We have room inspections in the middle of the day and on the weekend sometimes. “Then we go to classes, have another formation, march to lunch, and attend more classes in the afternoon. “Having a place to go, away from the Academy, to relax and unwind can give our cadets a nice break from a demanding routine.”Ĭadet 1st Class James Barney from Sedro-Woolley, Washington, defined that routine as rigorous, starting with the rising sun and often ending in darkness. “That’s element number one that we talk to sponsor families about,” Mills said. The Cadet Sponsor Program is designed to pair cadets with local families to give them a home away from school, said Dean Mills, chief of the Commandant of Cadets’ support branch. He and his wife, Marie, have been sponsoring USAFA cadets since 2008.Ĭadets come from across the nation, and often their families live far from campus. William Smith, deputy missile defense crew director with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade, headquartered in Colorado Springs. “By the end of the four years we typically tell them, ‘We love you,’ and they will often respond in kind,” said U.S.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered how the class of 2020 will remember its last semester at the Academy, but perhaps a more indelible mark on many cadets will have been left by cadet sponsor families.
Air Force Academy during an April 18 ceremony that will, for the first time, include no on-site audience of family, friends or community members.Īcross Colorado Springs, however, several 100th Missile Defense Brigade Soldiers will be tuned in to the live stream of the commencement to watch the young men and women they have welcomed into their families collect their diplomas and toss their hats high in the air. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINALĬOLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Around 1,000 freshly commissioned Air Force second lieutenants will commemorate their graduation from the U.S. Smith and his family have sponsored cadets since 2008. William Smith of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade stands for a photo on the steps of the Air Force Academy Chapel April 2, 2016, with his son and several of the cadets he sponsored. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Dudleys were the cadet sponsors for both Barney and Hayes. Air Force Academy cadets James Barney and Colton Hayes, pose for a photo at Fargo's Pizza in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sandra Dudley, her son, Corey, her husband, Tim, and U.S. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption –įrom top left, U.S.
Barney was a falconer during his time at the Academy. Air Force Cadet James Barney stand for a photo with the AFA falcon during the cadet sponsor's luncheon April 8, 2017, in Colorado Springs. Sandra Dudley of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade and U.S.
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