Old Grad Podcast

In this repeat episode, we revisit with Mark and Holly West who are our local West Point ambassadors. We hear about their passion for serving the community of West Point and Highland Falls with their exciting venture Westy's - Where Craft Meets Community.

In this episode, co-host and companymate Tony Wizner joins John Cook as he shares his remarkable life journey. From his roots in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to his time at prep school, West Point, and his distinguished 30-year Army career, John offers an inspiring look into his experiences. Together, we explore the high points of his service, as well as the profound challenges of losing soldiers in combat. John also reflects on the incredible support he received from fellow classmate Doug Winton, who helped shoulder the burdens of war. John Cook is a true example of a selfless warrior and leader, facing trauma with bravery and resilience.   Sign up for our mini-reunion in Denver. link below for hotel block for mini reunion in Denver from Aug 21-24, 2025 Thursday:golf, and cocktail reception Friday: hike and party at Pat Kerns Saturday: white water rafting, Coors tour, dinner at cactus club Limited rooms in the block, book early https://bookings.omnihotels.com/event/denver-interlocken/west-point-reunion-main

Reflections on OGP and Intentions moving Forward.  Name of deceased GraduateCompanyProject Leader Michael A. Aguilar F4 Shannon D. Beebe I3 Timothy H. Burnham E2 Andrew F. Clements A4 Kimberly L. Daffern B3 Russell A. Davidson E4 Anthony J. Detoto A3 Kenneth A. Evans H3 Carl T. Every E2 Todd D. Farrington B3 Peter C. Graff H2 Janet M. Greco Gibson C4 Joseph B. Gudenburr F2 Michael J. Haas I2 William F. Hecker B3 Timothy B. Hoskinson I3 Jenifer L. Kelley H3 Yu S. Kim C3 William J. Love B4 Shawn D. Maxie 0 Thomas A. McTigue D2 John P. Rann I3 Robert R. Soto F2 Steven E. Yost B4 John J. Tiner D2 William F. Van Mullen G1 Eric J. Dejong I4 Lennis S. Lammers A4 Aaron R. Pogue H1 David C. Reardon B2 Keith T. Melinson C1 Mark A. Wildermuth D3 Paul J. Haggerty I2 Howard M. Slee E3                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Dede and Brian met at Beast in 1987 while in the same India Company for Cadet Basic Training. After our yearling year, Brian left to complete a mission with Church of Latter-Day Saints while Dede finished with our class. Today they are stationed at West Point and Brian is the Deputy Department Head for History.  We talk about their faith-filled journey while serving our country. 

In this episode we talk about Jason Marquith's journey from barely being 17 years old as a plebe at West Point to a lifetime of service to the Nation. We talk about the unique experience he had transporting his father across the country to meet his great granddaughter for the first time in his final days. 

Mark Livesay was joined by fellow company mate Norine D'Arcy Walker. We talk about the great experience in company Happy 2 and reminisce about barracks antics they called "Capers." Mark leads a team of people at Google and his internal bio reads as follows: Helping awesome people do amazing things for the best possible reasons Mark's tried about every fun job [and a couple that weren't] in aerospace and auto manufacturing, business outsourcing, and financial services. And now, he's giving technology a try. He's built airplanes, acquisition strategies, communication plans, submarines, customer relationships, corporate business strategies, market segments, pickup trucks, integrated supply chains, mission statements, annual reports, user experiences, spaceships, and defensive fighting positions. During that time, he's also created training curricula, career planning tools, executive succession plans, professional and personal development programs, as well as personal branding strategies for senior executives. People and culture are what make great things great, and it starts with connecting to a vision and purposeful path. Prior to going all corporate, Mark ran around the woods and blew stuff up as a U.S. Army field artillery officer. He barely graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a B.S. in leadership studies and has an MBA from Notre Dame. Mark enjoys time with family, anything triathlon or open water, writing about himself in third person, and irony. October 1st, 2024 Healthy Leaders Call Topic: Healthy Leader Class of '91Time: 7pmET Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/85182019860 Meeting ID: 851 8201 9860One tap mobile+13017158592,,85182019860# US (Washington DC)+13126266799,,85182019860# US (Chicago)   Sign up for Class Tailgate on October 19th, 2024 - Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usma-class-of-1991-football-weekend-tickets-970995693257?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&fbclid=IwY2xjawFht5tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcR3vSdirZaMs7h9mvDNqCQtDFD_-7Ssxtev4L8kaXvtfZvtlWh9Muw15w_aem__PC09fRo2Yek4OkV6ij-2w

Dave Dadich joined by fellow Hog co-host John Cook.  We talk about living every day like it could be your last.  Sign up for our class tailgate: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usma-class-of-1991-football-weekend-tickets-970995693257

Tony served 30 years in the Army and retired at the rank of Colonel. He was commissioned as an Armor officer and then transitioned into acquisitions following his company grade time. He supported special operations command in that capacity which included multiple deployments in some unique situations. 

