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Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer

U.S. Air Force Academy’s Cadet Chapel restoration hard-hat tour

By Tom Wilmer
Published November 9, 2023 at 2:06 PM PST
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Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel (leftside) under renovation (rightside) before renovation
Jillian Parks & U.S. Air Force Academy
Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel (leftside) under renovation (rightside) before renovation

Marty Rickett, JE Dunn Construction and Carlos Cruz-Gonzales, Air Force Academy Director of Logistics lead hard hat tour of Academy's Chapel restoration

Enshrouded in a fourteen-story cocoon for the past two years, the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs is undergoing a $150 million renovation.

 

Inside the U.S. Air Force Cadet Chapel shroud during renovation
Jillian Parks
Inside the U.S. Air Force Cadet Chapel shroud during renovation

Dedicated in 1963 the chapel was plagued with leaks ever since it first opened. Extensive water damage over the past six decades led to the restoration, which involves removing every aluminum panel and more than 20-thousand brick-sized stained glass blocks.

 

Marty Rickett, JE Dunn Construction (left), Tom Wilmer, Carlos Cruz-Gonzales U.S. Air Force Director of Logistics (right)
Jillian Parks
Marty Rickett, JE Dunn Construction (left), Tom Wilmer, Carlos Cruz-Gonzales U.S. Air Force Director of Logistics (right)

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a hard-hat tour of the Cadet Chapel in the midst of renovation with Carlos Cruz-Gonzales, U.S. Air Force Academy Director of Logistics, Engineering & Force Protection, and Marty Rickett of JE Dunn Construction.

U.S. Air Force Cadet Chapel service previous to renovation
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Air Force Cadet Chapel service previous to renovation

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Tom Wilmer
Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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