Checkpoints September 2007

We know what it means to

Academy Dean Brig. Gen. Dana Born explains why there is no experience like the “USAFA Experience.”

The USAFA Athletic Department’s Human Performance Lab hones theskills of today’s athlete and tomorrow’s war fighter.

HONOR,

After a cheating scandal shook the Academy, one leader looked to the past, and cadets looked within themselves.

Academy, friends and family remember the legend who was former Commandant Brig. Gen. Robin Olds.

ClC

Anthony Mitchell trains his eyes at the Academy’s Human Performance Lab. (Photo by Ken Wright)

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jim Wheeler, '64, Board Chair

Pat Rosenow, 76, Vice Chair

Bill Boisture, '67, Treasurer

Michael Banks, 92, Secretary

Steve Dotson, '63

Ed Eberhart, '68

Steve Finch, '65

Mike Flynn, '95

Marty France, '81

Fred Gregory, '64

James Sanchez, '90

George Van Wagenen, '67

Checkpoints (ISSN 0274-7391) USPS 898-080 is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the Association of Graduates, U.S. Air Force Academy. (Phone: 719-472-0300, DSN: 333-2067. FAX: 719-333-4194, E-mail: editor@aogusafa.org.) A portion ofyour dues pays for your magazine subscription. Additional copies may be purchased for $2.50 each, plus $4.05 for shipping. Periodicals postage paid at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Checkpoints Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, 3116 Academy Drive, USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those ofthe authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or attitude of the Association of Graduates, its officers or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Association ofGraduates of the products or services advertised. Copyright, Association ofGraduates ofthe U.S. Air Force Academy, September 2007.

Thanks for IIPES

I would like to thank the Association ofGraduates for giving me the opportunity to participate in the International Institute for Economic and Political Studies. I have been involved in many different programs before and during myAcademyyears, and I say without reservation that IIPES was the most meaningful. It was an absolutelyoutstandingopportunity to grow and develop as a person and as a leader; one that I wish everyAmerican could experience.

My studies offoreign language, culture, and history before coming to IIPES provided me with a solid foundation, but nothing could have fullyprepared me for being immersed in a program with more than 80 extremelyintelligent, engaging young people from two dozen nations. The professors came from some of Americas most renowned universities, but the people from whom I learned the most at IIPES were students who came from countries like Malta and Syria. My interactions with them brought news headlines to life, providing me with the kind ofinvaluable perspective and insight that a traditional academic setting cannot.

I discussed the war in Iraq with a former U.S. Army sergeant who served there. I learned about Israel’s recent invasion ofLebanon, both from my Israeli roommate and from Syrian and Lebanese Hezbollah supporters. At times it was painfully clear just how deep the wounds ofsuch conflicts remain today.

I also became good friends with several students from the Balkans, all ofwhom have strong opinions about American foreign policy.

I enjoyed my conversations with all of my fellow students because, even though we usually had to agree to disagree, I believe that it is essential for citizens, especiallymilitary officers, to be exposed to a variety ofworldviews. The world in which our military currently operates is an immensely complex and nuanced one, a fact that I feel many Americans often overlook.

I could not even begin to grasp the intricacies ofthe

recent wars in the Balkans until I talked to dozens of Croats, Serbs, and Bosnians, as well as many others. Each had his or her own unique opinions and distinct heritage. In this age ofglobalization and fundamentalism, it is critical that military officers understand other cultures, customs, and points ofview.

IPES was the most educational and eye-opening experience ofmy cadet career. It was a unique opportunity to gain a deeperunderstanding ofthe Balkans and Middle East through face-to-face interaction with other students. It was an enlightening program that I wish every future officer could take part in. I hope the program can be sustained, if not enlarged, because the communication skills, knowledge, and perspective I gained there would greatly benefit any future military officer, and more importantly, the Air Force and our nation as a whole. Thank you once again for your generosity.

ClC Ryan D. Shaughnessy

Remove the Code from the Wall

In the June issue of Checkpoints, the commandant wrote quite a stunning article on the Academy Honor Code (page 62). Her introduction vividly described the beauty ofthe metal letters ofthe code glistening in the morning sun, high on the wall, before the assembled Cadet Wing.

For those who may have forgotten, she reverently quoted from the wall: “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate anyone among us who does.”

The commandant then described in detail the methodologies which have been implemented to ensure compliance with the code. These procedures surely are a grave disappointment to most of us who created the code, many who faithfully followed it during their Academy years, and even some ofthose cadets who still proclaim allegiance to it.

The actual and current code requires the following two (revisions): “We will not lie, steal, or cheat (without confessingwhen caught), nor tolerate anyone among us who (refuses to renew allegiance after beingconvicted.)”

To verify the accuracy ofthese radical changes, I re-read the articles by the commandant. Vice Honor Chairman, and excerpts from the Honor System Review Panel. I am profoundly sorry to conclude tin the revisions described above appear to be quite accc rate. That bright and beautiful Honor Code has bee: replaced by a convoluted form ofgraduated disciplir ary actions. Such actions supposedly will be adminis

tered to those cadets who demonstrate a lack ofpersonal integrity. The original code and the revisedcode cannot coexist. Those who claim otherwise are guilty, perhaps unintentionally, ofparticipating in an ugly conspiracy to perpetuate a gross deception. Those 14 simple words, glowing brilliantly in the sunshine, which mean so much to so many, must be removed from the wall.

They no longer describe the Honor Code ofthe Air Force Academy.

Jon G. Shaffer, Class of1959

Taking issue with Contrails

Many Air Force Academy graduates are serving in Iraq andthe war rightfully continues to dominate national discussionand politics. Although extensive debate about the war is not possible in a briefletter, I believe one issue is directly relevant to the Air Force Academy experience.

That issue concerns therole of military leaders in preparing for war. In 1997 HR McMaster, a West Point graduate and now Army colonel with distinguished service in Iraq, wrote a book, “Dereliction ofDuty: LyndonJohnson, RobertMcNamara, the Joint Chiefs ofStaff, and the lies that led to Vietnam.” In his book McMaster alleges that the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time were derelict in not standing up to President Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamara as they escalated our participation in the Vietnam War. Recently, retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey was quoted in TIMEMagazine as saying, “Should there be a Dereliction of Duty II? The answer is, yes, of course.”

A number ofretired generals have spoken out after thefact decrying the Iraq war. But speaking after the fact is much different than when one wears the uniform. Obviously, there are major concerns regarding civilian control of the military. Yet there is a serious question about whatfuture military leaders are being taught about their duty (that sublimest ofwords) to question the use of military force in promoting national objectives. Military leaders must recognize that there are certain intrinsic limits to military power.

Perhaps heavy-duty consideration of this issue should wait until the war college level, but the seeds must be planted earlier. In this respect its troubling to read the description of the Vietnam War on pages 144-147 in 2007-2008 Contrails where the Gulf of Tonkin incident is still cited as justification for a “show of force” air attack in Vietnam. The description of the Iraq war in the same Contrails is more balanced, but avoids asking if there should have been an invasion in the first place. In conclusion, there’s a lot to learn from the Iraq and Vietnam experiences. But the real question is whether those experiences are being passed on to future leaders. It doesn’t seem like the lessons ofVietnam made a large enough impression on military leaders as they prepared for the invasion of Iraq. As Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We must make sure future leaders know about and understand the past.

Harry Wetzler, Class of1967

Correction to “Air Gardens - Part I”

I really enjoyed 2nd Lt. Lebovitz’s historical perspective of the USAFA Air Gardens right up to the last paragraph where he writes, “the most exciting piece added to the Air Garden was the X-4 flown by Chuck Yeager ...”

Originally the Academy put the X-4 in the courtyard because of the “spirit” missions the X-4 routinely went on. The Academy did not, however, eventually move it to the Air Gardens so the cadets would not move it. Although they did fill it with concrete; they did so only after the doolie Class of 1972 had moved it there from Arnold hall without a crane of any sort! I still smile as I remember taking back the bent I-beams to the New Dorm (as it was then called) after having used them to slide the X-4 across the pool to the pad. Almost as funny was the announcement from the staff tower the next day for volunteers to explain how the X-4 got moved. Well done, ’72!

P.S. Lt. Lebovitz should not feel too bad about his error; heck, he wasn’t even born yet!

Don Miller, Class of1972

The AOG is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of not more than eleven elected directors and up to four appointed directors. Elections are conducted and appointments made in odd-numbered years. Approximately half of the elected and appointedpositions are open at each election cycle. Any AOG member willingto fulfill the requirements of directors may submit a nomination package. There are two nomination tracks. With the support offive members, a candidate may be considered by the Nominating Committee for placement on the ballot. By petition of 25 members, a candidate may be placed on the ballot without review by the Nominating Committee. Complete nominationinformation can be found on the AOG Web Site at www.usafa.org. Nominations for the 2009 elections will be accepted in 2008.

By Jim Wheeler, ’64 AOG Chairman of the Board

THE 2007 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ushered in the new Association ofGraduates year on July 1 with a teleconference meeting to take the initial organizational step mandated by the AOG Bylaws. With that out of the way, the new board immediately got to work building rapport among the directors and working hard to get familiar with all ofthe challenges-and opportunities—facing the AOG, the Academy, and the AOG membership.

The initial steps carried over to a very busy board meeting at the Academy in earlyAugust and we are now organized and hard at work in many areas.

I can report to you that my initial assessment on the State ofthe AOG is that our AOG is in good shape. We have a hard working and dedicated staff that is committed to providing the best service and services possible to all AOG members and to our school. The AOG has enjoyed outstanding fiscal growth in recent years, andthe investment portfolio is expertlymanaged and has performed well. Donor programs have expanded as the Sabre Society continues to mature, and the Comprehensive Campaign has enjoyed notable suecess as it works through the quiet phase ofthe master schedule. We, the stake holders, can be proud ofthe important role our AOG fills at the Academy as the largest and most important source ofprivate support for the Cadet Wing.

Notwithstanding the above, I can also report that the docket is quite full for the new board as we look optimistically to the future. Governance changes will take time to setde in and already we see the need to address needed changes and modifications in the bylaws adopted in 2006. Fund raising is a

constant challenge and several issues related to how the AOG should organize and interact with other private entities supporting the Academy are at the top ofthe action item list at this time. The development of a realistic, achievable, understandable long range strategic plan is a key requirement; expansion ofthe membership is an ongoing challenge; the AOG Chapter network needs to be reassessed and energized where feasible; and a comprehensive plan needs to be developed and put in place to accommodate future growth and orderly transition in the AOG staff. The list ofchallenges arrayed for the new board is actually much longer, but you get the idea from the items cited.

As all cadets learn, challenges can become opportunities if managed correctly. Therefore, to take advantage of the many opportunities that exist, the board needs to be very realistic as we set priorities and allocate AOG resources. And, the first reality is that there are only eleven of us in the boardroom. From this flows the second reality: we need your help.

For our AOG to move forward to serve the expanding needs of the membership; to increase AOG support for the Cadet Wing; and to protect the heritage and traditions of our school, it will be necessary for the AOG membership to get involved and to help the board assure that the AOG will be an important and influential player in the future ofthe Academy.

The AOG board sets policies and oversees AOG projects and programs administered by the AOG staffby utilizing a committee system. At present, the board has organized under the committee structure in place on July 1. An effort has been initiated to assess the adequacy of the current committee line-up and Board Vice Chair Pat Rosenow, ’76, will offer recommendations to the board for possible changes that will lend efficiency and lead to more effective committee activities. But, independent ofhow we consolidate or realign board committees, the fact is the work still needs to be done; and we need members to join with the directors to tackle committee projects. Ifyou’ve ever been tempted to get involved, ifyou’rejust curious what goes on a board committee, or ifyou have Some great ideas and are looking for a way to get them in front ofthe board, you need to visit the AOG Web site to review the committee list and to raise your hand.

The new Class Advisory Senate is a new management tool that no other board has enjoyed. It is an outcome ofthe 2006 bylaws, and it promises to add an entirely new dimension to the management of our association. The CAS is organized and functioning; and it will rapidly become an important communications adjunct to the board. CAS President Dick Sexton, ’60, and his loyal group ofClass Senators have embraced the organizational task aggressively and are now available to provide advisory services to the board.

Initial topics the board has asked the CAS to investigate include bylaws revisions, the AOG Chapter Program, and membership expansion. A point that should not be lost is that the CAS is designed to be a two-way communications tool; i.e. while the board will task the CAS to interact with the membership for input on specific topics, the CAS is also designed to be a communications conduit for the members to make their views and ideas known to the board.

At the August board meeting, we discussed and approved a resolution that affirms, among other things, our commitment to the bedrock purposes ofthe AOG. For some, it will seem like an unnec

essary gesture; but, for all, it should serve as a reaffirmation that the governance struggle that has occupied us all over the past 3+ years will have a positive outcome. This board collectively, and each director individually, is committed to making the AOG everything it should be; and we will work hard to fulfill your expectations.

A final thought... for those who may need convincing that the AOG civil war is over and no longer a part of board thinking or a distraction to the achievement ofAOG goals, I can report that the AOG Reunification Committee has officially dissolved as a Colorado corporation. The symbolic end ofthe ARC story occurred at the August Board Meeting when Will Honea, ’64, presented the AOG with a check representing the residual corporate assets of the ARC. The presentation of the check fulfilled a promise made by the ARC to the membership; and it signaled the close of one era and the initiation of a new chapter in the evolution of the AOG.

“Let the Members Decide” will survive as a guiding principle for our AOG, and we can all feel good that the future of the AOG is squarely in the hands of the membership. KS

BOARD RESOLUTION

"Whereas, the Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy concluded its biennial election of directors on April 30, 2007 in which 7,194 members (30.8 percent of the membership) participated and,

Whereas, the Board wishes to continue the Association's programs and successes, and

Whereas, the Board wishes to increase graduate and membership participation in AOG programs and communications with the Board;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Board

1. Thanks the AOG membership for its participation in the 2007 elections;

2. Thanks the former Directors for their selfless and outstanding service;

3. Pledges to support the AOG's vision, mission, and core purpose of fundraising as stated in the current Bylaws; and,

4. Invites members to continue their communication with the Boardand their participation in AOG programs."

SHARPENING THE EDGE OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE:

INNOVATIONS WITH STAYING POWER

By Brig. Gen. Dana Born, '83, Dean of Faculty

From its earliest days, the Air Force Academy has been known for its bold innovations in military education. In its first decade, these innovations included an enrichment program which allowed cadets to advance in our curriculum as fast as their ability, experience, and motivation would allow. We take many aspects of our academic program for granted now, but things like validation credit for previous college courses, electives, overloads, and academic majors-for-all were radical innovations at the time. Due in part to that kind of progressive approach to education at our inception, the Academy was recognized in a rather remarkable way: in an action that was virtually unprecedented, USAFA received national accreditation before its first class even graduated. We can also take pride in noting that innovations launched here have shaped curricula at our sister service academies. The same spirit

of innovation and educational excellence continues to characterize our educational programs.

In my Checkpoints article one year ago, I told you about two very significant developments: the creation of a developmental core curriculum and the establishment of Institutional Outcomes, which guide the design and assessment of developmental experiences for cadets across our mission elements as well as in our foundational character and leadership development programs. These outcomes represent our institutionaldefinition of the responsibilities, skills, and knowledge needed in graduates to lead with character in the 21 st century. As a reminder, there are 19 outcomes, distributed across three broad domains (Figure 1).

These outcomes define a shared purpose and intent across our mission elements. Equally importantly, we are building greater alignment and interdependence

Photo by Danny Meyer

than ever before in the ways we develop these outcomes in cadets. The outcomes represent what every person and every agency across the Academy is trying to nurture in cadets, and they represent the measure of success we will use in assessing not only our respective but also our collective contributions toward that end.

I continue to believe that adoption of these Institutional Outcomes, and embedding them into our Officer Development System, will prove to be one of the most important actions in USAFA’s history. Let me add that “most important” does not mean “easy.” Yet, I’m encouraged by the examples I see daily ofways our intentionally aligned curriculum is paying off and can become instinctive—part of our culture, part of our organizational DNA.

To help facilitate this continuing change, I am pleased to announce the recent appointment of Dr. Rich Hughes to the newly-created position of USAFA

Transformation Chair. Dr. Hughes will work with senior leaders across the Academy to help lead the transformation of our Academy in ways that ensure we are meeting our mission ofproducing leaders of character. Dr. Hughes is a 1967 graduate of the Academy and from 1985 until 1995 served as Permanent Professor and Head of USAFA’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership.

WHAT'S NEW?

Let me share with you two of our newest innovations: a course called the First Year Experience and further enhancements to our language and culture courses/experiences.

First Year Experience (FYE)

Beginning with the Class of 2011, we are offering a First Year Experience program for all entering Fourth-Class cadets. The goal of this program is to help cadets make a successful transition from high school (or a prep school, or community college, or wherever they are coming from) to the rigors of life and learning at USAFA. Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni, ’73, has affectionately referred to this program as “Academic Boot Camp” —something that will help get Fourth-Class cadets ready for suecessful learning experiences, preferably earlier rather than later.

Higher education literature has documented the seemingly growing lack of preparedness of freshmen for the challenges of college life. Certainly, entering college students can, do, and will continue to experience culture shock. Take, for example, study time. Surveys reflect that college-bound high school seniors only study about 11-14hours a week yet still have 3.00+ grade point averages. Expectations built from several years of inadequate high school study habits that were nonetheless rewarded are not in line with what it takes to succeed with academic challenges that first-year students face anywhere, let alone here at the Academy. While we’ve always intended the Academy to be a challenging experience, we’ve also always

believed it’s important for incoming cadets to expect it to be challenging. We need to help Fourth-Class cadets avoid digging themselves a deep hole based on counterproductive habits and unrealistic expectations, and that’s in part what the FYE hopes to do.

There are about 4,200 US institutions ofhigher learning and, of these, almost all have a first-year experience program ranging from the superficial to the quite sophisticated. Not surprisingly, FYE programs are sometimes ephemeral, rising, going away, and sometimes even reappearing. We’re trying to build staying power into USAFA’s FYE program by assuring it has clear and focused objectives, broad institutional support, and the ownership of our faculty. We know we can help our first-year students even more by grounding them in theskills and attitudes they need to succeed. Cadets need to know what resources and strategies are available to them throughout their academic journey; this FYE course is exactly the compass they need to keep them on point and maximize their learning.

USAFA will be the first ofthe Military Service Academies to make FYE a formal course. Counting as a one-credit-hour course, it will consist of a total of 14 lessons, about V2 ofwhich will take place prior to the academic year (i.e., during BCT and transition week) andthe other halfofwhich will take place duringperiodically scheduled Dean’s Time (1230-1320) in the Fall and Spring semesters. Class sizes are kept small (about 16 cadets each), and the sessions are structured to be very interactive andhands-on. Topics covered will include basic study skills, time management as applied to USAFA, decision making skills, class preparation strategies, and knowing how to leverage personal strengths and compensate for weaknesses. Again, think ofFYE as an intentional, purposeful process that focuses on key elements in a cadet’s road to academic success and enduringlearning.

In order to appreciate the true scope of this endeavor, it’s important to understand that it will take about 80 members of faculty and staff to serve as Instructors in our FYE, and we estimate that each of them will spend many hours in lesson prepara

tion and meetings with cadets. And, this is on top of an already full workload. So, join me in recognizing the dedicatedand professional faculty and staffwho support this huge investment of effort-it’s one we believe will help Fourth Classmen be more effective in managing all of their responsibilities here.

USAFA OUTCOMES

FIGURE 1

Societal, Professional and Individual Responsibilities

Ethical Reasoning and Action Respect for Human Dignity Service to the Nation

Lifelong Development and Contributions

• Intercultural Competence and Involvement

Intellectual and Warrior Skills

Quantitative and Information

Literacy

Oral and Written Communication

Critical Thinking

• Decision Making

Stamina

Courage

• Discipline Teamwork

Knowledge ofthe Profession ofArms

• Heritage and Application ofAir, Space and Cyberspace Power

National Security and Full Spectrum ofJoint and Coalition Warfare

• Civic, Cultural and International Environments

• Ethics and Foundations of Character

Principles of Science and Scientific Method

Principles ofEngineering and the Application ofTechnology

Language and Culture Programs

Another area of continuing innovation is with our language and culture programs. USAFA’s culture and language programs continue to expand opportunities for cadets to enroll in language courses and to participate in overseas study/travel. This is important for many reasons, and represents one of the ways USAFA supports Department of Defense guidance concerning the importance oflanguage and culture education at the service Academies. There are many indications of this increased emphasis: enrollments in foreign language classes overall have increased significantly over last year, including in the strategic languages ofArabic, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese; we will be offering Portuguese for the first time ever to cadets in fall 2007; and, our foreign language faculty has expanded from 29 members in 2005 to 35 in 2007. Were in the process of a major foreign language lab renovation which will provide new and expanded capabilities to employ state-of-the-art, interactive software.

We have also increased overseas study and travel opportunities. For example, 178 cadets participated in 4-week language immersion programs in 12 countries—the most ever, and a 35 percent increase over the preceding year. What’s more, 147 cadets traveled to 21 different countries for one-to-two week cultural orientation trips, a 350 percent increase over the preceding year. For the first time ever, 12 cadets will have the opportunity to study a semester abroad in China, Morocco, and Russia for the fall semester. Two cadets will participate in the inaugural Japanese academy exchange program during the fall 2007 semester. An additional 18 cadets will participate in similar semester-long exchange programs in Canada, Chile, France, Germany and Spain, bringing the total number of semester abroad programs to an historic high of 32. Semester exchange programs are also being actively pursued in Argentina andBrazil.

Instruction in culture continues to be an integral part of our core curriculum which is now aligned with newly-adopted institutional outcomes that cite “knowledge of... civic, culture and international

environments” as an institutional goal. All cadets take nine courses wherein culture is a major emphasis.

Language skills, cultural immersion, exposure to foreign programs—these are but some ofways in which the Academy sharpens its academic edge. Of course, as we continue to hone our academic edge with innovations like these we also take advantage of the staying power derived from what’s been constant in our success over the years. We continue to put priority on the importance of small class sizes, a high quality faculty, excellent facilities and technologies, and summer research and other broadening experiences for cadets.

HOW ARE WE DOING?

Colleges and universities not onlygive grades, theyget grades! Such “grades” for colleges and universities come in the form of accreditation. I mentioned earlier that the Academy was first accredited before its first class even graduated, but every institution must be re-accredited every ten years (best case). We’ve already started preparations for our next accreditation visit, scheduled for April 2009. The Air Force requires USAFA to maintain a fully accredited Bachelor of Science program. But accreditation is more than just an academic pursuit, it involves every aspect of our mission: academics, athletics, military training, and even our base logistics and support. So, for the next 18 months members from across all USAFA’s mission elements will be conducting an extensive self-evaluation of all of our programs. Yes, it is a tough test. Yes, it is difficult to study, digest, and summarize ten years of program and curricular development. But, I know we can do it. In fact, our new Institutional Outcomes provide the kind of opportunity we’ve never had before to ensure real and robust integration across every part of the Academy experience.

It’s also encouraging that even as we prepare for our 2009 accreditation visit USAFA continues to be recognized nationally for our institutional excellence. For example, in the first time ever that Military Service Academies have been included in its rankings, U.S. News and World Report magazine rated the Air Force

Academy #1 in the Western region among four year baccalaureate colleges. Also, for the third year in a row, the Academy has been rated the #1 college in the country by the Princeton Review for faculty making themselves accessible to students.

Of course, our ultimate measure of success is in our graduates. It was testimony to the quality of our cadets and of our educational program that there was a Rhodes Scholar in our first graduating class, and three in our fourth graduating class. I take heart that our cadets continue to excel in the Academy’s rigorous, demanding academic program. Did you know that the Class of 2007 added its own mark of distinction to this record? They graduated with a Rhodes Scholar, a National Science Foundation Scholar, three Fulbrights and numerous other prestigious scholarships. In all, 74 cadets in the Class of 2007 won various forms of post-graduate study.

The Air Force Academy always has been—and continues to be—a place known for excellence in education. That excellence has been born on innovations with staying power. Such staying power will only increase as we build greater intentionality, alignment, and interdependence in the educational and training experiences we provide cadets. I applaud and thank the friends and families of the AOG who also have staying power. Your longterm investment in academic programs has kept USAFA’s academic edge sharp and has truly helped prepare those in our long blue line to serve our Air Force and Nation to their fullest potential. KS

rom 1955 to 1975, the Air Garden was truly a unique place. The design and implementation of the Academy Air Garden remained at highquality for those first few years. Unfortunately, simple maintenance problems and leaks led to the filling of the pools, fountains, and recessed landscaped areas. There were other problems with the Air Garden including architect Dan Kiley’s choices for fauna.

One of those problems was the tree type chosen for the Air Garden. Kiley designed

A historical perspective

the Air Garden for four hundred or more Thornless Honeylocust trees. According to Duane Boyle, the problem was that Honeylocust trees were originally selected because they are very open with their branch and leaf structure. They are popular with architects because when 400 are combined, they have a presence, but one can still see the architecture through them.

The problem is that Honeylocusts only grow at altitudes up to 7,000 feet. The cadet area is at 7,000 feet, so they’re right on the edge of their growing range. But when they are planted in an environment

By 2Lt. Michael Lebovitz, '06

Photos by Ken Wright

on the terrazzo, where they get a lot of wind and are unprotected, as well as prone to overwatering becasue of efforts to keep green grass, the root structure becomes irreparably harmed. Today, only 129 of the original trees are still alive. These remaining trees now have enough space

mm m? m

to develop healthy root systems and add great beauty to the garden.

Another maintenance problem was the landscaping areas next to the reflecting pools. The areas were three feet lower than the ground level, with steps in each landscape area. Maintaining these areas was too difficult because the Academy had to drag lawn mowers down into these areas to mow the grass. This simple task became too burdensome and in 1975, the Academy decided to fill the reflecting pools and recessed landscaped areas with dirt.

Part II of II # # # #■ # #

Of course, even though the reasons the garden changed so much was simple, there were many false rumors. One rumor was the pools leaked into a room underneath. In reality, they did not leak into anything because there is no room, only dirt, under the pools. There were pools that leaked but they were in the Fairchild courtyard, not the Air Garden. One rumor was that cadets injured themselves on nozzles so they filled in the reflecting pools. When Dan Kiley discussed his work at the Academy sometime between 1986 and 1987, he

inquired about the filled-in reflecting pools. He was told, “That exuberant cadets, after exciting athletic successes such as beating Army, would throw each other into the pools resulting sometimes in cadets being impaled on the nozzles with apparently some substantial injuries, so the pools and nozzles were removed.” According to Duane Reed, a USAFA archivist, “there have been no incidents where cadets have been injured from being thrown on top of a nozzle to my knowledge.”

There were a lot of traditions associated with the Air Gardens. Cadets are still not allowed to enter the Air Garden during their first year. They can enter the Air Garden only after Recognition. Retired Colonel Dick Rauschkolb, ’70, said “one of the traditions after the graduation parade was you threw the firsties into the Air Gardens. When the marble strips get wet, they get pretty slick. There were some major injuries that prevented people from going to pilot training.” Nancy Burns, who started working at the Academy in 1966, remembers seeing the fountains filled with red Jell-O and soap.

In 1975, the Academy filled most of Kiley’s landscaping with dirt. There were some simple reasons for filling in the Air Gardens with unfortunate consequences. The pool design was a management headache. Simple maintenance was difficult because to fix one pool, the entire pool system had to be drained.

One of the unfortunate consequences again had to do with trees. Instead of raising the entire tree when the recessed areas were filled with dirt, the trees’ roots were buried a few feet and thus died. Additionally, the new irrigation system did not provide proper amounts of water. The new system over-waters the trees, thus killing more trees. Even the wind beats the trees up and kills them. Flooding was not an issue before, but now according to the Air Base Wing Civil Engineers, there

is flooding in the pump room. During fall or summer time when leaves fell off the trees the gardeners must rake leaves off the water and clear them from the recesses. This simple maintenance issue was another reason the Academy felt it necessary to fill in the pools and landscaped areas.

“These pretty simple reasons had drastic and unfortunate consequences,” said Boyle. Now we have a lot ofdead trees.

Trees aren’t there anymore, water features are gone. It doesn’t have the character it once had, and this middle part is actually pretty boring.” The original designer’s work simply disappeared over time.

After Kiley’s work ended at the Academy, the Corps ofEngineers became the architectural decision makers. Their designs for the Academy did not match the designs created by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. For example, the Corps ofEngineers poorly designed the Field House and the building on Observatory Hill. In addition to the Corps ofEngineers, consultants from various contracting firms made decisions until 1983 when Boyle and THK Landscape Architecture became part of the design team. Boyle brought SOM back, and Kiley was rehired as a consultant. Prior to their return, the last building SOM created was the Cadet Chapel. Today the landscape architect for the Air Garden is Kevin Shanks, ofTHK.

Many of Kiley’s landscape plans were never built and some that were implemented, he did not approve. In response to the treatment of the Air Garden, for example, Kiley said he “felt frustrated [more was not done on the base] and the trees in the Air Garden were not replaced as they died.” On the other hand, Boyle consulted Kiley on recreating the reflecting pools, should adequate funding become available.

From 1993 to 1994, with the support of then-Superintendent Lt. Gen. Bradley Hosmer, ’59, the Academy dug the dirt out of the pools at the ends of the garden. When Boyle interviewed General Hosmer in the early 90s, the general revealed “he thought the fountains were spectacular when he had been there and it was unfortunate they had to be taken out because

water was leaking into the building underneath.” Of course, this popular rumor was not true. Boyle explained to the general the Academy chose to remove the fountains because of maintenance issues. A few weeks later, civil engineering got a note from Hosmer wondering what it would take to get the fountains restored.

The next step was complying with the note. Base CE did not know the conditions ofthe nozzles, lights, and seal on the tanks when their predecessor filled them. CE suspected thetanks were still there. The problem was there was no one working at base CE that had been here when the Academy filled the pools/recesses. Boyle had the north pool excavated and in the process, nozzles, lights, and tanks were all found intact. They damaged some nozzles when digging, but the damages were easily repairable. There was now sufficient information to restore the fountains.

General Hosmer took great interest in seeing the fountains restored becasue of the generous amount of attention the Air Garden received from the public, and new technology to remedy previous maintenance problems.

“There were technological improvement in pumps and sealing so that the problems that shut them downcould be fixed,” said Hosmer. “That persuaded me that we could restore them. The other thing that moved me was the publicity the Air Garden got in photos of the fountain at night. The photo appeared in movie trailers and brochures and it was a shame we weren’t making some mileage [from it].”

The fountains reopened at the 1994 Ring Dance. The next step in the restoration process was to recreate the reflecting pools through the middle of the Air Garden.

When Kiley came back to consult, he brought some ideas to save money and help prevent painstaking maintenance problems. For example, the nozzles remained in their original locations. Original pools had underwater swimming pool lights in them. At night the pools glowed. The problem was that in order to replace those lights you had to drain the entire pool to replace them. In the north and south pools there are 85,000 gallons

of water. So when the bulbs burned out, it took a tremendous effort to replace them. In order to avoid the problem, the lights were put on pedestals that lift out of the water. Kiley came up with that.

Some of the other repair plans included rebuilding the pump room because of flooding. Currently, the pump room nearest Mitchell Hall is under repair. There are ideas to save water and money should the Academy fund the restoration of the reflecting pools. Currently, the pools are at their original depth of about three feet. One idea calls for the creation of a false bottom which would take out 2-2.5 feet of water. A new concrete slab would set the water level at ten inches deep. In order to regulate the flow of water in and out of the pools without draining, the pools would be in zones. The Academy saved money when they reused the pump room near Mitchell Hall. In order to make the restoration of the two fountains affordable, they built a new pump room at the north end. Plans call for a third pump room for the reflecting pools in the old underground reservoir area.

The plan also addresses the irrigation system because it saturates some areas more than others. Part of the project to repair the Air Garden is to remove the old irrigation system and put a new system in place. Additionally, the Academy will lower the landscaped areas and put ground cover in places that will not need mowing or watering. The new ground cover will help keep maintenance minimal. The Academy recently experimented with trees that can survuve in this mountainous terrain by planting fruitless crab apple trees at then north and south ends.

The restoration of the Air Garden to its full brilliance is not a new concept. Many people and graduates are interested in helping resotore the reflecting pools and lowering the tree recesses. The project is on the table, but it is very costly (about $600,000). According to Boyle, it is feasible to return the Air Garden to its original European geometrical glory with the help of a grant, donations, and government funds.

“We need to redo them and get them back in shape; it was a pretty spectacular place said Boyle.

Many graduates are also eager to see the garden restored. With the help of Boyle and others, those hopes are not just a fantasy. Though Evergreen hedges, grassy areas, and reflecting pools disappeared in 1975, the fountains eventually returned. This was a major improvement and indicates a positive future. S

(Editor’s Note: Author 2Lt. Michael Lebovitz wrote this article as a report while a senior at theAcademy. His work was so impressive that it was recentlypassedalong to usforpublication.)

Further Reading

Bruegmann, Robert, ed. Modernism at

Mid Century theArchitecture ofUSAFA. Chicago: Univ. Press, 1994.

Dan Kiley. Bibliography on-line. Available from http://www.gardenvisit.eom/b/ kiley.htm; accessed 6 April 2006.

Fagan, George V. The Air Force Academy an Illustrated History. Boulder: Johnson Books, 1988.

“Fifty Years ofExcellence: A Publication Celebrating 50 Years of the U.S. Air Force Academy.” (April 2004).

Richardson, Jim. The United States Air Force Academy. Louisville: Har-

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GUIDING BODY

BY ROBERT STUART

PHOTOS BY KEN WRIGHT

"It's amazing to see how my body works," triathlete and 1 st Lt. Lisa Newman-Wise said with red face and sweat dampened hair, following her V02 max test at the Air Force Academy’s Human Performance Laboratory. She was describing her initial impression ofthe aerobic exercise test debriefing with lab director Maj. Michael Brothers, a 1994 Academygraduate and former world-class biathlete.

The encouraging results, formulated from 14 minutes of relentless pedal pounding on a cycle ergometer, were undoubtedly fueled by Brothers’ enthusiastic shouts of support and a CD player’s pulsating rock beat, courtesy of punk band The Offspring. This invaluable insight into the lieutenant’s endurance and training may help the bioenvironmental engineer attain “peak performance’’ at the Oct. 13 Ford Ironman World

Previous page, top: Members of the women’s tennis team fill the basement hallway while working to improve peripheral vision. Bottom: C1C Matt Kennedy has his body fat measured with the DEXA, or dual-energy x-ray. Using the scan to help guide his workout plans, Kennedy has lost more than 15 lbs. of fat and gained 3 lbs. of lean tissue this summer.

Top: 1st Lt. Lisa Newman-Wise uses a cycle ergometer to help her find the path to peak performance. Maj. Michael Brothers analyzes her body’s reaction using V02 Max Test technology. (Photo by Robert Stuart) Middle: C1C Anthony Mitchell uses “plus-minus” glasses to help his eyes adjust between objects near and far away. Bottom: Coach Al Wile instructs C1C Cheryl Watkins on using a near-far test. With hopes of one day being a C-17 pilot, Watkins practices to improve her depth perception and lock in pilot qualification.

Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. This is the Human Performance Lab in action.

Hidden deep within the Cadet Gym is a modest lab where science and sport converge. At the bottom of a stairwell, a white cardboard sign hangs from a water pipe announcing the USAFA Human Performance Laboratory. Small trampolines line the hallways edge. Random letters fill eye charts tacked to the walls. A young cadet, in his dress blue uniform, steals a few minutes from his busy day and exercises his tracking ability at a Saccades (rapid eye movement) test station. He lightly bounces on a trampoline, reciting rows ofletters in 30-second intervals, a stopwatch clutched in his right hand. Meanwhile, staffmembers wearing blue track pants and white polo shirts, move about an equipment-filled room, calling out names and measuring the necks and waists of nervous cadets waiting to know if they are “fat” or within Academyweight guidelines.

A staff ofthree researchers and educators run the 40-year-old institution. Established in 1967, the USAFA Human Performance Lab’s primary function is to “apply sports science principles to improve USAFA athletic teams and individual cadet athletic performance.” The mission has expanded as a result of the lab’s growth and research findings, and today serves a secondary mission as an Air Force wide “fitness program and human performance subject matter expert.”

Eyes are what excite Coach A.L. Wile. His enthusiasm is infectious when he talks about the lab’s sports vision program. Wile, the selfprofessed “father” ofthe lab’s eye training, has been leading the way since 1994. “It’s phenomenal how much the brain can process ifyou work the eyes with it,” says Wile, who has a master’s degree in sports medicine and is the lone civilian on staff. “The first year we started the sports vision program, our baseball team led the nation in hitting.”

Since that early success thousands of cadets have taken part in the program, each with their own sport specific and vocational needs. Testing and training in eye tracking, binocular vision, visual concentration, and eye, hand and body coordination, are just some of the needs met by the sports vision program. “There is nothing greater than taking a kid that walks in here, all upset because he flunked his pilot’s qualification test and then he comes back in three months and he says ‘I passed, coach.’ How can you get greater satisfaction than that?” says Wile with a smile breaking from beneath his white mustache.

“I’m picking off balls that I probably would not have gotten before,” says Cadet 3rd Class Erlyn Rudico. A member of the women’s tennis team and Class of 2010, Rudico has been using the lab for the last year and a half. “As far as my volleys go, they are quicker thanwhen I started.” Improvements in cadet visual skills fall in a range of 15 percent to more than 100 percent. Numbers like this have brought broad recognition to the USAFA sports vision program. Olympians, world-class athletes, NCAA, Nike, and other sports industry giants have consulted Wile, all eager to apply his knowledge and expertise to their own specific needs and projects. “Sports vision is where weight training was 20 years ago,” says Wile. “It’s getting ready to bust wide open.”

Wile predicts that within the next decade we will see sports vision principles applied to the needs of school children and the elderly.

“Very few universities have a dedicated human performance lab just for athletic teams,” says Maj. Brandon Doan, a 1992 Academy grad and chiefofthe USAFA Human Performance Branch. Doan, who has a doctorate in human bioenergetics has utilized the facility as both a cadet and researcher. “The lab has been through cycles ofhow active it’s been. The last 12 years have been pretty busy.” Today’s thriving lab serves USAFA’s 27 men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams, conducting more than 4,000 individual performance assessments annually at a cost ofseveral thousand dollars for the average athlete. Along with the sports vision program, the lab offers a full menu ofservices for coaches and cadets. Body composition, maximal oxygen consumption tests, Wingate tests that measure upper and lower body anaerobic power, lactate thresholddetermination, biomechanical assessment, and running economy testing are alloffered on a need by need basis.

Body composition is the most utilized testing outside the sports vision program. “Anyone can come down and use this service,” says Brothers. “Usually those who are in need oflosingweight or athletes interested in tracking their fitness progress are those that use this testing.” It’s the relationship between total weight and lean bodyweight to fat weight ratio that determines an individual’s ideal mass. The lab measures body fat percentage using several different methods. One of the most popular and advanced techniques is the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA. The procedure takes just minutes and yields a tremendous amount ofinformation. The fully-clothed patient is aligned in a horizontal position and must remain stillwhile an x-ray scanner, located directly above the individual, slowly moves from head to toe. A printed report ofthe scan paints an indisputable picture of the body’s composition. Total body bone density and total body tissue analysis, which includes fat mass ratios, fat distribution, and body mass index, are all vital details that help build a valuable data base for comparison and monitoring purposes. This return ofinformation helps the cadet formulate a plan ofattack whether the issue is weight loss or simply the desire to reach a higher performance level. If corrections are made and guidelines followed, the cadet will reach the desired outcome. In some cases a three to five day dietary analysis is administered. The results enable staffand coaches to see the amount ofcalories an athlete is consuming and determine ifthese calories are supplying the proper amount ofnutrition. This test combined with DEXA can determine ifand why a cadet is losing muscle or fat.

Research is an integral part of the Human Performance Lab’s mission and in the spring of 2006 administrators signed the Human Effectiveness Directorate with the Air Force Research Laboratory. This “memorandum of understanding” stipulates that resources will be shared to solve problems that affect troops on the playing field and battlefield.

The Human Performance Lab now works closely with Department ofDefense, Army, Air Force, and civilian researchers to find ways to improve military performance and minimize risk to our troops.

“Our Special Forces are getting hammered in Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Brothers, his eyes wide behind wire-framed glasses. He’s referring to the inherent problems that arise when troops living at predominantly sea level home stations are deployed to regions that take them 7,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. Brothers, who has a

Ph.D. in exercise physiology, has played a pivotal role in a collaborative acclimatization study with the University of Colorado. “This study has been groundbreaking,” says Brothers. “Everyone has just assumed that you don’t need to adapt or you adapt quickly to higher altitudes.” The study has found that on average it can take a minimum of seven months for a soldier to fully acclimate to moderate and high elevations and in some casesa year or longer.

Brothers hopes to secure a $150,000 grant to fund a follow-up study that will explore the duration and possible genetic component of individual altitude adaptability. A better understanding of individual acclimatization could help commanders screen soldiers and determine who can effectively and quickly adapt to missions at higher elevations. This method would allow for a much safer and efficient use of forces.

Acute mountain sickness and high altitude cerebral/pulmonary edema are also obstacles that seriously affect a percentage of deployed troops. Solutions to these problems are being researched in tandem with expertise from both the Human Performance Lab and the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine atop Pikes Peak and at the Academy.

Athlete over-training is also ofmajor interest at the lab. Several projects with the Academy’s intercollegiate teams have been designed to find ways to quickly and accurately predict and monitor athlete over-training. “Given the fact that cadetathletes are already getting less sleep and have more responsibilities and stressors than their peers at civilian universities, they can be more susceptible to athletic over-training injuries,” says Brothers. Knowledge ofcadet athlete baseline stress levels will help coaches tailor workouts to keep their teams healthy and performing at optimum levels.

All the time and energy expended by a small staffworking in a basement lab, testing, researching, and creating avenues to better human performance, ultimately allows them to shape the future oftheir primary and most valued customer, the cadet. “Working with athletes. Working with anybody at the Air Force Academy; you can’t get a better job,” says Wile, his eyes conveying the message as much as his words. “They are the greatest young adults in the world.” m

Top: Tennis player C1C Lauren Wilson concentrates on improving her hand-eye coordination while taking an Accuvision board test while teammate C4C Sarah Cassman encourages her. Bottom: C1C Anthony Mitchell uses a “BrockTest” to help improve his depth perception. Mitchell hopes his practice will help secure a seat in a cockpit next year.

Academy earns high marks - again

By Patrick Winn, Air Force Times

Once again, the Air Force Academy is featured prominently in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings, emerging this year as America’s best college in the western region.

Among schools in and west ofTexas, the academy was deemed the top school among baccalaureate colleges, a classification for institutions focusing mostly on professional degrees. In this category, the academy claims the region’s highest graduation rate—79 percent—and thelowest application acceptance rate, 19 percent.

U.S. News & WorldReport's annual college rankings, which cover more than 1,900 schools, are considered one ofthe premier measures of a college’s standing. The rankings are promoted as a tool to college applicants seeking the best college for the best value.

#7 Best overall undergraduate engineering program

#2 Best aeronautical and astronautical engineering program

#7 Best civil engineering program

#8 Best electrical engineering program

#83 Best business program

AcademyTRICARE enrollment policy changes for retirees, families

By USAFA Public Affairs

The Academy’s 10th Medical Group is changing the enrollment policy for retirees and their family members.

Previously, retirees and family members had to seek the approval of the 10th Medical Group commander before enrolling with a civiliannetwork Primary Care Manager.

The policy has been changed to allow retirees and their family members to choose a civiliannetwork PCM when they enroll.

Retirees and their family members, currently enrolled to 10th MDG providers, will get a letter in the mail offering the same opportunity to choose a civilian provider. No one will be forced to switch to a civilian PCM. It’s voluntary at this time.

The policychange does not apply to active duty members or their families. However, active dutyfamily members may request a civilian PCM ifthey have special circumstances. That application still requires the 10th Medical Group commander’s approval. A change for patients with medical conditions needing an Intensive Care Unit admission is also coming as a result ofinsufficient manning due to deployments among the 10 MDG staff. The ICU will go on “divert” status in midAugust until deployed medical personnel return in early 2008.

Patients needing this higher level of care will be transferred to either Evans Army Community Hospital or one of the local civilian ICUs. The Multi-Service Unit will remain open to handle

routine admissions. To enroll in TRICARE Prime, change a PCM, or for more information concerning the changes, visit the Beneficiary Service Center on the 1 st floor of the Academy Hospital, or call the TRICARE Flight at 333-5597.

Cadets learn CE skills through FERL

By USAFA Public Affairs

A group ofAcademy cadets spent their first weeks of summer getting their hands dirty to gain practical engineering experience.

The three-week Field Engineering and Readiness Laboratory exposed cadets to several aspects of civil engineering, including heavy equipment operation, steel bridge construction, designing and pouring concrete beams and paving portions of a road.

Additionally, cadets worked together to construct two hogans, cadet-designed versions of traditional eight-sided Navajo homes, from the ground up. The homes later will be donated to members of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.

Cadets learned from a cadre ofupperclassmen and active duty civil engineers, as well as several members ofthe Reserve who makethe trip each year to help mentor and lead the future Air Force engineers.

The three weeks of FERL, held in the Jacks Valley training area, followed a two-week session ofvisits to active-duty Air Force bases, where cadets work with civil engineering officers and receive a first-hand look at base-level civil engineering operations.

The FERL course, which is supported by the Association of Graduates, is offered each year during the first summer period and is a requirement for every cadet majoring in civil engineering.

Cadets get firsthand knowledge of deployments

By Senior Airman Clarke Staehie

Members of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted a rotation ofAcademy cadets who visited Southwest Asia this summer to experience a deployment firsthand.

The cadets toured the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, security forces andthe fire department to give them a better working knowledge of the Air Force.

Many people noticed the cadets by their uniforms—white shirts with blue collars with the word “USAFA” in blue letters, or their desert camouflage uniforms with names and service, but no rank on their collars or sleeves.

“We were with (the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron) one day and we saw the firefighters who explained their job and how they responded to building fires, aircraft fires and also small medical emergencies,” said Cadet 1st Class Daniel McLaughlin. “While we were there they had to respond to one and they had to takeoff. I was impressed by that. They heard the

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announcement, jumped in the truck and took off. It’s good to know they’re there.”

Much of the cadets’ time here is spent shadowing units around base. The cadets are often put into jobs that might fall into their purview once they graduate.

Most units had an Academy cadet spend time shadowing them. This has two benefits: It gives them the opportunity to experience the operational Air Force and it also allows them to gain experience in their career field.

“I’ve learned a lot; not only about how a deployment and the ops tempo works, but also I’velearned about pilot training,” said Cadet 1st Class Nick Haiar, an operations research major who will be a pilot after graduating. “By working with the flying squadrons now, I can see what’s beyond pilot training. I’ve learned a lot that I can use in the future.”

Global Engagement teaches leadership, base deployment

By Tech. Sgt. Larry A. Simmons

Quietly, the military members move through the woods looking for the enemy, scanning for any movement in the trees. Then, shots ring out in the air and they must react as one unit to survive. In that moment, the training they have learned takes over as they capture the enemy and return home safely.

This is just another day at Global Engagement.

Global Engagement is a USAFA summer course that teaches cadets the expeditionary Air Force concept of deploying, establishing a bare-base operation, executing their mission, defending their base and re-deploying home.

“We are starting them with the basics of deployment life and we try to make it as realistic as possible of a real-world deployment where anything can happen,” said Staff Sgt. Cesar Ochoa, a security forces instructor for Global Engagement.

Global Engagement uses the expeditionary Air Force bare base concept to reach objectives and exposes them several other career field responsibilities while on deployment including security forces, base support and civil engineering.

Cadets learn to establish perimeter security, how to conduct patrols, staff an entry control point and other aspects of air base defense. They also receive hands-on training in bed-down planning, communications, troop feeding, airfield lighting, mortuary, medical operations, weather forecasting, tent construction, recreation and chaplain support. The cadets learn all this while using their new tactics knowledge and communication skills to defend against continuous attacks by opposition forces.

“I have learned a lot of good infantry tactics and it feels about as realistic as it can get,” said Cadet 3rd Class Cory Elouse.

“Learning the tactics with the right use of communication, we are starting to work together as one unit.”

Cadets are also taught to understand the role of honor on the battlefield and in leadership with special attention to how critical teamwork is to mission accomplishment.

“In the heat of the moment, the training kicks in like second nature,” Cadet House said. “When I first got here, I was everywhere. But now, I am confident in my abilities if I am ever with an infantry unit. I don’t feel green anymore. I’m lovin’ it!” SS

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DOOLIE 'DO' IS JUST THE START

1,250 Doolies begin tough weeks

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WASORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 29 AS THE CLASS OF 2011 ENTERED THEIR FIRST DAYS AT THE AIR

FORCE ACADEMY

By Khari Johnson, The Gazette Photos by Ken Wright

Fresh faces climb onto yellow school buses, some shooting halfsmiles to onlooking family members, their last goodbyes until the fall.

Only the engine can be heard on the strangely quiet bus until, shortly after turning the corner, less than a minute after departing, the silence breaks.

“All right, all eyes on me,” Cadet Lt. Col. Adam Voci orders the bus ofyoung doolies, or freshmen. “We will not tolerate mediocrity in your actions, because your position calls you to be at your absolute best!”

“Sound off,” he tells a doolie in the back of the bus, “Sound off. You better start yelling, cause that’s what I’m doing!”

About 1,250 members of the Air Force Academy Class of 2011 arrived Thursday to go through in-processing and begin basic cadet training. Another 52 were unable to make it, mainly due to canceled flights out of Dallas, academy officials said.

Once offthe bus and through another round ofscreaming seniors, doolies are sent through a slew ofprocesses. They are assigned squad-

rons, given hair cuts, immunizations and file life insurance forms before being issued the shoes, boots and uniforms they will wear throughout five ofsix weeks ofbasic training this summer.

“Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me,” academy barber Rachael Graham said.

Graham was set off by the blonde curls hanging just above doolie Joshua Johnson’s shoulders.

“The more hair, the better it is when it falls off,” Graham said, shavingJohnson clean within five minutes. “I love short hair.”

Mark Hunter’s brown afro was 6 to 8 inches long before getting on the bus and inevitably having hishead shaved bald.

From Olympia, Wash., he wants to be an aeronautical engineer. In high school, Hunter ran with the smart kids.

“We all took calculus together,” he said. He has no ROTC or prep experience, and though both his parents were in the Air Force, his mother isn’t sure ifhe s ready for the academy.

“Mom might not be ready, but I feel like I am,” he said, unsure ofhow he will react to the many initiations and rituals he will

endure in the coming months. “I’ve read stuffabout the academy, but it doesn’t really compare to the experience.”

Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins will swear in the class of 2011 today. They’ll all be in camouflage uniforms, but much more will be required before they are considered cadets.

First year cadets are required to march along the white marble lines that crisscross the main plaza ofthe academy and earn the right to wear civilian clothing. They must walk at attention on the right side ofhallways, carry all book bags in their left hand and greet everyone they see, base spokesman John Van Winkle said.

Doolies will go through two weeks oflearning things like military history, decorum and how to march. Another two weeks are spent in Jacks Valley, where doolies live in a tent city while going through intense training. They will come back to the academy and complete trainingAug. 4. Classes will begin the followingThursday.

Two doolies didn’t make it throughThursday, and on average, 70 to 80 doolies drop out ofbasic training every year because of

physical injury or they just can’t take it, Van Winkle said.

That path doesn’t seem likely for Darren Stowe, who came to inprocessing with boots around his neck, his head shaved and his parents Terri and Robert following with cameras.

Stowe, who grew up in Colorado Springs until moving near Dallas, has known he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy since he was 5.

“He would watch the gliders and parachutes and say, ‘That’s what I’m going to do Mommy.’ And he did,” his mother said.

She said her son has set the bar high, a year ofmilitary prep already under his belt. The recruited athlete will be on the wresding team, wants to major in engineering, wants to be a pilot and wants to graduate and excel as an officer.

“He wants to retire in the military,” Terri said. “He perseveres and doesn’t give up.” S

o tell you’re a really OLD GRAD

By Don Brooks, ’59

Illustration by Sarah Wright

WITH 50 YEARS OF USAFA HISTORY being celebrated, a bit ofnostalgia may bring fond (or not so fond) memories back to some of our “more mature” graduates. With profound apologies to JeffFoxworthy, you might be an “old grad” if...

1. You had a “K” serial number (remember those?) and it had less than four numbers.

2. You wore heavily starched khaki uniforms and sky-blue “bunny” suit fatigues.

3. You wore an “Ike” jacket with silver shoulder boards, and a large “prop and wing” above the spit-shined visor ofyour cap.

4. You remember the Denver Laundry’s zipper-ripper and snapper-smasher.

5. You were issued your own M-l rifle; you marched in parades and fired the same rifle.

6. You did the manual of arms while wearing (or not) a pith helmet.

7. You remember establishing our Honor Code and picking the Falcon as the mascot.

8. Your first ride in a jet was in a T-33, flown by an ATO.

9. You know the difference between an ATO, a NATO, and a SNATO.

10. You went to bivouac and attended firepower demonstrations on the Buckley Bombing Range.

11. You flew navigation training missions in a T-29 and helped maintain air superiority over Ponca City.

12. You know how to use a drift meter and can locate and name more than five stars.

13. You remember “Tea Dances” and “Ghoul Pools.”

14. You stayed in the “Thunderbird” and the “Branding Iron”, ordering “beverages” from a store on Colfax (They delivered!).

15. You spent Christmas and Spring Vacations at USAFA as a Doolie.

16. Your remember “The Upper Room” and when Jack Kieffer led the faithful in prayer.

17. You remember going to the Cadet Store and standing in line for ice cream.

18. Your pay was $111.15 per month, deposited into your “account.”

19. Your dorm room had a manual typewriter, you had a blue comforter on your bed, and you used a slide rule.

20. You did chin-ups on a water pipe in the shower room.

21. You remember “Moose,” “Bent-Wing,” “JB,” and “Kenny’s” little finger.

22. You remember “Mrs. Mac,” “Buck Shaw,” “Col. Eich’s” fine dining, and “Garbage Mouth’s” argyle socks.

23. You ever ate 100 prunes, so you could sit “At Ease” for a week.

24. You pushed aircraft from the Lowry flight line to the cadet area.

25. You remember “spots” and “extra spots” on the Quadrangle.

26. You heard Charles Lindbergh speak to the Cadet Wing and remember Joe Yeager’s “motivational” speech.

27. You remember the old blue rectangular busses and roadside rest stops “Air Force Cadets Go.”

28. You attended home football games at DU Stadium, and attended one game at the Broadmoor, played in a rodeo arena.

29. You remember the undefeated football season and made the bus trip to Iowa City.

30. You remember when there were only three squadrons, and you marched to all classes, meals, and to mandatory chapel.

31. You marched in President Eisenhower’s Inaugural Parade and Gen. Harmon’s Retirement Parade.

32. You remember going on cadet trips in “Old Shaky” (a C-124).

33. You remember Bob Hoover’s demonstration flight in a USAFA F-86.

34. You remember when USAFA had F-86’s, T-33’s, B-25’s, C47’s and T-29’s.

35. You visited East Berlin “before the wall.”

36. You were there when the Skyblazer lead “boomed” the bus. (He later wore four stars and commanded TAC.)

37. You attended the very first USAFA Cadet Dining-In at RAF Cranwell.

38. You participated in “jousting” at Cranwell on a bicycle, holding a mop and garbage can lid.

39. You remember the move from Lowry to “The Permanent Site,” and marched in from the North Gate.

40. You weren’t able to buy a car until six weeks before graduation.

Ifyou remember or did more than “a few” of these, you are indeed an OLD GRAD!

* As cadets and graduates ofthe Academy, you hold integrity in the highest regard. Your official ring is created with that same integrity byJostens, your partner in expressing pride in the United States Air Force Academy.

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How a graduate's dream of space travel is rekindled

'THE ACADEMY WAS THE LAUNCH It MY CAREER/' SAYSBJ BJGRKLUND. Al LOOKS LIKE HIS 1970 GRADUATION FR UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY l<

By Robert Stuart

Photos by Ken Wright

TO PROPELFURTHER THAN

GONE BEFORE-SPACE.

The night ofJuly 26, 2005, Bjorklund, now 59, lay asleep in his tent at the AirVenture Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin, oblivious to the possibility that the next day would offer him the opportunity to capture his biggest and most elusive dream; space flight. British bil-

lionaire Sir Richard Branson and aerospace designer Burt Rutan would announce their agreement to form The Spaceship Company, and more importandy, their search for “space ambassadors” to fly aboard prototype SpaceShipTwo in 2009. Purchase of a $200,000 ticket would secure just one of a hundred “founder group” seats on a commercial suborbital flight. It was an opportunity to make history, and perpetuate his grandfathers aviation legacy. Bjorklundjumped at the chance and immediately got Bransons attention. “Where do I sign up? I’ve always wanted to do this. I’ve got the money to do it. It’s a life long goal. I’m ready to sign up right now,” Bjorklund told the Virgin Galactic owner. “Come with me,” was Branson’s reply, as he led the prospect to a tent where he was introduced to an astronaut sales representative. Bjorklund’s dream ofspace flight was in countdown.

“Have I got some news for you,” Bjorklund told his wife, Cathy, in a phone conversation shortly after his fateful encounter with Branson. “You’re going to quit your job and go to the Air Force Academy as an instructor,” Cathy hesitantly replied, from the couple’s second home in Colorado Springs. She had a similar conversation with herhusband three decades earlier when he announced he was resigning from the Air Force, a decision that left Cathy “very disappointed.” She could only guess at what her husband was planning this time. Bjorklund, feeling the magnitude and significance ofhis opportunity, decided that his announcement deserved a grander, more appropriate venue and divulged nothing more to his puzzled wife. His news would not come as a total shock to his family. His wife and two married daughters were fully aware of his propensity “to seize the moment.” Bjorklund admits, “I committed to do it before I even told my wife or kids.”

It was a stroke ofluck that Bjorklund was present at that Oshkosh air show. “I had been to 49 states andhad not yet been to Wisconsin,” the seasoned world traveler says. “I needed an excuse to go to Wisconsin.” He decided the Oshkosh air show would be a “crowning way to get his 50th state,” and went to the show just to see the planes. “I pitched a tent out in a field. The next thing I know I’m talking with Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan and signing up to go into space. It was just crazy,” he says with a staccato laugh, obviously still humored by hisstroke ofluck and good fortune.

Within days of meeting Branson, Bjorklund transferred $200,000 from his investment fund into the billionaire’s spaceliner coffers, an amount he calls “a pretty good bargain” and “an expensive joyride for just a few minutes.” He had officially secured a pioneering role in a fledgling industry, a fact that he does not take lightly. “I like the idea of being a founder and helping to get it off the ground, with the idea that other people down the road will be able to enjoy space travel,” he says. “I’ve always had that pioneer exploration spirit.” That spirit is important to him. He can’t help it. It’s in his genes.

Raised in Santa Monica, Calif., during the space crazed 1950s and 60s, Bjorklund’s lifelong path towards adventureand exploration germinated from the fertile influence and exploits ofhis grandfather, Filip, and to a lesser extent his father, Tex.

Filip Bjorklund, born in Sweden in 1886, was a world traveler and early aviation pioneer. He took his first solo flight in 1913, piloting a Bleriot XI La Manch aircraft over Hendon, England.

That feat earned him membership into a group known as the “Early Birds,” whose cadre is solely comprised of “pioneers” who flew solo before 1916. He would later become one of the first civilian instructors and test pilots the U.S. government would hire during World War I. Ironically, a young Filip saw “flying machines at an air show” and was bitten by the aviation bug. Nearly a century later an air show would prove to be a defining moment in his grandson’s life as well.

Tex Bjorklund pursued an aviation career in the Army Air Corps, but washed out of the pilot program because of color blindness. As a result, his dream of flying was extinguished. He would later join the Los Angeles Police Department and with his wife, Sylvia, raise their four children, BJ being the oldest by several years. Early on, Bjorklund developed a keen interest in aviation and space travel, and Tex gently encouraged his son’s passion by giving him books about space exploration. These gifts offered the young man a steady supply of inspiration and fuel for his rocket drawings and dreams of space travel.

SpaceShipTwo, which will fly with the name Virgin Spaceship Enterprise, is scheduled to be completed for test flights by early 2008. The spacecraft, designed to hold six passengers and two pilots, will be launched from a mother ship at an altitude of 50,000 feet and continue to travel to a suborbital position approximately 70 miles above theearth. Passengers will experience about four minutes ofweightlessness during the 2.5 hour flight. It will reenter the atmosphere utilizing a “shuttlecock” wing feathering mechanism and glide to a conventional runway in the Mojave Desert. An explosion this past July during propulsion testing of SpaceShipTwo killed three employees of Rutan’s company Scaled Composites and may affect production timetables. However, Bjorklund is not concerned by this development or for his safety.

“There’s inherent risk in the project. And I’m willing to assume that risk. I think it’s a reasonable risk,” he says. “If you don’t have some element offear you’d probably be dead or stupid, one or the other. I have a little concern, but I wouldn’t say fear.” Bjorklund is confident that things will go as planned and trusts that Rutan and Branson will not fly tourists until the spaceship is deemed safe.

Bjorklund is no stranger to risk. He flew seventy-five B-52 Stratofortress bombing missions during Vietnam, although he humbly downplays his contribution to the war effort. “I kind offlew a gentleman’s war. I was stationed in Guam. I wasn’t in the trenches. I didn’t see the blood and guts. We would fly over, drop our bombs, come back. Be on a remote island. Go to the officer’s club, have a steak dinner with linen table cloths,” he says very matter-of-factly. Bjorklund hasalso risked life and limb pursuing the peaks of mountains. He’s conquered Mt. Kala Patar in Nepal, Mt. Monch in Switzerland, and most recently, in 2005, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He abandoned his first attempt at summiting the 19,340 foot Uhuru peak ofKilimanjaro just 1,340 feet short ofthe top because ofaltitude sickness. “I’d rather live life, having fun, doing adventure than sitting in a rocking chair,“ says Bjorklund, his heavy—lidded eyes partially hiding the blue beneath.

Bjorklund’sAcademy classmate and climbing partner Chris Calvert describes his longtime friend as one who “likes a good adventure, to the point ofalmost getting into trouble.” Calvert laughingly remembers an incident with BJ in 1980s China, which involved a menu, an angry hotel manager, and the People’s Liberation Army. Bjorklund is quick to defend the risks he’s taken when asked about his personal safety. “I’m not like that show ‘Jackass.’ I don’t like doing things that I think are stupid. I don’tdo bungee jumping. I do things that have adventure, are challenging and are relatively safe.” He later reveals that as a boy he jumped offthe roofofhis family home with a sheet. “I wanted to parachute,” he explains with a chuckle.

“I was goal orientated,” says Bjorklund ofhis childhood. Two television shows of the time greatly influenced the path he would

take in life, “Men ofAnnapolis” and “Men ofWest Point.” The stories of midshipmen and cadets were ones that he wanted to experience himself. When hebecame aware of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he had found his mission—to move through the ranks of cadet, pilot, test pilot, and ultimately become an astronaut. “To me being a pilot was just a stepping stone for getting into space,” says Bjorklund, who still has a boyish quality about him despite the gray hair around his temples. As a teenager he routinely requested catalogues from the Academy. One catalogue he sent to the seven original Mercury astronauts. The catalogue was returned autographed; a keepsake that kept his focus strong.