Mark Cramer commissioned FA upon graduation and served in Hawaii after attending DLI for Turkish. After the Army, he went to B-School at Thunderbird (U-Arizona) and worked in technology for a number of years before transitioning to residential real estate where he works with his wife Lisa. They have two children and reside in Denver - the location of our next mini-reunion. The first 20 minutes are a fun AAR with the Wests as we recap the recent mini-reunion in Lexington Kentucky. 

Ron Lukow served 26 years in the Army as an aviator. In this podcast, he chronicles his journey from growing up in Mattoon Illinois (the youngest of five children in a military family) to West Point, the Army, and now at BAE Systems. He and his wife Kathy reside in Northern Virginia and have 2 children. Ron talks about highlights of his Army career including as commander of Task Force Comanche where he received the highest aviation honor the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroic actions under fire. 

Brian Turner serves as the Associate Deputy Director of the FBI. He details his story from humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago to becoming the 2nd most senior official in the FBI today.  Despite his meteoric rise through the ranks of our government, BT remains true to his roots and lives by his Leadership Philosophy: Character, Competence, and Empathy - all values that were instilled in him at West Point and in the Army. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OuArapr-keE5JtpyPZ3e7bp-fnSPO60s__QrM_IMba0/edit   Class of 91 Mini Reunion Lexington KY 18-21 April 2024  Marriott Lexington Griffin Gate Golf Resort & Spa 1800 Newtown Pike Lexington, Kentucky 40511   Critical Links: Hotel Room Block: Activity Sign Up Link:  What's App Commo Link   Agenda:   Thursday 18 April: 10:00am Golf ($90 pp) or spa (book appts on your own) 6:00 Welcome cocktail party at Hotel ($125pp)   Friday 19 April: 10:30 am: Keeneland Races ($25pp ) ( https://www.keeneland.com/) 6:30 pm Dinner at Malones (https://bluegrasshospitality.com/malones/) ($125pp) Bus transportation for the day ($60pp)   Saturday 20 April 10:00 Bourbon Tour ($200pp) Evening (dinner on your own) Downtown lexington is pretty cool (https://www.lexingtondistillerydistrict.com/attractions)   You have 4 ways to pay. If you need Holly's cell number, it is 270.304.7221 Venmo (hollywest1991) Zelle (holly.f.west@gmail.com) Paypal (hollywest91) Check -->PO Box 163 Fort Montgomery, NY 10922 Update your file with AOG, Log in Here: https://alumni.westpointaog.org/login   Holly  270.304.7221 Mark  270.304.7196 Jamie 732.690.4331  

Chuck served 30 years of active duty following graduation from West Point and retired as a Colonel. He now works as counsel for The Defense Threat Reduction Agency. DTRA is both a defense agency and a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense for countering weapons of mass destruction and supporting the nuclear enterprise. Chuck takes us through his 30-year Army career and highlights points of wisdom and leadership he learned along the way. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Renee and they have two young adult children Madeline and Zachary. 

Chris Hartley, formerly a law department professor at West Point, retired from active duty after his last assignment there. He is currently serving as a company tactical officer at the Citadel in Charleston, SC, where he finds immense fulfillment in shaping tomorrow's leaders through his role.

On this call we have Ted Russ, Andy Iliff, Major General Jim Isenhower, Mr. Iliff Senior, Ron Massey and Holly West all sharing their stories of stealing the goat. 

In this episode we discuss the Goat Heist of 1990 with Jon Braga and Andy Iliff. 

Chris Barden laid down a challenge for the Old Grad Podcast. "You get the blood lady on, and I'll do OGP".... Challenge accepted. Along with Co-Host Brian Sharpe (F1) we hear from Ms. Jeannie Kays what it was like being the blood lady. We then interview Chris Barden about his journey. Along the way we stumble on some funny memories of cadet life as a G-1 Greek, drunken ferrets, unusual talents of snorting dog tag chains, gold fish Heimlich maneuver and much more. 

