Their achievements that day resulted in an invitational demonstration at the Pueblo Army Depot, after which the commander at Fort Carson sent a very nice letter to the USAFA superintendent, thanking him for allowing the fine young men of his skydiving team to participate".

[citation needed] After a thorough investigation, the USAFA Commandant of Cadets, Brigadier General Robert W. Strong Jr. "had a dilemma on his hands.

[citation needed] Each year since then, more than 800 cadets, officers, and enlisted members, from both U.S. and foreign services, complete five free fall jumps and earn their parachutist badge and rating.

The ground training introduces and develops procedures and techniques for high altitude free fall, and for operating a steerable parachute system.

The course focuses on safety and emergency procedures to aid the students' ability to overcome their fears and perform under the extremely stressful and potentially life-threatening situations they may encounter.

Once airborne, the jumpmaster determines the exit/opening point, which varies with the day's wind patterns, student's receive their third and final gear inspection as the plane turns inbound for the jump run.

In the Spring semester, students complete the training to become jumpmasters and instruct an AM-490 class under the supervision of senior cadets on the Wings of Blue.

[citation needed] On 1 February 1940, the 11th Bombardment Group was activated at Hickam Field, Hawaii, with four squadrons assigned or attached as the United States built up its forces in the Pacific.

[10][15] In June 1942, shortly after the Battle of Midway, the 11th Group was authorized as a mobile force by the Army Air Forces in order to respond to a Navy request by Admiral Nimitz for long-range armed search planes to locate Japanese fleets, accompanied with firepower to withstand defending Japanese interceptors while tracking the fleet.

The 11th Group left Hawaii to support Navy operations in the South Pacific Theater during the Guadalcanal and Northern Solomon Islands Campaigns.

It bombed airfields, supply dumps, ships, docks, troop positions, and other objectives in the South Pacific from July to November 1942, and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for those operations.

It continued operations in the South Pacific, attacking Japanese airfields, installations, and shipping until late March 1943.

[1][10] "The [squadron] moved to Guam on 25 October 1944 and attacked shipping and airfields in the Volcano and Bonin Islands.

"[10] After V-J Day, the squadron flew surveillance and reconnaissance missions over China and ferried former prisoners of war to the Philippines.

The following month, it moved to Northwest Field, Guam and began to re-equip with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, but terminated all operations and training by October.

The squadron conducted worldwide strategic bombardment training missions and provided nuclear deterrent.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency