May 1999

Congratulations Class of 1999!!! The hats will fly June 2nd on hopefully a beautiful Colorado day. The Thunderbirds should top off the day with a great performance. According to our roster the following 7 cadets will be commissioned into the Air Force as 2nd lieutenants:

Eric Lynn Fryar will receive a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree on June 2nd. He will then remain in Colorado Springs for Introductory Flight Training until July 2nd. His 60 days of leave will begin on July 2nd and continue until September. On July 24th, Eric will marry Carmelita Sanchez in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Second Lieutenant Eric Fryar will report to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico for six months. Then on March 24, he will report to Columbus, Mississippi for Undergraduate Pilot Training.

Casey Guerrero - After graduation I plan on going to Florida for the Fourth of July and then heading out to Europe. I will be back at USAFA doing IFT and helping out the men's gymnastics team until November. I will then be leaving in for UPT at Vance AFB, OK.

News about summer plans and futures…

New Mexico News

June Potluck & Election - The date has been set for the June Appointee Potluck & general meeting/election. We would like to thank the Moulton's for hosting it. The potluck/meeting will be June 13th starting at noon. Directions to the Moultons: Email Mike & Jane Moulton PLEASE RSVP

Elections & meeting: We are still in need of a VP nomination. VP is just a back up for the President and could coordinate special meetings, special events, etc. If you are willing to hold the office please let Bob & doni know. All current members: Voting will take place at the June meeting so make sure you bring the ballot to the meeting or mail it in before the meeting. We would also like to discuss some possible activities for this coming year.

Senior Parents - The graduation schedule is included in this issue.

Sophomore Parents - Please let us know your cadet's new squadron if you have not already contacted us.

All Cadets Parents - If your cadet is one scrambling due to the reduction of squadrons please let us know their new squadron if you haven't already. Our email address is rhardy@thuntek.net

Appointees & Preppies - We would like to congratulate the following on the acceptance to USAFA: Robert Arnett of Albuquerque, Chelsea Baca_Hodroff of Albuquerque, Ross Canup of Mesilla Park, Kurt Gerlach of Albuquerque, Joseph Gore of Albuquerque, Robin Kiska of Albuquerque, Andrew Lueckenhoff of Albuquerque, Lindsey Oleson of Ranchos de Taos, Terrance Papen of Albuquerque, Jay Talbert of Alamogordo, Shawn Whitfield of Albuquerque, Jeremy Williams of Las Cruces, and Brian Willis of Albuquerque. We would also like to congratulate Krista Childress of Farmington, Christopher Laria of Clovis, Todd Leslie of Albuquerque, Martin Martinez of Espanola, Daniel Romero of Vadito and Thomas Schatzinger of Los Lunas for accepting a prep school slot.

Field Trip - Our Club LO is willing to set up a "field trip" for the parents to visit the F-16 Reserve squadron and/or Special Ops unit. We need to know if anyone is interested in doing this on a Friday before we can start making arrangements. We didn't get any responses so we will try this one more time. If interested please email Bob & doni.

Academy News

Graduation Info - The White House announced that the President will be the commencement speaker for the USAF Academy Class of 1999 Graduation on 2 June. Each GRADUATING CADET will receive TWELVE tickets for their family and friends. Graduation tickets for the general public will be available at the Academy Field House Ticket Office on a first-come-first-serve basis on 20 May 1999. There will be approximately 9,000 tickets available for the general public after the cadets receive their tickets. The number of tickets per individual for the general public will be six. Tickets are necessary for entrance to the stadium but are free.

Firstie Parents' Reception - The Parents' Reception will be hosted by General and Mrs. Oelstrom, at The Carlton House on Sunday, 30 May. The schedule:

Last newsletter I referred to this as the Ice Cream Social, was not correct. The Ice Cream Social is during PW.

Family Net - It's that time of year again to let the new parents know about the Family Net (aka Family Underground Net and/or FalconPride) The family net is an email listserv & webpage started by Bob & doni Hardy almost 2 years ago. They took over the listserv after the academy decided not to continue it. It is not meant to replace the Parents' club in any way. This is just another avenue to help you along the way. The Family Net joins together about 1000 parents of cadets and provides support, information and friendship. There is a voluntary annual fee of $20 asked to help defray the costs. If you wish to join please email the Hardy's at info@falconpride.com with the following info…Name, Cadet Name, Year, Squadron, City, and Method of Email (deluge - each email sent individually as received) or (digest - 20 emails collected and sent as one). Once you are subscribed you will receive a welcome letter with more details.

Parents' Weekend - Now is the time to make your hotel reservations. Most hotels take reservations almost a year in advance and fill up fast. There are a number of chain hotel/motels in Colorado Springs.

Parents' Weekend Brochures - The PW brochures will not be out until this summer but we have included a tentative schedule in this issue.

