Statement made by Larry Card, USAFA ’93, to the July 20, 2026 USAFA Board of Visitors meeting:
Transcript:
“Good morning, I’m Larry Card, a 1993 USAFA graduate, 30-year veteran, former weapons school squadron commander, fighter group commander, and a USAFA air officer commanding.
Earlier this year, my son was disenrolled from USAFA after being accused of violating the law and found guilty by the commandant in Article 15 proceedings based on an accusation with no investigation taking place.
The only evidence they considered was an 8-sentence summary of a phone call. No one listened to the recording. No one called the accuser back.
A sworn statement from another cadet which disproved the accusation was removed from evidence.
The Article 15 gave a warning that further misconduct, it would be punished more severely, but just a month later, they start the disenrollment process with no further misconduct.
By law, the Academy is required to conduct a hearing prior to disenrolling the cadet. This never took place.
This would have been the opportunity to point out the fact that exculpatory evidence was removed and that the summary of the accuser’s call was both misleading and confusing.
During the disenrollment proceedings, his commander characterized him as one of the most capable cadets in his class, operates at an extraordinary level, displaying the discipline and proficiency of a seasoned officer.
The commandant recommended the 1-year enlisted service with the opportunity to return. The superintendent recommended disenrollment with 3 years enlisted service and no return.
The Secretary of the Air Force approved the commission through ROTC instead of enlisted service based on his strong performance.
Cadet missteps will happen as part of the learning process. It is in the duty of USAFA’s senior leaders to set the culture and deliver punishments that ensure lifelong lessons.
The institution instead has evolved into punishing to set the example, with the leadership failing to take responsibility for breakdowns in culture.
When combining this with the failure to provide due process, we create an environment for mistreatment.
This case and many similar cases need to be investigated, and these wrongs need to be righted.
I thank you for your time.”
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