HERITAGE MINUTE

The largest and most commanding structure on the Heritage Trail is the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion.  A gift of the Class of ‘70, it was dedicated on October first, 2010, during the class’s 40-year reunion.  ----more----

The facility pays homage to Air Force Academy graduates who served and sacrificed during the Southeast Asia conflict.  Plaques list each of the 150 Academy graduates who died in the war, from the Classes of 1959 to 1972.  Other plaques pay tribute to our sister service academies.  The Pavilion has nine granite benches, one for each of the Class of ’70 graduates killed in the war, and a flag perpetually at half-staff.  The black granite wall is evocative of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  The Pavilion bisects a blue wall, representing how the war impacted the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates.  One key feature inside the Pavilion is a bronze bas-relief map of Southeast Asia that includes locations of major bases and operations during that conflict.  It was sculpted by Vietnam veteran Jim Nance, Class of ’71. The Pavilion also has interactive screens, which provide context to the war, with information on the culture and news of the times.  The front wall points to the Cadet Area to remind cadets of graduate heritage during the war, a legacy of heroism and service presented and preserved by this remarkable facility.

IMAGE GALLERY

In the traffic circle outside Doolittle Hall, the Air Force Academy alumni headquarters, is a remarkable sculpture of Pegasus. ----more----

This winged horse, a gift from the Italian government, has been on the Academy grounds since before our first class graduated.  The Pegasus statue is a replica of one displayed at the Italian Air War College in Florence.  In mythology, Pegasus is noted for invincibility in war, as well as glory, knowledge and inspiration.  The sculpture stands more than 10 feet tall and weighs eight and a half tons.  The ball on the base represents planet earth.  The marble used for Pegasus was quarried in the Apuan Alps near where Michelangelo obtained the stone for many of his projects.  The carving of the sculpture was supervised by noted Italian sculptor Mario Moschi and was dedicated on May 15th, 1959.  General Silvio Napoli, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, was the guest of honor at the ceremony.  The statue stood outside the Arnold Hall Ballroom until the spring of 1994, when it was moved to Doolittle Hall.  USAFA lore says that Pegasus will fly under certain circumstances, but in this case, it “flew” in a more conventional way, by crane and truck.

In the waning days of his 45-year career serving and supporting the Long Blue Line, Maj. (Ret.) Tom Kroboth was inducted as an honorary member of the Association of Graduates during a Dec. 5, 2023 ceremony.----more----

Reprinted from the March 2024 issue of Checkpoints Magazine

“This is certainly long overdue,” Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh ’66, a member of the AOG board of directors, commented during the gathering. “What a special and distinguished career supporting USAFA and its graduates.”

Kroboth has long been considered a valued part of the USAFA family — a key contributor to Checkpoints magazine and a mainstay at Jim Glaza’s ’60 Jurassic Park tailgate party hosted by the Academy’s first four classes — but his induction cemented his place in the institution’s history. Affec- tionately known as “Kro,” Kroboth was joined by family, friends and colleagues for the special gathering at Doolittle Hall.

“I’m proud to be named an honorary member,” he says. “It’s exciting and humbling.”

Calling him “the man behind the curtain,” Gen. Mueh suggested that Kroboth was the unassuming early employee of the AOG. He was the lone member of the AOG’s communications team in the early years and among just a handful of employees of the alumni organization back then.

During his lengthy tenure with the AOG, Kroboth served as editor of Check- points magazine and director of publica- tions for the organization. For the past 20 years, he’s worked part time as “Gone But Not Forgotten” and Class News edi- tor, among “the most widely read pieces in Checkpoints,” Gen. Mueh says.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould ’76, then- CEO of the AOG and the Air Force Academy Foundation, reported that the board of directors voted unanimously to induct Kro as an honorary member.

“It didn’t take much to convince the board,” he says. “From honesty, integrity, selflessness and excellence across the board, you epitomize our core values. I hope that you feel this invitation for you to become one of us is heartfelt, because it is.”

Proof of Kro’s selfless service is found inside each edition of Checkpoints, Gen. Gould notes. There are no bylines identifying the significant work he’s been doing for decades.

“There’s no credit-seeking on Tom Kroboth’s part,” he says. “He just published this year in and year out, four editions a year, for 40-some years and not looking for any credit. You deserve all the credit, and we are so honored to be able to bring you into the AOG as an honorary member.”

CORRALING A MUSTANG

Expelled from Central Catholic High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for smoking in the men’s bathroom, Kroboth decided to enlist in the military in 1955.

He initially joined the Marine Corps Reserve under the delayed entry pro- gram, expecting to officially swear into that service in the fall. But when he arrived for inprocessing, the line for the Marines was terribly long. No one was standing in the Air Force line, however, so Kroboth enlisted with the nation’s newest military branch instead.

“This airman was almost a Marine, but luckily for us he chose the blue,” Gen. Gould says.

He served as an enlisted airman for 12 years, rising to the grade of technical sergeant. He was a boom operator in the KC-135, KB-29 and KC-97 during that time, assigned to Strategic Air Command. He was first stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas, and later headed to Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington.

Kroboth was then selected for the Airman’s Education and Commissioning Program and attended Syracuse University. While there, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s de- gree in mass communications. He also met and married his wife of 52 years, Jan, while getting his degrees.

Maj. (Ret.) Tom Kroboth, second from right, celebrates his induction as an honorary member of the Association of Graduates with his wife, Jan, and, from left, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hans Mueh '66 and Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz '73. (Photos by Ryan Hall)

Kro gained editing and writing experience for the Syracuse newspaper while finishing his coursework, and then received an Air Force commission.

“I’m a Mustang,” Kroboth says proudly. “That’s what they call officers with prior- enlisted time.”

After a brief stint as an Air Force re- cruiter at Syracuse and assignments in Korea, Germany and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Kro headed to USAFA, where he has stayed ever since.

FINDING HIS NICHE

Kroboth arrived at the Academy as a major in 1978, assigned to the Directorate of Gifts & Alumni Affairs, the Academy agency that originally handled AOG operations, as director of gifts and memorials. In that role, he also contrib- uted to USAFA’s alumni publication, then known simply as the Association of Graduates Magazine.

“He was really on the ground floor of all AOG operations,” Gen. Gould says.

Kro transitioned from the Air Force in 1981 rather than be transferred to a new base and job. He retired one day and came to work for the AOG the next, at the same office and the same desk, essentially in the same position.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he was essentially the AOG’s entire communications staff, responsible for Checkpoints magazine and the Register of Graduates.

He helped grow the magazine’s size and quality and incorporated new technolo- gies, including the use of computers.

“Tom was dragged kicking and scream- ing into the digital age,” Gen. Mueh says. “But he did it anyway because he knew it would make the product better.”

Kroboth’s first computer password was “NoWay,” his silent protest to the untimely retirement of his trusty electric typewriter that remained on his desk for decades after.

He held the title of editor and direc- tor of publications until 2001. Kro then served as assistant editor until 2004, when he switched to a part-time position.

Kroboth officially retired from his part-time role at the end of 2023.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz ’73, president of the Falcon Foundation, nominated Kro for honorary membership designation.

In his nomination packet, Kro is described as one of a handful of people who have had a direct and positive impact on literally every Air Force Academy graduating class, from 1959 to 2023.

“I think that the one word that describes Tom and Jan is service,” he told the crowd. “Service to our nation, service to our Academy, service to our graduates and service to the AOG.”

He noted that the couple has also sponsored more than 20 cadets through the years, having a lasting impact on the lives of future officers.

“Everyone you touched you’ve made better,” he added.

“Tom Kroboth has certainly met and exceeded the requirements for being named an honorary member,” says Wyatt Hornsby, vice president of marketing and communications for the AOG and Foundation. “That’s why this is such a momentous occasion.”

In accepting the honorary membership, Kroboth thanked a long list of mentors and friends who encouraged and support- ed him along the way, including former AOG Executive Director Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Wheeler ’64; former AOG Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gary Howe ’69; Col. (Ret.) Dick Rauschkolb ’70; Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dick Coppock ’61; and Col. (Ret.) Jock Schwank ’60.

