carry forward that great effort.…
“With feet firmly planted in the solid center of the United States and with eyes on the stars, the Air Force Academy will move onward to a rendezvous with destiny.”
Secretary Talbot moved away from the podium as the crowd rose, clapping. Rod recognized Colonel Stillman, the Commandant of Cadets, as the colonel stepped forward.
“Candidates of the first Academy class, raise your right hand and repeat the oath of allegiance after me.” The 306 young men raised their hands in unison.
“Having been appointed an Air Force cadet in the United States Air Force, I solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
The new basic cadets slapped their hands down to their sides as a red, white, and blue-painted four-ship formation of F-84F Thunderstreak fighters from the Thunderbird squadron roared low over the crowd. A wave of applause washed over them. Rod had never felt so proud in his life.
After the chaplain gave the benediction, the band struck up the national anthem. The basics marched off, away from the cheering crowds and toward the cadet area.
Giddy, Rod felt he hovered three feet off the ground as the last remnants of the celebration faded behind him. Ahead, the cadet area seemed to beckon him onward. And as the world he had known disappeared behind him, he approached his new life with 305 of his classmates, renewed in his energy and motivation to survive, and succeed.
***
Chapter Four
“Rollin’ Stone”
July 11, 1955
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Denver, Colorado
Grab a chance and you won’t be sorry for a might have been.
—Arthur Ransome, We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
Hank McCluney turned his thoughts away from the Academy and studied the stage, now filled with Boy Scouts from La Junta, Colorado. Dressed in authentic Koshare Indian garb, they danced to the beat of drums and Native American chants. They moved deftly in a circle, darting in and out of shadows, making the outdoor performance seem mystical.
The wooden benches surrounding the stage were packed with honored guests and dignitaries from the Academy dedication ceremony; they had been bussed from a massive barbecue to the outdoor amphitheater immediately after Rod’s swearing-in ceremony. The stars shone brilliantly overhead, burning bright in the thin, cold Colorado air, looking as diamonds glittering in the clear sky. The air was crisp and biting.
A sheet of massive red sandstone rose up around the stage, creating a natural amphitheater. Wooden benches were set on a steep hill with sandstone guardians on either side of the aisle. It was the perfect setting for the perfect ending of a perfect day.
Hank McCluney put his arm around his wife as she pulled a blanket tightly about them. Although she was a head taller than he, she moved her head to his shoulder. She still wore her green Coachman dress and white gloves, looking out of place in the casually dressed crowd, but she always dressed well and carried an air of elegance about her.
Hank kissed her head. “Pence for your thoughts, lass.”
She snuggled up against him, not looking up. “They say his education will be worth over forty thousand dollars.”
“I can’t stop thinking about him, either,” Hank said, admitting where his own mind had been drifting. “I just hope he learns not to be so impulsive. Or obstinate. That will get him dismissed more than any other reason.”
He had thought parting with Jean-Claude would be easier than this. Leaving Mary during the War had been tough, but they’d both known they wouldn’t go through the experience alone. The whole nation had been behind them then, and in many
“With feet firmly planted in the solid center of the United States and with eyes on the stars, the Air Force Academy will move onward to a rendezvous with destiny.”
Secretary Talbot moved away from the podium as the crowd rose, clapping. Rod recognized Colonel Stillman, the Commandant of Cadets, as the colonel stepped forward.
“Candidates of the first Academy class, raise your right hand and repeat the oath of allegiance after me.” The 306 young men raised their hands in unison.
“Having been appointed an Air Force cadet in the United States Air Force, I solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
The new basic cadets slapped their hands down to their sides as a red, white, and blue-painted four-ship formation of F-84F Thunderstreak fighters from the Thunderbird squadron roared low over the crowd. A wave of applause washed over them. Rod had never felt so proud in his life.
After the chaplain gave the benediction, the band struck up the national anthem. The basics marched off, away from the cheering crowds and toward the cadet area.
Giddy, Rod felt he hovered three feet off the ground as the last remnants of the celebration faded behind him. Ahead, the cadet area seemed to beckon him onward. And as the world he had known disappeared behind him, he approached his new life with 305 of his classmates, renewed in his energy and motivation to survive, and succeed.
***
Chapter Four
“Rollin’ Stone”
July 11, 1955
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Denver, Colorado
Grab a chance and you won’t be sorry for a might have been.
—Arthur Ransome, We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
Hank McCluney turned his thoughts away from the Academy and studied the stage, now filled with Boy Scouts from La Junta, Colorado. Dressed in authentic Koshare Indian garb, they danced to the beat of drums and Native American chants. They moved deftly in a circle, darting in and out of shadows, making the outdoor performance seem mystical.
The wooden benches surrounding the stage were packed with honored guests and dignitaries from the Academy dedication ceremony; they had been bussed from a massive barbecue to the outdoor amphitheater immediately after Rod’s swearing-in ceremony. The stars shone brilliantly overhead, burning bright in the thin, cold Colorado air, looking as diamonds glittering in the clear sky. The air was crisp and biting.
A sheet of massive red sandstone rose up around the stage, creating a natural amphitheater. Wooden benches were set on a steep hill with sandstone guardians on either side of the aisle. It was the perfect setting for the perfect ending of a perfect day.
Hank McCluney put his arm around his wife as she pulled a blanket tightly about them. Although she was a head taller than he, she moved her head to his shoulder. She still wore her green Coachman dress and white gloves, looking out of place in the casually dressed crowd, but she always dressed well and carried an air of elegance about her.
Hank kissed her head. “Pence for your thoughts, lass.”
She snuggled up against him, not looking up. “They say his education will be worth over forty thousand dollars.”
“I can’t stop thinking about him, either,” Hank said, admitting where his own mind had been drifting. “I just hope he learns not to be so impulsive. Or obstinate. That will get him dismissed more than any other reason.”
He had thought parting with Jean-Claude would be easier than this. Leaving Mary during the War had been tough, but they’d both known they wouldn’t go through the experience alone. The whole nation had been behind them then, and in many
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