Podcasts about Aviano

What does it take to lead at every level and shape the leaders of tomorrow? SUMMARY Long Blue Line podcast host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 sat with Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95, the U.S. Air Force Academy's vice superintendent, for a deep dive into leadership, humanity and building a world-class service academy. This episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned leaders alike.   SHARE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   GEN. SHERMAN'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is a human experience - focus on connecting with and caring about people.  - Love what you do and love the people you lead; passion inspires others to follow you.  - Embrace failures and challenges as opportunities for personal growth and development.  - Set the right culture and values within your team to build trust and mutual support.  - Be present and engaged with your team, understanding their motivations and experiences.  - Leadership is about more than rank or position - it's about earning genuine trust and respect.  - Invest time in understanding different generations, cultural nuances, and individual perspectives.  - Balance professional excellence with personal growth and life experiences.  - Support your team's development by providing encouragement and holding them accountable.  - Your legacy is built through individual interactions and the positive impact you have on people's lives.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Major General Thomas P. Sherman 01:29 Choosing Leadership Over Flying 07:23 The Impact of Mentorship and Values 12:46 Heritage and Evolution of Security Forces 17:43 Personal Growth in Aviano, Italy 24:17 The Importance of Work-Life Balance 29:50 Culminating Command Experience at Bagram 42:25 The Role of Family in Leadership 51:29 Continuous Self-Improvement as a Leader 56:27 Embracing Failure as a Growth Opportunity 01:00:06 Legacy and the Impact of Leadership   ABOUT GEN. SHERMAN BIO Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman is the Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is serving as the chief operations officer to the Superintendent and overseeing the Academy's blend of military training, academics, athletics, and character development for cadets. Gen. Sherman commissioned in 1995 from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He built a distinguished career as a security forces officer. He's held command at nearly every level. His key assignments include leadership of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB and critical staff positions at the Pentagon. In May 2024, Gen. Sherman was tapped to serve as the Academy's Vice Superintendent   CONNECT WITH GEN. SHERMAN LINKEDIN     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS       TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:00 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99 today. I'm joined by a leader whose career has taken him from the flight line to the halls of Congress and now back to the very institution that launched it all. Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman currently serves as vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy, where he plays a critical role in guiding the development of our future officers and ensuring the Academy remains a world class institution for leadership, character and Day 1 readiness to win the future fight. A 1995 Academy graduate, Gen. Sherman has spent nearly three decades serving in key operational, strategic and command roles. He's led at every level, from squadron to wing command, and his assignments have included everything from nuclear security enterprise to homeland defense, policy development at the Pentagon, and legislative affairs at the highest levels of the Department of the Air Force. Prior to his role as vice superintendent, Gen. Sherman served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was a principal military assistant leading policy integration across joint staff, interagency services and combatant commands. He's perhaps best known in command circles for leading the 88th Air Base wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the largest and most complex wings in the Air Force, with a focus on people first, leadership and mission excellence. Gen. Sherman, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here too.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:32 It is great to be here. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:33 We're excited and we're going to dive right in, because I think what is so special for our listeners is really hearing these moments that have changed your life. I'd like to start at the Academy. You turned down a pilot slot. You were rated, but said no.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:48 Well, actually it was a little bit before that. You know, it's kind of interesting, because that was the draw that brought me here, is I just had this incredible passion to want to fly, and I love flying, and I truly enjoyed it, especially through all the different airmanship programs and things like and things like that we had here. The experiences were fantastic. But, you know, as I was starting to learn more about myself going through the Academy, I was starting to feel my heart getting pulled in a direction of wanting to really lead people and really spend a lot of time working with the enlisted. And I think that came from a couple different areas. I think it was some really unique exposure that I got during my ops Air Force time, which I went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during ops, and just had our action officer that worked this, I think just did a phenomenal job. And I really started getting pulled to what was then called security police. That is actually when Laurie and I got together and started dating, because Laurie is here in Colorado Springs, but she grew up as an Air Force brat. My father-in-law is a retired Chief Master Sgt., and so there was a lot of mentorship that was taking place around dining room table when I was a young cadet. And I think one of the things that her parents really taught me was just the value of the enlisted force, and so I was feeling my heart really getting pulled. And so obviously, there's a conundrum. There's a conundrum on what were the root desires that brought me here — what were the things that I was learning as a cadet, my joy of flying, and also, particularly the culture at that time, was that that was really the job that you needed to aspire to be, that was the expectation of cadets. And so then to really kind of run counter to that strong current was really kind of a unique, you know, almost unnavigated area, right? And so to really kind of take the story out to its next level is that I'd really gotten to a point where talking with people there — we hadn't had the AMT program, but there were these NCOs that were kind of tangentially attached to cadet squadrons. And so I got a chance to talk to one of the master sergeants that was there who was a maintainer by background. And I was kind of pouring my heart out to him on, you know, what had I been talking to him with my now in-laws, about where was my heart pulling me? And so he said, ‘Give me just a second.' And he picked up the phone, and he called my AOC and he goes, ‘Hey, you're gonna be there for a little while.' And this was a Friday afternoon. He said, ‘I got a cadet that needs to come talk to you.' And he hangs up the phone and he goes, ‘Now you go tell your AOC what you just told me.' And so I ended up going to my AOCs office that day, and we had about a two-hour conversation about this. I sat down and really, kind of took the time to explain to him what was I feeling, And obviously, I really try to see the best in people. And so I think from a noble place, he was doing his best to convince me that I was making a grave mistake. And went on to talk to me about what his concerns were, the career field that I was looking at, things along those lines. And we can save that conversation for another time, but I think really where the foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form, so we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, ‘Hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run, you know, putting iron on target.' And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space. But I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden, I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazineby an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling — and I have no idea who this person was — felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper, and this would have been the fall of 1994, and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader.” Commissioning sources. ‘Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force, I need a leader.' Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office — that changed my life, and it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do, what I was looking at inside myself, that became my charge. And so as we spoke, you know, 20-year-old Cadet First Class Sherman — I might have been a 21-year-old at the time — Cadet First Class Sherman pushed back on my AOC, and I said, ‘Sir, I disagree.' I said, ‘I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy that that A1c is asking for on your cork board outside, because that's leadership in this Air Force.' And so, to his credit, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to go think about this over the weekend. You know, think about what you're doing. Come back to me on Monday. No questions asked. I'll pull it if you want me to.' And I left there, and I remember feeling like, not like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, but I almost felt like this sense of like, ‘Now I've got my purpose,' because that little article has shaped me my entire career, and I mean to this day, and at a scale. You know, as a lieutenant, my scale is this big on what I'm affecting to help do and be what that A1C needs to a wing commander. I always keep it in the back of my head, and after all of these years, I am still thinking about, Am I doing right by that A1C that 31 years ago, felt so strongly about something that they wrote a note to Airman Magazine, and that became my charge.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:09 That is incredibly powerful. I'm a little bit without words, because I'm thinking about, first off, being brave enough to disagree with an AOC. I mean, I think that takes courage in showing your leadership there. Were you always like that? Have you always been someone that is steadfast in a decision and being able to kind of speak out?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  08:30 So I get that from my parents. And, you know, I grew up in Corona, California. My mom and dad are amazing people. And we didn't grow up with a lot of money, and we grew up from a pretty meager background, and my mom and dad had made a decision early on in their marriage, when they had my sister and I, that my mom was going to focus to make sure that Nancy and I got an education, and my dad was going to work as many jobs as he had to to put food on the table. And sometimes my dad was holding down three jobs to make sure that we had nutritious food to eat, and my mom was working miracles to make sure that we were fed well, but that also that she was dedicated and had the time to volunteer for things like PTA, being involved as a class volunteer, making sure that we were involved in things and had exposure to things that what they did was they also instilled in me this really strong blue collar work ethic. And it was this aspect of, if I just roll up my sleeves and put in the work, anything is possible. And so on that line, this young kid growing up with a West Coast father and an East Coast mother, and just this, really neat family background that things for me, that I believed in I would go after with all of my heart and soul. And so I found out about the Academy when I was 12 years old. And so, you know, when I at 12 years — we were going to a community event there in Corona, and there was an officer recruiter — Capt. Craig. was her name — and we started talking. She says, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about the Air Force Academy?' And I said, ‘No, this sounds great.' So from there, I just made this decision as a 12-year-old, and I worked all the way through junior high and high school to get here, because to go to your point like, ‘I made a decision, I'm gonna see this thing through.'   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Whoa. OK, so you knew you were going to the Academy before you graduated high school.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:35 Yes, in my mind, there was no other option.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:39 And so anyone in your family serve, or were you the first one in your family to serve?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:43 So I am the first officer and career member of the family. My dad was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1967 and stayed through Tet of 1968. I had an uncle, Harry Lee Schmidt, who was a C-47 loadmaster in World War II and Korea, and my grandfather was actually a part of the initial kind of what was the foundation of the OSS and the Navy doing beach recon on beaches in the South Pacific, prior to island hopping campaign and island landings. And so there was this real heritage of service, right? Just not career service. But even then, as a kid, I always had in my mind, ‘OK, one way or another, I'm going to serve, and if I do an enlistment and then go to college afterwards —' but I had this idea that, ‘OK, I'm going to serve,' and then all of a sudden, this became this amazing conduit that got me here, right?   Naviere Walkewicz  11:38 And they also had ties to aviation. How did they feel about your decision, your family?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  11:43 It was interesting, because they knew how passionate I was about aviation growing up. I mean, we did not miss an air show at March Air Force Base, the Chino air show, which was planes of fame, which was all historic aircraft. I volunteered as a high school student to work there, and we helped restore airplanes with me and my friends. You know, it was interesting, because my parents were very supportive in ‘OK, where's your heart leading you? And, what makes you feel so strongly about this?' Because when I first talked to him on the phone, I called him from Ramstein Air Base and said, ‘Hey, I think I know what I want to do in the Air Force. I want to go to security police. And my mom was like, ‘What's that? And, so, as time went by and I explained it, I think my parents probably all along knew that that was probably going to be a very good fit. And then after commissioning and at my first assignment, I think that they were certain of it, right? Yeah, they were absolutely certain.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:37 That is amazing. Well, I want to dive into this profession a bit, because it's interesting. You know, you've mentioned, when you came in, it was security police, and, security forces and you hear people saying defenders and peacekeepers. So there's this lineage and this heritage. Can you maybe talk a little bit about that and then maybe lead us into that next transformational moment that you might have had in this role?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  12:58 OK, I'm very proud of the fact that, you know, I am part of an ever decreasing group of folks that came in when we were still security police, and that was really still the peacekeeper days, because this was all kind of the follow on on the Cold War. The peacekeepers were our cold warriors and that was a huge part. Our defenders came in and really, that name started to really grow in 1997 when the name changed from security police to security forces, and we were actually going back to some of our heritage that was in Operation Safeside, which was the combat security police squadrons in Vietnam. So when you think about the courage that was displayed during the Tet Offensive at places like Tan Son Nhat that those were safe side warriors that were a part of these combat security police squadrons. And so the very — part of the lineage of the very beret, and flash that we have is actually a tip of the hat to the lighter blue berets, and that flash with the Falcon and the crossed runways that goes back, actually, to our Safeside heritage days. The beret goes back even farther than that. It goes back to Strategic Air Command, Elite Guard back in the 1950s. So it's this great lineage. And so, you know, for me, part of it was like when I got my first beret, wow, that meant something to me. And then, you know, as we then kind of transformed along the way, and this amazing career field grew, and the aspects of this air based ground defense, which was really, I would say, was kind of the draw that got me into wanting to go into security police, was I really liked this idea of, ‘How do we do base defense?' The law enforcement side was intriguing to me, but it was based defense that just had me just had me captivated.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:44 And was that something that you found out early in your career? After you graduate the Academy, you're now in security police. Is that when you kind of realized, ‘This is where I want to go in, air, base, ground defense.'?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  14:54 It even happened at ops. So as we were spending time with the security police squadron, I ended up spending time with a captain who was heading up the Elite Guard, and there was an interaction we had as I was doing a ride along. He's like, ‘Hey, you need to come see me.' And so I went and met up with him, and he took me around and introduced me to all of his airmen that were part of the guard. He knew something all about them. And then we went to his office and talked, and he had gone to Ranger School and Airborne and things like that, and said, ‘Hey, like, the future of the career field is actually us looking to the past.' And really kind of got me fired up on what we call back then, air base ground defense. So when I got to McChord — McChord Air Force Base was my first duty station. And the great thing about going to AMC first is it AMC is a mobility — I mean, it is all about mobility and the operations associated with it. And so the first thing that that my task was as the second lieutenant in that squadron was, I was the air base ground defense flight commander. So that was, I mean — we would go out to Fort Lewis, and we would bivouac for days. And I had, you know, a 44 person team that was a base defense sector. I had specialized K-9 units heavy weapons. And back in those days, we had 81mm mortar teams and fire direction centers that we would set up. So I just got completely on board with the air base defense piece. And so that was that was very passionate for me, which then made the next step to Korea an absolutely logical next location, going to the wolf pack at Kunsan, not only getting a chance to then stand up Gwangju as a part of the first Air Expeditionary Unit to go back to Korea since the Korean War, but then doing the mobile reserve aspect of it. And it was just a great assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:40 Wow. So you were right in from the very beginning. You got kind of just into it all.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  16:45 So when we go back, when you were talking to me about, ‘Hey, when you make your mind up...' So I had this five-year plan built out. And, you know, my five-year plan was ‘OK, I'm gonna do my first assignment at the first opportunity to PCS. I need to go remote. I need to go to Korea. And then, OK, how can I get another overseas assignment after that? And then what do I need?' So the thought was, “Let me get to as many match comms as I can, as fast as I can in my career, and use that as a place — OK, because I want to build my experience base out. Because even as a lieutenant and young captain, I didn't want to come across as a one-trick pony. So my thought was, “Let me just get as much as I could under my belt early on.' And so after I left Kunsan, I ended up going to Aviano Air Base in Italy, which, for me, when you look at like those moments in life that are transformational, this was transformational on a different level. You know, some assignments you go to are very much professional growth assignments. This assignment, for me, was very much a personal growth assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  17:52 OK, so tell me more.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  17:55 I mean, when you think about it, four years at USAFA, very uniquely focused on a plate that is overflowing with things that you need to get done. So you are, you're focused on, you know, everything from grades to military training to all of those things. And then I get to my first base, and I am just working, and I'm volunteering for everything, and we have got a heavy ops tempo of exercises and things like that. And my leadership was fantastic, because they were throwing me into every opportunity I could. And then, boom, I go to Korea, and that is a unique warfighting focused — and at Kunsan especially was heavily warfighting focused. So now all of a sudden I am spending really, when you think about it, the last almost seven years being uniquely focused on mission, right? And so I get to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and the first thing that happens is Operation Allied Force kicks off. So I get there in January, boom. Allied Force kicks off. I think it was in end of February, beginning of March. And wow, what? Again, what an amazing, mission focused experience. And then after we finished up Allied Force and the base returned back to more of its steady-state standpoint, it was the Italians that took me under their wings, that because I made a specific choice, because I grew up — my mom's side of the family are all Italian immigrants — and I was always at my Nonnie and Papa's house, and there was just a lot of that growing up, which is that whole, like, you know, West Coast dad, East Coast mom thing, but I didn't know, you know, my mom and her brothers never spoke Italian. And there was a lot of that, that thought back in those days that, you know, ‘Hey, we're here to be American, so we're going to learn English, and we're not going to speak, you know, the language that we came from,' right? And so my mom and her brothers really never learned to speak Italian. And so my thought was, ‘Gosh, I grew up with this as such a strong part of my childhood that I need to put myself in a position where I can learn the language and start to kind of get an appreciation on the culture. Together.' And so I specifically — and really lucked out on a location, but I was about 20 kilometers away from Aviano. I was in an amazing town. I was the only American living in the complex that I was in. So I was like, ‘If I'm going to learn, I need to just dive in the way that you do, in the way that I do, and just start learning.' And so I ended up kind of building this support group of Italian families that all kind of took me under their wings.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:27 Wait, I have to ask you a question, because back when you're at the Academy, you said you spoke to your now in-laws. So was Laurie not a part of this?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  20:35 So Laurie and I, right. So that's an important part of the story. Laurie and I dated for two years while I was a cadet, and when I was in tech school, her and I made the very difficult decision — and as painful it was — to part ways, so her and I actually parted ways for a few years. I was single at the time. Laurie was still here in Colorado Springs, and I was getting a lot of assignments under my belt, which, to be honest with you, you know, in retrospect, it was very fortunate, because I may not have made the same assignment choices had I been married at the time. And because I wasn't married, there were no other variables that I needed to factor in, other than personal experience goals, right, that I wanted to play into, and so I could just put down whatever assignment I wanted, and that allowed me the opportunity to just focus on job. And while Laurie and I stayed in touch, and I stayed in touch with her parents over the years, I was in Aviano, and her and I were not together at that point,   Naviere Walkewicz  21:39 That makes sense. I was like, why were you alone in Italy?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  21:43 It's a fair question. But I also think that being single in that environment allowed me — and that's where I think it helped me develop as a person. And so there are a lot of, I think, really wonderful things that happened during that time, and that was because I was so uniquely mission focused. It was these, this amazing group of Italian friends together, that really kind of taught me about there, there's a time to relax, you know, there's a time to work, there's a time to relax, and there's also a real human need to enjoy life and enjoy time together, which is quintessentially Italian. And so, as my pool of this, these amazing people — that  by the way, for the last 25 years, we've been going to visit. It's the same families that took me under their wings when I was a lieutenant, are the same families that were all tuning in as we were doing a live stream of me pinning on my second star. And so I've never been stationed anywhere else in my career where I felt more at home. And so I think this sense of like, ‘Wow. This like independently as my own person, this feels like home.' And as time went by and I started to get an appreciation for actually things that were a part of my childhood. Because, you know, we would have these long, huge meals, we would spend four or five hours at the table as a family. And for me, this was all normal. Well, that was also a part of kind of normal Italian life and normal Italian culture. You're not going out to dinner with your friends unless you're investing at least three hours at the restaurant. But for me, this was all — this felt normal to me. And so it was about, you know, you don't need to eat your food in five minutes.   Naviere Walkewicz  So contrary to USAFA, by the way.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN You know, you don't need to chew no more than seven times and swallow. So it was about experiencing that, and learning even just some things that became personal passions. Like, you know, how wine is made and why wine pairing matters, and how is this process? And so all of a sudden, this personal experience — and I think growing as a human being was taking place there, and I was maturing as a human being because I had gotten all of this phenomenal job experience under my belt, but this was where I was growing as a human being. And you know what's interesting, as time has gone by, I have noticed just how impactful that time was, because there are things that I've noticed, even as a senior officer, that I feel very strongly about, that I don't think I felt as strongly about as a junior officer, and it was because of that experience, and it was the aspect of when people are on leave, let's let them take leave. There is a part of the human experience that you need to enjoy time with people that you care about, because what it does is you're not slacking off from work. You're not leaving everybody hanging. What's happening is that, because you're taking some time to just enjoy life with people you care about, when you come back, the restorative effects that have taken place because you simply breathe and you enjoyed what it was that you were doing and whatever your passion was, you know, unencumbered, you could enjoy that. And we all realize that there are times, especially as you get into positions of authority, that, hey, they're going to need to call you periodically. But what was interesting is that, especially, I mean, I'll give an example as a wing commander. As a wing commander, despite realizing how important that mission is and how big Wright-Patt was, we, Laurie and I took leave, and we took two weeks of leave, and we went back to Italia and visited our friends and enjoyed life, because the culture helps us to slow down. But what it also did is I gave my staff some parameters. ‘Hey, here are the things that I think are important, like on a scale of one to 10. Here are the things that I think are an eight. So an eight or higher, call me. Don't text me.' I said, ‘Physically call me, because I will answer the phone knowing it's for — and then you have my undivided attention.' But what it also does is it means that my vice wing commander who is there, that I am empowering my vice wing commander and showing to everybody else I trust this leader to lead this wing in my absence. And if it's something that really needs my involvement, they'll get a hold of me. But I think our junior leaders need to see that at the senior most levels, that I can physically trust and emotionally trust my vice, my deputy, to hold things down while I'm gone, and that I'm not irreplaceable, and that if I did my job as a leader, I set the conditions that allowed the wing to thrive in my absence, and didn't mean that the wing had to hang on every decision I made or every word that I said, that I set the conditions that allowed them to be successful and fostered the leadership that allowed them to lead in my absence. And I felt great while I was gone, because I knew the people that we had there, and I knew the investment that we made in them. So that was kind of a long, you know, trip around this…   Naviere Walkewicz  27:26 I mean, I think it was so powerful that you kind of learned that about yourself in Italy. And then would you say that there was anyone that you saw emulating that? Or was it just something over time, you developed this realization that you need to enjoy life and you need to allow people the space to do so.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  27:43 So I would say the people that I was emulating in that aspect were a lot of the families that were there. I have been fortunate that I have worked for some commanders who, at different times in their life felt the same way. Conversely, I also worked for commanders that did not feel the same way. And, you know, an interesting case in point on something that on an experience I had in a command bill and after I had left Aviano — this is when Laurie and I were back together; we were married at this point. I had a group commander that was frustrated about me taking leave and called me every day at 1500; every day at 1500 I got a telephone call. And you know what that does is now all of a sudden, you're eating lunch, and the clock is getting closer to 1500 and you start to get that knot in your stomach and you're like, ‘OK, what are we going to talk about today?' And so, unfortunately you don't see some of the same appreciation for that across the board. So how do we deal with it? The best thing that we deal with it is that that's where the buck stops. We don't pass it down to our people. So after I got the call from him, I didn't call back to the squadron. I got the call from him. We went through the call, we answered the questions, and I didn't then immediately turn around and call back to my ops officer who was running the Squadron at the time, and say, XYZ. And we just left it there, because at that point in time, the bucks got to stop it at that point. So I think that that's kind of the, you know, the alpha and the omega of learning and then also having your own personal resilience and courage to say, ‘I accept that the buck stops here, and I'm not going to let this roll downhill to my people.'   Naviere Walkewicz  29:41 That's an excellent leadership lesson, because I was going to ask you, ‘What does that look like, and how would you how would you handle that?' And so you went right into that. Thank you so much for that. So what has it been like leading security forces — defenders? What's it been like? Has there been a moment in time where — a particular assignment or something's really stuck into your mind or into your heart, because it's just really affected you?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  30:05 Absolutely. I will tell you, as we go back, as we were kind of talking about decisions that you make in your youth, and that critical decision that I made in the fall of '94 I mean, I have worked with some of the most amazing people I've worked in my life. I have gotten a chance to go to places I never thought that I would see. And so, when you kind of roll up, I would say it was my final squadron command, and I would say that that was a real culminating squadron command. So I commanded four squadrons, and we command early, and we command often, and there's a lot of responsibility that that's placed on us as young officers to command as a young officer. And so having the opportunity to command two times as a captain, or one time, you know, as a major-select, then as a major, then as a lieutenant colonel. So that culminating command would have been Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in May of 2012 to May of 2013 and you know, it was interesting because all of my previous squadron commands had all been vested in either the contingency response or the kind of combat contingency environments. And it was almost like all of those were leading me to this moment. So let me just kind of set the conditions on what Bagram was like at that point in time. We had grown the squadron to about a 1,200-person squadron, huge squadron. And what we were also responsible for is we had taken over battle space ownership from the Army. So the Air Force was controlling 220 square miles of battle space throughout Parwan province, which is a huge. I mean, it's twice the size of Washington, D.C., if you want to try to give a comparison, more or less is fair to look at that level as just a huge amount of terrain in which our airmen were responsible from everything from humanitarian operations and goodwill outreach to engagements to literal kinetic action and combat in the battle space. And so a part of this culmination was, was an environment where as the defense force commander — as that squadron commander to them as a lieutenant colonel at that point — I mean how we are weaving ourselves into their lives, and how we are working with their section commanders, and how we're working and managing the value of our perimeter defenses with our teams that were going outside of the wire doing legitimate patrolling and engagement and things along those lines, was huge. And I think that that is an example. And when you look in the rearview mirror to say, ‘Gosh, now this, a lot of this makes sense, like all of these assignments, whether by design or whether by fate, somehow gave me an experience that at this moment, I needed it most.' And I think, as I talk, we've really enjoyed being here with the cadets and talking to them about, how does a leader really develop trust, and how does trust really manifest itself? And so, through the time that we were there, and the engagement as their leader — not just the leader who's just simply circulating, because that's important, but they also need to see your decision making and your strategic thought. And how do you react under pressure? How are you reacting as we've got incoming in, and what do you do being the person in the joint defense operations center, helping to manage that, and how are you both taking care of people, and how are you managing mission? And they see that. And so I would say that the development of that level of trust, especially in an environment where you are literally dealing with high costs, is huge. And so I think there was one, situation that really rests on my heart that and I don't talk about this to give validation, but I think I talk about it on it's about how people connect, and why do I feel so strongly that leadership is a human experience, like this is a what we are doing as a human experience. And so I was retiring my chief. So I was asked by my chief at Bagram — this was some years later. He's out of the 105th Base Defense Squadron out of the New York Air National Guard, and him and I were a phenomenal team there. Dave Pritchard and I just made a great team. And so he was retiring, and asked me to come back and do his retirement. So we had done the retirement ceremony. We were at the VFW afterwards, having his after-party and so forth. And so I had gone into the bathroom for a comfort break and washed my hands and things like that. And I noticed, as I was kind of moving towards the bathroom, there was kind of a young man who was kind of floating. You know, floating around. And so I came out of the restroom as I was finished, and he was waiting there at the exit of the restroom for me, and kind of, you know, got in front of me, and he stood there, and he looked at me, and he goes, ‘Hey, sir, I just, I needed to let you know this, that I was one of the airmen in one of your patrols that got hit by an IED, and he said, your investment in us, and the words that you used and when you came to talk to us, and the faith that you had in us gave me the courage to go back outside of the wire when you asked us to go back outside.' And so why that rests so heavy is when you think about what, what is the what is the con? The consequence there is that somebody believed in you so much that when you spoke to them and said the word, they were going to go back out and do it again, in spite of what had just happened to you. And I don't think there is any stronger level of trust that you can ask from somebody than to have one of those moments. And so that moment just resides very, very heavy on my soul, because I think it puts into real, tangible context, what is the responsibility of leadership? What is your responsibility of leadership?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 I'm letting that sit a little bit, because I can't even imagine the amount of feeling that you had first for him, the courage to share that with you. Because I'm sure that he really wanted to share that. I'm curious if you can remember perhaps, what he might have been referring to, like what you were sharing with the men and women there.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  37:02 So, you know, it was also a part of things that, in times after Bagram have really been used for me as a senior leader on why I reinforced the importance of values. And, this was one particular incident there that really comes to mind is, and I use this when I when I talk to people, because I again, it's the consequence, and it's why our responsibility as leaders to set the right conditions and culture and all of that is so incredibly valuable. And so I talked to people about a story about we had had a situation where we had some real destabilization in the battle space. There was a particular village that we were having some unique challenges with, and we were doing a lot of kind of battlefield shaping, and we were doing some particular village engagement, and the engagement just wasn't happening. And so we were now kind of starting to escalate our interaction with the village a little bit more and as we were doing that, we were now going to start doing more shaping operations. So it just so happens that one of these nights —this was in the late fall, early winter of 2012 — and we were sending one of our patrols outside to do some shaping and engagement operation there. But this was in the evening. This was a different aspect that we were working for this particular mission. And so mounted up that the airmen are ready to go. They're pushing outside, they're right on time, and everything is going according to plan, and they are getting close to what we call the objective rally point. So that was where they were going to rally up before they actually moved into the village after that. And so everything was going according to plan. And the only thing they needed to do before they got to the objective rally point was really kind of go down a small gully over a rise, and then they meet at their objective rally point at that point. And so teams are moving out. First truck over the rise, getting to the point. Second truck over, everything's going fine. Third truck over, fourth truck after that, BOOM, off goes the IED. And what had happened is, they were waiting for this opportunity, and they knew exactly what to do. And that is, if you hit the last truck in the movement, you've got three trucks that are gone ahead of time, and now we've got folks in a very precarious situation. And so what I talk to people about, when we talk about conditions and the real impact that a leader has, is I'll talk to them about who was in that truck, who was in that MRAP that we were sending down at that point in time. And inside that MRAP was the face of America. And the explosion was significant, and it did some considerable damage. It threw the engine out of it, penetrated the hole, ripped one of the doors off the side in the front. And so, you know, the truck commander was National Guard from, actually from Tennessee, and he had gotten injured, broken an arm because that door had peeled back. And as the door peeled back, his arm got caught and broke his arm. The driver, Asian American coming out of the state of California, active duty. He had injuries to his legs because of the penetration of the hole. We had a gunner up in the turret, African American female from the New York Air National Guard. She had a broken pelvis at the time, and she just stayed on the gun the entire time despite her injuries. We had our radio operator. European American female coming from the Midwest. She was actually Air Force Reserve. She had a case of TBI from the explosion, and she was still making calls on the radio. We had two of our riflemen in the back, both came from Hispanic heritage, one of them from Puerto Rican heritage, one of them from Mexican heritage. They were very fortunate that while they got tossed around the back and had some minor TBI issues, they were more or less bumps and bruises, and they were all by themselves. Yeah, because they were all alone, they were in the middle of Afghanistan, they had just gotten hit. And so for me, what's so important about that story is that if we did not set the right culture and the right values and the right expectations and be in a leader by example, and they were harassing each other on Bagram, and they were assaulting each other on Bagram, and they weren't respecting each other on Bagram, and they didn't care about each other on Bagram, they would have died out there that night. But they treated each other like a family, and they cared about each other like a family, and they took care of each other like a family that night, and they lived and they all came home. So for me, if we're going to talk about what is the true consequence of leadership — and I use consequence deliberately, because oftentimes that's used in a pejorative manner — but this is the true result of your actions, that if you don't set those conditions, then you are legitimately putting your people at risk. And so that whole experience at Bagram, and in so many ways that we all carry our scars and our bruises and things like that. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world, but that was tough. And I often describe it as a tale of two cities. You know, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:34 I think a lot of times, when leaders go through experiences like that, they have some more fortunate than others, but a support network. And I would guess it would be your family. How has your family played a role in these moments in your life, in helping you as a leader?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  42:54 So I will say it's primarily my wife. I have got this wonderful support of parents and my in-laws and so forth. And what's been truly fortunate is how close I am with my in-laws. Because when Laurie and I were dating while I was a cadet, anytime I had an overnight or weekend pass, I was over at her mom and dad's house and so I think that being married to somebody that has truly known you from the beginning, you know, where, whether we got a training weekend going on, or something like that, or I'm working first BCT or whatnot, that Laurie was a unique part of all of these things. And I would say that it has been incredibly heartwarming to watch her interact with the cadets here, because it's fun, because her and I do everything together. And so as we're going to events, I'll have a group of cadets that I'm talking to, and then I'll look over and Laurie's surrounded by a group of cadets who are asking her just very insightful questions about our experiences together, and ‘Was it tough sending them away on deployments?' Or how, you know, in those tough times, ‘How do you how do you keep your marriage together?' Just really insightful questions to ask, but she has just been so central to everything that I do. And so going back a little bit and talking about, like the strength of our relationship and how much that helps, we actually needed to have that breakup period as horribly painful as that was, and wow, was I carrying a torch for her all of those years. I mean, I remember, you know, as time was going by, I would talk to my mom, and I'd be like, ‘Mom, I just wish that Laurie could see the man that I become.' But we needed that time because oftentimes, and what we found in ourselves, we didn't know it at the time, because you're living in your environment and you can't see it, right? Is that in youth, things are often absolutes. And you often will get to a place where you're starting your marriage, your relationship is growing. And if you start to talk about marriage, there are things that we have found were absolutes for us. You know, certain things that we did, how we practiced our faith. Did we open up presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but the expectation was somebody was going to have to give up their particular tradition to conform to the tradition of one of the spouses. And in your youth, that seems reasonable, and I think we needed that time to be apart, having had that time together at such an important time in each of our lives here. But we needed that time apart, because I think we needed that frame of reference as we grew as people into adults. Grew as young adults. And now all of a sudden here I'm getting multiple assignments, and now being thrust into leadership positions with accountability and authority, and then coming back to that, all of a sudden, you're realizing, ‘Gosh, the world just isn't always in absolutes. And maybe a marriage doesn't have to be zero sum, but maybe a marriage can be positive sum.' And do we really have to make somebody give up something that is important to them, that is a part of their identity? Because somehow you feel like you have to conform your marriage into one side or the other. And so, I think for us that was that was so incredibly important. So to kind of get to that story is that, you know, I left Aviano and I went to Al Dhafra. I was in Al Dhafra actually for September 11. It was my first squadron command, but it was a squadron command I wasn't expecting, because I came there as a chief of security forces for about a 70-person security forces flight as a part of the 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 happens, and we went from about 400 people on Al Dhafra to about 4,000. And you know, U-2s came in, ISR platforms came in. Everything changed. And all of a sudden, this 70-person security forces flight that I had grew into about a 350-person security forces squadron. And AFSET said, ‘Hey, Sherman, you built it, you keep it, and we'll replace you with a major when you leave.' And I was a six-year captain, and so then finishing up that assignment, and I got picked up for — there was a point to that story — but it was about coming back, is that, hey, I got these new, unique experiences that grew me under my belt. And then I came back to do an AFIT program at Cal State San Bernardino. And that was the moment that brought Laurie and I back together.   Naviere Walkewicz  In what way?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN And so, I had a health scare. Nobody knows what it was. We never figured it out. Doctors never figured it out. But it was one of those things, like, all of a sudden, I shotgun something out to everybody I knew. I said, ‘Hey, doctors are a little bit concerned, you know, keep me in your thoughts.' And so Laurie, Laurie is like, ‘Holy cow, you can't just send a one liner and leave it at that.' So she called my mom and dad and said, ‘What's his phone number?' And so it started to turn into ‘Hey, give me all of your test results after you get it back.' Then pretty soon we're talking a couple times a week, and then pretty soon we're talking every other day, and then we are talking every day. And the beauty of this was that we already knew each other, so we already knew what everybody's favorite color was — by the way, Laurie's is purple. We knew what music each other liked. We knew things about each other. And some of the things that actually drew us together when we were dating here was, you know, we had things like some common family traditions, like, you know, Italian fish on Christmas Eve and sitting around the table for hours and stuff like that were all things that we had in common. So we already knew that about each other. Now, her and I on the phone, we're getting into some real, like substantive discussions, children, faith. How do you how you raise children? How do you know, what are we going to do for different traditions? What happens if I have to take a remote; what does that mean? And so we were getting into these really, deep conversations. And, you know, I would come back from either class or then when I PCs to the security forces center out at Lackland, you know, I would come home from work, and this was in the old flip phone days where you had a battery that came off the back. So I would have one battery in the charger, and then I would have an earbud in, and I'd have the phone in my pocket. Yeah, and I'd come home and to call her, and we would just go throughout the evening. So I'm ironing BDUs at the time, shining my boots and stuff like that, and so, and we were just talking. And then we were just kind of like living life together. And, after that point, it became very clear that those two young people who sincerely cared about each other, now, each of us grew up and had experiences in a place that allowed us to really appreciate each other and really love each other. And you know, we were married just a little over a year after that. And it has been phenomenal, her support. And I think one of the great testaments to that was, 10 days after we got married, I went to Baghdad, but she's like, ‘I grew up in the Air Force. I know how this works. We're gonna move the house. I'll get the house put together.' And she's also a professional in her own right, which is great. So she was working in a legal office here as a paralegal and legal assistant here in Colorado Springs, and has been a GS employee for the last 18-plus years. So what's great is she, too has her own aspect of service. What I love about it is that in the jobs that she's in and then the jobs that I'm in, we can talk shop, and then we cannot talk shop, right? And so she's the first person I go to if I have to ask a question, she's the first person that I'll go to say, ‘Hey, did I do that right? Or do I need to backtrack on that a little bit?' Because she knows me, and she knows me completely, and that level of trust and love and faith that we have for each other has truly enabled me to be able to serve our airmen on a level that I don't think would have been possible without her.   Naviere Walkewicz  51:59 Would you say that she's had a role in your development as a leader, in the way that you lead.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  52:05 Oh, absolutely, absolutely, because, and I love it, because her experience as a brat and her dad as a chief gives her a very unique lens to look through. And so the advice that she gives me she can give me from her teenage self in some way, you know, from that experience, watching how her dad interacted with something or knowing her aspect about this. And then as she's developed professionally, working on the E-Ring at the Pentagon a couple different times, working for very senior leaders, knows how to navigate that space. So then I'll go to her for advice, like, ‘Hey, how did your boss handle something like this?' ‘Well, let me tell you what, how we work through this...' And so I would absolutely say that that Laurie has uniquely influenced and helped me to become the best version of myself that I can be.   Naviere Walkewicz  53:03 Wow. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about developing yourself as well, because one of the questions we like to ask is, what are you doing every day to make yourself a better leader? Can you share what that might be?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  53:17 I've said it a couple times during this: I truly believe that leadership is a human experience, so for me, it's about the interaction. And so oftentimes, advice that I've given to people — like there are amazing resources abound that can help people, give people leadership perspectives, and we can either learn it from history, or we can learn it through study. We can learn it through analysis. We can learn it through books. And I've always talked to people about use the external tools that help to grow you, but make sure that you're using it to influence the personality that you already have. Because oftentimes what happens is, is that people will have this really strong desire to say, “OK, I want to make sure that I do this right. And so in doing this right, let me make sure I've got my checklist, and so I'm going to greet them, I'm going to ask them how their family is, I'm going to ask them if the kid did all right in the baseball game. And I'm going to go through my checklist, and if I do that, I fulfill my leadership obligation.' Now not everybody does, and I'm making generalities on but, but I think that there can oftentimes be the allure that when you are focusing on what may be the theory or the principle of the day, and not using it to supplement and grow and mature your personality, that there is a strong allure to want to wholesale replicate what it was that you learned, and you're doing it in a noble place. It's not nefarious. It's being done in a noble, genuine place. But there's that allure to say, ‘OK, good, I really like what I've learned. I'm going to do these things and step through.' And so why I talk so much about the experience, and why I talk so much about the interaction, is that the more that you know the people that you may be influencing by just simply being there and understanding what that means. It means you're eternalizing the value of your presence. You're listening to their stories, and you're understanding for them, what are the things that are motivating them? What are the things that they value? Because each generation, each environment, each condition is going to require something a little bit different from you, and if you don't take the time to understand your environment or generation or cultural nuances or things like that on where you're at, then you are missing that opportunity to develop trust, where they start to believe in you as a person, and not just the rank and position that you hold, because they'll do the right thing for the rank and position that you hold. That's the caliber of people that we have in this Air Force of ours. They'll do the right thing. But if you transcend that in the fact that they believe in you wholeheartedly and trust you, oftentimes with their own lives, it means that you've invested something into them, where they truly know that you care. And that goes back to that A1C on the cork board that said, ‘I need somebody who cares about me as a person.'   Naviere Walkewicz  56:41 You know, as I think about what you've experienced through your career and the lessons you've learned, both professionally and personally, what would you say to yourself back then that you should be doing back then to get to where you're at now? Because we have listeners that are like, ‘What can I start planting today, that will bloom down the road?'   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  57:03 Absolutely. And so I think if I was to go back and put my arm around Cadet First Class Sherman, I think what I would do is — because it is, it is oftentimes easy to look in the crystal clear mirror of hindsight, right? But I think instead, what I would do is I would put my arm around him and say, ‘Keep following your heart and let the failures happen, because the failures are going to grow and let the stumbles happen and enjoy the triumphs with people and be appreciative for what got you there.' And I think it would be more of the encouragement of like, ‘You have laid out a path for you take the path wherever it goes, the joy, the pain, the triumph, the failure, all of those things, because all of that helps to develop the leader.' And oftentimes you want to go back and say, gosh, if I was going to talk to my previous self, then I would say, ‘Ah, don't do that one thing,' right? But I'm looking at it saying that if I didn't do that one thing, then I'm not sure that I would be where I'm at at a time to make sure I didn't do that thing at a moment that was incredibly catastrophic. And so while we have this desire to want to prevent ourselves from the failure, I think that what we have to do is say you're going to fail and you need to fail, and it's going to sound — relish in the failure, because it is often emotionally troubling, especially those of us that come here because we are Type A perfectionist, and that's part of the draw of coming to this amazing place. Is there a certain personality traits that help us to be successful here, but not all of those personality traits make us uniquely successful in all situations outside, and so you've got to have that failure at some point in time. And the failure that you can get up and say, ‘OK, I did this. This happened. My soul is bruised. My ego is bruised. I may have to take a little bit of accountability for this. OK, now I need to have the courage to take the next step forward again.' Because I could easily retreat back to a safe place, and I could become risk averse, and all that does is hurt the people around you. OK. I have to have the courage to breathe and take the step again and get back in there. So I would tell my — I don't think I would want to prevent myself from doing anything. I think even the growth that took place while Laurie and I were apart — and, like I said, that torch that I carried for her — I think if I had whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, just relax, you're gonna marry her.' I think I needed that torch, because that in my own mind and my own emotion was me needing to become a better man, and so I think I needed to go through — like, sometimes you need the struggle, and sometimes the things that are most valuable are the things that you had to go through the struggle for, right? And I think that's where my blue collar ethics background comes in. It's like, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to work through the struggle.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:00:36 Wow. Well, we took a look back. I just want to ask you a question forward. So do you think about legacy? And what do you want your legacy to be? Is that something that plays in your mind as you wake up each morning or go to lead people?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:00:50 I think the way that I look at it is, I look at it in a in a different aspect, and the way that I look at it is in a very confined point to point. It's not about what is going to be Tom Sherman's legacy when he retires someday, but was that interaction that I had with somebody to give them some encouraging words when they fell down, did that matter to them at that moment? Because there are people for me in my failures that were commanders, that were leaders, that were mentors, that were senior enlisted, that, you know, grabbed that lieutenant by the arm and helped to lift me up. And their memories are etched in my fabric. And so I think that it's about that individual event that your legacy will live in the people in which you made a difference to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:01:49 Well, I'll share with you, I was telling my son — he's a cadet, a third-class cadet, actually, now he's about to be a C2C — that I was doing this podcast with you, and he said, ‘What an incredible leader, Mom, he motivates me. He's so inspiring.' So your legacy is already through my son—   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:05 Thank you! That means — thank you so much for sharing.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:10 —that you really made an impact. So we're going to get to your final thoughts here in a little bit. But before we do, I want to make sure that you know our podcasts publish on every second Tuesday of the month, and you can certainly listen to Gen. Sherman in any of our other podcasts on longblueleadership.org. So Gen. Sherman, what would you like to leave our listeners with today? This has been incredible, by the way. Thank you.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:32 I have truly enjoyed this, and it's just been — it was just wonderful having the conversation with you, and it's in real honor to be a part of this. I truly believe in what you're doing here.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:43 Thank you. It's my pleasure to help share your story and help inspire others. And is there anything we might leave with our listeners that that they can part with tonight?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:51 I think, for me, you need to love what you do and love I think, is one of the most powerful words in language. And I don't just say the English language. I say in language because of the strength behind the meaning and how wide the meaning can be impactful. If you love what you do, people will feel that your very presence will make a difference. They'll feel that if you love what you do, then you're being, you know, internally, inspired by the love that you have for what you're being a part of, right? If you love and care about your people, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth, because they know the passion that you have and the belief that you have in them. So I think that as we go back to these things, we oftentimes look at the terms of courage and love may seem diametrically opposed, and I would attest that you can be most courageous and that your courage will be most effective only when it's buttressed by the love that you have in what you do and who you do it with.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:08 Thank you, sir, for that. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:04:11 Absolutely. Thank you. This was a wonderful time. It was a real honor.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:14 Thank you. Well, until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Major General Thomas P. Sherman, mentorship, personal growth, security forces, work-life balance, family support, continuous improvement, legacy       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

