U. S. Air Force Academy & Caching 6/14/2010

This morning we took a drive up to the United States Air Force Academy which is about 20 miles north of us. We got there and had no problem getting in for the drive around the campus.

The campus of the Academy covers 18,000 acres on the east side of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, just north of Colorado Springs. Its altitude is normally given as 7,258 feet above sea-level, which is the elevation of the cadet area. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA or Air Force), is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of commissioned officers for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The Academy's stated mission is "to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation." It is the youngest of the five United States service academies, having graduated its first class in 1959. Graduates of the Academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree, and most are commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. The Academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting more than a million visitors each year.
The Air Force Academy is among the most selective colleges in the United States. Many publications such as U.S. News and World Report do not rank the Academy directly against other colleges because of service academies' special mission. However, a few do; Forbes Magazine recently ranked the Academy the #2 public college in the United States and the #7 college overall in its "America's Best Colleges 2009" publication.[6] Candidates for admission are judged on their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, athletics and character. To gain admission, candidates must also pass a fitness test, undergo a thorough medical examination, and secure a nomination, which usually comes from the member of Congress in the candidate's home district. Recent incoming classes have had about 1,400 cadets; historically just under 1,000 of those will graduate. Tuition along with room and board are all paid for by the U.S. Government. Cadets receive a monthly stipend, but incur a commitment to serve a number of years of military service after graduation.
The program at the Academy is guided by the Air Force's core values of "Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do," and based on four "pillars of excellence": military training, academics, athletics and character development. In addition to a rigorous military training regimen, cadets also take a broad academic course load with an extensive core curriculum in engineering, humanities, social sciences, basic sciences, military studies and physical education. All cadets participate in either intercollegiate or intramural athletics, and a thorough character development and leadership curriculum provides cadets a basis for future officership. Each of the components of the program is intended to give cadets the skills and knowledge that they will need for success as officers.


The first area we came to was an overlook high on the hill overlooking the entire campus and athletic fields. At the time we were there they were having summer camps for boys and girls ages 8-18 all run by intercollegiate coaches. Next we drove around to the main campus, parked and walked over to the chapel which was the main reason for our visit. As we walked across the campus a thunderstorm hit and we had noplace to hide so we had to continue on just like the postman.....through wind & rain & hail, etc we will complete our rounds......whatever. We got to the chapel and walked down to the Catholic church and were amazed and we can see why they have half a million visitors each each and why it is the most popular man made attraction in CO. It was beautiful as we walked around looking. Then we went upstairs to the Protestant church and we even more amazed.

The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, completed in 1962, is the distinguishing feature of the Cadet Area at the United States Air Force Academy. It was designed by renowned architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago. Construction was accomplished by Robert E. McKee, Inc., of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally controversial in its design, the Cadet Chapel has become a classic and highly regarded example of modernist architecture. The Cadet Chapel was awarded the American Institute of Architects' National Twenty-five Year Award in 1996, and as part of the Cadet Area, was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2004.
The most striking aspect of the Chapel is its row of seventeen spires. The original design called for nineteen spires, but this number was reduced due to budget issues. The structure is a tubular steel frame of 100 identical tetrahedrons, each 75 feet long, weighing five tons, and enclosed with clear aluminum panels. The panels were fabricated in Missouri and shipped by rail to the site. The tetrahedrons are spaced a foot apart, creating gaps in the framework that are filled with one-inch thick colored glass. The tetrahedrons comprising the spires are filled by triangular clear aluminum panels, while the tetrahedrons between the spires are filled with a mosaic of colored glass in aluminum frame.

