While many upcoming college seniors are spending their summer at the beach, at work, or doing whatever else they might want, the US Air Force Academy continued its tradition of sending senior cadets to the combat AOR.

Air Force Academy seniors, Cadet 1st Class Eric Varner…and Cadet 1st Class Alan Foote…visit the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia as part of their summer deployed operatons program.

Urban legend has it that USAFA Cadets deployed to Vietnam and other front lines, and may even have participated in combat operations.  See, for example, this anecdote about the 3rd Lieutenant program:

While a cadet at the Air Force Academy, I volunteered for…”3rd Lieutenant” in Vietnam and got to join the 90th Attack Squadron at Bien Hoa during the summer of 1970, flying the A-37B. …My sponsor was Capt Gene Bywater and flight lead was Capt “Stumpy” Bowen…As cadets we got to “go along” on combat missions, but not actually drop ordinance…

Posted by Rus Records on January 28,2010 | 11:47AM

While it is unlikely these two 2011 cadets saw frontline combat, the experience of being deployed will certainly prepare them for the tempo of the Air Force they are about to enter.