USAFA Letter: 13 August 1990

My mother, Angie Fryer, kept meticulous records of every letter I sent home as a cadet at the US Air Force Academy from 30 June 1988 to 27 May 1992. She also kept numerous other related news articles, photos, and other correspondence. These are chronologically stored in several 3 ring binders, which she gave me a few years ago before she passed away on Christmas Eve 2022.

That summer in 1990, in addition to leave, I served as a survival instructor in the SERE program (“Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape”) at USAFA, and also served as a “Philmont Ranger.” These are a few photos from that summer.

Wes Fryer, SERE Survival Instructor at USAFA – Summer 1990” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer
The ”Rabbit Puppet”” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer
Philmont Memories 1990” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

Since Rachel is currently a cadet at USAFA in her 2 degree summer programs, I looked for some correspondence I sent home that summer. I found a letter dated 13 August 1990, which was just after the end of summer programs before the start of the academic year, my “2 degree” or junior year at USAFA.

Mon. 13 AUG 1990 1800
AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Dear Mom, Dad & Trudy ~

Hello! Sorry I missed you all when I called on Sunday! I don’t really have time to call, so I thought I’d write a quick note & send the 2 enclosures.

School is going good so far — and tonight it looks like I’ll do my first homework assignment! Training NCO has taken up (and is & will continue to) take a lot of time — but I’m enjoying it and the squadron’s doing very good military wise.

Guess what I did this past weekend? Along with Brad (my roommate), Tim Greminger & Eric Marshall (Firsties I went to Philmont with) I climbed my first “14’er”! We climbed Mt. Elbert, which is the highest peak in Colorado & the 2ⁿᵈ highest mountain in CONUS! It was tough, but I enjoyed it & am glad I went. Hopefully the pics we took will turn out.

As you can see — unfortunately — our 1ˢᵗ tourney is the weekend of Sharol’s wedding. I’m the trip planner for the Salt Lake trip — so unfortunately I’ll miss the wedding. I’ll hafta write Sharol a note.

Hope all’s well at home — I’ll probably call next Thurs weekend!

Love,
Wesley

USAFA Letter – 13 AUG 1990” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

A couple of weeks ago, I drove 1500+ miles from North Carolina to Colorado Springs to deliver Rachel’s car to her at USAFA. It was a long journey but well worth it. Lots of water under the bridge since the summer of 1990, 35 years ago, but still lots of water left (God willing) to pass under as well.

Rachel’s new car! USAFA Graduation 2025” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

USAFA Memories of 3 Generations

This evening after dinner dad, Rachel and I recorded an audio interview discussing our memories of basic training and our first two years (respectively) at the US Air Force Academy. I published this to the Storycorps archive and on YouTube, and linked the interviews on the oral history page of our Family History website.

I used the AI features of Descript.com to create a description of our interview, and it also identified timestamped topics from our conversation:

Air Force Academy Memories Across Generations – Classes of 1963, 1992 and 2027

Join us on Christmas Eve 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina as three members of the Fryer family, spanning multiple generations, reflect on their experiences at the Air Force Academy. From Tom Fryer of the class of 1963, to Wes Fryer of the class of 1992, and current cadet Rachel Fryer of the class of 2027, hear their stories of in-processing, basic training, survival courses, and the traditions that both endured and evolved over the years. From humorous anecdotes about boxing classes to the challenges of adjusting to the rigors of the Academy, each shares unique perspectives on their freshman and sophomore years at the prestigious institution. Don’t miss this heartwarming and insightful discussion on the legacy and transformation within the Air Force Academy, spanning over six decades.

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
00:19 Meet the Panel: Generations of Air Force Academy Graduates
01:56 In-Processing Day Memories
03:01 Basic Training Experiences
06:28 Physical Training and Adjusting to Altitude
08:39 Spirit Missions and Salmonella Incident
14:14 Summer Programs and Field Trips
18:52 Three Degree Year Reflections
19:33 Academic Life and Majors
20:43 Christmas Adventures and Travel Stories
22:35 Current Academic Challenges
26:40 Boxing and Physical Training
31:36 Extracurricular Activities and Debate Team
33:38 Financials and Borrowing Cars
35:52 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans