'Recognition' ceremony returns to Air Force Academy

[Guest Hoser]

From af.mil

3/10/2006 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- "Recognition" is being reinstated here after a three-year hiatus. Recognition 2006 events start after classes March 16 and conclude with a celebratory dinner March 18.

Recognition marks the transition of the fourth classmen to upper class status. It is the ceremonial acknowledgement that the fourth class as a whole has successfully met the military training requirements expected of it and is prepared to continue its four-year journey through the rigors of academy life.

In 2003, the decision was made to end Recognition as part of an overall culture and climate change at the academy. By professionally redesigning and executing it for the Class of 2009, cadets will develop an overall sense of accomplishment and pride in the achievements of the cadet wing and the shared heritage of Recognition, academy officials said.

In addition to challenging the Class of 2009, Recognition provides the three upper classes an opportunity to develop leadership skills by exercising their roles in relation to the officer development system and the personal, interpersonal, team and organizational leadership model.

Recognition consists of wing- and squadron-run activities. Wing-level events include the leadership course, assault course, chutes and ladders , academy tour course, as well as mandatory meal formations, a motivational speaker and “The Run to the Rock.” Squadron-level training events include three discretionary training time periods, theme rooms and squadron ceremonies.

I always preferred Candyland.

Hoser

[war007afa]

Cadets who never went through Recognition pushing Recognition....what will they think of next? :rolleyes:

[silverwolf0911]

The current firsties actually were the last class to go through it. My buddy at the academy has been talking about this for a while. Apparently it sounds like a couple of days of intense abusive hazing.

But my buddy is looking forward to it. Kinda weird huh?

[zrooster99]

executing it for the Class of 2009

Holy sh!t...now I'm starting to feel old.

[busdriver]

trying to explain recognition to non-grads is akin to explaining why we serve to non-military members. I'll say that it is not just a couple days of PT/hazing.

[busdriver]

My point was that non-members can't really internalize (sp?)why we do what we do with a smile.

Recognition is supposed to be the culmination of a year of hell (basically). In this case, it's a step in the right direction. If you look back at the POWs from Vietnam, the grads all credit their freshman year with how they managed. Every elite group in the military has a selection process that is nothing short of brutal, the SEALs have BUD/S, special forces have SFOQT, not to mention RANGER qual, INDOC, Recon Selection, etc. Nobody questions the difficult nature of these courses, but ultimately they are all hard for the same reason; so those that make it through have no doubt about what they are made of.

[Guest KoolKat]

I guess I'll flip threw it again. I'm sure I'll find what your talking about.

"being put to the test allowed me to learn more about myself than would be possible in daily life."

Well, I've watched TV shows about hell week for the SEALs and what not...

In the end...The fact that you didn't attack the description of this "recognition," especially with the "board game" reference makes me not so clear on what kind of "branding" experience it is...You, having gone to the AFA, would know better than I.

No harm my brotha....Just still don't get it.

In any case, hey, my sig line shared my classified with you, you can do the same! It is of equal importance.

BENDY

EDIT: It is always difficult to get someone to understand what something is really like, or why you find it important, if in fact, you explain nothing...

[ 11. March 2006, 23:24: Message edited by: Bender ]

[zrooster99]

No worries man, it was phonetic at least, if not correct.

Dude, I'm not perfect either, but you of all people should NOT comment on anyone's spelling.

To boil it down for you, it's a combination of beatings 'til you puke, a time for reflection, and what traditions managed to survive umpteen AF Generals who thought they knew better. It's meant to build pride and camaraderie in those that make it through the first year.

I said not to worry about it. He was the one that commented on it. Whateva...your right.

edit: My bad, withdrawn.

[ 15. March 2006, 20:24: Message edited by: zrooster99 ]

[Champ Kind]

Sounds like a conversation better to be spoken of on e-Dodo or something....

[FourFans]

Bender: It's like trying to explain skydiving to someone who hasn't, or describing the thrill of your first solo ride to someone who's never flown, or explaining the "driving the boat" in Guam to your wife. These are things you simply cannot do.

If you were there, you get it, and if you didn't go, you won't understand...so stop trying.

EDIT: It's good to hear recognition is coming back...now if we could only bring meaning back to the prop'n wings...

[ 12. March 2006, 09:13: Message edited by: FourFans130 ]

[war007afa]

Originally posted by FourFans130:

It's good to hear recognition is coming back...now if we could only bring meaning back to the prop'n wings...

...or the 4th class year. Recognition doesn't mean shit if you didn't have a bonafide 4 dig year. But I digress.

So, back to topics that the other 66% of officers on this board care about... :D

[Guest Hoser]

Originally posted by war007afa:

So, back to topics that the other 66% of officers on this board care about... :D

If I did my calculations correctly, I'm sure that you meant 69%.

Hoser

[Vetter]

Are they still giving props and wings to ROTC homos?

[Smokin]

Originally posted by Vetter:

Are they still giving props and wings to ROTC homos?

Dude, WTF? Your profile says you're at Columbus, so unless you're an IP or on an alpha tour, who are you to get pissed about other people wearing wings? Also, how long ago was it since you were an "ROTC (insert AFA/OTS/whatever) homo"? I thought it was dumb that we were authorized those fake wings in ROTC too, but I was a cadet, so I shut up and colored. Unless you were already an officer and a pilot when you were born, you might want to take it easy categorically bashing guys just because they're younger than you.

