U.S. Air Force Academy cadets celebrates graduation amidst Coronavirus concern

The U.S. Air Force Academy sent its 2020 graduates into the ranks six weeks early on Saturday — a move the military hasn’t done since World War II — as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the nation.

The ceremony for the nearly 1,000 cadets took place on the academy grounds in Colorado Springs with guests and families watching virtually in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. Cadets marched eight feet apart, sat six feet apart and some wore face masks at the ceremony. Of the graduating cadets, 86 commissioned for the first time into the U.S. Space Force.

While the scene was unlike previous military academy graduations, the 66-year-old tradition of the nation’s newly-minted officers throwing their caps towards the sky as U.S. Air Force Thunderbird jets flew over remained.