Weekend Photoblogging - United States Air Force Academy

The last of WordGirl and my Colorado trip pictures is now ready for your viewing pleasure. Click on each photo to enlarge.

First, a couple of pics of the Cadet Area, dominated of course by the famous USAFA Chapel:





Next, the athletic fields:



Here's what we used to call "The Old Dorm", named after Hoyt S. Vandenburg and built in the late 50s (the new dorm, named after Vietnam POW, Academy grad, and war hero Lance P. Sijan, was built in 1976):



Static displays of aircraft litter the grounds. Here's the tail flash of the most recent addition, an F-15 from Tyndall AFB which was stripped for parts and shipped to Colorado Springs while I was stationed at Tyndall:



Politically-correct and weak-kneed generals may have taken down the "Bring Me Men" ramp, at the top of which every new cadet makes a speedy transition from civilian to Air Force member, but they haven't been able to get rid of the Honor Wall:



Here's one of the aforementioned generals who at least fought the good fight when it came to the Academy's traditions. No wonder---Bradley C. Hosmer was the first Academy grad, class of '59. He went on to become Superintendent, one of which there are numerous funny stories. Here he models the horrible uniform Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak tried to force on everyone in the early 90s. We used to refer to it as the "Friendly Skies" getup, since it looked like nothing so much as an airline pilot's suit. Of course, McPeak's "leadership" led to many, many Air Force personnel seeking airline jobs:



WG and I happened to hit the Academy right during Ring Dance and Graduation Week. This enabled WG to see "Tasty boys in uniform". I didn't let her go to the Ring Dance. Here the dinks form up for a parade, an all-too common occurrence before graduation:



I couldn't risk getting some snapshots of another Air Force legend, Hap Arnold. His statue stands outside the cadet recreation building that bears his name, Arnold Hall:







There are a large number of other statues in the Cadet Area---here's a WWII collection:



Just outside the Chapel you'll find a serious of plaques commemorating USAFA cadets and grads who died in the line of duty. Several of my drinking buddies are on this one:



All right, the Chapel's far and away the most photogenic thing at the Academy, so here come the pictures of it. Suffice it to say I don't see any way such a daring and beautiful structure could get built today. There are 17 spires; it is considered the ultimate challenge for a cadet to get his service cap atop one of them:



The interior is even more avante-gard. This looks like the Viper launch sequence from the old "Battlestar Galactica" show:



Note that everything in the main (Protestant) chapel has an aircraft theme. The pews look like the leading edge of a wing, for example:





Pretty impressive pipe organ up there:







Love that stained glass and lighting that looks like instrument panel warning lights, too:

















The propeller-themed cross in the Protestant chapel always turns heads:





As does the altar:



We give priority seating to those whom are enemies have detained:





Of course, cadets come in all faiths, and the Protestant chapel is the largest simply because of the greater proportion of Protestant cadets.

The Jewish chapel is no less beautiful:





Given recent events, WG and I took a particular interest in the Catholic chapel. Here's a very different crucifix style:





The reliefs flanking the crucifix are quite impressive--we've always loved the Deco style:





Even the Stations of the Cross are interesting and modern:







Here's an interesting door panel:



You don't see this every day---a 3-D version of the Shroud of Turin:



Anyone who can visit the Academy and leave without their patriotism renewed is simply not an American. As we left my alma mater, Old Glory was flying proudly in a strong wind, a reminder of what the Academy is all about: duty, honor, and country.