Messages of General Interest - PAGE 7

From: Bob Badger

Date: Tuesday, 1/27/2004

Subject: Hardy's memorial service

Gents: Here is the write-up on Hardy's memorial service:

As we all know, Hardy LeBel died in a midair collision in Rhode Island on 16 November. On Friday, Bill Carnegie, Rick Kingman, Rees Wagner ('61), John Flanagan ('62) and I attended a memorial service for him at the Explorers' Club in Manhattan. It was set up by Libby Evans, Hardy's fiancee, whom he planned to marry on 27 December. Hardy, Jr., a number of family members, business associates, members of the Explorers' Club and friends were also there. Altogether, there were probably 100 to 150 in attendance. Libby asked that the evening be light-hearted and humorous insofar as possible, more as a celebration of his life than a lament of his death. The evening started with refreshments and dinner, followed by some speakers who shared experiences about Hardy's life. At Libby's request, I spoke first and told them about some of my memories of our activities together, including graduation day when he, a couple other guys and I took our families and friends and went down to the Red Barn for a final meal together. Most of us ordered steak, of course. The waitress worked her way around the table, asking each one how we wanted our steaks cooked. When she got around to Hardy, he said, "Just run it around the table and I'll cut a piece off!" Vintage LeBel. John Flanagan summarized his flying activities and listed his commendations and awards. Then some family members told of their experiences and life with him. Following the speakers, the five of us got up and sang what Rick calls the "dirge" from the Air Force Song: "Here's a toast to the host . . ." When we finished, we were pretty much astonished when everyone got up and applauded. Some were crying. The evening was an altogether fitting tribute to our classmate.

NULLI SECUNDUS, Hardy.

Bob Badger

From: Dale Thompson

Date: Tuesday, 1/20/2004

Subject: Changes

Just needed to update my address, etc.
Address - 8907 Enchanted Elm, Boerne, TX 78015
E-mail - dalethomps@aol.com
Phone - 830/981-5193 (home)
830/683-4324 (ranch)
Fax (home) - 830/755-8993

Thanks, Dale Thompson

From: Pappy Boyington

Date: Tuesday, 1/13/2004

Subject: Mini-ski dates and new numbers

Ace,

Tiffany and I will arrive SLC Feb 29 and depart Mar 6. Junie will arrive Mar 3 and depart Mar 6. Hope you and Weese are planning on joining us.

I have some outdated personal data. Do we have a way of up dating? If not, my data is as follows:

H 510 895 5896
C 510 882 9388
W 510 547 1780
F 510 653 1226

Check Six, Greg

From: Ace Holman

Date: Tuesday, 1/7/2004

Subject: Request from the Department of Homeland Security

> >How patriotic are you?

> >American Rally this Saturday

> >We all know that it is a sin for a Taliban male to see any woman other than his wife naked, and that he must commit suicide if he does. So this Saturday at 4:00 PM Eastern time all American women are asked to walk out of their house completely naked to help weed out any neighborhood terrorists. Circling your block for one hour is recommended for this anti-terrorist effort.
> >
> >All men are to position themselves in lawn chairs in front of their house to prove they are not Taliban, and to demonstrate that they think it's okay to see nude women other than their wife and to show support for all American women.
> >
> >And since the Taliban also does not approve of alcohol, a cold six-pack at your side is further proof of your anti-Taliban sentiment. The American Government appreciates your efforts to root out terrorists and applauds your participation in this anti-terrorist activity.
> >
> >God bless America!
> >

From: George Lester

Date: Friday, 1/2/2004

Subject: Magcheck Charlie

Hi, Ace - I thought this old poem by Maj. Tate might bring back some memories to those who flew the Pacific. I first read it in 1961, shortly after being assigned to search and rescue out of Guam.

- George

From: Andi Biancur

Date: Tues, 12/19/2003

Subject: Andi Biancur change of email address

All,

The new e-mail address should be in being now.

Andrew Biancur

From: Dotty Farquhar

Date: Tues, 12/09/2003

Subject: Jerry Farquhar"s change of address

Hi,

This is Dotty Westby Farquhar, Jerry's wife. I'm the computer soul in this family, hence I'm following Rosie's suggestion to let you know of our change of address. By the way, I checked his (Rosie's) too when I logged on the website (http://www2.acan.net/~dpma/afa60.html) and found that his new address isn't there either - and I don't have it. I just know they did move from Lakewood to Golden.

Our old one was:
2432 NE 27 Street,
Lighthouse Point, FL 33064.
Tel: FAX 954.781.7522.

Our new address and fax number are:
32801 Hwy 441 N #118
Okeechobee, FL 34972-0286
Fax: 863.357.4433

I was reading info about invasion of the site by those wanting to spam us, so you can still publish the windshadow@mindspring.com email address. Mindspring (which was bought by EarthLink) has a pretty good spam stopping system. This email address is Jerry's. He doesn't get into it, 'cause I'm the computer nerd in the group of the two of us, but I get his Delta info here, etc. You can reply to it, if you want.

Thanks again for all the work you do for the website, and thanks for listing our new address!

Best to you and Merry Christmas.

Dotty

From: George Lester

Date: Dec 6, 2003

Subject: Jerry's Tribute to Buck

I just read Jerry Farquhar's tribute (in the Fall, 2003, issue of Checkpoints, page 131) to Buck Congdon our classmate and a great man. It was so great reading Jerry's letter - Buck was, indeed, one of the nicest guys I ever met, and helped me in much the same way he helped Jerry. Like Jerry, I was lucky enough to see Buck one last time at the 40th, and I was so glad to read that Jerry had gone back and had had one last "good time" with Buck, as well as returning again at the very end.

I don't know whether you realize this, Jerry, but what you did was appreciated not only by me but by many of us - Buck was so much more than just a "nice guy." He was an oasis of good humor and friendship in a place that could get really unfriendly in a hurry. The ending to your tribute was so fitting - yes, he will always be in our hearts. And yes, I, for one, loved him. -

George

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Sat 11/22/2003

Subject: CORRECTION! AFA/SDSU at 8:00 p.m. CST

My mistake. The time zone gremlin grabbed me again in my last message. Kickoff for the AFA/SDSU game tonight is 8:00 p.m. CST (not 7:00 p.m.).

For the basketball fans among us: The AFA Men's Basketball Team plays its first game of the season today at 1:00 p.m. against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It should be an easy win for the Falcons since Arkansas-Pine Bluff was 4-24 last season and no longer have 5 of their top 7 scorers from last season. In addition, they won only 2 games in each of the previous seasons. The second game of the season next Friday, 11/28, should be more interesting since the Falcons will go to Annapolis to take on Navy. Air Force then goes to Nashville, TN, on Sunday, 11/30, to play Belmont.

The following Sunday, 12/7, they will be in Auburn, AL, to play the Auburn Tigers.

GO FALCONS! Aaron

From: Ben Furuta

Date: Nov 25, 2003

Subject: Class 59, 60 - ATO Notification

Ace,

Another message from AOG. Note that it is from Rich Trentman...
--
Ben Furuta

Voice and FAX: 626 403-7706

------ Forwarded Message
From: Trentman Rich P Civ USAFA/AOG
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:09:57 -0700

Subject: Class 59, 60 - ATO Notification

Dear 59, 60

The AOG recently learned that Mr Dorrence O Sandfort, former ATO 1954-1957, died on January 20, 2003 of unknown causes in Tuscon AZ.

