U.S. Air Force Academy cadet dies in dormitory
The Thrall community is mourning the death of Avery Koonce, 19, a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet who was found unconscious in his dormitory earlier this week and died.
Thrall, Texas – The U.S. Air Force Academy is investigating the death of Cadet Thrall, who was found unconscious in his dormitory Wednesday night.
Avery Koonce, 19, was a freshman at the academy in Colorado Springs. She was a member of the track and field team and had big dreams of improving health care for pilots.
Before Avery Koonce ever served in the uniform of the U.S. Army, he proudly wore the purple of a Thrall Tiger.
“With all that we feel for Thrall High School and the Thrall community, Avery certainly epitomized Thrall High School,” said Tommy Hooker, superintendent of the Thrall Independent School District.
His first day on the job was also Koonce’s first day of kindergarten.
“From the moment she started school, ready to go out and conquer the world,” Hooker said.
Hooker remembers her as a track star, Miss THS, student body president and National Honor Society president, but more importantly, she was a good person.
“She was a very good role model, very charismatic and a very strong character,” Hooker said.
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Waco) saw that in her, too.
“She had to be part of an organization that valued character,” Sessions said of USAFA. “She had to embody that and live that, and that was one of her best traits.”
Sessions recommended her for the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where he said he often described her as a potential character like Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story.”
“My mother loved that I used the phrase ‘From here to infinity and beyond,’ and that’s what she wanted to do in the United States Air Force,” Sessions said.
She wanted to become a physical therapist focusing on extending the lifespan of pilots, and just before graduation, the Thrall Independent School District came together to honor her for being accepted into USAFA.
“The three schools worked together,” Sessions said. “They were proud of her. They knew who she was.”
Her dreams were cut short on Wednesday when the Air Force Academy announced she had been found unconscious in her dorm.
Paramedics attempted life-saving measures but were unable to save her.
“We lost a great teammate last night. Though Avery was with us only for a short time, she made a positive impact on our unit, our intercollegiate team and our classrooms,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, president of the Academy. “Her passing will resonate throughout USAFA. Our team is focused on providing support to Avery’s family, the 38th Cadet Company, the track and field team and the entire Academy family.”
“It’s just a complete shock and our whole community is grieving for Avery’s family and this community,” Hooker said. “Avery was a great loss.”
Now, the memory of her hard work and compassion will be a fitting legacy to be carried to infinity and beyond.
“She was a talented woman who spoke positively about herself and her future, and I urge others to never run from that,” Sessions said. “The pain that this caused remains the glory that she will take with her to heaven.”
The Thrall Independent School District honored her at Friday’s football game.
They wrote her initials in pink on the field, asked the cheerleaders to wear ribbons that matched the blue of their Air Force uniforms, then held a moment of silence.
Board chairman and retired U.S. Army Colonel Chip Osborne, who nominated Koonce, added, “Avery was an incredible woman with a bright future. We are deeply saddened by her untimely passing. She will be missed by her parents, friends and the Thrall/Taylor community.”