The Falcon Footnote - United States Air Force Academy

United States Air Force Academy Department of History Newsletter
The Falcon Footnote
Volume
20
Volume
20
Fall2014
2014
Fall
Inside this issue:
Commander’s Corner
2
Hands-on History
3
DFH Hails and Farewells
4
Oral History Update
8
Faculty News
8
Cadet News
8
______________________
The Falcon Footnote
Editorial Staff
Department Head
Colonel Mark Wells
Editor
Lt Col John Clune
Contributing Writers
Lt Col David Bachler
LTC Nathan Watanabe
Dr. Robert Wettemann
C2C Jason Sanchez
Doolittle Raiders: The
A Year with the US
Final Toast
Security Coordinator
History Majors C1C Sean Collins (CS-26) and
in Jerusalem
C1C (CS-17) served as escorts for the Doolittle
Tokyo Raiders’ “Final Toast” event at Wright
Patterson AFB on 8 and 9 November 2013. During this event, attended the Chief of Staff of the
Air Force, the remaining Raiders toasted their
fallen comrades with a bottle of 1896 Hennessey
Cognac (symbolic as Gen Doolittle was born in
1896). The toast was accomplished using the
Doolittle Raiders’ ceremonial goblets, which
were on display at USAFA until 2006. The bottle of Hennessey had been believed lost during
its time at USAFA, but in fact remained in the
care of the Raiders in secrecy until this event.
Of the original 80 Raiders, only four remain; Lt
Col Richard Cole, Lt Col Robert Hite, Lt Col
Edward Saylor, SSgt David Thatcher. Lt Col
Hite was unable to make the journey to Ohio,
but joined his fellow Raiders via live video feed
from his home.
Lt Col David Bachler
Along with its exotic collage of personalities,
spices, tapestries, and stone architecture,
Jerusalem has been a contentious epicenter
for competing religions, peoples, and polities
for centuries. The United States remains
firmly committed to the Middle East Peace
Process (MEPP) with its attendant political,
fiscal, and military commitments, particularly through the efforts of the United States
Security Coordinator in Jerusalem (USSCJerusalem or USSC for short). From January
2013 until January 2014, I helped write (at
least draft a footnote of) history by serving as
the senior program manager (and liaison to
the Palestinian Ministry of Interior) for this
small, but effective and pivotal organization.
(Continued on page 6)
(Continued on page 3)
C1C Taylor
Scott salutes
Lt Col Richard
Cole after
handing him
his goblet for
the final toast.
The 1896 Hennessey bottle
sits on the table to the left.
V O LU M E 2 0
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
PAGE 2
Commander’s Corner: Colonel Mark Wells
The
year
marks the 60th
anniversary of
the Academy’s
birth.
Many
will recall that
President Eisenhower
signed the legislation
that
established
Colonel Wells
“the Long Blue
Line” on April
st
1 , 1954. The Department of History has
been an integral part of the academic program ever since. Classically educated,
and, in many cases having been tempered
by the global combat experiences of the
Second World War, the Academy’s
founders clearly understood the value of
our discipline. Accordingly, from the
beginning, the history curriculum was
substantial and sought to prepare Air
Force officers for the challenges of the
future. Time, variations in pedagogy, and
the demands of other disciplines have
brought scores of changes to the Academy’s curriculum. While it’s fair to say
that our graduates have performed in extraordinary ways, the pressures to stay
abreast of the latest innovations in education bring demands of their own. For
DFH the challenge has been to preserve
what’s best in our course of study but be
open, flexible, and adaptable for improvement.
This accounts for our continued interest in
returning American history to the core
alongside military history and world history. Currently in the second semester of a
longitudinal study directed by the Superintendent and Academy Board, we find the
data compelling. Of the nearly 150 cadets
identified for the course so far, the overwhelming majority demonstrate a measur-
able improvement in their understanding
of their country, its people, and the constitution they’re pledged to support and defend. Significantly, their commitment to
one of the Academy’s goal regarding diversity and inclusivity is enhanced. It’s
little surprise that they show evidence of
more respect for human dignity; hearing
the narratives of women, minorities, and
others inspires a deeper understanding.
I’ll be sure to keep you updated on our
efforts.
As a result of the amazing efforts of our
DFH personnel team, the department is
more fully staffed now than at any time in
recent history. We look forward to the
next 60 years!
