The Cadet Read online

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Author’s Note

  Dramatis Personae

  USAF Academy Abbreviations and Terms

  The Coming American

  The Cadet

  Chronology

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  EPILOGUE

  Bibliography

  About the Author

  WILD BLUE U

  FOUNDATION OF HONOR

  The Cadet

  by Doug Beason

  Book Description

  The Cadet, Book 1 of the Wild Blue U saga, chronicles the founding years of arduous training of America’s future leaders as they prepare to serve in such places from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East. The Cadet is an accurate, historical saga of the Academy based on factual events—but populated with empathetic, larger-than-life characters that will appeal to prospective candidates, military members, and the reading public alike.

  ***

  Smashwords Edition – 2015

  WordFire Press

  wordfirepress.com

  ISBN: 978-1-61475-290-5

  Copyright © 2015 Doug Beason

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover design by Janet McDonald

  Art Director Kevin J. Anderson

  Cover artwork images by Dollar Photo Club

  Book Design by RuneWright, LLC

  www.RuneWright.com

  Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Publishers

  Published by

  WordFire Press, an imprint of

  WordFire, Inc.

  PO Box 1840

  Monument, CO 80132

  ***

  Dedication

  To Cindy Beason—who met me when I was a cadet,

  married me anyway, and supported me through everything.

  ***

  Acknowledgements

  The Wild Blue U saga was written over a period of 15 years and I received much help from reviewers, contributors of anecdotes, historians, former cadets and faculty members, editors, agents, friends, and a host of other helpers. As such, I cannot possibly thank everyone who has contributed to the saga as I’m sure I will leave someone out; but nevertheless, here goes: Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Don Erbschloe, Vickie Erbschloe, John Silbersack, Matt Bialer, Lori Peterkin and her Book Club, Lisa Ice, Ken Zeringue, Vivian Trask, Don Shepherd, Elizabeth Muenger, Joe Gross, Craig Hendrickson, Mike Heil, Bill Sabol, Jeff Dotur, Harald Dogliani, Gary Ganong, Jim Parsons, Bob DeBerry, Hugh Gordon, Deane Burbank, Dick Halloran, Phil Gronseth, Curt McIntyre, Jim Mateos, Chris Jaremko, Yvonne Kinkaid, John Paul Fraser Fisher, Ken Henderson, Nelson O’Rear, Steve Whitehouse, Don Cole, Bob Duffner, and of course, Cindy Beason.

  ***

  Author’s Note

  The Cadet is a composite of over 60 years of Academy history, attempting to distill a wide spectrum of experiences that could not have possibly happened to just one cadet in a four-year period. And although this is a work of fiction, it is based on historical figures, events, and locations that are real; however, it is impossible to precisely reconstruct the thoughts and motivations of these historical figures and their actions. As such, the author has taken liberty to dramatically embellish historical events, and does not intend to denigrate—but only highlight and humanize—the significance of their actions. For example, George Delante did not exist; his actions did not occur. As another example, there was only one cadet squadron commander for Third Squadron in 1958; the fictional character portrayed is not related in any way to this person. In addition, only to dramatize the novel, some anecdotes may be out of chronological order or the venues changed (such as the CU mascot liberation; or the Class of 1959’s graduation ceremony being depicted on the parade field, instead of in Arnold Hall due to inclement weather; etc.). The sole purpose is not to make this novel a dry chronicle of historical fact, but rather to show the true excitement of establishing a major American landmark. Finally, there are a few terms and phrases used that may offend present day social mores, but these are only used to reflect the customs and social tones of a 1950s, post-Korean conflict, America.

  ***

  Dramatis Personae

  (Historical figures are denoted by ψ)

  Jean-Claude (Rod) Simone

  Marie Simone—Rod’s mother

  Henri Simone—Rod’s father

  Nanette Simone—Rod’s sister

  Major General Hank McCluney—Downed pilot, Rod’s adoptive father

  Mary McCluney—Hank’s wife, Rod’s adoptive mother

  Sandy Allison—Rod’s high-school girlfriend in Southern California

  Julie Phillips—Colorado Women’s College student, Rod’s girlfriend in Colorado

  United States Air Force Academy—Class of 1959

  Nino Baldacciψ—Cadet (Poughkeepsie, NY)

  Fred Delante—Cadet (Colorado Springs, CO)

  Jeff Goldstein—Cadet (New York, NY)

  Sylvester “Sly” Winston Jakes—Cadet (Boston, MA)

  Manuel Rojo—Cadet (Albuquerque, NM)

  George Sanders—Cadet (Ft. Worth, Texas)

