First Falcons: The Start of the Long Blue Line

By Don L. Brooks

The falcon was chosen to be the mascot for the USAF Academy by the first class of cadets, the Class of 1959, the First Falcons. This book is not intended to be a historical account of the early years, but rather a recounting of memories from some of the members of that first class. Included are stories of good times, bad times, and pranks from the first four years of the Academy’s existence as recalled by some of those that were there

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9781483490519

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First

Falcons

THE START OF THE LONG BLUE LINE

DON L. BROOKS

Copyright © 2018 Don L. Brooks.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9052-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9051-9 (e)

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/30/2018

PROLOGUE

T he falcon is fast and fearless. It is a relentless hunter that attacks its prey with lightening-like speed and awesome fury. Its aggressiveness is legendary; it fears little as it seeks out targets. Because of these characteristics, the first class of cadets at the USAF Academy selected the falcon to be their mascot. Since that day, the cadets themselves have been referred to as Falcons. This book is about the First Falcons, the Class of 1959, the beginning of the Long Blue Line.

There have been numerous fine historical books written about the beginnings of the United States Air Force Academy. This book is not intended to compete with them. This is simply the story of what it was like during the early days, as seen by those that were there. It is a compilation of stories, both funny and sad, about the members of that very first class.

There are three hundred and six versions of this story, each member of the class has his own memories and versions of the events that happened some sixty or so years ago. As all are well aware, stories get better with age and everyone has their own recollection of things that occurred, and often they differ. Two people can witness the same event, but have totally different accounts of what happened. Therefore, I’m certain that many that read this book will have memories of things that happened that differ from what I relate. That is fine, that is to be expected. However, this book is about how I remember things. I have found it rather amazing that as years go by, one can recall with increasing clarity events that never happened! Unfortunately, due to privacies issues, I must use false names in some of the stories to protect the actual identity of the individuals involved. I sincerely am sorry about this, I hope it doesn’t detract too much from your enjoyment of this book.

By any stretch of the imagination I am certainly not even close to being the most talented member of our class, and am probably one of the least qualified to be writing a book about our class. However, it is something that needs to be done before all the stories are lost forever. Many of the class have already passed away. I sincerely hope that I can do justice to all of the class as I do my best to tell the story of what it was like way back then. While I have included stories from many others in this book, especially from Ted Zeller and Charlie Zaleski, it is primarily my memories of our four years as cadets. Therefore, I have used the first person in most of these stories.

Major contributors of items of interest for this book are Zeller and Ski, one of the oldest and the youngest in the class. Ironically, they were paired together as roommates during the first summer. It didn’t take long for the two to realize that they had a lot in common; they both loved sports. Ted loved football, basketball and track and Ski was into football and wrestling. Also, both were blessed with a wicked sense of humor, which often got them into trouble.

In many respects, they were the Laurel and Hardy, or Abbot and Costello of the group and frequently provided a bit of comic relief. The intensity of our training, both mentally and physically, pushed us to the limits of our beings. Relief from these stresses was often brought about by episodes of pranks and stunts, resulting in humorous acts with varying consequences in an attempt at maintaining sanity. I will relate a number of Ted and Ski stories throughout the book, as their activities kept many others amused.

I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the fine assistance of Linda Zeller in helping with the edit of this book. I really appreciate her patience, understanding, and great work.

It was a distinct honor to be a member of the first graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy, and to be associated with such a distinguished group of men. I will always treasure my memories of those fine individuals and am so proud of their accomplishments through the years. It is a pleasure to say, I know them. We were the First Falcons, the ones that started the Long Blue Line.

IN THE BEGINNING

I know I just stated that this is not a historical account, but I think it is important to set the stage just a bit. The Air Force became a separate service from the Army in 1947. Before that time, when we had the Army Air Corps, aviation was a branch of the United States Army, with many of its officers educated at the Military Academy, and some from the Naval Academy. Even back then, a number of the more forward thinking individuals spoke of the need of a separate institution dedicated to the training of officers that would serve in aviation duties. After the Air Force became a separate service, on equal footing with the Army and Navy, up to twenty-five percent of each year’s graduating classes from West Point and Annapolis were allowed to volunteer to receive their commissions in the Air Force. However, the need for a separate academy for the Air Force continued to be voiced. Finally, in late March of 1954, the bill came to President Eisenhower’s desk and he signed it on April 1 st , establishing the United States Air Force Academy. Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, a long-time supporter of the academy and a West Point classmate of President Eisenhower, recalled from retirement, was named the first superintendent. General Harmon is considered to be The Father of the Air Force Academy.

It is rather amazing to realize all that was accomplished between the time the bill was signed and the entry date of the first class of cadets. In today’s world, I don’t think it could be done. Just think of all that happened in that short, fifteen month period—the location of the Academy was finalized, the temporary site was selected and buildings were renovated, the staff and instructors were identified and moved into place, the courses of instruction were decided upon and developed, the criteria for applicants was determined, the application process was set up and publicized, and the applicants were evaluated and the first class selected. Along with all these items are the multitudes of details that had to be considered, such as text books, aircraft for staff proficiency flying, cadet uniforms, etc., etc., etc. It really boggles the mind to think about all that had to happen before the first cadet could walk through the door.

