject, to shift gears when confronted with each new challenge.

After four trips into space, I would say that the successful astronauts Eve worked with all share some common personality traits. My colleagues are almost always self-motivated, determined to succeed, cool under pressure, and well-organized: able to prioritize their tasks and focus on what’s most important. They’re also blessed with a healthy sense of humor, an absolutely essential skill when sharing tight quarters on a long space mission. I think spending some of my doolie year in a three-man room gave me a

sense of fun that helped ease some of the inevitable pressures of life at close quarters in free fall.

My fellow Hairball, Susan Helms, ’80, must have had a fivemonth-long flashback to her Academy days during her extended stay aboard the ISS in 2001. Colonel Helms, now the Chief, Space Control Division at Headquarters, USAF Space Command, spent 167 days in orbit with ISS commander Yuri Usachev and fellow Flight Engineer Jim Voss. Helms says Expedition Two was very reminiscent of the isolated, austere feel of her doolie year, when she was a pioneering member of USAFA’s first cohort of female cadets. During five months in orbit with Yuri and Jim, Susan found herself in a male-dominated social setting sound familiar? To Susan it was old hat. Her years at the Academy also helped her cope with the long months of expedition training in Russia, and the challenges ofworking with a Russian commander. Helms says that “the Academy’s focus on the USSR and its culture, especially in the SERE course, gave me an invaluable look at the Russian mindset that I didn’t find in NASA’s training.” Since her return to the active Air Force, Susan’s been surprised and gratified by the way the graduate community has helped her hit the ground running. Her network of graduate friends and classmates has been “a huge plus” in getting up the learning curve at Space Command.

Looaking back at my NASA career, I think the Academy experiences most valuable to the Astronaut Corps were those that helped cultivate personal responsibility and integrity. Outcomes

Air Force Colonel Susan Helms, ’80, at work in the Destiny laboratory ofthe International Space Station. Susan spent nearly six months as FlightEngineer aboard the Station on the second expedition to crew the outpost, 8 Mar - 22 Aug 2001. ISS002-446-002.

like honor, trust in your colleagues, and a healthy self-confidence are hard to list as academic “learning objectives,” but they all are elements of that simple word, “character.” Almost without exception, the graduate astronauts I’ve known have character in spades; there was never a doubt about how they would perform once the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters lit beneath them.

One last reality oflife that the Academy trained me to deal with was adversity. Those many “character-building” exercises we found so universally distasteful prepared me for the days in space when things didn’t go as planned. On my first attempt at a spacewalk, my partner and I were just about to leave shuttle Columbia when the outer hatch handle jammed. Working inside the airlock, we tried every strategy in the book to get the door open, but the spacewalks for me the mission’s highlight were lost. I was devastated over the wasted training and my own dashed hopes. But I’d seen bad days before, more than a few as a cadet. I remembered the depths of my doolie despair when returning to the Academy after leave, and I realized that this day would pass, just as it did in 1973. Disappointment would succumb to the normal USAFA drill: hard work, perseverance, and time. Four years later, I found myselfoutside Atlantis on three successful spacewalks, helping install the U.S.built Destiny laboratory at the International Space Station. Going out the airlock hatch for the first time, I had a sense ofdeja vu: it was the same satisfaction I’d felt when I threw my hat in the air on a June morning at Falcon Stadium, twenty-four years before.

Author’s Note: I had submitted this articlefor Checkpoints in midJanuary. Two weeks later, on Saturday, thefirst ofFebruary 2003, I tuned in to watch the broadcast ofthe STS-107 crew’s descentfrom orbit on Columbia. Contact with the crew had been lostjust a few moments before; such communications dropouts are not unusual, and I waited to hear again their exuberant voicesfrom above. With no wordfrom Columbia as theplannedlanding time approached, my growing worries crystallized into a gut-wrenching realization: these seven would not return safely to the goodEarth, and the lives oftheirfamilies waiting in Florida had changedforever. Myfriends Rick Husband, Willie McCool, K. C. Chawla, Dave Brown, Mike Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon were gone. The nation has learned in the ensuingdaysjust how exceptional these men and women were. Our service and our country will befortunate iffuture USAFA graduates aspire to their legacy ofcharacter and excellence. We will not soon recoverfrom the shock oftheir loss, but we will honor the Columbia crew’s memory by returning to thefrontiers of space to continue their mission ofdiscovery.

About the Author

T homas D. Jones (USAFA ’77) is a scientist, author, and former NASA astronaut. Fie holds a doctorate in planetary sciences, and in more than eleven years with NASA, flew on four space shuttle missions to Earth orbit.

On his last flight, Dr. Jones led three spacewalks to install the centerpiece of the International Space Station, the American Destiny laboratory. He’s been privileged to spend fifty-three days working and living in orbit.

After graduation from the Academy, Tom piloted B-52D strategic bombers, studied asteroids for NASA, engineered intelligence-gathering systems for the CIA, and as a NASA contractor, developed advanced mission concepts to explore the solar system.

Tom is the co-author of two books for young adults. Mission: Earth (Scholastic, 1996) detailed his orbital experiences on two missions to take the pulse ofthe planet’s ecosystem, oceans, and geology. The Scholastic Encyclopedia ofthe United States at War (Scholastic, 1998) traced our nation’s path through conflict and peace to its place as the world’s lone superpower. Both books were written with June A. English. His most recent book, co-authored by Michael Benson, is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to NASA, (Alpha, 2002).

Dr. Jones’ awards include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, four NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He consults, writes, and speaks from the Virginia suburbs ofWashington, D.C.

By Kevin Simpson, Denver Post

By the time inspection began at 0730

Saturday, Mike Strasser’s corner of Cadet Squadron 4 in Vandenberg Hall had been buffed to an immaculate sheen, evidence of military bearing that can’t hurt a young man bucking for pilot training-and, perhaps, a seat in an F-16 fighter on course for the space program.

The Air Force Academy cadets stood stiffly at attention as upperclassmen made their rounds.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the training group commander issued an “at ease” order that passed down the chain of command until it blared over the loudspeaker, granting permission for cadets to access CNN on their computers. News ofthe space shuttle Columbias disintegration over Texas illuminated stark dorm rooms.

The disaster for a while took the starch out of everyone-but especially those cadets who themselves have aimed for the stars and invested in perhaps the most storied, and clearly defined, way to get there. Three to four dozen of them are pursuing the fighter-pilot path to duty as an astronaut.

“Since I want to be part ofthe program, I know the risk,” says

Strasser, 21. “So many things have to go offperfect. The public doesn’t realize it’s dangerous every time. It’s not just a car ride into space.”

That cadets like Strasser own a burgeoning understanding of shuttle science and technology helps explain their abiding, intellect-based faith in the space program despite the recent tragedy.

But it also illustrates how the fighter-pilot image has evolved from a macho, “Top Gun” subculture of near-mythic proportion to right-stuff rookies who unabashedly work another adjective— geeky—into the mix.

Four of the Columbia seven served as fighter pilots. It’s a career course that traces its lineage to Chuck Yeager himself, America’s first rocket-man.

Academy cadets are still fledgling jet jockeys, pushing the envelope, anticipating the adrenaline rush and hearing the Tom Cruise character Maverick’s voice in the back of their heads-“I feel the need...the need for speed.”

“Fast is what we’re looking for, sir,” Strasser says reassuringly. “Turn and burn.”

But they also study hard, train hard and map out personal

VAN BEUSEKOMj

(L to R) C1C Craig Van Beusekom, C1C Evaine Mansfield and C1C Mike Strasser

timelines—eight to 10 years in a best-case scenario—that include graduate degrees, pilot training, fighter duty, test-pilot training and finally, acceptance into the space program.

“I think it’s getting a little more serious, more by the book nowadays,” says Strasser. “Drink hard, play hard is probably not the way to go.”

He spends much of his time as a chief engineer in the FalconSAT program, in which undergraduates build satellites they hope will be deployed by the space shuttle.

So do his senior classmates Craig Van Beusekom and Evaine Mansfield, the latter the only female cadet in her astronautical engineer major on a fighter-pilot track still dominated by men.

“We tend to talk about more classic geeky things,” says Van Beusekom, 21. “But many of us are athletes, too, so we’ll share that.”

“It’s not quite as macho,” says Mansfield, also 21. “It’s not the good of boys’ club it was. It’s still an elite club, but it’s for whoever can get there.”

Who are these geeky hot-shots? Time for a different kind of inspection:

Cadet Strasser, you grew up in Seattle, in the shadow of Boeing, the son of engineers. You drew rockets in kindergarten and lost more model rockets than you can remember, mapped out a mission to Mars in high school.

Now, exactly how many times have you watched the exploits of the Mercury crew in “The Right Stuff”?

“Five times, sir.”

What about “Top Gun”?

“Countless times, sir.”

Cadet Mansfield, you started out in Santa Ana, Calif., wanting to be an architect, then looked to the sky and saw “limitless possibilities. You shied away from no intellectual challenge, pushed your physicality to the limit and beyond, from the time you wrestied for your high-school varsity—the boys’ varsity. You became a nationally ranked power-lifter, got a special military dispensation to play women’s pro football and oh, yes, you curl up with an 800-page satellite software manual for a little light reading.

So how many screenings of “The Right Stuff”?

“I only found out about it last year, sir.”

Since then?

“Five or six times in the past year, sir.”

How many times have you sat through Navy pilot Tom Cruise’s wooing of Kelly McGillis in a San Diego bar and flying by the seat of his pants in “Top Gun”?

“Three times, sir. Maybe only twice. I’m one of the outcasts.”

Cadet Van Beusekom, you endured Minneapolis winters on cross-country skis, ran ultra-marathons, became an Eagle Scout in your spare time. You put together a presentation on pilots for

a high school class, worked two summers to make enough money to get your own pilot’s license—then got it your senior year and joined the Civil Air Patrol.

How many times did you revel in “The Right Stuff”?

“Probably five to 10 times. It’s definitely one of my favorites.”

“Top Gun”?

“Ten to 15 times, sir. Would have watched it more if it had been an Air Force movie.”

In an astronautical engineering class, the professor explained a complex formula for figuring the derivation for the Coriolis force, which accounts for planetary rotation as an object falls to Earth.

“You want to impress chicks in a bar,” he cracked, lampooning fighter pilots on Cruise-control, “show them this equation.”

But the joke underscored the emphasis on the cerebral - and an appreciation of the high-tech, not to mention high-priced, hardware that U.S. pilots command. Their culture moved gradually away from the macho attitude, according to some military historians, after U.S. fliers suffered unnecessarily high casualties early in the Vietnam war.

In his book “Prodigal Soldiers,” author James Kitfield notes that Chuck Horner, a Vietnam-era flier who later commanded pilots in the GulfWar, sometimes had to “check a temptation to tell them to lighten up and have some fun.”

Another indication that the macho fighter-pilot culture has changed: Strasser holds out astronaut Susan Helms as his hero. Helms, part of the first female cadet class at the Academy in 1976, served on five space flights and remains a local icon.

Mansfield, as much as anyone, knows how gender perceptions in the fighter-jock culture have changed. Geek-talk aside, guys still care if women think they’re cool-and they light-heartedly look to her for answers.

In another twist, they also seem to have a healthy respect for her athleticism.

“They make jokes that, if someone’s bad, they’ll set me on them-they’ll have to have a push-up contest with Evaine,” she says. “It seems like I’m the brunt of the jokes about the macho culture. But it’s all good-natured.”

For all the changes, elements of bravado remain intact. Ask Strasser if fighter-pilots are a different breed and he will crack a slight grin.

“They’re a little more high-strung than cargo pilots, sir,” he says. “The culture is high-stress and high-strung, but that’s useful to the Air Force.

“And a little cocky, sir. They’re a little cocky.”

But nowadays, the bravado comes wrapped in an understanding and appreciation ofthe technology that sends pilots into combat-and, perchance, into space. It’s a brashness constrained by intellect. [>

“Everything I do, I think about it,” Strasser says. “I don’t take unnecessary risks. There’s a high concentration on mitigating risks.”

What about testing limits?

“I think I’m part of that subculture, sir.”

But as Van Beusekom found out when he visited some Air Force bases as part of a cadet program, the actual fighter-pilot culture deviates far from the popular myth.

“In the real fighter culture, the pilots are a lot more family men than in ‘Top Gun,”’ he says. “The womanizing stereotyping is far from the truth. So many people want to become pilots, and there are so many things they have to do well.

“Ifyou’re a party animal, you couldn’t make things work. People discount with the stereotypical fighter pilot what you have to do to get there.”

They were 5 or 6 when the Challenger disaster reminded America, as the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission had years earlier, that space travel isn’t the mundane exercise it seemed. Too young for the notion to register.

Columbia’s flame-out provided that vivid reminder-although as cadets immersed in the intricacies of astronautical engineering and satellite launches, they already have a keen awareness of the myriad things that can go wrong.

“I was shocked and horrified,” says Van Beusekom. “But it doesn’t change anything for me. Being a fighter pilot, even in today’s Air Force, is a risky proposition. A test pilot is another risky occupation. So is being an astronaut.”

“On the way to doing that,” notes Strasser, “it’s possible I’m going to be in a war-so there’s risk involved in everything we do.”

As the Saturday inspection unfolded in Mansfield’s Cadet Squadron 27, and news of Columbia’s breakup consumed the residence hall, the telephone rang in her room.

Protocol kept her from picking up. Instead, she listened while her mother’s voice spoke to her answering machine.

“I don’t know if you heard...It’s horrible...the Columbia broke up, and I wanted to make sure you’re OK.”

Mansfield listened to the tearful voice coming through her answering machine and felt her own tears welling - both for the tragedy and for the way it hit her mother, the mother of a young woman who aspires to space exploration.

“I was crying, but there wasn’t a whole lot we could’ve said to each other,” Mansfield says. “You’re always shocked to see something happen to your dream. But we all know the risks.

“And we want to do it anyway.” RS

Printed with thepermission ofthe Denver Post ©

In memory ofthe Columbia Crew whoperished in the skies over Texas on February 1, 2003.

(Lto R) Captain David M. Brown, USN, Colonel Rick D. Husband, USAF, Commander Laurel Clark, USN, Kalpana Chawla, Lieutenant Colonel Michael R Anderson, USAF, Commander William C. McCool, USN, Colonel Man Ramon, Israeli AF.

THE LONG

It seems like every day

somewhere in the world an Academy graduate is recognized for an outstanding achievment. Here are a few from the “Long Blue Line” who showed up on our radar screen this past quarter.

Barr, 72, Receives First “E” Pin From CSAF

Air Force Chiefof Staff Gen. John P. Jumper presented the first “E” pin to Rick Barr, ’72, UPS vice president of flight operations, in recognition of the company’s singular support to both the Air Reserve Component and to the Air Force.

The E pin is a lapel pin emblazoned with the letter “E” cradled within the Air Force symbol, representing the employer-Air Force partnership in defense of the nation.

Barr said the honor belonged not to the company leaders, but to the rankand-file employees.

According to UPS, 36 of its pilots have been called to active duty in support of operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom, and 27 others have participated in deployments of 30 to 120 days. In all, about 470 of the company’s employees are on active duty.

VanderBurgh, ’81, Receives AFA Award for Medicine

Lt. Col. (Dr.) David F. VanderBurgh, ’81, commander of the 74th Medical Support Squadron, at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, claimed the Paul W. Myers Award for his outstanding contributions to Air Force medicine.

“I am greatly honored to receive the Paul W. Myers Award,” said VanderBurgh. “What a great day to be recognized by the world’s most modern and well equipped Air Force medical organization. Many great people make the Air Force Medical Service a fantastic organization and a super place to work. The future is certainly unsure, but we have great folks taking care of our troops.”

According to the nomination citation for VanderBurgh, he showed exceptional performance and leadership while assigned as chairman of radiology for the 74th MSS.

VanderBurgh was described as a force enhancer who has deftly handled an acute radiology manning crisis in the command with his expertise in teleradiology, sending radiology images remotely. He was noted for personally leading efforts to develop teleradiology support for two stateside bases and a deployed Expeditionary Medical Squadron.

The Paul W. Myers Award is named after a former Air Force Surgeon General. (Courtesy, Air Force Surgeon General/PA)

Academy Graduates and Researcher Receive Awards

Majors Steve Kiser, ’90, and Troy Thomas,

’91, received the Maj. Gen. Robert E. Linhard Award for their paper “Lords of the Silk Route: Violent Non-State Actors in Central Asia.” Both awardees are intelligence officers, with Thomas serving at Langley AFB, Va., and Kiser completing studies toward a doctorate at the RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, Calif.

Dr. Paul Bolt, a professor in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s department ofpolitical science, and Maj. Carl Brenner, ’90, formerly assistant professor in the same department and currently assigned to the National Imagery and Mapping Agency in Bethesda, Md., received the Outstanding Academy Researcher Award for their paper “Information Warfare Across the Taiwan Strait.”

The recipients each received a plaque and $2,000 in research support. The Linhard Award is given annually for the best research done under the auspices of

BLUE LINE

an INSS grant. The Outstanding Academy Researcher Award is given annually to a member of the academy’s cadet wing, staff or faculty. (AFPN)

Graduates Receive Medals for Heroism in Combat

Six Academy graduates were recently awarded medals for heroism in combat.

Captains Kirk Rieckhoff, ’93, and Chris Russell, ’98, were each awarded the Silver Star, the Nation’s fifth highest award for heroism in combat, for their heroic effort that resulted in the rescue of 23 U.S. service members during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.

Captains Phillip Swenson, ’94, Jeremey Turner, ’95, John Mangan, ’96, and Brent Beaulieu, ’98, each received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force’s eighth highest award for heroism

in combat, for their “heroic actions and bravery in aerial flight while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.”

77 Graduate Receives Honor From King Abdullah II

Colonel Stephen R. Schwalbe, ’77, was recently presented with the Jordanian Military Order of Merit Second Class for his work in Jordan as an Air Attache from 2000 - 2002

King Abdullah II issued a Royal Decree awarding the medal to Schwalbe, which Jordanian records show was the first such presentation to a foreign military officer living in Jordan.

Boyer, 72, Awarded Bronze Star

Col. (Dr.) Franklin M. Boyer, ’72, a surgeon in the Academy’s 10th Medical Group, received the Bronze Star for his CHECKPOINTS,

2003

efforts during the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Boyer deployed from the Academy in October of 2001 to an overseas location, as commander of the 320th Expeditionary Medical Group. Upon arrival, he established a fully operational theatre hospital, utilizing personnel from 13 different Air Force and Army medical units.

The hospital Boyer commanded saved both life and limb of 17 special forces victims during a combat mass casualty incident, performing 23 operations in 36 hours. As the team’s senior surgeon, Boyer performed two of the four-lifesaving surgeries. He also traveled to other locations within the theater of operations, centralizing the supply, equipment and personnel resources, while creating a first-ever hub-and-spoke theater hospital.

Hollister, 78, Runs for

Colorado Springs City Council Col. (Ret) Greg Hollister, ’78, is making a bid for the Colorado Springs City Council.

Hollister says that after spending twenty years in the Air Force learning and living its core values, he now hopes to keep the city strong and vibrant by applying those same principles to his duties on the council. fi

This spring, the cadet wing is recommitting to the Air Force core values. We are taking an in-depth look at what Integrity, Service, and Excellence really mean. These values have always been in front of us, but having a true understanding of each is the goal for this semester.

How are we going to do this? We are going to equip, train, and motivate. The first step is getting the formal Air Force definitions out to every Cadet. A wrench is to a crew chief as these definitions are to a Cadet. We have distributed the primary tool to the Wing. The 1997 Little Blue Book on Air Force Core Values explains each value and its significance. This book gives the Air Force standard on what it is that we as military members are expected to uphold not only on active duty, but in our lives. As future military officers, we must not only know these definitions, but it is imperative that we have the depth of understanding necessary to impart these values throughout our careers. To do this we must internalize the values.

While the first step to internalization is knowing the definitions, we must expand on this and fully understand the concepts behind those definitions. Through the semester, we will open up time to element leaders so that discussions about these concepts can be facilitated in a small group setting. This is a crucial step towards raising the bar and enabling minds to think at the next level. The highest calling of leadership is to develop individuals and that’s what were going to do.

How do we measure somebody internalizing a value? Giving a test on book knowledge does not capture the intent of our goal. Anybody can regurgitate a definition without fully understanding the concepts behind the definition. So, we are taking a back door approach to gauge success. We will be measuring the number of regulation offenses through the semester on a bi-monthly basis. The hope is that we will identify a decreasing trend ofoffenses and this indicator will tell us that people are “doing the right thing.”

Cor

We are excited about this initiative in the Cadet Wing and the excitement is contagious. The Wing Vision statement for the semester reads:

As Military Professionals, we are passionately committed to embracing the Air Force Core Values - Integrity, Service, ExcellenceEmbodying them through continued development within the Air Force Cadet Wing and demonstrating them as Military Leaders of Character for the Air Force and our Nation

Every Cadet is taking this vision and making it happen, while at the same time giving future classes a firm foundation to continue this effort. We are re-committing to these Core Values and dedicated to producing the world’s finest military leaders of character for the Nation. S

Editors Note:

The Core Values—Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in All We Do—were developed at the Air Force Academyfor cadets during Lt. Gen. Brad Hosmer’s, ’59, tenure as Superintendent (1991-1994). Air Force leadership liked these values so much that they adopted themfor use by the entire Air Force.

you have any doubt about the future of America, fear not.

“A Year in the Life of the U.S. Air Force Academy,” the newest photo gallery at www.aog-usafa.org, shows you tomorrow’s leaders today.

You won’t be disappointed.

Grandfather’s Curiosity Gave Air National Guard’s Newest Wing Commander His Wings

By SrA Rebecca Ottaway-Hook and MSgt Deb Smith, COANG Photos by Ken Wright, AOG

Roland “Paddy” Edwards had no idea the day he took his grandson to see the Air Force Academy in 1963 that 12-year-old Mike would take the visit quite personally. As a matter of fact, he took it so personally that 6-years later he enrolled and eventually became part of the Academy’s graduating Class of 1973.

Traveling with his grandparents, an aunt, an uncle and a cousin, Nebraska native Mike Edwards had anticipated a simple road trip to Rocky Ford, Colo., to satisfy his uncle’s interest in a local onion growing operation. But his day took an unanticipated turn when his curious grandfather proposed a side trip north to Colorado Springs-to see the country’s newest military academy.

“It’s amazing when I think back to that summer day in 1963,” said the younger Edwards-now Brig. Gen. Edwards. “That day really marked the beginning of my dream to become a fighter pilot. To a little farm boy from Nebraska, the campus was just overwhelming and the excitement I felt that day, I still can’t seem to shake.”

After graduating from the Academy and seven years of active duty service, Edwards quietly returned to his hometown of Lyman, Neb., and rejoined his father back on the family farm. But even immersed in the comfort offamiliar surroundings, Edwards still yearned to fly and to serve his country.

He eventually satisfied this longing when he joined the Colorado Air National Guard as a pilot in 1980. There, in the 140th Wing, Edwards found the best of both worlds-the opportunity to fly part-time and farm fulltime. The ideal combination of Edwards’ interests earned him the call sign “Farmer.” D>

Edwards eventually left the farm when he was offered a fulltime position with the Guard in 1992.

“It was a difficult decision to leave for good, but it was one I knew I had to make,” said Edwards. “I was really impressed with how well the people in the unit worked together and really wanted to be a part ofthat more than just on the weekend.”

But after more than 30 years of commissioned service, six different air frames and 4,500 flying hours-of which 140 of them were spent in combat enforcing the Northern and Southern Iraqi “No-Fly” zones—Edwards now finds himself realizing much more than just his boyhood dream of becoming a fighter pilot. In addition to his selection for promotion to brigadier general, he is the newest commander of the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Wing, Buckley Air Force Base—one of a few select Air Guard units flying combat air patrol missions in support of Operation Noble Eagle.

Edwards is a command pilot, having flown the T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-4D/E, A-7D/K and F-16C/D. In his current role as commander, he is responsible for the administration and supervision of the wing and the 1,400 members in its subordinate units. Fie ensures combat readiness in the mobilization missions, and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Buckley Air Force Base flightline and all supporting organizations.

“My mom told me that when they announced the Air Force Academy was going to be built, my dad quipped, Wouldn’t it be something if Mike went there,” said the younger Edwards. “Interestingly enough, at the time, my parents never said a word to me about going to the Academy. The decision to try and attend was one I made on my own. They never pressured me—but after my grandfather took me there, well, they never really needed to.”

Edwards, who assumed command of the 140th Wing September 14, 2002, is a 1969 graduate of Lyman Fligh School and is the son of Floward F. Edwards of Lyman, Neb., and Wanda M. (Wallage) Flauschild of Gering, Neb. Fie is married to the former Laury L. Fricke. They reside in Parker, Colo., and have two children, Sarah and James.

Edwards said his military path was one that seemed to come naturally, but not without a small dose ofparental foresight. 92

Cadets Mourn

By Butch Wehry

Academy Spirit

On November 28, 2002 ClCJustin Troyer died ofacute heartfailure while skiing in Keystone, Colo. His loss left a tremendous void in the lives ofhisfamilyandfriends, as well as the Cadet Wing.

The AOG would like to thank Justinsfriends, Samuel Bracken, Cory Iannacone, Robert Selznick, and 2 Lt. Nathan Koss, ’02, for sending us their heartfelt tributes. Unfortunately, because ofspace constraints we were not able to publish their words.

the dates and places ofservices for ClC Justin Troyer were being organized, many at the Academy were mourning and remembering their lost friend.

The last time ClC Andrew Wiesehan saw Troyer was when he lay in the snow at a Colorado ski slope.

“He was walking up the hill, and then God took his hand and he kept walking towards heaven,” said Wiesehan. “We couldn’t see him anymore, just his earthly body on the snow but I knew that he was in better hands, in a better place.”

“I have so many memories of him, all of them good,” Wiesehan said. “He was a gentle giant, a rose among daisies. I miss him tons, and am praying for his family every day.”

Justin was a quiet kid to people he didn’t really know, but once you got to know him you instantly fell in love with him,” Wiesehan said. “He was addicting to be around.”

“He was always making us laugh by tellingjokes and then laughing himself at them, and doing quirky little things like losing his keys for a week, only to realize that he left them in his car ignition,” said Wiesehan. “Another funny thing is he always had to be first; first to the car so he could sit in the front seat, first in line at the water park, and first to arrive anywhere. He was a noble kid that everyone loved dearly.”

ClC Kevin Graham remembered Troyer as being an amazing individual and a great unconditional friend.

“He never made an enemy in his three-and-one-halfyears here,” Graham said. “No matter what the situation, Justin always had a smile on his face and could produce a laugh in the gloomiest ofcrowds.” CHECKPOINTS,

Sudden Loss

“Many saw him as a quiet kid when they first saw him wandering through the hallways or even in class,” said Graham. “I think he was quiet because his brain was always thinking ahead. Justin was a brilliant man when it came to numbers; he could tell you exactly how many stairs there were in Fairchild Hall going up each flight. I always thought of him as my human calculator.”

Troyer was equally good at people skills, according to Graham. “There was never any secret or any problem you couldn’t confide in Justin with. He was extremely honorable to any person, no matter how long they had known him.”

To Graham, the saddest part ofJustin’s passing is that not enough people had chance to learn exactly how special he was.

With his friend’s unexpected and sudden death, Graham is hoping that mourning can be brief.

“We should celebrate the fact that we all got to know him,” Graham said. “Ifyou only met him for five minutes, or (knew him) your whole life, Justin would have an impact on everything you did.”

ClC John Anacker and Troyer were recruited for lacrosse in 1997. Vivid in Anacker’s mind is the memory of a happy person. “Even today, I can’t help but laugh when I think about the things he would do. He was the soundest sleeper I have ever met. I remember him telling me that he would get in trouble for sleeping when he was a freshman because his next door neighbor would want him to turn his loud alarm offwhen it didn’t even wake him up,” said Anacker.

Both Anacker and Troyer were civil engineering majors and worked on many class projects together.

“I remember how smart he was when it came to math problems. As Kevin Graham said, he was a human calculator. But sometimes he had to tap him on the head to get him to pay attention,” Anacker said.

Like others, ClC Todd Hudson was looking forward to graduating with Troyer next May.

“Not once could anyone question his loyalty, integrity and determination,” Hudson said. To him, Troyer was a friend that would sacrifice himself for the happiness of friends.

“Justin could not bear to see his friends upset and would work as hard as he could to make it better. He always wore a smile and his heart on his sleeve,” said Hudson. “His friendship was surely a gift that I will always cherish.

“Eve never seen an angel, but now I know one,” Hudson said. 99

The U.S. Air Force Academy has no shortage of interesting historical facts, but occasionally we learn of graduates who have truly amazing stories, like Lt. Col. (Ret) Jim Brown.

“Cadet Brown’s” attendance at the Academy completed what might have been the first ever service academy trifecta. Brown followed in the large footsteps of his grandfather and father who attended Annapolis and West Point, respectively.

By the time he retired in 1983, this patriotic lineage had served during every U.S. war from the Spanish-American War through Vietnam.

Here’s a toast, gentlemen.

Midshipman Frederick R. Payne USNA, 1892 Grandfather

Cadet James W. Brown III USAFA, 1959 Son

By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez Air Force Print News

Two Air Force Academy Graduates, some spruce wood, a little cotton fabric and a lot ofwind are helping re-create history

OCTOBER 8, 2002

NAGS

HEAD, N.C.

Maj. Dawn Dunlop, ’88, and Capt. Jim Alexander, ’95, were given the opportunity to fly a replica ofthe Wright brothers’ 1902 glider here Oct. 4 to 8. Dunlop is an F-l 5 Eagle pilot currently assigned to the Pentagon, and Alexander is an MC-130P Combat Shadow pilot with the 9th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The glider, an exact replica ofOrville and Wilbur Wright’s original craft, was built by the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, a nonprofit organization based in West Milton, Ohio. The organization is made up of aviators, historians and educators. The exhibition at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, about five miles south of Kitty Hawk, was designed to accomplish several objectives, said Louis Chmiel, one of the chief builders of the plane.

“The intent is to draw attention to important things that happened before December of 1903 and (to the fact that) this is the culmination of the years (the Wright brothers) spent working to understand flight control,” Chmiel said. D>

“When they left here in 1902 and went back to Dayton, they knew they understood control, and the next thing they were doing was to motorize it.”

Since 1999, the organization has built and flown several replicas of the Wright brothers’ aircraft. The group uses the same materials the brothers used to build their gliders: spruce and ash wood, tightly woven cotton fabric and a lot ofhandcrafted hardware

The director ofthe company said the main reason for the project is a deep passion for flying.

“The simplest reason (I do this) is that I love to fly and I love to teach,” said Nick Engler. “The Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company is an educational institution. We are here to tell the Wright story. That is the best way to create ‘seed corn’ for aviation (and) to get kids interested.”

The 36-foot-long glider has no cockpit. The pilot lies down on a cross bar, exposed to the elements, and uses body movement to control the craft.

The 1902 model is significant, Engler said, because it is the first aircraft to provide three axes of control—roll, pitch and yaw-to the pilot. The pilot can control roll, tipping the wings; pitch, raising and lowering the nose; and yaw, rotating the aircraft as though it were turning left or right while still on the ground.

“This was the world’s first controllable airplane,” Engler said. “Everything that has flown successfully since 1902 has had roll, pitch and yaw control. This was the first machine ever to have that.”

The Wright brothers’ contribution to aviation and the historical significance of the re-enactment of the 1902 flight was not lost on the two Air Force pilots that participated.

“When you fly out on (temporary duty), that view you see from the airplane, you take that for granted now,” Dunlop said. “But the Wright brothers made that possible. They gave that to us. The military, and the Air Force, saw the value of aviation. We learned to exploit that value.”

Alexander agreed, noting the quick evolution of airpower over the years.

“In 1909 the Wright brothers made the first military flyer that was sold to the Army Signal Corps,” he said. “And you can see that we have gone from the 1909 Wright Flyer to the F-22 (Raptor) in less than 100 years. That’s pretty amazing.”

Despite some early reservations about flying the replica, the experience turned out to be a positive one for Alexander.

“I had visions of face planting (crashing) initially, but it was also a great thrill,” he said. “I couldn’t believe I was actually flying it. Once the air started moving over the wings, I could tell I had

(control of the glider). There was this cool feeling, the same one I get when I lift off in a C-130.”

The flights in the glider were considerably shorter-both in terms of time and distance—than those in the MC-130s Alexander normally flies.

“My longest flight was about 210 feet, about 400 feet short of the Wright brothers’ flight in this glider. I think the highest I got was about 15 feet,” Alexander said. “The sensation is pretty short lived because the flights are so short. You get the time to make one control input and see the aircraft react to it, and then you are pretty much transitioning to a landing phase.”

In December, the Air Force and the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission began a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first powered flight on December 17, 1903. 53

1000th Sabre SocietyDonors

The Association ofGraduates is proud to announce that Colonel (Ret.) Daniel W. Jordan, ’76, and Colonel RitaA. Jordan are the 1000th Sabre Society donors to the Air Force Academy Fund. Dan retired from the Air Force in 2001 and is currendy attendinggraduate school at University ofCincinnati, and Rita is currendy on sabbadcal at AFIT, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, as the Associate Dean for the Graduate School ofEngineering and Management. When they return to the Air Force Academy in 2004 she will resume her role as Permanent Professor and Head ofthe Department ofManagement. They have four children: Daniel, 26, Laura, 22, Erika, 20, Sondra, 10.

Honors

When we lose someone special to death it isn’t often that we have the opportunity to memorialize them through our daily work. Yet this is exactly what Capt. Dan Wetmore was able to do for ClC Nathan Hewitt. Nathan was killed June 17, 2002 when, while driving alone, his car rolled fatally injuring him. Among the friends and loved ones devastated by Nathan’s death were the USAFA Forensics team that Capt. Wetmore assisted in coaching when teaching in the Philosophy Department. As a Titan Operations Flight Commander in the Space Operations Flight, Wetmore saw a recent Titan II launch as an opportunity to express how much Nathan meant to him and everyone who knew him. Traditionally, these launches are named for someone deceased who was significant to one ofthe mission members. Wetmore had no problem convincing his chain that Nathan’s legacy reflected the ideals ofexcellence that the Titan II launch represents. Wetmore also designed a framed montage for Nathan’s parents, which includes a copy ofthe letter naming the rocket, a photo ofthe launch, and a unit patch and mission patch. He brought the montage with him to the 43rd USAFA Forensics Tournament, held in January, for the team members to sign before the package was mailed to Nathan’s parents.

C1C Nathan Hewitt

help was a given as part of being a friend. ClC Steve Torres, shortly after the accident, said "Nate was a friend who I could turn to anytime I needed help or a calm voice saying, ‘Sure, that’s possible. We can do that.’" Describing Nathan’s commitment to his friends when they were in need, ClC Adam Rector cites a typical example: "When I was by Capt. Niko Lewis working on the Ring Dance committee, Nate was one of the committee leaders and had his share ofwork to do. Besides that, he was working with his figure skating partner in town on a program, planning a recognition ceremony for Maj. Casebeer, performing duties on the class council and was assistant Cadetin-Charge of the Forensics team. None of that kept Nate from telling me to be sure and ask for any help I’d need in putting together the POW table and the head table for the dining in."

Those who knew Nathan on the team thought of him as a selfless individual with a great enthusiasm for life. "He was a paragon ofstrength and diversity," says Professor Rachel Woodward, Director of the USAFA Forensics team, “[He] did everything: ran, skated, debated. .and [he] reached out to so many people and made it a point to personally know everyone whom he worked with. He never failed to ask them about their lives."

Where others might avoid opportunities to connect with new people due to a full schedule or the comfort of already established friendships, Nathan thrived on relationships with others. Nothing was too much to ask from him in the way of help, and his

Nathan’s genuine caring permeated all facets ofhis life. His diverse interests were fueled by what Capt. Wetmore calls "an aquifer ofenergy" that Nathan tapped into. He remembers Nathan routinely making suggestions such as, "Let’s get up and jog six miles tomorrow morning" after having just flown into a city for a competition starting the next day. And it might not stop there. "Six miles could easily turn into eight miles before the run was finished," says Wetmore. While pushing himself to excel Nathan inspired others to do the same. "He didn’t bow to cynicism and willingly took up challenges," Wetmore recalls, "and he didn’t flag in the face ofoverwhelming tasks." Nathan was a standout in the midst ofexceptionally accomplished peers.

This dedicated Titan II launch is a tribute to one who lived as though even the sky was not his limit and helped others to see this for themselves. Professor Woodward summarized the impact ofNathan’s loss this way: "When we lost Nate we lost a certain pervasive optimism that he brought with him to the team and we lost a good-hearted friend. Wetmore reflected that, "...it’s out of the natural order when those younger do the leaving and are missed, not only for what they’ve done, but for what they would’ve done..." S

AOC goes

By Butch Wehry, Academy Spirit Staff

Cadet Squadron 34 Air Officer Commanding, Capt. Kevin Virts, ’93, was the center of attention recently among his charges. Virts promised to let the cadets cut his locks if they made dramatic improvement in athletics, academics and military performance. (Photo courtesy of C4C Ryan Baker)

Academy Air Officer Commanding lost his hair in a cadet squadron ready room recently.

But Capt. Kevin Virts, ’93, AOC for Cadet Squadron 34, got exactly what he asked for.

“When I got here in June of 2001, CS-34 was ranked a dismal 34 out of 36-two from the bottom,” said Virts, a native of Leesburg, Va. A year prior, they were dead last.

They watched last year as the leading squadrons based on athletic, academic and military points earned accolades from the Academy’s senior leadership. It was enough to make a selfrespecting AOC cringe.

“We were doing a good job in getting the mission done, but were failing miserably in Unit Compliance Inspections (UCI),” said Virts. So the captain called upon his firstclassmen to aim for a goal of doing well in UCI events, and to do better athletically, as well as academically.

During Virts’ first year at CS-34 some progress was made. The squadron came in at 29 out of 36.

Virts asked himself how he could get his squadron where they wanted to be. “As motivation, I offered to have my head shaven, thinking that at 29 out of 34 there was no way I’d see drastic improvement,” he said. “I offered to let them shave my head if we came in at the top 13.”

May, when the outstanding squadron is chosen, is still a long way off. But recently when numbers indicated CS-34 had risen to tenth place, it was enough for the AOC to offer his locks to his cadets.

“We haven’t actually won yet, but I decided to let them do it,” said Virts. “The last time I had my head shaven was when I entered the Academy in 1989.”

Although Virts’ strategy may be considered a bit unorthodox, CS-34 has certainly demonstrated they are now “a cut above.” B

T/vere I

The Veterans Administration wants to share your stories with future generations ofAmericans.

Air Force Academy alumni, you are members of an elite group of men and women whose history is older than the Nation itself.

Our country’s military revolutionized America. Its history is Americas history. Thanks to the millions ofpeople who have served, our great experiment in representative democracy, which Lincoln called “the last best hope of earth,” has continued uninterrupted and triumphant for 226 years.

As the principal advocate for Americas 25 million living veterans, I am proud to announce that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working with the Library ofCongress and the American Folklife Center in a special program to honor our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen by preserving the memories oftheir service.

Historians, teachers, students and writers-even filmmakershave long relied on the first-hand reminiscences ofveterans to learn about the experience ofAmericans at war. Unfortunately, that resource is rapidlydwindling. Today, and every day, 1,800 veterans-most ofwhom served duringWorld War II-will die.

The Veterans History Project collects oral histories from our military veterans. From the leaders who made the momentous decisions on the batdefield to the veterans whose tours in uniform were spent at stateside training bases and supply depots—all have unique insight into history that we have a responsibility to preserve. Therefore, I’m calling upon service academies to join with the VA and other participating organizations in making this project a success.

Specifically, I challenge the classes at the military academies to adopt the Veterans History Project as their own class projects. Identify Air Force veterans who have stories to tell—and to preserve. Take it upon yourself to ensure that the memories oftheir service in the defense of our freedoms are captured and preserved.

The American Folklife Center at the Library ofCongress has a wealth ofpractical information about collecting these interviews. That help is a mouse-click away at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.

Service academy classes have a unique link to our nation’s history. You are the beneficiaries of a long, illustrative legacy, the history ofthe U.S. Air Force, which helped to shape the life of our

ByAnthonyJ. Principi, Secretary

ofVeterans Affairs country and profoundly influenced the entire planet. You have a responsibility to understand and preserve your roots. Be an interviewer. Share what you learn from talking with other veterans.

The stories ofthe contributions America’s veterans made to our Nation and its history are stories that need to be collected, recorded and preserved so that they can be told again and again.

This project will help Americans-especially young Americansunderstand why President Bush had described veterans as “examples

ofservice and citizenship for every American to remember and follow.” This project will help America understand why this is so.

In another effort to preserve memories, the VA will establish a National Veterans Museum at our headquarters building to benefit our Nation’s veterans, their families, and all Americans.

The museum will work hand-in-glove with the Veteran’s History Project. Each group will complement the other, and we will hope to share the resources and facilities of our museum with the project whenever possible.

Both projects will enable Americans of all generations to hear directly from our veterans, and to better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who have served our Nation in uniform and the challenges of their return to civilian life.

The national emergency we now face redoubles the importance of this message, and increases the urgency of the task we face. I ask for your help to make this project a success. S

Courtesy of the Class of 1959

Vietnam War MIA Remains Return Home

byAcademy

Spirit Staff

One ofthe Academy’s fallen warriors finally came home after 30 years. Capt. Francis W. Townsend, ’70, was buried December 2 in his hometown of Rusk, Texas.

Townsend was listed as missing from the war in Vietnam, and was the 17th of 162 names on the Air Force Academy’s War Memorial located by the Terrazzo flagpole. The War Memorial lists Academy graduates who have died in battle. The Association of Graduates funded the Memorial and gave it to the Academy in 1970.

“Fran was a good old Texas boy who was admired and respected by all of his classmates. Fie was easygoing-a solid leader-always willing to help out and pitch in on the most difficult assignments,” recalled classmate and fellow 1970 graduate, retired Col. Dick Rauschkolb.

After graduation, Townsend became a weapons systems officer in F-4s and was eventually assigned to the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Udorn Air Base, Thailand.

His roommate at Udorn, Dan Eikleberry, ’68, remembers Townsend as “a fine officer and good friend to all. I flew with him many times, and he was an excellent WSO. We flew Laos, Cambodia, South and North Vietnam.”

“His front seater (pilot) in the RF-4C was my classmate, William A. Gauntt. Bill and I had been together in the same cadet squadron (26th-Barons) at the Academy,” said Eikleberry.

On the day Bill and Francis were shot down, they were flying ‘my’ aircraft: RF-4C #604. It had Capt. Dan Eikleberry painted on the canopy sill. We each had an airplane with our name on it, though we flew every airplane in the squadron depending upon the special equipment needs ofthe day and the mission.

Townsend and Gauntt were shot down August 13, 1972, during a photo-reconnaissance mission over Quang Tri Province, North Vietnam. The aircraft was struck by enemy fire, and Gauntt was unable to maintain control. He ordered Townsend to eject. D> T5.

Seconds later, Gauntt ejected from the burning aircraft and was able to establish radio contact with rescue forces. Unfortunately, he was almost immediately captured by North Vietnamese forces. Eikleberry said, “He was forced to remove his boots, tie the shoe strings around his neck, and was marched up the railroad tracks to a Hanoi prison. I think he said the journey took about 60 days.”

“We all assumed that Francis had safely ejected, but upon reaching the ground, he probably pulled out his .38 pistol to defend himself, and was immediately shot by NVA forces who surrounded him. The story below tells us otherwise. Apparently, Francis never got out of the airplane and died the crash.”

Following the release of U.S. prisoners of war in 1973, Gauntt stated he learned in captivity that Townsend had perished in the crash though he initially believed he had ejected.

Townsend was officially declared dead August 1, 1979.

Between 1989 and 1997, joint U.S. and Vietnamese teams, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, conducted four investigations in the area where Townsend’s RF-4C had crashed. They interviewed dozens of villagers, including one who claimed to have buried some remains near a flooded crash crater in the area. He also stated that he had found two military identification tags at the crash site. During one of the investigations, the team members were shown the metal ID tag ofTownsend by a local national.

In July 1998 and May 1999, two full-scale excavations were carried out in Quang Tri Province, where team members of the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii recovered aircraft wreckage, personal crew member artifacts, and human remains. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from one of the fragments, and was found by the laboratory to match the DNA of two ofTownsend’s maternal relatives.

Approximately 1,900 American servicemen remain missing in action from the Vietnam War, while the remains of nearly 700 have been located, identified and returned to their families since the end of the war.

“It’s nice to know there are those who care and have worked so diligently to solve these mysteries of the Vietnam war and to find our fellow aviators,” said Eikleberry.

“Welcome home, Francis. We’ve been waiting for you.” S

The spires of the Cadet Chapel and the sight of cadets slipping “the surly bonds” will always remain a part of the Air Force Academy. But some things do change. Your Association of Graduates is trying harder than ever to provide more, and improved services for you.

Our web site, http://www.aog-usafa.org, is just one of the improvements you might notice in the coming months. At your fingertips you will find useful tools and services such as:

Whether you’ve visited our site regularly in the past, or never before, we hope you take time to see how we’re changing. If you like what you see, or even if you don’t, please let us know. Our goal is to provide you with the excellent and personal service you’ve come to expect from us over the years.

JABARA MEN AND MACHINE

By Capt. Mike Brothers, ’94

Captains Anderson and Lengel, '92, named 2003 USAFA Jabara award recipients for significant contributions to airpower.

Captain Leighton T. Anderson, Jr., Class of 1992, and Captain Edward J. Lengel, Class of 1992, have been named the winners ofthe 2003 Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship for their outstanding contributions to airpower during Operations ENDURING FREEDOM. This is the first time the award has been given to more than one graduate since 1988. The Jabara Award, named in honor of Colonel James Jabara, Americas first jet ace, is given annually to an Air Force Academy graduate whose actions directly associated with an aerospace vehicle set him/her apart from their contemporaries.

In support ofOperation ENDURING FREEDOM, Captain Anderson was deployed to Afghanistan from Hurlburt Field, Fla. Early in his deployment, he was tasked to serve as the MH-53M 4-ship lead for a direct action assault on a housing compound in central Afghanistan. He first led his fourship formation to a forward operating location to pick up the multinational special forces team conducting the assault. Maintenance problems delayed their take-offby almost 30 minutes, requiring Captain Anderson to alter their route through the mountainous border region to catch up to the earlier departing attack elements. The lack ofterrain following radar made flying at

normal combat altitudes (50-150 feet) in zero moon illumination over the low contrast terrain extremely challenging.

The objective area was heavily obscured by dust from previous landings, and the limited landing zones in the narrow, high-altitude valley required precise aircraft maneuverability. The arid desert conditions and helicopter down wash caused the creation of a dust cloud that completely engulfed each aircraft as they descended to within 50-75 feet above the ground. The final portion of the landing had to be flown blind. After successfully inserting the special operations ground crews, his four-ship departed for the refuel and loiter location to await the ‘mission complete’ call from the ground team. Receiving the call, Captain Anderson led the second element; several of the aircraft had trouble re-landing in the extremely difficult area as it was completely occluded with dust from the previous helicopter landings. Employing a ‘radar altitude hold technique’ he had developed on previous missions, Captain Ander

son was one of the few pilots able to successfully land despite the dustout conditions to retrieve the ground troops. Two other aircraft, unable to land after several attempts, were dangerously low on fuel and Captain Anderson directed the remaining aircraft to depart and refuel. He then loaded the additional 12 special ops personnel on board rather than abandon them without AC-130 support, knowing their safety would be in jeopardy during the 20-30 minutes required to get another two helicopters with sufficient fuel in place to load the remaining troops.

Captain Anderson was one ofthe fewpilots able to successfully land despite the dustout conditions to retrieve the ground troops

The Pave Low IX now held over triple the planned exfiltration load, and barely had enough power to take off. Despite zero visibility and being dangerously close to several high stone walls, walled compounds and steep terrain, he carefully drifted several feet off the ground, utilizing maximum available power. Continuing to fly by only instruments, he eventually gained sufficient flying airspeed and accelerated away from the ground and cleared the dust,

realizing only then the narrow margin by which the main rotor blades had missed hitting a stonewall on the side of the landing zone.

With less than 30 minutes of fuel on board, Anderson immediately sped towards the air-refueling track while announcing to the formation that all coalition personnel were now clear of the objective. Intermittent radio failure complicated the aircraft rejoin, and delayed his aircraft from refueling; as he was considering an emergency landing in the Afghan desert, a MC-130 P appeared and he expertly plugged into the refuel drogue with less than 15 minutes until engine flameout. Following refueling, Anderson resumed his flight back to base. Although Captain Ander

son’s aircraft was over emergency maximum gross weight and flew dangerously close to blade stall, he successfully landed at the designated recovery base.

Of the seven MH-53M aircraft used in the 14-hour operation, there were a total of ten blown tires and two airframes with significant structural damage. Captain Anderson had made three perfect dustout landings with no aircraft damage. The radar altitude hold technique he developed and had used successfully was stressed to all of the crews operating in theater and is now being taught to students during initial aircraft training. The physical and human intelligence collected during the mission was devastating to the A1 Qaeda network and leadership in hiding.

Capt. Edward Lengel and HH-60G crew in Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan

In support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Captain Edward J. Lengel was deployed to Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan from his home base of Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz. While deployed, Captain Lengel was tasked as HH-60G flight lead to provide 24-hour alert for rescue and recovery operations for OPERATION ANACONDA, the largest US ground assault since DESERT STORM that was targeted against an Al Qaeda stronghold in the Shahi Kowt Valley of Paktia Province in Eastern Afghanistan. The evening after the attack was initiated, Captain Lengel was notified of a request for immediate evacuation of numerous wounded soldiers. The crew was airborne within minutes with their flight path taking them directly through hostile territory. The landing zone, at nearly 9,000 feet above sea level, was at the very edge of the HH-60 flight envelope, and Captain Lengel was forced to dump one fourth of his fuel to allow him to land, but had to balance the fuel dump with maintaining sufficient fuel to ensure the aircraft could transport the critically injured soldiers to a suitable medical facility.

As the Pave Hawk pilot was enroute to the landing zone, firefights erupted on three sides of the horseshoe shaped valley. The tactical air control party in the landing zone reported fire from the north, east and south;

enemy forces still held the high ground after almost 15 hours of fighting. Captain Lengel made the decision to approach from the southwest and, relying on speed and stealth, flew at less than 100 feet above the ground with only starlight for illumination. While facing a barrage of fire, Captain Lengel expertly maneuvered his helicopter at the high altitude-landing zone, setting it on the ground just as the rotor RPM began to decay despite the application of maximum power. He literally guided the helicopter to a safe landing that was beyond its intended capability.

As he touched down, his two pararescuemen exited the aircraft for the wounded soldiers, who were only 50 meters away. At this point, true to form, the enemy troops opened up with all available weapons on the helicopter in the landing zone; small arms, rocket propelled grenades and mortar rounds fell and exploded within the small area. Several high explosive rounds landed within one rotor disk (50 feet) of the helicopter, and small arms tracer rounds could be seen passing just over the top of the aircraft and landing just in front of Captain Lengel’s helicopter. Captain Lengel initiated a call for fire from the AC-130 Spectre on station and directed his wingman into the landing zone, counting on the speed of his pararescuemen and the withering fire of the Spectre to keep them alive and able to extract the wounded with limited time on the ground.

The pararescuemen loaded two stretcher patients and two ambulatory patients onto Captain Lengel’s aircraft. The weight of the four additional soldiers would require even greater skill for the takeoff since power calculations showed the helicopter could not even hover at 10 feet above the ground. Captain Lengel kept the aircraft in ground effect at less than 10 feet for as long as

Captain Lengel directed egress from the landing zone andsafely delivered the critically wounded to an awaiting C-130

possible until the aircraft reached flying airspeed and was able to climb away from the rocks below. Once airborne, while the pararescuemen stabilized and treated the wounded, he returned to the fight to add his firepower to that of the Spectre and provide overhead cover for his wingman who was still in the landing zone loading several more critically injured personnel. As soon as his wingman was ready, Captain Lengel directed egress from the landing zone and safely delivered the critically wounded to an awaiting C-130 and the forward area surgical team for immediate medical care. Following a thorough battle damage check and refueling of the aircraft, Captain Lengel reestablished their alert position, led his flight on the two-hour sortie back to Kandahar, and terminated his nearly 24-hour mission.

For these and other significant contributions to airpower, Captains Anderson and Lengel will be presented the 2003 Jabara Award for Airmanship on April 5, 2003 at the Founders Day Parade at the United States Air Force Academy. PB

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Marcus A. Anderson, ’61, Board Chair

Mr. William W. Maywhort, ’68, Board Vice Chair

Mr. John T. Moore, ’78, Treasurer

Col. (Ret.) Martin T. Daack, ’66, Secretary

Col. (Ret.) James A. Shaw, ’67, President/CEO AOG

Col. (Ret.) Victor C. Andrews, ’66

Mr. Bill Boisture Jr., ’67

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Larry D. Fortner, ’59

Mr. Charles P. Garcia, ’83

Mr. HarryJ. Pearce, ’64

Mr. Gilbert D. Mook, ’67

Mr. Edward E. Legasey, ’67

Mrs. Jody A. Merritt, ’89

Capt. Amber D. O’Grady, ’96

Lt. Col. (Ret.) David J. Palenchar, ’70

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Alan V. Rogers, ’64

Brig. Gen. (Ret.) James P. Ulm, ’61

Gen. (Ret.) Ronald W. Yates, ’60

Professor Aaron Byerley

"Research has improved the intellectual climate at the Academy...

Story by USAFA/PA

cademic nitty gritty has a lot to do with Academy Professor Aaron Byerley, ’78, being named 2002 Colorado Professor of the Year.

Byerley’s technique revolves around what he calls the “scholarship of discovery” for undergraduate cadets and the Aeronautics Department faculty.

Most of the Aero Department’s research efforts are geared to strong, real-life contributions to Air Force research efforts.

“Research has improved the intellectual climate at the Academy because it addresses the dean’s educational outcomes of promoting independent thinkers, allowing cadets to frame and resolve ill defined problems and to become intellectually curious,” said the award-wiilning aeronautics research center director.

The native South Carolinian graduated from the Academy with a bachelor of science degree in Engineering Mechanics in 1978, and also served on the Academy faculty from 1983 to 1986, and from 1989 to 1992.

He received masters degrees in mechanical engineering and cnginecringjnanagcmcnt from Stanford University in 1983, and a doctorate in engineering science from Oxford in 1989.

COLORADO PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR

Byerley said he has been blessed personally and professionally through his long association with the Academy, both as a cadet and as a faculty member.

“I had a number ofgreat instructors when I was a cadet.

Captain Dale O. Condit of DFEM was particularly influential. I selected my major based in large part upon my desire to follow in his professional footsteps, said Byerley.

Anyone who has attended college can identify with Byerley’s thoughts on what it takes to be a good teacher.

“A good college teacher must get directly involved in the lives ofthe cadets and present them with a persistent and positive expectation that they will live up to their potential,” said Byerley, adding that he believes in a self-fulfilling prophesy of expecting first class behavior from those around him that actuallyyields a greater level ofperformance. t>

Photo By Ken Wright

“This is true, at least with those who have the personal qualities of most cadets, so I believe that this is the correct leadership approach based not only on moral grounds but pragmatic grounds as well.”

Byerley is also convinced that talented young cadets learn through close observation ofeverything around them.

Quoting Albert Schweizer, he says, ‘“When it comes to influencing others, setting the example is not the main thing, it is the only thing.’ That certainly was the case when I was a cadet, so I try to serve as a role model for my people by setting the example for professional and personal conduct.”

In Fairchild Hall’s cloistered classrooms, all aeronautical engineering majors get involved in actual Air Force research projects led by Byerley and his department colleagues.

Right now, his junior research partners are working on three research projects that Byerley is personally involved in, such as the experimental investigation of boundary layer separation on the suction surface of a turbine blade inside jet engines in a cascade wind tunnel. This research could lead to improved fuel efficiency on large turbofan engines such as the type that power C-17 Globemaster III Aircraft.

Then there’s the research effort making detailed measurements of convective heat transfer in gas turbine blades. That could lead to improved jet engine turbine blade cooling systems and longer blade life, said Byerley.

Byerley has led cadet research teams involved in developing a technique now used to measure the presence of a weakly separated boundary layer that is vital to understanding jet engine aerodynamics.

This teacher ticks off students’ names, past and present, as though they are family members.

He spent a lot of side-by side time with erstwhile cadets like now 2nd Lt. Nathan Loucks, ’02, and 2nd Lt. Dick Janssen, ’02, during the Spring 2001 Semester. The team went to work in the Wright-Patterson AFB’s Propulsion Directorate’s Cascade Wind Tunnel for the Cadet Summer Research Program. Then they worked with Byerley in an Aeronautical Engineering 499 independent study project and won an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (ALAA) student paper award.

Byerley singled out former cadet and now 2nd Lt. Miranda (Williams) Baldwin, ’02, an English major, for her buoyancy calculations and analysis in his Engineering 410 section from the Fall semester of 2001. His section designed, built and flew an aerial platform to provide surveillance of air base perimeters.

“My experience has shown that the best way to teach the

research method is by the master-apprentice method,” said Byerley. “By the time these people leave the Academy, they are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable undergraduate aero engineering researchers in the country.”

“As they begin their first Air Force assignment at a special projects office or lab, attend graduate school or test pilot school, they will be strong contributors from the very first day. Later on, when they become senior Air Force leaders, they will be able to make appropriate decisions about the role of research in maintaining a strong national defense.”

For seven years, Byerley has mixed academics with nutsand-bolts applications, teaching design courses for students to combine savvy in the “basic principles” with a sound engineering design methodology to design, build and test prototype devices.

In his AE 483 Aircraft Engine Design Class, the professor and 10 cadets went to Phoenix, Ariz., to brief their engine designs to Honeywell Aerospace officials.

“Excellent presentation by both teams!” wrote a Honeywell Aerospace Engineer on a feedback sheet. “Good demonstration of understanding the request for proposal and the general design issues. Also showed good teamwork and communication with each other on technical issues. Also seemed to understand the importance of communication with the customer. Impressive work!” S

Academy Seeks Bios, Photos ofGrads

The dean offaculty here is seeking biographies and high quality on-the-job and in-training photos of Academy graduates who are in the Air Force work force or attending flight training or other technical schools.

The items will be used in a display along the entire length of the second floor in Fairchild Hall, the academic facility here. The dean hopes to have at least four academy graduates from each major and unified command represented in the display.

The display will highlight the accomplishments, activities, opinions and commentaries of recent graduates so current cadets can visualize their own futures in the Air Force.

Graduates interested in donating to this project are asked to send items by March 20 to: Maj. John Modinger, 34th Education Group/34th ES, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840. For more information, e-mail Modinger at john.modinger@usafa.af.mil.

Cadets Visit VIETNAM

■ By ClC Owen Dean

this is it,” I thought as the plane touched down on the tarmac, “this is the place that brought Southeast Asia into the forefront of U.S. attention a little less than forty years ago.” We landed at Tan Son Nhut International airport in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in southern Vietnam. Looking out of the small airplane window as we touched down and taxied towards the terminal, there were rows ofcorrugated, arched, hardened aircraft shelters and three-sided, high walled revetments used to protect airplanes during the

war. Twenty-seven years earlier, in April of 1975, planeloads ofVietnamese refugees and government personnel were being flown out of Saigon as North Vietnamese forces began to close in around the city. Much had occurred in Vietnam since its war time infamy and now, in May of2002, our group of fourteen: three midshipmen and one recently graduated officer from the Naval Academy, four West Point cadets and four cadets from the Air Force Academy along with two instructor chaperones, an Army Lieutenant Colonel professor from West Point and a professor at the Air Force Academy, had touched down in country.

The enveloping heat and humidity were the first things that greeted us as we passed through customs and emerged from the airport into Ho Chi Minh City; our tour guide’s smiling face was the second. One of the first places

Song, the man who would be our guide for three weeks in Vietnam, took us was to the Reunification palace, now a museum, in the center of the city. Earlier in his life on April 30, 1975, Tran Dinh Song stood in his officer’s uniform in front of the Presidential Palace in Saigon watching as the tanks from the North Vietnamese Army broke through the gate of the fence surrounding the building. The Viet Cong forces that had surrounded the city overran the South

Vietnamese government headquarters, signifying the fall of the Republic of South Vietnam to the North. Later in the evening, just a few streets away, our guide showed us internet cafes where we could contact our friends and family back home. The remnants of a war appeared many times, but the transition from the old to the new was evident everywhere.

Our Tri-academy tour group navigated through the constant flow of motorbike traffic in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City and the sampans in the tributaries of Mekong Delta region in the south. We made our way north toward central Vietnam. In the city of Hue, which claims fame as the imperial city ofVietnam, our tour visited the palace of the 19th century emperor Gia Long inside the Citadel. In the Vietnam War in 1968, the 1st and 5th Marine Regiments along with army units from the Republic ofVietnam defeated North Vietnamese forces and took back the Citadel after the Tet Offensive. While exploring Hue, the image of a bald Buddhist monk in his robes talking on a cell phone seemed to embody the combination of the old and the new we experienced in this ancient city.

Beneath the canopy of leaves on the tree lined streets of Hanoi in the north, we visited the infamous Hanoi Hilton. A small, inconspicuous room served as a memorial for those American servicemen who had spent time there. Although the room did not accurately reflect the heroism of those who had suffered, as we left

"As much time as we spent looking outward and experiencing the country and people of Vietnam, it seems our real Vietnam experience became the time we spent with each other."

the Hilton, walking freely and unmolested, the impression was not lost on our small group. We carried from that place a little better understanding ofwhat sacrifice really is and, as future officers, the meaning of‘service before self’ became a little more real.

In three weeks, we could only grasp a little of the historical significance of the place, and the cultural transition from the older generation to the new. In this short time, however, our small group of officer candidates from the Army, Navy and Air Force built a lasting camaraderie. As much time as we spent looking outward and experiencing the country and people of Vietnam, it seems our real Vietnam experience became the time spent with each other.

Our small band saw both the transition from old to new in Vietnam and the remnants of war. We came out ofVietnam with not a wholly new, but synthesized, better understanding of the country and its people. Something more important happened on this trip, however, and while the members of our group might one day meet each other again in different uniforms, we would do so not only as warriors with a common goal and cause, but also as companions with a common bond of friendship. S

The Academys International Program Office thanks the Olmsted Foundation and the AOGfor their support of thisprogram.

GRADUATE PORTRAIT

Crane, ’67 , Sworn in Deputy Director ONDCP

Story courtesy of ONDCP

Barry Crane, ’67, recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Director for Supply Reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), was sworn in byJohn P. Walters. Deputy Director Crane is widely recognized as an expert in drug interdiction and supply reduction research. His experience with market-driven supply reduction efforts will significantly contribute to the realization of President Bush’s goal of reducing drug use in America by ten percent in two years and 25 percent in five years.

John P. Walters, Director ofNational Drug Control Policy, said, “Throughout the course of his career, Barry has played a tremendous role in helping policy-makers understand how dangerous drugs enter our country. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of the complex cocaine and heroin businesses and their markets. Dr. Crane’s service at ONDCP will be crucial as we work to rally parents, teachers, community leaders, religious leaders, and others to work together to reduce drug use.”

Dr. Crane previously served as a Project Leader for Counterdrug Research at the Institute for Defense Analyses, Operational Evaluation Division. In this position, he led research scientists and consultants in examining the effectiveness ofinterdiction opera

tions against the cocaine business enterprise and the technical performance of many interdiction systems. Dr. Crane provided over one hundred counterdrug operational assessments for the United States Interdiction Coordinator, the DoD’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, and the United States Coast Guard’s Office of Law Enforcement. Additionally, Dr. Crane has worked extensively with the Departments of State and Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, and the United Nations Drug Control Program efforts in Bogota, Lima, and Vienna. Dr. Crane served in the United States Air Force for 24 years.

The principal purpose of ONDCP is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation’s drug control program. The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences. To achieve these goals, the Director of ONDCP is charged with producing the National Drug Control Strategy. The Strategy directs the Nation’s antidrug efforts and establishes a program, a budget, and guidelines for cooperation among Federal, State, and local entities. S

“Throughout the course of his career, Barry has played a tremendous role in helping policy-makers understand how dangerous drugs enter our country”

GRADUATE PORTRAIT

Cubero, ’80, Honored by Hispanic Business Magazine

Story courtesy of EDS

do San Francisco 49ers quarterbackJeff Garcia and Linda Garcia Cubero, ’80, have in common? Hispanic Business Magazine has named both among the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America for 2002. The magazine compiles the list because ofthe increasing number ofHispanics in influential positions. Nominations come from readers, Web site visitors, contributing editors and writers and magazine staff.

The 2002 most influential list also includes U.S. House member Bob Menendez of New Jersey; golfer Nancy Lopez; U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza and Derek Parra, 2002 Olympic gold medalist in speed skating. Cubero and the others were featured in the October edition of Hispanic Business Magazine, a national publication syndicated by The New York Times Co.

Linda works at Electronic Data Systems near Dallas, Texas, where she serves as the Global Director of Management of Change for Enterprise Operations. She is responsible for ensuring all systems and technology changes are delivered successfully across EDS, a leader in the global information services industry. She is an accomplished leader who has caught the attention of many through her contributions in engineering, volunteering and her pioneering spirit.

A member of the first coed class at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the only Hispanic woman to graduate among all the service academies that year, Linda was among the first group inducted into the National Hispanic Engineering Hall of Fame in 1998. Other inductees include a world renowned physicist and a Nobel Prize recipient.

Linda also dedicates countless hours to helping young people realize their dreams. She has been a member of the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Council (HENAAC) since 1989, volunteering her time and energy every year to ensure Hispanic youth have role models to emulate as they pursue their own careers in the engineering, science and technology fields. She has chaired numerous panels on women in technology and has been a motivational speaker at universities and high schools across the U.S. She is currently serving on a congressionally mandated blue ribbon panel called BEST (Building Engineering & Science Talent), which is funded by the National Science Foundation. The BEST Panel is looking at ways to increase the number of women and under represented minorities in the engineering and science workplace in the U.S. S

“She is an accomplished leader who has caught the attention of many through her contributions in engineering, volunteering and her pioneering spirit.”

The Prep Schools First Reunion

By Bob Muldrow, ’67

For several decades various Prep School commanders have tried unsuccessfully to arrange a USAF Academy Preparatory School reunion, and finally last year Colonel Larry Fariss, ’75, was able to pull it offwith the generous help ofthe Academy and Prep School staffs, the Association ofGraduates, the kind folks at the Wyndham Hotel, and your dedicated reunion committee. I think the real secret was that Larry began to assemble his team about a year in advance.

This reunion was set up to run like most Academy class reunions. But there were a few modifications that made this one really special. This article will describe some ofthose modifications-mostly as a lure to encourage more participation in future reunions. We have not decided how frequently we will have these reunions, but every five years is not in the cards. The problem with every five years, which works so well for class reunions, is that the same Academy classes would find they would have to decide how to work two reunions every five years. Trying to attend two reunions can create a financial hardship or at least a scheduling conflict for many families.

This reunion was set up to occur on a football weekend when no other class reunions were to take place. This turned out to be the Colorado State weekend. For those ofyou who recall, we played CSU on a Thursday night in rather cold conditions. I suspect the temperature would not have seemed nearly as cold had we won that game, but that was not to be.

The next day, the winter weather persisted, so our golf outing was cancelled. Other activities on Friday included a tour of the Prep School campus, confronting the elements during the Prep School-Doolie football game, and watching both the men and women participate in the annual Prep School Classic Basketball Tournament, followed by a late night at the Wyndham.

Saturday was really special. We started the day offwith Col. Fariss presenting a very comprehensive briefing dealing with the Prep School ofyesterday, the current Prep School, and data dealing with the accomplishments over the years. As you can imagine, the briefing was very well received. Then we rushed from the Community Center down to the new expanded gymnasium complex.

The plan was to name the parade field in Colonel Lee Black’s honor. As most ofyou know, Col. Black was the first and longest serving commander at the Prep School. He and his wife were present for the dedication ceremony, as were several other former commanders. Although the sun was shin-

ing brilliantly, it was pretty nippy for our octogenarians, so the dedication ceremony was held inside. After a very heart warming ceremony, we proceeded to the parade grounds where the Wings of Blue jumped in from high above Eagle Peak.

The Saturday evening banquet was a wonderful occasion. We had 8 previous Prep School commanders present to do the honors ofinducting the first 16 members into the Heritage Hall ofFame. Several past and current commanders were asked to describe how the Prep School had evolved during their tours ofduty. These interviews were recorded for posterity and we were able to listen to a history lesson in progress.

The A-V guys also assembled a collection of material on the Heritage Hall of Fame inductees, which they shared with the entire audience.

Sunday, we bade classmates farewell after optional church services at the Community Center and Academy Chapel. It was truly a fun-filled couple of days. Stay tuned for timing on the next reunion, and try to get there ifyou can. I can assure that you will have a great time.

Prep School Honors First Commander

ByJohn Van Winkle, Academy Spirit

The man who ereated a preparatory school from nothing was honored in October at the Academy Preparatory School’s first reunion.

The Prep School’s parade field was named after retired Col. Lee Black, the school’s first commander.

That field where more than 8,000 Prep School graduates was nothing more than an uneven field of native grass when Black was chosen to create the Prep School.

That was November of I960, when Black was the Headquarters Squadron commander here.

“My first knowledge ofthe possibility of a prep school here was from the superintendent’s chiefofstaff, who came down

to my office to tell me that the superintendent instructed him to advise me that we were probably going to get a prep school here,” said Black. “He said, ifthey got it here, I was going to be the commander. And my only response was ‘thank you sir.’”

“The interesting thing about that was that I had no idea what he was talking about,” Black admits. “I didn’t know anything about military prep schools. And there were only two in existence at that time, the Army Prep School was at Fort Belvoir, in Virginia and the Navy prep school was at Bainbridge, Maryland.”

Black heard nothing more about the Prep School until April of 1961. “I was told that it had been determined that it would be here, that I would be the commander, and that I should start doing some planning. So they gave me some guidelines and general rules, and I sat down and tried to calculate what we would need in the way of space for dormitories, for living, for feeding, for exercise and so on.”

The plans were put on ice, until the approval to have a prep school at the Academy was finalized. Black was summoned to the superintendent’s office in June, and given the news.

“We have the okay to go ahead for the prep school here, and so I suggest that you get busy in your planning, find yourself a faculty, develop a curriculum,” General Stone told Black. “You may have five of those dormitory buildings in the community center, you can use the base gymnasium, you can use the field out there which is in native grass, for practice, and playing and whatever, and the airman dining hall will accommodate you.”

“And you will have 200 students here on the first of August. And I suggest that you get busy. Is there anything else you need?”

One thing did occur to Black, and that was to have some type of bell system to signal times for classes, meals and other activities.

Stone looked at Black and said, “get a bugle, colonel.”

“I said, oh, you mean, you want this lean and mean,” asked Black.

“Yes.”

Black soon gathered 17 other officers, four enlisted and four civilians to fill out the Prep School’s faculty, administration, physical fitness, military training, command and support positions. And even 41 years later, he’s quick to recall the names and ranks or the people who worked with him to turn the concept of a Prep School into a reality.

“They were just doing a fantastic job. All I’d have to do is get behind them and give them the football, and say ‘Attaboy. D>

(L to R)Col. Lee Black (Ret.)was honored in October by Col. Larry Fariss, ’75, Prep School Commander at the Prep School’s first reunion.

Attaboy. Keep it up, keep it up. Were doing great.’”

The cadet candidates’ days were highly structured from day one. Classes were set up in English, mathematics, with additional study time set in their days, as well as military training and physical fitness time. Yet despite the desire to have a routine that kept cadet candidates focused on the tasks at hand, Black was given one particular bit ofguidance from Gen. Stone: to not make the Prep School a fifth year at the Academy.

“In other words, I interpreted that to mean that you will not make this like another fourth-class system, where they’re under severe military pressure all the time, because the emphasis is going to be on academics. That’s why they’re here,” said Black. “And most of them will be here for math or English or both. And in virtually all cases, these young men had tried for an appointment to the Academy, and had failed the selection. The registrar had then sent them letters inviting them to consider the prep school.”

In meeting with the commanders of other service preparatory schools, Black found that he’d established a model program.

“One of the first questions the other [prep school] commandants would ask was ‘how many courts-martial do you have” said Black.

“I said ‘courts-martial? I didn’t know I was supposed to have courts-martial. We keep the men so busy that we do not have any outbreaks ofmisbehavior,”’ said Black. “The other thing was, that we started calling them ‘gentlemen the day they arrived. I did that first in the...I did it in the base theater, when I had the first meeting with the students. And I addressed them as gentlemen, and just kept repeating you are gentlemen, and ifyou prove you are not gentlemen, then we won’t treat you

like gentlemen. We will have other ways to deal with you.”

Black remained the Prep School commander until 1971, when he retired and took a position with the local Pikes Peak Red Cross chapter.

“There’s been almost 8,000 graduates now, but he still has about 20 percent ofall the graduates from the Prep School, he commanded. Even 40 years later, his output was a good 20 percent,” said Col. Larry Fariss, current Prep School commander.

“The vast majority ofwhat we do here today, would still be very recognizable to Colonel Black. The foundation he laid has proven to be timeless. The vast majority ofwhat we do is still in place and you can see it directly linked back to 1961 when he set this all up.”

“For instance, the focus on not being a fifth year of the Academy, the focus on the basics of education remains the same. The focus on having a broad spectrum of preparation for the students, so they can be successful at the academy, that remains the same.”

Prep School o or Fame

By Bob Muldrow, ’67

rom October 31, 2002 to November 2, 2002 the USAF Academy Preparatory School hosted the first reunion in its forty-year history. The banquet was the crowning jewel as 9 previous Prep School commanders inducted the first 16 members into the Prep School Heritage Hall of Fame. Approximately 500 attended, which included the current class ofcadet candidates, several cadets from the Hill, current and previous staff (some who were among the original cadre), parents ofthe current class, friends and relatives ofthe inductees, and other friends ofthe Prep School.

The Heritage Hall of Fame criteria was divided into several categories—all dealing with military or professional excellence. Although the committee had no difficulty in selecting these individuals, it was a real challenge drawing the line with the other outstanding candidates. Just as presented during the banquet, here is a summary of the accomplishments of our inductees.

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Richard C. Bethurem was the first Prep School graduate to become the Commandant of Cadets. Following graduation from the Academy, he earned his pilot wings and flew 385 combat missions in Southeast Asia. He commanded at the squadron, wing, air division, and numbered air force levels. Among his awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 oak leaf clusters, and 22 Air Medals.

Mr. William T. Coleman, III began his Air Force career as Chief, Satellite Operations, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from USAFA and a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science from Stanford University. He has held senior engineering and product development positions with several high tech companies, including Dest Systems, which he co-founded, and VisiCorp before joining Sun Microsystems. Coleman is currently Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer for BEA systems, which he also founded. His numerous civilian awards include Ernst and Young’s 2001 “Entrepreneur of the Year” and Business Week’s 2001 “Top 25 Executives.” He is co-donor of the USAFA Coleman-Richardson Chair for Computer Science and is a Founding Donor of the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities at Colorado University.

Mr. LarryJ. Funk excelled at the Prep School and the Academy. He held leadership positions at both schools including Group Commander at the Prep School and on the Wing Staff at the Academy. He was captain of the USAFA Ski Team and was a USAFA distinguished graduate. He graduated at the top ofhis pilot training class and flew F-105 Wild Weasels. Funk distinguished himselfflying F105s during 1972’s Operation Linebacker, for which he earned seven Distinguished Flying Crosses and six Air Medals.

Major General (Sel.) Michael C. Gould is the first Prep School graduate to serve as an Aide to the President-serving under George H. Bush. He began his varied Air Force career as a graduate assistant football coach at the USAF Academy. After earning his pilot wings and serving as a T-38 instructor pilot, he returned as the Prep School’s head football coach, assistant golf coach, and aT-4l instructor pilot. He has flown flying tanker and transport aircraft and has commanded at the group and wing levels. Other career highlights include service as Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Commander of the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, and Director for Operational Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air and Space Operations, Headquarters, USAF.

Brigadier General Frank G. Klotz was a Rhodes Scholar and attended Oxford University following graduation as a distinguished graduate of the USAF Academy. He has commanded a Minuteman missile squadron, an operations group, and a missile wing. His staff assignments include tours on the Air Staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the State Department as a White House Fellow, the faculty of the Air Force Academy, as Director of Logistics at NATO Headquarters, at Air Force Space Command, and as Defense Attache at the American Embassy in Moscow. Klotz currently serves as the Director for Nuclear Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council, in the White House.

Dr. Fred Milanovich was named Outstanding Mathematics Graduate ofthe Prep School. He was assigned to the Air Force Weapons Laboratory where he received the Air Force Commendation Medal for his contributions to high energy laser research. He was awarded a Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship and completed his Ph.D. at the University ofCalifornia, Davis/Livermore. Milanovich has been a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he pioneered the use ofphoton-counting and fiber optics chemical analysis. He established the Chemical and Biological National Security Program and helped set the vision for the national program. In 2002 Milanovich was named an Edward Teller Fellow at the Laboratory in recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions and technical leadership.

Dr. Orderia F. Mitchell is a nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon. While at the Academy, he served as Cadet Wing Vice Commander and earned national honors athletically. Big “O” was honored during his collegiate football career as a two-time All-American selectee. He was captain ofthe 1973 Falcon football team and was a two-year starting player on the Academy basketball team. After graduation from medical school, he performed as team physician for the Academy football team.

Mr. Gilbert D. Mook served two combat tours with 327 combat missions in Vietnam. Upon his return to the States, he flew as a pilot with the USAF Thunderbirds before transferring to the Air Force Reserves and starting his successful civilian career. While at General Dynamics, he marketed the F-16 to Congress and is credited with co-developing the first multiyear aircraft procurement program and served as the company’s Program Director for specially configured F-16 USAF Thunderbirds. Later at Federal Express, he helped develop a modern satellite-based telecommunication system and has served in a variety ofkey positions including as FedEx’s Executive Vice President, Air Operations Division with 590 aircraft, 8,900 employees and a $3.4 billion budget. Prior to starting his own consulting firm, Mook served as President and ChiefOperating Officer for America West Airlines.

Lieutenant General Glen W. (Wally) Moorhead was a distinguished graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training and flew over 350 close air support and air interdiction missions in Southeast Asia. He was an operational test pilot and A-10 Fighter Weapons School Instructor at Nellis AFB. He served as commander for the F-l 17A Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB. In addition he has commanded two fighter squadrons, a fighter group, and a space wing. He commanded the Space Warfare Center, Falcon AFB and the Air Warfare Center, Nellis AFB and is currently the Vice Commander, US Air Forces in Europe. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and the Air Medal with 12 Oak Leaf Clusters.

Judge Gerald J. Rafferty accumulated almost 3,000 hours offlying time from 1968 through his separation from the Air Force in 1972. He flew C-47s in Vietnam and C-l4ls at Travis AFB. Following his time in the Air Force, he began a second career as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation specializing in police corruption cases. While serving as a Special Agent, he attended classes at John Marshall Law School and graduated with honors. He became a federal prosecutor and specialized in complex white-collar crime prosecutions in Chicago and Denver. Rafferty rounded out his legal career as an adjunct professor with the Denver University Law School and served as a Special Deputy District Attorney in the Denver District Attorneys Office. In 1999, he was appointed a Colorado District Court Judge.

Colonel (Ret.) Loren J. Shriver was the first Prep School graduate to fly in space. He flew three Space Shuttle missions as Pilot and Commander, including the Hubble Space Telescope Deploy mission. He was a distinguished graduate from the USAF Academy, flew the F-4 in Southeast Asia, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School. As a test pilot, he flew 30 different kinds of aircraft and has over 6,000 hours of jet pilot time and over 386 hours in space flight. Since retirement from Air Force, Shriver has served as a Manager of Launch Integration and Deputy Center Director, Kennedy Space Center for NASA and has worked for United Space Alliance supporting manned space launch activities.

Colonel Randall Spetman is the first Prep School graduate to serve as the Academy’s Athletic Director. He was a three-year football letter winner and team co-captain his first class year. During his first two years as a cadet at the Academy, he captured the heavyweight Wing Open Boxing Championship. Following graduation, he was as an assistant football coach before earning his pilot wings and flying KC-135A tankers and B-52 bombers. He served on the Air Staffin support ofthe B-1B Project Office and Congressional Activities Staff. He also served

as the ChiefofBomber Planning during Operation Desert Storm and later commanded a bomber squadron. As Athletic Director, Spetman administers a 27-sport intercollegiate program and physical education/intramural programs. He is the country’s only military Athletic Director.

Brigadier General (Ret.) Dale E. Stovall is the first Prep School graduate to win the coveted James Jabara Award for Airmanship. He was an All-American in track and named the Outstanding Cadet in Physical Education while at the USAF Academy. He flew C-l4ls before completing helicopter conversion training. Piloting the HH-53 in Southeast Asia, he made 12 combat rescues of downed airmen in North Vietnam and Laos earning him the Jabara Award. Stovall held assignments on the Air Staff, and served as military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. He commanded a rescue detachment and the 1st Special Operations Wing before serving as Vice Commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command. His military decorations include the nation’s second highest award, the Air Force Cross, two Silver Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters.

Others notpresent hut receiving an award:

Major General Daniel J. Gibson, ANG, completed flying assignments in Korea, Thailand, and the United States following his graduation from the Air Force Academy-logging over 1,300 combat hours in the OV-10 and F-4 in Southeast Asia. He joined the California Air National Guard where he held numerous positions before transferring to the state headquarters. Currently, Gibson serves as the Chief-of-Staffand Commander, Headquarters, ofthe California Air National Guard. He holds the Legion ofMerit, Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 oak leafclusters, and 23 Air Medals.

Colonel Thomas E. Griffith is the first Prep School graduate to become the Commandant ofthe School ofAdvanced Airpower Studies, Air University. He was a distinguished graduate ofthe National War College and holds a Doctorate ofPhilosophy Degree in History. He served as Special Assistant to the Chairman ofthe Joint Chiefs ofStaff at the Pentagon. From May 2000 to June 2002, Colonel Griffith was commander ofthe 39th Support Group, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. During Operation Desert Storm, Griffith flew F-15Es in the initial air strikes and on 19 January 1991 became a prisoner ofwar when his aircraft was shot down. After evading Iraqi forces for two days, he was captured and held captive for the remainder ofthe war. He was awarded the Prisoner ofWar Medal, the Purple Heart, in addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Lieutenant General John D. Hopper was the second Prep School graduate to become the Commandant of Cadets at the USAF Academy. He flew combat missions in Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia during Operation Desert Storm. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels and served as the Director of Operations for Air Mobility Command; the Vice Commander of the 21st Air Force, Air Education and Training Command. Among his many awards are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and three Air Medals. S

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BROTHERS TAKE TO THE AIR IN A RARE OPPORTUNITY

BY SSGT. JERRON BARNETT

33RD FIGHTER WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

ILLUSTRATION BY

SARAH WRIGHT, AOG

Two brothers, whose looks practically mirror each other as much as their Air Force careers do, got an opportunity to match their respective air-to-air combat skills in a competitive dogfight at Eglin AFB, Fla., last November.

Capt. Gary Beene, ’95, a 58th Fighter Squadron pilot at Eglin and his brother, Maj. Lane Beene, ’91, a pilot from the Air Force Reserve Command’s 457th Fighter Squadron at Carswell Air Reserve Station, Texas, chased each other in the skies over the GulfofMexico in a long-anticipated matchup ofair superiority.

“I’ve known about it for about three months,” said Lane. “When I first found out about this TDY, I checked Gary’s schedule to see ifhe was going to be in town and wasn’t going to be deployed, and then we started to do some coordination, which was not difficult at all.”

“I was all for it,” said Gary. “I was anxious to get a chance to take on my brother.”

Aircrews from the 457th FS at Eglin were on temporary duty to get their air-to-ground munitions capability re-certified. But they also used the opportunity to get some dissimilar air combat training (DACT) sorties in as well, said Lane. DACT allows pilots flying different

UP CLOSE

aircraft, in this case an F-15 Eagle and an F-16 Fighting Falcon, to fly air-to-air combat maneuvers against each other. It is training that they don’t get an opportunity to do too much, let alone against a family member, Lane said.

“It’s not very often we get a chance to do this sort of thing, but when we do, we like to fly against those guys,” said Lane, an F-16 pilot.

Inclement weather blanketed the sky over Eglin the day ofthe family duel, which pushed the takeoff times back a little, but Lane said he was ready for the challenge by the “enemy.”

“Oh, it should not be a problem taking these guys out,” he said as he strapped on his helmet shortly before takeoff. “Should be a piece of cake.”

The way the sortie was set up was that Gary and his wingman, Maj. David Nahom, were to employ enemy or “red” aircraft tactics, which limited how they engaged and maneuvered against his brother and his wingman, who flew as “blue” or U.S. forces.

Lane’s element also had a few limitations as well. Flis F-16 was fitted with large targeting and fuel pods that added weight and cut down a little of his maneuverability in the single-engine fighter. He compared his brother’s F-15 to his loaded F-16 as a race between a Corvette and a Mustang, but one had a trailer attached to it.

Once both groups took off and got into position about 125 miles southeast of Fort Walton Beach, the battle for air superiority began. Gary sent his wingman in first to chase the F-16 pair off, but Lane engaged and “took out” the F-15 aggressor pretty quickly, all at about 10,000 feet and speeds of 300-450 miles per hour. After repositioning, Lane said he saw his brother about four miles out in front and knew this was his chance.

“I saw him and I thought this is for the whole family,” said Lane. “I got to gun-track him.”

Capt. Gary Beene, ’95, Left, and his brother, Maj. Lane Beene,’91, matched their airto-air combat skills against one another in a recent Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training sortie.

(Photo by StaffSgt. Robert Zoellner)

Both pilots agreed that taking out an enemy fighter with guns is much harder to do than with air-to-air missiles, so getting one in this fashion was added incentive and would showcase each pilot’s skills.

As Lane was trying to get his wingman into position for the kill, Gary quickly got into an offensive position and gun-tracked his older brother. Gary also said that about 25 seconds before that engagement, he gun-tracked both his older brother and his wingman, but it was never called over the radio.

Overall, the brothers were engaged in dogfighting tactics eight minutes of the 20-minute standoff. Although the brothers offer different accounts ofwhat actually happened in the skies over the Gulf, it was all good natured and they called it a draw.

“He’s got game,” said Lane of his younger brother. “He definitely has some skill and potential. I was impressed.”

“He (Lane) was limited some because ofthe extra fuel pods whereas I could pull more Gs than he could,” said Gary. “I’ve got some highlights in my career, but to fly against ‘knucklehead’ here was great.”

Although the exercise was very competitive in nature, the brothers have had more of a cooperative relationship rather than a competitive one that has extended back to their childhood days.

“I’m three years older than Gary, so because of the age and grade difference there really wasn’t that kind ofcompetition,” said Lane. “I’ve always tried to just give him advice as time went along.”

Advice that Gary said has been very helpful in his Air Force career.

“We talk about two or three times a week and some of the best advice he’s ever given me was to shut up, listen and be a sponge to information,” said Gary, who followed his brother through the Air Force Academy and on to becoming a fighter pilot. “That’s what I’ve done and it works. I kind of looked up to him, he’s sort of like my hero. I was kind of in his shadow up until today when I gun-tracked him. Now he’s in my shadow.”

Both brothers laughed.

“I can always look back at my Air Force career and say, ‘My brother was all right,”’ said Lane. “He might one day, many years from now, be able to top me.”

The brothers offered no prediction to the outcome of a future match-up in air superiority between them.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” said Lane. S

WALL

A year ago, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and Kinko’s, Inc. launched the Put a Face with a Name campaign to collect a picture for each ofthe 58,229 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall.

More than 2,500 photographs were collected for the permanent online photo collection on The Virtual Wall (www.thevirtualwall.org) during the four month campaign.

Although the free opportunity at Kinkos has ended, the Memorial Fund continues to work toward the goal of58,229 pictures. Recently the AOG helped that effort by contributing photos ofgraduates who were killed in Vietnam whose name is on the War Memorial.

Ifyou have a picture of a loved one or fellow veteran whose name is on The Wall, please help the Memorial Fund reach its goal by posting your photograph to The Virtual Wall using one ofthe following methods:

1. Scan and upload the photo from home

On The Virtual Wall, find the veterans profile page and click on “Post a Remembrance.” Complete the required information and choose “Attach an Image” from my computer. Click on next step to review the remembrance before submitting it for approval.

2. Email your scanned image to the Memorial Fund

If you have a scanner at home, you can email it as an attachment (jpg, jpeg or gifpreferred) to Mariah French (mfrench@wmf.org). In the body of the email, be sure to include the veteran’s name, your name, a password and any other information you would like included in the remembrance.

3. Mail a copy of your photo to the Memorial Fund

If you cannot scan the photograph, you can mail it to the Memorial Fund to be scanned and uploaded. Remember to include all of the information mentioned above as well as your mailing address so the photo can be returned. Mail the information and photograph to:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Attn: Put a Face with a Name 1023 15th Street NW Second Floor

Washington, DC 20005

Ifyou have any questions about The Virtual Wall or how to add a photograph to the collection, contact Mariah French at mfrench@wmf.org or (202) 393-0090 ext. 22.

Photo by Ken Wright

THE

The most prestigious medal that France can bestow on a foreign person or organization was presented to the Academy in November.

Created by Napoleon Bonaparte to recognize military and civilian contributions to France, the French President Jacques Chirac authorized the Academy to receive the Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.

Lt. Gen. “JD” Dallager, ’69, Academy superintendent, accepted Frances Legion of Honor from French Air Chief, Gen. Richard Wolsztynski, during a terrazzo ceremony.

Wolsztynski, a member of the Academy’s first exchange with Ecole de F Air, the French Air Force Academy, with the Class of 1970, visited the base as part ofthe Air Force Chief of Staff Counterpart Visit Program. There currently are eight French Ecole de F Air exchange cadets at the Academy.

Welcoming attendees to what he called a most important and historical ceremony, Dallager said that the playing of both nations’ anthems signified the partnership of two great nations.

“The first contingent of nine French Air Force students arrived here in the fall of 1969, and included a young man named Richard Wolsztynski,” said Dallager. “Upon returning to France, Richard served and continued to serve the French Air Force literally at all levels of command and staff, including operational divisions during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

“The French exchange is our longest standing cadet exchange program. Today there are eight Ecole de F Air exchange cadets enrolled and excelling at the United States Air Force Academy,” the superintendent said.

Wolsztynski said that the medal was first created in order to establish the principle of equality between all services given to

the country. In France, he said, the medal stands for honor and homeland.

“The security of France and the United States fall together in defense,” Wolsztynski said. “At this time, our friendship never fails.”

The award’s citation noted that the roots ofthe award derived from outstanding deeds and the cost of blood by American military people. Tracing back actions to World War II, the citation noted that American forces “successively liberated the occupied territories, thus obtaining on May 8, 1945, the surrender ofthe enemy armed forces.”

By such lineal descent, the Academy was granted France’s Legion of Honor.

“They fought for the ideal of liberty which is that of the United States,” reads the citation.

Dallager said accepting the award was a great privilige.

The superintendent told Wolsztynski that the award will be prominently displayed where “it will serve as inspiration not only for our cadets, but also for our entire staff.”

“Mindful of the history and original intent of the Legion of Honor, the medal will fire our imagination, and stir us to

battle,” the superintendent said. “In our ever changing world environment, it will also remind cadets and staff of the tremendous importance of the strategic partnership that we have retained with France.”

Dallager thanked the French Air Force chiefofstafffor his continued efforts at nurturing and strengthening the partnership, not only between both nations, but also between the air forces, and both Academies.

To show the Academy’s appreciation and what he termed comradeship in arms, Dallager presented Wolsztynski with the Academy’s plaque and saber.

Col. Peter Heinz, Academy director of international programs, said that Wolsztynski was extremely interested in changes in both the Academy and Colorado Springs and wished he had more time to visit.

American recipients of the medal have formed a group to encourage better Franco-American relations, and the group has contributed financially to a project that provides Academy cadets with opportunities to learn more about French aerospace research and development programs. SI

By Butch Wehry, Academy Spirit ■ Photo by Ken Wright, AOG

"Angel here on earth"

cadet Kroontje received the call. She was a perfect bone marrow match for an 11 year-old Brazilian girl suffering from leukemia.

By Butch Wehry Academy Spirit

This past Christmas, a Brazilian mother thought Cadet First Class Dayleen Kroontje was her “Angel here on earth.”

Two years ago, as her daughter, 11-year-old Lilian da Silva, was suffering in south Brazil’s Curitiba, a city of two million inhabitants, Kroontje answered a call from an Academy instructor whose son needed a bone marrow transplant.

The cadet registered and was tested, but was not a match for the child.

“My mother donates blood all the time, and I started when I was 16,” Kroontje said. “So I didn’t think volunteering to donate bone marrow was any different.”

But her marrow was not compatible with the needs of a son of an Academy major. Kroontje’s data was quickly entered in a system with four million other registered marrow donors. She returned her attention to the rigors of the Academy and, precious time permitting, her hobbies of flying and horseback riding. D>

“I have had a pilot’s license since I was 17, and I have been riding horses ever since I was big enough to get on one.” Then came the call. Kroontje was home on leave in Bellingham, Wash., in the summer of 2001.

“A Department of Defense Bone Marrow Donor Program official called and advised me that I was a match for an 11 year-old female leukemia patient living somewhere outside of the United States,” said the cadet, who dreams of piloting A-10 aircraft, and perhaps even F-22 aircraft.

Within days, Kroontje was on a plane for tests, a physical and blood drawn at Georgetown University’s Cancer Center in Washington, D.C.

She was soon called again to Washington for a marrow harvesting procedure. The cadet has no regrets, but the procedure was difficult.

“I was unconscious, completely out. They went into my hipbone in Washington, and extracted a quart of bone marrow. There was pain for a couple days afterwards, especially when I tried to sit and I still have scars. I couldn’t run for a week, and I could not play rugby for two weeks.”

Academy classes resumed with the knowledge that the marrow transplantation process had started, and, with the chemical and radiational destruction of the little girl’s own marrow, the child’s fate depended on her.

It is a marrow donor program policy that a donor and recipient do not make direct contact with one another until one year after a transplant.

When the cadet authorized marrow program officials to release her name and contact information, it opened a floodgate of communications between donor, recipient and Kroontje received a FedEx envelop from the marrow donor program with two letters from Jurema, Lilian’s mother. Jurema informed the American cadet that Lilian was recovering well, had been taken off most medications and had returned to school

“You’ll always be in my prayers and I’ll beg the Lord to protect you and to make your ways brighter and easier,” wrote the Brazilian mother.

Lilian’s oldest brother, Julivan, was the first to contact the cadet directly.

“We hear in Brazil that the American people are not sensitive, but you hurt yourself to save a life that you don’t even know,” wrote Lilian’s brother. “I really think that God will remember you, as He remembered my sister.”

An email from Ivandel Ramos da Silva, the girl’s father, wished Kroontje and her family a Merry Christmas, and a hug from Brazil for the cadet’s birthday.

“Americans are often vilified, or at best misunderstood, in other parts of the world,” wrote the cadet’s father, David Kroontje, to Academy officials. “But Americans, especially members ofAmerica’s military, are generous people with hearts and souls capable ofgiving with no strings attached.”

With finals finished, as she prepared to head home for the holidays, Kroontje admitted to having a special feeling this holiday season.

She said her mother had 10 brothers and sisters, and the traditional highlight of Christmas is at her grandmother’s home, where everyone sings, recites poetry and renders some form of entertainment.

“It is a good feeling, but I’m not sure I deserve all the credit I’m getting,” the civil engineering cadet said. “It was an inconvenience, but not that bad. Now Lilian is good to go, and that’s all that matters. I’m filled with the feeling that they have become my second family.

“They’d love to have me come to Brazil,” said the cadet. “And I may do that after I graduate.” &

Home Again

A letter came to us recently enclosed with a class ring that, much like our graduates, has been around the block once or twice. In fact, it left the block altogether.

We found the story ofthe ring so interesting that we’d like to share part of it with you and thank the author, Tom Henricks, ’74, for his generosity and willingness to share a cherished piece ofhis life.

"... The Class of ’74 was strongly influenced by the Apollo program that landed men on the moon during our time as cadets. Therefore, a moon landing is depicted on our ring. Many ofus shared the dream oftraveling in spacefor military and civilpurposes. In fact, USAFA ’74 became the most space traveled undergradu ate class in America (maybe the world, but the Russians might dispute it). Mark Lee, Don McMonagle, Bill Pailes, Ron Sega, and myselfallflew on Space Shuttle missions...The ring accompanied me on four Shuttleflights, logging a total of1026.6 hours, 684 Earth orbits, 17.8 million miles, and over 40 days in space.

...It will be manyyears, probably decades, before another undergraduate classfrom any school can claimfiveflown astronauts. Ipray that this ring will help inspire other cadets to pursue their dreams.

[The ring] was lost and recovered twice. I was able to find it on the Academy grounds when I lost it duringfirstie year. And I lost it a second time shortly after graduation while attending the U.S. National Parachuting Championships at a college campus in Oklahoma. It was found and sent to the Academy more an a year later. The inscription ‘Yesterday will be tomorrow’ conveys my beliefthat our futures are determined by our past actions.

Although this donation is made with the understanding that the ring will be usedfor display, I would accept having material removed from the ring and combined with the material forfuture class rings so that every graduate could claim part oftheir ring had been to space.

Sincerely,

Tom Henricks Class of 1974

hid Lt. Melissa Waheibi

The U.S. Air Force Academy Wings ofBlue parachute competition team won gold medals in each skydiving event and received 31 out of44 total medals at the National Collegiate Parachute Championship in Eloy, Ariz.

The team competed in three events: style, accuracy and fourway. The style event is a race against the clock in which divers have to complete six maneuvers in the fastest time. Accuracy jumpers exit an aircraft from 4,500 feet and strive to land on a target the size of a quarter. In four-way, four j'umpers complete as many pre-determined maneuvers as possible within 35 seconds.

Academyjumpers swept the style event at the “masters” experience level. C1C Rob Ice received the gold while CIC Jarrod Aranda took silver and CIC Alex Datzman brought home the bronze. In the masters accuracy event, Ice captured gold again while CIC Kristen Wozniak tied for the silver. The Wings of Blue hit it big in the four-way competition with its Blue Team winning gold and Silver Team taking silver.

The four-way Blue Team, consisting of Ice, Aranda, CIC Dan Darnell and CIC Pat Kennedy, broke a collegiate record by turning 21 maneuvers in 35 seconds, which bested the former record of 16 maneuvers in 35 seconds.

“We had high goals, and we met our expectations,” said Tech. Sgt. Pat Atkin, parachute instructor for the 98th Flying Training Squadron. “The cadets truly showed their talent and dedication.”

Ice took home a special gold medal for winning overall coliegiate champion.

While the competition team was winning big, the Wings ofBlue demonstration team scattered across the country during holiday season to demonstrate their skills for more than 430,000 people with jumps into three stadiums hosting college bowl games.

One group performed for the San Francisco Bowl in December where Air Force took on Virginia Tech. InJanuary, another group went to Orlando for the Gator Bowl. Finally, a group traveled to Tempe, Ariz. to jump into four events related to the Fiesta Bowl National Championship. These events included two youth football camps, a band championship, the bowl parade and the championship game. H

MA in United States Studies

A NEW degree by distance learning

The MA in United States Studies is the central feature of the University of London’s Institute of United States Studies. The Institute is the oldest forum for United States studies in Europe. Due to the popularity of the course in London and following requests from around the world, we are now offering the MA by distance learning from September 2003.

The wide range of subjects offered - from history to literature, economics to foreign policy, political institutions to music - is designed to give you a deeper awareness of the diversity of this challenging country.

Whether you are in business, government, academic life, military or intelligence services or simply an interested observer, the analysis of the broad areas of learning and research that the degree embraces, will give you a richly varied understanding of America.

The application deadline is 30th June 2003.

As a military officer, I highly recommend the Institute’s challenging advanced degree program to servicemen and women around the world. It provides a perfect opportunity to broaden your understanding of American history and international relations."

Captain Todd Young, US Marine Corps

For further information please contact:

The Information Centre (03/USA/02)

Email: enquiries@external.lon.ac.uk

www.londonexternal.ac.uk

The son, Capt. Tad "TC" Clark, '96, a 29-year-old F-16 pilot with the 35th Fighter Squadron grew up without a father, but not without the influence of a father figure always in his life.

By 1st Lt. Heather Healy 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The weather on January 10, 1973, was overcast as Navy Lt. Michael McCormick, an A-6 Intruder pilot, and Lt. J.G. Robert Clark, a bombardier navigator, stepped out to their plane and prepared for a mission over North Vietnam. It would be their last one—forever.

It was the last mission Attack Squadron 115 would support with its A-6 Intruders, and it was strictly for volunteers. The next day, McCormick, Clark and all U.S.S. Midway sailors were to head back toward friendly waters and return to their families. For Clark, it would be a particularly wonderful homecoming because he would get to

Navy Lt. J. G. Robert Clarkposes before a mission over Vietnam. Hisplane was lostjust weeks before the ceasefire. The son he never knew continues the family’s legacy ofmilitary service.

hold his 2-month-old son for the first time.

Two A-6s took off from the U.S.S. Midway that day, but at the end of flight operations, only one of them returned. The details surrounding the disappearance of McCormick and Clark’s plane are unclear. Even 30 years later, little is known about what actually happened.

For 10 months AS 115, aboard the U.S.S, Midway, had been launching A-6 Intruders off its deck supporting B-52 Stratofortress air strikes over North Vietnam.

According to reports filed through the Homecoming II Project, there was intense surface-to-air missile activity that day. t>

Twelve surface-to-air missiles were launched at B-52s, and three were launched at the A-6s.

Radio contact between McCormick and his wingman was lost. Early search and rescue missions did not reveal any crash sites.

“I was acquainted with a number of officers at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., who manned the A-6A squadrons deployed on Pacific Fleet carriers,” said Dave Anderson, a Vietnam veteran assigned to AS 145 on the U.S.S. Ranger.

“I lived across the street from Robert Clark who was lost just weeks before the cease fire,” said Anderson. “He left behind a son that he never saw.”

The son Robert Clark left behind would grow up without a father, but not without the influence of a father figure always in his life. Capt. Tad “TC” Clark, a 29-year-old pilot with the 35th Fighter Squadron here, grew up with a strong mother, who was full of memories, and friends who served with his father and were full ofstories.

“My father is presumed killed in action,” said Clark. “His plane was the last Navy jet lost in Vietnam. My mom obviously considers my dad the greatest thing since sliced bread. She’s proud of the fact that her husband did something noble with his life.”

She was not surprised when at an early age her son began expressing the desire to fly. From the days when his dreams were nothing more than crayon sketches of planes to the moment he entered pilot training, flying was his ultimate goal.

“Tad always wanted to be a fighter pilot as soon as he understood what being a pilot was,” said Tonya Clark, widow of Robert and mother ofTad. “I have always supported him in this.”

According to Clark, everything he has done up to this point has led to this. In high school he worked diligently to make the grades in order to get accepted into the Air Force Academy.

His goal at the academy was to get a pilot slot. At pilot training, his goal was to fly F-16 Fighting Falcons. At F-16 training, his goal was to train for war.

Most days when Clark climbs into a jet, he is so focused on the mission thoughts of his father do not cross his mind, but then again, sometimes they do.

“There have been times I’ve been here flying low level with fog coming off the mountain and the rice paddies below that I think ‘this must be similar to what it looked like flying in Vietnam,”’ said Clark. “But truthfully, what we do now isn’t even close to what my dad and others who served in Vietnam had to put up with. Now it’s popular, even embraced, to be in the military.”

But it was the sense of duty displayed by those he grew up with that drove him in the direction of military service.

“Each of us has a background and story,” said Clark. “We all have friends and loved ones who have endured the hardships ofwar.”

A new chapter ofhis story began at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., when he took control of his first F-16.

“Each of us has a background and story...we all have friends and loved ones who have endured the hardships of war.”

“When the lists of assignments came out at Luke and I saw that Kunsan was on the list, I immediately knew that’s where I wanted to go,” said Clark. “I thought it’d be neat to be in the vicinity of where (my dad) is.”

Becoming a mission-ready F-16 pilot with Kunsan’s “Wolf Pack,” however, is only part of the total experience.

“It’s exciting to be part of a group of people who are willing to make the same sacrifice,” Clark said.

Clark’s mother understands that sacrifice.

“I couldn’t think of too many other things in life that a mother could be prouder of than having her son willing to put his life on the line for others and for the cause of freedom, no matter where it is in the world,” said Tonya.

That sentiment has been instilled in Clark throughout his life, and though there was sadness growing up without a father, he feels grateful for all his father’s spirit has given him.

“In some ways I have missed out, but I am blessed to have had a father who has affected my life in such a meaningful way,” he said. “He stood for something and did something honorable with his life. Many kids grow up with fathers who are there every day, but don’t have that kind of impact.”

Clark looks forward to passing the same patriotic values his parents gave him on to his children.

“I think this has all given me a unique perspective on having a family,” he said. “It’s important to make every second count and wake up every day thanking God for what you do have.” S8

THE Sit OF THE Books

By Dr. Tom Mabry, and Lt. Col. Marie Revak, Photo Illustration by Ken Wright

Many colleges and universities conduct Freshmen (First-Year) Seminars. These seminars can fulfill many purposes, but are commonly used to facilitate the adaptation of new students to university life and to introduce the rigor and complexity of college academics. Basic Cadet Training has always served as the introduction to military life for each new Academy class, but there has never been a course that served a similar introductory role for academics. FYE 100-Cornerstone Seminar, was designed to fill that need. FYE 100 was “piloted” for the first time in Fall 2002 with a group of 231 cadets from the Class of2006. These cadets were randomly

selected for enrollment and this 19-lesson, one credit hour seminar was added to their normal class load. The seminar had three goals. The primary goal was to introduce cadets to the core curriculum and to demonstrate how this broad academic program provided the necessary foundation for suecess as an Air Force officer. A secondary goal was to introduce cadets to needed technology skills. After receiving instruction, cadets were required to use Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint to complete course assignments. The third goal was to teach proven time management and other academic “study skills.” Previous data showed many cadets were unprepared for (or underestimated) the rigor and pace of our academic program, setting them up for trouble during their first year.

The seminar theme was the GulfWar, a topic selected for a number of reasons. It was recent enough that the cadets remembered it, even though most ofthem were just entering elementary school. At the same time, this conflict occurred long enough ago that extensive studies and analyses made it a rich source of academic materials. As an added “plus,” Iraq and the Middle East are still relevant to U.S. national policy today, serving as a primary focus ofboth the Bush Administration and U.S. armed forces. Therefore, the GulfWar provided an excellent backdrop for examination ofboth lessons-learned and future potential actions, creating fertile opportunities for exercises and discussions.

The seminar adopted a unique instructional format. The course was almost entirely web-based. All course resources (e.g., syllabus, assignments, technology guides) were located on the intraweb (http://discovery/fye 100). In many instances, cadets could also submit their assignments electronically. This created some hardships, especially when the network was down, but it did re-enforce to cadets (and faculty) the need to be completely comfortable with technology.

Cadets were assigned to 20-person seminar groups. Each seminar was team-taught: senior faculty members (associate professor or above) were paired with more junior faculty members. Each pair had different academic backgrounds (e.g., a behavioral scientist paired with an astronautical engineer; a philosopher teamed with a computer scientist), thus exposing cadets to multiple academic perspectives. About half of the time, cadets met only with their seminar groups. This facilitated small-group interaction and discussion and also allowed cadets to receive more personalized technology instruction.

The cadets also met in larger “lectinar” groups with three seminar groups combined. During these lectures, cadets learned how each of the academic disciplines was relevant to the events and conduct of the GulfWar, to the Air Force, and to officership. Experts from the academic divisions and the 34th Education Group presented these lectures. Each lectinar session was followed by a seminar group meeting where follow-up discussions and/or related exercises occurred. For example, in the first lecture, the humanities division discussed the human costs associated with warfare. They also demonstrated the importance of understanding the history and culture of the Middle East. In fact, Dr. Salah Hammoud, from DFF, opened the first lecture speaking in Arabic, vividly underscoring the need for Air Force officers to understand different cultures and languages. In the follow-on seminar, cadets chose readings from a list of diary entries, poems, essays, and articles written during the GulfWar and wrote reaction papers to what they read. The seminar group discussed these papers. In addition, a number ofMicrosoft Word “technology tips” were incorporated in the paper requirements.

For example, cadets had to insert page numbers and page breaks, change fonts, use headers and footers, etc., thus exposing them to the power and versatility ofWord.

The course followed a similar pattern for all 19 lessons. Each Academic Division presented lectinar sessions, each followed by a discussion seminar. The assignment for each seminar required the use of a different technology component. The complete syllabus for the course can be viewed at http://discovery/fye 100.

The course was offered as “pass/fail” with eight graded assignments. Grades for all assignments were “meets standards” or “does not meet standards.” To receive a “pass” for the course, cadets were required to meet the standard for each and every assignment. In addition, cadets were required to resubmit assignments that failed to meet the given standard.

So, how did it go? We used a variety of assessment techniques to get both cadet and faculty feedback. All cadets completed an on-line survey and two intact seminar groups participated in focus groups. The instructors were invited to participate in a separate focus group. From that data, we were able to draw some summary conclusions. First, strengths of the course included links to the Air Force and the GulfWar theme. Cadets particularly enjoyed the lectinar lessons and viewed them as exciting and relevant. Although cadets commented that they entered the Academy well aware of the “core” structure and requirements,

the course did seem to provide an extra motivation to take the core seriously. Both cadets and instructors commented favorably on the cross-disciplinary nature of the course.

On the “downside,” we found that the course goals of emphasizing the core and introducing technology competed against each other. At times, the technology components interfered with the academic content discussions in the seminars. There wasn’t enough time allotted to accomplish both goals well. In part, this conflict developed because we overestimated the previous experience cadets had with many of these Microsoft tools and underestimated the range of their technological ability. While most cadets possessed adequate or good computer skills, many more than we anticipated were uncomfortable with computer and web applications. However, cadets did view the technology component of the course as a “plus.”

Grading was an issue. Although the “standards based” grading philosophy was meant to raise the level of quality for academic work, in reality, it had the opposite effect. Because cadets were required to resubmit assignments until the assignment “met standards,” first effort submissions were often of poor quality. The “meets standards” requirement also caused a heavy instructor workload because of the numerous resubmissions, and the cumbersome policy was difficult to enforce. The “pass/fail” grade resulted in the course being a low priority for cadets with a negative impact on the high academic standards we were attempting to set.

Both cadets and instructors reported that the workload was too heavy for a one-credit course. Many cadet comments focused on the time required for the course—time they felt could be spent doing work for higher-stakes courses. Of course, cadets were well aware that most of their classmates were not taking the course, so this may have colored their perception of the workload. However, workload or credit-hour adjustments may be needed for future offerings.

FYE 100 was an enormous undertaking. Sixty-eight people, representing every academic department and several DF staff agencies, were directly involved in the development and implementation of the course. The FYE 100 team had less than five months to develop and deliver the course. Additional work remains to get the course ready for delivery to all fourth-class cadets, but with a few adjustments, FYE 100 could become the cornerstone of our academic program. H

by Maj. James R. Wilson

\ piece of history was carved out November 22 when four F\ 16 Fighting Falcons from the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill \ AFB, Utah took off on a combat training mission. While \ four F-I6s on a routine training mission is not neces\ sarily historic, one of the pilots, Lt. Col. Michael Brill, \ \ \ \ ’79, earned his place in the record books during the \ \ sortie. Brill became the first pilot in the world to log 5,000 flying hours in the F-16 aircraft.

“I’ve been fortunate,” said Brill. “The fact that I’ve been able to stay in the cockpit this long really is a case of being in the right place at the right time.”

Brill’s 5,000 hours in the F-16 is the equivalent of traveling 1,750,000 miles—enough to circle the earth 70 times. The Virginia native surpassed previous thousand-hour milestones in the F-16 in 1985, 1988, and 1993. He was also the first pilot to amass more than 4,000 total flying hours in the F-16 in August 1998.

“It’s an extremely durable aircraft with a proven track record in combat operations,” said Brill. “Its reliability is a real testament to the quality product Lockheed Martin has provided the Air Force. At the same time, our own maintainers take incredibly good care of the aircraft.”

Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The planned mission for the milestone sortie included training in high-altitude delivery of laser guided bombs. Such training has prepared him for numerous combat missions during his career. Brill’s combat experience includes three tours for Operation Northern Watch, two for Operation Southern Watch and one for Operation Enduring Freedom. He has accumulated 122 combat flight hours in those operations.

“I would rather be flying the F-16 than any other aircraft in the world,” said Brill. “I like flying a single seat, single-engine airplane. I like the mission that we’ve got. I like being a jack-ofall-trades and a master of a few. If I had to choose between the F-16 and one of the other platforms in the inventory, I would opt for the (F-16) hands down.”

Brill, a full-time reservist, currently serves as the operations officer for the wing’s 466th Fighter Squadron. After graduating from the Academy, he completed undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin AFB, Texas in June of 1980. He has been flying the F-16 since November 1980 when he was a member ofthe 388th FW at Hill.

“The best part is the F-16 continues to get significantly better with each upgrade,” he added. “This aircraft has exceeded everyone’s high expectations.” at

□ 419th

SUMMER INTERNSHIP

“I can enthusiastically say that this internship has done the most to prepare mefor a career in the Air Force.

ie fvsa! World”

Every graduate knows about cadet summer programs like BCT, CST (formerly known as SERE), soaring and jump programs that form the backbone of militarytraining at USAFA. However, cadet summer research, internships, and language immersion program opportunities are increasing every year through the generous support of groups like the Olmsted Foundation, the Humanities Institute, and, of course, the AOG. These programs provide hands-on experience in those far offplaces that exist only theoretically to most cadets. Cadets know such places as “the real Air Force” and “the real world.” While initiallyshocking and a bit frightening, “the real Air Force” and “the real world” provide opportunities and experiences not found at USAFA.

This summer, the English Department sent me on a hardship TDY to Naples, Italy, to work with Headquarters Allied Forces South (AFSOUTH). Capt Sarah Kerwin, ’94, and Lt. Col. Tom Krise, ’83, created the internship. I was assigned to work in the Public Information Office (PlO)-known to the Air Force as Public Affairs-where I worked with the media and administration departments of PIO, writing and editing several articles, organizing two major conferences, and reviewing weekly briefings for the Joint Officer Commanding. Additionally, I attended weekly conferences led by the Commander in Chief ofAFSOUTH, Admiral GregoryJohnson, USN, completed a course on public information with the NATO Partnership for Peace countries, and attended numerous briefings on NATO operations within the Balkans.

“So a Greek, a Turk, and an American walk into a room...” Working for AFSOUTH in Naples is something like a sitcom because it is both a combined and joint base. In the PIO department ofabout 15 people, I worked with all four services represented by military members and civilians from six countries. For example, my supervisor, Maj. Maurizio de Giorgi, is in the Italian

By C1C Joe Cornibe

Army. Relations between the many countries were not always smooth or productive. The smallest tasks often took on additional significance when international and service politics combined with office politics.

Despite its diversity, the base has many traditions. The English leave at 1100 hours everyWednesday to have lunch and playgolf. Fridays were short days that ended at 1500 hours for all employees. The US Armygrilledhamburgers and hotdogs for lunch on Fridays. Most departments would start the morningwith coffee at one ofthe cafes on base.

Hours were a bit different than in the US: it was summer in Europe, the World Cup was picking up, and it was hot. My first impression was intense curiosity, wondering how any work could be done in this environment. After a week, I learned that many things were not done, but that necessary tasks would somehow be completed.

Mybeing a cadet was not extremely apparent on base. Among enlisted and officers from all services and over a dozen countries, my rank caused squinting eyes and the occasional question. To some, I could have been a soldier from Andorra. Ofcourse, a few USAFA graduates were extremely generous in offering advice, buying coffee, and recounting times past. Others were interested in the concept of a militaryacademy that offers a universitydegree.

Initially, I felt out ofplace. I had been there a week and a half. I was editing an article and no one was around. It was not Friday. I heard ofnothing unusual occurring that day. I went outside. D>

An officer looked at me strangely. I went to another office, one with a TV, and there were a dozen people in seats and on the floor watching Italy play South Korea in the second round ofthe World Cup. I was the idiot who was trying to work. “Sit down,” a voice said. I sat down to watch the rest ofthe match. “Work’s over for today,” an American said. When in Naples...

Samuel Johnson believed that “The use oftraveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead ofthinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” In the sprit ofseeing things as they are, I spent time offduring weekends touring Italy. As an English major with broad interests in the humanities, Italy offered much to see in terms of art, architecture, history, and literature. Weekends spent in Florence, Sicily, and Amalfi all provided insight into Italian culture and historical events that went beyond classroom knowledge.

The USAFA graduate network put me in touch with a kind and enjoyable family in Naples. While in Naples, I stayed with Col. Wayne Kellenbence, ’78, and his wife, MaryJane Van Valkenburg Kellenbence, ’80. They had much professional information and advice to offer me, and they were pleased to see a current issue ofthe Dodo and noticed that it had grown thicker over the years. Additionally, I was able to offer some Academy advice to their oldest son Chris, who is now in the Class of ’06.

I had an amazing time in Italy, professionally and personally. I met many great professionals who care about what they’re doing and who care about their subordinates. Personally, I was impressed with Naples, Italian culture, the Neapolitan attitude... everything. Looking back at my cadet career, things like excessive room cleaning, marching, and the oh-so-many engineering courses are a blur. I can enthusiastically say that this internship has done the most to prepare me for a career in the Air Force.

The Olmsted Foundation, the Falcon Foundation, and the AOG are increasingly offering their support for programs like this and more. 9

The Secret Life of Waldo F. Dumbsquat

by Don Hall, ’76

Waldo’s TO DO List

as

seen in his Contrails Calendar

□ Make SAMI bed

□ Sleep on desk

□ Shine shoes

□ Eat left over candy bar

□ Pick up laundry

□ Hide clean clothes in laundry bin

□ Go to Cadet Clinic for flu shot

□ Go to Cadet Clinic with flu

□ Lead spirit mission into the tunnels

□ Get lost in the tunnels

□ Miss dental appointment

□ March tours for missing dental appointment

□ Pick up laundry carts

□ Hold the Vator

□ Study for class

□ Schedule El

□ Go to Mailroom and check mail

□ Feed spider

□ Go to Chapel

□ Catch some Z’s

□ Sign up for Intramural Squash

□ Get fitted for Boxing headgear

□ Send letter to girlfriend

□ Post Dear John letter

□ Study for Econ GR

□ Catch more Z’s

□ Sign up for Late Lights

□ Study Wing Staff during Late Lights

□ Go to Cadet Store and look at records and civilian clothes

□ Leave Store with cotton balls and flashlight batteries

□ Join classmates at Arnold Hall for pizza and 3.2 beer

□ Stare at girl behind the cash register

□ Join AOG with magic money

□ Order grandfather clock and decorative dish

□ Start TO DO list for tomorrow

C1C Joe Cornibe and his supervisor Maj. Maurizio de Giorgi during an internship in Naples, Italy.

Have You Joined the SABRE SOCIETY?

The Sabre Society began in 1995 and was established to recognize the most significant donors to the Annual Fund. Membership is open to any graduate, parent or friend of the Academy who is willing to make an annual unrestricted gift of at least $1,000 to the Air Force Academy Fund.

The Society has grown to more than 1000 members. The Sabre Society has become the single most important source of unrestricted private funds for the Academy.

Many programs and activities that keep the Academy in the top tier of American institutions would not be possible without private support. During the 2001/2002 Academic Year, the AOG provided more than $800,000 from private donations to support numerous important activities, services and programs for today’s cadets from the USAFA Gift Opportunities List which exceeds $2.8 million annually.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit us on the web at aog-usafa.org

Becky.Fiureau@usafa.af.mil

Regina.Graves@usafa.af.mil (719) 472-0300

THE

3116 Academy Drive USAFA, CO 80840-4475

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What does MCSi have in common with the US Military?

For starters, we believe in the power of teamwork to achieve any mission. Which is why we share more than 450 strategic alliances with top manufacturers of presentation and professional video technologies. And what is our mission, exactly? Nothing less than arming government agencies with the most powerful tools available. As a GSA certified provider with decades of experience serving leaders like Boeing, NASA, Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense, we offer a total solutions approach that includes consultation, design engineering, integration and 24 X 7 support for hardworking rooms with extremely commanding views.

For more information, call Mike Dodd, Capt. USMC Ret at 800-444-9350 ext 2047 or email mike.dodd@mcsinet.com.

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THE DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD

Nomination Instructions

The Distinguished Graduate Award is intended to recognize those exceptional graduates who have set themselves apart by making extraordinarily significant contributions to our nation and/or their communities. It is a unique honor bestowed by the Academy and the AOG recognizing graduates whose accomplishments have inspired us all and elevated the reputation and the standing of the US Air Force Academy. Distinguished Graduates should provide an example to all graduates and cadets of the standards that we value and of the abilities that have made our country and society great.This is our opportunity to recognize graduates who can serve as an inspiration to future generations ofAmericas leaders.

Anyone may submit a nomination package. The package should not exceed three pages. The first page is a concise information sheet on the candidate and should contain a short narrative or bullets addressing the following headings, ifapplicable:

- Professional Accomplishments

- Education Fdistory

- Professional Organizations

- Professional Career Summary to include job titles and location

- Fionors, Awards, Public Recognition

- Community Service

- Additional 3 References (include address and phone number)

The remaining page/s should be a strong written justification.

Submit the Nomination Package by 30 April 03

Mail to: Ms. Leah Lucio

Association of Graduates

3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475 OR

Email as a word attachment to: Leah.Lucio@usafa.af.mil

Questions:

Contact Col. (Ret.) Dick Rauschkolb, ’70 AOG Vice President for External Communications.

Phone: 719-472-0300

Email: Dick.Rauschkolb@usafa.af.mil

Distinguished GraduateAward Calendar ofEvents

Sept 2002 - April 2003

Publicize award

Request nominations

Deadline for nominations 30 April

May - July 2003

Selection Committee reviews nominations

August 2003

Selection Committee recommends award recipient to Chairman of the Board and USAFA Superintendent

Recipient notified and agrees to accept award at the USAF Academy

April 2004

DGA presentation ceremony at USAFA in conjunction with Founders’ Day

Additional Information may be found on the AOG web site at www.aog-usafa.org

Academy Loses One ofits Brightest Stars

By Bonnie Burch

Holly Adams was a sweet young woman who was not afraid to give anybody a hug, and a brave Air Force lieutenant who dreamed of one day becoming a pilot.

2nd Lt. Adams,’00, the first female senior class president in U.S. Air Force Academy history, was killed December 19, 2002 in an automobile accident in North Dakota where she was stationed.

“She was very humble, too. I didn’t even know she had applied to the Air Force until her mother told me. She was just that kind of person. You didn’t realize everything she had done because she wasn’t one to talk about it,” said Jean Sweeney, former Page Middle School librarian.

Sweeney and Lt. Adams were members of Southern Hills Church of Christ.

Not only did Lt. Adams set a record with the Air Force

Academy’s 43rd graduating class, she was also a deputy group commander—the second in command of about 1,000 officer candidates. She also won the academy’s award for the cadet who best exemplifies the highest ideals of integrity.

“She was an intelligent girl and so sweet in demeanor and so meek and kind. I never even dreamed she would be interested in the military,” Sweeney said.

But at the academy, sweet Holly Adams left the meekness out. She was captain of the power-lifting team and a national qualifier for two years.

She also instituted an anti-drunken driving program and organized activities benefiting local charities.

Beyond her military accomplishments, Lt. Adams was interested in helping the homeless, delivering meals to the elderly, painting houses for the needy and was a director ofthe academy’s Boy Scout camp.

Lt. Adams climbed Pikes Peak four times to raise money for brain injury survivors, planned a talent show three years in a row for the Children’s Leukemia Society and recruited volunteers for a run benefiting breast cancer research.

But Lt. Adams’ biggest dream was to become a pilot and maybe fly the space shuttle.

After graduation from the Air Force Academy, her first assignment was at the Grand Forks AFB, N.D., where she worked in the Mission Support Squadron. S

Liaison Officer Award Winners

RIGHT, (L to R): Lt. Col. Mark A. Schuler (Liaison Officer Director), Maj. Gay L. Harrison (Deputy, Liaison Officer Director), Tommie L. Watrous (Civ.), Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert V. Bilek (Retiree), Maj. Jonathan L. Bowser (Primary Duty), Maj. Roger B. Figueroa (Minority Counselor), Capt. Jennifer A. Phelps (Additional Duty). LEFT, (L to R): Col. (Ret.) Samuel R. Porter, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Cletus L. Reymann, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dewey J. Hansen, Col. (Ret.) Lawrence H. Roller.

Explore the world with otherservice academy alumni.

Travel with those who know what it is to serve and share new experiences together. Join our new program and enjoy the benefits of group travel with us; complete pre-departure service and a program that combines a great and unique itinerary with great staff and service every step of the way.

Mandarin China (April 25- May 12, 2003) An amazing nineteen dayjourney into the heart ofChina, featuring a five dayYangtze River cruise through the incomparable Three Gorges, plus extensive visits to Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and more. See the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Temple ofHeaven, Terra Cotta Warriors and all the relics and treasures ofChinas rich History. The dam is completed and will open in June 2003- this is the last chance to see China before its face is changed forever. 19 days/$5195 including air from west coast/Gohagan & Company

Alumni College in Provence (2 weeks to choose from June 16- 24, 2003 AND June 23- July 1, 2003) Unpack once and explore the beauty of France and its history, culture and food. A week in Aix-en-Provence, with day trips to many surrounding areas. See Cassis, Arles, and Avignon, with its Palace of the Popes, plus many of the surrounding villages with their chateaux, vineyards and Roman ruins. 9 days ($2495 including air from NY)/ Alumni Holidays

Alumni College in Sorrento (2 weeks to choose from October 21-29 AND October 29- November 5, 2003) See the best part of Italy after the heat and crowds ofsummer are gone. Stay in Sorrento at theAmbassiatore Hotel, with its stunning cliffviews, and then venture out to Naples, Amalfi, the Isle ofCapri and Pompeii to see the ruins. Travel the fabled Amalfi Coast with its charming seaside villages including Positano and more. 9 days/($2495 include, air (NY)/Alumni Holidays

Alaska’s Inside Passage (July 26-August 2, 2003) The Yorktown Clipper brings small ship elegance to an area you’ve always wanted to see up close. Visit Tracy Arm, Sawyer Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Sitka, Petersburg, Misty Fjords and Ketchikan. With two options; the cruise portion to explore by sea, or add the Denali pre-cruise extension to see Alaska by both sea and land. 8 days/from $2460 plus air/Clipper Cruises.

***Please note prices and dates are tentative, please see brochure for final information

FOR MORE INFORMATION

PLEASE VISIT www.jointacademytravel.org

EMAIL bobbi.collins@jointacademytravel.org OR CALL 410-263-4448, EXT. 139.

LEON ISMAEL SMITH-HARRISON, ’75: Maj USAFR; 02: Physician The Virginia Urology Center Richamond VA; 96-99: MBA University of Richmond; 91: PartnerPediatricUrologyTheVirginiaUrologyCtr Richmond VA; 88-91: AsstProfSurgery/ Urology DirPediatricUrology MedCollVA RichmondVA; 85-88: StaffUrologist USAFRegMedCen ClarkABPI; 84-85: Pedi atricUrologyFellowship ChildrensHosp PhiladelphiaUnivPA; 81-84: UrologyResident UnivCASanFranciscoSchMed; 79-81: ResidentGenSurgery WilfordHallMedCen LacklandAFB; 75-79: UnivCASanFranciscoSchMed-MD

SUSAN JANE HELMS, ’80: Col SN; 03: Division Chief Space Control Division Peterson AFB; 00: MsnSpecAstro SpaceShuttleAtlantis STS-101; 97: IntlSpaceStation(ISS)Astro Expedition2 (ISS2); 95-96: PayloadCmdr/Astro SpaceShuttleColumbia STS-78; 93-95: MsnSpecAstro SpaceShuttleDiscovery STS-64; 92-93: MsnSpecAstro SpaceShuttleEndeavor STS-54; 90-91: AstroTng NASA JohnSpaceCen HoustonTX; 89-90: USAFExchO CF-18FltTestEngr AerospEngrTestEstabFltDy namicSec CN; 88-89: Stu FltTestEngr TestPltSch EdwardsAFB; 85-88: AsstProf DFAN USAFA; 84-85: Stu StanfordUniv; 80-84: F-l6/F-15WpnsEngr AFATL EglinAFB

*WILLLAM WALTER MAYWHORT, ’68: 78: Partner Holland&Hart EnglewoodCO/GreenwoodVillage CO; 75-78: EnvironmentalLawSpec GenLitigationDiv JAG HqUSAF; 72-74: AsstSJA 12FTWg RandolphAFB; 69-72: Stu UnivNC; 68-69: ProcO 24CmbtSptGp McConnellAFB

*JOHN THOMAS MOORE, ’78: SP; 02: Senior V-President Information Systems Best Buy; 00-02: V-Pres InformationTech Dell; 98-00: SrV-PresTech NationalAssnofSecuritiesDealers; 95-98: V-Pres Citicorp WestlakeTX; 93-95: Dir AdvancedEngr MartinMariettaAstroSpace PrincetonNJ; 89-92: Mgr SysEngr GE WesternSys; 86-89: Mgr Cmd&ConSysIntegration GESpaceSys PA; 84-85: Pit 27TFSq LangleyAFB; 80-83: Pit 67TFSq KadenaABJA; 79-80: PltTng VanceAFB

*JAMES PAUL ULM, ’61: Ret BGen 91 CP; 97: IndependentConsultant COSprings CO; 91-97: BM/C4I TechDeptHead/ Consultant LogiconGeoDynamics COSpringsCO; 90-91: DirNORADPlanningStaffHqNORAD PetersonAFB; 87-89: CmdDir/ViceDir NORADCmbtOpsStaffCheyenneMtComplex; 86-87: IG HqATC RandolphAFB; 84-86: WgCmdr l4FTWg ColumbusAFB; 83-84: Dir Stdn/Eval HqATC RandolphAFB; 82-83: Plt/DptyCmdrOpns 64FTWg ReeseAFB; 78-82: Cmdr 8FTSq VanceAFB; 76-78: CmdrUSAF RecruitingDet MilwaukeeWI; 73-76: AsstExO DirPersPgm DCS/P WADC; 72-73: AOC CWDS-33 USAFA; 69-70: TngO HqMAC; 68-69: Pit 39AR&RSq TuyHoaABSVN; 65-67: Pit 79AR&RSq AndersenABGU; 6265: Pit 8TacAirliftSq McChordAFB; 61-62: PltTng ReeseAFB

*ALAN VICTOR ROGERS, ’64: Ret MGen 93 CP; 02: Retired; 00-02: SrV-Pres&GenMgr ICSG AMS; 97: V-Pres AmericanMgtSysInc Fairfax VA; 94-97: Principal GeminiConsulting MorristownNJ; 93: Consultant BurdeshawAssocLtd FallsChurchVA; 91-93: DirOperationalPlans&Interoperability JtStaffJ-7 WADC; 89-91: AsstCofStaffOpns SHAPE CasteauBE; 86-88: DCSOpns/DCSStratPlanning&Analysis&JSTPS/IG HqSAC; 84-86: WgCmdr 96BmbWg DyessAFB; 83-84: WgCmdr 5BmbWg MinotAFB; 82-83: V-Cmdr 7BmbWg CarswellAFB; 80-82: C LongRangePlansBr HqUSAF; 75-79: Cmdr/OpnsO/ AcftCmdr 44lBmbSq MatherAFB; 72-75: Colonels’ Assignments HqUSAF; 70-72: Stu: HarvardBusSch; 69-70; Aide/Pit USAF RecruitingService RandolphAFB; 67-69: InstrPlt/Acadlnstr 3526StuSq WilliamsAFB; 66-67: Pit 333TFSq TakhliABTH; 64-65: PltTng WebbAFB

* Current BoardMembers

Gen. Dave

’72, Dean ofFaculty, who were also on hand

Flying Team Earns Trip to National Competition

By Jennifer Brugman Academy Spirit

The USAFA Flying Team obliterated all challengers at the flying competition held at the Academy in October.

“It went very well-at least for us,” said Bert Boyce, flying team coach.

Six teams competed from across the midwest, includingRocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., Colorado Northwest CommunityCollege, Utah State, Metro State College ofDenver and Westminster College, according to Cadet 1st Class Patrick Killingsworth.

The Academy scored 322 points. Metro State College ofDenver, the next highest scorer, earned 100 points.

“I think home field advantage had a lot to do with it,” said team captain Cadet 1st Class Timothy Dowling ofthe team’s stunningvictory. “We work really hard down here. We have a great coachbig staffand great instructors. Every year we try not to take this competition for granted knowing that it’s a stepping stone for nationals. I think we set a tone this year and we’d like to have that carry over into nationals.”

The Academy received an automatic invitation to the National FlyingCompetition Championship in May at the University ofNorth Dakota, Grand Forks. Teams from across the nation will compete in events designed to test their skills in navigation, plane identification and then knowledge ofFederal Aviation Administration regulations.

Strange Note Forces

D.C. Plane Back to Gate

WASHINGTON (AP)

A cryptic note a passenger gave to a flight attendant led the pilot to return to the gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday.

ATA Flight 295 to Chicago’s Midway Airport was taxiing toward the runway when a man passed the note—written on a napkin—which contained three words: “fast, neat, average.”

Airline spokeswoman Angela Thomas said the man asked that the note be given to the pilot. But the pilot had no idea what it meant.

Airport police took the man into custody, but after several hours of questioning and background checks he was released, an airport spokeswoman said. The man was not identified. The flight left one hour 15 minutes late, and arrived in Chicago without further incident.

According to Thomas, the man initially claimed to be an Air Force Academy cadet, and said the message on his note would have been understood by an Air Force pilot. The ATA pilot did not have military experience.

Air Force Academy spokesman Lt. Greg Hignite said airline officials told him the man later said he was a neighbor of a cadet who attends the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Air Force spokesman Capt. Peter Kerr said the expression is, in fact, part of academy lore and originates from a form that cadets must fill out to rate the quality of food and service at the campus dining hall. If the meal and service are adequate, the standard responses are “fast-neat-average, friendly-good-good.”

According to legend, Kerr said, the same words were used during the Vietnam War as a challenge and response during rescue attempts in which a downed pilot was an academy graduate.

Before Sept. 11, 2001, cadets and graduates on commercial flights would sometimes write “fast-neat-average” on a napkin and ask a flight attendant to give it to the cockpit crew. The code words often brought an invitation to tour the cockpit or ride in the jump seat, Kerr said.

“It’s certainly a regrettable misunderstanding, but it’s something that cadets would normally do,” Kerr said. “It is a common practice, or at least it was.”

Reprinted withpermission ofThe Associated Press.

SCORECARD

quality pitchers, but we have a lot of depth on this staff.”

The Falcons enter the season with three new assistant coaches. Greg Brummett is AFA’s new pitching coach while 1st Lt. Chris Humphrey, ’00, will be the team’s new first base coach and will work with the outfielders and catchers. Mark Breeding also joins the team and will work with the infielders and the junior varsity.

Four of the five starters in the infield return and are all coming off ofsolid seasons.

All four are seniors and give Air Force its most experienced infield in many years.

“Our infield was much improved last season and should be even better this year,” Peters said. “We have some talent and also some depth in the infield and have some good young players who will push our returning starters.”

Peters voiced guarded optimism about the outfield.

Baseball Gears Up For a Home Run Season

By Dave Toller Athletic Media Relations

Entering his fourth season as the Falcons’ skipper, Reed Peters returns more position players than any other team in the Mountain West Conference.

Air Forces veteran position players and untested starting rotation will be tested this season.

With eight returning position starters and 81 percent of the team’s offense returning, the team’s offense and defense give Peters the kind ofsecurity that allows coaches to sleep well at night.

However, it is the pitching staffthat has created a few sleepless nights for the reigning MWC Coach ofthe Year.

With possibly the best starting rotation in the league last season, Peters led the Falcons to 27-28 overall record and a 14-15 mark in the MWC.

The 14 wins are the most in school history while the 27 wins are the most in seven years and the fifth most in school history.

However, two of the three starters from that team have graduated leaving a huge void in the rotation.

“We feel like we’ve got a good nucleus back,” Peters said.

“Our big question mark is going to be on the mound. Our offense and defense were much improved last season and we should be even better this year with so many returning starters.”

“Our pitching staff is young and untested, but I have a lot of confidence in them,” Peters said. “We lost two very

“We have some depth and versatility in our outfield,” Peters said. “We have some very good offensive players, but we need to be better defensively.” 81

Women’s Basketball Off to a Great Start

The Air Force women’s basketball team is off to its best start ever since moving to Division I. Midway through the season, the team had notched seven victories-the highest win total since the team moved to Division I in 1996. On January 30th, The Falcons notched a thrilling one-point victory over conference opponent UNLV. It was the first Mountain West win of the year for Air Force, snapping a 41-game conference losing streak dating back to January, 2000. C3C LaToya Howell had a single-game record 15 assists, bringing her season total to an Academy record 119 assists. SI

Women’s Soccer

Scoring goals again was a problem for the womens soccer team that finished the season 7-12-0 overall and sixth in the Mountain West Conference with a 2-4 record. The Falcons lost to New Mexico in the first round ofthe MWC Championships to end their season.

Air Force placed two players on the all-MWC team. Sophomore mid fielder C3C Cookie Day and senior defender ClC Billie Rothwell were honored by the league’s coaches. Day, from Mansfield, Texas, tied for the team lead with five goals and was second on the team with 12 points in 19 games. Rothwell, from Round Rock, Texas, started all 19 games for the Falcons and played solid defense all season. S

Above and Beyond Air Force Fencers

By Madeline McGuire Athletic Media Relations

When it comes to fencing, the Air Force Academy fencers are all that and more.

For instance, this year’s women’s team captain ClC Elia Burrill is currently ranked 15th in NCAA Division I women’s epee. She is also a twotime MVP and has qualified for the NCAA Division I championships three years in a row. This past summer she attended World Cup Fencing Championships in Cuba and Australia. Fiowever, above and beyond fencing, she’s held numerous Academy leadership roles such as squadron academic non-commissioned officer, responsible for the academic welfare of the members of Cadet Squadron 24. Burrill was also the squadron flight non-commissioned officer, responsible for the day-to-day

performance and operation ofapproximately 40 cadets. Presently, she is the squadron element leader, responsible for the overall professional development of 12 cadets.

That’s not all, the Academy’s department of management selected Burrill to work in Washington, D.C. at the Acquisition Career Management Policy Office during the summer of2002, and she was awarded the Outstanding Summer Research Award.

ClC Seth Kelsey is another ofAir Force’s top fencers. Kelsey is an “A” rated fencer and a five-time junior world team member. He’s a senior two-time world team member and a three-time All-American and a senior national champion. His experience on the fencing strip has affirmed him as an outstanding male epee fencer in the nation and a two-time Air Force Academy team MVP.

ClC Anthony Pryor is one ofthe team captains this season. Pryor is involved with a myriad ofactivities both on and offthe strip. He is the 2003 ring committee design chairman. He is also the co-president of the commandant’s Way ofLife committee and was a squadron commander for first basic cadet training. Pryor is majoring in biology with a minor in Spanish. His goal is to attend pilot training and fly the B-l bomber. A “B” rated fencer, his other goal is to become All-American by the end ofhis senior season, and .has nothing but high expectations for this year’s team.”

Kelsey and Pryor also participate in the Kid Force program teaching fencing to local elementary school children each week after practice. [>

ClC Andrea Rix is a Division III “C” rated fencer majoring in economics.

ClC Elia Burrill is currently ranked 15th in NCAA Division I women’s epee.

SCORECARD

Another fencer who goes above and beyond is ClC Andrea Rix. Rix is a Division III “C” rated fencer who is majoring in economics. One ofher military leadership roles was cadet-in-charge ofOperation Air Force last summer, and she has been appointed squadron commander for Cadet Squadron 13 during the spring 2003 semester. With a minor in German, she was selected to attend the German Summer Immersion program in Austria. With all that, she has been selected to the dean’s list with a grade point average of 3.0 or better and has received the commandant’s pin for her 3.0 military performance average.

Her involvement with the community includes demonstrating fencing techniques to local Colorado Springs elementary school children who are interested in the art of fencing. She’s involved with the Academy’s Kid Force program, teaching fencing each week after practice.

Going above and beyond is just one of C2C Curtis Marshall’s goals, another of the top Air Force fencers. Ax a cadet-athlete, Marshall aspires to become well rounded and excel in all he does. To accomplish that goal, he has pursued leadership positions, which can positively influence those around him while learning how the Air Force works. Last summer, he was the superintendent for global engagement, the highest-ranking two-degree position in that program. His role in global engagement gave him the experience and motivation to see how far he could go. He was also chosen for wing staff as the services NCO.

A third-year varsity fencer who walked on to the team, Marshall has been on the dean’s list for four semesters. He’s active in the Christian community both at the Academy and in his hometown. Marshall, like Burrill, Kelsey, Rix and Pryor, has succeeded in setting high academic, athletic and military goals. They are all involved in their classes, fencing and the community.

To them, “going above and beyond is just all that!” H

Falcons Finish Third in Western Water Polo Association

The Air Force water polo team finished its season with a 9-6 win over BYU-Hawaii for the third place spot at the Western Water Polo Association Championships hosted by UC San Diego, Nov. 2223. The Falcons ended their season 14-6 in the WWPA and 16-12 overall.

Water Polo - Senior ClC Charles Horn, juniors C3C Brandon Shroyer and Micah Peterson, and sophomore Murphy Morgan were named to the 2002 Western Water Polo all-conference teams. S

Wrestling Takes Third at All-Academy Championships

By Kendahl Johnson Athletic Media Relations

ir Force heavyweight ClC Kevin Hoy was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler as he beat Army’s John Paxton 5-0 to become just the second four-time All-Academy champion. C3C Lucas Lefever (185 pounds) grabbed his first title, but it wasn’t enough, as the Falcons placed third overall at the Ninth Annual All-Academy Wrestling Championships held at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

YMI totaled 91 points beating second-place Army by 12 points. Three-time defending champion Air Force was third with 76.5 points followed by Navy (70.5), Citadel (68.5), Coast Guard and Norwich (6.5) and Kings Point (3). The top five teams each had two champions.

Three other Falcon grapplers earned second-place trophies. C2C Heath McKim (125), C4C Matthew Benza (133) and ClC Christopher Bennett (141) each lost in the championship match oftheir respective weight classes. H

cons Earn Academic -Mountain West Conference Football Honors

Air Force placed eight players on the Mountain West Conference All-Academic team for the 2002 football season. This year’s squad is comprised of 87 student-athletes, including 43 repeat qualihers consisting of4 four-time honorees, 15 three-time selections and 24 named for the second consecutive year.

Senior halfback ClC Tom Heier and juniors C2C Joey Ashcroft (kicker) and C2C Blane Neufeld (OL) are repeat honorees on the team. Also on the team from Air Force were seniors C1C Bryan Blew (QB), C1C Wayne Southam (OL) and John Welsh (P), junior C1C Adam Strecker (TE), and sophomore C3C John Rudzinski (ILB).

To be eligible for selection student-athletes must have completed at least one academic term at the member institution while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and be a starter or significant contributor. A closer look at AFA’s honorees follows below.

Joey Ashcroft, Jr., 3.43, Ops Research

Brian Blew, Sr., 3.71, Management

Tom Heier, Sr., 3.00, Civil Engineering

Blane Neufeld, Jr., 3.08, Management

John Rudzinski, So., 3.38, Management

Wayne Southam, Sr., 3.51, Civil Engineering

Adam Strecker, Jr., 3.69, Civil Engineering

John Welsh, Sr., 3.32, Management K

Women’s Volleyball

The Air Force volleyball team finished the year 8-22 overall and 2-12 in the Mountain West. They improved tremendously over the previous season, when they won just two matches. The Falcons won back-to-back tournaments, winning the Air Force Invitational and the Falcons Invitational. They notched a road win over BYU, the first time ever in Air Force history that the team defeated BYU. Their other conference victory was over Wyoming. C2C Delavane Diaz finished sixth in the league in kills. C3C Tiffany Bishop had a breakout season, finishing seventh in the league in hitting percentage (.300). Setter C2C Kristin Huitt also had a career season. She notched 1,163 assists, more than doubling her total from last year. She averaged 11.51 assists, which is the fourth best average in Air Force history. Her season output ranked fifth all-time. She also led the team in digs. H

Confidence Simmers in Lacrosse Players

By Kendahl Johnson Athletic Media Relations

’’IT Tery competitive in 2002, the team won several \ I games, including two big league victories, T which sparked the new confidence.

Their enthusiasm, work ethic and focus give head coach Fred Acee a lot to be optimistic about, as he continues to remodel the team into a top-notch Division I program.

“Our players are working hard,” Acee said. “They are excited about the season. They know what it takes to win and are doing all that they can to be successful.”

Acee added that experience playing against several major teams, including national champion Syracuse and nationally ranked Maryland and Ohio State, have added to the team’s excitement and confidence for the upcoming season.

One of the biggest indicators of the team’s confident attitude is the level of competition during practice. Each player is fighting hard for a starting role, and no position is guaranteed this year, especially with the addition of 16 new freshmen recruits.

These young and talented players add depth all over the field, especially at goalie and midfield. This year’s roster also features experience, with eight seniors returning.

The seniors will play a pivotal role in leading the team through another challenging schedule.

The Falcons will face tough competition within their conference, the Great Western Lacrosse League. It is a very competitive league that includes Notre Dame, Fairfield, Butler, Ohio State and Denver.

Air Force will also be gunning for fellow service academies Army and Navy.

Although the schedule is tough, Acee believes the 2003 Falcons will improve upon the successes of 2002 and have a breakout season.

“To be successful, we must increase goal production and decrease goals against, especially on man-down defense,” Acee said. “We also have five key players who must recover from off-season surgery and regain their playing form from a year ago.”

A solid returning class with experience and ability and a strong group of newcomers will help the Falcons be competitive in 2003.

Expect the Falcons’ positive attitude and strong work ethic to carry the team to numerous victories this season. O

All Graduates and Friends of Air Force Academy Athletics

Join friends and fellow graduates for a fun afternoon ofgolf and dinner to benefit cadet athletes

Thursday, June 5

Reception at 6 p.m. at Embassy Suites

Friday, June 6

Lunch 11:00 a.m. at Eisenhower Goif Course (catered by Outback Steak House)

Golf at 1:30 p.m. (Shotgun Start)

Eisenhower Blue Course

Cocktails at 6 p.m., Dinner at 7 p.m. at USAA Building

Corporate sponsorship available (Tax ID #98-03578) All

June 5-6, 2003 (First come, first served) M H

Air Force Academy

Eisenhower Blue Golf Course

Headed to Jacks Valley

By Eric Holt, CFA, Class of’91

We can make money in stocks!

In the 4th quarter of2002, the domestic equity markets actually showed some improvement with the S&P 500 being up 10%, the Dow increasing 11% and the Nasdaq rising by 17%. Unfortunately, many of us missed out on this because we were sitting on the sidelines after feeling burned by the last three years. While it takes a great deal of conviction, the best values can be had when everyone else is selling and driving prices down. Consider the performance of these blue chips:

It’s easy to identify the “bottom” looking back on the market, but it’s impossible to predict and I can’t emphasize enough the importance ofstaying invested and not trying to time moves in the market—that’s a loser’s game. Since most people won’t spend 40-50 hours a week on their investments, it’s prudent to use a mutual fund and let the Portfolio Manager worry about keeping a long-term perspective when the markets look bleak. Back to BMFT:

■ Value Funds versus Growth Funds This refers to the fund’s investment style. A growth manager focuses on earnings growth/momentum while a value manager mainly buys beaten down, “out offavor” stocks. Typically, a growth stock will have a high price to earnings (P/E) multiple while a value stock will have a low P/E. Krispy Kreme (KKD) typifies growth stocks with a P/E of 56 and Washington Mutual (WM) is more of a value stock with a P/E of 10. Is one style better than the other? D>

From 1980 to 2000, it appears as if the two styles were negatively correlated-while value was up, growth was down and vice versa. While the data above shows wide variance on an annual basis, over the last ten years, there has been little difference in the performance of the two styles:

Granted, it’s difficult to watch a good, long-term performer like Janus Twenty lose 32% of it’s value in 2000, drop another 29% in 2001, and then decline 24% in 2002 (and STILL be in the top 20% oflarge growth funds over the last ten years) and feel comfort in knowing that growth and value will produce similar returns over the long-term. One could argue that buying one style and sticking to it over the long term is prudent, but I think most investors should have value and growth representation in their portfolios. Due to the low, long-term correlation between these styles, this will dampen volatility which means the swings in your net worth (up and down) will be much smaller and you will be less likely to succumb to the temptation ofchasing last year’s hot fund (see last issue).

■ Active versus Passive Management Active management means the portfolio manager is actively trying to make money (and beat their benchmark/peers) by buying and selling positions. Passive funds seek to replicate the performance of some index—the most widely used index is the S&P 500 which basically measures the equity performance ofthe 500 largest domestic companies. Active managers seek to outperform the indices while passive managers will just accept the index returns. Does active management result in higher returns? Consider the following from Morningstar and Wilshire: >■

As you can see, in this period, there were only two years where the majority of mutual funds outperformed the Wilshire 5000 (a

more complete measure of equity market performance as it includes large, small, and midsize companies.) This isn’tjust a decade long phenomenon-from 1973-1998, only one-third ofmutual funds were able to outperform the Wilshire 5000. Why is it so hard for active managers to beat their benchmark? Because it’s expensive! More active trading results in higher costs (taxes, commissions, salaries, etc) and the harder it becomes to outperform your peers (because you have to recoup those costs in returns JUST to keep up with the index). Index funds are much cheaper and may provide superior returns relative to active managers over the long run.

The Ten Commandments ofMutual Funds

Thou shalt:

I. Avoid high cost mutual funds. If the annual expense ratio is over .75%, it may be too expensive. Notable exceptions are small cap, mid-cap, and international funds where 1.50% would be acceptable.

II. Avoid loaded mutual funds. Be especially wary of “programs” which require you to pay very high loads in the first few years (even if they decline to lower, but still high, levels later). Ask yourself what these expensive programs do for you that you cannot do yourself.

III. Pick good managers and stick with them. Don’t fall prey to temptation and chase returns by buying last year’s hot fund. Invariably, you’ll buy/sell at the wrong time and the results will be suboptimal.

IV. Buy value and growth funds. Styles move in and out of favor and having both elements will reduce the fluctuations in your portfolio. The “downside” in this approach is you won’t have years where your accounts are up 50% (but you shouldn’t ever be down 50% either).

V. Index a portion of your portfolio. Large company stocks have returned 11.3% since 1925-would you take a low-cost approach with returns like that for the next 30 years? Investors should consider indexing their entire large cap stock allocation. D>

Percentage

VI. Use bond funds. (1) Most people don’t have enough capital to adequately diversify their bond holdings; (2) Small bond holdings are harder to sell; (3) The bond market is less efficient than the stock market so there may be someone out there ready to take advantage ofyour naivete. Beware: do not expect recent bond returns to be duplicated over the next few years.

VII. Look overseas. While the correlation between the U.S. and other major economies around the world is increasing, it may still be prudent to add an international fund manager to your portfolio. Avoid funds which are confined to a specific country/region and let the manager decide where conditions look the best.

VIII. Think small. Smaller stocks have returned 12.6% since 1925. Every blue chip was a small cap at one time but thousands of small companies fail every year. Thus, the returns may be higher but this comes with higher risk. Studies suggest active managers may have an edge in the small cap markets.

IX. Think long-term. When choosing a fund, be wary of good performance over one or two years and focus on the long-term track record. I like to see performance in a variety ofmarket conditions. While past performance is no guarantee offuture performance, I’ll take managers with a strong long-term track record and a proven discipline over those that consistently lose money and underperform their peers and benchmarks.

X. Don’t expect miracles. Just because your fund was down does not mean the portfolio manager wasn’t doing their job. A significant portion ofthe returns you will see in your accounts is driven by the overall market and the sector in which your manager invests. Many find it surprising that the individual stocks purchased have the smallest effect on overall performance. The point? Don’t expect your equity fund to make you money in a falling stock market; if this isn’t acceptable, increase your bond and cash allocation. S

NEXT ISSUE: Annuities-good for the buyer or the seller?

For more information or ifyou have any questions, please contact eric@wealthadvisory.com or your financial advisor. The illustrations above are not a guarantee and readers should contact their financial advisor before taking any investment actions.

nai

ALUMNI REUNION ommittee 5-8

JUNE 2003

The USAFA Way of Life Committee Alumni in conjunction with the AOG will host its Inaugural Alumni Reunion at the USAF Academy, 5-8 June 2003. The event is billed as the USAFA first Way of Life Committee Alumni and family, “All Class” reunion. The purpose of the reunion is to establish an event for active duty, retired, and separated USAFA Way of Life Committee Alumni and their families to renew friendships, network, and to recognize and honor those fellow classmates who are deceased. It will provide a continuing forum for active duty mentorship, transition assistance, networking and fraternity. It will also provide USAFA Way of Life Committee Cadets access to Alumni who may serve as host families for current and future cadets, for years to come. Additionally, the event will help establish an electronic databdse of important contact informatio

For more information visit the USAFA Way of Life Committee Alumni Web site at http://64.14.127.243/testpanel/default.aspx.

Richard P. Hall, 79, rph147532@aol.com, (954)435-6166

Frank L. Wallace, 77, flwallace@email.com, (901) 358-5856

James C. McReynolds, 77, jcmcreynolds@cox.net, (757) 833-6745

Will C. Ibantzler, 76, wdantzler@netbasecorp.com, (703) 369-7767

Northwestern Preparatory School

The Air Force Academy Fund imj

Help the Air Force Academy Fund

Reach its Goal by 30 June 2003

In January, gifts to the Air Force Academy Fund surpassed the $1.2 million mark and are moving upwards toward a $2 million goal. Gifts from graduates, parents and friends are vital to the success of this annual giving program and your generous support is needed to reach our target by June 30.

As you consider how the Academy shaped your life or that ofyour child, think ofthe cadets who attend USAFA now. These young men and women are achieving great things as cadets and are looking forward to serving our country as Air Force officers. Many of the programs that set the Academy experience apart from civilian universities are not federally funded. Your unrestricted gifts to the Air Force Academy Fund are dedicated to funding programs that make a difference. Contributions can be made by visiting the “Giving Back” page on the AOG web site at www.aog-usafa.org or by calling the

Association of Graduates at (719) 472-0300. Your donation signals your support of the outstanding men and women who will lead our nation in the 21st Century. Your participation counts—strengthen and enhance the Long Blue Line by making a gift today!

Class Giving Graduates Make a Difference

New Class Giving Campaigns are underway and graduates are catching a vision for the impact they can make here at the Academy. Classes are setting higher goals and raising more money than ever before. It is exciting to see graduates enthusiastically supporting the Academy and AOG by participating in their class campaigns.

The Class of 1959 is well on their way to raising $100,000 for a “Challenge Bridge” which will be part of the Heritage Trail at Doolittle Hall. The Heritage Trail, a walkway on the AOG grounds, will celebrate significant achievements ofAcademy graduates and highlight their contributions to our nation, the Air Force and the Academy. The ’59 Bridge will extend a challenge to new appointees who will cross it after completing in-processing in Doolittle Hall. Joining the Class of 1959 in this effort are the ATOs who served as their upper classmen. Gifts to date total more than $60,000.

The Classes of 1969 and 1973 have also recently contributed to the Heritage Trail project. Money raised by both classes in conjunction with their 30th ($70,000) and 25th ($88,000) reunions, respectively, was given to the AOG to construct the first section of the Trail.

The Class of I960 has given a $44,000 gift as well to the AOG to fund landscape renovations in front of Doolittle Hall. The renovation was undertaken to level the

front lawn and add a walkway just outside the main entrance where appointees enter the AOG for in-processing. Thank you to ’59 and ATOs, ’60, ’69 and ’73 for supporting the AOG’s master plan.

The Classes of 1962, 1982 and 1992 launched class giving campaigns in conjunction with celebrating their reunions last fall.

The Class of 1962, the Original RTBs, undertook an ambitious goal to raise $620,000 in celebration oftheir 40th reunion. The RTBs have pledged just over $200,000 towards the effort and will present their gift, which includes a Class Paver Project and an endowment, at their 45th reunion.

The Class of 1982 undertook an equally ambitious goal of $382,000. At their 25th reunion, the class will present their unrestricted gift to the AOG and dedicate their Class Paver Project at Doolittle Hall. To date, the members of the class have pledged just under $200,000 towards their goal.

The Class of 1992 just kicked-off their phone solicitation campaign, reaching for the highest 10-year class goal of$199,200. This “True Blue” class has committed to making an unrestricted gift to the AOG in support ofits three-fold mission. Last year, the Class of 1991 raised just over $151,000 and set the record for 10-year classes. A little friendly competition has motivated the Class of 1992 plans to exceed ’91 s success.

Looking ahead to the new reunion season, Reunion Committees are including Class Giving as an important part of the celebration. Contact Chery Flores, Chery.FIores@usafa.af.mil, or Elizabeth Winn, Liz.Winn@usafa.af.mil, at the AOG to learn more about how your class can impact the future of the Academy and Association.

Automate Your Pledge Payment

No reminders—No checks—No stamps! Automating your pledge payments by using your MasterCard, Visa or American Express card saves you time and money and assures that your donation is received regardless ofwhere you are. Automating your gift payments also saves the Association of Graduates the cost of paper and postage, making your gift even more valuable!

Ifyou wish to make all future pledge payments automatically by credit card, please call or write Sandy Luckhurst, Data Administrator, (719) 472-0300, 3116 Academy Drive, USAF Academy, CO 80840. Please do not e-mail this information to the AOG since e-mail is not a secure means oftransferring credit card information. When writing, include your AOG ID number, name, address, phone number, gift fund and pledge amount, MasterCard, Visa or AmEx number, expiration date and indicate that you wish to automate your remaining pledge payments. Credit card payments are processed on the 20th ofthe month in which your gift is due.

2003 Calendar

The Air Force Academy Fund Calendar was not published this year due to production issues. We are aware that many graduates, parents and friends are missing the calendar and we are considering future plans for publishing a calendar.

Sabre Society Meets in New York City

Over 145 Sabre Society donors met in the “Big Apple” on 8 Nov 02 for our most recent regional event, hosted by the AOG, at New York City’s Union League Club. We would like to especially thank Brig. Gen. (Ret.) John, ’62, and MaryJo Flanagan, our sponsors at the Union League Club. This was the Sabre Society’s fourth dinner at the Club and Gen. Flanagan noted that attendence has almost doubled at each biannual dinner. The first year, we held an intimate dinner for 20 people. In 1996, that number doubled to 45, and in 2000 numbers increased to 88. This year 146 attendees enjoyed an elegant dinner in the exquisite Library and Lincoln Hall. Col. Jim Shaw,

Ways to Give to the AOG & Air Force Academy

Gift

Bequest

472-0300 or e-mail Gary.Howe@usafa.af.mil

’67, President ofthe AOG, Lt. Gen. “JD” Dallager, ’69, USAFA Superintendent, and Col. Randy Spetman, ’76, USAFA Athletic Director addressed the group. Gen. Dallager shared his vision for the future ofthe Academy and Col. Spetman, capped offthe evening by sharing his thoughts about the Air Force/Army football game at West Point.

Saturday morning over 80 people

boarded two tour coaches bound for West Point to cheer on the Falcons. Everyone appreciated being chauffeured to the game, enjoying the beautiful scenery and turning leaves along the way. When we arrived at Michie Stadium, we met up with 400 additional Sabre Society donors attending the sold out game. What a game! Of course, it helps that Air Force won 49-30.

For some, this wasn’t just dinner and a football game. Many used the Sabre Society event as an excuse to take a mini-vacation and chose to enjoy the ambiance ofthe “big city” by taking in the sights, the shops and even a Broadway show. Thanks to everyone who attended and made this event a success!

CATCH THE MATCH! Matching Gift Programs Boost Gifts to Air Force Academy Fund

MATCHING

During the past five years, matching gift contributions have increased dramatically and are playing a critical role in the ongoing success of the AOG’s fund raising efforts. Thanks to donor efforts, more than $150,000 was raised in support of the AOG and Academy during the 2002 fiscal year. Six months into the new fiscal year, matching gift dollars already total more than 60 percent of the dollars received in 2002.

Is your company on the AOG’s Top 10 Matching Gift Company list?

Delta Northrop Grumman Litton Alliant Energy Foundation Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) - UPS Foundation Entergy ExxonMobil Corp. Lockheed Martin BP Corp. 3M

Or among thefollowing companies?

Ford MotorCompany AT&T Foundation BAE Systems Sun Microsystem

Leigh Portland Cement Co. IBM Corp. Microsoft Corp. Raytheon Co. Chase Manhattan USAA

Contact your company’s personnel office, secure a form, fill out your portion and send it to the AOG each time you make a gift. It’s that simple to double or triple your gift for free!

“YOU MAKE IT BETTER!”

WTHE AIR FORCE ACADEMY FUND

hat do the Visitors’ Center, Eisenhower Golf Course, Doolittle Hall, and Falcon Stadium all have in common? The answer is that without private funds, none of these facilities would exist! As the television commercial says, “We don’t make the product, we make it better!” That’s what the Air Force Academy Fund strives to do. While government funding is adequate for producing fine Air Force officers, there are over 150 programs, events, and activities which depend on private funding to provide the “extra margin ofexcellence.”

The Academy was recently ranked #3 for “Best Academic Experience Overall” by the Princeton Review. There is no doubt that the educational experience cadets receive here is outstanding. But what if we could provide an opportunity to take that experience one step further? For example, why simply read about a leader in a textbook when you can have the individual speak to the cadets in person?

Private Funding Takes the Experience One Step Further

The Distinguished Guest Speaker Program

This program exposes cadets and faculty to high level civilian and military experts, policy makers, and business professionals. Private funding makes this series possible and allows cadets to become involved in other academic-related activities such as summer research programs, international programs, and highly specialized engineering programs. For example, the Small Satellite Research Program gives cadets hands-on experience in designing, building, and testing small, low-cost satellites. One ofthe cadet projects, FALCONSAT is scheduled to be launched on a future shuttle mission.

Recruiting Quality Cadets

In today’s competitive environment, it’s increasingly important that we make qualified high school students aware ofthe opportunities the Academy has to offer. Private funding helps sponsor scholarships for students to attend the Academy’s Summer Seminar, create recruiting CD-ROMs and training CD-ROMs for Admission Liaison Officers. These activities and products help the Academy attract highly qualified young men and women.

Center for Character Development

Character development is an integral part of all Academy activities. The Center for Character Development provides one of the Academy’s most important, visible programs by organizing focused forums. Private donations enable the Academy to remain in the forefront of these national character programs. This money helps the Academy host such nationally recognized programs as the National Character and Leadership Symposium, a conference on selected

character development and core value issues in which renowned guest speakers and students from around the nation interact with our cadets.

Heritage Programs

Academy graduates have built an impressive legacy in less than 50 years. Two have become the Air Force ChiefofStaff, one is a member ofCongress, 33 have become astronauts and one recently received a Presidential appointment as Deputy Administrator for NASA. Preserving, recording, and broadcasting that legacy is the duty of our graduates. Bysupporting heritage programs with private funding we help to strengthen the Long Blue Line.

The Falcon Heritage Forum is one example of A highly successful program that relies on private funding. This forum brings veterans to interact with cadets, bringing alive the experiences ofsoldiers and airmen ofWWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Athletics

To remain competitive at the Division I level, the Academy needs new equipment and modernized facilities. Oftentimes, the only way to purchase these items is through private funding. Whether it’s a replacement scoreboard for the Field House or a dry land training room for the swim team, private funds make the difference between having an average athletic program and being able to recruit top quality student-athletes.

Club Activities

Cadet clubs provide an outlet from the everyday challenges ofAcademy life. Last year, the Air Force Academy Fund provided $100,000 toward that effort. By participating in intercollegiate and intramural athletics or club activities cadets learn valuable lessons in teamwork and dedication which help them develop into well-rounded leaders ofstrong character.

The Air Force Academy Fund

The Air Force Academy Fund is critical to supporting the above programs and many others. Gifts to the Fund are espedally important because they provide annual, unrestricted dollars that the Academy uses for those programs it believes are most important. Last year, the AOG provided over $1 million in direct support to 72 programs, events, and activities and provided indirect support to 15 others. The goal this year is to provide over $1.5 million in support. Your giftplays an important role in enriching the cadet experience for our future leaders. Please give that “extra margin ofexcellence” to the institution that has made such a positive impact on us all. Together we can “make it better!” RSI

For more information on giving to the Air Force Academy Fund, visit our web site at www.aog-usafa.org

AOG Holiday Ornaments

The 2002 Holiday Ornament is still available. This wonderful creation has a glider soaring through the clouds in front of majestic snowcapped mountains topped by Polaris. The inscription on the glider reads “AFA 02” to denote the year of issue.

1999 and newer ornaments-$23.00 each plus S&H

1998 and older ornaments-$20.00 each plus S&H

Greatfor collecting or giving

miss this opportunity to add to your collection. Call the AOG at 719-472-0300.

mice

The information reflected in the directory is obtained from members of the Service Academy Alumni Associations who wish to have their civilian positions listed in the publication. Indexed by geographical area, industry, company name, graduate last name and class year, the directory contains entries of approximately 18,000 graduates in business across the country and worldwide. Born from the belief that the Associations of Graduates and Alumni Associations exist not only to serve their academies but their membership, this directory creates an excellent business leadership network. The information also provides those in need of certain services an efficient way to find a fellow graduate.

Services

Rich Downing, Col., (Ret.), ’70 Vice President, Services

Rich.Downing@usafa.af.mil (719) 472-0300 ext. 500

Graduation, in-processing, reunions-k’s that time again. This year the AOG is excited about starting a partnership with the Air Force Association to host the Outstanding Squadron Banquet which will now be held at the Academy Club. It will continue to be a gala event that properly recognizes the “best of the best.” Of course in-processing will start here in Doolittle Hall as it has in the past several years and we will be offering Bed and Breakfast to those appointees arriving unaccompanied the day prior. Class of 2007-wow, that can certainly make you feel old. For reunions, unfortunately, we still can’t put the dates to bed until we get the football schedule. For now we are planning ’83/’93 on 12 September when we have North Texas penciled in to play, ’68/’78 later in September or early October (still don’t have date or team) and ending with ’63/’73 against Army on 8 November. The Way of Life Alumni will also be having a reunion in June. For the most up-to-date info on all these activities, keep checking the web site at www.aog-usafa.org.

Car Rental

Are You Covered? Maybe you, like me, have always assumed our auto insurance policy has covered us when renting a car or driving outside America—guess again. Most auto insurance companies only cover you in America or the country you have declared as your residence. Before you rent that car in the Caribbean or Europe and decline the insurance option, you should check with your insurance company to ensure you are covered. Some companies can give you supplemental polices or provide you instructions on how to get required insurance.

Allergic To Nickel?

Jostens Offers Solution: Unable to wear your Jostens class ring due to an allergy to nickel? Jostens listened and now offers an alternative nickel free ring. Contact Jostens at 1-800-852-9353 for details and costs to replace your current Jostens’ ring.

Career Conference (SACC)

Find Job Opportunities: Three Service Academy Career Conferences (job fairs) are scheduled in 2003. First is the event

in Washington, D.C. at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City on April 24-23, 2003. Ifyou are unable to attend the DC event, the west coast SACC has been moved to San Diego, CA in August while the third SACC will be held in Dallas, TX in November. SACCs are only available to Service Academy graduates and you must be an AOG member. The SACC continues to be a great way to make contact with recruiters from across the country. For more information, see the ad on page 105 or contact Wayne Taylor at career@aog-usafa.org or ext. 520.

Chapters

Are You Participating?: Marty has done a great job in generating interest that has added 20+ Chapters across the nation during the last year, but that is just the a starting point. Ifyou are not a member of the Chapter in your local area, consider joining. They offer a great venue for networking, helping the community, keeping current on what’s happening at the Academy and having some overall fun. They are NOT just an organization that asks for money, holds boring committee meetings

and makes you recite your 4-degree knowledge. If you are not currently a Chapter member-give it a try-you may like it!

See Chapter News on page 102 for the Chapter nearest you.

Breitling Watches

New Member Product: I have received several calls/e-mails about the Breitling watch and we have decided to accept their offer to produce the Aerospace model

watch with an AOG distinctive face. We hope to have them available in April. As there will be limited numbers ordered, contact me at rich.downing @usafa.af.mil or ext. 500, ifyou are interested in finding out more or reserving one of these unique timepieces at a great price.

Social Security (SS) Credits

Clarification: Last issue I mentioned that Academy time is not included on your DD214 and therefore not included on your SS wage credits worksheet that you receive periodically. I have been informed that, in some cases, these credits are included on the SS worksheet. Bottom line, check your form next time it is mailed out. If cadet credits are not included and you wish to add them, contact USAFA/FMFS at 719-333-4555 or eli.benavidas@usafa.af.mil for documentation.

Saber Rental

Need Some Extras? Weddings and other special events often require use ofsabers that you probably don’t have hidden in your closet. The AOG can help. We have 14 sets ofsix sabers that are available to rent and can be shipped anywhere in the US. The sabers can be reserved up to 12 months in advance. April through August are the busiest times for rentals so, to ensure saber availability, please call early. For more information e-mail steve.knight@ usafa.af.mil or at ext. 522.

Improving Networking

More than 20,000 Participate: The SABRD is a great way to network in your existing business field or to get information on another career you may want to learn more about. Recently, as an incentive to use iSABRD (the internet version of our business resource directory), we offered an opportunity to win a prize to those who updated their information during a specific period. The three winners selected were Grant Bornzin, ’63, Glen Downey, ’82, and Bill Williams, ’93. Thanks to every-

one who went online and updated their profile. Give it a try-there are people ready to help you. For information about this resource and other career programs, e-mail career@aog-usafa. org.

2005 Class Crest

Class Selects Crest Design: After working with Jostens ring company and the AOG, the Class of 2005 has completed their design for their class crest. The class chose to include the Pentagon as a reminder of 9/11. Their motto-“Plenus Animorum” translates to “Full of Pride.”

Merchandise Change

Tax Included: Merchandise purchases no longer require you to “add the tax”. A single price is given for each item and we will pay appropriate taxes from the money we collect. You will also notice that prices are in quarter increments. These changes should make it easier and quicker to purchase merchandise during those hectic times like reunions, graduation and Parents’ Weekend.

2: AOG MAJOR EVENTSSCHEDULE

April 24-25 SACC - Washington, DC

May 16-17 AOG Board Meeting

28 2003 Graduation

June 5-8 Way of Life Alumni Reunion

25 2007 Bed and Breakfast

26 2007 In-Processing

August 14-15 SACC - San Diego, CA

29-31 Parents’ Weekend

30 Home Football Game

September TBD Homecoming/’83/ ’93 reunions

November 5-9 ’63/73 reunions

13-14 SACC - Dallas, TX

of the

Coif Course

The following procedures have been arranged by the AOG for graduates to play golf at the Academy’s Eisenhower Golf course.

Graduates with a military ID: Call (719) 333-3456 no more than 72 hours in advance and follow the same reservation rules applicable to activeduty personnel not stationed at the Academy and retirees. Green fees are $22. Reciprocal privileges are in effect for active-duty graduates who have annual memberships at other Air Force courses. Golf cart fees are $22.

Nonretired, nonactive-duty graduate AOG members: The AOG is allocated eight tee times per month (tee times will be 10 a.m. or later). AOG members who do not have a military ID card may reserve these tee times by contacting Steve Knight at (719) 472-0300 or email steve.knight@usafa.af.mil. He vill contact the golf course and notify you ofthe specific date and tee time reserved. Graduates may schedule only one tee time per month to ensure all eligible graduates have an opportunity to playgolf. Ifby the 25th ofeach month the eight tee times have not been reserved, a graduate may schedule a second tee time. Green fees for nonretired, nonactiveduty graduates are $55 and golf cart fees are $22.

Reunions and Homecoming: A tournament will be scheduled by the Academy and the AOG to accommodate graduates at a set fee of $51 for all players. The fee is independent of military status or golf course membership.

Link to Chapter News

Outlook

CONSTITUENT LIAISON NOTE

The AOG is sorry to report the President ofthe newly-formed Minot Chapter, Lt. Paul Monaghan, ’99, died on 29 Nov 02. A memorial service was held at the Catholic Chapel on 6Dec., followed by a graveside service at the USAFA cemetery. Paul will be missed.

TheAOG is stillactivelyseeking locations where new alumni chapters can be developed. Please look at the map on the next page forplanned locations and contact the AOG ifyou want to assist in their start-ups. However, ifyour city is not listed and you feel there may be enough graduates and interest in your area to start a group, contact the AOG and we will survey the graduates in your area.

Arizona Chapter (AZ) Barb and Ron Marusiak, ’71, have graciously agreed to again host a fireworks, dessert and beverage party at their house on 4 July right on the golf course where the fireworks are set off. The party will start around 7:30 p.m. Their address is 3742 East Orange Blossom, Phoenix, Ariz. 85018. Please RSVP directly to Barb Marusiak at (480) 949-5957.

Capital Chapter (DC/VA) The Capital Chapter is an Academy alumni group residing within the Virginia, DC, and Maryland

region. The Chapter’s headquarters are located within the walls ofthe Pentagon. Some ofthe Chapter’s recent activities included luncheons featuring guest speakers, golf tournaments, local battlefield and West Wing tours, and football tailgate parties. Overall, the Capital Chapter provides an excellent means to maintain the bonds of Academy friendships and camaraderie that words fail to describe. In the spring, we will be planning West Wing tours of the White House for alumni as schedule openings dictate. We are also looking at the possibility of taking a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield. The Chapter has hosted recent golf tournaments at Andrews AFB with numerous attendees to include the former Chief of Staff, Gen. (Ret.) Michael Ryan, ’65. There are plans to host another golfing event at Andrews in the spring. Please visit our web site for a list of the Capital Chapter officers and primary points of contact for information on the Capital Chapter. There you will have the opportunity to join us online. We also ask those alumni who have recently moved into the area or out ofthe area to update their contact information with the National AOG to ensure information is disseminated to the appropriate alumni.

Montgomery Chapter(AL)The Chapter is going strong and looking forward to a great 2003. We’re planning a get-together to say “farewell” to the soon-to-be grads of AWC and ACSC, as well as those PCSing during the summer. We also hope to contact the Class of 2007 appointees who will be heading to “The Zoo”, and have them join us for this occasion. Right now, we are looking at some time in April...more info to come. As always, we are looking for more grads in the Montgomery area to join in the fun. Check out our web site link on the AOG site or email to steven.martinez@maxwell.af.mil.

New England Chapter (MA) Coming up in the Spring will be our annual Golf Tournament and Spring Dinner. In addition, at Hanscom AFB we plan to host the 4 West Point seniors who will be commissioned in the USAF, and also take them by Otis ANG base on a drill weekend to see a flying unit in action.

Northern California Chapter (CA) 2003 promises to be a great year. Starting in April, we will celebrate Founders’ Day with a special tour of the Hiller Aviation Museum, followed by dinner. In June, we will be sure to meet for a picnic at the Moffett Air Show and then another picnic is planned with the Parents Club to send off the new basic cadets to the Class of 2007 (yikes!). A Sports Day at the Moraga Country Club is scheduled again for Sept, and there has been talk of a biking/bus trip around Napa for wine tasting, a visit to the USS Hornet, maybe a harbor cruise and some community service projects. This year we look forward to participation from all classes-young and old! We have incredible spirit from the Classes of 1959-1974 and 1989-1993. We welcome more participation from all classes! Feel free to contact Susan Feland, ’93, Chapter President at oisusan@yahoo.com or 650-5658517, with any other suggestions or questions. Come out and join the fun!!

Puget Sound Chapter (WA) The chapter continues to participate in Joint Service Academy Alumni Breakfasts. It’s a great opportunity to network, hear an outstanding speaker, and find out what other grads are doing in the business world. If you’re interested in attending future functions, contact Larry Graham, ’87, 206-381-3304.

Rampart Chapter (CO) Our Quarterly Luncheons will continue in Feb., May, Aug. and Nov. Details are always on our website and in our Newsletters. We are also planning to continue our support ofthe Bed and Breakfast Program and Graduate Associate Program. Couple that with the Picnic, the Christmas Party, and the upcoming undefeated Football Season (DeBerry hates me for that!); and we should be able to stay out of (or in) trouble.

Chapter^G^^^^^^

GOAL 1

CelebrateAcademy Heritage

The Capital Chapter (DC/VA) There has been a concerted effort with the Virginia DMV to create a USAFA license plate for alumni living in Virginia. Marty Marcolongo, ’88, the AOG’s Constituent Liaison, is working this effort. When the DMV approved the concept in Mar. 2002, he forwarded E-mail to all who expressed interest to send in applications. Those alumni interested in a USAFA license plate should submit an application that can be downloaded from the Capital Chapter site at www.ccaog.org.

GOAL 2

Keep abreast ofAir Force and USAFA topics

Capital Chapter (DC/VA) Lt. Gen. John Dallager, ’69, and Col. Randy Spetman, 76, were guest speakers at a Capital Chapter luncheon hosted in the Pentagon the week of the Army game. It served as an incredible opportunity for 75 alumni to congregate and hear the latest news and future plans for the Academy. Another chapter event included a CCAOG-sponsored luncheon with Gen. Charles Wald, the former DCS of Air and Space Operations. The General briefed the attendees on his experience as the Air Force Air Component Commander for OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. We are currently looking into the availability of distinguished guest speakers for alumni luncheons to be hosted at the Pentagon.

GOAL 4

Provide graduates networking opportunities

Arizona Chapter (AZ) In Oct. 2002, the Chapter had its annual Pot Luck Social. Our thanks to Ed, ’63, and Terry Reisdorf for

hosting this fall activity. We had a great turnout and it was a first class event. In Dec, the Holiday Open House took place. The hosts, Chirl and Jim Sienicki, 74, want to thank everyone that made this a fun and memorable event. Many grads and guests attended, told war stories, and enjoyed the holidays together. In Jan., the 2003 Super Bowl party was hosted byJack, ’68, and Kitty Frost. The party began an hour before kickoff so everyone could enjoy all the pre-game hype and to allow folks plenty of time for pre-game eating and drinking rituals. It was a “super” event.

our annual State of the Wing Dinner at the Woodlawn Country Club in Newton, MA-many thanks to John Kelly, ’65, Mike Kelley, 70, and Lt. Dennis Phillips, ’99, for making all the arrangements. Finally, in Nov. we chartered a bus to see the Falcons whoop up on Army at West Point.

Northern California Chapter (CA) The Chapter had a fabulous 2002 filled with a cocktail hour, picnics, golf at the Moraga Country Club, hikes through the redwoods, a recordbreaking UC Berkeley tailgate and victorious game against the Bears, a splendid Decernber day and dinner at the Mountain Home Inn, a New Years celebration at the USAFA Diamond/Walnut Bowl game, and a cheering section at the Womens Gymnastics meet at San Jose State on 14 Feb.

GOAL 5

Interact with other service academygraduates

New England Chapter (MA) The second half of 2002 has been busy. Col. Dave Chaffee, 77, retired and passed the Chapter President helm to Col. Terry Szanto, ’81. In Sept, we went to downtown Boston for a Harbor Cruise at sunset. In Oct. we hosted BG Dave Wagie, 72, Dean of Faculty, for

Capital Chapter (DC/VA) The Chapter sponsored a contingent to the Army game at West Point on 9 Nov. As in past years, the Chapter chartered a commercial bus for alumni to make the trip to upstate New York. Upon arrival at West Point, the Capital Chapter rendezvoused with the New York Chapter, NY USAFA Parents’ Association and other alumni prior to kickoff.

North Texas Chapter (TX) It was a busy fall for chapter members. We rested during the summer, and came out of the gate running in

Sept. The 28th of Sept, saw a great turnout for the Annual Fall BBQ and Football Watch. Graciously hosted by Rick, ’69, and Kathleen Grandjean, were able to see a close but secure win by the AFA over Utah. What a “grand” opportunity to share the beautiful weather, the magnificent camaraderie, and a grid-iron win! Two weeks later it was our pleasure as alumni to be a part ofthe 2002 Annual Service Academy Golf Classic. Held on 12-15 Oct., at Trophy Club in Southlake TX, we had the treat of watching the USAFA Cadets take the prestigious Reemtsma Trophy. It was the eighth straight year the Falcons were victorious. We love the event! Finally, on 23 Nov., we finished out the years activities with the Tri-Service Flag Football Game. After Army eliminated Navy in the playoffgame, Air Force squared offwith the younger Army squad, and valiantly represented the Blue and Silver in a 26-7 loss. “Ringers” aside, it was quite an effort, and ultimately a satisfying result since we had the opportunity to sample Tom Stites’, ’72, hospitality as the post game party host. Heard after the Flag Football Game: “I don’t think you should be able to play unless your double-digit age begins with a four.” We might add “or greater.”

Puget Sound Chapter (WA) This year’s Puget Sound area Joint Service Academy Dinner, in Nov 02, was hosted by USNA Alumni. They arranged a Catered Cruise on a ship of the Royal Argosy Cruise Line fleet here in Seattlethey did a great job!! The format was cocktail party and sit down dinner-it gave us all a great opportunity to relax, mix and mingle as we watched the evening skyline ofSeattle slide by.

Rampart Chapter (CO) Our General Membership Meeting in Feb. 2002 was a blast! Jim Brown, ’59, must have cornered the market on booze and Bob Muldrow, ’67, did a yeoman’s job in assembling the non-alcoholic raffle prizes. Rick Broome also donated several prints in his

long-time and continuing support of all aspects of the AOG. The meeting was held at Doolittle Hall and the National AOG’s support of us was terrific. Our Quarterly Luncheons downtown Colorado Springs have been an evergrowing success. Quinn’s Bar and Grill (Bill Sasz, ’68, Owner) always provides a superb meal and our Project Officer, Mark Reidinger, ’80, has been the linchpin. Our speakers, were talented and articulate grads from the local area, except for the annual August visit of non-graduate, Fisher DeBerry, Head Football Coach, (That’s not to say that Coach isn’t talented or articulate, ofcourse!) In short, the luncheons should be on every local Grad’s “must-do” list. Our Newsletter underwent a major overhaul during the Summer, when our Editor followed her husband to a new business opportunity. What is that line from Sound ofMusic, “when the Lord closes a door, he often opens a window.” Flying through that window came our new Editor, Ann Heiring (spouse of Jim Ilse, ’77), who honestly never knew what she was getting into. Her patience with us has been both notable and never-ending. We pray she will continue her good work far into the future. Our primary summer social function was a picnic held at the home of Rick Broome in June. As mentioned above, Rick is one ofthe staunchest supporters ofthe Academy and the Long Blue Line on the planet; and both Billie and he deserve another heartfelt thanks for being such gracious hosts. We were blessed by beautiful weather (it didn’t even snow!), and the primary problem was to not eat or drink too much. The final Chapter function was the Christmas Party. Bill Eckert, ’68, chaired the function; and he is doing it far too well to let him resign. We had over 140 people congregate to hear the A Cappella Choir perform, which was almost twice the previous year’s attendance.

GOAL 6

Give back to the community

Capital Chapter (DC/VA) We are always looking for ideas and volunteers for community service projects or events. Please submit volunteer names and possible project ideas to Capt. Zach Warakomski at Zachary.Warakomski@Pentagon.af.mil.

2003

GOAL 7

Support the needs and objectives ofthe Academy

Capital Chapter (DC/VA) The Chapter, in conjunction with the Pentagon USAFA Liaison Office, sponsored the Academy football team in its annual trip to Washington. President Bush presented the seniors of the 2001 team with the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy in the White House Rose Garden. During their tenure, this group ofseniors never lost to either Army or Navy. Members of the CCAOG transported the trophy for the team during their stay to facilitate the White House visit and a luncheon in their honor with members ofCongress on Capitol Hill.

Rampart Chapter (CO) Our major Service Projects, assisting the National AOG in the In-Coming Class Bed and Breakfast Program and the Graduate Associate Program both went off extremely well. John Fal, ’66, and Larry Bagley, ’66, were the drivers in the Bed and Breakfast and thanks are due to every grad who took one or more of the new Class into their homes. The National AOG does a terrific job ofsupporting the in-processing of the new Doolies; but the Bed and Breakfast Program is a major piece of that huge undertaking. The Graduate Associate Program is overseen by Rip BlaisdeU, ’62. He was able to keep a Grad in all but three ofthe Squadrons all year and every report received has been very favorable.

GOAL 8

Assist Liaison Officers and recruit qualified candidates

Puget Sound Chapter (WA) Brian DeLuca, ’67, joined three other alumni from USNA and USMMA, serving on a 19 Dec. 02 Screening Board for Service Academy Appointment applicants for US Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA. By intent, Senator Cantwell wanted alumni not directly connected with the schools’ Admissions Offices.

GOAL 9

Assistparents’ clubs/cadets

Chapters: This is the prime time ofthe year for you to interact with the Parents’ Clubs! The 2003 Parents are preparing for graduation and the 2007 Parents are preparing for in-processing. You can help by providing insight and support.

Conference

What is SACC?

The SACC is the Service Academy Career Conference supported by the Associations of Graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy, and Alumni Associations from the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant MarineAcademy. Previous conferences have been attended by hundreds of companies and thousands ofalumni.

Where will the SACC be held?

The nextSACCwillbeheld at theRitz-CarltonPentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, Va. You may obtain a room forthe SACC rate, ifavailable. Call (703) 415-5000 for reservations and ask for the SACC rate. There are many other hotels available in the area or stay with classmates or family.

SACC Schedule of Events

Thursday,

Saturday, April 26, 2003

Interviews only if directly scheduled between company recruiters and candidates; Companies will contact you directly regarding any on-site interviews during the SACC.

Ifyou have any questions, please contact Wayne Taylor at (719) 472-0300 or DSN 333-4513.

Registration Fee

The SACC Candidate registration fee is $35 and may be paidby check or credit card. Please mail the attached registration with form ofpayment and two copies ofyour resumeresumes must be one page/one sided and on plain copy paper. Please mail your registration, or email to: sacc@usna.com.

Please do not fax-we need a nice, dean copy ofyour resume. Registration deadline April 4,2003.

SACC Hotel Information

The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City 1250 South Hayes Street Arlington, Va., 22202 (703) 415-5000

Next Scheduled SACC

San Diego, Calif., August 2003

SACC Candidate Registration Form (Washington, D.C.)

NAME (for name tag, no ranks): USAFA CLASS:

ADDRESS:

PHONE (Home): (Work): (E-mail):

Will you attend the free Interview Prep Seminar? dYes dNo

Please include: dRegistration Form □fee $35 dResumes (two hard copies)

Cadet Running Suits

Cadet issue item. Available in two styles.

S - XXL (Sizes run large) Available to members only.

Dark blue with reflective strips

Jackets $83.00

Pants $50.00

Light blue with reflective strips (Limited sizes. Please call for availability)

Jackets Not Available

Pants $26.00

Crew Sweatshirts

Crewneck sweatshirt. Features “Air Force” applique with “Academy” embroidered beneath.

Available in Blue or Gray.

S-XL $30.25

Hooded Zip Sweats

Hooded sweatshirt with pockets. Full length zipper. Features “Air Force” applique with “Academy" embroidered beneath.

Available in Blue or Gray.

S-XL $34.50

Cadet Sweat SuitsT T-Shirts & Shorts

Cadet issue items. Oversized to accommodate shrinkage. Available to members only.

Tops (S-XXL) $38.50

Pants (S-XXL) $25.50

Set (S-XXL) $60.50

T-Shirt (S-XXL) $10.50

Shorts (S-XXL) $15.75

iai gf

Dark Navy with new AOG logo on the left. Cotton/nylon (70/30) shell with polyester/poplin lining. Stain and water resistant.

S-XXL $63.75

Polo Shirts by Cutter & Buck. 100% cotton with new AOG logo. Available in dark navy and white.

S-XXXL $39.50

Denim Shirts by Vantage. Long sleeve with new AOG logo.

S-XXXL $40.75

NEW ITEM

Ties

100% silk. Repeating silver-colored AFA/AOG motif under a stylized

Prop & Wing. Two basic colors from which to choose.

Red with gold, blue, and silver accent stripes.

Blue with gold, red and silver accent stripes.

Regular length $28.00

Extra long length

Saber

Official United States Air Force Academy Cadet Saber.

*Available to Graduate members only.

Saber with scabbard $192.25

License Plate Frames

Three styles from which to choose.

FALCONS - White lettering on a blue background

ALUMNI - White lettering on a blue background

PARENT - White lettering on a blue background

Each frame $ 6.25

Any two frames... $ 10.50

Plaques

Marble plaque

Etched falcon on white marble $72.75

Wooden chapel plaque $ 17.75

Walnut plaque Laser engraved of the cadet area. Can be purchased with or without a plate suitable for engraving. $114.50

Books and Videos

Into the Mouth of the Cat* The story of Lance Sijan, ’65

The iskra Incident Autographed by Grad, author Jimmie Butler, ’63

Red Lightning, Black Thunder Autographed by Grad, author Jimmie Butler, '63

Separated by War Autographed by Grad, author Ed Herlik, ’80

Modernism at Mid Century History of the architecture of USAFA

The Secret Life of Waldo F. Dumbsquat* Autographed by Grad author Don Hall, ’76.

A Certain Brotherhood* Autographed by Grad author Jimmie Butler, '63

Honor Bound Autographed by one of the authors

Return With Honor (Video) Documentary of the experiences of POWs in Vietnam (DVD)

Spirit and Flight A photographic salute to the USAF Academy. Over 150 color photographs. Sponsored by the AOG. By Elizabeth Gill Lui (* Paperback)

Class Notebooks

Two-tone gray suede cover, junior legal size (6” x 9”), with class crest embossed on front and class color stripe; inside note pad and pen; available for the following classes only. Item #5366 $12.50 '97 Notebook

....Item #0340 $ 4.25

....Item #0342 $20.75

....Item #0344 $23.00

....Item #0345 $26.00

....Item #0347 $52.00

....Item #0350 $10.50

....Item #0352 $10.50

....Item #0354 $39.50

....Item #0510 $19.75

....Item #0515 $25.00

....Item #0351 $41.75

#5397

AOG Accessories & Other Items

DECALS

Class crests on a window decal (self-adhesive to inside of glass) for all years through ’03. Specify class year.

Class Decals

UMBRELLA

Item #43XX $ 1.25

AOG Membership Decal Item #0502

HONOR MEDALLION

A 2 1/2” diameter brass medallion with the Honor Code on one side and Prop & Wings on the other.

Honor Medallion

#0540 $12.50

Honor Medallion with stand Item #0541 $32.25

BLAZER PATCHES

Pin-back patch embroidered with appropriate crest.

AOG Blazer Patch

Item #0313 $19.75

AFA Blazer Patch Item #0314

KEYCHAINS

Blue

SQUADRON PINS

Pins

MAGNETS

AOG

Ciass Crested Merchandise

Item #0504 $21.00

Alternating blue & white panels, AOG crest on white panels.

SWEATERS

Blue and white, 80% 0rlon/20% wool crew neck. “Falcons”

NOTECARDS

Doolittle Hall Notecards (6” x 4.5”)

Falcon Notecards

Phoenix Notecards

JEWELRY

HATS

Item #0150 $22.00

Item #0503 $ 5.25

Item #0506 $15.75

Item #0506 $15.75

Item #0430 $25.00

Item #0431 $25.00

AFA hat w/class year. Navy blue w/embroidered AFA crest and class year. Please specify class year.

