Kids & Family

Hometown Girl Describes Her 'Amazing' First Year at Air Force Academy

Douglasville Patch has been following Chapel Hill graduate and Douglasville hometown girl Becky Jones since before her first day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Today she shares her own thoughts after her first year.

Douglasville Patch has been following graduate and Douglasville hometown girl Becky Jones since before her first day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Today she shares her own thoughts after her first year.

Visit Douglasville Patch Thursday for her 'amazing' photo gallery.

Here's her experience, so far, in her own words:

Find out what's happening in Douglasvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This year was amazing. I got to go to Israel, learn Chinese, parachute, and starve in the woods.

I would do it over and over again. Even though it can get stressful at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The friends I have made here are amazing. Nobody else really understands what goes on here except for the guys here with me going through it.

Find out what's happening in Douglasvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Academic year was challenging but the opportunity for help is always there. I didn’t have a class that was more than about 20 kids. I’m thinking about majoring in either Political Science or Foreign Areas with a focus in the Far East. The only thing I am for sure of is that I do not want to fly.

I went to Israel with a group of about 11 cadets for a mission trip to help an organization called Serve Nazareth. We did some work in a hospital, fixed up a house for Christian Arab women, and worked alongside the local people at different locations. We stayed in Nazareth for the majority of our time but also got to tour Jerusalem and Galilee. That country is so rich with history. After that trip, I realized that there is so much more out there that I want to see and do.

Recognition is the culmination of freshmen year. It is like the last battle we go through before we are seen as “recognized freshmen.” With being recognized means we pretty much get our freedom back. We can walk rather than run on the terrazzo. We can walk and talk WHERE EVER we please. We don’t have to greet everyone else that passes by. We can call upperclassmen by their first names, as can they do the same with us. We can wear civilian clothes after our last military duty and on the weekends. And the cherry on the top: we can wear our book bags rather than carry them in our hands. With each year, we get more privileges, but also more responsibility. I think the biggest thing I am looking forward to is having a car junior year.

Recognition itself started Thursday after class and went until about 6 p.m. Saturday. They stress us in every way possible: physically, mentally, emotionally. It took place a week before Spring Break."

Very Respectfully,

 

C4C Becky Jones
Cadet Squadron 30 “Knights of Thirty”
United States Air Force Academy

Douglasville Patch's coverage of Becky at the Air Force Academy:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here