Checkpoints June 2009

THE Three brothers devote their lives to the art of medicine

HEALERS AOG

U

June 2009

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89236-0509

'I feel lucky to have had the privilege of

attending USAFA and benefiting from the generosity of AOG donations. Now that I am

in a position to donate, it was an easy

choice to commit a few dollars a day to the place which had such a fundamental

impact on my life."

Elizabeth Ferrill, '98

"■m

LEAVE A LEGACY GENERAL HARMON MADE HISTORY

The Association of Graduates appreciates the high level of trust placed in us by those making donations to help the Air Force Academy. We have a long history of earning that trust through our careful stewardship. The AOG has a wide range of

recognition programs which salute our donors.

Everything we do at the AOG directly supports the Academy. Thank you for your continuing generosity.

Learn more about how we continue to earn the trust of our donors. Visit our online Donor Report at www.usafa.org.

Association of Graduates

f

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY D

CONTENTS JUNE 2009

COLUMNS LETTERS

4

CEO UPDATE

6

CALENDAR

11

FROM THE BOARD ROOM

1 2

FEATURES 18

EXCITING CHANGES COMING FOR USAFA ATHLETICS

The Academy Athletic Director recounts a year of Falcon sports.

24

FACES OF LEGACY

The Class of 1959 returns to USAFA to dedicate the Harmon Memorial Statue.

34

THE HEALERS

The three Kobayashi brothers, all doctors,

graduated from the Academy to pursue their passion for medicine.

44

IT'S TIME

|

CLASS OF 1973

From the Air Force Chief of Staff to the Academy

Superintendent, the Class of 1973 is making its mark on history.

ON THE COVER

Dr. Ky Kobayashi, '91, performs surgery in the OR.

Story on Page 34. Photos by Lewis Carlyle

Volume 38, numberl 2

Association of Graduates UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

1]

3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475

Customer Service: (719) 472-0300 DSN: 333-2067 Fax: (719) 333-4194

E-mail: aog@aogusafa.org Web Site: www.usafa.org

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

President/CEO: William 'T' Thompson '73 Senior Vice President of Operations: Gary Howe, '69

COMMUNICATIONS Director of Communication & Senior Editor: Bob McAllister

OFF THE SHELF

Editor & Photographer: Lewis Carlyle

Senior Designer: Sarah Wright

Class News Editor: Tom Kroboth

Advertising: Paige Buoye

14

ADMISSIONS UPDATE

16

THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR SERVICE ACADEMIES

22

FOUNDERS DAY

23

AOG STAFF BIOS

29

WALDO DUMBSQUAT

30

HISTORY OF THE PREP SCHOOL

42

LONG BLUE LINE

43

AUTHOR'S CORNER

50

WORTH 1000 WORDS

58

NEWS OF NOTE

60

JABARA AWARD

62

DINING GUIDE

66

USAFA GRAD BECOMES PRESIDENT OF HAMPDEN SYDNEY COLLEGE

67

CUTTING EDGE

68

FALCON LAUNCH

69

CHAPTER NEWS

Web Site: Matt Kleve & Rachel Dixon

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jim Wheeler, '64, Board Chair Pat Rosenow, '76, Vice Chair Bill Stealey, '70, Treasurer

Michael Banks, '92, Secretary Kevin Carmichael, '77

|

PART I OF II

Steve Dotson, '63 Steve Finch, '65

Mike Flynn, '95

Allison Hickey, '80

Terry Storm, '61

|

|

PHOTO ESSAY

USAFA SOLAR PLANT

George Van Wagenen, '67

Checkpoints (ISSN 0274-7391) USPS 898-080 is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the Association of Graduates, U.S. Air Force Academy. (Phone: 719-472-0300, DSN: 3332067. FAX: 719-333-4194, E-mail: ediror@aogusafa. org.) A portion of your dues pays for your magazine

subscription. Additional copies may be purchased for $2.50 each, plus $4.60 for shipping. Periodicals postage paid at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Checkpoints Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, 3116 Academy Drive, USAF ,

SPORTS

Academy, CO 80840-4475.

Ihe Editorial Board serves the Checkpoints mission

71

FALCONS SKATE TO RECORD SEASON

by providing a top quality magazine to the Air Force Academy’s broader community. Together, the editor,

74

2009 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

CEO collaborate to ensure that all articles meet the

Director of Communications, Senior VP and the AOG

standards of excellence readers have come to expect of

Checkpoints. Ihe AOG reserves the right to publish or omit submissions at its discretion.

BACK OF THE BOOK 80

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

85

CLASS NEWS

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. I hey do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or attitude of the AOG, its officers or the editorial staff. Ihe appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the AOG of the products or services advertised.

Copyright, Association of Graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, June 2009.

Put simply, the efforts by these men and women advance the very highest ideals of our Academy and our Honor Code.

Furthermore, contrary to Professor Malmstrom’s assertion, cadets’ due process rights are not “inconveniences upon the Honor System.” Ensuring such rights are provided to every cadet

accused of an Honor Code violation not only buttresses the Code itself but upholds another oath that cadets and officers swear—to the United States Constitution.

Unopposed in Kentucky I really enjoyed the piece in the March issue about the two grads

LinellA. Letendre, Class of 1996

who are in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Dave Floyd is my classmate and I’m pleased that two USAFA grads have taken that civic responsibility here.

on

I don’t think there was a byline on the article but whoever pulled

that together and got the photo of the two guys did a nice job.

I don’t know the other grad but Dave Floyd apparently does

Letters Submission Guidelines

Checkpoints welcomes letters from its readers. Please limit your submission to 250 words. For your letter to be consid-

such a good job that he has been unopposed in his reelection

ered, you must include your name and graduating year, if

efforts in the last two terms. That speaks very highly of him, I’d

you are an Academy graduate.

say. Congratulations

on

Letters should be e-mailed to editor@aogusafa.org. Check-

the good work.

points reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Don Rightmyer

White Elections

Thank you for your June 2008 Checkpoints cover. The picture of the 1959 cadets and then 2008 cadets was stunning. As a female 1988 graduate, I was proud to see the transformation over the years and I know that good leaders made vital changes.

I was quite disappointed, however, with the recent Election

'

^

Update in the March 2009 Checkpoints. There were twenty-two pictures of candidates and all were white males. Why are there no women

real estate company like

and minority candidates? The AOG Board of Directors

should be an inclusive group. I think it’s time to evaluate the process!

Marietta &

Kim (Green) Davis, Class of 1988

Company

Law as a Scapegoat?

The law—especially our Constitution—is not an inconvenience.

After reading Frederick V. Malmstrom’s March 2009 Checkpoints

Tony Marietta, ’70

article, The USAFA Cheating Affair of2004, one is left with the

Since 1975, selling Colorado

impression that the only obstacle standing in the way of a functioning Honor System is the Department of Law (DFL) and the

homes, homesites, and

...

recreational properties.

“legal system.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Each year attorneys from DFL dedicate over one thousand hours (on top of their regular teaching responsibilities) to help the Honor Division develop and evaluate cases, to serve as officer mentor or legal advisors on honor boards, and to assist cadet squadrons in honor education as Squadron Professional Ethics Advisors. I have witnessed the commitment by DFL faculty to the Honor System first-hand as a cadet, later as a faculty member, and now as a federal litigator who defends the Air Force from any lawsuits attacking the validity of an Honor Code violation.

4

6189 Lehman Drive, Suite 200

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918

^

E-mail: usafa70@aol.com

719-592-9700

C H E C K P O I N T S, J U N E 2 0 0 9

Toll free: 1-800-571-1161

ng Togothe

^ As cadets and

graduates of the Academy, you hold integrity

in the highest regard. Your official ring is created with that

same

integrity by Jostens, your partner in expressing pride

in the United States Air Force Academy.

rostens

—%

r

AOGjp^ CEO UPDATE

What I Didn’t Know And how I learned how to “Fix It”

By William T Thompson, ’73

good friend and mentor of mine once told me that knowing what you don’t know can be as, or even more important, than what you know. “Knowing what you don’t know” means appreciating that your knowledge-base is inadequate. It doesn’t mean that you are unintelligent. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. It actually means that you are intelligent enough to realize that you are unaware and may need help, direction, or additional data before developing a strategy or taking action.

When I took this job I didn’t know much about alumni associations or fundraising for a major university. My experience with alumni as-

A

sociations was as a member of the AOG and my law school alumni association. My fundraising knowledge came from political campaigns

and raising money for cause based charities. I did know that the AOG faced some major challenges and from conversations with my class-

Regni, I came to appreciate that the fundraising structure Academy was disorganized and amorphous, at best. He clearly understood that the current structure was inadequate for the long term benefit of the Academy based on information obtained from his mate, Gen.

at the

Mountain West Conference, American Council on Education, and service academy counterparts.

I also quickly discovered that there were a plethora of opinions among grads about how these problems should be addressed. Now I mean no disrespect, but we all know that there are as many opinions as there are grads. I’ve also observed that many of the opinions are

based on “feelings or emotion” and seldom based on a rigorous

examination of the data or a meticulous assessment of the facts.

While I’ll admit to having my own opinions, as well, I’ve also de-

veloped a habit of thoroughly investigating issues, particularly when I’m involved in the process of trying to solve them. I think my re-

search tendency comes from both my legal background and having made some uninformed mistakes as an entrepreneur.

MY CORE CURRICULUM

So “knowing what I didn’t know” about these issues, I set about do-

ing the research. I read articles in numerous publications such as, The Chronicle ofHigher Education, The Chronicle ofPhilanthropy, and the

Stanford Social Innovation Review. I read books, including; Pragmatic

CHECK P O 1 NTS

,

J U N E 2009

What I learned from my collective research was, in some ways,

Fund-Raising for College Administrators and Development Officers, Enterprising Nonprofits ; A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs, and Relationship Shift: Revolutionary Fundraising I found studies on the importance of alumni engagement and the relationship between that engagement and alumni funding support. I read portions of the MIT Giving/Engagement Study, The Stanford Alumni Association Study,

exceedingly simple, but more importantly, universally confirmed.

■ I discovered

.

that, with minor variations, each institution

used the same basic organizational structure and applied the same funding model.

West Point and Annapolis had minor variations for reasons I will

and the Report of the Alumni Relations Task Force of the University

shortly explain, but they also employed both the same basic structure and the identical funding model as their civilian counterparts.

■ and most revealing was that every univerAdditionally, this sity using approach had developed superior alumni

of Virginia. And then I hit the Mother Lode of research in this area

when I found information on the Core Group Study.

Referenced in the University of Virginia Report, the CORE

Group is a private research organization that has been engaged by a consortium of 55 universities, colleges, and independent schools to collect data on development and alumni relations, to analyze relationships between actions and outcomes, and to draw conclusions about recommended approaches. The consortium

engagement results, and were raising hundreds of millions, and even billions of dollars.

University of Virginia, Michigan, the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, UCLA, the University of Washington, Penn State, and University of Texas.

Finally, I discovered from the studies that the institutions which had not previously employed the basic structure had all moved aggressively to do so over the past several years.

For example, the MIT study resulted in MIT’s Alumni Association being reorganized to place the alumni relations functions and the annual fund staffs under the leadership of a managing director.

Greater alumni involvement led to greater philanthropic support and the succeeding jumps in both alumni engagement and development success where clearly documented.

MY EDUCATION

the key elements of a separate alumni function, a separate fund-

I believe it’s fair to say, I learned a lot about the subject matter. I

raising function with both under common senior management.

*

includes such private universities as Brown, Columbia, Cornell,

Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and Penn, as well as such public universities as the

The basic structure is illustrated in the following slide and has

discovered that there are different business models for different types of nonprofit groups. I also learned that there is a distinct organizational structure required for both successful alumni

engagement and raising funds in the university environment. I even learned that the lexicon in the nonprofit community is not a

University Alumni Association Fund Raising Structure

“business model’’ but a “funding model.”

Then I got down to serious business. I started making phone calls and talking to key leaders in both alumni associations and

Typical Model

university development offices to get information straight from the source. I used, as points of focus, three different groups of uni-

Board of Trustees

versifies, each with a nexus to USAFA. The first group consisted of members of the Mountain West Con-

ference, of which, we are a member. My sample group included: 1. Colorado State

Office of the President

2. San Diego State

Common Senior Management

3. Texas Christian University (TCU), and

4. The University of Utah The second group was composed of select “academically elite”

schools across the country because we hold ourselves out as an “elite

Alumni Association

institution.” That group included:

Frietid Raising

1. Harvard 2. MIT

Cost Center

Institutional

Development Fund Raising Revenue Generator

3. Stanford

4. Yale, and

5. Princeton The final group consisted of our sister service academies. While

As previously noted, the data also revealed that all of the universities

I also spoke to my counterpart at the Coast Guard Academy, I

in the sample were employing the same funding model. According to

focused on;

the Stanford SI Review of the Stanford Graduate School of Business,

1. The Military Academy at West Point, and

the name of the handing model for major universities is called the

2. The Naval Academy at Annapolis

“Beneficiary Builder” model. Princeton uses it most effectively and

because of our similar size.

boasts the highest alumni giving rate among national universities of 59.2 percent. t>

CH ECK PO I NTS

,

JUNE

20 0 9

7

The following key components were common in the funding model of all of the schools researched 1. Alumni functions and fund-raising efforts, though function-

ally separate, mon

were

in close coordination because of “com-

senior management.”

2. Alumni organizations kept the graduates connected to the insti-

USMAand USNA As mentioned before, West Point and Annapolis had slightly dif-

ferent versions of the basic structure but retained the fundamental characteristics of separate alumni and fundraising functions, with common senior management. Their variations were due

primarily to prohibitions on fundraising by federal institutions.

tution through the delivery of various services which was called

The key differences of the service academies from the civilian

“friend-raising.” The relationship of alumni engagement with the institution enabled development offices to be more effective at “fund-raising.”

universities were:

1. There were no alumni services or fundraising functions op-

erated out of the Superintendent’s office.

3. Alumni functions were a cost center for the university.

2. Both of those functions were operated by 501(c) (3) organi-

Most alumni organizations generated some level of revenue,

zations located at the academies.

3. The organizational structures and funding models were es-

through either dues or sales, but all needed additional funding for operations. The additional funding was budgeted by the senior management team and provided from other university revenue streams

4. Fund-raising efforts were a net revenue generator for the

institution, with costs varying between approximately 12-30 percent. The excess revenue funded other university needs.

5. With minor exceptions, the development office con-

sentially the same as their civilian university counterparts, except one step removed from the Superintendent’s office.

The West Point structure most closely replicated the basic civilian structure. Though both functions are together in one organization, the WPAOG, the alumni and development functions are run like separate entities. As their CEO, Bob McClure,

’76, told me, “I keep a solid wall between them and never the shall meet.” He also noted that the development side pro-

trolled all fundraising because of the need to speak to the

two

donor community with “one voice” for the institution.

vides approximately $1.4 million annually for alumni support.

This eliminated donor confusion and enabled “targeted”

This, of course, is consistent with alumni support as a cost center

focusing

and development as a revenue generator in the components of

donors’ interests.

on

TCU’s organizational structure and funding model was typical of the group and is presented for your reference in the diagram below.

the funding model previously mentioned. The Army structure is

presented in the diagram below.

University Alumni Association Fund Raising Structure

University Alumni Association Fund Raising Structure

Texas Christian University-TCU

USMA- West Point Association of Graduates

Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

Office of the Chancellor

President & CEO

Bob McClure, ’76

Common Senior Management

Common Senior Management

TCU Alumni

University

Association

Advancement

Friend Raising

Fund Raising

Cost Center

Revenue Generator

Reunions

Campaign

Chapters

Annual Fund

Publications

Athletics

(,areer Services

( Hark Society

( lass Rings '

VP for Alumni Support

VP of Development

Jim Johnston, ’73

Brian Crockett, Rutgers

Friend Raising

Fund Raising

Cost Center

Revenue Generator

1. “Chinese Wall between the two”

Bob McClure

2. Development run like a separate entity

Planned (living

3. Development “pays” about $1.4 million to Alumni Suppon

Bricks (Iredit (lards

C H E C K P OI N T S

—

,

JUNE

2009

University Alumni Association Fund Raising Structure U.S. Navel Academy Alumni Association & Foundation

Foundation Trustees

Association Board of Trustees

Joint Committees 1. Finance

2. Audit

3. Compensation

CEO, Byron Marchant, ’78 CFO, Flank Sanford Common Senior Management

Alumni Association

Foundation

Friend Raising

Fund Raising

COO, Maj. Gen. Terry

Murray, ’68

Foundation contributes $ 1 .7 $2.3 million to

EVP, Development

Athletic & Scholarships

D j ck Johnson

RADM Tom Lynch, ’64

-

Alumni Association

y

Cost Center

The Naval Academy’s approach is slightly more complex and

requires

a

y

Revenue Generator

short history. Until the late 90s, their situation was

“FIXING” USAFA-MY OPINION

Until now I’ve only presented facts-facts that are researchable,

similar to ours with competing fundraising organizations at their

immutable and incontrovertible. Now I’ll offer my opinion, and

academy. Under the leadership of the Superintendent, Admiral

I hasten to add that it is only my opinion. But it is an objective

Chuck Larson, and the heads of the various nonprofits, they were

opinion based on hours of research, countless conversations, and with no preconceived notion about what would work best. Re-

able to pull all of the organizations into one foundation. The diverse entities

made certain accommodations and Annapolis ended

member, “I knew what I didn’t know.”

up with two different organizations, the Alumni Association and

the Foundation. Critically important however, is despite having two

different organizations; they retained the key components of

the basic structure that has been discussed-separate alumni and

fundraising functions, under common senior management. Additionally, they employed the same funding model as the other universities, including West Point.

Joint committees bring the two organizations together, and the Foundation supplements the Alumni Association in the neighborhood of $2 million annually, again following the basic funding model as previously discussed (Diagram of the Navy structure above).

Though with variations, both West Point and Annapolis have successfully employed the components of the basic structure and funding model, and over the past ten years have each raised hundreds of millions of dollars. They have been able to fund major

Today there are 7 different nonprofits, with no coordinated structure and different

funding models, trying to raise money

for the Air Force Academy. Compared to our sister service

academies, (who are at the lower end of the major university fundraising scale) we are in a distant third place. In fact, with less than $30 million between us, and the lack of appreciation for the sophistication of organizational structure and proper

funding model, by any objective measure, we would have to be considered third rate.

In my opinion, we should move decidedly and with all de-

liberate speed, to put in place both the organizational structure and funding model that I have discussed. They are both proven successes

cause,

and the major universities have adopted them be-

quite simply, they work. Stanford, MIT, the University

of Virginia and the Naval Academy have all changed their orga-

infrastructure projects, and increase alumni engagement and ser-

nizational structures in recent years to comport with the basic

vices which have benefited their institutions, the cadets and mid-

structure

shipmen, and the graduate community as a whole.

also use the Naval Academy experience as a guide because of

C H E C K P OI N T S,

JUNE

presented, with tremendous positive results. We should

2 009

9

our

similarities with different competing organizations, and our

If we are to be true to our core values of; Integrity First, Ser-

connection as sister service academies. The Air Force

common

vice Before Self, Excellence in All We Do, then we must solve

Academy model I recommend is illustrated below.

this problem and do so in a well defined way.

I’ve shared my opinions with the AOG Board, the Super-

Accept the truth and reality of our current situation-Integrity First ■ Put both organizational and self interest aside-Service Be■

intendent of the Air Force Academy (who has reached similar

conclusions), and the Air Force Chief of Staff. I’ve made a presentation representing my views to the Class Advisory Senate

fore Self

and I share this vision with grads that I talk to “one on one.” I

■

Adopt the structure and model universally recognized as the

think it’s also important that I share these views in Checkpoints

Standard-Excellence in All We Do

with you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we can do this and we should do this;

I do understand that moving in this direction will be difficult.

for the cadets, for the good of the Academy and, as graduates, for

It requires, for a number of grads, a broader vision and a new way

both our own benefit and self-respect.

B

of thinking. Some strongly held beliefs and various organizational interests will need to be put aside. It will also require working to-

gether for the betterment of the Academy and our collective organizations, and I know that in recent years, that has proven to be an elusive goal. Yet we have the responsibility and the obligation to do so,

and now.

My friends at the Naval Academy tell me that their integration process was exceedingly difficult as well. But they recognized their

problems, knew that the suggested solution was the right thing to do, and, most importantly, had the will and fortitude to get it done. They did so in less than 18 months and six years later were sitting on assets of approximately $250 million.

USAF Academy

Association of Graduates & USAFA Foundation

AOG Board of Directors

USAFA Foundation Directors

Interlocking Committees

I comprises 1. Finance

2. Audit

3. Compensation

USAFA

Athletic NP

Endowment

Foundation

Other Non-Profits CEO

Single Management Common Senior Management

10

Alumni Association

Marketing & Development

Friend Raising

Fund Raising

Cost Center

Revenue Generator

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2 00 9

RESULTS OF 2009 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED The 2009 Election of Directors ended on April 30, 2009 with 3118 members (12.89%) casting ballots. Congratulations to these

winning candidates:

Four-year terms (July 1, 2009

-

June 30, 2013)

Two-year terms (July 1, 2009

Vic Andrews, ’66

Bob Munson, ’73

Roger Carleton, ’67 Rip Blaisdell, ’62

Mark Rosenow, ’03

-

June 30, 2011) to fill unexpired terms

Brian Binn, ’72

Terry Storm, ’61 Thank you, as well, to the other candidates who volunteered their time and service. We hope that you will consider running again

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

in the future.

11

« Vi

THE RESULTS OF THE 2009 AOG Board Election were released in early May and are reported elsewhere in this issue of Check-

points. All of the Board candidates are highly qualified and dedicated

graduates. As a result, we all had to make some very difficult decisions; but, while that was tough on us, it is a very good thing for the AOG. As we all should appreciate, the strength-and ultimately the success—of any membership organization directly reflects the participation of its members and the hard work of its elected leadership. On behalf of the Board and the membership, I sincerely thank each of the Candidates for volunteering to serve and extend sincere congratulations to the new Directors.

Over the last two years, a recurring theme in this quarterly report to the membership has been ‘managing change.’ In fact, the entire tenure of the 2007 Board of Directors has been devoted to this task, and I can report to you that the process will continue for the 2009 Board.

Governance changes reflected in the AOG Bylaws adopted in 2006 are

still being assimilated; a new governance model-Dr. John Carver’s Strate-

gic Policy Governance-is being phased in; a new CEO has been hired; and the AOG staff has been realigned to reflect operational requirements and economic imperatives. But, while these fundamental changes have been taking place, the AOG has continued to provide services to the

members, support for the Academy, and active promotion of the traditions and heritage of our school.

Despite environmental and organizational headwinds along the way, the AOG staff continues to provide world class support for class reunions; the AOG remains the largest private support organization for the Academy; a more current

By Jim Wheeler, ’64 AOG Chairman of the Board

12

and accurate Register of Graduates is now on-line; the AOG

Web site is more refined and useful; an electronic election process has been

implemented; and Checkpoints continues to be an informative and valuable quarterly publication. In short, the AOG has been able to move forward and to fulfill all facets of the AOG Mission despite the unforeseen outside events that have compounded the challenges of‘managing change.’

During the tenure of the 2007 Board, the Academy has also witnessed a great deal of change and has regained a lot of positive momentum lost during the early years of this decade. The Superintendent, John Regni, ’73, has been a strong advocate of progressive change for the Academy and leaves behind the seeds for even more changes as he retires this summer. The AOG Board wishes him and Debby well in their retirement and welcomes Mike Gould, ’76, as the 18th Academy Superintendent.

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

Given the unprecedented circumstances the AOG, the Academy,

We could debate where the emphasis should fall and what other

and our nation face at present, some members have suggested that the

topics could be added to the list, but the reality is that the AOG

AOG Board should prioritize the three parts of the AOG Mission and

Board will make management decisions based on the best information

allocate

resources

accordingly. But, the Board has resisted this path

available, including input received from the membership. The obvious

because the Mission elements-providing graduate services, supporting

conclusion is that YOU have a role to play in the future of our AOG.

the Academy, and promoting Academy heritage and traditions-are

Find the time to get informed, take the time to convey your views and

so closely intertwined that attempting to prioritize one over another

opinions to your Class Senator, be active in local chapters

could be

frustrating and futile exercise. To illustrate: by providing

to

...

do your

help the AOG realize its potential.

alumni services and fostering heritage awareness, the AOG helps

part Our membership voted in two referendums and two Board

create an environment that cultivates donors who support

Elections between 2005 and 2007 to return the AOG to a member-

a

projects to

tegically, the elements of the AOG Mission are not mutually exclusive

centric organization committed to a three part Mission, to operate with transparency, and to be governed by an accountable Board of

and do not lend themselves to a 1-2-3 ranking. At the same time, there

Directors. Over the last two years we have made progress towards

enhance the Academy and the Cadet experience. So, if looked at stra-

can be no doubt that the Board must make tactical decisions among

these goals, but the challenge persists. Resolution of continuing differ-

competing programs, projects, and good ideas that cut across all parts

ences

of the AOG Mission.

until we can get everyone on the same page once again. Fortunately,

Consider these items extracted from the “to do” list that the

we

about fundraising practices and governance styles will be elusive

all share a deep commitment to our school and to each other; and,

it is time for us to use that as the basis for working together. A final

2009 Board will inherit:

—Conduct a comprehensive review of the AOG Bylaws and present

observation: Air Force Academy graduates are a tough and diverse

recommendations for AOG Bylaws changes to the membership

audience, but I would bet real money that we can reach a consensus on a vision for the AOG that calls for an important, relevant, and

-Design and implement programs to increase AOG membership -Increase member participation in the AOG-nationally and locally

respected Association that occupies a position of influence within the

-Improve, enhance, and expand the AOG chapter program

Air Force Academy Family.

-Improve AOG communications with the membership, the

Have a great summer

...

H

USAFA community, and the USAF

Northwestern Preparatory School Located in Southern California 4

Post High School Service Academy Preparation Exclusively

-

+

Appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy and other Service Academies have been received by over 90 percent of our students.

+

SAT/ACT Enhancement

4

Candidate Fitness Assessment Improvement

-

“Northwestern Prep provided me with an academic foundation that raised my SAT scores by 200 points, as well as an ability to

focus on the essential preparation to succeed at the Academy.

As a result of the self-confidence I gained there, I became Outstanding Student in CST, Outstanding 2nd Class Cadet in 3rd Group, Team Captain of Women s Fencing, and Outstanding Squadron Commander of the #1 ranked squadron of the wing! ’’

2002 USAFA Graduate

Suzanne Durbeck, Executive Director 1-800-367-8839 / www.northwesternprep.com / E-mail:

prepnwp@aol.com

The Air Force Academy Admissions Diversity Focus In Response to the

Cadet Wing Diversity Plan

By Col Chevalier “Chevy” Cleaves, 85

n an

increasingly competitive global environment, the ultimate sue-

Cadet Wing Diversity Plan Summary

cess

of the United States Air Force depends largely upon diversity

The diversity plan highlights the importance of exposing cadets to

of thought, background, talent, demographics and organization. In

April 2008, Lt. Gen. John Regni, the Aar Force Academy Superintendent, signed the first-ever Cadet Wing Diversity Plan, identifying the Academy’s recruiting objectives and diversity initiatives.

Over the past year, the Academy Admissions staff has worked

tirelessly to execute the Superintendent’s diversity vision. Although other areas of advancement exist, such as force/cadet development, retention and accountability, the primary responsibility of Academy Admissions is cadet accessions.

a

broad range of ideas and experiences. The goal is for cadets to live

amongst many others with dissimilar backgrounds, which will “compel them to examine their personal assumptions and philosophies in contrast to those of others.”

Having a richly diverse environment will

help enable cadets to see the best qualities, strengths and perspectives of each individual, regardless of his or her background.

The plan further explains the importance of diversity in terms of our expeditionary military force because we operate in a global environment with many other nations and a wide variety of

threats. Academy graduates need to be prepared to lead a diverse USAFA STRATEGIC GOAL 4

Enhance faculty, staffand cadet diversity. Ensure we have the faculty,

staffand cadet diversity to broaden the cadet learning environment and prepare USAFA graduates to lead in a global expeditionary Air Force. We will use our total force expertise to expose our cadets to new ideas, beliefs and experiences while emphasizing language and culture to enhance their worldview

ADMISSIONS STRATEGIC GOAL 3

Expand the diversity of the USAFA cadet wing to better educate and train future officers expected to serve and lead in a diverse and expeditionary force.

military force with people of every culture and view.

Oftentimes, diversity is thought to comprise only race, ethnicity and gender. However, the Cadet Wing Diversity Plan broadly outlines diversity as a composite of individual characteristics that includes personal life experiences, geographic background, socioeconomic background, cultural knowledge, educational background, work background, language abilities, physical abilities, philosophical/spiritual perspectives, age, race, ethnicity and gender.

Identifying Candidates Admissions Marketing and Media received funding to advertise in

prominent minority, urban and rural media outlets. We continue to Since the Cadet Wing Diversity Plan was introduced, the

Admissions Directorate’s principal focus has been to build initia-

14

revamp material annually to ensure it appeals to the current generation of middle and high school students of various backgrounds.

tives linked to the cadet portion of the strategic goals highlighted

We are also increasing emphasis via the Diversity Affairs Co-

above. On our behalf, we’d like to share with the graduate com-

ordinators (86 specialized Admissions Liaison Officers, or ALOs,

munity the Cadet Wing Diversity Plan.

with specific diversity responsibilities—situated in 67 locations CHECKPOI NTS

,

J UNE

2 0 0 9

nationwide) who identify, mentor and evaluate specific local candidates through the Academy application process.

We’ve identified target populations as first generation college

students, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, students from academically disadvantaged backgrounds, enlisted Airmen, USAFA Prep School students, female candidates, Falcon Foundation students and racial/ethnic minorities.

rices and subject matter experts to facilitate constituent engagement.

The Academy Congressional Liaison Office is coordinating a congres-

sional engagement plan that includes all service academy education

opportunities created for Members of Congress.

The Service Academy Diversity Conference is coordinated by Academy Admissions to share best practices, while synchronizing efforts in key geographic locations. The Strategic Cities Diversity Initiative identified seven key cities (Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Miami,

Outreach

Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles) where we will create focused part-

Admissions Tours host students and parents every year, August

nerships between all service academies (USAFA is lead), the school districts, community-based organizations, congressional offices and other strategic partners. We expect to use this effort to demystify college access and increase the pipeline of qualified candidates.

This is a fairly broad overview of our current activity to accomplish the accessions portion of diversity. Cultural intelligence and the respect for human dignity resonate within our service’s core

through May. This includes a 45-minute briefing by Admissions.

Afterwards, students spend the day with a cadet while parents are

given a two-hour guided tour of the cadet area.

Appointee Orientation is hosted three times in April to better acquaint appointees with the Academy. We identify students with economic needs and utilize gift funds to help offset the cost of attending orientation. In the future, we will also host an Appointee Orientation Diversity Mixer, designed to provide a forum for

values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. The ultimate reason for success in accomplishing our mission is and will remain partnership.

candidates and parents to address their concerns.

If you would like to partner with us, or if you would like to

Building partnerships with national groups such as the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses and the USAFA Minority Alumni

Organizations is another important step towards diversity outreach.

support our efforts when we are in your area, please contact Lt. Col Jeffery Lum at jeffery.lum@usafa.edu.

Diversity Affairs Coordinator (DAC) conferences and educator orienrations also allow Admissions staff to meet educators face to face and

For a complete list ofAcademy Admissions diversity initiatives, visit

provide insights into the Academy’s selection process.

https://admissions.usafa.edu/USAFA_Admissions_Diversity_Focus.doc.

Strategic Initiatives The USAFA Congressional Nominations Operations Plan is designed to

provide assistance to Members of Congress who wish to improve

their nomination programs. It provides program knowledge, best pracC H E C K P 01 N T S,

J UN E

2009

15

The Fabric of our Graduation Parchment Discussing the value of our service academies

By Michael Isherwood, '82

Photo by Mike Kaplan

and parchment. (The Rhodes Scholars from the Academies should

dispel the myth that their grads are less intellectually prepared.)

The enduring value of the Academies is that they are a commitment

by our nation to the best values of our society—a merit-based

institution that instills service to others.

If America is the ‘land of opportunity,’ the academies are institutions of opportunity. Young men and women gain admission

based on their performance in high school-grades, sports, extracurricular activities—all the start of the renaissance person.

You can’t buy your way into an Academy; you compete. My roommates my first two years were sons of a retired officer and a

salesman. Neither roommates’ parents could have made donations

significant enough to gain a Congressman’s attention. And me?

The product of Michigan’s foster care program with a 3.9 GPA and a half dozen varsity letters. Like my classmates, I never heard

why my Congressman picked me.

We came from all across America—small towns, inner cities,

suburbs and farms. We were a cross section of our society-race,

ethnic, sex, and economic group.

Once at the Academy, the expectations were clear: Perform.

You had to study, learn and master the subject matter. A friend

started Arizona State the same year. He had 3 tutors for freshman

English-they wrote his papers so he could get through. For me, if my paper was written on a computer, I was not allowed to use

spellcheck; so stringent was the standard that I do my own work.

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS OPINION PIECE WAS WRITTEN IN RESPONCE TO THE APRIL

2009 WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE “WHY WE SHOULD GET RID OF WEST POINT,” BY THOMAS RICKS. TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, VISIT: WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM

That was part of the Honor Code. Sure, Harvard and Stanford have honor codes, but not like the one where cadets ran it. Not

lie, cheat or steal become part of our psyche. The occasional discussion and infrequent requirement to sit on an honor board to to

determine the fate of a fellow cadet made each person wrestle with ethical issues unlike any other institution allows.

Finally, there was leadership. A ‘leadership laboratory’ it’s often called. You spend four years thinking about it and experimenting

n

the Colorado summer’s sun, we were doing push-ups while

Jack, our classmate, tried to remember the top fighter ace of the Korean War. Our first summer and only a few days into our Academy experience, we were learning about ‘class unity’-

sticking by

someone no matter

what.

It’s a part of the Academy education that is unmatched. Thomas Ricks recently challenged that closing the service Academies could save

money since they cost twice what a 4-year diploma costs for an

with styles. By the time we left, we realized that good leaders had

character, vision and treated each person with dignity.

The benefit to our service is that for the first 10 years, graduates

bring these experiences to the force after having them forged into their lives by living in the incubator that the Academies are— tightly knit, intense and never able to escape the program. After four years of Perform, Integrity and Lead, you have an officer different from any other. Not better, different.

ROTC graduate. And, he suggests, the faculty is dumber than those at Princeton or Harvard.

I am glad that every 4-star general is not an Academy grad. It

reinforces that the services are merit-based institutions too-no one

Interesting discussion that comes up routinely; but he’s missing

is ordained to greatness based on what happened when they were

the value of the service academies. It’s not just the grade point 16

CH ECKPO 1 NTS

19 or 20 years of age.

,

J UN E

2009

So what about those push-ups I and a dozen of my classmates were

doing for Jack, the guy who couldn’t remember anything?

In a place where the best of our communities came together, the message was: was

pool our talents to help others. I could run. Kevin

they leave uniform, many grads find time (and the need) to continue that service to others. Kay helps new arrivals learn English. Tom travels to South America on a mission to build homes. I help deliver medical aid to war-torn eastern Burma.

My “civilian” friends often hear these stories and say: Wow!

physically strong. Dave had a brilliant mind.

“Class unity” made us realize the faster we helped Jack learn the

That’s neat. How do you do it?

I think: how can I not?

basic knowledge or overcome a physical challenge, the sooner we’d

our

The Academy gave me the opportunity to concentrate on perfor-

annoying task. The real message we learned was to

stop doing use our individual skills to help others. In the process, we set aside an

mance,

This is the unspoken ethos of the Academies-service to others.

these elements as a fabric of their graduation parchment.

And no other institution produces graduates who live a com-

And whether the graduates spend 5 years or 35 years on active

duty,

our

integrity, leadership and most of all-service. Neither Georgia

Tech, Yale nor Columbia produces an entire graduating class that has

interests for the well-being of someone else.

communities have returned to them men and women

mitment to others in such a high percentage.

In the land of opportunity, the Academies are America’s invest-

who place a commitment to others high on their daily to-do list.

Some serve the community while still in uniform, like Arden who

ment in

itself. S

helped with a pregnancy crisis center and unwed mothers. But when

Cozy landing minutes away

$88

AOG Corporate Sponsors

excluding blackout dates

Join us in helping current and future graduates of the Academy receive the best service we can possibly give them! Become a corporate sponsor.

It is a cost-effective way for you to communicate to your target audience that you stand behind what we do here at the United States Air Force Academy.

While you support us and what America’s greatest service Academy has to

offer, we give you the tools and means to get your company or organization’s

Air Force Academy

public in the best way possible. A corporate sponsorship is very versatile and gives you many ways and forms to get your company the name out to the

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J UN E

2009

17

Exciting Changes Coming for USAFA Athletics

IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS GETTING TO BE OLD NEWS, SINCE I’VE WRITTEN

ABOUT THIS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, BUT AS I SIT WAITING FOR THE START OF AN AIR FORCE-NORTHERN COLORADO BASEBALL GAME

ON A BEAUTIFUL APRIL AFTERNOON, I’M ALSO STARING AT A COPY OF A HOUSE RESOLUTION, AS YET UNNUMBERED. AT THE TOP IT SAYS, “TO AMEND TITLE 10, UNITED STATES CODE, TO AUTHORIZE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NONPROFIT CORPORATION TO SUPPORT THE ATHLETIC PRO-

GRAM OF THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY” Thanks to the CSAF, Gen Schwartz, the SECAF, Mr. Donley, and in particular, Ms. Loretta

Dr. HanS Mueh, ’66 Director of Athletics

Sanchez (D), California, a member of our Board of Visitors, this might actually happen. In

fact, my hope is that by the time you read this, it will have been passed. When that happens, the Athletic Department will never be the same, and will allow support for our great cadetathletes that we’ve never been able to give until now. More to follow in future additions of

Checkpoints. In the meantime, I’ll try to highlight some of the great things that transpired since the last edition.

It has been a phenomenal year for Air Force athletics. A very young Air Force football team

qualified for its second straight bowl game and set a school record for most MWC wins in backto-back years with 11. The team finished 8-5 overall and finished fourth in the MWC with a 5-3

mark, and we may have seen the next great Air Force quarterback in a young man from Georgia named Tim Jefferson. The team won 17 games in two years and played in its second Armed Forees

Bowl. Head Football Coach Troy Calhoun is the second-winningest coach in the 100-plus years

of service academy football in his first two years, collecting a 17-9 record. Spring ball went well and was highlighted by very spirited defensive play. Coach Calhoun actually sat out his starting

quarterback, the one I mentioned above, to concentrate on his grades. Can you imagine that happening at any other Div I university? That’s probably why our football team

the Falcons easily defeated their five other

The future looks bright as a handful of fresh-

local opponents. C2C Sara Neubauer won

men

182’8,” won the discus with a toss of 164’7,”

exciting women’s gymnastics team. This

finished #2 in the nation (one point behind

and took second in the shot with a throw

season,

Stanford) in the Academic Progress Rate.

of 47’ 11 14.” The hammer mark, a personal

Nice going, Coach Calhoun.

double overtime of making it to the Frozen

improvement by nearly 20 feet, bested the rest of the field by eight feet. In just her first year of throwing the hammer, the junior eas-

Four (you can read the special section in

ily broke the Falcons’ nine-year-old record

Checkpoints dedicated to them). They also won their first ever Atlantic Hockey America the AFiA Frozen season title, swept regular

of 177’11

many highlights from this amazing (and

the Year award and three conference ti-

young) track and field team that I could

ties. The senior, who earned an invitation

Four in Rochester with two shutouts, and

fill up this article with individual records.

to

then shut out a very good Michigan team

Instead, I encourage you to go to www.goair-

2-0 in the NCAA round of 16. It was a total

forcesports.com for your daily fix of great

paced the Falcons with four all-conferselections. She posted the squad’s highest total of the year on every event, while collecting three MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards and 16 first-place finishes. The native of Pittsburgh, Pa., who upped her career-best scores in three of

Hockey

team

came

within a mystery goal in

effort but many players also received

individual recognition. C3C Jacques Lamoureux was

the hammer throw with an impressive toss of

”

set

by Tara Copas. There are so

performances in all sports by the greatest young men and women in America.

the offensive player of the year

Men’s Basketball had a tough year but

in the ALLA and a first team All-American,

finished strong at the end and won its first

C2C Andrew Volkening was the top goal-

ever tournament

tender in the AFiA, and C1C Greg Flynn the top defensive player in the AHA and

game since joining the Mountain West Conference. The future

and sophomores were honored.

Coach Doug Day has produced an the only senior on the team lived

up to expectations as C1C Abbey Rogers earned her second consecutive team MVP

award, only the third Academy woman gymnast to achieve that honor. Rogers capped an amazing collegiate career with her second straight MPSF Gymnast of

the NCAA Regional Championships,

ence

the four individual events, as well as the

looks bright as this young team matures

all-around, also received numerous aca-

and plays with more and more confidence

demic awards. Rogers earned academic

and instinct like the great NCAA and

all-conference honors, a place on the

AHA Conference Tournament, C2C Matt

NIT teams that recently graduated. Our

USAG All-Academic Team and a NCAA

Fairchild was awarded the MVP Trophy.

recruiting class in basketball for this year

Postgraduate Scholarship. After a stellar

Without hesitation, Matt skated over to C2C

was

ranked #61 out of 330 Div I teams,

first season, C4C Jenna Dudley earned

Andrew Volkening, who had recorded two

so

shutouts in the competition, and gave him

great coaching staff continue to find the

Award, as well as the Most Consistent

the trophy. Class, nothing but class. That’s

best young men for the Academy.

Award. Dudley, who was selected to the

was a

third team All-American. Now here’s “the

rest of the

story!” After the Falcons won the

who we are at the Air Force Academy. I’m so

proud of them, words fail me.

Men’s Swimming had a good year but managed to save the best for last and swam a record number of personal bests to finish

that bodes well as Jeff Reynolds and our

Both gymnastics teams had phenomenal seasons

with many peak performances.

Coach Kip Simons has done a great job

the Falcons’ Most Outstanding Freshman

NCAA Regional Championships, earned

USAG All-America honors in the all-

around. This very young team will con-

of improving the competitive level of the

tinue to grow under Doug’s leadership,

men’s team and is recruiting some incred-

and the future is bright.

second in the Mountain West Conference

ibly talented cadets. Three members of

Championship. Junior diver Kyle Van Valkenburg won his second straight conference title in men’s platform diving. Sophomore

the Air Force men’s gymnastics team were

and will benefit from strong recruiting

named to the Mountain Pacific Sports

classes. We’re still looking for that magi-

Federation All-Academic Team. Senior

cal striker (or two) who will make all the

Benjamin Gunn set a total of six school records at the 2009 MWC swimming cham-

Jake Schonig, junior Brennan Wolford

difference for both the men’s and the

and sophomore Aaron Zaiser were the

women’s teams, and maybe this is the

Falcons’ representatives on the academic

year. We’ve always played great defense,

all-conference squad. Imagine being the

so a

pionships while leading the team to that second-place finish. Senior Jane Hwang set three school records at the women’s MWC

swimming championships.

Indoor Track and Field was in a horse race

for second and wound up third in the Mountain West Conference. Outdoor track is still

competing at a high level and will make a real run at the championship in Laramie in

Wing Commander at the Air Force Academy and trying to maintain your skill as a Div I champion on the still rings. That’s what Jake Schonig pulled off last fall, and he did a superb job as Wing Commander.

At the team banquet, C4C Jacob Houder was the top award winner, earning the

Both soccer teams continue to improve

few key players up front will make

all the difference. The women are having some

early scoring success based on the

few games I watched this spring. We had one

of those magical strikers when I was

playing. His name is Jim Thames, ’66, and he still holds a few records here. On the

honors side, ClC Roni Yadlin earned an

May. Highlighted by six event titles, the Air Force men’s track and field team successfully

Most Valuable Player award as well as the

NCAA and Oxford postgraduate scholar-

Freshman of the Year honor. The native of

defended its title at the second annual Front

Pinehurst, Texas, became the first freshman

Range Classic on Saturday, May 2, in Boul-

in the 53-year history of the Falcons’ pro-

der, Colo. Despite cold and wet conditions,

gram to earn the program’s highest honor.

ship and was honored for her academics as the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year.

For the team of the future, C4C Bridgett Murphy became the first women’s soccer

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

19

player to earn all-MWC honors as a freshman.

Things are looking up.

Baseball just won that game I went out

Ohio State team at USAFA in a snow-

mance of one of our fencers. To quote, “...

The cadet was suffering from a torn ligament

in her knee, yet she fenced every bout to the end. She won some fights and she lost some.

to watch

(I love my life!) against the University of Northern Colorado, 8-3, and

storm

the conference before losing to that same

When she left the strip there was always a

have already won 14 games in this young

Ohio State team in a tough, close match.

smile on her face; a happy warrior. To me she

season, with road wins at UNLV and

BYU

My hat’s off to Erik Seremet and his staff

reflected the finest traditions of the United

and a victory against UNLV here. They are

for leading the team to a record standing

States Air Force Academy and the finest

still young but improving rapidly. Coach

in the league. Our great long-time coach,

traditions of all Americans. The cadet’s name

Hutcheon and his assistants are doing a

Fred Acee, the man who brought Air

was

good job of developing this team. Pitching

Force lacrosse to a new level of national

emy must

is always an issue with us, but the pitch-

prominence, turned over the reins to Erik

he is. The man had two daughters fencing

ing staff is improving, and we’re winning

this season, but Erik will be the first to tell

in the NCAA Fencing Finals at Penn State

few close games. We will return all of

anyone who listens that we wouldn’t have

against our team. By the way, Cadet Simone

the hitters next year, and we’ve recruited

been where we were in the conference this

Barrette is a four degree.

a

some

good young pitchers

to

compliment

the good staff we have already. One of my

high priority items is to build a baseball stadium that the players and the Academy can be proud of (if you build it, they will come?). We’re making some significant changes after this season in the form of a new

FieldTurf for the whole field, not just

the infield. That construction will start

in April, went to the Final Four in

year without Fred. Six Air Force players were

honored as members of the Great

Western Lacrosse League’s 2009 all-league team.

The six all-conference selections are

Simone Barrette

...

The Air Force Acad-

be a very special place.” How right

A very young Air Force wrestling team continues to improve, and team captain C1C

Stephen Crozier (Monona, Iowa) has been named to the 2008-09 Western Wrestling

the most in program history, while three

Conference all-conference team. Crozier is

first-team honorees match an all-time best.

also a three-time academic all-conference

We will be transitioning to the East Coast

selection. Coach Joel Sharratt has done a

Athletic Conference Lacrosse League

great job of building this team and they will be a force in the conference over the next few years. One other thing about this upcom-

fence in right field and a 13’ fence in left.

(ECAC) for lacrosse in 2009-10 and will be in a league with Bellarmine, Denver, Ohio State, Quinnipiac, Fairfield, Hobart,

We will thread some see-through fencing

and Loyola. It’s a better match for us and

teams to

material through that new fence loaded

will be a solid eight team league.

Progress Rate (APR), the top NCAA measurement for academic success.

Congratula-

on

1 June and will also include a new 30’

with Falcon stuff, and we’ll have a batter’s

I mentioned fencer Peter French in the

eye in center field. It’ll be beautiful and a

last Checkpoints article, and during halftime

the stadium of the future.

of a basketball game on 3 Feb, an NCAA

start to

Now let me talk about our amazing

20

record in the league, the only loss against #4 ranked Notre Dame. We beat a good

ing team—they were honored as one of eight lead their conference in Academic

tions to the wrestlers.

I will run out of space in this article

administrator came out to present him with

long before I run out of things to say

lacrosse team. They had a year that you

his Division I Sportsmanship Award

about our cadets and coaches, so I will

plan for but rarely realize. It was almost like the perfect storm. We played some tough games early and had a mediocre

first for an Academy athlete, but certainly not

again encourage you to go to www.goair-

the last. Fencing continues to do well—with

forcefalcons.com for a daily dose of what

three fencers qualifying for nationals—but

I get to experience every day. On to a

-

the

record going into Great Western Lacrosse

more

League play. Then the senior leadership on

received a letter from a dentist from Arling-

the team stepped up and brought us a 4-1

ton, Texas, who commented on the

importantly, represents all of us well. I

CH ECKPOINTS,

perfor-

JUNE 20 09

couple of extra items.

Construction on our aging facilities is

proceeding at a rapid pace. I have attached

coached the only undefeated Air Force

of the project. One of the most interest-

everybody is doing it on machines. We have the machines scattered throughout the gym in every nook and cranny, including those monster doubles squash courts nobody uses anymore. Eventually, when the dust finally

ing construction projects involved the old

settles in 2014, we will have a state-of-the-art

and his great Marketing and Development

physical fitness complex second to none, and the cadets and staff will have an unparalleled quality of life in athletics.

staff for putting this event together and to

There are a few other projects of note. The

the most professional and beautiful trib-

few pictures of the amazing climbing wall complex, new team locker rooms, sauna a

and steam rooms, PE locker rooms, etc.

It will give some idea of the complexity

courts at the north end of the water

squash polo pool. The Centerre Company, prime contractor for this construction,

took two

courts, cut the 18 inches of concrete between

them, poured a concrete floor half

football team, ’58; Jim Bowman, 49 years in USAFA athletics as coach and Associate

AD for Recruiting, 13,000 athletes under

his watch. A public thanks to Derm Coll

Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) is still on track,

Dave Kellogg, my Director of the Hall of

Excellence and Hall of Fame, for one of

utes to our

exceptional graduates.

USflFfl PERIOD

£ PLYR

PLYR PENALTY

PENALTY

SHOTS ON GOAL PLAYER

PENALTY

PLATER

PENALTY

■MS 9

way up the 20 foot-high space and recovered all sorts of dead space to give the Hu-

but the economy has probably delayed the construction as the USAFA Endowment

Finally, my selection committee has chosen the Top-6 award winners for the

Performance Laboratory a 4000 sq ft

folks seek additional funding. We are certain-

Department of Athletics for the 2008-

state-of-the-art research facility on the level

ly indebted to the UE for their efforts on our

2009 season. Scholar Athlete, ClC Mi-

just north of the windows overlooking the

behalf and are confident that we will have the

chael Phillipich (Ice Hockey); Athletic Ex-

man

water

polo pool, twice the space it has now.

On the level below them, the same amount of space is allocated to water

polo

team

lockers, team meeting rooms, diving

team

practice room, the amazing climbing

wall room, and loads of storage space. The

building within a few years. I’ve attached an

cellence, ClC Sean Houseworth (T&F);

architects rendition of the project. The most

Athletic Leadership, ClC Griffin Nevitt

recent addition came as a windfall from ernment

gov-

dollars in the form of a new center

ice scoreboard and a huge video board that

will make our hockey games even more excit-

long-term renovation, a seven-year project

ing. The sound system that came with it will

that were two years into, will give the cadets

rock the rafters.

the quality of life and fitness space they

For those of you who were fortunate

deserve. The gym was designed to last 40

enough to attend the induction ceremony

years and was finished in 1962, so we were

for our latest class of Hall of Fame induct-

a

little behind in the renovation. Eventually,

ees, you were treated to one of the most

memorable events in recent history. What

group of performers in all aspects of Academy life, and the three hockey players are a

reflection of the amazing season the

the west of the gym (the same distance as

a

the indoor tennis complex on the east side-I

American wide receiver; Terry Isaacson,

hockey team had. There are no better ambassadors for the Air Force Academy.

That’s enough for now. The AOG is going

love symmetry!) to give the 3000 or so non-

’64, 3-time All-American Wrestler, 8th in

to have to whittle this down to fit

intercollegiate athletes more space to train.

Heisman Trophy balloting at quarterback;

magazine, but I thank them for giving me

Later, when we get another $ 16M or so, well finish off the top part to mirror the six

Dee Dowis, ’90, WAC Offensive Player

the chance to do this every year. It’s a good

of the Year, 6th in Heisman Trophy bal-

grids above ground on the east side of the gym. Fitness has changed drastically since

loting; Callie (Calhoun) Molloy, ’91, 5-time NCAA Div II National Champion

way for me to reflect on the past year of competition, and what a year it’s been. I still have

I was a cadet. Aerobic fitness was for track

in Track & Field, 11-time All-American;

and field athletes—now it’s for everybody, and

Ben Martin, Father of Air Force Football,

we

will dig underground about six grids to

(Lacrosse); Athletic Achievement, ClC

Greg Flynn (Ice Hockey); Men’s MVP, C3C Jacques Lamoureux (Ice Hockey); and Women’s MVP, ClC Abigail Rodgers (Gymnastics). These will all be presented at the Individual Awards Ceremony on Monday of June Week. What a strong

class! Ernie Jennings, ’71, Consensus All-

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

the best job in America.

Checkpoints

H

21

he Air Force Academy wel-

recalled. “The Air Force Academy gave me every-

corned another successful

Distinguished Graduates.

Celebrating a lifetime of achievement in both military and civilian leadership, Maj. Gen. Don Shepperd, Class

thing I needed to fulfill my dream. It gave me the opportunity to become a pilot, to fly fighters, to go to war and to do things in civilian life. It instilled the values and the knowledge which set the basis for the rest of my life. I look at the Academy experience as having given me the opportunity and the foundation to be a responsible human being.”

A 1970 grad, John Martinson took his com-

of 1962, and John Martin-

mission and flew more than 500 North Vietnam

Founder’s Day with the ap-

pointment of two new 2008

son,

Class of 1970, stood

before friends and family to receive this top honor for

Academy graduates.

After leaving the Academy in 1962, Don Shepperd built a 36-year career as an Air

missions out of Korat Royal Thai Air Base, earning

the Distinguished Flying Cross as a captain. Upon returning home from the service, he turned his

professional efforts towards the world of business.

Armed with an MS in Astronautics from Purdue

University and an MBA from Southern Illinois University, he founded Edison Venture Fund in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Edison invested over $700

liaison officer, flight instructor, forward air control-

million in 160 software companies, completing 13

ler, squadron commander, and finally, Director of

IPOs and 90 successful exits.

the Air National Guard at the Pentagon. After 9-11,

In addition to his career achievements, Martinson

Shepperd spent time as a news consultant for CNN.

has a long history of community service and sponsor-

“I had dreamed about being a pilot and flying

ship in the academic world. He is a primary contributor to the Air Force Academy’s Just-In-Time teaching methodology, which utilizes a combination of technology and web-based applications to build curriculums.

With glasses raised to honor those who have

ever since

I was about four years old,” Shepperd

FOUNDERS DAY2009 22

given their lives to the creed of Service Before Self, senior Academy officials, friends and family cel-

ebrated Founders Day among the role models who

exemplify all that USAFA has to offer. S

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

ALTON PARRISH

| CFO

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE AOG I really enjoy working in a new part of the accounting industry, with a new company, a new

accounting system and a new staff-because new challenges equal growth.

GREATEST CHALLENGE

Adapting quickly to the changing national economic condition and the impact it has on the AOG. WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF WORK? I like to read a good novel or watch TV. I’m also planning an annual foreign vacation since I’ve missed traveling to distant shores after retiring from the Air Force Reserve.

MOTTO As I’ve always told my children, “There isn’t anything in life you can’t

accomplish if you really want to

...

as

long as you’re willing to put in

the time and the money to make it happen.”

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES STAFF PROFILES '

don McCarthy

| member services

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE AOG

Interacting with my customers (cadets, parents and alumni).

GREATEST CHALLENGE

Convincing my customers of the benefits of membership with declining economy. ►

WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Volunteer for Mill Dog Rescue. Spend time with my grandkids.

Camping. (Alright

...

RV-ing)

MOTTO

“If you don’t want to stand behind our troops you’re welcome to

JENNIFER GANZLER

stand in front of them ...”

| ALUMNI RELATIONS EVENT COORDINATOR

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE AOG I enjoy working with a creative, collaborative and innovative team. I am

pleased to be part of a hard-working and supportive group!

GREATEST CHALLENGE It can be challenging trying to meet the needs of a variety of people. It’s not easy to

please everybody

...

but I will certainly do my best to try!

WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Spending time with my 4-year-old son, cooking, Yoga, going to the movies, gathering with family and friends, and continuing to explore this beautiful state!

MOTTO

“Make it Work!”

THE CLASS OF 1959 RETURNS TO USAFA FOR THEIR 50TH REUNION

Meeting the half-century mark sets the latest milestone in the legacy of the Air Force Academy. The youngest of the nation’s three primary military institutions, the Academy has stood up to the challenges of the last 50 years with pride and honor. In April of this year, graduates from the Class of 1959 returned to USAFA to shake hands with old

friends, laugh over distant memories and remember the

years of perseverance which have brought them through both war and peace to forge their alma-mater into one of the greatest institutions of this era.

WRITTEN AND

PHOTOGRAPHED

BY LEWIS

CARLYLE

The Class of 1959 eagerly awaits the unveiling of the Harmon Memorial Statue Dedication.

Checkpoints caught up with two members of the Class of 1959—

Colorado, so I was having second thoughts about this aviation

to

officer, and Lt. Gen. Brad Hosmer, the first Academy grad to

avocation

become Superintendent—to learn how USAFA has evolved from

and I was going to go through with it).”

its humble beginnings into the premiere service academy of today.

What many people don’t know is that the first generation of

cadets actually reported to Lowry Air Force Base. It was not until August of 1958 that the Cadet Wing marched onto the property that is now the Air Force Academy. Both Todd and Hosmer speak fondly of their experiences as cadets, more than 50 years ago ...

“I can remember back in the late fall of 1954,” recalls Todd, “I was on: can

in a high school class when the public address system came

anyone who wants to get out of history class this afternoon attend a briefing about this new school.’”

Like many young Americans in 1954, the option of going to

...

it was not an auspicious beginning, but I showed up

Today, new cadets arriving for BCT are trained by the upper classmen, or cadet cadre. Yet for the pioneering Class of 1959, a different set of instructors awaited them. “When I first arrived,” Gen. Hosmer describes, “this was the day before basic training, I met with an Air Training Officer—very spiffy, knife-creased

khakis, white gloves—who was very friendly and open. Before

leaving, I heard a fellow cadet say to the ATO, ‘Thank you sir. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ And the ATO replied, ‘no, you probably won’t, but I’ll see you. And you’ll know I’m there ...’”

Maj. Gen. Todd’s first impressions reflect those of his classmate.

“Before I met the Air Training Officers I didn’t have any nervous-

college was not a financial reality for Todd. “And here was this guy

ness,” Todd says smiling. “I was kid from the wrong side of the

who had brought the answers to my dreams,” he recites fondly.

tracks in Washington DC. The next 36 hours were a bit of a blur.

“There’s a new school. They pay you to attend, they buy your

We were given, by design, a shock treatment for In-processing.

books for you

What I didn’t know was that at 4p.m. that afternoon, we were

...

and you have a job when you graduate. I was a

young kid, and like many kids of that era, I didn’t have a clue of what I wanted to do with my life. I was aimless. At the time, I had no

premonitions of becoming an officer in the Air Force. I sort of

stumbled into my life that October day.”

Todd’s appointment to the Academy landed him on a flight to Colorado the following year. “I’d never been on an airplane before 26

coming out here (by the way I got violently ill on the flight out

Maj. Gen. Pete Todd, the first Academy grad to become a general

going to march out as a Cadet Wing for the dedication ceremony. Here we are, three hundred and seven kids who had never

marched togetherv

...

those ATOs whipped us into shape and we

looked pretty good

...

fear can be a powerful motivator.”

The infamous Jacks Valley was not yet in operation, yet the

training was no less rigorous. “I had a very steep learning curve as a

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

young cadet,” Todd says. “I knew nothing about the military. I didn’t know how to wear a uniform. I wasn’t even shaving yet! I was the

third youngest kid in my class, just a little over 17. My Air Training Officers kept yelling at me because I didn’t shave! In the early days of Basic Cadet Training I was hanging on by my fingernails. I wasn’t in

particularly good shape, but I wasn’t helpless. The physical side was demanding. I remember having a lot of difficulty with the obstacle course. There was something about that ten foot wall that always defeated me. I would come charging up at that thing, hit it and fall back down. I’ll never forget the frustration I felt trying to get over that wall. I seemed to be a half step behind the whole way.”

Todd’s years at the Academy, however, slowly began to shape him not only as an officer, but as an individual, a sentiment echoed throughout the generations of graduates who have left these grounds to face both military and civilian careers. For the first generation of cadets, leaving a legacy has set the stones for others to build upon. Gen. Hosmer explains, “Most of the things we had a hand in starting have predominantly survived.

The Honor Code, for instance, still remains a central foundation which cadets will bring into their service after the Academy.”

“I came to the Academy as an unfocused young kid,” says

Todd. “Afterwards, I came out with the perception that this was

something I could do for the rest of my life. There was something about the ethos of the Academy and the values of the military life that resonated with me.” D>

Kendrick Harmon, son of Gen. Hubert Harmon, speaks to the

Class of 1959. *

,

j!■ '-'i

Forging Americas youth into leaders of character has long been a staple of the Academy’s program. Yet beyond the train-

ing, technology and academics, another more powerful bond is formed among the young people who come here. “Friends are the essence were a

of the Academy experience for me,” explains Todd. “We

family. We were the smallest class ever. Every year the wing

doubled in size. The kids today don’t know each other to the same

depth that we did. We had the opportunity to know each other— the strengths and weaknesses—in a lot greater depth than any cadet knows today. It’s a marvelous relationship.”

Lifelong friendships between Academy grads have always been

time here. For old friends and new acquaintances alike, the first

graduating class will always be remembered as the founders of this great institution. Their legacy will pass on for many generations to come, making them the ideal candidates for providing advice to the newest Cadet Wing and the Air Force’s future leaders.

“I’m not sure that a 70-year-old guy has any advice a teenager wants to listen to,” Todd says with a laugh. “The barriers you’re going to face in a future Air Force career are not all that different from what you face at the Academy, and you’re gaining the knowl-

major benefit of attending USAFA, and as the Class of 1959

edge to face those challenges. There will be challenges to your integrity, professionalism and sense of self. Soak up every bit that you can from the Academy experience, because you’re not going to

transitioned into their service and civilian careers, another benefit

shed it when you drive out those gates. That is your armor when

a

soon

emerged: real world experience. “Most of my peers will tell

you,” explains Hosmer, “that the most challenging, most rewarding jobs they’ve ever had are the ones they never would have picked. For the young officers coming out of the Academy today, their most rewarding work will be as commanders

you face the realities of the outside world as a

because we are at war

There is no question that the Long Blue Line has produced a rich history of warriors, each suited in different ways to serve their

believe that wars are won, not by individuals, but by strong units.

country. For those who have died in the line of duty—from Lance Sijan to countless others—their contributions are etched into

And only commanders run strong units. One of the things cadets

the very marrow of the Academy. And for those who continue to

here carry with them (that their peers will not have) is a lot of

serve, their efforts set a

...

I really

leadership and command experience. In the Air Force, the human art of

building a strong team is essential.”

Fifty years after they attended the Academy, the Class of 1959

precedent for tomorrow’s cadets to follow.

“The way that a military academy shapes the individual,” Gen. Hosmer explains, “enables him to contribute to the military and to our culture in a much

returned to dedicate the Flarmon Memorial statue. For many,

stronger way. That’s absolutely independent of technology and how fast the bullets fly it’s a fundamen-

Gen. Harmon-considered to be the father of the Academy-

tal human basic which is independent of time.” Efi

...

embodied the sense of pride they feel when remembering their 28

...

nation.”

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

The Secret Life of

Waldo F. Dumbsquat

by Don Hall, 76

“Ifyou cant get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear,; how are you going to get them to die for their country.

”

-Pattons Quote: Contrails 1972-1973

111

Ut1

I IJ

V* if f

I

ou

do a lot of

“I’ll clean the mirrors.”

sock rolling in the

“Don’t get any water in the sink!”

“No trash in the wastebasket.”

Real Air Force ?”

Waldo’s musing was not lost on his roommate,

“When do we get the buffer?”

Warren Heels. The two doolies were pulling an all-

“As soon as the buffer rodeo is over.”

nighter to prepare for the SAMI.

“I still have to polish my boots and shoes and I’m

“Of course, if it wasn’t important, the Comman-

out of cotton balls and shoe

dant wouldn’t make us do it!” responded Warren.

“Now or

...

are

polish!”

“You can borrow my candy bar. You also better

the socks in the drawer suppose to smile

hide your parade shoes.”

frown?”

“I’ll put them inside my overshoes.”

“You know, I never can remember either.”

“The collar on my bed is good and tight. Looks like

Waldo held up a tee shirt wrapped tightly around a

I’ll be sleeping on the desk tonight.”

piece of cardboard.

“No sleep tonight. Our detail still has to clean

“I have underwear I’ve never worn...”

the SAR.”

“I don’t think you have the drawers of your dresser

“I hate working in pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers.”

pulled out the correct distance. Better consult the regs.”

The freshman pulled the big blue binder down from the shelf and thumbed through the fascinating

“Well, it beats USAFA tee shirt, fatigue pants, tennis shoes, and a baseball cap.”

“Did you dust the window sill?”

“No, that’s usually Regs’ job.”

prose.

“No wonder I keep getting written up—I’ve been

Waldo glanced at the bunk bed.

using metric instead of inches.”

“Where is Regs tonight? How did he skate out of

“Don’t forget to stamp your name in all your clothing.”

this inspection?”

“And no dirty clothes in the dirty clothes bin.”

“He’s gone on another choir trip.”

“Don’t hide any clean clothes in there either.”

“I didn’t know he could sing.”

“Well, I have to hide my trou with the frayed pock-

“He can’t. He’s the equipment manager.”

“But he’s missing this USAFA experience.”

ets somewhere!”

“Don’t worry, there’s always another good deal for

“Use the overhead locker.”

doolies around the corner.” B

“Okay.”

“The towel and wash cloth must be displayed

properly.”

C H E C K P OIN T S

,

JUNE

2009

29

Before there was a USAFA Prep School

...

part-one of two parts

by Frederick V.

Malmstrom/64

Center for Character Development

rom

mind, allow me to go through the history

whence came the

of the Preparatory Schools.

Air Force Academy Pre-

paratory School (USAFAPS)? It didn’t spring

IT ALL STARTED WITH

fully formed in 1961

WORLD WAR I

from the head of

...

well,

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson

Military Academy’s Preparatory Schools,

signed into law the sweeping National Defense Act. This new law reorganized the Army, recognized the National Guard, and created the Reserve Officers Training Corps. And in the spirit of democratiza-

aka USNAPS and USMAPS.

tion, the law also increased the size of

who cares? It’s an actual Fun Fact that from 1957 through 1961,

the young Air Force Academy “borrowed’’ the U.S. Naval Academy’s and the U.S.

the Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets

1,334 and authorized 180 cadet slots

MUCH ADO ABOUT NUNN

to

Herein lurks a short history lesson. In 1992

for prior enlisted men. Alas, the enlisted

the combined Senate and House Commit-

quota was going to be difficult to fill, as the average U.S. citizen then possessed

tees on

Armed Services co-sponsored an

expensive study titled “Academy Preparato-

somewhat less than an 8 th grade education.

ry Schools Need a Clearer Mission and Bet-

World War I put on hold any plans for

ter

Oversight.” This document, otherwise

direct, sizeable enlisted appointments to

known as the Nunn Report, offered recom-

West Point and Annapolis.

mendations, including (1) the armed forces consider merging programs into a consoli-

TO A BUMPY START

forces consider sending academy candidates

The Department of the Navy had already

instead to private preparatory schools, and

established its Naval Academy Preparatory

(3) Congress determine whether the Army,

School as early as 1915, and by 1920 it

Navy and Air Force preparatory schools were

had set up two formal 10-month schools

cost-effective.

at Naval

In the following pages, I’d like to point out that each of these

Station Newport and Naval Sta-

tion San Francisco now named the Naval

well-meaning con-

Academy Preparatory Course (NAPC),

elusions offered up in the Nunn Report

each with an enrollment of about 100

had been already been tried over the previ-

midshipman candidates.

The U.S. Army, which by now included the Army Air Service, took a while longer

ous

66 years with varying successes. If you

will keep that thought in the back of your

30

THE PREP SCHOOLS WERE OFF

dated Preparatory School, (2) the armed

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

get generated, but by 1925 it started on the path by creating no fewer than 11 (yes, to

posts, civilian aspirants were allowed attend classes. At some schools, cadet

seas

bachelor of science degrees until 1935.

to

This might seem odd, for as late as the

eleven) separate preparatory schools, most

candidates pulled KP and latrine duties;

of them located within the various Army

at

Corps areas and also within the Overseas Departments. It was also believed that a few Army posts conducted their own informal preparatory schools. National Guardsmen were also permitted to enlist

others, these future gentlemen-officers

were

excused from menial chores. The

1880s, USMA and USNA had national renown as

America’s premier engineering

schools. (Even the future Nobel Laureate

size of prep school student bodies varied

Albert Michelson, USNA 1873, was not

widely, but they probably averaged around

awarded an undergraduate baccalaureate.)

20 cadet candidates each.

Academic standards also varied, but

THE PREP SCHOOLS AS WANDER-

for the purpose of attending these prep

courses

schools. Figure 1 shows a roomful of West

mathematics, oftentimes with a sprinkle of

Most facilities were decidedly marginal.

Point hopefuls preparing for the entrance

geometry and history tossed in. It was all intended to be a rigorous repeat of everyschool. This was not unexpected, as cer-

Nearly all prep schools were treated as orphan tenants and were, therefore, located in either temporary or surplus facilities.

The Camp Dix preparatory school was

schools had any coordinated, standardized

tainly not all enlisted men had even high

located in abandoned temporary nurses’

curricula or goals—other than to prepare

school diplomas. The size of the “faculty”

enlisted men to pass the USMA entrance

varied from three to seven instructors,

quarters. The Ft. Sam Houston school was banished to peripheral tarpaper shacks.

exam to

the Ft. Totten, Queens NY prepa-

ratory school, circa 1925.

It was obvious that none of these

offered were vanilla English and

thing-you-should-have-learned-in-high-

exam(s). Military discipline and academic

many of them junior lieutenants fresh

standards varied widely. The prep school

from West Point. It’s noteworthy that even

at Ft. Winfield

most officer-instructors

Scott in San Francisco

possessed neither

rigorously modeled after West Point, whereas at the Ft. McKinley, Philippines

This was not an oversight, as West Point

prep school, students had no duties other

and Annapolis did not become academi-

than to attend academic classes from

cally accredited until 1925, and the academies did not award their graduates formal

was

Monday through Friday. At a few over

bachelor’s degrees nor teaching certificates.

ING ORPHANS

Author and retired Navy Captain William

J. Lederer, USNA ’36, (and also co-author of the best-seller The Ugly American) wrote with

cynical delight in his irreverently humorous memoir All the Ship’s at Sea (1951) when he described his 1931 drafty, leaky, and moldy quarters during his 10-month attendance at the NAPC Newport, Rhode Island.

USNAPS/NAPC shifted locations at least five times, including relocations to Norfolk,

Virginia and San Diego, California, and Bainbridge, Maryland.

Calculating moves for the Army are more

difficult, but USMAPS and its

WPPS predecessors bounced around at no

fewer than seven main geographical locations until it has reputedly found its final,

future home at West Point starting in 2011. USMA’s lack of permanent facilities

for the various prep schools was likewise a

chronic headache for the Air Force until

the Air Force Academy Preparatory School

granted a permanent site on the Academy’s Colorado grounds proper in 1961.

was

WORLD WAR II AND FURTHER

CHANGES In mid-1943 the Army prep schools were

turned over to cooperating civilian facilities at Amherst

College, Massachusetts; Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania; and Cornell

Aspirants applying for the West Point Preparatory School at Ft. Totten.

University, Ithaca, NewYork. But in 1945 as

Location believed to be Governors Island, NY, 1925.

the war was winding down, it was clear the

civilian universities would need the space

for returning veterans, so the three schools were can

consolidated at Amherst College. One

only suppose that USMA Superinten-

dent Major General Maxwell Taylor had 32

CHECK PO INTS

,

JUNE

2 0 0 9

had enough of this relocation business, so in 1946 he directed the establishment of a

single Preparatory School at Stewart Army Airfield, Newburgh, New York.

USMAPS GOES TO STEWART AIR FORCE BASE From 1946 until 1956, USMAPS settled

down into its new residence at Stewart. In the early days, the composition of the 250man

Preparatory School cadet candidate

battalion had a high percentage of World War II veterans, including many decorated

NCOs and commissioned officers. The

1949-1950 USMAPS prep school battalion included four lieutenants and two master sergeants. However, prior rank (but not their pay) was rendered indistinguishable and

meaningless, as all cadet candidates removed their identifying stripes and bars and wore just their generic uniforms with lapel brass and a “USMA Prep” shoulder patch.

Recruited athletes were unheard of in those

days. Cadet candidates participated widely in basketball, baseball, tennis, and lacrosse, but sports were largely restricted to competition with other base organizations. The USMAPS

footballers were integrated with the base

creation of the U.S. Air Force Academy in

football team and mostly played teams from

1954 required that enlisted aspirants for

other Army posts. Unfortunately, equal op-

the new academy would need their own

portunity was also unheard of in the early

route to

days of USMAPS, for typically less than

In the interim, beginning in 1957, the

1 percent of the cadet candidates came from ethnic minorities.

Army and the Navy would have to share

gain competitive appointments.

their real estate with the Air Force. S

Sailors and Marines were also welcomed to USMAPS. There was no Air Force Acad-

emy,

so

fully one-third of the cadet candi-

dates were Air Force, and they competed

Fred Malmstrom, USMAPS ’59 is Visit-

ing Scholar at USAFA. Fie can be found at

fred. malmstrom @usafa. edu.

equally for appointments to USMA along with those men from the Regular Army.

Again, the buildings and facilities were

recycled pre-1900 drafty, steam-heated brick

buildings. Cadet candidates, like any ordinary enlisted men, lived in open bay barracks and pulled their share of KP and CQ duties.

With few exceptions, the 13-man US-

Selected References

The Challenge (1950). [USMAPS yearbook]. Newburgh, NY: The Commercial Press.

Top: Cadet Candidates at Stewart AFB

Meador, Marion F. (2009). [USMAPS 1950] Personal communication.

Lederer, William J. (1951). All the ship’s

forming up for class, 1949. These were the

MAPS faculty was civilian, many of them

at sea.

with impressive Ivy League credentials.

The 10-month program of coursework

Pappas, George S. (July/August 1998).

The Army’s pre-WWII prep schools. As-

consisted of instruction in English, math-

sembly, 48-50.

ematics, and history. The military staff was equally as impressive, as most of the

House Committees on Armed Services

New York: Pocket Books.

Report to the Chairman, Senate and (1992). [The Nunn Report]. DOD Service

decorated combat veterans.

Academies: Academy preparatory schools

Established as the prep schools were,

need a clearer mission and better oversight

for yet more changes. The

(Government document NSIAD-92-57).

they

USAFA Dean of Faculty, Cadet Candidate Private William A. Orth, USMAPS 1950.

NCOs and officers were hand-selected,

were in

days before back packs. Bottom: Future

CH ECKPO 1 NTS

,

J UNE

20 09

33

WRITTEN

AND

PHOTOGRAPHED

BY

LEWIS

CARLYLE

THE BUILDING A FOUNDATION AT THE ACADEMY PREPARES THREE BROTHERS FOR THEIR WORLD TRAVELS IN MEDICINE

HEALERS THE WORLD OF MEDICINE IS A DAUNTING FIELD. IT TAKES YEARS TO BECOME A DOCTOR AND A LIFETIME TO BUILD A PRACTICE. YET NO MATTER WHAT THE INVESTMENT, THE ONES WHO COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THE ART OF HEALING ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON: THE DESIRE TO HELP PEOPLE.

For the three Ko bay as hi brothers, Ky, Todd and Dayton, the

will to become doctors was founded at the Air Force Academy.

In the time since their graduations, they have traveled the world

practicing medicine, learning from a host of international peers and discovering what it means to bring hope to those they treat.

In an unusual twist of fate, the three brothers have recently

Being the middle brother, Todd was able to build on his Academy experience with a little help from his older sibling, Ky. “I didn’t come to the Academy specifically to become a doctor,” Ky recounts thoughtfully. “It just kind of evolved. My eyesight changed when I got here and that kind of directed me to

found themselves stationed back at the very place where they once

medicine.”

For Ky, his eyesight changed not only his perspective, but his

path as well. His hopes of becoming a pilot were re-routed

trained as cadets, more than a decade after tossing their caps into

career

the air. As many graduates can attest, old memories of the Acad-

due to his less-than-perfect vision. “At that time we didn’t have

emy never seem to fade and, for the Kobayashi brothers, returning

lasic procedures to correct vision. I would have been a navigator at

home and reflecting on their experiences is bitter sweet.

best,” he says with a laugh. “It’s probably for the best.”

“I had always been interested in medicine since junior high,”

recalls Todd—the middle brother—who now specializes in der-

matology. “Part of that is because my father was a biologist. I went to the Air Force Academy and majored in biology with a pre-med track. I had some good advisors at the Academy and went straight to medical school right after I graduated.” Todd later attended the Uniform Services University in Bethesda Maryland.

“It was great having my brothers at the Academy,” Todd says.

“When I first got here it was a little worrisome in the beginning.

One of the first things I was told by the cadre was ‘I trained your brother and I’m going to train you too

...

now

get your chin in!”’

These days, Ky spends his time as an orthopedic surgeon, mending bones, re-attaching ligaments and performing skin grafts. “My sub-specialty is hand surgery,” Ky explains. “I also do a

lot of soft tissue coverage—nerve work, tendon work. Orthope-

dies is very diverse in that manner. A lot of what’s done here at the

Academy is sports medicine, so my practice has evolved to adapt to that.” Ironically, Ky’s own experiences as a cadet played a part in bringing him full circle. “I was an athlete here at the Academy and I had some injuries. That’s what sparked my interest in orthopedics.” These days, he treats cadets with all types of sports injuries, many of which he can relate to personally. D> :i/

DR. KY KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1991

DR. TODD KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1992

Si

DR. DAYTON KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1993

DR. KY KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1991

DR. TODD KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1992

DR. DAYTON KOBAYASHI, CLASS OF 1993

“I knew nothing about the military. I didn’t know what an enlisted person

was, I didn’t know what an officer was. I didn’t know how to march!”

Dayton, the youngest Kobayashi, enjoyed the luxury of having his two older brothers ahead of him during his time as a cadet.

tissue in the area, so we had to use skin from her arm to recon-

“The initial response of coming to the Academy was a bit of a

Those are the kinds of cases you don’t really see here in America.”

shock,” Dayton recalls energetically, “going from civilian lifestyle

“Balad Air Force Base in Iraq was a huge learning curve for me,” Dayton recounts, “as far as air medical evacuation. I’m guessing we moved more than 100 patients a week. Most of the patients we air-evaced out of there were not battle injuries. I got a good idea

into a very regimented environment where you’re chronically

sleep deprived. I heard stories from my older brothers and what they went through; but hearing about the experience and going through the experience are two different things. I knew nothing about the military. I didn’t know what an enlisted person was, I

36

struct the nose and the oral orbicular area near the mandibula.

about patient transport in Cl30s and C17s; and of the difficulties in transporting patients with helicopters. There’s a lot of vibra-

didn’t know what an officer was. I didn’t know how to march!”

tion and a lot of noise. We could never really see anything because

Today, Dayton is a primary care doctor and the latest brother to return to Colorado from deployment. Having practiced medicine extensively across the globe, the Kobayashis have built upon a myriad of experiences which help them meet the challenges they face today. Their deployments have taken them to some of the most dangerous places on earth, including Iraq. With violence slowly declining in Baghdad and other cities, US casualties are beginning to taper off, a welcome relief which gave Ky time to focus on helping the local population.

“In Iraq we had a lot of interesting cases,” Ky recalls. “I rememher a baby who bit into an electrical wire. She had significant

most of our missions were flown at

matology. “Flight surgery is general medicine for flyers and their families,” he explains. “It’s an area of medicine in the Air Force where you have a special knowledge and skill when it comes to the aerospace environment. Flyers sometimes encounter extreme environments (this also includes parachuting, soaring and ground-

burns to her entire face. We didn’t have much to use for other soft

Air Force and medical side of the Air Force. D>

CHECKPO I NTS

night.”

Like his brothers Ky and Dayton, Todd experienced a great deal of hands-on work as a flight surgeon before entering into der-

based controllers). There are certain medicines you can and cannot use

...

there are certain conditions you can’t fly with.

“I view flight surgery as a bridge between the flight line of the

,

JUNE

2009

Dr. Ky Kobayashi drills holes in a patient’s

bone before inserting titanium pins.

.»

-

“One of the highlights is the ability to understand both the physical and mental parts of humans. I

enjoy the mental and emotional aspects of health and how they can contribute to the body. It’s very rewarding being able to help people help themselves.”

Dr. Dayton Kobayashi

Sometimes there’s a disconnect, and a flight surgeon is in the

When someone breaks something, you fix it and they can move

their careers in retrospect, and to formulate what it means to be a doctor in the 21st Century. Many things have changed since

right away. We’re not in it for the monetary reasons and we’re not in it for the glory. It’s just the ability to care for someone and make people better just to see someone be able to walk again or use his arms it’s very rewarding. Giving that gift is just again for me.” priceless Todd describes his days at the hospital as being anything but boring. “I never know what’s behind the door of the exam room

their days as cadets, and being at the Academy has taken on a

when I walk in,” he says. “It could be a rare condition, it could

whole new meaning for each of them.

be a common condition. It may need a biopsy, we may get to use

unique position

to

make the two meet. The flight surgeon is a very

key component in that bridge, in helping each area understand the other.”

...

Now that their assignments have brought all three brothers back

USAFA, the Kobayashis have had the opportunity to look back

to on

“It’s kind of like a reunion because we’re all here together,” Todd at the

7

staff member in the

says thoughtfully. “Being Academy hospital is a lot different from being a cadet. It’s a totally different as a

feeling. Being a cadet sometimes wasn’t the most pleasant thing.

But this is home for us, being from Colorado. We love it here, this is just a great place to be.”

Seeing them together again after so many years, it becomes obvious to any casual observer that there is one thing these three have in common: a passion for medicine. “I love working with my colleagues and learning different techniques from all around the nation,” Ky exclaims. “There’s no better profession as far as being able to help people. From my perspective, I see immediate results.

...

our

lasers to treat the condition. In dermatology, it’s almost always

something that we can either help or cure. Our patients are very compliant, because they’re usually dealing with a visual problem.”

For Dayton, the power of medicine extends beyond the physical world into the mental realm. While medicine, treatment and surgery are the tangible components of healing, the greatest

contributor to good health is a positive mental outlook. “For me,” he explains, “one of the highlights is the ability to understand both the physical and mental part of humans. With primary

things are little different than they are with orthopedics and dermatology. I enjoy the mental and emotional aspects of health and how they can contribute to the body. It’s very rewarding being able to help people help themselves.”

Having the ability to help others is the common thread upon which the Kobayashi brothers have fashioned their careers. For Ky, Todd and Dayton, going to work each day means bringing hope to both friends and strangers. “Helping people is the most satisfying thing about my job,” Todd says with conviction. “Every day that I go home I feel as though I’ve helped someone, and that makes the job worth while.”

From their humble beginnings as nervous cadets in Jacks Valley to their international travels in medicine, the Kobayashi brothers continue to serve the needs of humanity each day.

It is our hope that their story will inspire others to follow in their footsteps, and that new generations of cadets will some day find virtue in what it means to become a doctor, a Samaricare,

tan,

a

service man

...

a

healer.

H

THE LONG BL (a forerunner to Hawker), and the former Chairman and CEO of Butler Aviation.

Most recently, he was the President of

ship Maj. Gen. Patrick Moisio, 'll

,

Named Deputy Director ANG

or

innovative achievements that have

Intrepid Aviation, a privately held com-

contributed substantially to the mission of

mercial aircraft lessor, and a senior advisor

the federal health care system.

for aerospace at The Carlyle Group.

Colonel Beninati runs a 1,850-member

A new deputy director of the Air National

organization comprised of eight squadrons

Air Force Global Strike Command

Guard— Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Moisio, an

that provide emergency, medical, surgical,

In a recent appointment by President

Arizona Guardsman—was announced

orthopedic, rehabilitative, pediatric, obstet-

Obama, Lt. Gen Frank Klotz, ’73, was

by Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, the director of

ric, gynecologic, radiologic, mental health

the Air National Guard today. “I look

care

placed at the reins of a new international program. The Senate quickly confirmed Lt. Gen. Klotz (nominated April 16) to

and the Air Forces only Level I trauma

forward to working with Maj. Gen.

center. Members of the

Moisio,” Wyatt said. “He brings extensive

the world to provide lifesaving critical and

field experience that will benefit the Air

surgical

National Guard, the U.S. Air Force and

ian support to developing allied nations.

our

nation.”

Moisio will assist Wyatt in formulating,

developing and coordinating all policies,

care to

group deploy around

the battlefield and humanitar-

retain three stars and serve as the head of

the new Air Force Global Strike Com-

mand, slated to stand up this fall.

His career-long involvement in the

development of ground-breaking critical care modalities with universal application was key

President Obama Nominates

Academy Grad

receiving this award. Colonel Beninati

William Gunn, ’80, was nominated for General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.

the Virgin Islands. (StaffSgt. S. Patrick

recognized for the development and improvement of expeditionary aeromedical capabilities that have reduced the average

McCollum, National Guard Bureau)

time between battlefield injury and defini-

Award, Gunn is an attorney who represents

tive care from 38 to fewer than four days, a

military members and veterans in private practice in Northern Virginia. He retired

plans and programs affecting more than

to his

106,000 Air Guard members serving in

was

the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and

Grad Makes White House Fellow

14% reduction in mortality. He is bringing

A recipient of the American Bar Associa-

tion’s Outstanding Career Military Lawyer

Nicole Malachowski, ‘96, is a member of

this vision to the development of the San

from the Air Force in 2005, where he served

the White House Fellows Class of 2008

Antonio Military Medical Center as a key

as a

and recently earned an M.A., with honors,

member of its Executive Steering Commit-

als (JAG) Corps. He is also a former White

in National Security Policy from Ameri-

tee.

can

Colonel in the Judge Advocate Gener-

House Fellow. In 2003, Gunn was named

(Senior Airman Robert Barnett)

the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel in the

Military University. She also received

B.S. in Management, with a minor in

W.W. (Bill) Boisture, ’67,

Department of Defense Office of Military

French, from the United States Air Force

New Chairman and CEO

Commissions. Gunn built a defense team

Academy. Malachowski is a major in the U.S. Air Force with over 2,100 flying

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC)

and supervised all defense activities for

announced its new Chairman and Chief

detainees selected for trial before military

hours and was inducted into the Women

Executive Officer W.W. (Bill) Boisture Jr.

commissions. His efforts earned respect

in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of

The former president of industry-leading

and admiration for his principled leader-

Fame. She is also a frequent motivational

companies Netjets and Gulfstream Aero-

ship and commitment to ensuring that

a

speaker

at

local, state and national events.

space Corporation brings

more

than 30

years of aviation experience to HBC.

Wilford Hall Commander Wins

“Bill is the right person at exactly the

detainees received effective representation.

Gunn is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and is a Cum Laude

National Medical Award

right time,” said Sanjeev Mehra, Managing

Col. (Dr.) William Beninati, ’84, 59th

Director of Goldman Sachs and Chair-

Medical Operations Group commander,

man

is the recipient of the 2008 American

Beechcraft Inc. “His proven ability to

Christian Service Charities. In 2005 Gunn

Hospital Association Federal Health Care

drive customer satisfaction and value has

was

Executive Award for Excellence. The award

never

was

created by the American Hospital Asso-

ciation’s Constituency Section for Federal

Hospitals. It recognizes a senior federal

of the Board of Directors of Hawker

been more important than in this

graduate of Harvard Law School. He chairs the American Bar Association’s Commission on

Youth at Risk and serves on the board of named President and CEO of Boys &

Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He has

challenging economic environment. I am delighted to welcome Bill to HBC.”

been featured in The New Yorker magazine

Boisture is the former President of

received many awards and honors including

and The Wall Street Journal. Gunn has also

health care executive who has distinguished

Netjets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corpora-

the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau’s Outstanding

him/herself through significant leader

tion and British Aerospace Corporate Jets

Alumni Award. S

CHECKPO 1 NTS

,

JUNE

20 0 9

The Moon War Bob Davey, 62 Bob f)avey, ’62, an aerospace-engineering professor and former Air Force pilot, captures readers with this fast-paced and imaginative story ignited when the Russians announce a manned mission to the moon.

Air Force Colonel Brandt Strickland, a member of a Pentagon group studying the Russian plan, is certain that the Americans must be first to the moon and that we have

fewer than two years to get there. At stake is control of the world’s energy supply. But he has no spacecraft, no crew, and a President vehemently opposed to his mission.

'The Moon War follows Strickland through the triumphs and tragedies of his incredible odyssey. The story volleys between America and Russia as the countries scramble to launch. Greed, corruption and deception, even at the very highest levels, cause

the plot to twist and turn as the tension mounts.

With extraordinary technical accuracy, Davey’s story assembles a cast of astronauts, cosmonauts,

politicians and engineers drawn from real life who react to the unending trials

with uncanny realism. Reflecting Daveys experiences as an Air Force officer, an engineer, and an

educator, The Moon War tells a tale that may well fill the pages of tomorrow’s newspapers.

Available at: www.amazon.com,www.barnesandnoble.com,www.rockpublishing.com All fine bookstores in the United States and the United Kingdom.

ISBN 978-1-59663-579-1

Di Zhen by Samuel Grier, ’73

43

/M^

Samuel Grier releases his debut political thriller, Di Zhen. (**Di Zhen is

Mandarin Chinese for earthquake.)

Central Intelligence Agency senior analyst Rick Starr is responsible for

the CIA’s China portfolio. Dr. Marly Cooper is a seismologist and world renowned expert on the San Andreas Fault.

As China prepares for what appears to be an invasion of Taiwan and earth-

quake activity around the San Andreas Fault heightens, the vastly different worlds of Rick Starr and Marly Cooper collide, propelling them into a high octane race

against time to defeat forces designed to alter the course of history

and the destiny of nations.

Their startling discovery of a relationship between events in the Formosa Strait and the growing frequency and intensity of earthquakes in California

reveals a shocking plot that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

Fiction at its best, Di Zhen sets a new standard for paranoia that will appeal to even the most avid

conspiracy theorists.

Available for purchase only at www.nitwonline.com

—

not available in stores

The Class of 1973

IT’S

i

1

0

■w

I i 1

JJSbL..-

BY STEVEN A. SIMON, 77 he motto of the recently

history. That class’ trailblazing role will

graduated Class of 2009 was

forever be celebrated (See coverage of

simple and straightforward:

’59 on page 24). Class of 1973 gradualso proudly proclaim that this

“Our Time.” June 2009 is

ates can

indeed their time. Class

is “Our time.” Whether through hard

members have completed their arduous

four years of Academy training and eagerly

work, timing, and/or events beyond their control, many members of the

begin their careers of service to the nation.

Class of 1973 find themselves front and

The Class of 2009, however, must share its

center

time with a couple of other notable classes.

these days.

Later this month, the Class of 1973 will

role as the 40-year Legacy Class

The Class of 1959 recently concluded its

assume its

fifty-year reunion, the first in Academy

of the newest crop of future officers, the

Class of 2013. As such, ’73 will participate in milestone events in ’13’s officer

development,

to

include Acceptance,

of Communications.

’73 will have plenty of first-hand tales of

the story is the same—’73 is leading the

“glory” to impart. The Class also has a

way. William “T” Thompson is the AOG’s President and Chief Executive Officer. As

the first non Air Force retiree to hold the

of the Air Force’s uniformed leadership

position, he brings a varied background to the organization. He is an award-winning

the Class of 1973 occupy a host of senior

entrepreneur featured in the Wall Street Journal. “T” is also a retired Delta Air

leadership positions. General Norton A.

Lines captain, tax attorney, community

Schwartz, who serves as Chief of Staff, is

leader, and public speaker. Additionally, he

of course responsible for the entire service.

served for 17 years as Commissioner of the

Serving under him are ’73 grads respon-

Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission,

sible for most of the Air Force’s major

serving three governors in both Demo-

and capabilities.

cratic and Republican administrations.

hierarchy. As of this writing, members of

this one is fralight with danger.

war-fighting

resources

First, despite all disclaimers, there may be a perception that it

As Commander, Air Combat Command,

General John D. W. Corley is in charge

Speculation runs rampant on why this class has so many of its members in leader-

is an endorsement, some declara-

of conventional war assets. Nominated to

ship positions, particularly within the Air

tion that the class is “better" than

be commander of the newly stood up Air

Force. After extensive research and con-

other classes. There are no objective

Force Global Strike Command, Lieuten-

criteria for determining relative

ant General Frank G. Klotz (a Rhodes

greatness, so that exercise would be futile. Every one of the Air

Scholar), will oversee nuclear capable

Force Academy's graduating classes

missiles. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General

templation, I think the best explanation is that there is no explanation. While taking nothing from the individuals who have assumed these leadership positions, Class President Bob Munson attributes it largely

has contributed and continues to

Donald C. Wurster, Commander, Air Force

to

contribute to the Academy's sterling

Special Operations Command, directs all

timing. “It could be that our class is different, or there was some inspiration

legacy of excellence. Each class

Air Force unconventional assets. Provid-

that gave us an extra push. However, I’m

(actually every member therein)

ing the education and training needed to

more

contributes in its own way, based

operate these conventional, nuclear, and

number of GOs [General Officers] simply

the time in history and the per-

unconventional assets is General Stephen

because our class had the luck of timing.

sonalities and expertise of its mem-

R. Lorenz, Commander, Air Education and

If you graph out the number of GOs per

bers. Every class is the Academy's

Training Command. Lieutenant General

first/last/only/ best class in Academy history—in something. In my opinion, there is a 51-way tie for first place in the “Greatest Class" race.

John L. Hudson commands a large portion

grad class you will see there are periodic peaks at about five-year intervals. It seems

of the Air Force’s research and development

that clusters of GOs in one class seem to

Systems Center. In addition: Major General

stream’ year groups. While those in the

Second, a piece such as this must

Michael Edwards is the Adjutant General

’68 year group achieved one star, then two

of necessity select a few representative individuals to highlight. This creates the problem of determining

of Colorado, overseeing all Air Force and

star, and so on billets,

Army Guard resources; and Major General

’69-’72 promotion opportunity. As the

Dan O’Hollaren serves as the Air National

officers from ’69-’72 classes got blocked

who to include, and almost without

Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air

they had to retire

fail leaving offgraduates who are equally worthy of mention. Again,

Force Materiel Command.

service works. When those senior officers

how to choose? Who to include and

Class of 1973, Lieutenant General John F.

who to exclude? Where to make the

Regni, has served as the USAFA Superintendent since October 2005. During much of his tenure as the Academy’s 17th Superintendent, General Regni was assisted by two other ’73 grads as senior

hypothesis of peaks and valleys. The Class of ’68 had four four-star generals, the largest number thus far among USAFA graduating classes. The four classes that

on

cut? In this piece, Eve done my best to describe the

Class of1973 and of its most notable members without taking anything away from

some

other classes or individuals.

46

Down the hill from the Cadet Area,

cers to

represent it. In fact, the Class has unprecedented representation at the top

as

Support); and retired Colonel Johnny Whitaker as the Academy’s first Director

Commitment, and Graduation. Like the Legacy Classes before them, the Class of

wide variety of active duty senior offi-

Any examination of a class such

Associate Athletic Director-Recruiting

bombers and intercontinental ballistic

operation

as

Commander, Aeronautical

Another Air Force leader from the

convinced that our class had a good

block promotion opportunity for ‘down-

...

they blocked the

that’s the way our

retired they created more opportunity for

’73 grads that didn’t exist for ’69-’72.”

Statistics do seem to bear out Munson’s

members of his staff: then-Colonel Wil-

followed had a combined total of two

liam “Trapper” Carpenter as Director of

four-stars. After that valley, ’73 and ’74

Admissions (now retired and serving as

each have three classmates who have

CHECKPO 1 NTS

,

JUNE

2 009

From top, left: Gen. John Corley, Gen. Norton Schwartz, Gen. Stephen Lorenz,

Lt. Gen. John Regni, Capt. Chesley

Sullenberger, William T Thompson, Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, Lt. Gen. Frank

Klotz, Lt. Gen. John Hudson

risen to four-star rank—so far. The Class

of 1973 does hold the record for most

grads who have attained three-or fourstar

rank, with 11. The next closest class

is ’64 with eight. And in keeping with

Munson’s cycle argument, the Class of’78 stands poised to eclipse all General Officer

numerical records. They have by far the most General

Officers, with 44, far ahead

of second place ’64 with 31. The smaller

early classes will quite correctly turn the argument to per capita comparisons, but that is a discussion topic for another day.

same

Academy training and experience that

back home were receiving draft notices. As

And, of course, raw numbers only tell a

all grads have been exposed to regardless of

it turned out, however, the War essentially

small portion of the story. (All statistics

what year they graduated.”

ended while they were cadets and Vietnam

grams office.)

Scott Mills agrees with his classmate

USAFA in tense times. The turmoil of

played almost no role in the careers of’73 grads. The wartime class had almost no

the 60s and the Vietnam War made a

wartime experience. As Munson says, “’73

Munson’s assessment that it is fruitless to

military

provided by the Academy Plans and Pro-

As Mills alludes, The Class entered

career

decidedly unpopular. The

served in a generation of relative peace;

specter of having to fly and fight in the

not

I could enlighten with possible reasons such

deadly skies of Southeast Asia hung over

we

the Vietnam era, our high class attrition

try to

explain the numbers, adding, “I wish

many of us got combat time and when did we were senior: 0-4s, 0-5s, and

the Class. Don Rightmyer, ’73, recounts

0-6s. You’ll have a tough time finding war

rate, the Academy leadership during our

how, “... there were often announcements

heroes in ’73

tenure, the upper class that trained us, the

made from the (Mitchell Hall) Staff

dynamics of staying in one squadron all but to be honest, I just don’t four years

Tower during meals concerning things

believe that any one or combination of

during the Vietnam War. ‘The Association

these factors can be used as rationale or

of Graduates regrets to inform you that

is totally devoid of war heroes. Munson

basis for a particular class’ success. More

Captain

Class of

likely, it is serendipity and luck based upon a particular pool of graduates who had the

in action while flying a combat mission in

reports that, “One of the first (maybe the first) combat aircraft to cross into Iraq

Vietnam/Thailand, etc. ...’” Their friends

at the start of Desert Storm was

as

...

that had happened to USAFA graduates

,

,

was

killed

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

we didn’t have that opporWe have Medal of Honor don’t tunity. ...

winners, Silver Star winners, etc. very few of us have air medals.”

...

heck,

Which is not to say that the Class of’73

piloted 47

by Lt. Col. Rich Comer (later two star)

safely in a heavily populated area. Instead,

who let in the attack helicopters that

he decided to ditch in the icy Hudson River.

steeper than normal pattern. Despite all of these complications, Major Faber safely

Clearing the George Washington Bridge by

landed the aircraft.

took out the Iraqi radars.” Arguably the to come out of

inspirational story post-9/11 America is that of Army Staff Sergeant Rowe Stayton, Class of’73.

Sgt. Stayton graduated number two in his Class’ Military Order of Merit. After flying F-15s, he left the Air Force in 1981 most

attend law school, but continued to

to

serve

in the Iowa Air National Guard until

1988. In response to the terrorist attacks on

September 11, 2001, he enlisted in

less than 900 feet, Sullenberger instructed

The Class of’73 also contributed in

the passengers to “Brace for impact” and

space, as Sid Gutierrez and Blaine Ham-

landed the stricken craft on the river. The

mond served as astronauts, each getting two

aircraft began to take on water and Sul-

missions aboard the space shuttle. Gutierrez

lenberger and the crew oversaw the orderly

logged over 488 hours on STS-40 in 1991

departure of the 150 passengers. After

and STS-59 in 1994. Hammond spent

ensuring everyone had escaped, Sullenberger

462 hours in space as he flew on STS-39 in

was

the last person to leave his plane. (For

1991 and STS-64 in 1994.

additional details, see the cover story in the

March 2009 issue of Checkpoints .)

the Army National Guard as an infantry

Among the many awards Sullenberger

In addition to the exploits of various

individuals, the Class excels as a whole.

This is best evidenced by its role as Flagship

soldier, and has served two tours in Iraq

has captured is the James Jabara Award

Sponsor of the Academy’s annual capstone

squad leader. Stayton’s patriotic mili-

for Airmanship, presented annually by

event, the National Character and Leader-

as a

tary service, along with that of General

the Academy to a graduate whose actions

ship Symposium. The NCLS, in which the

Schwartz, would seem to give the Class

directly associated with an aerospace vehicle

AOG also plays a major sponsorship role,

of’73 the distinction of being the class

set

with the widest breadth of rank, ranging

him/her apart from contemporaries.

brings national leaders and students from

Captain Sullenberger is the third ’73 grad

around the country to discuss character. It

Jabara Award—only the Class of

provides cadets and Academy staff with a

from staff sergeant to four-star service

to win the

chief of staff.