“Everything I did in high school was geared towards getting in the Academy. I knew the ticket I needed to punch,” says Bjorklund. “I had my plan mapped out, and started working the plan. If I got off track then I went to plan B. That’s kind of how I wound up on this thing, through plan B.” It’s a philosophy that has helped him achieve his life goals. When he failed to get into the Academy on his first application because of academics, he went to plan B. He enrolled at Santa Monica City College and joined the ROTC, riding the bus with a rifle case on days he had drill practice. “Had I not got into the Academy, I would have been a lifeguard on Santa Monica Beach,” he says. He became an alternate on his second nomination to the Academy and ultimately earned an appointment for the start of the 1966 academic year. “I went there with the idea originally of getting in the space program. I wanted to be an astronaut,” he says, taking his eye glasses from their case emblazoned with the Superman logo.

“This is to certify that Richard BJ Bjorklund did summit Mt. Kilimanjaro-Tanzania. Highest peak in Africa,” reads certificate #3142/05 that hangs in his home office; a gallery of relics, trophies, and charity. A Massai spear and club hang next to a photograph of Bjorklund’s 2005 Kilimanjaro summit. His grandfather’s “Early Birds” blue checkered flying cap is displayed alongside models of “flying machines”—a T-37 Tweet, aT-38 Talon, a B-52

Left: Bjorklund in the cloud-covered pre-Columbian Inca city of Machu Picchu inPeru. The exotic location is just one of the many places to which the 70 grad has ventured. Right: Undergraduate pilottraining in 1971. Soon the young lieutenant would be flying a B-52 over North Vietnam. (Courtesy Photos)

Stratofortressand SpaceShipTwo. A framed photo of a serious looking Haitian boy, his dark skin contrasted against his pink shirt, is a reminder of the child he and Cathy have sponsored for years. It’s a room where dreams live.

Bjorklunds primary home, a brick and stone European style cottage located in a gated community ofFrisco, Texas, is an oasis planted within a grid ofsuburban Dallas strip malls and boulevards. His home reflects the success he’s had as a stock portfolio manager with Smith Barney. The living room’s brown leather furniture mixes comfortably with crystal and silver appointments, family artifacts, Academy mementos and the eclectic trove of a world traveler. It’s evident that the pleated and buttoned down man who wears a gold Academy watch and class ring has done well for himself.

The investment account that funded Bjorklunds ticket to space can be traced back to hiscadet years. The officer candidate understood early in his Academy experience that his goal ofbecoming an astronaut was unrealistic. “I realized there were a lot ofguys smarter than me,” recalls Bjorklund. He majored in aeronautical engineering until his Math 162 professor asked him, “Have you ever considered dropping this class?” “Sir, I didn’t know I had the option,” replied thesomewhat relieved cadet. He soon changed his major to engineering management. “I was kissing the space program goodbye,” he says. This was a defining moment in his life. He dedicated himself to his new major and was soon introduced to the world of investment by a fellow cadet. He read the book “Beat the Market” and began investing in stocks. An autographed copy ofthat 1967 publication sits on Bjorklunds bookshelftoday. “I invested the whole time I was in the Air Force,” Bjorklund states. His unofficial second major would bode well for his future.

The “redtag” refers to his Academy experience “as more than anyone could have imagined.” “It was a door opener once I got into the investment business,” he says. It was after graduation and during his B-52 training that he decided he would not make a career out of the Air Force. He no longer saw a future for himself

in aviation. He then quickly put “plan B” into action, setting his sight on the investment world. “If I go with the investment business, I’ll get paid what I’m worth. I don’t have to worry about getting laid off, and if I want to travel, I’ll just buy a ticket,” he told himself. Thirty years later he bought a ticket to space.

Upon his return from Oshkosh, Bjorklund assembled his family for lunch at the Air Force Academy’s ArnoldHall and “broke the news.”

“To the moon, BJ, to the moon!” were the words that fell from Cathy’s mouth after hearing ofher husband’s otherworldly opportunity. “It was so divine what happened that day,” she says, a silver cross hanging from her neck. “I was so ecstatic, happy for his dream.” Cathy’s support and devotion to her husband becomes wholly apparent, when the cancer survivor says, “I would never do anything to stop his dream. It would be like him saying I couldn’t have treatment.”

If all goes to plan, Bjorklund will witness the curvature of earth against the blackness of space firsthand. He’s undecided about what he might take with him into space but thinks it’s quite possible mementos ofhis grandfather and the academy will be safely tucked into the pocket of his space suit. He is, however, sure about one thing - fully experiencing the moment. He simply says, “I plan on enjoying the ride, and doing some somersaults. Just having some fun with it.” Bjorklund, in the words ofTheodore Roosevelt, is a “man who is actually in the arena.” 7m

Left: Bjorklund at the Oshkosh Air Show, donning his grandfather’s checkered flying cap. Right: Nearly a century ago, Filip Bjorklund struck a proud pose by his aircraft. As this photo shows, the physical resemblance of the adventurous men is striking. (Courtesy Photos)

BY STEVEN A. SIMON, 77 GRADUATE/DONOR LIAISON

“Expect great things.”

A half-century before a national department store chose those words for an advertising campaign, they were uttered by then-Air Force Chiefof Staff Gen. Nathan F. Twining. He spoke at the Air Force Academy’s temporary Lowry Air Force Base site on July 11, 1955, where 306 young men took the oath as members of the Academy’s first class, the Class of 1959. Walter Cronkite broadcast live from the

fledglingAcademy site. Aircraft filled the sky in an aerial tribute to the nation’s newest service Academy. General Twining prophetically warned that, “Everybody will be looking over your shoulder, and they will be critical, for they have a right to expect great things.”

On Sept. 4, 2007, dignitaries again assembled at the former Aurora, Colo, base to honor the Air Force Academy’s first home. Though the Academy had long ago moved south to its permanent location in Colorado Springs and Lowry Air Force Base has been closed, for one briefperiod, General Twining’s words, Walter Cronkite’s distinctive voice, and the sound ofaircraft hung in the air. In fact, fighters from nearby Buckley AFB unwittingly provided some comfortingjet fighter audio as the ceremony began. The presence ofthe Cadet Honor Guard and a six-piece subset ofthe Academy Band added pomp and solemnity to the scene.

The ceremony was to commemorate Lowry Building 880, which served as the Commandant of Cadet’s office from 1954-1958. After years ofeffort by Aurora and Academy authorities, the building was officially added to the nation’s National Register of Historic Places. As speaker Carl Loescher, co-chair of the Aurora Historic Preservation Commission, said, “NRHP is the nation’s official list ofcultural resources worthy ofpreservation. It is part of a national program to coordinate and

Left: Members of the Class of 1960 line up near Building 880 in 1956. (U.S. Air Force Photo) Below: Early graduates of the Air Force Academygathered to celebrate 50 or more years afterthey first arrived at Building 880. (Photo byJohnnyWhitaker)

support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources.”

Built in 1942, Lowry Building 880 served as an administration and supply building for the training schools during World War II. Colorado Springs was chosen in June 1954 as the permanent site of the Academy, but that home would not be available for several years, and the Academy was due to open in just over a year. Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, before officially becoming the Academy’s first superintendent, evaluated several Denver locations and chose Lowry as the interim site. Building 880 became a key part of that site, where the military piece of the new Academy was formulated. The commandant and most of his staffworked there. For that reason, it was not particularly popular with cadets. Speaking at the ceremony, retired Maj. Gen. Pete Todd, ’59, said, “As cadets, we never wanted to come here.”

General Todd had the most poignant comment in tribute to the importance ofthe training conceived and developed in Building 880. He said the essence of USAFA was in the commandant’s operation. Unlike in most businesses, he said, “Our mistakes come home in body bags.”

Current Commandant Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins, ’80, spoke of the fitting nature ofusingWorld War II buildings for the Academy’s early years, as that war “played such an important role in the earlydays ofthe Air Force Academy.” General Desjardins, the 23rd commandant,

also evoked the memory ofthe first commandant, Brig. Gen. Robert M. Stillman, who worked in Building 880. She said while the times have changed, many things have not. The Academy’s mission has remained the same. She and General Stillman saw the same qualities in the cadets—they are dedicated, motivated, and have strong character. And they still don’t want to go to the commandant’s office.

The Commandant’s Building at Lowry has continued to serve the community in a number ofways since the Academy departed. It housed administrative offices until 1983, when it became a museum, the Wings over the Rockies Heritage Center. When Lowry AFB closed, the city ofAurora acquired Building 880. Aurora Mayor EdwardTauer spoke ofthe difficulty in celebrating an important building when its mission has changed. He used the term “adaptive reuse” to describe the process ofconverting old resources to new uses. Building 880 is a prime example ofthis concept. The city designated it as an Aurora Historic Landmark and set about renovating it. In 2001, the building was re-dedicated as an intergenerational community center with senior and pre-school programs, a role it fills today.

A small brass plaque affixed to the side of the building will always remind people of its key role in the formative years of the Air Force Academy. With its place in history now secured, Lowry Building 880, the Commandant ofCadets Building, will forever be celebrated as the place where people first learned of the Air Force Academy and knew to “expect great things.” 9

The most meaningful frienasf forged through sweat, tears, I and shared accomplishments

Amber O'Grady, '98

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Scholarship Committss conlpleted its review of 87 scholarship applications from AOG graduate members children. All applicants were extremelywell qualified, and after extensive individual consideration and collaborative evaluation, 18 young men and women were selected for financial assistance in pursuing

Thrpp nf t'hp QphnlppQ pro ponDsf i winners, with asterisks following their names to identify the number of times they have previously ppppK/pH p Qphnlppcthin Tpn nf t*hp if %#K”* $ £ •£’ %»?£* f %*#}$ 1 18 students completed high school last spring, and eight are currently onivil aii innQf¥inQrii rlDfinQQ Sll! OIISO 111 UlIQSl tjf duudtU OSyl cc programs. The winners are listed below in order of their overall ranking by the committee.

Christopher B. Simpson* ($1,800 Buschmann Award]

Mr. Simpson completed his freshman year with a 4.0 GPA at the Georgia Institute ofTechnology. He was the number one graduate of the Class of2005 from Desert High School at Edwards AEB, Calif. He is an Eagle Scout and demonstrated leadership as Captain ofthe soccer team and ofthe science bowl team. He earned top awards at the school, county and state science fairs. He was selected as Drum Major for his high school marching band, and continues to play in the GeorgiaTech marching, pep, and concert bands. Christopher began his studies in mechanical engineering at Tulane University, yet due to the effects ofHurricane Katrina, the school was forced to close for the semester. Upon reopening in 2006, Tulane cancelled its engineering program. Sadly, his father passed away a few weeks into the term and Chris chose to spend the rest ofthe semester at home helping his family. Despite the significant challenges he has endured in the last two years, he says he is a stronger person and that he is more determined to do well in school. While redirecting his college goals, Chris worked on ship instruments for a defense contractor. This reaffirmed his desire to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and he is considering entering a field in ship-building and naval architecture after college.

Anne F. Kornahrens ($1,600)

This spring, Miss Kornahrens will graduate in the top 2 percent ofher class ofnearly 800 students from Wayzata High School, in Plymouth, Minnesota. She scored the foil 36 points on each ofthe Math, Reading and Science Reasoning portions ofthe ACT. She has SAT scores of Verbal 770, Math 770, and Writing 780. When she was in sixth grade, Anne founded a tutoring program for fifth grade students, which she continues to run with now over 20 seventh grade tutors. She is an enthusiastic volunteer at the county library. She sings in the school and church choirs, and is an accomplished pianist. She competes on the swim team and plays soccer. Anne is eager to study chemistry in college. She hopes to take advantage ofopportunities to travel abroad and to study in a Spanish-speaking country. She says she hopes to live a successful life by “doingsomething to help people in the world.”

Katherine L Clarke ($1,400)

Miss Clarke will graduate this year as the Valedictorian from Cripple Creek-Victor Junior/Senior High School in Cripple Creek, Colorado. She has a composite ACT score of 28. She has demonstrated leadership talent as the President ofstudent council and National Honor Society, and Captain ofthe volleyball and basketball teams. She has been honored with many athletic and academic awards to include the United States Achievement Academy award in math, science, government, history and leadership. Katie is a dedicated community volunteer with a strong interest in helping senior citizens and underprivileged children. Through her remarkable 900 hours ofvolunteer work, she mentors and tutors youth, coordinates Toys for Tots, and serves the elderly by cleaning houses and gardening. She is also a self-employed ranch hand with her family and helps to remodel the century-old home on their property. Katie hopes to attend the University ofColorado-Boulder and plans to complete a double major in She would like to attend graduate scho ney, and she aspires to someday

Brandon L. Gilles ($1,200)

Mr. Gilles is a junior at the University ofColorado-Boulder. He is earning his degree in Electrical Engineering and maintains a 3.92 cumulative GPA. In 2004, he graduated from Palmer High School, Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the top 2 percent ofhis class. He is active in many campus community service activities and engineering honor societies. He competes on a number ofintramural athletic teams, to include broomball and indoor soccer. After two intern years with the NASA Space Grant Consortium, he now works as the Command and Data HandlingTeam Lead for several projects directly supporting national research and development initiatives. Space Grant sent him to the NASAJet Propulsion Laboratory last summer to perform a 10-week design study on a Mars mission concept with ten other students from around the country. Brandon plans to continue his education with a Masters in Electrical Engineering, then pursue a career in communications or work in industry developing space systems electronics.

Kenneth J. Leveille ($1,000)

Mr. Leveille stands first in his class graduating from Shawe Memorial Junior/Senior High School in Madison, Indiana. His SAT scores are Verbal 740, Math 790, and Writing 770. He is an Eagle Scout, Student Council Vice President, a Boys’ State delegate, a USAF Academy Scientific Summer Seminar selectee, a Model UN delegate, and a writer for theschool newspaper. He is a fierce competitor on the soccer field and helped the team win the Conference and Sectional Championships. He won the Ohio River Valley Conference Mental Attitude Award which honors one senior in the conference who best exemplifies the attributes of a scholar athlete. Ken ran as the sole member ofthe crosscountry team for two years in high school, but the squad has grown to ten varsity runners due to his example and leadership as team Captain. He was also Captain ofthe track team and received numerous awards such as All-Conference and Most Valuable Player. Outside ofschool, he works on a local farm helping to raise quail, pheasants, and chucker. Ken will attend Yale University in the fall and plans to major in Mechanical Engineering while takingbiology He plans to go on to attend medical school with surgeon and make contributions in biotechnological in

Sean L Boone ($1,000)

Mr. Boone is graduating from Marmion Academy in Aurora, Illinois as one ofthe top 10 students in his class. He achieved a composite ACT score of34, and SAT scores ofVerbal 800, Math 790, and Writing 610. He has been selected as a National Merit Scholar placing him in the top 1 percent ofstudents in the country. He is a leading member ofthe chess team, technology club, theater stage crew, Junior Reserve OfficerTraining Corps, and the math team. He serves as a peer minister and retreat leader. He has dedicated over 250 hours in several community service activities to include Big Brothersand Special Olympics. He is an avid soccer player and water sports enthusiast. Sean has traveled to over 30 states within the U.S. and to 20 countries around the world. This broad global exposure has fueled his fascination for other cultures and has influenced his beliefs. He was in Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic, saw bombed out buildings in Croatia, and walked along walls graffiti-painted with hatred in Belfast. These experiences have helped him become a more empathetic person. He believes that scientific research can improve the quality oflife for all humanity. He plans to pursue the Biomedical Research major at the Ohio State University, and hopes to complete a PhD in preparation for leading a biomedical research team.

Anne E. Rivas ($1,000)

Miss Rivas is a 4.0student completing her sophomore year at the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated as Valedictorian from LyonsTownship High School, where she was recognized as a National Merit Commended student. She earned an ACT composite score of34, and SAT scores of760 on both the Verbal and Math portions. She led the Science Olympiad team to win the state championship two consecutive years. Since age three, Anne has dreamed ofbecoming a veterinarian and began her own pet care business

in 1998. Anne is now pursuing dual degrees in Integrative Biology and Animal Sciences, with a Chemistry minor, which required a year ofpetitioning to obtain approval to proceed with her educational plan. She intends to maximize her preparation for veterinary school with both degrees because she has learned from current veterinary students and academic advisors that both degrees have different strengths and weaknesses. Her campus honors program director remarked that she is immersing herselfin every aspect ofanimal care in pursuit of her vocational calling. In less than two years, she has already participated in an international ethology course, a Cornell externship, and works both employed and volunteer positions at the Brookfield Zoo and various animal hospitals and shelters.

Steven R. Eannarino ($1,000)

Mr. Eannarino will graduate in the top 4 percent ofhis class of311 students from Clayton High School in Clayton, North Carolina. He achieved SAT scores ofVerbal 630, Math 710, and Writing 750. He served as class president, forensics league president, and the Teenage Republicans club president. As Captain, he led the varsity soccer team to the state playoffs two years in a row. He was selected for excellence in academics and soccer as a 2006 National Soccer Coaches Association ofAmerica/Adidas High School Boys ScholarAll-South Region award winner. He competed at the state track meet on the 4x800m relay team. Steven enjoys helping his community byworking with numerous charitable activities, particularly the food bank. He is the Lead Tutor in the schools peer tutor program, and he serves as a peer minister in his church. He will attendthe University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill and looks forward to pursuing a business degree.

Brian P. Finn ($1 ,□□□)

Mr. Finn is completing his freshman year at TrinityUniversity in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md. as an Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar with Distinction, and received the National AP Scholar award as a result ofhis high AP exam scores, five ofwhich were the top score of5. He also received the National Merit Commended Scholar award. He is the eldest altar server at his church, and helps train and schedule new servers. He speaks Spanish and plans to learn Arabic. He is experienced with computer programming languages such as HTML and C++. He is a co-captain on his intramural flag football team and actively participates in basketball and ultimate frisbee games at the park. Brian intends to earn a double major in the areas ofbusiness and international relations. Following his undergraduate degree, he aspires to attend Northwestern’s Kellogg School ofBusiness to receive an M.B.A.

Robert T. Otto ($1,000)

Mr. Otto is a top student at a highly selective magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. He achieved SAT scores ofVerbal 780, Math 710, and Writing 690. He earned the top score of5 on all six AP exams he has taken. His peers and mentors recognize his natural leadership and great character. He is an Eagle Scout with a recognized enthusiasm to help younger scouts advance in the program. He is Captain ofthe rowing team and an integral part ofthe Mens Varsity 8 boat that won the state and National Scholastic Rowing championships. He was selected as one of36 rowers nationwide to compete at the U.S. Junior National

team selection camp. His boat club team won first place in the high school division at the largest rowing event in the world, the Head of the Charles Regatta. He spent his sophomore year in Germany due to his father’s military transfer, and his experiences overseas and in Washington D.C. haveraised his interest in international affairs. He is eager to study in a diverse college with international students. He also wishes to study physics and would like to study the human impacts ofscience, and the ethical, cultural and legal issues that arise from scientific discoveries.

Rachael J. Erichsen ($1,000)

Miss Erichsen will graduate this spring from Summit Christian Academy in Virginia. Her ACT composite score of33 includes a perfect 36 on the Reading portion. Her SAT scores are Verbal 800, Math 690, and Writing 740. She is a National Merit Commended student, was given the President’s Award for Educational Excellence—Outstanding Academic Excellence, and received her school’s Award ofHighest Honors, among many others. As student council vice president, she is active in all fundraising events organized by her class. She is the Yearbook editor, a nursery volunteer and frequent babysitter, an accomplished pianist, and a math tutor. She plays basketball and has learned Tae Kwon Do. She developed remarkable skills in making period costumes as head seamstress for the school theatre productions. Rachael will attend Hillsdale College and plans to major in biology and minor in theatre studies. She says, “I dream ofbeing a teacher who can impact students’ lives in amazingways.”

Courtney J. Rueb ($1,000)

Miss Rueb graduated in January 2007 from Stevens Point AreaSenior High School. This is the largesthigh school in Wisconsin, and she was the number one student in her class of625. She achieved a composite ACT score of30. She was a leader among her peers on the student senate, and as vice president ofboth the French club and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She plays a key role in dozens of volunteer and community service projects supporting literacy, Special Olympics, flood disaster relief, and meals for the elderly and the needy. She as an active member ofher church as an usher and greeter, and cares for small children in the nursery. She is currentlyattending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, working on a major in International Relations, with a minor in French. Courtneyhopes to one day work with the U.S. State Department and in U.S. Embassies.

Chelsea A. Hickey ($1,000)

Miss Hickey is on track to graduate in the top 5 percent ofher class of nearly 400 students at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia. She achieved a 30 for her composite ACT score, and SAT scores of Verbal 630, Math 650, and Writing 630. She excelled on the volleyball and track teams, and played on the Varsity basketball team for the last three years. She attended Girls’ State and was elected Attorney General. To be prepared, she contacted the VirginiaAttorney General to learn as much as possible about the job. She also attended the National Student Leadership Conference. Her Spanish teacher commends her for her generous, giving nature, which is demonstrated by her work as a Sunday school teacher for 4-year old children, and her involvement in a select group ofher peers to mentor elementary school students.

She volunteers to help lead Vacation Bible School every summer. For the last five years, she has helped with construction and repair of homes for the poor and elderly in five different states. Chelsea plans to pursue a career in politics or government because she has a passion to affect positive change and to use her talents to advocate changes through diplomacy and law.

Miranda R. Tsukamoto ($1,000)

Miss Tsukamoto is a sophomore at the University ofFlorida with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She graduated fourth in her class of738 students from Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida. She topped the ACT with a 36 on the English portion and has a composite score of34. Her SAT scores are Verbal 670 and Math 700. She is a founding member ofthe National Society ofLeadership and Success. She is active in numerous campus clubs and volunteers at a childrens enrichment center, and mentors high school students. She is striving to graduate with honors with a major in Health Education and Behavior with a specialization in Health Studies. Her goal is to be accepted into the medical program ofDuke University. After receiving her M.D., she hopes to specialize in Anesthesiology.

Emily R. Santee ($1,000)

Miss Santee is a freshman student at the University ofWashington. She graduated fourth in her class of321 students from Liberty High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On seven AP tests, she attained the top score of5. She earned a composite score of34 on the ACT, with a perfect 36 on the Reading portion. Her SAT scores are Verbal 680, Math 700, and Writing 700. She competes on the campus speech and debate team and has developed great skills building on her high school success. She aids in numerous community service efforts such as a home-building mission trip, frequent food drives, and Adopt-AHighwayclean-up for 52 weeks. Emily is fascinated by human biology and aspires to make significant gains in genetic research. In order to achieve her goals, she is majoring in biochemistry and looks forward to beginning undergraduate research next year.

Stephanie A. Clark ($1,000)

Miss Clark entered the public safety field when she graduated from college in 1999. She enjoys serving her community as an emergency medical worker. She is attending California Polytechnic University of San Luis Obispo to finish her degree in Psychology. Her next goal is to obtain a P.A. license through a Family Practitioner program. Then she plans to earn her M.S. in Public Health or Public Policy so she can be fully able to direct patient care and provide health education.

Thomas E. Randazza Jr. ($1,000)

Mr. Randazza is graduating as a top student from Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. He achieved SAT scores ofVerbal 710, Math 710, and Writing 680. He playsVarsity and club soccer, and intramural basketball. On the Varsity football team, he was recognized as All-Conference Kicker andAll-Conference Punter, both first team. Tom will go on to playintercollegiate football. He participates in debate and forensics and is a youth tutor. Tom is eager to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and plans to take his courses in the college ofEngineering, focusing on mechanical engineering.

Stephen E. Odegard ($1,000]

Mr. Odegard is in the top 3 percent ofhis class of 142 students at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, Missouri. He has a composite ACT score of32, and SAT scores ofVerbal 710, Math 670, and Writing 690. He is recognized by his peers as being a true leader. The football team elected him as their Captain. He is a key member ofhisschool and American Legion baseball teams. He is President of the Fellowship ofChristian Athletes. He is an Eagle Scout and has explored Philmont Scout Ranch twice. Steve looks forward to studying engineering in college. He is eager to pursue his interests in aviation, and to learn more about advanced renewable energy sources.

Six committee members spent a considerable amount oftime reviewing each student’s application package. I would like to especially thank and recognize board member Mike Flynn, ’95, and our non-board member volunteers: Carl Bang, ’70, Mike Lipinski, ’93, Pat McBride, ’66, Lisa (Drinen) Mazur, ’85, and Don Williams, ’83. Their attention to fine details and strongjudgment was extremely valuable in making the final selections. I must also share my great appreciation for the continued, remarkable support from Mrs. Lani Wing. She prepared and sent us all ofthe material for our review and handled every detail of our needs to ensure the success ofthis program. S

joint service academies jobs electronically

Www.jsaje.com

Looking to advanceyourcareer?JSAJE is an exclusive site specifically designed for service academy alumni. Whether you are looking for a new job or different career, JSAJE is the place for you to make it happen.

If you have not registered in JSAJE, please register and create a username and password. If you have registered to JSAJE, please log in to the program by using the username and password you created. Once you have logged into the JSAJE program you may browse through job listings and contact employers. Not actively looking for a job? Sign up for Job Retriever and let it alert you when jobs according to your search criteria become available. JSAJE also contains a resume database through which companies can search for promising candidates.

Joint Serwice Academies Jobs Electronically

Service Academy

November 1-2, 2007

Austin, TX.

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 Marine Academy. Previous conferences have been attended by hundreds of companies and thousands of alumni. Go to www.sacc-jobfair.com for a list of companies attending, the complete schedule, and the online registration form

Where will the SACC be held?

The next SACC will beheld at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin TX. Call (512) 478-4500 for reservations and ask for the SACC rate.

SACC Schedule of Events

Thursday, November 1

Interview Prep Seminar 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Friday, November 2

Registration 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 pm

SACC 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Lunch 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

SACC 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 3

Interviews only if directly scheduled between company recruiters and candidates; Companies will contact you directly regarding any on-site interviews during the SACC.

Registration

The SACC Candidate registration fee is $35 ($40 at the door). Register online and upload your resume at www.sacc-jobfair.com. Resumes must be one page/one sided. Do not fax your resume. Registration deadline is October 15.

Next Scheduled SACC

Savannah Ga., February 28-29, 2008

For more information, contact Wayne Taylor at (719) 472-0300 or go online atwww.sacc-jobfair.com.

“REMEMBER, NEVER FORGET”

By Kyle Davidson

t’s been called the gate to hell. But for those who endured arguably the greatest suffering in modern human history, it was hell on earth.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi Death Camp in Oswiecim, Poland, is where millions ofJews endured nightmarish tortures during the Holocaust. It is estimated that more than three million Jews met their end here through mass gassings, starvation and disease. Those who were not shot were cursed with a slow, painful death.

In June of this year, a group of 12 cadets and midshipmen, four ofwhich were Air Force Academy cadets, were hand-picked by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation to gain greater insight into the atrocities at Auschwitz by meeting with Polish and American leaders, conversing with Holocaust survivors, journalists and historians, and by attending seminars at the death camp in Poland.

As Dr. David Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage explained, the goal of the three-week American Service Academies program is to encourage

future American military leaders to remember” so that mayhem of this magnitude will never again occur.

“This program was created to giveAcademy students an understanding ofwhat can happen in the absence ofopen and democratic governing institutions when evil is given free reign, when fear overpowers ethics, and when democratic ideals are not defended. The hope for the program is that by focusing on the Holocaust and related contemporary moral and ethical considerations, the program will provide an authentic learning experience for future military officers that extends beyond what they are taught in their Academy classrooms. The poignancy ofthe setting not only educates them about the past, but also stimulates dialogue about its relationship to the present and the future,” he said.

Then—Cadet 3rd Class David Corpman, and Cadets 2nd Class Michael Knapp, Jacinda Knoll and Sara Schwartz were selected to represent the Air Force Academy.

“I approached the Auschwitz Jewish Center Academy Program with an open mind, both academically and emotionally.

Train tracks leading to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi Death Camp. Inset: Former concentration camp prisoners celebratethe arrival of U.S. soldiers. (U.S. Army Photos)

After this trip, I finallygrasped the full breadth ofthe Holocaust s destruction. By studying at museums in the United States and Poland, touring historical areas such as the Kazimierz district in Krakow, and witnessing the horror ofthe death camps at AuschwitzBirkenau, I am now able to comprehend the enormity and concreteness ofabstract numbers one only reads about in textbooks,” said Knapp, ofCadet Squadron 36. He added the insight he received was meaningful on a personal level because ofhis German heritage.

Yet as Schwartz explained, the newly acquired insight perhaps cost them a bit of their innocence.

“To stand there and try to fathomwhat 12 million people looks like is impossible. A lot ofpeople our age tend to think we might be better than another simply because ofthe school we go to, the things we own or the things we hope we may one day do. The saying “death is the great equalizer” came to mind, in that doctorsand lawyers and the most successful members ofthe non-Aryan society died next to the beggars and other victims ofsociety. The problem for us looking back is that we are trying to rationally explain what happened, but being there you internalize that there is no rational explanation that can placate us today for starving human beings and keeping them in buildings like horse stables or hanging a dozen people at once as they did in Auschwitz for simplydaring to hope that they could endthe holocaust.”

The Cadet Squadron 26 cadet added that reflecting on the lessons of the Holocaust could be useful in dealing with some current world conflicts.

“History repeats itself. It is already repeating itselfin parts of Africa on a small scale. Hopefully, by constantly remembering the consequences of the Holocaust with the luxury ofhindsight, we can prevent it from escalating.”

The American Service Academies program, now in its fourth year, requires those selected to read three predetermined books covering the history ofthe Holocaust in order to mentally prepare them for greater discussion and understanding. Before flying to Poland, the cadets spent a few days going through orientation at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, and then toured the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

According to Cadet Squadron 11 cadet Knoll, she believes the trip, the books, the orientations all of it should be reflected upon when determining what causes leaders to perpetuate evil and why ordinary, good people apathetically comply.

“If we can figure out the root cause of [events in] history, it can give us better insight into how to prevent them in the future. It also allows us to see the darker side of ourselves,” she stated. “We may think we would never allow something like this to happen because were better than that, but in reality, the perpetrators of the Holocaust were ordinary people like ourselves who didn’t stand up for what was right.”

It is enlightenment such as this that gives the Museum ofJewish Heritage and the AuschwitzJewish Center Foundation hope for the future. As more of our future military leaders gain these valuable, personal experiences, not only is the hope for our military and political leaders to ‘neverforget, ’’but to collectively vow, never again. S

The Association of Graduates congratulates the men and women of the United States Air Force as they celebrate their 60th anniversary

Anniversary of the Admissions Liaison Officer Program

Compiled by Kirk Brown & Ruth Whitaker

he poem called “Bring Me Men” embodied die challenge for the new United States Air Force Academy, authorized in 1954 after years ofplanning by the nations pioneer airmen, national leaders, and outstanding military and civilian educators. A site selection committee appointed by the Air Force selected the permanent Academy site just north ofColorado Springs at the foothills ofthe Rampart Range ofthe Rocky Mountains.

Pending construction of new facilities, the Academy opened temporarily at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. The first class of306 cadets, selected on a nationwide competitive basis, entered in July 1955.

Interest was high for admission to that class. Newspapers across the country heralded the opening of the “West Point of the Air Force” and generated a keen interest among young men who had an intense desire to fly and obtain an Academy education.

But the candidate interest after that year dwindled for lack of continuous admissions information. The Academy was not receiving enough applicants who could meet the exacting admissions standards.

If the Academy was to attract young men ofhigh caliber, it needed to match the competition that exists among institutions of higher education for top quality students. Major colleges and universities had their alumni organizations to provide this service. The older service academies, with their long grey or white lines of graduates, could meet the competition.

“Bring Me Men” was trulybecoming a challenge to the Academy. To meet the major problem that was developing, a few Air Force Reserve officers proposed that the Academy enlist the aid ofreservists to be trained as spokesmen and counselors for the Academy.

The Director ofAdmissions enthusiasticallysupported the idea and

received the backing ofAcademy officials. He then convinced personnel at Air Force Reserve Headquarters that it would be practical to use reserve officers as foster alumni for the Academy.

With approval ofContinental Air Command and Air Force Headquarters, the Academy launched the Liaison Officer program in 1957. The first call for volunteers met with immediate response from reservists, even though they were asked to assume the task in addition to their regular reserve duties.

By early 1958, over 300 volunteers had been screened and assigned, and there was a steady flow of interest from others throughout the country.

It soon became evident that the challenge of “Bring Me Men” could be met through this program. Motivating and informing the most outstanding young men in his community was the LO’s greatest undertaking. He attempted to appeal to young men with a desire to serve their country, and especially to those who wanted to fly for the Air Force.

The LO could offer no special inducements, no ivy covered walls and traditions, not even an assurance of admission. He could offer a young man only a chance to apply to his Congressmen for one of their nominee slots for which hundreds may apply and from which a few would be chosen in one of the toughest competitions in American. The LO emphasized that those chosen few would receive one of the finest educational opportunities in America and a chance to serve in the Air Force.

The counseling approach of LOs began to show results as students that they had counseled entered the Academy in 1958 and 1959. Encouraged by their success, LOs expanded into a national network of USAFA admissions counselors. They provided a con-

tinuous flow ofAcademy information year after year to the young men ofAmerica approaching college age. They became acquainted with parents and gave them suggestions to assist their sons in preparing and applying for the Academy.

LOs began to serve the Senators and Representatives oftheir states and to insure that these public officials had the maximum number ofqualified applicants from which to choose their nominees. Many Congressmen asked LOs to serve on their screening panels to identify the most outstanding applicants.

LOs represented diverse backgrounds and occupations. They were educators, newsmen, broadcasters, advertising executives, attorneys, businessmen, airline pilots, ranchers, farmers, doctors, and ministers.

In spite of their diversity, there was a binding tie among them of loyalty to the Air Force and belief that the future security of America depends on its aerospace power. They were dedicated to

SILVER FALCONS

the task of finding among the several million high schoolstudents those few who were capable of attending the Academy to prepare for Air Force leadership.

The Academy moved into its modern, permanent facilities in August 1958. Here was Americas gleaming new monument to aerospace education spread at the foothills of the Rockies with Pikes Peak towering in the distance. Appropriately, the “Bring Me Men” inscription was affixed to the granite facing over the archway leading to the cadet area a few years later.

As news spread ofLOs’ availability to assist young people to prepare and apply to the Academy, they became known as Air Force Academy representatives in communities nationwide. The LO was, in effect, the first rung of a career ladder beingcontemplated by an applicant who might well become a future Air Force leader.

LOs received onlypoints for retention and future retirement from the Air Force Reserve, but were not paid for any oftheir activities. They used their own homes and offices from which to operate. The hours they contributed voluntarily, the miles they traveled, and the funds theyprovided to counsel prospective candidates for each cadet class amounted to astronomical figures.

Their contributions saved millions ofdollars for the tax-paying public compared with some other type program the Air Force might have initiated to accomplish the counseling.

It was often expressed bypeople associated with the liaison office that the enthusiasm ofearly LOs was unprecedented and unmatched by any other reserve program. The LOs only reward was the satisfaction of guiding the right young men to the Academy and an Air Force career.

Based on the success oftheliaison officers across the nation, the Academy was able to justify the expansion and improvement ofthe program. In 1961, Headquarters CONAC increased the number of authorized spaces for LOs and designated the LO function as a fulltime reserve assignment rather than additional duty. Simultaneously, the nation was divided into 82 geographical areas with a Liaison Officer Coordinator responsible for supervising the LOs within his area.

In 1964, active duty tours were expanded, allowing 300 officers annually to come to the Academy for a week of training. In 1970, approval was obtained for LOs to use mandays to perform school visits and other duties in the field. In effect, the LO program had become more attractive to many outstanding reserve officers. Creating an appealing assignment was important, since many of the World War II officers had retired and there was a critical need for LOs to replace them.

The Silver Falcons Association was formed in 1976 by a group of retired LOs, mostly Air Force Reservists, who wanted to continue their association with the Air Force Academy and each other. The initial group who became Silver Falcons are no longer as active and able to support the Silver Falcon Association and attend the annual conferences at the academy. Bob Peary was prompted to search for a solutionthat would permit the Silver Falcons to remain involved with the Academy. Association of Graduates President Jim Shaw, ’67, agreed that these early (foster alumni) deserved to be incorporated into the AOG as associate members who pay annual dues or life memberships. He contacted the Board of Directors who concurred with the plan. The Silver Falcon members approved the idea as the best possible solution for their declining organization. In 2004, The Silver Falcon Association officially merged with the USAFA AOG and is now called the USAFA AOG Silver Falcons Affinity Group. Membership is open to all retired LOs who are paid members of the USAFA AOG. For more information, please contact Kirk Brown, President, SilverFalcon Affinity Group, 2539 Craycroft Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1423 or by e-mail at ltckirkbrown@juno.com.

Previous page: Several leaders of the 1970s served as Liaison Officer Coordinators. Front Row: Frank Houlihan, Fla., Harry Pickering, Fla., Bernie Matravers, La., George Chernault, VA; Dale McAlvey, Mich., Bill Etchberger, Penn., and Gene Barker, NY. Back Row: Bob James, Calif., and Jerry Riley, ND. Left: Cadet David Kuglerand his ALO, Maj. Edwin Whitman, presented an Academy awareness night program in Suffern, NY.

In 1968, a Reserve Affairs Advisor (a265 officer) was assigned to the Academy to coordinate reservist activities ofLOs with Air Force organizations and to handle the myriad ofadministrative matters with in the LO program.

In 1971, the program was extended to overseas areas in Europe. In 1972, it was expanded to the Far East, the Panama Canal Zone, and Puerto Rico to cover areas where large groups ofUS service personnel were assigned. Also minority recruiting for cadets was accelerated. LOs were asked to intensify their search for outstanding minority students and assist them to become better prepared to meet the Academy’s admissions standards.

In 1975, the name ofthe Registrars directorate responsible for the LO program was changed from Candidate Advisory Service to the Admissions Liaison Office. The Director, Admissions Liaison Office provided overall supervision for the LO program, subject to approval ofthe Director ofAdmissions and Registrar on Major Policies. Four area officers were assigned to the Admissions Liaison Office to monitor the activities ofthe LOC areas in 50 states and travel to the respective locations each year for a training meeting.

In 1976, the first women cadets entered the Academy in the Class of 1980. LOs became responsible for recruiting both men and women for each class. More women reserve officer were authorized for assignmentto the LO program. LOCs were instructed to locate and recommend outstanding women officers for LO duty.

Special projects for the LO areas were accelerated during the 1970s. The areas were tasked with coordinating recruiting trips for members ofthe minority affairs office and assisting them to locate highlyqualified minority candidates. LOs established testing sites and administered the PhysicalAptitude Exam in areas where there was no Air Force base readily accessible. LOs were also directed to assist in identification ofstudent athletes for the Academy’s athletic department. In addition, LOs coordinated their efforts to recommend students for attendance at the Summer Scientific Seminar held at the Academy each year.

The most significant event ofthe 1980’s was the merger ofthe USAFA and AFROTC liaison officer programs. In 1971, AFROTC Headquarters adopted an LO program to assist with their recruiting for ROTC programs on university campuses.

Proposals had been made previously to merge the two programs, but it wasn’t until July 1980 that a plan was adopted by both the Academy and AFROTC Headquarters. An experiment was conducted to combine activities between USAFA and AFROTC LOs. The experiment indicated that several advantages would result, but the primary benefit was providing one LO to represent the Air Force for its commissioning programs. This would eliminate the duplication ofefforts and confiision created by two LOs representing Air Force programs when calling on the same schools.

The administration in the LO areas increased because ofthe expanded workload ofsupporting the combined programs and additional officers. The total number ofLOs jumped from approximately 1,500 to 2,000 following the merger.

The LO program has steadily evolved over the years. The Admissions Office was renamed Enrollment Programs due to the merger of the USAFA and AFROTC LO programs. The Director ofEnrollment Programs reports directly to the Director ofAdmissions. Enrollment Programs consists offive Region Directors and a Reserve Personnel

office, which handles all ofthe LO’s official paperwork. The 67 LO areas are divided among the five Regional Directors, who are responsible to supervise LO activities and implement the LO program within their geographic areas. The LOCs were renamed Liaison Officer Directors and are directly responsible for all administrative paperwork ofthe LOs assigned to their areas.

Through out the years, the LO force has remained between 1,700 and 1,800 officers worldwide. The force today consists ofReserve, National Guard, Active Duty, civilian and retired officers and former officers with all levels ofexperience. Due to funding constraints, most ofthe LO training was conducted by each area with a great difference in the amount oftraining each LO received. To remedy this situation, in 2001, the LO National Training Program was created. It is divided into two phases. Phase I is Initial Trainingprimarily for new LOs and is comprised ofthree parts, two ofwhich are primarilyself-study and the third completed with a training mentor. Phase II is a three-part Continuation Trainingplan for all LOs, with training taking place at three locations: in each ofthe 67 areas, under the LOD’s direction; at the USAF Academy on a select basis; and at local AFROTC detachments.

As in the beginning 50 years ago, the LO’s responsibilities have evolved to counsel secondary school students, parents or guardians, youth groups, Air Force installation commanders, Civil Air Patrol units, and other requesting agencies. They continue to recruit, motivate, and evaluate outstanding candidates for USAFA and AFROTC programs. I

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Annual gifts to the Air Force Academy Fund at the Sabre Society level provide supportjto programs and cadet clubs that promote civic responsibility and leadership development like thejfalcon Club. This cadet club works closely in the

local community withjjjlig Brothers/

Passage

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY ROB MISHEV, ’99

’ve been fortunate to experience many opportunities while at USAFA, ranging from the daily challenge ofbeing in front of 30 bright cadets in the classroom, to serving as a Basic Cadet Training AOC (and even waking up some ofthose bright cadets in class after they found my discussion on general management principles shockingly less exciting than I did!) USAFA is a land of opportunity. But an 18-day immersion trip to India over the summer with four cadets proved to be the most valuable experience of my USAFA tour.

Many ofyou reading this may pause and recount that there weren’t any summer programs to India during your tenure at Zoomie U. You would be correct. The Olmsted Foundation (the same foundation that sponsors the Olmsted Scholarship) has graciously and strategically expanded its initiatives to include providing funding to service academies to travel abroad for cultural immersion trips. The dean’s International Programs Office runs the program and selects proposals based on criteria ranging from strategic importance ofthe country to whether there will be U.S. or host nation government/military interaction. Thankfully, my India proposal made the cut.

As colleagues learned about the trip to India, they stopped by with quizzical expressions on their faces and asked, “Why India? Isn’t it really poor and dirty?” While I had never visited India before, I responded that based on what I had read and heard from friends, yes and yes (while this proved true in our experience, I also witnessed some ofthe world’s greatest beauty and wealth in India). The bottom line, though, was that there didn’t appear to be a more strategic country and ally to the U.S. then India, and it would be good for officer candidates to gain exposure to the “Asian Elephant” that is the world’s largest democracy. Secondly, as an instructor in the Management Department, I felt that this trip could not only serve as a cultural immersion, but also as an academic experience

that augmented theoretical classroom debates on management and economic theory through the lens of an increasingly vital economy within the global competitive landscape.

While a few colleagues still thought traveling to India was timorous, the department was excited about the trip. Then my dutiful colleagues started hinting that I should select their academic advisees for this trip.

The cadet selection process ultimately proved to be the most difficult part of the entire trip. A requirement of the Olmsted program is that any cadet selected for a trip must forego their leave period. I really expected this detail to drastically limit cadet interest (shoot, outside ofMitchell Hall’s biscuits and gravy, what could be more sacrosanct than summer leave?!).

I was wrong.

After arriving at a short list of24 cadets, 16 expressed strong interest to interview. While always proud ofUSAFA and the officer candidates the institution produces, I became humbled during the 13+ hours of one-on-one interviews. The cadets blew me away with their academic credentials, personalities, and enthusiasm. My only regret was that I couldn’t bring more than four cadets with me.

There just aren’t better USAFA ambassadors than Cadets First Class Lars Hinrichsen, Bryce Luken, Collin O’Bryant, and Asha Padmanabhan. Lars is our future F-22 pilot who throws around The World is Flat references with reckless abandon (and sometimes in German); Bryce is our future AFMC commander with a 3.98 major’s CPA (and he’s not happy about that one A- he received). Collin is our world traveler with the rare combination ofempathy and intelligence to effortlessly go from high-level discussions to engaging with a homeless family in the poorest village you can imagine; and Asha is our Wings of Bluer and future B-2 pilot with a level of enthusiasm so infectious that she made our 18-hour days just fly by.

Yeah, we have great cadets at USAFA. Spending three weeks getting to know and mentor them was the highlight of the trip. While there were significant amounts oflogistics work to accomplish for meetings, tours, and travel (not to mention the academic preparation the cadets put in reading numerous business, foreign policy, and economic development articles and books), I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Herculean support received from former Ambassador to India Dick Celeste and the hospitality of William and Anjali Bissell and the Honorable Jaswant Singh.

Serendipity is a beautiful thing. Through a chance encounter at Colorado College, I was introduced to Celeste (he’s currently CC’s President). Relevant to our trip, Celeste served as the U.S. ambassador to India from 1997-2001, which overlapped with two pivotal events in India’s history from an U.S. perspective the Pokhran-II nuclear tests and President Clinton’s trip to India. His interest and help literally changed the thrust of our trip (think going from cruise speed to full afterburners). After explaining the purpose ofthe trip, the former Ohio governor opened up his rolodex to our group and recommended people with whom we should meet. Suddenly, we went from meeting mid-level officials to CEOs ofestablished Indian business houses and national political figures.

William Bissell is the Managing Director of Fabindia, a clothing retail firm (think an upscale Banana Republic with reasonable prices), and close friend of Celeste. William and his wife, Anjali,

graciously hosted both a dinner party and afternoon tea for us at their New Delhi residence. Conversations spanned myriad topics and greatly increased our understanding and awareness of India’s business and social climate.

The Honorable Jaswant Singh, who currently serves as India’s Senate Minority Leader and previously served at various times as India’s Secretary ofState, Defense, and Treasury, invited us to his Parliament office for tea and discussion. It’s a rare politician who would take precious time from his daily schedule to meet with five people not in his constituency; but that’s Jaswant Singh, a humble and noble servant of India. With such vast experiences as an elder statesman, we all gleaned numerous leadership lessons from the man who was responsible for the diplomatic handling of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests and the grueling and personally taxing episode ofthe India Airlines Flight 814 terrorist hijacking.

We also met with several members of the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, the director of the Harvard Business School India Research Center, senior managers from Mahindra & Mahindra, Microsoft, and The Carlyle Group. Every meeting built off the other and our total picture ofthe economic, political, and social opportunities and challenges within India grew.

The lines of the cultural and academic immersion were constantly overlapping, but our 10-day trip through India’s Golden Triangle was awe-inspiring and fascinating (your first glimpse of the Taj Mahal is simply indescribable). India for me is a country ofmaddening contrast. You see poverty around you that is unfathomable while being surrounded by wonders of the world and robust economic growth; India is home to some of the best technical universities in the world while having the largest population of illiterate citizens; it will take you three hours to drive

Amongst the lavish beauty and relentless poverty of India, cadets and faculty witnessed “some of the world’s greatest beauty and wealth.”

eight miles in Mumbai while you can ride one of the great metro systems in the world in Delhi. There is no other place like India.

I’m entering dangerous ground when I start waxing philosophic, so I’ll wrap up and let the cadets on the trip describe their perspectives and reflections in a far more entertaining way than I. President Clinton has been attributed to saying, “the world is divided into two kinds ofpeople: those who have seen the Taj Mahal, and those who haven’t.” My India experience has emboldened me to alter the President’s thought—“the world is divided into two kinds ofpeople: those who have seen India, and those who haven’t.”

I long for the day I return. In the meantime, I hope we continue to send cadets and officers from USAFA to India. The experience is magnificent.

A CADET PASSAGE TO INDIA

By ClCs Collin O’Bryant, Bryce Luken, Asha Padmanabhan, and Lars Hinrichsen

No cultural awareness training or international business study could prepare us for our first day in Mumbai. Here we were, five exhausted travelers having just flown halfway around the world. We had endured four airports, eternal layovers, Ambien-inspired nightmares, and worst of all, airline cuisine. And now, with our bags still in New York, Shivkumar, the Raj of Baggage Services was trying to comprehend why we were standing at his kiosk with the audacity to ask for a lost luggage receipt. It was the perfect beginning for a journey through India.

Mumbai, the financial capital ofIndia, is a city where people are only outnumbered by—wait—nothing outnumbers the people of Mumbai. We had never seen a busier city. The moment we stepped

out ofthe airport our ears were greeted by the sounds ofhundreds of automobile horns and eager business people trying to sell us anything they could. Our guide showed us to our means oftransportation, a van with 13 inch letters across the windshield spelling “TOURIST.” As we crawled across the city in what we jokingly called the “Tourist Terrorist Magnet,” we were amazed at the skill with which our driver negotiated the streets crowded with rickshaws, cars, dogs, cows, goat herds, craters, heaps oftrash, beggars, camels, elephants, and mopeds carrying families offive. Construction was everywhere and signs of a blooming economy were all around us. Billboards guaranteeing 25 percent returns on investment had us all wondering ifmaybe India might have been a better place to invest our cadet loans.

In Mumbai we met with several members ofIndia’s fast-moving business community. They enlightened us on the future plans for improving India’s chaotic infrastructure and business processes. Having experienced Mumbai and its robust business culture, we departed for New Delhi, the political capital of India.

After a few meetings in New Delhi with various political leaders and business executives, we embarked on our cultural tour through the Golden Triangle of North India. The tour took us through the cities ofVaranasi, Khajuraho, Jaipur, and Agra. In every city we were greeted by a new guide who would take us to the points of interest in the area. In a true testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of the Indian people we noticed that each tour guide seemed to have contracts with vendors and shop keepers all over the city. He would shelter us from the constant bombardment of postcard salesmen at the Taj Mahal, only to eventually lead us to a peddler standing off on his own and assure us that “This man has best price.” We always wondered what kind of cut our guides received from the profits of any sales made to us.

However, the guides were irreplaceable, always going out of their way to make our journey safe, worthwhile, and fun.

The sights and tourist destinations were interesting, but they were by no means the most life-changing part of our trip. The people of India, and not its architecture, have left the greatest impression on our lives. In India we sipped tea with some ofthe most powerful people in the country. We also walked down streets filled with penniless, disenfranchised beggars. Our meeting with the Honorable Jaswant Singh was remarkable. How often does one get to have an hour-long private conversation with a famous political figure next door to the former Prime Minister’s office? The rich and powerful were inspiring. The poor and destitute were thought-provoking. We’ll never forget the helpless look in the eyes ofthe young girls who routinely walked up to us with infants on their hips pointing to their mouths, asking for money for food. The boys with amputated limbs, or horribly disfigured spines were heart wrenching. They helped us realize that this trip was not just about us. None of us escaped India with our worldviews unchanged.

Our trip to India was filled with adventure and new experiences. However, some might wonder why the Air Force Academy would bother sending cadets on such a trip. Frankly, the Air Force andthe United States would be well-served if every cadet was able to take foreign cultural immersion trips. The insight into the lives and mindsets of people that a cadet gains from venturing to nations across the world is unparalleled. These trips are far and away the most beneficial experiences for cadets as they prepare to operate in a joint military and global economy, 'i

TheAOGgenerouslygives to the OlmstedProgram eachyear to make cadet experiences like this onepossible.

Three Academy graduates were selected as 2007-2008 White House Fellows. USAFA is the only undergraduate institution to have more than one graduate represented in this year’s class.

Lt. Col. Stacey Hawkins, ’91, Lt. Col. Dawn Dunlop, ’88, and Mr. Lou Bremer, ’92, were all appointed by President Bush in June.

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program is America’s most prestigious program for leadership and public service. The purpose ofthe program is to provide gifted and highly motivated young Americans with first-hand experience in the process ofgoverning the nation and a sense ofpersonal involvement in the leadership ofsociety. White House Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House staff, the vice president, cabinet secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials.

Kaminski, ‘64, presented National Pedal for Science and Technology President George W. Bush recently presented Dr. Paul G. Kaminski, ’64, the National Medal for Science and Technology.

A distinguished graduate ofthe Air Force Academy, Dr. Kaminski has been a leader and strategic thinker in American national security circles for four decades, serving in both government and industry roles. He has been associated with virtually every advance and breakthrough in defense technology during that time, contributing enormously to the safety of our fighting men and women, and nation as a whole.

(Courtesy ofPRNewswire-USNewswire)

liter space deout Astronaut Alvin Drew, ’84, returned safely to earth Aug. 21 after serving as a flight engineer aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour during NASA’s STS-118 mission. Drew’s duties involved launch and re-entry, space walking, remotely operating the mechanical arm to deploy and retrieve payload bay stores, performing ship engineer maintenance and fabrication duties in orbit, medical officer duties and load mastering.

The STS-118 mission delivered and assembled the starboard S5 truss segment of the International Space Station, as well as External Stowage Platform 3, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope.

Richardson, '31, wins BIG Lt. Col. Joseph Richardson recendyaccepted the 2007 Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award. The award is given annually to a military member or Department ofDefense civilian employee who has distinguished themselves through significant contributions to their service, the advancement ofAfrican Americans and to our nation.

The 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron director ofoperations and E-8C Joint STARS navigator has a gracious attitude toward winning the prestigious award.

“If a farmer got picked to be farmer of the year it isn’t really a big deal to him,” said Colonel Richardson. “The farmer just cares about the results of what he did that made him farmer of the year— all the people that were fed, all the needs that were met and the meals that were eaten because he was doing a great job.” The Lima, Ohio native insists that this award is due to the contributions of many.

Colonel Richardson is actively involved with the community through Aviation in Schools Incorporated, an organization that introduces students to the field of aviation.

As an airman basic and personnel specialist, Colonel Richardson stumbled upon the Air Force Academy and it made all the difference in the World.

“I was using the copy machine and someone had left a pamphlet that talked about some place called the Air Force Academy,” he said. “I had never heard of it before. I read the pamphlet and thought, ‘the Air Force actually has a college that you can go to?’ Finding the pamphlet that day at the copy machine is what motivates him to give back to the community.

“I found out about it by accident,” he said “If I found out by accident and it has made such an impact on my life, what would happen if we were proactive? If we intentionally let people know about the opportunities out there, how many lives could we change?” (By Senior Amn. Paul Ross)

Bolt, 07, selected in MLB draft

Recently graduated Air Force first baseman/outfielder Karl Bolt was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 15th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft June 8. Bolt is the second Air Force Academy baseball player ever drafted in the 51-year history of the program.

A four-year letter winner, Bolt was the 473rd selection in the draft. He joins Mike Thiessen as the lone two Falcons ever to be drafted. Thiessen went in the 42nd round to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 draft.

As a senior, Bolt led the Falcons in hitting (.349), hits (68), home runs (8), doubles (16), runs (34) and RBI (47). A first-team all-Mountain West Conference selection, Bolt also was selected as the team MVP for the second consecutive season.

“It has been a dream ofmine since I was a little kid to play pro baseball,” Bolt said, “And to get the chance to fulfill my dream is incredible. I am really excited about this opportunity, but first and foremost, I look forward to my first assignment at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., as a logistics readiness officer.”

“I fully intend to fulfill my commitment to the Air Force and look forward to serving my country. Ifsomewhere down the road, there is an opportunity to playprofessional baseball, I would certainly look into it,” he said. “I also cannot thankAir Force Academy Superintendent General Regni and Athletic Director Dr. Mueh enough for their guidance and support in this process.” (Courtesy ofAir Force News) B

Memories of USAFA Summer Training, 1968

1 ha u>antt d ti shaft ft ns sti y some time. It documents my memories of unde mate? demolitio team trainin in Ian 1 Hegt and pain AFA on tht Sdf Diego—Coronado did. that was under construction the summer of 1968.1 wouldguess at most the 13 ofus from the 1 SAR l' lass o. <’■ ’()havt this picture of the bridge and I have never seen itpu ished.

John E. Hatlelid, '70

The summer of 1968 was very memorable for me for a variety ofreasons. It was my second class summer with two years down and two years to go until graduation from the U.S. Air ForceAcademy. The memories from that summer include not only a very challenging and demanding summer training program, but also a truly remarkable spirit mission, and eventually the rest ofthe storywith an “its a small world” ending some 30 years later. It was a joint service summer training program to boot.

I was one of 13 secondclassmen to volunteer for a three week basic underwater demoli- tion team (UDT) training course. Joining us was a midshipman from the NROTC unit at the University of Colorado. The course was an abbreviated version ofthe regular 18- week basic UDT SEAL course at the Naval Amphibious School in Coronado, Calif., that was a preliminarytraining program for Navy SEALs.

As I recall, my choices had gotten down to airborne training at Fort Benning or UDT. A key factor in my decision was the fact that going airborne required giving up three weeks of leave while the UDT program did not involve giving up leave. I had always been a swim- mer and competed in swim programs from an early age, so the thought ofswimming and divingduring UDT training and the fact that I would still have summer vacation logically evolved to the decision to go to the UDT training. It proved to be one ofthe highlights of my USAFA experiences and one I look back on with fond memories because ofthe vigor- ous physical demands and the strong sense of team spirit and work involved.

Previous page: Head instructor Olivera standing in the Naval Amphibious School training area in the foreground and the huge AFA on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge across the bay in the background. Below: Standing left to right: Allen, Keefer, Boyd, Monroe, Berta, Ferguson, Jones, Naversen, Hamer and Hatlelid. Kneeling left to right: Dietz, Gillespie, Wright and Hueblein. (U.S. Navy photo)

The Navyfrogmen in training were called tadpoles. We were dubbed hummingbirds and wore Air Force blue helmets instead ofthe traditional green helmet ofthe tadpoles. We clearly did not have enough time in three weeks to go through all ofthe normal training, but we did experience and see quite a bit oftraining that a regular class was going through that summer.

We actually saw some ofthe Hell Week for regular trainees and that is another story. They lived for four meals a day (0600, 1200, 1800 and 2400). The trainees had two hours ofsleep planned on Tuesday and two more hours planned for Thursday. Beyond that, it looked like the most physically demanding experience that I had ever been exposed to and left me with a deep respect for the special warriors that complete UDT SEAL training.

The lead instructor was always answered with a resounding “HOOYAH Olivera,” and his name tag read God. This man was the epitome ofthe perfect physical specimen with endless enduranceand physical stamina blended with a definitecommand presence. There was no question that he was in charge ofthe training. He completed everything asked ofthe trainees and made it all look easy. He could run endlessly and would run backwards beside our formation while carrying, and occasionally chewing on, an unlit cigar.

We lived in open bay barracks and I have memories of buffing the concrete floors until they gleamed. Most of us recalled laboring to bufflinoleum floors in the USAFA dorms and had never tried buffing concrete before. We were not the first trainees to buff the concrete and it would shine like our well-done dorm room floors.

We did lots ofcalisthenics, running, swimming, a big obstacle course, carrying, launching, and landing six-man rubber boats in San Diego Bay and in the Pacific Ocean. We had enough scuba training to get certified for scuba diving. The scuba training culminated in a session of underwater harassment. This was done in a swimming pool. The trainees started with complete scuba equipment offins, mask, snorkel, weights, tanks, air hoses, regulator, etc. The goal was

The Graduation Ceremony brochure dated August 14, 1968 contains the following list of Basic Underwater

Demolition Trainees, Special Class:

C/2C John B. Allen Villa Park, California

C/2C Steven J. Berta Canton, Illinois

C/2C John E. Boyd King of Prussia, Penn.

C/2C Robert A. Dietz Grand Island, New York

C/2C James G. Ferguson Fort Lewis, Washington

C/2C Ritchie P. Gillespie Staunton, Virginia

C/2C Thomas E. Hamer Atlanta, Georgia

C/2C John E. Hatlelid Ponca City, Oklahoma

C/2C Timothy K. Hueblein Pasadena, California

C/2C Raymond A. Jones Corpus Christi, Texas

C/2C Theodore E. Keefer San Francisco, California

C/2C George M. Monroe Inglewood, California

C/2C Douglas N. Naversen Newark, Ohio

M/3C Louis D. Wright Boulder, Colorado

to keep your air supplyflowing and stay at the bottom ofthe pool. The problem occurred when the instructors would swim down and harass the trainee by removing the mask, jerking the regulator out ofyour mouth, possiblyjamming the regulator between the twin tanks on your back, taking offyour fins or weight belt, and many other things to hinder staying down. It was quite a drill.

We did the traditional insert and recovery from a high-speed boat. Rolling into the water was a lot offun. The recovery was a bit more challenging. It started with a slow boat and the boat got faster as we mastered the recovery procedure. The swimmers were required to tread water as a boat approached straight at them. There was a rubber boat in the water at the side ofthe boat. The bow wave oftheboat pushed the swimmer down the side ofthe boat and an instructor in the rubber boat put a loop over the swimmers upraised arm. Once the swimmer felt the loop hit his arm he was to grab the upraised arm at the wrist to create a closed circle with his arms in hopes ofbeing pulled into the rubber boat.

The running on Coronados Silver Strand was my most memorable exercise. Running on soft sand in fatigues and boots was bad enough and to add to the challenge we occasionally had to get in the ocean and then do pushups in the sand near the surfline. We would end up wet and sandy. Swimming had always been my strong card, and I had to work a bit harder at running. Seems their policy was that ifyou were not running briskly enough they had their own motivational tool. Those falling behind the group were given an incentive to speed up byhaving a rope attached to their waist and the other end was secured to the back of a jeep. Should you decide not to keep the pace you had the rather poor option of being dragged through the sand!

As you might expect from a UDT training course, it involved lots ofswimming both in the pool, San Diego Bay, andthe Pacific Ocean. I remember a free ascent from 50 feet in the ocean. We would swim down with an air supply to a diving bell held 50 feet below the surface. You would duck into the diving bell to be greeted by an instructor. He would reinforce all the training we had received. Basically the goal was to take a last breath ofair in the diving bell, duck out from underneath it, and slowly rise to the surface. It was necessary to exhale the whole way to the surface ofthe ocean since you left from 50 feet down with way too much air in your lungs due to the pressure of water at that depth. You would ascend at the speed ofyour bubbles, about a foot a second. Fifty feet should then take 50 seconds. It seemed like a long time to be exhaling, but it all worked fine.

We also went to a simulated 300 feet down in a compression chamber. The weight of water added lots of pressure and 300 feet down would have been equivalent to about ten times normal atmospheric pressure. That’s a lot of pressure and the key effect was on our ears. Just as in descending while flying, we had to keep adding air pressure behind the ear drums to equalize the increasing pressure in the compression chamber.

These were the memories of theremarkable joint service summer training program I, along with my peers, completed that summer. They are memories that have stayed with me a lifetime and I’m sure with my compatriots as well.

The spirit mission highlight came at the end of our training time. It was the summer of 1968 and the San Diego-Coronado

Bridge was being built. As Air Force Academy cadets, we knew we had to leave our mark on this Navy town. I do not think we had a well formulated plan, but we decided to paint a big “AFA” on the side of the bridge. As I recall we got over the construction fence at night with several cans ofwhite spray paint, an over abundance of enthusiasm, and endless determination.

We found some rope in the construction area and used it to dangle Steve Berta (the number one graduate in the Class of 1970) over the side of the bridge. He painted the three letters about 12 feet tall. He was able to stand on the flange of the Ibeam as he painted the bottom half of the letters.

We tugged him up offofthe flange so he could paint the top halfof the letters. We kept pulling him up and letting him down as he painted the AFA. We had no real climbing gear or safety equipment, just lots of spirit and enthusiasm. He was hanging at the end of a rope about 200 feet above the water—things we did in the name ofspirit! The AFA was very visible the next morning and we all were beaming with pride and thrilled over the picture which captured that spirit mission.

