4 Sep 2023 - Air Force Academy Visitor Center, Visit from Vickie and Bruce, Visit from Rom Tomlinson

 

Great friend, co-worker and military comrade Ron Tomlinson

Another great day here at the Air Force Academy!  This morning Doreen and I drove to the Air Force Academy Visitor Center.  We were here in 2017 but wanted to come back to look it over again.  They have interesting displays on the history of the Academy and the lives of Academy Cadets, and they have an awesome gift shop with about any AFA swag you could ever want!!  

We toured the visitor center and were reminded how awesome our service academy's are.  The Air Force Academy finds it's roots as early as World War I when there were proposals for a separate Air Service Academy to train officers for aerial warfare.  After the Air Force split from the Army and became a separate branch of service in 1947, the planning commenced.  It all came to fruition in 1954 when President Eisenhauer signed the bill authorizing the Air Force Academy.  Site selection finalized on Colorado Springs and construction commenced.  Lowry AFB in Denver was designated as the interim Academy and it went operational 14 Aug 1954.  

On 11 Jul 1955, 306 Cadets were sworn in to the class of 1959 at Lowry Air Force Base.  Many of the Air Force Academy's traditions were established during those years at Lowry. One of the most important is the Cadet Honor Code, "We will not lie, steal or cheat, not tolerate among us anyone who does."  There also was chosen the Academy mascot, the falcon.  The first class crest and ring were designed.  How awesome to have been a part of laying the groundwork for all this!  A total of 1400 cadets entered the Academy at Lowry and in August 1958 the entire Cadet Wing marched through the Academy North Gate, the same gate we brought our RV in a couple days ago, And Colorado Springs became the permanent home for the United Stated Air Force Academy!  Awesome!

Another significant part of the visitor center is how the cadet journey is illustrated.  The Cadets start out in June of their first year at Basic Cadet Training.  At the conclusion of successful completion they receive their shoulder boards signifying acceptance into the Cadet Wing.  Their freshman year (3rd class cadets) is on it's way!  In addition to their academics, during the summer the sophomores complete Combat Survival Training  and global engagement, unmanned aerial systems and cyber programs in the summer. Juniors (2nd class Cadets) assume various  leadership roles culminating in the Ring Dance where they doin their class rings signifying their progression to the senior year.  1st class Cadets (Firsties) are leaders of the wings.  They finish everything required to becoming Air Force Officers.  Upon graduation they are Air Force Second Lieutenants!  What an accomplishment!

The gift shop is almost overwhelming!  Anything and everything Air Force Academy swag-wise is available.  

Swag for as far as you can see!!

We departed the visitor center and headed down to the Exchange (BX) but we assume it was closed because it was Labor Day.  So we stopped by the Express  and then back to the campground.  

Later in the afternoon Vickie and Bruce Garwood stopped by to see our "tenement on wheels" as Cousin Eddie would say, and bringing gifts!! 

Beers and snacks, including some native Colorado Amber!!!

Poor Teacher Pottery, created by a public school art teacher in Colorado Springs.  

"They create functional and funky pottery." 

We thoroughly enjoyed seeing Bruce and Vickie again.  Bruce and I did a 360 of the RV and had a long discussion about RV's, home automation, our military service and various other topics, while Vickie and Doreen were inside touring our Alliance RV and seeming to enjoy themselves.  I am so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to reconnect with Vickie and meet her husband Bruce.  This is one of the important points of our travel - reconnecting with relatives, friends and military comrades.  

Speaking of military comrades, later a great friend, co-worker and military comrade Ron Tomlinson came to visit.  Ron and I go way, way back!  Back in the early 80's I was a one-man show as the ground communications technician at the Air Guard base. I was given the opportunity to hire another technician and Ron was selected.  A proven telephone maintenance technician with a lot of active duty experience fit right in and knocked it out of the park. Working with Ron was fun.  We got a lot done and had fun doing it.  As mentioned yesterday, we were on the ground floor of transitioning from a commercial telephone system to a government-owned and maintained telephone system.  We facilitated the installation of a base-wide closed circuit television system and fiber optic network which led the way to a base-wide computer network. Ron literally unboxed the servers, loaded the software and got it all talking!   In addition to that we upgraded our cryptographic systems, our tactical and land mobile radio systems, base public address system and about everything else you can think of from a ground communications standpoint.    I can honestly say it was a pleasure to go to work every day, proudly wearing the Air Force uniform!

So that is it for today.  Tomorrow we drive north to the southern edge of Denver to have lunch with Doreen's cousins Barbie and Jeanie, and their spousal units Jake and Deni!