The Silver Cups and the Cup Turning Ceremony
← Back to ArchivesClass of 1963 tradition, patterned after the Doolittle Raiders
The Class of 1963 cup turning ceremony honors classmates who have passed. Present classmates raise their silver cup, salute, and turn it upside down, as it will be displayed in the future. Of the more than 57,000 graduates and 66 classes the Academy has produced, 1963 is the only class with such a ceremony. It is patterned after the tradition of the Doolittle Raiders, who turned a cup as each member of the Raiders died.
How the ceremony works
- Each year: The class turns the cups of classmates who have passed since the last annual ceremony.
- Five-year reunions: The class meets at the Academy, and the ceremony is normally held in the Cadet Chapel, when it is not under construction. The cups of classmates who have passed since the last five-year reunion are turned again.
- Going forward: The class will continue the ceremony as long as it is able, in a streaming format or at class reunions.
How it began
- April 1942: Sixteen B-25 bombers, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, flew off the carrier Hornet and bombed Japan in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. The crews became known as the Doolittle Raiders.
- 1959: The city of Tucson, Arizona, gave the Raiders 80 silver cups, each engraved with the name of a crew member. That fall, during a football halftime ceremony at the Air Force Academy, the Raiders passed the cups to the Academy's care. It was a mandatory formation, so the Class of 1963 was there.
- 1963: A class committee chaired by John Borling led each classmate to buy a cup for $3, following the Raiders' example.
- 1973: The Raiders' cups moved to the National Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1963-1993: The class cups sat in storage for about 30 years.
- 1993 (30th reunion): All 499 cups were taken out and displayed. That started a discussion on how to care for and preserve them.
- 1996: The display cabinet was built.
- 1998 (35th reunion): The first major cup turning ceremony was held in the Academy chapel.
- 2013 (50th reunion): Dick Cole, Doolittle's co-pilot and the last surviving Raider, was the class's guest. He died April 9, 2019.
- History of the cups
How the ceremony works
- Each year: The class turns the cups of classmates who have passed since the last annual ceremony.
- Five-year reunions: The class meets at the Academy, and the ceremony is normally held in the Cadet Chapel, when it is not under construction. The cups of classmates who have passed since the last five-year reunion are turned again.
- Going forward: The class will continue the ceremony as long as it is able, in a streaming format or at class reunions.
How it began
- April 1942: Sixteen B-25 bombers, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, flew off the carrier Hornet and bombed Japan in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. The crews became known as the Doolittle Raiders.
- 1959: The city of Tucson, Arizona, gave the Raiders 80 silver cups, each engraved with the name of a crew member. That fall, during a football halftime ceremony at the Air Force Academy, the Raiders passed the cups to the Academy's care. It was a mandatory formation, so the Class of 1963 was there.
- 1963: A class committee chaired by John Borling led each classmate to buy a cup for $3, following the Raiders' example.
- 1973: The Raiders' cups moved to the National Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1963-1993: The class cups sat in storage for about 30 years.
- 1993 (30th reunion): All 499 cups were taken out and displayed. That started a discussion on how to care for and preserve them.
- 1996: The display cabinet was built.
- 1998 (35th reunion): The first major cup turning ceremony was held in the Academy chapel.
- 2013 (50th reunion): Dick Cole, Doolittle's co-pilot and the last surviving Raider, was the class's guest. He died April 9, 2019.
- History of the cups
Silver cups, each classmate bought one
Cup case, built by Doug Logue (L), with Jim Gaston (R), Class of 1963
Silver cups in case, cups turned over for deceased classmates
5 Year reunion, Cup Turning ceremony in Cadet Chapel
Classmates gathering cup for final toast
Opening image for 2016 annual Ceremony
2016 annual Ceremony
Cups to turn in 2016 annual ceremony
Final salute to classmate prior to the toast, 2016 ceremony
2020 annual ceremony, COVID situation, ceremony moved to online streaming.