Lt Col Jim Ratti
6329 Pheasant Valley Rd
Dayton OH 45424-7100
(937) 236-9306 (Home) or DSN 785-0366 x3281 (Work)
rattijm(nospam)@mindspring.com

Hello Redtags!

            Wow, what a GREAT reunion we had!  Those of you who were fortunate enough to make it know what I mean when I say it was one non-stop party from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday.  There were tours of the Cadet area, Fairchild Hall, the dorms, and the Prep School.  We had briefings from all the department heads, and got to eat lunch with the Cadets.  We had a very moving Memorial Ceremony, and got to take part in a golf tournament.  Members of the Choirs and Chorale wowed congregations at the Chapel on Sunday, and we even won the football game against New Mexico (Sorry, Heather…).  For those of you who couldn’t be there, we all missed you (and talked nicely about you, mostly) and hope that you’ll start planning NOW to attend the 25^th. 

It was absolutely wonderful to see so many good friends and acquaintances, some of whom we’d not been able to meet since the 10^th reunion, or maybe even since graduation.  Personally, I took great pride and pleasure in seeing how magnificently members of our class have grown into positions of leadership and influence in virtually every walk of life.  We’ve got doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, corporate executives, Colonels, astronauts, parole officers, legislators, department heads, investment advisors, parents (and grandparents!), division chiefs, and war heroes amongst us.  Really cool.

Let’s see if I can recap the weekend in somewhat chronological order.  I’ll tell you right now, with the combination of fading memory (and killed brain cells), poor note taking, and limited space in Checkpoints, I’m absolutely certain to leave out the picture, name, detail or bit of news you thought was most important.  So, I’ll apologize in advance!  I can only print six pictures in Checkpoints, so surf the website (usafa82.org) for a more complete collection of snapshots.  If you’d like your pictures included there, send ‘em to me by e-mail or burn them onto a CD and mail them to me the old fashioned way.

The reunion began mid-day on Wednesday September 4^th as people began arriving at the Wyndham.  The hotel is new since we graduated, and is located on a hill just north of Garden of the Gods road along I-25, south of the Academy.  Reunion committee member Steve TOLDY did extra duty, showing up early that day and taking care of all the last minute arrangements with the hotel.  The staff had a great spread of munchies out in the lobby bar by 1700, and the gang dove right in.  Conversations in the lobby drowned out all other activities, and non-reunion guests were very much aware that ’82 had arrived!  I left the lobby about midnight and the party was still going strong.

Thursday began early with a continental breakfast followed by a tour of the Olympic Training Center in C-Springs.  Those who went said it was very interesting, and that the facilities there were superb.  There was a golf tournament in the early afternoon, but I didn’t get much feedback on how it went.  The weather was great, and I understand the toll on the wildlife and the turf was light.  I’ll be generous and assume that as we’ve aged, the golf scores have reduced in direct proportion to hairlines, and in inverse proportion to waistlines and gross weight. 

Many of the Preppies among us gathered at the Prep School for a mini reunion Thursday afternoon.  There have been a lot of changes there since we graduated, most notably the extensive renovations in the academic building and the gym.  The facilities are absolutely outstanding, and left us envious.  Emphasis is still on academics, but we were left with the impression that once basic is over, military items are not stressed as much as when we were there.  Nonetheless, the staff and students are well-motivated, polite and enthusiastic.  Seeing the dorms (with computers in every room!) brought back many memories.  Whatever became of E.J. Callenese?

Thursday evening began with heavy hors d’oeuvres in the Wyndham’s ballroom.  By now nearly everyone who was attending had arrived, and the crowd was about double what it had been the night before.  Around 300 classmates (almost 500 counting guests) attended.  The conversations were lively as everyone caught up on what had been going on for the past ten (or twenty) years, and the room was packed.  Many folks retreated to individual rooms for Doolie squadron parties.  Among them was my gang of misfits, the Doolies of 30^th Squadron.  Pictured below are (back row, L-R) Steve VOGT, Ed ANTOINE, Bill HARDING, me, Mike GECZY, Cliff HINDMAN, Tony MAHONEY, and Mike EAYRS.  In the front row are Gail (COOPER) ALLEN and husband Mike, Dolores (SMITH) BUBIER, Martha Y. (STEVENSON) JONES and Steve TOLDY.  Tod WOLTERS was also at the party, but missed the picture.

