HERITAGE MINUTE

The largest and most commanding structure on the Heritage Trail is the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion.  A gift of the Class of ‘70, it was dedicated on October first, 2010, during the class’s 40-year reunion.  ----more---- The facility pays homage to Air Force Academy graduates who served and sacrificed during the Southeast Asia conflict.  Plaques list each of the 150 Academy graduates who died...

In the traffic circle outside Doolittle Hall, the Air Force Academy alumni headquarters, is a remarkable sculpture of Pegasus. ----more---- This winged horse, a gift from the Italian government, has been on the Academy grounds since before our first class graduated.  The Pegasus statue is a replica of one displayed at the Italian Air War College in Florence.  In mythology, Pegasus is noted for inv...

An important part of the Association of Graduates’ commitment to heritage is recognizing and honoring the Academy’s most outstanding graduates.  ----more---- While every graduate contributes in his or her own way, some are worthy of special recognition.  The AOG’s Heritage Trail contains pedestals dedicated to the Distinguished Graduate Award recipients.  The Distinguished Graduate Award recognize...

In the waning days of his 45-year career serving and supporting the Long Blue Line, Maj. (Ret.) Tom Kroboth was inducted as an honorary member of the Association of Graduates during a Dec. 5, 2023 ceremony.----more---- Reprinted from the March 2024 issue of Checkpoints Magazine Written by Jeff Holmquist “This is certainly long overdue,” Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh ’66, a member of the AOG board of...

A key feature of the Heritage Trail at Doolittle Hall is the Challenge Bridge.  The bridge was commissioned by the Academy’s first graduating class, the Class of ’59, and their surrogate upperclassmen, the Air Training Officers. ----more---- It was dedicated on June 17th, 2004, when members of the class were at the Academy for their 45-year reunion.  The stone and mortar structure serves as a gate...

One of the three missions of the Association of Graduates is to promote the heritage of the Academy and the accomplishments of its graduates.  One very visible representation of this undertaking is the Heritage Trail, located adjacent to Doolittle Hall, the AOG’s headquarters building.  ----more---- It is part memorial, part inspirational park, part museum, and part educational facility.  The Heri...

Season 2 of Heritage Minute with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is under way! In this episode, a walk-through of the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation headquarters named for Gen. James "Jimmy" Doolittle.----more---- Located on 24 acres of land on the Air Force Academy, just southeast of the Cadet Area, is Doolittle Hall, the Association of Graduates’ headquarters building....

Penny Grossman served 21 years of active duty as an Air Force nurse. In 1973, She was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines during Operation Homecoming, when nearly 600 American Prisoners of War were freed. The first leg of their journey home took them from Hanoi to Clark Air Base, where Penny witnessed their first steps of freedom. She has not spoken of these difficult memories in 50 yea...

The primary goal of the United States Air Force Academy is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character for the nation.  ----more----One great way to do this is by exposing cadets to individuals who embody the selflessness, grit, and other characteristics we work to instill in them.  No group of leaders has demonstrated these values better than Medal of Honor recipie...

Dive into the story behind the Col. Richard Gimbel Aeronautical Library, located at the top floor of USAFA's McDermott Library!----more---- On the sixth floor of the Academy’s McDermott Library is a temperature — and humidity-controlled room that houses one of the institution’s most historic collections.  The Colonel Richard Gimbel Aeronautical History Collection — totaling about 20,000 items — is...

One of the most interesting areas in the McDermott Library is the stunning circular staircase pinnacled by a replica of the Wright Brothers' airplane.  ----more---- The aviation pioneers, appropriately enough, occupy the uppermost region of the facility, at the top of the striking three-story spiral staircase.  The geometrical staircase was designed to satisfy the Superintendent, Lieutenant Genera...

Displayed along the spiral staircase of USAFA’s McDermott Library is an impressive collection of rifles used by U.S. troops throughout the ages. ----more---- The collection of 31 military shoulder arms dates from 1763 to the 1970s.  Donated by Lieutenant General Albert P. Clark, sixth superintendent of the Academy and a prisoner of war during World War II, the rifle collection tracks the evolution...

Have you met the “USAFA Before USAFA History Guy?”----more---- Col. (Ret.) Jack Anthony ‘78 (R) is the Academy’s recognized authority on our “pre-history,” which has earned him the handle, “USAFA Before USAFA History Guy.” Join Jack and Heritage Minute host, Steve Simon '77 (L), as they share stories about a of few of Jack's favorite historical sites on Academy grounds — and some untold stories as...

Situated at the north end of the Air Garden on the Academy Cadet area’s Terrazzo, just under the flagpole proudly displaying the American flag, is the Academy’s Graduate War Memorial. ----more---- The idea for the memorial was conceived by Captain Richard T. Mathews, from the Class of 1960, who served as the first alumni secretary.  The $24,000 cost of constructing the memorial was covered by dona...

WATCH!  HERITAGE MINUTE IN THE NEWS It’s the Air Force Academy’s 70th year bringing up great leaders who go on to serve the nation in uniform!----more---- You might be surprised at what you don't know about the institution or its founding. Heritage Minute podcast host, Steve Simon, a 1977 USAFA grad, recently joined Fox 21’s, Krista Witiak, for a fun, rapid-fire Q & A about the school’s histor...

A pair of fighter jets on display at the Academy played key roles in our national defense! Steve Simon ’77 has their story!‌----more---- In this episode of Heritage Minute with Steve Simon '77, the stories behind the F-15A and F-16A fighters on display at the west end of the Terrazzo in the cadet area. These aircraft represent planes that have been flown by countless Academy graduates, and have re...

In this episode of the Heritage Minute podcast, host Steve Simon '77, flashes back to May 1968 when the F-105D Thunderchief static display on the USAFA Terrazzo was dedicated.----more---- What happened next resulted in 300 broken windows, more than $50,000 in damage and a grounded pilot. How did it happen? And did the pilot ever fly again? Get the full story in this episode of the Heritage Minute...

The grassy center of the Academy Cadet Area’s Terrazzo open space features a static display aircraft on each of its four corners. ----more----   The most historically significant is the McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II located on the southeast corner near Mitchell Hall and the Air Garden.  It is the only aircraft since the Korean War to be credited with six MiG kills, all of which took place in 1...

The 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on September 9, 2011, as part of the Class of 1976's 35th reunion class giving project. The memorial incorporates an actual girder from the World Trade Center. ----more---- The memorial features two granite slabs, representing the Twin Towers, atop a five-sided foundation that represents the Pentagon. The words, "World Trade Center," "The Pentagon" and "Shanksville,...

Welcome to the Heritage Minute Podcast Channel! ----more----One key mission of the Association of Graduates is to highlight some of those things that make the Academy the special place that it is. Whether it’s a statue honoring a war hero, a static display of historic aircraft or a collection of important memorabilia, these reminders help tell the story of USAFA and the big Air Force through the d...