Air Force Academy Cadets Arrive for Basic Training, Encouraged to Cultivate Intensity and Courage

More than 1,000 cadets flowed up the stairs at the Holaday Athletic Center at the Air Force Academy Wednesday to start chasing their dreams of flying planes, working in space, and serving their country.

They were greeted with excited cheers by mostly athletic department staff before starting the more serious portions of the day, such as taking their oath to defend the U.S. Constitution.

Max Sornsin was among the freshmen and came to the academy to chase his dream of working as an intelligence officer. While he committed to the institution before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, Sornsin was expecting some changes across the military with the shift in administrations. He had also heard about a move from civilian to more active-duty instructors, but did not expect it to influence his education or his path, based on a letter the academy superintendent sent out to incoming cadets.

Sornsin's father, Mark Sornsin, said he supported some of the recent changes across the military.

"The military is here for a central purpose, and it sounds to me that that's what they're trying to refocus on," he said.

As Sornsin paused with his parents at one of the scenic overlooks ahead of saying goodbye for the semester, he said he was looking forward to some of the tangible experiences the academy offers.

"I am more excited to jump out of a plane than fly a plane," Sornsin said.

The Air Force Academy has changed some training in recent years, including a new, year-end culminating exercise that involves all the cadets instead of just freshmen. But the traditions of the in-processing day have remain largely unchanged and feature an intense bus ride on which more senior cadets educate freshmen on expectations, a rapid-fire lesson on standing at attention, and haircuts for the male basic cadets.

Ahead of the intense training that will last several weeks, Commandant Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks told cadets that they would be pushed beyond the limits that they arrived with. But they would always be treated with dignity and respect.

He also gave them a short pep talk.

"When all else fails, during moments of doubt, where you feel as though you might want to quit, I ask you to DIG instead," he said. In this case, DIG was an acronym for desire, intensity and guts. He called on them to cultivate a desire to succeed and courage to act in the face of fear.

"I need to tell by looking at you that you want to succeed, you are hungry to be successful," he said.

Basic Cadet Hollie Wise was also among those taking the oath Wednesday and had considered Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology before choosing the Air Force Academy.

The academy stood out to her because of its excellent astronautical engineering program, and she hoped to become part of the strong Christian community at the school. After earning her degree, Wise said she hopes to go to work for the Space Force and work on rockets and satellites.

"I have always loved space," she said, noting her home in South Dakota has a clear view of the stars.

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