Adjustable leather strap for size

AOG hat. Navy blue with brown bill.

Adjustable strap for fit

Item #0310 $18.75

Item #0311 $16.75

The AOG has obtained excess merchandise from the Visitors Center that remained from recent graduating classes and reunions.

Items are in limited quantities, sizes and colors and availability varies from class to class and includes: sweatshirts, clipper jackets, T-shirts, buttons, etc.

This merchandise is only available for the following classes:

s? ’68 ’69 ’73 ’74

•H

Partial listing of available class crested items can be found on AOG web page under “merchandise/special sale items.” You can also email Celeste at merchandise@aog-usafa.org or call (719) 472-0300, ext. 521.

Gerald F. Elsbernd, ’59

Gerald F. Elsbernd, 68, died Aug. 22, 2002, in Alaska. He passed away suddenly while on a cruise in Alaska. Jerry was born on Aug. 7, 1934 in Calmar, Iowa, to Alois and Loretta Kuennen Elsbernd. He grew up as a normal Iowa farm boy except for his love and talent for science and math. Upon graduating from high school in 1952, Jerry found he was faced with the choice of either running a farm or joining the military. Because of his interest in math and science, Jerry chose the Air Force and enlisted on May 28, 1952.

After basic training, Jerry trained as a cryptographyoperator and was initially assigned to Gander, Newfoundland. It was there, while guarding the flight line in the middle of a blizzard, that Jerry set his sights on becoming an officer. Jerry received a congressional appointment and on July 10, 1955, entered the Air Force Academy. While attending the Academy, Jerry played football and was a squadron commander.

After graduation, he married Joanne Strachan on June 4, 1959, in Denver, JerryElsbernd Colo. Thereafter, Jerry attended flight training in Florida, Texas and Oklahoma. Upon getting his wings, Jerry was stationed in New Jersey, flying C-118s between the U.S. and Europe. His next assignment was at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, flying all over the Pacific.

Following time studying at Ohio State and flying out of WrightPatterson, Jerry served inVietnam from September 1967 through September 1968, flying C-7A Caribou out of Cam Ranh Bay. While there, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal. When he returned fromVietnam, Jerryjoined the faculty ofthe U.S. Air Force Academy as a professor in Engineering Mechanics.

After attending Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Ala., and subsequent assignments at Andrews AFB and Langely AFB, Jerry retired from the Air Force in 1977. Upon retiring from the Air Force, Jerry spent 22 years as a mechanical engineer before officially retiring to Quincy, Ill. Not one to sit idle, even after retiring he worked as a part-time consultant for both Datron Systems of SimiValley, Calif., and Harris Corporation in Quincy, Ill.

Survivors include three sons: Curt; Doug, and his wife Maureen; and Brian, and his wife, Cheryl Levine; a daughter Christine Collins, and her husband Tim; and three grandchildren: Doug’s son Nathan, Chris’ son Sullivan, and Brian’s daughter Joey. He was preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Joanne. In addition, Jerry is survived by a close friend, Kay Boese of Quincy.

Jerry was always going to school and learning throughout his life. In addition to his degree from the Academy, he also earned an MBA from Auburn University in Montgomery, Ala. and a Master’s degree and a PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Ohio State University. In more recent years, he had attended Elderhostels all over the country and continuing education classes, learning about subjects as diverse as wildflowers and architecture.

He was a dedicated husband and family man, never venturing from Joanne’s side during her illness. Ever the doting grandfather, he also took greatjoy in spending time with his grandchildren, especiallyhelping to care for his grandson Nathan during his illness. He was available at any time to help.

Most of all, Jerry was a very unassuming, friendly man who always had a big smile and a hearty handshake for everyone. Many of the friends he made after leaving the Air Force knew nothing about his educational or military background. He was not one to brag because that might make others uncomfortable. After reading his obituary in the local paper, many of his friends learned ofJerry’s accomplishments for

but not forgotten

the first time. One of them even was heard to say, “Wow, I just thought he was a guy!”

He was a guy; a great guy, who is really missed. (ByJerry’s sons, Curt and Brian Elsbernd)

Richard C. Ames, ’60

Richard C. Ames passed away on October 1,2002 in Brunswick, Maine ofpancreatic cancer. It was diagnosed onlyeight daysprior to his death.

Dick was born in Melrose, Mass, on Feb. 17, 1939 to Harold C. and Dorothy Wilson Ames. Following successful years in various schools in Massachusetts, he joined the Class of 1960 on July 9, 1956 as we began our academy experience at Lowry AFB in Denver. Following *-r U i/ j '-.I graduation Dick attended pilot trainI ing and was assigned to the 40th V /■’‘■-•c 4*1 Military Airlift Squadron at McGuire ;'/*■ I in a worldwide transport role until 'if ’mmm 1965. He then served a combat tour lA * 3S 3 f rWard 3 r contro^er the

y nam where he earned two Distin-

* i lies** 'IHrJu* s guished Flying Crosses and 16 Air Medals.

Upon his return to the states in 1966 Dick resigned his active duty commission as a captain and at-

45 4 ter,ded the University of Colorado ion Law School. He graduated with a JuDickAmes ris Doctorate Degree in 1969 and moved to Brunswick, Maine where he practiced law with Aldred and Aldred and Ames for three years. He then opened his own practice, the Ames Law Offices on Bank Street where he remained for over 30 years. He was very devoted to his law practice and became a leader in probono work throughout the area. Dick always believed that not having money to pay for attorney fees should never stand in the way of receiving good legal guidance.

A very active man, Dick spent much of his non-working time contributing to his community. He was a member of the Elijah Kellogg Church, the Brunswick Rotary Club and, for a while, served as the president of the Bath-Brunswick Mental Health Association. He also coached in the Brunswick and Harpswell Youth Soccer Leagues and enthusiastically supported the Brunswick Figure Skating Club.

The father ofthree sons and four daughters, he married Patty O’Brien in 1980. Dick and Patty were devoted to their children and to their education. He saw six of their seven children graduate from college, and their youngest daughter, Hannah, is now a junior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.

Dick’s passing unquestionably shortened “The Long Blue Line” a bit. He will be missed by each one of us who knew and respected him. God Speed Dick and Check 6. (Andi Biancur, ’60)

GeorgeH. Hines, ’60

George Hines died on June 23, 2002 after an 18-month battle with throat cancer. George came to the Academy with the Class of ’60 after spending a year at Providence College. Throughout his four years at USAFA he displayed the talents that were to mark the rest of his life: a man of very diverse interests and abilities. He was an accomplished fencer, the chairman of the Class Ring Committee, and editor-in-chief of the Dodo, a cadet squadron commander, and at graduation the inaugural winner of the Outstanding Cadet in Leadership Studies Award.

After graduation George was a KC-97 navigator for four years. He

then earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University and returned to USAFA as an instructor in the Psychology Department. In 1966 the Superintendent selected George to be the second Executive Secretary of the Association of Graduates (AOG). George set in place many association policies and procedures that pointed the direction for AOG efforts for many years. He left the Air Force in 1970 and ultimately his travels took him to New Zealand.

In 1973 George Hines accepted a position as the foundation professor to establish the School of Business at Massey University, Palmerston North, and business education in New Zealand was changed forever. Indeed, for many people, life was never the same.

George was a visionary, always ahead of his time, with the energy, enthusiasm and skills to make things happen; catching people in his dreams of what could be, making them a part of what would be.

Professor Ralph Love, his successor as Dean, friend and colleague of 30 years, said at his memorial service, “In developing the Business School at Massey, George led a revolution of change. He provided not only the vision for the changes but also the vision for people to undertake missions which seemed almost impossible. The George Hines’ spirit of accepting a vision and bringing about change lives on in the work of the many whose lives he has touched. George, rest well in the knowledge that our spirits and vision move together and are together.”

Under his direction, the business school became the largest in the South Pacific. During this time he also made a significant contribution to management education in Fiji. In 1981 George joined the foundation staff of the University of East Asia in Macau, which in 1989, as the Asia Pacific Institutes consortium based in Hong Kong, offered international business programs in Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Malaysia, New Zealand, San Francisco and Vancouver. In 1998 George returned to Massey as Director of the Centre for International Programmes, with a particular interest in the MBA in Aviation Management in Singapore, China and Vietnam.

His 30 years of teaching international management, business and publicpolicy and psychology in theAsia Pacific region reflected George’s philosophy of the special responsibilities of those with special talents. He had very special talents himself, capable of organizing an institution from the ground up, simultaneously recognizing and developing the individual talents of both faculty and students.

George’s unique perspective was expressed in writings, speeches and lectures, where his ability to speak extemporaneously at length, wittily and clearly developing his argument weaving together materials from many sources was envied by many.

There was always a mystique about George, an air of mystery, an elusiveness. Charismatic and a talented communicator, he was nevertheless a very private person. He was multitalented, multifaceted, a complex character who insisted he was just a simple soul. Far from it. Unpretentious yes, masking a sharp mind with consuming intellectual curiosity on a quest for what might yet be, and what was still to be done. A man of many ideas who couldn’t wait to implement them.

An avid reader with eclectic tastes, cosmopolitan, the quintessential citizen of the world, a lover of music equally at home listening to Willie Nelson in Luckenback, Texas; Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Philharmonic; Dame Kiri te Kanawa in London; jazz at the Newport Festival; or brass bands on parade in Auckland, New Zealand or Washington, D.C. That’s George.

Lord Asa Briggs, friend, colleague and fellow traveler on many memorable occasions, recognizing there was no one like him in diversity and

breadth of interests and ideas, wrote “I have a file in my archives just called George - there is no other so named. It covers so many things, including education at great length, a commitment and responsibility we have shared together, like so much else. George, you made the world a better place.” Indeed he did.

Always a romantic, he gave us love and laughter as he charmed with his smile, long-lashed eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, his zest for life and enjoyment of the moment equally evident across the dinner table or at the faculty meeting inspiring one to yet another assignment more difficult than the last.

We traveled many roads, professionally and personally, during our twenty years together. George was always the kindest and most generous of men who gave so much to so many.

George’s ashes will be inurned at the Academy Cemetery during Homecoming Weekend 2003. (Helen Place)

FrankJ. J. Karasienski, ’63

As a military aviator and an ordained minister, Frank Joseph John Karasienski served both God and Country with honor. Born in Detroit, Mich, on July 13, 1938 as the first son of Frank and Mary Karasienski, he had a dream to become an Air Force pilot. He started college at Wayne State University in Detroit and worked as a diskjockey with his own radio show before entering the Air Force Academy in 1959. His deep, compelling voice and gregarious personality made him the natural favorite to be the master of ceremonies at 20 th Squadron Cadet outings. His graduation with the Academy Class of 1963 was the first step toward fulfilling his dream.

Frank married Julia Maria Demarest enroute to his assignment for pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base. Flying was also natural to Frank and his graduation with Class 64X1 was the fulfillment of his dream to become an Air Force pilot. Life was good and as normal as possible for a Military Air Transport pilot when Frank started his first operationalassignment with the 4th AirTransport Squadron flying out of McChord AFB Wash. Most of his flying in 1964-1965 was on the western routes servicingVietnam. His assignment to the front line with the 310th Air Commando Squadron, Nha Trang in 1966-1967 was exciting at first, but very sobering as he accumulated his combat hours. On his return to a flying assignment at Kelly AFB, Texas, Frank also entered theological training at the International Bible College in San Antonio and became an ordained minister. He resigned from the Air Force in 1971 to pursue his spiritual calling full time in the San Antonio area as the assistant pastor of the Foursquare Gospel Church and Registrar of the Southwest International Seminary.

Frank was generous and very caring in his new profession as an ordained minister and his life was spiritually rewarding and happy; but, he also had to maintain an additional career in civil engineering and construction to supplement his family’s economic needs. The residual effects of his combat experiences in Vietnam combined with his multiple, simultaneous jobs started the decline in Frank’s health, and he had his first of several heart bypass operations in 1980. After a second heart surgery, Frank and Maria moved back to Frank’s home in Michigan in 1988. He continued his ministry as a chaplain in Social Services and also continued work in the construction business to economically survive. His health continued to deteriorate and he finally had to go on full disability retirement.

Frank Karasienski died from a heart attack at his Saginaw, Mich, home on Dec. 11, 2002, having fulfilled his dream of being an Air Force pilot,

GeorgeHines

Frank Karasienski

and serving humanity as a minister. His survivors included his wife of 39 and a halfyears, Maria, his son Joey, his adopted son Frank, two brothers (John and Joseph), two sisters (Helen Bell and Mary Potocki), and seven grandchildren. (Don Shillcutt,’63)

Ralph H. Graham, ’64

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - ifanything is excellent orpraiseworthy- think about such things.

And think of Ralph Graham. Ralph was a devoted husband, a loving father, a doting grandfather, a successful executive, an Air Force General, a 24/7 patriot, and an American hero, with a service reputation second to none. His secret weapon was his faith. Ralph had a deep and abiding faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and it gave him the peace and confidence we all saw in him.

From the earliest days, Ralph was a leader. In school, and later, when we went through basic training at Lackland AFB, and even during that “DoolieYear Christmas” we spent at USAFA, Ralph was leading the way! Ralph grew up on theWestern slopes ofColorado and the mountains were his home, so he thought we should all go for a “climb” during that holiday break.

Ralph Graham

Not surprisingly, one of our classmates got in a bad predicament, but there was Ralph with rope to the rescue. Yet, however strong his care was for people, his feeling for academics was something else. While at USAFA and within the squadron, Ralph was known as “Perry, Ohm, Shakespeare” and I can tell you it was not because of his love of Law, Double E, nor English Literature. Still, his care for people was evident from the beginning. Later as the Cadet Squadron Commander for “Friendly First”, this point was driven home clearly as every ring in our squadron for ’64 was inscribed, “First takes care of its own.” Ralph was a leader because when you met him, there was an extraordinary sense of integrity and dignity; he was a solid, straight-up guy, someone you couldn’t help but admire and respect. He was one of those men who could handle a really bad situation in a steady, professional manner and not think it was a really big deal. In short, Ralph Graham was the finest gentleman you could ever hope to meet.

Making his first stripe as an airman third class ranked right up there with pinning on his star. He was that kind of man. He loved people, which means he respected them, and you never heard Ralph say an unkind thing about another person. From those very first days in Basic at Lackland, through USAFA and later when Ralph would stop at Whiteman and McConnell for gas enroute from Nevada to Andrews and back, we talked about our Air Force and our families. For Ralph, that meant Sharon; sweethearts since high school, she made his motor run, she charged his batteries and she steadied him. You could not and you cannot think of one without the other; Ralph and Sharon, theyjust go together.

Ralph was an air warrior and air leader. While flying RF-4s over Vietnam he took more than a few hits. On more than one mission it was only through his extraordinary airmanship that he was able to bring the jet back for a tough, battle-damaged recovery. His combat airmanship was awarded the Silver Star, three DFCs and multiple Air Medals. Later, in the early ’80s in the skies ofNevada and California, his airmanshippaved

For more current information about graduate deaths, please visit the AOG web site.

www.aog-usafa.org

the way as our Air Force began to adapt a wonderful, yet complexflying machine, the F-117, that would make powerful differences in the employment of air power in other skies and over other countries. Ralph went on to take his combat, test and acquisition leadership and apply it as the Program Director for the F-16. In retirement, Ralph was an executive with Texas Instruments and then Raytheon working in the area of defense suppression at which he was indeed a master.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Sharon; daughters Kristen and Kathie, three grandchildren, and his brother Lynn; yet while he is gone, he will never be forgotten by a single one of us. (Jay W. Kelley, ’64)

HenryA. Bondaruk, Jr., ’65

Henry A. (Hank) Bondaruk, Jr., Ford engineer, retired Air Force officer and aviator, died peacefully at home on Aug. 30, 2002. He was 60 years old. Hank’s wife, Lillie Frances (Tillie) DeBerry Bondaruk, was at his side.

Hank, the first child of Mary and Henry Bondaruk, was born in Chicago in 1942. Brother Tony and sisters Claudia and Marline soon joined with Hank to fill the Bondaruk household with joy and laughter as well as hopes and dreams. Early in his life, Hank began dreaming about automobiles and airplanes.

Like many young boys in the 1940s and 1950s, Hank built model airplanes, wound their rubber-band propulsion systems tightly, and launched his creations on sunny summer afternoons. And Hank dreamed of someday flying the real airplanes that he watched circle overhead for landing at O’Hare or Midway.

When Hank was a teenager, the family moved to Benton Harbor, Mich, and in 1960, Hank entered the University of Michigan where he studied aeronautical engineering. That same year, he learned of the newly-established Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo, and he applied for admission.

In the summer of 1961, Hank entered the Academy. For the next four years, he was a proud member of Fighting Fourth Squadron. In his second year at the Academy, Hank met Tillie on a blind date. Romance blossomed. Hank graduated from the Academy in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. On graduation day, Hank and Tillie were married in the Academy Chapel.

Through the next 25 years, Hank well and faithfully served his country as an Air Force officer, rising in responsibility and achieving the rank of colonel. Over the years, Tillie and Hank were blessed with the birth of three daughters: KellyBondarukNovak (USAFA ’88), KimberlyBondaruk, and Jennifer BondarukHewitt. All three daughters subsequendyfollowed their father’s example and served in the United States Air Force.

After completing training as a navigator in 1966, Hank flew a variety of aircraft including B-52s, KC-135S, and AC-130s. Duty stations ineluded Mather AFB, Calif.; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. Hank served two B-52 ARC Light tours in Southeast Asia flying 132 combat missions over Vietnam and Laos.

In 1973, Hank earned a master’s degree in engineering at the University of Arizona. With this academic degree in-hand, Hank began a series of Air Force assignments that utilized his skills as an engineer and as an aviator. He taught aeronautical engineering at the Air Force Academy and later, while assigned to Systems Command, had a hand in the research and development of many advanced Air Force weapons systems includingthe B-1B bomber, the national aerospace plane,

Hank Bondaruk

and the F-117A stealth fighter. In 1986, Systems Command selected Hank to lead the Structures Division, AFFDL, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and he served as the deputy director of Air Force classified advanced aeronautical systems. In 1989, Hank assumed responsibilities as Deputy Director of Test and Evaluation at Headquarters, Strategic Air Command. After a productive and fulfilling career as an Air Force officer, Hank retired in 1990. A Master Navigator with over 3,100 hours of flying time, Hank’s decorations include three Meritorious Service Medals, six Air Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

After retiring from the Air Force, Hank turned to another boyhood interest automobiles. He joined Ford Motor Company where he worked to improve the design of Ford truck products. He began as a product design engineer for truck cooling and exhaust systems and rose to a senior position in Light Truck Advanced Engineering. Following his promotion to Supervisor of Power Train Sub-system Engineering, he served as “Launch Leader” for the 5.0 L V-8 Explorer vehicles. Hank retired from Ford Motor Company after 10 successful years as an automotive engineer.

Throughout his life, Hank enjoyed shooting trap and skeet. He coached cadets in the sport at the Air Force Academy, competed in many tournaments, and won several awards for his skill as a shooter. In the Air Force and during his years at Ford, Hank was especially interested in coaching and mentoringsucceedinggenerations. He was never too busy to share his experience and wisdom with others who asked for his advice.

The youngster who ran with the wind and watched his carefully engineered model planes soar and swoop enjoyed a full life and the fulfillment of all his boyhood dreams and ambitions. Even with his many varied and demanding professional responsibilities, accomplishments, and interests, Hank centered his life on his God, his country, and his family. He was a big man in spirit as well as stature. Quiet, unassuming, and ever dependable, he enriched the lives of all who knew him. Colonel Hank Bondaruk was laid to rest in the Air Force Academy cemetery on Sept. 9, 2002. We celebrate Hank’s life even as we mourn his passing. Happy Landings, Hank. We miss you so. (Drue DeBerry, '63, Hank’s brother-in-law.)

Kenneth R. Weber; ’67

Ken Weber, Class of 1967, passed away on Dec. 18, 2002 in Wantagh, N.Y. Ken was born in the Bronx to George and MaryWeber. He grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Fordham Prep High School in 1963. He entered the United States Air Force Academy in June 1963 as a member of the Class of 1967. Ken was formally introduced to the Air Force Academy Honor Code and he lived by the Honor Code his entire life. He never wavered. It was a defining part of his life. Classmate Ken Marshall remembered Ken as a tall powerful presence who was a standout on both the Dean's List and the Commandant’s List. Rather than being intimidated by his stature, the Tough Twenty Trolls ’67 were drawn to him by the caring and warmhearted person he was. With Ken’s natural athletic abilities, he was a leader in combat sport intramurals; and he proved himself to be one of the most motivating, yet sensitive leaders of the class.

Ken Weber

Ken graduated from the Academy on June 7, 1967 with a BS in Engineering. Following graduation, Ken was selected for a graduate level

education program and earned his Master of Business Administration from UCLA. He then attended undergraduate navigator training at Mather Air Force Base, Calif, and earned his navigator wings in 1969.

Ken served with valor in Vietnam as a navigator flying combat missions with the 361 st Electronic Warfare Squadron. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and six Air Medals for his heroic actions. He completed his tour of duty in December 1969 and was then assigned as an instructor navigator flying C-141s out of McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. A highlight of his military career was being assigned as the lead navigator position for President Nixon’s historic trip to the Republic of China in 1971.

After being medically retired from the Air Force, Ken worked in the aerospace industry. There he worked for many years in an industry that complimented and dovetailed his passion, aviation. Ken retired from the aerospace industry and began volunteer work for the Outreach program of his church and for the Disabled American Veterans. He also became an active member of the American Legion’s Aviator’s Post where he served as adjutant and as vice commander.

Ken was a dedicated father and a devoted husband. He raised two wonderful children. His daughter Maggie will graduate from Boston University this May. His son Michael will follow in Ken’s footsteps by entering the United States Air Force Academy this June as a member of the Class of 2007. Ken was a man of intelligence, courage, honor and humility. He will be forever loved and missed by all who knew him.

Ken was interred in the Long Island National Cemetery, Pinelawn, N.Y. on Dec. 20, 2002. (Byhis wife, Joan, and friend Ken Marshall, ’67)

KennethA. Hassen, ’70

On Sept. 23, 2001, the world lost a gentle giant. Ken Hassen embodied “Bring me men to match my mountains.” A man of commanding physical presence, he appeared to tower over those even taller than himself. His distinctive features, the strong chin and nose, the dark skin, turned heads. And how could he maintain that 20-inch waist together with his 48- inch chest? But of all his physical features, it was his smile that reflected his soul; and his smile could melt hardened hearts.

That smile pervaded all aspects of his life, but it was especially true of athletics. Who but Ken could continue to smile after belly-wompers? I was fortunate to be his football teammate at the USAFA Prep School and the Academy. A recent Checkpoints printed the historic shot of Ken running to daylight in the 1968 Navy game, the run that provided the impetus to our victory over Navy. This photograph illustrates his approach to life: run to daylight, find the positive in all situations, sprinkle with self-deprecating humor. Smiling, Ken would always remember the run, “Yeah, I think I almost tripped."

Ken loved food, any type of food, and lots of it. Who can forget the “all day” breakfast outings at Hof’s Hut? Customers, stunned by our intake, would periodically hear a distinctive laugh. Of course, it was Ken, politely responding to one of our not-so-funnyjokes. But whoever told it would feel so pumped up they would tell another one. Ice cream was always high on Ken’s food chart. I remember Ken and I drinking blend-

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www.aog-usafa.org

ers full of milkshakes during football season. For the last three years on his birthday, Ken would buy gallons of ice cream, open up his garage doors and invite the neighbors for an ice cream social simply because ice cream is good.

When Ken focused on a problem, he refused to let go. Whether it was athletics, the OSI, Lockheed contracts, or his daughter’s school district, he knew where he wanted to end up. He fought his invader, cancer, with the same ferocity. Fighting with all his heart towards whatever daylight could still be his, he implemented rigorous exercise and diet programs, conducted seemingly endless research, and endured radiation, chemo, and invasive procedures. His frequent and lengthy e-mails kept an extensive mailing list posted on the details ofhis treatments, together with his take on the philosophic, humorous, and often surreal aspects of his battle against cancer. Even though he was going through hell, he maintained a phenomenal sense ofhumor. Commenting on his dietitian, Ken noted, “After observing her 95-pound cocker spaniel, I wondered what kind of advice am I getting from a women who feeds her dog as if he were a rhinoceros.” As focused as he became, he continued to reach out to others as he pondered the incongruity of cancer. While going through chemo and radiation, he asked not for prayers forhimself, but for a young girl and an 80-year-old World War II veteran.

Ken’s love for his family was monumental. Numerous times over the years, he would tell me how blessed he felt to be married to Kdee and to have such a wonderful daughter as Chelsea. When he was first diagnosed with cancer, his first priority was “How to keep my family sane.” Even through his physically draining chemo and radiation sessions, Ken still found the energy to go on family outings. Working as a unit, they battled his cancer with grit and humor. Chelsea swam beside him during therapy sessions, pushing him to complete his laps, while chiding him on his form. She playfully braided the long hair at the nape of his neck when it was all that chemo had left him. Those times spent with family were some of the most meaningful of his life.

In his 23 years ofservice in the Air Force, and his 10 years at Lockheed, Ken’s character had a positive impact on many people. During his memorial service, words such as integrity, dignity, honor, loyalty, sincere, empathy, nicest guy, kindest guy, a guy you would never be afraid to introduce to your mother, a smile so big it could brighten the whole world, were often repeated. One of his former bosses said, “Ken was the epitome of professionalism. His character was impeccable and his integrity untouchable.”

Ken’s zest for life led him on a parallel spiritual journey. Kdee refleeted, “I doubt if anyone analyzed, questioned, agonized, philosophized, and then repeated the process as he did.” He celebrated the peace of his convictions with Christian baptism on May 5, 2001. His pastor reassured us that “Ken was eager to live, yet ready to go.” Kdee knew this, too: “Ken had peace facing death with his religious conviction and Chelsea and I have a peace after his death by his firm choice.”

We all felt that Ken Hassen was our best friend. No matter the topic, he gave his full attention, punched with humor and amazingly rational thought. He had a way of making you feel important. Or he simply brightened the moment with his positive attitude and beaming smile. Having been touched by his presence, our lives are forever blessed. Goodbye, dear friend. We all miss you. (TonyMarietta, 70)

David C. Naber, ’76

David Naber, 47, died on July 24, 2002 in a plane crash near Blue Mountain Beach, Fla. He was flying aerobatics in his experimental Interavia E-3 single engine airplane. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Dave leaves behind his wife, Tania, and their fiveyear-old son, Stirling; his sister MaryAnn; his mother, Ruth; and his father, Jerry, USMA '52.

Dave was one of 24th Squadron’s Class of ’76, collectively known as the “Buds”. After graduation, he attended pilot training at Reese AFB,

Texas. His first assignment was B-52s at Griffiss AFB, N.Y. He longed to get back into high-performance airplanes though, and volunteered to go back to Air Training Command. He eventually worked his way into an assignment as a T-38 instructor pilot at Williams AFB, Ariz. After that tour, he successfully made the transition from active duty to airline pilot with Delta Air Lines. At the same time, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by securing a position with the Air National Guard flying A-7s. He is one of the very few back then who were able to make the long bureaucratic leap from heavies to fighters. It is a good testament to his perseverance and his strong desire to be a fighter pilot.

Dave was many things to many people, as we all are. A son, a brother, a husband, a father. To me, Dave was a classmate, a squadron mate, a fellow Air Force pilot, a fellow Delta pilot, and a friend. The things I rememher most about him are that he was an awesome skier, flying was his passion, and he had a million-dollar smile. Every time I ran into him through the years, he greeted me with one of those memorable smiles. We will all miss him very much. (Jon Tensfeldt, fellowBud, 76)

The same smile that Jon spoke of captivated me, Tania Naber, also on Oct. 11, 1993 at Dulles Airport in northernVirginia. David always spoke with a great affection about the Air Force Academy and told me that it had been his dream since he was a child to attend it.

To David, flying was the essence of life. He enjoyed every aspect of flying, from teaching his students in the Air Force, to flying aerobatics and flying many different jets for Delta. I could never find an airplane that David did not know the name of or recognize the sound of the engine. He was such an airplane junky that if we saw an airport sign, we had to go investigate it and if he saw or heard an airplane he would stop everything and check it out. He covered almost every form of flying during his life such as paragliding, parachuting, hang gliders, glider planes, and from tail-draggers to fighter jets. But his greatest joy was flying aerobatics in a fast capable airplane. While he lived in Arizona, he captured the title of IAC Sportsman of the Year for the contest year of 1985.

But flying was only one part of David; he had many wonderful facets to his personality. In my family we affectionately called him our “Bionic man”. He did so many different sports in his life, from ice climbing and skiing, to triathlons and windsurfing to name a few. He once hiked 600 miles in the Bike Tour of Colorado up mountains so high and steep that they would make you dizzy just looking at them. He also did a Half Ironman in Panama City, Fla. and several marathons including the New York City and Bermuda marathons. I was always proud to be on the sidelines and be his personal cheerleader!

We were married a year after we met, and had a dream existence for the next three years. We both worked for Delta Air Lines and we traveled both for work and pleasure, all over the world. On July 18, 1997, Stirling B. Naber was born and he changed our whole world, making it even better. David always said that he was so happy to have Stirling and that it was the greatest experience of his life. Guiding, teaching and lovingStirling was one ofDavid’s greatestjoys, alongwith mud fights at the beach.

David was such an incredible man; he was always so humble about his accomplishments in life, and always helped people out when they needed something without wanting to take any credit for it. The best thing about him was that he could be so childlike and mischievous and really enjoy life. He loved waking up in the morning with a strong cup

Dave Naber

of coffee and whistling a happy tune. In the evening his favorite thing was to sit on our balcony with a good glass ofwine and watch the sunset over the ocean and a fire in our chiminea.

One thing that I know is that David felt all the love and happiness that life had brought to him until the very end, as he was called to God, dancing among the clouds, floating, twirling, soaring and playing. Stirling also wanted me to include this, “I enjoyed my life with Daddy and he is the best Daddy in the whole world, I Love him very much!”

David was the man of my dreams; he was destined not only to be my best friend and husband, but more importantly my soul mate. We had nine glorious years together, and this is just a temporary TDY, until we will be reunited for eternity. Until that time, he watches over us and continues to fly in the sky. (In memory ofmyhusband, Tania Naber.)

RodneyPat Williams, Jr., ’81

Rodney Pat Williams, Jr. died on Oct. 18, 2002. Pat graduated from the Academy as a member of the Class of 1981, and graduated Pilot Training in June 1982. He was assigned to B-52Gs in SAC where he served as an aircraft commander until the time of his resignation from the Air Force with a rank of captain in 1988.

He then attended the University of Houston School of Law where he earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence in December, 1990. In 1991 he was admitted to the Texas Bar and was licensed to practice law in the state of Texas. He was licensed to practice before U.S. District Court and the Texas Supreme Court in 1994, and was later selected for membership in the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association. He was practicing law in Houston at the time of his death.

Pat maintained a love of hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking, and backpack-style camping throughout his life, and had just completed a two-week trek out West at the time of his death. He was a unique individual with eclectic interests, a wicked sense of humor, an infectious laugh, an astounding intellect, and a voracious appetite for learning something new. Throughout his life, from early childhood until the time ofhis death, Pat was well known as being the champion of the underdog; he fought fiercely and passionately for the principles and people he cared about.

Pat was deeply love by and is survived by his parents, Col. (USAF, Ret) R. P. Williams, Sr., and Mrs. Williams; two sisters and their husbands; two nephews, and one niece. He is also sorely missed by many extended family members and friends. (Excerpts from Pat’s memorial service eulogy.)

Dillon L. McFarland, ’84

Lieutenant Colonel Dillon L. McFarland was killed on Nov. 13, 2002 during a combat training mission when the F-16C Fighting Falcon he was piloting crashed on the Utah Test and Training Range.

Dillon “McFly” McFarland was born March 8, 1962 in Ishpeming, Mich, and graduated from Douglas High School in Box Beider, S.D. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and was a member of the 11 th and 9th Squadrons. He also played intercollegiate football and baseball. After graduating from the Academy in 1984, he attended UPT at Vance AFB, Okla. and was a distinguished graduate of Class 85-06. He was then assigned to the 63rd TFTS for F-16 RTU at MacDill AFB, Fla. Follow-on active duty assignments in the F-16 were the 428th TFS and 414th

Aggressor Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.; 80th FS, Kunsan AFB, Republic of Korea; 422nd TES, Nellis AFB; and the 85th TES, Eglin AFB, Fla., After 14 years of active duty, McFly transitioned to a traditional Reservist at the 419th FS Hill AFB, Utah.

While assigned to the 414 th McFly attended the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course and graduated in Class 90CIF. His work in test and evaluation and advanced programs has made lasting contributions to weapon systems and tactics development in the F-16 which will have farreaching impact well into the next decade. He also participated as a core pilot for the development of F-22 avionics and armament systems. McFly had over 3,200 hours of flying time with more than 3,000 in the F-16. He had 85 hours of combat time. Not only was he a tactical expert and leader in the air, but also on the ground. His ceaseless desire to excel and be the best he could be influenced every one that had the pleasure of knowing him. He will be truly missed as a fellow aviator, leader and friend.

McFly was also a First Officer for American Airlines based in DallasFort Worth since 1999. He flew Boeing 757/767 aircraft to international destinations in Europe, the Pacific and South America.

Dillon’s professional accomplishments were only overshadowed by his love and commitment to his family. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; his son Joshua; his daughterAshley; his mother, Katy Godbout; his sisters Marie “Butch” Moden and Jacque Godbout; and his brother Chris McFarland. He is preceded in death by his father, Bob Godbout.

A website has been established in McFly’s honor at www.dillonmcfarland.com. (Rob Polumbo,’84)

Michael W. Shipley, ’88

Michael Wayne Shipley, age 36, of Austin, Texas died Nov. 10, 2002 after a courageous 12-year battle with AIDS and seven years of chemotherapy for Kaposi’s Sarcoma cancer.

Mike, the youngest of five children, was born in San Bernardino, Calif. on July 31, 1966, to Betty Mae DeVilbiss and Paul Shipley. He had a gift for learning other languages and studied ASL and French in school. During a summer high school exchange stay in Tokyo and Osaka, he learned some Japanese. In 1984 he graduated with honors as valedictorian of San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino.

Mike was accepted as a cadet to USAFA where he majored in History and French. In 1987 he was selected to spend a semester in Southern France at l’Ecole de Fair, where he became fluent in French. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1988 and was assigned to Goodfellow Air Mike Shipley Force base in San Angelo.

In 1989 he was discharged from the Air Force and moved to Austin. In 1990 he began working as a corrections officer for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1995. In 1996 he left on disability after his first round of chemotherapy. He returned to work for several months in 1997-1998.

Pat Williams

Mike and his 12-year partner David joined First English Lutheran Church in 1993 after learning that the congregation openly welcorned lesbians and gays. First English was such an important part of their lives that in 1996 David took the job of administrative assistant to their pastor. They both served on the church council, were voting members to Synod Assemblies, and held positions on many committees. In 1995, Mike proposed and spearheaded a series of service projects for each week during Lent. Volunteers performed projects like making hygiene kits for the homeless, blood drives, collecting food pantry cans, and collecting clothes for needy resale stores, etc.

Mike and David took an extended trip to Niagara Falls, Montreal and Vermont and on Oct. 12, 2002 they were united in a legal same-sex civil union ceremony in Montpelier, Vermont.

2001 and 2002 were difficult for Mike. Many years of chemotherapy had taken their toll and he was often tired. He wasn’t able to attend church as much as he liked and he missed seeing all of his church family. He was very disappointed this year when he was too sick to attend his favorite church service, the Easter Vigil.

Mike was very special and all of us who knew him are better persons because of him. He was a loving spouse, son, brother, uncle, friend, and a dedicated disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. Byword and example Mike helped us to care more deeply and to love more broadly within the vastness of God’s family. He will be dearly missed.

Mike was preceded in death by his oldest sister, Sandra Rearick, in 1979; his maternal grandmother, Billie Rickman, in 1987; and his father, Paul Shipley, in 1995. Mike is survived by his husband David Austin, of Austin; mother, Betty Shipley, of Austin; brother Steve, of Hesperia, Calif.; sister Barbara Shipley Marshall, ofLas Vegas, Nev.; and brother Daniel Shipley of California.

Mike was cremated. A memorial service was held at First English Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas on Nov. 14, 2002 with the Rev. Robert J. Karli officiating. (David Austin)

ChristelA. Chavez, ’98

“A star that shined brightly” stated the epitaph on Captain Christel Angelica Chavez’s headstone. She passed on Aug. 7, 2002 at the age of 27 while copiloting an HC-130 Talon near Caguas, Puerto Rico. Her light still shines on beloved family and friends including mother, Jennifer Townsend; father, Tom Chavez; stepmother, Celia Lopez Chavez; sister Nicolasa Chavez, brother-in-lawAlexander Garcia, fouryear-old nephew Noe Garcia Chavez, nine-month-old niece Alexina Christel Garcia Chavez, and grandparents, Antonio E. and Marilyn S. Chavez.

Family and friends were consoled knowing that Christel passed doing what she loved most, flying. She loved to fly so much that she would often brag about her job saying, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this.” The Christel Chavez only other thing she loved as much as flying was playing basketball. In high school she was a two-time All State First Team player for Albuquerque High School. She then went to play for the Air Force Academy’s JuniorVarsity team for two years, taking her last two years off to dedicate herself fully to academics. She graduated from the Academy in May 1998 and stayed in Colorado Springs for one more year to coach the Air Force Academy Prep School basketball team. During that time she also played on the All Armed Forces team. Christel received her wings in 2001, graduating from pilot training at a naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas. She began C-130 training in Little Rock, Ark. and completed it at Kirtland Air Force Base in her home town of Albuquerque, a place where she always wanted to re-

Carolyn Wilbourn Clark, wife ofAcademy’s 6th Superintendent, Dies at 87

Carolyn Wilbourn Clark, wife of the Air Force Academy’s sixth Superintendent, died on Dec. 16,2002 at LibertyHeights in Colorado Springs, Colo, after a long illness. Mrs. Clark was born at Fort Riley, Kansas, on Nov. 20, 1915. She was the daughter of the late U.S. Army Col. Arthur Earl Wilbourn, and Elizabeth Cobb Wilbourn.

Mrs. Carolyn Wilbourn Clark

Mrs. Clark was married for over 65 years to Air Force Lt. Gen. (USAF, Ret.) Albert P. Clark, the sixth Superintendent ofthe U.S. Air Force Academy. They traveled the challenging road of military life together. They were blessed with three children and she cared for them devotedly and

alone through the three years ofWorld War II when her husband was a prisoner of war in Germany. She supported her husband loyally as a gracious military wife for many years when he was a junior officer, and when he was a commanding officer in his later years of service. She served as a role model and a trusted counselor for many young wives of the command and was beloved by all who knew her.

In early 1994, Mrs. Zita Hosmer, wife of the Academy’s 12th Superintendent Lt. Gen. (USAF, Ret.) Bradley C. Hosmer,’59, wrote these words about the Clarks in the Academy’s Officers Wives Club newsletter:

Those of us fortunate enough to know Mrs. Clark treasure her friendship and enjoy her lively interest in all subjects, whether classical music, poetry, plants which thrive under her green thumb, or crossword puzzles which she tackles ‘for mental exercise...

“General and Mrs. Clark, to the Academy’s and the community’s great good fortune, have retired in Colorado Springs, where they remain an inspiration to us all. There are no words to describe how much we owe them for their inspiration, their loyalty and their service. When we think our lives are ‘packed’ and they are - we need to remind ourselves of the grand adventure the life of these two people represents...”

Mrs. Clark is survived by her husband and three children: Carolyn Clark Miller of Alexandria, Va.; Albert P. Clark, Jr. of Monument, Colo.; and Mary Gannon Walker of Kansas City, Mo.; eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Services were held at the Air Force Academy Chapel on Jan. 7, 2003 with graveside services following. Donations may be made in Mrs. Clark’s memory to The Friends of the Air Force Academy Library, P.O. Box 188, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-0188.

turn to and coach basketball or teach flying. She was happy to be stationed back home near friends and family. She often enjoyed playing basketball with old high school friends and “acting like a civilian”. She had a fabulous sense of humor and a tremendous joy for life, spreading smiles on every face she came in contact with.

Christel was an avid outdoorswoman, animal lover and environmentalist. She especially loved to go backpacking and fly fishing with her father, hiking and camping with her mother, and mountain biking through the Sandia and Manzano Mountains. She always “took out more trash than ‘she’ brought in.” She also spent many days and nights with her nephew swimming, going to the zoo, reading books, eating ice cream and helping to teach him to fish. She loved to read Carl Sagan and Richard Bach and discuss their books with her sister. She was present for the birth of her niece Alexina Christel.

Christel spent a year in Spain at the age of 12 and was thrilled to go on her first mission to Latin America. As the only person who understood Spanish, she was proud of being able to communicate with the control tower and talk her plane into Buenos Aires, Argentina from the Andes Mountains. She looked forward to returning to Latin America many times. The trip to Puerto Rico was Christel’s second mission.

Christel is missed by all but is still a star that shines brightly upon us everyday. (Christel’ssisterNicolasa Chavez)

“There is reason to life. We can lift ourselves out ofignorance: we can find ourselves as creatures ofexcellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free. We can learn to fly. Richard Bach

Scott T. McEwan, VO

On June 22, 2002, Scott Thomas McEwan died in an automobile accident in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. He is survived by his mother, Shirley, and father, John, of Parachute Colo., sister Laura of Corona, Calif., and

Scott was serving as a communications officer at Laughlin AFB, Texas, and had just graduated first in his class at communications training held at Keesler AFB, Miss. Prior to his assignment at Laughlin AFB, Scott served with the 86 Operations Group, 86 Airlift Wing at Ramstein AFB, Germany.

Scott was born on March 8, 1977 in Fairfield, Calif. He attended grade school in Green River, Wyo. and junior and senior high school in Reidland, Ky. While in high school, he was a member of the tennis team for four years and played on the football and golf teams for one year each. He was also voted the outstanding chemistry student ofthe year by his chemistryteacher, and was awarded a copy ofthe Handbook ofChemistryandPhysics. Scott graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2002 with a degree in engineering.

Scott will probably be remembered most for his “nice guy” attitude, and his willingness to help others. This seems to be the prevailing theme in the many cards and letters his mother and father have received from Scott’s many friends. In addition to always enjoying a good time with his friends, Scott worked hard to achieve what he did. His father can remember attending high school football games and seeing his friends in the crowd, then coming home to find Scott bent over the kitchen table doing homework.

Scott was an avid reader all his life. His interests ranged from the politics of Rush Limbaugh, to the 1950’s “beat generation” of Jack Kerouac, and to the humor of Monty Python. He enjoyed discussing books he had read with his family and friends, and on his last trip to

his parent’s house, he left several books and said before he left “you ought to read these Dad”.

Scott was always willing to help those he thought he could. His parents received a card from a girl in Texas that told of how Scott helped turn her life around by treating her with respect and convincing her to enter college. Several of his cadet friends have written about how Scott helped them through some tough times.

Once Scott decided he wanted to do something, he never gave up. Although he did not have much playing time on his high school football team, he endured the bruises he received in practice without complaint and saw the season through. He questioned his decision to attend the Air Force Academy several times during his freshman year but continued on. Towards the end ofhis Academy years, when his mother reminded him of his freshman year, he said that he was glad he made the decision to stay.

For those that new Scott well, life will never be the same. His good nature, thoughtfulness, wit, contagious laugh, and interesting conversations will always be remembered. He wall never be forgotten. (John McEwan, Scott’s father)

John W. Raber, VO

First Lt. John Wesley Raber, USAF, 24, of Laughlin AFB, Texas, passed away June 22, 2002, in Ciudad De Acuna, Mexico. John was born on Nov. 29, 1977 in Minot, N.D. He graduated from the Air Force Academy on 31 May 31, 2000.

He was an Air Force pilot, and had recently received his assignment to fly the RC-135 out of Offutt AFB in Nebraska.

John is survived by his parents, David and Shirley Raber of Double Adobe, Ariz.; three brothers, James Raber and Jeffrey Raber, both of Louisiana, and Charles Raber of Double Adobe; six sisters, Christina Raber of Glendale, Catherine, Sarah, Kimberly, Mary, and Hannah Raber, all of Double Adobe.

John lived life to the fullest. He preferred to join-in instead of merely watchJohn Raber ing any activity. He was very proud of being a pilot in the United States Air Force. (Continued on next page.)

At press time we had learned of the deaths of the following graduates and cadets:

Maj. (Ret, USMC) Neal T. Rountree, Class of 1961, who died on Sept. 16, 2002 of a heart attack in Hudson, Ohio

Lt. Col. (Ret) Kenton E. Lammers, Class of 1962, who died on Dec. 7, 2002 in an autmobile accident in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Maj. (Ret) Dennis L. Haycraft, Class of 1963, who died on Feb. 13, 1998 in Merced, Calif.

Maj. (Ret) Richard D. Martin, Class of 1963, who died on Jan. 24, 2003 of a heart attack in St. Gabriel, La.

Capt. (Ret) David J. Galich, Class of 1970, who died on Nov. 10, 2002 of cancer in Puyallup, Wash.

Capt. (ANG) Jack D. Long, Class of 1974, who died on Jan. 24, 2003 in a private plane crash in Mobile, Ala.

Mr. Daniel W. Stratford, Class of 1979, who died on Dec. 23, 1993 in Los Angeles, Calif.

1st Lt. Paul P. Monaghan, Class of 1999, who died on Nov. 29, 2002 at Minot AFB, N.D.

2nd Lt. Holly L. Adams, Class of 2001, who died on Dec. 18, 2002 in an automobile accident in Hillsboro, N.D.

C3C Chaney C. King, Class of 2005, who died on Jan. 18, 2003 in an autombile accident in Northern El Paso County, Colo.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of these graduates and cadet.

brother Kevin of Murray, Ky.

Scott McEwan

Cl CJustin TroyerDies at Ski Resort While Climbing to Snowboard

Cadet First Class Justin Troyer died Thanksgiving Day, 2002, at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado of coronary artery disease. Academy officials said that the athletically inclined cadet was hiking up a mountain to go snow boarding and passed out on the mountainside around noon. Keystone Ski Patrol paramedics attempted to revive Justin with cardio pulmonaryresuscitation. Cadets at the scene scrambled to clear snow for a chopper to land and he was evacuated by a Flight for Life helicopter to the Keystone Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Justin was born in Towson, Md. on March 17, 1980, the son of Pat and Wes Troyer. He has a sister, Shannon, 21, and a brother, Jason, 16. He attended North Harford High School and then Valley Forge Prep School as a Falcon Foundation Scholar in lacrosse. He was a civil engineering major at the Academy and had completed half of his basic pilot course. In high school Justin was an outstanding student as well as an exceptional athlete. He played volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and swam at the high school level.

TheAOG has received numerous letters ofremembrance from Justin’s friends from elementary and high school, classmates and other cadet friends, and family. Unfortunately, because of space limitations in the magazine, we had to choose just one (see also another article on Justin in the front section of the magazine). The following was written by Justin’s friend, 2nd Lt. Nathan Koss, Class of 2002:

“Those members ofthe CadetWingwho were close to Cadet First Class JustinTroyer considered themselves very luckypeople. They had shared countless moments of joy, misery, victory, and defeat together during the trials and tribulations of cadet life. In just three years Justin had formed friendships that were bound to last a lifetime. Having been best friends with Justin and extremely close to his wonderful family for about 17 years, I consider myselfperhaps the luckiest ofall his acquaintances.

“Everyone who knew Justin agrees that you can’t think of him and not smile, you can’t think of him and not laugh. That’s just the kind of person he was. I don’t think I can ever recall when he didn’t have a smile on his face. I remember seeing him during the first couple of days of basic training when I was in my three-degree summer. There he was, with his Wingtips (basic training’s version of Contrails), three inches from his nose. I would yell over at him with a huge grin and he would start to laugh. This was followed by an onslaught ofverbal abuse by his cadre members. But every day that I yelled over at him he would smile and laugh, like clockwork.

“His eternal optimism was matched by his perseverance and ‘never

(John Raber/00: Continued from previouspage.)

He once wrote about his past assignments stating, “No matter the location, there are always great people in those crappy places.”

It seems like such a short while ago that I took him to the airport for his departure to the Air Force Academy. When I hugged him goodbye, I whispered to him, “Do your best, John.” His reply, “I will, mom. I will.” And, he did. John was supposed to be in his friend’s wedding in August.

John is greatly missed by his friends and family. But, we take comfort in knowing that he will be waiting in the great beyond with a gentle smile and a firm hug. (Mrs. ShirleyRaber, John's mother)

quit’ attitude. I don’t think I can ever recall hearing him say that he couldn't do something. During his senior year of high school he was a fraction of a second away from breaking a pool record in the 50-meter freestyle. With only a couple races left he broke his hand. I mentioned to him that it was a shame because it would have been quite an accomplishment to hold that record. He responded with his signature laugh, tapped his cast and replied, ‘No way, it’s a waterproof cast. I think I’ll just break that record anyway.’ Sure enough, a few days later, with a bleacher full of screaming students and parents he shattered the record and pumped his cast in the air. ‘Nothing’s impossible’, he said with a chuckle.

“Justin touched all kinds of people in many different ways. This was evident by the turnout at his viewings and funerals. A steady flow of people streamed through the church to pay there respects to both him and his family for upwards of five hours, with the line often times extending about a hundred yards out the door in sub-freezing temperatures. One of the last people to come through was the Governor-elect for the state of Maryland. Although it was impressive to see such an important and busy individual at my friends viewing, there was something about that weekend that touched me much more. In the middle of the church sat upwards of 20 men and women in their cadet service dress. These were his classmates and friends from the United States Air Force Academy, the majority of whom had paid there own way to make the trip to bury their friend. Buying last-minute tickets, paying outrageous ticket prices to pay their respects, one week before finals. I can’t tell you what it meant to his friends and family from home to see that kind of dedication to a friend. Many people from our hometown community were surprised that so many cadets had made the trip. Being less than one year removed from that institution I was not one bit surprised. Because that is what being a cadet, what being a classmate, is all about. And that will never die.” (2nd Lt. Nathan Koss, ’02)

OBITUARY POLICY EXPLAINED

We have had a number of inquiries on our policy concerning obituaries for deceased graduates and cadets. Some graduates have noted that while we have listed a graduate’s death in the “At Press Time” section of “Gone But Not Forgotten,” the graduate’s obituary never appeared in the magazine.

Our policy is to write to the next-of-kin a reasonable amount of time (usually two weeks or so) after the death, and request from that individual (wife, parent, etc.) an obituary written by a classmate, friend or family member. We also ask for copies of obituaries which might have appeared in local newspapers. If we do not have a current photograph, we ask the next-of-kin to lend one to us (the photo is returned when the magazine is published).

If we do not receive a response to our first letter from the next-of-kin in a month, we write a follow-up letter asking for the obituary again and informing the individual that this will be our last request for the article. If we do not receive a response to our second letter, an obituary is not published.

When obituaries are published, we give the next-of-kin a one-year complimentary associate membership in the association beginning with the magazine in which the obituary appears. When the one-year membership expires, we invite the next-of-kin to join as a regular assodate member if she/he desires.

Life membership dues are not transferable to the graduate’s spouse, unless the life membership was joint, in which case it does transfer to the spouse. However, if the life member has purchased the “survivorship” option for their spouse, then their spouse can exercise member benefits until their own death. Ifyou wish to add “survivorship” to your life membership, contact our membership department for details and prices.

Justin Troyer

Class NEWS

1250 Big Valley Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80919-1015

H: (719) 531-5874 FAX: (719) 531-6697

E-mail: petetodd@aol.com

Letters at Christmas are as welcome as eggnog because they replenish the scribe's mailbag. My cup (and bag) runneth over. Way to go, guys!

Even before the Christmas holidays, though,Wendy and I had the pleasure of attending the annual mini-reunion at the away service academy football game. Last November, Ed and Judy Josephson did their customarily magnificent job of organizing the weekend for classmates, wives, families and friends who traveled to West Point to see the Falcons clinch

yet another Commander-in-Chief trophy. The party was well attended with the usual suspects, who cheered the team on to victory and eyed each other all weekend with wonderment that such elderly guys had such youthful wives.

From the holiday reports, it’s apparent that travel remains one of the great joys and frequent activities of 59ers in their dotage.

•Clark and Reba Lovrien live almost full-time in their RV, traveling on and offthe beaten path and exploring the nooks and crannies of our country. Also, last fall, they caught a Space-A flight from Travis to Japan to visit their son and his wife and to meet their one-year old grandson. The highlight of the trip was an eight-hour cruise on a Japanese destroyer around Tokyo Bay, arranged by their daughter-in-law’s father, who happens to be an officer in the Japanese Navy.

•While awaiting the birth of their 19th (!) grandchild, Steve and Patty Hamer enjoyed an 11 -daytrip to Ireland in October. Most ofthe 26 people on the trip are first cousins who try to have a reunion every two years. The trip covered over 1,500 miles during which they saw everything from the “Burren” (an area ofhuge stones dating back to the last Ice Age) to the green, green farms.

•Bill and Anne Telford also welcomed a new granddaughter last year (their ninth) and in August, embarked on a grand cruise of the “Capitals of Northern Europe.” They sailed on the Norwegian Dream and made port calls at Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. They were struck by the stark differences in mood and attitude between the people who formerly lived in the Soviet Union and the people of Scandinavia.

•Paul Douskey made not one, but two trips to Alaska last year. The first began last May with a stop in North Dakota to visit N.O. and Jean Olson. His itineraries included stops at Anchorage (golf), Seward, Denali, Fairbanks (more golf) and the bush 300 miles west of Anchorage (trout and salmon fishing and hanging out with grizzlies).

In October, Don and Jin Hee Brooks traveled to San Antonio to attend the Rustic FACs reunion at the “Historic” Menger Hotel, across the street from the Alamo. One afternoon, they were in the elevator when who should get on but Jon Gallo! He was also attending a reunion at the Menger, but not the same one as the Brookses. Don thinks this encounter ranks right up there on the coincidence scale with the chance meeting he and Jin Hee had with Pat and Marlene Musmaker at Niagara Falls about a dozen years ago.

This same Jon Gallo sent me a note last fall about a phone conversation he’d had with Jim Fletcher. “He has dropped law practice and is now flying full time with Asia Pacific (International Airlines) as a 727 flight instructor and flight engineer. Apparently he can only be an engineer on revenue flights. He does the Pacific, Far East and Asia. He recently returned from delivering a 727 to Afghanistan for the Afghan civil airline. On the way home, he spent a couple weeks in Guam, after going through Dubai. He is on his way back to Guam for the holiday - working says he is low man on seniority. Asia Pacific is mostly a freight carrier with lots of postal work. Jim says he reaily likes it and, naturally, is traveling a lot.”

Hank Canterbury lays claim to a new father-son record, not only as USAFA grads but Air Force-wide: two generations ofThunderbirds. Hank reports that his son Todd, after a brilliant operational career as a fighter pilot, was selected for the Thunderbirds about two years ago, the first time he applied.

Last year he flew as the #6 opposing solo and will fly as #5 in 2003. This year is, of course, going to be the nation’s celebration of the 100th year of flight too. Hank writes, “Needless to say, mom and dad are quite proud of him. In fact I have to get a new shirt every air show I see, as the buttons all come off, a la the fat guy and the chicken in the old Smilin’ Jack comic strip. He is the first ever son of a former flying member to join the team. In fact, I think it is a first for any demo team.”

RL Penn has been recruiting young talent to be fighter pilots. He poses in the attached photo with his grandson, decked out in a custom-made

Pete Todd

The’59erVictoryCelebration:In the frontrowfrom left are DougGrafflin, Kent Montavon, and Fred Wynn. Middle row: Joe Desantis, Ron Lanman, JimmieJay, DickGoetze, EdMontgomery, Pete Todd, WayneJefferson, and Joe Morgan. Standing: Don Livingston, Ed Josephson, R.L. Penn, Mike Reardon, Jim Connally, andJim O’Neil.

uniform in the Russian style. One suspects that another purpose of the photo is to allow RL to demonstrate that he can still fit into his uniform. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

Final note: I’d like to express the heartfelt congratulations of the Class of 1959 to our classmate Bob Oaks on his selection as one of two 2002 USAFA Distinguished Graduates. Bob has always been a leader without peer in every aspect of his life and he embodies the values that are the hallmarks of the first class. We’re proud of this richly deserved recognition of one of our own.

Thought for the Quarter: This is the year that the entire Class of ’59 is eligible for Medicare. (And it looks like most of us need it!)

AJ. (Rosie) Cler, Jr.

11181 West 17th Ave. (208)

Lakewood, CO 80215-2759

H: (303) 238-4973 e-Fax: (509) 463-4700

E-mail: RCtherose@aol.com

Class Web Site: www.usafa.net/1960

Our aging but steely-eyed and surprisingly svelte Dapper Dan’l opened his Tucumcari (NM) Quay County Sun and the headline screamed: PESTILENCE PERVADES PLANET! Energized, he dropped his spoon heavily laden with sugarcoated Fruit-Loops and shrieked: “Zounds! They be hurtin’. Needy people all lame, and hungry too. Ain’t no time to diddle. This is a job for... Super-Volunteer-Guy!" Helping Others: Four.

Theodore Joseph Stumm’s in his 56th consecutive year of Boy Scouting where he’s served in most unit and district positions, is an officer in the Falcon Chapter of the Air Force Association, Study & Implementation member in the Jacksonville (FL) Community Council (non-profit community policy analysis and advocacy group) three years, and “involved since 9/11 with an increasing number of public appearances and presentations on the subject of the politics, ideology, capabilities and countermeasures of international and domestic terrorism.”

Working for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Howard Franklin Bronson III has organized “Bear’s Bears” which walks every year in support of MS; Howie’s also active with Shepherd in the Pines Lutheran Church as president of the congregation and Chief Elder. Wife, Judy, donates her crafts to auctions at the Rainbow Kids Club (after school care where parents can’t afford it), and the Bear Valley Arts Council raising money for scholarships for kids in the arts.

James Anthony Bilello’s wife, Carol breast cancer survivor volunteers each year as Coordinator of “Race for the Cure” and walks as Team Leader of Friends Forever, is Wedding Director and Chairman of Deacons at their church, and works the annual plant and book sales for the Denver Botanic Gardens... Neil Phillip Delisanti’s wife, Sue Ann, volunteers with the Lakewood (WA) Municipal Court... Harrison Edward King, Jr. has been volunteer Scoutmaster for 20 years in Alabama, North Carolina, Spain and Florida... Richard Allyn Kingman made substantial donations to the Red Cross and gave out $50 and $100 food certificates for his Chelsea (NYC) restaurant to various organizations trying to raise $$ for victims of 9/11. Serving others through public office has been EdwardWatson Leonard, Jr’s volunteer-method-of-pro-bono-choice, and he took office in January 2002 as mayor of Ilwaco (WA) City Motto: By Land or by Sea. “I spent a thousand dollars as well as several hundred hours in my campaign. I find I’m working about 40 random hours each week, and then there are evening meetings and weekend functions. Mayor’s duties are similar to commanding an air base group the difference is the numher of entities who believe I work exclusively for them City Council, Washington State Department of Health, and County Commissioners. I work for the voters, which is like working for a boss who only contacts you every four years. Next to being ranking officer in a prison camp, this is the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had. At least until our sewer plant gets red-tagged by EPA or National Marine Fisheries shuts down bottom fish-

ing on the Pacific shelf.” Ed implores: “Come visit Ilwaco a place so beautiful Lewis and Clark looked no further!”

Still full-time professor at the University of Dayton in Statistics, Ronald (nmn) Deep is iso volunteer Science Fair Judge in MontgomeryCounty’s Carroll High School and other local schools each year. Wife, Carolyn, volunteers at Beavercreek Heartland Nursing Home four hours every month talking with the people and bringing them communion, sings in St. Luke Catholic Church’s Choir for funeral masses and prepares and serves lunches after funerals, and takes food to St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter monthly.

Helping make “Life a Beautiful Thing” is George Joseph Charles Fries, who chairs the Beautification and Safety Committee forYork High School (VA) PTSA pullingweeds, planting and watering their high school grounds; George’s also Master Gardener forYork County Extension Service spending two-three hours a week taking care of a Learning Garden and teaching people the proper way to prune trees and shrubs.

Class PresidentAndrewWilliam Biancurworks tirelessly 24/7-365 for our class, and recently established a $150,000 Charitable Trust to benefit the AOG and Academy. He was a volunteer supervising security volunteers at the Salt Lake City Olympics in February 2002. Starting with work at the Team ProcessingCenter, he went on to his real volunteer activities in charge of accreditation at the OlympicVillage, greeting, badging and vetting athletes, coaches, and NOC members. “I met a couple of torch carriers and got the opportunity to hold a torch. Security was tight (R: 6,000 soldiers guarded the complex, while Andi reportedly took the precaution of packing his silver-plated pearl-handled Derringer). I worked 25 shifts in the village.” Following that, Andi worked 25 more shifts at the Main Accreditation Center in downtown Salt Lake City for the Para-Olympics.

Keeper of the Flame

Ronald Wilburn Yates has been an extremely effective and innovative force on the AOG Board of Directors, and is personally responsible for conceiving and developing the Heritage Trail, saying “We should create this Heritage Trail to serve as a place to remember our distinguished graduates who embody the ideals of the Academy.” Ron hopes the trail which begins at Pegasus Circle near Doolittle Hall will eventually lead to a heritage park paying tribute to wartime achievements ofAcademy graduates. In addition, Ron was instrumental in developing a fundraising campaign for AOG projects. (It’s important to recall those of our classmates who have voluntarily served on the AOG Board: Richard Thomas Matthews,’65-6; George Hamilton Hines,’66-9; Richard Glenn Head, ’66-74; John Stanley Brush, ’67-9, ’73-7; Anthony Joseph Burshnick, ’68, '71-5, ’93-7; Dale Willard Thompson, Jr., ’68-71; William Reno Ouellette, ’68; Kenneth John Alnwick, ’70-3; Neil Phillip Delisanti, ’70-3; Ronald Deep, ’73-7; Jock Charles Henry Schwank, ’78-87; Andrew William Biancur, ’83-91, ’95-9; James Frederick Glaza, ’85-93; andWayne Franklin Kendall, Jr., ’88-95.

Thomas Frederick Seebode, still tenured Associate Professor of Public Administration at Troy State University, is Sunday School Teacher at Lebanon United Methodist Church in Eastover, SC. Wife, Carole, is in Economic and Community Development qualifying low income citizens for low interest and down-payment assistance from Columbia (SC) for home purchases and working with neighborhood associations for community development. Carole is a member of Columbia Woman’s Club, president of United Methodist Women’s Group in Eastover, and member of the Administrative Board and Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees. {O.K. So it ain’tfeedin'the hungry. But, it takes a VOLUNTEER to climb 200+ steps and ensconce themselves 440’above the water!)

HizzonerLeonardintroducingJellyBean ChoiratSeptember11 th Remembrance.

Eve and FrankMayberryatop Sydney’sharbor.

Gerald de la Cruz has been hospice volunteer for 12 years in ACU at Hospice of Northern Virginia, spending an evening each week helping with patient care and talking with families; Jerry’s still Docent at the National Gallery ofArt. Bettyworks with SOME (So Others May Eat) through Ft. Meyer’s chapel and sings in their choir.

Four-Star volunteers all, whose people credo is: All Geese Are Swans. If Diogenes had lived in our time, he’d have an easy time finding a few good and honest men hitting pay dirt with our guys (and gals) they hone in on volunteer pursuits like JDAMs guided by GPS!

Sad Note: Richard Conrad Ames died of pancreatic cancer 1 October 2002 in Brunswick, ME.

