Class of 2023 Accepted Into Cadet Wing
The Class of 2023 was officially accepted into the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Wing during the annual Acceptance Day Parade Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Stillman Field. Representatives from the Class of 1973, the 50-year Legacy Class for 2023, were on hand to welcome the basic cadets to the Long Blue Line and present copies of Contrails to the top performing basic cadets.

Basic Cadets March Back from Jacks Valley with Academy Graduates
Basic cadets from the Class of 2023 marched back from Jacks Valley to the main Academy campus last week after completing field training. Academy graduates were invited to march back with the cadets for the first time this year. Nearly 200 graduates representing classes ranging from 1961-2019 joined the formation during the five-mile trek. Also on hand, more than 60 graduates from the Class of 1959, the Academy's first graduating class.

• Watch video from the march

Distinguished Graduate Award Nomination Period Open
We are accepting nominations for the 2019 Distinguished Graduate Award. All nomination packages are due to the AOG no later than Oct. 1, 2019.

7258' — Your Association at Work
Read the latest issue of the AOG's newsletter.

Assessing Character and Leadership Development
The Summer 2019 issue of the Journal of Character & Leadership Development was released in July. Published with funding from the USAFA Endowment, the journal is dedicated to bringing together the expert views of scholars and leaders who care about both character and leadership and their integration. "[T]his issue is an effort to show how some people are tackling the assessment of character and leadership development in their organizations," writes Dr. Douglas Lindsay, editor.

Families Can Help Make the Cadet Experience Exceptional
Parents and families can continue to make a difference in the development of their cadets through the Parent and Family Giving program at the USAFA Endowment. Gifts from families create more than a margin of excellence by enabling meaningful cadet experiences in cultural immersion, undergraduate research, leadership development and more.

Stamps Scholarships Help Cadets Explore Big Issues
In a recent video interview, 2nd Lt. Kyle Haak '19 described his experiences as a Stamps Leadership Scholar as "humbling." "I had the opportunity to learn about desalination and nuclear energy and how they might be integrated with the ultimate goal of providing fresh water, security and agriculture for countries," he says.

Helping Organizations Develop Partnerships and Cadets
Corporations and foundations add unique and valuable perspectives to the cadet experience when they create partnerships with the Air Force Academy. The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the United States Air Force Academy Endowment works to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships that ultimately further the ideals and core values of the Academy.

AETC Welcomes New Commander
Lt. Gen. Brad Webb '84 took the reins of Air Education and Training Command from Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast '86 during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph on July 26, 2019. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein '83 presided over the ceremony and emphasized the importance of the AETC mission and he commended members of the command for their efforts. Goldfein also called Webb "our point man for the takedown of Osama bin Laden."

Joint Base Welcomes a New Commander
Col. Bridget Gigliotti '97's command comes at a time of excitement for the joint base, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall and is preparing for the delivery of state-of-the-art KC-46 tanker jets due to arrive in the 2021 fiscal year.

Hecker Nominated to Lead Air University
The president has nominated Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker '89 as the new commander and president of Air University, Air Education and Training Command, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call to Duty: Unplanned Career Taking Flight in Air Force
It took two years of college for Kyle Spratt '17 to realize he might be better suited for a life in the military.

Remembering Ross Perot: Allan McArtor Finds that Revenge is Not So Sweet
Allan McArtor '64, a decorated combat fighter pilot who capped his Air Force career by flying with the Thunderbirds, tried to pull one over on Ross Perot — and lived to regret it.

Minnesota Could Serve as Launching Pad for Air Force Grads' Pro Sports Careers
The Air Force Academy could soon witness the launching of twin athletic careers in the Twin Cities. As Austin Cutting '19 tries to make the Minnesota Vikings roster as the first long snapper ever drafted by the NFL franchise, recently promoted pitcher Griffin Jax '17 is storming toward a role with the Minnesota Twins.

Air Force Academy Hosts First-ever Convocation Ceremony
For the first time in university history, the Air Force Academy held a convocation ceremony Aug. 2, welcoming the incoming cadets from the Class of 2023. Much like how graduation marks the end of the academic year, convocation is an academic ceremony to mark the beginning of the academic year.

Academy Plays Central Role in Developing Tomorrow's STEM Leaders
A recent article in Forbes noted the highest percentage of CEOs with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degrees aren't who the reader might expect: four star generals in the military. Cadets at the Air Force Academy today are immersed in hands-on STEM programs while also exposed to a broad education in the humanities and non-technical disciplines.

Academy Cadets' Invention To Support Battlefield Airmen Awarded Patents
Looking for a challenge? Try coming up with a 100 different ways to get a battlefield airman loaded with gear from a hovering aircraft to the ground -- quickly and safely. A team of Air Force Academy cadets took on this exact challenge while completing their mechanical and systems engineering degrees in 2016 and now their technology has been awarded three patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The project was part of an annual Air Force Research Laboratory University Design Challenge.

Cadet Summer Research Program: 'Let's Play in a Sandbox!'
Since 2007, the Department of Homeland Security and the Air Force Academy have championed game-changing innovations for the U.S. government by leveraging unique public-private partnerships. Our Center of Innovation has become a one-of-a-kind "sandbox" for government agencies, private industry giants, and academia to perform collaborative research, share expertise and shape technologies within the private sector to fit government needs.

Academy's 118 New Instructors
While most of the new instructors made the academic roster, some are assigned to the Academy's athletic department, its preparatory school and the Center for Character and Leadership Development.

Air Force Has Six Teams Recognized by NCAA for Academic Excellence
Air Force football, fencing, wrestling, men's tennis, women's tennis and women's gymnastics all distinguished themselves in the classroom amongst their peers. The honor is bestowed annually on teams with an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all programs in their respective sports.

Flick at Falcon Stadium: Captain Marvel Showing
Air Force Athletics will host its first ever Flick at Falcon Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 8. Marvel Studios "Captain Marvel" will be the evening's feature film shown on the 2,500-square-foot stadium video board. The event is free and open to the public.