Looking Back on 2020 — and Ahead in the New Year!
The Cadet Wing returned to USAFA this week, along with the cadet candidates of the USAFA Prep School. 2020 sure brought a lot of unexpected changes, and we're looking forward to a new year. We would like to thank all our members and followers for your continued support of the AOG and the WebGuy program. Here's to 2021!

New in 2021: Air Force's 'Accelerate Change' Agenda Takes Shape
In his first month on the job as the Air Force's new chief of staff, Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown laid out a stark warning for the service: It has to change in several significant areas, or it risks losing the next war. Brown and many other senior leaders in the Air Force discussed how to enact changes at October's Corona meeting at the Air Force Academy where action plans and proposed first steps were on the agenda for consideration.

AOG Election is a Month Away
In the upcoming 2021 election, AOG graduate members will be voting on the five open seats on our Board of Directors as well as two proposed Bylaw changes. To view the proposed bylaw changes as well as inform yourself on the Board Candidates, go to www.usafa.org/election.

Heritage Minute
In the latest episode of Heritage Minute with Steve Simon '77, we take a look at the Cadet Field House Mural. This 40' tall by 300' wide work of art is one of the largest permanently hung murals the world!

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

Future Focused
The creation of the Air Force Academy's new Institute for Future Conflict (IFC) took off in 2020 with the selection of its first IFC Fellow and a successful Summer Seminar Series. It continues to gain speed as the new superintendent settles in and with the anticipated naming of its new director by early 2021.

Estate Planning Considerations for Couples
As couples plan their estate, they have several options to consider, with opportunities to maximize benefits, depending on their circumstances. The Air Force Academy Foundation Legacy website provides information about basic estate planning considerations and types of wills that do not also involve living trusts.

Senior Leader Call
Join us on Jan. 14 at 5:00 p.m. MT for a Senior Leader Call with Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86. We'll catch up with the USAFA superintendent from his last call in November to see what's ahead in 2021 for the Cadet Wing!

Texas Congressman Sworn-In
Congressman August Pfluger '00 (TX-11) was sworn in on Jan. 3 after winning election in November. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Pfluger served 20 years in the Air Force as an F-22 fighter pilot and on the President's National Security Council.

Kraus Named Dean of UND Aerospace
Robert Kraus '91 — an experienced pilot, aerospace administrator, aerospace educator and a retired Air Force colonel — has been named dean of the University of North Dakota's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

Three Astronauts Assigned to Crew Dragon Mission in Late 2021
Rookie NASA astronaut Col. Raja Chari '99 was among a group of astronauts assigned to fly to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship in the fall of 2021.

Meet the Man in Charge of the Wisconsin National Guard
For the better part of his first three months as commander of the Wisconsin National Guard, Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp '92 spent most nights sleeping in his office while juggling three crises.

Taking the High Road with Sully
In his memoir, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger '73 says he realized that his journey to the Hudson River that fateful day didn't begin at New York's LaGuardia Airport, but decades before at his childhood Texas home.

Hometown Missourians Form Bond in Mississippi
Sometimes airmen forget how small and connected the Air Force actually is. 1st Lt. Jared Rackers '18 and Capt. Cole Stegeman '12 both went to the same high school and grew up in the same area of a relatively small town in Missouri. Their paths crossed again during pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. When asked what it is like to mentor and train someone from his hometown, Stegeman said it is a special opportunity.

ZoomieClass
Cadets may not be back in class just yet, but you can join us for a virtual class. In this lesson from the history department's History 345 class (The American Way of War), cadets learn about SOCOM, Operation Eagle Claw, and the rise of joint operations. This was a previously recorded virtual lesson from the first semester.

Air Force Flies by Boise State, 76-52
In its first conference win of the season, the Air Force women's basketball team impacted its Division I record book with a stunning 76-52 victory over Mountain West front runners Boise State, beating the Broncos by 24 points for the team's largest margin of victory over a MW opponent since joining the league in 1999.