Tag Archives: michelle johnson

LtGen Jay Silveria Takes Over as USAFA Superintendent

US Air Force LtGen Jay Silveria took command of the US Air Force Academy from outgoing Superintendent LtGen Michelle Johnson last Friday.

Silveria, a 1985 graduate, is a command pilot with nearly 4,000 hours of flight-time in various aircraft, including T-37 and T-38 trainer aircraft, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the HH-60 helicopter and F-35 Lightning II. He’s flown combat sorties over the Balkans and Iraq and served as vice commander at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

A few days earlier, the local Colorado Springs Gazette (repeated at the Stars and Stripes) covered LtGen Johnson’s four-year tenure in a summative article: Read more

President Obama Gives Shout Out to Homosexuals, Muslims at USAFA

usafaobamaWhen speaking of the “values” that are an enduring element of America’s power, President Obama said this during the graduation address at the US Air Force Academy yesterday:

We’re stronger when our gay and lesbian cadets and troops can serve their country…without hiding who they love.

Of all the quotes in the long speech on war, policies, sacrifice and the future, this is what the White House highlighted with a “tweet” — and this is what USAFA retweeted.

While this statement received an affirming Read more

USAFA Supe Highlights Character, Religion in Recruitment Message

In a widely distributed op-ed style piece, US Air Force Academy Superintendent LtGen Michelle Johnson answered the question “Why you should consider attending a service academy,” though by “service academy” she meant USAFA. The Supe highlighted leadership, followership, sports — and also the culture of character:

At the Academy, character is paramount – while they’re evaluating our Academy we’re evaluating them to determine if they have the honor and fortitude it takes to succeed at the Academy and serve in our Air Force…

Our four-year curriculum and emphasis on character development is interwoven in all aspects of cadet life to create an atmosphere of trust and accountability amongst cadets and staff…

Our emphasis on impeccable character is why it becomes “news” when an extremely small minority of our cadets does not meet our high standards. We hold ourselves to a higher standard.

(Despite using similar language about character, LtGen Johnson’s column did not include a disclaimer as BGen McGregor’s did.)

Character is, of course, extremely important, but simply saying “impeccable Read more

USAFA General Recalls Two Years of Leadership

The Colorado Springs Gazette wrote a short article on the US Air Force Academy’s Superintendent, LtGen Michelle Johnson, in which she looked back on the last two years of her leadership of USAFA:

In her first days on the job at the Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson found herself justifying the school’s existence amid a Pentagon budget crunch and a looming government shutdown.

Two years later, she says those first frantic weeks have formed Read more

“Offended” Cadets Need Correction before Commissioning

LtGen Michelle Johnson, Superintendent of the US Air Force Academy, gave some insight into her reaction to cadets who “protested” the removal of a Bible verse by posting verses and quotes of their own:

Since Monday, there’s been a wave of freedom, religious and otherwise, on the 2,000 whiteboards outside cadet dorm rooms.

In response to the online flap that developed over Monday’s posting and erasure, hundreds of cadets took up their pens and posted quotes from the Bible, Talmud, Qu’ran and non-religious sources.

“It seems 20-year-olds have a sense of humor,” Johnson said.

The academy has told cadets to use taste and caution in what they post. The goal, Johnson said, is to have a climate of respect.

Of course, there’s no evidence the first cadet to put up a verse violated standards of “taste and caution,” so its unclear if that will remain a consistent standard.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council praised the cadets who bravely exercised their faith and their freedom. (Notably, some cadets who joined the protest weren’t even religious — they just Read more

Air Force to Document, Explain USAFA Religious Policy

Since when is the standard of what’s constitutional based on what offends someone else?
– Tony Perkins, Family Research Council, addressing USAFA’s statement that a Bible verse was removed because it made someone feel “uncomfortable.”

Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC) asked Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James if she would provide an official explanation of the USAFA Bible verse incident:

Would you be willing to submit a detailed explanation within the next 10 days…of the event that occurred…, what the Air Force Academy policy is, and…how that policy was applied in this situation?

Secretary James agreed to do so. The Air Force has already said its policy is found in AFI 1-1, which says  Read more

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