9/11 responders speak with Academy cadets, staff at Falcon Heritage Forum

David Russell III speaks with cadets and faculty members at the Air Force Academy's Falcon Heritage Forum Sept. 7, 2011. Russell, a fourth-generation firefighter, retired from the Fire Department of New York in November 2008 and retired from the New York Air National Guard as a technical sergeant in November 2005. He spent four straight days at ground zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and continued working at the site until March 30, 2002. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

9/11 responders speak with Academy cadets, staff at Falcon Heritage Forum

New York Port Authority Police Sgt. John Gorman speaks to cadets and staff members at the Air Force Academy during a Falcon Heritage Forum panel Sept. 7, 2011. Gorman, a retired Air National Guard master sergeant, responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, assisting search-and-recovery efforts at the councourse level and subway entrances at the Port Authority Trans-Hudson station and the debris field created from the collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Senior Asian, Pacific journalists visit Air Force Academy

Foreign journalists visiting the Air Force Academy pose for a photo at the Cadet Chapel - Falcon Circle on Aug. 22, 2011. The group's visit was part of the East-West Center's Senior Journalists' Seminar, which seeks to build relationships and improve understanding among American and Asian peoples. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Branum)

Senior Asian, Pacific journalists visit Air Force Academy

Chaplain (Capt.) Darren Duncan talks about the Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel - Falcon Circle with journalists visiting the Academy Aug. 22, 2011. The journalists, representing outlets such as the Hasht e Sobh daily newspaper in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Malaysiakini.com in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, visited as part of the East-West Center's 2011 Senior Journalists' Seminar. Duncan is the chaplain responsible for accommodating the Cadet Wing's religious and spiritual needs. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Branum)

Firefighter Challenge

Air Force Academy Firefighter Airman 1st Class Andrew Spangenberger participates in the victim rescue event during the Firefighter Challenge competition Aug. 6. Competitors must drag a 175-pound mannequin 100 feet. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Sarah Chambers)

Firefighter Challenge

Members of the Air Force Academy fire department’s Color Guard Airman 1st Class Andrew Spangenberger, Marty Clinton, Travis Perkins and Nola Trimble post the colors during the Academy-hosted Firefighter Combat Challenge Aug. 6. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Sarah Chambers)

Firefighter Challenge

Air Force Academy Firefighter Airman Travis Oster participates in the relay race during Firefighter Challenge Aug. 6 at the Academy. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Raymond McCoy

Firefighter Challenge

Air Force Academy Firefighter Dan Mcauliffe competes in the stair climb event during the Firefighter Challenge competition at the Academy Aug. 6. Competitors must carry a 42-pound hose up six flights of stairs while wearing a a helmet, coat, pants with liners, boots, gloves and a breathing apparatus. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Raymond McCoy

10th Air Base Wing hosts Native American Consultation

Betsy Chapoose visits Cathedral Rock during a consultation between the 10th Air Base Wing and several Native American tribes at the Air Force Academy on Aug. 10, 2011. Chapoose is the tribal historic preservation officer for the Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah and Ouray, based in Fort Duchesne, Utah. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

10th Air Base Wing hosts Native American Consultation

Richard Antelope views Cathedral Rock during a tour of archeological sites on the Air Force Academy campus Aug. 10, 2011. Antelope represented the Northern Arapaho Tribe at a meeting with the 10th Air Base Wing and other Native American tribes Aug. 9-10. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Academy to host Native American consultation

Dr. Jeff Blythe catalogs a find at an archeological site on the Air Force Academy during a Native American consultation June 9, 2010. Blythe is a representative of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, one of 14 tribes invited to a second consultation Aug. 9-11, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Johnny Wilson)

Aeronautics professor leads field in STEM mentorship

Dr. William Crisler, a professor in the Air Force Academy's Aeronautics Department, was recently named winner of the 2011 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Mentorship Award by the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s Mid-Continent Region. (U.S. Air Force Photo/David Edwards)

Cadet Wing accepts Class of 2015

Chief Master Sgt. John Gohl performs alongside other Airmen in the Air Force Academy Band during the Academy's Acceptance Day Parade Aug. 3, 2011. Gohl, a trombonist and native of Moorhead, Minn., joined the Academy Band in 1987 and plays in the concert and marching ensembles and Stellar Brass. (U.S. Air Force photo/Megan Davis)

