Checkpoints - March 2013

checkpoints 2010 March 2013

USAFA Alumni Magazine

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contents COLUMNS

features

4 CEO UPDATE

hearts and bones

6 CHAIRMAN’S JOURNAL 8 superintendent 9 state of mind 10

the transmission

12 staff directory

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There was a problem with the last burial in the Tomb of the Unknowns: The soldier wasn’t unknown. His name was Michael Blassie, USAFA Class of 1970.

climbing mountains to honor heroes

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Graduates of the Air Force Academy are raising money for charity by summiting the highest peak on each continent. They’ve summited six and now they are prepping for their final and most grueling climb—29,029foot Mt. Everest.

The 2012 distinguished graduates on the cover The Tomb of the Unknowns just as a torrential summer storm rolled through Washington D.C. Despite the driving rain and strong wind, the sentinels continued in their appointed duties without pause, or even a recognition of the weather. Photo by Mark Fischer. Visit www.fischerfotos.com to see more of his work.

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Two of the Academy’s finest have been honored as the recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Graduate Award: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Marcus Anderson ‘61 and Mr. Edward E. “Ted” Legasey ‘67.

team handball wizards

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The most exhillarating sport you’ve never heard of has taken off at the Academy. With each goal scored, the USAFA Team Handball Club is rebuilding its program on a foundation of exellence.

Volume 41, number 4 Checkpoints (ISSN 0274-7391) USPS 898-080 is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the Association of Graduates, U.S. Air Force Academy. (Phone: 719-472-0300, DSN: 333-2067. FAX: 719-333-4194, E-mail: editor@aogusafa.org.) A portion 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 Academy, CO 80840-4475. The Editorial Board serves the Checkpoints mission by providing a top quality magazine to the Air Force Academy’s broader community. Together, the editor, VP of Communications, Executive VP and the AOG CEO collaborate to ensure that all articles meet the standards of excellence readers have come to expect of Checkpoints. The AOG reserves the right to publish or omit submissions at its discretion. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or attitude of the AOG, its officers or the editorial staff. The 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, March. 2013.

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THE ENDOWMENT 50

reaching new heights

58 the story behind the structure 61 giving by the numbers

GRADUATE PROFILE 46 from the bluebards to the big screen

CADET LIFE 49 bluebards spring musical 54 back to school

52 green academy

78 courtside siblings

56 portrait in courage

82 the change up

62 the reality of war 66 long blue ladle: Healthy recipes

FROM THE TERRAZZO

HERITAGE

44 happenings 69 mandator

70 making a case

84 The Silver Lining: Courage Through Adversity

72 destination air force: northern california

86 waldo

76 Aog honorary members named

81 my goodness, free guinness

BACK OF THE BOOK 87 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 96 CLASS NEWS 143 GX–Grad exchange 144 FINAL THOUGHT

CHECKPOINTS ONLINE BONUS CONTENT reflections on mentorship trekking island peak reaching out with rockets Long blue ladle: off the menu photo galleries and more!

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Checkpoints

March 2012

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columns

The Privilege of a Lifetime

By WIlliam “T” Thompson ’73, AOG President and CEO

I

was driving to Doolittle Hall recently on a spectacular Colorado morning. The sky was a deep crystal blue with not a cloud in sight. As I traveled north on I-25, I looked to the east and saw a Boeing jetliner silhouetted against the morning sun, in a climb towards Denver. I thought to myself, “I used to do that” and a pang of nostalgia engulfed me. As I exited the interstate and made the left turn on Academy Boulevard headed toward the Academy’s South Gate, I noticed several cadets descending gracefully under blue and white canopies against the backdrop of the

fessional schools, getting assignments, seeking employment or getting promoted, coupled with achievement, an academy diploma carries significant weight. Our Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) is just one clear testament to that fact.

The economic demographics of our graduates also tend to bear this out. While most of our grads are not “rich” (however you may define that term), the overwhelming majority live in nice homes, in nice neighborhoods, drive relatively nice cars or trucks and can educate their kids. At a time when most Americans

“Yet there can be no question that the uniqueness of the experiences that the Academy provided is unparalleled in the civilian environment and put most of us on paths that would have been unimaginable, and possibly unattainable, had we not been given this exceptional opportunity.“

Rampart Range. I thought to myself, “I’ve done that” and reflected wistfully on my days as a cadet. Driving up Stadium Boulevard and passing Thunderbird Overlook, I spied a glider coming in on final approach and remembered my time in the cockpit of both the glider and the T-38 Talon. Yet again I was reminded of what a privilege it was to have attended the Academy as I could trace every one of those experiences to having gone to school here.

The fact is the Academy has had a profound effect on each one of our lives and we all can point to the things and experiences that, but for the Academy, we would not have enjoyed. I believe it’s fair to say that given the type of person that comes to the Academy, the overwhelming majority of our graduates would have been successful in life in any regard. Yet there can be no question that the uniqueness of the experiences that the Academy provided is unparalleled in the civilian environment and put most of us on paths that would have been unimaginable, and possibly unattainable, had we not been given this exceptional opportunity.

The value of our service academy diploma is unquestioned. And while performance is always required, there is no doubt that being an Academy grad can help to open doors. Whether applying to graduate or pro4

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have only a meager 401(k) and Social Security for later years, the majority of our graduates enjoy some sort of retirement plan. All in all, we are a pretty fortunate group.

I expect we all, at times, forget what a special privilege we were given by the American people to have been able to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. When occasionally I remind a grad of that fact, I sometimes get the retort that “I served my time” and yes, that was indeed the deal. But the ROTC and OTS officers and even our enlisted airmen have served as well, without the tremendous tangible and intangible benefits that have come our way. We grads are truly enjoying the privilege of a lifetime.

This, in my view, is why we have, not just a responsibility, but indeed an obligation, to stay connected to and to support our alma mater; by joining the AOG, attending your class reunions, being active in your local chapters, giving what you can, when you can through the Endowment, and supporting our cadet teams and clubs when they happen to be in your local area. Most of us are probably familiar with the phrase “To whom much is given, much is expected.” It would be difficult to argue that this phrase doesn’t fittingly apply to each of us. GO FALCONS!

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ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

columns

Chairman’s

Journal

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by Terry Storm ’61

aving just chaired my last AOG Board of Directors meeting, I can’t help but reminisce about the past six years. First of all is Checkpoints. Bob McAllister and his staff produce one of the finest alumni publications in the country and have received numerous awards to prove it. The magazine keeps graduates informed about graduate, cadet, and Academy activities. It appeals to our nostalgic desires but keeps us apprised of the cadets and Academy of today. Checkpoints is but one example of the extraordinary work being done by an exceptional staff.

Six years ago I was appointed to complete the term of an elected Director who had resigned. At that time, the AOG was somewhat in disarray.

The CEO had resigned and there was no plan to replace him. In fact, there was no job description for the CEO and no effective board governance structure. In six years, this has all changed. Gary

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Howe ’69, accepted appointment as Interim President & CEO for the nine months it took to hire “T” Thompson ’73 from among many wellqualified candidates. I should note here that Gary did not wish to be considered for the position. “T” has been instrumental in both the great progress the AOG has made and has helped me establish the Carver model of governance for the Board.

More troublesome was the AOG’s relationship with the newly formed USAFA Endowment and the Academy’s senior staff. Although most of their board members and donors were and are AOG members (in fact, several had been AOG Directors), the relationship between the two organizations was strained. Working closely with the Endowment’s leaders, we have now defined the roles of “fundraising” and “friendraising.” The two organizations now both reside in Doolittle Hall and operate under a Memorandum of Understanding which will soon go into its third iteration. As a result, both AOG friendraising and Endowment fundraising have made

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substantial progress. The joint activities they organize continue to strengthen our relationship with each other and the USAFA leadership. Efforts to establish joint finance and strategic planning committees should enhance effectiveness even more. However, it is my opinion that the two organizations will not attain peak effectiveness until they are united again under a single management structure.

I am now completing my second term as AOG Board Chair and I am proud of all that has been accomplished. Working with “T,” I have helped the Board adopt the Carver model of Policy Governance.

We needed a system of governance that would make us more efficient and costeffective, while focusing the Board on the future and the staff on operations. In fact, “T’s” experiences, as well as mine, convinced us that a modern approach to board governance was mandatory for our AOG. That system has focused both the Directors and the staff on their appropriate roles and afforded us the opportunity to continue to move forward. It also encouraged both the staff and the Board to accomplish their own strategic plans, which had been a long-standing goal.

During these six years, the AOG has continued to expand its support to our graduate members. We have increased membership, including that of cadets prior to their graduation. Your Board has inducted four new honorary members.

The past three elections have brought a diverse group of professionals to our Board who are dedicated to the betterment of the entire USAFA community; we are in good hands for the future. I have been honored to serve and am satisfied that we have have made a positive contribution, well worth our considerable time and effort. None of that would have been possible without the great contributions of our other Directors, “T,” and our outstanding staff. GO FALCONS!

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March 2013

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columns

From the Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould ’76

Greetings Fellow Graduates, This winter has been full of bright moments that should make the graduate community proud. The firsties got their AFSCs and bases and are literally counting down the days until graduation. Our first class cadets celebrated 100’s night with an inspirational banquet while the 4-degrees showcased their creativity by “decorating” the firstie rooms. The 4-degrees performed brilliantly during “Recognition Week,” and equally impressive was the professional manner in which the upper three classes conducted the training. You’ll recall 2016’s Inprocessing was highlighted by the life-threatening Waldo Canyon fire. Well, last weekend’s 2016 Recognitionculminating “Run to the Rock” took place during a fullblown blizzard with heavy snow and 40 knot winds. The “Fire & Ice” class of 2016 has distinguished itself with a most memorable Doolie year—and the class has proven ready to become fully recognized members of the Wing.

Our winter and spring sports teams have kept the momentum going from our fall athletics with outstanding starts to all of their seasons. Lacrosse is off to its best start since 1997 and recently defeated #12 ranked Lehigh. Men’s gymnastics dominated the All-Academy Championships for the third year in a row and swept all six event titles. Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams set program records by having 17 All-Conference selections at the 2013 Mountain West Indoor Championships. The Wing Open Boxing tournament was spectacular as ever and now the boxing team is preparing to defend its National Championship! Also of note, Coach Calhoun’s Football Falcons wrapped up an encouraging spring practice just before cadet spring break, allowing an extra six weeks for injuries to heal before the Labor Day 2013 season opener.

Even though budget challenges and fiscal uncertainty are our reality for the foreseeable future, the Academy’s dedication to its mission and to its nation is as strong as ever. I want to assure the graduate community we will continue to dedicate ourselves to our primary mission of developing leaders of character. We’re tightening our fiscal belt by curtailing non-mission-essential TDYs for our permanent party members, forgoing routine supply purchases and IT refresh efforts, and delaying some restoration

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and modernization programs, but by doing so, we will ensure the core mission is adequately funded.

Also noteworthy, despite our budget challenges, we were still able to begin construction on the Center for Character and Leadership Development, thanks to the tremendous generosity of our graduate community and donors. The noise and mess will be worth it when, in the summer of 2014, we open the doors of the iconic structure which will—for the first time in Academy history—house all of our character and leadership development programs in the same building.

I’m proud of our team and the job they did this February in ensuring that the 20th National Character and Leadership Symposium was the most successful ever. NCLS brought together cadets, Academy permanent party, visiting guests, and 43 dynamic speakers to discuss this year’s theme, “Courage through Adversity.” With the diverse background of the many speakers, everyone who participated in this year’s NCLS was able to find a session in which the speaker’s personal story resonated with him/her. NCLS is a world-class event which allows everyone at the Academy to pause from our demanding battle-rhythm for a few days to reflect on the importance of character in our daily lives.

This summer will see many personnel changes as USAFA will welcome a new Supt, Vice Supt, Dean of Faculty, and a variety of other key leaders across the mission partners. More details on that after Senate confirmation and AF personnel actions are announced, but for now, you should know USAFA remains focused on its most noble mission of developing leaders of character for our Air Force and beyond. We will stay dedicated to holding standards high, rewarding excellence, and encouraging cadets to feel the sense of fanatical pride in our, and soon to be their, alma mater! Go Falcons!

state of mind Feedback, insight and fun from Falcon Nation.

TweetBack “Vote for Stephen Carew for Senior CLASS Award. You can vote once a day.” @AF_Falcons, via Twitter, on helping the Falcon hockey forward win the Senior CLASS Award, which honors one NCAA Division I senior student-athlete who excels in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.

You can vote for Carew until March 25th by visiting seniorclassaward.com.

Quarterly Query

Good Job Excellent article, “A Bracelet is a Link,” about a sad subject in your December Checkpoints. Well done and thanks.

–Gregg Marsden, Class of 1970

Omissions In the December article “The Olympics Through Falcon Eyes” we listed past USAFA Olympians. However, we omitted both William Roy ’81 (men’s skeet) and David DeGraaf ’93 (men’s team handball), both of whom competed in the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta.

Check In with Checkpoints Checking in with Checkpoints is Air Force Reserves admissions liaison officer Amy Lynn (Wimmer) Cox ’83 who had this photo snapped while taking part in a medical mission in Beaumont, Haiti this past January. Cox is an oncology nurse practitioner in her civilian life. Lt. Col. Dale

Riedel ’96 pauses with his December 2012 issue of Checkpoints while at the airfield for Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Riedel is currently assigned as a prosecutor for the Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions. He is stationed at the Pentagon.

What is your favorite jet?

Other (48 aircraft) 26% F-16 Fighting Falcon 24% A-10 Thunderbolt 18% F-15 Eagle 17% F-4 Phantom II 7% F-22 Raptor 5% SR-71 3%

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Checkpoints

March 2013

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((((

The Transmission USAFA news from around the globe … and beyond.

New AOG Board of Directors Elected Vic Andrews ’66 (second term), Roger Carleton ’67 (second term), MikeTorreano ’70, Larry Fariss ’75, and Drew Miller ’80 have been elected to the AOG Board of Directors. They will begin their terms of office at the board meeting on May 3rd, 2013. Thank you to all of the candidates and to everyone who voted.

Johns ’77 Awarded Order of the Sword After 35 years of service, General (Ret.) Raymond E. Johns ’77 was awarded the Order of the Sword—the highest honor and tribute that Noncommissioned Officers of a command can bestow upon an individual—during a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base, Ill last December. Johns’ final assignment was as the commander of the Air Mobility Command.

Academy Graduate’s Body Recovered from Adriatic Sea Airmen, civilians, family and friends honored the life and memory of a 2003 Air Force Academy graduate and combat veteran during a memorial service today at Aviano Air Base Feb. 6.

Maj. Lucas Gruenther ’03, a pilot assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, went missing during a nighttime training mission over the Adriatic Sea Jan. 28. In the days that followed, Italian and U.S. authorities collaborated as part of an immense search effort to locate Gruenther. The search ended Jan. 31 when Gruenther’s body was recovered by an Italian vessel.

During the memorial service, many spoke of his inspiring nature and enthusiastic spirit, recalling his selfless and admirable qualities that he exemplified in his everyday life. (31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

Cadets Participate in Inaugural Parade The Air Force Academy was well represented during the 57th presidential inaugural parade in Washington this past January. Cadet 1st Class Erin Doran and the Academy’s Cadet Wing Commander, C1C Josh Williams, led 82 cadets from Squadron 22 down Pennsylvania Avenue. The “Raptors” of Squadron 22 were selected to participate for being the Cadet Wing Outstanding Squadron of 2012.

Academy Named Top-Spending Undergrad-Only Research Institution The Air Force Academy spent more on research than any other undergraduate-only institution in the United States, according to the National Science Foundation’s Fiscal Year 2011 Higher Education Research and Development survey, released last November.

The survey reviewed more than 900 schools, ranking the Academy as No. 168 among schools with graduate and undergraduate research programs. The Air Force Academy research program has grown considerably throughout the past dozen years, from about $10 million in federal and non-federal funding in FY 2001 to $58.2 million in FY 2012. (Air Force Public Affairs) Air Force Cross Recipient Barry Crawford ’03 Honored A bronze bust likeness of Barry Crawford ’03 was among four made of Air Force Cross recipients and unveiled during a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C. this past December. The ceremony honored the Airmen at the Combat Control School.

Crawford is a special tactics officer who engaged in a 10-hour battle with insurgents in Afghanistan in 2010.

“This is a great day for the Air Force and the Airmen at Pope Field,” said Brig. Gen. Norman Ham, the 440th Airlift Wing commander. “It is important for people to remember that not only are there still Airmen at Fort Bragg, but that heroes are trained here, and this school is something to be proud of.”

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Durr ’13 Selected in MLS Supplemental Draft Air Force senior Kevin Durr was drafted by the Seattle Sounders FC with the 16th selection of the first round of the 2013 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft. Durr propelled the Falcons to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1997 by leading the team in scoring with 15 points. He is a two-time all-West Region selection.

Barnes ’08 Wins Valor Award A helicopter pilot from the 36th Rescue Flight was awarded the Air Education and Training Command Aviator Valor Award for the year 2012. Capt. Ashly Barnes ’08, the standardization and evaluation liaison officer, 36th Rescue Flight, distinguished herself as a pilot during a mission to save the life of a United States Air Force survival student who suffered a severe head injury. Last Aug. 10, a 26-year-old Airman in training to be a survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialist tripped, fell over a log and struck his head on the ground. He vomited and became lethargic and confused. Due to the mountain’s high density altitude and the nature of the medical evacuation, the risk for this mission was assessed as high. Barnes and her crew had to be hastily recalled to do the rescue. Flying at maximum airspeed, the crew arrived on scene within 20 minutes. The student, located at about 6,000-feet elevation, could not be hoisted alone because of his deteriorating condition. As the patient was being lifted, the helicopter descended toward the trees. Barnes skillfully walked the aircraft forward, to keep her survivor safely suspended over the trail surrounded by 100-foot trees. (92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs)

In 2011, the AOG and Blanchard Family Wines created the Long Blue Line Wines to pay tribute to the Academy and provide our graduates a product they can be proud to share with their family and friends. The wine’s inaugural release was a great success having been served at the USAFA Founders Day dinner, Air Force Balls, Parent’s Club events, and numerous classmate gatherings. Sold all across the country, including the USAFA Class VI store, the first vintage sold out in 9 months and we are now happy to release our second offering of collector bottles.

These top quality wines make great gifts for your graduation, promotion, retirement, or other celebration and once these custom labels are sold out, they will not be used again.

About Blanchard Family Wines Winery owner James Blanchard is a 1998 graduate of the Air Force Academy. After a career flying both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, James returned to USAFA to teach in the Department of Management and serve as Air Officer Commanding of Cadet Squadron 15. After starting his winery it was one of his desires to create a series of military tribute wines to give back, if even in a small way. This is the third military creation

by Blanchard Family Wines, following the Red Scarf Blend and the Air Commando Association wines with a portion of sales going to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the Air Commando Association respectively. 20% of the sales of the Long Blue Line wines will be paid back to the Association of Graduates.

james@blanchardfamilywines.com www.blanchardfamilywines.com/USAFA

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

&

Staff Directory 3116 Academy Drive, USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475, (719) 472-0300 THE ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES To email a staff member, use the first and last name. Example: Gary Howe | gary.howe@aogusafa.org AOG Executive office President & CEO William “T” Thompson ’73, Ext. 101 (t.thompson@aogusafa.org) Executive Vice President Gary Howe ’69, Ext. 107 Senior Vice President for Business Development Marty Marcolongo ’88, Ext. 146 Senior Vice President for Finance & Chief Financial Officer Alton Parrish, Ext. 123 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Hadassa Muñoz, Ext. 106 Finance Accountant Joyce Love, Ext. 110 SENIOR Accounting Clerk Janice Baca, Ext. 111 Sr. Data integrity Specialist Kim Wilson, Ext. 127

SR. Data integrity Specialist John Rice, Ext. 132 Data integrity Specialist Murlea Vance, Ext. 130

Communications SR. Vice President for Communications Bob McAllister, Ext. 142 director of web communications Troy Surratt, Ext. 125 SENIOR EDITOR David Bergeman, Ext. 143 Systems Administrator Jason Finkle, Ext. 124 Editor/Photographer Lewis Carlyle, Ext. 140 Programmer/Systems Analyst Gayatri Parepalli, Ext. 118 Senior Designer Sarah Larrabee, Ext. 144 Web Developer Toby Lortz, Ext. 141 Class News & Obituary Editor Tom Kroboth, Ext. 133 Director of Information Systems Jack Mueller ’70, Ext. 122 Business Development Director of Programs Wayne Taylor, Ext. 150 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Beth Wade, Ext. 134 Alumni Affairs Vice President for Alumni affairs Corrie Grubbs, Ext. 105 Graduate and Cadet Support Specialist Natalie Ryan, USMA ’09, Ext .108 Director of Constituent Relations Stella Grayson ’99, Ext. 121 Alumni affairs event Coordinator Emma Ross, Ext. 136 Membership Services Specialist Don McCarthy, Ext. 139 Alumni affairs event Coordinator Sara Dozier, Ext. 138

Doolittle Hall Events/Special Functions Director of Event Planning Ashlee Peterson, Ext. 147 Special Functions Coordinator Jean Bickford, Ext. 148

Customer Service and Facility Management Customer Service supervisor Michele Cowan, Ext. 151 Customer Service Representative Amy Nisula, Ext. 152 Customer Service Representative Jan Howard, Ext. 153 Facilities Superintendent Dave Pfeil, Ext. 155 Customer Service Representative Sherry Jayne, Ext. 154 Maintenance Specialist Jake Jacobs, Ext. 155 The Association of Graduates Board Chair Terry Storm ’61 Vice Chair Roger Carleton ’67 Secretary Bob Munson ’73 Treasurer Jack Fry ’67

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rip Blaisdell ’62 Kevin Chilton ’76 Vic Andrews ’66 Bebe O’Neil ’83 Bruce Wright ’73 Frank Schmuck ’88

Steve Beasley ’93 Kathleen Rock ’98 Mark Rosenow ’03

The USAFA Endowment To email a staff member, use the first and last name. Example: Troy Danno | troy.danno@usafaendowment.org

President & CEO Gen. (Ret.) Stephen R. Lorenz ’73 (steve.lorenz@usafaendowment.org) Vice President, Development Open position Executive Assistant Ruth Reichert Ext. 206 Chief Financial Officer Dennis Scruggs, Ext. 203 Associate Vice President for Development Greg Knedler, Ext. 224 DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING Patricia O’Connor, Ext. 221 associate vp of leadership giving Jimmy Martello ’00, 719.229.4202 director, gift planning Dale Zschoche, 719.238.7510

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Major gift officer Troy Danno ‘12, 304.579.7999 Class Giving Officer Razelle Doherty, Ext. 222 Annual Giving Officer Amanda Brown, Ext. 223 Development associate Gina Simler, Ext. 200 development communications officer Ahn Tillery, Ext. 240 Director of Stewardship Allison Biereichel, Ext. 220 Staff Accountant Patricia DeSimone, Ext. 204

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ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

features

a

U.S. Army Photo

hearts and bones

There was a problem with the last burial in the Tomb of the Unknowns: The soldier wasn’t unknown.

Written by Bill Thomas

Air Force Col. Patricia Blassie rolls a black suitcase into the living room of her neatly furnished home near Denver. She opens it and pulls out a piece of nylon flight suit.

“This was Michael’s,” she says, carefully placing it on the coffee table before reaching back into the suitcase.

Out comes part of a pistol holster, followed by a portion of parachute, then a flattened one-man life raft that she unfolds on the floor. After all this time the rubber raft is stiffened and cracked. These reminders of the last seconds of her brother’s life were found in South Vietnam where his plane crashed in flames 40 years ago. Surprisingly, none appears burned. Patricia Blassie thinks she knows why.

After her brother’s A-37 jet was hit by enemy fire, it went into an inverted nosedive.

“He probably ejected upside down and the parachute and life raft went with him.”

The survival gear and a few personal belongings were later found not far from the crash site. Also recovered were six human bones, originally identified as her brother’s then reclassified as “unknown.” It would take decades, but eventually those bones

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“

In the end all you have is your name. When

”

that’s taken away, you’re left with nothing.

We just wanted Michael’s name back.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Col. Patricia Blassie

would do more than provide answers the Blassie family had been waiting for; after years of official bungling and denial they would help solve one of the U.S. military’s longest running cases of mistaken identity.

Advances in science mean there will likely never be another American soldier lost in battle and “known but to God,” as the famous inscription on the Tomb of the Then-C4C Michael Blassie ’70.

Unknowns in Arlington Cemetery reads. But during the Vietnam War, families of unaccounted for casualties were often left in the dark, hoping for information that never came.

In post-Vietnam Washington what began to matter most was putting the divisive conflict to rest, moving debate about Vietnam from politics to history by honoring an anonymous soldier killed in the war. The problem was finding one.

“In the end all you have is your name,” says Patricia Blassie, as she packs away her brother’s things. “When that’s taken away, you’re left with nothing. We just wanted Michael’s name back.”

May 11, 1972

It was “a very bad day,” remembered former Army helicopter pilot Barry McIntyre. “I witnessed the loss of six of my wingmen during that battle.” McIntyre was flying a Cobra gunship over An Loc, South Vietnam, part of an air offensive supporting friendly forces inside the city, 60 miles north of Saigon. At 9:30 in the morning there was anti-aircraft fire coming from

several directions, when he spotted an A-37 start a low-level bombing run.

“We were all taking very heavy ground fire,” reported Air Force Lt. Robert Goree, working command and control for the operation. Goree sighted two enemy tanks west of An Loc and radioed for “snake drivers,” as Cobra pilots were called, to take action. From his vantage point at 5,000 feet, he saw Hawk 2, the same A-37 McIntyre was watching, head for a separate target farther north.

At the controls of Hawk 2 was Lt. Michael Blassie, a 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, who learned to fly A-37s at England Air Force Base in Louisiana. Built by Cessna, the plane was a converted combat trainer whose small size and maneuverability made it the ideal ground support aircraft for the War in Vietnam. A modified version in use by 1972 included an ejection seat. Its official nickname was Dragonfly, but pilots dubbed it “Super Tweet.”

When he took off from Bien Hoa Air Base that May morning, Blassie, who arrived in South Vietnam less than four months earlier to join the 8th Special Operations Squadron, had already flown 130 combat missions.

Shortly after starting his initial strike on an artillery position, a burst of tracer rounds was seen coming towards Blassie’s plane. His flight commander Major James Connally described what happened next in a letter to Blassie’s parents: “On his first attack, which he pressed home to insure getting the gun, Mike’s aircraft was hit and began streaming fuel. He must have been killed instantly, because he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over exploding on impact in enemy-held territory.”

Other planes were dispatched to provide cover while an Army helicopter rescue team went in to inspect the wreckage. They encountered such “a murderous hail of fire” they were forced to leave, wrote Connally, who “orbited over the crash site until the last hope faded and all other aircraft departed the scene.”

Now living in Annandale, Virginia, retired Air Force Col. Connally says, “That day is imprinted on my memory ... Ground Checkpoints

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fire was intense. What made everything worse was the fact it was mid-morning on a bright, sunny day, and you couldn’t see where it was coming from. I finished my bombing run and had pulled out to 3,000 feet when Blassie started his. I could see the whole thing, the plane turning over and then going down. He was flying so low there was no doubt he died in the crash.”

The day following Blassie’s death, his parents in St. Louis were visited by an Air Force chaplain who informed them that their son had been killed in action, but his body could not be recovered.

That would be the same official explanation the Blassie family would hear for the next 26 years.

“My father, who fought in Normandy during World War II, never got over losing Michael,” says Patricia Blassie, 13 years old when her brother, the oldest of five siblings, died. “He and Michael were very close. Dad set up a little memorial in the basement and would go down there all the time and just sit.”

George Blassie, Michael’s father, died in 1991.

Lou Pennebaker was a junior at Mississippi College for Women when she met 2nd Lt. Michael Blassie in February 1971. He was in flight training at nearby Columbus Air Force Base, and a friend arranged a blind date.

“I liked him right away,” she says. “He was so dedicated to what he was doing, so smart and polite. We saw a lot of each other after that.”

By the time Blassie finished flight school in August the relationship was serious, and the two were talking about getting married. Then Blassie learned he’d been selected to fly A-37s.

“He was going to Vietnam. That was for sure. He knew what that meant and so did I. It was hard to think about it, but we both knew.”

There weren’t many anti-war protests in Columbus, Mississippi, and even if there had been, Pennebaker would have never taken part. She came from a military family herself. Her father was in the Navy during World War II and her grandfather fought in World War I. “Michael was proud to serve his country when so many people were protesting the war ... I was 21 and loved him with all my heart. We traveled to St. Louis that summer to meet his family, and when he finally had to leave for Vietnam the

Disregarding all official chain-of-custody documents, Furue recommended that the bones believed to be Blassie’s be reclassified and “designated unknown.” In 1980, the Armed Service Graves Registration Office accepted his recommendation.

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U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie ’70 and his T-38 jet trainer.

next January, I was devastated. I can still hear his voice on the phone the last time we talked.”

Blassie’s father called to tell Pennebaker his son was killed when his plane crashed.

“I had a hard time believing it,” she says. “I kept thinking Michael must have survived. He must have.”

The two wrote letters constantly, and she’s memorized part of one she received shortly before Blassie’s death. As she recites it decades later, she begins to cry. “‘Why am I living if only to die? I’ll keep on living as long as there is a fighting reason to live or for others to live ...’

“Michael wrote that,” she says. “Then he was gone.”

By the fall of 1972, the North Vietnamese Army had An

Loc surrounded. For the 3,000 South Vietnamese and the handful of Americans defending the city, constant artillery attacks made the place “look like ‘Apocalypse Now,’” says retired Army Col. Chris Calhoon. “We were under siege, every day they pounded us.” A young lieutenant at the time, Calhoon was an American adviser in charge of An Loc’s helicopter landing zone, a favorite target for North Vietnamese guns.

“It was known that the body of an Air Force pilot killed in the area was still out there,” he says. But “out there” was dangerous, and unfriendly forces showed no signs of leaving.

On October 31, over five months after Michael Blassie’s plane was shot down, a South Vietnamese Army reconnaissance patrol dressed in enemy uniforms located the crash site; a short distance away they made another discovery, reported in a radio log: “1 U.S. pilot’s body with ID Card, 1st LT BLASSIE, MICHAEL JOSEPH, and one Beacon radio and two compasses and one U.S. flag and one parachute.” A rubber raft, portions of a holster and a flight suit were also found. The “body” referred to in the radio message consisted of six bone fragments.

Among Blassie’s personal belongings was a wallet. It was “in perfect shape,” remembers Calhoon, who owns a real estate company in Fairbanks, Alaska. Inside was a picture of his family. “When I saw that, I thought their son is finally going home ... And there was no doubt in my mind this was Blassie.”

American operations officer Army Captain William Parnell, kept the remains with him that night. Parnell was also certain the patrol had found Blassie.

Blassie’s family in St. Louis was never informed that the wreckage of his plane had been located or that remains were recovered.

Helicopters arrived in An Loc on a irregular basis, and whenever one showed up, the landing zone, Calhoon says, was “sheer chaos.” Supplies had to be unloaded and wounded soldiers evacuated, always under heavy North Vietnamese artillery fire. The bones and other things brought back from the crash site were placed in a black plastic bag that Calhoon handed to a helicopter crew chief. “They took off, and that was that,” he says. “Just another day in Vietnam.”

On November 2, the remains were turned over to the Saigon Mortuary, where Army Capt. Richard S. Hess signed off on a list of items received, including the wallet and Blassie’s ID, stating his height (6 feet) and weight (200 pounds). From South Vietnam, the bones—and a skeletal chart with the notation: “BTB [Believed to Be] Lt. Blassie, Michael Joseph”—were sent first to a search and recovery center at Camp Samae San, Thailand, then, in 1976, to Hawaii for analysis at the Army’s Central Identification Laboratory (CIL-HI). In the mid-1970s, the main responsibility of the laboratory was identifying of Vietnam War dead, a task sometimes complicated by sparse supporting evidence. Missing from the items listed as received in Saigon were the wallet and ID that had been lost or stolen between there and Hawaii.

Tadao Furue, chief of physical anthropologist at the Hawaii facility, began identifying Korean War casualties in 1951. In cases with little to go on Furue, now deceased, would attempt to calculate age, height and other characteristics from bone fragments—a controversial technique he developed called “morphological approximation.” Results were then compared to medical records to establish identity.

In a letter, dated Dec. 4, 1978, Furue wrote that after “processing” remains in the Blassie case, the age was estimated to be 26-to-33 years. “Blassie was 24 years 1 month 7 days at the time of his death and this is outside the estimated age bracket,” he wrote. The “living stature at the time of death” was estimated to be between 65.2 and 71.5 inches. Blassie’s height was 72 inches. It was also determined, by testing a single hair found in the portion of flight suit, that the “blood type of the remains disagrees with the recorded blood type ‘A’ for Blassie.”

Disregarding all official chain-of-custody documents, Furue recommended that the bones believed to be Blassie’s be reclassified and “designated unknown.” In 1980, the Armed Service Graves Registration Office accepted his recommendation.

But the laboratory’s procedures, which frequently seemed like guesswork, according to Samuel Dunlap, employed at

CIL-HI in the 1980s, were beginning to raise questions in the Defense Department and in the scientific community.

Dunlap, now an anthropologist in Northern Virginia, says there was constant pressure to close cases by changing lab reports. The poorly equipped facility had no x-ray machine or other basic tools of the profession, and Furue’s methods were “completely worthless,” he says. “He would take a bone fragment a couple of inches long and estimate the guy’s height. That’s impossible.”

After a dispute in 1985 over laboratory findings in the case of a plane shot down over Laos, the Army commissioned an independent report that cited the CIL-HI’s “failure to exercise proper standards of identification.” At a follow-up congressional hearing Furue’s “morphological approximation” was dismissed by several forensic experts, with one witness calling it “not a correct or logical technique.”

The Hawaii lab discontinued the procedure, yet the fact that it had been used to identify so many combat casualties leaves open the possibility that untold numbers of American war dead were buried in the wrong graves.

Blassie’s family in St. Louis was never informed that the wreckage of his plane had been located or that remains were recovered, the same remains stored at the Army’s Central Identification Laboratory in a file labeled X-26.

Other twentieth-century conflicts left no shortage of unidentified American dead; there were 1,648 after World War I; 8,526 after World War II; and 848 following the Korean War. Vietnam was different. In 1973 Congress passed a law authorizing the Defense Department to bury a Vietnam unknown in Arlington Cemetery. A gravesite was prepared, but it stayed empty for 11 years.

Better battlefield medical care, speedier evacuation of the wounded and a more thorough accounting of the dead meant that by the early 1980s, there were only four sets of unknown Vietnam-era remains. Two were subsequently identified; a third was considered to be non-American; and a fourth set—X-26— was only 3 percent complete, far less than the customary 80 percent deemed suitable for burial in the Tomb of the Unknowns.

“Some very powerful people” wanted a Vietnam unknown buried in Arlington, says John Marsh, secretary of the Army at the time, now a professor of law at George Mason University. “The president wanted it done. Congress had authorized it. And we had the assurance of the person in charge that the remains in Hawaii were unknown.”

Many POW/MIA advocacy groups, however, were opposed to the idea. Ann Mills Griffiths, executive director of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, expressed her concerns in a letter to Marsh. If the entombment were to take place, Griffiths wrote, it might end the military’s effort to account for the thousands of personnel still missing in action: “Congressional interest in waiving the existing criteria, largely for political purposes, is unworthy of those whom we all rightfully wish to honor.”

But 1984 was an election year. With the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars lobbying Congress and the White House, and the Reagan administration eager to honor Checkpoints

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“

today we pause to embrace him and all who

”

served so well in a war whose end offered

no parades, no flags, and so little thanks.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––president ronald reagan

those who fought and died in Vietnam, the decision was made to go ahead with the burial.

In an April 13, 1984 memo to all the service secretaries and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger wrote: “In our public relations on this matter” it’s important to emphasize that the burial “will not result in a diminution of efforts to resolve the fate of those Americans still missing in Southeast Asia.”

Army Secretary Marsh had favored Veterans Day, November 11, for the ceremony, but that would be five days after the election.

The interment date selected was May 28, Memorial Day 1984.

The set of remains Weinberger chose for burial in Arlington was the only one available: X-26.

Army Major Johnie Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran, took charge of the Central Identification Laboratory in 1982. He was familiar with the Blassie case. He also understood the signals Washington was sending.

For years the White House and Pentagon had been pressuring the lab to find an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War. In 1983, Webb was presented with papers to sign, certifying that the X-26 remains could not be identified. He refused.

“The remains weren’t identified,” he says. “That didn’t mean

they would never be.” The Pentagon gave him six months to identify X-26 or sign the certification.

Webb, a retired lieutenant colonel, says he’s tired of being blamed for mistakes that were made. Although he had doubts about the X-26 designation, “that was the scientific judgment,” he says, “and I had to go with the scientists.”

Furue, the senior anthropologist who had recommended the reclassification to “unknown,” hoped that if more remains were found, the identity of X-26 might be learned. He, too, was adamantly opposed to the Arlington burial.

But two months before the Memorial Day burial date, waiting was no longer an option. On March 21, Webb, calling himself “the last holdout,” signed the certification, stating that scientific analysis of X-26 “had failed to support a positive identification with any known casualty of Southeast Asia.”

Soon afterward, Webb says, Army headquarters in the Pentagon took steps to make sure the remains destined for Arlington would never be identified. On April 4, he says, he was ordered to remove from the X-26 file any information connecting Blassie to the Vietnam Unknown. All CIL-HI documents associated with the selection process were ordered destroyed, as were the crash-site artifacts recovered near the wreckage of Blassie’s plane.

It was at this point, in what he describes as “the struggle of my life,” Webb decided to stop following orders. He began writing memos for his personal file, and instead of destroying the crash-site items—some of which, like the life raft, could be tied directly to Blassie—he hid them in the one place no one would ever look.

“I’m a Vietnam vet,” Webb says. “I had to do what was right. I put the evidence in the casket … with X-26.”

May 28, 1984

President Ronald Reagan presents the Medal of Honor to the Unknown Serviceman of the Vietnam Era during the state funeral service in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, May 28, 1984.

(Photo by Master Sgt. Donald Sutherland, USAF)

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A horse-drawn caisson bearing the Unknown Soldier from the Vietnam War moved slowly along Constitution Avenue on its way to Arlington Cemetery. An estimated 250,000 people lined the Memorial Day procession route. Military bands played and a series of 21-gun salutes sounded in the distance.

Because of low clouds an Air Force flyover had to be cancelled.

“More than 100 rumpled, often bearded war survivors, some pushing friends in wheelchairs marched out to claim their place in the parade,” read an account in The Washington Post.

“Clothed in camouflage jungle hats and outgrown fatigues, they latched onto the end of the cortege… The improvised demonstration echoed [many] others that surged through the same streets over the tumultuous Vietnam years.

Lou Pennebaker was watching on television from her home in Meridian, Mississippi. In the dozen years since Michael Blassie’s

On July 10th, 1998, a little over 26 years after Michael Blassie was killed in action, his remains arrive at Scott AFB, Ill. escorted by his brother, George J. Blassie.

death, Pennebaker had been married, divorced and was the single mother of two young sons. “In all that time I never stopped loving Michael,” she says. She attended a memorial service in St. Louis shortly after Blassie was killed, but this was different. “I kept thinking that’s him they’re carrying to the Tomb.”

The Vietnam War had ended nine years before, but it was still on many people’s minds. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall was dedicated in 1982; and now, after lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda over the holiday weekend, the Vietnam Unknown was being buried beside unknown soldiers from three other wars in the nation’s most hallowed final resting place.

“Today we pause to embrace him and all who served so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks,” said President Ronald Reagan at the burial ceremony.

Reagan assured the families of soldiers missing in action that the effort to find their loved ones would not end. “We write no last chapters,” he said. “We close no books. We put away no final memories.”

Then, placing the Congressional Medal of Honor on the flag-draped casket, the president said his final emotional farewell: “Thank you, dear son, and may God cradle you in his loving arms.”

Reagan’s words captured the mixed feelings Americans had about the war and its aftermath. Like many conservatives, he was not a supporter of the Vietnam Memorial, which opponents saw as a tribute to the anti-war movement, not those who died for their country. But according to White House chief speechwriter Tony Dolan. “Reagan cared deeply and profoundly about the burial and the issue of POWs and MIAs.” For some families touched by tragedy during the long years of conflict the interment of the Vietnam Unknown may have provided consolation, but for others, like the Blassies, it was only a reminder of things they might never know.

In 1994, Patricia Blassie was a captain in the Air Force Reserve and living in Marietta, Georgia, when she received a phone call from Ted Sampley. The former Army Green Beret told her he had just written an article for the Vietnam veterans’ newsletter he published, proving her brother is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

As Blassie listened in disbelief, Stampley said he’d recently read a book about investigating wartime plane crashes. With-

out naming Blassie, it mentioned that one of the few sets of unknown remains after the Vietnam War was once believed to be an Air Force pilot shot down in 1972. Sampley explained how he began combing through military records, eliminating one missing pilot after another who went down in the same area where her brother’s A-37 crashed.

“The remnants which were found with the bone fragments … are important pieces of the puzzle,” Sampley wrote in the article. “The piece of a flight suit indicates that the Vietnam Unknown was an airman, and evidence of the existence of a parachute rules out the possibility of a helicopter crew… A one-man inflatable raft can be argued as a strong reason to rule out the crews of the C130s, leaving only the pilot of the A-37, who would have been equipped with a one-man life raft.”

What remnants and bone fragments was he talking about?

Blassie’s family had never been told the wreckage of her brother’s plane was located. Did the Pentagon know about any of this?

“I thought this couldn’t be true,” says Patricia Blassie, who heard that Sampley, one of the founders of the Rolling Thunder rally in Washington, had a reputation for stirring up trouble. She took the information to the Air Force Casualty Office, where officials assured her there was nothing on file to support Sampley’s theory. Blassie and her family accepted the Air Force’s answer. “We couldn’t imagine the U.S. government would actually bury a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns. It didn’t make sense.”

Vince Gonzales was a young CBS correspondentin-training in Los Angeles in 1997 when he came across Sampley’s article, “The Vietnam Unknown Soldier Can Be Identified,” on the Internet. Gonzales spent months in his spare time making calls and collecting documents before contacting the Blassie family. “I think I know where Michael is,” he told them, laying out a paper trail that led to Arlington Cemetery. One of the things he showed them was a folder he’d obtained full of information about the selection process that the Army had ordered destroyed.

“We wanted to know what happened to Michael,” says Patricia Blassie. “But finally finding out was a shock.”

After getting the family’s promise to cooperate, Gonzales set up a meeting at the CBS bureau in Washington. He arrived with a suitcase full of research not knowing what to expect.

“It was like defending a master’s thesis,” he says, recalling how nervous he was. The bureau bosses were interested in the story, but realized Gonzales lacked the Washington connections to pull it off. They teamed him with veteran newsman Eric Engberg, who would do the on-air reporting.

For Patricia Blassie, then working in the Air Force Office of Public Affairs in the Pentagon, the latest turn of events had serious implications. Would going public put her on a collision course with the Air Force? If the evidence pointed to the Tomb, the remains would have to be exhumed for DNA testing. What would she do if the Pentagon resisted?

“I never wanted to embarrass the military or the country,” she says. “I just wanted to know the truth. We all did. And there was only one way to do that.”

The Blassies weren’t in agreement about putting the story on national television. George, the youngest son said, “Michael Checkpoints

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Tests were performed at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The results showed a perfect match with DNA samples provided by Blassie’s mother and his oldest sister Judy. The institute’s scientists also reported that, when the casket was opened, they found the crash-site artifacts that Central Identification Laboratory Commander Johnie Webb had put inside 14 years before.

July 11, 1998

Blassie’s headstone at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.

is buried in a place of honor. Maybe this is where we should leave him.” Mary, the middle daughter, who always thought her older brother would some day walk through the door, said, “If I were lost, Michael would come find me. Why wouldn’t we do all we could to find him?”

After hours of discussion, Jean, Michael’s mother, looked at her children and said, “For 26 years, we have been told that Michael was never found. Yet he was found five months after he was shot down and then buried without our knowledge in the Tomb of the Unknowns … I want to bring my son home.”

On January 19, 1998, the CBS Evening News aired the story. Air Force Lt. Michael J. Blassie was the Vietnam Unknown buried in Arlington Cemetery, Eric Engberg reported. The military for years had used the secrecy of the selection process, he claimed, to hide Blassie’s identity from his family and the public.

“If it is Michael, he’s not unknown,” Patricia Blassie said in the interview. “He’s not identified, but he isn’t unidentifiable.”

By publicly demanding a DNA test of her brother’s remains, she was not only challenging the defense establishment she served. She was threatening its most sacred shrine. But as more became known not even the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal, which broke the same week CBS aired its original story, could overshadow the evidence.

Within days Defense Secretary William Cohen directed Rudy de Leon, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, to study the case and make a recommendation on DNA testing.

On May 7, 1998, based on de Leon’s findings—the most compelling, the list of items from the Saigon Mortuary that included Blassie’s missing ID—Cohen announced the Vietnam Unknown would be disinterred and DNA tested. A week later the Defense Department staged an elaborate ceremony at the Tomb, inviting the Blassies and eight other families of pilots killed in action in the same area Michael Blassie’s plane was shot down. Also in attendance was Ted Sampley, sporting a ponytail, business suit and his Army beret.

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George Blassie Jr. accompanied his older brother’s remains to St. Louis, where hundreds of veterans, family members and friends gathered for the burial ceremony at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. An Air Force honor guard carried Blassie’s casket to the gravesite. As four low flying F-15s passed overhead, one of them pulled out of formation and headed skyward in a “missing man” salute.

Pentagon officials were in attendance as well as service colleagues, among them retired Air Force Col. James Connally, who saw Blassie’s A-37 explode in flames the day he was killed. Lou Pennebaker, the girlfriend he intended to marry, came “to grieve,” she says, “as I couldn’t when Michael was killed half-a-world away.”

Retired Col. William Parnell, American operations officer in An Loc when the wreckage of Blassie’s plane was found, also attended the burial. Parnell, who died in 2009, told a reporter, “Every soldier, sailor, airman and marine knows that if they are killed in combat, somebody will find their remains and bring them home. We thought we had. I touched that boy’s bones.

We put them in a helicopter taking out the wounded. But a series of administrative errors were made and it created a disaster. Now finally, this young man has come home to Missouri.”

Still at Arlington, on display at the cemetery’s museum, is the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to the Vietnam Unknown

by President Reagan. Patricia Blassie thinks, since in all likelihood there will never be another unknown American soldier, it should be with her brother in St. Louis. The medal is only symbolic, she says, “but Michael served as that symbol for 14 years.”

She agrees there are probably those who wonder why she and her family went through so much trouble to bury six bones? She often asks herself the same question.

The answer, she says, comes from her heart and is always the same. “It’s my brother.”

If political pressure led to a known soldier being buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns, it was her family’s determination that “helped us find Michael,” Blassie says. “We had the opportunity to rebury him in Arlington Cemetery, but we wanted to bring him home. Someone gave us a handful of dirt from Arlington, though, and after the service, as we walked past Michael’s new grave, my mom sprinkled it on the lid of his casket.” ________________________________________________ Bill Thomas, author of Club Fed, Capital Confidential and other books, is a writer living in Washington. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Association of Graduates.

NOW AVAILABLE WITH YOUR CLASS CREST! Did you know that USAA has a credit card that gives back to AOG? Better yet, it’s now available with your class crest!

Go to: www.usaa.com/aog to learn more and apply for the AOG USAA Rewards™ World MasterCard ®.

feature

Climbing the World’s Highest Mountains to Honor Heroes Graduates of the Air Force Academy are raising money for charity by summiting the highest peak on each continent. They are currently prepping for their final and most grueling climb—29,029-foot Mt. Everest.

By Major Brandon Lingle ’00

Courtesy of The New York Times At War Photos courtesy of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge

O

ur wars hit home for me when my childhood buddy, Capt. Derek Argel ’01, died with four other airmen in a small-plane crash near Diyala, Iraq, on Memorial Day 2005. Derek and his Air Force Academy classmate Jeremy Fresques ’01 were promoted to captain just before boarding that airplane.

Before Derek’s death, I had no understanding of the real costs of war, no way to connect with the immense human suffering we create. And, since 2005, I’ve felt the shock waves of Derek’s death continue to affect families, friends and me.

I’ve seen how Derek’s widow, Wendy, and son, Logan, now 8, continue to honor his memory. Recently, they placed wreaths on gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.

I’ve watched Derek’s mom, Deb, embrace the tragic title of Gold Star Mother, travel to Iraq, lead countless fund-raisers for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, write a book and persevere.

I’ve tracked myriad tributes to Derek, Jeremy and their teammates: Maj. William Downs, Staff Sgt. Casey Crate and an Iraqi Air Force captain, Ali Abass.

Since 2009, a group of Air Force special operators have trekked across the country in honor of their lost brethren.

Last year, a fellow Academy graduate deployed to Baghdad dedicated a CrossFit workout to Jeremy and Derek.

And, right now, another of Derek and Jeremy’s Academy classmates, Maj. Rob Marshall ’01 of the Air Force, continues to honor the fallen with the Air Force’s 7 Summits Challenge, a quest to lead a team of airmen to the summit of each The team descends Mt. McKinley in the midnight sun after summiting on June 11th, 2008.

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Captain Tavis McDevitt ’01 climbs toward the summit of Mt. McKinley as a sea of clouds swirls below.

continent’s highest peak. In April, Major Marshall, a 34-yearold special operations pilot with multiple combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, will lead his team on their most impressive mission to date—an attempt to scale Mount Everest.

With a successful summit of Everest, the group would make history as the first military team to climb each continent’s highest mountain and the first United States military team to conquer Everest.

Major Marshall, a Mercer Island, Wash., native and a longtime mountaineer—who bagged 27 peaks as an Air Force Academy cadet—first considered an Everest attempt while visiting the mountain’s base camp in 2001 shortly after graduating from the academy.

“I had this strong intuition that I needed to come back and climb Everest one day,” he said. “But, it needed to be for a reason bigger than just personal conquest.”

The reasons came in 2005 when an Air Force MC-130, call sign Wrath 11, crashed in the Albanian mountains, killing nine, including several of Major Marshall’s friends. Jeremy and Derek died in Iraq two months after that.

The losses drove Major Marshall to find a way to help his fallen friends’ families. “Remember walking around a track to raise money for your school or charity?” he said. “Well, I decided to take it vertical. For every thousand feet we climbed, we’d ask people to donate to the college education of these kids.”

So, the 7 Summits Challenge was born, and to date the team has successfully tackled six of the summits—Mount Elbrus in Russia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Mount McKinley in Alaska, Mount Vinson in Antarctica and Mount Kosciuszko in Australia—and countless others in training. Team members mark their accomplishment with memorial push-ups, in honor of their fallen friends, on each summit.

About 25 men and women have climbed with the team since the challenge began, and they’ve raised more than $60,000 for military charities like the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the That Others May Live Foundation.

Though not financed or officially sanctioned by the Air Force, the military has been generally supportive of the team, thanks to its intense planning and risk-mitigation process, said Major Marshall, who is currently stationed in Amarillo, Tex. “Mountains are excellent leadership laboratories,” he said. “We get to work in small teams in extreme conditions. Climbing takes a combination of leading and following to survive together.” w From top: L to R: Kyle Martin ‘05, a Nepali climbing guide, Carl Siegel ‘05, Marshall Klitzke ‘05 on the summit of Ama Dablan (22,484 feet) in Nepal.

The peaks of Everest, Lohtse, and Nuptse are visible in the background. All are part of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge. Martin and Klitzke will also be attempting to summit Everest with the team.

On October 3rd, 2011, Major Marshall leads pushups in memory of fallen Airmen after summiting Mt. Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak at 7,310 feet. For each pushup they generated donations to military charities.

The summit glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which the team summited on July 16th, 2007.

The team proudly displays the American Flag on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak at 19,339 feet and the team’s second of the Seven Summits.

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Major Rob Marshall ‘01 skiing from the summit of Australia’s highest peak.

C

But sometimes the military and climbing worlds have collided. “I was on Mount McKinley 24 hours from summiting when my unit told me via satellite phone that I needed to return immediately for a deployment,” he said. “Had to leave my team and haul ass back to base.”

With luck, the realities of military life won’t hinder the chance to stand on the roof of the world for the airmen who have committed to the Everest summit attempt and are training at their bases across the country. The following people are also on the Everest team: –Capt. Andrew Ackles, 29, a TH-1N instructor pilot, from Ashland, Ore., stationed at Fort Rucker, Ala. –Capt. Marshall Klitzke ’05, 30, a KC-135R pilot from Lemmon, S.D., currently an instructor pilot at the Air Force Academy.

–Capt. Colin Merrin ’06, 28, a GPS satellite operations mission commander from Santee, Calif., stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

–Staff Sgt. Nick Gibson, 36, a reserve pararescueman and physician-assistant student from Gulf Breeze, Fla., stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. 26

usafa.org

Visit usaf7summits.com to learn more about the climb and help the team raise money for some very important charities.

“Several wounded warriors and supporters also plan to trek with us to Everest base camp this spring [including Capt. Augustin Viani ’07, 28],” Major Marshall said.

“Climbing these peaks is my way to deal with the pain and sadness that sits in my stomach from the losses of friends and colleagues,” he said.

“I use physical exertion and time outside as my way to blast depression and sadness. After just a day hiking trails on the outskirts of town, I come home refreshed, re-energized, and looking forward to getting things done. If it wasn’t for this, I think the bad experiences would get the best of me. I hope that through this challenge we can help other military members use the outdoors and adventure sports to improve their emotional health.”

With each day, the goal of climbing Mount Everest inches one step closer for Major Marshall and his team. And, just as each day marks a step toward Earth’s highest point for this group of airmen, so too does it mark some kind of step toward solace or understanding for those close to the lost.

Perhaps George Mallory, a veteran of World War I’s Battle of the Somme and an English mountaineer who was key to some of the earliest Everest expeditions, captures this sentiment best: “So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.”

I’m confident that Derek would have agreed. _____________________________________ Editor’s note: Brandon Lingle served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a public affairs officer. His nonfiction was noted in “The Best American Essays 2010,” and he is an editor of War, Literature & the Arts, published by the United States Air Force Academy. He is an active-duty Air Force major stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

You can follow him on Twitter. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Association of Graduates, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense or United States government.

Integrity. Service.

Excellence.

A story written by you and instilled by the Academy.

For over 50 years, Jostens has crafted the USAFA story into each piece of jewelry. It’s your chapter of the story—share it proudly.

Introducing the new wedding bands, contoured for a perfect fit with your Academy class ring.

For more information, visit jostens.com/usafa or call 1-800-852-9353. ©2011 Jostens Inc. 11-0580

authors corner

Lessons in Honor – A novel of character, courage and leadership by Dr. Lin Bothwell It is 1960, and Pete Sutton is thrilled to be a cadet at the new U.S. Air Force Academy. The Academy rewards discipline, loyalty, and honor, values he first learned from his beloved father. Pete learns to be a principled leader both on the football team and among the cadets, his band of brothers. His idealism is challenged by the looming Vietnam War, the assassination of President Kennedy, and a threat to the Honor Code and the Academy itself. For Pete and his unbending personal code of honor, there is only one path forward—to confront the system head on.

What readers say: “I loved this book. It is a treasure…a talented novelist, Dr. Bothwell has written a most entertaining and educational story of life, love, deceit and personal triumph at a major United States military academy … I will recommend Lessons In Honor to fellow grads AND to the staff of the Center for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD) at the Academy ... it strongly reinforced my feelings of respect for the USAFA Institution and the Honor Code.”

Available at www.linbothwell.com and www.amazon.com. ISBN: 978-0-615-64754-8 Adrenaline Nation: Chronic Stress Is Ruining Our Health And Bankrupting Our Economy–Discover What YOU Can Do About It–NOW! by Peter M. McCarthy ’72

Peter McCarthy’s landmark new book, Adrenaline Nation, released by Smart Publications (www.smart-publications.com) on August 1, 2012, is destined to spark debates about the effects of chronic stress. Drawing from his broad experience as a military officer, commercial pilot, traditional naturopath and grass roots political activist, Peter McCarthy, ND weaves a compelling narrative that is sure to begin an ongoing national dialogue in the boardroom, by the water fountain, in the classroom, and in the halls of government about a subject we all experience but barely understand: the effects of chronic stress. McCarthy offers innovative and achievable solutions for conquering both the personal and institutional aspects of stress, in the process demonstrating why Adrenaline Nation is sure to be the most talked-about book of the year. Available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

What readers say: “You need this book! ... Peter McCarthy has performed a great service for us all ... well researched book ... a must read for every thinking American ... offers incisive analysis.”

The Cochabamba Conspiracy by Brinn Colenda ’72 The year is 1998: Cochabamba, a quiet, progressive Bolivian city seems an unlikely location to launch an attack to destabilize and overthrow democratic governments in South and Central America. But Kurt Wallerein, feared, hated, and hunted by every intelligence service and law enforcement agency in the West forms a conspiracy with an embattled Fidel Castro to do exactly that.

Lieutenant Colonel Tom Callahan, USAFA ’84, Major Angela Davidson, USAFA ’84, and Tom’s compadres in the U.S. Military Group-Bolivia are all that stand in the way of their success.

What readers say: his flying scenes are the best! ... a tense roller coaster ride filled with car chases and harrowing flight scenes ... a real page-turner ... exhilarating! ... fast-paced, plot-driven, action oriented, and unusual ... it ended too soon!

Available in print and ebooks at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and www.brinncolenda.com. ISBN 978-1-4257-4145-7 American Spirit by Roger Smith ’77

Stewart Andrew left Ireland for the Pennsylvania Colony with nothing but a few cobbler tools, a tattered Bible, and a dream. Despite many hardships, he and his descendants laid the foundation to make those dreams come true in the New World.

His family’s sons and daughters fought the Revolutionary War against the most powerful army on Earth, and two generations later refused to bow to their perception of a tyrannical Federal government that threatened to take away their newly found freedom during the Civil War. Stewart’s dreams come full circle when his twin greatgrandsons, Hiram and Martin, are faced with a heart wrenching dilemma: do they fight against the very country their ancestors established by supporting the Confederacy ... or do they defend their families on the horrific home front in North Carolina?

American Spirit tells the fascinating story of these early Americans through touching scenes of love, humor, sad farewells, and faith in God combined with action-packed and detailed descriptions of battles and home front dilemmas. Author Roger Smith shares years of research along with maps, photographs, illustrations, and a detailed bibliography to create both a delightful story based on facts and a historically accurate portrait of a pivotal time in American history.

Available at iUniverse.com or your favorite retailer such as Amazon.com. ISBN : 978-1-4759-6527-8 (sc), ISBN: 978-1-4759-6528 (hc), ISBN: 978-1-4759-6529 (e)

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2012 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE LT. GEN. (RET.) MARCUS ANDERSON CLASS OF 1961 Just north of San Antonio, Texas, in the quiet rural community of Fair Oaks Ranch there sits a modest house surrounded by trees and cacti. Small groups of white tail deer bound gracefully across the roads, roaming the neighborhood as they snack mischievously on lawns and flower gardens. It’s just another sunny day in Texas when Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Marcus Anderson ’61 answers the door with a welcoming smile.

It has been 52 years since the fighter pilot left the Academy as a freshly minted second lieutenant, and the past half century has given this graduate a colorful career of memories and service to reflect back upon. Anderson folds his hands neatly in his lap, the sky blue gemstone glinting from his Academy ring, and sets out to recount his earliest memories of USAFA. “Traveling from Seattle, Washington

down to Denver was the first time I had ever been on an airplane,” he begins. “Showing up at Lowry Air Force Base and jumping right into Basic Cadet Training was a real eye opener. The intensity of the whole experience is what struck me right from the outset. There was no time to do anything other than what the AOCs told you to do. All of the drills, obstacle courses and everything else was like a high speed train rushing by and it was all we could do to just hang on.”

Like it did for most graduates, Basic Cadet Training flew by in a blur of screaming, mud, exhaustion and determination, moving the Class of 1961 into their first semester at America’s premier military institution.

“Time is of the essence,” Anderson recounts. “One of the biggest challenges at the Academy is getting everything done. Time management becomes one of those things you

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really have to pay attention to. You have to get the most important things done first—because it’s inevitable that something’s going to have to slip just a little. Academics presented another challenge. We had a heavy work load with a lot of difficult courses.”

Anderson is careful to point out that despite the time crunch and difficult course work, he and his cadet colleagues still managed to enjoy themselves at the Academy. “When I was there we had a much smaller Cadet Wing than we do now. You get to know just about everyone in your class, and those friendships have lasted ever since. That’s one of the great advantages of our time at the Air Force Academy.”

After graduation it was on to pilot training where Anderson would earn his wings and find himself in the fighter jet cockpit. After a series of assignments stateside, he eventually landed at the helm of the F-100 at Bien Hoa AB, Vietnam, in the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Anderson would later go on to fly F-4 Phantoms at Ubon AB, Thailand. “My favorite fighter was the one I was flying at the time!” the pilot recounts. “All in all though, I’d have to say that the F-15 was the finest flying machine I had the opportunity to pilot.”