“I think that the one word that describes Tom and Jan is

service. Service to our nation, service to our Academy,

service to our graduates and service to the AOG.”

— Gen. (Ret.) Steve Lorenz ’73

The Honorary Member program permits the Association of Graduates to recognize non-graduates who have championed the AOG’s mission to “serve and support the United States of America, the United States Air Force, the United States Air Force Academy, and the graduate community.” The designation is limited to 25 living recipients. Kroboth is the 44th individual to be inducted as an honorary member in the history of the AOG.

The first honorary membership was awarded on Oct. 3, 1981, to Mrs. Gail McComas, the Academy’s first Cadet Wing hostess, who served from 1955 until 1977. Other selectees include former Arizona U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, World War II aviation hero (and AOG headquarters building name- sake) Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, and former Dean of the Faculty Brig. Gen. Robert McDermott.

An important part of the Association of Graduates’ commitment to heritage is recognizing and honoring the Academy’s most outstanding graduates.  ----more----

While every graduate contributes in his or her own way, some are worthy of special recognition.  The AOG’s Heritage Trail contains pedestals dedicated to the Distinguished Graduate Award recipients.  The Distinguished Graduate Award recognizes exceptional graduates who have set themselves apart by making extraordinarily significant contributions to our nation and/or their communities.  The award, jointly presented by the AOG and the Academy, was established in 1999 and first presented during Founders Day 2002.  The initial recipients, technically the 2001 honorees, were General Ronald Fogleman, Class of ’63, and Mr. Harry Pearce, Class of ’64.  The pedestals are made of granite quarried in South Dakota.  Each pedestal weighs just under two-thousand pounds.  The prestige of an institution is measured by the accomplishments of its graduates.  Distinguished Graduates are among those who provide an example of the qualities we Zoomies value.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation

A key feature of the Heritage Trail at Doolittle Hall is the Challenge Bridge.  The bridge was commissioned by the Academy’s first graduating class, the Class of ’59, and their surrogate upperclassmen, the Air Training Officers. ----more----

It was dedicated on June 17th, 2004, when members of the class were at the Academy for their 45-year reunion.  The stone and mortar structure serves as a gateway to the Heritage Trail and was intended to inspire cadets to reflect on the oath of service and commitment they had chosen for their lives.  Before crossing the bridge, the cadets, who aspire to someday join the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates, read the text on the bridge-mounted plaque: “To each incoming cadet:  The path to which you aspire has been consecrated by the blood of heroes and paved with the selfless service of countless men and women like you.  If you would be worthy of this Heritage:  Make integrity the bedrock value of your life; Let your actions always be guided by an unshakeable sense of duty, self-discipline, and personal responsibility; Become a lifelong student of history, war, humanity, and leadership; Be prepared to sacrifice everything to defend the principles upon which our nation was founded; Cross this bridge with the determination to live a life that will make all who went before proud of you.”

One of the three missions of the Association of Graduates is to promote the heritage of the Academy and the accomplishments of its graduates.  One very visible representation of this undertaking is the Heritage Trail, located adjacent to Doolittle Hall, the AOG’s headquarters building.  ----more----

It is part memorial, part inspirational park, part museum, and part educational facility.  The Heritage Trail concept dates back to 2002.  The Class of ’60 led the way, while the Classes of ’69 and ’73 provided additional funding for the first phase.  Since then, new features have been added by other classes.  At the head of the trail is a quote attributed to George Washington: “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”  The trail also features the Class of ’59 Challenge Bridge, pedestals recognizing Distinguished Graduate Award recipients, and the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion.  These sites will be profiled in future editions of the Heritage Minute.  The Trail also features: A Class of ’70-funded replica of the Graduate War Memorial located in the Cadet Area, which honors graduates who have died in combat; and a node donated by the Class of ‘89 dedicated to Valor and honoring a classmate, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Shea, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.  The Heritage Trail provides inspiration to cadets, who visit early in their Academy tenures, as well as to graduates and others who tour the facility.

