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I remember visiting the Air Force
Academy circa 1982 when a friend of the family (Greg Russo)
matriculated. He was just a freshman at that time, a few years
older than me and Greg was my older brother's good friend.
I remember that it was cold when we visited and I was struck by the
cleanliness and grandeur of the place. Everything was orderly
including the way that the freshman were addressed by seemingly
everyone who was an upper classman. There were a lot of 'yes
sirs' that were heard and I remember thinking that I wouldn't last a
day there.
Regardless of my impressions, this place is an amazing learning
institution that should be revered by all citizens of the United
States.
The U.S Air Force Academy was
established April 1, 1954, the culmination of an idea years in the
making. Airpower leaders, long before the Air Force was a separate
service, argued that they needed a school dedicated to war in the
air, to train Airmen. After September 1947, when the Air Force was
established as a separate service, this idea finally had the
legitimacy of the new service behind it.
In 1948, the Air Force appointed a
board, later named the Stearns-Eisenhower Board for its chairmen, to
study existing military academies and the options for an Air Force
academy. Their conclusions were strongly put: the Air Force needed
its own school; they additionally recommended at least 40 percent of
future officers be service academy graduates.
After Congress passed a bill
establishing the Air Force Academy, the secretary of the Air Force
appointed a commission to recommend a location. After traveling
21,000 miles and considering hundreds of sites, the commission recommended
Colorado Springs as its first choice. The secretary agreed and the
purchasing of the thousands of acres began. The state of Colorado
contributed $1 million to the purchase of the land.
On July 11, 1955, the same year
construction on the Academy began in Colorado Springs, the first
class of 306 men was sworn-in at a temporary site, Lowry Air Force
Base in Denver. Lieutenant Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, a key figure in the
development of early plans for an Academy, was recalled from
retirement by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to become the first
Academy superintendent.
Two years later, Maj. Gen. James
Briggs took over as the Academy's second superintendent. On Aug. 29,
1958, 1,145 cadets moved to the Academy's permanent site from Denver.
Less than a year later, the Academy received academic accreditation
and graduated its first class of 207 June 3, 1959. In 1964, the
authorized strength of the Cadet Wing increased to 4,417. The present
authorized strength is approximately 4,000.
Perhaps the most controversial event
in the Academy's history was the admission of women. President Gerald
R. Ford signed legislation Oct. 7, 1975, permitting women to enter
the military academies. Women first entered the Air Force Academy
June 28, 1976. The first class including women graduated in 1980 and
included the Academy's first woman to be superintendent, retired Lt.
Gen. Michelle Johnson.
The Academy celebrated the 50th
anniversary of its inception April 1, 2004. Three noteworthy events
occurred in connection with the celebration: a 37-cent commemorative
stamp was issued honoring the Academy with the Cadet Chapel
strikingly portrayed; the Academy was declared a national historic
landmark with a plaque installed on the Honor Court to mark the
occasion; and Harmon was officially named as the "Father of the
Air Force Academy," honoring the pivotal role he played in its
planning and establishment. Further anniversaries were marked during
the next four years, culminating with the 50th anniversary of the
first commencement at the Academy in 2009.
The Academy provides the Air Force
with a corps of officers dedicated to upholding the high standards of
their profession. The Air Force in turn provides a proving ground for
these officers, and sent back to its Academy dedicated staff members
to educate and train future leaders. Fifty years after the first
class entered, the Academy has graduated more than 50,000 officers
intent on serving their country.
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