The United States Air Force Academy Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

El Paso County, Colorado El Paso County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2020 Census recorded its population as 730,395. The Census Bureau's 2020 result indicates it is the most populous county in Colorado, surpassing the City and County of De ...

. It is administered by the 10th Air Base Wing.

History

The U.S. Air Force Academy cemetery was established in 1958. It accepts burials for graduates of the Air Force Academy, along with personnel assigned to the Academy, USAF officers in the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and above, recipients of the Air Force Cross or Medal of Honor, along with their spouses and dependent children. As of 2020 it hosts approximately 2,500 interments.

Notable interments

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipients **

William J. Crawford William John Crawford (May 19, 1918 – March 15, 2000) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II. The Medal of Honor award was believed to be posthumous, even though he was a prisoner of ...

, for action in World War II; US Army retired Master Sergeant and long-time janitor-student mentor at the Academy * General officers **

Samuel E. Anderson General Samuel Egbert Anderson (January 6, 1906 – September 12, 1982) was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as commander of the Air Materiel Command. Early life and education He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina ...

, Commander of 5th Air Force, Korean War. ** Salvador E. Felices, First Puerto Rican to reach the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force. Pilot of the first flight of a KC-135. **

Harold L. George Harold Lee George (July 19, 1893 – February 24, 1986) was an American aviation pioneer who helped shape and promote the concept of daylight precision bombing. An outspoken proponent of the industrial web theory, George taught at the Air Corps T ...

, espoused precision daylight bombing methods, unofficial leader of the

Bomber Mafia The Bomber Mafia were a close-knit group of American military men who believed that long-range heavy bomber aircraft in large numbers were able to win a war. The derogatory term "Bomber Mafia" was used before and after World War II by those in t ...

, first leader of

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

Haywood S. Hansell Haywood Shepherd Hansell Jr. (September 28, 1903 – November 14, 1988) was a general officer in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II, and later the United States Air Force. He became an advocate of the doctrine o ...

, one of the chief architects of the concept of daylight precision bombing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

** Hubert R. Harmon, first Superintendent of the Air Force Academy **

Curtis LeMay Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air ...

, Air Force

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

and the father of

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC) ** John P. McConnell, sixth Air Force Chief of Staff **

Robin Olds Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 – June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a " triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. Que ...

, Air Force brigadier general and fighter ace **

Samuel C. Phillips Samuel Cochran Phillips (19 February 1921 – 31 January 1990) was a United States Air Force general who served as Director of NASA's Apollo program from 1964 to 1969, as commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) from 196 ...

, Air Force four-star general, Director of Apollo Program through

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, an ...

. **

John Dale Ryan General John Dale Ryan (December 10, 1915 – October 27, 1983) was the seventh Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, General Ryan served in a dual capacity. He was a member of the Joint Chiefs o ...

, seventh Air Force Chief of Staff ** Carl Spaatz, first Air Force Chief of Staff ** Louis L. Wilson Jr., Commander of Pacific Air Forces ** Don Z. Zimmerman, first Dean of Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy * Valorous Award Recipients ** Col. Kennith F. Hite, awarded the Silver Star and three Distinguished Flying Crosses during 203 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam. ** Col. Kelly F. Cook, combat veteran of three wars, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and Purple Heart. Member of the Academy's original instructional cadre when it opened in the late 1950s. Declared Missing-in-Action November 10, 1967 when his F-4 went down over Quang Tri Province. *

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Recipients ** Laura A. Piper, first female Air Force Academy graduate to be awarded the Purple Heart, killed April 14, 1994 (Piper was a passenger on a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter and was shot down due to a friendly fire incident during a non-combat humanitarian aid mission after Operation Desert Storm). ** Maj. David L. Brodeur, died from wounds sustained from enemy gunfire. He was an advisor to the Afghan Command and Control Center under the NATO Air Training Command at the Kabul International Airport (Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan); awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, killed April 27, 2011. ** Maj. Philip D. Ambard, died from wounds sustained from enemy gunfire. He was an advisor to the Afghan Command and Control Center under the NATO Air Training Command at the Kabul International Airport (Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan); awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, killed April 27, 2011. ** Capt. David I. Lyon, killed in action from an enemy vehicle-born improvised explosive device was detonated near his convoy during Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was a combat advisor, working with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan; awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, killed December 27, 2013. ** Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, died from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device at a hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan while deployed to the U.S. Embassy (Pakistan) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Combat Action Medal, killed September 20, 2008.

Others

Matt Fong Matthew Kipling Fong (November 20, 1953 – June 1, 2011) was an American Republican politician who served as the 30th California State Treasurer. He was a government appointee, finance industry director, and consultant after retiring from the A ...

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

officer,

California State Treasurer The state treasurer of California is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of California. Thirty-five individuals have held the office of state treasurer since statehood. The incumbent is Fiona Ma, a ...

References

External links

* * {{USAFA

Cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Air Force Academy Cemetery Cemeteries in Colorado