Inside the Cadet Chapel and Planetarium at the US Air Force Academy

Today was our last day here this week, so we planned to visit a few more of the landmarks here on base.  We started out, once again, at the Visitors' Center, where we had about 30 minutes to spare before the first tour of the day.  During that time, we watched a movie about the first year Cadets and some of the training and rigors they go through.  It was really eye-opening as to how selective the Academy is and how determined are the young men and women that apply.  Did you know....

You have to be nominated by a senator or representative, and they are only allowed 12 nominations per year.  They are only allowed 5 Cadet slots on campus at any given time.

Candidates for entry must be between 17 and 23 years of age, and unaccompanied, unmarried and childless.  Including out of wedlock!

There is no cost to the Cadets to attend; in fact, they are paid a stipend of about $1000 a month, so a lot of them are careful with their money and come out with enough for a down payment on a house.  They graduate with as a 2nd Lieutenant and are obligated to serve 4 years, minimum.  

There are a whole lot of other interesting tidbits that I've forgotten, but if you get the chance, and are anywhere near Colorado Springs in the next 6 to 8 years, you really should check this place out.  We found out that the Chapel is scheduled to close for renovations Sept 4 (it was also closed last year around this time, but had since reopened), so we were fortunate to be here at this time.  

The Chapel has leaked since it opened, and the powers that be keep trying to close it for repair and renovation.  The pipe organ has about .....well, heck....I can't remember what the guy said!  I *think* he said it has about 200 pipes that no longer work, due to water damage, but I can't find any specs on it, and MAYbe he said it has about 200 pipes and xx number of them don't work, due to water damage.  Sorry, I'll try to remember to ask again when we return in a week.  Moving on...

We started our tour in the Visitors' Center, where we learned about Captain Lance Sijan.  The newest dormitory was named for him, and he is truly a man of courage and heroism.  Tears came to our tour guide's (an alum of the class of '63, the very first class that spent all 4 years at the Academy) eye as he related the story of Capt Sijan's sacrifice. Grab you a Kleenex, and read it for yourself from the poster below.

Once we entered the Chapel, everyone in the group became hushed and reverent, as expected. Our guide had told us that during the summer months, the Chapel is often closed to the public, so that weddings can be held inside.  There are often  2 weddings a day during June.  Cadets have been known to reserve a date for their wedding to take place in the Chapel, long before they ever get a girlfriend or engaged or anything.  As soon as we entered, I understood why.  The place is simply magnificent.  We were told there were originally 21 spires in the design, but due to budget cuts, the number was reduced to 17.  There is no significance to the number 17, but the Cadets like to say they represent the 12 Apostles and 5 Chiefs of Staff.  (That's a joke, and it's ok to chuckle.  I don't get it either.)

There are 24,000 pieces of stained glass in the upstairs sanctuary, and they are all a minimum of 1 inch thick and they have all been hand cut.

This is the infamous pipe organ.  There is a 100 seat choir also in the balcony.  Gene Aldridge, a square dance friend from NC, from WAY back, commented on our Facebook page that he had the pleasure of singing in the Air Force choir, in this very chapel, about 50 years ago.  It was really moving to read that and be standing right under the very same balcony.

At the rear of the sanctuary, was this picture, made entirely of wood.  No stains or paints involved.  I wish I had taken a close up of the detail, like Barbara S does for us when she visits quilt shows and quilt shops.  The detail was simply stunning.  Not to mention, amazing in its craftsmanship.  Take a moment to read how it is done!  No wonder it takes a couple of years to complete a piece.

Outside is the Wall of Honor.  These plaques are inscribed with the names of graduates that have fallen in combat.  The Academy has been graduating officers since 1959, so you can imagine how many names are inscribed.  😢

Downstairs is the Catholic Chapel, with this magnificent mosaic in the alter area.

I asked the volunteer (who is also an alum, and has a wicked sense of humor) how they determined what colors to place where.  He explained that way back when, Catholics held services underground, to protect themselves from persecution, and keep their services secret from the authorities.  So, the designers chose the orange and brown colored glass to simulate being underground and earthy.

Purple in the Jewish synagogue was to represent royalty.  In the olden days, purple dye could only be obtained from an octopus or squid, which was very difficult and dangerous, therefore, expensive and reserved only for royalty.

Can you read the plaque below?  It states that we were standing on stone from Jerusalem, presented to the Air Force Academy by Israeli Defense Forces, in 1960.  That is probably as close as we'll ever get to the Holy Land.  It was kind of freaky to learn that, because when we first walked in, I noticed the floor and the similarity to the floor tiles in our new camper.  The pattern and coloration was very close.

This is the Bhuddist temple.  The volunteer said there was a very small population that came regularly to worship there.

Now, THIS photo (below) is not mine.  It is a time exposure, taken by the alum with the wicked sense of humor (which has nothing to do with the photo, just how I can identify the man).  If you click on it, you'll see how the glass glows from the inside out. That only happens when it's lighter inside the Chapel than it is outside.  During the day, from the outside, all the glass looks dark, partly because of the lighting, but mostly because it has been coated with a weather protectant.

Once outside, we walked over to the Polaris Hall tower.  Remember, it points directly to Polaris, the North Star.  Our guide said it represents "giving Cadets a sense of direction."  Again, he choked up at this point.  The guy graduated in 1963, which I calculate to be 56 years ago, and these facts STILL have an emotional impact on the man.  It was that way with every alumnus we spoke with.  They were all very dedicated to the culture and principles that have been instilled and drilled in to them.  They all truly lived and exemplified the core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.

By now, it was lunchtime, and the Cadets had been released to do calisthenics before lunch.  We were told that the mess hall (the building on the right) can feed 4400 Cadets in 20 minutes, family style.  Three times a day they do that.  Yikes!

On the path back to the Visitors' Center, we saw this sign, letting us know, there'd be no ice cream on this trek.  Good thing it was a short journey!

Also a good thing we got great pictures yesterday!  Today was overcast, with a wee bit of drizzle, as the clouds crawled over the mountaintops.

After our Chapel tour, we drove up to the Planetarium to watch two IMAX movies.  The building was originally constructed in 1959, and its purpose was to teach celestial navigation to the Cadets.  Technology made such teachings obsolete, so, in 2004,  the building was put to use as a storage facility and it was no longer used for any instruction.  About a year ago, John Martinson, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist returned for a class reunion and was saddened to see the building idle and in such disrepair.  He put up 2 million dollars (!!) and the committee raised about 3 more million, and the building's mice and raccoons were removed and the facility refurbished as an IMAX theater in the round.  It reopened to the public in March of 2019, and as of yesterday, had served over 23,000 visitors.  The photo below shows the control panel for the movies, which are shown twice a day and free of charge.

The first movie we saw was about Black Holes, and as fascinating as they might be, I have to be honest.........it was way over my comprehension, and it was warm....and we had gotten up early...so you know I slept through quite a bit of it.  The second showing was about a Fighter Pilot, and his training and the war exercises they call Red Flag.  It is said that if a pilot can survive his first 10 missions, the likelihood of survival goes up considerably.  So, they assemble forces and pilots, crews and maintenance techs from all over the world, up by Las Vegas, and they perform exercises and missions to get those 10 flights out of the way.  It's all computer-tracked, and when the good guys get "hit," they have to return to base.  Most of the good guys get "killed" on their first few times out.  The bad guys are the aces and IF they get killed, they get to regenerate and return to the arena to keep on "fighting."  

They also say that refueling in mid-air is one of the most dangerous parts of any mission.  I can see how that would be the case.  The pilot has to line that itty-bitty hole up with that itty-bitty nozzle, all the while the two planes are in motion.  Up high in the sky.  Sometimes while under fire.  Several times, we heard the phrase, "The decisions you make here/today will determine if people live or die."  No pressure, right?

One of the requirements for every Cadet is to eventually fly solo in the glider they have here on base.  Of course, they don't get to do this until their Senior year, but it's to give them a taste of flying, and see if it's something they want to pursue after graduation.  Everyone that sticks it out graduates with a B.S. and there are over 120 fields of study right here on campus.  After graduation, they are sent to a base with an educational program related to their particular field of study, where they receive months of further training, then they are sent to a base with a NEED for their specialty.  There, they get weeks of further on-the-job training before they can actually "do" anything productive.  Can you see the two little spots in the blue patch?  The one on the right is the pulling plane; the one on the left, and slightly higher is the glider.  Dick thinks it would be so neat to be up in a glider, but let me tell you....the ONE time I visited the Grand Canyon, I took a plane flight below the rim.  This plane seated 8 people, one of which was the pilot, and it had only one engine.  And, at one point, that engine failed.  Oh, yes it did.  I was up there with a pilot friend, at the time, and when I looked over at him, his face was ashen gray.  All I could think was, "I'm gonna die, and no one knows where my dogs are."  Over, and over, and over.  Eventually, the pilot figured out that it was NOT a vapor lock, as he had been thinking, but we were actually out of gas.  Yup.  Out of gas.  Below the rim.  In a plane that needed some runway space to land.  And there was no such space available below the rim.  Thankfully, he got the other wing-tip gas tank engaged, and the engine turned over.  It took all of about 12-15 seconds, but it seemed a lifetime.  Talk about quiet.  You could have heard a pin drop.  You could have heard us breathing, but I'm pretty sure none of us were!  I know I wasn't!  Sooo, NO, thank you, I don't think it would be so neat to be up in a glider.  I've had plenty of quiet airtime to last my lifetime.