And now for the rest of the story; my son toured the UDT training facility about 30 years later with Scout Troop 14 from Phoenix. He talked briefly with a retired sailor who had been a trainee in the normal Navy class that summer of 1968 and was part ofthe team that went up the next day to paint over the AFA. I was not on that trip, but I wish I had been there to talk with him or had known and given my son that picture to show him. It truly is a small world.

HOOYAH! S

Honor, Pride get put to the test

After a cheating scandal shook the Academy, one leader looked to the past, and cadets looked within themselves

By Tom Roeder The Gazette

Photos by Ken Wright

t was a long drive to Albuquerque on that cold Friday last February.

Under leaden skies and with strains ofWagner’s classics blasting, Lt. Gen. John Regni stewed at 75 mph.

The Air Force Academy superintendent mulled the scandal entangling the school. Forty freshmen were under investigation for cheating on a test of basic military knowledge—a test they could fail with few consequences. They still cheated, Regni had been told hours earlier.

The 1973 academy graduate wondered how cadets could so casually break the school’s most devoutly held tenets. Again.

He’d calledall cadets and officers into a formation in the school’s cavernous Mitchell Hall before he grilled them.

“Is this about respect? Is it about dignity? Is it about core values? Is it about ethics?” Regni had asked. “Is it about honor? Is it about pride in yourself, your academy and your profession?”

Regni knew that, pressed for time and pressured to be the best, some cadets had taken the easy way out by sharing test answers, a violation of the academy honor code that forbids lying, cheating and stealing.

Now, as a new academic year begins at the Air Force Academy, Regni andothers say they are applying the lessons ofpast scandals to end cheating. They hope rule changes proposed by cadets will persuade more of their colleagues to admit when they cheat.

A new zero-tolerance policy awaits cheaters who try to hide their conduct.

OLD CODE FOR NEWWORLD

Regni says it’s an uphill fight in a world where ethics bend to fit the need of the moment.

Around the campus north of Colorado Springs, officials can rattle off the sad statistics: Eighty percent of high-schoolers admit

Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni takes time from his dayto listen in on a classroom lecture,

cheating to get ahead, and 95 percent of cheaters don’t get caught, according to nationwide surveys.

“That’s what is coming out ofsociety,” Regni said.

They say it’s what they must overcome with would-be officers who enter each summer getting them to accept a code of honor that seems out of place in the new millennium.

The honor code, adopted in 1956 by the academy’s founding class, is simple. “We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.”

Ofthe conduct forbidden by the code, the cheating has been the most problematic, sparking scandals at the school since the 1960s.

Hundreds of cadets have resigned over cheating in class, including 109 in a single 1965 incident.

Regni’s own class of 1973 lost 39 cadets in a cheating ring.

The most recent chapter ofacademy cheating history came Jan. 31 when a group offreshmen, including 19 intercollegiate athletes, used a Web site to share answers for the military knowledge exam.

The test carried no academic weight, said cadet James Hayes, a senior who now serves as the honor chairman for the cadet wing.

The leading theory is that freshmen thought it so inconsequential that cheating wouldn’t matter. The same thing happened in 2004, when 26 freshmen admitted guilt or were found guilty by cadet honor boards of cheating on a test of military knowledge from flag etiquette to salute protocol.

“I believe 100 percent that’s what happened,” Hayes said.

The low stakes of the 2007 tests didn’t make cheating any more tolerable to those charged with enforcing the honor code.

Three cadets resigned and 15 were kicked out. Another 13 were sentenced to six months ofsupervised probation.

MASS PUNISHMENT

This time, though, Regni decided that punishing the wrongdoers wasn’t enough.

Before he drove to New Mexico to watch the men’s basketball team defeat the Lobos, he ordered his staff to prepare for a long weekend with the cadets confined to base.

In the car, he contemplated something new, a way to rub the noses of the cadet wing into the latest honor scandal.

“I wanted the cadets to take responsibility,” he said. “By the time I got to Santa Fe, I knew what had to be done.”

The Air Force Academy’s 4,000 cadets were called to formation before dawn on a Saturday to contemplate the violations of the freshman class and to help invent ways to avoid similar scandals in the future.

“The initial reaction was ‘You’ve got to be kidding me, Regni said.

Senior cadet Ian Helms said his classmates, though, quickly got over their concerns about a lost weekend.

“Whenever you have young Americans who have their individual freedoms curtailed, you’ll have push-back,” said Helms, this fall’s highest-ranking cadet. “I was impressed, though, by how everyone bought into what was going on.”

Helms said one thing cadets hold sacrosanct is the honor code, and they get angry when it’s broken.

“It’s not about the cheating, lying and stealing, it’s about the underlying principles,” hesaid.

Regni gave the cadets an outline—he wanted them to reach conclusions on why the code was being broken.

The cadets, broken into squadrons and smaller groups called flights, passed their ideas on cheating up through the wing’s chain

of command.

One idea: That the biggest problem faced by the academy wasn’t about lying, cheating or stealing. It was one of accountability, ofyoung would-be officers lacking the courage to admit when they’re wrong.

The conclusion sparked a new set of rules: Those who break the code but turned themselves in would get a second chance.

Honor-code violators who cover up their behavior would get the boot.

Like the original code in 1956, the change was adopted by all cadets and has become one of the pillars on which the academy’s standards are built.

“We want people if they mess up to fess up,” Hayes said.

‘THIS IS OUR CODE’

The end of the latest honor scandal came with a scene fit for Hollywood.

On a chillyApril morning, 4,000 cadets awoke before dawn and assembled before the school’s honor court, near the famous chapel spires.

Atop a wallthat carries the words of the honor code, a cadet stoodand read the names of those banished from the school over a year’s time for violating the rules.

It was an unprecedented scene that drew reactions that varied

from anger to sadness from cadets, Hayes said.

Regni said it was a scene he had envisioned on the drive to New Mexico.

“It was a serious moment and it was somber as well,” he said.

The cadet who read the names concluded the formation with four words.

ccnpi t )? I his is our code.

FOREVER CHANGED

A few months later, the oldhonor code and its new rules were being drilled into a new class of incoming freshmen.

In a warm classroom in Fairchild Hall a formation of tired, camouflage-clad cadets in basic training trudged in to learn about the code that will govern their lives.

The lesson was on the part of the code that tells cadets they cannot tolerate liars, cheaters and thieves in their ranks.

Cadet David Field gave the lecture, shunning textbooks for real examples from the latest scandal.

Field said his school is still shaken and transformed by the actions of a few freshmen in January. He told the new freshmen that it is their duty to confess their wrongs and to hold each other accountable.

“It happened to a kid in my squadron last semester who was handed the answers to a knowledge test,” Field told the two-dozen doolies. “He threw them away, but he didn’t tell anyone. He tolerated.” H

exciting trips in 2007 Available to AOG members, their families and friends

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(719) 472-0300

He became an ace with 12 aerial victories during World War II, flying P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs, and latershot down 4 MiGs in Vietnam to bring his total to 16. He also led the 8th Tactical FighterWing—the famed “Wolfpack”—to a record 24 aerial victories, a total unsurpassed by any other wing during the war in Southeast Asia.

Throughout his career, Olds was a staunch advocate for better fighters, better pilot training and new tactics, culminating in the war-winning air-to-air tactics and doctrine ofsurgical precision bombing we use today.

General Olds was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 14, 1922, the son ofMaj. Gen. Robert and Mrs. Eloise Olds. He spent his younger years in Hampton, Va., and attended the where he was an All-American tackle. Followinggraduation from pilot training in 1943, General Olds was assigned to the European Theater at the end ofWorld War II, where he flew 107 combat missions. During the Vietnam War, he flew 152 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom as the wing commander ofthe 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand.

General Olds’ exploits as the creator and mission commander of Operation Bolo, the most successful aerial battle of the Vietnam War, has been documented in the recent History Channel Dogfights Special series “Air Ambush.”

He was assigned to the first jet P-80 squadron in 1946; was a member of the first jet Aerial Acrobatic Demonstration Team; won second place in the Thompson Trophy Race, jet division, in Cleveland, in 1946; and participated in the firstdawn-to-dusk transcontinental round trip flight. He was a squadron commander of Royal Air Force No.l Fighter Squadron, Sussex, England, during an exchange tour in 1948.

After his duty in Vietnam, General Olds was named commandant of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. His last

What could be the last flown F-4 Phantom formation streaks across the sky at General Olds’ interment at the USAFA Cemetery. (Photo by Ken Wright)

assignment before retiring from the Air Force in 1973 was as director ofsafety for the Air Force.

Retired Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart was a cadet when thenCol. Olds arrived to become the Academy commandant in 1967. He spoke at his former leader’s memorial service at the Academy’s Cadet Chapel.

“In four years he touched the lives of7,000 cadets,” said Gen. Eberhart, then a cadet wing commander, during the chapel service. “He was an exciting and, yes, an electrifying leader. And it is true that the whole cadet wing wore paper handlebar mustaches to greet him. He was thrilled.”

Retired Air Force fighter pilot Brig. Gen. Robert F. Titus described General Olds as, “the best aerial combat leader that ever lived.”

General Olds daughters, Susan Scott-Risner and Christina and GranddaughterJennifer Newman spoke at the services.

“Pappa, you taught me many things,” she said. She is completing a book her father was working on.

Daughter Christina Olds took care ofher father during his last three months. “He loved letters and email from you and from all over the world,” she said to the more than 500 people in attendance.

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni, ’73, the Olds family and attending guests threw nickels into the vault at the cemetery, a tradition at burials for deceased fighter pilots.

General Olds is survived by two daughters, Christina Olds ofVail, Colo., and Susan Scott-Risner ofNorth Bend, Wash.; one granddaughter, Jennifer Newman ofSanta Monica, Calif., and half-brother, Fred Olds ofVirginia. He died peacefully at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo., in the company offamily and friends.

General Olds’ military decorations include the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters, Legion ofMerit, Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak leafclusters, Air Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, British Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order, Vietnam Air Gallantry Medal with gold wings, and Vietnam Air Service Medal.

Top, left; Cadet Robin Olds at West Point. (U.S. Army Photo) Top, right: Col. RobinOlds preflights his F-4C Phantom before a mission in Southwest Asia. He was thecommander ofthe 8th Tactical FighterWing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand, and was credited with shooting down four enemy MiG aircraft in aerial combat over North Vietnam. (U.S. Air Force photo) Bottom: F-4 Phantoms take out another bogie. (USAF Painting by Ken Chandler)

DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE

NOMINATION CRITERIA CHANGED FOR DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD honor bestowed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and its Association ofGraduates, recognizing graduates whose accomplishments are inspirational and elevate the reputation and the standing ofthe U.S. Air Force Academy. Distinguished Graduates should provide an example to all graduates and cadets ofthe standards that we value and ofthe abilities that have made our country and society great.

The Distinguished Graduate Award Committee, led by board member General (Ret.) Ed Eberhart, ’68, wants to enrich the pool ofpotential candidates for this important award. The committee has approved the establishment of a “Pre-Nomination Recommendation which allows people to send the AOG a name and a one paragraphjustification. The AOG staffwould then do internet research to gatherpreliminary information on the nominee. The DGA Committee would determine if the person merited additional consideration and would contact the nominator for assistance in puttingtogether a more detailed package.

The Distinguished Graduate Award recognizes exceptional graduates who have set themselves apart by making extraordinarily significant contributions to our nation and/or their communities. It is a unique

TIMELINE

May 2007 - June 2008

Award is publicized and nominations are accepted. Pre-nominations must be submitted byApril 1, 2008

JUNE - AUGUST 2008

Selection committee reviews nomination packages

SEPTEMBER 2008

Selection committee recommends award recipient to AOG chairman ofthe board and U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent. Recipient is notified and agrees to accept award at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

While the selection criteria for this award are extremely demanding and the competition is keen, we need the assistance of every graduate to identify deserving candidates for evaluation. Non-graduates are also encouraged to submit nominations. This is our opportunity to recognize our own while identifying those who can serve as an inspiration to fiiture generations ofAmericas leaders.

APRIL 2009

Award presentation ceremony at U.S. Air Force Academy in conjunction with Founders Day.

SEND PRE-NOMINATION INFORMATION TO Association ofGraduates

3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy CO 80840-4475 or e-mail gary.howe@aogusafa.org.

For more information, contact Gary Howe, 69, at (719) 472-0300, or gary.howe@aogusafa.org or visit the AOG Web site at www.usafa.org.

"Spiritual origin of the Air Force"

ColoradoCongressmanDougLambornreflects on a visit to France to pay tribute to American airmen who died nearly a century ago in defense offreedom and civilization.

BY DOUG LAMBORN

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To attend a Memorial Day ceremony in memory of the Lafayette Escadrille in a leafy Paris suburb is to go back in time to the very beginnings ofAmerican combat aviation.

Named for the French general who volunteered to help America win its independence during the Revolutionary War, the Lafayette Escadrille was formed by volunteer American pilots who sided with the French in the early days ofWorld War I, before the United States entered the conflict. These aviators were motivated by their sense of duty, one that drove them to come to France’s aid in spite of the U.S. government’s position of strict diplomatic neutrality. They wanted to fight for freedom and civilization.

These idealistic aviators took part in the evolving aerial combat that dominated the skies over the battlefields of France. Forty-nine of the sixty-five American volunteers who died during the Great War while fighting for this air corps lie buried in marble tombs in the crypt underneath the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial. The memorial includes a stone arch the shape and one-half the size of the Arc de Triomphe. Although it has

The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial honors the memory of American airmen who gave their lives to defend France and liberty during World War I. (Courtesy of Congressman Doug Lamborn)

been beset by the elements since its dedication in 1928, Congressional grants and other funds are helping to restore the memorial’s original beauty.

In May, it was my deepest honor and privilege to accompany the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson, as well as four other members of Congress, to this and several other Memorial Day ceremonies across the Atlantic. The members of Congress, Senators Larry Craig of Idaho and Wayne Allard of Colorado, and Representatives Shelley Berkley of Nevada, Cliff Stearns of Florida, and myself are all members of the Veterans Affairs Committees in our respective chambers. Two of us, Senator Craig and I, are ranking members on the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs subcommittees of our respective committees.

It was refreshing to see the memory of brave Americans honored by French as well as American citizens and dignitaries. The Chiefof Staffof the French Air Force, General Stephane Abrial, spoke of their contribution to his nation’s defense. U.S. Air Force Chiefof StaffMichael “Buzz” Moseley who was also present, told me this memorial “is a special place for anyone in the Air Force because the Lafayette Escadrille was the spiritual origin of the Air Force.”

To better understand the historic role played by the American volunteers, both those who gave their lives and those who survived, a little background is in order.

Trench warfare dominated the Western Front from late 1914 until the war’s end, and the introduction of flimsy aircraft—made ofwood, wire, and fabric— would do little to alter this arrangement. Dramatic changes in warfare, such as hardened trenches, firepower in the form of machine guns, rapid-fire artillery, and barbed-wire barricades made it difficult for opposing forces to capture and secure enemy territory. The bloody carnage of battles like those fought at the Somme and Verdun was inspiration enough for American and French soldiers

ofthe famed Lafayette Escadrille before transferring to the U.S. Air Service following the nation’s entry into the war. He had 17 confirmed victories with the French. Bottom: Edward “Eddie” Vernon Rickenbackerwas the American “Ace ofAces” in World War I. Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1890, he gained fame as a race car driver before joining the service. (Courtesy USAF) in the Foreign Legion to transfer their services to the Escadrille. Edwin C. Parsons, a Lafayette Escadrille pilot, wrote “[djaily imaginations were stirred by the sight of the rackety old planes staggering over their heads. Fed up to their necks and preferring anything to the muck and gore and rigors of trench life, they felt a compelling urge to get into the war in the new element.”

In the beginning of the war, aviation units were not used in a combat capacity, but for observation purposes only. Accounts tell of enemy pilots waving to each other as they passed in the air, a situation difficult to imagine in today’s lethal arena of aerial combat that includes stealth technology, supersonic aircraft, and surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying targets at tremendous distances. These early airmen were unarmed and their duties consisted chiefly of observation and reconnaissance

missions. It did not take long however, before they equipped their planes with crude guns and bombs, ushering in a new era of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

Ninety years after the war, the pilots of the United States Air Force are still benefiting from the intrepid pioneers that were the Lafayette Escadrille. The men of the first American volunteer flying squadron were willing to fly primitive contraptions into battle just a decade and a half after the Wright brothers managed to complete their legendary flight at Kitty Flawk. The Escadrille initially flew Bebe Nieuport 11s, and later SPAD VIIs and Nieuport 17s. The earliest models reached a maximum speed of only 119 miles per hour, suffered from numerous structural and armament malfunctions, and had little that resembled modern safety standards.

Top left: EugeneJacques Bullard, the world’s firstAfrican-American combat pilot, was one of 200 Americans who flew for France in World War I. Top Right: Maj. Raoul Gervais Lufbery, the third highestscoringAmerican ace forWorld War I, was the first American to reach ace status. He was member

Escadrille pilot Paul Pavelka described his death-defying experience under German attack in the Somme. “I flew up in my new eighty horse-power, fifteen meter Nieuport, in hopes of meeting some of the Germans and adding another to my list. After leaving the ground my lights failed to work. It was no moment to turn back, so I continued without lights. Not being able to signal the ground, I was subjected to a most intense fire from the guns Strange to tell, I [knew] where I was all the time until I flew over Amiens. Then, suddenly, all the lights below went out, and from then on I did not know where I was Every time I neared the earth, the machine guns on the ground would start in working on me.”

Accounts from members of the squadron suggest that some of the original pilots possessed questionable flying experience and joined impulsively, either in search of adventure or out of a sheer dedication to their idealism. Others were compelled by strong ties to France. “Almost every one of them gave up a good situation with excellent promises for the future, to undergo hardships and risks for France,” according to one historian.

All of the original members came from wealthy families and had excellent educational backgrounds, and as such traded a life of certain luxury for one of voluntary military service in an aerial medium where one’s life-expectancy was measured in weeks, not years. One such pilot, Raoul Lufbery, volunteered to avenge thedeath of his friend, forwhich he suspected German soldiers were to blame. Lufbery was the first pilot in the group to reach ace status, eventually compiling 17 kills beforehis untimely death in May, 1918.

Facing death on a daily basis, the members quickly evolved into a brotherhood of warriors. The first four to volunteer were also the first to die. While covering the Western Front, the Lafayette Escadrille completed 3,000 sorties and boasted almost 40 victories. This group broke barriers off the battlefield as well. In 1917 Eugene Bullard joined the successor Lafayette Escadrille Flying Corps, thus becoming the first African American pilot in the war.

Despite thefact that enlistment was considered a deliberate act against President Wilson’s policy of strict neutrality, the squadron still attracted much popular attention. Their success in the air not only strengthened the bond between France and the United States, it also helped to encourage our nation to enter the war and set a baseline for the dedication of more pilots and planes to fight alongside the army’s American Expeditionary Force.

After Congress, at the request of President Wilson, declared war against Germany in 1917, the Escadrille was incorporated into the American Air Service and became the 103rd Aero Squadron. Some of the aviators, including triple ace Lufberry, flew with the 94th Pursuit Squadron, with its “Hat in the Ring” insignia. One of the 94th’s flight commanders was Eddie Rickenbacker, who considered Lufberry a teacher and an inspiration. The pilots’ experience and dedication to duty attracted the attention of the government which voted to provide $640 million towards the U.S.’s entry air war, a move that was to be an early precursor in the development ofwhat would become the U.S. Air Force three decades later.

This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the United States Air Force. By 1947, technological developments and the expanding scale of international conflict under the guise of the Cold War prompted the construction of a dedicated air-arm, run by airmen who had long argued that air warfare was fought best by “airminded” military leaders who were seasoned in the art of war in the third dimension.

Just a year later, in 1948, plans were already being drafted for the Air Force Academy, an institution dedicated to shaping the next generation of leaders with both the technical skill and steadfast character necessary to fight the country’s wars. And it is at the Academy that the foundation of the next generation’s Air Force is being established—all this from the humble beginnings of a handful of principled young flyers committed to risking their lives to check unprovoked aggression.

The connection between today’s Air Force Academy to the Lafayette Escadrille of nine decades earlier goes beyond that of mere historical succession and reaches into the very essence of what the Academy represents. FrenchGeneral Henri Gouraud said of the Lafayette Escadrille during the war, “When men who have no obligation to fight, who could not possibly be criticized if they did not fight, yet nonetheless decide upon their own individual initiative to risk their lives in defense of a cause they hold dear, then we are in the presence true heroes.”

The Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character for the nation resonates at precisely this point, as today’s cadets also decide—spurred by their own individual initiative—to undergo the a strenuous military, academic, and athletic regimen designed to prepare them to lead the Air Force.

“The men of the Lafayette Escadrille were remarkable, not because of their flying skill or expert gunnery—by all accounts, many were average flyers who were terrified by the dangers of combat,” said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni, ’73.

“What made them remarkable was their dedication to a noble cause, proving them to be men of considerable moral fiber. In the same way, our cadets today have willingly given up a great deal in order to be honed into those men and women who will lead our Air Force against our enemies of tomorrow. And they will be suecessful only insofar as they grow to become leaders who embody the spirit of the Lafayette Escadrille of nearly a century ago.”

And so the men entombed at the memorial live on. They live on in the spirit of allied cooperation, as well as the sprit ofpersonal integrity, selfless service, and professional excellence, virtues exercised daily at the Academy. These qualities made the ordinary men ofthe Lafayette Escadrille an extraordinary unit. It is also these qualities that transform the common Americans that enter the Academy into the nation’s uncommon leaders of tomorrow. Rfl

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There are more than 60,000 stories in the halls ofthe BlueZoo. This is one ofthem. It is true in every detail, at least as well as details can be recalledafier38years. Only the names have been changed toprotect the... innocent?

“It was the summer of ’69.” —Bryan Adams

No, wait! “We were learning to fly.” —Tom Petty

No, wait! “It was the best oftimes; it was the worst oftimes.” —Charles Dickens “... It’s all in your point ofview.” —The fifth Beatle

They all had it right, didn’t they? The rockers, factually; the classicists, philosophically. What it was, was Airmanship 400, AKA T-41, for those firsties who, for one reason or another, would not be able to fit it into their academic year. As it turns out, after a Second-Class shuffle and three consecutive expansions of the Cadet Wing entailing “expansion drafts,” we were four guys from the same doolie squadron, who found themselves back together again in the place that we all still called the new dorm.

George recalls how it all started:

“It was a dark and stormy night... Actually I think it was raining that evening, now that I think ofit. On that particular night, three ofus—Paul, me, and Ringo—decided to go for a burger at the Burger King on Filmore. Don’t think we had any other activity in mind just a burger, and then come on back to the Zoo. We were sitting there enjoying a whopper (in my case: w/ cheese, hold the O—I don’t really remember, but that’s the only thing I’ve ever ordered at BK), when we noticed a disheveled young woman, sitting alone at the next table, crying.”

Although Ringo remembers the table as a booth instead, he adds, “She had dirty, cut-offjean shorts and no shoes. As we were finishing, she got up and walked out on the street, wanderingseeminglyaimlessly, crying, as she went west on Filmore.” Being concerned good souls—you know, officers and gendemen—we three caught up with her, and asked her what was wrong, and ifwe could help.

George continues, “I don’t remember having to coax her story out of her, but she opened up with a tale ofwoe.” Her story was that she had run away from her home in Iowa [recalls George], or Ohio [recalls Ringo] to follow her young boyfriend and be with him, hitched a ride or two to Colorado Springs, met up with some Fort Carson soldiers and moved in with them for a while. Her boyfriend had subsequently beaten her up and stolen her belongings, and then she was booted out. She was left with nothing: no cash, no hope, no anything.

Because nightfall was approaching, we—caring, young cadets [John insists on interjecting here that a psychologist in Arnold Hall one Saturday morning had told us that “caring, young cadets” is an oxymoron]—felt we had to do something for her. After a brief discussion, we decided to help her out.

George interrupts here:

“Before I go on any farther, I should make one thing clear (because I know what all Zoomies would be thinking when reading this). My memories of that time are faded. I can’t remember her name, or even much about her appearance, but I do remember one thing, and that is that I was not at all attracted to this young woman. I can’t speak for my three co-conspirators, but never was my intention to take advantage ofher. (Pretty amazing, given that at that time of my life, sex occupied about 90 percent of my waking thoughts.) I only wanted to do what I could to help this poor girl out of the mess she was in.”

We decided to take a great risk. George continues, “We drove back to the Academy with her, snuck her into the west end of Sijan Hall, which was quite deserted at that time of the summer, and set her up in one of the dorm rooms.” Ringo explains, “Sijan Hall was just finishing construction, and no one was in the west section of the dorm.”

John muses, “Yeah, that really rendered the plan foolproof. See how quickly the pieces fall into place.” He continues,

“Some subset of Paul, George, and Ringo entered my room looking like they had just eaten a pound of s„t, and told me that they had adopted a stray, and I needed to come down the hall and meet it—er, meet her. It seems that they had rescued a GIRL while they were downtown at the Burger King, and she was now installed down at the far end of the dorm. And now that she was housed how was she to be clothed and fed? You guessed it: WE WOULD DO IT! ISN’T THAT COOL?”

So clothed and fed she was for the duration. She had very little personal baggage, George remembers, and we found some other necessities for her: one of us gave her a blanket, another a pillow, another soap and a towel, etc. We warned her about not wandering out of her area of the dorm, and then left her for the night.

For several days, we brought her food from whatever leftovers we had access to from Mitch’s: slices of bread, cartons of milk; plus our T-4l box lunches, stuff we bought at the C-store, etc. We tried to cheer her up and provide hope for her. Paul, our most erudite and most cerebral member, knew she needed academic stimulation. He was an econ major, so he brought her a textbook on economics to help her pass the idle hours. Even now, Ringo laments how it must have been dry reading for her. John wonders

why we didn’t at least give her a copy of the CRC tables, or maybe even a copy of Eschbach’s Handbook ofEngineering Fundamentals. That would give her plenty of opportunity to study up on every Cadet’s favorite subject: light-propagation through thin tissue.

We kept her in the dormfor four or five nights, George believes:

“I have a dim memory of her reporting that on one occasion she encountered a Cadet in a uniform when she was coming out of theshower with a towel wrapped around her. Apparently the Cadet just shook his head and went on down the hall. It might havebeen that story that prompted us to begin thinking about finding some other place for her to live.”

Indeed, after a period of time, we felt she would have to leave. And this is the point in space-time at which our memories most notably—and most innocently—diverge.

Ringo: “We got her a job pumping gas at an old gas station in Manitou Springs, gave her some money, and said goodbye. We checked several days later andlearned she had left with no word of her intentions.”

George: “So we pooled our funds and got her a room at a motel in Manitou Springs. I do remember clearly [mark those words] that when our funds ran out a week or so later, we dropped her off at the YWCA in downtown Colorado Springs, and that was the last we all saw ofher.”

John: “Ido remember distinctly that I was the last one of us left at the end ofT-4l, everyone else having gone to their next summer activity—probably Third Lieutenant, which is where I now had to go. So I drove her down Academy Boulevard to some reasonable intersection—U.S. 24?—gave her $20, my London Fog trench coat w/ lining, and wished her luck. That was the last anybody ever saw of her.

George makes the last attempt at any real memory:

“And that’s it.... IfI close my eyes, I can see her at the BK crying, and there are other snippets ofmemories, but since it’s the sort ofstory that’s been told at many a reunion, I’m starting to not be too sure about the reality ofdetails anymore, so I wont add any more to this.”

Ringo’s epilog:

“We did take a great risk in our actions, but we felt it was the right thing to do—anyway, from the perspective of a 21 yearold.There was never any impropriety, or devious action, as one might expect from today’s declined social values. We were truly just trying to help out an unfortunate situation. I guess we could have always pleaded for leniency in front of the Commandant’s Disciplinary Board.

“I don’t recall her room number in the New Dorm, but she was certainly the first woman to be housed there—preceding the women of the Class of 1980.

“And now you all know our story.”

We cannot, of course, tell hers. 13

The Secret Life of Dumbsquat

by Don Hall, 76

eyou readyfor some football?

A capacity crowd packed Falcon Stadium. At the feet of the mighty Rampart Range, another college football game kicked off. A sea of blue filled the east stands as the Cadet Wing stood in support of the Fightin’ Falcons. A cheer filled the arena as the home team scored another touchdown.

C/4C Waldo F. Dumbsquat and his roommates, Warren Fleels and Regs Buch, scrambled down the steps to the end zone with the rest of the freshman class. In unison, the doolies pumped out twenty-one pushups. The chaotic mass then swarmed back into the cadet section.

An exhausted Waldotook a knee.

“What’s the matter, Waldo?” asked a concerned Warren Heels.

“I’m exhausted!”

“Must be the altitude ...”

“And my arms are going to fall off!” huffed and puffed Waldo. “This is worse than the PFT! I’m really not into pushups.”

“Well, its part of football season at the Blue Zoo, Waldo,” Regs pointed out. “I especially like the smell of exhaust fumes on the convoy... it reminds me of victory!”

“My favorite part is the Drum and Bugle Corps,” said Warren. “Thedirector has promised a new show this season: Those Magnificent Men in their Flying MachinesV

“They’ve done that show for the past four years!” complained Waldo.

“Yeah, but this year they’re going to raise it an octave.”

“I hope we get to pass up a cheerleader or a team mascot today,” mused Waldo hopefully.

“Just as long as it’s not the Army mule that didn’t turn out well last time,” noted Regs.

“Speaking of mascots, I’m looking forward to the Falcon demonstration.”

“Yeah, it looks like fun-that’s why I signed up to be a Falconnaire.”

’’Waldo, I think you mean falconer,” Regs corrected.

“Maybe so, but all I know is I was issued a saxophone and sheet music for In the Mood ...”

“Well, I can’t wait for the next mandatory dance,” chortled Warren.

“The weather sure is nice today, but I can’t wait for a winter game. That’s when real football is played!” Regs said excitedly.

“You mean you’relooking forward to wearing wheel caps in a driving snow storm and huddling in the latrine for warmth?”

The doolies’ important ruminations were interrupted by a football game that happened to be going on in front of them. Working the wishbone offense to perfection, the Falcon quarterback scampered over the goal line.

The extra point was good.

Waldo groaned. 99

Good First Impression

CALHOUN AND NEW-LOOK FALCONS GREET SEASON WITH ROUT OF BULLDOGS

s first impressions go, this one was the football equivalent of a firm handshake, a gleaming smile and a confident, “Hello, my name is ...”

On September 1, in front of an announced crowd of 39,364 at Falcon Stadium, first-year coach Troy Calhoun and his new-look Falcons made a confidence-inspiring debut, defeating South Carolina State 34-3.

Yes, the opponent was a team from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly Division I-AA). But on a day when mighty Michigan fell to Appalachian State of the FCS, the victory had added meaning.

Besides, the opponent wasn’t important. After losing six oftheir past seven games last season to complete a third straight losing campaign and finish the Fisher DeBerry Era on a sour note, the Falcons needed a solid, workmanlike and largely mistake-free victory.

“I think it was big for us as far as confidence as a team,” said senior cornerback Carson Bird who had an interception and a fumble recovery. “We felt like we could play, but to come out here and strap ’em on against another team is a little bit different.’”

ByJake Schaller, 27/^ Gazette

Photos by Ken Wright

The Falcons scored on five of their first six possessions and showed the balance Calhoun has said he wants on offense, piling up 176 yards through the air and 279 on the ground, including 129 from senior Kip McCarthy. The defense held South Carolina State to 160 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers. And junior kicker Ryan Harrison lived up to the hype that accompanied his debut, kicking field goals of48 and 22 yards and booting three kickoffs into theend zone for touchbacks.

Perhaps most impressively, the Falcons ran new offensiveand defensive schemes—complete with new terminology and signals—without many hitches. Air Force did not commit a penalty until almost five minutes into the third quarter.

“I was impressed with our energy and, by and large, our execution,” Calhoun said.

Even if the Falcons had not worn new uniforms that included stripeless helmets, Air Force would have looked like a different team than ones of years past Saturday. The offense rediscovered the forward pass, with Shaun Carney completing 11 of 18 attempts—-about six more than the Falcons averaged last year—and all but one of the attempts came in the first three quarters. And Carney spread his receptions to seven receivers—no more than six receivers caught passes in any game last year.

The offense still used the option, but it ran it out of multiple formations and utilized more exotic plays (counter runs and reverses) and formations (shotgun and empty backfield) than it has in the past.

Air Forces defense, meantime, played more aggressively than last season, sending linebackers and defensive backs on blitzes and compiling six sacks—more than it had in any game last season.

Still, Calhoun said there was “a great deal upon which we need to work,” and Air Force will have a much tougher test next week at Utah.

“They’re a team that’s always at the top of the conference,” Carney said. “So here’s a chance for us to say we belong up there, we can play with the big boys in this conference.”

What an impression that would make.

PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE

One ofthe keys to first-year defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s 3-4 scheme is putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Calhoun says there’s plenty to improve on

ByJake Schaller, The Gazette

On Sunday evening, first-year Air Force coach Troy Calhoun sure didn’t sound like the leader of a team that had won its opener 34-3 the previous day. If anything, one would have thought Calhoun had been coaching South Carolina State—the team the Falcons beat Saturday at Falcon Stadium.

“There are a bunch of things that have to get ironed out,” Calhoun said in a teleconference with reporters. “I’ve got a list, and if I start going down all of it, you guys would never meet a deadline.”

Calhoun said the mistakes made against the Bulldogs likely would cause him to make lineup changes for Saturday’s Mountain West Conference opener at Utah.

“Sometimes you’ve got to change the batting order up,” he said.

Among the things that bothered Calhoun:

- Penalties. After not committing any in the first half, the Falcons were penalized seven times for 54 yards in the second half.

“That’s not us,” Calhoun said. “We have to be one of those teams that, at the end of the year, we’re among the top six or seven teams in penalties.”

- Twice settling for field goals—once early in the fourth quarter after having first-and-goal at the 1 -yard line, and once in the second quarter after a Carson Bird interception gave Air Force the ball at the South Carolina State 32-yard line.

“You get those opportunities, and you need to capitalize,” Calhoun said.

- Not enough turnovers forced and too many tackles missed in the open field. t>

Saturday against South Carolina State, the Falcons did just that.

Air Force compiled six sacks—more than it had in any game last year—and harassed South Carolina State quarterbacks into 1 l-of-28 passing.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun credited both the confusing zone blitzes and the play of a defensive line that might be the most improved group on the field this season.

“We’ve got some quickness there,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got some guys that have some passrush skill.”

Junior Jake Paulson had IV2 sacks, and senior Josh Clayton and junior Stephen Larson each had one.

“I think we have some depth there (on the line),” Calhoun said. “We have guys that have played football out of necessity last year so we’ve got to be able to take some of that experience and apply it forward, and I think we can.” Sf Atpress time, the Falcons improved to 3-0following their 20-17 overtime defeat ofTCU.

“Plays that should be 1-yard gains all of a sudden become 8-yard gains because we don’t wrap up and keep our feet moving,” Calhoun said.

- Inconsistent shotgun snaps by center Blaine Guenther, poor ball securityby tailback Kip McCarthy.

- Poor disguising of blitzes and coverages by the defense—specifically the safeties.

- Offensive tackles at times seeming confused by South Carolina State’s movement.

The problems are correctable, Calhoun said.

“We’ve got guys that have tremendous character,” he said. “They want to be coached in a way where they’re going to be able to develop and grow. And when we flip on the tape tomorrow afternoon, they’re going to see there are plenty ofparts of our game where we’re going to have to make significant progress.”

A BROAD VIEWPOINT

Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter spent the game in the press box, as did co-offensive coordinator Blane Morgan. The communication worked well, especially for a new staff’s first game, Calhoun said. “I was really pleased with the logistics, the organization on both sides of the ball,” Calhoun said. H

Golf Program Named One of Nation’s Best by Golf Digest

By Melissa McKeown, USAFAAthletic Dept.

n the September issue of GolfDigestmagazine, the Air Force golf program is rated among the nation’s best, tabbed 44th in the nation in the overall ranking. As part of its third annual College Golf Guide, GolfDigest ranks the country’s best colleges with NCAA men’s and women’s golf teams.

The College Golf Guide has been designed to help high school students find the right school for their needs. There are three separate rankings that comprise the Guide: Balanced ranking, for students who place equal emphasis on school and sports; Golf First ranking, for students with dreams of playing golfprofessionally; and Academics First ranking, for students who are focused on education but still desire to play competitive golf. The “Balanced” ranking is the best indicator for the majority ofyoung men and women heading off to college.

Air Force, one ofjust three Mountain West Conference schools rated in the top 50 in the Balanced ranking, leads the MWC in the Academics First ranking at

39. Meanwhile, the Falcons also rate in the top 100 in the Golf First ranking, coming in at 94.

Five criteria form the basis ofthe rankings: a college golfteam’s adjusted scoring average, Player Growth while on the team, academics, climate and facilities/coaches.

The Falcons rate among the top 10 percent in the nation in facilities/coaches, the top 20 percent in academics and the top 30 percent in adjusted scoring average.

In establishing the rankings, Golf Digest rated almost 800 NCAA men’s colleges and more than 500 women’s colleges in the five categories mentioned above, grading each category on a 100-point scale to determine overall scores:

- Team Adjusted Scoring Average: (Balanced: 24.5 percent; Golf First: 40 percent; Academics First: 15 percent). Spans last four seasons and applies the formula used by NCAA committees to select postseason teams. (Source: golfstat.com).

- Player Growth: (Balanced: 12.5 percent; Golf First: 19.5 percent; Academics First: 7 percent). Determines the percentage ofplayers on the roster during the last four seasons who improved their adjusted scoring averages over the previous season, as well as the combined improvement or decline of players who met a minimum number of rounds. (Source: golfstat.com).

-Academics: (Balanced: 36.5 percent; Golf First: 14 percent; Academics First: 58 percent). Utilizes statistics from U.S. News & World Report's 2007 guidebook America’s Best Colleges. In order to equally evaluate schools in the NCAA’s three divisions, the metric does not include peer assessment, alumni giving rank or other calculations made by U.S. News & World Report within its ten college groupings.

- Climate: (Balanced: 12 percent; Golf First: 12 percent; Academics First: 10 percent). A 30-year average ofnumber ofplayable days between September 1-May 31. Allows for play in poor weather but not in extreme, dangerous or snow-covered conditions. (Source: Longitudes Group).

- Facilities/Coaches: (Balanced: 14.5 percent; Golf First: 14.5 percent; Academics First: 10 percent). Measures quality, difficulty and proximity of campusaffiliated courses used for non-tournament practice rounds; quality of up to seven additional courses used by a team; practice facilities at home courses and stand-alone facilities on or near campus; other resources; coaches’ experience and past performance.

(Sources: GolfDigest's Coaches’ Survey; collegegolf. com; individual colleges; America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, as ranked by GolfDigest).

The extensive College Golf Guide package can be viewed online at www.golfdigest.com/rankings/2007/ collegeguide. S

Kyle Schafer Named Academic All-American

By Melissa McKeown, USAFA Athletic Dept.

lass of 2007 grad Kyle Schafer, a four-year water polo letter-winner, has been named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America mens at-large team as selected by CoSIDA. Schafer, a second-team selection, becomes the first Air Force water polo player to be named an Academic All-American.

Schafer, a native of Irvine, Calif., graduated in May with a 3.9 GPA in operations research. The Falcons’ team MVP for the 2005 season, Schafer was a two-time All-Western Water Polo Association selection. A starter in all 31 games for a team which finished the season ranked 17th nationally, Schafer led the team with 58 points (38 goals, 20 assists) in 2007 and ended his career by winning 180 of 235 sprints (.766).

In addition to earning an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, Schafer was also named a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. A four-time AWPCA All-Academic team honoree and two-time Academic All-District selection, Schafer is

one ofjust eight members of the Falcon Club, which recognizes the Air Force water polo team’s elite athletes.

The Academic All-America program annually honors over 1,600 student-athletes who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors ofAmerica), a 2,000-member organization consisting ofsports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 studentathletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Eligible sports for the men’s at-large program include fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. S

Alumni represent US vs. Canada

By Ken Holliday, ’88

Photos by Scott Foley

Three Academy graduates participated in the last leg ofNorth America Four (NA4) rugby tournament in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada June 26 to July 8.

The NA4 is a rugby tournament sponsored by the International Rugby Board to develop and promote high-level rugby in North America.

Two Canadian and two American teams (Canada East, Canada West, US Falcons and US Hawks) competed in a round-robin tournament, meeting in April, May and June/July in San Diego, Palo Alto and Vancouver respectively. Each team played a total ofsix matches.

By playing in the NA4, Capt. Travis Meidinger, 00, Ramstein Air Base, Germany and lLt. Brian Lemay, ’05, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., are among the top 52 rugby players in the country.

Former Air Force Head Coach, Lt. Col. Ken Holliday, ’88, of Ft. Belvoir, Va., attended the tournament as a result of his selection to USA Rugby’s Elite Coach Development Program. He coached the Air Force team to three straight Armed Forces championships.

The road to national team honors has been a long one for the athletes. The selection process started when they were first selected to represent their service rugby teams at the 2006 Armed Forces Rugby Championships last October.

Based on their performance at Armed Forces, the players were selected to participate as members ofthe Combined Services rugby team in the 2006 National All Star Championships last December. The NASC tournament has the best American players representing eight all star teams. Although the Combined Services lost their games against Southern California and the West, the national team coaching staffwas impressed with what they saw in Meidinger, Lemay and four other servicemen, and included them in the NA4 player pool.

In January, the identified athletes were given a stringent strength and conditioning program. They were required to record and turn in their fitness pro-

gression by using a heart rate monitor, keep a journal of their diet, and complete an intensive weight lifting and running program.

Balancing military duty, family, education, and rugby commitments is a significant undertaking for these active duty athletes. For instance, Meidinger travels an hour each way to train and play with his German Bundesliga team, Sportclub Neuenheim.

The players hope their dedication pays off in the ultimate reward, representing the US at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in September. US National team coach Peter Thorburn will name the World Cup squad traveling to France based in large part upon player performance at the NA4.

-To learn more about the Department of Defense sports program, please go to: www.defenselink.mil/ armedforcessports/zbas.html. For more information about USA Rugby, go to www.usarugby.org. For more about the NA4, go to www.narugby.com. S

Air Force sports legend retires after 49 years

By USAFA Public Affairs

fter 49 years at the Air Force Academy, Jim Bowman is going fishing. Bowman, the longtime Associate Athletic Director for Recruiting Support, is retiring at the end of the month but he’s not really saying goodbye. “I never say goodbye to friends,” Bowman said recently.

Bowman came to Ar Force in 1958 as the junior varsity football coach and was an assistant to the legendary Ben Martin until 1975. Since then he’s focused on recruiting. But he can remember virtually all the key moments and plays in Falcons sports history.

“I’ve been here for 49 football seasons, over 550 games, 17 bowl games and 16 Commander in Chiefs

trophies” said Bowman. “I’ll never forget the wonderful head coach that I worked for as a young guy Ben Martin. He brought in Bill Parcells who brought in Ken Hatfield who brought in Fisher DeBerry.”

DeBerry, the long-time Air Force football coach who retired at the end oflast season said, “It will be a lot easier to replace Fisher DeBerry than it is to replace Jim Bowman I guarantee you. A lot of those great players would not have been in schoolhad it not been for Jim Bowman.”

Jim and his wife Mae will return to Corvallis, Oregon to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Bowman will be honored on November 2 at the Academy, the night before the Air Force—Army game. H

Nwaelele and Burtschi offered professional basketball contracts

2007 GRADS HOPE FOR RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY

ByJake Schaller, The Gazette

Recent Air Force graduate Dan Nwaelele has received a “standing verbal offer” from a professional basketball team in Turkey, his agent, Jerome Kersey said.

Pinar Karsiyaka, which plays in theTurkish Basketball League, the top professional league in the country, is prepared to offer a contract that would pay around $60,000 and cover living expenses for the season that runs from October throughJune, Kersey said. But the team is waiting to see ifNwaelele can postpone his service commitment.

An Air Force policy released this year states an airman who wants to pursue a professional sports career “must have served on active duty for at least 24 months.” Nwaelele and former teammate Jacob Burtschi, who has a contract offer from a professional team in France, both hope to be granted exceptions to the new rule.

Before it was in place, decisions about academy graduates playing professionally were made on a case-by-case basis—2006 graduate Antoine Hood was allowed to play for the Colorado l4ers of the NBA Development League last season.

Nwaelele worked out for several NBA teams before the draft but was not added to any of the teams’ summer league rosters. Still, Kersey, who played 17 years in the NBA, thinks Nwaelele has potential to play in the league.

“Definitely,” he said. “Everybody rants and raves about how well he shoots the ball and what a great kid he is.” m

JOINT

AFA Society of North Carolina

We meet, informally, on the third Wednesday ofeach month at Players Retreat, 105 Oberlin Road in Raleigh. No RSVP is required.

Alamo Chapter

Members ofthe Alamo chapterperform community service annually with a Habitat for Humanity house build. The fall build is scheduled for Oct. 20 in the Palo Alto estate ofSan Antonio. Kay Grosinske, ’82, leads this annual service project. Check out our Web site for details http://alamoaog.org.

Greater Cincinnati Chapter

The chapter president in Cincinnati is looking for creative ways to get the chapter kick-started again. If anyone in the Cincinnati area wants to help out on this effort, please contact the AOG so we can put you in touch with him directly.

Houston Chapter

The chapter continues to meet monthly at the Marriott Westchase Hotel, at 2900 Briar Park, in Houston. Area graduates are encouraged to attend. Ifyou are interested in attending and finding out about local chapter events, please contact Tom Solomon at tom@tomsolomon.com.

Los Angeles Chapter

The chapter has entered its third year with almost 50 members but we are always looking for more. The Chapter is enthusiastic about supporting USAFA sports teams and clubs that visit the LA area. Ifyour USAFA team/club is going to be in the area, contact Inga Coupe, ’91, at inga@coupeware.com and we’ll lend a hand or at least a hometown crowd. For more on the chapter, check out the chapter Web site at www.lausafaaog.com.

New York

Metropolitan Area Chapter

The NYAOG has a new Web site and a new name! Check out www.nyaog.com for upcoming events this fall! The NYAOG has been renamed to the New York Metropolitan Area Chapter. For more info call Leo Cunningham, ’89, at 845-531-9189.

North Texas Association

Our Annual Fall BBQis coming up soon on Saturday, Sept. 29. The main attraction is Air Force vs. Navy on CSTV. Kickoffis 12:00 (CDT). The event will be at Lev, ’89, and Cheri Prichard’s home. The whole family is welcome. In order to have enough food, we need you to RSVP as soon as possible. Although anyone may show up, we will only have food for confirmed attendees. BBQ, beer and soda will be provided. Please send $15 per adult and $10 per child (under 13) immediately to: Lev Prichard, 3612 Bryn Mawr, Dallas, TX 75225

Northern California Chapter

The chapter gathered for a helicopter air show in June and will host a wine tasting in the fall.Also plan to attend our annual holiday dinner at the Mountain Home Inn this December. Watch your e-mail for announcements and join us! If you have an idea for an event or want to help, please contact Susan at oisusan@yahoo.com.

Orange County Chapter

The food and drink provided at Junes GatheringofGrads on June 12 was a very popular addition to our informal monthly, after work, graduate get-together. Since everyone so enjoyed the pizza, beer, wine, and sodas, the chapter again provided them at our July Gathering OfGrads on July 10. Our normal monthly Gathering OfGrads occurs the second Tuesday ofeach month from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m. at Scott Jackson’s, ’67, Law Office,Jackson DeMarco Tidus &Peckenpaugh, in Irvine just north of the 405 freeway on the corner ofMacArthur Blvd and Main Street behind “The Sports Club LA.” This monthly get-together is a great time to visit with friends, make new ones, and catch up on the latest USAFA, Air Force, and military-related news. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to share thoughts and perspectives with one another oncurrent events and ask questions ofgrads from other occupations.

Goal 2

Keep abreast ofAir Force and USAFA topics

Air Force Academy Society of DC

On May 23, for our last meeting before taking a break for the summer, the Air Force Academy Society ofWashington D.C. was honored to have Col. Will A. Gunn, ’80, CEO ofthe Boys & Girls Clubs ofGreater Washington as our speaker. Will is not only a CEO of a not-for-profit company, he had a distinguished 25-year career in the Air Force culminating as the ChiefDefense Counsel in the Department ofDefense Office of Military Commissions where he directed the overall defense effort for detainees brought before military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He spoke about his experiences

in these unique and challenging positions and how the Academy helped him prepare for these roles.

Alamo Chapter

The Alamo Chapter is proud to support the Academy on multiple levels - Nancy (Mariano) Kudla, ’80, serving as one ofthe two graduate Presidential appointees to the Board ofVisitors, andJimWheeler, ’64, who was recently elected as a member and Chairman ofthe AOG Board ofDirectors.

Goal 4

Provide graduates networking opportunities

Alamo Chapter

The chapter monthly Business and Networking (BANG) lunch continues to generate job matches and business opportunities. Check the chapter Web site for the time and date, www.alamoaog.org.

New York

Metropolitan Area Chapter Service Academy Networking Night resumes in September. It occurs the third Wednesday of every month at the Soldier’s, Sailors’, Marines’, and Airmen’s Club (Upstairs Lounge) located at 283 Lexington Ave—just south of 37th Street, New York, NY. Dress is business casual ofjacket & tie. $10 cover charge includes soft drinks and food. Cash bar is available

Goal 5

Interact with other service academy graduates.

AFA Society of North Carolina

In May, the annual Triangle Academy GolfTournament was rained out after 9 holes. The second round of the tournament took place on Sept. 8, in Southern Pines, NC. During the summer, Hal

Keck, ’62, hosted three down-home pig pic’ins featuring eastern North Carolina barbeque for the groups of cadets attending Operation Air Force at Seymour Johnson AFB. Now in its third year, these events give the cadets a chance to get away from the base. At an event on July 7, we presented an AOG Scholarship to Steven Eannarino, son ofTom Eannarino, ’84.

Alamo Chapter

Les Hobgood, ’60, invites local graduates to the Annual San Antonio Tri-Service GolfTournament at Ft. Sam Houston on Oct. 27. This event will welcome all service graduates. Mike Nishimuta, ’73, hosts the tri-service Business and Networking lunch, attended by graduates from USAFA, West Point, and Annapolis. The Alamo chapter hosted the summer party at the Randolph AFB recreation area at Canyon Lake in June, and the chapter will gather to watch the Notre Dame game on Nov. 10.

Houston Chapter

This past quarter, the Houston Chapter continued its monthly lunch meetings for social and business networking. As a part of the networking process, the chapter met for dinner and then went to support Bob Lowe, ’59, (“thespian extraordinaire”), as he performed three roles in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Additionally, many of its members also participated in the monthly meetings of the Houston Service Academy Association, a networking organization for all Service Academy Graduates, plus other members ofthe business community who are invited to participate. Thanks to the efforts ofTravis Lauritsen, ’98, the Chapter created the AOG Houston Chapter Group in ZoomieNation, as a forum to assist grads in the area to get in touch with each other.

AFA Society of N.C. presented an AOG Scholarship to Steven Eannarino, son of Tom Eannarino, ’84. Grads in attendance were Chris McAlear, ’01, Ruth German, ’95, Glenn Seitchek, ’83, Clay Wisniewski, ’84, John Decker, ’03, Hal Keck, ’62, Juice German, '93, and Tom Eannarino, ’84.

Likewise the members ofthe Chapter have been invited to join the on-line group created by the Houston Service Academy Association to assist the members ofthe grad community in communicating online to spread the word relating to job postings, business and social opportunities, and anything else that will assist grads. The Houston Chapter also met for dinner and then joined the Greater Houston West Point Society in attending a Houston Astros game, as part of the Chapter’s continuing efforts to support graduates in networking with likeminded individuals in the Houston area. Plans are in the works for fall outings to watch Falcons football, perhaps at a local restaurant owned by a USAFA grad. The Houston Chapter focuses on achieving the same camaraderie and friendship we enjoyed on the squadron level at USAFA, helping the members establish relationships that promote their personal and professional growth. Each monthly meeting typically contains one or more success stories involving grads working with grads, one ofthe primary goals ofthe Chapter. Anyone who has an interest in the Chapter or the Houston Service Academy Association should contact Tom Solomon, ’69, at tom@tomsolomon.com.

Goal 6

Give back to the community

Alamo Chapter

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Calvin Allen, ’76, camp director for the San Antonio Aviation Career Education Summer Camp, led the students on a tour ofRandolph AFB facilities in July. This free program is for students age 13-18 with good performance in math and science. Allen, a Captain with Delta Airlines, said the ACE camps are co-sponsored by the Organization ofBlackAirline Pilots, the FAA, and the National Black Controllers and Federal Aviation Employees. It gives the

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Calvin Allen, 76, congratulates students on graduation from the San Antonio Aviation Career Education summer camp.

students a look at the Air Force and entire aviation industry with “hands-on” experience in aircraft and simulators. The students spoke with Brig. Gen. SuzanneVautrinot, ’82, Alamo Chapter AOG President, and Air Force Recruiting Service Commander, about Air Force careers and missions.

Goal 7

Support the needs and objectives ofthe Academy.

Atlanta Chapter

On Aug. 24, the Atlanta Chapter presented one ofthe National AOG s Graduate Dependent Scholarships ($1800) to Christopher B. Simpson at GeorgiaTech. Chapter member, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Tom Pilsch, ’65, who is a faculty member at GeorgiaTech, presented the check. Christopher Simpson is the son of Colonel Brian Simpson, ’84.

North Texas Association

Undaunted by rainy weather, the Association grads came out to Parr Park in Grapevine on June 16 to give new appointees to the Class of 2011 (and Prep School Class of 2012) a rousing sendoffwith a picnic and encouraging advice for the many challenges and rewards to come.

AcademyWomen

Registration is now open for the Career Workshop and AcademyWomen Fourth Annual Symposium to be held at the Womens Memorial in Arlington, Virginia on Oct. 26-28. Friday will be devoted to career development with professional coaches facilitating

workshops and offering insights on topics ranging from interviewing skills to strategic networking. Representatives from a wide range ofcompanies will be present also. Saturday and Sunday will include inspirational and informative panels, keynote speakers and workshops on a wide range oftopics including Women at War, Charting Your Upward Trajectory and Leading on All Fronts. Register now at www.academywomen.org.

Silver Falcons

Happy 60th Anniversary to the USAF and happy 50th Anniversary to the ALO Program. Be sure to read the 50th Anniversary of the ALO on page 40.

Silver Falcon convention update—So far there are 13 folks who have either confirmed or said they are tentative. They are: Robert Dodge, Chuck Foster, Gordon Palmer, Bill Shields, Ozzie Purdy, Boyd Baldauf, John Riffle, Arthur MacFadden, Les Bergsten, Marvin Wolgast, Richard Stephenson, Ruth Whitaker, and Kirk Brown. Hotel location is the Rampart Lodge (BOQ), (719) 3334910, on USAFA. The cost is $33.50 per night. Mention that you’re interested in the block of rooms under AOG-SFAG. Also notify Kirk so he can keep tabs on how many rooms have been taken. The itinerary is in the works and should be posted shortly on our Silver Falcons Affinity Group Web site, http://www.usafaclasses.org/SilverFalcons/.

Silver Falcon Happenings John and Jean Riffle, as members ofthe Military Officers Association ofAmerica Spirit Chapter ofMissouri Whiteman AFB and MOAA Auxiliary Spirit chapter presided over a ceremony honoring Brig. Gen. Chris Miller for his role as Commander ofthe 509th Bomb Wing at Bagram Air Base Afghanistan. Dan

Oredson wrote in that he didn’t have any news except he is now 92 and hanging on. Dennis Schulstad was just elected to be a trustee for the Falcon Foundation. John Stephens says he is in good health at 85 and still drives. Dana Van Burgh turned 75 this summer and also celebrated his 50th year of teaching. In his letter he says, “For a long time Col. John Fradet and I covered the state ofWyoming. To us the ZIP Code list was just a joke. Interviews were based upon which one of us could get to the student, not who was assigned. It was an interesting time and we enjoyed the freedom.” Richard Connell has lived in the same residence for nearly 47 years. He was Senior ALO in the Orlando area and then the DLOC for the Central Florida area, 1970-1976. He moved on to HQARPC, where he was required to give up his ALO activity since his office administered the ALO program. This last April, he was presented with the Nathan Hale Award by the Reserve Officers Association for 57 years ofparticipation at chapter, department, and national levels ofthe ROA. Chris Hoppin has been an ALO in New Jersey since 1982. He has written a book about grads at the top and bottom from all three service academies and is now looking for an agent and publisher. Harold Oberg recently attended a Ferry Command reunion in Seattle. He said the reunion was great even though only about 40 were present. Bill Wilkins attended the 55th reunion ofhis AF Aviation Cadet class, Ellington 52-09 in June at Colorado Springs. Max Gott wrote in asking to have his name removed from the Silver Falcon list due to terminal cancer. “It’s been a great flight!” he said.

Gone But Not Forgotten The following Silver Falcons have passed away:

(Lto R) Carston Blue, Chris Blue, ’90, and Tom Stites, 72, enjoythe dry cover ofthe pavilion at Parr Park where the North Texas Association welcomed appointees to the Long Blue Line atthe summer sendoff.

Silver Falcons - Kirk Brown (2 nd from left) was awarded the National Combined Federal Campaign Military Civilian Volunteer of the Year for 2006 at a ceremony at the White House in July.

Charles Blair, June 29, 2004; Robert Cushhall, Jun 24, 2006; Dick and Helen Smith, 2006; Gale, Stephens, wife ofJohn Stephens, Oct. 27, 2005; Rhoda Gorman, wife of Irwin Gorman, Jan. 17, 2007. Kirk Brown was awarded the National Combined Federal Campaign Military Civilian Volunteer of the Year for 2006 at a ceremony at the White House in July. As the HQ NORAD-USNORTHCOM

Command CFC Project Officer, he had the highest number of unit award winners in NORAD s and USNORTHCOM’s history. His efforts led the commands to raise more than $204,091, achieving 103 percent of their goal. NORAD and USNORTHCOM were awarded the CFC Gold Award and he received The Pikes Peak CFC Regional Military Civilian Hero Award as an Outstanding CFC Project Officer.

Ifyou have a chance to attend this year’s reunion, don’t delay in making your res

ervations and letting Kirk Brown know. Have a great Air Force day!

Space Group

As space-related activities at the Academy continue to mature, the Space Group maintains contact with a number ofUSAFA organizations and activities aimed at increasing cadets’ appreciation ofthe contribution ofspace forces to national security and the technologies that make those forces possible.

The Academy’s Summer Space program has become a major USAFA activity. AOG President Jim Shaw, ’67, represented the Space Group at one ofthe Summer Program completion ceremonies in July, and spoke briefly to the cadets about the importance ofspace activities to the Air Force. The ceremonies also included a mission brief at Air Force Space Command and the award ofthe cadet basic space badge.

Members ofthe Space Group also provided insights and contacts to the USAFA

faculty regarding space-based Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities.

In August, the Space Group held a joint session with the Los Angeles AOG chapter. The guest speaker was Col. Marty France, ’81, head of the Astronautics Department, who presented an excellent overview of space-related programs at the Academy and discussed the highly successful FalconSAT program. Of course, the Academy is constantly looking for excellent officers to serve as instructors, andthe Space Group will continue to help Col. France and others in that pursuit.

Along with many other graduate groups, the Space Group is exploring use of ZoomieNation to augment our Web site www.usafaspace.tripod.com. Graduates interested in joining the Space Group can find information on the site.

AOG Launches New Web Site

Some of the added features are:

■

w

w Easier event registration

w Flash multimedia and streaming videos

w

SACC is the Service Academy Career Conference—a career fair hosted four times annually and exclusive to alumni of the five service academies. SACC is designed to match our alumni with employers interested in hiring service academy alumni. Current SACC venues are Washington D.C., San Diego, Calif., Austin, TX and Savannah, Ga.

Alumni

Search for Jobs JSAJE (Joint Service Academy Jobs Electronically) is an exclusive job Web site designed for service academy alumni. JSAJE allows you to browse through job listings and contact employers. JSAJE also contains a resume repository for those graduates who are in an active transition mode and a job retriever for those who prefer to remain in a passive mode.

SHBiflf: Employer

Post Jobs JSAJE is also an exclusive job Web site designed for companies in corporate America to advertise their career opportunities directly to service academy alumni. In addition to the job posting function, companies may also purchase access to a repository of resumes of those graduates who are in an active transition mode.

iSABRD is the online Service Academy Business Resource Directory and is a great tool to network with other academy alumni. With over 34,000 active profiles of service academy alumni from USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, and USNA, it is an excellent resource for advertising, career networking, and building business connections with fellow alumni. iSABRD can be searched by name, academy, graduation year, city, state, zip code, country, company name, business type and keyword.

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JamesE. Peel, *60

James “Jim” E. Peel, an Academy pioneer - graduating in the second class in 1960 - lived the ideals of the Academy. A dedicated, professional Air Force Officer, Jim contributed significantly to aviation and his community. He was a family man of the first order. Jim died Sunday, July 1, 2007 in the Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital in Dover, Delaware.

Born in Cincinnati, Jimjoined 371 classmates entering USAFA in 1956, after completing two years at Cincinnati University. Revealing an aviation passion that remained for his lifetime, Jim enjoyed three years in the Academy Aero Club. He joined the Hunting and Ski Clubs and was a Pistol Team member.

Jim returned to Lowry AFB, where his Academy career began, to complete the USAF Missile School, prior to earning pilotwings atWilliamsAFB, Ariz. Beginning a series of overseas tours, Jim flew KB-50s in Sculthorpe, England. In England, Jim met his future bride, Joan, a teacher. The romance took. Joan and Jim shared 44 years of blissful marriage. Next, Jim had Command Post duty in Ankara, Turkey, where he helped direct critical cold war operations.

Assigned to C-133 turboprops in Dover, Del., Jim became an aircraft commander and instructor pilot. He flew worldwide MAC humanitarian and Vietnam combat support missions. During this time, I flew with Jim and was thoroughly impressed with his dedication, preparation, and prowess as an aviator. Soft spoken, he provided a steadying influence in difficult operational and/or aircraft emergency situations.

From Dover, Jim was assigned to OV-10 ForwardAir Controller armed reconnaissance missions at Nakhon Phanom AFB, Thailand, flying in direct support of the Vietnam War. Following Southeast Asia, Jim

but not

earned an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University. He used his degree and combat experience in research and development projects at Eglin AFB, Fla.

Returning to MAC and Dover, Jim and family settled into community life. He flew C-5s and worked in Civil Engineering in his “spare” time. Jim retired in June, 1988, having served his nation for 28 years. Lt. Col. Peel was awarded Seven Air Medals, an Air Force Commendation Medal, Five Outstanding Unit Awards, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Seven Vietnam Service Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Still loving aviation, Jim taught Airway Science as an associate professor at Delaware State University. He retired from teaching in 1997. Returning to a youthful pursuit, Jim joined the Civil Air Patrol after retirement. As with his Air Force career, Jim lived up to the precepts of the CAP: Serving America through developing our youth; performing emergency and humanitarian missions; and educating citizens on space and aviation issues. Additionally, he wasan IP and check pilot for the Dover Aero Club.

Jim was a member of Daedalians, a Kent General Hospital volunteer, a faithful member of the Dover Holy Cross Church, in the Knights of Columbus Council, an American Legionnaire, and a member of the AOPA.

Jim had a wry sense of humor. While serving as a Salvation Army Christmas bell ringer, a local TV reporter asked why someone with his background and experience would take on such a task, Jim replied: “Well. it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.” Informed of the interview, Joan asked, “Jim, you really didn’t say that, did you?” Jim, with a mirthful smile, said, “Of course I did, honey.”

