E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSDENVER -- Nearly 30 Air Force Academy cadets required medical care, with six of them hospitalized, after an annual tradition to mark the first snowfall of the season turned into an out-of-control melee, officials said Wednesday.
An unauthorized ritual last week called "First Shirt/First Snow," in which freshman cadets try to throw their cadet sergeant into a snowbank, grew violent and resulted in injuries, the academy said in a statement.
"A relatively small number of cadets chose to take part in this unsafe activity," Brig. Gen. Gregory Lengyel said in the statement. "This incident was unacceptable."
The six cadets who required hospitalization after last Thursday's incident have all been released, and the 21 others were treated for "bruises and/or lacerations" at the academy's cadet clinic, the school said.
Lengyel, who serves as the commandant of cadets, said school officials are investigating the incident. "Our Air Force expects better. I expect better, and I'm confident the cadets will learn and grow from this."
An internal email about the incident obtained by the Air Force Times newspaper, reportedly written by Brig. Gen. Dana Born to school administrators, said the annual ritual "has turned into a brawl" between freshmen and upperclassmen.
"This ritual has devolved to become increasingly violent, with significant numbers of cadets requiring medical care over the past two years," The Times cited the email as saying, adding that the latest injuries included concussions, an arm bite and cuts that required stitches.
More news from Colorado on NBC affiliate 9News.com in Denver
“Obviously, this has gotten out of hand and cannot be repeated,” Born wrote. “There is no way we can condone or defend this.”
The Times said the internal memo indicated Lengyel might allow the tradition to continue if cadets can show it can be conducted with "good order and discipline and proper risk management."
Located in Colorado Springs, 60 miles south of Denver, the academy has an enrollment of about 4,100 cadets, and graduates are commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.
The reported incident is a fresh blow to the reputation of the Air Force, which has dealt with a number of scandals in recent years.
More coverage of the US military on NBCNews.com
In 2003, the academy was accused of failing to investigate numerous incidents of sexual assaults on the campus.
In 2005, an Air Force panel concluded that officers and faculty members periodically used their positions to promote their Christian faith and failed to accommodate the religious needs of non-Christian cadets.
The academy has also been hit with several cheating and drug-use incidents in recent years, according to the Colorado Springs Independent.
Reuters contributed to this report.
More content from NBCNews.com:
Leave a Comment:
It seems with all of the negative publicity for USAF, they are becoming more PC. However, the sex abuse scandals, the religious "instruction" incidents, the cheating on tests, there needs to be more control.
That being said - the USAF is a military force that is to be on the top of its game- war fighting capability because there is no place for 2nd place in combat (usually means you are dead and lost the war). In air combat, just as in land and sea combat, the more aggressive you are the better the outcome for the US forces. If we "play pretty" in training, that is how it will be in combat. In all wars since WWII, the US has maintained air superiority which allowed Ground and Sea Forces to advance. Let's not have a "PC" military - no matter the branch of service. Train like you will fight!
Defensor Fortis
For Pete's sake...
You are wrong!
The first order of business for any military organization is to know who are their friends and who are their enemy.
Failure to know this and act accordingly is one of the reasons we have done so poorly in recent conflicts relating to civilian populations.
Very difficult to adequately accomplish but absolutely necessary for long term success if a country is going to venture into other countries to serve as "cops".
Historian
Not disagreeing with your comment about "cops". However, in training, you only have friendlies that sometimes perform as aggressors (enemy). I am speaking of true combat in any war. The article spoke of aggressiveness from the participants in a long-time honored USAF Academy "war game", if that context could be used. Not talking about civilian casualties nor green on blue, but war game training.
Oh... what ever! Boys will be boys!!!
What next? These people are supposed to be in training to become the elite air fighting force in the modern world. But the meatheads who run things in Colorado Springs have screwed up so badly that now our Air Force trainees are raping and fighting each other.
Is this a fragging school?
