Becoming Leaders of Character:
The Story of the Class of 1973, USAF Academy....
only For now as it is still being written
The interviews have been a lot of fun! If you have not already been contacted for an interview and are interested in contributing to the project, please contact Ron Scott, Class President. If you want to contribute a written document in lieu of an interview, let us know and we will provide a recommended structure for the material to be presented.
Since the first class graduated in June 1959, the United States Air Force Academy has been the Air Force’s premier institution for developing leaders of character. This book chronicles one class’ journey, from our formative Academy experience, to senior levels in the Air Force, to continued service to our Nation and local communities. In telling our story we hope to inspire future generations to serve with integrity, selflessness, and the highest professional standards—to become leaders of character.
We entered the Academy amidst tremendous social and political turmoil. In Part One of our story we explain why we chose a path different from our generational peers, why and how some of us fell by the wayside, and how our experiences at the Academy—both successes and failures—molded our leadership character. We present an honest examination of our experience with the Cadet Honor Code, to include isolated failures in 1972, and how the Code ultimately became central to our lives. We examine questions such as: What does it mean to put integrity first? When situations are ambiguous and the choices harder, what principles should guide our response?
Part Two chronicles our transition from the Academy environment to active duty. We examine how the Air Force Core Values—Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do—were central to our Academy experience and guided our further development. We describe the challenges we faced in making the transition from the Academy to the “real Air Force,” such as applying principles of the Cadet Honor Code in an imperfect world, avoiding the careerism trap which erodes the principle of Service Before Self, and the critical role professional competence plays in dealing with the unexpected.
Service doesn’t stop upon separation or retirement. Part Three explores how we continue to apply principles learned at the Academy to serve our Nation and communities. We include personal accounts from classmates who have achieved national recognition in their respective fields, such as public office, medicine, business, and the law. Each describes how their experience at the Academy and in the Air Force inspired them to continue a life of public service as leaders of character.
We offer our story as a legacy to current and future Air Force leaders. As cadets, we often talked about the heroes we wanted to become, never realizing that at its most fundamental, heroics means acting honorably and consistently choosing the “harder right”; working for organizational success rather than self-promotion; and continually seeking the best results under the most trying of circumstances. In the end, these principles reflect the core values embodied in the fabric of our Air Force culture: integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.
We entered the Academy amidst tremendous social and political turmoil. In Part One of our story we explain why we chose a path different from our generational peers, why and how some of us fell by the wayside, and how our experiences at the Academy—both successes and failures—molded our leadership character. We present an honest examination of our experience with the Cadet Honor Code, to include isolated failures in 1972, and how the Code ultimately became central to our lives. We examine questions such as: What does it mean to put integrity first? When situations are ambiguous and the choices harder, what principles should guide our response?
Part Two chronicles our transition from the Academy environment to active duty. We examine how the Air Force Core Values—Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do—were central to our Academy experience and guided our further development. We describe the challenges we faced in making the transition from the Academy to the “real Air Force,” such as applying principles of the Cadet Honor Code in an imperfect world, avoiding the careerism trap which erodes the principle of Service Before Self, and the critical role professional competence plays in dealing with the unexpected.
Service doesn’t stop upon separation or retirement. Part Three explores how we continue to apply principles learned at the Academy to serve our Nation and communities. We include personal accounts from classmates who have achieved national recognition in their respective fields, such as public office, medicine, business, and the law. Each describes how their experience at the Academy and in the Air Force inspired them to continue a life of public service as leaders of character.
We offer our story as a legacy to current and future Air Force leaders. As cadets, we often talked about the heroes we wanted to become, never realizing that at its most fundamental, heroics means acting honorably and consistently choosing the “harder right”; working for organizational success rather than self-promotion; and continually seeking the best results under the most trying of circumstances. In the end, these principles reflect the core values embodied in the fabric of our Air Force culture: integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.