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About
Us
The Class of 1973 entered the United States Air Force Academy on June 23, 1969. At the time, men over the age of 18 were eligible for selective service, and the Vietnam War was in its tenth year. 1968 had been one of the most violent years ever. President Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated in January 1968, and on April 4 Martin Luther King was assassinated. On June 5, Robert F. Kennedy was felled. Riots and demonstrations were commonplace during the tumultuous summer of 1968. The Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia. In 1969, we entered our summer training with hope for the future as technological advances abounded. The Boeing 747 made its first commercial flight and the Concorde flew its first test flight. And less than a month after entering our summer training, on July 20, we watched in silent awe as Neil Armstrong took "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..."
One thousand four hundred and six young men raised their right hand and swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies..." Most were civilians, recently graduated high school. Some had previous enlisted USAF experience, and had just completed one year at the USAFA Prepartory School.
1,444 days later, 844 were graduated. Now, in 2010, only a handful remain on active duty. These include:
- General Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force
- General Don Wurster, Commander, Special Operations Command
- General Stephen Lorenz, Commander, Air Education and Training Command
- Lt General Frank Klotz, Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command
- Col (Chaplain) Tom "Bud" Blase, Chief of Chaplain Development, Randolph AFB
- Maj General Michael Edwards, Adjutant General of Colorado
- Maj General Dan O'Hollaren, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, AFMC
- Lt Colonel Mike Farrell, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Many other graduates hold distinguished positions in Government, Public Office, the Ministry, Legal, and Corporate work.
- General (Ret) John Corley, retired as Commander, Air Combat Command
- Lt Gen (Ret) John Regni, retired as the Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
- William "T" Thompson was named President and CEO of the USAFA Association of Graduates in 2008
- "Sully" Sullenberger was the Captain of USAirways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009
- Lt Gen (Ret) John L. Hudson, retired as Commander, Aeonautical Systems Center
- Lt Gen (Ret) Donald J. Wetekam retired as Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics
- Lt Gen (Ret) Bruce A. Wright retired as Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force
- Lt Gen (Ret) James Soligan, retired as Deputy Chief of Staff for Transformation, Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk VA
- Maj Gen (Retired) Howard J. "Mitch" Mitchell retired as Director of Operations, US Space Command
- Col (Retired) Sidney M. Gutierrez was an astronaut on STS-40 and STS-59
- Col (Retired) Blaine Hammond, Jr, was an astronaut on STS-39 and STS-64
- SSgt (Ret) Rowe Stayton, US Army, served two tours in Iraq
- Kirk Samelson is the Chief Judge of the 4th Judicial District in Colorado
The stories of the Class of 1973 will not be finished for many years. We welcome your visit to share in our experiences! |