Tag Archives: USAFA

Air Force Academy Chapel Marks 50 Years

Last month the US Air Force Academy marked the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the iconic USAFA Cadet Chapel:

“The celebration…highlight[ed] not only the legacy of those responsible for building this facility, but…also highlight[ed] the religious plurality of America’s demography and the Air Force Academy’s demography today,” said Academy Chaplain Col. Robert Bruno…

Chaplain Bruno also said the attendance by the Air Force Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (MajGen) Howard Stendahl, demonstrated the  Read more

Mikey Weinstein’s Friends and Allies in Military High Places, Part 4

As noted previously, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein claims the US military is overrun by Christians trying to take over the world, and he is sacrificing himself as a martyr in a one-man crusade to save us all.  Except…

It seems Weinstein is fast friends with the top leaders of the very military services he claims he’s fighting — contrary to his frequent claims he is but a lowly David fighting an institutional Goliath.

In two examples, Weinstein’s “close personal…relationship” with an Air Force base’s commanding general has already been discussed, as has his unusual access to an Air Force Colonel’s non-releasable records.  In a more significant example, The JAG of the Air Force for nearly 6 years, LtGen Jack Rives, was the legal face of the Air Force as it (presumably) fended off Weinstein’s attacks.  After he retired, though, former TJAG LtGen Rives turned ardent cheerleader for Weinstein’s crusade against religious freedom in the US military.

Now, Weinstein has publicly announced that very recently retired LtGen William Lord has “long” been an ally for Weinstein’s cause.  At his retirement just a year ago, LtGen William Lord was the AF Chief Information Officer — in the office of the Secretary of the Air Force.  Recalling his recent visit to the “well-appointed” office of the Superintendent of West Point, Weinstein said [emphasis added]:  Read more

Military Academies Have Highest Paid Graduates

As reported at CNN, PayScale.com claims that the US Naval Academy and US Military Academy have the 2nd and 7th highest paid graduates, respectively.  They also had the highest starting salaries.

The highest starting salaries were claimed by graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point at $77,100 and $74,000, respectively. But those figures were typically for jobs taken after grads served five years of required military service post-graduation, said Bardaro. Also boosting pay: Military academies typically feature strong engineering programs, and grads can gain crucial work experience during their service years, she said.

Given that those salaries are greater than an O-1’s pay, the premise appears to be based on salaries after the mandatory 5-year military service commitment.

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Female USAFA Cadets Majority of Masculinity Class

The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, highlighted USAFA’s addition of an academic elective entitled “Men and Masculinity” (previously noted here).

Visiting Professor Christopher Kilmartin, of the University of Mary Washington, is teaching a course on masculinity at the U.S. Air Force Academy this semester, as part of a new program to discourage sexual assaults…

“My job as an educator is to name the pressure” that exists for males to conform to unhealthy masculine stereotypes, Kilmartin continued.

The article notes the elective is filled with cadets, “most of whom are female.”  Females make up less than 20% of the cadet wing.

No word on when USAFA will offer a course of “Women and Femininity” — or if most of the students would be male.

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Report: F-16 Pilot Flew into Afghan Mountain

The Air Force Times reports on the Air Force investigation that determined Capt James Steel was flying visually when he impacted a mountain during his recovery to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in April of this year:

The report released by Air Combat Command officials at Langley Air Force Base, Va., says 29-year-old Capt. James Michael Steel crashed April 3 about 12 miles outside Bagram Air Field…

The report says Steel flew into a mountainous area obscured by poor weather conditions and that he did not attempt to eject before slamming into the mountain. The report says Steel was flying below the minimum safe altitude at the time of the crash.

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Air Force Unable to Fill Unmanned Cockpits

US Air force Col Bradley Hoaglan wrote a report from the Brookings Institution saying the Air Force can’t fill its annual requirements for unmanned remotely piloted aircraft (UAV/RPA) operators. As reported at the Stars and Stripes,

In 2012, the Air Force filled only 82 percent of its remotely piloted aircraft, or RPA, training slots, while virtually all manned aircraft slots were filled. And as of early this year…the Air Force Academy had only 12 volunteers for its 40 RPA training slots.

The Air Force apparently attributes the problem to a lower Read more

Predator Flies in USAFA Dining Hall

This is actually old news, but it is somewhat an urban legend, as well.

A General Atomics MQ-1 Predator has been hung from the ceiling of Mitchell Hall at the US Air Force Academy.  Mitchell Hall is the huge dining facility that seats every cadet for every (mandatory) meal.

While static displays of aircraft have long been used to highlight the Air Force mission and inspire others to serve, this is probably the most Read more

The Humanity of the Chief of Staff

General Mark Welsh, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, has long been respected by many in the Air Force for his down-to-earth approach to life and other people.  That attitude became widely known after his famous inspirational speeches found their way to the internet.

He had this quotable last week, when overseeing the change of command at the US Air Force Academy:

During his speech, Welsh pardoned cadets in trouble for minor infractions and regulatory breaches.

“You major offenders are still screwed,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

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