List of United States Air Force Academy alumni

Traditional hat toss and flyover by Air Force Thunderbirds at the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy
Logo of the Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy is an undergraduate college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the mission of educating and commissioning officers for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. The Academy was established in 1954, entered its first class in 1955, and graduated its first class in 1959. All students hold the Air Force rank of "Cadet." Sports media refer to the Academy as "Air Force"; this usage is officially endorsed. Most cadets are admitted through a congressional appointment system. The curriculum is broad-based but has traditionally emphasized science and engineering. Before the Academy's first graduating class in 1959, the United States Military Academy and United States Naval Academy were the primary sources of officers for the Air Force and its predecessors, the Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces. Though the primary focus of the Academy is for the Air Force and Space Force, some graduates are given the option of "cross-commissioning" into the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, or United States Coast Guard.

This list is drawn from graduates, non-graduate former cadets, current cadets, and faculty of the Air Force Academy. Over 410 noted scholars from a variety of academic fields are Academy graduates, including: 41 Rhodes Scholars, 24 Marshall Scholars, 13 Harry S. Truman Scholars, 115 John F. Kennedy School of Government Scholars, and 31 Gerahart Scholars. Additional notable graduates include 794 general officers, 164 graduates who were killed in combat, 36 repatriated prisoners of war, 1 Medal of Honor recipient, and 2 combat aces. 39 Academy graduates have become astronauts, second among institutions of higher learning only to the United States Naval Academy, with 52.

Academics

"Class year" refers to the individual's class year, which usually is the same as the individual's graduation year. In times of war, academy classes may graduate early, but this has never happened yet at the Air Force Academy.
Ruben Cubero
Dana Born

Superintendents of the Academy

Current Superintendent: Tony D. Bauernfeind

Astronauts

Frederick Gregory
Sidney Gutierrez
Mark Lee
Susan Helms
B. Alvin Drew
James Kelly

Athletes

Alonzo Babers (with baton)

Businesspeople

Grady Booch

Civilian aviation

Chesley Sullenberger

Government

Gary Grappo
John Inglis
William 'T' Thompson

Legislators

Kent Lambert
Heather Wilson
Bob Gardner

Literary figures

Air Force figures

Air Force Chiefs of Staff

Ron Fogleman

Air Force Vice Chiefs of Staff

Ralph Eberhart

Commanders of Air Force Major Commands

Robert Oaks
Charles Holland
Stephen Lorenz

Notable Vietnam War combatants

Vic Apodaca
Lance Sijan
Michael Blassie

Notable Gulf War combatants

Notable War on Terror combatants

Other notable Air Force graduates

Space Force figures

Space Force Vice Chiefs of Space Operations

David D. Thompson

Commanders of Space Force Field Commands

Stephen N. Whiting

Space Force general officers

Nina M. Armagno

Television figures

Non-graduates

As these alumni did not graduate, their class year is listed as "x-" followed by the class year they would have graduated, if known, and they are listed alphabetically by family name.

See also

References


39°00′43″N 104°53′22″W / 39.0120°N 104.8894°W / 39.0120; -104.8894 (United States Air Force Academy)

Uses material from the Wikipedia article List of United States Air Force Academy alumni, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.