The Cadet Chapel itself is 150 feet high, 280 feet long, and 84 feet wide. The front façade, on the south, has a wide granite stairway with steel railings capped by aluminum handrails leading up one story to a landing. At the landing is a band of gold anodized aluminum doors, and gold anodized aluminum sheets apparently covering original windows.
The shell of the chapel and surrounding grounds cost $3.5 million to build. Various furnishings, pipe organs, liturgical fittings and adornments of the chapel were presented as gifts from various individuals and organizations. In 1959, a designated Easter offering was also taken at Air Force bases around the world to help complete the interior.
The Cadet Chapel was designed specifically to house three distinct worship areas under a single roof. Inspired by chapels at Sainte-Chapelle in France and the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Italy, architect Walter Netsch stacked the spaces on two main levels. The Protestant nave is located on the upper level, while the Catholic and Jewish chapels and one all-faiths room are located beneath it. Beneath this level is a larger all-faiths room and two meeting rooms. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services may be held simultaneously without interfering with one another.
The Protestant Chapel is located on the main floor, and is designed to seat 1200 individuals. The nave measures 64 by 168 feet, reaching up to 94 feet at the highest peak. The center aisle terminates at the chancel.
The Chapel's tetrahedrons form the walls and the pinnacled ceiling of the Protestant Chapel. Stained glass windows form ribbons of color between the tetrahedrons, and progress from darker to lighter as they reach the altar. The chancel is set off by a crescent-shaped, varicolored reredos behind the altar. Semi-precious stones from Colorado and pietra santa marble from Italy cover its 1,260-square-foot area. The focal point of the chancel is a 46-foot high aluminum cross suspended above it. The pews are made of American walnut and African mahogany. The ends of the pews were sculpted to resemble World War I airplane propellers. The backs of the pews are capped by a strip of aluminum similar to the trailing edge of a fighter aircraft wing.
The Catholic Chapel is located below the Protestant Chapel, and seats approximately 500 people. The nave is 56 feet wide, 113 feet long and 19 feet high. The focal point of the Catholic Chapel is the reredos behind the altar. An abstract glass mosaic mural, designed by Luman Martin Winter, the reredos is composed of varying shades of blue, turquoise, rose and gray tessera to form a portrayal of the firmament. Superimposed on the mural and depicting the Annunciation are two 10-foot tall marble figures, the Virgin Mary on the left, and the Archangel Gabriel on the right. Above and between these two figures is a marble dove.

In front of the reredos is the altar, a gift from Cardinal Francis Spellman, who dedicated the Catholic Chapel on September 22, 1963. The altar is Italian white marble mounted on a marble cone-shaped pedestal. Above the altar is a six-foot sculptured nickel-silver crucifix. Along the side walls of the chapel are the 14 Stations of the Cross, also designed by Lumen Martin Winter, and carved from four-inch (102 mm) thick slabs of marble. The figures are done in Carrera marble, from the same quarries where Michelangelo drew his stone. The classical pipe organ, in the 100-seat choir loft, was designed by Walter Holtkamp and built by M. P. Moller Co. It features 36 ranks and 29 stops controlling its 1,950 pipes.
Above the narthex, in the rear, is a choir balcony and organ, designed by Walter Holtkamp of the Holtkamp Organ Company, and built by M. P. Moller Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. The organ has 83 ranks and 67 stops controlling 4,334 pipes. Harold E. Wagoner designed the liturgical furnishings for both the Protestant and Catholic chapels.
The Jewish Chapel is also on the lower level. Seating 100, it is circular in shape, with a diameter of 42 feet and a height of 19 feet. It is enclosed by a vertical grill with inserts of clear glass opening to the foyer. The circular form and transparent walls were used to suggest a tent-like structure. The floor is paved with Jerusalem brownstone, donated by the Israeli Defense Forces.
The walls of the foyer are purple stained glass panels alternating with green and blue stained accent windows. The circular walls of the synagogue are panels of translucent glass separated by stanchions of Israeli cypress. The paintings, done by Shlomo Katz in 1985 and 1986, depict a Biblical story. They are divided into three groups; brotherhood, flight (in honor of the Air Force) and justice.
The focal point of the Jewish Chapel is the Aron Kodesh, which shelters the Scrolls of the Torah. The Ner Tamid hangs to the right of the Ark. In the foyer of the chapel is a display cabinet with a Torah Scroll that was saved from the Nazis during World War II. It was found in Poland in 1989 in an abandoned warehouse and donated to the Jewish Chapel in April 1990. This "Holocaust Torah" is dedicated to the memory of all of those who fought against the Nazis.
The All-Faiths Rooms are worship areas for smaller religious groups. They are purposely devoid of religious symbolism so that they may be used by a variety of faiths. Distinguishing faith-specific accouterments are available for each group to use during their worship services.

After we finished there we walked back to the car as it had stopped raining and as we walked we looked at a few of the other statues and monuments that were scattered about the center of the campus. Then we drove around the rest of the campus and saw the football stadium which was great and situated in a convenient spot with lots of parking nice and close. We also saw several of the airplanes that were scattered around the parks on campus. All in all it was a great morning as the visit to the chapel itself was well worth the drive. Then we headed back to the coach and as we drove we did 7 traditional NRV caches just to make the drive seem shorter. Well I guess that's about it for today so until tomorrow we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick