Hellcats

Squadrons

Once Basic Cadet Training (BCT) begins, each cadet is assigned to a summer squadron. I'll be covering the six weeks of BCT in later posts. 

There are 8 summer squadrons, and 40 academic year squadrons. During the summer, each squadron is assigned a specific color on their badges, to differentiate them from each other. The summer squadrons are Aggressors, Barbarians, Cobras, Demons, Executioners, Flying Tigers, Guts, and Hellcats. Their colors and corresponding academic year squadrons are as follows:

Aggressors - Light Blue - AY Squadrons 1-5

Barbarians - Orange - AY Squadrons 6-10

Cobras - Purple - AY Squadrons 11-15

Demons - Green - AY Squadrons 16-20

Executioners - Dark Blue - AY Squadrons 21-25

Flying Tigers - Red - AY Squadrons 26-30

Guts - Maroon - AY Squadrons 31-35

Hellcats - Yellow - AY Squadrons - 36-40

Graham has been assigned to the Hellcats, which is what his preference was since his favorite color is yellow. 

Within each squadron cadets are divided into four flights (a, b, c, d). The BCT squadrons are temporary, existing only for the six weeks of basic training. 

Academic Year Squadron: After BCT, the basic cadets will enter their academic year squadron. The Cadet Wing (ie, all cadets at the AFA) are divided into 40 squadrons of approximately 110 cadets, with 25-30 from each class. The cadet squadron (CS) is the basic unit in which cadets live and operate. Graham will then be assigned to one of the following squadrons for the Academic Year:



After their sophomore year Cadets are assigned to a new squadron, which will become their permanent squadron for their remaining two years at USAFA.