USAFA Grad Week: Graduation, at last!

The scene played out daily at mealtime during their freshman year at USAFA. Four thousand cadets filed into Mitchell Hall and came to attention at their tables. The freshmen stood, two or three at each table of ten, with their head up but eyes down. It was time to report “knowledge.” Upperclassmen at each table quizzed their freshmen on random Academy facts that the “doolies” were expected to know. Though the questions changed from day to day, one always remained the same: “How many days until graduation?”

“Sir!” they would respond, “the number of days until graduation for the Class of 2006: 168.” Freshmen always knew the exact number. They continued without hesitation: “The number of days until graduation for the Class of 2007: 535. The number of days until graduation for the Class of 2008: 898.

“The number of days until graduation for the Class of 2009: Infinite.”

Infinity sure flew by. Four years later, the graduating seniors wondered where all of the time had gone as they marched into Falcon Stadium.

*Note: The pictures in this post are a combination of family and Getty images.

More than fifteen thousand of the cadets’ family members and friends stood with them as our national anthem proudly filled the air.

Vice President Joe Biden was the keynote speaker.

While the speakers did a wonderful job, the crowd truly roared when it was time for the presentation of diplomas. Squadron by squadron and in alphabetical order, the seniors walked past the podium. After what seemed like ages, it was Matt’s turn. We sprung to our feet and cheered wildly as his name was read. Even the babies joined in by blowing whistles with as much force as their cute little mouths could muster.

Matt confidently stepped onto the stage and accepted his prized blue box. Then he walked forward to salute the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton A. Schwartz. The 4-Star General shook Matt’s hand and counseled, “Lead them well.” Matt responded quickly with a sincere nod, “Yes, sir.”

A few more steps brought Matt to Vice President Biden’s outstretched hand. Biden offered his congratulations and expressed his and the country’s gratitude for Matt’s service.

Then Matt turned toward his squadmate waiting at the bottom of the ramp. Per tradition, Drew Borders rendered a salute to the new graduate and Matt beamed as he returned the gesture. They jumped into a celebratory hug and Drew pranced back to his seat while Matt repeated the process for the next Bulldawg.

Once all forty squadrons had received their diplomas, Brigadier General Samuel Cox invited the seniors to stand and repeat the officer’s oath they had taken the previous evening.

If the morning hadn’t felt surreal before, it definitely did now. The excitement began to build at a rapid pace as the stadium anxiously awaited the magic words. General Cox carefully watched the flag signal next to the media box and timed his concluding remarks accordingly. Then, the signal was given and the order came:

“Class of 2009, dismissed!”

In one perfectly orchestrated instant, the crowd erupted and the seniors tossed their caps high in the air as six F-16 Thunderbirds roared overhead.

The cheering continued for minutes on end—not only from the crowd, but from the graduating class as they hugged and celebrated on the field. Still in a daze, they scattered to find loved ones to share in the merriment.

In the meantime, I rushed from my seat and made my way through the crowd down toward the field entrance. I watched as Matt and his best friends spotted each other and reveled in their shared accomplishment. And then, it was my turn. Matt scanned the crowd and bounded up the stairs as soon as he found my face.

The next moment is one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’d already fought back the tears while the national anthem was played, as Matt received his diploma, and when the caps were thrown to the sky. But they flowed happily down my cheeks as Matt wrapped me in his arms, lifted me off my tip toes, and kissed me with more emotion than a sentence like this could capture. They were tears of joy, tears of pride, and tears of relief that finally, finally, he was mine. It was a moment of sheer bliss.

Meanwhile, unbeknown to the two of us, the world kept turning. The celebration continued throughout the stadium as the Thunderbirds performed overhead.

I led Matt to our families who were waiting patiently with smiles that stretched to New Zealand and back. Matt showed off the contents of the coveted blue box as his parents bursted with pride. My little brothers excitedly informed Matt that they, too, wanted to attend the Air Force Academy.

Before long, the stadium and parking lots began to clear. I accompanied Matt for one final stroll across the Terrazzo before he turned in his golden sash and said goodbye to the Academy.

And just like that, it was all over. All of the white glove inspections and noon-meal formations and sleepless nights spent studying for yet another exam. All of the football games and sponsors’ homes and goofing off in the dorms with friends. And for the two of us, all of the five-hour phone calls and lonely weeknights and Sunday goodbyes at the Denver airport. Most notably, all of the necessary-yet-inconvenient rules that forbid cadets from getting married until after graduation—until after this day. It had all come to an end.

At long last, we could finally begin.

USAFA Grad Week: Commissioning Ceremony

The Air Force Academy is so rigorous that cadets quickly learn to just immerse themselves in that world to survive. It becomes easy to forget that there could ever be an end to those four years. And, in fact, there is not—because graduation from the Academy is merely a new beginning of their career in the military. The entire purpose of those four years is not simply to earn a degree, to gain management experience, to achieve peak physical condition, or to learn about winning wars and championing peace. When all is said and done, the Academy builds men and women of character to lead the United States Air Force and accomplish a greater good in the world.

For seniors at USAFA, their lives as Lieutenants begin right before their lives as cadets end. Tuesday night—the night before graduation—the cadets participate in their commissioning ceremonies. Luckily for me, these ceremonies are formal affairs which also include a Graduation Ball. (Yes please, and thank you. There are definitely perks to marrying a cadet.)

