Checkpoints December 2008

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES OF THE UNITED S uctures

A Spe< 7a/ Holiday Request

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COLUMNS

Dr. Geoff Andersen sheds new light on the Academy's prestigious Laser Optics Research Center.

Lt. Gen. John Regni, '73, lays the preliminary foundations for the future of the Academy.

Cadets go above and beyond the call of "service before self" to help make a difference at the Blue Lion Animal Rescue.

Maintaining and preserving the Academy's most iconic buildings is no easy task. Find out what it takes to keep our heritage standing strong.

ON

The Cadet Chapel is the Academy's most memorable structure. Keeping it that way presents new challenges for the future. Photo by Lewis Carlyle

BACK OF THE BOOK

Reading the Prescriptive Future

In the September 2008 Checkpoints Texas A&M gradJonathan Davis noted the disproportionate representation ofminorities in a montage ofthe USAFA Class of2008 and proceeded to imply it represents a lapse ofintegrity by the AOG.

He jumped to the wrong conclusion.

The photo was not intended to be a descriptive reflection of the current situation. Rather, it is an accurate and honest prescriptive reflection of an Air Force objective to achieve what some call the “Americanization” of the military— service composition reflecting a truly representative crosssection of our country’s citizenry.

Huntington’s classic analysis of military professionalism (The Soldier and the State) explored the potentially dysfunctional psychic gap between the traditional elite warrior class and American society at large. Air Force leadership made a conscious decision some time ago to close that gap through sustained affirmation and opportunity for under-represented elements of the populace. High visibility for women and racial minorities in leadership positions and public relations is requisite to progress toward the objective. Check out the composition of the Thunderbird show team lately—not representative of the demographics of the current fighter force, but a strong and clear signal to the general public that the Air Force is moving beyond traditional white male dominance in prestigious roles.

The montage of the Class of 2008 in Checkpoints does not represent a literal and accurate snapshot of the present. Instead, it represents a symbolic preview of the leadership echelon ofthe Air Force ofthe future.

RexJones, Class of1970

Chance Encounter

I really appreciated Colonel Walter Boyne's article on General Olds in the September issue of Checkpoints. What a truly unique leader he was. A visionary of sorts regarding air combat. The fighter pilot's fighter pilot. That large photo ofhim on the title page of the article reminded me of a “chance” encounter I had with the good General during the early days of Basic Cadet Training in 1970.

As I recall I was assigned to G squadron and we were busyworking on our close order drill on the terrazzo. C1C

TerryJoe Tiemann, who I considered an outstanding cadet and role model, was working with us on what I would describe as the “herding cats” exercise, at least with regard to my personal performance. Seems like I just couldn't distinguish my right oblique from my left. Anyway, after a period of time I was quite frustrated with the entire marching and standing in formation experience.

At some point we were standing in formation near the top of the ramp when word was passed that the Commandant was on the terrazzo. Soon enough I could see this “giant” making his way toward the ramp. Well, this was my chance to make up for my earlier transgressions and I stood up and “made chins” like there was no tomorrow. I thought that would square me with the firstie, showing him that I really did care about all ofthis standing in formation business. To my surprise, and I think that ofeveryone in the area, the General suddenly stopped directly in front of me, looked at me with a quizzical expression, and asked what I was doing. I wasn’t sure how to answer that question, but it didn’t matter because before I could muster a reply he instructed me that we were not at West Point, and we didn’t do “that” here at Air Force. He went on to instruct me on the proper way to stand at attention and once the corrections were made he went on his way.

Needless to say, the experience was a memorable one, being recalled now 38 years later. The encounter was very brief, and the message was simple yet somewhat profound. The lesson I took back to Vandenberg Hall that day from the West Point grad and fighter pilot was that there should be a reason why we train the way we do. Having read Colonel Boyne’s article specifically regarding General Olds’ efforts to improve air combat training in the 1960’s, I now appreciate that “chance” encounter all the more.

Dr. Dominick Paparella, Class of1974

Remembering Professor Nehring

I was saddened to read of the passing ofJohn Nehring, ’63. Then Capt. Nehring was one of my more memorable economics instructors at the Academy. He was tough, but fair, very enthusiastic, and he tried to bring out the best in each of us. He was always available for extra help and truly wanted students to master the subject matter. Before each class he wrote a quotation from a famous economist on the board. When I had the opportunity to teach economics at University of New Hampshire, I borrowed his technique to good effect.

May this good man rest in peace.

Gregory Woodhead, Ph.D., Class of1970

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AOG CEO UPDATE

o be honest with you, I never expected to be here. Eight months ago I would never have considered leaving Atlanta to return to Colorado Springs. I was a happily retired airline pilot, attorney, and businessman. I was active in the Atlanta community and spending my time giving back; doing what I chose to do and just enjoying life. I’ll have to admit though; it’s great to be back in Colorado and even better to be back at the Academy.

So, why did I decide to make the move? What was the motivation to become CEO of the AOG? Again, I’ll have to be candid. I had seen the ad for the CEO job in both Checkpoints and ZoomiEnews, but the AOG was literally and figuratively over a thousand miles from my thoughts. I was comfortably enjoying my lifestyle and didn’t give the job posting a second thought. Then two things happened to change my mind.

The first was a call from an earlier grad who, knowing my background, stronglyencouraged me to pursue the job. I was, quite frankly, unmoved, and countered with a plethora of reasons to refute his suggestion. But he said something that gave me pause; “Since you are in a giving back phase ofyour life, why don’t you go give back to the institution that’s been the foundation for your success?” The logic was unassailable and caused me to rethink my earlier protestations.

And then the second thing happened. I went to the AOG Web site and began to click around. I was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat discouraged by what I found.

On the positive side, I was in awe ofall ofthe things that the AOG does for the Academy and the graduate community. I suspect I am like most grads, and was uninformed about the myriad of services our Association provides. I was disappointed, however, to discover that the AOG is facing difficult issues as a result of governance matters and fund raising challenges.

I have quickly come to appreciate how valuable the AOG is to the broader Academy community. Our mission of supporting the Academy, serving the grads, and promoting the Academy’s heritage is executed by a talented and dedicated staff. When compared to Army and Navy, we do considerably more for our institution

and alumni than they do. After recently being asked by a 60’s era graduate, “When is the AOG going to do more for the grads?” I was moved to research the data. I looked at 74 different categories of service to the Academies and their alumni. I discovered that your AOG was providing service in 69 of the categories, compared to 41 for Navy and 38 for Army.

For example, when I was a basic cadet, I was in-processed at Vandenberg Hall by military personnel and civilians on Academy staff. In-processing is now done at the AOG’s Doolittle Hall where our staffprovides a tremendous amount ofsupport. The Parent Handbook is published by the Association, and Contrails is provided by the AOG through class gifts. And I’m only talking about services to the basic cadets! We also support cadet clubs, manage the class ring program, sponsor summer travel, and fund character and leadership programs, just to mention a few.

For the grads, the AOG provides Checkpoints career counseling, the web site, reunions, ring repair and graduate contact information. The list of services literally goes on and on. Now here’s the rub. Though we do much more than our sister service academies, and for considerably less, they are supported by their graduate communities in a substantially greater way. Our annual budget is less than half oftheirs, yet they raise approximately 10 to 12 times the dollars we do annually. Before the stock market crash, their assets were in the $200-$230 million range compared to our $45

million. We are not only in 3rd place when it comes to fundraising, but I think it’s fair to say that they are in a different class. Admittedly, there is additional information to glean from their superior leadership position but, clearly, there are donor issues we, as graduates, need to address.

Our governance process has contributed to the challenges we face. A difference of opinion about the proper structure for the AOG Board of Directors led to a very divisive political campaign. This resulted in a different governance construct for the organization, a split in the graduate community and the formation ofyet another fund raising entity, the USAFA Endowment. I should note that there are currently seven non-profits raising money under the umbrella of the Air Force Academy, with another, a 501(c)3 for the Athletics Department, soon to come on line.

To say that our fund raising model at the Academy is perplexing and inefficient is a gross understatement. To have seven non-profits competing for the benefit ofthe Academy, particularly in this challenging economic environment, only serves to crowd, clutter and confuse the relatively small graduate community market place. In fact, it is a frequent complaint I receive from grad donors.

In conjunction with the West Point football game, I took the opportunity to visit several of our grad donors in the New York City area. As I sat in the office of one of our very successful Wall Street alumni, he informed me that a representative ofthe USAFA Endowment would be his next appointment, a fact ofwhich I was aware. His very succinct statement was, “This is insane,” in reference to fund raising competition among Academy graduate organizations. I certainly could not and would not have wanted to argue the point. He then made, what I believe to be, a very profound statement; “Great institutions are not dysfunctional.” I would suggest that our current fund raising model fits that definition, which is a good segue into answering the question I’ve raised in the title ofthis article.

I’m reminded of that old Air Force joke; “I’m here to help” and “We’re happy to have you.” I have, however, been fortunate to have learned much about some of the issues we’re facing through my non-profit associations over the years. Non-profit governance has been a particular strong interest ofmine, (some would say, expertise) for over fifteen years. Additionally, I’ve been very involved with fund raising and have dealt with some of the most respected professionals and consultants in leading three capital campaigns.

My purpose in being here, therefore, is threefold:

Tackle the AOG’s Internal Governance Issues

Your Board, to its credit, has moved quickly to adopt the Carver model of Policy Governance. The challenge will now be to operate in compliance with it. Dr. John Carver’s model ofstrategic governance is universally recognized as the standard of excellence for non-profit organizations and has been adopted by the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross andthe United Way, among many others. There is more information on this subject in the “From the Boardroom” article and a separate article coauthored byTerry Storm, a member of our Board.

Address the Balkanized Fundraising Structure at USAFA

Not an easy task because ofthe multiplicity oforganizations, opinions, ideas, and to be honest, egos, involved. To his credit,

the Superintendent also recognizes the importance of the issue and, to initiate dialogue, has put forth a long term vision ofwhere fundraising might evolve. While he is not a direct participant, he is the representative ofthe Academy, the beneficiary of our efforts, and clearly has a keen interest. The problem, as indicated above, is that the graduate donor community can’t wait. The longer this issue goes unresolved, the greater the negative impact on both the organizations involved and the broader Academy community. You will read about General Regni s vision for our Academy later in this issue. Though I am generally regarded as a “can do” guy, I’ll predict, that the Donor Opportunities portion ofthe 2020Vision will be practically unattainable with our current fundraising structure.

Foster a Unified Effort in Support of the Academy and the Graduate Community

There is a broad and deep desire among graduates for the leadership of our various non-profit organizations to come together and move forward in a positive way. I’ve had the privilege ofspeaking to seven reunion classes, and chapters and donors across the country, from Seattle to New York. “Fix It,” is by farthe most common and recurrent comment I receive when talking about the challenges within the graduate community. They are, in the words of one grad, “tired ofall the bickering,” and, in the words ofanother, they want us to “put their egos aside and work together for the good ofthe Academy.” I’ll add that the Superintendent gets the same message from the graduate community. I’m confident that progress made in One and Two will move us substantially forward in achieving this goal.

The issues we face at the AOG and in the Academy community are significant, but the opportunities are great. The question becomes, how will we respond? Few would argue that our country faces formidable challenges today. We are in two wars and the economy is on the ropes. Yet in response to those challenges, a young, relatively inexperienced African-American Senator with a strange sounding name, raised close to $700 million in two years, and will be the next President of the United States. This is not an endorsement or political view. It is merely a statement of fact. As is often the case, success depends on your response to the situation. We have an obligation to be just as audacious, bold and visionary, and to move forward with all deliberate speed for thebenefit of the Academy, the cadets and our graduate community. 74

INTEGRITY

Annual gifts to the Air Force Academy Fund at the Sabre Society level provide support to many character programs like Respect & Responsibility. These programs promote value-based leadership principles essential to leading in today's Air Force.

For more infor of the Sabre S(

(719) 472-0300

on on becoming a part ty contact Regina Clark at agina.clark@aogusafa.org

For the majority of our graduates each year who head to pilot and operator training to chase their personal dreams and serve our nation’s Air Force, vision—acuity, depth, color—remains an important ingredient for their future. From our institution’s perspective, vision is also paramount to our collective planning and programming efforts—to keep the Academy sharply focused on our important mission, to maintain a future heading that ensures enduring mission success, and for building upon and continuing the proud legacy ofthe Academy and what makes it so great—our cadets’ and graduates’ accomplishments across the Air Force and into the private sector.

I am now in my fourth year as the Supt. While my own eyes remain stuck in the reality ofbifocals and someday soon trifocals, let me take this opportunity to oudine what we have been concentrating on these past few years and, in the process, offer the vision path on which we have placed the Academy. In short, we are halfway through a six-year period ofprogram stability after infusing 79 significant and major refinements in 2005/6; we have restored hall USAF funding of our Program Objective Memorandum (the infamous POM for you Pentagon veterans out there); and we are moving the Academy to a higher level ofexcellence through increased involvement with the seven foundations that support you and us. We have also launched a

Vision

series ofmajor initiatives to fix the decaying infrastructure, to build (in the CadetArea) the Center for Character & Leadership Development as the focal point ofwhat this Academy is all about, to heighten cadet morale and recreation programs, and to be a magnet for 1,000,000 tourists a year to see and hear the Academy story. Lasdy, we have built the plans for making the Air Force Academy a “net-zero” energy consumer leading with “green” energy. In the ensuingparagraphs, I’ll offer insights into our thinking and planning on this overarching vision for our future. Hopefully, you’ll be as excited as we are as we turn this vision into reality.

Our Leadership Team

Our Academy has enjoyed an exceptional leadership and support team who are fully focused, engaged and involved in developing our cadets. The leadership team from the early years of my tenure has served you proudly: Commandant ofCadets Brig. Gen. Sue Desjardins, ’80, Dean Brig. Gen. Dana Born, ’83, Athletic Director Dr. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh, '66, Vice Supt. Col. Paul Ackerman, ’82, and our Air Base Wing commander Col. Mac McMillian (NC A&T) have nurtured an integrated approach to running the Academy—where each understands and recognizes the valuable contributions and inter-relationships oftheir

programs, and the needs of the institution take precedence over individual turf. As often happens in our Air Force, we can’t keep our team intact forever—we just broke up that initial exceptional team by moving the Comm to her next important assignment leading the planning efforts of the Air Mobility Command. On 15 October, we brought in the new Commandant—Brig. Gen. Sam Cox, '84—who stepped into this key leadership role with gusto. To be sure, new faces bring the inevitable opportunity for change, but we are firmly committed to maintaining the refinements we put in motion three years ago, thus providing our cadets needed program continuity and stability. Those philosophies and priorities must remain intact through 2012’s graduation—then we will have institutionalized our positive programs and traditions.

FUNDING THE ACADEMY

A key to the successful operation ofany major institution is a consistent and stable funding stream. It is difficult to plan from one year to the next when we don’t know how much money we’ll have. Despite the very challengingbudgets and economy, we have successfully worked closely with the Air Staffprogramming and budget pros in the Pentagon to stabilize our annual funding, and to have sufficient Appropriated Funds (APF) for our cadet programs. I am happy to report that the Academy has no “broken programs” and we are now fully funded for excellence through 2015 across character, leadership, military training, aviation, fitness and athletic programs. We also gained approval and funding for new training, like our revamped Combat Survival Training program (aka SERE), and we are well on our way to replacing the formerAcademy Flight Screening for pilot and navigator bound cadets with Powered Flight for 2-degrees and Firsties. Full funding didn’t happen by accident; instead it is the firm commitment from the senior leadership ofthe Air Force to have an Academy that maximizes success and to have an Academy the entire Air Force can take pride in.

“FIX USAFA”

Hands down, our largest and most ambitious fiscal undertaking is the nearly $ 1 billion, multi-year effort through 2020 that we call “Fix USAFA.” Yes, as pretty as it still is on the outside— unfortunately, on the inside and underground—our proud Academy is hurting. Designed on a 40-year life cycle, our 54-yearold institution has been in dire need of a major overhaul.

“Fix USAFA” touches every facility in the Cadet Area (and the terrazzo itself) except “the new dorm” (Sijan Hall) which opened in 1968. Harmon Hall is complete; Vandenberg, Fairchild and Mitchell Halls, McDermott Library/research center, theCadet Field House and Gymnasium are now entering multi-phased repairs. These include, for example, replacement of water and steam pipes, new energy efficient windows that actually keep the wind and Dark Age temperatures outside ofVandenberg, upgraded electrical distributions that crisscross the campus via the off-limit tunnels that each of us, no doubt, avoided as cadets; to roads, bridges, dams and the airfield pavements. There are even millions in the project to finally fix the leaks in the Cadet Chapel roofthat began shortly after that iconic structure was dedicated in 1963, and to repair the literally crumbling terrazzo. Additionally, “Fix USAFA” projects extend beyond the Cadet

Area to most other areas of “USAFA Air Force Base” including Jacks Valley, our Service and Support area, both security access gates, our housing area and the Academy Community Center. The Air Force leadership agrees with us that the Air Force’s Academy infrastructure needs to be corrected and we have already secured an impressive $464M for these projects. Our commitment is to infuse leading edge engineering into each design.. .and an important cornerstone of each facility project we undertake is renewable and clean energy—I’ll touch on that later.

MOVING TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE

In addition to these Appropriated Fund “Fix USAFA” projects, we have an expanded vision for our Academy and we are extremely excited about it. We have rolled these projects into three major categories: first and foremost is a dedicated Character and Leadership Development Center; next are plans to greatly enhance cadet morale and recreation; and finally, expanded opportunities to tell our story to the public. These involve major construction of new facilities and monuments, as well as substantial upgrades to several of our existing, original structures. Further, we envision funding for these projects to come from both congressionallyappropriated sources as well as funds donated directly to the Academy, through the non-profit foundations supporting the Academy and from individual, class and organizational donor gifts.

DEDICATED CENTER FOR CHARACTER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT (CCLD)

As the Air Force’s premier institution for developing leaders of character, it is fitting we have a world-class facility dedicated to our professional efforts in the character and leadership development arenas. While we have solid character, leadership and honor programs, the staffs and facilities that make them happen are scattered across several buildings in the Cadet Area; some of our character programs are even conducted offbase in rented conference facilities. Our goal is to bring all these programs (as well as make our programs more robust with nationally-recognized scholarly research) into one state-of-theart “iconic” structure expected to complement the Cadet Chapel in uniqueness and grandeur.

The new CCLD will be built in the Cadet Area accessible to cadets day and night. On the 17th ofNovember, we opened the formal competitive process to select the architectural firm that will design the CCLD, and our team is on track to have the final design selection in February, 2009. We have turned to and challenged the original architects and builders of our Academy—Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)—for this important task. Their San Francisco, New York and Chicago offices are in keen competition with each other, and I can assure you each wants to win this big time—we stand ready to be “wowed” in February. Each widelypublished partner leading the team from the three SOM offices is highlyregarded internationally and is at the forefront oftoday’s architectural profession. Following this donorfunded design stage and construction drawings phase, we will turn to the Air Force with a major construction program project beginning in October 2010. The last phases ofthis new facility will be funded via donor funds, bringing for example the Honor Boardroom and Honor Chair’s offices up to a level offurnishings that might approach what you’d expect to find in the US Supreme Court. We also have a stretch

goal for this new building, achieving Platinum Level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest achievement for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The Center for Characterand Leadership Development is our number one priority, and one that directly supports our first of seven strategic goals: focusing on character and leadership development.

CADET MORALE & RECREATION

Arnold Hall, our “student union,” will be the focal point ofthis morale and recreation effort. Our goal is to refurbish “Arnies” so the cadets will once again want to use it during their off-duty time. Quite frankly, today it falls woefully short ofits potential. Our vision includes offering free recently released motion pictures in the theater on weekends (and upgrade the theater with DLP and Dolby systems); inviting first class brands (for example a Starbucks, a Panera Bread, a Chipotles) and transforming our food court into an inviting destination. We intend to open a cyber cafe for this wireless generation, providing a digitized electronic gaming area and equipping our last ambitious piece of a sports-themed restaurant (e.g., ESPN Zone) with walls offlat screen monitors with NFL, NBA and college sports packages—and fries to die for! For you more senior grads who fondly remember “Mrs. Mac,” after a decade or so of absence, we established and filled the position ofCadet Wing Social Director— Mrs. Donna Rosa will operate out ofArnold and Fairchild Halls and leadcadet programs involving decorum, dancing, cooking, social graces and much more. Rest assured, our cadets have been involved and consulted as we conceived this plan for Arnold Hall. Our Firsties and 2-degrees are excited but a bit disappointed they wont see these before they graduate; but, our Doolies, and hopefully our 3-degrees, are in for a treat.

TELLING THE ACADEMY STORY TO THE PUBLIC

While thenumbers have dropped over the years, the Academy still remains a major tourist stop with more than 420,000 visitors passing through our Visitor Center annually. The Cadet Chapel is still the No. 1 man-made tourist attraction in Colorado. With added attraction, however, we feel we can double or triple that number—and in the process have more ofthe public appreciate what important work and service goes on here. To do this, we intend to expand well beyond the somewhat automatic draw ofthe Chapel and build an even greater attraction involving the Chapel-Planetarium-Museum-Air Force Memorial-Visitor Center-Arnold Hall complex in the already dramatic 18,500 acre Academy we treat like a national forest preserve.

Our Academy Planetarium has beenclosed since 2004. We want to reopen using multimedia hi-tech visuals (a 40-minute recurring show on the hour) that does several things: tells the history ofthe Academy, explains the mission ofthe Air Force (air, space, cyberspace), launches into a traditional planetarium space showwith liftofffrom Patrick AFB/Cape Canaveral into the deep reaches ofspace, then come screaming back via Google Earth into the Academy for a virtual tour of areas tourists cannot access today—the Cadet Area to show dorms, Mitch’s, our faculty labs, the gym, etc. We are now exploring state-ofthe-art projection and Planetarium systems to breathe life back into our venerable Planetarium.

After enjoying the Planetarium, visitors can walk next door to the Academy Heritage Center and Museum. We are now old enough to

have a museum; we have much in storage today we need to display about our “university” and our history—ifwe had the space to do so in a first-class fashion. We envision a stand-alone, state-of-the-art museum that would be constructed just west ofthe Planetarium.

The Planetarium, Museum and ArnoldHall would all be tied together by a large, welcoming pedestrian plaza, the centerpiece of which will be a 65-foot-tall replica of the new Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C. Note: the initial artist renditions Eve included are by no means final. The entire project will create an enhanced visitor experience and result in a large visitor ring that spans the Visitor Center, Admissions Welcome Center, theCadet Chapel, the Honor Court, the Planetarium, the Heritage Center and Museum, Arnold Hall—and potentially the new CCLD. Certainly, this should be quite the venue for Americans as well as foreign tourists to take in this great place.

GOING GREEN TO ACHIEVE “NET ZERO"

Ensuring new construction like the CCLD is as energy “green” as possible is not our only energy endeavor at USAFA. We spend a whopping $12M a year on utilities—electric, natural gas, propane, water—and according to Colorado Springs Utilities that’s projected to increase to $19M a year by 2015. Given our natural resources and expanses of our 18,500 acres, the Academy has significant opportunities to reduce its energy-consumption footprint. In fact, our goal is to become a “net zero” energy consumer; that is, through new technology, innovation and conservation, we produce all the energy we need to support our operations. Our Air Base Wing and our Faculty have teamed to build our Energy Plan. Here are some features:

Biomass A $10M USAFA initiative to build a plant for the gasification ofwaste wood—for example, the hundreds ofthousands ofbeetle-infested trees that the State ofColorado must remove and destroy—to fuel our Hi-Temp Hot Water facility (the HTHW is tucked away on Interior Drive within a really bad slice offthe #10 tee box ofEisenhower (Silver) GolfCourse).

»o ar Power A $20M joint USAFA-Colorado Springs Utilities effort. We would construct a “solar farm” on the Academy to generate 2MW of electricity, in addition to installing thin-film photovoltaic glass in our buildings and photovoltaic membranes on our roofs. We are planning a second solar farm on the installation potentially along the 1-25 corridor.

A $5M USAFA-Colorado Springs Utilities joint-use endeavor constructed on the Academy to harness the power ofthe water rushing down the mountains from CSUs reservoirs to the faucets offamilies in the city. A bit oftrivia: 70 percent ofthe water

^ SolarArray Site .‘V*v

LJPrepared By The 10TH Air Sase Wirs§ and USAFA Bmmn of Faculty Hmtiqu&rters / USAFA USAP Academy, CO November 2008

for Colorado Springs flows through the Academy—from the heights ofthe Ramparts, purified today on our installation, then piped to the lower elevations ofthe Springs. Lots ofpotential energy here

Waste-to-Energy A USAFA initiative to use the refuse and waste created on campus to generate power. An example would be reprocessing the tens ofthousands ofgallons of used vegetable oil generated by Mitchell Hall frying operations each year.

Geothermal Ground-Source Heat Pumps Expand technology already installed at the Academy to heat and cool our major buildings. Harmon Hall is in our sights for a project.

Decentralization A $3M USAFA initiative to remove the Academy Community Center-area facilities from the central heating plant.

We are still studying whether wind is feasible as an energy source. You know we have lots ofit—but whether the current technologies can reliably handle 80 knot blasts, the associated bird hazards, the cost efficiencies all need exploring first.

Wherever feasible, we will incorporate “green” technology into the massive upgrade projects on all the facilities included in the Fix USAFA program.

ROLLING OUT THE VISION

Key senior leaders across the USAF (including the Civil Engineer), our staffand certain segments of the Cadet Wing have been read in on these plans. All seven reunion classes this year have seen this. Last August, I convened the second annual meeting of the Chairmen of the Boards for the seven foundations that exist to support our cadets. The purpose of this day-long

meeting was, among other topics, to unveil our thinking on where the Academy should move, and to inform, engage, involve and prioritize Foundation efforts as they work philanthropy and gifts. Our Foundations are:

- Air Force Academy Foundation (the original foundation from the 1950s) put together by the Colorado Springs city fathers as our Academy was established.

- Falcon Foundation

- Friends ofthe Library

- Academy Research and Development Institute

- Athletic Association

- Association of Graduates

- USAFA Endowment

During the meeting, each Foundation chairman and CEO was shownthe following charts of more specific opportunities they might be interested in supporting. This list is also a good starting point for Class gifts, should you be so inclined. While a bit lengthy, I’ve included for your better understanding.

DONOR OPPORTUNITIES

Character & Leadership

■ Character & Leadership Ctr ($35M) (10 percent funded with donor monies we have already secured, building financed with APF/ MILCON dollars, donor funds to elevate the interior to first class)

■ Senior Scholar in Residence ($25OK annually; $5M to endow)

■ Research center ($500K)

■ Grand foyer—lecture hall ($2M)

■ Honor Board room ($1M)

■ Honor offices (e.g., art, statues, upgrade walls, furniture, rugs, etc.) ($50K)

■ Honor library ($100K)

■ Vector, R&R, LIFT, ACES Rooms ($250K Each)

■ Large conference room ($500K)

■ Small conference room ($100K)

■ Upscale speaker’s ante room ($100K)

■ Student lounge/break-out room ($100K)

■ Polaris Star ($500K)

■ Decorative Calder-type mobile representing air & space ($100K)

■ Outdoor park ($1M)

■ Outdoor circle drive and statue ($1M)

Cadet Morale

■ Cadet Wing Social Director and operating budget ($250K annually)

■ Arnold Hall

- Ballroom ($500K)

- “First-run” movies (AAFES)

- Lobby outside theater ($250K)

- Games arcade area ($500K)

- Upgraded food court franchising—e.g., Starbucks, Panera Bread, Subway, Pizza, Chipotle (AAFES)

- Teaching kitchen ($50K)

- “Haps” upper class bar ($100K)

- Sports theme restaurant—e.g., ESPN Zone franchise (AAFES)

- Enclosed courtyard roof/glass ($TBD)

- Mall including cyber cafe ($100K)

- Courtyard (nodes with seating) ($25K each)

General Public Awareness

Goal Link Chapel, Planetarium, Museum, Visitor Center, Admissions

Welcome Center, Cadet Area vistas, and Arnold Hall concessions

■ 65-foot replica of the Air Force Memorial ($10M)

■ Air Force Academy Heritage Center and Museum ($8M)

- “Early Years” room ($250K)

- Open area for main exhibit ($1M)

- Alcoves for exhibits ($250K)

- Entry plaza ($1M)

- Sculpture court ($2M)

- Additional sculptures ($250K-$1M)

- Interactive video capability ($100K)

- Curator and operating budget ($200K annually)

- Art specialist ($ 100K annually)

■ Planetarium ($3M)

- Interior domeand Digital projection equipment ($2M)

- Show: History of the Air Force Academy ($50K)

- Show: Air Force of the 21 st Century ($50K)

- Show: Space Adventure ($5OK)

- Show: Virtual Tour of the Cadet Area ($50K)

- Ring ofArt ($5OK)

- Manager and budget ($200K annually)

■ Visitor Center upgrade ($2M)

- Theater ($1M)

- Central exhibit area ($1M)

- Individual exhibits ($25K)

■ Admissions Welcome Center ($3M)

- Lobby ($200K)

- Conference room ($5OK)

■ Handicap electric vehicles

NCAA Sports

■ Falcon Stadium ($80M)

■ War campaigns bronze plaques with players’ names who participated ($5OK)

■ Locker room upgrade, home and visiting ($500K)

■ Boxes ($10K)

■ Working press box ($500K)

■ Blue/Silver social area ($1.5M)

■ Parking lots ($500K)

■ Baseball Stadium ($12M)

- Field ($2M)

- Locker room ($25K)

- Dugout ($25K)

- Coaches area ($25K)

■ Soccer Stadium ($12M)

- Field ($2M)

- Locker Rooms ($25K)

- Coaches Area ($25K)

■ Rugby Field ($12M)

- Field ($2M)

- Locker rooms ($25K)

- DV area/press box ($5OK)

- Varsity locker room ($25K)

- Batting cages ($10K)

- Coaches area ($25K)

■ Lacrosse Field ($2M)

- Locker rooms ($25K)

- Coaches area ($25K)

■ Outdoor track & field ($5M)

■ Indoor practice facility ($10M)

■ Practice facility for volleyball, basketball ($8M)

Miscellaneous

■ Restoration ofAir Gardens ($2M)

-Air Garden trees ($75K)

- Plaque to recognize donors ($5K)

Net-Zero (energy) Initiative—Various Funding Sources

■ Biomass plant ($10M) ■ Waste-to-energy ($TBD)

■ Solar array ($20M) ■ Geothermal ($2M)

■ Hydro generation ($5M) ■Decentralization ($3M)

Projects seeking Appropriated Funds first, Donor Funds if Needed

■ “Dot-EDU” computer system for academics and research

■ SERE field training complex ($4M)

■ Fast-tracking 2m telescope ($16M, including military construction costs)

■ SARC (Sexual Assault Response Coordinator) office upgrade ($500K)

■ Jacks Valley storage facility ($700K)

■ Library of the 21 st Century ($TBD)

■ Clune Arena security screening ($1.5M)

■ Prep School fitness center ($25M)

■ Community Center gym addition ($10M)

■ Vertical wind tunnel for parachute team ($8M)

■ Transonic wind tunnel ($38M)

THE FOUNDATIONS AND NON-PROFITS

Another discussion topic at the 2007 and 2008 meetings with the seven foundations’ leadership was a basic roles and mission review. As far as we can tell, we are the only academic institution with seven existing foundations. Most universities have two or three. While we have had a history ofgreat work by these seven, there also exists overlap, redundancy and “tripping over” potential donors. The initial discussions focused on the Academy Vision—and how and where each foundation can fit and be ofassistance. The subsequent discussions included “lanes in the road” for each Foundation—to respect each other and ideally not encroach on actual or perceived turf. That led to several models oftransition and consolidation from seven to a smaller, more manageable number. There is more discussion in order here, as the future business models need added thought and not all are in favor ofevolving toward a larger, all encompassing cooperative philanthropic effort.

IN CONCLUSION

In these few pages I’ve rolled out a refined vision for our Academy and laid out, albeit briefly, the exciting new projects we have undertaken. No question, executing this vision requires continuing support from our USAF leadership, consistent and continuing articulation by the Academyleadership, an informed graduate community, a supporting professional philanthropic network, and a keen eye on remembering why we at the Academy exist—it’s all for the cadets and for our collective efforts to lead, train and prepare them for the real challenges facing them as they graduate. We’re confident we’ll get there—and our Academy and cadets will be far better off once we arrive. 9

FALL, IT SEEMS, is always accompanied by cooler temperatures, football games and an overcrowded schedule. This year we got to mix in the Presidential Election campaign andthe largest global economic crisis of modern times. Needless to say, the AOG Board has not been immune to any of these factors and there’s a lot of news “From the Boardroom to report in this issue. As you read through Checkpoints please take time to review the other Board related articles dealing with the “Carver Governance Model” and an update from our CEO.

The Quarterly AOG Board Meeting at USAFA on 24-25 October was very busy and produced several Board actions of note. As is the case with all corporate Boards in our current stressed economic environment, your Board spent a great deal oftime dealing with financial impacts and budget implications as we navigate through this difficult economic period. We also assessed current issues encompassed in the CEO’s quarterly update, reviewed 2009 Election preparations, spent time on Board Training related to the adoption ofthe Carver Governance Model, addressed lingering issues related to the Comprehensive Capital Campaign, evaluated action alternatives and strategic options for the rest ofFY09, received an update from the President ofthe Class Advisory Senate (CAS), and met with the Superintendent in closed session.

The Board is always interested in interacting with the Superintendent on matters related to the Academy. His visit this time was very informative for the Board and presented an opportunity for a candid

exchange ofperspectives between the Board andGeneral Regni on development planning for USAFA as we look to the future. The Superintendent understands the value of a healthy AOG to the success ofthe Academy, and the Board welcomes his support.

After much deliberation, the Board formally adopted a new AOG Board ofDirectors Governance Policies Manual. This document establishes the guidelines for the transition earlier approved by the Board to a Carver Policy Governance Model. Under this model, the primary job of the Board is to establish the goals (ends) to be accomplished by the AOG. The Chief Executive Officer's job is to determine and manage the means to achieve the Board's ends. The practical impact is that the Board moves into a strategic planning and policy setting role and is removed from direct involvement in ongoing AOG operations. Ifyou’re not familiar with the Carver Model, I suggest you check it out online at www.carvergovernance.com. I think you’ll quickly see why this change makes sense for our AOG.

In April 2009, the membership will elect seven members to join the Board for the 2009-2011 term. At the October meeting, the Nominating Committee reported that the 2009 Ballot is taking shape and a milestone schedule is in place to assure that all required events leading up to the April voting will be accomplished in a timely manner. The ballot will identify Candidates for two 2-year slots and for five 4-year positions, and the 2009 Election will be accomplished through electronic voting. Checkpoints will have detailed information on the election and members need to be alert for postings by Candidates that will be made on a dedicated Election section of the AOG Web site.

After investigating the topic extensively over several months, the Board voted not to provide reimbursement for travel by Directors to Board meetings. Although input from the Class Advisory Senate supported reimbursement, theBoard decided that incurring additional expense during a time of budget belttightening by the AOG would be inappropriate. There are solid arguments on both sides of the question. In a different economic environment, a future Board may decide to revisit this decision.

The AOG has long been the primary source of private financial support for the Academy for projects to enhance the Academy and the Cadet experience. Several years ago a major capital campaign was launched with the goal to raise $ 100 million. Phase I of the campaign ended successfully when the Academy Cemetery Memorial Pavilion was dedicated in May, 2007. Phase II was never officially launched; and, after evaluating a number ofoptions, the Board decided to officially endthe solicitation of funds for the Comprehensive Campaign on December 31, 2008. A final accounting will be accomplished, and a full report will be issued no later than June 30, 2009. It is important tonote that there are pledges made under the Capital Campaign that will be completed after the campaign is officially closed.

While touching on fund raising and private support for the Academy, it is appropriate to mention that the interconnected topics ofAOG fund raising and collaboration with the USAFA Endowment [UE] were discussed in depth at the October Board Meeting. It was concluded with regret that, despite good intentions and several action initiatives, getting this matter resolved has proven to be an elusive goal. An unintended

consequence was that the time spent trying to find a collaborative arrangement with the UE has diverted Board attention and resources from other important tasks. So, in the interest of seeking a satisfactory solution to this issue and to free Board time for other business, it was decided that the AOG Board will suspend its participation in the AOG-UE Joint Working Group. In keeping with the Carver Model, the Board adopted a policy directing the CEO to negotiate with his UE counterpart to seek a mutually beneficial working relationship that can be presented to both corporate Boards for appropriate action.

Also related to AOG fund raising, the CEO and Staff are evaluating various modifications and refinements in the AOG Development Program to meet current and projected needs for unrestricted funds to support ongoing AOG requirements. It has become a fiscal reality that increased direct member financial support is going to be needed if the AOG is to continue to provide the multiple services the members enjoy and still support Academy and cadet needs not funded with appropriated money.

There was no more pressing issue on the Board Agenda at the recent gathering than the financial upheaval that we are all experiencing professionally and personally. The Finance and Investment Committee, working with the CFO, presented a fiscally conservative revised FY09 Budget proposal—projecting both lower revenues and reduced spending—to reflect current economic realities. The good news is that the AOG Investment Subcommittee has taken prudent steps to protect AOG assets; the bad news is that, in the current downturn, we must budget and operate with extreme caution to protect the AOG from future unknowns. After lengthy discussions, the Board directed the CEO to prepare a multi-year budget that preserves sufficient cash reserves through theend of 2011.

Consistent with the Carver approach to governance, the CEO will balance support for the three elements of the AOG Mission to craft a working budget that theBoard can adopt. Active contingency planning will continue and the Staffwill be prepared to offer the Board budget and planning options for further consideration and action as necessary. No dramatic cuts in services or programs are anticipated at this point, but the Board is prepared to act in concert with the CEO to take necessary steps to minimize any negative impacts on the AOG.

Over the sixteen month tenure ofthisBoard there have been many unforeseen challenges that have emerged. My personal assessment is that your Directors are doing a goodjob as they work to keep the AOG viableand forward looking. Many issues currently being assessed have populated the AOG agenda for a long time; others are directly traceable to the current economic situation; all are being addressed in a calculated, responsible manner. The Board approaches each issue with an open mind and with the realization that we must at all times focus on doing what is in the best long term interests ofthe AOG. The pundits tell us that there will be some rough times ahead as we all adjust to unforeseen global economic problems, but the AOG membership can be assured that the AOG Board and the AOG Staff are fully engaged and will keep the members informed ofdevelopments and actions taken.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and safe ffoliday Season from all of us in the Boardroom. IS

Brig. Gen. Susan Y. Desjardins was the first woman to serve as the Air Force Academy’s Commandant.

That’s not her only legacy.

She’ll be remembered as the Commandant who did push-ups with cadets on the sidelines offootball games and ran alongside the doolies at basic training. She’ll be credited with helping prepare thousands of cadets for war and for restoring the Academy’s reputation after a series ofscandals which plagued her two predecessors.

“Ofall the Commandants I’ve seen, she’s the best,” said Gary Howe, Vice President ofthe Association ofGraduates and 1969 Academygraduate. Howe has watched 40 years worth ofleaders hold the Commandant title. Howe said he’s never heard Desjardins’ gender come up in conversations about the Academy. Instead, the talk is about her low-key, effective leadership style.

Being the first woman to do something ceased to be a big deal for Desjardins decades ago. A member of the Academy’s class of 1980—the first to include women—Desjardins will also likely be the first woman in her new job as a planning director at Air Mobility Command in Illinois. “I think the male cadets, just like the female cadets, need a leader,” she said. “You don’t just mentor people who look like you.”

A career pilot who has logged nearly 4,000 hours in massive refueling planes and transports, Desjardins wasn’t enthused two years ago when she was moved to the Academy from command of a wing in South Carolina. “We were in the war, there was a lot ofexcitement,” said Desjardins. “The focus was to the east and when I got the phone call I can’t tell you I was excited.”

The Academy, however, was in a war ofits own, fighting internal struggles against sexual assault in the ranks, religious intolerance and concerns over the school’s honor code. The general, who had been back to the Academyonly once since her graduation, warmed to the challenge. “I started getting excited when the phone calls started coming in,” she said ofthe congratulations she received.

At the Academy, she met 4,000 youthful cadets, whose trust, she realized, would be the key to success. “They’re a tough crowd,” Desjardins said. “They’ll dismiss you ifyou’re not with the program.” She decided that rather than more direction and paperwork, cadets needed more leadership, which meant giving them more opportunities to lead. “I’ve never treated

them like children,” Desjardins said. “I treated them like my 18 or 19-year-old airmen.”

During her tenure, Desjardins has stiffened military training at the school.

Her focus was to make sure cadets had skills that would help them survive war after graduation. Physical fitness and flight training programs were expanded. She used field training exercises to bring home lessons ofIraq and Afghanistan. Under her guidance, junior cadets were given the opportunity to travel to wartime headquarters each summer to see what life is like in Qatar and Kuwait.

Desjardins also endeavored to lead byexample rather than edict. A lifelong runner, she could be found most summer mornings urging cadets alongAcademy trails at a trot. At football games, she led the tradition ofdoing a push-up for each point the Falcons scored, with her star-bedecked shoulders bobbing up and down alongside the cadet shoulder boards with every touchdown.

Cadets, under her guidance, led the return to a tradition called “recognition,” which puts freshmen through academic and physical challenges each year before they are recognized as full-fledged members ofthe Cadet Wing. Desjardins also returned cadets to the leading role in Basic Cadet Training, which has juniors and seniors training

newcomers on what is expected ofthem at the Academy. “I will never be able to give them enough responsibility,” the general said. “We give them a lot of rope. We give them just enough rope so they don’t hurt themselves.”

As the cadets took on more leading roles, Desjardins says she saw a change. “Today cadets will look you in the eye,” she said. “They will smile at you. The pride is back.”

That doesn’t mean she was always nice.

Cadets who broke the school’s strict policies against drunkenness and underage drinking found themselves marching tours with rifles on the campus. She wasn’t known for tolerance of wrongdoing, cadets said.

“The discipline system we had before wasn’t working,” said senior cadet Jacob Schonig, who holds the highest cadet rank. “Since then our alcohol violation numbers have been cut in half.”

But even when she’s angry, Desjardins retains her cool. “I have never seen her yell,” Schonig said. “It’s more helping you realize what you have done wrong.” For the general, what she’s given to the Academy doesn’t match what she has received during nearly three years of duty. “It renewed my faith in a lot ofthings,” Desjardins said fondly. “Especially in our future.”

Remember all the great stories your classmates shared with one another at your last reunion? Share some of the most important memories of your life with the readers of Checkpoints magazine.

Checkpoints wants to publish your cadet experiences and stones of how your four years at the Academy affected your career and life.

Submit story between 500-2,000 words. Photos must be in “jpg” format, 300 dpi at 7 inches wide. E-mail to editor@aogusafa.org.

Ifmailed, include a digital copy (photos will be scanned and returned), mail to: 3116 Academy Dr., USAF Academy, CO 80840.

Inspire and develop tomorrow’s war-fighting leadership through the dynamicexperiences of soaring.

Courtesy of the 94th FTS

n many ways, the soaring operation at the USAFA airfield is conducted just like any other Air Force flight training operation. The flight commander guides the instructors’ meeting to set forth priorities, discuss problems, and handle upcoming events. The students then arrive for the mass briefing which covers the weather, NOTAMs, aircraft lineup, a standup emergency procedure, and a little general knowledge. Afterwards, the students pair up with their instructors for the preflight briefing, flight, debriefing, and the requisite recording of maneuvers and overall grades. The biggest difference from other Air Force flying training is that 94 percent of the sorties are flown by cadet instructor pilots and the students are the youngest in the Air Force.

Leadership, education and communication

The soaring program is essentially a leadership program that uses flying operations as its playing field. Cadet soaring instructor pilots run the program, led by a cadet squadron commander who selects a staffcomplete with every position normally found in an operational squadron. Leadership training follows the Academy’s PITO (personal, interpersonal, team, organization) model. Basic Soaring concentrates on the personal and interpersonal aspects ofleadership. The Cadet Soaring Instructor Pilot upgrade program focuses on the team element. Finally,

as soaring instructor pilots, the cadets are challenged to run the organization.

Cadet instructors learn to lead with a great deal of responsibility on their shoulders. On an individual level, they teach basic flying skills to students who often have never before held the controls of an aircraft. In Basic Soaring, they lead students through a 14-ride program in 10 class days with the goal of getting the students to fly solo. During the first block of the fall semester, 13 of 39 students completed their solo flight in an average ofjust under 12 sorties. While learning to fly is a wonderful method of developing both personal and interpersonal leadership, teaching someone to fly reinforces that learning. Cadet instructors

determine if a student is ready to fly solo knowing that the student’s life is in his or her hands. The instructor is deciding that the training he or she has given will be enough for the student to successfully complete the entire sortie without harming the student or the aircraft.

The soaring program today consists of 130 cadet instructor pilots, 39 upgraders, and 50 rated officer instructor pilots. The squadron has 22 gliders offour types: twelve TG-10B (Blanik L-23) basic gliders, five TG-10C (Blanik L-13 AC) aerobatic gliders, twoTG-15A (Schempp Hirth Duo Discus) two-seat cross country trainers, and three TG-15B (Schempp Hirth Discus 2b) singleseat cross country aircraft. The squadron flies over 15,000 sorties per year, teaching

550 students in Basic Soaring, upgrading 80 cadet instructor pilots, and competing in both cross country and aerobatics events across the nation.

Instructors are chosen from Basic Soaring graduates who show the aptitude and attitude necessary for success in the upgrade program. During their 3-degree (sophomore) year, they go through a semester-long course which includes 20 hours of classroom instruction and 80 sorties. At the end of the course, they are given a standard Air Force checkride flown by a rated officer flight examiner who completes an Air Force Form 8 Certification ofAircrew Qualification just like any other Air Force checkride. After certification as instructors, cadets are qualified to teach Basic Soaring andthe beginning phase of the instructor upgrade program. They then serve as instructors for the next two years until graduation.

Each year, five or six instructors are chosen to fly on the aerobatic and cross country teams. Cadets chosen for those teams then complete additional upgrades preparing them for the competition season. The aerobatic team flies theTG-lOC, a +5.5g to -4.0g rated two-seat aircraft. They compete in the Sportsman and Intermediate classes at InternationalAerobatic Club sanctioned events in Colorado, Texas, and Arizona, including the Aerobatic National Championships at Dennison, Texas. Rated instructors teach the cadets how to safely flyloops, aileron rolls, hammerhead stalls, competition spins, and a variety ofother maneuvers which prepare them to fly solo or with a safety observer in the competitions. Scores have improved each ofthe last two years as both the cadets and officers have honed their aerobatic skill sets.

Cadets selected for the cross country team upgrade in the TG-15A and TG-15B aircraft. The glide ratio and instrumentation ofthe TG-15s allow the cadets to compete on even footing with the best civilian competitors. As a comparison, the glide ratio ofthe TG-10B is about 28:1, while it is 45:1 for theTG-15A (and 6:1 for aT-37). After aircraft qualification, the cadets follow a syllabus that teaches them the basics of cross country soaring, includingthermalling, spot landings, off-field landings, navigation, and contest rules and strategies. Their training incorporates lessons

learned from both military and civilian competition flying and provides them a great foundation in the art ofkeeping a motorless aircraft in the air for hours at a time. This summer, cadets flew sorties over fivehours long, covering over 270 miles. One dual crew flew 329 miles in 5.5 hours, shattering the previous USAFA distance record.

The soaring program also actively recruits and promotes USAFA activities at airshows and sporting events throughout the country. The aerobatic team has participated in demonstrations in Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado and a variety oflocations in between. They organize static displays at most home football games andthis year went to the AirVenture airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Throughout the country, the gliders draw a crowd and the cadet instructor pilots serve as phenomenal ambassadors for the Academy andthe Air Force.

On the surface, the soaring program may seem to be just about flying, but it is much more. Hundreds of cadets each year learn not only about flying, but about themselves. They will take the leadership principles they learned through soaring with them throughout their careers, whether or not that career leads them into a cockpit. The soaring program gives them their first taste of the Air Force’s “Fly,

Fight, and Win.” Yet, more importantly, it teaches them leadership qualities that they will use every day as officers of character in the Long Blue Line.

Ifyou are one ofthe thousands offormer cadets who participated in soaring at the Academy, the 94th FlyingTraining Squadron would love to hear from you. Send any stories about your memories ofthe soaring program to 94FTS.CC@usafa.af.mil. We are developing a Soaring Wall of Fame and

would like to know how people have built on their foundation ofsoaring to become leaders in the Air Force. Your stories will serve to motivate the cadets and officers involved in our program, as we continue to inspire and develop tomorrow’s warfighting leadership through the dynamic experiences ofsoaring. 9

New York City based jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) will present the Rabbi Marshall T Meyer Risk-Taker Award to military religious freedom activist Mikey Weinstien on November 20, 2008.

“I’m honored JFREJ has recognized my constitutional political activism, generally, and my commitment to the Jewish community, specifically” said Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF; www.militaryreligiousfreedom. org). “I’m fortunate that MRFF and JFREJ are at the forefront to combat racial civil rights intolerance.”

MRFF, which just recorded its 10,000th active duty military client, is a nonprofit charity dedicated to the protection of thousands of U.S. militarypersonnel from unconstitutional religious practices forced on them by military superiors against their will.

Weinstein is an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a former USAF Judge Advocate General. Fie was Assistant General Counsel in the Reagan White House and served as General Counsel to Texas billionaire and two-time Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.

JFREJ is a renowned social justice organization committed to engaging Jews to pursue racial and economic justice with the support ofpeople of color, lowincome communities, and immigrant communities in New York City.

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Raul E. Cisneros has been selected to serve as chiefofthe Decennial Media Relations Branch at the U.S. Census Bureau. He will be responsible for public affairs and media relations activities supporting the upcoming 2010 Census. Prior to joining the Census Bureau, Cisneros served in a number ofcapacities at the U.S. Small Business Administration between 2001 and 2008.

Most recendy, he was deputy associate administrator in the Office ofField Operations and deputy chiefofstaff. From 2001 to 2006, he served in the SBA's Office ofCommunications and Public Liaison and headed that office from 2004 to 2006. Cisneros has extensive experience in public relations at the federal, state and local level in addition to working with public and private sector partners. He has also been a commentator for print, radio and television and has written guest commentary for La Opinion, the nation's largest Spanish language daily newspaper.

Born and raised in the Republic of Panama, Cisneros earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the USAFA in Colorado where he graduated with military distinction.

The census is a count ofeveryone living in the United States every 10 years and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. 2010 Census data will be used to distribute congressional seats to states, make decisions at every level ofgovernment, and distribute $300 billion in federal funds to communities each year. The 2010 Census questionnaire,

one ofthe shortest in history, will take about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the personal information provided.

trie «person, b/, becomes inspector General of U.S. Dc 3cl 4

The Honorable Eric M. Thorson, ’67, Cadet Squadron 20, was nominated by President Bush, confirmed by the Senate and officially sworn in as IG on August 12, 2008. As IG, Eric oversees independent oversight ofthe Treasurybykeeping the Secretary and Congress informed through audits, investigations and reviews to help the department accomplish its mission. These objectives are to improve programs and operations, promote efficiency and prevent fraud and abuse.

Eric has been serving our country with great distinction for many years. Prior to taking on these responsibilities in the Treasury, he served in a wide variety ofpositions such as the IG for the Small Business Administration, the senior advisor to the Director for Investigative Operations in the Office ofPersonnel Management and as the ChiefInvestigator for the Senate Finance Committee. Earlier in his career, he served as the Acting Assistant Secretary ofthe Air Force and twice as the Deputy Assistant Secretary.

After graduating from the Academy, Eric served our country as an Air Force pilot. He remains involved with his alma mater and was the Chairman ofthe Board ofthe Association ofGraduates from 1989 to 1991.

(Courtesy ofJohn Wingfield) S

LIFTING THE VEIL

ON RESEARCH AT THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

he times they are a-changin” as Bob Dylan once sang, and they are changing for the better with research efforts at the United States Air Force Academy.

Research at the Academy supports three key elements: cadet learning, Air Force needs, and faculty development. The research program at the Academy has grown ten-fold in external funding over the past decade. Cutting-edge research in lasers, aeronautics, green chemistry, aging aircraft, space sciences, cyberspace, and unmanned aerial systems are just some of the areas where the Academy contributes to our nation’s science and technology development. External recognition ofwhat our cadets and faculty have accomplished, however, remains one of the nation’s rarely told stories. USAFA programs contribute to research efforts at a national level while also positively impacting the local economy. Through a concentrated effort to promote what our cadets and researchers do best— top notch research—the public’s awareness of our efforts is growing as the programs at the Academy approach $50 million in annual funding.

For example, the Academy is taking proactive steps to become energy independent by 2015 by taking a leadership role in the development of

green technologies. Research projects incorporating new bio-fuel, electric, hydro, wave, wind, and solar energy sources are underway. These multidisciplinary projects include contributions from aeronautics, chemistry, biology, physics, management, engineering mechanics, economics, and civil engineering. Their benefits extend beyond the Academy to the Air Force, the local community, andthe nation.

By joining an already active Front Range consortium in green energy research, the Academy will set an example for the Air Force andthe nation. This green energy research will support the Academy’s mission and may spin off economic benefits to the local community as well.

Today, in addition to involving hundreds of cadets and faculty, our research centers and institutes employ nearly 100 highly qualified contract researchers and support professionals. These contractors are a brain trust, not only for the Academy and cadets, but also for the local economy and community. Our combined research segues to cooperative work with private industry and other universities. Brigadier General Dana Born, ’83, Dean of the Faculty, has signed more than 50 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with private, local and national companies such as Monument’s American Electric Vehicle,

Inc., and Raytheon, one of the nation’s leading defense contractors. All our partners find the Air Force Academy a great place to do business.

Our appeal and expertise is not limited to the quality and quantity of our civilian and military workforce. Of critical importance to our research program is professionalism and transparency in our research-related financial transactions. The research program at the Academy is currently valued at more than $45 million. We owe it to the taxpayers and our external research sponsors to make the best use of every dollar. H

For a copy ofthe 2008 annual Research Report or more information about the researchprogram at theAcademy, contact the Research Publicist at 719-333-3273.