As Anderson’s career progressed, he found himself faced with a unique opportunity to return to the institution which gave him his start. “I was very surprised when I was selected to be the Commandant,” he says. “I certainly wasn’t expecting that assignment.”

Anderson smiles as an old memory returns. “The first thing that happened when we flew into Denver was they lost my hang-up bag with all my uniforms in it.

I had to start off my first day on the job in civilian clothes! I never did get that hang-up bag to this day.”

Anderson illustrates the myriad changes which the Academy had undergone since his time as a cadet.

“Coming back as Commandant was really my time to reconnect. I had been in the operational Air Force for 20 years with maybe one or two visits to the Academy during that time. The day to day interactions with all the cadets makes for a really great job. When I was a student we had just over 300 people in our class. Now, as Commandant, there are over 1,300 cadets per class, and 20 percent of them are female. In my opinion, the women did a great job. They were very eager to succeed, they worked hard and I give them a lot of credit. Our female graduates have definitely proven their value in the active Air Force many times over.”

After wrapping up his term as Commandant, Anderson pinned on his second star and served as the Director of Operations at Headquarters, Tactical Air Command followed by tours as Commander of 3rd Air Force, U.S. Air

Forces Europe, Royal Air Force Station Mildenhall, United Kingdom, and then as Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Promoted to Lieutenant General, Anderson completed his military career as the Air Force Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C. and retired in 1996.

“

No matter what task you’ve been assigned, do the best job you can do. Every job is a great job so long as you make it so ...

”

Retirement, however, was anything but the typical extended vacation that many Americans strive for. “One of the real rewards and benefits of your retirement years is that you have the opportunity to give back,” Anderson notes.

“Not just to the Academy, but to your local community as well. I served on the AOG Board of Directors shortly after I retired from the Air Force; it was not only very rewarding but kept me connected to the Academy.”

Gen. Anderson finds himself very optimistic for today’s cadets. When asked to offer a bit of advice for USAFA’s next generation, he says simply, “No matter what task you’ve been assigned, do the best job you can do. Every job is a great job so long as you make it so. Work hard and don’t be looking ahead to the next assignment while you’re still in your current job, for that is where your focus belongs.”

Anderson also remains very active in both his church and the local San Antonio community, having served on the city council. “The idea of working hard and then giving back to help others is simply a part of our culture as Academy graduates.”

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2012 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE Mr. Edward E. “Ted” Legasey CLASS OF 1967 Heavy rains splash across the surf, speckling the white sandy shores of Kiawah Beach in South Carolina. Edward “Ted” Legasey ‘67 stands on his porch, thoughtfully overlooking the ocean. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts before retiring to the study. It’s time to begin reflecting on a lifetime of memories, education, careers and challenges.

Because the Air Force Academy served as the beginning of his professional development, it seems a fitting launch pad for the story. “I’d never been on an airplane before,” Legasey proclaims about his trip to USAFA as a Basic Cadet. “I got on an airplane in Boston and flew to Denver.

Then I flew from Denver to Colorado Springs in a DC-3.

We bounced all over the sky on that hot summer day and I found myself asking what the hell did I just get myself into?

Just showing up was a bit of shock to my system!”

Legasey recalls a vast expanse of land that was dramatically different from his home in New England. “We got

picked up by a bus at Peterson AFB and driven across what could only be described as desert. I don’t think we saw three buildings the whole trip up to the Academy.”

After arriving on the campus, the true nature of Colorado had a special greeting for the new cadets. “My first experience with the altitude happened on the very first day of Inprocessing. They had us fill up these giant laundry bags with blankets and clothing and then run up the stairs from the ground level to the Terrazzo. I thought my lungs were going to come right out of my body-this was before BCT even started! My classmates and I were of course terrified of whatever was going to happen next; but we really got to know each other through the process.”

Like all graduates, Legasey has fond memories of his time at USAFA. “I was one of the shortest guys in my class and I would invariably get stopped on the terrazzo by some bigger guy. ‘You little man, halt! How tall are you?’ I’d look up and say, ‘Sir, I’m 7’ 5” tall but I run

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in a two foot ditch!’ They would laugh like hell and I would take off with a bit of levity.”

The young cadet soon decided early on that if he was going to put up with all the strife at the Academy, he was going to soak up as much as he possibly could from the experience. “I was determined to extract as much value as I could for the price I was paying,” Legasey recalls. “I took as many courses as they’d let me take-I played sports, I traveled. I did everything they would let me do to try and capture as much from the experi-

1969 to September 1973 he was assigned to HQ Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC), Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio where he worked as an Operations Research Analyst on large projects.

“At Air Force Logistics Command I met a lot of people who were on an upward trajectory in their careers. I had the good fortune of being assigned to a leading edge computer project at the time. We were preparing to make the move from punch cards and tape to disc storage.”

The computer systems that we take for granted today had their origins at the hands of Legasey and his fellow

“

My parents taught me my values. At the Air Force Academy, I found an environment where the values were totally aligned with my own. There’s never a right way to do a wrong thing. There isn’t enough perfume in the world to make a pig smell good. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong ...

”

ence as was possible. That method served me well, both in my Academy experience and later in life.”

Staying true to his pact of getting as much from the Academy as he could Legasey would go on to become Group Commander, Basic Cadet Training Squadron Commander (Honor Squadron) and Co-Captain of the ice hockey team. “One of the things that happens at all military institutions is that you form very deep relations with your fellow students,” he says thoughtfully. “You spend so much time together that you have no chance to be anything but the genuine you. You really get to know who someone is--not who he wants to be or who he’s pretending to be. We really had a deep understanding and respect for one another. Those kind of relationships are special. Here we are 45 years later and those friendships are still going strong (I can’t say brothers in arms because we now have more than 30 years worth of female graduates as well!).”

Legasey explains that the graduate community is a great group of people to belong to. “It actually extends beyond our own service academies and into West Point and Annapolis. We all feel part of a shared bond because of the common experiences we went through.

It’s a great network to be part of.”

As a new second lieutenant, Legacy was awarded an AFIT scholarship and attended the University of Pennsylvania from August 1967 to June 1969, where he earned an MS in Operations Research. From June

team members. His high tech assignments eventually led him to the Joint Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base for the B-1 bomber.

Legasey explains, “Logistics support had a slot on the team and we needed to know what it would take to support a weapons system that had more embedded computers than any aircraft in the world. The airplane had not yet flown and it was an exciting time at Edwards. There were a lot of weapon systems that were going through flight testing at that time. I got to see a lot of my classmates, test pilots and even astronauts.”

Working in technical environments with a cross section of Air Force personnel and civilian contractors exposed Legasey to a wide array of opinions, work ethics and personalities. These experiences would eventually shape his ethical road map for the future of his career. “I grew up in an environment where my parents taught me my values. At the Air Force Academy, I found an environment where the values were totally aligned with my own. There’s never a right way to do a wrong thing. There isn’t enough perfume in the world to make a pig smell good. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. When you get into the workforce, things change. You encounter many different people with many different values.”

In 1976, Legasey left active duty after nine years of service to pursue the next chapter of his life. After a

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brief stint at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, he stepped into the private sector to co-found SRA, a global information technology firm, with friend and mentor Dr. Ernst Volgenau.

“My partner and I had a very strong agreement that we were going to build a company that was grounded in a set of core principles and we were going to hire people who rallied around those principles. And that’s what we did. We had the wonderful experience of being able to create that culture. We were able to bring our new hires in one at a time and we looked for people who had integrity, intelligence, a strong work ethic, positive attitude and who were really good at what they did.”

Legasey and Volgenau had two very simple core values: honesty and service. Under those values they built a whole company culture. “We were in the business of creating value for our customers and we built a reputation for exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

Legasey retired from SRA in 2004 and moved to a small community just south of Charleston, South Carolina. “I really wanted to get back to working with my hands restoring old houses; unfortunately the realestate market wasn’t too healthy at the time.”

Unable to swallow the thought of trading in his working lifestyle for a rocking chair on the back porch, Legasey turned once again to the Academy and served on the AOG Board of Directors. The first major fundraising campaign was coming into fruition when he took over as Chairman of the Board. “Raising private dollars in significant amounts was not something the alumni organization had done before, and we

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had a number of startup challenges. We had to educate our graduate community as to why private money was important, even at an institution that was funded by the government. As we looked over the horizon, it became clear that more and more margin of excellence programs were not going to be funded by the federal government. If these programs were truly of value, they would have to be privately funded.”

Legasey admits that many of the AOG’s fundraising efforts were met with friction by certain members of the graduate community. Many believed that the alumni organization’s focus was best reserved for graduate services and not fundraising. “Today,” Legasey says, “we have an AOG which serves to nurture the graduate community while the USAFA Endowment is devoted solely to fundraising. It’s a good system.”

Looking back on his life, Legasey offers a bit of advice for those just starting their Air Force service. “Throughout my entire career,” he recalls, “I’ve tried to view the things that I encountered not as challenges, but as opportunities. Cadets today should take all of the opportunities they’ve been presented and make the most of them.”

From education, to healthcare, to the arts, Ted Legasey remains involved in a variety of local nonprofit organizations in the Charleston area. “I’m motivated by the opportunity to do something useful. I’m an incurable operating guy. I want to help. I’m not out to just add another board of directors position to my resume. I wake up every day, excited about what I’m going to do.”

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www.trilakesarts.org | 304 Hwy 105, Palmer Lake, CO | 719.481.0475 The Mission of the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts is to nurture emerging artists, demonstrate cultural creativity, and promote the fine arts and humanities in the Tri- Lakes area and beyond.

Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts had its beginnings in the summer of 1998. Local artists gathered together and created an arts center for the Tri-Lakes area in one of its oldest buildings. With a generous gift from a donor and the stipulation that the Arts Center be self-supporting, the Kaiser-Frazer building was transformed into the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts. The Arts Center planned to be a non-profit entity so they would be eligible for funding through grants and charitable donations. Their purpose was to bring local artists together in a spirit of creativity and to collaborate and also to have a center for the community. The Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts has become a thriving venue for art exhibits, concerts, benefits, children’s events, lectures, theater, demonstrations, receptions, classes, workshops and events for the community. Be sure to visit next time you are in the area – You are sure to love all the exhibits and events TLCA has to offer!

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Ronnie Haskins, Owner | myautosearchusa.com 5376 Tomah Drive #202, Colorado Springs | 719.286.9119 Your AutoSearch USA consultant is your advocate in this complex process to ensure you get the exact vehicle you are looking for and not pay for dealer “extras.” They will search for your vehicle not only at car dealerships in Colorado Springs but also direct from the factory and nationwide. Using their buying power and inside industry knowledge, they will work as your advocate to find the best value wherever they can. Locating the perfect pre-owned vehicle takes the skill of a trained and certified mechanic, persistence of a bulldog and the negotiating savvy of a seasoned car dealer. Or you can let an AutoSearch USA do all the work for you. They have access to more than 100,000 pre-owned vehicles at any given point in time, with a staff of trained buyers inspect vehicles, cars for sale in Colorado Springs AND coast-to-coast, to find the car that best fits your needs. Owner, Ronnie Haskins, boasts 20 years of industry experience that can make a difference in finding your dream car!

Call 719.286.9119 or email rhaskins@autosearch-usa.com today!

Kum & Go www.kumandgo.com | Over 400 Locations in 11 States | 515.226.0128 At Kum & Go, we are striving to become the #1 convenience retailer in the U.S. by 2021. We’re excited about this effort and serious about achieving it. One way that we are progressing toward this part of the Kum & Go Vision is by truly embracing our culture and the elements that comprise it.

Our culture is driven by five core values: • Passion - “We love what we do, and it shows in our work.”

• Integrity - “We do the right thing, even when it is difficult.”

• Teamwork - We believe that greatness is only achieved in unity.”

• Caring - “We have genuine compassion for our customers, associates, families and communities.”

• Excellence - “We expect and deliver superior performance.”

Our associates are the embodiment of these core values and have the opportunity to actively live these values every day on the job. We are proud to have maintained 50+ years of dedicated community commitment, each year sharing 10% of our profits with charitable and educational causes. With 8 locations in Colorado Springs, and more to come in the near future, stop in your nearest Kum & Go for a one-ofa-kind experience on your next trip to the Air Force Academy! Find a location near you at http://www.kumandgo.com/refuel.aspx.

Fairfield Inn and Suites

www.marriott.com | 15275 Struthers Road, Colorado Springs 719.488.4644 The Fairfield Inn & Suites North USAFA is the closest hotel to the North Gate of the United States Air Force Academy. We love being so close to the Academy that we can be hosts to many of the cadets, teams, alums and families of the United States Air Force Academy! We recommend all of our visitors take time to see the USAFA Visitor Center, Doolittle Hall, and take the Chapel tour! The Air Force Academy is a highlight of every visit to Colorado Springs, and we are proud to be part of the tradition!

We show our staunch support of our USAFA Falcons by hanging USAFA flags and banners in our lobby and breakfast area to let the world know that we are True Blue!

Home to Cadet families who come for Parent’s Weekend, football games, holidays and Graduation week, we love to feel like part of their family, and we look forward to meeting you the next time you visit your beloved Academy! Our wonderfully warm, friendly staff is ready to provide True Blue service to all of our visiting USAFA guests to help make Fairfield Inn & Suites their home away from home!

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TEAM HANDBALL The USAFA Team Handball Club is rebuilding on a foundation of tradition.

Attention USA Team Handball headquarters—after spending a Saturday watching your sport at the Cadet East Gym I sat down and wrote some free copy for your next commercial: Do you enjoy taking headfirst dives onto hardwood floors? Does a fun afternoon include a hard, cantaloupe-sized ball being hurled toward your head at 70 mph?

Enjoy being grappled to the ground every 45 seconds? Then play team handball today! Leagues now forming at a community rec center near you.

TEXT BY DAVID BERGEMAN | IMAGES BY LEWIS CARLYLE

WIZARDS

“

“There’s been a couple of times where I’ve been hit in the head and let’s just say you fall to the floor,” laughs USAFA Team Handball Club cadet-in-charge, C2C Matt Forrest. He pauses before adding with a straight face, “There’s no way you’re playing goalkeeper without wearing a cup.”

Ouch. Suffice it to say, this isn’t your PE teacher’s handball. You remember, that game where disinterested teens rested against bleachers as you and an opponent tepidly smacked a rubber ball above a masking tape line on the gym divider. No, this handball is an amalgamation of virtually every sport that Americans find exhila-

This isn’t your PE teacher’s handball.

”

rating. There’s the high hard one of baseball, the poetic no-look pass of basketball, the hand-to-hand battles of football’s trenches and the thrill of a hockey puck lighting the lamp (except in team handball the light is going dim from flashing 60 times a game). The sport also melds elements of soccer, lacrosse, water polo and almost every other game you’ve ever played—Dungeons and Dragons excluded. w

Most of the 22 cadets on USAFA’s team handball roster never played before getting to the Academy.

Some didn’t know the sport existed, but that isn’t necessarily a problem when it comes to cultivating a reasonable amount of talent.

“It’s one of the pure athletic sports out there,” explains Forrest. “You can pick it up very quickly if you have good athleticism.”

Air Force is in the midst of rebuilding its program. The team feels it is well on its way to reentering the conversation as one of the elite collegiate programs. North Carolina and Texas A&M field two of the better teams, but the cream of the collegiate crop is West Point.

“The contrast between Air Force and West Point is that they recruit athletes from their basketball and football teams,” says 14-year USAFA coaching veteran Michael Cavanaugh. “We recruit through word of mouth, so our kids are a little undersized [the average Olympic team handball player is about 6’4”, 200 lbs.]. I always tell the kids, we’re more intelligent. We’re more sophisticated and we can overcome some of the physical differences. We’ve beaten West Point twice in the past six years and that’s an achievement.”

USAFA has a proud history of team handball success. The Academy has produced four Olympians and a handful of other players who have competed at the international level. Since 1976 the club has won several national and collegiate championships. But in recent years the interest and effort put into the club waned. This season has brought renewed enthusiasm and dedication from the cadets.

“This is a good group of kids,” says Cavanaugh, who serves as the CEO of USA Table Tennis during the day. “They wanted to self-fund to play more and get the club more structured.”

USAFA Team Handball Club goalkeeper C2C Matt Forrest leaps to make a save during a game versus West Point.

Left back C3C Drew Donlin rises to fire a shot over a leaping defender during an Air Force Team Handball Club game versus a team from Colorado Springs. Donlin is a member of the Team USA Under-20 Men’s Junior National Team.

Wing C3C John Stout drives toward the net on his way to scoring a goal.

USAFA Team Handball Excellence Team Banners

Olympians

1976 National Championships Silver 1977 National Championships Silver 1978 National Championships Gold 1999 Collegiate Championships Bronze 2000 Collegiate Championships Silver 2000 Division II National Championships Gold 2002 Collegiate Championships Gold 2003 Division II National Championships Gold 2004 Collegiate Championships Bronze 2004 Division I National Championships Gold 2006 Collegiate Championships Bronze 2007 Collegiate Championships Bronze 2008 Collegiate Championships Bronze 2009 Collegiate Championships Bronze

1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Bob Djokovich ’78 Tom Schneeberger ’78

1988 Seoul Olympic Games Kathy (Rex) Callaghan ’84

1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Dave DeGraff ’93

THIS SEASON In Europe the sport is just called “handball,” and it’s wildly popular. If you’re ever in a place like, say, Budapest, flip through the local TV channels—there’s a good chance you’ll find 14 large, five o’clock shadow laden middle-aged men (who look like they just chased a pack of menthols with a fifth of absinthe) winging a ball around a semicircle on a court. Ripping passes out of the air with their adroit hands, they’ll take an explosive dribble (in handball you’re allowed three steps without dribbling), before bounding into the air to fire a laser toward the goal.

In Europe they play for both cash and country while frantic hordes of spectators anxiously look on.

U.S. Team Handball hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since 1996 (receiving a bid as a host country).

Qualification isn’t an easy task as only the winner of the Pan American games receives an automatic bid.

When you watch the sport it’s somewhat inexplicable to think that the United States couldn’t be a world power.

The core skills of leaping, throwing and dribbling are essential in our sporting culture. Yet, in 2012 only about 1000 Americans played the sport competitively according to USA Team Handball technical director Mariusz Wartalowicz.

“This question has come up a lot in the media, especially since the London Olympics this past summer,” says C3C Drew Donlin, who plays left back for the

team. “I heard a quote somewhere that said, ‘handball is the most American sport that no one has heard of.’ I think that’s really true. USA Team Handball is working hard to gain publicity for the sport of handball. I think that if we can get more college basketball players aware of it the U.S. could become a great program.”

Donlin is a member of the Team USA Under-20 Men’s Junior National Team. At 6’5” and 215 lbs. the former high school quarterback and basketball player is the type of athlete who could help change the international fortunes of the country. You would think that athletes of his caliber could be found on almost any collegiate basketball team and inserted into a highlevel team handball lineup with little trouble. This hasn’t been the case. At some level there is a disconnect between the player and the sport, and that x-factor has to be experience. Across Europe kids play the game their entire lives.

This USAFA team has played in two tournaments this season. The first was held in Chicago and the team got a taste of that European style of play when they faced a club from Kiev.

“They had a ton of talent and vision,” says team captain C1C David Bradfield who, as the team’s bulkiest member, plays pivot, the equivalent of a center in basketball. “We ran them hard with our youth and athleticism and were up two points very late in the game. We made some crucial mistakes and ended up

Checkpoints | March 2013

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Meet a Cadet

TEAM HANDBALL

C1C David Bradfield Home state: Illinois.

Position: pivot.

Favorite sports team: Dallas Cowboys.

Favorite book: Bible.

Favorite movie: The Sum of All Fears.

Favorite food at Mitch’s: peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Dream career (if not in the military): working in the church.

Favorite class: history 340—the history of pre-colonial and colonial Latin America.

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C2C Matt Forrest Home state: Illinois.

Position: goalkeeper.

Favorite sports team: Chicago Bears.

Favorite book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Favorite movie: Braveheart.

Favorite food at Mitch’s: spicy chicken sandwiches.

Dream career (if not in the military): politician.

Favorite class: management 345 Human Managerial Systems I.

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C3C Drew Donlin Home state: Minnesota.

Position: left back.

Favorite sports team: Notre Dame.

Favorite book: Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.

Favorite movie: Rudy.

Favorite food at Mitch’s: buffalo chicken wraps.

Dream career (if not in the military): professional sports executive.

Favorite class: law 220—law for Air Force officers.

C3C John Stout Home state: Minnesota.

Position: wing.

Favorite sports team: Minnesota Wild.

Favorite book: It Worked for Me by General (Ret.) Colin Powell.

Favorite movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Favorite food at Mitch’s: New York strip.

Dream career (if not in the military): dentist (but really only wants to be a pilot).

Favorite class? economics 201—introduction to economics.

We’re not just here to smoke and joke. We’re here to win.

”

tying. The sport is so popular in Europe, their skills and experience were just very advanced.”

Coach Cavanaugh was pleased with the results of the tournament as the team ended up beating Chicago State before losing to an excellent non-collegiate squad from New York.

This past January the team hosted the “Colorado Cup” for the first time. The tournament was another initiative by the players to accrue more experience.

During a game between Air Force and a Colorado Springs based team (featuring USA Team Handball’s CEO in goal) Air Force wing (a player who works the corners and leaps for shooting angles) C2C John Stout

received a pass on a two on one break. He made two quick dribbles before leaping toward goal and firing a bounce shot off the ground and through to the back of the net. Air Force won 30-19.

The Academy typically fields two teams for tournaments. The “A” squad finished second after losing to a very skilled team from Denver. Denver starred a former professional player from Europe whose advanced ability was on full display throughout the competition.

Building Momentum Beat Army. Win national titles. Those are the goals and Air Force will have a chance to accomplish both this spring. The team will travel to West Point in March for an extremely competitive tournament before attending this April’s College Nationals. The crowds at West Point bring a level of passion that the Air Force cadets relish.

“It’s a very hostile environment,” says Stout. “Their fans are very good. It’s a rowdy atmosphere and with any inter-service rivalry game, the intensity rises.”

No matter the results of the upcoming matches, the club has already had a great year. Among the players

there is a universal feeling of camaraderie, of brothers working to help each other on a court and in life.

“It’s a great family atmosphere,” continues Stout. “It makes life a lot easier when you can come down a couple nights a week and be with the team. And we’re competitive too. We’re not just here to smoke and joke. We’re here to win.”

“Our goal is to build on the foundation that we’ve put in place this year,” Forrest elaborates, “our senior and junior leaders have taken charge of the club and kind of brought it back from a down period.

We have high aspirations. We want to beat West Point. They’ve finished first at college nationals for the past eight years and we’ve been in the three to four range. We need to blast thorough that plateau to enter elite status.”

Team handball may be a blip on the American sporting landscape, but there is passion for the sport at Academy. If this club can continue to build on their current momentum, a national championship may soon be within the Falcons’ grasp.

C

Give them a hand! Visit giving.usafa.org/give/handball to learn how you can make a donation to the USAFA Team Handball Club.

Save The DaTe

founders day april 5

Jabara airmanship award dinner May 3

Visit usafa.org to be a part of these exciting eVents!

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Checkpoints | March 2013

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happenings March

May

22-31

3

Jabara Award Banquet

Spring Break for the Cadet Wing

April

1

USAFA Founders Day

USAFA MASTER EVENTS CALENDAR NOW LIVE Visit usafa.org/calendar and get up to speed on all the important AOG and Academy events with USAFA’s most comprehensive master schedule. You can filter event listings to specific categories, interests, and geographic region— all with the click of a mouse.

5

Founders Day Dinner and Presentation of the Distinguished Graduate Awards to Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Marcus A. Anderson ’61 and Mr. Edward “Ted” Legasey ’67

10-12

24

Ring Dance for the Class of 2014

29 USAFA Graduation Ceremony

Falcon Heritage Forum

Need a Job?

Service Academy Business Resource Directory is the one-stop directory for Service Academy grads looking to find professional careers with grad-friendly companies.

Have a Job to be done?

Look for people you can count on! Make iSABRD your first choice if highly qualified professional fellow Service Academy grads are what you seek.

Visit the career center at www.usafa.org click on “Career Center.”

graduate profile

From the Bluebards to the Big Screen

“

Actor Regen Wilson ’98 is making his way in show biz.

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.

”

–President John F. Kennedy October 26, 1963

Written by David Bergeman

I

t was a juicy, once in a lifetime role that any actor would have been frothing at the mouth to land—and he got the part before entering grammar school.

“I was in a church play when I was four-yearsold,” laughs Regen Wilson ’98, “as Moses. There was a lot of method acting involved in that one.”

As Wilson says, acting is a bug. He caught it young and the fever has yet to break. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Wilson is the son of a naval aviator and his wife, a former flight attendant.

Naturally he caught the aviation bug as well. That’s how he ended up at the Academy, but like most young people you have to wander a bit before you find the right path.

“It took me coming to the Academy to discover that aviation wasn’t what made me tick,” Wilson said. “Eventually I realized that the arts, which I had been a part of my whole life, that’s where I felt the strongest connection.”

Luckily Wilson found an artistic release in the Bluebards soon after arriving in the fall of 1994.

However, his first experience with the acting group was wrought with disappointment.

“The first play of the season was The Diary of Anne Frank,” he recounts. “We rehearsed for a

couple of months and we opened to a crowd of 50 people that in the off-off-Broadway world would be fine, but when you’re in a 3,000 seat auditorium that’s not ok.”

After the first performance of the play the OIC came backstage and told the club that it wasn’t financially practical to continue mounting the production given the low attendance. The curtain closed on the The Diary of Anne Frank after one performance.

Undeterred by the initial disappointment, Wilson decided he would work hard to get through his doolie year and come back to take an active role in reversing the club’s fortunes. Once engaged, Wilson was shocked to find that there was no advertising being done beyond the Cadet Wing.

So he took the club’s limited funds and invested in television and print ads. He finagled reporters into coming to the Academy to interview the actors and, to escape the stigma of the plays and musicals being simply “cadet productions,” he would conveniently forget to mention that small detail while doing so. It worked. Crowds grew and the support of senior staff helped legitimize the club.

“General Stephen Lorenz ’73, bless his heart, came to all of our plays,” says Wilson. “It was

Regen Wilson ’98 as Peter Taltavul in Killing Lincoln. The docudrama, which aired on the National Geographic Channel in February, is based on the book of the same name by Bill O’Reilly. Taltavul was the owner of the Star Saloon, John Wilkes Booth’s favorite watering hole located next to Ford’s Theatre.

The production was narrated by Tom Hanks and produced by Ridley and Tony Scott.

Wilson as Max Cotton in the pilot The Louder the Better, which was an official selection of the 2012 International Television Festival in Los Angeles and 2012 New York Television Festival.

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important because if leadership doesn’t show up to the production that tells a lot of people that it’s not that important.”

Wilson’s next move was to get the Bluebards into the film making game. With a green light from Lorenz, they produced a film called Broken Dreams, where Wilson played a character who stole from the cadet store and faced the consequences of that action. Broken Dreams became a part of the honor curriculum.

By the time he graduated Wilson had left his mark. His post USAFA journey led to public affairs where he served in a variety of interesting positions, including an assignment as the Air Force One media liaison to the White House Press Corps and later as the Secretary of the Air Force’s chief of entertainment industry relations in Hollywood. That position helped Wilson get a taste for the machinations of the entertainment industry. His job was to market the Air Force and inject elements of the Force into existing or yet unwritten scripts. He was treated as a producer because he could help bring a lot of Air Force resources to bear.

In his free time Wilson acted in plays and independent films to help scratch his acting itch, but it wasn’t enough. In 2006 he separated from the Air Force and began his quest for an acting career in earnest.

He landed gigs in television commercials (there’s a particularly humorous commercial where a dog tries to sell him a car), lent his voice to radio spots and generally did what he could to build a resume.

His biggest break occurred in 2009 when he landed the lead role in a pilot called Dog where he played a radio shock jock dying of a brain tumor.

The pilot won multiple industry awards and opened new doors for Wilson.

As an actor, Wilson has a very distinct everyman look (he’s worthy of the oxymoron). He plays dark comedy well and from his theatrical reel it’s apparent that he can convincingly act the part of

a slightly off, possibly unhinged character. He also makes for a good 19th century American.

Wilson’s career progression continued in 2012 when he joined the Screen Actors Guild and signed with his first agent. He landed a part in the acclaimed History Channel series The Men Who Built America where he played Mark Hanna. Hanna was the man who successfully promoted the 1896 presidential candidacy of William McKinley. Many describe Hanna as the “Karl Rove” of his time.

In February Wilson appeared in the über-hyped National Geographic Channel docudrama Killing Lincoln. He played Peter Taltavul, the owner of the Star Saloon. Located next to Ford’s Theater, the Star was John Wilkes Booth’s favorite watering hole. The docudrama, which was based on the Bill O’Reilly book of the same name, was narrated by Tom Hanks and produced by Ridley and Tony Scott.

“We actually shot that in July of last year and we used many of the same sets and extras that Steven Spielberg had used for Lincoln,” he says. “The character I played was in a couple of scenes around the assassination.”

Wilson will be appearing in the upcoming film How to Live Better Through Chemistry, which should be released later this year. The comedy stars Ray Liotta, Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell.

“Probably one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read,” says Wilson. “I play Brian, who is a pompous jerk. He’s a father at one of those bring-your-parentto-school-days. He’s quick to denigrate others. I give Sam Rockwell’s character a very hard time and that character has already had a very bad day.”

Wilson says it was a bit intimidating working with these incredible actors who have such major credits behind them, but if you’re in the room you deserve to be there. He’s hoping to be in the room a lot more in the future and he’ll remember part of the reason he made it.

“If I could do it over again I would go back to the Academy,” Wilson says. “The experience I had as a cadet, as an Air Force officer, really enriched my life. It gave me something to draw upon as an actor that I would not have had if I had attended a conservatory to study theater.”

Bluebards to Perform

The Bluebards performing in last year’s production, Next to Normal.

The Wedding Singer Where Arnold Hall Show Times Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Admission Fee General Admission $10 Students/Military/Seniors $5 Cadets Are Free

I

t’s show time! This spring during graduation week the Bluebards theater group is performing the musical The Wedding Singer based on the 1998 Adam Sandler film, with music by Matthew Skylar. The production promises to provide all with a cheap night out and first class entertainment.

The cadet-produced play is led by director C2C Nicque Robinson, who has been leading the cast of 13 and an orchestra pit of six through two hour rehearsals four days a week. Robinson is excited to present this rollicking comedy to the community.

As a member of Bluebards since her freshman year, Robinson is pleased that there is an outlet for actors and singers to express themselves onstage.

“The people who were juniors when I first joined continue to be my best friends and mentors as lieutenants and I feel more than blessed for having them in my life,” she says. “All the club members play different roles in each production and we put our heart and soul into it every time. We care about each other on the stage and off. The passion for excellence and friendship amongst club members is what has kept me here all these years.”

Bluebards is cadet run from the choreography to the pit orchestra. “Theater and music are our passions,” Robinson continued, “and we want nothing

more than to share this love with the community.

When you watch us perform, we hope that you not only see cadets but also dedicated artists.”

Bluebards officer-in-charge, Captain Lindsay Zeller ’07, wants to encourage everyone to come out and support these hard working artists.

“The greatest attraction of Bluebards,” says Zeller, “is the fact that people can enjoy their favorite plays and musicals locally, showcased by young adults with amazing talent, at really inexpensive prices. In particular, we have one ‘repeat’ attendee—a mother of two teenage girls—who told me that she and her daughters look forward to every Bluebards production. They make a night out of it, going to dinner first and then coming to enjoy a play that, as the mother remarked, they wouldn’t be able to afford to see in Denver.”

Attendance for the Bluebards’ plays and musicals has increased in recent years; an audience that was once limited to cadets’ family and friends who were visiting during Graduation Week, has now expanded to include an ever-increasing number of Colorado Springs residents. If you are in town for graduation, be sure to get out and support them.

“The bottom line,” Robinson says, “we have a lot of fun and we want you to have fun with us!”

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March 2013

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the endowment

Reaching New Heights A Letter from the Chairman and CEO of the USAFA Endowment

Dear Friends,

Paul S. Madera ’78 Chairman of the Board

General (Ret.) Stephen R. Lorenz ’73 President and CEO

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Our Air Force Academy is famous for its height— 7,258 feet above sea level, to be exact.

Every Doolie must commit this number to memory within the first few days of basic training, along with an accompanying statement about the relative stature of the other service academies. Our elevation matters, because at the Academy, 7,258 feet is more than just our altitude, it is our attitude.

So we are delighted to report that in 2012, thanks to the generosity of an increasing number of graduates, parents and friends, the Academy once again soared to previously unmatched levels of philanthropic support. In fact, this past year concluded a steady climb to a third straight year of “best-ever” fundraising results. In total, the Endowment raised more than $17.7 million for the institution in 2012, and proudly received those gifts from more donors than at any other time in our organization’s history.

Together, we are reaching new heights.

This idea was central to the keynote remarks by Mr. H. Ross Perot at the National Character and Leadership Symposium (NCLS) this past year. Addressing cadets, he challenged our Academy to “Go find a taller mountain and climb it.” In this same spirit, Mr. Perot announced a $3.5 million commitment to sponsor the General Robinson Risner Chair. This new Chair will permanently underwrite the study of human character within the context of the rapidly changing profession of arms, enabling our institution to lead the way in the complex realities of the 21st century.

This study will take place within the halls of the Academy’s newest project now underway, the Center for Character and Leadership Development. In October, we had the pleasure of partnering with the Air Force to break ground on the new Center. Once complete, the new Center will be the focal point of all character and leadership development activities at the Academy, and provide a single, centralized space for cadets, faculty and staff to coalesce around our core mission—developing leaders of character.

We were pleased to receive support for many other Academy programs throughout the year as well, including post graduate scholarships, academic departments, cadet clubs and intercollegiate teams.

Donors established first-time funding for medical school preparatory courses, character and leadership seminars, and a scholar symposium for NCLS. In all, thanks to the generosity of donors, we provided more than $9 million of direct support to the Academy in 2012.

Notably, this past year also marked a historically strong year for donor participation—more than 4,900 graduates and 2,600 parents gave a charitable gift to the institution. We are beginning to see the emergence of a growing culture of philanthropy within and among our alumni community. Federal dollars will no longer be sufficient to provide a truly elite educational experience, and the support of those who believe in the intrinsic value of the Academy’s offering will be a critical part of ensuring its success.

Due to this broadening base of support, we collected more than $2.94 million for the Air Force Academy Fund, surpassing the previous high-water mark set in calendar year 2006. Of equal importance, 1,040 individuals decided to lead the way in 2012 by joining the Sabre Society with a gift of $1,000 or more. We believe the success of the Sabre Society is critical to our continued support for our Academy.

Finally, this past year we began raising funds for the long-term financial viability of the Association of Graduates. We call our collaborative effort the “Long Blue Line Endowment,” and we hope that in the years to come, we will encourage many graduates to consider supporting this cause unreservedly.

These stellar results are a product of a great team and uncommonly hard work. We once again acknowledge the tremendous leadership of the Endowment’s board of directors, our colleagues at the Association of Graduates, and the fine leadership of General Mike Gould ’76, our Superintendent, and his excellent staff.

In the year to come, we hope to continue to build on our tremendous success of the past few years. We will continue to promote the importance of the Air Force Academy Fund, and will aid the Academy in completing the Center for Character and Leadership Development.

We will also be looking ahead to new projects that will leave a lasting impression on our institution, along with our Academy reaching new heights.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY FUND Reaching New Heights

“Sir, my altitude is 7,258 feet above sea level–far, far above that of West Point or Annapolis.”

Thanks to you, in 2012, we surpassed our $2.75M Air Force Academy Fund goal!

We will strive to do more in 2013, in support of the Academy’s vision of “developing leaders of character.”

NO DOUBT, USAFA Grads soar Your gifts to the Air Force Academy Fund help our cadets and graduates reach new heights by providing opportunities to participate in cadet “margin of excellence” programs, benefit from vital graduate programs and services, and advance Academy strategic needs and capital projects.

Your gifts help make possible: Cadet Clubs and Intramurals Distinguished Speaker Series International Programs Rando Fund Class Legacy Program Class Reunions Center for Character and Leadership Development …..and many others n

7,258 ft USAFA

n n n n n n

1,168 ft West Point 75 ft Annapolis

Give online: giveafaf.org Give by phone: 719.472.0300 Give by mail: Checks payable to the USAFA Endowment 3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475 Additional information, visit: www.usafaendowment.org Questions, email: afaf@usafaendowment.org

graduate profile

green Academy Checkpoints wanted to know about the environmentally conscious initiatives that members of the graduate community were making.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND SUCH

Our readership responded in kind

Bill Roberts, Class of 1965 ENVIROTHOUGHT “We have been taking some significant personal actions to reduce our carbon footprint and move toward a sustainable environment.”

by sharing some very interesting endeavors. From urban planning to alternative fuels, here are a few enterprises your fellow grads have embarked upon.

CAR CONSCIOUS Roberts purchased his first hybrid auto in 2007. In September 2011, Roberts leased a Nissan LEAF, which is his primary transportation around the city. He has driven it 13,589 miles to date consuming 3,205 kWh, avoiding 8784 lbs. of CO2emissions. He averaged 4.24 miles per kWh. The power cost, at $0.08 per kWh, was $256 ($0.019 per mile). The hybrid autos averaged about 44 mpg. At $3 per gal ($0.68 per mile) he saw significant savings and loves his LEAF. IN HOT WATER In February 2009 Roberts installed a solar hot water heater and a 28 panel photovoltaic array (PVA). To date the PVA has generated 45,333 kWh of electricity. The estimated CO2 avoidance is 770,661 lbs.

RAIN CATCHER last December Roberts installed a 2,595 gallon rainwater storage system. The city water department rebated $2,000 of the total cost.

Robert “Pete” Moe, Class of 1983 ENVIROTHOUGHT “My family has been trying to reduce our carbon footprint for almost a decade. We changed some living habits, started recycling much more of our waste, and improved our home’s efficiency.”

PANEL after adding photovoltaic panels, Moe reduced his power bill from a one-month record high of $600 to an average electric bill of $30 per month while greatly reducing his carbon footprint.

AUTOMOBILE ASSESSMENT Moe examined his cars and started making his own biodiesel from waste.

His 2005 Mercedes E320 CDI and VW Beetle TDI are powered solely from that material.

BUILDING A NET ZERO ENERGY HOME Moe plans to break ground this spring on a home built to the German Passive House standard.

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EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY In recent years Moe has been active in trying to educate his community to just how comfortable green living is and how much money you can save. He has been teaching in local high school classes on how to make biodiesel. Recently he started training some professors from Fresno Pacific University on biodiesel production.

READ HIS BLOG Moe is writing a blog about his experiences building his new home. Check it out by visiting shaverpassive.blogspot.com.

Joe Sherman, Class of 1984 REDUCING EMISSIONS Sherman is doing his best to become a low carbon commuter. When it’s dry and the temperature starts at 30 F or higher he rides the 20-mile round trip through Norfolk, Virginia to his job as air ambulance pilot on his recumbent bicycle.

IN INCLEMENT WEATHER he drives a 100 percent electric Mitsubishi, a minimalist new entry to the plug-in vehicle world. He notes that it has the lowest price, lowest grams CO2 per mile of all green vehicles based on source of electric charge (solar charger is the goal) and batteries that are 99 percent recyclable.

MANAGEMENT Mr. and Mrs. Don Forbes, Class of 1970 OCCUPATION sustainability consultants THE PROJECT a $4.65 billon floating bridge/urban corridor project called the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program for the Washington State Department of Transportation. Responsibilities span from design through construction.

GOALS reduce, reuse or recycle construction materials. Reclaim existing sites and facilities for new uses, reduce greenhouse gases during construction and for the life of the corridor and improve access for all users to transportation options and community space.

Torree McGowan, Class of 2001 OCCUPATION Chief Medical Officer of STATeval, LLC, a healthcare consulting company that gathers customer satisfaction feedback with an iPad application.

THE GIST the app allows immediate data analysis and decreases the amount of paper used in handwritten “comment cards” that are given to many hospitalized patients or emergency room patients. This allows the information to be transferred much more quickly than waiting for someone to empty the “Suggestion Box” and collate all of the responses.

SMART HOME MAKERS David S. Wilson, Class of 1974 WHY BUILD A SUPERHOME several years ago his family’s home was destroyed due to a propane leak and subsequent explosion.

DESIGNING THE NEW HOME Wilson decided to avoid propane and go all electric. To save on energy costs he used geo-thermal to heat and cool the house and the hot water.

USING GEOTHREMAL four wells were drilled to a depth of 200 feet; one well for each “ton” of air conditioning.

SAFE HOUSE instead of building a “safe room” (concrete walls with rebar; heralding back to his CE days at USAFA) to protect against Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley, Wilson built a “safe house” using insulating concrete forms (ICF) for the exterior walls. The ICF “blocks” are similar to Legos; two 2½-inch pieces of Styrofoam are held six inches apart by plastic straps. The 18”x 24” blocks are stacked like Legos, then filled Checkpoints

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graduate profile

with rebar and concrete. This creates an 11” thick exterior wall with an R-factor in excess of 50, compared to most homes, which are in the 11 to 20 R-factor range.

WINDOW TO THE WORLD Wilson used Argon filled, double pane windows, and “topped” it off with spray-foam insulation on the interior of the roof, instead of fiberglass insulation on top of the ceiling. This created “conditioned air” in the attic, thus avoiding the extreme heat/cold in the attic space.

Back to School Civil Engineering 369: Introduction To Air Pollution

Class History The course was first added to the curriculum in the Fall of 1993 when the department established the environmental engineering major (the EnvEng degree gained accreditation starting with the graduating class of 1994). For the most part first class cadets majoring in environmental engineering take the class, but the occasional civil engineering and biology majors also take the class.

Intents and Purposes The goal of the course is to deepen awareness of air pollution causes, sources, and effects on local, regional, and global scales and synthesize knowledge learned in earlier major and core courses to apply fundamental engineering and science principles to solve real-world air pollution problems. The course also provides cadets with the technical knowledge required for calculating air pollutant concentrations (both indoor and outdoor) and an understanding of meteorology and pollutant transport to allow modeling of pollutant dispersion. In the follow-on course, CivEngr 469: Air Pollution Control Design, cadets learn to design pollution control equipment used in industry (and by the AF) to minimize pollutant emissions.

TEMP TECH Wislon added a “schedule” thermostat to control temperature during high and low usage times and a recirculating pump that keeps hot water in the lines. This saves on running the hot water heater, especially since the master bathroom is over 80’ away from it.

BOTTOM LINE $$$ While expenses were higher during construction, Wilson experiences a $2,000-$4,000 per year savings in energy cost and, in four years, he has recouped much of the extra construction costs.

Megan (Todoroff) Kmon, Class of 2004 STRAW HOME Kmon’s straw bale home has many “green” features including solar panels, a Clivus Multrum composting toilet system, a gray water system (which feeds the garden), a living roof and straw bale walls with plaster (in lieu of drywall).

ENVRIOTHOUGHT “I think it’s great that Checkpoints put this topic on the table, but I’d like to see the conversation shift in a more productive, ‘30,000 foot’ direction. More than purchas-

Powerful Projects The cadets complete two laboratories and a poster project during the course. One of the labs performed is a ventilation lab where cadets use carbon dioxide detectors to monitor CO2 levels in facilities around the Cadet Area. Carbon dioxide levels can be used as a proxy determination of ventilation rates for indoor air. Since the average American spends approximately 80 percent of their time indoors, proper ventilation is important for minimizing indoor air pollutant concentration levels. This year one group of cadets monitored CO2 levels in Mitchell Hall before, during, and after lunch and then used modeling equations to estimate the ventilation rate. The cadets enjoy the chance to assess the air quality where they live and are often surprised by their results.

Applying Principles to Real Life Issues The cadets enjoy learning about topics that most people take for granted. For example, the class discussed the Deep Water Horizon oil spill and how the media coverage focused on the oil in the water, but rarely reported on the noxious fumes and smoke billowing into the air. The recent Waldo Canyon fire heightened awareness in the local area, but only for a very short time. The cadets start to recognize that although air pollution disperses quickly, or can’t be seen, it is an issue that can have significant health and welfare issues.

—Lt. Col. Troy Twesme ’95 54

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ing power or recycling or using energy efficient technologies (which are better than nothing), talking about “going green” is about coming to terms with the reality that the way we live cannot continue forever (i.e. is not “sustainable”). Think big picture: transitioning completely away from fossil fuels; smart cities with mass transportation around commercial and residential nodes with green spaces; living within the limits of our local and regional natural resources.”

graduate profile

Portrait in Courage The Battlefield Bravery of Captain Blake Luttrell ’07 Earned Him a Silver Star and the 2012 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award.

On January 9, 2012, Captain Blake Luttrell ’07, a special tactics Courtesy of Air Force Public Affairs officer, and his element were conducting a helicopter assault in Afghanistan to capture a known insurgent and improvised explosive device facilitator. Captain Luttrell’s element was ambushed by a battle-hardened group of insurgents located 100 meters away. As Captain Luttrell coordinated Army attack helicopters overhead, two Afghan commandos were fatally shot. Moments later, another Afghan commando received a fatal gunshot wound to the torso. In response, Captain Luttrell and a teammate moved forward to pinpoint the enemy while taking direct, accurate fire.

Captain Luttrell then directed Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to suppress the enemy cave complex, which they did with 100 rounds of 30-millimeter shells and four thermobaric hellfire missiles. Captain Luttrell and his element continued to maneuver under hostile fire towards the fortified enemy position and, while clearing a nearby building, his element was attacked by small arms fire from a cave less than five feet away. As one Special Forces Soldier moved around a corner to return fire, he was shot at point-blank range, knocked to the ground, and was subsequently shot again multiple times. Without hesitation, Captain Luttrell aggressively engaged the enemy with his automatic weapon, deployed smoke into the cave

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entrance, and courageously moved forward despite taking heavy fire. While enemy rounds impacted all around him, he pulled the wounded soldier from the cave entrance and out of the line of fire.

Captain Luttrell then administered lifesaving treatment to the wounded soldier by placing tourniquets on both legs. As he conducted first aid, his teammates suppressed the threat, enabling the entire element to maneuver out of the kill zone. Captain Luttrell then coordinated a show of force with attack helicopters and established a helicopter landing zone 200 meters south of the cave to evacuate the wounded soldier.

Once the soldier was successfully extracted, Captain Luttrell pushed all friendly elements to a safe distance and controlled an Air Force B-1 bomber that dropped a 2,000-pound bomb, destroying the cave and ending the enemy resistance.

Captain Luttrell’s terminal attack control measures resulted in the deaths of four enemy fighters. During the entire engagement, Captain Luttrell remained under intense enemy fire; yet, epitomizing true heroics, he never wavered during the heat of battle. For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal. ___________________________________________ Editor’s note: This past January Capt. Luttrell was awarded the 2012 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award. First awarded in 1981, the award recognizes airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities and honors Sijan, the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

w w w . j a c o b s t e c h n o l o g y . c o m

Supporting the USAF for more than 60 years

Checkpoints

September 2012

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the endowment

The Story Behind the Structure:

The Center for Character and Leadership Development

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On October 19, 2012, over 150 people assembled expectantly on the Harmon Hall Honor Court, taking their seats in front of a panel of architectural renderings, ceremonial shovels, and hardhats. The Honor Court looked strangely empty in the bright autumn sunlight—the familiar replicas of aircraft and memorials to airmen were missing, and large, yellow excavators and backhoes stood in their place. As the first shovel broke ground on the court, the crowd erupted in applause, celebrating the latest milestone in the Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character—the new Center for Character and Leadership Development.

Slated for completion in late 2014, the Center will be the newest iconic landmark at the Academy. While its construction will only take two years to complete, the Center itself is the culmination of decades of planning and determined effort by Academy and Air Force leadership, Academy partners, staff and the graduate community.

The origins of the Center reach back to the early 1990s, to Lieutenant General (Ret.) Bradley Hosmer’s tenure as superintendent. General Hosmer began exploring ideas of how the Academy could effectively adapt to the demands of an increasingly complex society and continue to lead; specifically, through creating the Center for Character Development. Successive superintendents continued his work—especially Lieutenant General (Ret.) John F. Regni ’73, who became superintendent in 2005.

General Regni pursued an aggressive, proactive strategy to reinforce the Academy’s culture of integrity, service and excellence. He initiated an extended, self-reflective discussion among Academy leadership, staff, and the graduate community, through which several key themes emerged: the elevation of character and leadership development as the core mission of the Academy; the need for a dedicated facility for character and leadership education; for increased depth, coherence and scholarship in character and leadership education; and for a concrete plan for how the Academy would accomplish these objectives as an institution.

Academy staff spent the next two years intensively engaged in planning, which resulted in the Air Force Academy Strategic Plan 2008-2013. The plan identified seven strategic goals for the Academy; the number one

goal being an exclusive focus on character and leadership development, to encompass all institutional and cadet activities.

In the interim, General Regni also initiated a search to find someone who could craft both a strategic and an implementation plan for character and leadership development at the Academy. He consulted with Dr. (Brigadier General, retired) Mal Wakin, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the Academy, who directed him to Dr. (Lieutenant General, retired) Ervin Rokke ’62.

Dr. Rokke’s relationship with the Academy extends back over 50 years—he previously served as an instructor, permanent professor and head of political science, and as dean of faculty. Dr. Rokke came out of retirement, after nine years as president of a small liberal arts college, to become the Superintendent’s Endowed Chair for Character and Leadership. “Since day one, the Academy has made producing leaders of character a priority,” said Dr. Rokke. “It has been largely successful in that endeavor, but we must also appreciate that it started as a very small institution. Back when General Hosmer and I were cadets, everyone knew everyone else, so the development of character and leadership took place in a kind of informal, extended family arrangement. As the Academy has grown and evolved, it is natural that the methods that were effective with a population of 1,000 aren’t as effective for the challenges posed by a diverse student body of 4,500. For that to work, we need a more sophisticated and coherent program.”

Under the strategic plan’s imperative, the Academy staff developed a program that merged the concepts of character and leadership into a single objective—a revolutionary approach at the time. “The merging of those two notions involves virtually every academic discipline and mission element at the Academy,” said Dr. Rokke. “It challenged us to get to the core of what this institution is all about—the reconciliation of the changing nature of the profession of arms, the changing nature of young cadets, and the constant core values of integrity, service and excellence. It also forced us to address how best to implement that reconciliation. With the Academy’s multiple mission elements— all of which play essential roles in cadet development and all of which compete for cadet time—we had to find a way to minimize “stovepiping” in the system.

The formation of the expanded Center for Character and Leadership Development helped to resolve that dilemma by creating a single entity, bridging all

mission elements, to maintain oversight and provide support for character and leadership development.”

Up until this point, character and leadership activities at the Academy had taken place somewhat informally. Classes were alternately held in the back of Arnold Hall or in off-campus venues, like hotel conference rooms. Cadet Honor Committee meetings and discussions often took place in dorm rooms.

If a space was unexpectedly occupied, activities were often delayed or canceled—a situation that hardly signaled a strong commitment to the top Academy priority. While the idea of building a dedicated facility for character and leadership development had floated around for years among the Academy and graduate community, the new imperative was the catalyst that reignited the campaign. As the Academy considered the options for a facility, the graduate community stepped forward to advocate for an iconic structure worthy of such an initiative. General Ron Yates ’60 and Mr. Max James ’64 approached Dr. Rokke with a proposal, urging that if the Academy was to build a facility to house its core mission, it should create an iconic structure—one that would not only be the center for character and leadership development at the Academy, but for the nation as a whole.

“We thought it was crucial to have a building that truly embodied our culture at the Academy,” said Mr. James. “Even though many things are different today than they were when I was a cadet, our real culture—our integrity and character—has endured because we continue to work at finding ways to improve. We graduates take great pride in it, and we think it sets us apart from every other major learning institution in the world.”

The idea of an iconic facility quickly won over everyone involved, and launched the next phase in the Center’s development. However, numerous hurdles threatened to stall the project, ranging from the political and practical intricacies of designing a building that honored the Academy’s past and future, to the constraints of the traditional military design, funding and construction process. Through their commitment and resourcefulness while working together through these challenges, the Academy and the graduate community created a new and unprecedented approach to the project.

In a complete departure from the standard military design process, the Academy convened a competition among the three major offices of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the pioneering architecture firm Checkpoints

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“I am thrilled to witness this incredible milestone—the construction of the Center for Character and Leadership Development. This is the culmination of a monumental process, driven by the ingenuity and courage of many, many people. We are especially indebted to Lt General Brad Hosmer, the 12th Academy Superintendent, who established the Center; to Lt. General John Regni, the 17th Academy Superintendent, whose vision of the expanded Center and its iconic structure set us on our path of excellence; and to our current Superintendent, Lt. General Mike Gould, whose drive and follow-through are represented by the cranes and trucks and concrete pours now happening.

The Center’s design reflects the grandeur of our Academy setting.

I would also like to recognize the generous support of our graduate and donor communities, led by the USAFA Endowment and their president General Steve Lorenz, and the Association of Graduates, led by Mr. William ”T” Thompson.

Due to their efforts in advancing this project, we will have a true home for our highest mission at the Academy—developing leaders of character for the Air Force and our nation.”

–Brigadier General Gregory J. Lengyel Commandant of Cadets

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that originally designed the Academy. “Who better to design the Academy’s next iconic building than Skidmore, Owings and Merrill? They know and understand every angle and meaning of the architectural design of the Cadet Area,” said General Regni. The Chicago, New York and San Francisco offices presented their conceptual designs to a jury and advisory panel comprised of Academy and Air Force leadership, prominent architects, the Cadet Honor Chair and graduates. While all of the proposed designs incorporated a visual reference to Polaris, the North Star and the symbol of the Academy’s enduring core values, one design stood out among the others, garnering unanimous approval. “For me, the ‘a-ha’ moment came when the architect of the winning design was explaining the significance of a skylight feature in the building,” said Dr. Rokke. “The idea that when a cadet stood under this skylight and looked up 39 degrees due north, that future officer would always be directed to Polaris. It encompassed what I like to call the theology of this structure; it went from being ordinary to transcendent.”

With the selection of the winning design, it was now a matter of securing funding. With an estimated $40 million needed to complete the facility, it was not clear how to accomplish the project based on government funding alone. “It was suggested that appropriated MILCON funds could be used to build the base structure and then private donor funds could be added into the same contract to fund margin of excellence items,” said Mr. Duane Boyle, Deputy Director, Directorate of Installations of the Air Force Academy, and Academy architect. “There was a combination of careful deliberation and novel innovation behind this project; as far as we know, this kind of hybrid funding has never been done before in the Air Force.

Convincing everyone that it could be done was a challenge, but everyone fell in line and made it happen.”

While Air Force and Academy leadership worked through the details of military funding, the graduate community and other private donors closed the $12 million gap for construction by contributing through the United States Air Force Academy Endowment. The Classes of ’62, ’63, ’64, ’66, ’69, ’71, ’76, ’86, ’90, and ’91, and corporate leaders such as Mr. Sandy McDonnell and Mr. Dennis Muilenberg of Boeing, Mr. H. Ross Perot, and Lockheed Martin made generous gifts in support of the project. The project will continue to rely heavily on private funding through 2013, as the final details of the Center are developed.

Due to the collective efforts and vision of a dedicated group of individuals, the Academy will have, for the first time in its history, a facility that will act as the heart of cadet character and leadership development—one that will centrally house all of the staff offices, provide a dignified home for Cadet Honor System proceedings and a forum to host today’s most acclaimed leaders and educators.

Together, they helped pioneer a new era of leadership at the Academy, ensuring its place on the world stage for future generations. ____________________________________________________ There are still many opportunities to support the new Center for Character and Leadership Development. For more information, please contact 719.472.0300 ext 200.

Reaching New Heights

Giving By The Numbers Graduate participation rates play an important role in the life of an institution. Participation rates are used by publications like US News, Princeton Review and others, to determine the level of support from an institution’s alumni population.

Recognition in the Sabre Society is offered to graduates who make an annual contribution of $1,000 or more to the Air Force Academy Fund.

Top Five classes Current Sabre Society Donors Class Number 1970............................................ 43 1968............................................ 41 1976............................................ 37 1964............................................ 35 1971............................................ 34 Top Five classes 2012 Participation Class Percentage 1962............................................ 38.66% 1963............................................ 35.20% 1967............................................ 33.79% 1966............................................ 32.92% 1959............................................ 28.38% Top Five classes 2012 New Sabre Society Donors Class Number 1982............................................ 10 1993............................................ 10 2006............................................ 9 1978............................................ 7 1979............................................ 7

* The 2012 participation rates listed here (calculated as: total graduate donors in 2012/total living graduates) represent gifts and commitments to the Academy through the USAFA Endowment or the Association of Graduates **As of February 4, 2013

Class Year

2012 Participation Rate*

Current Sabre Society Donors **

2012 New Sabre Society Donors

Overall Cumulative Giving**

1959.................28.38%............... 20...................... 0.................$1,637,661 1960.................21.84%............... 17...................... 2.................$1,240,829 1961.................24.12%............... 13...................... 3.................$1,928,530 1962.................38.66%............... 13...................... 2.................$1,050,577 1963.................35.20%............... 19...................... 0.................$8,899,400 1964.................21.73%............... 35...................... 1.................$8,347,725 1965.................20.44%............... 25...................... 3.................$8,971,155 1966.................32.92%............... 29...................... 3.................$5,259,939 1967.................33.79%............... 23...................... 3.................$5,777,899 1968.................23.67%............... 41...................... 6.................$2,394,700 1969.................21.23%............... 29...................... 0.................$5,893,401 1970.................19.30%............... 43...................... 3.................$7,172,840 1971.................19.40%............... 34...................... 6.................$1,860,741 1972.................15.90%............... 33...................... 3.................$970,728 1973.................21.23%............... 30...................... 1.................$2,389,651 1974.................16.69%............... 31...................... 6.................$1,174,834 1975.................12.07%............... 23...................... 4.................$1,918,397 1976.................22.46%............... 37...................... 3.................$1,644,737 1977.................12.84%............... 22...................... 5.................$906,769 1978.................18.27%............... 27...................... 7.................$4,781,952 1979.................17.94%............... 19...................... 7.................$4,514,133 1980.................12.99%............... 30...................... 4.................$1,868,212 1981.................13.63%............... 19...................... 4.................$1,468,252 1982.................10.81%............... 21..................... 10................$614,402 1983.................12.09%............... 24...................... 5.................$974,753 1984...................7.95%............... 14...................... 3.................$650,903 1985...................8.71%............... 13...................... 5.................$509,806 1986.................10.71%............... 12...................... 5.................$442,395 1987.................11.46%............... 17...................... 3.................$894,318 1988...................9.80%............... 15...................... 4.................$509,548 1989...................6.74%................ 6....................... 0.................$855,337 1990...................8.03%................ 7....................... 2.................$236,621 1991...................9.93%............... 10...................... 2.................$595,420 1992...................6.55%............... 13...................... 5.................$354,630 1993...................8.72%............... 17..................... 10................$305,619 1994...................6.28%................ 4....................... 1.................$310,058 1995...................6.40%................ 9....................... 5.................$317,519 1996...................6.28%................ 7....................... 6.................$149,230 1997...................7.58%............... 13...................... 2.................$187,346 1998...................6.52%................ 5....................... 3.................$358,935 1999...................6.59%................ 9....................... 5.................$180,645 2000...................9.09%................ 9....................... 2.................$187,857 2001...................7.37%................ 6....................... 2.................$111,717 2002...................6.19%................ 3....................... 2.................$72,770 2003...................6.15%................ 9....................... 5.................$70,053 2004...................4.84%................ 4....................... 3.................$45,238 2005...................3.61%................ 3....................... 2.................$46,526 2006...................6.80%............... 10...................... 9.................$95,464 2007...................4.07%................ 4....................... 1.................$52,346 2008...................3.70%................ 0....................... 0.................$25,694 2009...................3.50%................ 0....................... 0.................$14,111 2010.................18.45%................ 0....................... 0.................$110,080

graduate profile

The Realityof

War

By Don Branum, Academy Spirit Staff Writer

National Geographic Series Features Combat Rescue Airmen “Inside Combat Rescue”

TV series, along with the series’ producer, visited the Air Force Academy Feb. 1 to talk about the program and the combat rescue career field. The presentation, held in Fairchild Hall, included a question-and-answer session with Airmen in the series as well as a preview of an episode from the series, featuring a mix of mundane moments and a dramatic rescue in which Airmen rescue and stabilize an Army Green Beret hit by a roadside bomb.

“You’ve got this moment in your life where you can’t express how you feel,” a pararescueman explains to a camera crew after the rescue mission. “Could I talk to someone about it? Sure, but would they understand what I’m trying to say to them?”

National Geographic TV first approached the Air Force in January 2012 with an idea for a show about combat rescue. Lt. Col. Francisco Hamm, director of the Air Force Entertainment

Liaison Office in Hollywood, worked with the company to find an Air Force unit the film crew could embed with.

