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The Challenge Bridge - "To Each Incoming Cadet..."
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A key feature of the Heritage Trail at Doolittle Hall is the Challenge Bridge. The bridge was commissioned by the Academy’s first graduating class, the Class of ’59, and their surrogate upperclassmen, the Air Training Officers. ----more----
It was dedicated on June 17th, 2004, when members of the class were at the Academy for their 45-year reunion. The stone and mortar structure serves as a gateway to the Heritage Trail and was intended to inspire cadets to reflect on the oath of service and commitment they had chosen for their lives. Before crossing the bridge, the cadets, who aspire to someday join the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates, read the text on the bridge-mounted plaque: “To each incoming cadet: The path to which you aspire has been consecrated by the blood of heroes and paved with the selfless service of countless men and women like you. If you would be worthy of this Heritage: Make integrity the bedrock value of your life; Let your actions always be guided by an unshakeable sense of duty, self-discipline, and personal responsibility; Become a lifelong student of history, war, humanity, and leadership; Be prepared to sacrifice everything to defend the principles upon which our nation was founded; Cross this bridge with the determination to live a life that will make all who went before proud of you.”
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation
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