Special Sub-Topic: The United States Air Force Academy Click Here To Play: The United States Air Force Academy

The Air Force Academy is located on the north end of what city in Colorado?

Colorado Springs. The south gate of the Academy is on the very north end of the Springs on I-25. Denver is about an hour to the north. The Academy is spread over 18,000 acres and is 7,258 feet above sea level.

There are two cadet dormatories at the AFA: Vandenberg Hall and Sijan Hall. Now tell me if this is true: Sijan is bigger than Vanderburg.

F. Actually, Vandenberg (affectionately known as "Vandy") is larger with 1,320 cadet rooms, while Sijan only has 913. Vandy is named after General Hoyt S. Vandenberg who was the Air Force's second Chief of Staff. Sijan was built about 20 years after Vandy and it is named after Captain Lance P. Sijan (class of 1965). Captain Sijan was the Academy's first graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. He received it posthumously for his heroism in Vietnam.

What rank does the Academy's superintendent wear?

Lieutenant general (3 stars). The "Supe" is a lieutenant general, while the Commandant of Cadets is a brigadier general. The Dean of Students is most often a brigadier general as well. There has never been a 4-star general assigned to the AFA.

What is the name of the cadet dining hall?

Mitchell Hall. Mitchell Hall can serve 4,400 cadets at a time and it is affectionately nicknamed "Mitch's." It is named after Brigadier General "Billy" Mitchell, an advocate of an independent Air Force. Mitchell Hall is the only building in the Department of Defense to be named after a person who was dishonorably discharged.

Cadets are not normally described as freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors, however they technically fit into that mold. What is one way of referring to the cadets who are in their final year at the Academy?

Firsties. The term "firstie" comes from the fact that they are technically called First Class Cadets and they are the students who would normally be "seniors" at most other colleges. Fourth Class Cadets are the cadets in their first year, Third Class Cadets are in their second year and Second Class Cadets are working on their third year at the AFA.

What is the name of the sports bar located in Arnold Hall?

Hap's Place. Hap's is a place for upper-class cadets who are of the legal drinking age and on good standing with the Academy leadership to go have a beer with his or her buddies. It gets its name from General Henry "Hap" Arnold, for whom the hall is named. He was the first (and only) General of the Air Force, a five-star position.

What is the Air Force Academy's mascot?

falcon. The falcon was chosen by the academy's first class to be its mascot for its speed and courage. One is often flown at football games and parades by a cadet falconer.

In what year did the first class graduate from the Air Force Academy?

1959. Congress authorized the construction of the Air Force Academy on April 1, 1954 (some cadets still think that it was simply an April Fool's Joke that has gone on way too long). The first class entered in 1955 and graduated in 1959. They were all men until the first class of females entered in 1976- it took an act of Congress and a law signed by President Ford.

Where did cadets attend class while the Academy was being built?

Lowry Air Force Base. On July 11, 1955 the first class of 306 men was sworn in as cadets at the temporary site of the Air Force Academy at Lowry AFB in Denver. They moved to its present site in August of 1958, less than a year before the first class graduated. By that time the wing had increased to 1,145 cadets.

The Cadet Chapel is perhaps the most recognizable landmark at the Air Force Academy with its 17 towering spires. What color is the outside of the chapel?

White. The chapel is the arcitectural high point of the AFA and it was dedicated in September of 1963. The largest part of it is for Protestant services and it can seat 1,200. There is a Catholic chapel and a Jewish synogogue downstairs and they can seat 600 and 100, respectively. There is also an area on the lower level that can hold Muslim, Hindu and Eastern Orthodox services, among others.