I’m saddened to report the loss of three
DFHers. Brigadier General Al Hurley,
USAF (retired), passed away early in the
year. His lengthy contributions to the
department, the Academy, and our Air
Force are almost too numerous to mention. It’s fair to say he built DFH into a
nationally regarded history department.
He was an effective leader and teacher and
mentored scores of DFH faculty members.
Many of the cadets and officers went on to
have distinguished careers themselves,
including General Ronald R. Fogelman,
the 16th Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
Hurley established and hosted eight Military History Symposia and put the Harmon Memorial Lecture on solid ground.
DFH also lost Lieutenant Colonel Harry
Borowski, USAF (retired), after a gallant
fight against cancer. Serving the department for more than 15 years, Harry inspired hundreds and hundreds of cadets
and officers. His leadership, scholarship,
and humanity will be treasured by all who
were privileged to know him. Lieutenant
Colonel Lorenzo Crowell, USAF (retired)
also passed away recently. A 1965 Air
Force Academy graduate, he flew HH-43
rescue helicopters and C-130s during the
Vietnam War. After earning his PhD
from Duke, he taught in DFH between
1981 and 1983.
Karl W. Richter, USAFA Class of 1964,
was the youngest American pilot to
shoot down a MiG in Vietnam and completed 198 missions before his death on
20 April 1967. He was awarded the Air
Force Cross, the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross and completed
more combat missions over Vietnam
than any other airman up to that time.
MARK WELLS
Permanent Professor and Head
Throw a Nickel on
the Grass…
A statue of Lt Richter stands on the
Academy’s Mall of Heroes in front of
Fairchild Hall, the base of which is covered with nickels. According to Ray
Lennon, USAFA ’64, and Richter’s
classmate, when the mockup statue was
unveiled and presented for display, a
(Continued on page 7)
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
PAGE 3
V O LU M E 2 0
(Continued from page 1)
For many years, the goblets were carried from
USAFA to the site of the Raiders’ annual reunion, cementing the Academy’s bond with this
esteemed organization. It was fitting for two of
DFH’s top cadets to participate in this final event
in which the goblets were used to toast fallen
comrades. In the exhibit halls of the National
Museum of the US Air Force, Lt Col Cole stood
and honored all of the Raiders, saying,
“Gentleman, I propose a toast to those we lost on
the mission and those who have passed away
since. Thank you very much, and may they rest
in peace.” With this final toast, the goblets pass
into history, remaining on display at the Air
Force Museum for all visitors to see.
C1C Taylor Scott (top left),C1C Sean Collins (top right) with the Gen. Mark Welsh
(CSAF), The Honorable Eric Fanning
(Acting SecAF), CMSgt James Cody
(CMSgt of the Air Force) with the attending Raiders.
Hands-on History, from “Huzzah” to “Hooah!”
LTC Nathan K. Watanabe, USA
Academy cadets and faculty got to experience history first-hand
during the Cadet History Club’s Historical Weapons Shoot held
3 May at Fort Carson’s Range #1. All told, twenty cadets and
faculty members from the History Department and the
Cadet History Club, fired over 1700 rounds from over 20
different historical weapons as they to learned about,
drilled with, and fired muskets, rifles, and carbines from
the .69-caliber smoothbore 1766 Charleville Musket to
today’s 5.56mm caliber, magazine-fed, gas-operated, aircooled M16A4 Rifle and M4 Carbine. Department of
History faculty including LTC Nathan Watanabe
(Officer in Charge), LtCol David Bachler, LtCol Doug
Kennedy, Maj Mark Buchy, Dr Charles Dusch, and Dr
Bob Wettemann and MAJ Alec McMorris (4th Infantry
Division) were dressed in period uniforms and equipped
with authentic period kit, to increase participants’ understanding of soldiering through the ages and better appreciate the burden of The Soldier’s Load over time. The
event also included a display presented by the 10th
Mountain Division Living History Display Group, discussing the formation and history of the 10th Mountain
Division here in Colorado in 1942. While fun and exciting,
such hands-on experiences are also invaluable to increasing
Cadets’ understanding of their military heritage and their pro-
fession, underscoring the theme of the Academy’s Department
of History, “To Teach History for the Profession of Arms.”
Cadets and Faculty engage period targets in the final historical “Mad Minute” as part of the History Club’s Historical Weapons Shoot.
PAGE 4
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
V O LU M E 2 0
DFHers: Hail, Farewell, and News
Newcomers:
After Afghanistan, Maj Garbett attended
the United States Naval Postgraduate
School, earning an MA in National Security Affairs, focused on Europe/Eurasia.
While in Monterey, she learned French at
the Defense Language Institute. As a regional affairs strategist (RAS), she served
in Europe as an international programs
manager/operations officer in Germany
responsible to the OSD and to DSCA,
where she facilitated strategic dialogue
among international, security-focused organizations and working groups, including
Emerging Security Challenges, Security
Sector Reform and Advanced Distributed
Learning.
Dr Edward Woodfin, DFH’s Distinguished Visiting Professor, arrived in May
2014 from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, where he is Associate Professor
of History. Dr. Woodfin earned his BA
(Phi Beta Kappa) from Baylor University
and his MA and PhD from Texas A&M
University. He has won an Excellence in
Teaching Award from the South Carolina
Independent Colleges and Universities as
well as Converse’s Kathryne Amelia
Brown Award for Excellence in Teaching. He teaches a variety of courses on the
history of modern Europe, including his
specialty in modern British history and the
Major Michal Kloeffler-Howard arrived
British Empire. He also teaches Latin
at USAFA in August 2014 from Supreme
American history, a subject to which he
Allied Headquarters Europe, Mons Belhas a special connection since living in
gium, where she served as a Regional AfViña del Mar, Chile, and the history of the
fairs Specialist in the Military Partnership
American West. Dr. Woodfin’s book
Division. She is a graduate of the United
Camp and Combat on the Sinai and PalesStates Naval Postgraduate School, where
tine Front: the Experience of the British
she earned an MA in International RelaEmpire Soldier, 1916-18 explains what
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in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 5/6. In 2010, he was 1 of 25 Air
Force officers selected to participate in the
Logistics Career Broadening Program.
Capt Jeff Copeland came to USAFA
from the University of Nevada, Reno,
where he studied U.S. social history and
the American West and graduated Phi
Kappa Phi. His MA thesis explored California’s church-run hostels for JapaneseAmericans during the World War II Eviction and Resettlement. He commissioned
through OTS in 2008 and graduated Commodore’s List with Distinction from pilot
training at NAS Corpus Christi in
2009. He flew the C-130H at Yokota AB,
Japan, where he was a central scheduler
and aircraft commander. Currently he is
in T-53A instructor upgrade training.
Capt Steven Czak arrived at USAFA in
July 2014 from the University of Calgary,
Canada. A 2009 graduate of USAFA, he
majored in Foreign Area Studies, with a
concentration
on Eastern Europe and a
vendors.
minor in Russian. Upon commissioning,
Capt Czak attended the Air Force Intelligence Officer Course at Goodfellow Air
Force Base, Texas. His first assignment
was to Los Angeles Air Force Base, California as the Space Systems Branch Chief,
Intelligence Operations, where he provided intelligence analysis to the Space and
Missile System Center’s $11 billion annual acquisition efforts. Capt Czak has a
Master of Arts in East European Studies
from Freie Universitat Berlin (2013) and a
Master of Arts in History from the University of Calgary (2014).
“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the
story here.”
Inside Story Headline
near the image.
Returning Faculty:
Lt Col John Clune returned to DFH for
his second teaching tour. Lt Col Clune is
a Command Pilot with 4,000 flying hours
in C-9A, C-5, and E-3 aircraft. He previously served in the department from 2008(Continued on page 5)
PAGE 5
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
V O LU M E 2 0
DFHers: Hail, Farewell, and News
(Continued from page 4)
2011, teaching World, Military, and African History as well as instructing cadets in
powered flight with the 552nd Flying
Training Squadron. In 2014 Lt Col Clune
completed a PhD in International History at
the University of Kansas, with secondary
fields in African History and World History. His dissertation, titled “The Abongo
Abroad: Military Internationalism, Travel,
Training, and Peace in Ghana and the United States, 1960-1992” explored Ghanaian
military officers in international education
and training courses and UN peacekeeping
missions abroad. Lt Col Clune specifically
thanks longtime friend of DFH Edward
Brynn for his guidance and encouragement
during dissertation research. John and his
wife, Jessica, have four children: John Paul
(10), Joseph (8), Simon (6), and Gabriel
(4).