“A student's success in acquiring an education depends much less on consum ratingsoftheproduct beingofferedthan on theeffort, dedication andereati enerev a student invests

■j j o

College Rankingsand Realistic Assessment

FALL IS AN EXCITING TIME at the Air Force Academy, in part, because many of our graduates return to “the Hill” for their class reunions. At each reunion, the senior leaders on the base host a panel where we answer questions from our returning graduates. One of the questions I often answer regards the rankings of the Air Force Academy on the various lists of top colleges and universities. I recognize that the academic reputation of the Air Force Academy is important to our graduates, not only as a matter of pride, but also as an indication of the general public’s perceived “market value” of the academic experiences we offer and the degrees that cadets earn. As someone who is both a graduate of USAFA and the senior leader in charge of our academic mission, you can imagine my interest in these rankings. Overall, our graduates should be very proud ofthe rankings that we receive. For instance, consider the following:

#1 for “Most Accessible Professors”—4th year in a row; USMA #5, USNA #9, Princeton Review, www.princetonreview.com/Schoollist.aspx?type=r&id=740)

#3 for “Leadership Development” (Gov/Mil); USMA #4, USNA #6, Leadership Excellence, http://www.eep.com/Merchant/newsite/best_ranking.html)

#16 in America’s Best Colleges; USMA #6, USNA #36, Forbes, www.forbes.eom/lists/2008/94/opinions_college08_ Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html

Perhaps the most widely recognized rankings are those done by US News and WorldReport, USN&WR; colleges.usnews. rankingsandreviews.com/college):

Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Nation: #1 in the West (2nd Consecutive Year)

Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs: #8 (tied with Bucknell University)

- Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical: #2 (behind Embry Riddle, FL)

- Electrical/Electronic/Communications: #8 (tied with Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering)

Undergraduate Business Programs (Management): #1 undergraduate only, #8 among schools that do not offer PhDs (#52 all Management programs, tied with 12 other universities)

Note that I have not included USMA and USNA for comparison on the USN&WR rankings. The reasons is that USNews and World Reportclassifies USAFA differently than it classifies our sister service academies. They consider USAFA a “baccalaureate” college because we award more than halfof our degrees in professional/technical fields (in our case, engineering and management). This is in contrast to USMA and USNA, which award more than halfoftheir degrees in liberal arts majors (defined as arts and sciences). So, despite our obvious similarities to USMA and USNA, we are not placed in the same category for the purpose ofthe USN&WR rankings. We are very comfortable with being categorized as a baccalaureate college.

Ofcourse, many of our graduates are curious about how USAFA would stack up with USMA and USNA if we were to be placed in the same category. So, we asked Mr. Bob Morse, Director ofData Research at USN&WR, to summarize their data for USAFA, USMA, and USNA. The magazine gets its data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) ofthe National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Peer assessment rankings would not apply, since USAFA is in a different category than the other service academies, so we have different “peers.” But a summary ofcomparable data used by USN&WR is shown below, which illustrates that USAFA remains very competitive with the other military service academies. (NOTE: Some ofthe data shown below may be dated from what is currently in IPEDS. IPEDS currently shows data for the Fall of2007)

While our national rankings are indeed a source ofpride, it is important for our graduate community to know that the rankings are not really the best measure of our success. The reason is simply that these rankings fail to measure the one thing that matters most—the quality of cadet learning. Statistics such as average SAT scores or acceptance rates, no matter how impressive, do not capture what our cadets learn or what they are able to do as graduates. Put simply, if cadet learning is our ultimate concern, then cadet learning needs to be the measure of our success.

Fortunately, we are working hard to embed processes at USAFA that can inform us about the quality of our cadets’ learning and their capabilities as graduates. For example, readers may recall an article I wrote last year (in the September 2007 issue of Check-

points), in which I introduced the new USAFA outcomes. These outcomes describe the responsibilities, skills, and knowledge required of newly commissioned officers. Our new USAFA Strategic Plan establishes them as our “benchmarks or quality standards against which we evaluate our cadets and programs. 1 Since that article, we’ve established “outcome teams” which include members from each mission element. These teams are identifying ways to assess cadets’ accomplishment of each outcome. The work they are doing will not only help us know the extent to which our cadets are achieving high-quality learning, but it will also help us identify places where we can get even better as an institution.

Our creation of institutional outcomes and our efforts to assess them are very consistent with what is happening elsewhere in higher education. For instance, our USAFA outcomes are closely aligned with those espoused by the Association ofAmerican Colleges and Universities2 and our assessment processes have received positive reviews at their national conferences. Furthermore, in preparing for our 10-year accreditation visit by the North Central Association in April of 2009, we’ve seen how the entire educational evaluation process is moving towards assessment of student learning and development. We’re moving in the right direction and we’re looking forward to the arrival of our institutional accreditation team next April so we can showcase the USAFA culture of learning. I am confident that they will be especially impressed with how our cadets are actively involved in their development.

We will continue to keep an eye on the various rankings, and I imagine that I will continue answering ranking-related questions at class reunions. However, it is my hope that all of us (i.e., graduates, educators, administrators, prospective students, parents, and taxpayers at large) will ask even more questions about the quality of student learning and development. If that happens, I am confident that USAFA will rank even higher, as we have been providing such cutting-edge experiences for cadets for years —and it is only getting better. The service academies are unique undergraduate institutions, which the current ranking systems only begin to recognize. When you drill down into what goes on every day, you see that we invest in our cadets, because tomorrow they become our wingmen with whom we will fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace.

We are proud of our legacy and heritage of excellence, and the graduates, faculty, and staffwho have built the Air Force Academy into a national treasure. Today’s cadet is entering a 21 st Century world with unprecedented challenges; we must transform our institution to prepare our graduates to lead in this new environment. We are encouraging cadets to take full advantage of the incredible opportunities provided by four years of officer development at the Air Force Academy. We will all stay focused on learning, measuring, assessing, and improving in a way that best develops leaders of character to serve our Air Force and our nation. SI

1 USAFA Strategic Plan, 2008-2013, p. 25

2 AAC&U (2005). College learning for the new global century. Available on-line at www.aacu.org/leap/documents/GlobalCentury_fmal.pdf.

Job searches designed exclusively for service academy alumni

SACC

A Service Academy Career Conference hosted four times annually and designed to match our alumni with employers interested in hiring service academy alumni.

JSAJE

JSAJE for Alumni - Joint Service Academy Jobs Electronically is an Web site designed to allow you to browse through job listings and contact employers. It contains a resume repository for graduates who are in an active transition mode, and a job retriever for those who prefer to remain in a passive mode. JSAJE For the Employers - JSAJE is also an exclusive job Web site designed for companies in corporate America to advertise their career opportunities directly to service academy alumni. Companies may also purchase access to a repository of resumes of graduates in an active transition mode.

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An online Service Academy Business Resource Directory with over 35,750 active profiles from USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, and USNA. An excellent resource for advertising, career networking, and building business connections.

Deep within the confines of Fairchild Hall, behind the locked doors of the darkened physics lab, a laser-generated bolt of lightning blasts through the sheet of aluminum foil in the hands of C1C Ryan Cwynar.

The machinegun-like thunderclaps produced by the lightning fills the lab with a deafening chorus as the plasma chews the sheet of foil into Swiss cheese. In an instant, the noise stops, the lights come on, and the smoldering metal crumples to the floor. Safetyglasses are removed as the scientists close in to inspect the damage. Hundreds of tiny holes riddle the surface of the aluminum, each created by a laser powerful enough to focus a beam onto the surface of tty

moon

Dr. GeoffAndersen has been interested in lasers for the majority ofhis career as a physicist. “What we re doing here,” he explains, “is focusin light down to a very small spot. When you get enough laser powe small enough space you can actually make air turn into a plasma; youre essentially ripping electrons offofthe air molecules and that’s what makes lightning. You can see that it’s a pretty powerful beam because it can punch its way through metal.”

As a leading researcher in the Laser and Optics Research Center here at the Academy, Andersen is looking to the future when it comes to cutting edge technology; and with all ofthe new projects on the horizon, these are exciting times in the physics department. [>

Slated for development over the next decade are an array ofhigh-tech applications, including a lidar system which can provide instantaneous weather updates, an orbital optical array to replace conventional spy satellites, a fast tracking telescope and the Air Forces Airborne Laser System.

Dr. Andersen holds up the destroyed piece ofaluminum foil.“The plasma that’s being generated by this laser is capable ofblasting through metal,” he says casually, “so one could easily use it for machining metal.” Yet despite the lasers potential as a cutting tool, Andersen and his colleagues have set their sights on a more celestial application.

“This laser will ultimately be shot into the sky as part of a lidar, which is a laser radar,” explains Andersen. “Lidar can tell you all kinds ofthings that normal radar can’t. We’ve built a lidar system here that allows us to measure temperature through the atmosphere. So, just by pointing the laser somewhere, you can measure the temperature in a column from where you are all the way into space.”

The process is somewhat similar to the concept of taking glacial core samples in polar regions. Extracting a long cylinder of ice allows scientists to study the various strata which provide a historical cross section ofweather patterns over a number ofgenerations. Lidar, on the other hand, provides somewhat of an optical core sample of the atmosphere.

“What you’re actually doing,” Andersen explains, “is catching the reflection of the laser offofthe air molecules overhead. And you need a big telescope down on the ground to collect all of this light. It’s a very bright laser going up but only a weak signal coming back down.”

Though the returning signal may be weak, the information it carries is essential to determining a real-time weather analysis. Andersen has high expectations for this technology, especiallyconsidering the conventional methods it will be replacing. “The way you get temperature now,” describes Andersen, “is by weather balloon. There are about 300 sites throughout the U.S. where they release weather balloons two times a day. As these balloons go up they tell us what the atmosphere is doing at various levels. And all that data is collected and shoved into a computer program which then makes predictions on what’s going to happen next.

Well, that’s all well and good, but you’re only making two measurements per day. It would be so much nicer ifyou could make the measurement instantaneously, because the balloons take a while to get up.”

Lasers, on the otherhand, can take readings all day long, providing constant updates to the data pools which are used to predict what the weather will do next.

“The more measurements you can make now,” Andersen explains, “thebetter your predictions will be for what’s going to happen later. That’s what the lidar can do.

It can allow you to shoot this laser up and get an instantaneous measurement ofwhat the atmosphere is doing; and better weather prediction saves a lot ofmoney.”

Andersen, like many physicists, is optimistic about the implementation oflidar systems all across the nation. Replacing weather balloons is the first ofmany steps that this country can take towards building the most accurate weather prediction system on the planet. Technology this powerful, however, comes with a myriad ofsafety concerns. “With a laser like this you could

pretty much blind anyone on the planet if you could point to him or her,” Andersen says. “You could certainly blind astronauts if they were to pass overhead, and you also have to worry about pilots or anything that might be over your laser. We have a radar system in place that automatically turns offthe laser in case anything passes overhead. Lasers don’t interact with air very well, so most of the beam actually goes offinto space. You’ve got to be very careful in how you operate a system like this.”

As far as the USAFA physics lab is concerned, lasers aren’t the onlythings venturing into outer space. While the lidar system is making an impact from the ground, a different technology is making a name for itself from high above. Scientists, meteorologists, and most recently, military intelligence officials, have been searching for better ways of resolving satellite images ofthe earth. Since the earlydays ofthe space program, this has proven a difficult problem.

“The bigger the telescope, the smaller the details you see on the ground,” Andersen explains as the discussion shifts to satellite imaging. “At the moment, you’re limited to the size ofyour launch vehicle. You have to make one big solid mirror, which would fill up your entire payload (for a Titan 4, that’s about 4.5 meters wide).”

Obviously, getting a gigantic lens into outer space is no small task. Considering that it takes more than $20,000 per pound to launch something into space, heaving a 1600 pound mirror into orbit comes at a price. Yet scientists are exploring alternatives to the single lens satellite telescope.

“The alternative,” says Andersen, “is to make something that’s made up of pieces of glass, with some mechanism that unfolds and fits them together, and

that’s being planned for a next generation telescope. But it’s very tricky because you can’t just put these pieces anywhere, you’ve got to make them fit into a perfect paraboloid. Fitting separate pieces of glass together perfectly is very difficult, especially while in outer space.”

Glass is very heavy. It doesn’t fold up well and it’s expensive to produce (even before you launch it into space). “Some ofthe ideas that the Air Force is looking into are big balloons,” says Andersen. “You make one side

ofthe balloon clear and the other side metal; so you blow up this balloon and get a curved shape which can focus light. But you’re trying for a perfect surface, which means you can’t so much as have a bump the size of a human hair, or your image won’t resolve.It’s an expensive proposition and it’s something we still don’t know how to do.”

The problem ofgetting refracting surfaces into outer space is filled with limitations, many ofwhich have lead scientists like Anderson to seek an alternative to

the traditional curved lens. This is where things get interesting. “Instead of using curved surfaces,” Andersen explains, “I’m using something that’s flat. It’s very easy to pull something flat in space. With a flat sheet, you don’t have to worry about surface ripples. The idea is a photon sieve.’

A relatively new concept, the photon sieve is a flat sheet ofporous material. Its millions oftiny holes are each designed with a specific size and location. Light passing through the photon sieve is redirected, or focused, down to a single point, just like a curved lens. The

material used to create the photon sieve is practicallyweightless and can be rolled up, making it ideal for launch payloads.

“A one meter mirror weighs about 400 pounds,” Andersen describes, “whereas a photon sieve ofthe same size comes in at a mere 8 ounces. And it can be made a lot cheaper. You don’t have to grind mirrors to perfection and then worry about transporting them safely. The one tradeoffis that it only works as a perfect focusing element for one specificwavelength oflight, which means you’re going to have to limit yourself to looking at images in green or red or blue.”

Tradeoff or not, the photon sieve is sure to make a name for itselfin satellitesurveillance.

Back in the physics lab, Dr. Andersen’s laser array glows in a rich emerald as the beam is redirected through mirrors

and apertures across the demonstration table. Perhaps one of the more exciting new projects involving satellites is the fast-tracking telescope, recently secured by USAFA for a cool $7.5 million. Able to lock onto satellites as they pass over in high orbit, the telescope represents a milestone in space situational awareness.

Andersen is quick to present a scenario that U.S. intelligence has been wrestling with since the beginning ofthe space age. “Let’s say China launches a new satelite and tells us it’s a weather satellite,” he explains.

of how long it’s going to last up there.”

In addition to inspecting the satellites of other nations, this technology can be used to insure the security of our own orbital vehicles. “Another thing you have to worry about is having our own satellites being spied upon,” Andersen recounts. “We have the technology today to sneak up on somebody else’s satellite and take a look at it. Naturally, you don’t want that happening to your own satellites.”

With the issue of national security on everyone’s radar these days, it’s clear that technology is playing an ever increasing role in modern military defense. Perhaps the most exciting project to come out of optical defense research is the Air Force’s Airborne Laser.

“This is essentially a multi-megawatt laser shooting out ofthe nose cone of a 747,” Andersen explains with a smile. “It’s designed to shoot down missiles in boost phase up to 300 miles away. The problem is, you’ve got this really high class laser which you’re shooting through 300 miles ofturbulence (in addition to the turbulance created by the 747) which presents an extraordinarily difficult problem. Ifyou just send out the laser and hope that it blows up the missile, it probably wouldn’t work.”

“Well, you can either take their word for it or you can have a telescope take a look at it. You need a very big telescope for that, and it needs to move very quickly because the satellite is going to pass over very quickly. So, ifthe satellite has a long tube on the side with fins and a radiation symbol, it’s probably not a weather satellite.”

One of the best features of the new fast tracking telescope is that it can be used in conjunction with the lidar system. Bouncing lasers off of passing satellites can provide all kinds of useful information. “You can get an idea ofwhat kinds of metals they’re made up of,” says Andersen, “or whether they’re leaking any particular type of fuel. Furthermore, ifyou know how big the fuel canisers are and what kinds of motions it’s making, you can get an idea

The problem stems from turbulence in the atmosphere. Three hundred miles of weather patterns present a lot of air molecules moving in a lot of different directions. These conditions can play havoc on a laser, causing the beam to dissipate and lose striking power. But there are methods being developed to combat these issues. At the leading edge is a new system which involves fast wave front sensors. “This work involves correcting atmospheric turbulence effects on light,” says Andersen. “When projecting laser beams through the atmosphere, turbulence distorts the beam so you can’t get good focusing. Adaptive optics is a method by which we can sense the effects of the turbulence and correct them very quickly using a “rubber” corrective mirror. It’s like a piece of foil with a whole bunch of fingers on the back which are constantly pushing and pulling to change the shape of the surface.”

That constant pushing and pulling occurs on a microscopic scale, all at a fraction of a second, making even the most volatile environmental conditions all

but disappear with regard to the targeting system. “If I make this mirror have a certain inverse shape,” says Andersen, “the distorted wave can bounce off of it and be a nice perfect shape. It’s kind oflike the idea ofhaving corrective lenses for your glasses, only the lenses are changed and updated a hundred times a second.”

Andersen has been contributing to the Airborne Laser program for some time now, and has made great strides towards accelerating the targeting system’s ability to adapt to atmospheric conditions. This improves the laser’s success rate of killing an enemy missile.

With an arsenal of technology at its disposal, USAFA has become a major player in developing the next generation ofweather and air defense tools. Yet perhaps more important than the science itself is how it’s applied, especially when it comes to cadets. “What we do here in

the laser center is teach cadets how to do research,” reflects Andersen. “There are a lot ofthings they need to learn on how to conduct experiments; if things don’t go right, how to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Some of these cadets will be working in Air Force facilities across the world. If they understand the physics, they can work for places like the NRO (National Reconaissance Office), which operates satellites for the Air Force. They’ll understand the physical limitations of taking photos from space; they’ll have the practical knowledge it takes to solve problems and become program managers.”

Applying a hands-on approach to learning is essential when it comes to physics, especially given the amount ofexperimentation that takes place in the lab. Understanding theory is certainly important, but being able to work on problems in the real world is what builds better officers.

Andersen knows the value of practical training and continues to push for it at the Academy. “The better educated they are in these fields, the better purchaces they’ll be able to make for the government. There are two very big telescope sites owned by the Air Force, one in Albuquerque and one in Hawaii, that are doing the kind of work we re doing here. These cadets can go to those places and run those systems straight out of college. There’s nothing wrong with having cadets who are better educated in physics. Getting better officers who understand the problems we’re facing today is in the Air Force’s best interest.” S

Northwestern Preparatory School

Located in Southern California

Post High School Service Academy Preparation Exclusively

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

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2002 USAFA Graduate

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

\ The Moon War A novel by Bob Davey, ’62

I ISBN 978-1-59663-579-1

^ Available at: www.amazon.com,www.barnesandnoble.com,www.rockpublishing.com

H All fine bookstores in the United States and the United Kingdom

Book Summary

Bob Davey, ’62, an aerospace-engineering professor and former Air Force pilot, captures

manned mission to the moon.

Air Force Colonel Brandt Strickland, a member of a Pentagon group studying the Russian plan, is certain that the Americans must be first to the moon and that we have fewer than two years to get there. At stake is control of the worlds energy supply. But he has no spacecraft, no crew, and a President vehemently opposed to his mission.

The Moon War follows Strickland through the triumphs and tragedies ofhis incredible odyssey. The story volleys between America and Russia as the countries scramble to launch. Greed, corruption and deception, even at the very highest levels, cause the plot to twist and turn as the tension mounts.

With extraordinary technical accuracy, Daveys story assembles a cast ofastronauts, cosmonauts, politicians and engineers drawn from real life who react to the unending trials with uncanny realism. Reflecting Daveys experiences as an Air Force officer, an engineer, and an educator, TheMoon War tells a tale that may well fill the pages of tomorrows newspapers.

Some oftheir youn

Colli, namesake and who flew 19 missions over Japan from Iwo Jima from April 7,

What

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 Hyatt Regency Savannah, Two West Bay Street, Savannah, Ga. Call (912) 238-1234 for reservations and ask for the SACC rate.

Thursday, February 26

Interview Prep Seminar 6:30 p.m.

Friday, February 27

Registration 9:30 a.m.

SACC 9:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

p.m.

p.m.

Saturday, February 28

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

The SACC candidate registration fee is $35. To register, submit a one-page resume (for the 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 February 13.

Walk-in registrations will also be accepted on the day of the conference. Walk-in registration fee is $40 and may be paid by check or cash.

Next Scheduled SACC

Washington D.C., May 7-8, 2009

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

AS ONE OF THE ACADEMY'S CORE VALUES, THE COMMITMENT TO "SEF VICE BEFORE SELF" CAN BE SEEN IN ALL OF THE COMMUNITY OUTREAC PROGRAMS CADETS UNDERTAKE EVERY YEAR. BUT WHAT OF THOSE WF GO ABOVE AND BEYOND? FOR MANY, THE DESIRE TO GIVE BACK IS MO THAN JUST A CHECKBOX ON THE ACADEMIC ROSTER. THIS FALL THE FURRY TENANTS OF THE BLUE LION ANIMAL RESCUE GOT A TASTE OF ACADEMY CORE VALUES WHEN MORE THAN 50 CADETS VOLUNTEERED BREATH NEW LIFE INTO A SHELTER IN NEED.

hen you think ofall ofthe qualities you desire in a good friend, chances are, without realizing it, you’re describing your dog. There’s a reason why they’re called man’s bestfriend. A good friend is honest and loyal. A good friend makes it clear he cares about you. A good friend sticks with you through good times and bad. I know of no better way to describe my own canine companions.

It’s a safe bet that most pet owners feel enriched and uplifted by their animals at least most of the time. Personally, I was not so enriched when my six-month-old puppy chewed the foot board of my brand new bed. Yet, for as mad as I was, my dog taught me one oflife’s lessons. I’ve since learned in most cases, the material items are immaterial, and it’s the relationships one forms in life that really matter. Both of my puppies have since grown up and I’m grateful to have learned these lessons from the two furry friends who have been my teachers. That’s why it is hard for me to understand how some pet owners can simply throw their pets to the wayside without as much as a second thought.

It’s no real secret that pets are a challenge, and that dogs in particular require a lot of attention and care. Still, many people get them without comprehension for the responsibility they are undertaking. Perhaps this is why animal shelters are so full. But what happens to those animals even the shelters won’t take? What path awaits the animals who have personality disorders? What becomes ofthose who have lost their trust in humanity due to abuse and neglect? Sadly, many of these dogs pay the ultimate price for their master’s irresponsibility: they’re put down.

Fortunately, there are alternatives.

For the lucky ones, there are specialty no-kill shelters, sanctuaries which have opened their doors to the misfits who no longer have a place in society. Earlier this fall, the Air Force Academy crossed paths with one such sanctuary when a group of nearly 50 cadets volunteered their services to help those in need.

Blue Lion Animal Rescue is a no-kill shelter located in Yoder, Colorado. Specializing in large breed dogs such as Mastiffs, Saint

Bernards and Great Danes, the animal compound sits isolated on a dusty plain beneath the vast desert sky.

The shelters director, Lisa Kavanaugh, cares for nearly 200 dogs on her 35-acre ranch almost entirely by herself. So when she got the news that the cadets were coming to help with much-needed repairs and maintenance in preparation for winter, she was overcome with relief.

“When I got the email saying 50 people have volunteered— that’s so exciting because I’m just used to doing everything by myself; so learning that all these people want to come out and help is just a miracle for me,” she rejoiced.

With good reason. Lisa’s is a labor oflove. Her typical day starts very early and includes hauling hundreds ofpounds ofdog food and gallons of water to each pen, a process which consumes hours. After the dogs have been cared for, she turns to her administrative tasks ofapplying for grants and donations. Once the emails have been sent, it’s time to feed and water all over again.

With her days devoured by the entire minutia of running the rescue, it’s easy to see how the maintenance tasks begin to add up. For the lone guardian ofgiants, the weekend help was a Godsend. For the cadets, it was simply the right thing to do.

Community service and volunteering align with the Academy’s first core value of“service before self.” So, even though most ofthe cadets had already fulfilled their respective squadron’s community service learning project, they were happy to help where they could.

“We chose Blue Lion Rescue because we got to work with and help out animals,” said ClC Erin Wallace, who helped organize the

volunteer effort. “It is a good change ofscenery from all the people at the Academy; and these dogs genuinely needed the help.”

“I think it’s a really good organization,” explained C4C Aaron Zadalis. “A bunch of the dogs they have here are either hurt or they have issues with aggression so, I mean, you can tell the ones that really need help. It’s good that we’re helping them out.” Even though Zadalis revealed himself to be “more of a cat person,” he still held the canine giants of Blue Lion in high regard (though some must have smelled his feline affinity, as the cadet received stern looks and a few good, strong barks). “One of them was a little bit all over me, but, you know, I showed him who was boss—taught him a lesson,” Zadalis joked ofthe Mastiffhappily panting at his side.

While there is still a lot ofwork to be done, Lisa was impressed with how much the cadets were able to accomplish. She explained that now she will have more time to spend with each dog—attempting to rehabilitate and train them—instead ofperforming the maintenance she would have otherwise had to complete on her own.

Lisa also admits that it is extremely difficult running the shelter alone, and it often brings her to tears; yet her hope is that her work will help many of these dogs find their forever homes. Even though it proves to be a great challenge, Lisa says she couldn’t be more fulfilled.

“Most of these dogs were on death row,” she explained. “They had to come here or they would die. So, I love them. Some of them are a little too cranky for anybody else. But, you know, peo-

pie say, ‘well why do you do it?’ and I say, ‘some people jump out of airplanes.’ I like taking these big bad dogs and turning them into something wonderful.”

The love and kindness shown to the tenants of Blue Lion will resonate within them. Some day, with luck, they will be able to give that love back to their newly adopted families. Here’s to hoping their next owners realize just how special and wonderful a new friend can be. S

Editor’s note: For many animal lovers, the images depicted in this article can be hard to take in. Thepreliminary release ofthis story received mixed reviews, with many readers reporting that the dogs ‘looked as though they were living in a concentration camp. While many ofthe imagespaint theportrait ofa harsh environment, it is imperative that our readers understand that these animals are very well caredfor. They have all been given the second chance they deserve, and therefore lead veryfulfilling lives under the lovingstewardship of Lisa Kavanaugh. Thefences which house these dogs are but aformality, and do nothing to contain theirjoy when set upon by visitors. Paws prancing, tongues dangling and tails wagging, their spirits arefree.

To view video ofthe cadets helping at Blue Lion Animal Rescue, visit the videos section ofour Web site at www.usafa.org/AOG-movies.

Once Upon a Time

Playboy Squadron leaves their

*Pushing the envelope” is a popular term these days. All grads probably remember some instances in which they did just that during their cadet days. Several come to mind which, I believe, had a significant impact on my later life.

As Doolies in 19th squadron, 1965-66 (then known as Playboysquadron), we performed a couple ofnight missions during our time at the Academy. In the first ofthese missions, we fashioned a ten-foot-tall Playboy bunny out ofbrown wrapping paper, “requisitioned” some scaffolding from a nearby construction project, and placed the bunny on the east wall ofArnold Hall for all cadets and visitors to marvel at the next day.

Following up on that experience, sometime later a large dollar sign appeared on that same east wall ofArnold Hall, as though the place were Uncle Scrooge’s famous money bin from the venerable days of comic book history. Again, people may have wondered: Who had done it? A small Playboy bunny in the center of the dollar sign gave away the answer.

legacy

Jump to our year as Firsties. Having violated the rules prohibiting driving one’s own car to Third Lieutenant at Chanute AFB, Illinois, classmate Brian Nelson and I experienced punishments—mine the more severe because my new AOC, Maj. Wells, decided to make an example of me.

I lost my car for the entire first semester (in addition to marching my first-ever “tours” and being on confinement). This all, of course, required of me some “attitude adjustment,” shall we say.

Then there was our AFA football game against West Point, held at Philadelphia, I believe. Blackjack Squadron Commander Tom Boon arranged to have us do a gutsy thing: After marching onto the field, as we approached the West Point cadets we removed our hats and covered our chests with them in a gesture of mock mourning. Oh, what fun! But it cost Tom his commandership. (After all that, did we win the game? I can’t recall.) *Editor’s note: 1967. Air Force 7. Army 10.

As the year wore on, I decided to break the rules again and purchased a Honda 350 scrambler-style motorcycle. I knew a family in the Springs that was willing to house it for me. Immature though my decision may have been at the time, riding the Honda did provide the sense of individual freedom that I craved those days as I cruised the canyon back roads and even took it on a spring camping/fly fishing trip with classmate Don Dawson. The deepest pleasure, though, came as I snuck it onto

Academy grounds the day before graduation, had my picture taken in full lieutenant’s uniform just outside the dorm the next day, and triumphantly drove it out the north gate after graduation. What an unforgettable sense of freedom!

And, of course, under the cover of darkness again, several other members of our class cut down the “Exit 69” sign from nearby Interstate 25 and erected it on the Parade Grounds for our final graduation exercises. A little more destructive than the other ventures, true, but it likely was enjoyed immensely by many ’69 grads as we “exited” for the final time.

Then there was the dunking ceremony after graduation when several of us threw each other into the Air Garden pool. I suppose that involved some minor reg violation as well.

I don’t highlight these incidents in order to fly in the face of rules and regulations. Regs do have their place in developing the knowledge, character, and qualities of leadership essential to cadets. However, I believe that involvement in such deeds as those I noted helped cultivate a kind ofenthusiasm for life. Perhaps they even inspired us to look beyond the immediate limitations imposed on particular situations in life; in other words, a pushing of the envelope. I do know that often, when faced with challenges, I bring to mind my Academy experience and it instills confidence.

It easily could be argued that I’m in denial. (I use those words a lot in my present profession as substance abuse counselor.) Yet, the picture ofmy four years as a cadet would be incomplete without the special memories and lessons from those events.

Secret Life of

I love the smell of Call to Quarters in the evening. It smells like homework.”

CMC Waldo F. Dumbsquat sat at his colorful metal desk. The uncomfortable chair kept him from sleeping, despite the Econ book open in front of him. His roommates, Warren Heels and “Regs” Buch, also enjoyed the sanctuary ofthe evening academic hours. For a short time each night the freshmen could avoid exposure to upper-class training. The Dean’s force field surrounded them.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door and in stormed the element sergeant. The doolies jumped to attention and generated many chins.

“You smacks want to buy spirit buttons, don’t you?”

A parade ofvisitors continued through the evening.

Knock, knock.

“The squadron needs donations for the new foosball table.”

Knock, knock.

“Combined Federal Campaign. Give your fair share. We haven’t made our goal.”

Knock, knock.

“Need 3 more sandwich orders to get a delivery.”

Knock, knock.

“Get those shoes shined!”

Knock, knock.

“Trunkroom is open ifyou need to get in.”

Knock, knock.

“Taking up a collection for the AOC’s going away gift.”

Knock, knock.

“Taking orders for squadron mugs.”

Knock, knock.

“You doolies better have Wing Staffmemorized by tomorrow!”

Knock, knock.

“Military order of merit forms are due by Tattoo.”

Knock, knock.

“Did you guys serve any WACQs this weekend?”

Knock, knock.

“The CAS clerk needs a count for breakfast.”

During a lull in the action, Warren looked at the smoke rising from his checkbook.

“I don’t think I can afford to go home for Christmas now!”

Regs held his wallet upside down to indicate it as empty. “No mas.”

Waldo acknowledged the situation with a frown. He had hoped to buy batteries and cotton balls at the Cadet Store in the morning. Stepping into the alcove, Waldo whispered the magic words “3.2 beer” and transformed into Colonel Waldo F. Dumbsquat, a man who had a Roth IRA. He strode with massive strides to the CQ desk. The thirdclassman sprang to attention. The squadron keys jingled wildly on his belt.

“Mister, advise all upperclassmen to balance their magic money accounts byTaps,” boomed the colonel. “Carry on.”

“Yes, Sir!”

As the CQ hurried down the hallway, the officer mutated back to his puny doolie form. He returned to his room and chortled. No one understood magic money least of all firsties. They would spend the rest of the evening on the project. The silence was broken by a sound that chilled Waldo’s blood.

Knock, knock.

“Time to sign up for your AOG lifetime membership!”

Waldo sighed. S

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS has adopted and implemented the John Carver model of modern, strategic Policy Governance. This evolution marks a substantial change in the way the Board functions. Policy Governance is a basic set ofprinciples that provide the framework for carrying out the tasks of an organization in an efficient, focused and productive manner. This innovative and proven model of governance will greatly benefit the AOG-and ultimately our membership-by clearly defining and separating the role ofthe Board from the AOG organization itself. The exact roles and responsibilities of the Board and its Chairman (directional) andthe CEO and his staff (operational), are explicitly defined, resulting in clearly delineated objectives.

The AOG mission statement focuses on working with the Academy to produce graduates ofthe highest caliber, support the graduate community, promote our heritage, and raise private funds. The new Policy Governance model will facilitate this mission by defining the “Ends” necessary to accomplish these tasks. Ends, in the Carver model, are defined as what an organization is meant to accomplish. The Ends will require that the Board focus on what worthwhile results the AOG should achieve, whom they should benefit and at what cost to the organization.

The Board Governance Policies define limits and practices for the CEO, which provide the AOG staff maximum freedom to use their creativity and ingenuity to accomplish the Ends without Board interference and micro-managing. The Board will monitor CEO and staffperformance against their adherence to stated policies and on how well they accomplish the Ends. This becomes the measure of CEO performance.

Policy Governance determines not only how the Board governs the organization, but determines how it links to the members. The policies also provide guidance for the Board’s own behavior.

The Board will be externally focused, and devoted to addressing Ends with a long term perspective aimed at creating the future. The Board will speak with one voice or not at all. Furthermore, the Board will limit its official committees to thoseneeded to help it do its job. Committees will not be focused on stafffunctions, but instead, will prepare policy options, focus on implications and recommended actions for Board deliberation and decision.

For more information on the Carver model, the AOG Web site has links to Director Storms presentation, entided Introduction to Policy Governance. Included are Dr. Carvers oral explanation ofhis model, and the newly approved Board ofDirectors’ Governance Policies.

Our CEO, William “T” Thompson, has longtime experience with the model in his substantial prior non-profit board involvement. Terry Storm is a consultant to many non-profits on the model.

Fabulous

where to aim, these brave pilots and their bravos (navigator/ observer) faced gunfire, anti-aircraft rounds and surface-to-air missiles on a daily basis.

And 35 years afterthe end of that war, most of them still recall the dangerous missions with a fondness.

“We loved it,” said Greg Wilson ofArizona, a member ofthe Forward Air Controllers Association and Vietnam veteran who came to Colorado Springs to see the monument to comrades who died in the war. In the days since those hellish missions over the jungles of Southeast Asia, the forward air controller’s job has been filled by robotic drones piloted remotely by airmen on the ground.

“To have a low and slow (air controller) on duty today doesn’t make sense,” said retired Air Force Col. Jay Barnes, who flew a Cessna over Vietnam battlefields.

But in Vietnam and neighboring nations in the 1960s and early '70s, they were a lifeline for troops who could use them to direct devastating firepower against enemy forces.

Because the air controllers could call down bombers on enemy positions, they were prime targets for communist forces. The airmen in these small planes often faced thick fire, and too frequently were shot down. Surface-to-air resistance worsened as the war went on, forcing the Air Force to upgrade air controllers to fast-moving F-100 jets.

The F-lOOs, despite their speed and aerial dexterity, got shot down too. “We didn’t think about it,” said Barnes of Pittsburgh. “We thought we were immortal.” They weren’t.

During the conflict, 288 forward air controllers, observers and support crewmen died.

“They were the cream ofAmerica’s youth,” said retired Air Force Col. George “Bud” Day, a forward air controller from Floridawho won the nation’s highest medal for valor for his conduct after his F-100 was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967. Day, who was tortured during a long imprisonment in North Vietnam, paused to honor the heroism and sacrifice of his enemies, the Viet Cong.

“All of them have mothers, brothers, sisters and children,” Day said, delivering an eloquent message of respect for the men and women of the North Vietnamese fighting forces.

The air controllers said they hope people in Colorado Springs will visit the monument and look at the 288 names of fallen comrades etched in stone. “Those names on that wall are the price of freedom,” said forward air controller Darrel Whitcomb ofVirginia as he thought about friends who never made it home. 9

It’s no joke. Today’s cadets fortunate enough to have seen a slide rule even bother to ask, “Whazzat?” If anyone asks you this unlikely question, then you might reply it was the gizmo which allowed us to build the Empire State Building, the Hoover Dam, the R100 rigid airship, the V-2 rocket, the Boeing 707 (mostly), the atomic bomb, and, of course, the U.S. Air Force Academy. From 1955 until 1974 all incoming cadets were issued either a Post or a K+E slide rule along with a rifle and a haircut. Anyone who dealt with complex calculations quickly found the slide rule a survival necessity.

Here was an amazing gadget immune to electrical power failures which could not only multiply and divide, but call up and calculate sines, tangents (hyperbolic ones, too), square roots, cube roots, nth roots, fractional powers, logarithms (common or natural) and phasors (the pre-Star Trek variety). I even knew of a practically-minded colleague who found a shortcut to compute compound interest tables. And, for those who liked to do it the hard way, there was an algorithm which allowed the user to perform simple addition and subtraction. Believe it or not, here is a Mech 361 quiz which Curt Andrus, ’69, aced without the assistance of an electronic calculator!

Some Slide Rule Fun Facts

Scrabble kit. It was an cians

About 1614, the Scottish polymath John Napier invented both the logarithm and, most, notably, the decimal point. Napier had likewise invented a calculator now referred to as Napier’s Bones a rather clumsv calculating device reminiscent of a nonperforated nspiration to other practical mathematiN who doesn’t?) doing long division. It’s generally agreed that shortly thereafter around 1621, the Anglican cleric William Oughtred improved upon Napier’s Bones when he hit upon the idea ofplotting out Napier’s logarithmic tables onto two pieces ofsliding wood, thus allowing him to add and subtract these tedious quantities. Presto, he had invented the “slide ruler,” and he quickly improved his invention into the circular slide rule.

Over the next two centuries, the slide rule was adapted and specialized hundreds of times. Its wartime applications allowed artillery officers to compute trajectories. Astron

compute celestial movements and navigators to plot winds and drift. It was frequently decorated with specialized magnifiers and cursors. In 1921, the English engineer Otis King devised a onefoot long cylindrical rule which wrapped its scales like a caduceus around a rolling pin, thereby increasing its virtual length to a whopping 83 feet. This presented the user with an unprecedented mathematical precision of up to seven digits.

And a Few USAFA Fun Facts

Regrettably, we USAFA cadets were restricted to the traditional 12-inch double-sided (duplex) linear slide rule in the stitched leather case. Backpacks were forbidden, so we doolies were left to doubletime it with an armload ofloose textbooks and no practical way to anchor downthat slippery slide rule. Traditional engineer decor was to hang the slide rule case from the belt. I actually carried mine this way for several months, as I found I could conceal it easily beneath the flap of my blouse. Our usual classroom attire was the Class A blouse. However, when my element leader finally caught me dressed in this manner, he got his shorts into a wad (as though I were packing a concealed weapon). And so, alas, in those prehistoric days, we cadets were always publicly recognizable as those fashionable nerds who sported external celluloid pocket protectors and slide rule cases, our belts cinched just below our ribcages.

Although the slide rule had been around Europe for over 150 years, in the 1880s it wasn’t much in use in America, even at West Point. Then, around 1880, two German immigrants, William J. D. Keuffel and Herman Esser (K&E) began manufacturing their own slide rules in New York. Precision and quality were ofprimary importance to K&E, so the men experimented with

Left: Curt Andrus, ’69, solved this one with just a slide rule! Above:One version of the venerable E-6B circular slide rule.

the finest bamboo, pearwood, and mahogany. Their rules were marked offwith ingenious Ramsden-type dividing machines, etched by various lithographic and photochemical processes. Their improved devices took off like the Kentucky Derby, and by 1900 practically every engineer and scientist in the United States owned at least one.

And so did cadets. Both the Post and K+E slide rules issued to USAFA cadets in the 1960s and 70s were mostly the quality bamboo-celluloid laminates good for just about anything (except of course drawing a straight line). In fact, USAFA once had perhaps 30 or more wall-sized K+E instructional duplex slide rules which hung in classrooms. Today, just two of these monsters remain at USAFA as historical nostalgia. Col. Gregory A. Seely, ’76, still displays one of them in his office.

A Dazzling Variety of Slide Rules

My limited research into the universal usefulness of this device gives one an appreciation of the ingenuity of our ancestor-scientists. Slide rules were transmogrified into mind-numbing shapes such as the pocket-watch calculator, the four-sided block calculator, the tubular calculator, andthe rotating grid-iron calculator. As many as 30 dazzling scales were inscribed on some of these monstrosities. The scales were modified again and again for an almost infinite number of practical specialties. From distillers who measured alcohol strength to cattle breeders who measured fat on animals, the slide rule was there. Our very own USAF doomsday specialists who wished to calculate the strength and survivability probabilities from nuclear blasts were armed with slide rules. Those of us who went on to flight training were well-familiar with our faithful loadmaster’s slipstick and the navigator’s E-6B circular calculator. I show one of many variations of the venerable E-6B which made its first appearance in the 1930s. It too has been largely replaced by the hand-held electronic version, although the name “E6B” seems to have stuck to this day.

And The Speedy Death of the Slide Rule

Since around 1995 the USAFA Mathematics Department has maintained a fascinating but oft-overlooked wall display of the progression of calculating instruments issued to incoming cadets.

As noted in this photo, the classes of’59-66 and ’70-78 were issued the Post, whereas ’67-69 were issued the K+E. However, it was evident that by 1972 K+E’s manufacturing quality standards were sliding (no pun intended) away. The reliable stitched leather case was substituted with an el cheapo composite which cracked and tore. Quality standards notwithstanding, the winds were shifting noticeably from analog to digital.

Slide rules may have been mandatory issue to cadets prior to 1975, but in 1972 it was understood the de rigueur USAFA engineering major would purchase his own electroniccalculator (HP with Reverse Polish Notation, of course!) for the then-princely sum of $375. By 1973, the price declined to $275, and so on. (In 1975,1 too gave in and bought my first statistics-friendly TI for a still painful $99.) So, in 1975 the shift became official, and the Dean took the Academy from analog to digital in an irreversibly big way. A USAFA faculty colleague related to me the Texas Instruments representative groused about the USAFA calculator purchase order for the then-revolutionary TI SR-51 for the incoming cadets tying up an entire two-weeks’ production run at their Dallas plant. In only four years, the venerableslide rule became obsolete at USAFA. It was that quick.

But Amidst the Agony, A Few Fond Memories

And so too did the paradigm shift become worldwide. Within five short years the slide rule succumbed to the economic rule of the Better Mouse Trap. Cadets had no more reason to fret about significant figures or the physical representation of the logarithm. From that point on, no engineers were interested in calculating

with a slide rule any more than they were interested in telling time with an astrolabe. In 1970, the Post Company was bought byTeledyne, and in 1973 the company sold its last Post Versalog. K+E hung on a while longer and desperately tried a few slide rule innovations, but they eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1982.

Yet there are still a few reminders around. In 2005, the original 1892 eight-story Keuffel and Esser Co. building at 127 Fulton Street, downtown Manhattan was registered as a historicallandmark and was promptly scheduled for conversion into luxury condominiums. And for those still interested in the more cerebral side of calculating, slide rule historians and enthusiasts in 1991 formed The Oughtred Society (www.Oughtred.org). This internationally recognized society maintains an online museum of calculating instruments and publishes a semiannual journal. Ifyou’re a lover ofthe history of science as I am, it’s well worth looking into. H

FredMalmstrom is a Visiting Scholar at USAFA. He can he reached atfred. malmstrom@usafa.edu.

Selected References:

Hopp, Peter M. (1999). Slide rules: Their history, models, and makers. Mendham, NJ: Astragal Press.

The Oughtred Society, www.oughtred.org.

Seely, Gregory A. (2008). [Permanent Professor and Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy] Personal communication.

Stoll, Cliff (May 2006). When slide rules ruled. Scientific American, p. 81-87

von Jezierski, Dieter (2000). Slide rules: Ajourney through three centuries (tr. Roger Shepherd). Mendham, NJ: Astragal Press.

bat Survival Training started June jjid ended Aug. 2, but it’s far from being just a memory. CST planning and preparation for next year continues throughout the year. Conducted at Saylor Park at more than 9,000 feet elevation, it comes with safety risks like steep slopes, drop-offs, cliffs and vertical rock faces.

“Our cadets, who are acclimated to roughly 7,000 feet elevation, definitely felt the altitude,” said Tech. Sgt. Jarod Savage, of Lucasville, Ohio. “We had multiple medical issues, including heat exhaustion, anaphylactic shock, cellulitis, insect bites,

blisters and rolled ankles. The terrain was interesting to say the least.”

Tent living was seldom a challenge.

“We have wall tents for individual instructors and Alaskan tents for all cadet cadre and key staff,” said the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialist with 12 years in the Air Force. “There are poncho tents for cadets going through as students.” Sergeant Savage admits to a personal satisfaction that goes with conducting CST. “Watching cadets go through a physically and emotionally taxing situation and seeing the power of positive mental attitude is satisfying,” he

said. “With PMA, anything is possible. Without it, we’re of no use. It’s also neat to see junior and senior cadets step up and run the show. We put the responsibility on our key staffand trust their decisions.

The permanent party’s job is to allow a CST learning outcome like no other. The capstone event of the importance of bringing back CST this summer was the real-world search and rescue mission conducted July 2 in Saylor Park. “I tell cadets that I’ll let them run the show, make mistakes, fail at some things,” said Sergeant Savage. “I’ll even allow someone to walk over a cliff, as long as safety is

maintained and they can continue. To me, it is paramount to allow our future Air Force leaders the chance to make decisions, sometimes bad ones, in order to be better prepared for the Air Force. CST is the program for that.” Next summer, CST will include evasion and conduct after capture training. It is a mandatory graduation requirement for the Class of 2012 and beyond.

In retrospect, Cadet Squadron 7 meteorology major, Cadet 3rd Class Taylor Olson said being pushed mentally and physically made CST a worthwhile

experience. “Night navigation was intense, especially leading it. You really had to trust your instincts and training,” said Cadet Olson. “CST removed any physical advantages people may have had and forced everybody to dig deep.” The mental barriers that had to be overcome were significant. “The best part of it was that the training was real,” Cadet Olson said. “Although many of us may never have to use it, we will all face times in our lives that will test our determination to continue. CST forces you to figure out what really motivates you.”

Cadet 2nd Class Neil Pfau, a CS-35 member, first went through CST as a student, then returned weeks later as an instructor. “The most important thing I took from CST is the professionalism that my instructors inspired me to live up to,” the Paola, Kan., native said. “That standard was tested when, just a few short weeks later, I had the opportunity to instruct survival for the Class of2011.”

“This was an amazing leadership experience and a testament to the trust our leadership has in cadets,” Cadet Pfau said. He was paired with another cadet and instructed 11 students on survival skills ranging from shelter craft and knots to aircraft signaling and land navigation. “We were there to see our students make some mistakes, but also learn from those and advance to success,” he said. “CST gave me the desire to have my students succeed andthe tools to teach them how.”

The early snow and gusts ofwinter have not diminished Cadet Pfau’s memory of CST. “When I was a student during the evasion portion, my element woke up while it was still dark and we were moving to our next point,” Cadet Pfau said. “We were bundled up in our Gore-Tex and thermals

with our packs on, hiking through foggy swamps and groves ofaspen trees trying to make progress to our point and avoid the SERE specialists trying to find us. We were tired and we were hungry, but we kept hiking for hours because the only thing keeping us warm was our body movement. Eventually, we saw the sunrise and the warmth that came with it.”

Cadet 1st Class Jonathan Rodgers had arrived in time to attend the 2004 CST. This summer, the CS-15 military strategic studies major was CST commander. “The level of training was definitely higher in 2008, because of the great number of SERE professionals available,” said Cadet Rodgers, a Colorado Springs native. “All the basics were still the same, with killing, cleaning and cooking your meals, hiking around the woods.”

One major difference this year was that the cadets only got to do three of the four checkpoints. “In 2004, we had to make two checkpoints a day, both day and night,” he said. “We ended up doing about seven or eight checkpoints, which translates to a lot of hiking.”

To Cadet Rodgers, CST made a difference. “It made me more confident in the outdoors; able to move freely. I loved it from the moment I started in 2004 until I got to command in 2008. I felt safe in the woods, and more able to take care of a wide-range ofproblems. It was training that was real, applicable, and important. And I learned what rabbit tastes like.”

Time hasn’t dimmed the memory ofwhen Cadet Rodgers and other students got to Checkpoint Charlie at the top ofthe hill and, because oflightning, they were made to sleep on the hillside. “They told us to sleep by a tree that was on a 30-40 degree slope,” said Cadet Rodgers. “We ended up tying all of our sleepingbags to this tree and the four of us all slept with our heads tilting inwards, falling to the bottom of our sleeping bags. That was a very cold, wet night, but fun to look back on.” 5

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

Air Age Gothic

The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado features an unparalleled collection of modernist buildings. But the challenges of preserving them can seem daunting.

□n a blustery midwinter afternoon, I’m standing inside the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, gazing up at the pinnacled ceiling which rises to a height of 100 feet. I am 7,000 feet above sea level, but it isn’t the altitude that has me breathless. Rather, it is this soaring, cavernous structure, with its ribbons ofstained glass and 17 aluminum-clad spires, which pierce the Colorado sky. In the chapel’s choir loft, a technician is tuning the massive pipe organ, and between musical notes, I hear the building creaking from the powerful winds blowing outside. “This is nothing,” says Duane Boyle, the Air Force Academy’s resident architect and preservationist, who has joined me inside. “When it’s reallywindy, it sounds like Rice Krispies.”

Designed by architect Walter Netsch—ofthe midcentury modern powerhouse firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)—and completed in 1963, the chapel has an expressionist quality often described as “air age Gothic.” Netsch took inspiration from several sources, including the Basilica ofSan Francesco d’Assisi in Italy, SainteChapelle and Notre Dame in Paris, and the Cathedral ofChartres. “I made an enclosure that embodies the concept oflight and space,” he once said, “endowed with loftygrandeur.” In 1996, the American Institute ofArchitects gave the chapel its prestigiousTwenty-five Year Award, which recognizes American buildings of“enduring significance.” The same organization recently conducted a public poll ofthe country’s 150 favorite works ofarchitecture, in which the chapel ranked 51 (top honors went to the Empire State Building).

The chapel has one significant problem, however. Netsch originally specified sheet-metal flashing to prevent rainwater from entering the interior, but the Air Force Academy Construction Agency deemed it too costly and opted instead for caulk. Thirtyfour miles of caulk, to be exact. Trouble is, the caulk doesn’t hold—the strong winds that rock the chapel and shift the aluminum panels cause it to fail—and the building has leaked for most of its 45-year existence.

Boyle’s maintenance staffspends anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 each year to recaulk the chapel. And still the building leaks during rainstorms, causing damage to pews, the organ, and Bibles. The chapel has been caulkedand recaulked so many times that the anodized aluminum surface has become scratched and pitted. “It’s just like painting the Golden Gate Bridge,” Boyle says. “You start at one end, and by the time you finish, you have to start all over again.”

A few years ago, Boyle hired Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to look into the problem. The firm recommended disassembling the aluminum panels and sealing the interior spaces with a silicone membrane. Doing so would stop the leakage and allow Boyle to remove what hecalls the chapel’s “shower-door glass,” which was placed over portions of the stained glass many years ago in an attempt to keep water out. Trouble is, the plan would cost

more than $30 million, a hard sell even for the Academy’s most historically significant building.

Boyle, who has worked full-time at the academy since 1983 and knows the Academy’s sprawling 18,000-acre campus intimately, realizes that even ifthe funds were to magically appear, $30 milli on spent on the chapel means $30 million less for the maintenance and preservation ofthe Academy’s other buildings. And that’s the challenge: most ofthe core buildings ofthe Air Force Academy were designed by Netsch and, taken together, form one ofthe most striking collections ofmidcentury modern architecture and design in America. Boyle must oversee all ofthis and address the particular preservation challenges that these classics present—challenges that many modernist landmarks across the country increasingly face as they age. Boyle’s job is rewarding but difficult, with obstacles arising all the time, he has learned to pick his battles.

At the chapel, for now, caulk will have to suffice.

In 1955, when Netsch unveiled his initial design for the structure, critical reaction was brutal. Some members of Congress, which controlled the construction funds, were outraged by the chapel’s unorthodox architecture. Sen. A. Willis Robertson of Virginia said the plan looked like “an assembly ofwigwams.” A few years later, Rep. George R Miller of California likened Netsch’s revamped design to an accordion and called it “a travesty on religion.” Rep. Errett Scrivner of Kansas called it an “aluminum monstrosity” that “will look like a row of polished teepees upon the side of the mountains.”

Despite the public attacks, Congress came through with the money for the chapel—just over $3 million—in 1957. From the start, Air Force officialswanted the entire U.S. Air Force Academy to symbolize American optimism. Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott said at the time, “We want the Academy to be a living embodiment of the modernity of flying and to represent in its architectural concepts the national character of the Academy

We want our structures to be as efficient and as flexible in their design as the most modern projected aircraft.” Congressional misgivings over the Academy’s architectural style aside—what, no brick? no red Colorado sandstone? no barrel-vaulted nave?—Talbott got what he wanted. On Aug. 29, 1958, 1,145 cadets moved fromtheir temporary quarters at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver to their new campus near Colorado Springs.

To be sure, some detractors consider Netsch’s Cadet Area (the central portion of the campus, with its severe geometry and windswept plazas) downright alienating, a kind of Rocky Mountain Brasilia. In 2002, James Howard Kunstler, author of The Geography ofNowhere and a longtime critic of modernist architecture, presented the Academy with his Hermann Goering Lifetime Award for Despotic Grandiosity. Nonetheless, the Cadet Area was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2004.

Unlike many modernist works, the Air Force Academy has never been threatened with outright destruction. But even if most of the original buildings in the Cadet Area look more or less the same as they did when completed in 1958, deterioration (primarily due to deferred maintenance) is an issue, and some inevitable additions and design alterations havecaused concern. In the 1960s, a new dormitory, Sijan Hall, arose on the south

side of theCadet Area. Architecturally, it mimics SOM’s original buildings, but it occupies a site intended to be left open. A massive athletic fieldhouse, complete with aqua columns (since painted over), was also built. In 1981, a truss-roofed extension of the library covered a graceful courtyard.

Landscape architect Dan Kiley’s 700-foot-long Air Garden—a series offountains, pools, and walkways—was filled in with dirt and grass. Pitched roofs were added to modernist-style faculty housing. According to Boyle, lobby furniture by Charles Eames and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was shipped off to the salvage yard, replaced by generic pieces. Original dormitory desks and beds designed expressly for the Academy were replaced by cheap particle-board versions. New buildings began to rise on other parts of the campus, many having little or nothing to do with SOM’s sleek, horizontal international style.

In the early 1980s, there was talk of adding a new building right in the middle of the Cadet Area quadrangle, known as the Terrazzo (derived from terrazza, the Italian word for «terrace»). Such an addition would have gone against SOM's original plans for the site, but no guidelines existed to prevent its construction. So academy officials brought in SOM to develop a master plan for future expansion projects. Duane Boyle, who was working at the time in SOM's Denver office, was part of the team.

It was a homecoming of sorts. Now 51, Boyle grew up in a Colorado Springs neighborhoodjust outside the Academy’s south entrance. He attended Air AcademyHigh, a public school located on Academygrounds. “We were in the Cadet Area all the time,” he says, “mostly to use the sports facilities.” The architecture spoke to him, even as a 16-year-old kid. “It was just such a huge, inspiring set ofbuildings,” Boyle says. Before he even graduated from high school, Boyle had made up his mind: He was going to become an architect. Not only did he realize his dream, but he also ended up working for the very firm whose work inspired him in the first place.

