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Lt. Gen Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent, welcomes basic cadets from the class of 2026 to the academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Lt. Gen Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent, welcomes basic cadets from the class of 2026 to the academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Justin Pacheco/U.S. Air Force)

More than 1,000 young men and women, the Class of 2026, reported to campus at the United States Air Force Academy on June 23 to begin their journeys of becoming commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force.

Basic Cadet Training is a six-week program pushing the mental and physical limits of trainees, the first major challenge they face before being recognized as academy cadets.

“This place is tough, but it’s supposed to be tough,” U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark told the new arrivals. “This place will change your life if you let it.”

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Joshua Armstrong/U.S. Air Force)

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Trevor Cokley/U.S. Air Force)

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Trevor Cokley/U.S. Air Force)

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), on June 23, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Trevor Cokley/U.S. Air Force)

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 and cadet cadre participate in the annual swearing-in ceremony held on Stillman Field at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 24, 2022.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 and cadet cadre participate in the annual swearing-in ceremony held on Stillman Field at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 24, 2022. (Joshua Armstrong/U.S. Air Force)

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 and cadet cadre participate in the annual swearing-in ceremony held on Stillman Field at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 24, 2022.

Basic cadets from the Class of 2026 and cadet cadre participate in the annual swearing-in ceremony held on Stillman Field at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 24, 2022. (Joshua Armstrong/U.S. Air Force)

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