I fault the upperclassmen. Anyone who isn’t strong enough to sacrifice a little dignity for the sake of moral of his or her men doesn’t belong in leadership.
"long-time honored USAF Academy "war game", if that context could be used"???
No, that context may not be used. The article never states that. It specifically states it's an 'unauthorized ritual' per the Academy. Your projection is inaccurate.
Let's just have a military where common sense is abound, unlike with these morons. If you cannot control yourself and obey orders to not fight amongst yourselves and injure others, how can anyone expect these trolls to obey orders to straighten-up and fly right? Can they keep top secret info secure if they cannot decide if its ok to beat your fellow cadets to a pulp? I say court marshall them all, this is definitely unbecoming an officer candidate.
I beat down a dude quite a while back (I think I was in my late twenties and still in the Navy, about five years older than these cadets) for pouring snow down my back (it started as basically a defensive reaction to the cold snow, but he decided that because I used a very effective Jujitsu move on him that it was an invitation to a Karate fight. He was mistaken). Boys or men playing rough and ending up scrapping is nothing new, especially in the military, on athletic teams, or in police and fire departments, places where "low T" is rarely a problem.
The bottom line is this really isn't much of a story, other than the missing part about the Air Force (as opposed to student) leaders at the Academy needing to step up and do something to either regulate this event so it doesn't get out of hand again or end the "ritual" entirely.
Wisconsin Dad - 2479817
Comment noted. Have you ever served in the military? So I guess we will Agree to Disagree on how a military force trains to win - not come in 2nd place - in any conflict. Have a pleasant day.
Defensor Fortis
jack from Jax,
At no point in the article was this hazing referred to as "a long-time honored USAF Academy "war game"". It is simply hazing, nothing more, and is no more "honorable" than what 1% outlaw bikers do to their "prospects".
Before you even ask, yes, I have served in the military. The officer corp is supposed to be above this crap, yet we are constantly being shown instances of "conduct unbecoming of an officer" even at the highest ranks.
Jack...I figured you would go there. The truth of the matter (and of your question) is quite transparent. You aren't fooling anyone. Have a nice day.
Lighten up people, a few brusies here and there, so what?
Let the boys be boys...
Spec Ops Warrior "Jumper", 99-07
Hooyah!
SingBiker
Perhaps you did not recognize the "time honored USAF..." remark as a paraphrase of
Thanks for your service in the military. We will agree to disagree. HUA
Would you folks judging this activity as a bad thing rather have these future military leaders learning about their limitations and individual reactions to un-managed violent situations in this relatively harmless setting or on a battlefield somewhere?
Sounds to me like the cadet sergeant didn't want to go into the snowbank... maybe they should call this guy the hulk.
ya lost me there Wisconsin, its a simple question, generally your post's make sense what happened?
Gm Jack, i agree
Yeah JON....I think when the sergeant said ""NO" he meant NO!!!
Time honored my a**. At no time in history have our military encouraged members of the military to battle with each other, that went out with Sparta's training.
Our military has become so large it is hard to fill the ranks with honorable people that are dedicated to serving. Now they want to be served drugs, sex and answers to test. Partying with drugs and rape is the new norm for our future leaders that will take the place of Patton, Eisenhower, Halsey, King, Puller and many other great military leaders that dedicated their entire lives to serve America and the military. Dishonor was worse than death!
Drug, violence, sex crimes, cheating and ...Christian faith. The perfect mix for the nation's elite!
jack from Jax
Aggression alone is not the recipe for success in war. It also requires intelligence and planning. Aggression without control leads your troops into the sea.
If there were no need for the intelligence part of the equation, we would train our warriors on WWE.
Let me guess. There has never been any kind of "brawl" at a civilian institution?
There are a couple of reasons this has come to light NOW. The incident happened about a week ago and was reported then in the local media and other on-line sources but NBCNews has just now deemed it worthy of note. This couldn't possibly be used as a lever to support the flagging ratings of obama, especially since the USAFA is in Colorado?
