From NAV84
"The USAFA Class of 84 entered with 1609 cadets (2nd largest). Top honors go to the USAF Class of 78, which had a starting class size of 1630 cadets. Given that this year's class is projected to enter with just 1050 cadets is testimony to how very competivitive it has become to get an appointment."
That is amazing. Then again, during the Regan administration we were in a military buildup.
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This is off the topic of swimming, but the historical record should be accurate. The Class of 1984 would have matriculated in summer/autumn of 1980. Ronald Reagan was elected President in November 1980.
International hostilities were bubbling in the 1979/1980 period when people would have applied and been admitted to the Air Force Academy. The following is an oversimplified account of some of the events of that time.
In February 1979 the Shah of Iran was overthrown. The U.S. embassy in Tehran was seized and hostages held for a brief period. In November 1979 the U.S. embassy was invaded, and American hostages were seized, this time for good. The heroic but disastrous attempt to rescue the hostages, Operation Eagle Claw, occurred on April 24, 1980.
Soviet deployment to Afghanistan began in December 1979. This followed the overthrow of the previous Afghan government by Soviet-friendly communists in early 1978. In July 1979, Pres. Carter authorized aid to be given secretly to opponents of the pro-Soviet regime with the hope that the Soviets would be sucked into the morass.