Families join cadets for Parents' Weekend festivities

Cadet 3rd Class Woody go gives a brief overview and answers questions about glider operations for Paul Wurth, Rob Wurth and Cadet 4th Class Michael Wurth during Parents' Weekend Sept. 4, 2009. The freshman cadet and his family toured the airfield, which held an open house for cadets and their families. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dave Ahlschwede)

Families join cadets for Parents' Weekend festivities

Published Sept. 14, 2009
By Ann Patton
Academy Spirit staff writer

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- For preppies and cadets alike, it was a chance to relax, get away from school and visit with the folks, perhaps for the first time since climbing on the bus during inprocessing.

The Academy's annual Parents' Weekend kicked off Sept. 4 with the opportunity for cadets and their parents to have breakfast together in the dining hall and closed Monday with final farewells over lunch.

In between the hails and farewells, parents visited classes, viewed the Cadet Wing parade complete with the Wings of Blue, an F-15 Eagle flyover and a glider demonstration, and enjoy get-togethers, open houses and tours of the airfield, Cadet Chapel and flight simulator.

The weekend also gave parent and visitors the opportunity to catch both the Prep School and Academy football debuts. The Huskies tamed the Garden City Community College Broncs 20-13 on the Prep School field Sept. 4, and the Falcons pummeled Nicholls State 72-0 in their home opener at Falcon Stadium.

Cadet 3rd Class Alison Ceranski from Cadet Squadron 11 took time to catch up on her sleep during the weekend.

"I slept very well every single night," she said.

The cadet enjoyed visiting with her mom and grandfather who traveled from Milwaukee for the event. The trio visited Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and other area attractions.

"I was glad to see them. It was the best weekend so far," she said.

Cadet 4th Class Class Mark Kaminski from Cadet Squadron 20 took to the skies with his parents: they went bungee jumping. His parents and younger brother traveled from Great Meadows, N.J.

"We definitely had a great time," he said, adding that he is eyeing parachuting while at the Academy.

Cadet 4th Class Jeff Wagner from Cadet Squadron 36 visited with his parents and brother from Florida. The family enjoyed area restaurants, relaxing and movies.

"I had no idea what was playing in theaters," he said. "It felt great, really great. The worst part was coming back."

Cadet 2nd Class Frank Adamik, also from Cadet Squadron 36, may have ended up with the short end of the stick for Parents' Weekend, but he wasn't complaining.

"I sat CQ (charge of quarters) most of the weekend," he said with a smile.

His parents have visited the Academy for two previous Parents' Weekends but not this one, and he misses his family.

"I haven't seen them since Christmas," he said.