Send us a textLet's get one thing straight—this ain't your typical Air Force hype-fest. Xavier Knapp went from "please God, not F-16s" to becoming the standout maintainer in Netflix's Thunderbirds documentary. In this episode, we pull the curtain all the way back on what it really means to be a top-tier wrench-turner in the Air Force. Xavier shares the unfiltered truth about failing out of EOD, getting slapped in the face (literally) by maintenance, and grinding through 120° days and freezing nights to keep jets flying. He breaks down the hard-earned pride of maintenance culture, the myth and reality of the Thunderbirds, and why tight uniforms and tighter standards actually matter. If you think being a Thunderbird is all glitz and no grit, this one's going to hurt your feelings. Let Xavier wreck your cynicism—and maybe inspire you to raise your own damn standards.

The Neighborhood NewsAviano at Desert Ridge is a luxury, master-planned community in North Phoenix at 40th St & Deer Valley Rd. Developed by Toll Brothers in the early 2000s, Aviano features upscale single-family homes, resort-style amenities (clubhouse, fitness center, pool, courts, playgrounds, walking trails), and lush landscaping. The community is known for its strong neighborhood atmosphere and convenient North Phoenix lifestyle.​​Points of Interest:✅Desert Ridge Marketplace: shopdesertridge.com✅Musical Instrument Museum: mim.org✅Wildfire Golf Club: wildfiregolf.com✅New entertainment & dining: foleyranch.com ​Featured Listing:Team EvoAZ listing on 39th Run—Text EvoAZ20 to 4805089828 for instant photos and info! ​​Featured Business:Wendy Burnett, Travel with Wendy – linktr.ee/travel_with_wendy​​Catch the full episode now on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform!

Send us a textIn this extended Daily Drop, Jared unleashes a tactical nuke of sarcasm on the Pentagon's parade of WTF decisions. From billion-dollar contracts imploding to Airmen stuck in retirement limbo, it's clear nobody's steering this defense dumpster fire. Cyber Command wants to be SOCOM now (because that worked so well before), troops can't move because the PCS fairy ran out of money, and SpaceX is somehow our last hope in space. Also: PFAS water, political drama, and Congress failing military families… again.If you like your military updates with a side of rage and real talk, you're in the right TOC.

Juan Marcos Aviano, Coordinador del Foro Regional de Parques Productivos @CONEXIONPARQUES 8-5-2025

Send us a textIn this delightfully grim and accidentally informative Daily Ops Brief, Peaches breaks down the Pentagon's latest hits—from promoting a retired Guard general (cue the four-star meltdowns) to “oops-we-erased-history” DEI compliance, all while dunking on the commissary's soggy sandwiches and the illusion of DoD fiscal responsibility.If you've ever wondered how to:Launch rockets on a budgetJustify skipping base grocery runsNavigate forced cultural purges via AIOr survive Space Force acronyms without rage-quitting the internet ...this one's for you.Also, you'll never look at sushi the same again. And that's a promise.

Bacchus, our first Warthog driver and retired CT ANG Brigadier General shared stories from his extensive career as an A-10 pilot, air traffic controller / supervisor and a major airline pilot. Learn about his combat deployments and the challenges and rewards of air traffic control, as well as his deep-rooted love for aviation. The conversation highlighted the intricacies of air traffic control, the camaraderie among controllers, and the importance of clear communication between pilots and controllers. We also delved into the A-10 ‘Hog's combat capabilities, discussing missions over Iraq and personal experiences with the aircraft. The episode featured humorous anecdotes and insightful reflections, blending technical aviation insights with personal narratives. Additionally, we spotlight our sponsor, Flight Training International, and their pilot training programs. Towards the end, Bacchus recounted a memorable low-fuel mission, explained the origin of his call sign inspired by the Greek god, and shared experiences from Aviano and the National Military Airspace Command. CT ANG Warthog Warthogs in Flight F-100s Original Sqn Aircraft

La Breast Unit del CRO di AvianoLa Breast Unit è un percorso di diagnosi, terapia e di controllo. È composta da unità operative che operano come fossero un'unica struttura funzionale, grazie al confronto e alla costante collaborazione degli specialisti coinvolti che hanno tutti lo stesso obiettivo: la diagnosi precoce e la cura del tumore al seno. Seguici sui nostri socialInstagram (@drtalk_it)Twitter (@drtalk_it)YouTube (DrTalk_it) 

Radio Gol 96.7FM.

Secretario de Comercio Interior de la provincia de Santa Fe

Rombo insistente oggi sui cieli delle Prealpi e della Pedemontana vicentina: ha incuriosito molti vicentino. Era sorvolo di due CH-47F Chinook in forza alla Netherlands Roayla Air Force, l'aeronautica militare olandese, che sta effettuando in questi giorni delle esercitazioni d Aviano

Escuchá la palabra del Secretario de Comercio Interior y Servicios

Sobre precios Justos

#Mañana967

This edition features the Afghan National Army [ANA] Air Corps Commander visiting some of the U.S. Air Force's major commands, this year's Air Force International Affairs Excellence award winner, Master Sgt. Cameron Rogers, spending time with the ANA Air Corps, Afghan air crews making land mark strides in their operations, Security Forces Airmen at Lajes Field hosting a shooting competition open to the entire base, Aviano residents getting an opportunity to train with Tony Horton, the creator of the popular P90X workout program, and Operation Appreciation Blue Star Museums that will allow service members and their families for up to six free admissions from Memorial Day until Labor Day at any of over 600 participating locations. Hosted by Airman 1st Class Alina Richard.

This edition features stories on an Edwards Air Force Base C-17 becoming the first military cargo aircraft to fly with a unique blend of jet fuel, Edwards Air Force base inviting the media to showcase developmental testing and evaluation of the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force, Aviano fire fighters preparing for the U.S. Armed Forces Europe (USAFE) Challenge, the Air Force Academy football team winning their first game this year in a blowout, and the many responsibilities that come with being a cadet at the academy. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Shannon Ofiara.

This edition features stories on Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force (CMSAF), James Roy and his wife visiting Ramstein Air Base July 7th to check on family resiliency there, 52nd Fighter Wing leadership meeting with the local communities twice a year for a town hall meeting to help bolster good communications, and a military working dog retiring after six years of service protecting Aviano Airman. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

This edition features stories on Maxwell Air Force Base Security Forces Airmen participating in high-risk traffic stop training, Aviano Air Base's In-House Air Force Reserve recruiter, Master Sgt. Clark Gilleo, Security Forces Airmen working with their civilian counter parts during joint training at Hurlburt Field, Fla., service members from Lajes Field experiencing different local cuisines, and the International Families Orientation Program at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

This edition features stories on the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” flying into the center of Hurricane Alex, the first Atlantic Hurricane of the 2010 season, an Aviano Airman participating in Italian Coming of Age Ceremony, a group at Lajes Field playing the traditional Air Force game Crud. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

This edition features stories on the peninsula-wide exercise Invincible Spirit in Korea, service chiefs from each branch of the service coming together supporting military children during the Military Child Education Coalition's 12th annual conference at the National Harbor in Maryland, and the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force (CMSAF) James Roy, talking about programs that support Air Force families during deployments at Aviano Air Base. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

This edition features stories on the Air Force top leaders releasing a joint letter encouraging Airmen to remain energy efficient at the workplace and at home, service members traveling to Micronesia to help locals renovate a school as part of Operation Pacific Unity, Airmen conducting a 24-hour vigil run at Aviano Air Base to honor the fallen during POW/MIA Week, the ninth annual Sumter-Shaw Street Fest where the Sumter, S.C., community comes out to thank the Airmen of Shaw Air Force Base for their service and the Airmen get show their support for the community while enjoying fun and festivities, families and their pets gathering to support World Rabies Day at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and Airmen from units at Ramstein Air Base going through Air Force Operational Readiness Inspections. Hosted by Airman 1st Class Alina Richard.

U.S. Army Europe Soldiers and Air Force pilots from Aviano, Italy conducted a combined arms live fire exercise recently in Grafenwoehr, Germany to help everyone sharpen their skills.

A bagger at the Aviano Commissary couldn't be happier.

Sobre canasta escolar 2023.

--- This Sunday School Lesson was delivered at Pilgrim Baptist Church on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 10-00 am. -----Daniel Norton and his family are missionaries to Aviano, Italy.--It was a blessing to have him teach to us the Word of God from John 4.---- -- -- -- ----Jimmy Fortunato is the Pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, located at 229 W. Jere Whitson Rd. Cookeville, TN 38501.--Pilgrim Baptist Church is a bible-believing, independent Baptist church that takes a strong stance on the authority of the King James Bible and the absolute necessity of public evangelism for true New Testament churches.--For more information about Pilgrim Baptist Church, visit--- https---pilgrimbaptist.church---Stay Connected with Pilgrim Baptist Church on Social Media---- Facebook- https---www.facebook.com-PilgrimBaptistCookeville--- Instagram- https---www.instagram.com-pilgrimbaptistcookeville---- Twitter- https---twitter.com-pbc-cookeville--- Sermon Audio- https---www.sermonaudio.com-solo-pilgrimbaptist--Donate To Pilgrim Baptist Church---- https---pilgrimbaptist.church-giving--- https---www.paypal.com-paypalme-pilgrimbaptist--Pastor Fortunato's Blog---- https---fortunato.blog---Philippians 3-8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord- for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ-

In Italia abbiamo le bombe atomiche, pur senza avere il nucleare. Ospiti piuttosto invasive per gli abitanti di due territori piccoli, Ghedi e Aviano, che vivono le conseguenze dell'impegno del nuclear sharing. Vi raccontiamo com'è essere il vicino di casa di una bomba atomica.

Mike Haas is a husband, father, football coach, and generally The Most Interesting Man in the World. He is an 8th Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate and a Retired Master Chief Master-at-Arms. Mike and his family live in Aviano, Italy where his wife Shauna is a DoDEA teacher.