Condolences may be sent to his wife Carol Sandfort; 9110 Calle Maria; Tuscon AZ 85710

Michele Cowan
Association of Graduates, USAFA
3116 Academy Dr
USAF Academy CO 80840-4475
(719) 472-0300 Fax (719) 333-4194
(DSN) 333-2073 DSN Fax 333-4194

------ End of Forwarded Message

From: Howard Whitfield

Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 19:32:34 -0800

Subject: Hardy LeBel

Ace, Dolph,

I emailed the following to Andy Biancur and Rosie Cler. I can't understand why the Cherokee didn't avoid Hardy's C-182...?

We should have one of our class officers notify all of us by email when we lose a classmate. My Marine Corps Basic School Class is starting to do that this year after a reunion this summer.

Hope all is well with you guys.

Best wishes,
DuBop

FYI, BEN FURUTA GOT A NOTIFICATION FROM THE AOG (Michele Cowan - see message below); PERHAPS YOU COULD CHECK WITH MICHELE OR BEN FOR INFO ON SIGNING UP FOR NOTIFICATION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW, AND WE'LL POST IT HERE FOR OTHERS.

--------------------------------------------

Brutal Weekend For GA MidAirs (1): 2 Dead In RI

T'was A Bad Weekend For GA

An horrific collision at an uncontrolled airport in Westerly, RI, has claimed the lives of an aviator and his passenger. The accident occurred while a Cessna 182 was departing and a PA28 was landing. The occupants of the C182 died while the Piper Archer's occupants survived, with reportedly minor injuries. According to authorities at the scene, some portion of the Cessna's tail made contact with the right wing of the Piper. The sequence that followed involved a pitch-down impact by the Cessna, which went off the runway but remained upright. The Piper reportedly landed on the runway but the impact wiped out the landing gear, which collapsed.

Pilot Hardy Franklin Lebel, 65, and passenger Peter Budd Coleman, 58, were killed as a result of the midair--one of two such accidents that occurred over the weekend.

** Report created 11/17/2003 Record 4 **

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 2885D Make/Model: PA28 Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
Date: 11/16/2003 Time: 1840 Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: WESTERLY State: RI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N34AG, C182 DEPARTED IN FRONT OF N2885D, PA28, LANDING ON RUNWAY 32, THEY COLLIDED AT 150 AGL, CAUSING THE C182 TO NOSEDIVE TO THE GROUND, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD THE C182 WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD THE PA28 SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, WESTERLY, RI

WEATHER: WST METAR 161753Z VRB05KT 10SM BKN085 08/M01 A3022

OTHER DATA

Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: General Aviation
Destination: UNK Flt Plan: UNK Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNK Last Clearance: UNK
FAA FSDO: BOSTON, MA (NE01) Entry date: 11/17/2003
** Report created 11/17/2003 Record 6 **
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 34AG Make/Model: C182 Description: 182, Skylane
Date: 11/16/2003 Time: 1840
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: Y
Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: WESTERLY State: RI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N34AG, C182 DEPARTED IN FRONT OF N2885D, PA28, LANDING ON RUNWAY 32, THEY COLLIDED AT 150 AGL, CAUSING THE C182 TO NOSEDIVE TO THE GROUND, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD THE C182 WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD THE PA28 SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, WESTERLY, RI
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 2
# Crew: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: # Pass: 0 Fat: 0
Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: WST METAR 161753Z VRB05KT 10SM BKN085 08/M01 A3022

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Take-off Operation: General Aviation
Departed: WESTERLY, RI Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: UNK Flt Plan: UNK Wx Briefing: Y
Last Radio Cont: UNK Last Clearance: NONE
FAA FSDO: BOSTON, MA (NE01) Entry date: 11/17/2003
FMI: www.faa.gov

For the WHOLE story, click below or cut and paste the following address in your browser: http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav.cfm?ContentBlockID=56a8a895-c9e5-4819-9096-1e09f3f6c6f8&Dynamic

From: Ben Furuta

Date: Mon 11/17/2003 6:42 PM

Subject: Hardy LeBel

I just got the e-mail quoted below from AOG re: Hardy LeBel. At the same time I saw the news article included on the Earthlink news page...

I was on the wrestling team with Hardy and certainly remember him. It's so unfortunate to lose a classmate in this way.

Ben Furuta

--------------------------------------------------

"Dear 60

Lt Col (Ret) Hardy F LeBel, class of 1960 (CS-04), died on Nov 16, 2003 in Westerly RI as the result of a private plane crash. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time. Condolences may be sent to his son, Mr Hardy LeBel Jr.; 3329 189th Pl SE; Bothel WA 98012.

Michele Cowan
Association of Graduates, USAFA
3116 Academy Dr
USAF Academy CO 80840-4475
(719) 472-0300 Fax (719) 333-4194
(DSN) 333-2073 DSN Fax 333-4194"

----------------------------------------------------

>From the News items on Earthlink.net

November 17, 2003 05:21 PM EST

WESTERLY, R.I. - A plane collision that killed two men at Westerly State Airport happened as one aircraft was landing and the other was taking off, authorities said Monday.

The Sunday afternoon crash killed both men on the Cessna 182 that was taking off. The three people on the Piper Archer were taken to a hospital with minor injuries and released.

The airport has no air traffic control tower, and pilots are expected to notify each other when taking off and landing, said Ted Drozdz, chief aeronautics inspector for Rhode Island Airport Corp.

It could take a year to determine the cause of the collision, said Stephen Demko, an air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.

Authorities said the tail of the Cessna touched the right wing of the Piper. The Cessna then hit the ground nose-down, bounced off the runway and landed upright, Demko said. The Piper landed hard on the runway and its landing gear collapsed.

Both men aboard the Cessna died. Hardy Franklin Lebel, 65, and Peter Budd Coleman, 58. Both were flight instructors. Federal investigators said they could not immediately determine who was the pilot but said Lebel owned the aircraft and was giving Coleman a lesson on flying that particular type of plane.

Drozdz dismissed suggestions that the airport's lack of a control tower contributed to the crash. "There are more untowered airports in the United States than there are towered airports," he said.

--
Ben Furuta
Voice and FAX: 626 403-7706

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Thu 11/13/2003 1:00 AM

Subject: AFA/New Mexico Next; AFA/SDSU on TV

The AFA/New Mexico game this Saturday, 11/15, will kickoff at 2:05 p.m. CDT and will not, repeat not, be televised. The AFA/SDSU game on 11/22 will be televised by Sports West starting at 8:00 p.m. and so will be available at Angler's Sports Bar for those in Northwest Florida. After New Mexico's 37-34 upset of CSU last Friday night in Albuquerque, the Lobos are legitimate 4 1/2 point favorites over the Falcons for Saturday's game in Albuquerque. Look for RB Dontrell Moore to rack up well over 100 yards rushing and for QB Casey Kelly to keep the Falcon defense honest by being more than willing to pass the ball. The Lobos have the best offensive line in the MWC in the opinion of many and helped Dontrell Moore to rack up his career record 242 yards against CSU. The OL is not likely to allow many QB sacks either. To make matters worse, the Lobo PK, Wes Zunker, has made 13 straight FG's (including 3 FG's against CSU) and has missed only one FG so far this season.

CSU's loss dropped them out of the race for second place in the MWC behind current leader Utah at 4-1. Air Force and New Mexico are both at 3-2 and Wyoming is 2-2. Wyoming plays Utah in Salt Lake City this Saturday, so by Sunday we will either have three teams with 2 losses or only one team with 2 losses. You can see that the MWC race is still open even if Utah has the advantage. The Falcons need to win against both New Mexico and San Diego State if they want to have a chance to decide their own bowl destiny. To win against the Lobos, Air Force will need to play their best game this season; there is no room for fumbles, interceptions or missed FG's if they want to realistically have a chance to win Saturday.

The game against Army was not encouraging in that it wasn't until the third quarter that the Falcons were finally able to put the game out of reach in spite of Army's sloppy play and multiple turnovers. Teams lacking much talent such as Army can make their opponents look bad at times as if poor play is contagious. Perhaps that happened last Saturday. If that were so, the Falcons need to shake off the experience and get ready for serious competition. Harridge needs to be accurate and crisp with his passes, the fullbacks need to establish themselves with the run so that our RB's can get running room. I expect a close game in a losing cause as the Lobos win 34-31.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Thu 11/6/2003 1:06 AM

Subject: Air Force/Army This Weekend

It may be a bit difficult for the Falcons to be pumped up for the Army game this weekend after giving their all and being beaten 43-45 in 3 Overtimes last Saturday by Utah. The Army game will not be televised. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. CST and can be followed by the Gametracker system accessed from the AFA Football Website. Your humble scribbler will be attending the game in person and will report on the exciting action next week. While the Falcons should defeat Army handily, I would expect a closer game than the currently published line of 26 points. Some letdown is to be expected after the Utah game, and there may be a tendency for some team members to be looking forward to the New Mexico game the following week (Nov 15) in Albuquerque. On the subject of New Mexico, let me point out to those who don't check on such things that UNLV defeated New Mexico last Saturday by 37-35 and Wyoming defeated CSU the same day by 35-28. As a result Utah now sits atop the MWC all alone at 4-1 and is followed by Air Force at 3-2, and by CSU, New Mexico and Wyoming all at 2-2. BYU, SDSU and UNLV all have 3 conference losses. CSU plays New Mexico on Friday night (Nov 7) in Albuquerque, and the game will be televised on ESPN 2. Utah and Wyoming both have an off week this Saturday before playing one another Nov 15 in Salt Lake City. The point of all this is that the Falcons can still share the MWC crown if Utah should stumble against either Wyoming or against BYU on Nov 22 in Provo. Of course, to share the MWC crown, the Falcons would have to defeat both New Mexico and SDSU which are both away games.

I am, of course, ahead of myself talking about games after the Army game. Let us hope that team members are more clearly focused on defeating Army decisively this Saturday than I have been so far. While Army has yet to win a game this season and have seen their head coach, Todd Berry, fired a couple of weeks ago, they are well aware that they could make their season by pulling off an upset in Colorado Springs. They will not do so, but expect to see a final score along the lines of a 38-20 Falcon victory. I would hope that we'll see more of young Adam Fitch, the backup QB that has played very little, if at all, since the Northwestern game; and, perhaps also, we'll see more of Freshman FB Jacob Kendrick who hasn't played since gaining some 60 yards in the Wofford game.

If you haven't followed the Conference reshuffling going on this fall after the ACC raided the Big East by getting Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to switch to the ACC, you might check the Sports Section of USA Today of the past two days (Nov 4 and 5) at your local library. They discuss and draw up the results of all the changes and potential future changes affecting not only the ACC and Big East, but also Conference USA, the WAC, the MAC, the Sun Belt Conference and yes, even the Mountain West. Previous stories this fall have gossiped about everything from BYU and Utah leaving to join the Pac Ten and being replaced by 2 teams from the WAC group of Boise State, Nevada-Reno, Fresno State or Hawaii to the MWC expanding from the current 8 teams to 12 teams with new members coming from the same WAC group above or perhaps grabbing TCU from Conference USA. Who knows what will result? It's all about money in the form of Conference Championship Games in 12 team leagues, to grabbing as rich TV markets as possible, to gaining entree into the BCS financial windfall, to having a great city to play your Conference Championship Game (TCU would equal the Dallas/Fort Worth market). Stay tuned to your favorite sports station or read your favorite sports page; and when the powers that be insist it's not about money, you will know that it's all about the money!

GO FALCONS, BEAT ARMY!

Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Fri 10/31/2003 1:32 AM

Subject: USAFA/UTAH At 11:00 A.M. Saturday

It's an early game this Saturday since ESPN 2 is televising the match for first place in the MWC. The game should be a barnburner. The Falcons have won the last two games in this series. Last year in Salt Lake City, they roared back from a 26-6 lead that Utah had at the half to win the game 30-26 with a Harridge TD pass with 17 seconds to go in the game that capped a 9 play, 60 yard drive. The year before at Falcon Stadium, USAFA won 38-37 after having a 24-14 lead at halftime. That game ended when Utah QB Lance Rice on a third and 10 from the AFA 12 yard line, rolled out and was tackled from behind inside the AFA 5 yard line as time ran out. With the last two games being that fingerbitin' close between these two teams and with the MWC lead and a Liberty Bowl invitation more likely for the winner, you might want to think really hard about any sort of wager where you would have to give those 3 points that the line has the Falcons favored by to win.

It is true that Brandon Warfield, Utah's leading rusher, will not play due to an injured knee from last Saturday's loss to New Mexico in Salt Lake City by a 35-47 score. Last year, Warfield rushed for 149 yards in the first half against the Falcons; he ended the day with 193 yards on 30 carries. Utah doesn't have much depth at RB and losing Warfield against New Mexico was a factor in that loss. Expect the Falcons to try and keep Utah's running attack under control and then mount a serious pass rush against QB Lance Rice. Meanwhile both Anthony Butler and Darnell Stephens are probable for this Saturday after injuries kept them out of action recently for the Falcons. Due to Air Force's advantage in the injury competition going into the game, due to home field advantage and due to Coach DeBerry's ability to motivate his team, I'll go along with the quoted line and predict a 27-24 Falcon victory. Their new coach and the pent-up frustration that the Utes have from their losses to Air Force in the past two years, however, make them a dangerous opponent that could easily make them the victors this Saturday.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Fri 10/24/2003 12:50 AM

Subject: This Week Off, Utah On Nov 1!

In case you haven't checked the USAFA Football Website, the Air Force/Utah game has been chosen for a national broadcast on ESPN 2 on Nov 1; and the kickoff has been moved to 11:00 a.m. CST. The Falcons have the coming weekend off. They can use the down time in order to recover from injuries and to just plain get a breather. Utah entertains New Mexico in Salt Lake City this weekend. Although the Utes are favored and should win, New Mexico should provide a real challenge. Utah is the only undefeated team in MWC play with a record of 3-0. Air Force, CSU, New Mexico and Wyoming all have only one loss, so the conference championship is still an open question.

Not much to be said about the loss a week ago to CSU. Coach DeBerry put it succinctly when he was quoted in the Rocky Mountain News as saying: "Their offensive line dominated us. They were able to control the football and beat us at our own game. Some nights the other team is just better than you are. (Thursday night) they were better than we were." I can't add much of note to that statement.

Of some interest to you might be the possibility that Navy, who appears to have the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in their sights, has a reasonably good chance to finish their season at 10-2. They finish out their season against Division I-AA Delaware (7-0), Tulane, at Notre Dame, Central Michigan and Army. They have lost 3-17 at TCU and 27-48 at Rutgers. Division I-AA Wofford, who we beat 49-0 in our first game, is currently 6-1 and ranked 6th in the Division I-AA poll. Delaware is ranked 3rd in that same poll.

