Many distinguished (and some undistinguished) speakers come to the US Air Force Academy to speak to the cadet wing.  Sometimes these speeches are done during a military training period within the school day; others are delivered in the evening.

A time-honored tradition at the US Air Force Academy is the presentation to those speakers (most, but not all) with a statuette of the USAFA mascot, the falcon.  After the speaker concludes their remarks, a cadet leader enters the stage and thanks the speaker for their wise words.  As he holds the statuette aloft, he then says that on behalf of the cadet wing, he would like to present the speaker with…

…and the entire wing shouts out: The Bird!

It is an interesting and entertaining example of both stereotypical military double-speak and (most often) light-hearted irreverence.  The Bird is no respecter of rank or position, and has been given to a variety of distinguished speakers.  The cadets gave Secretary of Defense Robert Gates The Bird just last week (complete with picture), after a speech to the wing; many years ago James Earl Jones even accepted one after patiently repeating Star Wars quotes for star-struck cadets.

Far from always being an insult, though, cadets actually consider it a virtual honor to bestow; they have been known to grumble if a less than worthy speaker was presented with the revered Bird.

Some speakers have actually been surprised by the act, though most are probably given a warning of what to expect.  Virtually all have at least chuckled and acknowledged the cadets’ message; if nothing else, it gives them a story to tell about their foot-tall statue of a bird.