Lowry Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War. From 1955-1958, it served as the initial site of the U.S. Air Force Academy. It is a U.S. Formerly Used Defense Site (B08CO0505).
Lowry Air Force Base and nearby residential areas in March 1987
World War II Postcard of Lowry Field
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It is the youngest of the five service academies, having graduated its first class 65 years ago in 1959, but is the third in seniority. Graduates of the academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.
Cadets from the first USAFA class lined up for physical training at Lowry AFB in 1955
The academy's class of 2020 was the first to graduate new officers into the United States Space Force.
Interior of Cadet Chapel
The Class Wall is located just below the Cadet Chapel.