Jul 20, 1977, Wed — Air Force Academy

Dave Scheirer
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read
Ground to air missile at the Air Force Academy Visitor’s Center in Colorado Springs, CO

“Got up at 4:30 am. Had cereal and milk, pastry, and hot chocolate for breakfast at the dining hall. Started to read Thunderball. At 9:40 am I saw seven Rio Grande engines pulling a long train. A minute later I saw five Burlington Northern and two Southern Pacific engines pulling an ore train. Ate lunch at the Air Force Academy Prep School Cafe. I had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, cranberry sauce, four salads, two rolls, chocolate cake, and cherry juice. Others also had banana splits and pie.”

The stained glass in the interior of the Chapel
The altar at the Air Force Academy Chapel

“We visited the Air Force Academy Chapel and Field House. At 4:00 it rained while we were on the bus. We got bunks at the Scout Hotel in Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. I had two cheeseburgers, French fries, short cake, salad, milk, and soda. Wojo ate a mixture of salt, pepper, 7-Up, sugar, and ketchup for a dollar. Went bowling after dinner. I rolled a 78, 124, and 146.”

The Air Force Academy Chapel — notice the overcast skies.
Less than 15 minutes later I was at the top of the hill near the Chapel and the sun was out.
The Basic Cadet in the white Pumas stood out compared to combat boots.

2017 Commentary

I remember watching a few Cadet Elements practice marching in fatigues. And then when I walked to the other side of the Chapel, 1,500 cadets were marching to lunch in blue uniforms. And then when we drove to the Field House 30 minutes later, hundreds of cadets were in athletic gear running down for physical training. One of the kids in our group asked if they could possibly change that quickly and move from activity to activity. I replied, “No way, they must do it in groups.” The next year I entered Basic Cadet Training at the Academy and found out that Basic Cadets really do change that quickly and move from activity to activity.

Next Day →

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Dave Scheirer

Written by

Complexity Wrangler & Financial Analyst. Christian. Past: Marketing & Rocket Science. Calmer than you are, Dude.

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