Cadets get 'constructive'

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet 2nd Class Ryan Oot daubs sealing glue on plumbing tubing being installed in a hogan, a traditional Navajo home. Each summer, cadets in the field engineering readiness laboratory here build the shelters to learn civil engineering from Air Force craftsmen. Once the homes are completed, they are donated to Southwestern Navajo tribes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush)

Cadets get 'constructive'

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet Brad Condell fills the air with sawdust as he cuts wood used to frame a hogan, a traditional Navajo home. Each summer, cadets in the field engineering readiness laboratory here build the shelters to learn civil engineering from Air Force craftsmen. Once the homes are completed, they are donated to Southwestern Navajo tribes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush)

Rocket launch

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Cadet 1st Class Manessa Catuncan tightens bolts on the exterior casing of a rocket she and 17 other cadets built as part of a class project. U.S. Air Force Academy cadets taking Astronautical Engineering 452/453 Rocket Engineering classes completed their project April 25 by successfully firing the 11.5-foot tall, 7-inch diameter projectile from the Pinon Maneuver area here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush)

Rocket launch

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Air Force Academy engineering students load a rocket onto the launch rail. The cadets taking Astronautical Engineering 452/453 Rocket Engineering classes completed their project April 25 by successfully firing the 11.5-foot tall, 7-inch diameter projectile from the Pinon Maneuver area here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush)

This is only an exercise

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY -- An academy firefighter helps an "accident victim" through initial decontamination during a terrorist attack exercise here April 27. The scenario presented academy response forces with a combined explosive and chemical threat during a football game. Academy police, fire, medical and other services work with local agencies to complete a coordinated crisis response. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joel Strayer)

Can you hear me now?

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets began to see major changes in August 2003 during freshman basic cadet training. In the past, upperclass cadets would indoctrinate freshmen cadets with boot camp-style yelling combined with extensive physical training. But one of the short-term goals of the new academy leadership was to bring training more in line with the operational Air Force. Now, training is conducted in a more participatory manner, with mentoring and some cold, hard stares as part of the new “four-class” system of leadership development that occurs during all four class years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ken Wright)