For those who like to think ahead, the Air Force Men's Basketball Team is scheduled to play at Auburn, AL, on Sunday afternoon, December 7. Some of us plan to attend that game and hope that the Falcons will be hitting plenty of 3-pointers and back door layups in order to give a good Auburn team all it wants competitively in a low scoring game. More will be forthcoming as plans are completed and ticket prices and availability are determined.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Ben Furuta

Date: Friday, 10/17/2003

Subject: Numbers

Just read the info from Norm Alexander and go ahead and remove my phone numbers from the listing. But my e-mail address is wrong anyway. You can use
bfuruta396@earthlink.net

Thanks for keeping up the Class web page!

Ben Furuta
Voice and FAX: 626 403-7706

From: Norman Alexander

Date: Wed 10/15/2003

Subject: Google Addresses

Be advised that "Google" has a very comprehensive listing of phone numbers and associated names and addresses, and "other" links, including maps to the street address.

All one has to do is type in the phone number with dashes; e.g.XXX-XXX-XXXX and the name, etc. will show up. That is fine with me as all of this info is in the phone book; HOWEVER, the link on mine was to the USAFA webpage where I provided my phone number a year or so ago. In linking to that they link to everyone else on that USAFA '60 web page. They deleted my name and map link but left the USAFA link. I have asked that it too be deleted; we'll see.

I thought that "you" may want to a pass this "google" info along.

Norm Alexander

[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: THANKS FOR THE UPDATE, NORM. IF ANYBODY WANTS HIS PHONE NUMBERS REMOVED FROM THE CLASS ROSTER, SEND AN EMAIL TO LET US KNOW. EQUALLY OBNOXIOUS AS THE TELEMARKETERS ARE THE SPAMMERS WHO CLOG AN INBOX WITH THE PROMISE OF ENLARGING YOUR ANATOMY. WHILE THE TELEMARKETERS COULD "MINE" OUR ROSTER FOR PHONE NUMBERS, THE SPAMMER COULD "MINE" IT FOR EMAIL ADRESSES. THEY COULD THEN START FILLING UP YOUR INBOX.

SO BE CAREFUL GIVING OUT YOUR ADDRESS. SIGN UP FOR A "THROW AWAY" EMAIL ACCOUNT FROM YAHOO OR HOTMAIL. USE THIS FOR NEWSGROUPS AND ECOMMERCE. AND NEVER OPEN AN ATTACHMENT YOU DON'T TRUST (THE EMAIL ITSELF IS OK, IT'S THE ATTACHMENT YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT). EVEN IF YOU'RE CAREFUL AND YOU DON'T OPEN THE EMAIL ATTACHMENTS FROM "UNKNOWN" SENDERS, YOU MAY STILL HAVE PROBLEMS. YOU SEE, EVEN IF YOU RECOGNIZE THE SENDER'S NAME, IT COULD HAVE BEEN SENT TO YOU BY SOMEONE WHO'S ADDRESS BOOK HAS BEEN HIJACKED. THAT MEANS YOU MAY GET A WORM/VIRUS DESPITE YOUR DILIGENCE ... (sigh!) " SO DON'T JUST BE CAREFUL" BE PARANOID!! (LIKE NORM HERE.) THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO CUT OFF THE PHONE AND THROW OUT THE INTERNET CONNECTION.]

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Wed 10/15/2003 12:10 AM

Subject: AFA/CSU, It Only Gets More Difficult!

The Falcons are going to need all the support they can get Thursday night. The game starts at 8:00 p.m. MDT on ESPN2.

For those that did not actually watch the UNLV game, it was a bit more competitive than the 24-7 final score would indicate. Even though the Falcons missed another FG, they played almost without major mistakes and had a bit of good fortune courtesy of the Rebels. UNLV only had some 33 yards of penalties, but two procedure penalties helped to stall two separate UNLV drives in the first half. The Rebels also muffed a punt reception at their six yard line that was recovered by the Falcons in the end zone for a TD; all this after Martin powered a 65 yard punt to the UNLV six yard line. Meanwhile, Air Force had only 2 penalties the entire game for 10 yards. Don't get me wrong, it was a great team victory with the offense, the defense, the special teams and the coaching staff all deserving of accolades.

If Air Force is to defeat Brad Van Pelt and the CSU Rams they will have to play another nearly flawless game. It would make a Falcon win more likely if the Rams were to provide some help with mistakes and sloppy play, but don't count on that. CSU wants to win this game just as much as the Falcons; a loss for either team will make a MWC title all the less likely. To some degree it's going to be the irresistible force versus the immovable object in Fort Collins Thursday. CSU averages 456.7 yards per game (17th of all Division 1A teams) and 31.9 points per game (19th of 1A) while Air Force has averaged giving up only 16.6 points per game (19th of 1A). The Falcons are going to have to keep mistakes to an absolute minimum, play ball control by running the ball well along with necessary passing to get first downs, and come up with some big plays that can switch the momentum in the game. Meanwhile, the defense will have to play their best game yet. Even with all the above, a realistic outcome is a CSU victory on the order of 27-24. If we get lucky and gain a Falcon win, it's probably going to be close to 31-27. Whatever the outcome, the winner will have earned their celebration.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Thursday, October 10, 2003

Subject: Air Force/UNLV = Tough Game

You've heard it before. The Falcons are moving into their most difficult portion of their season's schedule. UNLV will be in Colorado Springs for a 1:00 p.m. MDT kickoff. You should be wherever ESPN GamePlan is available on a TV set and be ready for another nailbiter of a game. UNLV will bring a 4-1 record that includes a 23-5 victory over Wisconsin in Madison as well as wins over Toledo, Hawaii and Nevada/Reno. Their lone loss was to the Kansas Jayhawks at Kansas by a score of 24-46 in the second game of the season for both teams. The teams that UNLV has played so far have a combined record of 13-8. The teams that Air Force has played so far have a combined record of 11-17. In addition, the five UNLV offensive down linemen all weigh 300 pounds or more except for the center. Their center weighs only 295 and is an experienced senior. The Rebel's place-kicker, Dillon Pieffer, has connected on 9 of 10 attempted FG's this season and is a graduate of Colorado Springs Coronado H.S. who will be kicking in front of his hometown friends and relatives on Saturday.

The Falcons can win this game, but not if they throw any costly interceptions, lose a fumble or two or more, or miss FG's. They had better not be looking forward to playing CSU next Thursday or Utah on November 1st. As an aside, CSU whupped up big time on BYU tonight in Provo by a final score of 58-13. UNLV could make a Falcon victory easier Saturday if they lose both of two fumbles (or more) and are penalized anything close to the 116 yards for 11 infractions as they were last Saturday when playing and beating Nevada/Reno 16-12. No way would I expect a 7 point Falcon win. We might eke out a 27-24 victory, but I wouldn't brag about it before the game.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Rich Trentman

Date: October 7 , 2003

Subject: Services for Norman Congkon, class of 1960

Dear '60

Graveside Services for Lt Col (Ret) Norman B. Congdon, class of 1960, who died of cancer on 5 Aug 2003, will be held on Saturday, 18 Oct 2003, at 1030 at the USAF Academy Cemetery.