Pino Loperfido"Ciò che non si può dire"Il racconto del CermisEdizioni del Farohttps://www.edizionidelfaro.it/Premio Mario Rigoni Stern 2022Il libro "Ciò che non si può dire" di Pino Loperfido è nella scelta dei dieci finalisti del Premio.Francesco ha due grandi passioni: i film di Paul Newman e il mare. Ma vive in montagna e “guida” una funivia. La vita per lui è una continua lotta con l'insoddisfazione, combattuta in costante equilibrio tra piccole gioie ed enormi, inevitabili delusioni. Un viaggio accidentato alla continua ricerca di se stesso che si interrompe bruscamente il 3 febbraio 1998, quando un aereo partito dalla base militare U.S.A. di Aviano trancia i cavi della funivia del Cermìs, in Trentino. Una cabina precipita nel vuoto causando la morte delle venti persone a bordo. Dall'altra cabina, solitario, Francesco assiste impotente e qualche tempo dopo decide di mettersi a scrivere.È un racconto, il suo, ricco di coincidenze, premonizioni e ricordi che parte da un'infanzia segnata da un'altra tragedia e giunge ad una maturità segnata dalla piena consapevolezza del proprio stare al mondo.A fare da spartiacque, lo scellerato volo di quel martedì di febbraio, "danno collaterale" di un'ingiustificata prevaricazione militare, emblema di ogni abuso di potere, quasi sempre posto in essere a danno della gente comune.Ma per Francesco quella tragedia non è solo un fatto politico, o la conseguenza della stupidità umana. Perché è convinto che accanto a questo mondo, tangibile, limitato e oscuro ve ne sia un altro inconosciuto, luminoso e infinito, forse legato a quella che Kant definì "metafisica della natura”.Ecco allora emergere nel romanzo i mondi invisibili, quelli che per il protagonista di questa storia vibrano misteriosi tutt'attorno, offrendo segni e dando corpo alle ombre, specie nella solitudine e nella semplicità d'animo tipiche delle genti di montagna. Racconti tramandati di generazione in generazione che non forniscono prove, ma sanno maledettamente di autentico.Pino Loperfido propone un testo completamente nuovo in cui, accanto ad una ricostruzione quasi giornalistica dei fatti dona al lettore le avventure di un'anima curiosa. Di un uomo destinato a scoprire che l'unica attività o passione che non delude mai è proprio la ricerca delle ragioni per cui tutto sembra destinato, ogni volta, a deludere. L'ingiustizia può anche piantare il suo vessillo nero, ma misteriose presenze vagano dall'eternità di fianco al viandante. Delle volte basta solo sintonizzarsi con fiducia per riuscire a coglierne le frequenze.Pino Loperfido è autore di teatro e di narrativa e giornalista. Il suo ultimo libro è La manutenzione dell'universo. Il curioso caso di Maria Domenica Lazzeri (Curcu Genovese, 2020, Premio “De Cia Bellati” per la narrativa). È direttore della rivista TM – TrentinoMese. Gestisce il blog letterario Bandiera Bianca. Ha ideato e diretto il Trentino Book Festival dal 2011 al 2019.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/

When war broke out in Kosovo in 1998, Nato intervened with air strikes to prevent atrocities by Serbian forces. The late Madeleine Albright was then the US Secretary of State and the main proponent of action. In 2018, she explained to Rebecca Kesby why she argued for military intervention, and how it was motivated, in part, by her family's experiences as Jews in Czechoslovakia during World War Two. PHOTO: An F-16 jet at Nato's Aviano base in Italy during the air strikes on Kosovo (Getty Images)

Morto David Sassoli, la malattia al sistema immunitario e la polmonite (non da Covid). Soltanto nella giornata di ieri si è saputo del suo ricovero in Italia per il sopraggiungere di una grave complicanza dovuta a una disfunzione del sistema immunitario. Il presidente del Parlamento europeo, David Sassoli, è morto. La notizia in un tweet del portavoce, Roberto Cuillo. "Sassoli è deceduto alle 1.15 al Cro di Aviano dove era ricoverato in ospedale. Data e luogo dei funerali saranno comunicati nelle prossime ore", scrive Cuillo. Soltanto ieri era stata diffusa la notizia del nuovo ricovero. […] _______________________________________ Ascolta “Dentro la Notizia”, l'approfondimento sul fatto del giorno di Giornale Radio: uno sguardo da vicino alla principale notizia della giornata. Tutte le news di politica, attualità, cultura ed economia raccontate in 7 minuti in un resoconto quotidiano senza commenti. “Dentro la Notizia” è il podcast per chi vuole conoscere e informarsi sugli eventi più importanti di oggi e sui personaggi di maggiore interesse nazionale e internazionale del giorno. A cura di Alessio Aymone Per i notiziari sempre aggiornati ascoltaci sul sito: https://www.giornaleradio.fm oppure scarica la nostra App gratuita: iOS - App Store - https://apple.co/2uW01yA Android - Google Play - http://bit.ly/2vCjiW3 Resta connesso e segui i canali social di Giornale Radio: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giornaleradio.fm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giornaleradio.tv/?hl=it Twitter: https://twitter.com/giornaleradiofm

Trainiere dein Hörverstehen mit den Nachrichten der Deutschen Welle von Dienstag – als Text und als verständlich gesprochene Audio-Datei.EU-Parlamentspräsident David Sassoli ist tot Der Präsident des EU-Parlaments, David Sassoli, ist in der Nacht zum Dienstag in einem Krankenhaus in Italien gestorben. Nach Angaben seines Sprechers Roberto Cuillo befand sich der 65-jährige Italiener seit mehr als zwei Wochen in einem Onkologie-Zentrum in Aviano "wegen einer schweren Komplikation aufgrund einer Funktionsstörung des Immunsystems". Der Sozialdemokrat hatte den Parlamentsvorsitz seit der Europawahl 2019 inne. Sassoli arbeitete früher als Journalist für Zeitungen und den öffentlich-rechtlichen italienischen Rundfunk. Er galt als Kämpfer für die Rechte von Migranten und Bedürftigen. Nordkorea unternimmt neuen Raketentest Nordkorea hat nach Angaben des südkoreanischen Militärs und Japans eine Rakete ins Ostchinesische Meer abgefeuert. Um welche Art von Rakete es sich genau handelte und wie weit sie flog, ist noch unklar. UN-Resolutionen verbieten Nordkorea Versuche mit ballistischen Waffen, die je nach Bauart einen Atomsprengkopf tragen können. Nordkorea hatte bereits in der vergangenen Woche einen Raketentest unternommen und von einem erfolgreichen Test einer Hyperschall-Rakete gesprochen. Solche Raketen sind im Flug manövrierfähig und damit für die herkömmliche Luftabwehr schwer auszumachen und abzufangen. Jemenitische Armee meldet Eroberung von Schabwa Die Regierungstruppen im Jemen haben nach eigenen Angaben die Provinz Schabwa unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht. Im Land herrscht seit 2015 Krieg zwischen den von Saudi-Arabien und anderen arabischen Staaten unterstützten Truppen von Präsident Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi und den Huthi-Rebellen, hinter denen der Iran steht. Mehr als 370.000 Menschen wurden in dem Konflikt bereits getötet, Millionen Menschen mussten fliehen. Die Vereinten Nationen stufen den Krieg im Jemen als schlimmste humanitäre Krise der Welt ein. US-Mediziner setzen Patienten erstmals erfolgreich ein Schweineherz ein In den USA haben Mediziner erstmals erfolgreich einem Patienten das Herz eines genveränderten Schweins eingesetzt. Dem 57-jährigen Patienten gehe es drei Tage nach der Transplantation gut, erklärte die medizinische Fakultät der Universität des Bundesstaates Maryland. Die behandelnden Ärzte sprachen von einer bahnbrechenden Operation, mit der künftig möglicherweise der Mangel an Organen behoben werden könne. Der Patient litt an einer Herzerkrankung im Endstadium. "Ich hatte die Wahl zu sterben oder diese Transplantation vorzunehmen", sagte David Bennett laut der Universität vor der Operation. Mexikos Präsident hat erneut Corona Mexikos Präsident Andrés Manuel López Obrador ist nach eigenen Angaben zum zweiten Mal an COVID-19 erkrankt. Er habe aber nur leichte Symptome, betonte der Präsident. López Obrador war bereits im Januar vergangenen Jahres an COVID-19 erkrankt. Zu Beginn der Pandemie hatte der Linkspopulist das Coronavirus verharmlost und sich gegen Beschränkungen gestemmt. In der letzten Zeit warb der Präsident allerdings für die Impfung gegen das Virus. Der 68-Jährige hat selbst bislang drei Impfdosen erhalten - die letzte im Dezember. Tausende demonstrieren gegen Corona-Politik Deutschlandweit hat es erneut Proteste gegen die Corona-Politik und eine mögliche Impfpflicht gegeben. Größere Versammlungen gab es etwa in Rostock, Schwerin, Cottbus, Halle, Nürnberg, Bamberg, Augsburg und Magdeburg. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern protestierten etwa 15.000 Menschen, in Thüringen etwa 17.000. Auch in den ostdeutschen Bundesländern Sachsen-Anhalt und Brandenburg erhielten die Versammlungen teils großen Zulauf. In der westdeutschen Metropole Köln gingen etwa 1500 Demonstranten auf die Straße. BKA ist vorbereitet auf neues Social-Media-Gesetz Im Kampf gegen Hass im Netz rechnen Polizei und Justiz mit einer großen Zahl von Ermittlungen. Grund ist das reformierte Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, das ab Februar gilt. Wie zuvor schon der Richterbund geht auch das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) von 150.000 Strafverfahren pro Jahr aus. Die neue Regelung verpflichtet Betreiber sozialer Netzwerke künftig, strafbare Inhalte anzuzeigen, die von ihren Nutzern gepostet werden. Die zuständige Zentrale Meldestelle werde fristgerecht zum 1. Februar ihre Arbeit aufnehmen, sagte ein BKA-Sprecher dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.

Congelamiento de precios: la provincia comenzó con los controles

È la settimana di SHARPER, la Notte dei Ricercatori a Trieste: venerdì 24 settembre in Piazza Unità d'Italia e nei dintorni, fino ad arrivare al Porto Vecchio, le ricercatrici e i ricercatori racconteranno ai cittadini come si svolge il loro lavoro. La stessa cosa avverrà, nello stesso momento, in altre centinaia di piazze in tutta Europa, in quello che è uno dei principali eventi internazionali promossi dalla Commissione Europea. Oltre a visitare i tanti gazebo allestiti nel Villaggio Città della Conoscenza in Piazza Unità, tanti saranno gli incontri e spettacoli in programma: si parte già alle 13, con l'evento online Quattro chiacchiere in fondo al mare - un'immersione in diretta online nelle acque dell'Area Marina Protetta di Miramare, in cui un biologo sub esporrà le tante meraviglie dell'oasi di biodiversità marina. Il pubblico potrà seguirlo sul sito www.sharper-night.it e sui canali social di SHARPER. IL PROGRAMMA Alle 16 sotto i Portici del Municipio prenderà il via Street Science: le voci delle ricercatrici e dei ricercatori si faranno sentire in brevi conferenze “di strada”, curate da Science Industries, per spiegare al pubblico brevemente e in modo semplice gli ambiti delle loro ricerche. Sarà in Piazza dalle 16 alle 19.30 anche la Polizia Scientifica: un'occasione per scoprire le tecniche che si usano per ricostruire una scena del crimine. Alle 16.30 nell'Area Talk in Piazza Verdi c'è un incontro della rassegna Science & The City Young, a cura di ICGEB: si parlerà di un tema delicato e importantissimo, cioè la salute dei più giovani e i tumori in età pediatrica e in adolescenza, in un incontro interattivo con Maurizio Mascarin, Responsabile Area di oncologia integrata per adolescenti e giovani adulti del CRO Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano, Marco Rabusin, Direttore, SOC Emato-Oncologia e Centro Trapianti, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Federico Verzegnassi, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Serena Zacchigna, docente di Biologia molecolare all'Università di Trieste e responsabile Laboratorio di Biologia cardiovascolare ICGEB, moderati dalla divulgatrice scientifica Luisa Alessio. Alle 17.30 si parte per una visita virtuale al CERN di Ginevra, grazie a un collegamento in diretta a cura del fisico Vieri Candelise (Università di Trieste e INFN Trieste): dopo una presentazione interattiva ci accompagnerà in una visita guidata con i ricercatori del più grande laboratorio scientifico del mondo. L'incontro è alla Casa della Musica. FameLab Big sarà un'inedita edizione del talent show della divulgazione scientifica, che stavolta vedrà sfidarsi presidenti e direttori degli enti del Sistema Scientifico di Trieste. Alle 18.00 nell'Area Talk si cimenteranno in presentazioni di 3 minuti, con tanto di giuria a dare i voti: Caterina Petrillo, presidente di Area Science Park, Atish Dabholkar, direttore dell'ICTP, Fabrizio Fiore, direttore dell'INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Rinaldo Rui, direttore dell'INFN Sezione di Trieste, Stefano Fabris, direttore del CNR-IOM, Serena Mizzan, direttrice dell'Immaginario Scientifico, Vittorio Venturi, coordinatore scientifico dell'ICGEB, Angelo Camerlenghi, coordinatore del consiglio scientifico di OGS e Giorgio Paolucci, Chief Scientific Officer di Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. Alle 19.30 salirà sul palco dell'Area Talk l'astrofisico e divulgatore scientifico Luca Perri, per la conferenza-spettacolo "La scienza di Guerre Stellari". Iperspazio, pistole laser, droidi, porti spaziali e una misteriosa Forza capace di connettere tutti gli esseri viventi: Perri, coinvolgerà il pubblico in un quiz interattivo sulla scienza che trae ispirazione dalla fantascienza cinematografica (e viceversa?). Perri, campione italiano e finalista internazionale di FameLab 2015, è autore e conduttore di diverse trasmissioni di Rai Cultura, fra cui “Nautilus” e “Superquark+” con Piero Angela. Tra le sue collaborazioni anche Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, Le Scienze, Focus ecc.

In the latest episode of the Empowerography Podcast, my guest is Maria Manna. Lifelong, award-winning jazz, blues and gospel vocalist Maria Manna has performed with legendary greats Paul Horn, Tommy Banks, Alfie Zappacosta, and David Foster. She has actively raised awareness of and funds for non-profit societies in Canada and globally. Maria created and performed in her first fundraising musical show at age seven, and donated the proceeds to a less fortunate neighborhood family. Simply stated, Maria's commitment to helping others thrive, through the gift of music is central to who she is and what she does. Maria Manna was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She is the eldest of 4 daughters to Italian immigrant parents. Her first language is Italian and she speaks, writes and reads fluently.  She has 3 children, 2 of her own; Marco and Christina and stepchildren Kyle and Karmen. As Klondike Kate, Maria served as Ambassador for the City of Edmonton in 1999 and 2000. She was proud to have been chosen to entertain the Canadian Military in Aviano, Italy and the Canadian Military in Bosnia on a ten-day tour. Upon her return from Bosnia, Maria helped fill a military aircraft full of school supplies and had it sent off to Bosnia. The Canadian Military helped Maria record a CD with total profits going to the Bosnian children. Her movie credits include the principal vocalist role as well as script coach for “The Engagement Ring”. She currently has 4 albums in her native language Italian and in English and most recently released her first music video, “I like it in the Water. She lives on Vancouver Island with her Husband Christopher Grew and their dog Ciccio. In 2016 Maria became an Ordained Minister and provides services as well as visits to palliative care. In this episode we discuss community, performing, music, philanthropic work, chairties, healing, support and faith. Website - https://www.mariamanna.ca                 https://www.bcvoclaistsociety.com IG - https://www.instagram.com/mariamanna1 FB - https://www.facebook.com/maria.c.manna.5 Twitter - https://twitter.com/mariamanna "Listen, and I'm not ashamed to say it, I'm 60 years old and 60 years is a long time to do a whole bunch of things" - 00:01:35 "You know, I really feel really lucky in my life, I've had a good life" - 00:16:58 "To love and be loved, to accept people the way they are" - 00:29:17 Empowerography would like to offer you a discount code to one of our exclusive partners, Quartz & Canary Jewelry & Wellness Co. Please use CODE EMPOWER15 to receive 15% off upon check out at www.quartzandcanary.com. Quartz & Canary is truly the place, where spirituality meets style.

In the latest episode of the Empowerography Podcast, my guest is Maria Manna. Lifelong, award-winning jazz, blues and gospel vocalist Maria Manna has performed with legendary greats Paul Horn, Tommy Banks, Alfie Zappacosta, and David Foster. She has actively raised awareness of and funds for non-profit societies in Canada and globally. Maria created and performed in her first fundraising musical show at age seven, and donated the proceeds to a less fortunate neighborhood family. Simply stated, Maria's commitment to helping others thrive, through the gift of music is central to who she is and what she does. Maria Manna was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She is the eldest of 4 daughters to Italian immigrant parents. Her first language is Italian and she speaks, writes and reads fluently.  She has 3 children, 2 of her own; Marco and Christina and stepchildren Kyle and Karmen. As Klondike Kate, Maria served as Ambassador for the City of Edmonton in 1999 and 2000. She was proud to have been chosen to entertain the Canadian Military in Aviano, Italy and the Canadian Military in Bosnia on a ten-day tour. Upon her return from Bosnia, Maria helped fill a military aircraft full of school supplies and had it sent off to Bosnia. The Canadian Military helped Maria record a CD with total profits going to the Bosnian children. Her movie credits include the principal vocalist role as well as script coach for “The Engagement Ring”. She currently has 4 albums in her native language Italian and in English and most recently released her first music video, “I like it in the Water. She lives on Vancouver Island with her Husband Christopher Grew and their dog Ciccio. In 2016 Maria became an Ordained Minister and provides services as well as visits to palliative care. In this episode we discuss community, performing, music, philanthropic work, chairties, healing, support and faith. Website - https://www.mariamanna.ca                 https://www.bcvoclaistsociety.com IG - https://www.instagram.com/mariamanna1 FB - https://www.facebook.com/maria.c.manna.5 Twitter - https://twitter.com/mariamanna "Listen, and I'm not ashamed to say it, I'm 60 years old and 60 years is a long time to do a whole bunch of things" - 00:01:35 "You know, I really feel really lucky in my life, I've had a good life" - 00:16:58 "To love and be loved, to accept people the way they are" - 00:29:17 Empowerography would like to offer you a discount code to one of our exclusive partners, Quartz & Canary Jewelry & Wellness Co. Please use CODE EMPOWER15 to receive 15% off upon check out at www.quartzandcanary.com. Quartz & Canary is truly the place, where spirituality meets style.