Earl N. “Nelson” O’Rear

50582 Stonington Drive Granger, IN 46530-8243

H: (574) 273-2597

E-mail: ENOandTJO@ameritech.net

Class Web Site: http://www.usafa61.org/

Stu and Marnie Boyd are staying busy. Stu volunteers as a licensed pastor and is the chaplain for their local Civil Air Patrol. Marnie stays involved with her Mary Kay activities. Their interest in competitive ice skating caused them to volunteer to help out. Stu manages the music while Marnie announces at practice sessions, but they expect to be part of the World Championships inWashington, DC in March. They are also training to be certified marriage counselors and developing their small ranch.

Bob Brickey received a phone call from Doc and Marty Arnold, who introduced their three-year-old granddaughter Kendall (daughter of Gib and Liz Arnold Weiskopf). Kendall then sang the first verse of the Air Force Song, including the chorus, on pitch and melody! (Doc said that Kendall also makes the appropriate gestures when singing “off wif one heh wuv a roar”.) Bob was so impressed that he has begun teaching his grandchildren that one and a few others. Their four older grandchildren sing “It’s A Grand Old Flag,” and Brice Jones has offered to teach them “Mary Ann Burns.” (While Bob thought Brice’s offer considerate, he has so far not accepted.)

Jack Bright is still successfully hawking his wares on eBay and moving about the country these days, so be on the lookout, particularly in the area of the Goodleys. Jack said that in October Phil Woods and his lady friend Glenda hosted P.B. and Mer O’Connor, A1 and Skeeter Blaisdell, and Jack and his lady friend at Phil’s house in Dallas. Jack said that it was a wonderful evening.

Pat Buckley will be program director for a four-year National Airspace Modernization Project to include radar, communications, navaids, automation systems, and organizational improvements for Albania. This contract, which Lockheed Martin just won, is the first major U.S. commercial in-vestment in the poor Balkan nation. Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano met in December with Pat. The U.S. Embassy’s statement said, “The first phase of the contract provides for establishing initial radar capabilities in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece... It then provides for improvements... to link air traffic monitoring capabilities with other airports in the region

Lilly and Dave Carlstrom still live in the Boston area, just a few miles from Hanscom AFB. Dave is currently retired again and runs 4+ miles a day at the base gym. Not many retired folks stay in the Boston area. If any ’61ers happen to pass their way, they would like to see them.

Tom and Anne Eller spent two weeks around Thanksgiving in Belgium and vicinityvisiting their daughter and her family (Julie and Kurt Schake, ’83), which includes their two grandchildren.Theyjoined the SHAPE History Society for a tour of a tank battle site at Malmady, near Bastogne, in

the same month as the Battle of the Bulge. A German officer from NATO led the tour.

In November, Bill andTheda Foster spent two weeks vacationing in Peru and Bolivia. Theyparticularly enjoyed the Inca ruins at Machu Pichu and the areas around Lake Titicaca. Once they left Lima, most of the cities and sites were above 10,000 feet, but the high altitude didn’t stop Theda from shopping for the colorful local products. They had a wonderful trip.

John Goodley said that you may want to watch your diet. He and Casey were playing golf when he began feeling bad and headed home, stopping enroute at the emergency room. Eight days later he returned home after receiving two early Christmas presents: a stent in one artery, and a defibrillator implanted in his chest just like our Vice President.

For planning purposes, Brice Jones said that the new owners of his Chardonnay operations will no longer support the World Croquet Tournament and the associated charitable events in May, so it will not be held this year. Eighteen years and raising $6-7 million for the children was a pretty good run. Brice plans to put a new function together for the fall of 2004. More later, but he said to lock and load your checkbooks for 2004. Everyone I’ve heard from regarding these activities has had nothing but praise, so it should be worth the wait.

Lowell Jones reports that November’s luncheon was the usual success. Attending were Charley Dixon (thousands of dollars damage to his water plane from a microburst/thunderstorm), Bill Foster (made it despite a late flight home from Peru/Bolivia the night prior), Steve Ho (still keeping them up to date on how to survive the market), Lowell Jones (telling more travel stories), Jack McDonough (one of two present still working full time), Hector Negroni (many stories about the Army game, mostly about the great parties), Jim Rogers (great pictures of the Army game mainly the parties the other one who still works full time), Bill Stackhouse (sacrificed home-building time to join them and updated them on the mansion by the water), and Karl Whitaker (first time he was late commuting from New Jersey, enduring three traffic jams). They had much fun and fortunately didn’t have to worry about dodging sniper bullets. Steve Ho was within two miles of shootings in Maryland, and the one in Fredericksburg was three miles from Lowell’s home.

Bob Kellock continues working for Boeing, now in Integrated Defense Systems Long Beach. He is back where he started in Testing and Engineering in the spring of 1973: same building and floor, a fewfeet fromwhere he, as an AF major, began his assignment to the AMST/YC-15 Program as Test Director! A five-week race/cruise on a friend’s boat from Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta, leaving February 7 may help Bob adjust. They’re in the Salsa Class of Del ReyYacht Club’s PV2003, with three stops enroute. A party at each stop helps prepare for the three days of parties at the finish!

Jerry Lefton said Sue had successful heart surgery in November. The doctor inserted stents when he found two blocked arteries, and she was in the hospital only one night. Recovery is going well. When they were in Williamsburg they enjoyed dining with Mike and Ginny Rawlins in the historic area. The Leftons are in Tucson after Christmas and plan to return to Pinehurst in March. They will visit their son in Tucson and hoped to see the Wilhelms and Fullertons.

Hector Negroni reports that the 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron (Mythical) held its 41st reunion, 8-10 Nov 2002. Activities started Friday night at the residence ofKathleen Kennedy. Saturdaymorning, theyagain met there for breakfast and boarded a bus to West Point. Upon arrival, they met their escorts, USMA Class of 2006 Cadets Monte Jones and Leigh Kosko, sons of squadron members. After watching USMA’s parade, they ambled to the residence ofCol. and Mrs. David Allbee (Bob Brickey s sister) for a tailgate. Afterwards, everyone walked to Michie Stadium and watched Air Force dismantle Army’s team. Following the game, they took over Thayer Hotel and serenaded the entire hotel. Squadron activities ended Sunday morningwith a chili/Fighter Pilot Stew at the Kennedyresidence. Attending were: Mark and GingerAnderson, John and Lydia Bosch, Bob and Janice Brickey, Randy and Jan Cubero, Tom and Anne Eller, Jim Hinkle, Brice Jones and Susan Porth, Dean and Jo Jones, Jerry and Sue Lefton, John and Diane McDonough, Charley Moores and son, Charlie and Lynda Neel, Old Hector and Young Hector Negroni, Jim Rogers and Linda Cain, Bob Wagner, Rees and Pauline Wagner, and many friends of the Class.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry named Mike Quinlan Colorado Business Leader of 2002 for his business financial success, business achievement, and community involvement. Mike stood out for his energy on all fronts. Congratulations Mike!

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY!

YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND U

CADETWING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL THE AOG FOR INFO.

October included a wonderful trip to Berlin for Bill Sanzenbacher’s reunion with his Craig-63A pilot training class. He enjoyed time with John and Joan Kohout, Pete and Patti Lane, and others. The four German students in their class did a fantastic job of setting up three full and fun-filled days. In 2004, John, Joan, Paulette, and Bill will host their next bi-annual reunion in D.C.

When Hanson Scott flew to Washington to an FAA conference a few months ago, going through Denver he saw a familiar profile deep in thought, reading a novel. It was Bill Stackhouse. They were in the same cadet squadron, as well as stationed together three times: at Charleston, Scott, and the Pentagon. They had a great visit all the way to walking off the airplane at Reagan Airport, catching up on 40 years.

Vince Scott left Continental Airlines the last day of September 2001 and presently manages Flight Academics for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, AZ, campus. His youngest son is there as an Aerospace Engineering student. If anyone wanders through Prescott on any of their travels, you can reach Vince at (928)776-9380 (H) or (928) 777-4325 (W).

Dick Smith still works for CACI. Carolyn has a small area in an Antique Mall and visits Antique Shows around the country. Theyhad a great week’s November vacation in Paris. Dick’s highlight was a one-day excursion to Normandy. Dick and Mark Anderson are on Senator Hutchinson’s screening panel for applicants to the Service Academies, and they had a full day evaluating about 180 young men and women wanting to attend USAFA. Dick said that none of us would probably make the cut in today’s applicant pool. Magnificent candidates. It sounds as if we will be in good hands.

Charlie and Gina Thomas went east for their granddaughter Emily’s third birthday, and while there, celebrated an early Christmas. Their big upcoming event is daughter Liz’s Las Vegas marriage in March.

Gayle Zompa reports that Nicholas Edward Zompa was born October 10 and is precious. (Isn’t that description and grandchild redundant?) The auditorium at Bob Jones High School was officially dedicated and renamed the Col. Edward A. Zompa Auditorium on January 23, 2003, in recognition ofEd’s support for the music and arts programs in the schools while serving on their Board of Education. Truly fitting tributes and remembrances of Ed.

If any of you have comments regarding how we can assist classmates and their families in their times of need, please let me know. So far, I have heard from only one classmate and the widow of a classmate, who had very positive things to say about the assistance she received. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. Other classmates, wives, and those who have lost a mate, please let me or one of our class officers know your thoughts on how we can best help each other during such a time of great personal stress. Thanks.

John W. “Jack” Jamba

4 Judy Court

Satellite Beach, FL 32937

H: (321) 777-5520 0: (321) 861-6279

Cell: (321) 432-1370

iHi Redtags,

E-Mail: jwjamba@aol.com

Well, the big 40 has thundered past us. What a great reunion! We had several classmates attend who had never been to a reunion but now vow never to miss another one. There were approximately 115 of the Original RTBs present. I could remember almost all oftheir names, especially when I sneaked a peek at their nametags. Caroline and I got to the Wyndham Hotel a few days early to enjoy some casual tourist activities. On Wednesday, we went into the mountains and stopped by Green

Mountains Falls to see the Community Center that was the locale for several Fightin’ Fourth squadron functions. I did my first and probably my last square dancing there. We headed up to the Continental Divide and were going to go to Cripple Creek but the temperature dropped quickly and snow clouds started coming in. So we headed back to the hotel and I missed the initial registration period on Wednesday. The casual No-Host Social that evening was devoted to renewing friendships and catching up on the past five years.

The accompanying picture shows five Redtags greeting each other at the front desk on Wednesday. The fifth Redtag in the picture is Kent Lammers who, with his wife, Pat, was killed in a car accident near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on December 7. The second photo shows Nils and Nancy Ohman enjoying the Southwestern dinner with Pat Lammers.

Nils and Nancy Ohman with Pat Lammers at the Saturday dinner. Our prayers and condolences go out to the surviving Lammers’ family members. They contributed to the class in many ways and helped with several projects at the 40th Reunion. We will miss you, Kent and Pat. I didn’t make the Pikes Peak Cog Railway trip on Thursdaymorning. But Willie and Nancy Gray reported that the cars were not heated. It wasn’t too bad at lower altitudes but as the train got higher, the clouds got denser and the temperature got colder. They said they watched the other passengers turn blue on the way up. While that was going on we registered that morning. The members of the AOG who helped with so much of the paperwork and planning did a great job. They were so pleasant for those hours of standing at the registration table. We picked up the Reunion merchandise at the first opportunity. That was quality stuff. I wear my jacket and baseball cap every chance I get.

What a rousing Thursday night we had at the Flying W Ranch. We had the entire place to ourselves. The steaks were good and the band played some great music and had some very funny routines. There was a little herd of deer by the front entrance and some wild turkeys running around inside. The merriment continued at the Wyndham until the wee hours of the evening... like 9:30 p.m., which was our Class bedtime. I take pills from Yugoslavia to stave offAlzheimer’s... forgot where I put them. Woke up in bed with some strange lady. Found out at breakfast that she was my wife. Great gal. Glad I married her.

On Friday, some brave souls played golf. Tuck McAtee was reputed to have said “I deny any allegations by Ralph Spory that I hit an eagle, a birdie, a deer and a bear.” There was a rumor that Jon Staples said that Dave Whitman couldn’t keep his ball on the fairway. “He would have a tan like mine if he didn’t spend so much time in the trees.” While that was going on, Rip and Jean Blaisdell were guiding brave souls on a walking tour of the Garden of the Gods

Some of us went out to the Academy to have lunch with the cadets. While we wandered around, we talked to some of the Diggers and Fillers, who, coincidentally, were celebrating their 40th Reunion also. See accompanying picture with Judy and Deke Dinsmore and Caroline Jamba in front of the Diggers & Fillers Reunion Display.

At the front desk area of the Wyndham Hotel are Bill Browning, Deke Judy and Deke Dinsmore and Caroline Jamba in front of the Diggers & Dinsmore, GeoffEngels, JackJamba and KentLammers. Fillers 40th Reunion Display!

Lunch with the cadets was a real treat. Caroline and I sat with a 5th Squadron table because they didn’t have a 5th squadron Redtag available at lunch. During lunch, we were told that there would be an Honor Code informal feedback session with the Honor Rep immediately after the meal. Well, I assumed that the change in plans applied to all squadrons, so I went to the 5th Squadron gathering. It was quite interesting to hear some of the comments from the younger cadets. Anyway, I missed the Fightin’ Fourth squadron gathering to which Owen and Connie Hawkins went. They had a ball.

Then we attended the State of the AOG slide show by Jim Shaw, AOG President and CEO, in one of the Fairchild Hall auditoriums. That was followed by presentations by the Academy senior officers on the State of the Wing. One of the presentations focused on the recent cadet scandal and reinforcement ofthe Honor Code. The other issues included athletics, academies, leadership and character building. I felt that the wing was in good hands and there were going to be some enhancements coming. Immediately afterwards, we went to the chapel for the Memorial Ceremony.

The Memorial Ceremony brought an emotional high to the group. Tim Gilmartin provided a solemn welcome to the class, followed by the Invocation by Brad Van Sant. After the Chorale sang “America the Beautiful,” Mike Butchko delivered the homily, recalling some of the humorous episodes in our cadet days as well as some of the solemn ones. Tim had the tough task of doing the Roll Call. The Roll Call always creates deep-down stirrings of memories of strong friendships that never died. And to hear a cadet in the rear of the chapel respond with “Absent, Sir” at the sound of the next name on the list, elicits a stifled sob for classmates whose memories are forever etched in our hearts and minds. After a Moment of Silence, we listened to the mournful tones of “Taps” and then “Lord Guard and Guide the Men Who Fly.” Bob McNaughton delivered the benediction to signal the ceremony was almost ended. The Cadet Chorale sung “High Flight” and we listened to a Postlude as we exited.

Once again we lined up on the chapel steps to have our class picture taken. We had to wait for the Class of 77 to get off the chapel steps. What a gaggle! Classmates with little or no hair had to wear hats or step to the rear to prevent camera damage. Classmates with a rotund appearance were positioning themselves behind taller ones. Others with lots ofhead hair or good hair transplants were jockeying for places in front. I figured that my round shape and thin hair would stand out in front. So that’s where you’ll find me. I was sure that if I rubbed Dick Mangold’s shiny head, a Two-Star Genie would fly out and grant me three off-base privileges.

Caroline went back to the hotel and I headed to the Field House to see some exhibition boxing matches between USAFA and Navy. I almost got lost in that place. And to think they are making it bigger.

Back at the hotel, classmates were still arriving. The banquet started with a happy hour and then a scrumptious dinner. Musical entertainment was provided by “Blue Steel,” a part of the Air Force Band of the Rockies. They brought the house down. Then the Entertainment Committee presented an eye-popping audio-visual show that just had us laughing and crying, smiling and remembering how we looked 40 years ago. They showed the Candid Camera Show that focused on us at the Cotton Bowl game. There was a national news reel that had a Redtag representative from every state give name and home state for the public to see. And finally there was the CDROM that was splicedtogetherwith newsreels and pictures of our start at Lowry; the march to the new permanent site at C Springs; our progress during the Doolie year; our regression during the Spring Field Trip that helped forge our class name; trips to Europe; athletic and intramural competitions; academic achievements; leadership accomplishments; POWs; names of those Killed or Missing in Action; and other highlights. Every classmate got a copy of the CDROM in the mail. I felt so very proud to be a Redtag after that show.

After some dancing to the “Gentle Rain Band” and more conversing, people started to head for bed. Some of us managed to stay up past 11.

Saturday morning found us heading for the Redtag Tailgate location to

enjoy that hearty breakfast near the stadium. When we got there, Randy and Lieu Schamberger were there as was Jim Mack. Jim found out that the food caterer came out the previous night to discover that the Denver tent vendor put the tent in the wrong place about half a mile away. During the night, the caterer and his dad moved the tent to the right location. When we got there, the tent was up and the crew was in the middle of placing tables and chairs. Then they started cooking the food. Of course, most of the class had no idea about this slight glitch in the plans. The food was well prepared and tasted great. Classmates were still arriving during the meal. The accompanyingpicture shows Bob Staib getting a chance to have some breakfast with Jerry and Freddie Smith and Chuck Turner.

From the breakfast, we trudged across the street and up the hill to our seats on the west side of the stadium. There was lots going on; flybys of Air Force planes, cadet activities on the field, the Cadet Wing march-on, cheers and announcements about our reunion. Most of us had something Red to wear.

The accompanying picture shows Bob and Susan Lightsey seated at the stadium with Peggy Peck behind them. Peggy died a few weeks later from the cancer she had been fighting for so long. Gail and Peggy drove to the reunion from Las Vegas because the weather was too bad to fly in Gail’s plane. It was nice to see her one more time. She was a courageous lady.

The victory over Navy was overwhelming. It was an enjoyable afternoon. Afterwards, I headed off to the gift shop to buy some things for the grand kids. Then back to the hotel and the Southwestern Buffet dinner.

JackAnderson, Bob Staib, GaryForrest and George and NancyLyddane look at the huge classphoto from doolieyear.

Owen Hawkins had procured a huge copy of our Doolie-year class photo and had it hanging at the front of the banquet room. Some classmates couldn’t pickthemselves out ofthe crowd. Talk aboutAlzheimer’s. A couple of months before the reunion, Tom Rausch had taken orders for special commemorative coins that he distributed at the dinner to those who ordered any. Bob Staib came, also. It had only been a few weeks since his wife, Marianne, had passed away. It was great to see Bob at the reunion.

We had an open mike again and heard some interesting and funny reminiscences. Ofcourse, Bo Daugherty sang “DannyBoy” for us again. Bobby Gibson got up and spoke to us in his Marine tongue. I thought he was asking us to raise our beer glasses for a toast but he was warning us to protect our from the bears in the parking lot. It seems that the drought had driven the wildlife, including, deer, bear and mountain lion down out of the mountains to forage for food on the outskirts of the city.

So the hotel was carrying people to their cars using the hotel van to avoid three teenage bears while the mother bear cavorted in the swimming pool out back. Many of us stayed around the bar until after midnight, sipping Perrier with Motrin or Celebrex.

On Sunday morning there was a continental breakfast and more catching up. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time in three days for a

Bob Staib relaxes at the tailgate breakfast with Jerry and Freddie Smith and Chuck Turner.

reunion. We said our goodbyes and hoped to see everyone soon. I’m looking forward to the 50th

I also got some input from other classmates. Kirk and Rosemary Vaughan are still in Muscat, Oman, where Kirk is teaching at the university. They traveled to the Maidive Islands, Kenya, Italy, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other places. They have moved into a more spacious house and are still enjoying the tour.

Mary Jo and Charlie Price are still in Atlanta. He has oversight of nine Trus Joist/Weyerhauser plants across the eastern U.S. and Canada. They just finished their basement and Charlie is reputed to have a real home theater with real theater-style seats and an HDTV. They have enjoyed the many cultural and entertainment amenities that Atlanta has to offer.

Also heard from Ted and Marcy Dykes. They didn’t send holiday greetings last year because their small town lost six people in the 9/11 attacks. They celebrated Marcy’s 60th birthday and their 40th wedding anniversary. Ted was in the hospital in March; something about getting older. They traveled to Florida and other places and enjoyed life to the fullest

In light of the academy’s approaching 50th anniversary, the Academy is seeking inputs on squadron patches. If any of you know of the creation, history, and significance of squadron patches, please send the information to Duane Reed, Head of Special Collections at the Cadet Library at Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil.

Here’s a message from RandySchamberger: “I’ve onlygotten 22 requests for the reunion video from my e-mail announcements on RTBGen, Announce, and Blatherers. I suspect there might be others out there that aren’t on line. I’m finishing a four-hour video. It’s being digitally mastered on four one-hour DVD’s which in turn will be used to produce a four-hourVHS tape. DVD copies are not available because it takes about five hours per one hour DVD to edit, encode, and burn. I am charging $20 for the tape, including shipping, on a first come/first served basis. I hope to do at least two videos per day. The video covers all events except the Flying W Ranch, Pike's Peak tour, and golf tournament. Send $20 checks made out to: Randall L. Schamberger, 606 St. Anne Cove, Niceville, FL 32578-4028. Questions: Tel: 850-897-2509. E-mail: RSchamberg @aol.com. Have a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.”

Bill Haugen sent this: “Each reunion means more to me than the previous one, because with time we increasingly appreciate family and friends. At reunions classmates you casually knew before become friends, and old friends become treasures. Reunions also remind us of our mortality. Some classmates and their spouses have died, so those who remain are precious. Some have health problems; you pray they’ll be back in five years. And you hope your name won’t be read at the next memorial service.”

Here are my concluding remarks. I know many ofyou have dropped off the Redtag net and many of you were never on it. Please send me your email address or home phone number so I can communicate with you for important events or situations that arise between Checkpoints issues. I’ll keep them confidential if you wish.

Go Redtags! Jack

Norman I. Lee III

17532 N.E. 38th Court Redmond, WA 98052

W: (425)237-6004 H: (425)882-0968

E-mail:54wrs@msn.com

Work e-mail:norman.i.lee@boeing.com

Fax: (425) 237-5775

Regretfully, I have to start with the passing of two more of our classmates. On Dec. 11 th FrankJ Karasienski died of a heart attack in Saginaw, MI. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time but Frank’s wife, Maria, was coordinating with the Academy for an internment at the Academy Cemetery after the first of the year. Condolences may be sent to Maria Karasienski, 535 S. Warren Ave #804, Saginaw, MI 48607. The AOG also recently learned that Dennis Haycraft died on Feb. 13, 1998 in Merced, CA. Denny was buried in the San Joaquin Valley Memorial Cemetery in Santa Nella, CA on Feb. 20, 1998.

Our Class President, Jim Diffendorfer, requested we include the following status on the Class Cups. “Greetings: Here’s a quick review on the Class Cup situation. I have had several ideas emailed to me; and, I have shared my thoughts with several ofyou. We are NOT running out oftime to find an acceptable way to ensure the longevity of the cups; and, more importantly, the ideals theyrepresent. The ‘buzz’ about adopting the class of 2003 as our ‘agent’ to carry forward the cup tradition is fine, but not timely. I pulsed a few ofyou about this and received your agreement; it is too early in our lives and too early for the class to turn over the responsibility to anyone else. My thoughts were to delay the decision of having another academy class take on the project to give us more time to think this thing through. IF we eventually ask another class to take on the task, I felt it should be closer to 2063, so the tasked class would not be so old (graduation plus 60 years for the Class of2003). Your responses were sup

portive. So, my plan is to talk more about it; by email, at the 40th discussions at mini reunions, etc. I see an eventual team of ’63ers who would take the folder of ideas and shape a plan. There would be time to publish the plan and allow class comment. Eventually, we will reach a decision and it will be a good one; we have the resolve to do it. Meantime, let me hear from you. This short exercise brought in a couple more good ideas. That’s what I need from youyour thoughts. When I feel we have the makings of a good decision, I will ask you to form a team and create the plan. Thanks to those ofyou who have sent me your thoughts.” Some of those “pulsed” by Diff who responded were John Borling, Jim Kuhn and Gil Merkle.

I got a large coffee table book entitled TheAir Force for Christmas. It is a terrific piece of work! A must have. More importantly, Drue DeBerry had a lot to do with putting the book together. The book is one of a collection about the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. Each book contains photographs, paintings, etc. plus articles including personal accounts. Drue was the managing editor and Bob Venkus and Ron Fogleman contributed articles. Jimmie Butler told me COSTCO bought about 30,000 copies of TheAirForce for their Christmas selection. Ifyou don’t have the Air Force version, run, don’t walk, to your nearest COSTCO store.

Jimmie Butler’s Web Site (try http://jimmiehbutler.com/) has a large photo gallery covering the annual class gathering at the Air Force-Navy game in October. Enclosed is a copy of the annual class picture. The caption says the primary requirement for being in the font row was to be able to get back up without too much assistance.

there were EdRiesdorf, Bill Wecker, Bob Mazet & GaryBender.

Ralph Wetterhahn’s latest book, a novel entitled Shadowmakers, hit bookstore shelves in December. According to Tom Fryer, Ralph was selected as the 2002 Colby Award winner for the work he did on his first book The Last Battle. Congratulations on both accounts! A third book is in the works.

Neil Sorensen says the commute from his home in Mukilteo, WA to teach classes at the Bellevue Community College had become too much to endure so he quit teaching. He and Ilene sold their place in Mukilteo and moved to Whidbey Island where they are enjoying the relative peace and the lack oftraffic byliving on the beach waiting for their new house to be built. Linda and I have looked at Sequim, WA on the Olympic Peninsula as a future home site so when I questioned Neil about their choice of Whidbey Island, he said that although they had considered the Peninsula; there was a problem with health care providers. Not many Doctors there would take TRICARE Prime. One of the reasons they decided to look at Whidbey was the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Good point. Neil also reports he is hoping to be at the reunion next fall.

Mike Davis is really looking forward to the 40th reunion. Mike was able to spend some time in Colorado Springs on his last day in the Air Force Reserve (June 16,2001 —the day before his 60th birthday), before boarding a flight back to Indiana after a TDY at Peterson. Mike’s words and I quote: “It was a privilege to start and finish my AF career at the Academy.” Mike’s new e-mail address is mijdavis@iupui.edu.

Class Web Site: posted on the Discussion Forum of our web site was a request for someone who might be able to help provide or locate info about Frank Ralston. John Young, a cousin of Frank, is interested in anyone who can help him in this quest. You can contact John at 10135 Grover St. Omaha, NE 68124. Ph: (402) 397-7987 or via e-mail at sarayoungl4 @cs.com. Also, check out the Web Site.

Bob McBeth is still in South Carolina. After selling his company a couple years ago, Bob and Rita did some fun things like travel, but then his bank-

Gathering of the Golden Boys of ’63: Kneeling are Jim Gaston, Bob Donovan, DeVere Henderson, DrueDeBerry, KenKopke, GeorgeFrederick, andJoe Schucter. Standing: BillBall, Gordon Bredvik, JimmieBuder, Dave Nuss, Ev Vaughn, Steve Dotson (holding flag out), Butch Verdier, Jerry McClellan, DennyKing, BobHayes, andDaveBoeck. Notpictured but

ing friends called and asked if he would do a little turnaround management consulting for them. Bob says it was supposed to be part time right! He is now working with two companies; a manufacturer and a national distributor of sporting goods. If (a big if) the economy improves and the companies turn profitable, maybe Bob can get back to traveling or tennis or golf or something else. Like everyone I hear from, Bob is looking forward to the reunion.

Interesting Web Site to visit from Bill Marvel, ‘69: dedicated to the Viet Nam wall, the site allows you to upload remembrances in text, photos or audio associated with the name of anyone on it. Take a look: http:// uploads.thevirtualwall.org/index.asp.

That’s it. Have a great 2003! Don’t delay get your plans set for November now! I’m bringing my whole family!

Bob Hovde

206 Walker Ave.

Huntsville, AL 35801

H: (256) 532-3923 0: (256) 895-2807

Fax: (256) 895-9222

H: bob.hovde@earthlink.net

0: bhovde@space.hsv.usra.edu

Attached are some photos taken last night at a dinner with all the 1st Sq alumni who made to the 1st Annual 1st Sq Reunion. We had a great time with hikes and tours ofSan Francisco, dinner in Sausalito and brunch in Tiburon. Jim and Sharon Swallow are going to host next year’s event in Carmel. Mike Miller could not attend because he had an African trip scheduled. Larry (Skip) Robinson had knee replacement surgery a few weeks prior to the weekend. Gary Sanderson had ailing parents. Parke Hinman runs a food bank and could not get awaytheweekbefore Thanksgiving, etc. Everyone who attended agreed that this was a great idea and look forward to next year’s event.

Dave Neal and Matt Feiertag at the San Francisco Bowl with their new friends - theSuperintendentandSecretaryoftheAirForce. Where did Dave learn to stand up so straight?

Setting the Record Straight: Allen Tuck set the record straight on the design ofthe 11 th Sq patch with the following letter to the AOG: “The Fall, 2002, issue of Checkpoints indicated that you were seeking input on the ‘creation, history, and significance’ ofthe squadronpatches. In the spring of 1963,1 was a member of the Class of 1964 in the 11th Squadron and was tasked with designing a patch. At the time I attempted to form a committee without success since no one else seemed willing to help. Consequently, I was single-handedly responsible for the design and all ofthe above factors. Several years ago, I was somewhat dismayed to read an article in Checkpoints written by a female officer in the Commandant’s office setting forth the history and significance of the 11th Squadron patch. It contained a number of statements that came as a total surprise to me, and were totally without basis in fact. At that time, I contacted the NCO who was the assistant to the 11th Squadron AOC, and attempted to set the record straight.

“At the time the patch was designed, I started with the basic shape of the patch of the Air Force Wing that was the Squadron Sponsor. This was the circle with the triangle superimposed. The 11 was obviously a reference to the squadron number. The prop and wings were added to reference the Cadet Wing. The colors selected were the red and white which were the colors of the 11th Squadron intramural uniforms, and the blue, yellow, red and gray which were the four class colors in use at the time. There was no other thought or significance to any element of the patch at the time it was designed. Certainly, it may be possible to attribute other significance to any element ofthe design, but in the interest oftruth, I would prefer that any published ‘history’ of the patch be limited to the thoughts at the time of the initial creation.

“Obviously I am very proud of the design that has endured for nearly 40 years. After graduation, I served in the Air Force for eight years flying F-106 and F-4 aircraft. Since leaving the Air Force, I graduated from the University of California at Davis Law School, and later became involved in the management of an industrial pump company. I am presently the President of Greenway Pump, Inc., in Sarasota, Florida, and spend my time designing new and innovative industrial pumps. My ‘creative bent’ has continued, and I now have eight U.S. patents.”

Jim Swallow wants to buy one of my dirt bikes, and Bill Douglass wants one of my street bikes. Both their wives have made serious physical threats to me should I encourage their husbands to buymotorcycles. However, I am down to my last 13 motorcycles (and four bicycles) and need to make room for the two new motorcycles that I am getting in the next fewweeks. I would encourage everyone to do this type of gathering as we all had a ball.

Not that I think Dave takes full advantage of the holiday (party) season, but he also got to see some of the class at the San Francisco Bowl (which was a good game in spite ofthe final score). Gaylord Green, Matt Feiertag, Bill Douglas, and Rod Wells were there. Dave and Matt happened to have

And, from the Land of Fruit and Nuts: Sandy Purcell, Professor in the Division of Insect Biology at Cal-Berkeley, sent the following: “Air Force triumphed over my other favorite football team, the Cal Bears, on Saturday (Sept 21) with a winning drive followed by a goal-line stand in the last few minutes ofthe game. Although I’ve been at Cal for 28 years, those four years at USAFA were very formative, and I found myselfrooting for the silver and blue more than the blue and gold. The Cal football program has been in the basement for so long, but this year the Bears are competitive and were a worthy opponent for what looks like a great AFA running offense. I was very happy to read news reports that the AF quarterback complimented the Cal team as a ‘class act’ that didn’t talk trash and even offered a helping hand up after a tackle. This is a real improvement from past Cal teams.

“Other

'64

Jim

Left Coast Reunion - 1 st Sq: Our Dyna-Gro CEO/Lawyer, Dave Neal sent the following information about the First-First reunion in November:

1 st Sq Reunion - Dave Neal, Bill Douglas ’65, Jim Swallow ’65, Ron Olsen '64, Bill Heinlein ’63, Bob Haley ’64, and Bill Skaer '64.

Bill Skaer, Dave Neal, and Bob Haley check out the old Polaris pictures. “Were we really thatyoung?"

a camera ready when they happened to be standing next to the Superintendent and the Secretary of the Air Force, and talked them into having a fan photo taken.

Scheuring. Both Chris and Butch have children attending Berkeley (but not in my classes). I note that like my Cal students, cadets keep getting younger. How does this happen? I am on sabbatical this year and spent three months in southern France this summer. My long-time research interest (an insect-transmitted bacterial disease that is lethal to grapes) has emerged from obscurity to become a very serious threat to California viticulture, so I felt that I had to limit our stay in France. It was a real pleasure, but an entire year in Europe would have been great.”

Sorry you had to cut short your year in France, Sandy, but keeping my wine safe is a far more important thing to do. I think you - We thank you.

Fly Safe - Send News.

Rick Zurbrugg Box 22615

Hilton Head Island, SC 29925 (843) 689-5321

FAX: (843) 689-5403

E-mail: ezurb@mindspring.com

Hey ’65!

Hope you are on the road to a healthy and prosperous 2003. According to John White, any time you can play golf especially with your young men, Kevin and Peter, age 24, is a day well spent. On this day, they did “serious damage” to the Four Oaks Country Club in Pittsburg, KS. John lives in Monument, CO and sees former professors at the bank.

we were wined and dined and treated to the incomparable discourse of football legend and AD, Randy Spetman ’76, on Friday night. Saturday morning we were whisked up a Hudson Valley at the height of its color to that bend in the river called “West Point” and savored a tailgate courtesy of the New York Chapter of AOG. Spirit was high as attack helicopters buzzed Michie Stadium. A valiant contest played on this field of friendly strife on a perfect Fall day. At the end, the teams stood shoulder to shoulder for the alma maters, first to the Corps of Cadets and then across to the sky ofAir Force Blue. An intense sensation ofcomrades-in-arms swept through the stadium and delivered the assurance to all that we have the people and they have what it will take to defeat our many enemies.

White Boys atplay.

Bob Walsh: “retired in 1991 andmoved to Gillette Corp... now have global responsibility for Engineering and RD applications and processes across our Braun, Oral B, Duracell, plus Blade and Razor Business units... enjoyed proving to myself that our preparation in the AF was directly transferable to the civilian world... looking at retiring within a year or two so I can spend all my time with my lovely wife, Emer, of 2 1/2 years. Emer hails from Ireland... we appreciate how lucky we are to be together. I have two daughters and seven grand children and Emer has two sons plus one grandchild due by Nov 14. We have our home in Falmouth on Cape Cod and keep an apartment in Boston for workdays at Gillette. I had my left (hip replaced) one done in 1998 and just had my right one done a month ago. Both totally successful and highly recommend the operation. My doctor did Jack Nicklaus the week after mine in 1998. I still can’t play golf!” I sincerely do extend an invite to any (classmates) that might be in the Cape Cod or Boston area to visit with us.” Thanks, Bob, for checking in and we’ll take you up on Cape Cod.

In response to many requests, Mike Ryan and Jane: “.. .we renovated our Charleston, SC home after four years of ownership but never residence. We now enjoy our two households which include our town home in the Washington DC area. Mike's work is mainly in Washington and our children and grandchildren all live in Charleston now, so we can enjoy the best of both our worlds. We continue to prove that home renovation is a survival sport not recommended for the fainthearted. Mike is enjoying life in the civilian sector and is very busy with many companies on whose boards he sits and with whom he is a consultant. Jane is now the Vice President, Secretary, Aide, Executive Officer, and Protocol Officer with Michael E. Ryan Associates! She is also the receptionist, office manager, and insurance-billerin Colleen’s newly-openedpediatric practice! And this is retirement! (Scribe’s note: there is a picture of 18 beautiful people ineluding Mike’s mother and very trim and athletic looking Mike and Jane.) We continue our prayers for the security of our country, the wisdom of its leadership, and especiallythe safetyofour militarymemberswho put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect our nation and our friends and allies.” Thank you Ryans and many ’65ers wish you well.

The BigApple: The Sabre Society hosted a November weekend in NYC for the Army game. Arrangements were at The Union League Club courtesy of John Flanagan ’62, and his wife, Mari Jo. Flawlessly managed by Jim Shaw ’67, Pres/CEO AOG, and his fine staff, and delightful wife, Cindy,

Scribe, Oelstrom, Gross, Wiley, Kelly. NYC Nov 02

Tad Oelstrom’s card reads, “Director, National Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.” Fletcher H. “FIASH” Wiley’s card reads “President and COO, PRWT.” Flash celebrated a big birthday in December in Boston by throwing FIASHBASHII, a benefit for the Crispus Attucks Children’s Charities. Attendees were Bart Holaday, John Coblentz, Bill Hogan ’66, and DennyScarborough’s daughter Jamie. John Gross is President ofMcCallin Real Estate, part ofMcCallin Diversified Industries of Denver, CO and was in the Northeast visiting his youngest, a senior at BU. JJ Kelly lives in Harwich Port, MA and is the father of The Sabre Society. Also in the stands for the game was A1 Grieshaber, up from Delaware with his wife, Donna, and son.

Short Takes: Bruce Wood and wife, Betty, relocated to Hurlburt Field and are building new house on the golf course. Joe Koenig and Marlene took three grandchildren to Turkey last summer to visit AFIT buddies in the Turkish AF. Joe is recovering nicely from successful prostate surgery and urges us all to get that PSA checked. Marlene’s MS is stable. PTL! Joe reports that Chuck Ryerson has retired from flying and plays golf on the West Coast of Florida. Tim Graves and Mary have moved to Sun City Anthem, Las Vegas to be close to grands and to entertain classmates. Any input on the creation, history, or significance of squadron patches to Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil.

Elegant Brunch at the spectacular San Francisco home ofWarren Langley and Ann Tonkin and Eric A. Hanushek whose card reads, “Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University”. Thank youWarren, Ann, Eric and Macke for the pleasure of your

Scribe, Warren Langley, Eric Hanushek. San Francisco Nov 02

This just in: Bill Marvel, ’69: “a web site dedicated to the Viet Nam wall allows you to upload remembrances in text, photos or audio associated with the name of anyone on it... looking at the classmates on the wall... disappointed... not much posted... not even photos... a result of people not knowing rather than not caring... took the liberty of scanning their USAFA photos from my yearbook... uploading... writing remembrances for the guys I knew personally... these people made the ultimate sacriflee 30+ years ago. We are the source of the most recent memories and photos of them... intend to put some thoughts up for everyone I knew, even in a firstie/doolie relationship... also intend to scan and upload any photos I can find ofanyone on the wall to make a permanent record of as much oftheir lives as possible... Hopefully you will consider the same for your classmates... only you have the yearbooks with their pictures and

memories of their personalities. As my Aussie friends say, “Do the right thing, mate.” The web site is located at http: / /uploads.thevirtualwall.org/ index.asp.” Thanks, Bill.

To anyone whose email or pictures have been neglected, humble apologies. AOG asks for strict 1200 words and three photos per column. Photos as attachments (min 266d pi jpeg or tif files).

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. As the ROC would say, CHEERS, Rick

Ryan Denny

1635 Mary Todd Lane )

O’Fallon, IL 62269

H: (618) 624-4255

W: (314) 232-5117

E-mail: ryanden@aol.com

Greetings Redtags! Here we are, once again, shifting gears from Christmas cards to income taxes as we race ahead into 2003. Time seems to be speeding up at the same rate that I am slowing down. One of the most common themes in the Christmas cards I got this year was “still”. Everyone seems to be “still” doing whatever it was that they were doing the year before so they write and tell you what their kids/grandkids are doing as if they really knew. Another new theme I noticed this year was the overwhelming wish for a national “No Call” list. I think that this one is starting to gain on “World Peace”.

Kenny Boone finallymarried the girl he took to juneWeek in 1966. Kathy and Kenny were married in the Academy chapel, with the help of several of our classmates. They had lost track of each other for more than 20 years, but got back together again just before our 35th Reunion. Those of you who were there might remember Kenny and his lovely date in the red dress. (Kathy was wearing the red dress, not Kenny.) Kenny proposed that weekend, but the wedding was not until the following year Aug 2002. About 16 of our classmates were able to join in on the festivities. Hugh Gommel was the best man, and Tip Galer and Tom Markham were ushers. The ceremony was conducted by none other than the Senior Judge from Kansas, Buck Lyle. The picture was taken at the reception in Doolittie Hall. From the looks of a few of the folks, it was taken well after the reception had started.

Paul Zomnir writes that he has recendy retired from Lockheed Martin, after 23 years in various logistics and training jobs. He’s living in the Ft Worth area, officiating soccer matches, and beginning to think that he retired too early. Paul says that he is enjoying the good life, but is not ready for theWallmart greeter’sjob yet, so he’s looking for another career. Speaking ofretiring early, Bill Wacker writes that he has worked his way up from starter at the local golf course in Myrtle Beach to a part-time job at the Pro shop. Time to slow down, Bill that’s beginning to sound like work.

I attended a couple of recent conventions (the Airlift/Tanker Convention in Nashville, and the Interservice Training Conference in Orlando) and ran into Redtags at both of them. Bob Jahnke was also at both conventions. He is living in the Salt Lake City area and represents a company that makes displays for flight simulators. In Orlando, I also ran into Bill Riley, Mike Parmentier, and Paul Sheridan. Bill is still living in C Springs and working for Northrop Grumman. He is managing a bunch of software folks who are working on the training management system for AETC pilot training. Bill knows all about herding cats. Paul retired

All ’66ers Invited to Spring Fling

The Redtag ’66 vets from Seagrams Seventh Squadron are once again conducting our annual “Spring Fling”, to be held in Washington, D.C. May 1st through 4th.

We would like to extend an invitation to ALL Redtag ’66ers to join us for one or both of the two events during the weekend festivities. Thursday, May 1st: golf outing at Andrews AFB, tee time TBD (estimated 1300 or 1400). Saturday, May 4th: dinner, time and place TBD (potentially Army-Navy Country Club). Contact: Randy Jayne at (O) 703-848-2500 or rjayne@ heidrick.com.

from many years at Pratt & Whitney and is now working for CACI. Mike retired from Civil Service as an SES, where he was the Director ofTraining for the DOD. He now in charge oftraining for Booze Allen, still working in the Washington DC area.

Mike, Paul, and I spent an interestingeveningvisitingthe hospitalitysuites sponsored by some of the major training companies. When they turned the lights on at the last party and asked us all to leave, I realized that we’re not really slowing down we’re just saving ourselves for the long run so that we can “peak” later, after all the youngsters quit for the night.

Do you remember when you used to run into all your friends at the bar or the O Club? Well, now I keep running into them at the local YMCA, where we’re trying to make up for all those years we spent in the bar. One of our classmates that I see at the gym a few times a week is Jim Murphy. (OK, I never used to run into Jim at a bar, but he’s going to the gym all the time anyway.) Jim told me about a 500-mile bicycle trip he took a few months ago. He and another crazy person started out in Memphis and rode their bikes for about a week, camping out most nights. They pedaled up the Natchez Trace and ended up somewhere in Mississippi. They carried everything with them to camp out, but ate a lot of their meals at local restaurants and met a lot of local people (think “dueling banjos”).

Another great letter from Mike and Judy Blair in Alaska. Mike works for the city of Anchorage, where he was recently named as the Safety Manager for his department. The Blairs seem to spend a lot of time at their “Settlement House" up the Kenai, watching the moose, bears, floods, eagles, and the Northern Lights. With all the fishing, tree-cutting, and dock building that Mike does, he doesn’t need to go to the gym to make up for his past life.

That’s all for this time. I’m still begging for news, so send me an e-mail or give me a call. Until next time... Happy Landings!

Larry Wilson

13100 Pinehurst Ave. NE Albuquerque, NM 87111

H: (505) 291-8949

W: (505) 816-2092/DSN: 246-2404

E-mail: Lwilsn628@aol.com

Damn, we were good. And we still are.

Those truisms were reinforced again in November, when we came together again at the Academy to celebrate our 35th; renew old friendships and forge new ones; maybe play a little golf; catch up on what’s happening at our Alma Mater; visit with some of the current classes; and incidentally watch the Falcons play Notre Dame in a battle of then-undefeated and nationally-ranked football teams. It was a great time, headed up by Frank Chuba and his selfless and successful reunion team. Coordinators from each squadron mustered their troops, some more successfully than others, rounding up Lost Souls and some who did not quite graduate with us. Classy class logo clothing and gear were available, sold like hot cakes, and looked good. Liquid refreshments flowed freely and nightly, with intake and expression tempered by age and sleep requirements, self and/or spousal control. The rock music at the blast was of our generation and therefore better than any of the contemporary crap. In short a good time was had by all.

Skipping lightly over the hours and months ofpreliminary work the reunion activities per se startedThursdaywith the golftournament, where a CS-06 team again trounced the competition and walked off with the honors, bragging rights and prize $. That evening was wide open, with folks drifting in and out of various Embassy Suites bars and meeting rooms, forming and reforming squadron and non-squadron groups, networking, schmoozing, swapping tales of who did what to whom, how and when, with various nuances depending on who told the tale, etc.

On Friday after reveille (? about noon...) we wandered our former squadron areas, noting the gender-segregated johns and another symbol of the changed times: signs in the johns and squadron areas offering

Redtags atKennyBoone’s wedding. Standingfrom left are RickParsons, BuckLyle, Don Hausam, Hans Mueh, Tom Markham, KennyBoone, Hugh Gommel, Bill Riley, Ross Gubser, GeoffEgge, and Jim Mullen. Kneeling: Wayne Skora, VicAndrews, LarryBagley, and Tip Galer. Reclining: Bernie Amels.

assistance in the case ofsexual assault or harassment. Lunch at Mitch’s was again... noticeably different from Our Era squats sitting at ease; no Forms 0-96; meal (?) delicious chile dogs; etc. One of the cadets at the table where I dined happened to be a swabbie, at the AFA as an exchange student. I inquired about how his life had been over the period of the Navy football game. Fie tersely described the equivalent ofhis havingbeen hazed. He seemed to be still chafed. Oh well.

Following lunch was the Warrior’s Tribute at the War Memorial near the Air Garden flagpole, honoring our fallen comrades who lost their lives under conditions of hostile fire. The ceremony was brief and poignant, rendered more so by the participation of legacy cadets of the current classes, including the sons/ daughters of Cash Jaczczak, Jim Shaw and Pete Sarda.

Warrior’s Tribute at the War Memorial

Then to Fairchild Hall for Senior Staff briefings, where the Superintendent and others caught us up on Wing-related stuff, reminding us that while things have changed, they remain the same. Sort of. The briefings were shared with the whippersnappers of 72, back for their 30th. In those briefings, some harkened back to lectures of the past, as despite the pertinence ofthe briefings’ content the post- lunch timing, the warmth, and lecture hall seats seemed conducive to more than a few power naps. Following the briefings was a short ’67 class meeting, which generated a bit more heat, reminding us all that even among well-intentioned friends, colleagues and classmates there can be differences of opinion. (See Class Gift communication, below.)

On to the class photos where we again demonstrated that We Haven’t Changed a Bit, then into the Chapel for our Class Memorial Ceremony. The chapel was beautiful and inspirational, as always, as was the Cadet Choir’s singing. The message of the ceremony ‘s sermon was clear to us all, emphasized by a memorable demonstration of the number of weekend days, holidays, etc., we may have left on earth: whatever we have done, or left undone, to the present, there is time remaining to do more, to be better, to share with friends and family; to more effectively pursue a Life Which Justifies Itself.

Friday evening squadron-oriented gatherings, followed by dancing and general debauchery till... whenever. Photo ops abounded.

Saturday game day! Loose squadron and personal time during the day, then tailgate party, paver dedication and (frequent) champagne toasts outside at Doolittle Hall, after which many of us and spouses wandered (or rushed...) into the hall to escape the evening chill. Then the stronghearted moved down the hill to the packed and overflowing parking areas, through the security inspections, into the football stadium and to the stands, while the weak (some would say wise...) returned to the reunion HQ area to watch the game on wide-screen TV in warmth and comfort. Either way—the game was fun; the weather “invigorating;” the score disappointing; the outbound traffic incredibly bad. Of particular note the falcon did NOT fly away (no strains of “Bye Bye Birdie” this game); the pre-game sky divers descended through the night, amazingly and incredibly on target; the cadet wing was in BDUs (with the explanation that not all yet had overcoats ??); and the cheers were... conventional: what ever happened to “Horiado yo ho!... Ooooh sa sa sa.” Flick Guerrina’s valiant efforts to rally fans and football team with this old chestnut were inspirational but ultimatelyunsuccessful. And I suspect the cheer was again retired, till some other group of ORFs returns and resurrects it.

Sunday brunch at leisure, winding down, and moving out. Interspersed in all this organized stuff was much time for squadron and personal networking, bonding, aquainting/ reaquainting, reinforcing that We had It Tough Back Then and These Weenies Don’t, etc.

Vignettes:

Tom Cunningham is “the world’s preeminent/largest used car salesman,” having that position for a major automobile manufacturer.

Barry LaForgia’s impending first marriage. His fiance was soooo delighted to see what Barry had survived. At least one other future spouse

(someone else’s) was also present, and a past spouse too (again, of someone different).

Buddy Smith who departed the AFA prior to graduation for a road in Tibet very much less traveled was back, for the first time since ’66, and added a dimension to our activities.

Dale Stovall looked fit and comfortable and familiar in his “A” jacket/ letter jacket; as did Len Vernamonti in his class shirt, and later his gold bathrobe. I suspect that many of us have no idea where ours are. And if we did theyprobablywould not fit as well as Dale’s and Len’s fit them...

Marching with the wing, in our former squadrons, to lunch at Mitchell Hall: not done. Apparentlythis was one graduate/ reunion tradition that did not make the cut.

Tom Boettcher and Buddy Smith (and maybe others) are published authors.

Mike Francisco and Tom Boettcher (and maybe others) are in the political arena.

Pat Nesbitt the gracious host again turned the Embassy Suites into reunion headquarters and Party Central.

Barry LaForgia and Ken Sproul (and maybe others) are engaged in altruistic pursuits via their organizations, or personally, bringing health care to the Third World.

Lost and Found: at the pre-game tailgate party, one of the AOG staff located Lloyd Duncan, and returned to him something that Dune had been missingfor a long time: his white parade hat, last worn at our graduation. The staffguy— name unknown to me had apparently attended our graduation in ’67, and acquired Dune’s hat after it was thrown into the air. So he presented it to its rightful owner, who promtply tried it on, demonstrating that it fit like a... white parade hat.

LloydDuncan, demonstrating thathis whiteparade hat, missing since he threwit into the air at graduation, fits as well as ever.

CS-12 had over half of their guys turn out for the reunion. For Bob Connolly and Mike Leonard, this was their first. 12th had a Saturday afternoon get-together for all the guys and their guests/spouses at Rich Hughes’ home in Monument. CS-16 had 12 reunion attendees, who feasted on grilled Les Page’s Oregon salmon and wine prior to the game. Meanwhile Frat Five was over 100%, with their 21 who graduated plus one non-grad, Rick Hedden. CS-06 too had a great turnout, and located a few of their lost souls.

CS-05: From left, starting with the back row (standing), are John McCrillis, JimIcenhour, John Lewis, Jim Cobb, Jim George, SteveHolohan, ScottyJackson, DaveKnox, Steve Czonstka, John Retelle, andRalph Palmer. In the middle row (seated) are Rick Hedden (non-grad), Bill Savage, Joe Peddrick, Tom Hepner, and Hal Hudson. Sitting or kneeling on the floor are Rod Weeks, Bob Pastusek, John Carney, GaryMayandJackBlystone. Notpictured is Roger Williams.

The men ofCS-06 and their ladies: In the front row are Jim and Cindy Shaw, Glenn andJanisHowerton, and Ted and Trish Legasey. In themiddle row are Harvey Vance and Jane, Steve and Stephanie Wyman, Larry and PatWilson, andPaula and ChuckBeattie. In the backroware LloydDuncan andAnn, Jill and Mel Greene, Bill and Patti Hurley Les andJackieJensen, and Gerryand Eileen Rafferty. Not shown are Garyand Sue Fedel andJim and Gail White.

A sign of the times, and a shocking slice of reality I had not previously considered: just as the ADAF careers of our class have closed out, so are the flying careers ofthe commercial pilots of our class also winding down. Age 60 apparently is the mandatory retirement threshold for commercial pilots. A number of our group have hit or soon will be hitting that, and thus must look at punching out, or punching out again. That realization aligns closely with the fact that all of our class should by now have had one or more adventures in colonoscopy, and may be facing age-related prostate andor other conditions. Egads. Remember when we were all stallions, young and bullet proof?

On Sunday the reunion ended quietly, almost anticlimactically, with farewells and best wishes to friends and their families, and conscientious pledges to keep in better touch with one another followed by individuals’ departures throughout the day.

Lex Page perhaps expressed it best, when he described the bonds es

At the 35th Reunion and the class meeting, it became apparent that our class has an excellent opportunity for all members to influence the direction and objectives of the AOG. Good communication can accomplish these things and to that end our classmates who serve on the AOG Board of Directors would like to hear from anyone on issues and subjects of interest. Here are their names and email addresses:

Ted Legacy, Chairman ted_legacy@sra.com

Bill Boisture bill.boisture@gulfaero.com

Gil Mook, Member gilmook@earthlink.net

tablished years ago that are not easily broken, and the reunion as “...getting together with some of the closest friends who rarely see one another.” Damn, we were good. And we still are.

You may recall the spirited discussion in our class meeting about our gift to the AOG/the Academy. In a follow- up communication with Jack Fry, who chaired the Class Gift Committee this info, describing actions ofthe committee to try to improve the class participation and sense of involvement in our 40th Reunion Gift:

“1. As of December we have $68,591 in our class gift fund ($35,150 of this is in the form of pledges yet to be collected). The class gift committee will work with the AOG to perform the actions required to implement our 35th reunion gift:

a. Paul Flenry is preparing the written material for our Contrails dedication.

b. The reunion Committee will review the input and get it to the AOG.

c. The acceptance parade for the Class of 2007 will be in Aug. 2003.

i. As many classmates as possible are welcome to join us in the presentation of the Contrails to the Class of ’07 at that parade.

ii. Expect more information this summer.

2. The result of the class vote on reunion gift procedures and more active participation by the class was 118 Yes; 45 No; 1 Abstain.

3. As a result of the vote the 35th Reunion Gift Committee will stay active and work the following until replaced by the 40th Reunion Gift Committee:

a. Work with the AOG to execute the Contrails gift from our 35th reunion

b. Meet formally with the AOG this January and each January in the years ahead to:

i. Gather USAFA and AOG recommendations/suggestions for the 40th Reunion Class Gift

ii. Review the status of Class of 1967 Class Gift Funds

iii. Review actions to raise funds for the 40th Reunion Gift

c. Gather suggestions from classmates for our 40th Reunion Gift

i. Gary Scheimer and Buz Carpenter are leading this effort for the Committee

ii. We have one suggestion already being looked into

d. Report to the class twice each year (January & July):

i. Status of Class Gift Funds

ii. Gift suggestions (from classmates, the AOG, and USAFA) being looked into and being considered for the class vote

e. Prepare and conduct class vote or votes on the 40th Reunion gift just prior to the 40th reunion.”

Thanks again Jack, Doug Beatty, Pete Knepell, and Paul Henry for all your good Class Gift work, coordinating with the AOG and carrying on this Contrails tradition for our class.

As noted in the previous Checkpoints ’67 is well represented on theAOG Board ofDirectors: Ted Legacy, Chairman; Bill Boisture and Gil Mook, members; and of course Jim Shaw is the AOG CEO. If you have issues you feel should be addressed by the AOG contact one of these representatives.

On a sad note the AOG was notified in mid- December that Ken Weher had passed away, at his home in New York. It is symbolic that in addition to his spirit and memory a more tangible part of Ken lives on: he was an organ donor, and his final gift helped another to live. I don’t recall seeing or speaking with Ken at the reunion, but he is listed as an attendee. Again, how symbolic if he had that opportunity to spend time with his friends and classmates at the AFA that one last time.

And so we wound down anouther reunion, Checkpoints reporting period, Holiday season, and old year (2002). Thanks to all of you for yout past and current contributions to families, to society, to the Air Force, and the Academy. Best wishes for 2003! Vaya con Dios!

CS-16: In the front row are Myna Brees, Ron Blum, Cora Estavillo, Abe Estavillo, Barbara Wood, and Stu Wood. Middle Row: Stump Sowada, Don Fink, Duang Putnam, Lorraine Scott and Linda Caudle. Back Row: Lex Page, Art Tait, Mike Scott, Joe Caudle, KarolAshbrook, OwenAshbrook,and Bob Putnam.

CS-12: In the top rowfrom left areAndyBush, Jim Bannwart, Mike Giles, Rich Hughes, andRon Marquette. MiddleRow: GaryKoldyke, Bob Mitcham, Ed Cunningham, Bob Connolly, and Harry Wetzler. Front Row: Lew Dougherty, andMikeLeonard.

Tim Davidson

9712 Hidden Valley Road

Vienna, VA 22181-6094

(703) 255-5313

Fax: (703) 255-5377

E-mail: timd@erols.com

HELLO ’68! Happy 2003 to one and all! For you master mathematicians out in Checkpoints Land, the sands of time show that it has been nearly 35 years since graduation. Our reunion committee is in full swing preparing for our arrival in C-Springs and it is up to you to keep your personal calendars open for the September - October time frame. Standby for details from our 35th reunion chairman, Carl Janssen, and the committee.

CLASS PRESIDENT DEPT: It seemed appropriate to begin our first column of2003 with a photo and a few words from our very own Class President, Phil Pignataro. Phil is still flying with United and lives in the outskirts of Chicago. When I asked Phil to say a few words and made him aware ofmy restricted column length, he said the following: “Happy New Year and best wishes! I hope you are all doing well. We airline pilots will have some interesting times ahead. As you know, our 35th reunion is just around the corner and I want to encourage everyone to make and follow through on your plans to attend. I hope to see you there!” OK Gang, you read it right here in this exclusive interview, our president wants you to come to the reunion. Just do it!

HOLIDAYMAILBAG DEPT: From the great State ofVermont, Roger Dean checked in to send holiday greetings. Amidst the comings and goings required to operate his consulting business and Carol’sjob at a local Harley Davidson dealership, they are still trying to figure out what happened to 2002. Roger noted that hobbies ended up taking a backseat to work, but that Carol’s big FIVE-OH birthday ended up being an event of their lifetime. As quoted from their newsletter: “Roger surprised Carol with a month-long trip to New Zealand in March. What a place to visit!... The 30-plus hour flight from Burlington to Auckland was an adventure in itself, but only the start of a truly memorable trip. We rented a car for the drive from Auckland to Wellington, took the ferry across to the South Island, and then circumnavigated the South Island on a rented Harley. Fifteen days and 2,500 miles later, we got back to Wellington, picked up another car and headed north to Auckland and the plane ride home. Over the three-plus weeks, we saw more magnificent scenery, ate more great food, and stayed in more wonderful B&Bs and small hotels than we thought possible in that amount of time. We’d driven or ridden in rain, sun, cold, heat, and even a little snow. In 2003, you may see us touring Nova Scotia on Roger’s Harley.”

From downtown Kabul via Centreville, VA, John Longenecker checked in to say that he and Joyce were enjoying a litde quiet time away from the war zone in Afghanistan wh% he was on holiday leave. John headed back to Kabul on 26 DecemberTo resume his air attache duties.

From Dayton, Ohio, Charlie Coolidge writes that he is still at WrightPatterson AFB, where he continues to serve as the Vice Commander of Air Materiel Command. His principal focus for 2002 was aimed at helping the Air Force to transform while supporting the War on Terrorism and defense of the Homeland. Charlie and Bonnie stay on the go supporting base functions and occasionally get away for some much needed R&R to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky to visit family. His son Brad is a 1 st Lieutenant and an E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) pilot stationed at Tinker AFB, OK. Brad celebrated Christmas on a 90-day tour of duty in the Middle East and is expected to return in March. Colleen and Kent Lindner live in Marietta, GA where Kent completed a leadership program with GE Power Systems and Colleen worked

At Home With The CoolidgeFamily. From left are Charlie TV (’90), Brad (AWACS Pilot, ’75), Bonnie’s Mother (Jean Buckshorn), Bonnie, Charlie, Colleen (’75),

Human Resources programs for GE. The photo was taken during the Thanksgiving holiday while Bonnie’s mother was visiting.

From Temple, Texas, Rayford Brown writes of a 2002 filled with family, friends, Jaguar remodeling, volunteer projects, work, and health issues. R.K. and Kathleen enjoyed taking a breast cancer survivors’ cruise with some good friends to Cozumel and Cancun in October. They also found Kathleen’s volunteer singing engagements for a number of American Cancer Society functions around central Texas to be quite memorable including one where R.K raised his hand to seek permission to retire to the men’s room during an auction and ended up bidding on a country club lot. To keep busy, R.K. flies for the Civil Air Patrol and received his FAA instrument rating this past year. Meanwhile, Kathleen works as an independent contractor for the Temple Independent School District and has three music therapy clients. They feel blessed to be living in Temple and for Kathleen’s fifth year of being cancer free.

From Arlington, VA, Bruce Gerrity writes that he is now working for a company called System Planning Corporation based in Arlington. Bruce holds the title of Senior Engineer and is spends some of this time working on Homeland Security. He said he hopes to join us at the East Coast reunion in January.

From Dallas, TXwe received greetings from Bob Daley. Bob writes that he officially retired from SouthwestAirlines in Feb 2002 and that the company threw him a terrific retirement party. He and Mercyparticipated in a lot of travel during the year including a reunion with Mercy’s family from Panama at Disney World in Orlando, FL. Another major reunion event was Charlie Holland’s assumption of Command at U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa with classmates from 21 st Squadron. Bob is also remodeling his family’s house in Boston, so he finds himselfflying between Massachusetts and Texas so often that he is developing a completely neutral speaking voice with no accent... NOT!

In Memory ofVeta Marshall. Photo taken duringJim Thompson’s RetirementBanquet, 13 September2002.

On a very sad note, the class extends sincere condolences to Tony Marshall in the loss ofhis wife Veta to cancer in October. Many of us met Veta for the first time at Jim Thompson’s retirement banquet and were greatly saddened at her passing. Tony, our thoughts and prayers go with you during this difficult time.

THAT’S AWRAP: Mind the flak; keep ’em flying, and please keep those cards, letters, e-mails, and photos coming in. I am still very low on family photos, so please send regular photos via the mail or e-mail them to me in JPEG format. Ciao for now. Tim

Phil Pignataro and FamilySend HolidayGreetings. From left are Taylor, Martha, Phil, and GregPignataro.

and Kent Lindner (USMA ’95).

Lindsey Parris

616 King’s Cloister Circle

Alexandria, VA 22302

Home: (703) 836-3604

E-mail: 102177.1033@compuserve.com

Good greetings of spring to all. May your tans be ready for the white and yellow ball chasing and whacking to come in the next months.

The football Falcons had quite a following from the Class this year, and in addition to the many living in the Springs and attending home games, many traveled to see games in Las Vegas, San Diego, West Point, and San Francisco. Spotted at the UNLV game were four’69ers who offered up their services to fill gaps in the defensive and offensive lines. You will see Jeff Tobolski, Denny Ryll, Dick Swanson, and Steve Kirby patrolling the sidelines, a most imposing group. Coulda’ used this crew vs. Notre Dame, Wyoming, SDSU, CSU, and NC State.

Tobo, Denny, Suwannie, and Stevie Kreadyingforspring training!

A first-ever reunion ofUSAFA prep schoolers found four’69ers in attendance: Bob Gemignani, Larry Howell, Wally Moorehead, and H. Ownby. Joining the celebration was our own John Dallager.

Breasting the mighty currents up Alaska way: Rick Olafson, John Brummitt, Sam Traavers, Mike Carrier, John Buckner, EdPowell,JeffMeece, LarryAlexander, LarryHowell, Paul Galli, Gene Whalen, andJim Petek. portant subjects ranging from collaborative acquisition of weapons and system programs for the Alliance to protecting allied territory and population from missile threats as well as protecting NATO forces from attack. Bob is thriving in Brussels, by all accounts, and with him and wife, Vibeke (the Minister-Counsellor, Representation of Denmark to the EU), there, our European fortunes are in good hands.

