There is nothing like the graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy, located just north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. We have lived in the area since 1984, minus five years away, 2001 – 2006, and now live about five miles north of the Academy, close enough to get an occasional glimpse of the famous Air Force Thunderbirds as they are putting on a demonstration after the ceremony.

But there’s nothing like being at Falcon Stadium in person. I’ll never forget our first one, 1989, when our first sponsored cadets, Pete McKenna and Mike Taylor, graduated. We’re still in touch with them.

The graduating cadets march on from the north end zone, approaching their chairs from the side in perfect formation, fanning out and marching straight into their rows:

That’s only the first display of precision. The most exciting occurs at the end of the ceremony. The cadets come to the stage one by one, where their name is announced, and they receive their diploma (note: their diploma, not a folder to be filled later). After the thousand or so cadets get their diplomas, they stand and take the oath of office as an officer in the US Air Force (and now, the US Space Force).

If you were there, here is what you would see: you’d be sitting in the west stands, facing east, with the mountains behind. The cadets, on the stadium field are also facing east. The Commandant of Cadets has administered the oath of office, and he yells, “Class dismissed!” The cadets joyfully throw their hats into the air and while the hats are in the air the Thunderbirds scream in from behind the mountain. I tear up every time I talk about it:

Air Force Academy graduates, class of 2024, newly minted second lieutenants, celebrate as the Thunderbirds fly over. The grad in the foreground is from Singapore.

How do they coordinate planes flying about 600 miles per hour, who will be over the field and gone in about two seconds, with hats that will be in the air maybe four seconds at most? Answer: the Thunderbirds are in a holding pattern behind the mountain and are in radio contact with someone standing on top of the press box. He might barely be visible in the picture just above the right leg of grad from Singapore. At the appropriate time, the planes turn toward the stadium, and when they pass a certain mark they tell the guy on the press box who waves a flag to signal the “Class Dismissed!” command. The result is what you see in the picture. They almost always get it right.

It makes one proud to be an Air Force officer and proud to be part of a country that can pull this off…and does…to the delight of the grads and their families. God bless America, and God bless these brave young people.

Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. (Psalm 144.1, ESV)

He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. (Psalm 18.34, 35, NIV)