Sabato 4 e domenica 5 settembre Monfalcone ospita per il secondo anno il "Monfalcone Motor Expo" la mostra di auto e moto di ieri e di oggi: auto e pick up americani, quad e moto da gara, esibizioni, acrobazie, fornita cucina con griglia, motoraduno con lucciolata. La seconda edizione dell'evento si svolgerà in via Valentinis, di fronte all'area verde in uno spazio di oltre 4000 mq. Durante il fine settimana inoltre i concessionari d'auto che hanno aderito alla manifestazione esporranno le novità degli autosaloni, si potranno ammirare quasi in anteprima i nuovi modelli, le nuove macchine che entreranno a breve nel mercato oltre che auto usate. PROGRAMMA Sabato 4 settembre Ore 9.00 - apertura Mostra di auto e moto di ieri e di oggi, auto e pick up americani, auto, quad e moto da gara e del chiosco enogastronomico con cucina con griglia Ore 10.00 - Inaugurazione ufficiale dell'evento e taglio del nastro, alla presenza delle Autorità Dalle 10.00 alle 12.00 - Esibizioni acrobatiche Dalle 20.00 alle 22.00 - Musica live con “The TOP 22 Tribute Band” Only music of little band from Texas...ZZ TOP Dalle ore 18.00 alle 20.00 - Esibizioni acrobatiche Ore 20.00 - partenza della prima edizione de “La Lucciolata in moto”. Sfilata del corteo di motociclisti lungo le vie cittadine e rientro al Motor Expo. Iscrizione a offerta libera. Il ricavato della manifestazione sarà destinato alla gestione della casa di Via di Natale Franco Gallini di Aviano. I partecipanti sono invitati a munirsi di una qualsiasi fonte luminosa. Domenica 5 settembre Ore 9.00 - apertura Mostra di auto e moto di ieri e di oggi, auto e pick up americani, auto, quad e moto da gara e del chiosco enogastronomico con cucina con griglia Dalle 10.00 alle 12.00 - Esibizioni acrobatiche Dalle 18.00 alle 20.00 - Esibizioni acrobatiche Ore 20.00 - chiusura manifestazione A raccontare di più sull'evento il vicepresidente della Pro Loco Monfalcone, organizzatrice della manifestazione e direttore artistico Carlo Blasini. Qui l'intervista completa:

