Heritage | US Air Force Academy AOG & Foundation

Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion
During their 34th reunion, the Class of 1970 made a commitment to design, build and dedicate a memorial to honor those graduates who served and died in the Vietnam War.

Honoring Academy Heritage

This Day in Air Force Academy History...

Dec. 3, 1954 - A Norman Rockwell Painting, "Jet Fighter Pilot," is sent to the Academy at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver. The painting depicts WWII and Korean War fighter pilot Maj. Alexander J. Melancon from San Antonio. The painting was originally made for the Air Force Recruiting Service and appeared on several TV programs. Dec. 3, 1955 - Men's basketball defeats the Regis' "B" team 79-68 in its first-ever game. Bob Beckel scores 29 points. Dec. 3, 1958 - Nearly 200 Airmen and firefighters douse a brush fire threatening a newly built housing in Douglass Valley. Dec. 3, 1961- Musician, bandleader, radio and TV personality Fred Waring performs at the Academy with his band, the Pennsylvanians, during the Allied Arts program Let Freedom Ring. Dec. 3, 1961 - A cadet wing edition of the CBS TV show, Candid Camera, airs in Arnold Hall. The program, created by producer Allan Funt, is filmed before and during the Falcons Football game at Southern Methodist University Oct. 8. Dec. 3, 1997 - The Academy's second child development center, designed to serve 250 children between six weeks to five years old, opens in Pine Valley. Dec. 3, 2006 - Falcons Football coach Fisher DeBerry records his final coach's show. The show had been regularly produced in a Fairchild Hall studio since moving to the Academy in August 1997. The program aired locally on KOAA and was broadcast overseas on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Dec. 3, 2010 - The Academy's Cyber Competition Team competes in its first intercollegiate competition, the International Capture the Flag, and places 12th among 72 teams. Dec. 3, 2013 - The Academy's first Falcon Telescope Network telescope is installed at Otero Junior College, La Junta, by the Physics Department's Center for Space Situational Awareness Research staff. This was the first of 12 planned Falcon Telescope Network sites scheduled to be installed around the world by 2015.

Research for this date in USAFA historical achievements was provided by Steven Simon '77. Read about other USAFA grad accomplishments.

Heritage Minute

One key mission of the Association of Graduates is to highlight some of those things that make the Academy the special place that it is. As a result, the AOG has launched a series of “Heritage Minute” videos that will be available weekly from our website, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram TV. Each episode of the “Heritage Minute” will feature a historic site or display found somewhere on the Academy campus.