A dedicated father, husband, and grandfather, Jim is survived by his wife, Joan M. Peel, of Dover, Del.; three sons: Henry G. of Dover, Paul E. of King of Prussia, Pa., and James H. of Arlington, Va.; two

LegendaryFighter Pilot Robin Olds, Sixth Commandant,

Brig. Gen. Robin Olds (Ret), the Air Force Academy’s sixth Commandant of Cadets, died June 14, 2007 from congestive heart failure one month short of his 85th birthday at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. General Oldsserved as Commandant of Cadets from Dec. 1, 1967 to Jan. 27, 1971.

A legendary fighter pilot, General Olds graduated from the U.S. MilitaryAcademy in 1943. While at West Point, he was an All American tackle. Following graduation from Pilot Training in 1943, he was assigned to the European Theater at the end ofWWII where he flew 107 combat missions in the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang. He shot down 13 enemy aircraft over Europe and became a triple ace 23 years later during the Viet Nam Conflict when he downed four MIGs. He flew 152 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom as theWing Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon AFB in Thailand.

General Olds served his country in assignments to England, Germany, Libya, Thailand andthe United States, in positions of Squadron, Base, Group and Wing Commander with assignments to Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was assigned to the first jet P-80 squadron in 1946; was a member of the first jet

For more current information about graduate deaths, please visit the AOG web site.

www.usafa.org

Dies

Aerial Acrobatic Demonstration Team, won second place in the Thompson Trophy Race, jet Division, in Cleveland, 1946; and participated in the first dawn-to-dusk transcontinental round-trip flight. He was a squadron commander ofRoyal Air ForceNo. 1 Fighter Squadron, Sussex, England, during an exchange tour in 1948.

After his duty in Vietnam, General Olds was named Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy. His last assignment before retiring from the Air Force in 1973 was Director of Safety for the Air Force.

His military decorations include the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, British Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order, Vietnam Air Gallantry Medal with Gold Wings, Vietnam Air Service Medal, among many others. Funeral services for General Olds were conducted at the Air Force Academy on June 30 including a memorial service at the Cadet Protestant Chapel followed by a graveside service at the Academy Cemetery. (Please see relatedfeature story on page 58.)

Jim Peel

General Robin Olds

daughters: Rosanne M. Groenevild-Meijer of Winnetka, Ill., and Margaret M. Gleeson of BerkeleyHeights, N.J. Grandchildreninclude Andrew K. and Grace P. Groenevild-Meijer of Winnetka and Sean P. and Sarah Joan Gleeson of Berkeley Heights. Internment was in the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery. (Gene H. Davis, USAFA, 1961)

IraJoelMoore,Jr., ’65

Ira Joel Moore, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep Feb. 11, 2007 at his home in Zephyr Cove, Nev. Joel was born July 17, 1943 in Corsicana, Texas. By his eighth birthday he had lived in seven different cities including three years in Bogota, Columbia.

At the age of six he was fluent in Spanish, occasionally interpreting for his parents when they had trouble with the language. He went through high school in Los Altos, Calif, where he was a star athlete in football and swimming. During high school his goal was an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

He did receive the appointment and graduated from the academy in 1965. After graduation he became an electronicswarfare officer and served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

During the first tour of 120 missions in an EB-66 he was awarded the Air JoelMoore Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His second tour of 67 missions in B-52s gave him a total of 167 combat missions with 419.20 hours of combat flying.

After leaving the Air Force in 1972, Joel was employed by Harrah’s at Lake Tahoe, Nev. He left Harrah’s briefly to manage the casino on one of the Princess Cruise Line’s vessels but after eight years at sea he returned to Harrah’s.

Joel hope for world peace and lived simply. He is survived by his father, Ira J. Moore, Sr., of El Cajon, Calif.; a brother Donald L. Moore of Sandpoint, Idaho; and a sister Judith Paulson of El Cajon. Joel was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy, who helped to instill in him his love of nature. (Joel’s father)

PeterG. Pfendler, ’65

Peter Gregory Pfendler was born July 5, 1943 in Lafayette, Indiana. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1965 and received his MBA from UCLA in 1966.

He served as Air Force pilot on active duty from 1966 to 1970, flying 139 combat missions in Vietnam as pilot of an F-4 Phantom II. In 1970 he was honorably discharged, having received 16 combat medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Peter graduated from Harvard Law School in 1973 and founded Polaris Aircraft Leasing Corporation, San Francisco, Calif, in 1974. Polaris became theworld’s largest commercial aircraft leasing company with airliners leased to 25 commercial airlines.

Polaris was sold to General Electric Credit Corporation in 1989.

Peter moved to his beloved cattle ranch on Sonoma Mountain, east

of Petaluma, Calif, in 1984 and raised registered Hereford cattle. He also had a cattle ranch at the base of Mount Lassen and a fishing cabin east of Mount Shasta. Peter had a life-long devotion to wildlife conservation, was an ardent fly fisherman andavid hunter. He served on Boards of Directors of The National Academy of Sciences, The California Nature Conservancy and The Peregrine Fund.

Peter never lost his passion for flight, and he continued to enjoy flying his Citation andhis Jet Ranger as long as he was able to do so.

In 2005, when Peter was 61, his first child was born and immediately became the center of his life! Five months later Peter was diagnosed with lymphoma. Unfortunately his particular lymphoma did not effectively respond to any type of treatment. Peter died quietly at home on Father’s Day, June 17, 2007. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Pfendler, and their young son, Nicholas Peter Pfendler, age two-anda-half. He also is survived by his brother, David Pfendler, M.D., of McMinnville, Ore.

If you feel inspired to write something about Peter or his life, Nicholas will appreciate reading those letters one day. Peter asked that if his friends ever run into Nicholas sometime down the road, would they please offer the direction and guidance that his fatherwon’t be around to offer. Please keep an eye out for this wonderful little boy. (Dr. DavidF. Pfendler, Peter's brother)

RusselW.Lines, ’67

Lt. Col. (Ret) Russel W. Lines, beloved son, husband, and father, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Dec. 30, 2006 at 1 a.m. Russ was born June 1,1945 in Reading, Pa., the only son of Kathryn (Schofer) Kelley of Elizabethtown, Pa. and (late) Walter E. Lines.

Survivors include his sister Kathleen, her husband, Richard Rudisill, and their children Erin and Patrick, of Hershey, Pa.; stepfather William Kelley of Elizabethtown, Pa.; and Aunt Jane Pfautz and cousins of Reading, Pa.

Russ was a 1963 graduate of Reading High School, honor student, active in Key Club, intramural sports, and was a certified lifeguard and Eagle Scout. He always knew he “wanted to fly." He was graduated from the Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967 andearned a master of arts degree from Pepperdine University.

He completed pilot training, jungle survival school, and then served two tours of duty with extensions in Southeast Asia, earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses for combat as pilot of C-130 gunships (Puff the Magic Dragon).

His 21-year Air Force career included tours of duty in Europe with service on MAC ALCE. Otherdecorations include Advanced Aeronautical Rating of Command Pilot, Meritorious Service Medals, Garry Owen Appreciation Certificate from the 7th Cavalry (there must have been quite a story with that as he never saved certificates), numerous Air Medalsand Foreign Service Medals including the Vietnam Service Medal with one silver and one bronze service star, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, andthe Armed Service Expeditionary Medal, among many others.

Russ completed Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air Crew Life Support Systems School, and Air War College. He enjoyed tennis, scuba, windsurfing and camping.

After retirement from CENTCOM at MacDill AFB, he devoted himself to rearing his children and was active in the Boy Scouts and as a

PeterPfendler

RussLines

coach of the Brandon Area Youth Soccer League (B.A.Y.S.L.) for several years. Russ truly was our “Zoomie Personified”, but we rememher him best as a loving, devoted, and most of all proud father of Jacqueline C. Lines of Belleville, Ill.; Matthew R. Lines, and Samuel A. Lines ofValrico, Fla.; and as treasured husband of Linda (DiCenzo) Lin es. The postcards came from Norway to Saudi to Samoa and all stops in between. We’ll take one from Heaven anytime, Russ. (Linda Lines)

Charles W. “Bill"Head, III, ’69

Aristotle once said that “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way...you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.” So it was with CharlesWilliam “Bill” Head, III. He lived his life with the same values from the day he was born until the day he died, April 22, 2007, at the age of 60. It mattered not who was around. Bill’s values and beliefs never changed. He lived what he believed, and he believed in honor, integrity, courage, passion for what one loves, kindness for those less fortunate, and he believed in living life with exuberance and joy. He believed in God and his country and was willing to die for those beliefs. He demonstrated the same dedication to his family and friends.

Bill was the first born to the late Col. Charles William Head, Jr. and Helen Hanafee Head, in Indianapolis, Ind. on Aug. 18,1946. He grew up in a military world, following his family wherever his father was called to serve. He had four sisters: Nancy Head, of Houston, Texas; Kathy Ray and Dee Mathews, of Dallas, Texas, and Joan Marie Head, deceased. Bill attended high school in Big Spring, Texas and found himself well grounded with lifetime friends and experiences. Upon graduation, he attended the USAF Academy “Prep” school and joined the Class of ’69 on July 28, 1965. Excelling in computer science, Bill was ahead of his time writing computer games and shared his passion for bridge with any who would play. He graduated from the Academy on June 3, 1969, and returned to his beloved Big Spring for pilot training in the T-37 and T-38. He remained there as an instructor pilot and later completed RF-4 training at Shaw AFB. He was then assigned to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, and flew reconnaissance for the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron during the Vietnam War. From there, Bill was assigned to the 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Zweibriicken, Germany. While in Germany, Bill married the love of his life, Doris Jean Kuehler, from Seymour, Texas. Upon his return to the United States inAugust, 1977, Bill was assigned to Shaw AFB where he continued as a reconnaissance pilot and became a Flight Safety Officer. Bill completed his MBA in 1978 and chose to leave the Air Force on March 2,1980, to pursue a career in the world ofcomputer software, a lifetime passion ofhis. He worked for 23 years for NCR Corporation.

While all of these experiences mattered to Bill, what was most important to him was his role as a husband and as a father. The sparkle in his eye was for Doris Jean, his wife of30 years, and for his daughters Ashley Rachelle (22), Alyssa (19), and Kyndrea (17). He was dedicated to his many roles as business partner, Girl Scout Dad (the only father at Girl Scout training to ensure his daughters learned to do it the “right” way...), to Eucharistic Minister at his church, to religious educator, to Swim Team Officiator, to home tutor, to “life” educator and world traveler. Tides didn’t matter to Bill. Participation and commitment did. He loved learning, dancing through life, seeing others grow and share his excitement for knowledge and life. Bill loved un

conditionally, supporting his wife, daughters, family and friends with no holds barred. He lived his life to the fullest, never giving up during his 10-year battle with cancer. He gave of his heart and soul to the very end, most certainly touching the hands of God, blessed with the words “Job well done, my son.”

Funeral services were held on April 24, 2007, at Good Shepherd Catholic Community, in Colleyville, Texas. He was interred at the USAF Academy on April 26. (DorisJean Head, Bill's wife)

CarlJ. Bang; Jr., *70

Carl passed away peacefully on May 25, 2007 in Colorado Springs after a briefbout with Lymphoma. Many ofhis ’70 classmates, friends and relatives attended his burial at the Air Force Academy Cemetery and Celebration of Life Ceremony at the Holy Apostles Catholic Church. Carl always had a bigger-than-life personality and like his favorite song, Celebration, he always wanted to “celebrate and have a good time.”

Carl was born in Staten Island, N.Y. on May 8, 1947. He was the oldest of three children born to Helen and Carl Bang, Sr. He graduated from Tottenville High School in Staten Island, and he attended Cornell University in NewYork prior to getting his appointment to the USAFA. Carl was a member of Cadet Squadron 28 and 10 and he played on the Academy’s Tennis Team. Soon after graduation he married Barbara Ruth Bushey and for the next 37 years he gave love, companionship and harmony to her and their family.

Carl went to UPT at Vance AFB, and after getting his wings he stayed at Vance as an instructor pilot in the T-37 and T-38. He upgraded to the B-52 and he was based at Griffiss AFB, N.Y. He was accepted into the Air Force Institute ofTechnology where he earned his masters in Astronautical Engineering in 1979. A follow-on assignment led him to Arnold AFS, Tenn. as a Program Manager for the Automatic Test Control System. He was a T-38 pilot and Flight Commander and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation at Williams AFB, Ariz. from 1983 to 1986. He came back to Colorado Springs in 1986 to be the Air Training Command Advisor to HQ AFSPCECOM at Peterson AFB. His last assignment in the Air Force was Commander of the 3360th Training Development Squadron at Edwards AFB from 1988 to 1991. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel on April 30, 1991.

Over the past 16 years, Carl worked in Colorado Springs for several DoD contractors with positions in systems engineer and program management. He supported projects with the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Organization at the Joint National Test Facility at Schriever AFB, Colo. Carl provided both technical and program expertise to BMD’s Ground Test organization. His efforts contributed to the development and execution of our nation’s vital Theater and Strategic Missile Defense assets. His last position was with Northrop Grumman where he was selected as the Organizational Lead for the Missile Defense Space Experimental Center.

Carl was involved in so many ways with the Academy. He sponsored cadets for many years, welcoming them into his family. He loved to tailgate before football and basketball games, loudly give his opinion on plays during the game, and he was a great cheerleader in the

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Carl Bang

stands for the team. He was always a special friend that you could count on; he enjoyed being with people, and he loved to have a fun time...he made life fun! Carl always had a great sense of humor, an ever-present smile and always a positive attitude. He was a family man that loved to do things with his family. Being close to his family was his highest priority. Carl is survived by his loving wife, Barbara; children, CJ, Jennifer, and Jackie; his baby granddaughter Breck, son-in-law Travis and daughter-in-law Lindsay. He is also survived by his mother, Helen; brother Stephen and sister Mary. We will miss him but his memory will always live on. We who knew him best can honor Carl by continuing to live life to its fullest as he did, and to celebrate every day. (Larry F. Bush, ’70)

PorterE. Nelson, ’72

Porter E. Nelson was born in Belvidere, Ill. on Aug. 12,1950 and died June 11, 2005 in Lubbock, Texas. Porter was a loving husband, and devoted father and brother. Rising to the rank of Major, he flew the C141, T-37 and T-38 aircraft.

His first assignment after graduating from the Academy, Class of 1972, was pilot training at Laughlin AFB, Del Rio, Texas. Pilot training wasn’t just academics, solo flights and bat hanging at the O’Club, but motorcycle trips to Mexico and hours on the lake skiing with friends. After earning his wings, he headed to Travis AFB to fly the C-141.

While visiting San Francisco he met a flight attendant that was destined to be his future bride. He and Ann Taylor married three years later on Nov. 25, 1978. Memories offun times at “Del Rio by the sea” must have been a strong influence, for his next assignment was back to Laughlin AFB, this time as a T37 instructor and flight commander. Lake Amistad was again the site of many a summer water ski trip, and lest we forget, the annual pig roast with friends and family. Two assignments later, he was back at Laughlin as a T-38 instructor.

In 1981, Porter went back to the C-141 at Norton AFB, Calif, and a short two years later headed to BitburgAFB, Germany, where he served in the command post from 1983 to 1986. They say the third time's a charm, but this three-fer was back to Laughlin AFB, this time as a T-38 instructor. Next up was Greece, but not with his family, for this was a remote for a year.

He must have really missed Texas, because he next moved the family to Lubbock, Texas where he was in charge of Base Operations at Reese AFB. That is where he retired in 1992 after a long and distinguished career. Not one to rest in retirement, Porter went back to school, where he received a second degree in Finance at Texas Tech University. He put that education to good use working as an accountant for Wells Fargo Bank for five years.

Porter would say his biggest accomplishment was raising his three sons, Eric, Scott and Jeff. He bragged constantly aboutthem to whoever would listen! To his friends he was compassionate and honest. He was always there to “listen” and provide advice if asked. Porter was also the eternal optimist. He always had a smile to share and lived life to the fullest. To Porter, the glass was never half-full, it was overflowing! So the next time you have a cold one nearby, raise your glass and remember one of the “Best in Blue” that left us too soon. Porter would have liked that.

Porter leaves behind his wife of 26 years, Ann, of San Antonio, Texas; sons Eric, 27, Lubbock; Scott, 24, Houston, Texas; and Jeff, 22, Lafayette, La. He has four sisters: Cathy, of Belvidere, Ill; Terri, of

Cartersville, Ga.; Rena of Roscoe, Ill; and Lori of Garden Prairie, Ill. (Wife, Ann, and R.W. "Skip” Van Orne, Jr., USAFA ’72)

Lawrence W. "Buck”Lowery, ’74

Lawrence William “Buck” Lowery succumbed to multiple sclerosis on Jan. 8, 2007 at age 55. He is survived by his wife, Vickie, and son Stuart, both of Colorado Springs; his parents Lawrence T. and Joan E. Lowery, who live in Virginia; sisters Linda, Lorna, and Lisa; and brother Brett.

Buck graduated from Morris High School in New Jersey in 1969 and attended the USAFA Prep School before entering the Academy. He was an upperclassman in CS-13 “Bulldogs” and served as the Squadron Honor Rep his firstclass year. Some squadron mates remember Buck as a hard-hitting defenseman on the intramural lacrosse team, and many remember him roaming the squadron during academic call-toquarters looking for some excuse not to be in his room studying.

Following graduation, Buck went to UPT at Laughlin AFB, Texas, earned his silver wings, and was assigned flying T-33s at LangleyAFB, Va. Buck and Vickie met while at Langley and were married April 23, 1977. After his stint supporting Air Defense Command interceptor training by piloting the “target” aircraft, he upgraded to the F-106, traded roles, and flew the air defense interceptor mission at Griffiss AFB, N.Y. Stuart was born during this assignment, on June 15, 1982. Buck’s air defense experience prepared him for his next assignment at NORAD. While there, he earned two Master’s degrees from Webster University, in Business and Computer Science. Returning to aircrew duty, Buck upgraded in the F-16 at Homestead AFB, Fla. and was assigned to the F-16 wing at Torrejon AB, Spain. This was his last flying assignment, but the Fighting Falcon was quite a plane in which to finish up his flying career. Following his tour in Spain, Buck was assigned as a NATO Southern Region staff officer at 5th Allied Tactical Air Force in Vicenza, Italy.

During his tour in Italy, Buck began experiencing some health problems which increased in severity until he was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, leading to a medical retirement in 1997 at the rank oflieutenant colonel. After retirement from the Air Force, Buckworked for Lockheed-Martin on a Turkish military project before his illness forced him to quit working. Dealing with such a debilitating disease was difficult, but Buck gave his life to the Lord in 2005, finally realizing who should be the Command Pilot, and calmness and peace came to him after that.

Buck grew up on a dairy farm, but reached for the skies and achieved his dream of being an Air Force fighter pilot. He served his country well and honorably, and was a loyal friend who will be missed by squadron mates. (Gary Elliott, ’74; with Vickie Lowery)

Richard W. Bonnell, Sr., ’70

Richard W. Bonnell, Sr. dedicated his life to serving God, his community, his country, and his fellow man. Born Oct. 31,1945, Rick served his country for 30 years in the U.S. Air Force. He held Transportation Staff Officer positions at all levels of responsibility, including tours in Vietnam and the Pentagon. He culminated a distinguished career as the Chief of the Transportation Division, Directorate of Logistics, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, retiring in 2000 with the rank of colonel. His many citations and awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal andthe Bronze Star Medal.

BBwli

Buck Lowery

Rick was a dedicated transportation professional, as was evident in his life work and professional associations. He served on the committees with the San Antonio Transportation Association. He was a past president and, for many years, served on the board of directors for the San Antonio Chapter of the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) and was the NDTA Southwest Regional President. Rickmade a significant and positive impact on the NDTA locally, regionally, and nationally, and in 2000 he received the National Defense Transportation Association Distinguished Service Medal for his life work. His endeavors included membership drives, fund-raisers, national scholarship funds, humanitarian aid efforts and annual treks to the NDTA Transportation and Logistics Form and Exposition to further the aims and objectives of the association.

Learning was Rick’s passion and sharing this passion was his way of giving back to those who really mattered to him. After completing a suecessful Air Force career, he became a full-time educator. He was the resident expert on the Logistics and Transportation curriculum at Palo Alto College where he improved and instructed the only undergraduate degree program of its kind in the city of San Antonio. In addition, Rick’s faith allowed him to serve his First Baptist Church family through two financial campaigns that resulted in construction of a new auditorium and nursery. He also traveled to Peru teaching Christian business principles to local Indians and native Peruvians. Further, Rick’s life pursuit of growing through education was evident as he was a student working on completing his Doctorate Degree in Business.

The Rick Bonnell Memorial NDTA Scholarship is dedicated to recognizing excellence in academic achievement and demonstrated desire to serve mankind. Recipients of this scholarship are entrusted with the legacy of RickBonnell’s life work in serving God, loving family and country, and giving back to the community to the very best of their abilities. (Reprintedfrom theRickBonnellMemorialNDTA Scholarship certificate.)

Marty Tatum, ’87

After a very long 10-year battle with a rare type of cancer, Marty went to be with his Lord on April 27, 2007. He was born Sept. 20, 1963 and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. He graduated from high school in 1982. In September of that year he enteredthe Academy Preparatory School and from there he went on to graduate from the Air Force Academy in 1987.

After returning from one year of duty in Turkey, he was married. He has three children: two sons, Harrison and Grant; and one daughter, Elisabeth. Marty was stationed in Colorado Springs at Falcon Air Force Base. He then went to Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo. as a Treaty Compliance Officer. It was in Cheyenne that his cancer was found. He was sent right away to San Antonio for surgery and chemo. He was given a mediMarty Tatum cal discharge in 1998.

Marty was a volunteer for several trial cancer drugs, one of which was Gleevic, a widely-used drug for cancer now. During his 10 years

of battle, Marty never gave in to his sickness. He did not want his children to see him weaken from the disease.

Marty was very talented: he painted three beautiful portraits of his children, he wrote poetry, and taught 7th and 8th grade science classes. But what he was best at doing, andhis most important duty, was being a loving and a very devoted father to his children. He dearly loved his children and they will miss him greatly, along with his family and friends.

Survivors include his sons Harrison and Grant, daughter Elisabeth, mother, Jean Tatum; brother Dr. Dana Tatum and his wife, Anne; nephews Amaad, Ari, Cain and Gabriel; and niece Lauren Tatum. Marty is preceded in death by his father, Lee E. Tatum, and a brother Michael Tatum.

A “Celebration of Life” Memorial Service was held April 30, 2007 at Grammier Oberle Funeral Home in Port Arthur, Texas. More than 800 people attended his memorial service andthe family received messages from all over the nation. This is testament to the lasting good impression Marty always made on those he met.

I would like to share one of the poems he wrote:

FEAR NO DISTANCE NOR SPAN OF TIME

Fear no distance nor span oftime Mydaughter

As twilight claims the day’s blues

And lavender shadowspaint the clouds

Autumn’s duskyhues.

I’ll watch the skies each nightforyou

Andsendmyblessings on moonlitbreeze

And stars will glisten with my tears

Andshowerdown myprayers ofease.

Fear no distance nor span oftime Mymother

As nightgives way to day

The World's nowlitforme to seek

And find my own true way.

And when eve’s soft wind consoles my errs

Andglitter claims the night

The first starI see I’llgive a wink

And you will know all’s right.

Ilove you both.

(Obituary submitted by Marty’s mother, Mrs. Jean Tatum.)

Kenneth P. Germann, ’93

On June 2, 2007, Major Kenneth Paul Germann finally succumbed to the brain tumor that had afflicted him for three years. Following a memorial service in Kettering, Ohio on June 6, Ken was laid to rest with full military honors in Hagerstown, Md. on June 8.

Ken grew up in Madawaska, Maine, on the Canadian border, along with his parents Dr Paul and Dianne Germann. Excelling in high school, Ken set his sights on the Academy and was rewarded with an appointment to the Class of ’93. After spending his freshman year in CS-26, Ken spent the next three years in CS-09, earning his degree in aeronautical engineering and commission in June, 1993.

Following graduation, Ken was able to tie together his theoretical knowledge from his degree with his practical flight experiences as a soaring IP as a flight test engineer at Edwards AFB. Here, testing F15s, Ken got to experience the flying he loved best, and this would direct the remainder of his AF career. His next assignment was obtaining a master’s degree in flight test from Mississippi State University, followed by moving to the JSTARS test squadron in Florida. From there Ken realized a long dream of being selected for Test Pilot School, and spent another year at Edwards completing the Flight Test Engi-

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neer curriculum. The Air Force kept Ken on the move, and the next three years were spent testing and flying at Eglin. Always looking for an intellectual challenge, Ken then was selected for a PhD program back at hisalma mater of MSU. Thoughlosing an entire semester with a lengthy stay at Walter Reed for treatment following his diagnosis in 2004, Ken was still able to complete his PhD. His last year was spent at Wright Patterson.

Flight test wasn’t the only love that Ken found in the high desert of California. It was here that Ken met Gretchen Gibney, a music teacher from Hagerstown. Ken and Gretchen married in 1998, and their first daughter, Liberty, arrived in 2002. Nadia joined them in 2004.

It’s no wonder that Gretchen is a musician since music, especially jazz, was a big part of Ken’s life. He sought out opportunities to play his saxophone, and joined bands at church and the volunteer ceremonial band while at Eglin.

Ken was very engaged in world events, and he would often discuss them with others. He welcomed the challenge of a good debate. Ken knew what he thought, and was not afraid to offer those opinions, even if it wasn’t what the listener wanted to hear. Yet Ken also knew where his loyalties lay, forming fast friendships at each assignment, from cadet days to his last. This was displayed at his memorial services, where friends from around the country came to say farewell. Fittingly, a jazz band played at theOhio service, ending with a sax solo of Taps.

Ken provided inspiration to many during his long battle as hefaced his illness with courage and without bitterness. In fact, while he was in the neurological department at Walter Reed for months for treatment, he was greatly humbled by the Iraqi casualties undergoing their treatment and therapy there, spending more time talking about them than himself. And so it is with sadness that we say good-bye to Ken; yet do so in the knowledge that a reunion awaits. (Maj. Jonathan Jensen, ’94)

BradleyD. Tidd, *95

The world we live in became a darker place on July 18, 2007. That’s when one of its brightest lights shone no more. Surrounded by family and friends, Bradley D. Tidd succumbed to injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident northof Colorado Springs.

Brad was born on Nov. 19, 1972 in Grove City, Pa. Growing up in western Pennsylvania, Brad was educated in the dual religions of Christianity and Pittsburg Steelers football. His energy and intelligence were apparent at a young age. He was involved with his church youth group andearned the rank of Eagle Scout. He was also a member of his high school band and high school football team - he was particularly proud of the anonymous work he did on the offensive line.

Throughout his childhood, Brad dreamed of being an astronaut. Graduating high school at the top of his class, he decided to pursue his dream at the Air Force Academy, spending his freshman year in Deuce and the rest of his cadet career in CS-03, fondly referred to as Thirsty Third. He majored in Astronautical Engineering, earning his degree

and setting himself on course to reaching his goal.

Brad was certainly not all work and no play. He spent as many weekends as he could on the ski slopes, taking full advantage of the Rockies. He bought a car that would take him places as fast as he wanted and explored the state when it wasn’t cold enough for snow. In between academics, mandatory formations and various road trips, he managed to find the love of his life, Catherine, in the fall of his senior year. True to form, he turned his unwavering focus on sweeping her off her feet. They were married a year after he graduated.

Without a flying training slot available, Brad was assigned as an engineer at Patrick AFB, Fla. There he worked on numerous projects in the Titan rocket division, most ofwhich he couldn’t say much about, but all important to the Air Force’s mission in space. Although he never got to go into space himself, he liked the work and enjoyed getting as close as he could. His next assignment took him back to Colorado, where he was assigned to Buckley AFB. Again he worked as an engineer, and decided to leave active duty and settle in Parker, Colo., joining Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

Along the way, Brad and Catherine had three beautiful children, Haley, Michael, and Sarah. Although he traveled a great deal for business, he talked about his family endlessly and devoted his time to them when he was home. He was intent on passing on his love of the outdoors, autos, and the Steelers to his kids. An avid gear head, he again took advantage of his location by building four-wheelers and taking to the hills, trying to find rocks to climb and mud to get stuck in. More than once he was successful in both endeavors.

Brad was more than just an Eagle Scout, an engineer, or a gear head. One of the most fun loving guys you could ever meet, his ability to ereate mischief and avoid serious consequences is legendary among his family and friends. His quick smile and quicker wit could diffuse a tense situation or just keep you laughing. Caring and generous, he’d drop what he was doing to help out with anything you needed. With his brilliant mind, chances are he would figure out a great way to help. Loving husband, devoted father, caring son and brother, loyal friendyou will be missed immensely, Brad. (Steve Lygren, ’95)

Jordan A. Bettio, VO

Capt. Jordan Bettio, of Tom’s River, N.J., died June 17, in Valdosta, Ga. where he was a combat rescue mission pilot assigned to Moody Air Force Base. He was 29 years old.

Having grown up in Toms River, Jordan graduated from the Lawrenceville Academy, Lawrenceville, N.J., in 1996, from the Air Force Academy in 2000, and Undergraduate Pilot Training, Corpus Christi, Texas., in 2002. In addition to his love of flying, he was an avid outdoorsman. As a cadet, he earned Outstanding Combat Survival Training Awards in 1998 and 1999. Seemingly suited more for Princeton or Yale with his preppie dress and ivy league demeanor, Jordan seemed an unlikely candidate to “max” the Physical Fitness Test or ever be a member of the USAFA Boxing Team, reaching the finals of the famous “Wing Open” his first year of boxing; but low and behold, with grit and dogged determination he was able to do just that and more. He also volunteered as a mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters both in New Jersey and in Colorado, reaching out to kids who he thought deserved more in life then what they had.

Jordan had an inquisitive mind and a penchant for bettering himself in all aspects of life, be it trying to be a better son, better friend, or a better human being. He had a peculiar way to make people around

Ken Germann

Jordan Bettio

him feel special, sometimes with a kind word or a thoughtful gift, other times with his sheer presence. He was a model of tact and proper manners, a true gentleman whose actions were both contagious and didactic in their timing and simplicity. His USAFA ring has the following inscription: “The Greatest Warrior [is the one who conquers himself.] The truth is that he was on a life-long quest “to conquer himself,” to overcome his fears byfacing instead of avoiding them, by embracing his weaknesses and steadily and methodically strengthening them with an internal unbending will to persevere.

Jordan’s world view rested heavily on the borrowed from the eastern philosophies’ belief in karma, which in his opinion held him accountable for his actions and made him feel partially responsible for his own destiny. He enjoyed many sports, including snow and water skiing, sky and scuba diving, golf, tennis and hiking. As a boy, he developed an enduring enthusiasm for sailing on the Toms River, and was on the sailing team of the Toms River Yacht Club. Captain Bettio will always be remembered by his family and friends for his loyalty, compassion and selflessness. His internment will be Oct. 4 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Jordan was the beloved son of Jack A. Bettio, Joan Crowley Esq., Maj. Gen. (ret.) Edward M. Crowley, and Barbara Prokasky. He is also survived by his step-siblings, Jacqueline Bettio, Dr. Cheryl Moore, John E. Crowley, and New Jersey State Police Detective Edward F. Crowley; grandparents, Harold and Mary Foskett; godparents, James Bettio and Marilyn Tedeschi; and many devoted cousins, nieces, nephews andfriends.

Whykindhearts andgentle souls

Areplagued with suffering and torture?

Theyneitherfavorfame nor fortune

They are the mightyAtlases patientlybearing the weight ofthe world upon their shoulders

In loving memory of Jordan Bettio. (Felix Isupov, ’00)

Weston R. Kissell, V4

In a poem entided “The Measure of a Man,” an anonymous author reminds us that we are measured not by how we die, but how we live— what we give of ourselves, what we believe, what lives we touch, and how we choose to pass our time on this Earth.

Weston’s measure to me can best be quantified by his determination to achieve his dreams. When it came to fulfilling his vision, he never encountered a challenge that he did not rise to overcome. Thatdetermination to surmount any obstacleearned him my respect, and I still find it absolutely awe-inspiring.

When he was still a little boy, I can remember Weston talking with his dad, his uncle Harry (my USAFA classmate) and me about flying and life in the Air Force. As soon as he was old enough, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and got a part-time job at the local airport. However, his sights were set beyond those tasks even as he was excelling at them.

Weston wanted badly to attend the Air Force Academy and had talked to me andhis uncle Harry about it on a number of occasions. However, that step was not to be taken right out of high school for Weston. Undeterred, Weston sought to achieve

For more current information about graduate deaths, please visit theAOG web site.

www.usafa.org.

his dream through an alternate, if even more challenging, path. He enlisted in the Air Force after some long discussions with his aunt, who flew as a boom operator on KC-135s for the Air National Guard. He excelled as a boom operator, earning an Air Medal. His supervisors were so impressed with Weston that when they learned of his dream to attend the academy, they set about helping him reach it.

After he qualified for the Air Force Academy Prep School, he didn’t complain about the academic gauntlet, he simply disciplined himself to the task and eagerly met the challenge—it was his dream, and he would let nothing stop him. After that year of effort, during which time he even served as thecadet group commander, Weston embarked on the first step of his dream that had been denied him years earlier. In many ways, he felt a richer satisfaction for having trod the more difficult path.

Withfour years ofprivation and dogged effort that only fellow graduates can truly appreciate, Weston marked the milestone he had set for himself with the relish that only conquering a personal Mount Everest can bring. After only a brief pause for celebration, he moved toward yet another milestone on his road to personal achievement: pilot training.

Laughlin Air Force Base is a long way from the place a young bachelor would choose to spend time, but to Weston it was just another obstacle to overcome. Weston once more prevailed where lesser lights would have faltered...standing on the threshold of the dream he had dared to set as his goal when he was just a little boy.

Weston lived that dream at full throttie. He was proud to be a combat pilot in the most powerful Air Force in the world. One ofthe greatthings about Weston’s achievement ofhis dream was that it was not just about serving his own personal desires. From the very beginning, he chose a dream that not only fulfilled him personally, but in the process ofachieving his goals, simultaneously gave to others. Whether as a CAP cadet, an Air Force cadet, an enlisted man or a commissioned officer, Weston was keenly aware of the extra time and effort that it cost him to seek leadership that benefited more than just him.

Weston, wherever you are, I hope that you know that you made your mark not only as a man, but also, as one ofthe finest I have ever known.

(John D. Ragan, Class of'71)

Atpress time we hadlearnedofthe deathsofthefollowinggraduates:

Col. (Ret) Thomas G. Bowen, Class of1959, who died on June 21, 2007 inTucson, Ariz. ofcancer.

Mr. Richard L. Bunce, Class of1963, who died on March31,2007 in Loveland, Colo, ofpulmonary fibrosis.

Col. (Ret) DanielJ.Taylor, Class of1963, who died on June7,2007 in Provo, Utah of cancer.

Capt. (Ret) Allen F. Natella, Class of 1965, who died on June 17, 2007 in Scottsdale,Ariz. ofcancer.

Mr. Michael R. Polich, Class of1965, who died on Oct. 10,2006 in Gunnison, Colo.

Mr. LarryW. Brand, Class of 1971, who died on June 10,2007 in Wilbraham, Mass, ofcancer.

Lt. Col. (Ret) RobertJ. Lutz, Class of 1974, whodied on May22, 2007 in Puyallup,Wash, ofheart failure.

Col. (Ret) MichaelW. Butler, Class of 1976, who died on June 12, 2007 near Tikrit,Iraqin a rocketattack.

Maj. (Ret)William L. Clardy, Class of 1979, who died on July24, 2007 inLost Maples State Natural Area, Texas ofa lightningstrike.

Mr. James B. Puig, Class of 1982, who died on July 31, 2007 in Caracas,Venezuelain an aircraft accident.

Capt. RobertW. Lucka, Class of1986, who died on July22,2007 in Noblesville, Ind. ofcancer.

Oursincerecondolences to thefamilyandfriendsofthese graduates.

Weston Kissell

Class

Ah,yes! The DogDays ofSummerhave arrived again and everyone seems to have gone on vacation to escape theheat. And all ofthem have lefttheir computers and address books at home so theycan’t shower me with tales ofexotic lands, fascinatingpeople andnewsworthyexperiences. Thus whines the pitiful scribewiththe columndue andthe mailbagempty. Sigh!

Well, not completelyempty. DickMasondidsend me a note inJune, but itwasn’tveryuplifting (no fault ofthe sender’s). He reported onTomBowen’sfuneralinTucsonandlamented thatthelocal classmates didn’t even knowhe was gravelyill until shortlybefore his death. This seems to be the pattern recently.Certainly, we must allrespecteveryclassmate’srights andwishes forprivacy. It’sjustthat, afterseeinghowenrichingandhearteningthe encouragement offriendshasbeen to Wendythroughoutherthreeboutswith cancer, I finditpassingstrange that more ofus don’t avail ourselves ofthat support when health problems arise. I wonderifthatreticence springs from some innerfeelingthat illness is some kind ofweakness and Godforbidthatwe’d ever showweakin front ofour classmates!

Dickwent on to paint a tragicomicpicture ofthe four classmates who attendedthefuneral, sort ofa mobile “sickcall.” One guywas painfullyhobbling alongawaitinghipreplacement, another was recoveringfrom a stroke, a third was blind in one eye and was a coronarybypass survivor. Dickhimselfis dealingwith hearingproblems andhas two artificialhips. The scene prettymuch dramatizedthe old saw thatthere’s nothingworse than gettingolder—except the alternative.

On a more upbeatnote, thefourthannual’59erpostingattheChallengeBridge occurred on 28 June as our Classwelcomed over 1,200 incoming members of the Class of2011. As the appointeescompletein-processing at Doolittie Hall,

the cadet cadre collects them in groups ofabout 20 and takes them bythe replicaoftheMemorialWall thatlists the graduateswho have died in combat. The appointeesthen approach the ChallengeBridge and are met by a memberoftheClass of1959 who brieflyexplains the significance ofthebridge and the challengeplaques mounted on bothsides ofthebridge’s north entrance. Thenthe appointees cross thebridge and head for the buses taking them to their new life. This year, TI Anderson, Don Brooks, Bob Browning, Larry Fortner, Max Miller, Ed Montgomeryand I spent an hourwelcoming and challengingthese futureAir Force leaders.

Theseyoung men and women have a lot on their minds on openingday so there’s no way to knowexactlyhowdeep or lasting an impressionthis traditionmakes. However, DonBrooks got an encouraginginsight into this questioninAugustwhenhevisitedJack’sValleyduring201 l’s BCT. He was chatting with one ofthe new cadets and askedhim ifhe remembered much abouthis arrival on 28June.Theyoung man replied, “Yes, sir!Youlet me read theplaque at the ChallengeBridge to myclassmates.

This summer has seen a steady stream ofclassmates passingthrough the Springs, including Jim Brown, Jack Hundemer, Kent and Fredda (Sparks) Montavon, andDickandMarlyssTracey.Jim’s main purpose invisitingwas to kickoffthe detailed planningfor our 50th Reunion. Other classmates in attendance at the Doolittle Hall meeting were Don Brooks, Bob Browning, Curt Cook, ChuckFerrari, LarryFortner, DickGaebler, BrockStrom, Pete Toddand DickTracey. HermGilster andCharlie Emmons representedtheATOs.

We’reall tryingtogetJim to move back to Colorado Springs!

One ofthe keytopics ofdiscussion was the change inAcademykeytopics ofdiscussion was the change inAcademyactivitiesplannedforthe period of our intendedreunion (19-24May2009).Youwill recall that we decided at the 45th Reunion business meeting to plan our 50th Reunionjust before graduation in Mayinstead ofour usual June time periodbecause the Academy intended to positionthe 50th anniversaryofour graduation as the culmination ofa five-year series ofhalf-centurycelebrations. These were to startwith the 50th anniversaryofPresident Eisenhower’s signingoftheAirForceAcademy Act andendwith the 50th anniversaryofthe graduation ofthe first class.All thathas changed.

The currentthinkingisthattheClass of2008willbethefiftiethclassto graduate and that shouldbe the culminating event to becelebrated. There are currently no plans for anysignificant involvement ofthe Class of 1959 with the graduation activities in Mayof2009. In fact, ifwe were to hold our reunion duringthis extremelybusytime for both theWing and the staff, itwould be very difficult for the Academy to support our reunion as it has in the past (access, seniorbriefings, etc.).While no firm decisionhas been reached as of thiswriting, there seems to be a strong case forrevertingto our customaryJuly reunion schedule.

Anothertroublesome factoraffectingthe 50th pertains to the location. After the 45th Jim Brown negotiated and signed a veryattractive, mutuallybenefirial contractwiththeWyndham Hotel.TheWyndham was recentlyacquired bythe Marriott organization which promptlyreneged on our contract and “counteroffered” some (but not all) ofthe previouslyagreed facilities and services at considerablyhigher cost. While we examine our recourse, we’re busilyevaluatingotherhotels thathavebecome more competitive since 2004.

Jack

m Sabre Society Donors

The Reunion Committee will keep you apprised ofdevelopments on both theseissueswhenthedusthas settled.

Althoughtheyarrived at differenttimes, the Hundemers and theTraceys were RVing across the country and we got them involved in whatever was going on at the time. In Dick’s case, itwas the Reunion meeting. Jackshowed up inJulyintimeforthemonthly59erandATO socialgathering. (Seethephoto ofJack and friends on previous page.)

Kent and Fredda were passingthrough on their annual trek to their Dude Ranch” holidayandjoined us fortheAugustdinner at a downtownrestaurant. There was a bit ofadditional drama to the occasion as, late in the evening, a youngladyapproached our tablewith a large slice ofcakethatshe insisted we share. As the tastycake went around the table and we all enjoyed a bite, the storyunfolded: theyoungladywas theguestofhonor at a “bachelorette” party (equal opportunitymeets women’s lib) and the proceedings can apparentiy get as raunchy as the guys’parties.Aboutthe timethe cake made itaround the table to Kent, itwas revealedthatthehugecelebratorycakehadbeenbaked in the shapeof,well, a reproductive organ.Apicture isworth a thousandwords!

Decision time with thephallicdessert!

Thoughtforthe Quarter. Some ofus used to dream ofthe daywe might be earningthe salarywe’re struggling on now!

AJ. (Rosie) Cler, Jr.

9180 Coors Blvd. NW #1003

Albuquerque, NM 87120-3114

Phone: (505) 897-4420

E-mail: RCtherose@aol.com

Class Web Site: www.usafa.net/1960

90 % Members i

RG Head andwife, Carole, “retired to Southern California, where we live on theBayin Coronado (San Diego). Mylatestpassionis sailboat racing, where we crewwithspeedsters everyWednesdayin‘BeerCanRaces,’ whichis almost as exciting as flying. I also have a new retirement car, a BMWZ-4 which IS as exciting as flying—it’s a greatlife ifyou don’tweaken: Great weather, great food and greatwine,” said our retired BrigadierGeneral (RG's new address is on the classwebsite).

Lew Price is one ofthe foremost designers and makers offlutes in the wholewide world - and was one ofthe organizers ofthe SpringFlute Festival in Georgetown, CA, April 21,2007, presentedby the NoNahme Clan ofthe Northern CaliforniaFlute Circle. Seven ofthetop NativeAmerican-style flute makersintheworldsoldflutes at thefestival (allbut one ofthose flute makers there uses Lew’s books and software for flute design). Lew was one ofthe contributingflutists on-stage at the concert followingthe festival.

Walsh, Ed and Lucia Montgomery (’59), Max andTrixMiller (’59) (Glazas andMcCulloughspreviewedthe manse aweekearlier, then were offto a cruise inTurkey).You’dlove the “his andher” bathrooms, wraparounddecktopside, Jacuzzi in thegreenhouse, T-29 propellerblade bythe 10 tree at entryplanter, T-33 horizontal stabilizer as bar-drop ceiling and triple-level walk around stone observation deckoverlookingthe city. General critiques from the Generals had Brigadier GeneralWalsh proclaiming“a triumph ofarchitectural art andmarvelofengineering," while GeneralYates called“views absolutelyshowstopping! Ah, yes, it’s “The House That JackBuilt.”

yi'^jLAjf W

It

Duck andMaryWaddle, Ron and ConnieYates,Wayne and BarbaraKendall, Denis

Dave Sweigart writes that “Camille and l were out walking and stopped around the corner from our house to admire a neighbor’s 1957Thunderbird. Turns out, he was one ofour classmateswhowashed out and returned to theArmyNational Guard as a career helicopter pilot Lawrence Chiappino.” (R: Jock Schwank told me that “Lawrence indeed did enterwith us, was turned back to ’61 and then left involuntarilyinJune ’59.” Confirming that was Bill Taylor, who saidthat“Les Hobgood and Iwound up piling into LarryChiappino’s hotel room in Denver shortly aftermidnight on themorningofJuly9th the daywe reported to Lowry II in 1956.1 rememberverylittleofwhathappened duringthe rest ofthe day!”) In anotherSweigartstory, Dave’s wife,Camille, was elected to the Meadowlakes, TXCity Council—voter turnout was 49.17%! (R: Camillehas also beenVice Presidentofthe Burnett County RepublicanWomen, and rumor has it that she justcould, or might, be catapulted into a prominent role inpolitics inTexas, perhaps, the Governorship in 2010?).

Sabre Society Donors

“GaiyVanSingel was here, preparing to do battle out ofSeattle all the wayup to, and back from, Alaska on the Fighting Ship Sun Princess. In case he neglects to notifyyou ofthis escapadewhenhe getsback, you mightdrop him a note suggesting ‘the word on the street is’ he’s been traveling,” wrote friend Chuck Diver. “He would also probably have pictures riding a Harley in Ketchikan, or conquering a glacier inJuneau?” (R: Chuck said that this was a tripGary andwife, Marilyn, had planned before her death lastNovember).

ChuckandGary

FriendlyFire. Leon Goodson can’t stopworking and is backconsultingfor his oldfirm—saysthat’stheonlywayhe can insurehis retirementpay... Ralph Lalime, Space-Aexpert,just finishedup a nice three-weekvacationinHawaii, transport gratis of USAF... Bob Fischer still works at the Willow Grove Air Museum in Pennsylvania and is also writing aviation newsletters... Ken Alnwick’s book on John McLucas is now finished, and he’ll be working for Homeland Defense afterfinishingup with the Office ofNaval Research... A1 Johnson: “rebuilding our cottage in Maine; itwill take untilthe end of2007 to complete before moving fromVirginia”... Doug Rekenthalermoved from Morgantown, WV to Sioux City, LA.. .Deke and SallyJohnson left July 26th fromtheirhome in Boise, Idaho, for two weeks in Russia. (It’s all prettyhushhush. Is Deke on a secret mission forthe State Department?)

Before a week at Ghost Ranch inAlbuquerque, NM in July, where Jim took anotherclass on silversmithing, Jim Clark andwife, Jean, came throughABQ and Karen and I dined with them at the Range, that old NewMexican eatery. The Clarkshadjust had “a fun few days in SanAntonio with the59th Fighter Squadronreunion (Jim was inthisAirDefense unit in Goose BayLabradorfor two years). We toured SanAntonio, RandolphAPB, visited theAdmiralNimitz Museum and theWWII Pacific Museum in Fredericksburg and had a surprise stop at Luckenbach TX, piling out ofthe bus for a long-neck beer and a little countrymusic. Jim, whostill makesweathervanes inhis shop athome, had an artist show at Classics on Main, the shop in Salado, IXthat carries his folk art. And, Jim’s son James got married September 2nd in NewYork.”

“Jane and I went to St. Petersburg, Russia, over the ‘white nights’ from 18 to 26 June, where I judged the international philatelic exhibition, wrote Bob Odenweller. “On the way home we stopped four days in London, at the request ofthe president ofthe Royal Philatelic SocietyLondon, to attend the Annual GeneralMeeting. Seems theydecided to make me an HonoraryFellow ofthe Society, the first ever for someone from the U.S. Therehave never been more than seven, which is their current number, andthe other six are allBrits, with fourofthembeingformerpresidents ofthe Society.” This is about as high an honor that the RPSL can bestow, although the RDP (Roll ofDistinguished

Flutist LewPrice (left).

was a “champagne sort ofday” forthe Memorialization ofJackandElaine Brush’s mountainsidehome west ofColorado Springs Memorial Dayweekend. Amongst 70 attending were Dick and SallySexton, Bruce Mosier,

Philatelists) Bob was elected to sign in 1991 is thehighest in the world. Heady stuff, indeed, as Bob continues immersionintothe slipstreamoftimewithout unnecessaryflapdoodle.

Lord Odenweller—YourHonoraryFellow.

Upcoming Class Events. Our Mini-Reunion will be held around theAFAArmygame November3rd 2007—EmbassySuites HQ, FridayeveningHappy Hour, Saturdaynightbuffet afterthe football game. ContactBruce Mosier at mosiermanor@myway.com. And, Jim Glaza’s birthday cruise will be next August; contactJim at: jimglaza@comcast.net.Lookingahead, MiniSkiXVIII will be held 1 -8 March, 2008, contactAndi Biancur at Bacfly60@msn.com. And, our 50th Reunionis scheduledforSeptember, 2010 in Colorado Springs.

Class Column: The complete column ofClass News, with additional photographs, is nowposted on the classweb site atwww.usafa.net/1960—clickon “Checkpoints.”)

FinalRollCall.James EarlPeeldiedJuly1,2007, and was buried atthe Delaware MemorialVeterans Cemeteryin Dover.

Earl N. “Nelson” O’Rear 50582 Stonington Drive Granger, IN 46530-8243

H: (574) 273-2597

E-mail: ENOandTJO@ameritech.net

Class Web Site: www.usafal961.org

87% Members

JimRogers andLindaCainhosted a celebration inVirginia ofthe 50th anniversary ofour class enteringtheAir ForceAcademy. Bill Foster summarized the celebration:

“On 5 July 1957, i.e., about 50 years ago, members ofthe Class of 1961 reported to LowryAFB, Colorado, to begin a memorablefouryears as members oftheThird Class appointed to the U.S. Air ForceAcademy. This numberineluded306 originalappointeesand seven who, forseveral reasons,joined our classfrom the Class of1960.

“On 7 June 1961,217members (about69%) graduated. Allwho met at that memorable time still share a specialbond. On July 1, to celebrate the occasion,JimRogersandLindaCainhosted a cocktailparty-dinnerattheWestwood CountryClub inVienna,VA. Thoseclassmates attendingincluded Hector and

JoanNegroni, JimandJudyCassidy, Pat BuckleyandMarilynKitching, CharleyDixon and Liz Powers, Bill andTheda Foster, John andJoanKohout, Jack and Diane McDonough, Spike and RebeccaNunn, Bill Sanzenbacher, Tom Skilling, Bill and Rhoda Stackhouse, John and Ellen Sullivan, Rees Wagner, Ron Mueller and, ofcourse, the hosts - Jim Rogers and Linda Cain. With the attendance of Lowell and Sandy Jones, they were also able to “check out” Lowell’s new artificial knee.

“As thewine flowed andthe toasts got more creative, the crowd sangtheAir Force songabout a dozentimes alongwithotherpatriotic music as theyenjoyed a delicious buffetwith bottles ofBriceJones’ ‘FighterPilot Red’ at eachtable.

JimandJudyCassidysaidit was great to see everyone as heprobablyhadn’t seen anyofthose there since our 25th in 1986. Jim’s onlyregret: he was in the men’s room when they sang the Marine Corps Hymn. He looks forward to the Air Force/Navy game in Septemberwhichhe’llbe attendingwith our D.C. bunch.

LowellJones saidthat althoughhedidn’t count everyhead, he thoughtthere were over 30 ’61ers, counting spouses and friends,plusanother30 or so ofJimandLinda’sspecialinvitees.

DickandSylviaFairlamb, JimandPeggyHinkle, Dale and KayTabor, andRoss andBenitaShulmisteralso puttogether a celebration ofthe 50th Anniversary (5July 1957 - 5 July2007) ofthe Class of 1961 ’s First Day at USAFA at the site ofLowry AFB.Tom Eller, our ClassPresident, deliveredthewelcomingcomments. Tom notedthatlastweekhe attended thefirst dayfor2011 because theirgrandson is in that class another third-generation cadet following Earl’s grandson, who was the firstThird-Generation graduate. This first daywas significant to Tom because 2011’s firstDay was 50 years after our first Day. To putthe time scale into perspective, considerthattheUSMAClass of1911 enteredWest Point 50 years before we enteredAir Force, in the summer of 1907. Ofcourse, we started lOOyears afterUSMA’sClassof1861 enteredWestPointin 1857.Whilewe do not think we are old; the class of2011 definitelythinks ofus as OLD.

Those ’61ers attendingwere:

MarkAnderson DocArnold Sam Barrazone

TedBradstreet Bob Brickey Jack Bright

TomBrophy George Buchner Bill Combest

Randy Cubero Jim Darnauer Paul Dean

Drue DeBerry Tom Eller Dick Fairlamb

Pat Gregory Bill Griffis Jim Hinkle

Paul Hinton Bob Holcomb Gene Hopp

DeanJones Brice Jones Bob Kellock

Bill Lane Bud McCollum Doug McConnell

Worth McCue Charlie Neel Mike Quinlan

MikeRawlins Earl Saunders Ross Shulmister

TerryStorm Milt Summerfelt DaleTabor

Charlie Thomas JimWilhelm FrankWillis

TomWilson

Lou andKate Hablashadbreakfastwith CharleyDixonwhile theywere visiting children and grandchildren inVirginia in May. Charleyand Lou roomed together at theAcademyfor a while, and theirvisit was the first since graduation. Itwas greatgettingcaughtup atleast a littlebit onwhatthey’vebeendoing forthe past 45 plusyears!

Tom Hill’s ElkhartAmericanLegionbaseball team won the IndianaAmerican Legion state championship bybeating Terre Haute and Kokomo, both frommuchlargercities than Elkhart. Tomloves coachingbaseballwith these youngsters, whom he said were all great kids

Bruce Hinds writes thattheir son Bruce, who now holds an endowed chair at the UniversityofKentuckyfor his nanotechwork, got back into the flying business bybuying a Mooney20C. Our Bruce playedright seater for him as theyflewit from Mojave, CA, to Georgetown, KY, landing at suchhotspots as Alva,OK. Itwas a greatfun trip forboth ofthem. ’61 Bmce thinks the nanotech world is on hold for a while.

Wayne and MaryJones are celebrating their 46th weddinganniversaryby going on a three-weektrip to the Northwest US to visit family, followedby an Alaskan Cruise and LandTour.

Bob Kellock and Samantha attended his 50th high school reunion in Watertown, NY. It turned into a trip to Bob’s roots (allfamilyinterment sites) and a reunion with his childhood playmate (Richie), whom he hadn’t seen since 1957. Theyalso had a mini-family reunion.

JerryLefton attendedhis 50th high school reunionin Indiana, followedby a visitto Chicago to visittheirdaughter’sfamily. Latertheywere offto Atlantato staywithGinnyandMike Rawlins. They,alongwithGwenandSam Barazzone, hosted a greatweekend offun, food, drink, golf, and reminiscing for several ’61ers and spouses. ThenJerrymarshaled at theWomen’s US Opengolftournament. Jerryhas finishedthe cardiac rehabilitation program and is feeling justfine. He is playinglots ofgolfin spite ofthehotweather (110° on 8August).

Lee McCleskeyismakinggreatprogressrecoveringfromhisAugust ’06brain surgery. All seems to be fine. Joanie is also doingwell afterher knee replacement surgeryofMarch ’07 andis once again a challenge to keep upwith. Their familyreunion,whichLeeheadedinGeorgia at the schoolnamedforhis grandfather, was a wonderful success, so he gets to do it again nextyear. Theyplan

to attend theirhigh schoolreunions in September (Lee, Georgia) andOctober (Joanie, Arkansas). A real highlight forthe summer was having two oftheir grandchildren go with them camping andvisiting amusement parks in San Antonio. Only nine (soon to be 10) more grandchildren to go with similar trips. Theycertainlykeep youyoung and on your toes!

JohnMoore haswritten a novelaboutterrorism, TheHeadofKhalidSalaam. Hispublishersays thatit’s a novelthatwill makeyouthink. Althoughthebook is fictitious, thethreats are real andthepossibilities are frightening. To orderit online, go to thepublisher:Authorhouse.com, click on “BookStore, search on Title“The Head ofKhalid Salaam" orAuthor“John Moore.” It costs $15.

As ofAugust 9th 26 classmates plan to attend the Graytag RedneckRiviera Reunion at OrangeBeach, AL October 19-22. ContactJimmyPoole or Doug Cairns ifyouwant to attend andhaven’tyet signedup.

Charlie andSarahStebbins were pleased to serve lunch onAugust 8th at Cafe StebbitoJimmyandSusanPoole as theypassedthroughCharleston on theirway home from sun andfun on Lake Erie. TheStebbins enjoyliving a fewminutes from one ofAmerica’smajorinterstatecrossroads. Asidefrom that, they’vehad a busysummer thatincludedtheirannualNagsHeadfamilyvacationandtheir 50th high schoolreunion. Sarah added thatCharlie is nowbusygearingup for (hopefully) his lastyear as Provost at theUniversityofCharleston.

Charlie and Gina Thomas attended Memorial Day activities inAlbuquerque. Part of the event was a “Fallen Warrior Tribute”. Eleven New Mexico servicemenwho died in Iraq were recognized; their families were presented with a memorialbrick, plaque, and a native-American blanket. Charlie was asked to acceptforthefamilyofT/Sgt Scott Duffman since his familywas unable to attend, and Scott was at PJ schoolwhen Charlie commanded Kirtland. Charlie said, “It was a greathonor to step in for the family. I will write to his wife. Charlie and Ginalater spent a week at Hawks Cay resort in the Florida Keyswith theirdaughterJenniferandherfamily. Charlie and Gina are now on anothertrip, this time to Alaska, spending a weekin Denali Park, followed by a week on HollandAmerica fromAnchorage toVancouver.

The ChinatripsponsoredbytheAssociation ofGraduates, June 7ththruthe 19th was perfect. BudandJudyUtendorftraveledwitheightotherUSAFAgraduates and spouses. Theywere honored to have USAF retiree, Lt. Col.Alexander Jefferson, aTuskegeeAirman and ex-POW, on thetripwith them. TheAssociation ofGraduates hosted a reception for the graduates on the trip, and the consensus ofall ofus was to invite Lt. Col. Jefferson to the event. He was kind enough to relate his experiences as a P-51 fighterpilot and a prisonerofwar in Germanyin awonderfrilpresentation. Budhad worn his prop andwings as a lapel decoration and, after consultingwith all ofthe graduates, theydecided to have General John Corley (’73) take Bud’s pin and place it on Lt. Col. Jefferson’s lapel and declare him an HonoraryAir ForceAcademygraduate. Bud informedhim that he is now the oldestlivinggraduate at 86years ofage.

NancyWilliams said thatTwyandhis brother are currently on a sailingtrip withTwy’s boat to Maine this summer. Theyhave sailed as far north as Southwest Harborand are startingthe return partofthe trip. So farithasbeen a great sailingadventure.

Terryand KayWoelfeljust returnedfrom a Mediterraneancruise. It started in Barcelonaand ended inVenice, with 10 stops in between. Terryhad a great time “bargaining” for a leatherjacket at that Grand Bazaar in Istanbul,Turkey. The trip exceededexpectations.

RogerWoodburyis veryhappyto reportthathe and MarySue are probably the oldest, first-time grandparents ofour classmates. EmmaRaywas bomMar 19,2007, to Sandi, their daughter, and her husband, Scott Hill. They are delighted, as all grandparents are. Babysitting and diaperchanging are a pleasure; well, part ofthat is true. Mary Sue and Roger are looking forward to his 50thhigh school reunion in Octoberin Connecticut. Theyhave to get avisit to Jerryand Sue Lefton somewhere in there since theyhad to cancel a Mayvisit because ofschedule conflicts.

John W. “Jack” Jamba

4 Judy Court

Satellite Beach, FL 32937

H: (321) 777-5520 0: (321) 861-6279

Cell: (321) 432-1370

E-Mail: jwjamba@aol.com

78% Members

Class of1962 45th Reunion 31 October - 4November

USAFA vs. Army

Thunderbirds roar over andhats fly.We stayedwith Nan andKinneySmith in Woodland Park. The attachedpicture shows Kin and me with Pikes Peakbehind us. We also visited Bo and Nancy Oilman but no photo.

HiRedtags!

Wejustlaunched the STS-118 Space Shuttle this pastweekand we all have smiles on our faces. It’s good to be sending a shuttle to the Space Station again.

Firstfrom BillHaugen. “Sue andIhad a funvisitto watch graduation andthe swear-in ofa young man I met 10 years ago in Pennsylvania and encouraged toward USAFA: 2/LT IanWhiteman. It’s always impressive and moving as

Visit the AOGWeb Site.

Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More!

www.usafa.org

From GailPeck. “LastMondayeveningRickPerlotto andhisfriendKathleen joined Mike and KayButchko, Hesh and BobbiAltman and Gail and Carol Peckhere inVegas.Agoodtime was hadbyall, in spite ofthe lies and exaggerations. Rickand Kathleen attended his daughterCarla’s graduation. Thatis Dr. Carlanow! Mucho congratulations to her!”

I also got this from Gail. “Had a great conversation with classmate and my former roommateWarren Robbins. He continues to make progress after suffering a stroke awhile back. He is now able to takeshortwalkswithouthis cane or walker and seems to be making progress everyday. He sounded like the Robbie ofold on the phone. I am includinghis phone number in case any of you want to call him and chat. I know he would appreciate the contact. He treasures our class attheAFAand all ofyou. CallRobbie at 253 838-3624 and say hi and ifyou are in the Seattle area or later this summer in Phoenixplan to stop and sayhi. Congrats on our 49th anniversary on our trip to Denver and the start ofalongjourney together. As always, Gail Peck, 1225K”

Andthis sad news fromRogerRhoades.Thenoticewas sent to the Redtag net but some grads are not on the net. That’s why I have copied Roger’s notice: “Fellow RTBs, On I June 2007 at 0900, mywife,Judi, willhave final respectsbestowed upon her at the Cadet Catholic Chapel. A brief grave site ceremonywill immediatelyfollowthe chapel ceremony.We were married nearly45 years and I wantedyou to knowofher death because she knew so many ofyou. All are welcome to attend the ceremonies and I encourageyou to spreadtheword. I lookforward to seeingthosewho attend. In lieu offlowers, myfamilywould appreciate contributions be sent to: FreedomAlliance, Support our troops program, 22570 MarkeyCourt, Suite 240, Dulles,VA20166-6919. This organization’sgoal is to providecollege scholarships to children ofmilitarypersonnel who were killed in action. Bring Me Men, RogerRhoades.” It’s especiallysad since RogerandJudi were mentioned in the previous Grads columnwhen theywere visited bythe Landers.

And this from HarryPaddon. “This is theyear ofreunions for me. In May, I went to my F-105 squadron reunion in SanAntonio. The 34th TFS was stationed at Korat inThailand. We had about 120 complete 100 missions over NorthVietnam and 60 were at the reunion. Mywife, Pat, and I went to my50th high schoolreunion in Maryland inJune. The class had 600 graduates and 160 were at the reunion. I was surprised to discoverthat there were three other retiredAF officers inthe class and two other classmates were K3AinVietnam in F-4s. Pat and I willbe attendingmyson-in-law’s retirementfrom the USAF in August. HeisatACCatLangleyandisaB-lWSO. Nowthatreallymakes me feel my age. See you in October in Colorado.”

