For a brief period before the establishment of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1954, and its first graduating class in 1959, the Air Force was led by a talented group of West Point grads. Together with graduates from the Naval Academy and other academic institutions, and a brilliant mix of scientists and engineers, they helped create the greatest airpower the world has yet seen. This history traces the advancement of weapons and space technology that became the hallmark of the U.S. Air Force, and pivotal role the West Point grads played in integrating them into a wide variety of Air Force systems and programs. Many became aircraft commanders, test pilots, astronauts and, later in their careers, general officers who helped shape and implement subsequent technologies. Through personal anecdotes and those of West Point classmates, the author describes the crucial interplay between military needs and scientific advancement.