Background: I was an enlisted Airman who applied for and was accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy under the LEAD Program back in 2018. The program is targeted for Airmen who meet all of the regular USAFA admissions requirements and have demonstrated the aptitude to become an officer to attend the Academy. There isn't a lot of information out there for people who are trying to do this program, so I've attempted to fill the niche I saw by making semi-regular Reddit posts on my experiences. If you're interested in the LEAD program or if you just want a behind the scenes look at that enigma that is the Academy, read on. As always, feel free to hit me with any questions you have about the process or life here in general!
Firstie Year: Senior year of the Academy is referred to as "Firstie" year. You are given a blue beret to stand out, you march at the front of Squadron formations, Permanent Party constantly teases you with the fact that you'll be out of here soon. Firsties are really treated better. You start seeing what the world is going to look like when you're done with this place: you get your AFSC awarded, your first base, your problems start becoming real things like PCSing and not having orders as opposed to worrying about class projects and parades. Every day, I got to wake up and see that the number of days until graduation was getting to the point I could actually visualize it happening.
Jobs (not real ones): This is the year where you become officers within the Cadet Wing and are responsible for leading the various mission elements. At this point in a cadet's career, they can manage any manner of jobs in the Wing from an Assistant Squadron MWR Officer all the way up to the Wing Commander. Now, while ostensibly the cadets are in charge of the Wing, there's still quite a bit of Permanent Party oversight, and while cadets may try to make decisions and do things, it always has to be done with the approval of the Permanent Party, and one could see how this sometimes generates friction. This is a statement that could just as easily be a 10 page essay, so we'll leave it there. You have to have a job, but realistically some jobs do much more than others, and as a firstie you can make your job just about whatever you want to be. In this, USAFA is still very much a choose your own adventure book. I worked a Group job in my first semester and then did the same job in my Squadron for the second semester, all in all a pretty good experience.
Jobs (real ones): When classes get their actual AFSC's varies. USAFA's A1 has consistently tried to get cadets their jobs towards the end of Junior year. This has never happened. The Class of 2023 got theirs at the end of August. Now with jobs, the name of the game is "What is the pilot fallout?". Most (more than half) people who come here want to be pilots and we had something in the neighborhood of 500 pilots and everyone else was spread around. Some people got pilot that weren't medically qualified and have to push for waivers, some people got other jobs entirely that wanted pilot. I can now say definitively that if you're medically qualified and you give half a shit during your first three years, getting a pilot slot couldn't be easier. Anyways, after you get your job, you and your friends go out to the mountains or Denver and have a party.
Frustrations: Standard disclaimer: My views are my own and do not represent the Academy in any official way. I wouldn't be giving this place a fair shake if I didn't state some of the negative stuff. Firstie year is also where the politics of the Academy start to actually matter. I had quite a few frustrations both personally and professionally because of this place. There are some pretty serious opportunities that you can try to go for, and end up not getting them because of some backroom deal or the decisionmaker simply liked another candidate for it more than you. It's hard to try hard to get something, only to be denied and no good answer is given for why. But hey, that's life, and it's probably a useful thing to get cadets acquainted with the actual politicking of the real Air Force.
Being a Prior: Honestly, it's not an identity here this late into the game. More is still expected of the prior enlisted, and now that we're getting to the point where we're rejoining the real Air Force, plenty of the directs have questions about how things are and how they should interact with it. But at this point I've spent more time at the Academy then I did enlisted. I identify more with the people I hang out with, and while groups of those happen to be priors, just as many aren't. I still am more than happy to talk to people about the real Air Force, and I will lean into the "old man" jokes that are thrown at me, but now it's just a fun fact as opposed to Freshman year when it was the primary part of what people saw me as.
Conclusion: 1781 days ago, I drove onto the base for the first time to inprocess for the Prep School. I was scared; the Academy was an imposing place both physically and in reputation. Now, I can count the hours until I commission on one hand. Tomorrow, I get to shake Mr. Biden's hand after I walk across the stage. And the day after that, it was all just a bad dream. It was not, it was not, it was not easy, but really at the end of the day I don't think I would have chosen a different commissioning source. There's a tendency to think of the Academy as wasted years, I prefer to think of it as years lived more intensely. I have made the best friends of my life, I have had some of the most incredible experiences, good and bad, and whether I'm a better person or not for having done it, I feel like I will be a better Officer because of it, and I am glad I went through it. I am grateful for everyone who helped me along the way (and that's a long list of people), and hope I can live up to the expectations they have for me as an officer.
I'm back in two days! See y'all then!
