Thanksgiving
On this Thanksgiving week, we thank all of you — our graduates, parents, cadets and friends — for the tremendous support you have given the Air Force Academy, the Association of Graduates and the USAFA Endowment this past year.

As you enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends, please keep in mind our deployed brothers and sisters who are away from their loved ones and defending our freedoms!

AF Academy Welcomes Guests with Extended Visiting Hours
Visitors to the Air Force Academy without Defense Department credentials can now enter the base every day between 5:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. through the North and South gates.

Wreaths Across America
On Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, at 10 a.m., there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the USAFA Cemetery. Organizers are requesting support for this event. To sponsor a wreath, please go to wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/33065 and click on the "Sponsor Wreaths" red button. If you sponsor two wreaths, the Academy Cemetery will receive a third wreath free.

Young Alumni Excellence Award Nominations Now Open
Each spring, the Association of Graduates has the pleasure of honoring graduates who attended the United States Air Force Academy within the last 15 years with our Young Alumni Excellence Award. The award is presented on the basis of the recipient's outstanding professional achievements and contributions to their community, whether in military or civilian life. Nomination deadline: Jan. 10, 2020.

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

2020 Air Force Academy Fund Calendar
The 2020 Air Force Academy Fund calendar will be mailed to Air Force Academy Fund donors beginning in December. The calendar features photos from cadets, staff, parents and graduates, showcasing new perspectives of the Academy. It's not too late to get your copy; all it takes is a donation to the Air Force Academy Fund in 2019.

Crowdfunding for USAFA Rodeo Club
The Air Force Academy Rodeo Club competes at five to 10 rodeos each year as part of the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Supporters have set up a crowdfunding page to help cover travel expenses for the fall and spring seasons and offset the costs of competing that individual cadets incur in this sport.

End-of-Year Giving
As you plan your end-of-year charitable giving, the USAFA Endowment has created a web page to help answer questions about deadlines, gift types and matching gifts.

USAFA Benefits from AmazonSmile Shopping
Did you know that when you shop for the holidays at AmazonSmile, smile.amazon.com/ch/26-0537053, AmazonSmile donates to USAFA Endowment, Inc. in support of the U.S. Air Force Academy?

Grad Dies in Training Accident
Air Force 2nd Lt. Travis Wilkie, a 2018 graduate of the Air Force Academy, was killed in a training accident Thursday, Nov. 21, at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla.

Shaw and Whiting Trade Places, Both Space Commands Win Big
Air Force Maj. Gen. John E. Shaw '90 took command of Combined Force Space Component Command (CFSCC) and 14th Air Force from Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting '89 during a change of command ceremony at the Combined Space Operations Center.

Jackson Named Commander of 126th Air Refueling Wing
Col. Thomas Jackson '84 will oversee about 900 Airmen with eight KC-135R "Stratotanker" aircraft and an approximately $32 million operating budget. He also will be responsible for the Illinois Air National Guard's two Total Force Enterprise Associations.

Newly Crowned Ms. Veteran America Brings Light to Women Veteran Homelessness
When your uncle and stepfather are graduates of the Air Force Academy, and your father retired as a senior master sergeant, it seems like a no-brainer that the next generation continues the tradition. That's just what the 2019 winner of the Ms. Veteran American competition did. Naviere Walkewicz '99 has spent the last 20 years on active duty and in the Reserve as a model officer for both her superiors and enlisted airmen.

Norovirus Outbreak Plagues Air Force Academy
About 400 cadets at the Air Force Academy — one in every 10 — have been laid low by the norovirus since late October, according to Academy officials.

Air Force Academy Among World's 10 Best College Hacker Teams
For the first time, a team of cadets from the Air Force Academy has qualified for a premier cybersecurity competition.

Water Tests Show Chemical Levels South of Academy Non-detectable or Well Below EPA Health Advisory Levels
Tests show PFOS and PFOA levels south of Academy below EPA health Advisory levels.

Law Department Professor Awarded 'Flagship' Scholarship Grant to Research, Teach in Europe
A legal expert at the Air Force Academy is getting ready to go on sabbatical in Europe next year, courtesy of a Fulbright scholar grant. Douglas McKechnie, a full professor in the Academy's law department, will spend his spring months at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, teaching in the university's Constitutional Law department.

Letter Regarding Fourth-class Training
The AOG has had many exchanges with the Academy Staff concerning the temporary training pause on some parts of fourth-class training.

Air Force Goes to the Air to Defeat New Mexico, 44-22
Air Force football rolled to a 44-22 win over New Mexico last Saturday. Quarterback Donald Hammond III threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns to lead an air attack that snapped a three-game losing streak in Albuquerque.

• Wyoming at Air Force on Saturday
• Sanders one of three finalists for College Football's Top Community Service Award

Women Cap Stellar Season with Eighth-Place Finish at NCAA Championships
The history-making cross country season continued for the Air Force women as they finished eighth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Highlighted by a pair of top-40 finishes from juniors Maria Mettler and Mahala Norris, the women accounted for the best NCAA finish by any Air Force women's team ever at the Division I level.

USAFA vs Navy Championship Game
Air Force Women's Rugby will meet Navy for an all-service academy women's DI fall final on Dec. 8 in Charlotte, NC, after Air Force flew by Minnesota, and Navy just held off UConn in the semifinals.