The Knights of Thirt
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We managed to make it through Thursday night with only minimal attention from hotel security, and most of the parties wound up before 0130 (getting weak, I know…).

Friday was a very busy day and began with a women’s brunch organized by Kay GROSINSKE.  Virtually all the ’82 women present (and even my ’80 grad wife Ellen!) showed up for what turned out to be a very lively women-only gathering.  In fact, it was so women-only that Kay felt obliged to inform Heather WILSON’S husband Jay that he and the kids would have to find something else to do while Heather explained to the gang how she planned achieve the political miracle of cheering for both the Lobos and the Falcons.  I’ve got a ton of pictures from the brunch (taken by some spies—I wasn’t allowed to poke my head in the room), but I don’t have room for more than one here.  You’ll have to visit the website for the rest.  Pictured below are (L-R) Maggie PELSZYNSKI, Dianna (AGELINE) ACKERLY and Jill STERLING.

The Three Graces
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Later Friday morning everyone migrated to the Cadet Area for an open house.  We had the run of the place, including the dorms and Fairchild Hall.  About 200 of us had lunch with the cadets in Mitchell Hall, and got to witness Col Steve LINDSEY as he made a short speech from the staff tower.  He presented to the AOG the framed cross stitched ’82 ring crest and a collage of pictures that he took with him on his shuttle flight last summer.  The Mitchell Hall staff is much reduced from our days (as a result of an A-76 action awhile back), but the food hasn’t changed much.  I’ll let you decide if that’s a “good thing” or not. 

After lunch some of us filtered back to various squadrons to tell our war stories and tall tales to the youngsters during their military training period.  The Commandant, Superintendent, Dean and Athletic Director joined Jim Shaw (AOG president) in making a set of presentations to a combined ‘82/’92 assembly in good old F-1.  There we learned that much has changed, yet much hasn’t.  There have been some efforts to level course hours across all the majors, the labs and classrooms have been vastly renovated (with some new lab space on the east side of Fairchild Hall), T-41 is contracted out, and there’s a wireless LAN in the library.  Cadets now get laptops, there are laundromats in the dorms, and there’s a huge addition being completed between the gym and the field house.  However, cadets still don’t have enough hours in the day, still win post-grad scholarships galore, still go OTF, can’t cut class, and complain about the Comm.

Next we all migrated to the Chapel steps for a photo (see below) and then gathered in front of the class wall for a very moving memorial ceremony.  I’m very happy to report that there were no members of our class whose names were read this year.

’82 Reunion Attendees on the Chapel Steps
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As we returned to the hotel, we noticed that buses with New Mexico plates were pulling into the parking lot.  Could it be?  Yes!  The Lobos football team was staying at OUR hotel!  We immediately began concocting plans to keep them up all night.  One Lobos fan was overheard saying that his Congresswoman (and our classmate) would be wearing red on Saturday, presumably in honor of the Lobos.  He was immediately educated about true meaning of red.

We capped off Friday evening with a formal dinner at the Wyndham.  Our class president and reunion chairman Jim DEMAREST was the host, keeping the program moving by introducing speakers throughout the evening.  The night’s theme was “A Legacy of Achievement”, and Steve LINDSEY led the parade narrating a film of his exploits aboard the shuttle and the space station last summer.  Congresswoman Heather WILSON inspired us all by recounting how the friendships and experiences she had as a cadet boosted her along her way during her career.  She also related how she regards those USAFA relationships as her true friendships, despite the thousands of people who today claim Congresswoman Wilson as a “close” friend.  Mike ROBERTS awed us as he gave an account of his shoot down (compete with HUD film!) and capture during the Gulf War.  He got to put his SERE training to good use as the Iraqis pumped him for information.  Jim DEMAREST gave a spellbinding narrative of Steve PHILLIS’ heroics as he was shot down and killed in his A-10 in Kuwait.  The group was so moved by the story that everyone stood and joined in singing a spontaneous chorus of the “Third Verse” of the Air Force Song.  Emotion was running high as Gerry SOHAN announced the class’ goal of collecting $382,000 in contributions to the AOG between now and the 25^th reunion.  While that sounds like an incredible amount of money, it’s really peanuts on an individual basis.  If 800 of us each give $100 a year for the next five years, that’s $400,000.  Now, that’s less than $10 per month per person.  We can do this!