Season 2 of Heritage Minute with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Steve Simon ’77 is under way! In this episode, a walk-through of the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation headquarters named for Gen. James "Jimmy" Doolittle.----more----

Located on 24 acres of land on the Air Force Academy, just southeast of the Cadet Area, is Doolittle Hall, the Association of Graduates’ headquarters building.  The facility is named for General James “Jimmie” Doolittle, who led the April 1942 raid on Tokyo that gave a huge morale boost to the United States and its allies. 

Groundbreaking for the alumni house took place on May 28, 1991, with one of General Doolittle’s sons and a Doolittle Raider among those in attendance.  Just over a year later, on August 21, 1992, the 35,000-square-foot facility was dedicated.  The building houses many historical displays and plays host to a variety of cadet-, graduate-, and Academy-related events throughout the year.  Doolittle Hall also houses two other Academy-supporting foundations, the USAFA Endowment and the Falcon Foundation.  On June 30, 1995, the first phase of the Class of 1999’s inprocessing took place at Doolittle Hall.  Every inprocessing between then and 2017 started at Doolittle Hall, with the exception of 2012, when it was moved to the Field House due to the Waldo Canyon Fire.  Doolittle Hall continues to be a focal point on in-processing day, as the building and grounds play host to the incoming basic cadets’ family members.  Basic cadets visit the facility late in Basic Cadet Training, a day devoted to learning about the Academy’s rich heritage and accepting the challenge of taking the first steps toward joining the Long Blue Line of Academy graduates.

Penny Grossman served 21 years of active duty as an Air Force nurse. In 1973, She was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines during Operation Homecoming, when nearly 600 American Prisoners of War were freed. The first leg of their journey home took them from Hanoi to Clark Air Base, where Penny witnessed their first steps of freedom.

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Operation Homecoming image credit:  whoa.org, Mr. Don Quigley, contributor 

THE BACKSTORY 

This Heritage Minute special presentation is guest-hosted by George Hayward, author of The Party Dolls: The True, Tragic Story of Two Americans’ Attempted Escape from a 1969 Hanoi POW Camp.  He is a recognized authority on the history of Americans held captive during the Viet Nam war, and the horrors they faced.

Lt. Penny Grossman, USAF, Clark Air Base, 1972

George has known Penny for more than 20 years. He has known her husband Barry, also retired Air Force, for more than 30 years. But he'd never heard any of this until just a few months ago. Penny's stories moved him to tears, and, according to George, she shed many tears in the telling. A short time later, she recorded her memories on audio, which George has agreed share with you.

Mr. George Hayward, Author, The Party Dolls

Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE PARTY DOLLS

In May 1969, at the peak of the Vietnam War, two American prisoners of war escaped from a brutal North Vietnamese prison camp. Their story is one of incredible bravery against the longest of odds—and also one of bitter conflict. Air Force Captains John Dramesi and Ed Atterberry escaped with help from their fellow prisoners, but that help was not given freely. Their attempt killed one man and brought many others a lifetime of pain.THE PARTY DOLLS tells the true, tragic story of an escape code-named the “Party.” The story is told by the men who lived it, American POWs, via interviews conducted by the author some two decades ago, but never published until now.

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

The primary goal of the United States Air Force Academy is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character for the nation.  ----more----One great way to do this is by exposing cadets to individuals who embody the selflessness, grit, and other characteristics we work to instill in them.  No group of leaders has demonstrated these values better than Medal of Honor recipients.  Here, on the second floor of Fairchild Hall is the Academy’s Medal of Honor Wall.  It features the names and likenesses of all members of the Air Force and its predecessor organizations who have earned the Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.

The Medal of Honor dates back to the American Civil War.  In December 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation establishing a Medal of Honor, making it the oldest continuously issued combat decoration in the United States.  The Medal of Honor is generally presented to its recipient or family member, in the name of Congress, by the President.  One President, in fact, received this honor – Theodore Roosevelt.  His son also earned the Medal of Honor, making them one of two father-son recipients.  The others:  Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Douglas MacArthur.  Since its inception, The Medal of Honor has been awarded more than 3,400 times.  The rolls include one woman and one eleven-year-old, both Civil War recipients.

