Gone But Not Forgotten

Honoring fallen comrades is an important part of the AOG mission and we ask to be notified as soon as possible of the death of any graduate, Air Training Officer or cadet so that we can take appropriate actions. The AOG has learned of the following deaths within the past 90 days.

For best results, try searching by Last Name (e.g. Smith), Class Year (e.g. 1959), or Cadet Squadron (e.g. CS-01). More complex searches may not return desired results.

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Lt Col (Ret) James Scully - Class of 1973, CS-11

Deceased on August 11, 2021 - Informed on August 17, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 17 Sep 2021 at 0900 at the USAFA Community Center Chapel.. Burial will follow in the USAFA Cemetery. A funeral service will be held on 17 Sep 2021 at 0900 hours at the USAFA Community Center Chapel. Interment will follow in the USAFA Cemetery. His obituary can be found online at <https://www.wallinfuneralhome.com/memorials/lt-col-james-scully/4694516/index.php>. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project; PO Box 758517; Topeka, KS 66675; (855) 448-3997; <https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=10043> or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; 501 St. Jude Pl; Memphis, TN 38105; (800) 805-5856; d<https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=header-btn-donate-now>.

Maj (Ret) Robert Seltzer - Class of 1971, CS-17

Deceased on March 22, 2021 - Informed on March 29, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Services were held and he was laid to rest on 26 Mar 2021 in Northridge, CA.

Col (Ret) James Shaffer - Class of 1981, CS-09

Deceased on January 31, 2021 - Informed on February 9, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Visitation and Celebration of Life were held on 4 Feb 2021 at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. His obituary can be found at www.emeraldcoastfuneralhome.com. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation; PO Box 89367; Tampa, FL 33689; (813) 805-9400; www.specialops.org.

Mr. Rory Shrum - Class of 1990, CS-04

Deceased on January 20, 2021 - Informed on February 1, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 8 Feb 2021at 1100 hours at the Lucas Funeral Home; 1601 S Main St; Keller, TX 76248; (817) 753-6800; www.lucasfuneralhomes.com. A graveside service will follow at 1415 hours at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery; 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy; Dallas, TX 75211. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made to the Rory Schrum Memorial Fund; https;//paypal.me/roryshrummemorial. His obituary can be found at the funeral home website.

Lt Col (Ret) James Skotnicki - Class of 1980, CS-08

Deceased on November 25, 2020 - Informed on December 8, 2020

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. No formal services are scheduled. Jim was be cremated and his ashes will be scattered in the Hoo Doo Mountains of Alaska in the Spring of 2021 and the waters near Valdez, AK in the summer of 2021, two of his favorite places.

Mr. Harry Snow , Jr. - Class of 1963, CS-11

Deceased on June 19, 2021 - Informed on June 22, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A gathering will be held on 27 Jun 2021 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Schoedinger Funeral Home; 1051 East Johnstown Road; Gahanna, OH 43230. Services will be held on 28 Jun 2021 at 11:00 am at the Peace Lutheran Church; 455 Clark State Road; Gahanna, OH 43230. Directly following the service will be burial at the Kingwood Memorial Park; 8230 Columbus Pike; Lewis Center, OH 43035. After burial there will be a reception back at the Peace Lutheran Church.

Col (Ret) Donald Stevens - Class of 1960, CS-01

Deceased on June 29, 2021 - Informed on July 26, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A Memorial Service was held on 6 Jul 2021 at 1100 hours at the Lady of the Lake Chapel; 5 Finnegan Dr; Dedham, ME 04429;(207) 667-2342. Followed by interment at Mount Pleasant Catholic Cemetery; 449 Ohio St, Bangor, ME 04401; (207) 947-4322.

Col (Ret) Moses Stewart , Jr. - Class of 1978, CS-28

Deceased on September 20, 2021 - Informed on September 21, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 1 Oct 2021 at 0900 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. Burial will immediately follow. No obituary is available.

Lt Col William Sullivan IV - Class of 2006, CS-29

Deceased on June 7, 2021 - Informed on June 15, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A visitation was held on 18 Jun 2021 from 1:00 to 6:00 pm at the Boice Funeral Home; 308 Pollasky Avenue; Clovis, CA 93612. At the family's request a service was held and aired live on 19 Jun 2021 on the 144th Fighter Wing's Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/144thFighterWing/videos/361981608689450/.

Col (Ret) Lewis Svitenko - Class of 1962, CS-22

Deceased on August 19, 2021 - Informed on August 25, 2021

Please Contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 20 Sep 2021 at 1330 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. In the event of inclement weather the service will be moved to the Memorial Pavilion. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Gary Sinise Foundation; PO Box 368; Woodland Hills, CA 91365; (888) 708-7757; www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate.

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Next of Kin

For Next of Kin support resources please visit: https://www.usafanextofkin.org/

Frequently Asked Questions

Gone But Not Forgotten Annual Publication

The Air Force Academy Association and Foundation are introducing a new benefit to better memorialize USAFA graduates and support their families. We are launching a new annual memorial publication in 2025.

A: As the Academy graduate population ages, Checkpoints is increasingly insufficient in accommodating the increasing number of obituaries. This has necessitated the creation of a new publication as part of our commitment to remembering all fallen graduates, Air Training Officers and cadets.
A: The purpose of the publication is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the Long Blue Line through the personal stories of our graduates. The publication is in the spirit of our mission to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution.
A: Gone But Not Forgotten will be part of the final name, which is not yet finalized.
A: No, but the Association will list basic information on deaths in each issue of Checkpoints.
A: No. If/when memorial articles are sent to the AOG, the tribute is posted to this webpage.
A: A complimentary copy will be mailed to a loved one of the deceased. It is not yet determined if the printed publication will be available at a nominal cost or at no cost to AOG members.
A: There will be a one-year transition period. Memorial articles sent in to run in Checkpoints in 2024 will also appear in the inaugural memorial publication. The deadline for Gone But Not Forgotten submissions in the December 2024 issue of Checkpoints is mid-October, but any memorial articles about deaths for the remainder of 2024 received by mid-January 2025 will appear in the inaugural 2025 stand-alone publication. Then going forward, the full years’ worth of tributes would be published in the next year’s volume.
A: The first memorial publication will likely be printed in February or March of 2025.
A: We currently have a 400-word maximum for each memorial tribute and will continue with that limit for the first stand-alone publication. We’re doing this because we have already received submissions at that length and don’t plan to ask for longer versions for the 2025 edition.
A: We will transition to roughly 450- or 900-word options for memorial tributes. Whoever writes and submits the memorial article with have the option to write to either word limit.
A: A recent favorite photo of the deceased, when possible. The photo (head and shoulders, color preferred) should be emailed as a .jpg and sent as a high-resolution image.
A: Please email Next-of-Kin Support Specialist Terri Davis at deceasednotifications@usafa.org.
A: That is coming soon.
A: Please reach out to David Bitton, assistant director of strategic communications and publications, at 719-247-8745 or use our Contact Form.

Gone But Not Forgotten