Master plans have a tendency to gather dust. Not so at the Academy. In 1983, after SOM completed its master plan, Boyle was hired to oversee the implementation ofdesign and planning standards on campus. Based in the civil engineering department, Boyle and his small staffwrote up detailed design guidelines for new construction and started a restoration program for existing buildings and interiors. For many years, Boyle would call Netsch in Chicago at least once a week to pick his brain about new projects.

Under Boyle’s watch, the Academy has spent millions of dollars on major renovations of some of its oldest buildings, such as Vandenberg Hall. Boyle has fought hard to make sure that new buildings—including what he calls “the only International Style Burger King in the world,” built in the early 1990s—blend seamlessly with SOM’s original designs. Now, he says, when a new building is proposed, the first question people at the Academy ask is, “What does Duane think?”

Boyle laughs. “That’s progress.”

Boyle parks his green Dodge Dakota outside Fairchild Hall, a massive academic building (equivalent to a 53-story high-rise set on its side, with six miles ofcorridors). We walk past it to the 1981 library addition, built over a courtyard that had been planted with grass and trees—’’negative space,” in thewords of Netsch. Boyle, who keeps his opinions to himself unless prodded,

shakes his head in disgust as he looks up at the narrow overhead trusses, which have no design relationship to the rest of the library. The ceiling is covered with sprayed-on fireproofing material, the kind you might see in a cheap motel. “In my opinion, it’s a disaster,” he says. “A simple glass box would have workedmuch better.” He shrugs, as if to say, “Not much I can do about it now.”

Not 50 feet away, however, in one of the original sections of the library, a spectacular, four-story circular staircase appears to float in space. “It’s pure art,” Boyle gushes. As Boyle tells it, Netsch designed the staircase in response to a complaint by Lt. Gen. Hubert Harmon, the Academy’s first superintendent, that the Cadet Area had too many right angles. “Can’t you give me something round?” he demanded. Harmon also wanted Netsch to use some gold Murano glass tiles someplace—anyplace—instead of the red, yellow, andblue tiles used elsewhere. Netsch complied by using gold tiles on a wall next to the staircase.

We proceed to the Terrazzo, the Academy’s outdoor plaza. While scores ofcadets, in their crisp blue uniforms, cross to and from classes. Fourth-degree cadets, or freshmen, confine themselves to the straight lines formed by white strips ofmarble. Boyle stops in front of a fountain, one of two that were part of Dan Kiley’s Air Garden. When Boyle first began working at the academy, the fountains—and the pools located in the large space in between—had long since been drained. Lt. Gen. Bradley Hosmer, superintendent at the time, wondered ifthe fountains could be restored. Boyle and his crew brought in a front-end loader and started digging around. The fountains, down to the nozzles and underwater lights, were indeed still there, buriedunder several feet ofdirt. Boyle got them up and running. He’d love to restore the entire Air Garden, but that will take money, not to mention political will from his military superiors, who come and go with great frequency.

For Boyle, a more pressing concern is the concrete that forms most of the Terrazzo itself.“That’s 40 acres of exposed aggregate concrete,” he says. He points to large chunks that have crumbled away from the constant cycle of freezing and thawing. “Exposed aggregate concrete in Colorado doesn’t hold up. It was originally supposed to be granite, but that was too expensive. Every year, we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars replacing it. In some areas, it starts deteriorating in as soon as five years.”

Boyle is exploring the possibility ofprecasting the slabs in a factory rather than pouring them on-site. The idea is that by controlling the conditions under which they are fabricated, the concrete slabs will last longer. “Some people would say, ‘Why don’t you just replace the concrete with asphalt?’ But that’s not going to happen,” he says, insisting on the integrity ofthe original design.

On the west end of the campus, on the elevated plaza known as the Honor Court, sits elegant Harmon Hall, the Academy’s main administration building—a simple, three-story modernist gem made of glass, aluminum, and marble. The building is set on columns and seems to hover above the ground. Only the top two floors are office spaces; the first level is open to the elements but for two elevator lobbies, whimsically clad in red glass tiles. (Who says modernist buildings can’t have a little color?) Over the years, various Academy officials have proposed enclosing Harmon Hall’s open first floor, and though that has never happened, by the 1990s, the building badly needed a renovation.

Starting in 2004, Harmon Hall was completely gutted so that it could be modernized with new mechanical systems, double-paned glass windows, and reconfigured interior spaces. During the twoand-a-half-year renovation, workers discovered that some of the steel support columns—covered by aluminum sleeves—had rusted away at the base. “That was pretty scary,” Boyle says. “At some point, that building probably would have failed if we hadn’t found that.” The columns were reinforced with carbon fiber strips, thin enough that the original aluminum covers could be reused.

“Ifyou look at that building today,” Boyle says proudly, “it doesn’t look any different from the way it did when it was built in 1958.”

Elsewhere on the Honor Court, Academy officials are considering adding a new building to house the Center for Character Development, created in 1993 in the wake of a cadet cheating scandal. It would be placed underground, but a new courtyard would be added to the Honor Court. Boyle isn’t thrilled with the idea, and he s suggested alternative sites outside the Cadet Area. Ultimately, it’s not his call, even with the Cadet Area’s National Historic Landmark status. “The Academy is an important place,” he says, “and it needs to be preserved. It’s not a place where you should make rash decisions without thinking them through, but there’s nothing to really prevent that from happening. IfI can act as a buffer for that, then that’s probably the best I can do.”

Back in the Dodge Dakota, I ask Boyle to name his favorite building at the academy. His answer surprises me. It isn’t the chapel, although he believes it to be an architectural masterpiece, and it isn’t Harmon Hall, with its Miesian proportions.

“It’s the heating plant,” he says.

Located not far from the Cadet Area, the plant, one ofthe original SOM buildings, is a four-story box with black columns and tinted blue windows. Set amid pine and spruce trees, it has the kind ofperfect geometry found in the best modernist architecture. Yet very few people outside the Academy have ever seen it.

“At night,” Boyle says, “it just glows. You can see the silhouettes of the equipment inside. Pure ‘form follows function.’

When Boyle talks about the heating plant or his friendship with Walter Netsch, allthe frustrations of his job—the neverending maintenance issues, the constant pursuit of funding, the bureaucratic turf battles, the leaky chapel—seem to disappear. Twenty-five years after he began working full-time at the Academy, he still seems amazed that his job is to preserve the very buildings that inspired his career path.

“I think,” he says, “I have the best job in architecture.” Em

Mentors and persistence help airman achieve

Airman

SINCE HIS CHILDHOOD, Lieutenant Nathan Nordby wanted to fly. As he grew up, he realized flying and graduating from the United States Air Force Academy would be both the dream of a lifetime and, even better, an opportunity to serve his country as an officer in the United States Air Force.

The LEAD program delegates authority to unit and wing commanders to nominate highly talented Airmen to compete for admission to the Academy without a congressional appointment.

It was in Minneapolis where Nordby would also work with and meet another mentor and USAFA alum, Colonel James J. Muscatell, Jr., the 934th Air Lift Wing Commander. After the colonel settled into command at the unit, he got to know Nordby andlearned of his desire to attend the Air Force Academy.

“He grilled me for an hour,” said Nordby, “it almost sounded like he was convincing me not to go, especially seeing I was three-fourths ofthe way through college. Later, I realized he was just checking ifI wanted to go and ifI still believed in it.” Colonel Muscatell was convinced and drafted a letter ofrecommendation for the airman's LEAD application package.

Achieving this goal would prove to be one of the most difficult but rewarding and life-changing events he would experience. During this journey he met mentors (by chance) and from them, learned the true meaning ofleadership. Now, as a USAFA graduate and a second lieutenant, he hopes to become a mentor to others, helping them achieve their goals and dreams.

After three ofhis applications were denied, Nordby quit trying. “I decided to move forward, putting the Academy on hold to become a volunteer firefighter in my hometown. I wanted to serve my community,” said Nordby. “Then, afterthe events of9-11 I wanted to serve (my country). I talked to a recruiter with intentions to enlist in the Active Duty Air Force. The recruiter talked with me and took the time to find out what my true desires were, which included attendingcollege full-time. The recruiter pointed me to the Air Force Reserve.”

Lieutenant Nordby became an enlisted reserve command post controller and was assigned as a traditional reservist with the 934th Airlift Wing, Minneapolis, International Airport, Minn. He was also attending Bethel College in Minnesota full-time.

Nordby found a mentor in the command post Officer in Charge, Lt. Col. Carl Lindberg, and shared his dream ofattending the USAFA. “I started looking into the Academy again and with the encouragement ofmy Reserve boss, I decided to look into getting into the Academy as an Airman,” said Nordby.

The reservist decided to give it one last shot through the Leaders Encouraging Airman Development program. “I knew I only had one more shot (for admission) due to my age.”

Discussing therole of a mentor, Colonel Muscatell said, “It is the responsibility ofenlisted, officers and senior leaders to help people find their voice and their passion. Mentoring doesn’t mean telling people what they want to hear, it is about what they need to hear.”

Finally, thedream was a reality.

“It was incredible how all of the right doors opened at the right time,” said Nordby.

The four years at the Academy were extremely challenging. By chance, Colonel Muscatell was reassigned from the 934th Airlift Wing in Minneapolis to command the 302nd Airlift Wing, located in Colorado Springs duringNordby’s junior year. Muscatell and his wife, Nancy, became mentors and extended family helpingNordby when he had questions or just needed support. “There were many times ‘Colonel M’ and Nancy helped me out,” said Nordby.

Discussing what he learned from this experience, Nordby shared, “We have to take care ofeach other. Those who are going to make an impact will be the legacy—the people we have supported. Anyone can manage with the right tools and training, but growing people for the rest oftheir career is important,” added Nordby, who hopes this experience and his Academy education will help him help others as he now begins his career as a United States Air Force officer.

To learn more about LEADprogram, log on to http://www. academyadmissions, com.

New leader of cadets gets a warm welcome Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Cox, ’84, was welcomed to USAFA October 15, 2008, with a ground-shaking B-52 flyover, a serenade by the Drum and Bugle Corps and 4,000 cadets standing in formation to greet their new leader.

The new Commandant ofCadets took a moment on the podium to survey the students before he spoke. “It’s never been more important than now to graduate ready to lead and win our nations wars,” Cox said. “Were going to do this together as a team, were going to accomplish the mission, and were going to have fun.”

The change-of-command ceremony saw Brig. Gen. Susan Y. Desjardins relinquish the post after nearly three years. She is widely regarded as one of the Academy’s most effective commandants, helping to heal the institution after its internal struggles against sexualassault in the ranks, charges of religious intolerance and concernsover the school’s honor code.

In leaving, she called it one ofher most challenging and fulfilling assignments, and “perhaps the most rewarding ofmy career.”

Cox said he hopes to continue the work of his predecessor and he emphasized producing “officers of character.”

A 1984 Academy graduate, Cox is a command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours. His missions include airdropping the initial troops who deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989, and airlift missions in operations Desert Storm and Iraqi

Your Association of Graduates is always looking for ways to improve service while saving time and money. TheAOG is sending electronic receipts for all credit 1 card donations. Sending these receipts electronically will save the AOG a great deal of time and money!

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Freedom. He holds a master’s degrees in human resources and national security strategy.

Cox is coming to the Air Force Academy from the Pentagon, where he was Director ofthe Air Force General Officer Management Office, responsible for developing and positioning officers across the Air Force. He was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general on Wednesday morning before assuming his new command.

“What I look forward to most is the opportunity to have a positive influence on these men and women,” Cox said. “This is the absolute best we have in the United States ofAmerica.”

(Courtesy ofBill Reed, The Gazette)

Former Air Force Academy Prep School Commander passes away

Colonel Adolphus Andrews, of Beavercreek, Ohio, passed away Monday, October 27, 2008, at the Hospice of Dayton. He is survived by his loving wife, Ruby; son, Adolphus (Koreen Rene); daughter, Dawn; grandchildren, Blake, Tiana, Cheyann and Ava; brothers, Willie Tee, Theadoreand Melvin (Carolyn); and sister, Cherylynn. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Lee Andrews Sr. Adolphus received his undergraduate degree from Howard University, Master’s degree from Southern Illinois and Doctorate degree from Ohio State University. His 26-year military career culminated with hislast assignment as Air Force Academy Preparatory School Commander, and he completed his college executive career as the Vice President of Administration and Finance at Central State University in 2004. Andrews will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Va.

(Courtesy ofthe Dayton Daily News)

Daily Tech Offers Interesting Report On SatPower Generated Lightbulb

That's correct—power from space! According to DailyTech's online website, there's a new project that hopes to gather and then send enough power from space to light one lightbulb. As the article indicates, the concept of an orbiting satellite gathering power from space and beaming it down to the ground to power devices on Earth may sound like science fiction, but that is exactly what the One Lightbulb project hopes to accomplish.

The project will start in December when the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy starts construction of two satellites for the task. The satellites are being built at the same time, one called Light and the other Heavy. Two satellites help ensure the project doesn’t die if financial or legal troubles plague one satellite. LiveScience Blog reports each satellite would weigh 400 pounds or less andthe planned launch date is in 2010. (Courtesy ofSatNews.com)

Lt. Col. David Serage's accomplishment highlights a 19-year Air Force and Air National Guard career that began as a childhood dream. “I've always wanted to be a pilot,” Serage said. “My Mom said, when I was about 5 or 6,1 started talking about flying.” Fie kept his vision in mind, even though he didn’t know quite how to fulfill it until he got into high school.

When I was in my sophomore year, my brother told me about a little wayward school in Colorado Springs,” Serage said. The “little wayward school” was the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Grove, Okla., native set his sights on attending. He spoke with an Academy liaison in Tulsa who helped him put together a nomination package. His Congressman endorsed the nomination and he then competed against candidates from other states for a slot in the prestigious institution.

“I was 18, and the Air Force Academy was a far cry from Grove High School,” Serage said. “It was a huge culture shock coming in, but it was a good experience and a great education. I made lifelong friends there and got a real appreciation for the Air Force.

After graduating from pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., Serage flew B-52 Stratofortress bombers and T-38 Talons. It was while flying a T-38 cross-country flight that he met his wife in Toledo, Ohio. They married in 1995 and immediately moved to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.

“The Air Force had retired the F-l 11 (Aardvark), and the EF-111 (Raven) was in the process of retiring, and that left a dent in the Air Force’s air defense suppression capability,” Serage said. “So Air

Force pilots flew EA-6B Prowlers jointly with the Navy.”

Serage was deployed for about 2Vi years out of the four years he flew with the Navy. He still vividly recalls his first combat mission, in which he flew an EA-6B over northern Iraq in support of Operation Northern Watch.

“I remember crossing the Turkish border and going into Iraq for the first time,” he said. “It was almost surreal—there were active missile sites and anti-aircraft artillery. It wasn’t uncommon to see AAA detonations in the air as we were flying, and the Iraqi air force flew MiGs over their airspace (between) the no-fly zones.”

Serage moved to Tulsa in 1999 when he joined the Air National Guard. He flew his first F-16 missions with the Tulsa ANG’s 138th Fighter Wing, conducting missions in support of Operation Southern Watch.

“It was a little tricky, adjusting from B-52s and EA-6Bs to F-16s,” said Serage, who has flown a total of4,700 hours. “But I had some good instructors—some very patient instructor pilots.”

Serage first met Lt. Col. Todd Higgs, his wingman for his 100th combat sortie, shortly after joining the Tulsa ANG, and the two formed a close friendship. “He’s hilarious,” said Higgs, an F-16 pilot with the 332nd EFS. “He’s a funny dude. He’s very serious about what he does, though. He’s a family man and a God-fearing, outstanding individual. I’m proud to be his wingman and to be his friend.”

Serage also deployed to Joint Base Balad in 2007 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The tempo ofcombat had

Lt. Cols. David 'Surge' Serage and Todd 'Pig' Higgs pose for a photograph in front of Serage's USAF F-16C. [USAF photo by SSgt. Don Branum]

changed significantly in that year, he said. “Fast year, it seemed like we were dropping ordnance quite a bit,” he said. “This year, that portion of our mission has scaled back. I attribute that to a successful military and diplomatic operation. Still, our strength and troop support are projected through continuous armed air presence.”

Reaching 100 sorties doesn’t mean what it used to. During World War II, bomber pilots were lucky to reach 50 combat sorties without being shot down. During the Vietnam War, pilots had to fly 100 sorties before they could return home from their tour. Today, reaching such a milestone means something different.

“When I hear the words, 100 combat sorties,’ I think of the great airmen of earlier wars,” Serage said. “To me,

achieving this mark reminds me of our proud Air Force heritage. The airmen who flew, fought and won in previous conflicts have brought us the freedoms that make our country the greatest in the world.”

He attributes his own success in his sorties to the airmen on the ground who work tirelessly to ensure he can get his fighter off the ground and to the mission area.

“I returned to Balad the other night when weatherhad brought visibility to approach minimums and received the best radar-conducted approach I’ve ever had in my life,” Serage said. “By today’s standards, the Precision Approach Radar is a pretty antiquated system, and I haven’t flown a PAR approach in six or seven years, but the controller with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron was phenomenal.

“I have great pride in all the support that goes into making this mission happen,” he said. “I know the airmen here work countless hours, and I thank them and their families for that.”

Courtesy of332ndAir Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

In 2003, the Air Force Academy, under the Secretary of the Air Force’s Agenda for Change, instituted the requirement for all Air Officer’s Commanding to complete a one-year master’s degree program in counseling and leadership. This Agenda for Change directive clearly recognized the value of specific preparation to enhance AOC readiness and to support cadet squadron success. Thus, the AOC master’s program, an Intermediate Development Education program, was designed to offer academic and skills training in both leadership and fundamentals of counseling/coaching. The objective was to transform these leaders from “good to great” with increased selfawareness and expertise with various leadership frameworks. Focusing on intrapersonal, interpersonal, team, and organizational skills will help these officers cultivate the responsibilities needed to provide exceptional Air Force leadership for years to come.

The AOC Master’s program provides a unique opportunity for these top-tier, hand-picked officers to continue their education as exemplary leaders. The AOC Master’s program provides a rigorous experience that roughly parallels the paths taken by cadets. They are required to undergo a very revealing assessment process, participate in a demanding academic curriculum, immerse themselves in field work that shadows cadets and sitting AOCs, and articulate their own leadership philosophy. The program also includes results-oriented outcomes. The AOC master’s program uses learning principles that are substantive, cognitive, and inquiry-based, thereby allowing leader development to be useful across multiple assignments beyond the Academy.

MASTER'S PROGRAM

This program is consistent with both the Air Force’s Leadership and Force Development Doctrine, AFDD1-1 and the Academy’s Officer Development System. It embraces the notion that leadership is a life-long process.

The AOC Master’s program framework takes students through a one-year exploration ofpersonal discovery in order to forge their abilities as mentors towards cadets. This further enhances the effectiveness ofthe squadron, group, and wing. Social interaction

is also strongly emphasized, allowing AOCs to network across the institution and leverage opportunities among their peers from the terrazzo, to the gym, to the airfield and beyond. Consequendy, this program encourages the AOCs in training to immerse themselves in cross-mission element experiences by challenging them with assignments outside oftheir comfort zones. Additionally, feedback and support are steadily provided to facilitate growth and evaluation, enabling these officers to have crystal clear insight into their strengths and weaknesses. The use ofhands-on mentorship, internships, and active learning exercises provides regular challenges to test the officers knowledge and ability. These techniques are used to help make issues more colorful, personal, and realistic.

The AOC Master’s program maintains a strong theoretical foundation while also applying these course concepts in the leadership laboratory that is the Air Force Academy. These courses focus on leader development applied at the personal, interpersonal, team, and organizational level. The program requires 45 semester hours to complete, one-third ofwhich are application-oriented (either leadership courses or field experience hours). The students are required to perform at least 400 field experience hours in which they are involved in some type of counseling and leadership activity that relates to their future responsibilities as an AOC. In the first semester, the students start exploring self, to include personality, in the context of leadership philosophy, core values, and ethical decision making. In addition, they take a required laboratory course for counseling/coaching application. The second semester highlights a heavy emphasis on interpersonal and team leadership. Team dynamics and group

typical for many AOCs to say that they encountered a situation that surprised them shortly after taking command. Instead ofreflexively making a “command and control’ decision, they usually describe a process where they caught themselves, listened, reflected (quickly), and were decisive in ways that considered immediate and long-term consequences. Their decisions also involved a systemic assessment ofthe situation which was ultimately better for all parties involved. The data reflect this, as 92% reported important increases in their confidence to be a leader of a cadet squadron and 95% reported increased skills in dealing with others. In fact, the following comments are representative ofwhat the AOCs say:

Wow! The master’s program has really prepared me for this challenging job. I do not believe I would have been as ready as I am now. I would have probably led my squadron more transactionally and may not have considered my major responsibility of cadet development. (Major Michael Drowley, Cadet Squadron 15, USAFA Class of 1996)

“I regard each cadet as a unique person with unique needs. I have learned to respond to each cadet with a style consistent with their developmental needs. I think about leading. I think about developing. This is not how I led in the past. I have to thank this program for providing me with an appreciation for counseling and development as an important part of leadership.” —Major Jimmy Dobbs, Cadet Squadron 20.

“There is not a day that goes by where I don’t use something I learned in the master’s program, particularly the counseling skills.”—Major David Stanfield, Cadet Squadron 34.

“The fact of the matter is that this degree program not only

Inspiring the next generation of Air Force leaders.

processes are supported by team building courses and a laboratory for experiential learning. In the final semester, students explore courses related to cadet development and diversity.

WHAT THE LEADERS SAY

Nearly 85 percent ofthe graduates in the past five years report the program has been very helpful in preparing them for their new leadership roles. This preparation is quite important, since it is

benefits the cadets that I lead here at the academy but also those that I will lead in the operational Air Force.”—Major Paul Wood, ’95, Cadet Squadron 30.

Further, the majority of graduates feel a high degree of motivation and self-efficacy regarding their upcoming leadership assignment. To some degree this can be attributed to the program meeting their expectations. Among AOCs surveyed, 78 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the scientist-practitioner education model linked coursework and fieldwork to the competencies needed to be effective. In the last two years almost every AOC has indicated that their fieldwork met the stated objectives, and that the coursework was related to the nature of their duties. It is critically important that this program inspire these future leaders, since this is exactly their charge to inspire our cadets, the next generation ofAir Force leaders. S

For information related to the AOCMaster’s Program contact Dr. (Major) Hassan at 719-333-0075 or Dr. JeffJackson at 333-9015.

The P38 Lightning was one of the fiercest fighters in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Standing ieonically on Academy grounds, this statue is a reminder of those pilots who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Illlliilliill

ow here is a mystery thriller written by an Academy grad which, refreshingly, has nothing whatever to do with flying. Kaleidoscope by Darryl Wimberley, ’71, is great film noir genre. As I read it, I kept saying to myself, “This would make a great film script!” And indeed, Kaleidoscope was originally written as an award-winning film script.

The story begins in 1929 Cincinnati and moves to the fictional community of Kaleidoscope, Florida, a winter base for a carnival freak show. Our antihero is one Jack Romaine, a dissipated, slightly alcoholic World War I veteran who is (to use a 1920s expression) on the lam from his gambling debts to the Chicago mob. As might be expected, his troubles keep multiplying until he finds himself forced by the Cincinnati mob into playing the private eye role of tracking down missing mob money. His leads bring him to central Florida where he meets up with a truly bizarre crowd of carnival freaks.

It is here that Jack Romaine, a physically normal person, becomes the bizarre standout amongst the community ofSiamese twins, fat ladies, dwarfs, alligator men, blue-skinned women, and you-name-its. And yes, such curios of nature as within this closeknit community offreaks did and do exist. Kaleidoscope leaves you with the realization that these misfits do, after all, possess the basic human qualities oflove, loyalty, revenge, despair, greed, and altruism as the rest of us. This is the world ofthe carneys who have their own special dialect and their own unofficial code ofethics.

This book has plenty of good guys and bad guys, only—as with any decent mystery—Wimberley keeps us guessing who is on which side right to the end. Guessing, that is, except for one

evil character named Arno Becker, a sadist every bit as lacking in conscience as Javier Bardem’s chilling portrayal of a psychopath in the recent film No Countryfor Old Men.

What makes Kaleidoscope even more intriguing is the way Wimberley has painted his word pictures of the era. He has laboriously researched the local history, the clothing, the landscape, the buildings, the dialogue, the habits, and even the smells of that generation. It’s evident the author has visited the geographical settings of his novel. For example, the book gave me flashbacks to my own familiarity with the 1950s Cincinnati street cars, hills, and peddlers’ pushcarts. (This detailed attention to historical accuracy is a nice touch which I always admired in Louis L’Amour’s novels.) As for his characters’ dialogues, I noted Wimberley avoids the universal Americanism okay,” for as late as the 1920s that slang term had not yet come into common usage. His characters are copasetic. (Look that one up in The Dictionary of American Slang.) Everybody cusses. Everybody sweats. Everybody smokes. (Chesterfield, anyone?)

Kaleidoscope’splot is never boring. In the tradition ofclassic film noir, Wimberley serves up a plentiful diet of cigarettes, gin, passion, and knuckle-sandwiches. And it all climaxes with a few twists-withintwists. Naturally, I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending for you. IS

DarrylWimberley is an accomplished mystery writer with eight novels to his credit, including the critically acclaimed The KingofColored Town andthepopular Barrett Raines mystery series. Thisyear he is a visiting professor at USAFA. Findhim at darryl.wimberley@usafa.edu.

Frederick Malmstrom is a long-time visiting scholar at USAFA. Fie can befoundatfred.malmstrom@usafa.edu.

Wimberley, Darryl (2008). Kaleidoscope. Toby Press: New Milford, CT. 267pages. $24.95

Coming off ofback-to-back Atlantic Hockey Association championships and NCAA Tournament berths, the Air Force hockey team could not have gotten off to a better start in 2008-09.

Air Force opened the season with a pair ofleague games against a strong opponent at a difficult venue. Sacred Heart has finished in the top four of the league each of the last two years and has been especially good at home. However, on opening weekend, Air Force picked up a pair ofvictories, 4-1 and 4-3 in overtime. Senior Josh Frider scored in overtime of the second game to complete the series sweep.

Tbe next weekend, Air Force hosted a familiar foe, Bemidji State. The Beavers, who were conference members with Air Force in the College Hockey America league from 20002006, came to Cadet Ice Arena having won 18 ofthe last 20 meetings between the two teams. However, it was Air Force that swept the series as the Falcons defeated the Beavers 6-2 and 6-0. Falcon sophomore Jacques Lamoureux had six points in the series.

Air Force then went on the road and swept American International College, 5-2 and 3-1, as the Falcons improved to 6-0 on the season. With the sweep, Air Force cracked into the USCHO/CBS College Sports national poll at No. 17. Air Force came back home and swept AHA foe Bentley College, 5-1 and 8-2, to stay perfect at 8-0 on the season. After the wins, Air Force jumped to No. 14 in

both major national polls (USCHO/CBS College Sports and USA Today/ USA Magazine) the highest ranking ever for Air Force in both polls.

The Falcons had a bye week in mid-November and, at the time, were the highest scoring team in the nation, averaging more than five goals per game. Jacques Lamoureux, Josh Frider and Brent Olson made up the highest scoring line in the nation through the first eight games. Lamoureux was leading the nation with 19 points, 11 goals, seven power-play goals and four game-winners. Olson was second in the nation in scoring with 17 points and was leading the nation with 14 assists. Frider was fourth in the nation in points (12) and third in the nation in goals (seven). Lamoureux was named the national player ofthe month and was twice named the AHA Player of the Week in October.

“We have a pretty good team and lady luck is favoring us too,” head coach Frank Serratore said. “If we were in Las Vegas, we would be rolling all sevens. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d be 8-0. I’m happy, but I’m wary as well. I know adversity can come at any time. I am very proud of our guys and of our team. We are just a quarter of the way through the season and I know there is a lot of hockey still to be played.” SI

Editor’s Note: Air Force Hockey is 13-1 as ofDec 1, 2008 USAFA defeated Colorado Collegefor thefirst time in 25years

Mens Basketball

Coming off its fifth consecutive winning season, the Air Force men’s basketball program looks to improve on its 16-14 record from a year ago. Second-year head coach JeffReynolds enters the 2008-09 campaign with three seniors, an impressive incoming class and a year of experience for all of his players.

Someone on this year’s roster will have to replace Tim Anderson, who graduated as one ofAir Force’s best players. Anderson was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season after leading the conference and finishing 22nd in the nation in steals with 2.2 per game. Anderson, who finished his career ranked second on AFA’s career list for games played (124) and steals (175), was also a second-team all-conference selection in 2007-08.

The three seniors on this year’s team are Andrew Henke, Matt Holland and Anwar Johnson. Henke, a 6’-6” guard/ forward, did not start a single game last season, but led the team in rebounding (4.5 rebounds/game) and was second in scoring (11.3 points/game). He posted a career-high 21 points on 6-8 shooting from three-point range against TCU and had AFA’s only double-double last season, notching 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 61-59 victory at Colorado State. Henke was named to two all-tournament teams in 07-08, the Air Force Classic and the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Classic, hosted byWashington State. He enters the 2008-09 campaign ranked No. 3 on the school’s career three-point percentage list at 41.5 percent (100-241) after shooting 42 percent last season, making a team-high 60 ofhis 143 attempts.

A 6’-6” forward, Holland averaged five points and two rebounds per game last season and started all but one of the team’s 30 games. He scored a career-high 11 points twice last year, at home against Prairie View A&M and at Wyoming. He shot a very respectable 45 percent (54-120) from the field and 39 percent (30-77) from three-point range. In addition, he pulled down a career-high five rebounds at Northern Illinois and dished out a personal-best three assists twice, against Washington State and Norfolk State.

Johnson, who plays both the guard and forward positions, started all 30 games in ’07-08 and finished second on the team with 72 assists and third with 25 steals. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Johnson, who scored a career-high 19 points against Montana at the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Classic, had career-bests of seven rebounds at TCU and six assists against the Horned Frogs at Clune Arena. Despite shootingjust 60.7 percent from the free-throw line last season, Johnson was a perfect l6-for-l6 from the charity stripe in Air Force’s two victories over MWC rival Colorado State, including a 10-for-10 performance in AFA’s 75-59 win at home.

Air Force, coming off a 16-14 record and fifth-place finish in the Mountain West Conference last season, opened the regular season on Nov. 14 as the Falcons hosted Western State College, followed by a game against Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday, Nov. 16. The Air Force Classic, which gained the name of former Falcon head coach Reggie Minton this year, followed on Nov. 22 and 23. The two-day event featured UCCS, Wofford and Texas Pan-American. The Falcons, who captured the title in last year’s inaugural tournament, played UCCS (Nov. 22) and Wofford (Nov. 23) in this year’s Classic.

The Falcons’ 15 scheduled appearances on national TV are more than any other season. Air Force will appear 10 times on The Mtn., Mountain West Sports Network, four times on CBS College Sports Network and once on VERSUS. The 2009 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships, once again in Las Vegas, Nev., runs from March 11-14.

Football

ir Force concluded the regular season with an 8-4 overall mark and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-3 mark. Air Force will be going to a post-season bowl game for the second straight season. The team played in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl last year. This season marks the first back-to-back seasons with bowl appearances since 1997-98. The Falcons played in the Las Vegas

Bowl in 1997 and the O’ahu Bowl the following year. Head coach Troy Calhoun is just the second coach in school history to take the Falcons to bowl games in each of his first two seasons. Fisher DeBerry is the other, as he led Air Force to the Independence Bowl in 1984 andthe Bluebonnet Bowl in 1985. H

MEN’S GYM NASTICS

With a placement at No. 13, the Air Force men’s gymnastics team collected their best ranking ever in the Gymlnfo Men’s PreSeason Coaches Poll. Not only is it the Falcons best preseason ranking ever, it is the first time since the 2004 season that they have received a mention in the annual October poll.

Air Force was last ranked in the Gymlnfo Preseason Coaches’ Poll prior to the 2004 season, when it was ranked 15th. That placement, which had been the best until this year, also happened in 2001 and 2003. The Falcons have also entered a season ranked 17th (2002) and 19th (1998, 1999).

The Falcons are led by fourth-year head coach Kip Simons and will feature an impressive rotation of veteran gymnasts, as well as a talented class of newcomers.

“It’s awesome to know that people out there believe in our program,” Simons said. “Taking a team to the NCAAs would be a dream come true for us. It is a great honor to be recognized like this, now it’s up to us to make it happen.”

Senior co-captains Josiah Loeser and Jake Schonig will guide a young squad that features just four juniors and seniors, compared to 14 freshmen and sophomores. Schonig, the Academy’s Cadet Wing Com-

mander during the 2008 fall season, is the defending USAG still rings champion. In addition, Air Force junior Brennan Wolford has claimed three USAG AllAmerica honors during his first two seasons.

Despite the youth, the Falcons have a tremendous amount of talent in their rotation. Five sophomores saw significant action last year, while the freshman class brings some stellar credentials to the Falcons’ lineup.

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes Stanford and Oklahoma are ranked first and second, respectively, in the preseason poll, while the Big Ten programs of Ohio State, Illinois and Penn State round out the top-five. Stanford received 10 of 14 first-place votes, while Oklahoma earned a pair. Ohio State and Cal (seventh) each tallied a single first-place vote.

Air Force has the highest ranking of all three service academies, leading 15th-ranked Navy and Army, which was not ranked. The Falcons, which will face both programs at the All-Academy Championships in February, will also travel to Navy and play host to Army during the course of the upcoming season.

The Falcons officially open the season on Jan. 10, when they host the annual Rocky Mountain Open at the Academy. 9

Link to www.usafa.org

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AFA Society of North Carolina

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

Arizona Chapter

Jim and Chirl Sienicki, 74, will again host a holiday party at their house on Sat., Dec. 6 from 4:00 8:00 p.m. A flyer and map will be sent out. We hope we have a big turnout and can spread some holiday cheer. The Arizona Chapter 2009 Super Bowl party will be hosted by Tim and Janet Furst, 78, at their home in Phoenix. The party will begin half an hour before kickoff to enjoy all the pre-game hype and to allow folks plenty oftime for pre-game eating and drinking rituals. A flyer and map will be sent out. This annually is a “super” event. Please RSVP directly to Tim at 602.432.4176.

Middle Tennessee Chapter

There will be an All-Academy and ROTC Ball on Dec. 27 at 6pm at the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza on West End in Nashville. This is for graduates from all Academies as well as current cadets, midshipmen and all friends and family ofthe military. This years speaker will be Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Harold B. “Buck” Adams, who in 1974 set a world speed record in the SR-71 Blackbird. Information can be had at www. tennesseemilitaryball.org or by calling Stewart Anderson at 615-498-3537.

New York Metropolitan Area Chapter

The Chapter Web site is up and running at www.nyaog.com. Visit the Web site for all ofthe latest information on chapter events including chapter meetings, and other local social/sporting events.

Northern California AOG

NCAOG celebrates ( Tmstmas early this year on Mount Tamalpais! Our annual Dec. celebration is at the Mountain Home Inn on the weekend of Dec. 6 with hiking, cocktails, and a gourmet meal. Thank you to Ed and Susan Cunningham for coordinating! On Sat., Apr. 18, 2009, join your fellow alumni, families and friends on a bike ride through NapaValley. We will participate in honor of the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, www.thepathwayhome.org. Ihe ride will be fun for all levels since you can sign up for the 50, 25, or 15 mile ride. At the end, there will be a wine tasting, food, live music and an auction. To sign up, visit the Web site: www.cycle4sight.com. Please contact Susan at oisusan@yahoo.com ifyou are not a member ofthe Northern California AOG and would like to be included in updates.

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Keep abreast ofAirForce and USAFA topics

Piedmont Chapter

Trip Ashe, ’86, met Carroll Huneycutt, 70, in Singapore where he and his wife now live. Trip was attending the Asian Patent Attorney Conference (APAA) in Singapore. Carroll is based in Singapore, and responsible for China, India, Australia, Japan, and Korea flight instructor operations. Carroll summarizes, “We have about 25 flight simulators, and over one hundred instructors, providing flight training for Boeing Airline Customers in the APAC region. One major

project currently is the deployment ofthe B-787 Dreamliner training as the new aircraft is rolled out next year.”

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Provide GraduatesNetworking Opportunities

Arizona Chapter

We are looking for input from our members regarding any other events or activities that the Arizona Chapter should sponsor. Ifyou have any winning ideas, please send an e-mail to Jim Sienicki, 74, at the e-mail address below. We need a volunteer to recruit newer graduates to get involved with our Arizona Chapter and to be the Chapters liaison with Luke AEB and the graduates stationed there. Ifyou are interested, please contact Jim at jsienicki@swlaw.com. Ifyou have recently moved to Arizona or have not received our mailings, please also contact Jim, (602) 382-6351, jsienicki@swlaw.com at Snell & Wilmer to be added to the mailing list.

Southern Arizona Chapter

The Southern Arizona Chapter held its first

meeting on Aug. 23. Bylaws were adopted and officers elected. There are currently 40 members.

GOA1 *5 XJ.xJr%L.

Interact with other ServiceAcademy Graduates

Aloha Chapter

We hosted several football socials including USAFA and USNA grads with families at the sadloss to Navy. A special thanks to our extremely proactive and helpful board this year: Brig. Gen. Sam Angelella, ’81, Vice Pres; Maj. Joe Torres, ’94, Secretary; Mr. MikeWalsh, ’76, Treasurer; Mr. Mike Fricano, ’76, Advisor

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Support theNeedsand Objectivesofthe Academy Aloha Chapter

We have had a fantastic year. We have hosted cadets on leave from the Academy with their families during the holidays. Our biggest success ofall was a forum for each of the three periods of OPS AIR FORCE that included Senior Leaders from all over Hawaii, including General Officers from PACAF and PACOM headquarters. Some VERY senior officers also took time out of their busy schedules to share with visiting cadets their thoughts on the future careers ofgraduates in this rapidly changing environment.

Southern Arizona Chapter

Six graduates including three chapter members attended a football party at the invitation ofthe USNAAlumni on Oct. 4.

The Chapter and all local graduates have also been invited by the West Point Society to attend a football party on Nov. 1.

Heartland-Lemay Chapter

The chapter enjoyed a gathering to watch Air ForceBeat Army!

AcademyWomen

The AcademyWomen Career Workshop and 5th Annii,:ii ,.LcAC.lership Symposium: Stories of Our Sisters, were held October 17-19, 2008 in Arlington, VA at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Over 30 distinguished speakers and 200 participants from the military, public and private sectors were in attendance from around the globe. The theme, Stories ofOur Sisters, honored the role of women in the military and in building our nation throughout the course of history. We were privileged to be joined by women from all branches of the military with service eras ranging from WWIl to the present. This convergence of wisdom and experience reminded us, yet again, that we are forever bound by our common histories. Visit our Web site, www.academywomen. org for more details and to sign up for a free membership.

Silver Falcons

For the first time in many years, the 2008 Silver Falcon was cancelled due to injuries and ill health. Robert and Hilda Dodge cancelled due to Bob injuring his knees. Stan Keck and Delene could not be attending due to Delene beinghospitalized with irregular heart beat and a mild heart attack, but is doing well. Chuck Foster developed a foot problem, preventing Carol and himselffrom attending. That just left Gordon and Gaye Palmer, Ruth Whitaker, Kirk and Jill for the convention. With so few folks able to attend,the convention was cancelled. Other potential attendees already had plans; Bob Canfield had Parents Weekend at Champlain College, and Ozzie Purdy was convalescing from radiation treatments, and is doing well. Gordon Palmer passed on the following information on his and Gaye’s Danube River cruise. We left LAX for Vienna, Austria for a leisurely 21 day cruise down the Danube River to the Black Sea. However it was not to be. After 3 days touringVienna, the River cruise, the Captain told us one ofthe huge locks on the Danube was broken and it would take a week to repair. That of course prevented river traffic up and down. Our travel agent elected to bus us to Budapest, Hungary and fly us home, and try for a future trip. With the locks repaired after 10 days, we subsequently left on a repeat trip in Sept., successfully!

John Riffle was the recipient of an Honorary Alumni Award from the University ofMissouri-Columbia College ofAgriculture, Food & National Resources during the 2008 Celebration ofExcellence in Columbia, MO. The honorary alumni award is presented to people who are not former students or graduates ofUMC but have taken an exemplary interest in the university’s College ofAgriculture and deserve recognition. John was also reappointed as a member ofthe Missouri Land Reclamation Commission. Any time you have news to share, please e-mail Kirk Brown at ltckirkbrown@juno.com. Hope everybody had a HappyThanksgiving and Happy Holidays to all.

Space CSroup

South Florida Chapter

The October meeting was held jointly with the Ft. Lauderdale Chapter Navy Alumni.

The Navy contingent consisted ofabout 10 very happy Navy winners. Our USNA contact is Scott Slater, Col. USMC (Ret.), '80, President Fort Lauderdale Chapter Naval AcademyAlumni.

Graduates interested in learning more about the Space Group can check out the web site usafaspace.tripod.com or contact Stan Rosen, '69, at 310-6424653. ZoomieNation has expanded as a communication forum for the Space Group. Anyone interested in learning more about our activities should check that site or our Web site usafaspace.tripod.com. SSI

A- 2012 T-Shirt

Displays the names of the incoming 2012 class. Limited quantity of previous years available, see Web site. S-XL $15.00 XXL-$17.00

B- 2012 Tote bag

Displays the names of the in 2012 class. Limited qu years available,

C- Air Force Hat

Adjustable cloth strap with metal clasp $13.00

D- USAFA Stadium Lap Blanket

Choose from Royal Blue, Pink, Dark Blue or Gray. $24.00

E-Walnut Plaque

Laser engraved plaque displays the USAFA Terrazzo. Available with or without metal engraving plate. $102.00

F- Spirit & Flight

Coffee table book with pictures from around the Academy. $ 8.50

G-License Plate Frame

Choose from Alumni, Falcons or Parents. $8.50

H- 2007 Ornament

Silver prop & wing design atop 24kt gold plated background. $17.00

I- 2008 Ornament

Diamond shaped gold frame with dangling silver colored medallion displaying the Academy Crest. $22.50

J- Laser Engraved Pen Set

Personalize this gift. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. $29.75

K- Prop & Wing Necklace $10.00

A- Ladies' Pullover Hoodie **New Item.**

This stylish Pullover Hoodie warms you all year round. Cotton/Polyester. Machine wash. Pink. Sizes S-XXL $38.25

B- Chill-Out Zip Up Sweater **New Item

D- Ladies' Golf Po\o**New Item**

Blue AF embroidered logo on ladies' style polo shirt. This E-Dry Function Wear Series moves moisture away from the body to the outer fabric surface for quick

Fashionable and comfortable cardigan style sweatshirt. Ribbed knit collar, sleeve, waist, & pockets. Cotton/Polyester. Vanilla or Antique Pink. Sizes S-XL $40.75 evaporation, allowing you to stay cool, dry, and comfortable. Polyester. Lime Sherbet or White. Sizes XS-XXL $28.00

C- Long Sleeve Collar Shirt **New Item**

Classic designed pinstripe button down shirt. Front and back darts for a feminine silhouette. Cotton/Polyester. Wrinkle resistant. Powder BlueA/Vhite or Powder Pink/White. Sizes S-XXL $28.00

E- Ladies' AF Polo **New Item**

Superior quality polo style shirt. Two button placket.100% ring spun combed cotton. Official AF logo embroidered on left chest. White or Pink. Sizes S-XXL $21.25

academy

A- Men's AF Polo **New Item** Superior quality. Three button placket.100% ring spun combed cotton. Official AF embroidered logo. White or Royal Blue. Sizes S-XXL $21.25

B- Men's Golf Polo **NewItem**

AF embroidered logo. E-Dry Function Wear Series. Polyester. Ceramic Blue or Sand. Sizes S-XXL $28.00

C- Long Sleeve Collar Shirt **New Item** Button-down collar. Left chest pocket. Back yoke with Pleats. Cotton/Polyester. Powder BlueA/Vhite. Sizes S-XXL $28.00

D- Hooded Nylon Jacket **New Item** 'Weatherproof' performance jacket. Embroidered "Air Force Academy" on the left chest and "Air Force" on middle back. Drawstring hood, 3 zip pockets. Nylon shell. Body lining. Polyester/Cotton.

Sizes S-XL $60.50 XXL 8c XXXL $64.00

E- Pullover Hoodie Sweatshirt Also available as a Hooded Zip Sweatshirt. MV Sport. Cotton/Polyester. Blue or Gray. Sizes S-XXL $38.25

Youth Pullover Hoodie

F- Cotton/Polyester. "Air Force" applique across chest & "Academy" embroidered beneath. Choose from pink, dark blue or gra Youth Sizes S-XL $29.75

DavidD.Anderson, ’59

David Dean Anderson died unexpectedly on May 19, 2008 at the age of 71 in Provo, Utah. Dave suffered a cardiac arrest after biking to and working out at a local gym. Dave had a cheerful disposition in the face of great difficulties and chronic pain. One of his greatest legacies was the example of living life to the fullest. After surviving corneal transplants, quadruple bypass surgery, three back surgeries, two hip replacements, a near fatal E-Coli infection, and prostate cancer, Dave paraglided from the Point of the Mountain for his 70th birthday. Since age 70, he has summited Mount Timpanogas (11,749 feet), snow-shoed through the Wasatch Mountains, flown an ultra-light over the family farm in St. Johns, Mich., hiked with his two younger brothers through Zions and Bryce National Parks, and ridden a toboggan towed behind his son’s pickup truck in Sedalia, Colo.

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Dave was born May 6, 1937 to Dale and Caroline Anderson in St. Johns, Mich., the oldest of five children. He graduated from St. Johns High School, was in the first graduating class (1959) of the United States Air Force Academy, received a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Boston University, was a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 22 years of distinguished service. During those years, he served in Vietnam flying 223 combat missions in the Ranch Hand Special Operations Squadron. Dave was serving as the commander of the Air Force’s largest intelligence wing when he retired. Following his retirement, Dave was a program manager for Fockheed Missiles and Space Company, and was later a real estate broker in Colorado for 25 years. Dave was president of the Denver Falcon Quarterback Club and a die-hard Air Force fan.

He was a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Fatter-Day Saints, and served faithfully in many callings including as a bishop (four times), high councilor, and Gospel Doctrine instructor. Dave and his family were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. He and his wife of nearly 49 years, Robin Tracy, served an 18-month proselyting mission for the Church in the Houston, Texas mission from 20052006, after which they moved to Provo, Utah. After the move, Dave had season tickets to bothAir Force and BYU football games and quickly became a BYU fan (but never at the expense of his beloved Air Force).

He is survived by his wife, Robin, and their nine children: daughters Cynthia Madsen (Barnard), Carrie Athay (William), Dana Simonelli (Gabriel), and Lorelle Hauger (Brent); sons Gregory (Gerry), Peter (Stephanie), Dale (Mardie), Bruce, and Gabriel (Brooke); 12 grandsons, nine granddaughters, and a great-granddaughter.

Above all, Dave loved his family. (Dale Anderson, Dave’s son; and Barnard Madsen, Dave’s son-in-law)

StuartV.Fenske, ’63

Stuart Vonne Fenske (Class of 1963): Competition and Intensity. In two words, that’s Vonne (later Stu) Fenske. As a cadet, an officer, a businessman, a husband and father, those personal qualities, those passions, ruled the man and all those about him. He was best man at my wedding and I write this testimony as a former roommate with the help and remembrances of Roger Graham and Grant Bornzin and

other classmates who cared deeply about him notwithstanding the passages of time and distance.

So vignettes to tell the tale of a man’s life a man with those driving force passions that would shape a lifetime. Proud ofWisconsin roots, this bigger than life guy loved football and all sports for that matter. He was a ferocious left guard and line backer with a never-quit attitude and a recognized leader on and off the field. Jazz Lover: A Ramsey Lewis night at the Band Box on Colfax and he had a chatty date who violated ‘the rules’ and talked during the music till the break when Vonne called a cab and came back single ship to enjoy the evening. A great and lifetime love of snow skiing would be determinant in life style and location choices though we all learned on wooden boards over Christmas in 1959 when spectacular crashes were recorded at Loveland and Winter Park. As a first classman, he had a water ski boat and the chill ofMonument Lake was offset by a campfire on the shore and Grants Scotch (a brand not a squadron mate).

After graduation, Webb AFB and pilot training followed in short order by a strenuous combat tour in AC-47s in Southeast Asia. Routinely ‘shot up,’ his crew used Ubon, Thailand as their fix-up and R & R base. It took good courage to go out mission after mission in the AC and do gunship work at altitudes and in places where it was certain that heavy combat damage would result.

At Ubon, we renewed ties and from there he poured a bottle of whiskey out over the Ho Chi Minh trail in memoriam (almost) for his old roommate. After the Vietnam war, with his career in transports (flying the line and high level staff) well established and serving at Scott AFB Ill., he and Sue and the kids Tanya and Todd welcomed me and others home.

Retiring as a Lt. Colonel, Stu began an extended career in business with Rockwell and then Northrop-Grumman. He was instrumental in creating/improving operational capabilities of the B1 and B2 until again hanging up his ‘g suit’ for the go fast slopes ofWyoming where he spent most of his latter years. A yearly ski trip was always a big hit with the entire family.

Stu passed away of natural causes in Kentucky in August of this year. His cup was turned at our 45th class reunion in October with family members in attendance at the Chapel. In accordance with his desires, the annual family ski trip will begin at the Air Force Academy with a Memorial Service and Interment on Dec. 29,2008 at 1000 hours.

Contributions are suggested to the Vietnam Veterans ofAmerica, 8605 Cameron St., Suite 400, Silver Spring, Md. 20910

Stu: We’ll miss your quick smile and energy and meaningful contributions of a lifetime. With the sure knowledge that, despite the punishment and rewards that life brings to us all, your aggressiveness and zest for life will continue to bear witness to friends, family and future generations of cadets. Thanks roommate. (John Borling, 1963)

DonaldL. Gordon, ’63

Donald Lee Gordon, 68, passed away on Aug. 24, 2008. Donald had a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1963. He was a Top Gun Pilot and instructor and flew the F-4 aircraft in the Vietnam War. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after 31 years.

After retirement Donald was a math professor for 15 years, eight of those as head of the math department at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla. Donald was also an avid sailor and enjoyed traveling. He leaves his wife, Gail; his children Scott Gordon, Denise Ymiolek and Eric Gordon; sister Darla Selden, brother Kenneth Gordon, and six grandchildren. His wife, Gail, sent in the following: I met Donald Gordon on Sept. 23, 2000, one Sunday afternoon at the beach. I had recently lost my husband after a long illness. I was grieving, but more than that, I was terrifiedabout my financial situation. I hadthe day offfrom work and I walked to thebeach for a swim. There was some goofy teenager in a smallsailboat wildly tacking in my swim area. I wondered if this kid was going to run me over.

I decided to be the adult and get out ofthe way and go for a walk. Sometime later I returned to my beach towel and put down the shells I had collected. And there was this kid asking me, “Did you find anything worth keeping?” I looked up and realized that this was no kid... the teenager on the sailboat was a man! I mumbled my name and collected my stuff and left. Several weeks later I received a very perfectlywritten and amazingly innocent note with an invitation to try out the small sailboat for myself. Well, it took several months and a lot ofcoaxing, but I finally went on that cruise one that would last eight exquisite years.

In May of 2005 Don finally retired. It was time to devote ourselves to our favorite things... travel and sailing. After a trip to SouthAmerica, Don had a checkup which included a colonoscopy. We both sat in disbelief as the voices said... tumor... cancer... surgery... chemo. He got through a difficult surgery.

We lived like there was no tomorrow. We toured China, Egypt, Jordon, Thailand, Central America, Cambodia, Tibet and the Galapagos Islands. We and five of our dear friends sailed the British Virgin Islands several times. But this was not to be easy.

In January of 2008, after a remission, Don was told that the cancer had returned and it had spread into his liver and lungs. He refused to take “no hope” as a prognosis. He fought so hard. But this time the chemo was devastating. He was going to die from the treatments if he continued. So in June he stopped all treatment and we took one last journey. He captained a 51-foot sailing vessel along with our five sail buddies and we toured St. Lucia and The Grenadines. This was an aggressive trip by any standard. And by the grace of God, we did it.

Don’s remains were escorted by a flotilla of his friends and family on Oct. 26, our one-year wedding anniversary. His ashes were dispersed into the waters he so loved to sail, while a ’60s one-hit-wonder played in the background... “Spirit In The Sky.” These were his wishes. (Gail Gordon, Don’s wife)

RobertB. Macfarlane, ’63

Robert Bruce Macfarlane, 68, of Pittsboro, N.C. died Aug. 4, 2008. He was born in Richmond, Va. in 1940, the second child of Robert Bruce Macfarlane and Rebecca Williams Fitzhugh Macfarlane.

Robert graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond and attended Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia from 1958 to 1959. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, receiving his diploma from President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

His Air Force assignments included two years as intelligence briefer and special security officer for the Commanding General at Udorn, Thailand, followed by one year as intelligence briefer to the Commanding General at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. After leaving the Air Force in 1969, he worked in Vietnam as Operations Manager for Air America until 1971.

Robert then returned to the U.S. and obtained his JD degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1973. Most ofhis legal career was spent with the U.S. Army, where he concentrated on acquisition law. His legal work was formally recognized on several occasions, including in 1996 by the Secretary of the Army and the President.

After retirement he learned the electrical trade, becoming a master electrician and electrical contractor in Virginia and North Carolina.

Robert is survived by his wife, Dorothy Kushlis Macfarlane, MD; his son Andrew Macfarlane and wife, Yertty, of Vienna, Va.; his daughter Anne Macfarlane, and his sister Mary Parke Dillard and husband, Alexander F. Dillare, Jr., of Tappahannock, Va. (Dorothy Macfarlane, his wife)

KevinJ. McManus, ’64

Google search Kevin McManus and you’ll find a photographer, a trombone player and teacher, a poor vocalist, and even a Star Wars movie model maker. Our Kevin Joseph McManus was unique. From the 1964 Polaris, “Macblew into Colorado on a big wind from THE city, swearing by New York as the beginning, endand most of the middle of everything. He knows more ways to get out of class, how to get on more trips (pure boondoggles no work), sleep through more formations and yet make people think he’s doing a better job than a dozen others combined.” He was a Wing Weenie with grades good enough to keep him on the Superintendent’s list.

Flying the F-4C, Kevin joined several ’64 grads in the UK before volunteering for Vietnam. Kevin and I were soon joined as a crew; he to keep this new Aircraft Commander alive and out of trouble. We flew over 110 combat sorties together including 79.5 over North Vietnam. Oh yes, somewhere in there was an R&R to Hawaii to marry his high school sweetheart. ’Twas a Shamrock marriage wee Leprechauns made in Heaven...a McCahill and a McManus tying the knot on St Patrick’s Day. Well, they jumped the gun and married a couple of days early so he could get back to DaNang and Mary Jane home to Long Island. The reception would be held when Kevin finished his tour.

