Checkpoints March 2007

CH E C K POIN T S A SSO CI A T I O N

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A CA D EM Y

W in q s o f B lue Nat ional Collegiate Parachut ing Champions

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CO u m n s LETT ERS

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FRO M T HE BO A RD C HA IR

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LETT ER FRO M T HE CO M M A N DA NT

10

f e a t u re s 20 D E B E RRY RET IR ES

Coach Fisher DeBerry calls it a career after 27 years on the Falcon sideline.

32 W IL L IN G H A N D S

C 2C Erik M irandet te: O n a m ission

to make the world a better place.

42 D IST IN G U IS H E D G RA D U A T ES

Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Beckel, ’59, and retired

Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, ’64, are named theAcademy’s newest recipients of the Distinguished Graduate Award.

66 W IN G S O F B L U E

TheWingsof Bluewin the National Collegiate Parachuting Championships for the 28th time.

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Associat ion of Graduat es' -^ ' U N U RD S'PAT HS A I R FO UO : A C;A D KM Y

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3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475

Customer Service (719) 472-0300 D SN 333-2067

Fax (719) 333-4194

E-mail aog@aogusafa.org Web Site www.usafa.org EX ECUT IV E O FFICE Pre sid e nt/ C EO : J a m e s A . Sh aw , ' 6 7 CO M M U N ICAT IO N S V ice Pre sid e nt : D ic k Ra u sch ko lb , ' 7 0

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A F IG H T IN G C H A N C E

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' 6 6 - " B LO O D T H A T ST IC KS "

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O N T IM E, O N TA RG ET !

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B EY O N D A SP IRA T IO N S

Director of Communication/ Senior Editor; Bob McAllist er

Editor/ Photography: Ken Wright Senior Designer: Sarah Wright

C lass N ew s Ed it o r: To m K ro b o t h

Advert ising; Kyle Davidson Web Site. Mat t Kleve & Kyle Davidson BO A RD O F D IRECT O RS

Edward E. Legasey, '67, Board Chair St eve Finch, '65, Vice Chair

Bill Bo ist ure Jr., '67, Tre asu re r

Marianne LaRivee, '80, Secret ary James A. Shaw, '67, President/ CEO Mike Christy, '63 Ed Eberhart , '68 Ed ie Ed m o nd so n , '92

Mike Flynn, '95 Marty France, '81 Jack N. Kucera, '78 Gilbert D. Mook, '67 Jo h n T. M o o re , '78

s p o rt s 78

BZD ELIK PUSHES A IR FO RC E INTO NAT IO NA L PRO M IN EN CE

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CA LHO UN , ' 89, D IA G RA M S GA M E PLA N

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POUNDS, '06, HO NO RED BY STATE SPO RTS HALL O F FA ME

Da c k o t t h e b o o k

Amber D. O'Grady, '96 Alan V. Rogers, '64

Pat Ro se no w, '76 D r. Leo n Sm it h- Harriso n , ' 75

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, D SN : 333-2067. FAX: 7 19-.3.3.3-4 194, E-mail:

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C H A PT E R N EW S

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G O N E B U T N O T FO RG O T T EN

editor# aogusafa.org.) A portion of your dues pays for your m.i ga?.ine 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

97

C LA SS N EW S

to Checkpoints, Association of Graduates, Doolittle

offices. PD S'FM A.ST ER: .Send change of address Hall, 3116 Academy D rive, USAF Academy, CO

80840-4475.

Opinionsexpressed in thismagazineare thoseof the authors.'They do not necessarily refl ect theopinions, policy or attitude of the As,sociation of (iraduates, its offi cers or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisementsin thispublication drtesnot constitute an endorsement by the Association of Graduates of theproductsor servicesadvertised. Copyright, Asso ciation of Ciraduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, M arch 2007 .

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being the publisher of theLas VegasReviewJournal f o r many years, I know how much effort it takes to put o u t a publication such as Checkpoints. Congrats to you an d all your staff for a job well done.”

Earl Johnson AOGsymposium support makes a difference

High praise for “ High Art”

“Let me add my praise to Greg Smith’s for Captain

Kielcheski of the Art Department (“Letters,” Dec. 2006, pp. 4-5). I, too, took the art course from him

and learned practically everything that I know about

modern art from observing, throughout the course, his many slides and listening to his commentary on the classic paintings of recent centuries.

For many years, my parents “owned” my painting done during that course- it pictured an environmental theme more popular today than it was back then.

It now hangs in my basement “gallery” but brings me back to my senior year, and to fond memoriesof Cap

tain Kielcheski’s excellent, upbeat instructional manner, every time I glance at it.”

John ‘JC” Miller, Class of 1969 Checkpoints scores

“Thewomen of theClassof 2007 want to thank you for

your support of the 11 cadet contingent that was able t o attend the 2006 Academy Women Symposium. As the

Cadet-in-Chargeof thecontingent, I can say that it extremehonor to bein thecompany of such distinguished w as an

Academy graduates. Without the support of theAssocia

tion of Graduateswewould not havehad thistruly life

changing experience. You may wonder if this conference

could havereally had that much of an impact on usbut it

did. In our last year at theAcademy, all of usare an x i o u s about entering the operational Air Force and our career

fi elds. Listening to thesegraduatestalk of their amazing

successeswas incredibly inspirational. These are the we read about in Contrails. Unlike any experiencewe’ve w o m

ever had before, wewereableto interact with so many of theseheroes. Captain Kim Campbell, Brigadier General MichelleJohnson, and Astronaut LisaNowak, just to afew. Thesewomen wereahugeinspiration to usasthey told ustheir storiesof hardship and success. Many o f t h em even told uswecould contact them with any questions might haveabout theAir Forceor lifeaft er theAcademy. n am

“The December issue of Checkpointsis fi rst rate. Con gratulations to Dick Rauschkolb and his staff . It had inclusive ambiance. The articleswith pictures of the st aff

T hese mentors are of incalculable value as w e em bark o n

was objective and informative, and the comments from CEO Jim Shaw were appropriate; plus 1liked his format

hom es to us as hosts. T his allow ed us to take three m o r e

a n

wasasuper idea. Theletter from Board Chair Ted Legasey better. It seem ed m ore conversational . C andidates’ sel ec

tion processwas described well and candidates’ profi les were alphabetical. I liked the presentation of fi nancial data too; it contained all the average member could w a n t .

Hector’s [Negronij letter was even in there.

I think it was a home run. Congratulations.”

Patrick Tujf ey, Class of 1964 “I j ust had an opportunity and time to sit down and look through the December 2006 issue of Check points. I think it is outstanding and I just wanted t o l et

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w e

the beginning of our Air Force careers.

Wealso really appreciatetheClassof 1968 opening t h ei r

cadetson thetrip. It wasso interesting talkingwith t h em

about cadet life in 1968 and to seeso many similar experi

ences. The 1968 graduatestold usthat they werehappy t o

host us and it wasjust part of being a member of the “Long

BlueLine.” How amazing to think wewill soon get to join

their ranks. We also want to express our appreciation for L t .

C olonel Edie D isler. She did an outstanding job organizing thisevent. Sheisan amazing supporter of Academy gradu ates everywhere and a great asset to the Cadet Wing.

Wehopeyou understand the depth of our gratitude

to you for making this experience happen. It is some thing we will never forget.”

you know. Coming from a newspaper background and

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C H E C K P 0 1N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Cadet P‘ Class Chrystina L. Short

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^ Ascadetsand graduatesof theAcademy, you hold integrity in the highest regard. Your official ring is created w i t h t h at same integrity by Jostens, your partner in expressing pride in the United StatesAir ForceAcademy.

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Fellow graduates and members of t he AOG-

The AOG Board meeting in February included a mid-year rev iew of fi nances and an update on the status of AOG invested f u n d s.

I am pleased to report to you that fi nancial performance t h u s f ar this fi scal year is exceptional and investment results are v ery st r o n g .

Revenues for the fi rst half of the year were $9.5 million, a full $3 million above the amount planned. Fundraising drove this strong performance ($6.8 million, $1.8 million above plan) as well as gains on investments ($1.6 million, $940,000 above plan). Expenses for the fi rst six m onths w ere $3.9 m illion , about $7 50,000 b el ow t h e

amount planned. The portion of expenses directed toward f u n d raising was $1.1 million, nearly $200,000 below plan. For every $1 spent on fundraising, we raised over $6 in contributions. T h e favorable variances in both revenue and expenses led to a change in net assets (this is what a non-profi t calls its net income) of $5.6 million, $3.8 million above the amount planned. Of this $5.6 m illion , alm ost $5.2 m illion w as added to donor-rest ricted fu nds;

endowments grew by $3.3 million and the remaining $1.9 m i l l i o n

was contributed to other restricted funds, including class gifts. More than $400,000 was added to general reserves. Financial m an age ment of your AOG is sound.

Total assets as of December 31, 2006, grew to $49.7 m ill ion , up by $6.2 million. The investment portfolio ($31.7 m i l lion), cash ($2.8 million), and uncollected pledges an d o t h er receivables ($8.8 million) are the big pieces of AOG asset s. T h e cash balance was somewhat higher than normal as a result o f a large cash contribution on the last day of December. W e h av e reported better than average investment results for so m e t i m e but the following fact illustrates vividly the size o f t h o se r et u r n s.

You may recall that in late 2003 we changed the management o f o u r i n v est m en t s f r o m B an k o f A m er i ca t o an I n v est m en t

6

Subcommittee of the Board, chaired by Richard Abramson, ’6 8 .

At the time of the change we had $18,952,000 in the i n v est m en t portfolio. In a little over three years we have added c o n t r i b u t i o n s of $3,504,273, and the investment portfolio has earned $9, 276 ,890 to reach th e tot al of $3 1,733, 163 at t h e end o f 2 0 0 6 .

AOG investments are doing very well.

The quarter ending December 31 was the best fundraising q u ar t er in the history of theAOG with over $5.4 million raised. Funds raised in the comprehensive campaign. Building Leadersof Characterf or the Nation, now total $36.5 million. The quarter also marked the single largest gift ever received, an endowment of nearly $2 million by Dick McConn, ’66. Dick’sgift establishes a program that w ill sen d m id career Academy graduates to the Georgetown Institute of Public Policy to earn an Executive Masters in Public Policy. In coordination w i t h Congress, McConn scholarswill then be assigned as a st aff m em b er t o t h e Sen at e o r Fl o u se A r m ed Serv ices C o m m it t ee. I t is D ick ’s i n t en t

that offi cers helped by thisprogram will move into m ai n st ream America’s leadership and decision-making positions. Pleasejoin me in thanking Dick for the creation of thiswonderful program. Yo u can read more about the Richard D. McConn Endowed Scholarship fo r Public Policy Study and Service on page 64.

Dick’s gift is a good example of the work that goes i n t o t h e development of a seven-fi gure contribution. In Dick’s ow n w ords, he wrote to me “I would like to sing the praises of your staff Jim Shaw, ’67, and Jennifer Bateman have been excellent in working with me over the past three years. They have helped m e t o r eal i ze a dream that I have had for several years. Their efforts were a major factor in my decision to donate nearly $2 million to t h e A O G .”

So, we see it took more than threeyearsof developing a trusting relationship to get to the point where thisgift could be made. But ,

C H EC K PO I N T S, M A RC H

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Dick also wrote “I did not donate thismoney to theA O G w ithout apprehension ... I still have reservations ... The acrimony within theAOG has been deeply disturbing ... A separate Foundation is a good idea and should be accomplished as soon as possible.” D ick ’s expression of concern is not the fi rst that we have heard from potential donorswho are considering major giftsto theAOG. O n t h e h eel s of the best fundraising quarter in the history of the AOG, I fi nd that I must warn that the future does not look as bright f o r t w o main reasons. One, theAOG is having trouble retaining top-notch fundraising professionals. Our Vice President of Development resigned last year to take another position and theActing VP of Development (the aforementioned Jennifer Bateman) turned down our o f er t o becomeVP and then resigned. We have also lost several other Major Giving offi cers. Thus, we do not have enough people in place to develop the kind of relationships that are key to any major gift, and our “pipeline” isshrinking- to a trickle. We are having great diffi culty recruiting replacements to the fundraising team because th e A O G is not a “typical” college fundraising organization, and there isperception among the professional fundraising community that a strong, vocal element of theAOG alumni is hostile to fundraising. This hostility, or acrimony as Dick called it, is the second reason for my warning. At present, theAOG has $9 million of potential donations t h at ar e o n “hold” until the donorsget a better sense of the future of the A O G ,

the role that fundraising will play, and how it will be managed. These factors underlie the “ Foundation” to w hich D ick referred an d ab o u t

which I wrote in the last issue of Checkpoints. Let me bring you up to speed on that topic.

The idea of creating a separate fundraising foundation as part of the AOG was advanced by the Foundation Subcommittee o f t h e Campaign Steering Committee of the AOG Board at the O ct o ber, 2006, board meeting. The board asked the subcommittee to develop the proposal more fully and, subsequent t o t h e b o ard meeting, decided to present the foundation idea to t h e n ew b o ar d that will be seated in July. We have held meetings in Boston , Washington, D.C., and Colorado Springs to discuss the i d ea an d listen to graduate feedback. We hope to hold two more o f t h ese meetings in the spring. The Governance Committee reviewed t h e foundation concept in light of present AOG Bylaws and cluded that the bylaws would need to be changed to est ab l i sh a c o n

foundat ion and recom m ends t hat if a foundat ion is est ablished

that it be explicitly established as part of the AOG Bylaws. We will pass these recommendations to the new board and, i f t h at board is inclined to pursue the establishment of a foundat ion , they will take the idea to the membership for a vote. M eanwh ile, indications are that contributions, particularly major co n t r i b u tions, will slow considerably. To continue to make progress, the

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Campaign Steering Committee has assumed responsibility for further developing the foundation concept, incorporating m em ber feedback, and preparing materials for the board to review at the May meeting in preparation for handover to the new b o ar d .

Our current bylaws establish fundraising as a core purpose of the AOG. Specifi cally, Article X, Section I states “To help accom plish the mission of the AOG, a core purpose of the A O G i s t o work in support of the Air Force, the Academy, and the gradu ates to raise private funds to support and develop Academy, cadet and graduate programs that would otherwise not be funded.” A great example of this is the Memorial Pavilion under c o n s t r u c tion at the Academy Cemetery. The Pavilion was fi rst ident ifi ed as a pressing need in 1982, 25 years ago! But government f unds were never available. So, in line with this core purpose, t h e A O G raised the money and we will dedicate the Association of G radu ates Memorial Pavilion on May 11, 2007. This project i s b u t o n e of a num ber that w ill be funded as a result of the $ 100 m i llion

comprehensive campaign for the Air Force Academy.

When this campaign was fi rst being conceived six or years ago, the board specifi cally recruited a number of direct ors who had fundraising experience, as well as the means an d w i l l t o drive the campaign forward. Those directors created the develop ment organization within the AOG and put the mechanisms an d controls in place that resulted in campaign success to dat e. N ow, however, as we approach the transition to a smaller, mostly elected board, the AOG no longer has the latitude to recruit directors spe cifi cally for their fundraising skills or proclivities. T h us, donorsparticularly major donors who must be carefully cultivated period of years- see the emergence of a gap that creates uncertainty for them. They don’t know whether the new board will co n t i n u e to give high priority to fundraising; and they don’t k n ow i f t h ei r gifts will be appreciated. They don’t know who will play the leadership roles in the fundraising effort, and they don’t k now if their gifts will continue to be stewarded properly. Som e, lik e D ick McConn, express their “apprehension,” but make their gift . Many more, however, are adopting a “wait and see” stance.

The foundation idea isan attempt to help “bridge” thisgap by creat ing an entity within theAOG that can focussolely on fundraising, the nurturing of needed relationships, the leadership of the development staff, and the stewardship of gifts- particularly major restricted gifts. A foundation structurewould give the board the ability to again specifi cally recruit graduates (or even non-graduateswho are major USAFA supporters) as Foundation Trusteesbased on their fundraising experi ence, their fi nancial means, and their willingness t o w o rk t o m ak e th e campaign successful. In addition, the foundation could b e st r u ct u red to look more like a typical college fundraising foundation so it coul d be more appealing to fundraising professionals to work th ere. W i t h a foundation to focus on fundraising, theelected board an d A O G st aff could then focus almost all their energies on services t o al u m n i an d t h e Academy, which iswhat our memberssaid they wanted in t h e recen t survey. A foundation isan idea that I have come to b el ieve h as m er i t for theAOG. It will take much work to get all the details correct , but I believe it will beworth it in thelong run. Unfoitunately so m e v ery vocal graduates (some of whom are even candidates for elect i on t o t h e sev e n

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Board) havehad a strongly negative reaction to the initial foundation proposal and are expressing their steadfast opposition. While I respect the right of all members to hold and express their views on any topic of importance to theAOG, I believe that working to help improve the proposal would be much more benefi cial to theAOG. A n d I b el iev e in the absence of a foundation, the new board will need to fi nd som e

other means to remove the uncertainty that now clouds the future of fundraising at theAir ForceAcademy.

You will elect six new directors in the upcoming election. B al lo t s were mailed on March 1, with a sixty-day voting period. We hope to announce results in early May and have invited the n ew d i rect o rs t o the May board meeting to help with what will be a major t r an si t i o n .

Aswas pointed out in the last issue of Checkpoints, the board w ill go fr om the present 75 years of AOG board experience t o n o m o r e than 24 years, and perhaps as low as 15 years, if no i n cu m b en t s are elected. And the board will go fr om itspresent size of 16 directors to 11 on July 1, with the opportunity for the new board to appoint two additional directorsat its fall meeting. Therewill be 17 candidates on the ballot for the six open seats. Though all the candidatesare qualifi ed to serve, the Nominating Committee, aft er extensive i n t er v iew s w i t h all candidates, endorsed 12 candidatesas the best qualifi ed to meet the needs of the board at the tim e of this election. T his is an extraordi

narily important election for theAOG and I urge all eligible members to familiarize themselveswith the candidates by studying the candidate information in thismagazine and by going to the election page on the AOG Web site at www.usafa.org. Then, cast your vote; please don’t sit on the sidelinesand leave the election up to a small group of members who happen to be more active than most. Our AOG will be strongest if every eligiblevoter castsvotes for those six candidatesw h o m h e or she believes are best qualifi ed to provide steady leadership for the AOG, and who will help to build trust and confi dence in t h e asso cia tion going forward.

At press time, theAcademy was dealing with a cheating i n ci dent involving 36 members of the fourth class. Twenty-four cadets admitted they cheated; the 12 remaining denied it. A l l cases w er e forwarded for further investigation following normal procedures in

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

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the Cadet Honor System. The superintendent ordered t h e en t i re Cadet Wing to be confi ned to theAcademy for a weekend to, in his words, “invest some serious introspection time, refl ecting on our Academy, our standards and expectations, to reset your m o r al co m passes, and most importantly, digest the seriousness o f t h e h o n o r situation in front of the Cadet Wing and this great Academy.” We applaud theseriousattention thesuperintendent hasgiven to this matter, and we have urged him to deliver the strongest possible mes sage that cheating will not be tolerated at the Air Force Academy.

The 2006 Distinguished GraduateAwardswill be presented a t the Founders Day dinner on April 13, 2007, to retired Lt . G en. Bob Beckel, ’59, and retired Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, ’64. Please read the article in this issue describing their accomplishments. I t w ill m ak e you proud to be in their company. These two men join a very special group of graduateswho exemplify thevalues to which we all aspire. I encourageyou to submit nominations for graduateswho you believe meet thestandards of thismost important distinction. I n st r u ct io n s ar e on theweb site and in every issue of Checkpoints.

The Communications Team has rolled out the latest update to the Web site. As with all sites, it is subject to co n t i n u o u s improvement and I am sure you will be pleased with t h e n ew

functionality as well as the look and feel. I hope you will take the time to check it out and give us feedback.

Please join me in welcoming our new football coach, Troy Calhoun, ’89, and his wife Amanda. Troy is the fi rst graduate to serve as head football coach and we are looking f o r w ar d t o many successful years ahead. Also, join me in congratulating the men’s basketball team on a great season. At press time, they were 23-4, with March Madness j ust around the corner. A n d fi nally, I am pleased to announce that the AOG Communica tions team has again won major recognition at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s District V I conference. T his year the team won 14 awards, including t h e fi rst place award in the Sweepstakes competition as t h e b est advan cem en t of fi ce i n sch ool s w i t h 300 0-4 999 st uden ts. T h i s

is the third fi rst-place fi nish in the past 4 years. Congratula t io ns t o al l m em bers of t h e t eam .

Please vot e in the elect ion of di rect ors.

T hanks,

Ted Legasey, ’67

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t o rg ed t hro ug h sw eat , t ears, laug ht e r

and shared accomplishments.

Z O O M I E N A T I O N ... because your Academy friendships are too precious to lose.

Log on to www.usafa.org and click on the ZoomieNation ba n n e r t o le a rn m o re .

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—A pr oud hist ory, a pr oud fut ur e

By Brig. Gen. Sue Desjardins, ’8 0 Phot o by Dennis Rogers

i i

As I round out my fi rst exciting year here at our Air F o r ce A cad emy and begin the next one, I would like to refl ect o n w h at h as taken place in these short months. I also want to thank t h e A O G

for inviting me to submit this report to Checkpoints.

When I fi rst arrived at USAFA in December 2005 from C h arl est on

Ai r Force Base, our new superintendent, Lt. Gen. John Regni, 7 3, was totally immersed in his 60-day assessment and orientation of the A cad emy. In fact, I vividly remember the fi rst words thehe said to m e in his introductory phone call: “Sue, you’re late!” Hiswords set the tone and expectations. We were to be out of the blocks in a dead sprint!

I had been at Charleston AFB, S.C., for just over ay ear as an op er a tional C-17 airlift wing commander. Just like all of our arm ed forces, wewere heavily engaged in operationsaround theglobe, delivering troopsand equipment, transporting thewounded, and deploying per sonnel 24/7. T he m ission at hom e was as intense as t h e m issio n o n t h e

road—^successwas measured in tonsof cargo moved, mission capable rates, fl ying hoursfl own, aircrews and aircraft available for the next mission, and the number of Army and Marineground convoys m ad e unnecessary by direct air delivery to oudying locations. T h e w ar w as global, the fl ight linewas constandy abuzz, and wew ere co m m i t t ed t o meeting and completing every tasking thrown our way.

I had the opportunity to witness fi rsthand and daily the sacri fi ces of our airmen—active duty and reserve—civilians and fam i lies. I saw what it took to fi ght and support the war. Now, in my new capacity, I needed to fi gure out how to produce i n o u r cad et s

that same commitment, dedication and willingness to sacrifi ce.

This was a challenge and a responsibility like no other.

10

Because of the relatively recent challenges our Air ForceAcademy had faced— and, indeed, anytime an organization experiences cr isi s— the pendulum has a tendency to swing, sometimes rather dramati cally.

One of the superintendent’sand my main goalswas to swing that pen dulum back to center. The changeswe implemented were o n e s t o e a s e thependulum back and then, hopefully, to create a period of relative

stability. Aswebegan 2007, many of themajor changesw e c o n t e m

plated had been implemented, and we entered what we en v isio n ed as a more stable period wherewewill make the occasional tweak , but , hopefully, no dramatic moves.

Coming out of the superintendent’s initial assessment w e r e t w o overarching themes. First, we needed to put more “military” an d tradition back in our military academy; and second, w e needed to

bring back theprideamong thecadetsand USAFA graduates. A s

many of you know, both of these themes tighdy bind our cadets to

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

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PE R SPE C T I V E

Closer Ties t o t he Oper at ional Air For ce

our graduatesand serveto strengthen and reinforcespirit, camaraderie and cohesion between thesegroups. Almost every changethat w e have implemented hassupported thesetwo themes.

With General Regni’sstrong support, the commandant’sorganiza

own leadership philosophy: peoplewill riseto theexpectationsyou set

wegraduate isseen as an important “weapon” in fi ghting t h e

termsof expected performance. In addition, I established w hat I call

security challenges, USAFA needed to do a better job t o m ak e

In the commandant’s area, I have coupled these two goalswith my

for them. Therefore, I have not been shy about setting the bar high in the clear, bright lines that cadets can choose to cross or stay within.

Theconsequencesfor respecting or crossing theselinesare also clear.

M ilit ary and Tr adit ion

When I was a cadet, I am not sure I fully understood why we marched in formation to meals and for parades. As often hap pens, through yearsand experience, the reasonsfor this military tradition became quite clear. Besides the fact that marching builds teamwork, unit cohesion and discipline, working together t o

accomplish a goal establishesa closenesswhich, although diffi cult to describe, is critical to mission success. Throughout the fall and now, 3-4 timesper week (weather permitting), all 40 squadrons m arch t o the noon m eal at M it chell H al l .

With the support and assistance of retired Brig. Gen. (Dr.) H ans Mueh, ’66, our athletic director, we have made it a point to include intercollegiateathletesin military training, particularly marching, cadet professional education and parades. The“Terrazzo Gap” (the separa tion between the intercollegiate athletes and the other cadets) exists, but has diminished over the last couple of months. Our thinking was that mandatory inclusion of our intercollegiate athletes in the military and other unit cohesion-building eventswould only help close that

gap, and improvespirit and support for our intercollegiatet eam s. So far, it hasdonejust that. Bear wimessto any intercollegiatecompeti

tion, and you will see our cadets in the stands cheering and proud of their classmates and Academy.

Every Wednesday at noon, we have awing-wide parade completewith unit colors, guidonsand a full “Offi cers f r o n t !”

and “Pass in review!” We bring tourists and visitors dow n t o t he Terrazzo for a more personal vantage point, and the feedback f rom them has been extremely positive. We all enjoy an audience, an d the cadets are no dif ferent .

There are more subtle positives to forming up as a u n i t an d

marching. With the advent of e-mail and all itsbenefi ts, t h er e are negatives that haveaffected our cadetsand their i n t er act i o n

with squadron-mates. As in the operational Air Force, cad et s w er e

using e-mail and instant messaging at the expense of face-t o-face

conversations. Consequently, we discovered that cadets n eed ed t o know their squadron-mates much better, including their squadron mates’ strengths and weaknesses.

For example, element leaders did not know their fourth class cadets’ academic grades or physical fi tness test results. W ith m anda tory cadet interaction daily, they and we, the permanent p ar t y, get the benefi t of that ever-important eyeball-to-eyeball cont act . I n this way, we also re-emphasize the importance of the chain of com m and and the fact the chain is responsible for attendance, performance and accountability. Our cadets can directly apply these lessons to the operational Air Force they are preparing to enter.

tion has focused on increasing the relevance of the cadet experi ence and cadet training to the operational Air Force. I f each cadet

Global War on Terror and in meeting our country’s other nat ional each cadet a “full-up round” that could transition to active duty more quickly and seamlessly.

Beginning with Basic Cadet Training, we are making changes

that build a stronger military foundation for not only t h e n ex t four yearsat theAcademy, but for the fi rst years of active duty

that can shape an entire Air Force career.

In BCT, basics now undergo the same physical training regimen that new recruits receive in Basic Military Training at Lackland A FB,

Texas. Thisregimen not only ismorephysically challenging an d su s tained than in previousBCTs, but it resultsin stronger, h eal th ier b asi cs who spend moretimein training and lesstimeon sick-call.

Every basic cadet now receives a thorough airfi eld i n d o ct r i n a tion and a soaring ride or tandem jump to begin early the process

of melding them into the “airmen” wewant them to be.

Weareimproving therealism of cadet training in chemical w arfare

defensive measures, convoy protection and defense, search and rescue, weaponsprofi ciency, and command and control through our summer program for 3"'^class cadets called Global Engagement and Commandant’s Challenge (our fall major training event). M u ch o f what we teach is “Ability to Survive and Operate” at forward deployed locations. As many gradsknow, ATSO is a component of our Expedi tionary Air Force capability and a rock-hard requirement that is tested regularly during Operational Readiness Inspections.

To giveour cadetsan up-close-and-personal look at w h at t h ei r

Air Force careers might be like in the immediate future,

w e

n o w

hold regular video teleconferencesbetween them and co m p an y gradeoffi cersdeployed in theU.S. Central Command area of responsibility. So far, our cadetshave “visited” Bagram, Afghanistan

and Balad AB, Iraq—next stop Ali A1Salem, Kuwait! W e think it is a unique opportunity for the cadets to begin seeing w here and how they actually might fi t into the fi ght upon graduation.

Recognit ion

The next signifi cant change reinforcing USAFA’s military t r ad i tions was to bring back “Recognition.”

The recently graduated Class of 2006 was passionate ab o u t

Recognition. They had been the last to experience thisculm inat ing event for the fourth classyear. Because of past abuses, real and perceived. Recognition had been suspended for threeyears. Last

year’s Firsties asked that it be reinstated.

My organization took theopportunity to implement improve

ments that were intended to make Recognition even more ingful for all participants—both fourth classcadetsand the upper classmen. We established new criteria that every activity had t o be m

ea n

positive, deliberateand purposeful. By “purposeful,” w e m eant that every Recognition task or challengehad to haveaclearly defi ned objective—an objectivethat would teach cadetsamilitary o r p er-

C H EC K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

11

PE R SPE C T I V E . T l .

sonal lesson they could useduring therest of their U SA EA and beyond. Wehad asecondary goal that the Classof 2006 should teach the Classesof 2007 and 2008 how to run aprofessional R ec c a r e e r s

ognition, since those classes had not experienced one.

The cadets developed a plan that they could execute an d t h at thepermanent party could support. Recognition 2006, although not perfect, was both professional and effective. We w e r e m o s t

proud of how thecadetsworked to develop varioustraining e v e n t s

that provided the fourth class cadets, the Class of 2009, w it h chal lengesthat gave them a strong sense of pride upon being recog

nized and receiving their prop and wings!

Cadet Disciplinary Syst em and t he UCiVlJ

Another example of reinvigorating USAEAsmilitary traditions i s

the return of the Cadet Discipline System.

As we prepared for the arrival of the Class 2010 last June, discussions between the permanent party and cadets dem onstrat ed

that disciplinewithin the Cadet Wing wasnot being enforced

a s

effectively as it could have been.

In 2004, theAcademy went to a discipline system using primar

ily the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The traditional cadet discipline system of demerits, confi nements, tours and rest rict ions was suspended.

The original goal of using only the UCMJ was to ensure t h at w e held cadetswho committed crimes (assault; sexual and otherwise,

theft , destruction of government property, driving under the infl u ence, underagedrinking, etc.) accountableand to put the A ir Eorce

Academy in linewith the rest of theAir Eorce on these m at t ers. T h e unintended dilem m a this created w as that cadets were receiving Let ters of Counseling and Lettersof Admonishment for the m ost m inor off enses, including training violations.

Starting in July 2006, we reinstituted a cadet disciplinary sy st em

similar to thesystem that had been suspended. Webrought b ack

the f orm 10 (some grads are more familiar with this than others) and the system for demerits, confi nements and restrictions.

The return of the f orm 10 permitsgreater fl exibility i n h ow w e

deal with cadet-specifi c disciplinary issues. Unlike in the past, the new f orm 10 permits positive comments for exceptional behavior,

aswell asprovidesawider range of recommended disciplinary

options. This increases the number of tools available t o cad et an d offi cer leadership for enforcing standards.

Despite the nostalgia that the Centurion gradsamong us might feel for punishment tours, they were not reinstated. A m o r e

compelling argument wasmade for increasing the restrictionsan d

confi nements as a more effective and productive use of cadet time, and as a greater deterrent to infractions and misbehavior.

Cadets and grads alike can rest assured that there still are no sanc tuaries. Absences from class or not adhering to uniform or personal appearance standardswill get you undesired attention just aswill more serious breaches of standards, regulations and the UCM J. The feedback from our cadets on the reimplementation of t h e cad et disciplinesystem has been positive. Cadet leaders feel that they now actually have the tools they need to enforce the standardsw ithin the Cadet Wing. This isstill a new process for some cadets, having only 12

used it during BCT and thispast fall. Aswework through the spring semester, wewill continue to capture successes and m ake refi nem ents to thesystem. UCMJ punishments, includingArticles 15, Letters of Reprimand, and themoreseriousArticle32 penaltiesh av e b retained for criminal offenses, including sexual assault.

ee n

Cult ur e, Clim at e a nd Sex ua l A s s a ult

Establishing and maintaining acultureof respect for individual hum an dignity hasbeen identifi ed both nationally and at U SA EA as a cr i t i cal component of any campaign to prevent and respond to sexual assault and perceived discrimination on campus. It iswork that is never done.

In congressional testimony last June, I quoted areport o n sex u al assault prevention at theAcademy by saying thisisnot a “ fi x-and-

forget” issue. That being said, I believe that USAEA has m ade trem en dousstridesforward sincethesexual assault and religiousinsensitivity issueswereraised. Respect for diff erencesregarding gender, ethnic origin, religion and cultural background hasimproved dramatically, particularly in the last few years. Awareness and education eff orts have gained traction and are producing results.

The expertssay it takes 5-7 years to change the culture o f an

organization. We are about three years into that journey. Our pre decessors laid a sound framework for success, and we co n t i n u e t o

build on that foundation daily. More importantly, theA ir Eorce,

the Department of Defense and the country have come t o r eal i ze that sexual assault is a national problem, with most assaults occur ring during the college-age years.

There also is recognition nationally that USAEA, through t h e changesit hasmadesince 2003, hasled theway in responding

to this problem. Erom the recently released 2005 Cadet Cli mate Survey, our cadets have, and are gaining, confi dence in the report ing system for sexual assault. In fact, our women cadets consider the Academy to be the safest campus in America. With o u r Sex u al

Assault Response Coordinator, cadetscan report a sexual assau l t

while maintaining their confi dentiality. The fear of being shunned or ostracized—a main reason individuals do not report t h ese assaults—has been taken out of the equation.

Our Professional Ethics and Education Representativesp r o g r am

is the largest and most active in the nation. This is a helping program composed of male and female volunteer cadets, sev er al serving as informal leaders in each squadron, who are t r ai n ed i n victim support and counseling. They are also trained on questions to ask a cadet in need and on where to go for help. A majority of the sexual assault reports fi led this academic year have been at the urging and assistance from the PEERs.

One sexual assault is one too many, and until we get t o t h at

point of having no sexual assaults, we will continue t o have robust education, training and victim-support programs to deter an d respond to this crime.

H o no r

As USAEA enters the hoped-for period of stability, t h er e st i l l ar e two areas that are works in progress.

The fi rst is the El onor System. I want to be clear: t he H onor Code has not changed. However, thehonor process (i.e., system)

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

PE R SPE C T I V E

hasundergone many changes over theyearsand hasbecome bersome and legalistic. We established aTiger Team, composed of c u m

permanent party membersand cadets, to assessthehonor p r o cess and determine how we can improve it to more effectively

e n c o u r

age cadetsto live honorably.

More importantly, the process should create an environment where cadets, when they do not live honorably, can adm it t heir

mistakesversus “gaming” the system. This isan important t h em e given theTiger Team’s realization that, many times, cadets go through thelegalistic processbecause they perceive that t heir chancesof not being found in violation are better.

Currently, theTiger Team has recommendationsthat are being explained and discussed in detail with cadets. Permanent p ar t y

members will receive the same education. T his will ensure that , as

cadetssort through the recommendationsand work to underst and them, they will be able to talk to mentors. Later thisse m e st e r , aft er the cadets have had a chance to discuss the recommenda

tions, they will vote on those that they will institute.

Let meemphatically state that wedo not view the recent cheating situation as a setback to our eff orts to improve the H onor System or instill the virtues of living honorably in our cadets. Certainly,

wewereall very disappointed that somecadetschoseto violate

their code, and they will be appropriately disciplined according to the rules of the system. However, as bad as that episode was, it aff orded us an opportunity to challenge the Cadet Wing t o r efl ect on concerns about the state of the wing; refocus on why we’re here; recom m it to the A i r Force’s core val ues, the H onor Code and living

Any success by the commandant’sorganization isalso directly related to the thoughtful and energetic leadership of V i ce C om mandant for Operations Col. Dave LaRivee, ’80, and V i ce C o m mandant for Climate and Culture Col. Gail Colvin, 80.

T he A D Cs and A M T s

Thegroup and squadron AOCsand AMTsarethefront-line

leadersof the commandant’sorganization. Their entire f o cu s i s to mentor, guide and position for successUSAFA’s most v al u

able assets—our cadets. Our AOCs and AMTs, primarily majors and master/technical sergeants respectively, are on point with the

cadets every day, 365 daysayear and, oft en, around the clock .

The AOCs come from many Air Force career fi elds and from our sister services. They are intermediate service school graduates, having fi nished their master’sdegrees in leadership and counseling. The AMTs also represent many Air Force career fi elds ev e n

and, together with theAOCs, bring awealth of operational ex p er

tise to share with the cadets. The AO Cs and AM Ts lead t h e cad et s

with a mixture of discipline, imagination, experience and compas

sion; and they are pivotal to accomplishing the USAFA m i ssi o n .

TheAir Force is recognizing the exceptional performance an d the talents they bring to the task by providing career-progressi follow-on assignments, including command and leadership bill ets v e

in operational and support squadrons.

The Gr ads

Thecadetsstepped up to thechallengewith enthusiasm, an d I ’m

Before becoming commandant, I, like many grads, probably d id not fully appreciate the indispensable contributions t o U SA FA made repeatedly by theAssociation of Graduatesand

Final Thought s

The contributionsgo far beyond fi nancial gifts, although these giftshelp underwrite several essential “level of excellence”

honorably; and rebuild thetrust, confi denceand pride i n U SA FA . confi dent they’re on a new and positive vector.

Before I conclude this summary of the commandant organization’s

n u m

e r o u s

individual graduates.

major activitiesin 2006 and early 2007, 1would berem iss if I did not touch on four other factors that are critical to the success or failure of

my organization: (1) support from thesuperintendent, thevice super

intendent, the dean of the faculty and the director of athletics; (2) the quality and ef ectivenessof our team of air offi cerscommanding and academy military trainers; (3) thecontinued roleof the Long Blue Lineof graduatesin making USAFA thebest military academy in the world; and (4) the cadets themselves and their parents.

Support from t he USAFA Leadership

Any progresswe have been able to achieve during the p ast year has occurred, due in no small part, to the strong su p p o r t and guidance I have received from the superintendent; f o r m er

Wm c Si o n Up a a t e 2 0 07 B OA R D E L ECT IO NS T he ba llots fo r t he 2 0 0 7 E le ct io n of D ire cto rs ha v e be e n m a ile d . T he re a re 6 v a c a nc ie s to be f ille d . B a llots m ust be

Vice Superintendent Maj . Gen. Irving Halter, ’77; Dean o f t h e

returned by noon on April 30, 2007

then-commander of the 306'*’ Flying Training Group a t o u r airfi eld (now. Vice Supt.); their respective organizations an d t h e

P le a s e le a rn a bo ut t he ca nd id ate s a nd VO TE ! V is it o u r W e b s ite f o r m o re

this support and their “buy-in” for the proposed changes,

information at www .usafa .org .

Faculty Brig.Gen. Dana Born, ’83; Director of Athletics, r et i r ed Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Hans Mueh, ’66; Col. Paul Ackerman, ’82, Board of V isi t ors. A l l h ave off ered w ise counsel , an d w i t h o u t

o u r

ach ievem ent s w ould have been f ar less.

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

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13

PE R SPE C T I V E

componentsof USAFA programs, including character and et hics development, theMcDermott Library, athletic programs, cad et

inspiring story of what occursdaily up on “TheHill.” A ll of the cadets

now at USAFA volunteered to join theAir Force aft er 9 / 1 1. T h at aselfl essand nobleact in atimeof war. They knew what they getting into, and they willingly took the oath wehave all tak en to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution and our co u n t r y.

clubs, endowed academic chairs and the new M emorial Pav i l i o n

and directory at theAcademy Cemetery.

Individually, and astheAOG led by CEO Jim Shaw, ’67, grads alwayson thelookout for stellar prospectivecadets, and they devote many hoursto participating in theAcademy’sshowcasecharacter-

ar e

They also arean intriguingmix of maturingyoungadultsand

college students, and sometimes they want to be treated lik e one

development events- theNational Character and Leadership Sympo

o r

sium and the Falcon Heritage Forums. Grads are a resonant sounding board for contemplated changes, and they areeager to spread thegood

word about what ishappening at USAFA. They areaprincipal

w as

w ere

r ea so n

why our Ai x ForceAcademy has hccomt America’sAi t ForceAcademy, and they arevalued members of the Commandant’sTeam.

T he Pa r ent s a nd t he Cad et s

First, aword about the Parents: USAFA’sparentslend u s t h ei r sonsand daughters for four years, and they expect us t o m ak e w ise

theother, dependingon what seemsmost advantageousat t h e

moment. The challenge for USAFA’sleadership is to st r i k e an

appropriatebalancebetween thosesometimes-competingw orld

views, and to channel their seemingly boundlessenergy i n t o t h e complex processof becoming Air Force offi cersof character.

Thebottom lineisthat theseyoung men and women will reaffi r m your faith in thebasic goodnessof our country, and they will demon stratewhy wewill ultimately win the Global War on T er ro r i n w h i ch we are now engaged. I am honored to be their commandant. H

choices as we educate and train them for their Air Fo r ce c a r e e r s .

Asparents, they are not shy about voicing their opinions ab o u t any or all of these choices, but they arewilling to l ist en and learn when we come to them about their cadets, individually, or regard ing theAcademy in general. They arean important source of feedback and support, and they help make theAcademy a bet ter,

Editor’sNote: Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni, ’73, addressed the Cadet Wing on Feb. 13 about thehonor vi olati ons.

If you would liketo read a transcript of General Regni’sspeech and recent AOG updates, pleasevisit our Web siteat www.usaf a.org.

m ore effective inst i t ut ion .

Second, about thecadets: Our cadetsarethetruly fascinating and

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E L E C T I O N S

Associat ion of Gr aduat es ^ UNITED STATESAIR FORCEACADEMY W T H E A SSO C IAT I O N O F G RA D UAT ES

BOA RD O F D I RECT O RS A PPROVED 2007 EL ECT I O N SL AT E TheBoard approved theproposed slateof eighteen (18) candidatesand unanimously agreedwith theNominating C o m mittee endorsement of thirteen (13) candidates as best qualified”. Themembership will elect six (6) n ew D irectors from thisslate in the March/April 2007 timeframe. The candidates, in alphabetical order, for the 2007 election a r e : M ichael Banks, ’92 B i o : I am C o- O w n er of For m 10

Group, providing product security and brand integrity solutions to hun dreds companies and organizations to include CO ST CO , WalM art ,

St at e of C al i f orn i a an d AT E Pr i or t o

Candidacy Statement: Asa graduate entering the business an d finance sectors, I will help further strengthen the network amongst graduates. I consider USAFA a transformational experience t h at providesopportunities unlike any other, both during an d af t er activeduty. It would be a privilege to help enhance these oppor tunities as a Director in your AOG.

founding Form 10 Group I started

a successful distribution company

Rodney Bullard, ’96 Bio: I am currently a White House

in Munich, Germany. I managed €5 million annually and 7 employees. My previous management experience includes leading a complex business unit, consulting for non-profi ts

Fellow. Previously, I served as a spe

cial prosecutor and defense counsel with The Air Force Judge Advocate’s Corps; I interned with the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for the

and working with several boards of directors. On active duty

I was a Munitions offi cer serving in the US and Germany. I

earned a M BA from the Katz Graduate School of Business i n

Prague, Gzech Republic.

A rm ed Forces an d at t en d ed D uk e

Candidacy Statement: Asahiring manager I havehelped 13 ex-m ili tary offi cersincluding 5Academy gradsget jobswith my companies.

If elected to theBoard I will usethisexperienceto improvegraduate networking opportunitiesfor social and career growth, r e s t o r e m e m bership trust in theorganization and improveservicesfor graduates.

Al ex Brown, ’99

Bi o: A lex Brow n is a 1999 D ist in

guished Graduate of USAFA, where he was a Soaring IP and Squadron Gommander of CS-40. After graduation, he served as a scientifi c analyst at theAir Force Personnel Center and routinely provided leadership with analysis on personnel issues throughout theAir Force. Upon separating from active duty in 2004, Alex en t er ed H ar vard Business School, where he earned his M BA in 2006. During graduate school he served asTreasurer of theArmed Fo r ces A l u m n i

Association, astudent organization that provideshelp for form er military offi cersin thetransition to corporateleadership. A l ex rently worksin WachoviaSecurities’ investment banking gr o u p .

c u r -

16

L aw . A t D uk e, I w as el ect ed t o t h e

American Bar Association (ABA) leadership.

Candidacy Statement: I consider serving on theAOG B o ar d of Directorsto be agreat privilege. It is my desire to: develop

an organization relevant to alumni needs; increase t he i nvolve ment of each class and each graduate; and cultivate the graduate community’sloyalty and fellowship - the necessary prerequisites of any fundraising initiative.

Mike Christy, ’63 Bio: Mike Christy served 21 years in the U SA F and retired as a C olonel .

His command and staff positions in Intelligence and Special Operations fi elds included Squadron Commander, Wing Commander, combat duty in Vietnam, Military Assistant and Aidede-Camp to CINCPAC, and Director of Special Plans, HQ USAF. After retirement, he was Managing

Partner, Director and EXCOM member of Heidrick & Struggles,

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

ELECT IO N S

International Economics from the University of Colorado an d i s a

MSCE from Columbia University, graduated from National W ar College, and attended Harvard on an executive program.

College. Mikeand Carmen havebeen married 43 years.

Candidacy Statement: Serving as AOG Director is one o f

Inc., aglobal executivesearch fi rm. Mikeholdsa Master Degree in

graduateof theArmed ForcesStaff Collegeand theN ational W ar

Candidacy Statement: During my fi rst year of service, tried to impact the professional behavior of the Board, and have

led the initiation of a critical strategic leadership assessm ent of our

AO G staff

I am honored to be nominated and, if elected, I w i l l

c o n t i n u e t o se r v e o u r

thegreatest privileges for a graduate. With assignments Capitol Hill recently, as aWhite House Fellow, and an A O C o n

I h av e

Academy and our membership with energy

and faculty instructor combined with a son in the Class of

2010, I bring unique perspectives and experiences to b et t er serve your interests.

and dedicat ion .

Jereme Estes, ’02

Bio: I enlisted in the U SA F in 1995. I n

2002, 1graduated with distinction from

St eve D ot son , ’63 B i o : 6 3 - 70 ; U PT ; T -3 8 FA I P; com bat t ou r i n T h uds; 70 - 72 :

USAFA with a degree in Management.

In 2003, 1earned a M asters of Business

Administration from the University of

M BA , H arvard Business School ; 72

- 76: Air Force Studies and Analysis

(Pentagon); 76; Left active duty for

AF Reserve; 76 - 79: Defense pro

gram analyst. Offi ce of Management and Budget; 79 - 83: Staffer, Senate

A rmed Services Commit tee; 84 - 97: Senior Executive Service,

Offi ce of Management and Budget; 97 - Present: Novelist. 76

- 93: A ir Force Reserve: A ir defense, eastern U .S.; Ranking

brigadier general, “shadow superintendent” at USAFA; H ead quarters, USAFE. 93: Retired brigadier general. USAFA: Sab r e Society; attended all GLCs. 2006: Achieved improved fi n an cial statements, LMAG solution, letter to Congress f or A O G ; taught cadet history classes.

Pittsburgh. In 2003,1wasassigned to

the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and ReconnaissanceWing at Hanscom AFB, MA as a Contracts Manager. Currendy, I ser ve as aReservist at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. I am afi nancial analyst for

TheProcter & GambleCompany. My primary responsibilitiesin cl u d e maintaining a$40M operational budget and establishing capital invest ment decisions models for projects ranging from $5M to $70M .

Candidacy Statement: I seek a position asa member of the Board of Directors of the AOG so that I may serve the graduate

and protect the long-term interestsof the organization an d i t s m em bers at t he nat ional level .

Candidacy Statement: Outlook - ^ heAOG is in transition, becoming much more member-centered and independent. I strongly support that transition, making theAOG more r esp o n sive and transparent to members. See my blog at ZoomieNation for key accomplishments for membersand for endorsements.

Fred Gregory, ’64 Bio: A military and government career that lasted more than 40 yearsbeginning as aVietnam rescue helicopter pilot and

Priorities- Membership fi rst, then Academy programs, then heritage.

Approach to decisions- Member-centric, pragmatic, non-dogmatic, analytical, evidence-driven.

B ob Ed m o n ds, ’7 9

Bio:Bob Edmonds is entering his “third chapter” of association with

USA FA ; cadet , staff in the late ’80s,

and parent of Greg, Class of 2010.

An F-15 pilot, he fl ew combat missions during Desert Shield/Storm; commanded the 95'*’ Fighter Squadron and 13L' Fighter Wing—an active duty commander of this ANG wing.

Hisvaried assignments in Washington, DC, include threey ear s

w o

rking Capitol Hill for theAF, serving on theJoint Staff and A i r

Staff, and selection as a W hite H ouse Fellow in 1995. H e h as a

c o m

munity, contribute to the operational performance of the A O G ,

ended as leader of the N ational A eronau

tics and SpaceAdministration. During his career, Fred fl ew both helicopters and

if ghtersin operationsand asaresearch test pilot. Asan Astronaut hefl ew theShutde

three times, once as the pilot and twice as the commander. H e l ead theSafety and Mission Assuranceand theSpaceFlight programsfor NASA before hewas nominated by the President and confi rmed by the Senate to be the Deputy Administrator of NASA.

Candidacy Statement: My career success is only attribut able to the preparation, friendships and sense of honor t h at I received at the Academy. After graduation I have maintained

my connection with theAcademy through theAOG. If

elected as a member of the Board, I will faithfully represent all

graduatesequally and fairly. t>

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

17

EL E C T I O N S

Jay Kelley, ’64

eventsof September 2001 returned him to government ser v i ce

Systems. He served at multiple levels of command and completed hisAir Force career in space and missiles as a Lieuten ant General. Jay presently serves on the Board of Advisors for Toffl er Associates;

Illinois, in 2003 and iscurrently responsible for managing infor mation protection at Argonne National Laboratory. Hew i l l an MBA from the University of Michigan in April 2007.

Bio: Jay is President, ManTech Space

the Board of D irectors for Z anett Cor

poration, the Pikes Peak United Way, the Colorado SpringsPhilharmonic; is

a Trustee of the Falcon Foundation, and President of the A ssocia

tion of Air Force Missileers. Jay graduated from the U S A i r Force

Academy and serves as the Vice President of the Class of 1964. Jay

asaCounterintelligenceOffi cer at DOEsNevadaOperations Offi ce. He married the former Laura Kassmier of Wood D al e,

e a r n

Candidacy Statement: I view the position of AOG Director

a s a

servant to all AO G members and USA FA . I intend to serve th e

graduatecommunity by defendingour institutionsreputation

from thosewith hidden agendasor slanderousintentions. I al so want to bring all members, recent and past, into theA O G f ol d .

and hiswife Marty reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Pat Rosenow, ’76

Candidacy Statement; The thingswe learned about the impor

Bio: Pat Rosenow is a 1976 graduate of

tance of courage and honor have been dominant in our lives since

theAF Academy. Following KC-135

our earliest daysat theAcademy. They are themost important

navigator duty, he attended Duke Law

among the basic elements that defi ne our character. I w an t t o

School. He twice served aswing Staff

help ensurewesustain that sight picture.

Judge Advocate and had two tours as a

military judge. Hepresided over many high profi le trials, including cadets

M ik e Ott , ’85

Bio; Raised in Chicago, Mike entered the

U.S. Air ForceAcademy in 1981, gradu ating with adegreein Civil Engineering in 1985. He spent six years on active

duty asan intelligencesystemsacquision

& program manager, and 14 years as an ALO. Mike has spent hisprofessional time on Wall Street in variousleadership

positions. Most recently, Mikewasamanaging director & head of equity research at Piper Jaf ray & Co, leading aresearch departmentof 120 investment professionals at sheworldwide locations. I n 2005,

Mikejoined Somerset Asset Management asManaging Partner. H e is married to StephanieBurnet Ott with threeyoung children.

charged with sexual assault and F-16

pilotsaccused of homicidein theaccidental bombingof C anadi an

soldiersin Afghanistan. Retired after more than 27 years of ser vice, heis now a federal administrative law judge, hearing a wide variety of labor cases. His daughter and son are graduatesof th e

Academy classes of 2001 and 2003.

Candidacy Statement: I washonored to servefor thep ast t w o

years as we worked through signifi cant and sometime co n t en t i o u s governance issues, emerging with a better and more responsive asso

ciation. Wemust now capturethepassion for governancei ssu es an d turn it toward serving our graduates, our cadets, and our academy.

James Sanchez, ’90

Candidacy Statement: Experiences at theAcademy impacted my life signifi cantly in numerousways. Camaraderie, servi ce, integrity and leadership left lasting marks on the person I am today. From a public high school student in Chicago, t o A i r Force Cadet, offi cer and civilian, I have always felt a huge debt

Bio; My fi rst assignment was the

A i r Force Personnel C enter w here I

developed the fi rst Assignment Man

agement System. I was the fi rst chief

of web operations at theJoint Intel

to my country and the Academy.

I became aTechnology Consultant with Andersen Consulting and then with

Chris Reynolds, ’94

Bio: Chriswasan OSI Special Agent through three tours, culminating in

the Deputy Detachment Commander at Misawa AB, Japan, before his fi nal assignment as a Deputy Flight Com

mander at Offi cer Training School.

He worked for a start-up company in

southern California before the tragic 18

ligenceCenter, Pacifi c. Aft er separating

C H EC K PO I N T S

Grant Thornton. I’vebeen an IT Manager, afreelancew ebm aster, started acar lot (selling pickup truckson eBay) and n ow w o r k f o r Freeseand Nicholsin Fort Worth, Texas. I publish and edit eD odo. org and USAFAtoday.com, keeping gradsinformed and en t er t ai n ed

and preserving USAFA history with the USAFA FolkloreW ik i .

Candidacy Statement: I strongly believe our AOG should be m ore

interactiveand responsiveto themembership. Graduatemembership should beincreased by improving theservicesprovided an d i n creasM A RC H

2007

EL ECT I O N S

ingthevalueof membership. I alsobelievetheAOGBoard should be m

o re

transparent and accountableto themembers. For more

in form a

^

tion, check www.james-sanchez.com/aog.

'

GeorgeVan Wagenen, ’67 George Van Wagenen gradu-

ated from USAFA in 1967. In South East Asia he fl ew the Jolly Green G ian t rescue m i ssi on as an H H - 53

Frank Schmuck , ’88

A ircraft Commander. H e has been

with military honorsand isadecorated

i nvest m en t b usi n ess si n ce 19 8 1. H e

registered with the NASD and in the

Bio; Frank Schmuck graduated in 1988 199 1 Persian G ulf W ar veteran . Pres

ently a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Captain Frank serves on US Senator McCains and Congressman Hayworths ServiceAcademy Selection Committees.

Bilingual, he attended theAmerican Graduate School of International Management. Frank is C hai rm an

of VoicesTakeFlight, Past President of the KiwanisN uevo C lub and Arizona’syoungest living inductee into theVeteransH all of Fame. Helivesin Tempe, Arizonawith hiswifeAndrea. They are

active in their church, community and numerous charitable c a u s e s .

currently owns his own investment

advisory business. He is a stockbroker, registered i n v est m en t advisor, and branch offi ce manager. He is active in t h e R am

part Chapter of theAOG and currently serveson theRampart Chapter Board of Directors.

Candidacy Statement; AOG membersdeserveto beinformed,

especially with regard to issues of money, salaries, costs and gifts to USAFA. Additionally, we have learned that our USAFA heritage and traditions can be at risk, but a member oriented A O G can be

our strong on scene sentinel.

Candidacy Statement; There isa sense of duty and the t i m e t o

Jim Wheeler, ’64 Bio; Jim Wheeler, ‘64, will bring extensive and diverse management

giveback to theinstitution that hasgiven so much t o al l of us. I t

would be an honor to be elected and a sacrifi ce worth giving to

our Association and to you, our outstanding membership.

experience to theAOG Board. While on active duty, he served at USAFA as an A ssist ant Professor of Pol it ical

BiU Stealey, ’70 Bio; J.W Stealey, USAFA Class of

1970; M BA , W harton School of Busi ness; Command Pilot; Lt . Colonel U SAF Reserve (Retired); former A ir Liaison O ffi cer; Life M ember of the

Saber Society, co-founder of the USAF Academy Society of Washington D C . Bill is a successf ul offi cer and

entrepreneur. He has been the CEO of two public computer

gamecompaniessince 1982. “Wild Bill” hasalwaysbeen proud supporter and promoter of theAir Forceand Air F o r ce

Science, AO C of CS-08, and on the

Superintendent’s Staff His broad

AOG experience includes seven years

a s

the Executive D irector; two terms as an elected D irector;

and activeAOG Chapter involvement in Colorado, Ohio, an d Texas. Jim is a Life Member of theAOG and theAFAAA. H e is currently President and COO of two Texas nonprofi t co r p o r a t ions. H e has earned an M .A . in Political Science and an M .S.

in Systems Management.

a

Academy, and carries two “USAFA ‘70” license plates on h is c a r s

. “Wild Bill” is married to the lovely Denise and they h av e

fi ve adul t ch ild ren .

Candidacy Statement; I support an AOG that providesserv i ces to members, assistance for Cadet Programs, and protection of

USAFA heritage and traditions. My commitment to theA O G membership is to diligently apply my Air Force experience an d n o n

Candidacy Statement; I believe that the U.S. Air ForceA cad emy isa national treasure. As it developsleadersof charact er for the Air Force and the United States, the Academy must st r iv e t o maintain the highest in moral, ethical, academic, and physical standards to continue the tradition of the Long Blue L i n e.

profi t background to build an independent, infl uential A O G

governedby an accountableBoardof Directors. B

EditorsNote: Although Linda Cubero wasincluded asa candidate i n theDecember 2006 issue of Checkpoints, she hassince wi thdrawn her candidacy f or personal reasons.

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

19

20

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

C o ac h Fish e r

DeBerry calls it a

c are e r aft e r

27 years on t he - a lc o n s id e lin e

BY JO HN VA N W IN KLE, A C A D EM Y PU B LIC A FFA IRS

Air Forcehead football coach Fisher DeBerry an n o u n ced h is ret i rem en t D ec. 15 .

“There comes a time in every man’s life when you have to look at the big picture and decide what’s the best thing for your family.

I

After 27 exciting and wonderful years here at the Academy and a total of 44 years of coaching, I am announcing my retirement from active coaching,” said Coach DeBerry.

“Coaching isthebest job aguy could have, but it isavery demanding and timeconsum ing job. My kids and grandkids have moved to Oklahoma, and it is time for my wife, LuAnn, and me to spend some quality time together and with them,” said the coach. [>

m e m o r ie s .

C H EC K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

2 1

Previous page: Coach DeBerry arguing his point with a referee. (Photo by Danny Meyer); Left to right: Coach DeBerry leading the Faclons in 1987. (USAFPhoto); Coach DeBerry talks with players during a 1985 practice; Coach DeBeny announces his retirement during a press conference at the Academy. DeBerry was head coach since 1984. (Photo

by Dennis Rogers); Head Coach Fisher DeBerry had the third-longest active tenure as a head football coach at one school; President George W. Bush congratulates Co a c h DeBerry on his team’s sixth consecutive Commander-in-Chief s Trophy win during a White House ceremony May 16, 2002. (Photo by Staff SgL A. J. Bosker).

“We passionately love theAcademy and consider it an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to serve here and carry the t itle ‘coach .’”

Coach DeBerry just completed his 23rd season as the h ead football coach and 27th year overall at the Air Force Academy.

Before the announcement, he had the third-longest active t e n u r e at one school, trailing only Penn State’sJoe Paterno (41 years) and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (31 years).

Former Air Force head coach Ken Hatfi eld hired DeBerry i n 1980 as the quarterbacks coach. DeBerry was promoted t o o f f en

sive coordinator in 198 1.

W hen H atfi eld left Air Force after the 1983 season, DeBerry

becam e the school ’s fi fth head coach .

While the Falcons fi nished 4-8 this season. Coach DeBerry h as led 17 of his 23 teams to winning records. His 23-year reign as head football coach has yielded 14 Commander-In-Chief trophies, 12 bowl bids, and three conference championships.

H is career record of 169- 109- 1 is the best in school history in terms of gameswon and winning percentage (.608). With that winning record. Coach DeBerry has received numerousoffersover theyears to coach elsewhere, but has always turned down those lucrative offers.

“We respect the military so much and the mission of theAcademy, and that’swhy I’ve stayed here as long as I have,” said th e coach . “ I have felt football isone of the most important leadership training opportunitieshere. We have been blessed and privileged to have had the opportunity to coach the fi nest young people in A m er i ca an d w o rk daily with the best coaches in NCAA football. Nobody in life does anything by themselvesand any successwehave enjoyed is the direct result of a tremendous commitment of so many people.”

“Coach DeBerry hasbeen an important and integral part of the

Air ForceAcademy for nearly half of the Academy’s history,” said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni, ’73.

“He’s a superb leader, teacher and mentor who has been i n st r u mental in infl uencing hundreds of young men of character w h o 22

them selves have becom e leaders i n our Ai r Force and n at i o n . H e

hasalso been a tremendous coach, building an overall winning

record for Academy football. He has touched countless lives on and off the fi eld during his quarter century in Colorado Springs, and every person is better off for having known Coach DeBerry.”

Just because he’s stepping away from the Academy football program, doesn’t mean the coach will not continue rooting for the Fighting Falcons.

“Once a Falcon, always a Falcon,” he said. My heart and prayerswill alwaysbewith the Fighting Falcons. Thanks to all for the privilege and opportunity to have been able to serve the fi nest educational i n st i t u tion in the country and the fi nest kids in theworld.”

The outgoing coach spoke with each of his assistant coaches the day before the announcement, to inform them of his decision to

retire. T hose assistant coaches w ere in the m idst of recruiting season,

and each was “strongly considered” for positions on the next head football coach’s staff, said Athletic D irector D r. H ans M ueh, ’66.

Dr. Mueh began the search for the next head coach of Fal co n football the day of the announcement. It’s not the fi rst t i m e he’s had to fi nd a new head coach during his tenure. When the A cad emy men’s basketball coach left on short notice after t h e 2 0 0 4 2005 season, an active search was not necessary, he said .

“I got inundated with requests,” recalled Mueh. “I expected that again, because people in America know what Fisher has cr eat ed

and the legacy he’sleft for Falcon Football. I anticipated getting lot s of calls as soon as this hit t he st reet .”

Editor ’sNote: TheAssociation of Graduates would like t o t h a n k Fisher f or his many contributions to theAcademy over theyears. His impact haspaid positivedividendsf or theAir Forceand nati on. We areproud to call him an Honorary Member of theAOG. Best wishes to Coach DeBerry and LuAnn in their f uture endeavors.

C H E C K P O I N 'F S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

i Sl

Co m m a nd e r-In-C h ief s

Trophy and Bowl Games

The DeBerry F i l e

1984 8-4-0 Army 2-0 Independence 1985 12- 1-0 A FA 2 -0 B lu e b o n n et

The Origin of the Wishbone

1986 6-5-0 Army 2-0 198 7 9 -4 -0 A FA 2-0 Fre e d o m

O ffense at U SA FA

A

ft er a disappointing 2-9 fi nish in 1979, his fi rst

seasons as Air Force coach, Ken H atfi eld decided to

shake up things in a major way. He walked into the offi ce of John Clune, Air Forces longtime athletic di rect or, and the conversation went something like this: Hatfi eld: “John, I’ve decided to make some changes. W e’r e going to change to a Wishbone offense.”

1988 5-7-0 Army 2-0 1989 8-4-1 AFA 2-0 Liberty 1990 7-5-0 AFA 2-0 Liberty 1991 10-3-0 A FA 2-0 Libert y 1992 7-5-0 AFA 2-0 Liberty 199 3 4 -8-0 A FA 1- 1 1994 8-4 -0 A FA 2-0

1995 8-5-0 AFA 2-0 Copper 1996 6-5-0 Army 2-0

C l un e: “ T he W ishbone?^

1997 10-3-0 A FA 2-0 Las Vegas

Hatfi eld: “Yeah, Wishbone. The triple option. I think it’s the

best way we can compete and become a winning program.

And I’m bringing in a coach from Appalachian State, a gr eat

option coach named Fisher DeBerry, to put it in for u s.”

199 8 12 - 1-0 A FA 2 -0 O a h u 1999 6 -5-0 A FA 2-0

2000 9-3-0 AFA 2-0 Silicon Valley 20 0 1 6 -6 -0 A FA 2 -0

Clune: OK, Ken, let me get this straight. We’re going t o t h i s Wishbone, and we’re bringing in some guy named Fisher something from Appalachian somewhere to put it in.”

200 2 8-5-0 A FA 2-0 San Fra n c isc o

Hatfi eld: “That’s right, John.

2005 4-7-0 Navy 2-0 2006 4-8-0 Navy 2-0

Clune got up form hischair and put on his coat.

Clune (walking out of his offi ce): “We’re going to have t o t al k about thislater, Kenny. Right now, I need adrink.” C>

2003 7-5-0 Navy 2-0 2004 5-6-0 Navy 2-0

To t a ls 16 9- 109 - 1

AFA-14 Commander-in-Chief Trophies Bo w ls 6 -6 -0

C H E C K P O I N 'r S , M A R C I i 2 0 0 7

23

Four years later, when Hatfi eld left for his alma mater of Arkansas, Clune promoted “Fisher something from Appalachia somewhere” to h ead coach .

He is the winningest coach in school history with a 169- 107- 1 m ark . H e st ands second in M oun tain W est C on ference history in career wins with 100, trailing only close friend and form er BYU coach L aVeil Edw ards. H is t eam s also beat N ot re D am e t h r ee

times, including a 20-17 overtime thriller against the eighth-

Courtesy of The Rocky Mountain News

ranked I rish in Sout h Bend in 1996 .

F i sh er Fact s DeBerry just completed his 23rd season as the head foot ball coach and 27th overall at Air Force. He guided the Falcons to 17 winning seasons since taking over in 1984. He guided t h e Academy to three conference championships. Air Force w o n t h e Western Athletic Conference title in 1985 and again i n 19 9 5 .

In 1998, DeBerry guided the team to its fi rst out-right t i t l e an d a championship game win over Brigham Young. His 1998 t e a m m atched t he school record w ith a 12- 1 season w hile earning him his third coach of the year award.

DeBerry dominated service academy football. In 1999, h e became the winningest coach in service academy football history when AFA knocked off Washington in Seattle. He is an amazing 35-11 against Army and Navy in his career and led the Academy to 14 of its 16 Commander-in-Chief ’s trophy titles. H i s t eam s won or retained the trophy in 15 of his 23 seasons, including 13 times in a 14-year stretch from 1989 to 2002.

DeBerry wasWestern Athle»'ic Conference Coach of the Year three times 1985, 1995 and 1998 and national coach of the year

in 1985. (Courtesy of USAFA/AH) O

»

As your Air Force career comes to

an end, find nev/ beginnings through

t he people you already know.

^

Z O O M I E N A T I O IM ... because your USAFA network is your best bet at a foot in t he door.

Th lAar n m n rp ah n i it r ar pa r o n n n r t i in it ip <i In n n n tn w i Ai l l u s a f a n r a a nd r lir k n n th p Z n n m ip Ma tin n ha n n p r

T he S ecr et L if e of

WaldoF. Duiribsquat

by Don Hall, ’76

L eav ing

t he lat r i ne , C / 4C W aldo F. D um bs-

quat returned to hisdorm room to fi nd Warren Heelshumming

the Folsom Prison Blues. Somewhere a tortured soul played a harmonica. Regs Buch stood at the window and tried t o l u r e b i r d s into the room with bowls of Sheppard’s Pie.

Warren stopped humming and looked quizzically at thed o o l i e.

“Where have you been, Waldo?”

“You remember I had my wisdom teeth pulled out at the Dental Hobby Shop.” “ Yeah . . . ”

“Well, I missed some classes and I ’ve been to E. 1.”

“Which classes did you miss?”

“Let’s see. There was Acceptance of all Religions 101, Compara tive Sexual H arassment, and Introduction to Alternative Lifestyles.

I can’t wait until we start studying military stuff ” “I think we get that in our junior year,” commented Regs.

Waldo hung his pointed parka in the closet and turned t o f ace his classm ates.

“Hey, why are all the fi rsties still here on a Friday aft ernoon ?

The parking lot is full.”

“You missed it. The Sup put the entire wing in lock dow n .”

“Why?I thought the cadets ran the Wing?”

“Some jocks cheated on a cadet knowledge test.”

Waldo frowned. “Well, that’sjust wrong- everyone knows jocks don’t have to know anything while they’re on ramps. Why would you test them?So, why are we all restricted for the sins of a few ?”

“You’re supposed to be refl ecting upon your commitment t o the core values,” Regs pointed out as he coaxed a falcon o n t o t h e window ledge.

“How are you refl ecting, Warren?”

Waldo became very excited. “I know, let’s come up with honor code that inspires and has some teeth in it.”

“Yeah, and let’s write one that people won’t try to w at er dow n every year because they think we can’t live up to it!”

Waldo tore a piece of blank paper from his notebook. He poised his pen hopefully over the sheet.

“Okay, what should this honor code say?”

“It should be a promise not to cheat, obviously,” noted Regs.

“No lies or stealing either,” Warren Heels contributed. a n

“Good,” said Waldo, “And we won’t tolerate those who do those

things. There- that putssometeeth in it! Haveweleft anything out?”

“Can we put in that no onewill play the accordion?” ask ed W ar ren .

Regs and Waldo just stared at him.

“Alright,” relented Warren. “Don’t put in the accordion p ar t .

Just trying to do a little refl ecting here!”

Waldo picked up the paper. “Okay, let’sseewhat weh av e h er e.

We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Sounds really familiar ...”

“That’s the current Honor Code!” exclaimed Regs.

“It doesn’t sound too complicated ...”

“It’s been around since the academy opened ... a lot of cadet s have lived by it.”

“Let’s send this to the Sup and ask him to treat us lik e adults.