Maj Tim Romans returned to USAFA in
June 2014 from Headquarters Air Force,
the Pentagon, Washington D.C. A 2001
graduate of Marshall University with a
B.A. in History and a 2005 graduate from
the Florida State University with an M.A.
in History, Tim specializes in Early Modern Asia and Early Modern Europe. His
wife Amber has joined him here with their
two children, Tecumseh age 9 and Juliet
age 13. He has taught both core military
and world history courses as well as upper
division courses during his last tour here
from 2005 to 2009. Tim is currently the
department personnel officer.
Cadets and Faculty fired over
1700 rounds from over 20 weapons at the History Club’s Historical Weapons Shoot.
In Memorial: Lt Col Harry R. Borowski (1942-2014)
Harry R. Borowski passed away on
April 22, 2014. He was born on January
24, 1942 in Grant, Nebraska, and was
the youngest of eight children. After
graduating from Perkins County High
School and Kearney State Teachers College, Harry taught for a year and a half
at Loveland High School in Colorado.
He then went on to earn a master’s degree in Economic History from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where
he would meet his future wife, Bobbie.
sions from Robins Air Force Base,
Georgia, in support of air operations in
Vietnam. In 1972, he became a faculty
member in the United State Air Force
Academy Department of History. He
would eventually become a full professor and served as the acting department
head until his retirement in 1988. While
assigned to the Academy, Harry earned
a doctorate in Economic History from
the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also authored and edited two
books. A Hollow Threat: Strategic Air
Power and Containment Before Korea
(1982) was the first scholarly assessment of Air Force strategic capabilities
between World War II and the Korean
War. The Harmon Memorial Lectures in
Military History, 1959-1987 (1988) is a
compilation of the lectures in the internationally-renowned series, is sponsored
by the Academy’s History Department
and features the world’s most exemplary
military historians and scholars.
Following his Air Force career, Harry
was a realtor for more than 20 years in
the Colorado Springs area. He also
served on the board of directors of the
Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection
District for 14 years.
In 1966, Harry began a 22-year career as
an officer in the United States Air
Force. After completing training at
Mather Air Force Base, California, he
served as a navigator on Strategic Air
Command KC-135 tankers, flying mis- (excepts from “The Gazette”)
PAGE 6
(Continued from page 1)
When I first reported to Vice Admiral
Paul J. Bushong, the US Security Coordinator in Jerusalem, he offered me some
valuable advice: “David, don’t think of this
mission as a sprint to the finish for MidEast peace…but rather as a marathon…it is
not a well-orchestrated symphony…think
of it more as an improv jazz jam session…” Other bits of advice from highly
experienced individuals soon followed.
Neil Page, an avuncular and sage retired
British chief of police who ultimately became a trusted colleague and treasured
friend over numerous pints of Guinness
with fish and chips at a local pub, said,
“You know David, after six months you
will end up hating the Israelis, and after
another six months you will also hate the
Palestinians. . . if you stay longer, you will
eventually hate everyone else.” Deborah
Kurtz, a retired New York City manager
who once worked for Mayor Giuliani, was
an indefatigable US Department of State
contractor for INL (short for US Department of State International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Bureau). Debbie provided me with an extensive reading list of
key international documents (as well as
gouge on the best restaurants in Israel and
the West Bank.) These works, incidentally,
complemented the Mid-East ‘crash course’
reading list that veteran DFH Trencher,
Tom Menza, Major, USAF, Ret., offered
Lt Col Bachler with Neil Page at
EUPOLCOPPS HQ in Ramallah
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
me for some light reading en-route. The
key to being a successful program manager
with the Palestinians, Debbie told me, was
to “underpromise and overdeliver.” Beneath their pointed wit, the Admiral, Neil,
and Debbie all offered key insights to a
Gordian knot of perplexing politics and
personalities that pulled USSC into their
respective orbits.
To better support and implement the
Oslo Peace Accords (1993 and 1995) and
the Wye River Memorandum (1998), the
US Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Director of
the Central Intelligence
Agency signed a memorandum of agreement on 3
May 2005 to establish
USSC-Jerusalem. Its mission is to assist the Palestinian Authority (PA) to
train and equip its security
services as a foundational
step toward the ‘two-state’
solution for peace between
Israel and the Palestinians.
V O LU M E 2 0
for the Palestinian people, provide for the
national security of a future Palestinian
State, and ultimately enable Palestine to
become a stable and peaceful neighbor to
the State of Israel.