  United States Air Force Academy

  Master Sergeant William H. Coltrinψ—USAFA Non-commissioned OIC

  Lieutenant General James E. Briggsψ—USAFA Superintendent

  Raf Garcia—waiter

  Lieutenant General Hubert Harmonψ—first USAFA Superintendent

  Captain Samuel P. Justice, USAF—Air Officer Commanding (AOC)
>
  Ben Martinψ—USAFA football coach

  Mrs. Gail McComas ψ—Cadet hostess, 1955 to 1977

  First Lieutenant Tom Ranch, USAF—Air Training Officer (ATO)

  Brigadier General Robert M. “Moose” Stillmanψ—first Commandant of Cadets

  Brigadier Henry R. Sullivan, Jr.ψ—Commandant of Cadets

  Colonel Albert E. Stoltzψ—Director, Air Force Academy Construction Agency

  Colorado Springs

  George Delante—Land developer and construction magnate

  Elizabeth Delante—his wife

  Jim-Tom Henderson—Owner, Pine Valley Airport and George’s business partner

  Margaret Henderson—his sister

  Darius Moore—El Paso county assistant district attorney

  Washington, D.C.

  President Dwight D. Eisenhowerψ—U. S. President

  The Honorable J. Edgar Chenowethψ—Colorado Congressman

  Ambassador T. Edward Phillips—Julie Phillip’s father

  Francine Phillips—Julie Phillip’s mother

  Other Locations

  Colonel “Speedy” Beaumont—Hank McCluney’s wingman in WWII

  Carol Gutheinz—Colorado Women’s College student

  Tony Rafelli—Denver Post reporter

  Barbara Richardson—Stanford student

  Wendy Shelby—Colorado Women’s College student

  ***

  USAF Academy Abbreviations and Terms

  Ac Call—Academic Call-to-Quarters, mandatory study time

  AMI—Any Morning Inspection, usually less formal than a SAMI

  ASAP—As Soon As Possible

  AOC—Air Officer Commanding

  ATO—Air Training Officer

  AWOL—Absent Without Leave

  Blow—To rest, or to “kiss off”

  Bomb—To do extremely poorly

  BOR—Base Of the Ramp

  Buy the Farm—To crash

  Cadet Wing—The student body of USAFA cadets

  Canoe U—A small, inconsequential school (Annapolis), which forms a suburb of the capital of Maryland with a campus partly on land and partly in the Severn River

  CCQ—Cadet in Charge of Quarters

  Clank—To freeze up; to royally goof-up

  CDB—Commandant’s Disciplinary Board

  CIC—Cadet In Charge

  Comm—Commandant of Cadets, a brigadier (1-star) general

  Commshop—Commandant’s office

  CQ—used in place of CCQ

  Crash—A landing in which the vertical velocity is so great and the time spent in reducing it to zero is so brief that the acceleration and hence the forces acting become so great as to result in structural failure

  Cretin—That person ill-disposed at doing acts of nominal coordination or acts requiring minimal thought

  DF—Dean of Faculty, a brigadier (1-star) general

  Doolie—That insignificant whose rank is measured in negative units; one whose potential for learning is unlimited; one who will graduate in some time approaching infinity

  FIGMO—Forget It, Got My Orders

  Firstie—a First classman, a senior (cadets in their final year at the Academy)

  Fourth classman—Freshman (first year cadet, known as a doolie)

  FORM 10—Cadet administrative form for documenting infraction of regulations

  FUBAR—“Messed” Up Beyond All Recognition

  GIB—Guy in the back seat

  Ground pounder—A non-flying officer

  Hyper—An ultra-military cadet that is focused on military bearing

  Hudson High—a small, inconsequential school (West Point) on the Hudson River distinguished by over 200 years of tradition unhampered by progress

  IHTFP—“I Have Truly Found Paradise”; equivalently, “I Hate This Friggin’ Place”

  Intramurder—Athletic competition between squadrons; violent intramural sports

  IRI—In Ranks Inspections

  Magic—That name applied to the department of Electrical Engineering and all related hand waving activities

  MATS—Military Air Transport Service

  NCOIC—Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge

  Nino Baldacci—That individual having entered with the class of ’59 and remaining until the present time never having been off academic probation and never having taken a privilege. He is a perpetual turn-back near and dear to all cadets.

