As aviation advanced following the Wright Brothers’ first flight, so did discussions about the establishment of a separate aeronautical academy within the military system. Fast forward to June 1959, and the first class of 207 cadets graduated from the US Air Force Academy built in Colorado Springs.

Nestled into the base of the Rocky Mountains, the Air Force campus covers some 18,000 acres of breath-taking scenery. And, soaring 150 feet towards the Colorado sky is the US Air Force Academy Chapel, an all-faith house of worship designed to meet the spiritual needs of cadets and the most visited man-made tourist attraction in the state.

The chapel has two main levels, with the Protestant nave on the upper level and the Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist chapels are located beneath. This is also another level housing a large all-faiths room and two meeting rooms. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services can be held simultaneously without interfering with one another.

We were only able to visit the Protestant Chapel which is designed to seat 1,200 individuals. Stained glass windows provide ribbons of colour, progressing from darker to lighter as they reach the altar. The chancel is set off by a crescent-shaped, multi-coloured altar-piece containing semi-precious stones from Colorado and marble from Italy.

The pews are made of American walnut and African mahogany, with the ends being sculpted to resemble World War I airplane propellers. The backs of the pews are capped by a strip of aluminum similar to the trailing edge of a fighter aircraft wing.

The aluminum, glass and steel structure features 17 spires and was designed by Walter Netsch, an American architect based in Chicago. Completed in 1962, the Chapel has become a classic and highly regarded example of modernist architecture. In 2004, it was named an US National Historic Landmark and is stunningly beautiful inside and out!

Bottom Left: in the rear of the Protestant nave, reaching the uppermost heights of the chapel, is the classical pipe organ and a 100-seat choir loft.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed legislation allowing women to attend the nation’s military academies. In 1976, the first female students enrolled in the Air Force Academy; today, women make up about 19 percent of the US Air Force.