Let us be responsible for our actions. Allow us to succeed or fail morally, ethically, and legally. The standards are clear. L et the Wing enforce them.”

At great risk to hisfl esh, Regstied thenoteto thefalcon and thrust

it out thewindow. The proud bird soared out of the quadrangle and

winged itsway toward Harmon Hall. Thedooliessaluted it s m issio n .

W al do ret urned t o his sink and refl ected on t he C om m andant ’s

“I’m worrying about the math GR I have Monday and thinking

recent w ords:

W aldo shocked the fourthclassm en w ith h is next out burst .

m en and w om en as leaders and defenders of freedom . T h e m i ssi o n

about my girlfriend.”

“I don’t consider a cheating scandal to be a failure o f t h e C ad et

Wing. I can’t believe over 4,000 of usare restricted t o t h e cad et

area because some jocks cheated on a knowledge test! This place n eed s an h o n o r co d e!”

“But we already have one,” chorused his friends.

“A lot of good it does us,” Waldo chortled. “Most of the Cadet Wing lives the corevaluesof “ntegrity First, ServiceBrf oreSelf , and Excellence I n Al l We D o. But let som eone choose to fall short of the standard, we

are all suspect. Wedidn’t fail the cheaters ... they f ail ed u s.”

“Must be a personnel policy ...” mused Regs, bleeding from

“Our nation requires intelligent, assertive, well-rounded y o u n g

at the United StatesAir Force Academy is to inspire and develop outstanding young men and women to become Air Force o f fi cer s with knowledge, character, and discipline. Rock solid integrity is essential for honorable military service to our country . . . I t ’s n o t easy to get into the Academy; it’s even tougher to make it through

to graduation- but it’s more than worth every bit of t he effort .”

There were an infi nite number of days until graduation f o r t h e

f r esh m an cl ass.

Waldo stood tall and accepted thechallenge. H

t al o n w o u n d s.

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

25

Within seventeen days in December, twomembersof the Class of 1963 passed away, then came home for interment at the Air ForceAcademy Cemetery. Whenever a classmate returnsfor the fi nal

time, wegather under our classcolors, a golden fl ag w ith our class crest .

Thus, weVehad theopportunity to witnesstheconsistently professional support provided by theAcademy at several memorial ser v ices.

On Jan. 12, 2007, the Academy’s dedicated team provided f ull m i li

tary honorsunder what may havebeen themost challengingw eath er conditionsever in nearly 50 yearsof gravesideservicesat thecemetery.

After the opening of the Memorial Pavilion on May 11 of this year, funerals in diffi cult weather will be possible with m uch l ess st ress on

the families during their time of mourning.

C O M I N G H O M E t o U SA FA S IO RY AN D r n o lo BY CO L. (RL F.) JIM M I L BI Jl l Jdl , ’6 3

USAFA Honor Guard weather the storm on Jan. 12, 2007, one of the most bitter cold days in memory.

Few of us relish the thought of making our own funeral arrangements. With the Academy graduating its fi ftieth class in 2008, the subject is becoming relevant to members of early classes. I recommend you m

o r e

younger gradsgive it some thought, aswell. Wegradu

ated almost 500 in 1963, and nineteen had passed in the fi rst four years. Eighteen perished in the Vietnam War. Ten years aft er graduation, we had lost thirtyfour—nearly one out of every fourteen.

TheJune 2006 Checkpointsstated that the USAFA cemetery isa specifi ed federal cemetery under the authority of the superintendent. Policies authorize burial of graduates and their spouses and minor dependents. Thesuperin tendent may approve other burials. Nearly 60 generals interred there, as is retired Army Master Sgt. Richard C raw ford, aWorld War II recipient of the Medal of Honor.

To learn more about the process for burials at the cemetery, I sat down with Janet Edwards. She is thev ery ar e

dedicated mortuary offi cer who has served in the position for fi ft een years. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest you hurry things up, but I can assureyou that as long asJanet is here, shewill sincerely take care of your family and their w ish es.

What if your family wants to arrange burial herewith military honors?Janet’s answer is simple. Just tell t h e funeral director wherever arrangements are made that burial is requested at theAcademy. Janet will be contacted, and she puts the support requirements into motion.

She talks to the next-of-kin to learn what support they want. If the family doesn’t have a particular p er so n to perform the services, Janet arranges for an Academy chaplain to preside at the chapel and at graveside.

The Academy Band provides the bugler to sound Taps at the end of military honors.

Normally, Janet calls on a member of a group of colo nel volunteers to present the fl ag to the next-of-kin. Sh e mentioned one funeral where a congressman attended

C H EC K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

27

to present the fl ag. At a recent funeral, she arranged for a piper to play Amazing Grace and a couple morepiecesat the chapel (Read

degreesat 11 a.m. The breezewhipped falling snow sideways and kept theAmerican fl ag extended from the cemetery’sfl ag pole.

Retireesare authorized a 9-person Honor Guard. Regulations

of 1963, who had fl own B-52s on Arc Light Missions during the

more about this story on page 70).

call for a 3-person detail for veterans who did not ser v e t o r et i r e ment. TheAcademy’s Honor Guard is all volunteers and su p p o r t s all military funerals with a 9-person detail.

In setting up a funeral, Janet works with Maj. Brian Rabat , ’97, a physics instructor who also servesas the Honor Guard C o m m an d er.

The ranksof volunteers range from airman fi rst classto chief master sergeant and lieutenant to major. Half of the 30-member H o n o r Guard is on-call for two weeks at a time. W hile on-call, m em b ers

perform their normal dutiesthroughout thebasebut gather, when

selected, to serve on the 9-m ember detail. T he H onor Guard supports

We had come to honor George V. Byron, a member of the C l ass

V i et n am W ar.

At one point, in spite of the wind and the thick gloves, t h e

Honor Guard had thefl ag in a trianglethat looked good from where I stood. Yet it wasn’t quiteright. They opened the last couple of folds to redo them. Under the snowy circumstances, being

“not-quite-right” could havebeen considered good enough, but it

wasn’t to this Honor Guard. They took the extra time to m ak e the fl ag perfect. Janet said theweather wasthemost challenging for any graveside service in her 15 years of supporting funerals.

TheAcademy’steam—Janet Edwards, the Chaplain Efren A d v er sario, the Col. John Norton, ’82, the bugler, and the H o n o r G u ar d —

approximately 30 services per year, but the membersput in many hoursof practice to meet the high standards the duty dem ands.

showed noteworthy dedication in ensuring proper military h o n o r s f o r

material as she can on the deceased. Prior to the service, th e m em

had fi elded that day would haveperformed just asmagnifi cendy.

One of Janet’sproceduresisto gather asmuch biographical

bers of the detail read the information so they know m ore about the person they are honoring.

A Typical Memorial Service The Honor Guard and the chaplain report early to the chapel. With solemn dedication, the Honor Guard carries the casket up the many steps to the protestant chapel or down steps to the Catholic chapel. At the beginning of the service, they bring the casket forward on a rolling bier, then quietly march to the back of the chapel for the service.

our friend and classmate. I am confi dent any team of volunteers she

In mid-December, Calvin Eloyd Nay, ’63, passed away w here he’d grown up in West Virginia. His daughter, Natasha, felt it was appro priate that he fi nd his fi nal resting place here at theAcademy.

It is important that your family knows what your preferences are. You can be assured that the professionalism, the dignity, and the setting here at the Air Force’s only active cemetery will pro

duce a memorial service of which your family will beproud. H

At the conclusion of the indoor ceremonies, the H onor G uard

reverses the procedure to return the casket to the h ear se. A l l actions by this highly trained team are carried out with military precision and are virtually silent.

The base Security Forces provide an escort and traffi c co n t r o l for the funeral procession down the hill to the cemetery.

After the mournershave assembled at graveside, the H o n o r G u ard carries the casket to the bier set up by cemeter}^workers. Then begins the traditional folding of theAmerican fl ag, which drapesthe casket.

Quietly and respectfully the casket bearers convert the large fl ag into a triangle showing only thewhitestars and blue fi eld. The fl ag is ceremoniously transferred to the detail commander at the far end of the casket. The commander passes the fl ag to the colonel, w h o cr adl es it reverendy until time to passthe fl ag to the next of kin along with words of gratitude from a grateful nation.

During that time, the casket bearershave moved away and taken up weapons. Upon command, seven membersof the team fi re t h ree vo l leys. The bugler sounds Tapsin a fi nal salute to the departed veteran.

A n At ypical Memorial Service The cemetery lies in a quiet glen surrounded by tall pines that usually rustle softly in a gentle breeze. The Honor Guard sup ports services throughout the year, so sometimes the lush green of summer has given way to frigid white. Such was the si t u at i o n on Jan. 12 during the third straight week of storms in one of the snowiest Golorado winters in recent memory. After a night with freezing rain and snow, the temperature probably was close t o fi ve 28

A Sp ecial Thank You Members of the Class of 1963 would like to say a special

thank you to thededicated peoplewho wereat theAcademy Cemetery on Jan. 12, 2007 to honor GeorgeV. Byron.

Janet Edwards, Mortuary Offi cer Col. John Norton, HQ USAFA/CWC. Chaplain: Father Efren Adversario Bugler: Master Sgt. Jeff Hatfi eld, HQ USAFA/BA Maj . Brian Rabat (OIC), HQ USAFA/DFP Capt. Jay Tibayan, H Q USAFA/DPM Tech. Sgt. Jerry Molina (Detail Chief ), HQ USAFA/CS-22 Tech. Sgt. Joe Shelton, HQ USAFA/C’WW Staff Sgt. Melinda Atencio, 10 M DSS/SGSAR Senior Airman Casey Berry, 10 M DOS/SGOMY Senior Airman Hector Rodriguez-Ortiz, 10 MDOS/SGOPF Senior Airman Joshua Albarran, 10 CS/ SCBNA Seni or A i rm an A dri an H al l , 10 A M D S/ SG PB

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Tr a d it i o n

t ies us t oget her

D e d i c a t io n

set s us a p a rt .

This is an hist o ric era fo r t he Unit ed St at es

Air Force Academy. USAFA has just begun celebrat ing its golden anniversary and your

Building Leaders

o f C haract er fo r t he N at io n

The Campaign for the Future of the Air Force Academy

For more information on becoming a part

of the Building Leaders of Character for the Nation campaign, contact Mark Hille, '97, at (719) 472-0300 or mark.hille@aogusafa.org.

Associat ion of Graduat es is embarking on a

ground breaking fund raising campaign. The campaign—Building Leaders of Character for the Nation—will t ake t he Academy t o

new levels of excellence and give our cadets t he best experiences to prepare them for leadership in an increasingly complex world.

It seems like every day somewhere inthe world anAcademy grad is recognized in the news

for an outstanding achievement or for making our country better than it wasjust yesterday. Here a few from the "Long Blue Line" who showed up on our radar screen this past quarter.

Chilton, ’76 , leads AFSPC

Gen. Kevin Chilton, ’76, who has been in

the Air Force for 30 years, became com mander of Air Force Space Command in

June 2006. Fl e’s the fi rst astronaut to lead

Karmondy’s research as a cadet included time with AC-130H gunship crews at Hurlburt, as well as experimental and computational research in the Academy’s

Air Force Space Command.

Prior to taking command of AFSPC, Chilton has been a test pilot, a NASA astro naut who has fl own on three space missions,

Karmondy faced competition from fi ve other U.S. regional fi nalists and students

As the leader of Air Force Space Com

“I know that we presented the cadet

and the com m ander of 8th A i r Force.

mand, Chilton leads more than 39,700

space professionals who provide combat forces and capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Strategic Command. His work includes ensuring the combat readiness of Americas int ercont i nental ball ist ic m issile force.

(Courtesy of theMinot Daily News) Karmondy, 06 , wins AIAA

i n t e r n a t io n a ! a w a rd

A i r Force C h ief Scient ist D r. M ark L ew is

announced in January that 2Lt. Matt Karmondy, ’06, had won the American

I nsti t ut e of A eronaut ics and A st ronaut ics’

international student paper competition for undergraduates.

Karmondy’s research paper was on

AC-130H Spectregunship energy and

maneuverability. According to Dr. Tom Yechout, Lt. Karmondy’s research is now

30

being applied by AC-130 aircrews at Hurl-

burt Field, Fla., and at deployed locations.

aeronaut ics lab w ith D r. Yechout .

from Australia and Germany.

research award to Matthew thispast year, and he isnow asuccessful grad student at a small Massachusetts technical school,”

said Dr. Lewis. “But this is not only a suc cess for him; it isa great accomplishment for hisadvisorsand theAcademy aswell.”

retired General H owell M . Estes III, ’65, has

been appointed to theDigitalGlobeboard

of directors. General Estes will serve as a

strategic guidein thedefenseand intelligence marketsfor the company as it continues its

businessdevelopment and growth strategy. “ I am th rilled t o announce the addi

ti on of G eneral H ow ell Estes t o the

DigitalGlobe board,” said Jill Smith, chief executive offi cer of DigitalGlobe. “General Estes has an extraordinary reputation in

the aerospace and remote sensing industry.

H is business acumen and intellect, as well

ashisextensive military and policy experi encewill strongly contribute to our aggres sivegrowth trajectory going forward.”

General Estes retired from the U nited

Lieutenant Karmondy, a third genera tion Academy graduate, is currently in

yearsof service. Duringhisdistinguished

Aerospace Engineering.

theNorth American AerospaceDefense Command and theUnited StatesSpace

grad school at MIT on a Draper Fellow ship for a Master of Science Degree in After graduating, hewill attend pilot

training, with a goal of eventually becom ing an Air Force test pilot. (Courtesy of theAcademy Spirit) Estes, ’65, appointed to Dig it a lGlo be Boa rd

DigitalGlobe, provider of theworld’shighestresolution imagery and geospatial informa tion products, announced in February that

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H 2 0 0 7

a re

StatesAir Force in 1998 af ter more than 30

career he served as com m an der-in-chief of

C om m and, and com m ander of the A ir Force

Space Command. (Courtesy of PRNewswire) Johnson, ’84 , selected to pilot En d e a v o u r

Col. Gregory H . Johnson, ’84, has been

selected by NASA to pilot Space Shuttle

Endeavour for space shuttle mission STS-

123. The mission will be the fi rst spacelf ight for Johnson. The fl ight will deliver

B E H I N D T H E SC E N E S

both the fi rst component of the Japanese

Experiment Module Kibo and the new

Canadian Dextre robotics system to the International Space Station.

The mission has a targeted launch in D ecember 2007. ST S- 123 is the fi rst in a

series of fl ights that will launch components

to completetheKibo laboratory. Themission also will deliver the Canadian SpaceAgency’s Dextre robotic system, a smaller manipula

tor equipped with two armsand designed

to work with Canadarm2 to perform fi ner maintenance tasks that normally would be accomplished with spacewalks by astronauts on the International Space Station. The mis sion will include four spacewalks to install the new hardware. (Courtesy of NASA) Cams, ’59 , elected MOAA Board

Cha irm a n Retired General M ichael P.C . Cam s, ’59, has been elected C hairm an of the Board of

Directorsof the Military Offi cersAssocia tion of America, the nation’s largest veterans

organization for activeduty National Guard, Reserve, former, and retired military offi cers and their surviving spouses.

C am s w as elect ed on N ov. 18, at

MOAA’s annual meeting in Arlington, Va., and will serve for two years as head of

and Programsdepartment at thePentagon,

States Coach of the Year, the N ational

itsfunding in theshort and long term. That

Soccer N at ional C oach of t he Year fi nalist ,

w hich determ ines how the service allocates

means, for instance, making decisions about

and the Denver Post Colorado 4A High

or the type of operations to fund.

His latest promotion caps what has been a distinguished career, spanning stints in the Pacifi c and Europe, including Bosnia, and numerous other positions.

Hejoined the prestigiousWhite House Fellowsprogram in 1991, marking histransi tion from pilot to administrator. Hewas also the director of mobility forces during Opera tion Joint Endeavor in Bosnia in late 1996 and early 1997, when Air Force pilotsfl ew thousands of missions to maintain the peace and deliver needed goods to thewar-torn country. (Courtesy of NorthJersey.com)

Goyden coaches boys and girls Liberty His boys nationHigh School

Goyden, ’75, racks up awards Retired Lt. Col Mike Goyden, ’75, was

career offi cer from 1963-97, is one of two

thenext generation of fi ghter jetsto research

sixth state championship appearance in the past seven years. They set a 4A state record of fi ve state championship titles, most state championship appearances,

eight consecutive league titles, and a home fi eld undefeated record si nce 200 1.

Fogiem an, ’6 3 , to receive Outstanding Am erican award Retired General Ronald R. Fogieman, ’63, a former Air Force Academy wrestler and a

peoplewho will receive an Outstanding

Soccer C oaches A ssociation of A m erica/

General Fogieman was the fi rst U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to become Air Force Chief of Staff and is also a recipient

H all of Fame induction ceremony June 2 in St illw ater, O kl a.

2006. Goyden was the 2006 National

Adidas Rocky Mountain States Regional Coach of the Year, the N ational Federa

of theDistinguished GraduateAward. B

tion of High School CoachesSectional

Advertise in Checkpoints magazine

those w ho serve and have served their coun

two years on MOAA’s board, and served

so c c e r.

ally-ranked team won the 2006 4A state championship for the third time in their

American Award at the National Wrestling

MOAA promotes a strong national defense by lobbying for equitable benefi ts for

Prior to his election. Cams served for

School Soccer C oach of t he Year.

recognized for hissoccer coaching abilities by just about everyone in the gameduring

M OA A’s 36-m em ber board .

try in the military, including health care, pay, allowances, and family issues. MOAA has approximately 360,000 members.

High School Athletic CoachesAssociation

:

W :

. \

S

A d v e rt ise m e nt s in 9 eckp t

m

I

magazine support the |

Associat ion of Graduat es and reach an audience of influent ial

,

military and business leaders Dughout the country and world.

on the M ember Services, Investment, and Finance and A udit C om m i tt ees.

‘JO INT S

Cams is a command pilot with more than 6,400 fl ying hours and 200 combat missions in the F-4E. Following gradu ation from the Academy, he earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, and graduated from the Royal College of Defense Studies in London. (Courtesy of M OAA)

Fo r mo re inf o rm at io n,

please contact Kyle davidson at

(7 19) 47 2-0 300

Johns, ’77, pins on t hird star Raymond E. Johns, ’77, was promoted to lieutenant general last fall. Johns isthe deputy chief of stafl Ffor theAir Force’s Strategic Plans

kyle.davidson@aogusafa.org C H E C K P O I N T S , ■M A R C H

2007

31

Story and photo by Ken Wright , AOG

As permanent as the damaged triceps on

R

his left arm, atattoo on his right arm reading " Faith is to be sure of what you hope for," re m ind s C ad et 2"^ C lass Erik M irand et t e

un your hand down the back of C adet 2"** C lass Eri k M irandet te s

left arm and it drops into a crevice

wherehis tri ceps used to be.

t hat his life is one of wort h and purpose.

Cadet Squadron 4 s political science major bears t hat hole fi o m a t errori st s bom b t hat

exploded in a Cairo mari cetplace. Theattack occurred duri ng a hiatus Mirandette had taken fro m theAcademy. He left the terrazzo

to pursuehisdesireto help othersfi rst hand, and eventually made a 9,000-mile trek across Afri ca to understand the causes of the trag edies he w it nessed as an ai d w orker.

He left to make the world a better place ... and may have. Along theway, he lost his younger brother, Alex.

1^

Erik Mirandettecameto theAir Force

1

of 2001, full of ideals, ready to save the

pi Academy out of high school in thesummer world and serve his country. Still, during

m

4 - ,•

his fi rst two years those ideals began to det eri orat e an d h e found h i m sel f st uck in a m o n o to n o u s ro u tin e,

0

“It washard to seethelight at theend of

the tunnel, to remember what it was that

fueled me,” herecalled. “Why wasI going through themotions?Why wasI goingto

class?Cynicism wasfi lling thevoid.”

Oneday in hissecond year hewokeup and realized hewanted to takeanother path. “ T his wasn’t who I wanted to be at

that point in time. Maybe I could have changed that at theAcademy, but there

was this awareness that there was so much more. I went with it . W hat if I went this route, listened to this voice inside?W hat if I believed I was to do

more?” The questions propelled him into action and he requested to leave the Academy temporarily so he could work for a humanitarian organization.

With theschool’spermission, he outprocessed and told everyone hewould return after he fi nished his mission. H e

left theAcademy and theAi r Force, and became a civilian.

34

Not surewhere to begin, he began knocking on doors and making phone calls to fi nd out wherehelp wasneeded and who might accept him.

“I fi nally got in touch with a guy in

Morocco who had a non-governmental

organization that wasdoing some pretty interesting things, and hesaid that they could always use another set of willing hands—and I certainly was that, so I got a

plane ticket,” recalled Mirandette.

Morocco turned out to be a place where the Michigan native found he could con t ri but e.

“I was hoping to go somewhere in sub-

Saharan or West Africa, but in hindsight,

do many magazines,” he said. “I wanted to go get my hands dirty.” His wish

so o n

cam e tru e.

Once in Morocco, hegot in touch with

humanitarian medical missions, learned

someArabic, found ahome in a Spanish enclave named Melilla, and got involved.

Immediately the need for “willing hands” wasapparent with more than a thousand refugeesstruggling to live in the mountainsoutside Morocco, hoping to make it to Europe.

“It started out with me making trips to

the mountains with loaves of bread and

bottled water,” herecalled. Such gestures

may seem small, but for peoplewhose

Morocco was great. I had a wonderful

only other source of sustenance was a dis

Heading toward the “Western King dom” with a sense of purpose, Mirandette wasready to do whatever was necessary to

The rookiehumanitarian worker gradu ally got to know the people and under stand that once the greatest need was met, another waswaiting to take itsplace. The sense of urgency was ever-present.

t im e t here,” he said .

help people in dire circumstances.

“I wanted to do more than gawk, as

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

ease-ridden trash dump, it waslife-saving.

“They shared with metheir needs ...

medicines and clothes. I’d go into the

Spanish community and speak with church leaders. They started bringing methings, so it turned into afull-fl edged relief eff ort every week with medicine. A Spanish medi cal team volunteered to come with me.”

T he sit uat ion w as bleak and unlik e

anything he had ever seen.

“Every day peoplewere dying. Every time

I went back, someonewasgone. You’renever ready for your fi rst experiencewith that sort of destitution. That doesn’t changethefact that there’s a need there. I was in a position

to do something to help meet that need. A higher calling trumped any security I could have had. I was there to make a diff erence.

Theopportunity presented itself, though it wasa little more than I expected.”

During the next year, Mirandetteand his fellow aid workershelped asmany people asthey could, until theMoroccan military began to intervene, hampering their eff orts and threatening their own safety.

According to Mirandette, theSpanish government put pressureon theMoroccan government to stop thefl ow of refugeesinto Europe; and they did so with avengeance.

wasonespecifi c mountain valley outside thecity whererefugeescreated makeshift

shotgun with a Moroccan soldier gripping the trigger on the other end.

conduct their raids,” he said.

pull thetrigger. It savery disconcerting feel ing, especially thefi rst time. It wasn’t thelast

shelterswhile they eked out their survival. “It was there that the Moroccan military would “We had been up there for about three

h ours w hen w e fi nished our reli ef effort .

Pastorshad given them encouraging words

weapons and instead arrested about 20 of the refugees and questioned the aid work

Tuberculosis and Malaria were prevalent.

They really needed help.”

On one particularly bad day, Mirandette and aid workers were preparing to distrib ute food and clothes when things took a

Mirandette said hewas told the refugees who were arrested were dropped off on the Algerian border.

That day was the beginning of the end

refugees stood beside and behind him as about a hundred Moroccan military men in riot gear and brandishing shotguns pre

involved were able to continue the effort,

h ad been shot and ki lled earl ier t hat w eek .

rapid turn toward violence. Threehundred

pared to make a raid. Suddenly he found himself staring down the businessend of a

1 .1

ding itself of thepestering refugeesaremuch

Fh e O n l y Ro ad

It wasbrutal,” herecalled shaking hishead.

attention of Amnesty International USA, who recently urged the European Com mission to review itscooperation with Morocco to combat irregular migration aft er

i

L:

and asylum seekers—^were rounded up and forcibly displaced to the border with Algeria.

According to the organization, there are also accusat ions of theft and sexual abuse

by security force personnel in both Algeria and Morocco. Moroccan authorities deny displacing anyone with offi cial refugee status, but Amnesty International purports t o have “credible inform at ion that at least

10 refugees and 60 asylum seekers were

sent t o t he border.”

C onfl ict and tense situations between

according to Mirandette.

Though hewasonly in hisearly 20sand

had never experienced such tense situations,

hefe lt emotionally prepared for such events.

“I knew I was there for the right rea sons,” he said. “I knew that my being there was a good thing and that I was helping people. And I knew that I was where I was

that stuff is just innate; either you do, or you don’t. If I didn’t think from the begin

ning that I could handle it, I would not

i

have been i n that sit uat ion .”

A t about t he sam e t im e as t he fi nal raid

P

: H

a series of violent raids w here hundreds of

people—includingwomen, minors, refugees

the Spanish aid workerswho were also

sure with a level head, but I think some of

i *k .-

’‘1 •>

of his involvement with the refugees, but

little solace on the worst days.”

He gives some credit for his preparation to his fi rst year at the Academy.

“Coming through here maybe gives you experience at how to operate under pres

-

m

ers who were released later that evening.

supposed to be. And I think that off ered a

fN O RT H

less scrutinized than the European Union’s.

Theviolence and abuse of refugees in

time, but it is always avery scary feeling.”

In the end, the Moroccans lowered their

and medical teams had treated people; we treated two bullet wounds, three people

“ T hird w orld M orocco’s m ethods of rid

M orocco is so severe it has att racted the

“I could see in his eyes that hewas looking for a reason to pull the trigger; hoping to

he witnessed, there was an earthquake

about 40 m iles w est of M el illa. I t leveled

• S' -

12,000 homes and killed hundreds of

0 .0 0 0 M l ! r s o i h i ir r a n o D m

s

ERIK MIRANDETTE

Previous page; Cadet Edk Mirandette takes a

break in the African wiidemess with persecuted

refugees on Gurugu Mountain. Above: The

Only Road Nort h , Mirandette’s chronicle of his journey through Africa.

refugees and government forceswere not uncommon, according to Mirandette. There C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H

2007

people. It was a horrible situation.

Because M i randet t e had est abl ished

himself and had picked up some languages like Spanish and enough Arabic to com municate fairly well, he knew he could

help. Thepeople hehad worked for wired money to help wherever he could.

For the next m ont h and a half , he

worked with the earthquake relief The fi rst fi ve days, the Moroccan government didn’t allow in any foreign aid or foreign ers, so he snuck in the day of the quake with the money and supplies. Everything 35

wasdestroyed in thevillagesand people w ere cold and m iserable. I t didn’t tak e

long for him to get to know thepeople,

the workers and the system. He then went back to Melilla and formed plans as to how they could better meet their needs and help the villages recover.

Despite what some Westerner’s may believe, religious affi liation was not a

source of t rouble for M irandet t e and

others providing aid.

“It was a conservative city, but humanity

at its m ost basic level . . . w hen there is som e

onewho needs help and someonewho is

willing to help them, it transcendsreligious differences,” hesaid. “I had amuch greater

relationship with the people than I probably

would have if it w asn’t for that situation .”

By then, hisyounger brother, Alex, had graduated from high school and Erik had returned to Michigan to visit family and raise money for the humanitarian mission.

They talked about the possibility of Alex coming to Spain before he began his fresh man year at college. Erik thought it was important for his brother to get out and get a perspective on things; understand cultures and languages, and see theworld before he entered college life. Their parentsagreed so they went to Spain. Erik introduced his

brother to thecity of Malagaand helped him enroll in aschool to learn thelanguage.

OnceAlex was securely on hisown, Erik

rem rned to M orocco. H e had been asked to

lead thelong-term rebuilding effort for the

earthquake relief He and his fellow workers weregiven a house and hewas put in charge,

which entailed payrollsand all sortsof things.

Though overwhelmed at fi rst, he got into

theswing of thingsin thefollowing months.

He and Alex even began to visit one another, bringing them even closer.

As Erik’s responsibilities increased and his support stayed the same, he wondered if there was an opportunity for his brother i n M o r o cco .

“I asked him, Alex, what if instead of

getting on a plane next week you stayed in Morocco and missed your fi rst semester of college. Why don’t you stay and help out?”’

Alex j umped at that opportunity. They traveled together as they helped rebuild villages. “It was phenomenal, the best time of my life,” said Erik.

36

But the refugee situation lingered. Erik

were alwaysoutnumbered by alot of guys

were thesymptomsof these refugees. They

T h e t rio st art ed out in South A f rica

k new that w hat he saw in t he m ount ains

needed to be treated and cared for, but

nothing they could do there would solve things. Though saving the lives of indi viduals was gratifying, he felt they needed t o w ork m ore on the causes rather than

with a lot of guns,” he said.

where it was relatively calm. In Botswana, people were friendly; it was rural with lots of animals and they encountered their fi rst big elephant. Tanzania was more tense.

They traveled through jungle to get to

the symptoms of the tragedies.

He had planned on returning to the Academy and becoming involved in

LakeTanganyika, followed by a break

M orocco, but fi rst he needed t o k now w here to st art .

came by just before sunset as we were

changing some of the thingshesaw in

down in Katavi National Park, aplace infamous for lions and elephants.

“Theonly Land Rover wesaw that day

“I know that awarenessprecedesprog

planning to spend thenight in themiddle of thisjungle. So wedroveall that night,

travel through alot of thecountriesmy refugeefriendswerecoming from, seeing

gunman from Burundi camethrough and killed a taxi driver and ashop owner right

ress,” he said. “I conjured up this plan to

what the problemswere; what was it like

in thecountries; why werethey leaving?It turned into a last hurrah to celebrate our

time working in Africa.” He decided he and a childhood friend would hook up with

ending up in this small village where a

outside of the only hotel and restaurant there.” Violence was everywhere and it seemed to be increasing as they rode north.

They traveled to the Democratic Repub

lic of Congo where anarchy ruled. After a

different non-government organizations along a 9,000 milemotorcycletrek through Africa; from South Africa to Egypt.

van had crashed and blocked them, a crowd

brother to come. I knew it would bedanger ous. Thereweretwo civil wars, famine, pov erty, desperation and peoplewith nothing.”

werehappy and they let usdo our thing.”

“I got in touch with Kris, my best friend back in the states. I didn’t want my litde

Many of the places they would go through had no infrastructure or roads, so dirt bikes were their best option for trans portation. They fi gured they could take gas along so they could ride about 300

mileswithout having to stop for gas.

“Originally, it was going to be Kris and I. I didn’t want to risk my brother’s

life but he said, ‘Erik, you’re about to go on t he adven t ure of a l if et i m e an d I ’m

never going to have an opportunity to do anything like this again.’ He told me that his rightful place was beside me on this journey. He had turned into a man that last year.”

Though the dangers the journey pre sented were obvious, they decided to not ar m t h em selv es.

“We were in threatening situations all

the time, but wewerealways threeguysin a foreign country terribly outnumbered.

W e w ouldn’t have w ant ed to elevat e the

tensions by pulling out a gun. And you C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H 2 0 0 7

formed and demanded money and started taking all of their things when rebels came.

“The mob didn’t have guns, but the rebels

did,” he said. “ So w e m ade sure the rebels

Kris took the bikes and others away from the crowd while Erik stayed and waved money, trying to appease the mob as K ris fi xed the bik es.

“I gave the rebels $50 and got my keys

back and we took off It was ridiculous; a

couple of vans took off after us but we had fast bikes.” The young men interacted well together and became a great team.

Their experienceswere rewarding, but also tiring as they made their way through the ‘Dark Continent.’ They navigated

their way through Rwanda, Uganda and then to Nairobi, Kenya, where Mike, another childhood friend, joined them.

They connected with a humanitarian organization in Burundi, two in South

Af rica, another in Kenya and were sched uled to meet with one in Egypt.

While they were in the jungle, the

Sudan reformed its border policies, forcing

them to ship their bikes back to the states from Ethiopia. By that time, Erik was ready for the trip to be over with, so they fi nished the journey in Egypt.

“ W e fi nished w hat w e set out to do;

travel 9,000 miles through 13 different

countries, he said. “We were in Cairo as

regular tourists to enjoy a couple of weeks

of vacation, nothing more.”

The fi rst day, they went to the pyra mids and the second day to a museum and were about to go to the Kanaleelee Marketplace which, Erik had been told was in the oldest city in the world.

“I really wanted to see the sights, the M edina,” he remembered.

Wandering through the marketplace single fi le, the brothers and friends made their way through the crowded streets taking in all they could of the ancient cul ture. What happened next would drasti cally change their lives forever.

As Erik glanced back over his right shoul der at his brother, a young Egyptian man walking between them detonated a bomb clutched to his chest . T he force of the blast

launched Erik high into the air, landing him against a wall. When he opened his

eyes he saw walls scorched black, and glass and body parts raining down.

W ith his clothes blown off, his fl esh

tattered, burned and pierced by hundreds of fi nishing nails, he watched in horror as pandemonium fi lled the street. All he could t hi nk of w as A l ex .

“I yelled for him but therewas no response,” he said sadly. “I tried to get up but

agood chunk of my left arm wasblown off.”

Nerves in his left leg had also been severed and his right leg was full of hundreds of nails.

If you could see an x-ray of his left arm, you would see the 35 nails that remain embedded there today; left by doctorswho feel removing them could do more harm than good. Some wounds are just too deep.

Kris, whose face was badly injured, could st ill hear som ew hat and follow ed

the sound of Erik’s yelling for his brother and friends. When he got to Erik he tried to stop his bleeding while Erik pointed in t he d irect ion of his brot her. K ris then

f ound A l ex and did t he best he could

to comfort him as he lie bleeding from internal inj uries.

After what felt like an eternity for Erik, one am bul ance arrived . A s t he brot hers

clung to life, there was little any bystand ers could do, save for offering a universal facial expression of concern. “One guy came down and knelt beside me, but he

didn’t speak English. He j ust stayed there

w it h m e because it w as al l he coul d do,” said Erik .

To their relief, Alex was placed on the first ambulance. “Another eternity later,” another am bulance arrived and Erik m ade it on

with Kris’ help who was literally throwing

punchesto fi ght their way on board. Bodies

were stacked everywhere. They were sur rounded by the dead and dying.

When they arrived at the hospital, Alex was still clinging to life, but later that night Erik w ould hear his brother’s last w ords. “ I

wasn’t able to talk to him, but he might have heard m e . . .” A lex M irandette died two

weeks before his 19* birthday. !>

B rot h e rs A lex a n d Eri k M i ra n d et t e i n Af rica .

(Courtesy photo) C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

37

From the m om ent he w as told of his

brothers death, Erik “just crashed.” For the next w eek he w as in and out of conscious

ness and on the verge of dying as his parents, who fl ew to Cairo when the U.S. Embassy notifi ed them, waited and prayed.

Aft er being fl own by a military trans port to Germany, he stabilized and eventu ally made it back to Grand Rapids, Mich., aft er about ten days.

He stayed in the burn unit of a hospital in Grand Rapids for another two weeks.

He was put in the unit not because of the severity of the burns, but because he needs skin grafts. It was the fi rst time he heard the term “pain management.” It was a time of great refl ection. TheAcademy seemed a distant memory, but one he was not yet willing to release, despite what others were telling him.

“They were going to amputate my arm,” he said. “They didn’t think I would ever walk again.

No one ever gave me a chance of ever being medically qualifi ed to come back here, but I had a general visit me while I was in the hospital in Germany and I told him to tell the Academy acceptance offi ce to delay my spot for a year; that I would be back. H e smiled, and did it.”

The Academy didn’t delay his spot, but he hadn’t lost his will to fi ght to get read mitted. “I never accepted that I wouldn’t make a recovery. I never accepted that I wouldn’t get better. And that’s probably a lot of the reason why I came back—hardheadedness . . .”

Though he could not walk or do virtu ally anything at first, he was determined to do as much as he could, as fast as he

could. When he left the hospital, he left

on his own two feet, albeit without a lot of

stability. It would be three more months before he walked “normally.” About a month later, he completed his fi rst full

front fl ip whilewakeboarding. “So, forget

doctors, he says with a smile.”

The road to recovery was long and painful, but it seemed to be limited only by his will. “When I could walk, I walked.

As soon as I got good at walking, I started running. As soon as I got good at running, I started doing push-ups. When I could do push-ups, I started one-armed push 38

ups. When I could do one-armed push ups, I started doing hand stands. When I could do hands stands, I bought a wake board. Whenever something didn’t work, I

w ould do it unt il it did .”

For six months he couldn’t pick up his left foot—it j ust dropped. So every day he

sat in a chair and t ried t o m ove his t oes.

About six months later they moved. About a year later, it worked. And now, he can hardly notice the difference.

Despite his amazing physical recovery, his heart and soul were still very much in need of help.

“Recovery was a time of immense ques tioning and huge doubt, and it still is,” he said frankly. “I died in Egypt. I drank a lot. I was a different person. But I came to the conclusion that either those things that I hoped and thought were true, were true, or my whole life and everything I stood for and everything my brother died for were in vain. And I wasn’t ready to accept that.”

After six months of monthly surgery for shrapnel removal, and going to a local col lege, he decided he had to get a way.

“Everywhere I went everyone knew me and my story and what happened. I just needed to get away.”

W ith his friend M ike w ho had also s u r

vived the bombing, he bought two one-way t ickets to the H aw aiian island of K auai .

“That’s when I wrote this,” he said tap ping on his book. The Only Road North: 9,000 Miles of Dirt and Dreams. “I got a job bartending and lived on the beach and wrote,” the fl edgling author said.

The book became his therapy. It was a cathartic experiencewhich helped him come to termswith hispain as he\vrote. The book has already received high praise from critics and isavailable at most major book stores.

“I came to terms with the story as I wrote it. I j ust needed to get it off my shoul ders. But I didn’t k now how i t

would end. So over the course of writing i t , I cam e t o t erm s w i t h w hat i t m ean t t o

be alive. I realized the responsibility that is inseparable from life; the burden that we’ve accepted by waking up every morn ing. The obligation to not accept the status quo and to make better those things that we can. Call it romantic; maybe a C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

little idealistic, but it’sworth getting up for each day.”

I t t ook him 14 m on ths and three w eek s

to make it back to the Academy after the bombing—a miraculous feat when one considers the extent of his injuries. Cadet

Mirandette now wakesup each morning and focuses on his faith, his studies and

pole vaulting. Though the void in his left arm is startling to see for the fi rst time, it is easily forgotten as he sails overhead making opponents take him seriously at track and fi eld competitions.

On the triceps of his right arm he had tattooed an ancient Greek philosophical statement, “Faith is to be sure of what you hope for.” He says the words of wisdom help him maintain a good perspective.

Some may wonder how it’s possible for t his fu t ure Ai r Force offi cer t o consider

him self both a h um an it arian and w arrior.

His answer comes easily.

“If you are awarrior for ajust cause to serve a greater good, then the difference bet ween a w arrior and a hum anitarian is

merely the meansby which they go about making their contribution. I would argue that the meansby which they make the world a better place are determined more by circumstances than tides. If I am in a posi tion to feed the hungry, then I will feed the hungry aswould any good-willed humani tarian. If I am in a position to prevent an atrocity and the use of force is necessary, then I will, aswould any good-willed warrior.”

Next spring, when he completes all the challenges in store for him at the Acad emy, he hopes to begin fi ghting terrorism as an agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation. “I see that as the next step. I feel that I have fulfi lled the obligation I had to write my story. But another story is now being written... and living that one is j ust as important as let ting this one be shared.” H Butch Wehry, of theAcademy Spirit^was a significant contributor to this story.

f

^ a re e r r

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s a ce e r

n n

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Employer Post Jobs JSAJE is also an exclusive j ob Web site designed for companies in corporate America t o advert ise t heir c a r e e r opport unities direct ly to service academy alumni. In addition to t he j ob post ing funct ion, companies may also purchase access to a repository of resumes of those graduat es w h o a re in a n act iv e t ra nsit io n m o d e . iSA BRD is t he online Service Academy Business Resource Direct ory and is a great t ool to network wit h ot her ac a d emy alumni. W it h over 33,000 act ive profiles of service academy alumni from USA FA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, and USNA, it is an excellent resource for advert ising, career networking, and building business connect ions w it h f e llo w alumni. iSABRD can be searched by name, academy, graduat ion year, city, st ate, zip code, count ry, company name, business type and keyword .

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A place t o r ef lect

By C1C Er ic Sepp

R

ecently I was fo rtunate to attend the annual H onor Conference at W est Point . A t the conference, service

academieshelp civilian schools formulate honor codes and honor systemsand demon strate how they work. It was a good oppor tunity to meet cadetsfrom diff erent service academiesand colleges, and to seewhat they thought about honor codesand systems.

One afternoon my curiosity got the best of me and I started wandering around the barracks at West Point when I came upon a library. Thiswas no ordinary Library. It was an Honor Library, and it is meant for any

Cadets 2"'' Class M ic hae l Schw a rtz a nd Ka sie Sim m o ns a nd

CI C Eri c Sepp at the fledgling Honor Library.

cadet w ho w ants to read a book on honor, ethics or m orals. I w ent back to the A cad

(Photo by Ken Wri ght)

emy with the idea to help create the same opportunity for USAFA cadetswho are on Honor Probation. My hopewas to provide a library of easily accessible books from which cadetscould choose to read and refl ect upon.

After discussing the idea with fellow

I can only hope for as much help in the future. I am receiving the entire list of approximately 900 books from West Point and will hopefully order them soon with the permission of the Academy.

Whilesome graduates may have doubts with the Honor System and especially the idea of probation, I assure them that it is a program that works and mrns out the men

sen d s a r eco m m en d at i o n t o t h e co m m an

dant of either Probat ion or D isenrollm ent .

If I am granted probation, I am put on a six month program of journaling, mentor ship, required presentations to my squad about my violation, as well as monthly meetings with my chain of command to discuss my honor and how I am regaining

cadets. Cadets 2"“^ Class Kasie Simmons

and Michael Schwartz, and theAcademy’s Honor Department, we set forth and gathered 30 books to sit on a shelf in the department. Yes, it was only a small step, but a step forward nonetheless.

Feeling that a larger selection of bookswas in order, I sought thesupport of theAssocia tion of Graduates. Today we have 102 books and we are looking to expand even further.

With support from theAOG, I ordered the

t h e t r u st o f t h o se ar o u n d m e. I w i l l al so

have to read three books (two mandated

an d w o m en o f ch ar act er w h o w ill ser ve h o n

orably in theUnited StatesAir Force. H

and one of my choice) and write essays on them. In all, it is like taking another class.

I appreciate very much what the AOG has helped us accomplish thus far, and

m

probation, but now we hope to expand the library to houseover 1,000 tides for cadets, and open thelibrary to anyonewho wantsto

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Since some may not understand what probation is, let me share what can happen if you violate the Honor Gode and admit to it. Let’s say I cheat on a chemistry quiz, and then come forward. I will meet

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is n o t r o ck et sc ie n ce . . .

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but at t he Air Force A cademy it is!

D I ST

KA D U A T E S - m o re t h a n o v e r- a c h ie v e rs

T H E USA F A CA D EM Y A N D T H E A SSO C IAT IO N O F G RA D UAT ES REC EN T LY A N N O U N C ED T H E W IN N ERS O F T H E A IR FO RC E A CA D EM Y ' S 2006 D IS

T ING UISHED G RA DUATE AWA RD. LT G EN . RO BERT BEC KEL, '59 A N D MAJ . G EN . EDWA RD M ECHEN BIER, '64 EA RN ED T HIS PREST IG IO US H O N O R FO R T H EIR SIN G U LA R A N D D IST IN CT IV E C O N T RIBUT IO N S T O

SO CIETY A N D T HE NAT IO N . HO NO R, DUTY, LOYA LTY, INT EG RITY C A PT U RE T H E ESSEN C E O F T H ESE TW O D IST IN G U ISH ED G RA D UAT ES. T H EIR A C C O M PLISH M EN T S A RE T EST IM O N Y T O T H E VA LU ES T H E A CA D EM Y IN ST ILLS IN IT S G RA D UAT ES. >

BY KY LE D AV ID SO N , A O G P H O T O I L L U ST RA T IO N BY SA RA H W R IG H T

42

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

Ret i re d Lt . Ge n . Ro b e rt B e c k-

el’s career has provided him

i n m -

wit h many great opportunites.

His family has been there to support him every step of the way. As an Air Force officer, Beckel says it’s important to give those airmen under your command opportunities to learn and grow.

Take a walk down the Heritage Trail

t hat fl ank s t h e A ssociat ion of G raduat es’

Doolittle Hall, read the plaques honoring the Academy’s distinguished graduates and you may feel inferior in comparison to such great achievement.

This April, coinciding with the Academy’s Founders Day celebrations, the AOG and the Academy will add two more plaques to the trail as retired Lt. Gen. Robert Beckel, ’59, and retired Maj .

Gen. Edward Mechenbier, ’64, join an illustrious group of Distinguished Gradu ate Award recipients.

“It’sa deep honor to be considered for this special award,” commented Beckel. “The Academy gave me the foundation to build upon as I traversed through my career. Need less to say. I’ve been very fortunate also.”

For M echenbier, new s of the aw ard

came as a shock. “You just look at the other people who got it and say, ‘Why me?’ From a personal inspection of my career I don’t think it stacks up real well with a lot of those guys who have done some pretty neat things. But at the same time to think that somebody thought enough of me to even nominate me ... It 44

must have been a slow news day,” Mech enbier joked. He added he was deeply

honored to receive the award, but he

believes that any one of the other candi dates could have been just as easily chosen.

To be considered as a nom inee for a

Distinguished Graduate Award, one must have made extraordinarily signifi cant cont ribut ions to our nat ion and/ or thei r

Beck el ’s career has been f ull of vari-

ety- from combat to aerial demonstration pilot; from numerous command and staff positions to vice president of a specialty chemicals company. He also served as superintendent of the New Mexico Military Institute and consultant to Sheik

M oham m ed , C row n Prince of A bu D h abi of th e U ni ted A rab Em irates. H e w as the

communities. These remarkable gentle men defi nitely exceeded that requirement.

Throughout their careers, Mechenbier and Beckel have personifi ed the Ai r Force’s core values of integrity, service and excel

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf f

missions during the war in Vietnam and

equally impressive. On his 113^ combat

ery, including the Distinguished Flying

down, captured and then imprisoned for nearly six years by the North Vietnamese.

lence. Both fl ew m ore than 100 com bat

earned m erit orious m edals for thei r brav

C ross, the Silver St ar and t he Bronze Star.

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

Deputy Chairman for the NATO Military Committee and Aide-de-Camp to the

Beckel was also the fi rst grad to serve as the Academy’s Commandant of Cadets.

L ikew ise, M echenbier’s career has been

m ission over N orth V ietnam , he w as shot

Retired Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier’s career has seen its share of chaiienges. Throughout , he’s made it a point to make the best of any situation. Even as a ROW, he aiways stayed positive and encouraged other ROWSthat they wouid make it home. He says that the one thing he hopes airmen like his son and daughter take away from his carrer is that you must be passionate about the Air Force and what it is you do.

lost in Vietnam in 1968. Looking back, he maintains he is one of the lucky ones.

T hose of us who were privileged or

lucky enough to have come home from

V ietnam, we owe it to those who were less

fortunate to always remember and honor their commitment. And by doing that, by

recognizing that, you know, that they’re still part of the fraternity. They paid, as

encouraging them to stay strong and to

remember that one day they would return home. Mechenbier’sleadership within the POW camp was later featured in the 1998 documentary introduced by Tom Hanks, Return with Honor. Aft er his repatriation, he transferred to the A i r N at ional G uard and

then to the A i r Force Reserve until his retire m ent in 2004. W hen he retired, he w as the

only former POW serving in uniform.

His fi nal fl ying mission was as the

ai rcraft com m ander of t he celebrat ed

‘H anoi Taxi,’ the same C- 14 1 in which

he and ot her POW s left H anoi i n 1974 .

T he memorable mission was to repatriate

t he rem ains of tw o fellow service m em bers

a lasting legacy for airmen to follow.

“In my career I had the opportunity to

fl y airplanes, which I alwayswanted to

to know that we care; that we honor their

mentor them and bring them up,” he added. When asked what one piece of

the m ount ai n in V iet nam in 1968 . . . t hat

‘Fl anoi Hilton prison, he developed away

Both generals recognize that above all

else, their careers have been about leaving

may not mean anything to most people.

that we don’t just write them off The fact that somebody smacked into the side of

to com m unicate w ith t he other POW s,

model to somebody.”

do, but also to lead many fi ne men and Beckel recalled. “I think any leader realizes that it is his or her responsi bility to teach others or bring others over as well; to give them certain opportuni ties and challenges so that they can grow

the old trite expression goes, the ultimate sacrifi ce, but they and their families know

Whileacaptivein theinfamously brutal

if you’re an airman fi rst classwith two stripesor a retired major general with two stars; you are always a leader or a role

But to the family who knew the guy who did that, they still hurt, and they’ve got service and we respect what they did.”

While Mechenbier’s fi nal defi ning Air Force moment may have been about

bringing airmen home, he and Beckel acknowledged that their careershave been about bringing airmen up; inspiring all in their charge to be leadersand proud of t h ei r A i r Fo r ce.

“I fi rmly believe that because you wear a

uniform you arejustifi ably held to a differ ent, if not higher, standard than everybody else,” M echenbier voiced. “ T here’s some

body always looking at you. You may or may not know it, but you’re either a hero to somebody, you’re an idol to somebody, you’re a mentor to somebody; I don’t care C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

200

w o m en ,

asyou had the opportunity to grow, and

advice he’d give new graduatesand current cadets, Beckel replied, “Many times suc

cess isn’t recognized because it’sdisguised

as hard work. That is the key element. To be successful, you have to be motivated to chase certain goals and establish visions and so forth, but to reach those goals it takes drive and hard work to get there.”

Mechenbier said he hoped that if there is anything future airmen might take

away from hisAir Force career, it isthat they will share the same enthusiasm and passion hehad to be a part of the United StatesAir Force. B

45

Hope follows heart break

Cadet awarded scholarship named for fallen graduate

BY AN N PAT TON , A CAD EM Y SPI RI T

T

he things Cadet 2nd Class Steven Chandler

likesbest at theAcademy are friendships

and opportunities.

“T he friends I have made here I know will last a lifetime,” he said. “We look out for each other and

aretherefor oneanother through both good and

hard tim es.”

Taryn Robinson, '06

Cadet Chandler wasawarded theTaryn Robinson

Scholarship during noon ceremonies in Mitchell

H all Jan. 30.

T he $5,000 award will allow Cadet Chandler to

spend spring break with the donor of the scholar ship, Mr. Sean Tucker.

Mr. Tucker will put the second classman to the

test in TuckersTutimaAcademy of Aviation Safety in Salina, Calif , over spring break.

The cadet soaring instructor pilot and aerobatics team member will naturally be thinking about his

f riends w hile he’s there.

“I will be able to bring my experiencewith

Mr. Tucker back to the Academy and the ACRO

[acrobatic] team so I can share it with my peersand

soaring students,” he said.

Thescholarship honors the memory of 2nd Lt. Taryn Robinson, ’05, who died from injuries rained in a fl ight training accident near San Antonio su s-

in January 2006.

Her father is Maj . Gen. David Robinson, ’76, a

mobilization assistant to the Chief of the Air Force

Reserve at the Pentagon.

It was the friendship of Mr. Tucker and General

Robinson that forged the scholarship.

Mr. Tucker, a renowned air show and stunt pilot,

got to know the general on the air show circuit

when Robinson served asoperationsoffi cer for the

Ai r Force T h underbirds.

Mr. Tucker also met then-Cadet Taryn Robinson

while visiting the Academy.

“She impressed mewith her passion and commit

ment,” he said. “ She was so motivated and had an

amazing way with people.”

After Taryn’s death, Mr. Tucker wanted to fi nd a way to do something for cadets in her name.

“You don’t want to lose the memory of someone who’stouched you,” he said. “I want the memory of this little girl to go on.”

Cadet Chandler was surprised at the award.

“I didn’t know about it being availableuntil I found

out that I was nominated for it,” he said. “I can’t e v e n

begin to describewhat an honor it is to receive it.”

He was nominated for the scholarship by the 306th Flying Training Group. TheTiburon, Calif ,

nativeand civil engineering major iswaiting and hoping for offi cial approval for pilot qualifi cation.

“Thisscholarship, along with being a soaring

IP [instructor pilot] and on the ACRO team, will

help mewith precision fl ying, especially at unusual

attitudes and spatial orientation,” he said.

Cadet Chandler also pointed out he will avoid

having to become physiologically acclimated to that type of fl ying during future pilot training.

“She always wanted to fl y,” said General Robin son of his daughter Taryn, even when she was at

fi rst disqualifi ed for her height.

A t 5’ 2,” her nick nam e w as “ Pean ut .”

She determinedly went after and received a height

waiver from the Academy.

“It didn’t slow her down for one minute,” Gen eral Robinson said .

Growing up, shewas alwaysvery curious and athletic.

“Shewasa happy kid,” he said. “She always took

t im e to sm ell the roses.”

In her freshman year of high school, thebudding cadet announced shewanted to cometo theAcademy.

Cadet Chandler had the same dream, “ever since I

Accompanied by Maj . Gen. David Robinson, 7 6, Cadet 2 nd Class St even Chandler

receives the Taryn Robinson Scholarship from Mr. Sean Tucker on Jan. 30. (USAF Photo by Dennis Rogers)

46

can remember,” hesaid of coming to theAcademy.

He also dreamed of becoming a pilot and serving

his country.

“TheAcademy was the best way to achieve this

goal while also getting an education at the same t i m e,” he sai d .

“In my mind, theopportunitiesthat theAcademy hasto offer are unprecedented compared to any other college in the country,” Cadet Chandler said. H C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

D I ST I N G U I S H E D G R A D U A T E

NOMI NATI O N CRI T ERI A CHA NGED FO R DI ST I NGUI SHED GRA DUAT E A W A R D

TheDistinguished GraduateAward Conunittee, led by board member General (Ret.) Ed Eberhart, ’68, wantsto enrich thepool of potential candidatesfor t h is important award. Thecommitteehasapproved thees tablishment of a “ Pre-N om inat ion Recommendation”

which allowspeopleto send theAOG a nameand aone paragraph justifi cation. TheAOG staff would then do internet research to gather preliminary information o n

the nominee. T he D GA Com mittee w ould determ ine if

theperson merited additional consideration and would

contact the nominator for assistance in putting together a more detailed package.

The Distinguished Graduate Award recognizes ex

ceptional graduateswho have set themselves apart by making extraordinarily signifi cant contributions to our nation and/or their communities. It is a unique

honor bestowed by the U.S. Air ForceAcademy and its Association of Graduates, recognizing gradu

ateswhose accomplishments are inspirational and elevate the reputation and the standing of the U.S. Air ForceAcademy. Distinguished Graduates should provide an example to all graduates and cadets of the st andards t hat w e value and of t he abil it ies that have

made our country and society great.

W h ile t he select ion crit eria for t his aw ard are ex

tremely demanding and the competition is keen, we need the assistance of every graduate to identify de

serving candidates for evaluation. Non-graduates are also encouraged to submit nominations. This is our opportunity to recognize our own while identify ing those who can serve as an inspiration to future gen

erations of A m ericas l eaders.

..I T I M ELI N E A PRI L 2 0 0 8

May 2 0 0 6 - J u n e 2 0 0 7

Award ispublicized and nominationsare accepted.

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

JUNE- AUGUST 2007

S EN D P R E- N O M I N A T I O N I N FO R M A T I O N T O :

Pre-nominations must be submitted by April 1, 2007.

.^

Selection committee reviews nomiriation packages.

S EPT EM B ER 2 0 0 7

A sso ciat io n o f G r ad u at es

3116 Academy Drive

il l

USAF Academy, CO80840-4475 M

mm

Selection committee recommends award recipient to

or e-mail dick.rauschkolb@aogusafa.org

emy superintendent. Recipient isnotifi ed and agreest o accept award at the U.S. Air ForceAcademy.

For more information, contact Dick Rauschkolb, 70,

A O G chai rman of the board and U .S. Ai r Force Acad

vice president for communications, at (719) 472-0300,

4 or dick.rauschkolb@aogusafa.org or visit the AOG Web site at www.usafa.org.

Former President Gerald Ford passes away

Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died D ec.

26. H e w as 93.

President Ford’s greatest legacy for the Pikes Peak region could

behisapproval of legislation letting women into the n at i o n ’s m i l i tary service academies.

Many observers at the time viewed the admission of

w o m

e n

a s

inevitable. The U.S. Air ForceAcademy had been preparing t o train women for three years.

But Ford’ssignature on a defensespending bill including t h e provision for women on Oct. 7, 1975, established a p er m an en t

change for the nation’s military.

TheAcademy admitted female cadets for the fi rst time in 1976, and four yearslater therewere97 women among the 887 graduates.

Women graduateshavegoneon to becomegenerals, combat pilots, an astronaut, and they have fi lled various other high-level positions.

Ford had long-standing personal and fi nancial bonds t o Colorado. His strongest ties were to mountain resort co m m u n i ties including Vail, where he was a founding member of the Vail Valley Foundation and stayed on the organization’sgoverning board for the past 25 years.

Honorary AOG Member, William Hybl, worked with Ford the board for 22 years. o n

“Hewasavery thoughtful guy and cared agreat deal ab o u t

people,” said Hybl, who is also chairman and CEO of the C olorado Springs-based El Pomar Foundation. (Courtesy of The Gazette)

are intended to directly support post-secondary education f o r the children of AOG graduate membersand range from $500 $2,000. The total amount available for scholarships is det erm i ned annually by the board.

Scholarship award winners, aswell asthoseapplicantsn o t selected to receive ascholarship in agiven year, are encouraged to reapply for scholarshipsin subsequent yearsif they are still eligible.

To learn more about CDS, please visit us online at w ww .usafa. org/ membership/gds.aspx.

Family affair

Chuck Reed, ’70, became the newest mayor of San Jose, C alif , as

hisdaughter, Maj. Kim Campbell, ’97, helped administer his oath of offi ce. The father and daughter are not only former cad et s at t h e

Air ForceAcademy, but are also former Cadet Wing commanders.

After pledging to uphold thecharter and put community benefi t beforepersonal gain, Reed added that hewould exercisepower honesdy and ethically. “No lying. No cheating. No stealing,” he promised.

Nobody who has read the 34 Reed Reforms should have been surprised at this. Honesty and ethics have been t h e watchwords of Reed’s campaign since the moment he donned an American-fl ag tie. The three words of prohibition ar e d r aw n

from the Air ForceAcademy Honor Code. (Courtesy of t h e

San JoseMercury-News) Rl

Dogfight Over Guadalcanal takes aim at Emmys

Public Broadcasting Servicechannel WNET isworking t o n o m i

nate the documentary Dogfight Over Guadalcanal for an Emmy Award. Ralph F. Wetterhahn, ’63, was “lead detective” i n r eso l v

ing the circumstancessurrounding the fi rst dogfi ght that t ook

place during the invasion of Guadalcanal in 1942.

The show has been aired for the past three months on t h e Secrets of theDead series on PBS. To learn more about the show, visit www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_dogfi ght/index.html.

AOGScholarship funds double

T he Board of D i rectors of the A ssociat ion of G rad uates recently

approved an increase from $10,000 to $20,000 for Graduate Dependent Scholarships.

Graduate Dependent Scholarships are annual awards. Recipi

entsareselected by the CDSSelection Committee. Scholarships 48

Chuck Reed, 7 0, swears in as mayor of San Jose, Calif., as his daugh ter, Kim Campbell, ’97, helps administer his oath of of f ice .

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H 2 0 0 7

Photo court esy of Les Querry, '60

Once ‘Vpon a Ti me

•

•

•

Remember all the great stories your classmates shared wit h one anot her 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 of t he Cadet Wing.

As the Academy and the Association of Graduates celebrate t h is inst it ut io n 's 50t h an n i versary, the staff of Checkpoints wants to publish your cadet experiences and stories of how your four years at the Academy affected your career an d lif e .

Although we can't guarantee every submission will be published, we hope many of you will take time to share your first-hand account of the Long Blue Line's heritage and history.

Please keep your story between 500- 2,000 words. If you have photos, please include them. Digital copies of photos must be in "jpg" file format, at a resolut ion of no less t han 300 dots per inch at 7 inches wide.

E-mail your story and photos to editor@aogusafa.org. If you choose t o mail your story, please include a digital copy of your story on a CD or floppy disk. If you mail prints, we'll make sure you get them back in the condition they were s e n t .

By Butch Wehry, Academy Spirit Photo by Ken Wright

ewon the Commander’sLeadership Award at Squad"*" ■ ron Offi cer School, surpassing 470 other captains i n December, and became a nominee for the Secretary

of the Air Force Leadership Award.

Yet 2000 Academy graduate and HH- 60 helicopter pilot Capt. Daniel Lawrence drew on hisexperiencesin Afghani stan when hespoke to his SOSclassabout a harrowing day of com bat .

Aided by PowerPoint visuals, the captain gave hisSOS classa briefi ng that would havehad Brig. Gen. Billy M i t ch el l applauding.

His story began with the Army being tasked to evacuate

an Afghani national with a gunshot wound to the arm. T he

Army turned down the mission due to low illumination.

TheJoint Search and Rescue Center passed the mission t o Captain Lawrence’s unit, instead.

“During the objectivephase of our mission, my wingman.

H alo 42, crashed due to extreme brownout conditions an d

lack of power,” said Captain Lawrence, currently an i n st r u c

tor at the Academy’s Preparatory School.

Halo 42’s fl ight engineer. Ai rman 1st Class Jesse Samek,

died on impact. D>

C€Combat demands leaders, n o t c a r e e r ist s

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In an epic struggle, the captain and his rescue squadron sp en t the next 12 hours working with HC-130s, AC-130s, A-10s, CH-47s and AH-I s to bring Samek and their wounded comrades

home. It wasa day hewill never forget.

manner that increases the likelihood of upper levelsof leadership hearing your input.”

“If I present a concern and it is not received like I had hoped, then I need to step back and take a look at my approach'. Why

can be summed up asonesignifi cant internal struggle,” said t he

w ill be heard ?”

“All I wanted to do was go back to home base and land. W e had come so close to death ourselves that my mortality w as n ow v er y

“I kept vocalizing my concerns thesameway,” said the captain.

“I just spoke louder each time. Eventually I becamew h it e noise to leadership and despite thevalidity of my claims it w as lost because the mode in which I tried to convey my concernswas i neffect ive

“The feelings and thoughts were incredibly diverse, b u t i t

O rfordville, W is. native.

obvious t o m e.”

But people on the ground were counting on him and his to get them home.

“So the strugglewas against my fear and my feelingsof self pres ervation versus my mission, my responsibilities and my commit ment to something larger than myself,” said Captain L aw r en ce.

“Training that I had went through really carried us through the night and ultimately led to the successful extraction of all personnel.”

He said what really drove him the most were the memories an d stories of American and Academy heroes who went before him , c r ew

like Capt. Lance P. Sijan, ’65, the only Academy graduate t o e a r n the M edal of H onor.

“I remember consciously thinking in therugged terrain o f

Afghanistan, after nearly hitting a mountain to recover o u r cr i t i cal patients, that I may be scared, but men and women have gone

beforemein worseconditionsand performed bravely,” sai d t h e

captain. “They gave everything they had and I could d o n o l ess t h an give everything I had, even if it meant my life. It was this thought

that helped meovercomemy fearsand feelingsof self-preservatio n .”

In the Afghanistan mishap, he writes he failed as a co m p an y grade offi cer.

“I don’t feel any guilt,” said the combat pilot. “I fought harder than any other offi cer about what I knew was right. I don’t believe any offi cer risked their career morethan I did trying to get leadership to acknowledge our defi ciencies and take steps to solve the problem.”

He even tried to turn in his wings to the unit’s director o f operations before Halo 42 crashed, due to his serious c o n c e r n s about signifi cant training defi ciencies for the missions being fl own in Afghanistan.

“I told the director of operationsthat weweregoing t o cr ash a

helicopter and kill people if we continued to do business this way.

I did everything I could have at the time ...”

Lawrence says he now realizes that as an offi cer and a leader

his level of responsibility is deeper than just identifying an d

vocalizing concerns.

“I also have to be very cognizant of my environment an d t h e leadership around me,” Captain Lawrence said.

Does a company grade offi cer risk his or her career if they voice

didn’t it work?What can I do to alter my approach so m y m essag e But back then , he didn’t do that .

with this particular group of leaders.”

It took a tragedy to teach him the critical lesson about “proper

dissent,” which would have helped him as ayoung offi cer.

The pilot and instructor comes down hard on “outdated paradigms.”

“Therearea multitudeof them and they areever increasing a s w e moveto amoreand morejoint military,” said Captain L aw ren ce.

“Moreof our assetsaregoing to be tasked for missionsthat they weren’t initially trained for. As long aswefi ght this w ar on terror with avery stringent budget, then ‘Operationsin Lieu Of ’ to sup port our sister serviceswill continue to be the norm, like F- 15Es

doing strafi ng runson Robert’sRidge, or AF helosdoing Army Medevac or Air Forcepersonnel acting asconvoy commanders.”

“The war and the enemy are constantly changing,” he said .

“Outdated tactics and strategies and the inability to adapt lead t o defeat .”

After a botched mission, things are never thesame.

“Onceyou see the consequencesof not effectively recogniz ing and dealing with an outdated paradigm, thelesson becom es

deeply engrained,” the captain said.

After hisbriefi ng at SOS, fellow airman approached him w ho w ere

involved in the mission in very different ways that he w asn’t aw are of

“It washumbling and awesome to learn how many peoplew ork for and help makea mission succeed that you never m eet or k now about,” said the prep school instructor.

“Every response I received from them was incredibly positive.

Peoplewho have been to combat understand exactly what I am talking about and they appreciate brutal honesty about th e ch al

lenges of our everyday war fi ghters.”

He also shareshiscandid thoughtson leadership and personal

experiences with prep school students and cadets,

“I will continue to do so,” Captain Lawrence said. B

t o o m u ch d i ssen t ?

“Potentially, but combat demands and needs leaders, n o t careerists,” he said. “If that means your career stops at major or captain then so be it.

“Don’t worry about your career,” Lawrence advises. “Worry

about the mission and thepeopleyou lead. Keep voicing

c o n c e r n s

when you see them, but fi nd ways to voice those concerns i n a 52

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Jul 5 - 16, 2007

Legendary Scot land awaits! From deep glacial lakes sh ro u d ed in mist to rugged, heat her-covered Highland hills, Sco t la n d 's landscape sets a scenic stage for epic advent ure.Through t h e cent uries, and int ricat e blend of Celt ic, Norse and N o r m a n cu lt u res

have intermingled like t he weave of a tartan pattern t o f ash io n quaint cobblestoned villages and fairy-tail castles. D isco v e r t h e very best of Scot land by walking in t he wake of freedom fight er William Wallace, t racing the pat hways of Prince Charles Ed w a rd St uart and leaving your own foot prints along t he"bonnie b a n ks o f

May 9-17, 2007 A morning w alk t hrough t he narrow ed cobbled st reet s o f a n c ie nt Et r u scan Co rt o n a is v ib ran t w it h t h e sce nt s a n d so u n d s o f a n aw akening t ow n- t he aroma of cappuccino and w arm baked goods w aft ing f rom litt le shops, t he perfume of f resh flow ers, and t he bust le of t he main sq uare. Wat ch t he child ren w it h t heir bright rucksacks t rott ing off t o school as silver-haired w omen draped in black slowly make

t heir w ay t o market . It is t he day-t o-day part icipat ion in Cortona community life t hat

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R EV I EW

J o h n M . Sch o fie ld and t he

Politics of Generalship nM :

JohnM.Schofi eld andthePolilics

of Generalship i(

-k

-k

DO N A L D B . CO N N E L L Y

Lwfi eld and thePoliticsof Generalship, Donald B. Con-

;rfully illuminated the life and career of a lesser k n ow n _ortant fi gure in U.S. civil and military affairsi n t h e

latt^ half ofthe19* cenmry. DespiteearningtheMedal of H onor and servin5aslp:)thSecretaryof War andasCommandingG en eral o f th e

Army?iSi^ :)fi clds name oft en escapes mention in modern military his tory texts. Hiscontributions to a Union victory in t h e C iv il W ar an d a reformed army command structure that affi rmed civilian oversight and improved relations between the chief and secretary alone should guarantee him a place in history, but hisability to m an euv er i n th e complex political arena of the period makeshis biography a rel ev an t and useful read. As Connelly notes, the “volatility of American politics made it prudent for an offi cer to avoid identifi cation with one political party or faction” (p. 3) and Schofi eld resolved these d i ffi cu l t ies w i th an exemplary combination of professionalism and political subordination.

T he various nuances of Schofi eld s diverse career are clearly captured in a meticulously researched and highly readable narrative t h at w ill b e o f interest to both scholarsof the period and readers concerned w ith the history of U.S. civil-military relations.

While the idea that war and politics are inextricably li nk ed is certainly not new, Schofi eld’s career offers ample evidence of the political dexterity required of Civil War-era commanders i n o r d er b o t h t o su rv iv e an d su cceed . Sch o fi el d ’s r em ar k ab l e ability to operate within an existing, if fluid, political system, as ev i d en ced by his service in Missouri at the outset of the war, dem onst rates the value of an apolitical commander in a highly charged political environment. Schofi eld skillfully maneuvered between competing fact ions of radicals and conservatives and earned both the praise of his C om m ander-i n-C h ief as w ell as a fi eld com m and w i t h t h e

Reviewed by Maj . Chris Rein USAFA, Dept , of History

Army of the Ohio. In his examination of Schofi eld’s service in the Atlanta and Franklin-Nashville campaigns, Connelly r ev eal s t h at the battlefi eld was not immune from politics, although m ore fre quently it was politics of the army variety, and that Sch o fi el d w as as equally skilled in this environment as he was on t h e b at t l efi el d .

Throughout his career on active service, Schofi eld d em o n st r at ed that, for commanders of the day, political savvy was often just as important as tactical or operational expertise.