Typically the military supports a repub president and this couldn't possibly be to undermine the support for a repub candidate because it is a military institution?
There are those who say the reason it is being brought to light is because it is taxpayer money that is being used to finance these "hooligans" and fund their medical care after the melee. What those same individuals don't realize is that there are taxpayer funds being used to support civilian hooligans at non-military institutions. The difference being that people expect more for their military taxes because it is easier to b!tch about and be heard.
Where is all of NBCNews' coverage and the public uproar about the lack of response regarding the Benghazi killings? If it took qabout a week to report the "brawl" and its been almost eight weeks since the killings in Benghazi, I'm guessing NBCSnooze is never going to get around to report some as significant as that.
IA...thank you. My point was I don't believe Jack served.
Wisconsin Dad,
Sorry we got off on wrong foot - check my bio by clicking on avatar or name. I served 24+ years 1969 - 93 and was all over the world - except Antarctica - Brrr. Just like IA Scooter, we are Vietnam vets+
People...The yearly "ritual" isn't beating the crap out of each other..It's getting snow thrown on you and you thrown in it...THAT is the ritual...Many of you are acting like the fights are the time honored tradition...NO they are just turning INTO fights...
A whole lota arguing over nothin...................
This is pole vaulting over mouse turds and in no way does it rise to the level of the sex or cheating scandals.
For those of you who are taking the context of this article completely to heart, first off, i think we all need to use a little common sense when reading articles which try and put a person or an institution to shame. take the comments provided and analyze how the information could have been twisted before getting enraged over the way that the news chooses to misquote information to stimulate a response out of its viewer base.
The academy tradition of first shirt first snow is goes way back, but in recent years has gotten to the point where the upper classes choose to defend their classmates rather than let them suffer on their own. if anything, this shows increased support for those who are so hopelessly outnumbered, which our military encourages.
While i agree, the situation did get a little out of hand, you cannot instantly assume that the academy is full of morally corrupt individuals. any business or organization will have people within its ranks which do not fully live up to the standards that are expected. when this happens, the goal is to either get them to those standards, or get them out. the academy is a learning environment and situations such as this one allow the academies to bring those who may be slipping up to standards.
Also, before assuming that only the academy is corrupt, i would suggest that those of you who love tearing down our nation's military institutions also look into other "top universities" and see if you can find how many scandals, arrests, and violent reported acts have occurred in just the past semester and i believe that you will be surprised when you find that just over twenty injuries pales in comparison with other homes of the "nation's finest."
What it sounds like is the cadet sergeant refused to be a good sport about this tradition and decided to fight it. This then degenerated into a brawl when his classmates came to his aid. The sad thing is that the cadet sergeant who fought it probably participated in the event as a freshman cadet himself. If this guy could not take a little bit of snow for the good of the morale of the academy and had to turn it into a big deal then he should be removed from his leadership position.
First of all Jack, of course you train not to come in 2nd place. Second place in war is dead. However (and this is important) regardless of their future position, they are training to become military leaders. I'm personally not going to make a big deal out of this, I'm much more concerned with the actual school leadership and previous issues (rape, sexual harassment, religious indoctrination) than a group of squirrely students being stupid. I do think however, a little constructive "extra duty" might be in order. Especially for the upper classmen as they are expected to lead by example.
they sound l ike space-cadets
Gentlemen: There's no fighting here...This is the War Room!
Heh Heh.
I like the "arm bite" injury. Now thats some dirty fighting. Wonder if anyone got a hair pull injury too?
They needed to restore their precious bodily fluids.
single term limits...,
Love that quote from Dr. Strangelove- one of my all time favorite movies!