Gleneagle Sertoma Club- The local area Gleneagle Sertoma Club offers a program for relatives and friends of Air Force Academy Cadets. During graduation, Parent's Weekend, and other special Academy events, hotels and motels near the Academy are often fully booked at premium prices. The Gleneagle Sertoma Club offers a Bed and Breakfast service. Most members of the organization have agreed to open their homes by offering a room and continental breakfast to relatives and friends of cadets seeking convenient lodging at a reasonable price. In return for their hospitality, the participating members simply request a $55.00 donation be made to Gleneagle Sertoma Club for each room and night of occupancy. Occupancy is limited from two to five nights with a maximum of two persons to a room. For further information, please contact Chuck Russell (719-481-0036) or Tex Ellison (719-488-3081) (Texell@aol.com).

Appointee News

New Parents - If you can accompany your appointee to the Academy for inprocessing, we encourage you to do so. In-processing begins at Doolittle Hall, the alumni house, between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on July 1, 1999. The Association of Graduates (AOG) will provide light snacks and beverages throughout the day and a complimentary lunch, beginning at noon, for parents and family members. AOG and senior Academy staff and chaplains will be on hand to answer questions along with Athletic Association representatives, Colorado Parents' Club members, and other Academy graduates. After watching your appointee board the bus for the Cadet Area, please stay as long as you like and begin looking forward to Parents' Weekend in September. This is an experience you won't want to miss.

If you cannot accompany your appointee, travel will be arranged by the Academy. Many appointees will arrive in Colorado Springs on in-processing day and, therefore, will require no first night lodging. Airline schedules will require other appointees to arrive the day before in-processing. Although Colorado Springs offers an abundance of hotel and motels, you may have difficulty finding a room during tourist season or you may prefer to have your appointee spend this first night with someone who's "been there, done that, and got the USAFA t-shirt." In either case, the AOG is here to help.

First Night Housing for Unaccompanied 2003 Appointees - The AOG in cooperation with the Rampart Chapter of the AOG, is offering Bed & Breakfast to appointees who are traveling alone to Colorado Springs to start their Doolie year. Last year the AOG members housed 220 appointees.

Volunteer graduate families will pick up the appointee on Wednesday, June 30, provide a place to stay (with dinner and breakfast), and transportation to Doolittle Hall on Thursday, July 1. That's it. It's easy to sign up. First, arrange for airline transportation. For a variety of reasons, the AOG cannot accept reservations until the airline ticket (paper or e-ticket) is in hand. Then call (no mail, fax, or email) the AOG, (719) 472-0300, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Be prepared to provide the parents' name, the appointee's name and gender, the telephone number where the appointee can be reached, and the airline, flight number, and arrival time. The AOG will match you with a host family on-the-spot. From there, you and the host family will make direct contact to make final arrangements. Host families may choose to pick the appointee up at the airport or to have the appointee take Academy provided transportation to Doolittle Hall and pick them up there. This decision will be made between the appointee and the host family directly based on arrival time, location of the family, and work schedules.

The AOG cannot accommodate special requests from host families for appointees from certain states, etc. but does honor requests for a particular gender. This program is entirely separate from the official Academy Sponsorship Program. Although many families have gone on to sponsor their appointees, there is no continuing sponsorship obligation on the part of either the appointee or the family.

Doolie Day Out - We will let parents know when Doolie Day out is at the potluck/meeting. This is the one chance for your basic to call you once they have inprocessed. You want to make sure you are there that day so you don't miss the call. They go to a sponsor's home and eat, sleep and just relax. This is a big day for basics.

Application Form can printed out and sent in:

USAF Academy Parents Association of New Mexico (We understand that the information on this form may be published in a membership roster.)

Name(s):____________________________________________________ Current Member Yes No
(Current members fill out those items that have changed)
Address: _____________________________________________________________________

City/Zip: _____________________________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________________________________

I/We hereby apply for membership in the United States Air Force Academy Parents Association of New Mexico under the category marked below:

_______________ Parent or Guardian of an Appointee to the USAFA or Prep School
_______________ Parent or guardian of a Cadet at (or graduate of) the USAFA or Prep School
_______________ Parent or guardian of a Cadet candidate residing in New Mexico
_______________ Ex Officio Member _____ Liaison Officer _____Other (specify) _____
_____ Dues in the amount of $15 for the current fiscal year (June 1 to May 31) attached.
_____ Dues in the amount of $45 for all fours years - recommended (Refundable within the first year)
_____ Dues in the amount of $5 to receive the 4 quarterly newsletters only. (Only for past members whose son or daughter has graduated.)

Make checks payable to USAFA Parents Assn. Of NM

Please email Al Pratt for his address.

As indicated in the Constitution and By-Laws, there are various ways in which members can assist the association. Please indicate your areas of interest by parent name.
_______________ Membership (contacting new families)
_______________ Tailgate (Parents Weekend football game-C3C parents)
_______________ Hospitality Committee (planning events)
_______________ Information (newsletter)
_______________ Other (please explain)___________________________________________________

Name tags: ($8.00 each) How many? __________ Class Color Y (or Specify)____________

Print each name ordered: _________________________________ _________________________________________________________________