Billetera Santa Fe tendrá promociones por el Día de las Infancias

In this week's episode, Alyssa sits down with veteran, PTSD survivor, and comedian Michael “CQ” Carrasquillo. Michael provides an in-depth perspective on his time serving in the military, from the moment he enlisted until the very moment in Afghanistan when he was shot 5 times in an ambush. Following two years of being in the hospital, Michael talks about his battle with PTSD, the survivor's guilt he struggles with, and how he came to find joy and laughter in life again. He is truly a hero, an inspiration, and resilient beyond belief.  Support the Podcast Read more about Michael's story: How One Veteran is Using Standup to Heal the Wounds of War Michael at Wounded Warrior Project Michael's Radio Show   Transcript:   Alyssa Scolari [00:23]: Hi everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Light After Trauma podcast. Welcome, welcome. Hope everybody is doing well. We have a really special episode happening for us today, a really special guest speaker. This was quite an emotional episode. It's a lot of tough stuff. But this episode is truly the epitome of finding light after trauma. So I am really looking forward to diving in. I know it's going to be a tough one, but it's an incredible story and I am really looking forward to hearing all of the details and just being able to bear witness to the strength that our guest speaker has today, to be able to bear witness to the strength that our guest speaker has. So today we are meeting with Michael CQ Carrasquillo. Now, Michael is a combat wounded army airborne infantry man. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of combat operations in the early 2000s. He spent two years in an army hospital recovering from his injuries, underwent 40 plus surgeries, actually died twice and was eventually medically retired from service. Since then, he has tried just about everything from skydiving, golf, scuba diving, hunting, et cetera. Eventually, he found himself performing stand up comedy and loving it. That paved the way to hosting a weekly live internet radio pop culture talk show on WTF nation radio called POP Culture Warrior. All right, so with that being said, also, side note, I just want to incorporate in there that I sort of did the Spanglish version of Michael's name, during the introduction. So it is not the way that I first pronounced it. We're going to be as American with this pronunciation as possible, and it's going to be Carrasquillo, right? Michael Carrasquillo [00:23]: That's right, that's right. Alyssa Scolari [02:39]: That just feels wrong. Michael Carrasquillo [02:41]: Well, yeah, if you want to go Spanish, it's Carrasquillo. Alyssa Scolari [02:44]: Carrasquillo, that feels right. That feels right to me. Michael Carrasquillo [02:44]: Spanish Italian. Alyssa Scolari [02:51]: So hello, Michael, how are you? Michael Carrasquillo [02:54]: I'm good. I'm good. And for the simplest simplicity of it all, everyone refers to me as CQ. So feel free, CQ, a lot less formal. And got to- Alyssa Scolari [02:54]: Cool- Michael Carrasquillo [03:05]: ... respect the brand. Alyssa Scolari [03:07]: Oh, oh, my God, your hat. Michael Carrasquillo [03:09]: Yeah. Alyssa Scolari [03:11]: Dude, that's so cool. Okay, so everybody calls you CQ. That's just- Michael Carrasquillo [03:11]: Yep- Alyssa Scolari [03:16]: ... All right, all right. So we're rolling with it. So we've got CQ with us today. I have read about your story in the articles that you linked, and then obviously in the short description that you sent me. Michael Carrasquillo [03:33]: Sure. Alyssa Scolari [03:34]: Holy, Holy Mother of God. Michael Carrasquillo [03:39]: Am I what you expected? I'm just curious. Alyssa Scolari [03:43]: Well, when I was reading the articles, I thought to myself, this is somebody who has taken everything that he's been through, and he's really... I mean, I'm a big fan of humor therapy. Because it's like, if we don't laugh about it, we're just going to sob about it. So I have a very dark sense of humor. And I got that, that it's almost like you have been able to find the humor in all of this, which is just incredibly powerful. So is it what I would expect? No, I mean, to the listeners out there, I've got, like the background that I'm looking at, he's super into Marvel, we've got the Iron Man fist, the Iron Man, helmet, [inaudible 00:04:24] Man, some Funko Pop figures, which is like, as many of you know who are listening, right up my alley. So as soon as I saw the background, I was like, ooh, tell me what you have. Let's talk about all the toys you have. So yeah, and I mean, I guess, my first question, just to be able to inform the listeners so they can get on the same level as us is, can you talk just a little bit about what happened to you? I mean, first and foremost, just from my introduction alone, they know of your service, I know of your service. So I, and the listeners, thank you for your service. Michael Carrasquillo [05:04]: I appreciate it. Alyssa Scolari [05:06]: And could you talk to us about, how did you even end up enlisting in the first place? Michael Carrasquillo [05:14]: Yeah, from a 40,000 foot view, it's such a big, large chunk of story. And I really don't want to bore anybody with all the minutiae of little details. But kind of just from a high level, I was born and raised in New York City. Very poor upbringing. Literally kind of the ghetto, Spanish Harlem, upper Eastside. Teenage mom, dad not in the picture. So starting out in not the greatest of places. And I was a senior in high school when 9/11 happened. And so at that point, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was kind of lost, college wasn't for me. It was looking like just getting a job and working. And then when that happened, that kind of just... the military had never been a thing to me. It had never been like, oh, something I'm considering. Guys like me didn't join the military. Alyssa Scolari [06:12]: It wasn't even your radar. Michael Carrasquillo [06:14]: Yeah, if I'm being 100% honest, I think at that point in my life, I didn't know we still had military. You know what I mean? I'm 16, 17 years old, whatever. I'm like, wars aren't a thing anymore? Alyssa Scolari [06:26]: Right, it's old school. You have that kid mentality of like, that's not even a thing anymore. Michael Carrasquillo [06:31]: Exactly. Pre 9/11, this wasn't for those that weren't around, it had been a while since there had been any conflicts in my lifetime. And so when that happened, obviously it felt personal, even though obviously they're attacking the country, they literally attacked my home. Places that I roamed very frequently, my school wasn't that far from ground zero. And so obviously there was big uptake in commercials for the military and things, as the [inaudible 00:07:02] went on. And it just became this idea of, yeah, get some payback, like very immature. But at the same time, it was also, as I looked at it as more of a thing that was possible, it became this thing that was, I can get out. This is my way out. I come from a poor background, I come from nothing... I don't know, it was a way for me to kind of escape what was going on in my own life, and get away and do my own thing. And a way to be successful, I guess, on my own. I saw kids I grew up with that were into drugs and to gangs, they were either getting arrested or ended up in dead end jobs. And I was just like, there's got to be more to life. And yeah, so I enlisted, basically, almost right out of high school. I graduated, and then there were so many people enlisting at that time. They had thing called the Delayed Entry Program, since there were just so many people coming through and wanting to join that, you just basically signed in, you're sweared in, and you did all this stuff. But so I did that in the summer, I graduated, but it wasn't until January of 2003 that I actually officially entered into the army, went to basic training and did all that. So yeah, I joined the infantry, for those that don't know, when you think army, those are your guys. Those are the ground level combat troops. You're not a mechanic, you're not a cook, your whole job is fighting. You do nothing but train with weapons and explosives and things and conduct raids and all the things you would think about typical army guy stuff. Alyssa Scolari [08:44]: Did you have a choice in that or that was just kind of what you were given? Michael Carrasquillo [08:50]: Yeah, so basically, when you join the military, you'll take what's called the ASVAB, it's an aptitude test. And based on your scores, will be what jobs are available to you to sign up. Now, of course, you could score really well, and then, but I don't want to be a, I don't know, X-ray technician, and you scored well enough for it. But then there's things like needs of the army, where if there's too many people in that job, they're not going to keep accepting those people in the job. So there's facets of how you get into certain jobs. I scored well enough that I think out of the 240 odd jobs available, I qualified for 238 of them. Alyssa Scolari [09:30]: Wow- Michael Carrasquillo [09:30]: I think the only one was like something to do with nuclear technology or something like that, I didn't qualify for. But I scored really well on my test. Luckier brains, I don't know, a little bit of both. But at that time, silly me, I didn't think about a job, I didn't think about a career, I didn't think about what would help me when I leave the military. I thought about like, I want to shoot guns, I want to blow shit up. I want to do that stuff. And so I joined the infantry. And also, airborne, so the idea of jumping out of planes and directly engaging enemy combatants, to me, that was like, yeah, this is what I want to do. Alyssa Scolari [10:06]: That was like an adrenaline rush for you. You were like, absolutely. Michael Carrasquillo [10:09]: Oh, yeah. And so yeah, so I joined in January 2003, I started. And I went to Fort Benning, Georgia, did my basic training there, airborne school there. And then straight out of there, was sent to the Vicenza, Italy. I was stationed with the 1/73rd Airborne in Vicenza, Italy. It's an American-based, it's not Italian in any way. It's a quick reaction force, so the idea being, in a time of peace, we have a unit there overseas, where if something happens, we're able to react to that much faster than anyone in the states can. We're the tip of the spear, so to speak. We're halfway there. And so it's one of those things that, it was exciting, because this is really like the first time I'd left the country. Just turned 19 at that point, and green behind the ears and was like, oh, my God, I'm this infantry guy now, I'm this airborne guy now. And now I'm being stationed in Italy. And then right out the gate, they're like, oh, by the way, we're jumping into Iraq, we're invading Iraq. So I went from basic training and just getting into the military, to being in combat within a few weeks. Alyssa Scolari [11:19]: Oh, my gosh. Michael Carrasquillo [11:21]: Yeah, a lot to process, a lot to process. Alyssa Scolari [11:25]: Right, and zero time to do so. Because it's just like, hey, here we go. Michael Carrasquillo [11:30]: Yeah, pretty much. Alyssa Scolari [11:32]: Wow, so did things change for you in that moment of like, when it became clear to you that you were going to invade Iraq? Or were you still in that mindset of like, yeah, let's do this. Michael Carrasquillo [11:48]: I was terrified, I was absolutely terrified. It becomes real, real fast. Signing up for it, and doing the training, super gung ho, and then you get there. And honestly, it might have just been the fact that being a literal new guy, like somebody who, I'd just got there, I didn't feel very prepared. Because as much as you... basic training, they teach you to march and salute. It's why it's called basic training, you learn the basic things of being in the military. How to make a bed, how to dress in uniform. But as far as how to fight, we spent days at the range learning how to shoot, how to communicate with the team, but I really knew nothing. I mean, I knew nothing. I'd never been in a Humvee, the military vehicle. I'd never been in a Humvee before. Outside of the range, I'd never handled live ammunition. Like these are guys that, when they got the word, they had about six months. I mean, obviously, we train as part of our day-to-day, but this specific deployment, they had trained for six months to really gear up and be ready for it. And here I am, I show up like three weeks before the event. And at that point, it's not about training, it's about saying goodbye to your families and packing up rooms and getting the gear ready to go. And then going. So I really had no training leading up to that deployment with those guys. And so it was really difficult, really difficult at first. And a lot of these guys were, they had known each other for a long time and they trained together. And I'm this X factor that just shows up, that literally knows nothing. And it was difficult. The first six to eight months, it was not... I messed up a lot. I'd love to say I was this amazing, excellent soldier, but I messed up a lot. And it was just because I didn't know any better. Alyssa Scolari [13:46]: Right, how could you not? How could you not? The world is frantic, coming off the heels of 9/11, how could you know any differently? Michael Carrasquillo [13:57]: Yeah, pretty much. But I made it through the deployment and I found my way and kind of gained the respect of the guys by the end of the deployment. We were supposed to be there only three weeks, that's what we were told. We jump in, we secure some airfields, they bring in the rest of the army, and then they pull us out. And that's what the families had heard, that's what the wives and the kids and everybody. That's what we packed for, was three weeks. The unit was there a total of 15 months, continuously. And so yeah, about a year and some odd change. And finally, they pulled us out. And at that point, obviously we're a cohesive team and we're clicking on all levels. And I remember we get back from Iraq, and literally we touched down a couple different stops and then our final destination is in Italy, is in Aviano, Italy. And they're going to put us on a bus to go back to our base in Vicenza. And they say, hey, get it, we're back, enjoy this, celebrate it, spend time with the families. But just know, we just got word we're going back in a year. So this year is going to be all about training. We got to get better, we got to be better than we were before. And we find out quickly after that, that we weren't going back to Iraq, we were actually going to Afghanistan, the next one. And they said, as hard as you thought Iraq was, Afghanistan is going to be worse. And so that was kind of a buzzkill, as we got down. But that started the clock, that gave us an idea that in one year's time, we had to be ready to go back and do it again. This time, knowing from the start, that we were going to spend a year there. They told us, look, it's going to be a year. And so, it's a lot to ask of a person, of a man, a boy, really, barely. Alyssa Scolari [15:52]: A kid, right. You're barely an adult. Michael Carrasquillo [15:56]: Yeah. But that was tough. But we spent that year training hard. Spent a couple months in Germany, training in the mountains and really getting ready for it. And obviously, I felt much more prepared by the time that deployment came around. I was leading a team at that time. And yeah, I made it six months through that deployment. And then during a mission, I got ambushed. And I ended up getting wounded. I ended up getting shots. Another guy went down first, and I was kind of dragging him out of the situation. And I got shot twice. And then through the continued fighting, got shot three more times. And then my body was like, you know what, we're done. We're taking a timeout. And I kind of just collapsed. And yeah, was fortunate to survive. And I'm here now. Alyssa Scolari [16:49]: No, I was reading, you had what's called, is it the life saving, a type of specific training? Michael Carrasquillo [16:55]: Combat Lifesaver. Alyssa Scolari [16:57]: Combat Lifesaver, okay. So you had that specific training, so you were actually able, for a little while there, to kind of tell somebody how to care for your wounds immediately. Michael Carrasquillo [17:09]: Yeah. So what happens is, the way we did things. Because I'm sure every division, every company, everybody does things differently. But the way we did, you have a four-man team, two teams make a squad. So in your four-man team, there'd always be one guy who went through this course, Combat Lifesaver. You're not a medic, I never claimed to be a medic. They just teach you very, very important skills of how to splint the leg, how to start an IV, how to put on a tourniquet, how to treat a sucking chest wound. The things that like, these are things that are time critical. Because it could take a medic, who knows how long, to get to somebody. So the idea being, if you just know just enough to keep them stable for a medic to get to them, it increases their chances of survival. So in my team, my four-man team, I was the combat lifesaver. And it was a squad of us. So there was another team and they had a combat lifesaver guy as well. So when I got wounded, which, that's technically why, to explain why I was dragging a guy through gunfire, it's because we were doing an air assault mission. So as we landed, as we exited the helicopter, we got ambushed. They had the high ground, they started shooting at us. I look up the leaves, one of my guys got shot through the leg. But before I knew he had been shot, what had happened was, I had already exited the aircraft. And I was looking back and I just see him on the ground grabbing his leg, and I'm thinking, crap, he stumbled out the plane, he rolled his ankle- Alyssa Scolari [18:45]: Right, he sprained his ankle or something. Michael Carrasquillo [18:47]: Yeah, something. He's grabbing his leg, something, and I could see that he was kind of, I don't want to say screaming, but I could see he was yelling. And I'm like, ah, maybe he broke something. And so in my head I'm thinking, all right, I'm going to have to splint this leg, I'm going to have to fill out a report. We're going to have call in a 9-line MedEvac and get him out of here. I'm thinking, ugh, this is great. I'm just like, ugh, Jesus Christ, another thing I've got to deal with. Alyssa Scolari [19:07]: Right, one more thing I got to do. Michael Carrasquillo [19:08]: And then when the helicopter took away, because it's very loud, that's when I heard the gunshots, and I hear him screaming, "I'm hit, I'm hit, I'm hit." And so in that moment, I had to like, I just did what I did. I ran out, grabbed him and started dragging him to what I thought would be safety, a big rock with boulders, trying to drag him back to that. And as soon as I drag him back, my thought was all right, I'm going to have to check his wounds and everything. But as a team leader, you have to assess the situation and you have to coordinate with the guys, and make sure everybody's doing what they're doing, what they should be doing. And luckily, we trained so much. And this was, like I said, we're six months in, we're used to this kind of stuff. Everybody's doing what they needed to do. Nobody needed direction. We all know how to react to this. And so as I was trying to assess the situation and everything, that's when I got shot again, and I was down. The other team had kind of rotated towards, and that's when the other combat lifesaver guy saw me, and ran over to me. And he started working on me. Now, obviously, bullets are flying, explosions are happening. So it's a very intense situation. And like, we're talking to each other. Because at this point, I'm out of the fight. It's not that I don't want to be in the fight, my body was just like, you're done. You're taking the time out. And so I'm walking through him, like in my mind, I'm talking to him, and I'm like, "Hey, I think I'm in shock. I can't move." And first thing, I'm like, "I hope I didn't get hit in the spine." I don't feel anything, but I'm like maybe I severed my spine, and now I'm quadriplegic. And I'm telling him, "Hey, check my back, do you see anything?" And we're just talking it out. And he's like, "I see blood." I'm like, "Where?" He's like, "Everywhere." I'm like, "That's not good. Check my spine." I mean, I could kind of move my neck, I could kind of move my chest, but I was having trouble breathing. And what had happened was I had took two rounds to the chest, which my armor had stopped the rounds. But it had shattered all my ribs on one side and collapsed my lung. So I was having trouble breathing. And I'm just like, "Okay, check this, check this, check this." And as the adrenaline was starting to come down, I'm like, "Hey, something's wrong with my shoulder." And so he slid his hand in my vest, and he immediately pulled it out, and it's just drenched in blood. And he's like, "Dude, there's a hole in there." And I'm like, okay. And I know, again, for my training, entry holes, where the bullet goes in, typically very small, exit holes, very large. The larger the caliber, the larger the hole, it's a very, very big hole. And typically, when someone bleeds out and dies, that's the cause, is the exit hole. And so once he told me, there was a big hole in my back, I said, "Well, how big is it?" And he just kind of held up his fist to me, and he's like, "It's about that big." "All right, well, we need to... You got to get..." I'm recalling all my training, I'm like, "All right, we have these bandages, they're called Kerlix, they're tight packaged." Usually you unfurl it, unroll it and wrap it around somebody. I was like, "Dude, just pop it open, shove the whole thing in there. And just keep packing it as much as you can." So he starts doing that. And the whole time, luckily the other guys are doing what they have to do. They're repelling the enemy. And we had air support on standby. So Apache helicopters coming in and doing gun runs. It was crazy. And at one point, someone screamed, "Grenade!" And he immediately stopped what he was doing and he just threw his body over me, and covered me. And there was an explosion nearby. And just yeah, it was an intense little bit. I remember he, I think he was a private at the time, a low rank guy, and he started screaming at our platoon sergeant. And he's like, "You got to call those effing birds back in here. We got to get him out of here." And I hear the platoon sergeant screaming back like, "Nope, it's too hot. We can't risk it. Birds come in, they shoot it down or something, then we're really screwed." And so this guy, he starts, very low rank guy screaming at a very high rank guy like, "You get those [inaudible 00:23:04] effing birds back in here now, or he's going to die. It's going to be on you." And I immediately flashback to Combat Lifesaver training, stage one, reassure the victim, let them know it's going to be all right, he's going to be okay. And this guy is screaming, "He's going to die!" Alyssa Scolari [23:21]: He's literally going to die, like he's about to die. Gee, oh, my God- Michael Carrasquillo [23:26]: I'm like, oh, man, your bedside manner's not great, bruh. Alyssa Scolari [23:28]: Right, we got to work on that. Michael Carrasquillo [23:29]: Yeah. But to his credit, he put the fear of God in this man, and they called in the birds. And what they did was, we were on a mountainside, so they just kind of landed like a mile away down this mountainside. Because I remember seeing it land and they're like, "All right, the birds are here, we're going to get you there." And it looked like an ant. It was so tiny, this big Black Hawk helicopter was so tiny. And I'm just like, oh, God, I'm going to die before I get there. And their idea was, they were going to, because, again there's still gunfire and stuff, they wanted to drag me down the mountainside to keep me low. And I was like, "Dude, if you drag me down this mountainside, I will die before we ever get to this thing." I told him, I said, "Hey, man, pick me up, we just run." I have just the same amount of chance, if you pick me up and we run. And at this point, they had to strip my body armor off, I wasn't wearing my helmet. And I was just like, "We got to go, we got to go." And so they called over another guy, they pick me up. At this point, I was starting to get feeling back in my feet, and I couldn't move anything upper body. I had been shot through the bicep of my left arm, which severed all the muscles. And then I had been shot through my shoulder, I didn't have a shoulder anymore. So at this point, they just picked me up and we hauled ass. We ran down this mountain as fast as we could, and got me to the helicopter. And yeah, they got me out of there. And somehow, I stayed conscious the whole time. Alyssa Scolari [24:58]: Oh, my God. Michael Carrasquillo [25:00]: Got back to our base. They immediately rushed us into surgery, or me into surgery. And they knocked me out. I woke up three days later at the main base in Afghanistan, which was Bagram. And then from there, got sent to Germany. I was in Germany, at the main hospital in Germany for about a week, which they basically said, "There's nothing we can do for you." They're like, "You're too messed up." From Germany, I was there for a few days. And then they packaged me up and shipped me out. I ended up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. And I spent the next two years recovering at the hospital. I spent six weeks in ICU. I actually died twice during this process, that they had to bring me back. But six weeks in ICU, and then about six months, I was an inpatient in the hospital, in the orthopedic ward, where they were rebuilding my body piece-by-piece. And I should have been in the hospital longer, but at about six months, they were like, "Look, you're good enough that you can kind of get up and walk around." And at this point, there were thousands of guys coming in every day. There were busloads of dudes coming into the hospital. And so they were like, "Look, we need the bed." So if you were able to walk, they put you in a building next door to the hospital. And basically, you would just kind of come in, spend the whole day in the hospital and then go back. It was like a hotel for the overflow. So I was good enough... if not for the so many people, I'd have been in the hospital proper for the whole two years. But about six months inpatient, and then about a year and a half of recovery, where I was just kind of coming in and out for surgeries. Coming in and out for physical therapy, occupational therapy, things like that. So yeah, and at the end of the two years, I medically retired. I was 22 years old and a disabled veteran, with two combat tours, and a Purple Heart and all these medals, and yada, yada, yada. So it was an intense couple of years. Alyssa Scolari [27:05]: And then you're kind of just on your own. And at this point, because I know you mentioned you have a wife, so at this point, you're not married, haven't met your wife yet? Michael Carrasquillo [27:14]: No, no. I actually, funny enough, I met my wife while I was at the hospital. She just happened to be someone who lived nearby. Well, actually, she didn't even live nearby. She was visiting family nearby. And it was on one of my kind of excursions out, because you get crazy in the hospital. So once in a while, once I was healthy enough, I would go out and just go to the mall or go, just to get out and do something. And I met her, yeah, I met her at the mall at a CD store. That tells you how long ago this was. Met her at a CD store at the mall. And yeah, that was a whole 'nother thing. But yeah, that's where we met. That's how we met. And then we just- Alyssa Scolari [27:58]: So you met her while on the process of recovery? Michael Carrasquillo [28:02]: Oh, yeah. Alyssa Scolari [28:03]: Fresh off of some of the most intense trauma anybody could ever possibly experience. You're still essentially a kid at 22 years old. At what point, for you, would you say, did the PTSD symptoms start? Because I read that there was like a point in your life where you shifted, like your mood shifted completely. When did that start to happen for you? Michael Carrasquillo [28:32]: Yeah, no, that's a fair question. I think the big change came, because for two years, the focus was on my physical health. And as it should be, I was literally dying. And I was literally being stitched back together. Alyssa Scolari [28:51]: I mean, right, we can't worry about your mental health, if you're not physically around to be able to get better. Michael Carrasquillo [28:56]: Right. And that was the case. And now, let me also specify, it's much different now. This is 2000, let's see, I got wounded in 2005. And it was kind of wild west back then, so many people, they were