Lt. Col. Dave Richie, an Air Force Academy professor who was reported missing on Tuesday, was found injured, but alive on a cliff in Colorado, reported The Gazette. Academy spokesman John Van Winkle told the newspaper a helicopter airlifted Richie, who was “injured, but talkative,” to safety. It’s not clear exactly where he was found or the extent of his injuries. The astronautics professor, an experienced hiker, was expected to go on a hike with his department on Monday but never showed, reported The Gazette. He was last seen purchasing a trail map in Colorado Springs on Saturday, reported Fox21news.com.
A dozen and a half Air Force Reservists formally transferred to the Space Force on July 15, becoming the new service’s first 18 part-time Guardians. The move is the culmination of more than two and a half years of work to create a system unlike any other military branch.