United States Air Force Academy

History

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It is the youngest of the five service academies, having graduated its first class in 1959, but is the third in seniority. Graduates of the academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.

Admission is competitive, with nominations divided equally among Congressional districts. Recent incoming classes have had about 1,100 cadets; since 2012, around 20% of each incoming class does not graduate. During their tenure at the academy, cadets receive tuition, room and board, and a monthly stipend all paid for by the Air Force. On the first day of a cadet's second class (third) year, cadets commit to serving eight years (five active duty and three in reserves) as a commissioned officer in the Air Force or Space Force. Non-graduates after that point may, upon recommendation to and decision by the Secretary of the Air Force, pay the costs of their educations through enlisted service or recoupment payments. The commitment is normally five years of active duty and three years in the reserves, although it has varied depending on the graduate's Air Force Specialty Code or Space Force Specialty Code. For example, cadets selected to be pilots are required to serve ten years as active duty officers after completion of training.

Text from Wikipedia: United States Air Force Academy, CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Key dates

1. 1802
   Air power advocates had pushed for a separate Air Force Academy to complement the U.S. Military Academy (founded in 1802) and Naval Academy (1845) almost since the dawn of military aviation.
2. 1958
   Another display often used as a symbol of the academy, the Eagle and Fledglings Statue was given as a gift to the academy in 1958 by the personnel of Air Training Command.
3. 1959
   The academy's permanent site had not been completed when the first class entered, so the 306 cadets from the Class of 1959 were sworn in at a temporary site at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver on 11 July 1955.
4. 1964
   Three athletes have also won Division I NCAA outdoor titles: Jim Murphy in the 5000 meters in 1964, Dana Pounds in the javelin in 2005 and 2006, and Mahala Norris in the steeplechase in 2021. 1983 alumnus Alonzo Babers won gold medals in the 400 meters and the 4x400 meter relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
5. 1965
   The first honor scandal broke in 1965, when a resigning cadet reported knowing of more than 100 cadets who had been involved in a cheating ring. 109 cadets were ultimately expelled.
6. 1975
   On 7 October 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies.
7. 1991
   In 1991 the wrestling team won the WAC championship, which was the first ever by any USAFA sports team.
8. 1995
   This program was replaced with Combat Survival Training (CST) in 1995 and done away with entirely in 2005.
9. 2005
   In 2005, allegations surfaced that some evangelical Christian cadets and staff were effectively engaging in religious proselytizing at the academy.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Records that place someone at this base

A base history doesn't name everyone who served. These records do:

• Morning reports (include Army Air Forces units)
• Search Army and AAF morning reports, 1912–1946 (National Archives Catalog)
• Air Force organizational records and lineage (AFHRA)

More history

• National Park Service
• Air Force Historical Research Agency
• Wikipedia: United States Air Force Academy