not prepared for this. And now, mental health is such a much more bigger part of the holistic healing process. So this isn't the case now, but at that time, the sole focus was on my physical health. And once, after two years, once I got the green thumb that like, hey, you're as good as you're going to get. It was like, sign here, you're not in the military anymore. Good luck! And I walked out the door. I never took classes on transitioning back into civilian life, or what to do next. Now- Alyssa Scolari [28:56]: No, none of that was even a thing- Michael Carrasquillo [29:44]: ... you're a disabled veteran- Alyssa Scolari [29:46]: ... right? Michael Carrasquillo [29:47]: Yeah. So I kind of got tossed out. And I did the only thing I could think of, I bought a house in the mountains of Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mountains to just hide away. And I just wanted to be left alone, I'm getting this retirement pay, which is not enough, you're not rich by any means, but it's enough to pay the bills, and I can just live a nice, quiet life. And it's all I needed. And for a couple years, I did that. What I didn't realize was the slow kind of descent into this, this darkness. I mean, physically, even today, I'm not all there. I have severe nerve damage, and I have limitations in my mobility and things like that. But for the most part, I had my health. But there's so much that goes on with survivor's guilt of the guys that didn't make it. The why me? I didn't have a word for it, back then. PTSD wasn't as widely known. Alyssa Scolari [30:46]: Yeah. Michael Carrasquillo [30:47]: And so I was going through these depressions spouts, I was suffering from severe anxiety. I wouldn't go out. There could be a whole week, I didn't step foot outside my house. And yet, I'm up all night. I'm patrolling my own... which, again, we lived out in the woods. We're a mile from our nearest neighbor. But I'm like doing patrols in my house, triple checking doors and windows and just all these things that I just, I took them as, oh, this is normal. And my wife, God bless her, she didn't know what I was dealing with. And how could she? And she would ask me, "Hey, are you all right? Is everything..." I'm like, "Yeah, I'm fine. Fine, sure, yeah, cool." But yeah, I was going through a lot, I was going through a lot. And I'm just very fortunate that I had some people kind of get involved in my life, and organizations and people and met the right... Yeah, I got very lucky. because the path I was headed down was not good. And it took me a long, long time to kind of really get to a good place. Because it's a process, but it was good, it was good. Alyssa Scolari [32:03]: Yeah, it's a long and arduous process I can only fathom. It's PTSD and survivor's guilt, and also just not even understanding it. And you go from being okay, one minute, to then feeling intensely suicidal. And you feel like you're going out of your mind at some points, I would imagine. Michael Carrasquillo [32:26]: Yeah, yeah. No, it was a lot. Over the course of a couple years, so many changes in my life. I mean, I went from being this poor kid who didn't know any better, and then being in the infantry and airborne. We're trained and bred to be the cockiest, SOBs out there. We're invincible, we're untouchable, you have to be, you have to be. We have to believe that. I really, not really, but I really believed that I was unbreakable, I was untouchable. Alyssa Scolari [32:58]: You have to, if not, I think the fear of even doing it would be too much. Michael Carrasquillo [33:03]: Yeah, yeah. I've explained to people, I'm like, I have to go out on a mission, watch one of my friends die, go back, and then be like, all right, tomorrow, we're going back out. You have to have this mentality of, that can't be me. You have to have this kind of dark sense of humor too, to just kind of mask the pain and the hurt that you're going through. And so then to get injured and survive, it messes with your mental state, it messes with your psyche. I went from the pinnacle of physical health. I was solid muscle, I was fast, I was lethal. Now, I can't wipe my own butt. I couldn't, like if somebody rolled me into a closet, well, that's just where I live now. Because I couldn't use my hands. Both arms were completely encased. If I had an itch on my nose, I had to ask for help. And so to be 22 years old, and feel that this is the rest of your life, you're going to be this potato that's just sitting here and having the world happen around you, it was devastating to my mental state. And fortunate enough for me, I was able to regain the majority use of my arms and hands. Again, still not perfect, but to what it could be, they were considering cutting off my arms. They really were considering saying, look, the damage is so extensive that you're going to be better if you just cut them off now and learn to use the prosthetics. The sooner you get that started, the better. And I was like, let's give it a little bit. Alyssa Scolari [34:38]: Right, let's hold off on that. Michael Carrasquillo [34:39]: Yeah, I was stubborn that way. Alyssa Scolari [34:42]: Well, for good reason. Michael Carrasquillo [34:45]: Yeah, it really played into my mental state, because I felt like I was on the top of the mountain, and now just fell off and rolled all the way to the bottom. And I felt broken and defeated. And again, not having people to talk about, understand and feeling like you're the only one in the world going through this. Obviously, that's ridiculous. But... Alyssa Scolari [35:09]: Not when you're in it, it's very real. That's your reality, when you're in it. Michael Carrasquillo [35:14]: Yeah, absolutely. And really feeling as if I'm the only person going through this, no one's going to understand me. Because we're trained, suck it up, drive on, rub some dirt in it, get up and keep going, like, you try. And you can fake it for so long, but it wears you down. If you're not able to talk about it and get the help that you need, whether it's counseling or medication or whatever, it will take you down, man. I've seen some really strong guys really, really tumble down. And not even need to be physically injured to go through this kind of stuff. I had the excuse of, oh, yeah, I was physically injured. But I know guys who came out perfectly fine and just spiraled out of control. And I can understand, in talking to some of them, I can understand, you're like, oh, what do I have to complain about? I survived. I came out without a scratch. And it's like, well, that's not the point. It's not that I have an excuse to have PTSD, the fact that it's... Yeah, it's a whole thing. Alyssa Scolari [36:20]: It is, it is. And that's, I think to me, is an element of survivor's guilt, which is like, well, what do I have to be upset about? I survived, there are people who are mourning the loss of their loved ones. But I think you make a fantastic point, which is that PTSD truly doesn't discriminate. Not even just being in the army, but even right down to, before I was in private practice and was a trauma therapist, I worked with the police department. And did a lot of work with police. And just the sheer number of police suicides, and people who were not injured, who were never injured in the line of duty, nothing of that nature. The suicide attempts, because of the untreated trauma, the noise in your brain that you simply can't shut off, it doesn't discriminate. Michael Carrasquillo [37:18]: Yeah, I mean, sexual trauma survivors, I had a good friend of mine who got into a pretty bad car accident, and came out of in fine, little shaken up, but fine. And she couldn't drive for a while. And I'm like, well, that's PTSD. That's a snapshot, you went through a traumatic event, and it is now affecting your life moving forward. It's affecting you to act, I don't want to say normal, because what is normal? Alyssa Scolari [37:46]: Right, what does that mean?- Michael Carrasquillo [37:48]: But acting in a way that you weren't before. I once gave a talk at an elementary school, which I thought it was going to be older kids, and it turned out to be much younger kids, which I'm like, I don't think they're prepared to hear this kind of stuff. But I had this little kid ask me, "What is PTSD?" And I had to stop, and really, how can I explain this in a way that such a small child could understand? And so basically what I came up with on the spot, is I said, "When you learn things, when you do things, your brain is changing. You're learning how to do things. When you go through a trauma event, something scary, something happens, your brain is trying to protect itself. It's trying to teach itself, to learn from it." And I said that, "Sometimes you go through this event, and your brain decides, I don't want to do that again. And so we develop certain ways to handle that. It's a normal reaction, it's the way the brain is trying to protect itself. And sometimes that doesn't help us. As much as the brain is intending to help us, it actually makes things more difficult." I've talked about how, why do I get so anxious when I'm at a market or outside and I feel like I'm being watched, and I feel... It's like, oh, well, because years ago, when I'd be out in the market, I'm worrying about someone blowing me up or shooting me, or a sniper. And even though I know I'm not in that place right now, my brain is correlating the idea of feeling exposed. And so it is triggering a response to say, be on alert. Be on the lookout. Something can happen right now. I was driving one day and a piece of trash kind of blew across the road. And I swerved wildly, and my wife was like, "What the hell?" And I was like, "It surprised me." And she goes, "It was just like a paper bag or whatever." And I'm like, "Yeah, but I don't know, it just..." I used to drive in Iraq. I used to drive in Afghanistan, I was the driver. And something like that could be, it could be an explosive, bag of garbage or something, it could be an explosive. It could be a guy popping out with an RPG that was hiding behind something. The brain, it's something we can't consciously control. And it's correlating these things that I went through. I remember somebody telling me something about how the way the brain, certain repetitive actions, or certain being at a high level of adrenaline or on edge for a certain amount, changes your brain chemistry. And the idea is, when you're in combat, that is you, you are at 100% all the time. You are on high alert all the time. Alyssa Scolari [40:39]: You never shut it off. Michael Carrasquillo [40:40]: It's never shut off. I wake up, and it might be different for combat specialty guys who are like... we're sleeping out in the wilderness, we're out where the enemy is. We're not maybe in a big safe base or whatever. But you're on high alert all the time. You're listening for sounds, listening for the slightest change in anything. So you're on this constant level of the highest level of alert. It's equated to a guy who's a defensive lineman in football, where he's watching the movements. He's watching the eyes of the quarterback, he's watching all these things. But he's doing that for 30 seconds of a play. And then he takes a break, then he comes back. But it's like doing that all day, every day, for a year without getting a break. And that fundamentally changes the way your brain operates. Alyssa Scolari [41:28]: Absolutely. Michael Carrasquillo [41:29]: It's not something you walk away from and go, well, I'm not in combat anymore. Alyssa Scolari [41:33]: Right, your brain is still wired for protection. And your brain doesn't stop doing that even when you're home. The hyper vigilance just doesn't go away. For you, what would you say, because you went from being traumatized, having survivor's guilt, which I think PTSD, I think recovery is a lifelong journey. What was the most helpful for you? Because now you're a comedian, you find the joy in life. How did you get to that spot? What was the most helpful for you? Michael Carrasquillo [42:14]: Yeah, I mean, you hit the nail on the head in that it's a journey. It's a long road. I still struggle, I still have lots of struggles. I have a service dog, which helps me when I'm out and about in the world, it gives me just a sense of comfort. But for years before I had the dog, I don't like being in crowds. I don't like being outside. I surround myself in my little bubble. I'm happy in my bubble. But no, it's a long process. It's understanding that, for me, and this is for me, because not everybody is the same. For me, it was opening up about it. And being okay to talk about it. And this is something that took years, years, this is not an easy solution. But I had a really great guy come into my life, became my mentor. And I would watch him talk to people, and just open up about all these things. And I'm like, oh, my God, they're going to think you're crazy. They're going to think you're a psycho, you can't admit to having those thoughts. You can admit to having those feelings. And he always did it so easily. It fascinated me. And I started studying him like, how can you do that? How do you do that? I remember one day he told me, "We all carry this baggage with us, different types, different sizes, all that. And if you can equate it to, when I tell my story, when I share what I'm going through, I'm extending out some of that baggage. And I'm saying, hey, can you help me carry this? And the load gets lighter." And I called BS. And I was like, "That's ridiculous, that's not how it goes." Alyssa Scolari [43:45]: That's a bunch of shit, yeah. Michael Carrasquillo [43:48]: But I started, little by little. "How are you doing?" Instead of just the, "I'm good, I'm good." "It's good days and bad days." Little by little. Alyssa Scolari [43:58]: Even that little shift, that little, subtle shift makes such a difference. Michael Carrasquillo [44:03]: It does. And over time, I was able to kind of open up more and more with my wife, with my family, with my friends. And once that started to lift some of the burden, I realized, oh, I like this feeling, I want more. And so opening up more and sharing more, and started seeing therapy. And because therapy is such a bad, dirty word... Alyssa Scolari [44:24]: So stigmatized, yeah. Michael Carrasquillo [44:25]: Yeah, but it helped so much. For a little while, I was on medication just to help with some of the anxiety, help with sleeping and things like that. But pretty soon, over the course of a long time and creating relationships and understanding I'm not alone, and accepting that this isn't unique, this isn't something only I've gone through. And I can talk about and I can share with it and connect with people, opening up my circle more and more. Yeah, it helped over time. I got to a pretty good place when people started coming to me and letting things off their plate, and I could be there. It's being there for someone else. And starting to get out of my own head of, my own problems are the worst thing in the world. And being able to share that. And then hear what someone else is going through and empathize with them and sympathize with them. And go through it with them and give them advice and listen to them. So once I was starting to give of myself, that was a big game changer. It was all in steps. First, it was admitting that I'm not okay, then it was opening up, then it was being there for others. I started doing volunteer work and just getting out of my own head. And being a positive influence. And then that changed things. And then eventually, I got into a place where I was okay, as physically as good as I'm going to get, mentally, pretty darn good. And then, okay, what can I start to do to challenge myself? I've grown to the edges of these boundaries, now how can I break those boundaries? How can I extend past them? And so for one thing, comedy came into my life. And basically, I heard about this program for veterans, like, oh, they teach the arts, they teach writing and music, all these different things. But one of the things that caught my eye was this comedy stand up class. And for someone who doesn't like being the attention, I don't like being the center of attention. I don't like everyone looking at me, I don't like everybody waiting for me to say something. I don't like that feeling. I figured, wow, this is the way to literally, it's the sensory training where you put yourself in that situation and learn to be okay with it. And really, when I started it, [inaudible 00:46:43] it's a six-week class, once a week, do a little performance at the end, and you're done. And I was like, cool, this will be my, I'm just going to go through it, I'm going to check it off the list, I did it. I've learned something and I'm going to move on. But in the process of going through it, I fell in love. It was so, for me, therapeutic to put my thoughts on paper, and to make the decision to take traumatic things in my life and massage them a little bit, to make them funny, and to find the joy and laughter. I talk about being shot in my standup. I talk about that day. I talk about my recovery and some of the things that I went through. But always in the vein of like, hey, let's laugh together about this. How ridiculous is this? Alyssa Scolari [47:33]: Right, like, this is so surreal, and so unbelievable. Michael Carrasquillo [47:36]: Right, exactly. And so that was a big step forward for me, in being able to make light of it and control the narrative in a way. It was weird, because with comedy, you want it to be based in reality, but the fact is, you've got to punch it up a little bit to make it funny. And so having, in essence, having this paintbrush to paint the story the way I wanted to, and to make it my own, it was kind of therapeutic. And nothing like getting a laugh, I was addicted to making the audience laugh, and it was such a good time. I did it for a while, I did it for a couple years. And then my son came around and I took a step back, because I wanted to be good dad, and I'm not going to be some traveling comedian that's on the road 50 weeks out of the year. And so I took a step back with that. And then like a year later, pandemic hits. So just as I was about, all right, I'm ready to start getting back out there and doing comedy, and then the pandemic hit. Alyssa Scolari [48:34]: Of course. Michael Carrasquillo [48:35]: But that's how I ended up falling into doing a weekly live show online. And it's been awesome, because I can do it from home and I can get all that fun stuff out, and do what I'm passionate about, but still be around part of my family. Alyssa Scolari [48:51]: Here's what's also really, really beautiful to me, as I hear you talk. It's like, I think back, as you're telling me, to the bio that I read, where it's like since everything that you've gone through, you have also done other things like skydiving, scuba diving. And then I think back to what you were telling me about how you were truly an adrenaline lover, addicted to adrenaline. And for people who develop PTSD, it's very, very tough to get that love for adrenaline, because typically, our brains compute that as like, oh, this is danger. So to me, you stepped back into yourself truly. And that is, I think, the most beautiful thing. You are that person again. You have been able to get back in touch with yourself when PTSD pulls you so far away from yourself. Michael Carrasquillo [49:50]: No, it's true. It's absolutely true. I rarely pat myself on the back, but something I do feel is true, is that I'm a better version of myself now than before I got shot. As awesome as I was, I'm a better version of myself now. I'm much more humble and have humility and appreciative and want to give back of myself. And all those adventures came from a time when, like I said, as I was trying to expand this bubble and grow past myself, I realized I had opportunities in front of me, if I would just be open to them. And so it became anything that gets put in front of me, I'm going to say yes to. And so being a disabled veteran, especially at that time, there was all these organizations like, hey, we'll take you fishing. Hey, we'll do this. And hey, we'll do that. And I wasn't broke, but I wasn't made of money. So I was like, I can't do those things. But oh, no, no, we'll pay for you. Travel included and equipment included. And so I said yes to scuba diving, I said yes to skydiving. I did a veteran exchange program where I went to Israel for a week. And they sent Israelis to the States. And so I did that. And I traveled, I went to Germany, went to Venezuela. And my wife's from El Salvador, so I traveled to El Salvador. I just started trying to challenge myself and just say yes, be open to opportunities. Not everything's going to click, I did a golf program where you learn to play golf. And they even get you these really nice clubs and everything. I absolutely hated it, hated it, hated it with a passion. The clubs are still sitting in a closet somewhere. But there are things that, I really enjoyed the scuba diving, I really enjoyed the skydiving. I played racquetball for a little while. There is professional racquetball out there, I helped the professional Racquetball Association create its first division for disabled people. Because I was like, look, I can't be the only one that's enjoying it. There's no way I'm going to compete with these guys that are full abled, full bodied, whatever you want to call it. Alyssa Scolari [52:06]: Right, with people who haven't been shot. Michael Carrasquillo [52:08]: Yeah. Alyssa Scolari [52:09]: It's not right. Michael Carrasquillo [52:10]: But we created a division and got guys with, amputees that are playing, we got a wheelchair division, things that... It's been an awesome ride. And then it eventually, after a couple years, it went full circle where I hadn't been working, I hadn't been doing anything other than charity work and all these adventures and things like that. And I got to a point where I was like, you know what, I think I'm ready to get back to work and do something. Not just do stuff, but have a vision, have a goal. And I wanted us to have, we had a small little house, and I felt at a place where like, I want more, I can do more. And I got a job and started working and doing stuff. And obviously the service dog helped with that a lot. To be able to tolerate certain things. But then yeah, my son came around. And it's been an adventure. It's been something. Alyssa Scolari [53:08]: And with every word that you speak, all I can think to myself is, you are rewriting the narrative and actively changing those patterns in your brain that tell you that every single thing is a danger. You're getting out there and you're proving yourself and your brain otherwise. Michael Carrasquillo [53:27]: Yeah, it's not easy. It's not easy. Alyssa Scolari [53:30]: No, no, oh, God, no. Michael Carrasquillo [53:32]: I still deal with a lot of self doubt, I question myself constantly, anxiety. If I send out an email, I'm like, did that make sense? Are they going to think I'm weird? All these things, but I have to constantly just not let those voices take over and just like, no, do it. Trust in yourself, you've done it, you've been okay, just keep going. And I slip up, I make mistakes. Something me and my wife have developed a long time ago is, being comfortable not being comfortable. And so I have days where nothing necessarily needed to happen, I just wake up and I'm in a mood. And so we've coined the term, I'm blue. That's just our thing. And so if she spots it, or if I spot it myself, I'll be the first to tell her, "Listen, it's one of those days, I'm blue. I just need..." And she knows, okay, he needs some space, he needs some time. I'm here, he knows I'm here. Or if I'm struggling with something and I'm having a lot of anxiety, my wife will be like, "Do you need some time? How are you doing?" And we just check in with each other. Check in with myself and check in with her and it's been helpful to have that support, it's an effort. It takes a village. But good days and bad days, but more good than bad. So that's a good a thing. Alyssa Scolari [54:52]: Yeah, yes. Wow. So this show, can you just remind, I know I said it in the intro, but can you just remind the listeners, where can they find you if they want to hear more? Michael Carrasquillo [55:08]: Sure, sure. Alyssa Scolari [55:09]: And by listeners, I mean me, because I want to hear more. Michael Carrasquillo [55:12]: No, yeah. So POP Culture Warrior, which is my show. It's a weekly live show, so we do in front of a live audience, live virtual audience. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. The places that we go live are Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter actually has, Periscope as its live thing and then our website. But yeah, it's a fun show. I have a passion, obviously, for comic books and movies and video games and things. So each episode, I'll just talk about what you know what's happening this week in those categories. And then we started doing celebrity interviews, believe it or not, it. I had a couple people I knew from my travels, who hopped on. And we did a call and we talked. I've had Clark Gregg, who was Agent Coulson in The Avengers. Louie Anderson, who's a legendary comedian, Matt Iseman, the host of American Ninja Warrior. So I had a couple friends of friends who came onto the show, and it was obviously well received. And so we just kind of made it a thing. And now, I mean, we've had amazing people; actors. We just had, literally when was it, today's Wednesday, so yesterday, I was talking with Efren Ramirez, who was Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite. Alyssa Scolari [56:24]: Oh, that's so cool. Michael Carrasquillo [56:27]: Yeah, we had a great conversation yesterday. And it's awesome, because it's very interactive. The audience can participate, ask questions. It's all super interactive. Actually, right now. I mean, if you can get to the page, I don't know when this is getting released. But we're doing a giveaway. We hit one of our goals. And so like, I'll send out care packages full of pop culture swag, and things. I've been given autographs from different events and different things. And so I give away celebrity autographs and it's just a fun thing to thank the audience for hanging out and being part of it. So yeah, it's POP Culture Warrior, like I said, Twitter, Instagram, or wherever. One of my nephew's made me start a TikTok, I'm not going to be putting up TikTok videos, but- Alyssa Scolari [57:10]: Ha, you have a TikTok, me too. Michael Carrasquillo [57:12]: I mean, for the show, I might post some stuff. But anywhere you can find social media, look up POP Culture Warrior. Alyssa Scolari [57:20]: POP Culture Warrior. Michael Carrasquillo [57:21]: Yeah, we're around. And it's a fun show. It's Tuesdays 8:00 PM until usually question mark, but the first hour we do the headlines, and in the second hour, we'll have a celebrity guest or some type of guest. And yeah, it's been really fun. We're at 57 episodes and going strong. Alyssa Scolari [57:41]: Awesome. Michael Carrasquillo [57:41]: This fall is going to be intense, I've already had some conversation with some pretty big stars, talking like the leads of movies that are coming out this fall- Alyssa Scolari [57:51]: Nice- Michael Carrasquillo [57:51]: ... will be [crosstalk 00:57:52]. So yeah, it's going to be pretty cool. We're building to something awesome, so I'm excited. Alyssa Scolari [57:57]: Oh, that's so cool. I will link that, I'm also going to link the articles that you had shared with me in the show notes for the listeners. So you all can check out those articles. That is POP Culture Warrior, POP Culture Warrior, we'll be putting that in the show notes as well. Thank you isn't honestly even fitting. I don't want to thank you, because it doesn't feel like it would do it justice. But I just am expressing sincere, genuine and overwhelming gratitude for your vulnerability, your strength and just the way that you are humanizing this process. Because I think a lot of people can see wounded veterans as just... I feel like we don't humanize them enough. And you're doing that, you're doing that. And you are fighting the good fight. And I am so thankful you're here. Michael Carrasquillo [58:59]: I appreciate it. Thank you. And thank you for carrying some of my baggage for me. I appreciate you and what you're doing. So yeah, this has been fun. Alyssa Scolari [59:09]: Thanks for listening, everyone. For more information, please head over to lightaftertrauma.com, or you can also follow us on social media. On Instagram, we are @lightaftertrauma, and on Twitter, it is @lightafterpod. Lastly, please head over to patreon.com/lightaftertrauma to support our show. We are asking for $5 a month, which is the equivalent to a cup of coffee at Starbucks. So please head on over. Again, that's patreon.com/lightaftertrauma. Thank you and we appreciate your support.