Few can identify a specific person to whom they literally owe their life. I am one. On 14 June 1967, flakhit the airplane 30 miles from Hanoi

and caught fire. I was trying to wrestle the Phantom to the GulfofTonkin, when this wonderful gentleman six feet behind me made a startlingly simple observation. “Ed, I don’t think we’re going to make it.’’ He said it twice. I replied, “Bail Out, Kevin, Bail Out.” I always told him if he heard the second “BailOut” he would be second out. He paused to say, “Sayonara Ed” and we ejected from the orange fireball together.

The next nearly six years have little to commend them, but Kevin truly served with distinction and honor“under difficult circumstances.” He was a French teacher, a New York geography coach and, when he made playing cards, a bridgeplayer extraordinaire.

You learn a lot spending four years, 24 hours a day with one person in a 9x9 cell. I can’t begin to tell all the funny and sad tales, but Kevin lived the USAF Core Values, (Integrity First, Service before Self, Excellence in All We Do) long before they were codified. He never waivered from the Code of Conduct and never shirked doing what was asked of him in the threat of torture. He always had a confidence that said, “This is temporary, I’ll survive.” He also knewthis world was temporary and real life is in Heaven.

He was a success in his marriage and family life as well. He and Mary Jane raised seven wonderful children, though somehow falling short of the 16 they intended. Kevin knew success as a military officer and senior business executive as well.

Pictures of Kevin Joseph Patrick McManus invariably show a cheery, confident, happy man. When I last visited with him a few weeks before his passing, he was smiling, though the morphinedrip did little to ease the constant pain. The epitome of a people person, he always asked about others and tried to be helpful in so many ways. He was an accomplished gardener and carpenter. He was a man into life, but not into himself. This Kevin McManus longer in our world, remains in our hearts and lives every day. As we tapped in the POW camps, 2-2, 3-3,2-2, 1-2, 4-5. Good Night Kevin, God Bless You. (Ed Mechenbier, ’64)

JamesD. DaviesII, f67

Major James Donald Davies II, United States Air Force (Retired), passed away July 2, 2008, at his home. Memorial services were held on July 7 at First United Methodist Church of Azle, Texas; with his committal service Aug. 15 at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Major Davies was born in Glendale, Calif., graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and entered the Air Force where he served as a fighter pilot, including service in Vietnam. Jim not only earned the loyalty and respect of his fellow pilots but he taught them many things through his invaluable “golden hand” flying skills learned during his mastery of various aircraft, including F-100s, F-4s, and his best love, the F-16.

During this time, he was awarded numerous decorations, medals, citations and campaign ribbons, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart earned in the service of his country during the Vietnam War. He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters, the AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device, the Combat

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

www.usafa.org.

Readiness Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal. He retired at the rank of Major from the Air Force in 1988 with over 20 years of continuous service.

His love of flying and military service paved the way for a second career with Delta Airlines as a commercial pilot. Captain Davies flew for Delta Airlines until his retirement in September 2005.

Jim, a resident of Azle, Texas for 25 years, was inspired by Lance Armstrong and embraced the"Live Strong" philosophy. He shared his love of cycling with his pastor and many of his friends. He enjoyed classical music, classic rock and was an avid readerand collector of first-edition books. From his childhood, he was a fan of Hopalong Cassidy and collected memorabilia.

He was a member of United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates Class of 1967, and was a member of First UnitedMethodist Church of Azle.

Survivors include his wife, E. Carol Davies; daughters Marisa Dyan Davies of Atlanta, Ga., and Caron Renee Davies of Ft. Worth, Texas; and his father, James Davies of LaCrescenta, Calif. (Caron Davies, Jim’s daughter)

John M. Lambert, '<68

John M. Lambert, proud graduate of the Class of ’68, passed away on April 29, 2008 and was laid to rest in Georgia War Veteran’s Cemetery in Milledgeville, Ga.

After graduation from Lunenburg, Mass. High School in 1964, he was honored with a nomination to the Air Force Academy which he accepted with pride. His dream of becoming a pilot was not to be, as the dreaded spectacles took precedence. Undaunted, he attended Navigator Training and flew C-130s at Clark, Mather, Westover, Niagara Falls, Homestead and Robins Air Force Bases.

In 1976, he received his MBA from Western New England College where he was Bursar for three years before returning to the Air Force as a full time Reservist, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. In 1992, he began his Civil Service career as Command Air Space Manager until his retirement on Dec. 6, 2006.

Throughout his life, John shared his love of music and his very low bass voice, firstwith his classmates in Lunenburg, then with the Cadet Chorale (remember Carol Channing?) and Catholic Choir, and finally with every church he was a member of along the way. He had a way of doingthings with intensity, from his music to his “beloved blasted” TR7s to golf and to woodworking. His garage was his workshop, where many beautiful items were lovingly crafted.

Survivors are his wife of almost 40 years, Marty; his daughter Jennifer, his son Ethan, granddaughter Alana, mother Claire, and brother Dave. John also has two more beautiful granddaughters born shortly after his death, Mackenzie and Hailey. And I really can’t leave out Biscotti the Basset Hound, who felt his loss as much as any human.

The mixed quartet at Trinity UMC, with whom he sang for many years, offered this unusual but very appropriate musical tribute to his life at the funeral.

“SOME BRIGHT MORNING WHEN THIS LIFE IS OVER I’LL FLYAWAY

TO THAT HOME ON GOD’S CELESTIAL SHORE

I’LL FLYAWAY”

(MartyLambert, his wife)

Stephen W. Thomson, ‘68

Stephen W. Thomson, attorney at law, passed away on Nov. 10, 2006 at the age of 60 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. A loving father and husband, he is survived by his children Matt, Jeff, and Claire, and his wife, Diane. Known for his honor and integrity, Steve practiced law in Edwardsville, Ill. for 30 years and served in the Air Force from 1964 - 1968. He is deeply missed. A private family memorial will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). (His family)

GregoryP. Giletti, ’86

On Sept. 13, 2008, Lt. Col. Greg Giletti lost his three-year battle with cancer. These last years were difficult, but through this struggle Greg showed us true strength and perseverance. He also taught us how to cherish those around us without regret. Greg never gave up because as he would say, “all we can do is play the hand that we are dealt”.. .and he played his hand very well!

Most people would consider their life full if they could count two or three REAL friends during their lifetime. Though Greg’s time here ended too soon, he touched so many people, so deeply, that an incredible number of us consider him a “great friend.”

Why? Certainly his loyalty is a big reason. Was there ever a time when “G” didn’t find a way to help change the oil in a friend’s car or refinish a piece of furniture or offer great advice, but only when asked? His payment, of course, was only a Budweiserand a chance to hang out with family and friends. Greg was Greg Giletti caring and considerate, interested and dependable, fun and always, always entertaining. What more could any of us ask for in a REAL friend?

In addition to his intense love of family (in particular his wife, Susan, and children Joe, Andrew, Grace and Jack) and friends, Greg also loved the sea. From the Jersey shore as a boy, to the California coast with his brother, and to his final days in Hawaii, Greg found peace in the sea. At the core he was a “surfer dude” who used the water to, in his own words, “recharge my batteries.” Surfing helped ground him and fueled the youthful energy and enthusiasm that defined him.

Unlike the typical “surfer dude,” Greg was intenselydemanding of himself in everything he did. He was a perfectionist with a thirst for knowledge and serious about his role as a father, husband, brother and son. Colonel Giletti was a gifted anddecorated officer; gaining recognition for extraordinary performance with every Air Force assignment, including Company Grade Officer of the Year at Hanscom AFB, Outstanding Air Force Academy Educator, Distinguished Graduate at Air Command & Staff College, “Excellent” ratings while Chief of the United Nations Training Unit and as Comptroller Squadron Commander at Langley and Elmendorf AFBs. He was also twice selected Finance Officer of the Year at US-PACOM, and recently the Air Force Academy’s Political Science Department named their annual “Outstanding Contributor” award in hishonor.

The awesome thing about G is that he never had the same expectations of others that he demanded of himself he just embraced others for what they brought to the table. His inner strength was astounding and this influenced many of us to emulate him and strive to do our very best...of course he was always there to support us when we fell short. I certainly had more fun over the years with the “surfer

dude,” but it was when my friend turned serious that he would end up providing great advice about my family, career or whatever really mattered to me.

I miss Greg terribly, but am fortunate to have had a small part in his life and blessed that he was here to play a huge role in mine. I’ve learned that when people like Greg enter your life, you need to grab hold and savor every moment...life is too short not to. Now that he has left us, we must always remember that our lives are richer because of him andthe way he lived his life. His was a lifewell lived! (Tim Lynch, ’87, one ofmanyfriends)

ThomasA. Bouley, ’88

Lieutenant Colonel Tom “Moses” Bouley, 42, died in an F-15D aircraftaccident during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev. on July 30, 2008. At the time of his death, he was the Commander of the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis. Tom will forever be remembered for his dedication to family and friends, his enduring work ethic, and his great sense of humor.

Tom is survived by his wife of 16 years, Toni, and their two sons: Thomas Jr., 14; and Bailey, 12. He was preceded in death by his father, CMSgtWifrid A. Bouley, USAF (Ret); and is also survived by his mother, Minori “Terry” (Naraki) of Portland, Ore.; three brothers and their wives, Joe and Sara of North Salt Lake, Utah; Ed and Lisa of Mansfield, Texas; Charlie and Denise of Parker, Colo.; and two sisters and their husbands, Tom Bouley Jeanne and Larry Phenow of Maple Grove, Minn.; and Barb and Jeff Nichols of Portland, Ore.

Tom was born on Oct. 17,1965 atChateaurouxAB, France, the youngest and largest of six children. He was a 1984 graduate of Eldorado High School in Las Vegas and a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

He was a command pilot with over 4,200 flying hours in the T-38, F15C/D, and F3 Tornado, including 265 combathours in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Southern Watch, and Northern Watch. His assignments included UPT/FAIP, Laughlin AFB, Texas; F-15 RTU, Tyndall AFB, Fla.; 19FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; 12FS & 180SS, Kadena AB, Japan; 43FS, RAF Leuchars,Scotland; 493FS & 480G, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; and Nellis AFB, Nev. (Continued on lastpage.)

At press time we had learned of the deaths of the following graduates:

Lt. Col. (Ret) Wendell M. Adams, Class of 1962, who died on Sept 26, 2008 in Springdale, Ark.

Mr. Daniel G. Robinson, Class of 1967, who died on Sept. 19, 2008 in Middleton, Idaho.

Mr. John P. Kostiuk, Class of 1968, who died on May 10, 2008 in Pitman, N.J.

Mr. Charles E. Smith III, Class of 1973, who died on March 16, 2006 in Leesburg, Va.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Charles W. Nystrom, Class of 1975, who died on Aug. 14, 2008 in Tucson, Ariz.

Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, Class of 1998, who died on Sept. 20, 2008 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of these graduates.

Class

This“HolidayColumn” contains a bitofold news, not becausethecorrespondents were inanywaycareless or tardy, butbecauseDickCarr’s excellenttravelogue lastquarterclaimed all available space. Here’sthe “make-up.”

First, a news release, courtesyofJoAnne Murphy-Grafflin:

“Eightyrevelers—familymembers, friends andclassmates —gathered at the Marietta Conference Centerand Resortin Marietta, GAontheweekendofFebruary23rdand24thto help President-for-Life Joe DeSantis celebratehis 70thbirthday.

“Joe (the Class of'59's secondyoungest) andJowelcomed thegenerations ofDeSantises ledbyhis mother, who flewin from NewJersey, his sisters, his children andgrandchildren, AirForce andbusi-nesscolleagues andfriendsfromall stages ofhis life. Don and Rowena Livingston, Doug and Jo Anne Grafflin andJackHundemerjoined thefestivities, whichbeganwith a reception and dinner at the gracious ante-bellum mansion, BrumbyHall and Gardens, site ofthe old GeorgiaMilitaryInsti-tute. The evening continued at the Conference Center Pub, where said birthdayboyshowed theyoung folks a thing or two on the dance floor, doingtheElectric Slide and theTwist! Not bad for a guywho went through the Nosebleed from Hell over the Holidays. The partyconcludedwith SundayBrunch and warmest wishes to Joe, as well as memories ofa veryspecial occasion.

Scribe’s note: Nowthat all three ofthe 1938 babies” (Todd, DeSantis and Zaleski) have attained thebiblicalthree score and ten, the entire Class of 1959 has officiallyand entirely entered Geezerdom. Sip thee an Ovaltine and raise highthycane!

BackinMay, BobLowereported, “Ijustreturnedfrom an eight-daywhitewater raftingtrip downtheColoradoRiverthroughtheGrandCanyonwithmyyoung

est grandson. I suspectthatmanyofour classmateshave made this trip at one time or another. What made this trip somewhatunique is that there were two other gradsmaking the trip: Curt Osterheld, Class of’75, and his wife, Lisa Linden-Osterheld, Class of’83. It was aboutthethird dayofthetrip before we realized we were all grads. Duringthe trip, we enjoyedcomparing notes and mygrandsonbecamefriendswith theirteenagedaughterandpre-teen son.

Bob apologized for not including a picture with his account. He described a curious (andincreasinglyfrequent) camera malfunction that creates the illusionthatthe subjecthas stuck a beach ballunderhis shirtjustbefore the picture was taken. Research is underwayin Switzerland,Japan andthe US to de-termine the cause ofthis anomaly.

BackinJune, JackHowellprovidedthis summaryofhis most recent adventure: “In February, one ofour IEEE members called and said, ‘Guesswhat is happening the Saturdaybefore our conference in Beijing? There's a marathon, a 10k, and a 5k at the GreatWall!What do you think?’

“I investigated and askedmyrunningpartner, who said, ‘Wow, go forit;just do it!’ So I signed up for the ‘required’four-day tour package and added the Stairmaster to myworkouts.

“The event was on 17 Mayand I did betterthan I expected. Mytime forthe 5Kwas 1:09:35 (a normal 5Kfor me is 24-25 minutes) and it was rough and (almost) tumble every‘step’ oftheway. Turns out that 1:09 was goodenough to place 8th overall in the 5Kmen's division andfirstoverallin myage bracket and a new course record for age-advantaged 5Ktypes.Actually, I am now the course re-cord holderforthe GreatWall 5Kfor runners over 60. (Thisyear, there were 1600+ runners total from 48 countries. In the 5Kthere were about 28 men and 81 women.)

“Factors in my doing better were several: Most ofthe good runners were doingthe longerraces; weatherwas ideal, overcast and no rain; andthe marathon,half-marathon and 10kstarted an hourbe-forethe 5Krace. Therefore, the faster runners were beyondthepart oftheir race thatwas on thewall and the slower oneswere on thewallwhenwe gotto theno-passingzones. Thiskeptthe overallpacewithinmyrange. (Thatsaid, afterrunningup and down some 3000 steps,waitingin the queue at thetop ofeach climb was a blessing!)

JackHowellgratefullywaitingin the queue.

“This was the hardestphysicallyI have ever run (climbedactually); I was walkingfunnyfor3-4 days. The onlywayto pass duringthe race was to work as hard as you could on thewider stair climbingparts. In sum: BigFrog the fastesttime ever forage 60 and olderinthe5k on the GreatWall isheldbya ’59er

Smallpond: The 5Khasonlybeen run since 2004. From2004-2008, only27 people age 60 and over finished the 5K. Most ofthose over 60who make the trip run thelonger races. Thisyearalone, ofthetotal 1,604 mnners, there were 26people over 60 thatfinishedthehalf-marathonand sixthatfinishedthe full. As I told our daughter, ‘Not manypeople my age are running this race,’ to which she replied, ‘Duh,Ya think? I wonderwhy!’"

Finally, in September BillTelford reported, “Asmallreunion was held at the Jefferson's beautifulhome inWintergreen,VA. Following our normal custom at suchevents, the men playedgolfon the firstdayandthe ladieshad a delightful lunch at a local restaurant. The golfmatch was kind ofunique, in that we startedoffwith a ‘fivesome’ playingbestball, until a membercouplebehind us complained and we split up. Ohwell, it was fun nonetheless.

“Thatnight, ItoldWaynethatbetweentheinfamous‘formationtee-off’ (choreographedbyHank Canterburyon thelast reunion atWayne’sclub) and this incident,theymightjustcancelhis mem-bership. It always seems that, wherever the ’59ers gettogether, there's some commotion.

“Thatfirstnight, we alltraveled to a localwinery (Veritas) for a ‘Nightunder theStars.’We ate and drankandlistened to a greatband on theveranda ofthe winery. Lots offun. The rest ofthe staywas spent catching up on news ofthe gangandtalkaboutthe 50th reunion.

Attendees at the “WintergreenFollies":Ann andLou Kingsland, Linda and HTJohnson, BonnieandWayneJefferson, Karen andJoeMorgan,Anna and Bill Telford, andDennie and TrudySee.

WendyandIwishyouandyours ajoyousholidayseasonandahealthy,happy NewYear.We hope to see EVERYONE at the 50th Reunion inApril.

Thoughtforthe Quarter:Aircraft limits exist onlyin case there is to be anotherflightbythatparticularaircraft. Ifsubsequentflights do not appearlikely, there are no limits.

AJ. (Rosie) Cler, Jr.

5423 Myrtle Wood

Sarasota, FL 34235-4624

Phone: (941) 371-4843

E-mail: RCtherose@aol.com

Class Web Site: www.usafa.ne1/l960

BillLeninger'sdaughter, Dorene, marriedMarco DiNaro onAugust 1st, 2008, inAlbuquerque, NM. "It was a verynice affair, with the groomwearingblack andwhiteshoes and a vest thathadMickeyMouse images in blackandwhite. Hisbowtie matched,” wrote Bill. “My sonTony, who performedthe ceremony, also had a tie which matchedthe groom's. Dorene was absolutelybeautiful, and it was a shame mylatewife Ellenwasn'tthere, but Dorene's friends filled thevoid." (R: Bill’swife, Ellen, died June 13,2004).

EdLeonardwrote: "Suzanne and Ijustgotbackthis eveningfrom a weekend (September26-27,2008) in SanDiegowhere 'Segs4Vets' gave away 17 Segways to veterans from Iraqwho lost one or bothlegs. Segs4Vets is a program run by DisabilityRightsAdvocates forTechnology, a501(c) (3) charitywhichhas been awarded theIndependent Charities Seal ofApproval. It was an incredible experience, although I was somewhat concerned by the way theytook to the machinesand raced - - and, I mean raced around our training track, until a VA therapist pointed out that only a few months earlier they had been driving Hummers through mine fields. Segs4Vetsplans on presenting an additional40y Segways and carriers onVeteransDayat theAlamo and more in December (08) inWashington D.C.”

Paul Sullivanattendedhis FAC reunion in Colorado Springs the firstweekend ofOctober ’08, and said “The convention hotel was the Crown Plaza, and 480 registered, including wives, sweethearts,kids, and Tom McGrain, ’69. The association meets everytwo years, and the nextwillbe Dallas-FortWorth2010, and Tucson 2012. The dedication on Friday was superbly done. The memorial itselfis lovely to look at and steeped in memories, camaraderie and history. Colonel “Bud” Day, Medal ofHonor winner forhis leadership and courage while in captivity in NorthVietnam, was principalspeaker and gave his usual upliftingmessage. He was the first commander ofthe MistyFast-FAC outfit, flying F-lOOFs when the mission got too hairyfor the slowFACs in O-1s, 0-2s and OV-lOs. (Don Shepherd (’62) co-wrote ‘BuryUs Upside Down’and it's an excellent book).”

Ted StummdiedMay25,2008 inJacksonville, FL; and at 1430 hours on October3,2008,26xmembersof’60joinedTed’s familyforInterment at theAcademyCemetery: Bruce Mosier,Andi & CaroleBiancur, Les Hobgood,JimGlaza, George and CarolynLuck, Ron & ConnieYates, Ed & Suzanne Leonard, Jon McClure, Bill Goodyear, George Fries, Dean Bristow, Les Querry, Wayne Kendall, Denis Walsh, Earl & PatVan Inwegen, George & Janet Collier, Dick Sexton, JockSchwank, JimWaddle,VicYoakum andfriend Suzanne Katsilas, Tom Seebode, Brian Kaley,Walt& ElaineFutch, FredPorter, Paul Sullivanand Jim & JudyBujalski. Ted’s formerwife, Dona, sons Randy and James, their wives andTed’s three grandchildrenheard several members ofthe class relate short stories about theirrecollections ofTed, andthe ceremony concluded with a riflevolleyandTaps.

“This picture was taken inWashington, DC when Sally and I were there for aVFWfunction.Just so youknow, the oldandverydistinguishedlookinggentleman in a suitand tie isTony, andI—DekeJohnson—am theyoung, goodlooking sex symbol. Sallyis not doingverywellwith the after-effects ofherchemotherapy and radiation. Her balance is poor and she uses a walker or a wheelchair.We still manage to travel a little, and went around Cape Horn in South America on a cruise last March andjustgot backfrom her high school class reunioninWaterloo, Iowa. I am headedbackto theAcademyfor a Cotton Bowl Team reunion in November.”

“I have been holed up in Paxico, Kansas since May,” wrote Phil Meinhardt. “I’mwritingthe memoirs ofmydeceasedwife, Elizabeth, andjustpassed the 750-pagemark, while living on a farm near myhometown ofPaxico. Her first husband was shot down and missinginVietnam for 11 years. Elizabeth wrote lots ofletters, a journal each year and collected pertinentmaterial, and I use ‘DragonNaturallySpeaking’ voice recognition software to dictateherletters andjournals into mycomputer. Still, it takes me a week of 10-12 hour days to finish one year ofdata; I just finished 1983, so I have 13 journals to go, and expect to complete the remainder in California. As I see it, the storyis a very interesting and sad love story ofElizabeth and her husband, Colonel Don Singer (no relation to our classmate, Donald Edward Singer). At the same time, it is a reviewofabout 50years ofhistorypertinent to our lifetime andhas an anti-war tone. Thiswill be mylast majoreffort in life and my contribution to herfourchildrenand grandchildren.We are goingto publishitand, ofcourse, expect a Pulitzer Prize book and an AcademyAward winning movie.” (R: In October, 2008, Phil moved with friend and realtor, Veronica Cocca, to Mill Valley, CA, close to San Quentin andAlcatraz Prisons, while Phil Roberts lives nearbyinSanRafael, CharlieLiggett’s in Cupertino, GregBoyingtoninAlameda and LewPrice in GardenValley.)

Pete King, ofValparaiso, FL (north of Ft. Walton Beach), wrote that “Jon McClure stoppedbyand spent the nightinlateJuly.We had a great time drinkingJackDaniels and reminiscingaboutthe old 12th squadrondays, especially the antics ofBrian Deem, Jim Mills and Mike Buchen. Jon’s recovering well from his prostate cancer surgery—Jon went to Detroit for some specialized surgery, post-op complicationsdeveloped and he spent an extra couple of weeks in the hospital.

Bill Zersen sent this photo of our "Northwest Passage Group" those in Washington State having anotheroftheir frequentget-togethers. This one observes the group as theyassemblelemming-likealongthe dock on Septem-

ber 10th near theTidesTavernrestaurantin GigHarbor,WAwheretheylunched. Nels tookeveryone on a boatride before departingforhis condo inTacoma, withthe Lucks and Divers on board. (Left

&

Nels

“We sold our house in June and went out to Burbank, took a week at Lake Tahoe, and sat inthehospitalwhile daughter Karen had herbaby,’’ writes Bill Carnegie. “After a stop backhome in Montville, NJ we went to Guatemala for a month to see our othergranddaughter. Meanwhile, Karen broughtthe newestgranddaughter, Cole, back to bebaptized October4th.Weclose on our new house in Frederick County,VAbeforeThanksgiving the viewrivalsthevista fromFalconStadium; thereis more expanse in Colorado, butthere are mountains and trees in a 180-degree arc over 40-60 mileswith a viewoffour states which is hard to beat.”

Regarding Bill Carnegie’spittingofVirginia’s views against those in Colorado, myfriend and last-section E.E. cellmate George Pupich once told me: “It’s prettyhard to beat Colorado Rose.”

Earl N. “Nelson” O’Rear

50582 Stonington Drive Granger, IN 46530-8243

H: (574) 273-2597

E-mail: enoandtjo@gmail.com

Class Web Site: www.usafal961.org

Bob Best said that after more than two years ofconstruction, Cathyand he are finallyin their "last" newhome. Theyhad to move before Cathy's school yearstarted, so they are stilldoingthefinishingtouches around them, as well as completingthelandscaping. Bob thinks theyhave the most beautiful view inArkansas. Thewelcome mat is out. He suggests going to visit them soon, beforethe economyforces them toconvertto a Bed and Breakfast.

George BuchnerandDougMcConnellrendezvousedfor a trip to Oshkosh, WI, forthe annualJuly/AugustExperimentalAircraftAssociation (EAA) fly-in. Dougis a formerPresidentoftheInternationalAerobaticClub, which is a division oftheEAA These two formertest pilotsspent fourdaysviewingand commiseratingabouttheprops andjets. The trip was capped offwithChardonnay andsteak on Doug's deckoverlookingthelake. Georgeenjoyedseeing a B-25 since he flewffomWurtsmithAFB to LowryAFB in aB-25 on July3,1957.

Jim Damauer observed a 50th anniversaryforthe Class of’61 when he attended thewedding ofhis son Joel on MountTamalpias on June 8th. As he recalls, most ofus visited theNike site there in the summer of’58. It was a nice site for a wedding and a happyoccasion.Whilehe is stillworkingfull time as an engineer on Bradleyvehicles forBAE systems,Joyandhehavebeen doing quiteabitoftraveling. Inthelasttenyears, theyhavemade eighttrips overseas, andNovemberofthisyearthey are goingaround theworld includingthe final voyage oftheQE2 from England to Dubai. Jim doesn’thave anyplans to retire yet, buthe thinks aboutit.

Paul Dean had the privilege ofsinging with the fathers and sons ofchoir students atTrinityHigh SchoolofEuless, TX, on October20th. Since his son, Mike Dean, is the choir director, Paul was also invited Singingwith a choir of 200 men remindedhim ofsingingwiththeAcademychoir.TrinityHighSchool isnotedforits diversestudentpopulation.WatchingtheTongan studentsleading the football team in a Maori pre-game war chant (TheHaka) is the highlightofthe games. Trinitywas the DivisionVstate champion in football last yearandisthetop ranked team inTexas at the present. Pauljustcompletedhis 300th round ofgolfwith theTwinWells senior golfassociation in Irving and plans to stickaround for severalhundred more.

In September, Lou and Kate Hablas traveled to RapidCity, SD, to attend the 40th reunionofthe 28thWingAssociation. While there,theytouredEllsworth AFB, climbedinto a B-1 bomber, andlistened to a comprehensivebriefingby thepresentwingcommander. Five ofthesix-memberB-52 crew Loufirstflew with as a young copilotattended, due to theyeomanworkoftheirformer aircraft commander, Colonel BennieJew. Itwas a trip full ofpositive memories.

PatandBruce Hinds spentSeptemberandOctoberinEurope. It was a good time to visit, withtheimprovementofthedollarandthelackoftouristsmaking

the service great. Most ofthe time was spentin Eastern Europe since theyhad never been there before, mainlybecause ofthe restrictions on Bmce from his previousoccupations. Theyalso spenttime in BavariaandtheAlps. One ofthe highlights was a visit to the old familybreweryin Lichtenau that has been in continuous operation since 1489. Theyreturned to Evergreen, CO, for a little elkhunting, fishing and gettingreadyfor the ski season.

HenryandPeggyHowe enjoyed a five-daycruise in the Gulf, out ofHouston in mid-October. He had spent almost a week in Houston after Hurricane Ike runningthe CAP communications stationwhile air crews completed the largest civilian photo mapping exercise ever for the State ofTexas. The ground teams were busyshutting offthe Emergency LocatorTransmitters and the equivalent transmitters forboats in the area.

Lowell and SandyJones left Myrtle Beach, SC (aftersixweeks there) to head home, as theyusuallydo, viathe North CarolinaandVirginiaBlueRidge Mountains, to enjoythe greatfoliage. Earlier,whentheywere at the Peachtree MiniReunion at Lake Lanier, GA, inAprilofthisyear, theyfound out fromFrankand PatsyKiszely that they have a "log cabin" in Blowing Rock, NC—only a few miles from where Lowell and Sandywould be camping. Since the Kiszelys were going to be therewhen theJoneses arrived on October 13th, theymade plans and spentnearlytwo full dayseating-out, shopping, andhaving a gourmet meal at the Kiszelys’. Bythewaythe "little log cabin" is a beautiful palace with an absolutelystunningviewofthe mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Frankand Patsywere perfecthosts, andtheJoneses now knowwhythey spend a goodpart ofeveryyear there.

Jerry and Jo (Sucherman) Mason send along news ofjo's son, Todd, who is featured on the cover ofbothmajor drum magazines, ClassicDrummerandModern Drummer. Todd is the drummer forthe rockband Styxand for BrianWilson, and hasjust released an instructional DVD that is garnering rave reviews. PB O’Connor is proud ofhis little town ofCaswell Beach, "Best Little BeachTown inAmerica," as theyhosted the riders oftheWoundedWarriorProject. The riders finishedtheir North Carolina "ride" at a Bar-B-Qsponsoredbytheir community on October 25th. Mer and PB hadthe privilege of retiringtheir son Kevin and his wife, Cathie, from the USAF inAugust after23 years ofdedicated service.

MaryandJohn Payne are stillliving a quietlife on the Eastern Shore ofMobile Bay at Daphne, AL. Mary stillworks, and John stays busyrunning errands, doing chores, working on the lawn, etc. Theymanaged to dodge two more hurricanesthis summer. However, due to Katrina in2005, the home insurance rates have risen considerably. Some people a littie farther south ofthem have a problem even getting any insurance. For this and other reasons, they are consideringmoving a little farther north. John’s son, John, Jr, Major, USMC, is on a short tour inIraq andhopes to be backinJanuary. This is his fourth time in the area since 2003.

Jimmy Poole spent four dayshiking theAppalachian Trail in late October. Afterseeing “The BucketList, hehasbegun to checkoffsome ofthethingshe intends to do before “old age” catches up.

Afterhis recent appointmentandparticipation,TerryStorm has been asked bymanygraduates andothers to run for a ftill term on theAOG Board ofDirectors. Afterhis keyrole in hiringT. Thompson, the newAOGCEO, he is needed to help T fullyimplementthe Carvermodel ofModernPolicyGovernance that Terryintroduced to theAOG, which definitelyneedsit. Please reviewthe candidate information as youreceive it andvote in the election afterthe firstofthe year; he requests you please vote for him and adviseyour graduate friends to do so. He asks that anyonewho wants to discuss the Board and/orthe candidates to call (719-476-8111) or emailhim at tstorm@ppar.org. He also requests thatyou contribute to theAOG’sSaberSocietyandAnnualFund. BoththeAOG and USAFAneed our support.

JackTaylorreports that the Evergreen "Escadrille", i.e., Det. 1, USAFA61, in Washington, gathered at theTaylors’ house in October for some "Pro Nobis" before everyone scattered and became occupiedwith the upcomingholiday andwinter season.

The Hoppswill go toArizonaforthewinterin earlyDecember, while the rest ofthem rust and grow moss. So theyhad a nice dinner to sendthem off. Normally, maximum attendance for a detachment event would number 11, ineluding wives; however, they could muster only eight since Oly and Betsy Komamitsky were in Utah, andHollyKerrwas checking on the daughter now residingandworkinginNYC. AttendingwereArtKerr, Gene andAnnetteHopp, Corkyand Pat Cochrane, DickMcMonigal, and Jack and LindaTaylor. In addition to a deliciousdinner,theyswappedupdates on thefamilies, andwatched a DVD ofGene andAnnette' s recentViking Cruise/Volga/Russia rivercruise, producedby a Russian tour leader on their summer trip to the Gulag. Annette retired as a flight attendantfrom Delta at the end ofOctober, with more flying time than Gene. Theyalso discussed the idea ofjoining everyone nextyear at the mini reunion in the otherWashington and hope to do that. Everyone else is fine andkeepingbusy.

Bob andWinnie Wagner took a 16-day river cruise in July/Augustfrom St Petersburg to Moscow. Four days eachin StPetersburgand Moscowand a nice time downtheVolgawaterway. Greatsights. One highlightwas standinginRed

SquarefacingtheLenin tomb,with a brightlypaintedSt. Basil's to theirleftand the Gum store (nowwithreligious icons on thefacade) to their rear. Theirtour guides stated that 80 percent ofthe country'swealthis concentrated in Moscow and lOn percent in St. Petersburg. In Octobertheyjoined friends in San Francisco forbirthdaycelebrations, and spent two days on thefloorofYosemite Valleyand three at LakeTahoe. They were blessedwith beautifulweather on bothtrips.

Nelson andTeri O’Rearenjoyed theirRhine River cruise inAugust/September. The 16-daycruise originated in Switzerlandand ended in Belgium, also visitingcitiesin France, Germany, andTheNetherlands alongtheway. Visiting Anne Frank’s house inAmsterdam andhearing stories ofhowthe Nazis decimatedtheJewishpopulationinthat town from 125,000beforethewar to about 4,000 afterwards refreshed theirmemories ofthe brutality. Theyalso saw the areawhereAudieMurphywon his Medal ofHonorduring a winter—not summer, as the movie depicted—battle and visitedArnhem, ofA BridgeToo Far fame. Two fellowpassengershad lived in Holland during that war. One day, two German soldiers went to the home ofthe uncle of one andshot him to deathforbeingpart ofthe underground then. Nelson andTerihadanticipated the beautiful sights, but not thehistorylessons, that came with theirtrip.

Thanks to allwho shared. It is always nice to catch up.

John W. “Jack” Jamba

4 Judy Court

Satellite Beach, FL 32937

H: (321) 777-5520 0: (321) 861-6279

Cell: (321) 432-1370

E-Mail: jwjamba@aol.com

Here’s an interestingitem. Got a call and email from StewLingley, USNA ’62. “HiJack,We (USNA62) had 137 NAPSters, NavalAcademyPrep School, students start with us, 103 ofwhom graduated. Earlierthis year, theyhad a 50th reunionoftheir graduation from NAPS in 58.1 am the listkeeperforthe USNA 62, so I was helpingthemwith contact information.Accordingto thelistkeeper forNAPS 58, there were about27 oftheirclassmates who attended USAFA. Do you knowwho they are, and can you a share their contact informationwith the NAPS coordinator? TomMooreis thebrotherofmysister'shusband. He gave me your contact information. StewLingley, USNA 62,703-5560144, McLeanVA.” I sent this information to the Redtag Net.

Sofar, CarlBolsterhas admittedgraduatingfrom NAPS.Any one else interested in fessin’ up? Don’tworry, it won’t hurt yourpromotion chances... I think.

Speaking about the Redtag Net, I want to thank Owen Hawkins on behalfoftheRedtagsforsponsoringthe RedtagNetfor us. His time and effort are greatiyappreciated. It makes communicatingwith classmates infinitelybetter.Well Done Owen!!

OnAugust31 GeorgeThompson andChuckCheeseman,withGeorge’s sonin-lawwhose name I didn’tcatchwith allthe noise around, met up with Colin Richardson and me in a local blues bar & grill. After a while, a blues band startedplaying and I didn’tcatchverymuch ofthe ensuing conversation.The accompanyingpicture shows the waitress depicting the length or width of somethingthat I also didn’t catch. Butwith Colin, George and Chuck contributing, I probablycouldn’tprint most ofthe conversation anyway.

Let’sjust assume itwas a fishstory. Besidesthat, we had a goodtimetogether. George was on a whirlwind tour ofthe countrytrying to visit as manyfriends andfamily as possible before heading back to Russia.

Onthe50thanniversaryofour entrance into USAFA, a contingent ofRedtags drove down to Lowry to take some pictures ofthe remnants ofthe USAFAsite there. Here’s Jim Mack’s report: “Hi Jack, We had seven guys trundle up to Lowry and the remains ofour world of50 years ago for the picture seen.

The steely-eyed vets from left are Bob McNaughton, HuckSpory, KB Clark, Bo Ohman, PKRobinson, Rip BlaisdellandJimMack. Wishyou all couldhave been there. The manager/caretaker ofthe LowryAviation Museum gave us a special tour. Fun dayw/lots ofstories, some true. Jim”

A1Sigmandropped me an email. He readinmylastcolumnthat some Redtags visited the oldAcademy at Lowry: “Jack, I noted in Checkpoints that several RedTagsvisited Lowry on the50thanniversaryofour arrival there. IwishI had known about their plans. I am in my5th year as Director ofReal Estate for the LowryRedevelopment Authority. I handle all ofthe sales ofLowrypropertyto residential and commercial builders. It is a real treat to be involved in the transformation ofthe base to a civilian community. The changes are quite dramatic and we have beenfortunate to be considered one ofthe real success stories ofbase redevelopment.

“Not many of the buildings are left on the old Academy site. The Commandant’s Buildingis stillthere and was designated a HistoricalBuilding lastyear. About a dozen Grads from the first four classes attended the ceremony. The Quadrangle is stillthere butthe dorms are gone. The Chapelhas been moved to the west part ofLowryadjacent to theTown Center. It is now used for public meetings. Afew ofthe academic buildings are still standing. There is a "Lowry Room" in theWings Museum that is full ofitems from the earlyAcademyyears such as copies ofContrails and the original uniforms. There are class pictures ofthe first fourclasses hanging on thewall.

“Both ’59 and ’61 had gatherings here to commemorate the50th anniversaries oftheir arrivals at Lowry. I got to see quite a fewofthe"old guys" andthey were glad to have another opportunityto chew out an"RTB."

“I know we put this in the class news several years ago but I would like to renew the invitation to visit Lowry to anyone in or passingthrough the area. I expect I will beworking at Lowry until late in 2009. Thanks again for all ofthe workyou have done for the RTBs. A1 Sigman”

ThreeRedtagcouplesspenttime at Marble, CO in the summer. Enjoyingthe waterfall from left are Jim and Penny Mack, Carol Staples, Rose and Don Shepperd, andJon Staples.

Got this from Ed Martinelli this summer. “Hey. Has anyone heard howLogan Babinandhis familyhave made out? His hometown - - Houma - - was right on Gustav'spath.AndhowdidTomYoungweatherthestorm?” Mike Quinton heardfromLogan andput the email on the Redtag Net. Towit: “Anne and I are back in Houma now. We still do not have electricity at our home though we have a generatorthat supplies our power needs. Our office is up andrunning with minimal damage (onewindowblown in). Thankyou foryour thoughts and prayers. It could have been a lot worse.”

I can sympathizewith Logan. Our town ofSatellite Beach got over 24 inches ofrainwhenTropical StormFaywanderedthrough.Luckilymy street is not in a lowpoint so we had no floodingin the area. I’m sure ColinRichardsonheard a lot ofpeopleblamingit all on GlobalWarmingwhich probablyraised thehair on his head, all 200 strands ofit. Justkiddingwithyou, Colin.

I have a picture from a gatheringin Southern California. I lost the verbiage butI thinkitwas hostedbyMike Quintonin SanDiego. (Seephoto attop ofnext column.

JohnFlanaganwrites: “Marijo and I are once again, 7thyear, hosting thepre Army-Air Force game dinner in NewYorkCity. We welcome the Superintendent, his staff, and the CEO oftheAOG to the Union League Club. Air Force should win.

From ChuckAllport: “ChuckAllporthasleft the academicworld and is supporting the Air Force atWPAFB in their aggressive effort to get a substantial proportion ofrequired aviation fuelfrom domestic synthetic sources CTL, coal-to-liquid.”

Thataboutwraps itup. It should be Christmas or laterbythe timeyou read this. So a MerryChristmasand HappyNewYear to you all. Please drop me a card and/or note. Go Redtags! Jack

Norman I. (Skip) Lee

63119 E. Cat Claw Lane

Tucson, AZ 85739-2058

Home: (520) 825-7980

Cell: (520) 241-3498

E-mail: 54wrs@msn.com

The Reunion is over and it was a super event—except forthe football game. Everytimewe gatherIlookforwardto spendingqualitytimehaving a nicelong chatwith everyone catchingup andhearingwhatyou thinkabout things. Althoughthat doesn’t seem to happen it was indeed a greatpleasure to have at leastsaidhello, to have exchanged a fewwords and to shake hands. The Class of 1963 is made up ofone greatgroup ofguys.

Duringthe Memorial Ceremony we honored two ofour classmates whose deaths were notknown to us whenthelastversion ofthis column was written. In late SeptembertheAOGnotified us ofStu Fenske’s passing on the 28th of August. AservicewillbeheldforStu attheUSAFAProtestant Chapel on 29 Dec 2008. The servicewill begin at 1000 hrs. At aboutthe same time we learnedof thedeathofDonGordonwhopassedawayon the24thofAugustinBradenton, FT. Don’s Familyhas asked that, in lieu offlowers, donations be made to the Manatee Sailing Association, In Memory of Don Gordon, PO Box 14482, Bradenton. FL34280. Condolencesmaybe sentto his family in care ofhiswife, Gail: Mrs. Gail Gordon, 510919thAveW, Bradenton, FT34209-5039

Anote fromDiffon the Reunion: “Greetings Gents: Ifyou missed the 45th, youmissed another good one. 219 of413 remainingattended; that's a nice turnout. I don't suppose we'll ever see 90+%, butmaybeforthe50thwe can allgetafter our classmateswho have not attended a reunion. The highlight for me was, as always, the Memorial Service. There's somethingaboutthe cup ceremonythatreallystrikes a high note intheweekend. I am convincedthatceremonymust endure as long as we are able to make ithappen; and, Iknowthosewho attendedagree; manyofyou told me so. I will not repeatmy "thank-yous" in this column havingdone so duringtheclass meeting;however, Iwill againsingle out one individualforhis continuedeffort on behalfof’63; BobHayeshas made ithappen. Speakingfor the class, Bob THANKYOU! RandyReynolds briefedthe class on progress made bythe Cup Committee; the options havebeen narrowed and soon you willbe asked to vote on the remainingoptions as to thefinaldisposition ofthe class cups. There was goodfeedbackfromthose attendingthe class meeting. It's possible the final disposition ofthe cups can be tied into a class gifting projectaimed at the 50th. Drue DeBerryhas beenworking on thegiftingissue for some time now. He gave a mostinformativebriefing on ideasforsuch a gift. I will be organizing a Committee to workthis issue. My intent is to have the Cups and Gifting Committeesworkingtogether to reach an acceptable and lastinggiftfromthe class. Please staytuned.

A recent exchange ofe-mails between BillWecker, ArtJohnson, and Drue DeBerryfollowed up on the Class Gift discussion. What may be especially helpfulto us is to understandhow ourfundsfor a giftwouldbemanagedbythe AOG or the USAFAEndowment, Inc. Maybe we can go into some detail at a laterdate. Ifyou want to get in on the dialogue and Drue encourages all ofus who have anythingto addplease do so. Thebestplace to start iswith Druewho is reachablevia e-mail at drue.deberry@comcast.net.

Reunion events started very early on Thursdaywith the GolfTournament andIheardthewinnerswere announcedbyJerryMcClellanThursdayevening. Winning or losingdidn’t matter that much after our team was forced offthe course while on the 17thhole, because ofa late morningthunderstorm. What was important was we hadfun!

Fridaymorning found manyofus fromthe Class attendingthe dedication

ceremonyfor the ForwardAir Controller (FAC) Memorial. We were there to honorthoseFACswhomadetheultimatesacrificeandmostpoignantto uswere the names ofour classmates chiseled into the memorial: ParkBunker, Bob Rex andDougButterfield. Members ofDougButterfield’sfamilywere at the dedication andparticipated as well in our reunion events. Lou Matjaskoreported Doug'sfamilywas thrilledbyallthe classmatestheymet andthe stories shared aboutDoug. Itfarexceededtheirexpectations andtheywere so gladthey came. CammieHarris (USAFA’88),Doug'sdaughter, was therewithherhusbandRob (USAFA ’93), son of our Rufus (WaltzingMatilda) Harris, and their children DrewandAbby. Doug'ssister, LynnMaras, andhis aunt, MaryDouglasMullins (AuntieDoug), were also there. Auntie Douglovedit so much shehas committedto be at our 50th. Shewillbe95then. TheyweregraciouslyhostedbyJimmie Butlerandthe FAC Committee. Theyalso were hostedby 11th Squadron at an informalgettogether and remembrance. The final highlight oftheirvisit was theirintroductionbyBob Hayes to the class at our Fridaybanquetandthe subsequentvisits and stories from more classmates ofDoug. “Fantasticjob classmatesformakingDoug'sfamilyfeelmostwelcome, andCammiehearingforthe first time aboutherfatherfrom his friends.”

LunchaftertheFACMemorialDedication. Clockwisefrom thefrontare George Frederick, Sharon Frederick, Karen Matjasko, Lou Matjasko, MaryDouglas Mullins (Doug’sAunt), Lynn Maras (Doug’s Sister), Ralph Bacue, andMike Foley.

Fridaywas a veryeventfulday. The FAC Memorial Dedication was followed rightafterlunchbythe USAFALeadershipTeam briefingthatleft us with avery positive outlookfortheAcademy’s future. One subject that came up in their briefingalso came up laterin our Class Business Meeting: the CenterforCharacter Development—you should hear more ofthis item in later columns. At the Class Briefing a decision was made to hold the 50thReunion earlierinthe football season ratherthan chancethecold thatmanytimes accompaniesthe ArmyFootball Game in November. After the meeting was adjourned we all trooped across theTerrazzo to the Chapelinquickeningdarkness amidstgusty winds, lightning and thunder to attend the Class Memorial Ceremony. This Ceremonyalways makes the entire trip for me. Fullyunderstandingthat the numbers are greatereverytime we gatherI stillwish that we couldfind a way to mention eachclassmatewho has gone before and notjust thosewho left us in the past fiveyears. I knowitis not practical but itjust seems right. The gala Class Social and Dinner capped a verybusyand emotional day.

While wandering around the various reunion venues I was able to snap a numberofphotographs.

,11If ©4 W || ifcf

DrueandJim W; which one is tellingthestory?

The rest ofmypictures (about50 or so) willgetorganized andthen sent to Gil Merkle for inclusion in the ClassWeb Site. I really encourage all ofyou to put togetheryour photographs ofthe events andyour stories/observations and send them to Gil. He has a spot on theWeb Site reservedforthe45th reunion. Gil’s e-mail is merkleg@texas.net.

Ifyouhaven’t alreadyheardit, thestoryoffindingand returning PatWynne’s Class Ring is fascinating and is certainlyworth telling andpreserving. TJnfortunately, it could never fit in this columnbut thanks to Joe Lee Burns and Gil it can be found on the ClassWeb Site http:/ /www.usafa63.org.

Non-reunion note:Fred Malmstrom (’64) askedthat I sendthis to all ofyou who may have attendedthe United States MilitaryAcademy Prep School (USMAPS) and were members ofthe 1959 Class. Hewillbehappyto either email or mail a CD copy ofthe Challenge. Reach Fred at fred.malmstrom@ usafa.edu ifyou are interested.

Bob Hall sent the above photo backin lateAugust. He and Shirleyhosted a “mini-reunion” for all Golden Boys in the DC area on June 7,2008 (Bob and Shirley’s 45thweddinganniversary). Pictured in front oftheir 19th century Victorianhome,the “HallHouse”, andbehindBob’soriginal 1962Austin-Healey (cadetcar), are theattendees. Fromleft are Devere Henderson, BarryWalrath, JimJohnston, Joe Hicks, GerryWesterbeck, Dick Guild, Jim Hannam, Gene Rosendahl, Pete Ognibene, Dean Hess, LarryEastman, and Bob Hall.

Once again I sincerelythankall ofyou foryourkindwords about this Class News column. Ithas been forthese 38years a laboroflove and will continue so. The comments and support are trulyappreciated. Iwouldalsolike to thank allofyouwho havesubmittedinputs to me over these manyyears. Theymake the columnwhat it is so please, keep them coming.

In summary, it was a greatreunion and Bob, Dennyandthe Committee deserve our heartfelt thanks for a job well done.

OK, we are done for now and rememberit is not too soon to start talkingup the50th!

Bob Hovde

206 Walker Ave.

Huntsville, AL 35801

(H) (256) 532-3923

(M) (256) 348-9794

bob@hovde.us

Reunion Information (November4-7,2009) - The first planningmeeting for the 45th Reunion took place inAugust. The Colorado contingent ofthe Class of’64 (classmates andspouses) gottogetherfor dinner and the first planningmeeting forthe 45th reunion at the home ofJayand MartyKelleyin Colorado Springs. The reunion is scheduled for November4-7,2009. Great progress was made and the schedule is prettywell set. The reunion willwrap around theArmygame, set forNovember 7,2009. Attendingthemeetingwas HowieCohen, DaveSamuel, Sam Schulz, Tom Jobin, ThadWolfe, Tom Morris, John Sowers, Jerry Butler, Rick Walsh, Bob Beverly, John Boles, Doug Jenkins, DJAlberts, Pete luPresti, BobThomas, Bruce Fister, JohnIurber,WallyWolniewicz, RodWells,JayKelleyand all the spouses. Some came from as far away as Longmont, BoulderandWestcliff. (Asusual, a couple ofpeople didn’t makethe picture.) A second meetingwill take place in midDecember at theAntlers Hotel.

Reunion Planning: Feed them and theywill come - even foraplanning meeting!

The USAFAAOG provides many services for reunions and the committee will take full advantage ofthe help.We’llprobablyhave a reunion website on the USAFA.ORG site for information, registration, etc. The Class of64 headquarters for the reunionwill again be theAntlers Hotel in Colorado Springs. Tentative plans include an informal social at Jack Quinn’sWednesdaynight, golf/shopping on Thursdayfollowed by a Class dinnerThursdaynight at the Garden ofthe Gods Club, a prayer breakfastFridaymorning, a memorial service (perhaps at theMallofHeroes), Classbanquet,tailgate (sponsoredbythe AthleticDepartment), andtheArmygame.Thevenues andschedules are pretty much the same as at for the 40th, which was a great reunion. Mainly, there’s plentyoftime for gettingreacquainted - “It was 1969. There I was.... Afterthe Decemberplanningmeeting, we should allbe getting more complete (accurate?) information. Ifanyone needs more information now, contact RodWells - He’s lookingforvolunteers to work on committees.

DC Group: Fred Gregory sent in the picture ofhis annual DC-area minireunionjust to prove they’re allstillthere. He also reported that he’stheproud grandpa to two grandkids at USAFA - Scott Gregory 11 and his sister Caitlin Gregory 12. One more, Taylor Skeens could be in T7.

Howdid thoseoldguysgetsuchprettywives?

Travels: Don and Marilyn Graham took a two-weektrip to Los Angeles to visit Marilyn’s sister andfamily. On theway, he arranged a layover in Denver to visitwith Howie and PennyCohen. Although Don doesn’tmindvisitingColorado duringthe summer, hewouldlike to point out that November7th isWINTER in Colorado.

GrahamsandCohensinDenver. Note: Outdoors, shortsleeves, SUMMER.

WorkingPart-Time - DennyMadlwrote that he’s stillworkingpart time at IDA-partlyinVirginia and partlyathome in Denton, TX. Dennysaid, “Itwas beginning to get a little old, but thelastyear - from a 403(b) perspective - has madeit seem abitless so. Plus, IlikethefolksIworkwith more so thanthe actual work. Bythe way, Lynn and I were in Seattle for a reunion ofLynn's dietetic internship class inJuly.We stopped by and spent an evening/morningwith JeanneWittress.Allthingsconsidered, she's doingprettywell. Backworking as a contractor to Boeing. Bill was myroommate for severalyears, and I was one ofjust a couple offolks at theirwedding.

AfterI toldDennyI was now retired and we were travelling some, he replied, “You didn't reallyhave to stop working to travel. I am working about 36-40 weeks ayear, 2/3 here inTexas at home. The rest ofthetime, we'vebeentraipsingaround a bit - but no Europe sinceJune 2000 (whenthe Euro was listed on prices, but not in use at the retaillevel - and was worth $0.85).We spend two weeks a year in Mexico, and the rest varies - one-weektrips to Colorado, Missouri, Ohio,Wisconsin, Orlando, etc. Lynnwants to do aweek or two inTuscany, so we'll probablyfit that in-and I want to getbackto central Europe (Czech, GermanyandAustria) duringthe Christmas Markets season sometime soonotherthanthe coldweather, I thinkthat is Europe at its best.”

Retired - Nowthat I’m fullyretired, I’ve discovered I still don’thave time to playgolf. I’m not sure howI even found time to work, before. Sandyand Ijust returned from a river cruise on the Danube (Hungary,Austria, Germanyand Czech Republic) with severalfriends andwe’re going to Colorado Springs and Albuquerque overThanksgiving. (Denny, theEuro isn’t$0.85 anymore. It’s more like$1.35!)Anyway, inbetweentrips, I’mgetting some timeintheshop-turning bowls andpens forChristmas presents.

Remember! 4-7 Nov09; 45th Reunion; Colorado Springs; Be there!

Rick Zurbrugg

2929 Gavin Place Duluth, GA 30096

(770) 476-4437

E-mail: ezurb@bellsouth.net

Hey’65,

Well, thebestpartofthiscolumnis no “transitions to eternity” that are known to me as ofthedate ofthiswritingOctober31st. Anytime a quarterpasses and one ofus doesn’t, it is a blessing indeed.Which brings me to “places to see” beforeyou croak. The Goodwife and I decided that we didn’t want to be the onlyfolks leftwho hadn’t been toYellowstone. So, we drove toWyomingvia Colorado Springs and caught the season opener against SouthernUtah. As we were taking seats forthe game, who should be introduced as Honorary Team Captainforthegame—Class President Bart Holaday (Rememberthose last-secondfield goalshe made to beatU. ofWashington two years in a row?)

I am tellingyou gents, ifyou haven’tbeen to a game recently, itwill getthose passions up andjuicesmoving and you be twentyyears old all over again. Take a kidwith you.

MarkJohnson: “On the third weekend in October the DirtyThirty from Sixth Squadron gathered in Nashville, TN. As usual the stories ofdaring do abounded and theyseemed to be even more so since the lastgathering.We were allextremelyindebted to our wives for once againindulgingus. The first ever DirtyThirty "Corn Hole" tournament was won bythe southernCalifornia team ofBigWood and BigAl. The protestations ofirregularities from the PacificNorthwest team ofMikeChorvatand Bob Hanleywere quickly"fixed" and thendismissedby an unnamedjudge from Chicago. Showing our up to date technological abilities we were able to pullofa livevideo conference call via Skypewith Neil Jacobs and to prove there was still a bit ofmischiefleft in our souls there was a postgathering raid on the home ofJohnTankersleyby Joe Britan and Rick Shuey.Well received I was told. A great time was had by all.” Thanks Mark!

Standingleftare Loren Pool, Mike Chorvat, Bob Tindall, Bob Hanley, Bob Zepecki, AlPfeltz, BobMcCollough, LarryCasey, andMaxCreamer. Sitting: RickShuey,JoeBritan, ChuckWood,RoyKilgore,BillCathey, andMarkJohnson. Went toWestPointthispastweekendto savor theFall colorofNewEngland, the majestyoftheHudson RiverValleyandthe ancient grandeur ofour sister Academy. The Black Knights played hard, but were dominated by a determined Falcon team. Looked hardbut could not recognize a single classmate among themanygeezers in the crowd.

Whoeverwas responsibleatWooPoohadsimplyNOTpreparedforthe45,000+ fanswho showedup. The facilities were overwhelmed andfolkswho had arrived in the vicinity hours before kickoff were unable to get through the chokepoints to the stadiumuntilwellafterthe gamehadstarted. Afterthe contestwas over, itwas severalhoursbeforemanycouldreachtheircars, parkedby necessity outside the gate alongthe highway. SomeArmypeople noted that accessibilityforbigcrowdswas the reason thattheArmy-Navy game is played inPhiladelphia. It must be time forfutureAir Force-Armygames to be played atAFA or in a neutral location—rememberSoldierFieldin Chicago in 1965?

PartingShots: Took some heat over the “personal dating biography” that appeared inthelastcolumn, but awidower classmate was interestedandconnectedwiththelady.They had alovelydinnertogetherbutdidnotbecome an item. One cannot helpbutfeelgoodaboutbringingtogethertwo people we care aboutwho havelosttheirlife partnersprematurely. Had a chance to talk to one time classmateAnthonyZinnanti, 23rd Sqdn, now a highlysuccessful serial entrepreneur in Florida. Tony made it to the 35th reunion, had a greattime, and retains that terrific sense ofhumor that made him such a memorable character as a cadet. An excellent picture of Tonyand his wife appears at marinamedical.com (under“company”).

A ’63erfrom good ol’ 21st Sqdnpaid your humble scribe a huge favor recentlybysharinghis memoirwritten forhis grandchildren.Withoutlapsing into psychobabble and certainlyacknowledging his finewritingskills, my reading ofthesereminiscences were in equal measure entertaining and sort oftherapeutic.Justimaginereadingthememoirsofan upperclassmanwhom you respected (andadmired) as a cadet. The point is that we are probably at the memoir stage and while your grandchildren may onlythinkofyou as a reallyfunny guy, but sometimes a controlling and crotchetygrouch, your greatgrandchildren (andmaybe some ofyour contemporaries) maybe totallymesmerizedbyyourlife memories. Considerwriting a memoirforthem.

Feel a needfor some drama inyourlife? Maywe suggest“Take the A’ Train” downtown fromLincoln Center on a Halloweenabout 2330 when thepartyhardycrowd is out in full costume. Neverbeenin orbit or in combat, butthis could be a distant third. Ain’t nothin’ like the BigApple.

Bewell, walk a mile or more with someone you love every day, and keep in touch. And as the Roc would say, “Cheers”. Rick

Ryan Denny

1635 Mary Todd Lane

O’Fallon, IL 62269

H: (618) 624-4255

W: (314) 232-5117

E-mail: ryanden@aol.com

Greetings, Redtags! Bythe time you read this, we will have elected a new president and congress, andmaybewe’llhave started to climb out ofthe economicholewe’vebeenin. Remember Change is good! (Iknow, you’re still mad at allthose classeswho got to go home for Christmas, doolie year.) Even ifyou don’tlike the outcome ofthe elecdons, at least we won’t have to listen to all those campaign ads for another four years. OK, I might have to keep on workingfor a fewextrayears until my401kgrows up again, butI was probablylookingfor an excuse to do that anyway. (You can always find a pony, ifyou lookhard enough.)

Speaking oflookinghard enough, Ross Detwiler saw the picture ofDan Cecil’s family in the last edition ofCheckpoints and searchedthrough his personal archives to find thisvintagepicture ofDan andhis “other” family. Ross thoughtthat Dan was leaningintowardshim a little more thannecessary, butdidn’tsayanything at the time because he attributed Dan’s unbalance to his missing little finger.

JeanBrost, whosehusband, Bob, passed awayearlierthisyear, attendedthis year’sUSAFAHomecomingandMemorialService,accompaniedbyHansMueh andRickParsons.Jeansaid, “TheAOGandAcademydid a superjob ofmaking me feel welcome and special because of one very-special guy, Bob. Since I starteddatingBobwhile he was a firstclassman, I feltitwas myhomecoming, too. I continue to hearfromBob’s classmateswithlots oflove and caring—and mostofall, manymemoriesofgreatfriends. Ivisitedthecemeteryagainand am impressedwithwhat a bigpart ofthe new pavilionthat '66 was—a wonderful contributionthatwill serve so manyforyears to come.” Thanks, Jean, forthat greattestimonyto therealmeaning of ’66, blood thatsticks”.

count towards the agingprocess—it’s a “freebie”. Ofcourse, ifthat were completelytrue, he wouldn't have aged a daysince he retired.

RustyGideon organized the ’66 annual fishingtrip toYellowstone to tryto outsmarttheelusiveYellowstoneCutthroatTrout. RecentlyretiredVicAndrews was the newest addition to Rusty’sintrepidband ofbrothers, which included MartyDaack, and DickBorowski. The group “had a great time introducing Vic to the manlyart offlyfishing. Rustyclaims that a dayoffishing does not

Redtagsin Yellowstone, usingtheirsurvivalskills. DickBorowski (fisherman), MartyDaack(fly-tierandjoketeller), VicAndrews (newguy), andRustyGideon (tourguide).

LarryBagley called the other day and graciouslyvolunteered to help with this quarterlynewsletter. Larryis now semi-retired (OK, maybe 90% retired) andlivinginthe Colorado Springs area—whichiswhere a lot ofour classlives. So, ifyou can’t remembermye-mail, or you see Larry at some event, give him an update on whatyou are doing. GaryPalmerhas beenproviding the same kind ofhelp from the DC area, and KennyBoone must never leave his house without a camera. Withoutthe regularhelp from thesefolks, andtheirregular updates from manyothers, thisnewsletterwouldbemostlyfictionandcrayon drawings from my grandkids. So keep those cards and letters coming! Until next time... HappyLandings!

Larry Wilson

13100 Pinehurst Ave. NE Albuquerque, NM 87111

H: (505) 291-8949

E-mail: Lwilsn628@aol.com

Greetings one and all - as I write this, it is fall, and I am experiencing more of the fall stuffthan I have in some years, as I havebeen in Minnesota and North Dakotafor a fewweeks. To mygreatpleasure - theweatherhas been absolutely glorious: temps inthe 50-60 range, clearskies, littlewind. Thecolors havebeen spectacular, especiallywhencontrasted to themuted colors ofautumn inthe desertsouthwest. But - a rangeofinputthis time - so away we go.

First ofall - as I write this, AF is pretty much fresh offits footballwin overArmy. I understand it was not pretty, butas the sayinggoes - a kill’s a kill.Theloss to Navywas so disappointing. How many teams have two - two!! - punts blocked, and run in for TDs. Ohwell. As it turns out, there was some joy inAF Mudville as theAir Force men's soccer team in Sept defeated Navyforthefirst time since 1984.

Onthe golffront—JohnOlive, five-timeColorado state golfchampion,placed fifth thisyear and won the Super Senior title. Meanwhile, Roger Carleton is seeking to recapture his former game and is receiving lessons from Ralph Femrite.

Beau Crosbyandwife, KathyEndres, spent some time thispast summer in a small town in northern NewMexico on a sort ofworking/ volunteervacation. He spent two monthsworkingwiththelocalfire department crews, on ambulanceresponses, transfers and otheremergencyresponse activities - and also managed to squeeze in some trout fishing in the streams alongthe Colorado border.WelldoneBeau-forthevolunteerservice, andforreleasingyourlunkers so maybe I will one dayfind one.

The CS-07 group gatheredin SanAntonio for one oftheirperiodicsquadron reunions, with much ofthelocalsetupbyRickand CarmenRodriguez. Agood time was hadby all “.. .the margaritas, barbeques, and accompanying fare were great... As always, we sat around and shared memories of‘days goneby’ andhopes for daysyet to come. No doubtthe tales ofhowtoughthings used to be etc are gettingbetterandbetterwith each telling. (See photo at thetop of the next column.)

Ken Sproutsent a nice note, to help us catchup on his activities since heleft Swaziland after contractingmalaria in 2004. Therehe had beentaking care of adultswithAIDS and/orTB - depressing realities in theThirdWorld that ineludes much ofAfrica. He returned to Indianawhere he engaged in family support, volunteerwork in a free medical clinic, and adult education. He is now in his fourth term “...primarilyteachinghumanphysiologyforpre-nursingstudents, students innursingschool, and a fewotherstudentshopingto get

The CS-07SanAntonio Group. From left are Pete & DebbieMilne, Bruce & StormyMcDonald, George & PatFrushour, Len&BettyVernamonti, Ven & DianneHammonds, Rick & CarmenRodriguez, Bill &Jeanni Gerber. into a medical field of some sort. I absolutely LOVE teaching these young folks...” Hehas cut back some on his teaching and"...after so manyyears out in theworld, I now get to help andwatch mygrandchildrengrowup... Havingsaid allthat, he hopes to one day to return to Africa as he “.. .left a good bit ofmyheartand a lot ofEthiopianfriends therewhen I had to return to the U.S. in 2004...” Thanks Ken, and God speed on your current and futurejourneys, here and abroad.

From RP Miller: Eric Thorson continues to serve in challenging roles in the Federal Government - on Sep 22 he was sworn in as Inspector General ofthe Department ofTreasury, moving up fromhis previous position as IG ofSmall BusinessAdministration. More likely to follow on Eric and his career.

Another quickinput: forthose ofus who take (more) time for pleasure reading, there is a new book out about a climb ofMt McKinleywhere about five guys lost theirlives. Paul Schlichter was on that climb and he is mentioned a fair amount.

ChuckBeattie and Paulahave done a bitoftravelingthese past months, to garden spots includingThe Corner inWinslow, AZ (youknow, “Standin’ on a corner inWinslowArizona... ”). We too regularlystop there in our travels that direction. Here is documentary evidence ofthe Beatties at that landmark.

ChuckandPaula Beattie, Standin’on the Corner.

There was a gatheringrecently, ofCS-13 friends ofGary Lorenz. You may recall thathe was missing at the time ofour2007 reunion. Whatfollows is some ofthe description ofthe memorial for Gary: About 25 neighbors and classmates andtheirwives traveled to the remote ridgewhereGary’sbodywas found. They hauled in equipment to attach the plaque (see below) to a rock face. “Gary’srestingplace was one ofexceptionalbeauty. Perched in anAspengrove withwonderful views of an extraordinarypiece ofColorado. To paraphrase

one neighbor - ifyou’re looking for a place to spend eternityyou can’tdo better than this! To most ifnot all ofus this endeavor brought a sense ofclosure. Notthat somethingwas over but that we did something we had to do. In doing so we broughtlife and significance to a very specialplace...” BobMuldrow sent some notes followinglim Davies' fimeral. At the service, two ofjim’s old friends spoke aboutlim's life. “The first was a neighborfriend who hadknownthefamilyforalmost 40years. Theywere both fighterpilots; but both were renaissance men in that theyhad a love ofthe arts, especially music. Theywould playanywhere: rock, jazz, classical. He relayed some verynice stories oftheirtimestogether. AlPichon,who came in from Florida, was a roomywithJim in "ToughTwo." Al made the hardships our class encountered that firstyearto bewhat steeledthose classmatestogetherforlife... Jim flewF- 100s inVietnam and was shot down and injured... Everyone who knewhim was very flattering abouthis positive attitude toward life, even at the very end. His wife ofalmost 40 years and two daughters attendedthe service...” alongwith friends and squadron mates. Another nice tribute, to another of our fallen comrades.

It is likely no surprise that theAOG is having issues related to funding and investments,just like the rest ofus. Thanks to our class reps fortheir finejob ofkeeping us apprised on these tough issues. I encourage all to communicate directlywith theAOG, our class reps on theAOG and class senate, and classmates livingintheColorado Springs areawho keep a prettygoodfinger on the pulse ofthe happenings.

I have more input, and alas no more space.

As I write this soon we will have a new President- elect, with promises of change. For the better, I hope. God bless the troops. God blessAmerica.

Tim Davidson

9712 Hidden Valley Road

Vienna, VA 22181-6094

(703) 255-5313

Fax: (703) 255-5377

E-mail: timd@erols.com

HELLO ’68! Manythanks to Gene Rose and our 40th Reunion Committee forproducing a veritablefive-starevent! It was a profoundlywonderful gathering ofUSAFA’s greatest class!

IS THEREADOCTOR INTHE HOUSE? Maurice Ecung sent a photo taken during a proud-parent momentfollowinghis daughterMelanie’s “WhiteCoat” ceremony. Melanie is a member ofUSAFA’s Class of2001 and is now in her secondyear at Morehouse School ofMedicine inAtlanta. Maurice saidhe is comfortable intheknowledgethatsurrogateparentsAl andMarleePricewill onlybe a fewminutes awayin case his lovelydoctor-in-trainingneeds a little TLC. Congrats to Mel andthe Ecungfamily on this fantastic accomplishment!

CLASSMATE STRADDLES CITIES TO BLEND WORK AND HOME LIFE: GregVarhall checked inwith a few more frequentflyer miles than he would care to mention. With wife, Linda (USAFA ’84), still in theAir Force and subject to changes ofdomicile, Greg is now doing the non-Air Force spouse shuttle every couple ofweeks between a humble NorthernVirginia apartment, while heworks forANSER, to a home in SanAntonio when Lindais not on the road as the Director ofIntelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operations at theAir Force ISRAgency. Linda’s responsibilityincludesworkingwith 14,000 people from Germanythrough the CONUS to WesternAustralia. As luckwould have it, both ofthem were able to cleartheirworkcalendarslongenough to attend our 40th Reunion in Colorado Springs.

>kci. 32

"English Channel Swim for Charity." From left are Steven Reiss, Jeff Bodenmann, RichAbramson (USAFA ’68), SteveBookbinder, andDavidMoore.

’68ERDOES ENGLISHCHANNEL: FormerUSAFAA11American swimming sensation, Richard “Abe” Abramson, distinguishedhimself, alongwith four otherbusiness executives from NewYork, byswimmingthe English Channel from Dover to Calais in 2008 to heighten awareness and raise thousands of dollars to find a cure forAlpha-1, “a rare disordermarked by a deficiencyin a liverenzymethatprotectsthelungs. As the oldestmemberofthegroup,Abe skillfullynavigated the cold, choppywaters prone to 7-foot swells and filled with tankers andjellyfish. When it was all over he said, “To swim the English Channel at myage is a dream come true.” Wayto go,Abe! You do us allproud!

BUMPED INTO ATAFAAIR & SPACE CONFERENCE:While attending the AirForceAssociation’s annualAir& Space Conference inWashington, D.C. in September, I ran into Charlie Holland, Jim Neu, Charlie Coolidge, Tony Robertson, Bill Begert, BobbyFloyd, andWayne Shattuck. Charlie H. was there to support a projectwith BAE Systems and was preparing to head offto Europe to participate in an internationalwar game exercise. Jim was there to supportWyleLaboratories. Charlie C. was workingwithIADS andsupporting their strategic tankerprogram. Tony was there with Boeing and supporting that company’scompetingstrategic tanker program. Bill supported operations forPratt &Whitney. Bobbywas workingwithIB Communications and is stilllivingin a town called “Greenville,” butchanged states fromTexas to South Carolina to be in closerproximityto his brood. Bobbymentioned that he is trying to cut back to part-timework, but his schedule is not quite there yet. I had not seenWayneforquite a while, so I corneredhimlongenough to get an update on what he hasbeen doing for the past fewdecades. Wayne andwife, MaryLouise, live inHuntingtonBeach, CA. While in theAirForce,Wayneflew A-37sinSEAsia, servedin acquisition forthe B-l and the NationalAerospace Plane, and was ProgramDirectorforthe PeacekeeperMissile.Waynehungup his Air Force blues in 1994 and has worked as a Program Area Director for Raytheonforthepast 14years. Amonghismanyprojects, hehasworked on the B-2, F-18, and B.A.T. His son Todd is Director ofMarine Mammal Studies for the LosAngeles Unified School District. His son David isAssociate Research Professor at UCLAwhere he is currentlyworking on “brain mapping.” It was greatto beable to spend a fewminutescatchingupwithalloftheseclassmates!

EASTCOAST REUNION: With an uncooperative workand social schedule forthespringandsummer, our D.C.-basedgangslippedtheannualEast Coast Reunion at Ed andKaren Eberhart’shome to September. Despite the change in calendar, we thoroughlyenjoyed that special brand ofcamaraderie that comes fromthese annualget-togethers. Itprovided a greatopportunityfor us nearlysenior citizens to hone our social, name- and face-recognition, and listening skills before our 40th Reunion in Colorado in October. Manythanks to Ed and Karenfortheirsignature grace andhospitality!

40TH REUNION: With thepassage of40 years, our class seems to be aging like a fine wine—mellowin bodywith a definite kick still effusing from the bouquet. In terms ofhistory, where do we stand? Mike Cryerhelped me find an answer after a litde research. In Mike’s own words, “1,016 entered in 1964

and613 (60%) graduated in 1968. There were 13 generalofficerswithfour stars (mostever). 11 did not returnfromVietnam. Fourothers were POWs. 353(57%) retiredfrom active/reserve/ANGduty. Fortunatelyforme,onlylO% (58+)went to the airlines. There were approximately an equalnumber (15-20) ofdoctors, lawyers, andIndian chiefs (presidents/CEOs). I countedEberharttwice! There were 377 DistinguishedFlyingCrosses and2,319AirMedalsawarded. I know RhipWorrellhas anAirForceCross,buthaven't been able to findothers or Silver Stars. WehadtwoThunderbirds, one Marine, one ace, and one astronaut. Itwas mybadluckto have to sit next to DickCovey a fewtimes and never beathim on an exam!” So, in briefsummary, that gives you a statistical overview ofClass accomplishments. It doesn’t, however, begin to address the character ofthe Class muchbeyond our militaryachievements. To drill down on thattopic,you need to go to reunions and discoverwhatyour classmates have been doing whileyouhave beenpiecingtogetheryour own life’s quilt.

SHORTTAKESONTHE REUNION:With initial registration onWednesday (1 Oct) and some light hors d’oeuvres scheduled for that evening, I took full advantage ofthe Class-sponsoredhospitalitysuite forbeverages and initial meetings with classmates arrivingfrom near and far. Although the evening beverage and snacksession was onlysupposed to last until 9 p.m., manyofus were still going stronguntil close to midnight.

Thursdaywas markedby a hike in themountains; a funeral service forWally Curtiss at the USAFACemetery; lunch at Mitchell Hallwith the cadets; a golf tournamentwhere MotherNature elected to playthroughwith a fullcomplement ofrain, thunder, and lighteningthat caused the tournament to be suspendedwhile everyone ducked for cover; and a more substantivebuffet dinner back at the Embassy Suites that featured a heart-rendering DVD, video memoryproducedbyPatMcBridewithphotosfrompastandpresentofclassmates duringtheirAcademyyears, intheirmilitarycareers, andin more recent familytimes. Once, again, the conversation was non-stop as our ranks grew with more classmates andguests arrivingthroughoutthe day.

On Friday, manyofus went to themorning dedication ofthe FAC Memorial at an absolutelybeautiful location within the CityofColorado Springs. The featuredspeakerwas Medal ofHonor recipient Colonel George E. “Bud” Day, USAF (Ret),who survivedyears oftorture as a PrisonerofWarinVietnam after hisF-100 was shotdown over NorthVietnam. His inspirationalwords ofgratitude to thosewho performedthisheroicmission were most meaningful. Generals EdEberhartandBillBegertserved as wreathbearersfromtheClass. That afternoon, we went Fairchild Hall to hear the Superintendent, Lt Gen John Regni; the Dean, Brig Gen Dana Born; and the Commandant, Brig Gen Sue Desjardinsspeakto thereunionclasses of1963 and 1968 aboutwhatisgoingon at theAcademytoday. This was followedby a trip to the USAFA Cemetery to attend a memorial service for our Class organizedbySteve McPhail and Carl Janssen. Ed Eberhart made remarks that addressed the next ofkin and our Class and a roll call was taken for 59 members who are no longer with us.

Livingclassmates responded “AbsentSir” when eachofthe 59 deceased members’ names was called. On Friday evening, we went back to the Embassy Suites for a scrumptiousbanquetdinnerand entertainmentprovidedby our very own GregShuey on the piano andbythe CadetChorale. FormerChorale members from the Classjoined the cadets in singing “God BlessAmerica.” It was a trulywonderful evening!

On Saturdaywe went frombreakfast at thehotel to thebarbeque at the Falcon Stadium tailgate. The game was memorable in thatthe Falcons gave up two blocked punts for touchdowns and fumbled at their own 10-yard line twice, once at the north side ofthe field andthe other at the south. Despite spottingthe Squids about20 points, the team managed an honorable effort to finishthe game onlysixpoints behind. Betterlucknextyearand BEATARMY!

Exuberance! FrankPalermo’ssmile tellsitall!

The best I could make ofit, about a million photos were taken during the reunion. Itis myfondhope that some ofyouwill sendthem to PatRusselland me with a brief description ofwho is in the photo and any Class news you mighthave garnered from all ofyour conversations. The photo shownabove ofFrankPalermo does a greatjobputting our 40thinto context. And as we fade into memory, echoesfromtheRockyMountains resound ’68We’reStillGreat!”

TFIAT’SAWRAP: Mindtheflak;keep ’emflying, andkeepthosecards,letters, e-mails, and photoscoming in to Pat Russell and me. Please go to the Class Website to see photosincluded in this column in colorand infull size. Ciao for now. Tim

616 King’s Cloister Circle

Alexandria, VA 22302

Home: (703) 836-3604

E-mail:

102177.1033@compuserve.com

Top ofthe Season to you all. Maythe Falconsbe bowling at a game nearyou! On to the news.

Tommy-he ofParkCity-Lovewrites that the concludingweekend ofMike and Jean Martin’s 3-week cross-country odyssey was spent with him and Rebecca, exploring Utah’s equivalent ofMexico’s silver mines. Most ofthe mines have been renamed afterTommy, due to his continuingdeep-diving hyperbaric work (well, almost), and depicted below are the four of them perched outsidethe entrance to one long-agobustlingpiece ofAmerica’spast, named “The Shaft. He offersfine lodgingand good times in ParkCity to any 69er interested in skiing, the Sundance Film Festival, or general carousing. ComplimentaryNiCad cavinghelmets.

Kafka meets theKeystoneKops), BombayBugs has navigated streets reminiscent ofthose in Saigon andBangkokofthe war years, only more crowded and jumbled, and is now qualifiedfullyfor a 7-on, 6-offschedule and to sing the Air Indiapilots’ theme song “Who’s Sari Now?” His bags have finallyarrived, after a round-the-world trip (You ever been to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea? No, but mybagshave!), and responses from the same seamlesslystudied and polite folkswith the great accents you have encountered on the phone when confrontedwith a technical snafu on your computer.

Although we were unable to deconflictschedules to toss backmartinis, Kirk Stewart sent along some news of a 3-day drift-boat flyfishingouting with ChuckEarly on thetailwaters ofthe GreenRiver (belowFlamingGorge), with Mary and MaryEllen along. Kirk, an old hand at catching the elusive Cutthroats and DollyVardens, suggest that BrotherEarlyhas become quite the skilled aficionado. Reciprocaltripplanned in Florida to test out Chuck’s new flats boat. Kirk also participated in the Estes Park Scottish Festival as a Clan Stewart Society state commissioner and member ofthe Northern Colorado Fife and Drum Corps. Spaceprohibits showing a greatshot ofKirk, in RevolutionaryWargarb, firing a cannon.

TheLoves andMartinsspelunkingforsilverin Utah.

BugsForsythe, now a Father-in-LawandJudy a Mom-in-Lawfollowingdaughter Summer’s spectacular October wedding in Leesburg,VA, is now back on the internationalflyingcircuit, havingsigned on withAirIndia to flyB-777s out ofJFK forthreeyears. After a training session he suggests is straight from a novel (Franz

Fish Stories, with Chuck.

JerryBall sent a note reminding me ofthe amazingvarietyofinterests and accomplishments ofour still-smokin’ class. Lee Snapp, though now a NASA alumnus, has re-opened activities he began before retiring- developingengineering programs for the nation's tribal colleges and universities at Salish Kootenai College, Montana, on the Flathead Reservation. Lee is in Poison, MT for those ofyouwho would like to connect or reconnect with him. No edition ofCheckpointswouldbe completewithout reporting some new golfingouting, and thisinstallment runs true to form. Leavingbehind all those whose swings resemble Ichabod Crane beating on a snake, a merry crew of nine navigatedspectacular elevations andterrificweather at Mesquite,taking in USAFA’s one-point win over a tough UNLVsquad as a concluding event. Gathered were Flip Keck, Roy Coppinger, Mike Beezley, Craig Collins, Bruce Andersen, Steve Cherry, and John Buckner,alongwithtwo chaperones from ’63,JohnHaluska and the irrepressible Mike Christy (honorary ’69Class member). Steve’swryhumorand encyclopedicknowledge ofthe rules keptthe pot full andthe drinks flowingbefore and afterrounds atWolfCreek and Falcon Ridge. [Picture to followinnext Checkpoints.] Dennis Ryll came up to take in a bike ridewith Flip, andthe UNLVgame. Denny, as always, looks ready to step back on the field. He also bikes a bit with Steve Kirby, who recentlycompleted the inaugural CHaFE (Cycle Hard for Education) benefit ride, of 150 miles through Montana and Idaho. 150 miles in 10 hours. Not bad for a 40-year-old, who lives in Sandpoint, ID, for thosewho want to visit.

Buck, backin G with FedEx, spent a couplenights oflayoverwith Jean and me, and SamTravers called to announce his second grandfathering. Bypopularfamily tree vote, Sam is now known colloquially as “Jake, from the John Wayne movie most ofus have seen, and Joann as “Nana.”

And, to segue backto the last Checkpoints,whenthe imposedspace limitations andqueued-up list ofotherphotographsprecludedshowing a perfectly worthyshotofsome Seagram’s Seveners at playin Steamboat Springs, we can see some of Seagram’s’ finest in party attire. This would be the two-Gerry combo ofBrown and Schwartzel, Brian “iPod” Nelson, RogerHartman, and Glenn “Hairs Cut - $10, Hairs Split$10,000” Schlabs, modelingshirtsfrom the collection ofthe still-hip Nino BaldacchiTerrazzo Collection. Betteryet was the refrigerator our adventurers maintained, contents clearedfortake-off, of seven fine therapeutic bottles-3 x BombaySapphire (did you have advance intel about Forsythe?), 2 x Maker’s Mark, and 1-each Amsterdam Gin and Seagram’s 7. Whatthinkyou—with a singlebottleofSeagram’s to two ofMaker’s Markandthreeof BombaySapphire, have our 7thsquadronbrethren gained wisdomlate inlife, or are theyapostate to theverybrandthatmadethemwhat theypurport to be? [Votingcontrolled bythe same folkswho conductballot countingforbothAmerican Idol and our nationalpresidential election]

Seagram’s atplayin Steamboat: Gerry, Gerry, Brian, Roger, and Glenn. TalkedwithMikeThiessenforthefirsttimein ages. HeandNancyremain in Kansas City, where Mike’s law practice prospers. By the time you read this, Mike and sons will have ventured out for the 30th straightyear to open the Kansaspheasant season the firstweekendinNovember. He soundsjustlike all ofyou remember.

ClarkandMarilyn Bunton recentlyspentthreeweeks inTurkeyand Greece, taking some traveltips faves fromthewell-traveledMikeWetterer.

Forthose ofyouwho missed itinthelast Checkpoints,youwillbe rewarded ifyouretrieve it andreadDarrylWhitcomb’sintimate pieceregardinghis travels to East Germany to visit the bridge that he and his fellow aviators were charged with destroying had the balloon ever gone up before the USRR collapsed and the BerlinWallfell. Darrylcaptures nicelythevalues that motivatedmanyifnot all us during our blue-suitlives, values thatinhere to this day. Dan Thomas, amongothers, commented on its excellence. The piece is definitelyworth five minutes ofyourtime.

You are receiving reunion information, and hopefullyplanning on spendingthe firstweekend ofNovember ’09 at USAFA for our 40th. For a varietyof reasons, there have been some hiccups in the Class Gift, and we hope to sort them out to give you an updatebythe time you readthis, or soon thereafter.

’Til next time. Lindsey

Dick Rauschkolb

130 Luxury Lane

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 761-5764

Cell: (719) 310-6928

Email: AOG70@comcast.net

Richard Rauschkolb@usafa.edu

Abigsalute to JoeKupko! Joe was our last classmate on active dutyandhe retired in September at a very moving ceremony at Doolittle Hall. Joe presented his retirement flag to the Class President of2010—our legacy class. It was great to see Brian O’Connor (2010) there andparticipating in part ofthe ceremony. Okershouldbeveryproud ofBrian andhis other son atWest Point. Hopefully, 2010 will followin the great tradition ofthe Class ofSeventy. The endofan era men—thanks to all ofyou foryourservice to our greatnationand its communities.Whether in or out ofuniform, each ofyou represented our class and theAcademywith dignity. Specialrecognition forthose who made the ultimate sacrifice in combat and a kind thought or prayer to all of our classmateswho are no longerwith us.

RichandNanciDowninghostedthemini-reunionofallmini-reunions attheir home afterthe Navygame.We had a record turnout—80 people! Iwill tryto list our classmates here—I’m sure I will leave someone out. Almost everyone was accompaniedbytheirwife or significantother. Despitetheloss to the dreaded Middies a goodtime was hadby:LarryBush, Russ Carparelli, MickDavey, Chris Dunbar, CurtEmery,MarkEwig,ThePhantom,JohnGallagher,GregGilles,Roger Hill, JakeHolmes, Bill Kirkman, Mike Lambert, Mike Lyons, SpeedyMartin, Don Mills, HenryMitchell, JackMueller, RayOakeshott, Mike Pomphrey, Bill Porter, Gino Quist, Shawn Raintree, GeorgeRayl,TomRayl, GerryShaw, Graham Smith, Brian Spitzer,WildBill Stealey, LarryVaughn, Cookie (thecamper) Villareal, andPhilWhitehead.We were alsofortunate to haveBarbBang stopby andseveralcadetsattend.Thecadetskeptaskingaboutthedinosaursthatroamed theTerrazzo backin the Sixties. It was good to see Brian O’Connor (2010) and PhilWhitehead (2009) there. Manythanks to Rich and Nanci forhosting this motleycrew—dinnerand adultbeverages were GREAT!

Seventymen toast victoryoverNavy—in2009!

How about them Falcons! As I write this in late October, the Falcons are 7-2 comingoffa trouncingoftheBlackknights oftheHudson. Looks like a bowl is in our future!AfterthedisappointingNavyloss, we startedusingdoolies atquarterbackandhalfback. Theseguyshave some realspeed. Thefuturelooksbright— we presentlyhave 17 dooliesandthirdclassmangettingsignificantplayingtime. Hope we can supporttheAcademylike we didlastyearin buyingtickets forthe bowlgame. Lastyearwe sold 12,000tickets to grads andthathas a bigimpact on the type ofbowl we will play in for years to come. Troy Calhoun and his staff deserve lots ofpraise forturningthisrebuildingyearinto a big success.

Not sure what the basketball team will be like. We are veryyoung, but have some good recruits cominginwho should see lots ofaction. Our hockeyteam is ranked20th in the nation andhashadgreat success thelast few years by earning a slot in the NCAA Tournament. We should do the same thisyear.

Wild Bill Stealeywon his club’s net championship with an 8 handicap.Way to goWildBill! I need strokes!Wild Bill also hashishands fulltryingto keep upwith allthe ups and downs onWall Street as itrelates to AOGinvestments. He is the right man for the job! Bob Chambers hooked up with Richie Gillespie at a church theyhadbothbeenattendingforyears. Seems Bob noticed a USAFAlicense plateholder and asked who owned the car. Richie is a retired neurosurgeon andJean and Richieboard horses on smallfarminthe ShenandoahValley. DanaandLindaArbaughhelped ChuckReed celebratehis 60th birthday at theirhome in California. Paula was in Kansas supervisingthe birth ofChuck’s grandson, who now has the same birthday as Chuck (by30 minutes). Prettyneat!

DonMills indicatedabout20 grads inthePortland area hadlunchwith coach TroyCalhoun. Coachwants a bigAFAturnoutforthegame atMinnesotain2009. DonandLendella are newgrandparents.JoeBoyles sent me a greatarticleabout our classmateswho diedin SEA. Itwas verymoving.Hopefully, he can postit on the 70 discussion group on the AOG web site—Usafa.org. Roy Long was “replumbed”with a newbladder. Ithink a lotofus could use thatRoy—ormaybe that’s a new liverwe need! SawGregGilles atthegolfcourse yesterday. Heheard I shot a 39 on the front andimmediatelywhined about strokes. I shot44 on the backGreg!HenryMitchellwentto Floridato pickup a newsportscar—didn’tget allthe details. He is offto skicountryfor a roughwinterofgivingskilessons. Have seen DaveGaw, BobMcKinney, CookVillareal,MickDavey,JohnGallegher,Larry Bush, andothers at home gamesthisyear. LarryandMarleenwentto boththe UNLVand SanDiego Statewins. ChuckandBarbWeir are proudparents as their twinboys are now servingthe nation in theArmy.

Tim Kimian sent me a nice note praisingWildBill andDenise Stealey(mostly Denise) for hosting a mini-reunion at their beautiful home in MountainAir, NC. Attendees included Tim and Sue Kinnan, Roger and Cheryl Riggs, Tom and SheilaWaskow, Ed andLindaCole, andYogi and Robbie Royce. Tim said there was a lotofeating, laughter and consumption ofadult beverages.Yogi had CDs for everybodythat includedthe greathits ofthelate Sixties (send me a copyYogi).Almost madethemfeellike cadets again—untiltheylooked in the mirror.Wild Bill planned the golfand rumor has it he won enough to finance

his next company.Wild Bill is alreadyplanningnextyear’s event inAugust and wants more classmates to attend.

Mike (ThePhantom) Hubercouldn’t believe I was now an Englishteacher at USAFA. He sent me hounds toothjacket, ascot, and pipe so I would lookthe role. Mike saidhe almost flunked out ofUSAFA due to doolie English, but he didn’t want to put upwith allthe drinking, women andpersonal freedoms at a civilian school so he got some El and made it throughtheAcademy. Talkabout thewrongtype ofan epiphany! That’s a word I learned at the Prep School, but have never been able to use.

Al FahyretiredfromFEDEXafter27years and is now a micro-managerofhis retirement home in Germantown, TN. I was out ofworkfor a yearAl—Marilyn learnedafter a weekthat it was not good deal having the “man ofthe house” around on a full-time basis! Finding ajob at our age is no fun—age discrimination is alive andwell! Looks like George andPattyRaylwillbe retiring to Grand Junction, Co. That is greatgolfcountryGeorge—hope to get down there and take a fewofyoursheckles roomie!

MickDaveysent me thispictureofa bunchofSeventy men andtheirwives at a Spurs game in Florida. Let’s hope Popo can continue his streak ofwinning NBAChampionships in theoddyears.

GOSPURS-Seventymen andspouses celebrate with CoachPop.

Marilyn and Iwish all ofyou a HappyHolidaySeason andgood health in the NewYear. Aspecial prayer or thought to all our troops who are in harm’sway.

5565 Lantana Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

H: (719) 570-9162

W: (719) 594-0100

E-mail: pk71knott@gmail.com

The foundations ofthis column are beinglaid as a campaign winds down, the Broncos are layingdown, thebowl-eligible Falcons are bearingdown, and snow howls down the Peak in the first major fall storm we’re had this year. Whenyou read these words, youwill attach your own significance to these events.

Martin Lebouitz and Don Bressett got togetherrecently inTampa, FL, for lunch. “We are both doingwell. Don isworkingwith PWC and I am still doing myconsultingto banks andtechnologycompaniesinthepayments area. Look forward to seeingyou and the rest ofthe gang at the next reunion ifnot before. Ifanyofthe class is outTampaway, please stop byand sayhello. We are only 10 minutes fromthe airport.”

classmate. He was in another class. As I understand, this is where Bob and Dustymet.

On a more sombernote, RandyLeavitt sent a note afterthelast issue and my mention ofMarkPeterson and DickGray: “I was reminded thatI was flying at both scenes when Dick crashed and Mark was shot down. Dickand I roomed together the night before hisdeath. We bothtook offin the morning from Uhon. We landed in Phnom Penh. I took offbefore Dick from Phnom Penh on the second part ofmymission. AfterDick crashed on take-off, I was called over to give some kind ofreport on what happened. It was an eerie feeling. Markwas flying on a missionthelast dayoftheVietnameseconflict. As I recall, it wasn't a mission he had to fly. The truce went into effect the next day. His plane was shot down close to the DMZ. I flew a search and rescue missionlater on that night. Therewasn't much hope ofa recoverybythe time I was up. I'll never forget those two days and night. I don't thinkI've ever talked aboutthose two events with others since leaving Southeast Asia. I realized later that my memorywith regard to Mark Petersen is probably a little foggy. Mark'slastmission was flown out ofThailand. I think he was with the 23rdTASSthere. I was with the 20thTASS in Da Nang at the time. I was more isolated fromhis situation. I do remember hearing ofhis missionwhen he was shot down. What I understood was that he actuallyvolunteered to go on the mission. He didn'thave to go up. It was at the endoftheVietnam conflict. I'm not real sure ofhowclose it was to the last day. It was real close. I went up on my mission after he was shot down, but it was not immediately afterhis plane was shot down. When I went up, I remember intelligence told me to keep my ears open to hearifthere was anysign ofsurvival on the ground. Itwasn't a direct search and rescue mission. As far as I know, there hadalready been other efforts to tryand locate survivors.”

Satire Society Donors

Thankyouforsharing,Randy. It’s never easyto dredge up memories offallen brothers, but manytimes those are triggers ofmore pleasanttimes. I recently attendedthe funeral ofa friend ofmine and fellowPhantom crew dog, and it struck me as I read Randy’s memories that how a friend or classmate died is never as important as howtheylived.We are honored to have had people in our class that serve to remind us ofthat fact. GBA

Bob Bell

13 Pacific Ave.

Sinking Spring, PA 19608 (610) 678-3182/Fax: 678-4513

E-mail: rabell767@aol.com

HiFolks!!Hereisjust a quicknotethistimesincewewere abitshortoftheusual inputthat I get fromyou all. MikeVerzolawrites to advisethathe retiredfrom Procter& Gambleafter30years. The retirementcelebrationheld inCincinnati includedclassmatesBillEmmer, MarkMcCarthyand CraigGhelberalongwith two USMAgradswithwhomMikeworked atP&G overtheyears, GeorgeCullen, '71 andJohnFeatherstone, '72. Inthephoto, Mikestandsthirdfromtheleftwith Bill and Mark on theleftandCraig, George andJohn on the right.

Andrea and some ofherclassmates attended a reunion ofherhigh school in Greenville, SC, in September. It turns out thatBob Bennett’swifehadbeenher

Afterthelast Checkpoints, as is usuallythe case, I got a briefnote offeedback, this time from SmokeyStover. I had mentioned his “possibly”having retired fromAmericanAirlines andhewanted to make itknown “for sure” that he was definitely retired and loving it. Timing is everythingandhopefullyhis was fine. (Inlightofthewaythe economyhas been flailinglately,maybe I should have given thatdecision some thought as well, butI enjoyflyingthe 777 too much after only a fewmonths out oftraining on it...)

During one ofmy manytrips to London on the NewYork 777 forAmerican, I had the occasion to enjoy some time in the pub for drinks and dinnerwith Tom Stone, also doing his Londontrip from the LAX crewbase. Overtheusualfare offish and chipswith an adult beverage or two, we discussed a cross-section oftopicsranging from fondAcademymemories to the ongoingpoliticalsaga,

airline things and finally including the fact ofTom’s impending marriage. Congratulations andbestwishes, Tom.

Wellguys, thatisreallyallthe news thatIhavethistimeanyandallinformation willbeusedinfuturecolumns as itisreceived, so keepthatinmind asyoutraverse the highways andbyways oflife. Itpromises to be a new andinterestingfuture shapingup for us all. All the bestinthis upcoming season ofholidaycheer!

Joe Kahoe

4140 Saddle Rock Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Cell: (719) 210-5568

joekahoe@gmail.com

http://73.texascomputerhelp.com

Class of’73, thankyou foryourgreat reunion inputs. I knowthere are hundreds ofgoodpicturesand stories to matchfromthe reunion. Please continue to send allfor the next three editions. We haveverylimited space in the hard copyCheckpoints, but most ofyour inputswillbe included on our web version ofthe Checkpoints article at http:/ /usafa73.org. Also, Mike Nishimuta reportsthatalllinks to photo albums, andindividualphotos, willbeposted on thewebsite, so please sendthem to him also at mike@nishimuta.net.

Ihope everyone had as much fun at our 35th reunion as I did. Itjustseemed to go too fast,especiallyconsideringthe manymonths ofplanningandpreparation. We had some verygood feedbackabout howwe might do itbetterfor our 40th.

This reunion was especiallymeaningfulwith our Class of ’73 holding the reins ofpowerin theAF... Norty as CSAF, John Corley as ACC Commander, Steve Lorenz as CommanderAETC, JohnRegni at USAFA, Frank Klotz as Assistant to theVice ChiefofStaffat the Pentagon, JackHudson as Commander, Aeronautical Systems Center atWright-Pat, DonnyWurster as Commander AF SpecialOperationsCommand, Mike Edwards as TheAdjutant General of Colorado, andDan O’Hallaren as theCommanderoftheOregonAirNational Guard. Manyothers are “generals ofindustry.” I believe our brotherhood as a classhasgrown over theyears andmanyofus are at a pointin our liveswhere we want to reach out and reconnect with our class and cadet squadron, as evidencedbythe great turnout at the 35th reunion.

Speaking of reins of power, we elected new class officers: President Bob Munson,VP Ron Scott,TreasurerTrapperCarpenter, SecretaryJohnStefonik, SgtAtArmsBJStanton, SenatorMikeMosier, andWeb MasterMikeNisFiimuta.

And“THANKYOU” tothepastofficersforyourserviceto ourclass:MitchMitchell (President), MikeTurner,VP;TrapperCarpenter,Treasurer;JohnStefonik, Secretary; BJ Stanton, Sgt At Arms; A1 Maurer, Minister w/o Portfolio; Kirk Samuelson, Morale. Bytheway, MikeTurnerjustbecame ChiefofLegislative Affairs fortheWoundedWarriorProject in the D.C. office. Congrats Mike!

CS-40 fromMikeNishimuta: Roger

is a retiredAirForce Chaplain inDayton, OH, drove out, only to be called on Thursdaythathis motherin-lawhad passed away, so aftergreeting us Friday, he returnedback to Dayton. On Saturday, we had dinnerwith ourAOC, GeneralJimJohnstonIII, and Sally, at theEdelweiss Restaurant. Jim was ourAOC for most ofthe fouryears we were in CS-40, and since we started and finished together, we have a great relationship. Tim and Steve are our medical school graduates, stillworking. Don and Grace are still at USAirways, Jack at NorthwestAirlines. John is at Lawrence Livermore Lab, Larryin defense work in Pennsylvania, Russell an attorney, and Mike is in SanAntonio.

Donna Felton (Charlie’s betterhalf) invited General Clark, who liveshere in the Springs, to our dinner. He assured he would love to have been there, but his age (95) preventedhimfrom doing so. Hewanted to pass on thatthe class of 1973 was one ofthebest! Donna reports thatthemovie "The Great Escape" was filmed abouthis life. He was one ofthe prisoners from the camp that made that daringescape.

JohnnyWhitaker reports thathe is no longerthe Director ofCommunications at theAcademy; last daywas 10 Oct. He started a week later as the new Director ofMarketing and International Communications forLockheed MartinAeronautics Co. in FortWorth, TX. CongratsJohnny!

Monnie Gore report: FratFive had eightguys showup forthe reunion. Pete

Cooper,RoyHart,LarryFaber, Robert(Sandy) Marsh, DaveThomas,JeffKnight, JackMcCalmont, andMonnie Gore. Coopertried to drivehis originalzoomie Porsche from Southern Californiaand onlymade about 60 milesbefore callingthetowtruck. He didhavefreetowing! Monnie Gore claims to nowbetaller thanbothKnightand Marshbutthatis unconfirmed. The gangreunited at the General Palmerhorse to re-enact the famous October 1972 horse paintingincident. The horse didn't getpainted this time, but no one got arrested either. LarryFaberprobablyhadthe most hairwithThomas and Cooper at the hottom ofthe standings. The group had a great MexicandinnerSaturdaynight at Gore's house in Manitou Springs. Lots ofmargaritas and war stories, but a greattime until the wee hours (which is about 9 p.m. for most ofus). Hope to see you all at the40th!

Correction to last Checkpoints: DougRichter. “Ijustgot backfrom the reunion and had I great time. Ijust opened up the Sep 2008 Checkpoints and found I was moving toVirginia! Actuallywe’re stayinghere in Fredericksburg, Texas. Wejust moved to a different neighborhood.” SorryDoug.

building ties thathold 1974 together. Our stories are not all presentedherein, some are stillbeingwritten. Perhaps thewordwill get around to otherHuskies (graduates ofthe Prep School) so they can let classmates knowwhat’s happened to them. Here’s a picture from the last class reunion that Fve not posted.

Joe Brezovic

1209 Bayou Oaks Drive Friendswood, TX 77546

H: (281) 482-6860

E-mail: jbrezovic@comcast.net

Hello Classmatesaround theworld. Inputshave been a bitsparsethis quarter. Thankfully, James ‘Doc’ Holadayisworking the USAFAPrep School 1970 webpage. Doc has enabled the page to take updates to profiles. This issue provides a thumbprintsketch of’74 classmates who started one year earlier

In frontofCSquadron and outofshape! Ifmemoryserves, fromleftareJoe Brezovic, Larry Strang, John Sweda, Kevin Casey, Carlton Hairston, Stu Lindner, andPhyllip (Brad) Huffman.

Richard Blanchet (Susie) spent time in the USAFflyingtheT-37, C-9, and C5 as well as a large graydesk. He retired from USAF in 1993 and hired on with AdasAir as a pilot on the B747.When not flying, Richard has served Belleville, IL, community as a Paramedic forthe past20years. FrankBrewer (Stephanie) seems to stillbe a pilotforSouthwestAirlines. Notmuch to add. His shortnote was thathe remembers skiing everyweekendfrom Dec 2nd until May 1970, and gettingboxlunches from the chowhall forfree. Amazing! Ijust learned helives inAustin, TX. Tony Brozena (Cheryl) is suffering the cube-downsizing in his office area inAlbuquerque, NM, buthe always seems to turn out OKand in goodhumor. It must behis music playingthat he strums awaypain! JimColottaisworkinghiswaythrough life as a CPA somewhere in Charlotte, NC.

Francis (Mike) Eydenberg (Kathlyn) is a professor in Alamogordo, NM where he’s been teaching Physics and CompSci at NewMexico State since retiring. Seems like most ofhis free time has been flying RC airplanes in the parking lot. Phyllip (Brad) Huffman is serving as a pilot, andlives out ofDelaware, OH. Charles Lathan (Mary) spend theirlives inVass, NC. Chuck summed up life with: Nav, C-130, Philippines, Korea, CA, OH, AR, NC. Retired ’97, Horse Farm forwife/daughter, tennis/ golf/stocktraderfor me. SteveLenzi (Suki) still live in Hawaii. Steve was in C130s, C-12s. Did real estate in Hawaii and since 2001 has been working on Airlift Plans as a contractor, plus has time to raise two boys. Ed Loskill (Kathryn), still living out ofLubbock, TX. Short sum is pilot training, T-38 Instructor, F-15 Instructor/FWIC, Pentagon, retired, Deltapilot and time for two children and five grandchildren.

The oneyoumaynotrecognizeisEdLoskill.

Franklin Murphy is living out of Pembroke Pines, FL. Robert Newman (Robin) is now into medical research, in the Chads Ford, PA area. Bob flewF4s then separated in ’80 to go to JohnsHopkins and UnivofBaltimore. I think Boblikes the north seasons. One would think that medical research can be done where there are hospitals, and there are large ones in betterweather places! He mustbe dedicated! Orfromthat area andwants to beclose to home. Bob, I’dlike to thankyou ahead oftime forwhatevermedicineyou’reworking on-chances are I’ll probably use one ofthem as I’m getting older!!

Bob Newman withhairin regulation!

Michael O’Connel (Loretta) gave this history: separated in 79, went to FAA as air traffic controller, tower, tracon, enroute center, central flow control, traininginstructor, FAAHdqtrs staff, supervisor, retiredJan 04 and moved to GrandJunction, CO. Alongtheway, Mike and Loretta raisedtwo sons and now have a grandson.

Gordon (Hal) Quanbeck (Rae) live out ofKeyLargo, FL, which Hal uses as a home base for his career as a pilot. Dan Surber (Sara) are living in the Zionsville, IN area. Theyhavebeenraisingfour children. Dan hadbeenArmy beforeAFA. After 74, heflewT-37 as IPthen into F-111 flightcommander,wing safety; then moved on to General Dynamics for cockpit design forYF-22A, AFTI/CAS F-16,VISTAF-16, and NSAPX-30. Dan had a shortperiodwith Case in theagbusiness and nowwith Raytheon. He’sbeenpassing on the secrets of his trade, systems engineering, as an instructor at Indiana-Purdue. For fun, he’s applying his prep schoollacrosse goalie lessons to the women’s lacrosse team. John Sweda (Victoria) was shorter. He retired in ’94 and has been testing stufffor DoD since then. He hangs his hat in Shalimar, FL. John Voss (Barbara) live out ofSanAntonio, TX, when John isn’t piloting for Southwest Airlines. John retired out ofAF in ’94; andtheywere able to raise three daughters alongthe wayoflife. Joseph Traficanti (Kathi) is striving to resolve issues and portfolios. Since his shingle reads SeniorVice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer (for a food company) for his office in Richmond,VA, thatJoe is busymaybe an understatement!

Other news from classmates: Please don’t underestimate the impactyour notes make to 74 classmates. JimTietjen wrote in thatwhile readingthe Mar 08 Checkpoints, he noticedthat we havethree classmates living andworking in Singapore. Jim has been there eightyears four as the AirAttache, then retired, and four more years as a consultant. So Jim is on the way to trying to getwith these three for a mini-reunion. Then again, perhaps to build a support group! One doesn’tknowwho’s in the area till one sees it in the news!

Joe Brezovic learned that there are two AFA grads in Riyadh, SaudiArabia: Steve Seroka ’84, a USAF colonelwiththe Saudi trainingthere; and a former student ofJoe’s PMS-110, LarryBrock ’89, a contractor in communications. Grads help the living conditions ofthe neighborhood! Backin the USA, Nick Puzakisworking out ofC Springs, and is stillwith the Hubble mission plans which is now due to launch the firstpartof2009. Nickis as tenacious as always. Thankyou, 74 classmates, forholding onto your dreams and for doingyour bestwhether still in the military, civilian career, or now striving to achieve your own personalgoals. You’ve madelife betterforthose aroundyou, easier forthose thatknowyou, and saferforthosethatwill never knowofyou. Proud to knowyou, and grateful you allow me to tellyour stories. Mayeach ofyou live long and prosper.

Paul Kent

18166 S.E. 41st Place Issaquah, WA 98027-9717

Mobile: (425) 785-3586

E-mail: zooscribe@mac.com

Minutemanlll RemovedAfter37Years OfAcademyService.And this time it was not Charlie Beadling. Althoughhe was contacted, he declined, stating thathisprevious efforts (although self-initiatedwith enthusiasticsupportfrom others) were not appreciated at the time. Infact, thePublicAffairs announcement quotes "...since its dedicationceremonyDec. 9,1971, the Minutemanlll ICBM displayhas inspired thousands ofcadets over theyears..." The article does not elaborate that the missile, while still on a flatbed trailer, "inspired" a small slightlyderanged cadre ofstealth-doolies from the Class of 1975 to "remove" it before it was even erected. As Jim Carlson observes: The MM III in front oftheField House startedwith us, and isjoining us in retirement.Want to knowthe storyfrom our beloved instigator himself? Checkit out at our class page on ZoomieNation (lookin class Posts).

Classmates. Ben Bosma has garnered some high interest from TSAwith a consumer productthatwould make life easier forairtravelerswithlaptops to getthroughairportsecurityquickly. Itworks. Jim Carlson was askedbyBen to ops test his product.The securitypersonnelremarked, “Oh, that’s one ofthose new laptopbags! JC told her he hadjust met with the inventor (Bosma) the daybefore and was wondering ifsecuritypersonnel would recognize it. She saidtheyallknewaboutthebagandthought it was clever andJCthoughtitwas prettycool to have been hanging out with one of our amazinglygifted classmates. Again fromJim C: Here’s an illustration ofhowgreatyou guys, my classmates, are: Mydepartureflight out ofReagan National was delayed several times until canceled. I called a couple ofclassmates and eventuallygothold ofMartyStytz. He looked up another classmate, Jerry Manthei. Jerry immediately offered to pick me up and have me crash at his apartment. Not onlythat, but he drove me to the airport at 0500 the next morning. At Daytonfor Dave Elirhart’s retirement ceremony, Dave andChris hosted me at brunch at theirhouse Saturdaymorningand BenBosmatreated me to lunch that afternoon.Then FredWhitican and Cheryl had me over for dinner. I thinkallthese guys have mistaken me forsomebodyelse! From Dave Clough to recentlylocated non-gradRayMarden: We're glad we found you.

From Brian Barnes: Russ (BryonRussell) is having funplanning to launch a rocket into space: seehttp:/ /www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25629714/from/ET/ Denny Melton refused to become a GBNF, but it was close. Denny was riding his bike on a trail and suffered a veryserious heart attackand it was quite an effort to revive him. The scribe had a memorable summer that a few of our classmateshave participated in over the years. I had the privilege ofexperiencingPhilmont Scout Ranch with my 14-year-old son. One gets renewed faith inyouthwith Scouts. The scribe was also proud thathis 55-year-oldbody still could backpack70 miles in 11 days at altitudes up to 12,000 feet. Upon return, the scribe had the honor ofa dinnervisit from Chris Glaeser and wife, Karen. Uponrelating myPhilmont story, Chris invited me on late-summer fantastic-weather-dayhike to SnowLake in theAlpine Lakes area ofWashington. Chris previously ran into BobbyThompson in Seward, AK in late July. Bobbyhadjust returned from a fishingtrip. Bobbyis a 747 captain for NWA based inAnchorage still living in Frisco, CO.

BillMurrayand the RyderCupCaptainPaulAzinger. Admin. From Jim Carlson: A number ofclassmates have already sent Bill Estelletheiroriginalphotosandslidesforscanning. There's a reason I'mmaking a bigdeal about this - we're all getting on in age, and at some point, you guys won'tremember ifyou even have boxes in storage at all! So beforethewill and the memoriesgo, I'dlike us to focus on this in the next 12 months and complete this project a year before the next reunion. KeithWorkman (USAFAclass of 1975 POCNon-Grad) posted over 100 photos from induction throughParent's weekend at https://zoomienation.usafa.org/usafa/albums/74293/pics.html.