[Mike Honcho]

Pretty sure he meant the prop and wings that went on the flight cap, but we got them at OTS when we became upperclass.

I'll stop short while I remember this is the internet and I've got the same rank as the academy guys I'm in class with.

[Guest IcemanTB1]

Apparently something as important as an emblem on a hat is now causing a daytime soap on baseops.net forums. My how the world has changed.

[brabus]

Apparently Vetter still has his panties in a bunch over some stupid piece of metal on a flight cap...come on dude, same team, let it go.

[Guest glambors]

As a 03'er, I'm very glad to hear good things are coming back. Been there, done that. Again, I'm glad it's back!

[FalconXtreme]

im guessing u guys that dont understand this have never been in a fraternity. because from these post that i'm reading thats exactly what this recognition sounds like. as a frat member myself i completely understand. but cant explain it any better then those that have posted above

[Champ Kind]

I'm sorry, but as a graduate of a military college myself, I do not subscribe to the notion that the "freshman experience" at an academy can be compared to frats. Going through a year of hardship to become a part of something larger than yourself is, in my humble opinion, a little more involved than taking hits off the Sigma Phi paddle, followed by funneling an 18-rack of PBR and then stringing up a cinder block to your junk....

I see where you are tying to come from, but I just cannot imagine it being the same in any way.

[Login Name]

they just need to bring back hell week and breakout now to the i.

bus, i agree with you...if you go through something like that then you can describe it to other people that went through similar stuff and they'll understand. if the person didn't and had the normal college experience they won't understand.

[FalconXtreme]

phlash - not to get this thread of topic or anything but not all frats are the same as the one u described. my process was almost three months of hardship everyday of the week. an 18rack of pbr and cinder block on my junk would of been a cake walk.

but i'm glad to see u atleast see where i'm comin from.

on topic sorta - whats the problem with the prop and wings on flight caps? from what i've been told we used to have them back in the days of the army air corp and just carried them over.

[Champ Kind]

Originally posted by FalconXtreme:

my process was almost three months of hardship everyday of the week.

My point exactly. Try the better part of a year.

EDIT: Not intended to be a dick-measuring contest.... Disengaging and moving to another topic.

[ 13. March 2006, 15:12: Message edited by: PhlashNU04 ]

[Guest ruckerstud]

For all the non-zoomies (or non-FAGs if you like) here: The problem with prop and wings is that for something like 45 years, you had to put up with somewhere between 7-11 months of being a freshmen (followed by Recognition) to earn them. I can't really give you a good understanding of the academy experience or why I put myself through it, but I can say that the two or three pair of prop and wings I still mean something to me. To see someone get them for completing field training or for completing four weeks (or whatever the current requirement for OTS is) of OTS getting prop and wings is going to piss a lot of zoomies off. Just like a lot of Warrant Officers are pissed off that WOCs now get their bars prior to their wings. Yes, the prop and wings was the branch insignia for aviation in that Army Air Corps (still is), but it was adopted at the academy as the symbol of being an upperclassman. I think a big part of what is going on here is that folks who didn't go to any military academy ( since most of our traditions where handed down from West Point) are coming in and messing with stuff they know nothing about. For the frat boys, it would be like us coming in and saying what you do is stupid, you need to do it the way we do it the academy. For the folks who went to A&M, VT or El Sid, it would be the same. But to conclude my rant, my wings are the same as anyone elses and if someone has a technique that works for me, I am stealing it, I don't really care where they went to school.

[Guest Hoser]

Originally posted by ruckerstud:

For all the non-zoomies (or non-FAGs if you like) here: The problem with prop and wings is that for something like 45 years, you had to put up with somewhere between 7-11 months of being a freshmen (followed by Recognition) to earn them. I can't really give you a good understanding of the academy experience or why I put myself through it

Soooo, are you calling yourself a ?

Originally posted by ruckerstud:

To see someone get them for completing field training or for completing four weeks (or whatever the current requirement for OTS is) of OTS getting prop and wings is going to piss a lot of zoomies off.

You know what pisses me off, the fact that I graduated 3 weeks prior to the zoo clowns, but my DOR is pushed back so that even the bottom of the barrel guy has a higher DOR than every ROTC grad that same year. You're b!tching about an insignia you wear on your hat. I'm b!tching about an approx years worth of higher pay. (The pay increase when you get to Major is approx $800, 1/2 from the promo and 1/2 from 10 yrs in service). If I pin on 10 months after the number one guy, I'm $8K in the hole). You can have all the little prop and wings you want, if I can have my 8K.

Originally posted by ruckerstud:

Yes, the prop and wings was the branch insignia for aviation in that Army Air Corps (still is), but it was adopted at the academy as the symbol of being an upperclassman.

I'm fairly sure that when the AF became a separate service back in 47, that they continued with the Aviation Cadet program (the cadets would wear the prop and wings) until 1961, at which point they discontinued aviation cadet pilot training. The USAFA didn't have it's first class until 1955 and they graduated in 1959 (I'm sure your Contrails book already taught you that). When exactly did the zoo start using the prop and wings?

If you must know, the intial entry requirements for the Aviation Cadets (and therefore your prop and wings was "under 25, have 2-3 years of college, be athletic, honest, and reliable", so I'm sure if we could find an actual Aviation Cadet on this board, he would be pissed that you got your prop and wings after your "7-11 months of being a freshmen"

Hoser