“As far as I know, we’ve never really had a production crew for a documentary embed with an Air Force unit in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Hamm said. “Certainly this was historic for the pararescue mission because we’ve never done that.”

Hamm looked at both Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operations Command units.

“The right fit looked to be ACC because we could embed with an entire squadron, whereas with AFSOC you have multiple services involved, so it starts to become more complicated,” Hamm said.

Hamm complimented the “Inside Combat Rescue” crew for their collaboration and communication efforts.

“The way that we set this up, we (embedded) the NatGeo team with this particular group of Airmen and really got unfiltered access to this mission and to these Airmen,” he said.

“Because of that, the storytelling is stronger and encompasses not just the operations but also the personalities of these guys.”

The film crew headed to Afghanistan almost immediately after getting the green light, said series producer Jared McGilliard. Cameramen focused on following the pararescue Airmen’s lead and quickly got up to speed.

“They were very receptive,” said Capt. Seth Davis, a combat rescue officer with the 38th Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. “They didn’t get in our way too much.” Jokingly, he added, “Plus, I always had the power to say, ‘You can’t use anything I just said.’”

Staff Sgt. Brett Taylor, a pararescueman with the 38 RS, also joked about how the crew “made us wear mikes every single day.” More seriously, he added, “They learned to give us some time after missions.”

“They were consummate professionals,”said Maj. Devin Ryan, an HH-60 Pave Hawk pilot with the 66th RQS at

Nellis AFB, Nev., who graduated from the Academy in 2001.

“They were fully engaged from the beginning. That level of professionalism is outstanding.”

The relationship among pararescuemen and aircraft crew was also positive, Ryan said.

“This is my eighth deployment, and it’s the best working relationship I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “We lived right next to each other, and we had meetings every day.”

“The PJ-pilot relationship is always personality driven,” Davis said. “We’re all low-key guys. The relationship we had with the crews was great.” w A Moody Air Force Base, Ga., pararescueman, keeps an eye out for any signs of danger while an HH-60 Pave Hawk lifts off in Afghanistan. In a first-of-its-kind project, Nat Geo had unprecedented access to all aspects of the Air Force rescue mission in Afghanistan for a new television series called “Inside Combat Rescue.”

(National Geographic Channel photo/Jared McGilliard)

David Clawson, a member of the National Geographic film crew, captures the action as pararescuemen from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., secure the area while an HH-60 Pave Hawk lifts off. A five-person Nat Geo television crew filmed “Inside Combat Rescue” for five weeks with Airmen from Moody AFB and Pave Hawk crews from Nellis AFB, Nev., at Kandahar Airbase, Afghanistan. (National Geographic Channel photo/John Collin)

USAFA Graduates and “Inside Combat Rescue” Appearing in the Series - HH-60G pilots from the 66 RQS at Nellis AFB Maj. Devin Ryan ’01 Capt. Kevin Weaver ’03 Capt. Ben Mackey ’05 Capt. Mike Bush ’07 Capt. Zach Tindall ’08 Public Affairs Support Maj. Brandon Lingle ’00 Maj. Mae-li Allison ’00 1st Lt. Meredith Kirchoff ’09 Personnel Recovery Advisor Lt. Col. Stephen Goodman ’94

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Operations in Kandahar involved 14-hour days, though the mission tempo varied. Davis recalled a stretch of 22 days with no rescue missions during the four-month deployment.

“It’s really hit-or-miss,” he said. “As operations draw down, fewer people are getting hurt.”

But while the tempo may slow down in Afghanistan, it’s picking up in other parts of the world, Davis said.

“There are so many requests that if we pull entirely out of (Afghanistan), we’re just going to go somewhere else,” he added.

Once the Airmen return from deployments, they work for two weeks before going on leave, Davis said.

“That lets us keep our eyes on the guys, make sure they’re good and get them back on the routine again,” he said. “It’s really important just to let guys know there are folks they can talk to.”

Davis and Ryan both praised the Academy for its role in preparing future officers for combat related careers.

“At graduation, I didn’t really see how anything would prepare me for what’s going on” in the operational Air Force, Ryan said. “But dealing with different people and coming to understand your point of view isn’t necessarily the best one is probably the most important experience.”

Davis added that the Academy’s military and physical training do a lot to prepare cadets for the pararescue training pipeline, but he warned that the training is still brutal.

“Where we wash out a lot of guys is in the water, so make sure you can swim,” he said.

Taylor, who’s deployed six times, added some words of advice for the future officers.

“Be professional. Be a leader. Understand what’s going on, and have the confidence to lead your guys,” he said.

PREPARED BY DAVID BERGEMAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY LEWIS CARLYLE

Mouth Watering Recipes by Grads, for Grads Thank you to the many health conscious readers who sent Checkpoints the secret recipes of their favorite wholesome foodstuff. The Association of Graduates hopes that your New Year’s resolutions are right on course and that you’re enjoying a happy and fit 2013. Here’s to your health!

Fiesta Fish Tacos (Serves 3-5) Chef C4C Ashley Olsen, Class of 2016 Ingredients • 1.5 pounds mahi mahi fillet(s) • 1 tablespoon blackening spice • 1 mango, cubed • 1 onion, chopped • Salt and black pepper • 1 avocado peeled and cubed • Juice of 1 lime • 1 lime wedged for garnish • Chopped fresh cilantro • Canola oil • 2 cups shredded red cabbage • 8 corn tortillas Directions 1. Mix the avocado, onion, mango, and lime juice in a bowl.

2. Season with cilantro, salt, and pepper.

3. Heat a grill or a pan on the stovetop to medium heat.

4. Drizzle a light coating of oil over the fish and rub on the blackening spice.

5. Cook the fish, undisturbed, for 4 minutes flip and repeat.

6. Remove fish.

7. Wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and warm in microwave for 1 minute.

8. Break the fish into chunks and place into tortillas.

9. Top fish with cabbage and the mango salsa.

Here’s to your health Checkpoints

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Squash Split Pea Soup (Serves 3-5)

Green Monster Smoothie (Serves 1)

Ingredients • 2 cups green split peas • 1/4 cup small butternut squash • 7-9 cups of water • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon turmeric • 1 teaspoon butter

Ingredients • 1 whole peach, cut in half (pitted) • 1 whole banana, peeled • 1 cup spinach, raw • 1 scoop Amazing Grass Vanilla Chai Amazing Meal. You can replace this with any lean protein powder. Vanilla flavor is recommended.

Chef Dear Beloved, Class of 2002

Directions 1. Wash split peas thoroughly.

2. Add water to pressure cooker.

3. Peel the butternut squash and chop into small thin pieces.

4. Add squash and peas to pressure cooker.

5. Boil contents at full pressure and under high heat for 4-5 minutes (after pressure cooker is fully pressurized), then cool down by running water over the pressure cooker.

6. Open the pressure cooker and stir the pulverized soup (make sure you mash up any butternut squash pieces that may have retained their shape).

7. Place the pot (without the lid) back on stove and heat at medium temperature for 2-3 minutes while adding pepper, salt, turmeric and butter (add water for desired consistency).

Chef Alyssa S. (Keeter) Tetrault, Class of 2008 www.glutenfreemuse.com

Directions 1. Combine ingredients and blend.

Incredible Kale Salad (Serves 2-3)

Chef Kathleen (Fulton) Davidson, Class of 1990 Ingredients • One bag of prewashed kale • 2 tablespoons honey • 3/4 cup dried cranberries • Handful of walnuts (optional) Directions Toss with clean hands for at least 5 minutes. The tossing breaks down the tough kale fibers and the result is an amazingly satisfying salad.

FOod LovErs Unite Mouth Watering Wild Game

Whether it’s walleye on a stick or roasted duck, wild game can be fun and elegant. With a graduate community full of sportsmen, Checkpoints is making a call for the wild game recipes! Submit your secret recipe to editor@aogusafa.org.

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Help Preserve History

Vietnam Memories wanted The Class of 1970 completed Phase I of its gift of the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion in October 2010 and is now ready to complete Phase II: graduate memories of their involvement in the conflict. They need the help of all graduate Vietnam veterans.

Phase II will consist of an interactive computer presentation of the history of the war, the role of air operations, and the memories of graduates. If you served in, or have memories of the war in Southeast Asia, IN ANY CAPACITY, please provide your stories in written or recorded form.

The Pavilion has already become a major point of interest on the Academy and the computer displays will highlight the significance of the conflict and graduate contributions in its execution.

The Class of 1970 needs your help!

The goal is to collect stories, memories, photos and videos capturing graduate involvement in the war itself and from all graduates who served during the Vietnam era (1959-1975). Over time, more and more of this information will be added as the graduate community responds. Eventually, a separate website will be created that will hold even more detailed information.

The Class and the AOG have engaged the services of Post Modern Company, an acclaimed video and storytelling firm that has received numerous awards, including an Emmy, for its ability to transform information into stories that explain complex situations while educating and entertaining viewers.

C PLEASE TELL US YOUR STORIES. Visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for detailed information concerning the project and how to submit.

Checkpoints

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MAKING A CASE CHECKPOINTS WINS GOLD

FROM THE COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

2012

turned out to be a banner year for the Association of Graduates Communications Department as they won ten CASE District VI Awards for best practices in communications. Competing against dozens of the best colleges and universities in the country, the AOG Communications Team was one of the most prolific award winners.

“I’m extremely proud of the efforts of our staff,” said AOG Senior Vice President of Communications Bob McAllister. “We’ve worked very hard to improve our social media offerings and website and we’ve continued to improve Checkpoints. We are currently providing the USAFA family with one of the best alumni magazines in the country.”

With the help of the entire Com team, the AOG’s signature publication, Checkpoints, won Gold in the College and University General Interest (Alumni) Magazine category. Checkpoints Senior Editor David Bergeman and Associate Editor Lewis Carlyle both nabbed silver awards for excellence in writing while Carlyle, the AOG’s talented multimedia guru, was named Photographer of the Year.

His feature video, “Rock Savvy,” about the Cadet Mountaineering Club, won top honors.

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Led by Director of Web Communications Troy Surratt, the gold rush continued with an award for best use of social media (thanks to Troy and his team the AOG’s Facebook page “likes” and Twitter “followers” have been exploding). Troy has worked hard to improve the relevance and usefulness of the AOG’s social media offerings and it shows. The revamped AOG website was recognized with a silver medal for being among the best in the region. The staff ’s efforts to better serve both the Academy and the graduate community have certainly paid off!

The CASE wins provided the perfect opportunity for the Communications Team to exchange ideas and learn from counterparts at the district conference in Chicago this past December where the hardware was collected. The sharing of ideas will pay dividends as the AOG strives to improve the quality of communications products that are produced for all of those who are served. Without the rich culture of the Academy and the graduate community, the staff couldn’t do what it does. As always, they stand behind the Cadet Wing and the graduate community with their full measure of support, and they look forward to another great year!

Chicago’s new outdoor music pavilion graces the center of Millennium Park. Chicago played host to the 2012 CASE District VI Conference.

CHECKPOINTS MAGAZINE GOLD

UNIVERSITY GENERAL INTEREST (ALUMNI) MAGAZINE

AOG FACEBOOK PAGE

GOLD

BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ROCK SAVVY | CADET MOUNTAINEERING

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VIDEO GENERAL INFORMATION

LEWIS CARLYLE

GOLD

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

WWW.USAFA.ORG SILVER BEST INSTITUTIONAL WEBSITE 7258’ SILVER BEST ELECTRONIC WEB-BASED PERIODICAL ZOOMIENEWS SILVER WEB-BASED PERIODICAL FOR EXTERNAL AUDIENCES THE SURREAL ODDYSEY OF CHARLES JUSTICE SILVER BEST PERIODICAL STAFF WRITING

BY DAVID BERGEMAN ROCK SAVVY | CADET MOUNTAINEERING SILVER BEST ARTICLES OF THE YEAR FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

BY LEWIS CARLYLE

SKITOPIA BY LEWIS CARLYLE BRONZE BEST ARTICLES OF THE YEAR FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Travis is the base by the “City by the Bay.” Located in Fairfield, Travis is a mere 50 miles from the heart of one of the nation’s cultural capitals, San Francisco. But there’s more than San Fran to keep you busy when you’re in Northern California. Enjoy the abundance of picturesque state and national parks all within driving range. Food and culture await just outside the gate, so take these tips to heart and you may want to leave it at Travis Air Force Base!

CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE Area Chapters Stir the coals of your Falcon spirit by connecting with one of Northern California’s AOG Chapters. Network, enjoy USAFA game watches, golf outings and much more by joining either the San Francisco or Sacramento chapters. For more information visit usafa.org/group/ chaptermap today!

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Below: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

PARKS AND REC Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park It’s a bit of a drive, but worth it. Located three hours south of Travis, this national treasure has miles of meandering trails that weave through meadows and groves of ancient redwoods, conifers and sycamores.

Nature lovers will enjoy the wildlife spotting, as the park is full of black-tail deer and birds such as the water ouzel and belted kingfishers.

Yosemite National Park Three hours to the east you’ll find Yosemite National Park. Marvel at 1,200 square miles of valleys, meadows and wildlife. Visit Glacier Point for an epic view of the Yosemite Valley and take in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias and feel very small as these giant millennia-old trees tower over you. Enjoy fishing, hiking, biking and countless other activities. If you want to camp, you can book a site 366 days in advance.

The park is packed from April to September so book in advance and always check the weather before you go.

Golden Gate Park under the setting sun.

KIDS AT PLAY Jelly Belly Factory Tour Who doesn’t like jellybeans? If you want to feel like a kid again visit the colorful Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield.

Tours run daily and it’s fun to see (and smell) how they make one of their 150-plus flavors of jellybeans. After the tour stop at the visitor center sampling bar and try some of their wacky flavor combos.

The Walt Disney Family Museum Located in San Francisco, this homage to creativity and Walt Disney brings the icon’s legacy to life as you wander through the museum experiencing each critical moment of his journey. Learn why Disney was inspired to create Mickey Mouse, discover how animated movies are made and get the inside story on the creation of Disneyland.

Above: Yerba Buena Gardens Recreations Center.

Left: Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope studio in downtown San Francisco.

CULTURE VULTURE Wine Country If you want to sharpen your sommelier skills or just enjoy the rolling countryside, Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are both within 40 minutes of Travis.

Sonoma is the more laid back of the two, while Napa is considered to be a bit more sophisticated. There are countless tasting rooms to visit here. If you’re looking for a creative blend or a grad-owned winery, be sure to stop by Blanchard Family Wines’ new tasting room just down the road in Healdsburg! (See ad on page 11 for details.)

The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar Located at the Fairmont San Francisco, the Tonga Room is known for having one of San Francisco’s best happy hours and delectable Pacific Rim Asian-based cuisine. The over-the-top Polynesian type décor is the perfect pairing for one of their insanely decadent cocktails. Sip your drink next to the bar’s “lagoon” (the hotel’s ancient swimming pool) as “rain” falls from the ceiling and thunder rolls.

San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition remains a stunning attraction in Golden Gate Park.

Heritage

Cassiday, Edwards & Wilson

Named Honorary Members of the AOG Brig. Gen. Benjamin Cassiday Jr., USAF, (Ret.), Ms. Janet A. Edwards, and Dr. Dean H. Wilson, Lt. Col., USAF, (Ret.), have all been awarded Honorary Membership in the Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy in recognition of their longstanding, continuous and dedicated service to the United States Air Force and the Air Force Academy. To be recognized as Honorary Members these outstanding individuals were recommended by a member of the AOG Board and received unanimous acceptance by all members present at a quorum of the Board. This honor is restricted to 25 living persons.

Brig. Gen. Benjamin B. Cassiday Jr., USAF, (Ret.)

Benjamin B. Cassiday Jr., the man generally recognized as the “Father of the USAFA Honor Code,” is a graduate of West Point Class of 1943. Then Colonel Cassiday was appointed deputy commandant of cadets and commander of the Cadet Wing in 1955. He remained assigned to Lowry AFB and the United States Air Force Academy through the graduation of the first class in June 1959.

General Cassiday was responsible for the development and implementation of all military training programs. Leaning on both his West Point and combat experience, General Cassiday presided over the initial summer training of the first four classes in fatigues and spit shined flight boots. He was a daily presence throughout each phase of training, frequently serving as the instructor.

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General Cassiday implemented Contrails, developed the duties of the ATOs and AOCs, institutionalized the concept of a cadetled wing, established Security Flight, and installed Doolie Recognition as basic elements within the Cadet Wing. General Cassiday also essentially established the first criteria for selecting Academy cadets and his guidance led to the falcon as our mascot and our traditions and ceremonials around the Class Ring.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1972, General Cassiday remained active in Academy affairs through membership in the Falcon Foundation and still today provides both financial and personal support to the foundation’s efforts. General Cassiday is the last living member of the original senior Air Force leaders assigned to the Academy and continues to be a “living legend” to the first four graduate classes. He was,

and is, the role model for what an officer, a pilot and a gentleman should be.

Ms. Janet Edwards

As the 10th Force Support Squadron Mortuary Affairs Officer, Ms. Janet Edwards has been responsible for the execution of all Mortuary and Base Honor Guard programs supporting more than 4,000 future Air Force leaders and over 25,000 military, civilian and dependent personnel. Edwards manages the only remaining active cemetery in the United States Air Force overseeing facilities, infrastructure, and equipment improvements to the USAFA Cemetery. Ms. Edwards is charged with executing funeral ceremonies, memorial support, and special events for USAFA and the entire Front Range.

Ms. Edwards is also instrumental in supporting the Wreaths Across America program, and is officially recognized as an Air Force level subject matter expert, where she is called upon frequently by higher headquarters personnel for consultation or travel to Washington D.C. to assist in national-level mortuary related issues.

Ms. Edwards began her career in 1985 as a Clerk-Typist, and later a Staffing Specialist and Employee Relations Technician at Elmendorf AFB AK. In 1992, she accepted the newly created civilian Mortuary Technician position at the Air Force Academy. Since that time, she has progressed to the position of Mortuary Affairs Officer. Since arriving at the Academy, Edwards has positively impacted the lives of thousands of people and it is commonplace for her to be singled out for her professionalism, compassion and care.

Dr. Dean H. Wilson, Lt. Col., USAF, (Ret.)

Over the last 37 years, Dr. Dean H. Wilson has evolved into one of USAFA’s “institutional treasures.” As an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Science, Wilson touched the lives of hundreds of cadets. In 1995 he transitioned to the Office of the Registrar where he would continue his career as the first Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs and Academy Registrar.

Dr. Wilson has ensured the success of every graduation ceremony for the past 27 years. He was one of the voices to read the cadets’ names as they crossed the stage. Each year he was also responsible for the vital task of briefing every distinguished visitor, presidents and vice presidents included, on ceremony logistics. Dr. Wilson forged a legacy of innovation and progress during his time at the Academy.

He pioneered USAFA’s registrar functions into the online domain long before the practice was commonplace at universities. He implemented the Academy’s first dedicated Student Services Center. He chairs the Integrated Curriculum Review Committee, which reviews and administers the entire Academy curriculum and he led the Academy’s NCAA Eligibility Certification. These are just a handful of the ways Wilson has positively impacted every cadet and faculty member at the Academy for the past 18 years.

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A service of your AOG

COURTSIDE

Brother and sister duo serve with Falcon tennis Students come from all across the world to attend the Air Force Academy. With a globalized economy driving the modern world, education has become yet another multicultural thread in the mosaic of the 21st century. Hailing from Saudi Arabia and born to Pakistani parents, brother and sister duo C2C Ali and C3C Natasha Rizvi are shining examples of today’s modern college student.

Today, the duo both start for USAFA’s men’s and women’s varsity tennis squads. In fact, the sport itself is a rather fitting metaphor for the globalization of America’s growing international student population. With players hailing from all across the globe, Ali and Natasha both have faced off against a worldly plethora of competitors.

“I was born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia,” Ali explains.

“My sister and I are the first ones in the family to join the military. My parents both got jobs in Houston, Texas working for Aramco, (Arabian American Oil Co.), which has its corporate headquarters in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.”

Both parents were born in Pakistan and have lived extensively across the world. The duo’s mother immigrated to the United States as a teenager and later

became a naturalized citizen, while their father took citizenship in Canada. Both children adopted their mother’s U.S. citizenship.

Natasha, the younger of the two, was born in Houston, Texas. She and Ali spent their childhood in Saudi Arabia where they attended a private school established

by Aramco. After finishing the ninth grade, however, things changed. Ali recounts, “Aramco did not provide education after the ninth grade, so our parents secured us into St. Stevens Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, which had a very competitive tennis program.”

With tennis courts located on the school’s campus, the brother and sister had no trouble getting in hours of practice each day. “It was a full time schedule,” says Ali.

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SIBLINGS We went to class from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then played tennis from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., when we stopped to eat dinner. Each evening consisted of hitting and conditioning. The program taught us a lot about discipline and time management. Tennis is really big in Texas, Florida and California. Going to school in Texas, we went to a lot of very competitive tournaments.”

Natasha chimes in, echoing her brother’s sentiments.

“We also play in a lot of national tournaments outside of Texas—places like California and Arizona. In order to get recruited to any Division One school you have to place well in the national rankings.”

Through a good showing in regional and national rankings, Ali was recruited to USAFA’s tennis program. His attendance at the Academy held a strong influence on Natasha’s decision to join the following year. She explains, “Air Force was actually the only military college I was considering during my search for schools. Women’s head coach Kim Gidley contacted me my junior year of high school. My visit to the Academy was definitely the deal maker in my choice to come here,” she says.

“I would agree,” Ali adds. “I was looking at Navy, but I visited USAFA first. I just couldn’t get over the beauty of the campus and how nice everyone was. I also really developed good rapport with Coach Don Oosterhous.

I felt like the team here at Air Force is just so much closer than the team at Navy—this program was a much better fit for me.”

There are many athletes at the Academy and each has his or her own unique admiration for their sport of choice. Of those, tennis tends to be more of a lifelong affair. As a relatively low impact, individual sport, athletes can play well into their senior years, long after football, rugby and soccer players have traded in their jerseys and cleats for a position in the fantasy league.

“For me,” says Natasha, “I love tennis because of the competition, the feel of the ball on your racquet, playing the sport and the sensation you get when you win. It’s not just a physical sport, the mental side is just as challenging.” As if cadets didn’t already have enough on their plates, the rigors of competing at the Division One level can be quite daunting.

“Most of the other schools we compete against are not military colleges,” Natasha explains. “Their players have a lot more court time than we do. Furthermore, our curriculum is a lot more rigorous than most colleges. With tennis, it’s very difficult to keep up with academics and military training and still give 100% on the court every day so that we can continue to improve.”

Even with all of the challenges, both siblings agree that their love of the sport greatly outweighs any of

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C3C Natasha Rizvi Major: Biology Right handed Serve speed: 87 mph Favorite pro player: Roger Federer Favorite Grand Slam: Wimbledon

C2C Ali Rizvi Major: Business and Management Right handed Serve speed: 119 mph Favorite pro player: Andre Agassi Favorite Grand Slam: US Open

“

We as individuals are put under intense pressure to perform. All of the other players on your team have finished their sets, the entire match is even and the tiebreaker all comes down to your match. You have to come up big, hit those big shots to win not only your set but the whole match for your team.

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the hardships it presents. Ali explains that growing up on the junior tennis circuit through high school, the element of individual competition is ever-present.

“It wears down on you after a while,” he emphasizes.

“Being alone at every tournament. It’s a rough road— but getting to play in college is well worth it. I’ve played a lot of sports over my life. With tennis, it’s such an individual sport. I know that when I lose, it’s my fault.

When I win, I know it’s because of my hard work. With that being said, however, being on a collegiate team is one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

The balance between individual and team performance is ever-present in Division One competition. “Tennis is a very individual sport,” Natasha illustrates, “but at the same time, in college we are part of a team. We are accountable for our own matches, but we also have to support our teammates—be there for one another, help each other out.”

For varsity athletes, many obstacles exist both on and off the court. The Academy can be a very unforgiving environment for anyone who has trouble taking on an over-sized work load. “For me,” Ali says, “the toughest challenge has been balancing academics with tennis.

Last year I was really struggling with academics and our coach decided to bench me for the remainder of the season. I wasn’t performing where I needed to perform.

I’ve always struggled with academics, but now that I’ve moved into courses which focus on my major I’m far more focused on where I need to be to excel in both tennis and academics. I’m able to keep my grades up and keep my game sharp.”

Both siblings are looking forward to their time in the Air Force after graduation. With a degree in business and management, Ali is debating between contracting and finance. Natasha is a bio major currently taking pre-med courses. She has aspirations of attending a masters program and going into bio environmental engineering.

The sport of tennis requires intense discipline and mental fortitude, and Ali and Natasha both consider their experience to be an excellent asset for their military careers. “More often than not,” Ali says, “we as individuals are put under intense pressure to perform.

All of the other players on your team have finished their sets, the entire match is even and the tie-breaker all comes down to your match. You have to come up big, hit those big shots to win not only your set but the whole match for your team. We have to thrive under that pressure. When it comes to the military, that kind of pressure is a common theme throughout most of the career fields we can go into—especially pilot training.”

As the tennis season continues, this brother sister duo are working hard to balance life at the Academy with the sport they both love. They each came a long way to get here and, given their international backgrounds, they should feel right at home finding their places in the global force.

My Goodness,

Free Guinness

T

here may be no such thing as a free lunch, but the AOG proved that there is free beer.

While back for his reunion, David Amar ’02 informed the AOG that he had heard that Guinness was giving away beer. This wasn’t exactly true.

However, after a little research, AOG Director of Event Planning Ashlee Peterson discovered that an organization called the Bridge Foundation was working with a distributor named Diageo to distribute sampling donations to various nonprofit entities.

In total 1,440 cases of Guinness Black Lager were donated to the AOG. One case of beer was made available to all AOG members over the age of 21 along with True Blue members. The AOG also donated 50 cases to USAFA Security Forces and 70 cases to the USAFA Fire Department. Last but not least, USAFA professors, vendors, and other staff were also offered a case of the black stuff.

The Guinness giveaway was a unique opportunity for the AOG to give something back to its members and supporters and to reconnect with many old friends. In a twoday period, over 1,000 people walked through the doors of Doolittle Hall to claim their complimentary case.

“I can’t tell you how many phone calls I received from graduates who received the original email blast notification and called to ask if it was true!” Peterson laughed.

“It was great to be able to do something for the graduates ‘just because.’ We appreciate our graduates very much and this is just a small way to show them that. I was told several times how this event, while seemingly small, reconnected a lot of the graduate community and created a ‘buzz’ of sorts on the hill. Grads were calling their classmates who they hadn’t spoken to in quite a while to make sure they knew about the free beer and cadets were all talking about the AOG. It was great!”

The Great Guinness Giveaway

1,440 cases

34,560 bottles

414,720 fluid ounces

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cadet life

e h T

e Chang

In a reversal of roles, USAFA cadets are training junior officers from the Air Education and Training Command’s Undergraduate Space Training program at Vandenberg AFB in the use of FalconSAT-3.

Written by Col. (Ret.) Jack Anthony ’78 and C1C Doug Brown

Cadets training officers, it’s not exactly what one would expect to find at the Air Force Academy—not formally at least—but that’s exactly what’s happening these days thanks to one very spunky cadet-built satellite and the vision of leaders at the Academy and Vandenberg AFB. FalconSAT-3 made its space debut in March 2007 when it was rocketed to orbit from Cape Canaveral aboard a Space Test Program Atlas V along with several other secondary payloads and DARPA’s Orbital Express rendezvous and on-orbit servicing demonstration mission (“FalconSAT Program Provides Unique Experience,” Checkpoints June 2007). After some early trials and tribulations contacting the satellite, FS-3 has proven to be the most reliable satellite launched to date, still operating almost six years after launch, making up to four contacts per day with cadets, and showing no signs of slowing down. Cadets and faculty have continually upgraded its software, performed experiments with its payloads in support of Air Force Research Lab programs and trained hundreds of cadets to “fly” a satellite from the Astronautics Department Michael C. Wynne Satellite Operations Center. But, starting last fall, FS-3 took on a new mission—supporting junior officers in Air Education and Training Command’s Undergraduate Space Training (UST) program at Vandenberg AFB. The effort to expand FS-3 operations to other educational venues began as the brainchild of Col. Timothy Lawrence ’88, Col. (Ret.) Jack Anthony ’78, and current and former Bernard Schriever Chairs in Astronautics, Major Steven Hart (USAFR) and William Saylor USMA ’72. When Col. Lawrence transferred from being director of the Astro Department’s Space System’s Research Center to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), where he currently serves as Vice Chancellor and Commandant, the FalconSAT team

p U

worked with AETC, AFIT, and West Point’s Electrical Engineering Department to establish alternate ground sites to support FalconSAT operations and expand opportunities for on-orbit student learning.

Their hard work paid off earlier when AFIT graduate students and West Point cadets made contact with FS-3, but the next step was to employ the sturdy small sat in a real training environment. Last November they achieved that goal when UST students completed ten FS-3 overhead satellite passes, during which over 25 command actions and verifications were accomplished involving turning on the transmitter, updating the satellite’s clock and turning the transmitter off as the satellite passed over the horizon. Each contact and the accompanying commands and updates were verified by the students viewing the telemetry data collected and monitored by cadets and faculty at USAFA as USAFA-assigned operators shadowed the Vandenberg AFB students.

Because of Vandenberg’s western location and FS-3’s eastbound low-Earth orbit (34.5 degree inclination), UST students make contact with the satellite approximately five minutes before their USAFA mentors can do so. During this time, UST students turn on the satellite, assess its state of health, and send several commands to verify that it is alive and well. USAFA operators listen in to the Vandenberg ground station via voice line, answering questions and mentoring the UST students. Once in view to USAFA, both ground stations continue monitoring the satellite as UST students send and verify additional commands. In the event a command does not work, USAFA operators can see what the UST crew actually did and provide feedback as to why the process did not work or demonstrate by commanding from USAFA. Once Vandenberg loses line of sight with the satellite, USAFA continues normal operations and completes its mission.

Operations with UST students at Vandenberg have been a success for both parties involved. The 533rd Training Squadron at Vandenberg is creating a more robust, hands-on educational program for the Air Force’s future space operators who will go on to duties such as operating the Air Force’s GPS and satellite communication constellations, while cadets who have already mastered FS-3 operations practice effective communication, training, and mentorship practices.

According to Major April Wimmer ’00, 533rd Training Squadron Director of Operations, “The FalconSAT-3 ops experience enables us to get a first look at how our future space operations officers perform in a crew force role. It gives us a head start to work with them on the skills needed to operate satellites and lead their crews.”

Col. Marty France ’81, Astro Department Head, sees even more long-term benefits to this relationship.

“Seeing the training side of operations not only helps our cadets with their communication and leadership skills today, but it also aids in our development of ground support and operations software for our future FalconSATs. Cadets are completing the design and starting to build FalconSAT-6 right now. As they plan to operate this much more complex satellite, they’ll know in advance what works and what doesn’t—and how they should write their software and procedures so that later generations of cadets can be effective FS-6 operators.”

Of course, the cadets think it’s just cool to be training officers—some of whom were upper class cadets that trained them at the Academy.

Maj. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin ’83, Director of Space Operations for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements at the Pentagon, also sees the added benefit of providing a training asset for very low cost. “For the cost of a satellite dish, some support hardware, and a couple of desktop computers, the Air Force has a full on-orbit training system—that’s not too bad.

And the ‘IPs’ (i.e., cadets) don’t cost much either!”

Cadet 1st Class Michael Tibbs (foreground) and C3C Evan McDowell work with student officers at Vandenberg AFB. Tibbs is an Astro Major and also USAFA’s top decathlete on the track team. McDowell is also a decathlete on the track team. Tibbs recruited him to be a volunteer FalconSAT operator.

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The Silver Lining: Courage Through Adversity The 20th annual National Character and Leadership Symposium inspires, urges attendees to triumph over adversity and lift up others.

A voracious winter storm pummeled Southern Colorado during the 20th annual National Character and Leadership Symposium; the weather was befitting of the stories of valor and triumph over personal and professional tempests that echoed throughout the Academy on Feb. 21st and 22nd. Throngs of cadets and visitors braved the weather to hear from the lineup of nationally prominent speakers who headlined the 2013 NCLS. This year’s themes of courage, honor and prevailing over adversity made an immediate connection with the Cadet Wing. “This NCLS was very focused on human drive,” said C2C Marcus Kellogg. “Many of the speakers came from very humble backgrounds. Most of them had to fight through considerable adversity in their lives. That’s the theme and I appreciate that aspect of it because that is what this place is built on, too.”

The 2013 roster of speakers and panelists was among the best ever assembled for the event. Aviation Pioneer Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Chuck Yeager, space pioneer Lt. Gen. Susan Helms ’80, Tony Mendez (author of Argo), paralympian Marlon Shirley, and Vietnam POW USAF Col. (Ret.) Lee Ellis, were among the more well known presenters, but the quality of the written by David bergeman 84

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illuStration by chris hureau

conference ran all the way through. Attendees could walk into any session and learn something valuable, or even perspective altering.

There were also captivating panels on “survivor” experiences and moving forward after tragedy, the inception of USAF special operations—Operation Eagle Claw—and the stories of decorated combat veterans.

Former FBI agent Wesley Wong shared his harrowing account of the events of 9/11. Wong was the senior FBI agent at the foot of the North Tower that infamous day and he recounted how what began as routine support for firefighters turned into a terrorism response and a fight for survival.

“Wesley Wong was amazing,” said C1C Raquel McCagg. “I was very moved by his message of courage through adversity. He experienced a horrific day and there were many times he wanted to quit, but he couldn’t. It showed that you need to keep pushing through no matter what.”

One of the youngest speakers, Capt. Ryan McGuire ’08, shared his inspirational story of becoming the first amputee to earn USAF Wings.

McGuire lost his right leg below the knee after a boating accident he suffered while attending pilot training at Laughlin AFB. Author, leadership consultant and executive coach Col. Lee Ellis (the Falcon Foundation William “Bud” Breckner Lecture) shared stories and lessons learned from his five years as a Vietnam POW. “Adversity is going to come your way,” warned Ellis, “temptation is going to come your way. You’re going to have to make choices. You’re going to have go through hardships. You’re going to have to be resilient and bounce back. The most important thing that you can remember out of that, besides your character, is that you need a team around you to help you. You cannot fight alone. I hope that’s one thing that you are learning here. You need each other. You need teamwork. In the POW camps we needed each other.”

Ellis made an immediate impression on C3C David Horney. “Colonel Ellis had an amazing story. It really put things into perspective. If you can endure through something that difficult, everyday challenges seem like nothing.”

The first man to break the sound barrier was one of the last speakers at this year’s symposium. In front of a capacity crowd at Arnold Hall, General Chuck Yeager, still spry at 90 years old, delighted the crowd with his stories of heroism, which were delivered with the bravado that only a fighter pilot can provide.

Yeager was, however, humbled by the size of the audience for his Class of ’59 Leadership Lecture. “I have never seen so many people in my life!” he laughed.

The legendary aviator explained that he got a late start when it came to learning about aviation. “I didn’t see an airplane on the ground until I was about 15 years old,” Yeager explained. “We lived in the hills of West Virginia and there was no airport.”

In September 1941 Yeager enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 18. “I didn’t know anything about airplanes,” Yeager said, but he understood machinery so the Army used him as a mechanic. “When I used to work on airplanes my finger nails were all greasy. And these pilots would walk by with nice clean hands and gloves and I thought, ‘That looks like a pretty good deal to me!’”

In 1941 the Army wasn’t getting enough cadets for pilot training, so the requirements to enter were modified and Yeager entered enlisted pilot training. He graduated as a flight officer, equivalent to an Army warrant officer. He was assigned to fly P-51 Mustangs with the 363rd Fighter Squadron in England.

Retired Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, right, talks to Cadet 1st Class Henry Egan after a National Character and Leadership Symposium presentation at the Air Force Academy Feb. 22, 2013. Yeager was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, having made the historic flight Oct. 14, 1947. Egan is assigned to Cadet Squadron 23. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Branum)

“On my first mission, I shot down a (Messerschmitt) 109. It was a good experience,” Yeager said.

Yeager was shot down in France and escaped through the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain with the help of the French Resistance. Of his time there Yeager quipped, “I […] laid by the swimming pool and looked at the gals in the bikinis. It was a hell of a way to fight a war!”

After being repatriated Yeager had to petition the Allied Supreme Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, to return to flying combat missions in the war. His petition was granted and he returned to the skies and destroyed 13 German airplanes including Germany’s first jet, the ME 262.

Upon returning after the war, Yeager was allowed to choose his assignment and decided to go to Wright Field (Ohio) because it was close to West Virginia. Yeager said being at the right place at the right time led to the events of October 14, 1947, the date Yeager reached the speed of Mach 1.06 in the experimental Bell X-1, becoming the first person to exceed the speed of sound. He did so while suffering from two broken ribs, which were sustained during a horseback riding accident.

During his 40 minutes at the podium, Yeager regaled the crowd with stories from his illustrious career and took part in a lively question and answer session with the audience, sprinkling historical narrative with biting one-liners. He also shared some sage wisdom with the Cadet Wing.

“What I am I owe to the Air Force,” Yeager said. “They put me where I could perform and I have enjoyed it immensely. All of you, serving your country, that’s a privilege that everyone should look forward to. Consequently, a lot of you will be at the right place at the right time and a lot of you won’t. That’s the way life is. The main thing … watch your six.”

The 2013 NCLS once again proved to be one of the country’s great leadership events and along with its flagship sponsor, the Class of 1973, the Association of Graduates is proud to be one of the symposium’s top supporters. The diversity and breadth of the symposium’s speakers was remarkable. The entire Academy community can be proud of another job well done.

As the Academy braces for the next winter storm, the Cadet Wing is certain to have taken inspiration from these heroic speakers. In the years ahead, we can expect with great confidence that many of today’s cadets will one day return to inspire those who have come after them.

Checkpoints

March 2013

85

The Secret Life of

Waldo F. Dumbsquat

The damp dreariness of the Dark Ages seeped into the

cadet dorms—not even the squadrons with carpeting could resist the gloom. Stockings were no longer hung by the chimney with care for C4/C Waldo F. Dumbsquat and his roommate “Regs” Buch. The freshmen were just putting the finishing touches on their AMI beds when their classmate, Warren Heels, burst into their room.

“I don’t like it when you burst into our room like that,” Waldo scolded the panting doolie.

“Sorry, Waldo, but I just E and E’d past the bulletin board and saw we have laundry detail and there’s a pile to hand out!”

“How can there be any laundry? We just got back from Christmas leave!”

“The upperclassmen must change their underwear everyday or something,” offered Regs thoughtfully.

“Well, if we’re going to pass out laundry, now is the low threat time to do it,” declared Warren.

“Why?” asked Waldo, putting his word in the form of a question.

“All the upperclassmen are in the SAR watching TV. We should be able to make all the deliveries with a minimum of hazing—ah, training.”

“What are they watching?” Regs queried. “Star Trek?”

“No, I think it’s reruns of How I Met Your Mother at a Squadron Party.”

The freshmen were interrupted by The Voice of Command Post.

“Now hear this, CQs please post. There will be a staff meeting with the Superintendent in ten minutes for all interested full colonels. Command Post out.”

As the last words of the announcement echoed through the hallway, Waldo rushed past Warren, squared a corner and disappeared into the latrine.

“Why do you suppose Waldo disappears into the latrine so often—especially when there is work to be done?” mused Regs.

“Overactive bladder?” offered his friend.

Waldo mumbled the magic words the smoking lamp is lit and transformed into Colonel Waldo F. Dumbsquat, a man who wasn’t afraid to ref intramural basketball. In just a few strides the massive man covered the distance across the Terrazzo to the Sup’s conference room.

“Okay, now that Dumbsquat’s here, let’s get this Jody Call sung,”

by Don Hall ’76

said the Sup to the room of officers. “I’ve called this meeting to get ideas for giving the Academy a new look for the New Year.”

He paused to let his audience absorb the task at hand. “I’ll go first to kick things off—as you all know I played Air Force Football … ” There was a bit of a groan from the crowd, spawned by the fear of another story … “But let’s not talk about me right now—I think we should move the Visitors Center to the South Gate where it can be seen from the highway. We could even put a Bomarc missile out front. How about that for a fresh look?”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the ranks. A Group AOC spoke up.

“Move Pegasus to a spot outside the Arnold Hall Ballroom.”

“Now you’re talking!”

The suggestions came fast, spurred by the exciting possibilities.

“Issue pointed parkas.”

“Bring back the quasi official uniform!”

“Outlaw Flickerball.”

Colonel Dumbsquat stood up and all eyes were on him as he emitted leadership.

“Develop an app called Angry Falcons!”

A thunder of applause, led by the general, greeted his words.

“Good thinking, Dumbsquat!” the Superintendent said.

“Get with the Comp Sci Department and see if Billy Burroughs can’t crank something out for the website ... and tell CE to find me a Bomarc missile. Dismissed!”

“Yes, Sir!” responded the colonel as the officers filed out of the room and crammed into the elevator.

Waldo sprinted down the stairs and back to his squadron. Snow was falling now. He had plenty of work to do—especially since he didn’t know who this Burroughs fellow was. Unseen by the CQ or OIC, the colonel distributed the pile of laundry bags at super speed, saving his classmates hours of work and hundreds of squat thrusts. Outside his alcove, Waldo smiled as he mutated back into his pitiful doolie form. All was well with the Wing again.

He burst into his dorm room to find his friends full of concern.

“What’s wrong?” asked Waldo.

“The dry cleaning is here!”

Waldo sighed.

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REFLECTIONS ON MENTORSHIP Written by Maj. Kristen D. Thompson ’01 Image by Jamie Hansen

As Airmen, we need to be warfighters that can do it all ‌ lead, command, fly, fight, and partner with our coalition brethren. In essence, we must possess the skills necessary to balance everything on our plate. But where do we learn these skills? The answer lies in mentorship.

The following will reflect upon how the service and leadership of the exceptional mentors I have worked with has shaped my Air Force career, beginning with my time as a cadet at the Academy.

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Mentors Inspire Back when I was a two degree, I was remarkably impressed by my professor in the Military Arts and Sciences (MAS) Department. He was a wonderful instructor and his passion for studying the art and science of warfare was infectious. Through his teachings, I was inspired to learn everything I could about historic events such as the battle at Kasserine Pass, the Berlin Airlift, Doolittle’s Raid on Tokyo, B-24 Liberator bombing runs over Germany, and LeMay’s momentous leadership and heroic resolve with the B-29 fleet. Despite being such a young force when compared to our sister services, we have a rich tradition that continually inspires the way we fight. The MAS department also had the good fortune in hosting Lieutenant General Michael Short ’65 for an airpower seminar on the air war over the former Yugoslavia. Little did I know how much influence his lecture would have in shaping my thoughts on coalition partnering. Thirteen years later, as the aircraft commander of NATO’s first E-3A combat mission over Afghanistan, I had to rely on my partnership building capacity to ensure the multinational crew on board could come together and deliver world class command and control (C2). In that critically important moment, I was able to relate to General Short’s experience and lessons learned, and help NATO deliver C2 to all theater assets. Recently, I was excited to learn I was part of a mentorship chain that had come full circle. While working on a Project Air Force report with my RAND colleague, I learned we shared a fellow mentor who had inspired us both in our studies. It was my pleasure to help them reconnect and build upon a mentorship relationship beneficial for our service. The Air Force is wonderful in that sense; inspiration is found throughout our ranks, and in Airmen, both past and present.

Mentors are Air-Minded In a tumultuous post-election time period when we are bombarded with budget debates, QDR drafts, an Afghanistan retrograde, and a pivot to the Pacific, how do we focus on harnessing our service’s unique capabilities without getting completely distracted from the Air Force mission and our identity as a force? The answer is we must rely on our core identity as Airmen: our innovative and technologically savvy thinking which sets us apart as a service.

The Air Force has a proud heritage of innovative, air-minded thinkers upon which we can continually look to for creative vision … names such as Arnold, Mitchell, Doolitte, Spaatz, LeMay, Boyd, Warden, Short, Jumper, Deptula, Lorenz, Schwartz, Welsh … all gentlemen who prize(d) our unique

culture of strategic thinking. Fortunately, since my time at the Academy, I have been surrounded by air-minded thinkers, which I could draw upon for daily inspiration.

Recently, I was deployed to the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC), where I was part of a disciplined, combat-focused team critical in helping me tap into my innate curiosity of how we understand, articulate, and leverage critical airpower fundamentals for effective employment.

All grads can emphatically remember the summer morning they departed Doolittle Hall and stepped off the bus, thus beginning the long Inprocessing day journey. Similar to that first morning in 1997 when I placed my feet on those painted footprints near the “BOR” (base of the ramp), my first day at the CAOC was equally chaotic and exciting.

To ease my rapid fire transition, I approached the CAOC Director and asked, “Sir, may I attend the Master Air Attack Plan (MAAP) briefing with you?”

His response was, “Absolutely. You are always welcome to attend.” To me, this was fantastic.

Every morning I attended the MAAP brief with him and his Deputy. Day after day, I learned how to effectively employ air assets to support the commander’s objectives. The CAOC Director’s mentorship role was instrumental in my development as an air-minded thinker. I felt I was living a page out of my old MAS textbook. And true to what the USAFA core curriculum taught me, the Air Force is all about studying the effects of airpower; not solely delivered by air assets, but by Airmen who provide the essential functions necessary to sustain our air, space, and cyberspace forces. I was taught to see the character of the air component not just as a well-orchestrated formation of flying aircraft, but as a collective mass of interwoven personnel and platforms tasked to produce an effect. I imagine that one of the great air-minded thinkers in our history (and also my USAFA class exemplar), Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, would be extremely proud to know the tradition of independent, innovative thinking continues.

Mentors Serve Others Service is a timeless quality of leadership. Excellent mentors recognize there is a tremendous responsibility to personally and professionally nurture the growth of those in their organization. They also extol teamwork and emanate an empowering sense of servant leadership embodied by our core value of service before self. All Academy graduates know service in wartime is a non-stop, all-out commitment.

While recently deployed, I had the good fortune to work for a Deputy Commander who per-

Checkpoints

March 2013

sonified this commitment to selfless service daily.

Every morning, he arrived to work poised to serve the American flag patch on his sleeve, the U.S. Air Force strip across his chest, and the many widespread Airmen under his command. He taught me about resolve, compassion, humility, but most importantly, service. Serving others was not only part of the job description—it was part of his personality. His service ideals caused me to reflect upon an evening back in 1997 when I first pledged my loyalty to the Air Force core values in front of the cadet Honor Wall. It is still a powerful memory. Many of the cadets I stood next to in formation on the Terrazzo fifteen years ago continue to proudly serve, both in and out of uniform. Whenever I see fellow graduate, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be a part of a profession and a graduate of an institution that values service as one of its core values.

Mentors Leave a Lasting Legacy As part of their leadership legacy, mentors realize the importance of leaving a unit better than when they arrived. As the Executive Officer to the Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) for eight months, I worked alongside an airminded leader whose lasting legacy will likely be the value he placed on creativity. He was able to tap into people’s creative potential and challenge them to develop new ideas for the common good of the component. Additionally, knowing he was responsible for the welfare and channeled creativity of twenty-three thousand Airmen across a twenty nation AOR, my boss spent a lot of time on the road visiting his commanders and personnel. His visits were part of a mentorship strategy designed to ensure everyone knew his vision and had the tools to succeed in creatively implementing that vision despite their dynamic combat environments.

Despite his exhaustive travel schedule, he always offered to me “moments of mentorship,” which as a young Major, were instrumental in helping me

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understand the big picture. His words, “in every challenge, an opportunity,” translated as “Kristen, use your creativity to search for innovative ways to meet mission objectives and make a difference.” I hope to honor his challenge in every organization I am a part of. I am sure many in our Air Force would count recently retired General Stephen Lorenz ’73 as a mentor who has left a lasting legacy of leadership through his “Lorenz on Leadership” article series. During my four degree year, General Lorenz was the Commandant, and through his example, I came to appreciate his thoughts on leadership and mentorship. In one particular piece, he describes how we all aim to “stand on the shoulders of giants” in terms of leaving a lasting positive legacy. If we honor those in our Long Blue Line and learn from their wisdom and leadership as General Lorenz describes, we will leave our organizations better than when we arrived … so that others may stand upon our shoulders in the future.

Mentors Believe in the Individual Airman Mentors realize helping a person reach their full potential enhances the organization and the professionalism of the Air Force. The most important aspect of leadership is taking care of those we lead and making a difference in their daily lives. When I worked at the wing level, I had a boss who was a successful commander because she targeted the individual Airman. Her hands-on leadership style was infectious and people were eager to respond to a commander that was extremely passionate about their welfare and contribution to the team effort.

Similar to Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh’s ’76 view that “every Airman has a story; and every Airman an innovator,” it’s important to be an inspirational leader who challenges Airmen to be the very best they can be. Hear out your Airmen, learn their unique story, and grant them the opportunity to produce positive results. Every single Airman you have the privilege to lead and to mentor deserves your attention and will undoubtedly impress you with their brilliance and determination.

Mentorship is Meaningful So why did I write this article? Following my last assignment, I did some heavy reflection on the concept of mentorship. I have worked with some wonderful people during my career beginning with my time at USAFA. I wanted to share my enthusiasm for mentorship as well as relate, through my own personal experiences, why I think this makes the Academy and the Air Force so great. I am extremely proud to serve and want to inspire others to get excited about mentorship and growing future leaders.

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TREKKING

It was 6:30 a.m. and the sun had just risen. Its warm, glistening rays magically and thankfully rekindled our dwindling energy. We had trekked up, from base-camp, 2300 vertical feet on this clear, moon-bright night. The sky was dazzling. Ghostly mountains surrounded us. Orion had risen and passed overhead.

Venus portended the sun and now it shone upon us. It had taken us six-and-a-half hours to reach Crampon Point at 19,000 feet elevation. Two of our nine original trekkers had dropped out halfway up the dark trail.

Our trek plan had been hatched two years prior. Having completed a trek to Everest Base Camp and the nearby rocky Kalapatthar in 2010, we were ready for more. Island Peak, a so-called trekking peak, seemed a good choice. Only the last 650 vertical feet would require a modicum of technical climbing skill.

At Crampon Point we attached spiky metal traction devices to our boots.

It quickly became clear why. Ahead lay steep ice and snow fields, the occasional deep crevasse, and a wall of ice.

Up the snowy, icy slope we went, linked together with a single rope. We tried not to step on anything we did not intend to poke big holes into, including our own feet and ankles. As we ascended two more trekkers opted out. Now we were five, plus three climbing Sherpas and one guide.

As we approached the ice wall we gasped. The good news was we were at 19,700 feet and only had 650 feet more to climb. The bad news—it was almost straight up! We had been on the trail eight-and-half-hours. We were exhausted. The snow and ice were softening, making it more difficult to negotiate. Three more trekkers called it a day. Should we continue? I thought, “Just follow the guy ahead. He’s the only trekker left anyway, along

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ISLAND PEAK Written by Jim Tietjen ’74

with our Nepali guide (behind us) and our three climbing Sherpas (ahead of us). Don’t look up! If he can make it, so can I.” At the bottom of the ice wall we traded our rope in for a jumar (a clamp that grips the rope going up) and a carabiner (a safety fastener). One slow step at a time, we began our nearly vertical ascent. The 70-degree slope was packed with snow and ice. The choreography was simple, step up with your left foot and push your left hand up on the jumar, which is connected to the rope. At your maximum reach it locks in place.

Then pull yourself up with your left hand while stepping with your right foot. Due to the altitude and physical strain I could only take three or four baby steps before I needed a rest. Meanwhile, my buddy above was unwittingly raining ice and snow down on my head. Every 150 feet we ascended we had to change ropes, which had been preset by the Sherpas, for safety reasons. So, we unclipped and re-clipped our jumars and carabiners five times as we climbed the ice wall. We reached the top of the ice wall at 20,000 feet huffing and puffing, but we were not done.

Atop the ice wall we looked up (no choice, I had to look). This time it was a narrow, icy path to the peak, 300 vertical feet higher. It seemed impossible. The Sherpas began to lay the rope (they probably thought we’d never make it this far). Clouds passed overhead, the wind freshened, and we felt a chill. We rested, clinging to our rope with crampons dug in. We were anxious to continue. Our only remaining guide joined us. We were happy to see him. Now we were three.

The Sherpas soon beckoned. We ascended, slowly, but with more purpose. At 10 a.m. we summited.

The “peak” was a flat, snow-covered area big enough for the three Sherpas and us to wander about carefully. Photos and smiles abounded. We had made it 20,300 feet! Clouds obscured Lhotse (at 27,900 feet) and Everest (at 29,000 feet) a few miles to the north, but it didn’t matter. We saw a myriad of other peaks, near and far. The views were glorious. The sky was no longer blue, it was violet. The contrast of clouds, light and dark, shade, rock, snow and ice was indescribable.

Time flew by. The snow and ice fields below were softening quickly. We had to traverse them before they became too dangerous.

Down we went along the ridge, very slowly. Then, we rappelled down the ice wall, one leap, one bound and an occasional crash. At the bottom of the ice wall the snow field was now wet, slushy, and still steep. We couldn’t really walk, we couldn’t really slide, so we did the funky chicken, trying not to impale ourselves on our crampons or tumble wildly into a crevasse. As the slope flattened we began see blue snow. It was snow with water just beneath that appeared turquoise-blue.

Danger lurked there. The crevasses were now wider

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and the slope more slippery. The ice was melting, as was my confidence to complete the journey. The three of us agreed that we were very tired and prone to making mistakes. We had to move slowly and carefully. This was the most dangerous part of our trek.

We reached Crampon Point two hours after leaving the peak. We were exhausted, but we had another two-and-a-half hours to go to base camp. I asked to rest. I quickly fell asleep on a very comfortable rock.

My 30-minute nap was heavenly. As we descended the lower trail in daylight the reason they had us leave base camp at midnight to trek to Crampon Point dawned on me (pun intended). If we had seen the lower trail in the daylight none of us would have continued up!

The trail down was very steep and littered with loose rocks, scree, and danger. It was miraculous none of us fell, as exhausted as we were. By 3:30 p.m., after 10 hours going up and five hours coming down we reached base camp.

At base camp we crashed hard. I awoke for dinner, wolfed it down, and then returned to never-never land. The next morning was bathed in glorious sunshine. We broke camp and headed down to Lukla.

Sojourning nightly at Dingboche, Deboche, Namche, and Phading, it was time for rest, reflection and thankfulness. We had all given our very best individual efforts. We had encouraged and inspired each other all along, each in our own way, to achieve our personal goals. The three of us that reached summit were only able to do so with the support, encouragement, and inspiration of all the others. We all knew and acknowledged that. It was a team effort all the way.

By the time we reached Lukla it seemed like summer again, but it was the 7th of October, and we were still at 10,000 feet elevation. That evening we celebrated our achievements in grand style. Along with our incredibly strong, jovial, dedicated porters; experienced and always-cheerful guides; and all nine intrepid trekkers, we partied, sang, danced, ate and drank. Jokes, stories and tall tales became folklore.

By evening’s end whispers about our next trek grew stronger. Shall we go to Mustang and the mysterious Kingdom of Lo? This story is yet to be told.

This was Jim Tietjen’s third trek in Nepal. “Trekking Island Peak” appeared in the December 2012 Singapore American. For more information about trekking in Nepal contact Jim at jimtee@singnet.com.sg.

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Extending USAFA’s STEM expertise to help inspire America’s future scientists and engineers.

Image by Michael Lorenzo

In 2011,

the Air Force Academy created its Center for K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Outreach and Research Center in response to the National Academy of Sciences’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report on the state of America’s STEM education. The Center supports individual faculty members, cadets, and academic departments in extending USAFA STEM expertise into the surrounding communities (“A Break in the Storm,” Checkpoints, Dec. 2011).

In 2012, cadets created their own STEM Outreach Club to support and consolidate their pivotal role in STEM outreach. They serve as instructors and high-energy role models for kids who might otherwise never have the chance to be inspired to pursue a STEM career.

Like other STEM departments at the Academy, the Department of Astronautics has developed several new STEM outreach tools, and one of them recently took first place in an international competition against the best university STEM outreach programs in the world.

At the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Student Competition held in Dallas, Texas on January 2-5, 2013, C1C Victor Lopez, founder and cadet-in-charge of the 60-plus member Cadet STEM Outreach Club presented USAFA’s program and received the award on behalf of the club.

Cadet Lopez, working with mentor Lt. Col. Tom Joslyn ’92 of the Astronautics Department, developed a thrust stand for a hybrid rocket motor demonstrator that is safe and portable enough to take into K-12 schools and to STEM events around the state. For years, the Astro Department has wowed cadets and visitors with a hybrid rocket that burns a combination of gaseous oxygen and solid Plexiglas fuel. Observers can see through the walls of the fuel to the inferno inside the rocket’s combustion chamber. Sparks and flame come hurtling out the nozzle at supersonic speeds and create a high-pitched screech that forces the fingers of even the most self-conscious high school student into their ears.

“The thrust stand measures the force of thrust by passing a current through a section of metal that is stressed by the force,” says Cadet Lopez, as he shows off the stand. “As the stress changes, so does the resistance of the metal and, therefore, the current.”

The thrust stand design was inspired by a similar design used by Astro faculty to measure the output of thrusters used on satellites. “I was curious about the thrust of our hybrid rocket demonstrator and, since we were no longer testing spacecraft thrusters, decided to use the equipment to measure thrust from the hybrid,” explains Lt. Col. Joslyn, who first took an early version of the stand to his son’s middle school class. “The thruster, and a few chemistry demonstrations, kept a room full of 12-year-olds interested in the discussion for over an hour.

We calibrated the stand with known weights (water bottles) and built a chart in Microsoft Excel showing the linear relationship between force and current. It’s a great way to get the kids actively participating.”

Drawing upon his significant experience with teaching children of various ages at STEM Outreach events, Cadet Lopez developed three lesson plans for educators to use with the thrust stand. He presented the stand and his lesson plans at the 2012 AIAA Regional Student Competition, winning first prize and a trip to Dallas for the international competition. Lopez also assisted his mentor and the STEM Outreach Center in a project to donate a thrust stand to the

Checkpoints

March 2013

Challenger Learning Center (CLC) of Colorado Springs which hosts students from around the Pike’s Peak region on school field trips and during various STEM events.

Through CLC, the thrust stand now reaches an audience of several thousand young minds every year.

Lt. Col. Joslyn has even bigger plans for the thrust stand and is working with another cadet to explore the safety limitations of the thruster and to develop an operator’s manual to allow the teaching aid to be safely used in more locations. At least one AOG chapter has taken an interest and has requested a thrust stand. Using money from the STEM Outreach Center, construction of three new thrust stands is underway and, with the help of the AOG, these stands will be loaned out to chapters interested in conducting STEM outreach in their own communities.

“Over the last year we’ve made significant improvements to safety and have identified when O-rings and fuel must be changed to avoid rupturing the chamber,” says Col. Marty France ’81, who is the Head of the Astro Department. “We’ve also developed a clear shield to place around the chamber to protect observers in the event that safety guidelines fail to prevent a rupture. With the help of a few trusted grads, this tool will help inspire great high school students to not only aspire to be cadets at the Academy, but to take on the added challenge of a STEM major!”

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“

With the help of a few trusted grads, this tool will help inspire great high school students to not only aspire to be cadets at the Academy, but to take on the added challenge of a STEM major!

”

C1C Victor Lopez demonstrates a thrust stand for a hybrid rocket motor that is safe and portable enough to take into K-12 schools and to STEM events around the state.

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 Do you long for sandy beaches, historic landmarks and exotic locales?

Leave the itinerary (and headaches) of travel planning behind!

Book your next ticket with AOG Travel today!

Experience the romance of Monte Carlo, Florence and Rome!

Explore the wonder of Asia in Hong Kong, Saigon, Bangkok and Singapore. Adventure awaits with a trip to the Tahitian Islands and the Galapagos. Or go down under to hang with the roos in Australia and the penguins in Antarctica-the choice is yours!

If you would rather tour the grand old USA we also have you covered! Relax on a Mississippi riverboat cruise or enjoy one of countless other destination options!

Withw the click of a mouse these vacations and many other itineraries are available through AOG Travel.

Visit http://www.usafa.org/Membership/Travel and secure your next vacation with the click of a mouse!

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

World Beater Waffle Batter (Serves 2-4) Chef George Van Wagenen, Class of 1967 Ingredients • 2 cups flour • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder • 1/2 tablespoon sea salt • 3 eggs • 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 cup water • 1/2 cup rolled oats/rolled wheat • Milk Directions 1. Bring 1 cup water and 1/2 cup rolled oats/rolled wheat to a boil.

2. Simmer (very low heat & less time at sea level) for 12 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat.

4. Blend the flower, baking powder, sea salt, eggs, olive oil and enough milk to create a thick, gravy like consistency.

5. Fold in the oats and wheat.

6. Ladle recommended amount of waffle batter onto a preheated waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions.

