[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 154 (Friday, November 18, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13343-S13344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION AND OPERATION OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE 
                                ACADEMY

  Mr. ALLARD. I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 
dedication and operation of the U.S. Air Force Academy, located in my 
home State of Colorado. It has been a privilege for Colorado to host 
the Academy for more than five decades. The Academy's outstanding 
record of turning cadets into officers of integrity and honor is a 
source of pride for many in Colorado.
  Yet sometimes when we drive on I-25 and pass the Air Force Academy's 
beautiful campus, we assume that Academy has always been there. It is 
easy to forget the hard work it took to get the Academy to Colorado in 
the first place
  It all began in May of 1949 when then-Secretary of Defense James 
Forrestal appointed a commission to evaluate the general education for 
each military service. This commission was chaired by Robert L. 
Stearns, president of the University of Colorado and father-in-law of 
Supreme Court Justice Byron ``Whizzer'' White. The commission also 
included other notables such as GEN. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was then 
president of Colombia University. The Stearns Board quickly agreed that 
the U.S. Air Force needed an academic institution of excellence and 
that such an Academy should be established without delay.
  Congress authorized the creation of the Air Force Academy in 1954. To 
determine a site for the new institution, then-Secretary of the Air 
Force Harold E. Talbott, appointed a team of individuals to assist him. 
The Air Force Academy Site Selection Board, as it was called, reviewed 
more than 580 locations in 34 States, and narrowed the field down to 7, 
1 of which was Colorado Springs, CO. A year later, the majestic 14,000 
acre area in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs 
was chosen by Secretary Talbott to be the site for the new U.S. Air 
Force Academy.
  The selection of the site, however, would prove to be easy part. The 
design and construction of the permanent location would take years to 
complete. In the meantime, the Air Force had to find an alternate site 
so classes and training could begin. Lowry Air Force Base in Denver 
took on this mission and hosted the Academy until permanent buildings 
could be constructed.
  The Academy staff was activated in the summer of 1954 when LTG Hubert 
Harmon, who had previously served as special assistant for Air Force 
Academy matters and was a member of the 1949 Air Academy Site Selection 
Board, assumed command. President Eisenhower, a West Point classmate 
and close personal friend of General Harmon, personally selected him as 
the first superintendent, stating ``Doodles'' Harmon would be the best 
man for the job.
  The staff had only 11 months to prepare for the arrival of the first 
class in the summer of 1955. Due to space limitations, only 306 young 
men were admitted into the first class, the class of 1959. Thousands of 
applications were reduced to a few hundred, and those selected were 
truly America's ``cream of the crop''.
  Dedication Day began with the arrival of 306 young men on July 11, 
1955. The morning was spent processing such as fitting uniforms and 
getting haircuts. By 11 a.m. they were all lined up for intensive drill 
instruction. That afternoon, the stands were filled with over 4,000 
military and civilian dignitaries, public officials, foreign attaches, 
cadets from West Point and Annapolis, press, and parents. With a flight 
of B-36 bombers flying overhead and the USAF band playing, the 306 
cadets marched on the field in a near perfect formation.
  At the time no one could have predicted that this small class would 
turn out Rhodes Scholars, numerous general officers and even All-
American football players. Surprisingly, before they were to graduate, 
they would lead their football team to an undefeated season and a tie 
in the 1959 Cotton Bowl, one of the most underrated achievements in the 
history of major college sports.
  LTG Hubert Harmon retired with lung cancer before the first class 
graduated in 1959. He will be remembered for his tireless work and 
dedication to the establishment of the Academy. He was the first person 
interred at the Air Force Academy Cemetery and is recognized by many as 
the ``Father of the Air Force Academy.''
  Major General Briggs took over as the Academy's second 
superintendent, and during his tour of duty there, in 1958, the wing of 
1,145 cadets moved to its present site from Denver. A year later, the 
Academy received its accreditation, and on March 3, 1964, the 
authorized strength of the cadet wing was increased to 4,417. In 1976, 
women were admitted for the first time into the Academy. The first 
class of women graduated in May 1980.
  To date, more than 35,000 cadets have graduated from the Academy. The 
achievements of those who have graduated from the Academy have been 
many: 315 of these graduates have become general officers, to include 
former Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force, Generals Ronald Fogelman and 
Mike Ryan, 32 cadets have been selected as Rhodes Scholars, and 539 
have entered medical school.
  Even more important, 128 graduates have given their lives in the 
defense of our Nation, and 36 have been prisoners of war. We honor 
those who have served our Nation with such sacrifice and patriotism.
  Over the years, the Air Force Academy has had to confront several 
difficult challenges. The institution has risen above these challenges 
and, in its quest for excellence, has become a model for other academic 
institutions

[[Page S13344]]

to follow. The Air Force Academy continues to be recognized as an 
invaluable proving ground for tomorrow's military leaders.
  As we look back at the establishment of the Academy, we cannot help 
but be thankful to those who worked so hard to establish the Academy in 
Colorado. The citizens of Colorado are indeed honored to have this 
institution in our beloved State. We have stood by the Academy through 
both the good and tough times. We in Colorado continue to believe in 
the Academy's mission and support the institution's effort to train 
officers of integrity and honor. We salute the Air Force Academy's 50 
years of success and look forward to many more decades to come.

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