Keener Gill, company I-4 is a member of the Class of 91 who was with us at West Point all the way until our Firstie year. He comes from a military family split between the Marine Corps and the Army. After leaving West Point under duress, he was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer through Vanderbilt ROTC. He served 10 years in the Marine Corps. After military service, he has held several senior-level positions in the banking industry including building our USAA's wealth management business and selling it for $2billion.  ᐧ

Vince introduces a good friend Dennis Gillan who brings forward an important message of suicide prevention. We also talk about Vince's Army career starting with his experience at West Point and culminating with a multi-decade career serving our country. Vince continues to serve to this day working with non-profit organizations as a consultant. It is with this work that he first learned of Dennis and his story. Vince is on a mission to make sure we all focus on mental well-being and positivity. 

Rob currently lives in West Hartford, CT with his wife, son and daughter. He reflects on his journey through West Point which included two summers of STAP and a whole lot of fun as a member of the H3 Hurricanes. He served a total of 26 years as active duty and reserve Army officer. Rob was an instrumental thought partner in the creation of the Old Grad Podcast so his interview is long overdue. 

Vonette served over 24 years as an Army Officer following graduation. She currently lives in Watertown NY in an 1800's vintage building that she bought while stationed at Fort Drum. She owns and operates a restaurant that occupies the downstairs of her multi-story building: Empire Square - Southern Fusion Restaurant and cocktail bar. She recalls her tough slog with academics and her priceless friendships she forged while getting through West Point.  

Following her active duty Army time, Karen Walsh served 21 years as an FBI special agent focusing on a number of areas including violent sex crimes, human trafficking, and domestic terrorism. She spent nearly 2 years in a deep undercover role to expose a domestic terrorist threat and bring those responsible to justice. We reminisce about her time at West Point where she developed her appreciation for teamwork and fostered her love of country. 

John Richardson (H-3) is currently serving as the Division Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division. He is our first guest to actually sing their walkup song "I want to be in the Cavalry." We talk about the importance of personal connections in leading soldiers, and the importance of building a climate of Trust. Johnny was nearly kicked out of West Point in the summer of our Cow year. His Tac officer Major Morris went to bat for him. Johnny got to pay if forward years later as a Tac Officer when he recommended retaining a cadet who would later go on serve in the Army with distinction.  As a squadron commander of 5-4 Cavalry in Iraq, he was faced with a changing enemy threat that required his unit to make some radical changes. Johnny talks about he importance of building support for change by explaining the "Why" whenever possible 

Craig Peterson is surrounded by teenagers. He works as a high school teacher in Duluth MN and is a father to 6 children.  He shares his journey starting with a recruiting call in 1986 that led to 4 years at West Point and several years of service in the Army. In company D-2 he roomed with fallen classmates John Tiner and Tommy McTigue for several semesters. He also was close to our fallen classmate Paul Haggerty.  He met his wife Andrea while stationed in Europe and they were married a year later. Tragically, Andrea passed away from a rare autoimmune disease a few years ago leaving Craig to parent all 6 kids on his own.  He continues to amaze us with incredible optimism and perseverance.  DSBD

I coincidentally came across this other podcast - Through the Gray. It follows a similar format to Old Grad Podcast, but is about the class of 2001. I was struck by the similarities and even more struck by the differences. Listen to my conversation with Joe Harrison who is the creator of this incredible work.   https://open.spotify.com/show/4au1g8ibIuKwaFnwNSKozi https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/through-the-gray/id1624827253 https://anchor.fm/joe-harrison0

Trent has been battling a brain tumor since 2016. He relocated to Florida during the pandemic to have better access to medical care. He continues to live life to the fullest including riding his motorcycle two days after brain surgery. A highlight of this episode is at minute 48 when he talks about some special additional instruction he received in French Class.  

After a 23-year career in the Army, Greg Mogavero is back at West Point working in the physics department. He picked his theme song from Sanford and Son because he loves to tinker with things whether it be fixing up his century-old house in Cornwall, or a high-power telescope for the cadets - he is in his element when he's taking things apart and putting them back together again. We talk about his journey to West Point that started with first considering the Airforce Academy while he was on a Boy Scout trip to Philmont. One of his lifelong sayings was picked up from the old Italian tailors at West Point - "Ita  Fitta Fine" - it is a mantra by which he lives life. 

Clay Lowe lives in the UK and has only been back to the US once in the past 20 years. In this episode, we hear about his life as an ExPat, a crazy camping trip that included experimentation with magic mushrooms, and his "Gap Year" at West Point after a self-reported honor transgression.  Clay is a deeply thoughtful person with a deep intellect and a keen sense of self. His walk-up song was appropriate "Like a Stone" by Audioslave. Perhaps it was because after prep school. 3 stap summers, and a gap year - you just can't get Clay to back down - you can't smoke a stone.... Or then again, maybe its appropriate because he swam like a stone in rock swimming. 

As we end 2022, these are some of my favorite clips from OGP. I am committing to do at least 12 episodes in 2023. Thank you to all who have continued to push me to keep doing this. Happy New Year All. 

Ovi lives in the Philadelphia area and is currently COO for the American Bible Society. An interesting fact is that the very first graduate of West Point Joseph Swift also worked for the Bible Society. He took on this assignment following a successful career in the oil and gas industry. Ovi is the Class Bereavement officer and reflects on experiences in dealing with the survivor families of our class. Ovi was born in Cuba and emigrated with his family in the early 1970s. He remembers with great reverence the patriotism of his family - from a MacDonald's restaurant to Coca Cola to the plain at West Point. 

Interview with Kenny Mintz and Co-host Bernard Seeger. We interview Kenny as he gets ready to depart on April 1st, 2022 to walk across America. We discuss his motivation for taking on such a big audacious goal. Kenny will be walking to support three charities. LINK to charity links -  In addition to contributing to the various charities, the best way to support Kenny his to link up with him when he's in your area. Connect him to local events and celebrate his service by amplifying his message.  Link to route and schedule  

Warning - this is a LONG episode. We just had a great time talking through West Point, the Army and Life - Bret lives in Texas with his wife and 4 children. His eldest son Lou is an incoming plebe with the class of 2026. Bret reflects on the ups and down of his journey and makes critical observations about his good fortune. 

Heather Burruss was a chemistry major at West Point and was commissioned as a Military Police officer. She and the 5 other classmates who branched MP (all female) had to report to OBC in June of 1991 after only a few short weeks of graduation leave.  She served on active duty for 5+ years and worked in an 04 slot as a First Lieutenant. Upon leaving active duty she worked a few years in business running a candlestick factory. She later received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Wake Forest University and returned to public service for the FBI. She is recently retired and moving on to her next stage in life which includes making her own wine and brandy. She and her husband reside in Huntsville Alabama. 

BG (ret.) Mike Eastman reflects on his transition to civilian life over the past two months after service to our nation culminating with service in Afghanistan charged with shutting down Bagram Airfield.  His operational assignments included a range of artillery and fire support positions with the 25th Infantry Division, battery command in the 4th Infantry Division, battalion command in the 1st Armored Division, and command of the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, III Corps. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Spartan Shield, and Operation Inherent Resolve. Over the course of the podcast we reflect on many of these challenging assignments, including the challenge of losing his mother to brain cancer while service in Iraq as a Battalion Commander. Mike now continues his service as executive director of the ETS Sponsorship Program - a non-profit serving to assist military members in the their transition to civilian lift. 

General Bramlett talks about his 38-year career, his own personal cadet experience, and his memorable time being the Commandant of Cadets. 

Alex Rodgers commissioned a Field Artillery Officer and served 5 years at Ft. Still and Ft. Bragg. We talk about the role of West Point in his life. We talk in detail about his experiences as a black man at West Point, in the Army and in the business world. 

Reunion Update and Scott Halstead Post AT Hike. 

Rich Ryan is CEO and founder of Six-15 Technologies a technology company that designs, develops, and manufactures head-up displays (HUDs) for users operating in the world's most demanding environments.  He was a lax player at West Point and commissioned as an aviator. Among many things we reminisce about "Lacrosse Tribe", a crazy spring break firstie year, a 125 hour slug, and having his best friend marry his sister.  Rich bravely talks about his own struggles with depression and his to keep healthy despite the pressures of work and life. We also remember our fallen classmate Tom McTigue. 

Tim Burnham lives in Nashville TN and recently transitioned into his own consultancy business specializing in saving money for small and mid-sized businesses. He bravely tells his personal story dating back to West Point where he began struggling with problems related to alcohol. Today he is 15 years sober with a stable marriage and home life. This is all a function of his grit, determination and humility. 

Laurie Reider Jabbar lives in California with her husband and two sons. We chat about her journey from losing her mother at a young age, to being a corps squad athlete to serving in Germany, to navigating the challenges of being a serial entrepreneur. She has a podcast of her own "She's 10 times 5."

