Did Charlie Kirk Serve In Air Force? Here’s What We Know

The Association of Graduates (AOG) at the US Air Force Academy is set to vote on granting honorary alumni membership, and possibly recommending an honorary degree, to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated on September 10, during a debate at Utah Valley University. The proposal requires at least 80% approval from the AOG board of directors.Kirk, 26, was co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and had been appointed to the academy’s Board of Visitors by President Donald Trump in March 2025, recognizing his influence on patriotic youth despite having no military service. He attended one Board of Visitors meeting on August 7 before his assassination.The AOG is responsible for awarding honorary membership to individuals who have rendered “outstanding and conspicuous service” to the Air Force or the academy. Since 1981, the board has approved 47 honorary members, including long-serving faculty and staff. The most recent recipients were retired Lt Col Louis Burkel III and Chief Master Sgt. Bob Vasquez.The board will also consider recommending Kirk for an honorary Air Force Academy degree, though the alumni group does not have authority to issue degrees itself. If approved, the motion would urge the academy to explore the legal authority to award one.The proposal has sparked divided reactions among alumni and veterans. Supporters, including retired Lt Gen Rod Bishop, argue that Kirk embodied values admired by academy graduates. Bishop, who proposed the motion, praised Kirk for his patriotism, faith, and dedication to the principles of the US Founding Fathers.However, critics say granting Kirk honorary membership disrespects the decades of military service typically recognized by such awards. Retired Brig. Gen. Marty France, a former board member, said Kirk’s contributions “do not rise anywhere near what we should require” for recognition.During his time on the Board of Visitors, Kirk focused on monitoring the academy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, asking staff to ensure curricula avoided teachings he deemed anti-American or anti-Western. He also pushed for faster completion of the cadet chapel restoration and promoted the teaching of American exceptionalism.Kirk’s appointment came after Trump dismissed all four service academy boards of visitors, claiming they had been “infiltrated by woke leftist ideologies.” The AOG board’s vote is expected to take place on Friday. If the motion passes, it will represent a rare and highly controversial move to honor an individual primarily for political activism and influence on youth, rather than military service or long-term contributions to the academy.