Michele Cowan
Association of Graduates, USAFA
3116 Academy Dr
USAF Academy CO 80840-4475
(719) 472-0300 Fax (719) 333-4194
(DSN) 333-2073 DSN Fax 333-4194

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2003

Subject: Mea Culpa & Other Things

Sheesh! Not only did the Falcons lose 28-25, but we didn't even get to watch the game. The Academy website notice last week regarding the game being on CN8 didn't mention that it was available only in Colorado. It turned out, however, that that was the case since the signal was scrambled and not available outside Colorado. the TV Zen Master at Angler's tried mightily and only after several phone calls was it determined that indeed the game could not be received outside Colorado. This was true even though it was listed on the FAX sheet that Angler's receives each week about which satellite each game is on. The FAX sheet also gave no hint about the signal being scrambled. Be assured that this type of SNAFU will not be repeated.

Next week's USAFA/UNLV game will be on ESPN's GAMEPLAN and will start at 2:00 p.m. CDT at Angler's. Let's hope that the Middie's upset doesn't turn out to be the start of a midseason Falcon swoon. The upcoming games with UNLV, CSU and Utah are all going to be difficult. More on that later this week. Aaron GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Ken Alnwick

Date: Friday, September 26, 2003

Subject: Army Game

Ace,

I just bought my tickets to COS and the class sponsored activities associated with the Army game.

Will I see you there? If so, I'll be staying with Wayne.

If not, why not...Mister?

Attended the Gabriel funeral. He really epitomized all that was good about the Air Force and the Academy. The scandalous news from there would have saddened him greatly.

Thanks for the pictures. It was good to have the two of you join us.

Cheers,

Ken

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2003

Subject: USAFA/BYU Conflagration To Ignite!

Plan to be at a TV where you can receive ESPN Plus at 2:00 p.m. CDT this Saturday or be willing to risk missing what will be perhaps one of the best and most hard-fought football games ever between the Falcons and Cougars. BYU may be 2-2 after losing to Southern Cal by 18-35 three weeks ago and to Stanford by 14-18 last Saturday; but if you don't think they are interested in some revenge after the Falcons pasting them by 52-9 at USAFA last year, check out the following two stories from the Rocky Mountain News at:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/afa/article/0,1299,DRMN_2936_2296596,00.html

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/afa/article/0,1299,DRMN_2936_2293177,00.html

Now, perhaps this is all hype in an attempt to entice 65,000 screaming fans into the stadium at Provo on Saturday. Still, when you look at the series between these two teams and, in particular, at the last two games, it is a safe conclusion to say that this should be a terrific game by two very determined football teams. I could try to dazzle you with some statistics, but just let me point out that BYU has averaged 16.5 ppg in offense this year while their defense has allowed 18.2 ppg in those four games. Meanwhile, Air Force has averaged 35 ppg in offense and their defense has allowed 17.8 ppg in four games against a weaker four teams than BYU has played. Also, remember that BYU's starting QB this season, Matt Berry, is out indefinitely with an injured finger and very unlikely to play; Freshman John Beck is the probable starting QB for this Saturday. Stanford sacked Beck seven times last week and held BYU's running game to a minus five yards in 25 carries. Meanwhile, Stanford's RB, Kenneth Tolon, rushed 32 times for 141 yards and a TD. All the statistics given here and others that could be cited would seem to favor the Falcons to win relatively easily, but remember that they have not won in Provo since 1982. Look for a close game with the Falcons running the ball and passing occasionally to keep the BYU defense honest. BYU will be passing mostly and should suffer at least one and probably two interceptions as a result. The team that makes the fewer mistakes will win. The final score should be close to USAFA 24 and BYU 14; and, yes, I know that BYU is favored by 2 by the oddsmakers.

GO FALCONS!

Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Friday, September 12, 2003

Subject: USAFA/Wyoming Game On Satellite TV

Finally we get to see the Falcons on TV. Spread the word that the Wyoming game will be available at Angler's Sports Bar on Okaloosa Island at 1:00 p.m. CDT, Saturday, September 20. It could be a bit crowded since the Florida/Tennessee game will start at 11:00 a.m. and end about 2:00 p.m.; then, Georgia/LSU will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. to provide more local fans. Plan to arrive early and look for the blue tablecloths.

The Falcons are 3-0 and looking strong. They have a score to settle with Wyoming who got one of their two wins last year by upsetting Air Force by 34-26 in Laramie. It is fortunate that Chance Harridge proved his passing talent against North Texas last Saturday when he was 10 for 15 for 156 yards and 3 TD's. He may be called upon to demonstrate his passing talents again versus Wyoming and later this season (see below). The Cowboys may not be highly respected by some, but they proved last year against USAFA that they can put points on the board and that their offense must not be taken lightly. Their QB, Casey Bramlet, is a senior after starting his first game as a freshman, just as are two of his best receivers, Malcom Floyd and Ryan McGuffey, who both broke freshmen receiving records at Wyoming in 2000. They are joined at WR by Soph Jovon Bouknight who was the leading Cowboy receiver in 2002 as a freshman with 63 receptions. QB Bramlet already has thrown for 306 yards and 3 TD's in a 48-24 loss to Oklahoma State and 328 yards and 4 TD's in last week's loss to Kansas by 42-35. Wyoming beat I-AA Montana State in their first game this season 21-10.

Given Wyoming's talent and experience in their passing attack, I would expect Coach DeBerry to plan a ball control running game against the Cowboys for the most part. Together with the running game, however, expect to see Harridge mixing in some play action passes at strategic points for first downs and TD's. Ball Control will keep Bramlet on the bench and the relatively porous Cowboy defensive unit on the field to be worn down by the superior Falcon talent at the line of scrimmage and by numerous Falcon runners. Look for a score of about 42 to 21 as the Falcons go 4-0, so long as they remember the upset at Laramie last year and don't assume Wyoming will give up easily. The Falcons cannot afford to look ahead to the BYU game in Provo on the following week of 9/27 (also on TV by satellite at Angler's, but at 2:00 p.m. CDT). This season has to be one game at a time since this last week proved Mountain West teams can win against talented teams on any given date. Cases in point are Utah winning 31-24 over California this past Thursday, San Diego State barely losing to Ohio State in Columbus by 13-16 on 9/6, and UNLV knocking off then #14 ranked Wisconsin in Madison by 23-5 this past Saturday. Keep in mind that CSU, New Mexico and BYU all were ranked ahead of USAFA by most preseason pundits. That leaves Navy and Army as the "breathers" for the rest of the 2003 season. We all realize that even though we've beaten both on a regular basis as of late the service academy games are always susceptible to upsets. All this should make for an interesting season that could end 12-0 or 8-4 depending on Falcon consistency, intensity and some luck.

For those living outside the Northwest Florida area the game this Saturday will be carried by Sports West. If you have someone with a satellite who knows what they are doing, it can be received and watched.

See you Saturday,

GO FALCONS!

Ron Giblin

Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Subject: Poem and Short Story

Charlie,

Please see the two digital file attachments containing the poem and the short story you asked for.

I've also been looking over the '57 yearbook copy I told you about. Let me know if you want me to bring it out on one of your Brewton trips for a look-see.

Have had some recent e-mails with a couple of the '59ers I remembered from the old Lowery 7th Squadron days; Robin Kozelka and Al Waters.

Rosie Cler did mention me in the last Checkpoints class news. I sent him a note of thanks.