A short note fromAlex Harwick. “At the moment I am in Turkeyregarding business. Prior to that I was on a mission trip to Ukraine. All’s well. Again thanks. Looking forward to seeingyou again soon. Alex”

Got a missive from Chuck Cheeseman. “Chuck Cheeseman’s 17-year-old daughter, Emily, andher Russian friendAlona spent two weeks in St. PetersburginJune. The ladies attempted to connectwith classmate GeorgeThompson, who teaches in nearbyPskov, but unfortunately, the best that could be arranged was a phone callbetweenAlona and George. As a side note, Emily was atthe 1992 30th RTB reunion as a two-year-old,makingCheezie the (then) father oftheyoungest RTB kid! Chuck” Thanks, Chuck.

And now some words fromthe Patries. “DearJack, Congratulations on your weight loss! I knowhowdifficultthat can be, believe me! Stan registered us for the reunion the other day. Yes, the mountains are treating us well. We’rethank-

Bill Haugen, at left, andKinneySmith

Sabre Soc Boner

fully at least 10 degrees cooler day and night than the ‘flatlands’. Stan keeps busywithgardening. Hehikeswith two groups. There are about350waterfalls in our area so hikingis a treat. We have taken ballroom dancing classes for a couple ofyears. Foremost, Staniscaretakerforhis92-year-oldmother. She lives about four miles from us and is an incredible person. Up to now she has lived in her own place, quilts, gardens, does her own cleaning, knows how to use a computer. I taught her how to make greeting cards. She also had her driver’s License renewed for five years on her 90th birthday! Last June she broke herlefthip butrecoveredwonderfully.ThisJune she broke herrighthip andit’sbeen more difficultforher. She’s beenstaying at our house to complete herrecuperation but is lookingforward to movingback to her place this next week. We have our fingers crossed that itwill go well for her. See you in Octoher. MaryAnne and Stan.”

From Tom Rausch: For the 45th reunion, I am offering commemorative coins the same as the 40th ones except with the new date and RedTag 45th Reunion andwiththeAcademycrest on one side andthe ’62 crest on theother. Available in gold, silver, bronze, and pewter in a plastic case. The cut-offdate fordelivery at the reunion haspassed. But some extras maybe available, depending on howmanywe order; but figure $4 each for planning purposes. ThanksTom.

Bunce attheendofMarch. KarelBimcetold us thatDickpassedawayon the31 st after a six-weekillness. She saidthat even thoughDickwent into the Navyafter graduation, theAcademyandhis classmates were always close to his heart.

In earlyJune Linda and I were privileged to spend some time with Bud and JoyceGilligan attheirhome inArlington,VA. Whiletherewevisited some ofthe sites and memorials in theWashington DC area including the newAir Force Memorial.Wehad a tour oftheNational Cathedralwhich I recommend to anyone and BudandI spent a dayat the Udvar-HazyCenter ofthe NationalAir & Space Museum out at DullesField—anotherhighlyrecommendedvisit. One evening Ed and Carol Pickens, alongwith Bud and Joyce, threw a backyard barbecue atthe Pickens’ home. Theyinvited our classmatesfromtheWashington area. Seeingandvisitingwith everyonethere was thehighlight ofour trip.

And this one fromThaRipper about the reunion. “Red Tags It’s time to registerforthe45th reunion (31 Oct - 4 Nov.) Go to www.usafa.org You do not have to be anAOG Member. Update yourprofile (left side ofhome page—if you haven’t gotten previous mailouts, your address may be wrong). Click “Class Reunions” (Top ofHome Page). Click “1962 Information” (Leftside). Here you will find links to register for the reunion, the hotel, football game tickets, purchasingreunionmerchandise, schedules, activities, etc. “You can see who is registered by clicking “See who’s attending” on the homepage. Ifyouhave questions, please e-mail or call me. Rip Blaisdell, RTB 45 Reunion Committee Chairman, (719) 686-1408 ortharipper@msn.com. That’s it. Go Redtags!

Norman I. (Skip) Lee

63119 E. Cat Claw Lane

Tucson, AZ 85739-2058

Home: (520) 825-7980

Cell: (520) 241-3498

E-mail: 54wrs@msn.com

81% Members

Wehavelost two ofour classmates since the lastissue ofthe Class News. The AOGrecentlyinformed us ofthe deathofCol (Ret) DanielJTaylor, who passed away June 7th in Provo, Utah. We were also informed of the death of Dick

The Washington Crowdfrom leftin the backrow: Pete Ogdibene anddate

Kathleen, Dean andSuzanneFiess, BobandPattiVenkus,JoeandLindaFlicks, Bill andBettyEbert, EdPickens, BudandJoyce Gilligan, Jim andMaureen Hannam, Gene Rosendahl and date, Dick Guild and date Carol, Judy Westerbeck,Jim andSandyJohnston (visitingfromHonolulu), LindaLee (I’m thephotographer). Frontrow: CarolinePickens, DianneFrostic, Bob and ShirleyHall, DeVereHenderson, FredFrostic, andJerryWesterbeck.

Harryand MaryWilsonwere at the partybut somehowdidn’tend up inthe photograph. Here’shopingI goteveryone’s name correct. Duringthefestivities the legend ofthe Class Box. was carefullyexplained to me byBud and Dick Guild. The story goes... It’s a cardboard box with liquor of all types (includingJeremiahWeed) in it that surfaces whenever there is a social get together ofClass of1963 types in theWashington area. It dates to 1993. That year, Joyce andBudhosted a pre-reunionpartyattheirhouse, andDickGuildsaidhewouldprovide thebooze. He showed up with a boxfilledwith the aforementionedvariety. After the party, there was most ofitleft, andwhen Budtried to give it back to Dick, he declared that he didn’t want it back, but Budshouldbringit to the next GoldenBoys social event. So, ithas beenpassed around andkeptby someone andhas reappearedregularlyforthepast 15years. Here’s the amazing thing: it’sliketheloaves andfishes, itreplenishes itself. It still has the same varietyand plentyofit. Nobodyhas ever said anything about it, but obviously, the keeper ofthe box or someone else has replaced bottles whenever one gotlow. ProbablytheWashington Crowdhas become more wine oriented over theyears, so the rate ofconsumption/depletion on the Boxis probablylower than itwould have been 40 years ago.

The next photograph was sent to me byTomFryer. Tom andDickTroyheld a ’63 mini-reunionlunch in Kansas. Tomwrote thatDick’s daughter and sonin-law are stationed at nearbyFt. Riley. Tom andAngie were at the Change of Command fortheCommandingGeneral and, as itturned out, Dickand Carol were also there. They were visiting from Pennsylvania as theyhave a new granddaughter—theirfirst! Aluncheon was setup and as youmightimagine, Tom and Dickspent a lot ofthe time talking aboutthe oldtimes. Both were in Fighting 4thDoolie year. Although most ofthe talkinvolvedtheirAir Force lives, a lot ofbraggingaboutgrandchildren was goingon! Turns outthatAngie andTom have a new grandsonborn June 29th.

SteveandKathrynMettlerandMaryBath and Tom Keaneyat breakfastat the40thReunion.

Fromleftare MaryKayEgan, Don andRoseShepperdandNancyGilmartin atthe40th Reunion.

Whenyou thinkofmini-reunionsyou also think ofBob Hayes, our reunion guru. Bob recentlysent out a notice forthisyear’smini-gettogetherduringthe Wyominggame—October20th Pleaseputthedate onyourcalendars andhelp get theword out to others thatmight be interested in being there (ed. note: severalenquiries on thisyear’s event have been received). Ourfalltraditionfor the last several years has been to come together at either the Navy or Army home football games in October or November. Thisyearwe decided to forgo the reallycoldweather ofNovember and holdthe mini during theWyoming home game. It’s a daygame so we’llhave the opportunityto tailgate as well as have dinner at theAOG post game and then turn the cups ofthose who died since Octoberoflastyear. This is really awarm up forthe45th reunion in 2008 at the Navygame, so tryto make plans to come.

Planning for the 45th is underway. The committee confirmed the date as October 1-5,2008, andthelocation as the C-Springs Marriott (sameplace as the 40th). A mailer was sent out in July and included a tentative schedule. Drue DeBerryis headingup the Class Gift effort andyou maymake suggestions regardingthe class gift to Drue at drue.deberry@comcast.net. Information on the reunion can be found at the ClassWeb site: http:/ /www.usafa63.org/.

Lou Matjasko contributedthefollowing: “AfterKaren and I moved to Northern Illinois lastyear, we foundthatJohn and MyrnaBorling are livingjust 20 minutes away. I am retiredfromtheeverydayworklife style and we are here to enjoy our fourgrand kids who live in the nearby area. It’s been great to renew myfriendshipwithJohn, while thefourofus get on fabulously. John invited us to the DecorationDayceremonies in Chicago. He was coordinatorand master ofceremoniesforthe program, which tookplace at thefootofthe magnificent bronze statue ofGeneralJohnLogan. Logan founded Decoration Day, now MemorialDay, afterthe CivilWar. It was a beautiful event, attendedand supportedbymanylocal patriotic citizens.

Lou andJohn

We received a fewtelephone/e-mail changes since lasttime: NormSchulze, new e-mail, normschulze@bellsouth.net;DougHardgrave, newhome,phone (678) 455 7197; and Pat Caruana, new email, patcaruana@verizon.net.

In closing, this from Jimmie Butler: “I have been busilyworking on the national reunion ofthe FACAssociation (http://www.fac-assoc.org/) scheduled forthe same weekendin Colorado Springs as our 45threunion. Amajorfocus ofthe FAC reunionwillbe the dedicationofthe 2008 FAC Memorial at MemorialParkeast ofdowntownColorado Springs. The centralfeature ofthat me

morialwillbe a monumentlistingthe names ofmore than250 FACs/crewmen who died in SoutheastAsia. Three ofthose names are ours: ParkBunker, Doug Butterfield, and Bob Rex.” Jim Diffendorfer, says Jimmie, agreed to using funds fromthe DVD effort as a class donation. We are about$350 ahead so far andhesuggestedwe give$300 inthe names ofPark, Doug, andBob. So, thanks to the guys who donated for the DVDs.

That’s it forthis time. Thanks for all the inputs andwe’ll see you in October to watchthe Falcons trounceWyoming.

Bob Hovde

206 Walker Ave.

Huntsville, AL 35801 (256) 532-3923

W: (256) 716-2765

bob@hovde.us

W: rhovde@drs-tem.com

77% Members

ReunionPoll Results: Last issue I askedfor a strawpoll on a questionbyDon Grahamabouthaving our reunion in the summer. After an email “emergency message” went out from Matt Feiertag, close to 10 percent ofthe class voted. While some said that it didn’t reallymatter much to them, the vote was about 2-1 in favor ofsometime in the fall - with a football game ifpossible. (A lot of thefall votes said earlyfallwouldbe betterthan late fall.) The class officers and the Colorado contingent are workingwith that information and will find an appropriateweekend soon.

HonorsforPaul:AttheWhiteHouse onJuly27th PresidentBushbestowedthe Medal ofTechnologyto Paul Kaminski.Paul was recognized“forcontributions tothenationalsecuritythroughthedevelopmentofadvanced, unconventionalimagingfromspace, andfordevelopingand fieldingadvancedsystemswith greatlyenhancedsurvivability. As a resulthe has made a profound difference in the nationalsecuritypostureandthegloballeadership oftheUnited States.”The NationalMedalofTechnologywas mandatedby Congress in 1980 to recognize the significant contributions thatAmerica’s leadinginnovatorshavemade to the Nation’s economicstrength and standard ofliving.

In an email, Paulgives creditforhis successes to the people with whom he worked. Paul, while I’m sure the people were very talented, someone had to be at the helm and you were the person there.We are very proud to be associatedwith someone withyourrecord ofaccomplishments.

Anniversaries: Don and Marilyn Graham celebrated their 43rdWedding AnniversarywithTonyand Barb Covais (also their43rd). “We (Grahams) drove up fromTampa and met Barb andTony in Jacksonville at one ofour favorite restaurants in all ofFlorida - Clark’s Fish Camp. It doesn’t sound glamorous but you would have to see it to appreciate it. Located right on the St. Johns River, you can feed gators from offthebackdock! Inside there is everytype of stuffed and mounted animal you can imagine: Bear, coyote, wolf, deer, badger, lion, even large diamondbackrattlesnakes!The food is fresh (mainly seafood) and the menu is large and varied. All is well with all ofus”

Don andMarilyn Graham andTonyandBarb Covais celebrate theirrespective43rdAnniversaries!

StillFlying! Stu McCurdy sent thefollowingupdate on hisflyingactivitiesin retirement! “While still on active duty, I bought an experimental aircraft (readhomebuilt) for recreational flying. After retiring, but not ready to hang up myG-suit, I taught some localfellowexperimentalflyersthe finerpoints of formationflying. We formed a team, appropriatelycalledFalconFlight. Soon we were performing atlocal airshows, then at EAARegionalAirshows around the country, then Sun ‘N Fun and Oshkosh. That led to foundingFormation Flying, Inc (FFI) which is approvedby FAA to evaluate and issue formation cards that allowformation flying in FAA-waivered airspace (i.e., airshows). That thenled to conducting formation clinics around the country to teach formation procedures, skills and discipline. In there somewhere I also built my own RV-8 ExperimentalAircraftwhichis appropriatelyadornedwith a full wingsspread falconjust under the prop and a falcon superimposed on a US

flag on the sides ofthe cowl with Falcon Flight above. So, between Falcon Flightperformances, formation clinics, andformationflyingevaluations, I stay prettybusy.

StuMcCurdyandhis “FalconFlight”aircraft, showinghowtoughlife can be. FalconHeritageFoundation: FredMalmstromsentwordthat FredGregory was the distinguished speaker at the March FalconHeritage Foundation dinner. [Ed note: Fred M. sent a goodphoto ofFredG., butFred is in otherphotos below, so I opted for the photowith more classmates.]

E-MailAddress: Matt Feiertag, Historian Extraordinaire, has askedifeveryone couldPLEASE updateyour email address on theAOGwebsite.The Class Historians have settled on the idea of a hard-bound Class History, along the lines ofwhatthe Class of1961 didfor their 45th reunion. In addition to other entries, eachmemberofthe classwouldhave an opportunityto writewhatever he wanted, long or short (within reasonable limits and good taste), on whatever topic he chooses. Matt asks thatyou please be thinking andworking on your entry, so when your personal article is requested, you can send it, NOT startthinkingaboutit. Mattalso requested(pleaded?) foranyonewithpublication experience to provide assistance and/or advice.

Army-NavyCountryClub:The D.C. contingent of’64had anotherluncheon at theArmyNavyCountryClub in May. Seventeen classmates made it to lunch, arranged by Jeff Levy (and sponsored byA-N CC Member, Jack Cole.) Jim Graham sent alonganothergreatpicture - butagain I optedforthe one below. (I’mnormallylimited to three per column.)

And at Fred’s House: Paul Belmontwrites, “Againthisyear, Fred andBarbara Gregoryhosted all available classmates at theirlovelyAnnapolis, MD home. This annual event is a highlight oftheyear, and we are allindebted to Fred and (especially) Barbarafortheirhospitality. It is really super to spend time with cherished classmates andtheir spouses.

Paul continues, “I am happily ‘retired/retired’ and busydoingthe things on my‘to-do’ list, allofwhich I puttheremyself, and I set my own due dates, most ofwhich are elastic. Retiredlife is comfortable and enjoyable - highly recommended. PeggyandI are happilyinto beingGrandparents. Oursecond grandchild is due in October.”

SpecialNote fromPete LoPresti:Asyou probably are aware, our class offleers appointed me to be the ’64representative to theAOG Senate. TheAOG Senate, recentlyestablishedbytheAOG BoardofDirectors (BOD), has elected me as one ofthree at-large members of a six-person executive committee. The BOD is integrating the Senate into the decision-makingprocess and is taskingthe Senate to seekinput from respective class members. This is a key time for theAOG to assess its direction especially as it applies to strategic objectives, fundraising, and foundation operations. I am workingwith the AOG to find a streamlinedwayto send out periodic email news onAOG issues to interestedclassmates. WithJimWheeler and FredGregory, bothmembers ofthe BOD, ’64 can have a significant input. We have led the way in many categories past and present, and can continue to do so in the future. I look forwardto healinganyideasmy ’64 classmates wishto make, (lopresti@ris.net)

HealthCheck: Several classmates are goingthrough some dyingtimeswith their health. I’m sure our prayers are with them and their families in these times ofstress. But-When was the last timeYOU had a thorough checkupby your doctor?

Rick Zurbrugg

2929 Gavin Place Duluth, GA 30096 (770) 476-4437

E-mail: ezurb@bellsouth.net

77% Members

Hey’65!

Please take a quiet moment to remember our classmates who have transitioned recently to eternity: Michael Polich, October 10th 2006; Allen Natella, June 17,2007; and Peter Pfendler, June 18th 2007.

ChuckRyerson: “The following was forwardedto me byAlNatella’s daughterAngelique. The editorial (aboutAl) is an especiallyappropriate memory we should retain of Al. It is so typical of him (http://www.eastvalley tribune.com/story/92746).

Inputfromthe Class:You all may, ofcourse, send me items ofinterest at any time, butI decided to try a new “reminder” program. Each quarter, I’ll send out an email (plea?) for an update to a section ofmy address book.

This month, Mitch Cobeaga answered as follows: “There is a great deal of talentin theAto C’s - and then some ofus who aren’tfirst-rounddraftpicks. In anyevent, I am stillpracticinglawhere in LasVegas and doing a lotofaviation work. Irepresentthe ClarkCountyDepartmentofAviation (McCarran and seven smaller operations) and the insurance carriers for a lot ofthe Grand Canyon tour operations (theyplunkthem in at an alarmingrate). I love the trialwork, and will keep at it until theyban me from the courthouse.

“Sylvia and I have eight children and 16 grandchildren. Ouryoungest son, Paul (’03), is a Captain and enroute to HillAFB. At times, I reallyfeel old.”

“MaxJamesandIteamedto take$10 fromtwo youngerguys atthegolfcourse on Saturday.Theysimplycouldn’t take the pressure.”

AlNatella—LasVegas 2006

Dick Husemann: “There’s an obit for Pete (Pfendler) at http:// wwwl.arguscourier.eom/artide/20070619/NEWS02/70619064thatindudes some additionaldetails on his activities andwhatappears to be a fairlyrecent picture ofPete.”

FromTomPilsch, I was watchingtheHistorychannel this pastweekand came across one oftheir‘Dogfight’ series entitled‘GunKills ofVietnam.’ Itwas excellent, butwhat reallygot myattention was the storyofa double MIG kill (samemission): theGIB (GuyInBack) was our GeorgeMcKinney! He is interviewed anddoes a nicejob! Iwould nothaverecognizedhim (like allofus, he has changed), but they showed a picture ofhim circa 1967 andthere was no doubt who itwas! For those who get the HistoryChannel, itisworthwatching. Ifnot, the DVDwillbe availablefromthe HistoryChannelWeb site nextmonth.

“AnAtlanta sidelight: the pilot ofanother incident covered on theprogram (aNavyA-1 driverwho sharedaMiG17 kill!) lives in theAtlanta area and is a member oftheAtlantaVietnamVeterans BusinessAssociation. I had no idea whathe had done! I talked to him this weekabout the mission and his experiencewith thepeoplewho produced the program... Bestwishes to allof’65!” ThanksTom, I didwatch it and congratulations George—you were great!

Ted Gibbs: “.. .Meredith and I were in Boston and had dinnerwith our favorite “Flash! (Wiley) I am for allpractical purposes retired. I am a California attorneyandreal estate broker. Afterseveralyears oflawI startedsyndicatingrealestate developments.Mypartnershipsbuiltseveraltracts ofnewhomes, apartments and a shopping center. I stillinvest in new apartment construetion. I also operate a private, real estate securedlender...

TheD.C. crew: FromleftareFredGregory, PeteMitchell, PaulKaminski, Rich Porter, KarlWidmayer,JackCole, BobHaley, BobChristopher, BobLevins,John Graves, Tom Eggers, JohnWiles, PaulBelmont, andGeorgeAnderson.

“Ijust invested withTom Gussel (my roommate at USAFAfor our first two years) in a hotel beingbuilt inTennessee. In case you are interested, theweb site is: wildernessatthesmokies.com. I am currentlylooking for land in the “Valley” in L.A. to build apartments. Mypartner has constructed over 13,000 units intheValleyinthe last35+years... Meredithand I had three daughters all ofwhom are USC graduates. The older two are married and we now have five grandchildren (three boys and two girls). Myyoungest is an asset/finance executive for a national real estate company.. .We are going to Alaska and Canada tomorrow for a couple of weeks...Ted Gibbs (16th) tgibbspv@ yahoo.com.” Thanks Ted. Great picture!

Bill Roberts: “On July3,1 married Paula Jean Lavarini on Santa Catalina Island, CA.We are at home at 7749 E 33rd St. Tucson, AZ 85710.” Thanks Bill, Congratulations andyou are an inspiration to us all.

each classmateyou see. Iwill belookingforyou at the NavyGame inAnnapolis this year. Be well and grateful for everyprecious day, do goodwork, and keep in touch. As the ROC would say, Cheers!, Rick

Ryan Denny

1635 Mary Todd Lane

O’Failon, IL 62269

H: (618) 624-4255

W: (314) 232-5117

E-mail: ryanden@aol.com

81% Members

Greetings, Redtags! Didyouknowthat we have a class website on theAssociation ofGraduatesweb site (www.usafa.org)? Afewofus must have figured that out, becausethere a couple ofhundredpictures on thereofoldguys (oops, “classmates”) from the 40th Reunion. Most ofthem appear to befrom the Evil Eightguys, because there are a lotofshots ofthe same people. The conceptis great—there is a buttonthatsays “doubleclickto add photos”; butIthinkthere should be another one that says “click to delete”. I mean, howmanypictures do we need of {putyourfavorite name here) wearing a red sweat shirt and drinking a beer? I don’tthinkwe have a class webmaster (anyvolunteers?), so anarchyprevails—which may not be all thatbad.

DorceyPricetook some time offfromhis pianoplayingjob to participate in an IronbuttMotorcycle event that involved ridinghis motorcycle from Hyder, Arizona to Hyder,Alaska. Dorseystarted offat 0630 one Tuesdaymorningand covered the 2,500 miles in 54 hours, arrivingin HyderAlaska on Thursdayafternoon. After attendingthe HyderseekRally on Lriday, he headed back towards Tucson, cruising through British Columbia, Idaho, and Utah, getting home on the next Tuesday. Dorseysays that it was 5,000 miles in eightdays, with two days ofrainthat drownedhis “waterproof” XM radio. Hepaid$50in Canadato fillup hismotorcycle, butmet greatpeople (other crazies), saw beautiful scenery, and would do it again. In fact, he is challengingKennyBoone andBuckLyle to ridewithhim next year.

Bill Cole: “.. .TheFedshave come throughand reissued mymedical certificate... so I am a happyguy. Though I was grounded for a total ofeight months I have beenflyingwith myfriendfrom the SWAtrainingcenter, Dale Lenhert, and we have enjoyedlearning more aboutthe GarminG1000 Glass cockpit. (I stillthinkit’s amazingthat a C-172 comes with a glasspanel). We celebratedlast weekandflewup to Lake Murray(just across theRed Riverin Oklahoma) with Judyfordinner... Itis great to havemycertificateback, however, andI hope we can fly on the evening ofthe 4th ofJuly for our annual fireworkswatching. As you mayknow, however, we are in a monsoon-like cycle here in NorthTexas. Be safe. (Scribe’s Note: Bill was my doolie roommate and in response to my half-jokingsuggestionthatheflytoAtlantafromDallas andferryus to the Navy game, he replied: “Don’t thinkI will make it to the Navygame”). I did spend a fewdays in the Springswith Mats (Matsuyama) I tookmy‘associate’ (Judyis hername) on a driving tour ofColorado, andintroducedherto Mats andTom Jobin (’64) and his wife. I do love those mountains, especially downaround Durango, Silverton, Ouray andTelluride. Take care, BC” HeyBill, you bet! TheAOGhas established a ClassAdvisorySenatewhichis now up and running and providinginput to theAOGBoardofDirectors. Ourrepresentative, Bob Giffen, rgiffen@tsti.net, needsyourthoughts and opinions on current issues facingtheAcademy and theAOG; right now they are preparing recommendations on the issue ofanAOG Foundation, AOG restructuring, revision ofAOGBy-Laws, thehonorcode, andtheresults oflastyears’ member survey. Thereyou have it ’65. Ifyou are planning a mini-reunion at a football ALA football game thisLall, be sure andtake some pictures andsend an update on

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DorseyPrice andhis Gold Wing,preparing to terrorizeCanada.

Anothertravelingclassmate, DonWalker, headed offto China; but hewent byplane and boat. Don and his wife, Barbara, took a two-week trip that ineluded Shanghai, Beijing, a river boat cruise on theYangtze, and a bunch of other places that I can’t spell or pronounce. On the first day ofthe trip, Don discovered that his travelingcompanions included Bill and Karen Rankin, and anothercouple from the class of’69—Eltonand KathyHumphreys. They had a mini-reunion on the river cruise andcaughtup on thelast41 years. Don saysthat Chinawas a greatplace to visitonce, andhis enthusiasmforChinese foodhaswaned considerably.

TedandMeredith GibbsandMr. FletcherHouston Wiley,Esq. Boston 2007.

Bill Roberts and new bride, Paula. Santa Catalina 2007.

RTBs continue Class of’69 training, somewhere on theYangtze River. Bill Rankin, Don Walker, andElton Humphreys (’69.)

I put out a callforclass updatesthroughGaryPalmer to theWashington DC crowdandgot a fewresponses. Garysays thathe is gettingreadyto retire from hisjob at the EnergyDepartment—no real reason, exceptthathe realizedthat he hadbeenworkingfull time (plus) since he graduatedfromhigh schooland it was time to do somethingelse—like notworkfulltime. He’s thinkingabout flying, golf, or financialplanning—allequallydangerouspastimes.

RandyJaynewritesthatheandNancyare slowlybutsurelybecoming“mainly STL, part time inWDC” folks, vice the past decade of“mainlyWashington/ McLean, part-time STL” players. They are doing some majorremodeling of theirhome inWebsterGroves (YuppieTown, USA) justoutside ofSt Louis, and he promises to have a StLouis ’66 eventwhen theyfinallyfinish thejob. Randy is stillworking and continues to enjoydoing executive search—primarily because ofthe great team ofpartners he gets to workwith. The 7th Squadron gang celebratedtheirannual Springfilingin SanAntonio thisyear, ablyhosted byBill and Suzan Eubank. Theyescapedjust before the rains and floods hit SanAntonio and avoidedthe requirement to build an Ark.

Dan Larson saidthathejustretired fromhis second (ormaybethird) career —withAcquistionSolutions, Inc., on July20. They are planning on staying in the D.C. area for the foreseeable future because Dan has that perfect retirementplan—ayoungwifewith a career. Danisplanning on getting some more flying time in his 1949 Ercoupe and learning to playgolf(in spite ofwhat the Athletic Departmentsaid abouthim 44 years ago). There must be something in the DC-area water this summer, because Connie Teetz is also retiringand movingdown to the Carolinas. Andlastly, Ron Davis wrote to saythat there is nothinggoing on in his life worthwriting about. But, I’ll bet that ifyou talked to him, he would find somethingto talk about for two or three hours.

Mike Blairis stillplayingGrizzlyAdams up inthe GreatWhiteNorthand sent in a storyabout“dippingforreds”, which isAlaskan for using a net to catch a whole lot ofredsalmon. When thered salmon are running, thelegallimitis 25 fishfortheheadofthehousehold and 10 more for eachfamilymember. Ittook Mikeabouttwo hours to catchhislimit one day—that can fill a freezerin ahurry (andwe’repayingabout$8 a pound atthe Commissaryforfarm-raisedsalmon).

MikeBlairandhisAlaskan version ofa Guppynet.

And now for some political announcements. The AOG has established a ClassAdvisorySenatewhichis now up andrunningandprovidinginput to the AOG Board ofDirectors. Ourrepresentative isJimMurphyandhe needsyour thoughts and opinions on current issues facing theAcademyand the AOG. Right nowthey are preparingrecommendations on the issue ofanAOG Loundation,AOGrestructuring, revision ofAOGBy-Laws, thehonorcode, andthe results oflastyears’ member survey. That’s a prettybigagenda, so ifyouhave an opinion (orwant to volunteer to be the next Senator for ’66) giveJim a call or send him an e-mail. Ifyou don’thave an opinion, butyou’ve got a story or a picture, send me an e-mail! Until next time... HappyLandings!

Larry Wilson

13100 Pinehurst Ave. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87111

H: (505) 291-8949

E-mail: Lwilsn628@aol.com

retired as aBG (notcolonel), as a permanentprofessorpromotion atretirement. Alsomywording was apparentlyclumsy in another paragraph, and it may haveappearedto some thatEricThorsonsuffered a tragiclossinthe BlackHawk shoot-down. Thatis incorrect, as it was DannyPiperandhis family. Mysincere apologies to thePipers and to anywho mayhave beenmisled or offended.

Ifyouhave notyetmadeyourreservationsfor our 40th - GET ON IT! Various squadrons are settingup activities, andthe Seagram’s Seven crewseems particularlyhard at it, includingtheir donating some books to the Cadet Library. The Reunion Committee, headedup byPaulHenryandwiththeAOGassistance of MsLaniWingoftheAOGismakinggreatprogress: themerchandise siteisup and running; musicalgroups are beingauditioned; classgiftand endowmentissues are underconsideration. Lunch at Mitch’s, memorial service andmuch more more are planned. More to follow, no doubt, from the Reunion Committee. Some non-graduates ofour class are planning on attending, or are interested in attending - squadron reps; there is an opportunityforyou. Thanks, Paul, and allthe committee membersandsquadronreps!

Inputs follow from and about a number of our guys: While some of us are maybe retired and/ or otherwise winding down, Eric Thorson has a full- time job as the InspectorGeneral ofthe U.S. Small BusinessAdministration. It seems that there were around $10 billion in loans that were approved after Hurricane Katrina, and - an unfortunate consequence putting that kind ofmoney into one area - there is so muchfraud that theyopened an office in New Orleans. Eric works closely with the Dept, ofJustice anddescribeshaving “.. .onlymade a dent intrying to control the level offraud that is present in the GulfCoast area... (plus) we are still dealingwith cases that originated after 9/11 in NewYorkCity...

In a “closure” activity, a Memorial Service was held in June at the Old Post Chapel in Port MeyerVirginiafor Don Shay, who died on 8 Oct 1970. Bill Hall was point ofcontact for Ms Shay.

You all likelyrecall that theAOG By-Laws in 2006 established a ClassAdvisory Senate. The Senate is now up and runningwith 31 classes represented. There are major issues facing the new Board this year. Among these are the AOGLoundation,restructuringoftheAOG, revision oftheBy-Laws, theHonor Code, and results oflast year’s member survey. Bob Resling was our class’ initial representative; however, when he learned ofan extended periodwhen he would be unable to activelyparticipate, JackFrystepped up to replace him, with Bob Muldrow as his backup. Likely more to follow on that issue; throughtheAOG and/ or at the Reunion

FromJoe Holbrook: “Ijustfinished readingFlyingThroughMidnight. It is a greatstory. Everyone should also read MySecretWarbyRichard S. Drury. It relates the history ofthe AlEs flying out ofNKP at the same timeframe and chronicles some ofour own Ron Rounce’s history and heroics...”

From RickFuller, who started but did not graduate with us - “...in theJune editionof Checkpoints, on theinside back cover is a photo titled “Once upon aTime...” and Les Querry(’60) is creditedforthe photo. I thinkthe names of our classmates in the photo are Jim Gilmore on the left, John Olive hand on hip, Fred Buddinger in the doorway, BillAbraham on the rightw/o hat from 2nd Squad. Thanks Rick - hope we see you at the Reunion!

RoyMiller communicated concerns regardingthe honor code earlierthis summer, whichhe submittedforpublicationin Checkpoints. Royhas over the years expressed concerns regarding a number ofAcademyissues. His summary statement: “.. .1 contendthat, unless we return to settingand enforcing thehigheststandards ofhonor at USAFA, we will surelylose our place as leaders in this field. It may alreadybe too late...” Likely more discussion on that topic too at the Reunion, and perhaps also in theAOG, etc.

Dale Hoekstra is heading forAlbuquerque: an orthopedic surgeon, he is relocatingthere to bethe medical director ofthe Carrie TingleyHospitalofthe UniversityofNew Mexico. Congratulations on your selection for that position Dale, and I lookforward to havingyou at UNMH and in theAlbuquerque medical community.

74% Members

Canyoubelievethatthe summer of ’07 iswindingdown? Here inAlbuquerque, publicschools started classeslastweek (14Aug). The days seem to begetting a bit shorter (thoughthe NewMexico heathas notletup). I am safelyback frommyannualfishingtrip into thewilds (well, not quite...) ofOntario;having caughtmanymanyverylarge fish (trustme...), consumed mass quantities of unhealthyfood andmaltbeverages, etc; enduredsleepingin a large openbaytypelodgewith a dozen otherworld-class snorers, etc. It was a great time. Lirstofall, let me beginbyapologizingformyprevious Checkpointsmissive: HarryWetzler, Chris Bauer and some others reminded me that MalWakin

Perhapslike some ofyou, in the pastyear I reconnected with an oldfriend. We were both in Colorado Springs inthelate ’60s, where I was stationed inthe OSI and he was an artillery officer at Fort Carson. He and I caroused a bit, playedrugbyforthe fledglingColorado SpringsGrizzlies, and shipped out for Viet Nam at about the same time. I saw him there a time or two, and then we lost contact after we returned to the States. In an interesting set ofcircumstances we came togetheragain, and caughtup on nearly40years. It is amazing to me howthattime melted away, and those old times seem vividly contemporaryandreal. He had also reconnectedwith another ofour rugbyteam. No one mentioned an old-timers game: I suspectthatwe are not quite as fleet

Class of196740th Reunion

3- 7October

USAFA vs. UNLV

offoot as in those days offeelingbulletproof... Good memories. I trust we all have a fewlike that.

In closure—HarryWetzlerwrote andsuccinctlyexpressedwhatI expect are the sad conclusions ofa numberofus/ our generation:"...there’s a lot to learn fromtheIraqandVietnamexperiences. Butthereal questioniswhetherthose experiences are beingpassed on to future leaders. It doesn’t seem like the lessons ofVietnam made a largeenoughimpression on militaryleaders as they preparedforthe invasion ofIraq.” I fear, sadly, thatHarryis correct. I too had hoped that we would never be in such a quagmireagain. And here we - and our childrenare, with an election aheadthatwill chart our nation’s course in theseandfuturetroubledtimes. Godblessthetroops, andGodblesstheUnited States ofAmerica.

Tim Davidson

9712 Hidden Valley Road Vienna, VA 22181-6094

(703) 255-5313

Fax: (703) 255-5377

E-mail: timd@erols.com

Patty, haveprettymuchrecovered from thelosses due to Katrinabutnoted that the easternportion ofNewOrleans andthelowerNinthWard sill look as though they were hit by a B-52 arc light strike. He and Pattyboth enjoyfishing and boating andwelcome anywho care to venture into CajunCountryfor equal portions ofspeckled trout and cold beer.

69% Members

HELLO ’68! Faithful denizens of CheckpointsLand:Yourkind attention is called to NOTAM #2 about our upcoming40th Reunionfrom 1 -4 October2008. Reunionheadquarterswill betheEmbassySuites and we willbeplayingNavy thatweekend. To get thelatestinformation, please check our class website at www.usafa68.org. Ifyouhave anyquestions or suggestions (e.g., class gift, socialevents, etc.), please forwardthemviawebsite:usafa68reunion@aol.com.

EAST COASTREUNION: Notwanting to waituntil our 40th reunion to practice social skills and test memories aboutwhich face goes with which classmate, Ed and Karen Eberhart graciouslyopenedhearth and home to allow East Coast ’68ers to gettogetherfor a refresher course in who’s who. Discussions rangedfrom politics andthe war inIraq to plans to move to new homes, retirement, andTomMcDaniel’s newbook. As is our custom, a good time was hadbyall!

w.M^kHsir

Jim andMarcia Reese Down - Linder.

THEROAD LESSTRAVELED:Afterwonderingwhathadbecome ofJim and MarciaReese, theirbelated2005 Christmas,2006Christmas, and2007Valentine’s Dayletterfinallyarrived. OverthepastcoupleofyearsJim and Marciaelected to take full advantage ofJim’s airline benefits to see theworld. In 2005, they spent a month touringAustralia and NewZealandwith friends and family. Their sight-seeing inAustraliaincludedvisits to Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, andAlice Springs in the Outback. AfterThanksgiving in 2006, theyjourneyed to Mumbai (formerlyBombay), India (acityof 16.4 million people) to attend a friend’swedding. Marcia noted that their stint in NewDelhiwhileJim was in theAir Force did not prepare them for the confusion in Mumbai where it took a concerted effortjust to cross the street. As Marcia opined, “trafficlights and stop signs don’t count formuch, there!” Since theirlastmajor correspondence, son Mattgotmarried, earnedhis BAinEnglish, andhasmovedto Pueblo, CO, where he is a steel worker. Daughter Katie is stillworking in IT world in Sterling,VAandyounger daughter, Beka, gave birth to her third child, Sawyer (a girl). All told, Jim and Marcia now have 10 grandchildren. It was great to hearthatthe Reese familyis alive and well!

As youwind yourwayalong the road less traveled, you might run into anotherof’68’s globe trotters, ClarkGerhardt andfamily. Forsakingtheconfines ofSan Francisco for the open skies ofHailey, ID upon retirement, Clark and wife, Maria, and sons Miguel andNico appear to be enjoyingtheirfreedom. In March, theyflewto the Philippines to visit Maria’sfamilyand stayed at a beach house for a couple ofweeks. The time on the water included “snorkeling, SCUBAdiving,swimmingwith40-footwhale sharks, and sea kayakinginto the nearbybat caves. Regardingthewhale sharks, Clarknoted, “ftwas disconcerting at first, but once yourealize theywon’t eatyou in thefirstfewminutes,you begin to relax. Ifswimmingwith fish the size ofsubmarines can be relaxing!”

For down time, Clarkwrites it was nice to enjoythe 85-degree, crystal, clear water; timewith the extendedfamily; massages; and San Miguel beer. Hebe-

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NEWS FROM HITHER AND YON: I received an e-mail from Manny Bettencourtsayingthatis doingphysicaltherapyandexercisesthat are helping to relievepain causedbyosteoarthritisofthehip. Asyoumay remember,Mannyhasbeenplaguedbymore thanhisfairshare ofhealthissuesovertheyearsandtofindatreatmentthatseems to be working is a big deal! Wife, Kim, is working hard and wrestlingwithhermother’s estate. News on thechildrenis as follows: sonAriais currentlyholdingdown twojobs andwill be attendingUniversityofSouth CarolinainBeaufortin2008; daughterNadiagraduated as an honorrollstudentfromhigh schoolandwillbe attendingthe UniversityofSouthCarolina in Columbia in thefall; and daughter Natasha turned 16 in July, is on the honor roll and will be beginning 11 th grade, cheerleading, and gettingexperience as anewly-minted,licenseddriver. Intheirsparetime,Manny andfamilyare helpingto rebuildtheircommunityandchurchthat was devastatedby a hurricane storm surge fiveyears ago.

Followingthe theme ofdigging out from Mother Nature’swrath, I received a first-time note from DougBroussardwho is livingin Slidell, LAandworking as an environmentalengineer at the Northrop GrummanShipSystem’sYardin NewOrleans. Dougsaysthathis office stands in frontofthe constructionsite ofthe USSNewYork (thebowsection made from steelrecycledfromtheWorld Trade Center) which shouldbelaunchedsometime in 2008. After two years of rebuildinghishouse andreplacingeverythingthathe owned, Dougandwife,

EastCoastersDoPracticeReunion. FromleftkneelingarePaulFlynn,Roger Sorensen, RickPatterson,Jim Seevers, BillDrennan, andScribe. Standing: CharlieSeifert,John Gonda, Warren Lamont, Bruce Gerrity, TomMcDaniel, Ed Eberhart, Dave Prevost, Glenn Zauber, Dennis McLain, LewReed, and BobJohnston.

lieved that some ofyou will remember at least a couple ofthose items from yourtime in the Philippines manyyears ago.

Given a range ofretirementoptions, Clarksaidheis revertingto his oldhabitswhile he is stillable: ice climbing in Ouray, CO; rockclimbing at Red Rocks near LasVegas; andhiking/climbing in Peru. While at home, Mariawinsvolunteermotheroftheyearwithworkatbothoftheboys’ schools. Clarkhasalso acceptedthe mande ofresponsibilityforhis home turfas Presidentofthe regional LandTrust.

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TomMcGrainhad a rockierconclusionto his career, afflictedout-of-the-blue on the morning ofhis fini-flightwith an inflammation and infection that resuitedintheremovalofpartofhissmallintestine. Ratherthan one lastflight down theA-1 airway overhead Danang, and over other SEAsites en route Bangkok, andback, where he wouldshare champagnewith Lori, he was enveloped inIVs andicechipsfornearlyaweek,losinghis retirementgoal of 10 pounds in the process. He’s alreadyback on the tennis courts, however, more ornerythan ever, and delightedthe affliction did not occur over thenorth Pacific, or inTokyo or Bangkok. From our time at Ubon together, I can sayfrom first-hand experiencethatTomleads a charmedlife in most ways! He reportsthatMikeWettereris flying a Challengerfor a client inTucson.

Received a nice note from MarkFischer,who retiredfromAlaskaAirlines last October. He and Nancyhave moved to Lewistown in Central Montana, to a gorgeoushome theybeganbuildingin advance to ensure a seamless escape to ruralAmerica from urban Seattle. Mark is in touch with John Merrell, Kit Busching, Bill Leatherbee, andMike McMurphy. Johnand Diane Merrillwere the first ’69ers to visitMark’s new digs.

DennyJones, denizen ofCS-03, made it to his big “R” with USAirways last fall. Hislastflightwas a 767 round-tripperbetween PhiladelphiaandMunich —made all the sweeterwith his bride, Pam, along as a flight attendant!

THANKS TO COLORADO CONTINGENT: While pursuingtravel plans of my own this summer, I had the opportunity to gettogetherwith some ofour classmates intheC-Springs/Monument area inJune. Manythanks go to Garry Dudleyand CarlJanssenforsettingup the evenings’ activities. Photoswillbe included in the next column.

THAT’SAWRAP: Mind the flak; keep ’emflying, andkeep those cards,letters, e-mails, and photos coming in to Pat Russell and me. Please go to the class website to see photosincludedinthis column in colorandin full size. Ciao for now. Tim

Lindsey Parris

616 King’s Cloister Circle Alexandria, VA 22302

Home: (703) 836-3604

E-mail:

102177.1033@compuserve.com

Greetings all, now thatsummer’s end is upon us and the Falcons prepare to return USAFAto gridironglory. I have more pictures this time than Checkpointsspace limitations permit, butwill keep some in reserve forfuture updates.

The death ofGeneral Olds, following so closely on that ofGeneral Seith, was shocking news, even given the reports ofhis failinghealth. We have now, for the firsttime since 1965, memories only of“our” two commandants and the leadership and inspirationtheyprovided us. Who among us will ever forget that memorable meal formation, the entire wingsporting faux handlebar moustaches, and Gen. Olds’ crystal-clear,single-gesture response—or, was it tribute?—to us all! The Class is donating $500 to theAcademyfund being establishedinhis name, as we did to honorGeneralSeith. Godspeed to two of the finest men and aviators inAir Force history.

As the magicthresholdof60loomsfor us all, manymore ’69ers are on “final flights” for the nation’s air carriers. Helping Glen Kane andTerryBrady celebrate their same-month retirements from UAL at the FoxHollow GolfClub inDenverwereArt Schwall,TonyDelcavo,TomBaumgarnder,JerryBoesche, Buster Knox, and Chick Kaiser. I never received Chick’s report, but you can imagine. Terry, Glen, and Bud Speace are all involved as plaintiffs in thelegal pushto overturn the age-60 automaticboot out ofthe cockpit, withLewTetlow playing a prominentrole.

Ron Love, Delaware’s ace Department ofEducation employee, headed to Louisville for the Senior Olympics softball tournament this summer, and on June 4th joined Ron Marcotteand Foot Ingersoll to commemorate the delivery ofthe first C-17, “Spirit ofthe Constitution,” to DoverAFB. Ron’s comments on behalfofBoeing to the assembled airmen and theirfamilies, civic leaders, Senator Carper, and Congressman Casde were metwith thunderous applause. Each ofthe three in thefollowingpicture is standingin part on the red carpet rolled out forthe occasion.

Stillflying, andcrammingin more thanfourlandings an hour, is Ron Schreck. On the 4th ofJuly, Ron lifted offnearingmidnight from North Carolina’s Gold HillAirparkin his homebuilt RV-8 airplane (all aluminum, 180-hpLycoming engine, acrobatic-capable, andIFR), and after almost 20 hours, had touched down at all 109 public-use airports in the Tarheel State. After his blue-suit career, Ronflewwith Piedmont and later USAirways,loggingtime in the 727, 737,757,767, andtheAirbus 320, with a Fokker F-28 thrown in forgood measure. Since retiringfromthe airlines, Ron has been flyingmissions for Orion Aviationinsupport ofa varietyofgovernment contracts, rangingfromsurveying to trackmigratoryhabits ofthe endangeredNorthern RightWhale to “air attack” missions to combatwildfires forthe US Forest Service. Avocationally, heperformswith formation demonstration air shows throughoutthe southeast. He and Kathy also use the RV-8 forvacations, and theyrecently completeda4,000-mile round trip toYellowstone. Congrats, Ron—one down, 49 to go!

TheGerhardtFamilyin frontoftheMayon active volcano nearLegazpiAirportin ThePhilippines. Fromleftare Clark, Nico, Maria, andMiguel.

’69ersfete TerryandGlen.

Dennyon Final.

Footand two Ronsreceiveanddelivertheredcarpet treatmentatDover.

Ron andKathySchreckwith “MissIzzy”afterRon’srecord-breakingflight.

Although the picture ofthe momentous event will have to wait until next time, ScottBenchand Mike Goode combinedforces in an attemptto qualify forthe Senior Masters. They came up a bitshort, buthope to give itanothertry nextyear. MikeandLinda are delightedthat son Nick, also a greatstick, willbe attendingNotre Dame thisyear.

Four ’69ers rodethe BicycleTour ofColorado inJune: JohnBuckner, Denny Ryll, Steve Kirby, and Flip Keck, thelatterwith his recently-repaired shoulder in goodshape. Pictures on tap.

Manygathered at Mitch’s on August 8 for the commitment dinner of our legacyClass. The CSAF was thefeatured speaker. The dinnerwas appropriate to the special occasion, theyoung men and women radiant, and the evening festive. Inattendancewere BugsForsythe,WallyMoorhead,JohnYoung, Steve Edelman, DavidWagner, MikeGoode,TerryBrady,BobTroy, RonHindmarsh, Mike Cook, Flip Keck, Joe Personett, and myself.After the dinner, we all repaired to Champs and consumed Fat Tires on draft outdoors on a perfect Colorado night. Good deal for cadets, all the way around. Picture to follow.

Turningthe rare ’69 Checkpoints“HatTrick” this issue is Flip Keck, whose son’s (Derek) wedding in July collected five other ’9ers to celebrate: Gerry Boesche, CraigUpton, Bill Savage, BrianNelson, andJohnBuckner. All were standing at the conclusion ofthe festivities. As with the above, picture will have to followin a future issue.

In other news, JohnDallager is the new CEO oftheUnitedWayin Colorado Springs.

To close, most ofyou are aware oftheClass40thReunion GiftCampaign currentlyunderway. AsofthiswritinginlateAugust, we havelessthan$l million to go to fundtheAdmissions Center, whichwill have manyotherpotential outreach uses, at the discretionofUSAF andAcademyleadership decisions. This gift, as suggested intheletteryouhaveallreceived, is about our Class, our relationshipswitheachofour classmates, andthe collectiverelationship oftheClass of1969 to USAFAitself; theAOGhas a facilitatingrole only, as would anydevelopmentoffice atanyuniversity, andto thatendwe havebeenhelpingthemhelp us in this effort. The Centerwill be the onlybricks-and-mortar structure on USAFAgroundsthatwillhave a Classimprimatur, andthelastsuch structure on USAFA’scapitalplanfortheforeseeablefuture. Please don’thesitate to contact me (contactinfo above), DavidWagner (dwaa2000@yahoo.com) or anyofthe otherClass officers or members ofthe gift committeewith questions or comments. BobTroyandDan Daviswillbemonitoringthearchitecturalplanning and construction. Talkitup, contribute as yourinclination and means dictate, and let’smake thisveryspecialgifthappen. Itwill bedramatic, exemplary, and indicative of’69’s continuingleadership intheLongBlue Line. Essenon videh. More updates to followviadirectmailings.

Hand salute, all, until next time. Lindsey

Dick Rauschkolb

130 Luxury Lane

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 761-5764

Cell: (719) 310-6928

Email: AOG70@comcast.net

67% Members

got to sit close to Eva Longoria.

Are you readyfor some football?! Got my SIyesterdayand theyhadthe Falcons rated 102 out of 119 Division I teams. Ouch! I went to springpractice and have been to several practices inAugust. It’s a whole differentball game out there—haven’t seen too muchoption. There is a lotofpassingandthe defense is no longergivingup eightyards on coverage. Seems like we have some goodyoung players—read dooliesand thirdclassmen—who may see lots ofplaying time.We are picked to finish seventh in the conference. I like TroyCalhoun’s energyand that ofhis coaching staff.While Mostpeople are picking us to go 4-8,1 am going to say we go 7-5 andbeatArmyand Navyand go to a bowl game.We may go 1-3 to startthe season, butlookfortheboys to finishstrong. On a footballnote, Rich and Nanci Downingwill be hosting their annual gala at theirhome aftertheArmygame. Jim Bechtel maybe lining up somethingup afterthe Navygame inAnnapoliswith GregWoodhead. Look forSeventy men at the game.

s'iskj: q k

Megakudos to our classmate, GreggPopovich, who coached the SanAntonio Spurs to theirfourth NBAworld championship underhis leadership! He joins some prettyelite companywithhis four championships. I havesaid it before, butit deserves emphasizingthat Popo and his team are one class act. He has developed a team concept amonghis players; somethingunique in today’s NBA. Plus he shuns the spotlight,lettinghis players take the credit for theirvictories. Congratulations to Erin as well. NBA coaching can take a toll on one’sfamilylife andhome supportis critical to success inthis demandingprofession.Wayto goPop!As an aside, Ibetyou didn’tknowthatPop is a part owner ofa winery. Ifyou want some goodwine, check out the brandA-to-Z. Awine magazinevoted itthe best qualitywine inAmericafor the price (under$20). MarkBeanandMickDavey sawtheSpursplayUtahintheplayoffs—and even

The men from Seagram’s Sevenheld a mini-Reunion in LasVegas on 7/7/07. Actually,theywere there 3-8 July.Theyhad to enduretemperatures of116, but some soothingadultbeverages madethe hardship worthwhile. Don Mills sent in this picture.

butthere, was GaryGumbert.

A1 andJudySimoncic spent most ofthe summer inbeautifulPagosaSprings. While there, they ran across Jerryand KayMcKeewho have retired-retired down there. A1 andJudy are grandparents forthe second time. Mike and MelissaHuber are settled in their newhome in Cincinnati. Mike saidtheheatthis summer is terrible and is keepingMelissa from finishing up painting the outside ofthehouse. They are pleased to see their son Charles, ’97 backin the US after flying F- 16’s in Iraq. Dave Hallman’s daughterhas graduated from college and is seekingemploymentinMinnesota. Davehas a son inhighschool who 6’6”, but is not thinking about USAFA.We could use him on the BB team Dave—timefor a full court press! SawMarkCobbbrieflyattheAOGandDave GawatChaamps. Les Hamblinisdoingokayafter a heartattackandquadruple bypass. He is back to work at KeplerResearchhere in COS and is now high on properexercise anddiet.Awordto thewise men—we aren’tgettinganyyounger. Oker O’Connor’s son, Brian, survived Doolie year and had a good summer at Hurlburt and Space Command. He is our last cadet legacy as far as I know. Ran across Rickand CarolHumke at thehospital.Theywere gettingshotsfor a cruise they were about to embark on fromAlaska to the former USSR and maybe China. At any rate, they are now cruise addicts, having cruised from Floridathroughthe Panama Canal to Hawaii and all theway to Alaska. Awesome!TerryandSharon Dessertrecentlyreturned from one oftheAOG-spon-

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Seagrams Seven men swearoffdrinkingin LasVegas. In the top rowfromleft areDonMills, DKShelton, Eric-MyersJackTrimble, TonyDeSantisandBruce French. Bottom row: GaryFinley,JeffField, LarryCarr, andJohn Hatlelid. Not in thephoto,

TerryandSharon Dessertplan new CulturalRevolution in China.

sored cruises to China. Theygave the experiencefour stars andwouldstrongly recommend theAOG cruise program to anyone interested. Seems theybecame goodfriendswith theAir ForceVice ChiefofStaff, GeneralJohn Corley, ’73 and hiswife,Alice, on the trip.

WCWeiris gearingup foranotheryear atArizonaState. Heis now inthe ResidentLife program as some type ofoverseer ofthe co-eddorms. Goodthinghe didn’t have thatjob 40 years ago. JohnDisoswayis thinking about moving to Texas. He asked me to host a friendofhis forgolf. The guyplayed fromthetips andshot78thefirsttimehe sawtheBlue course. Johnsaidhewas a 15—needless to sayIlost a fewsheckles aftergivinghimstrokes. SteveHoaglandis our newest SabreSocietymember. Let’s getthat SS membershipnumberbackup to 70!We remainnumber one inSabreSocietymembership. CurtEmerytookme to anice place forlunch and gave me a fewtips on the consultingworld ofwhich I am now a part.Wild Bill Stealeyhad anothergolftournament inAugustwithTom WaskowandTim Kinnan. I thinkhe plans on makingthis an annual affair, so make plans to go to NorthCarolina nextAugust now.

There was a great turnout for Carl Bang’s funeral. I can’tidentifyeverybody inthepicturebelow, butitrepresents a realtribute to Carl and shows howwell he was thought ofamonghis classmates. LarryBush gave a verymoving eulogy at a celebration oflife ceremonyfor Carl. Larrysaid Carl’s favorite song was “Celebration” and made a goodpointthat, “We need to celebrate good times, come on!” Well said and a good reason to tryand make Reunions and class gettogether’s as we all enter these GoldenYears.

Please Keep Steve Heyroth and his familyinyour thoughts and prayers as well as DustyandRoseAnn Swanson. Stevelosthis son andfatherinthe space ofa fewdays andDustyandRoseAnn’s son, Ryan, is undergoing some serious medical treatment.

Ihavebeenmeaning to tellyouthatMarkEwigis our class representative to the newly createdAOG senate. Markis our conduit to theAOG boardfor recommendations on howtheboard andAOG can do a betterjob ofservingthe graduatecommunity.You can also sendhimkudosforthegreatworktheAOG staffdoes. His emailis MGEwig@aol.com.

Mark is a great choice for this importantposition. I will continue to relay your feedback to theAOG as well.

As we approach the Six-Oh, lots ofmen retiring from the airlines. Tommy ThompsonandDustySwanson arejoiningRickHumkeinretiring.JackTrimble maydecide to hanginthere as a backseater.

Just got this picture in ofMick Davey’s retirement party. Looks like a lotof Seventy men were there to paytribute to one ofthe realnice guys in the class. Here is a toast to MickandJan!Aword ofadvice—Mickyou betterget serious aboutyourgolfgame orJanwillfind somethingforyou to do to getyou out of thehouse!

For allyou FACs, there will be a Memorial Dedication in the Springs in early October (1 -4 Oct).We will have several classmates on a wall honoring those FACswho lost theirlives in SEA. Checkthis magazine andtheAOGwebsite for additional details.

Please check out my new contact information above. To paraphrase the closing ofthe TV show, Frasier, “Dick has left the building (read Doolittle Hall) ”.

Arriba Falcones!!

Paul D. Knott

5565 Lantana Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

H: (719) 570-9162

W: (719) 594-0100

E-mail: pknott@acninc.net

54% Members

Ifyou were ever a FAC or knewRichard Gray or MarkPeterson, there will be a ForwardAir Controller Memorial dedicated during the 2008 FAC National Convention here in the Springs, 1-5 Oct 2008. Just an earlyheads-up.

An update on Gen. Olds’ funeral; RandyHetherington, Bob Livingston, Darrel and LibbySingleton, FredStrauss, JonWrobolewski and I were part of the crowdwho attendedthe service and inurnmentceremony at theAcademy Cemetery. In his honor, several aircraft important to the general—including the P-51, F-80, MiG-17, F-16, andwhat maybe the last fourship ofPhantoms to grace die state ofColorado did a flyby. Manyfighterpilots threwnickels on the grass as a last salute.Also, a large group ofmotorcyclists set up a corridor of American flags, which was a nice touch.

7v iy

Sabre Society Donors

And now for somethingcompletelydifferent. TheAOG has established a ClassAdvisorySenatewhichis nowup and mnning andprovidinginput to theAOGBoard ofDirectors. Our representative, HarryDavis, needsyourthoughts and opinions on currentissues facingtheAcademyandtheAOG; right now they are preparingrecommendations on the issue of an AOG Foundation, AOG restructuring, revision ofAOG By-Laws, the honor code, and the results oflastyears’ member survey.

Speaking ofHarry, he organized our class’ handing-out of Contrailsto our legacy Class of2011 at the acceptance parade onAugust 11. Helping out were Bob Black, Tom Berry, Bill Coleman, Steve DeHaven, JakeHuffman, Charlie Lucy, Lance Miller, Frank Morgan, Steve Mott, Russell Records, Richard Reynolds, Greg Rocco, Daryl Singleton, Larry Smith, Charlie Sylling, John Timmer,JonTorblaa, DailTurner, and SteveWaiss. Dick gave a short talk on behalfofthe class; we then gave symbolic Contrailsto the outstandingbasics fromthe 10 summer squadrons. Ten ofus gave out thebooks, andthe other 10 gave out challenge coins, which, I believe, is thefirst time that a heritage class has done so. After we finished, we stayed for the acceptance ceremony. Not only were the basics administered the Honor Code; but the CadetWing, all active-dutyAir Force, and our class recited theAirman’s Creed. I can saythat this is the firstparade that I’ve ever voluntarilyattended—ever. KenWright from theAOG has a photogallery ofthe acceptance parade on theAOGWeb site. Even though the vast majorityofthe pics are ofcadets, youwill see a few familiarfaces.

I received a couple ofvery nice e-mails from LindsayFenwick. “I ran into DickReynolds in the Riyadh airport (SaudiArabia) and we subsequentlyhad dinner. Dickwas thelast ofour classmates to retire from active duty(three stars as opposed to mymeagerfour stripes). In addition to being on a fewboards of directors, he’s now involvedwith a largetechnologymanagement company and isworking a projectfortheSaudigovernment. I tookearlyretirementfrom Northwest and am backflying in Saudiwhere I started myairline career with Hughes 28 years ago.Which makes me a slowlearner. Home is LakeTahoe or Auckland (take your pick).

“I am currentlywith NationalAir Services, an umbrellacompanythat manages a bunch of airplanes a whole slew ofhigh-end bizjets, some more

SeventyMenpaytribute to CarlBang—agreatclassmateandfriend.

Greatsendoffforone ofthegoodguysin Seventy! FromleftareJohnMerrell, ’69; GaryFinley, RickLesch, ChrisDunbar, CrittHughes, John Rankin, Jim Mulford. The Guest ofHonor, FrankHemming, CookVillarreal, MarkEwig andTom Stein.

DickReynoldsaddresses theClass of2011.

privatelyowned (butAirbus or 737 size), an AirbusVIP shuttle (AlKhayala), and a new low cost internal Saudi operation (NAS Air) also with Airbus airplanes.”

Bob Manning also updated me on not onlyhis life, but a couple ofclassmates’: “Ijustreadyourrecent, andmuchawaited, entryin Checkpointsmagazine. It never ceases to amaze me at howhard itis to getinputs. It was the same thingwhen I did the inputs fromVanceAFB backinthe early 70s. In an effort to do mypartforyour next submission, I decided to sendyou a note. First and foremost, please note my new office e-mail, rmanning@dcscorp.com. As of earlyApril2007, theAF ran out ofspare change for some contractor positions andmybillet supportingtheAir Staffwas cut. Ihadbeenworkingdirectlywith our classmate Jack Oehme, who is with SAF/AQQM. With about sixweeks notice, I was slated to become a ‘free agent’. Luckily, I had fooled, I mean impressed, some colleaguesworking similarfuture avionics for airspace access issues in supportoftheNavyout ofPatuxentRiverNAS in southernMaryland. Theyoffered me a position at a slighdyreduced salaryand I snapped itup. So, after being involved direcdywiththeAF for a fewmonths short of40years, I turned in myAF blue forNavyblue, working in support ofPMA 209 through the contractor, DCS Corporation.Afterhavingcommuted up to 50 miles onewayin the D.C. trafficfor the past fewyears, and in consideration ofmy‘advancingseniority’, I onlyhad one request; I wanted to workcloser to home. That said, theyagreed to let me set up a home office at myhouse in Frederick, MD. Hence, I amwritingto youfrommy‘office’, about 10 feetfrommyupstairs bedroom. Nowthis is ‘working smarter, not harder’. But enough on me, I am reallywriting to bring the class notice ofthe efforts of our classmate, Bob (Skiman) Peterman. Skimanretired fromhis second careerwith L-3 Government Services Inc in earlyMay2007. This was the companyBob had brought me into upon my2001 retirementformtheAF. Notbeing one to sit on his laurels, Skiman immediatelylaunched out to join his younger sister, Bette (trail name ‘Catchup’), on a thru-hike ofthe Appalachian Trail. As of 10 Aug 07, Skimanhaslogged over 783.6miles. He onlyhas 1,392 miles to go. Bob iskeeping a trail journal, complete with pictures, which can be located at http:/ / www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=176513. Ihaveincludedhis 19June entry belowwhich shows the two ofus at theAppalachianTrail ConservancyHQ in Harper’sFerry,WV Skiman is the one inwalking condition on theright. In any event, I hope this helpswith next quarter’s column. Thanks for allyour efforts with the class news. It reallyis appreciated. God bless you andyour family. I hope to see you at the 40th, ifnot sooner.”

ManningandPeterman on the trail.

One lastnote:IhadaskedanyonewhoknewEllenPowell to tellherthatNick andMike Stooke were trying to getintouchwith her. She called the other day, and we did some catching up. Dave’s and her kids are all grown: Jennifer is gettingherdoctorate at CSU, andteaching at Denver’s Metro State. Matthewis helping run the PF Chang’s organization.Theyhave Chinesebistros in Colorado and 37 other states. Jessica is a 2nd Lt. in SanAntonio and engaged to an ArmyArtilleryofficer (West Pointer) who is currentlyin Iraq.

Bob Bell

13 Pacific Ave.

Sinking Spring, PA 19608

(610) 678-3182/Fax: 678-4513

E-mail: rabell767@aol.com

53% Members

Greetings Class of’72 on a rainyAugustday.Thisis a differentkindofcolumn, comprised ofalmost direct quotes ofthree emails edited forlength.

First to report was Dan “Scro” (Nancy) Skotte from the Iraqitheater. Even if Scro is not the ONLYclassmate currentlyinvolved over there, his efforts are certainlyworthy ofnote. Ifanyone else is a present or pastparticipatorinthe Iraqieffort, please let me know so I can pass on yourinput.

“Asthe 190th FighterSquadronboarded our charteredDC10wavinggoodbye to our friends and family at Gowen Field-BoiseAirport, it seemedunrealistic

Class of1972 35th Reunion

3-7 October USAFA vs. UNLV

that Iraq was two days away. The flight went through Shannon, Ireland eventuallyoverflyingBaghdad at 30,000 feetwhere we could see the lights ofthe massive citybelow us. The sensation was surreal to be completelysafe in a DC10 while life and death are so chaotic down below in those streets. Our overnightstop atA1 UdideAir Force Base in the UAE got us body armor and chemgear andthen we awaited transport into Iraq. Reaching our tents forthe first showerandmeal, we saw a volleyball tournament at 0500, and by0700 we understoodwhy as the temperature went to 90. At 0400 the next morning we hurried up andwaited for the final leg ofthe trip.

“Havingboardedthe USAF Cl7, we put on our body armor prior to takeoff and that’s when the realitybegan to sink in for the first time. Riding in the cockpit, I had an unbelievableviewofthe sun rising over the Persian Gulfand Iraq. The countryis barrennessinterspersedwith canalsandrandom-appearingagriculture dotting the desert. There are two large lakesjust east ofus and the Euphrates, which is where we get our water.

“Landing atAlAssadAir Base, a Marine-run operation, the size ofthis base becameveryapparent - over 25 miles square, itwas the showbase forSaddam. The North Side has Iraqihousing, a gym, outdoor (empty) pool, base theatre, maintenance facilities, a fire station and multiple command bunkers. Abraham’sWell is also on that part ofthe base. It is an oasis visited byAbraham, who was a little impatient with God andhad a part in creating some of the issues we are dealingwith today.

“Uponarrivingin-country, we getthe first day offforhousingassignment andorientation. Thequarters are called“cans” as theyare 7x14shippingcontainerswith two bedsand alocker, but are air conditioned. As a Colonel I getVIPhousing, which means I have a can without a roommate! The showers and restrooms (“cadillacs”) are located some distance from “Can City.” The tent gym iswithin walking distance as is the chowhall and barber shop.

“Mysickcall patients are Marines, Navy, andAirForce and we see everything from appendicitis, concertinawire lacerations, fractures and sprains to the usual colds and a lot ofathlete’s foot. I also go to the CSH (Combat Support Hospital-Army) on the North Side, where our casualties are brought in by “Dust Off” Black Hawks. It is a transportablehospitallookinglike a series of shippingcontainers attachedtogether. In the basementoftheIraqihospitalis a vault formerlyused for torture butwhich has now been cleaned up to allow for its use in the “Angel” ceremony. That is a special time when we honorthe killedAmericanin the flag-drapedcoffin in thatvault. Ithighlights the contrast between ourvalues as a nation and a culture and those ofSaddam andpeople like him disruptingIraqtoday.

“Marine convoys departhere multiple times a daypatrolling western Iraq and Anbar Province. Theirvehicles, Buffaloesand Cougars are impressive and includeverysophisticated IED detectiontechnology. Air operations are 24 hours a dayand even though our “cans” are literally50 yards from the runways we still sleepthrough it! As a flight surgeon, I have flown severalMarine 030 flightsrefueling Harriers and F18s over Baghdad andAnbar Province. They are airborne constantlyalongwith ourAlOs as well as Armyand Marine helicopters. The dedication of our troops is impressive, especiallygiven the turmoil in Congress andthe lackofreal news on what’s actuallyhappening here for theAmerican people.

“Withtemperatures above 115, since I am SeniorMedical Officer on the base I have started using the flagsystemwhich was in place, but not reallyneeded until now. The flag colors define outside work status for all the maintainers, fuelers and munitions people. Ourwater supplywas blown up byinsurgents lastweek, so we allhad to take “Iraqi showers”which is even less than the usual allowed three-minute shower. The definition is one literbottled waterto soap and one to rinse for two days.

“Two nights ago we were interruptedby armed Marines as two unidentified men withAK47s were seen on our side ofthe base. We went to body armor, helmets, clips in myBeretta andtravel in pairs. It turned out hours laterthat theywere Special Forces who failed to identifyand clear at the base!

“AtAlAssad you cannot enter the chow hall without your firearm. At the perimeter ofthe chowhallyou must visibly clearyourweapon into a barrel

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filledwith sand and nextyoupresentyourID card to Ugandan armed guards. The chow is served bythirdworld nationals (TCNs) from all over theworld includingPakistan, SriLanka,Nepal, IndiaandthePhilippines. There are two lines, one with a meat entree and the otherfastfood. Salads are a litde weak, but there is a lot offresh fruit - so no scurvy.

“The onlydifferenceindays isthat on Sundaysthereis Chapelwhichis down the street from the old Iraqi mosque. Tomorrow, 23 May, is the Toby Keith concert at the soccer field. It’s the same field where Udai Hussein hung the Iraqi soccer team forunsatisfactoryperformance! (Scro sent this e-mail in Mayand has since returnedhome.)

Around MemorialDay, Jeff(Catherine) Hill wrote reflecting....

“To all mymilitaryfriends - as the sun sets on a beautiful Nashville evening, I took down myAmericanflag as I do eachnight. I am reminded ofthe sacriflees thatyou all made so that I can flythat flag and enjoythefreedoms that accompanyit.

“I am especiallyreminded oftwo who gave much more than me. Myfather who flew as a navigator on C-47s inWWII. His personaldiarydescribes the sacrifices madebymanyairmen. I am also reminded ofa muchyounger man in a much more recent time that gave his verylife forthe freedoms that we enjoy. We lostAdamlastJuly, as he was defendingthe right ofIraqi’s to enjoy the same freedom we take for granted.

“Maywe notforgetthosewhopaidtheultimatepricefor ourfreedom.Thanks forwhatyou all have contributed to that great cause.

Speaking as I hope I am forthe rest ofyour class,Jeff, our condolences go out to you andyour familyinyour personal loss.

Dave (Kelly) Tumino wrote on the occasion ofthepassing ofour own Commandant, General Robin Olds. Dave’s reminiscence seems apropos to the memoryofthis man:

“Gentlemen,

I am verysaddened.

They couldhavewritten “The Right Stuff” aboutthis man.

Obviously, I did not know Gen Olds verywell.

But I knew a lot abouthim.

And I had the privilege ofpersonallymeetinghim and talking to him on at least two occasions that I can recall.

You could immediately get a sense of the man by just being in his presence.. .I’m not exaggerating.

A sense ofhonor and integrity. A sense that demanded respect.

Myfirst one-on-one with the Gen was not the most comfortable.

Abuddyand I hadjust returnedto the academyafter summer break.

We were early... the campus was virtuallydeserted.

We were walkingthe grounds.We bumped into the General.

We were inwrinkled, unkemptuniforms... andwearing a day or two ofbeard.

We thoughtwe were screwed.

He greeted us warmly... and asked us about our summer... and obviously noted our name tags.

We thoughthe was about to lowerthehammer.

He sent us gently on our way.

I next talkedto the General about 15 years later.

We were leaning on the same deckrail at a Colorado ski resort.

I recognized himimmediately. He lookedveryfit.

I introduced myself.. .Class of’72.

We exchangedpleasantries.

I felt charged the rest ofthe day.”

Thankyou Dave, foryour comments which honorthe man who mayhave been theveryfirstGeneral manyofus ever knew.

Let me pass on one more item. TheAOGBoardhasreorganized some things andhas created a Class Senate. Each class is planned to have a representative, generallyelected, or appointedifnot elected. Until our class has decided, I was asked to standin as die Class Senate memberbyvirtue ofmyrole as “Class Scribe. I expectthat a more formal decision will be made bythe class. Give this some thought as youprepare fortheReunion, andlet’s see what we come up with. You can read up on Class Senate activity at theAOGwebsite. I look forward to seeing everyone in October. FortitudoperAspera.

Joe Kahoe

4140 Saddle Rock Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 W:719-570-8658; C:719-661-8029 joedebkahoe@comcast.net jkahoe@arinc.com

withKLS-Tencor. ReadaboutClaire, Kids, andhobbies on ourweb site. George Rampullais stillflyingforUPS. He and Diana are experiencingtheemptynest syndrome. Steve Rossetti is Father/PhD/DMin/Presidentand CEO, Saint Luke Institute. Check out www.sli.org. Steve was ordained a Catholic priest in 1984 and lives inWash DC, a fewblocks from Dave Ochmanek, a RAND defense analyst.

William “Captain T” Thompson is a Consultant, Speaker and Coach (www.captaintl.com). Bill and Margaret Ritter retired lastyear and are doingvolunteerwork and coaching sports near Dayton, OH. Mitch Mitchell and SusanWoida are veryproud oftheirSpecOpsdaughter at Nellis. Ken and CarolWassenar are stilllivingin Plano, TX. Ken iswith EDS. DaughterKristen has blessed them with a grandson. John Pretz’s daughtergraduated from USAFA, class of2007. (703-875-8212), jpretz@scitor.com.

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Class of’73, the following is merely an executive overviewofthe manygreat inputsreceived. Scan over this edition, check out thepictures, and then go to the Classweb site forthe “rest ofthestory.”http://73.texascomputerhelp.com Congrats to Lt Gen JeffKohler, who retired on 29 Aug in the Pentagonfrom the Defense SecurityCooperationAgency. (More in the next Checkpoints.) RickMazurowskiis semi-retired on theBigIsland ofHawaii, playingorgan, snorkeling,hiking; hisbaris openforvisitors. Chris Flynnretired after 19years

From leftattheSuperintendent’sreception areJohn Pretz’sdaughterAnne withhushand, Flumberto Reboredo; C3CMarkPretz (ValleyForgeMilitary Academy), USMCPFCJohnPretzJr(inIraq),John’s wife,Joanne;Debbieand John Regni, Cl C (now2Lt)JoaniePretz, andJohn Pretz.

Kevin McHugh married Joanne “Jody” F. Baer (story on web site). Jim Heironimus (CS-15), retired fromAF in 1993 as a Lt Col and practiced medicine until 1999, when he made a major career change to teaching in Columbus, OH. Mike Nishimuta’s son John graduated from NewMexico State, commissioned in theArmy, and married Sarah. Tom Stilwell and wife,Alyce, are alive andwell inAddison, TX, near Dallas. Their son, Thomas Conor Stilwell, CPT, USA, is in his second tour in IraqflyingBlackhawks for the 3rd ID out of Camp Striker, BIA. Paul and Jane Freund are lookingfor to our 35th reunion. Paul is stillworkingfor Scitorsupportingthe DepAsst SecAF, Installations.

Tom Saunders and Susan have moved to Prosperity, SC from Florida. Dan Cottrell (CS03) is working at MITRE in McLean, VA as an Operations Research Analyst. Stephens McCauley has pointed out that since we graduated, his name has never appeared in Checkpoints. Stephens retired in 1998 and downplays his own service, but would love to brag on his kids. (Goodstory on web site). Mike Turneris a candidate for U.S. House ofRepresentatives fromVA 10th Congressional District (www.MikeTurnerforCongress.com).

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JohnWigintonhas stoppedworkingforpayandrelocated from Huntsville, AL, to Crossville TN, the Golf Capital of Tennessee. TedKammirereports the SouthFloridaAOGis goingstrong. Mitch Mitchell reports that we will schedule our reunion as soon as the football scheduleisfirm. Skip SandersisstillworkingatTyndallAFB. Hehas seen George Rampula, Captwith UPS, and Lt Gen Steve Lorenz, AU/CC. George lives in Lynn Haven, FL. Steve and Leslie are busy at Maxwell, but travel down to PC and Destin to see theirdaughters.

Mike andPriscillaArnetthave sixgrandchildren, all in Colorado, while they live in Florida. Dave Schrupp retired as an adjunctprofessorposition at MSU in Bozeman, MT. He andJoanne live in a little bitofparadise in the southwestern mountainswith trout streams, elkhunts, golfand skiing. DickFickes lives in Colorado Springswithwife, Shari. He providesflight and ground test event supportforMDA at SchrieverAFB. JackHudson, Lt Gen, USAF and his wife, Marsha, were at USAFArecentiy.Jackis CommanderoftheAeronauticalSysterns Center atWright-PattersonAFB. Theyvisitedwith one ofhis first roommates, JohnMann, whose son John graduated from USAFAthisyear. Trapper Carpenter retired from active duty 13 Sept at Doolittle Hall before the TCU nightfootball game. He moved from Director ofAdmissions to theAthletic Dept to head upAthletic Recruiting.

Congrats to the following ’73 superstars! The Senate has confirmed General John Corley as the newACC Commander at LangleyAFB, Lt Gen FrankKlotz asAssistantVice ChiefofStaffandDirector, AirStaff, atthe Pentagon, andMajor General DonnyWurster as the new Commander, AF SpecialOperationsCommand at HurlburtAFB.

John Blecherwrites, “Sadly, 13th SQ said good-bye to Henri Baker, sponsor and“Mama” to most of“DirtyThirty.” Henripassed awayJuly6th andher30th SQ cadets, Class of’73, hosted a reception in herhonor andmemoryafterher memorial service.Warren Smith went with other members ofhis church to Uganda on a Christianmission trip to helpplant churches near the border of

Sabre Society Donors

Kenya. RickKarvoskymovedto LasVegas andaccepted a positionwiththeClark County School District as Director of Construction Management (karvorj@gw.ccsd.net).RandyPutzpinned on his son, Jeremy, USAFA2007grad.

Dave Floyd and CheriWilloughbyhavebeen married for30years, with two daughters, who live andwork in Louisville, KY. Dave retired from theAF in 1995 and in 2004, was elected to the Kentucky House ofRepresentatives, www.davidWfloyd.com.WilliamSisco, tenuredprofessor at GrandValleyState University, GrandRapids, MI, drives a 1951 ChevySedanDeliveryHotRod. He andhiswifehave seven grandkids. Eric Hernsbergerretired from Delta in ’05 and now fly DC-10s for OMNI AIR INT’L and still lives in Spring, TX eh767@yahoo.com.

LesVan Heeswyk is retired in Iowawith a greatfamily. Don Rightmyer is in thejob andlocation he haswanted for decades, withthe KentuckyHistorical Society’s ResearchLibraryinFrankfort, KY, surroundedby an entirelibraryof Kentuckyhistory and genealogical materials. Last October, Don was the primaryCivilWarlecturerandbattlefield tour guide forthe secondNational Reenactment at Perryville, KY the largest CivilWar battle in Kentucky. Luke Coker retired from the AFRC recently and underwent back surgery (microdiscectomy), so no golffor eightweeks.

Orville and KerriWright remain in Japanworkinghard to “keep the North Koreans defensive, the Chineserespectful, andtheJapanesefriendly.” LtWright is flyingthe Strike Eagle at Seymour-Johnson and their20-year-old, Jackie, is at George Mason in Fairfax, VA. “Best part of our lives is continuing to serve withthe finestSoldiers, Sailors,Airmen, andMarines andfamilies intheworld. America’s warriors continue to be absolutely incredible!” bruce.wright @yokota.af.mil.

Bob “BG” Gilbert is the DeputyExecutive Directorforthe Greater Orlando AviationAuthority (407-825-2461).John Muse reports some dissention in our AOGregardingresistance to form an independentfoundationfor our major capital campaign. (More on web site.) Monnie Gore is the DeputyCounty AdministratorforElPaso County, CO. He andJenniferlive in ManitouSprings. Their two oldestkids were marriedthisyear, andtheyoungest started college. Tim Longis showinghorses in Lexington, KY. RobertMarsh can be found at rlm0212@aol.com.

Mike Mosier is in a two-year MBA program at UC Colorado Springs. Don Pettit lives in Springfield,VA. He retired from USAF/DCANGin ’95 (22 yrs; 21 in the cockpit); Retiredfrom LockheedMartin in 2006 (24yrs); now running his own smallbusiness, (703-307-0316).Bush Hanson reported on LtGenDon “Hank” Wetekam’sretirement on 1 June atBollingAFB. Hankwas theUSAFLG and had served 34years on active duty.

SpencerWay (CS-23) also attended. GeneralJohnCorley(’73) presided over the retirement. John andVickiDuncanhosted a BBQ at theirhome following the reception.

Joe Brezovic

1209 Bayou Oaks Drive 4 Friendswood, TX 77546

49% Members A

H: (281) 482-6860

0: (281) 244-8325/Fax: (281) 244-8020

E-mail: jbrezovic@houston.rr.com joseph.brezovic-l@nasa.gov

Hello Classmates, I do hopethatyou are in goodhealth or recuperating. Duringthis partofour lives, some ofthebodypartsgetto be olderthanwe’dlike andwe can’t domuch about it! Ain’t that a pity! On the good side, you are still up and around and making a change inthe arena youlive! I telltheyouth leaders Iworkwith that time is the one thing we can’t replace so we need to make the most ofit!! Perhaps I shouldhave also addedthatgoodhealth is hard to replace, too, so take good care ofyourselfnow to extendwhateverwarrantyyouhave on thatbody andmindyouhave now!

Thelongeststory came in this time fromVic LaSaxon. Vic has been on longterm medicalleave for over a year, but is still an employee ofBoeing(Seattle). Themedicalissue is that aftermanyyears ofbackinjuries andspineinjections, he was finallycompelled to bite the bullet and have majorbacksurgery. This is where the docs slice you open back and front and put in some big time hardware; then comes the longhaul ’bone fusing’ / ‘learn howto walk again’ process thatbegins.While recuperating, but still notwell enough to have anyPT (that’s the ‘learn to walk again’ part), a few weeks after the surgery, a fellow reared-endedhimwhile at a redlight on hiswayto one ofthe Docs. Unfortunately, this set backthewhole healingprocess- don’tknowbyhowmuchbutthe Doc needed to go backin and replace hardware and fix some ofthe bone fusion. Vic wrote that his morale remains good. Katie (elementary schoolpart-time accountant andlibrarian) iswell. Vic’s EAA FlightTestPilotDERlicense andBoeingDAS stafftest pilot status are stillgood; just need to pass the flightphysicalagain. Vic does some work as an adjunct professor in graduatelevel courses, andwill getbackafterhealing. Theirfour children are wellwith two married!Vic added:You mayknow/remember Mr. Bill Dana, NASAtest pilot, astronaut, X-15,X-24; a historic aviation figure. He and his wife, Judy, have been traveling. Vic wrote thathe considers himself very privileged to call Bill a good friend from way back in his flyingdays at Edwards—anyhow, he andJudystoppedbyatfor a muchappreciatedmorale call. Vic and Katie are pleased abouthowthings are movingalongin theirlife. BartHenwoodsent a shortemailnotejustto sayheis a civilservantatDryden FlightResearch Center. The career title there is theAviation SafetyManager andhe doubles as a deputyforthe ChiefofSafety& MissionAssurance.

Andy Galik sent a note oftravels and a pic. Andyvisited his family in New Jerseythispastweekand got to visitwith ScottMurphy, his USAF roommate. Scott is a Continental Captainflyingthe Boeing 777 to HongKong and China fromNewark.Thebi-planeis Scott’s, and he andtookAndyup for a ride.Andy and LuAnn live in Houston. Andy still work as a petroleum engineer for ExxonMobil and rotates to Nigeria.

Anyway, stillworking for Cubic in Bratislava is Paul Guzowski. He is workingcloselywiththe SlovakAirForce. Christine, hiswife, sent inthis pic ofPaul with his niece Mary, anAFA ’09 cadet, that was taken this summer. The photo

LukePutz (USNA’04),JeremyPutz (USAFA’07), andRandyPutz (USAFA ’73).

From left at Hank Wetekam’s retirement are John (Row) Rogacki, Dave (Chaw)Brown,John (Dune)Duncan, Chris (Bart)Black,John (Kuc)Kuconis, Steve Trent, Chuck (Mitch) Mitchell, A1 (A.J.) Briding, Lt Gen Don (Hank) Wetekam, David (Bush) Hanson, Col Tom (Bud)Blase, Denny(Mape)Maple, StephensMcCauley, andDon (Nipper)Kanipe.

ScottandAndywithDreamMachine.

is taken at Sansoucci, summer palace ofFrederickthe Great in Potsdam, Germany. LookslikeAFA still has 3rd Lieutenant?

TonyBrozena sent a shortupdate. Hewrites that SpikeMurphree (foanne) is there at KirtlandAFB, NM too. He lives east oftown. Tonykeepstrying to get him to attend our monthlyAOG breakfast. Sounds like fun! There is anAOG meeting in Houston, Texas, each month too.

Another bit ofnews for our country is part of an article from theAir Force News: “For40 women and men at the Cardinals vs. Giants baseball gameJuly 7, theirthoughts may not have beenfocused on whether BarryBondswould breakHankAaron’slifetimehome-run record. Righthands raised, thisyoung group, standing at Busch Stadium home plate in front of a huge crowd, was sworn into theAirForce duringAirForceWeekSt. Louis. Despite the size ofthe crowd, the stadium was a whisper as Gen. Duncan J. McNabb,Air Mobility Command commander from nearby ScottAir Force Base, Ill., swore in the enlistees. The stadiumroared at the finalwords ofthe oath, So help me God. I hope that makesyoufeel proud to be anAmerican, a classmate, and a partof the longblueline.

I’ve not found out exactlywhere thisAirlift Rodeo picture was takenbut is added to show that the newest Vice Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, Headquarters United StatesAir Force, Pentagon,Washington, DC: Duncan McNabb. Ijust couldn’t pass up the opportunityfor the title forthe pic!

do aboutit. Finally, one dayhe called him into the office for a talk. (Anonymous ’75 BestAliver), I have to tellyou, I like yourworkethics, butyourbeing late often is bothersome.” “Yes, I know Boss, and I’m working on it.” “Well good. That’s what I like to hear. It’s odd though, coming in late. I knowyou’re retired from theAir Force.” “Yes”,Anonymous ’75 BestAliver replied. “What did theysayifyou came in late there?” “Theysaid, ‘Good morning, General’.” Thanks to Roy Rice for this one. Royadds it is interesting to note 16 classes graduated before us. Now, 32 classes have graduated since we did. Exactly twice as many classes have come after us as went before us.

ClassmateUpdates. MarkVolcheffretired Friday 18 Mayat PetersonAFB. In thephoto find 13 ofus, includingtwo Modern MajorGenerals and one previouslyretired, as well as at least one astronaut.

AtMarkVolcheff'sretirement, from left, are Dave Wallace, Jim Dill, Bruce Fritzsche, Brian Duffy, Tim Murphy,JimBurling, Chris Glaeser, MarkVolcheff, BentleyRayburn,DickDye,DickWebber, BruceMitchell, andSpenceRoberts.

From Dave Ehrhart: Brian’s (Barnes) dad, Maj GenJackBarnes, was buried with full militaryhonors atArlington. Gen Barnes was a 1942 gradofWestPoint andfoughtinWWII, theKoreanWar, andVietnam. SteveKent is an interventionalcardiologistpracticinginSantaBarbara, CA, forthe past 18years. He and hiswife, Nancy, who is also a physician, have three children. Jim Carlson’s solicitation to the MinnesotaState Fairelicitedthis responsefrom Chuck Woods:Would love to attend the Great Minnesota Get-Togetherthisyear, butI’vebeenrunning a privatejet company in Macau for sixyears, buildingthefleetand one ofthe leadingjet charter offerings inAsia. Bill Flickingerhas leftlovely Loveland, CO for Delaware and notes Renee and the kids are doingwell and have adjustedfairlywell to the move. HarryMathis notes: Arrived in Iraq in January. I got to leave my staffjob behind to be a “real chaplain” forfour months as I led a team ofsixchaplains and four chaplain assistants. Thebase was formerlythe IraqiAFAcademy but not even in the same galaxywith ours. I also got to serve manywonderful parishioners through sacraments, preaching, teaching, counseling andvisiting - all ofwhich were a joy. Left in May.

Commandertakes thereigns.

This news maybe inthe front ofthis edition andyoumayhave seen italready. I’dlike to pausefor a momentfor our classmate, Rob Lutz, and a supportprayer forhiswife, Ida. In May, Rob asked for hislastflight and died a fewdays later. Rob made a difference inhislife. We supporteach otherin our class to make the difference. Our class motto is “Meetthe Challenge.” So keep on making a difference out there. Steve Lenzi from Hawaii sent in: Rob and I were kindred spiritswhen it came to Hercs and dirtbikes, but after our initialC-130 training at Little Rockin 1975,1 losttrackofRob as he went to Europe and special ops and I went toAsia andmotherMAC. We endedup at McChord togetherin the ’80s, and that’swhen he told me abouthis heart, etc. Rob was a MxOfficer at McChord and you would have all been so proud of the way his troops responded to his genuine and concerned leadership style. He was a living example ofmost everything that we have all read or learned about leadership since enteringtheAcademy. Where do we get men likethis? WouldAmericabe a much differentplace ifnot forpeoplelike Rob and a lotofyouwho are on this email? I thinkso! So keep on making a difference outthere, whereveryou are, and hoist one more glasshigh for Rob Lutz. Here’s a toast to the host....

Mayeach ofyou live long and prosper.

Paul Kent

18166 S.E. 41st Place

Issaquah, WA 98027-9717

Mobile: (425) 785-3586

E-mail: zooscribe@mac.com

^ 46%1 .Members

Hejustcouldn’t seem to getto work on time. Everyday. 5,10 minuteslate. But he was a goodworker, real sharp, so the Boss was in a quandaryaboutwhat to

HarryMathis bytentandsteeple.

Jim Carlson had a nice visitwith a couple ofOmaha/Papillion classmates afterJohn Charlton’s wedding. Tom Peterson was out ofthe area in his vacationhome in Minnesota. Mike Leuschen was out oftown shovelingup some dirt and topsoil. And Dave Clough was scrubbing for surgery as the on-call physician that weekend. But he finallygot a chance to meet up with Paul Narzinsky (for the first time) and Tom Freed. Paul finally gave up running away from Carlson. Unannounced, Carlson walked up to his door and knocked. As he told Dave Clough laterthatday, it’s alwayswith a bit oftrepidationwhenhe does this. One oftwo things can happen: (1) you guys could crackthe door open a wee bit andyell, “Get offmylawn!” and slam it shut; or (2) you let me introduce myselfandhave a civil conversation. Well, so far, it’s alwaysbeen the second. WhenPaulrealizedwho Carlson was, he invitedhim in, handed him a cold one, and had a greatcouple ofhours reminiscing and

gettingcaughtup on threedecades ofbeingclassmates. The numberofclassmates nowunaccountedforhas decreased from seven to six! Next, helooked upTom Freed. Jimhadn’theard fromTom since doolieyear, except for a few desultory emails within the last decade. ButTom had a good excuse. He’s cheated death several times lately. He was recoveringfrom a serious postoperative infection and had lost 30 pounds injust a fewweeks. He also had several stents putinplace to help his heartkeep thebloodflowingthroughhis system. JeffChappell had a longlayover in Floridaand Bill Caskeywas gracious enough to purge his calendarfor a hospitalitycheck.

JeffChappell and Bill Caskey

RandyChapmanlives inNorthernVirginiabutmostlyworks inSeattlebuilding “toys for boys’’ with SAIC. Bill Davis and Annette will be moving to the Fredericksburg area, living on an airport. He has five grandkids now! Jim Burling notes thatJim andKim Corrigan started a newupscale coffee business inthe Montgomeryairport.

Dan O’Steen to Carlson: Thanks forholdingmyhand on this one [registering on ZoomieNation]. I’m getting my resume together and will soon look activelyforothergainfulemployment. IfI keep at the airline gigIwill die soon. Pat Moran is coaching basketball, softball, and parenting seven children (youngest is fourandoldest is out ofcollege, but not out ofhis life!) and flying 15 days a month. Jim and JudyArthurs decided to get out ofthe Corporate World and run a pizzabusiness in Boonville, MO.

FromBobKnauff[StealthZoomie]: I was never muchofa ‘joiner’ while atthe Zoo, nor after, but I remain heartenedthat some ofour classmates have managed to keep the connections going. From Mike Abbott: Charlie Beadling’s write-up on the missileheisthas rousedmyblood. I’ve beentellingthatstory to mykids foryears, but the details have been blurred/embellished beyond recognition. Charlie’s audacityhas to go down as one ofthe ballsiest stunts everypulledatAFA, and I’mproudto beinhis class. Thanks Charlie! Howhave you survived up till now? Didyou do this inyour bathrobes or is that a foggy embellishment? Onlyproblem is that now I have to tell mykids that I really wasn’t the one drivingthe tractor!

From Charlie Beadling (re: mymissile story): I actuallywrote this ayear ago while in Chad. Instead ofsending it right away, I got distracted. For several months mylaptop was locked up in the US Embassy and I was in the states. Now, I am reunited with my trusty computer in Switzerland (no, I am not applying for asylum—I am in a month-long course in humanitarian assistance). Feelfree to share the reminiscencewith anyone. Ifit gives anybody a smile, that is good. You made me realize that I never took a photo with the missile. I have one ofit “erected” with a couple ofpushballs at thebase I think. I will do that next time I getthere [to the zoo]. Note: Charlie’s storyis posted separately, the onlyway we can do it at zoomienation.

OldMenHealthandMedicalDigest. Here’s distressing news fromBillLyerly. Lookslike we almostlosthim: I sufferedtwo heart attacks, a mild one andthen a significant one (afterhaving finished a very quiet and pleasant 4th ofJuly dinnerwith my “neighbor” Duane Lodrige and mywife, Sylvia). I am only here today “but for the miracles ofmodernmedicine.” Myboss, a senior EmergencyMedicine physician, told me that I am reallyluckyto stillbe here, as one ofmyblocked coronary arteries (called the LAD) is referred to as the widow-maker” in medical circles. FromBillMurray: BacktoWork. Thankyou foryourprayers prior to surgeryand in mypost-op recovery. Livingwithout a prostate gland is definitely a new experience for me. Read “What I learned fromhavingProstate Cancer” on zoomienation.

Administrative. Political Statement: TheAOGhas established a ClassAdvisory Senate, which is now up and running and providinginput to the AOG Board ofDirectors. Ourrepresentative, LarryFariss, needsyourthoughts and opinions on current issues facingtheAcademyand theAOG. Right now they are preparing recommendations on the issue of an AOG Foundation, AOG restructuring, revision ofAOG By-Laws, thehonorcode, andtheresults oflast year’s member survey. Lastly, as the scribe always tries to do, he will post a longer“Checkpoints forZoomienation” as soon as the printed copyarrives in the mail. Register at https://zoomienation.usafa.org/usafa/ register.html?ref=tip. Afteryou register and update your profile (andupload a photo),jointhe rest ofyour classmates inthe Class of1975 BestAlive! Group

bygoing to https:/ /zoomienation.usafa.org/usafa/groups/6848/index.html and clickingthe “Add to MyGroups” button.

Dan Beatty

12196 Stanley Canyon Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 488-1962

E-Mail: whrlybrd76@aol.com

Dan.Beatty@usafa.af.mil

http://www.AFAcademy.com/76

!% Members

Lellow ’76 ers,

The class ofT1 (yes 2011!) hasfinished BCT. The LongBlue Line grows! The Wingis backto beginacademics, andfootball season is only a fewweeksaway.

Sad news. Mike Butler (CS-40) died in Iraq on 12 Junwhenhis vehicle took an RPG near Tikrit. Mike was working as a contractortrainingIraqipolice. Burial is atArlington National Cemetery. Please keep Joanne and the boys in your thoughts and prayers.

Movingup/moving on. Kevin Chilton moving to Commander, U.S. Strategic Command. Jim Hunt promoted to Major General. Congrats Chili and Beak! Jack Catton will retire Jan 08. Good luckin the next phase Jack!

General Class Stuff: Great input from y’all this time, ineludingpictures. Actuallygot more photos than I can use so have tried to pickthe bestthree. RogerYauchzysent a note afterthe 2007 Prep Schoolgraduation. SonNickwasaP-school’07 grad andTonyPrzybyslawski was the gradspeaker. TonyP is also the 2007 Exemplarfor P-school class ’07. RogersaysTony’sspeech was “absolutelyLANTASTIC and itwas “uplifting to see the onlyclassmate with more consonants in his name then in ‘Yauchzy’ servingwith such distinction!

TonyPrzybyslawski, NickYauchzy(’ll), andRogerYauchzyat2007Prep Schoolgraduation.

TonyPrzybyslawski also wrote. He is still runningAF Personnel Center. Tonycommented on the P-school graduationandhowit “Sure broughtback

memories of our times thereand reminded me ofthe relationships created duringthatsingleyearthat are so enduring. Saidthere was a mini-76reunion atthelast CoronawithTony, Kevin Chilton, MikeWorden,Willie Shelton, and Mike Gould. TomBowie says things are well at Regis; he has found his niche, hehas tenure andhe andespeciallyBeth are enjoyingthe grandparenting. Joe ‘Puck’ Wysocki tells me he, Tom Muckenthaler, Kevin Chilton, andWillie Shelton linked up at theJuneAFA SpaceWarfare Symposium. I saw Joe and Julie attheJulyRampartChapterAOGluncheon. WayMoysent a note encouragingfolks tojoinSabreSociety. Dave Clarysayshe andLynd, Mike andDianne Woodman, andJackandJan Cattonhooked up for dinner at Langleyrecently. Dave includedthis picture ofthe three mugs and theirlovelybrides.

JackandJanCatton,MikeandDianneWoodman,withLyndandDaveClary.

Dave saysJoeShireyandWadeMcRoberts are contractors there, andthatlife is gooduntilthe next hurricane. Jon Bauschlicherpinged me about our BCT reportdate (05Jul72 forthose ofyouwho mayhave forgotten). Jon’swithNASA atKSCworkingexpendablelaunchvehicles, saysfamilyis doingwell withthree in Chicago, one local, and one inFlagstaff. A1 Grijalva sent me an address update. Says he and Cara are doingwell. Ed Gallagher says anyone “planning a vacation to a warm climate, withlots ofsand, and a little excitement” can visit him afterAugustinBaghdad, wherehe’llbe on his first tour as a Foreign Service Officerin the State Department. Familywill stayinVirginia. Keep yourhead down over there Ed and keep us posted. Fie says he should get his choice of follow-on assignments so mebbe folks canvisithiminbetterdigs nextyear.

‘Papa’ Joe Marchino and Becky are still in SanAntonio. Joe recendyvisited BuddyandKathyLottinFortWorth. Buddyjust started a newjobwiththe FAA. Joe also saw Dave Robinson in June in Oklahoma City while attending the AWACS 30th anniversary. Dave’s bride, Lori, is Commander of552nd Air ControlWingatTinker. OBTWJoe-yes I foundmyrazor... with some help from my bride. Russ Laneytells me we need to linkup for a ‘lemonade’. Yes Russ, and Ihavebeenremiss in responding. Russ is stillhere inthe Springs area running his own business. Randy Schavrien says son Scott is in 21 Aug OTS class as a pilot candidate. Randyplans to commission Scott in Novand pinwings the year after. GoodLuckScott!

FlarryDeBrulil is enjoying a greatAlaskan summer, stillflyingfor Fed-Ex, son Brian (’03) andwife, Sarah, will make them grandparents in Oct, and son Aaronwillbemarried25AugandHarrygets to performthe ceremony. Congrats to all the DeBruhl clan! BenThomson says he, Bob Bivins, Mike Smith, and JeffLarsen gamelycompetedbutfell short ofvictory in theTri-ServiceAcademy GolfChallenge in July. Ben says this was the 1 st all-76 foursome for this event thathe remembers.

DougFryheard from John Covington recently. John is inTexas andVP of some company. Dougsays daughterKasey (’00) is newlywed and enroute to Germany, son Matt (’05) is completingpilottraining at Columbus, and son Kyle (CSU ’02) is headed to Columbia U for his MBA in finance. Doug lives west ofWalsenburgin south Coloradoand says everyone is welcome to visit. Tom Hancock says son Mark graduated USAFA this year and was commissioned by brother John (USNA’05). Congrats! Les Garrison has safely returnedfrom28 monthsworkingwithState Dept on reconstruction inIraq and is “looking forward to some peace and quiet.” Welcome home Les! Greg Boomgaard hailedfromJapanand says life as foreigner status is much different than as SOFA status. Saysyoucan’tdo anythinguntilyou getyourforeigner ID card and that takes about a month. But says he is settling in now and is enjoyinglife.

Dave Dingleyyelled from Space Coast ofFlorida. He is a senior staffer now for a BrevardCounty Commissioner. Son Ed is getting married in Sept. Don Pickett says DaveTatehas beengoingthru cancer treatments forthe past severalmonths. In a follow on note Dave sayshe is continuingtreatments; there was no cancer activitydetected in a recent PET scan. We’ll all keep you in our thoughts andprayers Dave. Don also says Bruce Swezeytells himPete Kluck is on stateside furloughfromhis missionarywork. Thanksfortheupdate Don. Tim Lewis honored me withhis first Checkpoints note since graduation. His Federal SecurityDirector for Ft Lauderdale, KeyWest, and Marathon, FL and loves thejob. Says he doesn’t knowifhe is the first ’76er inTSAbutwill do his bestto representthe Classwell. We allknowyouwillTim! Please keep intouch. A1 Patriguintells me he hasnothingthis time but ithasbeen warm and sticky

Jimsaysit’ssafe to saythat 76has more reserve GO's than anyotherclass and I agree. I challenge any other class to prove us wrong.

Again time to stick a forkin it. Send me your notes, inputs, address updates, suggestion,junk mail, etc and I will do mybest to keep all ofyou in the loop. As always, ifyou are headed to the Springs, let me and the otherlocals know. Keepflyingyourflags andlet our deployedtroopsknowyouhave them inyour thoughts and prayers.

The Spirit of76 is STILL alive and well! Until next time... Beatty

John J “Lou” Michels, Jr. 4107 Harvey

Western Springs, IL 60558

Voice: (312) 849-8150

Fax: (312) 849-8151

E-Mail: jmichels@mcguirewoods.com

You should all be receiving this just in advance of our 30th Reunion, which regrettably, I will not be able to attend because ofan impending trial in New Mexico. I urge all ofyou to make whatever effortsyou can to get to Colorado Springs for the weekendand once again renewyour acquaintance with old “Aluminum U.” Take it from me, you won’t spend a better couple ofdays.

SHAMELESS ENDORSEMENTS. I want to recommend a book to those of youwith some spare time on yourhands-TheLastBlueMilebyKim Ponders. It’s abouttheAcademy, more specifically, about a female cadet attheAcademy workingthrough some familiar problems in the wake ofthe sexual assault scandal. Bob Eskridge (Sheila) and I were sources forthe book, alongwith many others. It’shighlyreadable, and provides an extremelywell developed character study oftheAcademy, its officers, and the cadets as theyworkthrough avarietyofissues. Anyonewho’s worn theblue uniformwill recognizepeople in this bookand the choices theyhave to make. I thinkyou’llfind the book resonates on severallevels simultaneously, but at its core, it refleetsthepersonalgrowth that theAcademyexperience requires ofits graduates. Ponders’first book, TheArtofUncontrolledFlight, was also excellent, but doesn’t dealwith theAcademyexcept in a fewpages.

>fu\v V 14

Got a nice note from Joe Niemeyer (Louise), who now works forLockheed Martinjust outside ofDenver. Joe represents 77, serving in theAOG’s ClassAdvisorySenate. The group is alreadyworking in support ofvariousAOGinitiatives. In addition, Joe is the focalpoint for contact to the AOG forvarious concerns. His email isjoe.niemeyer@comcast.net; feelfree to shoot him a line ifyou have any particular concerns or interests, or are interested involunteeringto assist on some oftheseAOG projects. Joe’s focus right now is on fundraising and the foundation issue. Give him a yell.

TomJones (Liz) hashis next bookjustaboutfinished. It’s called HellHawks!, a non-fictionworkaboutthe365th FighterGroup andtheirP-47s. Tomhas also been on the news latelycovering shuttle launches and landings over the last fewmonths.

RETIREMENT CENTRAL. Traveling down Memory Lane last weekend, I was looking at old Checkpoints issues and rememberingwhen all I did was Class

17-21 October

USAFA vs. Wyoming

in Maine. Jim Hogue sent a photo from the Reserve General Officer Conference that includes Brian Meenan, Boats Bartlett, Dallas Thompson, Dave Robinson, MikeWilson, and Kevin Henabray.

Brigadier Generals Brian Meenan, Boats Bartlett, Jim Hogue, Dallas Thompson, Maj Gen Dave Robinson, and BrigadierGenerals MikeWilson and Kevin Henabray.

Sabre Societj Donors

write out lists ofnames followed bytheir aircraft designation. Nowwe’re goinginthe otherdirection; I’mflaggingretirementnotices. JohnChrist (Louise) dropped me a line fromPeachtree Citywherehe and all the Deltagrads live. John retired formallyfrom active duty in ’98, but then had a change ofheart and reenteredtheReserves. He is now retired fromhis secondAirForce career and is pushing metal forthe aforementioned airline. John went out to Jim Lamb’s (Sue) retirement at the NavyAnnex in D.C. back in May. Jim had a fascinating career - liveyears as a BUFF InstructorNav,AFIT,Test Pilot School as a Nav, ChiefofSafety at Edwards, and even returned toVietnam as aTeam ChiefwiththeJointThreatReductionAgency. Congratulations on a greatthree decades, Jim.

StevePeterson (Peggy) retiredfromhisassignmentat the NationalReconnaissance office in lovelyChantilly,VA (literally a stones-throwfrom myoldhouse) andwentbacktoworkatNRO as theChiefTechnologistintheAdvancedSystems Directorate. While Iwouldlove to talkto Steve abouthiswork, I suspecthecan’t getmuch more outthan“Iworkatthissilvery,many-sidedbuildingjustoffHighway28, across fromthe slip-n-slide”. Congratulations on retirement andwhat I’llbet is a fascinatingjob. And thanks forthe news, Steve.

Mike Stanley (Sandra) has now officially retired from his position as the SpecialOps Chair atAU and is moving on to the non-polyesterworld. Congratulations, Mike, and our bestwishes for thefuture.

Dave Gragan (Mary) was in the private sector afterretiringfrom the Marine Corps but has now gone to work on the cabinet ofthe MayorofWashington, DC. Dave isworking as the HeadofContracting and Procurementforthe City -1 suggest as a firstpriorityprocuringdecentbaseballandfootballteams. Even withoutthe athletic issues, it’s a hugejob for one ofour own. Here in Chicago, “procurement” has a slightlydifferent connotation andthe contractingfunctionhas proved to be a veryfamily-friendlyprocess. So goodluck, Dave, and congratsagain.

VIRTUALTHIS: GradyBooch (Jan), wholastappeared in thesepages cheatingdeath, has now moved into the true realm ofscience fiction. Gradyworks parttime as one ofIBM’s SeniorSoftwareArchitects and, as reportedinthe Wall StreetJournal, increasinglyavoidstravelbyusingsomethingcalled SECOND LIFE, a virtual world in which people set up avatars ofthemselves and, well, live. Grady’s avatar, a long-haired, bearded, “more buffthan me” fellow, attends on-line meetings and otherwise sits in for Grady as needed. This all sounds veryconvenient, but can the avatar recite the Discipline Quotewhile running in placeholding out an M-1? That’ll be the real test ofvirtual realty.

finishing up his secon d tour there. Mark is working as a contractor with the StrykerUnits, keepingthose criticalvehicles in operation. He’s hoping to be atthereunion, andI hope everyonetherewelcomes himback. Thanks forthe update, Mark, and travel safe. Tom Marinello (Patti) has been living in the Netherlands since 2000, where he is a Professorofthe Division ofTheological and Historical Studies atTynsdaleTheologicalSeminary. Tom specializes in church history and systematictheology (presentation ofChristian doctrine from the whole teaching ofthe Bible as opposed to one part ofit). I’m sure there is some horrible religious pun I can make at this point, but there is a thunderstorm outside, and I have no desire to press myluck today. Below, a picture ofTom, Patti and their daughter Laura. Note the academic/professorial, no-tie, Tom.

A firstforCheckpoints - Grady’s class news avatar!

While Dave Gragan works on procuring a new baseball team for DC, Tom Slattery headed up the road to Baltimore to watch a real baseball team, the Orioles, play on MemorialDay. It was AirForceAppreciationDay, andthrowing out the first ball was a flight-suited one-star, Paul Dettmer (Catherine). Paul’stheVice-Director forIntelligence on theJoint Staffat the Pentagonand, more importandy, hitthe targetwith a perfectpitch andwithverylittle warm up. I’m sure it was the Nomex. Or, perhaps, an avatar. Thanks, Tom, and congrats, Paul, on upholding our baseball heritage.

I keep gettingmailfrom people thathave never written before. All I can say is KEEP IT COMING! MarkGraywrote me from FOB LibertyinlovelyBaghdad,

MarinelloFamily REUNIONUNIONS. Please keeptrackofthefolksyou meet and greet at the 30th and make sure I get plenty ofmessages about same. Ohyeah, and don’t forgetpictures - the more candid, the better. Be seeingyou.

Bob Kay

40411 Tesoro Lane

Palmdale, CA 93551

Home:(661) 274-2201

Work: (661) 824-6426

Email: Robert.kay@baesystems.com

42% Members

Greetings ’78ers...

Hopeeveryone's summer is goingwell. Youguyshave been extremelyfaithfulyet again this quarterwith great info so let’s get to it.

First a message concerningtheAOG (whichyou guys are members oforyou wouldn’tbereadingthisinthemagazine). Asyouguysmayormaynotknow, the AOG By-Laws, adoptedin2006, established a ClassAdvisorySenate. TheAOG Board, atits May2007meeting, approvedthe operatingproceduresforthe Senate which essentially acts as a communicationlinkbetweenthe membership andthe Board. Ifyouwant to getyouropinion on anyAOG orAcademyissue to the Board, this is the way to do it. The Senate is now up and runningwith 31 classesrepresentedwith our rep beingKipWarton (Warton.USAFA78@gmail. com; snailmail: 1120 CarlsonDr, ColoradoSprings, CO 80919) andhe needsyourinputs.They are preparingrecommendations on theissues ofanAOGFoundation,AOGrestructuring, revisionoftheAOG By-Laws, the honorcode, andthe results oflastyears’ member survey. Please drop Kip a line and let him knowyourperspective on these and other issues—remember, silence is consent.

We’re here at Canoe U goingthrough Parent’sWeekendfor our son Philip. He’s a member of2011 (not to make anyone feel old or anything) and I’ve pretty much gotten past his defection over to “Brand X. On his first dayback inJune, I was able to swear him in which is one ofthe proudest moments I’ve spent in uniform. Now I knowhow all ofyou guys who have sworn your kids in felt. To showwhat a small world it is, right before the personalswearingin, the class gathered for a mass swearingin (evenhad a couple ofF-18s flyover—OK,whatkindofjets flew over us on that fateful day33 years ago?—A-7s as I recall) and I ran into Jim“JJ” Gruppwhose daughterJessicais also inthe class. We marveled at how longithad been and tried to catch up a bitbefore the ceremonystarted. JJ is anAmerican MD-80 Captain out ofLaGuardia. He also recentlyretired from “the bestjob in the world... with the best flying and adventures in the AF” which was commandingthe NYANG139ALS. The 139th flies ski-equipped C130s to the ice and snow ofAntarctica and Greenland sounds like airline flying is a bit more benign there JJ! His bride, Kathy (Kevin Kregel’s sister by theway... Kevin is now flying for Southwest), is a physicaltherapistwith her own children’s practice. The otherkids are Chriswho is workingand living at home, Bethwho recentlygraduated from the Coast GuardAcademy and is stationed in Hawaii on the CutterRush, Jasonwho is at NorwichUniversityin Vermont on a soccer scholarship andtheiryoungestTimmyis a 10th grader—

John ChristandJim Lamb tangled upin blue.

busybrood! We did our best to gettogetherthisweekendbutJessicawas doing soccer two-a-daysalongwith scrimmageswhichkept everyonebusy. Maybe at Recognition nextyear. Below are the pixofus proud dads swearingin our “babies” back in June.

J.J. andJessica

Also got a coolpicfrom none otherthanGreg “Kais” Kaiserwho recentlyflew severalFedExMD-11 trips out ofMemphiswithVince Bonasso. Kais said that the combinedflyingtimebetweenthe two ofthemwas fairlyimpressive. Kaisis stilllivinginlovelyColumbus, MS andcommutes toMemphisforhisairlinegig. GladVince was there to provide some appropriate adult supervision!

Speaking oftwo stars, afterthe last article I was going to take offmy cheerleader hat for a while but the new list was published in June and.. .well.. .1 couldn’tresist. Out of23 names on thelist, ninewere from our classforjustshy of40%! Selects were: HawkCarlisle (directorofLegislativeLiaison), BillChambers (SAP communications director), DaveEidsaune (commander, AirArmament Center at Eglin), Marke Gibson (director, current operations andtraining also on the Air Staff), LarryJames (deputydirector, SignalsIntelligence SystemsAcquisition and Operations Directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office), Bob McMahon (AMC director oflogistics), Kip Self(USAF ExpeditionaryCenter commanderat Fort Dix), Bob Steel (NationalWar College commandant), and RobWorley(deputy director ofprograms also at theAir Staff). Congrats gents... thatmakes 22 guyswith two buttons on their shoulders or selects. And I promise no more cheerleading... at least until the first three-star announcementis made!

Also, a couple ofmoves: KevinKennedyfrom commander,AirForce Global CyberspaceIntegrationCenter, Office ofthe ChiefofWarfightingIntegration and ChiefInformation Officer at Langley to director ofthe Air Component CoordinatingElementin Kabul, and RogerBurgfromdirector, strategic security, deputy chiefofstaff, air, space and information operations, plans and requirements, at theAir Staffto the 20th AirForce commander at F.E.Warren.

Rick Searfoss was running a 5K race inTehachapi, CAlate inJunewhen he metupwithmyBCTroomieDarrell Herriges. Darrellis currently a contractor livingin Huntsville and was in Californiavisitinghiswife’s parents forthe4th of Julyweekend. Yep... it’s a mightysmallworld.

Finally, believe it or not, next year is our 30th reunion and we need to get rolling on the event. Two guys who live in the Springs,Wayne Kellenbence (wasworking at theAOG but is now the chiefofstafffor theAthletic Department) and Ken Prusak (United 767 captainwho mentioned that he ran into Brian Kellyin Hawaii lastmonth; Brian is a Delta 767-400 captain for Delta) have agreed to be tfie local reps on the committee. Wayne, bless him, has agreedbethechairmanandJohnHicks even offeredto helpagainfromKansas City (John ran theVERYsuccessful golftournament at the 20*)! Much ofthe workwill be done on line this year so you do NOT have to live in the Springs to work. If you are willing to help out, please e-mail Wayne directly at beesfl6@hotmail.com. Staytuned to this article as well as the website: http:/ /homepage.mac.com/c2huff/usafal978/forupdates (CliffHuffisworkingto get it up to date).

Well,just hitthewordlimit so that’s itforthis installment. Manythanks as alwaysgents forthe great info thatyou guys are willing to sharewith the class.

‘78 is Great!

Got averynicemessage from former D and Bers Keye and Carol (Klasmeier, ’80) Sabol. She sent a greatpicofthefamilyrightafterKeyepinned on hissecond star earlierthisyear (he is currentlytheA5R, DirectorofOperationalCapability Requirements—oldAF/XOR). Wetriedto hookupthisweekendinD.C. butthey were takingtheiryoungesttoVirginiaTech. Also thismonth, theirmiddle child receivedherPhysician’sAssistantwhite coatfromBarryUniversity.

John Pardo

1299 Hudson St. DuPont, WA 98327 (781)439-2036

pardoJohn@hotmail.com

^ 42%> Members.

Greetingsfromtheroad. I’mwritingthis articlewhilemovingwithmyfamily from Boston to Tacoma. Unfortunately, I beginthis installmentwiththe sad news ofthe passing ofone ofour classmates,William Clardy, on 24 Julyin San Antonio. Condolences maybe sentto his familyin care ofhiswife,Tawnya, at 8746VerandaCourt, SanAntonioTX78250-2654.

On a more upbeat note, manyofyou may not be aware ofButch Rayfield’s (Karen) recent kidneytransplant. Butch commissionedwith us in 1979 but was medically retired a yearlater due to kidneyproblems. Despitebeing on dialysisfor more than 20 years, he graduatedfrom med school andworked as a doctoruntil the last couple ofyears when his medical issues forced him to stop. Butch’syoungerbrotherJohn, anArmySpecial Forces doctor, donated the replacementkidney. The procedure, conducted on 19 March, went well. Butch is looking forward to getting back to work and his brother is already deployedagain.

Buvch Rayfield the weekafterhiskidneytransplant.

I heard from many EagleEighters in response to Butch’s situation. Dave MadsenseparatedfromtheAF in 1984 andworkedforeightyears as an aerospace engineerwith LockheedMartinin Ohio before moving to SaltLake and becoming a certified financial plannerwith Merrill Lynch. Dave andAlice celebratedtheir26th anniversarythisyear. SteveWheeless is livinginPhoenix withwife,Tanya, and their three children. Steve is working as a Labor & EmploymentPartnerfor Steptoe &JohnsonLLP, a firmspecializingincomplexemploymentclass actions and union avoidancestrategies. Steve Sosa (Sunisa) is inhis 14th year with Conoco-Phillips where he is currentlyworking withlogisticsmodelingprogramsfromrefineryto customer. He achievedhis 20years servicewiththeAirNational Guard inMarchbutplans to stay on to assisthisunitwithits conversion to the Predator.

Also received the followingfrom Brig Gen Steve Lepper (Kathryn). Steve sent news that in mid-Julyhe attended DannySteele’s (Julie) retirement dinner. Danserved mostrecently as theDeputyA4 atAMC. Steve addedthe (large) room was packedwith folks who traveled from across the U.S. to paytribute to Dan and it was obvious that he touched manylives in verypositive ways. Steve is currentlyStaffJudgeAdvocateforAMC.

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BiffandBarb Gendacelebratedtheir28-yearanniversary2 June. HeretiredfromtheUSAFR on 1 June after28years spentmostly as an IMA in the intelligence arena. Three ofBiffand Barb’s eight sons (only one daughter!) are involved with the military. Their oldest, Trey, graduated USAFA in 2003. Son numbertwo, Jeff, served a tour in Iraq as a combat ground medic with theANG and then graduated with a double major fromWVU. Trey recentlycommissioned and soon starts hisfirstyearofmed school at theUniversityofVirginia on a full-ride scholarship with theAirForce. Theirfourth son, Tim, is currentlyattendingUSAFA (2010).

OtherEagleEightupdatesinclude: Mike Mullady, a golfpro inAlbuquerque; Bruce Gebhard (Dianne), living in North Carolina and flyingfor FedEx; and Wes Miller (Kathy); “still” living in Kentuckyand “still” flying for UPS.

Congratulationsgo outto ’79’s newestbrigadiergenerals, DougRobb (Gloria) and Tru Eyre (Debi). Rob Dunphyupdated me on Doug’s promotion ceremony/partyheld 29 June at the MacDill O’Club. It turned out to be a mini reunion for Cellblock III. Doug is on his way to command the 81 st Medical Group at Keesler. Rob added thatTru recentlypinned on Brig Gen with the Colorado ANG, and Rick Baldwin (Mary) and Ben Osier (Pandora) both retired in June.

Steve Lepperand DannySteele

More congratulations to Franc Gorenc, Neil “Bill” McCasland and Bill Rew on theirselection forpromotion to majorgeneral. Franc (Sharon) is currendy Commander,AirForce DistrictofWashington. Bill (Susan) is Director, Space Acquisition, Office ofthe Under Secretary oftheAF and Bill (Christy) is movingfromNellis to Director, OperationalPlanning, Policyand Strategy, Deputy ChiefofStaffAir, Space andInformation Operations, Plans and Requirements, HeadquartersAF... youprobablyhave to be a two-starto rememberthat. More 79 GOs on the move include Brig Gen Robin Rand (Kim) who left BaladAB, Iraq to assume duties as thePrincipal Directorto DeputyAssistant Secretaryof Defense forMiddle East Policy, Office ofthe Under Secretary ofDefense for Policy. Robin’s place as Commanderthere at Balad was taken byBrig Gen Burt Field (Lisa) who said this in a recent email, “Robin was awesome here as the wing commander... did a fabulousjob”. Brig Gen Steve Mueller (Debbie) sent a short blurb to sayhe was deploying to Qatar for a fewmonths and will send an update once he gets settled.

BudVazquez (Molly) sent news thathe met upwith Carl Byers, his old CS-35 roomie and Carl’s lovely wife, Connie, in late March on a side trip from STRATCOM into Iowa. Theyhad not seen each othersince 1979, so there were lots oflaughs and a great reunion. Bud also saw Brig Gen Mike Longoria, the SpecialAssistant to COMACCforCYBER, thefirstweekofApril. Bud also noted that Tom Griffith (Elizabeth) is theAF Dean ofStudents at the NationalWar College, andthatwhilehe couldn’tmakeit, hereceived an invite to BillMurphy’s retirementfromthe NRO backin May. Otherupdates from Bud include: Brig Gen (ret) Bob Edmonds (Ann) who is in D.C. with Hedrick & Struggles, a large executive headhunter firm, andDale Swanson (Debra) who remains a MITRE-ite in the Boston area. Finally, Budco-hostedaNewEnglandAOGgolf awards ceremonyinJuly and is currentlythe USAF C4ISRAccount Manager forIBM Global Business Services in Lexington, MA.

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY!

YOUR MONEYHELPS FUND CADETWING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED.

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CarlByersand BudVasquez

Paul “Nave” Bordenave (Joy) retired out of Laughlin AFB last year and headed to Pueblo, CO where he is part ofthe senior staffresponsible forthe AF’s Introduction to FlyingTrainingprogram. Finally, a plugforRandyHelms (Donna) who is our ClassAdvisory Senate (CAS) representative, a group of individuals who represent each ofthe classes and provideinput to theAOG. Randywants to be able to send news ofthe CAS’s activity. One ofthe easiest wayswouldbe through“Zoomienation,” the USAFAwebsite established specificallyfor grads. Please take a couple ofminutes and go to zoomienation. usafa.org and register in the Class of 79 group. This will make Randy’sjob easier andkeep all ofus betterinformed on whatis going on. Bud is up next so sendyournews/updates to him at bud.vazquez@us.ibm.com.

Trey,BiffandJeffGenda

DougRobb’spromotionceremony/partytoBrigadierGeneral. Fromleftare Ron Machado, BillMilot, Paul Bimmerman, Steve “Buddha” Liederbach, RobDunphy andDougRobb (seatedinfront).

Don Myers

401 Chambray Hill

Peachtree City, GA 30269-4247 (770) 631-1429

E-mail: DMyers80@hotmail.com

46% Members

Class Home Page: http://usafa80.tripod.com ZN=Zoo mieNation.usafa.org

In the News. Air Force Senior Leader Announcement: BG Thomas K. Andersen, DeputyCommander, CombinedAir Operations Center 6, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization, Eskisehir, Turkey, to Director, PlansandPrograms, FleadquartersAirCombatCommand, LangleyAirForce Base,VA; BGMarkW. Graper, Director, StandingJoint Force Headquarters-North, Headquarters United States Northern Command, PetersonAFB, CO to Commander, 354th FighterWing, PacificAirForces, EielsonAFB,AK. AmericanAir Line’sAllied Pilots Association announced three new members were added to the NegotiatingCommittee, includingDFW-based Mark Stephens. Not onlythat, but Mark was also elected ChairmanoftheNegotiatingCommittee. AndAviationWeek reports that Bob Ailardice has beenrecommendedforhis second star. Congrats to all.

Flash! Folks, the new ClassAdvisorySenate is alive and well. It was established bytheAOG to provide input to the AOGBoardofDirectors. Ourrep, Debra (Dubbe) Gray(ddjgray@msm.com), needsyourinput on issues attheZoo andtheAOG. Theyare preparingrecommendations on such things as: AOG restructuring, an AOG Foundation, the honor code, revision ofthe By-Laws, and the results ofthe member survey takenlastyear. This is our chance to have a sayinwhathappens.

Guelph? Karen (Cole) (Mike) Selvamade her last offour 22-hour treks to Guelph, Ontario with daughters Megan and Caitlin. Megan “successfully defendedherthesis onWednesdayandgotallthe I’sdottedandtheT’s crossed on Fridayalongwith allthefinalfees. Hopefully, in a monthwe’llhave a nicely bound copyofherpaper to set on the coffee table. During a recent vacation to the Cape Canaveral area, Karen caught-up with two other gals that live there, Susan Helms and Margie (Clark) Varuska. After a meal together, they snapped a photo for us.

Also from Ed: “In the meantime, life goes on at the Zoo. Here’s a photo of yours trulyhelpingwiththe capstoneor summaryBCThonor/ethicslessonin Jack’sValleyyesterday. The Center for Character Development uses old farts forsuchwork once in awhile. Thewannabe smacks were also quiteinterested inwhat Sue [Desjardins] was like as a cadet!

Stayingoutoftrouble (?) attheCape.

GiftFundUpdatefromEdHerlik: “Yourclass giftfund team isworkinghard to putyourdonations to thebestpossible use. Sofar,you’vedepositedapproximately$275,000 inthebankwith another$146,000expectedinpaidpromises over the next couple ofyears. I’m disappointed to reportthatjust over 10% of pledgeshaven’tbeenpaidthough, twicetheexpectedrate. Thisupdateispartof theteam’seffortto keepyouinformedtobothreducethatrate andwelcomeyour input. We also use the class’ ZoomieNation group on https:// zoomienation.usafa.org(alsolinked on theAOGhomepage). The active members ofyourgiftfund team are Dan Bloemer,KeylorEng, Debra (Dubbe) Gray, DaveGruber,Allison (Hillsman) Hickey,Nancy(Mariano) Kudla, Betsy(Joviak) Pimentel, Mike Syiekand me. Pleasefeelfreeto contact anyofus; you can reach me at Herlik@aol.com. As to theteam’splans, we stronglyfavor endowingthe annualbudgetfortheProfessionalEthics inEducationRepresentative (PEER) program. It’s a nationwidepeer-to-peerethicsmodelyou can research athttp:/ /www.bacchusgamma.org. We’lllikelysupportoccasionalethics or moral courage activitieswiththeremainderofthefund’s annualearnings as we’re able. Our only‘bricks and mortar’ plans are to recognize ourAirTraining Officers in essentiallythe sameways ’59recognizedtheirs. Thedesignerisdeveloping anATO memorial thatwillmirrortherecognition seen forthe originalATOs, including an etchedwindowin theAOGbuilding as well as a plaque near the one at the entrance ofArnoldHall. We’llupdateyou on allofthiswork as costs andplans firmup. Finally, we hope MattNeuenswander (classpresident) hasbeen able to workthrough some problematic financialpolicyissueswith the newAOG Board ofDirectorsbythetime thisupdate is published. We can finalize an endowment when those financial policies are worked out. Check the ZoomieNation ’80 groupforthatnews.”

Edand the wannabees.

APlea. In thelate ’80s, when I started puttingthese inputstogether, I had to actuallylookthrough our section ofthe RegisterofGraduatesand randomly call some ofyou to get meat forthese articles. As fun as it was to getcaught-up with manyofyou I didn’tknowverywell, I’d like to thinkthose days are over; however, the pickings were prettyslim this time around. So, howabout an update ifit’s been a while; especiallyifit’s been a decade or so. Betteryet, get in touchwith one or two long-lost classmate friends and tell us about them as well. In anticipation... Thanks! dm

Rich Trentman

11102 Asbee St.

Falcon, CO 80831-8170

Home: (719) 494-8438

Work: (719) 234-0754

E-mail: trentman@usafa81.com

Class Website: www.usafa81.com

Member

Footballis in the airwith a new coach and fellowgraduate, the Falcons are rolling on. The team is on thewest sidelines. Thatputthevisiting on the noisier cadet/graduate side ofthe stadium and maybe willwake up the bigger west side. Go Falcons!