Piden denunciar a los comercios que apliquen recargos por pagar con Billetera Santa Fe

Una passione chiamata pasta fatta a mano. Ce l'ha da sempre Abdou Salam Beye. Da quando era piccolo. Lui, originario del Senegal, ma nato e cresciuto in Friuli, da anni sognava di aprire un pastificio tutto suo. Lo sognava quando frequentava la scuola alberghiera di Aviano, lo sognava durante le stagioni come cuoco in importanti ristoranti in regione e all'Estero. Lo sognava in Australia dove si è trasferito un anno per imparare e apprendere tecniche nuove. Lo sognava quando la domenica la trascorreva impastando acqua e farina. E oggi, ce l'ha fatta. Dietro ogni prodotto di Abi c'è un grande lavoro di ricerca e di lavorazione per arrivare al prodotto finito. La sua produzione si concentra su un'unica parola d'ordine: artigianalità. Nel laboratorio viene preparata pasta fresca e pasta ripiena utilizzando principalmente semola di grano duro e farine di grano tenero. Ascolta la storia di Abi in questa nuova puntata.

Ryan Meehan - Army Veteran, Managing Partner of Aviano Capital & Looking to Buy a Business Ryan Meehan didn't set out to join the military, but after 9/11 felt compelled to serve in the Army. He went to West Point and was commissioned as an infantry officer. He spent two tours in Afghanistan and served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Vicenza, Italy.  After leaving the military in 2012, Ryan went to Wharton Business School and then spent time in the financial world as a trader and with a portfolio company before starting his own business.  The military taught Ryan how to lead people and develop teams. He is pursing this now with Aviano Capitol. It got its name after the air base Ryan served at in Italy. It is on a mission to “acquire, own and operate one profitable business while maintaining a focus on people, stewarding he legacy of the seller, and upholding the highest stands of integrity, during the transaction and beyond.” Check out who else has stepped into the Veteran Crowd Spotlight.  Learn More: Ryan's LI: https:///www.linkedin.com/in/rtmeehan/ Aviano Capital Website: https://avianocapital.com VeteranCrowd Partners: Cardomax: Committed to producing the highest quality, liquid-based single serve supplements featuring clean ingredients. Use coupon code VeteranCrowd to receive Buy one, get one free on your first order. About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.    

My first year living abroad as the new kid for the first time in my life. Military Child Month,Military Brat, Aviano, Aviano Saints, United States Airforce, Aviano Air Base.

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜http://www.bastabugie.it/it/articoli.php?id=6262LA STORIA ROMANZATA DELL'IMPERO D'ASBURGO di Rino CammilleriCominciata nella preistoria, la saga degli Adler e la formazione dell'Austria continua col secondo volume de Il prato alto. La tempesta. Dal 1246 al 1683, di Emilio e M. A. Biagini (Solfanelli, pp. 343, €. 19). Le vicende della famiglia Adler si intrecciano strettamente con la storia e (per ora) terminano con la liberazione di Vienna dai turchi l'11 settembre 1683.L'8 il beato Marco d'Aviano aveva detto messa servito dal re polacco Jan Sobieski in persona. Poi il sermone: «aveva parlato in tono del tutto normale, non declamatorio, neppure a voce particolarmente alta, eppure tutti lo avevano sentito perfettamente. Nell'intero l'esercito cristiano multinazionale, formato da polacchi, austriaci, tedeschi, croati, magiari, italiani, e perfino francesi, ognuno aveva sentito l'omelia nella propria lingua». Appena compresero il miracolo, tutti si inginocchiarono commossi: «In quell'istante tutti seppero che avrebbero vinto». Gli ussari alati (il rumore della vibrazione delle loro «ali» terrorizzava i nemici) caricarono al grido di Jezus Maryjo ratujce (Gesù Maria salvateci). Prima di darsi alla fuga i turchi sgozzarono tutte le donne cristiane prigioniere e destinate agli harem. Con differente stile, quando, subito dopo, i cristiani conquistarono l'ungherese Gran, «alla popolazione musulmana della città venne consentito di ritirarsi in pace verso Buda, ancora in mano turca». Invece, la banda di calvinisti ungheresi alleati dei turchi e comandati da Imre Thököli, principe di Transilvania, devastò il santuario austriaco dedicato alla Madonna di Loreto. Alla statua fecero il "processo", la condannarono e decapitarono.Prima di soccorrere Vienna il Sobieski aveva dovuto smascherare i deputati del Sejm, il parlamento polacco, comprati da Luigi XIV perché votassero contro la spedizione. Infatti, Francia remava contro: aveva offerto Tolone come porto ai barbareschi, "osservatori" francesi davano una mano ai turchi, all'ora della Guerra dei Trent'Anni, che spopolò l'Europa, la Francia aiutava i protestanti in funzione antiasburgica; già Francesco I, sconfitto e prigioniero a Madrid di Carlo V, aveva scritto al Sultano per farsi liberare. Commentano gli autori: «Grazie a te, Richelieu, e a Lutero, del quale idealmente hai continuato l'opera. Grazie a voi due e grazie al demonio che così bene avete servito, è nata la "nuova" Europa, l'Europa divisa, l'Europa "moderna", l'Europa dei nazionalismi e delle ideologie, l'Europa della statolatria, l'Europa nemica delle proprie radici cristiane, schiava del denaro e della speculazione».Il vantaggio di quest'opera di storia romanzata sta nel punto di vista: chi legge, per esempio, un manuale di storia sulla Guerra dei Trent'Anni non sa chi sono i buoni e i cattivi, non sa per chi deve parteggiare. I Biagini, invece, sono chiari e, di questi tempi, un «centro di gravità permanente» non ce l'ha nemmeno Battiato, infatti se ne duole. E gli autori ci informano anche nel dettaglio: «Il padre gesuita Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld, di Kaiserwerth, presso Düsseldorf, nel suo trattato giuridico d'avanguardia, Cautio criminalis, pubblicato nel 1631, di gran lunga più avanzato del Beccaria, aveva chiaramente affermato che la stregoneria è uno sciocco peccato di superstizione, rientrante nella competenza del confessore ordinario, e nient'altro». E «che la tortura era perfettamente inutile, perché un soggetto debole ma innocente avrebbe confessato qualunque cosa». Cose che la Chiesa sapeva fin dal trecentesco Manuale per inquisitori del catalano Nicholas Eymeric.Il tono dei Biagini è lievemente umoristico e, quando serve, canzonatorio, anche se non mancano riflessioni profonde: «Ogni volta che erranti o viziosi diventano troppo forti, l'errore e il vizio cambiano nome, adottano denominazioni ossequiose e accattivanti, e non è prudente pronunciare in pubblico il vecchio nome tanto più aderente alla realtà. Chissà perché, prima che arrivasse la "modernità", il suicidio era inesistente o quasi. Forse quando l'uomo volta le spalle a Dio e confida solo in se stesso, in lui si rompe qualcosa, e lo rende fragile di fronte alle avversità?». Buona lettura e vi assicuro che non smetterete di leggere.Nota di BastaBugie: FG Sissi Titolo originale: La saga degli Adler, l'epopea asburgica giustamente di parteFonte: La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, 16/07/2020Pubblicato su BastaBugie n. 680

The Coronavirus pandemic has presented new challenges for Airmen and their families around the world. New ways of working, new ways of learning, new ways of living. One of the sources of strength for the force has been the revitalization of Squadrons, the unit Air Force leadership says is the "beating heart" of the service. In this episode of An Air Force Podcast we look into how the renewed focus on Squadrons has prepared and supported Airmen and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode #18 - Winner - MasterChef Season 4 - Luca ManfeWelcome to Episode 18 of This Is Yu Podcast.This Is Carole Yu and Scott StewartToday, we catch up with Luca Manfe, winner of MasterChef season 4. After a devastating rejection from season 3, Luca fought his way back to victory and into the hearts of all MasterChef fans. He was always one of the fan favorites because he rejected the conniving and pettiness of other contestants. He was always a gentleman, making us laugh, his blue eyes sparkling with passion for his food.We learn about Luca’s family, not only his American family, but we go back to his roots in Aviano, Italy where he grew up. He tells us about his private catering business “Dinner with Luca”, and the tiny house where he, his wife Cate, and children Luca and Valentino now live. Luca answers fan questions, and tells us about his journey from MasterChef to The Lucky Fig food truck, to his current daily life. If you are a Luca fan, you may get chills as I did when talking to him. It was an intimate conversation, and we were so lucky to connect with him.After our conversation with Luca, you won’t want to miss our segment, “New Tech Cooking” where we talk about our annual Sous Vide feast. ____________________________________________________Have you entered our giveaway already? Through May 19th, 2020 enter our giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card! It’s simple! All you have to do is go to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to and leave a review of This Is Yu Podcast. We will choose our favorite review, and announce the winner on May 19th on the podcast. ____________________________________________________New Segment - New Tech CookingHave you seen those “Sous Vide Egg Bites” at Starbucks and wondered, “What is Sous Vide?”Our family was first introduced to Sous Vide when Dara was asked to the White House where she was an honored guest at Obama’s first “Maker’s Faire.” Where she ran into a person who made a sous vide machine.. Afterwards, she sent Dara one of their circulators. What does Sous Vide mean? Listen to the podcast to find out how to make your food so moist!Thank you so much to Luca for joining us in today’s conversation. We loved learning what your family means to you and how they are a shining beacon in your life. His positive spirit inspires us. We appreciate you Luca for taking the time to share your journey from MasterChef to your life now full of love of family and food.Thanks for listening to the show.If you like the idea of more people hearing this series and this show in general please think about taking just a couple minutes to give us a rating and review on iTunes or your podcast app of choice. If we get enough of those, the apps show This Is Yu to more people to find out we exist.As always, we really appreciate your thoughts and feedback about the show. You can reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook at [This Is Yu Official] or you can leave us an anonymous voicemail at [562-291-6037]. We listen to all the voicemails.www.DinnerWithLuca.comwww.ThisIsYu.com@ThisIsYuOfficialCiao!Ciao Bella!