Long Blue Line adds 9 to Class of 2011

Brig. Gen. Richard Clark swears in nine new graduates of the Class of 2011 in a ceremony at the Air Force Academy's Arnold Hall Ballroom July 29, 2011. Clark is the Academy's commandant of cadets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bill Evans)

Front Range bases host retiree appreciation event

Lee Thomas talks about the Air Force Academy's Outdoor Recreation and Outdoor Adventure programs during the Front Range Retiree Appreciation Day at the Academy July 23, 2011. Thomas is an employee with the Academy's Outdoor Recreation Center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Front Range bases host retiree appreciation event

Airman Holly Ayuyu and Senior Airman Barbara Coddington speak with a visitor during the Front Range Retiree Appreciation Day at the Air Force Academy July 23, 2011. Ayuyu and Coddington are dental technicians with the Academy's 10th Dental Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Front Range bases host retiree appreciation event

Col. Thomas Gibson speaks to retirees during the Front Range Retiree Appreciation Day event at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 23, 2011. Gibson took command of the 10th Air Base Wing on June 27. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Summer program introduces cadets to space

Lockheed Martin’s Space Operations Simulation Center in Littleton, Colo., simulates on-orbit docking maneuvers with full-scale Orion crew exploration vehicle and International Space Station mockups. Cadets from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., visited the SOSC during a tour of Lockheed Martin's Littleton facility July 15, 2011. (Lockheed Martin photo/Patrick Corkery)

Community, Airmen replace Tuskegee Airman's lost medal

Four of the documented original Tuskegee Airmen pay their respects to the American flag at the Air Force Academy July 22, 2011, during a ceremony to present former 2nd Lt. Franklin Macon, an original Tuskegee Airman, with a bronze replica of the Tuskegee Airmen medal. Macon's original medal replica was stolen from his home May 31. Pictured are, from left: retired Col. Lowell Bell, former Aviation Cadet Randy Edwards, retired Capt. Sam Hunter Jr. and Macon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Branum)

Community, Airmen replace Tuskegee Airman's lost medal

Master Sgt. Amy Wilson sets up the Air Force chief of staff's flag during setup for a ceremony at the Air Force Academy July 22, 2011. Airmen from the Academy and the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base collaborated to put together the ceremony to present former 2nd Lt. Franklin Macon, one of the documented original Tuskegee Airman, with a bronze Tuskegee Airmen medal replica. Macon's original medal replica was stolen from his home May 31. Wilson is the superintendent of the Academy's Protocol office. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Branum)

Community, Airmen replace Tuskegee Airman's lost medal

Cadet 1st Class Frederick Johnson holds a bronze replica of the Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in honor of local documented original Tuskegee Airmen at the Air Force Academy July 22, 2011. Airmen with the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., purchased the medal replica to replace one stolen May 31 from the home of former 2nd Lt. Franklin Macon. Airmen at the Academy invited Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz to present the medal. Johnson, an Atlanta native, is assigned to Cadet Squadron 14 and served as proffer during the ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ray McCoy)

Community, Airmen replace Tuskegee Airman's lost medal

Suzie Schwartz and Paula Gould thank former Aviation Cadet Randy Edwards, former 2nd Lt. Franklin Macon and retired Capt. Sam Hunter, Jr. for their service to the United States during a ceremony at the Air Force Academy July 22, 2011. The Academy hosted the ceremony to present a replacement bronze Tuskegee Airman medal replica to Macon, whose original replica was stolen in a home burglary May 31. Schwartz is the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and Gould is the wife of Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ray McCoy)

Air Force Academy holds Independence Day bash

Thomas Wilson conducts a Colorado Springs Philharmonic performance in Falcon Stadium at the Air Force Academy July 4, 2011, while in the background, basic cadets get some welcome down time from Basic Cadet Training. Wilson, the philharmonic's associate conductor, began studying piano at age 4 and later learned the trumpet, percussion, string bass and voice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Megan Davis)

Air Force Academy holds Independence Day bash

Col. Thomas Gibson and Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach take the stage to greet visitors at the Air Force Academy's Fourth of July celebration in Falcon Stadium July 4, 2011. Colonel Gibson is the commander of the 10th Air Base Wing, which oversees security and force support for the Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Megan Davis)