Meanwhile, back east, we had a short-notice Class get-together at our place, which drew a good crowd despite the late notice and holiday conflicts. Roy Coppinger flew in from Portland, and Grandfather Les Dyer from Atlanta (yes, it’s true, his F-15E-packing, top squadron-gun son Todd and wife ushered in a new generation of Dyers in early January), to run the ritual dart tournament, which was heatedly contested and won narrowlyby the Mang gunslingers, Doug and Robbie. Also dropping by were Ron Marcotte, Jeffs Grime and Snyder, Jim Williams, Gerry Brown (who has relocated from NASA HQ to head up aeronautical operations at Langley-NASA), Guy Gardner, Scott Sonnenberg, Jim Dryden, Jim Petek, Dave Astle, Chip Ambrose, Tim Courington, Don Campbell, Jimmy Cummings, Tom Lutterbie, JeffPosner, Jim Storey, Darrel Whitcomb, Dick Larkins, and Nino Baldacci. Pictured are some of the miscreants, and you can test your eyesight to match names and faces.

H Ownby, WallyMoorehead, Bob Gemignani, andLarryHowell at USAFA Prep School’s First reunion.

Returning once again, this time with photo, to the terrificAlaskan cruise Jeff Meece orchestrated, we should all be envious. Glaciers up close and personal, fjords, Alaskan Ale at the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, and Crow’s Nest cocktails daily, with some of the globe’s most spectacular scenery at hand. On board, Paul and Shirley Galli renewed their wedding vows after 30 years of marriage, and Mike Carrier, with wife, Linda, helped officiate. John Buckner, he of Fort Collins, CO, somehow managed to juggle his FedEx schedule to take the cruise and not spend a single day ofleave, nor did Ann. (note: even if nothing else, ’69 was eminently resourceful, and still is). Larry and Colleen Howell instructed all in intricate dance steps; Jack Overstreet, who sent Lara as his personal emissary, lived the cruise vicariously, and through fellow DCers Larry and JuneLea Alexander and Jim and Bernie Petek. Sam and Joann Travers served as official photographers for the trip (they live in Euless, TX, from whence Sam flies with Delta). Rick and Sara Olafson live in sunnyTucson, and enjoyed the change in scenery. John and Marlene Brummit have divested themselves of their optical business in Pennsylvania and are planning to spend time at Hilton Head and in their 45-foot RV; during the cruise, they offered that flying a C-141 was much simpler than maneuvering their RV through McDonalds or understanding its array of switches. A merry time was had by all, as is reflected in the photograph chronicling the event.

The 18-24 November issue of Defense News carried a nifty interview with Bob Bell, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support. In that ambassadorial role, Bob also chairs the Alliance’s Conference of National Armaments Directors, composed of the top weapon officials from each of NATO’s 19 members. The interview covered a range of im-

Some ofDC-area’69ers during a rare moment ofcalm!

In the memory lane department, A1 McCree discovered a head-banging, heavy metal rock band in Pocatello, ID named “Exit 69.” Al’s sleuthing reveals that the name has nothing to do with our Class graduation parade but the band wishes it did. Rumors to the contrary, Bob Crittenden is not singing Janis Joplin for them either.

Mic Jackson, when not teaching mathematics or environmental science at Earlham College, busies himselfflying old Stearman biplanes with a buddy and leading student trips to exotic locales. He recently spent over three weeks at Wabakini Provincial Park in Northern Ontario portaging and paddling with 25 students as part of the College’s Canoe Wilderness program. Mic, selected by the State ofIndiana as a “Distinguished College/University Mathematics Teacher,” points out that Earlham, a Quaker school, shares with USAFA a dedication to service above self and the absence of a fixation accumulation ofwealth. Fearing that the entire state of Indiana may sink beneath the weight of magazines stored in his garage, Mic offers his entire collection of Checkpoints, complete from the day we graduated, to anyone interested.

Steve Cherry is staying active in the air, and has been working as an Instructor Test Pilot at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA for

the past 10 years. Using surplus military planes, the school teaches the same curriculum as does the USAF Test Pilot School to military pilots fromAustralia, Canada, Israel, Malaysia, Italy, Korea, Germany, Denmark, and a few others. In the last six years, he has also served as an instructor for the USAF’s Test Pilot School during the spin training phase. All this flying, however, only prepares Steve for his true love: watching little white balls fly impossibly accurately down green fairways. The Southern California Golf Association’s Website features his name prominently among the Senior Championships. All the class needs is a fourth to round out the very-low-handicap trio of Steve, Jeff Grime, and Mike Goode. Must be some volunteers out there how ‘bout it, Gene Whelan? You do live in Dallas, after all!

Charlie Weinert passes along the news that a new book titled Vietnam AirLosses (by Chris Hobson) chronicles exhaustively the losses ofaircraft during that conflict, and includes those involving our classmates (though GeorgeTousley’s account is missing). In Charlie’s typicallyendearingway, he has received permission from the publisher to send excerpts about the’69ers lost in combat to all of you. Charlie’s e-mail is clweinert@mindspring.com for those ofyou interested in Charlie’s mailing, which he offers is both detailed and graphic, but helps enrich understandings of what happened to us during that time.

A notable sadness to report this time around: on July 15th Walt Howland died of natural causes at his home in Niceville, FL. His remains were cremated, and the ashes will be brought to and scattered at USAFA; the Memorial Service during next fall’s Homecoming Weekend will honor him. Many memories flood in with news like this: the good ones, the ones that make news like this so sad, like Doug Mang’s memory of being in Walt’s wedding and vice versa, about Walt’s rescuing Doug after curfew in Saigon one night, and so on. Deepest Class condolences to Maxine (727 Prestwick Drive, Niceville, FL 32578) on her and our loss. May God bless. And, may we all take a moment to remember all of our departed brethren and to be thankful for our many blessings.

Carpe diem. Abrazos, Lindsey

Dick Rauschkolb

14640 River Oaks Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 487-0887

W: (719) 472-0300/DSN: 333-2067

E-mail: Dick.Rauschkolb@usafa.af.mil

It’s Jan 2 and I am gearing up for golf season only one problem too much snow on the course! At least I’m not a doolie having to return from Christmas leave today. Do you remember what a good time that was? Talk about depressing too bad they didn’t have Prozac in those days. I think if somebody had offered us admission to Pueblo Jr. College on the evening we returned, me and my roommate, Chuck Weir, would have been on the next Greyhound heading south.

The Falcons finished the season 8-5 losing five oftheir last seven games. My prediction of a 7-5 season wasn’t too far off right Duff Smiley?! The boys played pretty good against #19 Virginia Tech in the San Francisco Bowl, but couldn’t squeeze out a victory despite getting it down to the four yard line as time ran out. The good news is we have a veryyoung team and we should be real good next year. John Verardo sent me this picture of some of the ’70 men who made it to the bowl. Steve Roberts and John Lipp were also at the game. John said we had the largest contingent of any class!

Got lots of news an apology to those I may leave out CRS is becoming a daily experience along with drooling after meals. We need a webmaster to reinvigorate and update our website volunteers contact me please. Rick Tuseth checked in from Houston where he is flying 757s and 767s for Continental. He is contemplating doing some substitute teaching if they allow corporal punishment. Jim Jacobs wrote to highly recommend a book—West Point—which highlights the values our country was founded on. He indicated Mike Brown was upgrading to the 777. Fran Buchan said his wife, Dr. Kathy, may be on Dateline next summer. They are doing a story on some sextuplets she helped care for. Sextuplets yikes! Dan and Skosh Murphy are continuing to enjoy Colorado. Pat Collins wrote that George Rayl, Bob Hilb, Charlie Bobbish, and Bob Baskett showed up for the second “Annual Thunder Party”!

Went up to see the Spurs-Nuggets game in November. There was a pretty good contingent of seventy men there to root Gregg Popovich’s Spurs on. Unfortunately, the Spurs lost to the lowly Denver Nuggets. Despite the loss, Popo was his usual gracious self, coming out to spend a few minutes with each of us before racing off to catch an airplane home. Rick Lesch and his son were there as well as Mike and Peggy Lyons and Mick and Jan Davey. The Davey’s are coming down from a volleyball high after attending all their daughter’s games this past year. She was a star at the University ofMaryland for fouryears. Rex Levoy is working out four nights a week at a gym and enjoying his beach house and golf on the weekends. Sounds like we will need some strokes Rex. Speaking of strokes, John Disosway said he and Bill Bader entered an over-55 golf tournament and got their butts kicked. Must have been a pretty stout field as our classmates are pretty good sticks despite their advancing age. Hugger Peteet and Allison are enjoying their home in Pawleys Island, SC. They spent the holidays in St. Lucia. Jerry and Pam Bruni once again donated a sizeable sum of money to the Colorado Spring’s Empty Stocking Fund.

Just got a note that the AOG database mistakenly spit out Angus MacDonald as deceased in the latest Register. Angus must feel like Mark Twain “The rumors ofmy demise have been greatlyexaggerated.” Good to have you back on board Angus hope nobody sent you flowers! Was dropping my daughter off at the Denver airport last week and ran into Joe and Diane Burke. They were going through secondary screening Joe was always a shifty guy. Joe and Diane were returning to Keuka College after spending some time in Vail with their daughter who is getting married in September. Ron and Pam Kelly had a great trip to San Fran, Sonoma wine country, Monterrey and Carmel revisited some sights they saw on their honeymoon. That’s very romantic Ron! I wonder if Marilyn wants to visit Topeka and check out some ofthe hot spots in that rocking burg that we moved to right after we were hitched.

Seems like buying/building airplanes must be catching on. Jay and Chris Barry bought a Rockwell Commander 114B has four seats and 185 MPH cruise. Jay is flying 767s for Delta and working in the Air Force XP shop when pulling Reserve duty. Denny Funnemark sent this photo of him standing in front of a Tango 2 homebuilt aircraft. Denny said it is all fiberglass goes 210 MPH sort of like a Corvette with wings. He is part owner of a company that is trying to get the plane back into production. Denny said, “Building an airplane is a lot like going to USAFA you often wonder what have I gotten myself into.”

The Prep School had its first-ever reunion this past Fall. By all accounts it was a huge success. Several classmates were in attendance Tom Randazza, Rich Mandas, Steve Macisaac, Tooey Emery, Mark Hale, and a few others; but I lost my notes and my memory is failing me. Dave Sabey showed up. He is doing quite well in Seattle owns a construction company and sits on the Board of Directors for Gonzaga University. Dave is planning on joining Wayne Baughman on an expedition to Mt Everest this summer. Col. Black was honored by having the parade field named for him a well-deserved honor for a real gentleman!

Terry and Sharon Dessert continue to enjoy Florida. Terry is on the South

Slash ’em With a Beak -In the fron t row from left are Larry Bush, John Verardo, Rich Harrington, andMartyMartin. Back row: ChuckReed, Mike Torreano, DKShelton, TexRitter and Tom Rayl.

DennyFunnemarkand the TANGO2he built. He saidhishair was gone beforehe started theproject.

American route for United. Dusty and Rose Ann Swanson are surviving in Memphis with FEDEX—looking forward to the daythey can move to Colorado. GregWoodhead wrote to say the Air Force AcademySociety inWashington took an active part in the Northern Virginia Habitat for Humanity project. Wood, Ron Kelly, Dave Sterling and grads from other classes made excellent progress on a townhouse. Speaking of community service, the cadets today log over thirty thousand hours of community service in a year! Other than the Special Olympics, I don’t think we did much community service in our day who says the place is going to hell?!

Ed Cole sent a nice letter. Seems he and Linda spent some time in Belgium with his and my former roommate, Tim Kinnan and Sue. Ed is enjoying life in Texas. Tim is no doubt working his tail off at NATO HQ trying to line up support for the anticipated war with Iraq.

The Coles and Kinnans enjoylunch in Belgium.

Speedy Martin is another GO working long hours. As CINCUSAFE he has some pretty hefty responsibilities as we gear up for hostilities. Tom Waskow in Okinawa has also seen his life change with the showdown with North Korea. It is good to see Seventy men in positions of responsibility during these troubling times. Our prayers are with you classmates.

Saw Bruce Harmon he took a buyout from Hewlitt-Packard and is presentlyteaching at Colorado Tech. Rick Stice checked in from Anchorage. He is the Contracts Manager with ARCTEC Alaska the company that runs the Alaska Radar System remote radar sites. He mentioned Sam Wood is also in the area working for the FAA. Rick also said he had a good meeting with Robin Olds a while back.

Wild Bill Stealey had some repairs done on his ticker after suffering a heart attack. Denise took him off the Atkins diet and now has him eating the 12 foods nobody likes. Wild Bill is already looking for strokes! Joe McClelland checked in and said he is doing well and appreciates everybody’s concern.

I see we have some new Sabre Society members: George Dawes, Jim and Fredericka Haas, Bill and Audrey Jenney, Frank and Penny Mitchell, John and Jyl Pomeroy, and Chuck and Alice Whitechurch. I know the cadets will benefit greatly from your support! We are still a few members behind ’69 let’s pick up the pace.

Check out the new AOG website at www.aog-usafa.org for some great pics of the alma mater.

On a sad note, we recently learned that Dave Galich passed away in Washington State as a result of cancer. Dave played baseball for us and was an outstanding athlete. Fran Townsend’s remains were finally identified and returned home. There is a moving article elsewhere in this magazine about Fran’s return to the country he died defending in Vietnam. Steve Hoagland also wrote a nice piece on patriotism that is featured in this issue. Sometime in the next months drink a toast to Fran and our other eight classmates who gave their lives in that conflict. Let’s never forget their sacrifice.

Paul D. Knott 5565 Lantana Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80915

H: (719) 570-9162

W: (719) 594-0100

E-mail: pknott@acninc.net

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. The Falcon football team came up short in San Francisco, but they were driving for the end zone when time ran out. By the time you read this, it will be time to plan the fall season’s activities. Hope you pencil in a game ifyou can, because the 2003 football team should be one to make us proud to be alumni of this institution. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams look to improve on their previous records as well.

I actually received Christmas letters from two ofyou; Rich Rushenberg and Chip Reny. Rich and Chris are still in Omaha and remodeling their

house. Their son recently earned the Eagle Scout rank. Rich recorded some songs he’d found on a LP at the Academy library for the Court of Honor and sent me a CD.

Chip and June’s letter had a lot of information about family and job. The cabin sounds great, with an interesting location. June, hope that your back is doing better.

Mark Lewonowski is making contact with the D.C. crowd. He let me know that Miles “Chip” Hamby got his Ph.D. last year Chip has accepted a posidon on the facultyofBaltimore International College. “Another gradstopped me in the hall the other day here at MITRE to tell me that he had been having a problem with his class ring because ofhis nickel allergy. Turns out he has finally been able to order a new ring made of another alloy that he can wear without a problem. Don’t know if any of our people have had a problem with the nickel content of the rings, but there may be someone out there who would benefit from knowing an alternative is now available.” If wearing your Academy ring caused you challenges, if you want a miniature for someone special, or ifyou even lost it, the folks at Jostens are available to help. JeffDotur let me know about howhelpfulthey were when he needed a miniature. Jeff moved from Colorado to Washington State (an island in Puget Sound) a couple of months ago. “I love it here not as much sun as in Colorado, but not as much snow, either. It’s sort of like living in a movie taking the ferry to the mainland to run errands, and having to arrange your schedule around the ferry to get anything done.”

Norm Ponder reported from the UNLV game: “Just wanted to pass on that the AF/UNLV game was great. By the time the game ended, with USAFA winning 49-32, the stands were almost entirely blue. Ran into Carl VanderVeen at a pre-game tailgate and we had a great chat. It was great to reconnect after so many years. I had intended to go to the reunion last October, but in the aftermath of 9/11, by the time I knew they were really going to have it, it was too late to finalize all the details I needed to in order to go. Carl and I both said that we would get together at the 50th if not sooner.”

Forrest Price sent me this note: “I’ve meant to drop you a line many times but sometimes it takes a life-altering event to make one act.

“First a little professional update. I left AD in 1985 and joined the AF Reserve shortly thereafter. Was a traditional Reservist until July 1991 when I took an Air Reserve Technician job at Westover ARB as the Chief, Wing Plans Office and have been here ever since. I’ve enjoyed the job and hope to keep going as long as I can (age 55 at a minimum and possibly a few more years after that).

“But life is a mixture of good and bad and this past year the Lord gave me a wake-up call. On Oct 101 was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. After lots of consultations I elected surgery and had a radical prostatectomy on Dec 11. The good news is that it was caught early and the surgery seems to have gotten it all. The prognosis is for a complete recovery and eventual restoration to active Reserve status. With the love and support of my God, my family and military associates I know it will happen.

“My illness may actually have been a blessing in disguise as I now have a better appreciation ofwhat I have, and spend much less time worrying about what I don’t have.”

Tann Pinney wrote about his new job; “I joined Advanced Management Technologies Inc (AMTI) at the beginning of this year. I support the FAA Navigation Division on their SatNav Area. One of my programs is LAAS, the civilian counter part to JPALS.” (Don’t understand a lot of the words there, but you are maldng a contribution, and that’s what counts.)

Ron Hale sent a photo with an explanation: “I had an interesting trip in October with Delta to Rome. Both of my First Officers were grads as well, so as the evening progressed, we decided to get a picture. Thought you might be interested to print in Checkpoints when you run out of more interesting shots to use. We are in Rome overlooking the Vatican. Beautiful evening.”

From left are Ron Hale, 71; MarkFaraone, '80; andEJFayan III, ’85.

Ran into Andy and Trudi Ceroni at the AOG Christmas party. As you all no doubt know, Andy has in his life had dealings with the Central Intelli-

gence Agency, and I asked him about how faithfully television treats the CIA in “The Agency.”According to both spouses, Andy has never even seen an episode; he much prefers to watch the History Channel or movies.

After a couple of missed phone calls, I finally had a short chat with our class’ other published author, Darryl Wimberley. He intends to teach some classes at the college where Doris has been an admissions counselor for a few years.

One quick note: even if you aren’t an active AOG member, let the folks at Doolittle know where you are. Their software loses track of you after some inactive period of time, which for some of you is a life goal. As a result, we, your classmates, can lose track of you. What if your “deadbeat” roomie wins the lottery and wants to make good on the $5 you loaned him one memorable night at Arnies, but, since you aren’t in the Register ofGraduates TJust think about it. GBA

Bob Bell

13 Pacific Ave.

Sinking Spring, PA 19608 (610) 678-3182/Fax: 678-4513

E-mail: rabell767@aol.com

Season’s Greetings to all of you from Pennsylvania as we look out the window to the freezing rain and snow falling here at the outset of New Year 2003. As you are probably reading this well into March, I hope all had a fine holiday season. Those of us who were able to attend the 30th Class Reunion should have had a chance by now to recover from all the excitement. I know I speak for all who did get there when I express the deepest of heartfelt thanks to the entire Reunion Committee headed by Ralph “Buzz” Allen (Ian) for putting on such a fabulous eventyou all (on the committee) know who you are. If only the homecoming game score had been just a little different... Even so, Falcon football provided great entertainment throughout the season and into the Bowl game againstVirginia Tech - maybe next year, right?

The fun had already begun while I waited in the American terminal at O’Hare airport for the flight from Chicago to Denver as I ran into fellow American Airlines Captain Bob (and Barbara) Sorensen as well as business executive Randy (and lean) Fitzhugh catching the same flight. While enjoying the rare first-class seat and a glass or two ofwine with the meal, it was great being able to totally relax and ponder what would be going on for the next few days. A rental car later and a leisurely drive down good old 1-25 put me right back into that bygone time realizing an awful lot had occurred over those years which none of us could have ever predicted.

As your class scribe, one thing that I made a serious effort to accomplish was to actually greet every single one ofyou who was present at the reunion, and several of our friends who did not graduate as well. I almost made it, too, except that some of you were harder to get to at the various times and places - but all in all, it was fun to even try. I did manage to “press the flesh” of at least 120 members of the class of ’72, and even got to finally meet some of you I did not know well (or at all) while attending USAFA!

Very noticeable looking over the crowd was the fact that we are fortunate to have had a very successful class where career is concerned. We had several general officers and full colonels still serving on active duty as well as in the Guard and Reserves - each one still able to join in the festivities despite the challenges ofheightened tensions around the world. Numerous others who had recently (and not so recently) retired from military careers, as well as the myriad of currently working members of distinguished career communities - medical, legal, scientific, educational, managerial, humanitarian, airline, manufacturing and entrepreneurial made time to be present.

A few short anecdotes would be in order now, although it would be impossible to include all the mini-sagas that occurred over the course of four days. The first is the story of Fred Zickrick (Marilyn) making the cross-country trek from Denison, TX to Colorado Springs, CO over the course of five days and more than 500 miles on his multi-speed bicycle just in time to be there for the very first day events. He was provided a safety escort along the way by his loving wife following in the mini-van to provide support and shelter. Fred normally flies for Delta when not pedaling on his own.

As people began to arrive and through the course of conversation with many older gray-haired (and/or balding guys), it became evident that some were actuallymaking it to their very first class reunion since graduation. Among these long-awaited returnees and guests were Myung Choi with his wife, Dave Eckard (Debbie), John Haaf (Donna), Mike Hardman (Claire), Tom Legun with his wife, Mike Leddy (Molly), Bill Walsh (Karen) and Tim Whitlock (Ann). In addition, one of my former roommates who left USAFA early was classmate Charlie West with his wife who was making it to his first visit with the class of ’72. Charlie noted with some de

gree of pride that he had already been back at least once before to witness his daughter’s graduation with the Class of ’95.

Many times over the spontaneous opportunity for group photo sessions was repeated as old friends reconnected after long elapsed time apart, some not having seen each other since they had last seen the campus in the rearview mirror 30 years ago.

One photo that was sent in for this column by Dave Henderson (Brenda) was offive “handsome devils,” attending from the senior graduating class of CS-24. From left are Greg Jones (Patricia), Dave, Ross Wilhite (Kathy), Bob Bell (Kim) and Ed Quinn (Marta). (Bob Chatman (June) is missing from the photo but was also present at the reunion - not sure how we missed him.) Thank you, Dave, for the picture. (A few other photos were emailed to me but somehow I managed to lose them in cyberspace, so in the event I can find them again they will be included in a future column - better late than never, right?)

Each one of us who participated in the organized reunion functions has our own special private memories of the events, not many of which could ever be transcribed here. Suffice to say that hundreds ofexchanges of past glories as well as traumas took place between the mates of all the squadrons represented at each of the Casual Socials and the Class Dinner. Then there were the many post-event events that occurred “off-campus.” One ofthose comes to mind where former roommate Dave Prahler (Mary), Jim Gormley (Georgiana) and several others of us enjoyed an adult beverage (or two) in the pub across from the Adams Mark. As things started to wind up (or down, depending on your perspective,) there was a large group of reminiscing classmates and loved ones holding forth at the pub right there in the hotel, making it easy for anyone to join in as they checked in or passed through.

The lunch “hour” at Mitchell Hall was as always, a reassuring reminder ofold feelings and “cherished” memories, as we looked around the tables and saw those bright, youngcadets. Many ofthem may have wished they could ask a hundred questions of us old guys. It all seems so long ago, and yet it still seems as fresh as just yesterday.

There was an awful lot of hoopla being raised over that football game between Air Force and Notre Dame, or was it all directed at the triumphant return ofthe Class of 1972 to the hallowed halls oftheir alma mater during Homecoming... anyway, ESPN and hundreds of thousands of fellow celebrants watched another one of those games where you just wanted to be on your feet the whole time. The pre-game view from the stands was phenomenal as it took in the full panorama of 1-25 at a virtual standstill with traffic snaking its way into the gates for the game. No one could have predicted such an excitement filled evening as that one was. The camaraderie among the returning alumni coupled with the sheer energy of the packed stadium made it truly a night to remember.

Well, I suppose I could ramble on about specific anecdotal evidence of a great time being had by all, but there is still a limitation on how much I can send in to be published. One way to look at this whole experience is byrecalling a line from the movie “Dead Poets Society.” Robin Williams“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” and “Carpe Diem - Seize the day.” Hopes are that we all enjoyed this gathering so much that Class Reunion #35 cannot come soon enough. I would only suggest that anyone who knows of a classmate who has yet to attend a reunion should just make the pitch to them to make plans to come out and enjoy the next one(s). That would also go for any of the guys who did not graduate, assuming we have kept tabs on some of them as well.

Classmates in the news - Just after returning home from the reunion an email was waiting from a Class of ’69er named Chris Hope, saying he “normally doesn’t toot the horns of grads in other classes, but....” In it he noted the recent celebrity of our very own Al Parmet (Debra), as Chris said “waxing eloquently on the dangers of inhaling the essence of popcorn butter flavoring.” This occurred on a National Public Radio broadcast earlier in October when Al was discussing a rare respiratory ailment which he had discovered while workingwith a plant in Missouri that packages microwave popcorn in his capacity as a doctor of industrial medicine. Apparently popcorn butter in small doses is OK but Al found that

when inhaled in large doses, it can become verytoxic. Dr. Parmet also works as an FAA flight physician keeping many of our airline guys safely flying.

Also after just seeing this guy in Colorado, another report comes in telling of the recent honors bestowed on AF Major General Tom Fiscus (Carolyn) by the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. Tom is a 1975 graduate of the school and in October 2002 received the Outstanding Alumnus Award for his performance as the Judge Advocate General ofthe U. S. Air Force. The university alumni relations release continues to report that, in that role he provided legal advice, opinions and counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Air Force Chief of Staff and to Air Force commanders and agencies worldwide. He supervises a legal operation of more that 1,300 Air Force judge advocates, 300 civilian attorneys, and 1600 support personnel. His most recent accomplishments concern the providing of counsel on unique legal issues raised by the war on terrorism since 9/11 and he continues to play a key role in crafting the rules under which military commissions will be conducted in disposing of charges that may be lodged against alleged terrorists. General Fiscus, a native of Canton, OH also graduated with an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 1974. The Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University is Ohio’s flagship law school. Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition and honors, Tom!

A request comes to us from the AOG in light of the academy’s upcoming 50th anniversary. The Academy is seeking inputs on squadron patches and would like any class members who have knowledge ofthe creation, history and significance of squadron patches to send the information to Duane Reed at Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil. Duane is the Head of Special Collections at the Cadet Library. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.

That wraps things up for this time, and I hope it was informative. I would have loved to have been able to remember every single thing that occurred during that fabulous Homecomingweekend, but you knowhow these gray cells just don’t hold data as long as they maybe used to. Hope that I will hear back from you all with stories of your own to include in the next column. Fortitudo Per Aspera (Strength Through Adversity)

Dan O’ Hollaren

19803 Derby St West Linn, OR 97068

H: (503) 657-0299

W: (503) 667-8554

E-mail: danoh73@attbi.com

The year is here: 2003. 30th Reunion. Parties, golf, football (Air Force vs. Army), trying to stay warm during football, sharing memories, pictures of grandkids, re-connecting. Welcome Class of ’73 to our year. Spring is springing, the sun’s a little higher in the sky, and, although there’s uncertainty in the world today, we have much to celebrate. Heck, we lasted this long - isn’t that enough?

Okay, to the news. Wayne Holum is reliving hisyouth and, with his brideto-be Patti, eloped and got hitched in, where else, Las Vegas. The lovebirds are at home in Tempe AZ. Steve Sheldon is living near Annapolis and offering a free dinner for Randy Putz’ Middie son Luke. Randy wrote with an e-mail update, as did Bob Marsh. Paul Freund continues to provide inspirational musings on the world state of affairs. Mike Nishimuta is still on furlough from American but staying busy working on master’s degree and training new TSA airport screeners under a Lockheed contract. Phil Yavorsky retired in June from HQ AMC and is now Midwest Regional Manager for Pragmatics, Inc. Phil, Chris and family are at home in OFallon IL. Denny Danielson is still the Defense & Air Attache to An-

kara, Turkey. June ’03 is retirement target. Paul Guttman retired as VC of the AF Technical Applications Center and is now with Northrop Grumman in Melbourne FL as Sr. Program Manager, Aircraft Systems.

JoeKahoe and USAFA alumni enjoying a well-deserved desertresort vacation. From left are CaptMattVan Hooreweghe (’96), CaptJavierRamos (’92) ,CaptJDCooley(’98), Maj Gen WalterBuchanan (’72), BrigGen David Robinson (’74), Capt Liza JJedden (’98), Lt Col Charles Nystrom (’75), Lt Col Martha McSally(’88), Capt Chris Leonard (’97), Capt Sam VanZanten (’95), CaptElissa Gellerson (’94), CaptKoriDelwiche (’97), and ColJoseph Kahoe (’73).

Joe “Slappy” Kahoe is doing some more globetrotting, landing at Prince Sultan AB. ‘Slappy’ began a tour as Deputy Director ofthe CAOC, couldn’t hold that job, so they promoted him to Director of Combat Operations. He should be back in the CONUS by the time you read this. He sent a USAFA reunion picture, and will be included ifit can pass the photo quality test. Bill “Trapper” Carpenter is the gatekeeper at USAFA as Director ofAdmissions, and is duly impressed with the incoming Class of ’07. He, bride, Jennifer, and their three teenagers are in their new C. Springs abode and are anxious to host a party for the entire class at the 30th Reunion. Thanks a million, Trapper! Does Jennifer know, yet? Can we bring anything?They’re anxious to settle down after driving F- 15s all over the globe. Bush Hanson and bride, Nancy, are at Shaw AFB and report on some fellow classmates. Greg Renko and spouse, Dee, are there where Greg is with Boeing (as is Bush) supporting the F-16CJ simulator training. Mike Hub and wife, Callie, are retired and at seminary school. Bush is President of the South Carolina chapter of the Air Force Association and a frequent visitor to the CS-19 website compliments ofDon Ramm. Johnny Whitaker is retiring on 1 Feb ’03 and hopes to land in San Antonio with gainful employment in PR work. He is putting out an APB for all CS-16 “Chicken Hawks” to contact him for the 30th Reunion plan.

Ron Thiel and wife, Amy, seized an early retirement from Phillips Petroleum, though her rejoin with hubby in Conifer CO will be a little delayed. Bill Ritter and bride, Margaret, are in Ohio, where Bill is busy teaching HS biology, coaching the district champion gymnastics team and building a video production business. Margaret has her hand in numerous volunteer activities, including the WPAFB Ronald McDonald House and Dayton Air Show. Bruce Meyer became a football junkie this past fall watching his son Scott, a first classman, anchor the offensive line that provided the #1 rushing offense in the nation. As a reward for defeating those junior college teams from West Point and Annapolis, Scott will join the other seniors to receive the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy at theWhite House. While attending the Army game, Bruce saw Craig Lady, flying for USAir, Bob Munson, retired to Cape Cod, and Steve Lorenz, heading up the AF Budget office at the Pentagon. Bruce spent some quality tailgating time at football games with Don and Joan Sutula and has been in touch withWilly Culbertson, a “man ofleisure” living in Dallas and working on lowering his golf handicap.

Dale Williams is still with Delta but now flying the 767ER out of New York to points east. European travelers on Delta would be wise to check the left seat occupant before hopping across the pond. Wayne O’Dell’s spouse, Eve, worked covertly for months organizing a 50th birthday party in the Seattle area where they reside. The focus was on Columbus AFB UPT alums. The world situation limited the festivities to a dinner party with Paul and Meredith Stucky, but, according to Eve, it was a memorable evening. Tim and Cin Long continue their love of horses with their latest acquisition, Thunder. Tim is splitting his time with UPS instructing in the 757/767 simulator and flying the line. He continues to see George Rampulla and Pat Sheppard. Pat’s in FtWorth and flying the 767 for Delta. Bill Swan emerged in Taos NM to give us an update. Seems Bill, retired from stints on AD, the ANG and AFRes flying the F-111 and F-4 and overseeing New Mexico AFA liaison officers, got into the B&B business. Selling that, he moved next to a “dot com” but sold that for ‘pennies on the dollar’. Now, he is the proud (and apparently prosperous) proprietor of SunShades ofTaos. Expansion to other southwest hamlets is in the works.

Tim and Cin Long, somewherein Kentucky, with thenewestfamilymemherThunder.

Now, Rebeleven Corner! Pat andJoyce Rooneywrite fromTexas. Pat’s with Delta out ofAtlanta on the 737-800. Son Sean is a budding Civil Engineer and wife, Ann, is expecting # 3 in April. Daughter Heather is in Dallas, doing well with an international firm. Son Matt is turning his education into a career, with lots of travel mixed in, but has secured summer internships with USAA. Joyce is mixingvolunteering and substitute teaching with keeping the home fires burning. Bruce and Nancy Bennett are together in their new Oklahoma home. Bruce, home for the holiday period before heading back to Bulgaria to finish up his contract work, was able to sneak in some flying time in his Cessna. John and Lynda Park celebrated Lynda’s 50th birthday by fulfilling a life-long dream to let her drive an 18-wheeler. She survived! Son Chris is doing construction work when not playing in his band. Son Josh and wife, Sarah, are in a new home in Philadelphia. Ben is trying to graduate from Virginia Tech. Steve and Vicki Cristiani are still hanging out around the beltway, where Steve is at the Pentagon working an Army contract for Titan Corp. Vicki is running her beauty business, VC Faces, out of their home and it sounds like she is keeping very busy. Son Jonathan is in his third year at UVa in Chemical Engineering. Brother Anthony is one semester away from enteringhigh school. AJ Ranft wrote to tell me he'd tell me all the news at the reunion! Thanks, AJ!

The Reunion Committee, co-chaired by “Mitch” Mitchell and “Spider” Richardson, is well on its way to putting all the events together. The dates are 5-9 November and the headquarters hotel is the Double Tree World Arena. Sam Grier is the focal for the squadron representatives, so if you haven’t heard from yours, drop Sam a line. For all Rebeleven alumni, this is your official notice that Yours Truly is your Reunion 2003 representafive. Unfortunately, Mitch is being“re-deployed” to one ofthe garden spots in Southwest Asia and will temporarily turn over the Reunion reins to Spider. He promises ‘great stories’ from his sojourn.

One final request from the AOG: the Cadet Library is doing research on cadet squadron patches. Anyone knowing the origin, history or significance of your patches, please drop a note to Duane Reed at Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil. Looking forward to the 30th Take care and Check Six! AMF

Joe Brezovic

1209 Bayou Oaks Drive

Friendswood, TX 77546

H: (281) 482-6860

0: (281) 244-8325/Fax: (281) 244-8909

E-mail: jbrezovicl@bigplanet.com

joseph.brezovicl@jsc.nasa.gov

Good day, classmates, around the world! Hopefully this magazine comes to you while you are in good health, good spirits, and good career days. The letters you all send are always enjoyable to the rest of us. These bits of news helps the rest of us live our own moments, knowing that someone else is in the same rut/problem/strain/stress or even a joyous moment makes it easier or more fun to re-live it in our own life.

J.J. Romano is still achieving new goals in the contract side of the military-industrial complex that most of us support. He works as a member of SAIC in the San Antonio offices as a contractor in national defense programs, if my memory serves. J.J. is happy to report that some of the tasks that come with a new home are actually being completed within their first year in that home. As parents, J.J. and Cynthia feel the pull of the heartstrings as their son Joey leaves his childhood behind as he matures into the earlyteenage years. There are stories ofbonding as the dad

tries to keep up with the son as the scout troop scales/climbs the tallest mountain in Texas Davis Mountain, 8900 feet. As for rejoining the Air Force as a Reservist, J.J. reports that the processing is more involved and time-consumingthan originallythought. Keep at it, J.J., there’s more than you interested in this... so forge ahead and leave good trailmarks.

After four consecutive tours (albeit short ones) in Europe, Don Hoffman is now back in the states as the Director of Requirements at ACC Headquarters. Don misses the challenges of being a Wing Commander but considers the new position exciting stuff. Don writes that “My family is going through culture shock as theyre-acquaint themselves with the U.S. following our stays in Belgium, UK, Germany and Italy.”

Dave Daley_sent in a short email from his offices in Crystal City. Recently, Dave has become the site manager and finds the new tasks challenging but rewarding. Tai-Lee had visited Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. She wants to take them back to visit Shanghai next year for their 22nd wedding anniversary. Always in touch with other classmates, Dave added a few other notes. Blair Bozek organized a ’74 D.C. dinner on our 28th graduation anniversary. LtGen Duncan McNabb (AF/XP) was our senior ranking classmate among the dozen attendees with wives.

Dave was recently surprised from a call recently from Jim Koster who ran with me on the cross country and track teams at the Academy. Jim has spent 16 years as coach and math instructor at Coastal Carolina College near Myrtle Beach, SC. Jim is now looking to become a financial advisor.

Gary Horowitz, a lost soul, sent in an email. Gary retired in ’98 and went to the University of Missouri to head up their Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) and be the Program Director of the OB/GYN residency. He writes “I thought that I was completely done with my Blue Suit Days. Well, not completely as once a month I had a satellite clinic in Warrensburg, Mo near Whiteman and all those B2s. Academics being as they are and the need to move up the food chain, I wound up moving again this last October to Dayton. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I am now the Chief of REI and Program Director at Wright State University. This program is allied with Wright Patterson’s residency, so I have 12 Captains (residents) working for me as well. It’s funnygetting saluted again. There is even another zoomie here... okay a ’97 grad who is young enough to be my son, but I still get to tell him he was “fast/ neat/ average/ friendly/ good/ good” in surgery when he isn’t as sharp as he could be. I also know the Keith Quinn lives here in Dayton and owns/runs a large chain of restaurants. Funny how’74 can permeate the world.’74 Forevermore!

Bill Van Horn sent in a Christmas letter, and sounded happy in the new family life, having recently married Penni. A special note in these post 911 days, Bill got reactivated earlier in the year. He recently had a deployment to Puerto Rico yeah, tough trip! No sympathy from his wife, Penni, either. While there, he writes, several Congressmen came down and protested Navy’s use of the island, and caused the Navy to stop using part of it as a practice range. The Navy must find another way to remain proficient. So now there’s no range and several islanders are advocating all military be removed. On Bill’s other travels, two months to Bosnia and the four trips to Germany, gained some sympathy. For the Germany expedition, spouses could make a visit and tour Germany. [Sounds like ’74’s yesteryear travels around Europe.] Two of Bill’s five children have traveled too this year. His daughter had been on a mission trip to Kenya. His son was six months in the Dominican Republic. Bill reports that he should be deactivated (has been?) at the end of Dec 2002. The next goal is to gain employment with the U.S. Department of Education. Bill and the family continue to live in Littleton, CO, and strongly support Christian education.

Those who remember Andy Scroggs will be happy to learn where he’s at and what’s up! Andy is in his last assignment at Warner Robins, (south ofMacon, GA). He still works for AMC as their liaison to AFMC. “It’s one of those jobs you’ve heard about but thought didn’t exist. I love it. I get to be involved in all the programs, C-17, C-5, C-130 and C-141. And I get all the BBQ and Brunswick stew I can stand. I’d stay longer than 30 if they’d let me....” Andy also writes that a new chapter of the AOG is coming to life in the middle Georgia area. From our experience, a lot ofgrads live in that area. The chapter had their first meeting in September. Andy has been on 1-75 a lot to Atlanta as they’re two sons are now at Georgia Tech. One chemical engineer who graduates in December and a freshman mechanical engineer who is also in AF ROTC. Kim, from his cadet days, is “an Environmental Specialist who single handedly saves the AF

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY!

YOUR MONEYHELPS FUND CADETWING PROGRAMS THAT >ULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUND]

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world from pollution (actually keeping us from getting sued more often than not).” Andy is the first one to ask this question: “our 30th reunion in 2004 will also be the 50th anniversary ofthe School. Are we thinking along those lines for our celebration? I hope so. We need to encourage everyone to make the trek back to our roots for that one. Almost all of us will be in “civvies” by then.” Start early thinking classmates!

Anyone of the Prep School Group make it to the first-ever Husky Reunion? I (we?) would like to know a bit about it! Darlene and I got as far as close as Clayton, N.M. On Friday, we found ourselves in a weather inversion, ice on the roads, clouds tree-top level, and no forecast of sun to melt until Sunday. At 4 a.m. We had come upon an 18-wheeler-18wheeler-state police car and a few othervehicle pile-up still getting cleared (happened within the last hour cause the ambulances were still leaving very slowly. We turned and got on another route. We had already tried going 35 MPH on theUS-52 when a friend from Colorado Springs called and said that 1-25 was indefinitely closed from Raton Pass North. So, we U-turned again and visited Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls. There, years ago, Darlene went through basic training to be an Air Force nurse. ‘Course the base and the town has changed a lot since then!

Other known sightings ofclassmates: Art Ratkewicz is in Colorado Springs. Bill Diemand is at Hurlburt Field, FL. Charles Justiz, Houston, TX.

This is all the mail I’ve had by Dec 31, 2002. I’ve enjoyed hearing from each ofyou this year and sharingyour life with’74 and the Long Blue Line. May each ofyou and yours Live Long and Prosper.

Jeff Hackett

2610 E. Stottler Drive Gilbert, AZ 85296

H: (480) 558-8703

W: (480) 988-9773 X434

E-mail: jhackett75@cox.net

A DAY LATE AND.... ANOTHER DAY LATE! So much for the NewYear’s resolution to be an on-time Scribe. Lots of “good” reasons - still very busy at work, weather in Arizona has been too wonderful to be inside, still in a funk about the San Francisco Bowl, and so forth. But that’s akin to explaining howyou would have max’d the PFT except for all that working out nonsense. Let’s roll!

First, thanks to all ofyou who sent good wishes on the “early” wedding; everything went splendidly and we’re just enjoying every day and everything - together! Publication and mailing schedule may make it a mute point but I’ll nonetheless extend a class-wide invitation to our purposely belated reception (AKA “The Big A Party”) - if you’re going to be in Phoenix area on 22 March call me for directions and details.

CHRISTMAS MAILBAG. You have to love some folks’ allegiance to tradition (even if it’s a “sharp-stick-in-the-eye” reminder that I haven’t sent cards since Bush became President... the father!). Both Kent Traylor and Dale Meyerrose (actually I suspect it was Carole and Linda) sent cards from the 99th First Flight Ball in North Carolina. I understand they were there with Phil and Chris Pearce (who didn’t send a card but get a mention because they call / e-mail fairly regularly). Chuck and Roxanne Holland’s Holiday letter again came all the way from Bolivia - between business and pleasure they’ve been quite the world travelers; hither and thon in South America and joined up with whole Holland clan to celebrate Ed and Bonnie’s (Chuck’s parents) 50th Wedding Anniversary for two weeks in Ireland. Chuck and Roxanne are hoping to come back to Maxwell in the Fall. Kids in high school, kids in college, and 737s were the common themes in Mark / Lucy Donnelly’s and Scott / Jan Smith’s greetings. The Donnelly’s are still in Maryland, daughter Ann in high school, son Scott at Penn State, Mark with Southwest out of BWI. Smith’s in Virginia, Scott II in high school, Jenny at George Mason, Scott with Delta out of JFK. Fifth and final USPS Christmas card came from the reliable Denny Brooks; he and Leslie are a bit further down the childrearing path as Becky graduated from Abilene Christian University last summer. At this point Becky’s back home in Knoxville, TN and has joined

Leslie in the teaching profession and (no surprise) Dennis remains the “neighborhood computer guru” (could have used his help last month when I attempted to fuse my computer with Chris’).

FALCON BACKERS HOME AND AWAY. Unfortunately I was unable to catch any USAFA football games in person this year. Apparently I not only missed some great gridiron action -1 failed to catch some notable “Best Alive” tailgating. Jim Burling orchestrated several get-togethers for home games; from what I’ve seen / heard a good time was had by all.

Photo we’re including includes: (From left in the front row: Colletti, Arthurs, Hente, Webber, Wells (love that uniform!), Dye, and Rosebush.

Back Row: Kallman, Schuman, Cross, Barrowclough, Bryant, Fraser, Burling, Black, Adams, and O’Shea. And Jim Carlson provided proof that even on foreign ground our Class colors were flown!

Jim Carlson, Dean Cox, and Bill Lyerly at USMA.

In addition to those caught on film, classmates Miglin, Piotter,Wojcicki, Meteer, Della Pia, Snelgrove, Hente, Wells and DeSisto were at the game /festivities.

COLLECTIVE CLASS KUDOS. AOG folks gave me a heads-up to Air Force Association website announcement that Duane Jones was 2002 recipient of the Thomas P. Gerrity Award which recognizes outstanding contributions in logistics.

BendyRayburn re-commissions Leon Smith-Harrison. Mentioned in last column that Leon Smith-Harrison was returning to the uniformed fold; here’s the proof. It’ll be hard to tell in the small-sized black-and-white reproduction in the magazine, but I’m thinking they issued Bentley some gray hair with that second star. In any case, welcome back Leon! At the other end of the spectrum we find Steve Pitotti who retired at the end of November; no word on what he and Sarah are planning. And Hugh Gordon retired “in-place” (will be working at the same desk / job as a civilian) at the first of the year.

THE OTHER COMMISSIONING PROGRAM. Received a short note from old friend Dave Fleming to let me know that he and Debbie have returned from NATO HQ in Brussels and taken up residence at Maxwell where Dave is AFROTC/DO. During a national convention last Fall, he confirmed at least 10 classmates who are serving as Professors of Aerospace Studies; Mac Macintosh (Loyola), Woody Woodburn (Oklahoma State), Mark Fry (Colorado State), Mike Coman (Embry-Riddle Daytona), Bob Gambrell (Alabama), Dave Dyche (Arizona), Kurt Bach (Illinois), John Gaughan (Michigan), Bob Lynn (VMI), and Barry Abbott (San Diego State). [Hoping one of you can resend group photo not embedded in an MS Word document.]

Also got a note from Dean Spraggins who remains in Rapid City, SD. Now working for “one of the several gun shop / gun parts companies that have moved out ofCalifornia for the friendlier (legal) climate ofSouth Dakota”. I’m sure Dean had city-folk like me in mind when he wrote that, “We’re not quite ready to raise cattle or horses, but many of our neighbors do and we thoroughly enjoy seeing the critters (plus the wildlife) each day as we drive 40-plus miles to work. We don’t commute, we

treat ourselves to bracing country drives. The only downside is the everpresent risk of another deer strike.”

MORE GOOD NEWS ON THE MEDICAL FRONT. Kelly Bishop wrote to let us know he’s settled in as a T-38C sim instructor at Moody AFB (program that replaced Fighter Lead-In at Holloman AFB). Says he likes the fact that there’s no snow there in Georgia but more importantly he’s loving the fact that latest report from his neuro-oncologist determined he’s as close to healthy as he (the doctor) has ever seen for someone with Kelly’s diagnosis... chemo treatment results were “off the scale” as far as the bell curve goes (Kelly said it was very nice to hear about the curve again!).

DON’T TELLTHEM I SAIDYOU COULD CLAIMALL OFTHIS ONYOUR RETURN. For those of us that are participating, wanted to pass along the good news that Class Campaign has to date collected almost $150K in one-time gifts, pledge payments, and (corporate) matching donations. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go - contact the AOG to start / increase your giving.

And don’t forget to send your news and photo “donations” to me before the next deadline (late March); SpringTraining and the Big A Party will undoubtedly make it later than I’d thought.

Dan Beatty

12196 Stanley Canyon Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 488-1962 W: (719) 554-6160

E-Mail: whrlybrd76@aol.com or Daniel.Beatty@Peterson.af.mil

Class Website:http://www.AFAcademy.com/76

Fellow 76’ers,

I hope this finds you all doing well in this New Year, and that your holidays were safe and happy.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve our class as scribe. My thanks to Ernie Woollard for all his fine work over the last several years. A tip o’ the hat and a loud round of applause to you Ernie. Thanks from all of us!!

Heard from Ernie just before the holidays. He says he has set his retirement date as 1 Jul 04 (high year tenure), then he and Pam will either stay put in southwestern Illinois, or relocate to either Lake of the Ozarks, MO, the Panhandle Region of Florida, or southeastern Arizona. Ernie reports his oldest daughter, Sarah, at the University of Missouri, Columbia was just announced as the spring semester NROTC Midshipman Battalion Commander and was also notified of her selection to attend naval flight training at NAS Pensacola next fall. His middle daughter, Rebecca, already a qualified firefighter with the Illinois Air National Guard, was just hired by Scott AFB to be a civilian GS-5 firefighter at the same station she does herANG duty... how convenient. And, his youngest daughter, Alexis, is still waiting to hear from the University of Illinois about acceptance. Other than that, Ernie reports AMC is still “what if-ing” mobility ops for upcoming conflict, while at the same time supporting very real operations across the globe.

Jack Catton also sent a note. He is on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon serving as the J-3 Deputy Director for Information Operations. He says it is a very fascinating and fast-paced job, especially during these critical times. He and Jan made a smooth transition to “empty Nest” status Jenn is now a senior at Wheaton College and young Jack is a freshman at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Jack reports lots of ’76ers here in the building Dave Clary, Director of Homeland Security, HQ USAF XOH; Mike Gould, Director of Operational Plans, HQ USAF/XOX; Steve Frye, just retired as 11th Wing Vice Commander at Bolling and is now a GS-15 in the building; Rich King is still helping the warfighter, as a beltway bandit; and Harrison Freer works for Boeing.

Mike Fricano sent a holiday greeting from Hawaii, where he is Deputy Director of Plans & Programs. Mike included a photo of the Fricano clan in holiday togs. Forgot your Santa hat Mike!

Lots of’76’ers here in the Springs too. Willie Shelton is the AFSPC/DO. Bob Mansfield is the AFSPC/LGM. I see Lee Leber in the building often. Win Macklin, Ben Thornsen, Jeff Larsen, and I cross paths at local AOG functions and football games. JeffFord, Don Olynick, Win, and I all have seats in the same section for the football games. All those bubbas are retired now and working the civilian world. Randy Spetman is still going strong as the Athletic Director up on the hill. I see him occasionally. Jim Lowe and Tom Bowie are still up there too. Russ Laney is now working at the AOG. Joe Wysocki e-mails in occasionally. Have seen Steve Heinz in the area a few times too. Rich Kohl is living up in monument, flies for Delta I think.

JeffFord was one ofthe co-chairs for the first ever Prep School Reunion last fall. First time in 40 years of existence that the P-school had a reunion. Turned out to be a great success. RandySpetman and Mike Gould were both inducted into the Prep School Wall of Fame for their accomplishments. Several of our aforementioned local area '72 P-School/ ’76er’s attended. We also saw a few out-of-towners. Mike McGinty and Rico Racosky blessed us with their presence. And both Bob Bucher and Curt Turner,’72 P-Schooler’s who left USAFA prior to Jun’76, showed up. It was great to see them and to know they still carry the Spirit of’76!

As for me, I am still slugging it out in the AFSPC staff trying to get a replacement helo for our ICBM security mission. There are good days and bad days, and as with all programs the biggest issue is funding. My plan is to go the distance (Jun’04) and then retire here in the Springs. My bride, Martha, retired last July and is now working for one ofthe contractors here in the Springs. Married off our #3 daughter Melissa 28 Dec (first ofthe tribe to get married), so holiday time was very busy. She will graduate and be commissioned next summer and is headed into USAF Intel. Will be a long while before we do the empty nest thing since our youngest Stephanie won’t even be 12 until March. (But, as I saw at the last reunion, there are several ofyou out there that will be geriatrics before your ‘empty nest’!) We still have both Dan III and Jason in college, but finally graduated #2 daughter Amanda last May. So we have #1 Heather and #2 out on their own now, and with luck, all five oldest will be out of college and paying their own bills about the time I retire.

I’ll wrap this up for now. My apologies to anyone I missed. Send in your cards and letters, send me an e-mail, or call about yourself or anyone you know about. All my contact data should be in the header. Ifyou are headed to the Springs, let me or any ofthe other locals know and we’ll see if we can’t join up for a few stories and updates. Keep flying your flags and let our deployed troops know you have them in your thoughts and prayers. The Spirit of’76 is alive and well! Until next time... Beatty

John J “Lou” Michels, Jr.

4107 Harvey

Western Springs, IL 60558

Voice: (312) 849-8150

Fax: (312) 849-3690

E-Mail: jmichels@mcquirewoods.com

As I looked through the post-moving/post-holidaywreckage scattered around my house (I can’t believe with all the stuffthat we have that Sonia and I actually went out and bought more for Christmas), I came across my Checkpoints collection. I think I have all the issues from the day we graduated and, following our 25th reunion, I think it’s appropriate to acknowledge the class scribes who contributed to keeping us linked with each other over the years.

The first scribe was Lynn Scott (Cynthia), who remained at the Academy following graduation and wrote the column for our initial brownbar year. Lynn handed the column off to me and I covered the travails of 1977 until I started law school in 1982. Mouse Neumeister (Martha), now General-select Neumeister (and congrats on that, Mouse, pretty good for a 135 driver), handled the writing duties for the next three years. He was succeeded by Jim Dart who, at last report, was teaching school in San Antonio. Jim wrote his best work while he was stationed at the Academy; Chuck Spitler (Theresa) took the stick after Jim and managed the column until 1989 when I got back into the act. Each of these guys put time, effort and thought into a job that seems more and more important to me now. John Visser (Ann) our web site custodian and Dan VanAlstine (Paula) the class president, on behalf of the Class, presented me with a wonderful plaque at the Reunion for my scribe efforts. I want to note here that five other people played a huge role over the years in keeping the Class informed and entertained.

The Reunion. You know that things are going to break your way when your reunion starts in the airport as you’re waiting to get on an airplane to Denver. Following the instructions of the TSA, Sonia and I arrived at the airport a full two hours before departure to accommodate procedures, long lines, etc. This meant we ended up waiting at the gate for an hour and 45 minutes. Fortunately, most of that time was spent with Bob

The Fricano Clan

and Beth Soucy, who showed up en route from Raleigh on the way to the show. Bob is doing the civilian contractor thing for various special operations entities at Fort Bragg while Beth continues to work as a research pharmacist in the Triangle. Their oldest daughter is a senior at the Academy, a Rhodes Scholar candidate, and just finished a semester as a French Air Force Academy exchange student. After I told Bob she sounded like a typical Gen-X underachiever, he commented, truthfully, “Just thank God you and I didn’t have to compete with people like her to get into this place.” Amen to that!

The weather forecast for the Reunion weekend was bleak temperatures in the 40s with rain. Fortunately, weather forecasting has not improved in accuracy since we graduated and 1977 enjoyed four perfect days of blue skies, moderate temperatures, and pretty much non-stop activity. From the huge icebreaker Thursday night until we all staggered back to the airports, sunburned and hoarse on Sundaymorning, the event was one handshake/hug/war story after another. Flere are the highlights:

Much of Friday was taken up with presentations and visits. The Zoo encourages the grads to get back to their squadrons to talk to cadets who might be interested in a retrospective. And, presumably, to demonstrate that the USAFA experience does not warp everyone to the same extent.

Representing the “normal people”, Gary Hamor (Ellen), Tim Hagan (Mary), and Tom Jones (Liz) showed up at Second Squadron to share their views, war stories, and tales of previous injustice.

Gary Hamor and Tim Hagan in the SAR.

Also getting into the reminiscing mode with these guys was Steve Schwalbe (Ingrid). The four of them managed to fit into a cadet room for this shot. Despite much talk of dorm upgrades, you’ll notice the decor is depressingly familiar.

Dave is living up in Washington doing his physician thing. He noted that Randy Schaefer (Sue) is a neighbor but couldn’t make the Reunion because he is the team doctor for the U.S. Men’s Ski Team and was in Austria for the week. I guess that qualifies as an excused absence. Dave notes that Joe, who lives in the Springs, has done some serious mountain climbing and knocked offsix of Colorado’s “fourteeners” in 2002. Charlie continues as the head of NASA’s astronauts, Terry is flying/managing IT for FedEx and Mike flies for Northwest.

The football game was a complete success starting with the pre-game rejoin at the AOG. The aforementioned Mr. Hamor, along with John Buckley (Melinda) and Grady Booch (Jan) took a break from stuffing themselves with barbecue for a quick picture.

Tim, Gary, Tom and Steve check out old haunts.

I actually tried to make myself go back to the cadet area, but every time I got near it, my left eye started to twitch and I began to stutter. Sonia led me in the opposite direction in each instance.

Following the briefings and squadron appearances, we gathered for the class photo on the steps of the chapel. This was the only questionable activity as far as weather was concerned, the skies darkened and the wind picked up to about 35 mph. The photographer did not have to urge us to stand closer together; we were already huddling together for warmth. As we moved into the chapel to thaw out for the Memorial Service, we passed the Class of ’62 on their way to the outdoor service. I saw at least one general in the group for whom I had worked as a JAG. He smiled and waved and was quite friendly. Apparently, he did not remember some of the advice I gave him.

The Memorial Service was powerful and dignified. RexWilliams (Linda), who is our only active duty chaplain, gave a moving invocation followed by Dutch Remkes (Susan) handling the reading, and I gave a brief presentation. Dan Van Alstine (Paula) had the toughest job reading the names of our fallen classmates and he handled it admirably.

The evening’s festivities included a solid dinner, much boisterous noise, laughing and drinking, and a scintillating presentation by Tom Jones about his parallel experiences as an astronaut and a cadet. I really can’t explain it any clearer than that, but you can check out Tom’s slides on the Class website. Twelfth Squadron brought some if its miscreants together for a group shot: below are Dave Kissinger (Lauren), Mike Zaborniak

John is in solo practice as an attorney in the Springs; he even has his own reserved parking spot at Falcon Stadium. Grady, of course, occupied a prominent spot in a previous recent column. He seems to have forgiven me for the numerous slanders the article contained, or, like my General friend, simply didn’t remember them. The game itself was an execution as the Falcons ran up 48 points on a Navy squad that essendaily self-destructed. Rejoins and reunions continued at the game, although the Falcon managed to go AWOL from the half-time demonstration. A group that I first wrote about in 1979 the Boysan Breakfast Club - former ’38 students at Willie, pulled together for a quick shot.

All of these guys were UPT students at Willie and all are flying now either with civilian airlines or, in Dave Stephan’s case, as Guard folks. With the notable exception of Mr. Wittman, who is involved in running a major corporation.

Finally, Saturday night found all of us hoarse, croaking, and absolutely ecstatic at the football results, the weather and the camaraderie. I was, again, touched by the instant familiarity and friendship among people who, 30 years ago, shared trauma and triumph. The entire weekend was

(Maria), Charlie Precourt (Lynne), Terry Fennessy (Tina) and Joe Fury (Diann).

In the top row are Dave Eppley (Christine), Steve Wittman (Betsy), Dave Stephan (Cynthia), Mark Castellani (Susan), and Chip Lamb (Trish); Next Row: Scoop Branham (Diane), John Christ (Louise), Bob Vendley (Nancy) and Kevin O’Shaughnessy(MaryAnn).

a wonderful and worthwhile experience, and I urge all of you reading this to attend our next reunion in 2007, and get our no-shows to show. I want to follow up on the reunion with a pitch to those ofyou have not contributed to the Class gift. This project has been ongoing for some five years. You may remember that the Class pledged a substantial contribution in the form of a $770 commitment from each of us to purchase a Class paver stone for the AOG building. I urge you to make your contribution now, if you have not already. Many of us make other contributions to the AOG, either through the Sabre Society, or direct contributions to the AOG itself, but this is the only request for donations that will be attributed to the Class of 1977. In an effort to capitalize on, or reinforce, proclivities well in evidence at the reunion dinner, Chuck Curran (Claudia) who runs a wine club business on the side, offered to donate anything that he gets from his business in either gifts or case sales to the AOG and the Class gift. If you are unwilling or unable to make the standard contribution, please consider purchasing something through Chuck’s site. Let’s work to get this project completed before the next reunion. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.

We had a great turnout in Colorado Springs but some folks were unable to make it there. John Mol (Debbie) dropped me a quick message from USAFE, where he’s doing Intel and training at USAFE HQ in Ramstein. Deb is teaching German and phys-ed. at Ramstein High School (I hope not at the same time), while John, among his other duties, gets to haul people around various parts of Europe. As we observe in the photo below:

kids at home... the other two in L.A., and my wife traveling and writing books. Never a dull moment. We’ve been back here at Holloman for nearly four years and are looking to hang it up this year... probably about time! Here’s a photo of the entire clan at my F-117 fini flight last summer... was a great time. Yes, those kids are all ours... lots of procreating on government time to be sure.

From left are Steve Carey (Charlotte) who is at Aviano as the 16AF/DO, Paul Dettmer (Catherine), the USAFE/IN, John Watkins, theVice at Third AF, and John. The photo was taken at Normandy, specifically, Carentan, France, where one of the major D-Day breakouts occurred. John noted that the picture was actually taken on the weekend of the Reunion and that he was the only one of the group that remembered they were missing their 25th Hmmm, 1 think that’s probably an indication of the headquarters staff frontal lobotomy that I’ve heard so much about.

As for my fellow Chickenhawks, I was able to have a great dinner with Jeff and Diane Detroye at the Reunion. They are living in northern Virginia where Diane works for NASA and Jeff for a space contractor. I also had a chance to talk with BG Select Ron Ladnier, who is now the Commandant of ACSC at Maxwell. Sounds like Thankless Task 101, but Ron seems to be thriving in the job. John Meyers (Germaine), Pat McVay (Cyndee), and the ubiquitous Dr. Lynn Scott (Cynthia) rounded out the CS-16 component in the Springs. John is flying for Delta out of Atlanta, while Pat has retired in Omaha, working for a contractor at Offutt. Dr. Scott remains at RAND. He and Cynthia attended their daughter’s wedding to a West Point grad (sorry to reveal ugly family secrets, but the truth must be told) in Copenhagen in August.

What with the bankruptcies of US Airways and United, I am hoping all of you are weathering the winter well. Write and let me know. My very best wishes for the upcoming new year, and I hope the holidays treated all of you. Be seeing you.

Bob Kay

P.O. Box 202

Alamogordo, NM 88311

Home: (505) 439-5463

Work: (505) 572-5382

Email: kbob@zianet.com or Robert.Kay@holloman.af.mil

Greetings ’78ers...

It is truly an honor to be the scribe again for our exceptional class. I would like to thank TJ Whitehair for so ably shepherding this space for these past few years. I hope I’ll be able to do as good a job. You all have had to suffer through my drivel in years past but hopefully, my writing abilities have improved with age.

Lots has happened to the Kay family over the years... still in the AF, five

As I prepared to write this, I was struck atjust how our class is excelling in so many areas but especially in the military. At last count we now have 24 classmates who are either pinned on one-stars or selects. That may be approaching a record! The latest ones who pinned on Dec 1st were Del Eulberg, Kevin Kennedy, Lyle Koenig, Dick Newton, Doug Raaberg, John Weida, and Mark Zamzow... congrats sirs! I’m no rocket scientist and I hate to do math in public but from a list of 33 names we had seven for 20%... exceptional I would submit. Even better, the newest list that came out around 17 December had nine out of 32 for almost 30%. Newest selects are Bill Chambers, Dave Eidsuane, Larry James, Jay Lindell, Kip Self, Mike Snodgrass, Tanker Snyder, Bob Steel and Rob Worley. A1 Myers is a one-star select in the Navy and... we still have several sitting wing commanders (see below) that could show up next year. ’78 certainly is great!

Many guys in the news lately. Doug Raaberg has been all over the media as the B-2 wing commander at Whiteman... especially pertinent as the war drums get louder on Iraq (lots of deployments but no shooting yet as ofthe writing ofthis article). Keye Sabol, wing commander at Grand Forks, made the Early Bird when his four-star boss came for a visit in October of 02. Steve Lisi, Battlelab coordinator on the air staff, was in the AF Times this past November. Pete Demitry has been pretty busy as well making the news show rounds as the AF Surgeon General’s chief of science and technology. He’s been giving commentary on the use of Dexedrine (“go pills” for those of us that have had to take this stuff) with respect to the tragic Canadian friendlyfire accident in Afghanistan. I didn’t see any ofthe shows but several people who did said he did a great job.

Sitting wing commanders (in no particular order) that I know of are: Bill Chambers (11 th Wing at Bolling), Hawk Carlisle (33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin), Glenn Spears (89th Airlift Wing, Andrews), Taco Gilbert (34th Training Wing, aka THE COMM, USAFA), Kevin Kennedy (5Ih Bomb Wing, Minot), Mark Zamzow (still at the 97th Air MobilityWing, Altus), Joe Mudd (36th Air Base Wing, Guam), and Joe Reynes (53rd Wing, Eglin... my boss’ boss’ boss... how’s that for being down in the food chain?). If I’ve missed anyone, please forgive me... and let me know!

