Monuments and Displays

Above Arnold Hall’s main entrance stands a statue of Col. James Jabara — America’s first jet ace and the second-leading ace of the Korean War. Dedicated in 2004, this monument is closely tied to the Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship, an annual honor established in 1967 and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Association of Graduates and the Jabara family. The award goes to a USAFA graduate, living or deceased, whose actions directly associated with an aerospace vehicle set him or her apart from contemporaries. The first recipient was Capt. Donald Stevens ’60 in 1968, and past honorees include Karol Bobko ’59, Steve Ritchie ’64, and Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger ’73.
 
 

In between Vandenberg and Fairchild Halls, in the shadow of the Core Values Ramp, is the green oasis known as the Mall of Heroes.  This mini-park is the gift of the Class of 1964.  It features statues of three Academy legends.  The first statue to be dedicated was that of First Lieutenant Karl Richter, Class of ’64, who was shot down and killed on 28 July 1967 during his 198th combat mission in Vietnam.  The Richter statue was dedicated on 27 May 2008, just before the Class of ’08 graduated, as Richter was the class’s exemplar.  It would be eighteen months until more statues were added, causing some cadet comedians of the time to call the area “The Mall of Hero.”  Before long, however, Lieutenant Richter had company.  On 6 November 2009, during its 45-year reunion, the Class of ’64 dedicated and ceremonially donated to the Academy the Mall of Heroes.  The ceremony included the unveiling of two new statues, honoring Captain Valmore Bourque, Class of ’60, the first Academy graduate killed in combat, and Captain Lance Sijan, Class of ’65, the first Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor.  Since then, as cadets march down the ramp and past this area en route to the Stillman Parade Field, they execute an Eyes Right and salute these icons.
 

The Air Force Academy cemetery is the only active base cemetery in the Air Force. In that regard, the USAFA cemetery is similar to the West Point and Annapolis cemeteries, which are also operated by their parent services, and the Arlington National Cemetery, which is administered by the Army. Consequently, the Academy cemetery has unique criteria for burial eligibility is outlined in Headquarters United States Air Force Academy instruction 34-501, which was published on 13 November, 2018. There are several exceptions and qualifiers, but the main categories of people eligible for burial at USAFA are USAFA cadets, Air Force military personnel assigned at USAFA at the time of their deaths. USAFA graduates all active duty and retired Air Force four star generals and lieutenant generals, specific former Academy senior staffers, original cadre from the Lowry days and mid-70s air training officers who supported the enrollment of the first female cadets, specific relatives of eligible members and Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross recipients. The instruction also has a waiver process. The 10th Air Base Wing Commander can disapprove a request for exception, but only the superintendent can approve an exception. These criteria and acres of space to expand ensure that eligible individuals can continue to be buried here far into the future.
 
 
 
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation
 
 
 

The Air Force Academy cemetery has breathtaking natural beauty and an exceptionally impressive roster of people who have chosen it as their final resting place. It also holds a large number of important structures. Most visible is the memorial pavilion. After many years of events being negatively impacted by inclement weather on 11-May, 2007, this facility, funded by the Association of Graduates, was dedicated at the time. The $4.7 million structure, funded by more than 11,000 graduates and friends, was the largest single gift ever made to the Academy. Other structures at the cemetery include the locator building with the same architecture as the memorial pavilion. It contains kiosks allowing visitors to locate any grave marker and learn about the lives of the deceased. The Memorial Wall, dedicated in 1981, contains plaques from air related units, commemorating their service and acknowledging their comrades who died as a result of combat. The 40 foot tall American Legion Memorial tower was also dedicated in 1981 in memory of those who have served their country from the Revolutionary War to the present. The tower was originally located on the Hill west of the Cadet Chapel. It was moved here in October 1996. A bronze sculpture of an Air Force honor guard was installed in October 2007. The eight foot tall statue, a gift from Mr. Ross Perot, is a replica of the Statue of the United States Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC. The Airman on the Meadow and Winged Refuge statues located near the memorial pavilion were dedicated in November 2011. The uplifted arm of the airmen evokes the John Gillespie McGee poem, High Flight, while the Winged Refuge is a set of 17 1/2' foot Art Deco wings that honor aviation and its relevance to the Academy. Mission.
 
