USAFA Class Histories

60-Year Reunion Memorial Message
James L. Jamerson

Each time I’m a part of this ceremony, it reinforces my admiration for our class leaders and their vision so many years ago to align us with the cup-turning tradition of the legendary Doolittle Raiders. As with the Raiders, our tradition honors the members of a special group, the Class of 1963, as we finish life’s journey.

In my mind, with the original creation of our cup set, each of us left a small part of ourselves behind, here at the Academy. As our time comes, we redeem that investment one last time, coming back together after the Thunderbird-like bomb burst of graduation 60 years ago that sent us on our separate paths. The ceremony is to me a perfect remembrance and tribute, bringing each comrade home one last time as a Class.

But even the best of traditions will not thrive unattended. We are fortunate we have classmates who have nurtured this remembrance ceremony through difficult times. You know their names from the dispatches. Beyond that, our Class has been blessed with the commitment of those who chose to live in the local, or sometimes not so local area, to help organize events like this reunion and all the other reunions and mini-reunions. But more importantly, they and their families have embraced a role to honor our classmates and their loved ones who are interred here in the Academy cemetery. They support the next-of-kin in fair weather and foul.

We owe them a great debt of gratitude. They provide, on behalf of us all, the perfect complement to the cup ceremony.

We are indeed a blessed class.