The command candidate listing was released a couple of months ago with several classmates on it... hopefully all future wing kings and maybe future generals. Unfortunately, the personnel world has decided not to publicly release their eventual commands. The candidates are: Russ Frasz (currently the OG at Columbus) for a mobilitywing; Dave McFaddin (currently the Vice at Elsworth) for a bomber wing; Dave Miller for a mobility wing; Punch Moulton for a fighter wing; John Neubauer for an air base wing; Joe Reheiser for a mobility wing, and Dave Scott (currently working House Legislative Liasion) for a fighter wing. If any of you guys want to let me know what command you end up with, that would be great...good luck!

Also saw the latest ROTC commander list (one of the truly good deals) with three guys on: Tom Bell goes to Rensselaer, Rod Fitzpatrick will rough it out at the Univ. of Florida and Mike Zenk gets a peach at Notre Dame. Way to go gents... great deal. Try not to have too much fun.

As I did before, I need info from you guys to make this article interesting...or at least readable. My e-mail addresses are: Robert.kay@holloman.af.mil and kbob@zianet.com. I’ll most likelyplead and moderately pester you guys every quarter for notes. E-mail is real easy, so please drop me a line. Some truly great Americans did: Larry LaFreniere recently relocated to Lubbock, TX after several years in the Springs. He currently is the Information Technology VP for Cox Com-

munications and getting used to wind and dust again. Sig Nelson flies the B-737 out ofL.A. forAmerican and is the Ops Officer ofthe KC-135 Reserve squadron out ofPhoenix. He was TDY to Incirlik this past September passing gas (hiswords, not mine) to C-17s going intoAfghanistan over the Black Sea. Former Bulldog Bro Rick Dunham flies for Northwest and lives in Oklahoma City (I think... sorry if I botched that Rick) and passed on the call to vote for The Bird as the best mascot in the NCAA. Too bad he didn’t win but it was a good effort. Greg Kaiser still lives in lovely Columbus MS and is a first officer for FedEx. Kip Warton instructs in AT-38s at Moody and is recovering from the tragic loss of his wife, Donna, to cancer a few months ago. Our prayers continue to go to him during this difficult time. Kip is going to be our class webmaster and will be putting the site together in the next few months. Hopefully, as you read this, there will be something on line. We want it to be useful to the entire class so any suggestions you may have would certainly be welcome.

Dan Mesnard is a Delta captain and keeping busy with various activities in Florida. Fred Zietz is halfway through his EE PhD at the University of Michigan. Hejoins the ever-growingranks ofgrandparents with his daughter giving birth to a baby boy. Mike McMillie is the Ops Officer in the Martinsburg, WV C-130 unit and was TDY for 258 days in a 13-month period after 9/11. He said he got out ofthe actives to avoid stufflike that! He mentioned that he talks every so often to Steve Knott who is a defense analyst for Alion and sees Dave Lengyel (pilot for US Airways and Reservist on 1-8 of the Joint Staff) fairly regularly. Also got a message today from Don Blackwelder who has been working at NATO’s Supreme Allied Command, Adantic in Norfolk VA and is moving to HQ 12th AF in Tucson, AZ.

Finally, Steve Goldfein did our class proud when he spoke to the Class of 2003 during their ring dining-in last May. The text of his remarks was in the Summer 2002 edition of Checkpoints and was excellent. He said he was just a bit intimidated to stand in front of 2,000 people in Mitch’s but had fun taking potshots at Taco who received them very graciously.

I’ve run out of space so will sign off for now. Hope all is well with you and I look forward to hearing from you. God Bless.

Mike Ashley

Rt 2, Box36E

Charles Town, WV 25414 (304)728-0274

Email: trash79@adelphia.net

Hello Class, from wild and wonderfulWestVirginia. I have lots of news to share and very limited space to share it. If your news didn’t get published then I sent it to John Dallas. Hope you enjoyed the class gift article in the Fall Checkpoints. Go back and read it again if you missed it. The picture below is of ’79ers that attended the presentation.

The following classmates have been selected for Brigadier General.

Congratulations to Bill Rew, Steve Hoog, Bob Edmonds, Burton Field, Randy Fullhart, Juice Jouas, and Maggot Mueller.

Michael Brill earned his place in the record books. Mike became the first pilot in the world to log 5,000 flying hours in the F-16. He is a fulltime Reservist and the operations officer for the 466th Fighter Squadron. Guy Wills, Judy and Steven departed C. Springs for the heat and humidity ofMontgomeryAL. He’s at the AirWar College, with the title ofProfessor, Dept of Strategy and International Security. Rich Treadway and Rebecca have two kids: son Chase is 17, and daughter Lee is almost 13.

He got into the F-177 at Tonopah in 1990 and has been in the airplane since then. Rich arrived last July as the OG and has been loving life. Korky VonKessel just moved from Command Director to Director of Operations (J-3) for Cheyenne Mountain. Greg Roman retired in Apr 02 and is a government contractor for Adroit Systems Inc. in Colorado Springs.

Randy Fullhart and Kathy have been at Fairchild (92nd Air RefuelingWing Commander) since last October. Their son Stephen is in his junior year at Indiana University, studying journalism. Keith Trouwborst is at RAF High Wycombe running a little known NATO unit, Combined Air Operations Center 9. He mentions that anyone traveling to London who needs info or a place to stay, “I have a large house and am willing to accommodate!”

Chuck Smiley and Denise now have two kids in college (senior at U of Florida, freshman at Seton Hall University), with only four living at home now. Chuck is the Missions Support Group commander at Dover AFB, DE.

Jeff Franklin is at McGuire AFB as the 305th Deputy OG. His oldest son, Dave, will be commissioned as an AF 2LT in April out ofAFROTC. Randy Helms just PCSd from the Pentagon. He trained in the C-5 this past summer at Altus AFB, OK and then moved to Dover AFB, DE to become the Operations Group Deputy Commander. Their two oldest kids are in college (daughter at Penn State and son at Virginia Tech). Their youngest daughter is a 10th grader. Eric Ash is Commander and President of the CommunityCollege ofthe Air Force (and teaching a little DFS on the side).

Paul Emmertwas elected to theAlaskaAirlines Master Executive Council as Secretary-Treasurer in Seattle last March for a two-year term. He says it is a full-time job, with many trips to Washington DC. Burton Field is the J-5, Joint Staff, Pentagon. He and Lisa have two boys and the oldest is a freshman at U of Florida. Bill Travnick is at Hurlburt Field with Deb and the kids (Elisabeth, Danille, Billy, and Kaylee). They moved from the Pentagon in mid-July 02. Bill is the Deputy Group CC for the 720th Special Tactics Group (720STG/CD). Kevin Jones had arthroscopic surgery on a knee he ripped at the War College. The knee is recovering nicely. His new job is in OSD policy working Iraq issues and defining DOD support to the inspectors as they head back into Iraq.

This photo was taken at the Ramstein Officers Club while attending the USAFE Commanders Conference. From left are Don Lustig, 100ARW/CC Ramstein; Steve “Maggot” Mueller, 52 FW/CC Spangdalem; Erv Lessel, 86 AW/CC Ramstein; and Bruce Rember, 85 GP/CC Keflavik.

StevenWeartreports, “It’s a regularLCWB convention outhere at Ramstein! He has now taken over the 86th Contingency Response Group (CRG). Scott Adams and Pam are at Ramstein AB. They went to Germany without children (one lives in the Springs, one is a senior at Liberty U, and their youngest, a sophomore at U of Northern CO, married in August). Scott’s tide is USAFE/SE. Stephen Mueller is at Spangdahelm AB as the wingcommander, feeling like he won the lottery. He reports he is still flying F-16s and loving every day. Bruce Rember is enjoying Keflavick. His oldest started college this fall; that leaves two at home. He’s been in command since Feb. Keith Abbot was activated last December and spent five months in Germany doing Enduring Freedom and Joint Forge support. Keith is a navigator and XO for C-130s at Peterson. He plans to retire next May.

Charles Davis is the F-15 System Program Director at Robins AFB been there about 14 months. Married to the same Susan since June of’79 no kids. Randy Gricius is running worldwide sustainment activities for all satellite communications. His oldest daughter, Nicole, is a freshman at UCCS, Brittney is a senior in high school and Scott is a sophomore.

Thomas McCabe is the Deputy Director Space Mission Integration Offlee (Peterson AFB). His wife is a 4th grade teacher in the Monument area; children Thomas - 11 th grade, Jennifer - 10th grade, and Matthew - 8th grade. Thomas Clay is at Los Angeles AFB with the Space and Missiles Systems Center as the Ground Program Director for the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Tom and Vanessa celebrated their 10th anniversary. Kids are Katie (16), Victoria (9), Alexandra (6), and Tommy (3).

From left are Mike Maher, Mike Vanhoomissen (classpres), DougRobb, Dan Boylen, Mike Donatelli (Class sec), Carl Hawkins, Tom McCarthey, Mark ‘Horse’ Niece, Mike ‘Omar’ Bradley, Lance Beam, The Hero-Bobby Swain, ?, GaryHarris, David Ward, ?, George Morgan, Bob Beckwith, and Mark Reid.

Ed Browne is the Deputy Director Safety HQ AFSPC. He has the same house in Rustic Hill. If he retires June 03 it’ll make 18 years in C. Springs straight. Adding the cadet and Prep School years, it makes 23 of 31 years total. Got to be a record Ed! Curt Bottesch is having a great time at Nellis for a final tour. His son just graduated high school and starts UNLV his daughter is in 8th grade. Curt has been the OSS/DO and now the Director of Staff in the 57th WG. Randoo Meyer is in Osan. Barb and his two boys got there in July 01. He spent the first year in the Air Ops Group and now as a 7AF Director of Staff. He’s stilly flying F-16s.

I attended the Army game at West Point. Brian Hampl and I had a reunion after 23 years. Brian is living in Vermont with his wife and son. The boys from Atlanta made the usual trip for the game. The picture above is our group photo.

That’s it for another year. John Dallas is next for the Spring issue. Send him your info at john.dallas@arfts.ang.af.mil. Good luck in the NewYear. Mighty Fine!

Don Myers

401 Chambray Hill Peachtree City, GA 30269-4247 (770) 631-1429

E-mail: DMyers80@hotmail.com

Class Home Page: http://usafa80.tripod.com

Lots about You (in only the 1200 words allowed). The winter update usuallyhas more than most because some ofyou come through and send me your Christmas letter. Thanks!

After the AF-Navy game, I caught Deb (Wilcock) and Dave Ziebart on the return flight from Denver. They’re enjoyingMemphis and are raising a beautiful family. Deb is able to minimize flying at FedEx to be home a lot. Dave stays in touch with the coaching staff and shares the excitement of the success they’ve hadwith the team. Deb prompted another of our classmates to send me an update: Kathy (Johnson) and Keith Odegard. “Deb and Dave stayed with us for the Navy game. After the game our families were playing touch football in the parking lot waiting for the traffic to thin. Dave threw one of his famous spirals, which Deb blocked, but broke her finger doing so! I’m enjoying my leave ofabsence from American Airlines. Am happily busy with our three kids and various sports, scouts, music, church, and school activities. Keith isverybusywith orthopedics and sports medicine at USAFA, which includes being the Prep School Football and Men’s Varsity Basketball team doc. He’s in a group of six orthopedic surgeons; five of them are grads, but he’s the oldest by three years, and between that and those cadets, it’s a setup to feel ancient!” Some newpeople/ places she mentioned at the end: Kent Murphy, ENT at the USAFA Hospital; Betsy (Joviak) Pimentel, with TASC as a space defense contractor; Tom Mabry, retired and now the USAFA Deputy Registrar.

I was finally able to connect with Tom Heemstra after reading his book. Suffice to say, there are still folks in the higher echelons of the military and government who are more willing to do what’s right for their careers than what is simply right to the detriment of those they are supposed to lead and protect. Tom went to bat for the folks he commanded. He’s a man of character. Currently completing a PhD in Strategic Leadership at Regent University, he will continue his consulting side business afterwards, which will include coaching and teambuilding.

Dave Francis says, “I had to write today because I’ve got one of those what are the odds? stories. About a month ago, I received an invitation to Justin Chretien’s wedding, set for November 2nd. (Justin is a civilian attorney working aviation cases for the Dept ofJustice here in D.C.) Less than a week later, I received an email from A1 Baker, announcing his upcomingwedding on November 2nd, at the AFA chapel. (A1 flies for United Airlines.) I thought it was quite a coincidence that two of our classmates

Visit the AOG Web Site: www.aog-usafa.org

were getting married on the exact same day, 22+ years after graduation. Then last weekend I ran into Brad Duty at a Halloween party hosted by Chris and Peggy (Walker) Cuellar, and he introduced me to his fiancee. I asked when they were getting married and of course he told me November 2nd. So there you go... THREE classmates all getting married the same day. I’m impressed... thoughtmaybe you would be too. (Bradjust pinned on 0-6 and serves in the Pentagon; Chris and Peggy both fly for United out of Dulles.) I retired in June 2000 and flew with United Airlines until getting furloughed in March [2001], Unemployment was boring, so in May I entered the USAF Retired Aviator Recall Program. I’m back on active duty and serving on Airstaff at the Pentagon. I wondered if I would still know anyone in the building, but on the very first day I ran into Paul Nelson (civilian contractor in AF/XOR) and Janet Therianos (working in SECAF’s office). Earlier this month I attended Doug Hager’s retirement ceremony, where I saw KirkYost (recently retired also) and Bob Chapman (I believe he said he worked in SAF/IA). I’ve also run into Kathy Conley and George Cunningham in the cafeteria, and down in the Joint Staff I’ve seen Rich Harris and Doug Owens. Greg Parker retired in 2000 and is now a DoD civilian in AF/XP. Last week at Langley I ran into John Posner, who is now the Vice Commander of the AEF Center. Oh, and I am not the only person on a second career in the Air Force: Frank Ott (furloughed from Delta), Randy Chow (United) and Mike Smellie (United) all seem to be taking advantage of the offer too.” I think Dave wins the NamedropperAward. (Thanks!)

Indeed, after an old-fashioned courtship, which included a church mission trip to Guatemala, Allen Baker married Janet at the Academy chapel, 28 days after asking for her hand (“It was the only place we could get on such short notice!”) Deron Brown, his USAFA roommate, was best man. In his spare time, A1 has teamed with Robert Gandt to write three books (published by Putnam). “Also, I recendy had the high honor of addressing a USAFA graduating class. The class of 2001.5 (the mid-term sweat hogs, seven total) asked me to give their commencement address. There were about 400 or so in the audience, and they responded well. I think they were relieved that I had no political agenda to promote, and that I spoke directly to the graduates.” Is this a grad giving the commencement address a USAFA first? Finally, “In grad news, I’m in touch with a few. Mike “Kentucky” (Patty) Jefferson is the Vice Wing Commander of the 159 FW (NewOrleansANG) flyingF-15s. Theyjust had a babygirl named Olivia. Bob “Ferris” Buehler is the Assistant Adjutant for the Louisiana ANG, and also flies in that unit. Jim “Kong” Firth is the Commander of the Jacksonville, FL, F-15 wing, and he recently remarried. Dave “Big D” Alexander is the Vice Wing Commander at Ellington, TX, flying F-16s. All of the above have airline jobs on the side, though all of them have been on active duty since September 11th. Mike (Janine) Gerzanics is a UAL flight test pilot in San Francisco. They recently had a baby girl named Charlotte. Rob Strickland is the 777 Fleet Technical Specialist at the UAL Training Center here in Denver. Rick Thiele is a 737 captain for American in Miami. I ski with him about once a year. Scott Peatross works for Northwest, based in the frozen tundra of Minneapolis.”

Curtis (Susan) Heidtke is “the active duty Staff Judge Advocate at Gen. Mitchell ARS, a Reserve base in Milwaukee, WI. I’m scheduled to move this summer to the Pentagon to take a job at JAX, our headquarters Civil Law shop. I had a nine-year break in service between my pilot days and being recalled to be a JAG, hence I’m calling virtually all of you ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ these days. No biggie. With all your many successes and those of our classmates, I figure I can finally say with some authority that I have ‘friends in high places.’”

The Heidke clan

I’ll close with this profound thought from one ofDean (Carla) Eisberg’s sons: “Ifyou lie down with the dogs, you’ll... be warm.” Be warm until next time. Don

Rich Trentman

11102 Asbee St.

Falcon, CO 80831-8170

H: (719) 494-9438

W: (719) 472-0300/DSN 333-2067

E-mail: Trentman@usafa81.com

Class Website: www.usafa81.com

It is the Dark Ages here at USAFA, but without snow and it is 50 - 60 degrees everyday. Didn’t it used to snow here? I loved those days where school was cancelled. I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy Holiday season with weather as mild as Colorado’s. Football season is over, but the Falcon basketball team is rolling along and very good!

Again, thanks for the emails and pictures. Drop me a quick email anytime. I’m still bringing in data (Letter winners, Cadet positions, etc) from our old database and supporting the staff, academy, chapters, and graduates with data requests, programs, etc. Life in AOG “Cube City” never slows down.

’81 updates: On the military side, Tony Hinen has moved four times in the past year plus. He left MacDill AFB (Tampa) for Pakistan National Defense College (Islamabad) in the summer of 2001 and was evacuated home to Indiana in September, understandably. In October 2001, he was sent to finish Air War College at Maxwell. Last summer, Tony was off to the Pentagon (AF/XOXX) as a division chief. John Reinheimer made Lt Col in the Reserves and works as an ALO in Southern California. He’s also a project mgt consultant for Mattel and the great news is that he and his wife, Kathryn, are expecting their first child inApril. Congratulations, John and Kathryn! Juan Moreno is working in the Strat Planning Division in J-5 at the Pentagon. He and Analila are enjoying D.C., but expect to get orders to move this Spring. They kept busy this fall driving their son Juan Carlos around to his soccer games. Michelle Johnson is loving her job as the Wing Commander at McConnell and very busy with her new twin boys, Mitchell and Preston! (Super Mom) Gil Castillo’s wife, Rebecca, emailed saying Gil is now the 612thSS/DO at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson. She sent a family picture.

From the growing retired gang: Gregg Montijo retired from the AF and is living in Tucson, but keeps busy teaching Cockpit Resource Mgt classes at AF bases out west and overseas. He also substitute teaches in between his trips. Gregg says Scott Alexander also retired about the same time and is a contract instructor teaching the young A-10 pilots. Gregg ran into “Rowdy” Yates on a trip to Cannon. Tim Jacoby has moved to Louisville, KY to shorten his commutes while flying for UPS. Gregg also runs into Glen Schumacher at Davis-Monthan. Glen is flying HH-60s in the Reserve squadron there. John Fagnant also retired in 2001 just before our Reunion and works for Northrup Grumman in Baltimore as a program manager for

advanced development sensors. Don Chapman also works there as a program manager for theJoint Strike Fighter. John and Don love workingthere. Our former fantastic scribe, Dennis Ward, has moved from the Senate Governmental Affairs committee staff to the DefenseAppropriations subcommittee staff. He and Colette just adopted a beautiful five-month-old girl. They are both excited and their two-year-old son, Paul, loves his new sister. Tim Wallender and familyjust moved into a new home in Manhattan Beach, CA and sent a great photo of his gang.

Freddie Stewart is busy with graduate studies in Catholic theology and traveling with his wife, Colleen. They cruised the coast of British Columbia and Alaska last summer. This year, they are planning to hit Italy! Their son Emmanuel is a Navy cryptologist with NSA and only an hour from them, so they get to see him often. Sean and Karen Murphy had a good time at the AF - Army game this fall. He and Mo Beale are attending NWC together and having a blast.

Sean and Karen Murphy with “The Bird".

I see Frank “The Cheese” Cheeseman at hockey and basketball games here at USAFA. He’s a sports nut, like me.

Thanks for the updates! I can only put three pictures per article, but keep sending them. Our retirement numbers are growing prettybig. (Not that anyone is really retiring... just moving on to different and exciting new careers.) Also, we seem to be having lots ofkids? I am excited to see several classmates joined as AOG Life Members in the past week. It is a great way to stay connected to each other and our Academy.

Jim Ratti

6329 Pheasant Valley Road

Dayton, OH 45424-7100

H: (937) 236-9306

DSN: 785-8695 ext. 3444 (work) rattijm@mindspring.com http://usafa82.org

Hello Redtags!

Well, it’s time for another installment of “What’s New with ’82?” As usual, there’s plenty, although it’s not all exactly what I’d call “new”. As you’ll recall, my last column was devoted to recounting reunion events and was rather devoid of the normal news and gossip. In true “packratti” fashion, I’ve preserved some pretty old info (some dating back to Jun ’02) which I’ll now share. Strap in and hang on!

Jeff Stephens is in Tucson, flying Airbuses for America West. He and his family (wife Risa and three kids) have been in the area since 1987 when Jeffwas stationed at Davis Monthan. He’s been in theArizona Guard since 1990, and bumps into Mike Miller who’s an F-16 IP there. Rick Burgess finished his assignment as the 39th Operations Support Squadron Commander at Incirlik and moved in to the Air Force Safety Center (Kirtland) in August. He’s in the Aviation Division doing mishap investigations. Rick and Sandra celebrated their 20th anniversary last summer, and their oldest son Justin graduated from High School and flew out of Turkey in June to begin a four-year “vacation” at West Point. Their second son (Joshua) is a high school junior.

Darleen (Avery) Sobota told me that her husband, Mark, retired and is working as a contractor at the Aging Aircraft Program Office in Dayton. His brother (our classmate) Dave Sobota just got hired as a GS-12 Step 10 at the National Air Intelligence Center, also here at Wright-Pat. Bob Guessferd is living near Nashua NH, and is a single dad to three kids, ages 15, 14, and 6. He’s a senior contracts negotiator for BAE Systems, but gets to see the “other side” as a Reservist with the Defense Contracts Management Agency (DCMA). Bob had been the Liaison Officer Commander for Western Massachusetts, overseeing recruiting activities for USAFA and AFROTC. He admitted to just a bit of fun when visiting students, telling them how much tougher it was when WE were cadets! Bob Navarro has the excitingjob oftraining astronauts at Johnson Space Center, and bumps into Steve Lindsey from time-to-time. Keith Zuegel

Gil and Rebecca Castillo with daughters Gillian and Megan.

Tim and Lisa Wallender and family.

dropped a line to fill in the details since 2 Jun 82. He’s really gotten around, having flown F-4s at Seymour, F-11 Is at Lakenheath, participated in the GulfWar, and held various sq/wing leadership positions at Cannon AFB. He went to ACSC with a follow-on to the J-3 at Stuttgart, and then worked legislative affairs on the SECAF’s staff at the Pentagon. He’s now an 0-6 select working as the Deputy Legislative Assistant to the CJCS. Keith and wife, Eva, have three children. Eva’s a nurse in the Reserves, and also works as a certified lactation consultant (should I milk that for all it’s worth? Nah...).

Ardy Dahl (A-10 Squadron Commander at Pope) had 15 minutes offame last summer when the local paper did a piece on some of his squadron members. Seems they killed between 200-300 A1 Qaida and Taliban fighters during a single mission in Operation Anaconda back in March of ’02. John Cerra sent word that he’s retired now and working as a principal engineer for ARINC in Oklahoma City, providing engineering services to the base. Brian Korb “defected” to Canada and is an assistant professor of finance at TrinityWestern University near Vancouver. Nancy and the three kids have adjusted well, but noticed that “everyone has an accent, eh?”

“The Packard Gang”

Gary Packard got a PhD in Developmental Psych in 1999 and planned to return to USAFA to teach, but got diverted to T-ls at Vance. They did make him a Sq/CC though, figuring (I guess) that a Psych degree was all it would take to cope with student pilots. Nick “Bear” Sandwick is also at Vance as DO of the T-38 squadron. Gary says Tony Lazarski was there briefly as the Deputy OG/CC, but made 0-6 on the last board and went off to ACC/HQ to work for Gen Hornburg. Tony “Rooster” Klucking is back at ACSC, but this time as an instructor. He got a PhD courtesy of AFIT, and as of Sept was still “ABD” (All But Dissertation). I’m sure it’s done by now, right, Tony?

In the “More Dated News” department, Brian Branby sent a list of new USAFR Lt Colonels. He culled it for ’82 grads and found the following names: Ted Bale, Marion Barnes,JeffBasik, Chris Brechin, George Brewer, Dolores (Smith) Bubier, Dave Curry, and Charlie Glassie. Also, Jonnie Johnson, Luke Kealy, Sandy Keeter, Carol Kilbride, Tom LaValley, Amy McCarthy, Dana Richard, Mike Sipos, Dave Sobota, and Jim Tuitt. By the way, Brian’s name was on the list too!

I got an e-mail from Fred Sandoval saying he’s started his own investment and real estate development company (Private Investment Group) in Palm Springs CA. Give me a shout if you’d like contact info. Bruce Sutherland is happily settled in Melbourne FL as a Systems Engineer on JSTARS. He took early retirement in 1998 and hired on with Northrop after a brief stint managing the Pine Sol production line for the Clorox Company. He and his June Week bride have two kids, one who’s 16 and driving (can you say, “USAA subsidy”?), and another who’s 13 and says he’s a better driver than his big sister. Sound familiar? Dan Mokris is also in Melbourne, “toughing it out for a second time.” Somehow he’s managed to keep flying after 20 years, and treasures it.

Peggy (Sherman) Ball says “hello” from Ramstein where she tries to keep up with 93 countries as the Political Advisor to the USAFE commander. She had lunch with Teresa (Stevens) Tittle, and they looked over a bunch of reunion pictures. Peggy says it’s “not fair” that Ed Antoine, Mike Geczy, Ramona Kimsey, Gail Cooper and SteveVogt haven’t aged a bit! I agree!

Ralinda Gregory sent news that Sq/CC Jon Sutter was the first pilot to pass the 4,000 hour mark in the F-15. Quite an accomplishment that many staff officers would envy! He an Andy Parrish (retiring on 1 Mar 03) got to fly a sortie together in December, and noted that they’ve got over 8,200 fighter hours (<10,000 total) between them.

Fred Darling (pilot for Northwest) carried fellow T-38 FAIP Doc Hendrickson back from a Vegas TDY in December. Doc’s the deputy DO at Grand Forks, working for OG/CC Cathy Clothier. Fred says Doc looks great, but now has NO hair on top! Martha (Stevenson) and Daryl “Bones” Jones held a joint retirement ceremony in December. No direct word on what they’ll be doing, but their invitation said something about transitioning to “full-time ministry”. Via Christmas newsletters I learned that Col Steve Suddarth is at Maxwell, enjoying regular hours after running the CAG at AFMC HQ. I also learned that Scot and Patty Shier’s quints survived their appearance on Jay Leno, and are rambling headlong toward their 7th birthdays.

With that, I’m out of space, so no fancy summary! ‘Til next time, Be Safe! Ratman

Ray Blust

7 Highland Park

Wheeling, WV 26003-5472

H: (304) 242-7182

W: (304) 281-1621

RJBLUST@CS.COM

Post Holiday and New Year greetings from the outer banks of the great Ohio RiverValley. Life here continues to be great and Julie still loves me, what else could I ask for? Julie finally finished her degree in Exercise Physiology and a week later had a very emotional XX B-day. She continues to devote her life to Matthew-11 (5th grade) and Audrey-2. Matthew is a great kid and plays all the sports and piano. He got his first squirrel this year, sorry no photo! Audrey is well, Audrey!!! She is one of those two year olds who convince parents that having one child is okay. Other than staying awake from 1 to 4 in the morning, she is truly a beautiful little girl. As for me, nothing has really changed. I continue to work as an ALO here in West Virginia and am anxiously awaiting my 0-5 board in June. I am also still at JFK flying the 767/757 overseas. As you all know, life as an airline pilot can be very speculative at best. I just thank God everyday for the job I have, we have been blessed.

As I sit to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, Rich Fullerton and Billy “Scales” Walker are franticallyworking on our 20-year class reunion. They have graciously volunteered to co-chair our reunion. The reunion weekend date is still unsure but is tentatively scheduled for 10-14 September. The AOG sent out the first reunion mailing in February; if you did not receive one then you must be in our “Lost Souls” file. Please contact and JOIN the AOG to begin receiving the reunion info. Also, to get the latest info please check: www.aog-usafa.org. Go to “2003 reunions” area and scale down to our reunion. Here is a list of our Chairpersons for the various committees: Fund Raising: Dana Born, Hotel/Menu: Mike and Karen Davis, Merchandise: Linda Huggler, Web Site Coord.: Francis Chun, Chapel/Memorial: Marty Brodzik, Entertainment: Holly Franz, SQ POCs/Communications: Tod Harmon, Golf Tourney: TBD, Women’s Brunch: Linda Huggler. On behalf of the rest of the class, Thanks guys for all your work.

Enough of the required administrative stuff, I’ve got a mail bag that is pretty full. Of course I have to start with my roomie, Bill “Huge” Rujevcan. Ruj and Holly have two young daughters and are living the L.A. area. Ruj just e-mailed to update me on his work with Boeing’s Sea Launch program. Ifyou’re not familiar with it, ask Ruj at the reunion. He is currently a Payload Integration Manager in charge of spacecraft operations. His work has taken him to France and twice to Moscow. While there he visited the Soyuz launch pad and the Gagarian memorial. Amazing Ruj, you done good.

I know, I know, we need a picture and what better way to start than with a couple of retired 0-5s. Pictured on the next page are Becca, Leslee

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY!

YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND

CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL THE AOG FOR INFO.

"The ‘Old Heads’, John SutterandAndyParrish.

The Washers (Forsberg) and Chris Washer- ’82 and Jacob. Both Les and Chris are enjoying the retired life, though Chris returned back to work, while Les is starting a cab service for Becca and Jacob. Got another letter from a fellow 24 Phantom, Mike “Pad” Padilla. Mike and Edith are still calling Tennessee home while Mike flies the MD-11 for Fed-Ex and expects to be activated as an airlift planner at AMC HQ/TACC, Scott AFB. They have two boys, Anthony-3 and Mikey-9. The next letter comes from a BCT and Starship-19 mate Jon “JDQ” and Brenda Duresky. They sent their eagerly awaited two-page Christmas letter from their new home in Warner Robins GA. Jon left his comfortable (4000+ hours) seat in the C-130 to go to the school house on the E-8 JSTARS. Jon has a new plane, a new house and a new pool I’m waiting for the invitation Jon!! Jeffrey left the nest and is finishing up his first year at Va. Tech while Kendal continues to cheer and keep Dad polishing his shotguns awaiting her dates. See you guys soon. Another fellow BCTer and Starshipers Ellen (Nelson) -’84 and JeffFiebig sent along their Christmas letter. Our records showed Ellen was in our class while Jeff was a “Lost Soul”, can we trade? Jeff remains pretty busy as the Mission Support Group CC in Phoenix while teaching A320s at United in Denver. Ellen turned the big XX this past July. She’s a full-time AGR assigned to the Academy. Their son Derek, 15, does it all (sports and academics) well, just like Ellen while Danielle, 13, continues her competitive gymnastics season, qualifying and finishing 7th for the state of Colorado. See you guys in Sept.

The Gregors

Heard from another fellow Phantom, Robert and Ralinda Gregor. Robert is flying the 757/767 for UPS in Louisville. Both Robert and Ralinda are active Admissions Liaison Officers for the Academy. Their daughter Rachel is in the fifth grade and has taken to water skiing and set a family record of 31 minutes and 40 seconds on skis. Young Richard, 2.5, like our Audrey, is a perpetual motion machine. Fellow Phantom Driver (not be confused with Phantom mate) Doug and Kim High write from the Springs. Doug is at Schriever AFB and is the Director of Operations AFTENCAP at the Space Warfare Center. Doug is another one of those guys that you have to ask him at the reunion what he does there. They are doing work on survival radios, Satcoms for retargeting our bombers, and are using satellite architectures to track the blue forces the good guys. Of course when he’s not at work he goes home to do the important stuff take care of Hilary, 11 (Girl Scouts and Colorado state blue ribbon winner), and Anna, 5, who just loves being Hilary’s little sister. Kim, Doug says you make an awesome Tofu surprise I’ll be there!! John ’84 (fellow Phantom driver) and Gayle (Johnson) Denny are enjoying the excitement of the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes as they have planted their feet on the Ohio river in Cincy. I hope to see Gayle in January for our annual LOD conference at the Academy. Gayle is the LOD for SW Ohio. She also has been playing golf and taking yoga whata life. John is a junior Captain for Airborne on the DC-9 and shot his first “Hole in One” this past year. Congrats John!! Their daughter Grace is a freshman and is

playing #1 for her school’s golf team. Young Wes is in 6th grade and the defending city champion golfer for 11-year-old boys.

UPT mate Pete and Gerry McCaffrey send the most original Christmas letter/collage. Ifyou haven’t seen one, I’ll bring it to the reunion. Pete flies for United and still may be flying the Viper in the Guard. Young Michael is now a fast-growing teenager while young Kimberly aspires to model in NewYork. The Mac clan has been doing the Disney cruises in May. Sorry, we’re going on the Wonder in early Sept for Julie’s parent’s 50th anniversary. Another fellow UPT and T-38 FAIP mate, Andy and Jamie Lagrone, write enroute from Enid to what may be their retirement tour at WP. Andy, I lostyour letter-sorry. Theyhave two children, Jake who is taller thanAndy while Cameron is better looking than Andy! UPT mate Robert and Edith Englehart write from San Antonio TX where Robert is the Vice Commandant at the AF Advanced Instrument School. He is still flying the T-38 and continues as an AF Advance Agent for the President. I don’t know either askhim at the reunion. Edith continues to hold the familytogether. Kristen, 16, is on the Dance Team and NHS while Alyssa, 14, is the Cheerleader of the family. Mike and Gisela Shanahan sent their letter via the AWC library. Mike relinquished command of a C-17 Sq. where his guys spent three months in the desert. Good job Mike!! Gisela is staying in Washington to keep the boys’ (Sean, 17, and Kyle, 15) life somewhat normal as they are both heavily involved in gymnastics. Mike said he’s at AWC with Lou Caporicci, Jim Post, Tracy (Morgan) Phillips and Larry Hollet. FellowPreppie Dave and Tina Wright are in San Antonio where Dave is still flying the T-43s at Randolph. They have two girls, Courtney and Caroline. Fellow Preppie and Phantom Driver Ron and Tonia Graves are living in Parker CO as with a lot of United grads. Ron is an IP at the United Training Center and is still in the Reserves. Tonia works at the Parker librarywhile trying to keep up with Eric and Kathryn on the Colorado slopes.

And last but not least I got for the first time a letter/collage from fellow Phantom driver Mic and Dawn Mellerski. Mic is a 777 FO for AA flying out of DFW. We did meet up at the pool in Sao Paulo, Brazil last spring. We were able to solve a lot of our problems over a couple of local cocktails. Mic and Dawn have two girls, Kristi, 12, and Natalie, 8.

Well I believe that’s about it from the mailbag for this year. I do apologize if I am not as entertaining as Stu or as intellectual as Jon but you get what you pay for. For my curiosity, does anyone other than me have their cadet car? Just wondering as I drive to the airport tomorrow morning in my 1983 Camaro Berlinetta with 196,000 miles. Just a thought. Yes, we do have another car. Until our reunion in Sept, take care and may God bless. Please send your news to me or to any other scribe.

y Mike Jensen i

12035 Milam Road \ uV Colorado Springs, CO 80908 (800) GO-AFA-GO

E-mail: jensen@usafa.com

1Ssjffir <$7

Home page: www.usafa.net/1984

2003 is a time for change! Guess what? Our 20-year reunion will be next, that is next, year. By the time you get this, you will have less than 500 days until we meet again in Colorado Springs. Will you be ready? I have already put my life savings into Geritol, Viagra, and Ben Gay stock. Still after 20 years I have not been getting the updates from many of you who are members, and I ask you once again to send me the goods!

Changes: Mark Gillott took command of the 98 FTS at USAFA. He has all the jump training to include AM-490, the Wings of Blue, and all the jump demos. As he was told “Wow, 40 years old and taking up skydiving nice mid-life crisis!” He promises to be one ofthe jumpers for our 20th right, Mark? Marvin Jones, his wife, Patty, and son Byron currently stationed in Denmark will be coming to America, and will be on their way to Fort Meade in Maryland. JeffBurum, CPA, another one of us who

The Mellerskis

won’t have to travel far to come to the reunion, recently opened a new office right here in the Springs.

Christmas cards! I obviously did not end up on too many Christmas card lists, so some of the updates will be lacking! Thanks to the Brennan (Mike) family in Florida. He is the Chief of Flight Safety HQ/ AFSOC. He and Petey have three wonderful children, Michael, Kathryn, andVirginia. John Reidy and his family are out at Hill AFB, UT and are doing great as well. I also got an update from LTC Chris Erickson, and his lovely wife, Suzi. They are on their way to Albuquerque, NM for a new assignment. I was in Raleigh, NC and had a couple ofbeers with Chris, and we ran into Tom Stanbury, who was on a layover after flying back from London on the 777 with AA. If I can revive that brain cell, Tom and his wife are expeering their second this spring. Not to be outdone, John Weigand, wife Kathy, Jack (3) and Sid (17mo), have #3 on the way this spring.

Dillon: We lost a great officer, pilot, classmate and friend when we lost Dillon MacFarland this winter. I was not able to attend to memorial service at Hill AFB, but heard it was a tribute he truly deserved. Our continued prayers and best wishes go to Sandy, Joshua, and Ashley.

Quintel Williams

6410 Katherine Ann Lane Springfield, VA 22150

E-mail: USAFA1985@aol.com

Happy New Year!

I hope you all are off to a great start in 2003! And I hope everyone likes the new format the AOG asked us to use by listing grad’s names in bold instead of using capital letters for grad’s last names beginning with this issue of Checkpoints.

Thanks to our Falcon football team, we have bragging rights over our sister services since we won the commander-in-chief trophy again! We lost the inaugural Diamond Walnut Bowl game to Virginia Tech in San Francisco, CA but earning the right to play in a bowl game was a victory in itself. I’m sure that classmates like Carlos Mateos and AJ Scott, both of whom played varsity football, would tell you that the 8-5 season we just had is something to be proud of.

Throughout December I received Christmas cards from Matt Bridgers, Jackie Charsagua, Keith Lambert and Bob Pickrell Matt and hiswife, Paula, are doing fine in Denver, CO. Jackie and her daughter are enjoying life at Vandenberg AFB, CA. In addition, Jackie sent an email which says she is the ChiefofCommunications for the 14th Air Force and that she planned to spend the Christmas holidays in El Paso, TX to help her dad celebrate his 70th birthday. Keith enjoys flying and serving as the director of operations for the 67th Special Operation Squadron in England. Keith spent much of the past year getting his unit ready for an Operational Readiness Inspection with three major exercises to practice. All ofKeith’s hard work paid off as his unit passed their inspection. Keith said he flew a lot ofTDY missions in 2002 to places like Ghana, Morocco, Serbia and Kosovo. Keith says he was selected for a squadron commander but he’ll have to come back to the states to take command of a unit in 2004. Congrats Keith! Keith says he’s taking his family on a ski trip to Austria after the holidays for a well-deserved celebration and familyvacation. Bob and Erin and their two daughters (Cassidy and Kylie) still love life in Texas.

In late-December I saw a couple ofgrads: Mike Rits and Marilyn (Garcia) Kott. I saw Mike at the Pentagon’s uniform store. Mike and I were there picking up our new nametags for the service dress uniform. Mike said he’s looking forward to moving next summer but he didn’t have a new assignment when we saw each other. I saw Marilyn in the E-ring hallway while she was giving some of her visiting family members a tour of the Pentagon. Marilyn said she would be at the Pentagon for another year or so. I met George at the Silver Diner in Springfield, VA a few days after Christmas In mid-December I saw Tim Gooley at the Pentagon. He was TDY from the Space Warfare Center (SWC) in Colorado Springs, CO. We had a chance to catch up on some people, places and things. Tim told me that Ed Wilson was selected for squadron commander and should take charge of the 1 st Space Operations Squadron in July. Tim said that Scott Henderson replaced Dan Jordan as the commander ofthe 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) last July. Tim also said he thinks Frank Gallagher is the director of operations at 2 SOPS. Then Tim said that Dan now works on the HQ Air Force Space Command Commander’s Action Group at Peterson AFB, CO. Tim said that Joe Veneziano is working at

Hanscom AFB, MA working at the Electronic Systems Center. I asked Tim about Ross Dudley because he used to work at the SWC but I lost track of him. Tim said that Ross PCSed to Albuquerque, NM to work at the Air Force Research Laboratory Vehicles Directorate.

In early December while I was on leave in St Louis, MO, I saw Rick Britt. Since the last Checkpoints, I was able to find and forward an e-mail address for Jerome Olivarez to Rick. Please let me know if I can help you track down someone in our class.

In November Jim Lovell told me that he was selected for the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) next summer. Getting into ICAF is a pretty big deal, so my hats off to Jim. Way to go Jim!

Last fall I saw David Stockwell at Calvary Road Baptist Church in Springfield, VA. David lives in Hawaii works at PACOM/J5.

Congratulations to Pete Read and his wife. Pete told me that they had a baby since the last Checkpoints. Pete also said that he’d send me a family picture but I haven’t received it yet.

Congratulations to David Thompson too, but for a different reason. Dave was not only selected on Air Force Space Command’s 2003 Vigilant Eagle list for space operations squadron commanders at the 2:1 ratio (finalists-to-available units), he was one of the 29 people who actually got a squadron! He’s my hero because he got a launch squadron at Vandenberg AFB, CA.

Doug Burns loves life, as he and his family have PCSed to back to Colorado Springs, CO. I think Doug once told me that he’d like to retire in the Colorado Springs area.

I saw A1 Fragala during the Air Force Global Engagement VI Title 10 wargame at the Bolger Center in Potomac, MD last November. We were both playing in the wargame. A1 told me that he lives and works in Montgomery, AL.

From time to time I meet with JeffHaymond and Gary Rafferty for lunch and bible study in the Pentagon’s large cafeteria. Jeff says he enjoys his work at the Pentagon and his work at AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) at his church. Gary is in good spirits, but is still fighting cancer with chemotheraphy.

Well, in lieu ofPCSing next summer, MGen Blaisdell recommended that I transfer from HQ USAF/XOS (Directorate of Space Operations and Integration) to HQ USAF/XOR (Directorate of Operational Capability Requirements) to work in the new Task Force organization until summer 2004. Right now I’m the only space operations expert on the Space and C4ISR Task Force but we should have an 0-6 colonel come on board in March or April.

Please send me your news and pictures (scanned in JPEG format at 266 dpi) to fill our column in Checkpoints. I really can’t do this alone! I appreciate all of the inputs I received from classmates this quarter. Thanks. Sincerely, Quintel

Bob Colella

103 Hap Arnold Road

Barksdale AFB, LA 71110 (318) 747-5115

bob_colella@mindspring.com or bob_colella@yahoo.com

Dear Classmates,

As you are reading this we are well into the NewYear, however, as some you know there is a time delay as I am writing this on NewYear’s Day a little groggy after watching a close one literally slip out of the Falcon’s hands at the inaugural San Francisco Bowl.

Speaking of Falcon Football, Katy and I spent a wonderful weekend with the Virginia AOG group at the Air Force - Army Game. It was a wonderful bus trip and West Point was gorgeous in all of its fall glory.

This may come as a surprise to most of you, but Joe Blewitt ran the New York AOG Chapter’s tailgate party and from “soup to nuts” it was a

www.aog-usafa.org

Joe Blewitt andhis daughter at West Point.

great event. I know you are thinking, “Joe Blewitt, the guy who couldn’t find the serrated spoon for the green beans when he was the Hot Pilot, ran a tailgate for 500+ people?” Well folks I am here to tell you that it’s true and that he was also juggling parenting duties as well. I couldn’t decide on the picture of Joe lifting a trash can (for proof for you skeptics) or the one of he and his daughter I opted for the family photo in the end. Joe - great job, Katy and I had a blast.

On a personal note, Katy, Allison, Sam and I are off to Barksdale AFB and should be there by the time you read this. B-52 Requal hopefully, it won’t be like my last B-52 training course in 1990 when Desert Storm broke out, all the Buff’s left Castle AFB and I spent three months at the Ranch Del Rayda golf course.

My first letter was from Tom Ruby. Tom is going through a Doctoral program at the University of Kentucky and included a photo of himself and his family. “One year down in Lexington, KY and two to go. I am starting my second year in the PhD program in the Political Science Department at UK. The world of academia is far different from what we are used to in the AF. I miss the camaraderie. I’m older than most of my professors and they can’t understand why I have to stay groomed and wear decent clothes to school when there is no base around here. Some professors are openly hostile to the military, but most welcome the different viewpoint and experience in their classrooms. On the other hand, Kentucky is beautiful. Two more years here at school, and then back to Maxwell for a tour atACSC and then who knows. We decided this is where we will settle after retirement. We just bought some land in the hills south of Lexington and will build there eventually. We took a well-deserved vacation this summer back to Colorado to recharge our batteries.”

Angie (Langley) Faulise sent her Christmas greetings, via her personal scribe Joe (’87) and enclosed a photo ofJoe and her standing on the Great Wall ofChina - didn’t include it here, but will send it along to ClassWebsite for all to see at http://home.earthlink.net/%7ekyeomans/usafa86/. Angie is at National War College after finally finding suitable housing for herself, Joe, Tigger and Blanca. No follow-on just yet, but seeing as she just got back from a year remote in Korea, one would hope she is due for a gentler rotation.

Heard next from Merrill “Jazz” Armstrong “Jackie, Gregory, Rebekah and I are at Scott AFB and USTRANSCOM where I am a Current Operations Chief in the J-3 Joint Mobility Operations Center. That means I am the guy who validates cargo and passengers for movement via air, land or sea. (In the words of my TACC brothers, I rubber-stamp what CENTCOM gives me to move by massive amounts of air!) It has been an interesting assignmentand a return home to the land ofAir Mobility, Sealift andTrucks. Jackie is verybusywith the Scott Spouses Club, SubstituteTeaching, Church, sewing projects, running kids from event to event, and keeping me on the straight and narrow. The kids are doing great in their school, Scouts (yes, Rebekah, our four-year-old Diva thinks she is a Scout), swimming lessons and driving Mommy and Daddy crazy. I pinned on Lt Col in Sept (as most of us have done already... congratulations) and had a great time. I was honored to have several classmates in attendance.

“Chris is at HQ AMC as the DO Operational Policy Branch Chief, Don is an attorney and the Chief Operations Officer for B & C Associates, a Public Relations and Marketing Firm in North Carolina, Jerry is at TRANSCOM as the ChiefofMobilitySystems in the J3/4, andTom is the 458thAirlift Squadron (C-21) commander. There are several ’86 folks here as well, of note. I see Chuck Gerstenecker (TRANSCOM J3/4 JOSAC) and John ‘Odie’ Oates (AMC DO Combat Operations) each week at my Air War College seminar, and Chris Ortiz is at TACC. I’m looking to hopefully get an early release from staffwork and back out to the operational world but nothing is firm”. I also heard from my old squadron/Mech chum Dave Bryant who is married with Children to Class of ’88er Cindy (Haney). They have three

Lt ColJerryMartinez and Lt Col Tom Freese.

girls: Shannon (6), Allison (3), and Colin five months. Dave is still a first officer for American on domestic flights, not flying any specific routes so we all need to keep looking for his smiling face from any random cockpit aboard any plane we enter. Cindy is at home with kids but keeps busy with softball and soccer. They have moved to a new home: 6308 Parkside Dr., Arlington TX 76001. Email: bryants@dellepro.com

In the Grab Bag: Marty “McFly” MacNabb is still busy working for the AF/XO but has orders this summer to move to Korea and take command of an Intelligence Squadron somewhere on the peninsula. Randy Allen is now working with me at Checkmate making three of us in the same office when you include T. Beagle. Randy should be with us until the summer; he has big plans to go back to flying the B-l while T is off as you are reading this to Hurlburt to command the C2 Warrior School (duck incoming mouse pad!). Stop by and see him (and Bunny, and Bunny Beagles five Babies Alyssa, Zach, April, Isaac, and Eric) ifyou are in the area for C2WAC or JAC2C or a shark attack.

I think that is all for now. Keep those cards and letters coming. My next update should be from a place with more humidity, temperature, mudbugs, and big loud airplanes. Join the AOG! Cheers, Bob.

Sharon (Hullinger) Giletti

500 Lunalilo Home Road, #45F

Honolulu, HI 96825

Phone and Fax: (808) 394-6397

E-mail: Sharongiletti@aol.com

Aloha to you all. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you were able to be home with your families. For those of you who are deployed and reading this THANKYOU for what you are doing for all of us; it’s always difficult to be away, but it’s even more so this time ofyear.

I haven’t received much mail this go-around. I’m sure that your lives are even more busy than usual. Tim Matson dropped me a short email with some great shots of him and his family. He’s PCSing to Andrews from Fairchild AFB in December to fly the VC-32 (Boeing 757). While he was interviewing at Andrews, he ran into Ray Rabano who’s also flying the VC-32. (Ray had PCSed from Hickam.) Tom Stanley is there too flying the Gulf Streams. His big news though is that he and his wife, Lori, had a beautiful baby girl on 5 Nov. Her name is Julia Elizabeth Matson. Mom and baby are doing great! Ryanjust adores his baby sister! Here's a picture of all four Matsons.

From left are Tom Rubyholding Nik (2), Michelle (10), Kristen (14) and Laura holding Veronica (4).

From left are Lt Col Chris Veazie, AttorneyDon Carter (Esq.), Myself,

How ‘bout those Falcons? And the Bird! Last time I checked the Bird was way in the lead for Mascot of the Year. I had the opportunity to return to Colorado Springs for the holidays. It was fun to head back to USAFA and check things out. It’s always impressive to see the Chapel sitting at the foothills of the mountains. The Springs is just growing by leaps and bounds, so it was a bit of a culture shock, but hey, we had a white Christmas and time with the family and loved ones and that’s about as good as it gets.

Happy holidays and until next time - Sharon.

Mark Peters

2437 Bedford Circle

Bedford, TX 76021-1823

Home: (817) 684-7764

Cell: (817) 937-9696

E-mail: pylt@attbi.com

Greetings ‘88! I received but a handful of Christmas/End-of-Year letters this time around so I’m a bit limited on material. Therefore, I’ll extend my annual invitation to find an old copy of yours and send it my way just cross out anything excessively personal which you may wish to keep out of the column.

Having left Nellis, Houstoun and Tami Warring sent a note from Kansas where Houstoun is attending Command and General Staff Officer Course with the Army. Of note, they left Las Vegas with a much larger family than when they returned from overseas: their family now includes eight children and three horses. Fortunately, they’ve found Fort Leavenworth to be a wonderful assignment so far, with stables less than a mile away, a chapel across the street, and the college only a short bike ride away. Goals for the new year include: Finishing Houstoun’s master’s degree, preparingTami for the high school years ofhome schooling, building two more sets of bunk beds so that the kids have a place to sleep, training the kids and horses while advancing in Pony Club proficiency levels, having many international officers over for meals, and learning about hunting from the many experts around them. Feel free to contact Houstoun and Tami at 913.758.0757.

I also received a note from Mike and Diana Plehn: “By and large, the past year has flown by. Diana kept her job from Virginia and began telecommuting in January she’s been doing it ever since and highly recommends it. I don’t usually find her in her pajamas all day long. She goes back up to Virginia a few times a year to torment the nontelecommuters in the office and to catch up on the odd bit of company training. She’s not looking forward to resuming the D.C. commute when we return there in the summer of’04!

“I zipped through checkout in the AC-130U from Jan-March and left on deployment from late March-June. I had the good fortune ofjust being a line-swine crewdog EWO they had enough staff folks around to sit behind the desks so I got to fly 22 missions over Afghanistan. Have no doubt, America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are doing great work on behalf of our nation.

“Shortly before I rotated home I got word that I was selected to command the 19th Special Ops Squadron (also known as the gunship and Talon I schoolhouse). So I got home in late June and got ready for the change of command on 8 July. Mom and Dad as well as my brother and his family were able to make it to Hurlburt so it was a pretty special day all around for the Plehn family.

“Diana and I were able to escape for some vacation around Thanksgiving. We took a cruise out of Miami to the Western Caribbean, but got handed some pretty bad weather for the first four or five days. Oh, well.

The Captain ofthe ship threw a free rum punch partywhen the weather was too rough to allow us to stop at the first port of call. Stop me when you see the problem with that! Needless to say, we had all the rum punch we wanted since a lot of folks didn’t come out of their cabins for the first few days. You pay your money and you take your chances.

“Anyway, it’s been an amazingly full, but rich year, and we can’t believe it’s Christmas ’02 already! As you celebrate with your family and friends, please remember the many Americans who are deployed around the world protecting us and our freedom. Pray for them and their families from whom they’re separated.”

I’ll have to add my concern and thoughts as well. By the time this hits your mailbox it’s likely that many ’88ers will be facing the ultimate risk in Iraq or perhaps even North Korea. I wish our fellow men and women in arms a quick, and massive, success.

Lastly, and to repeat the request from the last column, the Academy is seeking inputs on squadron patches in light of the academy’s approaching 50th anniversary. If you know of the creation, history, and significance of any squadron patches, please send the information to Duane Reed, Head of Special Collections at the Cadet Library, at Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil.

Thanks to all who wrote please be sure to find a copy of your letter and send it to me ASAP!

Paul W. Tibbets, IV

433 Wolcott Ave.

Middletown, Rl 02842

H: (401) 848-2609 / DSN: 948-3373

E-mail: patibb@earthlink.net

Home page: http://www.usafa89.com

Hey classmates! We are wrapping up our year in Newport and looking forward to our return to Whiteman AFB, MO. However, we will miss this area and treasure the opportunity to attend the Naval War College. The junior class Air Force delegation fielded a team to compete in the Naval War College President’s Cup Sailing Regatta. Despite the pessimistic expectations, we did not finish last nor hurt any of the other competitors! Without any previous sailing regatta experience (read: never raced), John “Cravin’” Morehead (’88), Randy “Rudder” Kaufman (our skipper), me, and Joe “Splash” Scherrer made the Air Force proud completing our first race in style. Our contribution helped the junior class finish 2nd in the overall competition!

AirForce sailing team members compete in the 19-footRhodes sailboat.

Our first update comes from Mark Thomas, who writes from USAFA where he is a Reservist working a Cat E job at the airfield. He is the ORM guru, and checking out as a glider IP. Mark’s other job is flying for Southwest, which he says is a great company with a tremendous work environment and “good times.” Other grad Reservists there include Tony McKenzie, Dave Rodriguez, Adam Spitler, Carol Pugh (’84), Bill Gideon (’90), and Sean McFarland (’91).

Next we heard from Joel Martin, who is Chief of MC-130 Requirements, stationed at HQ AFSOC with his wife, Lori, and son Matthew. He and Lori have been married for five years, and Matthew is 2 V2 and loves planes, trucks, cars, and dirt... mostly dirt! Joel explains he is an acquisitions officer making sure the three separate MC-130 fleets are able to get all the modifications they need. Other classmates at HQ AFSOC are Karen Finn, PA officer for the command, and Kerry Green, a support contractor in the XP organization.

While serving as the 16 SOW Executive Officer on his previous tour, 9/11 happened, and Joel led a formation of MC-130Ps into Uzbekistan and began flying combat missions from there. So you get the flavor ofJoel’s experiences, I will relay his story in his own words: “I happened to be the firstever U.S. pilot to land at the airbase there (flew a 26.5-four crew day to insert an airfield survey team). Abandoned Mig 29s everywhere, SU-24s, SU-27s... must have been about 60 airplanes of various makes. For the first month, no showers, no chow hall, no laundry, sleeping on the ground (well, on the concrete floor of an abandoned Soviet-era fighter haz...), and living less than 100 yards from your airplane. We flew three significant firsts for the MC-130P weapon system. First resupply airdrop of the war (first ever combat airdrop for the MC-130P). First ever combat infiltration for the weapon system (second airplane on the ground during the seizure of Bagram Airbase small arms fire, 100mm rockets embedded in the taxi ramp don’t take a wrong turn!), and on 5 Dec 01, we launched after four hours sleep and refueled two MH-53M helicopters which were evacuating dead and wounded from an errant JDAM drop north of Kandahar. Second helo plugged in with less than 700 lbs of gas remaining over the top ofthe city at 200 feet AGL and at about 1300L. (For your threat update, in the two weeks precedingthis mission, over 90 SAM shots had been made in the same airspace: all at night.) After transloading the wounded at a desert strip, both helicopters broke and we were tasked to go get parts and maintenance to fix them. 8.3 hours that day, and never even turned the autopilot on. Worth every minute ofit to see 29 guys live out of our efforts, though.”

And from the Christmas cards, here are a few blurbs:

A fellow B - 1 pilot, Thad Darger, is now out ofthe Air Force and working for Boston Scientific in Chicago, IL. He and his wife, Danyel, are keeping busy with four children: Alex (9), Payton (6), Bradyn (4), and Drew (2). The girls love gymnastics, and Drew is a future hockey all-star! The Dargers are enjoying the Chicago area and close proximity to family.

TheDargerfamilycelebrates Christmas.

One of my buds from CS-39, Doug Malone, wrote to say he returned to Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC after being stationed overseas at Lakenheath for several years, still flying the F-15E. His wife, Jacqui, is going to school “almost” full-time while taking care of their sons Tom (8) and Will (6). Tom is at the top of his class and a rising baseball star, and Will is also doing well in school. Another Jedi Knight, Dave Pelletier, is enjoyingAltus AFB, OK as an instructor pilot with his wife, Anne, and daughters Jessica (10), Bailey (6), and Julia (4). The girls enjoy biking, riding horses, and playing with their kittens. Lastly, Campus Rads alumni Tony Pollizzi calls McGuire AFB, NJ home working in the 621 st Air Mobility Operations Squadron. Tony, wife, Raquel, and son Dominic (2) left Puerto Rico in November and took a Carnival Cruise of the Southern Caribbean.

A fellow B-2er, John Warden, dropped us a line from Langley ALB, VA where he, wife, Holly, and daughterAshley (3) are enjoying the area. They live in the 250-year-old town of Smithfield, VA, and are taking in all the history, water, and beaches! Another Spirit flyer, Gil Petrina, is working as ChiefofB-2 Combat Planning atWhitemanAFB while his wife, Carolyn, serves as a Commander in the Naval Reserves. Gil will be attendingArmy Command and General Staff College in June.

Christy Kayser-Cook says hello from McConnell AFB, KS, where she is Chief ofWing Plans and unofficial special projects officer. She has taken on many tasks to include overseeing the base’s preparation for three major inspections scheduled for March and unit tax advisor. Her husband, Gary, just returned from a 35-day rotation to the sand box for Operation Enduring Freedom where he flew JO combat sorties. Daughter Haley (1) is a happy baby (as long as mom is around!) and will be walking soon. Haley’s older sister Emily (4) is changing clothes several times a day and loves reading and watching Blue’s Clues.

T-6. Jim Payne is there working as the wing commander’s Chief of Staff. Shawn Bevans is enjoying beautiful North Carolina with his wife, Lisa. Best wishes to you and your families. Let me hear from you!!! Take care and God bless.

James Sanchez

8301 Emerald Circle

North Richland Hills, H: (817) 946-1802

E-Mail: james.sanchez@usafa-aog.org

WEB: WWW.USAFA-AOG.ORG/1990

Hello everybody! Yours truly is in trouble with Academy officials again just like old times! I host the eDodo.org web page, which (as covered in Air Force Times) is being blocked by the commandant so cadets can’t read it.

Today is my deadline for sending this in as soon as I’m done writing this I’m going to watch the San Francisco bowl and celebrate the New Year. I hope all of you and yours had a great New Year.

Greg Gordy: I left the Washington DC area and PCSed to Ramstein AB in August 2001 to the USAFE staff. However, I am currently deployed for several months to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although I don’t recommend it for your next Caribbean vacation, the work here is very interesting. I’m involved with our “out-of-town guests” here and, between the job and the fact that it’s currently hurricane season, I’m pretty busy.

Joe Shahid: As ofOct 1,2002,1 have four children (all boys, youngest born on July 9,2002). My son’s names are Gabriel, Michel, Frediano, and Blaise. I am a C-17 pilot in the Reserves based in Charleston, SC. I am furloughed from Delta Airlines, but getting all the work I want from the Reserves.

The Cooks hiking though beautiful Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Parks.

From our Williams AFB, AZ Pilot Training Class 90-14, Eric Chandler sends his regards from Duluth, MN, where he and wife, Shelley (Zuehlke, ’87), are refurbishing their 1927 house. Eric was laid off from United Airlines earlier this year, but is working full-time as an F-16 pilot with the Minnesota Air National Guard. Shelley is working as an Admissions Liaison Officer in Minnesota helping kids get AFA appointments and ROTC scholarships.

Steve and Holly (Campbell) Thompson are “on the border” in Del Rio, TX at Laughlin AFB as reserve T-37 IPs, and will be converting soon to the

Ray Luevanos: I’m working as a Human Resources Analyst with the City of Kent. It’s a two-year project position (set to expire Jan 2004) but I’m hoping that good things will come of it. I’m still in the Reserves. I’m out of the flying business and have been working as the Wing Commander’s Exec for about six months.

Kevin Roots: I’ve rejoined AT&T now in Government Solutions (having been on the commercial side during my first tour here a few years ago). My group focuses on the DOD and we’re always willing to consider talented engineers and salespeople. Living in DC-Northern VA again and keep up with Ray Dudley and Brian Smith who are both really well.

Adam Mortensen: I am assigned to USSTRAT-WEST due to the demise of USSPACE. I am working in the Space and Information Operations Element but spend most ofmy time at the Pentagonworking in OUSD(P) SO/LIC (that’s the policy office for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict). I now had three children: Aydan, Arianna and Logan. Sabrina is getting set to deliver number four in January.

Mike Shea: Just wanted to let everyone know about the newest addition to the Shea family. Katelynn Erin was born July22,2002 fourweeks early! Kelly went to her 36-week check-up and was told to go directly to the hospital because she was in labor (unbeknownst to her). And oh yeah, did I mention I was at my own doctor’s appointment drugged up for a procedure. (In fact, I got more drugs than Kelly a fact she won’t let me live down!) Early that evening I was changing my first diaper. She is definitely “Daddy’s Little Girl” and has me wrapped around her little finger!

Don Shanks: Don was furloughed from Delta airlines in July and began working for MATCOM (Materials, Communications, and Computers) in October. He is working as an “In Country Lead” to establish a data-link system for the Norwegian Air Force. He is presently living in Boston to be trained for his position. He will leave for Norway at the first ofthe year and we will he joining him when our house sells. The position will last from 3-5 years. We have two girls: Melanie age 8, and Laura age 6 and are living in Keller, TX.

Ms. Doe, CalMercer, KKBatt, andDanniArmstrong; Back: Cindy(Brad’s sister), LeeArmstrong, Brad Rice, and Brian Batt.

Jonathan and Elizabeth Robinson

Jonathan Robinson: Mywife, Elizabeth, and I are moving from the Boston area where I have been working as a manager in Cap Gemini Ernst & Young’s Center for Business Innovation for the past five years since leaving the Air Force. I have enjoyed my time in Boston, especially meeting and marrying my wife on 22 Sep 2001. As the wedding was in Missouri, it was great to see Sean and Julie Hoeflicker. My wife is planning on getting her Masters of Music in Cello Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. So, I did a little job searching and just accepted a position with two other USAFA grads, Bill Wecker’63 and Gary Elarvey’88 in Marin Countyjust north of San Francisco. Bill is President ofWecker Associates and Gary is a Vice President. I look forward to lots of statistical analysis for large litigation cases and living nearer to my parents.

Mike Pelletier: I’ve been at RAF Lakenheath for almost two years now, flying the F- 15E, after my 30-year-old pilot training experience. Got married in August. My wife, Katie, is an Intel officer at 3AF at Mildenhall. We’ll be here till 2005... look us up if you’re in town.

Dave Brien: Greetings from Iceland. I’m the ChiefofPlans and Programs for the 85th Group, and am attached to the 932 Air Control Squadron. Delia and the kids are well traveling has been a big part of our Survive Iceland plan Walt DisneyWorld in the spring and Germany/Austria in the fall. Looking forward to being back in the states after Kadena and then Keflavik.

Steve Kiser: I ran into Geoff Burnes out here in L.A. about two weeks ago. He’s out ofthe USAF and flying for FEDEX. He’s been in L.A. for about a year, although he’s moving to Memphis. Dude looks like a bodybuilder, and he has been doing some modeling for Men’s Fitness and Men’s health and such. What a guy.

Darin Daggett pointed out that Dave Coley won the field grade Leo Marquez award, an important loggie award.

Forrest Hare: I’m headed from the frying pan (Europe and Iraq) into the fire (Korea). But I am currently enjoying a month off at the folks in Chicago.

Carson Tavenner

4414C Bighorn Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840 (719) 472-5942

E-mail: carson.tavenner@usafa.af.mil

Happy New Year! I have a few things in from some of your old buds, so let’s get cracking. Many thanks in advance to those who’ve sent these stories from “out there.” May I plead with you all still on active duty, though, to send stories about how your deployments have been? Now that things have heated up, we can surely get away from the traditional “he/she’s at this/that base now.” For instance, take this lame-o letter

sent to me by my most heinous friend, Pat “Rat”ighan who’s currently serving in the Reserves at McChord AFB. Sure, he sends me a great photo of Our Men in Action (see below). Sure, he’s thoughtful enough to at least send me something (ahem, ahem). But even Rat recognizes by the end that it’s not a “proper update.” Here what he had to say: “Put something in there how we are providing the blanket offreedom that you take for granted everyday... OK, don’t put that. Just put that we are all flying Operation Enduring Freedom missions, and we get to stay in contingency dorms two to a room, communal shower/toilets, just like the good ole days in Vandy and Sijan. I think I saw Bryan Rau calling minutes last time I was walking down the hall. I know whereabouts of the McDonald twins (Jason and Mitch, still struggling with having to share one brain), and a bunch of other knuckleheads. Maybe on one of my long flights back to OEF I’ll send you a proper update.”

See what I mean? Come on, guys, you can do better than this! Now this picture he forwarded, on the other hand, this is good stuff! That’s Diego Wendt and Scott Ryan in Kandahar showing the colors that don’t run.

Deegsy(left) andSpotbringingpowerandhope to thenation ofAfghanistan.

Fun and games aside, I know you all do like to know who’s where (so do I, to tell the truth - okay, there, I said it). Rat went on to share the list of other’91ers in the Reserves at McChord (Josh Smith, Gregg Pointon, Steve Hedden, Colin Keen, Sean MacFarland, Dave Zeitouni, Tim Greminger, and Marcus Smith) as well as Deegsy’s list ofthose still there on AD (Hans Bley, KC Cronk, Tom Jensen, Lyle Johnson, Keith McMinn, Ben Morley, Joe Nauman, Brian Rau, Mike Stevens, and Phil Vu) Thanks, fellas! Next time I’m home in Washington, I’d love to see you again.

Next up: Art Romero’s new life in the airline industry. “Just a quick note to let everyone know I survived training here at Airnet and am now an official pilot with their company. The good news is I finished top three in my class so I am getting the airplane that I had hoped to fly (Cessna Caravan), plus I’ll be certified to fly a couple of other multi-engine platforms as well. The other good news is, believe it or not, Birmingham was the best base out of all the choices. I should be there for about a year and then back to Colorado flying Learjets after that, [then later, in another email] ...no real funny anecdotes about training except that I have become a bat flyer. We do all our flying at night so I rarely see day anymore. One funny story though. I guess I’ve become accustomed to Colorado pretty well. You see, I decided to go out for a quick bite to eat the other evening and here in Columbus, OH, there’s this big 40-mile loop that goes around the city. Well, without Pikes Peak telling me which way is west, I got completely lost. Two hours later, and a few loops around the city, I finally found my way back, exhausted, frustrated and embarrassed that here this company is paying me to fly from point A to point B, and I can’t even find my way around in a car. Oh well. Maybe they should start putting VOR/DME’s in all pilot vehicles from now on.”

Here is some old summer information from Rob Sands that I’d lost. Rob and his wife, Lena, “had a second child on March 15 Lindsay Kaitlen Jean Sands. Big brother Joseph (four years old in July) is very helpful and proud of his sister. I am loving flying with American Airlines, and was lucky to avoid the furloughs. Actually I was slated to be furloughed in December but that was rescinded. I am flying MD-80s here at DFW and am doing well. I still keep in touch with Jon Pece who has just returned from a six-month furlough to fly Fokker F-lOOs at Chicago.”

Believe it or not, that’s all I have, folks! Seeing as how I wrote a lengthy piece of my own last time, I’ll spare you (and me) that experience this time around.

To close this session, I want to let you all know that I never heard any word regarding the funeral for Greg Fritz, who died in the MC-130 crash in Puerto Rico. I know nothing about it; even when/where it was, so if anyone attended, or knows of someone who attended, please contact me so we can establish proper recognition of his service on the class website. Thank you.

Lisa May, Shawn and Katie Fairhurst at Tuzla, Eagle Base.

James S. Mehta

PSC 94, Box 1472

APO AE 09824

DSN: 314-676-6488

Home: jamesmehta@incirlik.net

Work: james.mehta@ogn.af.mil

Greetings True Blue Class! I hope this new year is offering everyone new and exciting opportunities and keeping everyone safe. Michelle and I are just settling into our new base house here at Incirlik AB in Turkey. Our new year is the beginning of a new adventure for us. We will be here for a two-year assignment and expect any of you here, whether TDY or permanent party, to look us up. Of course, I can always be found at the OSI detachment here. I know many of you come here to support ONW, so I look forward to meeting up with you and offering a home-cooked meal. Finally, an important part of my move was a change in my e-mail address. Please e-mail me at: jamesmehta@incirlik.net or james.mehta @ogn.af.mil.

Catching up on e-mail. I had a few e-mails that I saved and didn’t have a chance to publish because ofthe reunion column. Stephanie (Radford) Meyer got married in Oct 01 to a New Jersey ANG full-timer and is looking forward to separating now since stop loss was lifted so she can be with her husband after a seven-year long-distance relationship. After UPT she flew C-26s at McGuire for about a year and, later, for the Florida ANG in Jacksonville. For the past five years she has been flying C- 130s at Pope AFB and has been deployed to SWA a few times. During her most recent deployment, she was sharing the cockpit with Regan (Ritchie) Keener who flew helicopters at Langley and Andrews before moving to the C-130 world. Stephanie also passed along some information on Michelle (Carson) Griggs who flew C-26s in Portland, OR for three years and then went to KC- 135s at Robins. Currently she is an IP at Altus and is also planning on separating Fall 2002.

Next, I heard from Jay Schueler who is at Ramstein flying the DV C-9. Fie often flies with Bryan Cessna carrying passengers such as USAFE/ CC, SECTREAS, and assorted members of Congress. According to Jay, “As we sit in the cockpit, we reflect that if our pax actually knew anything about our record at USAFA they might fear for their lives and that our AOCs sure wouldn’t believe that we could be doing anything responsible.”

Tony Schenk is also in the squadron flying C-20s. Tony is married and has two girls and a boy. As you can see, Jay has a way of saying things, so I’ll let him narrate from here: “I also hang out quite a bit with Bob and Bobbi (Brown) May. Bob is flying Cl30s and Bobbi is an Intel Reservist. Bobbi made Major in the reserves several months ago [James’ note: remember this e-mail is from this past Fall before our line numbers came up] and she makes Bob report in when he comes home. My wife, Sara, and I just had our third boy, Brett, on the June 6, 2002. He arrived on the 58th anniversary of D-Day.” Thanks for those entertaining words, Jay. Academy sponsors are sometimes a good source ofinfo. Melissa (Jones) Coburn’s Academy sponsors, Carolyn and Charles Denham (’67), sent me an update and photo of Melissa and her family. She was flying C141s at McGuire where her husband, Ryan, is in the SF Squadron until recently. The Denhams sent an update telling me Melissa just separated from theAir Force and is thinking about flying in the Reserves at McGuire. She also just completed her master’s degree in December 2002.

I got a quick note from Michele Meyer with a picture from the reunion. Michele is flying with a Navy squadron and is cross training aircraft. Her squadron is here in Turkey, so if she gets deployed, she better stop by and visit.

the back

Finally, some recent news. While we were moving, Rob and Jenn Atkins were also on the move with their two boys, Peyton and Evan. Rob is still with working BNSF Railway, and as he put it, “If you hadn’t noticed, the railroad moves us more than the Air Force ever did.” Rob and the family moved from California to the Illinois/Indiana border area. Rob is working in Chicago, and is excited about the move. “This move is proving to be one of the best. I got a great raise, we live 40 minutes from my family in Indiana, and homes are actually affordable in Indiana. We were able to get a nice old home in a very nice neighborhood right on the border of Indiana and Illinois. No kidding, when we cross the street, we walk into Illinois. Even better, we were able to get a home twice as large as the one in California for $50K less.

“Peyton is getting to know his cousin and starting to make a few friends in the area. Jenn has been very busy running the household, homeschooling Peyton, and looking after our youngest son Evan. Me? I’m still doing the transportation thing and still going to grad school for a degree in Finance.” Rob thinks this move could be “permanent” for a while; hopefully, no more moves anytime soon. Good luck and thanks, Rob.

Longtime writer. Nicole (Foster) Greenwood put me on her Christmas card list and I can report the Greenwoods are busy as usual. Nicole and Jeff made the move from F.E. Warren AFB to the Nation’s Capital so Jeff could participate in the AF Intern Program. Nicole separated and became a civilian in Oct 02, and was honorably discharged as a major. She said she “Was proud to serve and even prouder now to serve as Mommy, (or as Jeffputs it, the house combatant commander).” Theyplan to move again in July 03 to either C Springs for a space job or back to Cheyenne for Jeff to do more staff work in missiles upon completing AFIP.

More Christmas Cards. Steve and Kay Wolf sent me some e-mails and a Christmas letter. Marine Steve finally returned to Hawaii from Okinawa unfortunately a week too late to make the reunion. During the deployment, Steve spent time on Mount Fuji, mainland Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, and the Philippines and also pinned on Major. When he redeployed, he gave up his company command and became the Battalion Operations Officer. Little Andy, who will be one in February, and Kay were glad to see dad home again.

Mike and Angela Rokaw found us here in Turkey with a nice holiday card. Included was the most important information: the photo and announcement of the birth of their daughter, Sophie, who arrived this past July. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the chance to make the reunion, so this was the first glimpse of Sophie we’ve had.

That’s all the room I have today. Keep the letters and e-mail coming and note the new e-mail address, since the old one doesn’t work anymore. One final note from the Head of Special Collections at the USAFA

Melissa, Ryan, and Gavin Coburn in May2002.

In

row areJessica MacDonald, Joelyn (Taylor) Nowlin, Kristin Streukens, Michele Meyer, and TracySailer. Front Row: Susan Wendt, Jennifer (Van Tiem) Wrynn, and Susan Smith. (Sept 2002)

Steve, Kay, and Andy Wolfat Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, Hawaii, Dec 2002

library, Mr. Reed. He is seeking inputs on squadron patches for the Academy’s 50th anniversary. Ifyou have any information on the creation, history, and significance of any squadron patches, contact him at Duane.Reed@usafa.af.mil. ‘Till next time, James.

Michael D. Sundsted

4530 East Castle Drive

McGuire AFB, NJ 08641 (609) 724-0866/ DSN: 650-8221

E-mail: Bravecwboy@aol.com

Class Website: www.highflight.com

Congratulations 1993 on getting promoted to Major! Those ofyou who are left should feel proud that we skated by on a 95% promotion rate for our cycle! Don’t get too arrogant. I have had several questions on our upcoming reunion next year. The AOG has tentatively placed our reunion dates to 10-14 Sept 2003. The date will be solidified in early February when the football schedule is “officially” published. See the AOG website for the most up-to-date information - http://www.aog-usafa.org/ index.htm (2003 Reunions). There is also a link to the AOG on our class website. This is going to be a busy year and I appreciate the volunteers who help with the reunion. Ifyou do want to help and haven’t contacted me, please do so ASAP so I can get you on a committee. The meat of the planning won’t be accomplished until the date is solidified. The hotel that we are looking at is the Wyndham in Colorado Springs as the primary and others as overflow. It’s definitely going to be a Major time in September and you don’t want to miss out!

On to the news... George “Juice” German checks in with a four-ship flying the mighty Strike eagle up at Elmendorf AB - Chuck “Govna” Wallace, Ahren “Leaker” Heidt, and George “Coma” Irvin. Hopefully you guys can make it a four-ship at the ’93 reunion! George has been very busy keeping up with our classmates.

Brendan “Modo” and Becky Harris are still doing verywell at Nellis AFB. Their son Michael is providing much entertainment and from what we hear they are expecting yet another little one soon! Brendan is a super instructor at THE weapons school. Guess you’d be the first one to pin, Brendanyou Major-select you.

George also sees Barry Dickey quite often at Elmendorf. Barry is a navigator for the low flyin’ slow movin’ dirty C-130. Barry is married to Kerri and they have a three-year-old daughter named Erin. Aaron “Robo” Kerkman is flying the F- 15C at Elmendorf. Robo, I am still recovering from Kevin’s wedding! Oh, bythe way, congratulations on signing up for 10 more! Joe “Sloppy” and Laura (Barker) Collins have a couple of children on the way - Congrats from all your classmates! Benji and Jill Cunningham are doing well. Benji is a drug rep for Pfizer unloading as much Viagra as possible! Darren “Duffy” Hall is at Altus AFB as a KC-135 instructor.

Now for George’s update! After graduation, George coached basketball at USAFA for a couple of years and then went to Brooks AFB for acquisition. He got married to Ruth Rumfeldt (’95). Ruth went to medical school at Oklahoma State. George PCSed to Tinker AFB to work in the KC-135 program office where he then got picked up for UPT. George was an ace at the program (editor’s comments - don’t think he has a big head - I’ve actually heard through the grapevine that he is the man!) and took the F15E to Elmendorf. George and Ruth have a son named Gus. Ruth is currently a doctor in Anchorage.

Got a quick update from Kevin Sutton. He, his wife (Heidi) and children (Lauren and Leah) are moving from Shaw AFB to Eglin AFB.

Speaking of Shaw AFB... I flew a fighter support mission in the mighty C-141B from Shaw to somewhere in the world and back and ran into a couple of fellow graduates. Brian Wolford was the main man in the formationgray hair and everything! He had just signed the 10-year bonus (congrats) and still plans on becoming the governor of the state of Mississippi. Great, I can run in Texas and you can run in Mississippieveryone get ready to vote in about 15 years! On the way back I ran into Sean Gookin who is trading his slick F-16 fighter for a Gucci style heavy aircraft - the KC-10 Extender. He will be joining the Reserve unit at Travis AFB.

Congratulations go to Marty and Tracy DeStazio who had a beautiful bouncing baby girl on 18 Oct 02 - Carmen Terese at RAF Lakenheath, England.

My family had the pleasure of hosting the Kosfeski’s (Kevin, Kelly, Matthew and Megan) on a Halloween trip to the Philadelphia area. We had a great time trading OEF stories as well as bringing our kids around to the base houses for a little “Trick or Treating.” Kevin and I, er I mean our kids got lots of great candy! Collin screamed for about the first half of the event and then he and Matthew enjoyed running from house to house looking for bubble gum.

Marc Holloway gave us an input on our web site. He (as I am sure most of us) is eagerly awaiting the sight of our classmates next fall! Marc and his wife, Lisa, are currentlyliving in Harleysville, PA. He is a project manager at

BAE Systems in Lansdale and has been out of the AF since 1998. He did, however, receive a letter in the mail stating that he was selected as Major!

During Air Force versus Army weekend I had the opportunity to bring my son up to West Point to enjoy the football game and ran into several graduates and classmates! Jeff Kubic had a great tailgate in addition to the NY AOG Chapter tailgate. In attendance were Tun Nguyen, Dan Rhodes and Chris “SNAKE” Sandys. Chris and I enjoyed about an hour long chat while my son inhaled pretzels and M&Ms. Chris is a brand new father and I can’t wait to hear from him and his wife to let us know how everything went. Chris has an interesting story to tell about how he moved from the D.C. area to New York City! Here is something to keep an eye out for - be on the lookout for any of our classmates who wear their USAFA Athletic Jackets during football games! Remember what we thought of those grads who wore them when we were at the zoo?

Tommy Doyle checks in off of the website as well. He has migrated his New England ways to Fort Collins, CO were he is the ChiefofSecurityForces at the 137th SWS in Greeley. Remember when we used to go up there to get some free beer with Chad? Tommy and his wife, Meg, have a beautiful daughter - Hattie and also are due for another as I write this letter. His offer stands at room and board and the coldest beer in the state! Thanks Tommy I’ll hit you up for that when I’m there for the reunion!

Our McGuire Chapter of new Major Selects (Dane Christiansen, Matt Kenworthy, Lance Orr, Steve Odum, Dan Oosterhous, Aaron Freed, and Mike Sundsted) hosted a little party at the McGuire O’Club to celebrate our promotion. Make sure that those of you who have similar parties write with an update! This is a great time to update your addresses (etc) with the AOG and me as our reunion draws near. We have only one more update to get before we enjoy a week full of fun together at USAFA! See you there - Mike.

C. C. Masotti

7608 Southern Oak Drive Springfield, VA 22153

H: (703) 644-4332

W: (703) 697-1383 or DSN 227-1383

Fax: (703) 695-8884 or DSN 225-8884

E-mail: bowhead94@hotmail.com

Wow, ’94! Can you believe our major’s board is this May (at least for those still in the AF)! And our 10th reunion will be nextyeaf. Amazing how time flies! Many of you have asked about the reunion and offered assistance; unless delegated otherwise, reunions belong to our class officers. Thanks for your patience allowing Kevin Pfeil and Deb Reuther to determine requirements and ask for help. In the interim, I’ll gladly collect names of volunteers. Thanks for the teamwork!

Speaking of teams, I promised a photo of the USAFA well-wishers supporting the teaming of Jen Kappler and Larry Nemetz last September. Red Tags there were Kathy (Cleveland) Leisman (Edwards), Laura Teal (Greenville SC), Christina (Priest) Krag (Langley), Scott and Nicole (Patrick) Gudikunst (Offutt). Also attending: Kevin Sutton (’93), Mike McClung (’93), Tim Eisenhauer (’88), and Kar Condikey (West Point ’94).

After aWyominghoneymoon, Mr. and Mrs. Nemetz settled in Frederick, MD. Soon after the wedding, I heard from Kathy and Gregg Leisman who love married life at Edwards. Kathy reported seeing Todd Owens at TPS and, while TDY to Nellis, visiting with Ian and Tanya Pharris, who are expecting baby number four in February.

Apparently, “Las Vegas” + “February” “Family” for ’94, as Arlene Collazo married her beau, lLt Jason Kalman (munitions), in a private ceremony there last Feb while ayWeapons School. After graduating, the newlyweds moved to Barksdale, where she’s Chief, Space Planning and Operations for 8th Air Force and loves the demands ofher job. This Janu-

USAFA Crowd at the Nemetz Wedding

ary, they’re going to Puerto Rico to have their wedding blessed by the Catholic Church amid friends and family maybe we’ll get a picture?!

Not rushing to join the newlywed club, Freeman Holifield e-mailed from Hurlburt, where he’s a bioenvironmental engineer (BEE) and caught me up on his post-graduation history. After BEE school in San Antonio, he spent a tour at Dyess, then returned to San Antonio to work in the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence. Next came Flurlburt, but he’s coming to the Pentagon this summer for an EPA fellowship and followon with F1Q USAF/ILEV. I’m excited that he’ll soon be a neighbor and can’t wait to watch him in his favorite pastime showing the “youngsters” (that would be anyone under 30!) how football is really played!

As usual, several folks left updates with our class homepage, maintained by Chuck Baird. Checking in from overseas were Kurt Wendt (exchange officer, RAF Waddington, UK); Deacon Deonna Neal (student, Oxford University, UK); and Chuck Carver (HQ USAFE Logistics, Ramstein see the family photo!

A Carver Christmas

Also checking in were Nick Kozdras (Chief, C4 Engineering, JTF-SWA/ J-6, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi); and Jeff Abraham (F-16 IP Kunsan). Several folks wrote from Alaska, includingJoe Kunkel (F-15Es, Elmendorf, married to Jenni with four little ones); Chad Frazier (pilot, Elmendorf); Ashton Reynolds (Wing Plans, Eielson); and Mike and Heidi Grunwald (Chief, Intel Training, Eielson), who are on their way to Shaw AFB. Perhaps they’ll run into Dan Veal (F-15CJs) at Shaw, or some of the other East Coasters, like Greg Evans (Contractor, RichmondVA);Will and Emilie McCombs (Football Coach and expectant father Mar ’03, Lexington VA); Joe Rolenc (C-17s, Charleston); and Rocky Favorito (Exec to 4 FW/ CC, Seymour Johnson).

Back across the country, we heard from Californians Kelly Healy (Lawyer, San Diego); Charlie Brown (Systems Engineer, LA); Danny Piper (Civilian Business Intermediary, Manhattan Beach); and Brian Musselman (Aerospace Physiologist, Beale), while Brian Jackson gave a shout from nearby Nellis. Former L.A. residents, Jodi (DeMartelaere) and Mike Ramirez love civilian life in Minneapolis withTyler (4) and Christian (1Vf); Jodi is a full-time stay-at-home mom AND part-time Civil Engineer in the evenings. Chris Sunseri (Operations Manager) wrote from Portland OR, while Chris and Tracie Veazey checked in from Rapid City SD, where he’s a Telecom Engineer and expectant father (son due Apr ’03).

Hailing from Wisconsin are Paula Thorson (Viroqua); Chris Stoffel (pilot for Netjets aviation, proud father of two); and Gary Crupi (Software IT Specialist, Waukesha). Chris, Juli, Chloe (5) and Sophie (2) Giorgianni (Construction Manager, Komatsu America Corp) wrote from neighboring Chicago, while John and Rita Kipp (Comm Officer) checked in from Scott AFB. Moving eastward, Joe and Liz Huscroft are at Wright-Pat, where Joe is pursuing his master’s in Logistics Management; Brian Zawada (Product Director) wrote from Cleveland, and Paul and Alice Murphy (Hanscom) celebrated the holidays with newborn Hannah. From the heartland, we heard from Mike Hiddessen (KC-135s, McConnell), Mark Pye (B-2s, Whiteman); Jonathan Wright (Logistics Career Broadener, Tinker); Sean, Rebecca, and Renyck (2) Robertson (also Log Career Broadener, Tinker); and Chuck, Kit, Shelby (6), Audrey (4), and Zachary (1) Thompson (T-l IP, Vance).

Back in C-Springs are Laura Regan (Bio Instructor, USAFA); and Bill Stein (Regional Network Specialist, Comm Reservist, and father of three boys: Matthew (6), Michael (3), and babyMark); MichaelKardoes (Hueys, 20 AF Stan/Eval) is in nearby FE Warren with his bride and kids Ryan (3Vfc) and Jillian (D/2 ). Capt and Mrs. K.C. Brooks (Security Forces, Randolph) are enjoying San Antonio with their two children, while Adam and Meredith Graham (Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellow, Wilford Hall) have another year in the area to raise newborn James; and Mike and Julia Morris (Urology Resident) will be there with daughter Sydney through 2006. We also have several classmates in Florida, including Brian, Jennifer (Russ), Jack (314) and John (1) Morrison (Patrick AFB). Brian is active

duty, while Jen is a stay-at-home mom and Reservist. In Pensacola, Luke Gianelloni loves civilian life, his wife and three-year-old, and is working as a homebuilder. Chad Mathis wrote from West Palm Beach, where he’s enjoying married life, being an IMA, and his partnership in The Principle Group, LLC, a general contracting and restoration company he started with Gary Gorin (a.k.a. Smagorinsky).

Chad and Gary aren’t our only classmates teaming for a business venture: Bill Enberg (C-130 IP, Little Rock) and Jason Fallis (Ramstein) have a real estate “empire" (12 units, four-unit strip mall, and plans for a 250unit apartment complex). They’re looking for additional investors ifyou’re interested. In addition to real estate, Bill and bride Silke stay busy with BlazeDiamond, their diamond and gem import business, their three “kids” (dogs), and their evangelization efforts. They’ve used profits from BlazeDiamond to ship hundreds of Life Application Study Bibles to Singapore, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mexico, and to prisons and have also bought laptop computers for Christian college students in Third World countries! Keep making us proud, Bill and Silke!

Speaking of making us proud, Jeff Marshall (Special Forces, Pope) earned the 2002 Lance R Sijan USAF Leadership Award! Per the announcement, he was “a crucial key leader as the flight commander, operations officer, and mission commander for three pressure-packed months of Operation Enduring Freedom. While deployed, he led the troops into battle on the first night of the ground war.” Go Jeff!

I can’t top that, so I’ll wrap this up life here is pretty much the same busy, but wonderful. After a white Christmas here in D.C. I went to Germany, Austria, London and Paris with my mom to ring in the NewYear. In Paris, we stayed at the beautiful home ofCol JeffJackson (’79, US AirAttache to France) and his family, while they spent the holidays at my place in D.C. We also had dinner with Maj Alix Wengert (’90), Assistant Air Attache. I have no other trips on the book for a few months, so feel free to drop by if you’re in the area! Happy 2003! Take Care & God Bless! C.C.

Don Kang

5806 B Poplar Circle

Shaw AFB, SC 29152

BudaF16@yahoo.com

Back for another round of updates to close out 2002: Luke AFB: Jon “Meat” Tinsley is teaching at the F-16 RTU, along with Scott “Bam-Bam” Arbogast, a fighter weapons school graduate. Others teaching at the rag include: Toby Yobi” Brallier, Mike “Jobu” Simon, Dave “Fahm” O’Malley, and Brad “Juice” Glenn. In addition, there are Joe “Javo" Javorsky, his wife, Yvonne Stevenson, Brian Patterson, Dave Salisbury, and John Nemecek.

Florida: Dave “Deeq” Abba and Travis Koch are F-15 RTU instructors in Panama City, FL. I ran into Deeq recently at Nellis during a WIC support and again down at Tyndall for Combat Archer in December. Both Deeq and Travis are living the good life in Florida, along with Rusty Driggers. FYI for all those wondering, Tyndall will be the training base for the F-22 and preparations are well under way. Right down the street at Eglin, Tom “RJ” Seymour recently completed FWIC, F-16 division, and is working operational test for the Viper. Cesco Pfauth is a special ops navigator in MC- 130Es at Hurlburt. Cesco is up for seven air medals for his good work during OEF, includingbeing in the first SOF strike ofthe war. Paul Spaven is running the WSEP at Tyndall and has offered to buy the first round for any classmate who is at Combat Archer.

Cesco Pfauth (kneelingin the Toyota with a mustache) is up forseven air medals forhis work with special operations during OEF. Note theAmerican holding the RPG behind him.

Eielson AFB: Mike Thode and Chris Hummel are freezing their shorts while flyingVipers up in Alaska. Jon Scheer is flying Hogs there, as well. Looking forward to seeing all of them when I go up for Cope Thunder in the spring of'03.

Odds and Ends: Jamie Lindman is a navigator with the Minnesota ANG. Zac Hess is a grunt, running a helicopter squadron for the Army at Fort Hood. Chris “Fatty” Jones is flying F-18’s with the Navy in Oceania. Nate Miller is doing the same at Miramar. Jamie “SoCo” McHenry is wrapping up a tour as a Navy pilot training instructor. Dave Haworth is the narrator for the west coast A-10 demo team. Matt Wadd’s at Offut. Alex Sansone and Jerry Ledzinski are teaching back at the zoo.

On the Outside: Mike Bettencourt runs a small hedge fund for an investment firm in Ohio. Mike became a dad on Oct 11 th 2002 - Camden Reid was a perfect 7 pounds, 12.5 ounces. John Murray works for Bearing Point in Maryland. Amanda KRANTZ has one year left at Harvard Business School and plays drums in a local band during her free time.

Seymour Johnson AFB: Eric “Boots” Das and Drew “Rags” Morrison are F-15E drivers with the operational squadron there. I got to fly with Boots and Rags at a recent WIC support at Nellis AFB. Jeremy Durtschi is an RTU instructor.

Nellis: Chris “Santa” Clause and Steve “Cash” Boatright will start F-16 WIC in Jan 03. Mike “Metal” Hinkleman is an instructor in the F-16 division. Damon “Shotgun” Anthony is an instructor with the Strike Eagle division. Andy “Shooter” Whiat graduated F-15E WIC in Dec 02. Andy Stone finished A-10 WIC, as well. Matt “TOOMA” Liljenstolpe will be working operational test in the 422nd.

White Jets: AJan “Pulse” Thode is going to instruct in the T-38 along withWill Maher at Laughlin. Both flew Strike Eagles before going to white jets. Lisa Varacins is flying Tweets. Joe “Moca” Difidi will teach T-38s in Enid, OK. Moca enjoyed his tour in Europe immensely and can’t wait to get back to the Strike Eagle. He’s glad, however, to be near his home in Kansas City for few years where he has tons of family and friends. Rich Murray, Brian Joseph, and Matt Whitney are at Sheppard.

Europe: Driving Strike Eagles at Lakenheath are Joe “Sloppy” Cautero, Jim “Toast” Stumbo, and Keith “Apple” Turner. Living the fine life at Aviano AB in Italy are Chris “DBAL” Austin and Nate Graber. Nate just finished weapons school. DBAL was a wingman back in Kosovo when his flight lead downed a MiG-29 with an AMRAAM. Chris Kibble and Dylan “Trunk” Baumgartner are flying F-16s at Spangdahlem. Brian Murphy is at Spang, too, flyingHogs. Mike Waite is an ALO atWiesbaden. Johnny Northon is at Ramstein.

Randolph AFB: Chris Buckley and Chris McMartin are teaching navigator training with the 562 FTS. Tim Thurston is teaching JSUNT and got married in Sept 02 to a beautiful gal named Diane. Attending the wedding were Paul Morton and Joe Morgan. Joe just finished his doctorate at the University ofTexas, Austin; and Paul is finished with med school and resides in Wichita Falls, TX. Tim is itching to get back to the C-130 when his AETC tour is up.

Hill AFB: AndyLyons is a new F-16 weapons officer. I saw Mike Matesik recently there, as well. Cash Boatright will be a weapons officer in the summer of 03 after he completes the WIC.

Cannon AFB: Bill “Wilbur” Betts is the newViper patch for the 524th FS. The proud father of two boys, Wilbur completed FWIC in Dec 02. Wilbur made a name for himself stumping his instructors with questions that required graph paper to answer. For those of you who know Wilbur and his 69-pound brain (sts), this comes as no surprise.

Korea/Japan: Mike “Bolt” Barten and his wife, Kindra, have #2 on the way. Bolt came to Osan for a two-year tour immediately after a one-year stint at Kunsan. He could quite possibly leave Korea with the “longest on the ROK” (sts) prize in Sep 03. Other Viper drivers on the ROK include Jim “Latex” Collins, and Chad “Motor” Feucht. Chuck “Pyro” Podolak is a brand new patch with the “Wolfpack” at Kunsan AB. Dave “Squawk”

Sundlov and Adam “Rider” Meyers are weapons officers in the F-16CJ squadrons at Misawa. Other ’95ers include: Mike May, Liz May, Josh “Tic” Hetsko, Sam “Vandal” Mann, Garret “Swing” Lowe, Jason “Nails” Plourde, and Ryan Sparkman.

Shaw AFB: I’m stationed here in the 77th Fighter Squadron, the “Gambiers.” True to form, I was at a WIC support no later than a month into my tour. Anchored here in Sumter with mywife, Cristina, and four-month-old son, Colin. Frank Bryant is also in the 77th Frank PCSed from Kunsan, where he went from MQT to four-ship flight lead in less than a year.

Don “Buda Kang with Cristina and Colin. Buda is stationed at Shaw AFB, SC and flies the Block 50 F-16CJ.

Well, that’s about all I have room for this round. Sounds like theypushed our major’s boards up to this winter, so that ought to be interesting (fence in). Chances are that we’ll be in the middle of a shooting war by the time this hits the presses, so I’ll end by saying check six and good hunting. God willing, the next issue will be completely devoted to the fighting.

Melissa S. Cunningham

220 Bowens Mill Drive Bonaire, GA 31005 (478) 975-9707

E-mail: fmcunningham@aol.com or melissa.cunningham@robins.af.mil

Greetings from Middle Georgia! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, before things started heating up in the world. With all of the recent events, I’ve been more than busy as I pack up to deploy to a garden spot for a few months. Because my e-mail and regular mail will be sketchy for a while, Andi Vinyard has volunteered to help me out with the next article. Her e-mail is: andreavinyard@bigfoot.com and address is: Capt Andrea C. Vinyard, PSC 2 Box 2821, APO AP 96264. Please try to get your inputs to her before 15 Mar 03.

I received a great e-mail from Junko (Springer) Pilch recently. She married Lance Pilch ’93 in 2000 in the Academy Chapel. She was even able to get Jasin Cooley to fly in from England to be a saber bearer in the ceremony. Junko is the operations officer for the security forces squadron at Luke AFB and Lance is an F-16 IP. When she’s not packing the heat, Junko is mom to an adorable six-month-old baby girl named Samantha. Soon the Pilch family will be moving to Tyndall AFB where Lance will train in the F-22. Congrats on the F-22 selection and enjoy the Florida beaches.

Junko brought news of some of our other classmates. Kathy Hayden is still flying helos for the Navy. She is currently stationed at Norfolk and recentlyreturned from another six-month deployment to Bahrain. Merna Hsu is doing a short tour at Clear but will be PCSing to Soccoro, New Mexico shortly. Jasin Cooley just took over as the operations officer for the security forces squadron at Sheppard AFB. Shawn Anger, Scott McLaren, and Brian Grasky are F-16 IPs at Luke AFB. Junko bumped into Gary Berger at a party several weeks ago. Gary was passing through Luke for Safety school and is stationed at Minot AFB. Rob Cuellar is midway through at short tour in Korea. Jon Reyes married and is now the proud father of beautiful baby boy named Julian. Jon is stationed at Barksdale in the security forces squadron. Thanks, Junko, for all of the updates!

Bill Loux wrote in with some awesome news. He was recently engaged to Akiko Ichimasa, who he met while stationed in Okinawa. They will be married 6 Jun 03 in Honolulu, HI. Bill separated from the AF in May 2001

Brand new dad: Mike Bettencourt with wife and son Camden.

Bill and Akiko and received a full scholarship to Thunderbird for an MBA in international finance. He hopes to find a job in Investment Banking. Since Bill is no longer on the global, he wanted me to pass along his e-mail to you guys: louxwe@global.t-bird.edu. Best Wishes Bill and Akiko!

In the BabyDepartment: Congratulations are in order forTim and Leigh Anne Kao. Leigh Anne gave birth to Emily Christine Kao on 29 Sep 02. Although Emily came in only 31 weeks, she is getting bigger and stronger everyday.

I received a note from Ivan Herwick’s wife, Nora. Ivan is working in the Network Strategies Branch oftheAir Force Communications Agency at Scott AFB, IL and is working on a master’s degree through Webster University. Nora graduated from Miami University in ’98 and was a Naval officer when she and Ian got married in September of that year. Nora separated in October ’01 giving her more time to spend with their daughter Emma born in Nov ’99. Ivan and Nora are expected another child in April ’03.

Dave Henshaw is also a new father. His daughterMadilyn Belle was born on 2 Feb 02. Dave and his wife, Kristi, are stationed at Indian Springs. Other’96ers flyingthe Predator are Matt Soria,TylerHatch, and MarkMeier.

Chris Hutchins has visited Dave a few times while deployed to Nellis for Red Flags and Air Warriors. Chris stays busy flying F-16s, but is even more tapped out at home. He is married and has already managed to have four children. He is really doing great, loves the jet, but is probably deployed a little more than desired like most of us.

Hope all is well with you guys! Incoming updates have been scarce and I’m sure that’s because you guys deployed or working crazy hours to support the war effort.

Take care & I’ll see you around the theater! Mel

Melvin E. Maxwell, Jr.

1479 Eagle Highlands Fairborn, OH 45324

Home: (937) 320-1587

Cell: (937) 367-7196

W: melvin.maxwell@afit.edu

H: mel_maxwell97@hotmail.com

Happy 2003 to all! Hope the NewYear treated everyone well. Got quite a few notes this past Christmas from classmates around the map so let’s get to the news.

Tracy Waller sent in an update from Tucson, AZ. Tracy separated on Sept 1, after a year of teaching English and coaching basketball at the Prep School. I’ll let her tell you the rest:

“I moved to Tucson, where my boyfriend Aaron (not a grad) is going through A-10 FTU. Much to my surprise, Julie Thode and John Korsedal are in his class. They’ll graduate in February. John is headed to Osan then Eielson, and Julie is going to Pope.

“As for me, I successfully made the transition to the civilian workforce after a grueling day-long interview process in Orange, CA. I begin Home Depot’s Store Leadership Program on Nov 4. After a week-long orientation in Orange, I’ll start the two-year program in a store here in Tucson. At the end of the program, I’ll allegedly be ready to run my own $50 million/year Home Depot. My boyfriend is going to Osan and back to D-M, so things are working out great for us!”

Another ’97er is expecting a second child in April ’03. Julio Negron and his wife, Erica, have a 10-month-old son Ty, and have their second on the way. Julio has been in Hanscom since June of ’98 and by the time this is in print, he should have finished law school at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Julio, Erica, and Ty are actuallycoming here to Wright-Patterson where Julio is going to the Defense Contract Management Agency.

Mark Clifford wanted to fill us in all happenings around Colorado Springs. He is loving wearing a polo shirt and shorts to work everyday, teaching in the athletic department. But even bigger news, Mark and his wife have a son, Kaleb, who will likely be nearing 12 months of age when you read this. Mark passed on that Rob Pryor is also teaching at the Academy and Marqus Randall is back in the Springs doing Intel at Peterson. Rumor has it my old roomdog, Willie Washington, is also running around the Springs somewhere.

Pat Suermann sent me a copy of the Annual Suermann Newsletter. Pat and his wife, Megan, had quite a year. The highlight of the year was the birth oftheir son Andrew on November 26th Pat is doing well at Texas A & M where he is receiving his master’s degree in Construction Management. Megan and Drew are currently in Ingleside, near the small branch clinic ofCorpus Christi where Megan (a Navy LT) serves. Pat is four hours away and the family gets together on the weekends. Those weekend visits will continue until April ’03 when Megan will separate from the Navy. After the completion of Pat’s 12-month program, Pat, Megan, and Drew will be on their way to join Civil Engineering Department of the Academy.

I can always count on Samantha (Glinski) Weeks for some news. In fact, she gave me so much I hit the word count limit so I’ve had to do some paraphrasing in places. “Well it’s been a few months since I last wrote to Mel. I went to Tyndall AFB over the summer for WSEP where fighters have the opportunity to shoot live missiles from their aircraft. While there, I ran into Ben Busch who was with me in CS-31. He is doing well, and actually enjoys flying the F-16 at Cannon. Trena Emerson (’98) is also in his squadron and was my roommate at USAFA. She is doing well and was getting married a few weeks later to Ryan Savageau (’98). Rich Carver was also there flying F-15Es.

“While at Nellis early this spring, I ran into Kim (Reed) Campbell. She was out there for an academic course, but told me she loves the A-10.

Ivan, Nora, and their daughter Emma.

From left are MikeMcKee, Kim (Reed) Campbell,Jason Rueschhoff,Aaron Linderman, and Shad Magann from Bagram, Afghanistan

Mitzi Braswell is deployed at the moment, but tells me that she is very happy in the HH-60. I recently saw Shira (Ravitz) Worley on a day trip to Abilene. She got out this past May, and is enjoying time offfrom working for a few months while her husband Jay Worley (’96) goes through the school house for B-ls at Dyess. They will PCS to Ellsworth this fall. Shannon (Goff) Hamrick also got out and has started her own business with her husband, Jeremey, in Boise. She is coachingswimming also, and says she has never been this happy.”

“Brian Laidlaw and new wife, Samantha, moved from Langley to go back to Tyndall AFB where he will be instructing in the F-15. Maybe Dave Pryor will be one of his future students. Michelle (Gadus) Pryor was selected for the Air Force Intern Program in D.C. and Dave will be transitioning from his T-38 assignment to the F-15.

“While TDY in New Orleans, I decided to rent a car and drive to Maxwell AFB to visit Stacy Kreuziger who was there for SOS. She had recently returned from Korea and by now is up at Elmendorf. I also saw Felicia Bell (’98), also at Elmendorf.

“Pat Farrell (’96) informed me that Heather Hall is back in the states and is at Warner-Robins flying KC-135s along with Matt Cunningham. Heather recently got engaged to an F-15E pilot who is stationed at Seymour Johnson. Good luck to them!

“As I write this I am on a plane back to Nellis for Red Flag. I was in the Dulles airport and ran in to Gwen (Deflippi) Rutherford (’96). She showed me pictures of the newest addition to her family, second daughter Margaret. It was great to catch up with her, and a surprise to see her in the middle of the airport.

“A1 Kennedy informed me that he and Julie are expecting their first child this fall. He is still at Elmendorf, and should be for another year before applying to the Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis. Matt Zamiska got an assignment from Eglin to go to Nellis. He’ll be in the Operational Test and Evaluation squadron and fly with all the coolest gadgets in the F-15. Jeff Percy will also be leaving Eglin to head across the world to Kadena, along with his wife, Janelle. Well, I get to go to SOS later this fall, so I’m sure I’ll have more to update you all on in the future.”

Matt Cantore and his new wife, Laura, on their weddingday.

It seems August 3rd was a popular day forweddings as Melissa Youderian also wrote in that she was married the same day. Melissa PCSed in December to attend Michigan State through the AFIT program. She is getting her master’s in Criminal Justice. Before she left Aviano she regularly ran into Damian Schlussel, who was the SF CGO of the year for USAFE, Brandon Maroon, Mandy Scott and Jen Phelps who recently PCSed there from Korea.

Samantha, thanks for the news. We’ll end with the photo from Jeff Nelson’s wedding I couldn’t include last issue. Until next time...Mel

Karin (Klein) McWhorter

9811 E. Cisco Court Tucson, AZ 85748

H: (520) 885-8697/W: (520) 228-3829

W: karin.mcwhorter@dm.af.mil

Hello Again and Happy 2003!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and new year. It is crazy that this is the year many of our classmates will become civilians. Hard to believe it has been five years since 1998. This update will be a little shorter than most because I only have three submissions to report...(subtle hint here for more information next month)

Here we go: Matt Cantore wrote in to say that he was married last August 3rd to a wonderful lady named Laura who he met while stationed at Minot. It was a beautiful ceremony and they are doing great. Laura is enrolled full time in a master’s ofAudiology program at Minot State University and Matt is working as a missilier in the 741 st Missile Squadron and hoping to PCS next fall. As for other ’98ers at Minot, there are a whole bunch of them working in the space wing: Scott Klempner, Jeremy Klomp, Vince Kendric, Rod Smith, Corey Broussard, Nicki Holmes, Nikki Frankino (Vigil) and Mark Sundlov. Nikki Frankino (Vigil) and her husband, Joe, had their first baby a few months ago.

I also got en e-mail from Mari Schroering who wanted to write in because in her words, “the last TDY was a grad-fest”! Starting out at home, in the 16th SOS at Hurlburt Field, there are some’98ers just starting to upgrade to aircraft commander Ryan Bohner, Robin Schaeffer, Mari, and James Brown. James and his wife, Kim, just had their first child a few months ago. Chris Sims (’96) is also a Spectre pilot with the 16th SOS. On her most recent TDY she saw TimWelter (’97) in the Dover Base Ops he flies C-5s now. Then, when she walked into the 37 AS at Ramstein Brad Salmi (’00) was sitting at the ops desk. They started planning their missions, and Gavin Depew (’97) was their CCT liaison. He’s stationed at Mildenhall these days. When they returned to the 37th a few days later, Joe Wenckus showed Mari around the squadron. There are a ton ofgrads in that squadron, but some that she ran into personally were Amy Petrina and Morgan Moon, Dan Begin (’96), and Jake Lukens (’00). Mari also spent the weekend with Andy Stohlmann and his wife Beth (Zeman). Andy flies C-21s at Ramstein and Beth is intel. Josh Johnson (’97) is in Beth’s squadron and is running a cool “Survivor” show contest for their shop. They also worked with some Army guys while we were TDY, and Jamie Maunz (’97) was their ALO. He’s stationed in Italy. He just got done flying F-15s in the Far East, and now he’s trying out the other side of the world. And lastly, while she was TDY, she got an email that Trini Meza (’97) and his wife, Lara, have added another member to the family with their second son, Duncan. They already have an older son, Garrett. My last update and photo come from an “anonymous” source. I received this photo ofTrey Hall with the Chairman ofthe Joint Chiefs at an undisclosed location and I knew it had to be put in Checkpoints. Then

From left are Jake Hartigan, Trey Hodges (’96), Dennis Kong, Jim Thomas, Gregg Beeber, Chris Ledford, Courtney, Jeff, Dan Rohlinger, Lucas Flanagan, Steve Newstead, Dan LaMar, and Dan Zubryd ('91).

A group of’98ers atMelissa’s wedding. From leftin the back rowareJoe Price, Melissa Youderian, and Scott Anderson. Front Row: Lisa Waldrep, WendyVolkland, and Tara Vice.

Trey Hall with the CJCS and working at McDonalds. when I got a photo ofthis same military memberworking at a McDonalds in the same undisclosed location I knew he was definitely enjoying his deployments too much!!

Well, that is it for this edition. Keep the updates coming and stay safeKarin.

Class - this article is dedicated to my classmate, teammate, and friend Jorma Huhtala, who was killed while flying his Viper at Hill AFB on 25 October 2002. Despite his absence, Hooch’s contributions of leadership, brilliance, and humor will never be forgotten by those that knew him. Here’s a toast... May God shed blessings of peace, safety, and prosperity on all ofyou in 2003. James

Jason “JW” Simmons

J'YaW 110 Mara Court

Mu Prattville, AL 36066

VadproximUtdl 1 MtlUNNIUM 1

Email: Simmons@HotPOP.com

Jason.Simmons@Maxwell.af.mil

wanted to get some hands on ATCALS experience, so I moved offices to down there. I still make time for fun and am on a great workout program. Many changing events are shaping this world even as you read this article. And by the time it is published, I am sure that more of our classmates will be in harm’s way. Remember your classmates in those moments ofreflection or as you lay in a hammock in a tent after a blistering hot day in the sun. We share a common bond, and that shows through every time we run into each other and think of a hilarious moment or even better an embarrassing one and greet with a handshake and a warm smile. As we move into these times, know that your USAFA family members are praying for you and hoping for nothing but the best for you. It was great hearing from you this month, and I cannot wait for you to get your copy. So, without anymore warm fuzzies, here are our most recent updates from the Dolittle Class... by the way, if you were/are deployed, I left out locations and such.

Ellen Kowalchuk (LeVaughn) is wrapping up a tour at Wright-Patterson AFB. After her husband graduates from AFIT in March 03, they are headed out to Peterson AFB, CO. Her husband is awaiting UPT board results, so unless plans change and they move to a UPT base, they look forward to lots of visitors for skiing! Dave Francis is finishing off F-16 FTU at Luke AFB and will be heading to Kunsan AB, Korea in April 03 with a follow-on assignment to Cannon AFB. Brian Lane has been a TDYjunkie since midNovember, but was able to go home for the Christmas holidays. He is still flying the mighty KC-10. David Witt is in C-130 copilot school at Little Rock AFB, AR. He should finish up in earlyApril 03 and from there he will move on to the 39th Airlift Squadron at Dyess AFB, TX, along with Laura Powell. Other classmates hanging with him are Danny Brown, Mike Kee, Nate Hayes, Mike Fugett, Marty Smith, Clark Mabry, Mike Contardo, Darshan Dohle, Matt Manning, and Miguel Rivera. I ended up running in to a few of them while I was at “Task Force Rock” for some ORI lessons learned in preparation for Maxwell AFB’s April ORI. It was great to see them and hear about copilot school. I know all that training has got to be tiring, so we all send a hearty “thanks” and even a few “hoah’s” to our buds in those long training programs.

Dana Granger (Hansen) will be PCSing from Pensacola, FL to McChord AFB in May to join her husband, Bryan Granger’01. Amy Rivera just recentlyreturned from a tour where she was an SF Flight Commander. Upon her return, Amy was selected as Tech Training Flight Commander of the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland. She’ll be in charge ofthe DoD MilitaryWorking DogTraining program that trains all militaryworking dogs, in addition to civilian customs and security K9 units. Guess she’ll be in San Antonio for a couple more years. A1 Lowe, Ernie Mayfield, Pete Schnobrich and Andy Stockman are all PCSing to Hill AFB. Jim Murphy is going to Shaw, Doug Charters is going to Cannon. All are flying vipers and anxious to drop hot steel in anger. Al, Ernie, Jim, and Doug will all be at their bases by mid February while Pete and Andy will be at there’s a little later after that.

Jason Hoffman is enjoying his new job as the Propulsion Flight Commander at Mountain Home and was named CGO oftheYear for his squadron. He recently talked to Brandon Nickel who is currently deployed to Al U where he is working on some overly technical acquisitions projects for JTF-SWA; he stated he liked the work but for some sick reason couldn’t wait to get back to Hanscom AFB to enjoy a winter in the northeast. John Kirkwood went back to a student status last August at AFIT. He says that Wright-Patterson really makes him miss Nellis, but school isn’t nearly as bad this time around (imagine that!). John will graduate in March of 04 with an MS in Logistics Management; he is double-specializing in Acquisitions andTransportation, which makes it hard to saywhere he’ll go next.

Rob Taylor made Two Grand history as our first graduate to do a night halo jump when he jumped in at night to Uzbeckistan via a C-130. He’s in that new Combat Rescue Officer program. He is doing some great things and saving lives... thanks man! He recently ran into Eric Lewantovich aka L10 who is now a STS Officer. They went through the Special Forces Scuba School together... and drank many a beer down in Key West and did way too many push ups together. Rob bumped Mike Yanovitch who is going to Japan to fly F-15Cs who relayed Matt Burns is going to Langley for the same. He also wanted to pass on that Ben Hettinga and Ada (Holland) Hettinga are at Barksdale AFB with their two dogs named after Rob Taylor and Randy Witt.

Friends,

How are you? All is well with me, but as you all are, I too am a super busy guy. I have moved down to the airfield and am running the Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems branch of the Mission Systems Flight. I

Randy Witt just got back from PSAB and enjoyed spending New Year’s with some of our West Point 2000 brethren. Kevin Justice bought a house and is living in Columbus, MS as a T1 IP. Gage Bryson is in Santa Barbara flying UH-1 and surfing way too much! Nolan Cooper and Casey Wood (whojust got engaged) are very happy that the engaged Brooke Rhinehart returned to L.A. AFB with her English beau; they are to be wed in February. Ben Doyle is moving to Hill AFB and will be sad to leave all his buddies there in the beautiful panhandle of Florida. Heather Johnson and Rachael Smithjust graduated Nurse Practitioner School atVanderbilt and did a trip around Europe. CONGRATS! Matt Downs also just got engaged and is living in Japan flying C-21s. Lindsey “Snow” White is doing well at Moody AFB doing ATC stuff.

Friends at Rob Taylor’s graduation and donning of the Maroon Beret. It was mostly 2000 grads flying helos there at Kirtland. Erin Ellerton is a hospital administrator; Erica Sigenthaler is an engineer there at AFRL. Paul Sheets and Dan Lawrence are flying HH-60s out at Nellis; Ryan Kay is flying helos too.

Rob shares that he really enjoys “Class News” since it is great way to catch up with you all, and I think I am going to giving him the “most friends” award since he is everywhere making friends... maybe I’ll run into you this spring, Rob.

I wanted to share some “relationship” updates, in addition to their “what they are doing now” news, that I want to share. In particular, some updates on newlyweds and/or soon to be. John Velazquez shares that he has been enjoying life as a newlywed. He and the former Tamsen Laurer were married about five months ago; with Dave Merritt as the best man. He actually met Tamsen through his little brother while stationed at Incirlik AB, Turkey. John has switched gears from the pilot route and is now a Personnel Officer at Vance. Rob Ellis is doing well at Osan AB. Work is busy defending peace on the Korean peninsula, but there is no better time to be an Intel officer and Targeteer. He and his wife, Amy, are expecting to receive their next assignment any day now. It’ll definitely be Hawaii, but he doesn’t know what job he’ll be doing yet. Ifyou are ever in Korea, drop him a line! Here is a picture ofAmy and Rob at the wedding last July in Mobile, AL. and the honeymoon in Hawaii.

Ryan Bowers has wedding plans for the 26th of March on the Island of Barbados. He said he would send us some great pictures next issue. He also shared the following: Vanessa Bartley is still at Tinker flying AWACs. She is roommates with AmityTipton. Tiffany Fisher is also at Tinker with Vanessa and Amity. Carrick Yaws and wife, Keri, have PCSed to Elmendorf where Carrick is flying C-130s. Joy Param is in England doing Intel. Charles Alonzo is in Turkey doing Intel; he will be PCSing this summer. KayLynn (Trammell) and Chris Meeker are doing CE at Sheppard; they will be PCSing this summer too. Ann (Hatley) Redd got married in Feb. 2002 to Dejon, a 2000 ROTC Texas Tech grad. They are stationed at Keesler; she as the wing protocol officer and he as a public affairs officer.

Kirk Olson is still at Wright-Patterson in the Sensors Directorate (Lab) and moved up to theAgent SensingTechnologyProgram about six months ago; it’s a chemical/biological detection program. He thinks it is great inventing and shaping the weapons and sensors for the warfighter. The TDYs never stop, and he is planning on going to Osan AB, South Korea very soon. And then more trips to come as soon as he touches back down in the states. Regarding his performance, he said, “Yeah, a couple of

awards here and there, but I really don’t think people want to hear about that stuff.” Probably because so many of us are kicking butt and not even caring about names. Whatever you are doing, do it well... you are representing us all!

Faith Hitchcock

1968 Crosslake Cove, Apt F Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 faith.hitchcock@eglin.af.mil or fire_it_up_40@hotmail.com

Hello ’01s, I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. It brings me great sadness to be the one to write this issue, but since the last article we have lost a dear member of our class - class president Holly Adams. She was killed on Dec 18th in a car accident in North Dakota. In light of this tragedy, Wayne Kinsel, her fiance, and I would like to honor her and share just a few memories...

From Faith: What can I say about Holly I can hardly remember anything about her without laughing or smiling. We definitely shared some times together. I have never laughed harder, cried more openlyand shared everything with one person—we survived the ups and downs ofthe academy with teams, classes, jobs, and trying to have a life; relationships new loves, lost loves, old loves; broken friendships; career changes and moves across the country sometimes twice! Anyone who knew her would remember her bright smile and how she was always in a good mood, so much so that it could make you sick sometimes! She was affectionatelyknown by some as HollyMonster, orjustThe Monster, andPastey Girl (that girl couldn’t get a tan at all!) and was always saying crazy stuff like “two scoops”, “Wassup...l...2...3”, “sop you up with a biscuit”, “make my teeth sweat” “moistness” and “smell”.

She could drink, two-step and line dance with the best of them. We rarely passed up Ladies Night at Cowboy’s on Wednesdays, or a good camping trip atop Mount Herman, and never missed taking advantage of the occasional Saturday night NASCAR races with a few Coors Lights. She was infamous for locking herself out of her car, her room, her apartment, anything dealing with a key really. She spent many afternoons sitting downtown waiting for AAA and just as many nights sleeping on my couch waiting for her roommate to get home! But she wasn’t just a goof that could party it up right she loved her job, being at the Academy and being in the Air Force.

Not many people think about Ring Dance, 100’s Night or Graduation and remember Holly. We all remember the people we spent those weekends with our dates, our friends, the parties. But she was the reason why we have those memories. As our class president, she made those events happen. She planned for months to make those nights special for all of us. Even after graduation, she loved being in the Air Force. She set out to be a pilot, but after spending too many days getting sick in the plane, she made the toughest decision of her life and decided it was not

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for her. But, that which was so typical of Holly, she kept her chin up and put 100 percent of herself into her new job and served her country the best way she could.

Holly was a great friend to many people. You could always count on her to listen to any problem school, men, family, absolutely anything and offer up a big bowl of chocolate, treat you to a Soup’er Salad dinner, or ice cream at Cold Stone. She had a way of personalizing everything. She had a private joke with everyone she ever met I think; she knewwhen everyone’s birthday was and made sure to make them a birthday card and cake. She was such a good person and always gave of herself. When everyone rushed to 39-cent hamburger night at McDonalds to get a cheap dinner, she bought as many as she could and gave them to the homeless. She made cookies for the dorm janitors, organized blood drives, painted houses for the needy, and raised money for brain injury survivors, the Children’s Leukemia Society, and breast cancer research, just to name a few.

I learned a lot from being her friend. She taught me how to live life and love every minute of it, to appreciate the things I have, to put others first, and to tell the people I love that I love them. She was buried on Dec 23, 2002 in Franklin, TN with full military honors, just the way she would’ve wanted. Anyone there would have realized how many people she touched the chapel was packed, people stood in the back and filled another room just to say good-bye. Holly was a gift to the world and anyone that called her a friend was truly blessed to have known her.

Here’s a toast...

In other grad news. A lot has been going on for those in the rated world of our class. FromVance: Derrick Kallman, Chris McAlear, Ryan Corrigan and Justin Binder all selected T-38s while TaylorYang, Ering Jung, Dustin Olson and Rich Linton are in the T-l Rich is also a new papa to a little boy congrats! JP Kilker and Drew Judkins picked the T-44 track and are loving it. A few fellas from the 03-01 class at Vance have gotten their first airframe: Bryan Bailey and Chris Stephens, C-17; Dan Daehler, F16; Aaron Finke, T-38 FAIP; Garret Fisher, T-6 FAIP; Jason Houston, F15E; Sam Kessler, T-37 FAIP; and Rob Krueger, KC-10. Out of the Columbus gang, Jeff Rivers got F-15Cs, Travis Winslow and Tony Collela F-16s, and Rich Webb and Scott Schroeder will be flying the Buff. Also, Jason Feuring will fly the A-10 after a few weeks of IFF at Moody.

In the non-rated world, Melanie Borchers graduated from Intel school in May and is stationed at Tyndall. Jason and Bernie Smith (Feliciano) are stationed out at Scott and expecting a little girl in February. Well, that is all I could get for this issue. For everyone’s information, I will be taking over the Checkpoints article along with Wayne Kinsel and Melanie Bates. We will keep the hotmail account to receive grad news, but we can also be reached via our work e-mails: faith.hitchcock@eglin.af.mil, wayne.kinsel@grandforks.af.mil; melaine.bates@patrick.af.mil. Thanks, take care of yourselves and be sure to write! Faith

Red Tags,

I hope things are going well with everyone. It seems that time is flying by and everyone has found themselves deep into their respective fields already. If you have any updates that you would like to share with the class please shoot them my way collins66@excite.com.

We have had our first few classmates complete the T-37... congratulations to Dave Henz and any others that you may have heard of.

Tony Carson: “Pilot training is going well. Right now I am in the formation stage and I am loving it. I don’t think there’s anything else in the world cooler than flying three feet away from another plane... unless of course it’s in an F-16 three times faster.” Douglas Berndsen is out at Mountain Home and is loving life. He had a blast at ASBC in Oct and partiedextremely hard. Ryan Bell (Dickie), who cross commissioned into the Army, is humping it in the Platoon Leaders Course. Jon Roberts is in UPT and is loving it.

Chris Pace: “I’m at Davis Monthan in Tucson with a bunch of red tags. Thought you may want an update or something for Checkpoints... Besides working casual in A-10 squadrons, myself, Matt King, Mike Igoe, and Phil Schembri are chasing after the ladies at U ofA and ASU. We are throwin’ some mean parties so if anyone is in the area give us a ring (we earned the privilege of being casual here for a year). Hope things are going well with you, keep in touch! Pace”

Dave Albin: “Casual is a blast! Got my motorcycle running great and every day at work is a blast!”

Antoine McNeal: I am having a blast down in Florida. Doug Berndsen and Jarad Pasley (Paz) came down for a weekend and we tore up the town. Also, a bunch of us got together for Thanksgiving dinner at my place: Dan Sipps and his wife, Russel McCray and his soon-to-be wife, Gary Cooper, Rob Ford, and India Donald.... We had way too much food.

CLASS PISTOLL: A&A Engraving’s toll free number: 800-243-4641. Any questions shoot Woody an e-mail or call 830-734-1447.

CLASS DVD: The class DVDs were finally distributed in mid January. By the way, if you would still like to order one we have extras. Go to the class website and place your order (www.usafa02.org). I hope everyone who has received their DVD has enjoyed them... It turned out great! A lot of hard work was put into the DVD to make sure it was something that we all would love. Ifyou see or know anyone on the production staff give them a big pat on the back. I would like to give a special thanks to the following people for helping us make the DVD so awesome: Steve Schnoebelen, Matt Booth, Armin Hoes, John Korinko and all of the people that we interviewed.

FROM A GRAD TO GRADS: Mike “Jake” Jakobi, USAFA’81: “I am a varsity lacrosse alumni and playwith the AF ‘Graybirds’ alumni lacrosse team in the annual Vail Lacrosse tournament, Super Masters Division, (age 40 and over division). I also serve on the Exec Committee for AF Alumni lacrosse. This past summer, I was head coach for a team in theVail “Elite” Division, probably the toughest division in the country, made up of, mostly recent All Americans and top college players. Matt Dudderar signed up for my team I fielded under the name of “LAXWORLD OHIO” in the Elite division. We played four games over four days beginning July 4th and finished 7th out of 16 teams with a 2-2 record. (Pretty good for a first year team). Matt scored 5 goals for me over four games.

“I myself just survived my first heart attack last April, a few months before my 20-year reunion, and went through open heart surgery over Christmas... but have recovered my health and am back playing lacrosse again.... so cherish andVALUE your youngyears in the Air Force. Rememher that it is INCREDIBLE how much you can DO and GET DONE in just one day... keep that in mind and DO as much as you can... so when you get to your 20-year reunion, you can look back and feel truly FULFILLED that you made the BEST of the TIME you had. Mike “Jake" Jakobi USAFA’81.”

PURSUANT TO ARTICLE VIII of the Bylaws of the Association of Graduates (AOG) of the United States Air Force Academy, an election of directors will be held during odd numbered years. Results of the 2003 election will be received and certified by the Association’s Board of Directors at its meeting on 17 May 2003 at 8:00 a.m. (MDT) in Doolittle Hall at the USAF Academy, Colorado.

Six (6) directors will be elected to four-year terms commencing on 1 July 2003. The Nominating Committee, chaired by Larry D. Fortner, ’59, has recommended, and the Board of Directors has nominated the six (6) candidates listed below for election to directors’ positions.

Graduate and associate members who do not plan to attend the17 May 2003 meeting are requested to return this proxy to arrive at the offices of the Association of Graduates not later than noon (MDT), 30 April 2003. Faxes, copies or e-mail ballots will not be accepted.

The undersigned appoints the President and Chief Executive Officer, or his duly appointed representative, as proxy to appear and vote in the name of the undersigned at the 17 May 2003 meeting of the Board of Directors the choice(s) listed below.

1. Vote for not more than a total ofsix (6), includingwrite-ins. Write-in candidates must be both eligible and willing to serve.

DIRECTORS (to serve from 1 July 2003 through 30 June 2007) (Seepage 82 forbiographical sketches on candidates.)

[

[

[

[

[

Alan V Rogers, ’64

Leon I. Smith-Harrison,

John T. Moore, ’78

[ ] Susan J. Helms, ’80

2. The absence of voting instructions above will result in the undersigned’s proxy being voted FOR the election of the entire slate of candidates.

never serve, but she can be a USAA member!’

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