Why is anyone suprised at this and why does it make the damned news? This is petty as can be. When I was in the Army we grabbed one of my friends and used his head as a battering ram, knocking over members of a different squad and eventually knocking a hole in the wall. The "ram" thought it great fun. We used him because he was rather proud of having a skull as hard as a rock. Other times one squad or platoon would jump another for some rough housing fun. No one was suprised when cuts, bumps, bruises and black eyes resulted and no one complained. We were Infantry- we worked hard and played hard, and there was no room for weaklings. We could make one hell of a mess but we also cleaned it up to inspection level afterwards. Sometimes the leadership should just look the other way and let the soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines have their fun. When they've gotten to the point of rough housing its a good indication that pressure had built up and they needed to blow off some steam. Trust them to not kill each other and they won't disappoint.
That academy needs new leadership- someone with common sense. So far they've made the news for missing or ignoring major problems and now they're making a big fuss over no problem at all. Even in seminary I saw worse than this between the classes. Come on people, unless you want a candy-assed military you ought to demand that the leadership lay off this event. How can the cadets be toughened up for the difficult military life in combat zones if you won't even let them incur a few bruises, cuts or scrapes without a nation-wide bellyaching?
robtzu,
Ain't no such thing as "dirty fighting". There are only those who do what it takes to win...and losers.
So are the lady cadets apart of the whole snow thing too...........I would love to watch that.
The Air Force Academy is still out of control.
I missed the story. Why did it turn violent?
Somebody did not take kindly to being pitched into a snow bank. Mind you there was not a whole lot of snow fall last week so it could not have been much of a snow bank.
Never heard of this tradition before so I don't know how many cadet NCOs were the target. The name of the event implies that it would be the first sergeant (first shirt) for each of the 40 cadet squadrons, but the second part of the sentence suggests that more cadet NCOs than that would have been targeted. Each squadron has several flights in it and there are NCOs in each flight.
I find it hard to believe that this is "unacceptable" when it is considered a ritual. Hmmm....military intelligence? I think not - those 2 words are mutually exclusive.
Lammer ......... obviously you have never served thus the screen name?
Lamer,
And what do you know about it? Apparently nothing beyond some jingoistic phrase, so you maybe should rethink your position. No matter what job a military member has, they've had to go thru months or even years of training, testing and qualification to attain their positions- a thing not necessarily true in the civilian world. And when you compare the two, civilian and military, its a rare occasion where the civilian does better. Even in attitude and reliability the military member/Veteran does better simply because, having the military experience under their belts, they've learned a better work ethic. There are always exceptions, of course. But by and large, those with military experience stand head and shoulders above their strictly civilian counterparts. That has been my experience.
Is military intelligence any more of an oxymoron than disposable douche? obama is parading a woman around to support their right to free medical treatments so the public can fund products she has no plan to save - or not?
You guys need to stand up for your free jock itch products - courtesy of the taxpayer.
I served. 2 stints in Vietnam and a few years at the Pentagon. "Military intelligence" as an oxymoron does not even come close to describing reality. Its more like The Three Stooges meets the Keystone Cops.
The Times said the internal memo indicated Lengyel might allow the tradition to continue if cadets can show it can be conducted with "good order and discipline and proper risk management."
stupid statement your dealing with kids here
"Conduct unbecoming".... Need I say more? The Academy boys and girls need to set the example. When officer ranks break down what do you have left? Not much in my opinion.
My exact thought...Officers and gentlemen, huh?
I would definitely consider "arm bite" as conduct unbecoming
odb, ron and hohum,
please make up your minds. Kids? Boys and girls? Officers and gentlemen?
Everyone at that academy is an ADULT- not a kid or boy or girl. If they are, then you are negligent in your responsibility to the Nation by not demanding that adults fill those spots. Even worse, it would make you a participant in the murder of children by allowing the military to send them into combat zones. Decide already- are they to be protected and treated like children...or responsible adults?
The phrase "officer and gentlemen" shouldn't be used if you don't understand the terms- Officers FIGHT and lead the lower ranking troops in battle. So fighting doesn't mean they are less gentlemanly. Being a gentleman means one doesn't abuse their authority to bully civilians and underlings. It means acting like a decent human being and treating people who are not enemies with respect, as far as is possible, and being a comfort and help to those who may need protection or assistance. It also means conducting oneself with prudence and dignity when appropriate. None of that applies in this situation. They were at school horsing around on their off time- not interacting with the public or going about performing their duties. You people yourselves couldn't live under the unreasonable standards you are setting up for them. I wish everyone would think about their words and what they mean before opining.
