Media, local leaders and community partners from across Colorado Springs and beyond came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Global Positioning System at Schriever SFB, Dec. 9, 2023.

The visit quickly kicked off with an introduction by U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, Space Operations Command commander; Col. Andrew Menschner, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Delta (Provisional) commander; and Lt. Col. Robert Wray, 2d Space Operations Squadron commander.

“We’re here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Global Positioning Systems initial operational capability,” Whiting said. “What an incredible milestone that is. This squadron here, the 2d Space Operations Squadron, has been providing the gold standard for positioning, navigation and timing for three decades now and it’s great to come celebrate with these Guardians and Airmen.”

The GPS constellation first reached initial operating capability (IOC) on Dec. 8, 1993. Originally developed for the military to meet a critical need for determining precise location on the battlefield, GPS has since been provided to the world and is now an integral part of technology affecting the lives of billions of people globally.

Today, the U.S. Space Force operates the GPS satellite constellation as a global utility—available to anyone, anytime, anywhere on Earth. 

“This weekend celebrates the 24th vehicle being added to the GPS constellation,” Menschner said. “It’s a tremendous technical achievement. If you can think about not only the ways GPS has revolutionized the way we in the military operate, it has also been a tremendous benefit to our civilian way of life. Everything that might be considered a major advance over the last 30 years has GPS at the foundation of it.”

On the operations floor, in addition to a brief history lesson on GPS, attendees were given insight into what the day-to-day operations look like and a demonstration on how the team communicates with orbiting satellites.

“GPS requires a crew of ten personnel—eight military and two contractors,” Wray said. “Those military members come from 2 and 19 SOPS. The mission evolves every single day but there are minimum standards we have to keep that’s unique to this mission. Having that standard so that commercial entities, international partners—everyone can know what to expect from GPS.”

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of when the Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council gave the U.S. Air Force approval to proceed with the development of the Navstar Global Positioning System.

Whether you are navigating maps on your phone, withdrawing cash from an ATM or seeking coordinates on a battlefield, GPS has become a defining tool of everyday life in this modern age.

“It is a no-fail mission, 24/7, 365,” said Khiry Loyd, GPS maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “This mission for me is probably one of the more important missions I’ll do in my service. I’m grateful to be able to wake up and do this. It’s amazing to say that I was a part of that team.”

Through the Adopt-A-Family program at Pikes Peak United Way, every student at Edison and Carver Elementary Schools in Colorado Springs School District 11 will receive two gifts: a want and a need. 

The process is completely anonymous as donor individuals, families, and corporations sign up to "adopt" a family. They are given a wish list of items from their adopted family to be bought and dropped off at the Pikes Peak United Way Family Success Center.

Edison Elementary School will have their gifts delivered on December 15, between 8:20-11:10 and then again from 1:00-2:45. The gifts will be distributed by grade level, starting with kindergarten.

Carver Elementary School will receive their gifts on December 19, from 8:00-10:00. Carver Elementary was selected for the program based on 86 percent of their students being enrolled in the free and reduced school lunch program.

Through the Adopt-A-Family program at Pikes Peak United Way, every student at Edison and Carver Elementary Schools in Colorado Springs School District 11 will receive two gifts: a want and a need. 

The process is completely anonymous as donor individuals, families, and corporations sign up to "adopt" a family. They are given a wish list of items from their adopted family to be bought and dropped off at the Pikes Peak United Way Family Success Center.

Edison Elementary School will have their gifts delivered on December 15, between 8:20-11:10 and then again from 1:00-2:45. The gifts will be distributed by grade level, starting with kindergarten.

Carver Elementary School will receive their gifts on December 19, from 8:00-10:00. Carver Elementary was selected for the program based on 86 percent of their students being enrolled in the free and reduced school lunch program.

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, The Special Olympics of Colorado and Colorado Springs School District 11 partnered to bring inclusivity to high school sports with the Unified Sports Program. The program connects students with intellectual disabilities and student-athletes in bowling, basketball and track, with the intent of expanding in the coming years. 

On Friday, December 15^th Coronado High School will host all D11 High School Unified Basketball teams in a round robin jamboree to kick off the D11 Unified Basketball Season. 

At 12:30pm, during the event, the Unified Basketball Players will be gifted brand-new, professional basketball shoes through a generous grant donation made by the Pikes Peak Athletic Foundation, in partnership with SCHEELS.

Colorado Springs, CO — The 2023 YMCA 5k Race Series finishes on December 9th with the final leg of the series, the holiday-themed Jingle Jog 5k. The race takes place at the Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain, utilizing the popular cross-country course. Plenty of parking and bathroom facilities are available right at the high school, along with various food trucks. 

Hot on the heels of the record-breaking attendance at the YMCA Creepy Crawl and Turkey Trot 5k races, the Y also expects the Jingle Jog 5k to hit record numbers. Registration is still open with race packet pickup at the Downtown YMCA on Thursday, December 7th, and at the Fountain Valley YMCA on December 8th and the morning of the race. Visit ppymca.org/raceseries for more information. 

Santa Claus will greet everyone with the Kids’ Reindeer Romp 1k (free for ages 12 and under) at 9:00 am and then the 5k at 9:30 am. Furry friends are encouraged and will receive a Jingle Jog bandana at registration. The location of the Fountain-Fort Carson High School is 900 Jimmy Camp Road, Fountain, CO 80817. 

A holiday season tradition, the race series raises needed funds for YMCA programs. In its 145th year of serving the region, all proceeds from the Y race series go to help individuals and families access programs such as child care, swim lessons, and youth sports. 

The YMCA would like to thank the 5k Race Series sponsors, including Kaiser Permanente, Dave & Buster's, Underline, Creative Consortium, Fleet Feet Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Sports Corp, Fox 21, and Natural Grocers. For more information, visit ppymca.org/raceseries. 

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