Lastly, ifyou want to donate to the 75 Class Fund, send it to: USAFA75 CLASS FUND, c/o Scott Hente, 2760 Brogans BluffDrive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919

USAFA vs Navy. FromTerryYoung: Our own LarryFariss (Falcon football co-captainduring our senioryear) was selectedbytheAcademyfootball staff as one oftheHonoraryCo-Captainsforthehome game againstNavy on Oct08 at FalconStadium.This is a rare honor, intended to recognize formerplayers who epitomizeleadership, determination and team spiritboth on the fields of friendlystrife as cadets and in the demandingrigors ofreal world missions after graduation. Foricing on the cake, Larry's son JD (USAFA’01) didaC-17 flyover. As Larry said, "How cool is that?" From Jim Burling: A couple of squadrons had mini reunions: CS-17 andCS-29 (Schwarz, Udall,Ashcraft, Berlan,Huffman,Fong,Wells,Davis,Barbera andAOC Hovastak). Other responses: Bill and Judy Murray, Mike Matte, Chappie Hargrove, Nark Narkiewicz’swife, Faith, and friend (but not Nark!).Additionally, the normal Colorado crowd: MickeyClemons, Dick& Denise Dye, Bruce Fritzsche,John & BeckyGaughan, Brian & Jan Duffy,Trayls & Carole Traylor, Pete & Cindy Krogh, too many to name, etc. But not Scott Hente, recoveringfrom knee surgery. Honorarycaptain, classmate LarryFariss, and footballTeam Officer Rep, Col MarkWells (in uniform) were on the sidelines. From Chris Glaeser: Enjoythe photo fromthe Stalag 17 partyafterthe Navygame. MarkVolcheff hostedthis event at his housejustsouth ofthe academyafterthe close loss to Navy (27-33). Spence [Roberts] flewin from Memphis, and Karen and I from Seattle. Everybody else lives in Colorado Springs except the Sprenkles, who are in south Denver. Back rows: Dave &Janice Sprenkle, Tim &Jan Murphy, Mark& MaryVolcheff, Bruce & JaniceMitchell, Chris & Karen Glaeser. Front row: Spence Roberts (hiswife, Diana, was not able to make it, buthe FedEX'd a bigboxoffreshAlaskankingcrabs... (Note T shirt!) Areallygreatevening that endedway too soon.

FromJimBurling: Bruce Fritzsche’s wife, Nancy, passed awayafter a short illness,withBruce andtheirchildren atherside:Adrienne (27, a physicaltherapist),Annette (24, an instrumentalmusicteacher), and Boyd (abrand new 2nd lieutenantwhojustleftto beginhis training as a hospitaladministrator). Larry Bryant adds: The entire Monumentcommunityis in shockand mourning.

GBNF. From CollinFlynn: Charlie Nystrom was struckandkilled by a truck in Tucson while riding home from work on his bike. Scott Hente noted on Augustl9th: Kind ofalousydayfor 75. Chuck's service as well as the funeral for Bruce Fritzche'swife, Nancy, are both this afternoon.

Dan Beatty

12196 Stanley Canyon Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

H: (719) 488-1962

E-Mail: whrlybrd76@aol.com

Da n. Beatty@usafa.af. m

http://www.AFAcademy.com/76

Fellow ’76ers,

Asyou read this, the electionis complete. Wonderwho won andwhatdirection our countryis going? The CadetWing is eagerlyanticipating Christmas break.

Movingup/moving on. MarkWelshnominatedfor3rd starw/assignmentto AssociateDirectorofCIAforMilitarySupport,Washington, DC. Congrats Mark!

Correction: Myhumble apologies to Marc Felman! Marc sent me info last cycle and I simplyscrewedup, didn’tplace the info inmynormalholdingdraft and, as a result, neglected to include Marc’s input in mylast article (NO EXCUSE SIR!). Marc was featuredin theAugustAirForce magazinestory “White Knuckles to theAzores” (see http:/ /www.airforce-magazine,com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/August%202008/0808azores.aspx). The storydetails Marc’s March 1986 McKay Trophyflight. Readthearticle; it’s a great account ofaviation daring. Marc, I’m sincerely sorry aboutlast cycle’s error. Please accept myapologies.

GeneralClass Stuff: I am still expanding/updating my Scribe database and appreciate anycontact infoyou have for any ’76ers including email/snail mail addresses & phone numbers. Iwill not share infowithoutyourpermission to protectyourprivacy. Please send anyand all contact datayou have. Iwill sort out any duplicates. Ifyou are on some sort of“linked-in” site, send me an invite to join and I can get contact info you have for other’76ers.

Walt Heidmous wrote forfirst time in a long time. He’s headed to workfor Scientific ResearchCorp at KirtlandAFB and appears to be leavingthe education arena. Carrie will stayin FortWalton Beach untilthehouse sells.She and Walt were blessed w/lst grandkid, Emily, in Sept. Walt Washburn develops web applicationsfor CVS/Caremarkin Dallas, also built and maintains a ‘public service’ website promoting open source tools for projectmanagement and collaboration. He and Mindy are first-time grandparents. Tim Prater has two grandkids and also sent new updated contact info. Bob Johnson is a part time Veterans Service Officerin Groton, MAandalso sent updated data. A1 Grijalva and Cara have gone completelylandline-less; he is a limited partner atwork, Cara was promoted to lead agent, daughter Danielle is out on her own now, daughter Cari’s well in Jacksonville and has postponedweddingfor a bit, daughter Michelle and son Mike both are doing well w/their families and all grandkids are good. LarryEngleson works for Delta, got back in the Reserves Feb 06, got promoted to Lt Col USAFR and claims to be oldest Lt Col in USAFR, at least in our class. Russ Casella is a civilian anesthesiologist now. Sent familypic from this summer showing all four boys, two daughters-in-law, and grandkid.

Russ Casellaandfamily

SydMcPherson says allis fine inhishousehold, son Matt (USAFA07) got married recentlyto anArmybrat; she wore a cammo garterw/ “GOARMY” on itand they now reside at Minot. Daughter Laurenis a frosh atVirginiaTech. Syd and Janettooktheirfirst-evercruise to celebratetheir25th. JaySteinmetzandLuellen liveinVirginia; heorchestratinghomelandsecurity& asymmetricwarefarework, she teaching2nd grade. Had first grandkid recently, son Alan w/ familyjust moved to the area, and sonTodd &familyworksw/ Jay at EWA/IIT. Don “Waldo F. Dumbsquat” Hall & Paulajust moved to Pueblo, CO. Hope to linkupw/him soon. Tells me the Mission Inn (akaSpike’sPlace) is closing for a bitwhile road work goes on. John Rivera reports he and DaveArbutinawill be at theArmy gameNov 1st. Sayshe’llsendpicsfornextarticle. StefEisen,TerryWilliams, and Denny“Diller” Rea are w/Vertexin Montgomery, ALsupportingAirUniversity. Stefis Director ofAF’s new Center ofExcellence. RandySchavrien’s son Scott soloed at Columbus on 17 Oct. JeffLarsen sent a pic ofhim, GaryMontgomery, and ScottGoughattheUSAFA-USNAgame. Monty& ScottflyforUnited. Jeff’s son Peter (USAFA06) was homebefore startingArmycounterinsurgencytrainingfollowedby a yearembeddedwith theAfghanArmy.

JelTLarsen, GaryMontgomery andScottGough at the USAFA-USNAgame. Bill Clifford traveled to Chinawith daughter Frances (18) to teach eye surgerybut ended up helpingw/earthquake relief. Goodjob Cliff! Mike Dolan sent good article aboutKayakAnglesSocietyofAmericaand the ‘Heros on the Water’chaptershelpingwounded soldiers. GregLewis and Dave Bergreport nothing to report. Mike “Yama Dog” Hoyes and Denny Damiens sayhowdy. Ed Morley starts Diplomatic Courier class this month; will be sworn Foreign Service Officer in Dec headed for DC then probably Frankfurt. Mike Cunningham claims to be the oldest fatherin our classwithbirth ofdaughter

Emma on 4 Sep. Methinks his claimmaybejustified! Congrats on new kiddo Mike! Dave Matthews runningfor CountyCommissioner in Floyd County, IN. Good luckDave!

DougFryhadfirst grandkid 06 Sep, born to son Matt (USAFA05). Congrats Doug! Dan Price pinned USAF wings on son Doug (USAFA06) at Ft Rucker (another REAL aviator!) on 17 Oct. Dougheaded to Hueys at Fairchild. Lee Cuevaswillwing sonAlex on 21 Nov. Alexheadedto C-130s. Mike Fricano sent pics from the HawaiiAOG chapterAFA-USN pre-football bash that includes MikeWalsh. Says MikeGould was there inAug as speaker at thelocalAirlift/ TankerAssocluncheon. MikeWalsh wrote he saw Fric and thathe andJacky traveled toVermont, thenJapan. Broughtdaughter Clare backfromMaster’s program, andwill flydaughterMichelle and familyhome for Christmas.

Joe Evans says son Joe is now mission qualified helo pilot at Great Falls; daughter Laura and family are now at Ft Meade. A1 Patriquin checked out in DeltaBoeing 777 and has bothkids in college now. Flewwith BradJones; ran into Lauren ‘Trot’ Trottier, Mike Hauser, andJohnArmor. Ray Fortner flies Delta 757/767s; saw Maze Ericksonand Rich Kohl, andkeeps intouchwith John Dunstan and Bill Kearns. Mike Eyolfson has privatepractice in Sacraments, workswith fourothergrads in surgeryandhas son Dave at San Diego State. T.S. Kelsoworkswithgeostationarycommunicationssatellites andsays hehas beentraveling a lot to include Rome. Arealhardship locationT.S! Jerry McFarlane sent a pic ofhimandJohnHildebrandtmakingacquaintanceswith a 'hen' partyin Dublin in May, says theyhadhad their share ofGuinness, and thinkshis wife tookthe pic.

JerryMcFarlaneandJohn Hildebrandtin Dublin.

CraigManson, Bill Nash, DrewBoyd, and Bob Johnson sent updated contact data.

Well classmates, again time to stick a forkin it. Send me yournotes, inputs, address updates, suggestions,junkmail, etc and Iwill do mybest to keep allof youintheloop. As always, ifyou are headed to theSprings, let me andtheother localsknow. Keepflyingyourflags andlet our deployedtroops knowyouhave them inyourthoughts and prayers.

The Spirit of76 is STILL alive andwell! Until next time... Beatty

John J “Lou” Michels, Jr.

4107 Harvey Western Springs, IL 60558

Voice: (312) 849-8150

Fax: (312) 849-8151

jmichels@mcguirewoods.com

On November 4,2008,1 looked out my office window overlooking Grant Parkhere in Chicago andwatched history occur. Nothinglike having 75,000 people showup outside youroffice to makeyou appreciate democracy. Sincethen, and probablyup until the inauguration, this is going to be an exciting town.

As many ofyou know, I switched lawfirms this fall. I guess Ijustwasn’t facingenough ofa crisis in mymidlife crisis, so I thought Iwould complicate matters furtherbystruggling all over againwith a new boss, new officeand new set ofprofessionalchallenges. Forthecurious, the move was atmychoice and based on what I see as almostunlimited potential at my new firm, Baker & McKenzie. In truth, the important stuff hasn’t changed; I am stilldoingthe same type oflaborandemploymentlitigationthat I was before, only now I am supportedbyabout 2,000 more lawyers.

Since I am confessing allhere, andbecause I don’thave a lot ofmaterial this time around, I might as well bringyou up to date on the Michels clan. My oldest sonis nowa SEREinstructoratFairchild, havingweathered a techschool that I could only describe as “horrific.” Ifyou can, imagine that three-week program we allwent throughin 1974 expandedto sixmonthswith a five-month BCTput on in front ofit. Andyou might also be interested to learnthat we are

now teaching urban escape and evasion, at least to the instructors. I won't divulge the details here, but it soundedlike a veryunpleasant four days and nightswanderingthroughthe streets ofa majorcity. SoniaandI are nowbouncingbetween Chicago and occasional trips to a house we havejust outside of Cripple Creek. I will take requests forvisits, butunderstand that I will not be able to give you much more than a week or two notice ofwhen we will be there.Those ofyou in the Colorado Springs area should get on thewaitinglist now.

RATS INVEGAS: JohnVisser (Ann) dropped me a line from his northTexas abode. The Cellar Ratz from CS-33 gottogether inVegas forthe UNLVfootball game lastfall. Tim andMaryAnn Hopperorganized the get-together and the pictures tell the rest ofthe story.

Tim retired from Nellis and is now working for a DOD contractor inVegas. John says “don’taskthe exact detailsofhisjob - I’m not sure and probablydon’t have the clearance to know anyway.” Whatever the clearance, Tim put together a prettygood program. Othersjoining the group, which John refers to as a mixedbusiness/pleasuretrip (more on this later), included MontyMontgomery, who was there inhis capacity as union chieffortheALPA-Northwest airplane drivers, which is dealingwithwhat Montyeuphemisticallyrefers to as “his Delta brothers” following the merger. Montyallegedlyhad an ALPA business meeting on the strip. Jeez, you’d thinkthese guys were fund managers, or something.

Getting out there soundedlike an adventure. John didn’t knowhe was going until he noticed that he had a scheduledlayover inVegas the dayofthe game, a unique event in and ofitself. As he’s sittingin theleft seat pushing backfrom the gate at DFW, Jim Maskowitz (Rita) bursts into the cockpit to tell John he’s on thejetanddeadheadingtoVegas too. John tried to get Masko into thejump seat, butsinceMasko was alreadysettled infirstclass nursing a drink, hepassed and went back to where the seats recline. Masko, bytheway, is headed to do international routes forAmerican flying 767s. For some reason I thought all those aircraft had been retired and were about to be retrofittedwith booms.

Anyway, these two guys get toVegaswhere they meet Lee Bauerwho is “on a perpetual state ofvacation” (according to Johnanyway) afterretiringfrom the Guard. Lee, who was campaigningforthe Chicago Phenom, then drivesMasko and John over to Hopper’s place in a pickup truck jammed full of Obama campaignmaterials. OtherRatzwho made it into the casinos andthe stadium include Mike Weinstein (Bonnie), who was in town to visithis son Curtis over at Creech, Matt Coatsworth (Liz), who is working inVegas as a consultant whenhe’s not doinghis doctorthing, and, telephonically, Scott Harrod (Nita) who was recovering from hip surgerybutwanted to bethere at least in audio form. What Scott reallyneeded was an avatar (seemyearliercolumn re Grady Booch).

Finally, to cap offwhat must have been a riotous weekend (Air Force even won the game),John drives back to his layoverhotel to tryto get some shuteye before his 4 a.m. wake-up call and realizes that his airline ID, alongwith his niftypilotjacket, is locked in Hopper’s car, whichJohn had driven back to the hotel to drop off. AsJohnis breakinginto the car using a coat hanger, a curious securityguard wanders over andjacks him up. After assuring the guard that there is an ID inthe truck, andthatthe ID ishis,Johnis allowed to continue and manages to secure his release. Some photos from this “lostweekend” follow, the first showsTim, Lee and Masko makingchicken-infused beer.

GoodInterviewfora General: RayJohns (Diana) popped up in the “Danger Room” blog atWired.com being interviewed by a fairlywell-known defense reporter. RayistheDeputyChiefofStaffforStrategicPlans and Programs and, according to the blog, “the guywho’s supposed to think aboutwhat theAir Force will need, decades in the future.” Ray’s got some good quotes in the article, butwinshighpraise forhis realistic approach to what advancedequipmenttheAirForce reallyneeds versus whatit’slikelyto have to do inthe immediatefuture. It’s a goodread and I encourageyou to take a look at it ifyou have a chance.

That’s itfrom Campaign Celebration Central. Hope the holidays go wellfor everyone. Beseeingyou.

Bob Kay

40411 Tesoro Lane

Palmdale, CA 93551

Home:(661) 274-2201

Work: (661) 824-6426

Email: Robert.kay@baesystems.com

Greetings 78ers...

The big deal ofcourse was our incredible 30th reunion in September. For those ofyouwho couldn’tbe there I’ll do mybestwith the limited brain cells I haveleft to share thehighlights.

Firstoff, BeesKellenbence (chairman),KipWarton, SteveDalbey,JohnHicks, and Ken Prusakwent above and beyond to make it the first rate event that it was—itwouldn’thavehappenedwithoutthem. The Embassy Suites also did a greatjobhosting our classwith excellent rooms at reasonable rates and superb meals. Finally,JenniferGanzler andtheAOGstaffdid a solidjob ofsupportingseeminglyendless details.. .theytrulyknowhowto do theirjobs and it showed.

Due tojobrequirements, Ellie and Iweren’t able to getthere untillateThursdayafternoon so I’mreportingthirdperson on the events priorto that. Wednesdaynight there was a reception at thehotelthat was fairlywell attended from what I was told. Ifit was anythinglike the ones in the past, it probablytooktwo hours to get from the front door to the bar due to seeing so manypeople for the firsttime in years! On Thursday, the 78 golftournament was held on theAcademy Silver course with a fairlystrong turnout. I never received the results but was again told that severe fun was had byall.

Thursdaynight saw the informalbuffet at the hotelwhich was superb. The foodwas excellent andplentifulwith more than a few severe middle-aged sunburned guys running around (seems we forgothowthe airis rare at 7250’ altitude).

Still,just about everyone I saw seems to be holding up fairlywell under the laws ofgravityand ageing.

OnFriday, we alltried to looksophisticatedin coats andties as theAcademy leadership showed offtheAreawith a great openhouse, lunchwith the cadets inMitch’s or (yet) anotherfeast at DoolittieHall. Afterlunch we made our way to the chapel steps with our better halves forthe famous (or is it infamous?) class picture below.

Afterwards, we gatheredwith ’73 inF-l (the absolute sleep magnet 35 years ago I heard more than one personremark) forseniorstaffbriefings. Keyspeakers alongwith their summaries:

“T”Thompson, ’73 thenewAOG CEO:

•Emphasis on promoting the "Long Blue Line" as a legacy and to fix the image oftheAOGamonggraduates (admittedthatit was a bitofa hard sell on supportingtheAOG but he’s committed to fixingthat).

•Identified 74 categories ofMember/Academysupport an association can provide.

•Made the comparison ofUSAFA against the other academy associations: AOG currentlyprovides 69 ofthese serviceswith three more pending as compared to 41 bythe NavalAOG and 38 bytheArmyAOG.

•Segue into askingfor more supportfortheAOG through contributions and membership. Presented a slide to emphasizewhattheAOG does: 1) Supports AcademyandCadets, 2) Serves Graduates, and3) Promotes Institutional heritage.

•Presented several class stats, some highlights: 3 JabaraAwardWinners, 982 graduated, 944 stillliving, 117 still on active dutyand 407 are AOG members (less than half).

Lt Gen Regni, also ‘73, Supt:

•As a grad, his goalis to bringback some ofthe USAFApasttraditions.

•Emphasizedsetting a higher standard ofdiscipline (which he said the cadets have fullyembraced), putting the teeth back into the HONOR CODE. Therehasbeen a greatdeal ofCongressionalheatto keep thegraduating numbers up and not kick so many out for Honorviolations (spawned a great deal ofquestions from the audience, some fairlydirect).

•Greater emphasis on physicalfitness, 100th Night is back, and Recognition Week (we remember as “HellWeek”) is comingback (butwill be no hazing).

•Retentionis up.

•’78 reps asked ifduringtherecmitingprocessthere was an effort to get more information aboutthe candidate to validate a historyofLying, Cheating, or stealing. The Supt and Dean tookit for consideration.

The Comm, Dean, and cadet Honor Committee Chair were also on hand and each spokebriefly as well as being available for Q&A. Theyechoedwhat the Supt said and gave more details when possible. All in all it was a very informativepresentation/discussionwithseveralimportant andbusypeople takingtime out to talk to us.

Afterwards,just our class stayed forpresentations from Kip Warton on the Class Senate andJackKucera on grad and class givingalongwithYoursTruly putting in a shamelessplugfor more classinfo (withtheever-presentthreatof Kayfamily news to fill up the space).

Afterwards, we assembled at the ChapelWallfor a trulysolemn andmoving Memorial Ceremony as we remembered allgrads thathad died thispastyear.

The mood was especiallypoignant as the names ofourown Herb Crissman, Bob Dorr and Ken Rachocki were read.

Laterthatevening, we gathered foranotherknock-out meal at the Embassy Suitesandcontinuedto see folks not seen inmany ayear. OnSaturdaymorning we rested a bit trying to recover from the previousthree-daygastronomical assaultonlyto have at itagain at the GoldenCorral catered tailgateprior to the game. There we sawa recentlyrejuvenatedAF team (as ofthiswritingtheybeat Armyyesterdayand are 5-2) give a realchallenge to the then-nationally-ranked Utah team butlost anyway. Brian Livie did a class-actcheerleadingjobwith cheers that most ofus haven’theard in decades (“Slash ’emwith a Beak” bring backanymemories?).

There wereno formal activities that night so most squadronsgottogether. One examplebelowwas submittedbyTom Koehane’sbride,Amy. Twelve CS23 Barnstormers gettogether atMike Catlin’splace inthe Springs. Fromleftin theback row are LarryOrtega,Tom Keohane, Mike Catlin; Middle row: Chuck Brininstool, DougPaton, GaryHughes, Chuck Greenwood, MikeSkolaut; Front row: Doug Hagedorn, Roger LaFrance, Kenny Baizer and Lou Christensen.

Amyalso mentioned that other Barnstormers who had planned on being there were forced to curtail or cancel. Saland Carol Grandemadethe reunion forpart oftheweekbuthad to blastbackto theirverysuccessfulbusiness. Tom Czachorand Kevin Kregelhad to unfortunately cancel at thelast minute due to Hurricane Ike but Tom sent the banner in the picture background. Jim Grupp and SamTherrienhad to cancelforfamilycommitments but are hoping to definitelymake the next one.

Another entrywas fromTed Roush ofthe CS-13 Bulldawggathering at Famous Dave’s. From left in the back row are J.B. Betz, Tom Lash, JohnParrot, Vic Summers, Pete Shockey, Bill Chambers, and Steve Hocking; Front row, Roberto Ribay, RickAulcino,Ted, Scribe, Brent BristowandVic Lin.

were together on and thesecond was after. ..uh.. .a toughdayatthe office. Lots ofpressure I guess to keep making money and everyone copes differently. ThanksTami and mayyou and Bob have many more happyyearstogether.

Ifanyone has others, pleas send in and I’ll post in the next article. Bob Heim’s bride, Tami, sent two pixofBob andJohn Follmanwho are both Southwest pilots. Tami also mentioned that both are married to their high schoolsweetheartsandTomandBobroomedtogether as cadets attheZoo and attendedthePrep Schooltogether. Thefirst was on a recent SWAflightthatthey

At the reunion, mybride and I had a greattime Fridaynighthavingdinner with Greg and CrystalKennedy. Greg flies for FedEx; theylive inAlaska and trulyenjoy it. Crystal had the honor ofbeing a delegate to the Republican convention (greatto see your Governorselected as theVP candidate) andGreg got to tag along. They said it was trulythe thrill of a life time.

Those ofyouwho get Checkpoints saw the ad in the last edition run by our own GordyCurphy. He dropped a line andmentionedthatheheardfrom two ofhis CS-03 classmates, Mike Mitchell andIvanUrrego. Mike islivingin California and Ivan inAtlanta and has a daughterwho is also in 3rd Squadron. Gordyspent some time in Sacramento andhadhoped to connectwith another ThirstyThird alum andformerroomie, Eric Clethen. Eric has been flyingfor United for about 20 years. Unfortunatelytheyweren’t able to meet buthad a great chat on the phone.

Was reading theWall Street Journal lastmonth and sawan article on pilot fatigue and theyfeatured PetDemitry as “aformer test pilot andfatigueexpert who consultsfor pilotgroups.” (Theykind offorgot to mention that he’s also an MD...one ofthefewwhohasgone to bothTestPilotSchoolandMedschool!) Anyway, Pete did a greatjobpresentingthe challenges manyofyou guys face on “the line.”

Mike McMillie as well as several other ’78ers were able to attend DonAlston’s two-star pin in September at the Pentagon.

Speaking ofDon, he and a couple ofother G.O.s are on the move: He (Don) is the newAssistantChiefofStaff, Strategic Deterrence and NuclearIntegration on theAirStaff. BillChambersgetsto escapetheBeltwayandisgoingto Ramstein where he’llbe the USAFEA3 (DO) and Bob McMahon is the newAir StaffDirector ofLogistics.

Well Folks, mythanks to everyonewho providedenough material to even fill up the postreunion expanded article.. .welldone! Itwas an exceptionaltime— the 35thwill be here before we knowit. 78 is Great!

Farbe it from me to tellyou men aboutwhat it means to be a classmate. You knowit means a deepfriendship, borne offacingadversity and challenge together. Youknowit means to go out ofyourway, even when extremelybusy, to help a classmate out. It extends to classmateswhetherthey are closefriends or distant acquaintances. Such was the case with me this pastJuly, when Bob Swain, thenewly-arrivedWingCommanderfortheAirForce Reserve's 439th AirliftWing, atWestoverAFB, MAhelped my son and me on a littie task - a taskthatwas wellbeneath thatofa busyWing Commander. Whatmakes it allthe more special, is... well... I reallydon’tknowBobverywell. Not in the same squadron, not the same bunch offriends at theZoo, not sure ifI have ever shakenhis hand. Yes, Ihaveheard ofthefamous ChopperPopper, andhe no doubtknewmy name as a scribe, but youwoulda’ thoughthe and I were longlost friends. Yet, of course, in a way we are - united by a common bond and common experience in a galaxyfar, faraway. Itis a bondthat isjustimpossiblefor mostpeople to understand. But is a bondthat we cherish even more today, in appreciation ofthat chapter of our lives. So I promised myselfthat I wouldlead offwith a little tribute to Bob this article, a little more serious than normal for me... but one that meant a heckuva a lot to me that summerweek. Thankyou, Bob, andbestwishes to you andDianefor a superb tour in NewEngland!

Well, I started thisarticle in the aftermath ofthe ugly“should not have been a loss” to Navy - ugh - sometimes the breaks are justgoing the other guy’s way... Itjust costs me a little more than most - as bothmyyoungerbrothers are USNA grads!! I feel a little better now that Coach Calhoun has the Fightin’ Falcons at 6-2 going into Army. OK, on to more happythoughts.

I start with this greatpicture ofBill Gregory and his newest toy. The Pitts doesn’thave as much ofa top end as some ofBill’s active dutyrides, butit turns a lotbetter.

Bill GregoryandhisPitts Special.

Afternineyearswith Honeywell Human Space, Bill movedfrom a company of120,000 people to one of 120. He is nowtheVice President ofBusiness Development ofMicro-Tronics, Inc, located inTempe, Arizona, and says he is lovingit. Micro-Tronics is anAerospaceSpecialtyMachining firm [EDM, Laser,WaterJet], which alsoworks in moldedrubber products. The companyis veteran owned & managed, with the founderbeing a member oftheveryfirst USAFTest Pilot School Class.

I ran into several 79ers at theAFAssociation convention in DC in mid-September. Myold9th Squadronroomie, Maj Gen Bill Rewand I got to catch up andshare some laughs. Billlater sent me a note sharingthathe routinely sees Steve Mueller (A5R), Burt Field (Dep J-5), Robin Rand (OSDPolicy) and Don Jurewicz (A5R-A) in the Pentagon. Bill also works closely with Steve Hoog (USAFWarfare Center Commander) at Nellis and FrankGorenc (ACCA-3) at Langley. I liked Bill’s partingline, “There's a few ofus ’79ers who just don't knowwhen to quit.” Awshucks, Bill - we needyou guys to run the USAF - it’s just that as you guys got smarter, you needed fewer ofus!

I also ran into Maj GenErvLessel atAFA, andhad a greatcatch-up chat. Erv subsequentlywrote me thathe is enjoyinglife as theAETCA5/8/9working on F-35 beddown, BRAC in San Antonio, the future ofAir Force learning, and (surprise) playinggolf. Ervsaidhe sawJohnNichols attheAETC Commander’s Conference at RandolphAFB. John is in theTexasANG at Kelly andworking Hurricanereliefoperationsforthe state ofTexas. ErvaddedthatRandyFullhart isbackinDCworkingacquisition andthattheygetto discussAETC acquisition programs, includingtheT-38 replacement (rememberflyingtheT-33 during

Stardustandits subsequentreplacementwiththeT-37!). Ervalso crossedpaths with Steve Hoogand Steve Mueller at a requirements conference hostedby “theBoss” (CSAF, not Springsteen) at Nellis. Mike Lientzis at Lockheed Martin inFtWorth, MarkMuhlenbergis in Savannah, GAworkingforGulfstream, Don Lustigjustretired at ScottAFB after a tour as theAMC/IG andJohn Salvadoris still with the Civil Air Patrol at Maxwell AFB. Robin Rand passed through Randolph backinJulyand Steve Schmidtrecentlypinned on hissecond star and will be staying in Europe for a second NATO tour followinghis AWACS Command tour in Germany. Thanks for a great rundown, sir!

I was also successful in sneaking up on Don Palandech, Colonel USAF at AFA. Don is the Commander ofthe AF ROTC Detachment at Arizona State University, but rumored to be looking towards the “Big R.” Come on over, Donnie - it is not bad to have money at the endofthe month - versus the active dutyopposite! When I accosted Don Palandech, he was with Bill Murphy’s younger brother, Ken - also an AFA grad (’821 think). I have not been able to chasethe stealthyBill down, but he is rumored to be in theVirginiaTidewater area. Please report anysightings!!

For those of us in the East, we know that everyThursday or Friday, Brian Koechel is going to send us an emailabout running in DC... well, drinking disguised as running... Brian sent me this great picture, and wrote that they had a mini-reunion on 13 Sep 2008 inAlexandria. In the picture you will see Brian Koechel on the lower left, as well as TerryTullia, Jim Mandziara, Mike Ashley, Tim Plaehn, GregNemeth, Mike Rhodes, Dennis Hilley, and George Morgan. Others who attended, but left earlywere Rick Pfautz, Paul Besson, NeilMcCasland, andTom Griffith. Agoodtime was hadbyall, muchwine and beer consumed! A “Mighty Fine” looking bunch, ifI don’t say so myself!

Mini-reunion with ’79flag.

Ken Mattern is in the area, now a high-powered corporate attorney for Raytheon, and occasionallyI get to see him andhis lovelybride, Pam, at dinner with mutual friends. Ken lives in Duxbury, MA - also known as Deluxe-bury! Eddie “Zano” Zanowics is also inthe area now and again - flyinghisSouthwest airline 737-800 in and out ofManchester, NH. What a great experience to run into him some time ago on board a flight - although I was not able to send up a “Fast, NeatAverage... message to the flight deck.

I run into Dale Swanson now and again... as Dale is a long-time MITRE-ite up here in NewEngland. Dale is the Lead Engineer on theJoint Environmental Toolkit (JET) program for Electronic Systems Center. Fielding oftheJET system is now underwayto over200AirForceweatherflights aroundtheworld. Brandyis a paralegal assistantforNortheastUtilities, where herjob often takes her out oftheoffice and into the field researchingproperties forpowergeneration and transmission in NewEngland states. Joshua is theyoungest oftheir three boys, although he is a high school senior, andthe only one who has not moved out on his own. Jared, the oldest Swanson sibling, now lives near Richmond,VA, and Jeremy, the second oldest, lives near Boston. Dale and Brandyreside in Hudson, NH.

Myoldest son, Daniel, is now 18 and 6ft 1 inch - and applying to theZoo. He

maywellbe more inline to be a Preppie this summer, butwe shall see. He and I got in a great Father-Son outing, huntingfor Pronghornantelope this summer in far eastern NewMexico (almost inTexas). What a great trip...

Thankyou allforthe manyprayers andgoodwishes formywife,Molly, who remains cancer-free from a dangerous sarcoma surgery last year. We just passed our most recent CT scans yesterday (27 Oct) with flyingcolors - hearing our new favoritewords - “All Clear.” We are good to go until 26 Jan 2009 now-whew!

So finally, I finish this on 28 Oct2008, rightbefore we get to poundArmyinto oblivion - hope to see youthere and... BEATARMY!

Don Myers

401 Chambray Hill

Peachtree City, GA 30269-4247

(770) 631-1429

E-mail: DMyers80@hotmail.com

ZN=Zoo mieNation.usafa.org

SlimPickins. Nope, thishas nothing to dowith thatcolorful actor (rememberDr. Strangelove?)—buteverything to do withhowlonelyI feltthis quarter withoutmuchlove (in thewayofwords) sentmywayfromyoufolks. Nordid I see even one ofyou at theAF-Navygame (another sad story). So, with thatin mind, I will simplyask that, inyour present guilt-ridden state, you send me yourannualChristmas/holidayletter—and anyletters (orotherinfo) youmay receivefrom or about a fellowclassmate. In advance: Thankyou!

In this same theme of communication: Please remember that Debbie (Dubbe) Graycontinues to assemble the best possible email address listfor our class at ddgray@embarqmail.com. In addition to your own address, ifyou have a list ofothers in our class, please send it herway.

Finally (except I’m not reallydone), spread thewordamong our classmates (even/particularly non-members of the AOG) about the usefulness of ZoomieNation.org (ZN) as a means for all ofus to better connect with one another.

Summer, that time ofyearwhen... I gotword and evidence, circuitously, thatJerry(Wendy) Corbetthad a weddingfordaughter,Whitney, before it got too coldintheirsomewhat-newlocale, Sandpoint, ID. Dadwrites, “I thought walkingher downthe aislewouldbe more likeThe LastMile, butit was ajoy.” The new couplelives/works near Princeton, NJ, but are trying to head west.

Jerrygivingawayhisfirst/onlydaughter.

Always warm. TJJohnson has a ratherlarge collection ofHawaiian shirts. That’sbecause he travels to manywonderfullocations—searchingthe globe forthebestspots to bed downtheGlobalHawk. “I am in Guam now on thelast leg of our PACAF SATAF tour. I have included a picture ofour hangar here at

AndersenAFB thatwill hold four Global Hawks for routine ops and six in an emergency.” TJ’s been part ofthis project since its infancy andthe work is coming to fruition (as you can see).

Likeclockwork. The annual 80’s Ladies Luncheon in the DC area was hosted byDee (Mahaffey) (Bob ’78) Steel. Bob’s the CCoftheNat’lWar College. The house was said to bebeautiful; thefood delicious. She tookthe group on a tour ofthe historicsites ofFt. McNair as partoftheouting. The good-lookinggroup inthephoto shows: (standing) Allison (Hilsman) Hickey, Dee, MaureenTritle, Kathy (Bishop) Campbell, Sue Kohut, Karen Wilhelm, Deanne (Barnet) Mahoney,Margie (Clark)Varuska, (sitting) Lorrie (Roemish) Bejani, andHolly (Emrick) Svetz.

Post-lunch smilesfrom ’80'sLadies.

Stayingbusy and moving on. Lt Gen (sel) Paul (Ricki Smith) Selvasponsored a taskingbythe CSAF to develop a quick-lookCapabilities BasedAssessment forIrregularWarfare. Definitelyimportant, giventoday’s environment. As manyofyou alreadyknow, BG Sue Desjardins from USAFACommandant to DeputyDirector ofStrategic Plans, Requirements, and Programs, AMC Headquarters, ScottAFB.

■■■?&»

Sabre Society Donors

Farawaytrek. Dave and son, Sam, Prahsthad the opportunity to travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina on a short-term mission trip. “This new church was in the process ofgettingreadyto start its firstpublic services. Itwas so exciting to be part ofthe final push, helping them get ready to open their doors to the publicfortheveryfirst time! Some ofour team did getinvolvedwithpainting, installinglightfixtures, andlandscaping, butmyprimarytask,with Sam’s help, was to build a playground! That maynot seem important or critical to a church plant, butZeljko (the man who is the new pastor ofthe church), had a vision to attract families with young children through a nice, safe outdoorplay area. Our job was to come alongside ofhim andhisvision for the ministry. AfterspeakingwithZeljko thatveryfirstMonday, I realized thatwhathe envisioned was verysimilar to the play area I had built in our yard in Pittsburgh back in 1991. (This was clearly a “God-thing”!) So that night I called Cindyand she was able to find the originalplans we used, scanned them into a file, and e-mailedthem to me in Sarajevo thatverynight! (Another“Godthing”!) ThoughI modifiedthem a goodbit, thoseplans were incrediblyhelpful andsaved muchtime! We were able to buy a nice blue slidelocallyandused all ofthe swings and other accessories we hadbroughtalongfrom the U.S. for the playground!” Thehosts were impressed that Dave and crewwere able to finish theprojectandnoted, “Sometimes teams get abouthalfdone and then leave the rest forthe church to finish up themselves.” Obviously, they don’t knowDave’s roots. (See ZN forphoto.)

Gustavupdate. Is it a trendthat we seem to onlyhearfromAllenBakerafter a majorstorm? “Janet and I are fine and so is our [Gulfport, MS] house. We got a lot ofrain. Behind us thegolfcourse fairwayis flooded, but not ouryard and not our house. The power went out yesterday about 9:30 am and came on today at about 3:30 pm. Our generatorkept the refrigerators running, which keptthe beer cold. That was nice. The water pressure dwindled but never stopped. Thatwas nice, too. All is back to normalthis evening. That'sbestof all. Weweren’t as fascinated at the return ofelectricity to our street as theTom Hanks character in Castaway, but it was pretty cool to flip the light switches with effect after beingwithout. Janet and I are fully aware howfortunate we are. We emerged unscathedfrom Gustav. Lots offolks to thewest ofus will not be so fortunate. We knowhow that feels. Today after lunch we visited our beachfront lot. Three years ago our home was destroyed and all of our belongings were scattered about in a 20' tall debris line that stretched forfifty miles. Thatwas a badtime. We missliving on the beach, butwe are completely impressed with the importance ofbuilding survivable structures along the shoreline. We stilldon't knowif/when we mightrebuild on the oldbeach lot.”

Finally(forreal), as I prepare to send this to the editorand go out formyweek offlying, I wishyou all the best during this most specialChristmas/holiday season. Don

Rich Trentman

11102 Asbee St.

Falcon, CO 80831-8170

Home: (719) 494-8438

Work: (719) 234-0754

E-mail: trentman@usafa81.com

Class Website: www.usafa81.com

AnotherhighlysuccessfulFalconfootball season is drawingto an end! Coach Calhounhasreallyfiredup the program andrecruited some great,youngathletes forthe future. Heck, thefuture is now. IjustwanttobreaktheNavy“jinx”. Thatis the one game that eats at me andtakes me awhile to get over everyyear.

Class News: Karen Blackford (80) emailed me about the USAFAwomen’s rugbyreunion in Snowmassthis past Summer. The picture has lots of81 and 80ladieswith one 82er. She also sent a raftingpicture thatIposted on our Class section on ZoomieNation. Thanks, Karen! AnnetteAbraham, wife ofour late classmate, BobAbraham (CS-12), emailed thattheir daughter,Amy, is a4 degree atUSAFA (2012). There is quite a group ofsecondgeneration81 ers that are atAFA or already on active duty. I’ll have to check on thatforyou.

JamieKlemme, KathieDurst,JulieKay, Kellie Timmons, MaryOrn, andSandra Yope.

Sheldon Dennis droppedbyCraigJenkins'house inMurphy, TXfor a mini81 reunion on the4th ofJulywith Craig, TimHarris, andJames Guess. Sheldon saidCraigfliesforDelta; James lives in Plano and is an orthopedic surgeon; Tim works out at SchrieverAFB, CO (I see Tim a lot atAFAgames); and Sheldon owns a windowcleaningfranchise andlivesinFtWorth. Sheldon scanned a photo for us and I posted it on ZoomieNation in our class photo album. Theylook good for a bunch ofold men!

BGenLennyPatrick sent that he hostedthisyear’s Senior Leader Orientation Class at LacklandAFB. (Len is the 37th TrainingWingCommander.) In this class were: BGen Dan Wyman, BGen(S) KurtNeubauer, andBGen(S) BeefHaddad. Awell deserved “congratulations” is in orderwith a mix of“wow”, you guys turned out all right. I knowthat time is flyingby, but I still at times have difficultythinking of“us” as Generals, Presidents,VPs, retirees, etc... I can very vividlyrememberour class as theywere manyyears ago - goingto LeonGessi’s; writing checks at Norma’s Stop n Shop; eating at Arnie’s; Spike’s Place, Godfather’s Pizza; etc.

Lions (ouch),Tigers, andPistons fans. Dan andJenniferhad two oftheir three sons with them. One is a midshipman (thewayward son) and one is a cadet (alongwith his olderbrother, a 2007AFAgrad; the smart ones). All three sons at academieswayto go Dan andJennifer! I got an addressupdate fromTerry and Louise Szanto, now living in Roswell, GA. Randy Worrail emailed me followingthe tough loss to Utah. Utah is a great team andAF hungtough for most ofthe game. Randyhas been busyworking the pilot side integration of DeltaandNorthwestairlines, so hehas been spending a lot oftime inWashington, DC. I have been on the road a lot, too. I have been hopping between Menlo Park, CA; Helena, MT; and Ft Leavenworth, KS for six ofthe past eight weeks on my current software project. I am looking forward to my travels winding down a bit in December.

Sean Murphysent a pictureofthe 81 golfgaggle at Hickam. Marc Luikenhas left PACAF to betheVice Commander of 11thAF inAlaska. SammyAngelella is nowinJapan. JimLongis on staffat PACOM and looking at retiring nextyear. Gene O’Nale is retired and working in “Earth FriendlyTechnology”. Sean is the PACAF command surgeon havingreplaced Dan Wyman who is now at KeeslerAFB. JakeJakobi emailed that he is feelinggreat and playing old man lacrosse (why, because he is an old man!). He said he may come out to Colorado for a football game this Fall.

Speakingofa smallworld, I ran into Dan andJenniferBell aftertheAF-Navy game. Dan andJennifer are settled inVirginia and still adjusting to their big move from Michigan. Dan and I have been long time (Detroit) Redwings,

JimLong, Marc Luiken, SamAngelella, Gene O’Nale, Sean Murphy

I close with a heartythankyou for all the pictures and emails. This was a tough quarterwith myheavytravel schedule, butyou always come through to makethis a pretty, darn easytaskeveryfewmonths. Let me knowwhenyou tire ofmy now seven years as yourscribe! Falcon basketball starts soon andI’ll see lots of81ersatthe games. Keep the emails and picturescoming! 81 second to none.

Jim Ratti

2860 Arbor Pointe Drive Middletown, OH 45042 (937) 760-2333

rattijm@mindspring.com http://usafa82.org

GreetingsRedtags!

Seems like every quarter I sit down to start writingthis column and think I don’t have enough news to fill the space. Then I start going back over my emails and contacts forthe past fewmonths and find that I’ve got more than I thought! That’s exactlywhat happened this time lots ofgood stuff(andpicturestoo!). So, let’s hit it...

First up are a couple ofretirements I heard about. Col Dave Silviaretired in September in the DC area. No wordyet on his post-AFplans. ColJonSutter retired at Langley on 7 November. Again, no word on his plans.

I’ve got a number of "short takes" on recent job/assignment changes. KenMurphyisworkingforRaytheon, somewhere in California. CynthiaMackis on the USAFA Diversity Advisory Panel, and passed along word that Dean Christian's son is playingfootball at USAFA as a memberof the class of2012. Ted Bale is leavingTucson after 19 years there to take an AGR Colonel position at CENTCOM/J7 in Tampa. ColLarryJones hasbeen named the DeputyDirector forAdmissions at USAFA. BG ZanVautrinot movedfrom RecruitingService at Randolph to somewhere inNSA (FtMeade?). ColJan Rosko was named the Director ofStafffor the provisional AF Cyber Command. Not clear yet what all theturmoilregardingwhether or notAF Cyberwill be a MAJCOMwill mean forJan. Staytuned... RayPhillips is leading a small telecom company in Colorado Springs. BG Bob Otto is the commander ofthe 9th ReconnaissanceWing at Beale and is busygettingsteeped in all things GlobalHawk and U-2. Lastbut not least, GerrySohanhas retired butis stillworkingsomewhere in theAF District ofWashington.

We have a numberofclassmateswhoseoffspring are attendingservice academies, and not all oftheyoungsters have chosen theAir Force! Daryl (Bones) andMarthaStevenson-Jones' son Phillip madeitthroughhisplebe summer at the NavalAcademyandis now a proud member ofthe class of2012. Martha said they couldn't be more proud ofhim, and that she and Bones somehow squeezed into their uniforms for Phillip's swearing in. Judgingfromthe picture below, I'dsaytherewasn'tmuch"squeezing" at all (certainlyless thanl'd have to do!).

Bones, Phillip, andMartha at USNA.

Bones and Martha stayverybusy. Althoughtheylive inYorktown,VA, they travelled to variousAsian countries this past summer servingchurches from Cambodia to Malaysia. Bones was recentlyawarded a Doctorate in Ministry not bad for an old Eagle Driver!

RickBurgess is at Bolling (atleastfor a littlewhile longer) and sent this picture and update.

MikeSinisi, BGBobRanck, andhis wife, Susan, atBob'spromotionceremony. nance, portoperations, andcommand/controlfortransientmilitaryand commercial airlifters as they pass through. She has units in 10 countries, all of which are tenants on USAFE andAFCENTbases. Kim says MarkBakeris the Group/CC ofa similar unit in the Pacific.

Dan Harrier sent a pdfof an articlewhich appeared in the October issue of "5280.com", a Denver-area magazine. It featured a short article about his daughterJacquewho is a Falconerand a memberofthe classof2010. Thestory was well-done, and she gives a short but thorough overview ofthe path to becoming a USAFAFalconer. She has some prettygoodsound bitesregarding training, tolerance, patience, and school pride. I tried to find a link to the article online at 5280.com, butthere didn't seem to be one to the article itself. I can e-mailyou the .pdfifyou're interested.

And now that election season isbehind us (thankGod!), I thoughtI'd include somethingthat showsthat our elected officials really can do somethinguseful! Tony"Fazer" Lazarski is a stafferfor SenatorInhofe, and wrote to let us know thathis boss inserted language in the FY08 and 09 National DefenseAuthorization Acts amending Title 4 and Title 36 ofthe US Code. Specifically, the provisions allow veterans and service members not in uniform to salute the flagduringhoisting,lowering, or passing oftheflag, as well as duringtheplayingofthe nationalanthem. So don't be afraid to showyourpride next timeyou heartheAnthemplay!

That's about it for now. Keep the news flowing, and until next time, be safe! Ratman

W.Wade Wheeler

P.0. Box 30 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 (703) 474-5032

Arden Dahl, MikeBurgess, andMikeIsherwoodenjoyingsome foodand fellowship.

Arden and MarciaDahl recentlyhosted a small ’82 gettogether in Springfield,VA, attended byMike and Dawn Isherwood and Rick and SandraBurgess. (Chris Haaveplanned to attend, buthis boss,VP DickCheneyhad some light business and was leavingfor Georgia—thecountry—the next day.) Arden smoked some meat and fish on his cosmic grill/smoker and thefood andfellowship were outstanding! Arden and Marcia live in Springfield,VA, get no sleep due to thebusylives oftheir seven kids, andArden serves at thePentagon as theJointStaff'sAssistantDeputyDirector (J-34, Anti-Terrorism and Homeland Defense). Mike and Dawn live inWoodbridge,VA, staybusyraisingKoi (no, they're not biggoldfish!), experiencing all thejoys ofparentingtheirfirstyear college daughter and son in high school. Mike is a Senior Analyst at Northrup Grumman's Analysis Center in Rosslyn,VA. Rickand Sandra recentlycompletedattachetrainingand are nowgrindingthroughHebrewlanguage trainingin preparation for a three-year tour in the US Embassy inTel Aviv (to replace fellow Redtag Dave O'Meara). The Burgess' pray daily for their two sons who serve in theArmyand Marines, both servingin Iraq, and scheduled to return inwinter2008. Greatmemories ofAF life andUSAFAwere flowing all evening and a great time was had by all at the"Dahl House."

Bob Ranckis thelatestofour classmates to bepromotedto BG. His ceremony was heldinSeptemberintheHall ofHeroes atthePentagon.'77 gradLtGenRay Johnspresided over the ceremonyand did a wonderfuljobrecountingBob's noteworthycareer, muchofitspentinWashington. MikeSinisisent thispicture takenjustafterthe ceremony. (See photo at thetop ofthe next column.)

DiannaandPaulAckerley are backin SanAntoniowherePaul istheDirector ofAEF Operations. Diannasays thatthe pace is much more manageablethan whenPaul was theWing/CC atAndrews no more 2AM phone calls! Dianna staysverybusywithvolunteerwork, putting her Red Cross experience from Andrews to good use. She and Paul have two sons attendingtheUniversityof Texas at SanAntonio, andtheirdaughteris settled in at RandolphHigh School. I learned via Mike Sinisithat Col Kim Corcoran was selected to standup a new AMC wing at Ramstein, the 521st Air MobilityOperationsWing. It's a reorganization of an existingunit and is responsible for providing mainte

wwade83@verison.net

walter.wade.wheeler@us.army.mil

The Class of 1983 MemorialCeremonywas dedicated to those members of our class who have gone before us. It was a time to embrace memories ofour fallen classmates. In the ceremony, we recognized our departed classmates andcelebrated as a communitythe experiencesthatmade us theUSAFAcademyClass of 1983.

Class of ’83 Memorial Ceremony

Members ofthe Class of 1983 who have gone before us: Stephen Penley, Vernon Neill Jr.,William May,TimothyKehler, Jeffrey Stevens, JeffreyGiles, Cody Carr, Terry Grunden, Paul Ossowski, Kenneth Kuhr, Christopher Francino, Roberto Ravina, Grant Hudson, Carlisle Bradford, Fori (Plosa) Chestnut, and FuisArauz.

The first ceremony ofthis type occurred in 1964 with a memorial service in the Cadet Chapel. Thisyear’s memorial ceremonywas highlightedby a roll call ofdeceased classmates. As eachdeceased classmember’s name and squadron were called out a classmate from that squadronresponded“Absent”. The

roll call was followed by a moment ofsilence to honor thefallen.

Averystrongmessage was presented to all. Memories ofLuisArauzandLori (Plosa) Chestnut brought to light how each and everyone of our class has touched others andhad a lifelongimpact on liveswelloutside the immediate circle ofthose we touch. “83 Best to Be” - is that always a vision in our future oris it a legacywe have constantlybeen sculpting and molding from the day were arrived at USAFAuntilthelast ofour class has fallen. A specialheartfelt thankyougoes toAlanAratawho sharedwith eachandevery one ofus attending.

Aphenomenaltimewas hadbyallwho attended our25threunionandbraved thecold to watchtheAF/CSU game. Thefirsttwo series reminded us allofthe old days as CSU stopped us cold and forced a punt; then marched down the field to score. TheAF quarterback (truedoolie) thengottoworkand a defense materialized too.. .ultimatelytime ran out before CSU could get in the lead again... Final Score: AF 38 - CSU 17.

A special thanks to all who helpedplan, organized, and execute our 25th reunion. Allwho attended owe you a debtofgratitude. Job well done!!!

I will provideupdates on several of our classmates, I can’t catch or write allthat was shared at the reunion.

Kim Brentler said it best “I wasn’t going to go to the 10th reunion; somehowI was talkedinto it. Ourclassmates helped me through some verytryingtimes...1 will be atALL our reunions! Reunions are the bestpartofourAcademyexperience together.1 Kimjustfinished a reserve deploymentworkingwith UnmannedAircraft Systems (UAS) at CreechAFB.

Eric Strull isworking for a packaging companyin Dallas, TX. He has a lovelyTexas bride (like me). His son is 17 and daughter is 14. Eric wants to have a Dallas/Ft Worth mini-reunion so everyone(eventhoseoutsideTexas) should make sure your contact info is up to date at theAOG site. Ifyouwon’t share a phonenumber,please shareyour email or home addresswith us so we can reachyou.

Remember our classmatewho went to F-1 for a briefing30 minutes early while all the rest ofus just made it through thedoors and into our seats on time? RogerYeshnik was waiting for theAOGladies to open the door so he could be first to register!

Brian Berryis finallyengagedand invites us all toWmterPark, FLinApril 09. He maybe too busy to get us all a personal invite while flying international (FO) for Delta. His fiance’ Jennifer is an operating room nurse. Brian is an IMA at RobbinsAFB and Sqdn/CC for CAP inAtlanta.

Blanche (Godwin) Shelton shared the following: Loved the Reunion! Brought mywhole familythis time,Tracy (husband), daughterRachel (10) and son Brent (9). One ofthe highlights-the woman Grad’s breakfast. Tom Kasson was supposed to be here - but is nursing a back/hipinjury.

I found Ric Pohland. I drove to his parent’s house on thewayfrom COS to Washington DC afterreunion and theytook me out to dinner and got me in touchwithhim. Ricretired as ABW/CC at Eglin. Heis now CenterOperations Managerfor CoastalInt’l Securitydirectingall Fire, Security, andEmergency Services at KennedySpace Center. He shouldbe easyto spot, hiswife Kristi is a ’95 grad.Yeah, 4th grade when we graduated. Theyhave twin six-year-old daughters. I thought ChuckMurillowho gotmarriedthisyearhad a younger wife; I asked... Jill was in 4th grade too.

Mostsurprisingwayto get an update on a classmategoes to BretRosane. The 1959 USAFAcademyfootball team was having a reunion too. Bret’s mother andfather (’59) saw me inthelobbyand sharedthathe is a doctorinAnchorage,AK. He ran the IronmantriathloninHawaiilastyear. Impressed? Hiswife has him beat; she’s done two already; you go girl!

Theclasshad a board out forall to share some interestingaccomplishments. Sharedhere arejustthetop oflist... Mostkids (7) andBeautyqueenwife (Mrs NewJersey!) - PaulVernoski; MostGrandkids (2) John and MomiAndreshak; Youngestchild (6.5 mo) - DavidandStephanie Stine; Bun inBurner - Mic and HeatherBryant (7 mo) and Chuck andJill Murillo (2 mo); youngest child of femalegrad-Tami Smith (3yr); oldest child(25/28?) Jon andBrenda Duresky; Oldest Grandchild (4yr) Evan Smith; kids at USAFA (2) Paul Stephenson and KathrynJohnson (Strand); mostyrs assigned in COS (12) BillyWalker; Furthestdistancetraveled (SydneyAustralia) MikeMeyer; ShortestdistanceFrancis

and Phyllis Chun from Colorado; First out ofUSAF (5/31/88) Stu Hixon and Mike Morgan; Most unlikely to become “Dean of Faculty” Dana Born (Lindsley).