Lastly, in no way whatsoever did the "officer ranks break down". They were horsing around and people weren't allowed to hide behind their rank to avoid a drubbing, especially if they deserved one. Their behavior was far from being rated as "conduct unbecoming". "Conduct unbecoming" is a catch-all charge that can be used against someone when the regulations don't specifically cover a particular act that embarrasses the Service or puts it in a bad light. This incident doesn't qualify. They didn't commit a crime- they played rough. Fighting is well covered by the regulations. Once again, put some thought into what you're saying if you choose to opine on a subject.
Let us consume alcohol when we're 18 then :)
This ritual sounds very retarded and probably should be banned.
you sound very retarded and probably should be banned :)
Transfer them all to the Army.
The military has a long line of traditions that are part of belonging. Tacking on stripes in the enlisted force was one that I took part in and was proud to have my stripes tacked on by peers and family. Excess kills traditions and the General is right; let the ritual continue when they bring it back in line with reasonable fun. These rituals are some of my best memories of 28 years of service and brought teams together.Dave Gantt CMSgt (Ret)
That is something know-it-all do gooders who never served can not understand ..... every ritual and tradition has a purpose. If it was an upperclass cadet who could not deal with it he should reconsider his/her choice of occupation. If it was a lower class member this demonstrates inability to deal with stress. Maybe the academy needs to go back to only accepting candidates who meet stringent requirements instead of picking to meet marginal standards to fill an artificial arbitrary quota?
Six were sent to the hospital? Great tradition. When one has their career ended due to a injury, then what? so glad my tax dollars are going to provide a education to these people.
An* education. I am glad the taxes are as well.
I doubt you make enough money to pay Federal Taxes.
From a former Naval officer point of view, all those involved should at least be disciplined since their conduct is an example of "conduct unbecoming of an Officer" since they are training (and going to school) to be officers. Fighting and biting a fellow cadet should not be tolerated. While this was a ritual, evidently the cadets being targeted fought back and that led to altercations between the two groups with over 30 injuries.
Now, there was another article that stated that the Air Force would not ban this activity outright and was looking for suggestions on how to keep the ritual. While I understand that some 'rituals' do form a bond between people, the targeting of individuals who did not want to be thrown in the first snow is the source of the upperclassmen fighting back. If they did want an amicable solution, they could always organize it in a way that it is a more structured event of generating more snow that one will be thrown into, having volunteers to be thrown, having more organized throwers that throw a person properly to avoid injury.
Still, the idea of sergeant tossing is not the best 'ritual' to have and is prone to any number of possible injuries which could ultimately end an Air Force cadet's officer career before it even starts. They should instead change the whole first snow thing to an exercise like an obstacle course through the snow where freshman have to rescue the first sergeants so that it builds more trust between the sergeants and the freshman, the snow is an new element that creates a hardship in running the obstacle course, and that they have to follow the rules exactly or start over and keep starting over until they complete the mission.
For reference...
Punitive Articles of the UCMJ
Article 133—Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman
"Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."
Elements.
(1) That the accused did or omitted to do certain acts; and
(2) That, under the circumstances, these acts or omissions constituted conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman.
Explanation.
(1) Gentleman. As used in this article, "gentleman" includes both male and female commissioned officers, cadets, and midshipmen.
