By now, you’ve likely already heard them: The United States Air Force Thunderbirds are in town to put their annual exclamation point on Thursday’s Air Force Academy graduation ceremony.

Originally known as the “Stardusters” when they first took to the skies in 1953, the special demonstration squadron never ceases to amaze us. Flying upwards of 700 miles per hour during air shows, the talented pilots inside the F-16 Fighting Falcon jets push the limits of the sound barrier as they conduct their acrobatic maneuvers.

Of course, the F-16 is used for a lot more than air shows. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the famed plane is considered a mainstay of the Air Force’s arsenal. At high altitude, it can fly upwards of 1,500 mph. When outfitted for a combat mission, one plane can carry two 2,000-pound bombs, two AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range heat-seeking air-to-air missiles, and two AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided medium-range air-to-air missiles.

Back in the late 1970s, when the F-16 fighter jet first took flight, each one cost between $13 million and $15 million. Today, the F-16 Block 70/72, the latest and most advanced production version, has a base price of approximately $70 million. Adding the appropriate support and equipment can increase the price tag by another $100 million.

That sounds astronomical for someone who spent $1,250 in 1989 on his 1974 Volkswagen Bug, but we have a saying in our family that applies to military spending, too: “The quality is remembered long after the cost is forgotten.”

We read a lot about how much things cost these days, and for understandable reasons. Nearly everything costs more this year than it did last year. Our parents regularly reminded us that money didn’t grow on trees, though I did find it curious that they kept their grocery dollars inside an empty Cheerios box above our stove. But then the Pesces kept theirs in an envelope under their living room rug. I never knew anyone who kept it in a wall safe behind a painting like you see in the movies.

Economists can cite lots of reasons why prices are up everywhere, but rarely, if ever, will experts expound on the virtues of value and the importance of spending money wisely and well.

It was the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde who once quipped, “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” I think about that whenever I hear critics bemoaning our military expenditures. President Trump has proposed a record increase of more than 40 percent in defense spending for next year, a move that reflects our increasingly dangerous world and the rapidly evolving use of new technology and weaponry designed to keep our country safe.

Close to home, with its annual budget of upwards of $400 million, the Air Force Academy represents one of the very best returns taxpayers could ever expect. More than 4,000 cadets are receiving a world-class education there every year. In January, the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors urged the Department of Defense to increase enrollment to 4,400.

It might surprise you to learn that West Point has 4,459 cadets and Annapolis has 4,350 midshipmen. The report called boosting the class size “a strategic necessity.”

“This increase is critical to compensate for the graduates who now commission into the newly formed Space Force, ensuring the Air Force’s officer production numbers remain robust,” stated the report.

The Class of 2026 will bring the Academy close to 60,000 graduates since its first cadets were commissioned in 1959. Many went on to distinguished and heroic military careers. You might also recognize Chesley B. Sullenberger III, ’73 – better known as “Sully” – the pilot who safely landed the US Airways flight in the Hudson River. Then there’s Greg Popovich, ’70, the longtime head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.  

“I give the Academy a lot of credit for instilling certain qualities and beliefs that still remain to this day,” Popovich said. “Being dedicated and having a work ethic where you work to be persistent in trying to achieve a goal and not faltering in that regard.”

You’ll recall from school that thunder comes from lightning superheating the air (up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit), causing it to expand and then rapidly contract, resulting in an acoustic shockwave.

We can be assured that the USAFA Class of 2026 and the pilots in the Thunderbirds will be superheating, soaring and positively shocking the world both literally and metaphorically in the years to come.

Paul J. Batura is a local writer and founder of the 4:8 Media Network. He can be reached via email Paul@PaulBatura.com or on X @PaulBatura.