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Off the Menu

Mouth Watering Recipes by Grads, for Grads

Chicken Vienna (Serves 6-8)

Power Eggs (Serves 1)

Ingredients • 2 pounds cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces • 1 onion • 2 tablespoons oil • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach • 1/2 pound shredded Monterey jack cheese • 2 tablespoons white wine • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg • 1 egg • 1/4 pound phyllo (10 leaves) • 1/2 cup margarine, melted • 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Ingredients • 2 eggs (white or brown) • 4 ounces salsa (mild or mango)

Chef Sandy (Maloney) Keeter, Class of 1982

Directions 1. Chop onion, cook in oil in large skillet til tender.

2. Add spinach, cook until tender (about 3 minutes).

3. Remove skillet from heat; stir in cheese, wine, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and egg until blended. Mix with chicken and set aside.

4. On wax paper place 1 sheet phyllo (12” x 16”).

5. Brush with melted margarine; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs.

6. Continue layering, brushing each sheet of phyllo with melted margarine and spreading with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs to make 4 more layers.

7. Starting along short side of phyllo, spoon half of chicken mixture in 2” wide strip, leaving 1/2” border on 3 sides.

8. From chicken mixture side, roll phyllo, jelly roll fashion. Repeat with remaining phyllo, margarine, bread crumbs, and chicken mixture to make second roll.

9. With sharp knife, diagonally cut halfway through phyllo layers on each roll to make 1” wide pieces.

10. Preheat oven to 375.

11. Place rolls, seam side down, brush with remaining margarine.

Sprinkle with paprika.

12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. To serve, finish cutting through layers. Makes 8 main dish or 16 first course servings.

Chef Richard Scott, Class of 1987

Directions 1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.

2. Boil the eggs for two minutes and remove from heat and cover with a lid.

3. Let eggs rest for 11 minutes.

4. Drain and cool the eggs for 2 minutes in ice water.

5. Drain the water and peel off the shells.

6. Remove and discard the yolks.

7. Place egg whites in a bowl and top with salsa.

FOod LovErs Unite

Mouth Watering Wild Game

Whether it’s walleye on a stick or roasted duck, wild game can be fun and elegant. With a graduate community full of sportsmen, Checkpoints is making a call for the wild game recipes! Submit your secret recipe to editor@aogusafa.org.

Checkpoints

March 2013

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ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Gone But Not Forgotten Lawrence J. Karnowski, ’61 Lawrence (Larry) J. Karnowski, Class of 1961, was born on Oct. 5, 1935, the second of ten children in Brainerd, Minn. He joined the navy in 1955. In 1957 he won appointments to the Air Force and Naval academies. He chose the Air Force in order to become a pilot.

He graduated class president, wing commander and captain of the golf team in 1961. He was an Olmsted and Rhodes Scholar candidate. He married Patricia Legters while he was stationed in Chateauroux, France.

Later he attended Northwestern University and received a master’s in economics and then taught economics at the AF Academy. He then flew a C-118 in Vietnam and later in Belgium.

In 1977 he was assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB where he retired in 1980 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

After retirement he worked at the Mound Defense Plant as a quality control engineer until he retired from there in 1989. He spent his remaining years at “Polish Pond” in Farmersville, Ohio doing what he loved: golfing, fishing and mowing. He passed away on Oct. 8, 2012 of pancreatic cancer.

He is survived by his sons Mike, Mark and Eric, their wives, and his grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothLarry Karnowski ers Jack, Joe, David, Ron, Chuck and Tom, and sisters Janet, Irene and Mary. In lieu of flowers, Larry wanted you to buy a bottle of good booze and have a drink on him. He will miss you all. (Mike Karnowski, Larry’s son) Larry was the oldest member of the Class of ’61 and there is a good story there. After graduating from high school Larry attended the University of Minnesota for one year. When he ran out of money he joined the Navy and became a radio repairman, assigned to an aircraft carrier.

He quickly realized he had terminal seasickness and started looking for a way to get off the ship.

He escaped by applying to Annapolis. They sent him to the Navy Prep School where he finished #1 in his class and much to their chagrin, he promptly elected to attend the Air Force Academy.

Arriving at the Academy a good three years older than the rest of us he quickly excelled in leadership, academics, and athletics. Larry had a passion for golf and anything mechanical. I had the great pleasure of touring the United States on motorcycles with him for 10 years. A great classmate and friend! (Jim Wilhelm, Larry’s Academy roommate and best friend)

James L. Nichols, ’62 James “Larry” Nichols passed away on Oct. 2, 2012 at Shands Healthcare Hospital associated with the University of Florida Health Science Center in Gainesville, Florida from complications associated with pulmonary fibrosis.

As the reality of my dad’s death sets in, I find myself surprised that I

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 in a timely manner.

cannot recall any specific Air Force friend of my dad’s who would have been more equipped for writing this article. My dad rarely named specific classmates, although I can easily conjure an overwhelming sense of their general character. The Air Force shaped my dad in such fundamental ways that the lessons he learned have been ingrained in my everyday life; from teaching me to drive “in formation” when following him on long road trips to always saying “contact!” when he started the car and put it in drive.

My dad was recruited by the USAFA out of high school where he enjoyed numerous accomplishments and cultivated a lifelong love of airplanes, flying and camaraderie. He served as a refueling pilot in the Vietnam War, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Academy in 1962 and was honorably discharged as a Captain in 1966.

After leaving the Academy, he promised my mother, his high school sweetheart, that he would refrain from flying airplanes; it simply made her too nervous, thinking of him “up there”, going so high, so fast.

With three young daughters, the risk seemed too great for her to bear on a daily basis. And so, the guiding philosophy that my dad cultivated over 49 years of marriage began.

My dad made a profound decision to avoid discussing what he considered “calculated risks”… “opportunities” that appeared quite safe to him, but utterly preposterous to my fearful mom. As the years went “Larry” Nichols by, his love of flying never subsided, and neither did my mom’s anxiety. With true spirit and determination, Dad found several opportunities to engage his love of flight through his cousin Don who had an airplane. All flights and rides were of course, unbeknownst to my worried mom.

Dad’s adventures increased in magnitude when he and mom moved to Florida. His new law practice brought with it many fresh opportunities for adventure. His proximity to the Disney World roller coasters and the Fantasy of Flight planes provided ample chances for speed and distance while traveling for “business”!

His defining moment came when a client offered him the chance to fly his Russian L-29. I’ll never forget the innocent way he called me over to his computer one night to look over “a few pictures” which revealed him in mid-flight, my unsuspecting mom resting happily in the next room. As my eyebrows rose in disbelief, he just smiled.

Looking back, I can honestly say that the USAFA molded my father into one of the most spirited, intelligent, analytical people I know. His friends describe him as “one of the good guys”, with a silly sense of humor and an “action item” list a mile long. As dad said, he “lived in the moment”; his positive attitude, unstoppable optimism and sense of adventure were both remarkable and infectious.

If anyone reading this article knew my dad, our family would love to hear some stories. The folks he admired most were the ones that shared his ideals and provided inspiration – especially if they had an airplane he could fly! From the man who lived “in the moment”, we didn’t hear many old stories; his focus was always toward the future, as ours will be when we think so fondly of him – and his antics. (Phyllis Henderson, Larry’s daughter)

Charles V. Bush, ’63 On Nov. 5, 2012, Charles V. Bush (affectionately and universally referred to as “Chuck”), quietly passed away from colon cancer at his mountain aerie in Lolo, Montana. Surrounded by family and friends at 87

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN the time of his passing – and with a host of friends and colleagues nationwide keeping vigil on his march to eternity – that exit from a grand, eventful, and meaningful life was perhaps the only thing about Chuck that was quiet and unimposing. Indeed, throughout a lifetime full of “firsts”, Chuck established himself as a Great American whose trailblazing activities left indelible footprints on the sands of time.

Born on Dec. 17, 1939 in Tallahassee, Florida, he moved with his family at a young age to Washington, D.C., where his father was an administrator at Howard University. Chuck grew up on the Howard campus when it was our nation’s foremost educator of talented African-Americans; and it was there, in that striving all-black milieu, that young Chuck was inspired to do great things.

In July of 1954, when he was a 14-yearold student at Banneker Junior High, he was named a U.S. Supreme Court Page; and as such, he became the first black page on Capitol Hill. Following his graduation from the Capitol Page School (again, another “first”), Chuck attended Howard University for two years while he awaited an appointment to the Air Force Academy. That cherished appointment came in 1959; and Chuck Bush Chuck joined the Class of ’63 “Golden Boys” (along with two other black cadets, Roger Sims and Isaac Payne).

A member of the famed “19th Squadron Playboys”, Cadet Bush distinguished himself as a member of the Debate Team, The Wing Championship Rugby Team, and as the first African-American Squadron Commander. He excelled academically, and was selected for a special joint USAFA/Georgetown University Master’s program in political science. Following graduation from the Academy (Chuck being the first black to graduate in the 1963 “order of merit”), he went to Georgetown University to complete his Master of Arts degree in International Relations. Throughout his four years at the Academy, Chuck was driven to excel and to put to rest any misgivings from the military and his fellowcadets that blacks did not belong. Indeed, he conducted himself with the knowing insight (and gnawing pressure) that he was an exemplar for an entire race of people and a case-study for the oft-quoted American proposition that “all men are created equal.”

While at Georgetown, Chuck wooed and married the love of his life, Bettina Wills; and following graduation, the young couple moved to Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colo., for Chuck’s initial training at Intelligence School. Thereafter, following a series of upgraded Intelligence Training initiatives (including Vietnamese language school), he was assigned in May 1967 to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, Vietnam. Returning to the U.S. in May 1968, Chuck was assigned to Westover Air Force Base, Springfield, Mass.; and two years later, he resigned his commission (as a Captain) to attend Harvard Business School (HBS). During his military service career, Chuck was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

A committed leader wherever he went, Chuck was described by one of his HBS classmates as a “forceful and passionate advocate for minority civil rights at HBS”. He was co-chair of the HBS African-American Student Union; and when he graduated in 1972 with an MBA (specializing in Finance), he was inducted into the prestigious HBS Century Club.

During his corporate career, Chuck held a number of senior administrator positions (primarily in finance) at such companies as White Weld & Co., Max Factor, ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Hughes Electronics.

He also became involved as an entrepreneur and financial consultant in the telecommunications and cable television industries. A decade ago, he retired from full-time work; and this respite allowed him more time to devote to his overarching passions – family and work in the diversity arena. Regarding family, not only did he and Tina love and enjoy three children of their own (Chip, Kyra, and Bettina), but also grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, and his mother; and in addition, there was the extended-family of friends and neighbors. To all of this expansive and active brood, Chuck was the father figure – Mr. Wise and Steady.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren – for whom Chuck served – would have been very proud indeed of Chuck’s tireless efforts to expand and consolidate the diversity beachhead in the civilian and military societies that he impacted. A consultant to both the Air Force 88

and the Air Force Academy, Chuck wrote scholarly papers, lectured, consoled, counseled, and interacted with a broad range of leaders in his unyielding quest to bring about enlightenment and change. After the many “firsts” that he personally attained, he was determined to use that fulcrum to facilitate “firsts” for others. It is who he was. (Fletcher “Flash” Wiley, Class of ’65, BG-5) [Editor’s note: At the family’s request, the AOG has established the Chuck Bush Memorial Fund for those who would like to support diversity efforts at the Academy. Donatoins may be sent in care of the fund to The Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, 3116 Academy Drive, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840-4475.]

Bobby Beverly, ’64 Bobby Beverly of Monument, Colorado died peacefully with his family at his side on Nov. 7, 2012, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s.

Born on Sept. 24, 1942, in Channelview, Texas, he reported to the Academy in June 1960 at the ripe old age of 17. While at the Academy, he was a member of CS-14 and the Varsity Pistol Team. He also met his future wife, Sherry, who was a Colorado Springs native.

Following graduation, Bob reported to UPT at Laredo AFB, Texas. He found he loved Laredo so much he remained there as an instructor pilot with the 3640th Pilot Training Squadron. He was finally able to leave his first base in 1970 when he was assigned to the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Misawa AB, Japan, as a RF-4C pilot.

His time in Japan was short-lived, and in 1971, the Air Force closed down his unit, and he headed to Southeast Asia for a year as a reconnaissance staff officer at the 7 AF HQ, Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam.

He returned to the States and USAFA as an AOC for CS-05 and CS-19. After AOC duty, he returned to the cockpit as a pilot in the 12th TRS at Bergstrom Bob Beverly AFB, Texas. In 1978, he was reassigned to Alconbury RAF Station, England, where he served as Wing Plans, and Chief of Operations, Tactics and Training Division with the 10th Tactical Training Wing and Operations Officer of the 1st TRS. From 1982-84, he was an Air Liaison Officer at Fort Hood, Texas, and taking many trips to Europe with the Army helped reinforce why he joined the Air Force.

Bob retired from active duty on June 30, 1984, having flown the T-33, T-37, and RF-4 for a total 3,600 flying hours. He was the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and three Air Force Commendation Medals.

Following his Air Force career, Bob and Sherry returned to Colorado Springs where he took a position with Computer Sciences Corporation as a systems engineer. He was later a project manager with Allied Signal Technical Services Corporation, and a project manager with the Honeywell Corporation, retiring from Honeywell in 2002. Bob also found time to serve two terms on the Lewis-Palmer School District Board of Education in Monument, was the director of the local youth soccer organization, and supported AF football with years of season tickets and tailgating. Enjoying everything Colorado had to offer, he was an avid backpacker and camper.

Bob is survived by his wife of 47 years, Sherry, and their two sons, Lt. Col. (USAF, Ret) Chris Beverly; and Maj. (USAF) Matt Beverly, (currently CS-20’s AOC); and two granddaughters, Caitlin and Megan. Interred at the Air Force Academy he loved, Bob rests in peace and will forever remain in our hearts. (Matt Beverly)

John S. Puster, ’65 Born in 1942 in Laredo, Texas, John Puster grew up with a love for the outdoors and spent many hours hunting, fishing and enjoying all that life had to offer. He had an irrepressible spirit and a lifelong love of competitive sports as a participant or spectator.

While attending the Air Force Academy he excelled in academics, football and track, and was named Outstanding Athlete his senior year.

Following graduation, John received pilot training at Williams and then, Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona. He completed a combat tour at Ubon, Thailand, flying 100 missions over North Vietnam as an F4-C pilot. He

earned a Distinguished Flying Cross and numerous other medals while serving tours in Thailand, Japan, Spain and Saudi Arabia.

After completing his Air Force Career, John entered the construction business and later he returned to flying as the Operational Manager/ Safety Pilot for Lufthansa Airlines in Arizona. Following that he worked for the FAA in the Flight Standards Program.

John loved to cook and was considered to be the ultimate backyard chef, always trying new and unique recipes.

He was known for his ready smile and was quick with a new joke or “one-liner” for all he met. Friends said that he was one of those rare people that you meet and feel like you’ve known all your life.

He especially enjoyed being with family and loved to talk about his grandkids.

In September, John was diagnosed with cancer and died on Nov. 11, 2012 at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. He faced this battle as he had faced any adversity John Puster in his life -- with a cheerful spirit and total optimism. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughter Kay Wall and her husband, Randy, and granddaughter Marlee; his daughter Michelle Vacanti and her husband, Pat, and grandchildren, Brooke, Casey, Domenic, and Gabriella; as well as brother, sister, nieces and nephews.

During his Air Force career, John came to the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus the Messiah and dedicated his life to Him with total commitment. He began serving the Lord with much zeal and, over the years, he grew in grace and his faith matured, giving him a heart of love and service. John is interred at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.

The inscription on his headstone reads, “This man loved God”. (Robert Puster, John’s brother)

Joseph L. Faix, ’66 Joseph Lee Faix, Colonel, USAF (Ret), Class of 1966, slipped the bonds of Earth and departed on his final flight on Nov. 17, 2012.

Joe Faix was born to be a USAFA cadet; his dedication and serious nature took him well beyond Gung-Ho. No matter how you measured his intelligence or tested and graded it, Joe showed the rest of his classmates what it meant to be brilliant. Oblivious to failure, he worked hard to earn the reputation as a total warrior, but he never turned down a classmate or any other cadet who sought his help as a tutor. Joe’s success as a Cadet led him to become the 2nd Group Commander in his senior year; a picture in the ’66 yearbook shows Joe leading the 2nd Group Staff in formation during a snowstorm, wearing only their parkas and shoes. That was Joe. Immediately after graduation, Joe attended North Carolina State University earning a Master’s Degree in Mathematics in seven months. He then entered Pilot Training at Williams AFB Ariz. Joe applied every bit as much seriousness and dedication to flying and accrued Joe Faix many hours in the C-130 Hercules, including combat tours in Viet Nam. Later, he attended the USAF Test Pilot School. During his years as a test pilot, Joe tackled his duties with the same tenacity that made him a regular on the Supt’s list as a Cadet and he became the epitome of a pilot’s pilot, while developing a keen sense of humor. Joe’s sharp tongue and sarcastic nature were applied with an even hand; he picked on everyone. We were all targets for his famous blunt-spoken comments (delivered with his mischievous and disarming smile)—and we always found ourselves smiling back with amusement and affection.

A more senior Joe Faix commanded a test squadron at Wright-Patterson AFB. Academia called again and Joe earned a second Master’s Degree in Operations Research from Arizona State University and returned to Wright-Patterson as the Director of Graduate Studies in Strategic and Tactical Sciences at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Joe

was a natural teacher; he taught flying at Vance AFB and Pope AFB and Mathematics and Operations Research at the Academy. His decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After retiring from a 26-year Air Force career, he worked as a systems analyst and principal investigator for TRW and SAIC, all the time teaching and mentoring the “younger folks.” Mentoring came naturally to Joe; throughout his life there was nothing more important to Joe than to raise his own boys well. During his retirement in Albuquerque, Joe met his dear friend, Andrea Ricciardi, who managed to make him shine even more. Joe was a special human being, a brilliant intellect, and a total warrior. But most of all we will remember him as a man who was always there for us—and as a genial curmudgeon who knew how to bring a smile to our faces.

Joe’s brothers from Evil Eight will always treasure the memories of him when he was among us and celebrate his presence in our hearts forever. (Bud Kelley and Tom Guenther, ’66, classmates and friends)

Robert S. Mitcham ’67 Tranquil Twelve lost one of its finest warriors on Nov. 6, 2012, when Bob Mitcham was taken from us after a short but courageous battle with pancreatic and liver cancer. He was laid to rest in North Hollywood, California, in a graveside service in January attended by family, friends, classmates, and his lovely wife, Ginny.

Bob arrived at USAFA after spending his youth in Atlanta. A rather thin 17-year-old, Bob was among the very few in his class to be put on a weight table during BCT for reasons other than preparing for football. As a cadet Bob became a fixture on the Dean’s List, ultimately being awarded an Atomic Energy Commission Fellowship to pursue graduate studies in engineering at Cal Tech.

At the Zoo Bob was a fierce competitor in intramurals and a regular sparkplug at 12th Squadron parties. He participated in several memorable road trips between 1964 and 1966, including a perilous night drive from Atlanta to New Orleans in a 1959 Chevy Impala named “Raginstein” in honor of Ragin Hause, ’68. During the summer of 1966 he bought his beloved ’62 Corvette, one Bob Mitcham of only two pre-Sting Ray models in his class. He spent many happy hours driving it in the hills above Colorado Springs and at higher speeds on other roads.

After receiving double master’s degrees at Cal Tech in 1968, Bob was assigned to the Air Force Weapons Lab at Kirtland AFB. While there he worked on many projects involving chemical laser technology. He also obtained his private pilot’s license and an early Z car. He was handpicked for his next assignment at SAMSO, Los Angeles, where he worked on conceptual satellite systems and gained experience improving satellite payload systems.

Upon separating in 1978, Bob remained in Southern California and began work with Hughes Space Systems Division. During his career with Hughes, Bob traveled the world as a project manager responsible for the development and launch of many communications satellites.

His travels included a two-year stint in Australia.

In his free time Bob became a sailing maven, making innumerable trips to Catalina Island and other wonderful places. Consistent with his love of performance cars, he upped himself to a 540i. Like many of his classmates, Bob, had an appreciation of fine spirits and card games.

Bob also had a soft side that was reflected in his love for birds and animals, including his pictured pet rabbit “Killer.”

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 in a timely manner.

89

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN After being single for some 60 years, Bob surprised and pleased us all by marrying Ginny aboard the Queen Mary in 2005. He had known her for years, and her sparkle was (and is) captivating. Bob took to Ginny (and married life) like a duck to water.

Brilliant scientist, loving husband, cherished brother and a friend to classmates, co-workers and stepsons, Bob Mitcham will be remembered – and therefore missed – by many. Including me. (Ron Marquette, classmate and friend)

Daniel J. Barker, ’68 Col (USAF, Ret) Dan Barker passed away on Nov. 7, 2012 following a courageous battle with colon cancer. Incomparable faith sustained him and his family throughout life and during his toughest moments.

Though eventually ravaged by the disease, Dan kept his own counsel and never allowed any naysayers to dishearten him. In his final days his devoted wife of 44 years and best friend, Kathy; surviving children Ryan, Shannon, Kelly, Megan, and Patrick; and brother Bill shared beautiful and tender moments at Dan’s bedside. Dan remained strong and shared special thoughts and prayers with every visitor.

This gentle giant now lies at eternal rest at the USAFA cemetery together with his first son, Sean, who died soon after birth. Those of us who knew and loved him best will miss his quiet humor, gentle and wise counsel, and unflappable zest for life. Few of us can remember any argument we had with Dan that lasted more than about 10 seconds.

For all of us, he was the lead consultant for every home project we ever undertook. Dan knew more about fixing airplanes, cars and boats than any of us, and loved to construct anything. He was a tinkerer whose credo was, “If it ain’t broke, let’s just mess with it a little.” His finished projects all had clever features, exemplary function and durability. Enthralled by aviation, Dan earned a commercial instrument pilot rating and flew his own airplane. Many memorable family trips began and ended with his fun-filled flights.

As a cadet Dan excelled in intraDan Barker mural athletics and was the standout on the basketball court. He was a solid contributor in every aspect of squadron competitions and earned the respect and confidence of classmates and other squadron mates as a leader and coach. With Kathy living nearby in Colorado Springs, he was also the envy of many.

After marrying in the Catholic Cadet Chapel shortly after graduation, Dan and Kathy set out to raise a large, close-knit family. By their character and integrity, those five children reflect the admirable example Dan provided as a father, mentor, and faithful servant. This remarkable progeny − including 21 devoted grandchildren − survive as his most outstanding legacy.

Dan and Kathy were consummate parents and loving godparents for children of close friends. Raised as an Air Force brat himself, Dan prepared his family well for every new assignment and helped offset the many challenges they faced. Dan was a soccer referee for base leagues and ultimately served as the Commissioner. Wherever they lived and despite inevitable conflicts, Dan and Kathy led many of their children’s religious and extracurricular activities and took them to all the region’s cultural attractions. The Barkers sought out and enjoyed family adventures whenever possible.

Prior to his Air Force retirement, Dan had served as the Director of Contingency Support at AFCESA, Tyndall AFB, Fla. He served admirably as a senior civil engineer on bases, the Pentagon, and at key headquarters both stateside and in Germany and Korea. Dan also served as a readiness and engineering consultant to Air Force and other military clients following his first retirement. He was a legend among his peers for his dedication, ingenuity, professionalism and farsighted example.

When facing any tough decision, his colleagues relied upon one standard of excellence, What Would Dan Do? Dan lived a wonderful and exemplary life as husband, father, faithful servant, and as the best friend of many. We will all miss this quiet, gentle, giant of a man who touched our lives in ways no one else could. (Bob Johnston, Class of 1968) 90

Donald M. Dessert, ’69 Don “Gobi” Dessert started his AF career at the Prep School and graduated from Seagram’s Seven. While at the Academy, he served on the group staff and always helped those around him.

He went on to a long and distinguished career in the service to our nation in multiple tanker and airlift positions from crew to squadron commander, to the Pentagon, and operational test director for the C-17. In that role, we can all say he did it right the first time. The C-17 has been the mainstay for airlift operations around the globe, especially key in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Don learned while at the Academy and from all of his many life experiences to never let them see you sweat. He had a steadiness and a sense of purpose that was remarkable and always reassuring.

Gobi was a man of unusual intellect, a born leader, a role model, and a moDon Dessert tivator with a smile that always lit up a room. He was always cool under pressure and took the load off of all those who worked for or with him. After retirement from the Air Force, he went on to be a gifted leader for several aerospace companies.

He moved to Florida to be closer to his family and in his final industry position put his considerable talents to work making Army helicopters more capable.

His father was a WWII fighter pilot, also a retired Colonel. His parents influenced not just Don but also many of his classmates as they shared their home freely. Tragically, Don was lost in a diving accident, doing something he loved, on Sept. 12, 2012.

Don made us all better people, and we will always be grateful for that.

He is survived by his children Kristin Kirk and Mark Dessert; his grandchildren Maeve and Keanen Kirk, and his loving wife, Jo Ellen Dessert of Palm Bay, Fla. (Submitted for the Class of 1969 by his classmates Roger Hartman and Wildcat Phillips at the request of his family.)

Timothy A. Karnowski, ’70 Tim (Kranoberry) Karnowski passed away on Oct. 5, 2012. His death was due to complications of diabetes, a disease he battled for 21 years.

Tim was born in Denver, Colo. but lived his life before the Academy in El Cajon, Calif. He will come full circle when his ashes are buried at the USAFA cemetery on his birthday, June 7, 2013.

Like all young men who enter the Academy, Tim thought he would be a pilot. His calling turned out to be aircraft maintenance. His life adventures started at Chanute AFB where he attended aircraft maintenance school.

Andrews AFB was the first stop. Korat, Thailand came next. Field Training out of Sheppard AFB, Texas sent Tim on many TDYs including a stint in Greece and Reno, Nevada. SAC and Cheyenne, Wyoming took up four years before Tim finally got his dream assignment to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Tim finished his Air Force career in 1984.

As is frequently the case, Tim’s USAFA education paid dividends when ARCO Alaska hired him as a Corrosion Engineer. This was the beginning of a Tim Karnowski long career in the “oil patch”. Driving from Fairbanks to a Pump Station always fascinated Tim. Working on the “North Slope” was much like pounding the ground on a flight line.

It was always new and different every day. Long summer days when the sun barely set to winter nights when the sun never came up provided an interesting environment in which to work. Tim embraced his new career with his total self just has he did with the Air Force.

Tim took a break from the oil industry and obtained a master’s degree in Cross Cultural Education from National University. As a natural born leader, educating others came easily to him. He was passionate about education in any form.

The master’s degree took Tim back to the oil patch to teach Project Management as well as being employed as a project manager with various oil support companies.

Tim’s last assignment in the oil patch took him to Moscow, Russia to work on the Russian oil pipeline. It was an exciting way to end his working career.

Tim lived an adventurous life on his own terms. It may have not have been the best way but it was always his way. He treated those he knew and led fairly and honorably.

Tim leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Nancy and his two trusty companions, Boomer and Pheaz. He also leaves behind three brothers and two sisters. (Nancy Karnowski)

Richard K. Prewitt, ’71 Richard “Dick” Kenneth Prewitt finished his final flight through this life on Nov. 5, 2012 in Fontana, California. Throughout his 64 years, Dick was well known for his quick wit and remarkable achievements.

Born in Biloxi, Miss., Dick traveled, explored, and lived all over the world. His lifetime’s adventures took him across the globe – throughout the U.S. to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Dick chose the USAF as his first career. After graduating from New Mexico Military Institute in 1967, he was selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy where he was a top graduate in 1971. After graduation, Dick completed flight school, finished first in his class, and was awarded the opportunity to fly the F-4. From 1973 - 1976, Dick was an Aircraft Commander with the 612th TFS (USAFE) at Torrejon AB, Spain and an Instructor Pilot with the 306th TFTS (TAC) at Homestead AFB, Fla. from 1976 – 1979.

In 1980, Dick transitioned to commercial aviation, flying for Eastern Airlines for eight years. Simultaneously, he joined the Massachusetts ANG 104th Tactical Fighter Group where he flew the A-10 Warthog and earned the well-deserved call-sign “Burner.” After the supersonic F-4 days, Dick equally loved flying his Dick Prewitt beloved Warthog and always said it was just as challenging flying “low and slow” as it was “fast and furious.”

During his years with the 104th, Dick was selected to go to the USAF Fighter Weapons School in 1983 and often remarked that the opportunity to do so had more of an impact on his flying than anything else. This proved to be true, when in 1992, he earned the 104th’s “Top Gun” award.

Dick retired from the Air Force in 1995 as a lieutenant colonel and began the next phase of his flying career with United Airlines, where he flew for another 16 years. During that time, his “aircraft qualified” list grew significantly. All told, Dick flew 13 different aircraft during his military and civilian careers.

While flying was Dick’s great passion, he also had many other interests that he pursued with fervor. Throughout his college and early aviation years, Dick enjoyed mountain climbing, hiking, sailing, lacrosse, model radio-controlled aircraft flying, and all racquet sports -- most especially, racquetball, for which he won the title of Homestead AFB champion.

In more recent years, Dick became an avid cyclist, riding and racing with local bike teams, and eventually placing in the top three in several military competitions. Perhaps his greatest bike feat, however, was a solo trip in 2011, from Fontana, Calif. to Denver, Colo. where he rode for 12 days to attend a United Airlines aircraft transition course -- a total of 970 miles. When Dick arrived at the Training Center on bike, he was asked by a fellow pilot, “Did you just ride in from the hotel?” whereupon, Dick replied, “No, I just rode in from California.”

Dick’s most ambitious goal was one that, sadly, he did not get to attempt -- a cross-country bike trip that he and his wife, Cindy, had planned for Spring 2013. This goal is one that remains for his family and friends to perhaps complete one day, to remember the man who never stopped inspiring them to pursue their passions and to live life on a constant upward trajectory -- just as he did.

Dick is survived by his wife, Cindy; sister Patricia; sons Andrew, Jason, and Troy; daughters Jill, Leslie, and Bonnie; grandchildren Shelbie, Joey, Faith, Anna, Max, Amelia, and Nicholas. He is interred at the USAF Academy Cemetery. (Cindy, Dick’s wife)

David B. Weber, ’71 Major David B. Weber (USMC, Ret) passed away on Oct. 22, 2012 in Boerne, Texas. He was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

David was raised in the Spring Branch area of Houston, Texas with his sister and two brothers. He was a Boy Scout and an Explorer and went to many Scouting high adventure camps. A close friend said, “I was always impressed with his achievements in everything he attempted: Eagle Scout, National Honor Society, track, and baseball team. He was one of the kids I looked up to. The world has lost a wonderful person. One of the images I recall of David was that beautiful sincere smile that he always wore.”

Early on David decided to attend the Air Force Academy with the intention of becoming an astronaut. He was one of the first members of CS-35 and was a member of the Academy diving team. He had a strong faith in God and expressed it through Christian volunteer groups. Finding out he was not pilot qualified, he decided he wanted to continue in the combat arms realm. After a considerable search and many sessions with Marine exchange officer, Lt. Col. Hart, USMC, David decided to be a Marine.

After graduation, he went to Quantico, Virginia for officer training and graduated as an infantry officer. His first assignment was with a Marine Long Range Reconnaissance Team serving out Okinawa with a tour on a carrier off of Vietnam. He became an expert parachutist, graduating from the U.S. Army free-fall course. He was well versed in many amazing HALO (high altitude low opening) team insertion techniques David Weber and experimented with new equipment that actually allowed the user to “fly” miles from the jump exit point.

Subsequently, he was Aide-de-Camp to the Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, and made operations, training and logistics run much better based on his expertise in small unit operations. Whereas the Fleet Marine Force Atlantic area of responsibility included Norway and the Arctic, David pursued extreme cold weather training programs such as the NATO Allied Winter Warfare Course in Elverum, Norway. He was cited by the Commandant of the Marine Corps for his outstanding efforts in creating new methods and procedures for reconnaissance.

He brought state of the art technology to the Military Amphibious Reconnaissance System and helped develop the Tactical Remote Sensor System. David was always happy to work with the USAF and as G-4 Plans Officer, 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, where he refined the fly in equipment list and greatly reduced the number of airlift sorties required to move and then support the brigade.

Throughout his career David’s service excellence was recognized by many Navy Commendation and Achievement Medals that narrated the success of his efforts and his dedication to the marines in his unit. David loved to relax with friends with outdoor activities and was always ready for an adventure. He was also the kind of friend who showed up to move you into your new home or fix the boat when it was in dry dock.

David retired in 1991 with the extremes of his active service taking a toll on his health and needed assistance later from family. Throughout his life David was deeply interested in the morale and wellbeing of his fellow Scouts, Cadets, and, Marines. He was passionate about his love of God and service to our country and always ran to the sound of the guns. Semper Fi. (Jerry O’Sullivan, ’71, USAFA; and Chuck Weber, David’s brother)

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 in a timely manner.

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GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

James N. “Tad” Corgill III, ’72 James N. “Tad” Corgill III, 63, passed away on Nov. 7 at his ranch in Pipe Creek, Texas. He was born in San Bernardino, Calif., but because his father was in the Air Force, Tad attended schools in Texas and Delaware before graduating high school at the American High School in Lakenheath, England in 1967. He always remained close to his high school classmates.

Tad attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force after graduation in 1972. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he flew C-130s supplying forward troops with supplies, transporting the peace negotiation teams into Hanoi, and helping with the evacuation of Saigon.

In 1982 Tad was hired by Southwest Airlines as a pilot and continued in that capacity until his death. He had recently attended both his 40th reunion at the Air Force Academy and his 30th reunion with Southwest Airlines. He and his wife, TJ, own Corgill Happy Heart Ranch, a quarter horse breeding and boarding facility, in Pipe Creek.

Besides his love of family, the ranch and golfing, Tad had recently become an active supporter of Upward Transitions Tad Corgill Therapeutic Horsemanship, a nonprofit equitherapy organization which is housed at Corgill Happy Heart Ranch. This group utilizes horses as physical and mental therapy for handicapped persons, as well as for wounded warriors.

Tad is survived by his wife, Teresa “TJ” Corgill; his parents, Jim and Verda Corgill of Oceanside, Calif.; brother Dennis Corgill and wife, Cate, of Weston, Fla.; son James Corgill IV and wife, Miranda, of Mesquite; son Nolan Corgill and wife, Kate, of Austin; daughter Amanda Gorrell and husband, Steven, of San Antonio; daughter Whitney Pugh and husband, Danny, of San Antonio; and grandchildren Micah and Annalee Corgill of Mesquite.

Internment was at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. Family, friends, high school classmates, college classmates and fellow Southwest Airlines pilots were in attendance at the ceremony. A remembrance gathering was also held at the ranch in Pipe Creek.

Memorials may be given to Upward Transitions Therapeutic Horsemanship by going to their website www.upward-transitions.org. Under the Donations button, please mention Tad Corgill in the comments section. Memorials may also be mailed to Upward Transitions at 342 Caldelaria, Helotes, TX 78023.

The Corgill family invites you to send condolences at 222.grimesfuneralchapels.com by selecting the Send Condolences link, or to the ranch mailing address which is P.O. Box 63656, Pipe Creek, TX 780633656. (Tad’s Loving Family)

Richard Calvin Barclay, ’74 Lt. Col. Richard Calvin Barclay, USAF (Retired), a veteran US Air Force pilot and reconnaissance technology professional, passed away Oct. 23, 2012, in Falls Church, Va. He was 60.

At the time of his passing, Colonel Barclay was Senior Systems Engineer for TASC, Inc., a leading national security and public safety government contractor in Chantilly, Virginia.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Colonel Barclay received a BS in Astronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy in 1974 and later received Master of Science degrees from the AF Institute of Technology in 1983 and Colorado Technical University in 2004.

During his career in the Air Force, he was a C-130 pilot. His first assignment was as a “Typhoon Chaser” in Guam having successfully flown into 19 typhoons. He also served as Chief of the TENCAP Division at the Air Force Space Command, Chief Systems Engineer in the United States Air Force Big Safari Program and Chief in the Military Support Division for the Secretary Air Force Space Systems. He worked in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1995, Colonel Barclay joined TASC, Inc., and was instrumental in coordinating interagency efforts to implement the first Department of Defense Space Science and Technology Strategy in partnership with the Intelligence Community and NASA.

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He later was Vice President of Engineering at Global Analytics from 1999 to 2006, when he returned to TASC, where he was handpicked to support the newly transformed systems engineering directorate. He served as technical lead for the development and production of mission architecture views and descriptions. Most recently, he helped establish a successful enterprise architecture decision process for a major TASC customer.

In addition to his service in both the military and private sectors, Colonel Barclay was a devoted family man. One of his greatest joys was being “Papa” to his beloved four-year-old granddaughter, Laura. He was also an optimistic, lifelong fan of the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns.

Colonel Barclay is survived by his wife of 35 years, the former Barbara Adams; two children and their spouses, Mrs. Tammy (Daniel) Buckalew of Culpeper, Va.; the Rev. Matthew (Kristin) Barclay of Monroe, N.C.; a granddaughter Laura Richard Barclay Buckalew; sister Lori of Mentor, Ohio and her fiancé Hewie Fredebaugh III; nephew David Milde and niece Erin Milde. Colonel Barclay’s parents, Paul R. and Ada Mae (Hamilton) Barclay, and sister Nancy Barclay, preceded him in death.

Burial, with full military honors, was Jan. 30, 2013 in Arlington National Cemetery. Remembrances in his memory may be sent to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org. (Barbara Barclay)

Robert C. Cripe, ’74 Col. Robert “Rattler” Cripe (USAF, Retired), USAFA Class of 1974, passed away Dec. 1, 2012 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, Georgia.

Bob was born in Indiana. After graduation from USAFA, he completed pilot training at Columbus AFB, Miss. and continued there as a T-38 instructor pilot. He next found himself in a variety of F-4E assignments to include Elmendorf AFB, Clark AB, and George AFB followed by a stint with the AF Inspector General team at Norton AFB. After a tour in RF-4Cs at Bergstrom AFB, Bob and family then moved to Izmir, Turkey, where Bob was Commander following his tour as Assistant Chief of Plans for Sixth ATAF. Returning stateside, Bob settled in Georgia with the 93rd ACW and as Commander of the 93rd Operations Group deployed in support of Operation Allied Force. After 25 years of distinguished AF service, Bob transitioned to civilian life, as Senior Vice-President, Director of Program DeBob Cripe velopment, C2 Technologies, Vienna, Va. where he remained employed until his death.

Although we knew each other at USAFA, it wasn’t until we rejoined in Alaska that Bob and I got to fly together and “shoot down our watches,” with an occasional “adult beverage” at hand. As proud as he was of his flying opportunities, Rattler was prouder of his family and worshipped his bride, Kathy! Bob’s career decisions were always based on what was best for the family rather than what was best for his career.

Bob lived a full and exciting life, devoted to God and family, and gave countless hours of selfless volunteerism. Duty, Honor, Country and Family were not mere words to Bob, they were everything. He was a member of Dahlonega United Methodist Church in Dahlonega, Ga. and formerly a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Warner Robins, Ga. Colonel Cripe is predeceased by his father, Mr. Donald Carl Cripe. He is survived by his loving wife of 38 years, Mrs. Kathryn Cripe, Dahlonega, Ga.; mother, Mariam Cripe, Indianapolis, Ind.; children TSgt Sean Carl (Sarah) Cripe, Bury St. Edmunds, England, and Jacqueline “Annie” (Ian) Drennan, Smyrna, Ga.; grandchildren, Kaiya Page Drennan, Corbin Carl Cripe, and Robert Ashe Drennan (due in April); brothers Todd (Cheryl) Cripe, Marietta, Ga., and Scott (Barbara) Cripe, Bloomington, Ind.; aunt

Janet Cripe, Marion, Ind.; and nephews Jesse Cripe, A1C Nicholas Cripe, Everett Cripe, and Dellon Cripe.

Memorial Services will be held on March 22nd at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Ga. Details will be provided at www.dahlonegafuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to: Wounded Warrior Project – www.woundedwarriorproject.org; Habitat For Humanity – www.habitat.org; or Paul Anderson Youth Home – www.payh.org.

(Son TSgt Sean Cripe, and Tony Brozena, friend and classmate, ’74)

Larry W. Weaver, ’77 Larry Weaver of Corsicana, Texas passed away Nov. 26, 2012 at the age of 57. Larry was born May 13, 1955 in Houston, Texas to Hollice and Vicki Weaver.

Following his graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1977, Larry became a helicopter pilot specializing in search and rescue missions. During his time in the service, he achieved the rank of major before retiring in 1994. Larry and his family moved to Corsicana in 1995 where he became a dedicated member of Northside Baptist Church, serving as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and chairman of the pastoral search committee. He found a passion for spreading the word of God through his work with the Corsicana camp of Gideons International.

A lifelong teacher, Larry began the Junior ROTC program at Corsicana High School and later became the Dean of Arts, Science and Humanities at NavarLarry Weaver ro College where he recently retired.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Weaver, of Corsicana; son Patrick Weaver and wife, Terri, of Midlothian; daughter Stephanie Weaver of Houston; granddaughter Gwenyth Weaver of Midlothian; mother, Vicki Weaver, of Tyler; brother Keith Weaver and wife, Denise, of Tyler; fatherin-law Sam Slaydon and wife, Billie, of Lufkin; brother-in-law Robert Slaydon and wife, Cathy, of Midlothian; brother-in-law Michael Slaydon and wife, Lisa, of Plymouth, Indiana; sister-in-law Sherri Due and husband, Keith, of Rockwall; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by father, Hollice Weaver. (Stephanie and Patrick Weaver, daughter and son)

James G. “Jerry” Deville, ’80 We are saddened to announce the death of Maj. James G. “Jerry” Deville, Jr., USAF, Retired, who died in Bothell, Washington on Dec. 9, 2012.

He was born on Sept. 8, 1955 Jerry served as a Senior Fellow at Construx Software where he consulted and led seminars around the world in business management, engineering process and management, requirements analysis and testing, helping organizations meet business needs in dynamic environments. Prior to joining Construx, he held development and management positions with BEST Consulting, Boeing, and the United States Air Force. He also taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses for Hawaii Pacific University, Park College and the United States Air Force.

Jerry received a B.S. in Computer Science from the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1980. He then went on to receive a Master of Arts in “Jerry” Deville Computer Resource Management from Webster University and a Software Product Management Certificate from the University of Washington. He was certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute, as a Scrum Master from the Scrum Alliance, and as a Professional Scrum Master from Scrum.org.

He is survived by his loving wife, Karen Deville; one son, James G. Deville III and his wife, Kate, of Duvall, Wash.; two daughters, Tanya

Cantrell and her husband, Shane, of Shorewood, Ill., and Erica Rivas of Bothell, Wash.; as well as five beautiful grandchildren. He is also survived by his father, James Gerald Deville, Sr., of Lafayette, La., and three sisters, Rebecca Taylor, Patricia Broussard, and Barbara Schwegmann, as well as a host of nieces, nephews and close friends.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Ruth Briley Deville, and his great-niece Rebecca Kate Faul.

Known affectionately as “Big Daddy” by the neighborhood children, family and friends, Jerry was a man of intelligence, integrity, and generosity. Every person he met became his friend, every friend became his family, and his family was his most cherished possession.

A Celebration of Life was hosted by Construx Software on Dec. 13, 2012. (The Deville Family)

Andrew H. La Mar, ’82 Lt. Col. Andrew Holmes La Mar, USAF Retired, entered into the presence of Jesus with a smile on his face the morning of Oct. 13, 2012. His was a valiant warrior and fought an extremely courageous battle against the vile cancer, Glioblastoma multiforme.

Andy, affectionately known to many by his call sign “Hedley”, was born July 19, 1960 in the District of Washington and grew up in Salisbury Md. His appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 marked the beginning of his much-decorated service to his country and his continuous display of “Integrity, Service and Excellence” in all that he did.

Graduating from 6 Squadron in 1982 as one of the top of his class, Hedley went on to excel at Navigator training where he was “Top 15%.” His 24-year career took him all over the world and included assignments as an instructor, flight examiner, OPS officer and leader in combat operations. Throughout his career, he experienced the honor and pure thrill of flying the F-4E, Buccaneer and Hunter while serving as an Exchange Officer to the Royal Air Force, and F-15E aircraft.

Andy La Mar Not only did he excel in the air, Hedley graduated Magna Cum Laude from Defense Language Institute in preparation for his work with the Office of Defense Cooperation in Paraguay. After retirement, Andy was a Senior Systems Analyst with ManTech Intl. Corp. Through everything he accomplished he demonstrated a “can do” and positive attitude, shepherding others to think about excellent and praiseworthy things, which was infectious to all he came in contact with. No challenge was ever too great for him to tackle with grace and effectiveness.

Andy had a brilliant mind, a quick wit and the heart of a poet. He was true, brave, loyal and wise and took very seriously, the role of mentor to his junior flying brothers. He always said his favorite hobbies were his wife, Kristine, and daughter Katherine. He was a diplomat without guile and was held in the highest regard by all who knew him. He loved the Lord and was the most wonderful husband and father. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the ability to choose joy throughout his illness and model how a man who truly trusts God endures suffering.

Andy is survived by his loving wife, Kristine Therese, and beautiful daughter Katherine Grace. He was the beloved son of Phyllis Hudson (La Mar) Meyer and Jay Donald La Mar (deceased) and step-son of Klaus Hermann Friedrick Meyer (deceased); brother to Victoria Meyer Ponce (Christopher), Leslie La Mar Sinclair (Dean), Janet Meyer Chronister (Charles), Lt. Col. Jonathan Gray La Mar (Ellen), Sandra Meyer Bromley

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 in a timely manner.

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GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN (Leon), Amanda Meyer Johnson (Richard), and deeply loved by many special nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws.

His family also wishes to thank Andy’s wonderful team of doctors: Kimberly Schlesinger, MD; Javier Amadeo, MD; and Veronica Eisen, MD. Their professionalism, patience and compassion define what “health care” truly means. They are shining examples in their fields.

Andy’s body is at rest in Arlington National Cemetery, but his soul rejoices in heaven. (Kristine La Mar; Michael Hoyes, ’76)

Harris L. “Leonard” Brisbon, ’83 Harris Leonard Brisbon, Class of 1983 was born to Harris and Julia Brisbon on Aug. 27, 1960 in Walterboro, S.C. Affectionately known as “Leonard” or “Briz”, he was a tower of strength to his family. He was a wonderful son, brother, uncle and cousin to many. Leonard attended Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J. and graduated ninth in his class.

He was an outstanding performer in track and cross-country. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy where he excelled as a member of the boxing team. Upon graduation he served in the U.S. Air Force faithfully for 20 years.

Leonard received his commission on June 1, 1983 and was assigned to the C-130E at McCord AFB, Wash. He participated in Airlift Rodeo ’87 (worldwide C-130F airdrop competition) as a First Lieutenant. His next assignment was as a T-43 instructor at Mather AFB, Calif. As an instructor he performed superbly, evidenced by his selection as Distinguished Graduate from ATC Instructor Training School in 1989 and Flying Training Squadron “Instruc“Leonard” Brisbon 451 tor of the Year” in 1990. He also served as Chief Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, Wing Examiner and Assistant Operations Officer.

Next, Leonard was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB, Md. As a Special Air Missions Director, he was the single decisionmaking agent for world-wide command and control of airlift missions supporting national and international leaders. Leonard’s stellar flying record resulted in his selection as the 21st AF winner of the General Huyser Airmanship Award for outstanding aircrew members in 1994. He was also Operations Officer in the 89th Operational Support Squadron.

In 2003 Leonard was the recipient of the Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) Personnel Manager of the Year Award.

Leonard held many billets in the U.S. Air Force but one of his most memorable was serving as the Wing Executive Officer to Brigadier General Arthur J. Lichte at Andrews AFB, the most visible base in the Air Force. He loved this job and spoke for the Wing Commander on all issues relating to wing administration and procedures. In addition, Leonard flew Special Air Missions with the First Airlift Squadron in support of the President and Vice President of the United States, the First Lady, members of the Cabinet and other national and international leaders.

After 20 years of active service in the Air Force, Leonard retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2003 and moved to Alexandria, Va. He worked for Carney Interactive for 15 months before joining General Dynamics as a Project/Program Manager. He holds a Master’s Degree in Project and Systems Management from Golden Gate University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

His personal awards are the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

Leonard departed this life on Dec. 9, 2011. A soul has gone home to be with the Lord. Remembering to cherish his memory and celebrate his life are his parents, Harris and Julia Brisbon; three brothers, Reverend Moses Campbell (Cynthia) of Baltimore, Md., SgtMaj. (USMC, Ret) Michael Campbell (Sherry) of Spotsylvania, Va., and Stanley Brisbon of Green Pond, S.C.; three sisters, Wendy Drakes (Lawton) of Baltimore, Md., Cynthia Garrett (Horace) of Walterboro, S.C., and Joyce Dixon (Michael) of Baltimore, Md.; along with a host of uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

Leonard’s favored saying was: Life is about Hope! You can’t be a Star unless you are in the Spotlight! (Mike Campbell, Leonard’s brother) 94

Stanley T. Masters, ’83 Lt. Col. Stanley T. Masters, “Cowboy”, USAFA Class of 1983, 51, passed away peacefully in the arms of his loving family Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012.

Stan was born April 24, 1961, in Lawrenceville, Ga. Stan served as a pilot and a leader in the U.S. Air Force for 29 years.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 28 years, Teresa; sons Cole, Tye and Chantz (Bubba); daughter Drew; his parents, Thois and Sylvia Masters ; brothers Steve, Tony (wife, Jenny), and Tim (wife, Debbie); in-laws Mucio A. and Susie Diaz; sisters-in-law Margo Wiblitzhouser (husband, Terry), Brenda May (husband, Rick), and Marcella Le Van (husband, Bob); and numerous nieces and nephews.

Stan was an amazing husband, father, son, brother and uncle and will remain eternally in the hearts of his family. The family asks in lieu of flowers and gifts, donations can be made to Stan’s four children in care of his eldest son, Cole Masters. Those wishing to share lasting sentiments may do so at www.PalmMortuary.com.

Stan was a leader throughout his life.

First, he led his beloved family. From neighborhood walks in his trademark cowboy hat and shorts, holding hands with Teresa, they planned for their chilStan Masters dren’s’ future. Stan always honored his wife with glowing words; probably the best was “Teresa is a wonderful mom.” Stan’s kids meant the world to him and he showed them how to study, prepare and take advantage of their opportunities. Currently, Cole (25) is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is a Preconstruction Engineer for TWC Construction. Tye (22) will graduate from the University of Southern California in May 2013 and will start law school. Drew (19) will graduate from Duke University May 2014 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Chantz (13) is in the seventh grade and likes sports.

Stan instructed hundreds of pilots and officers on what it meant to fly and compete. At his assignments in Rhein Main, Randolph, Little Rock, Nellis, and Creech, Stan was a leader. Stan loved setting the standard and challenging those around him to perform. In the C-130, as Chief of Squadron and Group Stan Eval, Stan would challenge pilots to know their stuff and earn a piece of his homemade ‘bread of knowledge’.

Wrong answers would result in a friendly, “That dog just won’t hunt”.

Stan knew how to get the most out of others and have a good time.

When Stan would lead (he loved to lead) a formation into the tactical environment he would say on the radio, “Go Tactical—GiddyUp!” in his signature Georgian drawl. Stan prepared physically as well, leading daily runs and workouts where his life lessons lasted longer than the soreness from his latest “fun” competition. I remember asking Stan about a tough life decision and he said, “Take care of your family, do what makes you happy, and don’t worry about the small stuff”.

Stan was also a great friend. He was the director of the Henderson neighborhood biking peloton and demanded prompt attendance or risk being left to catch up. Wedding Cake, Horse Devorse and several other rides were named by Stan. He was always ready with a word of encouragement when directing the next leader to take his turn feeling the pain leading the ride.

Even as he fought cancer Stan led by example and showed his family love and how to be a dad, husband, friend, and leader. My Friend, my mentor, my hero, the great leader, proud dad and devoted husband, Lt. Col. Stan “Cowboy” Masters is leading a formation in heaven! I just heard, “Go Tactical, Giddy Up!” (Lt. Col. Chris Hays, Class of 1983 and good friend)

Darren C. Tidwell, ’87 Darren loved to fly and on that fateful day, Nov. 15, 2012, Darren C. Tidwell flew into the arms of his Savior.

Darren was born Dec. 10, 1961 to Ray and Karen Tidwell. His early years, which he remembered with fondness, were filled with hunting, camping, fishing, river rafting and long hours spent up on the mountain with his dog. He loved horses and had a way with them. Darren excelled in many areas. He lived the Scout oath, which he took upon himself when he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at 13 years of age.

A lifelong dream was realized when he was awarded an appointment to the Air Force Academy. After two years he withdrew his appointment to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to Dallas, Texas. Upon his return he reapplied and was accepted back into the Academy. Highlights of his academy days were flying gliders, participating on the rifle team, survival training and scuba diving.

Pilot training took him to Sheppard AFB and then on to Mt. Home AFB, where he met and married his wife, Janalee. His civilian career was spent in aerospace.

Where else, as he loved flight?

Darren was a family man. He loved spending time with his wife and six children doing many of the things he did growing up. He loved watching football Darren Tidwell and coaching his boys. Darren loved the valley of his youth and returned there to raise his family. A highlight in the months before his passing was seeing his son follow in his footsteps and accept an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

Darren lived life large. He loved adventure and wasn’t afraid to try new things. He always seemed to know just what to do and enjoyed the challenge of getting out of a pinch. Darren enjoyed church service and living near his parents for the past 15 years.

Darren is survived by his wife, Janalee, and their children, Craig, Jared, Melissa, Laura, Jennifer and Jacob. He is also survived by his parents, Ray and Karen Tidwell, and siblings Rayleen (Patch) Bonkemeyer, Sheryl (Clay) Rushton, Quinn (Janel), and Dalin (Jen) Tidwell. He is preceded in death by his brother Rex. We love you and miss you Darren. (Janalee Tidwell, Larry’s spouse)

Michael P. Stapleton, ’88 Colonel Michael Stapleton, a.k.a. Bam Bam or Stapes, passed away this past August, ending a greater than six year courageous battle with cancer. After being diagnosed with a leukemic like disorder in 2006, Mike managed to complete National War College, regain flight status as an F22 Raptor pilot, serve as an operations group commander, and return to the Pentagon as a planning strategist in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy all the while enduring the difficult treatment and unfortunate progression of his illness.

In the spring of 2012, Mike and his wife, Christine, decided he would undergo a bone marrow transplant with the aim of finally defeating his disease. The arduous, five-month long stay in and near MD Anderson Cancer Center, involving an incredible degree of love and commitment from family, medical personnel, and friends, was nothing short of amazing in spite of Mike’s body eventually succumbing to a relapse of his leukemia.

As a young man, Mike doggedly applied his God-given abilities in pursuit of his lifelong endeavor to serve as an Air Force officer and fighter pilot, graduating with distinction from Morris Catholic High School in 1984, USAFA in 1988, and UPT in 1989. Mike served our nation remarkably for the next 24 years Mike Stapleton as a highly-respected leader and fighter pilot within the F-15C Eagle and F-22 Raptor communities. Not so surprisingly his efforts and talents earned him numerous accolades and enviable assignments throughout his career.

A few additional highlights of Mike’s career are as follows: William Tell team member while at Kadena AB, Instructor Pilot at the F-15C school house, flying award recipient at the USAF Fighter Weapons School, Wing Weapons Chief at Elmendorf, Instructor Pilot at the USAF Fighter Weapons School, Aide de Camp to the USAF Chief of Staff, and initial cadre and commander of the USAF’s very first F-22 Raptor squadron.

Mike’s indomitable spirit while battling disease and his phenomenal flying career clearly established an incredible legacy for himself. However, Mike’s real legacy resided in his decision as a young man to choose

a life of faith and serve God. As a high school classmate, USAFA classmate, pilot training roommate, and lifelong friend I can bear witness that Michael never strayed far from his faith.

Guided by the leanings of his heart, Mike exuberantly raced through life with an overwhelming sense of love, compassion, selflessness, and loyalty for his fellow man. Despite his extreme diligence in managing whatever task was at hand, Michael possessed an incredible knack in prioritizing the important and all-too-often unseen things in life while avoiding the mindless pursuit of the less important and visible achievements so many of us call necessities.

Mike is survived by his devoted wife, Christine; his two wonderful sons, Jon and James; his beautiful daughter Jasmine; his loving parents, Tom and Julia; and his dear brother and sister, Tommy and Maureen.

Although deeply grieved, Mike’s family and friends rejoice in Michael’s celebrated journey and the certainty that he now resides in much better place. May God continue to bless Michael and his family. Philippians 2:1-4. (Bob Sullivan, friend)

Kelley A. Chase, ’96 Kelley Allen Chase passed away on Oct. 13, 2012 after a training injury at the Oklahoma City Police Academy. Born in Taos, New Mexico on Aug. 7, 1974 to Jacquelyn and Laurence Chase, Kelley grew up an adventurer, never missing an opportunity to explore his native New Mexico with his sister Victoria. Whether cycling, skiing at Taos Ski Valley, or hiking up Wheeler Peak, Kelley exhibited a carpe diem spirit that endeared him to family and friends.

Kelley was equally passionate about serving his community—and his country. He started early by attending New Mexico Military Institute from August 1988 until his graduation in May 1992.

He then entered the Air Force Academy in 1992, quickly making friends in Cadet Squadron 14 and with his teammates on the Academy Karate Team.

Upon graduation from the Academy in 1996, Kelley joined the AWACS community as an Air Battle Manager, providing command and control for air operations in a number of theaters, and somehow finding time to complete his Master of Kelley Chase Business Administration degree. Although he would garner numerous Air Medals and participate in over 61 combat sorties, eventually becoming a Mission Crew Commander, his greatest achievement occurred while stationed at Geilenkirchen Air Base, Germany, where he met his beautiful wife, Elke, while skydiving.

Having found the love of his life, Kelley and Elke were married on July 19, 2008 in the beautiful foothills of Taos, New Mexico. In 2009, they welcomed their son Kyle into the world and in 2010, their daughter Alesia. Kelley loved to spend time with Kyle and Alesia, teaching them to swim, explore nature, and helping to foster that spirit of enthusiasm that we all admire.

Upon leaving the Air Force in 2011, Kelley continued his desire to serve by applying to become an Oklahoma City police officer, where—as usual, he quickly made friends amongst his cadet class.

On Oct. 26, 2012, a memorial ceremony including the full Oklahoma City Police Department and Tinker Air Force Base Honor Guard was held at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City. Kelley was laid to rest at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. Please visit Kelley’s online video memorial at www.mercer-adams.com.

He is survived by his wife, Elke; son Kyle, daughter Alesia, mother, Jacquelyn; father, Laurence; sister Victoria, and a host of family and friends that miss him dearly. A Kelley Chase Memorial Fund has been opened in his memory at the Bank of Oklahoma. (Lt. Col. Erin Pyle, classmate and friend)

C1C Matthew J. Patrick Dies in Colorado Springs “Best to be Seen” Matthew John Patrick, Class of 2013, was born Sept. 12, 1990 and passed away Sept. 28, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was honored at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel and at Preston Hollow Presbyterian

(Continued on page 141.)

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Class News Pete Todd 1250 Big Valley Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80919-1015 H: (719) 531-5874 E-mail: petetodd59@comcast.net

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Members

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

The Class of 1959 has had more than a passing association with traditions. In our early days, there was a standing joke that if something happened once, it was a random event; if it happened twice, it was a tradition.

To my knowledge, however, the only tradition that we as a Class ever consciously created is the Challenge Bridge.

For those who came in late, in 2004 our Class donated to the Academy the footbridge to the west of Doolittle Hall. It was designed to serve both as the northbound entrance to the Heritage Trail and the southbound entry point for new appointees as they crossed from in-processing to their new lives as Air Force cadets. The Class posed a formal challenge (in bronze) to all succeeding Classes and, until last year, every Class from 2008 onward has been welcomed and challenged by a living, breathing ’59er before they crossed the bridge. The sturdy bridge will doubtless Sabre Society Donors stand the test of time, but as we ’59ers totter our way through our late seventies, the question of how to perpetuate this tradition is unavoidable.

The larger questions, of course, are whether this tradition should or can be continued in its current format, location, timing or integration with appointee in-processing. These are matters for the Academy leadership and the AOG to address and are beyond the scope of this quarter’s article. What I’m hoping to promote here is a bit of thought and dialogue, not only among my classmates, but also (for reasons that will become evident momentarily) among the graduate community at large, concerning how best to perpetuate the Challenge Bridge tradition if continuation is in the cards.

As a departure point, there would seem to be three obvious alternatives when it is no longer possible for ’59ers to welcome an incoming Class at the Challenge Bridge. Each course has advantages and disadvantages, some of which I’ll point out here, others of which will emerge upon further discussion.

A first and most obvious option (if in-processing continues to be conducted at Doolittle Hall) would be simply to have AOG staff perform the welcome and challenge. This would make the process transparent and seamless for the incoming cadets and, with minimal training, minimally intrusive for the staff. Please note that the AOG staff hasn’t been consulted on this option and, since in-processing is already an extremely busy activity, the AOG might be expected to decline the task. However, if the workload issue could be mitigated, the AOG’s status as the representative of all graduates could add significant weight to the gravity of the challenge.

Some might object to this option on the basis that many of the AOG staff members are not themselves graduates. A contrary argument could also be made that the appointees are not likely to examine (or care about) the provenance of whoever is conveying the 1959 Challenge so long as the delivery is confident and compelling.

A second option could be to have the members of selected graduate classes conduct the welcome and the challenge in the name of the first Class. For example, the role of the Legacy Class is already well established. In this case, members of the Legacy Class of 1990, forty years senior to and well over fifty years older than the Class of 2030, might make an important first impression in welcoming and challenging the incoming Class with whom they will have many bonding and mentoring experience over the following four years.

The possibilities inherent in this approach make it almost an irresistible choice. However, there lies buried therein a significant and perhaps

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fatal flaw: there’s no mechanism beyond tradition to require any Legacy Class to accept this responsibility. What if the Class of 1990 (or 2030 or any Class between or beyond) decides that the Class of 1959’s Challenge is obsolete or irrelevant? Suppose a Class considers the brief ceremony at the Challenge Bridge to be too, well, ceremonial. Although workarounds might be fashioned to restore continuity, we should be cautious about instituting some solution that permits any Class effectively to wield a veto over the tradition.

A third alternative would remove the tradition from the risk of Class caprice by making it the province of the Commandant of Cadets. In this format, the cadre upperclassmen, who already supervise the progress of the new appointees from in-processing to the buses by way of the Memorial Wall and the Challenge Bridge, would also be responsible for conveying the Class of 1959 Challenge. This smooth and natural progression would simply become part of the annual BCT routine, passed from Class to Class.

This solution is not without its own risks and disadvantages. The cadre lacks the maturity and the reputation of either AOG staff or Legacy Class members. Without continuous emphasis in training, the protective routine could itself become the enemy of the whole point of the challenge and of the Challenge Bridge: to convey a statement of values and conduct that each appointee can take personally and internalize as a permanent guide to professional behavior. If the Challenge Bridge were to become just another stop on an assembly line, the tradition would have failed in its purpose.

I hope this space-constrained “once-over-lightly” will open a dialogue that will expand upon the options for dealing with a day that will certainly come. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject, even if it’s only to point out the gaping holes in my own logic as I’ve struggled with the issue of my Class’s mortality.

Real-Time Good News: Congratulations are in order to Larry Fortner and his new bride, the former Cullen Wheelock. The Front Range Gang has celebrated their nuptials and you can contact Larry at lfortner8620@ msn.com to add your congratulations and welcome.

Thought for the Quarter: Why is it that our children can’t study the Bible in school, but they can in prison?

(Editor’s note: Sad news. The AOG has learned of Pete’s passing. He died on the evening of Feb. 23, 2013 at his home in Colorado Springs.)

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A.J. (Rosie) Cler, Jr. Members 5423 Myrtle Wood Sarasota, FL 34235-4624 Phone: (941) 371-4843 E-mail: RCtherose@aol.com Class Web Site: www.usafa.net/1960 (Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

“My fiancée, Jutta Gilstrap, is a special education teacher who likes house animals,” wrote Howie Whitfield. “We visited Olympic Peninsula, kayaked Straits of Juan de Fuca, stayed at Lake Crescent, toured Hurricane Ridge and visited Catalina Island. In the top photo at Maggione’s in Bellevue, WA, from left are Sarah Nicosia, Erin Frey, Lynn Frey (daughter), Eric Frey, Howie, Jutta, Dawn Nicosia (daughter), Dean Nicosia, and Lauren Frey. All three granddaughters are in college at Washington State, studying to be school teachers.”

Frank Mayberry completed his Clinical Trial for myeloproliferative disorder at the Huntsman Clinic in SLC during 2012. That didn’t limit Frank’s and Eve’s travel, “getting the camper out to visit Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.” In May it was Arizona to see friends from Turkey, then grandson Colin and his dad Tristan in Long Beach, CA; they also visited Eve’s brother in Las Vegas, and then took friends from South Australia to Grand and Bryce Canyons. Heading to Gatwick (UK), they visited Eve’s brother in Crawley, Rudyard Kipling’s Sussex home, then to East Preston. Next was Berlin, concentrating on Prussian Kings and Queens Palaces, joining Viking River Cruises at Magdeburg for nine days along the Elbe River, including Wittenburg, Meissen and Dresden. Prague was five nights, then on to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Christmas (’12) was Palm Springs, February (’13) included an ocean cruise for 20 days from San Francisco to Sydney, with stops in Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand; then to Hawaii for a Sabre Society cottage near Hilo.

Donors In the bottom of the above photo, Frank and Eve at Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic -- old medieval town, Castle Spire in background.

Frank and Eve flew into San Francisco 24 Jan 2013 to meet friends from Australia, and then drove to Point Arena; boarding the Queen Victoria for a 20-day cruise to Sydney; they stopped in Maui, Hawaii, Samoa, Bay of Islands and Auckland, NZ, returning 13 March.

In April ’13 they’ll go to Panama City, FL, then Biloxi, MS; in June it’s to daughter Kari’s family in Pagosa Springs (CO), riding Chambres-Toltec Railway. In September it’ll be England, Kiev, cruising the Dnieper River to Odessa; and, their last 2013 trip is to Long Beach.

This trip for Ben and Hideko Furuta was to Hotel Europa in Montreal: “Hideko and I were starting an eight-day St Lawrence River Cruise. Especially interesting was Halifax and the cemetery of the Titanic Victims.

Canadian rural scenery was fantastic. The left photo below was Epcot Center in Florida on a later trip. From left are me, Hideko, Lorine (son Craig’s wife), Kevin holding Cordelia, Craig’s daughter, Craig, Elise, Reiko (my daughter) and Matthew. We were having a family vacation. Interesting in that Epcot/Orlando is not far from Bartow where I had primary pilot training. It was my first time back to Florida since 1960! Hideko and I ended with a visit to Miami.”

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The photo on the right of Ann is from Koblenz. Ann and I had so much fun on the class-sponsored Rhine trip in 2011, we came back for the Christmas Markets’ Cruise in 2012,” wrote Gordy Flygare. “Nearly all towns have commissioned souvenir cups, and we collected a few. Knowledgeable travelers said the Danube Christmas Markets are even better.

The Rhine is always fun with wine, beer and wurst – Gemütlichkeit was everywhere! The red-capped dude with white beard took a shine to Ann, but I was able to talk her into coming home with me.”

“For Christmas, I decided to help the homeless in Laguna Beach,” wrote Bill Zersen. “I found that 55-70 people sleep in a secular city shelter there.

I made up 70 Christmas cards with $5-$10 in each. Four neighbors supported the effort with cash. At 7 a.m. I went to the shelter; receiving permission from the manager, I gave a three-minute sermon and asked them to line up. After praying for several, and having envelopes left over, I went to Laguna to walk the Beach and gave away the rest of the envelopes.”

Class Meetings. “There were 13 Stalwarts at the DC-60’s January 2013 luncheon,” wrote Tony Burshnick. “Attending were Ken Alnwick, Tony Burshnick, Tom Burke, Les Querry, Leon Goodson, Bob Badger, Ralph Lalime, Norm Haller, Mike Loh, Bill Hockenberry, Jerry de la Cruz, Bob Fischer, and Al Johnson.” (Photo on CWS-Class Web Site-“DC 60 Group.”)

The Colorado Springs’ group met January 16th; attending were: Tony Bilello, Jim Glaza, Bill Hodson, Wayne Kendall, John McCullough, Bruce Mosier, George Pupich, Fred Porter, Pete Roe, Duck Waddle, and Denis Walsh.

“My son Dax and I went to Germany over Xmas and had a great time.

We arrived at Luxembourg Airport Christmas Eve and departed New Years Eve, the day after Dax’s 21st birthday,” wrote CT Douglass. “We visited my adopted son, Sandi, who is civilian manager of NATO F-16 and A-10 simulator training, based at Spangdahlem AB near Bitburg. He and wife, Donna (ex-F-16 pilot), are ordained Baptist ministers, and have two toddler daughters. We enjoyed sauerkraut. Dax lives with me near Stillwater, MN, and works in St. Paul at a fast food restaurant and completes his Special-Ed class work for autism in June.”

Leaving home in Plano, TX, Art and Pat Lewis (upper photo 3) returned to Art’s home state of Massachusetts for a week of family reunion and sightseeing trips in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, with his two sisters and their families, while attending the wedding of his greatniece in Byfield, MA. In addition to the wedding, they enjoyed a homecooked lobster and steamer dinner in Kennebunk, luncheons with family members at DiMillo’s in Portland and Michael’s HarborSide in Newburyport. The trip ended with visits to the Kennebunk Beach and scenic ocean views at Plum Island, near Newburyport.

“We flew to Venice for daughter Liesl’s “Save Venice Concert” with the Venetia Antiqua Ensemble, before going on to Croatia and Mostar (lower photo 3A: Jane and Bob with view of the old bridge -- Stare Most -- in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Later, Bob added: “We endured the effects of Sandy Hook’s Hurricane, although we were without power for two weeks, and had no telephone or internet for several days,” wrote Bob Odenweller, of Bernardsville, NJ. “This year while I was on Route 66, Mom passed away. She was 98 and travelled the world,” wrote Les Hobgood. “We had an informal graveside ceremony; the majority of attendees were members of the Texas Corvette Association, arriving in 20 Corvettes for their ‘Club Mom.’ 18 months after my ‘Baby Deux’ (Corvette) was pulled out of a backyard where she sat 37 years, we headed to the TCA Corvette Show to win Best-In-Class. Then it was to Chicago on Route 66 for 5400 miles, stopping in Palm Desert (CA) to let Earl Van Inwegen inspect the car for damage. In October, Baby Deux was awarded a Top Flight Blue Ribbon with a 99.1 score! My lady-friend Cindy and I also squeezed in a week in ’Frisco riding cable cars, weekend in Fort Davis, TX visiting the MacDonald Observatory, and Big Bend Open Road Race, finishing Third.”

But Wait—There’s More! This issue contains tales involving 34 classmates. Now, go to our Class Web Site and access “DC-60 Group” for their January ’13 photo; then, go to “Latest Class News” for photos of Les Hobgood’s beautifully-renovated Corvette.

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Earl N. “Nelson” O’Rear Members 50582 Stonington Drive Granger, IN 46530-8243 H: (574) 273-2597 E-mail: enoandtjo@gmail.com Class Web Site: www.usafa1961.org (Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Jerry Gill‘s wife, Dorothy, died on Christmas Day from breast cancer.

Born on Valentine’s Day in 1940 to Adolph and Ruby Waller Swann in Roanoke, AL, she grew up in Birmingham. After graduating from Auburn University in 1962, she and Jerry traveled the world for 26 years and then set-

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Class News tled in Roswell. She was active in the Roswell UMC choir family for 23 years.

Dorothy is survived by Jerry, three daughters and their families, including eight grandchildren, and her sister and her husband. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org in her honor. Neal Westbrook, Mike Rawlins, Jimmy Poole, Johnny Caughman, and Sam Barazzone attended her services.

Our class is quite proud of Mark Anderson’s recognition by the AOG as a Distinguished Graduate. Congratulations from all of us, Mark. It was well deserved. He will receive his award at the Founders’ Day Dinner on Friday, April 5th. It would a wonderful tribute to Mark and his family for as many of his classmates as possible to attend. Please watch for the appropriate AOG e-mails announcing the time and place of the presentation, or go to www. usafa.org and register yourself and a spouse/guest for this special event.

Terry Storm’s Chairman’s Journal in this issue of Checkpoints is his last, since his term on the AOG Board of Directors is ending. He greatly appreciates all of the support of our classmates in his efforts to enhance the effectiveness and cost-efficiencies of the AOG. Thanks from all of us for your many efforts on behalf of our AOG and Academy, Terry.

The Class of 1961 DC Bunch held their November Luncheon at the Springfield Country Club, Springfield, VA—once again, through the courtesy of Charley Dixon. After a beautiful prayer by their chaplain (Twy Williams), Lowell Jones reported on the status of the DC Bunch, and Bill Foster reported on the activities during the most recent Air Force/Army game. Charley Dixon provided an account of his recent eye surgery. He claims that his vision is 20/20, but his hearing has not improved, so they took turns yelling into his good ear. For a bunch Sabre Society of 70-year-olds, they are doing pretty well.

Donors Mark Anderson, Jim Ulm, and Bob Wagner are starting to work on a reunion of their Reese pilot training class: 63B. They have never held a reunion and decided if they don’t get moving, it will be a small group. Tentative plans are late spring, early summer of 2014 in San Antonio. More information will be forthcoming to those involved.

Bob Brickey provided an update on their granddaughter MiaBella Brickey. She is doing beautifully but must always stay away from people who are ill, due to her immunosuppressed body, which keeps her new heart healthy. Bob, Jan, and Mia’s family are ever grateful to so many who have expressed concern, prayers, and aid for Mia. Pat Buckley’s hip joint resurfacing is healing well. He and Marilyn attended an alumni group television session to watch the Air Force/Army game, and then Pat organized a Space Coast Alumni session to watch the Air Force/Rice Armed Forces Bowl game. All had a good time, except for the scores. Pat and Marilyn will be in the UK, Italy, and Spain in February and March, and at their Spanish home on the Costa del Sol (Velez-Malaga) from 26 February to mid-March, with possibly two empty bedrooms if anyone is in southern Spain and wants to visit.

Doug and Dee Cairns enjoyed watching their eldest grandson, Chris, graduate, get a real job, marry, and move from Wetumpka, AL, with his bride to the big city of San Francisco. That those two seem to enjoy living in that politically strange land concerns most of the Cairns family, who are retaining their Southern roots. Cathy, a nurse and Chris’s mom, maintains a watchful eye on Doug and Dee. Chris’s and Jordan’s wedding caused the other two grandchildren to visit for a month from their home in Italy. Teenagers Nathan and Katye attend the DoD Naples American High School. This then became a grand “re-Americanizing” month for the children since they have been over there for 8-plous years, and counting.

Doug enjoys monthly golf with Steve Ho, Jimmy Poole, and Ron Jones.

Michele Cowan, AOG Customer Service Supervisor, realized that Trel and Dick Coppock had lost their complete collection of AOG Christmas ornaments in the 26 June wildfire. She sought a benefactor willing to purchase all she could find in her limited stock of past ornaments and sent them to the Coppocks. She found a generous spirit who, wishing to remain anonymous, purchased 10 ornaments, including the Class of 1961 “jewel,” and asked that they be sent to Dick and Trel with a simple Merry Christmas. They arrived just as the Coppocks were decorating their tree in the (Saint) Nick of time. Dick and Trel are so very grateful to both Michele and their very own “usual suspects” Santa. The true Christmas spirit was indeed evident to the Coppocks, and they are touched by such generosity.

In June 2012 Randy Cubero was selected to run another charitable foundation, Parents Challenge, in Colorado Springs. It provides low-in-

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JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL (719) 472-0300 X200.

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come families financial assistance in the form of scholarships and grants to move their children to a better performing school, or supplemental materials and programs—like tutoring and purchasing a computer—to enhance their child’s academic performance in the current school. Parents Challenge is part of the National School Choice Movement, which believes strongly that parents need to be more engaged and empowered in their child’s education, and that they alone should make the educational choices that will afford their child the best chances for success. Randy said that understanding what has happened to our K-12 public education system has really opened his eyes, especially after so many years of running the Falcon Foundation and dealing with only top-tiered academically performing students trying to enter the Air Force Academy.

Dick Davis enjoyed the hospitality of Carl Granberry and his new wife, Lura, a high school chum. Carl has a well-fed herd of horses on his Winona, TX, property, and Dick’s horse is joining that herd as a guest. They spent the day together, and Carl showed Dick his family’s metal-bending plant where they make rings for brooms and mops. He also showed Dick the improvements he has designed into his metal-bending operation. They are formidable accomplishments, demonstrating applications of his education in mechanical engineering and Double E. It was very impressive.

Tom and Anne Eller spent a couple of weeks, starting with Thanksgiving in the UK with son Rob and family (USAFA ’96), then hosted their other children and grandchildren in Colorado for Christmas. Tom and Anne plan to spend several weeks in Kauai this winter before going to Atlanta and back to the UK at the end of May to celebrate their 50th with all of their children.

Congratulations to Richard Fairlamb, who has been Flight Captain of the Order of Daedalians Flight #23/DFW since mid-year 2011. Flight 23 is one of the largest of the 70+ flights in the international Order of Daedalians, at 209 members. The flight hosted the National Convention in October 2011 and has supported two academic university-level scholarships, a CAP cadet solo program, and CFIP high school AFJROTC cadet solo program annually during recent years. Flight 23, under Richard’s leadership, was awarded the “2012 Jimmy Doolittle Award” by Daedalian National HQ, an award it also earned in 1997. To keep out of trouble, Richard continues to generate some revenue as a Business Continuity and Recovery consultant and teacher, and finds a little time to keep VFR- and IFR-current in his 1957 Cessna 182.

Paul Hinton ran a half-marathon at Disneyland with his oldest granddaughter. The event started at 0500, so they had to be in place at 0430.

When he arose, he thought, “Exactly what the devil is it that made you agree to this?” Save for the hour, however, it was a delight.

Henry and Peggy Howe spent five-weeks on their trip Down Under last fall. It included: four days aboard the Coral Princess II on the Great Barrier Reef, snorkeling; exploring the Daintree National Park by four-wheel tour bus and encountering salt-water crocodiles and flightless emus; living in Karnda National Park with the kangaroos, wallabies, and more crocodiles; spending a week driving through the Outback, around Alice Springs, Ularu (Ayers Rock), Kings Canyon, and Kata Tjuta; and topping off their adventures with a week in Sydney, seeing the local sights and the Blue Mountains. They visited only the North Island in New Zealand, where they spent another week climbing the trails around Mt Ruapehu and rafting on the Tarangi River, then lounging in the hot thermal pools. Their underground adventure took them into the glow-worm caves.

Don and Johnnie McCarter have been blessed to have their children living near. They celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with everyone without long-distance travel, and they participate in grandchildren’s activities.

Each summer they travel to Hendersonville, NC, for a reunion with Don’s brothers and sister and their families. Johnnie and Don love the North Carolina mountains and especially enjoy the national parks, where the trails are blazed to prevent them from getting lost. Walking, playing tennis, and working out at the YMCA help keep the body upright and mobile.

John and Kathy Dates, and Jim and Judy Tulis visit Florida occasionally, and Don and Johnnie really enjoy their time together. Don is certified as a Florida Master Gardener, so he spends a lot of time coordinating the activities of the community garden sponsored by their church, and he volunteers about seventy hours a year at the Orange County plant clinic.

In January, Sam and Gwen Barazzone, Charlie Neel, and Dean Jones wowed the cold-weather skiers and brought Breckenridge slopes to their knees. Lynda Neel and Jo Jones remained grounded.

Hector and Joan Negroni are spending the winter (January-May 2013) at their Bonita Springs, FL, home.

Nelson and Teri O’Rear had a wonderful Christmas season, spending several days over Christmas with their daughter and her family in Michigan, and then several days with their younger son’s family visiting them from Louisville, along with their older son’s family, who also live in Granger. The visit included spending a special evening celebrating their sons and daughters-in-law anniversaries. Finally, they enjoyed a couple of days with their oldest granddaughter and her boyfriend, who joined them on New Year’s Eve from Virginia.

Thanks to all who contributed. You can read an expanded version at our Class Web Site.

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John W. “Jack” Jamba Members 4 Judy Court Satellite Beach, FL 32937 H: (321) 777-5520 O: (321) 861-6279 Cell: (321) 432-1370 E-Mail: jwjamba@aol.com

which shows, from left, Ted Neff, Tim Gilmartin and Rick sitting down to a Mexican dinner, in a Mexican restaurant in Homestead, FL, holding fiercely onto their bottles of Mexican beer. Ted looks inquisitively at the picture taker as if to say, “Why you take our picture, hombre?” Thanks for the picture.

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Hi Redtags, Happy New Year to all! The excitement and exuberance of the 50th Reunion is wearing off as we gradually slip into our old routines at home and at work. But the fond memories linger on.

I received an email from Mike Quinton. “A group of the Southern California Redtags had a post-reunion party, before the Air Force - San Diego State football game hosted by Mike and Judy Quinton. Brunch was served and a good time was had by all. Unfortunately, the Falcons were not victorious. Attending were (standing, from left) Mike and Judy Quinton, Bob and Julie Davey, Mary and Bill Holbrow, Pat Hale, Ann and Roger Meyers and Dick Johnson. Kneeling in front are Charlie Hale and Roger Smith.

I got a note from Mari Jo Flanagan in early December, “Dear Jack, I got a note from the AOG the other day, extending John’s membership to me for a year and that reminded me to take the opportunity to thank all of the Red Tags for their kindness and attention during John’s illness and their sincere expressions of sympathy at his death. For 20 years from the day of our wedding at the 30th Reunion to his death not a day went by without a thought or a reference to USAFA. “Mitch and Susan Eckel, Susan and Allan Wylie from the class of ’62 and Mike Galbreath ’64 and John Kelly ’65 attended the reception I had at home the week after John died; Huck Spory visited while in Falmouth.

“Bob and Sue Lightsey lent tremendous support and Bob delivered a wonderful eulogy at the memorial mass on November 12 along with my son, Lt. Col. Nathan Scopac, ‘97, who reflected on how he was folSabre Society lowing in his stepfather’s footsteps, first at USAFA, then Donors pilot training, then serving in Special Ops. “John was appropriately laid to rest on the day after Veterans’ Day at the National Cemetery at what was his first duty station, Otis AFB in Cape Cod. I miss him terribly. I welcome a hello from any of the Red Tags if they are visiting Cape Cod. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. Mari Jo Flanagan.”

Thanks for the note Mari Jo. His classmates miss him, too.

On a sad note, Lynn Newman, EC Newman’s wife passed away on 9 Nov. EC sent a wonderful eulogy to the Redtag net that elicited many heart-warming responses, to wit, from Chuck Cheeseman: “What wonderful, warm words you have written about Lynn, EC. We share in your loss, and you are in our prayers.”

Many of you received a note from Fred Hendryx reporting the untimely death of his youngest son, Mark. Fred took him to the hospital but after 8 days of treatment and hopeful recovery he passed on to a greater reward.

He leaves behind a wife and two daughters, ages 13 and 10. Please say your prayers for the Hendryx families.

Next I received an email from Rick Perlotto, accompanied by a picture

Next is an update on Bob Carn’s burial location. Tim Gilmartin received a letter from a lady that knew Bob. “This lady dated Bob while he was stationed in Maine. Somehow, she was put in contact with me, and I suggested looking at Arlington. Finally, Arlington now says he is there, and she has closure. I thought maybe the rest of the class should have this info.

“BTW: I donated my own Redtag ephemera to the Academy Library yesterday. Thanks for the idea, Jack. Pass it on; the Library wants it all, but if they already have a copy of something, then the Library will probably not take it.”

Got an email from Don Shepperd: “Al Mosher put together a very nice dinner at the Old Pueblo Inn in Tucson for Jason and Josette Miko, children of John Miko. Neither Jason nor Josette remembered much about their father, so we filled in as many blanks as possible.

“John went to Willy in ‘A’ class, then to Luke and Lakenheath in F-100s, then to Vietnam. He got out in ’69 and went to Continental Airlines and lived in Riverside, CA. John died of cancer in ’71. Jason said he was 7 and Josette 2, when John passed away. They both live in Tucson. Like Frank Urban, who is of Croatian background, John Miko was and Jason is a ‘Bohunk.’ He has spent 7 years in Macedonia and is in fact the “Honorary Macedonian Consul” in Tucson.

“Frank Urban had a photo of himself, Norm Roderick and John. We also gave Jason a copy of Those Red Tag Bastards and copies of John’s photo from the ’59-’62 USAFA yearbooks. Attending were Al and Ann Mosher, Frank and Judy Urban, Ming Mangold, Rose and I. It was a great evening.”

An email from Sam Dehne: “Jack, if you want something a little different from the regular old stuff, here it is. Sam Dehne and his Too Wild Yankees Band (with his grandson on drums) entertain the audiences during Reno’s Hot August Nights at the Silver Legacy Casino on Virginia Street in downtown Reno.”

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I received an email from Dave Holt. “Alex Harwick and I are alone in Alabama and I am jealous of the many re-reunions in Florida, Vegas, and D.C. “I’ve been struggling to find a re-reunion concept for isolated RTBs like us, perhaps a project-centered gathering? For example, in the first part of June, upper New York State is ideal. There are WW I aviation events for airplane and history buffs; museum and mechanical work for those so inclined; and many other attractions for the family (Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Estate, West Point, Quebec and Montreal). (See www.oldrhinebeck.org.) If anyone is interested, contact me on rtb.notify@redtags.us or 2holt@bellsouth.net.”

Dave, first a little humor: I suggest that the two of you move here. Just kidding. Seriously, I like your idea. Arranging a get-together in an area or around an event is excellent. At the 50th, many classmates mentioned that they thought frequent state or regional assemblies were a good idea.

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Class News We should use our remaining days to have more frequent get-togethers in different parts of the country. So get your thinking caps on and start planning. No one is in charge and the AOG isn’t going to help. You are on your own. Have fun with it.

And to reinforce this point, the Central Florida Redtags got together in Mid November at Tony Roma’s in Orlando for a spirited mini-reunion.

From left are Jim Gallagher, Hal & Diane Rhodes, Beau Gabel, Susan & Lyle Wilson, Caroline Jamba (clinging to Jack for support -- too much iced tea; just kidding), Duke Green, Jack Jamba, Mike Butler, Chuck Cheeseman, Tom Young, Joe Hines, Vern Wood, Bob & Christie Staib and Harry & Pat Paddon.

Go Redtags!

Norman I. (Skip) Lee 63119 E. Cat Claw Lane Tucson, AZ 85739-2058 Home: (520) 825-7980 Cell: (520) 241-3498 54wrs63@gmail.com Class Web Site: www.usafa63.org

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Members

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Class News: 1963: The Association of Graduates informed us of the death of Mr. Charles V. Bush, CS-19. Chuck passed away on 5 Nov 2012 in Lolo, MT after a long illness. Condolences may be sent to his family in care of his wife, Bettina: Mrs. Bettina Bush; 11561 Stella Blue Dr; Lolo, MT 59847-8493.

The Association of Graduates also notified us of the death of Col (Ret) Grover E. Musselwhite, CS-22. “Gene” passed away on 24 Jan 2013 in Rock Hill, SC. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any of the following charities: The First Presbyterian Church; 234 E. Main St; Rock Hill, SC 29732, Hospice Care of South Carolina; 1230 Ebenezer Rd; Rock Hill, SC 29732, or the Alzheimer’s Association; PO Box 96011; Washington, DC 20090-6011. Condolences may be sent to his family in care of his wife, Joan: Mrs. Joan Musselwhite; 1667 Huntcliff Dr; Rock Hill, SC 29732-9346 50th Celebration Events: During Graduation Week, May 27-29, our Class will present 2nd Lt bars, inscribed on the back with “63-13 USAFA”, to newly commissioned officers from the Class of 2013. Squadron commissioning will occur in two sessions at approximately Sabre Society 20 locations on base. We need volunteers for the comDonors missioning ceremonies and to participate in other

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graduation week activities.

Our activities include: Monday, May 27th, meet at a local eatery for dinner and go over final instructions on participating in commissioning ceremonies. Tuesday, 28th, participate/ observe Graduation Parade in the morning, have lunch at the golf course or Falcon Club, then participate in commissioning ceremonies at 1630 and 1900. We must have one classmate at each ceremony; two would be better. One at each commissioning will say a few words, no more than 4 or 5 minutes, welcoming the new class to the long blue line. After our talk and words by the squadron AOC, commissioning will begin and we will present the engraved bars with an attached message to each 2nd Lt after he/she is commissioned. There will be lots of family and friends at each ceremony; we, as expected, play a minor role. Wednesday, 29th, we’ll have brunch with the Superintendent at the top of the football stadium and afterwards observe graduation from there. We’ll probably get together again that evening for an informal dinner.

Want to volunteer? Contact Bob Hayes at 719-481-9693 or email him at bcahayes@comcast.net. If you’ve already contacted Bob, he’ll email you later with more info.

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Reunion Reminder: In November you received a letter from Bill Ball and Denny King full of information about 50th reunion events and schedule. Give it a good read and mark your calendars for October 23-26, 2013.

Please watch the reunion website for more information: at www.usafa. org/reunion/1963.

Mick Roth writes: “We are looking forward to a grand celebration of our 50th anniversary. It has been a challenge and a pleasure to chair your 50th Gift Committee for this event. Our Committee has had a meaningful experience in crafting the concept for a special 50th Anniversary Gift to our Academy. We zeroed in on the new Center for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD); specifically, what benefits will go to cadets from this $30 million building. We are establishing a Class Endowment Fund to provide annual support to programs in the CCLD, to the History Department’s Center for Oral History, and to our Class of ’63 Class Histories project. As you are probably aware, we played a role in connecting the Center for Oral History with CCLD; and in that process, there emerged the idea our Class Histories might also complement the CCLD. In that regard, we urge two things from all Classmates: record your personal part of our Class History and also provide whatever support you can to our Class Endowment Fund.

To those who have already taken these steps we send our thanks.

“Our gift is unique; it will provide financial support annually, and hopefully in perpetuity, for programs to teach cadets to lead the Air Force in an honorable and noble manner.”

The Class Histories Team reported in saying over 111 videos were completed and posted to the Class History website. If you haven’t done yours yet because you don’t know if you really have something to add we suggest you think otherwise. The video content from our classmates is wide-ranging—covering many life moments and they are compelling. For quick access to the videos Google the one word usafaclasshistories and immediate access. Select the “1963 Heritage Display” and click on “1963 Classmates.”

To schedule a video session contact a member of the Class Histories Team (Lou Matjasko usafa63historian@msn.com or Gil Merkle gmerkle@tlu. edu) and they will set you on a direct heading to one of the Class Video Producers near you. Meantime, pull together your personal history and upload it to your part of the Class History Website. Forgot/lost your password? Gil can fix the problem.

News: John Borling’s book, Taps On The Walls, Poems From The Hanoi Hilton is being published in hard cover by Master Wings Publishing LLC. You can find a copy on Amazon.Com. Ken Broman reports working on trail building on the Olympic Peninsula, traveling to the UK with Kay and considering a knee replacement—the knee was damaged at USAFA in 1960.

Ken at the British Museum.

Paul Verdier had a partial knee replacement last year and was out on the golf course four weeks later. On a cold October morning before the Navy game Bob Hayes, Tom Fryer and I observed his game and it is good!

Testing Butch’s swing!

Butch had the honor of swearing in grandson, Ben Brown, Class of 2012, at Ben’s graduation at USAFA last May. Again, many thanks to Jimmie Butler for the picture of our fallen Classmates from the SEA Conflict.

thing about 20th Trolls a long time ago, but they lived a long way from 12th – and I’ve slept since then.)

1st Lieutenant Robert M. Gilchrist was reported missing on 7 October 1966 after his F-4C aircraft was shot down in North Vietnam. His status was changed to Killed in Action on 6 March 1978. He was promoted to major posthumously. Bob was a member of the 497 TFS at Udorn, RTAB, Thailand.

Captain Joseph S. Pirruccello was reported missing on 8 December 1968 while on a RESCAP mission in northern Laos. The A-1 aircraft he was piloting was hit by small arms fire, crashed and exploded on impact.

Joe’s status was changed to Killed in Action on 31 October 1969. He was a member of the 602 SOS at Nakon Phanom RTAB, Thailand.

1st Lieutenant John P. Skoro, Jr., was killed on 13 September 1966 while on an in-country F-100 mission near Qui Nhon, South Vietnam. After reporting to the area FAC, the F-100 aircraft he was piloting began an air to ground strike and was subsequently shot down in Viet Cong territory. His remains were recovered on 17 September by personnel of the 1st Cavalry Division. John was a member of the 615 TFS, Phan Rang AB, SVN. That’s it for this time. Remember to set the reunion dates on your calendars, upload your bio while thinking about a video topic and consider making a pledge.

Even Old Trolls have to eat: Jack Wojnaroski, Jim Hermanson, Doug Jenkins, Fred Malmstrom, Bob Thomas and Rod Wells at the November gathering.

Sad News: Butch McGehee died of cancer in December and was buried in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery. Also, Bobby Beverly died in November in Monument, CO, after a stroke. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for some time. Since Sandy and I were coming to Colorado Springs that week anyway, we came early for the funeral and graveside service. It was good to see so many classmates, but we need to have more reunions and fewer funerals!

This photo captured most of the classmates in attendance at the Colorado service, including an ancient portrait of Bobby, courtesy of Fred Malmstrom. From left are Tom Morris, Bill Sieg, Gary Ryser (looking to his left), Jerry Butler, Rick Walsh, Doug Jenkins, Wally Wolniewicz, Fred Malmstrom, Jay Kelley, Roger Neeland, John Boles, Bob Hovde, Claude Billings, JD Manning (looking away in background) and Rod Wells.

Bob Hovde 206 Walker Ave. Huntsville, AL 35801 (H) (256) 532-3923 (M) (256) 348-9794 bob@hovde.us

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Small World: Chuck Handley sent in a “small world” story. Chuck is still in Melbourne, FL, enjoying great weather and doing fine. He related the story of his brother Bill in Franklin, NC: “Bill, his wife, Joyce [a Franklin City Alderman], and lots of town and county residents [to include all the members of the Franklin Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)] were gathered in Franklin to present Macon County Awards to two local heroes/Vietnam POWs – one AF and one Army. Turns out the AF POW was retired Col Tom McNish. [When Tom was in grade school his family moved to Franklin.] As the speaker is going through Tom’s distinguished history, he mentioned Sabre Society that Tom graduated from USAFA in 1964. So, Bill tells Donors Joyce ‘Hey, that’s when Chuck graduated, I wonder if Col McNish knows Chuck?’ Of course, Bill doesn’t know that Tom and I were both in 12th Squadron.

“After the presentation, the folks line-up to meet the two Vietnam heroes and shake their hands. When Bill finally gets to Tom, he of course thanks him for his service and then says ‘I understand you graduated from USAFA in 1964 and I wondering if by chance you know Charles Handley?’ Tom reacts and says, ‘Chuck! How do you know Chuck?’

Bill responds, ‘I’m his twin brother!’ Tom says, ‘I didn’t know he had a twin brother! It’s great to meet you and please say hello to Chuck!’”

Old Trolls: Doug Jenkins sent in another picture of the Old Trolls that met in November. He also corrected me on my bad assumption that the “Old Trolls” had something to do with 3rd Squadron (last article). He reports, “The Old Trolls is a gaggle of guys from various cadet squadrons. It has no particular affiliation with CS03. In fact, the group was started by four guys from CS20—Bruce Fister, Jim Hermanson, Roger Neeland and myself [Doug]—hence the name Old Trolls.” (I think I remember some-

’64 attendees at Bobby Beverley’s funeral at USAFA. North California AOG Dinner: Dave Neal sent in the picture below of the NorCal AOG dinner in January.

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Bill Douglas ‘65, Dave Neal, Bill and Kathleen White, Jim Swallow ‘65, Ginny Douglas at NorCal AOG dinner in January. Gaylord Green also attended.

The Annual Feiertag Update: Matt Feiertag sent his annual Holiday Letter, making sure we knew he was still going high-speed. He has a granddaughter, Gretta (1), in Denver, so he gets there fairly often now. Meanwhile, he reports: “In May, my girlfriend Kathy and I drove the Mustang to Phoenix for the River Rat Reunion, and had a great time. We also got to visit both of her sons and their families. In July, our local Association of Graduates chapter (of which I am the Vice President) hosted the Air Force Academy Sailplane Racing Team at a local meet north of Reno. Our chap-

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Class News ter also had a couple of small get-togethers at a local sports bar to watch the AFA football team. Turnout and results left a little to be desired!

“In September, I volunteered out at the Air Races, as I have done for years. Thank God, this year they were uneventful, with no crashes. The finances are still shaky, partly as a result of last year’s crash. But we are hopeful they will continue to be held here for a long time.

“In November, I got to fly with a friend, Tracy Rhodes, in his ’46 Global Swift, over to Auburn for lunch. It was nice to get my hands on the stick again after all these years!

“I did my usual substitute teaching in the elementary grades, a very little motorcycle rider instruction for the Dept. of Public Safety and Western Nevada College, and volunteered on the Red Cross Board of Directors.”

Think REUNION! After Sandy and I get back from Alaska in July, I’m really going to get started on it! Until then, smooth flights!

Bruce Wood 7610 Sonatta Court Lincoln, NE 68516 Home and Cell: (402) 470-7152 brucewood1965@gmail.com http://usafa1965.org (official) https://usafa-1965.org (auxiliary)

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only (!), we visited both a winery and a gin factory. I hadn’t seen much of the Stones since pilot training.

“When setting out on a photographic holiday, always provide yourself with two cameras, one to leave in the train going and the other to leave in the cab coming back.” -W.C.Sellar & R.J.Yeatman.

Traveling seems to be one of our favorite pursuits during this point in our lives. I guess I could have seen Bruce Grossetta, Larry Stone or other classmates on a cruise liner over the past few years! Betty and I sailed the Eastern Med in early October on Holland America. We had a great time and stopped at Venice, Croatia, Montenegro, Athens, Istanbul, Ephesus, the island (volcano) Santorini, and back to Venice. The pace on cruises is so hectic; I think we get more enjoyment from re-visiting through pictures than from being there – especially since I use the 878 photos as my screensaver.

“In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language”. -Mark Twain

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Hello Silvertags!

Since the last issue, John Puster passed away. John was an upstanding Cadet and Officer. His obituary can be found in this Checkpoints. “While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil.” -John Taylor Input from classmates was down for this issue. And I didn’t glean anything from Facebook, but frequently see items from Bill Peavy, Warren Langley, Bill Roberts, Steve Finch, Joy Flake, Barbara Bickham, Mason Botts, Harry Harrison, Scotty Shafer, and Nino Baldacci (but I’m not sure he graduated with us and he is probably still matriculating). I recently read that Cadets are complaining about the quality of their one mandatory meal each day; perhaps Nino can explain to me what happened to three daily mandatory Sabre Society meals and formations.

Donors Changes to meals at Mitch’s remind me how, every year, I see the Academy change more dramatically.

Naturally, I think the changes and lack of respect for traditions and decorum we came to embrace are for the worse. I’ve even questioned the AOG about there being no Cadet Wing memorial formation to honor classmates who have passed away during the previous period. Though I accept that current events, schedules, political correctness, and other factors don’t allow for continuation of ceremonies we have revered, I still miss them – ‘nuff said!

The following is from Bruce Grossetta: Hey Bruce, if you need material for the next column, here’s a tidbit: Gail and I cruise a lot, and recently found out that Larry and Ann Stone do as well. It was coincidence but we were on the Azamara Quest together last November in the Western Med. Here’s a photo of us taking a “jeep safari” on the small island of Menorca.

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Santorini Since I had so little input from you this quarter, that’s “30” for this issue.

Please send me any updates on your status, trips, events, offspring happenings, meetings, issues, gossip, tips, jokes, or anything else to my e-mail address so I can include them in the next issue.

“If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.” -Doug Larson I also have a Facebook account (Bruce Wood) which you can use if you don’t mind the whole world seeing what you have to say. Or, I can now get text messages on my Iphone (402-470-7152) and can respond immediately to your requests/info/ideas/whatever.

Bruce. ’65 – Best Alive Ryan Denny 1635 Mary Todd Lane O’Fallon, IL 62269 H: (618) 624-4255 E-mail: ryanden@aol.com

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Greetings, Redtags! As we leap into 2013 (after surviving the end of the world in 2012), it sounds like many of us are enjoying the same things -- travel, grandkids, and 50th high school reunions. At our house, we’re spending a lot of time watching a couple of grandkids so their parents can go to work instead of moving into our basement. It’s a whole new phase of life for me (my wife says that I missed all this the first time around because I was TDY). I’m getting used to diapers, baby food, and naps—for the baby, too.

John and Liz Fal took off on a 3-month camping Sabre Society trip from their home in Colorado to Newfoundland.

Donors They hooked up their camping trailer in early June and headed north and east to see the sights and visit their son, Tim, in St John’s Newfoundland, the farthest eastern point in North America. They got back to Colorado at the end of August -- happy they made the trip but happier to be home. Mike and Judy Blair live in one of those places that the rest of us travel to – Alaska -- so when they travelled this year, they went to places like Dallas, San Diego, and Puerto Vallarta. When they are at home,

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From left are Bruce, Gail, Larry, and Ann Grossetta. Note the’65 shirt!

Great fun doing some off road driving, plus for reconnaissance purposes

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they enjoy chopping wood, fishing for salmon, and watching the wildlife.

When Mike talks about watching the eagles and the bears, he is not talking about football teams. They also went to a “farthest” place when they took a midnight tour to Point Barrow, Alaska, the farthest northern point in the United States.

Al “Stretch” Strzemieczmy is Flight Captain for his local Daedalian flight in Riverside, CA. He writes that Nick Kehoe, the Daedalian National Commander, presided over Flight 30’s Veteran’s Day ceremony at the Riverside National Cemetery and then joined them for a luncheon. Stretch says that he and Nick were able to spend several hours together over the two days and had a great time. As the Flight Captain, Stretch presented Nick a bottle of wine from the vineyard of “Hap” Arnold’s grandson as thanks for his participation in the ceremonies. Other than his Daedalian duties, Stretch is fully retired and says that he is getting his “electrical system” modified with a pacemaker so that he can keep up with the rest of us at our 50th Reunion.

Stretch and Nick Kehoe wrestle over a bottle of wine at a Daedalian meeting.

Harry and Betsy Icke have made travel their mission this year. They started with the Dominican Republic for a little beach relaxation, and then off to Krakow and Warsaw in Poland, and then on to Berlin (their first visit since The Wall came down). They followed this up with a Baltic Capitals cruise that touched shore in Copenhagen, Tallinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. Shortly after the cruise they went to another exotic location -- Schertz, TX -- for a 50th high school reunion. Harry’s plan is to continue to be a “Moving Target”, in the hope that the constant travel will keep them young at heart (and maybe a little younger in body as well).

Kurt Krug sent an update from the Falcon’s football game in the Big House against Michigan. His daughter Kelli and her husband were both Michigan AFROTC graduates who spent some time in the Air Force in Dayton before rejoining civilian life. Kurt is planning on his grandson being in the class of 2030; he’s just not sure whether he will be a Wolverine, Buckeye, or Zoomie. To cover some these options, he wore Kurt’s AF Tshirt and a recycled Michigan sweat shirt to the game.

at the KC airport and Shirley teaches for camps and programs at the KC zoo.

In other news gleaned from Christmas cards, Bill and Beverly Wacker kept their travels to the CONUS—but they did go to Bill’s 50th high school reunion in Ohio. They are happily retired in Myrtle Beach—Bill plays golf (which is what he did before he retired) and Bev still sings in the local church choir. Rusty and Ann Gideon are enjoying life on their ranch in Idaho. In addition to a lot of fishing, Rusty stays busy with Capstone Missions, where he travels to Tijuana several times a year to help with their volunteer construction projects in that poor and dangerous area of Mexico.

Gary Palmer and John Grozier represented our class as a team in the DC area Service Academy Match Play Golf Event a while ago. They beat two West Pointers, which made their day; and the USAFA team beat both the Annapolis and West Point teams. Gary said they had a great time, as almost always happens when you win.

John Grozier and Gary Palmer take the checkered flag at a DC golf tournament.

Larry Bagley is our current class “senator” and does a great job of representing us at meetings of the AOG. He sends out regular email reports that have a lot of good insight about what’s going on at the Academy and what our AOG is doing for us. We try not to repeat each other; so Larry covers the “official” news, and I handle whatever else they let me put in print.

Please keep those emails and pictures coming to let the rest of us know what you are doing and which exotic locales you have been traveling to.

Until next time… Happy Landings!

Larry Wilson 13100 Pinehurst Ave. NE Albuquerque, NM 87111 H: (505) 291-8949 E-mail: Lwilsn628@aol.com

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Kurt Krug with daughter Kelli and grandson Aaron send mixed messages at the AFA-Michigan football game.

Arne and Kathy Weinman also went to China. They went as ambassadors for the Lilac Festival and for the city of Spokane as they visited their sister city, Jilin, in the far North of China. Kathy stayed very busy chaperoning a group of high school seniors, but it sounded like Arne spent most of his time smiling and shaking hands with their Chinese hosts.

China seems to be the destination of choice for Redtags this year, as Dennie and Shirley Watson made the trek to the Great Wall. After seeing all the sights in China, they went to Bangkok and were amazed how much it has changed since they were last there 40 years ago. When the Watsons are back home in Kansas City, Dennie volunteers at the aviation museum

Greetings and salutations: as I write this, it is chilly and cloudy and snow is intermittently blowing past my window. A good day to sit inside and compose Checkpoints stuff, while awaiting a solar breakthrough.

While precipitation is always good in the desert southwest – I am ready for clear skies and sunshine again.

Before I get further into this – thanks again to Bob Muldrow, for composing the previous input, following the reunion, when I was indisposed (on a boat, somewhere east or west of or amid the Panama Canal, probably sipping something healthy (?) And perhaps smoking a fine cigar).

And now I’m back – so away we go.

A reunion follow-up message from Pat Finnegan: “During the cold and rain at golf, the dedication and ballgame, I felt a little tightness in my chest, but wrote it off to altitude and being out of shape. Got home and had it checked with a stress test, heart cath and found 90% blockage. Two days later they cracked my chest and did a quadruple bypass. Recovery is going well... I could have had a heart attack anytime during the Reunion the doctor said… I had no major symptoms or pain, but I was not right. Word to the wise – go to the doc if you have any doubts about chest weird feelings… Yes – I am one lucky Irishman…Got a trip to Antigua for my birthday to get well for… Start rehab on Wed. All is going great… Thanks for all your prayers and warm thoughts.” Yikes.

All of you likely know that Colorado is one of the states that legalized personal use of marijuana. The Superintendent sent out a clear-text mes-

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Class News sage to the Cadet Wing that – regardless of the Colorado law – marijuana use is still a federal offense; use by cadets is not acceptable, and if cadets “…get caught using MJ, they should have no second chance expectations.” That position elicited this response from Roy Miller: “…So I guess we must conclude that using marijuana, a nearly harmless drug that is now legal in Colorado, is considered by USAFA senior management to be a more serious offense than lying, cheating, stealing, or tolerating (honor infractions where “second chance” is the policy… No one should be surprised that we are, consequently, producing graduates who lie, cheat, steal, and tolerate. (Approximately 80% of them according to Fred Malmstrom’s data.) I suggest that we reexamine our priorities.”

For what it is worth, a 16 December story in the Annapolis Capital describes “…Drug Use, Party Culture”… at the Naval Academy, and describes a significant problem. A sad sign of the times.

The Wing garnered some additional not-complimentary press in October: “Twenty-seven Air Force Academy cadets were injured… after a traditional hazing event left some with concussions, broken collar bones and cuts and bruises. One cadet suffered a human bite on the arm… The hazing, known as First Shirt/First Snow, is an unofficial tradition that occurs every year on the first snow. Freshmen cadets try to throw their stripped-down cadet first sergeant in the snow, while the upperclassmen try to defend the sergeant... what was once a fun event has ‘turned into a brawl’ and has become increasingly violent in the past two years.”

That event and the Academy’s response evoked a response from Tom Menza: “…The lack of common sense and maturity (of the cadets involved) only reflects the contemporary American society from which these kids come. They are not bad kids, but they don’t have that same sense of near adulthood or maturity that I think was present a couple generations ago… I teach up there a couple times each semester as a guest instructor for history classes... Basically the cadets are good kids, but factor out the uniforms I don’t get the sense it’s a military school anymore. Graduate aspirations tend be more towards non-military related activities. The lore Sabre Society of military aviation and military duty, even during an Donors ongoing war, is minimal if not gone. There are pictures on the wall and all that, but the atmosphere is of a prep school for privileged children rather than a rigorous training center for future military officers. As to the whys for this, a longer reflection and discussion is required. A few officers I know in the history dept still try to instill a military tradition via their classes but the overall atmosphere doesn’t seem too concerned with a real military environment. Warfare to them is video games and ‘cyber’ attacks.

In contrast to above, there is a real war going on, like it or not. We have funerals in Colorado Springs regularly for Army troops lost overseas. And yes, an Academy faculty member, doing a one-year remote, was killed over there during this past year. Yet the atmosphere the cadets live in is not one of military maturity. They are just kids from the pop culture of America today wailing around with their heads down on their ipads or ‘pods or whatever twittering and tweeting or doing whatever kids do these days when walking around with their heads down. End of editorial.” For your consideration: no further comment from me.

One more bad/ sad news item, relayed by Bob Muldrow: a Colorado Springs headline a while back was “At academy, sex assault reports have increased by 50 percent.” “According to the paper… our Academy accounts for the majority of sexual assaults among the three academies. Our spokesperson opined… that our ladies feel more confident in the system, and they are more willing to come forth to authorities. What the Academy is more concerned about is that we have led the pack in reported assaults over the last three years, and our numbers are not going down, despite the emphasis our administration has put on this problem… Overall at the

three academies, the reports of sexual assaults rose by 23% over the last academic year -- 80. The Air Force Academy had 52 of those 80 reports.

We had 33 the year before. Now 12 of those 52 incidents happened before the cadets entered the Academy. Four were restricted reports from the year before. Three out of five cases resulted in the ladies getting counseling and medical treatment without creating a criminal investigation…”

Change of tone: Ray Leopold celebrated a birthday recently, and sent some pics. (See bottom of previous column.)

A late reunion note from Jeff Schofield who hosted the “Tough Twenty Trolls” at his house. “… From left the critters are Skip Torresson (did not graduate), Bill Mulcahy, John Wingfield, Len Cerny, Roy Miller, Dick Tebay, Eric Thorson, Peyt Cole, John Jackson…” and Jeff.

“Tough Twenty Trolls” at the reunion!

Probably all of us recall what a fearsome character Abner Haynes was back in the day. Well… time tends to morph us all: Here is Abner with one of his attack dogs.

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Abner – hasn’t changed a bit…

I am about out of my allotment of words.

A final thought: there are some of us who are having some tough times, due to health issues, or personal/family/social issues. We can all reach out with a word and a prayer, and – say thanks for every good day we’ve had, and all the blessings we enjoy.

Vaya con Dios.

Tim Davidson 9712 Hidden Valley Road Vienna, VA 22181-6094 Phone: (703) 255-5313 Mobile: (703) 772-6052 E-mail: timdav1968@verizon.net Class Website: www.usafa68.org

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

HELLO ’68!! Using highly-honed Zoomie skills of observation, you have undoubtedly ascertained the Mayans’ prediction for a non-existent 2013 missed the mark. Consequently, with the exceptions of driving off the “Fiscal Cliff” or experiencing some other unpredicted manmade or natural disaster, the Class of 1968 will have its 45th Reunion! The scheduled dates are from Thursday, 31 October through Saturday, 2 November and our football foe will be Hudson High. The reunion hotel is “being ne-

Visit the AOG Web Site.

Gone But Not Forgotten, Merchandise and more! www.usafa.org “Happy Birthday Ray!”

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gotiated” and will be announced via an e-mail blast. I look forward to seeing you in C-Springs this Halloween!! The East Coast Reunion will be at Ed and Karen Eberhart’s home in Arlington, VA on 22 June.

Jim Bettcher and family. From left standing are Jim, Mary (wife), Sam (brother-in-law), Vicki (Mary’s sister), and Danny (nephew). Seated is Doris (Mary’s mother – 98 years old.

THE GOOD LIFE BEGINS IN SEQUIM: First-time contributor to our class column, Jim Bettcher, checked in from Sequim, WA with news of his family’s activities in 2012. Jim writes, “We’ve had visits from everyone in our immediate families and have in turn visited Jaime in Manhattan and Jon and Bri in San Francisco. We’ve traveled from the Olympics to Salzburg, Austria with friends and family. I’ve skied the slopes at Whistler, biked roads and mountains around Sequim, and climbed Mount St Helens and Mount Baker with old and new friends. My pilot training class from 1970 at Moody AFB had a reunion in Colorado.

I’ve become active in the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter and have flown several different light aircraft -- hope to become at least a part owner of one soon. My big summer project was rebuilding the 24’x12’ floating portion of our 208’ long dock.

“Mary stays busy taking care of her mom, with exSabre Society ercise classes, all of our guests, her Kindle, and Harley Donors and me. She loves the critters and her flowers and the beauty of Sequim Bay. “Daughter Jaime works for Nomura Bank as an Operations Project Manager at the World Financial Center in Manhattan. Son Jon and his bride, Brianne, now live in the Potrero district of San Francisco. (A great place for both sets of parents to visit!) They are both able to bike to work: Jon at Twitter as lead Mobile Apps Engineer and Bri as Assistant Professor at UC San Francisco, leading a research project at the Memory & Aging Center. They brew their own beer, hike the mountains and love their city!” Thanks for the great update, Jim! MORE CONTACT UPDATES RECEIVED FOR 45TH REUNION: Special thanks to Pat McBride, Steve McPhail, Russ Russell, Pat Russell, Al Beauregard, Dale Franz, Dale Oderman, Dan Bucchioni, Ed Eberhart, Tony Eden, Gene Rose, Gary Nordyke, Gary McDonald, Nick Nicholson, H.T. Johnson, Bob Johnston, Brooke Bailey, Tom O’Beirne, Jim Parker, Carl McPherson, Pat Hurley, Ralph San Antonio, Jack Webb, Vic Bonfiglio, Al Blumberg, Woody Woodside, Lindsey Bierer, Rhip Worrell, and Rick Patterson for following Russ Burnham’s lead by sending me their current e-mail addresses. For those who have not provided your current e-mail addresses, your help is still needed to update our Class’ contact roster.

Along with address updates, I also got some news. Dale Franz writes, “In the for what it’s worth department, I have taken a noticeable turn in life and am now involved in the film industry -- presently as a Script Supervisor and soon (when training is completed) as a Production Manager/Line Producer. It is not something that I would have ever thought of doing, but my lovely wife, Christine, who has been an animation producer for a good number of years thought that it might be interesting to expand her field into live action, and she suggested that I might find it interesting and challenging. Ergo, I have done so, and, SHE WAS RIGHT!” Dale Oderman responded, “I am pleased to report that I have fully recovered from my bypass surgery in late June, and am back to ‘normal’ -whatever that means for guys our age! I felt so good that Vera and I went with 12 other couples on a trip to Ireland in September that was arranged

by Colleen Denny (Bob’s wife). There were three ’68ers and their wives on the trip -- Bob & Colleen Denny, Doug & Dee Wilson, and Vera & I. It was a great trip, and I am very thankful to God that I caught the heart problem early and that I got well so quickly. I also really appreciated hearing from so many of our classmates with their encouragement after I published my story on the class website.” (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Rhip Worrell responded with sincere gratitude for the Class’ thoughts and prayers in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire and the loss of his house. He really appreciates all the offers from classmates for everything

Dublin Pub Crawl. From left are Doug Wilson, Bob Denny, and Dale Oderman. from lodging and clothing to food and shoulders to cry on. He said Judy and he are doing fine and that his new house at 2011 Hamilton Creek Road, Silverthorne, C) 80498 should be ready by next Christmas.

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Halloween Pilots. Gary Nordyke and grandson Thomas.

EARLY RECRUITMENT FOR THE CLASS OF 2031: Another first-time contributor, Gary Nordyke, writes, “I am attaching a photo of my four-year old grandsonThomas wearing his Halloween costume. He actually selected the costume himself and when asked why he selected a ‘pilot suit’ he said it was because he wanted to be like Grandpa. The reason I am in the picture along with him is that a few minutes before heading out to Trick or Treat, he asked me where my pilot suit was and insisted that I wear it. We hadn’t talked about pilot suits for a long time and he had never seen me wear one.

Fortunately, I was able to don it -- thanks only to Velcro!!

“Now, for an update. . . After retiring in 1990 from test piloting in the Air Force, I went to work for Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque where I am a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff. My wife, Rigena, is a psychologist, specializing in the treatment of adolescents. About three years ago we adopted Thomas and his 5-year-old sister, Acelynn. We are rediscovering the world around us through their young eyes as we share their excitement on holidays, birthdays, events such as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and trips (San Diego, Pensacola Beach, and Disneyland to name a few). Needless to say, they keep us hopping and... we expect to keep working for a few more years. Wish us luck in affording college when they get old enough!”

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS: Please pray for Kathy Barker and her family with the death of her husband, and our classmate, Dan. A heartfelt tribute to Dan, written by Bob Johnston, is featured in the “Gone But Not Forgotten” column.

THAT’S A WRAP: Mind the flak; keep ’em flying, and keep those cards, letters, e-mails, and photos coming in to Pat Russell and me. Ciao for now. Tim

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL (719) 472-0300 X200.

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Class News Lindsey Parris 616 King’s Cloister Circle Alexandria, VA 22302 Home: (703) 836-3604 102177.1033@compuserve.com

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Greetings, all, here on the threshold of spring. Trusting that this quarterly update finds you all in grand health, and enjoying life to its fullest.

No room for all the news, but here are selected highlights and pix from the recent past.

Thumbing through the Jan-Feb issue of Harvard Business Review (do any of us have time to actually read complete articles these days?), I ran across an interesting piece which proved to be of enormous topical relevance to the Class of 1969. In an article titled “The 100 Best CEO’s in the World,” listed at number 71 is none other than our own Davey Yost!

We know from the past that Dave was listed in the Top Ten of US Fortune 500 CEOs, but this listing is global in scope—lots of companies there. Takes about $22 billion in revenues to crack the Top 500. Amerisource Bergen, the company from which he has now stepped down, lists at #94 with over $80 billion in revenues. Yostie suggests there were only two people in the world Sabre Society more surprised than himself—Jean and Jean’s mother!

Donors Massive props from ’69 to Dave on this latest in his long string of business accolades.

The Percy Clan, last Checkpoints-reported sighting in the south of France, has continued its globetrotting ways. Randy and Judy with Jackie (USAFA class of ’97) traveled to Myanmar in December, hoping to catch Burma before Western culture imprints its indelible stamp, now that travel is more open and dissidents have been released. They report that the Burmese people are warm, ever-smiling, and aspiring capitalists! With vivid memories of thousands of temples on the plain of Bagan (seen from a balloon), cruise views of the Irriwaddy River, and the very different culture of Inle Lake fishing villages in North Burma, they returned in time for Christmas and their February wedding anniversary. Upcoming are planned trips to more mundane destinations (Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, Steamboat Springs) and the exotic, including Turkey with Ron and Nanci Olds. Randy recommends Burma highly, but reserves his highest accolades for his bride of 41 years!

Skip and Marty Skinner are busy in Arizona, he volunteering his spare time with Southern Arizona Legal Aid and she at the Davis-Monthan AFB Pharmacy. I have it on expert authority that Skip’s golf game is first class. So is his legal beagle-ing, Skip playing Arizona to Tom Fleming’s Colorado in the legal arena. Skip, along with many of the Class, attended the biennial FAC Association Reunion in Tucson from 17-21 October. Attendees included Larry Howell, Skip, John Young, Ziggy Orzechowski, Darrel Whitcomb, Steve Cherry, Doug DeGroot, and Tom McGrain, all pictured in the photo, and Elton Humphries, who was on a local refueling mission at the time of the photo. Tom McG did his usual bang-up job in organizing the logistics—and you can see from the Nail FAC party suit, from his days at NKP, Thailand, that he is still ready to rumble. Two current A-10 Warthog (see background screen of pic) FACs discussed current tactics and protocols, which Skip says were much like those of OV-10 days. Different airplane, but same spirit! All participants paid respects in a solemn ceremony, at Davis-Monthan’s Heritage Park, honoring the sacrifices and memories of those who never made it home.

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Team Percy at the Dhammayazika Buddhist Temple in Bagan, Burma.

Caught up with Tom Oliver via phone in November, and he is now representing business development for Fifty & Five, a company that aims to create marketing “buzz” for established enterprises as well as start-ups.

Those of you familiar with business books such as The Anatomy of Buzz, Purple Cow or Made to Stick have immediate insights into Tom’s work, and the company can report on how “buzz” relates to or may relate to a new business or product as well as augment a company’s marketing team with expert talent. Tom still resides in SoCal, and tries to keep up with Marcy and their two budding-actress daughters.

On a Steel Horse I Ride: A History of the MH-53 Pave Low Helicopters in War and Peace. This is Darrel Whitcomb’s latest book, recently published by the Air University Press. Though this is Darrel’s 4th book; he says he isn’t finished yet! That’s good news for the Air Force. Kudos and thanks to Darrel for his continuing contributions to our shared original blue-suit profession.