The golftournament was a blast! PhilAustin met us all on a verycoldThursdaymorningand we played on the blue course. Wetook a weatherdelayto let all our oldboneswait fortheweather to warm up. DougHuntleyshowed up in shortswhile the rest ofus layered up. Stu Hixongot robbed on the closest to the pin. How could a gradbring his son as a ringer and do that to a fellow classmate? AskChrisBogdan AskChris again in 10-15years andhemightget us access to theparents tent at the PGAChampionship.

A few classmates were asking about availability of our class print. I spent some timewith RickBroome during reunionweek. He is doingverywell and hasbuilt a studio with a retired United 727 first class to nose section in it. He has a wingsection over hiswork area with lights mountedfrom theunderside. About 10 classprints are left at $750.00each. Go to rickbroome.com to getinfo on how to order. Check out the section hecalls starlights.

Don Lindberg sent me infowhile goingthrough the SeniorOfficercheckout atTyndallAFB, FL. Don ran into Robert “LeeBob” Hinkle and Darryl “OBD” Roberson. LeeBob retired as an F-15 Operations Officer and nowteaches F22 academics forLockheed-Martin;he triedforthreeweeks to impartknowledge to an old fighterpilot and sent Don on to take F-22 flying lessons. OBD and Don crossedpaths in academics as he is now checking out inthe F-22 after takingtheWingatTyndalland gettingfrocked as a 0-7.WhenDonis finishedhe willreport to HollomanAFB as the incomingAFRC FighterGroup (FG) Commander. On a side note: OBD and Don started their trek to the F-22 over 30 years ago at Millard Prep School!

GaryHopperand RogerAldinger

GaryHoppergave a talkin Paris at a UAS conference inJune.While fighting offthejetlag, hewentfor awalk near thehotelto checkouttheArcdeTriomphe. He asked anAmerican to take a picture forhim andtheystartedwiththe “you lookfamiliar” drill. It was RogerAldinger on vacationwithhis family. Rogeris flyingforAmerican out ofDFW.

Cindy (Fujimoto) andJim Norman invited Cherri and meover fordinner in Septemberand we had a greattime catchingup on theyears. Theirtwo kids are as active as all ofyours andkeep mom and dadverybusy!

Don Domkowski and ColTerryFeatherston

DonDomkowski (formerly "Polish Canon") out inTucson, sent me an email fromtheUnivofArizona. Donwas askedto substitutefor aweekattheAFROTC detachment, and guesswho he ran into? ColTerryFeatherston. Don couldn’t make the reunion due to a broken arm and pending surgery. He alsohas refused to cut his hair since he retired lastyear. Looks like a real liberal arts collegeprofessor!

MikeandGiselaShanahaninvitedtheMachOne grads overThursdayofthe reunion. Both oftheir sons are at Nebraska. Mike is with the EPA and Gisela

Mike andGisela Shanahan, Bob andVirginiaStambaugh, ChuckandJill Murillo,WadeandCherriWheeler is the financial officer for Colorado SpringsAirport. Theyhave a wonderful house in Monument.

I lookforward to seeing everyone at our 30threunion - Markyourcalendars for 2013! Ray Blust has the next checkpoints article. Reach him at rjmablust@comcast.net, (304) 242-7182.

Afterwearing myArmyDress blues all over the terrazzo forthe reunion, all who attended knowI will close with thewords written boldly on my GOLD shirtThursdaynight... GoArmybeatAir Force! (Ednote:Didn’thappen! But thanksforthequickturnaroundWade.)

Mike Jensen

12035 Milam Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80908

l-(800)-G0-AFA-G0

michaeljensen@remax.net

http://www.usafa84.com

Rememberthe Commandant?Well nowyou do! It is our own Samuel D. Cox. Fresh on the one-starlist, Sam “hitthegroundrunning” on October 15th and was wellreceivedbyLtGenRegni and staff. In attendance at theChangeof Command, and shownbelowwere ChrisTroiano, MarvJones,VictorHaynes, Gen Cox, Mike Jensen and Pete Hargrove. Congrats to Sam and good luck!

RobPolumbo’slastHight.

William Decker started as President ofAquionics in Julyand relocated the familyfromTexas. The companyis locatedjust southofCincinnatiinErlanger, KY. The companyis part oftheHalmaPLC andsells ultravioletwater purification systems. Duringhis firstweek, he traveled to theNetherlands and then to Slough (west ofLondon) to visit two sister companies. That was followed by the parentcompany's annual generalmeetingwith the share holders and finallytheirCEO conferencein London. He finallygotback to Kentuckywhere they are still unpacking boxes in the new house. They were blessed with a quick contract and quickclosing on their house in Texas (less than 30 days from listing to closing). Goodjob!

Howcrazyis this? First we get a classmatewho is the Comm and now we have to start talkingabout our 25-year reunion! I am hoping we can have anothergreatweekend andhave an illustrious golftournament... howaboutthe Commandant’s Classic? Soundslike a winner to me. I’llletyou knowwhen we get a date finalized. In the meantime, send me your updates now! Herman Baker getyour chin in, andWhere’s Marty?

Have a greatholidayseason! jens

Frank “Q.” Williams

13209 Topsfield Court Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 657-3227

USAFA1985@aol.com

Hi everybody!

11

Sabre Society Donors

Updates: Tom Eannarino andhis family are in North Carolina. Tom isworkingforBoeing as an F- 15E simulator instructor and ofcourse taking in some golfand beerwhen able. JackForsythejust returned to the Pentagon for a third tour as the GlobalPersistentAttackCapabilities Division Chief. He and Amynow callVirginiahome. Fortheprevious twoyearshe was the Operations Group Commander at HollomanAFB, NM. Bestjob he had in theAir Force! Theyretired the F-117 - Jackflewtheverylast mission and transitioned Holloman to the F-22 Raptor. MarkDrinkard, ’84, was Jack’sDeputyGroup Commander. It was an honor to flymylastAirForceflightwithhim on June28th. Ofcourse no rules were broken, buttheyhad a greatsortie! Hehas seen Chris Cordes in the Pentagon and has talked to Jon Huss. Monster Huss is theVice Commander at Kunsan right now and is working like a banshee to getready for their Operational Readiness Inspection.

JoeWisemanretiredfromactivedutyfromLandstuhlRegional Medical Center on 1 Jul 08. TheAirForce was kindenough to give him a two-yearin gradewaiver to retire. He startedworkingat KaiserPermanente as a staffhead&necksurgeonin SanDiego. Hehas seen EdBaca a coupleoftimes since he’s beenbackin San Diego. Rob Polumboflewhis lastflightin the F-16. SandyMcFarland sent him McFly’svisor cover and flag to flyforthe last flight (pictureattached). Hehad some fellow84classmatesjoinhimforthefinalflight (Dave“Jig” TealandJeff“JC” Connors) He has been reassigned to bethe MobilizationAssistant to the USAFWarfare Center at NellisAFB, NV Commuting out there everymonthwhile stillflyingforAmerican.

I received a short but powerful lettervia “snail mail” that was overflowing with pride and informationfrom George D. Pollard ’72, dated Sept 11,2008. George’slettercontained an enclosedbiographyfromtheVanceAFB web site for Colonel Mark C. Nowland. George, Chris’ AOC from CS-12, said Kristin had invitedhim to go to Chris’ change ofcommand ceremonyon July 11,2008. George saidChris was hisfall semestersquadroncommander during our senioryear. George also pointed out that Chris was Kevin Fleming’s deputy commander (for operations) on 2nd Group staffduringthe spring semester ofour senior year. Back to present day, George went on to say that the outgoing commander ofthe 71st FlyingTrainingWing was another one ofour classmates, Rich Klump. George said he thinks Rich lives in Colorado Springs now. And George said Chris received his command flag from the 19 AF/CC, Irv Halter ’78. Additionally, George said he was aware oftwo other colonels from CS-12 and our class who are at Tyndall AFB. John Colombo is 1stAF/A-3 and CraigHall is commander ofthe325th Maintenance Group. Thankyou George!

Kevin andWendyRouthier sent an e-mail to theirfamilyandfriends to notify them ofsome exciting news. They sent a video oftheir son Josiahjumping on the trampoline to theAmerica's FunniestVideostelevisionshowbackinJune. The show selected the video to air on Sundaynight, 19 October 2008. The Routhiers said they were not invited to go to the studio, so they knew their video was not selected as one ofthe top three videos to compete for prize money. Ifyou missed the showthis fall, please lookfor it during reruns at the end ofthetelevision season.

Congratulations Routhiers.

I spoke to GeorgeWeathersby on the telephone recently. George saidhe completedhis militaryduty overseas and once he gothome hetook some well deservedtime offfromworking. When I talked to George he was in SanAntonio, TXparticipatingin a friend’swedding. Bynow, I thinkGeorgeis backfrom hisvacation and has resumedcivilianworkinthe MetroWashington, DC area.

As ofthis writing we had a few more inquires into our class website. Gil CowellandTerrySeaman sent e-mails for access to the pass code. Gil’s e-mail was from a civilian account from home. But Terry’s was work. It looks like things are working out forTerry as a civil servant at HeadquartersAir Force Space Command. In orderfor anyone in our class to get access to the pass

code, RayHarris and I must firstverifythatyou are reallywhoyou sayyou are through a series ofquestions. Thisprocess is in place in order to help protect everyone’sprivacy. Please don’tbe putoffbyit; sign-up forthe pass code to our web site. You’llbe able to post info andpictures to it. Otherwise, you can only see what other classmates have alreadyposted and not contribute any new content. Thanks to Ray, our class web page is located at http:// www.softwrsolutions.com/usafa85/.

Stayin touch. Q

Gary Burg 3511 Hollyberry Circle Anchorage, AK 99507 (907) 677-6050

lce492FS@yahoo.com

To start off, Ijustwanted to make a correction to the last column Cactus (Bob Colella) wrote. The award I received was FIELD grade Officer ofthe Quarter, not COMPANYgrade Officer ofthe Quarter. Just a minorthing but one I feel needed to be corrected. You can thank Cactus forcomingthrough with this quarter’sinputbecause I didn’t get any. Withoutyou (myfellow classmates) sendingCactus and I inputs on a regularbasis, this column doesn’t get filledor atleastwon’tgetfilledby me. Bob goes throughFacebookto pullinputsbut I don’thave the time or desire to do that. Enough ofmy surlyattitude, on to Bob’s inputs.

attherequestofmanagementhere atUSNAand am teachingaerospace structures and materials classes.Without going into details, I don't believeAFPC couldhave screwed up myrecords andprogression more in my20years not one 'worked' or requestedassignment (even multistar 'by-names') otherthan training ever materialized - - literallyhadfour sets ofdifferentrecords floating around and not one level ofmanagement could see or fix them all in eight years... and I still landedwhere life is great! Confused yet? Now I teach, research, consult, pay for my kids' college, and ski when I can... oh and then there is thatBarbershop Quartetthing (started in HighSchool) - - had a feature with the USAFA Chorale quartet... always have one togetherwherever I am... right nowits ‘Fourgetaboutit’. Last big audience 31,000+ at CamdenYard.”

AndyHartwrote, SorryI'm not ‘Facebook qualified’ but sinceyou did find me, I thought I could at leastupdate you a bit. I retired in 2006 and joined a small companycalled Stellar Solutions and am workingforthem in theirIntel Sector as a systems engineer (sounds good but really means I have an engineeringdegree but squandered itin my20-yearAF career, so I'm ajack-of-all trades). I love myjob and commute. Mywife, Cindy (Staples, ’87), is looking at getting back into the reserves next summer possiblywith the NYANG. I recently ran into Gene Brownwho is an 0-6 at the Pentagon as the NRO Pentagon Senior Field Rep (sorryifI screwed up yourjob title Gene). I thinkBob Newberryand George Birsic are 0-6s running amokcausing trouble in the NRO, but I would expect nothing less ofNewBob! Too bad I'm on the road (actuallyfinishingup two weeks on a short term missionwith mydaughter to LA's Union Rescue Mission andYugo Mission's Grace Orphanage outside Tijuana) or I'd sendyou some great pics from our 20th reunion oh, I guess that was a fewyears ago. 'Thanks for finding me on Facebook!”

SteveAllenwrote, “Shellyand I are now officiallySoutherners. After 17years 27 ifyou countthe 10 years we spent in Colorado Springs offreezingour tailsoff,we'verecentlyrelocatedto Charlotte, NC. Mycompanyhad an opening in the Carolinas, and theyhad enough confidence in me to let me relocate. Shellyloves the area, and I knowshe'11love it even more thisfallandwinterI'm sure. We celebrated 21 years ofblissful marriage this past May. Who would have guessed a group commander and a ‘kiss offjock’. God is good!

“Our kids - Jake (18), Jessie (17) and John (13) are slowlymakingthe transition, although it is very difficult for them as they'veonlyknownlife in their world ofBeverlyHills, MI. Jake starts his sophomoreyear at Belmont Universityin Nashville, andJessie starts hersenioryear at a newschoolthisfall. We're hopingshe'll start talkingto us againbyChristmas. John is in the eighthgrade, and he' s making new friends quickly.

Photographicevidence thatit was theFIELDgrade officerofthe quarter award!

Bob wrote, “I was in atAirWar Collegedoingan‘inspection’ oftheir PME programand ran into FrankWesthauserandPollyPadden. Both are on faculty teaching atAWC andPollymost recentlywas featuredin a booktitled"Band of Sisters" it is a bookabout the combat experiences ofwomen in our most recent series ofconflicts. Polly commanded a C-130 squadron in the Iraqi theater ofoperations andher storyis told in thebook. She gives a lotofcredit inthebookto themanyLoadmasterswhohelpedherfindherwayfromherTtail background into theworld ofturning props and short runways. I had to remindherthatitwas guyslike me sittingattheendofthetable inMitchellHall, playingloadmasterto herweakattempts at hotpilot on our right, who had to instruct her on the more importantthings inlifesuch as theknowledge thattheserrated servingutensil goes into thepanwiththegreenbeans andthenon-serrated servingutensil goes into the panwith the mash potatoes for some reason, this story didn't make it into the book.

Frankwas doingwell as a new member ofthe facultyand was enjoyingthe quieterpace oflife at Maxwell.

KennethNorriswrotebackinAugust, “HeyBob, Notmuch to sayforcheckpoints. Ikeep intouchwithmyUSAFAroomie Maurice McDonald. He just retired lastyear, and is working as a PM somewhere nearWright-Patterson. I am working at theDepartmentofState as a PM myself. I havebeen in theWashington DC area since 1987, and a civilian since 1994. Aside fromwatchingthe kids get big (3) Krystan-14, Kenneth-12 and Kamal-10,1justworkdayto day. I also ran into Tom Miller, USAFA 87while at theState Department.

Joel Schubbewrote, “Iwasadarkand stormynight-- 1 was in the 14thyear ofmy career and completing a 14-weektrainingTDYin DC as directedbythe 2-star thathadworked mynext assignment as a test director at Eglin...sweet! AFPC called and notified me I was non-volunteered to Annapolis huh? Unexpected but a 7-dayopt was not an option - -1 stillhadyears left from my PhD...so I went had a ball teachingmidshipmen (and a fewAF and USA cadets intheprocess), butthentheinfinitewisdom oftheAFPC did theirwork againandeliminatedmy ‘mustfill’ billetandmyassignments guyfound ajob formylasttour as theChiefofOperationalModelingand Sim, thenthe Deputy IPT Lead and Lead Engineer forAirframe Design on JSF, F-35, Lightning II. Uponretiring, I tookup a tenure trackcivilianprofessorpositionbackat USNA

“I've recentlybeen reacquaintedwith Don andVanessa Carter, living near Greensboro NC. Don is practicinglaw, andVanessa is in the reserves. I also had a beerwithEric Leidheiserin Charleston SC. He was flying out ofCharlestonAFB, but I believe he was headed up to Michigan to tryhis hand at orthopedic sales.

Well, that's allfor now. Ifanyofour USAFAfriends are in the Charlotte area, please give us a call.

Bob’sgotthe next column so PLEASE drop him a line andlethimknowwhat you are up too. His email is RKASColella@cox.net or Colella, Robert [ColellaR@ndu.edu]. Next time (maybe)!

Ezra Vance 7320 Brixham Circle Castle Rock, CO 80108

Home: (303) 6885431

Work: (303) 304-1287

ezravance@hotmail.com

(Nine Sabre Society Donors)

(Editor’s note: We didnotreceive an articleIfomEzraforthisissue as hesaid hedidnothaveanyinputsfrom thisclassmates. Please contacthim withyour infoandphotosforthenextissue.)

Mark Peters

2437 Bedford Circle Bedford, TX 76021-1823 (817) 937-9696

pylt@yahoo.com

Greetings 88!

Alas, not much to report this time around—I guess everyone was getting readyforthe reunion! The good news is thatthis momentarylull in the incomingemail allows me to finally use sixitems that I ve had trouble squeezingin. For example, last month I had to remove a note fromJim and Christie Leefor space reasons: “Justwanted to letyou knowabout our post-AFplans in case youwant to includethem in Checkpoints. I'llbe retiringfromtheAir Force on 31 Dec aftergoing on terminal leave in Oct. We are following the Lord'slead

to ‘serve thosewho serve’ at OffuttAFB as part ofthe NavigatorsMilitaryMinistry. Ifanyone is interested injoining our prayer and/or financial support team, they are welcome to contact me at home at (402) 505-4694, email (christieandjim@cox.net), or they can check out our web site at http:// www.navigators.org/us/staff/lee.

TheJim andChristie LeeFamily

Item2: iSABRD is the official Business NetworkingDirectoryofall five Federal ServiceAcademies. Ourclass has only 126 active alumni so do pleasesign up at www.isabrd.com. With the potential for increased economic turmoil the site is probably ofgreat use to your fellow grads. As stated on their site: “iSABRD is the onlineversion ofthe ServiceAcademyBusiness Resource Directory. It contains informationvoluntarilysuppliedbyalumnioftheparticipatingservice academies. Born from the beliefthatthe alumni associations and associations ofgraduates exist not onlyto serve theirAcademies but theirmembership, this online directory creates a business leadership network. The information not onlyshowcases ServiceAcademyAlumni endeavors, itprovides a way forthose in need ofcertain services in a geographical area, and those hiring or seeking a job, an easyand efficient way to find one oftheir own. Following a long-standingpolicy ofprotecting the Alumniinformation as much as possiblewhile still makingit available to other Alumni, the iSABRD will be made available only to ServiceAcademyalumni. The iSABRD is not intended for solicitation.” One recent monthlyupdate advised thatJorge LassoVargas, our classmate fromPanama, is now an aerospace engineerwith COPAAirlines in Panama.

Item 3: As ofFebruary, 2008, ourAOG does not have mailing addresses for the following 12 classmates. Please send any contact info to the AOG ifyou knowhowto reach anyofthefollowingmissingclassmates:Aiken, Mark Gregory, CS-23;Avila, PaulMario; Briar, DavidPaul, CS-10; Correll, RobertWesley, CS-28; Fulkerson, Ramona Denise, CS-11; Gizelbach,AnthonyLeonard, CS23; Gladney,Amanda Olivia, CS-01; Nardi, StaceySuzanne, CS-31; Packard, AnthonyMichael, CS-39; Pollmiller, David Edward, CS-19; Regan, ChristopherJohn, CS-06; and Sheriff, David Barclay, CS-31.

Item 4: There remains work to be done in the area ofhuman rights. An alumni site, www.blue-alliance.org, is attempting to reduce the stereotypes that harm some ofour classmates, some ofwhom were bornwith thewrong eye color, or are left-handed, or are otherwise unique. They’relookingfor at least200 people to signup as StraightAllies. As stated on theirweb site, “The StraightAllies page is open to all members oftheAirForceAcademy communityincludinggraduates, cadets, formercadets,facultyand staff(currentand former) and immediatefamilymembers ofcadets and alumni. Because there is strength in numbers, your name will be kept anonymous until at least 200 people have agreed to participate as allies. Please addyour name to this important list. I have and I hopeyou will as well.

Item 5: Nebojsa "Solo" Solunac emailed in September, not long after Hurricane Ike passedthrough the Houston area. “We are in Houston, picking up afterIke and the mess itleft in itswake. Thankfully, our home suffered little more than cosmetic damage—afewshingleshere, a fewbranches there, reallyquitefortunate compared to many. Ellington Field (KEFD), where Iwork, was not so fortunate. We lost a hangarthat houses the SuperGuppy, and the roofoffanother, plus the shelters for our T-38 fleet. All in all, we were lucky based on some prudentplanning as we evacuated allthe aircraftlastweek in preparation forthe storm. Friends and neighbors are all dealingwith the full spectrum ofdamage and clean up, so the next fewweekswill surelybe busy trying to restore some semblance ofnormality to the temporary chaos. It never ceases to amaze me thepanic a loss ofcable and airconditioning causes.

“Weplanned on attendingtheAFA/Houstongame, butthat didn'tquitework out. The game (as I'm sure you know) was moved to yourneck ofthewoods. Wewound up evacuatingto SanAntonio andsippingmargaritas on the River Walkwhile Ike did it's thing. Seeingthewords‘evacuate’ and‘SanAntonio’ in the same sentence doesn't seem right; itfails to inspiresympathy at anylevel.

“We're lookingforward to the reunion in November andplan on attending.

It's odd how20years can pass so quickly. I'm not exactly sure how20 years are supposed to ‘feel’, but it seems like a longworkweek interruptedbyperiodic coffeebreaks and occasional heart attacks. Fortunately we have much for which we are thankful, and a load ofmemories thatbring smiles far more often than frowns/' Solo is a NASA Research Pilot and can be reached at nebojsa.m.solunac@nasa.gov.

That’s it. Writeyour scribe and send me your reunion pictures too!

Paul W. Tibbets, IV

PSC 80, Box 76

APO AE, 09702

Home: 011-32-2-251-2772

E-mail: p2a2@skynet.be

Class web site: http://www. usafaclasses.org/1989/

Hello 89ers! The good news - preparations and fundraisingfor our 20th reunion are proceedingfairlywell. We now sit with approximately $130,000 in cash on hand ($70K) and pledges ($60K) for the class giftproject. On behalfof theclass, I can’tthankthose ofyouenoughwhohavegenerouslydonated to this great cause. With a goal of$150,000, we are over 85% there! The bad news$130Kisjust$5K over last quarter... this slowgrowth leaves us a little short and we still needyour help sooner rather than later! As a reminder, the money raised will go towards our HeritageTrail plotwhere we will honor Kevin Shea, pavers for all our fallen classmates and several cadet programs. Ifyou have pledged, please send inyourdonations at yourearliestconvenience so thework can proceed in a timely manner and be completed before the reunion. Also, this would be a good time to contact other classmates you know and encourage them to give. Let’s spread the word!! More information can be found at our class web site listed at the beginning ofthis article, or you can contact our class giftPOC, Alex “Gonzo” Gonzalez-Rojasatgonzo5insp@hotmail.com.

On otherreunion developments, we are lookingforvolunteers who are interested in serving as squadron POCs. We onlyhave a handful to date. Some ofthe functions include:

•Helporganize individual gatherings/functions for the respectivesquadron for our upcomingreunion;

•Help gather additional help and support from squadron mates for overall planning and execution ofreunion functions;

•Assist in getting the word out and make contact with members from now through the reunion to ensure everyone is notified and informed ofreunion scheduling, actions and requirements.

This is a great way to get involved and helpspread the word. As mentioned previously, one ofour biggestchallengesright now is justgetting in touchwith everyone! Ifyou are interested, please drop me an e-mail and 1 will get you in touch with the right folks. Additionally, LarryMcNeel, who passed away in a glider accident fall semester of our senior year, has been approved for the awarding ofa posthumous degree at the reunion. Manythanks to Gonzo and others who helped with obtainingthis well-deserved recognition for Larry.

Lastly, assumingthe funds come in as planned, construction on our Heritage Trail plot will begin in summer '09 and take approximatelyfiveweeks to complete. We are currentlywaiting on design recommendations and once approved I will share those with you. Also, our class president, Don Simpsonwill begin sending out e-mail reunion updates to all classmates laterthisyear, including a request for volunteers for reunion committees. Please ensure your e-mail address on filewiththeAOG is current and check out the classweb site forthese and other reunion tidbits. I will keep you up to speed as well in Checkpoints each quarter. We look forward to a great reunion!

Happy

That’s a wrap forthis quarter. On a side note, we are trying to expand our classweb site, so please send some photos and short comments onyouractivities to our web master, Scott Shinberg, at scott.shinberg@gmail.com. Wewill post these on the Class Historysection. Bestwishes to you andyour families. Take care and Godbless.

James Sanchez

8301 Emerald Circle

North Richland Hills, TX 76180

Cell: (817) 881-6357

Web:WWW.USAFA90.COM alohatiger@gmail.com

Paul Sherman: This is our group ofAcademygradsworking at CraigJoint TheaterHospital at BagramAirField,Afghanistan. Lt ColPaul Sherman (’90), Neuroradiologist; MajorLakeishaHenry, Otorhinolaryngologist (USMA ’92); MajorDave Steinhiser (’94),Anesthesiologist; Lt ColStaceyShackleford (’89), General Surgeon; Major Chad Hamilton (’94), Gynecologic Oncologist; Lt Col Bob Kowalski (USNA’89), Neurosurgeon; and MajorMarkTopolski (’92), OrthopedicSurgeon.

LeeArmstrong:JuddFancherhad us over to his casa at Osan. Fromleftinthe photo are QuinnGummel(5RS/CC), BrianHastings(51 OSS/CC), Iee Armstrong (5 FIS/CC),AndrewDembosky(607ASOG/CD), MattMitchell (5 RSTDYerfrom Beale), and JuddFancher (51FW/IG). It was notedthat we had on our "field graderuniform" ofpolos andtan shorts; thanks to Judd forhavingthe creativity towearredshorts. RandyRedell(51OG/CD) isalso atOsanbutwas busy. Dennis Ruiz is atYongsanArmyGarrison in Seoul,working in USFK/J2.

a command tour/Bagram deployment in the 335th FS “Chiefs” at Seymour Johnson (F-15E).

Renn Burlingis having a baby! Bythe timeyou read this, she shouldbe here: rennbrittbaby.blogspot.com.

Anne (Parker) Krause: I'm going into mysecondyear as chairman ofa nonprofitorganizationhere in SanAntonio. We support numerous local, national, and international charities. Earlierthis year we received a grant fromValero Energy to computerize our operation, which was very exciting. Other than that, PKand I staymightybusywith our fourchildren. We lovevisitors!

Tammi (Schandler) Moes: CurrentlyworkingforAF DeputyAssistantSecretary, Force ManagementIntegration at the Pentagon. Myhusband, John, and I had our first son on 23 Jan 08.1 submitted retirement paperworkfor 1 Oct 09 date. Will be headed to Wentzville, MO (justWestofStLouis). I'mlooking forward to settling into the communityto raisethekids and not move around forthe next 20years!!

James Jinnette: Meredith and I, with our nine-year-old Hannah are now reallyenjoying a greatfamilyyear atArmyWar College,havingjustcompleted

Visit the AOGWeb Site Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More!

www.usafa.org

Brad Snelling: Sharilyn and I have four girls now living in Oklahoma City area. Test Pilot w/ FAA Flight Inspection; still in AF Reserve doingFlight Inspectionwork.

Eric Dalton (CS-09) and familyPCSed fromAfrica toVandenberg AFB this summer. He is inthe ISRDivision oftheJointSpaceOperations Center (14AF). He loved hisjob as the DefenseAttache to Mali for two years, but the entire family(wifeKellyanddaughtersAshleyage 15 andMorganage 12) is happyto be back in the USA.

Rod Peoples also recentlyPCSed toVAFB.

James Walker: Currently at LaughlinAFB, TX (Del Rio bythe sea), been here sinceApril 07. Commanderof434th FighterTrainingSquadron (IFF). Tomorrow (23 OCT) we're doingflybyforThursdaynight football game... I hope we don't screw it up!

Greg Nelson: I spent eight years at Hurlburt Field/Duke Field flying the MC- 130E CombatTalon, with the last three years also working atAFSOC HQ as ChiefofCurrent Ops. I then moved to Laughlin AFB, TX to be a T-1A IP, where I have been fornearlythreeyears. I spent a short tour as the DO ofthe 86th before moving to the wing to help run our ORI. Since then, I’ve been working as the XP at the wing, and am on the lastfewmonths at thatjob. As forfamilylife, I’ve been marriedjust short of 11 years to mywife, Brandelyn. We have three girls: Victorianna - 5, Arwen - 3, andAlexandrea - 8 mos., and a fourth baby on theway, due in April. There are a few classmates here at Laughlinwith me, including the current T-l commander, Cheryl (Loyer) Beineke.

Gary Foster: Colleen, Cailin,Ashlyn and Ijust returned to the states afterthreeyears at the US EmbassyinWarsaw, Poland. We arrived our new dutystation attheMissile DefenseAgencyin Huntsville,AL. I am working C2BMC which is the battle managementsystem for MD. Although these two assignments presentcompletelydifferentcultural environments, we are adjustingquite well.

TerryBradley: Movedfrom sunnyColorado Springs inJulyand is nowliving near Annapolis, MD. After seven great years in Colorado, Connie andldecided to move back east so I could take a newjob with BoozAllen.We're enjoyingthe fall colors alongwith a gradualtransition ofthe seasons, butreallymiss the mountains and good friends we leftbehind.

Randy Redell: Currentlystationed at OsanAB as DeputyOps Group Commander after tours as CC oftheWings ofBlue and Ops O forTBirds. Married with two kids who are in the Springs while I'm remote. Never thought I'd be flyingVipersagain.

Mike McNemey:headingto Iraqfor365 soon andwanted to pass an update. After a rewarding tour as DO at the SERE School, I volunteered to work as an AirAdvisor to the IraqiAir Force. It was a hard offer to pass on, after all how many chances does a guy get to get a combat command while qualified in a Russian aircraft (Mi-17)? It’s hard formywife (Patti) and kids to give me up for a year, but I’ve been living the good life between school and stafffor several years now and I figure I owe the otherswho’ve been paying their dues this whole time a break.

DaveBrien: I'mstill inAWACS as anE-3 InstmctorMissionCrewCommander and Assistant Director ofOperations at Tinker. Spent the summer in SWA, flying overAfghanistan and Iraq, controlling over 1600 aircraft and providing support to over 80 US and coalition troops-in-contact events the war is still beingfought each and everyday! WorkedwithTim MacGregor andhis KC-10 squadron over both OEF and OIF. Glad to be backwith mywife andkids; we're doingwell here in Oklahoma.

Mike Moye: In the graphicdesignindustryandhave some stuffto sharewith the crew. Trying to hookup with RayJames amongst others. Check me out at

cafepress.com/bnfaith Some designs commissioned byothers, especially HeavenDepotandthe Obama.

Kraig Hanson: Hello from Carlisle Barracks, home oftheArmyWar College. Afew ’90 grads here as students: me, J.J. Jinnette, and BlakeWaller. Myfamily (Jill, Blake (5), and Cole (3) are enjoying the East Coast and the academic schedule.

Carson Tavenner

6828 Raccoon Court

Waldorf, MD 20603 (202) 231-2484

DSN: (312) 428-2484

Home: (301) 374-2752

Carson_wendy@comcast.net

For those ofyouwho might not have seen this, the Register (thatbig tome published everyyear) is now electronic only. Hopefullyyou’verecently updatedyour contactinfo; some ofour classmates disappeared over thehorizon long ago; their addresses are from UPT!

Butwe’rewell beyond UPT, aren’twe? Yessir! Justwitness howfar, with this letterfromJeffDavies. “Afewofus Bold Golders gottogetherrecently at Luke AFB,AZ for a picture to sendforthe next installmentofCheckpoints. Besides thefour ofus pictured [left to right] Dave McCune (310 FS/CC), Doyle Turner (56TRS/CC), Jim Sears (61 FS/CC), andYours Truly (local full-time Reservist)], we have had more than a handful of'91 grads stopbyLukeAFBinthelast fewyears.

Dave Doyle, Jim andJeffcan’t wait to slip thesurlybonds andleave their email behind.

“Notpicturedbut stationed at Luke as a part-time Reservist is Brian Kilian. Also doingtouch and gos the lastfewyears are DougDeMaio (Shaw), Geoff Maki (Spangdahlem), Chris Gough (Nellis), and JayBoyd (Kunsan, Korea). Jim Sears and I had a bigcelebrationrecendyfor our respectivepromotions. Abigcongrats to Jimwho gotpickedup forColonelwell-BTZ (partofthe first group for our class). I gotpicked up on the Reserve Lt Colboard (whew!). All in all it's been great to see Bold Gold representing the Air Force andAir Force Reservewell 17+ years later. Take care and thankyou for carrying thetorchforthe rest ofus slackers. We alllookforward to seeingeveryone in a fewyears at our 20th reunion.”

Thanks, Jeff! Seeingthese foursmilingfaces andreflecting on the names Jeffmentioned, reminds me how much fun I’ve had over theyears getting to see some ofyou from time to time. Astheyears go on, I’ve learned to treasure thetimes when I getreacquaintedwith some ofyou; some ofus have met forthe firsttime, despite those fouryears together in close proximity on theterrazzo! It turns outthismonthhas a themeinthisregard: manyfolks, who don’tnormallywrite, maybe even for the first time have been recently motivated to send in some words. All the thanks forthis go toAngieCadwell, who’s been reminding some ofyou for not updatingyour data! Way to go, Angie, thankyou! With no creative additional editing, I’ll now share with you the news and stories from several otherfolks.

Out here at PACOM (I’m TDY on Oahu right now; tough, huh!) I’ve been visitingwith Chris Cortez, on the intelligence staffas an ISR planner. He and his family are enjoyinglife on the island andlookingforward to the opportunities impending retirement maybring.

Recently, CraigAllton wrote, saying he is now assigned to the Pentagon. Craig, Ihopewe’ll see youforlunchearlyintheyear! I am sure there are several there who you’ve not seen in a long time.

MikeWilburnwrites “I'm an instructorpilotteachingEmirati pilotshowto flyF-16s under a direct contractwith Lockheed Martin andthe UnitedArab Emirates. I'm active duty, and as such, fall underthe authorityofthe US Embassy (USLO) while I'm here. It's a pretty goodjob. All just a fancyway of saying I'm a pilot.

MikeWeewrote inwith “I'm a reservist in the33rdNetworkWarfare Squad

ron, LacklandAFB, TX. I live inTampa, FL. When I'm not performing reserve drill, I workforNorthrop Grumman IT/TASC for USJFCOM on the DoD Infermation OperationsRange (10 Range).

And a nice, long letter from Dave Sivinski: Myfirst post-UPT assignment was C-2 Is atAndrews, and I remember the good times living inAlexandria. I stillvisitthe area regularlyalongwithoccasionalbusiness trips to CrystalCity. I disappeared into the SOFworld at HurlburtflyingMC-130E from ’96 until ’03. We had a bunch ofus 91 ers in the 8th SOS back then. Myself, Mike Beck, CJ Hemmer, CaseyBritain, Mike Doyle. For a small uniquesquadronwith about 20 pilots, it seemed like we were over-loadedwith 91 grads.

“I came out here to Peterson in ’03 joining the Reserves and flying the C130H3. We were constantlybeingtold we will get mobilized 'soon' so the flying was busy. Afterayear, and no mobilization yet, I got a realjob downtheroad at Schrieversupporting the Missile DefenseAgency as a Raytheon Contractor. I design, test and execute large COCOM missile defense exercises. Asyou can imagine, we don't shoot ICBMs to exercise missile defense elements. So we have to make a coordinatedillusion ofmissiles and interceptorsflyingeverywhere so commanders and shooters can exercise their procedures accordingly. Keeping this grand illusion synchronized and realistic from the NMCC, to NORTHCOM, to Aegis Cruisers oceans awayrequires quite a bit ofengineeringwork. So I essentiallyhad a 'staff job in the exercise shop at Schriever, and was attached to fly 130s over here at Peterson.

“We finally did get mobilized from Aug ’05 until Jan ’07, which was great. Flying 130s is a lot easier and a bit more funthanrunning missile defense exercises. Besides, we got to go to greatbeachlocationslikeA1 Udeid and Balad! So now I' m back at the'staffjob', and attached to flyhere at Pete. HopefullyI'11 make the 20-year reunionthis time. I had tickets and all for the 10-year, but as you can imagine I gotdeployed to an undisclosed location backthen. Since I now live about three milesfrom the southgate, odds are a bit betterthis time. Speaking ofwhich, ifyou are lookingforsome91 guyswho are local to USAFA to run something around for the reunion let me know.”

Whew! Thankyou, Dave!

Steve Carneyslipped us thesewords. “Myfamilyand I [Davehas three children] moved to Jacksonville, FL almost a year ago. We absolutely love it here (we are very close to the beach). I work for Boston Scientific as a Regional Manager in their Cardiac Rhythm Management division (pacemakers and defibrillators).”

Finally, Ben Kam (who I actuallygot to see on a fewoccasions livingnearby while stationedatYokotaAB, Japan) sent a sweet photo ofthe ’91 medical team now stationed at USAFA. He, Eric Nelson andJTTokish are in the photobelow, left to right. At far right is Bob Sullivan, an ’88 grad. Possibly, KyKobayashihas been stationedtherebynow, whichwouldmakethree ’91 grads at USAFAinthe orthopaedics clinic. So... ifyoubreak anything, you could consider stopping byto get some bone therapy!

I have justenough room to also slip you this photo of our current fellow NDU students. Angie Cadwell managed to getherfellowfast-movers to stand still longenough for a quickphoto.

Fromleftin thefrontrowareAngieCadweU, Mattlsler, andSteveBleymaier. Secondrow: ChrisHill, Chris Craige, and CoreyMartin.

My dearfriends, this brings me to myword limit! 1991, we’ll see you in anotherquarter! Tav

James S. Mehta

3802 Elbert Ave. Alexandria, VA 22305 (703) 697-4511; DSN: 227-4511 james.mehta@ogn.af.mil jamesmehta@pentagon.af.mil jamesmehta@earthlink.net

GreetingsTrue Blue 92! I hope this column all finds you safe and prosperous even inthis crazyeconomictime. DC isfulltiltinto pre-electionhype and soon we will knowwho the next Commander-in-Chiefwill be. Anyway, I got a couple oflong e-mails this time so I am excited to get to the news.

HappyHour. Jean Twomey set up a ’92 happy hour at Sine’s Irish pub in PentagonRow—basicallythe O-Club forthePentagon. Unfortunately, we got a small showing.. .MichaelWeiss, Ritchie Edge, Steve Broderick, Jean, and me. It was a good excuse to drinkbeer and we ended up having dinner together. Michaelishere inthePentagon on theAirStaff, Jean is a reservist at the PentagonandflyingC-5s at StewartANGB inNewYork, Ritchie is an IT contractor here in DC, and Steve is flying for Southwest. Steve later sent me a great update with lots ofpictures from all ofhis travels.

Steve, Jean, and Melissa (Jones) Coburn attendedAmyAukema’swedding inJune 2008. Amyhas two children; she andher new husband,Alan, are consultants intheWashington DC area. Melissaandherhusband, Ryan, have two children, and she is an ART flying C- 17s at McGuire.

SteveBroderick,Melissa (Jones) Coburn,AmyAukema, andJeanTwomey.

I’llletSteve narrate the rest: “Other92 grads that fly at Southwestwith me are Jason Hopper, Rob Zerbe, Alec MacLeod, Roman Isajiw, MarkDeresky, Kyle Neaville, JeffHandy,John Schoeppner, and so manyothers I can’tremember. Roman and Bridget (’91) Isajiwlive in Maryland with their two children. Rob andMicheleZerbelive inTucson, AZ. MarkDereskyandI are fellowAcademy Liaison Officers in the DC area. Kyle andWendy (Cook) Neavillejustmoved to Utah with their two children.

“Michele (Meyer) Kilgore and herhusband Bob (’88) live in Buffalo, NYand she flies F-16s at SyracuseANGB. Kristine (Bergemann) Marlowandherhusband, Garth, live near Houston TX, where he flies for Continental. MyUPT roommate Rich (andwife, Kirsten) Brown flies for FedEx and lives in Michigan with their two sons. Rob (and wife, Lynn) Dittman also flies for FedEx, alongwith Jason (andwife,Vicki) White. Myother UPT roommate Tim (and wife, Brenda) Martin and theirthree sons live in Portiand, ORwhere Tim is a civil engineer.

“MarkMountis at Beale flyingU-2s. Kim (McQuairre) Tebrugge andher two girls live in Olympia,WA. Kimworks as a media consultantand is also a Public Affairs IMA; we had dinnertogetherrecentlyhere in DC. Dave and Shannon Sutton and their children have returned from India, and Dave now works at

the Pentagon. Walt and SusanAllen are based in England; he works directly with the RAF on one oftheir bases (can’t remember which). Joe and Bridget Baumgarte are flying HH-60s at Nellis. Barry (and wife, Judy, and two children) Blanchardflies C-17s forthe MississippiANG out ofJackson, MS and he also flies forFedEx. Matt and SissyRytting and their two children are based at Ft.Wainwright near Eielson. Frankand Stacie (Milinski) Schorzman are based atRamstein.

“Andy (and his wife, Tatiana, and son Nicholas) Ross flies for UPS and lives in Temecula, CA. Andy, Nicholas and I went on a fishing trip last year to FairbanksAK.

Andy, Nicholas, and Steve

“Andy, Tatiania (who also skydives), Roman Isayiw, and I also gottogether at PerrisValley, CA for a wind-tunnel dive.”

Steve,Andy,Nicholas,Tatiania, and Roman

Thanks for all the great info Steve. You got all the pictures since you’re the only one who sent me some.

Blue to Green. AnneWilliams sent me an e-mail from "an undisclosed location in SWA" where she gotthe September2008Checkpoints in a care package. Here’s herupdate:

“I'm a green-suiter now. Actually, I get a fair bitof ribbing about my AF background, but most ofit's all in good fun. TheArmyfolks are treating mejust fine, and I love being an Armyveterinarian. (And ifI can still saythatafterthislastweek, which hasbeen the most stressful one ofthe deployment so far, I mightjust be saying it forthe 4R & rest ofmy life.) ly fl

“I graduatedveterinaryschool (UF) inJune 2007 and went WmMr' from there to the 218thMed Det (VeterinaryService) at Fort Lewis,Washington. We deployed to CENTCOM in July2007. The 218th is scattered all over CENTCOM, as theytend to do with veterinarydetachments, but mostly in Kuwait. I'm on the road a fair bit, as I have Soldiers at several camps. This location actually has me co-located with an AF wing, which is occasionally odd/familiar/confusing/justlike old times. At three months into our deployment, we're starting to settlein forthelonghaul. (The 218th was amongthelast ofthe 15-month groups to leave CONUS.)

“Anne Clark is at USAFA as Deputy Commander ofOperations for the EE department. She saysthe C-Springs area is reallybuiltup and thatcadets never change.

“Brad and Chaundra (McCanna) Ward are back at LasVegas, after an assignment inthe DC area. Theyjusthadanotherbabygirl—just as cute (inpictures!) as the rest ofthem. Brad's new assignment isn't as stressful as the one in the Beltway, and they're both happyaboutthat.”

Anothergreatupdate—thanks fortakingthe time to write,Anne. Staysafe on your deployment.

Strollingthe Pentagonhallways. I ran into Phil Hendrixin the Pentagonthe other day. Phil startedwith 1992 and graduatedwith 1993 aftergoingstop-out. Phil isworking on the Hill as a congressional liaison forAF/FM. He reminded me the 4° German class we hadtogether and mentioned Scott Urbanwho was also in the class. Phil gave me an update on Scottwho separated as a Captain. Scott and his wife, Jessica, live in Seattle with their son Owen and their new babygirl, Sasha Christine Urban, born Oct 16,2008.

Well, that’s itforanother quarter. Thanks to thosewho wrote. I lookforward to hearing from the rest ofyou. Until then, be good. True Blue’92, James.

Michael D. Sundsted 1805 Macadams Place Alexandria, VA 22308 (240) 338-9839

Michael.sundsted@afncr.af.mil

Class Website: www.highflight.com

Greetings to our most excellent class! The class that None Shall Surpass— Nonus Superato! Hopeyou are ailwellandenjoyingthenicefall/winterweather. We are doingwell nestledin NorthernVirginia. Ijustfinished runningthe 33rd Marine Corps Marathonyesterday. It was definitely a challenge, butwellworth the training and LONG 26.2 run! I am reminded ofthe fact that one of our classmates finished numero uno backinthe27th MCM. ChrisJuarez finished in2:25:01—I was a littlebehindthatmarkat4:43:27! Chrisyou are still the man!

As youmayhave noticed from last quarter’sCheckpoints, our class did not have an articlepublished. I want to encourageYOU, the classmate to update everyone on what is going on in yourworld. I know everyone has probably been extremelybusywith summer/backto school/jobs/moves etc, but this article really runs on yourinputs. Even ifit’sjust a quickword or update—zap me an email. We would all love to hear howyou are doing! Spouses, please continue to feel free to provide inputs in the eventyou thinkyour significant other should be honored in our periodical! On to our news...

I received a quickupdate from Andy Wolcott. Andy says he finished his hardship flying staff tour at HQ USAFE at Ramstein AB. He is now on to Spangdahlem AB where he will become the23rd Fighter Squadron DO. His wife, Christy, and son Cole are very excited to be able to stay in Germanylonger. Please enjoy a tastybeverage in Munich forme!

I hadthehonor ofbeing able to attendLance Orr and Curt Velasquez’ promotion to Lieutenant Colonel party at a very nice local restaurant in Kingstowne, VA. Lance Orr is currentlyworking on theAir Staff as an IntelAssignment/Deployment Guru. He hasbeen busyensuring allhis peeps in the intelworld get a fair shake in the deployment process with all the other commands/divisions. Curt currentlyworks as an action officer on the SECAFsAction Group. Curthas been a superb executive officer managing a lot ofthe SECAFs projects and initiatives. He recently had the opportunityto be the lead officerpreparinghis office and SECAF for a briefing to the President!

Congratulations are in orderforBruceYbarraandfamily! Mr. andMrs.Ybarra are now the proudparents ofa healthyyoungboy, Karl Peter. Bruce has quite a storyto tell on thebirth—let’sjust sayhe made itjust in time! Added to this a little over a month later, Bruce pinned on his shiny new Lt Col rank.

RecentlyI was planning a mission to transitHollomanAFB, NM and in coordination electronicallybumped in to one ofour classmates. AlexGrynkewich is currently the 49 OSS/CC and loving life. He greeted me with a gracious “Proud to be, 93!” He was ready to provide support to our lovely Gulfstream V but alas mymission cancelled! Maybe next time Grynch!

While working in and aroundAndrews on various tasks I have bumped into Sean Solly, Tim Lee, Burke Beaumont and Kirt Fiesbeck. Sean is an Air Force One Navigatorflyingwith the Presidential Airlift Group. Tim is theAPS/CC here atAndrews. Burke control’s the purse strings atAndrews. He is the base Comptroller. I can tellyouhe is doing one heckofajob as hekeepshelping me with numerous issues. (Burke, your folks are awesome!) Kirt is in trainingto flythe GulfstreamIII forthe 99thAirlift Squadron. The 99thalso recentlyhired TylerPrevettto flythe Gulfstream III. One more 93 gradishere atAndrews and he is the 457 Sq/CC—LeifEckholm. He flies C-21 s andlooks aftertheyounguns in the OSAworld. Looks like we have a majority of93 graduates located here atAndrews!

RecentlyI was able to enjoy a greatlunch at Chile’swith Lee Spechlerandhis mom anddad. We went downAcademyandAF memorylane for an afternoon andIrealizedthatwe are aboutfouryears awayfrom our 20-YEARREUNION— scary! Lee is working A-10 requirements in the Pentagon and loving every minute ofit!

Got a short note from Dave Leazerwho is currentlyassigned to Sheppard AFB flyingthe mightyT-38. He is enjoyingtheTexas life afterbeing at an embassy inAfrica for too long! Dave said Pete Wilkie is also there at Sheppard. Both are traininginstructorsthere. Dave is currentlythe 89 FTS DO. Congrats on your DO-ship Lazer!

That’sitforthistime. Istillhave more spaceI can use! Please give me an update ifyou are able and as always ifyou are in the area lookup one ofthe myriad of grads that are inthe area. Thanks andhave awonderfulHoliday—mike.

Visit the AOGWeb Site

www.usafa.org

WC.C. M. Masotti

PSC 116, Box 215

APO AE 09777

W: +33-1-43-12-26-69 or 202-536-2780, 1 (for English) X2669

Cell: +33-1 6-25-74-69-13

cc.masotti@yahoo.com

C.C. M. Masotti wrote this article. New scribe information follows:

CraigAllen

440WillowCt

WarrensburgMO 64093

Home: 660-747-8088

Cell: 660-864-5374

E-mail: keggerallen@embarqmail.com

Dear classmates, I’d like to offer my most sincere thanks to each ofyou for yoursupportthesepast 14years—andyourpatience as my“real”jobhas made it too difficult for me to complete articles and share your news on time. With the 90th anniversaryoftheArmistice this year, the 65th anniversaryofD-Day next summer, the ParisAirshowthefollowingweek and a workschedule that keeps me perpetuallysnowed under, I’vebeen unable to serve you properly. I’m excited to report that Craig“Kegger”Allen has graciously stepped up to ensure class news flows at a more appropriate pace. His contact information is above; please help him by addinghim to your regular e-mail contacts and ensuringhe has plentyofupdates to share.

Those who are still on active duty know that our in-thezone board for promotionsjustwrapped up, so collective congratulations should be in orderaround the time this goes to print. (Since attache promotions sadlytend to hover belowthe 30% mark, please have a drinkforme!) However, we have a few stand-out classmates who have earned below-the-zone promotions. Two of our new lieutenant colonels are Paul Murray (Pentagon) and StevenWoods (USAFR, Lackland; Lawyer at Haynes Boone lawfirm), reported byChris Ouellette (Pentagon) and Bob Woods (’64, Steve’s dad), respectively. Congrats to you both as well as to all our other BTZ folks!

Most ofour news thiscolumn comes from the DC area, so I need those ofyou living (ordeployed) in other areas oftheworld to write Craig and help balance out the distribution ofupdates for his first column! Ofcourse, since DC has been myhome in between overseas assignments, I always love hearingfrom the gang thereand appreciatebeingkept in the invitation loop byJohn JG” Gifft, who organizes semi-regular ’94 gatherings. In addition to being our partyplanner in DC, JG recentlytook a new position as the Director ofRegulatoryAffairs at Mobile SatelliteVentures (MSV) inReston,VA. He’s not the only Washingtonian to get new employment, however. CynthiaGreen recentlytook ajobwith the State Department andleftin Septemberfor a yearin Iraq. I have her mailing address ifyou’d like to sendher a card. Almost as iftheychanged places, Ernesto “E” Hernandezjustreturnedfrom a deployment to Iraq and is back at work in the State Departmentmilitaryoffice.

Maj Chris Ouellette (Air Staff OSI, SAF/IGX, Pentagon) and Maj Brian Frieburger (Aircraft MX, DTRA, Ft BelvoirVA) recently saw each other again after 14 years. Chris brieflylivedwith Brian and his wife during theirAircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officer Course (AMMOC) training at Sheppard AFB way back in the fall of ’94. Chris and his bride, Rachel (Rabeni, ’96, OSI reservist), expected to welcome their second son to the world inAugust and shared a pre-babypicture from their summer visit to Gettysburg.

The (Juliettesin Gettysburg.

Marc Sands wrote with his “5-yearupdate” after completing DIAs National Defense IntelligenceCollegewith Kevin Murray, JohnLeClair, Rob Morrison, and Rich Cimino at BollingAFB. The fiveand their classmatesworked hard

throughoutthe one-yearprogram, finallyearningMS degrees in Strategic Intelligence. Marcwasn’t surewhere everyone was headed, butKevinwentto the White House MilitaryOffice, while Marc headed back to theAFTechnicalApplications Center at PatrickAFB, FL, where he worked severalyears ago.

A degreein StrategicIntelligence? Whatexactlydoes thatmean? (Congrats, ofcourse!)

JeffSpinnangerwrote during a weekend reserve tour at the Pentagon; his civilianjobbrings him across the pondprettyregularly to Belgium and Germanyand he was scheduled to come to Paris in October. Unfortunately, since I didn’tget a chancetowritehimback, we were unable to linkupwhenhe came through town.

However, I DID get a chance to see Paul (Computer Sciences Corporation) and GinnyWagnerback inJulywhile theywere doing a whirlwind European tour (France,Belgiumand Germany) andfamilywedding. Theywere exhausted the dayoftheir arrival from DC, buttheyrallied in order to celebrate Bastille Dayat the base ofthe EiffelTower (with a concert featuringJames Blunt and severalothers), thenwent to an international reception to watch the fireworks at myFinnish colleague’sapartment. After theirtrip here, Paul went to Sierra Leone for2Vzweekswherehe was teaching summer school to kids at the Child Rescue Centre, a program he and Ginnysupportverystronglywith their time andtalents. Paul also recently ran into Dave Fujimoto (’93)just before Dave’s promotion to Lt Col and reported that Bill Dobbs, John Hennings and Kirk Schultzhad recentlymoved to DC.

overseas, I’ll be backin the US thisyearspendingseveral daysvisitingfriends in DC and then goingto SanAntonio to visit Mike Prochko (’91 government contractor), hiswife, Catherine, andtheirbeautiful childrenAustin,Veronika, Travis and mygorgeous godson GabrielThomas. I hope you are all fortunate to be surroundedby loved ones as the holiday season approaches.

As I close myfinal column, I’m also in the midstofpreparingthe embassyfor the 90th anniversaryofthe endofWWI—an armistice that was signed not far from Paris. The commemorationwill be celebratedthroughoutFrance (and thefreeworld, I hope), including a ceremonywith USAFAexchange cadets at the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial. With a heavy heart for those who have fallen in defense ofour greatnation andwithgreatgratitude to each ofyoufor your service as militaryofficers, contractors, civilians, parents and citizens, I’d like to close with a quote from President Reagan’s 1985Veterans’ Day address atArlingtonCemetery: “It is, in a way, an odd thing to honorthosewho died in the defense of our country in wars far away. The imaginationplays a trick. We see these solders in our mind as old andwise. We see them as somethinglikethefoundingfathers, grave and gray-haired. But most ofthem were boyswhen theydied. Theygave up two lives: the one theywere living andthe one theywould have lived. When theydied, theygave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. Theygave up the chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember.”

Now, we may not have been “recognized”, but each and every one ofyou shall be remembered... Thankyou forhelping me keep Red Hot ’94 in touch all theseyears; it hastrulybeen an honor. Iwishyou andyourfamilies peace, love and happiness. Take care and God Bless!! Merciet adieu... C.C.

R. Travis Koch

6207E Shallowford Ct. Suffolk, VA 23435

Home: (757) 686-2607

Cell: (850) 499-8242

richard.koch@langley.af.mil

traviskoch@yahoo.com

Update Peddler: Thanks to Rex Ballingerforwriting the last issue. I think Jamie and Buck might be in for the next two articles but ifyou want to help, pleasedrop me 1200words andthreepics. RexisbusyteachingEconomics to manySeamen at the USNAinAnnapolis these dayswhile Nikki (Gumina) finishes her program andwill most likelyship out with the boys next year (no ideawhereyet). Hopefully, Rex can stillmake the “Duff” golftournament in July (18th). Startworkingyour kitchen passes andwe’ll see you then. Nikki spent a weekend inVegaswith the Golden Girls, lookforward to seeing some ofthe pics soon. Bythe way, I’mTDY; this thing was due a weekago, and I have no yearbook to QC the names so please excuse the spelling...

TheWagners at theEiffelTowerfora BastilleDaypicnic.

Myonlynon-DC check-in was fromTodd Stearns, hailingfromfabulous Las Vegas, where he has been living for a little over a year. He’s a valet at the Rio HotelandCasino, buthe also professionallyhouse sits (onlyinthose fabulous huge homes you find aroundVegas, ofcourse!). He lovesVegas life and the freedom ofbeingsinglewith no kids and passed on an invite forthose passing through to stop byfor a visit.

Though I share the no kids/no spouse lifestyleTodd has, life is prettymuch insane for me (hence my resignation). I have a fairly consistentflood ofwork inadditionto therequisite“eatinganddrinkingfor our country” that’spiled on top ofthejob. Add to that the revolvingdoorofguests “Chez Masotti” andIfeel like I spend mylifeplanningmy next nap! Fortunately, I getbursts ofsunshine likeSarah (Saxer, ’93) Marshall’sstopthrough town as shewhizzedthrough on business. When she came through last time (in the spring), she broughtbaby Ameliaalong, but came solo thistime,leavingAmelia,Adam and Caitlinhome with dad. HertravelalsotookherthroughLondon, where shehad a chance to catchupwith ourfellowswimming/divingteammate Sarah (Kerwin) Strachan, herhusband, Neil, toddlerJames andbabyAbbie. Sarah Strachan is finishing up herPhDin London andwillbeheadingbackto theAcademyto teach soon.

On myend, I did get a breakthis summer for a cruise to Italy,Turkeyand the Greekisles and also had to make a tripbackto the States to close on a housefor my mom in the Myrtle Beach area. Though I normallyspend my holidays

Jocko’s Done: Stick a forkin Malloyand take him offthe grill. Jakegot hitched inAustin, TXthis summer and had a fantastic wedding. Great turnout from the gang: Jason Cockrum (moving to DC thisWinter), Beau Bilek (still in SanFran,workingfortheDEAandsupportingtheCAamendment definingmarriage), Mike Pugh (sellingspine replacements to MDs in MN), Steve Gorowski (in sales with Pugh but has two greatkids, Rocko and Lydia), John Nemecek (in Houston and out of the AF), Pete (Froggy) Sheridan(stunt double for DirkDiggler), Millsys (bothBig-Mike and LittleChris), JeffBottorff(stillwearinghis DILF shirt),TyLittle (with Sweet Melissa in hand), the Mathieus (both Miles andAudrey), Ben Glazer (on their way back to CT),TobyLoftin (marriedwith children in Dallas), and many more... Too manyupdates to squeeze into this but all in all, everyone is doingwell.

Skyraiders atNight: Got a great note from Steve Reny:Thought I d reportin and giveyou an update on a fewofus here atACSC. We are graduating tomorrow andjust had our graduation ball what a blast! This year at ACSC was almost betterthanthe 10-year reunion had manyfriends and classmates from the zoo who made time at Maxwell a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Attached is a picture offive ofus ’95ers from CS37 at our Grad Ball. From left are Tim Kodama, Steve Reny (me), Karla O'Conner (Rudert), Kevin Price, and Ken Buder. Yes your eyes are not deceivingyou Kevin is wearing anArmy uniform. He is a Special Forces guy and has been fixingbayonets against the enemyin the Middle Eastforyears. Kevin is headed back to Fort Braggwhere hewill be instructingSpecial Forces teams. Tim and I were in the same seminar here atACSC and had a greattime catching up on the last 13 years. He is headed offforhis second command as theWing's 'ChiefFinancial Officer' for DoverAFB. I'm headed down to MacDill to work at CENTCOM HQ. Ken is taking the dreaded trip to the Pentagon and Karla is moving out to an undisclosedlocation in the Middle East.

SteveandFriends: CS-37celebrates a yearofSun Tzu.

Thanks, Steve. There are a numberofotherguys we ran across in DC (at the CapitolGrill) who were up from Maxwell and theiryear ofMOSS-MOUSE: Chad Balettie, Brian Schafes, Mike Simon, Trevor Benitone, George Hock, Steve Sanders, and more...

GuardWEPTAC: Sam Mann and I share an office atACC. He bumped into a handful offellas out atANGWEPTAC inTucson in October (most ofwhom are flying the F-16 somewhere): Jim Collins is in CoS working at NORTHCOM; Chris Tumilowiczflies fortheVermontANG, in Burlington; Don Kangiswith theTexasANG in SanAntonio; Dave Sundlovis in theAF Reserves at Homestead, FL; GregHopkins is flyingin Springfield, OhioandChadFeuchtis in the F-22 Reserves at ElmendorfAFB, AK. MattVanWieren andJeffEdwards are both flyingthe F- 15C. Matt is in Jacksonville, FL and Jeffis at Klamath Falls, OR. "Stinky" MacLanahan is in the B-52 Reserves at Barksdale and Andy Ormistonis flying C-17sforthe Reserves at MarchAFB, CA. Sean Bemadini is not in the Guard or Reserve buthas cashed inhis Hedge Fund and is usinghis fortuneto betterthelives ofHaitiancitizens devastated byhurricaneIke. That guy always had the biggest heart. I also ran into JohnWilcox atACC. Johnis working for the IG staffand is flying the F-16. Also, Chris Austin and Tony Mulhare are bothThunderbirds. Congrats fellas and fly safe.

Air Combat”). AFHockeyis #14 in the nation. Giddy-up. Congrats to Eric Seremet, AF LAX’s newhead coach. We lookforward to theprogramreturning to its winningtradition.

Nowfor, theJonHambysection ofthe update. I’m goingto a Caps gamewith himtonight. Afterlastissues’ “corn-hole is good forthe soul” picture, theAOG hasasked to put a temporaryhold on further updates. We will let you know when that is lifted. Till then,

Keep the Faith, T. Koch.

Melissa S. Cunningham

5785 Ft. Wright Oval Fairchild AFB, WA 99011

W: (509) 247-2525/DSN: 657-2525

H: (509) 244-9775

Melissa.cunningham@fairchild.af.mil fchdrider@msn.com

So the Holidays are upon us and I have yet to unpack my moving boxes. Hmmmsomehow, thatkeepsgettingkicked downthe prioritylist andI’m starting to thinkthat we are as moved in as we are going to getin the next two years. Ohwell, such is life. Maybe I don’t need all ofthat stuffanyway. Well, I hope things are less hectic for all ofyou as you start to wind down forThanksgiving and Christmas. We are tuning up for an ORI in March, so I don’t think we are going to have anytime to really relax” until we knockthat inspection out the park—yes Santa, that is my Christmaswish. Onto our class updates...

ChrisAustin: ThunderbirdCHECK... TWOOP!

RandomUpdates: DaveThompsonis stillspeakingjive in Missouri. I heard from Dale Zelko who is retired and working at Hanscom withWayne Floyd (’94). Got to carve some pumpkins with Kevin and Sue (Phillips) Magaletta the otherday. They are both atJFCOM andhave not changed a bit. Theyhave a son (Marty-4) and Mags has him out on the ice already. NickCapotostohas two boys, Zachary (41/2) and Jack (2) and Kristin (Mrs. Capo) is teaching. Nickis stillwith the same lawfirm in Cleveland and ran into Nate Miller (Blue Angel) at theAir Show in town. Paul Mogahas also achieved rock star status and is rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite. Keep an eye out for him on a fewdifferentshows on theDiscoveryMilitarychannel (such as Showdown:

TheBiebighauserFamily

I recentlyreceived an update and photo from Erik and Lisa Biebighauser. They are doing great and enjoying life in Saint Michael, MN. Here’s a quick synopsis oflife since graduation: After we tossed our hats, Erikheaded to Intel schoolandthen to Eglinwhere he met his wife, Lisa. In ’99, he managed to get a greatassignment across town at Hurlburtin the special ops communityand spentmost ofhistimeassigned to the4thSOS (AC-130Us). After9/11, theirunit immediatelydeployedforthe invasion and Erikfoundhimselfin the middle ofSpecial Forces operations that were continuouslyhighlighted on TV In ’02, theymovedto Pope tojointhe427 SOS andthenin ’04 moved to JSOC at FtBragg. Theirunithad an incrediblemissionand with the opportunities formultipledeployments toAfghanistan, Iraq, andseveral“other” locationsthroughouttheworld.

In ’05, afterseveralyears offamilylifeinterruptions, months awayfromhis two kids (Gunner, 10 andMorgan, 7) and feelingthattheyhad limited control over theirlives, Erikleft the AF. He took the Cameron-Brooks route, whichworked out extremelywell. He landed a marketingposition at General Mills. Their family loves the Minneapolis area and he’s learned a lot aboutmanaging a business in thelast fewyears, including stints with bread products, kid cereal (Cookie Crisp & Kix), soymilk (8th Continent) and now HamburgerHelper.

Life outside the militaryhas been extremelyrewarding and considerably more stable for Erik; he does miss his good friends and has nothingbut fond memories ofhis nine years in the service. He is still incrediblyproud ofhis friends, classmates and comradeswho continue to wear the uniform.

I did have a chance to catchup with NicoleMalachowski (Ellingwood) She is alreadyknee-deep in theWhite House FellowshipProgram. So far, she said the greatpart about starting the fellowship was the two-weekFellows Orientation for all USAF DC-based Fellows. She said there were so many ’96ers in thecrowdand it was a fabulous reunion. She said itwas awesome to hearhow everyone’s USAF careers have evolved, howtheirfamilies have grown, and to reminisce about the good old days at Camp USAFA. Everyonepicked up right where theyleft off... despite our 12.5 years that have flownby. She said it was fulfilling, inspiringand fun to be around all those “Tough as Bricks.”

Nicole is currentlyserving on the PresidentialTransition Support team responsible forthesettingup andsupporting “The Office ofthe President-Elect.” The next President and about 500+ ofhis closestfriendswill descendupon DC on Nov5th and the teamhas to beready. It istheirjob to establishthe support

CS-15MightyWarEaglesReunite!JuanAlvarez (LegislativeFellow), Nicole Malachowski (WhiteHouseFellow) andBrandon Wilkerson (DCIn tern Program).

necessaryforthe President-Elect to functionforthe 77 days between Election DayandInaugurationDay. What a thrill to have a front seat to history!

TheBooth Family:Jeff, Marianne,Anna, Emma and Tommy. Mylast note came fromJeffBooth. His stint in theAE was cut shortwhenhe was medicallyretired in 2000. He andhiswife, Marianne, moved backto Sacramento and embarked on civilian careers and soon afterward theirfamily. They are blessedwith three children, Emma, Anna, andTommy. Jeffworked for the CaliforniaDepartmentofJustice and went to night schoolforhis MBA from California State Universityin Sacramento. Aftergraduating in 2005, his familymoved to NorthernVirginia. He is currentlyworking for Bearing Point and his is supporting SAF/SO (theAFS021 program office in Rosslyn,VA) in developing and schedulingtraining across the AF. His office is full ofgrads including: Lt ColJoe Heilhecker ’92, BillyBob Brown ’87, Col (S) Brou Gautier '87, andthedirector, BrigGenJohn Posner '80. Marianne is foreverbusybeing a mom ofthree ldds andpicks up part-timeworkwhenthe schedule permits. They are enjoying DC and catching up with theirAF family.

Chris Ledford ’97 and Christy are living inMarylandwhile Chris is finishing his fourthyear at USUHS and Christyworks toward a PhD in Communications atGWU. Ian Morano and Shellyandtheirchildren Conner (5) and Gabriela (2) moved to the area from Edwards last January. Ian is nowworking on the JSF in Rosslyn.

Jeffalso bumped into Rita (Perez) CareyworkinginSAF/IAas an AF intern. She and herhusband recentlycelebrated the birth oftheir daughterSophia He caught upwith MattWeaverwho is flyingforSouthwest and living inYork, PAwith hiswife, Kris, and son Owen. He met upwithMo andTeryn Calabrese. Mo finished his programwith DIAandis nowthe exec forthe Director ofA2RISR StrategyDivision. Hiswife,Teryn,justgave birth to theirdaughterSolana Joyin October. He recentlyspokewith Joe Hopkinswho is workingfor USAA in SanAntonio. Finally, he keeps in touch withJoe ’97 and Julie (Morganson) Benardi. They are livingthe adventure outwestwith theirkidsJessica andJake in beautiful Bend, OR.

That’s all I have for now. Please make a note ofmy new address, email, etc and keep theupdates andpicturescoming. Have aWonderful HolidaySeason and God bless! Mel

Melvin E. Maxwell, Jr. 756 Granite Drive Ofallon, IL 62269

mel_maxwell97@hotmail.com

melvin.maxwell@ustranscom.mil

Heyall,

Hope all is well. Let me start bysaying myfascination with Facebook continues and has led to my first Facebook enabled reunion with a classmate. Back in September, ScottAFB had an airshowfeaturing an appearance bythe Thunderbirds. I sent a message to our own SamanthaWeeks and we got to sit down and catch up and hear about herlife perpetually on the road. I also got to see the showfrom theVIP tent.. .free beer, free food, and your classmate as thelead solo...itwas sweet! Samantha was nearingthe end ofher tourwiththe Thunderbirds and was still waiting for definitive word on her next stop. Samanthapassed on RickGoodmanwas takingherspot on the team. Congrats to Rick! Check out the United StateAir Force c/o 97 Group page on Facebook started byRob Gibbs. Only92 members strong now but its growing.

? wHHflHr -ml

DCCrowd:Ian with Gabriela, Shelly,Marianne,Jeffwith Emma, Chris and ChristyLedford.

Mel, Samantha andLouella at the ScottAFBAirShow.

I received an email fromJulio Negronwho is about halfwaythrough with a year-longExpeditionaryContractingSquadron Command tour down range. Julio seemed to be pumped about thejob, saying he’s workingwith a great group offellowsquadron commanderswho are gettingthingsdone, keeping coalition forces and suppliesmoving in and out oftheAOR. Julio passed on that he ran into Jackie Percy andJohn Crowe who are both doctors with the Combat Aeromedical Staging Facility (CASF). Jackie redeployed in Aug 08 and John just left in October. Julio also saw MattAnderson who’s flyingC-17s with the 5th ExpeditionaryAir Mobility Squadron. While Julio is deployed, Julio’s wife, Erica, is holding the Negron household down which now includes four kids: Tyler (6), Josh (5), Ella (3) and Eli (3).

While we are on the subject ofdeployedclassmates, Chris Kaydeployed to Baghdad on a six-month-deploymentsupportingthe Project and ContractingOffice-Iraq (PCO-Iraq). That is the organization I deployed to in 2005. Mywife and I went over to Chris' house in September to wish himwell as he was shipping offto Ft Sill in preparation for the deployment. Amonthlater, I found out I was joiningChris formy own sixmonth tour to Baghdad on aTransportationPlanningTeam supportingMultiNationalForce-IraqbeginninginDecember. As Iwas gettinggearedup atbase supply, I ran inJimmyFullerwho was preparing to deploy to the Combined Air Operation Center in Kuwait.

Jay Martin wrote in with some news back in August. Jayseparated from

ActiveDutyin May07 at PopeAFB andhad beenworkingthere as aTraditional Reservist as the 440AMXS Commanderand a staffpastor at a local church. Jay recently started as an Air Reserve Technician with the 916ARW at Seymour JohnsonAFB. Jay and hiswife,Veronica, have three kids (Madeline, Nathan, and Catherine).

InOctober, DavidCarlsonwrotewith news ofthebirthofhis son, Micah. Dave is finishingup a tour at HQAFMC/A7 atWright Patterson andwill be going to ACSC inAlabamainJulyafter a six-monthdeploymentbeginninginJanuary.

Dave Carlsonand son Micah

Final notes.. .Stacy McClain is hanging out in Charleston finishing up her MBA and working as a Navy Civilian. Christophe Powers is in his 5th year teachinghigh school French inAdanta. Moe Dunn wrote in from DC where he is a contractorwiththeWhite House CommunicationsAgency. Moepassed on thatJames Finlaysonpassedthebarinthe state ofNevada. Kudos to James! Moe also recentlyhung outwithBonarLuzey, Carlos HattixandAdrian Smith.

DVs on the C-40 at the 89thAirliftWing. I liked Ian’s analogyabout the reunion. He said it was “like speeddating, but it was wonderful to see everyone!” As for the future, Ian and Melissa recentlypurchased 35 acres ofland outsideWoodland Park, CO where theyplan to build their dream home.

Moe andBohangingoutin DC. That’s all I have for this round. Until next time.. .Mel

Karin McWhorter

8243 Oasis Bloom St. North Las Vegas, NV 89085 (702) 476-4304

mcwhorters@hotmail.com

Hi Everyone,

I hope thisholiday season findsyouhappyandhealthy. Forthose ofyouthat made it out to our reunion, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. We had a tremendous turnout and it was great to catch up with old friends. From the “spiritvan” decorated in 1998 slogans to thebright red“98 Dominates” shirts at the football game, it was great to see that some things never change!

I had greathopes that Iwould come homewith lots ofupdates andpictures, butfound myselfso busythat I didn’ttake a singlepicture or write one thing down. So,thankyouto everyonethatsentinupdates. I meant to askthis at the reunion, but ifanyone is interested inwriting this column, please let me know. It hasbeen more than a decade and I would happily step down if someone else wants to step up! Also, ifyou are alreadythinking about our 20 year reunion and want to be in charge...

Ok, here are this month’s updates:

Damian Schlusselwrote in to saythathe andhiswifehave welcomed a babyboy, Cameron, born on 11 Oct. Congratulations!

I also got an e-mail fromIan Laughrey. He andhiswife, Melissa (Feyereisen, ’97) havejustcompleted theirfirstyear inWashington, DC. Melissa separated lastyearand is spreading hertime betweenbeing a part-time nurse practitioner andwranglingtheir two wild boys Colin (4) and Braden (2). Ian is flying

JaimeAndersen (Melton) sent in a photo from the reunion dinner at the Pro Rodeo Hall ofFame. Jaime also manages the '98 Group on Facebook. Ifyou haven’t already, you should check it out. It is a greatway to stayin touch with old friends.

I also got an email from Jenna Nettles, Geoffrey Nettles wife. They were planning on attending the reunion, but unfortunatelytheywere not able to make it. She and Geoffreywere married 19 Feb 2006 in Phoenix,AZ, while he was stationed at LukeAFB as an IP On 14 Dec 2007 theyhad an adorable son, Caden. Geoffrey is currentlystationed at Osan AB finishing up hisALO tour. He left for Korea when Caden was onlythreeweeks old but should be returning soon.

Geoffrey,Jennaand Caden Nettles

ScottCrabtreewrote to announce the arrival oftheirseconddaughter,Anna. She was nice enough to wait to showup until the dayafterhe gotbackfrom a 3-monthTDY. He also wrote that DougHellingerand hiswife hadtheir first baby(Mary) backinMay. HeandScottareattachedtothesameArizonaANG F-16 FTU squadron inTucson.

Scott, Colleen (French 01) and theirdaughters.

Shawn Briscoe also wrote with baby news. He and Becky (Leivers) are now parents. Their son Ben was born Jan 31st, but came into theirlives Oct 24. Becky also recieved an IPCOT, so they’ll be at Elmendorffor another three years. Shawn is a debate coach and adjunct professor at the University of AlaskaAnchorage.

Lastly, I got an e-mail from Will Wade who is currentlydeployed to Iraq, workingwith theArmy in Baghdad. Hejust found out that he will be headed toACSC this summer. He attached a greatpicture ofanAF group in anticipation oftheAF/Armyfootball game (which AF won!).

Iwish I had a bettermemoryand could recount allthe great conversations I had, but I can’t. So, Iwill ask again forupdates, photos, letters, etc. I know a lot ofyou are headed to school this summer, so send me a note withyour news. Have a wonderfulholiday season! Karin

James W. Busch

(830) 734-2411

DSN: 652-2636

buschfl6@yahoo.com

james.busch@randolph.af.mil

Shiners - welcome to another installment ofthe greatest Checkpointscolumn in school history. Several e-mails to get to this time, so let’s getright to it.

DarylMyers,WingPlans guru and KC-10 pilot atTravisAFB, CA, found time betweenwakeboardingand snow skiingto marryCaliforniagirlKindraWatson. In attendance were Chuck Bris-Bois (PJ at Kadena), BobbyWolfe (recently accepted to Harvard Business School and relocated to MacDill) and Brad Pristelski (out andliving/workingwith a consultingfirm in Phoenix).

Here inVegas, NickStengle and Lisa (Kaplan)just found out that they are headed to Georgetown for school this summer. Nick is looking forward to being a student andthewholefamilyislookingforward to gettingbackto the East Coast. Theyhave two adorable daughters, Alexis (4) and Elina (2). Itreallywas great to see everyone atthe reunion. It was a lot ofworkandI am reallythankfulthatTara Cappelli (Vice) flewin a weekearlyfrom Korea and helpedwith allthe last-minute details. She andTroy (’99) are living offbase near Osan, whereTroyworks for7AF, andthey are expecting their first baby, a boy, in late November. There were quite a few pregnant classmates at the reunion and I thinkthatwould havebeen a greatphoto, but Iwillwaitforthe birthannouncements!

JOIN II IE SABRE SOCIETY YOUR MONEYHELPS FUN'. CADETWINGPROGRAMS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO UNFUNDED CALL THE AOG FOR INFO,

« 1 LI

Daryl, thegroomsmen, and therestofCalifornia’sfinest.

Daryl also addedthatRyanHarris, Joel Nelson andJules Delay are all out of theAF with theVSP. Ryan andhis wife, Debbie, are still in Colorado working for an investment firm andJoel and hiswife, Mindi, are in SiouxFalls SD and just had their second child. Jules got out and flies for UPS. Thanks Daryl for all the news.

Also writingfromTravisAFB, Ryan Moon andhiswife, Gesa, had a little boy, LeonViktor, backinAugust. Ryan is finishing up a tour in the KC-10, and will soon head out to Andrews forhis next assignment.

TheRyanMoonclan.

Augustapparentlywas the month forbabies, because Michelle Nunez and herhusband, Luis (’97), also had anewbabyboy, theirsecond, backinAugust. (See photo at top ofnext column.)

Inaddition to raising a family, Michelle is a reservist at the 310thSpaceWing inthe Springs andtheDirector-atlarge andclassrep to theRampartAOGchapter. She addedthatJamesTaggartrecentlymoved back to the Springs and has joinedhersquadron, cross-training over from theratedpilotworld. Michelle also offered to help out with the reunion. Anyone else? Thanks Michelle!

Intotallyunrelated news, JoeWhiteheadgraduatedfrom UT LawinMay’07, completed a federalclerkship inDC, andjuststarted at a firmthere. Nicework Joe.

Lastly, a bigapologytoAngelaSmith (Arredondo) fortotallydisregarding an e-mailshehad sent me fortheprevious issue. Nottherightperson to ignore— Angela is a prosecutor in Houston, TXwhere she andJasonjustbought a new house. Jason is aT-6 IP at Laughlin butis hoping to join the reserves soon and

Thenewestaddition to theNunezfamily-Michael(USAFA class of2030). partywhileAngelabringshome thebacon. Angela also added that she caught up withJen (Dolan) and ChadHillbergin Dallas recently.They are expecting their2nd baby- a girl - in November. Chadis lighting up the T-6 PITprogram at Randolph as we speak, andwill return to Sheppard AFB to instruct after one tour flying the world’s greatest multi-role fighter, the F-16. Chrissy (Deibel) MacGregor is the proud mama ofa lovelylittle girl - - Katie. Chrissy, Rob and Katie are reallyenjoying life in Germany where they can actually see a castlefromtheirhouse. (That’s nothing; I can almost see Mexico frommyhouse). Jenn Ortiz has been enjoyingcollege life at the University ofCentral Florida. She is supposedlygetting a master’sdegree in Counselingbut we all knowthat she's reallythere to partyand hookupwith cute guys. Good to see some things never change. HeyAngela, thanks a million for writing and I promise I’ll report the news promptly next time.

Class, IwishIhadsomethingto offerabouttheupcomingextravaganzawhich will be our class reunion, but I still do not. For now, markyourcalendars for LaborDay'09; call or e-mail me ifyouwant to help, and have a happyholiday.

Jason “JW” Simmons Simmons@USAFA2000.com

jw_simmons@yahoo.com

(No Sabre Society Donors Yet)

(Editor’snote: Wedidnotreceive a columnfromJason forthisissue. Please sendhimyourinputsandphotosforthenextmagazine.)

Faith (Hitchcock) Dunn 6423 NW 94th Court Johnson, IA 50131

Faithd03@hotmail.com

Hithere’01ers, I received a lot ofupdatesthis time thanks to Facebookand the USAFAClass of2001 page I created on it. Anyone out therethatwants to checkit out, please do andjoin the page and keep the updatescoming!

JeffFeuringandhiswife, EunYoung, welcomedtheirfirstbabyinSeptember and named him HenryCharles.

MaryEdithandAndyMalin are inIowa; they are expectingtheirsecondchild in March. Andyis in his4thyearoforthopaedic surgeryresidencyandMaryis workingparttime asa projectmanager/eventplannerfor an educationalpolicy company.

AndyandKateMalin

Lucy (Garcia) Uedais currentlypursuingher pastrycertificate from theArt Institute ofNewYorkCity. Mike isdeployedto Iraqandshouldbe backin time for Christmas.

Raul andAngela (Feldman) Ochoa are inArkansas and Rauljust left for a deployment to Iraq. Angelais hoping to getdeployed soon so they can overlap a bit out there but for now is holdingdown the fort at home. Clara (Aguirre) Austin andherhusband are in the middle ofa PCS fromKirtlandAFB, to Rome, NY, Air Force Research Lab. She stays at home with their three kids: Noah 4, Lillian2, andAdam 8 months. I’m sure theykeep herbusy! Wells Littlefield graduated from lawschool in Mayand has been activated as a reservist at Eglin. He’s also beenselected to return to active duty as a JAG. Melanie (Borchers) and JeremyFerguson are settling down in SanAntonio where theyjust moved in September from Ramstein. Jeremy is workingAETC staffatRandolphandsheis at Lackland at the ISRAgency. They ran into Lisa (Case) andByronNicholson who have been at Lackland since May.

RyanFleming and Kari James (03) Fleming are living in Charleston and are expectingtheir firstbabyinApril. Barry Mattson and his wife,Amelia,just moved to Decatur, AL and are also expecting a baby. Reina (Smith) Chaperongot out oftheAirForce in 2006. She and JeffChaperon are both atthe UniversityofFlorida;Jeffgot anAFIT scholarship to gethis master's inHospitalAdministrationandsheisgettingherDoctorateinPhysicalTherapy.

Ben and MollyGunn are stationed nearby at Hurlburt Field and have a little girl. Preston Laslieis almost donewith his PhD at Georgetown. Rob Marshall just PCSed to Hurlburt Field, FLwhere he’s flying CV-22 Ospreys with Christian Helms andLuke Sustman. ChristianHelms gotmarriedinAtlantabackin March and Rob is stillworking on takingtheAirForce flagto the highestpeaks in the world, including Mt. Everest. Check out the website: www.USAF7Summits.com. Ester Babcock, Erin VanOosten, and Tavis McDevitt, are looking into joining the climb ofDenali.

In other news, there was a dedication ceremony at USAFAforDerekArgel andJeremyFresques. Memorial display cases were dedicatedforeachofthem in their old squadrons. I have attached a photo below.

Thanks, Faith.

Amy Kauvar

806 Magnolia Bend

San Antonio, TX 78251

215-280-1760

amykauvar@gmail.com

Class Website: www.usafa02.org

(One Sabre Society Donor)

(Editor’snote: We didnotreceive a columnfromAmy forthisissue. Please sendheryourinputs andphotosforthenextmagazine.)

Susan Lynn Doyle

(937) 760-1076

Susan.doyle@wpafb.af.mil

Susan_Doyle@post.harvard.edu

Greetings fromthe greatswing-state ofOhio! Bythe timeyou read this our nationwill have elected our 44th President, andwe’llbe on ourwayto paving the agendaforthe nextfouryears. I hope this edition ofCheckpoints findsyou and yourfamilies doingwell and enjoyinglife whereveryou are.

We had some greatupdates come in from all over theworld. Daniel Stoker, his wife, Erica, and their two-year-old son Caleb are doingwell and recently relocated to Luke where he is in RTU forthe F-16. Luc Gruentheris in F-16 trainingthere as well. TommyandJanetTauer are stationed at Misawa, where he flies the F-16. Dan Munson is backin the desertand flyingthe GlobalHawk. He’s hadthe opportunityto experience a lot offirstswith the GlobalHawkprogram, such as flying thejet from home into theaterwithout air support and he continues to explore and exploit the Global Hawk’s capabilities. Jamison Richart is also back in thedesertagain atAliAl SalemAB as anAircraft Commander oftheC-130. He’s lovinglife and couldn’tbe happier. Matt Burnistonis stillatVandenberg and enjoyinglife as well. He sendsword that MattWieringa is flying KC- 10s out ofTravis, is currently deployed to somewhere in Iraq, and should get home sometime mid-Decemher. John Harris is stationed in Kunsanwith the 80th FS, theJuvats, flying F16CMs. Herecentlydeployed to Eielson to flyinRedFlagAlaska09-1, dropped some GBU-12s on one oftheVULs and had the opportunity to fly OCA-SA, XINT,AI, CAS, andDCA. Chris Deschaneandhiswife, Erin, live inWashington D.C. where he is a consultantforIBM andshe supports theAirNationalGuard at an ad agency. They are expectingwith a due date inMay2009. Congratulations mom anddad! Ontheotherside ofthe globe, KevinWeaverandhis Erica wife are stationed at Kadenawhere he flies CSAR.

Real Deal, admits thathe still sends Checkpoints e-mails to his squadron in a lame attempt to win new friends. Finally, Joel is having the most commercial success, with his new Cambridge-based little people wrestlingleague. All send a “BONG!” shout-out.

Kevin andhis wife Erica Weaver.

ConorTeegarden sent an update from Lakenheathand included a picture of the 494 FS Finest, Baddest, Meanestwhile downrange this summer with the “Strongest,Mightiest, Bongestjet.” According to Conor, after thephoto they sang a fewrousingrounds ofUSAFAfight songs andthenwalked around spotcorrecting PT uniforms. Theyrecentlyreturned from deployment and returned to their normal routines: Kevin continues his ballroom dancinglessons inhopesofmakingDancingwiththe Stars - - MilitaryEdition. Chris picked up with hiswildlife rescue work, rehabilitatinggoldfish for release into the wild. Missyturned mean whenAFlost to Navyandpushedthree people down the stairs. Jake, after experience downrange, works with athletes trying to make the transition to cyber-athleticism. Ric recentlydesigned and builtthe 6th generationfighterwith nothing but a protractor, duct tape, a BIC lighter, old boots, invisible ink... and dreams. Conor, the originalCheckpoints and

Charlotte (Medina) Pittman is stationed at Nellis AFB. She left C-130s at Pope, arrived at Creech AFB, NV in January of this year, finished Predator training inJune, and has flown missions overseas from Nellis since. Charlotte and her husband, Carlos, were married inApril of2006 and are expecting a babyinApril! Congratulations!

KayKnapp,RandyWatts, and Susan Doyle met up at theWomen’s Memorial inArlingtonCemeteryforthe5thAnnualAcademyWomenSymposium, which beganwith a career workshop for “Women on the Move” and culminated in a leadership seminar. Duringthe “Wisdom ofthe Ages” panelWASP veterans Lorraine Zillner Rodgers and Dawn Rochow Balden Seymour shared their experiences as B-17 andB-26pilotsduringWorldWarII. Itwas incrediblelearningexperience and opportunity to meet heroeswho served our country over thepast70years. AcademyWomenprovides excellent resources, to include an eMentor Leadership program andprograms for combat andwounded veterans—checkit out at www.academywomen.org.

KayKnapp, RandyWatts, andSusan Doylein frontoftheWomen’sMemorial inArlington NationalCemetery.

This is a great opportunityto point out the wealth ofresources available to active dutyandtransitioningacademygradsthroughtheAOG and other networks. For our classmates who are considering a transition, theAOGCareer Center includes resume resources, information on the ServiceAcademy Career Conferences, andiSABRD, a databasewith over33,000 graduateswho are willing to supportyou with your transition. For active-duty classmates, it’s never too earlyto learn aboutwhat’s out there and to take advantage ofthe AOG’s member discounts, scholarships, etc. There are also several Junior MilitaryOfficerrecruitingfirms offeringvarious transition resources. Whether you are active duty or civilian the mentoring and networking opportunities are tremendous.

Thankyouforyourhelp to put these updatestogether. Please contact me at susan_doyle@post.harvard.eduifyou are interested in developing a Class of 2003 website thatwill continue to keep our classmates connected. Additionally,pleasekeepsendingyourpictures and submissions andinclude anyspecific ideas you’d like to share with our classmates in following editions. Take care and keephavingfun! Susan

Breezy (Long) Heddinger

Cell: (719) 213-3205

breezy.heddinger@usafa-grads.com windy04@gimail.af.mil breezy.heddinger@usafagrads.com

Well, folks, we seem to have had a relativelyquiet summer. I onlyhave one piece ofnews to sharewithyou allthis quarter, but it’s a good one. On3 Jul 08, Brook (Taylor) Kolarcik and her husband, Joshua Kolarcik (’99), welcomed their second child into the world: Gideon Joshua Kolarcik. Hejoined his big sisterHannahwho turns two years old on 2 Nov08. Brook’s hubbyJoshua was a combat controller in the USAF until separating in Nov 07 and is now an FBI agent. Asyou can see in the photo, whenJoshua graduatedfromthe FBIAcademy, Mommy-Brook, Hannah andGideonwere so proud! Theyrecendymovedto Monroe, IA, whereJosh is nowworking. On top oftheirbusyschedules, bothBrookandGideonhavealsobeencertified as Crossfit Level 1 Trainers. Brook stays at home with the children and will soon begin personaltraining at theirgym, as well. Talk about a “powercouple! Congrats on your newest familyaddition andbestwishes as you settle-in in Monroe.

TheKolarcikfamily

Before I signoffwithholidaysalutations, I’llimpart an additionaltidbit. Most classmates I catch up with in the States or on deploymentspecificallyaskthat I don’trushoffto Checkpointswillalltheirlatest news. Still, I’d like to share one brief, non-attributional story. Sittingin the ops room in my current deployed location, multiple crews fromvarious airframes were busycheckingequipment in/out, phones were ringing, and everyone was caught in their own individual hustle-and-bustle ofthe ATO day. Then, in one of those random moments ofsilence, two sentences rang out in the room: “Why...?’’ and “No excuse, Sir.” Seven out often people in the room laughed.. .the other three probablywonderedwhy. The eyes ofstrangers from ’00, ‘02, ’03, ‘04, ‘05 met across the room, and we alljust shook our headswith a smile—it was one of those silly moments whenyou realize: “Oh my gosh, we’re everywhere.”

Keep on keepin’ on, 2004. Whetheryou’re at home withyour loved ones, or on a separate continentwithyourAF family, have awonderfulholiday season andrememberto givethanks fromtime to timethattherewillalways be someone, somewhere, to laugh at zoo jokes.

Paula Delapasse

196 Cambria Drive

Beavercreek, OH 45440 (225) 603-4450

paulamaffey@juno.com

paula.delapasse@wpafb.af.mil

HappyHolidays to everyone! I hope thisfindsyouhavingspenttheholiday season with loved ones wherever you might be. Another year has passed quickly as we welcome in 2009. Alothas happened since graduation and we have even more to lookforward to in the comingyear. For many it will be finallyfinishingup training and getting out to get theirhands dirty; for some it is back to school forgraduatedegrees. We have manyreturningto theAOR fortheir second and thirddeployments while we stilllookforward to pinning on Captain! For manywho are already out oftheAF, howis the realworld and kick startingthat dream career you alwaysimagined?!

I am writingthis submission around Halloween and the fall always makes me think ofsports. I checked out the USAFAAthletics website andthere is a whole lotgoing on! Ourwater polo team is ranked 20th in the nation andthe swimming season is well underway. Men’s andwomen’s soccer are braving the cold right now as theywrap up their seasons and the sports schedule was packedwith fencing, rifle, and golfmatches as well. Finallywith a win this

pastweekend, the football team is 6-2 and bowl eligible! That will hopefully give us another excuse to gettogether over the NewYear’s holidaysomewhere to have a reunion ofsorts at a bowl game.

I caughtupwith a fewofour football classmates and theyhad a lot going on. Brian Falkis a communications officerwho recentlyPCSedback to Colorado Springs where he works at SchrieverAFB with Kenny Smith. A big group of grads have football season ticketsandhave fungoingbackto watchthegames to include: ForrestPoole,JoeRiedesel, Kenny Smith, Brian Falk, Marcus McKindra, Tim Trimailo, Amber Hoffman, Gale Monahan, and manyothergrads from different classes. KennySmith said theyform a prettygood group ofpartiers who like to do it cadet-style at the Ritz. Oh the good old days...

Quickupdates on some ofthose guys: Forrest Pooleand Amber Hoffman are recentlyengaged; Forrest popped the question on top ofMt. Herman. Amber is working in manpower at BuckleyAFB, Denverand Forrestis at Schrieverand afterbeingstationed closetheydecided to finallytie the knot! Theweddingis plannedforOctober2009. Gale MonahanseparatedfromtheAF inAugustand is going to law school full time in Boulder. Kenny Smith recentlygotpicked up bytheManagementDepartment to gethis master’s and go backandteach at USAFA. He also let me know that John Feely and Brian Lemay were also selected to teachOps Researchinthe ManagementDept. Johnjust startedhis master’s at Minnesota and Brian is at Michigangetting his before they return back to mold the young minds ofthose aspiring officers! How crazy to think we are old enough to be back at the zoo teaching!

A fewothers updates, though I don’t have too much detail is that Cameron Hodgegot F-15s andhe should be finished training atTyndallAFB. I thinkhe is headed to Mountain HomeAFB. John Rudzinskiis at CharlestonAFB doing AircraftMaintenancebuthas alsobeenbackandforthto theAcademyon TDYs to help coach footballwhen he can.

John Blake Peel married his spring breaksweetheartVanessa Bolich. The newlyweds said their I Do’s in LasVegas this pastAugust 2nd. Everyone said theyhad a good time at thewedding. Anotherfunwedding was betweenKris Holstege andTiffanyHess Holstege. Kris andTiffany(Tyler Hess’s sister) got marriedJune 21st at her grandparent’s house in Murrieta, CA. Tiffanygraduated from Fresno State this pastspring andwill be teachingEnglish in Korea for the next yearwhile Kris is stationed at OsanAB. There were a lotofgrads attendingthewedding to includeTylerHess, Cameron Hodge, Chris Charron, CodyClark, Luke Lefever, Jordan Filer, Brent Carroll, Nate Terrazone, Curtis Switzer, Dan Carroll, Zach Myhra, andJames Russell.

The dappergroomsmen (fromleft) are CodyClark, TylerHess, Cameron Hodge, thegroom KrisHolstege, Chris Charron, LukeLefever, Jordan Filer. KneelingisKris’s brotherMitch.

Anotherexcitingengagementfrom two members ofour class: BrianJarratt andCeliaPalm are gettingmarriedJune 2009 inherparents’yard inherhometown ofLoman, MN. Currently, Celia isTDYto Little Rockfor C-130 navigator school (FTU) and, once complete, she will go to KirtiandAFB for some more training. She is eventually on herwayto HC-130’swith the 79th Rescue Sq at Davis-Monthan AFB. Brian is at Nellis AFB so they are looking forward to being a lot closer!

Some news from thewarfront. I got a quickhello fromJohn Tamasitiswho hasbeendeployed toAfghanistan forthe past fourmonths. Hewill be returning home before the end ofthe year and says things are going great. He is having a good time getting outside the wire and trying to make a difference. Looks like smiles all around to me; keep it up John! Uponreturning, Johnwill be PCSing to Hurlburt Fieldwhere he will be theAFOSI Counterintelligence Team ChiefforAFSOC. (See photo at the top ofthe next column.)

AmandaYoung also wrote fromA1 Dhafra AB where she is deployed from TinkerAFB, OK. Amandasaid she is over therewith RyanRoberts, Nikki Beaumont, Seth and Jenna Burke Pelletier, andWill Guthrie and has seen many other grads come through during the past few months. Come home safe

John andhis “buddies.

Amanda but before then, send an updated “This is why I’m Hot" deployed videowithyou beatboxingin thebackground! Lastlyand most randomly, my mom ran into DanTherrien's grandmotherwhiletheywere at apoliticalrally inLasVegas. I gotwordthatDan is flyingRC-135s andrecentlydeployed forhis firsttime a fewweeks ago. I don’tknowanyother detailsbut Dan we hopeyou are havingfunanddoingwell. Send us more ofan update sol don’thave to rely on our families’ chancemeeting!

That is all I havefornow! As soon as youreadthis get on the email and send me an update!! I love to have new news to talk about and I know some ofyou are out there doingamazingthings or havegreat stories to tell. Send them my way and share with everyone. Oh and my new email on global is the paula.delapasse@wpafb.af.milAFRL/RXOF one! Take care and goodbye for now!

Felisa (Hervey) Dyrud 5434 S. Monrovia Ave. Tucson, AZ 85706

felisa.dyrud@gmail.com

(719) 352-5991

Facebook group:”Feel the Fire”

Hey’06,

KenjiMiyazawa is a Japanese poetwhoseworkandlegacywe encountered inJapanwhilevisitingPeter’ssisterinMorioka (acityintheNorth) a fewmonths ago. Here is a piece ofone ofhis poems that I find relevant to officership and life...

Benotdefeatedbytherain, norletthe windproveyourbetter.

Succumbnot to the snows ofwinter, norbebestedbytheheatofsummer...

Bestronginbody. Unfetteredbydesire. Notenticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.

Countyourselflastin everything. Putothers beforeyou.

I hope this finds you well. We have been exploringTucson, where despite being a city of over one million, almost every direction spits you out into mountains or gorgeous, ruggedwilderness. I am serving as an executive officer for the 612 TheaterOperations Group at Davis-MonthanAFB, and Peterhas beenworking as aWhite House intern in the office ofPresidential Speechwriting (mostly checking facts for the President’s speeches), until his trainingfor Combat Rescue begins inJanuary.And nowfor some updatesfrom our classmates:

BABIES:AlexanderD. Johnswrites: Mywife, Maricel, gave birth to a beautifulbabyboyTristanAlexander on 5July2008. We are also going C-130s to YokotaAB andwill be there 31 May, 2009.

Jill andWoodyOlmsteadwelcomed Josiah StevenWood Olmstead into the world in late July... he is of course adorable! They are at SheppardAFB forpilottraining. (Maybe we’ll have room to run some baby picturesnext time...) (Editor’s note: Pleaserememberthat to run a babyphoto, the graduate also needs to be in the image.)

TorreyandSarahHamiltonbecamejubilantparents to theirbeautifuldaughter, Annelise Sophia, on September5th. They are stationed at RamsteinAB, Germany, whereTorreyis an all-source IntelligenceAnalyst for 3rdAF.

Tripp and Carly (Siefken) Johnson are expecting a new familymember due April4th... they are reallyexcited!

WEDDINGS:AdamMessermarriedhisbrideChoi (Williams) inAustin,Texas on March7,2008.Theyhadquite a party. Gradsin attendance includedMarcie Mueth (’07), Laura Hansen (’05), CynthiaNogueras, Amber (Tittle) Beamer (’05), James Steel, Nick Beamer (’04), NickTsougas, JeffCarter (Best Man),

Liz andJason

Scott Eberle andKristin Pearson got married on Oct 12th 2008. Manygrads made it. Jenny (06) andJess (05) Miller, DonnyHeaton, BoedyFranklin, Max Reele (05), JeffCarter, Colleen Smith (05), Liz and Frieden McLean, Adam Messer, Nick (04) andAmber (05) Beamer, MeganStromberg, DennyOlson, andJoe Beck. They are lovinglife in Floridaandenjoyingtheir new dog, Killian.

RichYoungwrites:AndyBaydalamarried his fiancee, SamanthaBrown, in Octoberin theirhometownofBirmingham, AL. '06 grads in attendance at the weddingincluded me, NickTsougas, Adam Swift, Beau Tresemer, and Billy Singiser.Theyhoneymooned on the south coast ofBarbados.

OTHER LIFE HAPPENINGS: Gail Watlingwinged back in March, got C130s, and is stationed at Little Rocknow. Bythe end oftheyearshewillbe flying with the 30th out ofCheyenne, WY. She also filled us in thatToni Horrell got engaged to Tim Merhar. Both are C-17 pilots at McChord.

Thomas Freeman is aboutfourmonths into a365 dayTDYat CampTaji,Iraq. He’s an Air Force adviser to an Iraqi Colonel andhis Communications Squadron inallthings comm. Heis alsoworkingto putthe firstIraqi students through their brand new Communications Courses at the Iraqi Air ForceAcademy there atTaji.

Dayle Morelljustmovedbackfrom two wonderfulyears atAviano, Italy. She is now a lawstudent at Boston University. In threeyears she will be a JAGand feels lucky to have this opportunity!

Stephen Music andhiswife (LibbyBadtke Music, ‘05) finished UPT and are both flying Hercs in Little Rock. Libby is flying the J-model and Stephen is flyingthe E andH3 models. Theywillbethereforthe next fouryears or so, and theirfirstdeployments are comingup soon. No kidsyet,just two dogs, a black lab (her name is Onyx) and a yellowlab (his name is Hercules).

JoshAmesjustfinishedUPT and got Hercs to Little Rock as well!

ShawnIngkiriwanggotpromoted to seniorcaptainJune '08. Hewill be coming to TucsonArizona, for his F16 conversion earlyin 2009.

Mike Lewis,AshleyGuthrie, Nate Masdon andWilliam MacVittie are busy flyingC-17 missions forthe 16thAS, CharlestonAFB.

Clayton Couchwrites: There are several ofus stationed herin Pensacola, FL who recentlywinged as strikenavigator/WSOs (ironically on the same daywe in-processed to basic trainingsixyears ago - 27June). Here are our names and our respective airframes: Nick Barnhart, B- IB; ClaytonCouch, F- 15E; Javan Greeson, F-15E; and Steve Keefer: F- 15E.

Edward "Monty" Montgomerywrites: For the Aug 22 winging at Corpus Christi, TX, thefollowingassignments were given out: BrettDavis, MC- 130s to Mildenhall; EdwardMontgomery and Beau Tresemer, C- 130Js to Ramstein; AlexJohns, C-130Hs toYokota; JakeMontoya, C-130Hs to Dyess; Eric Lane, C130Hs to Little Rock; MarkCatalano, AC-130s to Hurlburt (though that unit is moving to Cannon soon). We'll allbe heading to Little Rock in a fewmonths fortraining and then offto our respective bases. We're all busyabusing our livers in the meantime.

Casey Bayne

6925 Clovercliff Drive

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (310) 343-5969

checkpoints@caseybayne.com

Hi Class of2007!

Hopeyou enjoythese recent updates. Iwouldlike to get some updates and pictures fromthose ofyouwho are or were deployed. Please feel free to send themmyway!

Weddings &Engagements: Colonel Neal Barlow (c/o 1978) gave his daughter Kaitlin Barlowaway on September6,2008 to the luckygroom Shaun Lee. Kaitlin and Shaun met duringsoaring our three-degreeyear at theAcademy. Theywere married in a gorgeous ceremonyat theAcademychapel and fellow classmates BriceJohnson,MaryAsher“Mash"Vendt, ChadReger, CaseyBayne, Kristan Bird, Juliette Delgiudice, and Keith Sanders were in attendance. For theirhoneymoon, Shaun surprised Katie with a cruise to multiple vacation spots in Mexico. Katie is currently at UCLA Dental School in Los Angeles, CaliforniaandShaun is stationedatVandenbergAFB also in California.

served as groomsmenforChad. Chad metAlannawhileworkingwith Habitat forHumanityin NewOrleans over springbreak our two-degreeyear. Chad is currentlyinT1 training at LaughlinAFB, Texas.

southernwedding on July5,2008, in Pensacola, FL. Classmates Bryan Blackburn and Shaun Lee

1 I

ChadRegerandAlannaWindham

AndyWaterworthmarriedhis beautiful brideAngelaSheffieldin Scottsdale, AZ on July5,2008. The picture shows the entire weddingpartyincluding a numberoffellowclassmates: Fromleft are PatrickPicard, PaulTaggart, Landon Brown (cousin), Zach Roberts,Angela,Andy, Crystal Sheffield (sister), Monica Herrera, Erin Finger, and MollyMiller (Smith College ROTC '07). Lin Milker and Daniel Picard were also in attendance. Andy andAngela are currently stationed in SanAntonio, TX.

AndyWaterworthandAngelaSheffield

JeremyChang married JenniferChang in theirhometown ofPasadena, CA onAug2,2008. Bryan Lawson served as a groomsman forJeremy. Jeremyand Jennifer decided to spend theirhoneymoon in theirhome state andventured over theGolden GateBridge to SanFrancisco for a fewdays. Thehappycouple is stationed at FEWarrenAFB,WY.

JeremyChangandJennifer

Col (Ret) SydMcPherson (c/o 76) announcedthathis son MattMcPherson marriedhishighschoolsweetheartSept20,2008. Mattflewin from MinotAFB where he is a missile officer. His bride, Katherine Kerr McPherson, is an Armybrat so she knows the drill. Matthad several friends fromAcademy in the weddingparty and in the saberarch: TJ Gabrielson,Ted Shilligand his wife, Jessa Flatebo Shillig, andApril McDonald. The ceremony ended with thetraditional swat on thebutt and a hearty "Welcome to theAir Force Mrs. McPherson." Katherine did a perfect reply at the receptionwhen Matt fished the garter from its hidingplace. It was a lovely shade ofcamouflage and said "GoArmy" onit. That got a mighty "Hooah!" from the numerous Armyveterans in the crowd. Matt and Katherine enjoyed a relaxing honeymoon in Orlando, FL.

Brice Johnsonplanned to ask MaryAsher “Mash” Vendt to marryhim on a yachtin the GulfofMexico this pastJuly. His originalplans forproposal were shotwhen a downpour causedthe captain oftheyacht to return to port. Brice did not letthisdeterhim;theystillenjoyed a romanticdinnerandheproposed despite the nastyweather! Brice and Mash plan to be married onAug 1,2009. Brice, an ensign in the Navy, is currentlycompleting Navigatortraining at Pensacola, FL. Mash is still serving in theAir Force but completingher pilot trainingwith the Navyat Pensacola.

Assignments: Dan Edelsteincompletedpilottraining at LaughlinAFB, TX andwill beflying C-17s at McCordAFB,WA. Good luckDan andwatch out for those boom operators!

Keep sendingyourupdates, stories and pictures myway!Thanks, Casey.

Andnowa messagefrom our ClassPresident:

Hi Everyone,

I hope this Checkpointsarticle finds everyonewell!Whenyou have a chance, please send me yourpersonal contact info eithervia the “ClassmateTracker” atusafa2007 .com or senditto mygovernmentaccount ormiror22@yahoo.com. I’m trying to compileeveryone’s info so I can send out future updates for our 10-yearreunion.While I know most everyone is on the global now, thatmight not bethe case inthefuture, so pleasegive me some info! Give me a write ifyou ever need something!

BestWishes,TylerRube.

Trenton Sandberg

450 Illinois Ave., Unit 2 Del Rio, TX 78840 (308) 641-1430

trenton.sandberg@gmail.com

Richter Class,

Hope all is well out there in the realworld. I don’t have much for this issue.

Afewhighlightsfrom 60 days:AlexWatkins spent a month inA1 Hoceima, Morocco (workingthrough an NGO) teachingEnglish and rebuilding houses demolished in the 2004 earthquake. AshaPadmanabhanspenttwo weeks in Cambodiaworkingwith the SomalyMamFoundationhelping to combatthe sex slavetrade. JonnyReynoldsspenthis 60 days inWashington, D.C. working as an intern for South Dakota SenatorJohnThune. Collin O’Bryant andWillBurrows traveled to Ugandawith Compassion International to perform humanitarian and mission work for poor and orphaned children. Garrett Rybak, EmilyShanes andJared Freeman traveled to KenyathroughCompassion International as well. I think there were many more ofour classmates who performed similarwork, but I don’t have names. SorryifI leftyou out!

Visit theAOGWeb Site Merchandise, Gone But Not Forgotten and More! www.usafa.org

(Gone ButNot Forgotten: Continuedfrom page 93.)

ThomasA. Bouley, ’88

He served with distinction as an exchange F3 Tornado pilot with the Royal Air Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom, andhadthe honor of leading the first British 4-ship combat mission on the opening day of that war. At Nellis, prior to taking command of the 65AGRS, he was the Deputy Commander and then acting Commander of Red Flag. His decorations included four Meritorious Service Medals, four Air Medals, the Aerial Achievement Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and two United Kingdom Campaign Medals.

Tom was very active in the community, be it at church or as a Boy Scout leaderand mentor. He loved fishing, soccer, the Anaheim Angels, the Seattle Seahawks, skiing and snowboarding, and traveling around the world with his family.

He was a decorated warrior, an inspiring leader of pilots, and a loving father and husband. He had served his nation with distinction for over 20 years. Tom will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and the fighter pilot and Aggressor community.

Memorial Services where held Aug. 4, 2008 at the Nellis Air Force Base Chapel and a Funeral Mass at St. John Neumann Catholic Church located in North Las Vegas was performed on Sept. 5, 2008. (Brother Joe, LtCol, USAF(Ret), who had thehonorofcommissioningTom in ’88)

In September, Erika Shortridge traveled to Europe to represent theAirForce at the annual Allied Component Command Tennis Tournament held in Amsterdam. The countries represented were Belgium, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, the UK, and the US. Each team consisted ofAirmen from their respective countries. The US team, comprised ofsix men andfour women (all but two were Academygrads), placed first overall in both men’s andwomen’s divisions. Individually, Erika placed second in thewomen’s division, losing to teammate Kat Bushey (06). Congratulations, Erika!

Erika Shortridgesmoking the competition in TheNetherlands. In tennis, love means nothing.

There were a crazynumber ofweddings this summer/fall. So many, in fact, it’s impossible to mention them all. Here is a really short list ofgrad-to-grad weddings that I was able to come up with. I’m sorry ifI missed anyone!

MelissaAndersonandShanePraiswater. KimberlyKallabis andPeterShenk. VictoriaCastroandRichardPinckney. CarlaMerinoandRyanWilliams. Megan White and Matt McDonald (07). Kendra Giboney and DrewTullson (07). BrittanyWilliams andAshton Carter (06). JenniferWiliams and Charles Linz (07). Danielle Warwick and Brian Reece (07). Congratulations to all!

That’s itfor this issue... please send me your good news!

We