W hile his fi eld service w as val uable, if not rem arkable, Sch o

if eld’s most important contributions to the military est ab l i sh m en t came in the post-war period. Service as the military governor of Virginia and as Secretary of War in both theJohnson an d G r an t administrations prepared him for his subsequent postings as t h e Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy and as co m m an d er

B O O K

of the three main departments of the Army and then theArmy itself His numerous contributions to the reforms eventually enshrined by Elihu Root are adequately detailed, and his proposed consolidation of the War and Navy Departments 80 years before the National Security Act of 1947 demonstrates his r em ar k ab l e foresight. Connelly’s thorough discussion of the origins o f t h e Posse ComitatusAct is highly relevant in today’s national and i nter nal security environment as are his observations on benefi ts of har monious and mutually-respectful relations between the ser v i ce’s senior military offi cer and his civilian secretary.

Historiansof military education will fi nd interesting Connelly’s ample descriptionsof Schofi eld’s role as an educator an d ref o r m er.

Schofi eld’suntiring advocacy of critical thinking and the value of a strong liberal arts curriculum arestill relevant today, and the deans of our service academieswould bewise to heed them. Additionally, h is advocacy of and support for military training at civilian u n iv ersi t i es w ould merit his consideration for the title “ Father of the R O .T .C .”

Even today, cadets at service academies across the country still recite the text of Schofi eld’sAugust 1879 address to hiscadets on the rela tionship between leadership and discipline in a democratic military, and Connelly wisely includes the text verbatim as both a refr esher and to illustrate Schofi eld’spersonal philosophy.

Connelly refutes some of the more damaging allegations l ev el ed against Schofi eld in James L. McDonough’s Schofi eld: U n i on

R EV I EW

General in the Civil War and Reconstruction, (University Press of Florida, 1972) and by so doing establishes himself an d h is t ext as the authority on the subject. If Connelly’s work has any fl aws, it is his overly fl attering portrayal of his subject. W hile Schofi eld’s unwise racial views (if contemporary) and his heightened sen si t iv ity to criticism of his exploits on the battlefi eld, even years aft er fact, are given ample coverage, one wonders if the general suffered from any other unmentioned character fl aws, given the prevalence of corruption during the period and Schofi eld’s comfort an d familiarity with prominent business leaders of the day.

The book’s primary thesis, that the political and military spheres are inextricably linked, but that military off icers most frequendy fi nd successwhen they can clearly defi ne the boundaries of each, is amply illustrated through the life of John M. Schofi eld. Overall, Connelly has masterfully fi lled one of the few remaining voids in biographiesof Civil War generals, and hiswork isa must-read for anyone interested in the development of American civil-military relations. Rich footnotes and high quality mapsand illustrations further enhance a fi rst-rate work that will grace bookshelves as long as the institutions Schofi eld devoted his life to advancing and preserving still exist. H The University of North Carolina Press, 2006. xiv + 471pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $49.95 (cloth) ISBN 0-8078-3007- 0.

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A Wo ma n of Ma ny Fi rst s BREATHING DEEPLY,” THEN FORGINGAHEAD, HICKEY, ’80, PILOTED HER WAYTO NEW HEIGHTS March is a time to reflect upon thevalu able rolewomen play in the defense and

service of our nation. W e honor the w om en

By Capt . Michaela Eggers, Staf f Sgt .

To ncla Sa llee , a nd Julie Bru bac h ,

Directorate of Tot al Force Integrat ion

who have fought for equality at home, as well as thosewho are fighting and have fought on the battlefi eld of warsstretching as far back as our history does. All social change is forged by those with a pioneer ing spirit- thosewho are unafraid to topple barriers, conquer uncharted terrain or lay the groundwork for future generations. While our collective knowledge is full of examples of women’s triumphs, each pioneer still has an individual story worth telling. One such story is that of Brig. Gen. Allison Hickey, ’80, awoman of many fi rsts.

General Hickey is quick to point out that she does not perceive herself as anything special- her successes and her failures have come through the act of living life purpose fully, not the act of seeking acclaim. “I believe in breathing deeply through your n o s e . she laughed. “There have been times when I’ve been thrown a challenge and gotten that uncomfortable-in-my-stomach feeling. I’ve had to remind myself to breathe deeply, jump in with all I’ve got, and make it the best leap I’ve ever taken.”

General Hickey credits her interest in mili tary service to her upbringing. The daughter of an Army offi cer, retired Lt. Gen. Bill Hilsman, she spent her childhood moving from post to post. Her deep respect for her parentsand her migratory lifestyle compelled her to combine her patriotic devotion with her interest in working with military people.

During her sophomore and junior years of high school she began to question those around her about the possibility of attending one of the military service academies, none of which wereyet accessible to women.

“I asked why not me,” she said. “I spoke about it all the time and obviously some one thought I was serious.”

Realizing his daughter’s dream of attend ing a service academy was not a passing fancy, her father invited a fellow Army offi

cer, a woman, to their home. “She told me

not to give up on my dreams and purpose, that there were things happening right now that might one day let me fi lfi ll that dream,” she said. “It goes to show that you can be a mentor to someone you hardly know. I had the benefi t of a fem ale m entor

who spoke with me for just a few hours, and a m other and father that believed I

could do anything I set my mind to do.

Mentoring takes many shapes.”

Not long after, in October 1975, Presi dent Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94106 authorizing women’s right to attend all military service academies.

General Hickey recalls opening the door of her Ft . L ew is, W ash ., hom e to

get the morning paper and seeing the headline announcing that President Ford had granted women access into the service academ ies. For her, a new adven t ure had

just begun. After applying to the Mer chant Marine Academy, West Point and the Air Force Academy, General Hickey’s next hurdle was to earn a suffi ciently high score on the SAT to qualify for entry.

“I think I gave up every spare minute of my senior year and my entire Christmas break studying for that test.” she recalled.

Her perseverance paid off While running one afternoon during her senior year on the parade fi eld at Ft. Monmouth, N .J., her sister came dashing up to let her know Rep. James Howard was on the phone waiting to speak to her.

ren t A i r Force M aterial C om m and V ice

Commander, Lt. Gen. Terry Gabreski.

“They were our mentors, confi dants, advisors and accountability partners,” recalled General Hickey. She believes they are perhaps the greatest unsung heroes during that time of change. In fact, the Glass of 1980 is petitioning for these

w om en AT O s’ nam es t o be added to a

“ H e t old m e that he did not have a W est

m em orial at the Golorado inst allat ion .

Point invitation to give me, but he did have one for the Air Force Academy. The catch was I had to give him my answer right on the spot. That moment sure tested the concept of ‘jumping in with everything you’ve got’.”

The impact of these leaders affected her deeply. “They are wonderful, wonderful

along with 156 other women, arrived at the United StatesAir Force Academy and became its fi rst female cadets. During her initial years at the Academy many individuals left a lasting impression on

crew training for the KC-135 tanker at Castle AFB, Calif , graduating with

In June of 1976, then-basic H ilsman,

her, but the w om en involved in t he

Academy’s mentor program for the newly enrolled young females had one of the greatest impacts. The program consisted of 15 women lieutenants handpicked to be Air Training Offi cers for the new women cadet s. O ne of those 15 AT O s is t he cur

C H E C K P O I N T S , M A R C EI 2 0 0 7

w om en ,” she said .

Following graduation in 1980, Hickey’s aviation career began in earnest. Aft er attending undergraduate pilot training at

C olum bus A FB, M iss., she w ent to com bat

honors. L ater she becam e the fi rst fem ale

KC-135 pilot at Grand ForksAFB, N.D. In a few years’ time, she would also become the base’s fi rst fem ale ai rcraft com m ander.

W h ile at G rand Forks, she w it nessed a

major milestone in the Air Force’s evolu tion as the concept of female aviators b ecam e r o o t ed . T h er e w er e so m e i n i t i al

by some about the “perceived” physical ability of women to perform c o n c e r n s

57

certain aspects of the mission, particularly as aircrews began to have more than one woman on the team. In fact, for a period there was a policy that no crew could have m ore than one w om an . T here w ere con

cerns that female pilots may not have the strength to perform a number of different emergency responses. One was the ability t o l an d t h e ai r cr af t i n t h e ev en t o f a co m

bined engine and hydraulic power failure.

Typically a pilot had to show the ability to “stand on the rudder” to accomplish this emergency procedure only once, the general recalled. “It got to the point where it became no big deal to me because I was doing it nearly every time I fl ew with someone new.” She’s quick to tell you that the constant “testing” didn’t bother her.

“Some people need to see things for them selves to be comfortable with a change. If it was going to help them make the leap.

I’d gladly stand on another rudder.”

Women were granted no special privi leges, and on many occasions female crew members had to overcome challenges.

In many of those instances, ingenuity prevailed where brawn and muscle fell sh o r t . “ T h er e w as o n e t i m e w h en an o t h er

w o m an an d I h ad t o l o ad t h e t an k er w i t h

out the use of stairs,” she explained. “The typical way to do that was to toss the bags from the ground to the cargo door, and that was not always an easy feat unless you

grew up tossing hay. We used our nog gins instead and crafted a lever and pulley system to get everyt hing into the jet.”

The indoctrination of female pilots to the Air Force provided her with many stories and laughs. In pilot training, darts had to be sew n into G-suits because w om en “ had

unaccounted for in the original male design. At another point, theAir Force was not sure if hormone or birth control pills would have some type of negative physi ological impact on women aviators. Consequendy, women that were prescribed these medicineswere grounded for several months and were required to providewaivers.

General Hickey remembered with c u r v es

am u sem en t a t i m e w h en sh e an d h er cr ew

were on a refueling mission near Grand Forks. The “novelty” of hearing a woman’s voice on the other end of t he t ransm ission

created quite a stir. “When I cleared the F-4 to the refueling position there was this long, drawn-out pause before the fi ghter pilot came onto the frequency jokingly saying, ‘Holy cow, the next thing you know, they’ll be giving them the vote!’

These guys had never heard a woman’s voice on any military aircraft before. I think during the pause he was ‘breathing deeply’ through his nose. This was a pretty big change to process.”

Looking back, she is quick to dispute the assumption that men were predomi-

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

nantly responsible for the hardships women endured during their fi rst years. In fact, she feels that many of her greatest mentors have been men. “Throughout my career the best and worst examples of leadership have always been gender-neutral so most of my stories are not about challenges or diffi cul ties in that vein, although I have those too,” she said. “The stories I really remember are the ones of humor and help.”

The ability to make deliberate choices and having the courage to stand by deci sions, despite dissenting opinions, has been a major factor in General Hickey’s success. In the midst of her blossoming career and a newly announced marriage engagement, she found herself in the diffi cult position of having to choose between the selections for two remarkable oppor tunities: attending the Air Staff Training Program, which would later become the Air Force Fellows Program, or piloting the then brand new, st at e-of -the-art K G- 10 ai rcraf t . W h en she ask ed her funct ional

career advisor for his opinion aft er telling him of her impending nuptials, the reply was not what she had expected. “ H e told m e, ‘it doesn’t m atter w hich

you choose, getting married will end your c a r ee r.

W h ile not the advice she w as

seeking, she did take something positive away from this encounter. “We all have opportunities to be encouraging or to assist

someone through diffi cult hurdles, and we all have opportunities to kill another per son’s dream,” she said. “How you respond to those opportunities is a choice that can have a signifi cant impact on another person’s life and your own character.”

Marriage did not end her career. On the contrary, she credits her career successes to two very signifi cant infl uences: the “grace of God,” and Rob, ’78, her husband of

21 years. She acknowledges the strain that comes with balancing the roles of wife, mother and fi gurehead but fi nds stability in the strength of her marriage.

“My husband has carried a great load as a spouse, advisor and friend,” she conceded.

An Academy graduate himself, he too has balanced his ow n career, t im e in serv ice

and responsibilities as a parent.

In 1987, life threw awonderful surprise in theyoung aviator’s direction along with yet another opportunity to leave her imprint on the “list of fi rsts.” Deployed on a KG-10 fl ying mission in Spain, immersed in a new land and without her regular crew, she developed symptoms of appendicitis and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Initially, the cultural differences made interaction diffi cult. The physicians spoke no English and neither she nor her aircraft commander, Capt. Mike Fountain, ’79, spoke any Spanish. Fortunately, the confu sion cleared up rather quickly.

“The language barriers melted away when they started pointing at the sono

gram screen and saying ‘baby,’” she recalled w it h a sm ile.

Days earlier, the Air Force had enacted a new waiver allowing expectant women to pilot aircraft for up to six months. Her son Tyler, the fi rst of three children, began his life following the pioneering footsteps of his mother. Today her son can boast about being the Air Force’s fi rst-known pilot’s child fl ying in utero.

At that time in Air Force history, few fem al e offi cers and even few er aviators

had children. Despite this relatively new scenario for the Air Force, Hickey found t hat she w as m et w ith a considerable

amount of support. In a gesture of good humor, the deployment crew stuck a “Baby on Board” sign in the boom pod of the aircraft she was fl ying.

With all major changes in life, strength of character develops when change is

em braced . H er role as a m other w as one of

several events that signifi cantly altered the course of her life. Many of the transitions

she has m ade in her career can be t raced t o

commitment to her family, including her moves between the Regular, Guard and Reserve. She is one of t he few offi cers t o

have served in all three components and knows fi rsthand the pros and cons of a “cont in uum of service.”

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

“I don’t believe that making those family

choices is a refl ection on what kind of off icer,

airman, performer or patriot you are,” she said. She has accomplished, achieved and succeeded not in spite of, but because of the changes she has embraced.

Her philosophy of embracing change and “breathing deeply” was put to the test in 2004. Whileworking in the Strategic Plan ning Directorate of HeadquartersAir Force, shewas asked by the director at the time, Lt. Gen. Stephen G. Wood, to stand-up a new directorate dedicated to the A ir Force’s criti

cal need to further integrate its three com ponents: Regular, Guard and Reserve. This was no small request, as it meant honchoing a massive service-wide changewhile facing pockets of stiff opposition from nearly every corner. She remembers receiving the off er Friday, “breathing deeply” over theweekend, and then stepping to the plate Monday.

Her hands-on experiencewith all three components provided her with a direct knowledge of the capabilities of theTotal Force, and she brings this expertise to her current position as Director of theTotal Force Integration Directorate. It was as though time and fate intersected to have her in position to lead when the need for trans fo r m at io n i n t h e A i r Fo rce w as so cr u cial .

“The career path I have followed has not been normal,” she said. “In fact, many would say it has defi ed logic and pattern.

59

I bel ieve it show s t hat the A i r Force needs

both generalists and specialists alike. I also believe, as we live our Total Force Integra tion vision, there will be more diversity in our career opportunities.”

It was this unusual career path that gave her the blend of skill sets necessary to take on the extensive task of establishing the

T FI D i rect orate and lead for the overall

Air Force initiative. Not many senior Air Force leaders have spent a substantial amount of time in the Regular, Guard and Reserve, as well as signifi cant time in the strategic planning processes in the Pen tagon. Ff er ‘illogical’ career path has also afforded her another great distinction- she is one of six w om en from the C lass of

doctrine and process- all in less than two years time. The staff itself is a microcosm of theTotal Force Integration vision. This dynamic Air Force team is composed of Regular, Guard, and Reserve airmen, as

w ell as civil ians and con t ractors.

For many Airmen, theAir Force’s recent forceshaping restructure and Total Force Integration effort meansa series of unex pected transitions. To some, these changes

will mean transitions into the Guard, Reserve

or civilian life. They may mean new mission sets, cross-training, or life-style and location changes. Having “been there” at several times in her life, shehas a special place in her heart for these airm en. H er advice to those in this

situation is to fi nd their passions, “either those thingsyou’d lovedoing anywhere, or new things that you don’t mind taking a risk to try in anticipation that it will be the best

1980 to join the general offi cer ranks.

In theTFI Directorate, General Hickey and her staff are charged with restruc turing the Air Force by integrating the Regular, Guard and Reserve components in a way that maximizes overall effi ciency, effectiveness and capability. Thus far, the directorate has championed 138 integra tion initiatives, shifted nearly $4 billion

well-established military, family and commu nity networks to express interests, and to use these outlets to ask for help reaching objec tives. “Taking care of people isone of the best thingsairmen do for one another. Taking

organizational constructs, and driven sig nifi cant changes in Total Force law, policy.

In my mind, you are an airman for life, no matter which path life takesyou.”

w or th of new A i r Force m issions and

T H E A CA D EMY A N NO U N C ES

that Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, w ill be the Class

of 2007’s graduation speaker .

on May 30 , 2007.

thingyou’veever done.” Shesuggestsusing

care of airm en in transition is no diff erent .

“Leaving the service, moving to a new mis

sion area, being asked to learn anew weapon system or job, or in the case of the Guard,

changing your stateaffi liation, all takeguts,”

General Hickey said. “The guts it takes to fi ght awar are the same guts it takes to live life courageously and deliberately. They are

thesamegutsrequired to takealeap when faced with alife-altering path or change.”

As with change in her own life. General Hickey realizes that it is not always easy to see the positive aspects of change, or to see

thebenefi t of having to do something new,

especially when the change is unexpected.

For her, lifeisunpredictableand change

has nearly always been unsettling, but she believes there is always opportunity under

the t urm oil of the “unknow n .” As she looks

back over her military accomplishments, she muses about the many twists and turns along the way. “Life is not always about what you fi rst started doing, what you already know how to do, or going where others have already made a path- so when faced with it, breathe deeply and frequently and take the leap,” she advises. “There is more opportunity than you can imagine on the other side of change.”

'A\(( lE fectionsand No m i nat io n Proced u res The AOG is governed by a Board of Directors consisting o f n o t m o re t han eleven elected directors and up to four appointed d ire ct o rs . E le c

tions are conducted and appointments made in odd-numbered ye a rs .

Approximately half of t he elected and appointed posit ions a re o pe n at each elect ion cycle. Any AOG member willing to f ulfill t he requirements of directors may submit a nominat ion package. There are t w o n o m in a t io n t racks. Wit h t he support of five members, a candidate may be consid ered by t he Nominat ing Committee for placement on t he ballot . By pet i t ion of 25 members, a candidate may be placed on t he b a l lo t w it h o ut review by t he Nominat ing Committee. Complete nominat ion i n f o r m a t io n can be found on t he AOG Web Site at www.usafa.org. N o m in a t io n s f o r t he 2009 elect ions will be accepted in 20 08 .

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Next step ... M ars? m

11

The Ev o l ut io n o f Fl i g h t

Any one of them has t hat Cha nC6 with help fromgraduates like yo u.

L6aV6 a Lag acy, include the Association of Graduates in y OUf will or estate planning.

Building Leaders

o f C h aract e r fo r t h e N at io n

The Campaign for the Fut ure of t he Air Force Academy

For more informat ion visit our Web site at www.usafa.org, click on “ Philant hropy” and t hen “Ways t o Give,” or c o nt a ct Jef f M ie lke , ’8 0 , at j eff .mielke@aogusafa.org or (719 ) 472-030 0 .

I

F r I

FIRST A IR FO RCE FEMA LE PILOT IN CO M BAT MA KES -i

T H E M O ST O F O PPO RT U N IT IES A N D BEC O M ES A RO LE M O D EL FO R A IRM EN

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A F IG HT IN G C HA N C E

By Car l Bergq uist , A ir Universit y Publ ic A f fair s

w pilot in theDepartment of Defenseto fl y in combat hen she attended Air War College, the fi rst female

refl ected on some of her career experiences so far.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot, Lt. Col. Martha McSally, ’88, is also the fi rst female in the Air Force to serve as t h e

commander of any combat aviation squadron, to include fi ghters and bombers.

“The fi rst role of women as military fl yers was during World War II asWomen Airforce Service Pilots, an orga nization disbanded after the war,” Colonel McSally sai d .

“When women resumed fl ying in the Air Force, a law p r o hibited them from fl ying in combat,” she said. “In 1984 ,

I wasattending the U.S. Air ForceAcademy and told m y fi rst fl ight instructor that I wasgoing to be a fi ghter pilot.

Hejust laughed, but after Congressrepealed theprohibi

tion law in 1991, and I was named as one of seven women

who would be put through fi ghter training, he looked

m

e

up and said hewasamazed I had accomplished my goal.”

given thefriendliesv^ereso closeand in multipled i rect io n s i n a windingsteep canyon,” Colonel McSally said. “Friendlies now climbing up thecanyon to get away fr om theenemy and get outsidethesafedistanceof our gun. I shot somerock ets t o w ere

confi rm the enemy location, and we honed the target.”

Then, things got even more complicated.

“On my last rocket pass, my heads up display failed w i t h

all of our computerized weaponssights. I had to rely o n t h e

very archaic backup called ‘standby pipper,’ which hard sight. I needed to quickly get ready to shoot the gun manually, where I had to be at an exact dive angle, airspeed, and altitude when opening fi re in order to be accurate. w

a s a

We destroyed the enemy on several passes. We train for this type of malfunction, but I never would have imagined shooting the gun in standby pipper in combat like this.”

Colonel McSally said the squadron won the 2005 Air Force Association’s David C. Shilling award that is given for the best aerospace contribution to national defense.

“During the squadron’stime in Afghanistan, we fl ew

Colonel McSally was selected for fi ghter pilot school i n 1993, but it was another year before she actually arrived.

After completion of her training, she was deployed t o

just short of 2,000 sorties, accumulated more than 7 ,000 combat fl ight hours, and expended more than 23,000

“I was a young and new fi ghter pilot and here I was i n

ing environment there. A friendly country but plenty o f

Kuwait in January 1995.

Kuwait,” she said. “On my fi rst fl ight over Iraq, we enforcing the no-fl y zone, and as I crossed the Kuwait/Iraq border. I’ll never forget the feeling I had that I had ask ed w e r e

for th is and now I w as here.”

In July 2004 she became fi rst woman to command a

fi ghter squadron when she took command of the 354th

Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

O ne of her most m em orable m issions w as also the fi rst t i m e

shedeployed weaponsin combat. Her squadron wascalled i n to take out insurgents in very rugged terrain in Afghanistan, but the bad guyswere surrounded by good guys.

“We needed to identify all the many fr iendly positions working with a controller on theground. We got eyeso n t h e area, and needed to then ensurewehad the right target a r e a .

rounds of 30 mm ammunition,” she said. “ It was an amaz

insurgents trying to thwart the country’s progress, and it was our job to support those friendly to us.”

Colonel McSally said a good example of that support involved the elections in Afghanistan. The 354th FS h ad t o providecoveragefor votersand also protect convoysbringing votes back to the capital to be counted.

Colonel McSally, who has been in theAir Force 18 years and pins on full colonel in December, said she has m ad e t h e

group commanderslist and iswaiting to seewherethat lead s.

She said she isgrateful to all the women who served b ef o re h er and made it possible for her to become an Air Force pilot.

“But, I hope I’m a role model to both men and women

becauseweareafi ghting forceand should not beconcerned

with differencesbetween us,’’ Colonel McSally said. S

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

63

Courtesy of Georgetown University

El ev at i n g Excel l ence MCCO N N, '66, ESTA BLISHES SCHO LA RSHIP PRO GRA M

IN PUBLIC POLICY FOR USA FA GRADS ByJennifer Bateman Dick McConn, ’66, is a visionary. In the late 1970s h e

founded M International, an aviation logistics compa ny, eventually owning and operating Honeywell Service C en t er s i n t h e U n i t ed St at es an d C an ad a. T h e sc o p e

of his business covered the entire world, and he trav

eled extensively, especially North Africa and the M iddle East , t o m eet those com m i t m ents.

McConn approached his philanthropy and his relationship w i t h h i s al ma mater with the same visionary focus. In December 2006, h e an d h i s w i f e, M ili, gave the single largest gift in AOG history, $ 1,9 14 m i l l ion , t o es tablish the Richard D. McConn Endowed Scholarship for Public Policy Study and Service. Unprecedented in its scope, the three-year McConn

64

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

• . <« 9 a

W

Scholars Program will send Air Force Academy graduates to the Georgetown Institute of Public

Policy, where they will earn an Executive M asters

Pl ease Join U s!

of Public Policy during a one-year intensive study.

Following one year of coursework at Georgetown, and in the second year of the McConn Scholars Program, the scholarswill assume assignments on Capitol Hill which will position them to gain an understanding of Congressional committees. In coordination with Congress, the goal of the pro

gram is for the scholars to serve one year on the

H ouse A rm ed Serv i ces C om m i t t ee and t h e Sen at e

Armed Services Committee, and one year on the

HouseAppropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee if these positions are approved by Congress and theAir Force. If such positions are not available, the McConn Scholars

H-

will serve two years on Air Force-controlled assign ments related to the legislative process.

McConn believes that not enough Air Force Acad

emy graduateselevate into key positions in policy, politics, and industry in the United States. When compared to other high-level universitiesand service academies, he has seen a lack of Ai r Force Academy

i f

graduates in infl uential decision-making positions

A sso ciat io n of G r adu at es M em o r ial Pav i l io n D ed icat io n

government, and American industry. He ishopeful

The Association of Graduates M ennorial

policy and decision-making at thehighest levelsand

Pavilion provides a location on the cemetery grounds to honor our fallen

in our country. He is concerned that the Air Force should have a stronger voice in the United States

that scholars will gain excellent insight into American that they will be inspired to work and advance into

key positions in theAmerican political and industrial systems. He is keen to see Academy graduates as members of Congress, department heads and even

co m rad es and t he ir fam ilies w it h t he

dignity and respect that they deserve.

i ndust rial C EO s.

Graduates are encouraged to apply for the in

augural class of McConn Scholars, who will ma

triculate at Georgetown University in May 2007.

Qualifi ed applicants should be mid-career offi cers

with 5-12 years of service in the Air Force and on the Intermediate Developmental Education list. If interested, please e-mail Deb Braun at deb.braun@

Dedication Ceremony May 11, 2007 2:00 p.m.

A sso c iat io n o f G radu at es M em o r ial Pav i l io n

aogusafa.org. H

A Notef rom the CEO: Weall appreciatethetremen

For more I nformation, please visit www.usafa.org under "Calendar/Events'

MikeWynn, Mr. Don Fox, SAFfGC, and Mr. Bob

at (7 19 ) 4 72 .0 3 0 0

dous support we receivedf rom Air Force Secretary

Goodwi n, ’9 4, and M r. Dave French, SAF/M RM , i n

o r co ntac t Co rrie G ru b b s

helping us makethisimportant program happen in a very short period of time.

■ 'm

-un-filled compet ition in the air W ings of B ue wins

nat ional championship

I

and the value of the training. It takes a lot of courage.”

Bush rem em bers it w ell .

“The fi rst time I wasjust going through

the motions,” Bush said. “T he second

jump I wasterrifi ed. By thesecond jump,

you know what to expect.”

Before the fi rst jump, students are drilled

in ground school for morethan 33 hourson proper parachuting procedures. Therepeti tion isso jumpersrespond automatically and correcdy—^should something unex pected happen during ajump.

About 700 cadets a year take the basic

parachuting coursewith fi ve free-fall

jumps. They choose to jump. It is not a required class.

Out of the beginning class, about 250 apply to advance.

Twenty-fi ve make the cut.

O rl and said selection is based on ai r

By Andrea Brown, The Gazette

I

Photo by Ken Wright

Talk about jumping for joy.

The Air Force Academy’sWings of Blue competition para chute team won the recent National Collegiate Parachuting Championships in Lake Wales, Fla. It’s the 28th time academy jumpers won the contest. T h i s

year, the team set a national record with 116 points, winning

32 medals, including nine gold.

Cadet 1st ClassMike Bush was named the national champion,

fi nishing fi rst in four-way and styleeventsand second i n t eam accuracy and individual accuracy.

“It’shaving fi xn with friends,” said Bush, a21-year-old sen io r

from N ew York .

“It’s a mental sport; it’s addicting.”

Wingsof Bluejumpersare divided into two teams. One team jumpsto compete. The other performsat eventssu ch as academy football games.

“I likethecompetition mind-set,” Bush said. “I liketo w in.”

Parachuting is more than jumping from an airplane, pulling a rip cord and hoping to live to tell about it.

Not that the last aspect isn’t important.

The academy is the only school in the nation “where y o u do it alone the fi rst time,” rather than as a tandem j ump.

Academy spokesman Capt. Uriah Orland, ’02, said.

“It ispart of the program. Part of thewholepurpose and

the character development aspect. When you have to st and in the door alone and say ‘Go’ it teaches you to rely on yourself C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

stability during jumps as well as aca demic, military and athletic performance on the ground.

Members are known as theWings of Green the fi rst year—the learning phase—

doing morethan 150 free-fall jumpswith turns, front and back loops, barrel rolls and w ork form at ions.

Second-year Wings of Blue members make the competitive and show circuits.

They also serve as instructors.

Besides academy football games, the demonstration team performs about 50 times a year.

“In recent years, they’ve done the Fiesta Bowl. Last year, they jumped in the Rose Bowl,” Orland said. “It’s a good recruit ing tool for the academy.”

Members average 600 jumps by the time they graduate.

Bush has m ade about 800.

He’s a self-described “adrenalinejunkie,” driven by “the rush you get fr om it.”

Bush, whose career goal is to fl y planes, doesn’t lose focus. “ I f I am t oo l ack ad ai si cal ,” h e sai d ,

“I remind myself I am j umping out of an airplane.”

Thisstory waspublished with thepermis

sion of The Gazette.

67

AOG WINS BIG at CASEConference THE ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES recently received 14 awards f rom Dist rict VI of t he Council for t he Advancement and Support of Education. The organization’s hard work during 2006 was recognized by receiving t he award most

coveted by institutions, t he Sweepstakes Award, for overall quality in advancing educat ion. Only one school, St . Lo u is Universit y, received more awards t han t he AOG at t he c o m pet it io n.

At a banquet held recent ly in Kansas City, Mo., t he AOG received awards for t heir work in advert ising, w rit ing , design, periodicals, elect ronic publicat ions for alumni, f undraising publicat ions, and muit imedia. The dist rict ’s eight-state region of more t han 200 schoois provided considerable compet it ion t his year wit h more t han 1,000 s u b m is s i o n s .

The communicat ion depart ment includes six f uli-t ime and one part-time employee. Dick Rauschkoib, ’70, ieads

the team which includes Bob McAllister, Tom Krobot h, Sarah Wright , Ken Wright , Kyle Davidson and Mat t Kleve.

A ,.

f or 2 0 0 6

Sweepstakes Winner —Best Advancement Offi ce (AOG has earned

thisaward threeof thepast four years, fi nishing second in 2005)

i i i

Some t hink annual giving is not

Some t hink annual giving Some t hink annual giving

im

is no t co m o et it iv e .. .

Some t hink annual giving is not a 6reign language ...

EX CJ Annui l fl ih'. tciJ Fund . t th,»S«i supp ort tv Building fi nrirt rnenf dei igned to mt ieeder*h(p «,.^ by d«»veiopin#

I N T EGRI T Y Ar.nu* l grf t.

Air Force Academy Fim • t tha S«hr* Soul. ty provide «upport to mt riy chMi ctai program* l-lui Rn pact i t R#»pon»lbilHy Th. w prog ram* promol. l• ad«r»hlp prlnclnia* ■MOntin! to leading In tod ay'* Air Force

; V' 'W

v

... but at t he Arr Force Academy it is!

GoldAward for Excellence in Advertising in a Print A d Series (Annual Giving by Greg Knedler & Sarah Wright)

BronzeAward for Excellence in Advertising in a Print Ad Series (Sabre Society by Greg Knedler & Sarah Wright)

GoldAward for Excellence in Advertising in a Radio Ad (The Story of theAir ForceAcademy by Bob McAllister) Silver Award for Excellence in Advertising in a Radio Ad (A Prestigious Institution by Bob McAllister) Silver Award for Excellence in Advertising in a Radio Ad (Graduatesof the U.S. Air ForceAcademy by Bob M cAllister) BronzeAward for Excellence in Advertising in a Radio Ad (New Levels of Excellence by Bob McAllister)

68

C H E C K P 0 1N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

H ffc rioN OF Gr aduat e?

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by Dick Rauschkolb, Bob McAllister, Kyle Davidson and M att Kleve)

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hint of fall in the air brings many things to the Air Force Academy; the integration of a new class into the Cadet Wing, the changing of colors in the surrounding Rampart Range, another season of col legiate football, and a continuing series of class reunions as graduates return to see lifelong friends and to remember those no longer with us.

Among the many festive activities that bring us together, there is one event that pays honor and respect to those who have “gone before”; the Class Memorial Service.

When the Class of 1966 gathered this past November to celebrate their 40th reunion, a group of classmates from the 8th Cadet Squadron (the original Evil Eight) gathered at the Academy cemetery with family and friends after their Class

M em ori al Serv ice for a sm all m em orial

ceremony of their own. More precisely, it was a gathering of dedication and celebration for three squadron mates who had died since June 1966.

The process we used to make this dedication and celebration happen is what made the ceremony so very special. We had passed friendship a long time ago on our journey, and the bonds of brother hood felt by all graduates were reinforced for all of us, especially those who remained together in the same squadron from basic cadet summer to graduation day.

As near as anyone can tell, 31 wide-eyed teenagers (okay, 29 teenagers and two “older guys”) were thrown together in the 8th Flight of Cougar Squadron in the summer of 1962. During that summer and the follow ing four yearswe learned to work together as a team, to help each other face and conquer the challengesand demands of cadet life, and to realize that as a unit w e did not w ant

anyone to be left behind. When all was said and done, 28 of those original 31 young

men eventually graduated—90 percent. A very phenomenal accomplishment!

The fi rst to leave us all too prema turely was Walter Herbert Buck of Th om ast on , A l a. A f t er 200 m issi ons

in Vietnam, Walt got his “dream job,” flying F-l OOs out of Spain. In May 1970, he was #3 in a flight that ran into bad weather. The fi rst two aircraft barely escaped above the clouds and out of danger. The world’s greatest wing man,

W al t Buck , h i t t h e si de of a m oun t ai n .

Ri chard Pet er H ilk er of N ew York

City resigned his commission in 1971 to pursue a lifelong dream of painting. He returned to Colorado to paint the land scapes and majesty of the Rocky Moun tains. Without warning, in May 1996,

Ri ch suff ered a fat al heart at t ack . H is ashes

were scattered in those very mountains where he had spent so much time.

N icholas M ark La nzilotta of W inslow,

Maine, simply wanted to fl y. Hejust couldn’t understand why therewere no airplanes during histime as a cadet at theAir Force

Academy! When he fi nally got the opportu nity to fl y, hiscareer was cut short when an aircraft: malfunction and a high speed ejec tion resulted in severe injury, yearsof rehab, and an eventual medical discharge. Through all the pain and all the challenges of life, Nick maintained the biggest smile and the happi est disposition of anyoneyou have ever met, and he got to fl y. He met hismatch, however, when cancer claimed his life in April 2006.

Early last year, e-mails began fi lling com puters around the country as classmates and squadron mates came out of thewoodwork to start planning their trips to Colorado for our 40th reunion. Several exchanges revealed that Rick Cree and John Steele wanted to do

“something” in memory of Walt Buck. Yes, therewere the class memorial pavers in front of theAOG building, but they wanted to do something more.

During avisit to theAcademy, Rick discovered there is a law n area at the north

end of the cemetery where bronze markers

have been installed to m em orialize those not

buried at theAcademy. With the help of

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Left : Cadet 2"“ Class Phillip D. Amri ne volunteered

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to play “Taps,” and Mr. Gary Steffens, a civil engi

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neer at t he Academy, gave his t ime, his bagpipe and full Scottish regalia to make the ceremony

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C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

o n e t o b e re m e m b e re d .

2007

71

In all, about 30 friends, family members, classmates and comrades paid their respects.

Mortuary Offi cer Janet Edwards, helearned that anyonewho does not have a marker or headstone paid for by the Department of VeteransAff airs (and thiscan beverifi ed by next of kin) can make an application to the Y A for a m em orial m arker to be installed at

theAcademy cemetery.

A n d w h at bet t er t i m e t o h ave a

marker installed than during our upcoming 40th reunion!

John located Walt’s older brother James in Alexandria, Va., and Janet sent the

paperwork off for completion. Rick and John actually met in Alabama to visit Walt’s grave and verify there was, in fact, no VA provided headstone. They even spent time with one of Walt’s cousins and met a half-sister who is 96 years old.

As the e-mails continued to fl y over

the I nt ernet , C onnie Teetz rem inded us that w e should include Ri ch H ilk er in our

ceremony, and he contacted Rich’s widow, Phyllis (Hilker) Gillespie in Boulder, Colo. Janet Edwards once again put the appropriate paperwork together and sent it off to the VA. By the end of August, two markers had been approved and sent to the Mortuary Offi ce for storage.

While all of this was going on, we all had an eye cast toward St. George, Utah, where Nick was continuing to wage a strong battle with the cancer that had stricken his body. He had gone to California and then to Texas for experi 72

mental treatments. After one helluva fi ght, Nick died in San Antonio, surrounded by his family. In September his ashes were interred in the Academy’s cemetery.

Many people may not know that the AOG carries individual squadron insignia pins in its merchandise line, including the original Evil Eight emblem from 1966.

We decided to affi x an insignia pin on each marker, including Nick’s. We just didn’t k now w hat to use to affi x m etal t o

metal that will stand up to the year-round ex t r em es o f U SA FA w eat h er .

Well, it helpsawhole lot when one of your squadron mates is the former head of the Academy’s Chemistry Department. Athletic D irector D r. H ans M ueh, ’66, had assisted in

developing an epoxy that was being used to affi x PolarisStars to memorial pavers in front of Doolittle Hall. A quick mix of the magic concoction and an “original” 8th Squadron insigniawas affi xed to each marker.

All of thistook place in September, at the time of Nick’s interment. The surprise was that Nick’sceremony was offi ciated by another ’66 classmate, Ray Milberg, who is a deacon with a church in Colorado Springs.

Ray wore his red vestments, our class color.

We asked Ray if hewould consider offi ci ating the 8th Squadron gathering during our upcoming reunion, wearing those red vestments! Even though hewas already slated to offi ciate our ClassMemorial, Ray did not hesitate to off er his tim e for us.

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

Aswith any military funeral, Nick’sended with “Taps” being played by an Air Force bugler. We again relied on Janet Edwards to learn if we could get a bugler to blow “Taps” at our dedication ceremony?The answer was, ^ “No problem.” With the approval of Mr. Bill Smith, Head of the Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps, Cadet 2"*^Class Phillip D. Amrine of M arietta, O hio volunteered.

A s the e-m ails continued to circul ate

around the country, it became clear that 21 of the 22 original 8th Squadron classmates who graduated in 1966 would be in atten dance. Wewere a little surprised when Pete Morrelli said hewould like to play “Taps,” but hewas concerned he might “get emo tional” and mess up. We contacted Cadet Amrine, and hesuggested “Echo Taps,” with Pete doing the “echo.” Done.

We were all set, until someone suggested there is nothing like “Amazing Grace” played on a bagpipe. Naturally, we called

Janet Edwards to fi nd out if there were

any bagpipers available. As is turned out, Mr. Gary Steff ens, a civil engineer at the Academy, volunteers his time, his bagpipe and full Scottish regalia.

With a little leg pulling, John Steele agreed to give a eulogy for Walt, Connie Teetz agreed to speak about Rich, and Steve Cross agreed to say a few words about N ick . Ri ck even consent ed t o read

ing two poems; “Where Our Friends Have Gone” and “High Flight.”

1^

Aseveryonegathered that Friday morning, wewerejoined by Joy Lanzilotta, Phyllis Gillespie, and Tip Galer (Walt’s r o o m m a t e at LukeAFB). There was even a fl oral arrangement of r ed car n a tions shaped in the number 8 provided by Joy. By the time Gary

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played “Amazing Grace” and Peteand Cadet Amrinefi nished “Echo Taps,” what started as a small gathering to remember

threedeparted classmatesand to dedicatememorial m arkers in

their honor, had turned into a full-fl edged celebration of cam ara derie, accomplishments, respect, family, friends and l i f e.

There was not one dry eye in the place.

Weleft that sacred place as brothers, and our departed brothers left with us, alive forever in our hearts and memories. Thejourney we shared changed our lives forever. We simply say to other gradu ates, “Do not lose sight of thosewho shared your common goals.

Do not lose contact with thosewho helped you through t h e h ard times. Useyour reunions to acknowledge those still here, and

never forget thosewhohaveleft usall toosoon.” H

Edi tor s’ N ote: The M emorial Pavilion will be dedicated on May 11,

2 0 0 7 B O A R D E L E C T IO N S T he ba llots fo r t he 2 0 0 7 E le ct io n of D ire c t o rs h a v e b e e n m a ile d . T h e re a re

6 v a ca nc ie s to be f ille d . Ba llots m ust be

returned by noon on April 30, 2007 P le a s e le a r n a b o u t t h e c a n d id a t e s a n d V O TE ! V is it o u r W e b s it e f o r m o re

information at www .usafa.org .

2007. For moreinf ormation, pleaseseepage65.

Double your g if t f or f ree - make t he m at c h!

Air Force Academy Fund Mat ching Gift Program

Did you know you might be able to double or triple your gift f or FREE?Thousands of companies match their employees’ ^ charitable contributions-^ r f ee. Matching gift s play a key role in helping your Association of Graduates fund graduate, cadet and heritage programs at the Academy, and every dollar truly aff ects the day-to-day lives of more than 4 ,000 cadet s.

Please ask if your employer has a matching gif t program t oday !

For m ore i nf orm at ion , visi t us onl ine at

www.usafa.org or call (719) 472-0300.

Grad and comrades hammer enemy in batt le of An Najaf I

MAJ. AUGUST MARQUARDT, ’94, took part in the decisive Battle ot An Najaf where more than 200 enemy insurgentswere killed and 100 gunmen captured near A n Najaf Jan. 28. TheAir Force’s 332nd Air Expedition ary Wing, to which the Air Force Academy graduate is currently deployed serving as the assistant director of operations for the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadr o n . provided close air support in the joint, combined effort to route the enemy in battle.

The 332nd TVEW’s F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs answered ground forces’ call for close air support after insurgents attacked them with small arms fi re, rocket-propelled and hand grenades. They dropped more than 3.5 tons of precision munitions, 1,200 rounds of 20nim and 1,100 rounds of 30mm

cannon fi re in an area of about fi ve square miles.

F-l 6sfrom the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, l 4th EFS and 332nd EFS, based out of Balad A B, as well

asA-10sfrom the 74th EFSat Al Asad AB, all participated.

The 36-hour fi ght was the fi rst time all the wing’s fi ghter aircraft have simultaneously employed ordnance in a single operation. Two of the squadrons, the l 4th

and 74th EFS, joined the wing’s ranksj ust last month.

Talking directly to pilots during the mission was a

Joint Terminal A ttack Controller— an airman embed

ded with Army ground forces, said Lt. Col. Bob Win kler, an F-16 pilot assigned to the 510th EFS. Army ground liaison offi cers routinely coordinate with these airmen for mission-specifi c details to better prepare pilots before missions. “Initially, we weren’t involved in Najaf since ground forces hadn’t yet requested air support,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Levern Randall, 332nd AEW ground liaison noncommissioned

offi cer. “Once airpower wasrequested, wesupported

the recovery operations of the downed helicopter.”

Major Marquardt and 1st Lt. George CoUingswere on

alert w hen t heir F- l 6s w ere called to scram ble. “ W ithin

minutesof reaching the battle space, the lieutenant dropped a 500-pound bomb on a position near a canal where the enemy had pinned down friendly forces on th ei r way to the downed helicopter,” said Major Marquardt.

The two pilots, in-country three weeks, were on theit eighth Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission. “It’s nor every day the Army wants bombs dropped imme-

BY T ECH . SGT. JEN N I FER G REG O I RE, 3 3 2 N D A I R E X P E D I T I O N A R Y W I N G P U B L I C A F FA I R S

74

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

A pilot and crew chief go through pre-flight checks o f t h e i r F- 16 before a combat mission from Balad Air Base in Iraq. (USAF photo

by Staff Sgt. Michael R. Hoizworth)

diately—that’s how serious they wanted to get to that helicopter. It was extremely rewarding to help,” said Major Marquardt, who dropped two 500-pound bombs himself during the course of their three-hour mission.

“Everyone over here does their part to get the job done—I’m just lucky I get to do mine with an F-16,” said Lieutenant Collings. “The guys on the ground are t h e r eal h er o es.”

Helping the pilots get off the ground are crew chiefs—the professional aircraft maintainers responsible for inspecting the avionics, engines and airframe before and after each fl ight.

Pilots and ground forces count on these airmen to ensure the munitions launch. “I was proud to know my jet was doing what it was made to do,” said Senior Ai rman Billy Butler, crew chief and tactical aircraf t

maintainer. “We knew we had to get those jets turned around and back in the air quickly, and safety is fi rst i n our minds when we’re under surge operations.”

Throughout the operation, the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron sustained normal and surge operations simultaneously and, at one point, h ad jets quick-turned two hours ahead of schedule. With more than 3.5 tons of precision munitions dropped, t h e jets were fully loaded for each launch.

The majority of Ai r Force combat airpower in Iraq launches from the busy runways of the 332nd AEW at Balad AB, 40 miles north of Baghdad.

“I’m pretty darn proud of the operations, main tenance and combat support efforts of our Tuskegee Airmen team!” said Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, ’79, 332nd AEW commander. Si

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

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Beyond aspirat ions Chris Howard, '91, seeks t o

give OU students greater oppo rt unit ies

By Althea Peterson, Norman Transcript

O n e o f t h e U n iv er sit y o f O kl ah o ma’s N EW EST EX E C U T IV E O FFI C E RS I S A L SO O N E O F T H E YO U N G EST — BU T F RO M H I S EX PERI EN C E ,

YOU w o u l d n ’t g u ess it .

Chris Howard, ’91, vice president for strategic and leadership initiatives, graduated from theAir ForceAcademy as a Rhodes Scholar, graduated from Oxford and H arvard, started his own non

profi t organization and continues to serve in the armed forces today.

Aft er traveling the world, including to South

Af rica where he met his wife, Barbara, he will soon

move his family to Norman and settle in America’s heartland, the same place that is home to one of his mentors, former Am bassador Edward Perkins.

“I set a pretty high standard for myself,” Howard said of aspiring to lead like Perkins. “I’m from north Texas, so this is my region, too.”

He said it was his “humble” beginning in north Texas that inspires him today. He said his focus

is to give students, no matter what their back ground, the same education opportunitiesthey

Oklahoma community to achieve their aspira tions- and then stretch those dreams beyond their aspirations.”

“Beyond aspirations” is something Howard said he can relate to. He said he never imagined he would ever be in the position to study at Oxford,

found Impact Young LivesFoundation which provided scholarship and travel opportunitiesfor

South African students, or be able to be in a leader

ship position at theUniversity of Oklahomawhere

he can “converge” his interests and his talents.

“That’s awonderful place to be,” Howard said. “It’s about excellence, it’sabout leadership, it’s about munity. I feel like this academic environment, led by Provost (Nancy) Mergler, isa great place to be.” c o m

would receive at any university.

“My mom alwayssaid, ‘Much isgiven, much

O U President D av id Boren said , w hen recruit

is also expected,”’ he said. “I feel an obligation, mandate, to help others.”

Howard said his education philosophy is “old school,” where learning is beyond textbooks and

ing new leadersto campus, he saw Howard asa “rising star” whom hewanted to be part of the

st udents t hat he has of hi m self in t he classroom :

Boren said. “He is just a tremendous leader.”

While Howard said it was initially a “tough

a

memorizing facts. He has the same expectationsof

university’s future.

“In a way, the Honors College is like a train

ing ground for RhodesScholars, so he isperfect,”

to be prepared, on time, and have no excuses.

“You have to teach respect,” Howard said. “You

decision” w het her t o m ove his w ife and tw o sons

Some of his future goals include having alumni and students work together more to “educate, explore, refl ect and accelerate” Sooner aspirations.

tunitiesand beginningsfor futurestudents. H

have t o read before class. You have to be on t im e.”

“ I want to be an enabler,” H oward said. “I want

to enable students, faculty, staff, athletes and the

77

Courtesy photo

to Oklahoma, he said he hopes this new opportu nity and new beginning will lead to greater oppor

Thisstory waspublished with thepermission of the

Norman Transcript.

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

BZ D E pushes Air Force into national prominence M ike M onroe,

San Antonio Exp ress-News

I

t is46 minutesbefore tipoff of the Spurs-Nuggetsgame at the Pepsi Center on Jan. 10. Gregg

Popovich, 7 0, is making a fashion statement.

Addressing reporters, the Spurs head coach is wearing an Air Force Academy cap, proud to repre

sent the school whose basketball team he captained i n the 1969-70 season .

Popovich answers the usual questions about the Spurs and gives the typical answers before someone

asks him about this seasons Air Force team, a 65-57

winner over New Mexico the previous night.

“Now that’s the real basketball story here,” Popov

ich says. “Let’s talk about that.”

Animated now, Popovich gushes about his friend,

Jeff Bzdelik, the coach who isguiding Air Force to placesit never dreamed possible, certainly not when Popovich wasthe team’sleading scorer 37 years ago.

“They’ve got peoplewaiting in line to buy tickets,” Popovich said, shaking hishead in astonishment. “When

I wasplaying there, wemight haveseven peoplein t h e

stands, and two of them were my roommates.”

Air Force’s surge into college basketball’sTop 25 i s one of t his season’s best st ories. T he Fal cons are 2 1- 4

and rank 17th in theAssociated Presspoll heading

into tonight’s home game against Utah (Feb. 14). On their way to a national ranking, the Falcons recorded

vict ories over St anford and W ak e Forest .

Matching Bzdelik in 2005 with an Air Force pro

gram already on an upswing was a natural. Fired as

head coach of the Denver Nuggets28 gamesinto the 2004-05 season, Bzdelik wasavailable and eager. He

Coach Jeff Bzdelik. (Photo courtesy of USAFA Athletic Dept .)

had remained in Colorado, where his son was one of

the top prep golfers in the state.

Popovich was one of the fi rst to phone Bzdelik with

wordsof encouragement after theNuggetslet him go in favor of George Karl.

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

m iM helped theFalconsshut down moretalented offensivet eam s. H e employssomeoffensivesetsPopovich hasasked to borrow.

“Don’t get carried away,” Bzdelik said. “When Coach (Popovich) calls, it’s not to ask for advice. He usually j ust wants to give encouragement. Mostly, he callsand says,

When ChrisMooney departed and Air Force needed an able replacement, Popovich phoned again, urging Bzdelik t o go aft er the job.

“I took it upon myself to call HansMueh, the athletic

director, to let him know that he wasn’t just getting

so m

e

‘When are you going to win another game?”’

body that had somesort of name, quote-unquote, because

he was in the NBA,” Popovich said. “He was getting a b l u e

Popovich never tiresof talking about theFalconsand B zd el i k .

collar, nuts-and-bolts steady individual who really k new how

He frets about the academy’s ability to keep his friend. R i card o

had absolutely nothing to do with hisability to coach.”

name is at the top of its list of potential replacements.

“I don’t want to say I’d try to break his legs if he did that,”

to coach. I wanted him to know Jeff ’s (dismissal) in D en v er

Popovich said, laughing, “but sufficeto say that therew ould be

SPEED U P T H E O FFEN SE

Bzdelik liked what he discovered when he got to Air Fo r ce: a team made up of intelligent, hard-working players w ell-

schooled in a solid offensive schem e. Som e of the Fal cons h ad

exceptional talent. He went to work tweaking the system an d emphasized individual player development.

“Players make the offense,” Bzdelik said. “The offense

doesn’t make the player. Case in point: Tex Winter. They ran

thesamesystem in Chicago aft er Michael (Jordan) and Sco t tie (Pippen) left and didn’t have the same result.”

Bzdelik inherited some decent players, including one h e believes can play in the NBA if he fi nds the right si t u at i o n .

Most nights, however, the Falcons are smaller, slower and less skilled than their opposition. No team in NCAA Division I , however, plays with more discipline or vigor.

Where previousAir Force teams relied on the Princeton offense, both to create easy baskets and slow the tempo, Bzdelik has his team running.

“I wanted to quicken the pace of the off ense,” Bzdelik said .

“It’s such a great off ense, why allow the defense to set and rest and relax and exhale and dig in?”

ing last season, Bzdelik’sfi rst. They seem destined f o r an o t h er

NCAA bid, perhapswith a good seed that could put them in position for a school fi rst: avictory in the NCAA t o u r n a m e n t .

Popovich and every roommate hehad in his four years a s a

cadet will want tickets for that. 9

Copyright 2007 San Antonio Express-News, Reprinted w i t h permission.

set s A cademy

soured the relationship. Carmelo Anthony, while still a rookie, showed Bzdelik the ultimate disrespect by refusing t o e n t e r a game when the head coach called his name. At Air Force, where countermanding a direct order is unthinkable, h e f o u n d players willing to run through walls at his bidding.

“What a great opportunity for us to have an NBA coach e

in here,” said Dan Nwaelele, the 6-foot-5 Air Force swing man

with the potential NBA flimre. “He knows the game of basketball inside and out, and he’sgot experience on the next l evel .”

Bzdelik understood the challenge of coaching basketball at a service academy. Recruits aren’t pampered and p r o m ised pro careers. Instead, they undergo basic training an d military regimen. Graduates are committed to fi ve years Air Force offi cers, though the Air Force hierarchy h as b een willing to address the status of the school’s most t al en t ed athletes on a one-by-one basis should they have professional a s

sports opportunities.

Nwaelele, M att M cCraw, Nick Welch, Tim Anderson and Jake Burtschi form Bzdelik’s core, but he uses his bench liberally and

a whole lot of people who would hate to lose him, starting w ith the playerswho are playing for him, and also the institution and all of uswho have graduated fr om there and watched it .”

The Falcons continue to thrive and surprise, even as they have succeeded to the point victories are expected. They h av e b een to the NCAA tournament twice in the past threeyears, i n cl u d

M e li ssa B e e r se

FI N D I N G T H E RI G H T PL A C E

Working with the Falconsrekindled Bzdelik’sloveaf air w i t h coaching. HisNuggetsexperience, wherehewas 73-119, h ad

c o m

Patton w on’t be back at C olorado next season , and Bzdelik’s

keepshisplayers fr esh. The matchup zone defense he employshas

pole vault record

USAFA Athletic Dept.

c

ad et 4t h C lass M e lissa Be e rse rew ro t e t he

Academy's pole vault record ... twice ... as t h e A ir Fo rce t rack an d f ie ld t e am ho st e d

t he annual Don Barrett Air Force Open on Jan. 27, at t he Cadet Field House. Beerse won the pole

vault after clearing 12'42/4". That mark topped the original record of 12'0y2" that Ana Maria Ortega set back in 2001. Beerse first topped that standard

with a height of 12'03/4", before establishing a new re co rd o f ^2 'AW .

Photo by Joel Strayer T ROY CA LHO UN, '89, M ET T HE M EDIA FO R T HE FIRST T IM E A S A IR FO RC E' S N EW H EA D FO O T BA LL C O A C H AT A J A N . 4 N EW S C O N FEREN C E IN C LU N E A REN A A N D A D D RESSED M AT T ERS O F IN T EREST T O FA LC O N FA N S. T H E FO RM ER FA LC O N Q UA RT ERBA C K A N D H O UST O N T EXA N

O FFENSIVE CO O RDINATO R, ENDED SPECULATIO N A BO UT SEV ERA L PO SIT IO N S O N H IS STA FF.

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Former Air Force players and current assistants Brian

Knorr, Jemal Singleton, Charlton Warren and Blane Morgan

w ill be ret ai ned .

“They’vegot theright intangibles, chemistry-wise” C alh o u n

said. “They know theAcademy. They can go into a home, ed u cate a kid and hisparentsabout an Academy education an d t h e

opportunitiesout thereby considering thisplace.”

Tuesday Calhoun announced Tim Horton returns from a one-year stint at Kansas State to become the offensive coordinator while former Falcon Tim DeRuyter

Coaching Ledger

n e w

ret ur ns as defensive coord i n at or af t er tw o season s a t

N evada. Calhoun also named M att Weikert , Ben M iller an d St ev e Sen n as assist an t s.

Calhoun told reporters his teams will be defi ned by desire.

“You want guys that play with enormous heart,” he said.

“In this sport you need size, quickness and athleticism. But , ultimately, it’s about what’s inside. We want players passion ate about playing football. For me, that’s what it’s al l ab o u t .”

The sixth head coach in Air Force football history t ouched on goals.

“Winning the Commander-In-Chief ’sTrophy is a high priority, but there’s more than one,” Calhoun said. “ W e w an t to repeatedly play in bowl games and play at a championship level in the M ountai n W est C onference. I can’t th ink o f a

single reason why we can’t be competitive.”

Calhoun’s game plan for success will start early.

“We have to push the heck out of the envelop during t h e fi rst eight or nine practices in spring ball to determine w h at

20 06 : O ffensive Co o rd inat o r/ Q uart erb acks, H o ust o n Te x a ns

200 5: Assist ant t o Head Coach, Denver Bro ncos

2004: Offensive Assistant/ Special Teams, D e nv e r Bro n co s

20 0 3 : Defensive A ssist ant , Denver Bro nco s 2 0 0 1 -0 2 : O f fe nsiv e C o o rd in at o r/ Q u art e r

b acks, W ake Fo rest 1 9 9 7 -2 0 0 0 : O f fe nsiv e C o o rd in at o r/ Q u a rt e r

backs, Ohio University 1995-96: Quarterbacks, Ohio University

1993-94: Recruiting Coordinator/ JV Offensive Co o rd inat o r, A ir Fo rce 19 8 9-9 0 : G rad uat e A ssist ant , A ir Fo rce

theseguyscan do,” hesaid. “Wewant to be a 3-4 defense an d

m ix in a 4-m an rush w it h four dow n linem en once i n a w h i l e.

We’ll emphasize special teams. You don’t want to do things that beat yourself Many times it comes down to mistakes.

You see you’re not slow but have a bunch of bullet h o l es i n your foot because you shot yourself We also want a running back we can feed the ball to 20-25 times a game.”

Calhoun said he’s here for the long haul.

“There’s a strong place in my heart for this place and yet there’s a job to be done,” he said. “We’ll track and r ecr u i t a high quality 17- or 18-year-old. After they go through h er e it’s our responsibility they leave loaded with a bunch o f ch ar acter traits they’ll carry with them the rest of their l iv es.

“You don’t have complete infl uence until you see your recruiting classes cycle through here in years four, fi v e an d six,” Calhoun explained. “I want these kids to be my g u y s.

The only way that happens is to spend time with them, co ach t h em an d t each t h em .”

Why did Calhoun return to his alma materi “This is an amazing place,” he said.

“When you interact with former teammates and coaches, hear about what guys are doing on active duty, it stirs y o u .

Special young people go to school here and ultimately our country. The patriotic part, the graduate part an d t h e respect I’ve had for the football program as a player and coach and certainly the regard I have for Coach (Fisher) DeBerry all played a part in my decision. se r v e

T h e Fa lc o n

Troy Calhoun, '89 - Head Coach Tim DeRuyt er, '85 - Defensive Coordinator T i m H o rt o n - O f fe n siv e C o o rd in at o r

Brian Kno r r, '86 - A ssist ant Head Co ach Ro n B u rt o n - D ef e nsiv e Lin e C o ac h

Clay Hendrix - Offensive Line Coach Capt . Blane Morgan, '99 - Assist ant Coach Jemal Singlet on, '99 - Assistant Coach Capt . Charlt on Warren, '99 - Assist ant Coach Be n M ille r, '02 - A ssist ant Co ach Lt . Co l. St eve Se nn, '90 - A ssist ant Co ach M at t W e i k e rt - A ssist a nt C o ac h

Thisplacehasaknack for bringingpeopleback.” S

C H E C K PO I N T S, M A R C H

2007

81

Air Force lacrosse celebrates 40 years

Air Force alumni “Graybirds” Plan 10th year in Vail! By Mike “Jake” Jakobi, ’81

A

sa follow up to my last Checkpointsarticle regarding the Air Force Alumni Lacrosse “Graybirds” Vail tournament team, I am

proud to besharing with the alumni community the

news that the 2007 Ai t Force N CAA season, the Feb.

25 USAFA vs. Siena College match, marked the 40'*’

anniversary of Air Force Lacrosseasan NCAA sport at the Academy. This year’s competition will see the Falcons face off against 9 opponents ranked in the

Thesummer of 2007 will also mark the tenth year

that the Air Force Graybirds take the fi eld of battle i n

the annual Vail Lacrosse tournament “Super Masters”

division. The Graybirds will play in Vail from June 27-30. A umni who will turn age 40 by Dec. 31, 2007 are eligible to play for the Graybirds. Charles “CatT” Stevens, will once again man the head coach

box. Interested playersshould contact Cat directly to get on the roster (catjeanne@aol.com). Thisyear

top 25 lacrosse teams in the nation, including arch

we will also attempt to fi eld an “Over 50' t e a m m

Army hasdefeated Air Force thepast threeyears by onegoal in overtime. Thisyear however not only marksour 40'*’ anniversary, but should be theyear o f the Falcon vs. the Black Knights.

In honor of our 40'*^anniversary, alumni are plan

June 28-30. Interested players should remember you are not getting older, you are getting better and also contact Cat if you feel up to the Grand Masters.

The Falcons and Graybirds invite all those affi liated

rival Army. We have never defeated Army in lacrosse.

ning a weekend of reunion activities the weekend of Apr. 19-22, to coincide with Air Force hosting Great West League rivals, Ohio State and Butler. Interested l acrosse al um ni should contact L t . C olonel C h ris

Cicere, ’83, at christopher.cicere@usafa.af mil to sign up and to receive ongoing updates.

the “Grand Masters” division in Vail, which plays

with theAcademy to help uscelebrate40 yearsof Air Force lacrosse by witnessing the Falcons do battle a t

home or on the road, or use the excuse of wanting

to see “age before beauty” to take a trip to Vail this

sum m er to w atch us in act ion !

Forty years of Air Force Lacrosse forever! Army?We

now have GPSguided munitions!! H

C2CEric Ehn fights for a goal against an opponent. (Photo by Danny Meyer)

eration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportmanship. Consideration of scholastic achievement and sportsmanship isalso given.

C2C Ehn has netted 43 pointson 19 goalsand 24 assists through 24 games, denting the twinewhile also

E h n n o m i n at ed f o r

H obey Bak er Award

A

ir Force ice hockey forward Eric Ehn of may be small in stamre (5’ 10”, 170 lbs.) but isput ting up formidable numbers for the Falcon ice hockey team. Hishard work on the ice has earned him a nomination for the coveted Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the top collegiate hockey player in the nation, to the NCAA ice hockey player who best epitomizesstrength of character both on and off the ice,

and contributesto theintegrity of theteam and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consid-

helpinghisteammatesto light thelamp. Hisgenerous

stickwork has helped teammatesAndrew Ramsay and Mike Phillipich to tally 26 and 28 points respectively. A i r Force’s 11-8-3 record has raised some eyebrows, but E h n may beskating an uphill chase for Hobey because the Adantic Hockey conference isstill building a name f o r itself However, just as Holy Crosshelped giveAdantic

Hockey somenotoriety last season by knocking off tradi

tional power Minnesota in the fi rst round of the NCAA tournament, Ehn may yet knock off some of his more publicized rivals to claim the Hobey.

Fans can vote for Ehn at www.hobeybaker.com. The fi rst phase of voting ended March 4, but he isconsidered a strong candidate and may very well move on to the

second phase. (Courtesy of www.hobeybaker.com) B

C H E C K P O I N T S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

D an a Po u n d s h o n o r ed

by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame usafaAthletico ept.

T

any U.S. athlete and registered as the ninth-best throw in the world during 2006.

In addition, Pounds became the fi rst three-time javelin champion in the history of the prestigious Drake Relays.

^ wo-time national javelin champion and 2006 Academy graduate 2Lt.

D ana Pounds, ’06, was selected

Tossing a throw of 178T0”, Pounds recorded the second-

as one of fi ve C ol orad o A t h let es

farthest distance at Drake since 1986, falling just shy of her

of the Year, the Colorado Sports

ow n t hrow f rom 2005. She also set a new m eet record at t h e

H all of Fame announced Jan.

North America-Central America-Caribbean Championships,

9 . She w as ch osen as t h e st at e’s

en route to her second t i tle.

top female collegiate athlete and will be honored in April at the annual Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Banquet .

A t h r ee- t i m e A l l -A m er i ca

honoree. Pounds capped off a stellar career at the Academy, winning her second consecu tive national championship title in the javelin after

su c c e ss

fully defending her NCAA regional title. Poundsclaimed

her thi rd consecut ive M ountain W est C onference t it le t his

past May with an Academy, conference and championship-

m eet record throw of 195’8” . T hat th row w as t he best i n t h e

nation during the 2006 season, matched the best toss ever by an American-born collegian, was the second-best throw by

Pounds collected numerous awards during her fi nal col legiate season. She was named the Mountain District Fem ale Field Athlete of the Year, en route to being named the M id west Region Female Field Athlete of the Year. The two-time captain claimed the Academy’s Most Valuable Female A t h l et e award aft er earning her third straight team MVP honor.

In addition to Pounds, four other individuals will b e

recognized as the state’s top athletes. Denver Broncos’ cornerback Champ Bailey headlines the group that also includes DU Hobey Baker winner Matt Carle, Alamosa

High School’s Clay Garcia and Legacy High School’s MelissaJones. S

Cadet Clubs and int ercollegiat e act ivities provided some of t he most memorable Academy experiences

Z O O M IE N A T I O N ... reconnect t oday wit h g rads who shared similar experiences a n d i n t e re st s .

To learn more about the "groups" function, log on to WWW.USdfa.org and click on the ZoomieNation banner.

^

Ser vice Academy^<->

C a r eer C o n f er en c e 'M

»#

t

5^;# . m

li

May 10-11, 2007

Washington, D.C. W h a t i s SA C C ?

The SACC is the Service Academy Career Conference supported by t he Associat ions of Graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Milit ary 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 att ended by hundreds of companies and

Regist rat ion Fee

t h o u sa n d s o f a lu m n i.

T h e SA C C C a n d id at e

regist rat ion fee is $35 ($40 at

W here w ill t he SA CC b e held ?

the door) and may be paid by

T he next SA CC w ill b e held at t he M arriot t W ard m an Park, 2660 Woodley Rd. N.W,

check o r cred it card . Please

Washington, D.C. Call (202) 328-2000 for reservat ions and ask f o r t he SA CC rat e. There are many other hotels available in the area or stay wit h classmates or family.

mail the attached registration with payment and one copy of yo ur resum e . Resum es m ust

be one page/ one sided and on plain copy paper. Please mail your regist rat ion, or e-mail

SA C C Sc h e d u le o f Ev e n t s

Thursday, May 10 Int erview Prep Seminar .... 6:30 pm Friday, May 11 Breakfast (provided) Regist rat ion

.. 8 :0 0 a m

9 :30 a m

.. 9 :0 0 a m

All day 12:30 pm 2:00 pm 6:00 pm

SA C C

...9 :00 a m

Lunch (provided)

12:30 pm , 2:00 pm

SA C C

t o : sa c c @u s n a .c o m . D o n o t

8:30 pm

fax your resume. Registration deadline is A pril 15.

N e x t Sc h e d u le d SA C C

San Diego, Calif., August 16-17, 2007

Sat urday, May 12

Fo r mo re info rm at io n, co nt act

Interviews only if directly scheduled between company recruit ers and cand id at es; Companies will contact you directly regarding any on-site int erviews during t he SACC.

Wayne Taylor at (719) 472-0300 or D SN 333-4 5 13 .

SA CC Candidat e Regist rat ion Form (Washing t on, D.C., 2 0 0 7) NAME (for name t ag, no ranks):

U SA FA C LA SS:

A D D RESS:

PHO N E (Ho m e):

(W o rk):.

Will you attend t he free Int erview Prep Seminar?

Ple ase in c lu d e :

n RegistrationForm

.(E-m ail):.

□ Yes

□ Fee $35

□ No

O Resume(1page/1sided)

M ail t o :

SA C C

247 King George St .

Annapolis, MD 21402-5068

T h e re 's n o place lii ce Colorado, s

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Looking to advanceyour career?JSAJE isan exclusive site specifi cally designed for service academy alumni.

Whether you are looking for a new j ob or dif ferent

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If you have not registered in JSAJE, please register

and create a usern ame and password. If you have

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Not actively looking for a j ob? Sign up for Job

Since 1975, selling Colorado h om es, h om esi tes, an d

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Seeyourself on the PonteVecchio bridge at sunset, walking the Boboli Gardens, fi lling your soul with the sm ell of jasmine. Experience the Colosseum side by sidewith t h e ghosts of gladiatorsor in a cafe toasting the end of the day with a rich ruby red wine. Add to that theTuscan countryside, vyneyards marching up undulating hills to medieval villages. ($1,899 per person) o r

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It aly’s Lake Garda & t he French Alps September 22-30

Stand at the edge of one of the most beautiful lakes i n th e world. Go where there’ssnowcapped mountains, picturesque towns, fabulous cuisine and great shopping. There’s t h e stylish resort of Chamonix, nesded in the French Alps. T h i s mountain town iscelebrated for itssuperb location at the foot of Mont Blanc. Add to thisa few daysstay in Italy o n t h e

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Go where the Romantic Road takesyou back In time, cobblestone streets and through medieval villages. B row se i n quaint little shops and enjoy a cozy tavern. Go to t h e w o rld spa resort of Bad Kissingen. This resort with a royal history isa treasure of gardens, parks, shops, outdoor cafes, and m u s e u m s . ($1,899 per person) o v er

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Link to Chapter Web sites at www.usafa.org Alamo Chapt er The chapter conductsan annual Founders Day dinner/dance in San 7\ ntonio each year.

Thisyear it will takeplace at the Petroleum Club on Apr. 7. Please check out the chapter Web sitefor more details alamoaog.org.

Arizona Chapt er March Madness - Our chapter isconsider ing an event to support theAFA Basketball team if it getsinto the NCAA Tournament.

Details to be posted to our Web site. Spri ng Fling - Carol and Doi^ Pelton, ’74, have invited our chapter to their third annual pig roast in early May. The Pelton’s address is 3754 East Nance Circle, M esa, AZ . RSVP

direcdy to Doug at (602) 361-6063 mail dougpelton@cox.net, to let him know what sidedish you will bring. We had a big turnout last year and hope to have even more graduates thisyear. July 4th Party - Barb and Ron Marusiak, ’71, have graciously agreed to again host a fi reworks/dessert/beverages party at their house right on theArizona Country Club golf coursewhere the fi re works are set off. Theparty will start around 7:30 p.m. on July 4. 5742 East Orange Bloso r e-

Ou tlo o k AFA Societ y of NC We meet informally on the third Wednesday of each month at Players Retreat, 105 Oberlin Road in Raleigh. No RSVP is required.

som, Phoenix, AZ. Please RSVP direcdy to Barb M arusiak at (480) 949-5957.

At lant a Chapt er The chapter has started planning a Founders Day event, tentatively scheduled for the beginning of May. Any interested graduates in Georgia should check out the

chapter Web site at www.atlantaaog.com.

M lddle Tennessee Chapt er Thechapter and parentsclub haveteamed up to co-host aFoundersDay Dinner, scheduled for Apr. 13.Thescheduled speaker istheUSAFA Dean, Bri g. Gen. Dana Bom, ’83. For morein

formation, check out www.usalaclasses.org/Mid-

dleTennesseeChapter.

N o r t h Te x a s A s s o c i a t i o n

Make plans now for Founder’s Day! Our Founder’s Day Dinner and Dance is Apr. 13, at 7 p.m., at the Omni Los Colinas.

Tickets are $70 per person. Members with dues current get $30 one time credit off

their ticket order! RSV Ps to K i rk Bell , ’76 at cptkirkb@tx .rr.com.

G OA L S 1.

elebrate Academy heritage

2. Keep abreast of Air Force and USAFA topics 3. Keep the local community abreast of USAFA topics 4. Provide graduates networking opportunities 5.

Int eract wit h ot her service

academy graduates

6. Give back to the community 7. Support the needs and objectives of the Academy 8 . Assist liaison of ficers a nd

recruit qualified candidates 9. Assist parents clubs/ cadets 86

Interact with other service academy graduates AFA Societ y of NC On Jan. 18 the AFA Society hosted a din ner for 40 U SA FA , U SN A and U SM A

graduates. The guest speaker was retired Lt. Gen. T homas Waskow, ’70, who

spoke about a little known program in military history called CONTANT PEG, a secret project in the 1980’s that used captured Soviet-era aircraft .

Arizona Chapt er Our thanks to Polly Ann and Jack Swon son, ’62, for hosting the Super Bowl party. Thanks to everyone that made this a fun and memorable evening. The Class of 1962 came out strong in support of Jack.

This was a “super” event.

C H E C K P O I N 'F S, M A R C H 2 0 0 7

’62 Redtags at the Arizona Chapter Super Bowl party. Seated: Dale Fiedler. Front row: Fred & Barb Fiedler, Pat Sell, Ginnie & Bob McNaughton. Middle row: Jane & Cliff Fallon, Rudy & Bettie Bow, Rose & Don Shepperd. Back row: Malinda & Jack Ander son, Richard Sell, Polly Ann and Jack Swonson.

Heart land-Lemay Chapt er At theAnnual Meeting, the chapter dis cussed the following items: Monthly luncheons - We discussed the monthly Tuesday luncheons and if therewas a better time, place or way of meeting to get more participation. The general consensuswas that luncheons w orked well and w e w ould have

confl ictson almost any day of theweek. We decided to keep it on the fourth Tuesday of every month for now, the fi rst one set for

nual Jr. ROTC Drill competition; and local airmen. Informal meetings occur each month at Roger Smith’s, ’62, Underground Pub &

out as to the location. Sports socials - We discussed the interest and value of organizing these informal get-togethers to watch AFA sportswhen they are available on TV. We normally have agood turnout for these, so wewill continue to look for these opportuni ties to get together. Go Falcons! Operation Air Force- Wediscussed getting an early start on the planning for thissummer’s three

and events at www.lausafaaog.com. (Thanks to our webmaster, John Cole, ’93). Sincerely, retired Lt. Col. Charlene Harding, ’85.

Feb. 27 and an announcem ent w ill be sent

sessions. Tad mentioned that w e could infer

the dates from theAcademy’s calendar and select the dates that work best. Thiswill help us coordinatewith thewing’s action offi cer and get special events set up. One such idea was seeing if we could sponsor a trip for the cadets to the collegeworld series. The board

w il l co n t i n u e t o t rack th is it em .

Los Angeles Chapt er Thisyoung chapter continues to grow with graduates from the 60’s through the 2T' century. Thisyear we are looking for new board membersto take this chapter from its

initiators to an eff ort that touches even more

of our local alumsand the South Bay com munity. All motivated alumsare eligible for thisleadership opportunity. Newest member

Lt. Gen. M ichael H amel, ’72, SM C/CC

rf om LosAngelesAFB, Calif , will sponsor fi i ture meetingsat the base or Fort MacArthur. Events being planned include avisit from Col Marty France, ’81, Head of the Astronautics Dept; updates/discussion about the Honor Code; experiencesshared from the Iraq War; and support to theALO; An-

Grill in H erm osa Beach. See our latest news

N o rt h e r n C a l if o r n i a

We are all so proud of member Chuck Reed, ’70, the new mayor of San Jose. Following thisgreat announcement, the NCAOG had an early holiday dinner at the elegant Moun tain Home Inn organized by the Cunning hams, ’67. Thisyear they mixed things up a bit by doing a drawing for seats and tables, which added a nice twist. Everybody espe cially enjoyed themselves thanks to the case of Fighter Pilot Red wine provided by Brice

Jones, ’61. Later in December, the USAFA

Basketball coach gave the alumni a chalk talk over pizza before the fi rst game of the Cable Car C lassic held at Santa Clara U ni

versity. The NCAOG must be responsible for the outstanding season the team has had since! In February, we are enjoying cocktails at th e M ar i n e’s M em o r ial in San Fran cisco

before the screening of the fi lm documentary BRATS: Our Journey Home. We have more events planned, so contact Susan at oisusan@ yahoo.com, if you live in Northern Califor nia and would like to join us!

N o rt h Te x a s A s s o c ia t io n

The Association’s 2007 Membership Drive is on! Now is the time to renew or join the Association for 2007! This year, your dues bring you new benefi ts including a big discount on Founder’s Day, new nametags, paper copies of the newsletter and directory and much more! Plus your dues help fund the chapter’s many events and activities, and supports cadet programs in

ald, ’68 , Vict or Deal, ’02 , St an Rosen, ’69 , Linda

& Gen Mike Hamel, ’72, Bill Harding, ’82 & Char lene Harding, ’85, Brian Phillips, ’05, Will (Cos) Cosby, ’75, Nate Vosters, ’02, Dennis Fendelander, ’63, Inga Coupe, ’91, and Jason Spindler, ’04.

adm issions offi ce. I n all, attendance w as com

fortable for sharing stories and answering the applicants’ questions. With four candidates for the Class of 2011, parents and siblings, and 11 graduates in attendance, it turned out to be a terrifi c evening, giving us all a reminder of Academy times.

Af fini ty Gr o up s AcademyWomen AcademyWomen is now publishing a quarterly e-newsletter, called Focus, which features a great collection of articles writ ten by military offi cers, artists, doctors, researchers, entrepreneurs, professional coaches, and m ore. T he inform at ion

these articles share inspires and informs you both personally and professional ly while building upon AcademyWomen’s vision to support women for life. Acad emyWomen is focused on being a resource for you from the time you consider an academy or offi cer development program to wherever life leads you in the military and beyond. Sign up as a member of AcademyWomen to receive the upcom ing newsletter or just check out our Web site at www.academywomen.org.

Web site at: www.ntaafag.org. Credit card payments are now accepted on-line.

Rug by Rugby Complex Status: We are still on track to brief our concept to the March 2007 Memorial Board. Memorial Board approval will be our signal to start the fr md raising capital campaign- the current estimate for the fr ill complex isaround $10 Million plus an

Re d Ba ro n Cha pt e r

they are hammered out.

the local area. Join now or renew on our

Los Angeles Chapter January attendees: Roger Smith, ’62, Dave Bochelman, ’62, Joe Facenda, ’75 and daughter Britney, Michael (Fitzer) Fitzger

China Restaurant. In the crowd of graduates were two of the areasALOs. They were able to provide insight in to the current applica tion process and reassure awaiting candidates, aswell as one accepted candidate, of the entrance and notifi cation procedures of the

Jan. 3 marked the holiday gathering of the Red Baron Chapter, and the graduates werejoined by some high school teenswith aspirationsof acceptance into USAFA’s Cadet Wing. Asgraduates from throughout a range of yearsshared stories, theyoung hopeful candidates and parents asked questionsabout our experiences, opportunities, and life after U SA FA while w e all shared in a buff et at

Ramstein Air Base Community Center’s C H E C K PO I N T S, M A RC H

2007

O & M en d ow m en t . M o re d et ail s o n th is as

S l iv e r Fa l c o n s

2007 marks the 50*'’ Anniversary of the Admissions Liaison Officer Program, As such, I would like to encourage ev erybody who can make this year’s Silver Fal con C onv en t i on i n t h e f al l . W e are

still waiting for the football schedule to be released to pick some tentative dates.

Let’s make this convention the biggest 87

and best ev er ! Please e- m ail K i rk at It ck -

irkbrown@j uno.com if you have interest in attending.

Gordon Palmer and Ozzie Purdy re ported in on their participation in the Reserve Offi cersAssociation. Each year, ROA m em bers are invit ed t o at tend t he

C onfederat ion I nt erall iee des O fi ciers de

Reserve in conjunction with NATO Re

serve O fi cers w it hin the 16 N AT O coun

and Guard for the next 30 years. He had a remarkable record of appointeesto theAcad emy and AFROTC Scholarship Winners.

Jack Howett passed away in October.

Originally from Lancaster, Pa., he lived there for many years and spent his career in the insurance industry, as well as serv ing in community groups. He and his wife had three sons. Jack was a pilot during

W o r l d W ar 11. H e w as r ecal l ed i n t o t h e

t ries. L ast sum m er it w as held in V iterbo,

U SA FR, rose to t he rank of colonel , and

Italy. Both Gordon and Ozzie attended along with their wives. This CIOR gives

served as the L iaison O fi cer C om m ander

attend symposiums, take local trips, and of course, enjoy the local food. The 2007 CIOR will be held in Riga, Latvia, and the 2008 CIOR will be in Istanbul, Turkey.

for eastern Pennsylvania. Interment was in Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 19.

John Dudley McClain passed away on Dec. 29. Hewas a practicing attorney, college professor of political science, and law school professor for 40 years. In addition, hewas an active duty instructor pilot in the USAF and

org, click on CIOR. I have some sad news on the passing of

hislast assignment as an ALO, hewas chosen Outstanding Deputy Liaison Offi cer Com

M cC lain .

son Offi cer Commander for Georgia.

Anyone wishing to honor these ex emplary ALOs, may send a gift in their memory to theTallman Endowment

at tendees a chance t o int eract w ith fellow N AT O Reserve O fi cers, view cerem onies,

For addi t ional inform ation , visit ww w.roa.

Bruce H errstrom, Jack H owett, and John Bruce H errstrom of Sioux Falls, S.D .,

passed away of cancer on Aug. 17. Hewas honored w ith the AL O L ifetime A chieve

ment Award and a 40-year Tallman pin at theJanuary 2006 LOD Conference Ban quet. Brucewas commissioned asa USAFR chaplain in 1956 and served in the Reserves

a ret i red col o n el in t h e A i r Fo rce R eserve. I n

m ander for the nation and served as the L iai

Fund . C hecks should be sent to the A O G ,

m ade out t o t he A O G w ith a not at ion at

the bottom: “Tallman Fund, in memory of

Donl be the missing f.

(Person’s N ame).

Please keep sending Ruth or Kirk your inputs and I look forward to seeing many of you at thisyear’s Silver Falcon Convention.

Way of Life Each year WOL Alumni Group hosts a spring Pathfi nder Seminar which targets graduating seniors and juniors. We host the seminar as close to graduation as possible without competing with the start of gradu ation associated events. There is no “perfect time.” The seminar has become a popular signatureWOL Alumni Group event and ideal for WOL Alumni Group members who want to get involved with mentoring.

WOL grad panelists are selected so as to match thejobs (AFSC’s) of most graduat ing seniors. We especially want young grads (2000 - 2006) as panelists. This gives the cadets a fresh insight to issues and chal lenges unique to certain career fi elds. The more seasoned WOL panelists add a much needed long range perspective. Discussions are frank. This is not a generic, feel good career counseling session. It is much more.

The seminar is powerful and highly motiva tional. Contact Ray Robinson, ’91, at (502) 548-1055 to become a panelist or help with logistics. Ray will fl y in from Louisville, Ky., so help from graduates living in the local Colorado Springs/Denver area isvital.

Update your biographical i nf o r m at io n an d

> Receive up-to-date information on your reunion and alumni chapters ► Ensure you receive the latest issue of Checkpoints magazine and A O G i nf o r m at io n

► Keep in touch with the current ev ent s an d ac t iv it ies at t h e A i r

Force Academy

^ Keep in touch with your classmates v isit t he A O G W eb sit e

www.usafa.org o r call

(7 19 ) 4 7 2 -0 3 0 0 fo update your bio today

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91

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.

Rober t S. Delligatti, '59 Our father, Robert Delligatti, had many good friends through his career. This rem embrance was written by one of his d ear est on es, Rufus T. Coburn III , who was a part of the Vietnam experience. As Rufus said, “He was the best friend I ever had.” An d, we agree. Katie and Suzy.

On a clear, brisk day, December 11, 2006, Maj or General Bob Delligatti achieved his ultimate goal ; to be with his beloved w i f e, K ar en , for et er nity. They are interred on a gentle hillside in Arlington N a t i o n al c e m et ery, t r an quil ly overl ooki n g t he Potom ac River and the Pentagon.

His legacy is carried on by hi s two wonderful daughters: Katie Buck and hu sb an d, Tom , an d Suzy Orr, hu s ban d, Doug, an d son s Tom my an d St ev en . Al so by t h ose f ort un at e enough to share his friendship, and by hundreds of Vietnam ese refugees he helped to escape the communist take o v e r .

Del 's life exemplified the Am erican dream . Born in Grantt ow n, W.V on Sept. 25, 1933 his prowess on the foot

b al l f i el d a n d h i s r el e n t l e ss w o r k e t h i c

were keys to breaking the “coal miner life-cycle.” Scholarships to Randolph M acon Academy, t h en Washi n gt on and Lee University, led to an appointment to the first c l a ss o f t h e U S Air Force Academy. As a cadet, Del continued the pursuit o f e x c e l lence, as a member of the 1959 Cotton Bowl team and graduating in 1959. The most life-changing experience at the academy w a s m e e t ing Karen Ross, with whom he fell incredibly in love. They were mar ried following graduation. A variety of flying assignments, t h e b i r t h of two daughters, coupled with j ust “raising a family and doing the best j ob you can do” characterized life until 1974. Upon completion of Air Command and Staff College, Del was assigned to t h e SA C l i a i so n team at HQ 7th AF in Nakhom Phanom (NKP) Royal Thai A i r F o r c e Bob Delligatti

B a se .

M aj or Delligatti was assigned to Saigon as a member o f t h e d e t a ch ment to manage a humanitarian airlift operation to C a m b o d i a . T h e guidance was, “Haul as much rice as possible, safely, without getting the aircraft shot ; and only during daylight hours.” The unplanned departure of the detachment comm ander left him , a young captain from 7AF and a MAC contracts officer with responsibility f o r t h e e n t i r e operation. The result exceeded expectations as they operated 21 daily sorties, sust aining Phnom Penh until the evacuation.

As the political clim ate deteriorated, all volunteered t o a ss i st w i t h the inevitable evacuation of Saigon and were involved with Opera tion Babylift, the evacuation of war orphans from South V i e t n a m . D el functioned as the airfield comm ander, ensuring evacuation a i r c r a f t flowed smoothly and refugees were transported safely. D el w a s ev a c u ated via helicopter from the US Defense Attache compound adj acent to Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut airfi eld, to the aircraft carrier USS Midway on April 30, 1975. As a direct result of his efforts, hundreds o f V i e t n a m e se refugees were afforded a new life in the U .S. Return to the U.S. brought Lt Col Delligatti to the Pentagon, for the fi rst of three assignments. Following Air War College at t en d an ce, D el returned to the Pentagon, serving in the Direct orat e of Pl an s an d .

Fo r m o r e cu r r en t i n f o r m at i o n ab o u t

graduate deaths, please vi sit the AOG web site. www.usafa.or g 92

b ut no t fo rg o tt e n

subsequently, as chief of the Strategic Forces Division i n t h e D i r e c

torate of Programs and Resources. As USAFA Chief of St af f, h i s Pen t agon experience in the program ming/ budgeting process w as piv otal in securing new facilities and upgrades for the Academy. Shortly

after returning to the Pentagon in 1985 (the third t im e’s a ch ar m ) , D el was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed the position o f D i rector of International Programs. Assignments as Director o f P l a n s &

Requirements and Vice Commander at Air Training Command, a n d command Staff Director at HQ USAir Forces Europe brought D el ’s A i r

Force career to a close. During his tim e in Germ any, h e e a r n e d t h e distinct recognition of “Order of the Sword”. Major General Delligatti

r et i r ed i n Ju n e, 1994.

With retirement came a very different role for Del, caregiver for his beloved Karen, who was battling cancer. Del translated the intensity an d d ed i cat i on t o ser vi ce w h i ch h ad ch ar act er ized h i s military career into compassion and care for Karen. She succumbed to cancer in July, 2002. On October 7, 2006, Del j oined Karen in eternal r e p o se .

We have lost a true and loyal friend whose very presence e n r i c h e d o u r l i v e s.

Rober t J. Dingl e, '61 Robert J. (Bob) Dingle quietly left us on Dec. 1, 2006, ultim ately suc cumbing after a courageous struggle with pancreatic c a n c e r . B o b w a s b or n on Feb . 27, 1938 in M an d an , N or t h D ak ot a. T h e son of an engi neer, Bob moved frequently during his childhood. At age 13, he met the love of his life, M argaret (M argy) Kynett . They c o u r t e d f r o m t h e tim e they m et, through several sepa r at i on s an d t hr ough t h e Academy years u nt i l t h ey m arr i ed on July 2, 1961. Bob and M argy had tw o sons, Scott and Gregg, who followed in their father ’s foot st eps as sport sm en an d o u t d o o r sm en .

B o b w as an av i d

camper, hiker and fisherman. He and M argy planned their ret irem ent l ife around trips to pristine lakes with se cl u ded cam p gr ou n ds w h er e t h ey could savor the beauty of God’s wilder ness and, perhaps, catch a few fi sh.

Bob graduat ed from Peabody High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. and attended one year of college at Penn State be fore entering the Academy. Following Bob Dingle graduation. Bob began his career as a navi gator and in later years was assigned to the Pentagon w h e r e h e ser v ed on b oth th e A i r St af f an d Joi n t St af f (J-5) . His last duty assign ment was Hill AFB, Utah . Bob’s military career spanned 23 years, and he retired as a Colonel in 1984. Subsequent to that h e w o r k e d i n I n ternational M arketing for Thiokol, a solid rocket motor c o m p a n y n e a r Ogden, Utah. Retiring for good in 1992, he turned to his life-l ong hobby of fishing and camping. His goal was to “out fi sh ” h i s b e l o v e d wife, but he laughingly adm itted it w as a goal that h e c o u l d n e v e r a c h i ev e .

Bob was considered by all who knew him to be thoughtful, g e n e r ous, kind and fun-loving. Once, while on a family fi shing trip, he lit erally gave the coat off his back to an Am erican Indian. Even though th e w eat h er w as col d , th e coatl ess m an w as i n n eed , a n d B o b sh o w e d

the true warmth of his nature. Bob was invariably concerned a b o u t others and their feelings. On a day he had surgery. B o b h a d a f l o r i st deliver fl owers to his wife... to thank her for always being there for h im .

Bob had a sharp mind for mathematics and problem solving. Ye a r s

,■

after college, he amazed his family by being able to prove trigonom etry theorems. As a natural extension, he enjoyed the chall enge and the profits of investing in the stock market. Bob loved sport s and competition. Skeet shooting competition was his favorite a n d o n e year he ranked number two in the New Mexico state skeet shooting championship. Another year he ranked eighth in the A r m e d F o r c e s Championship Olympic Team competition.

Bob is survived by his wife, Margaret; sons Scott of Ogden, Utah, and Gregg (Leasa) and three grandchildren of Mill Creek, W ash .; si s

t er Jean (Bob) Burnison , M inn.; brother Dr. Donald (Patty), Okla homa; sisters-in-law Dorothy (Frank) Carbee, S.C. and Betty Squires, Idaho, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

T h ose w h o kn ew Bob cel eb r at e h i s l if e as a l if e w ell -liv ed , not just for himself, but with others always in mind. If he were here today. Bob would tell us to live life in the present and not rely on plans for tomor row. That is just one of his legacies to all of us. (Joh n L M oor e, ’61)

Kar l J. Whi tak er, ’61 Karl Whitaker passed away Jan. 8, 2007 while he was surrounded by his family. Karl was one of the most enthusiastic and positive people I have known . I talked to him Sunday evening January 7* . He laughed over the phone and said he was hanging tough. He was t ough the w h ol e t im e si n ce l ast su m m er w h en h e

w as diagnosed with a heart problem .

H e and Dianne had planned on at tending our 45* reunion last Septem b er, b u t w er e u n ab l e t o t r av el .

Karl grew up in Sw edesbor o, N .J. where he was an Eagle Scout and val e dictorian of his 1957 high school class.

He was a proud member of the third graduating class (1961) of the United St ates Air Force Academy, w here he w as h o n o r ed t o ser v e o n t h e c ad et

K ar l W h i t ak er

“Wing St aff .”

After four years at the Academy with Karl, w e went to graduate school to gether at the M assachusetts Institute of Technology along with Terry Jorris, Bert Johansen , four 1961 Annapoli s

grads, two ’61ers from West Point and 10 active duty L i e u t e n a n t s a n d

Captains. We survived and graduated with M aster of Science degrees in A er on au t i cs an d A st r on au t i cs. Kar l th en w en t t o H o l l o m a n A F B i n N ew M ex i c o .

I lost touch with Karl until 20 year’s later when I w a s i n D .C . a n d h e was in New Jersey. Our D.C. group would have a lunch every other month and a party usually every three m onths or so. Karl showed up for every one of them and he and Dianne attended all the parties.

Karl always had a smile on his face which will be missed by all of us. I got closely reacquainted with him at these luncheons a s K a r l a n d I usually stayed late and talked after everyone else h a d l e f t . T h a t ’s t h e Karl I will remember — a smile on his face and a laugh i n h i s v o i c e .

Karl loved sports and adventure and lived his life t o t h e f u l l e st . H e had a passion for the gam e of golf and could be found nearly every day playing at the DuPont Country Club, where he was a long-time member. My wife, Linda, and I along with Bill and Theda F o st e r v i s it ed Kar l i n N ov em b er . Golf w as st ill on h i s m in d as h e sa i d h e w a s

going out that weekend with his sons, w atch them tee o f f a n d t h e n r e t i r e t o t h e c l u b h o u se .

Karl j oined the General Electric Company in 1967 where h e m a n aged manufacturing and marketing facilities throughout t h e U n i t e d States for 20 years. In 1986 he became the President a n d C .E .O . o f t h e E.F. Johnson Company in M inneapolis, M inn., and later t h e P r e si d e n t of Nytronics Inc. in M antua, N.J. The Whitaker family has long been a fixture in Swedesboro, N .J., a

town that meant so much to Karl throughout his life. I n r et i r em en t ,

he and Dianne enjoyed residing at 100 Railroad Avenue i n t h e h o m e that has been in his family since the 1920s.

On Jan . 12, 2007, seven of Karl ’s Cl ass of 1961 classm at es w e r e

present at a graveside service at Lake Park Cemetery i n Sw e d e sb o r o and gave him a fond farewell at the reception which f o l l o w e d .

Karl is survived by his wonderful wife of 14 years, D i an n e (H eil m an ) Whitaker: his brother Lewis Whitaker; and his sons Jef f an d h i s w i f e, Anne; Kent , M ark, Dan and his wife, Jenny; as well as his stepchildren

Jimmy Leonard, Dee Hackett and her husband. Josh; and B a r b a r a

Petrille. He is further survived by his grandchildren Jamie, Courtney, Josh, Rachel, Stephanie, Danny, Kris, and Remley. He was preceded

in death by his parents, Wilbur and Marie. (Jim Rogers, Cl ass of 1961)

George V. L. Byr on, '63

GeorgeVincent Lawrence Byron, USAFA Class of 1963, d i ed D ec. 28, 2006. He was 65. George is survived by myriad friends and family

who miss him beyond measure. Born in Syracuse, N. Y., George was

gifted with a fine singing voice, which evolved from a t e n o r w h e n a young man into a melodious bass in his later years. George was a founding member of the Catholic Cadet Choir, and soloed w i t h t h e

Choir at St . Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

An Irishman in heart and soul , George will be remembered by many for his int ellect , his hum or, and his song. He graduated early from high school, and briefly attended the pr est i gi ous Ren ssel aer Polyt echni c Institut e (RPI) prior to m atriculation into the Air ForceAcademy in 1959. He is remembered by his fellow cadets for h avi ng m ast er ed t he ri gor ous aca demic and milit ary routines that de fine life at the Academy.

His friend and senior year roommate, Jerry Adinolfi , remembers how George w ou l d oft en b r eak ou t i n t o I r i sh f o lk

ballads, and how he would sing for ci vilian hosts when the cadet wing trav eled to away games. In his senior year, George was the activities officer for the 18* Cadet Squadron. H is friends re m em ber that George arranged for a George Byron large farm outside Elizabeth, Colo, to become an ersatz R&R center for the cadet squadron. And yes, Jerry recalls, there was singing!

George married Joan Gerteis, who he knew from Syracuse, f o l l o w ing graduation in 1963. They had three children. After receivi ng his

commission, George and his family were first stationed at M oody AFB in Valdosta, Ga. and eventually assigned to M arch AFB i n Riv er si d e, Calif, where he co-piloted B-52s for the 22"'* Bombardment Wing of the Strategic Air Com mand.

His fam ily has the strongest m em ories of the years w h e n h e w a s flying the Arc Light bombing strikes over South Vietnam. He resigned from the Air Force in 1969, having achieved the rank of Captain. In civilian life, George worked in all m anner of professions. H e w a s a t v ar i ou s t im es a u sed car sal esm an , a st o ck b r ok er, a real estate agent, a tax consultant, and a comput er programm er. He was even briefly co-owner of a one-plane comm ercial airline.

George and Joan divorced in 1973, and George eventually se t t l e d i n

the San Francisco Bay Area where he renewed his acquaintance w i t h Willetta Clark, whom he had dated when a cadet . They became very close companions, and Willetta lovingly cared for George during the i l l n e ss t h a t t o o k h i s l i f e .

George was buried with military honors at the USAFA Cem etery on Jan. 12, 2007. His family is very grateful to the Academy f o r al l i t s a s sistance during this difficult tim e of transition. George’s three chil93

dren specifically requested that his Vietnam service b e m a r k e d o n

his gravestone as a means to honor all those who loyally se r v e d t h ei r country during an unpopular war. (Dr. Christopher Byron-Ger teis, George's son)

Cal vin E Nay, '63 Calvi n F. Nay, 66, died Dec. 11, 2006 at the Arbors of M ar i et t a n ear

his home in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary J. Nay of Parkersburg: daughter Natasha Behrmann a n d her husband, Joseph G Behrmann, and granddaughter Brigid M .S. Breheny, all of Sammamish, Wash.; sister Eleanor Nay-Chiles a n d h e r husband, Scott Chil es, of Boul der, Colo.; nephews Joe Al an Nay and D. Eri c Nay of Washi ngt on , D.C., an d Kenneth A. Nay and his wife, Sheila Nay, of Westminster, Colo.

Cal was born near Pullman, W.V and

graduated from Harrisville High School. After attending West Virginia

U niver sity for a bri ef t im e, h e r e ceived an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Af ter gradu ation he served as a C-123 pilot flying in two combat theatres before going t o V i et n am . H e w as a m em b er of th e

Cal Nay

310th Air Comm ando Squadron. Af ter leavi ng the Air Force he returned to West Virginia to work at farming and wr i t i ng. A t al ent ed w r it er, h e w as

kn ow n f or h i s r em ark ab l e w i t an d sen se of h u m or. H e w a s t h e a u t h o r

of a book of poetry for children entitled “Animal Yarn.”

In October of 1967, Cal married Rosemary Foley. They h a d a t t e n d e d

Harrisville High School together. In Sept em ber of 1969 t h e i r c h i l d Natasha, was born. Cal had a great spirit for adventure a n d o v e r t h e next several years they took m any fam ily camping trips, exploring the natural beauty of Am erica.

Af ter a stroke in 1988, it was thought that he would r e m ai n i n a w h e el chair for the rest of his life. With much effort and perseverance, he was able to walk again. He took several more trips across t h e l a n d t h a t h e loved, sometimes driving, sometimes riding a Greyhound b u s, ev en riding from West Virginia to the West Coast. He returned to college as

well, taking a variety of classes, including Japanese an d A n c i en t G r e ek .

Cal was a lover of communication and spoke a number o f d i f f e r e n t

languages. He could enter a tense situation and soon have everyone

at ease. A ham radio enthusiast from the age of 15, h e w a s a m e m b e r

of the Parkersburg Am ateur Radio Club and the Air Force M A R S. He accomplished much during his lifetime and even comm ented n ear th e en d “ I ’ve m ad e a dif fer en ce in all th e ar eas of my life I wanted to make a difference in.” His greatest contribution was as a loving fa ther and grandfather. His greatest gift to us was the f r e e d o m t o fi n d our own way. He encouraged us to be ourselves and accepted u s w h i l e

at the same time inspiring us with his quiet example t o l i v e a l i f e o f

int egrity.

To his granddaughter Brigid he was “BaBa” and he would Jokingly refer to himself as “BaBa the Magnificent” and he nicknamed h e r

“The Lady Who Smiles A Lot ”. His sense of humor and apt observa tions m ade m any a tantrum disappear or lessened the st r e ss f o r a l l

involved. He was always able to put things in perspective. H i s c o m

passion and quiet gentleness will be sorely missed.

From the beginning of 2006 to the end. Cal battled with multiple F o r m o r e cu r r en t i n f o r m at i o n ab o u t

graduate deaths, please vi sit the AOG web site. www.usafa.org.

94

complications following an emergency surgery on Super B o w l Su n

day. He was an inspiration to all who m et him and the n u r se s o f t e n

mentioned how much they loved him. He rarely ever complained a n d was always ready with a dry remark or a joke and a sm i l e . A f t e r o n e o f the many exhausting days of being moved around for v ar i ou s t est s, he answered the phone saying, “I’m fi ne. I’ve been traveling.” Then he grinned. That was Cal Nay. Indomitable, courageous, a n d perseverant to the end. (Natasha Behrm ann, Cal vin ’s daugh ter)

Wesl ey E. Whi te, '63 Wesley E. White, age 66, passed away on Nov. 26, 2006, a t h i s

daughter’s home in Round Rock, Texas. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Sheryl D. and Tim Moore of Round Rock; h i s so n a n d daughter-in-law, Brian W. and Kim White of M ansfi eld, Texas; his sister Patsy Heinbuch of Englewood, Fla.; and four w onderful grandchildren: Cal eb 12, Aar on 10, Kyl ee 7, an d B r i an n a 4 . Fu n er al ser v i c es w er e

held at Pleasantview Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, Nov. 29, 2006.

Wes w as born Jan . 6, 1940, in Cl int on , M aryl and, t o Earl and M ar i an W h i t e. A s a ch il d h e r ecal l ed

watching the military planes fl y over

his house and knew that fl ying was what he wanted to do when he grew

up . He w as very active in hi s high school, ranging fr om sports to music.

H e graduat ed w i th h on ors from W es W h i t e Surrattsville High School in Clinton, Md. in 1958. He attended one year of college at Western Maryland before

entering the USAFA in 1959. He graduated fr om the Academy i n 19 6 3 .

While stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. he m et Carolyn V Hayes, who he later married in May of 1964. Their fi rst child, Sheryl, w as b or n in Sav an n ah , Ga., an d h i s son Br i an w as b or n i n H o n olu lu ,

Hawaii, both born while Wes was serving in the Air Force. After leaving the Air Force and moving to Grand Prairie, Texas, Wes w a s h i r e d a s a commercial pilot for (DFW ) Delta Airlines. He flew f o r D e l t a f o r 2 7

years before retiring in December, 1996, as Captain o f t h e 727 an d 737. He was well liked by his peers and was a faithful, d e d i c a t e d e m ployee.

Of his many hobbies, Wes’s favorite was music - particularly b a r bershop singing! In the 1970s he became quite interested a n d i n volved in barbershop chorus and quartet singing. His i n v o l v e m e n t

included not only singing, but also directing the chorus f o r s e v e r a l years and competing in various barbershop compet itions. I n l a t e r

years, after moving to Sun City, he sang in other barbershop q u a r

tets, the church choir, as well as with the Sun City Singers in musical s and variety shows. To say he l oved music is quite an u n d e r st a t e m e n t !

He also loved playing golf every chance he could. Once he got his wife, Carolyn, actively involved in golf; they seemed to play all the

time, whenever possible. Other interests were stamp a n d c o i n c o l lecting. However, fl ying, golf, and music were his passions!

Wes was a m an who did well in most everything he did. God richly blessed his life even through the t ough tim es. After losing is wi fe,

Carolyn, to cancer, he retired from fl ying and eventually m o v e d t o Sun City, Georgetown. He lived a fairly active life t h e r e u n t i l h i s h e a l t h

began failing him. He was able to spend his last year and days with

his daughter and her fam ily who lived near him in Round R o c k . W e know he is in a better place for he said and believed t h a t G o d h a d a n eternal home waiting for him .

A s w e l ook b ack ov er h is li f e, w e see a li fe th at w as not perfect , but one with many accomplishments. He was a successful military offi cer,

a dependable friend, fabulous singer, great golfer, t e r r i f i c i n t e r i o r

designer, responsible husband and father, and a great grandpa! He will be sorely missed but always loved by those who a r e st i l l h e r e o n this earth . We believe his last trip was the best flight h e ev e r h a d -

he

as the copilot, God as the captain. What a flight it m u st h a v e b e e n !

(SherryMoore, Wfes's daughter)

Steph en D. Cal dwell, *65

Steve passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 19, 2006 of congestive heart

Wal ter E. D eacon , *65 There aren’t many of ‘em you know - geniuses. But we had the privi lege of calling a genius our fr iend, for more than 45 years... but not long enough. Butch Deacon was born [appropriately, w e t h i n k f o r a renaissance m an] Walter Ellis Deacon II . Our friend w as n ot a t i m i d

man. He attended jump school at Ft. Benning, flew 200 c o m b a t m i s

sions in the F-4 (much in the high risk fast FAC business, a s a t t e st e d

to by two DFCs and hand full of Air

failure: he was 65. He is survived by his wi fe, Bette Ridgeway, a Santa Fe artist; children Karen, Kathleen, Jennifer, M att , Ann, and M eghan; mother of his children and fi rst wife of 32 years, Lynn, of Albuquer

M edals), was the only survivor of a two-

ship midair collision, rode his Harley

t en s o f t h o u san d s o f m i l es, an d i n

que: six grandchildren: siblings Joe of

i i

Tao s an d K ass A t k i n so n of San t a Fe. A s

Steve would say, he w as from Springer, New M exico, you know, right near Abbot

— t h e m a st e r o f u n d e r st a t e m e n t .

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i k

St eve act ual ly ent ered t h e Academy twice. Aft er a st int at the University of N ew M exi co an d t h en a y ear at pr ep

school, he originally entered the Acad emy wi th the Class of ’64 in the summer

of 1960. Unfortunat ely, he inj ured his knee in training and had t o l eave. H e cam e back to the Academy the following year as a m em ber of t he Cl ass of ’65.

T h o se w h o r em em b er St ev e f r om t h o se

days would recall him sitting around in

S t e v e C al d w el l

his bathrobe strumm ing his guit ar and working on a song that went som ething

like “I’m going to Albuquerque, with my beans & jerky....” St ev e w a s well liked and respected by his classmates, and the f a c t t h a t h e w a s selected by his classmates in 14* Squadron to be their H o n o r C o m mittee representative spoke well of their high regard f o r h i m .

Steve appreciated his time at the Academy but in typical St e v e fashi on he w as ready t o get on with life and you can a l m o st h e a r

him saying “ ...all that I ask is that you let me graduate a n d m o v e

on .” He did m ove on t o pilot training in Bi g Springs, Tex as; t h en t o F-4 training at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. His first operational as

signment was at Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C. where he s e r v e d i n

t he 335 TFS. Wh il e th ere, he w as depl oyed t o Korea dur ing t he Pueblo Crisis. After Seym our, he went t o Vietnam and w a s st a t i o n e d at Phu Cat Air Base. Follow ing Vietnam , Steve and the fam ily w ere

assigned to Bitburg Air Base, Germany. Over his time i n t h e A i r F o r c e he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal w i t h 1 1 o ak l eaf cl u st er s.

When he had completed his tour of duty at Bitburg, St ev e d e c i d e d it w as tim e for a change and left the Air Force to r e t u r n t o h i s b e l o v e d New M exi co. Steve, Lynn and their still growing family r e t u r n e d t o New M exi co in 1972, and Steve founded and ran the Caldwell C o n struction Company in Taos. In 1981, Steve and the family m o v e d t o Albuquerque where he continued his career in const ruction m a n agement . He loved the creative process of construction a n d b u i l d

ing to make the community a better place. He was involved i n t h e

construction or renovation of several notable proj ect s including the

Hispanic Cultural Center, the Eldorado Hotel, La Posada H o t el , Bishop’s Lodge, Bataan Memorial Building, Rainbow Vision, G h o st Ranch Worship Hall and Residences, and hundreds of h o m e s a c r o s s N ew M ex i c o .

A proud father of six grown children, he was an active l ead er, b u il d

ing and promoting youth soccer. In 1996, he moved to Sa n t a F e w h e r e

in 2003 he met the adult love of his life, Bette Ridgew ay. Together, they shared beaut iful days and night s fill ed w ith m usi c, ar t , an d Steve’s life-long interest , golf.

St eve w as a special guy w ho is dearly m issed by his fam ily and friends. (Karen Han cock, daugh ter; and Frank M cCann, ’65, fr i en d)

general lived life to the fullest in every en d eav o r an d v en u e. Bu t ch d i ed i n

his sleep last September and was laid t o rest at the Academy cem et ery on N ov. 13, 2006 .

Certainly ’65 had some who bested

Butch academically [tw o or three w e t h in k — h e w as 16^^ i n ov er all or d er of

merit], but we’ll always wonder what

h e’d h av e d o n e i f h e’d b o t h er ed t o

study much. 'When the listed curricu lum could no longer challenge Butch, the Dean’s folks put together custom B u t ch D e a c o n for -Cadet Deacon courses, m ostly in metallurgy. He maxed ‘em . His 24 or 25 hours per sem ester at 4.0 pretty m uch carried us to the t op academ ic squadron slot and t o H o n o r Squadron our first class year.

Butch (aka “Deac”) wanted to fly, and did; but it didn’t always chal lenge him. So, he earned an AFIT-sponsored MS in solid state physics

at MIT, and completed a tour on the USAFA faculty. W h i l e h e w a s o n the faculty, he earned an MBA from the University of C o l o r a d o .

But, like just about all the other challenges he faced, these flying

and academia endeavors becam e too easy. So...he resigned fr o m t h e Air Force and went to m edical school, becoming an orthopedic s u r geon. He practiced medicine for over 20 years, but true to his style, di d so al l ov er th e w orl d .

Butch was a full-throttle guy and nothing serves better to point up that characteristic than a couple of cadet stories. B u t c h c o u l d sk i w el l when he arrived at the Zoo. He “taught ” several of u s t o [h ow sh al l w e

say] careen down the hill after him. One day, he convinced t h r e e o f u s

to ski in close diamond form ation; really close...arm’s r e a c h w a s t h e

goal. Nobody got badly hurt, and Butch [in the lead of cou r se] av oi d ed calam ity alt ogether.

Deac was also already skilled in the East Coast sport of l acr osse, an d

he played attack on our league-winning intramural team. F o r a n a t

tack m an. But ch w as a big boy, oft en preferring t o r u n o v e r r a t h e r than around, but his signature move was a rearward u n d e r h a n d b l i n d shot, a move similar to paddling a canoe. M any a goalie n ev e r saw i t com ing.

Two of us joined up with Butch on Majorca after 3'^‘‘ Li eu t en an t an d , despite meager funding, had a great time. Butch loved t h a t i sl a n d

and returned every Sept ember for m any years, alw ays renting the sam e ocean-view villa. Som e of us recall j oining him on the balcony,

good Scotch in hand and some of Butch’s eclectic music (W il li e N el son ,

Dave Brubeck or Luciano Pavarotti - he liked it all) playing in the

background as the sun set. The conversation could be about any thing; Butch would hold forth knowledgably.

In closing, we’d like posterity to record these additional a t t r i b u t e s o f

our friend: athlete, musician, linguist , raconteur, hum orist , political satirist , ardent pat riot , brother (t o Joel) and cert ainly m ost im por

tantly, father to two fine young men, Walter E “Stormy” D eaco n I I I , and Jam es W. “Dusty ” Deacon .

We were lucky! Few have had such a remarkable friend. (Sur vi ving

m em bers of th e Dir ty Thir ty [6^/ ’65])

95

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M i ch ael D . M ul doon, '65 Major Michael Dennis Muldoon died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 2, 2006. Fi e was born on Ju n e 9, 194 1 in Warsaw, N.Y. and graduated from Perry Central High Sch o o l i n 19 5 9 .

Mike came to the Academy older and wiser than most o f u s w h o w o u l d

form the Class of ’65 in 5* Squadron, having enlisted i n t h e A i r F o r c e right out of high school and then attending the USMA prep school. En

couraged by the upper class, Mike did what cam e naturally to him : he put his seasoning and generosity to work for h i s cl assm at es. H e sh ow ed u s h ow t o

really spit-shine shoes, how to really get rooms ready for inspection, how to

keep from letting upperclassmen get

under our skins. Mike had the perfect combinati on of st reet -saw y, brains,

with an outstretched hand, we always knew Mike was not asking for something but offering his help.

From deep in our hearts — thank you and God bless you, M i k e Muldoon. You were everything one could hope for in a husband, par en t , f r i en d , an d cl assm at e — an d m u ch m or e. W e ar e a l l b e t t e r f o r

having had you with us. (Mike’s 5* Squadron classmates)

Wil Uam H. F. Howar d, ’66 Our world lost one of its truly beautiful people when W i ll i am H . F. Howard died suddenly on September 2"“ last year of an unexpected

heart attack. "William ,” “Bill,” “Howie,” or “Will ” — w h at ev er m on ik er

you may have called him — we all remember him as genuine, caring, witty, handsome, modest, and thoughtful.

A service brat. Bill grew up in a large Air Force family w i t h t w o si b lings and three step siblings. Bill’s mother, Barbara F. H ow ar d , w as an accom pl i sh ed con cert pi an i st w h o d i ed w h en h e w as f i v e. H er m u si cal

Irish wit, people skills, and mature per

t al ent w as obvi ou sly i nh eri t ed , as m any of us rem ember hi s countless Kin gst on Tri o i m pressi on s skill fully singing “Tom Dooley” and “Sloop John

spective to keep us positive and on an even keel throughout the trial s of the f our t h -cl ass syst em . We oft en sai d

“Mike Muldoon carried me longer than

B,” accompanied by his 12-string gui tar. His father, the late Col. George

my mother did,’’ and the j oke rang true

because Mike w’^as as kind and compas M i k e M ul d o on

How ard, w as a WWI I pil ot and 1939 West Poi n t gr adu at e. Bil l alw ay s wanted to impress his family, but did not want to draw attention to him self, so appl i ed f or an d w on a cov et ed USAFA Presi dent ial appoint m ent in 1962. All of t hi s w as accom pl i sh ed

sionate an individual as any of us have ev er kn ow n . Som e of u s r em ai n con

vinced that we could not have survived the Academy w i t h o u t M i k e ’s

help and encouragem ent .

M ike’s idiosyncrasies and special m oments further endeared h i m to us: his endless supply of Pall M alls, his collection of pipes and ex otic tobaccos, his preference for sleeping in his chair to avoid making his bed, and his ceaseless snoring. As chief falcon h an d l er, M i k e w ou l d bring the winged mascots back to our dorm rooms to spend the nights protected from pranks by rival schools. No one built b e t t e r o r b r o a d e r relationships with the Academy support staff than M ike — reaching from the Air Police, to dorm maintenance workers, to c l i n i c a d m i n i s trators. When you were with Mike, he made you feel like you were the most important person around — and to him you were.

Upon graduation, M ike attended UPT at Craig AFB where h e m e t his wife, Deborah Stephens, and began a wonderful 40-year loving relationship. After F-4 RTU, Mike went to war and, on Jan . 3, 1968, h e j oined the elite group of fighter pilots who have won a e r i a l v i c t o r i e s when, as a member of the 435“’ TFS, his F-4D shot down a M I G - 17 .

M ik e’s h er oi sm ear n ed h i m t h e Silv er St ar.

Self effacing, Mike rarely spoke about that accomplishment o r h i s many other personal or professional ones, but he was quick to say how blessed and proud he was to be the husband of Deb, t h e f a t h e r of Michael and Caiti, and the grandfather of Kayla and M eaghan.

After returning from Southeast Asia, Mike was an F-106 pilot and in st ru ct or at sev eral b ases, an d h ad a t ou r at N ORAD H Q . H e r eti r ed in

1983 from an assignment on the Air Staff where his f o c u se d d e d i c a t i o n to promoting the best interests of the Air Force ahead of any personal agendas w as highly valued but not imm ediately appreciated.

In retirement Mike held several senior management positions w i t h the aerospace industry in the Southeastern U.S., finally settling in Pensacola. "Servi ce before Self ” was a concept Mike i n t e r n a l i z e d a s a young man, and it carried him through his personal and professional

life with community service activities ranging from v olu n t eer t each er, church fund-raiser. Boy Scout leader, and supporter o f sc h o o l m u si c groups. Mike was happiest when helping others. Wh en w e saw h i m F o r m o r e cu r r en t i n f o r m at i o n ab o u t

graduate deaths, please visit the .^ OG web site. www.usafa.org 96

without the knowledge of any imme B i l l H o w ar d

di at e f am ily u nt i l t h e of fi ci al an

n ou n cem en t l et t er ar r ived — n ot ev en

his father or stepmother, Gwinneth Howard. He proudly se r v e d i n ‘Sexy’ Sixth Squadron where he made numerous life-long f r i e n d s .

Bill loved to hear what you were thinking. He was always m o st i n c l u sive of all people with whom he came in contact. Attractive, b u t t o

tally unassuming, he was very comforting and easy to b e ar ou n d . Bu t , he kept us on our toes with that quick wit delivered w i t h a t r a d e - m a r k twinkle in his eye.

Following graduation. Bill was assigned to Wright-Patterson A F B i n

Dayt on, Ohio, and earned his M BA at Ohio State. While not being medically qualified for pilot training, he chose to separate from the Air Force in 1970. He moved to northern California, a n d so o n t h e r e a f ter entered law school. Upon achieving his law degree, he practiced contract law, then progressed to patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

In 1980, he married his law school classmate, Rita G r o b m a n .

Seven years later, Rita and Bill gave birth to their beautiful daugh ter, Rachel. Currently attending UCLA as a sophomore, R a c h e l m a i n tains an outstanding GPA in Political Science and shares h e r f a t h e r ’s

love of music performing with a cappella singing group.

Outside of fam ily, one of Bill ’s proudest accomplishments was forming

h is ow n fi r m , W i lliam H . F. H ow ar d an d A ssociates as a Patent Attorney.

Here he was able to apply his engineering background f ro m U SA FA .

William H. F. Howard is survived by his wife, Rita Grob m an H ow ar d;

daughter Rachel Howard; brother George Howard; sister B a r b a r a

Howard; stepsister Gwinne Clarkson; stepsister Jill Seltzer; their spouses, children and grandchildren, and his stepmother, Gwinneth A n n H o w ar d .

May he rest in peace. God speed. (7.0. M cFalls, ’66, Bill ’s fr i en d)

M i ch ael L. Stear n s, '69 Michael Lewi s Stearns, Class of ’69, died Nov. 18, 2006 in H ou st on , Texas. He is survived by his wife, Winnie; son Troy and wife, Robyn ;

daughter Kelli and husband, Michael Farrias; six grandchildren: Rebekah, Rachel, Cody, Cameron, Alexis, and Cory; parents, G l e n d o n

and Margaret Stearns; sister Judy Stearns; and brother Joh n St ear n s.

Mike memories at the Academy included the Sym ons Wave M em o rial plaque he received for soaring at 30,000 feet! M ike was late get

ting back to the academy, but didn’t get into trouble b e c a u se h e b r o k e Mike also interviewed prospective applicants o f t h e A c a d

a record! emy for his State Senator.

Grandson Cody shares his “Papa’s” love of airplanes. Papa t ook Cody to the Academy, and then for his fi rst Colorado ski trip. Papa even taught Cody t o fly fl ight simula tors on the computer. Papa did special things like this for each of his grandchil dren! M ike was very athletic and liked m ost sp ort s. M ik e al so k ep t t h e grandkids busy teaching them differ

ability in the sciences made him an obvious choice f o r h i s se l e c t i o n t o join the Class of 1981. During BCT summer he earned t h e n i c k n a m e “Bang-Bang” from his trip to the Recondo course. His t h i c k O k l ah o m a

drawl while screaming out , “Bang Bang - you’re dead!” to the upper classmen aggressors tickled his fellow ’8 1e r s a n d t h e n a m e st u c k .

He was reassigned to CS-03 for the remainder of his time at the Academy and all cam e to appreciate his genuine and easygoing personality. Our class

w as on e of th e fi rst t o b e al low ed to h ave

cars as 2-degrees; Guy returned from Ch r i st m as w i t h a 1964 Ch ev el l e an d

could be seen bombing around Colo

rad o w i th h is f rien d s. H e w as a n atu r al

en t sp o r t s.

Mike was a special guy! He was about as red-blooded Am erican as you could

find, yet always mild mannered, soft spoken, and almost shy in his de

%

m eanor. You w oul d never guess that

M ik e St ear n s w as a w ar h er o , a d eco rat ed com b at avi at or, f ear som e w ar ri or.

H e v ol u n t eer ed f o r so m e of t h e m o st

dangerous aviation combat duty in the

li Guy Payne

engineer and graduated with an Aero nautical Engineering degree.

Following graduation, Guy w orked in the Aeronautical Engineering Lab f o r a sh o r t t i m e an d t h en at t en d ed

pilot training at Vance APB. His easy going nature and strong flying skills

m ad e h i m a n at u r al sel ect io n t o r et u r n as a T-37 I n st r u ct or. H e se r v e d

at Vance from 1982-1986. Guy enj oyed his students and particularly

CIA as a m em b er of t h e f am ou s Rav en s

enjoyed serving at Vance’s Accelerated Copilot Enrichment d e t a c h

M ed al s. M i ke sh ar ed th at o n ce w h en h e w as sh ot d own i n b at t l e, h e

fascinat ed by mechanical m arvels, Guy enj oyed the size a n d c o m

he let that experience impact on how he planned the r e m a i n d e r o f his life. Mike said God did a 180 degree turn in M ike St e a r n s’ “ l i k e s”.

Mike w anted to be able to deal directly vd th people, a n d “ r e sc u e them from the unscrupulous j aws of the law ”. Mike became o n e o f the few lawyers in Texas whose specialty was to practice i n t h e t ax courts as a Board Certifi ed Tax Lawyer, Texas Board of Legal Special ization, and a CPA. He became well known for his expertise i n t h e fi eld of tax law. Mike was a compassionate and gutsy guy. The client ’s

while going through RTU training, Guy met the love of his life. Cay

M i k e S t e ar n s

and the Rustics! Am ong his medals are the Purple Heart , three Distinguished Flying Crosses, and eight Air

ment at Loring AFB.

saw a huge angel. He said his life flashed before him and he thought he was going to die. Mike was a very smart and perspective guy, and

plexity of the airplane. He also fell in love with t h e P a c i fi c N o r t h w e st

ability to pay was a secondary consideration for Mike, b e c a u se h i s own habits and needs were so Spartan and pure. He did n o t l u st f o r

things, money, or power. He was not cheap; he just d i d n ’t c a r e a b o u t

the trappings or appearance of money or wealth. He l i v e d m u c h c l o se r to the truths of life than those things. Mike’s moral a n d i n t e l l e c t u al

compass was clear. He marched only to the cadence of h i s o w n c o n

science. He was plain and simple and total ly sure that h e k n ew w h o

h e w as. H e w as com for t ab l e in h i s ovm ski n .

Mike’s goals found in his briefcase after his death w ere t o (1) b e a better parent to his adult children, and (2) to be a B i b l e t e a ch e r . H e listed his likes as (1) skiing, and (2) practicing l a w i n t h e t ax c o u r t s .

What a guy!

Mike loved his family, his God, and his country. His w i f e w a s h i s love and partner in life. His children and grandchildren were his j oys and rewards. Mike did his duty for his country, his family and friends, and walked the talk of his God. Wh at a legacy he leaves t o a l l w h o knew him ! Mike had his priorities in the right order. You can go to: L EGA CY.COM t o see m o r e ab o u t M i k e an d t o c o n t act h i s fam ily.

(Winnie Stearns, bl essed to have had M ike as a comp anion for 30 years!)

Guy D. Payn e, '81

Lieut enant Colonel Guy Davi d Payne, a 1981 Graduat e, passed away in Davenport Washington on Dec. 16 2006.

Born in Corpus Christi Texas, Guy spent his high school years help ing on his dad’s cotton farm near Gould, Okla. He displayed an early aptitude for math and science so the Academy was a n a t u r al c h o i c e for him for his college years. Flying intrigued him , a n d h i s n a t u r a l

Guy was next assigned to B-52s at Fairchild AFB. Always o n e t o b e

and the eastern Washington area. But m ost import antly, a t C a st l e

Grassell. Guy and Cay married and settled in the Davenport , W a sh , area, about 45 miles west of Spokane. There they had th r ee ch il d r en ; Katie, Angela and David.

In July of 1989 he elected to leave active duty. Guy applied to sev eral airlines, but his first choice was to stay in t h e P a c i fi c N o r t h w e st and fly with Alaska Airlines. He was hired at Alaska later that year, and thoroughly enj oyed flying up and down the West C o a st .

In 1991 Guy returned to the military. He joined the Washington Air National Guard and flew tankers until 2003. Following h i s se r v i c e i n the ANG he became an Academy Liaison offi cer, completing t h e c i r c l e from graduate to mentor for future graduates.

In August 2005, Guy’s life was changed. A malignant t u m o r w a s

f ou n d i n h i s n eck . T h e i n i t i al b at t l e w i t h can cer w en t w ell , an d f or a

period of time there was no sign of the disease. In the spring of 2006 however, cancer returned. Guy fought valiantly for t h e sa k e o f h i s children, but j ust before Christmas, he passed from t h i s l i f e .

Guy knew his life was nearing its end, but he was never af r ai d b e c a u se his foundation was in God. His faith gave him courage to face his depar ture fi 'om this world with dignity and grace. Guy was b old in th e face of his illness because he truly knew God’s Love. Most of all , h e claim ed th e special gift that our God offers through the sacrifi ce o f h i s So n o n t h e Cross. We w h o b elieve kn ow h e is n ow w i th ou r redeem er i n H eav en .

Guy leaves behind his beautiful w ife. Cay, and his k i d s, Kat i e, A n

gela, and David, as well as his parents and a sister. A l l w i l l m i ss h i s easygoing spirit , his genuine smile and his dedication a n d c o m m i t ment to his family, his friends, and his Lord. (Rober t E Cayton, ” 81)

Dougl as K. Roth enh ofer, '95

Major Douglas K. “Buster” Rothenhofer was unexpectedly c a l l e d

home on Dec. 1, 2006 as a result of a training accident at M oody AFB, Ga. Born in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Doug had made his home i n Val d o st a, Ga. where he spent nearly his entire Air Force career flying t h e F - 16 a n d the AT-38C. All that knew him mourn his untimely passing b u t a r e blessed to have had Doug’s influence in their lives.

97

Chri stop h er R. Stei tz, V5

Doug grew up in Ft . Wayne where he was born on M arch 1, 1973. H i s

mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away when h e w as 12.

At R. Nelson Snider High School, Doug excelled as a l e a d e r a n d st u dent-athlete and met the love of his life, Angie Owens. H e e n t e r e d the Academy in the summer of 1991 and dreamed of playing college football, but did not make the cut. Undaunted, Doug f o u n d a n o t h er way to be part of the football team - he became a team manager and eventually an assistant coach, helping contribute to several winning seaso n s an d Co m m an d er i n Ch i ef ’s

2"“^Lt. Christopher R. Steitz, age 23, passed away on N ov. 17, 2006 i n Dallas, Texasfollowing a two-month hospitalization for inj uries received

in an auto accident in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is survived by his par

ents, Dan and Carol Steitz, and his sister, Katelynn, all of Au r or a, Col o.

Chris was born at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, A u r or a, Col o , on Nov. 25, 1982. He was raised in Aurora and graduated f r o m

Rangevi ew High School in 2001 with hi gh academ i c h on ors. H e w as a

t rophies. Dili gence and det erm ina tion in the face of adversity were som e of Doug’s defining characteristics. He

m em b er of th e N at i on al H on or Soci

ety and a life-long m ember of Peace

w i t h Ch r i st Lu th er an ch u r ch .

worked hard and never gave up.

H e w as app oint ed t o t h e U n i t ed States Air Force Academy by U .S. Con gressm an Tom Tancredo, and j oined the “George S. Patton” Class of 2005.

While at the Academy, Chris excelled academ i cally, m ilit ar ily, an d i n th e athletic realm of cadet life. On June 1, 2005 h e gr aduat ed w i t h academ i c

Doug culminated his cadet career as a Squadron Comm ander and gradu ated with a degree in Operations Re

sear ch an d a cov et ed sl o t t o EN JJPT.

In 1997, Doug and Angie were married

and after completing F-16 training, they reported to his first and only duty station in the Air Force - M oody AFB in

di st i n ct i on , w i t h a Bach el or of Sci en ce

Val d o st a, Ga.

At M oody, D oug becam e a st eelyeyed fight er pilot known as “Buster.”

D ur i ng h i s fi r st com b at t our over Doug Roth enhofer Southern I raq in April 1999, he be cam e the first 68* FS Lieutenant to drop bombs in combat si n c e V i e t nam, contributing to the squadron’s 100 percent hit r a t e . H e w a s o n e

of the last active members of the 68* FS as they shut d o w n t o m ak e way for a new mission. Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (I FF) i n the AT-38C. Buster stayed at Moody where he became o n e o f t h e b e st IFF instructors on base. His humility and easygoing a t t i t u d e m a d e

the students respond to him, and he earned their respect b e c a u se h e was demanding and consistent. He was constantly selected a s t h e best instructor and Flight Commander in the squadron, a n d h e w a s recognized as Instructor Pilot of the Year in 2006 a n d n o m i n a t e d f o r a Daedalian Award j ust before his death . Buster was an e m b o d i m e n t

of Air Force values and offi cership — an asset to his c o m m a n d e r s a n d a mentor to countless young fighter pilots.

Although he had an admirable career as a fighter pilot, Doug would

want to be remembered as a great husband and father to his daugh ter Katie and their second daughter who will be born in April. These were the most important duties in his life. He always picked up Katie from dance class, never missed a school activity, and was quite ca pable at blow -drying and styling Katie’s hair with a b o w t o m a t c h h e r outfit, an essenti^ accessory for aproper Southernlady. No man could know him without being inspired to be a better father a n d h u sb a n d .

Doug was president of the Footprints Sunday School c l a ss a t P a r k Aven u e U n i t ed M eth odi st in Val d ost a an d th e l ast l esson he gave was on being prepared for death and the hope we have in et e r n al l i f e . P e r haps this is God’s way of comforting us and letting us know that Doug was prepared for what lie ahead. He lived a great life serving his fellow man; he did it while maintaining unquestionable character, integrity, an d fai th , an d h e fi n i sh ed w h at h e n eed ed t o d o on t h i s e ar t h i n o r d e r

to return to the arms of his Savior. It is perhaps n o c o i n c i d e n c e t h a t h i s leadership devotional cited 2 Timothy 4:7 on December 1, the day of his death. “I have fought the good fight, I have fi nished th e r ace, I h av e kept the faith.” Although he will be missed, we are truly blessed to have had him in our lives, if only for a little while. Godspeed, my friend.

(Submi tted by his fri ends, Nath an Hansen, ’95; an d Tony M ulhare, ’95) F o r m o r e cu r r en t i n f o r m at i o n ab o u t

gr aduate death s, pl ease vi si t the AOG web site. www.usafa.org 98

degree in Foreign Area Studies and a minor in Arabic. He was recognized

as the outstanding cadet in Arabic by the Department of Foreign Lan guages. While at the Academy, Chris was a glider instructor pilot and Ch r i s S t ei ts

earned his private pilot license. He was a member of the Academy’s M en ’s So ccer Team an d con sid ered a b r oth er an d fr i en d t o h i s t e am

mates and squadronm ates of CS - 18.

After succeeding at everything the Academy placed in fr on t of h im ,

Chris was selected for the U .S. Air Force Euro-Nato Join t Jet Pil ot Trai n ing (ENJJPT ) program and assigned to the 80* OSS, Class 0 7 - 0 1 a t

Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. To no one’s surprise, h e ex c e l l e d a t the program’s intense training curriculum. It was noted t h a t h e achieved an unprecedented 100% pass rate on daily training s o r t i e s

in both the T-37 and T-38 phases. He was scheduled to graduate from that program on Nov. 9, 2006.

Chris’ life took an unfathomable and unexpected turn b e f o r e h i s

highly anticipat ed graduation from ENJJPT when he w as critically inj ured in a car accident on Sept . 22, 2006. While in the hospital for

nearly two months Chris reminded us all just how strong, c o u r a g e o u s , and fearless of a man he was. Unfortunately, the battle he was fi ght ing proved insurmountable as he succumbed to his injuries a n d w e n t to rest eternally.

Chris’ need for adventure and thirst for knowledge a n d u n d e r st a n d

ing were a m aj or component of his character. His excitem ent a n d passion for life directed his extensive travels throughout Europe and N orth A frica.

(Con tin ued on th e last p age.)

At press time we had learned of the deaths of the following

graduat es: Dr. Jonathan G. Rand, Class of 1968, who died on Jan. 13,

2007 of can cer in M en if ee, Cal if .

Lt . Col. (Ret) Russel W. Lines, Class of 1967, who d i e d o n Dec. 30, 2006 of a brain tumor in Valrico, Fla. Col. (Ret) Walter L. Visinsky, Class of 1967, who died o n F eb .

3, 2007 in Colorado Springs.

Lt . Col. (Ret) Lawrence W. Lowery, Class of 1974, who d i e d on Jan. 8, 2007 in Colorado Springs.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of t h e se gr adu at es.

to get thegroup together at all. (What’sthat you said about ‘herding cats’?)

Our intent wasto get theAir ForceMemorial in thephoto, as it was in clear view through thewindow.When I saw thebrightness of the background, however, I knew we’d belucky to get face recognition. Further, the gent whom

wegot to takethepicturedidn’t get high enough. Oh w ell , w e t r ied .”

‘‘Also,you will seethat not all the ’59ersattendingt h e se r v i c e an d f u n er al

cameto the reception wherethepicturewastaken. Not present for thephoto were Blackwell, Davey, Connally, Lanman and Morgan. Dell’s daughters, Kathryn Buck and SuzanneOrr,arein thecenter of thepicture holdinghands.

Left to right are H.T. Johnson, John Gulledge and wife Pil i i n fr on t of h im ,

M ike Rear don an d w ife M arian , Brock Str om , Bill M cLai n, Charlie May,Wayne

Jefferson,RickCarr,Dell’sdau^ terKathrynBuck,Ken t M ont avon , Bob Oaks,

Dell’sdaughter Suzanne Orr,Jimmie and Judy Jay, Lorin Krueger, JoeDeSantis,

An n a an d Bill Telford , an d Jean Carr.”

Normally, I don’t clutter up thecolumn with our family tr avels, but our lat e

li l H H B B B fi

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B li l l B O B H B I

Q Q B B B i i l CI B

November trip to Texas afforded the opportunity for v i si t s w i t h sev er al cl a ss mates of note. During Thanksgiving week with our son in D al las, w e dr ove down to Rockwall for an aftern oon with Dave and Margaretta Gr oar k , m ar veling, asalways, at her energy and “up-ness.” Daveand I set theworld aright over a wee dram of quite decent Scotch whileWendy and Margaretta were strolling around the lake performing theAnti -Cancer M i n d M el d .

r:#;

N E W S ]’

85%

Pet e Todd 12 50 Big Valley Drive Colorado Springs, CO 8 0 9 19-10 15 H: (719 ) 53 1-58 74 FAX: (719 ) 5 3 1-6 6 97 E-ma il; pet et odd@comcast .net

In D ecem b er, Bill Telfor d w r ot e in w i th an accou n t of the moving funeral an d m em or ial services for our M en d an d classm at e Bob Delligatti. ‘‘Although

the occasion was a sad one, the service was truly memorable. I t w a s a ‘f u l l honors’ ceremony with band, two fl ights of airmen/women fr o m t h e h o n o r guard, a five-member rifl e salute team, and caisson w i t h si x horses, one with the empty saddle. A stirring — and very | I ^ moving— ceremony.Theinterment waspreceded by a short church serviceat the Ft. Myer chapel, at which Bob O ak s r ead Dell ’s personal history. He did a wonderful job. ‘‘By theway, the chapel was‘standing room only’ thankst o 26 alargeturn out fr om classmembers: Oaks, H.T.Johnson, M ay , Jefferson, Montavon, Reardon, Strom , McLain, Gulledge, Sabro Society Do no rs Krueger , Jay, Telford, Carr , Davey, Morgan, Connally, Lan m an , D eSan ti s an d Bl ack w ell .

‘‘Following the burial ceremony, most of us attended a reception (hosted

by Dell’s two daughters and families) at the Sheraton near Arlington. Once again, a top notch affair. The daughterswere deeply moved by the obvious bond that exists among ’59ers and thanked us all personally for attending.

“The accompanying picture is not the best, but it’s a m i r a c l e w e w er e ab l e

JOI N T H E SA BRE SOCI ETY!

Y O U R M O N EY H EL P S FU N D CA D ET W I N G PRO GRA M S T H AT W O U L D O T H ERW I SE G O U N FU N D ED .

CA L L T H E A O G F O R I N F O .

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1

The travelers and thegracioushosts.

The followingweek, wefl ew down to San Antonio to spend some time with Jim and Rose Brovm .Whilewewere in town, Jim organized separate dinners with Walter and Fani Schmidt and Ed and Sharon Rosane, plus a luncheon with Jerry and Joan Garber and Paul and Barbara Lasen (w h o dr ove all th e way from their home near Austin for the occasion!).

T h e Tex a s L i m ch B u n ch

Finally, here is part 2 of Flak Will iams’ commentary on life in Italy: “ Food/ Wine: Have not found a bad example of either. Only problem isthat there are not that many restaurants that aren’t Italian.A noted appetizer is an insalata caprese,which consists of somefr esh basil, leaves, sli ced m ozzarella di buffala, and sprinkled with olive oil. The cheesei s m ad e fr o m w at er b u f fal o milk and there arelargeherdsof these around the area.You can buy very good “tablewine” for about $1.25.We happen to live above a store that specializes in cheese, bread, deli meats and wine - wewere there f i r st . ” Garbage: Bob Oaks told me to apply the six foot rule when in the Napoli area - don’t look at anything below six feet and you will fi nd the area very attractive. There is the usual crud you fi nd in most big cities throughout the cities here. But for some reason the Napolese for the most part don’t care.

Driving along the autostradayou see piles of garbage in the areas designated for emergency stopping (somemay bewhat wastherew h en Bob O w as h ere).

99

Partsof Italia avery involved in recycling; herethey do it the old fashioned way - they bum it, and if it is during a timewhen thereismoisture in the air, you get a film on your car that is hard to get off. The stench can be pretty potent at t i m es.”

Prosti tution: Legal in Italia, but pimping is not.Yo u see t h em al l ov er . T h er e

is onewho pliesher wares on the side of the road about half way between our house and th ebase. OneSaturday about 11:00 shewasthereaswas aguy selling knives and pictures (strange combination).Another teacher wanted to buy a picture, but only had a large bill. The guy did not have change, but went to the ‘pro’ who just happened to be better prepared for business, an d w a s ab l e t o make change.The teacher wasn’t sure shewanted it, a s i t w a s n o t cl ear w h er e i t h a d b een .”

F i r e w o r k s; T h e I t al i an s l ov e ‘em a n d set t h em o f f at all hours of the day and

night: 0730 the other morning, again at 0130, and at midnight last night. New

Ye ar s Ev e i s l i k e a w a r z o n e h e r e a n d w e a r e n o t cl o se to the Napoli.”

Kodak M oments: It isnot unusual to see men along the sideof the road help ing to keep the plantsgreen (haveyet to see awoman). The other day wewere in bumper-to-bumper traffi c going into a small town.A car wasparked on the side of the road next to a ditch. Standing next to ditchwasasm^ boycindhis mother. She was holding his wee wee so he could wee wee, and facing the road, no attempt to shield him and he had a grin on his face.A few days ago in Roma, acrossfrom the train stati on, saw a guy “watering” a tree; h e w as about 20 feet from the street but was facing away fr om same.

Unforgettable Sights: I came out of the RomaTYain Stati on and was crossing the street.At the comer was awoman talking to the polizia. Shewas short and abit on theplump side. Shewaswearinga rain hat, apullover shirt that reached h er m i d st o m ac h an d b o o t s th at co v er ed h er an k l es - and nothing in between!”