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Biennial FAC reunion, October 2013, Tucson, AZ In December, Ron and Gayle Love headed to Colorado to ski Arapahoe and Keystone and visit with daughter Anne and her husband. An obligatory acclimation stop was made at Tim “Iron Man” Mason’s (see last Checkpoints) Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company, a brewpub and restaurant which he co-owns, as most of you know. Apparently, there was much revelry and discussion of track days of the past and some of the Athletic Department coaches all of us saw at one time or another around the gym or in PE or on the fields of friendly strife, especially Coach Jim Ball, 1st alternate hurdler for the 1960 Olympic team, and our long-time coach and friend, Arne Arneson. ’69ers Clark Bunton, Mike Wetterer, Tom McGrain, Jim Downey and various competition-recovery elixirs of the day (most of them thanks to the good “doctor” Bunton—he was the only one of us who was of age at the time) were discussed and times together relived and embellished. Ron gave Shawn “The Flying Tomato” White (not a ’69er) a break by withdrawing from the Dew Games and its fearsome double pipe snowboarding challenge. Apparently, not many ’69ers have visited Tim’s brewery, despite its proximity to so many places we all hold so dearly in memory; so when you get that way, stop in to join Tim for a brew and dinner—and maybe a 10-miler.

Ron and Tim “off-track” and with old times at Glenwood Springs Brewery.

Roger Hartman, mentioned a couple quarters ago as retiring, is now relocated back in beloved Colorado, and tending to all the things he always wanted to do, especially being a trophy husband.

Finally, from a golf outing of the recent past, yours truly (who couldn’t possibly have been there for golf) happened by this group of plumbers—Brian Nelson, Gerry Schwartzel, Steve Cherry, Craig Collins, and John Buckner— who were occupied in a detailed inspection of the functionality of a spa outside Scottsdale. Due to space limitations, the truth cannot be told, but you can fill this story in superbly, and it cannot be far off the mark.

Rub-a-Dub-Dubbing in Scottsdale.

As most of you may know, groundbreaking on the CCLD took place last fall, and the Class of 1969 received due recognition for our Class Gift, the Cadet Wing Honor Board Room, the centerpiece and heart of this grand new structure at the terrazzo’s west end. We yet have work to do to close the gap on funding, however, and are still working to solicit final contributions. Any questions, please contact any of the class officers (Brady, Dyer, Edelman, Goode, Parris), David Wagner, or the Endowment itself. Donate at your pleasure, please—every little bit helps. ’Til summer. Esse Non Videri. Lindsey Dick Rauschkolb 130 Luxur y Lane Colorado Springs, CO 80921 H: (719) 761-5764 Cell: (719) 310-6928 Email: AOG70@comcast.net Richard Rauschkolb@usafa.edu

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and then headed to Lawrence, KS where Sharil and he will enjoy retirement. Mick and Jan Davey traveled to Cabo, Dubai, and Rio. Mick also went to a Hughes Air West Reunion where he was voted “Youngest Looking”. Runner-up was Howard Hughes who had been exhumed for the festivities. Dave and Donna Sterling visited the Taj Mahal and a tiger sanctuary in India. Dave is now a CAP squadron commander in Arlington.

Greg and Janice Gilles and Gary and Sharon Dahlen enjoyed several weeks on Maui. Pat Collins has been on the road to Panama City, San Antonio, Spokane, and Baton Rouge.

He is also enjoying some short trips in his Cessna 370.

Jack and Margie Mueller were in Orlando. Rich and Nanci Downing were headed to Florida to see their “properties” (inside joke). Mike (The Phantom) and Melissa Huber were in Fort Worth and Williamsburg Sabre Society over the holidays. Charlie Huber, ’97 flew one of the FDonors 16s in the flyover at the Armed Forces Bowl. Speaking of that bowl game—what a terrible end to our season. On a positive note, our basketball team is looking pretty good in the tough MWC. The Gilleses and Dahlens are regulars and we saw Cook Villareal at a game. I would not be surprised if the Falcons get a bid to the NIT if they can win half their conference games (currently 3-2). Am hoping the hockey team will make the NCAAs again this year, but a good Niagara team promises to be tough in the conference tournament.

Speaking of sports, Ross and Martha Johnson’s daughter, Jordan, is a starter on the Denver University basketball team. Ross and Martha teamed up with Bruce and Pat McRae to watch Jordan and the Pioneers beat the University of Minnesota.

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Members

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Hope everyone is off to a good 2013! By the time you read this, spring should be right around the corner and our 45th Reunion will only be two plus years away. Hope we can all get a pass from our nursing homes to attend. Speaking of reunions, seems Jeff Field, John and Carol Hatelid, Larry and Penny Carr, Don and Lendella Mills, and Tony and Judy DeSantis took advantage of Mark and Susan Lacallaide’s summer home in New Hampshire for a mini-reunion of Seagram’s Seven. The house is on Lake Winnipesaukee! Extra credit if you can spell this tomorrow morning.

Seagram Seven men enjoy adult beverages at mini-reunion. From left are Jeff Field, John Hatelid, Larry Carr, Mark Lacallaide, Tony DeSantis, and Don Mills.

Greg Woodhead sent me an email on 20 Jan reminding me that we had marched in the inauguration parade 44 years ago - one of the benefits of being the Outstanding Military Performance Squadron (CS-15) two years in a row. Well it wasn’t such a great benefit as we froze our butts off on a nasty day. Those wet, white gloves made your hands feel like chunks of ice—and carrying that M-1 was no fun at all! Those were the good “old” days!

As I look through my notes and holiday cards, it appears the Class of 1970 should open a travel agency. Joe and Diane Burke traveled to Rio de Janeiro, then traveled around the tip of South America to Valparaiso, Chile. Tom Butt sailed across the Indian Ocean (yikes) with his brother

Celebrating a victory. In the back row from left are Ross, Jordan and Martha Johnson. In front are Pat and Bruce McRae. Kudos to our classmates who do so much for charities. I am sure there are many that I haven’t recognized; so let me know what you are doing.

Jerri and Pam Bruni once again (15 years now?) donated a large sum to the Colorado Springs Empty Stocking Fund. Tom O’Meara continues to raise money for breast cancer and other charities. John and Jyl Pomeroy recruited and organized a group of Air Force, Army, Coast Guard and Navy cadets/midshipmen to host Medal of Honor Recipients at the Military Bowl in DC. The cadets and midshipmen also hosted a group of wounded warriors recuperating at Walter Reed. What a great experience for these young men and women who will serve our nation in the near future.

I see we now have more Sabre Society members (50) than any class. I remember when we had 70 before governance issues fractured the AOG. It is good to see the AOG and USAFA Endowment working together for the most part. I hope by the time you read this Mike Torreano has been elected to the AOG Board. Special thanks to Wild Bill Stealey, Mike Lambert, and other classmates who got out the vote for Mike.

Many thanks to Dana Arbaugh for a multi-year pledge to the Class of ’70 Gift Fund. When deciding on a donation to the Academy, don’t forget our Gift Fund; we still have plans to enhance the interior of the SEA Pavilion and refinish the Memorial Wall by our next Reunion. Work is proceeding nicely on the interior of the Pavilion, but funding remains an issue for future projects around the Pavilion—a rest room and storage facility. If you haven’t sent in your memories, pictures, etc. of your time serving during the SEA Conflict, please contact me and I will get them to our production team at Post Modern.

In the “It’s a small world category.” it appears Ken Greene was playing golf down in North Carolina when the guys he was playing with asked, “Where is Rex?” Ken asked who Rex was and they said, “Rex Levoy—he plays with us all the time.” Ken is planning on hooking up with Rex—his former roommate.

I had the pleasure of escorting John Disosway, his girlfriend Sylvia, and two of his grandchildren around USAFA after Christmas. We had a great

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time, but I needed a stiff drink after trying to keep up with the two youngsters—ages seven and nine! They were “Energizer Bunnies” and I was the geezer ancient rabbit. The Manhattan I drank was extra good though! Speaking of Manhattan, Ron Kelly’s Christmas card had a picture of him in a NY Yankee jersey. As an old Brooklyn Dodger fan, don’t do that again Ron! Henry Mitchell continues to give skiing lessons and has a good ticker.

WC Weir’s golf game remains in a sorry state despite retiring.

Two golfers and a hack! From left are legendary USAFA Golf Coach Gene Miranda, John Disosway, and The Hack (Phantom) enjoying some winter golf.

Congratulations to Erin and Gregg Popovich and Fran and Kathy Buchan on becoming grandparents for the first time. Marilyn and I hope that by the time you read this, our daughter Kristen will have a clean bill of health on her pregnancy (she had a miscarriage last year) and we will be gearing up for our first grandchild.

Special thought and prayers to Wendy Martin as she battles early Alzheimer’s. We are confident she will battle and overcome this dreaded disease in the same fashion she fought breast cancer and other major illnesses. Have a good spring and work on your golf games!

Paul D. Knott 5565 Lantana Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80915 H: (719) 570-9162 E-mail: pk71knott@gmail.com

ties. Honi and Patti Garvin, and Tom and Jackie Berry did attend the Falcon Chapter’s annual meeting. Honi intends to retire from United Airlines in the spring.

Jackie, Tom, scribe, Patti and Honi Phil Miller also was at the Michigan game with some CS-23 buddies.

“Four former ’71 classmates in CS-23 “Crash and Burn”, Dave Katcherian (Dodie), Roger McFarland (Peggy), Bob Slusarz (Kay) and Phil Miller (Vickie) reunited at Dave and Dodie’s house in Plymouth, Michigan, to attend the USAFA-Michigan game. Dave is an orthopedic surgeon in Detroit; Roger is a 747-400 captain for United; Bob works for Turning Stone Resort in Rome, New York; and, Phil directs sales for a power generator manufacturer in Florida. Even though it was only a year since most of us got together for our 40th reunion in Colorado Springs, we spent the entire weekend catching up and reliving the experiences of our cadet days.”

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Roger and Peggy McFarland, Dave and Dodie Katcherian, Vickie Miller, Kay Slusarz, Phil Miller and Bob Slusarz.

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Hope that you all are doing well and looking forward to 2013. The football team faced some real challenges last year, like losing for the first time in years to both Army and Navy. The nation faced the challenge of choosing a President and Congress, and the class faced the loss of several of our members, most recently Dave Weber, Dick Prewitt, and William “Bear” Freeman. Dave spent his career as a Marine, and his retirement in Colorado and California. He is survived by family in Texas.

Dave and Dick were squadron mates in CS-35 “Carpetbaggers”; Dick was laid to rest at the Academy cemetery. Bear evidently passed in 1995. If anybody knows more, let me know and it’ll show up in the column.

Randy Leavitt mentioned that his brother Jim is linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Randy Sabre Society had the chance to spend some time with the team at a Donors chapel meeting before their first meeting with Houston in August. He also spent some time talking with Dave Weber’s brother after Dave’s funeral.

Dave and Lynne Blair sent a copy of their Christmas letter. 2012 included one son’s wedding and deployment, his older son and daughter-in-law moving to Santa Fe, NM, and trips to visit friends and family. Evidently retirement is agreeing with you, Dave. Thanks for thinking of me; the photo you sent of your handsome family will be in the next column.

Stan Stachak sent a quick note. He recently joined the ranks of the retired, giving him time to attend the Michigan game with Tom and Theresa Fox, who is retired from Ford. Speaking of Toms, Stan stays in touch with Tom Mirczak, who practices law in Reno, NV. (Insert your own joke here.) Mike Fuhs also recently retired from his endodontic practice in Dubuque, IA. He and Kathy have moved to the Springs. Mike has already joined the local AOG chapter, and I hope to see him at some of the activi-

Instead of retiring, Dan Devine has returned to the kingdom of Tonga to be a teacher. He spent a few years subbing in the Grand Junction area while building his and his bride’s “dream house,” but he and Donor felt that it was time to go back to the South Pacific. As has been a trend with the class, Dan is an aspiring novelist; he hopes to finish one and is planning a second.

The Center for Character & Leadership Development broke ground in October, with several of our classmates attending. Tom Rackley is heading up the project as the Project Manager. Tom Berry, Jerry Lundquist, Cass Casada, Paul McKay, Greg Rocco, and Tom donned hard hats and turned the ceremonial first shovels to get the construction started. The building should be complete in the fall of 2014.

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From left are Tom Berry, Jerry Lundquist, Cass Casada, Paul McKay, Greg Rocco and Tom Rackley.

As you know by now, the Heritage Committee took a close look at our class proposal to place a statue of General Olds on the Heritage Trail by Doolittle Hall. Jim Nance represented the class before the committee on

the matter of whether a non-Academy grad should have a place of honor on the trail. After listening to our presentation, the committee decided that the intent of the three classes who contributed to the Heritage Trail’s building was clear about including only graduates on this particular patch of Academy real estate, but that the statue should be a part of the Academy -- in a more public place, with more impact for the Cadet Wing.

Speaking of local impact, Russ Logan and his family were recently featured in a local auto dealership’s TV commercial. As Mr. Paul Harvey used to say, “And now, the rest of the story!” One of Russ’ sons works at the place, and after Russ bought and liked a car, his other son, his daughter, and his daughter-in-law also bought from the dealership.

GBA

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Bob Bell 13 Pacific Ave. Sinking Spring, PA 19608 (610) 678-3182/Fax: 678-4513 E-mail: rabell767@aol.com

Members

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Greetings once again Classmates, from the cold Northeast! It seems that we all just got back from that great Class Reunion in Colorado and yet, here we are already with another newsletter. Since the last column written shortly after the phenomenal reunion event, there has been a distinct drop in message traffic to your scribe.

Actually I have noticed a lot more activity lately with the Facebook site “USAFA 72 – Best in Blue.” It’s good to see the increased interaction there even though it makes for fewer direct contacts here. Hopefully we all eventually learn to enjoy the ease and flexibility of that Sabre Society format, but for members of our group who do not get Donors so involved with the more instantaneous “social media,” there will continue to be a Class News column in Checkpoints regardless.

The first input, provided by Scott Sturman, was a group photo of CS-40 classmates, the 40 Thieves, taken during the recent 40th Reunion, which just missed the cutoff for being included in the last edition of Checkpoints. In addition to the guys present in the outside Doolittle Hall photo, a few characters missing from the photo but who were actually present somewhere during the event include John Buchanan, Chip Townsley, Okie Hargrave and Rich Borenstein.

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“The 40 Thieves”: From left are RK Schlaefer, Jim Livingston, Steve Demel, Doug Goodman, Gary Bowman, Mark Kuno, Joe Sullivan, and Scott Sturman.

The second photo came from Kurt “Curly” Chamberlin with the accompanying quote: “After quite a few classmates expressed concerns over having our reunion in October because of the threat of bad weather, I thought I would head things off at the pass prior to our next reunion by pointing out two things.

1) The reunion weather was fantastic. 2) The attached photo of Sandy Lewis and me playing golf – in shorts – at the Academy – was in December!

So, no whining next time! Kurt ‘Curly’ Chamberlin, ’72 – Best in Blue” (See photo at the top of the next column.)

The final segment of this issue’s class news column is the sad duty of reporting that we received the AOG notifications of the recent loss of two more members of the class; never a pleasant thing, but one that is inevitable just the same.

“Another Golf Day in God’s Country”: Sandy Lewis, at left, and Kurt Chamberlin.

The first we were told of was James “Tad” Corgill who passed away on 7 Nov 12 in San Antonio, TX. Tad had resided in Pipe Creek, TX and is survived by his wife, T J, and children James, Nolan, Amanda and Whitney.

He was a long-time 737 Captain with Southwest Airlines. Tad had been able to join in and participate with many of us in October during the 40th Class Reunion.

Shortly after being told about our friend Tad, it was reported that we also recently lost fellow classmate Lawrence “Larry” Schulte who passed away on 14 Nov 12 in Hooksett, NH. Larry had retired after a full AF career including time in Space Command, was later involved in other civilian pursuits and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and children Alison, Brian, David, Michael and Sarah.

I know that I speak for all of us in ’72 that we mourn the loss of both of these fine gentlemen, whether our last contact with them was a long time ago or very recently. It once again highlights the fact of life that our earthly lives are truly finite and that one never knows when we may not have each other’s smile to look upon in person. Hold on to those great memories of times we have all shared both past and present. FPA.

Joe Kahoe 4140 Saddle Rock Road Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Cell: (719) 210-5568 joekahoe@gmail.com http://73.texascomputerhelp.com

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Members

(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

All stories are severely clipped and many great photos could not be printed. Full stories and super photos on our web site: http://usafa73.org vr/Joe Kahoe, your “Faithful Scribe,” CS-07 Col (ret) George Machovina passed away unexpectedly Dec 2 at his home in Pinehurst, NC. George was loved by all who knew him. Heartwrenching obit with link to memorial site on our web site.

Dave Muckley: Bill Fox, CS-27, lost his wife, Karen (’80 grad), to cancer on Oct 9th. Bill wrote an obit in the Dec Gone But Not Forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Bill.

Al Hoover is still flying for SW and doing aerobatics in his Stearman; planning to race Pitts S1S at Reno this year. Busy visiting 6 grandkids in Florida, Alaska and the lake in Indiana.

Dan Pierre appreciates CS-39 Campus Radical’s regSabre Society ular communiqués. I am GM for Jacobs Technology’s Donors test support services contract at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Living in Mandeville, LA; married 38 years to Denise; 26 years of active duty; three children -- Doug (’99 grad), David, and Dana; eight grandkids.

Rocky and Lorraine Avvento living in Downingtown, PA for 17 years; met at the Academy and have 3 kids and 8 grandkids; retired from AF at 20 years -- AFOTEC Test; now at LM -- recently selected as LM Fellow and awarded Expert System Engineering Professional by International Council of System Engineering Organization -- given only to highly select few.

Classmate sightings: Robert Summers (Rocky’s brother in law) now lives and works on Puget Sound. Don Rightmyer is author and historian for Kentucky Civil War Society!

Bill Drury: Paul Taylor (CS 32) visited Trish and me on Bainbridge Is-

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Class News land, WA. Paul had a total knee replacement -- words of encouragement from classmates welcome at jettaylor@hotmail.com. Checkout CS-32 Road Runner Register on our web site.

Bob Allen (CS-12) -- USPACOM senior ops research analyst; he and Debbie built new house on Oahu. Daughter Ashley (477FG/PA) and husband, Vaimana (525FS), had grandbaby #4, and Vaimana graduated from F-22 Weapons School. Visited Naples, Italy, for birth of grandbaby #5 (son Terry works for USN, Ana for Defense Media), and son Sean and Marisa had grandbaby #6, and were reassigned to Vandenberg as IQT space instructor. (great pic on web site) Larry Balash’s youngest son was almost killed in a motorcycle accident on 13 Sep. Many of our classmates were part of the prayer support. Dom is making it, despite the fact that I was told there was less than a 10% he would wake up. 814.341.8855 Charlie Clatterbaugh retired from (GDIT) after more than 13 years with them supporting HQ USAF/A5XS and CSAF’S Title 10 Wargame -- Unified Engagement. I started two small LLCs: C2 Solutions LLC (independent consulting for GDIT), and Artifacts, Coins and Tokens (ACT) LLC. Tom Kennedy 31st SQ Grim Reaper Report with pics on web site: Dan Connelly continues to improve and is back at work as a surgeon in KC, even as he continues his Leukine treatments for melanoma. Bud Gammon had gall bladder surgery in Nov, but back into hospital in late Jan. Second retirements: Charlie and Pam Meyer and Mike and Callie Hub; Jim Boehm from United Airlines. Don Sloan made his 12th annual Polar Bear Plunge on Super Bowl Sunday for Special Olympics Delaware. Tom Kennedy spent a week in Vermont skiing with youngest, Andrew.

Ivan Karnezis and wife are both retired now, and planning a trip to Champigny, France, for 70th annual memorial of a crashed B-17, which Ivan’s father piloted. 5 crewmen buried there are honored each year by the town. Ivan’s Dad was interviewed several years ago by Robert Mrazek and was featured in Mrazek’s new non-fiction account of the Sep 6, 1943 raid on Stuttgart, entitled “To Kingdom Come.”

John Hinkle (21st Sq) is a high school civics teacher and golf coach in Mascoutah, IL (near Scott AFB). Pics on web site of John and Lynnette in Venice, Italy.

John Hinkle and his 3-war veteran dad (CMSgt Ret).

Chuck Ambrose, CS-24: After leaving the AF, I became a federal prosecutor, and am now starting third career, as a novelist (pen name “Marc Rainer”). My 1st novel, Capital Kill, was ranked number one in Amazon’s kindle store in the legal thriller category, and the 2nd, Horns of the Devil, was ranked number two. “I will sign free copies of my books at our reunion.”

Joe Peluso’s daughter, Allison, graduated from Boston University Medical School and is now in her first year of residency at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

John E. Keesee, GS-15, DAF, Div Dir of Eng for Space, Aerial, and Nuclear Networks at Hanscom AFB, MA, where they merged SATCOM organization with airborne networks.

Stalker Reed: CS-07 mini-reunion in Vero Beach in Dec at Disney Vacation Club resort included biking down ‘jungle trail’, golfing, Norman Rockwell touring art show, and Mel Fisher’s treasury museum. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Picture of Stalker Reed, Linda Granger, Chris Nacke, Al Nacke, and George Granger having dinner on a 2-hour layover in Atlanta is on our web site. George and Linda are honorary members of 7th SQ, Class of ’73.

Norty Schwartz’s Official Portrait Unveiled: (article and picture on web site).

Orville & Kerri Wright: Still in Arlington, VA, working for Lockheed and family doing great. We’re blessed and looking forward to our reunion with the exemplary USAFA Class of ’73.

Check out Ron Scott’s Gadfly Corner Blog at http://gadflycorner. blogspot.com.

Mark H. Stuckley is part time with Primerica; youngest Matthew married to Maria Stewart; awaiting grandchildren.

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Dec 12 Vero Beach: From left are Bill Patterson, Stalker Reed, Al Kinback, Debbie Kinback, Nancy Young, Brad Young, Ted Munsch, Al Nacke, and Mike Davenport doing our traditional Seagram’s toast.

Mike Arnett: Pris and I arrived back in Springs in time to enjoy grandkids’ school performances, Seven Falls at night, and even a birthday for our 7-year-old granddaughter. Address on our web site.

Wayne Maricle, Mike Koser, Doug “Spider” Richardson, and John Lauten at a mini ChickenHawk (CS-16) reunion at Props in Ft Walton Beach, FL on 10 Dec 2012.

Jim Mateos recently retired from American Airlines after 33 years; last position was Boeing 777 International Captain. Natalie and I eagerly await the birth of our first grandchild in Dec. “T” Thompson was recently appointed to the Colorado Aeronautics Board by Governor Hickenlooper. “T” held a similar position as Commissioner for three governors in Massachusetts.

Michael Troncoso (Cobra 14) is a Corrections Case Manager at Tipton Correctional Center in Barnett, MO. Bob Munson (Full President Update on our web site): NCLS just concluded its 20th anniversary meeting. Over 4000 cadets along with staff, outside college students, and grads, spent two days with 36 speakers. As of 1 Feb, we were over $530,000 pledged to our class gift, as 60+ classmates on our Gift Committee reach out to you. Our goal of $1.5M will support NCLS at current levels in perpetuity. Our classmates are generously standing up with median class gift of $5000 (tax deductable), mostly over 5 years.

Trapper Carpenter is in overall charge of the upcoming reunion and will be making a date decision when the football schedule comes out in March or April. Our 40th will be big!

Joe Brezovic 1209 Bayou Oaks Drive Friendswood, TX 77546 H: (281) 482-6860 E-mail: jbrezovic@comcast.net

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Hello Classmates, This past year had high highs and low lows for the ’74 family as a whole.

Those of us reading this article can rejoice that we have opportunities to make a difference to those around us. Perhaps we may even notice the difference! I have one retiree notice: Kurt Steeby. Kurt short bio: “After my second recall to active duty, I am finally retired effective 30 Oct 2012.

My last assignment was with the 7th Air Support Operations Squadron, Ft Bliss, TX as an Air Liaison Officer, Director of Support, Resource Advisor, and Information Assurance Manager… to serve the close air support

mission.” Kurt and his wife, Jane, plan to stay in El Paso where he works for SAIC to support the Army’s Brigade Modernization effort. He invites anyone passing through El Paso to give him a call.

Another Retirement Cake!

One of our retirees moved onto another career. Retired four-star General Carrol ‘Howie’ Chandler recently joined Pratt & Whitney as vice president, Business Development and Aftermarket Services for the company’s Military Engines business. In his new role, will foster and support international and domestic business for military products and services with governments and industries around the world. Additionally, he will oversee the growth of the Military Aftermarket Services business through the operational shops and Air Force bases where Military Aftermarket Services performs maintenance.

On top of the Nepal world!

One classmate had another type of top of the world experience: Jim Tietjen. “Wife, Valerie, and I remain in Singapore, after arriving here as the Air Attaché in May ’00 and retirement from the USAF in July ’04. Life is good here, but increasingly expensive. We are very active in the American Association and American Chamber of Commerce. I just finished up a stint with the Singapore Space and Technology Association and decided to do a Trek in Nepal. Only two of our group made it to the summit of Island Peak, which sits just four miles south of Mount Everest, at 20,300 feet. This is the highest I’ve ever been without wings! It was a mentally challenging climb. I attribute my success to USAFA SERE training, which taught me that we can accomplish things that seem impossible. Climbing from 16,700 to 20,300 feet in ten hours seemed impossible to me, especially when the sun came up and I saw a nearly vertical 700-foot ice wall ahead, which we had to scale. (I had zero experience in doing anything like this.) I used the same techSabre Society nique I learned at USAFA in the summer of 1971 -- just Donors follow the guy in front and do what he does… if he can do it so can you. Thanks USAFA, it still works! I look forward to seeing all our classmates at our next reunion in 2014, after my next trek!”

Steve and Cindy Lunsford are doing well. Steve is still flying for Southwest [just a few more years ’till retirement]. He flies out of Baltimore… but lives in Colorado. He does get an outing now and then, enjoying off-shore sailing on the East Coast. Cindy and Steve took their first trip to Ireland for 12 nights. Only one day had serious rain all day. They hiked, went to a pub, toured, went to a pub, listened to traditional music in a pub and went to a pub. It’s a wonder they did not meet Rich and Peg Bowman on one of their trips. Rich still uses Ohio as a home base. Their trips this year include Pikes Peak, Ontario, Algonquin Provincial Park, London, (England), golfing in St Andrews (Scotland), Brussels, and Paris (France).

Other travelers include Jim and Helen Shamess who report of trips to

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China, Tibet, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco… all in one year.

One of their sons, Captain Jon, is respectfully referred to as Jungle Man in the Malaysian survival training school. Jon is responsible for the AF Special Operations Pararescue teams in the Pacific. Joe and Joy Kelley stayed on their home in Fairfield, Ill. Joe passes on his knowledge as adjunct professor teaching anatomy, physiology and pathology… mentors other youth in church, does morning basketball for his own wellness program. Joy also assists others in family and community. They have driven to Greeley and St Louis to support family moves… and helped family pack and move to Miyakojima Island (Okinawa chain) for some training.

Bill and Terry Casement (Ft Worth) are well, but going through some up and downs. Bill is, or was, is a pilot… depending on what the airlines hire him on 747 flying. Sadly, laid off… hired four months later for five months, and laid off, and hired on, and laid off most recently in October.

During one of his down times, they went to visit family in New York City.

Another time they drove to see Vic and Katie LaSaxon and met Dave Wilson on his visit to Vic as well. Vic continues his physical training regime everyday. He and Katie are considering a 10th back surgery for Vic. Katie herself made it through two surgeries with Vic and their son and 2 daughters and their families the serving helpmates.

Denny and Lin Hughes are still in Omaha area. Lin is now the Dean of Nursing. Denny travels to South Dakota, Colorado, and western Nebraska for 1st National Bank, and serves as the area Lions Club VP. Roy and Ann Lower are still making progress on their island castle… getting closer. Ann finished her 3rd year at Smokey Point Clinic. Roy celebrated his 60th last year at the Boeing Museum and ever looking forward to retirement… as if the house will be done by then?

Free Advertising for Class This year Dave and Charlene Hogland moved to Vegas to stop paying California state income tax! Dave is still working Black World projects.

These are pix from the Vegas Half marathon in December. Note the Tshirt. Dave wrote that he got a lot of Air Force cheers. He finished in the top 8% of male runners at about 7.5 mph.

Second hand knowledge: Heard Mike Restey is working part time to keep busy after my retirement at a wound care/hyperbaric medicine clinic at Fort Walton Beach. He is still on the staff at Eglin as a Red Cross Volunteer surgeon. Let him know if you ever get down to the Panhandle area as he and Brenda is just a few miles from Destin and the base. PS: he gives classmates discounts on surgery!

Also in the news: Jim Payne, Northrop-Grumman, was on the cover of Aviation Week, 19 Nov! He was piloting the first flight of the production Firebird out of Mojave, CA... NGC’s new optionally manned air vehicle.

We are still out front!

A moment for pause, reflection, and appreciation to families… for their own family members, and for friends, and classmates that have flown off ahead of us. As I started this note, it has been a tough year… I apologize for missing any classmates. A toast to those who loved and served the vastness of the sky: Gregory E. Durio (17 Oct), Richard C. Barclay (23 Oct), Robert C. Cripe (1 Dec). May each of you live long and prosper.

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL (719) 472-0300 X200.

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Class News Jeff Chappell 14729 Birken St. Herriman, UT 84096 (210) 488-6137 jtmjbda@sbcglobal.net

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(Editor’s note: The Class of 1970 is searching for any stories, memories, photos and videos of graduate involvement in the Vietman War for the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. Please visit usafa.org/Heritage/SEA2 for more information.)

Howdy Best Alive! By the time this hits your mailboxes, Larry Fariss should be a member of the AOG Board, the Dark Ages and its associated parties will be a memory, and we’ll be one retirement closer to the Last Man Standing. So onward with your submissions from the past quarter.

Bill Estelle continues his hard work on 75bestalive.com, recently adding a link to a class Facebook page he established. The key to success is to get as many people as possible to “Like” the page, so here’s a plug: Send the link to your parents, siblings, progeny, friends, enemies, frenemies, Sabre Society neighbors, former neighbors, fathers’ brothers’ nephews’ Donors cousins’ former roommates, and request that they visit and register as Liking the page. Last time I checked, there were 40 Likes showing–I know we can do better!

Dan O’Steen from the wild west Texas plains of Marfa sent some great pics of Gen Doug Fraser’s retirement ceremony at MacDill AFB. John Kearns reported that 14 of Doug’s CS-15 War Eagle classmates made time in their busy lives to attend the ceremony a pretty impressive turnout for a very memorable occasion.

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Gen Doug Fraser’s Retirement Dale “Sledge” Hanner: Next week (28 Dec 12) I finish 3 years 42 days return-to-active-duty as the senior Lt Col on Ft Leavenworth, KS. It was a great adventure – same stuff, different acronyms. We’re now headed back to United Airlines in Denver.

Chuck Schmitz: I am officially done on 29 December. I’ll put in my claim for the Last Man Standing in the Active Duty/Air Guard category.

Except for a two-week period of leaving active duty to entering the Guard I’ve been there since graduation.

Pete Blatchley reported on a significant classmate event at Ramstein: Don Lewis, having returned to active duty with 17 AF several years ago and with us in USAFE/A3O for the past year plus, will try retiring again in January. He’s probably the most senior O-5 still on active duty, not to mention the last F-106 driver still sporting Nomex. We presented a signed painting entitled “Farewell Old Friends,” which features the first two jets Stranger flew – last century – the T-33 and F-106. Don’s heading back to his Texas ranch. It’s been terrific getting to know a super classmate from across the terrazzo. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Dave Commons: Just received the recent Checkpoints and noted the comment ref Skeet Fraser as the last classmate on active duty. Though not a 4-star, I’m serving on active duty as the US Defense Representative to Saudi Arabia and the Chief of the US Military Training Mission to Saudi. Dubious record, I never thought I’d hang on this long, hindering my golf game.

So the unofficial quarterly results for Last Man Standing: Dave Commons and Mark Wells. If anyone else wants to stake a claim, please submit it at your leisure. Congratulations and thanks for your service to all the recent retirees and re-retirees.

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Don Lewis Re-retirement Steve Eickelman and son Jack went on an 11-day backpacking trip to the Boy Scout Philmont high-adventure camp. Steve worked hard getting into shape and benefited from a few steroid injections for his back before the trip. Yes, he knew he was taking performance-enhancing drugs, just like Lance Armstrong, but thankfully the BSA checked only his blood pressure and weight (too high, too big -- no go) before the trek and he was not stripped of his badge and ice cream cone he dreamed about throughout the trek. It was quite an adventure for both of them.

Related note from Pablo Kent: For those of us who have experienced the great privilege of the Philmont trek with our sons, we know it is priceless. For Ike to do this at 59 years old is pretty darn impressive. I experienced Philmont in 2008 with my son when I was 55 and it took a lot of effort then. Way to go, Ike! I noticed from our latest Delta early retirement program that three USAFA ’75ers took advantage: Jack Storer, Bruce Correll, and Bill Schuessler.

All junior Delta guys owe you one for moving us up in seniority!

Dean Spraggins reports in from the Black Hills: I still work part-time for the largest gun parts supplier in the nation, completing 10 years there in September 2012. Recession may still be afflicting other regions and other sectors of the economy, but our business has not been touched. In contrast, a sharp upswing began at the end of summer 2008, and we’ve been breaking our own sales records, year after year since. And once each year, on 4 July, I don the uniform of a Continental Regular, taking up arms (musket and bayonet) to educate tourists about the common soldiery of the American War of Independence. Near as I can determine, I am the sole such re-enactor in the state (some aspire to the moniker “living historian” but I shrink from such pretense). I have been told that some audience members are so pleased that they rearrange their travel plans to return for subsequent Independence Day presentations, youngsters and additional family members in tow.

Larry Bryant and Marc Hallada saw sons Philip Bryant, ’01, and Josh Hallada, ’02, honored by the National Aeronautical Association with the presentation of the Mackay Trophy in November for their harrowing rescue mission in Afghanistan on 2011 (see connections in previous Checkpoints).

Tom Barbera and wife, Anne, visited son Daniel at USAFA during Parents Weekend. “He is a third classman in my legacy squadron, CS 29 Black Panthers. Class of 1975 is the Legacy Class for 2015. To my knowledge, he is the only member of the Class of 2015 with a parent in 1975. You never know if your child is suited to USAFA until they go and experience it. After basic summer last year, he explained to me how much he valued the training and how much tougher it must have been for the upper classmen than he and his classmates, as they had to plan all of those activities and get

Daniel, Tom, and Anne Barbera: The Legacy Lives!

up earlier and stay up later than the doolies. Hmmm -- the big picture… that’s when I decided he had found the right “college.””

Andy Dichter has the lead for the Washington DC annual Dark Ages Party on Saturday, 16 March, at Army Navy Country Club. Army Navy recently completed construction and activation of a grand, new club house, and it’s a very attractive venue to host the gathering. We all look forward to picture and stories, Andy and crew, and hope the turnout exceeds expectations.

Until next time, keep the faith and see you around the campus!

Dan Beatty 12196 Stanley Canyon Road Colorado Springs, CO 80921 H: (719) 488-1962 C: (719) 338-0276 E-Mail: whrlybrd76@aol.com

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Fellow ’76ers, I hope you all had good holidays. If you think back, 40 years ago we were in the ‘Dark Ages’. Hope your 2013 is off to a more dynamic beginning than those times. Input this time around was a bit less than normal.

Sad News: Larry Weaver’s companion for the last 14 years, Leanne Moore, died from a heart attack in early December.

Larry says classmates in the DC area including Jack Catton, Charlie Morgan, Jim Crowe, Steve Schefler, and others provided excellent support during this hard time and he thanks them all. Please keep Larry in your thoughts and prayers.

General Class Stuff: Two inputs for Lee Cuevas. His Sabre Society ’86 Porsche took 1st place, C-9 category, at the PhoeDonors nix Flight 355 car show in November. And Air Force News published a story about Lee’s son Alexander flying the same EC-130 aircraft that Lee flew. You can see the story at http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story. asp?storyID=123332188. Ed Morley says he has been extended for another year at Frankfurt. Thinks they will move to Miami Region Diplomatic Courier Division after that. Plan is to plant some roots there and homestead until his mandatory retirement in about five years.

Chris Reamy and Randy Zellner sent some Christmas wishes, thanks classmates. Chuck McHenry updated his current email address. Larry Austin also sent holiday greetings and asked me for some contact info for Roger Turcotte. Seems Larry ran across someone who knew Roger at the Zoo and wanted to drop him a note. Patrick O’Brien sent Christmas greetings, thanks Patrick. I saw Joe Wysocki at the Holiday reception Mike and Paula Gould hosted in December. As always, Mike and Paula hosted an exemplary event. Richey Felder sent Christmas greetings and says he had a chance encounter with John Kurtz son. Apparently Richey had a ’76 jacket of some sort on and John’s son asked about it.

Doug Fry tells me he left HP and is now working for SAS. Daughter Kasey (’00) had her 2nd kiddo, Doug’s 5th grandkiddo, in early January. Sonin-law Kyle finished his JSTARS deployment in time for the birth. Doug’s son Matt is now at Randolph training new instructors. Luckey Dunn, Marc Moore, Dan Price, Charlie Vono, Jim Boma, and. . . report nothing significant to report. Terry Williams checked in, asking about where to get a ’76 flag, evidently to help welcome Mark Welsh to Maxwell in the near future. But he now says Denny Rea has one they can use. I will anticipate the pictures Terry! Val Vollelunga dropped a short line while on a Bombay layover, flying for Delta. Mike Fricano sent a photo with several ’76 mugs from the Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium held in November.

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Bill Carolan, Dave Merrill, Greg Bricker, Mike Fricano

Mike also reports he was TDY with brother-in-law Dave Berg in DC in November and they both drove back to Hampton, VA where Mike was able to visit his parents and sisters. I was in Maui in late January and tried to call Mike, but was not able to make contact. Sorry Mike. Dave writes he saw Mike. Dave also says he attended Brad and Elizabeth Buchanan’s son’s wedding in August. Says Brad and son Ian were both kilts of their clan tartan and full regalia. Greg Lewis says he and Cathie are well, and that he flies BWI-DEN frequently and sees cadets returning to USAFA and “the look on their faces never changes.” Thanks for the sitrep Greg.

Pete Bailey, my Dirty 30 classmate, checked in. Howdy Pete! Says he and Margaret attended the All Academies Ball in St Louis in December and had a great time. Pete and Margaret retired at Scott. He works in the TACC now, but is checking out possible New Hampshire retirement locations.

Please keep in touch Pete. Helo bud Walt ‘Mouse” Heidmous reports his SOCOM position was cut but he landed at 58 SOW (Albuquerque). Says he and Carrie will be there for a bit. He does request all ’76 water polo players contact him (ping me for his contact info guys). Dave Robinson sent greetings and a photo of himself and Mark and Betty Welsh at the Bolling AFB GO New Year’s party. Says Lori is currently deployed, has been confirmed to be a 3-star and will become ACC/CV in May. Congrats Lori!

Pete & Noona Mapes just delivered their latest project plane, ’62 Cessna Skylark, for avionics installation. Fly safe Pete. Pete Kluck sent a nice update. He joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in ’89, married and went off to France for language school, and then spent almost 15 years in Cameroon, central Africa. Now back in Tampa, still working with Wycliffe, and making regular trips to Africa. Also been to the Philippines and Costa Rica to help give some leadership training to nationals and expat workers. Bob Bush sent Christmas greetings and is flying 777 out of MIA. He has completed his book Hornets Crossing which is a WWII submarine story that takes place in the same waters as the Doolittle Raid. Says everything he sells to our fellow ‘76rs will go to the AOG and our class project. Just google Robert Bush and/ or Hornets Crossing. Jeff Larsen was on a United flight to Omaha recently to do some work at STRATCOM, and the first officer, who was very animated and obviously loved his job, sounded quite familiar. When he landed he discovered why—and took this photo in Scott ’s office.

Scott Gough and Jeff Larsen Kim Weber took a one-day course on some new flight planning software for Airbus recently, with Eric Coppin teaching the course. He also asked for some help with some updated addresses. Jerry McFarlane and several ’76ers went to the Johnson Space Center on the anniversary of the Challenger tragedy and says they spent several hours being impressed with the history and technology at JSC. Everyone stayed for the weekend and “had way too much fun touring and imbibing.” Jerry sent the following photo.

Mike & Barbara Byers (front left), Lance & Julie Christian (back left), John & Kathy Hildebrandt (center), Jerry & Sue McFarlane (right) .

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Class News Well classmates, again time to stick a fork in it. Lots of requests for contact info recently. If you haven’t updated your contact info with me or the AOG, please do so! If you have not received an email from me in the past 3-6 months, I do not have a current email address for you. Please send home and work email addresses to me at whrlybrd76@aol.com. 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 (312) 463-3412 jmichels@lbbslaw.com loumichels55@gmail.com

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Members Dave Reiner at Lake of the Woods.

I am sorry to begin a column with news of the loss of one of our own.

Larry Weaver (Susan) passed away on Nov. 27, 2012. He had been fighting cancer for many years. Larry flew helicopters and then, after retiring, started an Air Force high school ROTC program in Corsicana, Texas. He later became the Dean of Arts, Science, and Humanities at Navarro College in Corsicana.

The thoughts, prayers, and condolences of the class go out to Susan and their children, and the rest of Larry’s family and friends.

Opening Bell: While on this sad topic, I want to note Sabre Society that Larry was a member of the CS-36 Pink Panthers Donors and his squadron mates maintain an email list of classmates that greatly facilitated notification of Larry’s passing. I’ve pushed something similar for my CS-16 folks. I would encourage all of you to set up similar email chains for your squadron. I was greatly heartened by how fast people responded to the bad news, and I’m sure that response was welcomed by the family. Moreover, setting up a ready comm link like this is a terrific exercise in reestablishing old bonds and friendships. Please consider it.

Here’s a nice shot of Pat McVay (Cyndee) serving as the guest speaker at the Veteran’s Day program of his old high school in South Dakota.

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Pat McVay at the Vets’ Day podium.

You should note: (1) how much hair Pat still has, and (2) that Pat does not appear to have been stuffed into his uniform, i.e. it still fits very nicely.

I might add that Pat’s dad, who was also a veteran, was in the audience for the presentation. Pretty special.

Rick Pialet (Renell) puts out a terrific and comprehensive Air Force sports blog at Ricksfalconreview.blogspot.com. When not writing enthusiastically on Zoomie sports, Rick is pushing metal for United. He and Renell are up in Monument.

My fellow Minnesotan Dave Reiner dropped me a line after the reunion with the attached picture. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Notwithstanding Dave’s attire, this is what summertime fishing looks like up in northern Minnesota. Dave resides in suburban Minneapolis and been instrumental in getting an award-winning AOG chapter going in the Twin Cities. It sounds like life is treating him well. Thanks for the update, Dog. Continuing on the AOG note, Joe Niemeyer (Louise) is our class Senate representative for the AOG and has started posting the Senate minutes up on the Facebook page. Many thanks to Joe for taking on this task, as well

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as keeping us informed about AOG initiatives. Those of you at the reunion heard something about this, but Joe and his cohorts are currently working on ways to strengthen the operational relationship between the AOG and the USAFA Endowment. Thoughts, suggestions, etc., can be sent to Joe directly either through our Facebook class site or the Senate page on the AOG website. Thanks for the hard work, Joe. I had a good visit with Steve Wittman (Betsy) here in Chicago as he was passing through on business for Proctor & Gamble. Steve and Betsy are gradually moving toward being empty nesters as their eight kids follow in their parents’ footsteps and start highly productive lives on their own. Steve is another guy who has kept all of his hair, which always makes me self-conscious when I am in his presence. He and Betsy were able to get some time off this year traveling through Colorado – you guys have a standing invitation to visit us whenever we are out there or here in Chicago. Thanks for punching a hole in your schedule to sit down.

Kudos: Jeff Heidmous (Barbara) not only led the Air Force water polo team to its first western Water Polo Association title in almost 20 years, he was named the Coach of the Year for the Association. That’s a hat trick for Jeff; he has won the award 2 previous times. He also brought the Falcons back to the NCAA water polo championship tournament for the first time since 1994, one of only 4 teams. Well done, Jeff.

Ray Johns (Diana) retired from his 4-four star billet at the beginning of December.

Ray Johns and the Niners Ray retired from his position the head of Air Mobility Command, which he held for about 3 years, and the occasion brought out not only his former 9th Squadron buddies, but their AOC as well. In the picture from left are Ron Scheffield (9th Squadron AOC when we were firsties), Mark Gilzean (Barbara), Wayne Terry (Debra), Kevin Garrison (Marguerite), Ray, Scott Hutt (Susan), Frank Szalejko (Dixie), JD O’Malley, and Eric Conrad (Donna). I want to compliment all you guys for getting together this soon after the reunion. And I want to extend my very best wishes and sincere congratulations to Ray and his family on a job well done.

Frenchy Fernand (Karen) noted that he saw John Buckley (Melinda) and Randy Rothe (Pamala) at an AOG “free beer” (or was it ale—Guiness, in any event) open house, pre-Christmas. Frenchy noted that nobody was asking for identification for handing out the suds; someone else responded that no one was checking Frenchie’s identification because he was still squaring his corners as he approached the serving table.

For those of you who are interested, please note that the slide presentation that I made at the reunion, “The Class of 1977: A Checkpoints History” is now up on our Facebook page for review. I’m sure you will be disappointed to learn that my witty remarks are not incorporated into the posting; you will have to make up your own witty quotes as you view the slides. Given the ages and appearance of people in these pictures—some of which are 30+ years old, I don’t think that will be much of a challenge.

All written comments on the presentation are, of course, welcome. Related to the reunion posting, we were identified as the “class of the month” for January by the AOG. So take a look at the AOG website for some interest-

ing articles on Grady Booch (Jan), Tom Jones (Liz),and Charlie Precourt (Lynne), as well as a recruiting film about the Academy that was made in 1977 and contains a lot of familiar faces.

Closing Bell: I know that the reunion refreshed everybody’s contact tolerances, but I can do with some more mail when you get the chance. And, per my usual style, please join the class affinity group on Facebook. We are starting to develop a pretty good community there of commentators; plus it’s a great place for personal updates as well. I hope everybody is getting warmer by the time you read this. Be seeing you.

Bob Kay 40411 Tesoro Lane Palmdale, CA 93551 Home:(661) 274-2201 Cell: (661) 974-1417 Email: Robert.kay78@gmail.com

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Greetings ’78ers!

I would like to start this quarter’s article off with a 35th reunion update.

As I mentioned last quarter, Wayne “Bees” Kellenbence is leading the charge with able help from Punch Moulton, Dave Scott, and Jay Lindell.

Our class president, Steve Dalbey, will be in the loop from the Beltway.

The classes of ’63 and ’68 have in fact already picked reunion dates (Notre Dame 26 Oct and Army 2 Nov—non Mountain West games). Further, Parents Weekend is off limits and we understand that 2003 and 1993 (10th and 20th reunions) have the first home game after Parents Weekend for Homecoming. Wayne has asked the AOG for a Home football game date in late September or early October. Once the football schedule is released (and Wayne should have advance notice since he works in the Athletic Department), Wayne will immediately notify the AOG of our preference which Sabre Society Donors we will hopefully get. We are also looking at the Marriot or Embassy Suites as our home base with the usual activities: golf tournament, lunch with cadets, a couple of evening dinners (Thurs and Fri), tailgate in the Athletic Department tent and then post game squadron parties etc. So as a reminder, please check out the class web site (http://usafa78-is-great. org/) or the “78 is Great” LinkedIn group (http://www.linkedin.com/grou ps?home=&gid=4265754) if you have already joined. If you haven’t joined yet, please consider doing to. Be making plans to attend—this promises to be an exceptional event.

Had some great info from several guys: Brad Dunton sent some excellent shots from last July when Brad and his bride, Terri, flew up to Dayton, OH to attend the Tom and MaryBeth Owen’s retirement ceremony. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger ’80, AFMC Commander, was the presiding officer.

In conjunction with Tom’s retirement, there was a change-in-command ceremony involving the inactivation of the Aeronautical Systems Center and activation of the AF Life Cycle Management Center. All of the activities took place in the AF Museum—Brad said it was an incredible sight to behold. Dale Pangman was also there to celebrate Tom and MaryBeth’s special day. Below are two great shots Brad sent along. From left are Dale, Tom and Brad.

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enjoying their new home and surroundings (not having to commute certainly sweetened the deal). Thanks so much for the great message Brad and a hearty congratulations to Tom and MaryBeth!

Another Northwest alum is Art Harrison who brought us up to date with his goings on. He retired from the Kansas ANG in ’98 after flying F-4s and F-16s for several years and immediately hired on with Northwest. He moved to Memphis in 2000 flying the A320 and recently moved to Marietta, GA where he bought a “new” old farmhouse close to bride Polly’s mom, brother and cousin. Most sadly, Art has been dealing with some significant medical issues and is awaiting his FAA medical to hopefully be reinstated. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with him to get back in the saddle. Art also had some very sad news on Dan Schwarzenbach who suffered a stroke a year or two ago and is slowly recovering… all the best to you Dan if you are reading this. Art also said that Jim Whidden retired as an O-6 recently and works civilian Intel in Florida. Thanks for the great words Art! Speaking of retirement, Ken Charpie (sent the great pix of the Dayton gang last quarter) recently has called it quits and is now officially in his second retirement from the contractor business at Wright-Pat. His plans are severe relaxation and part time teaching at Wright State. Congrats Ken… well deserved.

Steve Acton migrated from Tampa after 20+ years to DC where he is currently working for Homeland Security in the investigations division (primarily students and exchange visitors). He stays very busy and says that one of the big challenges is getting used to four real seasons again!

Some other job changes involve Al “Mad Al” Myers who moved from San Diego as the Chief of Naval Air Forces back to the Beltway as the DCNO for Integration of Capabilities and Resources (N8). Among his many areas is Fiscal Management and Programming for the Navy—huge responsibilities. To say that he will be busy during these “interesting times” is probably a gross understatement. Steve Goldfein was recently made the Vice President of Business Development for one of Northrop Grumman’s four main business sectors. Doug Raaberg, also in the Northrop Grumman BD area, was promoted to the acting Director of Business Development for Military Aircraft Systems in addition to his continuing role as director for U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard programs. Congratulations to you both. Finally, Bill Chambers is due to retire this summer after many years of faithful service. He has done amazing things on the Air Staff and I’m sure his constant smile and desire to help others will be greatly missed!

That will be a wrap for this quarter—my continued thanks to all of you who sent information. This is my annual request (read plea) to consider sending in an update to share with the class—especially if you haven’t in the past. I hope that everyone has a blessed winter as we look forward to warming temps—even here in “sunny” California. God Bless. ‘78 is Great!

Mike “Trash” Ashley 17 Bridle Court Charles Town, WV 25414 79trash@gmail 304-728-4888

And here are two very happy couples (from left are Brad, Terry, Tom and MerryBeth). See photo at the top of the next column.

Brad also mentioned that he has been flying for Northwest Airlines for over 20 years and is weathering the merger with Delta which he says seems to be going about as well as can be expected. He and Terri moved from the Springs (where he had commuted all of those 20+ years) to Canton, GA. Significantly different surroundings from Colorado but they are

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Greetings from West Virginia. It has been my honor and privilege to report class news for the last 15 years. I reported on the last 3 reunions and numerous football games over the fall seasons. It has been rewarding keeping up with as many of you as possible and sharing our experiences for all to read. But all things come to an end, and it is time to pass the baton on for someone else to enjoy. If you have a circle of classmates or are otherwise connected in this world of FaceTime and Twitter, you could be a good choice to become a class scribe. The 35-year Reunion is ap-

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Class News proaching; this may be a great experience for a gifted story teller. If you are interested, contact me or one of the other 3 scribes bout this great opportunity. On to the news.

The Boys from Atlanta head north every other year for the Army game.

Bud Vasquez sent me a note that he couldn’t include in his Fall Checkpoints. He met up with the gang in West Point, NY and sent a picture along. From Bud: “This was in the Thayer Hotel the night before the (pitiful) Army-AF game on 3 Nov. If you have need for a pic... here ya’ go. Picture was taken by the wives (if you need one of them, I have it). These Delta guys (not me) have been doing this since 1990 or so, and Chip is a freakin’ larger-than-life Frankie Falcon fan. What a ton of fun. I was there since Molly and I live outside Boston and we got connected with them from the game there two years ago.”

That’s it for me. Thanks to all who have stayed in touch or sent updates for my column over the last 15 years. Time to look for an energetic replacement. Next up: Mike Watson – michaelwatson@cox.net. Phone: 602-993-0840. 6428 W. John Cabot Rd, Glendale, AZ 85308-1071.

Don Myers 401 Chambray Hill Peachtree City, GA 30269-4247 (770) 631-1429 E-mail: DMyers80@hotmail.com ZoomieNation.usafa.org FB group: “USAFA Class of 1980”

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Class, for the second quarter in a row, I’m reporting the passing of yet another of our own: James G. “Jerry” Deville. I’m sure you’ll read more in the GBNF section. Last issue, I asked for a rep from each squadron to help facilitate a fast communications net for our class. As you can see from the above announcement, there are times when we need something simple and effective in place. We now have reps from the following squadrons: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 25, 31, 33, and 37. If you don’t see your squadron listed, please take the step to contact me—your important part will not take more than a handful of minutes per year. Thanks!

Some neat stuff. Tom Mitchell emailed us: “Here’s a picture of the ’80 grads present for Lt Gen Chris (Rhonda) Miller’s retirement ceremony dinner. From left are John Posner, Bob Holmes, Kory Cornum, Kathy Conley, Chris Miller, Tom Ehrhard, Gene Stewman, J.C. Witham, and me.

From left seated are Steve Barnes (Cherlyn), Jon Fago (Cindy), Fred Jacobsen (Nancy), Jim Nelson (Dina), Bud Vazquez (Molly), and Bruce Holbrook (Anna). Sleeping Beauty: Chip Taylor (Kim).

My daughter Grace (12) and I traveled to USAFA for the Navy game.

While there, I had dinner with Keith and Sue Abbott at Senor Manuel’s.

Sue is recovering nicely from illness and is back teaching school. Rabbit works in the Denver area working for HP. They live in Palmer Lake. While at the Visitor Center I ran into Ray Leopold, CS34 AOC, senior year.

He was attending the ’67 Reunion. We chatted for a bit and I gave him contact info for Eric Doremus who lives north off I-25. I hope you made contact, Eric. If anySabre Society one else was at the game, I’m sorry I missed you. I had Donors a Falcon eye out for you!

From Jim Runk: “Mike, How are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you since graduation, but I do have vague memories of your trying to get me in trouble in astro when we were firsties. For Checkpoints, a few of the ’79ers who work at Scott AFB got together for a photo op in the HQ AMC lobby a couple of weeks ago.”

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Wishing Chris the best.

“Chris was my BCT and Doolie roommate, and if it wasn’t for him, I’d still be trying to figure out how to fold my underwear and make my socks ‘smile’! He was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans & Programs, HQ USAF. He and Rhonda will return to Colorado Springs where they have a home.”

Peggy (Dennis)(Bob) Carnahan saw a letter to the editor of AF Magazine from Mike Opatowsky reporting on the Vought V-173 Flying Pancake that was meticulously restored by Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation volunteers. The “unique” (to be kind) plane now resides at the Dallas Love Aviation Museum, where you may remember Mike is a docent. Oh, the adopt-a-soldier program Mike is involved with was featured on NBC Nightly News. And to come full-circle, Peggy and Bob are still raising cattle and critters on their Missouri property, but they found time to treat themselves to a Sabre Society special Christmas present; each of them took a ride in a Donors restored P-51 Mustang near Dallas.

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From left are BGen Jon Fago, Ken Wavering, Jim Donovan, Henry Haisch, Mike Steffen, Jim Runk, Greg Goldbach, Dave Bjornson, and BGen Jim Muscatell.

From Mike “Rolls” Roller: “Classmates and Friends, our good friend and Saturday morning coffee and running partner Tom Griffith departs in less than two weeks for a cushy job in the Caribbean. I’ve never been to Haiti but I’m told it’s a real garden spot and Griff is looking forward to getting his tan going again.” As of print time, the following accepted Rolls invitation to have a farewell luncheon in Crystal City, VA: Brian Koechel, Jon Box, Steve “Buddha” Watkins, Dan “Bubba” Baumgartner, Bob “Bubba” Edmonds, and Vance “Hagar” Skarstedt. Sending regrets were Greg Smith and Dave King. Dave is stationed in Stuttgart, FRG working at USAFRICOM/ J5-9. Hope all enjoyed the gathering and good luck Griff.

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Scott (Jan) Carrothers will be sending his second/ last son to college later this year. “2013 will be the year of the empty nest and empty wallet. Kyle went to the summer session at West Point and was pretty excited about going there, but after touring several other colleges this summer he said he wanted a normal college experience. (What? You mean going to the Academy wasn’t a normal college experience?)” They stay very active in a variety of outdoor activities. “This summer, we all went river rafting for four days outside of Yosemite. Jan was not impressed when I failed to tell her the first two days consisted of mainly Class 5 rapids.” It all turned out well and the last part of the year was capped-off by Scott going to Scott—as in the Air Force Base—to attend the family reunion of an old high school buddy, Paul (Ricki Smith) Selva. Seems it was coincident with Paul’s promotion to General and his assumption of the reigns at Air Mobility Command.

(See photo at the top of the next column.)

Tom Heemstra is close to opening a nonprofit retreat center (The Sanctuary) for wounded soldiers and PTSD victims on Norris Lake, an hour from Knoxville. Tom also mentioned a recent visit with our classmate Mike Jones in Norfolk. Tom reports he’s doing pretty well.

Class News: Dusty Somerville reported that Shirley (Hilsgen) Kring and her husband Roy visited him and his wife in Aruba. Roy occasionally works as a ship’s doctor on cruises, so during a port call Shirley and Roy got together with Dusty and Cindy for some snorkeling and reminiscing.

Dusty and Cindy have a condo down there!

Before the rapids?

Jerry (Wendy) Corbett now has most of the clan in the Sandpoint, Idaho area, since daughter Whitney and family made the big move west. This is nice for the new grandparents, so says Jerry. Jerry has shortened his commute and now flies out of Minneapolis; Wendy is the Client Services Director at the Life Choices Pregnancy Center in Sandpoint.

Jared Astin retired as Dean of the Civil Engineer School at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Pat AFB. “I went to work for an engineering firm for a while after retirement and then the civilian Associate Dean position opened up and they asked me if I would come back to the school in that capacity. The Dean was getting ready to deploy for a year and they wanted someone with previous experience at the school. I have now been in the position five years.” Jared has three sons, two in college and one recent grad.

Found in my leftover box: Last summer, a pal from my church (Tim Rorick, ’82) called me on his cell phone from some not-nearly-remoteenough river in Soldotna, Alaska. Seems he was salmon fishing next to Rick Thiele. Besides being an avid fisherman, Rick is still flying for AA. This time each year, I like to leave you with some clips from the Dean (Carla) Eisberg anthology: “Greetings from Alaska, where the glaciers and hairlines continue to recede. Somehow Dean slipped through the cracks and is still on active duty in the Army. Jeff and Dean made history by being a part of the first Boy Scout contingent to hike cross-country from Port Heiden, Alaska to the Aniakchak volcano caldera. After three days of hiking through swamps, alder bushes, fog, wind, and snow fields, we realized why no other Scout troop ever attempted the feat.”

Carla: “The base opened up a new area to cut Christmas trees so we thought there would be lots of nice trees to choose from.” Jesse: “Yeah, all the trees were skinny out there—it was like a Weight Watcher’s forest.”

Carla: “There was a game on the computer where they showed a picture of something and you had to identify it. Remember those little discs you’d put inside your 45 to make it fit the player?” Dean: “I would’ve had that one correct.” Carla: “Most younger people don’t even know what a 45 is.”

Jesse: “I know.” Carla: “What?” Jesse: “It’s a gun!”

Jesse: “Mom, the [cordless] phone died. I need to call Kim.” Carla: “Use the phone in Jeff’s room.” Jesse: “It’s dead too.” Carla: “Who didn’t leave them in the charger?” Dean: “You can use the old phone in the basement.” Jesse: “The one where you put your finger in the hole and spin the dial? No way, I can’t walk around when I’m talking—it’s tied to the wall!”

I hope Dean’s words affect you the way they do me—by putting a big smile on your face. On a personal note, I just completed a long training program on the new Bombardier Global 6000 business jet. I’m writing this the day after an extensive check ride and I’m “excitedly tired.” I look forward to using all the new bells and whistles this plane has to help us safely navigate to the far corners of the world. Right now, however; it was a great treat to take some time to share with all of you the news from our classmates. Stay in touch—with me and with each other. Don Rich Trentman 11102 Asbee St. Falcon, CO 80831-8170 Home: (719) 494-8438 Work: (719) 452--7708 Cell: (719) 640-9586 rptrentman@usafa-grads.com Class Website: www.usafa81.com

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A January article for a March release! Another dry Winter here in Colorado, but we did have a white Christmas! I hope you enjoyed the top states for ’81ers (now) that I was posting on our facebook page. (1 – TX, 2 – CO, 3 – VA, 4 – FL, 5 – CA) Dan Laird, Blane Hook, Russ DeFusco, Mike Ross, and Ed Zehner (’80) posted a picture of #2 staters (actually CS-29) getting together for lunch. No words from the reunion campaign crew for this article, so I assume it is underway and going well.

