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| Wilson Sponsors Resolution Honoring Air Force Academy’s First Half-Century |
March 30, 2004 |
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Washington, DC – A resolution sponsored by Congresswoman Heather Wilson to honor the Air Force Academy for 50 years of training cadets was approved today in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 420-0.
Wilson is a 1982 graduate of the Air Force Academy (the third graduating class that included women) and served in the Air Force for 11 years. She left the service in 1989 with the rank of Captain.
Today, she released the following statement:
“Since President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation establishing the United States Air Force Academy in 1944, 35,000 cadets have graduated. The Air Force Academy has made a remarkable contribution to our nation’s security, and Academy graduates have gone on to make significant contributions in many walks of life.”
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Resolution text attached below:
108TH CONGRESS
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Congratulating the United States Air Force Academy on its 50th Anniversary and recognizing its contributions to the Nation.
Whereas on April 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation establishing the United States Air Force Academy to prepare young men for careers as Air Force officers;
Whereas in July 1955, the first class entered the Air Force Academy, attending classes in temporary facilities at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado;
Whereas the Air Force Academy moved to its permanent home near Colorado Springs, Colorado in August 1958;
Whereas the first class of 207 cadets graduated in June 1959;
Whereas in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation authorizing each of the Service Academies to expand enrollment from 2,529 to 4,417 students, and today, 4,000 cadets attend the Air Force Academy;
Whereas women were first admitted to the Air Force Academy in June 1976, and the first class that included women graduated in June 1980;
Whereas 44 classes and 35,000 cadets have graduated from the Air Force Academy in its 50-year history;
Whereas the mission of the Air Force Academy is to inspire and teach outstanding young men and women to become Air Force officers and to prepare and motivate them to lead the Air Force in its service to the Nation;
Whereas the Air Force Academy is recognized worldwide as the premier developer of aerospace officers and leaders with impeccable character and knowledge; and
Whereas April 1, 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Air Force Academy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress —
(1) congratulates the United States Air Force
Academy on its 50th Anniversary;
(2) acknowledges the continued excellence of the United States Air Force Academy and its critical
role in the defense of the United States; and
(3) recognizes the outstanding service to the Nation that graduates from the United States Air Academy have provided. |
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