Graduating from high school in 1966, I received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), just north of Colorado Springs. The four years I spent at the Academy were intense and demanding. I graduated with the 12th graduating class, in June 1970, with a BS in economics and a commission as a lieutenant in the Air Force. That would mark the beginning of my military career that would last 27 years until retirement, and my move to Madison.
That period of time from 1966-1970 marked great expansion, not only at USAFA, but the other two service academies also. We were in the midst of expanding enrollment from 2420 cadets to 4500, so there was constant building to accommodate the larger group. When I arrived, there was only one dormitory building at USAFA, Vandenburg Hall. Even though we all changed squadrons halfway through our tenure, I spent all four years on the east end of Vandenberg, known as the A-B Quadrangle.