Roy and Shirley Kring with Cindy and Dusty Sommerville in Aruba.

Jeff Braley and all are doing well in Ft Collins. Jeff is now in the right seat of an Airbus 300 with Fedex and sees Alex Baggett and many other ’81ers at the hub. Jeff and Paula’s 4th child, Sarah, is getting married right about when you will be reading this article. Their son Andrew ’06, is flying MC-12s at Beale AFB. Jeff and Paula have been blessed with 3 grandchildren, so far.

Scott Land reported from Offutt AFB that Greg BisSabre Society cone is getting his 3rd star and leaving STRATCOM for Donors Pakistan. Scott also said he was having lunch with 3 classmates and would update me later. (If I had a dollar for how many times I have been told that…) Rob Bonn sent in a picture of Chet Nowak; Chet’s brother, Chris; and Rob at the USMA – Stony Brook football game last Fall. Chet and Chris’s nephew Adam plays for Stony Brook.

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Robb Bonn, Chet Nowak, and Chris Nowak Terry and Drucilla Dickensheet have moved to Florida to be near kids and grandkids and now Terry teaches AF Junior ROTC at Belleview High School. Jake Jakobi is still playing lacrosse and got together with the Nooch Nuccio while he was in town for a wedding. Jake is headed to Florida this month for another lacrosse tournament and plans to visit several ’81ers enroute. Jake said he plans to move to Colorado by 2014.

Randy Worrall said he has been enjoying snowshoeing in Utah’s Wasatch Mt State Park near his home. I told him I hadn’t snowshoed since I was a Boy Scout in Northern Maine and quite a bit younger. Linda McCullers was an “extra” with Chris Patrie in a ballroom scene for filming on the movie “Devil Deal Blues”. Chris’s wife, Ann, was on the production staff. Linda said all autograph requests should go through me for a small fee. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

My son Patrick ’14 was ordering his ring this month and remarking how fast life at USAFA is going by (probably seems faster for me)! Of course, he is home almost every weekend which I “jokingly” complain about. It is always interesting and quite a flashback to listen the cadets.

Another article in the books! I did discuss my 11+ year term as scribe with Marty France at a recent basketball game. He said I have the job until death… hmm! That was followed by me asking Marty if he had anything

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Chris Patrie and Linda McCullers in the movies. for this article to which he replied “I got nothing”. I do follow a lot of you on our Facebook “USAFA Class of 1981” page as well as those of you I am friends with. Sorry this is a bit short, but please zip me the occasional email. Again, thanks.

Jim Ratti 2860 Arbor Pointe Drive Middletown, OH 45042 (937) 760-2333 rattijm@mindspring.com

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Greetings Redtags!

We’re deep into winter here in southwest Ohio and the cold weather seems to have slowed down the mailman a bit because I don’t have a whole bunch of news to pass on. Nonetheless I think I have a few things that may be of interest!

First, there was a very moving interment ceremony for Andy “Hedley” Lamar at Arlington Cemetery on the 25th of January. You’ll recall that Andy passed away from cancer just days before our 30th reunion back in October, and there were many glasses raised in his honor throughout the reunion weekend. I wasn’t able to attend the Arlington ceremony, but felt like I was personally there thanks to the great organizing and reporting effort by Eddie McAllister. Eddie said there were between 50 and 100 people there altogether, with great representation from Bull Six in particular and our class in general. There was an F-15 missing-man flyby along with a rifle volley and full military honors. And meanwhile back at the Sabre Society Donors Academy, Gary Packard met with the current members of Bull Six and regaled them with accounts of Andy’s love of life, his cadet exploits, and his selfless service to our country. They all joined in a moment of silence to honor our good friend and classmate. Fitting tributes to a true patriot who fought a faith-filled and courageous battle against a terrible disease.

And speaking of terrible diseases, just at deadline I heard from Peter Bryant who told me that Gordon Garlock passed away on 31 Jan 2013 after a brief but intense battle with lung cancer. He was diagnosed in the fall of 2012, but it had already spread to the point that surgery was no longer an option. Gordon was a pilot for FedEx, along with Peter and many other members of our class. I’m sure I speak for all of us in saying that our thoughts and prayers are with Gordon’s family.

Those of you who were at the reunion will remember meeting Jane Mengel’s father, LeRoy, and sister Kathy who attended. Everyone who met the Mengels gave them a warm welcome and many shared their memories of Jane. I’d like to pass on that LeRoy has since used proceeds from Jane’s estate to establish through the USAFA Endowment the Jane Mary Mengel ’82 Memorial Fund to help with scholarships for graduating cadets seeking advanced degrees. That’s wonderful news, and a great way to honor Jane’s memory.

While we’re on the subject of the reunion, I’ve got some other pictures from the event that I didn’t have room to publish last quarter, so here are three of them for you to enjoy. I decided to feature children of ’82 grads this time. Of course, I’m going to have to apologize up front because I only know the name of one of the young folks – I neglected to write them down upon being introduced, and my memory (never very good anyway) sure ain’t what it used to be! Either that or, as Ellen likes to tell me, I was “listening too fast” and missed it.

John Crennan and his favorite Doolie.

First up is John Crennan and daughter. She’s a Doolie and a member of the Catholic Choir, pictured here with a proud Dad and Mr. Ed Ladouceur (“Mr. L”) who was the director of the Catholic Choir back in our day.

A bunch of us old choristers got up early on Sunday morning of the reunion weekend and joined the current choir for a quick rehearsal, then sang with them during Mass. Mr. and Mrs. L (Charlotte) joined us and we even talked Mr. L into playing Widor’s Toccata for us after Mass. We then adjourned to the O’ Club for a first class champagne brunch and lots more visiting.

Chuck Schweiss and his Legacy Bulldog.

Next is Chuck Schweiss and his son. I ran into these two at the football tailgate getting ready to cheer the Falcons to victory against the Lobos.

Chuck is one of the few of us who can still get into his A-jacket! Chuck’s son is a 2-degree this year and is in his dad’s old squadron, Bulldog 13.

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Proud Academy Mom Sue Grant and daughter Courtney.

Last but certainly not least is Sue Grant and her Doolie daughter Courtney Gunning. We met up with Sue and Courtney as we toured Jack’s Valley on Saturday before the ball game. Courtney helped give us a guided tour of the Valley and entertained us with stories and anecdotes of her time out there during BCT. It’s sadistically comforting to know that the experience was just as traumatic for her as it was for us!

Before I close, I’d like to make a quick plea and remind you about the goal we set during the reunion to increase our class’ participation in mak-

ing donations to the USAFA Endowment. We set a goal of having 50% of our class make donations (of any size) to the Endowment each year. Any gift, large or small, helps the Endowment and the Association of Graduates fund valuable enrichment programs for cadets that wouldn’t be possible using only appropriated funds. I encourage you to check out the great work the Endowment is doing (go to www.usafa.org) and make a contribution. If you want to target your gift to a particular program or project, you can do that. Or, you can contribute to the general fund and let the Endowment apply your donation to its prioritized list. Either way, your regular donations will really help.

So that’s about it from this corner of the world. I trust you’ve all survived the “holidaze” and are well on your way to enjoying the springtime weather wherever you are.

Your humble scribe, Ratman.

Ray Blust 7 Highland Park Wheeling, WV 26003 Home: (304) 242-7182 Cell: (304) 281-1621 rjmablust@comcast.net

award. Pete is permanently back from his many trips to Abu Dhabi just in time to hit the honey-do (Not) list. Congrats on your 25th Anniversary in May and look forward to testing your “open-door” policy in May.

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Greetings and Happy New Year! I hope you all are as happy as I am to see 2012 in the rearview mirror. 2012 was for me not a great year. Flying for a company in bankruptcy all year-not fun and losing three of our classmates-not good. Please take a few minutes and go to the “Gone but not Forgotten” section. These were all fine Grads and classmates. We will remember them this fall at our 30-year reunion. More on our reunion at the end of my article.

Got an e-mail and photo from Chris and Nancy (Burdick) Liggett who are living in Virginia. Pictured are Connor-HS Jr., Lt. Christopher-2012 WP Grad, and proud papa Chris. Sorry to say Nancy was taking the photo. Lt. Chris is currently an Army Infantry Officer.

Connor, Lt. Chris and Proud Dad Chris Sr. Thank you to all my faithful Christmas carders for providing the basis for my articles. Mike and Gisela Shanahan (UPT mate) wrote from Monument where Mike spent a good part of the year in DC as part of a senior executive program. He earned his third master’s degree while working in the GAO auditing military programs. Three MS degrees, really Mike, did you learn nothing at the Academy? Congrats though. I’m in the process of trying to figure out where Stu Pope’s (Smack-mate) Christmas card was taken, somewhere in Barcelona. Stu, I’m going to send you a photo of me in that same pool, you’re welcome! Jon and Brenda Duresky (Smack-mate), next scribe, are still hanging out in Warner Robbins where he flies for Air Tran/SouthSabre Society west. They’ll be celebrating 30 years of marital bliss on Donors June 2nd and have their red convertible Lexus already.

Congrats! Jon wants to do the PFT at our reunion instead of golf on Thursday. Jon, please see my question to Mike above! Look for more info as we work on the details. Jon-’84 and Gayle (Johnson) Denny (Phantom driver-mate) are anxiously awaiting for June 29th as their son Wes will graduate from the Academy. Wes will be an Acquisitions Officer after four years on the golf team. Both Jon and Gayle hung up their ALO briefcases this past fall after 20 years. Gayle is in her fourth year as a consultant with Apex Learning where she travels throughout the Ohio Valley and the East Coast. See you all at graduation as my niece’s son graduates also. Pete and Gerry McCaffrey (84-06 UPT-mate) have finally settled in at The Villages in Florida and are the official winner of the “We are Officially retired, Bocce Ball anyone”

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Pete and Gerry McCaffrey, Merry New Year?

Andy Lagrone (T-38 FAIP/UPT-mate) and Jamie sent a great card. One of the photos was of their two dogs in the back of, I’d guess, a green and rust colored ’69 Chevy pickup with a Texas “US Air Force Academy” license plate. It looks as good as my “USAFA-83” plate on my ’88 Camry-airport car! The kids look great though. Another great card and photo came from Mike “Pad” Padilla (24 Phantom-mate) who’s still hanging out in Tennessee flying for FedEx. Pad’s oldest son is a smack at the zoo. Congrats Pad. Doug and Kim High (Phantom driver-mate) are still hanging out in south C. Springs, somewhat under the Academy radar. Doug survived the first shoe but hopes the next shoe misses him at AF TENCAP. They are moving his unit from AF Space Command to the USAF Weapons School and Air Combat Command. Doug and Kim’s photo (not included, sorry too many High photos) was great. The only thing missing was a shotgun lying across your lap as you await the arrival of either daughter Hillary-21 or Anna-14 from a date. Caption to read “You got some x-plainin to do BOY!” Thanks for helping with the reunion Doug!

Chris-’82 and Leslee (Forsberg) Washer (Preppie and CS-24 mate) are probably currently hunkered down in Whitefish, MT. Their family is growing, not expanding -- Leslee’s quote! We’ll see at the reunion. Their daughter Becca and husband, Jerrod, made them grandparents of a beautiful girl, Norah Elizabeth. Becca is an Army Nurse. Son Jacob is a junior at the US Merchant Marine Academy and like Chris, playing football. Leslee is a full-time home-school calculus teacher. She and Chris welcome all visitors to Whitefish (winters not recommended) to their “playland”. Congrats on Norah, she’s a cutie. Ron and Tonia Graves (Phantom driver and Preppie-mate) sent a great card, no letter, but great card with photos. Ron flies for United out of Dulles where he and Tonia are empty nesters.

Reunion and Academy News: Had a nice talk with Brig Gen Dana (Lindsley) Born this morning. As most of you know, Dana will be retiring this June as our Dean. I was hoping she would help out again with the reunion but she and her family are heading back east. But she did set me up with a lot classmates who would love to help out. So far Rick Walker, Al Arata, a reunion committee veteran, and Laurie (Schroeder) Healy have called and stepped up-thanks. Currently at the Academy in one fashion or another are Pete Puhek, Susan Hirst, Tamra Rank who will be retiring on June 1st, Billy Walker in the Athletic Dept, Rich Fullerton-Economics Department Head and reunion Vet, Linda Huggler-the Academy’s rep to the NCAA, Doug Hill-Men’s soccer coach, Rita (Burr) Burns, Sue (Newhouse) and Dave Ross where Sue works for the Falcon Foundation and Dave flies for United. Finally Dana gave me some great news: John “Pooh Bear” Hesterman has been selected as a CINC somewhere and will be our first three-star. Surprise, surprise. Congrats John, you done good. Our other Wing CC, John Zazworsky wrote from Europe where he’ll retire in June. Zaz contacted me to give me info our class crest. Thanks to all those who responded.

JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL (719) 472-0300 X200.

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Class News Our last photo is from Lisa, not Ricard Smith. Ricard retired in ’03, lives in Tampa and is currently a Simulator Test Pilot for CAE, USA. No news on the other guys in the photo though.

and happy whether they are on active duty or in industry.

Since our last column article, I also spoke to Brig. Gen. Thomas “Tom” W. Bergeson, AF/A5R, who confirmed that he is already on a 2-star promotion list. Congrats to Tom and his family! We hope he’ll pin soon. We had a great A5R Holiday party and I got to see Tom’s wife, Pam. I have also run into Brig. Gen. Timothy “Tim” M. Ray in the hallways at the Pentagon. Tim is also on the promotion list for a second star. Congratulations to Tim and his family! I’m including a picture of Tim from the Air Force web site and a short description of his current duties as the AF/A5X.

Dave Timm, Dave Schreck, Dave Uzzell, Ricard Smith and Maj Gen Richard “Beef” Haddad, ’81 By the time you receive this copy of Checkpoints we should know the dates of our reunion. Please go to www.usafa.org to get the latest info. If you have any ideas please feel free to contact anyone on the committee.

Jon Duresky will be writing the next article. Please contact Jon at dureskyjb@aol.com or 478-396-7787. Thanks and God bless.

Mike Jensen 12035 Milam Road Colorado Springs, CO 80908 (719) 338-3570 www.usafa84.com usafahomes@gmail.com Twitter: @USAFA84

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This year the 55th graduating class will be receiving their commission from USAFA and joining our “Long Blue Line”. Many of our class have children who have already graduated, are enrolled, or will be enrolled. Congrats to you and your legacy children.

Karen (Burton) Reeder is being inducted into the 2013 Air Force Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Karen, of course, is a 1984 graduate and 16-time NCAA Division II All-American in swimming. She won the 1984 NCAA championship in the 400 IM and was a two-time team most valuable player. Her swimming career continued after graduation as she set a world record for swimming the Catalina (Calif.) Channel in 1994 in addition to being the 1996 and 1997 World Series marathon swimming champion. She also comSabre Society pleted the English Channel solo swim in 1993 and was Donors a silver medalist in the 1991 World Championships. She will be inducted with fellow swimmer, Patty Martinez, legendary football coach Fisher DeBerry, multi-sport athlete Parke Hinman, track star Eric Mack and football consensus All-American Carlton McDonald on Saturday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Marriott.

Congrats are also in order to classmate Jeff Hays on being elected as the El Paso County (Colorado) Chairman of the Republican Party.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in less than a year, we will be starting to plan for our 30th reunion! Let me hear your thoughts. We have had a great relationship with the Colorado Springs Marriott and they have given us the best pricing on rooms. Do we want it to be around a football game? Would we want to go in the summer in Jack’s Valley? Let me know your ideas. In the meantime, we are planning a USAFA cruise this year and a week-long trip to Hawaii when the Falcons take on the Rainbow Warriors. Also if you are interested in coming out for the Notre Dame game, (OCT 26 is the plan). LET ME KNOW NOW! For the latest, follow @USAFA and @USAFA84, or you can call anytime.

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Frank “Q.” Williams 13209 Topsfield Court Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 657-3227 USAFA1985@aol.com

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Hi everyone!

I hope you all are doing fine. Since the last article (Sept 2012) we’ve had Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy ravage the eastern seaboard. Shortly afterwards we had a nor’easter that brought a lot of cold and snow to much of the same area and further into the northeast. We’ve had lots of snow in the Midwest and even the south. Our weather professionals must be busy 120

Brig Gen Tim Ray ’85 – Selected for promotion to Major General.

Brig. Gen. Timothy M. Ray is the Director, Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for the development and integration of operational strategies, organizational concepts, policies and plans supporting all elements of aerospace power employment. His directorate’s eight divisions orchestrate Air Force participation in joint and regional war and mobilization planning communities; operator and warfighter talks with allies and sister services; strategic planning for missile defense; combating weapons of mass destruction; and compliance with international agreements. Gen Ray supervises the Air Force’s concept of operations development as well as its interface with Joint Staff and National Security Council issues. His responsibilities cross multiple funcSabre Society tional countries to include interpretation of national Donors defense guidance for use in directing the Air Force’s capabilities-based planning process.

Last fall I saw a few Washington Nationals baseball games. I saw a couple of games with Lt. Col. George Weathersby and saw one game with George and Col. (Ret.) Michael Black.

The Nat’s had a great season last year and we’re looking forward to getting together for some games this year.

I recently learned that Col. Mark Altobelli is also in AF/A5X. We’ve exchanged e-mails but haven’t gotten together yet, since he was TDY when I contacted him. However, I did connect with Col. Jim Lovell and had lunch with him at the Pentagon Food Court. I also recently saw Lt. Col. Dennis “Boss” Stewart at the Pentagon. Maj. (Ret.) Malcolm Petteway ’84 brought him by my office and I really appreciate it. Malcolm is an accomplished author and I am reading one of his award-winning science fiction books, “HOMECOMING – Osguards, Guardians of the Universe, Book One.” I love this book and I recommend it to you or the “sci fi” fan in your family. Malcolm has three other Osguards books as well.

Maj. (Ret.) Jim Green e-mailed me that he was featured in the Retiree Spotlight section of January’s MOAA magazine Military Officer. He offered it as something I could use in Checkpoints and I’m glad he did. Jim’s story, with a ¾ full length picture of him that I cannot transfer, is on page 27. You can see the story on-line at http://content.yudu.com/A209ed/ 201301JanuaryFlash/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl. If this link doesn’t work, just go to http://www.moaa.org, and hover over the Publications tab then select Military Officer Magazine. On the page that comes up, you can click on the picture of the cover page of January’s magazine and go to page 27. In a nutshell, Jim has started a “wounded warrior” mentoring program from the ground up. The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program of San Antonio matches volunteer mentors with Wounded Warriors at the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). This includes SAMMC North (Brooke Army Medical Center) and SAMMC South (Wilford Hall). The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program of San Antonio was organized in the fall of 2009. It provides a one on one bonding and mentor relationship for the Wounded Warrior and family. The planning horizon is three to five years in the future with the goal being a new productive meaningful life and profession. The mentor and Wounded Warrior work in coordination with Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration and other supporting organizations.

Congratulations Jim on being featured in the MOAA’s Magazine!

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Joe Schmidt sent in some news. I haven’t seen Joe since we spoke very briefly at our 25th class reunion. Joe said he retired from active duty on 1 June 2012. After vacationing the entire summer (culminating in a visit back to the AF Academy), he now works at Wright-Patterson AFB as a contractor in the Global Hawk program office. Joe’s family resides with him in the Dayton, OH area, and he is now enjoying “civilian” life close to many friends and family there in Ohio (where he grew up). If anyone would like to contact Joe, he can be reached at joe.ui.schmidt@gmail.com. Joe also sent a very nice picture of his family from his retirement ceremony which took place at Wright-Patterson AFB on 4 May 2012. From left: I’m beside my wife (Ewa), sons Robert and John, daughter Sarah, and Maj. Gen. Steven Kwast (Class of ’86, then ACC Director of Requirements) who officiated my ceremony.

they can find an email address for -- not saying anything about the previous “RTB” class, but there was something in the water at Mitch’s before we got there!

Recent Sighting: Frank “Boom-Boom” Rossi reports: “I met up with Paul Huffman and Dennis Malfer during their recent TDY to Maxwell.

Paul is in his third year as the ROTC Det/CC at University of Portland while Malf is in his first year as the Det/CC at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ. They were at Maxwell working on the ROTC high school scholarship selection board. I got back from Iraq in Dec ’11 and was made the Vice Commander of the Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development (ROTC, OTS, JROTC, CAP-USAF). See photo.

From left are Frank Rossi, Paul Huffman and Dennis Malfer.

Joe Schmidt’s Retirement Ceremony Joe McBreaty sent a nice e-mail with a family picture attached. In the picture are Joe, Lucas, Regina and Nick, as they visited Tennessee for Thanksgiving. Joe said he extended his orders until March 2014, which will allow him to retire (straight up) at 20, before returning to American Airlines.

Steve Sutherland, still in uniform in Colorado Springs, swore in new Army 2Lt Brian Sutherland at West Point Graduation this past spring – congrats!

Next – long time reader, first time writer Vinnie Savino wrote: “Long time... figured I’d finally check in after 25 years! I retired 2 years ago after spending most of my career as a Combat Control Officer, then a Combat Rescue Officer. I was one of the First 3 CROs selected by then-CSAF Peters.

Anyway helped stand up the CRO Career Field, commanded the 38 RQS at Moody AFB as well as the 1st Air Support Operations Group and the 368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group in Iraq. After 3 Tours in Iraq, 1 in Afghanistan in addition to numerous other deployments with SOF and CSAR over the years it was time to call it quits. We settled in Valdosta, GA where I worked for one of Target’s Distribution Centers for 2 years, then decided it wasn’t for me, so am now doing some Government Contract Work. What I really wanted to pass on was a photo of me and my then 16-year-old (now 17) Zack at USAFA this past Labor Day weekend.

From left are Joe McBrearty ‘85, Lucas, Regina and Nick.

Sincerely, Q.

Bob Colella 9247 Northedge Drive Springfield, VA 22153 (703) 455-3176 rkascolella@verizon.net

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Attention in the Area!

This scribe gig is great entertainment. As grads get older and start to lose their marbles, you should see the emails they send out to any person

Zack and Vinnie [’82 guys, can you ID the background?[

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Class News We flew out to watch a football game and to meet the soccer coaches, also caught 2 soccer games. So it was a good trip for my son to see the Zoo first hand! He is the first alternate for the congressional nomination and we are still waiting on the Vice Presidential and Presidential appointment process. So if all goes well, there will be another Savino attending USAFA in 2013 (and probably napping in the Big Blue Bedroom)!”

And here is what you are missing out on if you aren’t on Facebook and part of the USAFA Class of 1986 Group:

“cowbell” we wore around on the first day that had our sizes on it! G-man – pull it back into the garage man!

Rolando Alvarado: Mine was so moldy I had to throw it away a couple of years ago. Sad day.

Kate Schaeflern Benson: Stinky hockey stuff holder for us.

Todd Moody: I lost mine in a flood, and I wish I still had it.

Shelley Harsh Hills: Both of ours are in the garage with uniforms and other mementos.

Lawrence Cooper: I’ve only got my A-Jacket, parka, bedspread, red brush, and little red book left... in a big Tupperware. Now I’m motivated to get a big Red Tupperware for everything.

Cindy Hart: Dare I post? Gold ’87 one is filled with Christmas ornaments and Red ’86 one holds the Christmas tree...

The excitement never ends people! Stay well and keep in touch! Bob “Cactus” Colella John & Carolyn Sammartino 3107 Woods Cove Lane Woodbridge, VA 22192 H: (703) 492-5492 W: (703) 808-6234 jsammar@verizon.net

Guillermo Adelmann: On a cold, dark, rainy January night, the red trunk met its end. Its time of serving as a repository of long-gone memories has finally given in to family needs (wife’s decoration preferences).

Donald Raines: Mine is still down in the basement, packed full of parade uniforms and other odds and ends Sharon Owen: Filled with camping gear!

Jon Ortega: I haven’t the slightest idea where mine is. In the late ’90s, I moved 3 times in 18 months. I think it disappeared during one of those moves.

Buzz Kraft: NOOOooooo!

Bob Colella: Say it isn’t so...

Joel Schubbe: ... in the back of my son’s SUV full of stuff that won’t fit in his apartment... he has the same.

Ed Yong: What? Am I in an alternate reality? Mine is in the basement holding all kinds of stuff and acting as a table.

Jim Shoff: It just isn’t right.

Patti Vincent: What? It looks perfectly good. I hope you donated it and did not add it to the landfill. Poor trunk.

Jeffrey Haring: Mine’s in the garage still performing duties.

Rex Gibson: Don’t do it!

William Thomas: Mine died from damp rot in the Netherlands...

Donald Raines: If you really loved it you would have done a midnight spirit mission to save the red trunk! It could have lived in exile in the garage.

Kevin-Krista Yeomans: Mine is still getting used!

Greg Cayon: Still in the basement full of junk that you look at every 5 years or so.

Julie Kadlubowski: Yes mine is in the basement too... your poor red trunk... hopefully the garbage man decides to bring it home with him. :) Bruce Wasserzieher: Put it in a large walk-in freezer and you can store your spirit cheese in it!

Sabre Society Chris Manocchia: Still got mine with my Aero 466 reDonors port (I put too much work into it to throw it out) and Ajacket in it. I think my wife plans to bury me in it (which would be okay with me).

Sterling Underhill: In the garage full of junk. Your garbage man didn’t show up yet – it’s a holiday. Rescue it before it’s too late!

Mark Downs: Maybe a song is appropriate here... Red Doolie Trunk, I fill you up, let’s have a party…

Derek Hunt: Mine serves as the step stool to our crawl space in the basement...

Guillermo Adelmann: My wife just doesn’t understand the number of replies to this post. How can you explain the emotions associated with a simple red box?

Donald Raines: It was our home every summer -- storing away our few possessions while we travelled the world, holding our treasures as we returned to the zoo each summer to start the next year.

Ed Yong: It’s a useful tangible item that in some way holds the intangible memories of the place that made us who we are today.

Bob Colella: ...he said as he retied the belt around his Cadet Bathrobe... and tucked in the dog in its kennel for the night under his blue with red piping bed cover... for his A-jacket has shrunk to no longer fit, and other than green laundry bag that still serves as good place to, well, put laundry.

The rest has slowly faded away. BTW – mine is in the attic in the vacation house still filled with all the letters Katy and I sent each other when we were dating all through junior and senior year. Also in the trunk is the 122

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Hello again ’87 from the Nation’s Capital where winter has returned after a two-year hiatus, and we survived another onslaught of tourists for the President’s Inauguration. It’s been kind of a slow news quarter, after copious inputs due mainly to our fabulous 25th reunion several months ago, but there are a few items of interest. First of all, we have two new Brigadier General-selects among us -- John Wood and Patrick Mordente were both picked up on the latest list that was just announced by the Defense Department; way to go guys! Keith Fletcher posted this photo on Facebook of Pat and Keith one Christmas at a local mall to memorialize the event!

Also ran into Jeff Degler both at the reunion and in the local area—he and his wife, Kelly, and their son stopped by for our New Year’s open house for a bit. He is a contractor working at the Pentagon, and is still in the Reserves. Busy with soccer and working on his son for a future USAFA appointment. Steve Dorian, Tom Miller and I recently took in a Wizards game—they are so bad that you can get tickets really cheap so we went and took our kids who were on Christmas break. Pictured are Tom’s son Mitch, who recently received his appointment for the USAFA class of 2017, which will mark the year of our 30th reunion, crazy! Then it is Tom,

your scribe, Steve and his son Ryan, who is undecided about USAFA at this point, and holding his $20 Verizon Center Special chicken fingers! Not pictured are my daughter Jill, and Tom’s daughter Kati, who were probably trying to talk to the players; ha ha! ” The AOG frequently sends out notes and since I don’t know if everyone sees them, I posted a couple of recent notes below—please help out if you can: Checkpoints needs your help! We are seeking content for the subjects listed below. We love graduate participation and with your help we can maintain the magazine’s status as an award winning publication! Go to the AOG webpage and click on the links for more details: Checkpoints is Seeking the Academy’s Healthiest Recipes.

Living healthier is a popular New Year’s resolution and we want to know what wholesome recipes you use to get in shape without sacrificing taste. Whether it’s low in fat or high in fiber, let us deliver your gastronomic greatness to the graduate community.

Are you going green? Checkpoints wants to share your green initiaties. Are you using solar panels or driving an electric car? Is your business working to Sabre Society reduce waste or create green technology? We want to Donors know what you’re doing to reduce waste, help the environment and advance technology.

Checkpoints wants to laugh at your best Army/Navy jokes. Air Force grads are well known for their legendary sense of humor. Checkpoints wants to cash in by laughing with, and at, our sister service academies courtesy of your finest piece of comedic gold.

Check in with Checkpoints. Send us a hi-res (300 dpi) digital image of you and your Checkpoints magazine at a unique locale (say on top of Mount Kilimanjaro) or cool event (like at the running of the bulls) and your photo could end up on the State of Mind page in the magazine.”

That’s about it for this quarter. Send us some inputs or post some things on Facebook that you think our classmates would be interested in; nothing is too trivial! Also, don’t forget to donate to the USAFA Fund in 2013, as Glenn Strebe discussed at the 25th reunion. Thanks and fly safe ’87…

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Craig McCurdy 46992 Smithwood Court Potomac Falls, VA 20165 Cell: (202) 570-3058 ccicdjmccurdy@yahoo.com

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grads to command TPS from the same class. Lt Col Kathy “Fog” Hughes is also at Edwards as a flight surgeon and the 412th AMDS Commander.

Finally, Troy Asher is “slipping the surly bonds” at NASA Dryden as a test pilot where it is rumored, he flew the shuttle around on the B747. Col Glen “Dudley” Graham is the lead at DCMA at Palmdale.

Paul W. Tibbets, IV 1200 Blazing Star Court SE Albuquerque, NM 87116 (505) 717-2012 E-mail: p2a2tibbets@gmail.com or p2a2me.com Class web site: http://www. usafaclasses.org/1989/

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Greetings ’89ers! In January this year we had 6 of our classmates nominated by the President for appointment to Brig Gen: Ron Buckley, Jim Hecker, John Shapland, Jeff Taliaferro, Ty Thomas and Stephen Whiting. A huge congrats to these gentlemen and their families; we are proud of you!

For information and because it doesn’t fit in the header, the class Facebook group address is http:// www.facebook.com/group.php?gid= 43101356987.

Our first update comes from Jeff Louie, who had a busy 2012. Last we heard from Jeff he had just pinned on O-6. Since then, his wife, Dana, retired (May 2012 with almost 23 years of service!) after a very fulfilling career in both flight test and international affairs. She Sabre Society Donors immediately began a Physics master’s degree program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and expects to graduate in Spring 2014. Then Dana plans to work towards her PhD in Astronomy and pursue work in Astronomy research or teaching. Jeff continues to enjoy leading the Strategic Languages Division at USAFA and teaching Chinese Mandarin to cadets. The happy couple took trips last year to Berlin and Munich, Germany, and Lucerne, Switzerland. Back in the US, they explored Dana’s cultural heritage by attending the Ohio Swiss Festival in her hometown of Sugarcreek, Ohio. Closer to home, Jeff and Dana hit the slopes at Winter Park, Monarch and Breckinridge, as well as hikes up the Incline and Eagle’s Peak. Thanks Jeff!

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(15 Sabre Society Members) Here’s an update from a couple of ’88er’s: Lawrence M. Hoffman, Col, USAF, Commandant, USAF Test Pilot School; and Kathryn (Garrity) Hughes, Lt Col, USAF, MC, SFS, Commander, 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

Col Paul “PM” Meyer passes command of the USAF Test Pilot School to Col Lars Hoffman in August 2012. PM performed duties as the TPS Commandant during the summer of 2012 becoming the first Reservist to command the school and has subsequently moved over to act as the EDW IG. Lars assumed command after departing the fix as the 9th Operations Group Commander at Beale AFB. Together they became the first USAFA Dana and Jeff looking good in 2012!

Next we hear from Christy Kayser-Cook, who continues to enjoy teaching Physics at USAFA. She has also picked up a few additional duties, including academic advisor-in-charge for both the Basic Sciences and Physics Departments. And, Christy volunteered for the USAFA Admission Selection Panel where they score Academy applicant’s packages for the class of 2017. Husband, Gary, is also working at the Academy and staying busy with landscaping projects and planning trips! Girls Haley (11) and Emily (14) are doing great and growing up. Haley is playing the flute, moved up to a competitive soccer team, joined the YMCA swim team, and enjoys the Marine Science Club and summer camps at school. Emily was voted most athletic at school and is playing club soccer, running track and cross-country, and now playing basketball and indoor soccer. She also plays trumpet in the band. Recent family trips include visiting many

Visit the AOG Web Site.

Gone But Not Forgotten, Merchandise and more! www.usafa.org Lars Hoffman and Paul Meyer

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Class News American Revolution and Civil War battlefields/sites along with Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestown, hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park, and a 22-day/4,500 mile eight state (CO, UT, NV, OR, CA, WA, ID & WY) Pacific Northwest trip. Thanks guys!

the sport for him and dropped it for his niche in soccer, also playing goalie. He is content with piano until baseball season, his real passion! Tony and Raquel took the family to Chicago with visits to the top of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower and a German U-Boat. They also made a stop in Orlando to enjoy Walt Disney World and Ft. Walton Beach to scope out some potential post-retirement plans. Love it, thanks Tony!

That’s a wrap for this quarter. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Take care and God bless!

42% Mike Shepherd Members 3801 Derby Circle Quartz Hill, CA 93536 (661) 266-2133 michael.j.shepherd@hotmail.com Class Web Site: www.usafa90.com

Haley, Gary, Christy and Emily enjoy Crater Lake National Park, the deepest lake in the US (1,943 feet deep)!

Eric Chandler writes to say he is doing well and completed his 7th trip to the Middle East for Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) in 2012.

Eric was happy to be there with his squadron and passed 3,000 hours in the F-16 while there. Impressive! Other nuggets for the year include the acquisition of his grandfather’s WWII Jeep that has been stored in Maine since 1975, surviving the Duluth flood in June, and taking their first family paddling trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. They also made a stop at Walt Disney World (post deployment) and Niagara Falls!

From St. Louis we received our last update from Tony Pollizzi who is enjoying time now as the Airlift Plans Division Chief in the Tanker Airlift Control Center. Last Spring Tony was pulled from his job as an Exercise Planner/Branch Chief to be on a 9-person team charged with reviewing all TACC’s functions/processes and identifying improvement opportunities. After a 6-month effort, their 185-page report was presented to their 2-star commander and they are starting to see some changes as a result.

Good work! Son Dominic (11) crossed over into Boy Scouts and started wrestling recently, while also enjoying playing soccer as a goalie and is back on the ice with hockey. He’s also doing great on the sax and was rewarded with concert tickets to Kenny G! Little brother Nicholas (8) picked up his Green Belt in Tae Kwan Do (with Tony!), but decided it really wasn’t

Raquel, Dominic, Nicholas and Tony visit one of their favorite places in Panama, El Explorador, a natural park and garden in Boquete.

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Spring has sprung! I’m getting an early taste of the changing of the seasons with unseasonably mild weather in Southern California—for some Springtime meant sunning ourselves in the quad…and for others of us it was a time when we could finally march tours instead of sitting in our rooms facing confinements!

For those of us who stayed out of trouble this winter, there were promotions to be had. Kurt Peters led off with this news: “Well I made O-6 along with a bunch of Mighty 90 people in this last go-around. You could download the list. Jacquelyn Marty, Sherry Teague, Joel Milton, and I are definite ’90ers on the list. As far as other ‘news,’ I’m not sure I have anything big other Sabre Society Donors than the 26 Space Aggressor Squadron (Reserve associate unit to the 527th) former commander Rob Rysavy went to March in California after he made O-6 last year to command the Reserve AOC thing there.”

Not only promotions, but command as well. I heard from a former roommate and Ellsworth AFB 28th Bomb Wing Commander Mark Weatherington. “Honestly, nothing too exciting to report -- very busy with all the budget challenges and changes, trying to keep the wheels from coming off a wing of 5,000 folks, and on the road quite a bit. Saw quite a few ’90 Grads at the Wing & Group Commander course at Maxwell in June.

Also, brought another ’90 Grad in as my MSG/CC this summer -- Tom “TJ” Goulter and his wife, Debbie. Hard to believe our second Sturgis Rally is

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TJ Goulter accepts command of the Mission Support Group at Ellsworth from Wing Commander Mark Weatherington.

just around the corner and the girls will soon be back in school. If anyone is ever passing through to see Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, please give me a shout.”

Thought I would take a moment to recognize a few of our classmates who continue to set the standard outside of military life. Congratulations to Chris Whitmire who was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly. Besides serving the public in his elected capacity, Chris is the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer in the Air Forces North Emergency Preparedness Directorate. Chris and wife, Shannon, live on a farm in Western North Carolina with their three children and enjoy numerous sports and outdoor activities.

our 13-year-old twins iPad minis for their birthday. Crazy! Well, I retired May 30th as an O-5 in the Maryland ANG. I went to watch Sue Temme do the Madison Ironman... Wow! My son Noah is a junior at UW in AF ROTC.” More proud parents, my squadron mate Brad Norris’ daughter Annalies continues to amaze as an honor student and sings in the all-county chorus. Marcus Schulthess and bride, Sandra, continue to reside in Albuquerque where he leads a department at AFOTEC. Children Anika, Adam and Kyle are keeping mom and dad busy with dance, sports, music and pre-school. Dan “Moose” Daetz serves as the vice wing king at Edwards AFB where Esme and he are busy with daughter Anna’s horseback riding and Josh’s Boy Scouts. Chris “Toph” Michel and Andie continue their adventures in Alaska and when not working home projects “Toph” finds time to moonlight at FedEx and should be in the left seat soon. I did find out I owe a correction from last issue as well. Jay Updegraff sent me the clarification: “Chris Hamm and I both work for the Civil Air Patrol-USAF, the active duty AF organization which oversees Civil Air Patrol, not CAP, which is a federally chartered non-profit organization.” Finally, we should have news if Marc Robinson was elected to the AOG board of directors— we are certain he would represent our class well!

Thanks again for making my New Year special with all of your news and good wishes. Hope this issue finds you in good health and optimistic about the future—every Spring I can’t help but think of the Thunderbirds flying over the stadium and the caps in the air! Mighty ’90 – Flash.

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North Carolina Assemblyman Chris Whitmire at his swearing in with his bride, Shannon, and children Allie, Luke and Wes. Tim Kane recently published the work Bleeding Talent based on the Atlantic essay that was reprinted in Checkpoints. Tim gave me the full scoop: “The book is dedicated to Mighty 90! It was reviewed favorably by the NY Times in January and was featured during a 40-minute talk on NPR. Bleeding Talent has already sold out on Amazon, so the publisher is rushing to get more hard copies available. I was inspired by the many classmates who resign (like me), but even more by those who stay in but then are mismanaged by AFPC. One of the chapters opens with the famous Form O-96 ‘Fast Neat Average Friendly Good Good’ Vietnam rescue story!”

If you’ve walked through a Borders book store during the holidays you couldn’t have missed the works of our own Rob “Waldo” Waldman. Waldo gave us an update on what he has been up to. “I fully retired this past October and am enjoying life in Atlanta with my wonderful wife, Dana, and our two-year-old son Ace. Still speaking professionally about being a wingman in business and life and enjoy working with our country’s business leaders. Also spend a lot of time helping veterans transition to the civilian world. (Please email me at Waldo@YourWingman.com if you’re ever in Atlanta.) My twin brother Dave and I started a foundation for veterans called The Wingman Foundation. We had our inaugural fundraiser in Nov 2012 called “The Ultimate Wingman Georgia Military Heroes Banquet” -sponsored by Verizon and The Home Depot. We recognized and rewarded three outstanding soldiers and one civilian who emulated the core wingman values of trust, service, commitment to excellence, and courage.”

Never Fly Solo author and motivational speaker Rob Waldo Waldman with bride, Dana, and son Ace. Just a moment for some of the updates I received over the holiday season. Scott Ormsby let me know “I’m still with momma AF and about to move back to Wright-Pat. Going to AFMC/A3F to replace my friend Chuck Greenwald for the 3rd time in my career.” Lisa Brown and I commiserated at the pace of our respective twins’ growing up—I was getting cell phones for my clan at Christmas—Lisa was in a similar bind: “Soooo true! We got

Carson Tavenner 7216 W. Country Club Drive Arlington, WA 98223 (301) 367-8969 Tavenner@hotmail.com

Members

Happy Springtime! Bold Gold!

The fields of Mount Vernon, Washington, will no doubt soon be awash in “gold” and many other fabulous colors. I can’t wait to check out the flowers this year.

One of the advantages of social media is that we are so much more capable of staying in touch with our friends. One of the disadvantages is that with the resultant “bit storm” of personal updates and family events on a nearly 24/7 basis, we can miss a whole lot. And don’t even mention what this does to our tendency to Sabre Society actually schedule time to get together and “catch up Donors over a coffee/beer” at the Club or Starbucks (the civil-

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ian world’s O’Club, I’ve come to discover). I know for a fact that on Facebook there is far more information going past me than I could ever manage to capture for you to report in this forum. Plus, I would always second-guess myself as to what anyone of you would really want publically shared.

Chad Marien came home safe and sound from deployment at the start of December. Happy Julie, happy family! Welcome home, Chad!

On your mark…get set…go Gamblins!

Sara (Beyer) Gamblin ran the Ho Ho Hustle 5K race in Pensacola with husband, Matt, and kids Katherine and Ben in the middle of December.

She said her kids did so awesome that soon mom and dad won’t be able to keep up!

Tauni (Searcy) Crefeld (on whom I should have reported in the previous column; she picked me up outside New York City back in September to enjoy a fantastic Friday evening of Poughkeepsie High School football and drinks with the family – thank you again, Tauni! That was a memo-

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Class News rable weekend) …getting back to this new story… she got inspired to head to Lima with husband, Jon (’93), and son Jono (a very impressive young man!) to check up on her medical non-profit, Med to One, and see how operations were going. She planned to renew the passion and refocus efforts. They departed the day after Christmas and spent a good deal of time in the slums of Lima. All three returned home safely and have since produced a video about the effort-filled adventure (search Med to One: Renew and Refocus). Here is one excerpt Tauni shared: “Visited a family in a far-flung shantytown two hours outside of Lima. Boy, age 14, can’t speak and is paralyzed due to childhood seizures. He had been normal until age 4. Sister, age 10, also had childhood seizures but Med to One was able to get her the medicine she needed to control her condition. She is still bright and energetic. Baby, 16 months, also has childhood seizures.

Med to One is getting him the medicine he needs to hopefully stay bright like his sister. They are the reason we support Med to One.” No doubt Tauni would love your support as well!

Jean (Fulmer) Voigt reported “It’s taken over 20 years, but I’m finally going to the mobility mother ship that is Scott AFB. The upside is that I’ll be there as the 375th Operations Group commander! Can’t wait to fly again!”

Congratulations, Jean!

Chris Collett finished initial training at JetBlue after Thanksgiving. He was very happy to be home with family after that.

LinkedIn provides a frequent wrap-up of the activity that’s taken place among our connections, and I find that any one report usually is about half Bold Golders! So for the sake of those of you who don’t have time to keep up on LinkedIn, I’m capturing the reports on folks as they come through. Three months later it provides a great review.

Would you ever have thought when we were zoomies that anyone would return as a Group AOC? That’s exactly what Christy (Leader) Holliday has done. She’s now the Deputy Commander for Fourth Group at the Zoo! Bold Gold, Christy! I am not sure whether she is the first of our class to command a cadet group.

Leon Dockery is job hunting, “exploring everything from traditional logistics background to working in non-profits”. He is available mid-June and looking in the VA/DC/MD area.

Stephanie (Shields) Williams watched Jamie Dermer pin on O-6 with Reggie Godbolt on 30 November (where?). Tim Meserve is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Veterans Multi Service & Education Center, Corey Wormack is at US Northern Command(Colorado Springs) as the Mexico Air Force Desk Officer, and Karen Smith is now the Air National Guard’s Chief of the Financial Services Branch (DC). Recently, Adam McLean became the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron Commander at MacDill AFB, Florida. Congrats to all!

James Hanley is now in my neck of the woods (western Washington) and wrote “[we] just moved out here from Wright-Patterson, and are living in Bellevue, just south of I-90. I am flying the 737 out of Renton and Boeing Field… [let’s] try to round up fellow Bold Golder Troy Larson and meet for a frosty one!” I hope by the time you are reading this that James, Troy, and I will have met up for that visit. Shannon Curry also lives in that part of the region, as do Dave and Belinda (Lyons) Zeitouni. Others?

Rod Lewis has moved on from his time with the White House to take over “affairs” as Chief of the US Transportation Command’s Legislative and Interagency Affairs (in DC, of course!). Congratulations, Rod, on your continuing path. It is fun to watch!

Ronnie Tate is on a multi-month jaunt through Asia! Well, he was until he broke his ankle and had to stop to rest a few months in the Philippines.

He is taking it easy and thoroughly enjoying himself by the sound of it!

Ronnie has been off the radar a bit from my perspective, so it was fun to get him connected to a bunch of people this week through Facebook. All the best to you, Ronnie! I hope we can catch up with you somewhere in Asia this year.

I’m deep into the planning and coordination of a regional conference for the Pacific Northwest on April 12th. The theme will examine the subnational connections between regional US/China community leaders.

I’m getting very excited about the event! Partly because Matt “Knocker” Isler has agreed to be one of the panel speakers; I’m looking forward to my new local community meeting him and learning about his experience with the National Committee for US-China Relations’ Young Leaders program. Maybe the Bold Golders of Joint Base Lewis McChord and Eastside Puget Sound will manage to get together for a few drinks together afterward?

The week right after that, I’ll be travelling to Colorado -- Spring Canyon, Denver, and Colorado Springs. If you’re in the Front Range region and think it would be nice to visit together, I’d love to plan to see you. But you have to contact me, please, because my mind-reading skills are very low these days. Maybe we can have an unplanned mini-reunion at Art Romero’s PB & Jellies. In conclusion, I’m thankful for this photo from a Bold Gold get-together at Al Udeid Airbase. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Until next time, keep all our deployed colleagues, subordinates and commanders in your prayers, please!

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From left are Angie Cadwell, Blake Tibbets, Pat Rhatigan, and Chase McCown.

Your faithful servant, Carson.

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James S. Mehta 707 N Overlook Drive Alexandria, VA 22305 james.mehta@us.af.mil jamesmehta@earthlink.net

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Hope you’re all enjoying the new year! Along with getting another year older, we are all getting another year of experience under our belts.

And, even though I bet you all can remember the Zoo like it was yesterday, many classmates have been selected to take command at the Wing and Group levels. It’s kind of cool to see more classmates becoming wing, vice-wing, and group commanders. I know that a few fast burners have already done that as I’ve mentioned in previous columns, but we expected that from guys like Clint Hinote and John Kubenic. Now, the rest of the (high speed) mortals are ready to lead our Air Force. If you haven’t seen the list, you can probably find it on the AF portal. I scanned through the list and recognized about 20-25 classmates’ names off the top of my head.

Congratulations to all who have been selected to take this huge responsibility and challenge! I know that I’m excited to see ’92 continue to put its mark on the AF. Sabre Society Maybe I’ll get a few pics from change of command for Donors next column…hint, hint.

Not too much in the “mail bag” this time although due to the tradition of holiday cards, I did actually receive some snail mail, too. First, James (DJ Red) Ramsey sent me an email…I think he must have been totally bored… Really, it was great to hear from him. I’ll let him narrate for a while: “Well I found myself this past holiday break reading through my December Checkpoints and it inspired me to drop you a quick line. I’ve been a civilian now for quite some time, however it seems I keep finding myself drawn back to the defense industry. I’m with Raytheon now and with all the former military running around here and our daily engagement with military customers, the atmosphere really reminds me of what I loved most about the Air Force and the Academy. I’ve been married to Stacey now for 20 years come February and we have two great kids, James Jr. who will be 9 in a couple of weeks, and Sydney who is 6. I keep in pretty regular touch with Clarence Lukes who gave me a full accounting and some very cool pictures of our reunion. I hate that I missed it, but we both got a great laugh from the class of the month photo with us in it. I also keep in somewhat regular touch with Werner Garner who is now a patent attorney living in DC working for the Patent and Trademark Office and enjoying DC life (he mentioned a couple of Embassy events that he attended). I hear from Tommie Thompson every blue moon or so. He’s in Kansas City doing IT consulting work.” I couldn’t have recapped that better than the original (and I have plenty of space today). Thanks for the update, James.

And now for the snail mail. Tim Stong sent me a Christmas card the old-fashioned way. Tim is the Director of Staff for the Wing Commander at Vance AFB where he tries to fly the T-6 as much as he can. The Stongs are keeping busy in Enid with their three elementary school-aged kids and Tim’s wife, Elissa, is a great volunteer on the Officer’s Spouses Club and the kids’ school among other things. Thanks for the quick update!

Mike Rokaw is currently on the Joint Staff and insanely enough, we

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have failed to get together since we both arrived in DC last summer.

Thankfully, his wife, Angela, keeps us on their holiday card list. Mike has always been a frequent contributor to the column and I hit him up this time over email. Mike is on the J-8 Joint Staff working space and ISR issues. Here’s his quick rundown of other ’92ers: “Gary Jenkins is on VCSAF staff organizing Corona conferences and was recently selected to attend AWC. Andy Kleckner is on OSD Policy working space issues and is heading off to RAND. Chuck Henderson is on the J-8 leading the analysis division. Art Primas is running a Detachment in Canberra, Australia. Andy Bates and Donna (Delango) Bates are still married and live just outside Princeton, NJ. Donna must be a saint, because would you want to spend 20 years with Andy! (lol) Josh Kutrieb is working for Orbital Sciences in Dulles, VA. My brother-in-law Jason Kimbel (’93) got deployed to Tampa and spends his free time playing Xbox. Dave Mott got selected for Group Command and is still on the CNO Study Group at Naval War College and is very upset the Broncos lost. My officemate is a ’96 grad named Julian Stephens and we share a SCIF the size of a bread box. I spend a considerable amount of time highlighting to him each day what it was like to experience a real 4th class system (unfortunately since we are in a SCIF I cannot give him stereo privileges).” Ah, it’s good to know that some things never change! Nicely put, Mike.

Short and sweet! I keep up pretty well with those of us still in uniform, however since we have all passed retirement eligibility, I know many of you have moved back into the civilian world and are doing great things there. When you can peel yourself away from your social media, drop me an email or give me a call and tell me about it. I’d love to share your successes knowing that the rest of us will join you there…someday. True Blue—James.

Michael D. Sundsted 1805 Macadams Place Alexandria, VA 22308 202-757-0080 Michael.Sundsted@whmo.mil Class Website: www.zoomienation .org–”Class of 1993”

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read online that a great leader from our class lost his life -- Commander of SEAL Team 4 – Job Price. Please keep his family and legacy in your prayers. I remember flying Job’s team around a few times in C-141s and I can tell you he was extremely respected by his troops. Here’s a toast…

I also want to inform our class on a very tough battle that another one of our classmates is going through right now. Brent Mesquit is undergoing treatment for multiple Myeloma. Brent has always been an inspiring friend and he is even more so now. He went from being the Wing Executive officer and Vice President’s pilot to commanding a KC-10 squadron at McGuire AFB. He is currently the 305th Wing Director of Staff. Brent’s positive demeanor and impact on everyone he meets is very motivating. I ask that you keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Brent we are with you brother!

Thanks again so much ’93 for 20 great years of stories from everyone. I look forward to seeing you at the reunion. Please go on the AOG website at https://members.usafa.org to ensure your contact information is correct. Also, I will have the AOG publish a listing of our classmates who do not have updated information. When this ends up on our AOG reunion website please review the names to see if you have any information on anyone we may have lost contact with—many thanks in advance to all those who will make our reunion the best USAFA has seen! SEND ME UPDATES – michael.sundsted@whmo.mil. Mike

Craig Allen 85 Quail Creek Drive Del Rio, TX 78840 H: 830-313-7089 C: 660-864-5374 kegsdoolittle@yahoo.com

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HAPPY 20th 1993! By the time you read this it will extremely close to our 20th Anniversary of our 20 years since graduation from USAFA! I would like to congratulate all the graduates of the class of 2013 on their commission to the USAF! Things are going great here in Alexandria, VA. We are eagerly awaiting the release date of our reunion and by now you should be arranging for your stay in Colorado Springs for the celebration of our 20th year! Many had questions as to why it took so long to determine what day/week/month we were going to have the reunion. The reunion dates are not released until the football schedule is finalized. As of the writing of this article we still do not have a date. The Association of Graduates is waiting for the athletic department to publish the schedule. Despite the lack of date, howSabre Society Donors ever, your reunion committee is feverishly planning the th BEST 20 REUNION EVER! Your reunion committee consists of Wispy Speros and I as co-chairs and our phenomenal planning team on the ground in Colorado Springs is being led by Mike and Damara Rice.

You may remember from our most excellent USAFA 10th reunion how great their leadership was in ensuring no stone was left unturned. We can expect the same from at this reunion. My goal for all who read and want to help in some way as to what you want to see at the reunion. Please let us know early in the planning process if you can think of any lessons learned from ours or any other reunion that we can incorporate. The AOG web link to our reunion site is http://www.usafa.org/Reunion/1993. We will do our best to ensure all the information is there for you to include published event schedules. I definitely look forward to seeing ALL of you at our reunion.

I am very fortunate where I work to consistently run into fellow graduates, but it is a distinct treat to actually fly with fellow graduates as well.

During the last few years it has been a great honor to fly with Kirt Fiesbeck, Chris Thompson, and Bruce Ybarra. Chris Thompson is currently the Deputy 89th Operations Group Commander. Kirt will be retiring from the 89 AW within the next year. Bruce is moving on to Air War College in Montgomery, AL. Congrats to you three!

Bruce updated me on A.J. Werner who is going to Air War College as well. George Irvin is flying for FEDEX and also the Guard. Wes Winterstein is in Atlanta and Will Thomas who went to Harvard Business School is starting his own non-profit organization.

Now the tough stuff…I was sad to see the news on 26 Dec 12 when I

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Spring Break Edition! I’ve just returned from Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM, where I was TDY for a couple weeks at the Air Force Safety Center. I was stationed at Kirtland in my first assignment back in ‘94-’96, so it was interesting to return check out some of the old spots. My wife, Colleen, flew out for a weekend with me, which included: an awesome day of skiing at Santa Fe; a trip up the Sandia Peak Tram for lunch at High Finance; breakfast at UNM’s Frontier restaurant; and a great afternoon watching the Patriots win their first playoff game at Billy’s Longbar (which was a favorite hangout for 2Lt’s back in the day). Editor’s note: there will be no more discussion of this year’s NFL playoffs, as the last positive event of the season happened that day...except that I would like to mention that I can’t stand the Ravens. It was a really nice trip and I rediscovered that the best way to get ‘94 info for this article is to go TDY somewhere. I hit the jackpot Sabre Society at Kirtland.

Donors Also TDY to the Safety Center were Brian “Nuts” Hazel, Steve “Jester” Jost and Andy McGee. Beyond catching up with each of them, I took the opportunity to get other ‘94 grad info from them. I’m sure they thought it was strange at first that I was taking a few notes on what they told me, until I let them know I had an article deadline approaching. Nuts told me he managed to score a highly desired flying assignment -- he left the good life of flying T-38s at Randolph, for the even ‘gooder’ life of flying T-38s at Langley. He and wife, Allison, live in the Yorktown, VA area with their two teenage kids. The T-38 mission at Langley is in support of the F-22, which mostly involves flying as Red Air platforms for the F-22s. I made a sarcastic reference to Nuts about flying his best cruise missile imitation in the T-38, soaking up F-22 missile shots, but he was quick to point out that they do a bit of air-to-air maneuvering with the mighty Raptors. I don’t know if the Langley T-38s are painted black like the “MiG-28s” in Top Gun, but I’m sure there are a lot of “no one’s been this close before!” quotes on the tapes in the debrief. Nuts said there are quite a few ‘94 grads at Langley, including Steve “Bugs” Bunting and Darren “Whip” Gray. Both Bugs and Whip are former F-16 guys, who made the transition to the F-22 in the Virginia Air National Guard.

Also in the VANG there is Brannon “BK” Kerr, who flies T-38s with Nuts part time. BK lives in Williamsburg, VA and flies for UPS as well. I also learned that Mark “Yukon” Blomme and Auggie Marquardt are at Langley

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JOIN THE SABRE SOCIETY! YOUR MONEY HELPS FUND CADET WING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED. CALL (719) 472-0300 X200.

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Class News on the ACC staff. Nuts said Yukon gets paroled from his staff duties at times to fly the T-38 and that Auggie is trying to work the same deal. I wish they had T-38s at Langley when I was slugging it out on the ACC staff.

Beyond the Langley/Virginia info, Nuts updated me on a couple of his old bros, Jeff Burbank and Tom Connelly. Jeff settled down in New Jersey, a little south of Philadelphia, where he is married with two kids and in the Hospital Administration software business. Tom lives in Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia, and works in the finance business for GMAC. Needless to say, it was great to catch up with Nuts Hazel.

Jester Jost provided a solid Misawa, Japan update. Jester just left there as the Deputy OG, flying F-16s. He’s on his way to an assignment as the OG at Eglin, FL in the F-35 program. Yep, the OG. This is the first ‘94 OG I’ve heard of and I also noticed right away that Jester is a pinned-on Colonel, which made it feel like a really long time ago that Jester and I were 4degrees together in Bull Six. Jester’s wife, Kelly, is retiring this summer as the Maintenance Squadron commander from Misawa and will then join Jester with their two kiddos on the Emerald Coast. Jester said that John Seuell and wife, Suzette (Stenersen) Seuell, were also at Misawa. John is a Deputy OG and Suzette is the JAG. Also there is John “Cheech” McDaniel who is the commander of the 13th Fighter Squadron. Like Langley, another solid ‘94 presence in PACAF at Misawa.

Also from the PACAF region, Andy McGee was TDY with me at Kirtland, having just finished up as the C-130 squadron commander at Elmendorf, AK. He and his wife have four kids, two girls and two boys. Andy said he’s staying there as the Deputy OG and that he and his family love the Alaska life. He told me that West Stark is also there as the ACS commander. Andy said Mike Erickson is at Elmendorf too, in command of the AWACS squadron. It was great to hear this, as Mike is one of my old bros from Viking 9.

Another commander from that motley crew...our old AOCs wouldn’t believe it was possible. Really. Anyway, here is a picture of Andy, Jester and I on the last day of our Board President Course. As you can tell, Andy had a quick turn to make his flight back to Alaska that afternoon. I was glad to see Andy, Jester and Nuts in ABQ, thanks for the updates fellas.

in Eagle 8 together. EZ said he had just flown with Doc on his fini-flight.

Below is a picture from that event, which culminated in Doc’s retirement.

An Eagle 8 quorum. From left are EZ, Doc, and Jeff.

My final update this quarter was in the form of a Christmas card from another of my Bull Six compadres, Noah Hardie and wife, Polly. The card featured a picture of their four boys! The youngest was just born in October and is nicknamed “The Caboose”, so I assume they’re calling it quits at four. Noah said they’ve been living overseas for his job, in Helsinki, but that they may be moving back to the DC area soon. Thanks for the update bro.

Great input this quarter, but I may not get another TDY anytime soon, so please email me updates and pics! Have a great Spring Break – Kegger.

R. Travis Koch 2406 Pretty Bayou Island Dr. Panama City Beach, FL 32405 W:(850) 282-43-1 DSN 742Cell: (840) 499-8242 richard.koch@tyndall.af.mil traviskoch@yahoo.com

Lt Cols McGee and Allen (left and right) and straight-up Col Jost (center).

Jeff Rengel sent me an email, which included a pic of him and Matt Glover with each of their sons. Jeff is a civilian anesthesiologist in Duluth, MN. He said that Matt stopped in Duluth for a quick visit recently. Matt was on his way to a PCS at the Academy. Thanks for the pic and update Jeff!

Party with Thousands: Spring break is here in Florida. The temps are righteous and the undergrads are abundant. In November, Amanda and I welcomed in a new member to the Koch family, Andrew James. He would be the class of 2035…think about that. I can hear it already, “Andy, that’s nice, your grandpa came out for parents weekend… oh… that’s your dad? Sorry dude.” Sierra and Brian Schafer swung by to visit the little man. Ewen (8) and Jack (3) Schafer are great guys and had fun visiting with our other son, Sabre Society John (8). Schafes took command of the Navy’s Training Donors Squadron THREE (VT-3) Red Knights this November at Whiting Field. The ceremony was awesome: whistles, wheel caps and ringing aboards. Not surprising, VT-3 just won the award for the USN’s number one training squadron for the year…standard. It’s really not a fair fight having an Air-

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Jeff and his son Payton (left) with Matt and his son Andrew.

Another email update arrived from Eric “EZ” Wright. Eric is at Pensacola flying T-6s in the 455th FTS for the Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer School there. EZ said Frank “Doc” Schorzman (‘92) and Jeff Sabella (‘93) are also in the squadron with him. Coincidentally, they were all

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Brian with Jack, Sierra and Ewen.

man compete against 15 other Seamen. Especially a gold-tagger. Congrats, Schafes, and here’s a righteous family shot in front of the T-6: A few other ’95ers were in town this Spring for a WSEP shoot and even got to stop by. Cavan Craddock brought his mighty men of the 27FS over to the house for our third annual 43FS Super Bowl party and chili-cook-off.

100 people at the house and not one clogged commode…miraculous. Matt “Eggar” Van Wieren stopped in the heritage room for a roll call and brought the Jacksonville ANG gang with him. Unfortunately, they did not bring one bottle of whiskey. Andy “Woody” a.k.a. “Dice” Lyons is not only happy that I named my son after him, he’s flying the F-22 here as the new Commander of the AFRC’s 301FS. Did anyone, besides me, see the black and white pictures of him and Nico Adlung they slipped onto the wall of Aces circa 1993?

Classic. Finally, Steve Alexander showed up in the bar too. Ivan is expecting a little girl this summer (see you at parents weekend) and swears that 40 is the new 30. Here’s a shot of him and his fine-looking fam:

The Krishnans “O” during the Star Spangled Banner. He was also disappointed I didn’t name my kid Tom Brady Koch…but there’s always the next one. 40 is the new 30.

Till then, keep the Faith, T.Koch

Team Alexander with the Mighty Raptor.

Steve passed a great happy snap of his boys and his brother Jim’s girls (shameless plug to make sure you’re sending in shots with at least one graduate in the pic). He also passed words on a few of the guys: “Tony ‘2Tall’ DiCarlo was just hired as the New Orleans ANG OG/CC. Paul Feichtinger is at Langley on the ACC/CG staff. Paul’s normally a Buckley guy who flies for SWA but he’s on a full time tour here at Langley in A3T working ANG RAP tasking stuff. Those interested in networking down the road, me, Jim, Jaxo, Derek Younger, Brian Oswalt, Johnny Harrison, Fran Miller, Scott Evers, Sean O’Donnell, Ian Smith, Carmen Punziano, and Chris Jones are all ’95ers flying at FedEx.” Thanks Ivan and I’m sure you’ll get a few calls here in the next 18 months.

Amanda and I got to eat lunch with Mandy and Dane Crawford in Sandestin over the Christmas holiday. Dane is on his way to command the 19ASOS in Fort Campbell, KY this summer. Congrats. We missed a panhandle bash that Irene threw for her husband, Chris “Raz’n” Kane, as he celebrated his 40th birthday party overlooking the emerald coast. Please forward the gouge on any unique celebrations for you old farts turning 40 this year…which is the new 30.

Random Updates: Tiffany and Rob Kinerson have moved from Texas up to Colorado for Rob’s Work. He and Tiffany celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in Costa Rica and the boys (Joseph and Matthew) are excited for the move. Aimee and Ryan Keeney (’97) are still in Houston with their boys Connor (who introduces himself as a Democrat) and Finnegan (who is enjoying the Texas heat). Rob “Cujo” Teschner is playing bass in the band “The Kinetics” with the man in black, Brad “Tonto” Bird (’93). Check ’em out if you get to DC this Spring. Amanda and Paul Moga are on their way to Stuttgart after a quick six months in Rome. Beau Bilek just got back this fall from another four months in the sandbox with the DEA. Jeremy Durtschi just had a boy, Jasper Jeremy. Yumi LaFortune (’96) just published her first book, Let’s Go Air Force; order one online at www.mascotbooks.com. Claudia and Benji Glazer are still loving the east coast life with daughter, Francesca (5), and their son Luca (3). John Christ (’96) just finished up a short tour working for NATO in Izmir, Turkey. He got lots of travel all through Europe and is now back at the Zoo teaching CE and doubling as the Officer Rep for the Water Polo team. Tough life. Here’s a picture of Sheila and Mirali Krishnan that I could not get into the column last month: (See photo at the top of the next column.)

And finally, the Jon Hamby section of the update. Bone is still rocking it. Kids are in full swing, as is his golf game. He’s given up his Facebook account for 2013 but he is still managing the Isotopes in Chief’s Fantasy Baseball League. I’d bet he was not cheering for the Ravens during the Super Bowl and was also disappointed with the Baltimore fans for yelling

Melissa S. Cunningham 9712 Hidden Valley Road Vienna, VA 22181 (C) 719-332-4912 (W) 703-697-9121 Melissas.s.cunningham.mil@ mail.mil fmcunningham@me.com

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Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a restful holiday. With twin twoyear-olds, Christmas is still more like Merry Mayhem, but we sure enjoyed it. Just like last year, the kids liked the boxes more than the gifts inside.

Wedding Bells for Andy Dao. From left are Will Skeeters, Matt Linnell, Nhut “Andy” Dao, Derek Thomas, Darrick Galacgac, and Dewayne Creamer.

Several ‘96ers made it out to Oahu for the wedding of Nhut “Andy” Dao in September. In attendance were Will Skeeters, Matt Linnell, Derek Thomas, Darrick Galacgac, and Dewayne Creamer. Will and Matt are in their 8th year of flying for Southwest out of Oakland and Phoenix, respectively. Andy is the head engineer of Bellows AFS on the East shore of Oahu. Derek Thomas is starting his fourth year flying for Hawaiian. Darrick Sabre Society Galacgac is the DO of the 705 CTS at Kirtland AFB Donors and Dewayne Creamer lives in North Carolina. The wedding was on a beautiful ocean lawn setting, with the family of the bride coming all the way from Japan.

The guys found time for hiking, paddling, swimming, and enjoying the Blue Angels from a pair of boats tied together on the Kaneohe Bay.

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Class News got remarried recently -- he brought two kids to the marriage and his wife, Leah, brought four -- they are the real-life Brady Bunch.

The Guenther Family in Yellowstone.

Matt Guenther completed Sq command in Montana last summer and headed down south to Barksdale AFB to be the Air Force Global Strike Command Exec. The Guenther Family has had many quick one-year PCSes and they are about to embark on another. Next Summer, they are off to Boston to go to Tufts University!

Congrats! Several of our classmates are headed back to school this summer! Jeff Alexander and Matt Guenther to NDF-Tufts; Paul Birch to Army War College; Matt Brooks to FGN-Genev; Mike Conley and Nicole Malachowski to Naval War College; Michael Casey, Daron Drown, Ryan Suttlemyre, Joel Safranek, Scott Heritsch to ICAF; Brian Tyler, Jeff Goggin, Dan Luce to Air War College; John Vargas, Jennifer Hammerstedt and Steve Gorski to National War College; Parker Wright to NDF CNAS; and Stephen Frank to JAWS. Also, I just saw the release of the AFMC Test/Operations Squadron Commander List: Steven Ross is headed to the 586 FLTS at Holloman.

Devin Traynor is going to the 412 OG at Edwards AFB. Alan Wigdahl will venture to a “Data Masked” location—very intriguing! Peter Vitt is off to the 96 OSS at Eglin AFB. Sean Bradley will go to the 780 TS at Eglin AFB. Finally, I wanted to let you know that we have another published author in our class. For the twin’s birthday, we received two signed copies of Yumi Lafortune’s (Ramirez) Lets Go Air Force. It is a wonderfully illustrated book about the pageantry and traditions of our Air Force Football game day. My kids love it! Google it and check it out!

Please keep the photos and updates coming! Good luck with the New Year’s resolutions! Mel

Melvin E. Maxwell, Jr. PSC 2, Box 10931 APO AE 09012 mel_maxwell97@hotmail.com melvin.maxwell@ramstein.af.mil

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Nighthawk Reunion: Mike Cancellare, Eric Knauff and Kevin Templin.

Speaking of reunions, Kevin ‘Showtime’ Sutterfield and Greg ‘Booger’ Pickette had a mini USAFA Flying Team reunion in the desert. Kevin is a Reservist flying the F-22 out of Elmendorf AFB, Alaska and Greg just got out to Kadena AB in Aug where he flies the F-15C. They are both deployed out to Al Dhafra and battled it out over the skies in the Middle East.

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Greetings ’97!

As always, hope this update finds you well. First update comes from Chris Senseney who recently returned from a deployment working military construction for USFOR-A at New Kabul Compound. Chris was able to return three days earlier than expected and surprise his son and daughter at their schools. In Afghanistan, Chris ran into Jason Campbell (and Prince Harry) in Bastion/Leatherneck. Jason is taking command of the CE squadron at Fairchild AFB in the summer while Chris will be joining Pat Suermann as an instructor in the CE department at USAFA. Chris also

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Chris Senseney returning home from deployment.

Next update comes from Kevin Templin who reports a mini-reunion with three-fourths of all the USAFA ‘97ers who flew the F-117 Nighthawk.

Kevin, Michael Cancellare, Eric Knauff, and Matt Crill are the four ‘97ers who flew the F-117. Kevin, Eric, and Matt were on the Wings of Blue together at school and Kevin and Mike were roommates as seniors in CS-08.

Kevin and Mike are both currently in the DC area working on the Air Staff -- Kevin in A8 and Mike in A3/5. Erik Knauff is currently at Sheppard AFB, but was in town Sabre Society visiting family over Christmas break when the three of Donors them got together. Kevin also recently met up with the fourth ’97er, Matt Crill, when he and his family stopped by the Templin house in the fall when they were visiting the DC area.

Flying Team Reunion: Greg Pickette and Kevin Sutterfield.

Quick hits on the way out: Samantha (Glinksi) Weeks is on her way to Colorado (NORAD/NORTHCOM) for her next assignment. Noah Oviedo continues to keep busy in San Antonio expanding his business and along with his wife, JR, raising his two kids Townes (6) and Casey (3). Command news from Travis: Ryan Aerni will be taking command of the 60th OSS (largest OSS in AMC) and Thad Middleton will be taking command of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron. Congrats boys. That’s all I have for this round. Until next time…Mel

Pat Fox 1260 Bragg St. Sonoma, CA 95476 (707) 837-6356 pfox@hannonarmstrong.com

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Pretty much standard ops for this quarter’s class update – I send out multiple warnings about proactively providing me updates or I’ll have to come up with fabricated updates on my own. Minus a couple of thinly veiled passive aggressive missives, I’m on my own again this quarter.

As mentioned in last quarter’s update, Doug Riggs got married. His update was brief, “Would write more but I’m the most spent I’ve ever been in my life and need to knock back about five more bourbons before Sabre Society the 24 hours of upcoming travel.” I can only guess how Donors many bourbons it’s going to take for the lovely Mrs. Riggs to make it through the rest of her life. Doug didn’t even have a photo of himself and his bride to share, but he did send the below photo of Phil Vallie, Marc Segal, and Steve Walden. Apparently the wedding invite wasn’t too clear on the dress code: Vallie wore a suit but had no hair, Segal came in his Andy from “The Office” costume, and Waldo wore his ‘best’ khakis.

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Tony Dacosta making friends at Doug’s wedding. zette in January about a cadet who competes in beauty pageants. The beauty pageants didn’t raise an eyebrow, it was this line, “After classes, she retreats to her ultra-feminine dorm room, home to pink sheets, a leopardprint bedspread and teddy bears.” No doubt those pink sheets are firmly starched and the leopard-print bedspread is neatly folded each morning into a “Cadet E”. I was no model cadet during my time at the Academy, but something about that line just doesn’t sit well. It’s truly amazing how much the standards can change; all first class year Nate Hartley was asking to swap out his blue magnet for a leopard-print bedspread and his Group AOC would have none of it.

A few weeks ago I was flying back to San Francisco on one of those infamous Bay Area foggy days – no visual approach available, single runway ops, and planes stacked up in holding. We didn’t break out of the fog until we were about 200’ above the runway and we had quite a firm landing – hitting first the right wheel and then bouncing to the left wheel. A few passengers commented on the landing, but everyone was mostly happy to be safely on the ground. Walking off the plane, I looked into the cockpit and wouldn’t you know it, there’s Jeff Mohr – he was the co-pilot on the flight. J Mo – great approach and don’t worry, I won’t mention the landing to anyone.

One last important item. I’m looking for someone to take over for the next two updates. My wife and I are transitioning from man-to-man to a zone defense and the transition is going to require a little more family time. Quite honestly, the class update is not a lot of work – reach out to classmates, hold out hope they’ll provide updates, in lieu of updates submit something ill-conceived and promise yourself you’ll do better next time. Rinse and repeat once every quarter. Like dreadlocks. Early nominations for a fill-in scribe include Wade Henning, Jen (Petykowski) Mulder, Rob Makros, and my personal favorite, A. Rodell “Hawk” Severson – you’re welcome to support any of the above or volunteer yourself.

Remember, this crap don’t write itself. I look forward to your emails.

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Phil Vallie, Marc Segal, and Steve Walden pose for a photo at Doug Riggs’ wedding.

Based on Riggs’ update: Deno Debacco kept his drinks to a minimum at the rehearsal dinner and Matt Motocha didn’t offend any of the guests; well let’s just say he didn’t seriously offend any of the guests. Honor Guard alumnus Don Siegmund presented the Colors – wearing his white pot, of course, and Ben Trautwein gave a 16-minute best-man speech, making his speech just one minute shy of the duration of the wedding ceremony.

Zach Hall and Les Hauck shared stories their swim team days in Speedos.

And Ty Miller (’99) had to play peacemaker when Tony Dacosta began to get aggressive with some of the locals. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

I received an email from Chad Marchesseault. It was short so I’ll share it, “Foxy – I’ve been enjoying your comic genius in Checkpoints (his words, not mine), and I keep promising myself to send you a note. So here it is…congrats! What are you up to these days?” That was two months ago, I haven’t heard back from him, despite my calls and emails. Chad and I had some great times up in Grand Forks during our first assignment following pilot training. We had a decent group from ’98 up there, including Matt and Kerrie (Gribuski) Dunker, Keith Litzler, JD Kiker, Matt Wetter, and the late John ‘JB’ Boria. If Chad gets back to me, I’ll get an update on some of the other’98ers that were up in the Forks. From his email address, it appears if Chad is stationed at the Academy, but again, that’s me putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

Speaking of the Academy, I was surprised to read an article in the Ga-

Mary Stewart Arlington, VA marybeth1999@hotmail.com mary.stewart@pentagon.af.mil

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Eyes front, Shiners. President Busch relinquished our class updates to me. I am humbled by this honor; however, as a former editor-in-chief of the Warrior Update, I do feel my role in contributing to our class story has been years in the making. Also, as a current resident of our nation’s capital, where a large percentage of our class has traded Mitchell Hall run-ins for five-sided building ones, I get the chance to awkwardly pass classmates in the halls or on the metro on a regular basis.

These encounters are most often awkwardly met with the question “I’m pretty sure I had a class with you at Sabre Society some point?” which no doubt will make for excellent Donors Checkpoints fodder in future editions.

Terrazzo Talk: Tasha (Ziegler) Tickner is here with her husband, Luke Tickner (’00), working as a civilian on the Air Staff in A9. Eric and Heidi (Triggs) Buheit are also local; Eric is the exec for A3/5 and Heidi is a Reserve pilot flying out of Charleston AFB. I have also heard from Tasha that Mark Kasayka is currently working at the DoE, Danny Menashi is working in Reserve Affairs, and Erica (Cazares) Brewington is a contractor in OSD (AT&L). I know

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Class News Chrissy (Deibel) MacGregor is also in the cadet area, running a thriving home business and raising three daughters while her husband attends medical school. I recently saw Bobby Farina and Doug Vetrano while in New York City for Bobby’s birthday. Doug is an FBI agent and Bobby works at a private equity firm. Both are also Academy Liaison Officers, shaping the future classes of our United States Air Force Academy—your gut instinct to fear for the future is probably right. As for me, I am living an alternate 1999 reality, residing Vandy-style down the hall from Dana Moss and Matt Watson, though in this dimension they are newlyweds and only make me call minutes for them twice a week. Dana is an attorney at a DC law firm and Matt is a management consultant in the area.

damage to the campus (goal posts and terrazzo paint anyone?), it’s probably fitting we starting giving back now. For more information on his campaign and how to vote: http://www.facebook.com/votebobbywolfe?ref=n otif&notif_t=page_new_likes and the email address is votebobbywolfe@ gmail.com. Also, for those of you with long memories or a dream of eternal posterity, check out www.usafaclasshistories.org. They are especially looking for folks currently residing in the Montgomery and Pensacola areas to record video stories for our class…Keep it clean.

It’s been a pleasure, ’99. Until next time, I will be waiting for my classmates...

Jason Simmons NKAIA–IJC–CJ6 APO AE 09320 Jason.Simmons@Outlook.com JW_Simmons@Yahoo.com

Dana Moss and Matt Watson Wedding, Dominican Republic, October 2012.

Trisha Eknes also lives just across the quad, though she is currently on exchange cadet status in London, working as a contractor for the British Ministry of Magic, or maybe it’s Justice. I also received an update from Daryl Myers who is a month into a short tour in SW Asia. He is doing the SOLE (Special Ops Liaison Element) again and recently ran into Tim Curry is out here working in the CAG. M5 Guest Speaker Series: I eagerly solicit guest contributors to add color and variety to our updates and perhaps teach us valuable leadership lessons.

Matt Watson has generously offered his creative writing skills for Day Zero: Hello Fellow Shiners, long-time listener, first-time caller. Let’s get right to the updates. Chief Warrior Update Movie Correspondent Ty Miller and his wife, Jen (Shelby ’00), currently run San Diego Harley-Davidson, the largest Harley dealership on the West Coast. When not busy chasing around three kids and exemplifying the core values, Ty can be seen pumping iron in his two-sizes-too-small Weight Room CIC T-shirt and dropping 3-point bombs on unsuspecting middle-aged men at various gyms in the San Diego area.

Speaking of athletes living the dream, Wing Open Wrestling Champion Ryan Schaeffer continues to take on (and dominate) all comers in both recreational and fantasy sports leagues. He separated from active duty and flies C-5s in the Reserves at Travis AFB. Ryan and his wife, Anne, recently welcomed the addition of the second little Schaeffer to their family.

Dave Buchanan is at Denver University working on his PhD in English.

In a few years he will go back to shaping minds and crushing dreams at USAFA. He’s married to Dr. Cindy Buchanan but has no kids, mainly because he hates children. Jason Swiergol is a management consultant in Phoenix, AZ and spends his days helping companies create value by aligning people, processes, and technology. Jason and his wife, Stefanie, have three children and enjoy beginning each day with a hike up Camelback Mountain, greeting each couple they pass with a thundering “Trolls Roll!”

Rick Hoss and wife, Beth, have two children. Rick is a partner at New Sheridan Advisors and runs the Latin America portfolio for the firm. Rick enjoys thumb wrestling with his brother Rusty Hoss (’97) to determine who will be responsible for writing the monthly portfolio manager commentary and reminiscing about the time he beat Dave Sheller in arm wrestling.

And now it’s time for some scatter shooting. Alan Driver recently moved to Tampa, FL to work at US Special Operations Command. Alan and his wife, Conseulo, have a daughter and enjoy inviting unsuspecting houseguests over for Amway pitches involving fake CK1 cologne. Steve McDaniel works for Johnson&Johnson in Spokane, WA. Steve and his wife, Misty, have two children and 36 pets. Nick Mossing lives in Ohio and works for Microsoft. Nick and his wife, Chantel, have three children.

Bobby Boll works for Army in Pinehurst, NC. Bobby and his wife, Laura, have three children. Seth Barun also works for Army (allegedly) in North Carolina. Jeff Cain has one kid and works for a video game company in Seattle, WA. There are rumors floating around that David Martinez will soon be a father. That should frighten all of you. Josh Parvin is doing Josh Parvin things in (insert last known whereabouts here).

Time to Shine: Our very own Bobby Wolfe is running for the AOG Board of Directors. As the class that likely caused the most personal property

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Two Grand, I hope everyone is starting off a successful 2013 so far this year and more importantly getting in lots of time for family, friends, and fun. As I finish off my year tour FOB hopping around Afghanistan, I’m living vicariously through you, so don’t let me down. As many of you may have seen, certainly Kristen Bakotic is making superstar appearances, like she did at the Presidential Inauguration. Kudos to her on representing all blue suitors and her class! And on with the news.

Russ Magaziner and wife, Lauren, had their third Sabre Society Donors little girl, Elizabeth Irene Magaziner, born back in August. The Magaziners live in Hickory, NC, where they proudly fly an Air Force flag on their home and Russ works as a patent attorney for Corning. Mike Deaver moved to a new B-2 OT&E job with AFOTEC Det 5 at Edwards AFB. He reports having a blast doing B-2 test, as well as living up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his wife, four kids, and a small flock of chickens! Coincidentally, he is working with former CS-19 roommate Kent Jensen, as well as another CS-19 alumnus, recent TPS grad Adam Goodpasture (‘01).

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Mike Deaver and Family Bryan Trinkle notes that classmates at ACSC are looking forward to another three months of school and said they should have their assignments by 1 March, but I saw a list of some getting commands already. Three of our classmates were assigned for CY13 to the personal staffs of members of Congress as part of the Legislative Fellowship program. Dee White (LRO civilian) was assigned to Congressman John Garamendi, Maj James O’Brien (C-130 pilot) was assigned to Senator Patty Murray, and Maj Scott Hodges (JAG) was assigned to Congressman Tim Ryan. It should be a very interesting year for the three of them.

Kirk Olsen has been at the Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, RI. There are a few USAFA grads there but no Ballers, he reports. He also notes that the students here are tight across the services, but obviously there are more Navy folks than anyone else, but he’s found it easy to cross service barriers because they wear civilian clothes 95% of the time.

(What!? – sounds like a scam to me.) Kirk is part of a small specialized research group and he just toured the USS New Hampshire (submarine) in Connecticut as he submitted his update. Kirk’s wife, Courtney, is back at USAFA while he’s in Rhode Island, so if you’re Olsen friends (or not), certainly give her a call if you’re in town. At least Kirk’s schedule of academics and events allows him to travel back to Colorado often -- mainly holidays and in between semesters.

Continuing on the IDE trend, Jaron Roux provided an update from

the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS) in Montgomery, AL. Jaron assures us that the class of 2000 has a strong representation in SAASS class XXII “Deuces.” SAASS has 44 total students in the class this year. The 16 USAFA graduates took a break from the books to snap a quick photo.

classmates this past fall 2012. Congrats to Edith Pope, Joanne Kenneally, Aaron Lapp, Nate Schauermann, Casey (Tinianow) Parini, Amanda (Rivera) Williams, Matt Crockett, Javier Esparza (twins!), Susan (Murphy) Adamson and Dave Adamson!

I’m sure we missed a couple new babies here and as I was submitting final updates this time around, Matthew Graham and Bridget (Blanco) Graham announced the arrival of Garrett Matthew Graham on 4 Feb. Matt reports that both mommy and baby are healthy and happy.

Well, that’s it for this time. Keep sending updates even between my attempts at soliciting updates. Send them to Jason.Simmons@Outlook. com or any other email address or Facebook page. Best wishes to you all.

Jason “Cueball” Simmons

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Faith (Hitchcock) Dunn 6423 NW 94th Court Johnson, IA 50131 Faithd03@hotmail.com Shannon Anderson ’99, Marc Greene ’00, Nick Dipoma ’00, Nick Evans ’99, Brian Stahl ’00, Mark Sletten ’00, Brad Stebbins ’98, Brian Smith’ 98, aron Roux ’00, Caleb Nimmo ’99, Matt Husemann ’00, Joe Kramer ’99, Dan Diehl ’99, Pat Wnetrzak ’99, Dan Hoadley ’00, and Larry Sullivan ’99.

Seven members of the Doolittle class make up this year’s SAASS class (five have line numbers to Lt Col) and everyone is enjoying their break from operations. Even though reading a book each day, and chipping away at a 100-page thesis is not what they envisioned they would be doing almost 13 years after USAFA graduation. However, the time with family is appreciated. Marc Greene voted himself the smartest person in our class, our exemplar (Lt Gen Doolittle) would be proud of this mobility warrior! Mark Sletten (former 3x Wing Open Champ) keeps everyone on task with fear of an upper-attack from his flying fists of fury. It is fun to watch Nick Dipoma in class, trying to apply Coach Acee’s Lacrosse strategy to small wars fought since 1900. Brian Stahl is doing awesome, and has finally convinced the class that he does not sit on a phone book to reach the rudder pedals in the F-22. Jaron Roux is great, trying to live out his dream to bring about world peace by friending everyone on Facebook. Matt Husemann is still denying he is Lt Gen William Tunner reincarnated. Dan Hoadley is doing well (we think), we cannot tell if he is happy to be at SAASS or not; some people just can’t shake the stealth persona, even after leaving the B-2. In all seriousness, everyone is doing great and looking forward to graduating and returning to operations or their next staff job in June 2013.

For those heading to IDE in the summer, I’ll be seeing those going to ACSC and lucky me, I get to show up early to be part of the First Fifty… can’t wait. It’s better than Afghanistan though, so I’m just itching to finish up this deployment on or about April Fool’s Day. Let’s just hope the joke won’t be on me, and I’ll be back home with my wife, Melissa, and baby girl Lillian.

I heard from Amy (Fischer) Meier recently; the Meier family was reunited after a long deployment for Jay ’99. He’s the commander of the 824th Base Defense Squadron at Moody AFB and Amy was on Reserve duty the day he returned, hence the uniform. Here is a nice reunited picture moments Jay’s return:

Elizabeth “Bessie” (Fontenot) Granier and Jay are finally settled in St Louis and welcomed a baby girl on October 24th. Their daughter is named Alexandra Leone Granier and big brother Matthew is loving his new baby sister. She noted that she got to spend some of the holidays with fellow CS-36 alumni Kristen (Discala) Westby and Kristina (Welde) Pina who happened to both be in St Louis for a visit. Bessie is hoping to get back to teaching at the community college level this upcoming fall while her husband Jay continues to enjoy his role as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician at the VA facility there in St Louis. She also writes that it is fun to see Facebook updates of all the new babies born to so many

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Hi all, Here are the updates that I got – thanks for everyone that sent something!

Jeremy McDaniel and his wife, Jessika, are expecting their second child in August. Jeremy is currently working on the MEADS and DAGR programs with Lockheed Martin in Orlando. Justin Longmire and his wife, Laura, recently did the long road trip from Travis to DC. They have two boys ages 5 and 1. Justin was flying KC-10s and working in the Contingency Response Wing, but now is enjoying the staff life. Donte Tanner is in DC working as a government contractor and comes to visit Justin and his family on Sundays for football and food.

They have a mini Ratz (CS-33) reunion going on there since Tom and Tracy (Tinianow) Bozung (’00) live just a few miles away. He keeps in touch with Kyle Johnston, who recently got out of the AF and moved the family to San Antonio to pursue a new career as a doctor! Justin Sabre Society also wanted to highlight that Greg Ball was recently on Donors TV standing up for our Constitutional rights as a NY state senator...”till hell freezes over, and then we’ll fight from the ice!”. Fire it up. Go get ‘em GBall.

Jenn DiCarlo PCSed back to Dyess AFB about a year ago and is back to flying the B-1. Last spring she got a lottery spot to race at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. The race was in October and she ran with Team Red, White, and Blue which is are an organization founded by some West Point grads that supports wounded veterans. She was thrilled to raise $1,500 for their cause. She ran into several other Air Force folks running for them to include the first ever USAFA cadet to qualify for the race. That was definitely the highlight of her year – awesome job Jenn!

Jeremiah Guild is currently deployed to an “undisclosed location in SW Asia” but send a picture of him and his family before he left for deployment.

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The Guild Family in Malibu, CA. Jason Feuring and his wife, Nicky, just welcomed their first baby in October, Molly Camille. They are stationed in Vegas and wanted to share a photo of their new family along with Brent and Tricia Bak who are Molly’s godparents! Congrats Jason and Nicky.

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Class News Graham Williford is staying busy flying T-38s at ENJJPT with classmate Brett Swiger. They just did a “spouse taxi” in their squadron where they took their wife’s out to the jet and got the opportunity to show them how they operate (at least up to 90 knots).

Brent and Tricia Bak with Jason, Nicky and Molly Feuring.

Mike Juni works for the US Department of State as a Diplomatic Security Special Agent and is also still in the Reserves. He is currently assigned to the Diplomatic Security Resident Office in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He and his wife recently had another son in September. Steven joined his big brothers Gabriel and Isaac. He’s run into some other ‘01 grads in the State Department; while learning Spanish at the Foreign Service Institute, he got to catch up with Shannon Merlo, who is a Foreign Service Officer and currently serving as one of the diplomats at the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. Jimmy Page is also a DS Special Agent and Mike ran into him when they were both providing protection on Secretary Clinton’s trip in Uganda. Jimmy is assigned full time to the Secretary’s detail. Wow, that is awesome!

Alicia Nathaniel Alicia Nathaniel has recently begun her South American adventure. She began by exploring Peru, taking the “Gringo Trail” from Lima to Cuzco.

There she hiked, mountain biked, zip-lined and white water rafted her way to Machu Pichu. What a glorious place! She recently arrived in Ayacucho where she is in the midst of her volunteer work. She volunteers at a medical clinic that serves the indigenous populations in the impoverished rural outskirts of the city. A large part of her work involves working with the local nurse as they visit blind and paralyzed patients. Although she is paid with potatoes and maize, she finds the work extremely rewarding. After Peru, Alicia plans Sabre Society on going to Bolivia to volunteer with an animal orphanDonors age in the Amazon. There she will have the opportunity to work with a variety of rescued animals from monkeys to pumas. How cool is that?

Carlos Jayme got a short notice JET deployment to Afghanistan; he’s currently doing his pre-deployment training and hoping to run into some classmates. If you run into any classmates send me a message and a pic so I can keep everyone in the loop with the RTB sightings around the world. Hope all is well!

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Mike, Samanta, Steve, Isaac and Gabriel Juni As for Mike and I, we are still in Iowa and both working at John Deere Intelligent Services Group. I am really enjoying my new job and am learning a lot. We are planning our first Spring Break road trip in March and will be going to Nashville to visit Holly’s family. We haven’t seen them in almost 5 years and it will be nice to go see Holly at the cemetery. We will head up to Chicago for a couple fun days with the kids, too. Mike and I are also celebrating our 10-year anniversary in November and have booked a trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora! We are so excited but can’t believe it is 10 months away! Definitely expect some pictures of our trips in the upcoming Checkpoints!

At the time of this article I found out that a fellow grad (2003) was killed in an F-16 training accident at Aviano AB. Please keep the family of Captain Lucas Gruenther in your thoughts and prayers. Here’s a toast.

Thanks for all the updates! Faith

Eric Ballew World Cell: +1.850.543.9936 ericballew86@yahoo.com eric.ballew@us.af.mil Class Facebook: USAFA Class of 2002 Class Website: www.usafa02.org

(9 Sabre Society Donors) Hey Bongers, Happy 2013! I hope your new year is going well. We heard from Steve Suppe (CS-27) who finished up his MBA at London Business School and recently moved to NYC with his wife, Charlie, starting a new product man-

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Class of 2002, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! My family just moved into our new place in Las Vegas and we love all the visitors we have seen passing through town already! We are super close to downtown with a view of the strip and a pool in the backyard. Our guest room is ready for visitors, so stop by to say hi when you are out here partying like a rock star!

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Members Susan (Doyle) Maly Linked In: USAFA 03 USAFA2003@gmail.com Class Facebook Page: Usafa Zerothree

Jamie Turner’s wedding. Natalie Tunnell, Amy Schultz, Suzy Neilson, Jamie Turner, and Lisa Ballas.

ager role at Google. Congrats, Steve! Jamie Turner was recently married and shared a photo of the Bong reunion.

Daran Gaus’ wedding. Brandon Losacker, John Harris, Daran Gaus, Greg and Susan (Doyle) Maly.

Daran Gaus celebrated the vows of matrimony in Houston, Texas and stopped to pose for a picture. Good times were had by all.

Quick update: the date for our reunion has not been determined as of this writing. We’ll lock in a date, likely this spring, when the football schedule is set and the older classes confirm their dates. Take care, Susan

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Breezy Long PSC 78, Box 4252 APO AP 96326 719-213-3205 windyshort82@gmail.com

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(4 Sabre Society Donors) (Editor’s note: We did not get a column from Breezy for this issue. Please send her your inputs and photos for the next magazine.)

John Tamasitis 801 King St., Apt. K Columbia, SC 29205 Tamasiti@email.sc.edu Cell: 610-850-3352

Amber (Tittle) Beamer and her husband, Nick. ond daughter, Sophia, into the world on December 21st. They are now a happy and healthy family of 4! The ever-busy Walter clan just moved from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay area where Brittany transferred to the University of San Francisco to finish up her law degree.

Finally, Dan Therrien checked in from Offutt AFB. Dan just graduated from University of Nebraska with a Master of Fine Arts in Writing. His wife, Stacey, is currently working on her Master’s in Public Health Education (also from University of Nebraska) and their son Parker (4 years old) will continue the family’s stellar academic tradition as he starts kindergarten next fall. Hit the books hard Parker!

That’s all we have for this submission. Please feel free to drop me a line with any updates you may have that you want included in the next Checkpoints. Take care and be safe. - John (Editor’s note: It is Checkpoints Class News policy to only run photographs of children if the graduate is also in the picture. Otherwise we would be besieged by “kid pics!”)

Dayle (Morell) Hartung 12918 50th Ave. Court NW Gig Harbor, WA 98332 daylehartung@gmail.com Facebook page: USAFA Class of 2006

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(3 Sabre Society Donors) ’05ers, Baby news dominates our updates this time around. First, Amber (Tittle) Beamer and her husband, Nick Beamer (’04) welcomed their third daughter, Nolia Amaris Beamer, back on July 19, 2012. She joined her sisters Ayla, 5 years; and Constance, 2 years. Nick is flying KC-135s and Amber is currently working on her master’s in public health. They just passed their 2-year mark at Fairchild AFB and are looking to PCS in the near future. (See photo at the top of the next column.)

PAlso, Colton Walter and Brittany (Wright) Walter welcomed their sec-

By the time this is published, I will have completed my six-month tour in a prison in Afghanistan! In the words of Elijah Supper, it is crazy how many of our classmates are out here supporting the war. We are joined

by Chris Goshorn, Jordan James, Sussie Crespo, Matt Orvlosky just to name a few. Michael Chua was in Herat, Afghanistan and then moved to Kabul in December. Ashley Housley is also out there but at a different base. Mike attached a picture (see photo at the top of the next column) from his time out there (he’s on the far right). He was also featured in an AFN commercial; Sabre Society just type in this link to view it: http://www.dvidshub.

Donors net/video/280690/advanced-military-shooting-longversion. I wish them all a safe return home!

I only got a few updates this cycle, but Barbara (Leo) Devine just wanted to send an update that she and Alex Devine are now in Osan, South Korea for 2 years! Alex is flying for the 36 FS (Fiends) and she is working at 7 AF A3A5. They hope to see anyone that swings by the peninsula!

David Russo wanted to pass along that he was selected to begin car-

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Please keep sending in updates, I hope to hear from you all soon! I believe I will be spending some quality time in Alabama at the dreaded SOS this summer, and I look forward to seeing some friendly faces down there before I move up to Elmendorf for a few years. Stay tuned and stay safe.

Casey (Bayne) Whitson P.O. Box 3005 El Segundo, CA 90245 (310) 343-5969 checkpoints@caseybayne.com

diology fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center this summer. For us non-doctor types, that means at least 3 more years of training before he can finally start having a real job and start paying back the commitment.

That sounds like an incredible opportunity Dave, congrats!

On 1 June 2012, Ryan Baker got married to Alicia Edwards in Upper Marlboro, MD. In attendance from the academy were Josh Stinson, Mike Bien, Brian Jones, Dave Foland, and Jen Young.

Shawn Schulz has been MIA since graduation, so he sent a comprehensive update for you all. He got married to his high school sweetheart, Olivia, ten days after graduation and then went off to Scott AFB, IL to be a Finance Officer. While there they were blessed with a healthy little boy, Anthony. They PCSed from there to a NATO job out in Belgium, and soon after were blessed with a beautiful baby girl and named her Sophie. He just PCSed again back to Colorado Springs and will serve as the Budget Officer for USAFA. He wants to pass on to look him up if in the area or passing through! Finally, he wants you to know Pizza Time is alive down in El Paso, Texas and Dad is always glad to have visitors. Stop by for a quick bite, even if just passing through. Sounds like a great few years Shawn!

Here is a picture of his beautiful family.

Chad Polumbo and Bryce Fiacco, along with a committee of other 2006 grads, are heading up a great project. For our 10th Reunion, we have decided to embark on a class gift project for the Academy. The primary purpose of our class project will be to encourage as many of our classmates to give back to the Academy as possible. To encourage giving, our vision is to allow classmates to give to an Academy designation of their choosing.

The main goal of this project is participation and we are striving to see 50% of our Class of 2006 classmates participate in our Class Gift project by giving to support the program of their choice. Additionally, we would like to dedicate our giving efforts in honor of our classmate, Roslyn Schulte.

Please feel free to email us at 2006usafa@gmail.com for additional details.

Together we can give back to our Academy and contribute to the continuous development of our elite institution.

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Hi Class of 2007!

I hope this edition finds you well. A number of classmates sent in great updates this quarter, thank you to everyone who sent them in.

Weddings/Engagements: Geoff Carrigan married Cassie Mason on Dec 1, 2012 in Austin, TX. In attendance were fellow classmates Wade Maulsby, Steve Christopher, Chris Schlener, Evin Negron and Blaire (Leake) Negron, in addition to Jared Krueger (’08) and Dan Zheng (’09).

Geoff is currently stationed in Chantilly, Virginia as an engineer. Congrats Geoff and Cassie, looks like the wedding was a blast!

The Carrigan Wedding Ted Crump wrote in to say he officially separated from the Air Force on Sept 1, 2012. After separating, he moved to Swaziland in Southern Africa and now works for a nonprofit called All4Jesus Foundation (or “AFJ International” as it is known in Swaziland). All4Jesus is a small children’s ministry and its purpose is to create child care centers which provide food and basic education for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC’s).

According to Ted, Swaziland has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world and a horrible orphan problem. Ted plans to be with All4Jesus for at least another 2 years and then see where things roll from there. Ted also wrote that he and Tina Harder were engaged in Swaziland over Christmas and are getting married in OklaSabre Society homa this July. Tina will be graduating from John Brown Donors University this May with a degree in Early Childhood Development. Ted raises money to live in Swaziland so he and Tina will be traveling around to visit supporters for a few months after their wedding then they will return to Swaziland in October. Once back in Swaziland, Ted will continue to work on establishing child care centers and Tina will teach pre-school at an orphanage. She will also train Swazi women to become pre-school teachers in orphanages and child care centers across Swaziland. Congrats Ted and Tina; good luck preparing for your wedding. Sounds like you are doing great work in Swaziland, thank you for sharing!

Baby News: Angela (Sheffield) Waterworth wrote in to share that she and husband, Andy, had a beautiful baby girl named Scarlett Rose Waterworth, born on Oct 29, 2012. Future class of 2035 for Scarlett? We’ll see!

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Thanks for all the great updates, please shoot me an email or Facebook message with updates for next edition!

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Christin Brodie christin.brodie@ramstein.af.mil

The Waterworth Family Danny Bellissimo and Erin (Fitzpatrick) Bellissimo are expecting their first child in early June. They are waiting to find out the gender until the baby’s birthday. We can’t wait to see a picture of the newest Bellissimo!

Jordan (Wilhelm) Smith wrote in to say that she is graduating from the University of South Carolina school of law in May, and she and husband, Dustin Smith (’06), are having twin baby boys in June. In August, they will PCS to Hurlburt Field in Florida where Jordan will work in the JAG office and Dustin will be at AFSOC. Sounds like Jordan and Dustin are in for one busy but awesome summer!

My husband’ Dave Whitson, and I (Casey Bayne Whitson) welcomed our second baby, Joseph William Whitson, on Jan 12, 2013, at 1007. Big sister Kelly loves having a little brother! I’m still teaching ROTC at the University of Southern California and also getting my MBA there at Marshall School of Business. My husband, Dave, is currently training to become a boatswain’s mate in the U.S. Coast Guard. Below is a family photo we had taken a week after Joe was born.

Members

Hello Class of ’08!

I’m sure everyone has stories of running into classmates unexpectedly whether it was on a TDY in the desert or at the base BX. Matthew Ables, Chad Murray and Nicole Graziano all ran into each other at RAF Mildenhall. Matthew was ferrying a war-damaged C-130H back from Bagram to Little Rock and stopped at RAF Mildenhall for a few days due to schedule change. He noticed that Nicole Graziano’s KC-10 had been diverted to England as well.

After a few Facebook massages, not only did Matthew Sabre Society Donors find out that Nicole was indeed at Mildenhall, but was checking into the same hotel with her crew, including None Yet another classmate, Chad Murray. For those who don’t know Chad and Matthew are good friends, but at the time hadn’t seen each other since Matthew’s wedding last year. So in an ironic twist of fate and flight plans, the three ended up at a Cambridge pub for dinner and a brew before going into crew rest and our separate ways the next morning.

The Whitson Family Other News: Kelsey (Hayward) Guetschow is currently deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, working as the Patient Administration Flight Commander in Craig Joint Theatre Hospital. She loves her job and is learning a lot but she has seen more medical traumas than she ever thought possible as a Hospital Administrator. She misses her husband, Brian Guetschow (’06), very much; he is stationed at Los Angeles AFB working in Acquisitions. Kelsey is looking forward to returning to LA in June and taking a vacation with Brian. Get home safe and sound Kelsey! Below is a picture of Kelsey in Afghanistan after it snowed recently.

Chad Murray, Matthew Ables, and Nicole Graziano in a happenstance meeting in Cambridge, England.

We also have yet another happy couple in the Richter community. Clay Ten Eyck married Felecia Farris on Sept 29, 2012, in Santa Fe, NM. Other ‘08ers in attendance included Nick Haiar, Jeff Weger, Matt Kubik, Mitch Wills, Joe Visalli, and Joe Speakman. Ed Tison (‘09) was also a part of the ceremony. After the wedding, they took a honeymoon cruise through the Panama Canal. Clay is flying AC-130Hs at Cannon AFB and Felecia is working as the Career Services Coordinator at Clovis Community College.

Clay also wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who made it out to the wedding!

Guetschow Deployment Eddie Ortiz officially separated from the Air Force on Jan 2, 2013. He has taken a job as an Administrative Contracting Officer for the Defense Contract Management Agency in Denver, Colorado. He and his wife, Alyssa (Palmer) Ortiz, will be living in Monument. Alyssa is currently teaching for the Department of Mathematics at USAFA.

The Ten Eyck wedding party happily celebrating their marriage in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Class News In case you did not already know, we have a class Facebook page. Right now, we only have about 200 likes so I know this is news to some people.

Andrew Roberts has put together a great page. This is another great way to stay in contact and share information such as upcoming reunions… as in our 5-year reunion that is just around the corner!

If you have anything you want to share with our class, please contact me! Send a Facebook message, an email (cbrodie@me.com) or even find me on the Global! I look forward to hearing from you and sharing your news.

Until our paths cross again. Brodie

Forrest Underwood PSC 2, Box 9538 APO AE 0012 forrestunderwood@gmail.com Facebook: Forrest J. Underwood

Richard Lowrie, on 20 Dec. Word on the strips is they plan on making me the Godfather so I can be…The Godfather.

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Members

Happy New Year, Class of 2009! This is going to be a big year for all of us! Lots of people are getting new and exciting assignments, so send those to me. People are getting married and having kids; send that to me too! Most importantly, however; this is the year that we transcend the Lieutenant rank and put on Captain. So, I’d like to be the first to invite any and everyone who will be near Ramstein AB in late May to join us for the biggest Captain’s Party the world has ever seen! Clear your calendars and talk with your schedulers, you need to be here for this!

The Evans Wedding Laura Walsh and Eric Evans got married at what may have been the biggest class reunion since graduation! Congrats you two! Cassie Overman got engaged the day after Thanksgiving and married in a short civil ceremony on Christmas Eve. Don’t worry; they’re having the big party in October… stand by for invitations. Sean Rotbart was married at the Randolph AFB Chapel to Sarah McCallum Rotbart. Seth Hultin and Jameson Lamie were in attendance. Sean was also picked to get his dual masters -- MHA/MBA from Sabre Society Army-Baylor University in San Antonio.

Donors Other Spooge: Adam Bergoo and Nassar Al Shihi None Yet (Omani Exchange Student) rejoined in Oman! Madison Gilbert is a MX Officer at Nellis these days. Harvey White starts all his C-17 party adventures from Travis AFB. Trevor Steen is headed to do the Deid for a year. Taylor Timberlake is expecting his first kid in this month and graduates from Med School this May. Mike Kravitz is maintaining missiles up in Minot AFB. A special shout out goes to Maj Bret Etchardt (Class of 1992) and Maj Chris Spangenberg (Class of 2000), our 2 most loyal readers! You asked for it, gents.

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Members The Vander Wyst Wedding I’d like to the Dan McLaughlin’s mother for sending us the following update!

Keep em coming parents! “The July 7th wedding of Class of 2009 Lts. Eric Vander Wyst and Heather Flynn took place in Dana Pointe, CA overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While at USAFA, Eric, Heather, Daniel McLaughlin, Benn Slikker, and Lauren Chaffee were in CS-31. Also pictured are Beth Schuler (’09), Kaz Teope (’09), Jennifer Flynn (’12 and CS-31), and Amy Vander Wyst (’14 and CS-31). Eric, Heather and Daniel are at Seymour Johnson AFB where Eric and Dan are flying KC-135s and Heather is a Communications officer. Benn is at Little Rock AFB where he is flying C-130s.

Lauren is at Langley AFB where she is an F-22 Maintenance officer.

Jake and Arlie Lowrie welcomed a 6lb 12oz baby fighter pilot, Jaden

Todd Gamiles 2010checkpoints@gmail.com (503) 367-0717

Greetings class!

Plenty to report this quarter! As a Logistics Officer and handling cargo aircraft is you’re almost guaranteed to see someone you know passing through, whether as a passenger or aircrew. This past quarter I got to catch up with Keith Nordquist (’08) and Lauren Hettich on two separate missions.

Lauren’s wrapping up her Strike Eagle training at Seymour-Johnson and should be fully qualified in the near future. I’m wrapping up my Master’s Degree in March, and should be getting PCS orders this summer, though Sabre Society the destination is still TBD. Donors In C-130 news, Jon Cordell, Carl Scott, Brogan None Yet O’Toole, Jeff Haub and Mike Bates are fully qualified on the J-Model. Cathy Haycraft will be going to Cannon AFB in Albuquerque to fly MC-130JS. Heading to Dyess are Dan Hill, Jordan Pierson, and Jason Epperly. John Rebolledo (Yokota), Brent Stevens and Bobbo Tentler (Little Rock) are fully qual’d in

Visit the AOG Web Site.

Gone But Not Forgotten, Merchandise and more! www.usafa.org The Lowrie Family

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the C-130H. Luke Hyder will be departing soon for Hurlburt to fly Gunships. Ryan McCoy will stay at Little Rock, and Dan Tortuga is wrapping up J-model training.

For other aircraft types, Matt Fair is going to Lakenheath for Strike Eagles. Jen Nolta is qual complete in the C-5 and is running around the world doing all sorts of cool stuff, and Nate Witmyer is flying RC-135s out of Offutt. Roland Kerns is also at Offutt along with Mason Gordon. In the C-17 community, Brent Spencer has completed training as have Dave Miller and Kate Heflin based at McChord. Brett Troutman completed training at Altus and is on his way to Charleston. Dave Poole is working on his A-10 qual and Abby Nickels is down at Hurlburt for U-28 school.

Lauren Hickerson (Franks) is a T-6 IP based at Colombus along with Dan Montplaiser and Matt Zimmerman. Justin Shadrix is instructing in the T-1, Steve Grace is flying Vipers out of Phoenix, and Tom Posey is now a fully qualified KC-135R pilot.

We do have several members of our class deployed. Brad Wolfe, Cat Robertson, Ryan Fortney and Ashley Rivard are downrange doing great things and Kayla Kincade already came back but did a stint in Turkey. Joe Kallevig deployed with CE. There are also several wedding announcements this quarter. Mason Gordon is engaged and will be married this summer. Jeff Haub also got engaged. Brogan O’Toole is getting married next month. John Lockwood just got married as did Harry Dale, and Steve Grace. Teddy Hart is engaged to Jenna Richardt.

Chris Ladehoff is expecting a kid and is hanging out at McConnell. Jess and Tom Whitney are also expecting.

In perhaps the most awesome feat over the past quarter, Michelle and Josh Temple both climbed Mount Rainier. ‘Til next time, blue skies and tailwinds!

Katie and Jordan go and not only was I able to see Andrew get married, but I got to hang out with some other great people in our class which made the night even more fun!

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Elizabeth Borroni 8149 A Johnson St. Del Rio, TX 78840 (979) 571-1180 elizabeth.borroni@gmail.com

Members

(No Sabre Society Donors Yet) Happy New Year Class of 2011!

I hope everyone is doing well and starting the New Year off right and trying to stick to those resolutions. 2012 was a good year and I hope 2013 is even better. As I write this, I am taking a quick break from SERE training up at Fairchild AFB. Fortunately, it’s been a little reunion for some of the grads from our class because there is so many of us here!

Speaking of reunions, I was lucky enough to go watch the Armed Forces Bowl this winter and meet up with some friends and tailgate before the game started. Although I was bummed that our boys didn’t win, it was still great getting a little fellowship in before the game

Andrew and Jackie As always, I hope everyone is doing well! It’s awesome seeing all of y’all doing amazing things and becoming great leaders and great people. So keep up the good work and keep sending me all the great news you have to share and I will continue to update the class! As always, if you are a family member, friend, etc. and would like to share news for the next issue of Checkpoints for the Class of 2011, please don’t hesitate to email me at elizabeth.borroni@gmail.com. I will PCS to Little Rock Air Force Base in March for C-130J training and then to Dyess AFB in September, so if you’re at either one of those bases, just swing by and we can chat!

Stay in touch and keep doing amazing things – that’s it for this issue!

– Liz

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LeRoi Edwards leroi.edwards@gmail.com

Tom Chandler, Tyler Dallas, Elizabeth BoTrroni, Chance Johnson, and Sean Christy And now for a quick update on some of our classmates. Katie (Barber) Bronson, married 1LT Jordan Bronson, a C-17 pilot currently stationed at McChord AFB. A few of our classmates were able to make the October 27th in Ohio, including Jade Best and Rebecca Manning, who were both in the wedding party! Congratulations Katie! (See photo at the top of the next column.)

Andrew Sainsbury married Jackie Gieck in the beautiful state of Colorado in January and what a great wedding it was! I was lucky enough to

Members

Happy 2013! – I hope you all are enjoying the waning winter nights in preparations for long spring afternoons. At this point most of you are knee-deep in your various training situations (tech school, grad school, UPT, etc.) with a manual in one hand and beer in the other. Luckily, Trent Rodriguez is working hard enough for all of us as he wanted everyone to know that casual is really wearing him down. Other than a couple people, I’m sure most of you are of a couple schools of thought: 1) I have the coolest job in the world, or 2) I bet my buddy is having so much fun doing (insert different AFSC/base than yours). It seems as though I get the ex-

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Class News treme pleasure of running into a new 2012er left and right while I’m TDY at Lackland, but I still wonder about all of our classmates who were able to land an overseas tour straight out of graduation.

I was able to track down Annie Dally and John Nickerson and have them share some thoughts about their experiences thus far. Annie is a Force Support Officer at Ramstein AB in Germany and has many insights to the pitfalls and awesomeness that an overseas tour can offer. Naturally, doing a PCS across an ocean with the constant reminder that the Academy personnel office squeezed out 1073 of us at the same time afforded Annie a top-class education of the innerworkings of her TMO office and agencies like JPPSO. Once she got past finding a house, a car, and a battle for Sabre Society Donors internet, she was ready to reap the benefits of Germany.

Travel, castles, and culture have been highlights so far.

None Yet Besides the fun stuff, the huge scope of Ramstein’s mission has given Annie some awesome understanding of budgeting for such a beast of a base. Despite the distance, Academy grads will congregate whenever possible. Here is a picture of Annie shredding some gnar in the Alps on a ski trip with some other 2012ers.

Annie Dally at St. Anton Ski Resort in Austria.

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Equally foreign, but a little easier to communicate with the locals, John Nickerson is “currently endeavoring through a two-year master’s program at Exeter College, Oxford University.” John is a dear friend of mine who write, thinks, and operates at a much higher level than me. Anything that I quote is an excerpt from a very polished response to my inquiry about his situation. I suppose going to Oxford will have that effect on you. John was eager to delve into the differences between Academy life, Oxford life, and living the dream in the “real Air Force.” One thing that I’m happy to hear is that beer is an international icebreaker, “social outings seem to swirl around going for ‘drinks’ or to a ‘drinks’ (the word is a noun for these types of activities): the idea is to meet a friend or colleague or classmate at the centuries-old historic pub or tavern of choice and enjoy an hour or two of relaxing, funny, and/or stimulating conversation amid the hum of surrounding conversation and yellowed lighting.” I think what has struck me so much about John’s position is that even across the globe; his experiences at the Academy have provided a comforting backdrop for his unique post-graduation assignment, “Many of my classmates expressed great stress, fear, frustration, and despair over the intensity and demands of a tutorial, and while I wasn’t ‘relaxed’, I knew that my preparation wouldn’t fail me in the moment. The fluttering mixture of potential shame, pride, the need to perform on-demand, and the desire to impress someone you look up to, someone you admire and aspire to, reminded of the training I had received at the Academy -- of stand-ups, of knowledge bowls, of screaming back John Stuart Mill’s quote through the spit and screams of firsties. From these, I had a confidence walking through the door to my first tutorial that my classmates did not have and likely still do not have, and for that help I am so grateful.” I can assume that despite the history, sights, smells, and people that the rest of the world presents are amazing, but I always have a feeling that it might get lonely from time to time. I think that is where the Academy is the greatest place to be from, John agrees, “I will say that as I have kept in touch with friends from the Academy by Skype, by phone, by Facebook, anything really ( I am usually seven to eight hours ahead) – as I watch their progress through intelligence training, UPT, their careers beginning as AF logistic officers or in leading airmen in maintenance squadrons - I feel a twinge; but more than a twinge, a great slice of my chest yearns to join my brothers and sisters in beginning the earnest work of my military career -- but that will come soon enough, soon enough: the City of Dreaming Spires still has much to teach.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

A few of us celebrating John getting into Oxford at Hap’s Place in Arnold Hall. From left are John Nickerson, Christian Minnick (’13), LeRoi Edwards, and Cobb Brandon.

Cheers to Annie, John, and the many other 2012ers spreading our awesome vibes across the world.

In other news, if you weren’t able to land that perfect first assignment, the Air Force has plenty of opportunities to get out and about. My favorite option is the consistently dominant USAF Rugby Team. Annually they hold tryouts for the active-duty side that compete in the Armed Forces Championship and goes on tours overseas as well. This year, we have several applicants from the class of 2012.

C1C Matthew J. Patrick (Continued from page 95.)

Church, Dallas; his final resting place is the Academy Cemetery. Matthew is survived by his parents, Matt and Beverly, and his sister Cathy, as well as many members of his extended family.

He was a devoted fan of Texas Longhorns football and the Dallas Mavericks. He became a fan of pro cycling during high school, getting up before dawn to watch live broadcasts of overseas events. He was one of the leaders of the war gaming club at USAFA, focusing on strategic and board games that recreated historical events. Matthew was a voracious reader, enjoying history and philosophy. He sang in high school and church choirs, played trumpet in middle school and took piano lessons in elementary school.

Matthew was active in youth activities at Preston Hollow: singing in the youth band; going on mission trips across the United States and retreats at Mo Ranch and Montreat; and amazing us all with his performance as Rooster in the youth stage presentation of “Annie” his junior year. He loved to try new things, especially new foods on family summer vacations to places like his favorite National Park, Yellowstone. He particularly loved the mountains, and his dad loved their fly fishing trips together.

In 8th grade Matthew fell in love with airplanes and made up his mind to obtain an appointment to the Academy.

He joined the Civil Air Patrol, and earned Matt Patrick his Mitchell Award in 2008. While at a CAP summer camp in 2007 he soloed for the first time.

Excelling at math and science, Matthew was a National Merit Finalist.

He placed into Calculus III coming out of Basic Training.

Matthew majored in aeronautical engineering, and would have been an aeronautical research engineer after graduation. In Shadow 7 his C4C year, he then became a proud member of Stormer Nation. At the Academy, he helped lead Squadron 23 from 28th to 1st place in drill and ceremonies and was the honor NCO as a C2C. He spent many hours helping his squad mates with math and science homework, and his squad mates miss his ready smile and his love of bacon.

Matthew has been described as quiet, professional, unassuming, loyal to a fault, and creative with a keen mind and a quick, dry wit. He had a quirky sense of humor with an appreciation for irony and the absurd.

He never drew attention to himself, preferring to let others take the lead while he worked behind the scenes to make things run smoothly.

One of his friends said Matthew was the kind of person who was going to change the world, and he did change the world with his incredible

Trying to make the cut at the USAF Rugby Tryouts in Las Vegas. From left are Jake Byorth, Austin Ollis, and Cobb Brandon.

They wouldn’t have been exposed to the sport if it weren’t for generous donations through programs like the Class of 2012’s Five Star Commitment Program: http://www.usafa.org/Endowment/Classgiving2012.

Get involved, give back, be proud. I miss all of you and I hope to see you soon under moons near and far.

Cheers, LeRoi

kindness to others and brilliant mind. We will never forget, and he will be dearly missed by all.

Please share your memories at www.matthewthescienceguypatrick. com. (His loving family) (Editor’s note: The AOG does not always have all the information concerning the death of a graduate. We only publish the information we have available on each deceased graduate.)

At press time we learned of the deaths of the following graduates and cadet: Mr. Jonathan S. Shafer, Class of 1959, who died on Dec. 31, 2012 in Palm Beach, Fla. Maj. Gen. (Ret) Harold W. “Pete” Todd, Class of 1959, who died on Feb. 23, 2013 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Col. (Ret) Raymond A. Hamlton, Class of 1963, who died on Feb. 16, 2013 in Auburn, Ala. Col. (Ret) Grover E. “Gene” Musselwhite, Class of 1963, who died on Jan. 24, 2013 in Rock Hill, S.C. Col. (Ret) Jarrett B. McGehee, Jr., Class of 1964, who died on Dec. 20, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas.

Maj. (Ret) Don R. Hanson, Class of 1965, who died on Feb. 7, 2013 in Lake Tapps, Wash.

Mr. James E. Stierle, Class of 1966, who died on Jan. 10, 2013 in Louisvillle, Ky. Mr. David Mumme, Class of 1969, who died on Feb. 6, 2013.

Maj. (Ret) William B. Freeman, Class of 1971, who died on Dec. 11, 1995.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Lawrence J. Schulte, Class of 1972, who died on Nov. 14, 2012 in Hooksett, N.H. Col. (Ret) George S. Machovina, Class of 1973, who died on Dec. 2, 2012 in Pinehurst, N.C. Mr. Tad A. Grisham, Class of 1980, who died on March 2, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pa. Mr. Anthony R. Dipietro, Class of 1982, who died on Feb. 3, 2013 in Tucson, Ariz.

Mr. Gordon M. Garlock, Class of 1982, who died on Jan. 30, 2013 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Norman E. Rennspies, Class of 1983, who died on Nov. 18, 2012 in Tucson, Ariz.

Cmdr. (U.S. Navy) Job W. Price, Class of 1993, who died on Dec. 22, 2012 in Afghanistan.

Maj. Lucas F. Gruenther, Class of 2003, who died on Jan. 31, 2013 in an F-16 accident in the Adriatic Sea near Ravenna, Italy.

C4C James L. Walsh, Class of 2016, who died on Feb. 9, 2013 at the Air Force Academy.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of these graduates and cadet.

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service academy

Career Conference May 23-24, 2013 Washington, D.C. 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 Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, D.C. Call (202) 234-0700 for reservations and ask for the SACC rate.

SACC Schedule of Events Thursday, May 23 Senior Officers: Obstacles & Opportunities........ 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

How to Work SACC Job Fair........ 5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Snacks.............................................. 5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Candidate Career Seminar........6:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.

Friday, May 24 Walk-in Registration........................8:15 a.m. - All Day (except during lunch) Pre-Paid Registration................. 9:30 a.m. - All day (except during lunch) SACC .......................................... 9:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

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

SACC.......................................... 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 25 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 $40. 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 Monday, May 13, 2013.

Next Scheduled SACC San Diego, CA August 22-23, 2013 For more information, contact Wayne Taylor at (719) 472-0300 or go online at www.sacc-jobfair.com.

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FINAL THOUGHT Captain Jason Scalzitti ’05 takes time to check in with Checkpoints, and enjoy a soak, while visiting Budapest’s opulent Szechenyi Bath on New Year’s Eve 2012. People were out en masse to celebrate despite temperatures hovering in the high teens. Scalzitti says if you ever visit the bath, challenge one of the Speedo clad locals to a game of chess for an authentic Hungarian experience. Visit usafa. org/Checkpoints/Interact to learn how you can check in too!

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