Traci Cisek Fisher was recruited to play soccer at West Point directly from high school. She didn't know much about West Point before showing up the night before R-day to meet her soccer teammates at Holly Fishburne's house. This was the start of the very strong bonds she would form with the other women on the soccer team.  She strongly considered resigning during Beast, but was talked out of it by her D2 company mates. She has very fond memories of her 3 years on corps squad soccer as well as her times as a D2 Dragon. She was commissioned in Aviation and served her first assignment at Ft Stewart. She talks about her transition out of the Army as being one of her toughest challenges. "It totally sucked. I Went from landing in a 2 min window on an LZ to picking up cheetos in a mini-van.  Rough, rough time for me."  One of her outlets for dealing with the stress of transition was to focus on physical fitness and emotional wellness. This experience formed the basis for her life's work.  After creating the Wellbeingness® Model, specifically to take leaders through a scientifically based, concise and clear process to develop both mindset and health, Traci has combined leadership and wellness to give teams a new approach to health, leadership and outstanding personal, professional and organizational performance.

Beach Pace is CEO of Big Brother and Big Sisters Columbia Northwest,  located outside of Portland Oregon. She and her wife Jincy have been together for 18years, they have a daughter (Aidan) and son (Conor). She graduated and was commissioned as an ordinance officer. Her first assignment was in Italy where she led a highly specialized in EOD unit and eventually had a company command pre-advance course. She served a total of 7 years on active duty with her final assignment leading ROTC in Northern Michigan.  She spent several years working as a pharmaceutical sales rep before transitioning into social change-making. In addition to leading Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Beach is also an elected official in the city of Hillsboro Oregon. 

This was a very powerful conversation with Vince Duque talking about his journey through depression and suicide ideation. We talk about growing in pursuit of his American Dream; what it was like to be in A-1 "Be Straight or Be Gone"; accidentally allowing a classmate's car to roll into Lake Popolopen; managing actors and actresses on the set in Hollywood. This episode was filled with great tidbits of advice and insightful reflection. 

Jon talks about his 28-year journey in the Army - he recently retired and is living in Pinehurst NC. We pay special tribute to our recently fallen classmate Anthony DeToto

Aloha - Rich joins us from Hawaii where he still works as a DA civilian following a full career as an Army Officer. We begin by talking about the benefits of meditation for mental well being. We reflect on Rich's journey going back to 1986 when as a freshman at the University of Utah he was accepted to West Point. Highlights include spending 6 months in Ranger school, branch transfer from Infantry to Aviation, company and battalion commands.  He and his wife Staci have been married 22 years and they have two daughters. 

Charles Lipeles just completed a 102 mile ultra running race. He was joined by company mates Paul Begalka and Brian Halloran who were his support team for the race. We begin by talking about the unique demographics of Company C3. There was a disproportionate number of Jewish Cadets in that company. We learn that this may have been the brainchild of a person working in the G1 at USMA. Charles, Paul and Brian have many stories going all the way back to July of 1987.  

Brian Mackey missed 2nd semester of yearling year due to a medical procedure to remove a benign tumor from his nasal cavity. He gives us a rare glimpse into the life of a December graduate.  He talks about the shared obstacles of navigating cow English in the final semester of West Point, as well as the unique advantage of being a "super firstie." 

Luke Knittig is senior director of communications for the McCain Institute, responsible for strategic communications, media, external relations, events, publications, website, marketing and partnership activity.  He is also executive producer and host of the Institute's groundbreaking  In The Arena podcast. Luke previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he led high-visibility public relations initiatives, and advised the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, the Honorable Doug Wilson. Also in the Pentagon, he served as special assistant to General Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, and public affairs officer for Army undersecretary, the Honorable Nelson Ford. In the episode we talk about the influence that West Point has had on his life going all the way back to 1986.    

Memorial Day - 2020. This special edition of the Old Grad Podcast is a collection of clips where fallen classmates are being remembered. We start and end remembering Bill Hecker who was Killed in Action. Also Ted Russ talking about flight school with Tommy McTigue; Holly West talking about Dave Reardon in peak form during football season; John Keenan talking about Paul Haggerty always getting to church despite how hard hit the town of Juarez the night before; Pete Gaudet remembering Rusty Davidson; and Mark West remembering Andy Clements. Kim Evans remembering her husband Kenny Evans.