The first four of the more than 60 heroes memorialized on the Wall at the Academy are from World War I.  Captain “Eddie” Rickenbacker was the first, earning his for aerial combat in 1918.  Also in World War I, Pilot Harold Goettler and observer Erwin Bleckley, both lieutenants, were awarded the Medal for conspicuous gallantry for their mission to deliver supplies to troops trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest, a mission they did not survive.  Incidentally, their World War I unit, the 50th Aero Squadron, was activated at the Academy from the early 1980s until 2007, under both the Commandant of Cadets and the Dean of the Faculty.

An additional 38 aviation-related Medals of Honor were awarded in World War II and four in the Korean War before the Air Force-specific Medal of Honor was created on April 14, 1965.

Fourteen Air Force members received Medals of Honor for their service in the Vietnam War, including three enlisted warriors:  Airman First Class William Pitsenbarger, Chief Master Sergeant Richard Etchberger, and Airman First Class John Levitow.

Certainly the Medal of Honor recipient cadets are most familiar with is Captain Lance Peter Sijan, Class of ’65, the only Air Force Academy graduate to have one bestowed on him.  On 9 November 1967, then-First Lieutenant Sijan was reported missing after he ejected from his disabled F-4C aircraft during a night bombing mission near Vinh, North Vietnam.  Despite grievous injuries, he managed to evade for 46 days before being captured.  He died in captivity on 22 January 1968.

Two Medal of Honor recipients taught at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s after the conclusion of their Vietnam tours, serving as great role models for the cadets of that era, to include me.  Both officers flew helicopters and were recognized for their heroism on rescue missions.  Captain James Fleming taught on the faculty, while Captain Gerald Young served as a flight instructor.

Several other recipients who appear on the Academy’s wall are very familiar to cadets and staff members.  Jimmy Doolittle is the namesake of the Association of Graduates’ alumni building.  Medal of Honor recipients chosen as class exemplars, leaders for cadets to emulate, include Jay Zeamer Jr., Richard I. Bong, Frank Luke, and George “Bud” Day.

THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE WALL IS ALSO AN EXEMPLAR: THE CLASS OF ’26 HAS CHOSEN MASTER SERGEANT JOHN CHAPMAN, KILLED DURING COMBAT IN AFGHANISTAN, AS ITS EXEMPLAR. 

The Medal of Honor Wall at the Air Force Academy serves as a reminder of the legacy left by these aviation heroes who went well above and beyond the call of duty.  These stories of integrity, service before self and excellence provide constant inspiration and motivation to the members of the Air Force Academy Cadet Wing who pass this display every day.

Dive into the story behind the Col. Richard Gimbel Aeronautical Library, located at the top floor of USAFA's McDermott Library!----more----

On the sixth floor of the Academy’s McDermott Library is a temperature — and humidity-controlled room that houses one of the institution’s most historic collections.  The Colonel Richard Gimbel Aeronautical History Collection — totaling about 20,000 items — is one of the world's best collections of artifacts and publications documenting the human dream of flight.  Gimbel, a military aviator during World War II and an heir to the Gimbel's Department Store fortune, began collecting aeronautical memorabilia after buying a trunk full of aviation-related materials at a bombed-out London bookstore.  He would go on to collect many items for his aeronautical collection, including books, manuscripts, coins, prints, postcards and comic books.  The collection covers the transition of flight from hot-air balloons to parachutes and powered flight.  In the mid-1950s, aviator Charles Lindbergh learned about Gimbel's collection and suggested to his friend, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon, the Academy's first superintendent, that the institution pursue the donation of the collection.  During his lifetime, Gimbel never confirmed that he would bequeath the collection to the Academy.  But in 1970, when Gimbel died, his will left the collection to USAFA.  The oldest item in the collection, dated to 2700 B.C., is a stone seal from southern Mesopotamia that bears the image of an outstretched eagle.  The Gimbel book collection includes a German volume from 1493 and an Italian volume from 1489.  The collection's numerous medallions commemorate the first manned balloon flight in France in 1783 and the Wright brothers' historic flight in 1903.  The collection even includes a Mickey Mouse cartoon book that depicts flying.  Cadets access the Gimbel collection for research, but it is also open to the public by invitation or by writing to the Academy library director.