The leaders decided that the Academy should have three key elements in the program—Military Training, Academic Training, and Athletic Training. Heading each would be the Commandant of Cadets, the Dean of Faculty, and the Director of Athletics. Each of these individuals set out to develop their course of instruction. Along with this, it was decided that the applicants selected should not necessarily be geniuses, but have a well-rounded background in the sciences, humanities, athletics, and show leadership potential as well.

There was considerable discussion as to whether pilot training should be a part of the training program for the cadets. In the end, it was decided that rather than train cadets to be pilots, they would be trained as navigators. Then, after graduation, they would be afforded the opportunity to attend pilot training.

In addition to receiving a nomination for appointment, each individual had to successfully complete a series of examinations. As best as I can recall, the required testing consisted of an Officer Aptitude Test, a Scholastic Aptitude Test, and the Air Force Pilot’s Physical Examination. The successful applicants were also subjected to a background check before they could be cleared for classified information.

Of the more than six thousand applicants for the first class, three hundred and six were selected. Of those picked, all but three were white, Anglo-Saxon. There were no Blacks (Remember, this was 1955!) and there were no females (Females were not admitted to any military academy at that time.). The ages ranged from seventeen to twenty-one. One member was only a few days short of twenty-two, just making the cut-off. He had already completed four years of college, including one at West Point! Four of the class were already Air Force lieutenants, but gave up their reserve commissions to be able to attend the Academy. There were several sons of general officers in the make-up of the class and one whose father had been awarded the Medal of Honor.

I suppose one could say the selection committee probably did a pretty good job, considering that this was their first effort at picking Air Force Academy Cadets. Four years later on June 3rd, 1959, two hundred and seven graduated. Within the class were the first two All-American athletes and the first Rhodes Scholar. Of significance is the fact that the Academy won accreditation before the first class had ever graduated!

Of the almost one-third that were lost along the way, many encountered academic problems. Some were dismissed for lack of military proficiency, some resigned for a number of reasons, some were turned-back to the next class for another chance at an academic course they had problems with, and a few were lost due to violations of the strict Honor Code.

It became evident that in many respects, this first class of cadets were guinea pigs. No one really knew just how much could be crammed into twenty-four hours. Each discipline—military, academic, and athletics—had their own idea as to what they wanted the cadet to do. It soon became obvious that the cadets were suffering from overload. Some of the early losses were due to this fact.

However, of the two hundred and seven that made it through, they acquitted themselves quite well. The majority served honorably for twenty years or more, eventually retiring from the Air Force, then continuing to serve in the civilian world. All of them served during the Cold War, and most participated in America’s response to the Russian missiles being placed in Cuba. The majority of the graduates saw combat is Southeast Asia, with four being killed and one becoming a POW. Two served as pilots with the Thunderbirds. Nineteen members of the class were promoted to the rank of general, with three of them attaining four stars. We had the first USAFA Superintendent from the class. Other firsts from the Class of 1959 included the first to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first to be promoted to general, the first Commandant of Cadets, the first astronaut, and the first Academy Chaplain. We even had one member serve as Secretary of the Navy! Of those that resigned their commissions, many also distinguished themselves as lawyers, doctors, professors, airline pilots, and leaders in industry.

THE FIRST DAY

J uly 11 th , 1955, began just like so many other beautiful summer days in Denver, Colorado. Except this day was quite different for three hundred and six young men as they prepared for what was to most likely be the biggest life-changing event they would ever know. As individuals and in small groups, they came through the gate at the temporary site located on Lowry AFB to become cadets in the very first class of the Air Force Academy. Each had his own thoughts; they were excited and eager as they anticipated the new adventure ahead of them, but they couldn’t help harboring feelings of doubt and maybe fear of the unknown as they wondered if they could live up to what was in their future. Bravado and self-confidence shown in their faces as they met the others in their groups.

First in line that morning was Val Bourque, a fine, good-looking young man and a great athlete. He got up especially early, because he wanted the distinction of being the first to enter. Of tragic and ironic consequence, just nine years later, Val would be the first graduate to be killed in combat.

The first stop was the paper work of the routine in-processing procedures. From there, every small group was led over to the cadet area for their first taste of what was ahead of them. It was there that these excited young men met, for the first time, the ATOs.

Since this was the very first class to enter, there were no upperclassmen. To fill this void, the Academy had brought in about seventy brand new hand-picked Air Force lieutenants, many recent graduates from West Point and Annapolis. They were all rated officers, either as pilots or navigators. They were required to be unmarried, as they were expected to live in the dorms with the cadets. These surrogates, called ATOs (Air Training Officers), were to serve as upperclassmen to the newly arrived cadets. To say they were eager to give the newcomers a hard time would be a gross understatement, they did their jobs well. It was shock at first sight! It isn’t necessary for me to go into detail, but to say that some of us were ready to turn right around and go home would probably be correct!

Please permit be to digress just a bit. There was considerable pressure for this new institution to be recognized as a football competitor from the very start. Therefore, some of the assistant coaches had been scouring the country for candidates that were not only good ball players, but could make the academic grade to become a cadet. I hate to call it recruiting, but some of these coaches made promises to these potential cadets that were rather unrealistic. Many of these young men took the bait—hook, line, and sinker. For example, a new cadet, built like a tank, by the name of George Evankovich, from Michigan, showed up on the first day with his beer cooler! Even worse, when