’64 has won more. In 1981, Captain William

Class of 1973 contributions are by no means

limited to military service. Among the

notables who have made a mark in the “civilian” world are: retired Major General John

Barry, Superintendent of the Aurora (Colo-

Gillin received the Jabara “for distinguished

airmanship as pilot of an HH-3E helicopter during missions to rescue survivors from the burning Dutch ocean liner Prinsendam in waters off Alaska.” Just after midnight October 4, 1980, fire broke out in the

rado) Public School District; philanthropist

on

John Muse, Chairman of HM Capital, a pri-

for his work with troubled priests; and Kirk

engine room. Captain Gillin played a key role in what author Josh Eppinger, writing in Popular Mechanics magazine, called “the most successful large-scale peacetime sea rescue in history.” After the 18-hour operation, all 324

Samelson, Chief Judge for the Fourth Judicial

passengers and 200 crew members were res-

District in Colorado.

cued. As with US Airways 1549, there were

vate

equity firm that specializes in leveraged

buyouts; Monsignor Steve Rossetti, a priest,

psychologist and author nationally known

One “civilian” case particularly comes to

no

fatalities or even serious injuries. The Prin-

great opportunity to interact with leaders in the field of character and leadership, hear

inspiring stories of those who demonstrate character (such as Sgt. Stayton, who spoke at the 2009

Symposium), and gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of character in everyday life. Retired Colonel Tom Berry, Class of’71 and Deputy Director, Center for Character Development, says

“The financial foundation provided by the Class of 1973 insures the continued success of NCLS. Equally as important as their financial support is their participation in the NCLS steering committee, their identi-

fication of guest speakers, and their efforts volunteers in the execution of NCLS.”

mind. To go from total anonymity to the

sendam sank in 8,820 feet of water one week

most celebrated

later. Five years after Gillin won the Jabara,

Though the reasons may be unclear,

minutes must be disorienting and over-

his classmate, Major Larry Faber joined him

the Air Lorce Academy Class of 1973 is

whelming, but that is exactly what happened to Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III on

in this exclusive club. Faber received the

undeniably experiencing its time in the spotlight. As the Classes of 1959 and 2009 celebrate significant milestones, members of the Class of’73 have taken their place at the top of the Air Force leadership ranks

person

on

the planet in six

January 15, 2009. As you would imagine from an Air Force Academy graduate, Sully has handled the pressure and subsequent media attention with grace and humility.

The story is well-known by now, but here are the basic details: US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, bound for Charlotte, North

Jabara for “his heroic actions in February 1985 which resulted in saving a valuable aircraft and his own life.” Major Faber was

flying the single-seat high-altitude TR-1 on eight-hour Creek Spectre mission when the engine RPM began to unwind. With his dexterity greatly impaired by his fully-inflated pressure suit brought about by the loss of an

cabin pressure, he was able to navigate the

Carolina, when bird strikes took out both of

damaged aircraft toward Ramstein Air Base,

the Airbus 320’s engines. After considering

Germany. After 30 minutes of unpowered flight at maximum glide airspeed, he found the airfield, manually lowered the gear, and executed a flame-out approach. This task was complicated by poor visibility and the heavy fuel weight of the aircraft, requiring

options of returning to LaGuardia or con-

tinuing as

on to an

alternate landing site such

nearby Teterboro Airport in New Jersey,

Captain Sullenberger quickly determined that the aircraft lacked the altitude to land

48

a

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

as

and demonstrate excellence in many other areas

of service.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steven A. Simon is the

Academy’s graduate liaison, working in the Development and Alumni Programs office.

In addition to his extensive non-fiction

writing, he is the author of two novels, On The Dead Run and Service Before Self.

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control of the world’s energy supply.

Bob Davey has written a masterful, engrossing work. His knowledge of the American and Russian space programs is awesome and

Bob Davey’s penchantfor detail captures the inherent complexity of manned spaceflight within a backdrop of national and international intrigue and govern-

his book is beautifully written.

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AOG offers e-mail forwarding With e-mail forwarding, your address can stay

@usafa-grads.com no matter what e-mail provider you use. Messages that are sent to the

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August 20-21, 2009 San Diego, Calif.

What is SACC? The SACC is the Service Academy Career Conference supported by the Associations of Graduates from the U.S. Air Force

Academy and the U.S. Military Academy, and Alumni Associations from the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Previous conferences have been attended by hundreds of companies and thousands of alumni. Go to www.sacc-jobfair.com for a list of companies attending, the complete schedule and the online registration form.

Where will the SACC be held?

The next SACC will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt-San Diego, One Market Place, San Diego, Calif. Call (619) 232-1234 for reservations and ask for the SACC rate.

SACC Schedule of Events

Thursday, August 20 Candidate Career Seminar

6:30 p.m.

Friday, August 21 Registration

9:30 a.m.

SACC

9:30 a.m.

Lunch

12:30 p.m.

SACC

1:45 p.m.

8:15 p.m.

-

All day

-

12:30 p.m.

-

-

-

1:45 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 22 Interviews only if directly scheduled between company recruiters and candidates; Companies will contact you directly regarding any on-site interviews during the SACC. Registration The SACC Candidate registration fee is $35. To register, submit a one-page resume (for recruiter's book) and pay online at

www.sacc-jobfair.com. This limited resume is designed to give the recruiters an indication of your capabilities. It is NOT the resume you should bring to hand out to the recruiters at the conference.

Registration deadline for inclusion in the recruiter's book is August 7, 2009.

Next Scheduled SACC San Antonio, TX. November 19-20, 2009 For more information, contact Wayne Taylor at (719) 472-0300 or go online at www.sacc-jobfair.com.

Advertising Opportunities Advertising with the Association of Graduates is your opportunity to align your business with the name recognition of the Air Force Academy and its graduate community. The Air Force Academy is one of our nations most valued and visited national treasures, attracting countless tourists, parents and locals each year. Capitalize on this affinity and advertise today!

For more information, contact: Paige Buoye, Advertising

719.472.0300 or paige.buoye@aogusafa.org

Association of Graduates tfs?

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY U

Vice President to Speak at Air Force Graduation Vice President Joe Biden was the guest speaker for this year’s

graduation ceremony, the White House announced in April. This President Biden’s first visit to the Air Force Academy in this role. Graduation for the 1,000 members of the Academy’s

was Vice

Class of 2009 was May 27, starting at 10 a.m. in Falcon Stadium.

(USAFA Public Affairs)

Going Green The Air Force Academy is looking into yet another form of alter-

On January 10, 1968, Hopper and Capt. Keith Hall were flying an F-4D Phantom near Hanoi, North Vietnam, as part of a four-ship MiG combat air patrol. Before they reached the target, an enemy surface-to-air missile exploded below their aircraft. Hall

radioed that he and Hopper were ejecting. He told Hopper to eject, but when he heard no response, he repeated “Earl get out!”

Hopper replied, “I’ve pulled on it and it [the ejection seat] did not go,” followed by “you go!” Hall then pulled on his primary ejection handle but it failed to initiate, forcing him to use the alternate. Hall was captured and held as a prisoner of war until

and nuclear power. Thanks to a grant by the National Science

1973, but Hopper was unable to get out of the aircraft.

Between 1993-1998, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Com-

Foundation, one researcher and a small group of Academy cadets

mand conducted three joint investigations and five excavations at

native energy; power from ocean waves. Forget about wind, solar

are

getting the chance to master the concept of ocean wave energy

in the basement of the aeronautics building on base.

the crash site in Son La Province, west of Hanoi. The team interviewed four informants who had knowledge of the site. The exca-

The Academy was given $285,000 and three years to conduct

vations recovered numerous skeletal fragments and crew-related

research on what’s called a cycloidal propeller. You could say it’s a

items which were ultimately used in the forensic identification

wind turbine under water. Instead of wind moving the blades, it’s

process. (Department ofDefense POW/Missing Personnel Office)

the ocean’s wave force.

Library Icon Laid to Rest

“When you add the water flow to it, that creates a new direction

Donald J. Barrett passed away April 23, 2009. Mr. Barrett served

for the velocity, and that creates a torque around the prop which creates

energy,” said Cadet Katie Parsons, a junior at the Academy

and researcher on the project. (Eric Lupher, KKTVNews)

as

the Assistant Director for Public Services of the Air Force Acad-

emy Library since 1969, and as a member of the Academy Library

staff since July of 1955. In 1995 he was recognized via selection

Thousands Honor Doolittle Raiders at the 67th Reunion

as an

Honorary Member of the Association of Graduates. He had

Thousands of people, young and old, gathered to honor five of the

more

than 41 years of civil service with the Air Force, and more

nine surviving Doolittle Raiders at the 67th Reunion in Colum-

than 43 years federal service. (Air Force Academy)

bia, S.C., April 16-18.

On April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders, led by then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, became the first to bombard Japan following the

Marine, test pilot, astronaut and four-term U.S. Senator John

Senator Glenn Receives White National Defense Award

attack on Pearl Harbor.

H. Glenn Jr. was honored April 22 as the recipient of the 2008

everybody thought leaving the flight deck of the car-

Thomas D. White National Defense Award. Named in honor of

rier was the biggest challenge of the trip,” retired Lt. Col. Richard

Gen. Thomas Dresser White, former Air Force chief of staff, it is

E. Cole, Doolittle’s co-pilot, said. “As it turned out, it was the

presented annually to a U.S. citizen who has contributed significandy to the national defense and security.

“It’s a great honor, especially when I see the list of people who have gone before,” Senator Glenn said and added he personally knows several honorees of past years, including the 2007 recipient, former Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry. “They are some of the finest people I know.”

Past recipients also have included Sen. Barry Goldwater, Bob Hope, presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Sen. John McCain and Gen. Colin Powell.

Senator Glenn and his wife, Annie, spent time during the visit to explore the Academy as honored guests. In addition to the tapping ceremony for the award, the couple, who now reside in Columbus, Ohio, enjoyed meals with cadets, civic leaders and

“Early

on,

easiest thing, and I had a special advantage because I was sitting next to the best pilot in the world. I admire all of the guys; I espedally admire the man I was sitting next to; a fine man and a great pilot.” (Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg, American Forces Press Service)

Airman Missing in Action From the Vietnam War is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of a U.S. airman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to

his family for burial with full military honors. He is Lt. Col.

Earl P. Hopper Jr., ’65, U.S. Air Force, of Phoenix, Ariz. He was

buried on April 3 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.

58

C H E CKPOl N T S

,

JUNE

2009

Academy leaders; tours of the cadet chapel and airfield; and visits to the astronautical engineering lab and political science department in Fairchild Hall.

Institutional Accreditation USAFA senior leadership and the USAFA Accreditation Steer-

Having a Holiday Party for friends

ing Committee met with the Higher Learning Commission

accrediting team this April. This team, consisting of 8 distinguished leaders in higher education from diverse and wellrespected institutions nationwide, gave USAFA an intense and thorough evaluation.

I am delighted to announce that the Air Force Academy performed superbly, and the team will recommend that the next comprehensive accreditation visit be in 10 years. This is like an institutional grand slam for us! Thank you all for your daily commitment to excellence which led to this institutional recognition.

or the

office?

Take a look at Doolittle Hall

The team cited 16 points of commendation and noted that was

unusually high number for an accreditation visit. This is a great milestone for the Air Force Academy. You should feel proud of

an

this superb institutional accreditation—it is a true reflection of your very hard work. Thanks! Lt Gen John F Regni, ’73.

Air Base Wing Commander Makes Brigadier General Colonel Jimmy McMillian, 10th Air Base Wing Commander, was

recently promoted to brigadier general. Colonel McMillian earned his commission after graduating from the Air Force Reserve Office Training Corps program at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University in 1981. In 2003, he earned a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB

Tasteful decorations

throughout building Ballroom can accommodate up to 200 guests

Library lounge holds up to 40 for a intimate mixer

AL. It is the first time any Academy Air Base Wing Commander

has been promoted to brigadier general.

2009 Brigadier Generals Announced

Scenic winter views through

floor to ceiling windows

Robert J. Beletic, ’83.

Cary C. Chun, ’85.

Audio Visual equipment

Richard M. Clark, ’86

for special presentations

Steven J. DePalmer, ’85 Ian R. Dickinson, ’85

Scott P. Goodwin, ’83

Experienced staff at all events

Jeffrey B. Kendall, ’83 Steven L. Kwast, ’86

Jerry P. Martinez, '86 Andrew M. Mueller, ’85 Eden J. Murrie, ’84 Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, ’86

David E. Petersen, ’84

Timothy M. Ray, ’85 Marshall B. Webb, ’84 S

Call and book your party today!

719 472-0300

events.usafa.org Mention this adfor 10%

offyour booking

.

RD FOR AIRMANSHIP

A

PRESENTED TO:

CAPTAIN CHESLEY B. SULLENBERGER III

Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger, United States Air Force Academy Class of 1973, distinguished himself through his heroic actions while serving as captain of US Airways Flight 1549 on 15 January 2009. The Airbus 320 had just taken

off from New Yorks LaGuardia Airport, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, when it lost power in both engines after

striking a flock of birds. Captain Sullenberger took control of the aircraft and the radios while his copilot attempted to restart the engines. After considering options of returning to LaGuardia or continuing on to an alternate landing site such as nearby Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, Captain Sullenberger quickly determined that the aircraft lacked the altitude to land safely in a heavily populated area. Instead, he decided to ditch in the icy Hudson River. Clearing the George Washington Bridge by less than 900 feet, Captain Sullenberger instructed the passengers to “Brace for impact” and expertly guided the damaged aircraft to a smooth landing on the river.

The flight lasted approximately six minutes, but the danger was by no means over, as the aircraft began to take on water. Captain Sullenberger, aided by his co-pilot and three experienced flight attendants, oversaw the orderly departure of the 150 passengers through the four emergency over-wing exits and the two passenger doors at the front of the aircraft. He then walked the length of the aircraft twice to ensure everyone had escaped before becoming the last person to leave his plane. Captain Sullenberger’s calm professionalism, rational decision-making, exceptional flying skill and extraordinary airmanship in hazardous conditions reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

CAPTAIN TRAVIS A. BURTON

Captain Travis A. Burton, United States Air Force Academy Class of 2000, distinguished himself through his heroic actions while serving as an A-10 Pilot assigned to the 81 Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany. Captain Burton is a member of the United States Air Forces in Europe command. On the night of 24 January 2008, Captain Burton flew as the flight lead in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He was tasked to provide close air support for a coalition forces convoy taking heavy and accurate small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire in the vicinity of Sangular Ghar, Afghanistan. Capst

tain Burton coordinated with air assets on scene to gain situational awareness.

The task was made more difficult by treacherous terrain and cloud cover. After

other aircraft attacked and returned to base, Captain Burton dropped below the weather into the narrow mountain pass to locate the enemy stronghold. He

marked the target with a white phosphorus rocket to confirm target identification and minimize the potential for fratricide. Over the next 90 minutes, his and

other aircraft made multiple low-altitude passes over the target, firing rockets and

high-explosive 30MM rounds, shooting at minimum range as target identification proved difficult. They also made show-of-force passes over the battlefield to deter further enemy aggression. With exacting detail, the pilots surgically struck enemy positions 15 to 20 meters from the coalition force convoy until the battle ended. Battle-damage estimates revealed that 30 to 40 anti-coalition militia had

been killed.

Captain Burtons exceptional tactical weapons employment and extraordinary airmanship in hazardous conditions reflect great credit upon himself

and the United States Air Force. 9

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

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dUIDt; JACK QUINN'S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT

I

f you’re looking for a hearty meal and tasty pint of beer, Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub is the place to be. Owned and

a

operated by Air Force Academy grads, Quinn’s is located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. With live Irish traditional food and a plethora of music, imported beers, this is a great place for family and friends alike.

Checkpoints sat down with co-owner Bill Sasz, Class of 1968, to find out

what makes this long-standing staple of

Colorado Springs such a favorite among locals. “We’ve done our best to create a traditional Irish pub,” Sasz explains. “My wife and I have traveled extensively in

Ireland, and at the center of every vil-

lage is a pub. Jack Quinn’s was actually designed and built by an Irish company and shipped across the Atlantic piece by piece.” Everything in the restaurant is authentic Irish craftsmanship, from the custom, hand-crafted private booths to the

hand-painted Celtic designs on the walls.

In fact, the only true American component is the ornate vintage tin ceiling which spans overhead.

Sasz explains that there are four primary

fists as they keep percussive pace and sing

elements to making a good restaurant.

along with the live Irish bands.

“The first,” he describes, “is atmosphere.

“The second,” Sasz continues, “is staff. Our

You have to have a warm welcoming place

62

entire staff is friendly and welcoming. It’s

that’s cozy.” The hardwood floors and

not

crackling fireplace certainly fit the descrip-

you get the pre-fabricated speech. Everyone

tion—as do the distressed wooden tables

has their own way of serving here. The main

which customers lovingly batter with their

thing is to be friendly and welcoming. The

CHECK!' OIN T S

,

like going into a chain restaurant, where

JUNE

2009

1

#

irS

Tomato Basil Shrimp

■■■

C H E C K P 01N T S,

JUNE

2009

63

when they come in and see the same servers

and bartenders. People know they’ll be

treated well and they feel comfortable here.”

Hart reflects that sentiment from her own

experience. “Eve traveled in Great Britain and Ireland quite a bit,” she explains. “I’ve always felt that the pubs there tend to be an extension of the people who run them. It’s part of

their home, and when you go there you’re

being welcomed into that home. That’s one thing we’ve tried to bring to Jack Quinn’s.” third thing is the food, which is built around

body and a smooth finish. Bars which do

the traditional Irish fare. It’s tasty, hearty food

not use a

with generous portions at a reasonable price.”

pour beers with less body which can be

The fish and chips are an all-time favorite;

compared to drinking a fiat soda.

Pouring a great beer takes experience, which is another thing that Jack Quinn’s has no shortage of. Sasz explains, “One thing we’ve been really lucky with is that a lot of our staff have been here a long time. There’s a certain that continuity people appreciate

and for hungry groups with hearty appetites, the Irish nachos deliver a heaping plate of

homemade spuds and potato chips smothered in cheese and corn beef.

The fourth element to running a great restaurant is yet another tradition handed

proper nitrogen

content tend to

From the perspective of the Air Force

Academy, going to Jack Quinn’s really is just like going home, considering that the founding fathers are all Academy grads.

Eric Howell, ’71, Bob Denny, ’68, Bob

Johnston, ’68, and Bill Sasz, ’68, came

together to build a restaurant which has become a quintessential dining, nightlife and entertainment experience for the greater Colorado Springs area.

SI

down from across the Atlantic. “We have

live Irish music four days per week,” Sasz says. “And there are different types and

tempos for different customers.”

Bringing these four elements together is no

simple task, but “The Quinn” pulls it off

like a well-oiled machine; and the catalyst

which keeps the gears turning smoothly rests in the

steady flow of crisp hearty beer.

Tara Hart is the business manager and

Jack Quinn's Irish Pub & Restaurant

banquet coordinator for Jack Quinn’s.

Starting as a server almost ten years ago,

opposite the main bar. Join us for live Irish music four days a week and enjoy feasting on the best fish and chips in town, or a

she’s been a part of the restaurant from the

beginning. “We have fifteen drafts; ten are imported from Ireland and England and the other five are Colorado micro brews.

We have a very unique gas-mixture—it’s a

JACK QUINN’S

fine selection of Irish whiskeys and Scotches.

Irish Pub & Restaurant

lot of love and time into it.”

Specializing in traditional Irish fare and deli-

put For those who may be curious about

cious American cuisine, this beautiful pub

the importance of gas mixture for beer

is owned by 4 USAFA Grads! The owners

on

tap, the answer is quite simple. The

invite you to step into the comfortable

addition of nitrogen delivers millions

and welcoming surroundings enhanced by

of micro bubbles, which give stouts and

mahogany, stained glass and an antique tin ceiling. The pub was created and installed

darks their frothy cream, making for great 64

tasty Irish Boxty. Sip on a perfectly poured import draff beer or ale or choose from our

combination of nitrogen and C02—we a

by Irish craftsmen using authentic materials from Ireland, including a cozy fireplace

CHF.C I< P O I NTS

,

J UN E

2009

Happy hour daily from 3-6 pm. Open at 11 weekdays and noon on weekends; closing at 2 am. Sunday Brunch served from 12-3 pm. Banquet/party facilities will accommodate 120 dining and 160 for cocktails. Visit us at 21 South Tejon in beautiful downtown Colorado Springs. Call (719) 385-0766 or visit www.jackquinnspub.com. am

The Mason Jar

The Famous

paced hour of top-notch Wrangler music and entertainment, guests leave the Flying W on a Rocky Mountain High!

Reservations are necessary; please call r

(719) 598-4000 or 1-800-232-FLYW (3599). Or visit www.flyingw.com.

A STEAK QTPA&f un A HOUSE

BEST STEAK 2008 “Gazette”

Nosh

BEST FINE DINING 2008 “Independent”

Serving PRIME Steaks, Fresh Fish and Classic Cocktails in a Chicago Style atmosphere in Downtown Colorado Springs. The best Midwestern corn-fed PRIME Strip Steaks and Honolulu Fresh Fish flown in daily.

Sit in large curved ox-blood booths, or an

American comfort food served in a casual

Colorado lodge atmosphere. Famous chicken fried steak, slow roasted prime rib,

seafood, plus soups, salads, sandwiches, and homemade cobblers. Full service bar.

intimate horseshoe bar. Ice-cold martinis, ere-

A Colorado tradition for twenty-five years.

Creative Cocktails, Kinetic Cuisine, Large

ative mixed drinks and an extensive wine list.

Serving lunch and dinner from 1 lam daily. 5905 Corporate Dr. and 1-25, 719-

Wine by the Glass List-Nosh is for sharing.

260-6555. MasonJarColorado.com.

twenty. Dynamic menu featuring fantastically fresh seafood, local beef, bison and yak. 121 South Tejon St., Colorado Springs,

Live piano music Tuesday through Saturday.

Open Monday-Friday at 11:00 for lunch daily for dinner at 4:00. Two Blocks from the Bijou exit east of 1-25 Downtown. Reservations Appreciated. 31 N. Tejon. 719-227-

Flying W Ranch

Noshers (kinda like tapas) are great for two or

Colo., 719-635-6674.

7333. www.famoussteaks.com

Outback

Back East Bar and Grill Located only 2 miles east of the Air Force Academy, Back East Bar & Grill is the AFA’s Northside favorite in Colorado Springs.

For 56 years, the Flying W has offered a

winning combination of picturesque

When you are in the mood for an East coast

natural surroundings, tasty cowboy trail

atmosphere and homemade NY style food this is the place to come. The dough and sauce for our pizzas are made fresh daily with our 30 year old family recipe. Our wings, Philly Cheese Steaks and Beef on Week

fare, and unsurpassed western entertain-

sandwiches are the best in town. We have true half

pound mouth-watering burgers,

fresh salads and a great kids menu too. Check out

the AFA Basketball Coaches live radio

bursting with new choices, such as Savory Pepper Mill Steak, Shrimp en Fuego and Crab Stuffed Shrimp, as well as our classic

leled opportunity to step back in time to

favorites. We now offer 15 meals under

$15, starting at $9.95. 7065 Commerce

West and the American cowboy.

Center Drive, Colorado Springs, Colo.,

When the dinner bell rings at 6:45 p.m., it is time to load up a cowboy tin

barbecued beef or chicken, terrific trail beans, foil wrapped potato, buttermilk our

more! This is the place to bring your family,

biscuits and a choice of campfire coffee,

iced tea or lemonade. No one ever leaves

We can accommodate large parties and are a

everything we do. Voted best neighborhood bar & grill by The Independent we have

hungry! After enjoying a truly sumptuous repast, guests are thoroughly entertained under the stars by the world’s second oldest cowboy band, the legendary Flying W Wranglers. Their rich vocals and three

the best wait staff in town. We can’t wait to

and four part harmonies, combined with

meet

you! 9475 Brair Village Pt. Colorado Springs, CO. 80920 (719) 264-6161

superior instrumentation and family friendly humor, top off an evening long

backeastbarandgrill. com

to

,

719-590-6283

plate and enjoy some great grub including

friends or any kind of party you are having.

owned & operated, we take special care in

“Discover a world of bold flavors at

Outback Steakhouse. Our New Menu is

experience the romantic spirit of the Old

play poker on Tuesday nights. We have the Springs best bands booked every Friday & Saturday night, a full bar and a great drink

local favorite for AFA parties. Independently

STEAKHOU5E®

ment featuring the legendary Flying W Wranglers. Located at the foot of Pikes Peak and neatly nestled between the Air Force Academy and the Garden of the Gods, the Flying W provides an unparal-

show every Thursday night (in season), or

menu! There’s no need to go downtown any-

OUTBACK

be remembered. After dinner and a fast

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2 009

65

Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia

past and an even brighter future. I am committed to building upon the outstanding

Hampden-Sydney College Names Christopher Howard, ’91, 24 th President

legacy of my predecessor, Dr. Walter Bortz, and working with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Hampden-Sydney College to ensure we are preparing our graduates to engage the world, address its problems and to live purposeful lives.”

Dr. Howard is Vice President of Strategic & Leadership Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches leadership to the University’s top undergraduates using the “Great Books” approach.

He is a 1991 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, where he received a B.S. in Political Science, was Class President

and Group Commander, and garnered First-Team Academic All-American honors as a

starting running back on the football Upon graduating, Dr. Howard was

team.

named a Rhodes Scholar. At Oxford Uni-

versity he wrote his doctoral dissertation.

On active duty, Dr. Howard served as a

UH-1 “Huey” helicopter pilot and an

intelligence officer; he is now a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, assigned r.

D

Christopher B. Howard was

elected the 24th President of

Hampden-Sydney College at a

meeting of the Board of

Trustees on December 19, 2008. He will assume

his duties July 1, 2009. Mr. Thomas

the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Dr. Howard is the chairman and

founder of the Impact Young Lives Foun-

dation, a not-for-profit organization that

provides scholarship and travel opportunities for South African students of color.

N. Allen, the Chairman of the College’s

An expert in African affairs, he is a Fellow

Board of Trustees, observed that the uni-

with many policy groups and educational

versity president who brought Dr. Howard

institutions. He also serves on the Board at

to the

the Fessenden School and on the National

Colleges attention “noted his ‘keen intellect and extraordinary breadth of talents,’ adding that ‘he would be a superb candidate to lead a small, high quality, allmale institution such as Hampden-Sydney.’

I could not agree more.”

Responding to his election, Dr. Howard stated “I am both humbled and delighted to have been selected by the Board of Trustees to serve as the 24th president of HampdenSydney College, an institution with a storied

66

to

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

Council of Advisors of the Center for the

Study of the Presidency.

He is married to the former Barbara

Noble of Johannesburg, South Africa, a

Temple University graduate who is Director of Development at the University of Oklahoma’s Honors College. They have two sons,

Cohen (15) and Joshua (11).

Courtesy of Hampden-Sydney College

H

Walking the Path of Energy Independence

By Col Rob Fredell accordance with the myriad of

2010, and will reduce the Academy’s elec-

energetic ionic liquids and bio-fuel from

green initiatives intended to promote

trie bill more than $600,000 annually.

environmental stewardship in the 21 st

USAFA is negotiating Cooperative

algae. Cadets in our Physics Department are developing more efficient solar panels while the Biology Department begins work on Cool Clean algae-to-fuel technology.

Chemistry cadets are researching new battery technologies utilizing hydrogen storage and energetic ionic liquids.

n

I

Century, USAFA has implemented the design phase of its first solar power plant.

The Academy is taking steps to build the

with some of our nation’s emerging energy

foundation of a renewable energy program.

into our classrooms and vlaboratories. For

Superintendent Lt Gen John Regni has

example, the Greenvolts technology, called “concentrating photovoltaic” (CPV) uses

given

us a vision

for the future with his

Research and Development Agreements

companies to bring this research arena

of mirrors to concentrate

The renewable energy equation is very

NetZero Initiative. NetZero’s objective is to

an assortment

generate 100 percent of USAFA’s electric-

the sun’s energy on highly advanced solar

complex; efforts to curb our lust for consumption cannot come soon enough.

ity by 2015 using exclusively renewable

cells which convert light, ultraviolet and

The United States consumes 3.8 billion

By combining the efforts

infrared energy into electric power. Partner-

megawatt-hours (MW hrs) of electricity

of conservation, energy-efficient building

ships with renewable energy companies like

materials and alternative fuels, NetZero will

Greenvolts bring both the Academy and

per year. In Colorado alone, the energy use is 50 million MW hrs per year, with

help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and

the Air Force closer to curbing their energy

the Academy a major player in megawatt

other particulate air pollution. By transition-

appetites, while helping to change the way

consumption. The annual energy cost for USAFA is about $12 million. Approxi-

energy

ing

sources.

to clean renewable energy,

the Academy

the world produces energy.

will help shrink Colorado Springs’ grow-

While technologies such as photovolta-

mately half of that figure is for electricity.

ing “brown cloud” while setting a visible

ics are long standing staples of the renew-

The current average electric bill per cadet is

example of environmental stewardship.

Plans for the solar plant are in the works. The photovoltaic array will be placed on the eastern edge of the property,

able energy genre, other methods such as

$1,300 per year, and the cost is expected to

bio-fuels are starting to play a greater role.

climb sharply in the future. The Academy

Cadets in the Chemistry and Management

is responding by using laboratory assets,

researchers and cadet innovation to turn

able, and will generate its first kilowatt

currently working joint “grease-to-gas” project with a small biodiesel conversion plant. This plant is taking fry oil from Mitchell Hall and converting it into bio-diesel, 30 gallons at a time.

Cadets are currently looking for a longterm solution to use expended grease from

of energy by late 2010. In addition to

the mess hall to fuel bio-diesel vehicles on

providing research and education oppor-

base. Other technologies are being explored

tunities for cadets, this project, in partner-

as

ship with Colorado Springs Utilities, will

develop and test a new type of cycloidal propeller to create wave energy from the

near

Interstate 25. This $18.3 million

project is being funded by the American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Covering up

to

30 acres, the array will leverage the

best photovoltaic technologies avail-

produce an estimated seven percent of the Academy’s total annual energy needs by

majors

are

on a

well. Cadets in Aeronautics have helped

ocean.

Other research efforts include

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

energy research into energy reality.

Realistically, we won’t achieve NetZero

with just one CPV project. It will take an assortment

of renewable technologies

such as hydroelectric and wind, combined with aggressive conservation measures to

significantly reduce our electrical demand.

Improving existing energy technologies, analyzing competing energy proposals and implementing a comprehensive conservation strategy is essential for our transition to

energy independence. H

67

FALCON LAUNCH VII

-

Rocket launch sets speed and altitude records

By Drew Hamilton, White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Photos by David J Ahlschwede, USAFA Photography Lab

A

ir Force Academy cadets

supersonic speeds. For their capstone project,

the sort of thing you can only learn from a

helped support Air Force

Falcon LAUNCH cadets are required to

space programs with the

build and launch their own rocket with

program like this,” Cadet DeWees said.

Like many other test programs, Falcon-

launch of a rocket from

the goal of sending a scientific payload into

LAUNCH required that the cadets not only

White Sands Missile Range

space in support of Department of Defense

research.While there are several different

design and build a new rocket, but also solve all the problems that come up throughout

capstone projects, FalconLAUNCH is one of the Academy’s most complex and challenging

the system engineering and testing process.

Early in the project the team had trouble

capstone projects.

As a two-semester course, the program

just finding out how to build a rocket, often

gives cadets majoring in fields like aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer engineering a chance to ‘learn space by doing space’ as

space missions for solutions. “That was kind

early April 17.The Falcon LAUNCH VII, a boosted dart rocket designed and tested by the cadets, left the ground at 5:17 a.m. with a pair of test payloads on board.

Burning off more than 100 pounds of fuel in less than five seconds, the rocket was designed to then release an unpowered dart that would coast to an altitude of approximately 355,000 feet.

Radar data shows the rocket s boosted

68

they employ the skills taught at the Academy

having to go back to the archives of earlier of cool, going through the old 1970’s NASA

documents,” said Cadet 1st Class Ozzie Ortiz, a fin design specialist.

As the program went on the cadets had to

dart section reached an altitude of 354,724

in a developmental environment. “The big

solve many more engineering problems. “It’s

feet. This set world records for both altitude

picture with FalconLAUNCH is to learn

amazing how many little brushfires we’ve

and speed of university-built rockets. On

the system engineering process,” said Cadet

had to put out. I can think of two times in

board the dart was an avionics package that

1st Class Brad DeWees, FalconLAUNCH

the last month that the shot was cancelled,

recorded the rockets performance and will

VII program manager.Working directly

and we’ve still managed to push through,”

be collected be a recovery team for analysis.

with WSMR test officials from Army, Air

Cadet DeWees said.The Falcon LAUNCH

Also on the dart was an experimental fin tip

Force and Navy offices, the cadets got a

supporting Air Force Research Laboratory’s Future Responsive Access to Space program.

The mounting of the fin tip on Falcon

taste of rocket science first hand. “When we

LAUNCH VII will provide data on the

Learning what it’s like to manage a program

program’s end-goal is to provide the Air Force and Department of Defense with a costefficient, operationally responsive method of delivering small scientific and engineering payloads into lower earth orbit. H

fins performance at subsonic, transonic and

like this has been a great experience and it’s

first started I thought of it as putting a

rocket together, but it’s a lot more than that.

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

Link to Chapter Web sites at

www.usafa.org

Outlook Arizona Chapter If you have recently moved to Arizona or

have not received our mailings, please

contact com.

Jim Sienicki, ’74, jsienicki@swlaw.

In addition, please e-mail or send your

graciously agreed to host a fireworks/dessert/ beverages party at their house right on the Arizona Country Club golf course on the 4 th of July. The fireworks and patriotic music are usually awesome. We look forward to a nice turnout of grads/spouses/friends. We are looking for input from our members regard-

Chapter

e-mail address to me, since we are compil-

News

mailing expenses. All of our notifications are now going out by e-mails or by Evite. If you change your e-mail address, please let

any winning ideas, please send an e-mail to Jim Sienicki. We need a volunteer to recruit

know. Carol and Doug Pelton, ’74, had

Arizona Chapter and to be the Chapter’s

ing e-mail addresses, as well as your current address and telephone number, so we can better serve you and cut down

on some

of

our

us

th

again invited our chapter to their 5 annual pig roast which was held on Saturday, 2 May. Barb and Ron Marusiak, ’71, again

ing any other events or activities that the Arizona Chapter should sponsor. If you have

newer

graduates to get involved without

liaison with Luke AFB and the graduates

stationed there. If you are interested, please contact

Jim Sienicki.

GOAL 5

1.

Celebrate Academy heritage

2.

Keep abreast of Air Force and USAFA topics

3.

4.

Keep the local community abreast of USAFA topics Provide graduates networking opportunities

Interact with other service academy

Bill brought WarBirds flight simulation

graduates

software from his company iEntertain-

Air Force Academy Society of

ment

North Carolina

own

and allowed attendees to “fly” their

P-47 “Jug.”

On 26 Feb, 2009, the Air Force Academy

Society of North Carolina held its Winter Social, Fighter Pilot Jazz, at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC. The guest speaker was Col. TIal Shook. Col. Shook is a WWII veteran P-47 pilot. He shared his experiences as a fighter pilot from D-Day through Korea. The meeting was hosted by J.W. “Wild Bill” Stealey, ’70.

Heartland

including Gen Kevin Chilton, ’76, the USSTRATCOM Commander, were on

hand at Offutt AFB’s Patriot Club to

celebrate the nomination of Brig Gens Sue

Helms, ’80, and Zan Vautrinot, ’82, to

Maj Gen.

Interact with other service

academy graduates Give back to the community

GOAL 6

6.

7.

Support the needs and objectives

Heartland

Give back to the community -

LeMay Chapter

We have had our monthly lunches in

of the Academy

Jan., Feb., and Mar. thus far this year. We

Assist liaison officers and

presented an AOG Chapter “Leader of Character” award to an outstanding junior at a local high school on 23 Mar., another award to a second high school on 29 Apr.

recruit qualified candidates 9.

LeMay Chapter

On 24 Apr., several chapter members,

5.

8.

-

Assist parents clubs/cadets

This is the second year of this program AFASNC

-

Bill Stealey, 79 shows Col. Shook how

C U E C K P OIN T S

that we plan to expand by one school per year. A small group attended the Falcons

to fly a “Jug”

,

JUNE

2009

69

baseball double-header against the Creigh-

Kirk at ltckirkbrown@juno.com. Looking to

15 Apr.

seeing many of you this fall at the conven-

ton

Bluejays

on

tion. Have a great Air Force day.

Space Group The AOG Space Group was established to assist and

encourage space-related

activities at the Academy. For many

years, the Space Group has been involved

with a number of programs that helped both the faculty and cadets understand the importance of space to the nation’s

security and the potential of space operations to address emerging national security needs. In recent months, the Space

Assist Parents’ Clubs/Cadets

Group has continued to be involved with important cadet activities. Several Space Group members attended the Falcon-

Heartland

LAUNCH-6/7 and FalconSAT-5 Final

GOAL 9 -

LeMay Chapter

Gen. Kevin and Mrs. Chilton, ’76, were

Status Review. By providing substantial

given the VIP treatment during the Fal-

professional expertise to these reviews, Space Group members help ensure the

cons

-

Bluejays double header on the Apr.

of these critical cadet operations.

1 5th. They got to go on-field and meet the coaches and players between the first

The Space Group has also continued to

and second games. The Nebraska USAFA

coordinate activities with the Eisenhower

success

Cadets parents club hosted a party for the

Center for Space and Defense Studies.

team at the stadium

Ambassador Roger Harrison, Director of

prior

to

the game.

the Center, recently met with Space Group

Affinity Groups

leadership to plan future activities to support cadet space acumen, including possible cadet experimental satellite programs. We welcome USAFA graduates, and non-grad-

Silver Falcons

space activities, to join the Space Group

It’s time to start making plans for the 2009

and contribute to the success of future

Silver Falcon Convention at USAFA. This

cadet activities and training. All cadets need

year’s dates will be 14-18 Oct., 2009. Air

to be aware of the contributions and future

Force has a home football game on 17 Oct.

If you are interested in attending this year’s

potential of space operations to contribute to national security and well-being. If have idea or desire to you help make this check the web site at happen, usafaspace. or contact Stan Rosen, ’69, at tripod.com

conference, please contact Kirk Brown by

srosen6@aol.com. B

against San Diego State University. Contact has been made with Rampart Lodge to obtain lodging on base for the conference.

uates who have

been involved with USAFA

Need help

finding a job?

Looking to advance

your career?

JSAJE is an exclusive site

specifically designed for service academy alumni. Whether you are looking for a new job or different career, JSAJE is the place for you to make it happen. Log on to JSAJE to browse job listings and contact employers.

Not actively looking for a job? Sign up for Job Retriever and let it alert you when jobs according to your

search criteria become available.

JSAJE also contains a resume

email ltckirkbrown@juno.com.

John Riffle wrote in to inform us that Lt

database through which companies

Col. Walter Don Oliver passed away in late

can search for

2008 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in

promising candidates.

King, Wisconsin. Don was among the early AFA LOS in 1959 when the USAFA was located at Lowery Air Base, Colorado, along with Col. John Riffle, Col. Jack Wild, Col.

service academies

jobs eiectronically

Glenn Dorward, Col. Leo Foley, and Lt. Col.

McGarty Murray. Please keep the Silver Falcons informed by dropping Kirk a note to let us

70

know what is going on in your lives, email CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

www.jsaje.com

mim

Falcons skate to a record season

W

hen the 2007-08 season concluded

“We are going to remember what it feels like to

with an overtime loss to second-ranked

lose that game in double overtime to Vermont (in

Miami in the NCAA Tournament, the

the regional final) and we’ll use it as motivation to

returning players all said they wanted more. It wasn’t

get back next year and not let it happen again,” said

good enough. “As much as we accomplished, it’s not

Jacques Lamoureux.

enough,” said goaltender Andrew Volkening after the

“We have to get back,” said Brett Nylander. “I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say

2007-08 season. “I want to keep going up.”

Many fans raised an eyebrow, or two, at those statements.

The Falcons had just won 21 games, the most

Division I wins in school history, earned their second

that this offseason will be huge for us. Our main focus is to get to the Frozen Four.”

Air Force started the season with a giant bull’s eye

consecutive conference championship, another trip to

on

the NCAA Tournament and nearly knocked off the

AfdA champions, but the coaches picked Air Force

No. 2 team in all of college hockey. More is what the

first in the preseason poll. The target didn’t seem to bother the Falcons early in the season as Air Force

2008-09 Falcons delivered.

its back. Not only were the Falcons the two-time

What could they possibly do for an encore?

rolled to 13 consecutive wins and a No. 10 ranking in

A 28-11-2 overall record, the most wins in school

the national polls, both school records.

history, the team’s first ever regular-season championship, the third straight Atlantic fdockey Association tournament

title,

a

third-consecutive trip to the

NCAA Tournament, the program’s first ever win in

the NCAAs and a trip to the Elite Eight.

Ecstatic? Not, exactly.

After a road sweep at Sacred Heart to open the season, the Falcons faced a familiar foe in non-conference action at

home, the Bemidji State Beavers. Air

Force’s domination by scores of 6-2 and 6-0 didn’t seem like much on the national scene. However, the Beavers went on to win

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2 0 0 9

the College Hockey America confer71

ence

and NCAA West Regional to advanced to

the NCAA Frozen Four.

A home sweep of Sacred Heart, by a com-

bined score of 15-2, set up a showdown with cross-town

foe and third-ranked Colorado Col-

ipated. In the first game, Sacred Heart scored two goals in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. With 96 seconds left in the third period, the Falcons’ top line came through. Lamoureux scored from Josh Frider and Brent Olson to give the Falcons the first game of the series.

lege in late November. The Tigers had won 25

The second night was a different story. Air Force outshot

Ar Force but, on Nov. 28, it was

Sacred Heart, 43-13, but Pioneer goalie Stefan Drew made

straight

over

Air Force that took a 4-1 win as four different

Falcons scored and Volkening made 28 saves.

42 saves and SHU tied the series with a 4-1 victory.

The loss backed the top-seeded Falcons into a corner. A one-

The next night, Air Force suffered its first loss of

game elimination against the No. 8 seed with a hot goaltender.

the season as Denver defeated the Falcons, 4-1,

Greg Flynn scored the first two goals of the game and the Falcons

in a game that was closer than the final score.

cruised to an 8-1 victory and a trip to the AFTA Final Four in

Ninth-ranked DU broke a 1-1 tie early the third

Rochester, N.Y. Olson netted his first career hat trick in the game.

period and then scored an empty-netter late.

All four top seeds advanced to the Final Four, pitting Air Force against No. 4 seed Bentley in the first game at the Blue

The loss put the Falcons in a bit of a tailspin,

posting just a 4-7-2 record through December and January. Two of the four wins during the slide came against service academy rival Army

Cross Arena, a building the Falcons have never lost in. Matt

the Cadet Ice Arena. A tie and heart-break-

home-standing RIT Tigers, setting up a rematch of the 2008 championship game. This game was not nearly the epic of the

at

ing loss at Mercyhurst dropped the Falcons out of the national polls and out of first place in the league in late January.

As has been the case the past three years, the Falcons flipped the switch in February. After a

Fairchild scored two goals and Volkening stopped all 26 shots he faced in a 3-0 blanking of Bentley. Mercyhurst upset the

previous season as the Falcons held the No. 2 scoring team in the nation without a goal in a 2-0 victory. Lamoureux scored the first goal and Fairchild added the second as Volkening made 25 saves in the game. Fairchild, who scored three of Air

sweep of UConn at home, Ar Force earned a

Force’s five goals in the two games, was named the tourna-

road split at Bentley thanks to a short-handed goal

ment’s MVP. However, after receiving the award, he gave the

by team captain Mike Phillipich with one second

returned home for the final regular-season home

plaque to his goaltender who stopped all 51 shots to set a new league record with back-to-back shutouts in the two games.

The third consecutive league championship sent the Falcons back to the NCAA Tournament, a place where this team

series against Holy Cross. After winning the first

had some unfinished business. The previous two seasons, Air

game, 4-3, the Falcons needed a win on Saturday to move into a tie with RIT, setting up a show-

Force watched third-period leads disappear against Minnesota

remaining in the game for a 3-2 victory.

The Falcons, in second place in the league,

down with the Tigers on the final weekend of the

regular

Mayras goal,

Who would be the Falcons’ opponent at the Big Dance?

Rochester, N.Y. Senior Michael

None other than the most storied program in the history

rebound of Matt Fairchild’s drive

of college hockey, the Michigan Wolverines, owners of nine

season in a

in 2007 and Miami in 2008.

to the net, with

2:25 remaining lifted the Falcons

to a 3-2 win and a tie for first

place in the league.

The league’s top two teams, Ar Force and

national championships, 23 Frozen Four appearances, 33 NCAA Tournament berths and a national record 19 consecutive NCAA appearances. The top-seeded Wolverines, ranked

RIT, met in Rochester on the final weekend of

third in the nation, boasted 13 NHL draft choices. However,

the regular season. In the first game, RIT took

it was Ar Force’s first-team all-league choices that led the way.

4-1 lead in the second period, but the Falcons

In the league quarterfinal best of three series,

Volkening stopped all 43 shots he faced, Flynn assisted on both goals and Lamoureux scored AFA’s second goal of the game as the Falcons earned a 2-0 win for the program’s first ever NCAA win. Derrick Burnett scored the first goal of the game, the eventual game-winner, in the first period on the power play.

The win sent Ar Force to its first-ever Elite Eight and a th matchup vs. 10 -ranked Vermont. The winner would earn a spot in the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. Freshman Paul Weisgarber broke a scoreless tie in the second period and the Falcons had a 1 -0 lead early in the third period. Vermont scored two goals midway through the third period for a 2-1 lead, but Ar Force came back to tie the game. Sean Bertsch’s goal at 11:18 knotted the game and forced overtime. Ar Force had eight shots in

the Falcons hosted No. 8 seed Sacred Heart, but

overtime while Vermont had six, but neither team scored. In the

the series was much closer than many fans antic-

second overtime, Vermont defenseman Dan Lawson took a slap

a

battled back to tie the game later in the period on two

goals by Jacques Lamoureux. However,

RIT won the game, 6-4, and took a two-point

lead in the standings with one game remaining.

Ar Force owned the tiebreakers in head-to-head

goal differential, so with a win on Saturday, the Falcons would be the top seed in the tournament.

Two goals by Brent Olson and a stifling Falcon

defense led Ar Force to a 3-1 victory, a share of the regular season title and the top seed in the tournament.

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

shot from the point at the 14:10 mark and play continued for nearly two minutes. Upon the first whistle, the

play was under video review and, after a 12-minute delay, the shot was ruled a goal as the puck went through the net ending the Falcons’ season.

The loss was tough to swallow, but the numerous accomplishments were stellar. A school record 28 wins, first-ever AHA regular season championship, third straight AFiA tournament title and NCAA appearance, first ever NCAA win and trip to Elite Eight, two wins over teams

ranked third in the nation, 13-game winning

every night. In addition to experience, this team was competitively deep. I believe Academy teams need to have two ingredients in order

be successful, depth and experience. This team had both.”

to

The senior class of Flynn, Frider, Mayra, Olson and Phillipich earned four conference championships (three AHA tournament and one AHA regular season title) and earned seven banners that are

hanging in the Cadet Ice Arena. The class won 79 games to set school record. FFie class will certainly be missed, but much

a new

returns for the

2009-10 campaign.

“We have a very good nucleus of players returning but we graduate five very

strong players,” Serratore said. “FFiere was no dead

in this senior class, all were high level contributors. This may

streak to open the season and a school record average

weight

attendance of 2,630 per night. The individual accolades

sound somewhat bleak but do not forget we graduated a very strong

came as well. Lamoureux led the nation with 33 goals

class in 2007-08 as well. FFie returning players elevated their game

and was second with 33 points. He earned first-team

in 2008-09, came together as a group and manufactured a record

InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH) and second-team

setting season. Despite the losses to graduation, we will return All-Conference, All-American, and Hobey Baker finalist Jacques

American Hockey Coaches Association/Reebok AllAmerican honors. Lamoureux was also one of 10 play-

Lamoureux along with All-Conference selections Matt Fairchild and

ers to be named a Hobey Baker finalist, was the AFTA

Andrew Volkening. I am confident several others will elevate their

Player of the Year, a first-team all-league selection and a member of the NCAA East Regional all-tournament team.

Flynn was a third-team INCH All-American, first-

game and assume impact roles in 2009-10.”

Volkening and Lamoureux will be joined by team captains Jeff

team all-AFiA

selection, AFTA Defenseman of the Year,

Hajner and Brett Nylander. The Falcons return four of the top seven and four of the top six defenseman.

“You can’t predict what is going to happen in the future,” Hajner

scorers

NCAA Regional and AFTA all-tournament teams and was

the top-scoring defenseman in the nation. Flynn was

also named the MVP of the NCAA Frozen Four Skills

Challenge in Washington, D.C. Flynn became the third straight Falcon (Andrew Ramsey in 2007 and Eric Ehn in 2008) selected to compete in the event. He joins Ehn as

back-to-back MVPs of the Skills Challenge. Volken-

said. “I can’t guarantee that we’ll win a national championship or

that we’ll even get out of the AHA tournament, but I can guarantee that nobody in college hockey will work as hard as we will. For what we

have been through, to have that taste, nobody will want it as bad

as us.

We’ve been so close and we know what it takes. We were one

shot away. No one will work as hard as us and I know it will prepare for another great season and hopefully with that work and prepa-

ing was a first-team all-AFTA choice and was named to

us

both all-tournament teams. Fairchild was a third-team

ration we can do something special next year.”

S

all-league selection and was the MVP of the AFTA Final Four. Defenseman Scott Mathis was named to the AFTA

all-rookie team and was on the AFTA all-tournament team.

Phillipich earned the Derek Hines Unsung Hero

Award as the nation’s “consummate team player.” Hie

Season Record: 28-12-2

award, presented by the Hockey Commissioner’s Asso-

Team Captain: Mike Phillipich; Assistant

ciation, is given to one college hockey player nationally.

Phillipich is the first Falcon to ever win the award, which

Captains: Jeff Hajner, Brent Olson

is named for the former Army hockey player who was

All-Americans: Jacques Lamoureux

killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005.

“Our team is not talented enough to win on talent

alone,” head coach Frank Serratore said. “We devel-

oped a system and style of play which complimented our personnel and gave us the very best chance of winning every night. This system or style of play would not have been successful unless every player bought in. Fortunately for us, every player bought in very early and this enabled our players as a collective group to take this team to great heights.This team benefitted from the confidence and experience gained over

MVP: Andrew Volkening

the previous two years. After winning two AHA

(first-team INCH; second-team Coaches/Reebok); Greg Flynn (thirdteam

INCH)

Academic All-Americans: TBA All-Conference: Jacques Lamoureux, first-team and AHA Player of the

Year; Greg Flynn, first-team and AHA Defenseman of the Year; Andrew

Volkening, first-team; Matt Fairchild, third-team; Scott Mathis, all-rookie Academic All-Conference: TBA

Championships and participating in two NCAA Tournaments in 2007 and 2008, the 2008-09 team

believed they were winners and knew they could win GIF EC KP OINTS,

JUNE 2 0 0 9

73

Air Force announces second ■

mm l

class CALLIE MOLLOY (CALHOUN) Cross Country/Track Class of 1991 •

Five-time NCAA Division II track and field

national champion

T

he Academy announced its second class for

(3000-meter run, 5000-

induction into the Air Force Academy Ath-

meter run,

letic Hall of Fame. The six inductees—Jim

meter

Bowman, Callie Molloy (Calhoun), Dee Dowis, Terry

•

Isaacson, Ernie Jennings and Ben Martin—were hon-

1990 NCAA Division II cross country

ored May 1, at the Air Force Academy Falcon Club.

The six inductees represent a former athletic

10,000-

run)

•

national champion Eight-time NCAA

coach and administrator, a track and cross country

Division II track and

multiple All-American, two of the football programs most decorated performers, a multiple-sport

field All-American •

stand-out and a former coach who held one of the

longest tenures in Air Force history.

Inductee quick facts: JIM BOWMAN Football Coach/Associate Athletic Director 1958 to 2007 •

junior varsity football coach •

Division II cross country All-American •

1990 regional cross country champion

•

1990 cross country team captain

•

1991 track and field team captain

•

Two-time track and field MVP

•

1990 cross country MVP Named track and field outstanding competitor (1989)

•

1958-1961 head

•

1991 NCAA Academic All-American

•

USAFA Athletic Excellence Award Winner (1990)

•

Set Academy records in the 3K indoor, 3K outdoor,

•

Ran on three NCAA Division II runner-up cross

•

Inducted into the NCAA Division II Track and Field

1961-1974 head

5K indoor, 5K outdoor, 10K

freshman football coach •

Three-time NCAA

country teams

1975 head junior

varsity football

Hall of Fame (2001)

coach •

In five seasons as JV

head coach, compiled a •

DEE DOWIS

24-4-1 record

Football Class of 1990

Coached undefeated teams in

•

1963 and 1975

•

In his 11 seasons as freshman coach, his teams

•

Member of Falcon staff who participated in 17

Trophy balloting in 1989-highest finish ever for an Air Force player man

were 37-28 •

bowl games •

•

•

Won the Downtown

Athletic Club’s Exem-

Served as a radio color commentator for AFA

plary Player of the Year

football and hockey games

Award in 1989

In 1995, was awarded an honorary membership to

•

Finished sixth in the Heis-

•

Honorable mention All-

•

WAC Offensive Player of

•

Selected to play in the

the Association of Graduates

American in 1989 by A.P.

Personally coached over 1,000 football players Ffelped more than 13,000 cadet-athletes receive Academy appointments CHECKPOINTS,

the Year in 1989

I UNE 200 9

Hula Bowl •

BEN MARTIN

Broke the school record for most rushing yards in a game with 249 in 1989 vs. San Diego State

•

Football Coach 1958-1977 •

Compiled a 20-year

•

Known as the “Father of

•

Led Falcons to three bowl

Became the fifth player in NCAA history to rush

and pass for 1,000 yards each in a single season •

AFA Male Athlete of Year, 1990

•

Led team in rushing twice and passing three times

record of 96-103-9 Air Force Football”

games, including the 1959 Cotton Bowl, 1963

1989 co-captain

Gator Bowl and 1971 TERRY ISAACSON

•

Wrestling/Football Class of 1964 Air Forces only threetime wrestling All-Amer-

•

New Year’s Day bowl

ican (1962-64) •

NCAA runner-up in

1962 (167 pounds) •

•

•

•

Great Plains AAU

•

games Air Force has participated in Martin’s 1958 team, his first at Air Force, is still

considered one of the top teams in college football

Champion in 1962 Mountain Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Champion in 1963

history as the 1958 team finished with 9-0-1 regular record before battling to a 0-0 tie with TCU

season

in the Cotton Bowl to finish 9-0-2 •

Posted a career wres-

1958 team featured the school’s first consensus All-

American, tackle Brock Strom

tling record of 161 •

Sugar Bowl Appearance in the Cotton and Sugar bowl games mark the only

•

Coached wide receiver Ernie Jennings, a star on the

wins, 13 losses

1970 team, who went on to earn consensus All-

Three-year football letterman Led team in rushing in 1961 and 1963

American honors and finished eighth in the Heis-

•

Led team in passing in 1962 and 1963

•

Led the team in total offense in 1962 and 1963

•

Recorded 1,747 yards of total offense in 1963

•

Led the team in punting in 1962 and 1963

man

•

Finished eighth in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1963

•

AFA Male Athlete of Year, 1964 Helms Football

Trophy voting B

Foundation All-American, 1963 •

1963 football co-captain

tions

ERNIE JENNINGS

Football Class of 1971 •

Central Press All-Ameri-

•

Selected to play in the Col-

•

Consensus All-American

•

Set a school record with

can team

procedures have been by the AOG for graduates to play golf at the Academy’s

in 1969

Eisenhower Golf Course.

lege All-Star game in 1971

Graduates with military ID: Call (719) 333-2606 for reservations.

in 1970

Non-retired, non-active duty graduate AOG members: The AOG is

13 receptions vs. Wyoming in 1969 •

allocated eight tee times per month.

AOG graduate members who do not have a military ID card may reserve tee times by contacting the AOG customer service at (719) 472-0300.

Graduates may schedule only one tee time per month.

Set a school record with

235 yards receiving vs.

Wyoming in 1970 •

AFA Male Athlete of Year, 1971

•

Led team in receiving yards twice

•

Set school records for season and career receiving yards

CHECKPOINTS, JUNE 2009

75

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79

but not forgotten

Donald L. Hutchinson, ’62 Donald Lee Hutchinson

August 9, 1940 January 25, 2009 Excerpted from his daughter Catherine Lukes’ eulogy and read aloud at his Super Bowl-themed Memorial on Sunday, Feb 1, 2009.

-

...As a tribute to my father, I’d like to tell you what were my favorite

of his qualities.

of the times when our philosophical opinions differed, all the times

when we didn’t see eye-to-eye; I see his love for me never wavered.

What an extraordinary man to be able to allow me the safety to come to him with a problem, to help me sort through it, then to find that my own

The first is his bravery. It seems that I came into this world with a moderate amount of fear. I remember when I was a small girl and I had

conclusion differed from the one he would make and finally to

support me unconditionally as I traveled along the path I had chosen.

He did this for me over and over again. He helped me when I had

heard of some random act of violence

a

which caused me to not want to ever

mine and then telling me that whatever decision I made, he would be

go out in public again, Dad said something to me which has stuck with me

there beside me

for many decades.

decision to make, sharing with me his viewpoint and listening to

He said “Cathy,

-

my unwavering support...

Melroy “Roy” Borland, ’63

you can’t wrap yourself up in bubble wrap, you have to keep going.” I think

Lt. Col. Melroy (Roy) Borland, (USAF, Ret), left this life on Dec. 3,

of my father and his good advice when

2008 for the next, after a courageous and uncomplaining battle with

I am lacking courage and I draw on the

cancer.

strength of a man who moved through his own life undaunted by danger, having gathered strength from distress and grown brave by reflection.

months as in his life before.

He exhibited the same quiet courage and resolve in his last

Born May 2nd, 1938 in Roscoe, Texas, the second child of Howard

and Daisy Borland,

Roy attended school in Hermleigh, Texas and graduated high school in Plains,

The next is his love of books and of

learning.

and certifications, Don Hutchinson

Texas, where he

He held multiple degrees

was

a

two-year

letterman in track and football.

his

After high school he enlisted in the

bachelor’s in aerospace engineering

Air Force, serving a two-year stint as

and an MBA. I used to tell him that he

an

including

enlisted man in Okinawa, Japan

should get his PhD; to which he would respond: “Why would I want

before receiving an appointment to

to do that? Then I would only be able to study ONE thing.”

Some of

the United States Air Force Academy.

the many subjects he loved were Southwest history, paleontology

Roy was a member of the first class to begin and complete its course of study at the new facility in Colorado Springs, Colo.

After the Academy, Roy completed basic jet training at Reese AFB in Lubbock, Texas, before moving on to the love of his career, helicopter training in Reno, Nev. He was deployed to

and geology, military history and astronomy. (When you pointed up to the sky and asked “What’s that planet over there, Dad?” he would

always be able to tell you.)

He also instilled a love of learning in his children maybe too much!

Combined, we two have a total of 18 years post-secondary education!

Which brings me to my next favorite of his qualities: his enormous generosity. He never stopped writing checks for us to continue our education... degree after degree after degree... He was a dedicated philanthropist. As it turns out, he had written 10 checks to various charities just in the few weeks before his passing. He was most kind-

HH-43 Huskie helicopter in his assignment as a member of the Air

hearted.

Rescue Service.

-

About half of those charities were animal welfare charities; which brings me to his next

quality

-

his deep love of animals. His favorite place on

Roy Borland

Vietnam, where he flew the Kaman

In two tours in Vietnam, he accumulated 16 Air Medals, for a total of

320 missions.

He was in Vietnam during the Tet offensive.

He was

this earth was one where he could be right next to a four-legged creature.

awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing a downed light

There was never a time when our family didn’t have at least one dog

the

aircraft reconnaissance pilot off the side of a mountain under heavy

but the

enemy fire.

During the course of his military career, he also earned the Bronze

yellow lab was his favorite (pretty much any dog would do

-

-

bigger the better). The animals in his life brought him peace and happiness from the many canines with whom he shared his life, 1 am sure he had a lovingly warm welcome upon his passing over.

The last of his qualities which I will mention here is a quality he shares with the yellow lab the quality of unconditional love. In examining all -

-

Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Three Silver Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gal-

lantry Cross with Palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, among others.

He had

For more current information about

graduate deaths, please visit the AOG web site. www.usafa.org If you know of a graduate’s death, please notify the AOG as soon as possible. There have been cases in which the association was not

informed for quite some time.

80

duty stations after Vietnam in Big Spring, Texas; RAF

Lakenheath, England; San Antonio, Texas; the Panama Canal Zone, where he greatly enjoyed flying one of the few Huey gunships the USAF operated; and finally at Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, N.M.

where, among other duties, he was operations officer for the three

Space Shuttle missions that landed there during his tour of duty. He also completed a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He retired from active duty on Dec. 31, 1984.

Roy was an avid hunter and loved fishing.

He loved hunting dove

and quail with his dad, brother, son-in-law and friends, and going to

deer camp, where he was always the source of good humor and fun.

He was a man's man, who enjoyed flying, good friends, a good cigar,

a

good poker game and good spirits.

He was a tough guy.

He held a

2008/2009 Texas hunting license, and hunted dove with it in late

September, 2008, treatment notwithstanding.

Roy is survived by his wife, Ann, a registered nurse midwife; his daughter Lisa Pichler, an R.N. and her husband, Andrew, a Quantas 74 pilot; his granddaughter Kayla and his grandsons Rhys and Bryce,

to attend the Land Rover Driving Academy in Aspen, Colo. was

That class

in 1994. He would likely describe the driving as terrifying but he

learned how to handle the car and saw some beautiful scenery. Jack was not a back seat rider; he tended to

get car sick. So he convinced the

teachers to let him drive in a car alone

all of Australia; his sister Ann and husband, Richard Wall, of Midland,

with just an instructor in the Rover.

Texas; his brother Mike Borland and wife, Vi Lea, of Midland, Texas; his aunt Mable Glass of Snyder, Texas; and numerous nieces, neph-

This resulted in him driving more but

great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister Donna Beth Borland Jones. (Mike Borland, Roy’s brother)

tended a second Driving Class in 1996

at

ews,

least he didn’t get sick.

He at-

traveling the Great Divide in Colorado.

He continued owning two British cars

Jack H. Pierson, ’63 Jack Hall Pierson, Class of 63, passed away on Oct. 29, 2008 in Seattle, Wash. He was my best friend for 28 years and my husband for almost 10. After retiring from the USAF in 1983, he went to work for

Boeing, not his dream job, but he needed a job. He retired from Boeing in 1995 upon reaching the magic age of 55 and never looked back.

From his childhood on, as those who knew Jack well will attest, his

real love was cars, especially the great British cars. After doing much

research, he purchased a used Rolls Royce. It was a 1982 Silver Spur.

He loved it. One of my fondest memories is having him pick me up on one of those rare snow

days in the Seattle area in the Rolls Royce with

chains on. While still owning the Rolls, he purchased a new Land Rover

Range Rover. After all, SUVs were the rage and one couldn’t have just any old SUV; it had to be British. Owning the Rover wasn’t good

enough; one should know how to drive this car off road.

for a while but even he finally

decided the maintenance costs were

He decided

just not in the budget. He reluctantly sold the Rolls Royce. However, he remained a member of the Rolls Royce Owners Club and longed for a 1950s XK140 Jaguar roadster like he had Pierson Jack while at the Academy.

We moved to the Port Angeles area and started work on our new home; it was completed in 2005. Jack was very involved in every process of the construction including all things mechanical. He had a mechanical room built in the garage to house the heating system, air compressor, water system, all things he could monitor. Our property has a view of the strait and a view of the mountains. He loved it very much and was content to stay in his Mountain Aerie and maintain the Pierson/Rosenberger Weed and Tree Farm. It turned out

beautiful; a true reflection of his attention to detail.

Brig. Gen. William T. Seawell (USAF, Ret), Third Academy Commandant, Died at 87 The Association of Graduates recently learned that Brig. Gen. Will-

Bluff, Ark. General Seawell was the third Commandant of Cadets at

Deputy Commander of the USAF 7th Air Division from 1954 to 1955.

General Seawell served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force from 1958 to 1959 and then to the Deputy Secretary of Defense

the Academy and served as commandant from June 19, 1961 to Feb.

from 1959 to 1961.

iam T. Seawell (USAF, Ret), died on May 20, 2005 at his home in Pine

He was Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air

28,1963. General Seawell was born Jan. 27, 1918 in Pine Bluff, a son of

Force Academy from 1961 to 1963, retiring from military service in

the late George Marion and Harriet

General Seawell then became Vice President of Operations and Engineering for the Air Transport Association from 1963 to 1965 in Washington, D.C. Moving to New York City, he then became Senior Vice President of Operations of American Airlines from 1965 to 1968.

From 1968 to 1971 he served as President of Rolls Royce Aero Engines, the United States subsidiary of Rolls Royce Ltd. In 1971 General Seawell joined Pan American World Airways. He was President and Chief Operations Officer of PanAm from 1971 to

Aldridge Seawell.

General Seawell was reared and received his early education in Pine

Bluff, graduating from Pine Bluff

High School. He was a graduate from both the U.S. Military Academy receiving his Bachelor of Science degree there in 1941, and Harvard University School of Law, receiving his juris doctor degree in 1949.

1963.

1972 and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of

PanAm from 1972 to 1981.

General Seawell retired from the Board of Directors from Inter-Con-

After his graduation from West

tinental Hotels Corporation, McDermott International, and McGraw-

Point he was commissioned as a

Hill, Inc. He was an inductee into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame.

Since returning to Pine Bluff, he served as Chairman of the Board of

Second Lieutenant in the U.S.

Army in 1941, advancing through grades to Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force in 1959.

During World War II, he was Commanding Officer of the U.S. Army Air Corps 615th Bombardment Squadron and the 401st Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations.

For his service in World War II, General Seawell received the Silver Star,

Directors for the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas and as

President of the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas

Endowment Board.

He is survived by his wife, Judith Alexander Seawell, whom he mar-

ried on June 12, 1941; one son, Alexander Brooke Seawell, and his wife, Pat, of Menlo Park, Calif.; one daughter, Anne Seawell Robinson,

the Distinguished Flying Cross with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air

and her husband, Adam, of Pine Bluff; and four grandsons, Brett

Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Presidential Unit Citation

Alexander Seawell, Ryan Thomas Seawell, Adam Scott Robinson and

with Cluster, and the Croix de Guerre with Palm from the Republic of

William Seawell Robinson.

Funeral services were on May 24, 2005 at Trinity Episcopal Church

France.

After World War II, he was Commander of the U.S. Air Force 11th Bomb Wing, Strategic Air Command, from 1953 to 1954.

He was

with the Reverend Dr. Walter Van Zandt Windsor officiating. (From an

online posting from Ralph Robinson & Son, Funeral Directors.)

He is survived by his sons Graham and Barclay, and three grand-

children.

I can’t even begin to name the good friends who miss him;

he was a good man.

(Karen Rosenberger, Jack’s wife)

Ron began working at Alexandria Field part-time as an instructor

and started a program for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) proficiency.

His passion was flying, even in retirement, and he was a true aviator.

On Dec. 30, 2008 he died in a plane crash near Alexandria Field. He is

William M. Landes, Sr., ’65 William M. Landes, Sr. died on March 04, 2009, at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans, La.

He was 69.

William was born in

survived by three daughters, Heather, Molly and Katie; and two granddaughters, Ava and Aubrey. We will all miss him more than words can say. (Written by his daughters Heather, Molly and Katie Orton.)

Chicago, Ill. on Sept. 21, 1939 and spent his childhood and young adult years in Los Angeles, Calif.

William was

graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a

Class of 1965, where he was a memher of the 15th

Squadron and a

member of the Falcon’s baseball and football teams. As a split end for the Falcons, he played in several bowl games during his football career.

He maintained his love of Fal-

football and helped scout and guide talent towards the Academy throughout his lifetime.

He moved to Vicksburg, Miss, in con

1974 where he continued his career

with the US Army Corp of Engineers

(WES), Procurement Division.

during his career at WES.

He also farmed on family property

He retired from WES in January 1998 and

then spent his free time chasing golf balls, fishing, hunting deer and

grandchildren.

His parents, Marvin Wilton Landes and Mary Elizabeth Landes,

preceded him in death.

He is survived by his wife, Tina M. Landes, of Diamondhead, Miss.; son William

M. Landes, Jr. of Collierville, Tenn.; daughter Jacqueline

Landes Purnell (Paul), of Madison, Miss.; grandchildren Will Landes,

Avery Purnell and Landes Purnell; brothers Tom Landes of Lookout, Calif, and Hugh Landes of Maui, Hawaii. (William M. Landes, Jr., William’s son)

Cary D. Hunter, ’68 One

-

singular, unique. On the fifth of June, 1968, Cary Hunter gradu-

ated first in his class at USAFA. As a characterization of who and what

he was, this merely scratches the surface.

During his Air Force career he worked in Southern California at SAMSO, the Space and Missile Systems Office, the predecessor to

Space Command. His contributions included helping to develop an astrogator, a sextant for astronauts for the Apollo program. In his off time he modified a panel truck into a camper-van and lived in a parking lot in Manhattan Beach so he could grab his board and hit the waves when the surfing was good.

Following his service he decided on a

solo walk across the United

States. Unlike Forrest Gump, Cary

meticulous planner. He prepositioned supplies along his route, marking them with orange flags.

Beginning in L.A., he got as far as

was a

Winslow, Ariz. where he had to abandon

the

effort.

When

his

brother Alan came to pick him up, he wasn’t expecting Grizzly Adams and so passed him by once before the spark of recognition fired.

Cary’s intellect and eclecticism were the basis of stories that would astound and delight. He effortlessly and in an unassuming manner commanded the center of attention. One summer he took a job feed-

ing wood into a chipper so he could work on his approach to unification of Einstein’s theories and the development of the Grand Unified

Ronald C. Orton, ’67 Ronald Charles Orton passed away on Dec. 30,2008 at the age of 63. He was born to Charles and Helen Orton on

April 7,1945 in Upper Darby, Pa.

He entered the Air Force Academy in 1963 and graduated with the

9th graduating class, 14th Squadron, in 1967. Allergies almost kept

Theory of the universe.

The story of his getting a job in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s is just as outrageous but totally indicative of Cary. On a Friday he interviewed for a job as a programmer at a San Jose tech firm. Although he had never worked as a programmer or worked on their computer, a digital mini-

him from his dream of becoming a

computer, (the PDP-11, for computer historians), he asked to borrow

pilot but with perseverance he completed pilot training in 1972, receiving the Air Training Command Commander’s Trophy.

Ron went on to complete F-4 training and was stationed at Torrejon

the manual over the weekend. He was hired on Monday and began

Air Force Base in Madrid and flew

with the 613th TFS. He left the Air

working on a system he was unfamiliar with until three day before.

Cary passed away on the 28th of February 2008 in Vancouver, Wash.

He is survived by his sisters Anita Hunter of San Diego, Calif.; Jeanne Wall of St. George, Utah; and Marie Cogley of Washougal, Ore.; brothers Alan Hunter of Tempe Ariz. and Lynn Hunter of Bakersfield, Calif., and numerous nieces and nephews. (J.B. Schroeder, Tom Vail '68 and Alan Hunter 72)

Force in 1975 and became a com-

mercial airline Braniff

pilot, flying for Airways,

International

People Express and Continental Airlines during his career.

For more current information about

graduate deaths, please visit the AOG web site. www.usafa.org

He retired from Continental as a

Captain in March 2005. After retiring, he settled in Easton, Pa. with Ron Orton his companion Julieta. In Novemher 2007 he found Alexandria Field, a small airport near him home, and bought a Cessna 140 that he named Nellie and flew as often as possible.

82

If you know of a graduate's death, please notify the AOG as soon as possible. There have been cases in which the association was not

informed for quite some time.

John T. Wolter, 75

David P. Cooley, ’82

John (JT) Wolter passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 19th, 2008, from complications of a staph infection. He was 55 years old.

John was born in Houston, Texas, though his father's Air Force career led his family to a number of different states, eventually bringing him to Honolulu where he met Meg Paty, his future bride, at Punahou. After graduating, John chose to attend the Air Force Academy, where he would forge close friendships with his classmates in the Class of 75 and the years sur-

rounding while learning the necessary skills to serve his country.

He and Meg were married in the Air

David R Cooley died in an F-22 crash during a test mission north of Edwards AFB on March 25, 2009.

guished Graduate and a man of extraordinary ability and character.

Dave knew he wanted to go to the Air Force Academy and fly jets since the 8th grade. At the Academy, Dave was diligent in his duties, but not obsessive, and enjoyed cutting up with the lads. He was about results and keeping perspective, accepting awards and recognition in his typical self-effacing way. It was impossible not to like him. It was at the Academy that he met Sheyla Alvarado, an exchange ca-

Force Chapel shortly after he gradu-

det from Costa Rica, who was to be-

pilot training in 1976.

Through various assignments they spent time living in Arizona, the Philippines, Alabama, Virginia, Washington (where their two children

come

ated from

were

his wife.

Dave and Sheyla

celebrated their 25th wedding an-

niversary last June.

His family and flying were the two great passions of his life. Dave

born) and North Dakota,

was an

active, dedicated father to

where John served the country as a

three boys. He took them for bike

leader and a pilot.

rides on the tandem, worked as a

He eventually

returned to the Academy as a squadcommander in 1985.

roadie for a garage band, built a

It was as

sports court in their backyard, and

AOC of the Squadron 16 Chicken-

gave their opinions and music an honest listen. He stayed fully engaged, encouraging each of his

ron

John Wolter

He was a test pilot with Lockheed

Martin. Known as “Cools” in the flying community, Dave was a Distin-

hawks that he won the O’Malley Award, given annually to the most

outstanding squadron commander.

While serving his country for 14 and a half years, John flew the B-52, the C-9, the C-141, and the T-41. When told his flying days were over, John left the service to work for United Airlines, where he flew the 747, 737, and the Airbus 320. He was that rare man who truly loved his job, and his passion for flying was unparalleled. He thrived on travel, being with people, and he relished the breathtaking view of

Dave Cooley

the premier fighters in the world. That was Dave’s style.

Dave was born at RAF Mildenhall, and had a fondness for England

and the English way

that his love for international cuisine was also a major motivating

and a clever turn of phrase.

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of John was his efferveshighlighted by an uncanny ability to become fast friends with complete strangers. He loved good food, funny jokes, and loud music. Among his many passions were books, sushi, exercising, cent personality,

neckties, and the Beatles. His favorite vacation destination was without question the islands of Hawaii, where numerous extended family and copious amounts of local food awaited him every summer.

Perhaps his greatest passion was twofold: The God he served and the family that had been entrusted him.

He became a Christian

through an Academy chaplain in his college days, and would come to view spending time with God as his most treasured pursuit. This was apparent in all facets of his life: no sacrifice was too great for those he loved, and his time on earth, at its core, was characterized by an attitude of service. One way this was apparent was in his tireless efforts to bring the Family Life Marriage Conference to Colorado Springs.

He and Meg spearheaded this ministry for five years.

find their own paths.

117, and F-22. Yet to his neighbors, Dave was the guy always doing home projects and riding his bike. Few of them knew that he piloted

the world afforded by the cockpit (although it was privately suspected factor in his choice of career).

sons to

Dave flew an enviable list of Air Force aircraft: F-lll, F-15, F-16, F-

-

PG Tips tea, English Premier League 'football’,

He had a great ear for language. At the Empire Test Pilot School in the United Kingdom, he added to his signature blend of aviation, British, and Southern California lingo. “All that and a bag of chips”, “ginormous”, and “...an old git” were a few of

his favorites.

Over the past six years, Dave and 1 went on many long bike rides.

We philosophized about being fathers, and our decline into “poseur” Dave still rode with amazing power. He had completed Ride the Rockies several times, a 400- mile loop ascending major mountain passes in Colorado including Independence and Monarch.

Closer to home, he enjoyed riding the hills and canyons around the Antelope Valley, despite the unrelenting 20+ knot headwinds. Being Dave, he always led into the wind.

Remembering Dave’s affection for England, a final few words from Shakespeare seem fitting: Your cause of sorrow Must not be measured by his worth, for then status as cyclists.

It hath no end.

He is survived by his wife, Meg, of 32 years, an occupational thera-

On a sublime Antelope Valley morning, surrounded by the hills he

pist and family counselor in Colorado Springs; son David, currently studying animation in Los Angeles; and daughter Lindsey, who lives with husband, Tom Elliott, in Seattle. Lindsey and Tom welcomed John’s first grandchild, Greyson Thomas Elliott, into the world this past March. In addition, John is survived by his parents, Col. (Ret)

loved to cycle, Dave was interred in a quiet corner of the Antelope

Valley. He is survived by his wife, Sheyla; sons Paul, Mark, and Aaron; father CMSgt (Ret) William Cooley, brother Bill, and sisters Susan and Cathy. He was preceded in death by his mother, Doreen Cooley.

(Patrick Lemmers, ’82)

John and Doris Wolter of Lincoln, Neb., and brother Tim Wolter and

family of North Carolina.

A memorial was held January 2nd at Village Seven Presbyterian Church, the day after John was buried at the USAFA cemetery. Visit his memorial website: jtwolter.lifememorial.com. (David Wolter, John’s son)

Tyler W. Eldred, ’88 Tyler Ward Eldred, 43, was born on Jan. 24, 1966 in Milwaukee, Wis. Tyler grew up in Salem, Ore. and graduated with highest honors from and died in a tragic accident on Feb. 14, 2009 in Louisville, Ky.

83

McKay High School in 1984. He received top honors in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Academy where he also received the Scholar Athlete Award and earned a place in the Athletic Hall of Fame.

He received his Master’s Degree from Columbia University on a Guggenheim fellowship and was twice named Oregon Rhodes Scholar.

After completing his academic career, Tyler was stationed at Williams AFB for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) School. Upon graduating from UPT, Tyler re-

Torkelson and Rebecca Cone Torkelson.

Levi, a 1997 graduate from

MacArthur High in San Antonio, graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 2001with a degree in Computer Science. At the Academy, he excelled as a four-year gymnastics letterman winning numerous

awards, was a nine-time All-American and still holds the Academy record for the parallel bars. Levi served as Assistant Coach for the US Air Force Academy Falcons Gymnastics Team at the time of his death.

During his short life, Levi faithfully served his country from afar for

mained at Williams as an instruc-

four years at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Jacobabad, Pakistan; and

tor pilot where he trained future pi-

two tours in Iraq. For his service he

lots in the T-37. Tyler eventually re-

aeronautical engineering until his

awarded the distinguished high honors of the Bronze Star and the USAFE Arthur S. Flemming Award as well as two Company

honorable discharge from active

Grade Officer of the Year Awards.

was

turned to the Air Force Academy where he served as an instructor in

Levi was a volunteer for his deploy-

duty. Tyler shared many of his Academy experiences all over the world during his training and teaching sessions as a speaker and a

ments and served with distinction

and honor.

He is survived by his loving parents, Charles and Becky; brother

coach.

Tyler owned Daedalus DevelopCorporation, a real estate development company, and was founder of LifeChampion International, a speaking and training facility. As Tyler stated, “I am personally committed to helping people and organizations become LifeChampions” through keynote speeches, training and coaching.

He was a founding member of Phos Hilaron Church where he invested his boundless energy in creating experiences that help others know Christ. His two favorite places on earth were his “Cabin” in Natural Bridge, Ky. and his father’s ranch in Eastern Oregon. It was in these two places that Tyler connected with God and his family in a very close way. He drew strength from nature to energize himself and his ability to change the world.

Tyler’s mission was helping people develop a path to success, but his greatest passion and success was the love of his wife, Stacy, his four children and his family. He was an amazing husband, father, son, brother and friend, all of whom would agree that Tyler’s love of

Cory Torkelson and Cory’s fiancee, Katy Green; Grandparents Rich-

ment

life is “indescribable”.

Tyler is survived by his wife, the former Stacy Skorka; daughters Heather (19) and Alexandra Dryjanski (14); son Tristan Eldred “The Bold” (6), and Avery Dawn Eldred “Littlest Angel” (4) of Louisville, Ky.; his father, Clifton Eldred, and Sherry; mother, Idora Lee Roelofs, and her husband, Bruce Roelofs; brother Wynn Eldred; sister DeeAnn Donnelly and her husband Nick Donnelly, all of Salem, Ore. To find more information on Tyler, please go to www.inmemory oftyler.com (Stacy Eldred, Tyler’s wife, and Chris Tschieder)

ard and Louise Cone;

numerous

aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives; as well as friends and col-

leagues who will miss him greatly.

Levi was a thoughtful, happy and highly accomplished person who deeply touched the lives of many.

He will be greatly missed and always remembered.

Fellow officers, co-workers and colleagues remember Levi as a person who exemplified the ideal of servant leadership. As an officer he led by example taking care of those under him while serving loyally to those over him. He was known for his excellent work ethic and would ask anyone to do a job that he would not do himself.

Levi was also a peacemaker. His family and life long-friends will tell

never

you that he demonstrated this trait throughout his entire life. In his athletics and his Air Force career as a communications officer and a

gymnastics coach he continued to serve others and lead in a way that brought people together, resolved conflicts and solved problems to get the mission done.

For his grave marker, his family has chosen a verse from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the Peacemakers” because they believe this was Levi’s life in a nutshell. (The Family) At press time we had learned of the deaths of the fol-

lowing graduates: Mr. Joe Cabuk, Class of 1963, who died on April 14,

2009 in Florida.

Col. (Ret) Robert O. Heavner, Class of 1963, who died

Levi C. Torlcelson, VI Captain Levi Carl Torkelson, USAF, passed away Dec. 27, 2008 at 29 years. He was born May 3, 1979 in San Antonio, Texas to Charles

on

Aug. 14, 2008 in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Dean E. Habrun, Class of 1978, who died on

For more current information about

graduate deaths, please visit the AOG web site. www.usafa.org If you know of a graduate's death, please notify the AOG as soon as possible. There have been cases in which the association was not

informed for quite some time.

84

April 12, 2009 in Montecito, Calif.

Lt. Col. James S. Wilson, Class of 1965, who died on

Jan. 23, 2009 in Greenville, S.C.

Col. (Ret) Frank L. Ott II, Class of 1980, who died on

April 23, 2009 in Niceville, Fla. Mr. Scott E. Dracon, Class of 1985, who died on March

4, 2009 in Las Cruces, N.M. Lt. Col. Sheldon G. White, Class of 1992, who died on

April 3, 2009 in Grant, Ala. 1st Lt. Jahna L. (Haldeman) Foland, Class of 2006, who

died on April 1, 2009 in Enid, Okla.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of

these graduates.

Forty-four ’59ers accepted the Superintendent’s invitation to participate in the FHF and arrived with varying expectations of the process. Make no mistake; if done wrong, this type of forum could have crashed and burned. If we had been tasked merely to lecture the cadets about leadership or integrity or “lessons learned,” they would have tuned us out. (Remember: Sleep is a legitimate form of criticism.) These young men and women get plenty of lectures in

their normal curriculum.

Instead, the Center scheduled a sophisticated mix of panel discussions, relaxed give and take with all classes in a squadron setting and, in most cases, an informal dinner with the seniors about to graduate. During periods when the cadets were involved with their own classroom work, we participated in interesting and informative briefings by the Cadet Wing Commander and the Center for Character Development, as well and extensive open and uninhibited discussion of the state ofthe Honor System. We also had an opportunity to observe the training environment in Jack’s Valley and the jump, soaring and powered flight operations at the Academy Airfield. My personal favorite was the visit to the falcon mews, which I'd never seen in the 54 years since our Class “chose” the mascot.

I think one of the keys to the success of this Forum was that the Center took

the time to poll the cadets about issues they were interested in with regard to our Class and provided the results to us. That gave us a common framework for discussions and allowed us to prepare for the cadets’ questions (well, most of them).

The Forum wrapped up with a Cadet Wing parade and luncheon at Arnold Hall. The consensus among the ’59ers was that the marching was sharper and crisper than most of us had seen in years. We weren’t sure whether that was because we were observing or because the guest ofhonor was Sully Sullenberger, who was at the Academy to receive the Jabara Award for his superb airman-

ship and cool handling of that extreme emergency. Maybe some of both.

NEWS Pete Todd 1250

Big Valley Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80919-1015 H: (719) 531-5874

E-mail:

petetodd@comcast.net

It was a genuine Happening! The first graduating Class’s 50th Reunion. The

Air Force Academy’s First 50th Anniversary Class. Besides the obvious historic and heritage significance of the event, it was jolly good fun! Even an arctic-

strength blizzard in April that dumped up to three feet of snow on the region couldn’t chill the enthusiasm and warm camaraderie of some 124 graduate ’59ers; two widows of departed classmates (Robin Anderson and Sheila Bowen) ; many starting classmates who graduated later or left to succeed in different directions; more than 20 ATOs, the one-time mentorsbecome-friends and honorary members of the Class; and several of the original faculty and staff who helped build and Sabre Society Donors shape the direction of our Academy.

Instead of taking up a lot of page real estate listing all attendees, I invite you to go to the following website—https://www.usafa.org/ Events/Attendees.aspx?id= 105—for a full list of all registrants.

We were especially honored by the presence of Gen Ben Cassiday, our former Deputy Commandant of Cadets and every ’59er’s living template of what an Air Force officer should be. Gen Cassiday was as gracious and entertaining as always and, at 86, looked like he could still hold his own in a many v. many furball!

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the week wasn’t actually a part of the Reunion, itself, but preceded it. The Academy’s Center for Character Development sponsored its spring Falcon Heritage Forum (FHF) on 13-15April with the theme “The Class of ’59: Fifty Years of Excellence.” The Forums are conducted twice a year and are designed to link cadets with the wealth of experience and heritage found in our nation's veterans. They provide a systematic, yet personal way for cadets to engage in discussions with men and women of character as identified through their involvement in military service to our nation.

Participants in the Falcon Heritage Forum.

Every member of our Class who participated in the FHF appeared to leave the experience with a renewed confidence in the education and development of the young men and women who gain admission to the Academy. The summary impression seemed to be that, if these youngsters represent the cream of ouryouth, then our Air Force, and our country, might haveabrighter future than many thought.

The end of the FHF dovetailed nicely into the opening of our reunion, starting with the Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening, 15 April. With a bestever 78% turnout of living grads, there was much interchange (and looking at name tags) between the “regulars” and the first-time attendees. The Hospitality Suite was jumping until closing time.

The next day was mostly an on-your-own day and some hardy souls actually played golf, despite the ominous weather forecast and unseasonably cool weather and strong winds. Although not a scheduled event for our reunion, several classmates also attended the annual Friends of the USAFA Library Luncheon where Dr. (Col, Ret.) Phil Meilinger, USAFA 70, released his biography of General Harmon, which the Class of 1959 had supported with a substantial gift.

Also attending the luncheon were Gen Harmon’s two children, Mr. Kendrick Harmon, USMA’57, andhiswife, Helen; andMs. Eula Harmon Hoff. Also present were Eula’s two children, Paul Hoff III, and his daughter Sahara (who had traveled all the way from New South Wales, Australia, for the Harmon Memorial Dedication), and Ms. Hazel Hoff. This group, plus Hazel’s husband, Mr. Scott Conner, and Gen Harmon’s longtime driver and friend, SMSgt (Ret) FrankWall, were guests of the Class at the International Buffet dinner Thursday evening in

recognition for the enormous assistance the family had provided in researching, designing and, in Mr. Harmon’s case, funding the Harmon Memorial.

Also on Thursday, the forecast storm arrived on schedule. The opening act was a spectacular thunderstorm with heavy hail and snow showers. Later that night, the snow increased in intensity and there was some question whether the Academy would be open and accessible for any of the busy day of reception, dedication, parade, luncheon, and briefings and memorial service on Friday.

Despite continuing heavy snowfall, the Academy remained open and most attendees were able to make their way to Doolittle Hall and the shuttle buses that were on hand to move the group to Arnold Hall. Lt Gen John Regni, USAFA Superintendent, hosted a coffee reception and then addressed the Class with a summary briefing on the many accomplishment of the Wing, the overdue changes underway in the physical plant and the environmental innovations

that have already begun.

85

Since part of our planning included an inclement weather option, after Gen Regni’s briefing we simply moved the Harmon Memorial Dedication ceremony into the Arnold Hall Theater. Mr. Harmon spoke for the Harmon family; Brad Hosmer served as spokesman for the Class in presenting the Memorial to the Academy; Gen Cassiday briefly recalled the early days of the Academy at Lowry AFB, especially the development of the Cadet Honor Code; and Gen Regni formally accepted the gift from the Class of 1959.

Due to the foul weather, the rest ofthe Friday activities at the Academy were scrubbed. The Class Photo was taken in Arnold Hall and the Class memorial

service was rescheduled for the following evening prior to the dinner dance at the Embassy Suites. The participants made their way back to the hotel and

pursued their separate dinner plans, rejoining for the Dessert and Coffee Reception in the hotel at 2100.

However, the weather hadn’t finished its mischief. Although Colorado Springs experienced a little more snow in the night followed by a warming trend, communities to the north such as Monument received two-to-three feet of snow

and local attendees were temporarily snowbound, unable to get to the Class Business Meeting.

They missed a long and lively session. I won’t attempt to detail the discussions here since all graduate classmates will receive a copy of the minutes in due course. However, one item of business bears mention. It was my great honor to present, on behalf of the Class of 1959, a Lifetime Leadership Award to our first and only Class President, Joe DeSantis.

Close- up of the statue and panel portion of the Harmon Memorial. One really needs to experience the Memorial in its natural 3-D setting to appreciate the full artistic effect of the ‘Circle ofLearning. ’

After the formal dedication, most of those assembled left Arnold Hall and braved the heavy snow and cold wind to walk across the Court of Honor to the Memorial site, located between the Cadet Chapel and Harmon Hall, to unveil

the Harmon statue.

Class Secretary Pete Todd presents a Lifetime Leadership Award to President Joe DeSantis at the Class Business Meeting.

The plaque reads as follows: THE USAFA CLASS OF 1959

PRESENTS THIS LIFETIME LEADERSHIP AWARD

TO

JOSEPH G. DESANTIS OUR FIRST AND ONLY CLASS PRESIDENT FOR SELFLESS SERVICE, INSPIRED LEADERSHIP AND PRICELESS FRIENDSHIP:

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE AWARDED WITH GREAT RESPECT AND AFFECTION ON THE OCCASION OF OUR 50TH CLASS REUNION A few ofthe scores ofattendees who witnessed the unveiling. Some, recalling

the violent thunderstorm at Lowry at Gen Harmon’s change ofcommandeeremony and parade, considered the snow a fitting accompanimentfor the statue

unveiling. Most, however, just shivered.

Returning to Arnold Hall, the participants enjoyed a leisurely luncheon with about 40 members of the Class of2009. Since the parade had been cancelled (much to the delight of all the cadets who had just paraded two days previously), this proved to be the Reunion attendees’ only interaction with the seniors except for those who had attended the Falcon Heritage Forum. Everyone made the most of the

opportunity.

You will recall that the Class decided to give to each graduating member of the

18 APRIL 2009

After that, the sun came out and it was April again. 1'he Class memorial service was held at the hotel, followed by the dinner dance. Jimmie Jay did his usual masterful and musical job as MC and the entertainment was exceptional. It was rumored that the last ’59ers vacated the hospitality suite well after 0100. Looking at a few bleary eyes at breakfast the next morning, one could believe the rumor.

And so it went into history. The Class of 1959’s 50th Reunion defied the weather and was declared by most participants to be the best ever. That sets a high standard for our 55th, which we’ll have in June of 2014! Be there.

Thoughtfor the Quarter: “In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Class of2009 an engraved set of 2 / Lt bars to represent the half-century link between our two classes. So that the bars may

actually be worn, the engraving is on the underside and says simply “1959-2009.” Since it would be impractical to present 1045 sets ofbars individually at graduation, the bars will be given to each cadet after he or she takes the oath of commissioning on the evening of 26 May, the day prior to graduation. To symbolize this gift to the graduating Class, Joe DeSantis presented the first engraved set ofbars to the 2009 Class President.

Class ofl 959 President-For-Life Joe DeSantis presents an engraved set of2/ Lt bars to Class of2009 President Cl C Greg C. Oswald.

86

A.J.

(Rosie) Cler, Jr. Myrtle Wood

5423

Sarasota, FL 34235-4624 Phone: (941) 371-4843 E-mail: RCtherose@aol.com

Class Web Site: www.usafa.net/1960

Edwin Lewis (Ned) Whitman is a Senior Navigator and retired Colonel-USAFR living in Suffern, NY, Ivy League educated with a Law Degree from Cornell University (“Big Red”) and M.A. from Princeton University (“Tigers”), worked asattomeyfor Rockland County inNewYork State. Ned’swife, Mary, retired after 42 years teaching high school mathematics, and she and Ned celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2007 at Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria. There’s been lots of travel; perhaps the best trip was Turkey andlstanbul, Bosporus, Topkapi Palace, Ephesus and Temple of Artemis, Hagia Sophia, Troy, Dardanelles to Gallipoli Battlefield and Sea of Marmara... Brad is Senior Associate with the Carlyle Group in DC, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University, where he won the Williams Prize as outstanding Economics student; our AOG awarded Brad three Graduate Dependent Scholarships while at Harvard (1994- ‘98). Ned and Mary’s first grandchild, Abigail, was bom May2008, and daughter-in-law Christie works at Northrop-Grumman Media Relations.

us—we entertained

Gary at Circus Sarasota, then glitzy Lido Beach and Ringling

Museum.. .Driving from Florida’s Panhandle, Aaron Thrush joined me April

19th for a “baseball-filled- day” at Cincinnati Reds’ Spring Training Camp in

Sarasota, Twin Lakes Park for the Baltimore Orioles’ Minor League Camp, Port Charlotte for an afternoon Cardinals-Rays game and that evening in Sarasota for the Red Sox-Reds game.. .George Pupich prognosticates about future Academy football: "Some incoming linemen look good. Coach Calhoun believes that group, plus some at the prep school and a few who are being recruited, could form the nucleus of a great bunch in a year or two".. .Mike A. Clarke’s wife, Nancy, has retired from the White House as ChiefFlorist after working for six different Presidents over 31 years: “She’s Vacating a Seat of Flower,” read the

Washington Post.. .Fuller and Judy Atkinson moved from Bradenton, FL to Griffin, GAin early-April—(941)-932-7282,120 Spider Lily Court, 30223.. .Kath Gillis and children Cecilia and Sebastian met Kath and Bill’s son Glen in Den“Enjoyed skiing with sunshine every day at Iron Horse Resort in Winter Park, and celebrating with Mom on her 90th birthday.”

“We enjoyed shooting blue quail in southern New Mexico recently, also went to Ascension Bay, Mexico, where I chased bonefish, permit (Trachinotus Falcatus), and muchas margaritas,” wrote well-seasoned sportsman John McCullough. “I took some old friends from Nashville, TN, and Deanne was the only lady with the seven guys. (She wished she’d gotten those odds earlier, and I reminded her of our blind date in 1959 when Jim Mills, Jabo McCain and Howie Whitfield came along. Deanne said: ‘Yes, but I didn't know then what I know now!”’) John’s Spanish requires ‘pruning,’ and while attempting to speak native on the Yucatan Peninsula, he kept saying how much he liked chicharrones (fried pork skins)—the word is similar to “chicarones,” which are women’s breasts in Spanish; John reminded them how he “enjoyed eating those every night with my wine.” Three years of Spanish down the drain.

MiniSki XIX was February 21-28,2009, and included A1 Johnson, Howie Bronson, Earl & Pat Vanlnwegen with son Curt and daughter Kristen with friend, Julie; Andi and Carole Biancur, Greg Boyington and son-in-law Jeff Lippa and grandson Reef, Ralph Lalime and sons Jay and Chris, George & Diana Pupich, Jerry de la Cruz, Bruce Mosier and daughter Debbie, Jim O'Rourke; Charlie Holman and wife Weesee, son Charles, daughter Kyra and grandson Jack; Ron and Connie Yates; GeneVosika ('59), Bruce andPat Hinds (’61), PatandMarilyn Buckley (’61), Bob and Jan Brickey (’61), Jim and Judy Gallagher (’62), while Roy and Barbara Jolly joined Thursday and Friday nights for dinner. ver:

Ned, Mary, son Brad and wife, Christine, at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia.

“We left Clarksville, TN Christmas Eve for Georgia and Christmas with daughter Patricia and family, including our two great-grandsons,” wrote JT Smith.

“From there we spent a few days on Lake Martin in Alabama visiting Diane’s

sometime traveling buddy (and college roommate), Nell; then Brandon, FL to visit son Andy for New Years (while towing Diane's Honda CB250 Nighthawk for our traditional motorcycle ride on New Years’ Day). January 4th began our three-phase journey to the southern hemisphere, visiting two areas of Argentina in addition to the ‘Antarctica Expedition.’

"We started in Buenos Aires with a classic Argentine dinner before flying to Trelewon the east coast of Patagonia (where Butch Cassidy and Sundance met their fate). The principal wildlife includes Rheas, Guanacos, Magellanic Penguins, and the area is one of three major fossil regions in the world, with a nice Paleontology Museum. We were surprised to find a significant Welsh community there, and visited an old Welsh Chapel and a Welsh Teahouse. Then it was back to Buenos Aires to meet our group going to Antarctica, with a city tour visiting the famous Pink Palace and amazing La Recoleta cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, followed by a classic Tango dinner show. We caught our flight to Ushuaia on the Island of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Patagonia, boarding the MS Andrea for our voyage to northeast Antarctica.

"Crossing the Drake Passage took two days, and the seas stayed in the two-three meter range. Our first scheduled landSabre Society ing had to be scrubbed due to 60-knot winds (it was a chalDonors lenge to get in and out ofthose Zodiacs, the 10-person vessels with 40HP engines). Our ten other landings were usually 'wet'; i.e., you swungyour legs over the side and stepped into shallowwater to wade ashore. Once ashore, we had an hour to watch the Penguins (Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap). We also saw several Humpback Whales, Leopard and Fur Seals and lots of Albatross and Petrels

“Our final shore excursion was at the large, volcanic Deception Island, where some took a

‘dip’ in the Antarctic waters. The volcano still has active geother-

mal areas, one keeping a volcanic-sand beach quite warm. The trip back across the Drake Passage was worse than the trip south; seas got eight meters high,

and they closed forward decks because water was breaking over the bow (most put Bonine patches behind their ears or took Dramamine).

"Then back to Buenos Aires, from which we flew to the impressive Iguazu

Falls, the world’s largest. We spent the first day viewing from the Argentina side, the second from Brazil, and then it was Iguazu to Buenos Aires, Miami, Tampa and Nashville for another tango show at Vanderbilt University.” (See photo of JT and Diane at the “bottom of the world”.)

Our 50th Reunion is scheduled Wednesday, 29 Sept 2010 through Sunday, 03 Oct 2010. (Go to: www.usafa.net/1960, click “Class News,” then “April 2009 Web Column” for more parables.)

Earl N. “Nelson” O’Rear 50582 Stonington Drive

Granger, IN 46530-8243 H: (574) 273-2597

E-mail:

enoandtjo@gmail.com

Class Web Site: www.usafal961.org

DC Mini-Reunion, October 1-4 (AF/Navy game). Lowell Jones advises that their committee, will soon need attendance information. A registration pack-

age will be sent to all on the GTN in the May/June timeframe. Those not on the GTN (or on the GTN and not receiving an email by the end of June) should call Lowell at (540) 898-9387 or send him a card or letter addressed to 10007 Four Iron Ct„ Fredericksburg, VA 22408, and he'll send you the package. They are

receiving quite a few attendance inquiries already and are expecting a good turn-out.

Mark Anderson said that the San Antonio '61 ers had another lunch gathering on March 26th at a local restaurant. In addition to the"

Gary Sheets: “On Bill O’Reilly's show2/3/09, he covered award of the DSC to LtCol Tom Holmes from Jasper, TX, WWII pilot; Tom is wife, Sylvia's, uncle (for the full ceremony, contact Gary at: garydsheets@verizon.net). Holmes was lead pilot flying a B-24 on a 1943 bombing raid against the Ploesti Oil Refineries in Romania. Allied pilots flew at dangerously low levels.”

“In the Cross Hairs:” Leaving the snows of Michigan for sunny Florida, Gary Van Singel visited his sister near Ocala, then spent 18-19 February with

regulars" Lee McCleskey

drove down from College Station to join them. They will be gathering again on the 4th Thursday each month. If anyone in "shouting range" would like to join, please call or email any of them (Mark Anderson, Jack Bright, Larry Freeman, John Goodley, Richard Smith, Jim Ulm, and Jim Wild) One other note, the local Alamo Chapter of the AOG had its annual Founders Day Dinner on April 4th, attended by five ’61 ers. Guest speaker was Steve Lorenz, former .

Commandant and now Commander of AETC. 87

Pat and Marilyn Buckley departed Albania on 22 January2009 and visited family and friends in southern England; Ron Muller in Washington DC; family in Boston, MA, Brice Jones inTelluride for skiing and rejoicing; and Salt Lake City for skiing and party making arranged by Bob Brickey. (Participants included the Brickeys, Barazzones, Boyds, Hinds, McNultys, Pooles, and Westbrooks, in synch with some from ’59, ’60 and '62; and then to Baker City, OR, to visit Bob Heriza and Judy Brookhart for skiing on great powder, plus several days of visiting and local sightseeing although the weather was a bit wintry. Marilyn was somewhat awed by the vast, unpopulated high desert in eastern Oregon and western Idaho. Bob is writing an average of 2 hours a day on "Man’s Flight Through Life" and will have it ready by our 50th. On 10 March, Pat and Marilyn

arrived in Florida to close on their new home. The weather and company are good. Charlie and Lynda Neel, and Gene and Judy Davis (who live 5 miles down the road) had lunch with them on the beach on April 4th. Their new address is 723 Ventura Drive, Satellite Beach, Florida 32937. Pat’s telephone is 321 -7450187. Let him know if you will be visiting the Cape Canaveral area.

Ian and Randy Cubero and Carleen and Terry Storm attended the annual Founders Day Dinner on April 3rd at the USAFA Falcon Club (formerly the Offleers Club) honoring this year's Distinguished Graduates, Don Shepperd (’62) and John Martinson (70). Each speaker was eloquent. Terry thanks all who voted and the many who requested input on the candidates. He and Carleen will take a Baltic Cruise in late June, visiting their ancestral origins for the first time: Germany for Carleen, and Finland and Sweden forTerry. The C Springs 61’ers now anxiously await the fall football season, which affords them a much better opportunity to interact with our classmates and their spouses than does the rest of the year. Linda and Bill Griffis, vacationing from Florida, will join the Storms for the first game, and the Storms also look forward to the '61 mini-reunion at the Navy game in D.C. in October.

Dick Davis is recovering from a total knee replacement. In 16 November2008 he was pleasantly exercising—riding and swimSabre Society Donors ming—when he suddenly had a bum knee. Dam that frog kick!

Three surgeons recommended total knee replacement, and after trying pool physical therapy for two and a half months, he decided to have a Colorado Springs surgeon operate. He later required high-powered beads of medicine implants to cure an ensuing infection. Probably because he started physical therapy too aggressively, he also recently acquired a blood clot below the knee that is now being treated with Coumadin. Dick thinks it is now under control, but he said that he would appreciate prayers on his behalf.

