Ever wonder what's going on at all the military installations in the Pikes Peak region?Today we're offering a briefing on each location's
mission and what the general public - those with no
military connection - can do at these bases.
Fort Carson
Fort Carson is the Army post in town employing
nearly 15,000 soldiers and about 3,000 civilians.
The post, which is south of downtown, hosts scout
soldiers, Green Berets, a helicopter unit, medics
and other groups.
The post recently deployed 2,500 soldiers to Bosnia
for peacekeeping duty and the Green Berets there are
often deployed for overseas duty, most recently to Kosovo.
What the public can do:
Third Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum (526-1368)
Youth Hostel, open to all youth groups costing
$7 per person, per night (526-1238)
Thunder Alley Bowling Center (526-5542)
Cheyenne Shadows Golf Course and Divot's Grill (526-1927)
Hunting and fishing down range when it doesn't
conflict with training (579- 9094)
Picnics at Iron Horse Park (526-2083)
U.S. Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy, on the northwest
side of town, provides college education, military
training and athletics for 4,000 cadets headed for
careers as military officers. Including cadets, there
are 6,600 military members at the academy and 3,400 civilians.
Producing pilots is a critical mission of the academy.
The academy is the smallest source of Air Force officers,
but produces nearly half of the Air Force's pilots.
Each year, about 950 cadets are commissioned; lately
about half of them go to pilot training.
What the public can do:
Tour buildings such as the Field House, Arnold
Hall, Visitor Center (472-0102) and Cadet Chapel (333-2636)
Cadet Noon Meal Formation - 11:30 a.m. weekdays
during school year (The public is not allowed on the
Cadet Terrazzo)
The planetarium presents "Stargazers Rambles" on
the third Friday of every month (October-March). It
also provides a holiday show through Friday (333-2779)
Academy Lanes Bowling Alley (333-4709)
Arnold Hall concerts and plays (333-4499)
Santa Fe Trail, Stanley Canyon Trail and Academy
Falcon Trail are open for hiking and biking. Free
maps are in the Visitor Center.
Parades - Eight a year, dates vary (333-2025)
Cadet Library - Available as a reading space; public
cannot check out books (333-4406)
Sporting events (472-1895)
Peterson Air Force Base/Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center
Peterson Air Force Base/Cheyenne Mountain Operations
Center is home to military space operations - U.S.
Space Command, NORAD, Air Force Space Command and
Army Space Command, which control military satellites
providing missile warning, weather, communication,
navigation and intelligence information to troops.
Peterson, located east of Powers Boulevard and U.S.
Highway 24, also is home to a reserve unit of C-130
cargo planes.
Cheyenne Mountain is located southwest of downtown.
The Peterson Complex, as the two bases are known,
employs 5,400 military members and 4,500 civilians.
Space Command plays a critical role in wartime,
giving troops advance warning of missile strikes and
letting U.S. forces communicate and navigate. It has
been said of late the United States cannot go to war
without Space Command's satellites. Cheyenne Mountain
was popularized in the movie "WarGames," a work of
fiction about nuclear missions being launched by a
teen-age computer hacker.
What the public can do:
Tour Peterson (must be groups of 10 or more; 14
days notice required. 556-6208)
Peterson Air and Space Museum (556-4915)
The public is not allowed into the mountain, but
the public can receive briefings at the visitors center
at 12:30 p.m. Fridays. (474-2238)
Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base, located 12 miles east
of downtown, is home to several space operations including
the global positioning system, weather and communications
units and the Joint National Test Facility, a war-gaming
center playing a key role in development of the National
Missile Defense system. Schriever employs 2,300 military
members and 1,690 civilians.
Public access to Schriever:
Schriever doesn't provide much access. The base
gives tours to approved groups but not individuals. (567-5044)
- Edited by Bob Ehlert; headline by John Diedrich
-CUTLINE- The Gazette file photos - ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT: The Air Force Academy chapel is among the region's
most popular attractions; a member of the Air Force
Reserves from Peterson Air Force Base prepares to
send off a cargo plane at the Old Colorado Springs
Airport; Kit Carson's statue greets visitors to Fort
Carson; and the public can receive a weekly briefing
outside NORAD. RIGHT: Schriever Air Force Base gives
tours to approved groups only.
-CUTLINE- A statue of Kit Carson greets visitors to Fort Carson as they enter the post at Gate 2. (Photo ran on A1)