Anotherfairlyquietquarterfrom allofyou. Am I losingmytouch? I attended graduation forthe firsttime since 1981. The cadet we had sponsored for the pastfouryears graduated, so we went to many events. I compared notes with Dan Bell, who was attendinghis son’s graduation, and we both got a bit emotionalwatchingthe cadetsmarchinto the stadium. That was us 26years ago! BobTillemaretired atRamsteinAB inJune. Bob andhiswife,Julie, have settled in Oregon. Bob and I reminiscedaboutmeeting atArnoldHallduringParents’ weekendin 1977 and climbingthe mountain behind USAFA. RandyWorrall, our fine classVR sent me a linkthat shows our Class is at workin all kinds of placessupportingallkinds ofpeople. Dr. RichardTubb, the president’s doctor, supervised Bush’s colonoscopy, which a team fromthe Bethesdamedical center performed. Wayto go, Rich!

I received a nice email from Sean Bishop. He trained and ran in his first marathonthis Summerin SanDiego. Seanhadstartedtrainingforthe Denver marathonwhen we were firsties, but got hurt duringtraining. He felt it was now or never as the clockcontinued to click. Sean said thefirst 21 miles were not bad, but the lastfivemiles were a killer. Congratulations, Sean! Sean said he is feelingoldbecausehis daughteris now dating a Doolie. Nothingto worry about, Sean, thecadets are the same gentlemenwewere 30years ago as Doolies.

Tim Lawrence (grad), MurphyBishop (Sean’sdaughter), andSean Bishop.

I did receive a shortemail thatJaniceGunnoe-Hughes was backinthe States. She and Don were stayinginTexas, butplanningto come throughColorado to lookforproperty. She had said she would call, but... (I’ve heard that line before). Talk about feelingold, Ijustgotbackfrom my30th high school reunion inBellevue, NE. I had a blastandtalkedwithJimKiltyandGerardo Campbell.

BellevueHigh SchoolgradsReunion-JimKilty, Rich Trentman, andGerardo Campbell.

Jimlives outsideofChicago andfliesforNorthwest. He hasthreeyoung sons whichkeep him on his toes and slim. Gerardo lives in San Jose and promised to keep in better touch. Wejust missed RogerFoley, our valedictorian, who had been to Bellevue weeks earliervisitinghisparents. Theclass alsoremembered GlennTroster, anotherhigh schoolclassmate, who died in an F-111 crashin 1988.

Ofcourse thehighlightofthe Summer, was MartyandBecky France’s Bastille Dayparty. Martyhad quite the spread for his guests to include some great crepes (I was calling them burritos - couldhavebeenthewinetalking). There was plenty ofwine for all, too! It was a greatparty and Marty and Becky were fantastic hosts, as always. We took advantage ofthe moment to grab a quick ’81 photo.

Class of1982 25th Reunion

12-16September

USAFA vs. TCU

fewmonths to see allthe pictures and read all the news. And unfortunately, it won’tbe firsthand news, as the odds are veryhigh I’ll have to miss the reunion this time. Ellen and I are building a new house, and as projects like that tend to do, the closingdate is slipping. Currentprojectionsputit smackin the middle ofthe reunion! So, be sure to send me anyreunion news and photosASAPmy deadline is typicallyjust a couple weeks afteryou receive this issue.

Nonetheless, it’s been a verygood quarter for news, and I actuaEyhave more updates andpictures thanIhave room to print! So here we go...

Mike Sinisi has quite effectivelyassumed therole ofthe GreatCommunicatorbyestablishing a broad e-maElistthat beganwith a large handful offolks stationedinthe D.C. area.

It’s since expandedsignificantlyandis a greatwayto keep intouchwith a broad spectrum of our classmates. Ifyou’d like to be included, send a message to Mike at Mike_Sinisi@sra.com. Note that there is an underscorebetween his first and last name. Ifyou read last quarter’s columnyou knowMikehosted a lunch gatheringin D.C. back in March. Since then he’spulledtogether a similarget-togetherin May, and BG (Sel) Sharon Dunbar didthe same thing at Scott AFB whenMike was out there for a business trip in June. Here’s a picture ofthe assembly in Bellville, IF.

Bastille Dayparty-Rich andDebbie Trentman, Scott Trimboli (’80) and Lauri Cross, MartyandBeckyFrance.

MartyandBecky are currently on a tripthroughChina as I write this article. Classupdate. Ihave startedaddingprevious Checkpointsphotos as well as any others Ihave accumulated to theZoomieNationwebsite, Class of 1981 group. Anyofyou can do that, butIwill continue addingphotosfromthepastsixyears ofCheckpointsarticles. Iencourageallofyoutoregisterwiththesite. Go to the AOG’swebsite (www.usafa.org) andlookattheupperleftoffertheZoomieNation link. Also, registerwith the Class of1981 group. We can have class-onlythreads as weE as postinformation on upcoming events. ThatiswhereI’ve startedpostingpictures. I will also use the site to post minutes and info that I needyour feedbackon fromClass Senate meetings. The SenatemetinJuly, butfornow, we are a bitahead ofthe new BoardandwiEwaitforinformationto act on fromthe Augustboard. Ourclass giftcampaign is currentlyat$133,000 raised (toward our goal of$350,000) for the beautiful touch-screenlocatorbuildingalready buEtandlocated attheAcademycemetery. I askthatyou aE considergivingto this beautiful project that our class is sponsoringand I thankthose thathave alreadycommitted! Keepsendingme emaEsandregister onZoomieNation. ’81 Second to None! Thanks for aEyourhelp, kindwords, and support.

Jim Ratti 2860 Arbor Pointe Drive

Middletown, OH 45042 (937) 760-2333

rattijm@mindspring.com http://usafa82.org

GreetingsRedtags!

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By the time you read this, our 25th reunion will be history, but since my deadline is about a monthprior to the reunion,you’Ejusthave to wait another

I’ve gottenlots ofupdates thanks to these gatherings. Here’s a sampling.

ColPhEGibbons isthe USPACOMliaison at the Pentagon. TonyLazarskihas retired andis nowthe MEitaryFegislativeAssistant to SenatorInhofe as ofMay. Powell Wilson was promoted to VP at KartaTechnologies. Cynthia (Willis)

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ScottAFBMini- ’82reunionhostedbySharon Dunbar.

From left are CheckBeckwith (son is ajunior inWest Point), Dan Harrier (daughterjust finished freshmanyear), Scott Schlapkohl, Julie Keck, Mike Sinisi, Sharon (Greiman) Dunbar, DougDunbar, Barb Faulkenberry, Dan Rooney, Greg McKee, Mark Moran (former classmate) and Mark Furlong(formerclassmate).

Simmons separated in 1988, has been married 21 years, and works for Edge SpaceSystems, Inc. She’s currentlyworking on the design ofthe main science instrumentforthe next Mars rover. MarkLorenz retiredin Mayandmovedto C-Springs. Brian Nealis theAirliftGroup Commander (C-130Js) at MDANG in Baltimore. Cathy Clothier retired in July.

Bob Smith is (according to BG ‘ZanVautrinot) Robert E. Smith II, MD, and is an ophthalmologist at LasikPlus in Plano, TX. He was helping out at the eye clinic/surgical unit atWilford Hall (whichhestarted) when ‘Zanmetup with him. ‘Zan is over at Randolphand is the CommanderoftheAir Force Recruiting Service. She sends wordthat Carl Claus is now a contractor andworks in ‘Zan’sinfo systems office. Lisa Miller doesherReserveJAGtime atAETC HQs; Doc Kimminaulives downthe streetfrom ‘Zan;KayGrosinskeis anAF civilian over at Lackland; Kim Corcoran was visitingRandolph and managed nine holeswith ‘Zan. And now Bob Otto is ‘Zan’s next doorneighbor! She also told me thatBobRanckgotmarriedinJuly; Rich Simpsonis anAF Civilianworking inAETC/A2/A3; Cheryl Clark is flyingfor an airline (‘Zan didn’t say which one); andTammy Senz (married to Keith McMinn, also a grad) is flying for FedExand is up for 0-6 inherReservejob inWashington state.

DanaRichardwrote to tell me thatGaryHartretiredlast summer andis now teachingJROTC inTennessee. Danapinned on 0-6 inthe ReservelastJulyand wentback on duty as the SeniorMilitaryAdvisorforthe Human Capital Management Office ofthe Under Secretary ofDefense forIntelligence inJanuary ’07. He, hiswife and three kids live in Fairfax Station,VA.

Bill Harding sentthisphoto and an update on all our classmateswho are out at the Space andMissile Center (SMC) in L.A.

Delane is on his third tour at SMC and Center’s Director of FinancialManagementandComptroller. Lisais enjoyingherfourthyearback inLosAngeles. HusbandTroyis a GulfstreamVpilot and lisais an attorneyfor the CIA. Lisais also serving as a JAGintheA.F. Reservesworking(ironically) for Bill Harding’sbrother. Robertabecame the first ever SMC ChiefScientistlast October. She advises Space and Missile System Center (SMC) Commander andAFSPC Commander on keytechnical issues surroundingforce modernization. Kenny’s the Commander oftheGlobal Positioning System (GPS) Control Segment Group, a $3 billion portfolio. He’s directing the first-ever complete overhaul ofthe entire GPS C2 system in the historyofthe program. Kennyandwife, Barbara, have three sons, one ofwhom was at the USAFAPrep School. He was lookingforward to an appointment andplayingVarsitySoccer as a DooliethisFall. Mark’s the ChiefEngineerofthe GPS SystemsWing. Mark’s eldest son is a midshipman in the Class of2010 at the NavalAcademy—the entire family can still agree on one service academyrivalrycheer, “BeatArmy!” Johnhasbeen on site one year as theVice Commanderfor Space Based InfraredSystems (SBIRS)Wing. He’s slated to take commandoftheWingthis summer, so he’sgotthefattestwallet (although Delane can add all ofthe dollars up since he’s the comptroller). Bill is commanding the Protected Satellite CommunicationsGroup andistheProgramManagerforMR STAR,AdvancedEHF and PolarMilsatcom. Hiswife (CharleneJardin’85) retiredright at the20-year point and takes care oftheirfourkids.

J. B. Smith sent a note from Santiago, Chilewhere he’s the MilitaryGroup Commander (a.k.a. SecurityCooperationOfficer) at theAmerican Embassy. He’s therewith his wife, Cathie, andfourdaughters, and he told me that Rock McDonough was there as theAF Section Chiefuntilhe retired earlierthisyear. Rock and his family movedback to Fredericksburg,VA, and he is now employedbyL-3 Communications. DougRehder emailed to saythathis son Josh is intheclassof2010. He sent anice pictureofhimselfandJosh on theterrazzo, butI’m out ofroom to printit thisgo-round. Dougis a checkairman forFedEx andlives in Memphiswith hiswife and kids.

Chaplain (Col) GregTate sent thispicture ofhimselfandColCarlaGammon fromA1 DhafraAirBase in UAE.

Col Carla Gammon and Chaplain (Col) GregTate atAlDhafra, UAE.

Greg is the USCENTAF Command Chaplain, and Carla is the 380th EMSG (ExpeditionaryMission SupportGroup) Commander. Gregserved the first 14 years aftergraduation as a line officerbeforebecoming a chaplainin 1996. He’s found his new career path to be veryfulfilling and rewarding, and is enjoying his stint as Command Chaplainimmensely.

Justbefore deadline I was notifiedbytheAOG ofthe death ofour classmate JamiePuig. Theyhad no details at all, exceptto saythatJamiepassed away on 31 July. Jamie was an exchange cadetfromVenezuelaand returned there after graduation. Perhapsbypress timetherewillbe a bit more info. I’m sure I speak for all ofus whenIsay our thoughts and prayers are withJamie’sfamily at this difficult time.

Until nexttime,keep the news flowingthiswayandabove all, be safe. Ratman

Mindboggling as it maybe, it was 28years ago, give or take a fewweeks, that we started our doolieyear attheZoo. JimmyCarterwas President,JohnLennon was alive, andTom the Comm ruled the terrazzo.

Hmmm, 28 years.What’sthe statute oflimitations fortalking aboutthe tunnels and stufflike that? Does anyone know?Perhaps I’lljustnip this tangentin the bud until I find out. I’ll tellyou about some of our classmates instead.

JeffBarnsonwrote in to Checkpointsfor the first time ever to relate a story that’s prettymuch guaranteed to makeyou feel old. He recentlyflewintoAfghanistan on a C-17 and his IP was none other thanfellow dink GregBailey, Class of2000, the son ofa guyJeffflewRF-4swith atAlconburybackin the ’80s. For your viewing pleasure, here’s a pic of Jeff and some other grads in Zoombagistan.

Jeff is currently deployed as the 376th Air ExpeditionaryWingVice Commander at ManasAB, Kyrgyzstan, and is quailed (is that a realverb?) in the KC135 and C-17.When he’s backhome in the good old U.S.A., he flies 757s and 767sforUPS andisViceWingCommanderofthe 452nd AMW He and Kellyhave four daughters.

About as faraway as you can getfrom Kyrgyzstan, the crew and I gottogether with ChuckJones and his familyhere in L.A. forthe 4th ofJuly.We ordered up some Indian food and a few pitchers of3.2 beer and watched classicA-Hall WednesdayNightmovies on his outdoorbig screen projector.

Afewweeks before, Chuckand a sizeable portion ofa 28* Squadron reunion partyhad called me up from somewhere out east on a Fridaynight, around midnight Pacific time (2 a.m. or whatever on their end) and to be honest,

BillHardingand the Space Cadets.

Picturedinthephoto are DelaneAguilar, lisa (Tyman) Miller, RobertaEwart, Bill Harding, Mark Crews andKennyRobinson. JohnAmrine was TDY, so he isn’t pictured.

ZoombagsinKyrgyzstan: Tim Cowan ’06,JasonFullmer '04, SonnyLeMasters ’88,JeffBarnson ’83, RobertReed ’93, GabeArrington ’03, andPaul Gagliordi, '03.

although I enjoyedthe callimmensely, all I rememberofit are brief, rambling conversations with Errol “E.I. Lewis, Dan “Number 3” Smith, John Koch and a couple ofother crazy Magpies. Was Cliff“Wolfie” Thompson among them? Quitepossibly.

I saw Mark Hagemanwhile the family and I were in London last summer. Hage is stillthetiberlawyer - flying around Europe, makingdeals andlivingin theheartofLondon’s financialdistrict. Infact, you can almost see hispadfrom the top ofSt. Paul’s. Naturally, Hage and I gottogetherfor a pint or three at one ofmyoldwateringholes, The MadCow, where Hagebetrayedhis continental loyaltiesbymatchingpints ofEuro lagers to myEnglish bitters.

Stu andHagein London.

Joe Banna sent an update fromAirWarCollege, where he andfellowReservistRustyMuncy are representingthe Class of’83bydemandinglatelights and E.I. on a dailybasis. Besidesbeing aJAG/IMAinthe Reserves, Joerecentlyreceived a degree in chemistryandwillbeheadingback to Spokane afterAWC to teachhighschool, introducingimpressionableyoung anarchists to thewonders of explosive chemical reactions. He andhis wife have two daughters, Stephanie (20) andMelanie (18).

RustyMuncyandwife,Angie, will be moving to Grissom AFB where he’ll be DeputyDog for the AFR KC-135 wing. AndwithhisfreshlymintedAWC diploma, hejustmaybethe bigDO bythe time you read this.

Incidentally, whilewanderingaround areas ofMaxwellAFB that are offlimits to cadets, Joe and Rusty ran into Paul“Ice” Berg, who, afteryears oftoiling in the mail room, is now the editor ofAir& Space PowerJournal. Paul and Cindyhave threeyoung daughters: Emily,Allison, andJoslyn.

You’dthinkJoe andRustywouldbe thelast two Bohicans throughAWC, but Joehears Kathy(Strand) Johnsonwill be attending nextyear. Kathyis already living at MaxwellAFB, where husbandWade (’81) is Dean ofStudents. Good dealsforcadets, man- Kathybetterbe a DG. She andWadehave twoyoung‘uns, Brice (who graduatedfromtheZoo thisyear) andKallyn, who’s now a 2 Degree.

After spending sixmonths in Iraqlastyear, HarryConleyis back atWrightPat, where he’s an 0-6 in charge ofthe CapabilitiesIntegrationOffice, which is exactlywhat I’d name an organization ifI didn’t want anyone to figure out whatthat organizationwas actuallydoing. Harry, Marcia and theirkids Kevin (10) andKimberly (12) plan to stayintheDayton area once Harrywraps up his quarter-centuryAF stint.

Overjoyed to find any excuse to return to his beloved USAFA, RayBlust recentlydropped offhis son Matthew (15) attheAcademy Soccer SportsCamp, and reports Doug“Spirit” Hill is the new head coach for men’s soccer. (Hey, where’s that photo, Ray?)

Duringhisvisit, Raystayed with Ellen and JeffFiebig, whose son recently finished prep schooland is now sufferingwith the rest ofthe smacks in the Class of2011. DaughterDaniellefinishedhighschool earlyis startingherfreshman year at CSU.

Rayalso reports seeing our oldDel Rio UPT bud Cleve McCray on theflight backfrom Colorado. Cleve was the FO on theflight andhasbeenwithAirTran about two years afterretiringfromtheAF in 2003. He lives in theAtianta area andhas two sons, ages 13 and 16.

Charlie Garciais stillfinding new and interestingways to enhancehis portfolio, this time byproducing a DVD called EveryParent Can RaiseSuccessful Children. IworkedwithCharlie on puttingtogetherthe cover and inserts for the Englishlanguage edition, but couldn’t get him to include mytop idea for raising successful kids: make ’em march tours on Sundayafternoons.Whoa! Amazinghowjusttypingthat can elicitpowerful flashbacks to the tour pad.

TheAir Force mayhave its perks, like dining ins and hops to Guam, but so does advertising-likecompedsubscriptions to Spin and Dwelland parties at the PlayboyMansion. The latestwas a crazy one, andbefore I made my standard getawayto the game room, I bumped into one ofHef's three girlfriends, Kendra, of TheGirlsNextDoor. Fortunately, I’dmade friendswith thehead of securityearlierin the evening, so all was cool.

Backat theMansion!

On a final note, Phil Lanman’s dad, Ron (’59) emailed me a terrific eulogyfor GeneralTallman, who was Ron’sAOC at LowryAFB back in 1955, before the move to C-Springs. Ron reports that Phil, Karen and their five kids are currentlytrainingfor an assignment to China in 2008.

ArmymanWadeWheeler (wwade83@verizon.net) writes the next class news article, and has a groovytheme in mind for his column: let’s track down our “lost” classmates - the ones that apparentlyfell offthe map and stilllisttheir first assignment as their current address. Seewhoyou can locate andsendthe info toWade. Rod Richelieu - I’mhuntin’ you down, bro.

Mike Jensen

12035 Milam Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80908 (800) GO-AFA-GO

michaeljensen@remax.net

www.usafa84.com

35% Members

It is eitherfeast or famine on the updates! I forgot to send out a request so I receivedexactlywhatI askedfor... nada!Please drop me a line atmichaeljensen @remax.net so I canpostyourupdates on ourwebbloghttp://usafa84.blogspot .com/.

The football season has started under theTroyCalhoun era with a nicevietoryagainst South Carolina State. This season should be a bunch offunwith out-of-conference trips to Navy and Notre Dame. Let me knowifyouwill be at eitherofthose.Thereisalso a trip set up fortheNotre Dame gamewith a two-nightstay on MichiganAvenue in Chicago. Itwas a litde strange not seeingFisherDeBerry on the sideline forthefirsttime since wewere Doolies. Therehave been manycoachingchanges this year, and “so far so good.”

Fromtheleftcoast andJoeCalderon:We have 10 Division 1 teams participating in the firstAirForceAcademyDesert Classic (Nov. 9-11) atIndianCanyonsResortinPalm Springs. TheAguaCaliente Indianshave agreed to sponsorthe event and CongresswomanMaryBono has agreed to be the gracious host.We will also have three other Congressional members in the field barringlastminute schedulechanges. The tournamentwillbegin on the 9thof Novemberwith a College-Am (scrambleformat). Athreesomewill be paired with a collegeplayerfrom one ofthevisiting teams... the daywill endwith a BBQ and auction. As a benefit, theAcademyhas donatedlastyear’sAirForce Academy game footballjerseys to raise moneyfor the event. Wewill actually customizethejerseywith a name tag! Ifinterestedpleasegetin touchwithJoe atjkcalderon@aol.com.

Keepyourselves andyourfamilysafe, havefun, sendupdates, and GO FALCONS! jens

Frank “Q.” Williams

13209 Topsfield Court Herndon, VA 20171 (703)657-3227

USAFA1985@aol.com

36% Members

Hi everybody!

Let’s getright to it. Thomas Coleman sent an e-mail statingthathe is in his thirdyear at the USAFA Prep School teaching math and coachingfootball. Thomasalso statedthathehas a daughtergoingto CSU andhis son andyoungest daughter are attending Lewis Palmer HighSchool. Thomas passedalong thatCraigBarksdaleflieswithUnitedin Davis, CA. Thomas also passedalong

thatChip Skinneris in Michiganflyingwith Northwest. He hasbeenintouch withMichael Hoolihanand sent a couple ofpictures ofthemfrom a Newport Beachvacation.

Michael “Hoolie” Hoolihan also sent an e-mail and tried to send a fewpictures, including a couple ofhimselfwith Thomas Coleman, but the pictures didn’twork out. Fortunately, the pictures thatThomas sentworked out. Anyway, this was Hoolie’s firstsubmission for a Checkpointsupdate! Hoolie said he’s living in CostaMesa, CAthese days and is officially“retired” fromtheAir Force this pastApril ’07 with over 20 years! Hoolie said he never would have thought that he’d make it to retirement. Afterall, he saidhe startedwith a handful ofus in 1980 at the USAFA Prep School. Hoolie’s finally closing the military chapter now. He said “It seemed like it was justyesterday when he saw me wearing a “Green” baseballhat in B Squad tryingto say“Yes sir, No sir,” andtrying to stay out ofsightof thelocalupperclassmenthat came downto train us. Hoolie went on to state thathe’shadthepleasure offlyingwith Steve Dye this pastJune. Hoolie and Steve are flying out ofAnchorage,AKthese dayswith Fedexand got to fly a trip with one another. Steve got onwithFedexabout ayearago to flycargo! Hoolie said Steve gotinthe right seat ofthe MD-11 (theycall itthe PurpleNuggetprogram) andtheyfinallygot paired up to fly a trip together. Hoolie said he’s also had the chance to spend some timewithTom Coleman (T.C.) over the4thofJulyandgotto see him and hisfamilydownatthe NewportBeach, BeachHouse theyalways rent out every 4th. Hoolie saidhe had a greattime, especiallysince he was able to getthe day offas a realjuniorCapt! Hooliewrappedup bysayingthathe’slookingforward to seeingeveryone at one oftheFalconFootball games thisyearandhe hopes thebestforCoach Calhoun andthe “MightyFalcons!”

CaptainMichael“Mike” Taylor, USN, sent an update fromhis deployedlocation. He’s several months into his deployment now. He said in case you heard this, all oftheforces that were requested are now on the ground in Iraq and operating. Mike said on a day-to-daybasis, there are improvements in a lotofareas but you all probably never hear aboutAnbar Province any more. Mike said itwasn’t thatlong ago when someone said the province was allbut lost. But today, he says it could not be furtherfrom thetruth. Mike said there is a real success storythere, with triballeaders andvillage elders coming forward and encouraging their followers to cooperate with the Iraqi Security Forces and the Coalition. Mike said he sees life returning to the area. Mike admits there are still issues to be worked, but it is no longerthe safe havenfor extremists and terrorists that it was before. He said from his point ofview, GeneralPetraeus’ plan is takinghold. But Mike isn’t spendingallofhis time at the embassy. He saidhe hadthe opportunityto go to Central Command Forward Headquarters in Qatar... 10 days down in lovelyQatar. Mike said ternperature is about 120 on most days, andweeds don’t even growdown there.

OncehereturnedfromthePepsi400 atDaytona, FL, myfavoriteNASCARfan and a former roommate Lt Col (Col-Sel) Keith Lambert sent an e-mailwith some news for Checkpoints. Keith said he departed DMAFB (and 563rd Rescue Group Deputy Commander position) to PCS to a joint assignment at SOCKOR (SpecialOps Command - Korea) as the DeputyCommander. Keith saidit’s a two-yearaccompanied tour, so he got to take his familywithhim.

MatthewBridgers, anotherformerroomy, sent an e-mail. Matthewhasbeen doing a great deal oftravel thisyear. Matthewsaidhe’sbeen on trips to London and to Singapore.

Robert Gilmore sent an e-mail. He congratulated me on reachingretirement and provided some information on a possiblejob. Thanks Robert.

GeorgeWeathersby called. George said to pass alongthat he is still on extended active dutywith dutyinAlgiers andYemen. George saidhe should get backto the states bytheendofSeptember. Once George getsback, he’ll return to his civilianjob at DIA.

Since Iretiredfromthemilitarythis summer, I am thankfulforthejob opportunities that I’ve been offered in the Colorado Springs, CO area and in the MetroWashington, DC area. Ultimately, I accepted a job withThe Boeing Companyin Herndon,VA. The nightbefore myfirst day on thejob, Charles “Ched” Jones, another former roommate, and I met fordinner and got to catch up on things. And Ched insisted on picking up the tab. Thanks again Ched!

Well, that’s all for now. Take care. Q

Bob “Cactus” Colella

9301 Harness Horse Court Springfield, VA 22153 H:(703) 455-3176

rkascolella@cox.net

Robert.colella@js.pentagon.mil

45% Members

Ian saidit’s a veryprofessionallychallengingandrewardingjob, butthefam-

is a real

He said at least his

is

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEYHELPS FUND CADETWING PROGRAMSTHAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL THE AOG FOR INFO.

Attention to Orders! ’86ers make 0-6 in large droves - let’s do some math: 28 June 1982,1,483 arrive at USAFA. On28Mayl98665%or961graduate. Today, 376remain on active duty (140 are in the active Guard/Reserve). Ofthat numher, 69 are promoted “in the zone” to full Colonel. That’s 4.65% ofthe 1,483 who started thejourney—that’s pretty impressive (I know, there are folkswho are already0-6s on active duty/Guard/Reserve so the percentage is actually higher, butworkwith me, I have a dayjob)

So here’s to the 5%, the guyswho obviouslycould rememberthepost at noon mealand can stillrecite Schofield’squote andbetweenthenandthenhavealways askedifanyone else at thetablewouldlike anotherservingofdessertbefore takingthe last pricelessslice!—RandyAllen, JamesAndersen, FredArmstrong, Fred Bacon, Thomas Bailey, George Birsic, Scott Bishop, Scott Blum, Dean Bridger (not a singleupdate in 21 years to the Registerof Graduated. Wayto keep itundertheradarDean!),ToddBrooks,EugeneBrown, Dave Buckman, CraigCampbell, ByronClay, Jon-ChaseDeClerck,Vic Diaz, JohnDucharme,VinceFeck,TodFingal,JeffFrankhouser,Von Gardiner,Fred

Fromleftare Michael “Hoolie’'Hoolihan and Thomas Coleman.

Lt Col Ian Dickinson sent an e-mailwith a couple ofpictures. Ian saidhe is still active and currentlyserving atA1 Udeid as the DirectorofC4 Systems for theAirForce Forces in tiretheater. Here’s a picture ofIaninstalling some fiber optic cable.

LtColIan Dickinson workinga fiberproject.

ilyside

drawback.

family

happilysetded in their home outside D.C. and enjoyingthe brand new secondaryschool across the main street. The picture is thefrom a dinnerdowntown. Lt ColJohn Hilbing, our classmatewho works with Ian out there as Chiefor their Comm Support Team, is seated on theend ofthe table.

FromleftareLtColsJoeTichich, WardWalker, Graham Smith, Norm Eckert, Ian Dickinson, MonicaKopf, TammyKnierim, andJohnHilbing.

Gaudlip, James Griffith,William Hack, RobertHolba, AndrewDavid Ingram, DouglasJames, DimasalangFerrerJunio, Rob Kaufman,JohnKress, KirkLear, PeterLee, David Maharrey, Dennis Malfer, DennyMcDevitt, JohnMcDevitt, GeorgeMenker, Dan Miller, JohnMiller, RobertMonroe, DavidMorgan,John Oates, Lee Pera, Thomas Porterfield, RickyRodgers, Ernie Rodriquez, Tom Ruby, James Ryan, Jimmie Schuman, Todd Scott, JeffSmith, Dan Sny, Joel Speight, Chris Stockton, Jeff Swegel, John Taylor, Russell Eugene Taylor, MichaelTherianos,JoseTorres, ScottTurner, FrankVanHom, Mark“Villian” Vidmar, RogerVincent, JamesWertz, DavidWiegand,AlbertWilliams, Russell Wilson, GeorgeZaniewski, andAnthonyZucco. (Forgive me ifI didn’tgetthe cross check 100% accurate, I am certain I missed at least a fewladies due to name changes andmyusual inattention to detail.) Here’s a photo ofthe Class Scribe and Col SelectDiaz at St. Louis Cardinals Baseball game is 100 degree heat/humidity)

Cactus andVicDiaz

Andwiththat,perennial remote deployerGaryBurgchecks inwith us on his wayto his favorite Hot Spot (ifthere’s been one in the past 21 years, Garyhas been there) A1 Udeid (as a result, the whole Scribe rotation is thrown completelyoff, as I am doingdouble duty so no update onAnn Gomey!) : “Cactus, (that’s me, the scribe) thanks forcovering me once again. I’mback at thefront for the nextyear andjustthoughtI’d drop you a line concerningmytravels to theAOR. Duringthelayoverin Baltimore, I hookedup withJay‘Spalding’ be a rematch on myway back to Alaska next August. I also heard from Frank ‘Boom Boom’ Rossi-just out ofNWC and offto Hawaii:”

“Bob, We are now settled, for the most part since we still have a couple of boxes to unpack, in Hawaii. We were veryfortunate to be offered a four-bedroom house on HickamAFB alongthe channelthatleads to Pearl Harbor. (In civilian speakthat means we liveveryclose to HonoluluInternationalAirport on the island ofOahu.) Navyships pass by our house everyday, especially submarines, and Shannon is afraid oflosingherboys to the Navy. Fortunately theHawaiiAirNationalGuardflies F-15Cs fromHickam so we have something to counter all ofthe Navyinfluence. We are now accepting reservations up through Summer2009. Flere’s our new contact info: 603 JulianAve, Honolulu HI 96818, (808) 744-1017, FROSSI@hawaii.rr.com.”

“HeyBob! Justread the Checkpoints, so I thought I would sendyou a quick note. (DearReader, please note, this couldbeyou inthe next issue!)Tommyis stillwith Boeing, and we are stillbanished to California. He is actuallygoing to behome for once, for a monthinJulyto getchecked out intheBoeing737. He is also in his second semester ofhis MBAwith Pepperdine. Thanks for being scribe; I enjoyingreading all the notes. (Actualtext!) Also, Rob Sloanis back on flying status which is a hugeblessing, so it seems his medical condition is improvinggreatlyeveryday!

I heardfrom our webmaster EdYong as well: “Good day. Been a littlewhile since I gaveyou some inputfor Checkpoints. All iswell at OffuttAFB. As far as I know, there are just two ofus’86ers here-JeffBlank (CS-40) and me (CS-38). Jeffwent and retiredlast fall andisworking as a contractor through MIT’s LincolnLab. I am expectingkidnumberfourinDecember2007. Bythattime, Iwill have kids 16,14,8, and a newborn.”

FYI—TheAOGhas established a ClassAdvisorySenatewhichis nowup and mnningand providinginput to theAOGBoard ofDirectors. Our representative is Mike Meader - email at msmeader@comcast.net. Mike could use your thoughts and opinions on current issues facing theAcademyandtheAOG; right now they are preparingrecommendations on the issue ofanAOGFoundation,AOG restmcturing, revision ofAOGBy-Laws, thehonor code, andthe results oflastyears’ member survey.

Lastly, sad news to pass along - 1 got a reportthat Rob Lucka, CS-34, passed away on 22July2007. Condolences maybe sent to his familyin care ofhiswife Gayle: Mrs. Gayle C Lucka, 325 Pickwick Court, Noblesville, IN 46062-9071.

Keep those cards andletters comingandjointheAOG - over to Garyforthe Christmas Update fromA1 Udeid. Bob

Visit the AOG Web Site

Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More! www.usafa.org

Ezra Vance

7320 Brixham Circle

Castle Rock, CO 80108

Home: (303) 6885431

Work: (303) 304-1287

ezravance@motorola.com

doctorvance@hotmail.com

Wings FromHeaven!

41% Members

ATTENTION INTHEAREA! ATTENTION INTHEAREA! CCQspleasepost!

At 0730 hours onWednesday, October 18th 2007, the United StatesAir Force Academywillwelcome back onto its premises, the outstandinggraduates of the Class of 1987. The Class of 1987, in partnership with theAssociation of Graduates, will hosttheAcademy’s most distinguished class for its 20thYear Reunion.

Distinguished Classmates! This is likelyyour final notice to contact your classmates, registeryourselfandyour significant others and to finalize plans to attendyour one and only 20th Reunion. Inthis edition, I will highlightthe activities that are planned and appropriate contact infermationforyouto getregistered. Please contact as manyclassmates as you know or care about and make sure that they havethis information. Please do yourpart and reach out to your classmates and getthem to USAFAfor our REUNION. In addition, there is not a better opportunityforyou to finallyjoin theAOG.

TheClass of1987has selectedthe CrownePlazaHotel (formerlythe SheratonofColorado Springs) to bethehostsite of our reunion, class receptions anddinners. The Air Force Football teamwillbe athome againstWyoming on Saturdaythe 20th underthe guidance ofour new head coach,TroyCalhoun. GoAirForce, Buckthe Cowboys. Yeah Buck’em! Abriefoutline ofreunion events follows. October 17thRegistration at Doolittle Hall. October 18th - Registration continues. ’87 Golf Tournament. Lunchwiththe CadetWing.APrep SchoolMini-Reunion in the afternoon andthe ClassWelcomeReceptionwillbeheldinthe evening at the CrownePlaza. October 19th -AcademyOpenHouse. ABuffetLunch atDoolittle Hall. USAFAUpdateBriefings. Class photograph. Memorial Ceremony. Class Socialand Dinner at the Crowne Plaza. October20th - Class of1987 Reunion tailgateparty, AF vsWyomingFootball game. Post game party at Falcon Stadium and a Class of’87 all-nighter at the Crowne Plaza to catch up and say goodbye. Squadron,TeamandClub socials are also beingplannedforthe 20th so contactyour appropriaterepresentative forcomplete details. You can also checkthe 1987 Classwebsite atwww.usafa.orgfordetails.

To registerforthereunion, you should go to www.usafa.org, Class Reunions, 1987. You can eitherregister online or print the forms and mailthem to the address listed. Ifyou do not have access to thewebsite, please contact Lani Wing at (719)-472-0300, ext. 136 or Lani.wing@aogusafa.org and shewill be happyto assistyou. Hotel Reservations can be made directlybycontacting the Crowne Plaza.

Administrative notes: Updateyour contact information and help us find anyonewho is missingatwww.usafa.org/reunion/1987/1987.aspx.Sendyour current photos digitally to (betman5@comcast.net) so we can build a great

Class of198720th Reunion

17-21 October

USAFA vs. Wyoming

night ofentertainment. Help Malia Spranger (Bell) SprangM@socom.milby volunteeringto be a SquadronPOC.We’llgiveyouthe names andinfo—youcall. Charitable Giving. The 20th Reunionwill present our class with the biggest “gifting” opportunitythat we will likelyhave to givebackto ourAlma Mater. While a healthydebate is alreadyunderway as to howbest to give our contribution to theAcademyandinwhatform our class gift should take, itis critical thateach ofus lookdeeplyas to whatisthemaximum amountthat we can give to theAcademy on the occasion ofour 20th reunion. Some twentyfouryears ago, we accepted an appointmentfrom theUnited StatesAir ForceAcademy and started our professional careers. When we go back to visit theAcademy after our reunion, our legacywill be representedbythe “Gift” that we bestow upontheAcademythis fall. Please do allthatyou can to help our class reach its fundraisinggoals. OurClass Committee has set a modest goal of$100Kfor our class contribution. That goalrepresents slightly more than $100 perperson. Ofcourse, not every classmate will give and not everyclassmatewill be reached or will attend the reunion, so to be successful in our fundraising effort, it is critical that everyperson give as much as theypossibly can.

Afewlast thoughts on attending the Reunion! Everybody that comes to their20th has a greattime—everybody. Ask any ofyour friends from other classes, even otheracademies; this is thereunion to takepartin. Youwillhave the satisfaction ofseeing many ofyour classmates. We have a tremendous amountto be thankfulfor; let’s celebrate together, again. Blockthe time, get a loved one to watch thekids, bookyourflight, reserve yourroom—be here for the 20th on the 20th! Remember, ifthere’s only one reunionyou’ll attend in yourlife, this is it!

Abriefupdate from our classmates. JeffCliatt

in this picture ofhim, Greg Miller and Eric Oistad

BuenosAires. They are shown herewith the USAFR’s first C-40 aircraft.

Finally, Scott Hoffman sent in this picture of '87 graduates who attended SouthwestAirlinesFirstOfficerTraininginMay. Brad Bartels, KerrySelf, Chuck Steeves, Kevin Parr, Scott Hoffman and Dave Burris. KenArcoleo has also joinedSouthwestAirlines buthad alreadyleftHQ for“the line” and missedthis Checkpointsphotoopportunity. All seven ’87ers are proud to have served and excited about starting a “new” life with another fine organization.

the 89AWatAndrews. KirkMontgomery, Chris Hope, RayRabano,TimMatson, andMikeJoyalallthe flythe C-32 and Stanley“Butch” ChmuraisintheC-40... at anyrate they are all flyingAir ForceTwo. Tim and Rayretired atthe end ofMay. ButchretiredinJulyandthe rest ofthem are still hanging on for a while. Tim is going to flytheAirbus for Frontier and Rayand Butch are going to Southwest. Stayingaround inthe 1 st AS is Kirk (DO), Mike (DS) and Chris (DOV).

From left are Brad Bartels, Kerry Self, Chuck Steeves, Kevin Parr, Scott Hoffman andDaveBurris.

As the autumn leaves begin show to showtheir colors and football is once again in the air, Iwouldlike to encourage each and every one ofyou to attend our 20th reunion andhelp make it an event that we will cherishforever. There are so manyfond memories and funnystories to share. There were so many difficulttimes that we helped each otherthroughandkept each othergoing. It wouldbe a shame foryou to miss this tremendous opportunityto re-connect with some ofthe bestfriends you ever had and to make new friendships that will last our lifetimes. Until then, may God Bless you andyour families and keepyousafe and out ofharm’sway. CCQs Please Post! On Oct 18th-20th, there willbe a fly-byoftheClass of1987, thefinest class to have ever graduatedfrom USAFA. Mandatoryfunwill be had and foodwill be provided. COMMAND POST OUT!

Mark Peters

2437 Bedford Circle Bedford, TX 76021-1823

(817) 937-9696

pylt@yahoo.com

Hello 88!

39% Members

As usual, a classmate saves the dayforyour scribe. JoAnne Pinneywas kind ofenough to fill me in on just about all the ’88ers she’s seen since graduation. This is a true gift as I thinkshe’s seen about halfthe class; so many, in fact, that I’ll have to save some ofher contacts for next time. “Ijust received my Checkpoints, and I thinkit’s criminal thatyou don’thave more inputs from our classmates (includingmyself). So, I’m going to inundate you with all ofmy grad encounters over the pastyear or so.

“I’m stationed atTinkerAFB managingthe depot-level sustainmentfor allAF Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems worldwide. It’s a prettybusy (and stressful)job, but I am enjoyingit andOklahoma City. I think I’ll be here for another year or so.

“Alittle over ayearago, I was flyingbackfromaTDYthrough Denver on United. As we got on boardandtook our seats, the CaptainannouncedthatheandBrianKlinkwere inthecockpit flying our plane! I thoughtit was so coolthatmyclassmate/ squadronmate was at the controls. After we landed, Brian andI had a chance to chatforabout an hour or so. Hetold me that he and his familylived in Denver and thathe had been flying forUnitedfor a number ofyears. It was great to catch up with him.

“Lastyear, I deployed as part ofan AEF rotation to Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar and was there from Sep 05 until Mar 06. While I was deployed, I ran into a few fellow USAFA grads I knew. Tim ‘Schroeder’ Rockwell (’87), Steve ‘Stinky’ Redmond (’87) and Ray Cirasa (’94) were deployed to the same office that I was. Tim’s an F-15 driverstationed in Elmendorf. He andhis familyloveAlaska, and hejustrecentlybegan a stint as the 11 AF Exec. Steve was gettingreadyto retirewhenthe deploymentwas over. He andhis family own some propertyin the Colorado mountains andtheirplan was to start their own white-waterraftingbusiness. Rayandhis family are stationed at Eglin, where Rayworks in the Logistics Readiness Squadron.

“While I was in Qatar, I went over to A1 Udeid frequently, and ran into Mike Mattke. Mike andI were dools together, andIhad not seen himsince we graduated. He is in the Reserves as a C-130 Nav, buthis ‘real’ job is as an engineerfor a company in Bethlehem, PA. We had a great time catching up and trying to

sent

in

From left are GregMiller, JeffCliattandEric Oistadin BuenosAires.

AndyTaylor sent a briefnote to let us knowthathe is nowlivinginAlexandria, VA and is theBranch Chief, Combat Forces Training at the National Guard Bureau. KirkMontgomeryalso sent his regards fromAndrewsAFB. Thereare currenfiysix ’87grads in

Fromleftare KirkMontgomery, MikeJoyal, ChrisHope, Butch Chmura, Tim Matson andRayRabano.

remember all the crazythings thathappened to us as four-degrees. AtTinker, IworkwithTobyhannaArmyDepot in Pennsylvania so I was able to visitwith Mike again aftermydeploymentwhile TDYto the state. Backto QatarI found out that Chris Claywas a pilot in Mike’s C- 130 squadron and we spent some time catchingup. His ‘real’ job is flyingfor United out ofDenver.

“SoonafterI returnedfrom my deployment I had a TDYto ScottAFB. Iwas able to hookupwith myroommate, JackieVanOvost, andherhusband,Alan, and we had a great time catching up over margaritas and Mexicanfood. Of course, fackie is already an 0-6 andtheywillbePCSingto RandolphAFB soon. I had not seen Jackie since the reunion, and it was so cool to see her andAlan. Duringthattrip to Scott, I was supposed to gettogetherwithPaul LoBue and hiswife, Heather, buttheywere unavailable thatweekbecause Heatherwas in thehospitaldeliveringtheirsecond daughter.

“Also around that time, I had aTDYto LangleyAFB. MyTDYhappened to coincidewiththe LangleyAirShow so I took an extra dayto enjoythe activities. While I was there, George ‘Buster’ Stamperinvited me to a functionthat his office was having(theyhad a greatviewoftheThunderbirds practice the day before). I gotto hang outwithhimand meethisfamily. Hehas sincePCSdback to theAcademywhere he isworkingwiththe flyingprogram.

At myrequest, Jo Anne sent me an update from theAOR. “Greetings from Baghdad! I deployed here in June to workwith the NATO Training MissionIraq (NTM-I). Ourmissionis to advise the IraqiTraining and Doctrine Command as they are rebuilding theirmilitary. Because it’s NATO, we workwith the militaryfrommanyothernations, as well. Deployedwith me at NTM-I is Katie (Callahan) Welch. I’m theJ4 here, and she’s theJ6.

“I was lookingfor a photo to sendyou with both ofus in it. Unfortunately, allI couldfindwas this one from one ofour staffmeetings—notthe bestphoto for either ofus, butitputs us together. I’m on theleft, and Katie is on the right. It’s prettywildthat two ofthe ‘J-Heads’ here are female USAFA grads from the same year consideringthat all ofthe division chiefs comprise a mixofpeople from differentnations and different services.

“Joe Mazurwas here inthe IZwith me butheleftinAugust. I was onlyable to see him a fewtimes, as he was crazybusy. HeworkedfortheJointContracting Command-Iraq (JCC-I) and spent a lot oftime puttingslides together on Iraqi progress that went back to Joint Staff. Since he had only about a month left before he rotatedback, he left me a lot of‘goodies’ one ofwhich was a USAFA flag. I nowhave ithangingproudlyin myoffice atwork (ok, geeky, I know!).

“One ofthefewthings I do for‘entertainment’ is thatI’mpart oftheBaghdad cigar club. It’s a good group ofguys who gettogether everyother Saturday evening to smoke a goodcigar. I was at the club meeting two nights ago, and I saw a guythatlookedfamiliarto me. Wetalked, anditturns outthatitwas Greg “Z” Zehnerfrom our class. He’sclose to finishingayear-longtourwithMNSTCICAFTT andwillPCS to thePentagonwhenhe returns. He’s beenflyingA-10s and F-117s since graduation and is doingverywell.

Lastly, George “Buster” Stamperis the commanderofthe 306 OSS and he’s taking charge of our reunion planning; he could sure use some help from other ’88ers at USAFA, Peterson, and Fort Carson—pleasespread theword. Although it helps, contributors don’thave to be local. He’llwelcome allideas and inputs. Buster’s contact info is: DSN 333-9315; 719-333-9315; george.stamper@usafa.af.mil.

Whew, whatwould we do without classmates like JoAnne and Buster? It’s your turn now so please send me an update soon!

Paul W. Tibbets, IV

854 Westover Road Whiteman AFB, MO 65305

Home: (660) 563-3095

E-mail: p2a2@charter.net

yearreunion, the goalis to honor our classmatesandgivesomethingbackto the Academy. TheAOG is expanding an area byDoolitde Hall calledthe Heritage Trail,whereclasseswillbe giventhe option to purchasesections andhonortheir own. As many ofyou are aware, we havelost one classmate in combat, Lt Col KevinShea. Kevincross-commissionedintotheUSMCrightaftergraduationand was killed during an attackin Iraq. Our class giftcommittee, headedbyMajorAlex“Gonzo” Gonzalez, is developing aplan to honorKevin on the HeritageTrailandestablish a sectionfor our class. The remainder ofour class giftwill pluginto some needs forthe cadets, similar to the aircraft we refurbishedin 1999. We are lookingforward to launchingthis campaignand encourageeveryone to take part. More details to follow!

Dave Oltorik dropped us a line from RamsteinAB, Germanywhere he is working in an IMA position on the 3 AF headquartersstaff. Previous to this assignmentDavewaswith JetBlue (beginningin2002) andhadbeen anA320 captainforaboutthreeyears. Lastyearhe flewhis last KC-10 sortie with the Reserves at McGuire where he had been since 1998 and decided to transfer to Ramstein. He andthe family expect to be there a coupleyears and are enjoyingEurope.

•i 1

43% Members

Class web site: http://www. usafaclasses.org/1989/

Greetings ’89ers! I knowitis hard to believe, but our 20-yearreunion isjust around the corner. We have started our planning andwill have some details soon on the class giftproject. Here iswhat we know so far. Much like our 10-

Dave, Suzanna, Christopher (10), Lauren (6) andAndrew(8) Oltorik on a familytrip toJungfrau, Switzerland.

Dave sayshe missesflyingbuttheworkinGermanyis interesting,wherethey are involved in everythingtheAF does in the EUCOMAOR. His sons made a good friend in theirtown, andthe fatherturned out to be one ofour classmates - Dan Baldessari! Danis thesquadron commanderofthe 76th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein. Thxforthe update!

John“Pogo” Pogorek says hello from NewHampshire where he has been flyingtankers forthe NewHampshireguard since 1999. He is a full-time technician but closing in on a full militaryretirementwith the alert lines they are manning. Pogo’swife, Sarah, is expectingtheirfourth child inJanuary(Megan, 12; Jake, 9; Jenna, 4). Theyhave a small farmwith some sheep, goats, chickens, etc. The familyenjoys their ski boat in the summer and snow skiingtheWhite Mountains in thewinter. Pogo says theyheatthehousewith 12 cords ofwood eachwinter too!

That’s a wrap for this quarter. Let me hearfromthe rest ofyou! Bestwishes to you and your families. Take care and God bless.

James Sanchez

8301 Emerald Circle

North Richland Hills, TX 76180

Cell: (817) 881-6357

Web: WWW.USAFA90.COM

alohatiger@gmail.com

39% Members

I forgot to send an email to everybodybefore the Checkpointsdeadline, so I don’thave as much news as usual—sorryaboutthat!

Firstthing:JayUpdegraff(jupdegraff@aol.com) is our representative in the AOG Class Senate. This is a veryimportantrole, and I thinkwe should all take it seriously. Ifanyofyou have feedback for theAOG please tell Jay. Or tell me I’m on the board and also represent you.

Speakingoftheboard, IjustgotbackfromtheAugustmeeting. It was a veryproductive, positivemeeting. Ithinkwe’re movinginthe rightdirectionand am happyto discuss itwith anybody. Nowhere’s the news:

GregLangas: The big news is that we are expectingbaby number four in September. The ultrasound says girl, so Shannon’s quite excited. She’s hoping to teach the baby to ride a tricyclebyChristmastime. We’re also planning on more homeschooling nextyear. The lastyear and a halfin Catholic school was a nice change, butthe kids weren’t feelingvery challenged. Finally, here’s the real reason that this letterdidn’t go out at Christmas... We got new orders to CannonAirForce Base in Clovis, NM. Gregwill beworking as the sole base pediatrician, and everyone is excited that thejob will involve no nights or weekends. We will under-

takethegreatLangasroadtripof’07aroundJuly6th. We’relookingforward to a stop in Belleville, IL and again in Colorado Springs. We’dlove to see you if you’reanywhere near thatroute!

Rachel,Gregandthekids.

Igotthisthirdhand: Lt. Col. PatrickFlood, Class ofl990,Sq.COofthe488th Intel Sq. located at Mildenhall RAF Base inthe UKandhiswife,Tonie, had a babyboyborn to them on June 12th in the UK, namedAidan Mick Flood.

Congratulations, Pat!

GarthTerlizzi: I’mlivinginPhoenixwithmywife, Stephanie,andmyfour boys - Trey (10), Trevin (8),Tucker (4), andTalan (2). I’m inmythirdyear at SouthwestAirlines and inmyninthyear at Luke (sixth as a Reservist) still in- structingintheF-16forthe61 FS. There are two ’91 gradsrunningthe61FS- Jim Sears (CC) andJayBoyd (DO). I reallydon’tfeel thatold!

willremember to also edify, build up, andotherwise thinkofothers,particu- larfythoseworkingforyou, whenyou are in similarcircumstances.

Offthe soap boxand on to otherpromotions: I sawMax (Torrens) Despain behonoredin amostinspiringfashionbythewomanwhohaswalkedthepath beforeher, andspoke to the audiencemostconvincinglyaboutthelikelihood ofMaxsomeday soon surpassing even her own accomplishments.

The first one Iwitnessed was Peter Garretson’s, and the presidinggeneral (forgive me for nothavingmynotes righthere infrontofme -1’dlove to share you his name) gave some ofthe most historicallysignificant and reflective wordsthatIhave everheardat apromotionceremony He spokeofthefactthat we serve a concept, an ideal, a document, as we rededicate ourselves inthe oath to theConstitution. Welooknotto a party, or a man, or ourselves, for our calling. ThoughI haveknown andreflected on thismanytimesmyself, hear- ingitfrom a flagofficerwas encouraging.

Imagine,then, mypleasureandsurprise to see the same man presiding over Susan (Rank)Foy’spromotionjusttwo dayslater! Whereashe was one ofPete’s superiorofficers in the chain, he hadflown in the same squadron as Susan backatMcChord (myhome!)yearsearlier. Anyway,hespokeofthe exact same sentiments at Susan’spromotion as well. Since his comments were virtually theexactsamewords, the “luster” ofhearingthempreviouslywasjustalittie scuffed. But it did not detract, forSusan was simplyradiant! Hers was held rightinthehallwayin a smallceremonial area in thejoint staffsection ofthe Pentagon, andIthinkthebeamingfromhersmilingfacefounditswaylighting up theplace alltheway over to theAirForce halls!

There were also BillyBarnes’, MikeVeneri’s andRodLewis’ promotions, all ofwhich were verywell done andit was great to see those guys again. Mike, Rod, Iwouldlove to take more timeto describewho andwhatI saw andfelt at yourceremonies, butI literally am running out oftimejustto getthis column done right now.

Finally, in a moment ofsheer (coincidence?) I was walkingdown the hall to some other briefing or event I was in the area for, and ran right into Chris Parentandhisparents (hadn’t seentheminages!) outsidehisoffice areagetting readyforhisverysmallceremonyinthe office. I beratedhimfornot noti- fyingus andhaving some ofus comejointhem! I have enjoyedgettingto see Chris more and more oftenrecently, since.

I have receivedotherinputsthathave notmade it onto thepage here. I will seekto do muchbetter next time, okay? Pleaseforgive me forhaving to rush this out the doorand nottakethetime to incorporateeveryone’swords. You are all so valuable to me!

Seeya,Tav.

Garth,Stephanieandtheboys.

AdamMortensen:We are on ourwaytoVirginiaforAdam’s nextjobintheAF. Weleavetown onthe21standexpecttobeintown on therightcoastbythe27th. That’s the news for this issue. Nowhere’s my plug: Ifyou’renotanAOG member,pleasejoin. Ifyou are a member,pleasedonate (SabreSociety?Why not!). Ifyoucan’tbelieveI’mmakingsuch an overt and crass commercialplug whileyou’retryingto catchupwitholdclassmates,please contact me andwe can talkaboutit.

Carson Tavenner

6828 Raccoon Court Waldorf, MD 20603 (202) 231-2484

DSN: (312) 428-2484

Home: (301) 374-2752

Greetings, BoldGold!

tavenner@hotmail.com

42% Members

Pleaseacceptmyapologiesfortheabsenceintheprevious issue. Therewas so much good news to share, too! Over the course ofthe spring, I had the distinctprivilegeandpleasureofattendingquite a number ofpromotionceremoniesinthePentagonforourclassmates; ifyou were promoted, and told me aboutit, I was there. It was interestingto see thewiderange ofceremony, location, andattendance. MarkLivelsbergerwas promoted atArling- ton Cemeteryatthememorialto ourfemaleveterans. Itwas great to see himmydoolie-yearclassmate - going on the higherrankswhereIjustknowheisgoingto serve ably,wisely, andconfidently. Ialsoenjoyedseeinghismotheragainafter all theseyears (we’regoing to have to go to Gettysburgvery soon, Mark!) andyettheceremonywas disappointinglymarredbysome ofthe worstandmostthoughtless comments on thepartofthepresidingofficerthat I have ever met. What an opportunityhe hadbeforehim, to honorMarkand makeithismoment. Ihopeallofyouwhohavegone on to commandpositions

James S. Mehta

3802 Elbert Ave. Alexandria, VA 22305 (703) 697-4511; DSN: 227-4511 james.mehta@ogn.af.mil or jamesmehta@us.af.mil

43% Members

Greetings to theTrue Bluegrads of’92! This hasbeen a busyand exciting severalmonthsformyfamilyand me. Wejustcompleted our PCS to the Pen- tagonwhere we hope to beforthe nextthreeyears. Because ofthat,pleasenote thatmycontactinformationhas changed. I also cannot getmy same ISP so I have taken offmypersonal e-mailuntil I getanother one. Ofcourse, I now have “e-mail for life” (at least until I take offthe uniform) courtesyoftheUSAF. Butthenagain,myOSIe-mailhasbeen the same for over 10years. Anyway,youhaveseveralways to contactme, so please do. I lookforward to hearingfromyou all.

’92takes over IGoffice! Mynew assignment is to theThe IG’sstaff(SAF/IGX) as OSIfallsunderTIG. Butlamnotalone... Iwas precededto theIGXstaffbyDaveLindseywhohasbeen hereforabout ayear. However, abouttwo monthsago, Dave was askedbyTIG (Lt Gen Sams) to be his new exec. It was offer no one can (orshould) refuse, so Dave is now the exec. He is quitebusy andhetells me itisquiteinterestingandhehaslearned so muchinsuch a short time. As manyofyoualreadyknow, thePentagonis quite an interestingplace. Dave andI have notreallytaken over the IGstaff, butwith two ofus there now, we are a formidablepresence.

NavyZoomies. Mylongestletterthisquarterwas fromTrevorRush. Trevor haswritten several times over theyears and ifyou rememberwas commis- sionedin the Navy. He alsojoinedtheJAG corps a whileback. Trevoris now headed to the UniversityofVirginia in Charlottesvilleto complete his third degree“courtesyofUncle Sam”—aMaster’s in InternationalLaw atthe UVA SchoolofLaw. Trevor, hiswife,Kathy, andtheir two daughterswillspendthe next 10 monthsthere. He PCSedfromJacksonville, FLwhere he was forthe pastfouryears and was recentlyselectedfor0-5.

Trevorprovided some othergood info on classmates, too. On his drive to UVA, Trevorstopped to see his old“Bull Six” roommate, JasonWhite, in Sa- vannah, GA. JasonfliesforFedExand was on a lay-overin Savannah. Jason,

hiswife,Vicki, and son David live in Phoenix. Also, another “zoomie-turnedsquid, JohnDoolittle, was recentlyselectedfor 0-5 and is stationed in Guam withhiswife, Katie, andtheirthreekids, Sean, Ryan, andMargaret (bornFeb 07). John shouldhave a new assignmentbynow—John e-mail me andtell me where you are now.

TrevorandJason withJason’ssix-year-olddaughter, Marina, andherdog.

Who saysthePentagonisbig? I’vebeentoldthatthePentagonhas 25,00030,000 employees, butwith so manyfamiliarfaces I’ve seen I don’tbelieve it. When we came to D.C. to househuntinJune, we stayedwith Dave Kumashiro. Kumo is inthe“engine room” (AF/A8PE) andworksAF-levelPOM andbudget issues. Asitturns out, Iwillalso beworking on budgets andwillbeworkingwith him. Ofall the offices inthe Pentagon, he isjustdownthehall and around the comer. WhenIvisitedhimthefirsttime, there wasan emptydesknexttohisthat I leaned on... whenI looked atthenametagon the desk; itwas none otherthan thefamous GaryJenkins. Garywas TDYat thetime, butI sawhimlastweek at Kumo’s promotion ceremony held atWhitlow's on Wilson in Arlington, VA. Kumo’s parents andolderbrotherandsister-in-law—both Lt Col’s at the Pentagon—were able to attend.There were also manycolleagues and a fewGOs from his office. Itwas quite an impressive turnout and a great ceremony.

expect to see many more ofyouhere. I knowyou are out there andIhaveheard ofa ’92 e-mail list,” so I’m going to find that. ThenI’ll have plenty to share in the column. Don’tforget to note the new e-mail and address andwrite often and soon. True Blue ’92. James

Michael D. Sundsted

1805 Macadams Place

Alexandria, VA 22308

(703) 768-5664/Cell:(240) 338-9839

E-mail: Bravecwboy@cox.net

Class Website: www.highflight.com

87% Members

Hello to all! The fall colors are beginning here in D.C. Unfortunatelyfor me I havebeenrakingleaves sinceAugust due to thelackofrain. I have managed to hitthe riverwith Lori, Collin and guests severaltimes this summer. We had a greattimein Cancun on our summervacation. Hopeyours was great too! To the news....

I have tostart on a sad note forthis article. One ofour own passedawayinJun07. MajorKenGermannpassed away. We willsincerelymiss Kenand our thoughts andprayers are with his family. Here’s toast to the host...

Fernando Molina and I havetalked severaltimes this past quarter. He was runningthe FortCampbellAirshowandwas able to betheAssistantDirectorforthe SeymourJohnsonAFB Airshow. He is doing well, and now enjoying thefact he is backinthe F-15E insteadofriding anALO deskwith deployments. He ran into Rod Hines—one ofour classmateswhojumped to the USArmy. Fern met up withhiminthe cubicle nextto hiswhile in Iraqworkingwiththe 101 st Airborne. AbitofnewsinformationfromtheAssociationofGraduates...Ourclassis now represented on theAOGAdvisorySenatebyRob Dam. The Senatewillprovide inputs to theAOGBoard ofDirectors. Rob needs our inputs and opinions on currentissuesfacingtheAcademyandAOG. Currendy, theAOGisworking on revision ofour by-laws, the honor code, andthe results oflastyear’s member survey. You can emailhim at iamrobdam@gmail.com. Congrats to Rob! I had a great email from Lance Pilch’swife,Junko (CO 1996). Lance took over as the DO for the 43rd FighterSquadron at Tyndall. The 43rd is the training squadron for the F-22, and he’s been a Raptor IP since March 2004. (Editor note: ifyou have the opportunityto go to an airshowwith the F-22 Raptor, I highlysuggestyou go. What thatjet can do will absolutelyblowyour mind!) More importantiy, Lance received a callfrom DickEnberg ofCBS sports a few months ago. Mr. Enberg notified him that he was being inducted into the CoSIDAAcademicAll-American Hall ofFame. This is for his accomplishments as a baseballplayer at theAirForceAcademyand since graduation. The ceremony was on 1 July, and he was inducted alongwithJoe Girardi (former MajorLeague Baseball player and manager, and Julie Foudy; that’s impressive! I^ance (beingthe true professionalthatheis) statedhowhe could not have received this honorwithout the help ofhis baseball teammates, especially MannyRobinson. Thanks forbeing a greatrepresentative to our class!

Kumo withhisparents Col (Ret) andMrs. Kumashiro.

Garyhasbeenhereforabout ayearandmoved into the“engine room” fairly recently.

White House bound. Lou Bremer was recently selected as a 2007 - 2008 White House Fellow. This is an awesome andveryprestigious selection. Lou also cross-commissioned into the Navy aftergraduation and spent time as a NavySEAL. After separatingfrom active duty, he completedhis MBA and is currendy aVice Presidentwith MorganStanleyin LosAngeles. As “theWhite House Fellowsprogram isAmerica’s most prestigious program forleadership andpublic service,” this is quite an accomplishment. I lookforward to seeing Lou now that he is here in D.C. also.

TarantulasmovingtowardD.C. Rob Tobler (another CS-22Tarantula) sent me a short notejust before I leftNellis. He was selected on short-notice for an assignment toAndrewsAFB. I thinkhe’s goinginto the 89th AirliftWing,which should be quite an assignment. TheToblers should be arrivinghere anyweek now. Michelle and I are lookingforward to spendingtimewith them. I’llwrite more aboutRob next time.

I think I had a bit more e-mail info before I PCSed, but the relocation ofmy workaccount didn’tincludeanyofmysavede-mail. Itis a good excuse to write me againwith more current info. I’ve onlybeen in town for two weeks and I

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY!

YOUR MONEYHELPS FUND

CADETWING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL THE AOG FOR INFO.

Speaking ofbeing a great rep for our class—do you remember the Jabara Award statue attheAirForceAcademyandhowwe hadto knowwho were some ofthegraduateswho hadwon that award? One ofour own tookthetrophythis year—MarkVisconi. Forthose ofyouwhohave to dustoffyour Contrailsmemories, TheJabaraAward is fordemonstratingsuperiorperformance infields directlyinvolvedwith aerospacevehicles. Markdemonstratedsuperiorairmanshipandexemplaryleadershipunderhazardous conditionswhileparticipating in counter-insurgencyoperations in supportofOperationIraqiFreedom. For more onwhatMarkactuallydidpleasereferto lastquarter’s Checkpoints! Ittruly is amazing—thanksMarkforyourservice andcongratulations!

Hans “Lucky” Miller checks injust afterhe finishedup fromACSC. He was therewithmanyofour classmates. Hans andhiswife, Lisa, are headedto NATO JointWarfare Center in Stavanger, Norwayand since Lisais from Norwayand speaksthelanguage, itwillbe a greatassignment(bythewayLisa’sfamilylives theretoo). Needless to sayHanshas scoredmajorpointswiththisassignment! Congratulations too on his firstchildborn in May—NinaJuliet Miller.

Lance Reynolds lived on base and he and his wife, Carolyn, were always settingup events and activitiesforeveryone (okay, itwas actuallyCarolynthat did everything; Lancejustprovided the sarcasm). Lance and Carolyn are off to HanscomAFB. Rob Powell always had a new ideaforhowthe schoolcould be better. Just as he did at the zoo, Rob acedACSC. He andhiswife, Kristen, are stayingthere for SAASS so youknowhe is goingplaces. LeeWingfield and his wife, Cally, has moved along to D.C. Kieran “Denny” Denehan was also there and chosen for follow-on school at SAASS as well. Yes, Dennyyou’re goingplaces too... As manyofus knowDennyhas mastered the art ofwit. He always had a smart/informativeemailandalwaysseemedto have some clever comments that onlyhe could get awaywith.

Hans also updates us on Chris Nisco andwife, Rachel (alongwith theirfive children), who live inthe Seattle area. Chris fliesforthe C-17 Reserve unit and AlaskaAirlines. Rich Cuervo islivinginDallas, GA (justoutside ofAtlanta). He nowworks for the BoyScouts. Rich—have aVarsitydog for me!

MattYocum was on a briefholidayfromhis tour in Israel. He andwife, Ann Marie, are doingwell. Matt is followinghis dream ofwriting comics. He has an online webcomic. If you would like to view his work you can visit www.comiccritique.com Ann Marie is a Pilates instructor (and a very good one at that). Shehasbeenchosen to instructthosewho instructPilates. I don’t knowwhere Matt andAnnMarie find time to relax—theyhave a busy entertainingschedule. As oftheletter (andwithin a three-weekperiod),theyhad to host two dinners, attendthree receptions and escort a delegation. Not to forgetthathe startedtheyearin themiddle ofawar between Israel and Lebanon. Staysafe Matt! Thanks fortheupdate.

John Heckchecked in from across the ramp atAndrewsAFB. He’s about to finish up lawschool atAmericanUniversity’sWashingtonCollege ofLawthis year. He was atAltus re-qualifyingin the KC-135 after a three-yearsabbatical due to his position at the Pentagon in the USAF’s InternalAffairs office. He

served as CountryDirectorfor France, Spain, andPortugal. John had a great idea ofgatheringthe 1993 memberswho are currentlyin the D.C. area. Maybe a goodtime to gettogetherwouldbe around the Navygameweekend in September. JeffKubikusuallyhas a largegathering atthegame—weshouldmake it biggerwith all thosewho have flocked to D.C!

Thanks forthe greatinputs—you make mypositionmuch easier. Remember our fallenclassmates. See you next quarter... Mike

C.C. M. Masotti

PSC 116, Box 215

APO AE 09777

W: +33-1-43-12-26-69 or 202-536-2780, 1 (for English) X2669

Cell: +33-6-25-74-69-13

cc.masotti@yahoo.com

77% fill0inb®its Bonjourde Paris, ’94!

As I type this, LaborDayweekend is coming to a close; I arrived in Parisjust under a week ago and have totally hit the ground running. Of course, my departure was not without a great USAFA send-off... Last Monday, my “au revoir” cocktail partyin D.C. ended up beingthe third in a recent series of’94 gatherings in the area. Lest I confuse everyone, I’ll start at the beginning...

A-l Personnelist (and recent marathoner and triathlon newcomer) Deb Lovettehelped me puttogether a happyhourgatheringin PentagonCityback in July. We were able to catch Brian and Joy Lewis and their gorgeous (and perfectlybehaved) five-week-old ElianaNoel. BigbrothersJosh andIan were with a sitterbecause thefamilyhadjustfinishedtheirfinal shipmentand were headed soon to ACSC. As the outgoing MPF commander at the Pentagon, BrianreportedrecentlyseeingGregandDeb McCleary (C-130s, MDANG) and John Klein, who hadjust arrived at the Pentagon fromJAWS.

Also there was Chris “Clyde” Callaghanwho had onlyJUST arrived in D.C. fromArmyCJSC and was days awayfrom expectingHIS third child (more on the Callaghans below); Mike Carney (married to Tracy, four kids, a “flying personnelist”byhis description); and Chris Ellis (SAF/AQ

ElectronicWarfare PEM, coolAussie wife Bev, no kids). Matt Johnson (OSD) also showed up and is enjoying D.C. with his wife,Amy, and daughter Sierra.

Jason Combs (A-8/TPS grad) stopped in and filled us in on his bride, Resa, and their two kids, Mike (8) and Bekah (1), while D.C. newcomer George Holland (was SAAS at Maxwell, now J-8/WarfightingAnalysis) shared info on life with Desiree and their kids Jeremiah (6), Philip (2) and Benjamin (10 months). Reba Sonkiss was there on herway out—wrappingup National Defense IntelligenceCollege (NDIC) andheadingback to Charleston inAugust to fly C- 17s again—andbrought Michelle (Cooke) Dale with her as well. Michelle (still blissfulwith Ben and in L.A. with three kids) was “deployed” to D.C. for several months working GTMO issues.

Somehow, despite their last-minute weddingplanning, we were able to drag PattyRodriguez-Rey and her then-fiance Mike Cooper (USNA, ’95) out for part ofthe evening. They were married at the NavalAcademychapel the last Saturday ofAugust and I assume photos are forthcoming... And, of course, it’s hard to consider a D.C. happyhour complete without two ofmy favorite buds, Ernesto “E” Hernandez (State Dept, single dad oftwo boysand brought some ofhis pals from work) and John “J.G.” Gifft (who says he’s “C.C.’s #1 fan”!). John is still a high-powered D.C. lobbyist, but keeps in touchwithlots offolks, includingKurt Gordon (USMC recruiter in NYC); Pat Clowney (SAAS student at Maxwell); Sean Singleton (MBA student at Univ ofChicago, butworking at JP Morgan in NYC for the summer); Kurt Zobrist (Homeland Security Consultant inArizona); and our palTom “Roz” Rozylowicz (D.C. attorney). I have a picture from the event to share, but can’t upload it here at the embassy, so it will have to follow in another column.

InAugust, JG offered to puttogether the happyhour and picked a great bar in downtown D.C., attracting “E” and one of his work pals, “Roz”, Chris Ouellette (backin D.C. still doing OSI and enjoyinglifewith his bride ofmany years, Rachel (Rabeni, ’96). Also there were Paul Wagner (married, no children but two Boxers as “kids”), D.C. lawyerJohn Newby, and Deb Lovette, plusAlexSansone (Engineer, ’95). I was thrilled to see everyone, but was also celebratingthe departure ofmylast shipment formy move, as I’djust moved into a hotel that day!

Not two weeks later, I was headed out oftown and Marc Sands (newNDIC student) finallywas able to join us and even draggedalongAlexKeechle, who hadjustflown in from Dallas and shared pics ofhisand Carrie’s son Sawyer Alexander (b. 13 Feb). Also there were Chris Ellis; JohnNewby; JG Gifft; Lisa “Rider” Kary (who hadjoined me forlunch theweekbeforewith RickBailey, ’92); Deb Lovette; Rich Rupanovic (’93, Engineer-playing-AQ guy) and his high school pal Don; andAlex Sansone, alongwith a few non-grads. Aside fromAlexKeechleshowingup, the surprise ofthe evening was a callfromTam (Vo) Elliott, who called from MacDill to say goodbye!

LancePilch andJoeGirardi at theInduction Ceremony.

Hans andLisa Miller with daughterNinaJuliet.

are Maj. Tim Lyon (non-grad), John Newby, Lisa Kary, ChrisEllis, C.C., JG Gifft, AlexKeechle, andAlexSansone.

Deb (Nawrocki) Luker (Bolling) was too busy as alawyer/XO to make our happyhours, butwas awesome enough to take time to do mypowers ofattorneyformy mom before my move. She’sworking crazyhours, but is thrilled to finally live with hubbyJoel again! Deb’s fellow Pink Panther, Mike “Hook” Rider (AF/A-3) is anotherDC-erwhowasn’t able to join our gatherings. But he and his bride, Heidi, live in Georgetown and keep in touchwithlots ofgrads, includingJerry“Lumpy” Loeffler (civilian securityspecialist in L.A.); Korey “Axe” Amundson (F-16 Reservist, Luke, currently deployed); Norm “Chili” Summers (F-15 IP, Florida); John “Zippo” Liller (A-10s, Osan); and Doug “Chewy” Edwards (KC-135s, Fairchild).

I think the D.C. crowd will continue meeting and I know Clyde and Kelly Callaghan were hopingto get a gangtogetherfortheupcomingAF-Navygame. Not sure ifthey’ll be able to bringalongthe newest addition to the family, but babyShannon IrenejoinedsiblingsAshleyandJimmy on 23 July; she was born at DeWittArmyHospital on FortBelvoir—the same hospitalwhere her daddy was born!

“Clyde”, Kelly, and babyShannon Callaghan.

Also celebratingthebirth ofa new daughter,Jeffand Kari LaRockwrote from Ventura CA, where Jeffis a SpecialAgentwith the DEA, performing criminal investigations, as well as serving as an instmctorforboth firearms andtactical operations. They’ve been married since 2004, butjustwelcomedbabyKelsey Marie 29 May.

(again!), andwalkaround a LOT in my new neighborhood. The coolestthing was that I got to have dinnerwith Susan (Healy, ’93) Feland (civilian/mom, San Jose) andher husband, John, who happened to be in town. The Healy girls (allhappily marriedwithkids oftheir own) live near each other in California, with Kelly (nowWallace) atTravis, where herhusband Drewis a squadron commander and their gorgeous daughterJulia is alreadyeight months old! Tracy(’96)justhad a babyboy (theHealy’s first in two generations!) 1 Aug. Newlyweds Luis and Magda Linares sent a photo fromtheir vacation in Monterrey, Mexico. They’regettingsettled atUSAFA,wherehe’steachingSpanish and will soon also teach Portuguese andFrench andworkwith International Programs. Canyou believe theyVe just done languageplacement tests forthe Class of2011?

The LaRockfamily

NickKozdras also recentlymoved—fromAFIT to theJ-6 staffat STRATCOM (Offutt), where he has bought his first home/condo. He’sworking on getting into the InternationalAffairs Specialist program and, knowingNick,will sueceedwith flying colors.

Asfor me, I’mtryingto get settledhere inParis, though Iwon’tbe inmyapartmentfor another two weeks or so. I’vehad time to visitVersailles, do a nighttime citybike tour, frequent some ofmy favorite “haunts”, cruise the Seine

LuisandMagdaLinares

I hopeyou’re allwell andhope to see you in Paris sometime inthe next three years. Take care and God Bless! C.C.

R. Travis Koch 5304 Sports Club Lane Suffolk, VA 23435

Home: (757) 686-2607

Cell: (850) 499-8242 richard.koch@langley.af.mil traviskoch@yahoo.com

The Commonwealth:We’ve made it toVirginia. Ifyou go throughLangley, drop me a note; we’dlove to see you. Ifyou want to start writing one ofthese everyyear (lookingfor two volunteers), call me; I’ll payforyour kids’ college tuition. I’m serious. Amandathinks I shouldmake this thinginbulletformat. Anyway, back to the Commonwealth; it’s good to be here. Jason and Cheri (Cobb) Tone are our neighbors. What a treat to beliving near those guys. Toner hashisboys outdoingtimedsprints onthesidewalkandheplans to linehisback yard a laFalcon Stadium this fall. I told him I’d stand on his deck and root on the kids. U.. .S... A.. .F.. .A... Air FORCE. FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT! Anybodyhavethoseflags?

TheBuilding: Itookmyfirsttrip to thePentagon afewweeks ago. Thatplace is big. I bumpedinto a fewofour classmates at an 0-6 promotionparty. MarkHolbrookandhiswife are anchoredinthe PainPalace. So is Chad BonDurant. Bondo and I reminisced about a fateful night in the spring of’93.1 also ran into KathyDullack (who I knowis marriedandcan’t thinkofher newlastname). I thinkI sawAndreaRolfethere too but didn’t get the chance to visit.Kirsten Palmer was there. She looks fantastic. She’s married and is settling down after herworld travelingassignments. She wanted to give a shout out to all those TigerTen foursmokes... HUZZAH! Justkidding, Kirsten. Itwas actuallya MIGHTYROAR forthose fromTWO-FOUR! MattVillella and I did our best at the bar. After a year on thewagon, I couldn’tfeel myface after two drinks. Anyway, there are manyothers hanging inside thebeltway. Matt Kozma got married on Sept9,

My farewell happy hour. From left

2006. He andBethanygothitched inD.C. andtook some coolweddingphotos. Naresh Shah, Steve Reny, KeelRoss, andRhetTurnbull were groomsmenand saber-bearers. Julie Price also attended. Congrats.

Guadalupe Surfin’: Amanda and I spent aweekend in NewBraunfels with a greatgroup ofGoldtaggers. KristenandJason Cockrum, MikeandSheriMills, Jeffand Nikki Bottorff,TomMurphyand RichaeYates, Deb and Matt Brooks, Jake Maloy, Beau Bilek, and Benji Glazer were all in attendance. We all got “tattooed” up, floated the river, and played a fewrounds offootJenga. Ifyou want tojoin us nextyear, we’lleitherbebuildinghouses forHabitat or back on Lake Travis. I knowhowMurph is voting.

RandomUpdates: I saw a picture ofTobyBrallierflying a UAVin some AF periodical. Giddy-up. Cord Cohee was theAFIT student ofthe millennium.

Rob “The Polish Prince” Cosnowskihas taken over the reigns atAFIT. Good luck, Cos. Amanda Krantz and I are friends on Facebook. Garrett Lowe is on his way to the UAE for a fewyears. Any count on the total number ofkids for G-Lowe? ChadFeucht’swife, Jen, won spouse oftheyear in some magazine. She rocks. Matt Youngjust got engaged. Congrats. Jim Rowley is still not talkingto me. Mike Clabomis remote to Korea andwill endup in SanAntonio afterhis time on the Peninsula. SangParkis gettingdestroyed in our fantasy baseballleague. Luckilyhis two cousins are in the last two places andwill be replacedbyBone and Rex next year. Deb Olsen is living in Dayton, married, andin some sort ofAF Reservejob forPennsylvania. Where is OswaldMedley?

John Nemecekis living in Niceville, FL. Di an d the kids are fantastic, as always. MikePhillipshastaken command ofthe 1CMXS and is usinghis sharpened RATTEXskills. TyLittleis a Captainagain, this time forFrontierAirlines. Nowyou have no excuse not to visit. Does anybodyrememberwhen Karen Hanchett gotpicked up and was shaken silly in front of us all during SERE? Ouch. Dan McAlisterhas one more year oflawschool. Can’twait to callhim “Esquire”. Adam Meyers is the exec for COMACC. Jason Rishel dropped me a note thatCarlosDellepianeexperienced a massive earthquake (8.0) in South Americabutis safe and sound. Carlos is deliveringfood all over the country. GaryBeene is anADO forthe 60 FS and is livin' largeinChardonnayEstates. Oh bytheway, ifyou haven’tvisited page 227 from our senioryearbookin a while, you should. CURTIS!

Nowfor, theJonHambysection ofthe update. Bone is doinggreat. He and Steph hosted a birthday party ofparties for Amelia (2). They had a moon bounce, a roller coaster, and in honor ofmy son, pinatas. Mike Foutch’s kids were there. Amazing arms. Thosekids can throw! RockyThurston, MattBaade, andthe Ballingers were all there as well. Ifyou didn’t get the 1.3 e-mail from Nikki, you’re missing out. Zap me a note; I’ll forward it to you. Word on the street is those guys are workingjust fine.

HighFlight:Finally, I am sorry to report the loss oftwo of our classmates. Doug Rothenhofer passed awayin a training accident on December 1 st 2006 at MoodyAirForce Base,Valdosta, GA. Dougwas survivedbyhiswife,Angela, and his two daughters. Brad Tidd passed away on 18 July2007 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Brad was survivedbyhiswife, Catherine, andtheirthree children. Donations can be made to theTiddFamilyFund, 1st Bank, 10961 SouthParkerRd, ParkerCO 80134. Please referenceAccount number 3752876434. Our thoughts and prayers are with both families. Squeeze yourloved ones tonight. Till then, “Here’s a toast... T. Koch.

Melissa S. Cunningham

15660 Candle Creek Drive Monument, CO 80132 (719) 487-3071/DSN: 333-4405

Melissa.cunningham@usafa.af.mil or melcunningham@msn.com

67% Members A

Michelle, Jacob (4), andJamimi with newbornJaydenJayme.

Class of2029: Babies are everywhere, and unfortunatelythey’ll be greytaggers. Seriously,ifyou are married to a graduate anddon’t want to getpregnant, you should move to Iceland. I’m not going to name all the pregnant mommas. Congratsthough, and ifyou want me to prayforyou, zap me your info; it is a huge list. As forkids in thehand... Rob “Jamimi” Jaymewelcomed Jayden into theworld this pastMay. Jamimiis living in California, is recently separated, andworks acquisitionprograms for satellites. Ken and PattiButler welcomedBen ButlerinAugust. Kennyand BrianBaldwin are flight mates at ACSC. Dave “Not the SweedishRock Band”Abbahas a new babydaughter (Lauren). So does Harmon Lewis. Harmon is here in Norfolk and is doing great. Benji and Claudia Glazer’s little girl, Francesca,joined us this summer. Meghan andKennyGjonehave another son, Simon. They are leavingforTurkeythis fall, so have some shwarma for us all.

Greetings from the Zoo! I can’t believe it’s already M-1 today. We hadthe Acceptance Paradeyesterdayand it was exciting to see the 4 degrees gettheir new shoulder boards. Man, how the summer flies by. Fred and I did have a chance to escape for two weeks for a familyvacation. We headed to SanFrancisco and NapaValley for a few days before boarding an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Wehad awonderful time anditgave us a chance to recharge our batteriesbeforejumpingbackinto cadet summer programs. Other news: I thankfullysurvivedthe RIF this summer and also changedjobs. I’ve moved from the ManagementDept to the Supt’s GAG. So far, it has been busybut a lot offun.

Team Hancock: Bryan, Craig, Dawson, Joyand Megan at a wedding in Marble Hills, TX.

Ireceived awonderfulnote fromCraigHancock. Aftergraduation,Craigspent hisfirstyearcoachingandteachingat theprep schoolbeforeheading outto Los AngelesAFB. While in L.A. he continued to give the NFL a try, butwhen Craig failed to win a spot, he redirectedhis free time towards surfingthebeaches of Southern California. After 4+ years managingvarious programs for the GPS programoffice, heseparatedfromtheAFinAugust 2001. Heworked at SAICfor ayearbeforefindinghiswaytoWall Street. Since 2002 he’sbeenininstitutional equitysales,startingatWedbushMorganSecuritiesinLosAngeles and more recentlyjoining up with an equityresearch firm out ofBoston named BlueFin ResearchPartners. He recentlyopenedthe SanFrancisco officeforBlueFinandwillbe building aWestCoast team as theygrowtheirrelationships in the mutualfund and hedge fund communities.

CraigmettheloveofhislifeinSept2000whiledoingatriathlon in Malibu. He and Joy were unknowinglyset up bymutual friendsunderthecloakofgruelingathletic activity. Evenwith his aptitudeforphysical activity(a consistentrecord of400+ PFT scores, NFL tryouts, and endless hours ofsurfing) he still didn’thave the edge to beatJoy’s time in the triathlon. He said, “I knewthenthat I had to have her on myteam andwe married ayearlaterin St. Thomas, USVI.” Joymoved to LA fromHouston andleftherpersonaltraining career to start a career inpharmaceuticalsaleswithGlaxoSmithKline. Afewyearslatersheventuredbackinto personaltrainingwhere herhearttrulylies. Craig andJoystarted theirfamily with abanghavingidenticaltwinboys (Bryanand Dawson) in2003 and adding theirpreciouslittlegirl,Megan, to thefamilyin2006. The move to SanFrancisco has been a good one for the Hancock’s so far, butwith roots inTexas, theystill makefrequenttripsbackto thehomeland.

Joygotherfirst true taste oftheAcademylastfall at our Class of’96 reunion. Shetold Craigthatthe ’96ersshe met gaveher a glimpse ofthe qualityofpeople thatgo throughUSAFA. HefeltthatbeingbackattheAcademyandexperiencing it through her eyes remindedhim howtrulyprivileged we are to be in the Falcon family.

TheJuddFamily(T.C., AliandRachel) is Ukrainebound to meet theirnewestfamilymember!

I also received an update fromT.C. and RachelJudd. T.C. got offactive duty in 2002 and transferred from aircraft maintenance to the Reserves and the Chaplain Candidate programwhile attendingseminary in Kentucky. After graduationin2005, he was reappointed as a Chaplain, Captain, attached as an IMA to the 1FW at Langley. Currently, he’s in the midst ofthe six-weekBasic Chaplain Course at Maxwell (afamiliarhauntfor all ofus... so farhe’s run into Rob Culpepper, ’95, and Dondi Costin, ’86). He hopes to transfer later this summerfromthe lFWtothe 147FW(TXANG). T.C. andRachelhave a 10-year- old daughter,Ali, and currentlylive outside ofHouston, TX. T.C.’s “dayjob’’ is as a Safety/MissionAssurance engineer for NASA at JohnsonSpace Center, where he works with shuttle/station astronauts during their training and in mission control during theirflights. Hesays, “It’s afantasticjob, and coupled with the Reserve/Guard is definitely the best ofbothworlds!” They will be traveling to Ukraine in July to adopt a child (a toddler, don’t know anyother details yet) to add to theirfamily, hence theT-shirts in the picture. They are veryexcited aboutthe trip as it closes out a two-yearchapterintheirlives since theybeganthe adoption process.

Jason HoskinsandHarryDyson at theSeymourJohnsonAFBAirShow. coming. Ifyou are ever in the Springs, pleasegive me a shout.We have plenty ofroom andlove the company. Until next time! Ciaofornow. Take care, Mel.

Melvin E. Maxwell, Jr.

756 Granite Drive Ofallon, IL 62269

mel_maxwell97@hotmail.com

mel.maxwell@ustranscom.mil

72% Members

Jason,Jean andMadelinegetreadyfor career#2 and a move to Bethesda, MD.

I caught up with a verybusyJason Hoskins. He isworking as a flight commander in airfield operations at SeymourJohnsonAFB. Hejust finished an ORI, ATC evaluationand a huge airshowallwithin sixmonths.Whew! InMay, HarryDysongot a chance to flydown a B-52 from Barksdale AFB for a static display. He andJason were able to visit for a fewdays since the “MightyBuff” had some enginetrouble (I’msurprisedthatmatteredsince theBuffhas eight, but anyway). I hearHarrywas a gracious guest and even mowedJason’s lawn while he waited for spare parts. As a side note, Harryand his wife, Beth, are expecting their first baby in Dec ofthis year. Thatwill be an awesome early Christmaspresent!

Jasonis in the midst ofchanging careers. He was recentlyaccepted to UniformedServicesUniversityofHealthSciences (USUHS) inBethesda, MD. He’ll betradinginhisMajor’s oakleavesfor a shinypairofbutterbars as hetrains to be a medical doctor. Although a tremendous paycut, he’ll still be gettingfree tuition and pay to attend med school. He saidthat it tookhim a littlelonger than most to figure out what he wants to do whenhe grows up, but he isvery happywith this newlife direction. Hiswife,Jean, and daughter, Madeline, are both excited as well.

Well that is all the news I have for now. Please keep the cards and photos

Heyall,

It’s goingto be a short and sweet updatethis quarter. Hopefully, next update willbe chalkfull ofnews afterReunionWeekend, 12-16Sep. Again, make sure you check http:/ /www.usafa.org/reunion/1997/1997.aspx for the latest updates.

InJune, as we begansettling in at ScottAFB, IL, LouellaLovelyand I ran into a couple classmates at the local St. Louis Bread Company. Kate (Meyer) and Mike Baileyjust moved fromYokotaAB, Japan to Scott and were usingthefree Internet shoppingfor appliancesfortheir newhouse. We’ve hung out a fewtimes since andKate andMikepassed on some news on classmates they’ve seen lately. Here is their combined effort:

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“We’ve been trying to think ofall the ’97 typeswe’ve seen or had some contactwith over thelastfewmonths. Some of themwe haven’ttalkedto in awhilethoughbuthegoes. Since we arrived here at AMC we’ve seen ChadAnnunziata; he works inA3VX as one ofthe Command C-17 Evaluator Pilots. RandyNaylor works down the hall from us inA3T (Training). Mike got to see a couplegrads out at theAMCAirliftRodeo at the end oflast month. Donovan Kanak, Chris Rogers andAngelSantiago (’98) who gotpicked up for the C-130 Dutch ExchangeProgram.

“Acouple ofour friends thatwe’ve keptintouchwith are DennyandHelen (Walker) Howell. They are at DyessAFB, TXwhere theyhad a little babygirl. Helenleftactivedutybutstaysbusywiththekidandworks as an IMAwithAMC Stan/Eval. Denny is working Intel on the bomber side ofthe house. Keith

Class of199710th Reunion 12-16September

USAFA vs. TCU

Ensorwas with us atYokotabutleftthere a fewyears back now and I’ve heard thathehasgotten outbutI couldn’ttellyou one way or the otherfor sure. Ralph Clarkleft active duty as wellbutgotpickedup as a Reservistwith the 700AS at DobbinsARB. MarkHorton is finishingup his time atRamsteinAB, Germany andwillbe heading to the 89thAS atAndrews to flyDVSupport. Jim Burgess was thereatYokotawith us as well flying C-130s when he could get out ofthe office.

“Danielle Opalkaisworking as a contractor at Hanscom. Yvonne (Sorokin) Francolinijust left active duty to be a full-time mom. She’s in the process of PCSing from Dover AFB to Offutt AFB where her husband, John, will be a maintenance officer. SarahWilliams isworkinginthe33FWatEglinAFB as the Maintenance Operations Officer in 33AMXS... enjoyinglife in sunnyFlorida! Wendy Miller is also enjoying life in Florida in the J8 shop at SOCCENT at MacDillAFB, FL. She went to Lefty’s (AdamLefringhouse) wedding at the ChapelinJune. Wendyalso ran into Dave Carlson in the chowhall recentlyat Qatar.”

Thanks to Mike andKatefortheirupdate. LouellaandI also ran into a Lynelle White in downtown St. Louis. Lynelle flewthe C-21 and KC-135 on active duty but is out now and is full-time Reserve atAMC. Alright, that is allthe news for this go-round. Until next time...Mel.

Karin McWhorter

8243 Oasis Bloom St. North Las Vegas, NV 89085 (702) 476-4304 mcwhorters@hotmail.com

Hello from SunnyNevada-

Well, we are finallysettledhere inLasVegas, and nowthat we are getting over the culture shock, it is great to be backin the U.S. We have beeninVegas for a little over a monthandhavealreadymn into alotofoldfriendsandl knowthat inthe nextthreeyears we will mn into a lot more. Steve Behmeris an instructor intheA-10weapons school. He and his wife,Nicole, are expectingtheirthird child this December. Their new little boy will join sisters Natalie, (4) andAnna (2). NickandLisa (Kaplan) Stengleare alsohere. Nickis an instructorinthe F-15Eweapons school. Theyhave two daughters,Alexis, (3), and Elinawho is nearly two.

NickandLisagave me a fewmore updates:AndrewFogarty is an aggressor pilotwith Red Flag andjust returned from a deployment toAlUedid. Nate Meadis a studentinthe F-15E weapons school and will head to Lakenheath when he finishes. Nate Rusin, Max Pearson and Michael Healy are all instructors in the intel section oftheweapons school. QuentinAndersonis a viperpilot in the 422 Test Squadron and Kirby Ensser should be headed to Nellis soon to join theThunderbirds. Just before leavingOsan, I also ran into JordanandHolly(Cooper) Grant. Jordanis doing a stafftour at 7AF andHolly is a maintenance officerbackinthe states. I also ran into ChadLewis, who was doinghisone-yearremote atKunsanimmediatelyfollowinghisweaponsschool graduation. ChadMarchesseaultarrived at Osanjustbefore Ileftwithhiswife Cathyand their two boys. He is also doing a non-flyingjob at 7AF.

I got an e-mail from Susie Lynch (Storm) She and NickLynch gotmarried in Oct2003 andtheyrecentlyhadtheirfirst child,Alison Paige, inMarch. Nick isworking as the exec to theA7 at Peterson and she is teachingintheMathDept at USAFA. Theyhave beenthere a year and hope to be there through the reunion at least! Alison was recently christened and her godparents are Nikki

(Vigil) Frankino andherhusband, Joe. Nikki is on the east coast, still intheAF and she and Joe are working space and missiles. Theyhave two boys, Jojo, almostfive, andNico, three. Alison’s othergodparents are Mike and Christine Curry. Theyhave a little boy, DylanDavid, who was born in December. Mike is stillflying and also working on the east coast.

JeffandKristie (Kramer) Buckland recentlyhad a little girl,AmeliaAnastasia, in March and are at Columbus. Kristie is going offactive andjoining the Reserves. CaseyVile is on a 365 deployment and doingwell. He is married a girl named Chris, who is alsoAF. Julia (East) PhillipsrecentlycompletedherPhD and is now teachingin the Math Dept at USAFA. Her little girl, Brooke, is four and herhusband, Mick, is teachingflying at USAFA on the civilian side. Chris Peters is headingdown to bethe aide to the8thAF commander. He is married to Gayle and theyhave three boys Brian, Evan andAaron. Catie (Devlin) and NickHague are also inthe Springs. CatieworksPAatPeterson andNickteaches in theAstro Dept at USAFA. Theyalsojusthad theirfirstchild, Hudson, inFeb.

I also got a short e-mailfromTodd Strawser. In May, he separated from the AF and nowworks as a Fed at the Office ofNaval Intelligence inMaryland. He andhis wifejusthadtheirthird child,JosiahBrooks. The last ’98erhe ran into was GarryFloydwhoTodd was stationed with at his last assignment at Fort Gordon, GA.

ToddStrawerandhisfamily.

Lastly, Igot a shortnote fromScottCrabtree aswell as BethMakros (Crimmel). Scottand hiswife, Colleen (French’01), had a littlegirl, ElisaJeanne, at theend ofJanuary. Beth andRob have a little girl, Brynn,who was also born lastweekend. I also got a phone callfrom Chris Olsen. He and Susan (Canady) should be new parents by now.

Scottand Colleen (French) Crabtree with daughterElisaJeanne, andBeth (Crimmel) andRobMakros with daughterBrynn.

Those are all the updates I have this time. I have brand new computer so hopefullyI am won’thave any more computerissues from this pointforward. I talked to theAOGrecently, and our reunionis tentativelyplanned forthefirst home game afterParent’sweekend. But, the football scheduleisn’t set fornext year, so we won’thave anyset datesuntilthe spring. ThebestwindowI have for when itwill actuallytake place is somewhere between mid-September and mid-October. But, whenever it is, it should be a lot offun!

From now on, please use the mcwhorters@hotmail.com address for all updates.ThatwayI don’thave to worryaboutlosinganything. The nextupdate will be due shortly afteryou receive this article, so ifyou have something to send, go do it right now! Karin

James W. Busch

1697A Borneo St. Clovis, NM 88101 (505) 693-2266

DSN: 681-6521

Buschfl6@yahoo.com

james.busch@cannon.af.mil

Members

(Editor'snote: Wedidnotreceive an articlefromJamesforthisissue butRob Mishevsenta shortnote concerninga bloghehassetup tofacilitatehisworkas the Class of1999representative to theAOG ClassAdvisorySenate which was setup to bringclassinteraction with theAOGBoardofDirectors.

NikkiVigil, SusieLynch (Storm), NickLynch anddaughterAlison;Mikeand Christine Curryandson, Dylan, atAlison's christening.

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Also,Jameshas askedme to tell the class thathe wouldappreciatehavinga backup class news writer[asmanyotherclasseshave] so that the class would have a column when heis deployed. Please contacthim directlyathis email in the class columnheader.)

Greetings Shiners. I recentlyvolunteered to serve as the ’99 representative on the ClassAdvisory Senate (CAS), which serves as an advisorybodyto theAOG Board ofDirectors. Mygoal for us is to ensure the ’99 voice is heard by the Board,AOG, and greatergraduatecommunity to include any ideas, suggestions, and solutions we mayhave forAOG-related issues. To facilitate this dialogue, I havecreated a blog at: http://usafal999.blogspot.com/.

Please take a quicklook at our newvirtual '99 community. Ifaparticulartopicintriguesyou, addyourtwo cents. Ifyou’ve been ponderingsomethingfor a while (i.e.—participating in your local AOG chapter, career services and transition, VSP AOG fundraising, etc.), let’s talk about it. Also, ifyou have an idea or issue thatyou would prefer not be posted, please feelfree to contact me at rmishev@gmail.com or on my mobile at 617.947.5904 and I will assure your anonymity. Additionally, ifyouwouldlike to get involved with the CAS or volunteerwith theAOG, please let me know. Thanks foryour help everyone. Best regards, Rob Mishev.

Jason “JW” Simmons 3524 Lakeside Drive Shreveport, LA 71119 jason.simmons@us.af.mil Simmons@USAFA2000.com

AndrewSteadman

64% Members

Classmates,

Please send me yourupdates and get me some updated emailaddresses; I got a lot ofreject messages thislast time, but we also got some updates from classmates I haven’theard from ever, so it was great to catch up with some folks. I’m getting settled in at Shreveport, LA and myfiancee, Melissa, just PCSedto Barksdale APB as well, so we’re enjoying our new home I had built on Cross Lake and have an April 26th weddingplanned.

Rob Ellis and his family have successfullycompleted the firstyearoftraining to be missionarieswith NewTribes Mission. They are currently in Jackson, MI at NewTribes Bible Institute. In just a few short years they will be planting churches among some ofthe most remote tribes on earth. Rob andAmy are enjoyingthe bible classeswhile theirdaughters Shelbyanne (2) and Emily (4) are enjoying all the new friends. John Kirkwood took the money and took offthe uniform on June 30th. He is now the GlobalLogisticsManager at Prism Pointe Technologies in Atlanta. J.R. Smithjust finished the 2FLUG in the Hawg and is now headed back to Davis-MonthanAFB inTucson, AZ to start flyingwith the 354 FS. During his time in Korea he met his current girlfriend Kara, who was a DoDDS schoolteacher in Seoul, and is moving back to Tucson with him. Thomas Hutton’s wife, Leslie, gave birth to twins Meredith andAlexia on July20th ; the girlsjoin sister Beth. Here is a familypictureprior to birth ofthe twins.

He’s been there for a year and loves it, but, as is typical these days he’ll be off to Iraqfor 15 months soon. Matt Graham, anotherArmy-0 ofours, and Bridget (Blanco) Graham are still in Germany and wall be until May2009. They live in Baumholder and are enjoyingbeing together. Bridget is now in the AF Reserves andworking on two master’s degrees. Matt is still enjoys theArmyand riding his Harleywith Bridget; and on a funny side note, have a dog named Claymore. Another coupleenjoyingGermanyis Bryan Trinkle and wife, April; B.E. likeshisAir Liaison Officer role with the USArmy5th Corps in Heidelberg. Like many classmates, he notes having two open guest rooms for Balls classmates with his placebeingonly an hour from Frankfurt airport.

JeffScohywithwife, Khris, and kids,Taylor and CJ have settled in at Dayton, Ohio; Jeffwill be working in the Air Force SecurityAssistance Center. Sam Deaton is back in the USA from Moron, Spain; he recentlygot out and is now job hunting out ofBirmingham.

Visit the AOG Web Site Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More! www.usafa.org

InJune, Matt Hannon (first from the leftwithwife, Erika) and Scott Chadsey (center with wife, Allison) graduated fromWeapons School. They were the first class to go through the program flyingthe newA- IOC. Matt is assigned to the 354FS at Davis-MonthanAFB, AZ and deploys inAugust. Scott is assigned to the 74FS relocating to MoodyAFB, GA. Another recent grad getting some additional training, Matt Medleyjust trained up on a Search & Rescue version ofthe C-130; he and wife,Amber, are now station at Moody as well.

Former USAFA swimmer and fencer Eli Bremer recently qualified for the 2008 Olympics, to be held in Beijing, China. Currentlyin theWorld ClassAthlete Program, Eli qualifiedbywinning the Gold Medal in the sport ofModem Pentathlon (shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian, running) at the recent Pan American Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. You can keep up with Elis Olympic journey at www. elibremer.com Eli was married to Cami Grebel BremerinAugust 2003 and they'live in Colorado Springs. He is separating from the Air Force in September due to Force Shaping, but he hopes to return to active duty as a Reservist through the Olympics.

In some sad news, Jordan Bettio died on June 17,2007. We’ll always rememher his love for sports, boxing, and flying. Here’s a toast... Jason

FaithDunn (Hitchcock)

9601 Aurora Ave.

Urbandale, IA 50322

Faithd03@hotmail.com

68% Members

Hi there ’Olers, I did not receive too many'updates this time, so I willwrite about those that I have kept in touchwith, but please send updates aboutyourselfand other

AndrewSteadman, representingTwo Grand in theArmy, wallbe meetingthe earlyMajor’s board inApril. Drew is commanding hissecond company (180 soldiers) forthe 2nd StrykerCavalryRegiment inVilseck, Germany.

grads stationedwithyou or thatyoukeep intouchwith so we can all stay connected!

Mikeand I havemoved (again!)—this time to Des Moines, IA. I movedhere inJune and was hired byWells Fargo. I am an IT ProgramManager forWells Fargo Financial and so faritis goingwelland I thinkI am going to like it. Mike’s separation was final on 1 Septand he startedterminal leave aroundthe endof July. He was hiredbyJohn Deere and startswork soon. Hewillbe a Program Managerforthe IntelligentVehicle Systems office. Grant is doingverywell— he is getting so bigalreadyandkeeps us entertained.

thewomen’s basketball team. Ali andJacehave expandedthe familywith an adorablelittleYorkie named Rae.

Rozi Gould (Russ) got married inJune of2007 to a 2004 graduate ofUSAFA, Bart Gould. They are stationedtogether at SchrieverAFB. Sam Kaiser (Clifton) has been out forabout two years now. She and herhusband, Fred, nowlive in the Dallas, TXareaandsheworks forKingAerospace. Yancyand GinnyWalker (Stout) are returningto theirAirForce roots andflyinghome to USAFA. Ginny will be teachingwhileYancywill be flying theTwin Otter.

Good news from the Paasch family; onMay31 st at 10:47 a.m., Christian became a fatherto Carsten Gabriel. According to Christian, he’s an amazinglittle man and love doesn’t begin to describe theirfeelings for their son.

Dad and Carsten

Mike, Faith and GrantDunn in Urbandale, IA.

GiveyKochanowskiandhiswife, Chelsie, welcomedtheirfirstbabyinApril, a girl named Caroline Grace. Giveyhas since separated and was hired bythe AlaskaForestryDepartment. JeffFeuringand hiswife, Eun Young, are stationedin LosAngeles. Theywere married in Korea in May and will be having a ceremony stateside in November. Jason Feuring is still flying A-10s at DavisMonthanbut is deployed to Afghanistanfor the third time! Jim Schiess and his wife, Michelle, have PCSed to Kadena wherehe is flyingF-15s. Brent Greer andhiswife,Amy, have moved to EglinAFB andBrentBakwillbejoiningthemthere in September. Jesse Goolsby and his wife, Sarah, recently welcomedtheirfirstbaby, a girl namedEllaJane. They are in Tennesseewhere he is gettinghis master’s degree and theyhave a follow-on assignment to theAcademywhere he will teach.

I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable relaxing summer. It has been quite a rainy summer down here in SanAntonio, but I have managed to stay afloat. All mybestwishes for manysuccessfulupcomingventures,

Thanks to those ofyou thatwrote to keep your classmates informed about the goings-on inyourlives. And to those ofyou that haven’t... I’llbe looking foryour messages forthe next installment!

God Speed and mayyou always “Cross into the Blue” skies - Amy.

Susan L. Doyle

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Well, thatis allI have forupdates this time. Please sendupdates andpictures mywayandlet me knowwhereyourat, ifyouseparatedand survivedtheRIF! Until next time, Faith.

Amy Schultz

806 Magnolia Bend San Antonio, TX 78251 215-280-1760

aschultzdmd@gmail.com

Class Website: www.usafa02.org

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63% Members

The classof2011 has in-processed! Aren’tyougladthat’sfiveyears inthepast? Showofhands forwho wants to go through Beast again... What, no takers?

Alright, here it goes:

Jace andAliAnders (Tomlinson) let us knowthat they are quitehappyand stilllove livingin Colorado. Jace got out last summer (June2006) andAli is still wearingtheblue. Jace is working at PetersonAFB and runningthe NSPS program forthe entire basewhileAliis backup at USAFA on the coachingstafffor

69% Members

PSC 54, Box 2341

APO AE, 09601 01139 349896 0521

Susan.Doyle@aviano.af.mil

Bongers,greetingsfrom sunnyIraq! SusanDoylehere. Updatesforthisissue flooded in from around theworld... thankyou to everyone who responded. Joe Stallings is finishingup his second deploymentflying C-130s at Balad and will head home to Little Rock inAugust. He and his wife, Laura, are expecting their firstbabyboy in October. Jerod Harris andTim Fritz are also deployedfromLittle Rockflyingthe C- 130, alongwithJasonTesarwho is a communications officer. Misawacontinues to representdownrangewith KenyRuffin,AlexWolfard,MikeSchmidt, andTommyTauer flying the F-16 out ofthe 13FS. Please congratulateKeny andhiswife, Tane, who are expectingTWINS this fall! Reunited roommates Susan Doyle and JanetTauer are supportingflyingoperations at Balad as a maintenance officer and PERSCO commander, respectively.While en-route, Keny “saw” Nicole Foster (Hamilton-Brown) in the airwhenshe refueledhis F-16 andhung out with BarryMcKeown and Dan Munson atA1 Udeid

BarryMcKeown flewhis first combat air drop mission on 28 May2007, our promotion day, which he described as “SWEET.” His pin-on ceremony occurred on top of40 Container DeliverySystem (CDS) bundles on his C-17 before he dropped them in support oftheArmyfor OEF.

BarryMcKeown’spromotion on 40 CDS bundles before droppingthem in supportofOEF.

Krystal Wolfard (Shamblin) is deployed from Misawa to CampVictory, Baghdad on a 179-daydeploymentwith theArmy. She completedtheArmy’s “CST” at Fort Dixto prepare for the ILO tasking. Krystal and her husband, Alex, recentlyPCSed to Misawa andwill be reunitedafter deployment. Hallie Dayand Nick Sloan are deployed to Baghdad as well and providing intelligence support for OIF.

RobinKamio isinKandahar,Afghanistan on a 365-daydeploymentwiththe Armyandwill return to Misawa inJanuary2008. As luckwouldhave it, Brian Carter flewher to Qatar for her four-dayR & R Pass.

Robin Kamio inAfghanistan.

Jonathan andKatie Niebes have eight months left at Ramstein and are travelingEurope before heading offto their next assignment. Jonjust got back from IP school at KeeslerAFB and was joinedby Brian Hum from ScottAFB and Bowie Frost fromAndrewsAFB. They all enjoyedtraining in Dallas, TX andBiloxi, MS. Jon also traveled to ColumbusAFB to visitthe FAIPs stationed there, to include Rylan Charlton oflegendaryDeuce fame. Other ’03erswho received theirassignments afterC-21 training at Ramstein includeJohnHoiland (C-130 Dyess), RyanArgenta (KC-10McGuire), andJustin Riester (MC130WCannon).

Staci CotnergraduatedfromF-15E RTU inAugustandheads to Lakenheath, England at the end ofSeptember. LauraStepko, aWildlife Ecologist on theAir Force BASHTeam at Kirtland,justcycled across the state ofIowa to finish the gruelingRAGBRAI race! Dustie FahieflewC-130s out ofLittle Rockandhadhis Fini Flight in the Here in July. He accepted an offer to fly C - 17s and will train inAltus until December before PCSing to beautiful Dover, Delaware.

“HafaDai! fromCharityWinterswhojustreturnedfromhersecondsixmonth deployment to Iraq. While at LSAAdder/AliAB, she supportedmilitarypolice lawand orderoperations andmarkedhersecond Christmas in a row in Iraq.

ConorandBeth Teegarden and weddingpartyat theAFA ChapelinJune. andwillPCS thisNovember. CharleyFallonjustPCSed to Misawato flyVipers. KaymarieKnapp isworkingforthe National SecurityAgencyin D.C. and recentlybecame engaged. While not planningherwedding,Kayperformed in a musical in downtownAnnapolis duringthe month ofAugust.

CPT Dan Phillips cross commissionedinto theArmyand nowjumps out of airplanes with the 173Airborne BDE. HeisdeployedtoAfghanistanonal5month rotation in support ofOEF.

Thanks again to everyonewho contributedto this update. The Class of2003 is stationedthroughouttheworld andmaking a differenceinthelives ofpeople both at home and abroad—from air strikes, to convoys, to force protection, to air drops, to life savingoperations, to intelligence and to communications —keep up the hardwork. Please contact me ifyou need anything or ifyou are stoppingthroughbeautiful Italia. Take care! Susan Doyle

Breezy(Long) Heddinger

2531 W. 225th Place, Apt D

Torrance, CA 90505

Cell: (719) 213-3205

Work: (310) 653-4515

windy04@gimail.af.mil

71 % Members

Here’s a toast... 1 LtWeston R. Kissel, Class of2004, was killed in a traffic accident near Cleveland, TN while on leave, 17Jul 07. The most beloved are always the most terriblymissed— wellmissyou, Wes. Please take a moment to read more aboutWes’s character and lifetime achievements in thewords ofhis uncle, JohnRagan (’71), Lt Col, USAF (Ret), located in the“Gone But Not Forgotten” section ofthis magazine.

In celebrating the life our fallen classmate, let us also be reminded ofthe importance ofcelebrating one another every day. This quarter, we have manygladtidings to share.

1 Sabre Society Donors

CharityWinter’spromotion on top oftheZigguratofUrinIraq.

Sheis currentlystationed on Guam andlovinglife. ElissaBalias is alsoloving life as a physicaltherapist atTravisAFB, CA. Dave and SummerWelt are stationed at Spangdahlemwhere he flies F-16 Block50s.

ConorTeegardenis flyingthe MightyF-15E Strike Eagle out ofLakenheath, England in the 494th FS, the Mighty Black Panthers, and married Beth (Terpolilli) on June9th at theAFACatholic Chapel. Beth’s dad, RalphTerpolilli, is a ’74 grad and she is in medical school in SanAntonio. Theywere joined at theirpartybyGerardCarisio,ChrisDeschane,TimGrady,JimandStephBlech, Lee andJaimie Staab, Brian Staniszewski, and Luis Palacios. Gerardtraveled the farthestfrom KadenaAB, Okinawaandjustrecentlydeployed toAfghanistan. Chris was married at the end ofJune and is in D.C. workingwith State Department to bring home POW/MIAs. Tim works for Red Horse in Malmstrom, MT and is constantlyTDY. Jim and Steph are flyingKC- 135s in Grand Forks, Lee and Jaimie are flying C- 130s out ofDyess, Brian flies the Looking Glass at Offut, and Luisjust returned from Iraq a fewdays beforethe weddingand is backworkingIntel at Shriever. (See the weddingphoto at the top ofthe next column.)

Ryan Olishleaves Del Rio in September to go to Oklahomafor C-17training and will PCS to Dover. Daniel Stoker is also in sunny Del Rio with his wife, Erica, and their son Calebwhojust turned one. He will leave Del Rio this fall as well. GregMalyis deployedto Kunsan, Koreawiththe 555 FS out ofAviano

and am enjoyinggoingthrough allthe European countries.” Annie has since decided to leave the active dutyAF, butremains linked to thefamilythrough us andthrough her new hubby, USAFCaptTim Morris. Tim is currently an F-15 WSO, also stationed at RAF Lakenheath, and theywere married on 3 Mar07, in Branson, MO. Annie andTimwillcontinueenjoyingEuropeanlifeuntilSpring 08. Congrats on the marriage and bestwishes!

Annie (Kryger) Morris and CaptTim Morris on theirweddingday Mar07.

Moreweddingbells were ringingthrough the summer, and these folks deserve our congrats as well.

Dan Walton and Marci Freund were married on 26 May 07, in Colorado Springs. Dan andMarci are bothflyingthe C-130 at Tittle RockAFB,AR. Several ReadyforWarriors were there to celebratewith them

Chapman, andTrent Brower. Instructing for the 84th FTS in theT-6 we have Caleb Guthmann, BrentChoate, BrandonJuly, and Robert Boone. Instructing for the 86th FTS in theT-1, we have Joe Rice, ToddArthur, and Luke Marker. Instructing for the 87th FTS in theT-38, we haveAaron Palan and Jon Barber.

Otherswho completedUPT inthepastyear are nowflying in the opsworld: Andrew Stolee, F-15CEglin, AFB; BradYoung, F-15CEglin,AFB; Chris High, F-16 Spangdahlem, AB Germany; MattHood, C-17 Hickam,AFB, Hawaii; Rok Dedic, C-15 Charleston,AFB; Eddie Ballew, C-21 Ramstein, AB Germany; Craig Christ, KC-135 Fairchild, AFB; Cat (Ankony) Christ, KC-135 Fairchild, AFB; BryceBatchman,BollingAFB (stilldoingthe comm thing out inD.C.);Jonathan Orso, F-16Spangdahlem, AB Germany; Jon Pohlen, F-15E Mountain Home, AFB; MattMarshall, F-16 Misawa,ABJapan; andMikeJones, F-15C KadenaAB Japan. Still others are flying in theater for their first tour this year—you’re representing us well andyou’realways in our thoughts.

From alltheReadyforWarriors—servingin theair, on the ground, or underground; in CONUS, overseas, or in a combat zone; stillwearingthe uniform or in civilian style to a Mend, we senda messageofhis brothermen... a toast to thehostofmen we boast, the USAirForce.

Paula Delapasse

103 Raymond Circle

Warner Robins, GA 31088 (225) 603-4450

paulamaffey@juno.com

Paula.Delapasse@robins.af.mil

Dan Walton andMarci (Freund) Walton with USAFA friends on theirweddingday May07.

Paul Roque married Marie Juan (’05) on 7 Jul 07, at the Cathedral ofOur FadyoftheAngels in LosAngeles, CA. Amongthe USAFAgrads presentwere:

Col (Ret) Mike Selva (77), Col (Ret) Karen Selva (’80), Feo Tongko (’02),Adrian Cercenia (’02), Jon Diaz (’03), Mark Esguerra (’03), Jon Guerrero (’03), AndrewMiller (’03), RylandTecson (’03),AnthonyTydingco (’03), Tom Chavez (’05), Miclynn Crail (’05), Christina (Quillen) Falcone (’05), JeffFalcone (’05), JohnFeely (’05), RJ Garma (’05),Vanessa Herd (’05), JoshJewett (’05), Alison Kremer (’05), Brian Phillips (’05), Palmer Roberts (’05),Vince Diaz (’07), Jun Mendoza (’07), andAnnaline Rubio (’07).

PaulRoqueandMarie (Juan)Roque (’05) with USAFAfriends on theirweddingday, Jul 07.

School bellsand reveille will soon be chimingfor at least one classmate of ours—she’s headinghome to our alma mater. Pamela Fetchko, previously stationed at EdwardsAFB, CA, has been picked up byUSAFA to go backand becomeateacherwiththeAstro Dept. She is currentlyworkingtoward a graduate degree inMaterials Science andEngineering attheUniversityofMichigan inAnnArbor.Goodluck, Pam—yourupbeatpersonalityand sense ofhumor will undoubtedlybe a reliefand a delightforallthe cadets afraid to face astro. Fast, but certainlynot least, the flighttrainingworldis stillbuzzingwith the accomplishments ofour ’04 classmates. The followinggrads are becoming seasoned FAIPs at FaughlinAFB, TX. Instructingforthe 85th FTS intheT-6 we haveMattBaan, Sven Lundberg, J.C. Coleman, JustinHand, Steve Baker, T.W.

Members,

Heyeveryone! Ithasbeen a while since we havehad a Class of2005 update, sol have done mybest to get some exciting news to share! I will be the new contact for our class, so please send me your exciting life updates or funnystories and I will be sure to include them.

\V-V >I y

Over two years have gone byand some of our classmates are justfinishingtraining and getting their first real assignments, while some have alreadydeployed to the desert and returned safely. SusieAvalos gothome this summer fromA1 Udeidwhere she was workingin theAFTransientReception Control Center. She said she saw several classmatespassing through ‘the Deid’. Also returningto McChordAFB this summer was Rachael (McIntosh) Taylorwho spent five months at Balad. Currentlyin Iraq, we have a large crew ofCE guys: Josh Bass, Joey Noble,TylerJohnson, and Kyle DeThomas. They are busydesigning and facilitatingprojects in conjunctionwith Iraqi contractors. In addition, Amber Hoffman is expected to complete hertime at Balad in earlyOctober. Keep up the goodworkand get home safely!

None Yet

Sabre Socief

JoeyNobleandJosh Bass deployedin Iraq.

RyanFitzgerald andJulienneWhite, alongwith othergrads, willbe competing in Septemberwith theAF Swim Team in Eindhoven, Netherlands at the 2007AlliedAir ComponentCommandHQ Ramstein SwimmingChampionship. Goodluck!

ShamikaBaileyhasbeen in Colorado Springs for seven years and stillgoing strong. She isworkingincontractingat PetersonAFB and enjoyinglife. Darnell Stephens isworkingincontractingat RobinsAFB. He got to Georgiajustintime fortheintramuralflagfootball season. Needlessto sayhe was one ofthetop draft picks—everyonewantedhim on theirteam. RenePrieto isworkingwiththe 5th Combat Communications Group from Robins AFB andwill be deploying to Baghdad this January. He recentlygot engaged to his Colorado Springs girl Angela Smitherman. Theyplan to getmarried next year on July 12th

Speaking ofweddings, this pastJuly 7th Marie (Juan) Roque married Paul Roque (’04) at the CathedralofOurLadyoftheAngels in LosAngeles, CA. (See theirweddingphoto in the column to the left in the Class of2004 column.) Grads presentwere: Col (Ret) Mike Selva 77, Col (Ret) Karen Selva ’80, Leo Tongko ’02,AdrianCercenia ’02,JonDiaz ’03, MarkEsguerra’03, Jon Guerrero ’03,AndrewMiller ’03, RylandTecson ’03,AnthonyTydingco ’03, Tom Chavez ’05, Miclynn Crail ’05, Christina (Quillen) Falcone ’05, JeffFalcone 05, John Feely, ’05, RJ Garma ’05,Vanessa Herd ’05, JoshJewett ’05, Alison Kremer ’05,

Brian Phillips ’05, Palmer Roberts ’05,Vince Diaz '07, Jun Mendoza ’07, and Annaline Rubio ’07.

That’s all for now! Take care and I hope to hear from more ofyou! Paula

Felisa (Hervey) Dyrud

132 Banks St. Cambridge, MA 02138 (719)352-5991

Felisa.dyrud@gmail.com

GrandJunction, CO. This is a picture ofthem right after Mike proposed.They are planning on May2008 forthewedding.

73% Members

Salaam’06, ReadingA Thousandand OneNights (also known as Arabian Nights) this weekreminds me ofthebenefits ofgoodstorytelling. This girlShahrazadkeeps herhead (literally) forhundreds ofnightsbyleavingthecutlass-happykingin suspensewith storyafterstory. Don’tforget to send me yours!

PS. Ifyou’re not getting a quarterlyreminderfor news via e-mail or facebook (andwouldlike one) just let me knowyourpreferred mode ofcontact.

FEELTHEFIRE: Felisa (Hervey) Dyrud,felisa.dyrud@gmail.com, 719-3525991,20MyrtleAve. Cambridge, MA 02138 (note: new address).

NewArrivals. Jaclyn (Smith) Carman and husband, Joe (CPT, US Army), became parents ofAnabel Faith Carman on May30th 2007. Pictured are the two ofthemwiththeir new babygirl.

There is also a new addition to the familyofKevin Stanley,previously consistingofhiswife, Molly, an ’06 grad from the NavalAcademy, and their two Siberian huskeys. Connor Stanley was born July 17,2007, at Eglin AFB. He camejustdays before KevinstartedAPI at PensacolaNAS. Hethentransferred toWhitingField a fewweeks later to finally start flying, alongwith Ben Osier, Tim Ford, Matt Hellier, and others.

OtherNews. Ryan Bakerhas finallyfinishedup training at FortBenningand will be moving to Fort Campbell, KYin a couple ofweeks to beginhis firstreal assignmentwith the 4th brigade ofthe 101 st (ScreamingEagles).

KristinPearsonandNavalPostgraduate SchoolclassmatesMikePhelan, Seth Cannon, andTreyDarnell graduate this month. Kristin will be a services officer atHurlburtField, Sethis goingto ENJJPT, Mike to Langley as a Comm officer, andTreytoVance forpilot training.

John Haiducek’s bicycle,Tecwyn, now a year old, has put in 3,883 miles to date (an amazingfeat for a mere bicycle). Johnalso reports thatAshtonCarterwokehimup at 0445 one SaturdayinAugust to watchthe 0526 launch ofPhoenix,JPL’s latest Mars landerfromthe beach across fromJohn’s apartment. He writes, “From our vantage pointthe boosters fallingawayfrom the DeltaII lookedlike a showerofsparks. Itwas thethird rocket launchI’dwatched since beingstationed at Patrick; thefirst was theAtlasVthat carried FalconSat-3 into orbit.”

Shawn Ingkiriwangis almost finishedwith his training in Perth,Australia. He hopes to end up in NFTC (the NATO flyingtraining centre) in Cold Lake, Canada, at the end ofthe year, where he would have anotheryear offighter training but hopefully make time for ski trips down in the old countryofhis “college” years. Singapore’s NationalDay (IndependenceDay) was August 9th

Casey Bayne

7363 River Pointe Drive, Apt 14North Little Rock, AR 72113 (719) 930-5066

checkpoints@caseybayne.com

77% Members

First and foremost, congratulations Class of2007! Some ofus made itwith flyingcolors and some ofus justbarelymade it, but we all made it to the end offourlongyears and graduated fromthe United StatesAir ForceAcademy! We rememberthe pain and challenges we facedand are able to lookbackwithfondness at the amazing friends and greatexperiences we shared.

We are scattered around theworld now but we had some greattimes togetherduringthe summer of2007. Having 60 days ofpaidvacation is a gift that I am sure none ofus took lightly. Whetheryoustayed athome, traveled out ofthe country, or visited friends around the USA, I’m sure you savored everyday ofyourhard earnedvacation.

Erica Pong, Charlotte Freedman, NickBurton and I took offto Europe the week followinggraduation. We traveled to London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid,

Engagements /Weddings. Jordan Firth marriedhis high school girlfriend Sarah on May26th They are now at HollomanAFB NM. Ross Conradmarried JillianTrimboli in the chapel on June 8th Jen Neville andJake Fuka (’05) were married onAugust 11th at theAFAChapel.

JacqueJanzikand BillTorsontiedtheknot on Sept 1 st in Estes Park, CO. Bill starts pilottraining at Pensacola two weeks afterthewedding andJacquewill stayatEglinAFB as aWeapons &TacticsAnalyst.Thebases are onlyan houraway from each other so they can “live smackinthemiddle to splitthe commute.”

On Sept2nd RyanMoore andTinaDokmo celebratedtheirweddingin Colorado Springs, and Bronwyn Oliver’s marriage to Dan Ouper is on Sept 22nd Susie Cresporecentlywrote that she is legallymarried to Chris Foote and theywillhavethefullcelebrationafterthey’re donewithpilottraininginMarch 2008. They are both in pilottraining and hope to flyKC- 135s together. Mike Orcuttgotengagedto MeganFromm onJuly26* intheirhometownof

NickBurton, EricaPong, Charlotte Freedman, and CaseyBayne

Remember all the great stories your classmates shared with one another at your last reunion? Well now is your chance to share some of the most important memories of your life with the 25,000 readers of Checkpoints magazine, which includes a large part

e Association of Graduates celebrate this institution's 5 aur cadet experiences and s wout career and f©*

Although we can't guarantee every submission will be published, we hope many or s q Blue Line's heritage and

anrn s

Please keep your story between 500-2,000 words, If you have photos, please them. Digital copies of photos must be in "jpg" file format, at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch at 7 inches wide.

E-mai a.ory. n you c e a digital copy or your story on a get them back in the condition they were sent.

5© Pi \i mail prints, we

Photo courtesy of lies Querry, '60

Barcelona, Marseilles, the French Riviera, Rome,Venice, Athens, Mykonos, Santurini, andFrankfurt! We didthis all in a litdeless than a month. It was an exciting, crazy, andmoney-drainingtrip that we will never forget. Unexpectedly, we ran into fellowclassmates, MattMazur in Berlin and Katie Plichtain Rome. They were backpackingwith friends, just like us, and oddlyenough Matthadalso run into one ofhis fellowsquadronmates, Luke Ewing,whilehe was in Germany. Despite being stationed across the country or around the world, we can lookforward to seeing each otherwhen we least expect it.

ChrystinaShort, Jamie Shea, and Michelle Dieringer also traveled to Europe and decided to travelsouth to see the Pyramids andtravelalongthe Nile River. Theytook a militaryhop out ofRamsteinback to the states and were loaded downwith tons ofAfrican trinkets.

ChrystinaShort,JamieShea, and MichelleDieringer

Katie Barlowand Shaun Lee opted for a tropicallocation andjourneyed to Hawaiiwhere theylearned to surfandrelax. Ithinkthis was thefirsttime Katie relaxedinherlife! Some ofyoumightknowthatKatie was honored as a distinguishedgraduate andwillbeattendingUCLADentalSchoolthisfall. Congrats Katie!

Kilimanjaro. I have it on goodauthoritythat this photo is the onlytime they were caughtsmilingthroughout thewhole ordeal.

Bengard,BrittanyOligney, andJaredBaxley

While in Paris, Kim Brady and Dawn Higginbotham made sure to kiss a Frenchman dressed as a cow at his bachelorparty. Those crazyFrench!

Katie BarlowandShaun Lee

LindsayBengard, BrittanyOligneyandJaredBaxleyventured to theAfrican countryofTanzaniawhere theyaccomplished a greatfeatbyclimbingMount

AshleyCwiakalaand LaurenWhite took a cruisethroughtheGreekisles and had some wild times. Thankfullytheybothmanaged to stay on boardand not fall into the Mediterranean.

Caitie Holliday and Reid Touchberrysuccumbed to falcon love. Thelovebirds traveled to Europe and here they are visiting a castle in southern Germany.

Caitie HollidayandReidTouchberry

Brandon Martinez andJonVaage took a different kind oftrip and traveled across the UnitedStatesintheirmobilehome. Theyvisited more than40 states! Brandon said that one ofthe highlights oftheir trip was Nashville, TN. He loved the factthat everything was so country!

Forthenext Checkpointsedition, I would reallylike to find out ifanyone was married over 60 days. Please send me a picture alongwith the location and date ofyourwedding.

Ihope everyonemadeitto their new assignments and settledinto life as a 2nd Lieutenant. Enjoyyour firstyear away from the zoo! Remember to send me yourstories and experiences so I can mention them in Checkpointsandkeep our class up to date.

Sincerely, CaseyBayne.

Please update your contact information on the AOGWeb Site: www.usafa.org

Lindsay

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Nancy Rusinak

Brother, R. Berthiaume, USAFA 73

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