[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: QUOTING THE ROSE IN THE SUMMER '03 CHECKPOINTS, "I HEARD FROM RON GIBLIN (HE'S ON DOOLIE SUMMER ROOMMATE DON THURMAN'S RIGHT IN OUR 1956 CLASS PHOTO, AND WAS IN 7TH SQUADRON). RON LEFT OUR SECOND SEMESTER AT LOWRY. HE'S AT N85FOX@HOTMAIL.COM."

RON IS RIGHT UP THE ROAD FROM MOBILE IN MONROEVILLE (HOME TO HARPER LEE, THE AUTHOR OF 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD'). RON AND I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT A FEW TIMES. I, ALSO, WAS A ROOMIE OF DON'S, SO WE HAVE THAT IN COMMON. RON IS RETIRED AND AN ASPIRING WRITER, HENCE THE POEM AND STORY BELOW.]

Hope things are ok with you and that we can get to visit again soon.

Ron Giblin

Like young eagles before the flight they stood, erect and ramrod straight, with keen eye and strong-set jaw, their faces: a frozen mask of discipline learned well, their uniforms: so perfect-- not a stitch, button, or insignia out of place. At rigid attention, in silence, no gaze astray but sharp and up they were: listening -- listening to the soft flutter of their uniform trousers in the brisk Colorado breeze. The silence was palpable to the throng gathered for this commencement ceremony. They stood --- they stood --- and they waited.

Faintly, off to one side, a rustling noise came in. They dared not look, it was forbidden. The sound continued and, slowly, those to the side could just begin to perceive its source.

His snow-white, wild, hair came first. Then came the hunched back and then the uneven gait and cane. His clothes were no special piece. His age could be too long to know. The old man made his way, haltingly, to the podium steps and paused to grip the rail. Nearby, an officer rose to move to his assistance. A withering glance from beneath the white hair sent him away. With great effort the figure pulled and poled his way up the steps and now stood behind the speaker's lectern. He raised his arms and motioned the Cadet Body to sit. Each then felt his dark, penetrating, eyes on them as he scanned the group.

The old man raised himself to stand upright, his arms at his side. Then he began to speak, softly. ---- "Mr. Secretary, General Caldwell, Staff and Faculty, Honored Guests, Family Members, Graduating Cadets".

" I ------- am Nobody. Nobody, that is, who matters to any particular calling, effort, or group concern. Your commander was very kind to permit me to come here, today, to speak to you."

"I have lived my entire life in our Great Country and, like so many others, have had good times and bad times. I have spent many long years occupying the roles common in our society -- worker -- husband -- father. Now, my time is nearly over and all the trials and tests of life are behind me. I don't consider myself a success nor a failure. Rather, just a man who tried -- and tried very hard. It doesn't matter how you view my life, once it is over. It was only important while it was happening and as each decision took me down one path or another."

With a rising voice he continued; "A long--long time ago, I was one of you: a young Cadet trying to feel the wings we each believe are a part of us. My time here on this campus was short, however. I did not measure up and was sent away. This was correctly done. My true avocation lay elsewhere and I did find it soon after. However short my time here was, I know that the experience of being one of you changed me. I have never forgotten the important lessons given to me then concerning Discipline, Duty, and Honor."

"My life has taken many turns since those early days here with you. Throughout all those years I have tried to follow the course of this Academy's graduates and have looked for news to show how those ideals were kept whole. I am sure that in most cases they were but, there have been occasions wherein this may not have been true. I was particularly saddened to learn of such incidents.

"I do not presume to be qualified to lecture to you, today. Your instructors, here, have been among the finest and most able in their respective fields. I do, however, want to comment on a few ideas which have been in my mind for a long time."

"It is my sincerest hope that you realize today that, from the moment you leave this graduation ceremony, you will be on duty. On duty in the sense that you will represent the citizens of this country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and until your service time is over. In this respect you will endure every requirement of assignment, duty station, and personal discipline. You will never be off duty during this time and your conduct and deportment must always reflect of the highest character and ideals. You must steel yourself to endure whatever comes into your path. Yours will be a privileged position and with that position comes the responsibility to never let us down."

"These environs are filled with examples of those who paid the ultimate price while keeping these standards. They lay nearby in your cemetery. All were, once, one of you. One of them was my room-mate and my friend. He was one of the finest men I have ever known. I loved him like a brother. His sacrifice to do his duty left a young wife and five young children. He lies there -- silent -- waiting ---as do they all. They are waiting to see what you will do, what kind of officers you will be, and how you will use your intelligence and training to accomplish your mission. If you feel that you owe something to the citizen population, then, do add to that responsibility that which those who went before you also expect."

"Keep in mind these ideas; Each of us is enriched when, in pursuit of your Duty, you always act with the highest form of honor and integrity. When you do this, ordinary citizens - like me - are then changed and lifted up. Because of your dedication to the ideals taught by this Academy, we are changed from that status I have described as 'Nobody' to a new status. We become 'Somebody'!"

"The citizenry of any country which has fine young people as you to champion the Cause Of Peace do feel a pride of association. Be assured that I will feel that way as you go forward in your military careers mindful of the attributes at subject, here, today."

"In closing: I congratulate each of you on your achievements during your time at this Academy. I wish you the very best for the future.

------- Good-bye."

The old man slumped down -- his shoulders sagged -- and he began to, slowly, leave the podium.

The General stood and announced: "You are all, hereby, Officers in the Armed Forces of The United States of America! These Proceedings are concluded!"

Exactly at that moment, a flight of fighter jets rocketed low overhead with a thunderous roar. Hats were thrown high in the air by the celebrating graduates. The crowd of family and friends rushed to be next to them.

After a few moments, some of the more reflective ones began to look around in the direction the old man had taken from the podium. He was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared into the setting sun. They knew, in their hearts, that his words had given them a focus which would carry them through. They felt fortunate that he had cared and that he had been

----- one of them.

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Friday, September 12, 2003

Subject: North Texas Likely To Be Difficult

Just in case you haven't heard enough about the USAFA/North Texas game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. CDT, I've sent you some more. Both USAFA and Northwestern have said publicly that the entire Harridge ejection event is history. We don't play them again until 2006. If you want to read a strong opinion on it all, check out the column by Woody Paige of the Denver Post at:

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E87%7E,00.html

If you want to try the teamline telephone connection and listen free to the game broadcast tomorrow, you can call 1-800-846-4700 and use 0671 when they prompt you to enter a game number. I listened to the last 20 minutes of last week's game and some of the postgame show to hear what actually happened to cause Harridge's ejection. It worked fine and so far I haven't been charged anything and haven't been inundated by unsolicited phone calls. The latest thoughts on tomorrow's game are offered for your consideration:

I and many felt at first glance that this year's schedule was going to be pretty soft with a non-conference schedule of Wofford, Northwestern, North Texas, Navy and Army plus a conference schedule with a tough CSU, improving New Mexico and always hard for us BYU. Of course, everyone remembers how Wyoming beat the Falcons last year in Laramie, so surprises were always possible. The Wofford game went pretty much as expected. Northwestern played the Falcons much closer than most expected. My prediction is that North Texas will do the same. Much will depend on whether Coach DeBerry and his staff have found a way to energize the passing game for the attack against the North Texas Mean Green. The Greeners gave up only 108 yards rushing to Oklahoma and 85 yards rushing to Baylor. Neither of those teams are huge running threats, but they aren't exactly chopped liver either. Meanwhile, North Texas gave up 248 yards passing to Oklahoma on 23 completions of 45 attempts, including a 64 yard TD pass. Baylor passed for 19 of 29 and 183 yards (with 3 interceptions, to be granted) against North Texas. The Falcons will run against the Mean Green, but they will have to work for their yardage. It will go much better if the Falcon passing attack can keep the North Texas defense guessing. My prediction is a 20-14 Air Force victory.