Have you ever heard of Doolittle's Raiders?  They were a squadron in WWII, who did the impossible and the unthinkable and helped bring about an end to that horrible war.  To honor their actions and memory, Doolittle Hall was established in 1992.  There is a Heritage Trail, encompassing gifts and memorials from several graduating classes.  We were told the trail was about a 6 minute walk out and back, but we took the time to read the plaques and contemplate the battles and losses along the way.  It was very moving and humbling.  Inside the Hall, was a Long Blue Line exhibit, a wall that honored the graduates of distinction.  Among them, "Sully" Sullenberger, LeRoy Homer, R Stephen Ritchie, and Lance Sijan.  There were others that excelled in education, sports, firsts (first women, first in space, etc), and other arenas.  Unfortunately, my phone was almost out of juice by now and I was able to record only these stories.  If you want to be amazed and awed, have a read.  I'm sure you will stand in awe of these gents, as did I. 

Tomorrow, we move to West Pueblo.  That was the closest place we could find that could accommodate our length for the days we needed.  It's not a huge park, and there are no amenities to speak of, but there appears to be lots to do in the town of Pueblo.  We'll let you know what we see and where we go once we get all settled in.  Till next time!  Safe travels all you roadies!

All Around the Air Force Academy

You know you're retired when you get up and struggle to decide what's for breakfast, and do you want to have a big breakfast, clean up and get a later start, or just pour a bowl of cereal, gulp it down and get on with your day.  Choices, choices, right?  After the stress of yesterday, we were both in agreement....let's just kind of hang out on base today, hit the commissary and just try to relax and enjoy the park a bit.  You may remember, back in Princeton, TX, we were lucky enough to purchase a dozen free-range eggs from a cooler by the side of the road (honor system to pay, no less).  Well, we fixed a couple of them, and boy, were they tasty!  There's just nuthin' like farm-fresh!

So, we were finally off to the commissary, to stock up on groceries before we head out to Pueblo West, where we would be 30 minutes from any store.  It was still pretty cool for us, only about 75 degrees, so it made for a pleasant drive, with the windows down.  Groceries gotten, we carried them back to the camper, stowed them all and walked the dog.  It was still only early afternoon, so we thought we'd tour the base a bit.

We are still amazed by the enormity of Pike's Peak, America's Mountain.  Did you read about it yesterday, why it's called America's Mountain?  It is said that in July 1893, after a visit to the summit of the mountain, Katharine Lee Bates penned the song, "America the Beautiful."  

Here was our first glimpse of the famed chapel.  We have since discovered that it is the most visited man-made attraction in the state of Colorado!  It looks so tiny from afar, but you just wait!

We took the long way around the base...and went looking for the parachute landing area.  It was a bit underwhelming, as there was no activity when we arrived.  No planes were flying, and no fools were jumping.  However, we did find this T38 Thunderbird and an A10 Warthog on display.  There were story boards, but they were under glass, and there was simply too much glare to read them, so sorry, no further photos.  And you see that dark cloud crawling over the mountain range?  It carried rain.  Not much, but enough to chase us back into the car and on our way.

On the map, we saw a little road, leading to Ice Lake.  Doesn't that sound delightful?  Obviously, we knew it would not really be ice covered at this time and temp, but we thought it would be nice to see.  Hmmmm....we turned off a paved road, and it quickly became a dirt and gravel road.  That usually sends the dog into a tizzy, and this time was no exception.  She hopped right into the front seat, in my lap, down on the floor, and back up into my lap.  Poor thing gets so rattled when rocks pop up and hit the undercarriage or sides of the car.  We had traveled about a mile, when we came across this sign....

They weren't joking!  This train was parked, and there was no engine in sight!

You can see part of Colorado Springs behind these cars.  The Interstate is just past that green grassy area and the tree line, and the city is beyond that.

