Nov 03 2024 1 mins
The Air Force Academy houses one of the largest permanently hung murals in the world. ----more----
The work of art is located on the north wall of the Cadet Field House multipurpose area. Forty feet high and 320 feet wide, it consists of four panels. Each quarter panel is set in a different season and depicts one year in the life of an Air Force Academy cadet. The first panel portrays the Academy in summer and shows typical events in the life of a Doolie. Three-degrees, or sophomores, have the autumn; two-degrees winter; and Firsties spring. The painting shows some of the primary milestone events that take place for each class. Appropriately enough, it begins with Basic Cadet Training and concludes with Graduation, complete with hats in the air and Thunderbirds flying overhead. The Honor Code and Core Values are also displayed on the top and bottom of the painting, respectively. The Class of 1976 commissioned the $50,000 mural, which was painted by Michael Esch. The design process took more than a year, evolving into a composition that includes military, academic, athletic, and character-development aspects of the Academy curriculum. With that complete, work on the mural commenced on 21 July 1997 and was completed in October 1997.
The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation