Drew Warwick has it tougher than other freshmen at the U.S. Air Force Academy — his two sisters outrank him as upper classmen.
“We’re allowed to visit him, but he can’t come see us,” laughed Vanessa Warwick, 20, a sophomore, as the two waited in the USO lounge at DIA today before flying home to Dallas.
A third sister, Danielle, 22, a senior, finished her finals early and flew off to see her fiancé, they said.
“There’s a huge difference after freshman year,” said Vanessa, wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans as Drew, 18, sat stiffly in his blue uniform, tightly buttoned, with tie and spit-shined shoes.
Most of the cadets finished their finals today and crammed into the USO on their way home for the first time in six months, at least for the freshmen.
Emily Brown, 18, of Chattanooga, Tenn., sat nervously in her uniform, just having finished “the worst semester of the academy.” Brown couldn’t break the habit of calling everyone “Sir,” including the half dozen volunteers who run the USO lounge in Concourse A.
Another family was headed home, the three Delaney brothers — 18-year-old freshmen and fraternal twins Alan and Neil along with their 20-year-old brother, Brian, a junior.
The three strapping men from Grand Rapids, Mich., all are determined to become fighter pilots, which requires a 10-year commitment to the Air Force.
Asked about adjusting to the academy, Alan said it wasn’t hard. Neil said, “You get used to it. It’s a lot different than home.”
Classmate Bryan Mazer, 18, said there are a lot more rules than he expected, including no recorded music, no movies and no video games. “A friend got me a job as one of the managers of the football team, so that’s been good,” he said.
About 50 cadets filled the lounge and the conversations were predictable, with the guys talking about girls and sports, the women discussing getting home to friends and siblings, and everyone talking about three weeks of sleeping late with Mom’s home cooking.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
