Cornell has a rich history of training officers of the highest caliber. In recent years, we have had the honor of hosting visits from some of our most distinguished alumni:
Colonel (Ret) Frederick Austin Crow, Jr – Cornell Class of ’51
As a teenager, Col Crow witnessed the attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. He enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program two years later. After graduating from Cornell, he served as a fighter pilot and forward air controller at numerous bases. On March 26, 1967 his F-4 Phantom II was shot down and he was taken as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese Army. After spending 2,171 days in captivity, Col Crow was released on March 4, 1973 as a part of Operation Homecoming.
Col Crow visited Cornell and spoke with our cadets in November 11, 2015.
The Honorable Thomas C. Reed – Cornell Class of ’56
Thomas C. Reed served as the Cadet Wing Commander for AFROTC Det 520 in the mid 1950s. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell and his commission in the US Air Force in 1956. He would later go on to serve as the 11th Secretary of the Air Force and the 6th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, serving under presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan.
Secretary Reed visited our Detachment and was the guest speaker at our Fall 2014 Dining Out.
Major General Michael Hall – Cornell Class of ’68
General Hall’s distinguished military career spanned 27 years of service in the United States Air Force, including an assignment as the Commander of a Tactical Fighter Wing, where he pioneered the use of F-16 aircraft to provide close air support. Hall served as the Senior Allied Air Liaison Officer during the first Gulf War and was promoted the rank of Major General before retiring in 1995. During his career, he flew over forty-five hundred hours in high performance fighter aircraft from the F-106 to the F-16.
Major General Hall has shown continued support to Cornell’s AFROTC programs though the years, speaking at many events including the our military ball and our commissioning ceremony during the Spring 2016 term.