(2) Nature of offense. Conduct violative of this article is action or behavior in an official capacity which, in dishonoring or disgracing the person as an officer, seriously compromises the officer's character as a gentleman, or action or behavior in an unofficial or private capacity which, in dishonoring or disgracing the officer personally, seriously compromises the person's standing as an officer. There are certain moral attributes common to the ideal officer and the perfect gentleman, a lack of which is indicated by acts of dishonesty, unfair dealing, indecency, indecorum, lawlessness, injustice, or cruelty. Not everyone is or can be expected to meet unrealistically high moral standards, but there is a limit of tolerance based on customs of the service and military necessity below which the personal standards of an officer, cadet, or midshipman cannot fall without seriously compromising the person's standing as an officer, cadet, or midshipman or the person's character as a gentleman....
Maximum punishment .
Dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for a period not in excess of that authorized for the most analogous (similar) offense for which a punishment is prescribed in this Manual, or, if none is prescribed, for 1 year.
Ah , the naked male primate still has not developed enough social binding skills so that rituals like hazing in bands and frats football(high school college and professional), as well as other groupings of young males seen to need this binding mechanism. Even the gang members beat down , to get in and get out if possible, are associated with this need. Sic.
Take all that Raging Testosterone and youth and put it to good use by sending them all to help everyone clean up after Hurricane Sandy.
Just pack em all up on C-130s and fly them all over there Pronto.
Put all that energy to some good use!
No.
They are not waste handlers, they are Zoomie Cadets. They have other "poop to do"; cleaning up someone else's mess is not on their list, nor should it be.
Sergeant tossing at the cadet level is a very needful thing. Celebrating first snow, though pagan, is a fine thing. Shirts off, war paint on, televise the event to give the public a glimpse. Embrace the ritual, refine it, learn from it.
You cannot fight wars with well-behaved pansies - that is not and cannot be the nature of war nor warriors. These fellows are in training, and part of the training goal is to give these trainees experiences and confidences, in peace, they can draw on in war.
They brawled. Good on them. Better than having them sit and cry and write reports about how tough the cadet sergeant was and why it was a good idea to give up.
Parsifal Farnsworth Druddle
Spot on with your assessment of what warrior training is supposed to be comprised of! Not only does this annual event give experience in tactics and warfare but also instill experience, knowledge and refines the ability to recognize and draw courage in the face of adversity. A Warrior Ethic works best in War! Thank you.
You can be sure that that will happen, just not in the way that you want. Every year during there are breaks there are cadets that volunteer to go out on community service projects such as Habitat for Humanity and disaster clean up. They give up the time when they could go home to visit their families.
Parsifal Farnsworth Druddle, very well said sir. The people that are the most appalled by this I am quite sure are those that are too ........... to serve in the first place.
That they do Bassai, as well as many of them assist with wildfire prevention.
I haven't read about those same cadets that raised over 500k for charities last month either.....
The media always tends to make their reports about the Air Force Academy sound like it's just one big frat party.
Students at military academies are taught, above all else, to inflict violence on others. That it should spill over into unauthorized venues is hardly surprising.
For shame on the leaders at the Air Force Academy.
They should be accountable too.
My guess is, they have known about this ritual for some time.
Why wasn't it handled properly the first time?
These cadets are the future leaders of the Air Force...hmm.
Discipline and order...
God Bless The United States of America
There was not a "bite". It was a open mouth that hit another person leaving marks. It wasn't a "brawl". No one was fighting. For those ignoramus who think it is "hazing". It's time to google the definition. It will happen again next year as it should (but dialed down some). About 30% of the students participated. My son got a knock on the door to see if he wanted to particiapate. He had a BLAST and blew off some much needed steam.
This is a MILITARY academy. They attract athletic leaders who are also smart academically. When highly competitive physical 18-21 year old ADULTS play rough, people will get hurt. It happened this summer when playing Frisbee golf in basic training. 12 people got hurt in that event. 1150 people started in the class of 2016 at the USAFA and 995 remain. Many more may get hurt in football, hockey, snowboarding. That's because the Cadets bring on a level of intensity that is needed to win.
Hmm, it sounds like the Cadet Sergeant got thrown at the Cadet calling for order in the snowbank. Yes, I spent 20+ years in the Air Force. No, I wasn't an officer or at the academy, but I do see some humor in this overblown incident. I could be wrong as I have been wrong before, but I see it as a wacky type bonding experience that got a little out of control. If it was a major incident, the number of cadets going to local hospitals would have been in the hundreds, and that would warrant this article and some of these comments.
It's high time the Air Force goes back under Army command where it belongs..........
I wonder if these poor guys know that the future is in Drones so they better get busy on their XBoxes!
As I understand it, more Drone Pilots are being trained then Plane Pilots...
My wife and I visited the Air Force Academy in July right after the fires. It appears to be a beautiful place to go to college. I want to know why it is, in the visitors center, they sell t-shirts and other outer wear made in the Honduras? Unless they changed between now and then, I figure how can they do such a thing? I contacted my Republican Congressman and he never bothered to respond.
Yes, and in Navy OCS we were issued gear that was Made in China. The problem is that many of the basics are no longer made in the US and since everything now must be purchased with the least amount of cost, officials no longer make the decision to spend a few extra dollars for something made in the United States.
Yes, it is very ironic and unsettling at the same time. However, since our economies are linked, it makes any altercations less probable.
If it makes you feel any better, cut the tag out. That is what our USMC Drill Instructors had us do, anything that we were issued or wore that said Made in China, we had to totally remove the tag or scrape off the sticker. If it said Made in the USA, we left it in.
Not so smart, where are they supposed to buy that USA made shirt, they aren't so easy to find any longer.
If you are contacting your congress, start e-mailing them weekly about bringing back the "Buy American First" which both sides have worked as hard as possible to get rid of!
I guess I really am "old school". I was initiated...went through 3 months of initiation and I enjoyed every minute of it...but the reason behind it was to make me a better leader and team player...there was a reason. These men and women are supposed to leave the Academy and train men and women...and lead....I have nothing against initiation but I do have a problem with folks setting an example and it seems that the Air Force Academy is constantly setting a bad example. It is time to buckle down, get rid of the bums and use some discipline. Fighting amongst future officers? What does that say? Yes, I know some of you say I don't know what I am talking about but over 20 years says I have a little experience in this. Fighting is unacceptable..letting off steam? Go to the gym.
I always get a little chuckle when a squid talks about leadership and setting examples.
From a ground-pounder's point of view, who gives a crap. They were having a bit of fun, it got a little out of control, the wrong person saw it and whined, who the flip really cares? Make the ones that went to far do a 10 mile on double time, bet that will remind them of how to exhibit control.
The Air Force Academy was at one time a pristine military institution where those few who were inducted into its ranks cherished their roles and stood as shining examples of professionalism, intelligence, physical rigor- America's best. They stood as the Air Force's best leaders and future leaders of industry in this country.
Now we have this... Such a shame.
Heh Brian...who ya callin' a squid? lol
In your fantasy world.
In your fantasy world
Oh, excuse me but did you graduate from the Air Force Academy or any other military school? Didn't think so- stfu.
Spent a lot of years in Air Force Civil Engineering, working with cadets on their junior summer, training recently graduated 2lts and explaining to star wearing idiots that no matter how loudly they order me to, I can't alter the laws of physics. The Academy has never been pristine, but if you're a graduate of the same, I would expect you to have a brainwashed, unrealistic vision of your time there.
@ted415784 . In order to "fly" the drones, more often than not you need to be a fighter pilot. Xbox has no value. Think deeper as it is a more complicated. ;)
"Midshipmen and cadets remain stronger and more aggressive than their male counterparts at civilian schools. They eagerly play sports such as rugby, boxing, karate, lacrosse, and football. They drive fast cars, usually sports cars. They play hard. They drink hard. They are physical, often abusive among each other. They are not trying to prove their manhood they are celebrating their masculinity. They are competitive, often vulgar, and tough, and every citizen who may someday send a friend or relative into war should rejoice, because combat is competitive, vulgar, and tough, and they will be leading men in combat."
-Senator James Webb, USNA Class of 1968