 
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation
 
 

The Air Force Academy cemetery is a somber and dignified focal point of the Academy's commitment to those who have gone before. It opened in September 1958 shortly after the cadet wing moved from Lowery Air Force base in Denver to its permanent location here, north of Colorado Springs. One gage of the facility's stature and importance is the people who have chosen it as their final resting place.
Appropriately, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, the Academy's first superintendent, was the first person buried here. He has since been joined by an impressive roster of Air Force and Academy leaders.
At the risk of omitting noteworthy individuals. Here are some of those who are buried here. 
General Carl Spots, the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Three other chiefs of staff, Generals Curtis LeMay, John McConnell and John Ryan. 
Eight superintendents, including the first six, Captain Valmore Bork, Class of '60, the first graduate killed in combat. He shares this hallowed ground with dozens of other graduates and heroes who gave their lives in defense of the United States. Master Sergeant William Crawford, United States Army, the only Medal of Honor recipient in the cemetery and the first enlisted person to be buried here. Notably, he was a janitor in Sijan Hall, a cadet dormitory when a classmate of mine, Cadet Jim Moschgat, uncovered his story while reading about World War II; Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Harris, Korean War POW held in solitary confinement for 14 months, and author of the Contrails quote, “Many of us learned as doolies, if I can't go back with my self respect, I won't go back at all.” Colonel Lee Black, the first Preparatory School commander; Captain Charles Bush, Class of '63, the first black graduate; Brigadier General Robin Olds, triple ace and former commandant of cadets. A 100 acre site has room to grow in hopes of serving graduates and heroes long into the future.
 
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation
 
 
 

Traveling around the 18,500-acre Air Force Academy campus, one can see breathtaking natural scenery, modern architecture, and tributes to Air Force and Academy pioneers. 

In this edition of Heritage Minute Special, host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is holding a reunion of sorts.

The “Gallery of Great Airmen” is an artistic gem located in the Exemplar area of Fairchild Hall. 

There is an artifact in the Academy’s Community Center area that predates the Academy by more than 140 years. 

One of the Academy’s best, and mostly unknown, historical artifacts is located on the campus of the Air Force Academy Preparatory School.  The North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft on static display here has an amazing history.

Just to the west of the Academy airfield is the Thunderbird Overlook.  It contains two interesting static display aircraft: the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt and the Northrop T-38 Talon. 

Can you believe this behemoth shot down a MiG?  Well, it did!

The Thunderbird Overlook near the south end of the Academy is home to two static display aircraft:  the Northrop T-38 Talon and the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt (aka the Warthog). 

A bronze statue in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen is on display outside Harmon Hall on the Academy’s Honor Court.  The plaque affixed to the statue’s base reads:  Quote:  “They rose from adversity through competence, courage, commitment and capacity to serve America on silver wings and to set a standard few will transcend.”  Unquote.  The statue, completed by Tuskegee Airman and artist Clarence Shivers, was unveiled and donated to the Academy in 1988 by the Hook-Jones Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.  A wreath-laying ceremony is conducted at the site each year.
The term “Tuskegee Airmen” refers to all who were involved in the Army Air Corps program to train African-Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft during World War II.  At a time of racial segregation in the military, the Tuskegee Airmen answered the call to arms and flew a total of 1,578 combat missions during the war.  They flew fighters on ground attack and bomber escort missions over Europe and North Africa.  Approximately 150 Tuskegee Airmen lost their lives while in training or on combat flights.  On March 29, 2007, the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that may be bestowed by the United States Congress.
 
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation
 
 
 
 

Just to the west of the Cadet Chapel, concealed by a stand of pine trees, is a bronze statue honoring Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, the first superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. 

The United States Air Force Academy has one graduate Medal of Honor recipient.  His name is Lance Peter Sijan, Class of 1965. 

Heritage Minute host, Steve Simon recently welcomed Jim Nance, USAFA Class of ’71, and Major Joe Flescher, Class of ’14 to the studio.  Jim is a renowned sculptor and created the 2,000 lb.  "Honor Bound - A Portrait in Courage" plaque now mounted on the east exterior wall of USAFA's Southeast Asia Pavilion.  Maj. Flescher served as his model.

In the “old” days, (the fifties, sixties and early seventies), Army and Navy were afraid to play the Falcons in Colorado – something about the altitude. 

The Association of Graduates’ Heritage Trail includes the POW Memorial Sculpture.  Located at the entrance of the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion, it contains the names of the 33 Academy graduates who were prisoners of war in Vietnam. 

In the traffic circle outside Doolittle Hall, the Air Force Academy alumni headquarters, is a remarkable sculpture of Pegasus.

An important part of the Association of Graduates’ commitment to heritage is recognizing and honoring the Academy’s most outstanding graduates. 

The primary goal of the United States Air Force Academy is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character for the nation. 

One of the most interesting areas in the McDermott Library is the stunning circular staircase pinnacled by a replica of the Wright Brothers' airplane. 

Displayed along the spiral staircase of USAFA’s McDermott Library is an impressive collection of rifles used by U.S. troops throughout the ages.

Situated at the north end of the Air Garden on the Academy Cadet area’s Terrazzo, just under the flagpole proudly displaying the American flag, is the Academy’s Graduate War Memorial.

In this episode of the Heritage Minute podcast, host Steve Simon '77, flashes back to May 1968 when the F-105D Thunderchief static display on the USAFA Terrazzo was dedicated.

The grassy center of the Academy Cadet Area’s Terrazzo open space features a static display aircraft on each of its four corners.