Cadet Circle Dedication Ceremony
Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Air Education and Training Command commander, looks on as former Randolph Air Force Base cadets, Maj. Gen. (retired) William Acker, left, and Col. (retired) Donald Robison, unveil the plaque at the Cadet Circle dedication ceremony in the AETC circle drive. The circular courtyard between the AETC headquarters building and the command’s Lahm Conference Center was named Cadet Circle today to honor more than 16,000 aviation cadets and student pilots who received their pilot training here. The Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program began during World War I and was conducted at Randolph from 1931 to 1965. In 1943 the mission here changed when the Central Instructor's School moved to Randolph. In 1947 the cadets came back along with basic flying training and remained here until cadet training was phased out at Randolph in 1951. The new monument, centered in the middle of the courtyard, honors the men who were the primary reason for the existence of the base itself—cadets who lived, trained, and in some cases, died at Randolph. (U.S. Air Force/ Rich McFadden)