Drew Warwick has it tougher than other freshmen at the U.S. Air Force Academy — his two sisters outrank him as upperclassmen.
“We’re allowed to visit him, but he can’t come see us,” laughed Vanessa Warwick, 20, a sophomore, as the two waited Tuesday in the United Service Organization lounge at Denver International Airport before flying home to Dallas. Another sister, Danielle, 22, a senior, finished her finals early and flew off to see her fiance, 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 Tuesday 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.” She couldn’t break the habit of calling everyone “Sir,” including the half-dozen volunteers who run the USO lounge in Concourse A.
The airport was busy Tuesday as travelers headed to holiday destinations.
DIA said it expects 1,062,414 passengers Tuesday through Christmas Eve. That’s up from 1,025,256 passengers in the same period a year ago.
To help, the airport is offering one hour of free parking in the garage between Saturday and Monday.
But the three Delaney brothers weren’t picking up arrivals — they were going home to Grand Rapids, Mich.
Fraternal twins Alan and Neil, are 18-year-old freshmen and brother Brian is a 20-year-old junior.
The three 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.”
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this report.