Travel is indeed broadening. St. Augustine once observed, “ T h e w o r l d i s a book and thosewho do not travel read only one page.” Thanks for your great insight into a whole chapter. Flak!

Thought for the Quar ter: If you must choosebetween two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before. ”

f A .J. (Rosie) Cler, Jr. 9 1 8 0 Co o rs B lvd . NW # 1 0 0 3 Albuquerque, NM 8 712 0-3 114 Phone: (50 5 ) 897-4 4 20

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E- m a i l : RCt h e r o s e @a o l .c o m

In October 20051went to a reunion and met my high sch ool sw eeth eart ,” wroteWalt Futch. “Elaine Hierswasreti red and living in Colum bu s, GA, w here sh e m oved to care for h er m oth er. We w ere both available; so, af ter a nu m b er of trips to Georgia we got married in California May 3 P', 2006. We st ill travel between California and Georgia.” (Walt’s wife, Marti, d ied 30 M arch 2003.)

was a school teacher. Moving fr om Rogers to Crosby, N D in 1948, w e ar r ived amid severe thunderstorms, hail and a nearby tornado. I spent most of my teens here and call it home, although my senior year we moved and I gradu ated high school in Carrington, ND, my ‘home of record.

“In February, 1956, 1received a Nomination to USAFA, t est e d at E ll sw o r t h AFB, and received my ‘Doolie telegram’ May 14th. Although I knew a couple of North Dakotaguystakingthetestswith me, I knew no oneupon arrival at Lowry July 9th. Assigned to 1st Squadron, my fi rst roommatewasGeorgeCollier fr om Galveston TX,who introduced meto pecan pie (still my favor ite). My Squadron Commander wasLt. Gerald O’Mal ley. Af r ■ ter summer training I was assigned to 5th Squadron, Capt.

Raymond Barton,AOC. I believe my roommatewas Charlie 4' 14 Hart. I stayed in 5th Squadron all four yearsand my l ast r o o m matewasGary Van Singel.After pilot training at Marianna, FL 17 and Selma,AL it wasRC-121sat Oti sAFB, and during the Bay of Pigswe flew AEWC between Florida and Cuba.

Sabre Society Do no re “From Massachusetts it was to PopeAFB for C-123 train ing and thenViet Nam, arriving in Saigon Oct. 1, 1963. H ef t Viet Nam Sept. 30, 1964 with 490 combat support hours, 4 09 C S so r ti es an d fi v e Air Medals. Next wasC-130s at Topeka, KS. Resigning my commission, I en tered theUniversity ofWashington Graduate School in September 1965, gradu ati ng in ’67with a MSin Aeronauti cs and Astronauti cs and immediately went with Aeroj et-General in Sacramento designing rocket engines, lasting 27 years (with side careers in dairy farming, teaching, property m an agem en t).

“In 19951became a consultant to CSD, an aerospace company in San Jose, CA, attended Cal-Davisasan Environmental Management student, an d in 1998 I became General Manager of a small manufacturing company in Carson City, NV In 1999 my wifeand I started abusinessbuying and sellffi g Nati veAmerican Indian Jewelry and I got promoted fr om General Manager t o C h i ef G o f er . I st il l have that positi on.

“I fi rst saw Judy Sims in the spring of 1957. She was dancing with Charlie Har t. Judy and I started dating a couple weeks later. When I proposed New Years Eve, 1958, she said ‘You know 1will marry you some day, just not now.’

Thefollowing summer I met Cleone and wemarried, raised a son and a daugh ter, and we had two grandchildren before she died in 2 0 0 3 o f b r e a st c a n c er .

Our son, Christopher, age 40, and daughter, Christina, 38, b oth live in Sacra mento, CA; Christopher isahydrologist with the Bureau of In dian Af fairs, an d Christi na isa professional photographer with two sons, Cody and Corbin, and one daughter,Alexis.

“In 2003, 1returned to USAFA for theArmy football gam e/ M i n i -Reun i on .

Knowing Judy (Sims) Rodrigue waswidowed, I invited h er t o th e even t , an d on New YearsEve she accepted my 45-year-old proposal. We married May 31, 2004, with fl agsat half-staf f and lotsof ladies crying. B et w een u s w e n o w h av e fi ve children and seven grandchildren. We are healthy, happy retirees who spend our time between homes in Littleton, CO, Reno, NV an d on -th e-road in a Prowler travel trailer, and my hobbiesare sellingjewelry at craft shows and reading. My only health issues have been a knee replacement in 1997, an d a pulmonary embolism while I was still in the hospitd .” (R: I asked Jim : “W h at dead dude would you like to invite to dinner?” His response: “Although it might be unpleasant visually and aromatically. I’d invite Mohammed, asking ’

Yo u r A O G int ro d u ce s

Z o o m i e lM a t i o n Y O U R A O G FA C ES A P IV O TA L EL ECT IO N ■ Le a r n a b o u t t h e c a n d id a t e s

■ Find o ut w he re cand id at es st and o n

impoff ant issues

Newlyweds Wal t and Elaine Futch.

Brassies. Mashies. Niblicks. That’swhat (really) “old-guys” Dave Sweigart and Gary Sheets (probably) used for the ServiceAcademy G o l f C l assi c O ct o b er 2 1-24, 2006, an N CAA -san cti on ed t ou r n am en t h eld at Trophy Club CC near Fort Worth for graduates and Academy teams from U SAFA , U SNA an d USMA.Their “pro” during the pro-am round was Robert Whimey (AFA 2008) — Ro b er t ’s b r o t h e r T h o m a s i s a f o u r t h cl a ssm a n a n d the USAFA golf team’s super star, vdnning the overall individual competition shooting a record 66.

U SA FA w o n 1 1 o v er U SM A an d 17 o v er U SN A . T h e an n u al tourney started in 1993 by BOl Reemtsma (deceased,AFA ’63), and is moving toWashington, DC t h i s F al l .

Now back to The Dak ota Ki ds... ]ames Edward Buj al ski (Cath ol ic Ch oir

4,3,2, Gu n Clu b 3,2,1, Lacr osse Club 2, Radi o Clu b 4,3, Ski Cl ub 4,3,2,1, Ski

Control 1,Wrestling 4,3,2): “Born June 23, 1938, the fi fth of six children, my father was a Polish immigrant with a 4th grade education, a n d t h e r ai l r o a d agent in Rogers, North Dakota (State Flower:Wild Prairie Rose). My mother 10 0

■ Personally engage, and ask candidates t heir posit ions

A L SO C H E C K O U T T H E S E O T H E R G R EA T Z O O M I E N A T IO N F U N C T IO N S :

■ Share your photos and blogs wit h friends ■ Professionally network wit h grads t o find jobs (separat ing or post -milit ary) ■ Sell or rent your home ■ Engage in ment orship opport unit ies w w w . z o o m i e n a 't i o n . c o m

him what he thinks of the current interpretation of the Koran hy today’s Mus lim clerics.”). “Boj o,” a.k.a. Jim: jcenterprises@earthlink.net.

Sizedoesmatt eABill Zersen went to his50“’ high school reuni on in Elm h urst, IL, chronicling his driving trip from home in California to Bellingham,WA, then Canada and back to California. Neither joke nor jest, the gist of Bill’s note is “a return to my roots,” and at 3,052 words is simply too longto r this column — contact Bill at wzersen@earthlink.net for a “good r ea d .”

Friendly Fire. Phil Meinhardt and companion,Veronica, living in San Di ego, went last fall to Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island. This dynamic duo is cur rently marketing alineof “Colonel Phil ” salad dressings... Van Inwegens spent two-and-a-half weeks in RussiaJune-July ’06— 11-day St. Petersburg to Mos cow cruise with three days in each city before and af ter th e cru i se; w eek on H aw ai i an d t w o w eek s i n M au i

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On Jan. 12* classmates Charley Dixon, Bill Foster (and T h ed a), Steve H o (and Lynn), Lowell Jones (and Sandy), John Kohout, Bill Sanzenb ach er , an d Bill Stackhouse helped bid goodbye to Karl. The Graveside Ser v i c e w as m o v ing and memorable, with the fl ag ceremony performed by two youngAir Force airmen and Taps by another airman. JeffWhitaker (one of Karl ’s fou r son s) reminded everyone that Karl wanted the reception following the ceremony to be a celebration, and our classmates complied. The comments from family an d th e sev en C l a ss o f ’6 1 a t t e n d e e s f o l l o w e d a b u f fet . Each classmate pro vided his favorite Karl memories, and then they sang “ H er e’s a t o a st ... an d t h e Air Force song”. Three other Air Force members, including o n e f ro m U SA EA ’66,joined them in song. Dianne and family greeted and embraced all guests with charm and grace. Karl would have been proud of them for making it such a meaningful and wonderful day for all.

Doc Arnold reports that Charlie and Lynda Neel visited W e st e r n C o l o r a d o for fast recreational skiing, property investment, touring Grand Junction’sfi ner sites (e.g., the Chrome Buffalo at theWells Fargo Bank), and an opportunity to regale Doc and Marty with tales of derring-do (e.g., like how to catch a ground hogwith your barehandsand a hankie). They left a roaring v o r t ex in t h e t o w n on their departureand promised to return to watch theunloading of theKroger grocery truck. Charlie’s version was that Doc j oined Charlie for a couple of days of skiing at Powderhom , after which the Neels enjoyed a night at the best bed an d br eakf ast in Gran d Ju n cti on : th e h om e of D oc and Marty.

Bill Aylsworth says that theAylsworth family has moved. Last summer they bought an existing house on a lake south of Miami and spent many months renovating. While still not done, they’re down to details. They’ve already had a number of guests. Among names recognizable to our group are Gene and Judy Davis, who went to Miami for the book fair in N o v em ber. As part of the reorganization. Bill and his daughter Vestalia, still hisparmer in Aylsworth & Aylsworth LL R m oved r 1 1 \ t h e l aw o f fi c e t o a m o r e so u t h e r n l o c a t i o n a n d c l o se r t o

hom e. Bill ’s new con tact inform ati on (for a chat or legal help) Van an d Russian Fri en d at th e M useum ofVodk a (2,651 types) in Mandroga.

September/October ’06... J.T. and Diane Smith visited Lim a, Cuzco, M acchu

Picchu and theGeoglyphs. “Cuzco at 1I K-i-reminded me of my fi rst few daysin the Springs,” wroteJT... Mosiers cruised from Venice October 21-28 ’06, stop ping in Bari, Italy, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens and Corf u , Greece, an d Dubrovnik, Croatia, for their 44th anniversary,with #3 daughter, Debbe... Ron and ConnieYateswereskiingin Austria at Zell am Z il l er n ear In n sb r u ck w i th so n WadeJanuary 19-28,2007— “TheAlpswere beautiful and th e resort m assive, with over 200 lift s,” said Ron... John and Nancy Gonsky saw Italy from Pompeii, Isle of Capri, Rome, Florence,Venice, Naples to theAinalfi Coast ... Mayberrys came through ABQ and we lunched at Sadie’s— they were back from Sicily, Malta, Gozo andXlendi islands, then Century’sship to Nice, Malaga, Madeira, Miami... Haneys doaGreekIslescruiseMay ’07... Gordon Flygarecompleted 42 sessionsof proton therapy for prostatecancer in December/ January at theMD

A n d e r so n C an c er C l i n i c i n H o u st o n . . . Fr e d Po r t er t ea ch es at U SA FA ’s A er o

Department, Computers-ColoradoTech, ME/Aero-CU/CSprings.

The Colorado Clan gathered December 9* for their Christmas Party at the Waddles’ clubhouse: Steve& Kathy Bishop, Dick & Sharon Schehr , Elain e & Jack Brush,John & DeanneMcCullough, Bmce& Caryl Mosier,Hope& Jock Schwank, Ron & ConnieYates,Carole& Andi Biancur,Wayne& Barbara Kendall ,Jean n ette & Jim Glaza, Mary & Jim Waddle, bachelorsTony BileUo an d D ick Sexton (Car ol and Sally were shopping in Germany). Dick expatiated that “The GQ Award went toWayneKendall for hisred plaid vest and gorgeousti e. D eco r at i o n s w er e beautiful, the dress festive, the drink bracing, the food scrumptious, and the company energetic.” (R: It wasjust swell , everyonewas above-average, all joined handswhile crooning Kumhaya and lived happily ever aft er).

IN JU N E: Lal i m e-Bu r sh n i ck -d e l a Cr uz d edi cate AF M em ori al .. . Ro m an

Blast Redux... Navy’s “Mr.Roberts”... MiniSki XVII ... Gary Karshnick cheats death in helicopter crash ... O’Rourke-Luck-Delisanti-Kaspar-O’Kee f e “Sleepless in Seattle”... DS’ “Ghost of Christmas Past”... M i k e L o h fl u n k s A FA

en t r an c e ex am in ’5 6 ?

Bye from the Rose.

I

i ijlf!/ Earl N. N e ls o n ” O ’ Re a r

^ 50582 Stonington Drive (

'V

Granger, IN46530-8243

M e m b e rs

H: (574 ) 273-2 5 97

E-m a i l : EN Oa n d TJ O@a m e r it e c h .n e t

Class Web Site: www.usafal 961.org

We lost two great classmates this quarter: Bob Dingle a n d K a r l W h i t a k er .

Their biographies are in the Gone But Not Forgotten sec t i o n .

Bob passed away from cancer on Dec. 1,2006. John Moore an d L es Scl m ei d er a t t en d e d t h e m e m o r i a l ser v i c e f o r B o b o n D ec . 8 * i n Spokane, WA. It was conducted by family members in a simple,yet touchingway. Bob would have approved. The flag ceremony, playing of Taps, and rifle volley were done by the Fairchild AFB Honor Guard. They did our service proud.

is: 12307 S.W 143rd Lane, Miami, Florida33186,Telephone: (3 0 5) 4 0 2 - 14 0 0 .

A '

13

Deeand DougCairns spent Christmas in Tuscany, Italy,w i t h 8«br« Society their son Rob and hisfarnily.They arefi ndingoff-season t r av el Dono r* theway to go because the crowds aren’t there and the prices are better. Currently, Doug is in therapy for double k n e e replacement. Physical therapy, that is, although he says mental therapy might not be completely uncalled for.

Richard Davis is still enjoying the high desert of YuccaValley after a record cold snap about 15 January.Things arevery conveniendy located, an d it does not take much time to get to places there. Still, the ar ea d o es l ack so m e r et ai l establishments, such as aTarget.

Paul Dean indicated that many graduatesin the Dallas-Ft Worth areaplanned to attend the February basketball game when Air Force plays there. He and several others are also planning for the Moody AFB 63B pilot training class r eu n i o n i n A d an t a t h i s O c t o b er .

Bob Heriza ishaving so much fun skiing (2-3 ti mes a w eek) th at he w oul d li ke to check on interest in a get-together in January or March of 2008. Log in to www.anthonylakes.com and check what they have to offer. Then indicateyour in t er est at

rheriza@bakervalley.net.

Tom Hill plans to coach baseball again this spring. He is doing much better since he got his new hip.

Henry and Peggy Howe will be in Loveland, CO at the en d o f M a r c h t o c el ebrate her father’s 90* birthday.

Lowell Jones said that the ’61DC area contingent had t h ei r fi r st l u n ch eo n o f 2007. Attending were: Dixon, Foster, Ho, Jones, Kohout, Negroni , Pattie, and Sanzenbacher. Terry Norris is sti ll recuperati ng from hisprostate surgery, and doing well, while Jack McDonough had a contractor at his home doing re pairs/upgrades, Bill Stackhouse had a contractor at hishome installing gran ite counter tops, and Jim Rogers wasvacationing in the Dominican Republic.

They had a great time eating good seafood and tellingw ar st o r i es. H ec t o r fi ll ed them in on the current statusof the classgift for our 50* and theAOG proposal for a new funding foundation. Remembering our recent lossof Karl \^ taker, they toasted all of our departed DC-area classmates, including in addition to Karl: Norm Cam pbell, Jim Dickson, Karl Kellerman, Darrell Koer n er , an d D i c k M i l n e s. G o d B l ess t h e i r m e m o r i es.

To celebrate their 70“' birthday the week of 13-20 January,Wayne and Dean Jones gathered at Breckenridge, CO with more than 20 fam ily members and friends. The skiing, snowmobiling, and dogsledding were perfect, and they managed to stretch that birthday party over the entireweek. They planned to th aw o u t w i t h an o th er r en d ez v o u s i n C ab o Sa n L u c a s in February.

In February, Bob Kellock and Samantha Carlson flew to Pu er t o Vall ar t a, Mexico, to watch the fi nishesof Del Rey Yacht Club’sPV2007 sailing races. They attended partieswith the organizers, early arrivals. Sal sa Fleet , sm all er racers and faster racers from Sunday through Saturday nights, and then as they re ceived their trophies. Bob was in the Salsa Fleet for PV 20 03 an d Sam an th a w as delivering aboat from the PV2003 racewhen they had their fi rst magical meet ing in Turtle Bay. They recently drove to Battle Mountain, NV, t o “rescu e” a 10 1

Pomeranian/ Chow Chow mix puppy that was headed for the pound. While Bob still works at Boeing-Long Beach, they stay very busy conducting sailing races for their respective clubs, cruising in Bob’s sailboat, and running back and forth to Arizona (Samantha’s roots and possibly a retirem en t h om e) an d Wat er t ow n , NY (Bob ’s r oot s an d 50th H S r eu n i on ) , al l the while loving life together.

Jerry Left on recently had a successful quintuple bypass heart operation in Tucson. He is recovering nicely at his son’s home there. Knowing Jerry, he is probably in a countdown to how many daysbeforehe can get back to the golf course. They hope to be home in North Carolina by the time you read this.

Jerry and Jo Mason threw their second annual Gra}1:ag Super Bowl party.Jim and Nancy Wilhelm and PB and Marilyn O’Connor attended t o w at ch Jo’s b el oved Bear s cm m bl e. But th e com m ercials w ere f un , and Jerry made a pot of his nearly world famous chili, some of which was saved for Jerry and Sue Lefton, who had to cancel because of Jerry’s heart surgery. (There’s nothing like chili to put one on the road to recovery.) The chili must have been pow erful, because Jerry sent a picture of the three guys showing PB taller than either Jim or Jerry.

Hector Negroni suggested that classmates attend thisyear’sversion of the Hospices of Sonoma (19-22April 2007), organized by Bri ce Jon es. For f urth er detai ls,visit hiswebsiteat http:/ /www.hospicesofsonoma.org/ This entirely unique Pinot Noir event, with its auction, is the only place in theworld where thepublic can barrel-tasteand bid on themost recent vintage Pinot Noirsfrom nearly 40 of theworld’spre-eminent producersfr om th e Son om a Coast , Ru s sian River Valley Green Valley and Sonoma Carneros appellations. Spend the weekend with the winemakers and barrel taste unique w i n es cr eat ed ex c l u sively for the event, and prepare to bid on some. The net proceeds fr om this even t b en efi t th e W CC Ch ar itable Fou n dati on , w h ich disperses funds to a se lect group of charitiesdedicated to helpingchildren at r i sk an d d i sab l ed A m er i can military personnel and their families. Brice said t h at i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e sch edul ed festivi ti es, Zoom i es an d th eir l adi es w ill begin the party Thursday night, 19April,when his new wine, EMERITUS, makesitspublic debut.There will also be optional formations on Friday and Sunday. An independent wine critic, James Laube, recently pronounced Brice’s Pinot Noir outstanding after blind tastetests. Why arewenot surprised?To sign onto themailinglist for this wine, go to www.emeritusvineyards.com.

Tom Wilson said that they were then experiencing 48+ h o u r s o f b el ow z er o temperatures, so Judy and hewerelooking forward to spending themonth of March enroute to and returning fr om Sarasota, FL driving f o r t h e fi r st t i m e .

Then they fly to Montgomery for Tom’s 50* high school reunion in lateApril.

It doesn’t seem possible that WE are now the old grads.

Thanks to everyonewho contributed this quarter. Even though not much may happen,we are aUstill interested in hearing about it. It helpsusto keep up with you and adds another layer to the bondswe already h av e .

challenging 8-miler, rising3000 feet,listed in thePar k Ser vi c e h an d o u ts as ‘st r en u ous.’ We thought the long views of Texas/ New Mexico wereworth the trip

P a u l L a n d er s an d so n Sc o t t

Now a word or hundred fr om Don Shepperd. “I think you’re going to have me to kick around a littlewhilelonger. I just visited my 96-year-old mother in hospice in San Antonio and I think I have at least some of her genes. I e-mailed the family and told them I thought shehad 2-3 weeksleft and if they wanted to see her it should be soon. They all packed up and traveled f o r o n e l a st e m o tional visit - that wastwo yearsago. Tightwad that sh e is, sh e h as det erm in ed to suck the Social Security system dry - to hell with the Babyboomers. Mother hasto bewheeled everywhereand sheshakesbadly, afamily female character istic, but she is reluctant to let anyone help her. ‘I CA N D O I T M Y SE L F !’ i s a familiar refr ain. She even helpsfeed others sittingby her at thetable, especially those suffering fr om strokeswho can’t feed themselves. I watched her try to feed a tablemate, but her shakingwasso bad I thought shewas going to bruise thewoman’sface or poke her eyewith a spoon.Thewoman ended up looking like my granddaughter after chocolate cake, so Mother laughed and cleaned her up - a sense of humor helps in hospice. Next, I show her pictures of the great grandchildren, shenamesthem^ andissurprised at their ages - big eye-furrows and head shakes; then her grandson, he i s 39, an d sh e w an t s t o know if that is her only grandson - ‘as far as I know. M o t h er .’ T h e r e w a s m o r e but I have space limitations. Thanks, Don. I hope she m ak e s i t t o at l ea st 100 .

V

Jo h n W . "Ja c k ” Ja m b a

fw ■ 'nSy

‘ 4 Judy Court

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77%

M e m b o r it

Sat ellite Beach, FL 3 29 3 7 H: (3 2 1) 77 7-5 52 0 0 : (3 2 1) 8 6 1-6 2 79 Cell: (3 2 1) 4 3 2-1370

E-Mail: Jwjamba@aol.com

Hi Redtags, Let’sstart offwith apicturetaken at theweddingcel eb r at i o n fo r H esh A l tm an ’s son Joel and his marriageto Marci. From left are Hesh Altm an , Ri ck Perl ott o, Gail Peck and Mike Butchko. Great time in LasVegas.

Don wi th hisgrandm other in hospice.

On a more seriousnote, George Bifolchi ’s brother’s r em ain s w er e r ec ov er ed recently.A news clip: ‘‘The DOD POW/Missing Personnel O f fi c e an n o u n c e d Oct. 26 that the remainsof an Airman, missing in action fr om th eViem am War, have been identifi ed and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Maj . Charles L. Bifolchi of Quincy, Mass.” On a personal note, I met Charlesoneday at theTan Son Nhut AB BX in 1967,1think, an d in tr odu ced myself and chatted a few minutes. Hewas avery personablem an . O u r c o n d o lences to the Bifolchi family.

And this in fr om Owen Hawkins. “I forgot to send this earlier, but Polly and Jack Swonson visited us back in August. Wewent out one night in San Fran c i sco t o a d i n n e r sh o w o n t h e w h ar f c al l e d T EAT RO Z I N Z A N N I and Polly got to dance with the master of ceremonies. Jack approved. P.S. Hope all iswell - stiUtrying to get out there to see a launch.”

And now a history lesson fr om Gail Peck. “Someof you might be interested to know that theAF declassifi ed aprogram I started lotsofyearsago - Constant Peg. It wasnamed for Peggy and related to adding real MiGsto theAF aggressor program. For my part I was initially the idea man and facilitator. Once we got

2 0 0 7 B o ar d E l ec t i o n s Next isnewsfr om Paul Landers. ‘‘Having retired fr om Ford Motor Company in Dec 05 (my third retirement), I am committed to living like every day is Saturday. We live at Eagle’s Bluff, just south of Tyler TX. We travel fr equently, host fr iends and family, play golf avidly but not well, and generally enjoy ev erything about thesesenior years. With my 67th birthday thi s m on th , I w an ted to do something different. My oldest son, Scott , and I made the hike up Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas, 8749 feet... not exactly Everest, but a 10 2

Th e b al l o t s f o r th e 2 0 0 7 E l e c ti o n o f A O G D i r e c t o r s h a v e b een m ai l ed . Th er e a r e six va c an ci es t o b e f i l l e d .

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ear n a b o u t th e c an d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

our web si te f or m or e inf orm ati on at www.usaf a.org.

theproject off the ground in Washington I came to Nellis to complete the con struction of the airfi eld at Tonopah, with a lot of great help I might add. I flew both the MiG-17 and MiG-21as an aggressor in theprogram an d l at er fl ew t h e F-15 against the MiG-23.Awesome! Glad we can now chat ab out it .” Gail , I always enjoy hearing about some little known historical f a c t s t h a t ar e r e vealed to the public.You had a great story there. T h an k s.

And a footnote from A1Mosher : “Gail—Guess I flew against you and didn’t know it wasyou. I was the guy who couldn’t keep up!

Note from John Flanagan on theWest Point game. “It w a s a c o l d an d c l e ar night, a bomber’smoon, on the Hudson asthrongs shivered an d ch eer ed t o a great AF victory. Great after loss to Navy. Biggest t h r e a t o f eveningwas being trampled at gatesasWP supportersfl ed in disarray at half-time. Only Red TagI spotted was Hal Rh o d es.

We exchanged some stories and reminiscences. Saw some ’59er’swho said that their major contingent was ensconced in fi ront of aplasmaTV in a Newburgh motel. Did managet o 11 recover someof my losses$$$ff om Navy game. Flan” T h an k s for the update, John.

Sabre Society Do n o rs Now for theChristmascard roundup. Charlie and Pat H al e traveled and saw family. Charlie still likes his work. So n i s making progress in theworld. Next, Larry and Penny Gooch were traveling a lot. Hosting grandkids. Penny still quilts. Larry is teaching Hispanic 4'^ grad ers. Next, John and Judy Dinsmore. Traveling and spoiling grandkids. John has added another layer of rust to hisJohn Deere tractor collection. Judy still sewing. Next, Willie and Nancy Gray. Mucho traveling including Hawaii, Canada and the Caribbean. Ebqjecting family for Christmas.WiUiewore afuzzy red wig on cruise. Next, Charlie and Mary Jo Price. Big trip to Africa for two weeks supporting a church mission.Another trip for Mary Jo’s nephew ’s re tirement from AF.A Price family reunion in Maryland. Next,Tom andVirginia Moore.Tom isteaching English to immigrants at their church.Virginiateaches piano. Older daughter, Elizabeth, married a Royal Canadian M o u n t ed Po l i c e man. Next, Dave and Ann Whitman. Three-week trip to England and Scot land. Summer family reunion in Estes Park. Next, Fred and Helen Hendryx.

Will sell their house and move into a patio homeASAP Next, Roger Smith. Still hasthe Underground Pub & Grill in Hermosa Beach.Visit h i m f o r a c o o l d r af t.

Next, Bob and Bobbie Gibson. Still loving thej ob. B o b sw o r e i n o l d er so n a s Marine 2Lt in March.Younger son on NROTC scholarship. Bob, at thisyear’s reunion, watch out for thosebearsin theparkinglot. Last, Bill and SueHaugen.

So many tripsthey werenever at home. Suestill doingantique and biblegroups while Bill is a docent at DullesAir & Space Museum .

The45'*’ classreunion isOct 31to Nov 3. Lookingforward to seeing you all there. Go Redtags! ’ ’

Norma n I. (Skip) Lee 6 3 1 1 9 E. Ca t Cla w La n e

80%

Tucson, AZ 8 573 9-2 0 58 Home: (5 20 ) 8 2 5-79 80 Cell: (5 20 ) 24 1-34 98 E- m a i l : 5 4 w rs @m s n .c o m

Since November wehave experienced thepassing of threem o r e o f o u r c l ass mates:WesWhite, Cal Nay and George Byron.

In late November theAOG notifi ed us of the passing of Wesley E.White, CS03, w h o died on Nov. 26th . A m em or ial service w as h eld in Arlington,Texas on

the29* at thePleasantview Bapti st Church in Arlington. C o n d o l en c es can b e

sent to son Brian and daughter Sherry. AddressisMs. SherryWhiteMoore3807 JulianasWay Round Rock, TX 78664.

In December theAOG informed usthat Calvin F. “Floyd” Nay, CS-22, passed away Dec. 11,2006. A funeral servicewasheld on Dec. 18* at th e U SAFA Cadet Protestant Chapel with agravesideserviceimmediately following at theU SAFA Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to his family in car e of h i s w i fe, Rose mary: Mrs. Rosemary Nay 3616 6th Ave. Parkersburg,WV26101.

In early January we were notifi ed that George Byron had passed away on

Dec. 28'*’. The fi rst indication of George’s passing w a s a n o t e f ro m c l a ssm a t e Jerry Adinolfl . A memorial servicefor Georgewasheld at theAcademy Chapel and Cemetery on Jan. 12, 2007 with Jerry offi ciating alongwith theUSA FA Catholic Chaplain Father Efren Adversario. Prior to th e ser v i c e a t t h e A c a d emy a funeral was conducted in San Francisco at St. D om in ic’s Ch ur ch on Jan .

8* . Despitethecoldandsnowonthedayof theceremony at theAcademy the USAFA Honor Guard did their usual impressivejob.

The good news about funerals and memorial ceremonies at theAcademy is how thorough and professional theAcademy Mortuary A f fai r s O f fi c e an d t h e Academy Honor Guard arein making the arrangements an d carrying out the event. If your wish or thewish of a c l assm at e is to be buried/memoriafi zed at theAcademy, notifi cation o f r ■ 'I a classmate’spassing to theAcademy’s Mortuary Af fairs O f fi ceisthefi rst and by far themost important step. Experience tells meyou could fi nd yourself involved in this step! As you

^ *'1

ar e aw ar e, a n u m b er of ou r cl assm at es ar e n ot con n ect ed

31

with theAir Force or theAcademy and their wives, c h il d r e n Sabre Society Do n o rs or friends don’t always know who to contact for making t h e arrangements. If ever faced with this issueyou need t o h av e the necessary contact informati on. Calling theAOGwill get you started. Also, th e A OG w eb sit e is an excell en t sour ce of inf orm ati on on the subject. Link to “Gone but not Forgotten.”

I have the greatest admirati on for our C-Springs-area cl assm at e s w h o h av e madea traditi on of rallying around to honor a classmatewho has passed away.

Weheard from many, including notesfrom Jim Winzell , Pat Car u an a, an d Bud Gilligan, telling how much they appreciate those who represent us on these important occasions.

O m * af

■ Jimmie Ouik r. t v Vsugluk

1963 Represen tation at Cal Nay ’s Funeral.

Many of uswould like to personally honor a classmate by attending the fu n eral / m em orial servi ce bu t it i s h ar d to b e at th e appropriate place with the u su al sh o r t n o ti ce . T h e A O G d o es h av e a n o t i fi c a ti o n system in place to let us know a classmatehas passed away and sometimesit also t el l s u s o f f u n er al o r memorial service arrangements. Unfortunately, theAOG’s system only covers a few people in the class. Bob Hayes does a great job getting info out to his email list but those are mostly locd classmates. Quickly getting word on this and other similar subjects to therest of usmight need somethought — maybe an e-mail and telephone process modeled aft er those o l d A i r F o r c e r ec all r o s ters. Arethere any ideas or suggesti ons? The ’63 websitei s an ex cell en t so u r c e of informati on but it isby nature a “pull system” and not very useful when time const raints exist for such things asfuneral or memorial service arrangements.

Speaking of thewebsite, Gil Merkle has done a great d eal o f w o r k o n t h e si t e .

He sent me the following: “ .. .the class website has been modifi ed (http:/ / www.usafa63.org). The look has changed a little but the signifi cant change is a new secti on: ‘Gone, but not Forgotten’. In this secti on, w e w i l l i n cl u d e so m e in form ati on on th e death of cl assm at es. It is still a work in progress and is not complete. Those gonewill belisted by name alongwith a copy of a noti cethat in f orm ed of th e death . If classm at es h ave in f orm ati on they would like to in clude in this secti on, please send to me (merkleg@texas.net), Jim m i e Bu tl er (j immieb@earthlink.net), or Bob Hayes (bcahayes@comcast.net).” Many th an k s t o Gil for all h i s w ork on th e w eb sit e.

Can you imagineTheVenk back in uniform?Well it is/was t r u e . B o b w r o t e

that “My top thrill in ’06wasmy daughter’swedding, but my best moment in uniform—perhapsin my LIFETIME- wasaceremony in Belgium six days later. Thepictureisof ErnieWarsaw,thelast survivingcrew m an , an d m e at th e

JerryAdinoln off iciating at GeorgeByron's Funeral.

monument we dedicated outside Montzen, Belgium on May 26,2006. I t h o n orsthelossof the 100th Bomb Group’s B-17F “Picklepuss” an d its crew, in clu d ing my uncle, SSgt Frank l ychewicz. He and fi ve of t h e o t h e r s d i e d th er e t h at day,Aug. 17, 1943. 1considered it a great honor to assist Ernie in unveiling the monument in a driving rainstorm that did not deter over 600 Belgians from attending! (See photo at the top of the next page.)

By the time this issue of Checkp oin ts gets to your m ai l b o x el e ct i o n s f o r t h e AOG Board will be in full swing. TWo of our classmates are running for Board positi ons: Mike Christy and Steve Dotson. You can fi nd m o r e ab o u t th eir c an didacy in theDecember issueof Checkpoin tsor you can look them up at the 10 3

myself!). There’s a lot of talk about travel to see grandchildren, Italy, Mexico, etc. - nothing about keeping the world safe for democracy!

Denny and Mary Jo Montgomery seem to be either skiing or going to Florida to see Siobhan (granddaughter). Steve and Virginia Croker managed a U.S. tour with some friends fr om Portugal, and Steve has even been apprenticing with a local furniture maker to get ready for a real r et ir em en t . Even Jim

Ver St r eat e ret i red in N ovem b er. Before h e ret i red , h e a n d Su e m a d e so m e practice trips to visit friends (who lived near golf cour ses) an d took a cru ise.

I

“Picklepuss” Monument Zoomie Nation website: log onto http:/ /www.zoomienation.com. You might also check out the USAFAToday websitewhereyou will also fi nd some spirited discussionsof thenewly proposed USAFA Foundation. C h u ck B u sh sen t an e mail announcing his support for Rodney Bullard from t h e C l a ss o f ’9 6 .

Reunion planningisunderway for thisyear’smini-reunion an d in ad d i ti o n Bo b Hayesvolunteered to chair thecommitteeplanningour 45'*“Reu n io n in 2(X)8 . B o b sayspreliminary plansarefor the to takeplaceduringthe2008 Navy football gamein late September or early October. Mark your c al en d ar s n ow !

That’s it for this time. Thanks all for the great inputs and if your input didn’t get in this time I will work hard at getting it into th e n ext issue. Tak e care.

Bo b Hov d e

77%

2 0 6 W a l k e r Av e .

Hunt sville, AL 3 58 0 1 (25 6 ) 53 2-3 923 W: (2 56 ) 716-2765 b o b @h o v d e . u s

Jim Fleming retired (except for someJudge Pro Tern work, being a mediator for the Courts of Appeal in LosAngeles and San Francisco, and serving as a Board Member for the Legal Aid Society, etc.). He and Jessica spent fiveweeks traveling around theWest. It got metired just reading about it!Terry and Nancy Isaacson both retired this year. Terry was also appointed to theAcademy’s Board ofVisitors for the next year. Gabe and Nancy Fai m o n t u r n ed th e t i d e o n everyone. Instead of taking a trip to visit family/ friends, they had a family reunion in Kansas and had everyone come to them!

Kris and Lura Mineau only got in a short trip to Bermuda thisyear due to his continuingwork with theMassachusettsFamily Institute. Sincethelegislature voted to move the proposed “definition of marriage” a m e n d m en t f o r w ar d i n January, it looks like Kriswill bevery busy thisyear. (Ha! Everyone isn’t retir ing, after all!) Ang and Ginger Cappuccio are stiUin Santa Ee, whereAng runs New Mexico’s version of CSI, fingerprinting and criminal records. (Living in Santa Ee ISbeing retired!) Nick Lacey, on the other h an d , ret ir ed fr om t h e Emergency Management Center business only to fall into a (short -term) j ob being a simulator instructor at Moody AFB. (Being around airplanes is more like retirement than working.) Patricia had better be careful, or one day while she’sbabysittingthegrandkids, Nick will comehomewith aTaylorcraf t! (Maybe ev en t h e sam e o n e h e h ad w h il e w e w er e at U SA FA - b u t that’s another story.)

Now. Since so many of you are retired and traveling ab ou t , it seem s lik e some of you would come through Huntsville on your way t o so m ew h e r e .

Please give a call if you’re near. You can be sure that I ’ll giveyou a call when I retire and start traveling around the U.S. (We’re getting our mandatory over seastourist traveling out of theway now - the Baltic, Canada, Ireland and Italy over thelast four years. Australia thisyear and Brazil next spring. (Maybe I can retire then. I have a large lathe in the shop and an urge to turn logs into bowls.

Between traveling and turning, I don’t have time for w ork .)

Keep those cards and letters coming, folks.

W : r h o v d e @d rs -t e m .c o m

/

Distinguished Graduate:You should be reading thisjust prior to the annual Founder’s Day ceremony at theAcademy (Mar 16), during which they will present Ed Mechanbier with his Distinguished Graduate aw ar d . (I w on der if he’ll ride into this one in a golf cart, like he did to his retirement ceremony!)

Anyway, congratulations, Ed! Catching up: There are timeswhen I don’t have enough r o o m f o r al l o f t h e n ew s I r ec eiv e an d o th er t i m es w h en 1h av e t o o m u ch room. I try to get to every letter / email within theyear, and I ’m just barely within that goal with a letter fr om Dave La Crofac. Dave said that, aft er practicing l aw i n F l o r i d a f o r o v er 3 0 years, he decided to take up something to regain his sanity.

So, like other of our classmates, he turned to writing- ev er y thing from novels to poetry. He sent along a booklet o f h u morouspoemstitled, “Love Poemsfor the Romance-Chal lenged - (All-Occasion Rhymes for Tongue-Tied Lovers).”

Tm not sure that Sandy would classify most of them a s “ r o mantic,” but they had me chuckling to myself.

43 McNish Update: Yona McNish sent an email (with several Sabre Society Dono rs children/ grandchildren pictures), saying that “Tom i s n o t o riously bad about keeping in touch, so it falls to m e . N o w w e have lots of news. Tom isin bed recovering (slowly) fr om a total knee replace ment. Thank you Hanoi Hilton and your ‘good treatment.’ Our year hasbeen a blessed one. In July our son Tommy and his vwfe, Nikki , had a little girl Dylan GraceMcNish. In September our daughter Amy and her husban d, Tim , had our fi rst grandson, Timothy Dale Hammonds, Jr. - k n o vm t o o n e an d al l as Dale. In December our daughter Lori married Wes Hohenstein. They are living in Raleigh, NC with the three girls,Allie, A m a n d a a n d N i k k i . O u r t o t al grandchild count is now fi ve and we enjoy every moment. ’64 Lunch Bunch: Paul Belmont sent newsthat the D.C.-area group met for lunch again this quarter and sent along the obligatory picture. (Yes, Paul . It’s very similar to the one fr om last quarter, but I do appreciateyour putting the names right on the picture itself!)

10* Sq. Newsletter: Nick Lacey, who’s been editing the 10* Squadron an nual newsletter for thepast several years,wrotethat heistrying to put together a complete set of the newsletters, which they’vebeen publishing since gradu ation. The idea is to present the collection to theAcademy library to provide "auniqueperspective regarding thelivesand careersof USAFAcademy gradu ates, in war and peace.” I think it’s a great idea. Tm sure the library would be interested in the other squadron newsletters that have been organized over the years (9* Sq.?).

In checking the mail, newsletters, etc., your dutiful scr i b e h as n o t i c ed a d i s tinct tendency towards retirement (a state in which I someday hope to fi nd

Rick Zurbrugg

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2 9 2 9 Ga v i n Pia c e

Dulut h, GA 30 0 9 6 (770 ) 476-4 437 E- m a i l : e z u r b @b e l ls o u t h .n e t

Hey ’65!

T ak e a f ew m o m e n t s t o r e m e m b e r o u r f r i e n d s a n d c l a ssm at e s w h o h av e

transitioned recently to eternity: Stephen Caldwell (Aug 19,2006) and Mike M u ld oon (D ec 2, 2006).

Our condolencesto Larry Rank whosewife. Pastor RamonaSoto Rank, passed on Jan 12* , 2007. Jim Perry’s wife, Kathleen Kopach, MD sent the following note to Bart Holaday: “To the USAFA class of ’65:Thank you for your gift to the Association of Graduatesin memory of my husband, Jim. Hewasproud to be amember of your classand the USAFA fani ily in general.Thank you all for your service to our country.”

Mark Johnson: “Attached is a photo of the ’65er s in a t t e n d a n c e a t B u t c h Deacon ’s internment at theAcademy on November 13th. D e a c w a s b u r i e d with full military honors. Bill Cathey presented the flag on behalf of a grateful nation to Butch’s sonWalter E. “Stormy” Deacon, III. In the photo are class mates Bill Cathey in uniform. Bill Wall , Carl Lyday, Bob McCollough, Max Cr eam er, an d M ar k Joh n son .

”

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Cathey, Wall, Lyday, McCollough, Cream er, Johnson say Goodbye to Deac.

A couple months ago, your scribe received a letter f r o m V er n M cG r aw ’6 8 fi lled with praise and affection for his doolie summer Element Leader (imag in e that), non e oth er th an our ow n H ow ard Hill .Vern sent on a fi ne story about Howard from The Bay Beacon — the Niceville and Okaloosa County, Florida local newspaper. The Niceville City Council and the O k al o o sa Sc h o o l B o ar d voted jointly to rename theTwin Oaks soccer facility " H o w ar d H i l l C o m m u nity Soccer Complex”. Highlights from the article: H o w a r d h a s l e d t h e PA L soccer league for 13 years, a 200-person volunteer organiza tion, now serving 1300boysand girlson 100teams. T h e sch o o l superi ntendent was quoted as saying, “Howard Hill is a b e A I 1 loved leader.. .works tirelessly for children, putting i n t h o u sands of hours a year making it possible for so many y o u n g people to participate in athleticsand supporting our sc h o o l s 26 in countless ways.” Howard has served on the Okaloosa School Board for 10 years including a recent unopposed r e Sabre Society Do no rs election to serve until 2010. The article made special m e n tion that Howard never referred in hiscampaign materi alst o hisserviceand sacrifi ce asaPOWfor fi veyearsand f o u r m o n th s o r h i s ex t en siv e list of combat decorations. The school board passed a u n a n i m o u s c o m m en dation paying tributeto Howard as“ahero of our community an d a h er o o f o u r country”. After liberation, Howard was welcomed at t h e W h i t e H o u se a n d served asprincipal adviser to SECDEF on POW-MIA issues an d h a s m ad e t w o tripsto North Viemam seeking accountability for his c o m r a d es. H i s l ast act i v e duty assignment waswith the Defense IntelligenceAgency an d h e r et i red a s a Colonel in 1990. Howard and Libby moved back to Nicevdlle where they had met while Howard was in pilot training.They have three a d u l t ch i l d r en . Ver n went on to say that Howard hasbeen a mentor and fri end for yearsand Okaloosa County loves him. Congratulations, Howard, your life o f ser v i c e t o o t h er s h a s made us proud and shown us all how to live. In people likeyou, the taxpayers certainly got their money’sworth from the class of 1 9 6 5 . _ vtSUI. '

rem inder: blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, PSA and darling digit , colonoscopy, and a 45 minute walk with someone you love every day. Read somewhere that, “The real struggle in marriage is over who gets to be crazy.”

And thereyou have it. Hey Brother, let the sunshine warm your face, enjoy every single day to the fullest. Bewell, do good work and keep in touch. As the ROC woidd say. Cheers! Rick Rya n De nny 163 5 Mary Todd Lane O’Fallon, IL 6 2 2 69 H: (6 18 ) 6 24-4 2 5 5 W: (3 14 ) 2 3 2-51 17 E-ma il: rya nd e n@ao l.co m

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M e m be rs

Greetings, Redtags! It doesn’t seem like our 40* Reunion wasthat long ago— but, then, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was a captain. Reestablishing connectionswith old friends, seeing those beautif ul mountains again (while not standing in formation), and the memori al services all still bring back in st an t m em o ri es an d em o t i o n s.

Af ter our ’66 memori al servicenear thePegasus, therew as an o t h er m em o ri al serviceheld by 8* Squadron to honor departed classmatesfrom that squadron.

Rick Cree sent me some photos and a “Reader’s Digest” version of a longer articlethat hewrotefor thisissueof Checkpoin tsabout theservice. Apparently, t h e r e i s a l i t tl e k n o w n ar ea at t h e n o r t h e n d o f t h e Academy Cemetery that contains memori al markers for deceased I ^ graduateswho areburi ed elsewhere. TheVA will even pay for thesemarkers, if they haven’t already paid for oneso m ew h ere else. Rick and John Steele, with th e help of the Academy mortuary offi cer,fi gured out how to get thesemarkersfo r th ei r 40 8* Squadron classmatesWalt Buck and Rich Hilker. Walt d i ed

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i n an ai r cr af t ac c i d en t in 19 7 0 an d Ri c h d i ed o f a h ear t at t ac k m 1996. Another 8* Squadron member, Nick Lanzilotta, d i ed

Sabre Society Do n o rs

of cancer in 2006, and already has a marker in the cem etery.

T h e m em o r i al se r vi c e c el eb r at ed th e l iv es an d ser v i c e o f al l t h r ee o f t h ese 8 * Squadron classmates. Ray Milberg, a deacon at a Catholic c h u r c h in C o l o r ad o

Springs, offi ciated at service, and eulogies were given by John Steele, Steve Cross, and Connie Teetz. The boys of “Evil Eight” have st ar t e d a C l a ss o f ’6 6 tradition that should help cement our red bricks into that long Blue Line. (I know the colorsclash and the metaphor is mixed, but they have started some thing special that the rest of us should think about following.)

Howard Hill — Hero of comm uni ty and coun try.

Gary Titmas: “I was very fortunate to get a consulting j ob with Lockheed Martin (LM) in Valley Forge, PA after Kay’s funeral. Keeping busy is a great medicine. The people at LM and my consultant comrades are all enjoyable peoplewith whom to work. Tom Meschko is also on the proposal consultant team (we sit next to each other in our regulation cubicles) a n d w e h av e h a d many good sessionsre-Uvi ng our respective careers. Tom had afantastic flying career — especially in the F-16.” Thanks Gary, and great to hear that you are doing well.

Bill Cole: “My boy Chri s is a senior at Baylor majoring i n operations m an age ment. He has done awonderful job... I’m looking forward to a pay raise in Dec when hegraduates. Meantime, I still fly a C-172 once a w eek . I t h as a w o n d er fu l GPSto keep mefrom getting lost and a “Glass Cockpit” that isvery cool. I’m also still spending lots of time in the gym at Dr Cooper’s fi mess center just near my house. Got to keep plugging away, eh?” Right On, Bill.

A classmatewho shall remain anonymous: “Havingjust signed up for Medi care as I approach 65, a Carlin-like idea hit me. Those o f u s in t h e cl a ss b l e ssed to be alive at 65 might need a classmotto change— 65, Still Alive. It’san expres sion of gratitude rather than braggadocio, sincewe d o h av e su ch l i t t l e c o n t r o l over our longevity: I still love my stent since it b ea t s so m e o f t h e al t ern at i v es. I may have aT-shirt made up: I Love My Stent. So thereyou are: Tee-shirts that say, “I Love My Stent” and “ ’65! Still Alive!”

Those detailed minded individuals amongyou may notice t h at t h e co l u m n isabout threehundred wordsand onepicture short thistime. Granted an overly vivid imagination, your humble scribe can’t make stuff up (there’s a thought).

Believe it or not, you have classmateswho are interested i n w h at ’s b e co m e o f you (even if you are pursuing perfection as a hedonist sl a ck e r a n d n e’er - d o well) even though you haven’t seen or heard from them since graduation.

Considering that many of us are retired, therewould be interest in heari ng the details of how you keep fi t, control your weight, your travels especially to visit classmates, and any new areas of study or expertiseyou have developed or in ways that you have found to serveyour community like H o w ar d H i U. Don’t be shy, not many of us have admirers left over from BCT and what you do may be a source of inspiration, comfort, or even humor to others. Fri endly

Ray Mil berg presides over the “first ever " 8^ Squadron m em o r i al ser vi c e a t theAcademy cemetery during our 4ff ^'Reunion.

Fred Hathorn and son Eric ran the Disney World marathon thisyear — fi n ishingjust ahead of the Seven Dwarfs. Fredwasone (maybe theor yone?) of our classmateswho went into the USArmy after graduation. Obviously, this

Fred Hathorn and son Eric during theDisney World marathon. (Aren ’t you supposed to berunning during these events?)

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has aff ected his thinking processes. Fred, whoselast long run wasto the Rock during doolieyear, started his training several months in advan ce of th e race, and kept with it — overcoming all of the excuses that m o st o f u s w o u l d h av e succu m bed t o, like b ad kn ees, sore b acks, com m on sen se, et c . F r e d a n d h i s

son made it through the entire race, and now are thinking o f During the same time period that we were having our r eu n i on , ou r class agreed to have a fund drive for a class gift to help f u n d a M em o r i al Pav i l i o n at theAcademy Cemetery. Because of your generosity, the d r i v e w a s a n o u t standingsuccess. VicAndrews passed on alert er from t h e A sso ci at i o n o f G ra d u ates, which said (in part): “Congratulations! .You hoped to raise approximately $270,000 ($250,000 for the Memorial Pavilion Services Room and $19,412 for p r oj ect cost s). Yo ur bal an ce (Cash an d Pl edges) today (2/ 13/ 07) is $404,522.66.Yo\i h av e c ov ered theproject costsand exceeded thecost of the M em o r i al Pav il i o n Ser vi c es Room by $135,110.66 and as directed by the Class Committee during your reunion, these excess dollarswill be applied to the M em o r i al P av i l i o n m ai n tenance endowment. Your extraordinary success is a result of good planning and powerful class leadership.”

The new building will be dedicated on 11May; if you’re in the area please j oin the ceremony and see what ’66 has done.

N o t t o o f a r fr o m C o l o r a d o t h e r e i s a w i l d st a t e c al l ed “ I d ah o ” t h a t i s o c cu

pied by farmers and fishermen. Among thefi shermen is an elite group — the Fly Fishermen. Some of our classmatesbelong to thiswiley band of men who trudgethrough rivers and streams, flashing their long linesthrough the air, in hope of convincing their prey to snap at brighdy colored f eat h er s t i ed ar o u n d a h o o k . W h il e w e m o r t al s si t i n o f fi c es i n fr o n t o f computer monitors, they are out in thewildern ess, where not even cell phone signals can p en etr ate. Rusty Gideon sent me the picmre below of one group of these Fly Fishermen, which clearly says, “We’re here, and you’re not”.

Sp enceDaniels, Rusty Gideon, and Mar ty Daack enj oy th e I dah o weath er, while wai ting for somefish toj oin them OK gang, time to start sending me those news notes and pictures, before I start dragging out those pictures of my grandkids (they arereal cute). I ’ve got high-speed Internet at home, and the mailman comes to my house almost every day. So takeadvantageof thesemodem conveniencesan d sen d m e so m e thing— please! Until next time.. .Happy Landings!

La rry Wilso n 1 3 1 0 0 Pin e h u rst Av e . N E

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health care problems, you probably had worked your self out of ajob. Enj oy t h i s r et i rem en t !

Ray Leopold and family took a little trip to Hawaii last year, visited Pearl Harbor and sent a family photo, which I unfortunately I d o n o t h av e r o o m t o include. Ray and wife, Linda’s, family of Gabriel (9), Christopher (11), Nicho las (5), Anthony (15), Clelia (17) and Jeremy (13) look great. Thanks Ray, and I hopeyou have fond memories of Hawaii asyou are now enduring Montana i n t h e w i n t e r.

GeorgeFrushour and theSeagram’sSeven haveasquadron pictureCD project, now headed by Bill Gerber.They are developing a44-year “History in Pictures”.

Georgedescribed how “ ...Bill looked well -- chair o f th e R& D c o m m i t t ee f o r t h e IITSEC corff erence in Orlando. 1even caught him with a d ar k suit and tie on...” We all look forward to having CS-07 an d al l I 1 the squadronswell represented at out 40* .

Here is part of an exchange between Ven Hammonds and BruceMcDonald. From Ven: “ .. .1just read the best V i et n am flying book ever! “Flying Through Midnight” by John T .

29 Halliday, Lt Col USAF, Retired. About a C-123 Candle pilot, flew out of NKP and actually flew that 123 into LS-98/ 20A a t Sabre Society Do no rs night (did you hear that A1Daines?)... This Lima Site i n L a o s is a place I visited once in daylight and was closed at d ar k f o r good reason. Anyway, you gotta read this book, it ’s u n b el i ev a b l e .” A n d t h e response fr om Bruce- "I got the book and enjoyed it immensely. 1flew out of NKT too; the descriptions of the base, the time-warp old planes on the flight line, the crazy people and rules and all that, brought b a ck a l o t o f m e m o r i es .

My flyi ng wasn’t as hair-raising as the story in the b ook , b u t st ill I id en t ifi ed deeply with the experience. Thewriting is excellent ...

And parts of an exchange 1had with Beau Crosby, who vHfe Kathy lives in Woodway TX near Waco.

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”

Fir em an Beau, beh in d th e tr ee, on th e n ozzl e.

“ ...1had just been upgraded to fully qualifi ed and my new Gold (have an uphill bart le to convince my friendson the forcethat ayeUow anything is a slur an d t h at w e sh o u l d c all o u r “ Yell ow ” h el m et s “ G o l d ” h elm ets) h elm et ... St ood

dovm fr om my fi re-fi ghting duties for awhile aft er having some replacement parts—left kneeand left hip - but am wearing apager again...Spent themorn ing waving flares trying to get folks to slow down going over the bridges. We couldn’t get thewreckscleared off fast enough beforeth e n ex t i d i o t c am e b l ow ing thru. Makes mewonder how we survived cadet days. Combat was easy compared to an iced over bridge... The adrenalin rush is f un , an d I th ink th at rolling code - lights and siren - in a 30,000-pound Fire Engine easily beats slipping the ‘ Surly bonds...’ Sadly though, although it may be fun; whenever we roll; someone is having a really bad day. And even worse, the really ‘bad part,’ is that there will be another day wherewe will b e n e ed ed . . . ”

Greetings and salutations, oneand all - It iswinter in N ew M exi co, a “ real ” w in ter w ith sn ow an d cold w eath er (N M version . ..) an d everything- fi rst time in several years. Not like the winters of my youth in God’s Country (= North Dakota, of course...) But I have come to appreciate not having to chip ice for

w eeks on en d , et c.

Much input this time - some of it carried over from l ast fall , as I ran out of space and my 1250 word limit.

Eirst - Ed Staduhar has come up with a new pastime: visiting old aircraft crash sites. He passed though this areaawhile back on hisway to a 1944 B-24 crash in Colorado. Ed says ” ...We are researching another crash site to go to in ’07.Wearein theprocessof gettingpermission fr om landownersto get there.”

Keep that history d ive Ed. Mike Lumbard recently retired “ ... a second time after 13 y ear s as Seni or Counsel for theCaliforn ia Department of Health Services... responsiblefor all public health issues, Medicaid spending and medical licensing in California.

In 1993,1retired asthe Staff JudgeAdvocatefor 2nd A ir F o r ce . M ar i e an d I h av e moved to abeautiful homein Washougal,WA overlooking t h e C o l u m b i a Riv er a n d M t H o o d . . . ” M i k e - si n c e T h e G o v er n a t o r h a s so l v e d al l o f C al i f o r n i a’s 10 6

‘Pa Beau" and first grand baby, Violett Belle Crosby.

Beau also sent some photosof a gatheri ng of some of the CS-13 crew last year at Terra Chri sti, COwhere Sandy and Gary Lorenz arethecaretakers. According to Beau,Terra Chri sti is"... the most beautiful piece o f C o l o r ad o I h av e seen . It is all John Denver’s songs in wood and stone; but for the eyes and the heart.”

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9712 Hidden Valiey Road V ie n n a , VA 2 2 1 8 1 -6 0 9 4

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(70 3 ) 25 5-5313 Fax: (70 3 ) 2 5 5-5377 E- m a i i : t i m d @e ro is .c o m H E L L O ’68 ! Fo r cl assm at es fr o m th e W est C o ast t o th e Pr ai r i e St at es an d N ew

England, welcome to the 2007 version of “Meteorological Twilight Zone” and your own deja vu experience of USAFA’s Dark Ages! Talk ab o u t a w i n t e r b l ast !

Hope you were able to draw on our class’ infamous sense of humor to perse vere the weeks of snow, ice, and loss of electrical p o w er .

CS-13mini - reunion - Kathy Crosby, Roger and GeanieWells, Gary and Sandee

L o r en z .

Welost afew of our guysthesepast few months- Walt Visinsky and RussLines.

AWCIIAf l

Si n c er e co n d o l en c es t o Ru ss’s an d W al t ’s w i v es an d f a m i l i es.

Ken Sproul has return ed fr om hisstint in Swaziland,A fr i ca - h e i s b ack h o m e

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again in Indiana, to “ .. .spend what time our Lord gives me helping my chil dren, my grandchildren, Bobbie... and whoever else I can help.” He had a 32hour fl ight home to Indianapolis, where hewas met by Bobbie and bis oldest grandson, Brodee. Ken is “ ...truly, truly happy to be home!!” and pumped a b o u t o u r 4 0 “’ .

You all must be aware by now of the latest problems at theAcademy, involv ing a knowledge test for the doolies. Of the36 accused (at the time of my wri t ing), 24 are NCAA athletes. That isabout 10% of the recruited ath l et es fr o m t h i s cl ass. T h ei r t eam s aff ect ed h av e n o t b een an n o u n ced . I n ad d i t i o n t o t h e ch eat

ing, the superi ntendent cited other recent disciplinary problemsincluding 43 cadetswho lost their Internet privileges in January because they had down loaded pornography or visited pornographicWeb sites; plus recurring inci dents of alcohol abuse. Nineteen percent of the freshman class was failing academically at theend of thefall semester, giving it thelowest collectivegradepoint average in 20 years. How sad.What more can I say.

TheAOG iscert aiiily not quiescent, with AOG Board n o m i n at i o n an d F o u n dation consideration issues. I will not attempt to present any of themateri al on those issues- suffi ce it to say that there is much i n f o r m at i o n av ai lab l e o n t h e websites, and that we all have an opportunity to make some major decisions for theAOG and theAcademy. Gil Mook,Ted Legacy,Jim Sh aw an d oth ers are in the thick of this with their AOG and Board positions. Gil , Ted , an d Jim thank you for your service to us all in these tough A O G t i m e s.

Get your calendars cleared and make your reunion plans- Adios, Vaya con D i o s an d b est w i sh es t o al l .

Yo u r A O G int ro d u ce s

Z o o m ie N a li io n ' 9^

Y O U R A O G FA C ES A PIV O TA L E L EC T IO N ■ Le a r n a b o u t t h e c a n d id a t e s

■ Find o ut w he re cand idat es st and o n

import ant issues ■ Personally engage, and ask candidat es t heir posit ions A L SO C H E C K O U T T H E S E O T H E R G R EA T Z O O M I E N A T IO N F U N C T IO N S :

■ Share your photos and blogs wit h friends ■ Professionally net work wit h grads t o find jobs (separat ing or post -milit ary) ■ Sell or rent your home ■ Engage in ment orship opport unit ies w w w .z o o m ie n a t io n . c o m

“L o o k M a ! N o H an d s! ” F r o n t Sea t: N A SA ’68 er Pil o t D i ck E w er s. B a ck Sea t:

NASA Flight Engineer Mar ty Trout.

BUCK ROGERS’ AI R REFUELING DEPT; Whilst we mere mortals p u tt er around on the planet’s surface in our sleek sportscars an d seat -w ar m ed SUVs, some of our classmates are still engaged with throttles to the fi rewall testing technologiesakin to a Buck Rogers movie. Dick Ewers defi nitely falls into the latter category and waskind enough to send aletter about thehistori c flight test shown in the accompanying DARPA photo and, along with a video clip, may be found at website: http:/ /www.darpa.mil /body/ news/ current/ index .a sp .

(Note: Aft er reaching thewebsite, scroll down to the air refueling event dated September 7,2006.)

Dick’s letter goeslike this. .. “I just had to write t o l et th e c l a ss k n ow t h at ev en though we are all turn ing 60,which is the death knell to the airline pilots, some of us are still fl ying for a living. Here at Dryden, Edw ard s AFB, w e h ave tw o ’68ers, Bill Brockett and myself. Bill is our program pilot for an atmospheri c research DC-8 that NASA sponsors through the University o f N o r t h D ak o t a .

He is currently out with that airplane for a month fl ying off the CapeVerde Islandsjust west of Afri ca. His mission is to monitor t h e ai r m ass st r u ct u r e i n that area which is responsible for theAtlantic-borne h u r ri c an es. “ I am still getting to fly the F/A-18, which is unbelievable for guys our age.

My maj or proj ect is fl ight control work for unmanned aircraft , specifi cally, regarding automated air refueling. Aft er loading the systems onto the aircraft , I play safety pilot while the airplane acts like a UAV (Maude, you know that fl yboy isjust showing off with all that technical jargon. I heard Katie Couri c say that a ‘UAV’ isone of those new-fangled termsfor ‘un m an ned ai r vehicle.’)

While it sounds fairly incredible, and admittedly I was a doubter, I am begin ning to believe that pilotswill be going theway of the slide rule.” Many thanks, Dick, for serving as our “class rep” to infi nity and beyond!

TIME TOVOTE DEPT: For all in Checkp oin ts Land enthralled by the latest round of Presidential and Congressiond wrangling, it may be refreshing to realize that not all politicsare covered on TV As a one-time good deal for 2007, it’stimefor you to hit theZoomie Newswebsite and check out your candidates for our next AOG Board of Directors. In the upcoming elect ion , th ere are 19 candidates to fi ll six positions. Thewebsite contains the candidates’ photos, bri ef biographies, and a bri ef personal messageof why each candidate is seek ing your vote. Please take the time to review the slate and cast your vote aft er receivingyour ballot. Thank you for your attention to this unpaid Scri be pub l i c se r v i c e an n o u n c e m e n t .

40-YEAR RETIREMENT DEPT: When it comes to maximizing f ed er al se r

vi ce t im e t ow ard ret irem en t , few of us can claim t o b e a s ad r o i t a s cl a ssm a t e John Lam bert . Joh n w ri tes, “ I tu rn ed 60 in N ovem ber 2006 and received my

fi rst military retirement check on December P'. As background, I retired as a Reservi st in 1994. In addi tion , I ret ired fr om Civi l Service on January 3rd, 2007

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e b a l l o t s f o r t h e 2 0 0 7 E l ec t i o n o f A O G D i r ec t o r s h a v e b e en m a i l e d . Th er e a r e six va c a n ci es t o b e Ti l l ed .

Ball ots m ust be r eturned by n oon on April 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ea r n a b o u t th e c a n d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

our web si te for m or e inf orm ati on at www.usaf a.org.

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' 7,

'if SSEj /I DEIiJ .

John Lambert and family celebratebig retirement From lef t ar eJohn ’s m other, Qaire;John; wife, Marty; son-in -lawJeffEdm unds; daughterJennifer Edm im ds; son Ethan; Ethan fiance, CarrieJohnson; and first grandchil d, Alana. with 40 years combined federal service time because C iv i l Ser v i c e co u n t s o u r Academy time, too. Immediatechangesnoted arethat I no longer haveto set the alarm clock and am just enjoying time off . I spent 24 years at theAir Force Re serveCenter and served astheCommandAirspaceManager duringthelast 14 of thoseyears.” For family news John noted, “My daughter Jen n ifer is abou t to complete her Ph.D. in Education and my son Ethan is a Marine Corpsveteran who,with hislady Carri e, blessed Marty and mewith our fi rst grandchild,Alana, on Dec 7"'. My part-time hobby for the past few yearshasbeen woodworking andI amnowputtingonthefi n^ fi nishtoacri bfor my granddaughter.” Thanks for your letter and photo, John, and congratulations on your big retirement.

HOLIDAYMAJLBAG DEIT :The bounty of holiday greetings f o r 2 0 0 6 t al l i ed as follows: cards from many, letters from a few, and photos from a handful. For those who did not include photos o r I ^ letters in their correspondence, but are comfortablew i t h e mail, please feel free to send same to your humble scr i b e at your convenience. Thcinks!

Thefi rst greeting isfrom Alan and Marlee Pri ce. A1sai d t h at 32 Marlee and he spent Chri stmas in Israel with their daughter (who plans to wed this summer). They also took avoyage by Sabre Society Dono rs boat on theTennessee River from Chattanooga to Knoxville to watch theTennessee-USAFA football game last fall.

Bill and Jody Begert checked in to say that Bill is enjoying hisjob with Pratt &Whitney and they areboth enjoying Connecticut. Jody n o t ed th at B i ll t r av el s so often with hisj ob that he half expects to go through security when they go to the movies, and he’s disappointed when the theater doesn’t upgradehim to fi rst class seats. The highlight of their year was taking care of grandchildren Hannah (5) and Will (2) while their parents, Joe and Kary, took a 7-day cruise.

Gary McDonal d writes that all is well and he and sons, Con n or (14) an d Lucas (11) are doing “fantastic!”

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Lindsey Pa rris 6 16 King’s Cloist er Circle Alexand ria , VA 2 2 3 0 2 Home: (70 3 ) 8 3 6-3 60 4

M e m b e rs

E- m a i l :

10 2 177.10 3 3 @compuserve.com

Spri ng greetings, all, written from this perspective in the very maw of bitter winter. Falcons roundball soaring this year, and let us hope that when you read this, we can all toast their huge success in March’s Big Dance under the good hand of Coach B. Head AF Chaplain Charlie Baldwi n keynoted the National Prayer Obser vance dinner at Incirlik,Turkey in lateJanuary. As always, hiswords rang true to th e 240-som e In cirlik m en an d w om en in atten dan ce, an d t o u s w h o w er e

not. Charlie noted that the reason military people make their days count is because they live them for others. “Our professional duty becomes our per sonal com m itm ent ,” said Charlie. N ice t o kn ow w e still h av e so m eo n e o f h i s

talent and wisdom serving in an active duty capacity.

Tom Keck wins kudos for his remarkably quick response i n r e a l - t i m e t o a query regarding his Class ring. SeemsTom was signing a d o cu m e n t w h en an observing official eyed the ring and asked Tom if it were a ring marking some manner of ‘championship.’ Tom repressed his first instincts (to respond with referenceto thefi rst meal of the day; where, oh where, c o u l d he have developed that?), and said instead that it wasn’t quite what the observer thought — wasvery similar, in that i t w a s I I 1 a USAFA ring for a Class of nearly 700 champions! Is t h a t perfect, or what? Even though the observer may have b ee n puzzled, we aren’t. Thanks from us all, TK. 47 Chick Kaiser broke through the dread of actually writing anything to anyone about himself, and reportshis Feb 9 r e Sabre Society D o n o rs tirement from AlaskaAi rlines, wherehe hasspent the l a st 10 years of his flying life in AA’s training department a s a c h ec k airman for the B-737. He and Patty may have return ed from a planned 30-day getaway excursion to Mexico by the time you read this, but maybe not {siga trayendomas fermentarski s, por favoi^.). Chick (or Carl, as h e h as c o m e t o b e known in Mexico) will then report to Columbus, Ohio, w h e r e h e st a r t s h i s Netj ets training on the Cessna Citation Sovereign. N o d o u b t h e a n d M i k e Goode will synch up at some point, Mike being aye/e for Team Netj ets. St ik Turner (actually wife Joan!) writes that he, too, is heading out of the cockpit, leaving behind Nort hwest Airlines and the 747 and AB330 f o r m assiv e in d o c tri nation stints in carpentry and substituteteaching, and absolutely some golf — the thaw hits Michigan. Congratsto Chick and Stik (no, the new poultry & fri es entr ee at Ch ick-Filet w as n ot th eir idea) for helping keep the skies safe for so many for so long.

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K i r k St ew ar t n o t es t h at Ro n L i so w sk i h a s r e t i r e d f r o m t h e f e d e r al c iv i l se r

vice. Ron spent 34 years in the public sector, 20 in A F b l u e an d 14 a s a c iv i l i an instructor (Astro) at USAFA. He has made his imprint at FJSeiler Labs, during aliaison assignment in London, and in the DFAS. Some49 semesters teaching

A st r o — h as t o b e so m e k i n d o f w o r l d r eco r d ! T h e m o m en t o u s o c c asi o n o f h i s

retirement, punctuated with a wee dram to toast the occasion , is m em ori al ized in the accompanying photo of Bob Kirkpatrick, Mike Guyote, Kirk Stewart, Ron his-own-self, Steve Edelman, Gary Howe,Art Schw all , an d Glenn Schlabs. In December, Ron’sand Jan’sChicago rootsprevailed over theSprings and its charms, and they relocated to be nearby family an d c h i l d r e n .

Gary McDonald and Sons. Erom left are Connor, Gary, an d L u ca s.

Mike and Karen King greeted all with a compositephoto in their family news letter that showed Santa’s reindeer pulling a brand n ew r e d C o r v e t t e . T h i s Santa-like driver looked lively and quick, but we knew w i t h n o w h i sk e r s i t wasn’t Saint Nick. After pondering a spell and seeing a class ring, we knew in a moment it must be MikeKing! Mike is now working for Northrop Gmmman in Fairfax,VA. Hisjob involves support for the Kinetic In tercept ors Progr am for the Missile DefenseAgency. The family enj oys time on the golf course and they were actively involved in the annual Washington Capitals Charity Golf Tournament. Son Brian turned 21and j oined thelocal company of the Rocky H o r r o r Pi ct u r e Sh ow . So n K ev i n co n t i n u es t o b u i l d h i s reputati on in com m u

nity theater for set design, lighting, and sound.

I am sorry to report news of our classmateJon Rand’sp assin g on 13 Jan uary in Sun City, CA. Our thoughts and prayers go out to h is w ife, D on n a, an d h is family and friends.

THAT’SAWRAP: Mind theflak; keep ’em flying, and keep th ose car ds, letters, e-mails, and photos comingin. Pleasewri teto Pat Russell to help populate our n ew C l a ss w eb si t e . C i a o f o r n o w . T i m 10 8

Astr o stal war t Ron Lisowski wi th Bob, M ik e, Kirk, Steve, Gary, Ar t, and Glenn.

From abroad. Bob Allen sends greetings from the East Anglia region of En gland, where he serves as the civil service historian for a special operations group at RAF MildenhalJ. He and Sylvia suggest that traveling in Europe isstill marvelous and easy, and they are adding some of the “ co r n er ” a r ea s t o t h ei r travel map this time around, places like Gibraltar a n d A n d o r r a .

SteveKirby keepsrocking along in Sandpoint, Idaho. Hewon thelocal paper’s “best photo” contest with a shot of the entrance to San d C r eek i n i t s f u ll O ct o

b er col or sch em e, t each es in t er m edi at e an d advan ced r e al e st a t e fi n a n c e

courses, and is instrumental in helping the area acquire an in d o o r t en n i s f acil ity. In hissparetime, herunsafantasy businessleague, in which he and the Class of 1969 all make millions, which they use to relocate to Sandpoint. And on that note, pleaseknow that LesDyer,havinghelped the local side capture home-fi eld advantagein the fantasy fi refi ghting league, is debatingwhether he should sit his key players to avoid injuries, what with the playoffs upcoming.

On a serious n ote, th e att ach ed sh ot sh ow s Les at th e far left trying to save a homein Peachtree City in thewee hours of awinter’s Saturday night. Volunteer spirit at its fi nest.

“team” and are all good representatives of our Academy. Coach Jef f Bzdelik is a super coach and great man who understandswhat theAcademy isall about.The big concern here iswhether or not hewill stay or moveto greener pastures (read more$). Gregg Popovich givesCoach B aringingendorsement. Cl u n e A r en a h as become a real challenge for visiting teams— we havewon 28 straight games thereand theplacereally rockswith asellout crowd o f fan s an d cad et s fo r alm o st every game. I hope by the timeyou read this, we are playing in the NCAAs. Lots of newsfrom thegangof Seventy over thelast few months. Henry Mitchell seems to have gotten tired of working and is now a part-time ski instructor in Vail. Hehasalso been golfi ng and sailingand spent so m e t im e w i th B r am Sm i t h

andTomStein.TerryandSharon Dessert fi n^ ymovedi n t o

their new home in Florida on 22 Dec— hope they survived the torn adoes!Tim Kam owski is up in Alaska and promises I 1 to try and make the next Reunion. Ron Kelly isback working for the govern ment. He and Pam went to Paris for their 3 0 * Anniversary. Good on you Ron! I hit 60 in February a n d 63 Marilyn took me down to tbeVA Hospital in Walsenburg t o see if they would book me a room in advance!

Sabre Society Do n o rs Mick and Jan Davey were on the road. They want to NYC and saw fi ve shows in celebration of Jan’s39* birthday.They al so vi sit ed Joe an d D i an e Bu r k e w h il e in N ew York . Then they spent some time in Norway. Joe and Diane have been traveling— Joe t o C h i n a w i t h t h e Keuka College girl’sbasketball team and Diane to Alaska. Plus they welcomed two new grandsons into theworld.The Burke’shave fi ve grandkids now. Seem likewe are reaching the agewhere grandchildren are going to be the topic of discussion at our Reunions.Tom Rayl has eight, George Rayl has fi ve,Tommie Thompson has two, and Rick Tuseth and Mark Ewig are new grandparents.

Okay gang— who can beat Tom’s eight?WaUy and Christine Fey met up with Randy and Penny Harshm an in Paris.After not seeing ea ch o t h er f o r al m o st 3 0 years,Wally and Randy madeup for lost time by doing lotsof eating and dri nk ing. Randy works for theAF JAG in Ramstein and Wally is a lawyer in Reno.

I

Firefighting in Georgia; Les on duty, at left.

Last year, CharlieWeinert ,VicePresident of ThresholdsUnlimited, represented Northrop Gmmman Ship Systems at theNavy OpportunitiesForum , w here h e learn ed that an infrared inspection procedure he had designed wasbeing ap plied to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The patented procedure makespossible infrared inspections using the near-, short-, and mid-wave infrared spectral bandssimultaneously, to adepth of 8.5 inchesin complex composite materials; thistriplesthebandwidth of conventional IRsensors. TheJSFjocksof thefuture will be raising toasting glassesto Charlie, but we need not wait that long.

On a sad note, please know that Mike Steam swasburied recently. Mike is in the middle of this picture sent along by Darrel Whitcomb, t a k e n a t t h e 2 0 * reunion, which features fi ve ’69er Ravens—Terry Murphy, Darrel, Mike, Skip Skinner, and H. Ovm by.Too soon they are gone. And it goes fast. Please take a m o m e n t o f sil en ce f o r M ik e . H an d sal u t e .

H, .

S '

To the Good Times: Terry, Darrel, Mike, Skip, and H. i n 19 8 9 .

By the timeyou read this, you will have received a letter concerning our 40* Reunion ClassGift. As of thiswriting,wehave commitmentsf o r o v er h al f o f th e $2.5 m illion n eeded to con st ruct th e n ew Adm ission s Center. David Wagner and the Gift Committee have done great work so far, a n d w e h av e a sk ed t h e AOG for some manpower assistance in helping contact t h e m em b e r s o f t b e Class for pledges to help make the Center into reality a s w e l l a s set a b a r o f c o m m i t m e n t f o r f u t u r e c l a sse s t o e m u l a t e . I f ev e r w e h a d a “ T o B e N o t To Seem,” Greytags, this is it. However, thislegacy project c an n o t b e al l i t c an b e

without participation from each of us— so please contribute asyour inclina ti on s an d m ean s perm it .

Over to you unffi next time. Cards, letters, e-maUs, and caUs all appreciated.

Cheers, Lindsey.

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" r TT

Dick Rauschkolb

66%

, M e m b e rS i 13 0 Luxury Lane Colorado Springs, CO 8 0 9 2 1 H: (719 ) 76 1-5764 W: (719 ) 472-0 3 0 0/ DSN: 3 33-20 6 7 E-ma il:Dick.Ra uschko lb@aogusaf a .org

How about them FALCONS! As I write this in early February, t h e t e a m i s 2 0 -4 an d r a n k e d 17 * i n t h e n at i o n . I t h a s been a real pleasure to watch this team. Marilyn and I have watched the four starting seniors since they were freshmen and they have come a longway.They personify theword

“

Wally and Randy take in thesightsin the Latin Quar ter o f Par i s.

Lots of Sevent y men doing good things! Chuck Reed was elected Mayor of San Jose by awide margin. DanaArbaugh sent us a picture of Chuck’s daugh ter, Major Kim Campbell , ’97, swearing him into offi ce. Check out the photo and interesting story elsewhere in the magazine. John M ar t i n so n w as el e ct ed to two business Hall of Fames sponsored by the New Jersey Business and New Jersey Technology Council. John has also been instrumental in supporting the Just-in-Time-Teaching (JITT) program at theAcademy.The Dean is a big fan of John! Jerry and Pam Bruni once again made a si z ea b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n t o the city’sEmpty Stocking Fund which helped a lot people have a good holiday season.Tom Waskow gave a great presentation toWild BUI Stealey’sAir Force Academy Society in North Carolina. Who won the golf m a t ch ? M i k e B r o w n attended Joe York’s son, Chris’, ’04, UPT graduation. Chriswill be going into T-6s as an IP at Vance. Mike said Joe would be very proud of Chris and his m o t iv at i o n .

Went to a great New Wine Party at Tooey and Carol Emery’sb e au t i f ul h o m e .

The old memory is fading— perhaps it was all the “new wine” consumed by an “old guy” — but I believe Brian and Olinda Spitzer, Ri c h an d N an c i D o w n ing, Gary and Sharon Dahlen, and Larry and Marleen Bush werethere. Larry said that Seventy had the most people at the Rampart Chapter Holiday Party.

Attendees included Speedy and Wendy Martin, CJand Peggy Bohn , Carl and Bar b Bang, Mike and Mary Katherine Kelley,Vic and Bobbie Br adf or d , Dave and Jan Gaw, and Greg Gilles and fi ancee Janice. Congrats Greg! Larry and Marleen, Jack and Margie Mueller, Keitb Bennett ,Vic Bradford, and MarUyn

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e b al l o t s f o r th e 2 0 0 7 E l e c ti o n o f A O G D i r e c t o r s

h ave been m ail ed. Th er e ar e six vacan ci es to be f il l ed.

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ea r n a b o u t th e c an d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

our web si te f or m or e inf orm ati on at www.usaf a.org.

10 9

and I alsoattendedtheRampart Chapter’sAnnual Meeting.Alwaysgood to get

together with classmates for a few adult beverages! Speaking of consuming a few adult beverages, seems the men of Thirsty Third Squadron held their re union again at A1Marquis’ air and horse ranch 30 miles outside of LasVegas.

Rumor hasit shotsof tequila fl owed fr eely at thehistoric Pioneer Bar in Sandy Valley where Clark Gable awaited word of Carol Lombard’s d e at h . T h e m en also toast ed Tom Rosen st ock w ho w as w ith th em in CS-03. Bill Jump and John Gunyou sent in pictures of the event — onewasx-rated though. Herethey are standing in fr ont of Al’sTBM 700 propjet.

in V i em am .

Received information that BGen Oldswashavingsomeserioushealth prob lems. Larry Bush got him a card and sent it on behalf of the Class along with a pictureof usmarchingwith our mustachesthefi rst day of Olds’ tenureat USAFA. Here’s hoping the old Fighter Pilot’s Fighter Pilot pulls through.

I will close on avery sad note. Bill Witt and his daughter were tragically killed in an automobile accident in New Mexico right before C h r i st m a s . B i l l w a s a great guy and super classmate. Pleasekeep Pam and hisfamily in your thoughts and prayers.

Pa u l D . K n o t t 5 5 6 5 La nt a n a D r iv e

^ 54® /^

M e m b e rs

Colorado Springs, CO 8 0 9 20 H; (719 ) 570-9 16 2 W: (719 ) 594-0 100 E-ma il: pknot t @acninc.net

Greetingsfr om thewonderful world ofWinter.Any of you who live in upstate New York, I feel for you.We havehad one of thewinterst h at u se d t o b e n o r m al for this region when wewere cadets. It’s a subtle sign of a “newbie” when they complain about thesnow on theground morethan threedays af t er i t f el l .

Thirsty Third M en CelebrateDays Past. From left are ShadeJump, A1M ar quis, Din oDinardo,, Ted Coul son, Snoop Gunyou, OrvieSletten, Bill Lundberg, and Tommy Thompson Chuck Gray iswriting another book, the Chr onicles o f C u i si n e: R e v el a ti o n s of Cuisina da Vino (better known aswife, Pam). Evidently mysterious paint ings reveal the evolution of the “food people”. I wonder if Chuck is using Mitchell Hall’sMystery meat in any of the paintings. L i t t l e k n ow n b u t i n t erest ing fact — Gary Covington livesin Midland, TX— homeof Pr esi d en t B u sh an d h as seen t h e Pr ez n ak ed at t h e l o cal Y. Si t at ease C/4CCovington. Rex Levoy got his fi rst hole-in-one recently! He is now working at Camp Lej eune in Civil Service and has lost 20 pounds. Congrats Rex— seeyou at t h e n ex t Reu n i o n !

Had a chance to spend some timewith Mike Kelley when he wasvisiting the area.Wecaught dinner and abasketball game. Mikest ill l o o k s l ik e h e co ul d su i t up for the Falcons. Haveheard fr om Geno Quist and gotten lotsof emailsfr om Mike Ryan and Steve Maci saac.

Well we saw theend of an erawith Fisher DeBerry resigningas fo o t b al l co ach .

It was my pleasure to know Fisher for 25 years. Hewas a tme gentleman and had a profound impact on not only our football players b u t th e en t i r e A c a d emy. I will misshim and theAcademy oweshim a deep debt of gratimde for all h e d i d f o r o u r al m a m at er. I h ad a ch an ce t o m eet th e new coach,Troy Calhoun, ’89 — sharp and articulate young man. I am sure he will change things up.

Ru m o r h a s i t w e w i l l r u n f r o m t h e “ I ” f o r m at i o n a n d t h e w i sh b o n e w i l l b e a

thing of the past. We have a good QB, HB, and FB returning s o n e x t s e a s o n should beinterestingand hopefi jUy awinningone.Many of theassistant coaches are grads—which I think isgreat — should help in recmiting theright kind of young men to stay and play for the Falcons. Seems a sev er al cl a ssm at e s a t tended theAFA-TCU game in DFW John Disosway sent in this picture below — unfortunately we can’t ID all theguys— somework undercover f o r th e C IA .

One story that I neglected to mention fr om Reunion w a s

fr om D ave Pow ell ’s w i dow, Ellen . Sh e st Ul lives in t h e Par k er

area to be closer to her daughter and grandkids, and at t en d s Academy eventswhenever she can.

34 If you didn’t hear.Van Landry is recovering fr om a st r o k e .

Here is the letter that he sends fr iends: “ I hope that you will Sabre Society Dono rs have a great 2007 new year and all newyears. “ Our last 2+ years, Michelle and I have had alot of changes for our life. We have sold our big, big house and we are in a great “New Or leans” apartment in Growley. Thekids (big kids) are in Lafayette, Lake Charles to Adanta. So, two of them havej obs and one is still in college. We are great.

“The Enterprise Center of Louisiana is for small business com p an i es. So, University of Louisiana of Lafayette for the President st i ll b el i ev e s t h a t e c o nomic development isvery import ant, so I am workingthere. It is good to help w i t h t h em .

“You might remember that I had a stroke in September 2004. Since that day, I have had to work with speech-language-hearing for my aphasia. The out patients for the Lafayette General Hospital, then Our Lady of Lourdes’, were good for us. Now, UL of Lafayette speech pathologieshave been workingwell for me with the last year. Dr. Jack Damico, Communicative D i sord er, an d some of his students areworking with some great ideas. So, m y com m un ica tion is pretty good. It is diffi cult, but “I am back ".

“I want to thank you for your fl owers, cards, letters, visits, thoughts and prayers."

Note the order of things in this short letter. He talks about family first, then helpingwith economic development for his state.As an aside, “ I h ad a stroke.”

Can you imaginewaking up without the ability to communicatew i th t h e w o r l d at large, even temporarily?We all havehad that odd m o m en t w h en t h e w o r d o r phrasewewant to usejust isn’t there.Onedistinguished m em b er o f t h e “ Scr i b e” assembly refersto that affl iction as “CRS” disease, f o r “ Can ’t Rem em b er ‘St u f f ’”.

Just think for a second of living with that daily.Van h as don e w on derf ul , h ar d work and isstill striving to bringhimself farther back. Buddy, I saluteyou! If you wish to get in touch with him, I have his address available.

One more bit of medical news.Andy Ceroni had surgery i n th e f al l t o f o ll o w up on a challengethat he had on active duty, and things are goingwell for him.

It’s always a kick for Andy to show up in the offi ce. Ou r recept ion i st s h ave n o idea what to make of him. (And that’s the way he likes it !)

Thisfall will be interesting, asthefi rst grad to b e f o o t b al l h ead c o ach t ak es th e fi eld. Should be interesting.

Vi !

B o b B e ll 1 3 Pa c if ic Ave .

/

Seventy M en bemoan loss to TCU. If you haven’t signed up for ZoomieNation off the AOG w e b si t e — www.usafa.org— please do so.We have a 1970 Class Group o n th er e an d i t i s a great way to stay in touch.You should have received your ballot for the up coming Board of Directorselection. Because of my position at the AOG, I can ’t endorse any candidates except I will take my AOG hat off and ask you to sup port Wild Bill Stealey for the Board.We need Wild B il l ’s t al e n t s o n t h e B o ar d .

Get out theword to your grad friends and mobilize t h e v o t er s t o v o t e f o r h i m !

For those of you who haven’t contributed to our class gift f und, now is the time to make a donation so constmction can begin and we can haveit up and ready to dedicate at our next Reunion. Many thanks to the several six fi gure donorswho havekick-started thisproject which will honor gradswho served 1 10

r si ^

I M e m be rs J

Sinking Spring, PA 19 6 0 8 (6 10 ) 6 78-3 18 2/ Fax: 6 78-4 513 E- m a i l : r a b e l l 7 6 7 @a o l .c o m

Guys - Here we are again surviving another great East C o a st w i n t er w i t h some brief inputs, including what was left over from l a st i ssu e . F i r st w a s a short note fr om Brian Landsberger just asking for you t o b e r e m i n d ed t h at h e and Dong are alive and well in LasVegasand open to anyonewho may wish to drop in for a visit.

Next wehear fr om Bmce Hosea reporting fr om Albuquerque t h at h e d et er mined hewas “fl unking retirement” so went to work teaching ant-terrorism coursesfor the State Depar tment. All hisyears in Special Operations seem to have lent themselves to becoming a veritable growTh industry. As he puts it.

State used to send smdentstoAlbuquerque for coursesand now we go to them.

In just the past year, Bruce has been to Indonesia twice, Mali, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya and Paraguay. (So much for the life of leisure, eh?) H e an d Jan did manageaweek with Hank Mason (Sandra) earlier in theyear (2006) while in Florida. Hank is designing the logistics package for the US-101helicopter.

He also included a photo of what Jan calls Bruce’s “ r e d h ea d ” i n t h e f o r m o f a mini-sprint car that he callshiscurrent hobby, although hisexplanation isthat it is cheaper than a “ red head.”

beats Europe what with the cloudy and cold typical of the season, speaking of which, he reports that Cher was still digging herself o u t o f f o u r f e e t o f sn o w back in Colorado. As usually happens, the storm hit while hubby is on the road, and of course the snow blower broke so she has been putting in a few hours a day to try clearing the mess. What fun!

One m ore em ail roun ds out th e new s th is tim e an d it com es fr om Bill Leech ,

fi rst of all thankingJim Liwngston for hiskindnessin thinking of and recogniz

ing hisfriends in his own Class Updatefeatured in t h e l a st i ssu e o f C h e c k points, showing healwayswasand still isa classact! Hey Bill, I will gladly summarizewhat you have been up to since s t a r t ing as a Doolie in 16* Squadron and fi nishing the last t h r ee in CS-38. Following graduation fr om CraigAFB (Selma,AL) h e

spent 11yearsat McGuireAFB (7 activeand 4 reserve) f o l

lowed by another 10 at Charleston AFB all of which wasin th e

Pat Burkesendsushisfi rst update since graduation and report smaking it to his2"**AFA graduation thispast May asthe proud parent of a 2006 grad. Once again surviving an action-packed week, it seemslike a b l u r r em i n i sc en t o f o n e way back in ’72. Son PJmade it through after four years of strugglingwith the Dean and Commandant, defi nitely pressing the boundaries during the fi rst two years but able to turn himself around after a little “ 2 by 4 persuasion.” As usual, theThunderbirdstimed their arrival with the t r a d i t i o n al h a t t o ss m ak ing for an impressive and memorable event. PJheads to pilot training at Laughlin next May aft er putting in some casual status at Sco t t A F B .

C-141. Anyoneinterested in re-connectingwith former C -

21

Bo b M u ns o n

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141aircrew members should try out the new fr ee website: Sabre Society Do n o rs www.cl 41heaven.com which Bill reports isawonderful n e w place to gather. He retired in ’93 as an 0 -5, overlapping t h a t with the 10 year Eastern Airlines career, which of cou r se as al l m u st kn ow, ended in ’89 aft er abitter fi ght with Frank Lorenzo. Not havinghad enough yet with the airline industry. Bill went on to join our f r i e n d s a t U n i t e d A i r l i n e s where he currently serves as a Chicago-based 737 pilot.

Bill isjoined by hisvery patient bride of 30 years, Candi and two daughters, Court ney (Senior at GeorgiaTech) and Kristin (Freshman at Georgia State) just livin’ thedream down therein Atlanta. Thanksfor your input. Bill, asyou say that yes, asthe“shadows” grow longer, it meansalot to be able to keep in touch in someway with all thoseweknew, met and made friendswith fr om so long ago!

That about wraps it up for another session of mail call, so just to remind you, keep watching the snail mail and other sources for information on your up coming 35* class reunion this fall - we are most defi nitely looking forward to seeing everyone there!

1 9 2 4 5 L in c o ln G re e n La n e

RAe m b e rs

Monument , CO 8 0 13 2 (719 ) 4 8 7-14 6 4 m u n s o n l @c o m c a st .n e t

INTRODUCTION: My goal wasto report on 2/3 of our classmatesin a t h r ee year tour; I didn’t quite make it but I have chatted or traded emailsdirectly with 57% of our class, a t ot al of 462 conversat ion s.

A photo of the clan includesVicky, Kelly, PJ, Shannon, and Pat the proud dad. The oldest, 24-year-old Kelly, isweekend sports an ch o r f o r C h an n el 12 (ABC) in Medford, OR. Theyoungest, 20-year-old Shannon, is ajunior at NAU in Elagstaff. Pat is glad to be retired from DELTA even though the monthly retirement check is now zero because of the bankruptcy. Happily he did get the 50% lump sum anyway, and now keeps busy with handyman jobs, sea sonal work at COSTCO, and ahopeto start fl ying again in January transporting professional sport steamsto their game sites. Vicky works asa regional school nurse making it possible to keep up the all import ant h ealth b en efi t s, so life is good and the plan is to look forward to the reunion n ext year .

Mush Brower sent another bit of newsincluding post-holiday rep ort age. H e an d C h e r d i d t h e n o r m al t r ek t o v i si t h er si st e r i n Ch arlott e, N C. Sh e an d h er

USAirwayspilot husband are the parents of the only kids in thefamily and one son is already making hisway into the aviation business aft er graduating fr om MiddleTennessee State University with a degree in A v i at i o n Sci en c es.

While out East for the Nort h Carolina trip. Mush and Ch er m ade a si de trip to Camp Lejeuneto visit the2d Battalion, 10* Marines.A ft er t h e d eath o f M u sh ’s dad back in December 2005, they found aJapanesebattlefl ag bebrought back fr om Guadalcanal. He was a Corporal in Fox Battery f o r t h e d u r a t i o n o f t h e war and fought on Guadalcanal making landingsonTarawa, Saipan and Tinian before being sent homewith the rest of his malaria-infested comrades. Any way, this fl ag has Chinese characters on it chronicling h ow m any Jap an ese were killed and captured aswell as how many planeswere shot down, ships su n k an d so f o r th . Si n c e M u sh c o u l d fi n d n o m u seu m that would be terribly excited to have the fl ag, he tracked down his Dad’s o l d u n it w h i ch w as ec st at i c to get it. They made the presentation on the 2P‘ of December aft er getting a flight fr om Charlotteviathepilot nephew Derek in a Piper Arrow . It w as a great h o n o r t o h i s d ad h o w th e M ar i n e u n i t t o o k c ar e o f t h em and the only regret is that hewas not able to be there to enjoy it aswell.

Mush wrote from Frankfurt as he awaited his next working fl ight to Paris noting what a treat it is to come to Europe for a change as m o st o f h i s F ed Ex fl ying is exclusively Asia out of Anchorage. It seemst h at w eat h er in th e O r i en t

SQUADRON NOTESCS-37: 1spent about four hours on the phone enjoy ing storiesfr om the‘Snulers’ of CS-37. ChrisYoung w as th e fi r st I ch atted w ith ; he lives in Asheville NC and runs a family business selling offi ce furniture.

Wife, Nina, is offi ce manager and their two sons have en t er ed t h e b u si n e ss as well. With retirement he’ll concentrate again on hisUSAFA sport : golf. Retiree Dave Aderhold (Nancy) cycled through Lockheed-Mart in and Nort hrop Grumman, then settled down as Senior Director for Advanced Pr ogram s at Orbital Sciences Corporation near Dulles airport ; Dave “live[s] at the Rasp berry Golf Club and keep [s] a l Obandicap.” Fred Ashler also golfswhen not fl ying for Southw est, but his passion is astronomy and he spendsnights scan ningthe skiesover MaranaAZ lookingfor a comet he c an n am e U SA FA 73 . So n Justin is a locksmith and daughter Jennifer is a surgical n u r se st u d e n t .

Howard and Janet Elliott flip-flopped flying careers; aft er graduation he piloted C- 130/ EC- 130s; now Janet fl ies as an Airbus Ei r st O f fi c er f o r Fr o n t i er .

Aft er consulting for awhile Howard is now Chief of SoftwareTest and Quality for Pulte Mort gage. Son Brandon isworking on an MBA while daughter Annie is a fl ight attendant with Frontier. Consider seeing Ru t h I d e e n a s t h e l e a d i n Bellini’s“Sonnambula” in Philadelphia; she’sthe eldest o f D an a an d K i m I d een ’s eight children. Dana’san activefamily physician in Casper WYbut “I no longer do Obstetrics aft er delivering 1500 babies, but am a long way from being re tired. My kids keep me busy and in debt.” I bet.

Jim Thompson, who taught me the art and science of I n t e r n al M e d i c i n e at Wilford Hall, practices medicine with the “Indiana B l o o d & M ar r o w T r an splrmtation” group, like Dana, “to recover from college co st s f o r k i d s.” M ar i e volu n t eer s h er t im e at a l ocal Ch r ist ian sch ool , t each es Sunday school, and leads a women’s Bible Study Fellowship group. Needing sch ool m on ey is a common problem. Doug Hulsey commutes fr om his Little Ro c k h o m e t o Memphisto fl y FEDEX; “thankfully my job paysfor the kids’ carsand college.”

Debbie is the registrar at a local middle school, son Scott isj ust starting at University of Central Arkansas, son Mike is fi nishing ROTC awaiting a pilot training slot at University of Arkansas, and daughter Sarah isin Austin working for a car dealership.

AA pilot Ron Hoskins wrote: “ Susan and I married off our daughter Hilary two years ago and she and her husband live near us in a Raleigh suburb. Our son Chad, 28, is enjoying NashviUeTN doing a high-tech salesjob. Golf, tak ing care of my Dad...and attempting to pay bills seem to take up most of my fr ee time— I am not quite surewhich isthe most diffi cult ...Susan and 1enjoy 111

traveling and spent the holidays in Montana where I tried to kill myself snowmobiling and skiing— I drew the line at snowboarding!”

ron mate— Dean Haylett — and several more classmates.

ODDS& SODS: Randy Fotinakesemailed newsof USAir pUot Gary Nichols: Gary and hiswife and two children are all black belts i n Tai Kw an D o an d l iv e ”

outsideCharlotteNC. At our last occasionally-bimonthly 7 3 l u n ch es i n C o l o rado, our newest attendeewasGreggReineckewhojust r el o c a t e d t o C o l o rado Springsand consideringwhat he’ll do in thisphase of his retirement.

Smil er Geoff M ich ael deli vers his 19 79 M az da RK - 7GS to an a u to m u se um in

New Hampshire: "My only regret is that I didn’t hold on to m y 19 72 LT- 1 Cor vettewhich would havegonein to thesamemuseum, with a m ar k e t val u e of a t least ten times what I paid for i t. ” From Geoff M ich ael in Redon do Beach CA: “ I am a cofoun der and principal of an aviation consulting fi rm that specializesin airport design, layout, com munications, and navigation systems. My brothersand I still perform [rock ‘n’ roll] live, as we have for over 30 years.. .1am still single, never married, not even engaged!” Likewise, Dee Bromberek is in California an d h as al so n ev er married; he’s recently retired from being a longtime consultant in program management for space and missile programs. Besidesturn ing dovm off ersto return to work he exercises by biking and walking and is working plans for a trip to New Zealand.

Newly promoted Catholic Monsignor Steve Rossetti is t h e Pr e si d en t / C E O of Saint Luke Institute in Silver Spring MD and a second si t e i n M an ch e st er England; both are residential psychological treatment programs for clergy.

Math wizard John Petro was hired by the NSA and, though I can’t divulge the details of what he does (because hewon’t tell me), he’s senior enough techni cian to be paid at the SESlevel. Hewas off to j oin B a r b ar a i n N ew Yo r k w h e r e

shewasteachingblind employeesto useSocial SecurityA d m i n i st r at i o n so f t

ware. John’s quite good at photography; check out his work at http:/ / mysite.verizon.net /vzerdprz/ .

MikeWetzel got hisMastersat CSU inl 982 and “eventually arrived at my current station in lifeaspart owner of aconsultingforestryfi rm.. .in A i k en SC . I h av e been m arried to Debbie, a school teacher (alm ost all forestersmarry either school teachersor nurses), for just shy of 29 years.We have one child, Meghan,who is afreshman at Marshall University.” Vik Nenortas told m e ab o u t h i s c ar eer m an agingmilitary assistancecontractsand post-AFwork teaching and mtoring; he’s now a mail handler for thepost offi ce in Yuba City CA. Wife, M icki , w orks as a clerk for the city and they both are involved with avariety of church work and activities. Son Joshuaisa Seabeeand daughter Nisei i s a v et er in ar i an t ech n i c i an inAlabama. Eri c andJaniceHeam sberger live in SpringTX; aft er retiring from Delta and helping a brother market a urethane fi lm ‘ClearBra’ to protect cars,

Eri c has star ted w ith Om n i Air in th e D C- 10. In season h e h u n t s w h i t e t ai l d eer

and fi shesfor speckled trout along thecoast.

“This marriage is gonna last!" Newlyweds Ron and Diane Taylor honey

moon atBandon Dunes Golf Coursein Oregon. Ron digitally m o d i f i e d h i s sweatshirt beforesending thepicturetohisold Navy Fa th er -i n -L a w .

CLASSLEADERSHIP NEWS: Asyou read this column the N at i o n al C h ar a c ter and Leadership Symposium, which all of us underwrite w i t h o u r d o n a

ti on s, w ill h ave been h eld 22-24 Feb . Presiden t M it ch M i t ch ell h a s r el o c a t e d t o th e D C ar ea an d couldn’t atten d bu t class of fi cers Trapper Carpenter, John Stefonik and A1Maurer plan to be there. Other classmates w i ll al so at t en d ;

later wewill hold a hotwash meeting with the Center for Character Develop ment, and we hope to have a report for you in the next Checkp oints.

SCRI BE CHANGE OF COMMAND: My tour is over and it’s n ow t i m e f o r n ew blood and new ideas. Joe Kaboe is taking the reins; send your news and input to 719 268-1146 (home) or joedebkahoe@comcast.net. It’s been a pleasure serving all of you.

(Edi tor 's n ote: Th e scri be f or th e Cl ass of 1983 ask ed m e to i n cl u d e th i s a t th e

end of Bob’s column: “I am an ’83grad and woul d like to thank oneof your fell ow graduates. Last summer my family and I were in the Philly area attending a soccer tournam ent in New Jersey. Prior to heading home to West Virgin i a we stopped to have dinner at the On the Border restaurant in Trevose, PA. I hap pened tonoticeoneof your classmateswho waswearinghis classring. Af ter we talked awhil eI wasshocked to find out hehad pai d f o r o u r m eal s. I w as d um b founded and proud at the sam e time. What an impression on our 14-year -old son who someday wan ts to attend theAcademy. I explained that wegraduates lookafter each o^ er.Again, tothe"73gradwhopickedup our bUl, thank youl") J o e B re z o v ic

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1209 Bayou Oaks Drive

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^ Friendswood, TX 7 754 6 H; (28 1) 4 8 2-68 60 0 : (28 1) 24 4-8 3 2 5/ Fax: (2 8 1) 24 4-8 0 20 E-ma il: j brezovic@ho ust o n.rr.com j oseph.brezovic-l @nasa .gov

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Hello Classmates! I hope all continues well with you. Thank you for

writing...more to come in next issue, too.

Lett er fr om Al aska! Fr om j im , th e Beaver, Can i tz , in Alaska. Jim pulled the plug at United Airlines. Been there since 1992; beforeth at , at Pan Am . Jim w as

The CS-14 crew (from lef t: Gary Schisl er, Pat Schaffer, Larry Greathouse, Kei th Kirchner, and Ray Veatch) was relaxing as Skipp er Ralph Broderick manned the wheel and John Wigington handled the cam era.

CS-14 NEWS: John Wigington sent a great note and picture: “In September, Ralph Broderick was a gracious host to six other CS-14 c l assm at es at h i s l ak e house in North Georgia. Gary Shisler lives outside of Pittsburg PA and is fl ying for Jet Blue, Pat Shaff er is mnning the operationsfor a nuclear power plant in Southern Californ ia, Larry Greathouse is fully retired in M oun tai n H om e,AR, Keith Kirchner isworkingfor Raytheon in Dallas, RayVeatch isproviding the FAA sound legal advicein Afl anta, Ralph Broderick isfl ying for Citation Shares out of Atlanta, an d I ’m a defense contr actor i n H untsville AL. I made it up to the Tennessee-AFA football game and tailgate party, where I saw another squad1 12

Canitz: Jim,Alex, Brenda, Kylie

on leavefor thelast year to pursue personal projects an d f o u n d t h at h e lik ed i t .

schedule running the business rivalslife as a cadet. T h eir b u si n ess w eb si t e i s

a m an of leisu re.” Oth er classm ates h e kn ow s at U nited are Merrill Beyer and

Jim and Helen Shamess sent a Christmasletter in from th ei r h o m e i n F ai r f ax Station,VA. Jim madethebig move to start hisown company,with Helen asthe

Although Unitedwanted himback,hechosetodecline. “So now 1am offi cially

Mike Cranford. Jim and Brenda have three boys and one girl. He enclosed a pictureof himself, and hiswife, and two of histhreegrandchildren.

Jim enrolled full time at the U niversity of AlaskaAnchorage to get theA&P (Airframe & Powerplant) license, so he can of fi cially w o r k on his own airplane, a DHC-2 Beaver. While there at t h e school, he learned that Rocky Capozzi is the Director, Av i a tion Technical Studies for UAA. Rocky is also involved w i t h

runway safety for the FAA. Jim and Itocky both live i n t h e EagleRiver areaand go fl yingtogether occasionally.

14 Jim Mapleswrites about air travel. “I am back to fl yingt h e Atlantic in a Boeing 767 as captain for USAirways. A s w e ar e Sabre Society Donors dealingwith the merger with AmericaWest; we havejust announced a bid to buy Delta. I havebeen through mergers with Empire, USAir, Trump Shuttle, and Am ericaWest. And to top it all, they havetaken away our retirement and Congressisvoting on abill to let usfly until 65 (or when we die).” On a happier note, Jim wrote that oldest son graduated

f rom West Poin t in 2002; 37th in h is class, an d besides Bat tal ion st af f, h e w as

president of theengineeringclub. By theway, hewasen l i st e d an d ser v ed i n

Bosnia before he went to the Army Prep School. [What a family tradition!

Someof you may remember Jim with afew of usat theUSAFA Prep School ] Hisson hasbeen in Baghdad, twice, and isnow with o r d er s at U o f Tex a s f o r an MSin engineering.

Charlie and Barb Bryant wrote. Charlie ismanagingprogramsfor Northrop Grumman in Colorado Springs. He attached a photo of t h ei r so n M i k e a f t er Ch arlie com m issi on ed h im a secon d li eut en an t in th e Marine Corps. Their older son,Andy,just passed the Colorado Bar and is a licensed attorney.They areproud parents! Sightingsof classmatesat a Notre Dametailgateparty: Steve

Boyce, Bill Batson, Kel Coppock, and Ted Macy joined t h e m f r o m F l o r i d a .

Tailgatewasalot morefun than thegame!Charliewrites that he “also got see LtGen A.P. Clark at another football game and to shake his hand again. Told him I did that once before... June 5, 1974. He looks great and is doing well! “

i n f o @afi sh h u n t .c o m .

Director of Operationswith achanceto bepromoted t o V P o f 5 D P r o So l u

tions. Helen ishappy for she sees more of j im that she has ever had. They split th e w ork; Jim w orks th e busin ess, H elen tak es car e of the house repairs, lawn work, tofi ets, garage doors and sub-contractors! Their son Jef f w as select ed as Company GradeOffi ceof theyear in England.With hiswife, Jenny, they’ve

brought threegrandbabiesinto lifefor Jim and Helen. Oth er son Joe an d w ife,

Sarah, arewell. He was chosen Trainer of theYear f o r t h e T - 6 Tex a s a i r c r a f t a s well as Squadron Company Grade Offi cer of theYear. Jon, theyoungest son, is a USAFA Cadet Sq CC, and yes, the parents are proud of his progress!

Dave DiMarchi (Nancy) writes in fi rst time! Davewrote h i s n o t e w h il e w ai t ingout thesleet inWichitatotakeoff. Daveended up retiring from a fi nal tour at theAFA, (“working in XPand, damn theluck, flying t h e U V - 18 Tw i n O t t er s fo r thejump team”) and stayed in COS. Dave spent a year working in Pueblo for Trane as a supplier development engineer, and then wasfortunate enough to get thecall from FedEx,wherehe’sbeen flyingthe727 since ’98. Their daughter Lisa has blessed them with three grandchildren (Joey, 8, an d An drew an d Charlotte, both 5), and their two sons, Pete and Paul, areworking in COS. With FedEx, Davehashad regular sightings of Steve Heil , Pat Corrigan, Brian Wirth, and Brian Badger. Memory lapse for the others. Pat Corrigan’s son isfl ying B1and Pat’s younger son starts UPT at Vance. Dave ran i n t o A c e D u n n i n t h e layover at hishotel at Wichita. Acewassmart enough to take the early retire ment from Delta and is fl ying Citations for a fractional company. He also ran into Tarry Vliet at the commissary the other day. W h il e D av e w a s d e ad -h ead ingtoDallaslast month hewastreated tohavingSkip Bauknight asthe captain flying him there. They chatted for a littlebit and (smaller world) Skip ismoving to the Colorado Sp rings area, building a home in Black F o r e st . D av e a d d e d “Sometimes it gets scary just how small theworld is getting and how many of us are still around and running into each other.”

ClosingNote: 1974yearbook needsahome!DaveBeck ’75, asked if I w oul d ask

‘74 who wants a practically new one! Let your scribe kn ow (m e, Joe Brezovi c).

I have more letters and pictures but ran out of room f o r t h i s e d i t i o n ...b u t don’t let that stop you! Send in how your are doing! W e’d l o v e t o sh a r e a n d support aswe can. May each of you live long and prosper.

Pa u l K e n t 1 8 1 6 6 S .E. 4 1 st Pla c e

Issaquah, WA 9 8 0 27-9717 Mobile; (4 2 5 ) 78 5-3 58 6

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kMembe^

E- m a i l : z o o s c r i b e @m a c .c o m

Ai r For ce fa th er com m i ssi on s son a M ar in e: Ch arli e an d M ik e!

Another Marine parent wrote in! Jim Donaldson.The oldest son , M ich ael is an ’03 USAFA Grad and got the class’ only Marineslot! Duringhisfi rst Iraq tour he served asan infantry platoon commander in Ramadi. He is already back for a second combat tour, this one being oneyear as a trai n er an d liaison (t radi tional Marine tours are seven months). On other family news during our ski trip last winter with Bill Casmement, Bill gaveJim alead for a good fi shing tri p duringthelast summer to Alaska. Classmate, John Baker, an d his w ife, Sharon , own and operate a large fi shing operation south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. John gave them some great tourist info and a fi ne halibut fi shing trip toboot (thephoto showsJohn on theleft). John’sand Sharon’s busy work

Notable. Mike (Vito) Goyden, Liberty High School (Colorado Springs) Soc cer Coach, took his Lancersteam to the State Championship on the evening of Nov 7'1 It was Liberty’s 5"’ StateTitle, which sets a C o l o r a d o st a t e r e c o r d .

Aterrifi ctum out for Andy Dichter’sretirement ceremony l ast m o n t h ! 17 c lass mateshad a mini-reunion for thisevent: Meyerrose,Gun th er , M ar r o, H enn ey , Lyerly,Dalson,Cox,McCorry,Miglin,Posey,Smith,Braun, Noetzel,Lodrige, Dichter, Carlson, and Waters. Missing in the photo are Dale Meyerrose, Rod Gunther, and MikeMarro who could not stay past the end of the formal phase of the ceremony in order to minimizethe risk to their careersand / or marriages

Henney, Lyerly, Smith, Noetzel, Braun, Dichter, Cox, Lodrige, Carlson, Dalson, Miglin, Posey, McCorry, and Waters

200 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e bal l o ts f or th e 2 00 7 El ecti on of A OG D i r ector s h ave been m ail ed. Th er e ar e six vacan ci es to b e f il l ed.

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Apr il 30, 2007.

Pl ease l ear n ab o u t th e can di dates an d VOTE! Vi si t

Fi sh erm en Joh n , h ali b u t, an d Jim !

our web si te f or m or e in form ation at www.usafa.org.

1 13

dueto schedulingconflicts. But it wasgreat that they were willing to take a portion of their valuabletime, however brief, to honor our classmateAndy. It’s always a delight for me (Carlson) to see our classtogether for these events. It’s like a family reunion every time.

of hisneck.Note—Mark’sfather wasaB-17pilot shot down over Europe and spent 3 1/2 years as a POW.

Steve Rogers, who left theAcademy hissophomoreyear, w a s r e ca ll e d t o

•]

active duty by theAF.Among his many accomplishments is the algorithm he developed to detect breast cancer cellswhich is now u sed i n every screening device worldwide.

I 1 AF VSDSU in October: Jim Carlson was hoping to fi nd a group of classmatesat thetailgateand game, but heonly ran

into two: Rich Chanick, and Mike Perry. Roy Ricekindly sent a grainy shot of Ralph Rhye before he disappeared i n t o

thewoodsagain with Sasquatch. Ralph isreally aself-actu alized man workingasacustom carpenter and doinga l o t o f

fi shing with Roy. Scott Smith sent photo of himself a t Ph il m o n t .

-I

il

20 Sabre Society Dono rs

From Rick Benbow (reflecting on hisreturn to Del Rio, TX): Just to show you

that lifeisacircle, I am relocatingto Laughlin AFB, TX where my Air Force

career started some 30-i- years ago! I think I will be reuniting with my room mate, Randy Sheppard, who also instmcts at Laughlin.

Osama bin Lyerly. Since Bill Lyerly was at Andy Dichter ’s r et i r e m e n t c er emony, and entertaining as always, here’s another new and amusing Lyerly story to add to our classlore: Lyerly wasflying from Geneva to Ottawa. Arriving at Ottawaintern ational airport at 0200, Security pulled Bill asidebecauseLyeriy s namewassimilar to someoneon theairport suspect w atch li st , an d th eir birth daysmatched. Bill wasdetained for several hourswhOehis organization made frantic efforts to get him released in order for him to make a 0800 speaking engagement. Bill Lyerly, Class of 1963?In the Fall 2006 Edition of Checkpoin ts, in the“LongBlueLine” section. Bill Lyerly wasincorrectly identifi ed as being a m em ber of th e Class of 1963. Astute classm ates w h o actually read the maga

zineand sent humorouscommentsincludeDan McCorry an d D ean C o x .

Car l son an d H olm es i n D C.

i

Some Closing ZoomieNati on Posts. From Fred Weems: Does anyone have

acopy of thespeech Jimmy Stuart gaveat our ringdining in?From Scott Smith:

Does anyone have any info on Ronald Montoya?Last mmor I h ear d w a s h e i s a surgeon in the Corpus Christie area. From William Taylor : If this list [’75 Attritees] are thosewho didn’t graduate, it seemsto be missing my childhood

classmatePhil Jones. Perhapshisnamewas“JamesPhillip”, an d h e’s l i st ed a s

Jimmy? He died a few months ago of an aneurysm while driving near Nash ville. Heapparently pulled hiscar over, got sick, passed out, never regained conscious, and died a few days later. From Mike Garrett (re: “ in Circle - on’75 Attritees): GusMirich left usduring our smack year an d w en t t o B eal e A F B a s a

crew chief on theSR-71.Approximately 1to 2yearsl a t e r I h e ar d h e’d d i e d .

From DavidA. Clough: Maj. Gen Stan GorencwasquotedA v i at i o n W eek &

SpaceTechnology: “It was the safest flying year ever, in 2006, for th e U .S. Ai r Force, measured by the number of major aircraft accidents— 19 with eight destroyed aircraft—and asinglefatality.Thechief of USAF safety contrasts 2006with the service’sfi rst year, 1947, when therewere 1,500 major accidents, 500 destroyed aircraft and more than 500 deaths.” From L e e C o l b u r n : A s o f December I’m aVerizon Employee and work in the same building as before, only I haveaVerizon address. FromWill Cosby: Sittingat work trying to avoid the 2 weeks of stuf f that built up while I was on vacation.W e n t t o So u t h A f r i c a just for the fun of it. Cos. From Bill Dalson:We’re o n t h e r o a d at t h e m o m en t visitingfriendsin South Afncal From Marty Stytz: I would like to put a promi nent notice in Checkpoints for ZoomieNation and the Honor Group? (note fi -om Scribe: Done!) DaveWhite isgetting married to Liz and moving to Phoe

nix. For those who’ve been wondering whatever happened t o Joh n

Bill Lyerly in thepressin terview “hot seat ” at ± eN a ti o n al H ur r i can e Cen t er in Miami - taken during a recent off icial visi t with th e R u ssi an s.

Jim Eken h as lan ded at ITT In dustries and w ill be th e Program Manager for the BaseOperationsSupport Contract at CampAsSayliyah,Qatar. From Steve M ar ino: My son fi nished 8th at thePGATour Qualifying School in La Quin ta.This m ean s hewill beafull-timeplayer on thePGATour startingin January 2007. From Wa^ eandAmyWillis:Hooray!Wearegrandparents!TytanDavidWillis (yes,his

initialsare“T.D.”) arrived in May and weareenjoyingevery m in ute w i th h im .

From Bill Murray: I’m pluggingalong at Lockheed Martin o n th e F -22 . Fo r ’75 er s in theWashington, DCArea,the7th Annual ’75 DarkAgesParty (DAP) isplanned for 10 Feb at Ft McNair.Thisyear’stheme is Mardi Gras, w ith beads an d m asks.

Dan McCorry isarrangingfor a sit-down venue (thisyear,we’reupgradingto ’75 DAP 2.0) with a menu reflecting New Orleans type food.

From Rick Pyatt about Dan: For those that don’t know it, Dan recently lead awinning proposal for hiscompany which had BIG $$$ asso ci at ed w i t h it . H e’s probably working 24/ 7 putting things together — so again thank you. The Goodrich Corporation Classof ’75 team will attend with afour-ship. Sam Ryals and hischarmingwife. Ginger, areflyingin from Dayton, Ohio. My wife and I will also attend. Both Ginger and Zara are former b l u e - su i t e r s. H er e ’s t h e current lineup ofThe Usual Suspects (and acoupleof n ew faces):Ak er s,An der son,Awtrey, Beesley, Braun, Bready, Carlson, Charlton, Cox, Dalson, Kerby, Lodrige, Lyerly,Manthei, Marro, May, McCorry,Meyerrose, Plotter, Posey, Pyatt, Quattrocki, Ryals, Soto, and Sullivan. From C ar l so n : W o u l d l i k e m o r e of you guys to show, of course. Especially the ones I h av en ’t see n i n d ec a d es.

I fi nally get to see Chris Soto again — last time (not counting any brief flyby at

Kambourian , check out what he says on ZoomieNation, about how he got back to theAcademy.

Want MoreNews? Thisprinted column islimited to 1200w o r d s an d 3 b l ac k and-whitephotos. “Checkpointsfor ZoomieNation” is ov er 7 00 0 w o r d s. T h er e

are281of usin theZoomieNation Classof 1975Group as of Feb 12* , 2007, th e

day I am submitting this column. Since the scribe has unlimited space in the electronic version, I deletevery little.

Som e m ore Zoom ieN ati on n ot es f rom Jim Car l son : D on’t forget to look for theClassof 1975Best Alive!group and request entry. You can also set up your own groups. Our Class Scribe, Paul Kent (me) has agreed t o p ost our Ch eck p oin ts colum n on th e Zoom ieN ation site. TTi at m ean s I (Carlson) will no longer beforwardingacopy of thecolumn. So if you don’t get the hard copy Check poin ts, register at thesiteto read hiscolumn and check out thephotos.Anyone can create a blog. CS-30 has their own group set up. You’ve also posted some heartfelt, tender writings.An exampleistheblogby Marty Stytz about his late wife, Gayl. I met our classmate Marty, FORTHE FIRST TI M E, at lu n ch l ast month — and surprise, it seemed asif wewere fn endsf o r d eca d es. O u r cl a ss

mateChuck Buck added ablogthat referencesMarty’st r i b u t e an d a d d s h i s

own paean to hiswife, Katy, and her passing due to cancer. Thanks guys for including us in the splendid heights of the vicissitudes of your lives.

•

th e reu n ion s) w as at th e en d of 2n d BCT w h en h e w on o n e o f t h e “ M ean e st -

Mother-in-the-Valley” awards.

Erom DaveWallace: Following the DC gang’s lead, Brian Duf fy told me that we may be holding a similar Dark Ages get-together i n C o l o r a d o . F r o m o u r class president about Mark Holmes: I cannot think of an o t h er cl a ssm at e th at hasasmuch pride in theclassof ’75. So much so that hehastattooson hisbody of: (a) both sides of the crests on our class ring (inside left and right forearms), (b) ’75 Best Alive on the right sideof hisneck, (c) prop and wingson theleft side 1 14

Fellow 76’ers,

Dan Beatt y 12 19 6 St anley Canyon Road Colorado Springs, CO 8 0 9 2 1 H: (719 ) 4 8 8-19 6 2 E-Ma il: w hrlybrd 76 @ao l.com Da n.Beatt y@usaf a .af .m il htt p:/ / www.AFAcademy.com/ 76

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M e m b e rs

As I type this, the class of ’07 is in a recovery mode f r o m t h e i r l OO’s N i t e so journslast Friday. Think back to our l OO’snite memories (and yesI realize that afew of usmay not be ableto remember asmuch as o t h er s. So m e b ec au se t h e memories of that nite were forever lost in the ‘fog o f c el eb r a t i o n ’ a n d so m e

because our memory may not bewhat it oncewas. How many of us are in the ‘the older I get, the better I was’ stage?) and the c am ar ad e r i e w e sh a r e d a s w e realized our Academy journey was truly in the final stretch. I have it on good authority from several of the cadets me and my bride sponsor that the Firsties did indeed return to their rooms to be greeted by all m a n n e r o f r o o m r e a r rangements, room accessissues, andjust plain general recognition of this sig nifi cant event by the underclasses. Now the cadets are starting to focus on spring break and the end of the dark ages.

First a request for you to keep Pat O’Brien in your thoughts and prayers. Pat w as in an air craft crash on 8 Feb near Allian ce, N ebraska and my latest info says he is still in bad shape in a Scottsbluff, NE hospital but still fi ghting.

Classmates moving/ moving up; G Dave Clary Director, Operations and Training, Deputy Chief of Staff Air, Space and Information Operations, Plans and Requirements, HQ USAF to Vice Commander, Air Combat Com m an d , Langley AFB. Congrats Dave!

General Class Stuf f: Again not a lot of general input this time, probably be cause my slug self didn’t pingy’all as much as I should. Jeff Whatley sent me a photo of himself and Ute at a New Year’s party with a military uniform theme.

your bioinfo. Asalways, if you areheaded to theSprings,l et m e an d t h e o t h er

locals know. Keep fl ying your fl ags and let our deployed troops know you have them in your thoughts and prayers.

On a small personal note, some of the cadets I sponsor d e c i d ed I n e e d e d another pet at the house, so they bought me a small frog. AND they told me I n eeded to n am e it . Sooooooooo. . .in h onor of th e doolies Martha and I spon sor I named him “SQUATWADTERRAZZOFROG”.

The Spirit of 76 is STILL alive and well! Until next t im e... Beat ty

^ T John J “Lou” Michels, Jr.

V

'I t

it

4107 Ha rvey West ern Springs, IL 60 5 58 Voice: (3 12 ) 8 4 9-8 150 Fax: (3 12 ) 8 4 9-8 151

M e m be rs

E- M a i l :

Jm iche ls@mcgu irewoods .co m

Well, wherever you are, I hope it’swarmer than it is here in Chicago where we’ve had the coldest start to February in 112 years. We’re still recovering fr om the Superbowl up here and thelousy weather isn’t helping. I’m hoping that by thetimeyou read thisthe global cooling caused by A 1G o r e’s O sc ar n o m i n at i o n will have abated long enough for me to put my winter coat in to storage.

Guaranteed Responses; I always say that the fastest way to get reader re sponse isto publish erroneousinformation about them. My apologiesto Don McCune (Bernadette) for the errorsin last quarter’sco l u m n .

But I did get a nice email fr om Don detailing his life t o d at e .

D on r et ired ou t of th e A 320 at N ort hw est aft er h e fi n ish ed

Ute and Jeff Whatley Jeff wanted to know if I could identify thejacket he iswearing (yes I could!) and asked meto guesshow far thebutton isfr om thebutton-holewhen pulled tight. I have no clueJeff , but can only surmise it i s so m ew h at d iff er en t t h an t h e distance when you last wore that dynamic article of clothing as a cadet. Jeff says he is fl ying as an international captain for Delta; th at h e fl ew fr om JFK t o Sao Paulo, Brazil and back to Atlanta recently both ways in the daytime. Says it was the fi rst time since he started fl ying to South A m e r i c a i n 19 9 9 t h a t h e’s fl own in the daytime and been able to see the ground.

Greg Boomgaard wroteto tell mehewasoff ered and accepted ateachingjob in Takasaki , Gum m a, about tw o hours North of Yokota (th at ’s in Japan for those of us who are geographically challenged) on the Hachiko line. He says alongwith entry-level salary, they will provide a subsidized dinky, 6 tatami +KB, furnished apt supplied w i th kitchenware, etc. Greg saysthe one-year contract startsJu n 07 and hewill go to Omiya, Saitama for oneweek for tr ain in g before going to Takasaki. Greg has alwayshad a passion f o r Japan and the Orient and maybehewill really learn to speak 34 Jap an ese n ow.

Sabre Society

Do n o rs Cuevassent aniceChristmasnotewith an update. Angie isstill working for GraniteTransformations and staysbusy in the garden. Seems Lee and Angie are grandparents as o f 2 1 Oct thanksto daughter Aubrey and hubby. Don’t know if th i s i s th eir fi r st o r n o t .

Son EJgraduated fr om U of Arizona in Dec and is searching f o r an ev er el u siv e writing j ob. Son Alex got his pilot training slot, graduates in May and gets married on 25 May. I had an opportunity to break bread with Kevin Chil ton, Joe Wysocki , and Greg Seely at theAir Force Ball here in C-Springs in early Feb. The local Air ForceAssociation chapter sponsors the event and for the 3’'*year runningAir Force Tops in Blue was able to support the event with a t r em e n d o u s sh o w .

Chili wasthe senior Air Force person in attendance and was, as ever,very good with his comments to the crowd of just under 1000 that evening. Joe’s com pany again made a superb contribution to theAir ForceAid Society and it was good to see classmates Kevin and Joe on stage together. C h i l i al so c u t t h e t r a ditional cakewith theyoungest airman in attendance that evening. Of course, arrangementswere made to cut the cake with a Class o f ’7 6 sab er .

Again time to stick a fork in it. I will attempt to ping y’all before my next deadline and gather moreinputsfor my letter. I must co n f ess I h av e n o t v i si t ed the “ZoomieNation” site as much as I should in the past several weeks. I will m ak e an eff o r t t o d o b et t er w i t h t h at in t h e f u t u r e . Send me your notes, inputs, address updates, suggestion,junk maU, etc and I will do my best to keep all of you in the loop.

Keep thinking about ideas for the 35* reunion; it will be here before you know it. If you haven’t updated your info in theAOG database, please go to www.usafa.org and do so. You don’t need to be an AOG member to update

law school at the University of Memphis. He clerked f o r a federal judge down in Texasand isnow practicing in Ch ar l es ton (at least I got the last part right). One thing t h a t h a sn ’t 16 changed about Don ishissenseof humor - heguessesh e w as the only law clerk for a federal judge who was seven y e a r s Sabre Society Dono rs older than thejudge himself. Somehow I missed Don w h en I was at theTennessee game last fall. Don commented th at , as an old BUFF driver, the’52 fl yover wasworth the trip, and hewas especially glad that no parts fell off into the crowd. Metoo. Thanksfor the update, Don, and again, my apologies.

Apparently, I haven’t lost as much hair as I thought - as I was on my way to El Paso for a hearing, a guy comes up to me in the airplane and says, “Is your n am e John M ichels?” It w as non e oth er th an Paul “ M ad Dog” Madsen on his way down to DFW for some simulator work. Paul’s had nothing if not an interesting life; he’s currently pushing metal for A m er i c an b u t l i v e s i n So u t h Dakota. He’s a landlord up in Alaska, aswell as maintaining a place in Chicago to support hisAmerican fl ights. He’s now retired from t h e So u t h D ak o t a A i r Guard, and we had a nice long chat in the bar in Dallas about pilots, pilot unions, and employment litigation, all of which are germane to Paul’s career at thispoint. He looks good and sounds like he’s doingwell. And I’m real glad that he could pick me out of a crowd.

Speakingof fl ashbacks. Chip Cumm (Deborah) wrotemefr om the Springs saying that watching Ai r Force football was like, “Ben M a r t i n t i m e al l o v e r

again.” Chip’s in Colorado Springs aft er his retirement f r o m N O RA D a s a

Colon el in t h e fal l of ’04. H e n ow w ork s, t o u se h i s own words, as a “slimy

contractor”. I suppose Chip feels a kind of affi nity for lawyers as well. He noted that he’s “looking for guys who want to work as fellow slimy contrac tors” with him at NORAD. Now there’sa catchy job advertisement th at I h av en ’t seen anyonetrying. Monster.com doesn’t know what it’smissing. Chip bumped into Ted Linhoff (Stephanie) while watching one of the football games A at caused him to think of Ben Martin. Ted is fl ying for D elta out of Salt Lake, but lives in the Springs. Thanks, Chip, and I’ll keep an eyeball peeled for slimy types around here that might want to relocate.

I got some sad news fr om DaveZelenok (Kathleen) who reported the pass ing of Mickey Bednar. Mickey was a former member of t h e cl a ss w h o r o o m ed w ith both D ave an d Rob Gaston (Barb ar a) as th ree sm okes in C S-2 5 . T h an k s f o r t h e n o t i c e , D av e .

I don’t think thedecorum manual has a chapter on this:Whileperusing the

N ew York Tim es b efore Ch ri stm as, I n oted th at on e of our own made a story

about the handover of control in Najaf Province fr om U.S. to Iraqi oversight.

Kurt Cichowski (Ina) is the Deputy Chief of Staff for C o al i t i o n F o r c e s a n d attended thehand-over ceremony. Kurt waspresent for, and presumably was asked to participate in, the morale-building portion of th e servi ce, w h ich consisted of members of a commando unit pulling live fr ogs out of their pock ets, biting the heads off , and throwing the squirming legs up into the air. The commando leader then cut open a live rabbit and took a bite out of th e in sides, before passing the rabbit around to the rest of the troops who did the same.

There ain’t enough alcohol in theworld, brothers. I’m only sorry I didn’t get a copy of Ina’sChristmasletter thisyear,which usually is accompanied by at least oneinteresting photograph. Thisonewould have taken thecake, Tm guessing.

Or th e rabbit . I w on der w h at th e con dim ents are for live fr ogs and rabbits?

Mark Clodfelter (Donna) called me from his post at t h e N a t i o n al W a r C o l lege where he is a Professor of Military Strategy. M ark w ill b e ad dressin g an 1 15

Academy audience next fall aspart of the Harmon lecture series on history. To that end, hethought hed try to do somethingthat the cadetsmight actually fi nd useful and is collecting thoughts about the impact of theAcademy and the Academy experience on its graduates. Don’t be surprised if you get a survey from Mark asking you to do a little deep thinking about the Zoomie experi ence. Give him a good response.

Sign of f: Sorry about the short length of the column th is tim e aroun d, but I didn’t get very much material. Shoot me a line, comeup on Zoom ieNation , or

Tehachapi, CA and is on the road often as a motivational speaker who useshis experiences as a Space Shuttle commander and test pilot to in form , edu cat e and entertain audiencesaround thecountry.Think 1mentioned in a past ar ticle that Rick is also flying rocket airplanes for a fi rm in Moj avewhere; he trashesthepattern with that thing (just kidding). Don is a DeltaAir Lines Cap tain who lives in Tyrone Georgia, just adjacent to Peachtree City.

m:

pick up thephoneand let meknow what’swhat. Beseeingy o u .

Bob Kay 4 0 4 1 1 Te s o ro La n e

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M e m b e rs

Pa lm d a le , CA 9 3 5 5 1

Home:(6 6 1) 2 74-2 20 1 Work: (6 6 1) 8 24-64 2 6 Ema il: Ro be rt .kay@baesyst ems .com

Greetings ’78ers...

I think 1must be getting senile or just plain stupid. I’m trying to write this in the back of a 767 with my laptop up to my neck. The300-lb guy in front of me j ust has to recline his seat as far back as it will go. Oh well, such is life on the road I suppose. Actually, if I’d stop procrastinatingand get this article done early (now there’s a concept!) instead of waiting ’till th e last m in ute, I w oul dn’t

haveto do this. At least thein-flight fl ick waspretty decent (A Good Year for all

of you romantics.. .if you haven’t seen it, I would recommend takingyour bride or signifi cant other).

The good news isthat there isplenty of stuff to report this quarter thanksto somegreat contributions. Remember, I have to fi ll this spacewith something and themoreyou guys send the less chance that I’ll have to fi nd something to

Last one is an Eifert family shot during a visit to the Zoo for the AF-Navy game. From left are Ron, Robert (7th grade), Cele and Carl (9th grade). This was thefi rst time their boyshad seen the academy since they were babies and Celesaysthey wereimpressed! They’rehopingtheboyswere so impressed that maybethey’ll haveoneor two morezoomiesin the family. Great shots and info Cele...thanks so much for taking the time to sen d !

fi l l i t w i t h !

Speakingof brides, two special spousessent in some great info. Dan Schick’s widow, Georgine, wrote and gave a great update on the ki d s. Th eir old est , Brittany, graduated a couple of years ago (Jun ’05) f r o m U C Irvinewith a degree in Intern ational Studiesand Poll Sci an d

i iiiu

w as com m issioned in th e AF (ROTC at U CLA). She then w e n t

to Dublin City U as a Mitchell Scholar (right up there w i t h Rhodes, Truman and Fulbright Scholars — just a newer Scholarship program) and earned aMaster’sin International 23 Security which she completed in September. It was then o f f for Intel Training at Goodfellow AFB. Somewherein b et w een Sabre Society Dono rs she managed to get married to Nick (ROTC classmates) i n Manitou Springswith Jim Schlichting (Dan’sbest man), Jef f Snoy, Jack Anthony, Ron Magnus’ wife, Sharon, and ’76er St u Pa t t e r so n a t tending. They’re now at Columbus air patch where Nick is attending UPT. With thewedding done, Georginehas a bit more time f o r t h ei r o t h er fi v e k i d s: Aaron will graduatefrom Purduewith a degreein Finance this May and Adam from High School in Junewith hissightson UC Boulder. That will leavedaugh ters Bethany (14) and Courtany (12) at home alongwith Ch rist ian , h er n in eyear-old Down’s son. He is also Autistic and was accepted a n d f u n d e d f o r a specialized program at a residential Christian Home/ Sc h o o l a n h o u r f r o m th eir hom e. She con siders h erself m ost blessed wi th all the troops. Thanks so much for the great note Georgine — sounds like you’re doing an incredible j ob...Dan would be proud.

Next special spouse is Ron Eifert ’sbetter half, Cele, who sent three great pix of classmates. First one is of, from left, Mike Valdivia, B r i a n Sc o t t a n d Ro n Eifert enj oying a laugh after a recent dinner party at Ro n ’s h o m e i n Pea ch t r ee City CA, 20 minutessouthwest of Atlanta. Ron and Brian b o th l iv e i n Peach t r ee City while Mike lives in Orlando, FL. Ron is a DeltaAir Lines Captain; Brian is a Northwest Airlines Captain and Mikeworks for United Sp ace Al lian ce.

al i ii

Bulldawger Gary Storie sent therecent issue of thefamily newsletter. Heand

Cathy areenjoyingtheir new statusasoffi cial “empty n est e r s” an d d i d so w i t h

gusto the past year. With a travel schedule that would tire anyone out just reading it, they went literally from coast to coast with several spots in between (Vegas, Myrtle Beach,Yellowstone, Tetons, Poconos.. .whew!). The big trip wasto Penn Stateto watch both kidsgraduate one day apar t . Son Paul received a degree in fi nance and works for Bloomberg in NYC. Daughter Liz (married to Matt last year) graduated with a nursing degree and is a neurology nurse at Children’sHospital in Pittsburgh. Gary is aVP and Wealth Advisor at a top-tier

wealth management firm also in Pittsburgh whileCathy st i l l w o r k s a t t h e i r local high school aswell asmanagingher weddingplanningb u si n ess .

Adding to our general offi cer ranks, several guys in t h e Re se r v e s m a d e B G while serving asmobilization assistants (MA) around theglobe: Craig Gourley istheMA to the director of operational plans and joint mattersat the Pentagon when he’snot flying for Delta, Bill “Sure Shot’’ Schauff ert i s th e M A f o r t h e 19 * AF commander at Randolph, Rich Shook isthe MA to ACC/XP at Langley. Also at Langley isLanceUndhjem who isthe MA to the commander o f th e A F C o m mand and Control, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reco n n ai ssan c e C en t e r who just happens to be Kevin Kennedy.

About the only other bit of assignment stuff I was able to fi nd was a piece in theAFNewsshowing Dave Eidsaune taking over theAir A r m am en t C en t er at Eglin in January. Prior to commanding AAC, Dave was at Wright -Pat com manding theAir Force Security Assistance Center. The guy Dave replaced at Eglin was a two-star so that bodeswell for his future I ’m guessing.

I’m thankfully running out of space again so have to sign off for now. Thanks again to all of you for taking thetime to write and letting everyone know what’s going on. I hope everyone has a blessed and safewinter. ’7 8 i s G r e at !

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e bal l o ts f or th e 200 7 El ecti on of A OG D ir ec tor s h ave b een m ail ed. Th er e ar e six vacan ci es t o be fi ll ed.

Secon d on e i s of , from l eft , Rick Sear foss an d D on Harper when they had

lunch with Cele. Rick wasin PeachtreeCity speakingat the middle and high sch ools w here Ron’s son s are sm dents. Ret ired from th e U SAF, Ri ck still l ives in 1 16

Ballots must be returned by noon on April 30, 2007.

Pl ease l ear n ab o u t th e can di dates an d VOTE! Vi si t

our web si te for more informati on at www.usafa.org.

M ike As hley 1 7 B r id le Co u rt

Charles Town, WV 2 54 14 79t rash@gma il.com (304 ) 728-4 88 8

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. M e m b e rs ' :d

Greetingsfr om West Virginia. Take seats. News has been slow coming to me thisyear. I thank those of you who have sent in updates to share. I hope that those of you who read these with some degree of regularity w i l l e n d e av o r t o send in your’s for the pleasure of your class.

I w ill star t w ith som e new s fr om footbal l season , th e time when I get to meet most of you for updates, fellowship and reminiscing.A little story. I watched in delight the 1970 Sugar Bowl asTennesseewalloped USAFA, being a UT fan at the time. But since my appointment to USAFA, I have eagerly awaited the rematch. So I wasgready excited when thefi rst game o f th e seaso n f eat u r ed A F versus UT in Knoxville. I purchased tickets right away, only to be devastated two days prior when American Airlines a s signed me a trip during that weekend. Alas, I could n ot go!

1 I 1 Pat Tisdale, wife, Liz and their daughter did get to at t en d t h e game. He said it was exciting to watch the kids fall sh o r t i n knocking off the powerhouse from the South. I hope I d o n ’t 11 have to wait another 35 years for my next opportunity!

I did get to travel toWest Point. I met with Brian, Becky and Sabre Society Do n o rs Zach Hampl, as well as Keith and Sue Abbott. We made i t a reunion weekend for the Friday night game against the C a dets. Keith and Suerecently wedded in September. Ascustomary, I found Chip Taylor and the contingent from Atlanta. They come north for the every twoyear game at USMA. I had hoped to ID every face in the photo, but with all the cold weather gear, I could only identify a few. So I will leave it to you match faces and names of this ever-growing group. Comejoin u s! I w i l l b e a t U SN A

Bri an Koechel sent me this: Dale Carley put this on th e (class) w ehsite. Per hapsit should he included in thenext Checkpoints’. “I am tryingto put together an expedition climb of Denali for May 2008. This is a c l i m b I ’v e w an t ed t o d o for several years. Aswe get older, over 50, it is hard to put together a group of si m i l a r a b i l i t i e s. T h i s c l i m b w o u l d b e w i t h o n e o f the guide services, RMI or AlpineAscents Intern ational.A time-fr ame of May 2008would allow thisgroup of six to get in shape, again, and possibly put together a couple of practice climbs.These practice climbs could include Rainier, Hood, Mt Washington in winter, Mt Shasta, Mt Adamsor any others. Please contact m e vi a em ai l if i n t er e st e d . I ’v e c l i m b e d m o st o f t h e m en t i o n e d m o u n t ai n s and would like to put Denali on my completed list.” DaleCarley dalescout@mindspring.com”. G o o d Luck Dale and safejourney!

And now for avery important announcement fr om John Pardo: EmilyVictori a Pardo wasbom 21Dec 06 at 1127. No problemswith thebirth. Baby Emily and mom (Nancy) are doingweUif you don’t include sleep deprivation. Attached pictureof proud fatherwastaken 1.5 hoursaft er delivery. CongratulationsJohn!

m

in ’07, l ook for m e!

John and EmUy Joh n R. Pardo, Jr., Col, U SAF is Com m an der, D et 355, an d Pr o f esso r o f A er o

space Studies at Boston University.

An update from John Susalla: Not much big going on this way... Trying to stay warm in the“great white north”... Nothing really big going on in the Susalla household,just trying to survivethisfun bankruptcy bit! I’m still doingthe DC9Capt gigwith NWA out of DTW (the“workingclass” for theairline). Kathy is also stiUdoing the FA thing heretoo. No kids,just the dog Fri sco. I’m stiUdoing theALO gig for USAFA/AFROTC for a few more years. But I gave up the LOD position a coupleyears ago and just going for a few more points for retirement (no tellingwhat NWA isgoing to really give me).1keep up with Mike Glenn and heisdoingtheA320Capt out of DTWtoo (on reservesasacommuter ev en ! B u t he’s a bach elor, so can h an dl e it . ..). H e lives dow n in th e San A n t o n i o ar ea . W e

>catch up on thingson a fairly regular basissinceheh as t i m e o n h i s h an d s in t h e Yo u r A O G int ro d u ce s

Your news from around theworld. This from Jim Regan: 1 h av e at t a c h e d a photo of my oldest son, Jim, and Frank Gorenc in Balad. Fr an k w a s t h er e as th e basecommander and my son was therewith the IllinoisA i r N at i o n al G u ar d a s a weapons loader on theF-16. It is heartening to see a great guy like Gorenc with a star and ironic that heand my son would crosspathsin Iraq. Who would have thought? My middle son, Ryan, is a firstie at the Zoo with graduation approaching rapidly. Should be a great party in May. My youngest son, Kyle, hasjoined the Illinois Guard as aTACP He is off to boot camp in June. I keep i n c l o se c o n t a c t w i t h R ex K e e se a n d D a l e B u r t o n . Rex is still slumming in Decatur, TX and flying captain on the 767 out of New Yo r k . D a l e i s d o w n a t Tyndall with Lockheed asa sim instructor on the F-22. As for m e. I ’m still on the 767 fl ying international out of Chicago and living i n t h e b u r b s.

Z o o m ie N a t io n K EE P U P T O D AT E O N T H E

2007 AOG BOARD ELECTIONS... ^ ■ Engage wit h candidat es on import ant issu e s

■ Read^ out eachcandJcJate's background ■ Learn how t he candidat es plan t o make t he A O G b et t e r

A LSO C H EC K O U T T H E S E O T H E R G R EA T Z O O M IE N A T IO N F U N C T IO N S : ■ Lo c at e o ld f r ie n d s a n d c la ss m a t e s a n d re c o n n e ct !

■ Professionally net work wit h grads t o find jobs (separat ing or post -milit ary) ■ Form int erest/ professional groups ■ Est ablish your own personal/ professional profile W W W . z o a m i e n a fe i o n . c o m

Fr ank an d Jim 1 17

DTW area. He sent me a quick email note on Irv Bennett, mnning for a politi cal offi ce in Culpeper,VA. Vote for Irv everybody!

H er e’s a r u n d ow n w h o ’s w h e r e t h at Su s se n t m e : B i l l “Tiny” Ahrendt - still active duty working out of DC. Steve “Cramps” Barnes- Delta, not sure good email. Irv Bennett, Mike “Dogg” Glenn, Jeff Liederbach, St ev e M er r i am ar e at

lan d o Rosado , D ave St i en b eck , M ar k Li n d st r om , an d Ch u ck B a sse t t o n a

regular basis.”

NWA . D elan e “ Clar m ” Cl ar k - FedEx. JR D al l as an d Ed D u b i cki - AA . Joel

Maynard - COS area, not sure who he works for right now? Mike “Pep” Peplinski - BG at SelfridgeANGB (he’s the “big cbeese” t h er e n ow - si n c e l a st Jan 2006. Joe “Hoser” Renis- NWA, hewas furloughed and just coming back.

Gary Rower - Delta, and doing air shows on the side i n h i s o w n St ea r m a n .

Justin Rueb - retired after 20 and teachescollege at U n iv W i sc o n si n at St ev en s Point. Sam Kinard - Delta. Paul Schubert - “big time banker” and just made theAPR0 -6 list doing theALO gig (1keep up with him as he’s th e LOD in OH ).

Schubscomesto thegamesat Annapolisalmost every other year. MikeThomas - retired af ter 27 years and working for AF as a contractor i n O M A a r e a . M i k e Watson - retired after 20 and doingthe Financial Planning gig in Phoenix area.

Alan Johnson - Delta, 0 -6 doing theALO gig in ATL a r e a . T h a n k s Su s.

Last note on Col Guy Wills, post retirement: He has fi nally found employ ment! That’s it for thiswinter. Hope all iswell with you and send your updates to your class scribes, JR Dall as (spring), Brian Koechel (su m m er) , an d Bu d Vasquez (faU).

Do n Mye rs 46% 4 0 1 Cha mbray Hill ^ ember^ Peacht ree City, GA 3 0 2 69-4 247 (770 ) 63 1-14 29 E-ma il: DMye rs8 0 @hot ma il.co m Class Home Page: htt p:/ / usaf a8 0 .t ripod .com Z N= Zo o m ie Nat io n . us af a .o rg

ZoomieNation.usafa.org iswhere I’m putting additional/ amplify ing info/ photos that can’t fi t in the space limits the AOG allows. Just go to our class section and look for “ Checkp oints Overfl ow.” Below, and in future inputs. I’ll use “ (see ZN)” in the text if there is something r el at ed .

I had two chances to experience New Year’s Eve thisyear; once in Sydney, Australia, and once in Honolulu (after flying back o v er t h e Date Line the next day). While in Sydney, I looked u p Jer ry (Melanie+2) Sirote. V\ffi en Jerry was stationed at C h ar l est o n AFB, hehopped over to Sydney withWalt Carlson. Hem et M el on a beach there. Jerry liked what he saw, married M el , an d hasbeen flyingfor QANTASsinceleavingtheAE (John Ow en s 15 was in the same new-hire class.) And if you think it’sd i fi cu l t understanding someone fr om deep insideAlabama, try l i s Sabre Society Donors teningto someonewith an Alabama-Aussieaccent! Anyhow, they’re doingfi ne. Their house isagainst a national park and they’ve onTyhad to evacuate for fi res twice. Jerry is a volunteer lifeguard, kite surfer, and switched fr om driving 747sto 737-800sfor abetter quality of life. Son Chris madetheAUSkayaking team. Jerry doesn’t keep-up w ith a lot of us, but told methat Paul L. (Jayne) Smith,when he’snot flyingfor Delta, isfinishinghis law degree. We took a couple of snapswith my should-be-disposed-o f cam er a and noneturn ed out good enough to print — but theweather wasperfect.

Staying busy. When Allen Baker isn’t flipping switches on a UAL 777, h e’s “the COO of a start-up corporation here in the Gulf Opportunity Zone, called the New South Group. One of our interests is importing building materials (cement, aggregate, re-bar). We are also in the processof bringing in an opera tion that can producepre-fab houses at aff ordable prices.” If you haven’t been keeping up with airline news, USAirwaystried to buy D el t a f o r a w h il e . Seem s USA’spresident isnoneother than our own Scott Kirby. Su e Sl av ec ’s ad v en t u r ous saga of how she ended up back in Colorado studying foreign languages after the Peace Corps is at ZN. Bill Harper shares: “I probably had one of the most unique USAF flying ca reersof anybody, and theguy who most closely followed it wasmy good fr iend and classmateBob Young. Bob and I wereUPT classmatesand IPstogether in the50th FTS(T-38s). I wasin hiswedding to hisbeautiful redhead, Lynn. Then we both got rewarded with helicopters (WHAT!). Bob went to Myrtle and I went to Patrick in H-3s. I got out of the active to fl y fi ghters next...with the PRANG, that’sright, Puerto Rico (A-7s). Bob hungwith the rotors, got with the 301st Rescue Squadron, and got hired by American. I fl ew w i th A SA , lef t th e PIT\ NG, did some start-up [FAA Part] 135 civilian work, then joined up with Bob in the 301st in 1993 (HH-60s)...his rec helped get me in that AWESOME Reserve squadron. In sequence: Pointy nosejet — Helo— Fighter — Helo— Bizj et (fi nd another guy with that flying track). I was flying Hawkers, now Citati on s, w ith Netj ets. We both left th e 301st in 2000ish.” (See ZN for photo.)

Tim Vandagriff sent us “a picture of me and my sonsKevi n (L) an d Keith (R) at ParentsWeekend last fall. They are identical twinsin the class of ’07. Cindy and I couldn’t be more proud. They are both looking forward to graduation and pilot training. I ’m still at FedEx (20 years this summer) and currently in struct on theA300/ 310. I’ve run in to quite a few of our classmates. My old roommate, Chris Kupko, is here. He commutes from the Springswhere he and Vicki are my sons’ sponsors. I also run into Deb (W il cock ) Zi eb ar t , Or -

A D o u b l em i n t A d ?

’80’s Ladies had a Christmas Tea. Since a little B&W picture wouldn’t do justiceto the occasion, go to ZN for more. Theparty prompted someinfo from circulating emails: Margie (Clark) Varuska writes, “Patty (Ryan) Krum has fi ve (fi ve!) kids and a very respectable, high-up job with a good company.”

Other details were lost, but Margie ought to be putting on four stripes with SWAand,occasionally,flyingvwthher eldest dau^ ter,Jenny, a new SWA flight attendant. They were hoping to be in class at the same time in Dallas. Peggy (Dennis) Carnahan (my inside source) is also putting on four stripes with NetjetsAviation. Kathy (Johnson) and Keith Odegard are still busy raising three kids, 5"’ - 12* grades. Busy enough that with Keith’s orthopedic surgery practice, Kathy resigned fr om fl ying with American.

Movin’ On. Derek Hess “joined the ranks of the retired. I’m working for Raytheon Aircraft Company and living in Wichita Kansas. Having a ball as usual. I’ve attached apicture of me and Barb leaving my retirement ceremony.

I got to drive away fr om my last assignment vnth the same girl in the same car we drove to pilot training 26 years earlier!”

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Hess style!

Rob Renner “had a memorable retirement ceremony on the 50 yard line at Falcon Stadium last May, the fi rst “offi cial” use of th e n ew ar t i fi c i al t u r f . I t w a s offi ciated by MGen Dave Frostman, ’71and attended by my immediatefamily including my wife, Marie, and brother Mike, ’76, so n o w t h er e ar e t w o r et i r ed Colonel Renners...time flew by. My sons (Grant, 13, and Bryce, 11) had a great time running around the empty stadium before and after the ceremony. I am working at Raytheon and asavisiting professor of engineering at CalTech. God b l ess a l l t h o se w h o c o n t i n u e t o ser v e .”

Rob’s new beginning]!

BG Bob All ar di ce to Cm dr, Coal ition Air Force Tran sition Team , Ai r Com b at Command, Baghdad, Iraq. BGTom Andersen to Dep Cmdr, CAOC 6, Com p o

nent Command Air-Izmir, NATO, Eskisehir,Turkey. BG Su e M a sh i k o i s i n D C

assigned to NOAA for an interagency next-gen weather satellite program. MG Paul (Ricki Smith) Selva to Director, Air Force Quadrennial D efen se Revi ew , Office of theAFVice Chief of Staff, Headquarters USAF, Pentagon. BG Janet (Lihby) Wolfenharger to Director, Intelligence and Requirements, Headquar tersAF Materiel Command,Wright-PattersonAFB. Always Remember. We received a heart-rending response from the closing portion of last issue’s input. It wasfr om Zen Godsson , Calder (see ZN ). Calder joins his brother (Wing Open boxing champ) at the Zoo th is su m m er ; th ei r older sister is an ’03 grad (Laughlin FAIP). Nicole, Zen’s w i d ow, w h o is ab ou t to get her law degree, writes: “Your class membershave always found time to look thekidsup and tell them something about their d ad . T h at h as m ean t m o r e than you know, especially during the stressful times at sch o o l . W h en Z en an d I traveled theworld, he ran into classmatesat every base. The day of the crash, histwo fr eshman roommates got on planesto come and help me and thekids.

The lifelong bondsyou zoomies share have meant a lot to my family, and are one of the main reasons I encouraged the kids to go to theAcademy.”

You folks are great. Until next time, dm Ric h Tre n t m a n 1 1 1 0 2 As b e e St .

5 1 %^

Falcon, CO 8 0 8 3 1-8 170 Home; (719 ) 4 94 -8 4 3 8 Work: (719 ) 234-0754

Leigh who fliesfor Delta. Believe it or not, they all also went skiing.. .Joan said you would think it was 25+ years ago.

’81 Colonelsin iront: Pat Duffy , Joan Cunningham, an d JoeZ eis. Bact M ark Correll , Terry Szan to, and Bill Nelson Scott Suhr sent me a couple moregreat reunion photos (keep them coming) I’m NOT going to lookup everyone’s names. The ’81Ladiespicturewasmy last

E-m a i l: t re n t m a n @u s a f a 8 1 .c o m

sh ot at th at ! Th anks, Scott .

Cla ss W e bs it e : w w w .u s a f a 8 1 .c o m

Lots of “stuff ” happening since the last article. A F b ask et b al l i s a f o r ce t o b e reckoned with nationally and wrappingup atough conferencesch ed u l e. Cl u n e Arenahad a record number of selloutsthisyear and thenoisecan bedeafening t h e r e . I t i s u n b el i ev a b l e ! F al c o n b a sk e t b al l i s t h e thing to do in Colorado Springs. Excitement is growing over theyoung, new f o o t b al l st af f. T h e f o o t ball coaching staff is heavily loaded with gradswho really tell the recruitswhat to expect at our great school and provide agreat energy t o t h e recmiting schedule. All I want is to “Beat Navy”!

On to classnews: Leona Flores sent mea long email update (asking for the ’81 LadiesTea answer key - Leona did v e r y well - B+). Shealso asked mewhether planswerebeing m ad e for our 30* ... sick, sick woman, please let it go for aw h i l e . I t o l d h er t h at t h e cl ass r eu n i o n co m m i t t ee m eet s w i t h t h e A O G

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about ayear out give or take to select a date, review acti on s, Sabre Society Do n o rs select a hotel, and assign initial tasks. For us, it will probably mean a meeting in September/ October of 2010 for initiaJ planning for our 30* . Leona missed the 25* because shewasvisiting her par en t s i n Tex as t h at w eek en d . Sh e sai d t h e 2 5* seem e d t o c o m e t o o so o n f o ll ow

ing the 20* , but what we all must realize is that we are aging, so we must see each oth er m ore of ten (at least w hil e I still h ave some hair). I^ ona is doing well selling homes in the Orlando area.

Mike (Bloomer) Bloomfield emailed that he, like many, has been foUovnng Falcon basketball listening via the web and reading t h e G az e t te. M i k e i s ex cited about the football team and got to chat with a couple of Troy Calhoun’s n ew a ssi st an t s at t h e Tex an B ow l . H e d i d r em i n d m e of th e memorableAndy Bark play/call (pass interference) our fi rstieyear that led to the only win over Navy during our four years at USAFA. Bloomer is doing w el l w i t h N A SA i n

CS-18 Reunion squadron dinner SteveBaker sent me agreat picturewith him, Rex Kiziah (PhysicsDept head), and, of course, Marty France (Astro Dept head). I would h ave in cluded it , b ut I still hold Marty responsible for AF’sloss to SDSU in basketball in February.

(Marty wasthe tutor on the trip). Come on Marty, the t eam n ee d s at l e ast o n e hour of sleep. BGen Greg Biscone emailed that he will be speaking to the cadets thisweek, so we’re going to try to get together. Greg and I sat by each other in 4* grade at St John Vianney in Orlando, FL and went trick or treating together in 1968.. ..yikes! Small world.

H o u st o n .

Tim McClain emailed that Jan Wiley wasordained an Episcopalian priest in January at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston. Congrats, Jan! MichelleJohnson iskeepingbusy assuper mom, general, and all around great lady! Karen (Boniewicz) and Ray Torres drove fr om McGuire A EB t o at t en d Michelle’spin-on ceremony. It wasafamily aff air with Michelle’stwin sonshelpingher husband and sister pin onher rank! TheSecretary of theAir Eorcepresided.

Silvi (Kiisk) Steigerwald had lunch with Janice Gunnoe and Amy Markert recently. Amy was not on travel with Cisco for a change an d Jan ice an d h er husband, Don, wereback in thestates soakingup the cold (errr.. .global warm ing) on break from their work in Kolkata, India. Oh, Silvi said Bob struggled with identifying our classmates in the ’81LadiesTea picture. (Leona, you did way better than Bob who only recognized five). Silvi w a s f o r t u n at e t o h av e a businesstrip to Colorado thisWinter and got to spend ti m e w i t h h er f o u rt h cl ass (20 10) son , Robert .

Joan Cunningham sent a great picture of some ageless ’8 1e r c o l o n el s a t a recent Commanders Conference. Joan said the group also got to visit Mike

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ec t i o n s Th e b al l o t s f o r th e 2 0 0 7 E l ec t i o n o f A O G D i r ec t o r s h a v e b een m ai l ed . Th er e a r e six v a c an ci es t o b e f i l l ed .

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l e a se l e ar n a b o u t th e c an d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

our web si te for m or e inf orm ati on at www.usaf a.org.

BGen Jak e Pol um bo BGen Jak e Pol u m b o em ail ed fr om Beal e AFB, CA . Jak e is the wing com

mander there and recently fi nished his checkout in the graceful, but demand ing U-2. Jake’salso checking out in flying those giant model airplanes- Global Hawks. I watched the Super Bowl at Lauri Cross’s beautiful h o m e i n B l a c k Forest. Of course, my good fr iend, Marty France was th ere, too. We h ave ’81 get-togethers every couple months at one of our homes.

1 19

’81Ladies picture answer key: After posting the ’81LadiesTea picture fast article, I received several requests for the “answer key”. Here it is: Top Row Amy Russell , Jan Peterson, Joan Cunningham , Jamie Klemme, SandraYope, Missy Mraz, Karen Boniewicz, Silvi Kiisk, and Vicki Bilek. Bottom Row -- Amy Markert, Linda McCuUers, Mimi Crane, Deb Lumpkins, Jan WUey, Mary Pat Ehrhard, Pam McGinty, Kathy Lemieux, and Michelle Cicchini.

Class Senate update: Asyour Class Senator (and loyal sc r i b e . . .u n l ess t h er e arevolunteers?) 1attended thekickoff ClassAdvisory Senate (CAS) meeting on Jan 18"’. The Senate’s initial tasking was to get organized, draft our own by laws and we also discussed what we perceived our initial r o l e t o b e as a v o i c e and sounding board (but NOT a hindrance) between theA O G B o ar d an d t h e graduate community at large. We set a goal to aggressively recruit representa t iv es f o r cl asses w i th o u t sen at o r s an d el ect ed D i ck Sex t an t ’60 t o b e o u r i n t er i m

CASPresident. We’ll present our final draft by-laws to the May AOG Board meeting for approval. Please send me your thoughts, questions, concerns, and ideas aswe get thisgroup going. Rick Martin emailed expressing interest in being our ClassSenator, so 1may beend up being a o n e -t er m er an d l i v e a li f e of luxury soon. Allright, Rick!

It iswith a heavy heart that I inform you Guy Payne, CS-03, died on D ec 16"’.

I don’t haveany details, but pleasekeep Guy and hiswife, Kay, in your thoughts and prayers.

I’ve gone abit long in this article, but I want to thank all of you for your emails and support! I love hearing from you and despite my teasing - thoroughly enjoy serving asyour scribe. GoAF! Jim Ra t t i 1 6 1 E. 2 4 0 0 S .

Clearf ield , UT 84 0 15-19 19 (80 1) 4 97-0 98 9/ DSN: 58 6-3 34 4 rat t ij m@m inds pring.com htt p:/ / usaf a8 2 .org

Liaison offi cer for the past 15 years. He’s recently r em ar r i ed a n d n o w h a s si x children and stepchildren. Here’s a picture of Bob a n d w i f e M i m i t ak en i n St John last year.

Bob stays in touch with several of our classmates. He saysTom Sylvester is a true “renaissance man” (author, inventor, pilot) living in North Carolina with his wife. Tom has a daughter at Harvard. Alex Abuyuan has his own insurance business in Ohio, travels all over the country and is raising a family of fi vewith hiswife, Ginny. Jeff Basik liveswith hisfamily in Naples, FL hashis own business, and travels the world in support of volunteer ser v i c e a c t i v i t i es.

Mike Ryan sent meaniceChristmasphoto of hisfamily, b u t t h e reso l u t i o n w as too low to be reprinted here. He, Gloria, and two children are stUl enjoying his assignment in Bmssels, which promptsa segue into oneo f th o se “ sm al l w o r l d ” stories. The last time Ellen and I lived in Dayton wehad neighborswho were Belgian nationals. Thehusband isa Belgian Air Force L t C o l w h o w o r k ed in th e F-16 Program Offi ce, and hiswife, Lieve, is a Major in the Belgian Army. They sincemoved back to Belgium, and Ellen and I havebeen ov er t o v i sit th em tw i ce.

Lieve isnow the executive offi cer for the general who is Belgium’s military liai son to theEuropean Union. Whilewewereover therevisiti ng, sheasked if I knew “Col Ryan” - turnsout sheworkswith him often in a diplomatic capacity.

And speakingof cool overseasassignments,JB Smith sent anotefi rom Santiago, ChUewhere he’sthe commander of the USMilitary Group at the USembassy.

From his description it sounds like a very varied and interestingjob, encom passing all manner of military assistance activities. JB sent thispicture of him self, wife, Cathie, and their four daughters as they v a c a t i o n e d i n A u st r al i a .

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^ etnber^

GreetingsRedtags!

I’m writing this edition of “As the RedtagsTurn” from Dayton, OH where the temperaturehasbeen stmggling to get out of the single digits (and even nega tive numbers) for the past week. Ellen and I somehow picked the coldest and snowiest week of theyear to come back hereto do someh o u se and job hunting in anticipation of my April 2007 retirement.

To add insult to injury, thetempshack in Utah have r i sen in t o thelow 50s, so any accusationshurled at us for bringing co l d weather to Ohio arecompletely unfounded! Thosenicew a r m Utah tempswerea two-edged sword though. Apparently th e deep fr eezeout therein weeksprior damaged oneof th e v d v es 7 in our lawn sprinkler system, unbekn ownst to us. It t h aw ed Sabre Society Dono rs when theweather warmed up, allowing one of the sprinkler circuits to run all by itself. Continuously. Eor over 2 4 h o u r s.

That saturated the ground next to thehouse, eventually sending LOTSofwater into our fi n ished basem en t . Oh , di d I m en tion th at this all happened while we were in Dayton doing our house hunting? And that no o n e n o t i c ed u n t i l th e water began to invadeour neighbor’sbasement?Wegot a somewhat panicked late-night call from the girl watching our cat letting us know about the prob lem. Thank God for USAA! They had a cleanup company a t t h e h o u se i n l ess th an tw o h ours fr om th e t im e I cal led , an d m oved all the furniture etc to high ground, mitigating the really bad damage. The carpet is pulled up and drying asI writethis, and I think the sky might turn blue again after all. Assomefi i ends of ours like to say, wejust “made a memory”.

Oh w ell - on to th e n ew s. Bob Guessfer d sent m e a n ice, newsy e-mail catch ing me up on what’s been going on with him and a few o t h e r s. B o b i s st il l w i t h BAESystemsin Nashua, NH. He’sa contract negotiator/manager an d h as b een busy working the Counter Remote Control lED System program. Motto: “We protect thosewho protect us.” He doesthe typical “parent things” (coaching, v olu n t eer w ork) an d i s also a Lt Col i n th e AE Reserv e, working as a USAFA

The Smith Family down under.

JB’s Ai r Force Sect ion Ch ief i s n on e ot h er t h an fellow Redtag Kevin “Rock”

McDonough who istherewith wife. Rose, and threekids. Rock previously had a similar job in Bolivia, flew C-130 Hercs and its Special Opsvariants, and was an exchange offi cer with the Ecuadorian Air Force.

Another entry in the “cool jobs” category came fr om Jim D in een . H e retired in 2004 and is now the “Vice President, Special Operations” for Evergreen Airlines up in Oregon. When pressed to explain what he does for a living, Jim will tell you that it’s “just about anything that doesn’t fi t i n t o n o r m al a i r l i n e operations.” Recently he’sbeen busy managing Evergreen’s development of a 747-based fi refi ghting aircraft they call the Supertanker. You may have seen it covered in Aviati on Week several months ago. It’s a real beast, carrying over 24,000 gallons (nearly 200,000 lbs!) of water which can be sprayed on a fi re through four 16” nozzlesin the aft belly of the airplane. Thewater is ejected by compressed air and creates about 48,000 lbs of vertical t h r u st . T h e c en t er o f gravity shifts rapidly from full forward to full aft as the water leaves the plane, yet the fl ying qualities are easy to handle. He’s also w o r k ed o n N A SA ’s SO F I A (Stratospheric Observatory For Infr ared Astronomy) proj ect . Im agine a 70,000 lb IRtelescope installed in theback of a 747. And, he’sbeen working hard to get an oversized 747 fr eighter into operation for Boeing. It ’ll be used to ferry fuse lage sections and wing sets for the 787.

So that wraps up another installment of Redtag News. As usual, you’ve all been up to somepretty amazing stuff,while at the sametime taking care of the normal thingsin an extraordinary way. I look forward to seeing as many of you aspossible at our upcoming 25* reunion! Until next time, keep thenews flow ing thisway and above all, be safe. Ratman Ray Blast 7 Highland Park Wheeling, WV 2 6 0 0 3 (3 04 ) 24 2-718 2 rJma blust @co mcast .net

Bob and Mimi Guessferd enj oying the beaches of St.Joh n .

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n/l e ii i ti e r s

Greetings again from the frigid hills and valleys of Northern West Virginia.

Global warming? Not here, not now. It got up to 22 yesterday and I was out in a T-shirt and shortswashing the car. Not red ly, I was changing the oil on my 1983 Camaro Berlinetta.Yep, I still have my cadet car. Julie loves it! But hey it’s

only got 218k miles and runs great, no radio, AC or parking brakebut it’s good enough to sit in the airport parking lot. Anyone else h ave th eir cadet car? If so, send us a picture.

I have to send a shout out toWade Wheeler for a great job on the last article.

Tr u st m e, I h ad n o idea h e h ad sw i t ch ed sid es an d w as an Army grunt . Just wanted to say thanksto the ’73 grad who bought us d i n n er at “ O n t h e B o r d er ” in Trevost, PA last summer. My 15 year old son was truly impressed.

Timefor news and updates. Julie isstill with me (why. I ’m not sur e); M atth ew is in high school playing soccer, hockey, running track, while playing soccer full timefor a club and OOPteam, and takingguitar and piano lessons. But he’s still 15. Wemisstheterrible twos. Audrey on the other hand issix and just loves everything and everybody. Dance, gymnastics, Daisies and piano take up her f r ee t i m e . I am st i l l a n A L O a n d an F O w i t h AA o u t of JFK .

Richard, Rachel, Robert and Ralinda Gregor Fellow Recce driver Doug High is in the Springswhere he’s a systems engi n e e r a t Sc h r i ev e r A F B . K i m r u n s t h e h o u se a n d t r i e s to keep track of Hilary, freshman, and Anna, 2"'*grade. Another fellow 24 Phantom-mate, M ike Padill a, writes fr om Termesseewhere Mike is a 727 Captain for Fed Ex . M i k e an d Ed i t h have two boys, Mikey and Anthony. Preppie and Starship 19 mate DaveWright is in San Antone where Dave is in his year with Southwest. T i n a i s t h e o n demand taxi for daughters Courtney, senior in HS, and Caroline, 6"’ grade.

Jon and Brenda Duresky, daughter Kendall and son Jeff ery.

The good news this Christmas season waswewere not required to read the Duresky dissertation prior to Thanksgiving. Actually Jon an d Bren d a w ere rather late this year. He’s an airline pilot now. Jon’s a B - 7 17 Pi r st O f i c e r f o r A i r T r a n o u t o f A t l a n t a w h i l e B r e n d a c o n t i n u e s t o h o l d the family together.

Kendal is ajunior at GSU while Jeffr ey graduated last f al l fr o m V a . Te ch . O u r fi rst grad card came fr om fellow Phantom 24 mate Dave an d St ef a n i e St i n e who now call Tucson home after spending three plusyears in Holland on an exchangetour. Dave now is an instructor at DM instructing i n t er n at i o n al st u dents in theViper. They have one daughter, Sofi a. .” , i V * ■ *

A n o th er 24 Ph an t o m - m at e B en W i l so n w r o t e fr o m th e K en tucky area where Ben flies for Delta out of Cincy. W h en h e’s not crossing theAtlantic he’s taking care of 80 head o f c at t l e on 165 acres. Wife, Maggie, is his number one farm h a n d when she’s not running around with Bo (13), Tate (11) a n d

Kat i e (8).

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14 Jeff and Ellen (Nelson ’84) Eiebig still hang out in COS. Jef f commutesto the Pentagon as a Mobilization Asst, to t h e D i r Sabre Society Do n o rs of Ops and Plans as an 0 -6 in the APRes. Jeff formally l e f t United and is committed fulltime to building his business.

Sovereign Homes. Ellen is also an 0 -6 and commutes daily to HQAir Reserve Personnel Center in Denver. Young Derek is following his parents’ footsteps and isat theAcademy Prep School and doingvery well. Danielle isajunior and should graduate five months early. Rob and Edith Englehart ar e b a c k i n t h e San Antone area. He took the plunge and retired a couple of years ago and is an A320 EO for AmericaWest now USAirways flying out of LasVegas. Their daughters are both at UT spending his retirement.

And for the post Chri stmas, Chri stmas card, the award goes out to Ron and Tonia Graves. Ron gave some lame excuse for sending t h e m o u t l at e l ik e “ t h e card s d id n’t com e in , b lah , b lah , b l ah .” N o excu se Ron. Back to the Prep school for you. Ron and Tonia are calling the DC-area h om e as Ron , like Pete and Jeff, took a leave of absence fr om United. Ron just pinned on his eagles and isworking Langley. Tonia, of course, the pretty face of the Graves family continues make Ron look good. Their son Eric is a sophomore maj oring in skate boarding and soccer while Kathryn will be a fr eshman next year and like her mom anchors the school newscast. You go girl!

T he Dennys

Gayle (Johnson) and John (’84) Denny are stUl calling C i n c i n n at i h o m e f o r the 12* year. Gayle, amongst her many talents, now adds “publisher” to her resume. Shewrote a graphing calculator supplement for a college Statistics book. She continues to teach math part-timewhile going t o X av i er U . t o fi n i sh up her Master’s in Sec. Math Ed. John flies for Airborne/ DHL as a Captain on the DC-9. Grace is a freshman in college whileWes is a 6’2” HSsophomore playing lacrosse, golf and drums in a band.

Pete and Gerry McCaff rey write fr om I.asVegaswhere Pete is taking time off fr om United and working as an 0 -6 at Nellis. Next out of the mail bag isAndy Lagrone. Andy and Jamie are still in the Dayton areawhereAndy works in the P-22 program offi ce. Hisj ob is to try to minimize t h e d i f e r e n t v er si o n s o f software in the growing fleet of P-22s. Andy will retire on 1 Ju n e an d th e invitation s sh oul d be ou t soon . Jam ie con tin u es to work in an area hospital while shejuggles the lives of two successful soccer ki ds. Jake’s w orld is soccer ; let’sjust say he can hang with Beckham! Cameron is a sophomore and is also a soccer protege. Seeya in JuneAndy!

Pellow Phantom 24-mate Robert and Ralinda (’82) Gregor send greetings fr om UPSmecca-Louisville KY. Robert just transitioned t o t h e 7 5 7 / 7 6 7 a s a Captain — that’s what he’s blaming the few gray hairs o n . R al i n d a a s u su al holdsthefamily together with Rachel in high school and Richard in kindergar ten. Best man and fellow 24-mate Bill “Ruj ” and Holly Rujevcan wrote fr om southern Californ ia. Ruj still works for Boeing on the Sea launch satellite pro gram. They have two beautiful girls. Please keep Holly in your thoughts and prayers as she battles cancer. Keep the faith Holly.

The Chris and Leslee Washer Family pl us one.

Thelast letter in the mail bag comesfr om theWasherso f W l i i t efi sh M T . Ch ri s (’ 82) and Leslee (Forsberg) Washer are enjoying the life up north whereChri s works for the DoD and Leslee is one busy girl. Like running the Two-Bear Marathon where you don’t run on pavement until the 16* mile. I guess the motto of the run is “You don’t have to be the fastest, just faster than the guy closest to the bear”. Congrats Les, I still remember our Prep School 5KI think I let you win. Not! Leslee also subs at the local HS, plays golf, and is taking a backcountry ski survival classwhich may come in handy on your next Whitefi sh m ar at h o n . Reb ecc a i s a fr esh m an at M o n t an a St at e University whileJacob 12 1

is a freshman playing football like his daddy. Seeya n ext year.

Ran into Rodney Spahn in Miami. Hebrought in the 757wewere taking out to Maricaibo. Also ran into Drew Wacker in the gym at th e Sh er r i Fo n t e n a c Hotel in Miami. Drew isa captain on theA320with United living in the Denver area. He recently got married and they areexpecting a child in May. I think this may be another record. Thirty year reunion with a child in fi rst grade— the new Tony RandaUaward. Go ahead, try and beat that.

I have to apologize to a few people. I found an e-mail fr om Amy (Wimmer) Cox that I probably did not send out. Amy 1’m sorry 1only had thepaper copy of your e-mail so I don’t havethephotos. You can sen d th em back to m e or Jon .

Amy wrote to update us on theALO force in Tennessee. Mark Hession, Amy, Bill and Michele (Miller) Harris, and Bert Szymkowi cz a r e a l l A L O s i n t h e Ter m esse e ar ea . B il l an d M i ch el e’s so n A l ex an d B ert ’s son Tyler are in the pro cess of applying to theAcademy. Should fi nd out soon. Maybe the Dean can help out?

N ow f o r so m e b a d n ew s. W e l o st an o th er cl assm at e as L u i s A r au z w as k i l l ed

in a helicopter accident in Panama on Oct. 13. Jon Duresky wiUbewri tingthe next article. Pleasee-mail Jon at DureskyJB@aol.com. One m o r e b i t o f b u si ness. We need a couple of volunteers to head up the 2 5* r eu n i o n . Pl e ase v o l unteer or I’ll call Dana and she’ll assign it to you. Thanks a gain for the info. 1 hope to seeyou all around the system and at the reunion. ’8 3 — B e st t o B e ! i/

90

Quint el Willia ms 8 9 8 0 Peabody Court Colorado Springs, CO 8 0 9 2 0 (719 ) 2 8 2-4 3 33

M e m be rs

US A FA 1 9 8 5 @a o l.c o m

H i ’8 5 er s

1hope everything is going well you with all. This quarter’s column is mainly comprised of inputs fr om Matt Bridgers, Patti McCarthy Br oder i ck , Keith

Lam ber t , an d D an M cir ti n ez, w h o all sen t Chr istm as car ds, e-m ail s, or lett ers.

Matt and Paula Bridgers sent a Christmas card. They sti Ulive in Aur ora, CO.

Don’t they look sooooo happy together!

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M i k e Je n s e n 1 2 0 3 5 M i la m Ro a d

m .

Kudos: As of thiswriting, the Memorial Pavilion many of you have helped make possible is being dedicated on May 11,2007. Check t h e A O G w eb si t e t o get up-to-the-minute updates and I hope you are able t o a t t en d .

Asyou can see I have had to put in a bunch of commercials, b ec au se 1 h av e not gotten updates. Help solve the problem for next issue by sending an up datetoday!

M e m be rs,

Colorado Springs, CO 8 09 0 8 (8 0 0 ) GO-AFA-GO m ic haeij e nse n@re max.net htt p:/ / www .usaf a8 4 .blogspot .com

V -4

FINALLY: I still don’t know much about web pages, but at l e ast I c an n ow d o some posting onlinewith the blog. Should have some stuff up. If anyone has any big ideas, let me know.We also havewww.zoomienation.com t o u se an d I hope to have links setting that up aswell.

Updates: I need to get updates and hopefully with theblog it will be a bit more convenient to get them and for you to get t h em t o m e .

Events: By the time this gets out, I hopewe are still having theAFA Falconsplaying basketball. It has been an i n cr ed i b l e 9 year. Going into the last game of the season, theAFA hoops seniors have only lost one game at CluneArena (aka: T H E Sabre Society Do n o rs CHAMBER) the entiretimethey havebeen cadets. Congratu lationsto them. They have much to be proud of both o n an d off the court. Asyou know Coach Troy Calhoun ’89 (in caseyou needed to feel

!SJi Paul a and Matt Bridgers Patti McCarthy Broderick sent a nice Christmasletter with a family picture enclosed.They all look very happy and relaxed on their family farm in Virginia.

Thanksfor another great family shot!

a littl e older) is th e n ew h ead coach of th e Falcon s. H e h as fi l l ed h i s st af f w i th

great coaches, many of whom aregradsand I think all of them areyoimger than all of us. (ouch, that one hurt). Don’t forget the AFA has some great sports camps for the kids.You can check them out at www.goairforcefalco n s . c o m .

Yo u r A O G int ro d uce s

Z o o m ie N a t io n

1

Y O U R A O G FA C ES A P IV O TA L EL ECT IO N ■ Le a r n a b o u t t h e c a n d id a t e s ■ F in d o u t w h e re c a n d id a t e s st a n d o n

important issues ■ Personally engage, and ask candidat es t heir posit ions A LSO C H EC K O U T T H ES E O T H E R G REA T Z O O M IE N A T IO N F U N C T IO N S :

■ Share your photos and blogs wit h friends ■ Professionally network wit h grads to

find jobs (separating or post-military)

■ Sell or rent your home ■ Engage in ment orship opport unit ies w w w . z a a n n i e n a 1; i o n . c a n n

12 2

Patti M cCar thy Broderick Clan. Back row: Tiff ani Broderick, Patti M cCar thy Broderi ck, and Christina McCar thy Fron t row: David M cCar thy, Bryan McCar thy, Chris Broderick, an d Terry Broderick.

Patti, bless her heart, fi guratively promoted all of us.. .as though we were general offi cers.. .and reported thegoingson of theMcCarthy Broderick family in “staff summary sheet ” style! Patti sa i d with fi veteenagershot water isrunning scarce and questions i I 1 arebeing raised about the shrinking "stature and wisdom” o f parental units at their house. We’re sure that Patti and Terry haveeverythingunder control and that they’rejust usin g som e 8 “reverse psychology” to let the kids convince themselves s that they’re “winning,” at least for now. Patti said Terry is Sabre Society Do n o rs happy to flyingfor American Airlines, especially ash e t r i es t o keep up with the bills fr om feeding and ferrying around fi v e teenagers. Patti has started counseling at their church to help pay for tuiti on on her PhD program, which is aUbut dissertati on “ABD” completed. She has to complete her dissertati on or accept a master’s degree i n li eu o f a Ph D . G o o d luck keeping up with tuition long enough to completeyour PhD! Keith Lambert sent an e-mail with a few pictures of his family on a trip to N ew M ex i c o f o r a h o t ai r b al l o o n r i d e . H e r e’s t h e cl o se up picture of Keith’s

family. It lookslike they were really having fun! Therewere two other pictures shot fr om a distance of their hot air balloon rising into the sky and fl ying over a small mountain range. Maybe I can show them next ti m e .

ColumbusAFB, finished as disti nguished graduate, but didn’t get that fighter I was hopin’ for. Instead, I was made aT-38 instructor. Aft er nearly threeyears, I still wasn’t going to get into a fighter, as the pool for instructorshad dried up.

So in 19901transferred to Randolph AFB and taught n ew T -3 8 in st r u ct o r s h ow to, well, beT-38 instructors. Maybe 1would get a fighter aft er being a “Super FAI P”, but still no luck. Well, the writing was on t h e w al l , so 1 t ook a C- 130 assignment to Germany and brought along my newlywed w ife,w ho I m et w hile I was in Mississippi. Wewerebased in Rhein-Main and Ram st ei n f o r a t o t al o f four years, wherewe had a great time, and I actually got shot at and hit while fl ying humanitarian supplies into Sarajevo. In 1996,we got based in Little Rock and I taught C- 130sat the schoolhouse. By thistime, theAir Forcewas expect ing me to start doing some of those leadership things, so 1got out in 1998 and landed ajob fl ying DC-8s for a charter company called Air Tran sp ort In tern a ti onal. Ayear later l wasworking for Northwest Airli nes, and confi dent that my future was secure. Well, 9/ 11changed all that. I hung onto my job for a few moreyears, but the furloughsfinally caught up to m e in 2003, ab ou t th e sam e time my wife and I separated (and later divorced).

“So I packed up the truck and moved back home to Massachusetts. 1 l i v e d with my brother for awhile and soon got ajob fl ying 7 5 7 ’s f o r O m n i A i r I n t er national , another charter company. I did this for a year before accepting a r ec al l at N o r th w est . I w en t b a c k t o N o r t h w e st i n l at e 2004, b ut un bekn ow n st

Back row: Faye, Keith, and hot air balloon operator. Fr o n t r o w : K ei th a an d

M ar c u s.

Dan and Kristi n Martinez sent a Christmasletter. They wereboth really busy last year, especially with the birth of their fi rst child, Carly. Kristin enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom to take care of Carly. But this year will be even busier for them as Kristi n is pregnant with their second ch i ld ! D an st il l w o r k s for the Borders Group, Inc. in Ann Arbor and stayed pretty busy. But Dan squeezed in a little travel time too. He spent a weekend in Colorado Springs visiting hisdad and they went to see theAir Force Falconsplay the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the gridiron last September. Tbe game didn’t work out too well for our Falcons, but Dan’s trip worked pretty w el l f o r h i m .

Please send your news to the e-mail address listed at the beginning of our class secti on in Checkpoints. Thanks. Seeya later...Q Ga ry Burg 3 5 11 Hollyberry Circle Anchorage, AK 9 9 507 lce4 9 2 FS@ya hoo.co m Cell: (907 ) 7 27-4 9 20

to th em , I h ad in terview ed w ith an d been hired at Southw est Airlines. I bought

a condo in the Mass, area, and began working at Southwest i n M ar ch o f 2 0 0 5 .

I have been seeing a girl fr om Chicago for the last two years and I am based in Chicago so that works out pretty darn well. “ So let ’s see, all abou t th e sam e ti m e I tur ned 40 1bought a brand new home, landed a fantastic job, and started seeing an unbelievablewoman. I guess it’s true that life doesbegin at 40! The pic I attached is my Southwest employee ID badge photo. I’d say I look fairly happy with life i n A a t sh o t !”

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M e m b e rs

Greetings feUow classmates! I hopeyou all survived the dark ageswithout too many issues. By thetimethishitsthestreets, I will bein themiddle of spri ng break-up and with the near record snowfall in many part s of the country and in Alaska thisyear it should be a real joy. It is th e ti m e - h o n ored traditi on of the melting of snow in Alaska and defi nitely not the ti me of theyear to visit thiswonderful place. Well , 1 know Bob had thefi rst chance to cover theoutstandingti m e everyone had at the 20-year reunion and fr om reading h i s column he did a pretty good job. For those who missed th e 5 reunion, I ’ll echo Bob’swords in that you missed a good one.

Hopefully some of you have recormected asa squadron an d Sabre Society Do n o rs arekeeping in better contact that way. 1know theTr o ll s h av e done that. If you would include either Bob Colella o r m e i n your emails,wepassthat informati on on to the rest o f th e cl ass. O n t o t h e n ew s!

Thebasket didn’t havetoo many letters in it but here i s w h at I h av e. T h e fi r st email camewith a photo fr om ChrisVellanti. This is a pic of the boys and girls with Chris’s ’60 Caddy at Burns in Tampa thisyear.Alongwith thewonderful

m

“ swa ID pic” Steve Fuss provided a quick update, “Sorry to be out-of-touch. H av e h a d some medical issues of my own (medically separated/ reti red while attending Air Command & Staff College in residence in ’99). Decided to try my luck at a few odd j obs — campaign manager in three different st at es, n at ion al sal es manager for USmanufacturer. Salt Lake City Olympic Committee, etc. Right now working as a government contractor support ing an acquisiti on program at Hanscom AFB...close enough to assist parents in upstate New York.”

ladiesareCourt “Junl^ ard” Marm,Jason“Toolbox” Rudolph,Ch ri s, an d Joel “Bedoo” Speight .

“ Fi m B u n ch ”

Bob forwarded me an email fr om Don Kudym that pretty w el l c o v er s w h a t Don has been up to lately, “Just got around to cleaning out my mailbox. Any way, the last 20 years...what a sordid tale it is! Well , aft er graduati on, I went to

“trolls at 20yr ” Thelast photo I wanted to includein thisissueisoneof theTrollsat theTailgate party duri ng our reunion. Up fr ont are Kevin Aunapu ’87, an d Jim Shoff . Stan d ingfr om left are DavePrather, Bobby Ferraro,TonyAmadeo, Glen M oore, Joh n Peterson, Bill Page ’88,TK Smith and Daryl Brondum ’87. It was agreat timeand good to see all the former Class of ’86 guys show up f o r o u r r eu n i o n .

I talk to my good old fr iend Jay Humelbaugh who is combining a life of Mr. Mom and Bob Vella aft er retiring fr om theAF last summer. Jay is living in the DC areawith his signifi cant other. Barb, and son Gavin. Still no9-5job for him but he iskeepingbusy with a home renovati on project for a fri end of the family and taking care of his son while Barb is deployed to Iraq. I look forward to taking his lunch money on the golf course during my v i si t t o D C t h i s M a r ch .

Well , th at ’s all I h ave for this tim e aroun d . Bob w ill be taking the next issue. The 12 3

next time I write (the fall issue) I’ll bewri ting fr om wonderful A1Udeid, Qatar whilepulling a 365TDY in theAir Operations Center. Retirement isn’t far away for m e eith er, lik e it or n ot .

Ez ra V a n c e 7 3 2 0 B r ix h a m C irc le

Cast le Rock, CO 8 0 10 8 Home: (3 03 ) 68 8 54 3 1 Work: (3 03 ) 30 4-128 7

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M e m b e rs

for D elt aTri r Lin es out of SLC. H e is al so a Lt Col in the 73 ASat Scott AFB flying

C-9C and C-40C doingworldwide DV support for theWhite H o u se an d C o n gress. Jeff has confi rmed hisattendancefor thereunion. Jeff also provided this updateon other classmates. Kirk Broussard (CS-19) is st i l l i n t h e A F an d st a tioned at KadenaAB and will beretiring and returningt o t h e U S so m et im e t h i s year. JamieWhidey is in Washington DC and will be retiring thisyear.

e z r a v a n c e @m o t o ro la .c o m d o c t o rv a n c e @h o t m a i l .c o m

W in gs From H eaven ,

In thisupdate,wewill provide a quick update on reunion planning and then some classmate news. For those of you deployed without a c c ess t o U SA FA news, another cheating scandal hassurfaced at USAFA an d t h e M en ’s B a sk et b al l t eam i s r an k ed 14 **’ i n t h e n at i o n an d h e a d ed for the Big Dance. We still hoping to hear fr om more of you and look forward to publishingyour update in ft iture editions of Checkpoints. Our reunion planning committee isbeing organized. Jeff McDaniels and Balan Ayyar , our class Presiden t an d VR ar e heading up the committee.We are actively seeking volunteers i n t er est ed i n planning and organizing our reunion. I wasasked to in cl u d e t h i s in f o r m ati o n as part of that process. A quick update on the 20* reunion planning. First, everyonefr om previousclasseswho has attended hash a d an aw eso m e t i m e.

We have a great team of volunteers that have stepped up to help make our reunion thebest ever. Right now we’rewaiting on thefootball schedule to pick the date of Homecoming, although we know it will be in September. Here’s the line up of team leads: H ot els: M ik e Bett n er (m ich ael.b ettn er@usafa.af .m il ) En tertain m ent : Suk Lee (stevelee87@hotm ail .com )

Golf Tournament: Tom Sharpy (Thomas.Sharpy@travis.af.mil) Merchandise: Brou Gautier {bnjbn@yahoo.com) Fund Raising: Larry Graham (graham@blacklaw.com) Chapel/ Ceremonies: Brad Johns (usaflyer@mail.com) Squadron Coordinator: Malia Spranger (malias@tampabay.rr.com) Lost Cl assm at es: Ezra and Kri st en (w e are l ooki ng f or help ,

M

Jeff , M ar ib el an d Kim Cli att

Brou Gautier sent an update of hisown. Brou hasbeen the Sq/CCfor the 912 ARSfor almost two years. He is leaving that tour of duty and hiswife, Nancy, and their three boys will move back to DC where he’ll fi n i sh st u d i e s i n t h e University of Tennessee’sAFS0 21program and start workingin SAF/SO . B r o u recently spokewith hisold roommate. Bob Hartwig. Bob wasjust moving out to LA from Phoenix. Hiswife, Jill, and their two boys are doing great . Brad Johns sent a quick update aswell. I will let you interpret hislanguage because as a civilian, I have no idea what he is talking about. But Brad , I love th e m u s t ac h e . C l a ssi c .

ezravan ce@m otor ola.com , doct orvan ce@h otm ail .com ).

It isti meto stop wondering about how everyoneisdoing and get connected.

Zoomienation works. Log on to Zoomienation.com, updateyour profi lewith a couple of pictures and get in touch.We’reworking to get a real web master typefr om our classto help update o u r cl a ss page (if you possess this talent and are interested i n v o l u n teeri ng, please contact Ezra). If you are interested in helping to plan or organizesomefacet of the reunion, pleasec o n t a c t any of theplanning committeeheadsabove or contact B al an 9 or Jeff di rectly (Bal an .Ayyar@gran dforks.af .m il or Jeff .McDaniels@cannon.af.rnil). Any of thecommitteeh ead s Satj re Society Don ors would behappy to hear your thoughts/ ideasand/ or get your assistance. But if you cannot afford any timeto help o u r t e a m plan the reunion, then at least make an attempt to attend and be a part of the festivities planned on your behalf. You’ll get your personal invi tation soon enough: in the meantime, help usfi nd our lost classmates and point them to o n e o f u s f o r r eu n i o n n ew s an d i n f o .

In addition to thisrequest for reunion planning assistance, B al an su b m i t t ed this class update: Joe Guastella is out fi ghting the w a r a s C E N TA F / A 3 af t er graduating from the House of Lords, although there’s no doubt he’s missing his time as the 555/ CC. Preston Pious isworking at OSD in the spook world af ter Monterey and test flying the Osprey. Eddie Kostelnik is doing hard joint ti me at SOCOM after his fellowship time in Northern Cal . Scott Reynolds is fl ying in theManiacs and with Ameri can Airlines and is still playing the trum pet and skiing. On the command list thisyear: Jim Marrs istaking the Intelli genceWing at Langley, Tom Sharpy will be taking the 92"'' ARW at Fai rch il d ,

T o m D e al e w i l l b e t h e O G / C C a t D M w h e r e I b el i ev e B r u c e M cCl in t ock (f u

ture USAF Chief — you read it here fi rst) is the CV. Sheriff used to be Big’s DO in Korea so turnabout is fair play. Chuck Espinoza has published a beautiful book/memoir about his experience helpingwith Hurricane K a t r i n a .

O n e l ast n o t e : St ev e D el i sl e ’s si st er B r en d a sen t u s an emotional appeal to help her fi nd any pictures or videos that may contain images of Steve. She indicated that thefamily hasbeen left with very litt lein theway of photographs or videosof Steve and they would sincerely appreciateany help fr om us. If you have itemsthat would help Steve’sfamily, contact m e a t t h e em ai l ad d r e ss o r phone number in Checkp oints and I will point you in the right direction to f o r w ar d t h e m at e r i al .

Robbie Day also sent an update. I have run into Robbie a f ew t i m es o v er t h e years, but always at a restaurant. What isthe deal w i t h t h at ? Ro b b i e i s m ar r i ed an d h as th ree ch il dren an d lives in Colum b ia, M D. Robbie i s a Sr . V i ce Pr e si

dent of Sales for Bridgeport Networks. His primary enj oyment is spending timewith the fam ily at their Ocean City, MD beach h ouse. Jef f Cl i att (CS- 19) wrote and included the photo. Jeff is marri ed to Maribel and they live in Salt Lake City, UT with their 14-year-old daughter Kim. Jef f f lies th e 737-800(FO) 12 4

Lee I cenh our at l ef t, an d Br ad Joh n s

“Lee Icenhour picked me up on my trip out of the Deid — a w o n d e r f u l opportunity f or service and learning about theAOR, b u t a l so t h e n e a r e st I could fi gure as a “work-release’’ camp. Anyway, hewas the pilot and I was a passenger! Ice isin Wing/DOVat Ramstein, planning on retiring thissummer.

I am here at McChord, fi nishing up my 20 and will retire f r o m t h e Re ser v e s with an active duty pension thiswinter! I’m enjoyingmy time in the squadron in DOV flying theC-17 and managing ashort tri p a month! I’m just startingthe job search, as I’m suremany of us are doing, and life isvery excellent! My wife, Marcela, and I have three ki ds now, theyoungest almost t w o . T h er e ar e a t o n of ’87ers h ere at M cCh ord , b oth in th e Reserves an d on active duty. I won’t mention aUtherenamesyet, but try and shake the trees and get some info out of them. Take careand hope to seeyou all thisfaU!’’ Hope to hear fr om you next time. Class of ’87, you are dismissed!

M a r k Pe t e rs 2 4 3 7 B e d f o rd Ci rc le

^ 38® /^

M e m b e rs

Be d f o rd , TX 7 6 0 2 1 - 1 8 2 3

(8 17) 937-9 69 6 pylt @ya hoo.co m

Greetings88!

Spaceistight so let’sdivein. I received aniceemail fr om JoAnnePinney— and it pretty much fi lled thecolumn. (That is always abonusfor your tm sty scri be!)

“First of all. I’m stationed at Tinker AFB managing the depot-level sustainment for all AF Air Traffi c Control and Landing Systemsworldwide. It’s a pretty busy (and stressful) job,but I am enjoying it and Oklahoma City. I think I’ll beherefor another year or so but we’ll see. A little over ayear ago, I was fl ying back fr om a TDYto San Diego (through Denver on United). Aswegot o n b o ar d an d t o o k o u r seats, thepilot announced that heand Bri an Klink werein thecockpit! I thought that it was so cool that my classmate and squadron-matew as at t h e c o n tr o l s.

Af ter w e lan ded, Brian an d I had a chan ce to chat for ab o u t an h o u r o r so . H e t o l d

methat heand hisfamily lived in Denver and that hehad been flying for United for a number of years. It wasgreat to catch up with h i m .

“I stay in regular touch with Anne (Parker) Krause (’90), an d h er h u sb an d , PK, and their family living in San Antonio. Anne has b e en o u t o f t h e A i r F o r ce for quite a few years, and PK recently retired from active dut y. Last year I deployed aspart of an AEFrotation to Camp AsSayliyah, Qatar (I was there from Sep 05 until Mar 06). Enroute to theAORI had a delay in San Antonio for about six hours between my commercial fl ight and the r o t at o r an d I w as ab l e to hang out with Anne, PK, and their kids, while I w ai t e d .

“WhileI wasdeployed, I ran into afew fellow gradsT im ‘Sch r o ed er ’ R o c k w el l (’87), Steve ‘Stinky’ Redmond (’87) and Ray Cirasa (’94) who were deployed to th e sam e of fi ce th at I w as. Tim ’san F- l Sdr iver stati on ed in Elm en dor f . H e an d

hisfamily loveAlaska, and hejust recently began a st i n t as t h e 11 A F Ex ec . St ev e was getting ready to retirewhen the deployment was over. He and his family own someproperty in theColorado mountains and their plan wasto start their own white-water rafting business. Ray and his family are stationed at Eglin, where Ray works in the Logistics Readiness Squadron.

“While I was in Qatar, I went over to Al Udeid frequently, an d r an i n t o M ik e Mattke at the ‘deid. Mike and I were dools together a n d I h a d n o t se e n h i m sincewe graduated. He is in the Reserves as a C-130 Nay but his‘real’ job is as an engineer for a company in Bethlebem, PA. Wehad a great time catching up and trying to remember all the crazy things that happened t o u s a s f o u r - d e grees. At Tinker, I work with TobyhannaArmy Depot i n PA so I w as ab l e t o v i si t with Mike again whileTDY to PA. Back to Qatar — I found out that Chris Clay was a pilot in Mike’s C-130 squadron. So I 1 Chris and I also spent some time catching up. He shared photos of his family. Chris’s ‘real’ job is flying f o r U n i t ed o u t

m

o f D en v er .

“While I was in Europe, I also visited Mark Will s (’87) i n 12 Budapest, Hungary, where hewas stationed at the Embassy working Security Assistance programs. Hewas a great h o st Sabre Society Donors and showed me some fun places in Budapest. He has since PCSed to Wright-Pat, where he plans to retire. Soon a f t e r I return ed from my deployment, I had a TDY to Scott AFB. I wasableto hook up with my roommate from the zoo, Jackie Van Ovost , and h er h u sb an d , Al an , and we had a great time catching up over margaritas a n d M exi c a n f o o d . O f course, Jackie is already an 0 -6 and they will be PCSing to Randolph AFB in Texas soon . I h ad n ot seen Jackie sin ce th e reunion , an d i t w as so co o l t o see h er

and Alan. Also duringthat trip to Scott, I wassupposed to get together with Paul LoBue and his wife. Heather, but they were unavailable t h a t w e ek b e c a u se Heather was in the hospital delivering their second daughter.

“Also around that time, I had aTDY to Langley AFB. My TDYhappened to coincide with the Langley Air Show, so I took an extra day to enjoy the activi ties. While I was there, Buster Stamper invited me t o a f u n ct i o n t h at h i s o f fi c e was having (they had a great view of the Thunderbirds’ practice the day be fore). I got to hang out with him and meet hisfamily. H e h as sin c e PC Se d b ac k to theAcademy, where he isworking with the fl ying p r o g r am .

“I stay in regular contact with Steve Browning and hiswife, Renske. They both work for United (Steve as a flyer and Renske as a fl ight attendant). They live near Washington DC. Last summer I went to visit t h em in D C an d w e h i t a Jimmy Bulf ett concert together. Lots of tailgating, drinking and great music . . . it was all good. I ran into Kevi n Missar and hisw i fe, Beth , at th e con cert .

Kevin told me that JoeMazur (who I stay in regular contact w ith ) an d his th en -

Jo Anne left out a lot of info about herself so I implored her to bring us up to speed on some of what she’s done over the past years. “ I ’v e b een at T i n k e r f o r 2 and 112 years. Under theAFMC Re-Org I picked up a Squadron Command at Tinker managing depot -level sustainment for all A i r T r a f f i c C o n t r o l a n d Landing Systems (ATCALS) in theAE I’m a Lt Col (pretty i n -l i n e w i t h m o st o u r classmates) and I’ve done somepretty obscurethings in theAF, I guess. Before Tinker, I was at Yokota working with the Japanese at USForces Japan as the logistics Host Nation Coordination Cell director. Beforeth at I w as on John ston At oll (a littl e islan d in th e Pacifi c) as direct or of logistics for the island. Before that it was Peterson AFB doing acquisition logistics for Space Command. In caseyou didn’t get it from my past few job descriptions, I am a logistics offi cer.

You probably don’t want to Imow much beforethat. I’m stiUsingle, never been married ... haveno kids (I havetroublekeeping my houseplants alive— I don’t think I’m responsible enough for kids). Oh, and I just got tasked to deploy to

Baghdad in May for sixmonths.” E-mail her at Jo.Pinney@gimail.af .m il

I owe a hugethanks to Jo Anne for her almost-20-year update. Oh, and on a personal note to you, (yes, the rest of you) I’ve noticed that you’ve not written.

Ever. That’s okay —just think about whereyou’ve been, and who you’ve seen along they way. Nothing fancy required. Send a picture too if you’d like!

f

Pa u l W . T ib b et s ,

IV

8 5 4 W e st o v e r Ro a d

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Whit eman AFB, MO 6 53 0 5 Home: (6 60 ) 5 63-3 0 9 5 E-ma il: p2 a2 @cha rt er.net

Greetings classmates. Believe it or not, we arejust two years away from our 20-year reunion! Planning is already underway for our class gift project. De tails are forthcoming, but the objective is to fashion our approach in a similar fashion to our 10-year reunion - give a portion to h o n o r o u r f all en cl a ssm at es and a portion back to the cadet wing. Look for detailsi n t h e n ear f u t u r e o n o u r classweb site,which you can accessthrough theAOG at http:/ /www.usafa.org.

N o w o n t o th e n ew s!

Eric “Shmo” Chandler sends greetings from Duluth, MN with wife, Shelley

(Zu ehlk e, ’87), an d ki ds Sam (6) an d Gr ace (3). Shm o continues to fly the F-16

with the Duluth Air National Guard and was recently promoted to flight com mander in hissquadron. Shelley made lieutenant colonel in ’06 an d st il l w o r k s as an Admissions Liaison Offi cer for studentsseeking ROT C an d U SA FA sch o l arships. Sam started kindergarten thisyear, played soccer, and wascoached by his dad at the KidSki program. Shmo bragshe is “brainwashing” h im t o f o ll o w his dad’s love for cross-country skiing! Sam and Grace play the piano, taught

by Sbelley. The family bought a new stand-up acousticYamaha piano,where Shmo earned enough husband pointsto get three good kayaks! For their 10year anniversary, the Chandlerspacked up in an RV an d h ead ed t o A l ask a . T h e highlightswere seeing some old friends in Fairbanks and watching a grizzly circletheir RV one night. Back in Duluth Shmo bought a c ab i n o n t w o ac r es o f land on a lakejust north of town and named it “The H orizon ” - in h is w ords, “pretty cool name for a pilot’s family cabin.”

fi an cee, Ives, w ere th ere too. Both Kevi n an d Joe ar e st at i o n ed i n D C . I n ev er saw Joe and Ivesthat evening, but I did seethem a few m onth s lat er (as w ell as

Kevin and Beth) in LasVegas for Joe’swedding. Joewill be deploying to Iraq in a few days for a six-month rotation. John Macdonald an d h is w i fe, Traci , sent me a nice note from Californ ia. They recently PCSed t o M o f fet t A i r B ase n ear San Francisco. John isworking on the SBIRSprogram out there, helping them build a satellite. I washoping to see them the last t i m e I w a s i n C al i f o r n i a b u t it didn’t work out. I’m sure I’ll see them though as I’m originally fi ’om California and go back frequently.

“Also out in California are John and Georgia (Ruckle) McCurdy and their family. John isflying the Global Hawk out of Beale and they seem to really be enjoyingthe mountains in northern Californ ia. I stay in touch with Doug and Mindy (Hartley) Seagraves. They areboth Intel offi cers at Offutt AFB and they just recently had their second child. Jon and Dehbie (Edw ar d s) D avi s h ave both been out of theAir Force for a number of years. They live in Tucson, AZ and have two children. Jon sent me some cool wiz-bang photos of an aircraft test program hewasworking on.”

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e b al l o t s f o r th e 2 0 0 7 E l ec ti o n o f A O G D i r e c t o r s h a v e b een m ai l ed . Th er e ar e six va c an ci es t o b e f i l l ed .

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ear n a b o u t th e can d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

our web si te f or m or e inf orm ati on at www.usaf a.org.

Eric, Shell ey, Sam and Grace on their Alaskan RV trip. M t McKinl ey isin the background.

From CS-39 my squadron-mate Doug “Mugsy” Malone is enj oying his as signment in Germany with the family - wife, Jacqui, and so n s T h o m a s a n d Will. Mugsy works in the JFCoE (Joint Fires Center of Excell en ce) at Spangdahlem and is the DO for theAGOS (Ai r Ground Operations School) teaching Forward Air Control TTP to USAF, SOF and coalition personnel and integration of Air and Ground fi resto USand coalition army commanders and fi re support personnel. It is a brand new school house, where Mugsy says it is a l o t o f w o r k an d a l o t o f f u n . M ik e H o l h s i s al so there m nning theA-10 simu lator. Thomas (12) won two bronze medals at the European Fo r c e s Sw i m League Championships in Riccione, Italy for freestyle a n d b a ck st r o k e . W il l (10) visited his birthplace during atrip toVicenza, Italy, and the family enjoyed thesitesof Marosticawherethey saw thepageantry o f t h e h u m an ch ess t o u m a12 5

ment! Instead of turkey and football for Thanksgiving, t h e M al o n es w an d er ed through thehistorical and geographical wonders of Naples, Mt.Vesuvius and Pompeii, Italy. They ate pasta and pizza, drank wine and espresso, and people watched! Dougand Jacqui say it wasthemost relaxingT h an k s giving ever!!

From the east coast Gil, Carolyn and Kelley Petrina a r e enjoying their second year in theWilliamsburg area. G i l l i s busy at HQ ACC and spent a lot of time on the road i n ’0 6 .

Carolyn continuesto work asa Nutraceutical Consultant an d business owner. Kelley keeps mom and dad on their toes!

3 Also from out east, Thad Darger and family love the M assa Sabre Society Do nors chusetts areawith Martha’sVineyard, Nantucket, fall color s.

Red Sox and the Freedom Trail. Thad is in his fourth y e ar a t Boston Scientific; Danyel is a new realtor and sells r e al e st at e a t a n o v e r - 5 5 community;Alex (13) is in 7* grade and spends timew ith soccer, b asketb all , drama, ski club and friends; Payton (10) is in 5* grade an d loves soccer, basket ball, rocket club and collects everything known to mankind; Bradyn (7) is in 2"'*grade and gets the most social award, enjoys soccer, d an ce an d h o r seb a ck riding; and Drew (5) is in kindergarten and plays soccer, hockey and is ob sessed w i t h St ar W ar s.

Another Campus Radsgrad from CS-39, Dave Pelletier, now proudly wears the commissary pin! Dave retired from the military last July after 24 years of service. DaughtersJessica (15) and Bailey (10) are ch eerleaders an d Jul ia (8) is riding horses and loves to draw.

My last classmate fr om CS-39, Tony PoUizzi, is now at B e al e A F B a s t h e d e

tach m en t com m an d er of a Civil Ai r Patr ol liai son u n it . They oversee CAP in

California, Nevada, Oregon,Washington,Alaska and Hawaii andfl y their Cessna 182s. His unit spends a lot of time on the road giving inspections and evalua tions. SinceTony grew up in this area it has been a real homecoming with his parents and two of his sistersliving nearby. Sons Dominic and Nicolas always look forward to visiting their grandparentsand cousins. D o m i n i c i s i n k in d er garten and enj oys T-ball, swimming, soccer and basketball. N i c o l a s l o v es music and puts a smile on everyone’sfacewhen he dances to hisfavorite BigB an d m u si c fr o m t h e ’4 0 s.

Our last letter comesfr om my roommatefr om Fourth Group Staf f fall semes ter of our senior year, Scott Madison, who lives in the Chicago area with his beautiful bri de, Melinda. Scott isflyingtheSuper 80forAmeri can, an d M eli n d a is teaching 3'^*grade in Trevor,WI. Scott took his annual snowmobile trip with

h i s dad t o M in n esot a, th en lat er h e an d M elin d a t ook a w i n t er v a c at i o n t o a r esort in n orth ern M in n esota an d h ad a w on derf ul tim e! Melinda surprised

her parentswith a40* anniversary party last August.

That’s awrap for this quarter. Let me hear fr om the rest of you! Best wishes to you and your families. Take care and God bless.

Ja m e s S a n c h e z 8 3 0 1 Em e ra ld C irc le

Nort h Richland Hills, TX 76 18 0 Cell: (8 17) 88 1-63 57

^ ember^

W e b : W W W .US A FA 9 0 .CO M

a lo hat ige r@gma il.co m

Classof 1990: Short update thistime, so be sureto send meemail! If you send

m e a n o t e A S SO O N A SYO U RE AD T H I S t h en i t sh o u l d b e soon enough to make

Dave and Julia celebrateher P'placehorse showRnish!

Fellow B-2 pilot John Warden is at theAF Doctrine C en t er as th e C h i ef o f t h e Service Doctri ne Development Divi sion. He assisted w i t h H u r ri c an e K at ri n a relief with four trips to Pearlington, MS, and volunteered at church cooking breakfast and parking. Wife, Holly, isleadingwomen’sB i b l e st u d i e s an d ed i t ing the newsletter for the church women’s ministry. Daughter Ashley (7) is in P‘ grade and enj oys gymnastics, reading and ri ding her bicycle. Son Pete (3) knows no fear in gymnastics and is theWarden’s household comedy relief!

The Warden family enj oys theholidays.

Residents fr om across the state are Christy Kayser-Cook, Gary, Emily, and Haley. Christy is the Chief of Policy and Resources Division for HQ AM CTest and Evaluation at Scott AFB. She hasbeen working on a large project this past year which will culminate in a decision brief to theAMC commander. Gary says she has earned her “2000 hour PowerPoint patch” through this process!

Gary is sti Uworking at TACC and had onetrip with hisReserve unit last year to Anchorage, AK. Emily (8) is in 2"‘‘ grade and a straight-A st u d e n t w h o l o v e s sch ool . Sh e loves t o read, h as a kn ack for m ath an d hasturn ed out to be quite the little soccer player. Brownies, Pom Pom class and swimming round out Emily’saft er-school activitiesand keepsthefamily taxi moving. Haley (5) enjoys dance (ballet and tap), swimming and wantsto start so cc er. T h e C o o k s v i si t ed afew National Parks/Monumentslast year including Niagara Falls, CapeBreton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia and Acadia National Par k i n M ai n e .

They even fi nished their summer in Disney World!

12 6

thenext edit ion of Checkpoin ts. Thanks!