GO FALCONS!

From: Les Query

Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Subject: Cap'n Gabe

Ace and '60,

The recent lose of Gen. Gabriel, ("Cap'n Gabe" as we called him as our AOC), brings to mind once again the nature of the early days of the Academy. Somehow, we were subjected to ideals and standards that appeared to be far higher than those brought from our sister institutions by many of our mentors at the time. Who was responsible for this? Harmon? Stillman? Cassidy? Townsend? Or was it partly due to having some idealistic ATOs and AOCs like Gen. Gabriel who knew that the bar needed to be raised a little higher if the Academy was to succeed?

It was inspiring to be in his company. He personally pulled me out of a motivational slump.

The attached photos that I took of him displays his calm and persuasive manner.

Les Querry

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Subject: The Question of the Day!

Assuming that the story below is correct regarding an unidentified NW coach intentionally hitting Harridge, what should be the appropriate penalty/suspension for an assistant coach that loses it on the field? Keep in mind that a player (in the MWC at least) risks a four quarter suspension. The story follows:

Harridge escapes additional penalty
Ejected QB cleared to face North Texas; AFA submits tapes

By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News
September 8, 2003
Chance Harridge lost his composure, and Air Force lost its quarterback.

Harridge was ejected in the third quarter of the Falcons' 22-21 win against Northwestern on Saturday at Evanston, Ill., for an unsportsmanlike flagrant foul in the third period.

Northwestern targeted Harridge, taunting him and hitting him hard on every tackle. Harridge's frustration boiled over when Marvin Ward stripped him of the ball with 6 minutes, 20 seconds left in the third quarter. He got up and swung at linebacker John Pickens.

Mountain West officials obtained an official report of the game and determined that Harridge would not be suspended for the first half of Saturday's game at Falcon Stadium against North Texas.

If he had been thrown out for fighting, a four-quarter suspension would have accompanied that penalty and Harridge would have been forced to sit out the first half of Saturday's game against the Mean Green.

Harridge claims Northwestern players and an assistant coach pushed him when he tried to get up, which incited his third-quarter banishment.

Air Force assistant athletic director for media relations Troy Garnhart said the Falcons have submitted tapes to MWC associate commissioner Bret Gilliland and Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy to review.

The film apparently shows an unidentified Northwestern coach hitting Harridge with his elbow in the chin in an intentional way.

Air Force isn't excusing Harridge but claims his reaction was provoked.

"I just have to learn not to retaliate in those situations," Harridge told reporters after the game.

Air Force trailed 21-7 when Harridge was kicked out but rallied behind backup quarterback Adam Fitch and a defense that intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter.

"We were fortunate to win," Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry said.

The Falcons (2-0) will try to remain unbeaten against North Texas, a team that has won the past two Sun Belt Conference titles. The Mean Green is 1-1 and coming off a 52-14 thrashing of Baylor.

GO FALCONS!

From: Aaron Thrush

Date: Monday, September 8, 2003

Subject: Fantastic Finish--AFA 22/NW 21!

For those who didn't listen to or follow the USAFA/NW game via Gametracker, you missed an exciting game -- especially true for the last 10 minutes of the game--from the Air Force perspective. I'm sure Northwestern fans would use other words to describe the game rather than exciting. If you haven't done your own research, here is the reason that Chance Harridge didn't play (and backup QB Adam Fitch did) for the final 21 minutes of the game. Harridge was hit after a 12 yard run; he had the ball stripped at the NW 37 and got up and threw a punch at a NW player. For that, he was ejected for the rest of the game. In his defense, Harridge said later that he felt he was pushed by both a NW player and by a NW Assistant Coach as he was getting up. He was ejected. The NW coach was penalized for being on the field and that penalty offset the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty levied against Harridge. After the game, Coach DeBerry was quoted as saying, "I don't think he'll get another one of those this season." I'm sure that Chance Harridge got the message. He also watched his backup, Fitch, take the Falcons down the field with 11 plays and 80 yards when they next had the ball. Fitch completed 3 of 4 passes for 51 yards on the drive. Harridge had 2 of 7 passes for 51 yards for the game. There is no QB controversy; Harridge is the starting QB and will work at channeling his much-admired intensity in more productive ways than causing unnecessary penalties.

There were lots of heroes in this victory. Anthony Butler had 12 rushes for 107 yards and 2 TD's; he also completed his one pass attempt for 37yards. Butler did fumble once, making it 2 fumbles for turnovers for the Falcons during the game to go along with a missed 39 yard FG and a blocked PAT. The defense played with unfailing heart and intensity. They intercepted the NW QB a total of 4 times; 3 picks took place during a 4:11 period in the 4th Quarter. Nate Allen intercepted a pass and ran it back 79 yards for a TD to make the score 21-19. Shortly afterwards, Dennis Poland made an interception and ran it back 14 yards to the NW 15; this set up the winning FG by Joey Ashcroft to make the final score 22-21. A final interception after the FG allowed the Falcons to take time off the clock so that less than a minute remained for Northwestern to try to go almost the length of the field to get their own FG. They failed to do so.

It doesn't get any easier. Next up are the North Texas Eagles (aka as the Mean Green) this coming Saturday at USAFA with the kickoff at 1:00 p.m. CDT. North Texas lost 37-3 to #1 Oklahoma in their opener at Norman, OK, on 8/30. The Sooners limited them to 50 yards offense in the first three quarters and only 154 yards for the entire game. On the other hand, The Eagles limited Oklahoma to only 108 yards on the ground. The Sooners beat them with 23 of 35 passing and 248 yards in the air. Last Saturday against much easier competition in the form of the Baylor Bears North Texas won by a score of 52-14. The Eagles rushed for 327 yards and completed 9 of 15 passes for 124 yards; they had 2 runners with over 100 yards rushing. Meanwhile they held Baylor to a total of 85 yards rushing and 19 of 29 passes for 183 yards. The Eagles had a 31-0 lead in the 3rd Quarter b efore Baylor scored their first TD. This is not a team to take lightly! More later this week and closer to the game.

GO FALCONS

From: Aaron Thrush

Subject: USAFA Football

Date: Thursday, September 04, 2003 1:23 AM

Subject: Wofford's Past, NW Wildcats Next!

OK, so the Wofford Terriers were not quite as difficult as I thought they might be. They didn't roll over, but they were definitely outmanned and soundly beaten at 49-0. The Falcons didn't score in the first quarter, but put up 21 points in both the second and third quarters before finishing with 7 points in the last quarter. C2C Fullback Dan Shaffer came back from his season-ending injury in last year's opener against Northwestern to rack up 3 TD's and 64 yards on 12 carries against Wofford in the 2003 opener. Chance Harridge had 15 rushes for 92 yards as well as 5 for 9 passing for 61 yards.

A couple of interesting stats are the 2 for 2 passing of backup QB Adam Fitch for 28 yards and the 14 carries for 62 yards by C4C Fullback Jacob Kendrick. The Falcon defense held Wofford to 175 total offense and only nine first downs for the game. Wofford had only 54 yards of offense in the second half.