Up on the hillside, we found a little patch of Indian Paintbrush.  Last time we saw this plant, we were in Fredericksburg, TX, viewing the the bluebonnet fields with John and Lora.  It's John and Lora that we are planning to spend the winter with in Surprise, AZ.  You can be sure, I was looking for snakes on the way up to get that shot!  (thankfully, no, none were spotted)  

We stayed off the main streets, and went through the housing area.  Were we supposed to?  No, probably not.  Were we authorized to do so?  Oh, gosh no. Did that stop us?  Of course not.  So, here's your basic base housing for lower ranks.  Kind of plain, boring, and even a bit run down.  But, hey, check out those black and white birds down in the grass!  They were bigger than any songbird we'd ever seen on the East coast or in Texas.  And they're not in my bird book.  Argh, of course not, my bird book is titled, Birds of Eastern North America.  Well, THAT explains a lot!  Some Googling, and I came up with Black-billed Magpies.  

If you are reading this in email, you won't see the short video clip I've inserted below, so you can just click right HERE.

We found a firehouse with a terrific view of the majestic mountain right out back.  Pictures absolutely do not do it justice.  The depth and height is just breathtaking.  I can only imagine what the view from the top must be.  (Sidebar, we have decided NOT to make that trek, for a multitude of reasons.  First and foremost, it's 19 miles of switchbacks and tight turns (150 of 'em, best I can tell), there is NO guardrail, it costs $15 a person, and there is limited parking at the summit, due to renovations, so you might have to park a mile or several away and walk the rest of the way up.  Yeah, um, NO, that ain't gonna happen!)

Again, Colorado Springs sprawls out over the prairie.

I had read about Polaris Hall and its 105 foot tower.  The Hall is home to the Center for Character and Leadership Development, and the tower points to Polaris (the North Star).  

Did you catch those marble runs in the photo above?  One of the signs told us that freshman cadets are only allowed to walk the marble paths; they cannot travel from one building to another on the granite sections, or cut across the quad.  They are also not permitted to speak to upperclassmen, unless it's to answer a direct question.  Later, we surmised it might be to get them used to walking in straight lines and turning sharp corners.  I don't really know, and I hope to ask the question tomorrow, if we get to take a tour.  Tours are only given sporadically, and by volunteers and alumni, so they are never planned or publicized.  There were 3 scheduled for today, but none promised for tomorrow.

Next, we moved on to the piece-de-resistance, the Cadet Chapel.  It was truly humbling to stand there and view it up close.  The 17 spires soar 150 feet in the air, and are clad in aluminum, glass and steel, to represent the skin of airplanes.  There is no significance to the number of spires (17); it's just the number that were left after budgetary cuts removed a few from the original plan.  Gary and Gail visited last summer, but they didn't get to go inside, as it was closed in preparation for rehabilitation and updates to the structural integrity.  Apparently, the structural problems weren't so significant as to endanger the safety of cadets or visitors, because it's open for tours and worship.  We have found that the allocated funds have since been diverted to repair and rebuild Tyndell Air Force Base, up by Panama City, FL.  You may recall that area was simply devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018.

In front of the Chapel, was a monument that I could barely make out.  Thankfully, there was this placard explaining the twisted metal.

And here is the photo of the memorial.  The Chapel is off to the right, out of the frame.  Notice, there are marble pathways here, too.

We were not permitted access to the grounds down in front, but we cold walk around the side, to gain entrance to the Chapel.  

On the way to the back side, we came across this memorial to Robert Harmon, Lieutenant General, the founder and first Superintendent of the Academy.  Under his left hand is a model of the campus.  

As we drove around, back to the camper, we could overlook the athletic fields.  Click on the three below, so you can see them bigger.  You can see hundreds of teeny, tiny little people down there on the fields.  That gives you a sense of how immense the grounds and the mountains really are.

After a short visit to the cemetery to pay our respects, we finally made it back to the camper.  Bailey was going nutso - it was way past her dinner time!  She and Driver got fed, then we all went for a walk around the park.  This is a lovely park, and it's really very quiet, considering there are about 170 sites!  And there sure aren't very many vacant ones!  Well, it's quiet except when the trains come by!  The tracks are only about 100 yards from our site, so when the whistle blows, it's loud!  But it's a 50 amp site, the trees are not brushing our roof and sides, and the roads are passable!  Tomorrow we hope to tour the Cadet Chapel, and maybe take in the showing at the Planetarium.  If there's time after that, maybe we can visit the Halls that might be open to visitors.  We don't have any contacts here, so it's highly unlikely we'll get any personal tours or escorts.  Till next time, y'all stay safe!