<p>Brig. Gen. Susan Desjardins, a member of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s class of 1980, accepted the keys to a new C-17 at the Long Beach, Calif., production facility early Tuesday morning. The delivery was the 169th to the U.S. Air Force and the 5th of 13 for Dover AFB, Del.</p>
<p>Although Desjardins was scheduled to fly the new Globemaster III to Dover, the 1980 Academy graduate decided to pay a visit to her Alma Mater and current duty station, in Colorado Springs, Colo., where she is Commandant of Cadets at the 4,400-strong military institution.</p>
<p>“We issued a warning order to tell cadets at 10:45 a.m. that the faculty may excuse their classes early - your Commandant is doing a flyby,”</p>
<p>Desjardins told a group of Boeing employees in Long Beach who were gathered along with Dave Bowman, VPGM, Global Mobility Systems, for the pre-dawn delivery ceremony.</p>
<p>“Cadets go absolutely nuts when jets fly over the Academy,” she said.</p>
<p>“These are 18- to 22-year olds who raised their hands to join up after 9/11 - they love the C-17 and they’re waiting in line to fly it.”</p>
<p>Prior to her Academy assignment, Desjardins served as Wing Commander at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., the largest east coast location for C-17s with more than 50 of the airlifters.</p>