This coming week against the Northwestern Wildcats should be a bit more challenging. Northwestern opened their season by traveling to and defeating the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 28-20. The game was played at night in a steady to heavy rain. The result wasn't especially mistake free, but the Wildcats went home with a win and some eye-catching statistics. They forced 4 Kansas turnovers in the first half, and 5 total in the game, as the Northwestern moved out to a 14-0 halftime lead. Senior RB Jason Wright scored 2 TD's in each half as he had a total of 41 carries for 196 yards. In his last 11 games Wright as rushed for over 100 yards in 8 of those games; this guy is no flash in the pan. He is a durable workhorse as a RB. Northwestern's Sophomore QB Brett Basanez had a 23 for 36 record as he garnered a total of 219 passing yards and only 1 interception. The Wildcat's final TD was set up by a 40 yard run by Jason Wright's backup, Terrell Jordan, when Wright was taking an infrequent break from the action. The point is that Northwestern can both pass and run and they have some depth. Defensively, Northwestern was burned by a 73 yard Kansas TD pass play. Kansas scored their other TD's by returning an intercepted pass for a 31 yard TD and by returning a blocked punt (result of a low snap). Northwestern held Kansas to less than 100 total rushing yards for the game. Northwestern is a team that certainly remembers the embarrassment of their 52-3 loss in Colorado Springs last year, and they can be expected to be ready to play with intensity on their home field. If the Falcons can come anywhere close to getting 170 yards rushing from their fullbacks against the Wildcats as they did against Wofford and if Chance Harridge can mix in some accurate passing with a ball controlling running game, USAFA should come away a well earned victory along the lines of 31-21. The game will start at noon CDT on Saturday, 9/06. There will be no TV coverage of the game directly. You can follow it by logging on to the USAFA Website and follow the Gametracker instructions. You can also check out the "teamline" claim to provide free audio of USAFA football games at the following website:

http://www.teamline.cc/teampages.php?teamcode=0671

I haven't tried it and am somewhat skeptical that it is in fact free.

GO FALCONS! Aaron

From: Aaron Thrush

Subject: USAFA Football

Date: August 27, 2003

[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: AFTER A SPRING AND SUMMER HIATUS, OUR SPORT'S EDITOR IS BACK!]

For those of you that have been otherwise occupied, this will be a relatively brief attempt to get you ready for what could be a very special season for Air Force Academy Football. First, the good news is that as many as 6 or more Falcon games may be televised this fall. Second, the not so good news is that the first 3 games versus the Wofford Terriers, the Northwestern Wildcats and the North Texas Mean Green will not be televised. Third, the fourth game of the season against the Wyoming Cowboys in Colorado Springs will be televised at 1:00 p.m. CDT, Saturday, 9/20 by Sports West (available by satellite). For those in the Northwest Florida area, Angler's Sports Bar is happily inviting all Falcon fans to have a raucous good time cheering on Chance Harridge and his teammates on to victory. More good news is that Angler's will be smoke free this fall.

The BYU game will also be televised the following week on September 27. That game will be televised from Provo, UT, by ESPN Regional and will start at 2:00 p.m. CDT. Angler's will again be looking to host an enthusiastic crowd of Falcon fans. There are no plans for the Navy game in Landover, MD, on 10/04 to be televised; but, as often the case, it should be a hardfought, close game. The following is copied off the Academy Sports Website and is offered for quick review:

Air Force now has seven kickoff times set for 2003. The team opens the season on Aug. 30 against Wofford in Falcon Stadium at noon. The next two home games, Sept. 13 vs. North Texas and Sept. 20 vs. Wyoming, will also begin at noon. In addition to the BYU game, Air Force plays at Northwestern Sept. 6 at 11 a.m., at Navy Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m. and at Colorado State at Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. All times are Mountain. The Colorado State game will be televised by ESPN2. The Northwestern and Navy games will not be televised, but may be found locally on KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs and AM 950 The Fan in Denver on the radio. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TIMES ARE GIVEN IN MOUNTAIN TIME.

The rest of the season will find USAFA hosting UNLV on Saturday, 10/11. They visit CSU at Ft.Collins the following Thursday night, 10/16, where ESPN2 will be televising the game with kickoff at 9:00 p.m. CDT. Utah visits Colorado Springs on 11/01, followed by Army on 11/08. The final 2 games of the Falcons season are road games as they go to Albuquerque to play New Mexico in what could be a critical conference game on 11/15 and travel to San Diego to play the SDSU Aztecs on 11/22. The most likely games to be televised by ESPN Regional or Plus or by Sports West later in the season are the UNLV, Utah and New Mexico games.

For those that want more information and detail on upcoming games I refer you to www.airforcesports.com as well as www.rockymountainnews.com and www.denverpost.com More to come closer to Saturday. Do be aware that the Falcons have a backup QB by the name of Adam Fitch who was 5 of 7 passing last Saturday in the annual Silver and Blue preseason scrimmage. He has impressed many (including the coaching staff) with his talent; he's not going to threaten Harridge's job, but he could be handy to have around in case of injury. Also, be aware that Wofford out of Spartanburg, SC, and of the Southern Conference is a 1-AA school and the alma mater of Coach DeBerry (Class of 1960, no less). You should also know that they were 9-3 last year and have a number of returning starters. Last year they played University of Maryland fairly tough before being beaten 37-8. The point is that they will not necessarily be an easy pushover this Saturday.

GO FALCONS! Aaron

From: Howard Whitfield

Subject: USAFA 1960 Web Site Information

Date: August 21, 2003

Ace,

I just noticed that our web site has my old address, P.O. Box 181800, Coronado, CA 92178. Our new address since February, 2003 is, 14781 Vista La Quebrada, Jamul, CA 91935, (619) 669-6307 (h). Hope all is well with you.

Cheers,

DuBop

From: Ben Furuta

To: All

Subject: Buck Congdon

Date: August 15, 2003

Ace: I got these e-mails today from Chuck Denham and assume that you probably have too. But I am relaying them just in case.

"Lt Col (Ret) Norman B. "Buck" Congdon, class of 1960, died on 5 August 2003 of Cancer in Albuquerque NM.

Condolences may be sent to his wife:

Mrs Louisa Congdon
1055 Red Oaks Loop NE
Albuquerque NM 87122-1346

Memorial Donations may be made to:
UNMH Hospice
1650 University NE Suite 200
Albuquerque NM 87102

For questions, contact:

Mrs Michele Cowan
Association of Graduates, USAFA
3116 Academy Dr
USAF Academy CO 80840-4475
(719) 472-0300 Fax (719) 333-4194
(DSN) 333-2073 DSN Fax 333-4194
Michele.Cowan@usafa.af.mil"

From: Jim Bujalski

To: All my friends and classmates of the Class of '60

Subject: Cleone

Date: August 15, 2003

Please post this to notify my friends and classmates of the Cass of 1960 that my wife of 43 years, Cleone, passed away July 23, 2003. It was, coincidentally, our wedding aniversary. She died of cancer after a 14 year battle. If you have a way of sending this on to the Class of 1960 I would appreciate it.

Thanks, Jim Bujalski

From: Jim Thomasson

To: All

Subject: New knees for Kirk

Date: August 13, 2003

Ace,

Let the world know that Kirk Canterbury is now the proud owner of two new knees. He had both knees replaced this afternoon. He is in Carolinas Medical Center here in Charlotte in room 11905. He was doing fine when I saw him at about 1830 this afternoon. If all goes well he should be home in about a week.

Hope you are doing well!

Thanks,

Jim T.