Wayne and Erna Haring keep busy ministering in church and other outside activities, including meals and bible study. Erna also is a member of Republican Women, takes flute lessons, and plays in a band.

Wayne visits the local cigar shop every morning, where he smokes cigars and drinks coffee while they solve the world’s problems. Occasionally, Randy Cubero joins him. The end of April, they are traveling to Battle Creek, MI, to attend his granddaughters' communion services.

Tom and Liz Hill wintered at their Florida home. Tom returned in time to continue coaching high school baseball. He then will coach the American Legion baseball team, which has been very successful at the state level in re-

hours of practice, of hard work (doing nothing isn’t easy!). But you will enjoy every minute of it! Try it today.”

Balfour center in Texas recently repaired John Payne 's ring. Some people in freight receiving do not know about the agreement between Herff Jones and Balfour. The first time he sent his ring to Balfour for repair, they returned it because Balfour did not make it. First, call Janie Trevino, tell her what you want done to the ring, and let her know it is on the way. Go to www.balfour.com, customer service for the address.

completely polishing his ring. It looked like a new ring. The Paynes and the Pooles met in Pensacola, FL, for a short visit and attended a concert by a relatively new group called Celtic Woman, which performs traditional and modern Irish tunes. Jimmy and Susan were enjoying their Alabama Gulf Coast condo. John and Mary reside in Daphne, on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Jimmy still runs to stay in shape and looked great. They agreed to catch Doug and Dee Cairns, along with Neal and Gwen Westbrook in Montgomery, AL, for their next gathering.

Charlie Thomas flew to Phoenix in April to visit his brother—and to celebrate the 70th birthday of his first Zoomie roommate, Smokey Stover.

Winnie and Bob Wagner recently returned from a trip to Alaska to see the Aurora. They spent three days at a lodge in Betties, north of the Arctic Circle. The venue for the Aurora display was the snow-covered ramp at the small uncontrolled airport serving the town of twenty-six. At 0400 hours and a temperature of -20°F, he and Win sat on chairs in their lodge-provided arctic parkas and bunny boots and watched the display. It was a beautiful, quiet peace in a grand cathedral. During daylight they also made a snowmobile trip through beautiful country and went on an awesome dog-sled trip, which gave them a great respect for the Iditerod competitors. Their two-week trip also included Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, and Seward. It was wonderful to see all of the beauty in the less-crowded wintertime and talk to a number of the "sourdoughs."

Judy and Tom Wilson recently returned to Minnesota after a terrific month in the Sarasota area, enjoying a nice break from their harsh winter. Both of their oldest grandchildren accepted their appointments to USAFA’s Class of 2013 and will report this summer. You all can imagine their pride in each one.

They plan to see you in Colorado this fall!

Gayle Zompa is spending most of her time in Galveston now since her condo in Colorado was sold. Their little island community was hit hard by Ike and has not benefited from the media and celebrity that Katrina victims enjoyed, but their resilient community is pulling things together. The best news is that the badly damaged University of Texas Medical Branch will be returning to its full strength. Son Ted’s West Isle Urgent Care Clinic is doing very well, as is his family there. Gayle visits Boulder frequently to see Kristin, Craig, and the grandkids. Kristin is still a Vice-President ofthe Gartner Group, traveling worldwide. Gayle travels as much as she can. She’s discovered she could visit four places much cheaper by taking a round-the-world-cruise than by seeing them individually. She says Ed be proud of her for figuring that out!

John W. “Jack” Jamba 4 Judy Court

centyears.

Peggy and Henry Howe visited Israel in Ianuary as part of a peace / fact finding tour to connect/ engage Israelis and Palestinians for peace. They met with Israeli settlers, toured Palestinian refugee camps, talked with Israeli activists, and met two men who had shared family losses at the hands of the others’ race but are now able to call each other brother and seek to end the cycle of revenge and violence. Henry learned what it felt like to be a refugee, living onlywith what he had on his back and in his carry-on bag since Air France managed to lose his luggage for the entire trip. What remained of the bag and contents arrived at his home two days after he returned to Texas. Both Peggy and Henry are well and

busy. They did not get out Christmas nor Easter greetings this year. Henry is in Loveland, CO, caring for Peggy's father as he celebrates his 92nd birthday.

Attendees for the March 3rd DC luncheon were: Charley Dixon, Bill Foster, Lowell Jones, John Kohout, Jack McDonough, Ron Muller, Tom Pattie, Jim Rogers, and Bill Sanzenbacher. Three from the Northern Neck, VA (Nunn, Stackhouse, and Williams) wisely decided not to challenge the icy, narrow roads to get to Vienna. Tom Pattie made the trek from the western Virginia mountains. Jim Rogers said they will probably be moving to Naples, FL, in June/July. They discussed more aspects of the October Mini-reunion. (See above.) They also discussed the April Peachtree get-together near Atlanta, sponsored by Mike Rawlins and Doug Cairns. After eating, Ron Muller presented his perspective on the current economic crisis. He really knows his stuff (to include the global aspect), which is probably why he's still teaching.

Everyone participated in a good discussion. While we have many astute classmates in the financial/economic arena, Lowell said he can't even remember

taking economics at USAFA. Thanks again to Ron. Hector Negroni said that “For the last few months I have been working to finish what I started after I completely retired from all jobs seven years ago.

What have I been doing? NOTHING! I really feel sorry for all those who must be doing something. Hey relax.. .we are not getting out of this life.. .alive. The Art of Doing Nothing cannot be mastered overnight. It will take hours and

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Telephone 512 444 0571. Send it ATTN: Janie

Trevino. They did a great job: resizing, replacing his old chipped stone, and

Satellite Beach, FL 32937 H: (321) 777-5520 0: (321) 861-6279

Cell: (321) 432-1370 E-Mail:

jwjamba@aol.com

Hi Redtags! Easter just passed. We had an open House at KSC with two shuttles on the

pads. We won’t see that very often. And I’m not sure the program will go

past 2010. Hope Congress can throw some ofthat stimulus money at the Shuttle Program. I got the following email from Butch Viccellio in early February and put it on the Redtag Net. For those of you not on the net, here it is, “Hi, Sumo...sad to report the Sunday passing of Don

Hutchinson, who was my roommate at Luke during gunnery school in '63-64. He had numerous health issues, which together caused heart/kidney failure and did him in. A terrifle friend who will be missed. Joan tells me that in lieu of a church or memorial service, they are having a super bowl party for family and friends at home near Albuquerque. Any-

Sabre Society

Donors way, Joan told me that Hutch had requested you be notified upon his passing, so I said I would do that. I have notified Michele atAOG as well. Hope all is well with you guys. Butch Viccellio ’’Thanks for the phone call, Butch. Don was down the hall from me at the Academy and I always enjoyed that big grin and funny retorts from him.

Here is the AOG notice of Don’s passing that was sent to AOG member classmates. Gone But Not Forgotten: A memorial service is planned for Lt Col

(Ret) Donald L Hutchinson on 1 Feb 2009 at 1500 hrs at his home. Lt Col Hutchinson passed away on 25 Ian 2009 in Corrales NM. Mrs Joan Hutchinson, 10 Camino De Las Brisas, Corrales New Mexico 87048-8571.

I looked through my Class Scribe files and found this photo of Don and Joan that I took at the 40th Reunion. It is good to see and remember him as he was

then. God bless Don in his great reward.

Don and Joan Hutchinson

Got this from Dick Klass. “Jack, do not know if someone else will report in more detail but Don Shepperd was honored as a USAFA Distinguished Graduate at a banquet recently, as was Erv Rokke last year. Our Class activity fund

donated $500 for the wine. Also, Liz and I just returned from Argentina for a nephew's wedding and took Rick Perlotto's excellent advice on dining places in Buenos Aires. Cheers, Dick. Thanks for the news. Good to hear from you.

Connie and Bunky Reeves bundled up against the cold. political fray and is running for Selectman in the town of Falmouth on Cape Cod. John claims long-time roots there as Otis AFB was his first assignment from pilot training. The "townies" still consider him a "washashore". No problem, John. We still love you even if you are a “washashore.” That’s better than me. When I showed up in Satellite Beach, I was a “dragashore.”

Also got this little note from Dick Smull, “Phil Merkel and Dick Smull, mem-

”

Got another email today from Bill & Sue Haugen. To wit: “Jack, Knowyou desperate for input, so here goes. Sue & I went to Italy for two weeks in

are

January with a group of students and some adults from little Keuka College in on a cultural tour of Italy. Visited Rome, Florence, Sienna, Venice, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, and almost every little town in between. Great fun, and with a Cambridge-educated guide plus a history professor it was outstanding. Had snow in Venice which was pretty amazing. We will be doing the Great Rivers of Europe trip in October-

western New York. We had a great time

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from Vienna all the way up the Danube through the canals and down the Rhine river system to Amsterdam. And you only unpack once in two weeks. Go Redtags.” Thanks, Bill. Sounds like you’ve had fun already with more fun to come. I couldn’t print your picture now since I ran into picture limitations.

bers of the Virginia Gentlemen barbershop quartet, participated in a local St. Patrick's Day Irish song contest. The quartet managed to win first place with

their rendition of'Harrigan" and "MacNamara'sBand".Howaboutthat.Ihave a picture ofthem with the other two gentlemen in shiny Kelly Green shirts. I can’t show the picture until next edition because of space limitations. Hey can you picture them joining up with Bo Daughtery for a few songs at our 50th Reunion.

That’s it for now. I fell behind and missed my original deadline for this column. I got an extension and asked for some quick input from you all. The quick response was great, with pictures, no less. Thanks a million and stay in touch.

If you have something you want to share in the next Checkpoints, send it in by May 31 unless I get a sooner deadline. GO REDTAGS!

Save for next issue.

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Got this from Willie Gray earlier today, “Hello Jack, I noticed in the email from Dick Klass that he had recently traveled to South America. Nancy and I

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returned on March 19th from a great trip to South America with five other couples. We flew into Santiago, Chile and then sailed onboard the Star Princess

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from Valparasio Chile to Rio. The attached picture was taken as we approached Ushuaia, Argentina. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world.

v*»®| gJHiw

Norman 1.

(Skip) Lee

63119 E. Cat Claw Lane

Tucson, AZ 85739-2058 Home: (520) 825-7980

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Cell: (520) 241-3498 E-mail: 54wrs@msn.com

Well gang, by the time you read this we will be close to the 50th anniversary of the beginning of our experience together. My schedule for the last week of June includes daily pushups and practicing chins in the front of a mirror.

Pushups are questionable but the chins will not take much effort.

The AOG recently learned of the death of Lt Col (Ret) Melroy Borland, CS19 class of 1963 who passed away on the 3rd of December 2008 in Midland TX as the result of cancer. Services were held in Midland on December 6th. He was interred at Pyron Cemetery in Pyron, TX. Condolences maybe sent to his

family in care of is wife, Ann: Mrs. Ann Borland, 8600 E County

“We had great weather for the entire trip except that high winds kept us in Montevideo an extra day and as a result we missed Buenos Aires. Highly recommend this trip to anyone who has not visited that part of the world. Cheers, Willie” Thanks for sharing your adventures. See you in the neighborhood.

This just came in from Bunky Reeves. “I can see that the class is starting to travel so I though I would throw some info your way. A small segment of the RTBs from Moody AFB Pilot Training Class 64A are going to gather for the biannual class reunion in October 09. This time it will be a five-day cruise on Royal Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale. Classmates going are Reeves, Bob Keighery, Ralph Conlan, Fred Hendryx, Lyle Wilson, and George Harrison.

The other RTBs have schedule conflicts and can’t attend. We will send some photos in November. Connie and I just returned from a 42 day trip to the Far East. Included was a 14-day trip on Royal Caribbean from Singapore, to Thai-

land, Cambodia, Viet Nam (three stops), and China, ending in Shanghai, seven

days in Shanghai, then a Viking River Cruise/Tour from Shanghai to Wuhan up the Yangsee River (three gorges and three gorges dam) to Chongqing (Chungking), fly to Xian (terra cotta warriors), then on the Beijing. Photos attached on the river and snow at the great wall. What a trip, China is impressive; we would go back any day, but too many other places to see and things to do. Maybe in 2-3 years. “Thanks, Bunky. Best to Connie. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Got this from John Flanagan. "John Flanagan has once again entered the

Road 120, Midland, TX 79706-5106.

Your will recall last time we discussed the Chromolithograph Gyr Falcon given to the Academy by John Borling during our 35th reunion. John affirms that ”... recognition and thanks should go to the many classmates at the 35th reunion who chipped in to offset the cost of purchase and saved his marriage at the same time."

Bob Hayes polled the regular mini-reunion crowd for de-

38 Sabre Society Donors

sired game dates: 13 answered, two with preferences for the San Diego game; seven prefer the Wyoming game; and the rest liked either.

Based on the results Bob said he will go with the Wyoming game and work with the AOG to reserve Doolittle Hall October 17th for our traditional get-together dinner and cup turning ceremony after the game. Again we'll plan a pre-game tailgate. If you are interested put that weekend on your calendar and let Bob know as soon as you can if you are going to be there. Scribe’s note: come early and we can get some golf in.

Bob also asked if any of us were interested in celebrating the 50th year of the start of our basic training (26 June 1959) but he only had five replies with mixed results.

Over the past few weeks I have been having an e-mail conversation with Mike Curley, 1963 and Class Scribe from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) his official title is “Class Agent.” Mike was asking for help him from any classmates who served with the 15th or 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons (TRS) and might know any details about the incident that took the life of -

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classmate, Paul Drucker. Paul’s widow, Claire, to whom he was married for six months prior to the accident, has been seeking more information on the accident for many years now. If you have any information to share with Claire you may contact me and I can get you in touch with Mike. The conversation also reminded me that we as a class invite the widows ofthose classmates that our

89

have gone before to our five-year get-togethers and what with the 50th coming

reunion. Theywill be atUSAFAinApril (14-19); no football! Rememberwhen

up hopefully the reunion committee, when it is selected, will make an extra effort to include those ladies in the celebration.

we did a reunion about that time of the

Denny King sent an e-mail with a letter attached from the Superintendent during our first year at the Academy. Denny wrote “I just discovered a four page letter that was sent to our parents (Dear Parents) 19 Nov 1959 by Major General Stone, USAFA Superintendent, and thought you might like to have it for your records. The letter is very interesting and in many ways adds to our history as a Class. It talks about the new chapel design, the construction of a hospital, a new Astronautics Department and our class’ up-coming Christmas at the Academy. Denny scanned the letter to a pdf file and if you want a copy please let me or Denny know and we’ll send it to you. Denny also said Gil Merkle agreed to post it on the ClassWeb page so you should be able to go there as well (www.usafa63.org).

Did you vote? I used the AOG electronic voting process to make my selections for the AOG Board. Hope you got to make your picks as well. All AOG ”

year? Don’t recall exactly but it must

have been the 25th in 1988. We did see the Falcons’ Spring Training football game.

To close, I feel obligated to report on the bi-annual A1 Adams, Forty-Niner, Memorial Golf Match. A1 made up the rules, Don Neff gave everyone lots of

strokes and this time RayFullerwon the match. Reason why? No hole-in-one this year by A1 on the 18th hole.

members need to stay involved in our Association.

Jim and Sandy Johnston organized a week’s worth of activities in Hawaii for 36 friends from the mainland. Six of the participants are shown in the follow-

ing photograph perched on the Hickam AFB monument which greets every Navy ship entering Pearl Harbor.

Don Neff, Al Adams, Skip Lee and the winner, Ray Fuller.

Thanks for all the inputs. This is your column and it couldn’t be done without your

help. You all take care out there and let us hear from you now and

then.

Bob Hovde 206 Walker Ave.

Huntsville, AL 35801

(H) (256) 532-3923 (M) (256) 348-9794 bob@hovde.us

9th Reunion (45 YEARS!) November 4-7,2009 It sounds like the Colorado Crew has the reunion planning well in hand. I’m sure they’ll let us know when assistance is required. (See section from Matt and Usto, below.) Information will be posted on the AOG Website as it becomes available. Go to: www.usafa.org click on Reunions -1964. By the time you read this, the next planning meeting will have taken place at the Antlers and a class-wide announcement should be pubfished. The Website should be a one-stop-shopping location for everything to do with the reunion. Make sure your contact information is up to date at the AOG site and with Usto -

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From left are Jim Bogaert, Dan Dietz, Jim Johnston, Pres Davis, Bob Hall,

and Johnnie Hall.

From Jim Thyng: Ron Fogleman and Miss Jane came to New Hampshire to

be the principal speaker on Veteran's Day, November 11th. He spoke at the New Hampshire Veteran's Cemetery, the site of the newly constructed New

Hampshire Air Force Memorial. Jim reports that Ron did double duty: following the Veteran's Day ceremony, he dedicated the memorial. As usual, reports Jim, Ron spoke eloquently and everyone was impressed; especially the veterans. After the ceremonies, the Foglemans and the Thyngs took a day off and toured a bit of New Hampshire and Maine.

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45

(See his email address, below.)

Contact Information: Usto Schultz helped the committee set up a system of Squadron Representatives to help with

Sabre Society Donors

the “getting the word out” process. So, if you suddenly get a call or email from someone you haven’t seen in 45 years pay attention! There is a major project underway that will need everyone’s cooperation to pull off.

Please read Matt’s description below of the '64 Journal.

A Note From Your Historians (Matt Feiertag/Usto Schultz): Usto and I are finally moving forward with the project and hope to have it well under way by the time of our reunion—we hope to see YOU there. Unfortunately, it will not be completed for the reunion—NO EXCUSE SIR —but we’re rolling now!

We are committed to producing a hardback book, with some introductory information and statistics about the class as a whole, some information about significant occurrences during our four years at the Academy, and the majority of the book will be individual contributions from each of our classmates. We are patterning this approach on the Class of 1961, which produced a remarkable journal. We commend it to you as an interesting read.

We are tentatively leaving the subject of the written contributions up to the individual, within reasonable taste and length, and this may be further refined -

Jim and Ron infron t ofNubble Light off the coast ofMaine.

There is increasing interest in creating a class history for the 50th reunion.

This history might include a chronology of events, stories, statistics, facts, photos, etc. of cadet days and beyond. I recall we had a similar effort back around

the 35th, but I have been unable to find my copy. Can anyone remember who the point man for that effort was? I do have a booklet prepared by Jimmie Butler for the 30th Reunion, a copy of the Ad Novos Mundos, the First Thirty Years DVD /VHS tape presented by Ron Fogleman for the same reunion, and the CD Toward More New Worlds done by Jim Gaston for die 35 th. If anyone is interested in collecting and compiling stories for '63, we could advertise and

push the idea in this column. I think stories should be relatively short (maybe less than 500 words?). The collector could review, with help of course, and we would build an email file; then, as preparations for 50th shape up, it probably would not be too costly to print a handout for attendees or online for others.

Speaking of the 50th Reunion, I looked at the Class of ’59’s plans for their 90

along in the process. Some suggested topics you can use are: Memorable Events from the Past; Thoughts about the Future; Philosophy of Life; Hopes for the Future; Family; Career(s); etc. Minimal pictures can also be part as we move

ofthe submission. We would like everyone to start composing his submission, as we will be requesting them shortly.

A bound volume is an ambitious undertaking, but one that can become a

family heirloom as well as a legacy to the Academy. We need your feedback on commitments to fund such an endeavor, as the scope of effort will be directly Class of 1964 45th Reunion Nov. 4

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8,2009

Falcons vs. Army

proportional to available resources—talented people and dollars. The class of 1961 history was financed by one member of the class. The cost was slightly over $ 100 per volume for each member of the class. Because of inflation, we can expect to pay more. Any offer to help underwrite the project would be welcomed.

We will be donating several copies to the Academy (Library, AOG, etc.)

If any of our classmates with “publishing experience” {Talon, Dodo, Contrails, Polaris, etc.) would like to volunteer advice, etc., we would be happy to listen to your suggestions or offers of assistance.

Please talk to other classmates, and discuss this project with them. If you know some '61-folks, take a look at their book. If anyone you know has not received the letter, please tell him to make sure he supplies his email address to the AOG and to Usto. We will try to contact every member of the class, but email is the most direct and easiest for the project.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either of us: Matt: taz2wheels@gmail.com; Usto: uschulz@hughes.net.

Mall of Heroes: The Mall of Heroes should have the statues of Borque and

Sijan added by graduation. We also plan to have an added element called the Long Blue Line a blue line of granite, inscribed for each class, installed along -

the Mall walkway in time for '09 to have a short dedication ceremony before they leave-beginning a graduation tradition, thanks to'64!

March Old Trolls Lunch: Eight of the Colorado Trolls met in late March at the OldNorthern (Keeping the “Trickle-down economy” alive and well?) forlunch.

In keeping with their tradition of documenting each event, they took two pictures each with seven people. Sorry, Doug. I flipped a coin and the one you -

took won, so you're not in it.

John Gross, Hopper brothers, and Mike Lynch 3 April2009. three of Earl’s brothers: David, Larry, and Mike. God’s blessings and fair skies,

Earl.” Thanks Mike.

Bruce Grossetta: “On March 1st Larry (Farrell) and I were standing on Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, just under 19,400 feet.

Kilimanjaro is the world's tallest free standing mountain, and we started and finished our ascent from 6,800 feet. Of course, it wasn't just the uphill climb; it was the cold and lack of oxygen that were real obstacles. It was a quite an adventure, and much more difficult than I'd imagined, but then again, so was Basic Summer. For some reason Larry seemed to love both of those experiences. There were seven climbers in our group, and we were supported for nine days on the mountain by three guides, 26 porters, and seven others who had specialized tasks. Not Everest by any means, but it sure felt like an expedition. And Gail and Vicky? They were roughing it on a nine-day custom safari!” Wow, thanks Bruce, you guys are my heroes-doing retirement right.

Old Trolls in March: Bob Thomas, Wally Wolniewicz, Bobby Beverly, Usto Schultz, Jerry Butler, Tom Jobin and Howie Cohen.

Hall of Fame: On the 1 st of May, Terry Isaacson was inducted into the Class of 2009 USAFA Athletic Hall of Fame. The inductee group also included Ben Mar-

tin, Jim Bowman, Dee Dowis, Ernie Jennings and Callie Molloy. (This is being written before the event, but I’ll try to have pictures for the next issue.) Congratulations, Terry. I’m proud just to have been on the same team!

Rick

Zurbrugg

2929 Gavin Place

Duluth, GA 30096

(770) 476-4437 E-mail: ezurb@bellsouth.net

Hey '65. Please take a moment to reflect upon the passing of Bill Landes (William M), CS-15 class of 1965 on 4 Mar 2009 in New Orleans, LA. Funeral Services were held on 9 Mar 2009 at the Glenwood Funeral Home in Mississippi. Condolences may be sent to his family in care of his wife, Mrs. Tina M

Landes, 896 Anahola Place, Diamondhead, MS 39525-3668.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org or mail to your local AHA regional office, or, the Air Force Academy at www.usafa.org or mail to Association of Graduates, 3116

Academy Dr, USAF Academy CO 80840-4402.

Mike Lynch: “Our Classmate, Earl R Hopper, Jr., was finally laid to rest on 3 April 09 with full military honors, including Sabre Society Donors an F-16 missing man fly-by. Thus ends a 41 -year saga of grief, uncertainty, and finally closure. In January, '68, Earl was flying F-4s out of the 13th Fighter Squadron at Udorn, Thailand, when he was hit by a SAM over North Vietnam. He was listed as MIA until 1982, when his status was changed to KIA. His crash site was discovered in 1993 and his remains were finally recovered and identified in 2002. His family retained his remains until last year, when his father, Earl Senior, a retired Army colonel, passed away. Earl’s brothers decided to give Earl Jr his own military funeral and Earl was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. Luke AFB provided the honors and fly-by. The event was well attended by friends and family, as Earl was an Arizona product. A contingent of the Patriot Guard, a motorcycle group of military vets also attended. The Class of '65 was represented by John Gross and me. The attached picture included John, me, and

Grossetta and Farrell conquer Kilimanjaro: 1 March 2009.

Chuck Coleman: “Mary I had a nice visit last weekend with Pat & Colleen Moore and Tom & Diane Plank who came to see us here in Tampa. Pat & Colleen live in Colorado Springs but have taken to the road pulling their Airstream around the U.S. for several months. While in Florida, they spent a week in Dade City, about 30 minutes north of us, on a Habitat for Humanity "build," working with other volunteers to erect an affordable house for a low-income family. Tom retired from Sverdrup Corp. and Diane from teaching high school a few years ago, and they live on Choctawhatchee Bay in Niceville, FL, where Tom has made their home into a "fortress" as he watches for hurricanes each fall. Mary and I are semi-retired here in Tampa where I work for Hillsborough County as the Marine Safety guy where I'm in a boat on TampaBaymost days keeping people safe great job! During their visit, Pat, —

Tom, and I decided to "hitthelinks" at the MacDill AFB golf course. Tom can count on the fingers ofboth hands the total number of times he's played

golf.

On the 14th hole, a 162 yard par 3, Tom smacked a perfect 6 iron that rolled in

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Chuck Coleman, Tom (Hole-in-One) Plank, and Pat Moore.

91

the hole for a "Hole-in-One!" Tom said he's thinking about investing in some

golf shoes to replace the sneakers." Thanks Chuck. Way to go, Tom! Rod Rodman: “Pat and Colleen Moore were in the Orlando area on March 22nd. We got together for an afternoon meal and visit. Pat and Colleen do a lot

RVing from their home in C-Springs and have been in the area working on a Habitat for Humanity house. Judi and I are spending seven days a week working on a big addition to our little house in downtown Orlando. We hope to get to our place in Vermont this summer, at least for a couple of short stays.” Thanks Rod. Thanks to all you terrific guys, Mike, Bruce, Chuck and Rod who contributed to the column this time. It‘s very gratifying to see so many of you out having a great time together and doing interesting and challenging things.

Parting Shot: Like Chuck, I imagine there are many of you out there who have found and kept a near perfect fit in retirement employment or a way to keep that income stream flowing. Then I imagine that there are a few of you, your humble scribe included, who will, because of the Bret Favre Syndrome and/or economic necessity, return to the job market. Good hunting to you, old friends, in your quests for meaningful employment. This downturn may be good for our kids and grandkids, perhaps sharpening them up financially early in their lives, at least for a while, by debunking any delusion that there is such a thing as economic security, and helping them develop a healthy skepticism of trust in government and financial institutions. Be grateful for every day of life and sound health. Stay well, do good work and keep in touch. As the ROC would say, Cheers! Rick

pilot training reunion, John was kind enough to give us a narrated slide show of some of his adventures. It was kind of like watching someone’s vacation pictures—except that John’s pictures were of places like the Hubble Telescope and the International Space Station. The talk was scheduled for about half an hour, but it was so interesting that the audience kept John answering questions for three times that long—and the only thing that finally stopped the questions was an open bar that had been open, but

empty, for almost an hour.

In other news, Jerry Allen sent an e-mail to tell us that his son is now the class

scribe for the class of 94, and is probably having the same trouble I do dragging

information out of classmates. Actually, Jerry said that he appreciates what he called my irreverent style’’ and recommend that his son emulate it. That might not be the best idea for someone still working on a successful Air Force career.

I learned at a young age that active duty general officers don’t have nearly the sense of humor that retired ones do. Jerry is Commandant of Cadets at Virginia “

Tech, still trying to figure out the secret of the Hokie. He saw Mason Botts at an AFA dinner in Roanoke VA recently and claims there was a picture taken, which we will all be able to see when Mason sends it to me.

Ron Talcott is working for Boeing in Seattle and is planning on retiring in

June. He says that he saw Jerry Callahan, who also works for Boeing, at a “Dark Ages” party this winter, and that Jerry is doing well.

Keep those e-mails coming, and please attach pictures (don’t embed them) as jpg files. Let us know what you’re doing and what you look like, or I’ll have to start making up stories again about that squirrel pollinating business you run in the suburbs ofWashington DC. Until next time.. .Happy

Ryan Denny 1635 Mary Todd Lane O’Fallon, IL 62269 H: (618) 624-4255 W: (314) 232-5117 E-mail: ryanden@aol.com

Larry Wilson 13100 Pinehurst Ave. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87111 H: (505) 291-8949 E-mail: Lwilsn628@aol.com

Greetings, Redtags! I just wentto a reunion from my pilot training class from Reese AFB (68F). Since Reese AFB has been closed for several years, the reunion Antonio, which is a fun place to have a reunion. There were just a few of us '66 grads in that class because we had wasted the first nine months of our Air Force careers going to graduate school before pilot training. A lot ofthe guys in this class had joined the Air Force and gone to pilot training because of the was in San

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Vietnam War—some to help win it and some to avoid being drafted into the Army. Some stayed in and made a career out

of the Air Force, but a lot ofthem finished their tours and went back to what they had been doing before the military interrupted their lives—teachers, a pharmacist, medical school, architect, farmer, etc. (This was in contrast to most of us Zoomies who only occasionally let our lives interrupt the

Ah, springtime, when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of... non-winter stuff. Like golf, turkey hunting, spring cleaning, tax preparation and other activities which are generally less available/less pressing/more avoidable in the winter. But no more excuses. The days are longer; weather is nicer, or at least less consistendy lousy; and as I compose this (on Easter) my thoughts return to yesteryear, to Operation Easter and the like. Wow. I wonder if that is still a USAFA activity; and if not when and -

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why it went away.

But enough of my rambling. I have some inputs / info to share so awaaaaaayyyyy we go.

First of all congratulations to Tom Boettcher on his selection to the USAFA Prep School Hall of Fame. For those who did not know-that honorwas initiated in 2002, with incenSabre Society Donors five/assistance of Bob Muldrow, himself a Prep School grad.

According to Bob, Tom “.. .joins several others of our classmates: Fred Milanovich, Dan Gibson, Loren Shriver, Dale Stovall, Gerry Tom has had an impressive career, including author, lawyer, and Rafferty.

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military.) Even though a lot of us had not seen each other for Sabre Society 40 years, that year of surviving pilot training had formed a Donors sense of belonging that was only second to the brotherhood we forged during our time at the Academy. OK, maybe it was a distant second, but it was a pretty strong relationship that made for a great weekend. Fellow ’66ers in attendance were Lee Smith, John Casper, and myself.

Lee is living in Huntsville AL and working for Raytheon in the missile defense business. He is managing the Modeling and Simulation group in the Warfighter Protection Center and is thinking about retirement some time nextyear—but he says there are a couple of projects that he would like to see through to completion first. Like most of us still working, that means “until my 401k gets better.”

”

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political candidate. It is interesting that he takes particular pride in an article about American POWs during the Vietnam War which he co-authored, and which received critical praise. Impressive that his journey started, orwas in its early legs, with his time at the Prep School & USAFA. No doubt his time sweating for Karl Kitt on the wrestling team had much to do with his successes... Well done, all in the Prep School Hall of Fame, and again congratulations to you, -

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Tom, on your recent selection.

Condolences to Roger & Shonnie Carleton who are both recovering from a malady more common to dog owners in areas that get snow and ice: Roger broke an ankle, followed by Shonnie’s breaking a wrist, while walking their dogs in crappy weather conditions. Good luck to both for 100% recovery.

Soon.

Roy Miller recently again attended the Academy’s National Character & Leadership Symposium. During that time, he spoke with a number of cadets, about a number of subjects. One that he thought we should know about is the amount of the “car loan” now available to cadets. I believe in our day it was about $3500. FromRoy: “...thecarloanlastyearwas$32,000at0.5% (butveryfew Corvettes purchased). Quite a few cadets took the money and put it in the stock market (like I did with similar investment results)...” Perhaps the economic situation and this year’s loan will enable the cadets to make better car deals and/or buy low on some stocks. Good luck.

—

Lee Smith, Ryan Denny, and John Casper—all looking their youngest at a recen t

pilot train ing reun ion.

John Casper is still working for NASA in Huston, where he is the Associate Program Manager for the Space Shuttle. John has had a really interesting career, and he is still able to keep working at it. He started his astronaut career

in 1985, and got to fly on four shuttle missions between 1990 and 1996 (STS 36,

54,62, and 77), logging over 800 hours in space. After his last shuttle mission, 1 ohn was the Director of Safety for the Johnson Space Center and co-chaired the Return to Flight Planning Team after the Columbia accident in 2003. In his current

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job, he acts as the deputy to Space Shuttle Program Manager. At this

Not that I am any great techie or social e-communication advocate

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cer-

tainly nothing like our children/grandchildren. But- because of family influences, as it seems that many in-laws and other family members use the modality to show pics of kids, etc I did join Face Book a while back. What a jolt that is. You can easily deliberately or inadvertently- communicate with much of the e-world via that medium. I expect that My Space and others have similar capabilities. Scary. However there is an upside: it seems that some of our '67 guys are on that. I believe you can search by various parameters e.g. Air Force Academy and maybe find lost souls. So in addition to frequently seeing —

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fresh family pics and notes

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I’ve connected with some old AFA buds. Go ahead

sign up (no cost), log on and play with it a bit who knows who you might bump into. Or for you who are more grammatically oriented-who knows into who you might bump. Or whom. Aaaarrrrgghhhh. Here is another hot spot:U-tube. It is amazing what one can find there. For example, you might search for Les Jensen and see The Man making music. Another worthy search is Trace Adkins and the USMA Glee Club. Introduced by a wounded warrior, they performed at a recent award show and brought down the house. The performance has been well e-circulated. If you have not seen it look for it.

Some of you may recall Warren “Buddy” Smith, who started with us but had a change of direction in our first-class year, and departed. He has had a fascinating life, following a different path, mosdy focused on Nepal, Tibet, and that part of the world. He currently lives in the DC area, and works for “... Radio free Asia... maybe always will be. I’m finishing up my third bookonthe subj ect, so that’s good too...” We have gone a whole spectrum of directions since our Academy days, have we not?

I hope that all of us are members of the AOG, and that we will vote in the upcoming elections. Actually, by the time this is published, that election may be history... Anyway there are valid issues under consideration, and a solid -

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slate of candidates. There also has been some stream of e-communication from Jack Fry and others concerning the election, and other communication

from Bart Holaday '65, chairman of the USAFA Endowment group, with some rebuttal from the AOG. I certainly hope that the new AOG Board will get these groups pointed in the same direction. I encourage all of you/ us to keep in contact with our current class reps and with those who live in the area of the Academy, who tend to keep pretty fair fingers on the pulse of all there. In case you do not know Roger Carleton is running for a Board seat, and I hope that all will carefully consider his background, character, experience etc. For what -

Last ’68er in Uniform.

go flying.” (Scribe Note: Vic, nowyou'rejust rubbing it in!)

ERRATA SHEET ONTWINS SEPARATED BY CLASS: In my winter column, I posited that our classmate Jim Camp and his brother Gene (USAFA ’69) might

have been the first twins separated by USAFA year groups. Thanks to some

editorial truth serum supplied by Chuck Denham (USAFA ’67), he said, “Sorry, Tim, the Camp twins are trumped by, at least, the Fairhurst twins, Norman Gregory (USAFA ’63) andWilliam Stephen (USAFA ’64). So, to Jim and Gene

Camp, unless even earlier claims are touted, you are now wearing the silver, rather than gold medal for this unique category of USAFA comparisons.

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it is worth, he has my vote.

I’ve been thru my inbox, mail piles and email a couple of times and find no further recent class inputs. So with that I will bid a fond adieu, and close with a farewell photo taken from Em Monda’s future home, under construction in Laguna Beach.

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“Fighter Pilots Extraordinaire!” From left are Steve Mish and Dick Ewers.

HEARLED AVIATORS CONVERSE AT ‘68’s 40th: As I networked my way

around the ballroom during our 40th reunion banquet, I was able to capture a fairly decent digital portrait of two of our Class’ premier fighter pilots, Steve Mish and Dick Ewers. You may remember, in addition to a laudatory career

Looking westfrom Schloss Monda -no doubt we will all soon be in vited to the open house.

Best wishes to all. God bless the troops. God bless the United States of America.

Ii

Tim Davidson

9712 Hidden Valley Road

Vienna, VA 22181-6094

qBfpWw

(703) 255-5313 Fax: (703) 255-5377

Cftli jSSuft

E-mail: timd@erols.com

”

HELLO ’68! I’m not saying the economy is bad, but the Easter Bunny just dropped off plastic eggs with IOUs in them! Here’s hoping our country gets something more substantive than EB’s jelly beans after all the multi-trillion dollar bailouts!!

STILL SERVING: Though many might consider squeez-

ing into our uniforms in contravention to the laws of physics (i.e., attempting to fit a much larger mass into a much smaller space), one of our classmates does it every day and can still keep his “gig line” straight. Who is this masked man? It is none other than our very own Colonel Vic Bonfiglio, Com-

flying fast-moving aircraft, Steve was one of our Class’ two Air Force Thunderbirds. (Scribe Note: The other was Bill Gregory.) Dick Ewers is the last pilot in the Class who is still “slipping the surly bonds of earth” in fighter aircraft through his current position with NASA. We are deeply indebted to Dick for his stirring tribute to fallen classmates as he flawlessly executed a series ofhigh speed, F-18fly-bys over the USAFA Cemetery following our Class’ memorial service during the 40th reunion. As a side note, Dick can also be remembered for being the only classmate who matriculated from USAFA to the Marine Corps and while a cadet represented all of us on the television show “The Dating Game. ’68’s NAVIGATOR PLOTS COURSE AHEAD IN BORNEO: I just received a short blurb from Geoff Gorsuch, Director of Men’s Ministries for The Navigators, about his March 2009 leadership conference on the island of Borneo. The topic of the conference was “The Seven Seasons of a Man’s Life.” After each “season,” conference attendees broke up into smaller groups and discussed how biblical solutions were relevant to circumstances that unfold in developing nations. Geoff’s next major conference will be held in Singapore in May titled “Great Dad... Good Life.” Geoff, best wishes in helping to make our world a more loving and peaceful place to hang our hats and bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

33 Sabre Society

Donors mander of the Air Force Junior ROTC Detachment at Moanualua High School in Honolulu. As one ofyour Scribe’s most faithful correspondents, Vic is not only the commander of the unit, but teaches college and high school military education classes, serves as a flight

instructor, and writes articles for the local newspaper about latest trends in military recruitment. Vic writes, “Life in Hawaii continues to be enjoyable.”

(Scribe Note: Duh!) “The combination of teaching high school, college, and flying, plus the good weather and superb athletic facilities, really make for the good life. I don’t have enough time on my hands to get into serious trouble, since I’m busy most of the time. If you wander out here, bring money and we’ll

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HERR PROFESSOR DOCTOR YOOS? When I didn’t see Chuck Yoos at our 40th Reunion and wondered where he was and what he was doing, I received a sea of blank stares and slumped shoulder “I

don’t knows” from my compatriots in 3rd Squadron. Afterviewing a comment made by Chuck in April that surfaced on a '68 environmental e-blog about USAFA going green, I decided to end the mystery and sent my query to him via e-mail. Chuck responded: “Since I retired from the AF in 1998 as a Professor Emeritus at USAFA, I have been a Professor at Fort Lewis College, Colorado's public liberal arts college. I also teach occasionally for academic terms abroad as a Visiting Professor at the University of Applied Sciences Regensburg Germany (2001,2007 and 2009), Ecole Superieure de Commerce La Rochelle France (2004,2006), and the University of Applied Sciences Deggendorf Germany (2008,2009).

In my last years at USAFA, I was the Senior Officer Advisor to the Dean and the 93

Commandant on the Cadet Honor, and realized that the Honor System had become dysfunctional. I expressed that in several papers, notably "Habitat for Honor Within a Community of Character: Last Call for Reformation of the Cadet Honor System andVitalization of Character Development at the United States Air Force Academy." Read that and two other related papers at my Fort Lewis College website: http://soba.fordewis.edu/yoos/, with apicture ofme about to be run over by a train!

With Chuck’s rapid response, the mystery is now solved. Chuck sends to one and all: “Gutentag und Bon Chance!” ”

the same without him. Class congratulations to Ray for his exemplary service.

John (JC) Miller, many ofyou may have noted in the Checkpoints last, penned piece of reminisces about our day at U SAFA. Omitted from that piece was this fine picture of John with his Honda, procured and you can be certain of this between the time ofhis commissioning and the time of the photo taken later on that fateful day in June, 1969! John is now employed at the VA, where he encounters vets with motorcycles frequently. a

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John Miller with his Government-Issue Ride, June 4,1969. ’68’s Handballers: From left kneeling are Du and Don Mrosla. Standing: Marty Cole, Roger Wiles, Jim Lozito, and Mike Thrower. ’68’S REUNION HANDBALL CLUB DOES IT AGAIN AT OUR 40th: While

played golf, others chose to get acquainted with the bartender, and still others (suffering from the altitude and a touch of old age) took naps, a core group of die-hard “handballers” proved, once again, that time had not passed them by as they took to USAFA’s courts for our 40th reunion handball tournasome

ment. I am not certain of the final outcome,

butyou are welcome to ask Du and

Don Mrosla, Marty Cole, Roger Wiles, Jim Lozito, and Mike Thrower whether

they had a good time. My guess would be resoundingly in the affirmative!

Doug Fitzpatrick, also reminiscing in a note, recalled taking a date to dinner at the Broadmoor’s Rose Room in 1966, and noted then the absence of pricing on the menus. Oops, deep kimchee to come. His date dined on lobster thermidor, he on a dinner salad. The tip was commensurate with what a cadet could afford at the time. Ahh, speak softly, sweet memories. Of late, Doug has been building a new PC for himself and copying all his backup CDs to a new hard drive. His old tape drive will go into a box with the spiffy 12x12 calculator he bought in 1972, complete with a two-step algorithm permitting convergence on square roots, a cement block-sized cell-phone, and his 25-lb Betamax, with which it shares space with mine.

Rocky Van Zelfden, lawyer and financial planner in Austin, writes that Ron

REESE AFB 70-01 UPT REUNION 9-1 3 SEP 09: The Reese AFB UPT Class

Hindmarsh was elected Prez of the Rampart Chapter of the AOG, another in a

of 70-01 is holding its 40th pilot training reunion in the greater Washington, DC

long list ofhigh payingjobs with lots of helpers! Rocky had dinner late lastyear with Wild Bill Haney down in San Marcos, Texas. Rocky reports Bill is, as always, in Texas-tough good shape, and will be ready for the ritual arm-wresfling contest with Joe Hasek at the 40th Reunion.

Some ’69ers kicked the newyear off in style during the last week of January, taking up residence in a small resort on Hawaii’s Kona Island. Golf, tennis, gourmet cooking in and out, snorkeling, and sightseeing were all in store, capped off with Roy Coppinger s Aloha Roasted Pig Dinner. Also attending this week of revelry were Bruce Anderson, John Buckner, Kit Busching, Craig Collins, Tom Fleming, Bugs Forsythe, Brian Nelson, and brides/significant others. It maybe difficult to believe, but I have only one picture of this outing, and alas it was not suitable for publication in Checkpoints. Rather than insult my good friend, our long-time editor Tom Kroboth, or try to doctor the picture, let me just say it was reminiscent of a certain elevator at a certain hotel at a certain class’s reunion of many years back. One, and only one, of the above eight adventurers, kept his shoes on for the picture—guess which, and you can write the next Checkpoints column!

Steve Stowe, musician extraordinaire and Chief Pilot for Boeing (Wichita), also looking forward to the 40th, was pounding holes in the sky above and around C-Springs last fall, performing high altitude auto-land testing of an Italian KC-767, so if any of you out Colorado way saw a gray 767 dragging a boom, well, bingo! Steve says he tried to talk the Command Post into letting him join the three-ship of two Raptors and an F-15 overflying the ball game— but no dice. Clearly, there were no ’69ers in the Command Post.

To fill out the brace of Steves, Brother Edelman and his bride, Rochelle, spent a week ghosting about the Galapagos Archipelago under the watchful eye of a naturalist, getting close enough to share tea service with sea lions, sea turtles, land iguanas, marine iguanas, giant tortoises and a variety of other wildlife. So close they could hear a sea lion’s pup nursing. Trip of a lifetime, according to Steve. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

area from 9-13

Sept 2009. If you want further information, please contact Bob

Daley, Bill Drennan, or me.

RANDOLPH AFB 70-02 UPT REUNION IN THE WORKS: Bob Beanblossom is in the formative stages of organizing a Randolph AFB UPT Class of70-02 Reunion. Ifyou are interested in assisting, please drop him an e-

mail at: bnjbeanblossom@hotmail.com. ’68 TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Which classmate has seven children and 10 grandchildren? Which classmate has a winery and concrete business? Which classmate is working for the UN in Kyrgyzstan? Which classmate flies Micro Jets?

Which classmate looks like he might be related to a waiter at the Colorado

Springs Embassy Suites? The answers to all ofthese questions may be found on our class website.

THAT’S AWRAP: Mind the flak; keep ’em flying, and keep those cards, letters, e-mails, and photos coming in to Pat Russell and me. Please go to the Class

Website to see photos included in this column in color and in full size. Ciao for now.

Tim

Lindsey Parris 616 King’s Cloister Circle Alexandria, VA 22302 Home: (703) 836-3604 E-mail:

102177.1033@compuserve.com We are now in summer’s stretch before our 40th reunion. Plenty of time to get

your putting and short games into shape, start your packing for the multiple weather conditions we may face at November’s onset, and make your plans to arrive early to ensure you obtain a good seat for the festivities.

Whether it is my temporary deployment to Columbus (hipper than you tliink, but leaving no adverse weather pattern to one’s imagination), the vagaries of the US mail, or a spate of

busy, time-draining affairs on the parts of all good ’69ers, there is less new scoop than usual to pass along this time. I figure to see more ofyou in Columbus, given its Net Jets geographic centrality and infrastructure, and did dine with Flip Keck one Sabre Society Donors night; out oftown, I missed ChickKaiser and Terry Brady when they were through for training, but would love to see any of you ifyou pass through, Net Jets or not. (Mike Goode paid me for that plug, by the way).

Ray Haygood, after over four decades of service to the United States, stepped down from his position with the Aereospace Data Facility at Buckley AJFB, Colorado, and into real mufti for the first time in 43 years. The NSA will not be 94

Several ofyou have mentioned that John Dallager was interviewed by the CSprings Gazette (March 27,2009) as one of six retired officers heading up local non-profits. The article, titled "From Service to Country to Service to Community," addressed the appeal of such positions to retired military officers and the good fit of military officers to them. JD, executive director of the Pikes Peak United Way, offered superb insights based on his experience and leadership:

Class of 1969 40th Reunion Nov. 4

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8,2009

Falcons vs. Army

As I sit here on 17 April, Colorado Springs is getting hit with a massive snowstorm. It looks like another weekend of not being able to tune up my lousy golf

game. There is no spring in the Rockies! As I recall, it snowed on the Sunday

prior to our graduation.

Had a good chat with Mike Lyons who has been hitting the slopes this winter with Gary Finley, Rick Lesch, Jim Brechwald, and Roger Riggs. Chuck Weir had the honor of commissioning his son, Jim, into the Army.

His other son, Gordon, is already serving in the Army. I guess Chuck’s many great experiences in Jacks Valley rubbed off on his twins!

Rick Lesch indicated we have to get John Martinson out here for a golf match. Rick said John “had a fewsheckles to lose. Rick also indicated he played golf with an eight-yearold who shot 80 and hit it over 220 yards. She weighs all of 60 pounds. Elizabeth Wang remember the name and buy stock in her future. Tommy Thompson checked in from Texas

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Sabre Society Donors

where he is already working on his golf game for the next Reunion. Loren Ainsworth indicated he and Linda are coming from Texarkana to the Ring Dance for 2010

—

our

legacy class

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the end of May. Terry Sylvester will also be

out for graduation. He will be presenting the Outstanding Wrestler Award—

Team Darwin-Edelman

—

Up Close and Personal with a Giant Tortoise.

http://www.gazette.com/articles/work_50759

article.html/

officers_retired.html.

Although I have not received a recent update on Tom Mikolajcik’s condition -

therefore, this will be woefully outdated by the time you read it Carmen sent -

along a newsy update over the Holiday telling ofTom’s battle before Christmas, which saw him in the hospital and on the brink of a tracheotomy, but recovering swiftly and sufficiently (to the surprise of attending medical personnel) both to dodge the procedure for the time being and to return home for the holidays. Carmen said that at home his appetite was improving, and (more importantly!) his feistiness returning! She hoped to enjoy a home-Christmas with family and friends, and suggested that the power of prayers from the Class of 1969 could not be underestimated. Keep your thoughts forTom coming, please, to supplement his innate resilience and indomitable spirit. Very best

named in honor of our classmate—Dick Christie who was killed in Vietnam.

Got a nice note from Don Mills in Oregon. His premature grandson is doing well and Don and Lendella were here in the Springs to visit him and family.

Don indicated that his company, Horizon Air, is busy and Alaska Airgroup actually made some money in CY2008. Well that’s one company we won’thave to bailout. Seems like grandchildren are popping up everywhere. Gary Baxter is claiming the class record at nine! Here is Chuck Reed with his latest addition.

wishes to Tom from us all.

Glenn Schlabs and company have been working away diligently on reunion planning, and have all well in hand at this point. Look for additional information in your mailbox soon on the reunion and on last-chance contributions

for the Class Gift.

Go well. Be Well. Rock On. Cards and letters, please. Lindsey Dick Rauschkolb

130 Luxury Lane Colorado Springs, CO 80921 H: (719) 761-5764

Cell: (719) 310-6928 Email: AOG70@comcast.net

Richard Rauschkolb@usafa.edu On 3 April, John Martinson joined Gregg Popovich as a recipient of the

Academy’s highest honor—the Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA). John joins quite a select group of only 12 -14 graduates who have received the award.

He now has a plaque along the Heritage Trail outside Doolittle Hall. Pretty neat that the Class of 1970 has two honorees. The latest class before 1970 to have a selectee is 1965! AWESOME John and Popo—we are proud ofyou and salute your many accomplishments, achievements, and support for our alma mater and its great cadets.

Classmates Salute John at DGA Dinner. From left are Cookie Villarreal, Bill Kirkmanjohn CusickJimMulford, MickDavey, Rick Lesch, John Martinson, Brian Prendergast, Bill Rathbun, Larry Bush, Jack Mueller, and Rich Downing.

Unfortunately, the parade to honor John on Saturday was canceled due to a major snowstorm. John and Eilene were gracious enough to host a great lunch

and several classmates and I battled the elements and had the pleasure of sharing war stories with John and meeting his great family. Rich Downing, Bill Kirkman, Larry and Marleen Bush, Dave Gaw, John Cusack, and Craig Johnson were in attendance. Thanks John!

Mayor Reed holdingfuture member ofthe Class of2030. “

Mike Whizzer” White sent me some pictures of cadet days. Will try to work them into a future column. We recognized a few men in their younger days— Russ Carparelli, Joe York, Gus Sorenson, and Jerry Richman. Mike also had a picture from the Stars and Stripes of him pre-flighting an F-4 at Danang during Vietnam days. He looked like a “real warrior’’ with his pistol and survival knife.

Seems like a lot of men and their significant others are on the cruise circuit.

Dana and Linda Arbaugh had a great time on their Panama-Costa Rica cruise.

Dana recommends www.cruisewest.com as a company that will take care of you. Personally, I can fix you up at www.SomaliaOceanTours.com. Pirate attacks are no extra charge. Larry Bush and a group of ’70 men cruised the

southern Caribbean with their wives and reported they closed the bar down every night (that’s the over-60 bar which dosed at 1800).

Stylish Beach Bums Haunt Cruise Lines: From left areJohn Soltis, Jim Colgate, Larry Bush, Jack Mueller, Steve Maclssac, and Rich Harrington.

John Verardo sent me some pictures of one of our Prep School Classmates— Bill Arcuri. Bill went to West Point, but commissioned into the Air Force. He was shot down over Hanoi in a B-52

during Linebacker II and was a POW with 95

a broken

leg for over six months. John and I encourage former Huskies to quiltthree@bellsouth.net.

How about that Falcon hockey team! The boys upset Michigan and lost in

contact Bill at

double overtime to Vermont. If we had won, we would have been in the final four. Great season! Wish I could say the same about basketball. The boys lost something like 17 straight. The only saving grace was we got our first MWC Tournament victory—ever. Things may be rough on the hardwood the next fewyears, but we have some good young players. Speaking of basketball, let’s

hope Gregg Popovich’s Spurs are still playing when you read this. He has an uphill struggle with one of his star players, Manu Ginobli, out for the playoffs.

Went to several spring football practices. I think we will be good next year 8-4 or 9-3 is my prediction. Road games at Minnesota, Utah, BYU, and Navy will be tough. Let’s hope we can finally beat the dreaded Middies after a six-year losing streak!

I want to thank all ofyou sent emails or called supporting my bid for election to the AOG Board. Win or lose, it was nice to get support from so many classmates. I deeply appreciate it!

My job teaching English to Doolies ends in May. Back to the unemployment line. This year has been a blast. I really enjoyed the chance to teach and interact with the cadets in character development programs. The country is in good

hands if these great young men and women are going to be the future leaders of our Air Force.

Mike Gould takes over as Supt in June. He is a grad and former football player.

His wife, Paula, worked for me when I was in charge of the Liaison Officers.

They will be a super team for the Academy. We should all thank John and Debbie Regni for the superb work they did at USAFA as well. The Academy is a better

place because of their outstanding leadership and support.

Finally, your class gift committee needs about $300K to build the Southeast Pavilion at Doolittle Hall. This will probably be our last big gift to the Academy, so let’s all try to support finishing the project for our Reunion in 2010.

That isn’t that far away—so let’s see those donations start rolling into the Class of 1970 Gift Fund. We will all be proud of getting this monument to our classmates and graduates who served in SEA completed.

By the time you read this, I hope the fairways are lush and your golf games are rounding into shape. We are only about 16 months away from the big '70 Reunion GolfTournament and Swanson, Disosway, Weir, and Rauschkolb are gearing up to defend their title!

Have a great summer!

Sam Clovis was kind enough to write with words of encouragement and also to let me know about his life in the Heartland

-

-

Sioux City, Iowa area. “Things are

very busy here. Char is finishing her first year teaching English at Bishop Heelan Catholic High School. She is an excellent teacher and is doing very well. I am teaching one course this term, but have been doing a lot ofwork for the Homeland Security Institute on immigration policy. I am off to Miami to give a paper on building emergency preparedness at the local level at the end of March and will be giving a paper on my immigration research at the Midwest Political Science Association annual conference in April. I have a paper due for Publius: The Journal ofFederalism in mid-April, as well.

“I have been presenting lectures in Monterey at the Center for Defense and Homeland Security in support of the Department ofHomeland Security graduate and executive programs.

This summer, I will be moving to faculty status for this pro-

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gram, teaching primarily in the National Capitol Region. I am also developing and presenting the first Disaster Management course for Iowa State this summer in their Master of Public Administration program. The research and teaching

keep me very busy, so I am forcing myself to find time for relaxing and spending time with Char. I think I am going to forego teaching summer classes here at Momingside so I can hit the fishing and golf a little more than I have in the past.

Randy Leavitt also sent a nice note. He and I, among other classmates, started our Air Force careers at Vance AFB, OK, in pilot training class 72-09. If you spent any time in the wilds of central Oklahoma with this particular group of crazies and haven't heard about an effort for classmates to get in touch through the Internet, please let me know where you are, and I’ll forward you contact infermation. Ironically, the big push for the virtual reunion came through Stetson Cowan’s passing lastyear.

Randy commented on Dan Dougherty' s comments in the Letters section of the Fall issue concerning the AOG and fend-raising. We may have answers in this very magazine (which you may certainly read after you’ve finished the ”

Class news).

Darryl Wimberley will be on his way back to Austin and Doris after a year’s Adjunct English professor. With any luck, there may be a book based on his experiences both in the Hill and in the local area.

Speaking of books, I have Geno Kraay’s book (“The Olympian: ATale of Andent Hellas”) on order. All the reviews that I read about it are extremely posi-

remote tour here as an

five. GBA

Paul D. Knott Bob Bell

5565 Lantana Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80915 H: (719) 570-9162 W: (719) 594-0100 E-mail:

13 Pacific Ave.

'Wm

Sinking Spring, PA 19608 (610) 678-3182/Fax: 678-4513 E-mail: rabell767@aol.com

pk71knott@gmail.com

Greetings from central Colorado, where the Peak and the winds are about the only constants in our lives.

Rich Martenson’s son Matthew is graduating from 29th Squadron this spring.

He has a UPT slot at Vance, where Rich met his bride.

(28 Sabre Society Donors) Hi Guys rather than have the editor, Tom Kroboth, make up some boilerplate to fill in here, I figured on just telling you myself that for the first time in a long time (if ever) we haven’t got a column for this edition. So my idea was to let you know that future inputs can be made as ever on a quarterly schedule, like clockwork, directly to me (and due to the editor soon after) about mid-month in July, October, January and April subject to publishing changes but good to go as a guide. I am sorry for this time just not coming together, and hopefully we will return for the next one with some good infer-

mation from any of you who would like to pass it on. Thank you all in the meantime for your past efforts.

■

\ -S,■■ 1

ix The Martensons at the Minnesota All-Academy Ball, Winter 2008

Thanks to all of your prayers and kind thoughts for Sean. The latest news is that he is in a rehabilitation hospital in Denver and that he is moving forward from his surgeries and is re-learning to do things that we all take for granted, such as walking, talking, and eating solid food. Prognosis seems good so far.

Keeping everyone up to date on his progress led us to the wonderful world of blogging. I’d love to say that Bob “Skiman” Peterman’s on-line journal of his trip up the Appalachian Trail last year was the impetus, but the idea actually came from our daughter, Paulette. Anyhow, if you can’t find our blog on Sean, let me know and I’ll forward the e-dress to you.

Andrea had lunch with Harry & Cindy Davis recently. Harry’s fighting back from his strokes last year, and they especially wanted to recommend a book that addresses our challenges with Sean.

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■,.

Joe Kahoe

4140 Saddle Rock Road Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Cell: (719) 210-5568 joekahoe@gmail.com http://73.texascomputerhelp.com

Class of 73, please continue to send pictures and stories about your lives... families, careers, retirements, etc. Read the full article with many more pictures/links athttp://usafa73.org. VR, Joe Kahoe, CS-07.

Visit the AOG Web Site.

Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and more!

www.usafa.org

John Regni as USAFA Superintendent; Sully Sullenberger landing in the Hudson; and many others. Rick very much enjoyed our 35th Reunion and is

proud to be a member of the Class of 73.

Steve McCauley, web guru Mike Nishimuta and a number of our classmates have put together the 73Stories website that is worth a visit over a mug of coffee. My latest favorite is RowRogacki’s exhortation to not let one’s dreams die, and the pleasure that comes from the pursuit. If you like it, Steve would love to have all of you submit. Go to http://www.73stories.org.

From left are JoeKahoe, T Thompson, Sully Sullenberger, John Regni, and Ron Scott at Gen Regn i’s quarters on 15 April.

Our national hero classmate, Sully Sullenberger, was the guest of honor at USAFA on 15 /16 of April where Lt Gen John Regni presented him with the Colonel James Jabara Award for airmanship contributions of great significance

that set him apart from his contemporaries. Sully spoke to a packed Arnold Hall. He began his very motivational and inspirational talk with “Fast, neat,

From left are Grace and Don McMillan (CS40), and Julie and Steve Diehl (CS40) in Jupiter, FL Jan 2008. The Diehls escaped a blizzard in Maiyland to

catch record lows in south Florida.

average, friendly, good, good... I’m one of you.” Sully claimed to be an “average cadet,” although he did graduate as the number one aviation cadet in our class, with over 1000

hours of flying time at the zoo. Sully urged cadets to “value education, never stop learning, find your passion and invest yourself,” which will “serve you and society.” Sully talked about the events of 15 Jan 2009 as a life-changing experience.

He talked up the “team effort” and talked down his “indiSabre Society Donors vidual” accomplishments. Much more on our web site.

Ken Vargas reports that he and his wife are planning a CS-27 reunion celebrating the 40th milestone of Jack's Valley. This will take place in

Calgary during Stampede (Rodeo) week (starting 2 July 2009) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Dave Lesser (CS-1) reports Dick Fickes celebrated his third anniversary of providing Missile Defense Agency test event support at the Missile Defense Agency Integration and Operations Center (MDIOC), Schriever AFB, CO. Shari is a home health care nurse manager/supervisor making sure home health

patients are receiving the right care.

Tom Kennedy reports from the Grim Reapers of CS-31: Don Sloan participated in the annual "Polar Bear Plunge" in support of Special Olympics Delaware, where they raised $490,000. In Don’s words, “...a note to thank all of you for your support to Special Olympics DE and this year’s Polar Bear Plunge.

Some last-minute donations have helped me raise over $2500, the most I’ve ever collected. That’s entirely due to your generosity, and it’s especially meaningful with today’s economy.” Tom Kennedy also passed on a “small world story” from 8 Apr 2009 at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in LexingtonVA. “My son Andrew and I, were in room with another father and son awaiting an Air Force ROTC officer to discuss ROTC options at VMI. The other father and I shared a few tidbits with each other, and to our surprise, almost 40 years after entering the Academy, here we were, two classmates with their sons, myself from CS-31 and John Pretz from CS 6. Turns out the AF ROTC officer was also a CS-06 grad from 2003.”

John Stefonik offered a few notes on our ongoing class gift: “National Character and Leadership Symposium 2009 was held Feb 19 21 at USAFA. Although we are not yet able to "endow" the seminar as we resolved at our last reunion, we are the binding force behind the program. We donated a total of $ 183K, a bit -

goal. Thanks to many generous classmates (John Muse in particular) we remain at about the $60k/year level. Participants this year ineluded: Bob and Pam Munson, Ron and Mary Scott, John and Lynne Stefonik, Trapper Carpenter, Mike Mosier, Robert Decker, Dale Birch, Mike and Amy Smith, A1 and Sandy Maurer I'm sure I missed someone. Oh yes, and the guy in charge of it all, John Regni (who by the way is retiring on 9 June 09). Attendees were treated to Coach Tom Osborn, CIA counterintelligence operative James Olsen, POW Barry Bridger, Journalist and CBS reporter Kim Dosier, NASA s Gene Krantz (remember Apollo 13?), plus our own SSgt Rowe Stayton, to name but a few. Our class crest and acknowledgement of our support was part of each presentation. We make a huge impact and in the words of the Director Col. John Norton "We couldn't do it withoutyou." Read about the great feedover half of our

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1

From left are Mary, Queen ofScottsand master practicaljoker; Kim (pregnant with Addison); Aaron, Chad, Boni, Kian, Ron (aka Chico), latent phi-

losopherand enthusiastic granddad; Katie; and Kodi.

From Ron Scott: Our family met in San Diego for a mini-reunion. Daughter Katie and her husband, Boni, and sons Kian and Kodi, came all the way from

province. Mary and I, and our daughter Kim and her husband, Chad, came all the way from Colorado. Kim (pregnant with our granddaughter Addi) and Chad are both executive-level accountants for international a western

companies operating out of Denver.

Mike Mosier and Ron Scott were recently in the DC area supporting aeonsuiting client. While there they joined Bruce "Orville" Wright for breakfast at an Irish Pub in Arlington. Updates: Grant Gillig is an entrepreneur with a successful medical technology business operating out of Colorado. Bob Decker is keeping our financial world grounded as an honest analyst in the Chicago area. A1 Mauer is quite the political philosopher in addition to his IT consulting efforts. Rowe Stayton is preserving his youthful athletic prowess by fighting bad guys in Iraq Rowe should be the next protagonist in a W.E.B. Griffin novel. Dr. Bob Munson finds time to volunteer his medical expertise in support of a local hospice in addition to providing leadership for our class and the AOG. Dr. John Rabins, besides being the absolute best optometrist in the world, volunteers time for the homeless and is an annual participant in the -

global doctors without borders program.

The Class of 73, in keeping with a decade of tradition, will sponsor the Class of 2013. Don Rightmyer (historian, author, and head of the Cadet Heritage

Committee 37 years ago) is writing the lead page of this year’s Contrails. Read about it at our web site. Read a great “letter” from our classmate, Judge James L. Shumate on the web site.

Joe Brezovic

1209 Bayou Oaks Drive

Friendswood, TX 77546

back on the web site.

From Rich and Karen Leeman: We recently returned from a visit with our daughter Sandy and her husband, Capt John "Stu" Sisler (USAFA, class of2003) at their home in Bury Saint Edmunds, UK. Mildenhall AFB. We had a great visit, but much too short, especially with Stu. He left us to go back to Albuquerque to finish AC upgrade in MC 130s.

Rick Karvosky passes on congrats to all our very accomplished classmates, including Nortie Schwartz as the CSAF; Steve Lorenz as the Commander AETC;

-

H: (281) 482-6860 E-mail:

jbrezovic@comcast.net

Hello Classmates! Welcome to another round of catch-ups. I have a few pics to show next issue, too.

Rick Bates (Nanci) is in Rapid City, SD. He retired AF in 1993. Spent 6 years

more mails and

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with Gateway computers (Director of Technology), and 3 years with Intuit (Engineering Manager). Currently CIO of local school district. Raised two daughters along the way.

Dave Wilson updated his files as alive and doing well just outside of OKC.

Dave encourages Vic LaSaxon there in Edmond on a regular basis. Vic is recov-

ering from multiple back surgeries, and though this is a struggle, his spirits remain high. Dave also keeps in touch with Paul Hankins (Donna) on a regular basis. Paul turned down his second star a few years back to remain in

Montgomery, and is now president of a small college association in Alabama.

Dave had taught JROTC, but “.. .as I've added a newwife to my life.. .in Dec of

'08, (I) finally accomplished a lifelong dream and now own a Piper Cherokee Arrow. It makes for a relatively short trip to Murfreesboro, TN to visit grandson, class of2029!”

I caught a note from Ed Whalen, our class president. Ed is working Initiatives as a Lockheed Martin VP for Missiles and Fire Control in Abu

Dhabi, for United

Arab Emirates.

Dan Griffin (Lynda) is in Front Royal, VA. There, Dan is owner of Timber Frame. He got there after finishing Nav School in 1974 to C- 130s, then UPT in 1980. Flew F-15 and F-5E. 94th Fighter Squadron Commander 1990-92. Retired as Colonel 1996. Worked at MCI, Verizon, and General Dynamics; then on to timbering. He and Lynda have two children: Michelle, VT Grad 2005, and

Daniel, USAFA Grad2007.

Rick Bates in his Office Suit.

Michael O’Connell (Loretta) wrote in an update. Michael got out of USAF in 79, went to FAA as air traffic controller. Tower, Tracon, Enroute Center, Central flow control, training instructor, FAA HdQtrs staff, supervisor. Retired 2004 and moved to Grand Junction. Blessed with two sons and one grandson.

He’s hoping they don’t make us do pull-ups before we eat at our reunion. As far as I know, there won’t be any upperclassmen at our meals. Yeah for that!

Donald R. McMonagle, former astronaut and manager of NASA’s Launch Integration Space Shuttle Program made a comment the other week: “Orbital debris. There were times when we had to bring astronauts back inside the space station because of fears of collisions from space debris...an impact.. .would cause catastrophic damage. So we now know better how ’’

crowded it is up there! Nick Puzak is getting ready to do control center ops from JSC for the Hubble Mission. By the time you read this, we’ll be celebrating it was a success [hopefully!].

Dave Hoglund is still marathoning. 10,000 runners and he was 280th! Half marathon in 1:34,7:07 a mile or 8.5 mph for treadmill people. Hope to compete more before the So Cal summer gets too hot.. .1 see Jim Payne who manages Global Hawk test for Northup-Grumman (NG), and Jay Jolly who consuits on N-UCAVfor NG, and I’m still having fun with NG, too!”

Dave Daley is doing well in DC yet. Dave feeds me inputs from that arena.

The latest is about Gen Duncan McNabb and the US effort in Afghanistan. “

The Dan Griffith Family at the Docks.

Bruce Davis (Sandra) sent a summary note from Florida. They have had a nice career plus time to raise Kathryn, Matthew, Austin, Jonathan, and Aimee.

He ran into Hap Hairston at the Pentagon in 1997. Ran into John Voss at a San

Antonio movie theater in 1991. C.D Smith at the Pentagon in 1997 at his Colo-

nel pin on ceremony. Charles Fitzpatrick in 1988 at Kelly AFB (he was on in-

spection team from MAC). Lance Bachran in 2003 at a conference in DC. As the commander of the 445th, we were tasked with the medical evacuation of all wounded in Iraq. Of20,142 patients flown back to the states, we had no deaths while anyone was in-flight.

Insurgent attacks on major supply roads into Afghanistan have disrupted U.S. delivery schedules, said Gen McNabb, who directs the U.S. Transport Command; however, told lawmakers that he has personally assured the head of Central Command, GenPetraeus, "We will be there. We'll figure out and make sure you never have to worry about this.. .You

23

probably couldn't ask for or find a tougher place from a logistics challenge, of getting the stuff in," Duncan told the

Sabre Society Donors

Senate Armed Services Committee. Go Duncan!

Tony Brozena is still in Albuquerque. Make a stop for some coffee onyourway thru. Spike Murphree is close by (East Mountains) and Lou Crooks even showed up to one of the monthly AOG breakfasts

Dorsey wrote a touching note. I’ve placed some of it below for classmates to be proud of classmate’s efforts to support each other. “The past seven years 1 have been committed to getting my father's book, 'The Chopper Caper' published. My dream was to get a picture of my Dad holding the first copy, the galley proof. I came within 12 hours. My father died February 23rd, knowing that it was done. The night before, I received an email confirming the arrival of the first copy and my Dad and I got to high-five each other, we hugged and I told him I loved him. He was gone early the next morning. I have a feeling he knew his time here was done and this project was a wrap. It's about a heavylift CH-54 Skycrane being commandeered by a couple of renegade pilots who use it to lift an armored car off the freeway. It will be discounted through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders and online in late April or early May. Or, I'll have some at the 35th Reunion. Much thanks for support to Tim Coy 74 my old roommate who used to work at Eriksson Sky Crane in Oregon. Thanks to my other former roomo Rob Scott for his testimonial and

Bruce and Sandra’s last time in the C-5.

Tom Hayden (Vicky) is in Colorado Springs. Last AF job was USAFA Civil

Engineer. Since Tom’s company has downsized, his main job is finding a job.

In between phone calls and resume building, etc. Tom Is in charge of the 35 th Reunion this fall. Of course he has some help! Ted Roth is providing guidance, and a few others. Perhaps you are willing to help in some way? Let me know and I’ll pass the offer along! We each hope to see some of you classmates and friends from yesteryear there 7-10 Oct 09. Plan what you can, and I do hope that you live long and prosper.

Paul Kent

input and to my

18166 S.E. 41st Place

old handball coach and former Dean, General Cubero for his testimonial to the book as well. Thank you to Gen Philip Erdle and Gen Dick Casey 74 for their support and encouragement.

Issaquah, WA 98027-9717 Mobile: (425) 785-3586 E-mail: zooscribe@mac.com

Class of 1974 35th Reunion Oct. 7-11,2009 Falcons vs. TCU

Dark Ages Parties. Feb 21. Around the World. True, the only known DAP

outside the CONUS was the Perth, Australia Chapter with a membership of 1, but John Venable called DC to say “Things are good here, nice summer day.. thinking about our GBNF.” So next year will be the 2nd Annual International USAFA 75 Dark Ages Parties. Jim Carlson's DC Report: We had a fantastic turn.

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outatthe9thAnnual75DAP! Theme was Mardi Gras (with beads and masks on the tables). Apologies if I missed anybody in the list below 52 attendees (31 -

-

classmates, 2 no-shows): Akers,Anderson,Awtrey,Braun,Bready,Burns, Carlson, Charlton, Colley, Cox, Davis, Ellis, Gray, Gunther, Hargrove, Henney, Manthei, Marino, May, McCorry, Miglin, Piotter, Rhoads, Saenger, Schmitt, Smith, Soto, Sullivan, Waters, Webber, Young.

Scott Smith with Class Flagin Jerusalem. in any photos of your smackwad self, of course no one is going to see any

DC DAP Contingent

indication in this picture collection that you were ever at the Academy!" Well,

Puget Sound: (5 classmates and 3 spouses: Paul Kent, Mike Garrett, Paul and Michelle Lotakis, Chris and Karen Glaeser, Denny and Heidi Mellon) called in (to DC) to co-celebrate, but all they heard were loud, boisterous cheering (75 Best Alive) and some unintelligible shouts (just like last year!). The scribe notes:

organized by Chris Glaeser, and Paul Lotakis lead us to toast our GBNF. BTW, Lotakis' new Alaska Airlines seniority number: 75. Cool, lim Burling: The Colorado Springs DAP had a good turnout with great food, drinks our event was

and camaraderie!

now is another chance for those who sluffed off the last call.

Pack up those

negatives, slides, and pictures and send them to Bill. Especially GBNF. He is putting together the FINAL DVD of our class commemorating our time there atthezoo. It'snow ornever. Then Gemot Pomrenke chimes in: Ihavethesame comments as Mike Anderson. I do not know why I'm on your email list since there is no photo proof that I was ever at U SAFA... at least according to the class DVD. Carlson responds: Gemot, but since my visit to your office a few years back, at least I knowyou exist! You must've been one of those "terrain-following-low-profile cadets" LPTFC (like me). Back from Gernot: Actually I was a HIGH-profile cadet -1 lived and slept on the TOP floor of the library (6th floor, I believe) when I was not in the gym fencing. Then Gil Braun: Some of us are not avoid-

ing sending in pictures... we simply don't have them. I doubt there are more than a handful of pictures ever taken of me while I was there at the zoo (other than my officer photo, for which GenVandenberggaveme "12and8" because mytie was

crooked).

23 Sabre Society Donors

Admin and The 35th Reunion Coming Up in Fall 2010. All from Jim Carlson: Our reunion is about one year away. We won’t actually even be able to fix the date until the Football schedule comes out (March 2010?). But we can start preparing all the other things that go into making a great reunion.

Anyone with the desire, energy, and wherewithal should roger up. Submit your nominations to Dave Herlong, who has graciously accepted my request to tally your votes. Admin: We now have 402 classmates registered on

In the front rowfrom left are Tim Murphy, Jim Burling, JeffNeumann, and Bentley Rayburn. Back row: Scott Hente, AT Stoddard, Mark Volcheff, Randy Davis, JD Barrowclough, Phil Pearce, John Gaughan, MarkWells, Steve Morris, Terry Kemp, and Chumley Collins.

Rick Douglas sent a photo postcard in a misbegotten attempt to be recognized as an official class DAP in Hawaii. Jeff Chappell from SLC: Wayne and Amy Willis, Jeff andTheresa Chappell, and John and Nance Kearns. “We may not compete with the big boys in DC for size, but we had a good time anyway.”

Retirements. Two more USAFA1975 Flag Officers hang up the blue suit. Bill Schuessler and Bob Knauff. Our '75 Generals page is complete. Mike Crider sent in his photo and all is well. Charlie Beadling has outlived the career ofthe Minuteman III missile at the Academy! He hung up the uniform after a very distinguished career in military.

Classmates. Very sad news from Randy Powell: My son was killed in a single car auto accident. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington Cemetery. Bill Murray: I was in Phoenix and hooked up with my old roommate, Jerry Cooke. He's a Capt for United Airways and has 5 Grandchildren with one on the way. I'm envious. John Sims: should be moving to live with his daughter in Vegas. Peter Blatchley: We've been here in Ramstein since Jan 07. I'm "back in the Air Force" as a Civilian Employee, and will return to Colorado in Jan 2012. Scott Smith: Our Class Flag made it to Jerusalem. What an experience. I fulfilled a lifelong dream. Happy to have the Class of '75 along with me.

(See photo at the top of the next column.)

Jim Eken: This week I received the '75 Guidon here at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. Will work a photo op with a camel or two! Best Alive. Mike Anderson: I signed on with Chugach Alaska Corporation. My last day on Capitol Hill was March 31. Cars That Fly and Classmates that Fly (Drive) Them. You can check it out at: www.terrafugia.com. Phil Meteer is the test pilot.

Photo Requests and Responses from our Classmates Who Don't Think They

Time marches on!

Sad news: Steve Stout’s mother-in-law passed away in late March. Steve’s wife, Beth, was one of the original female ATOs our class worked with just prior

Ever Went to the Zoo. To grant you relief from the "Carlson-Classmate-Ha-

to young ladies entering USAFA in ’76.

rassment Program" with regard to photos, here is a note from Jim Burling with

his own fervent appeal: I was talking to Mike Anderson the other day, and he said something to the effect that since he was in none of the pictures, it's hard for him to prove he was even there at the zoo at all! My response was, "Mike, these photos are a result of classmates sending them in to Bill Estelle when he called forthem afewyears ago (before the last reunion). So

-

ifyou didn't send

ZoomieNation. The nearest class in membership is '87 with 112 members. My

goal as your class prez is to get 75% classmate profiles up and 75% of you old farts to show up at the 35th reunion. If that happens, the Class of 75 will be remembered for more than its historic and staggering 48% attrition! Dave Clough, CS-36 Pink Panthers POC: Pink Panthers have all 15 graduated classmates on ZoomieNation. Challenge from the scribe: The fifth person to read this column and respond correctly to the scribe: "Who is our oldest graduate?" will receive absolutely nothing material except verification and a confirmation that somebody actually reads this column. Let me know. I'll get back to you. Want all of this printed column in more detail? The scribe will post to ZoomieNation shortly after this column appears in the printed Checkpoints.

Dan

Beatty

12196 Stanley Canyon Road Colorado Springs, CO 80921 H: (719) 488-1962 E-Mail:

whrlybrd76@aol.com Dan.Beatty@usafa.af.mil http://www.AFAcademy.com/76 Fellow’76ers, As you read this the Class of2009 is ready to graduate. By the end of July the

Class 2013 will be arriving. 13 will be the Firsties for our legacy class of 2016.

Please keep the Stout family in your thoughts and prayers.

Moving up/moving on. Mike Gould confirmed for 3rd star AND will be the new USAFA Supt with change of command in June. I believe Mike is the 1 st USAFA Prep grad to become Supt. Jim ‘Beak’ Hunt from HQ USAF to Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Corps, Baghdad. (Keep your head down Beak!) Dave Clary out of Iraq after 14 months and back safely to Langley.

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He caught a ride back with Gen Schwartz and received a Bronze Star from him

before takeoff.

Jerry McFarlane has a Myrtle Beach vacation planned for late May, Lance and Julie Cliristian will join them for a few days. Kim Weber sent a short update and a

pic of Katie. She’s a cutie Kim! Wait till she reaches dating age! Randy Schavrien

says son Scott completedT-6s and is headed to NAS Corpus Christi to complete UPT. Randy was selected tobeoneofl2 soccer referees to work the Texas final

Dave Clary receiving Bronze Starfrom Gen Schwartz and LTG North.

Larry New retired recently. Terry New officiated with Dave Robinson, Jack Catton, Bill Roege, and Howie Thompson attending but no one sent photos!

Larry is now working for Boeing. Congrats to Mike, Beak, Dave, and Larry!

General Class Stuff: I am still expanding/updating my Scribe database and appreciate contact info you have for ’76er’s including email/snail mail addresses & phone numbers. I will not share info without your permission to protect your privacy. Please send any and all contact data you have. I will sort out any duplicates. The USAFA InCircle 76 group seems to be working well also. It’s free! Find it and join on the AOG website https://zoomienation. usafa.org/usafa/auth/login. I appreciate the updates some ofyou have sent me so far. Apologies to Roger Yauchzy for misspelling his name in my last article. Will play an ‘over 55 card’ on that one Roger. Heard from three old ‘Dirty Thirty’ mates. Del Cornali sent a pic of him and Michele in the restaurant owned by his 2nd cousins in Italy, in the house where his grandfather was born. They just returned from three weeks in Dominican Republic.

four for 4A/ 5A high schools. He also does college and recently filled in on two pro matches. Go Ref! Lee Cuevas says son Alex finished C-130 initial, is headed for SERE, then to Davis-Monthan in EC-130s. Lee began his 21 st year with UPS. He and Angie are enjoying empty nest. Doug Fry ran into old track buddy Greg Holmes at DIA. Greg lives in C-Springs, flies international Delta from Atlanta.

Doug also had beer & chips with Joe Wysocki recently. Joe & Julie just back from two weeks in Australia and some Great Barrier reef diving. Doug has added that to his ‘bucket list’. Doug will see Kevin ‘Chili’ Chilton at the STRAT-Cyber conference soon, then he and Cendy are headed to Germany to see '00 grad daughter, then to NYC for son’s mid-May graduation.

Mike Walsh & Jacky left Hawaii for Virginia Beach and should have new address soon. Rob Sheridan inquired about my past experience in Afghanistan.

His business got hit by the credit cmnch and he may be headed to the theater in the construction world. Mike Lee says #3 son will re-enter USAFA as 3degree after a two-year church mission. Mike is attempting return to the CSprings area. Chris Hoffman, Bob Oleksy, Mike Reames, Terry Newton, Mark Welsh, Mike Hauser, and Brian Carlton updated email/contact info with me. Brian works on USN/ USMC counter IED programs. Dave Berg brags son Jacob is a May honors grad from Shenandoah U, with a BFA in composition with piano, and if anyone needs a rock band, drum lessons, piano lessons, or wants to commission a song, Dave has an in. Tim Lewis saw Rob Parker, flying for Southwest, Sabre Society Donors in Ft Lauderdale recently. Says Rob was easy to spot, hasn’t changed much. TS Kelso updated new C-Springs address.

Says he is way too busy consulting to Iridium since the satellite collision a few months ago. Ron Kirchoff is busy keeping the International Space Station in orbit. His business develops inflight software that flys on the station.

Pete Mapes and Enrique Saa both sent short notes; apparently all is still well in Maryland and Texas, respectively. John Dunstan appealed to my former National AOG employee side with a very good review of a recent Checkpoints artide. Great input John, and I have forwarded your input (anonymously of course) to the appropriate POC. And your input was greater than Mike Fricano ’s this go!

Dave Nakayama is a civil servant at Warner Robins. Says there are lots of challenges with older, smaller fleets, multiple configurations, and constrained resources. Finally, I received a ‘cherry’ input from Rich Brozovic. Always good to get the first ever input to Checkpoints from a classmate. Rich is a compsci instructor at McMurry University in Abilene, TX and recently took four computer students to the AITP National Collegiate Conference. His oldest son is in Tacoma and youngest son is a ’05Texas A&M grad and recently changed career fields after three years in he beef industry. He has a 10-yr-old granddaughter and a two-yrold grandson who will visit (with parents of course) in Jun-Jul for three weeks.

Good to hear from you Rich. Please write more often.

Del and Michele in Italy.

Greg Boomgaard talked to Geoff Leon Lawrence who said he ran into Dave Hatfield in the Dallas area recently. Boom also says Bernie Goldbach was on vacation in Pennsylvania at the same time Boom was on vacation in Japan.

Mike Duclos moved to Boerne, TX. He’s training for the MS 150 from San Antonio to New Braunfels and back in May. Good luck Duker! Martha and I enjoyed an evening with Dave and Lori Robinson recently at the wedding of a ’05 grad we both have connections with. I sat with John & Sandi Andrew and Tom & Vicki Mallary at Founders Day dinner recently. John is now Vice-Dean at USAFA. Tom is Director, Corporate Work Study Program/Teacher Arrupe Jesuit High School near Denver.

Well classmates, again time to stick a fork in it. Send me your notes, inputs, address updates, suggestion, junk mail, etc and I will do my best to keep all of you in the loop. As always, if you are headed to the Springs, let me and the other locals know. Keep flying your flags and let our deployed troops know you have them in your thoughts and prayers.

The Spirit of 76 is STILL alive and well! Until next time... Beatty

John “Lou” Michels, Jr. 4107 Harvey Ave. Western

Springs, IL 60558

Office: (312) 861-7975

John.J.Michels@Bakernet.com

Well, no one can say that I don’t have at least some readers out there after my last pitiful request for input, accompanied by a substantial amount ofverbal groveling, I received enough information and photographs to make this column a little less anemic than it was for the last two quarters. My thanks to everyone who wrote-but you should know that I'll begin to use up material -

now at a

fairly good clip. For those ofyou who haven’t dropped me a line in a

while, I'm always looking for more information.

FIRST RESPONDERS: A voice from out of my past specifically my BCT Vince Sharp (Suzanne) makes its first appearance in the -

squad roommate

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countdown with news of his retirement at Little Rock several years ago and immediate employment with the Army. Vince’s email title lists him as an “Exercise Specialist,” and we’re not talking Richard Simmons here, folks. All right,

we’re not talking PX-90, either, for those ofyou with a more modern bent.

Vince is heading up chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear exercise Tom & Vicki Mallary, Dan Beatty, John & Sandi Andrew at Founders Day

Dinner.

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training for local responders and National Guard units out of San Antonio.

He’s handling pretty much the entire middle part of the United States, including the Zoo, and is on the road most of the time. He’s also in the process of

completing a Master’s degree in Homeland Security at Monterrey. Vince closed his note with a comment to the effect of it was “scary” how much he’s learned about CBRNE over the last fewyears. I can only imagine.

Roger Gallet (Theresa) wrote with his “first correspondence for Checkpoints ever!” For some reason I’m detecting a note of exuberance in that comment; maybe it’s because Roger was pleased not to have communicated with a lawyer in all that time. In any event, welcome to the neighborhood. Roger is a Reserve 0-6 and the ops group commander for the airlift wing out ofWright-Pat, operating the oldest C-5s in the fleet. Roger says he’s living the good life and only has to wear his blue suit on Monday because he’s in a bag the rest of the time. Because Roger is a Cubs fan, he knows that he has now permanently jinxed this season with his optimism about the remainder ofthe year. And at the risk of further insulting Roger’s airplanes, I recall a former C5 pilot telling me that when you see three C-5s lined up on the tarmac, and two ofthem are up on jacks, it means that the base only has two sets ofjacks. Thanks again for the update, Roger,

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let’s try not to make it 32 years until the next one.

LINKAGES: Mike Crane (Sue) sent me a quick message (via ZoomieNation) from D.C. where he is working for Booz

ing about our classes at the Zoo. The difference between Chuck using Russian and my using Russian is that Chuck was practicing his in Vail; the last time I used mine was in Moscow. I’ll let you guess who had the most comfortable place to sleep.

John Visser (Ann) was laid over at Dulles from his piloting duties and got together with Greg Hanson (Linda) for dinner.

Sabre Society

Allen after retiring in 2005. Fortwo years, Mike's client has Donors been another classmate, Ray Johns (Diana), the DCS for Strategic Plans and Programs. Mike occasionally runs into Eric Reffett (Lori) who works at Booz Allen -1 refuse to shorten it to Booz” in McLean as a senior associate with the company, and Bobby Wilkes, who is working in OSD fol“

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lowing his retirement from the Pentagon.

Joe Niemeyer (Louise) also posted on Zoomie Nation with a quick update.

Joe is our AOG Senate rep and is now living in Colorado after working in the U.K. for several years. He and Louise are in Denver, at least when they are not out skiing, and Joe assures me that he’s been getting in plenty of that. Joe will be posting his notes from the AOG Senate meetings on ZN, and any of you with questions or concerns, please feel free to contact him there. We have a class affinity group that has been fairly active recently.

Which is a nice segue into a recent post that I saw just before deadline conceming Dave Ebelke (Patti) Dave just completed his third Boston Marathon this year with a personal record time of321:30. Dave is running his own spinal surgery business out of KC, Mo., and my hat is off to anybody completing a marathon these days. It won’t happen for your humble narrator; I suffer from Football Players Syndrome, which means that anything over 40 yards is a walk.

Ron Ladnier (Pam) sent this picture at a recent 77 rejoin over at his place at

Greg left his post as the information officer for the Senate and is now an Executive VP for Criterion Systems, while also teaching graduate computer science courses at Maryland. Good pics of both you guys.

Close out: That’s it from the snowy shores of Lake Michigan (Yes, I’m writing this in mid-April). Thanks to all who wrote. I’ll get to the rest of the material next time; but keep corresponding. Be seeing you. b Ka 0 40411 Tesoro Lane B°

in scope: managing Africa and managing his two teenagers. He did say that Pam and the kids were traveling all over Europe and loving it, so at least one of

the challenges gets out of the house every now and then. Ron set up this gettogether on the occasion of Mark Matthews’ (Christy) visit from ACC at Langley. Mark is the requirements guy there and was getting out to see the rest of the world when he stopped by.

jet!

Palmdale, CA 93551

Home:(661) 274-2201

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Ramstein. Ron is the commander of 17th Air Force, the air component to Africa Command. Ron notes his two biggest challenges are roughly the same

v

Work: (661) 824-6426 Email:

Robert.kay@baesystems.com

Greetings’78ers...

It is with great sadness that I announce Dean Habrun’s passing on 23 January for

anyone who has not been informed yet. As you will recall from the Winter article, Brad Dunton mentioned that Dean was terribly sick and was spending his last days at home with his

family. His funeral was on the 26th at the

Mauldin United Methodist Church in Mauldin SC. Kathy had asked that donations be made to either the Christ Community Church Missions Fund (700 Harrison Bridge Rd, Simpsonville SC 29680-7031) or the All is Well Christian Life Coaching Minis-

try (201 WButler Rd #1113, Mauldin SC 29662). Kathy’s address is 6 Old Log Shoals Rd, Greenville SC 29607-5140 and I’m sure she would appreciate any condolences even at this point.

By now, everyone should have received a letter from our class Prez, Steve Dalbey. Steve’s letter identified an impor-

30 Sabre Society Donors

tant matter where 78 can literally lead the entire Graduate community. USAFA

Football Coach Troy Calhoun '89 and the Athletic Department have articulated a desperate need for an indoor training facility to augment the Field House which is now both too small and obsolete. Both USNA’s and USMA’s were built entirely with graduate funds-that’s right, no DOD participation. Our class has formed a committee to investigate the need and devise the most effective, yet least obtrusive method for raising the funds. The committee is made up of Steve Dalbey (Chairman and Class President), Jack Kucera (CEO of Climatec

Mark is the first guy on the left, next to him is Doyle Gage (Debi), who is working as a contractor on the USAFE A3 staff. Ron notes that Doyle is retired, something I would have guessed from the beard. General Ladnier occupies the center position, and next to him is Rex Williams, who is probably our most junior member still on active duty-you may remember Rex’s saga from previous columns; he is now a chaplain after having separated from the Air Force early on and gone to seminary. Rex is assigned directly to 17th Air Force. On the far right is John Mol (Deb), also a regular contributor to this column and who is teaching physics while Deb teaches German at Ramstein High. Finally, Ron notes that the quantity of gray hair in the picture is not the result of Photoshop. Gentlemen, at this point, I don’t care what color it is, as long as it’s there.

Chuck Curran (Claudia) fired off a note to me via Linkedln. They’ve got one kid on the waiting list for Duke Medical, and another finishing up his ROTC commitment with the Army and heading to med school in Scotland, and the third, their daughter, at UPT at Pensacola. The pilot child is changing her preference from the C-17 to the 730, according to Chuck, because the 730 goes into more exciting places. Sounds like she should be flying fighters. Chuck also noted that he was chatting up a Russian speaker or two, recently, reminisc

Corporation and class POC for several past fund- raising events), David Blisk (Managing Director of Spire Investment Partners with extensive financial and fund raising experience), Wayne Kellenbence (Assistant Athletic Director with acute awareness of the need), Kip Warton (78 rep on USAFA Class Senate) and myself (well, five out of six is pretty good!).

Code name: 78 Challenge,” we believe that our class has the resources and desire to not only lead the way on this effort but potentially provide a significant amount of the funding required (the exact amount is TBD, but it will likely “

exceed $10 million in total to build the facility). To that end, upon careful reflection, and with total disclosure to the AOG, we have elected to partner with the USAFA Endowment in our effort. Jack is on the Endowment board of directors (along with classmate Paul Madera) and provided excellent, rel-

fund-raising. Within reading this, everyone (with a current AOG address) will receive a letter from Steve followed by an extensive info packet on a flash drive from the Endowment. We hope that all of you will carefully review the info and decide to meet the 78 Challege either in a current pledge or contribution.

As Steve mentioned in his letter and it also came up after Jack’s presentation during our reunion: what’s an effective manner in which we can contribute?

Well, here’s your answer 78 Challenge. Our class is blessed with amazing expertise in this area along with significant resources; we need to parlay these evant info on their charter, strategies and objectives with a short time of

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in order to help the institution that has given us so very much. Please be thinking

ofwhat you can do to assist in this most worthy urgent effort. If you have NOT received anything and you are interested, please e-mail me. I’ll ensure you get a copy and that we have your current address so you get your flash drive.

Speaking of Dave Blisk, I happened on the advertisement below from Fidel-

ity Investments featuring none other than Dave himself looking pretty darn dapper! He is currendy living in the DC area and is making quite a mark in the financial world (which is always in need of strong leadership just like any other business; but I digress).

gram. Says it’s a great way to transition from AF as you mold and mentor high school students. He loves it and he’s good at it! Thanks, Steve.

Dennis Hilley (Chris) wrote that he has his own company (RocketKatStrategy) in Virginia and that the docs at Walter Reed are working great for him. Dennis is the longest surviving multiple myeloma patient there.

Our prayers are with you, Dennis! AF Magazine had these moves: MajGen Rick Davis is now Commander, AirArmamentCenterofWeapons at Eglin; MajGen Steve Hoog is now DepCFAC in Qatar; MajGen Steve Mueller is running ACC’s part of the war in Kabul, Afghanistan; MajGen Burt Field is at the Pentagon as a military assistant specializing in Afghanistan/Pakistan region. Burt says that he saw Russ learned (Vaune) back in September and he’s doing well. Also relays thathis youngest just graduated fromAFAin ’08 (UPTFeb’09) and Burt did the commissioning of course. The next day, Burt’s other military son was promotedto 1L (MXOfficer) atHillAFB. Proud dad!

CS-3 updates from Jeff Liederbach (Pam) (DAL/NWA, 747F/0, DET).

They’re nowempty-nesters with kids in college. SonTim—UnivVA and AFROTC Vice Cmdr of detachment. Daughter Stephanie -UnivTexas majoring in kinesiology. BrigGen Doug Robb (Gloria and son Luke) is the AMC Surgeon at ScottAFB and doing well. Gary Bush (DAL,JFK,767CA) commutes to work from Puerto Plata, Spain! Gary tied the knot and now has twin boys! And I thought my commute was tough! ahhhh. Steve Watkins (Misty) sent this photo from Doug Robb 's 0-7 promotion party in June 2007.

Just a couple of updates on the GO front. AFA Daily ran a story in March about an interviewwith the USAF Civil Engineer, our own Del Eulberg. Del was

discussing the latest changes in CE manning from Iraq to Afghanistan as

part of the overall shift in SWA force structure. Del also plans on retiring this July starting terminal leave in June.

I mentioned last month that Dave Scott was pinning on his second star and living in Greece. Unfortunately, it’s time to pay the Piper so now he’s going to the Air Staff as the Director, Operational Capability Requirements in the A3 / 5 shop.

A pretty short article this time, please consider sending an update when you have a few minutes. Hope everyone has s good summer.

God Bless. 78 is Great!

JR Dallas

1612 Rannoch Trace Ft. Smith, AR 72908 H: 479-648-0433 C: 479-420-7817

Doug Robb, Ron Machado, PaulBimmerman, Steve WatkinsJeffLiederbach,

jrdallasfl6@yahoo.com

and Rob Dunphy.

Greetings, ’79ers! For the news we have all been waiting for --the 30th Reunion! The date is set-

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7-11 October, versus TCU. The Reunion Committee

is working to finalize plans, and they need us to pass the word! Update your

profile information; get in touch with ‘Lost Souls’; we want max participation!

Everything you’ll need to know and do will be via the reunion website www.usafa.org. Click on‘Class Reunions’link and select 1979 (duh). Onestop shopping!

Website register, reserve a hotel room, select merchandise (mailed to your home), order and print football tickets, pay for the golf tournament, and more! Korky vonKessel (Kaye) is the man in charge. Any question/suggestion you might wish to ask/ offer use ‘forum’ link or email him directly at: —

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kvonkessel@comcast.net.

Over the weekend expect: a reception, golf tourney (Fri), memorial service (Fri), banquet (Fri), AFA tours/briefings,

and squadron get-togethers. Tailgate start time—approx 1430. Game time 1730 (Sat) as of now. Saturday brunch may

From Brad Jones (DAL,767CA,JFK): says it’s a mini-reunion each time he shows forwork. He relays that Burt Coons (DAL,767CA), works as aline check airman; that Steve Dickson is DAL’s Vice President for Flight Operations; that

Mike Donatelli is high in the Al.PA foodchain. With the NWA/ DAL merger,

Brad says he looks forward to seeing the NWA ’79ers around the campus, espedally John Kuehn and Clyde Spencer. Thanks for writing Brad. BudVasquez relays that Ken Mattern (Pam) (Duxbury, MA) is now a senior attorney for

Raytheon. The Matterns are empty-nesters now.

Can anyone beat this? Steve Mathews (Caroline,AAL,A300CA,MIA) became the proud father of daughter Taylor Jacqueline Mathews on, get this, 1 -7-9. Is that cool or what? Their 61b, 5oz bundle is healthy and growing every day. As I told Steve

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thank goodness she looks like Caroline! All of you better be at the

reunion!

Joe Falzone (Theresa) wrote that after retiring from the AF in '04, he landed a Test Pilot

Sabre Society Donors

be the way to go for individual squadrons. Send Korky a

over 5000

job with M1 SupportServices flying the HH-60G for the AF. Has now

hours; family lives in Tijeras, NM with their horses and wide-open

spaces lifestyle. He and wife volunteer for their County’s Mounted Search and Rescue Patrol.

name of a

squadron rep—better yet—volunteer to be your squadron’s rep!

Open Golf Tournament Friday, 9 Oct; shotgun start at 0830; Blue Course.

Greg Sveska (Brenda, DFW777 F/O) and I have the plan. Email me ASAP so that I can get you on the list. The course allows a limited number of players, but positions are available. Unless ‘pairings’ are sent to me, I will pair guys with other squadron-mates. Emailmenow--jrdallasfl6@yahoo.com.

On to the News! Thanks to all who sent photos for this article. So many in fact that I can’t include them all. The computer camera phase of life has hit the over-50 folks! I’m sorry if your photo did not make it -1 will send to the scribes down-line. But I appreciate you trying!

Steve Rakel (AFJROTC, Houston) wrote making a pitch for the JROTC pro —

Class of 1979 30th Reunion Oct. 7-11,2009

Falcons vs. TCU Joe Falzone and both of his ‘rides’.

102

From the Walt Wright (Ingrid) clan in Arizona-30 years of marriage this June

home Modification Fund, The Old Point National Bank, RO. Box 3392, Hamp-

Congrats! Son Derek is sophomore at NorthernArizonaUnivin Flagstaff. Smart as his mom; thank goodness 4.0, Eagle Scout, and River Raft Guide. Son Brent is a senior in high school, #1 in his class, NHS, and a bunch of girls chasing him (Like father like son? Don’t think so!)

Youngest Dustin is a sophomore in high school, soccer, 4.0 and fully involved with YMCATeen Action Council. Thanks, Walt you and Ingrid have done a fantastic job! Phil Davis (Nora) wrote from Chandler, AZ and says that two oldest are at Arizona State with the youngest next in line. Phil has small consulting business for aerospace companies upgrading their production planning. Interested in an aircraft purchase? Check out www.longwillaircraft.com and see if Brian Longwill has what you need (want). He has retired from the New Mexico ANGunit (the Tacos) andDelta (767CA) and lives in Albuquerque. Seeyain

ton, VA 23663, Account # 1314550901. If you are not from our class and would like to contact the family, I have that info and can provide it to you. Thankyou.

Non-Pentagoner. Most of you that still work for our Uncle in the DC area

October. That CTLS on your web page is sweet! banker by day and Reservist by night, but Paul Schubert sent an update retiring from latter on 1 June. Congrats, Paul you did good! Four kids aged 6 to 16. Three boys and one girl. Tom McGovern (Pat) is a law partner in big firm in D.C. practicing procurement law. Bill Boyd writes that he reluctantly whipped BGen (ret) (Jan’09) Mark Stearnes at golf last fall; right after Mark retired. Sterno and wife (Darcy) have moved to San Antonio to practice for the re-match. Mark’s job search has begun but he’ll be swinging at the Open look-

Technicians, Hazardous Material Technicians, Rescue Technicians, and have been trained as well in the area ofweapons

ing for revenge. See ya there!

of the unit in the last year, and we may be doing the same in the next year.

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to a

beautiful woman

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tend to spend a lot of time in that five-sided building near the AF Memorial (which is quite well done, if you haven’t seen it). George Ryan doesn’t fit the mold: “I’m still in Washington, DC as a special agent with the Secret Service.

Coming up on 15 years with the agency, and we’ve been in the DC area for over 10. I’m in our Special Operations Division, running our chemical/biological/medical team. We travel with the President everywhere, and our mission is to serve as a rescue team, especially in a chemical or biological attack or incident, among other bad situations. We are all Emergency Medical

of mass destruction. Part of the training involves working in

Sabre Society

facility with live nerve agents (VX and Sarin), while in our

Donors

a

chemical suits. These suits are very similar to the MOPP gear

JSLST suits we all used in the Air Force, and we use the same gas masks (not the big, fully contained suits and SCBA). Been to some great places and some or

not-so-great places, but had a great time at all of them. We’ve doubled the size

Building a little empire in my warehouse in DC. "Family side, our oldest son is in the Annapolis area trying to find just the right job that suits him. Until then he is remaining gainfully employed in the market. Our daughter graduated from Indiana University in 2007, and has been working with a Toyota dealership running their customer service section. Our youngest (22) is on the delayed enlistment program with the US Navy. He starts training in June, going into the Special Warfare community as aNavy Diver. He’svery excited about the opportunity, as are mywifeandl. I get to swear in another son to the military, as I administered the oath to my oldest when he enlisted in the US Marine Corps.

“On the blue suit side, I’m still in the Reserves as an Admissions Liaison Officer. Lost about five years while trying to convince the Secret Service that I could do both jobs, so I’m manyyear groups behind our class.” George did get to pin on chickens last year, so it seems to have worked out OK.

General Officer Announcements: Air Force Reserve Col. James A. Firth has been nominated to the grade of Brigadier General while serving as Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Logistics, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Mike Watson, JT Calvin, Mark Stearnes, and Jon Fago.

Brian Kelly (Cindy) sent an email recently that relayed that he and Gordy Ross (DAL, JFK) hiked some of the Appalachian Trail this past fall together.

Those two along with Ray Sands (Marlene) keep in lacrosse shape so that they can compete (if you can do that at our age!) in the annual Vail Lacrosse Tournament Grand Masters division. I think the plan is for another year in Vail in if you’re anywhere close by, go see the old guys ‘run the field.’ Brian 2009 is a Fraud Investigator for Giuliani Advanced Security, ‘specializing’ in forensic services. Sounds very interesting, Brian. Don’t let the bad guys win! Thanks for writing. Last but certainly not least -1 heard from Tom McCarthy as he wrote to say that he retires officially in May’09. He returned from BaladAB, Iraq last September after a 6-month tour where he worked for Burt Field. He, Mike Brill and Roger Schuld crossed paths there as well. After his return stateside, Tom was hired at CSU as ROTC Commander and presently has Omar Bradley’s son in his detachment. Very small world. Thanks, Tom, and congrats on your -

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fantastic career.

Guys, that’s all from me. Daren and I always have the guest room available if you and yours are ever in the Fort Smith area. Please call. Don’t forget the Open on 9 Oct followed by the football game on 10 Oct. Email me with your intention to play. Pass the word to all and let’s make the 30th Reunion one for the ages! J.R. Dallas

Don

Myers

401 Chambray Hill Peachtree City, GA 30269-4247 (770) 631-1429 E-mail: DMyers80@hotmail.com ZN ZoomieNation. usafa.org

Langley Air Force Base, Va. BG John D. Posner, Director, Air Force Smart Operations 21, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, DC, to Deputy Commander, Combined Air Operations Center 7, Component Command-Air Izmir, Allied Command Operations (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Larissa, Greece. Congrats!

In case you missed it, ZoomieNews tells us Will Gunn has been nominated for General Counsel, Department ofVeterans Affairs. “A recipient ofthe American Bar Association’s Outstanding Career Military Lawyer Award, Will A. Gunn is an attorney who represents military members and veterans in private practice in Northern Virginia. He retired from the Air Force in 2005, where he served as a Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. He is also a former White House Fellow. In 2003, Gunn was named the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions. Gunn built a defense team and supervised all defense activities for detainees selected for trial before military commissions. His efforts earned respect and admiration for his principled leadership and commitment to ensuring that detainees received effective representation. A native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Gunn is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and is a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was elected President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation’s oldest student-run legal services organization. He also has a Master’s of Laws degree in Environmental Law from the George Washington University School of Law and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.” You may also remember Will was President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

Reconnection. Scott (Jan+2) Carrothers, since moving back to the mainland, took the opportunity to look-up a favorite AOC (CS-02), Phil Litts.

=

Correction. How embarrassing: Seems it’s not our Scott Kirby who is the president of US Airways, as reported here over ayear ago. Come to find out,

that guy is an’89er.

Admin. As promised, I will occasionally remind you to forward any classmate email addresses (and changes) to our very own Debbie (Dubbe) Gray at ddgray@embarqmail.com. This list can be invaluable for urgent/important comms.

Another Chance. In case you didn’t go to the ZoomieNation ’80 class section

recently, there was a post concerning William “Mike” (Jonesy) Jones and an update on his massive stroke. It was written by his loving wife, Shirley. With God’s and your help, they are making the transition: William “Mike” Jones

From left are Scott’s son Kasey, Phil, and Scott.

103

Powder! Anne (Martin) (Chuck) Fletcher is “teaching skiing in Winter Park, CO (yep, the snowy high place, not the wet Florida place). I am thinking that I am too old for this, even if it is fun. Chuck discusses politics two days a week as the coffee bar

guy (barrista) at the mountain top restaurant and Michael is in the 3rd grade in a school nearby.” She was on her way to Chicago for a

conference for writers, small publishers, and university writing programs. It ties-in as, “I am on the (unpaid) board for a non-profit which tries to increase

publishing opportunities for women and minority writers. Our website is janesstories.org (think Jane Eyre, Jane Austen, etc.) I will bring the manuscript for my memoir of our first year at the Academy. So far I have three chapters, which takes me through the coke call at the end of First BCT. Remember that?”

Econ. That’s the “supply and demand” stuff we learned way back. Well, the supply was off this quarter—not much trimming and no overflow into ZoomieNation. I'm hoping the demand will be such that you will come through next time. How about reconnecting with someone you haven’t heard from in years, getting an update, and forwarding it to me/us. Make it someone you haven’t read about in these pages for quite some time. Look under rocks (or in address books?). Let’s get the readership up by including more folks. Many

Chet and Kathleen Nowak will be there to root for the old guys.

Shirley (Hilsgen) and Roy Kring enjoyed having their sons home for Easter from college (Tufts and Bowdoin) and they will have completed their sophomore years by the time you read this article.

Shirley and Roy plan to do some overseas traveling this year since one son, Ryan, will be in London and the other, Randy, will be in Cairns, Australia. Shirley said they had a chilly Boston

Easter, but no snow. Marty Waugh came through with a much needed email update. He and his wife, Melissa, went to a “college” night party and thank-

fully, she talked Marty out of wearing his USAFA bathrobe. He went with a more traditional, a-jacket look instead.

thanks. Don

Rich Trentman

11102 Asbee St.

Falcon, CO 80831-8170 Home: (719) 494-8438 Work: (719) 234-0754

Melissa and Marty Waugh Theyare both in Lynchburg, VA. Marty flies for TavistockAviation. Marty says

E-mail: trentman@usafa81.com Class Website: www.usafa81.com

Ted Boward lives in Dover, DE and flies for United.

It is a snowy Easter Sunday as I write this article. There is nothing like eight

inches of snow for Easter. Do you remember those wet, Spring Colorado snowstorms—sometimes in May? I'm your typical over volunteering parent like many of you. I have scout leader tubs to organize all over my basement as I prepare to teach a Wood Badge course the weekend after next and I’m prepping to run scout skills stations for 100 plus scouts this weekend in Bethune, CO. Luckily, my sons will help me! I attended the AOG senate meeting last week and

Well, like many of you, I turned 50 recently. It makes you reflect on how fast time has flown by. Our 30-year reunion will be upon us in 2011. Heck, there weren’t any AFA classes close to having a 30-year reunion when we were there.

The class of ’59 celebrated their 20th while we were 2 degrees. I was fortunate to have some good friends to celebrate with Marty and Becky France, and Lauri (Cross) and Scott Trimboli (’80).

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I’ll update news on that later in this article. I have scout meetings every night, but one this week before leaving to camp. That is what coffee is for!

Becky and Marty France, Lauri (Cross) and Scott Trimboli, Deb and Rich Trentman.

I received congratulations from my Basic and Doolie squadron mate, Randy

Worrall, and my Lt (Eglin AFB) golfing buddy, Kelvin Manning. Kelvin’s birth-

Trentman boys Easter morning in Colorado.

Class News: Academy and high school classmate Jim Kilty is doing well in the suburbs outside of Chicago. Jim went to Beef Haddad’s BG pin-on party and had a great time with many classmates. Jim talks with Sean Bishop, Hank

Lane, and Potsy frequently. Jim’s young sons Sean, Kyle, and Cole are doing well. The four of them went skiing at Crested Butte this Winter and had a great time. Janice (Gunnoe)

Hughes

seems to

love life in beautiful Breckenridge. Of course, she and Don

day was the week before mine. Randy is younger, so he is still savoring 49 a bit longer.

At the AOG Senate meeting, we were tasked to ask our classes what AOG services are most important. Remember, we’ll have a new Board of Directors following the current elections. This was the first time using the electronic ballots and so far, turnout has been poor. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. “T” Thompson, AOG CEO, gave a very interesting presentation on fundraising and the organizational model of our AOG when compared to other universities and academies. As you know there are seven fundraising entities supporting the Academy. He presented a very good “way ahead” idea to better support our school and service to the alumni. More to follow.

Thanks for all the emails! Keep them coming. I appreciate and enjoy hearing from all. Time to go finish my taxes, do some more Boy Scout packing and planning, and get a couple hours of sleep.

ski! Amy Markert visited thisWinter and the two of them had

good time relaxing and catching up. Janice was going to Limerick, Ireland for her step daughter’s wedding. I'm anxious to hear about that trip! Janice also has occasional trips a

Jim Ratti

-

to D.C. for Reserve duty. I’m trying to convince her to come

for a Falcon football game this year.

2860 Arbor Pointe Drive

Middletown, OH 45042 Sabre Society Donors

Jake Jakobi passed updates on some ofthe Bulldog 13 ’81ers.

Apparently, Bill Schoeneman is recovering from a nasty hunting accident. No, he did not get shot, but fell approximately 40 feet when his deer (tree) stand collapsed. Bill fractured his femur and pelvis. Bill said his PLF skills are not what they once were at age 20. He is back at work now. Jake got together with

(937) 760-2333 rattijm@mindspring.com http://usafa82.org

Greetings Redtags!

I' m sorry to say that this is one of those columns I have to start out on a sad

Jeff Nuccio for dinner while Jeffwas in Ohio. Jake hears from Chet Nowak.

Chet is still doing well with Raytheon in Tucson. Jake said Ron Hussey is an

note. As I'm sure you've heard by now, our classmate Dave Cooley was killed

international 767 pilot with Delta and living in Orlando. Ron saw Steve Moes

Martin and was on test flight from Edwards AFB when the accident happened.

and they were planning to do some warm Florida golf! Also, Jake and Larry Davis plan to compete on the AF Graybirds lacrosse team in Vail 27-30 June.

He retired from active duty in 2003 and went to work for Lockheed Martin as

104

in the crash of an F-22 on March 25th. Dave was a test pilot for Lockheed

an F-117 test

pilot at Palmdale, CA. He joined the F-22 test team a few years

later. There should be a full obituary in the "Gone but Not Forgotten" section of this issue of Checkpoints, but suffice to say Cools had a magnificent Air Force career, touching and changing many lives along the way. We'll all miss him. I' m sure I speak for all of us when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with Sheyla and the rest of Dave's family.

Another of our classmates suffered serious injuries while serving as a missionary in Venezuela, but this story had a somewhat happier outcome. Tom LaValley took a nasty fall, sustaining compound fractures on his left wrist and his left leg.

His other wrist was broken in half, and every bone was broken in both ofhis feet.

He now has four pins in his right wrist, has an external stabilizer screwed into his

left wrist, four pins in right foot, and three in left. There are two pins in lower leg and in his femur, connected with two rods that meet at the knee giving it lateral and angular stability. Tom was evacuated from Caracas on a Learjet, and flown

and entertain you, once again, with the continuing adventures of our esteemed classmates.

Vince Compagno responded to my plea with a funny “why didn’t I win the genetics lottery?” story. Vince, a Delta 737 captain, ran into his 3-degree year roomie, Mike Shanahan, as Mike was deplaning at the COS airport and Vince

doing the “thanks for flying and paying my salary” thing. Vince sadly reported that Mike has not gained an ounce since his days as a gymnast at the Zoo and has not a single gray hair.

Vince, your hair makes you look experienced and calms the passengers! Mike also has a lovely wife, Gisela, and two sons on full gymnastic scholarships, so life is treating the Shanahan family well.

was

Chris Moulton, in a heinous breach of decorum, was a ReUnion no-show.

Lest one think he is tired of the AF gig, think again. He retired last year, sort of.

to Colorado Springs where Steve Topper (a renowned hand

He merely swapped active duty for the chance to shape the minds and bodies

surgeon andTom's Doolie roommate) met him. Steve immediately operated again to relieve some nerve pressure and rework some ofthe pins. Tom had several other surgeries in the subsequent weeks, and has a long recovery ahead ofhim. But

of the future of the AF as a JROTC instructor in O’Fallon, IL. He reports chal-

lenges a-plenty with his youthful students. Ahh, for the old days, when “Chins!” allowed, and a morning run was not child abuse!

On to the main event and re-hashing the ReUnion! One of my favorite events was the Photo on the Steps of the Chapel. Great chance to make plans for the evening, jockey for position, make sure your good side is towards the photographer, see who has the least gray hair, and the like. Photo includes, from left to right... were

the prognosis is good. Please keep Tom and his family in your prayers as he recovers.

On a happier note, we have a minor celebrity among us! If Sabre Society Donors you happen to be a fan of "Friday Night Lights" on TV you may have noticed a particularly stract-looking bailiff escorting Buddy Garrity out of a courtroom in Season 3, Episode 10. That part was played by none other than Phil Parker, who got the role to win a bet with his wife. Phil bet her that he could get a part on TV or in a movie, so he started answering casting calls for extras. The casting folks chose Phil because he "had the look..." Phil chalks his success up to two factors. One, never underestimate a Zoomie's zeal to win a bet. Two, a Zoomie will look better than anyone else in a uniform! Oh, and I have no idea what Phil won from his wife...

Brian Korb sent a note updating me on what's been going on in his life. He and his wife, Nancy, recently moved back to the States after spending some six years in Canada. He's now teaching in a very well-regarded personal finance planning program at Texas Tech, and says he loves it. Brian ran into Danny Rein at DFW a while back. Danny lives in San Antonio and is a pilot for American. He was headed to Maui when Brian bumped into him. Try as he might though, Brain wasn 1 able to talk Danny into letting him have the jump seat for the flight! Brian also met up with Kevin Krisinger. Kevin lives in Albuquerque, 1

but commutes to Atlanta to fly for Air Tran.

I learned that Scott Lucarelli lives in the DFW area and is a Captain in the Super-80 for American. He says he's keeping busy flying lots of three-day trips, and also tries to keep up with his eight-year-old daughter. Scott accompanied her to a sweetheart dance in February and said it was a lot of fun. I also got a note from Jim Demarest who's back in a uniform for the first time in 6,082 days! In January Jim was sworn into the Florida Air National Guard as a Major, and is a JAG officer for the 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville. Nice to have you back, Jim! And my last bit of news this quarter is that Tammy Senz retired from the AF Reserve on 1 April. ZanVautrinot sent out an e-mail in March soliciting notes, cards, pictures etc. from a wide circle of friends and acquaintances so that Tammy could have a nice surprise on her retirement day. I never heard the outcome, but I trust Tammy had a wonderful day.

And that's about it for this quarter. Spring has finally sprung in Ohio, taxes

What a football game! No more “run, run, pass, punt” but an actual gamewinning game plan, which equals “Falcons Win!” A bleacher highlight was Ray “RDQ” Blust demonstrating that he learned his SERE lessons well. He came equipped with spares blankets, handwarmers, and hot chocolate for about 15 of us seated around him. Ray is still flying international routes, so must be saving his big bucks per diem to be able to afford all of that.

The sound of freedom in the pre-game flyby was beyond description, but I’ll try:South/Northmnin. TOT--2secondsaftertheNationalAnthem. Speed/ altitude try to keep it legal! Two-ship of the world’s greatest jet, the F-22.

Flight leader- General Darryl Roberson! ‘Nuf said! Darryl is the Tyndall AFB 325th Fighter Wing/CC, flying fast, loving life. A few of us followed him around, and whined and pleaded until he gave us a private tour of his Steel Horse on Sunday morning, before he headed back to Tyndall. Thanks, my friend.

--

-

done, and it'll soon be time to start cutting the grass again. Well, two out of three ain't bad I guess! My best to all of you. Keep the news flowing, and until are

next time, be safe! Ratman

Jon

Duresky

207 Knob Hill Drive

\.

trxty

Warner Robins, GA 31088

\mW ulltigll/

Home: 478-953-3141 Cell: 478-396-7787

DureskyJB@aol.com

Greetings, Classmates!

I want you to share my pain. The pain of Michelangelo, forced to complete paint-by-number, instead of laboring for four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The pain of the great architect Walter Netsch Jr., the designer of the USAFA chapel, compelled to make blueprints for a backyard swingset. The pain of a class scribe, against a deadline, with little in the way of “news” to report upon, as he attempts to produce one more memorable and entertaining Class News column. Yes, it was easier in the “old days,” running into classmates in base ops, anxious to give

Jon Duresky, JeffFiebig, Darryl Roberson Dave Wright and the F-22 “Steel ,

Horse".

Throughout the weekend as we ate, drank, talked, and listened to everyone’s tales about their lives, adventures, and exciting jobs, I’m sure many of you

me the scoop on their lives and the lives of their 50 closest Sabre Society Donors friends. But waxing nostalgically for an idyllic past does not a deadline meet. So I turned to technology for help. I put out an urgent email plea for help to some buds, begging for news, and they came through! So combining those replies, snippets from a few holiday letters, and

managed to rise above the “maggot” level that our BCT training sergeants assured us was an impossibility. Military or civilian, a lot of us do neat things on a daily basis. In my quest to find the winner of the “I Have the Coolest /ofr’Trophy, I clandestinely interviewed many of you and collected business cards, using the free EmbSuites beverages to get tongues wagging, To my dismay, I discovered that everyone has a cooler job than I, a mere AirTran 717 FO. Good thing I had a diet coke to drown my sorrows. So who wins the coveted trophy? Is it: John Davis, whose card proclaims that he is a “staff scientist” for ITT? JeffFiebig, owner and CEO of his own construction firm (as well as a Reserve

re-hashing the Party that Was the 25th ReUnion, I just might be able to inform

-6), so he can come in to work late and not have to fire himself?

were in as much awe as I was that we as a group

105

Eli Powell, retired from Elmendorf, but loves Alaska so much that he stayed

Mark Silvanic is also in 3AF in the A9 analysis shop as a NSPS employee. Dr.

in Anchorage and set up practice with Jeff Moore? They are both orthopedic

AJ Domenichini (’84 stop out to ’85) was in checking on a bike order (he's the AFSq/CC at Fandstuhl Medical Center) andTriciaGroenheim (Steve's wife, Steve works at HQ USAFE) was in buying merchandise before heading to

surgeons and sports medicine specialists, avid outdoorsmen, and not yet grizzly bear breakfast as they fish for salmon and avoid Ursa Major teeth and claws.

Eric Huppert, who lives the pilot’s dream, and flies P-5 Is, giving rides to deep-pocketed wannabees, and lives on the beach in Florida?

Billy “Forever the Kid” Walker, USAFA’s permanent professor of athletics,

because he can wear gym shoes to the office is he feels the need?

Quinn “The Pizza King” Newhall, because he owns a bunch of CC’s pizza restaurants, and can eat at a different one each day of the week?

Colonel John Zazworsky, Commander, Heavy Airlift Wing, Papa AB, Hun-

Amsterdam for spring break. It seems all of these grads and their families love

doing activities outdoors! But Denny is leaving in June, probably right after they open the two-story indoor climbing wall at Ramstein.

More updates and pictures can be seen on the web at www.usafa84.com.

Make your plans early for the reunion as the Marriott is also the team hotel for the football team so a lot will be going on at party central!

gary, where he is setting up the first-ever international C-17 wing, blending 12 nations, a few thousand troops and families? (But no airplanes yet! “This July,

Frank

count on it!” he says.)

13209 Topsfield Court

Perhaps one of our 0-7 classmates has the coolest job. No doubt Darryl

Herndon, VA 20171

Roberson is on the short list for the Trophy. Flying the F-22 every day? Pretty

(703)657-3227

hard to top that.

John Hesterman makes the cut, too. Not because he appears to be a future VIG (very important General), but by virtue of his business card, which is so jam-packed with titles and contact numbers about his world-altering job at the Pentagon that myjaw dropped in awe. Poorguy. Guess he’ll just have to

accept the fact that only 4 stars, not 5, are in his future.

Maybe, I thought as I continued my interviews, the coolest job belongs to the many of you raising a family, instilling solid values to the next generation (yes, old), and continuing to be great Americans.

I agonized deep into the night, and made a difficult decision. The drum roll

we are that

and envelope, please.

The winner is: FROM THE CHECKPOINTS EDITOR: Jon, you are over your 1200 word limit. Anyfurther text will be included in next year’s column. Sorry, but those are the rules.

Well, Classmates, now you have something to look forward to!

Until then, health, happiness, wisdom, and patience to you all. Jon Duresky

Mike Jensen

“Q.” Williams

USAFA1985@aol.com

Hi everyone.

Since the last article I’ve been in contact with Rick Britt, Mike Challman, Danielle (Hatchett) Hargrove, and Danny Topp.

Rick Britt e-mailed me from his Blackberry one day in March and we exchanged a few messages for the first time in years. Rick says he’s doing fine, although it will have been four years this July since his wife passed away. Rick said he has not remarried and he is alone raising his daughter who is now 11 years old. Rick said he and his daughter moved into a condo that is high up on a cliff overlooking the Mississippi River and they love their breathtaking view. He told me that he had lost his job in September and was out ofwork for four4 months. He said “the economy seemed to collapse out of the blue in a matter of days!” He said he was glad to see Obama win, and while things are still shaky, he has a lot of Sabre Society Donors hope for the future. In fact, after brushing up his resume he

12035 Milam Road

got a j ob working as a contractor for the Army. Rick said that

Colorado Springs, CO 80908

this is his first DoD job in over 10 years. He said he is still a software developer and he creates Java web applications. Rick said the pace seems very slow com-

1-(800)-G0-AFA-G0 michaeljensen@remax.net http://www.usafa84.com Our reunion it set for Homecoming 2009. Info and sign ups can be found on our class website www.usafa84.com.

It will give you all the links for hotel,

events and merchandise. Dates are 23-27 Sept 2009. AFA plays San Diego State at noon on the 26th. The hotel has

given us a sweet deal; much in part to the great turnout in 2004. We hope to make this one even better. For you golfers, the Commandant’s Classic is going to be held on Thursday afternoon, so get

pared to private sector software development, but the work is surprisingly hightech and rather advanced.

I also heard from Mike Challman but I can’t find my notes or the original email. Fortunately, I was able to find a picture that accompanied the original

message that 1 had saved on my computer. Please see Mike and his son in the

picture with the ladies of our Air Force Falcons Cheerleader squad. Forgive me but I forgot if Mike had taken his son to the zoo for a game or if they went to the bowl game. I ’ll have to make it up to Mike for my lack of certainty on details, but at least I got his picture in Checkpoints.

those reservations in early with your pairings. Bob Perry will

be helping organize that event. Please let us know any special requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them.

Updates: “FTC Intensity” Chris Erickson is scheduled to hold his retirement on May 15th with Col “Pickle”

McGillicuddy conducting the retirement ceremonies.

Congrats to Suzie and those three wonderful little ladies for Sabre Society getting the old man through the years. Brett Johnson has Donors been selected as the next AFROTC Commander at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Gary Annis is flying for Delta out of NYC, living in New Hampshire and working part time as a personal trainer at a local gym. He and his wife have a son who is a college junior and a daughter who is a college freshman, both local schools. They will be celebrating their 25 wedding anniversary this year, as are so many others.

Stuart Brown returned to the 767 F/O at DFW (AA) after a few years of going backward. Their oldest (Andrew) graduates from college this May (OUNorman) and youngest (Allison) graduates high school in June. They have two in college but we are looking forward to the empty nest this fall!

Denny Benson tells us the European HQ for the Class of ’84 is Ramstein Outdoor Recreation. Denny is the current store manager and he sees everyone all the time. He saw Ft Col Jerry Cummin, soon to be retiring from 3AF/A3. Mark Silvanic was in the store; he had his kid in the day camp program from Outdoor Rec. Dorothy Silvanic (Mark's wife) is to be the 48th MNX Grp at Lakenheath and Denny's wife, Fista, is going to Sheppard AFB for the 882nd Tng Group.

Class of 1984 25th Reunion HOMECOMING

Sept 23-27,2009 Falcons vs. San Diego State

106

Mike Challman and his son along with Air Force Falcon Cheerleaders.

Having gotten her phone number from one of my usual contacts, I called and played phone tag with Danielle (Hatchett) Hargrove a couple of times. It was the first time in a long time that 1 got to talk to her. Danielle said she and her kids are doing fine.

Danny Topp e-mailed me from his Gmail account since he couldn’t find me on Facebook. (I’m not on Facebook but I hear that a lot ofyou other ’85ers are.) .Anyway, Danny let me know that he has moved on from General Dynamics at Schriever AFB, CO which is where he was working the last time we saw each other years ago. Danny said he had gotten a job with a little company in Chantilly after he tried to get some more work in C- Springs but the j ob market was contracting too much. Danny said he likes the company a lot so he and Grace decided to give the DC area a try. Danny said he is now supporting NGA in Reston, VA. Danny and Grace are in the process of moving.

Well, I ti better wrap it up for now. It’s getting late and I have to get up early for a test at work. Just keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming and I’ll get your info in the next Checkpoints.

Best regards, Q.

Lawrence

Cooper

2806 Erics Court

Crofton, MD 21114

Cooper@astroguy.net

Hi everyone! You wouldn’t believe how Bob Colella convinced me to take on the job as scribe he asked me and I said yes! He’s a tough negotiator- ifhe starts to ask you, beware, you might get into somethingyou can’t handle.

First off, I want thank our Facebook contingent. We have 43 members and are growing. All you ’86ers, checkout Facebook and look up our Group, “USAFA Class of 1986”; join, stay in touch, load up some pics, and share with us. We want to hear from you. Let us know who is still serving, who has retired, who has become “stinkin’ government contractors" (it’s a term of art and adoration -trust me I was one for ten years), and who has become ski instructors (it really happens). Which of us has made general rank- I’ve heard there are a fewfrom ’87 and ’88.

For instance, I have it on good word that Alison (Smith) Overbay will be retiring soon. Unfortunately this update is -

9 light. Let’s make it a bit longer for next time.

Here’s an update from GeoffHills: He says, “I left the AF last Sabre Society Donors summer after 22 years (3 months and4days...but who's counting), and took all the leave that I'd been unable to take over the years. Between the leave and PTDYI had almost 110 days. My wife Shelley (Harsh) Hills (a fellow ’86T-Bird) and I bought a travel trailer, and wandered the country for over two months, going wherever our three kids wanted to go.

Ended up doing Dallas to Boston, and Key West to Duluth, and everything in between. 26 states total. Along the way we went to the retirement of Jerry Heikkinen (also an ’86 T-Bird) at Tyndall. His son Tom is going to be part of USAFA class of 2013. Also went to a picnic for class of 2012 Academy nominees down in Arkansas where I let them know how tough things were way back in a little

the day! Shelley continued to work while we were driving down the highway in her job consulting with Patch Plus Consulting. She telecommutes anyway, so it didn't matter whether she was working at her desk at home, or on Hwy 1 in the Florida Keys.

“When our vacation finally ended after visits to 26 states, I returned to Colorado Springs. Still wasn't out of leave, so I got to do a little rock climbing and mountaineering while Shelley desperately tried to find a job to get me out of her hair. She did well, and I now work for Booz Allen Hamilton as a test pro-

Steve Kwast and Russell Reiling in the reception hangar after the ceremony. name had been

updated (it hadn't: what's up with that?), we got stuck going the wrong way on a one way, and a cop appears and hits us with the siren. So I figure if he stops us, I'll ask him if the ticket goes to the Wing Commander and

if not, what else do I have to do to elevate it?”

That’s all for now

-

Ezra Vance 7320 Brixham Circle

Castle Rock, CO 80108 Home: (303) 6885431 Work: (303) 304-1287 ezravance@hotmall.com

(Eleven Sabre Society Donors) (Editor's note: Ezra did not have any inputsfrom his classmatesfor this issue.

Please send him your information and photographsfor the next magazine.)

Mark Peters

2437 Bedford Circle

gram manager for an OSD rapid reaction technology office effort. Almost like being in the military again except I get to decide when I take vacation instead

Bedford, TX 76021-1823

(817) 937-9696 pylt@yahoo.com

of my boss doing it for me.

“In addition to work, I'm in training for a one-day bike ride this summer from Seattle to Portland (205 miles) that I'll be doing with my older brother Jamie (’84 grad) and younger brother Kerry. Kerry wrote a letter to Hills Brothers Coffee, and they are actually going to sponsor us with jerseys and such for the ride.

drop me a line any which way, snail-mail, e-mail, or

message me on Facebook. Sincerely, Lawrence Cooper.

”

Greetings '88!

Alas, we’re suffering from the post-reunion blues as there’s been a dearth of letters or emails since my last column. Speaking of the reunion, here are the two links to some of

photographs again: www.printroom.com/pro/aog/ default.asp; select the “Main Photo Galleries 2008” link. Also, Chris "Mookie" Walker’s gallery has almost 400 shots: www.tinyurl.com/USAFA88REUNION. The AOG has learned of the death of Tyler WEldred, CS-14 class of 1988. Tyler passed away on 14 Feb 2009 in Louisville KY as the result of an accident. Condolences may be sent to

his family in care of his wife, Mrs. Stacy Eldred, 4207Winding

Creek Rd, Crestwood, KY 40014-8867. His obituary appears in the Gone But Not Forgotten section of this magazine.

Sabre Society Donors

Lastly, I ’ve not written about my sibling David Peters (CS32) of late. David has recently completed several enterprise-level SAP implementations with Accenture’s consulting practice. He may be spending more Steve Kwast taking command.

time in airplanes than I do with travel to China, Mexico and Canada from his

Our last update this cycle comes from Russell Reiling, who posted “I'm put-

ting in a stint as the Deputy Information Operations Director to US Forces Afghanistan, which gave me the chance to drive up to Bagram for Steve Kwast assuming command ofthe455thAEW (ceremony start time 0455Z: aren'tthey the witty ones?). Taking seriously my duties as unpaid freelance Afghan beat photographer for Checkpoints, attached are some (probably illegal) photos from the ceremony. [Check out the photos of Steve Kwast taking command and the one of him and Russell Reiling in the reception hangar after the ceremony] So on our way out three hours later, I drove by the Wing marquee to see if the -

home base in New York City. Even in the civilian world he has ended up with “use or lose” vacation time so he spent a week in Hawaii in mid-April rather than let vacation disappear.

Your trusty scribe is in dire need of Checkpoints inputs; please write soon!

Paul W. Tibbets,

IV

PSC 80, Box 76 APO AE, 09702 Home: 011-32-2-251-2772 E-mail:

Visit the AOG Web Site

Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More!

www.usafa.org

p2a2@skynet.be http://www. usafaclasses.org/1989/

Class web site:

Hello friends! We are in the final stretch for our 20th reunion. Hard to be-

lieve, but in a few short months we will once again gather in beautiful Colo107

rado Springs to celebrate, catch up, give back to our alma mater and honor our fallen classmates. As I know you are all aware by now, the dates and hotel have been confirmed-September23-27,2009 at the Embassy Suites-which is homecoming weekend and the Falcons will be playing San Diego State! Ifyou haven’t yet been to our class web site, or it has been a while, please go to the link listed at the top ofthis update and check out the details. Scott Shinberg has been doing a fantastic job with our class site and I encourage you to check it often as the reunion time approaches. Here we will have the latest info on the schedule,

hotel, merchandise, fundraising, class gift, etc. IMPORTANT NOTE: this will be the last class news before the reunion. To save class funds, we

”

ensure the memorial is

complete in time for our reunion this coming fall, says reunion committee gift campaign chairman Alexander “Gonzo” GonzalezRojas.

The Class of 1989 Memorial will list all 13 Gone But Not Forgotten classmates who have passed since graduation; 12 on active duty and one to war in Iraq.

Each will be honored with a special symbol on the class wall representing active duty as well as combat-related deaths. Lt Col Kevin Shea made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life during combat in Iraq. He cross-commis-

sioned to the US Marine Corps after graduation and was killed by enemy fire in 2004. He will be honored with a bronze bust adjacent to the class wall signify-

will primarily use the class web site to disseminate all perti-

ing our first and hopefully only combat death. This honor has been a goal since

nent details. Similar to the 10-year reunion, all merchandise

2006 starting with a nomination to the Academy’s Mall of Heroes that eventu-

will be preordered and then distributed during reunion registration. There will be one more mailing with registration information, but we encourage everyone to use the web site to the maximum extent possible, where all the needed forms will be available once details are confirmed.

ally lead to his rightful place on the Heritage Trail.

7 Sabre Society Donors

Here is a brief synopsis of where we stand on the reunion planning as ofApr ’09: Schedule: Wed, Sep 23rd, arrival and social. Thursday, Sep 24th, Golf Tournament or Pike’s Peak Bike Ride and evening buffet. Friday, Sep 25th, Class Memorial Dedication, USAFA Open House, and Homecoming Memorial. Saturday, Sep 26th, Homecoming Game.

Sunday, Sep 27th, depart.

Fundraising: the economy has hit many of us hard, and has unfortunately affected our class efforts to raise funds for the class gift. Our current pledges have fallen from almost 80% of our goal to 70%, which includes overdue or noncollected pledges of four months or more. Our actual, collected pledges/ cash available is right at 50% of our goal. What does this mean? The class officers are currently discussing options and priorities, so please check the web site for the latest updates. If the current trend continues, we will focus primarily on the Heritage Trail Memorial and then determine, depending on available funds, what specific additional projects can be included as part of the overall class gift.

It is not too late to contribute! If you are able, we ask all classmates, families, parents, etc to please consider becoming a part ofthis worthy effort and join us in giving back to our school that has given so much to us.

Reunion Committees and Squadron Representative: thanks to you, we have

filled all the key reunion committees! However, we are still a few volunteers short for the squadron representatives, so if you are interested and available, please check out the web site for the latest list and plug in. As you may remember, this was a very successful program for our 10-year reunion, assisting in getting the word out so “no one is left behind!” Additionally, many squadrons had their own get-togethers in the margins of the reunion.

Since this is the last issue of Checkpoints before the reunion, we thought it appropriate to include some details on the Heritage Trail Memorial project. Development on the AOG’s Heritage Trail is in its infancy but quickly being embraced by a number of USAFA classes. The Class of 1959 designed and built the Challenge Bridge over which each year’s incoming class must cross. The Class of 1960 paved the Trail and wall be continuing the construction as part of a later phase. The Class of1970will be building a pavilion to honor those that were killed in Southeast Asia including a Vietnam War Memorial replica. And finally, our class will be the first to actually construct a memorial on Heritage Trail.

The theme for our contribution is “Valor.” The memorial will consist of a three-piece granite wall engraved with the class crest and names of all deceased members ofthe class. The wall, which overlooks the Eisenhower Golf Course in one direction and the Cadet Area in another, will eventually include all classmates. Mike Chapa, who is currently teaching in the Aeronautics Department, photographed the Trail to assist with site selection.

Sketch by Mark and JenelleByrd of Kevin Shea which will be used to create the bustfor the Heritage Trail Memorial.

Kevin was also recently inducted into the USAFA Prep School Hall of Fame in April 2009, a testament to his tremendous character and accomplishments.

“We hope to have the new Academy Superintendant, Lt Gen Michael Gould, preside over the memorial dedication this fall. Gen Gould was a captain at the USAFA Prep School and the head football coach when many of us were there from 1984 to 1985. Kevin Shea played under his leadership then and laterwent on to play defensive end on the USAFA varsity football team earning a role in the 1987 Freedom Bowl. Kevin also was a member of the National Champion USAEARugbyTeam during the 1989 season. It will be a somber event, but it will be a way for us to express our gratitude and privilege to have known these great and wonderful classmates. We miss them all dearly, as do their families, and we enjoyed their special character and lives with the great memories and friendship they gave us. We will honor them, along with their families, spouses, and children this fall. God knows and has a hand on everything, and He will use this ceremony and memorial to bring us closer together as a class and remember and reminisce on all those memories of our classmates since they will not be here with us at the 20th. What is incredible is that the rings we wear and the quote we decided to carry on these rings is ‘Domine Dirigenos’ which means

‘Lord Guide Us,’” says Gonzo.

During our 20th reunion, there will be a ceremony dedicating the Heritage Trail Class Memorial to honor those classmates who have passed, with invitations being extended to their family and friends as well. We will also honor Larry Karl McNeel, who died in a glider accident during the fall semester of our senior year. Larry was recently approved by the U SAFA Board and Registrar for formal inclusion in the graduating Class of 1989. Because of rules in place at that time, Larry was not awarded a posthumous degree nor included in the Register of Graduates. Gonzo has worked with Academy officials to change these previous decisions and to ensure that a posthumous degree will be presented to Larry’s

mother, MaryAnna McNeel, during the reunion. Larry will now be included in

graduation count and also the Register ofGraduates.

“Despite the difficult economic times, class members have generously donated funds to make the Class Memorial a reality. While we still have some work to do, the support from the class has been inspiring,” said Treasurer Stephen Whiting.

As a final update, the Tibbets family just received orders to Rome, Italy where I will attend the NATO Defense College from Aug ’09 to Feb TO. We are continuour class

Class of 1989 20th Reunion Class of1989Heritage Trail plot pre-construction.

The Class of 1989 Heritage Trail Memorial Project has been ongoing for two

years as the centerpiece of our 20th reunion fundraising effort. The AOG has been very supportive in providing leadership and guidance throughout the project. “A1 Burrell from the AOG has done a super job in keeping us on track in making this project a reality. He has dedicated a lot of time and effort to 108

HOMECOMING

Sept 23-27,2009 Falcons vs. San Diego State

ing our travels around Europe in anticipation of our move to Italy, and enjoyed a week over spring break in Santa Susanna, Spain.

Carson Tavenner 6828 Raccoon Court

Waldorf, MD 20603

(202) 231-2484 DSN: (312) 428-2484 Home: (301) 374-2752 Carson_wendy@comcast.net

My dear friends, You can see this is a short piece. You will understand that it is directly related to the amount of time I have available to dedicate to the task. With this in mind,

may I ask for a volunteer to write the column that will be due the beginning of

July? For those of you who’ve volunteered before, many thanks and my apologies when / if I did not get back to you to take you up on your offer. That was not intentional! We will make it work out better this next time. I know I will need help in July.

This weekend I ran into Derek West inthefoodcourtofthe

Bolling BX, as he was back visiting from Zambia. Derek is our The Tibbets family in Tossa De Mar, Spain visiting the walled enceinte of ‘‘Vila Vella. The original construction dates back to the end ofthe 12 th century. ”

That’s a wrap for this quarter. We look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion this fall. Best wishes to you and your families. Take care and God bless.

James Sanchez

8301 Emerald Circle

air attache to Zambia, and ifI’m not mistaken also the defense

attache. He had several interesting observations already about Sabre Society Donors the environment he’s presented with out there. Of course, he would love to host any of us on a visit to that country!

Chris Howard will also be traveling out to Africa on his reserve air attache business this summer, but at the moment my mind cannot recall which country. After that, he will begin his new job as the President of Hampton-Sydney

College.

Our classmates at National War College are probably on their summer trips/

North Richland Hills, TX 76180

tours by the time you read this, as well. Stories and updates from those, please!

Cell: (817) 881-6357

I know Matt Isler, at least, has to have some interesting observations of Mongolia.

Web: WWW.USAFA90.COM

alohatiger@gmail.com

I have been learning a new job as the team chieffor two teams of DIA analysts.

One examines the national security issues of the PRC, the other examines the

defense leadership of the same. It is in a way my dream job, getting the chance to shape and influence the direction of these intelligence efforts for our coun-

It is with sadness that I pass on the news that Joe Richardson lost his son in a car accident this

February. Ryan was 19 years old; please pass your condo-

lences to Joe and Felicia.

On April 12 Fausta and Kurt Shuler welcomed Mateo Sebastian Shuler to the world.

Julie Kruse Little passed on this bit of info: Blake Matray, 41, was born and raised in Illinois. "I started mushing dogs in North Dakota in 1995.1 bought two Siberian husky puppies from Iditarod musher Brad Pozamsky and it snowballed from there. In 2000,1 moved to Two Rivers to accept a pilot position with the Alaska Air National Guard. Away from the Guard, I'm the Executive Director of the Sled Dog Fund, Inc, a non-profit organization I founded in 2007 with the help of my wife, Erin, and my neighbors Walter and Deb Lanigan. The Sled Dog Fund, Inc. uses racing sled dogs to raise funding for the support of children with disabilities and their families." Blake is a member of the Two Rivers Dog Mushers and Ducks Unlimited. He and his wife maintain a kennel of 29 AKC Siberian Huskies and five 1 Alaskan Huskies and he entered the 2009 Iditarod with the Sabre Society Donors hope of finally making it to Nome. When he isn't training or working, Blake enjoys hunting, fishing and kayaking.

Carl Brenner andToni (Desonia) Brenner ('89) are doing fine at Wright-Pat with four4 kids, from 1 to 11. Carl stood up an Intel Sq at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and will give up command this summer to become Deputy Gp / CC. Toni is a Reservist and a USAFA Liaison Officer. Also at NASIC is another CS- 18 Nightrider, Brian Niswander, as both a civilian and a Reservist. Brian runs plans and warfighter relations for the NASIC/CC as a civilian and frequently serves as Director of Staff as a Reservist.

James Sanchez: My wife and I are opening a frozen yogurt store. By the time you read this we’ll be selling yogurt by the truckload! (We hope...) Right now we’re about two weeks from the soft open and a month from the grand opening, which will be a huge event. My brother-in-law will be the celebrity guest, which will help tremendously since he’s a popular former athlete in our area (Dat Nguyen, Texas Aggie and Dallas Cowboy). Google “The Yogurt Patch” for more information and stop by if you’re in town.

The class news seems to be flowing slowly lately; maybe it’s because (as I write

this) taxes are due tomorrow. To help fix this, I made a Facebook group for our class. You can get to it byvisitingtheUSAFA90.com web site. It seems to be working pretty well, but I still need you guys to send me the updates for Checkpoints so I know what you want posted. Plus, nobody wants to read a million “Brian Kensinger had along day and is ready to go to bed now!! LOL” posts in this

column. So please join the group but don’t stop sending me updates!

Visit the AOG Web Site

www.usafa.org

try. But working in the bureaucracy and under the continuous deluge of email, under which I Tn sure most of you are also working, I wonder how much impact I’m really having. Time will tell.

I am a relative newcomer to Facebook, and can tell it is the sort of thing that, if I gave it much time at all, it would end up consuming far more of my time

than I choose to give it. Therefore, I’m choosing to stay away from the Class of '91 Bold Gold group that has been formed (I think Angie made it?) but have joined all the same, as I hope all/most of you will, too!

Bold Gold events on the long-term horizon: Reunion in two-i- years (Oct 2011), and a mini- reunion gathering at Cape Canaveral in January 2010 for Jim

Dutton’s launch.

James S. Mehta

3802 Elbert Ave.

Alexandria, VA 22305 (703) 697-4511; DSN: 227-4511

james.mehta@ogn.af.mil jamesmehta@pentagon.af.mil jamesmehta@earthlink.net Welcome to another True Blue ’92 column! I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy. Take a few moments to read the column, then run to your com-

puters and send me an e-mail. I promise to get on Facebook soon—but in the meantime, Nicole (Foster) Greenwood set up a page for ’92. I’m sure many of you have already found it. Nicole told me that 72 people joined it the first day! So, go look at your Facebook account and get on the Class of '92 page. The Facebook group is called “USAFA Class of 1992.”

The Greenwoods. Nicole and her family have been in CSprings for a fewyears. Her husband, Jeff, is finishing up as the CS-35 AOC and is hoping for a job with AF Space Command so they can stay around the Springs a bit longer. Nicole is working part time for a friend’s PR firm and has surpassed the 10-year mark for being the newsletter editor for the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She is also keeping busy

auditioning for parts in her church’s drama group. (Well, that and being mom to Garret (7) and Griffin (4)!

Nicole also shared a funny story of attending the “Ring Dance” again, this time as an AOC’s wife. She said it was “so, so weird!” In one way, our Ring Dance was like “a blink of an eye ago,” but on the other hand, she realized we

started USAFA before the current 4 degrees were even born. Thanks for the age reminder... Facebook has kept her in touch with a lot of classmates: Chuck Howard has four kids and lives in New Jersey, not far from John Cosgrove.

Scott Hines separated and currently is an owner of Burke, Rix, Hines & Associates, a government affairs and political advocacy firm. Mike Aerstin is in Georgia flying for Air Tran and flying C-5s in the Reserves and has a 16-month109

old named Luke. Brad Swezey is the Chief, PA at the 45th Space Wing, Patrick

the DEA. He’s having a great time and loves what he’s doing. In fact, over the

AFB. Nicole was able to have lunch with him while he was doing his Reserve

past six months his team has had a film crew following them around for season two of Spike TV’s show “DEA.” The season has recently concluded, but you can catch Sean on reruns. According to Spike TV, DEA has been their best-

time at Space Command public affairs. Thanks for the great update, Nicole.

rated show ever! Sean said the transition from the AF to DEA was pretty easy and that if anyone is interested in a second career, the DEA is hiring and always seeks former military officers. On the personal side, Sean and his wife and two sons made it up to West Point last year for the AF-Army game. They are looking forward to making it to Annapolis this season and hope to see a lot of familiar faces at the tailgate.

Old Tarantulas. I ’m still in touch with Tarantula squadron mates Don Unwin, Dave Kumashiro, Steve Wolf (along with Bob Seifert and Rob Tobler) All are .

doingwell. Don is still flying with FedEx and the Reserves at Scott AFB. Dave is finishing up his first year as squadron commander of the OSS at Dover AFB. And, Steve is finishing up his joint tour in Germany and is headed back to Camp Lejeune this summer with Kaye and the kids. Steve will be headed to 2nd Marines as the OpsO, and he hopes to deploy in the Fall. We really do need to have a CS-22 reunion soon.

Thanks for tuning in again and thanks to all who e-mailed me. Have a great summer as we pass 17 years since

graduation. See you around, True Blue ’92,

James.

The Greenwoods

-

Garret (7), Jeff, Nicole, and Griffin (4).

Rick Bailey e-mailed me from his assignment in the Netherlands—well actu-

ally he e-mailed me from Afghanistan where he has been deployed since November and is finishing up the deployment. He saw a few Academy grads there: Steve Anderson and Skip Skipworth from '92. Plus Lisa Kary (’94), Gil Petrina (’89), and a few others. Rick’s got assigned to NATO Joint Forces Command Brunssum in the Netherlands last Fall, but he’s been in Afghanistan for most of that time. On a side note, Rick is the AOG Class Senator for 1992 representing all of us. He told me doesn’t mind continuing to do it, but it is more difficult from the other side of the world. He will continue to serve in that capacity unless someone closer to the Springs is interested. Rick says, “It is definitely an interesting time in the AOG now, and we are working a lot of issues (mostly dealing with governance and financing).” Contact me if you are interested and I’ll get you in touch with Rick. Finally, Rick was asked by a friend to send a picture of him with Flat Stanley for their 3rd grade niece who is in a contest to see who could get a picture of Flat Stanley from the farthest place. Rick thinks his picture will be the winner.

Michael D. Sundsted 1805 Macadams Place

Alexandria, VA 22308

(240) 338-9839 Michael.sundsted@afncr.af.mil Class Website:

www.highflight.com

Greetings to the class that none shall surpass! We welcome yet another class into the growing Blue Line of the Air Force—congrats to all the new 2nd Lieutenants! I hope this finds the beginning of your summer going great! Things in

Alexandria, VA are motoring along. We’ve got an action-packed summer al-

ready and it hasn’t even started. Looking forward to the fall (too) when AF will play Navy. Andrews already has a big block of tickets on reserve and I know the Pentagon and Bolling AFB grads will follow suit shortly to secure a large Blue contingent in Annapolis! My apologies in advance for such a short column... i.e. let me hear from more of you.

Kari and Jo Ward gave us a great update last article, but I asked for pictures.

They gave us a couple of good ones! You guys look great!

Flat Stanley and Rick Bailey in Kabul.

Pentagon lunch bunch. What has become a regular part of the column has been reporting on the '92 lunches we have every few months at the Pentagon.

Jean Twomey is the organizer. Unfortunately, we must all be getting too busy since only five of us made it this time. I showed up 30 minutes late since I had

The Ward’s enjoying a sunny Colorado day!

a short-notice suspense to meet, and I wasn’t even the last to show! Jean is now

spending some Reserve time with my sister directorate under The Inspector General. She’sstillflyingC-5satStewartANGBinNewYorkeverymonth. Jean and Ritchie Edge were the only ones to show up on time. As I’ve mentioned before, Ritchie is a DoD IT contractor here in DC. Todd McDowell made it and despite moving jobs once again is still working in the Pentagon. Kevin Westburg joined us and is headed to Space Command

this summer. Finally, Mike Bruzzini decided to stop by for a few minutes. He’s headed to stand up and command a new squadron out at Cannon AFB. He tells me he’ll be working with Chad Pitog out there.

DC Locals. I had lunch with Rob Tobler and Bob Seifert a couple of months ago. They are both at Andrews AFB in the VIP transport squadrons. We met in Old Town Alexandria since it’s a good half-way spot between Andrews and the Pentagon. Bob and I realized that our kids are close in age and have set up some “play dates” for them. The kids seem to get along well together and it gives us dads a chance to hang out. Also, Bob and his wife, Amy, just had their second

boy on April 3,2009—Joshua Walker Seifert. Congratulations!

Spike TV Celebrity. Sean Lawler sent me an update on his adventures with the DEA. Since separating from the AF, Sean has become a Special Agent with 110

Jo and the kids takingadvantage of mountain snow!

Phil and Amy Tucker sent a note from Ramstein AB Germany where Phil is

flyingthe C-40 (B-737) Special Missions Aircraft after his tour as anAOCatour beloved USAFA. Nothing like a European Vacation after wrestling with the future Lieutenants! Amy is teaching part time at a DoDDs school and Jack and Caroline are doing great and keep Phil and Amy on their toes.

George Clark also checks in from Germany, but as an action officer in the Europe regional pol/mil division—he recently became the Branch Chief for the Western Balkan Countries! Lots of responsibility! He, his wife, and two daughters will return to the U.S. to Litde Rock AFB initially where George will requalify in the C-130 and then on to Dyess AFB where he will become a Director of Operations for one of the C-130 squadrons! Congrats to you and your family!

George also says that he has run into several graduates, most notably Jimmy “Finch” Sparrow who is currently the Sabre Society Executive Officer for the J5/8 director and also Chris Bennett

Donors

who works in the J5 plans shop. Thanks for the update!

Unfortunately that’s it for this time! To make this a successful article updating

all onyour myriad of activities I need some more information! Ifyou haven’t given an update or it’s just been a while then you can email me at work (Michael.sundsted@afncr.af.mil), home (bravecwboy@cox.net), or just call

(see number above). Mike The Chastain family.

Craig Allen 440 Willow Court

Warrensburg, MO 64093 H: (660) 747-8088 C: (660) 864-5374 keggerallen@embarqmail.com Summer '09! An up-front disclaimer—if you sent me any input (or a complaint) to the email address posted in the last edition, I didn’t get it. There was a typo, so please reattempt this time to keggerallen@embarqmail.com. Beyond that, it’s been an eventful quarter—taxes are going up, GM might go bankrupt and there actual pirates out there. But hey, it’s summer, so stay positive and think “Shining City on a Hill” (Reagan); “AThousand Points of Light” (Bush); or “My advice to you is to start drinking heavily” (Belushi).

Despite the contact info snafu, I did manage to hear from a lot of people after the first article. Tara (Dubilo) Traw gave us a ring from nearby Kansas. She and husband, Mike “Thick” Traw, have been, in Thick’s words, “blissfully marSabre Society Donors ried for 13 wonderful years”. They’ve got an impressive setup there, where Tara home schools five kiddos—two girls and three boys. Beyond the Kansas ranch, theTraw’s maintain a Missouri lake house, at which Tara recently hosted what she called the ’94 “Swim Chicks” Reunion. Attendees included Keri (Schreiber) Singleton, Erika

(Schenevar) Foster, and Brenda (Boeckman) Clark. Keri is a mother of four and homeschooler of two girls and two boys. She and husband, Britt (’95), are relocating to Atlanta—Britt will be working for Pfizer there. Erika and

Jeff Dalrymple sent a great update from Randolph in San Antonio. He and his

family just arrived there after several years in England flying tankers and working on the staff. Jeff is aT-1 instructor at Randolph and says the flying is terrific he already knows all the best lunch spots within 1000 miles of the base. He also said there are several other ’94 grads there as instructors. Jeff said he just missed Eric Bulger in the T-1 squadron. Eric left to fly the G5 in Savannah, but not before he told all the pilots in the squadron to make sure to call Jeff “Nipplehead” when he showed up. Jeff was extremely appreciative of that --

nice gesture from Eric. Mike Cranston is also a T-1 IP there and he works at AETC Safety. Brian “Nuts" Hazel is a T-38 IP there—he and Jeff have a regular

“card” game they attend. Finally, Jeff said he had lunch with Joe Pastorello on a recent

trip to USAFA, where Joe is currently serving as a Reservist instructor.

Can you guess what course he teaches? That’s right, Unarmed Combat! In fact,

Joe and his brother just developed new UC courses for the AF and potentially the other services. Imagine yourself as a freshman, walking through the “neighborhood” on your UC test, when all of a sudden this instructor named Pastorello jumps out and attacks you...

Dan “Slim” Veal called me from London recently while on a trip for Delta. In addition to the airline flying, he’s living in DC and flying F-16s in the DC ANG. He’s still single and gives no indication that that will change any time soon.

Basically, he says he’s livin’ the dream.

Leo Gage wrote me an email from Germany where he is currently stationed.

He said he went for a ride on his Harley about three years ago to Vegas, met a girl named Heather, and now he’s married. Leo and Heather are enjoying living in Europe—Heather plays professional tennis over there. Heather is also the daughter of New York Myke of San Diego Harley Davidson, whom you may have heard of

-

-

Leo said check out his commercials on the internet.

husband Michael (’99) live in Virginia, where Mike is a legislative liaison.

Brenda and Jay (’93) have two kids, one boy and one girl. Jay flies for Southwest out of Phoenix, while Brenda is enrolled in nursing school. Tara reported that they all had a great time.

Cary Culbertson and his daughter gear up for a ride.

Speaking of Harley riders, Cary “Pistol" Culbertson sent a picture ofhis daughter and him on their rides—one of the bikes looks like an Orange County Chopper “theme bike”... the Princess Chopper. It was great to hear from a lot of people after the last article. Keep sending me material, especially if any impromptu 15-year reunions take place. Have a nice summer Kegger.

-

Keri, Erika, Tara and Brenda at the “Swim Chicks"Reunion.

R. Travis Koch

Mike “Leif” Erickson and wife, Lisa, are in Hawaii on a hardship assign-

6207E Shallowford Ct.

ment. They have two little girls. It’s tough duty, but Mike says he’s able to stay

Suffolk, VA 23435

by riding his bike to work every day (in shorts), and surfing at lunch time.

It sounds eerily similar to a “Point Break” scenario, but Mike assured me that sane

Home: (757) 686-2607

Cell: (850) 499-8242

he hasn’t changed his name to The Bodizaffa’.

Trey Chastain and wife, Marcie, are in Ohio at Wright Patterson, where Trey

richard.koch@langley.af.mil traviskoch@yahoo.com

is serving his staff time as an Exec in AFMC/A4. They have two boys and I’m sure

Trey already has them taking batting practice and working on a breaking

ball. The Chastains are about to get back below the Mason-Dixon Line at

Seymour-Johnson in North Carolina, where Trey will be an F-15E Maintenance Squadron Commander. Congrats!

This is Cleveland... isn’t it? Alright, well, I’m back. Thought someone else

going to write this one but, here we go. This thing was due about two weeks ago, I can’t believe the AOG puts up with me. By the way, if you’d like to was

write one of these (I’d like you to...) please drop me a note with about 1200 words and three pictures. Thanks.

Zoomie Thoughts: First off, I would like to congratulate the AF Men’s Hockey team on a fantastic season. Well done, fellas. I’m sure your grades are not as

good as Decker’s, Benson’s, and Bilek’s, and that’s probably whyyou did so well. I got to watch the first round match with Mags and it was classic. Andy Veneri made it to the elite eight game to see the boys in blue fight the good fight.

Can you name these “Four-Smokes?”

Family Matters: Ty Little is getting married at the Academy this luly. That’s right, at the Cadet Chapel. Sabre Drill, the Falconeers and YOUR Wings of Blue will be performing during the ceremony. That should be awesome. Matt Baade is tying the knot in DC in May. Baader has moved to Atlanta and will be living there with his sweet wife, Kate. This publication will print after the wedding so we will be unable to subtly warn her. Godspeed, young woman. Chad Bondurant just had a son, Bo, and is moving over to Stuttgart, Germany this summer. Paul and Amanda 5 Sabre Society Moga had a little girl (Madeline) in April. She is sweet as pie.

Donors Andrea (Rolfe) Themely was promoted one year BTZ (sorry I didn’t recognize her name). She and Damon (’89) just had a son Jacob in January. They are moving to Sheppard this summer to fly T-38s.

Mike and Sheri Mills had their first son, Michael James (who is “just perfect” including his “really, really long toes”). Sheri was happy that Big Daddy Mills had some boy swimmers in there. Congratulations to all.

Congrats again on a great season. Secondly, I saw the USNA Seamen receive the Commander’s in ChiefTrophy today for the sixth year in a row. Crushing.

Ifyou can, please encourage your nephews, neighbors, and local H.S. football standouts to go to USAFA and help Coach Calhoun bring our program back to the pinnacle of the Service Academies. One day soon enough there will be a group of Walker, Tone, Harrison, and Russ boys going there, but until then, help those Falcons recruit!

Now for the Jon Hamby section of the update. Bone is in last place in our Fantasy Baseball league. I think the addition of Mathis to the family is taking its toll. Wait till there are three. We are ushering at Baader’s wedding with Eric Davis and Chris Tengwall. Can’t imagine it will be any fun. Hopefully someone will have the next update so I'll see you next fall. Till then, Keep the Faith, T. Koch.

Melissa S. 4

Fairchild AFB, WA 99011 W: (509) 247-2525/DSN: 657-2525 H: (509) 244-9775

Melissa.cunningham@fairchild.af.mil fchdrider@msn.com

‘Greetings ‘96ers! Well, the Dark Ages in Spokane are finally over and we are basking in some much needed sun! I hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

For some of you this means packing up the family for yet another PCS. Everyone seems to be DC-bound for the compulsory Pentagon assignment. In fact, just today I heard that Bob and Melissa Bryant (Wainwright) and Joyce Storm (Gange) will headed that direction soon. Good luck to all with summer moves and please remember to update your mailing address with the AOG.

Millsy is one proud Papa.

Random Updates: Jason Cockrum is living it up in DC and enjoying his time in the Pentagon, where every day is a holiday. Daniel McAlister is still out in L.A. with two great looking kidos. Craig Prichard is married and living in San Antonio. Michael Flynn used a gallon of battery acid and some old motor oil

and found a Chesapeake Bay storm drain to help celebrate "Earth Day." Matt Callow is married and living in Omaha, NE where he is a “Strike Planner”.

Bridget and Nick Guttman are finishing up school in Newport, RI. If you ever get a chance, have that guy play Dire Straits’ Sultan of Swing. Phenomenal.

Phil Kiracofe is selling real estate in NY, NY and is rolling “single” for all you eligible bachelorettes out there. Olin Lau is living in OK City, OK with his beautiful family.

Cunningham

5785 Ft. Wright Oval

The Mattes Family I received an update from Scott Mattes. After 10 years in the AF, he decided

Project Engineer position with a small Midwest consulting firm, the Howard R. Green Company, based in Des Moines, Iowa. Today he is a group leader for the company’s newly developed geospatial business unit. They provide geographical information systems (GIS) in support and spatial analysis solutions to clients located in the Midwest, Sunbelt area, and the Persian Gulf.

His group also provides GIS services for farmers. He enjoys the position’s leadership opportunities and the challenges of growing a business. He continues to operate his own little family farm in his “free time” and enjoys some deer hunting with some of our classmates. Scott and his beautiful wife, Kimberly, recently celebrated their 12th anniversary and enjoy their three beautiful girls: Holly (5), Paige (3) and Karley (5 months). Ifyou are ever traveling along 1-80 in the Des Moines area, please give him a shout to accept a

2

out.

I also received a note from Mike Patterson. After gradua-

tion, he was hooked up with a sweet casual job in the athletic

Sabre Society Donors

ticket office. Those good deals never last too long and soon enough he was headed to Columbus AFB for pilot training. He got a KC-135 to McConnell AFB in his drop and headed off to Altus for training. He wrapped up his training in Sep '98, and married his sweetheart, Michelle, before packing up the U Haul and making the move to Wichita, KS. They were stationed at McConnell for three years. Michelle had an opportunity to teach in Newton, KS while Mike flew and deployed, flew and deployed.. .sound familiar to many ofyou? They made some incredible life-long friends during their time in Kansas, but when the three years were up, the AF decided to send them back -

to Columbus AFB, MS.

In BfW, is that AFBlue?

112

They had four months at the Pilot Instructor Training in Mike’s home state of

Texas before making the drive deeper in the South to Mississippi. Shortly after

their arrival to Columbus AFB, their daughter Lauren was born. They spent the next five years in Columbus enjoying training young pilots where Mike became an evaluator pilot and an ADO. They made a family decision as theywrapped up this assignment to finish Mike’s commitment and leave active duty. He did a brief stint with the Reserves in Columbus and finally left flying in June 2006.

The Patterson’s headed to Wisconsin to be closer to family, and Mike was hired by Trane (the air conditioner folks... ”It’s hard to stop aTrane”) as a Marketing Engineer. His department develops and supports software which analyzes the energy consumption of buildings. Although not as glamorous as flying, he finds it extremely interesting work. He has gained a lot ofvisibility with energy prices going through the roof and the growing “green” movement picking up steam. He spends much ofhis time training customers how to use their

Finally, I caught up with Andi Vinyard. The photo is from her promotion to Lt Col at the beginning of April. Jennifer Hammerstedt and Jenny Caballero

(Spindle) made it out for the ceremony at the base of the Washington Monument. They had a fun girl’s weekend taking in the DC sights and a night out

with Kurt Kremser, Jason Bailey, Rex Ballinger, and Mike Conley. Andi and her husband, Chuck Podalak, are leaving DC this summer as Andi takes command of a squadron at Elmendorf, AK at the beginning of July.

Well, that is all for now. Please keep die emails and pictures coming my way!

Have a wonderful summer!

Take care, Mel.

Melvin E. Maxwell, Jr.

software, developing new training programs, and help customers develop

756 Granite Drive

solutions for reducing energy consumption.

They moved to La Crosse, WI in 2006 and couldn’t be happier. Their daughter

Ofallon, IL 62269

enjoys school and will be finishing first grade this year. Michelle works with one of the regional hospitals in their compliance department helping ensure that they meet the multitude of federal and state requirements. Aside from his job at Trane, Mike remains in the Reserves as an Academy Liaison Officer. In fact, his first candidate was just accepted and will be joining the class of 2013!

mel_maxwell97@hotmail.com melvin.maxwell@ustranscom.mil

Hope all is well for everyone. 1 ’m down to 45 days left in this deployment and

looking forward to getting back stateside. My wife sold my car, shipped it bought me a new one, and refinanced our house, all while entering her 7 th month of pregnancy. About the only thing she hasn’t done is write this Checkpoints update. Thanks to the folks who wrote in with updates; I'm still useful for something. Here’s the news...

Klaus Franze read about Scott Waters waiting to go into training with the FBI in the last update and reached out to 4 connect with Scott. Klaus is an FBI Special Agent working Sabre Society violent crime matters out of the Los Angeles Division. How Donors am

to California,

cool is that?

Tracy (Waller) Hasse and her husband are PCSing to Virginia Beach in May where he’ll be stationed as a Navy intel officer and Tracy will be starting law school at Regent University. Tracy’s thinking about becoming a Navy JAG. Bonar Luzey wrote in with some great news. He and Michelle Pryor are in the 10-month DoD Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP)

Jim and'Ashley Pedersen at the presentation oftheLoudermilk-ChavezLead-

ership Award.

Jim Pedersen, his daughter, Ashley, and Kerry Loudermilk’s family were

which is one ofthe DoD's premier leadership programs giving aggressive handson training and immersion from a joint and interagency perspective. Bo sent in a picture from a day he and Michelle spent the day with the Navy SEALs from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

present for the unveiling of the Loudermilk-Chavez Leadership Award this

spring. A wonderful way to memorialize Kerry, the Loudermilk/Chavez Leadership Excellence Award is earned by a member of the Women’s Basketball Team whose level of commitment and dedication demonstrated a never wa-

vering “Team First” attitude. No matter which pillar of Academy life, the award winner selected for this award has demonstrated an unselfish nature through their daily actions. Whether it was scrapping for a loose ball on the court, helping someone with their homework or assuming extra duties in the squadron these selfless acts forge the lifelong connection between teammates. The plague inscription reads: “Even among leaders, there are leaders. Sometimes they walk softly and sometimes they are the most prominent among us. Whether observingfrom the back or chargingfrom the front they are the ones upon whom we all rely and look to in those meaningful moments, both on and offthe court. They naturally embody the traits that the rest ofus strive to perfect. They consistently create the paths upon which to lead others down. They are our peer mentors, our best friends and our beloved teammates. Through their dedication, commitment, and pure lovefor all, theyforged a team ofathletes for a season and a family ofgraduates for a lifetime. For their selfless service to all of us, we proudly salute them.”

Michelle and Bo looking mean!

Bo writes, “We had the opportunity to become immersed in how they con-

duct special warfare mission from the sea, air, and land. This is only one of hundreds of opportunities we have had with the warfighter. Tomorrow we are off to Korea to spend time with US Forces Korea and get a forward deployed forces perspective. In April we will spend time in DC getting the Elements of Power before heading off to Brussels, Belgium for some time training with NATO/SHAPE and then to Berlin and Germany to get an appreciation of EUCOM.” Congrats to Bo and Michelle for the selection and participation in such a great program. Way to represent ’97!

Maurice Dunn checked in after participating in a Way of Life Alumni Group activity supporting the African American Pioneers in Aviation History program at the National Air and Space Museum. Moe got to visit with graduates ranging from the class of ’68 to ’01, as well as one of the original Tuskegee Airman, Curtis Christopher Robinson. Moe’s favorite experience was meeting Marion Anthony Marshall, a ’68 grad who goes by Tony. Tony was a navigator who was shot down along with his pilot over Vietnam. According to the Library of Congress, he flew over 260 missions out of a base in Thailand before

Visit the AO G Web Site

Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More!

Jenny Caballero, Audi Vinyard and Jennifer Hammerstedt celebrate Audi’s promotion toLtCol.

www.usafa.org 113

becoming a “guest” at the Hanoi Hilton in July 1972, and subsequently being released along with his fellow captives the following spring.

Greetings from the metropolis of Sumter, SC! This is Jen (Petykowski) Mulder, pinch-hitting for Karin on the next couple of Checkpoints articles. I received a number of great updates from around the world and hope to hear

from even more of you for the next article. You can send a note via email or facebook, if that’s easier.

It’s been a year full of change for me—transitioning from AD to the Reserves, moving, having a baby, and starting work again as a contractor. Besides the birth of our son, Travis, oneofthebest moments was Chris’ (’01) andmylongawaited wedding ceremony this past November. We were able to spend some time with our family and friends, including some other grads. Gretchen

(Rhoads) Clohessy, Angela (Tauriainen) Kornahrens, Sara (Freeman)

Tony Marshall ’68 and Moe Dunn

Zakrzewski (’99),and Matt Hall (’01) all made the trip to Virginia Beach.

Jason Ausdemore wrote in this past March with a good deal of news after returning from a ski vacation with a number of classmates. Jason is a full-time ReservistflyingC-17satMarchAir Reserve Base. Hewrote, “Sara (marriedfor seven years) and I have two wonderful girls (Savanna (5), and Siena (2). We are

really enjoying the area and the friends we've gotten to know. Brother in-law Dave Page is married to Audrey Page (Sandrock ’96) and lives about three hours away in Ventura. They are expecting a baby girl one week from today.

This brings their total to three with sons/best nephews on the planet Robby (4), and Tyler (2). Dave is a project manager for Raytheon in Santa Barbara.

Josh Snow is in Marketing for Covidien in New Haven, CT and has two boys.

Matt Orlowsky is at the Naval War College in Newport, RI preparing to deploy in the summer. Family (2 boys, 1 girl) is heading back to DC in the middle of the summer. Adam Lefringhouse is going back to school in Monterey on the government's dime where he is easily mastering the finer points of Arabic.

Sean Bradley is in law enforcement in Southern California. Dave, Josh, Matt, and I were all roommates at Langley AFB in the late ’90s. Bradley and Lefty would routinely drive up from Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point for parties and a return to civilization. As everyone

PCSed, we have done our best to have

annual reunions. Thus, this past weekfound Josh and Matt on flights from the East Coast to LA and then driving six hours to Mammoth Mountain in the Sierras.

Not to be outdone, Lefty found driving to be almost as challenging and

wound up logging over a thousand miles round trip for the weekend. The conditions at Mammoth were great and we had a blast telling stories, playing

guitar, and drinking Fat Tire buried in the snow. Bradley's Shaun White impersonation landed him in the ER, but in five weeks the doctor promised that the ligaments in his shoulder will heal. Dave and I also learned a powerful lesson that is worth repeating...purchase and apply snow chains to your vehicle BEFORE there is 18 inches of snow on the ground Sunday morning. The night before everyone left, we took this picture at the Mammoth Brewery, watching the tournament after a long day skiing.

Mulder Wedding: Jen, Angela, Sara, and Gretchen.

Gretchen and Tom and their two kids are busy preparing for a PCS to San

Antonio, TX this summer. Tom will be working at AFPC while Gretchen continues her work as a

government civilian with DTRA. Unfortunately, Jenn (Pollard) Steliga couldn’t make it to the wedding—she was a little preoccupied having a baby on the other side of the world. Jenn, her Navy husband, Mark, and baby Caitlin are thoroughly enjoying living in a small German village and traveling around Europe. We also missed seeing Felicia (Bell) and Jeff Mohr. Felicia is finishing up her second of three years of physical therapy school, while Jeff is busy flying both at the Academy and for Southwest Airlines.

”

Jenn, Caitlin, and Mark (far right) with Jenn’s cousins.

From left are Josh Snow, Adam Lefringhouse, Dave Page, Jason’s brother Jeff, Jason Ausdemore, Matt Orlowsky, and Sean Bradley.

Lastly, a couple updates on new arrivals. Julie (Thode) and Brian Mulloy recendy welcomed their 10 lb 7 oz new addition, Keegan, to the family. Julie passed on that Steph (Jardine) Brown had a baby girl, Meegan. No word as to whether the rhyming names was intentional. Alright all, that’s all I have for this

round. Until next time... Mel.

Visit the AOG Web Site

www.usafa.org 114

Jeff Findley wrote in from A1 Udeid. He’s working for the CFACC, in charge of flight safety in the AOR, managing 6 AEWs and 4 AEGs in 6 countries. He saw a number of our classmates during his travels throughout the AOR. He ran into Jeff Queen and Don Siegmund in Balad, Iraq and Casey Vile in Kabul, Afghanistan. Of course, A1 Udeid is like a reunion by itself. Reggie Wesley and Jason

Brugman work in the CAOC with Jeff. On the family side, Jeff has been happily married to his wife, Kelly, for the last ten years. She’s been a great military spouse taking care oftheir two daughters, Presli who turns 7 in May, and Lorelai who had her 2nd birthday while Jeff was deployed.

Brandon Maroon is headed to Iraq for a 365-day tour that will end up being about 15 months, including the Army combat and counterinsurgency training he is currently receiving at Ft. Riley, Kansas. He has been trained in a variety of courses to include Combat

Lifesaver, IED detection, and night convoy and firing operations. Brandon will be on a transition team responsible for advising his Iraqi counterparts on Logistics and Materiel Distribution. He recently

doing well as the acting commander of the Logistics Readiness Officer Technical Training School at Lackland AFB, TX. ran in to Nathan Harris who is

to getting out the info pertaining to the event (I haven’t gotten any news about

any marriages, babies, or other life-changing events).

For planning purposes, events will begin Wednesday night with check-in at the hotel and an informal social. It looks like the Antler’s Hilton in downtown will be our base of operations, contract pending at this time, with rooms being

around $ 100 per night. Thursday will be the golf tournament and other activities for non-golfers, a prep school mini-reunion, and more food and drinks at the hotel. Friday will be a Cadet Area Open House, lunch at Mitch’s/Amies, USAFA senior staff briefings, a Class photo and Memorial Service, and a class dinner. Saturday will be the tailgate, football game, and after party. Currently there is nothing planned Sunday since that is when most people depart.

This is a rough draft based on how things have traditionally been done. I want

emphasize that this is our reunion, and we can rework things based on our needs and desires, but we have to start now. The longer we wait the more things will be locked in so please, send me your comments, concerns, and suggestions as soon as possible.

Normally, the class does mailings for advertising, registration, and reminders. In an effort to keep your costs down, my plan is to maximize the use of technology and do most of this via electronic means. First off, the AOG website will host the formal registration and general info. The secondary and most Sabre Society Donors up to date source of info will be our “USAFA Class of ’99 Reto

Brandon Maroon in combat training at Ft. Riley, Kansas.

Johnny Beurer is stationed at Randolph AFB in the 19 AF. He’s a Stan-Eval nazi for AETC helos and the occasional briefer for our old commandant G-Lo

(now a 4-star). He is married with 2 kids (Hannah is 5 and Johnny is 3). Last year, Johnny deployed to Afghanistan as an Air Advisor. His assessment: “Itwas a cool job but an even better experience when I showed up and found one of my old SUPT roommates, Derek Mentzer, was already there. We got to drive all over Kabul together and traveled most of the country. Between the 2 of us, I think our programs were close to $1.5B. Air Power is not cheap!” Johnny will be heading to Fairchild in June to become the new commander at the 36th RQF. Some other updates Johnny sent in: Brian Bellamy is also at Randolph on the fighter side. He ran into Mona Alexander, who is stationed at Laughlin, right before the Super Bowl; Brent Beaulieu is at Kirtland AFB, Stu Alley is now with Southwest Sabre Society Airlines, and Rich Meziere is getting out of the AF soon with Donors plans to wed on Oct 11th.

Another update from Texas—Austin this time...Jeremy Jones is at the University ofTexas getting his MBA (full-time) and will be interning with Goldman Sachs this summer. Ron Lobato is still in the Marines and is teaching ROTC at UT. He is also getting his MBA in the executive program.

Mark Wall is a Radiologist at Keesler AFB. He seesTom Paynter (Ortho), Anne Gray (OB/GYN), and Justin Cummings (Internal Medicine) around the hospital almost daily. Mark is currently deployed to Bagram AFB, Afghanistan, until the end of August. Mark is married to a civilian physician, whom he fully acknowl-

edges is the smarter one (takes a good man to admit that one—hope it gets you some brownie points, Mark!) and is building a home in Ocean Springs, MS. Nowup to Newjersey- Gage Anderson just moved to McGuire AFB after3.5 years at Dover. He will be working in the AMCTest/Eval Squadron. JDKiker also works there. Gage and his wife, Serena, are looking forward to welcoming their first boy into the world at the end of May. That will make number 3 for Gage and Serena. Which brings me to the next topic.. .1 think we have estabfished a new record. Nate Flint and his wife brought home their latest addition in September—baby number seven! If any other ’98ers have managed to have more than seven

union" event page on Facebook. There is a blog to follow there if you want to publicly voice any comments or suggestions, or correct my spelling and grammar (Bobby). That will also be where I solicit your opinions

specifics that we control, like times and entertainment for events, menu selections, etc. As always you can contact me directly via any ofthe above e-mails/ on

phone #s, and I will send a few shotgun e-mails out highlighting important deadlines. Realize with this plan the onus is on you to periodically check in and get the latest info. I’d also encourage everyone to log onto the AOG website and update your personal info. If you’d really rather have snail mail, let me know.

While we are on the issue of money, you can plan on a couple hundred bucks above and beyond hotel, plane tickets, and football tickets to cover the costs of the various events. Yes, the events will be a la carte so you can pick and choose what you want to spend your money on, but there will be a non-negotiable “reunion fee” charged by the AOG to cover their costs. Like I said before, I will do everything in my power to keep our costs down, but unless the millionaires among us subsidize the event it ain’t gonna be free.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. Keep the info and pictures flowing, and when you have a minute shoot me an e-mail to let me know if you’re planning on attending or not and what events you’re interested in. That will help me focus my limited energy and resources towards making this a truly memorable event. Until then... .James

Jason “JW” Simmons Simmons@USAFA2000.com

jw_simmons@yahoo.com

kids, we’d love to hear about it.

Moving on to South America.. .Ben Menges is living the hard life in Lima, Peru while finishing up his Olmsted Scholarship. He’s got one more semester to go and then will likely be sent to MacDill to fly C-37s.

Last, but certainly not least, Knute Adcock has been stationed in Germany forjust over a year flying the C-40. He’s enjoying fife and German beer. CarlRay Conway and he went skiing this past November in Obergurgl, Austria. Knute says to look him up if you find yourself going through Ramstein.

Classmates, Well, the Majors’ fist dropped since our last class news and after which there was lots of congrats email flying around. It was good to see such a high rate for promotion and congratulations go out to all those that were selected. In addition, congrats go out to all those no longer wearing the uniform that continue to amaze me and other classmates with outstanding accom-

plishments. Keep striving for excellence in all you do! Now James W. Busch

(830) 734-2411 DSN: 732-5142

buschfl6@yahoo.com james.busch@laughlin.af.mil

on with the news.

Hans Anker got married back in February and picked up a

None Yet

Sabre Society

Donors cushy federal job with the FAAin Denver. He's also enjoying his “weekends” in the 240th Civil Engineering Flight at Buckley where he pinned on Major back in September thanks to the Guard.

Shiners! If you five in a cave somewhere and haven’t heard yet, our reunion is on the books for the week of 26 Sept. The bulk of this issue will be dedicated

Class of 1999 10th Reunion HOMECOMING

Sept 23-27,2009 Falcons vs. San Diego State Beckham and Anker

(Probably the first in our class to pin on Major.) During Han’s annual training last winter, he ran into his BCT roommate JeffBeckham who is flying F-16s out of Osan. He sent me a picture of him and Jeff, but Hans, I think I we’d like to see a shot of you and your wife.

Elaine (Melendez) Bryant is now stationed at USAFA teaching Aero and she, alongwith her husband, Chet, has two boys and is enjoying life. She is neighbors with Tom Pina and his wife, Kristina, who is pregnant with their third

expecting a baby boy in May. Mark Skalko and his wife are stationed in Grand Forks ND and have been there for almost 3 years where he is instructor pilot in the KC-135. They have two little girls, Madison (3) and Audrey who was born on Halloween. Barry Weaver and his wife just welcomed their first baby, a girl named London Marie on March 19. They are in Littie Rock, AR where he isACintheC-130J. Dustin Lybeck and his wife had a baby girl in Feb 08. He and his wife just left Langley and they just PCSed to Lackland AFB. He started

baby; Tom is working under the Defense Contract ManagementAgency not on USAFA proper, but there locally. Another fella found at USAFA, is Dan Visosky; he has one of the best jobs in the Air Force Falcon golf coach. Jen (Trevino) Bailey and Gregg Bailey are at McChord and are getting to spend some time together again, since Gregg recently returned from a deployment.

Carolyn Walkotte just finished her year tour in Iraq. She spent the last year working with the Iraqis on rebuilding their Air Force. It was a unique experience, but she is glad to be out of Iraq. The next challenge is a PCS to MainzKastel, Germany with the 485th Intelligence Squadron. Also, in Germany, Bryan Trinkle got an extension on his Air Liaison Officer job with the 5th Corps, so he and April will be in Heidelberg until early fall.

Ben Matthews, wife, Julie, gave birth to their second child (Samuel) on April 1st. Ben now lives in Dallas and is a program manager with Jacobs Engineering and taking care of the toll roads around the metroplex.

residency in Orthopedic Surgery and they are settling into San Antonio. He is also taking a break for a bit in Iowa where he will donate a kidney to his brother good luck Dustin!

Josh Lyle separated from the AF in 2006 after a stint at Incirlik AFB, Turkey. He is now living in Charlotte doing construction management and is married with three kids (Emma 5, Jack 3, and George 9 months). Jenn DiCarlo just PCSed from Ellsworth to Eglin in February. She is working at the 28 Test and Evaluation Squadron doing operational testing of air to ground munitions.

Last November she completed her first IRONMAN Triathlon and is doing a TDY to Vegas shortly. Laura Renner just launched her first business! They are selling bilingual story books, right now Chinese/English but will be expanding to Spanish/English soon with the hopes of targeting children attending dual language schools or those interested in learning anew language go to

—

-

-

-

-

-

www.bububooks.com for the details!

Garrett and Carlin Fisher just welcomed their second girl, Caitlin, in March.

Andy and MaryEdith Malin welcomed their second child and first boy, Pierce Andrew Malin, on March 12 th. Andy is just finishing his fourth year of five of his orthopaedic surgery residency and MaryEdith is working part time for an education policy company.

The Matthews Family Dan Shinohara has left Robins AFB and is working for JFCOM. When I caught

up with him on email, he was, finishing C4I Joint Forces Staff College Course at Norfolk, VA. And on a whirlwind tour of JTF-GNO, DISA, NSA, NRO, White

House Comm Agency, and J-Staff at Pentagon. Inothernew, Dan and his wife had a baby girl last summer and promise a photo for an upcoming Check-

points. Ryan O’Hara is going to go get his PhD in Aeronautical Engineering at

Andy and Pierce Malin in thefootball pose!

AFIT after his latest rough tour at UMass ROTC.

Please send class news anytime you have updates to me or post something on my

Facebook, MySpace, or even our Yahoo Group... you can’t say I’m not

trying. Thanks.

Jason “Cueball” Simmons

Mike and I are staying busy with work and chasing Grant around. We are going to Vegas in April to celebrate our 30th birthdays and Mike will be going to Florida in June for Brent Bak’s wedding.

Mike and I will be running the Dam-to-Dam 20K (12.4 miles) at the end of May. We will be running in honor of Holly Adams’ 30th birthday and will be taking pledges (donations or per-mile pledges) to raise money for her schol arship foundation. Each year it gives a scholarship to a senior from her high -

Faith (Hitchcock) Dunn 6423 NW 94th Court

school that embodies the qualities exemplified by Holly- leadership, integrity and service. If you would like to donate, you can send a check to my home address listed above and I will be sure to make the donation in your name to her family. That is all I have for now. Thanks again for all the updates!

Johnson, IA 50131 Faithd03@hotmail.com

Amy Kauvar 806 Magnolia Bend

Hi there ’Olers, I think the word is getting out about the Facebook USAFA Class of2001 page I created because I’ve seen a lot of people join since the last article came out. I encourage everyone to check it out; join the page and keep the updates coming!

Shane Owen sends his first update he has been married for 6 years and they just welcomed their first child, Bankston, on 14 November. They are currently

San Antonio, TX 78251 215-280-1760

amykauvar@gmail.com Class Website; www.usafa02.org

-

stationed at RAF Mildenhall, but he is deployed to Iraq flying MC- 130s. Dave Schichtle is finishing up law school in Lansing, MI and will

graduate on May 16. He’ll be taking the Colorado Bar Exam this summer and then is off to his first JAG assignment at Yokota AB, Japan.

Danny Heil writes after spending 5 years in the EC-130H at

a book called

Davis Monthan; he is now at Vance AFB as an IP in theT-1 with

Greg Mccann, Jeff Ulmer, and Fred Gallegos. He also works with Chris Jackson who is aT-38 IP and Kurt Duff who is flying AT-38s. He and his wife, Dianna, have a three-year-old daugh-

4 Sabre Society Donors

ter with another one on the way this summer. Drew Blasd

sends an update from Whiteman where he and Adam Goodpasture have been stationed for about 3 years. They are both deployed flying the B-2 and Adam is married with a little one. Dan Knerl and his wife have also been at Whiteman for about 2 years. Rich Iinton, his wife and 2 kids are at Lackland where he is flying the C-5. Dan Diaz, Frank and Audra Lyons are also in San Antonio.

Ryan Anderson is teaching AFROTC at Colorado State. He and his wife are 116

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the graduation of the first USAFA class, Jonathan Shafer (‘59) from the beginning ofthe “Long Blue Line” has authored

He has written this retrospective OffWe Go of his four years at The Air Force Academy. It is sprinkled with humor, seriousness, and interesting thoughts about the then and now that only could be written from an actual experience. The work includes photos of the Academy, arriving “new” cadets, special events, and other historical photos. There are no hard copies available, but it can be pur1 chased online for immediate download. For a synopsis and Sabre Society Donors to see the cover photograph, go to www.wanttoget pubfished, com.

Haven’t heard much from fellow classmates over the past couple of months; however, I have some news of my own. IwenttomyfirstUSAFAAOG meeting with the Alamo chapter this month. I went was because our former Commandant of Cadets, General Lorenz was the guest of honor! What a small world! It ....

was a fabulous

night with lots of meeting and greeting with alumni. I encour-

age all of you to try to get involved in your local USAFA AOG chapters. My one piece of advice would be that you need to know who is still active duty sporting their mufti for the evening; it maybe your commanding General! In the photo

from left are: Audra Lyons (’01), Master of Ceremonies; Major General Anthony Przybyslawski (76), President of Alamo Chapter AOG; Amy Kauvar (Schultz); General Stephen Lorenz (73), Guest Speaker and currently CommanderofAETC; and Kay Grosinske (’82), Social Events Chair ofAlamo AOG.

Charity Winters in an Iraqi vineyard.

Mike, Chelsea and Liam Strasser are doing well at Lakenheath and expect to

Hope you all have fabulous summer vacations planned. For all those who duty, I hope you are taking advantage of your Disney discounts and free passes. Dave and 1 have a trip planned over Memorial Day weekend and we can’t wait to get our picture with Mickey!

Speaking of traveling around, we are heading off to Salt Lake City. I will be graduating from my periodontal residency in June and be PCSing to Hill AFB. My husband will be matriculating at the Univ. of Utah for a fellowship in vascular surgery. We’re excited for the snow and the slopes and I can’t wait to be out of “school again... I want my sleep!

I hope to hear from more of you this time around. Please let me know how life is treating you, where you’re stationed, new family additions, vacations, strategic missions, deployments, marathons run, books written or anything interesting to share!

Godspeed and happy summer! Amy Kauvar are still active

”

welcome a baby sister on 17 April. All of the other Bolars from 2003 are still in Afghanistan (Dave Van Yperen, Jeremy Mullen, Staci Cotner, Todd Hudson, Brian Novchich, Chris Wee, and Anthony Kelley). James Rodgers returned and is at SOS before his remote to Korea.

Russ Fette is back from Afghanistan and he and his wife, Carrie, are expecting their second little girl, Adeline Jean Fette, in April. Daniel Stoker is going to Misawa in July with his wife, Erica, and son Caleb to fly block 50s and might just I high five Tommy and Janet Tauer on their way out of Japan.

Sabre Society Bryan Spence (Thunderbirds) finished his tour at Misawa Donors AFB, Japan with the 14th FS (Samurai), after two combat tours in Iraq. Riddler is now stationed at Kunsan AFB, Korea with the 35th FS (Pantons), flying the F-16 in support of our mission in South Korea. He has particularly enjoyed the interaction with other NATO troops from Australia and New Zealand as well as South Africa.

Please keep the updates coming and help spread the word to our classmates.

I transition in June so I’m not on the global anymore but you can always reach me at Susan_Doyle@post.harvard.edu. Take care and keep having fun! Susan

Breezy (Long) Heddinger Susan Lynn Doyle

(937) 760-1076 Susan.doyle@wpafb.af.mil Susan_Doyle@post.harvard.edu

Jeniffer (Nigro) Larry, and their son Michael Van der Oord are stationed at Langley. Larry is still Active Duty and Jeniffer works full time in the Reserves.

They are staying busy as they complete their MBAs and keep up with their little boy Michael who just turned 1 this month! ,

Cell: (719) 213-3205

breezy.heddinger@usafa-grads.com windy04@gimail.af.mil breezy.heddinger@usafagrads.com We’ve had a quiet spring in terms of class news, but not for a lack of activity, I’m sure. I think we all might be feeling a little worn out these days, but mostly with good things—marriage, kids, deployments, leading the younger folk. For the non-rated still in uniform who are approaching the end of commitment, congrats on five years ofhard work, and best wishes for whichever path you choose from there!

We do have one piece of good news to share this quarter.

Christine Mott is off to school at the University of Colorado through AFIT, sponsored by USAFA's Biology Department faculty search. She’ll be in school for the next 18 months in

1 Sabre Society Donors

the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. For those who are wondering where she went when she dropped off the GAL, her new “work" email will be scout24@gimail.af.mil. Though she’ll miss the West Coast, she says she can’t wait to get back to Colorado. We wish you luck, and thanks for staying in touch!

Paula

Delapasse

196 Cambria Drive

Jeniffer (Nigro), Larry and Michael Van der Oord.

Charity Winters returned from her third Iraq deployment. She will be moving from Guam and on to full time graduate studies in Tennessee.

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WI NG PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED.

CALL THE AOG FOR INFO.

Beavercreek, OH 45440

(225) 603-4450 paulamaffey@juno.com paula.delapasse@wpafb.af.mil We will pickup with the updates where I left offlast edition! It just dawned on me that about the time you will be

reading this, those of us still wearing the

uniform will be the Air Force’s newest Captains! Congratulations, we made it!

Now, on to a new adventure where we can’t use the “I’m just a Lieutenant” excuse and new Lt’s look at us like we are old and wise.

Erin Jackson and Phil Jackson just got to Hill AFB in Utah and are enjoying their first winter there since they love to ski. Erin is a Bioenvironmental Engineer and doing readiness work. Phil is flying F-16s and deploys in January.

117

Their daughter Hadassah is 15 months old! Erin passed along that she works with Stephanie King as well.

Ian Bertram wrote that you'll all be happy to know that after a three-year sabbatical called pilot training, he finally found work on the fringe of the AF

Trace Adkins and the West Point Glee Club. ThatMarinewas lLtAndrew Kinard,

who was wounded during a patrol in Iraq in October 2006. 1 Lt Kinard lost both legs in his struggle to survive a direct blast from an IED. Look him up to be inspired by his story! Take care and send along your news, Paula

flying Hueys at Minot. He loves the cold and the fact that few people even know that the AF has helicopters. He is also 3+ years married but no kids and no plans

Felisa

for them in the near fiiture.

(Hervey) Dyrud

5434 S. Monrovia Ave.

Since graduation, Brady Grebenc started with casual at Tyndall AFB. After

casual, he went to Moody for UPT, got the T-1 in the drop. He finished the T-

Tucson, AZ 85706

Is at Columbus since Moody was T-6s only. Brady now belongs in the old man

felisa.dyrud@gmail.com (719)352-5991 Facebook group:’’Feel the Fire”

group who went to pilot training at a base that is no longer a training base! Out of UPT, Brady got the mighty KC-135, not his first choice, but he loves it now.

He is at Fairchild AFB. Brady said he was deployed 5 months last year and left

again the first of December for another 2 months. He has a ton of hours, and wouldn't trade them for anything but maybe a couple more months at home.

While at Fairchild, unfortunately, Brady said they hardly fly much and he is the chief of training.

Josh McCrary was in Souda Bay, Greece TDY when he wrote in. He said it has been a challenging assignment staying at the Royal Sun Hotel in the Med, hiking the Samaria Gorge and eating Greek cuisine and flying every other day. Josh has been married 3+ years and has a little 18month-old girl. He is flying the RC-135 out of Offutt AFB. Dennis Muller is with the Air Force Reserves flying the Viper out of NAS JRB Fort Worth with the 457th Fighter Squadron. He is still active duty, just stationed with a Reserve squadron and loving it. Active duty pay with Reserve hours can’t get much better than that. He deployed this past February.

Taylor Sciulli is currently flying C- 130s at Ramstein, Germany and enjoying traveling around Europe. She actually —

’06, First, we want to remember our classmate Jahna (Haldeman) Foland, who died on April 1 st, after a battle with lung cancer. To her husband, David, and all of Jahna’s family and friends, please know we hurt with you and stand with you. We honor Jahna’s beautiful life and service.

Jake and leva (Kuzminaite) Ashmore wrote from North Carolina; they are just finishing up the Strike Eagle B-course there at Seymour Johnson and will be moving to Lakenheath, UK at the end of May. They have really enjoyed their time

there, including connecting with a good church family and None Yet

Sabre Society Donors

just completed the Athens Marathon last fall! Taylor is engaged to Mattieu Rigollet, who she met at the C-130 school house in Little Rock, and they are planning a wonderful wedding this September. They deployed this past summer to Kuwait which was a great experience.

Kevin Rekedal started out down the UPT track but after a chain of events and

changes in priorities, he walked away from that. He was re-classified as Acquisition Program Manager and has PCSed to Hill AFB. He has worked on the Propulsion Modernization Program in the T-38 System Program Office.

He was a lead on the investigation on high compressor stall rates on PMP modified T-38s and also a flight test effort attempting to find a fix for engine overheating (also caused by the PMP mod). He has spent a lot of time at Edwards monitoring the flight testing. Kevin is currently working in the A-10 SPO trying to get some new contracts completed for our overseas depot repair facilities in Europe and Korea. He is hoping to pick up a grad school slot for his next assignment; he would love to go to NPS but may end up doing the AFIT thing.

Corey ‘Rufus’ Florendo returned from Nellis last fall where he was flying as Su-30MKI for a month. He is currently a Viper pilot at Shaw AFB, flying the CJs, and living the good life. Corey is married with one little one.

Josh Bass just moved to Little Rock after living in northern California the last few years (Travis AFB). Josh is still doing CE and did his time in Iraq and is pretty proud ofwhat they accomplished over there. He is engaged to a 6’ 2" girl who plays basketball, so his hoop dreams now depend on getting a kid in the NBA. Josh said seriously though, my fiance is real cool and I'm excited about getting married this June in Chicago. Josh is also studying intensely for the PE some

Officer’s Christian Fellowship.

John Haney is also at Seymour Johnson, and is engaged to

None Yet

Sabre Society Donors

Ashley Guthrie. John is permanently stationed there flying Strike Eagles and will deploy in September. Ashley is returning soon from a 4 month C-17 deployment along with Will MacVittie, both stationed at Charleston AFB, SC. Brett Black and his wife, Lauren, just showed up from Sheppard AFB, for the B-course and are doing great.

Tripp and Carly (Siefken) Johnson had a baby! Hadley Rebecca Johnson was born on April 9th, 2009. They say: “We love her like crazy. She's beautiful.”

Obviously no debate there—congratulations Tripp and Carly!!

an

exam with fellow CE classmate Lorraine Burke who is also at Little Rock.

Libby Badtke Music spent a year casual in Albuquerque where she met and married her husband, Stephen. They went through pilot training at Laughlin and after that, she and Stephen both trackedT-44s to Corpus. She is at Little Rock flying the new J model Herk and her husband is down the street flying the Es. Tim Brown tracked B-52s out of UPT and is now up in Minot. He was deployed to Guam last fall and loved hitting the beach and scuba diving. He is working on his master’s in International Relations through AMU and keeping up his Russian proficiency.

Bonita Allen and Nate Allen said they can’t complain about living in Hawaii at Hickam AFB. They have a two-year-old little girl and another little one due any day. Bonita has been working around the Comm Squadron for the last 3 Vz years. She is currently a project manager and learning a lot. The Allen family plans to be in Hawaii until next July.

Bobby Hurst is at Ramstein AB, Germany flying the E-model Herks. Hesaid they transition to J models starting next year and plan to be there until mid2011. Bobby married a girl from Valdosta, GA after pilot training and they are enjoying traveling as much as possible.

Chris Distaso is Security Forces flight/CC at Minot. He just PCSed from Schriever and misses Colorado. He plans to finish his UCCS MBA this May thanks to online classes. He has deployed to Bagram doing flighdine/fly-away/ convoy security and is glad to be back.

I had one last story that is definitely worth mentioning. Though not a classmate for long, some of you might remember Midshipman Andrew Kinard, Naval Academy Class of 2005. Andrew was on exchange to USAFA for one semester. If you happened to watch the Academy of Country Music Awards in early April, you may have seen a sharp dressed Marine who introduced singer 118

The Johnson Family Ryan Baker is home now from his Afghanistan deployment and says it feels good to be back in the US again. He saw Mike Bien before he left for Japan

(PCS), and also spent some time with Dave Foland, who is headed back to Oklahoma now to resume training for his instructor job.

Rob Campbell dropped us a line to let us know that he and Jenny Coker had their "actual" wedding (complete with the white dress!) on Dec. 28th, 2008, and are now both stationed at McChord AFB, WA flying C-17s together in the 8th Squadron. They are loving the Northwest and after the lack ofdecent beer in Altus, OK, find the microbreweries ofWashington to be like a stroll through heaven.

Andre Dieu is also stationed at McChord AFB, WA, but currently deployed at Incirlik AFB, Turkey, with the 7th Airlift Squadron. He is a copilot for C- 17s there and he’s airlifted over 1.8 million pounds of cargo over to Iraq and Af-

ghanistan. He hopes the rest of the class is doing well and hopes to run into you

Andre Sieu about to get wet!

all some day... look him up if you are in Turkey or Washington! The picture is of Andre in Ramstein AFB, getting the dollar ride shower.

The picture shows Kim and Brian reunited in San Antonio, Texas. It’s great to see classmates when you least expect it!

Alicia Tompkins married Zach Carey on April 4th in Houston, TX! Shawn Ingkiriwang just got back (to Singapore) after a year in France. He got his wings and is currently at the Ministry of Defense doing staff work. He will be coming to Tucson in early JuneforF16 conversion, to stay for 7 to 9 months...

Terry Fregly-F-15C (Tyndall AFB)

welcome back Shawn!

Paul Silver is going to Afghanistan with Hugh Miller '07 and his wife, Liz Silver nee Arrington '08, at the beginning of May. IN BN and 4 th BCT 4ID, re-

spectively.

Carl Chen reports that ’06 is representing strong in the B-1FTU. Class 09-02 includes MattTuchscher, Scott Pontzer, Mike Fech, Will Louie, as well as Carl.

Matt Tuchscher is also the first B -1 pilot in history to have attained a 100%

academic average. They just finished up with the academic phase and will have headed to the flight-line by the time you read this.

Casey Bayne 6925 Clovercliff Drive Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

(310) 343-5969 checkpoints@caseybayne.com

Terry Fregly Hi Class of2007!

By the time this issue reaches you, we will be pinning on First Lieutenant. I know everyone is looking forward to that big pay raise! Can you believe it has been two years since we graduated? Time has flown by.

Please do not hesitate to send me an update on where you are at and what you are doing. I still have plenty of room to add more updates. I did not hear from many people this time but here are a few updates: Weddings and Engagements: Elizabeth Brende writes, “On January 31 st of this year, I got engaged. I met Brian Kiefat here in Grand Forks, ND (a place I dreaded being stationed) and we' re planning a July 25th wedding. Those people who said "everything happens for a reason" were right! So with just a

Also, Ryan Freaney-C-17 (Travis AFB), Brandon Gould-C-17 (Travis AFB), GeoffCargill-KC-10 (Travis AFB), Chase Scully -T-l (FAIP-LaughlinAFB), Ryan Gavina C 1 7 (McChord AFB), Ben Hall MC12 (TBD), Jordan Ornealas UAV (Creech AFB), Arriane Morrison UAV (Creech AFB), Blake Nixon T6 (FAIPLaughlinAFB), Bret Vangroven-F15C, and Matt Barnard -T6 (FAIP -

-

-

-

-

LaughlinAFB).

Please shoot me an email at checkpoints@caseybayne.com so I can add your

update to the next edition!

I

Trenton

Sabre Society Donors

Sandberg

450 Illinois Ave., Unit 2 Del Rio, TX 78840

1

(308) 641-1430 trenton.sandberg@gmail.com

few months left, there’ s a lot to do. While 1 m keeping busy with the Communications and wedding-planning worlds, he's currently attending Seminary to become a Chaplain for the Army National Guard. We're hoping that an active duty Air Force slot will open up for him in the near future. Emily Short will be coming up from Florida to be one of my bridesmaids and I'm sure Brandon Rodts will be attending since he's stationed here with us in the great white tundra.”

(No Sabre Society Donors Yet) Richter Class, I heard from Megan (White) McDonald recently. Apparently life is going

very well for both she and her husband, Matt (‘07). They were married last July and are currently living in Crofton, MD (with Mickey, their dog). Matt is working at Ft. George G. Meade in Maryland while Megan attends Georgetown University School of Medicine.

A new www.usafa.org ♦Updated News Stories

Elizabeth and Brian Recent UPT Assignments: Kim Brady -C-17 (Travis AFB).

-

C -17 (McGuire AFB) and Brian Walsh

♦

Photo Galleries

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New Online Store

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Electronic Register of Graduates (Membersoniy)

stay connected

1 19

Cary Balser and Meaghan Corliss were engaged to be married this coming December 29th in San Diego, CA. Cary popped the question while on the beach in Charleston, SC this past December. Both Meaghan and Cary are currently working as scientific analysts assigned to the Pentagon. Meaghan says

they’re both really excited to have moved to a big city!

Rick Loesch and Erin Beeler

Meaghan Corliss and Cary Balser

Speaking ofthe east coast.. .Jethro Sadorra is also kicking it old school on that end of the country. Jet is currently working as a Civil Engineering Officer at Langley AFB, VA. He’ll be heading to the CE tech school in Ohio pretty soon.

Meanwhile, the last 31/2 months of his life have been pretty much dominated by the annual Langley Air Show... sounds like he’s pretty busy but also enjoying life.

Rick Loesch and Erin Beeler became engaged on the 30th of J anuary (the weekend after Erin’s birthday) in Austin, TX. The wedding date has been set for September 5th in Austin. Erin is currently working as a Logistics Officer at E)yess AFB, TX while Rick is in pilot training (currently in T-6 training) at Laughlin AFB, TX. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Andrew Galbraith and Leah Pound are engaged to be married on 1 May 2010 in Kansas City. Andrew is currently finishing up Intel School at Goodfellow AFB,

Andrew Galbraith and Leah Pound

TX while Leah is studying Social Psychology at the U niversity of Kansas. After he

graduates in May, Andrew will be heading off to Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Leah will be following Andrew to Wright-Patterson after she graduates from KU. (See photo in next column.)

That’s pretty much it for this issue. You get bonus points if you can guess how many ‘08ers I mentioned in this article without counting... yeah, I know I’m a tool. Send me your good news!

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2009 Air Force Football Schedule

Sept. 5 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26

Nicholls State (Home) Minnesota (Away) New Mexico (Away)

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Oct. 3

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Oct. 10

TCU

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