Saturday began early as many of us turned out for an impromptu tour of Jack’s Valley and the SERE compound hosted by Dean MILLS.  Dean is on the training group staff at USAFA and pulled all the right strings.  Except with the cops…  Somehow all the coordination that Dean did failed to filter down to the cops on the beat, and a bunch of us nearly got arrested as we drove past the traffic cones into Jack’s Valley.  Dean “The Silver Tongued Devil” managed to straighten it all out (and yours truly avoided handcuffs) and we had a great time.  Most of you will probably recall that resistance training was discontinued some years ago after an incident involving a female student.  Now that people are beginning to see the worth of that sort of training again, and in recognition of the fact that the USAF doesn’t have enough capacity at its other training facilities, it looks like they might resume resistance training at USAFA.  Here’s a view of the camp as it exists today.  Somehow it all looks a lot smaller and less hostile than it did when we had bags on our heads!

Former ‘Prisoners’ Regale Offspring with Tales of the PDR
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On the way to the compound, we noticed that some industrious soul(s) had made an excursion to the flatiron sometime in the past 24 hours.  See photo documentation below.

Never Too Old for a Spirit Mission
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We all rejoined at Doolittle Hall (the AOG building) for a superb tailgate party with BBQ, beer, beans and bales (to sit on).  We moved on to a cliffhanger of a football game against the Lobos, which we won 38-31 in overtime.  Dean CHRISTIAN reprised his 10^th reunion role as spirit chairman and led us in rousing renditions of such classics as “Down to the River” and “Hey Gang”.  We managed to get a fairly spirited volley of competitive cheering going with ’92 by taunting them with, “’82, best in blue – ’92, where are you??!”  We had to follow up with, ‘We can retire—How ‘bout you?” before they finally responded with, “We can’t wait until you do!”  I’m not sure who really won the shouting match, but we decided that collaboration was better than competition when they hollered, “’82, best in blue, how’s Viagra work for you??!”

Here’s a small sampling of the more than 500 members and guests of our class who attended the game.  From left to right are Mike GECZY, Bill HARDING, Steve VOGT, and Steve TOLDY.

Why Would These Guys Inspire ’92 to Mention Viagra?
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 After the game it was back to the hotel to terrorize the guests again as we held graduation squadron parties in our rooms.  Those who weren’t up there gathered down in the lobby bar and one of the salons for some decadent desserts and more non-stop conversation.  Some Choir and Chorale members began warming up their pipes for church on Sunday, and delighted (almost) everyone in earshot with a resounding rendition of “High Flight”.  Sometime around 0100, things began to quiet down as most of us wandered off to bed.

Sunday morning, members of the Catholic Choir (and a few renegade Protestants) gathered in the Chapel basement to rehearse for Mass, but mostly to see Mr. L (Ed Ladoucer) our beloved director.  We had a fantastic (if emotional) time singing for the 1100 Mass.  We joined the Cadet choir afterwards and did a few numbers with them, then retired to Doolittle Hall for a delicious brunch arranged by Kay GROSINSKE.  We pulled out music for “America in Song” plus a few other favorites like “Sleigh Ride” and sang ‘til we were hoarse.  Mr. L hasn’t changed a bit, and graciously told us that “there were moments” when our 40-something voices “almost” had that old sound.  We’re already planning it again for the 25^th, and hope to have all 50 or so of the Catholic Choir ’82 grads there.  And, Dana RICHARDS will be putting together a similar soiree for the Protestant Choir grads.  Stay tuned!

Well, shoot!  I’m nearly out of space, and I didn’t get to any of the news!  Tell you what—I’ll put everything I can on the website.  I’d like to end with a very humble “thank you” for all the kind words so many of you had for me during the reunion in recognition of my work as your class scribe.  It’s truly been my pleasure, and I’ll gladly keep it up for as long as you’ll have me.  Thanks for forgiving my lapses of memory and procrastination as I juggle the priorities we all struggle with.  Your kindness is humbling.  Thanks too for all the class coins you’ve purchased!  With your help, I’ve been able to give $700 to the AOG, reducing the balance on our class gift to $381,300!

‘Til next time, Be Safe!
          Ratman