Tasha L. Pravecek: I am now asinglemom of three great k i d s. I r et u rn ed fr o m Dzerzhynsk, Ukraine mid-November with two more children to add to my clan. I now have three adopted children from Ukraine: Zakhar (6), Olesya (11), and Vanya (15). All three are biological siblings... I adopted Zakh ar in April 2005. Thankfully, we returned back to the U.S. in time for my promotion ceremony — oneyear BPZ. My threekidswerevery excited about pinning on my new rank. I’ve returned to AFRL at Wri ght-Patterson AFB to be the Deputy Cliief,Applied Biotechnology Branch— amazingand innovativeresearch going on here. Enj oying life to its fullest!

[Mark Devine checked in fr om Memphis. He’sthenew Squadron Commander of theTennesseeANG unit there. Happily married to wife #1; both kids doing great, stop by or call if you’re in town!

SteveJames: I’ll beheading to Holloman AFB thissum mer t o t ak e c o m m an d of the49AMXS. We’ll betransitioningfr om F-117sto F-22s. Thefamily iswell... we adopted a third daughter this past August . Maddie i s 11, Lau r en 8, an d Sophie is 1this month.

Pe t e ‘Sh a d ow ’ Fo r d : W e’v e m o v e d f r o m N ell i s A F B - t h e 422 TESto Tyndall AFB— the2d FSwhere I’m the OpsO. Nelliswaswonderful and held both good an d b ad m em or i es... ou r 3rd litt le on e (Ju l ia) an d ejecting fr om an Eagle mark the highlights of good and bad, r e sp e c tively. Having a great time here at Tyndall in my 5th Eagle I 1 assignment and fi rst one back teaching RTU students. W h at a blast... so much of a blast in fact that Jen is pr egn an t agai n w i th ou r fou rth an d du e in l at e Feb (h ow does th at happen 1 anyway). This one’s a litde boy which will even us o u t a t t w o each. Thankfully, they look and act morelike my lovely b r i d e Sabre Society D o n ors than me. Regardless, she’s telling me after this one I’ll be get tingthe snip. So, I’m up for the namesof any good d o ct o r s in the Panama City area specializing in such things.AnyonevisitingTyndall and WSEPfeel fr eeto stop by the2d FSand haveoneon m e. I get to see H ou se Kafka (flying with the Raptor sqdn here) quite often and we’ve managed to play golf

at least once every quarter sinceI Ve been here. Great dude doing great things.

I ’ve seen Buick Dye a few times, but he’s pretty busy being an exec to a local general and doingwell himself. That’s about it from the Florida panhandle.

Godspeed my friend and thanks for all thework you’re doing.

Terry Bradley: In March I will have lived in Colorado Springs for six years— the longest I’ve lived anywhere except my hometown.And for about the past year I ’ve been working from home for a small network security company founded hy a friend. But now for the really big news... Sometime this past summer I noticed a car on thehighway that had apersonalized U SA FA li cen se plate— thiswas something new that hadn’t been availablew h en t h e A l u m i num U. commemorative plateswere first introduced here i n C o l o r a d o . I d e termi ned then and thereto get my very own personalized USAFA platesbefore all the good nameswere taken.

.

1 r ead y ouf

He doesn't really read your email. I don’t think...

Paul Pepe: I’m fi nishing my tour at HQ AM C/ A3s and heading out to Pope AFB this Spring to help with the new Active-Associate standup. I’ll be looking forward to living near family and some PGA golf-courses.

Mike Pelletier: I’m now at Randolph in the newly formed IFF squadron.

Dave Murphy: It’s a mighty 90 reunion here at MisawaA i r B ase :

From left are Dave M urphy, Krystal (Guen ther) M urphy, Jud d Fan ch er, Randy Cumber wor th, JayAanr ud, An dy Dembosky, an d Mark Thonnings.

Dan Hauck: My family PCSed to Kirt land this past summer f r o m H i ck am .

Albuquerque is nice, but it’scertainly no Hawaii. I w o r k f o r t h e D ef en se T h r eat Reduction Agency as a Test Scientist . It is quite different working in a DoD Agency with mostly civilians. I haverun into John Bernhard, Derek Abeyta and M i k e C o n t r at t o .

Kim Scott : Greetings from the great Pacifi c Northwest a n d t h e 4 4 6 A W at McChord AFB,WA! Tony Angello and I recendy flew an Operation Iraqi Free dom mission to Iraq. The fi rst part of our mission wasto fly some bomb-snif f ing dogsto Al Taqaddam AB. We madefr iendswith a great dog named Clay. In other news— I was really honored to have been a part o f t h e 2 0 0 7 Seat t l e M u seum of Flight African American Aviators panel. Other panel members in cluded an ori ginal TuskegeeAirmen, an Alaska airline captain, and a member of the Mars rover team. We had a lot of great questions and a great response.

Please let me know if you are ever in the Seattle area! .

Ca rs o n Ta v e n n e r 6 8 2 8 Ra c c o o n Co u rt

Waldorf , MD 20 6 0 3 (20 2 ) 231-248 4 DSN: (3 12 ) 4 28-248 4 Home: (3 0 1) 374-2752

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t a v e n n e r @h o t m a i l .c o m

Hey, fr iends!

Sorry for the shorter column this time, but that’s theway it iswhen you have a major exercise, the holidays, a change in job, plusvery little news since the last column. But there’s a lot of good stuff here!

If you recall, when we last left the story it had just shortly been aft er the mini reunion at the Pentagon, a few days aft er which we had been surprised by the newsof Angie Suplisson’s baby on the Capital Beltway. Again.. .wow! And last week she shared photoswith us and boy, are her two boys cute! Holy smokes.

Congratulations again,Angie.

Those pictureswere shared becausewewere at what is quickly becoming a stabilized, maybe even routine, new “appointment” for the class- a regular lunch gathering at the Pentagon. Therefore, if you ar e in t h e ar ea — o r ev en a few states away (Dawn!) - then you can plan on being a part of the action every secondThursdayat 1130inthemainc^ eteriaonthe2"'*floor,A Ring. It’s not that hard to come, and we’ll gladly meet and escort you in if you have to be a visitor. I busover fr om Bolling to come to thelunch so if you call mein advance I can tell you when to meet me at thevisitor’s gate. In side th e cafeteria, sin ce it is fairly large, we sit between the 2"^ and pillars, counting fr om left to right asyou enter the cafeteria. There are eight pillars in aU, so if you don’t see a room that big you’re in thewrong cafeteria, dude.

TWo weeks ago, the ones I can remember who were therewere Billy Barnes, Rod Lewis,Angie Suplisson, Kyle Gresham , Mike Brockey, Pet e G ar r e t so n , Sue Foy, MikeVeneri , Steph Brinley, and myself. My apologies if I’ve missed someone. It was cool sincewewere ableto actually a c c o m plish both professional networking on proj ects (folks help ing each other out) aswell asjust chatting/ talking i n o r d er t o j get to know each other better (we all recognize that w i t h a few exceptionswe don’t know each other aswell asw e’d l ik e - wejust have the memories of mutual suffering!) :) 6 Also, Sue and Angiehave donework to establish asau th o ri tative alist aspossible of who’shere in the DC area ri ght now. Sabre Society Do n o rs If you are, and you’renot here, email me and we’ll put y o u o n it! Perhaps even more important, if you are on the list b u t NOT here, let me know. I’ve had to do some formatting to get it into this col umn, but I’m not taking the time to change it to common fir st (or n ick) / last name, so sorry if it lookstoo formal. They were using em ail accoun t data, an d I want you to have the info but I don’t have much time to fi nish this. I suppose I should also point out that this the season for a whole lot of promotion cer emonies too. If you show up on the P*of a month, you’re likely to be able to attend at least someone’s ceremony!

(Let’s see if I can say this in one breath, here goes!)

Barnes,Waldemar, Brinley, Stephanie, Brockey, Michael, Brown, Jeffr ey, Burnett , Kristine, Cadwell , Angela, Cooper , David A, Cott er , Patr ick , Cou s ins, Rodney, Culton, John, Despain, Max, Drichta, David, Foy, Susan, Garretson, Peter, Garrity, Brendan, Glascoe,William, Gonzal ez, Gu ill er m o, Gresham, Kyle, Harrison, Dexter, Hibbeln, Brian, Highsmith ,Th om as, H ill , Don, Hill , Thad, Isayiw, Bridget, Jacobs, Scott, Lewis, Rodney, Livelsberger, Mark, MacLeod, Stephen, Maldonado, Mark, Mayes, Glenn, M cCow n , Chase, Mitchell , Anthony, Parent , Christopher, Platt , Catherine, Pringle, Heather, Quick, David, Rapp,Timothy, Howard, Kevin, Sersim, Douglas, Smith, Honi, Smith, Karen, Smith , Nathan, Snyder, Nelson, Sparks, Ran dall , St off , Kar en , Sullivan, Scott, Taij eron, Sabrina, Thomas, Troy, Tomko, Ch arl es, Ven er i , Michael, Voigt , Jeanette, Ward, Jeffrey, Watrous, Ronald, Wax vi k , Er i c, an d Wright , Glenn! (whew) And speaking of Eric Waxvik , he emailed mejust beforeValentine’s Day to announce the birth of their newest child, a son! Joseph Soren Waxvik , at 2:59 PM on Feb 9th. That’s great, Eric!

Further in the baby category, Chris Sneed and hiswife, Kat ri n a, h ad th eir fi rst! Rebekah Paige Sneed was born 2/ 9/ 07. He wrote, “ Sh e ’s a w o n d e r f u l healthy bahy girl! We are so pleased. I really enjoyed seeing everyone at the 10year reunion and I hope to catch up with some of you i n t h e n ear f u t u r e. W e’r e living in Nashville, TN currently. Katrina’s a Kindergarten t e a ch e r a n d I ’m working in Project Management in the IT fi eld. So, al l i s w el l! Pl e ase em ai l m e at ch ri ssn eed @co m ca st .n et ”

Finally, I must say I am so pleased to read that a fellow grad actually lives near my house! So many of you are over in Virginia or Western Maryland.. .but Nick

Kootsikas, w ho left H aw aii last sum m er is i n La Plata, M D , stationed at An dr ew s

working asthe Director of Training for the Middle East Liaison Region of CAPUSAF. Nick and I will have to get together soon, that’s f o r su r e .

Hey, ’91! Hope you’re having a great spring! Gotta go. Tav Ja m e s S . M e ht a 8 5 0 9 Cu st e r Co u rt

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Las Vegas, NV 8 9 117 (70 2 ) 6 5 2-3 4 3 3 DSN: 6 8 2-8 8 9 8 j a mes.me ht a@ogn.af .m il o r j a mes me ht a@ea rt h link .net

Hello again 1992! Sincewe are now into 2007, we must co m e t o t er m s th at it h a s been almost 15years sincewe graduated that cold winter, I mean, summer day in Colorado. Thingsare good herein LasVegasand I hope that thiscolumn fi ndsyou and your families prospering this new year. Last week I got notifi ed that I am one of the few who will be PCSing this summer. I’m headed to the Pentagon to work 12 7

on the Secretary of theAF staff in SAF/IGX. Thereareafew of usOSI typesthere.

As amatter of fact, DaveLindsey iscurrently workingthere. Comingto LasVegas to replacemeastheOSI commander isTroy Sullivan. Troy and hiswife, Cherryl, areheaded to Nellisin September. Cherryl isalso an OSI agent, but will betaking an out of command job working on the USAFWarfare Center C o m m an d er ’s CACsosheandTroy couldget ajoint spouseassignment. Troy and I won’t have any overlap, but he’scoming out heret o l o o k for a house in May. 1992 top cops! Paul Caim ey sent me an e-mail af ter r eal izing that there are nine 1992 grads currently as SFSc o m manders. Paul isthecurrent SF commander at Spangdahlem B AB commanding the 52 SFS. Ron Gray isjust down the r o a d fr om Paul commanding the 435 SFSat Ramstein AB. Mike Sabre Society Do n o rs Florio is soaking up the rays at Hickam AFB commanding the 15 SFS. DT Young is definitely NOT soakingup rays, b u t commandi ng the 791MSFSat Minot AFB. Ken Ohlson iscommandingthe49 SFSat Holloman AFB. Kevin Cullen who completed ACSC equivalent with the Army last year at Ft. Leavenworth is commanding the2 SF S at B ar k sd al e A F B .

Bob Kafka iscommandingthe35 SFSat MisawaAB. James L o w e i s co m m an d ingthe 322 ESFSat Balad AB. And, asI mentioned last time, Byrl Engel iscom manding the 99 SSShere at NellisAFB. Thanks for collecting all th ose nam es, Paul. It is quite an impressive list.

Nicephotos! Wes Schaeff er sent me a short note and a few picturesfr om the last year. Thefirst isofWesand Jeremy Sloane at M ar ch A RB l ast su m m er w h en

day deployment toA1Udeidwhereheistravelingthroughout t h e t h eat er . B ac k

home, he isworking for Boston Scientifi c medical devices. H e’s b een t h e r e f o r threeyears,workingwith the design and manufacture of angioplasty catheters used to treat clogged arteries through the body.

Over Ch ristm as, M ike Rokaw w as in t ow n t o vi sit h is i n -l aw s a n d w e h a d a

chance to catch up over lunch. We tried to fi gure out a su i t a b l e t i m e f o r o u r families to get together; then we realized just the t w o o f u s sh o u l d m e e t f o r lunch and hang out on our own. We had a nice a long, two-hour lunch away fr om wives and kids. Mike is currently stationed at LosAngelesAFB after fi n ishing IDE at AFIT last summer. He and Angela are once again enjoying South ern California and living near the beach.

Regular v«-iter. Nicole (Foster) Greenwood is one of my most frequent writers. I think that’swhat happenswhen you take a Pu b l i c A f ai r s o f fi c e r o u t of th e U SAF. N icole an d Jef f PCSed to Colorado last sum m er aft er Jeff return ed

rf om six months in Afghanistan. Jeff is in theAOC Master’s program and they are living on USAFA in base housing. They sponsor two c ad e t s fr o m th e C l a ss of 2010! (gulp). Nicole is still a stay-at-home mom an d i s t h e n ew sl et t er ed i t o r for the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Public Relations Society of Am erica (PRSA).

She’salso been very involved at churcb with thevocal team , choir an d w om en’s groups. Her son Garrett, 5, is now in kindergarten and daughter Griffi n is 2.

Nicole, thanks again for the info.

Sl o an er w as t h ere w i t h th e T h u n d er b ir d s. T h e seco n d i s o f W es w i th Pet e Veh l ow

tailgating at the “USAFA vs. SDSU embarrassment” (Wes’ w ord s, bu t tr u e).

Pete is currently flying for Southwest Airlines and still in the reservesflying C17s. Wesdidn’t say much about himself, but heseemsto be making the most of hisphoto opportunities.

The Greenwood family Tarantul a news. I keep up with old squadron mates, D av e K u m a sh i r o an d Don Unwin. Both are doing well. Dave is at the Pentagon working insane hours. I ’m looking forward to being stationed once again with Dave. He and I werein DC 10 years ago together. Don is still flying for FedEx and enjoying St. Louiswith Kathleen and their two kids, Maren (2.5years) and James (6 months).

Signingoff . That wraps up another column. I can’t believe I ’v e w r i t t en ov er 40 of thesesincewe’ve graduated. In so many ways, it seemslikejust afew years ago. It’s exciting to see the Class of 1992 pinning on Lt Col and making an even greater impact on the USAF. Semper Excelsior.. .James.

Wes and Pete at USAFA vs. SDSU football gam e.

T h e n ew M ec ca . It se em s t h at w e ar e al l d est in ed t o b e i n D C so o n er o r l at er.

On e of th e m ost recent cal led to D C w as D onn a (War d) Boyce. Donna had a busy year last year with thehighlight being gettingmarried in thespring to Don (Don and Donna.. .hmmm). In August, they PCSed to DC and found a great place in Maryland. This assignment includes the typical D C b en efi t s — M etr o stops, expensivereal estate, etc. Don loveshisjob working for theSmithsonian and isbusy putting together displaysand artifactsfor the many museumsthat grace theWashington mall. Donna is in the springAEF bucket and expects to be spending some time in the desert soon. Write again with some deployed ad v en t u r es.

Old roommate checks in. My old roommate fr om our Lt days, Lyle Shidla, e-mailed me to say hewas going to be at a conference in LasVegas. Unfortu nately, I didn’t check my home e-mail for a couple o f w eek s an d d i d n ’t fi n d o u t until it wastoo late. Lyle is still in Minnesota, b u t h as b een a ct i v at ed f o r a 12 0 12 8

M ic h a e l D . S u n d s t e d 1 8 0 5 M a c a d a m s Pla c e

f

K

f

Li , W

' m

1C '

Alexandria, VA22308

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(703) 768-5664/ Cell: (571) 218-0586

E-ma il: Bravecw boy@cox.net Class Websit e: www .highf light .com

GreetingstoYOU fellow classmates! I hope thisbringsyou good cheer in the middle of Spring! Winter was pretty mild here in DC with the exception of a couple of hiccups. I have been on the move and extremely busy and so are many of you. Lori, Collin and I are doing great — we are shuttling Collin all over Alexandria for swimming. Scouts, piano, and soccer. H e i s an ac t iv e l i t t l e fellow. Lori keeps both of us straight and I have taken on theAir Operations planning task for theAndrewsAFB Joint Service Open House in May! Whew!

On to your class news...

W h il e I w as at t h e I n t er n at i o n al C o n v en t i o n o f A i r Shows in LasVegas, NV at the beginning of December I ran into one of our fellow mates. Many of you already know that Dag Grantham hasleft the active duty Air Force to fl y his F16 in the Guard/Reserve. What many of you don’t know isthat Dag is abudding entrepreneur in the NASCAR of the future. He actually owns and operates a

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e b al l o ts f o r th e 2 0 0 7 E l ec ti o n o f A O G D i r e c t o r s

h ave been m ai l ed . Th er e ar e si x vacan ci es to b e f i l l ed.

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by noon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ear n a b o u t th e c an d i d a t es a n d V O TE ! Vi si t

our web si te f or m or e inf orm ati on at www.usafa.org.

“jet-rocket” racingteam. Hispresentation wasabsolutely phenomenal. I don’t think I can do it justiceby describingit, but let’sjust say it’s pretty visionary

work. In essence, it involves one man/woman pilotsworking the controls of arocket car/jet in aracetrack in theskymuch likethe sameway a race car whips around an oval. Dagsayshe’sexcited tobeon in theearly stages. He islooking forward to amonumental year and hopefully we’Useeso m e d em o r aces w i t h i n in the next year — so much for the Reno Air Races!

Laur el Sch erer w rites f rom North Car olin a. She an d her wife,Virginia Balfour, were married last year and currently live in Asheville, N C . L a u r el o w n s a n d operatesaphotography business. Congratulationsto all your success!

R. Tra v is K o c h 4 5 D e llw o o d Av e .

Dayton, OH 45419-3105

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Fish On:Well ,Toner and Searcy would be proud of me; I actually got some in

th e b oat . I w an t to th ank John Gr iffi th s an d Pet er Michaelson for helping out

with thisissue. They tracked down afew of their buddies an d th i s i s w h at t h o se guys had to say:

Griff Update: “I talked to CraigPrichard on thephonei n f iv e o ’c l o ck t r affi c andhegavemeasmall rundown. Nicole(Roberson) and h e ar e in San A n t o n i o vwth agirl and threeboysrunningaround. Craig’snot flying right now but is workingajoint job (takingonefor theteam). Nicoleis going into the Reserves

to resume JAG duties. Dave Hauck is in the T-6 at Columbus w i t h Jill an d family. Mario Foxbaker isin Omahaand not to surewhat’s up with him, but didn’t want to say anythingillegal here. J.C. Callaghan is at Wright Pat. Miles and Audrey (Alcorn) Mathieu arekeepingwarm in Minot w h er e M il es i s a h ead fi nanceguy.” ThanksGriff. Bytheway, Griffhastwo boys (Jack-4, and Luke2) and has been with the FAA at Kansas City Center for sheyears or so. He’s

workingasupervisor job and if anyoneisaround KCor St . Lou is, call h im on

VHF 119.47, 133.47, 132.65, or 125.67. He can’t remember the UHFs off thetop of his head. Thanks again. Griff.

Laurel andVirginia Hank and Natalie Buck (and Pierce, Jocelyn , Charis and baby) gave us an updateover Christmas. Natalieispregnant with #4and they had just found out that it isa girl! Pierceand Hank arepretty concern ed that they will be oumumbered. Thebaby isdue in the middle of April. Pierce isin kindergarten, Jocelyn isin pre-Kand Charishangsout with mommy. Thanksfor the update!

Oh my goodness! Oneof my great friendsfi nally decidesto drop a line. Dan

Rhodesupdatesusfrom Cleveland, OH! Dan enjoys (ohhhh soooo su n ny) Cleveland and planson takingthe “blender boystour” t o t h e Mountain West Basketball tournament to watch our high

flyingFalconswho aredoingrather well thisyear. H e ch al lengesall thoseAF diehardsto comeout and support t h e team . Let us kn ow how the blender blends.. ..an d send s o m e

pictures!

Barry Cogginssendsaquick update. Heand Brendalivea t

4

ColumbusAFB, MS. Barry iscurrently living dangerousduty Sabre Society Do n o rs at the 50* FTSwhere he fliesthe mighty T-38Talon. T h an k s for the update.

Matt Yocum , currently on assignment in Israel, hasjoined a book-writing competition wherethefi rst chapter of hisbook. Honor, isopen for viewing and ratingversusother competitors. As this article isbeing submitted, he ison the bubblefor moving forward to the next round. HopefuDy we’ll have good news t h e n ex t ar t i c l e !

Adam Olshefsky writes from wintry and snow-packed Denver, CO. He got

ou t of th e Ai r For ce in 2000, w ork ed as an IT con sult an t i n D en v er f o r a f ew

yearsand then went back full timetoCU Boulder to get his MSin Telecom. He isone of the few graduates that can say that hewas at our 10-year reunion and w as still a stu dent ! H e fi n ish ed his cour sew ork but is still awaiting his degree.

In his spare time he is self-employed running a small W i - F i an d l o c al se a r ch company. I’m still in touch with Don Kerns, who’s living in Gib sonvi ll e, N C. He’s a Presbyterian Minister now. Ken Edge is living in Ohio and might be returning to USAFA to teach EE. One last quick updatefrom our classpresident.. .Wispy Speros is now prac

ticinglaw after a six-month (“just passed thebar”) v a c a t i o n i n G r e e c e . H e

resides in DC and loves the law life. Congrats!

Thanks for the great inputs this time and I look forward t o th e n ex t ar t i c l e !

M ik e

C.C. M . M a s ot t i 7 6 0 8 S o ut h e r n Oa k D r iv e

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(Two Sabr e Society Donor s) (Editor ’s Note: VVfe did not receive an ar ticle f rom C. C. in ti me to ma ke th e

current deadlinef or this edition. Please send her your news and photographsf or the nex t issue.)

TheMichaelson gang's all here!

Doctor’s Diagnosis: Pete Michaelson is also at Wright-Pat a s a st af f d o c t o r doing head and neck surgery. If anyone needs a nosejob, give him a ring. His wife, Susan, and their four kids are doing great and loving Ohio. She cooked up fi ve “bambis” from thispast bow-hunting season. Pet e w r i t es in t h e f o ll o w

ing, “Aaron Ladeand Brett Blakeran into each other at A C SC

where they are both gunning for DGs for academic year ’0 7 .

Aar on h as a w ebsite at w w w.m u sketm edi a.com , an d is a v er y

talented artist. Damon Anthony isstill at theWeaponsSch o o l

flyrngF-15Es. HeleavesforACSCthissummer. ShaneSt ein k e

i s t h er e as w ell b u t i s o f f t o N PS th i s su m m er. St ev e Boatright

isthere aswell, flying F- 16s: Sm Martin and Scott Campbell are flying A-10s too. Shane has been in touch with N a r e sh Shah who is out of the AF and working for Booze Allen.

Naresh is doing great with hiswife, Monisha, and have a n e w baby girl, Jaina. Hehas relocated to the DC area. M ax W ee m s

mm '■'-'tf u .' N*

4 Sabre Society Do n o rs

isheadingof forACSCthissummer too. Hejust renovated h i s h o u se i n A l ex

andria and islooking for a buyer. Ric TVimmifi os is at Edwardsfi lling a 1Lt job as an exec to the OG. He has been able to fly on the N A SA D C - 8 f o r h u r r i c an e research, been the guinea pig target for theABL and in general isjust causing problems for his boss (his words). Ric and his vwfe, Am an d a, ar e exp ect in g their fi rst kid in July and are looking forward to another generation of degen erate Trimmys (his words again). Also at Edwards are so m e o f o u r d i st i n guished Test Pilot Grads: Noel Bouchard, PeteWenell, and Frank Delsing.

Noel is doing great with B-1tests as aWSO and juggling hisfi ve kids. Petejust returned from a deployment to Afghanistan and Frank is working the C-130 AMP and J-model testing.” Thanksfor the update, Pete. If anyonewantstodo the same for the summer issue,just zap me a note.

Check the Scorecard: George Hock dropped me a line a while ago about a misprint in this article a few issues ago. Seems that H o c k an d St ev e San d er s were enjoying acold onein Floridawhen they stumbled upon a reference from the reunion golf tourney. Hock (team captain), San ders, Travi s Pach eco , and Owen Shitler, actually won the tourney. Thanks fellas and well played.

See photo at the top of the next column.

Eddie Meidunas (’96) has fi nally made it to Albuquerque, N M a t A F O T E C .

Drop him a lineif you make it out there. Dave Norton just spent ayear in Qatar and should be at AFIT or on hisway by the timeyou r ea d t h i s. H av e o n e m o r e 12 9

1

'p m t

Golf j unkies Travis, Steve, George, and Shi tl er. chicken shwarmafor mebeforeyou go. Brad Seger isnot goingtoAFIT but will be flyingwith the Reserves at Nellis. Givehim a call too if you make it toVegas.

Congratsto MikePhillipsandJohn Nemecek for gettingSquadron/CC gigs starting this summer. Let me know if anyone else made th e l i st . I h a d l u n ch with ChrisBisbano the other day. That cat hasnot changed onebit, except he's got agreat wifeand twokids. Hestill hasthat cheese-eatin’ grin on hisfaceand wants everyone to “check-six”. I made him take two for that one. Becky (Ma son) Fox isrelocatingto Grissom ARB in Indiana to be the Comm Sq/ CC. She hasbeen in DCdoingan ExecutiveLeadership Development Program with Joe Dingman and Steve Boatwright. She’s sendi ng a picture so o n . C an ’t w ai t .

Jimmy Lamar is in NYC on Wall St. and out of the Navy sin c e ’03 . H e’s m ar r i ed to Melanie, who loves their neighborhood, and has two boys. Jack (8) and Tommy (4). Jim Tuomi’swife had a baby boy, Marcus Oscar, who asJim puts it, “looks like a baby.” I’ll try to get a pic next time. CongratsTuoms. Finally, Curtis Hudson wanted me to let you know he is alive an d w ell , still in th e AF, livingin Allentown PA doing some good work. Heisn o t t h e Cu r t i s I m en t i o n ed

Fun at ± ereunion! Brian McCray, LeRon Hudgins,JakeCamp bell, Vernon Fletcher, TomMcBride, and MarcTour vill emeet up at th eAOG Tailgate.

last issuewhowasgettingout of theAF. Sorry for th e con f usi on , Cur ti s, an d thanksfor the phone call.

Fletch and Patty

dating. Two and half yearslater they wereengaged while on a trip to Sitges, Spain. They weremarried on 11Feb 2005in theBay Area. They now live in Burlingame,CAand Patty continuestoteach elementary sch o o l st u d en t s. T h e best newsistheyjust found out that Patty ispregnant w i th t h ei r fi r st c h il d an d will beduesometimein lateAugust. Congratsto Fletch and Patty!

I also heard from AnnMarie O’Malley (Halterman) who h a s b ee n t r em en

dously busy traveling,runningher own company, and taking careof Dave and thekids. Her company hasdeveloped an Asset Management Program “AMP” softwarewhich helpsengineersprioritizefacility and utility system upgrades,

restorations, repairs, etc. They specializein real property documentation, pro gram development,softwareprogramming,andtrainingand guidance devel

opment. Sofar they aredoingbusinessat almost everyA F a ct i v e an d Reser v e

“Jude, this ishow you ROCK! ” Now for the John Hamby section of the update. Bone is doing great. Here’s a shot of him and abrand new Jude Balinger. Bone istrying to hook usup with the Rainman suite at theTrop in Atlantic City for Bender’s bachelor party. He’s getting one of his Italian friends from NYC, who manages “ sa n i t a t i o n r ef u se removal ” in the city. Can anyone say, “Goodfellas”? Looking forward to the party. Till then. Keep the Faith, T. Koch. '

Melissa S. Cunningha m

15668 Candle Creek Drive

base around theworld (70 primary AF installationsand almost 100 geographi cally-separated units). Sheisextremelybusy,but ishaving ablast. Everyday she gets an opportunity to work with awesome professionals aroundthe^obe.

I also touched based with Brian Grasky. He is still flying the F-16, but he has

transitioned to theGuard in Tucson,AZ. Heisworking i n t h e i n t er n a t i o n al school house instructing students fr om Bahrain, UAE, Singapore, Italy, Portu

gal, and Poland. It’sagreat gig, challengingbut great. Thejoh has also provid

ing opportunities to run into classmates here and there. Julian Pach eco an d Tommy Obrockta are in active-duty positions in the unit. T O. is the only active duty guy to fly the F-16 block 60.

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Spring is in the air and that means that my snowboarding days thisyear are numbered. Not that I’m really any good, but it did al l ev i at e so m e o f t h e d o o m and gloom of thedreaded DarkAges. Even asfaculty,you can stiUfeel them.

Thingsat theAcademy remain challengingandfulfilling.With thenew changes in PCSes,wemight get to stick around for an extrayear. I kn ow there ar e w orse places to get “stuck” but aUof that is still up in the air. I guess therewill be even

moreto follow asweseehow our classfairsduringt h e RI F.

I received some great pictures and an update fr om Vernon Fl et ch er . Fl et ch is now a National Account Manager for Hewlett-Packard b a se d o u t o f San Francisco. He separated from theAF while stationed at LA AFB, CA . Wh il e living in Manhattan Beach, he met his future wife Patricia D eCregor i . Year s later, while living in San Francisco they ran in to each other again and began 13 0

Thelast leg of Grasky ’sIronm an #6.

If Brian isn’t instructing, he’sbusy trainingor competingi n t r i at h l o n s. T h e

p ictu re is fr om th e Iron m an H aw aii last Oct ob er. H e competed again repre

senting theAF team . He completed the race in 10:25 and was the 6* military fi nisher. The n ext w eek h e raced in th e Xterra off -road Tr i at h l o n W o r l d C h am -

pionship in Maui. There’saracefor thefastest combined t i m es b et w e en t h e

Ironman and theXterra. Heended beingthe fastest American A m at eu r in “ T h e Double.” He is also now the head coach of the University o f A r iz o n a Tr i at h l o n

Team. I guessthey arein thesamedivision astheU SA FA t e a m so i t m ak e s loyaltiesinteresting.When I askedBrian if thepicturew as fr om hi s fi rst Ironm an ,

hereplied “No, thecrazy thingisthat it wasIronman # 6 . I ’m n o t a sm ar t m an . . ..”

Good on ya, Brian!You make us proud.

Other new updates: I recendy heard fr om Melissa Conley t h at M ik e w a s se lected for theAF Intern program for IDE so they are on there way back fr om England to DC. At the time of the letter they were expecting Mikeback fr om a

deployment in timefor thebirth of their second child.

Ken “ Seat” Cushing isfi nishing up his stint at Hurlburt an d is looking forward to a change of pace. In June he w i l l b e separatingfr om theAFunder theforce shapinginitiative an d moving to DC to join the fi rm of McKinsey & Company. H e stays busy in the meantimewith his three boys. Two o f h i s 2 sons are in football, which in SEC country means that t h e kids practice/ play football 5-6 days aweek even for 5 an d 7 Sab re Societ y Do n o rs year olds.

Meg Martin and Sean areexpected baby #2thisspring. M eg continuesto teach in the History department, warping, I mean shapingyoung minds and travelingwith theTriathlon and Swim team e v e n t s .

Melissa (Wainwr ight) and Bob Bryant continue to enj oy their European vacation. Over thelast year they visited castles and Legoland Windsor, spent a week on theItalian Riviera, and made atrip back to the Statesto visit family and friends. Luckily for the girls, one of the stopswas in Disneyland. There two oldest girlsarethoroughly enjoying British schools. Melissakeepsbusy coach ing “football” soccer at the girls’ school. Bob continuesto love fl yingthe Strike Eagle.

Tim and Leigh Anne Kao are wrapping up a tour in Hawaii. T i m r e c e i v e d ordersto move to Monterey, CA for Naval Postgraduate School. Although they will miss the islands, they are looking forward to being closer to fr iends and family on the mainland. Last year,Tim spent seven m o n t h s w i t h h i s h ow i t z er battery to Okinawa, Japan. They are blessed wi th two beautiful girls. His oldest, Emily, started preschool thisyear and has to wear a uniform everyday.

if.

14th, wewere driving down a road en route to a checkpoint. I was driving in

th e lead veh icle. I n oti ced th at th e road color w as a t a d d i f er en t an d d ec i d ed

to veer to the right... no sooner had I donethat when wewere hit by an lED that was buried in the road. No onewas seriously injured. It just so happened we weremaking a documentary that day, and the entirethingwas caught on video.

Pretty scary stuff , but fortunately we didn’t become st at i st i cs. 1r et u r n ed t o t h e Stateson Christmas Eve and it wasthebest present I could ever ask for. As many of our classmates, I am a Major now, and since my return t o Fort Kn ox, h ave been promoted out of my j ob (before I left for Iraq I was a Company Com mander). Next assignment is at Fort Lewis, so if anyone is at M cCh or d AFB, they should drop me aline; I’ll be there in April ’07. I have also been talking to the other two Army Cross Commissioners. Jay Smith is doing well; he is cur

rently living in France. He received the Olmstead Scholarship a n d w i l l b e studyingwith theFrench Army through theSummer of 2008. 1h av en ’t h e ar d fr om Maury Cox, and theArmy personnel databasehasno record of him , so I

believe he is now in the great and exciting world of CorporateAmerica.”

Jeff Van Dusen wrote in fr om Germany with a picturew ith fell ow ’97ers D.J. Blakemore and Jake Hartigan at the 76* Airlift Squadron Christmas party. DJ isflyingtheC-40,JakeisflyingtheC-20, and Jeff is flying the C-21at Ramstein AB, Germ any.

Timthinksthat’sgoodpreparation i readyfor USAFA.

That’s all the info I have to date. Please keep the letters, e-mails, photos, updates coming! Ciao for Now, Mel. Melvin E. Maxwe ll, Jr. 276 Third St ., Apt . 2 Memphis, TN 3 8 10 5 me L maxw ell9 7 @hot ma il.co m

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D.J., Jeff, and Jake in Gemany.

Thereyou go.. .short but sweet! BeforeI go, some ad m i n i st r at iv e n o t es. . .T h e Class of ’97 10-year Reunion is right around the corner! P l a n o n o u r c l a ss reunion to be the weekend of the fi rst home game following parent’s (Labor Day) weekend. Activities are to be determined. The class islooking for POCs in the Colorado Springsareato help plan and coordi natet h e r eu n i o n . C o n t act Neal Ki st ler (Ch ar les.Kistler@dm .af .m i l), Th ad M i ddl eton (H i ad .M iddl eton 03@t r avi s.af .m il ), Ti m Wel t er (ai r w elt er @h ot m ail .com ) , o r L e sl i e R i c k

(Leslie.Rick@luke.af.mil) if interested. Thanksto Jerry and Jeff for writing in with news. Everybody else...drop mealinewhen you get achance. U n ti l n ex t

m e l . m a xw e l l@f e d e x .o s v .c o m

t im e . . .M el

K a r i n M c W h o rt e r

Hope life is treating you all well. It’s been a cold w i n t e r b u t t h e Fal c o n s ar e heating up the college basketball world and March Madness is right around the corner. Hopefully by the time this is print. I’m jumping up and down with a few of you at the NCAA tourn ament. O n t o t h e n ew s. . .

PS C 3 , Box 3 7 7 A PO A P 9 6 2 6 6 -0 0 0 4

From CONUS: (3 0 3 ) 8 47-41 18

H

Jerry Hallm an dropped me a line recently. If you remem ber, Jerry cross-commissioned into theArmy upon gradua tion. He’shad an interestingyear and I’ll let him giveyou his 2 update in his own words: “I was deployed to Iraq for 13 months,just return ed aweek ago. I had my share of co m b at Sabre Society Do n o rs —more than I care to ever see again. The worst one w a s outside of Taji, Iraq, which isjust outside of Baghdad. I w as on a Military Training Team, or an MTT, consisting o f si x o f fi c e r s a n d f o u r NCOS. Our jobwastolivewith and train an Iraqi Army Battalion. Well , on Oct

M e m be r!

Fro m K o re a : 0 5 0 5 - 1 2 2 -7 2 8 8 m c w h o rt e r @i- m n e t .c o m K a r i n . m c w h o rt e r @o s a n .a f . m i l H i 98,

(Two Sabr e Society Donor s)

Fir st of all I w oul d lik e t o th ank Jam ie An der son (Melton), Greg Martin and

JamieRhone for sendingme great updatescompletewith pictures. Th at being said, you won’t see any of those updates in this article because my computer crashed and I lost all my e-mail — please send them to me again! So, I don’t have much to report. JessieJahns and hiswife, Stephanie,just arrived at Osan where he is flying theA-10 and I also ran into Matt Glynn who Qysthe F-16. 1 promise the next article will be much better and I have learned my lesson about backing information up — so hopeful ly thiswon’t ever h app en again .

K ar i n

Ja m e s W . B u s c h 1 6 9 7 A Bo r n e o St .

Clovis, NM 8 8 10 1 (50 5 ) 69 3-22 66

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In terpreter “Alan ”, Jerry Hallman, and interpreter “Justin” in Iraq.

Shiners- greetings agai n fr om the land of wind and stink. Thankfully recent travelshave taken me away fr om theplains of “New” M exi co to N elli sAFB, NV — thehome of the Fighter Pilot (and the Predator and abunch of other impor t an t d u d es), w h ere I r an in t o som e old b u d s. Br i an Sherry (Vipers), James Blanton (F-15E), and Matt French (F-15C) are currendy attendingWeapons 13 1

School and Jeremy Weirich and James McFarland are back there teaching.

Over at the Red Flag building I ran into Aaron Hatch (AWACs) an d Jason

Ohrenberger (Red FlagStaff). Great tosee’99leadingt h e CA F in t a ct i c al in n o

v at i o n acr o ss t h e b o ar d !

A big thanksto everyonefor chipping in some news thisquarter. If you’re too

busy to send somethingin, do what Brad Orgeron did—haveyou r p ar en t s send it in. Here’swhat Brad’sproud dad had to say: “Followinghis FAIP assign

ment at ColumbusAFB,MS,Bradwent on theF15Ctrainingat Tyndall AFB, FL

whereupon graduation in June2005, hewasnominated by the2nd FTSfor the American Fighter AcesAssociation’s “Francis Grabowski ” aw ar d . T h i s aw ar d ispresented to thetop student pilot for theyear from F15 and F16 pilot training classes. Brad was selected as the 2006 USAF “Top Gun” by theAFA and was presented his award at the association’s2006 convention h eld in San An toni o, TX. The convention is attended by American acesfr om WWI I, Korea, an d Viet n am . Br ad is m ar ried t o th e form er Elizab eth Coll ier f r o m

Newnan, GA, and together with their daughter Skyler a r e currently assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron (Fighting Cocks), Kadina AB, Japan.” Nice job Brad and thanks M r .

Orgeron for the update. Parental involvement is always

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welcome and highly encouraged.

2 Misery loves company, and so I especially enjoyed theu p datefr om former Cannon AFB assigneeBrandon Alexander. Sabre Society Do nors Here’swhat he had to say: “My wife, Claire, and I w e r e m a r ried in Aug2003 on theNorth Shore of Oahu in the m i d d l e o f my PCSfr om Yokota to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. After I received my master’sdegreein meteorology in March 2005, wepacked up and

Jonathon Graham, his wife, Dana, and their baby giri Keira during one of Jon’s rare visitshomeif om sp ec opsflying.

1

lef t th e beautiful central California coast for th e central U ni ted States. .. Om ah a,

NE. I’m working as the Cloud ModelsTeam Chief at theAF Weather Agency here at Offutt, though I ’m temporarily the directorate ex e c u t iv e o fi c er . L ess than ayear into my tour here, I was sent on ahardship AEF deployment to work at the NORAD SEAir Defense Sector CAOC ati yndaUAFB, FL fr om Jan-May 06.

It was a dangerouslocation -- the erratic driving o f C an a d i an r et i r ee sn o w b i r d s and reckless spring-breakers really kept me on my toes. Seri ously though, the job wasrewarding... it wasvery interesting to seewhat we do day-in/ day-out to defend the skies over the CONUSagainst our enemies (and negligent pilot train ees w h o can ’t t ell dow n tow n D .C. from th e West Virginia airstrip where they’re supposed to be landing). Claire and I were b l e sse d w i t h a b e a u t i f u l baby boy, Bryson Elijah, on 8 July 2006. He’s5 1/2 months o l d n ow an d i s su ch a peaceful, happy little guy... a perfect fi rst child for any parent! As for class mates, Naviere (Hall) Jenkins ishere... shejust PCA’d fr om theRecruiting Sqdn here across base to STRATCOM. Justin Bybee and I are following each other around the world. We in-processed Yokota together back in Oct 200 1, th en a couple of weeksago we ran into each other here in Omaha. I guesstechnically I’m the one following him and hiswife, Tracey, since they got here before me.

Dan Morris is getting ready to separate and take a flyingjob with theAF Re serves over at Scott AFB. Matt Taylor and his family just arrived at AFWA in March, havingjust fi nished HISmeteorology master’s degree at NPS. I’ve also run into a couple of other gradsfr om other classes: Marqus Randall (’97), Ron Jenkins (’98), Chri s Finnigsmeier (’96)... now a civilian program manager here at AFWA, and Jeff Cunningham (’02),just to name a f ew .” T h an k s B r an d o n f o r the outstanding update— making my job easy! I ’ll squeezethe family picture i n n ex t i ssu e .

I al so r eceived a sh ou t fr o m Sh aw n a an d Scot t Bow sh ot — b o t h b a ck at

USAFA, Shawna teaching thebirds and bees to young cadets and Scott doing loops to music. Scott used to fly C-5sbut isplanning to separatelater thisyear with plans to pursue an engineering career. Here’s a picture of the Bowshot cl an .

Wedding crashers Onnie Grisotto (Retkofsky), Erykka Thompson, and Sydney

Sm i th (’00) .

Last but not least, here a plug for one of our ovm , A1Brown, who is mnning

for an AOGboard seat. Cast your ballotsaccordingly. A big thanks to Rob

Misbev — our AOG insideman for keeping all of usin theloop. Until next time

— Jam es.

Yo u r A O G int ro d uces

Z o o m ie N a t io n K EEP U P T O D AT E O N T H E 2 0 0 7 A O G BO A RD ELECT IO N S .

■ Engage wit h candidates on important is s u e s

■ Read about each candidate's background

■^Learn how the candidates plan to m a ke t h e A O G b et t e r

A LSO C H EC K O UT T H ESE O T H ER G REA T Z O O M IEN A T IO N F U N CT IO N S: ■ Lo cat e o ld f rie nd s a nd c lassm at e s a n d re co n n e ct !

■ Professionally network wit h grads t o find jobs (separat ing or post-military) ■ Form int erest/ professional groups ■ Establish your own personal/ professional profile Sh avm a, Scot t , Bl ak e, an d M ac! Reese

ThanksShawna for sendingthe news. Here are a couple of payback pictures fr om previous issues.

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w w w . z a o m ie n a t ia n . c o m

Ja s o n “JW " S im m o n s

PSC 2 , Box 7077

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A PO A E 0 9 0 1 2 S i m m o n s @US A FA 2 0 0 0 .c o m

Classm ates,

As I’ve said in previous editions our “good” email addresslist is shrinking, so please sendmeemail addresschangesand try to makesureI’m in your address book if using on-linemail so messageswon’t be thwarted asspam. Thisedition falls during my PCS; between that and a bumped-up dead line, I hope the next timeI’ll be ableto catch up w i th m o r e o f you and hear about all the changes in your life, career, a n d location. I guesswith VSBs in abundance, for the next i ssu e if h we should probably include info on who’s getting out a n d what your plans are for life after theAE 1 As I said. I ’m in the middle of a PCS from Germany t o BarksdaleAFB, LA and will be starting off in theAFNOC (A F Sabre Society Do n o rs Network OpsCenter). To top it off, I also just got engaged, so my AF optometrist fi ancee, Melissa, will bejoining m e d o w n in Shreveport later this summer. Ensuring theTwo Grand presence remains strong, Bryan 'ITrinkle and hiswife, April, havejust moved to Germany. Bryan is an Air Liaison Offi cer at Campbell Barracks. They just moved from the BarksdaleAFB area so I got some great tips on where to livewhen he and April stopped by for dinner one night beforeI departed the area. Bryan did notethat going from crayfi sh to schnitzel has been a big change f o r h i m a n d h e ’s st i U getting used to theArmy. Also, still enjoying German beer in that area isTrey Felton. He was feeling some USAFA pride and brought a T-birds patch at a huge party I recently threw, so I had to capture the m o m e n t .

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The Matthews family Johnnie Green is in Afghanistan for another AEF (his th i rd t im e n ow ); h e’s still flying the Hog, and says life is good for him. Jason Goldberg is state-side for now, and he’s happily upgradi ng to aircraf t commander a t H u r l b u r t F i el d and issavoringthetimewith hisfamily whilehe can. Bill Dains fi gureshe’ll stay in just long enough to go back to OIF one more time. Hejust moved down to San Antonio from dreaded Ohio. Matt ReUman is busy up at M t H om e as an intel guru (and unabashed WIC dude). The Reilmans are anxiously awaiting words on their next assignment. I also recently heard f rom M elin da D um as; she’sbeen married for almost seven years to Brandon Evan s, ’98 an d h as tw o little girls (Gabrielle and Alexandria) and their third is on the way in March!

Melinda separated from theAF in July ’05 to raisetheir beautiful daughtersand they are stationed in Dover, DE. Tracy (Tini anow) Bozung and Tom Bozung were at AndrewsA F B b u t To m was getting set to PCSlast time I heard from her around Christmas. Tracy will be graduating from residency training this summer and will hopefully join Tom then. Casey is still in San Antonio TX doing her OB/GYN thing and enjoy ing it. Her husband, Sean, is a high school teacher so they areboth pretty busy.

Brian Denaro and wife,Akiko, arein Chi na; they arehalfi vay through atour for the Olmsted Scholarship in Guangzhou in the southern PRC and are having a great time. Brian’sreal job waspreviously back asan FIk -12, engineer at Edwards AFB, but theAF is sending him around the globe to work on another degree.

I hopeto hear from moreofyou in acoupleof monthsfor ou r next edition .Jason Fa it h Dunn (Hit chcock) 1 7 5 5 1 N ut w o o d D riv e

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Jason Simmons and Trey Fel ton, former CS-27ers.

Kristopher Malloy reports that after 18 monthshe’ll fi nally be ableto sleep in his ovm bed again and isnow stationed at I^ gley AFB,VA. Between ayear in Iraq, leave, TDYs, and PCSing he takesthe cake for living out of a suitcase the longest. Ellen Kowalchuk (LeVaughn) and husband,Andy, are now parents of two. Their daughter Lydiawas born Sept 13th and Mary EUen t u r n s t h r ee t h i s December. Ellen and Andy are stationed at EUsworth AFB in Rapid City, SD. Andy flies B- I s and Ellen is enjoying staying homewith the girls.

Ellen Kowalchuk (LeVaughn) with daughters.

Also, recently welcoming a new birth was Sarah (McGuane) Sch w en n esen and Paul Schwennesen; their daughter Katherine Elizabeth w as b o m i n O c t o ber. Ben Matthews and hiswife, Julie, welcomed a daughter, Carolin e Bli ss, on Feb 2nd. l i ke many other ’00 grads, Ben istaking theVSPand going back to Texas this summer to work as an engineer.

I

H i th er e ’Ol er s,

Hope this fi nds everyone well . Not much to report this time except people getting out of theAir Force, deploying or having babies!

Gar r ett an d Car lin (Bevan ) Fi sh er are st ati on ed at C h ar l est o n A F B w h er e h e

is flying C-17s. She separated fr om theAF in March 2006 and they just had a little girl (Caroline Grace) on 20 Dec. Garrett then deployed on 28 Dec. Jeffr ey Ulmer and hiswife, Peggy, had their second baby, a little boy, on 30 Oct 2006.

They also havea two- year-old daughter and are stationed at M cGuir e AFB. Jef f is flying the KC-10 and recently deployed to the UAE.

Grads in Afghanistan: In thet ont row from left are I L t L uc Ch an do u (‘04), Cap t Chad Kohout ('OO), Cap t Chris Cunningham (’01), I Lt Kei th Cr ai n e (’03), and Lt Col Vic Dallin (’87). Back Row: M aj Shawn Cochran (’95), M aj Bob Remey (’94), Cap t Mandy Hutchison (’01), Cap t Tom Harley (’01), Cap t Matt Mill er (’00), and I Lt SteveReagan (’03).

13 3

Melanie (Bot chers) Ferguson wrote me an update fr om Baghdad. She is stationed at Ramstein with her husband, Jeremy, and w h en sh e w r o t e w as t w o monthsinto a six-month deployment and enjoying herself so f ar . Sh e r an i n t o Audra and Frank Lyons in Baghdad, who are there on sep arat e 365 TDYs, an d Jan ene Dr um m er in A1Udeid. Lt ColVictor D allin (’87) w r o t e

me and sent a picture of some '01ers he was flying w i t h i n Afghanistan. His squadron, the41st Rescue Squadron fr o m Moody AFB, is in Afghanistan fl ying HH-60G Pavehawks, providing Combat Search and Rescue and MEDEVAC sup port. To date they have saved 222 lives, assisted in 172 r es cues, fl ovm 673 missions, and logged 877combat hourssin ce l j u n 06 .

m 4 Sabre Society

Donors Jesse Goolsby and hiswife, Sarah, are expecting their fi r st baby in July. They recently moved to TennesseewhereJesse isworking on hisMaster’s degree. Angie Fedden had her second baby, another girl, in September. She and her husband are stationed at Pe t er so n A F B an d thinking of having another one! Good luck Ang! Dustin and Aubrie (Rooney) Ireland arePCSing fr om Eielson to Moody AFB in April. Sherecently separated fr om theAF and isenjoying some timeoff unti l they get settled in Georgia. Kristi (Delcour) Contardo r et u rn ed fr o m h er t o u r in Baghdad and PCSed to ColumbusAFB. Jenn (Glomb) G i o v an n et t i i s st i l l at Tinker but contemplating separati on sinceAFPC istrying to separateher and Bert again (he is due to PCSthis summer to Ft Bragg).

As for Mike and I, we’ve had several gradsvisit us in the last couple months.

Jeff Feuring stopped by on New Year’sDay. Heismoving fr omWri^ t-Pat toLA AFB in March and getting married in May. Raul and Angela (Feldm an ) Och oa stayed with us a couple days while en route to Little R o ck A F B f r o m A l a sk a .

Givey Kochanowski and hiswife, Chelsie,just visited us for a couple days as well. They are still stationed at Elmendorf AFB and are expecting their fi rst child in April. Givey isconsidering separating under theVSPbut has an assign ment to USAFA as a Poly Sci instructor in his back pocket if he decides to stay

an acti ve participant in theAOG by improving the associati on f o r t h e b et t er ment of our past, the present, and for when our children live on our legacy.

Check out hisblog at http:/jeremeestes.blogspot.com. Hehas somegreat ideas and I think hewould do a fantasti c job. TheAOGwill be sending ballots out in the mail; please make sure to vote. It would be great to have a 2002 represen tative on theAOG Board of Directors. If you have any further questions, you

can alsoemail himat jereme.estes@gm^ .com.

Hassan Campbell , wife, Abby, and daughter Ashley are happy and healthy living in New Mexico. Abby (Tidemann), a University of Colorado graduate ’02, and Hassan Campbell were married on 31 M ay 2002. They have been living in Albuquerque, NM sinceApri l of 2003. Hassan got out of theAF in Nov ’05 an d w ent to w ork for Ethi con , Inc., w hich is a JnJCompany. He is a Medical Device Rep. and loves it! Ashley wasbom on 03 May 2 00 5 an d i s a sw eet h ear t and Abby isa stay-at-home momma! Here isthe Campbell’sChri stmasphoto.

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m .

Weare still waitingfor thearrival of our little guy. 1am on maternity leave and about to pop any day now! Mikeissti ll working at LAAFB and I am still working as a Program Manager for Raytheon. Mike will begin his civilian job search soon aswe expect to beleaving in mid-July. We’ll bemoving toVirginia or Iowa to be close to family.

UPDATE: Mike and I welcomed our fi rst baby. Grant Michael D un n , on Feb 15, 2007. We arevery excited that he is fi nally here!

Aaron Ruhi just fi nished four years in theAF back in August. He spent two years in Japan, oneyear in Honduras, and hisfi nal year back in hishome state of Arizona. Currently, he isworking for Stryker Communicationsw h e r e h e makes operating room equipment. In June of 2005, while st at i on ed in H on du ras, A ar on an d Bel in da h ad th eir w e d

ding celebration. They are currently having a blast being h om eovm ers in D all as, TX.

RossGraham sent an updatefr om ColumbusAFB, MS. The latest FAIP assignment drop includes: Bede Bolin (B-52), Warren Carroll (B-52), BrookeCarter (A-10),Terry Gabl e (F15C),Andy Gilmer (F-16), RossGraham (F-16), NateHarrold (F- 16), M ik e M oss (F- 16), an d Scot t Sn i d er (F- 15C). C o n

No n e Ye t

Sabre Society Do n o rs

gratulations to all.

Al so, Ross Gr ah am , M ike M oss (’02) , Josh Bou d r eaux (’03), an d M ason

Em ight (’03) fl ew aTweet four-ship missing man fl yover at Arlington Nati onal Cemetery in December for the funeral of aWWII AF veteran. It was great to honor avet in alegacy jet like theTweet — probably thelast Tweet four-ship to fl y over the Capitol! Here is a picture of the crews. Fr om lef t ar e T im Gr eb s, St eve D ove, M ik e M oss (’02), Josh Bou dr eaux (’03), Ross Gr ah am (’02), Aar on

Zolna, and Mason Enright (’03).

Fai th , M ik e an d Gr an t D u nn

That’s all for now. Please send more updates and photos! T ak e c a r e ! Fai t h Amy Schult z 8 0 6 Magnolia Bend San Antonio, TX 78 2 51

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aschult zd md@gma il.co m Class Webs it e: www .usaf a0 2 .org

Happy New Year! Do you believe2007 is already upon u s? I t h as b een alm o st if ve years since our graduation from the zoo back in 2002 (N o Lim it s!) an d almost nineyears sinceyou have met some of the best people in your lives.

Who knew that you would meet your best friends, husbands an d w ives, wingmen and ring knockersworld wide at the small engineeri ng school up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountai ns? Cheersto aUand may 2007 be a blessed one for everyone.

JeremeEstes is runningfor thepositi on to be amember o f t h e A O G B o ar d o f Directors. He would like to represent our class, as w el l a s al l o f t h e o t h er classes at theAOG. As a prior enlisted preppie and group commander, we all know heiswell-qualifi ed and exemplifi esthequaliti esof tenacity and pursuit, commitment and dedicati on. He has a lot of great ideas an d w o u l d l ik e t o b e 134

D avi d 'l i -ollm an ti ed th e kn ot to hi s n ew w ife, Sara Hadley. They had a fabu lously small weddingin San Antonio at thelocal histori c chapel on ft eRiverwalk and following a recepti on completewith a Mari achi b an d . D av e an d Sar a fl ew to Hawaii to spend a weeklong honeymoon on Oahu. Dave i s st a t i o n e d a t L a c k l an d A F B an d i s a C o m m u n i c at i o n s O f ic er an d t h e Ex e c u ti v e O ffi c e r f o r

the 67th Network Warfare Group and hiswife, Sara, is a Proj ect Manager for Washington Mutual. The happy couple met in Denver when D av e w a s st a ti oned at Buckley AFB. Here is a photo fr om Dave’sweddingwith the USAFA grads. From left areAdam Knickelbein, Amy Schultz, Sar a Tr oll m an , D ave 'IToll m an , Joe Pet er son , an d Th ad Red d i ck . Joe i s an engineer stationed at Eglin AFB, EL and is married to Amy Eichelberger and T h a d i s a n i n st r u c t o r pilot stati oned at VanceAFB, OK.

an d B e n B er l i n w h o ar e al l n o w st a t i o n ed at K i r tl a n d . Although we lost Laura from Patrick AFB, Kim (Kachner) and Clay Gruenstein joined us at Patrick/ Cape Canaveral APSlate last summer.

Elizabeth Rini is living in Chicago but brought in t h e N ew Ye a r i n B o l i v i a doing a four-week medical rotation perfecting her medicinal sk i l l s . St ev e Edstrom isin hisfourth and fi nal year of medical school at U SH U Sin Beth esda, MD. Mark Rosenow is in his second year of law school at the University of Texas. Hewill be traveling to Austria in March to participate in a Moot Arbitra tion Competition. Mike McKinney and hiswife are expecting t h e i r se c o n d child. Heiscurrently fl yingC-l SOsat DyessAFB. Mark Hickie m ar r i e d El i a (Burrill) Hickie on 8 July 2006 and enjoyed a reception i n Ren o , NV w i th a bunch of Academy friends (see photo). Mark is currently at L u k e A EB f o r t h e E-16 B-Coursewhile Elia is in Charleston AFB flying the C-17. Dave Thomp son also got married this summer in St. Louis, MO and r et u r n ed f r o m A v i an o with his wife, Julia, to Whiteman AFB shortly thereafter. In other marriage news, Sabrina Kingston married Monte Sparkman last su m m er, an d l a u rel

(H ub er ) Ch i ar am on t e m ar r ied M ike Ch i ar am on t e (’0 1) in Ju n e. Lau r el i s

Just a reminder the unoffi cial red tag reunion will be in LasVegas from May 3P‘-June 3""*2007. Suzy and I are staying at the Flamingo. We will plan on meetingup on Thursday night at 8 pm at Caramel in the Bellagio, then headi ng over to Risque at Paris around 11pm. Friday night at 9 pm at the Circle Bar in the Hard Rock and then staying there and dancing the night away at Body En glish and late night Eriday wewill head to Drai ’s at the Barbary Coast. Saturday night will be at House of Bluesin Mandalay Bay at around 8 pm and then head ing over to Pure in Caesars and then late night at Light in the Bellagio. Mark it on your calendars. Hope to seeyou all there. If you get there and are not sure wherewe are all meeting up at give Suzy or I a call, or just call anyway! My cell phone is215-280-1760 and Suzy’s is 973-784-0056.

I encourage more of you to write in and tell mewhereyou are and what new adventuresyou have to document. We all love reading th e b lu rb s; face it , as soon asyou get Checkp oints, how many of you turn ri ght to back to pemse the 2002 blurb to seewhat your classmatesare up too?W r i t e i n . W e al l w o u l d l ov e to hear from you.

All our best, Amy and Suzy Heid i Schlagheck (McKinley)

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Rockledge, FL 3 29 5 5 hschlagh@gma ii.co nn

I hope 2007 has gotten off to a great start for everyone! Only a few more months and our class will be pinning Captain and enjoying a pay raise - the timehasflown. Our usual classauthor, Kenyatta Ruf fi n, i s in th e m i d st o f a PC S to Misawa Air Base. I would like to extend a big thanks t o Mark Hickie, Kim (Kachner) Gruenstein, and Laura Stepko for providing the majority of the info below. If you h av e b een up to heroic acts overseasor excited to share personal e v e n t s with the class, please connect to ZoomieNation.Com s o w e can make sure to include it next quarter. For the news I d o

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h av e t o sh ar e . . .

This fall Laura Stepko PCSed to Kirtland AFB where sh e works at theAir ForceSafety Center as a member of t h e B ir d /

Sabre Society

W il dlife Aircraf t Str ike Team . Ju st b efore sh e lef t l i f e o n t h e

Do n o rs

beach at Patri ck AFB, she took a 10-day detour to the Galapagos Islands on a dive trip. I can’t imagine all of the amazing animals sh e m u st h a v e se e n i n addition to Giant Tortoises (see photo). The proud ow n er of h er fi rst h ou se, there is an open invitation at her house for anyone passing through AM IC, FSO, or any other course at Kirtland. Laurajoined Eva Belanger, Justin Bronder

Laura Stepko wi th gian t tortoises in the Galapagos.

now stationed at NellisAFB af ter fi nishing her Master’s degree in Nursing.

In back fr om l ef t ar e M at t Br uckn er ( ’02), Kr i sti n ( Wen n er) H uston ( ’02), M ark H i cki e, El i a (B ur r ill) H i cki e, N ate D en ton , Ben B erli n , D an M or al es, and Mike Chiaram onte (’01). In front areJon King, Josh Bar l ow, Eri c Leder er,

Holly Van H ere, Laurel (H uber) Chiaramonte, and Michelle R u eh l .

Ricardo Cornejo is also flying C-17s out of Charleston and is fl ying regular trips to and from the sandbox. Nate Denton is aT-38 instructor at Laughlin APB and will be marrying his girlfriend Lindsay in M a r c h . D an M o r al e s i s working in Washington D.C. for the National Reconnaissance Offi ce. Jon King and Ian Ostermiller areflying C- 17sout of McChord AFB. Jon recently ran the Seattle Marathon with Aaron Granger and Mike Tall ey. E r i c L e d e r e r i s st a t i o n e d a t D av i s- M o n t h a n A F B a s a C o m b a t Re sc u e O f fi c e r . Last August he completed the Leadville 100 with Nick Wzientek. Af ter fi nishing intelligence training at Tinker AFB, Holly Van Liere isheading to Osan,AFB this February.

Michelle Ruehl is flying C-130s out of DyessAFB whileTyler Tracy is flying C130s out of PopeAFB. John Lancaster spent oneyear in Iraq and is now at Fort Benning, GA for the maneuver Captain’sCareer Course. In February he isheaded up to Fort Bragg, NC for Special Forces Training. Uly Mafnas is already at Fort Bragg going through Special Forces school and recently spent some time on the ground in Iraq. Vinny Bongionnani (’05 grad but started his USAFA adventu re in SQ 24 with 03 before going on his mission) is at LA AFB working as the Chief Design Engineer for his flight. He has been happily married t o h is w i fe, Ali e, for 1 Vz years. Tom Bellairs is also at LA AFB working at the GPSSystem Program Of fi ce. He is studying for his MBA at USC off duty.

Derri ck White is currently in Iraq working for Halliburton after separating under the Force Shaping program. His second son, Elijah, will be turning one in M ar ch . D rew Now i cld , D an Pet r o , an d Jam ie Tl ir n er also got out under Force Shaping. Drew isworking in Washi ngton D.C. for Northrop-Grumman, Dan isworking for USAA in San Antonio, TX, and Jamie is flying C-17s for the Reserves. She lives in Charleston, SC. I also separated last fall and earn ed my Master’s Degree from VirginiaTech in December.

Jason Garrison is at Eglin AFB. Hejust fi nished Mission Quali fi cation Train ing for the F- 15C and will be spending much of his time in early 2007 TDY for Red Flag,WSERetc. Aaron Davis isstationed in Washington D.C.working OSI. He recendy returned from Afghanistan where he worked c o u n t e r t e r r o ri sm .

Dave Bennett is at Aviano flying the F-16. Doug Ericson is currently at AFIT working on his Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering. Once completed, he will head back to USAFA to teach in the Computer Science department. Mike Opresko is aTweet FAIP at ColumbusAFB while also working on his Master’s Degree. Kevin Haines is flying C-2I s out ofYokotaAir B a se . M o h a m m e d A 1 Alawi has returned to Oman with hiswife and daughter, an d C h r i s D e sc h a n e isworking intelligence at Langley AFB and recently became engaged.

Finally, we have a star in our midst. Bri an Smolensky is currently traveling 13 5

! i the U.S. pursuing acting and recently landed a role in an episode of the Fox show “Prison Break.” He stars in episode #205 from Season Two. His perfor manceisdefi nitely worth thetimeto try to get a copy of theepisode and watch.

T h a t i s al l f o r n o w !

mm

te

Breezy (Long) Hedd inge r w indy0 4 @gima il.af .m il

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Engagements / Marriage. Dave Gertiser and Lynn Kelly

w ere m arr ied b ack on Ju n e 24th of 2006 at Fi rst Ch r ist i an

Church in Colorado Springs. Lynn is now a nurse and D av e is headed to pilot training. Trey Rives married Susan HUby, formerly of the class of ’08.

No n e Ye t Hudson Graham , Kyle McCurley, Patrick Chapman, and Brett Black reunited in Colorado for thepost-Christmasb l iz Sabre Society Do no rs zard and Brett’swedding. Pictured here, Hudson was B r et t ’s best man and Kyle a groomsman. Hudson is currently a t tending MIT. Brett and his new bride (Lauren Wilson) will be moving to Sheppard to begin pilot training in March, and Kyle i s st at i o n e d at E E . W ar r en

waitingtostart SU^ atVance.

Hello again! Dueto timing, wecan only print ashort messagethisquarter...to say we’resorry. Weknow everyonewasdisappointed w i t h th e lack of a class news article last quarter- I (Breezy) w a s i n Baghdad from July to February, and Jeff Gould was also p re %I I paring to deploy. The deadline passed again, but theA O G was gracious enough to insert this little message at t h e l a st minute. If anyone iswillingto volunteer asan additional PO C 1 for tliis article, please email Breezy at windy04@gimail.af.mil.

In the meantime, thanks for your patience& understanding. Sabre Society Donors Next quarter we’ll have LOTSto say about all thegreat co n tr i butions our class is making to theAF and to thewar ef fo r t - I saw soo many classmatesin theAOR—it was awesome! Send meyour stories and I promiseyou’ll read it in the next issue of Checkpoint^.”

Jo h n Ta m a s it is 1 2 4 Ha lid o n D r iv e

^ 72® /^

M e m b e rs

Warner Robins, GA 3 10 8 8 (6 10 ) 8 50-3 3 52 John.Ta mas it is@ogn.af .m il To m b o 0 1 2 @h o t m a i l .c o m

'Dripp Johnson and Carly Siefken got hitched on Feb 2 4 "’ 2 0 0 7 i n W i c h i t a Falls, TX (we all knew it was coming!). Chris Culver is also getting married to Stacey Lynn Sepulveda on March 24* 2007 in theWashington, D.C. Temple.

Torrey Hamilton will be PCSing to Ramstein AFB after completing Intel School, where his new wife, Sarah, will join him after their weddingonApri l 2 1st . Ro ss Conrad isengaged to JiUTrimboli and they aregettingmarried at theAFA chapel on Ju n e 8* .

(No Sabr e Society Donor s Yet) Class of 05',

Hope all iswell out there. By now, the large majority of our pilot classmates havebeen slotted into an airframe and many others, undoubtedly, have or will be deploying in thevery near future. However, I did not recieve any updates for thisedition! Please send your exciting newsmy way so we can passit along.

Th an ks an d Good Lu ck,

]

Felisa (Hervey) Dyrud 1 3 2 Ba n k s St .

73%

M e m b e rs

Ca mbridge, MA 0 2 13 8 (719 ) 3 5 2-59 9 1 Felisa .dyrud @gma il.co m

F EE L T H E F I R E ,

Greetingsfi rom Boston! Don’t forget to contact mewith your latest escapades, or those of your ’06 fr iends.We also have space for three pictures every issue.

(Gone But Not Forgotten: Chri stopher R.Stei tz, '05: Continued from page 98.)

During his time at the Academy and throughout his 60 days of leave after graduating, Chris wasted no time living each day to the fullest, maki ng friends and leaving his mark throughout the w o r l d . L e t t e r s o f condolences were received from far and near. One only n e e d e d a sh o r t m oment with Chris to be touched by his enveloping spirit . M any people rem embered his large smile, hearty laugh, intensity fo r l i f e, and a side of his personality which made it feel as he was always nearby to lend an ear or a helping hand.

Chris accomplished so much during his 23 years. The b r e a t h t h a t sustained him continuously drove him to do great things. His family is very proud of all his accompl ishm ents, but is saddened a t t h e thought of lost potential in this life. It goes vd thout saying that Chris w ould have been successful and an inspiration to others along the countless paths that lay ahead. We are comforted by the thought of him being at peace with his Heavenly Father. He was i n t e r n e d a t t h e Air Force Academy cemetery. (Wri tten by Dan Stei tz, f ath er ; an d 2"" L t.

Kr i sti n H am i et t, ’06) 13 6

Ross an d Jill

AnasAl-Mustafa got engaged June30"’2005toa lovely lady named Laila.The engagement party was in Irbed with a big gathering o f f ri en d s a n d r el a t i v e s.

Everyone is invi ted to the wedding in Jordan on June 3 0 * 2 0 0 7 .

News other than Engagements and Marriages. Fern ando N i c o l al d e l e arn ed to ride a motorcycle in thewarm Tuscon winter aft er returning fr om Ecuador last summer whereheworked at an orphanage and explored th e A m az o n w i th Br ian Jon es, Josh St i n son an d Josh’s n ew b r i de.

Steve Jimenez is coaching 3* and 4* grade basketball t e a m s a t t h e Yo u t h

Cen ter at H an scom AFB. H e has seven ki ds on hi s t eam ; they practice twice a

week and have one game a week.We asked him for a picture b u t h e w a s t o o modest... maybe next time.

2 0 0 7 B o ar d El ect i o n s Th e b al l o t s f o r t h e 2 0 0 7 E l e c ti o n o f A O G D i r e c t o r s h a v e b e en m a i l e d . Th er e ar e six va c a n ci es t o b e f i l l e d .

Ball ots m ust be r eturn ed by n oon on Ap ril 30, 2007.

P l ea se l ear n a b o u t th e c an d i d a t es an d VO TE ! Vi si t

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