  ODP—Off Duty Privilege

  OIC—Officer-in-Charge

  OTF—Over The Fence, AWOL

  PDA—Public Display of Affection

  PE—Physical Education

  PFT—Physical Fitness Test

  Post—An order signifying to a subordinate that their presence is no longer needed

  Rack—Bed

  Rock—That superhuman who is free from female entanglements

  SAC—Strategic Air Command

  SAMI—Saturday Morning Inspection

  SAR—Squadron Assembly Room

  SDO—Squadron Duty Officer

  Second classman—Junior (third year cadet)

  SOD—Senior Officer of the Day

  Staff Tower—The location in the cadet dining hall (Mitchell Hall) where Wing Staff eats

  Supt—USAFA Superintendent, a lieutenant (3-star) general

  TAC—Tactical Air Command

  TDY—Temporary Duty

  Third classman—Sophomore (second year cadet)

  Trash Hauler—Transport pilot

  Truck Driver—the pilot of a non-fighter aircraft with more than one engine (bomber or transport)

  Two!—A command to return the cadet to what he or she had been doing

  UCMJ—Uniformed Code of Military Justice

  Wing Staff—Cadre of senior cadet officers that lead the Cadet Wing

  Zoomie—That term by which a cadet is commonly known by jealous, and usually inferior, civilians

  ***

  The Coming American

  Bring me men to match my mountains,

  Bring me men to match my plains.

  Men to chart a starry empire,

  Men to make celestial claims.…

  —Samuel Walter Foss, at the base of the ramp leading to the USAFA cadet area from 1958–2003

  The Cadet

  ***

  Chronology

  (Entries in italics are fictional)

  1947: The National Security Act of 1947 established the United States Air Force (USAF) as a separate and equal branch to the Army and Navy.

  1948: Officers and educators meet at USAF’s Air University to discuss the creation of an Air Force Academy, but they do not recommend a location.

  1949: Air Force Secretary Symington creates an initial Site Selection Board, appoints war-hero Major General Hank McCluney as a member.

  1949: Denver Post article by Tony Rafelli, “West Point of the Air” prompts Joe Reich, owner of the Swiss Chalet Restaurant in Colorado Springs, to convince the Chamber of Commerce to establish a committee to compete for USAF Academy.

  1950: Real estate mogul George Delante procures several thousand acres in south Colorado Springs in an attempt to hold a monopoly on land proposed for a USAF Academy site.

  1952: A Farnborough Airshow DH.110 crash kills 29 spectators; a heroic rescue effort led by recent West Point graduate Lieutenant Whitney motivates Jean-Claude Simone to attend the new Air Force Academy when it opens.

  1953: The top three sites for the USAF Academy are identified as Colorado Springs, CO; Alton, IL; Geneva, WI. The Site Committee’s report is tabled after considering 580 proposed sites in 45 different states and traveling 18,852 miles.

  1954: Air Force Secretary E. Harold Talbott appoints a new Site Selection Commission; members included Charles Lindberg and Major General Hank McCluney.

  1954: In Alton, IL, and Geneva, WI, George Delante and other activists from Colorado Springs covertly participate in protests against the final Site Committee visits

  1954: In Washington, D.C., George Delante attempts to blackmail Major Gener
al McCluney to influence the Site Selection Committee to pick Colorado Springs.

  1954: The Site Commission dismisses the southern Colorado Springs site for the USAF Academy; George Delante is bankrupted by the decision.

  1954: A last-ditch effort by the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce convinces the Commission to consider a far-north city site. Charles Lindberg pilots the Commission in a plane to inspect the northern Colorado Springs site.

  1954: George Delante dumps his land in south Colorado Springs and deceitfully procures 1,000 acres of prairie east of the proposed USAF Academy northern site.

  25 June 1954: Secretary Talbott announces the Academy will reside in Colorado

  1954: USAF General Order No. 1 activates the USAF Academy and designates Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO as the temporary USAF Academy site

  1954: Congress passes legislation to begin construction of the Air Force Academy in far northwest Colorado Springs

  11 July 1955: The first class of cadets enters the United States Air Force Academy at Lowry AFB

  ***

  Prologue

  “Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer”

  1943

  Cahors, France

  And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the temples of his gods?

  —Horatius at the Bridge

  The high-pitched wail of German air raid sirens startled Jean-Claude Simone from his restless sleep, as it had woken him every night for the past week.

  The boy clutched a blanket and pulled it around his head. He waited for the distant rumbling of the exploding bombs to begin, a deep, growling reverberation that sounded as if a thunderstorm were rolling across the wooded French countryside.

  Two nights ago the guttural booms had grown loud enough that he had felt the ground-shock from the individual bombs. He remembered his mother running upstairs to their bedroom.

  Bending over to comfort his sister’s frightened cries, his mother had picked up his baby sister, Nanette, and clutched her tightly, whispering over the terrifying explosions that grew ever louder. It sounded as though a giant strode through their small valley, randomly dropping boulders as he crashed through their peaceful existence.