Each squadron hosts its own commissioning ceremony, and they draw out of a lottery for the order in which they select their location. Matt’s squadron were the lucky ducks who were able to select the Air Gardens--probably the most picturesque place you could imagine for such an event. Unfortunately, a storm was rolling in that night and the ceremonies were all moved inside. Thus, the Fighting Bulldawgs of 13 ended up commissioning in a gym. But I’m pretty sure the cadets were too ecstatic to care.

The commissioning ceremony begins with a few speakers and formalities, and then the cadets take the Officer’s Oath in alphabetical order. Each cadet selects the higher-ranking officer whom they wish to administer the oath. Naturally, Matt asked our dear friend and his mentor, Major Steve Hendricks, to administer his.

Once the oath is completed, the cadet shoulder boards must be replaced by gold Lieutenant bars. Cadets ask someone who has supported them throughout their time at the Academy to perform this step. Matt naturally selected his soon-to-be wife to do the honors.

And with that, Matt became a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. The squadron provided refreshments afterward and Matt was able to catch up with family, friends, and Colonel Mackenzie and Sergeant Winters. They had led Matt’s squadron until they were transferred before his senior year and had each flown back to support their cadets.

After the ceremony came the party—the Graduation Ball! Matt and I met up with our friends and their dates and strolled around the Terrazzo before hitting the dance floor.

Chase and Haley, Jon and Erin, me and Matt

And then, we danced the night away—quite literally. Matt and I stayed until the very last note of the very last song, reveling in the excitement of their last night at the Academy and wishing it could last forever.

USAFA Grad Week: More than a Parade

Each Wednesday throughout the school year, the cadets march in a mini-parade in the Terrazzo at lunchtime. For Veteran’s Day, Recognition, and other major events, they march in a full-blown military parade on the parade field. Graduation Week is one of those major events which merits the real deal.

The morning before graduation, thousands of spectators excitedly gather in the stands at the parade field. For many of them, this will be the only parade without floats and candy that they will ever witness. The Academy encourages guests to arrive early, and when the Academy asks anyone to do anything, well, they do it. Consequently, the stands were nearly full at oh-nine-hundred-hours—a full sixty minutes before the parade start time. USAFA goes to great lengths to greet each guest, usher them to a seat, and then entertain them as they wait. The “pre-show” includes the jump team parachuting onto the field, the live Falcon mascot flying low over the bleachers, and members of the cadet honor guard performing tricks with sabers.

At ten o’clock sharp, attention is turned to the 4,000 cadets orderly lined up in 40 squadrons, stretching from the bottom of the ramp clear back to the Air Gardens. The crowd cheers as the band begins to play and the steady cadence of boots hitting pavement resonates through the little valley.

Row by row, the cadets enter the parade field with their respective squadrons. I anxiously count each squadron as they pass until finally Matt’s Bulldawgs of 13 reach the grass. At that point, the rest of the cadet wing is forgotten as I search for Matt among his 100 squadmates.

Once the entire cadet wing has found their place, the crowd rises to their feet and the band continues to play as the American flag is marched to the center of the field. Four thousand salutes are rendered and each note of the national anthem rings with more pride than could ever hope to be captured at any civilian sporting event you will ever attend. The final words, “home of the brave,” sink in as the anthem concludes and the flyover echoes the applause. Jet after jet rocks the skies above and the bleachers rattle in approval.

The cadet group leadership and squadron commanders step forward with the guide-on bearers and march toward the center of the field. On cue, forty squadron flags—called guide-ons—are posted as a salute to the Academy superintendent, a 3-Star General. They then orderly march back to their respective squadrons.

To understand the next step of the parade, a little background knowledge is necessary. It must be known that hierarchy is an intrinsic part of the Academy. After completing basic cadet training and entering the Academy for the first time, freshmen are still required to “earn” their right to be part of the cadet wing. From August until the end of March, they have special, incredibly strict rules that only apply to freshmen. These include no civilian clothes at any time, the eating rules I touched on in the previous post, and my personal favorite: the Terrazzo walking rules.

The Terrazzo is made up of giant concrete squares bordered by marble. Freshmen are not allowed to walk on the concrete but must instead make their way around the Terrazzo by jogging on the outer marble slabs with their backpacks in their left hand so they can salute with their right. They are required to greet every upperclassman they pass with a specific phrase: “Good [insert time of day], sir/ma’am. [Insert squadron chant].” For example, if Matt was escorting me and we passed a freshman in squad 24, they would be required to pause in their tracks, turn to us and say: “Good morning, sir. Good morning, ma’am. Hard core two-four!” It’s fantastic.

Then, the end of March rolls around and with it brings Recognition Weekend—three final days of hazing in which the freshmen get a little BCT refresher and finally “earn their wings” (and are now free to be treated as human beings rather than lowly freshmen). At the conclusion of the third day, the entire cadet wing participates in the Recognition Parade. This parade begins with the sophomores, juniors and seniors marching together in their squadrons, and then the freshmen march in and officially join the cadet wing. This step is repeated in the Graduation Parade, but reversed as the seniors march away from their squadrons and thus leave the cadet wing forever.

After the seniors march away, they stand before the cadets and a change of command ceremony takes place. The cadet commander—the top ranking cadet at the Academy—turns his saber into the General, who then bestows it on the rising cadet commander. Then one by one, the squadrons begin to march out of the valley, passing the seniors on their way. Salutes are again rendered by squadmates as the remaining cadets march by their squad’s seniors.

And then, once every squadron has left the field, the order comes: “Seniors, about face!” One thousand right feet step back on their toes and the weight switches to their heels as they turn to face their friends and loved ones in the audience. They remain in that position for about a nano-second before jumping up and down and hollering in celebration.

Good times ensue.