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  • Image of various Contrails from through out the years.

    The Contrails: U.S. Air Force Academy Mascot

    Speed, courage, and powerful flight; these are terms symbolic of the mission of the U.S. Air Force. These also aptly describe the falcon, chosen by the first class to enter the Academy as the official mascot of the cadet wing. The falcon is a noble bird that catches its prey in flight, killing on impact. It has keen eyesight, sharp talons, and a
  • Cadet 2nd Class Shaeffer McHenry

    Academy Spotlight

    Cadet 2nd Class Schaeffer McHenry is political science major, a cadet athlete and an element leader for Cadet Squadron 01.“As an element leader, I am responsible for six subordinates, their wellbeing and success throughout the spring semester. It is a lot of responsibility, but something I deeply enjoy. It’s a position where I have a direct effect
  • Image of various Contrails from through out the years.

    The Contrails: Honor Oath

    Beginning this week on www.usafa.af.mil and in the Academy weekly, we’ll highlight information from the latest edition of “Contrails,” the guidebook given to each year’s class of cadets since 1959. This week, we’ll include an excerpt on the Honor Oath, from page 19 of this year’s edition.   The Honor OathWe will not Lie, Steal, or Cheat, nor
  • Tech. Sgt. John Sinner is the academy military trainer for Cadet Squadron 24 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He's one of approximately 60 AMTs at the academy who guide and lead cadets, instructing them in the profession of arms. (U.S. Air Force photo/Liz Copan)

    Taking care of cadets: Military trainer speaks out on USAFA experience

    Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series highlighting academy military trainers at the Air Force Academy. Tech. Sgt. John Sinner is an Air Force Academy military trainer. He knows what it's like to be under fire."There were multiple things coming at us from three sides of the base from at least 50 attackers: an improvised explosive
  • Edward Davis, right, a 94-year-old Army veteran who witnessed the Japanese sneak attack on Hawaii, and Frank Levingston, a 110-year-old Army veteran believed to be the nation’s oldest living World War II veteran, attend a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony at the National World War II Memorial on Dec. 7, 2015, in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Sean Kimmons)

    Remembering Pearl Harbor: A 'body blow' to America

    When the first bombs exploded on a nearby airfield, marking the start of the Japanese sneak attack on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Edward Davis and others scrambled from a chow hall.The 94-year-old Army veteran said he and other Soldiers were having breakfast at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft dive-bombed the adjacent Wheeler
  • Tech. Sgt. Misty Edwards is a chaplain assistant at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo)

    NCO says chaplain assistant duty at Academy is a 'quiet reward'

    Tech. Sgt. Misty Edwards is many things: an Airman, a wife and mother of two, and a chaplain assistant at the Air Force Academy.Edwards has been a chaplain assistant since enlisting in 2003, but said nothing prepared her for an assignment at the Academy, where she provides religious services for the Cadet Wing, the 10th Air Base Wing and the
  • Doris Rivera-Black, a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, shared her story with cadets and Airmen Oct. 15, 2015 in Arnold Hall as part of the Air Force Academy’s efforts to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness Month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jason Gutierrez)

    Life after domestic assault: a survivor's tale

    Doris Rivera-Black, a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, shared her story with cadets and Airmen Oct. 15 in Arnold Hall as part of the Air Force Academy's efforts to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness Month.Rivera-Black had been a deputy sheriff for two years when on June 26, 2006 her then-husband kidnapped her at gunpoint, drove

  • Academy grad, general, reflects on Hispanic heritage

    (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)Education and mentorship helped a young Hispanic girl who dreamed of going to the U.S. Air Force Academy not only achieve her dreams, but also earn the rank of major general and the position of deputy A2,

  • Cadet researcher spends summer weeks at Sandia Laboratories in NM

    Editor's note: This is the second story in a three-part series on the Air Force Academy's Cadet Summer Research Program. Each summer, through the CSRP, more than 100 cadets spend several weeks at private and public research facilities around the world where they apply their classroom knowledge to a variety of military research topics. This year,

  • Class of '95 astronaut chats with children from space station

    In a once in a lifetime experience, children of Class of '95 Air Force Academy graduates got the opportunity to video chat Sept. 9 with Class of '95 grad and astronaut Kjell Lindgren, who is on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.The graduates and their families visited the Academy to celebrate their 20-year reunion and
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