Because the relationship between Israel
and Palestine is so pivotal to the elusive
goal of ‘world peace,’ this particular region
is awash with agencies and acronyms
drawn from the United States Government,
the Government of Israel, the Palestinian
Authority, international organizations, and
allied national organizations. A small sam-
The expanded mission
of United States Security
Coordinator for Israel and
the Palestinian Authority
is to assist the Palestinian
Authority to transform and Lt Col Bachler greets Secretary of State John F.
professionalize the PA Kerry during a reception for senior USSC and
security sector, engage INL officials
with the Israelis and Palestinians on security initiatives that build
trust and confidence in order to meet ple of the ‘alphabet soup’ USSC newbies
Roadmap for Peace obligations, ensure have to quickly ingest includes: US DoS,
accountability to the elected PA civilian US DoJ FBI, US DoS DSS, US DoHS, US
leadership, act effectively to counter terror- State Department, USAID, INL, the US
ism, disarm terrorist infrastructure, enforce Army’s multiple permutations of “Hooah,”
the rule of law, and support whole-of- the Government of Israel (GOI), Coordinagovernment efforts that set the conditions tion of Government Activities in the Terrifor a negotiated two-state solution. Build- tories (COGAT), the Palestinian Authority
ing a capable PA Security Sector is abso- (PA), the United Nations (UN),
EUPOLCOPPS, UN RWA, UN OCHA,
lutely foundational to an enduring peace.
UN OHCHR, DFID, JICA, Canadian InterOverall, USSC seeks to make the Pales- national Development Agency, etc. Amidst
tinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) this sea of alphabet soup, the US Security
accountable to legitimate civilian authority, Coordinator – Jerusalem navigates with
able to effectively combat terrorism and purposed finesse.
criminal threats to law and order, perpetu(Continued on page 7)
ate an environment of security and stability
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
PAGE 7
(Continued from page 2)
The Hump —
number of their fellow classmates
placed nickels at the base of the statue,
Now available in Chinese
in memory of 1Lt Richter. This was
in keeping with a Vietnam-era tradition based the Korean War ballad by
Oscar Brand, “Throw a Nickel on the
Grass – Save a Fighter Pilot’s Ass.”
Mark Austin Byrd, the sculptor, was
so impressed by this tradition that he
worked the nickels into the final
bronze. The nickels – and a few others – are still there today. That’s Heritage.
In a likely first for a DFH historian, Colonel (Ret.) John
Plating’s The Hump:
America's Strategy for
Keeping China in
World
War
II
groundbreaking
work—the first concentrated historical
study of the world’s
first
sustained
combat airlift operation—is now
available in a Chinese edition.
V O LU M E 2 0
(Continued from page 6)
The USSC position is designed so
that the three-star flag officer can work
with all interested parties without being
tied to any single interest. Thus, while
USSC works in close coordination with
the US Consul General in Jerusalem
and the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, it
does not work for either entity. Instead,
the USSC reports directly to the US
Secretary of State. Indeed, this was the
shortest chain of command in my twenty-seven years of active duty. Along
with ten other lieutenant colonels, we
reported to three Army O-6 deputies,
who reported to one Army O-6 chief of
staff, who reported to the three-star US
Security Coordinator, who reported
directly to Secretary of State John Kerry. It was a privilege to serve with
such an elite cohort.
Continued in the next Footnote...
U.S. Air Force Academy Center for Oral History Update
In its fourth year of operations the USAFA
Center for Oral History continues to be
successful in carrying out its primary mission of preserving the history of the U.S.
Air Force Academy through the voices of
the people who experienced it. During the
course of the 2013-14 year, Center Director Dr. Bob Wettemann, conducted over
thirty oral history interviews, including
incoming Dean of Faculty Brig Gen Andrew Armacost, and outgoing Commandant Maj Gen Gregory Lengyel.
The Center is also expanding its relationship with the Center for Character and
Leadership Development. This partnership
has resulted in interviews designed to preserve the history of Honor education at
USAFA, tracing its growth and evolution
throughout the seminal events in USAFA and commitment that the cadets discussed
history, including the establishment of the with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General
Honor Code by the Class of 1959, its tem- Mark Welsh while visiting the Pentagon.
porary suspension in the 1980s in the Through efforts such as these, the Center
wake of a cheating scandal,
its subsequent reinstate- 2013-14 Wing Honor Chair Will Burnette and Wing
ment, and the current pro- Honor NCO (and History major) Jay P Fullam incess by which cadets con- terview Chief of Staff Mark Welsh in the Pentagon.
tinue to apply the Honor
Code today. The Center for
Oral History is also working with the CCLD to conduct oral history interviews
with distinguished graduates and current Air Force
leaders. In April 2014,
CCLD Director supervised
two cadets in the development of a series of questions on heritage, honor
V O LU M E 2 0
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
PAGE 8
Distinguished Professor In Residence: General (Ret.) Stephen Lorenz
General (retired) Stephen R. Lorenz became the 64th Distinguished
Professional in Residence (DPIR)
this past March after speaking to
over 450 cadets and faculty. Utilizing 13 class periods over two days,
he motivated and inspired the cadets enrolled in History 100
(Introduction to Military History)
to fully comprehend that “you have
more ass than they can chew,” a
timely message for the Doolies as
Recognition started just days away.
The story of his own journey
through USAFA as a cadet who
spent six of his eight semesters on
the “Dean’s OTHER list” resonated
with many students, especially
those with Major Jason McClure as
an instructor. The cadets and faculty appreciated his message of
overcoming adversity through hard
work and determination, and the
faculty appreciated his candor during the brown bag luncheon held in
the DFH Conference Room.
General
Lorenz is a 1973
USAFA graduate with a
Bachelor
of
Science in international
affairs.
He
earned
his
master’s
degree in 1977
in public administration,
and is a Senior Command
Pilot with over
3,600 hours in
10 aircraft to
include the KC-135, EC-135, C-141,
KC-10 and various trainers. His
notable assignments include the
Commandant of Cadets at USAFA
from 1996-1999, the Commander of
Air University from 2005-2008, and
the Commander of Air Education
and Training Command from 2008
Pursuing a degree in International
History with a focus in Africa and
the Middle East, Mitchell aspires to
represent the United States as a Defense Attaché. Mitchell is a hurdler
on the track team and one of the
Cadets-in-Charge of International
Programs. There, he acts as a liaison for fellow cadets and incoming
students looking to study abroad
and explore international issues.
ing events.” Mitchell’s favorite
memory of the summer was an extensive conversation he had with
Rumsfeld on a variety of topics.
While sharing stories in Rumsfeld’s
office, the two realized they even had
some experiences in common: they
both attended the Philmont Scout
Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico as
boy scouts. “He went in 1949, and I
went in 2008,” Bryce said. “We even
shared our experiences with all of
the bears and rattlesnakes we encountered while there.”
In addition to academic classes,
Mitchell interned at the Rumsfeld
Foundation, where he assisted
with all daily operations in the
office. “One day I might be taking
notes during one of our meetings
with microfinance partners, the
next day I could be accompanying
Mr. Rumsfeld to one of his speak-
After graduation, Mitchell plans to
continue studying international issues related to Africa and the Middle
East in graduate school. “After getting my masters, I intend to enter
flight school and hopefully fly a fighter jet like the A-10 Warthog or the F35 Lightning if they ever finish it,”
he said.
Cadet News: C1C Bryce Mitchell
C1C Bryce Mitchell has returned
from his Cadet Summer Research Program, w here he studied at
Georgetown University in the Fund
for American Studies’ Institute on
Economics and International Affairs.
until his retirement from Active
Duty in 2011. He now serves as
the President and CEO of the AOG
Endowment and continues to articulate his “Lorenz on Leadership”
series to large audiences.
PAGE 9
T HE FA LC O N FO O T NO T E
V O LU M E 2 0
Cadet News: Cold War Staff Ride
C2C Jason Sanchez
The History Department held interviews
in January 2014 to identify a cadet to
sponsor in traveling to Eastern Europe on
West Point’s annual Cold War Staff Ride
(CWSR). Following up on last year’s
success, the selected individual would
visit historic sites throughout Europe with
a USMA contingent, including seven Army cadets, an Army Retired LTC, and an
Army CPT. I was selected to represent
USAFA in order to enhance my professional military education by understanding
the tactics, leadership, and decision making that took place during the Cold War
on both sides of the Iron Curtain. To prepare for the trip, all participants were assigned readings totaling roughly 300 pages per month by CPT Erik Davis, the
CWSR OIC. At the end of each month,
CPT Davis and I spoke via phone to discuss the readings and their implications
for the upcoming trip.
My trip began on 1 June as I travelled to
West Point to collaborate with the staff
ride’s participants in discussions of the
assigned readings and their applications to
the Cold War and modern times. Each
cadet was required to present two 45 minute presentations covering assigned stops
gary, and the Czech Republic. During
prep week at West Point, we met approximately 30 minutes prior to start time to
develop group rapport and rehearse material prepared for that day.
after the Soviet era. Departing the Czech
Republic en route to Budapest, we
stopped in Vienna, Austria, to enjoy a
visit to the Schonbrunn Palace, site of the
Though the duty
day typically ended around 1700,
the group meshed
well as we continued developing a
group identity by
dining and exercising
together
each night. After
seven days of
preparations, the
group travelled to
Berlin, Germany,
to commence the
journey.
Our travel in BerC2C Sanchez (3rd from left), CWSR cadets in Prague.
lin included over
thirty Cold War
1961 Vienna Summit between Kennedy
related sites such as the Brandenburg
and Khrushchev. Leaving Vienna, the
Gate, the Stasi Museum, Checkpoint
group arrived in Budapest on 15 June;
Charlie, the Templehof Airport, and the
staying mere feet from the entrance of
longest stretch of the Berlin Wall that reBuda Castle. The group addressed the
mains standing. Addichoke hold communist power had on the
tionally, the group made
satellite country of Hungary, visiting over
time to visit other attracfifteen Cold War related sites and a partictions and events that
ipating in a sit down dinner with an offiwere not originally on
cial who worked at Radio Magyar during
the schedule, including a
the era of communist control, who spoke
bike ride through vacant
of limited free communication via the
segments of East Berlin
station’s towers. After three nights in
and ad hoc conversations
Budapest, the group began our return trip
with natives who resided
to Berlin, stopping in Munich for a day
in Berlin during the Cold
and half, most notably visiting the site of
War. On 12 June the
the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olymgroup traveled to Prague
pics. Our final stop before departing from
to focus on events which
Berlin was vital approach avenue of the
led to the 1968 Prague
Fulda Gap.
C2C Sanchez (3rd from left) with CWSR cadets
Spring. In Prague, an
at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
entire day was dedicated Each day two Cadets were assigned to be
to an exclusive tour with a guide who on site guides, with a third Cadet assigned
on the upcoming staff ride, including loca- lived in Prague his entire life and provided
(Continued on page 10)
tions throughout Germany, Austria, Hun- an astute perspective to life before and
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current global issues. Each
cadet can confidently state
that the CWSR instilled in
him/her a deeper comprehension through continuous
discussions and on-theground recognition. Additionally, the opportunity to
drive from country to country revealed the terrain of
the region and highlighted
the vulnerability of various
nations to invasion by
would-be hegemons such as
Germany in WWII and the
Soviet Union in the Cold
War.
as course navigator. The
guides led discussions, encouraged participation during the day’s various activities, and provided descriptions of the events tied to
each monument.
They
were the day’s experts,
fielding questions from the
group at large and ensuring
that all participants gained
a full appreciation of the
historical significance of
each site. The navigator’s
job was to prepare the
routes of travel the night For me, the Cold War Staff
prior to the day’s activities. Ride served as both an ArThe Staff Ride provided my-Air Force cultural exmuch more than any text- change and a US- European
book possible could. Inte- cultural exchange. I believe
grating the insights and it is imperative to note that
understanding the people’s my West Point counterparts
perspectives on the Cold became quite envious as I
War allowed the group to embellished the luxuries of
apply historical events to USAFA compared to US-
MA. Never once did I apologize or shy away from
ownership of the great opportunities the Air Force
Academy offers. My response to collegial criticism
regarding the “softness” of
the Air Force was invariably, “That’s the reason I
chose the Air Force”.
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Abadi on Sabbatical
Prof. Jacob Abadi spent most of his
Spring 2014 sabbatical at Princeton University continuing research for a new
book on the history of Jordan. Princeton’s Firestone Library has the United
States’ best collection on Middle Eastern
subjects, mostly in Arabic, Hebrew, and
French. This research contributed to his
article, “The Impact of the Syrian Civil
War on Syrian-Jordanian Relations,”
published in the March 2014 Turkish
Review.
From The Turkish Review, 1
March 2014.