'Stay strong, keep calm': Academy's Class of '19 arrives to begin BCT

  • Published
  • By Ray Bowden
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs --  Anticipation hung in the air when more than 1,000 young adults and their families arrived here June 25 to mark the beginning of basic cadet training.

Ray and Michelle Antolik of Rochelle, Illinois, stood in the long cadet-processing line outside Doolittle Hall with their daughter, Sarah.

"I'm ready for this," Sarah said while clutching an envelope containing her first set of official military assignment orders.

Ray and Michelle seemed a bit less eager than their smiling daughter.

"It's hard to let her go, but attending the Air Force Academy has been her dream since she was in the fourth grade and now she's here," Ray said. "I think we're taking this harder than she is."

Sarah hopes to attend pilot training after graduating.

"I just want to fly," she said. "Going to the Air Force Academy is something I've wanted all my life."

By staying true to the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do, the basic cadets have a chance to begin a remarkable career, said Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost, the Academy's dean of the faculty.

"There are so many opportunities here for those who made the commitment to serve their nation and those opportunities start today," Armacost said. "They are most likely not fully aware of the extent of the commitment they've made yet, but they will be."

Cadet 1st Class Julian Thorton said the arrival of the Class of 2019 reminds him of how far he's come since his own BCT experience.

"If I could say one thing to them, it would be 'work hard as a team and respect your cadre and fellow cadets," he said. "You can make it."'

Some basic cadets might have thought otherwise when they were greeted by their training cadre.

"Get in line! Don't look at me!" various cadre members yelled to the trainees.

"This definitely gives me flashbacks," said Cadet 1st Class Rico Mendiola. "My advice to them is 'stay strong and keep calm.' They should be humble as humbleness leads to teamwork."

During the next 24 hours, the basic cadets will be assigned to cadet training squadrons. The BCT curriculum includes PT, drills, uniform and dorm inspections, weapons training, lessons on the Uniform Code of Military Justice, First Aid, honor and ethics and the Air Forces core values.

The Academy received 9,122 applications for the 1,250 slots available in the Class of 2019.

"Congratulations to our appointees," said Brig. Gen. Stephen Williams, the Academy's commandant of cadets. "They overcame many challenges to earn the opportunity to be here. Being a cadet is a privilege, not a right and they'll face many other challenges during their four years at the Academy."

Williams said the Academy gives basic cadets the skills they'll need to achieve its standards of excellence. 

"Things will be tough, but we'll help them grow and develop and improve their confidence and resiliency," he said. "The challenges they overcome will soon reveal themselves as opportunities. I am proud of these young men and women who have dedicated themselves to a greater purpose and I wish them the best as they begin their Air Force journey."

Basic cadet training ends August 1.