This past January, Ryan spoke with the USAF’s 31st Fighter Wing, stationed in Aviano, Italy. Later this area would experience a virulent outbreak of COVID-19. Ryan recently recorded a follow-up call with the Aviano base, which you can hear in today’s episode.This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a maker of mushroom coffee, lattes, elixirs, and more. Their drinks all taste amazing and they've full of all sorts of all-natural compounds and immunity boosters to help you think clearly and live well. Visit http://foursigmatic.com/stoic to get 15% off your order.This episode is also brought to you by Thrive Market, an online marketplace where you can get over 6000 products, whether it's pantry staples, food, wine, and other groceries, or cleaning products, vitamins, or even bath and body products. They have products for any diet or value system, whether it's vegan, non-GMO, paleo, keto, kosher, halal, non-FODMAP, and more. Visit https://thrivemarket.com/stoic to get 25% off your order today.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: DailyStoic.com/signupFollow @DailyStoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanholidayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/Facebook: http://facebook.com/ryanholidayYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoic

In this Full Episode, the guys interview former Bolton Youth and AC Pro Aviano Striker Tracy Blake, who also currently resides as head coach of Alfred University's Men's Soccer Team in D3! We go into everything from time playing overseas, to his path to coaching and much more! Send any emails with questions or comments to: thedppod@gmail.comFollow the Pod on Social Media!Website: https://thedppod.buzzsprout.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDPPod1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designated_...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDPPodFollow Andrew on Social Media!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.barnikelTwitter: https://twitter.com/abarnikel21Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_barn...Follow Adam on Social Media!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.tambure...Twitter: https://twitter.com/SupaHotFire1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supahotfiya1/Follow Connor on Social Media!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connor.wrigh...Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwright016Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_connorwrig...

The RDC spoke with Chaplain Lt Col, Chuck Seligman, the Wing Chaplain of Aviano, Air Base in Northern Italy. Listen in to hear a first-hand account of how the COVID-19 response has impacted their ministry the last several weeks.

The RDC spoke with Chaplain Lt Col, Chuck Seligman, the Wing Chaplain of Aviano, Air Base in Northern Italy. Listen in to hear a first-hand account of how the COVID-19 response has impacted their ministry the last several weeks.

Maurizio MONGIAT, Department of Translational Research, Division of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Institute Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, Aviano, ITALY speaks on "Multimerin-2: a gatekeeper of vascular stability". This seminar has been recorded by ICGEB Trieste.

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜http://www.filmgarantiti.it/it/articoli.php?id=179SETTE IMPRECISIONI STORICHE DEL FILM SUL BEATO MARCO D'AVIANO di Massimo ViglioneIn questi giorni si sta proiettando in alcuni cinema italiani un film di Renzo Martinelli, 11 settembre 1683, dedicato al beato Marco d'Aviano e alla vittoria di Vienna, decisiva per il resto di tutta la storia del millenario scontro fra Cristianità e Islam. A nessuno può quindi sfuggire il fatto che un film sul trionfo militare della Cristianità sull'Islam è più che un semplice film, e merita attenzione, comunque sia fatto.Sorvolo pienamente sugli aspetti tecnici: è ovvio che sarebbe dovuto essere un Kolossal, ma è altrettanto ovvio che i mezzi economici non ci sono, e in questo va dato atto a Martinelli di avere un certo "coraggio" nel "tuffarsi" in queste imprese, nonostante tutto.Sorvoliamo sul fatto che la data della battaglia non è l'11 settembre, ma il 12 settembre 1683 (e, infatti, Papa Innocenzo XI stabilì in questo giorno, come ringraziamento a Dio per la vittoria, la festa del nome di Maria). Esigenze pubblicitarie...Sorvoliamo che il consulente storico è stato Valerio Massimo Manfredi: i tuttologi non possono dare sempre il meglio, e Martinelli farebbe bene a guardare anche in altre direzioni, per il futuro: un nome meno altisonante ma più esperto della materia può essere di maggiore aiuto.Detto questo, possiamo affermare che la figura di padre Marco è ben interpretata da un attore navigato e noto come F. Murray Abraham. In generale, il cappuccino è rappresentato in maniera abbastanza fedele nella sua umiltà, nella sua intelligenza e nella ferma volontà di salvare la Cristianità, eccetto che per un aspetto di cui dico in seguito.Dal punto di vista più teologico, vi sono alcuni dialoghi interessanti sull'islam e sul rapporto fra le religioni: nella sostanza, si nota un certo "afflato ecumenico" ante litteram, o almeno un desiderio di esso, certamente assente in quei giorni, ma occorre dire che l'afflato si mantiene su una linea di moderata espressione (poteva andare molto peggio...). Inoltre, il fanatismo islamico e soprattutto la violenza ottomana viene ben rappresentata, almeno per quanto possibile oggi.Più negativo il mio giudizio dal punto di vista storico. Si possono registrare varie mancanze, gravi perché non sono aspetti secondari, soprattutto se si tiene conto del fatto che la gente non sa nulla di nulla, e che quindi, in tal maniera, persiste nel rimanere del tutto ignorante. Le espongo in maniera molto sintetica:1) MANCA PAPA INNOCENZO XI CHE FU IL PRIMO ARTEFICE DEL TRIONFO DI VIENNAIl beato Innocenzo XI è il primo artefice del trionfo di Vienna. Possiamo dire che san Pio V sta a Lepanto come Innocenzo sta a Vienna, nel senso che senza di loro non v'era Lega cristiana, e senza lega cristiana non v'era crociata, e senza crociata non v'era vittoria né salvezza. Pertanto, la sua completa assenza dal film è molto grave. Inaccettabile.2) L'IMPERATORE DESCRITTO CON STEREOTIPIAltrettanto grave l'aver descritto l'Imperatore come uno tipo inetto e atterrito. In tal maniera, Martinelli è caduto banalmente in stereotipi del tutto avulsi dalla realtà tipici del cinema yankee o di quello ideologico di sinistra europeo. Ancora una volta... popolo ignorante...3) NON CI FU SOLO IL RE POLACCO JAN SOBIESKILa figura del Re polacco Jan Sobieski è trattata bene, ovviamente. E si capisce il perché: il film è finanziato dai polacchi... Però, per quanto sia, non si può falsificare la storia facendo apparire il re polacco come l'unico vero, non solo vincitore ma addirittura combattente, della battaglia. Questa è fantastoria, e pure gratuita. Si sarebbe potuto tranquillamente metterlo in risalto senza dover umiliare inutilmente gli altri artefici e protagonisti (Duca di Baviera, Duca del Baden-Wittenberg, e altri).4) MANCANZA DEL RE SOLEMeno importante, ma comunque significativo: mancanza del Re Sole. È vero che nel film si fa capire l'idiozia e l'infamia della sua politica filoturca, ma si poteva fare anche una sola scena con lui presente: in fondo, è il grande assente della vittoria, e in quanto tale protagonista anch'egli, al negativo. Magari lo si poteva rappresentare con l'attacco di colite acuta che realmente gli venne alla notizia del trionfo asburgico!5) PADRE MARCO IN LACRIME PER IL TURCO? RIDICOLORiguardo Padre Marco, il giudizio come già detto è positivo in generale. Occorre però evidenziare questo: la storiella "d'amore" ridicola e patetica fra il turco e la cristiana muta si poteva evitare, o, almeno, si poteva certamente evitare la scena finale di padre Marco che urla di dolore per la morte del turco (il quale peraltro aiuta il suo mondo nella guerra alla Cristianità)... Francamente, questa è un'idiozia bella e buona. Far apparire – pure come ultima scena – padre Marco in lacrime per il turco non ha alcun valore di nessun genere, eccetto il ridicolo.6) NESSUNO SPAZIO AL TRIONFO CRISTIANOAltra grave mancanza a mio avviso: nessuno spazio finale al trionfo cristiano. Martinelli ha perso così un'occasione d'oro per avallare – e oggi ve n'è più che mai bisogno – un necessario trionfalismo di cui abbiamo perso ogni traccia. Il pubblico così non si rende conto della portata epocale della vittoria, non si rende conto della gioia immensa della Cristianità (in una lettera alla regina, Sobieski rivela che lui e padre Marco si abbracciarono "un milione di volte saltando per la gioia"... In altre testimonianze si parla dell'incontenibile gioia di Vienna liberata...). Sembra un aspetto secondario, ma non lo è.7) FINALE CARENTEIn tal senso, ancora più grave appare il fatto che padre Marco esca di scena nel modo suddetto. Martinelli avrebbe avuto mille maniere per rappresentarlo come il vero vincitore spirituale dello scontro epocale: avrebbe potuto rappresentare tutti i grandi sovrani e principi, a partire dall'Imperatore, in processione a Vienna, al seguito di padre Marco, per ringraziare Dio della vittoria fra il popolo in festa (solo per fare un esempio); avrebbe potuto concludere con l'invito di padre Marco a continuare la Crociata per liberare tutti i Balcani, come di fatto poi egli tentò di fare per i successivi 19 anni, fino alla morte. Oppure, come sarebbe stato bello vedere la gioia di Innocenzo XI al momento di ricevere la notizia del trionfo. Invece, nulla di tutto questo. Quasi come si fosse trattato di uno scontro qualsiasi, vinto solo grazie all'abilità del re polacco e al sostegno spirituale del beato.Ma la storia è tutta un'altra.Non voglio ipotizzare che le note simpatie politiche di Martinelli lo abbiano portato a voler cancellare o ridicolizzare volutamente le due forze che unite hanno permesso il trionfo di Vienna: la Chiesa di Roma e il Sacro Romano Impero. Però resta il fatto che dal film non traspare per nulla il vero messaggio storico e metastorico dell'evento, che è fra i più grandiosi di tutti i tempi: il trionfo – forse l'ultimo – dell'universalismo cristiano sull'omologazione totalitaria islamico-ottomana. Il trionfo di Vienna, come quello di Lepanto, non appartiene a questo o a quel popolo, ma alla Cristianità tutta (eccetto la Francia), che unita per l'ultima volta sotto le bandiere della Chiesa e dell'Impero ha sconfitto per sempre la tracotanza militare della mezzaluna.Almeno fino a oggi.CONCLUSIONE: UN FILM COMUNQUE DA VEDEREConcludo, comunque, con l'aspetto che secondo me è il più positivo: ed è quello dei turchi, paradossalmente. Martinelli ha ben descritto, almeno con i limitati mezzi finanziari a disposizione, il loro mondo, e Karà Mustafà è ben rappresentato da Enrico Lo Verso, anche e soprattutto nella morte.Un film che, dati i tempi, è meglio che ci sia e che comunque consiglio di vedere. Allo stesso tempo, però, una grande occasione mancata. L'ennesima.

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜http://www.filmgarantiti.it/it/articoli.php?id=169LA LEGA SANTA FERMA L'AVANZATA TURCA ISLAMICA: PER SEMPRE di Renato CirelliLo scenario politico-militare nella seconda metà del Seicento, il secolo terribile che aveva sconvolto e cambiato per sempre l'Europa, si presenta tutt'altro che pacifico. La Guerra dei Trent'Anni (1618-1648), iniziata come guerra di religione, era continuata come conflitto fra la Casa regnante francese dei Borbone e gli Asburgo per togliere a questi ultimi l'egemonia sulla Germania, che derivava loro dall'autorità imperiale. Per raggiungere questo scopo il primo ministro francese Armand du Plessis, cardinale duca di Richelieu (1585-1642), inaugurando una politica fondata sul solo interesse nazionale a scapito degli interessi dell'Europa cattolica, si allea con i principi protestanti.I Trattati di Westfalia del 1648 sanciscono l'indebolimento definitivo del Sacro Romano Impero e sulla Germania, devastata e divisa fra cattolici e protestanti e frazionata politicamente, si stabilisce l'egemonia del re di Francia Luigi XIV (1638-1715). Il ruolo dominante raggiunto in Europa spinge il Re Sole ad aspirare alla stessa corona imperiale e, in questa prospettiva, egli non esita a cercare l'alleanza degli ottomani, indifferente a ogni ideale cristiano ed europeo. Sul finire del secolo l'Europa cristiana è prostrata e ripiegata su se stessa fra divisioni religiose e lotte dinastiche, mentre la crisi economica e il calo demografico, conseguenti alla guerra, completano il quadro e la rendono oltremodo vulnerabile.L'OFFENSIVA TURCAL'impero ottomano, che aveva ormai conquistato i paesi balcanici fino alla pianura ungherese, il 1° agosto 1664 era stato fermato nella sua avanzata dagli eserciti imperiali guidati da Raimondo Montecuccoli (1609-1680) nella battaglia di San Gottardo, in Ungheria.Poco dopo però, sotto l'energica guida del Gran Visir Kara Mustafà (1634-1683), l'offensiva turca riprende, incoraggiata incoscientemente da Luigi XIV nella sua spregiudicata politica anti-asburgica, e approfitta della debolezza in cui versano l'Europa e l'Impero.Solo la Repubblica di Venezia contende ai Turchi ogni isola dell'Egeo e ogni metro di Grecia e di Dalmazia combattendo orgogliosamente da sola la sua ultima e gloriosa guerra, che culmina con la caduta di Candia nel 1669, difesa eroicamente da Francesco Morosini il Peloponnesiaco (1618-1694).Dopo Creta, nel 1672 la Podolia - parte dell'odierna Ucraina - viene sottratta alla Polonia e nel gennaio del 1683, a Istanbul, vengono inastate le code di cavallo di battaglia in direzione dell'Ungheria e un immenso esercito si mette in marcia verso il cuore dell'Europa, sotto la guida di Kara Mustafà e del sultano Maometto IV (1642-1693), con l'intento di creare una grande Turchia europea e musulmana con capitale Vienna.Le poche forze imperiali - appoggiate da milizie ungheresi guidate dal duca Carlo V di Lorena (1643-1690) - tentano invano di resistere. Il grande condottiero al servizio degli Asburgo prende il comando benché ancora convalescente di una grave malattia che lo aveva portato sull'orlo della morte, dalla quale - si dice - l'abbiano salvato le preghiere di un padre cappuccino, il beato Marco da Aviano (1631-1699). Il religioso italiano, inviato del Papa presso l'Imperatore e instancabile predicatore della crociata anti-turca, consiglia che tutte le insegne imperiali portino l'immagine della Madre di Dio. Da allora le bandiere militari austriache manterranno l'effigie della Madonna per due secoli e mezzo, fino a quando Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) le farà togliere.LE "CAMPANE DEI TURCHI"L'8 luglio 1683 l'esercito ottomano muove dall'Ungheria verso Vienna, vi giunge il 13 luglio e la cinge d'assedio. Durante il percorso ha devastato le regioni attraversate, saccheggiato città e villaggi, distrutto chiese e conventi, massacrato e schiavizzato le popolazioni cristiane.L'imperatore Leopoldo I (1640-1705), dopo aver affidato il comando militare al conte Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg (1638-1701), decide di lasciare la città e raggiunge Linz per organizzare la resistenza della Germania contro il tremendo pericolo che la sovrasta.Nell'impero suonano a stormo le "campane dei turchi", com'era già accaduto nel 1664 e nel secolo precedente, e inizia la mobilitazione delle risorse militari imperiali, mentre l'imperatore tesse febbrilmente trattative per chiamare a raccolta tutti i principi, cattolici e protestanti, sabotato da Luigi XIV e da Federico Guglielmo di Brandeburgo (1620-1688), e chiede l'immediato intervento dell'esercito polacco, appellandosi al supremo interesse della salvezza della Cristianità.PAPA INNOCENZO XIIn questo momento drammatico dà i suoi frutti la politica europea e orientale da anni promossa dalla Santa Sede, soprattutto per merito del cardinale Benedetto Odescalchi (1611-1689), eletto Papa con il nome di Innocenzo XI nel 1676, beatificato nel 1956 da Papa Pio XII (1939-1958).Convinto custode del grande spirito crociato, il Pontefice, che da cardinale governatore di Ferrara si era guadagnato il titolo di "padre dei poveri", ispira una politica lungimirante tesa a creare un sistema di equilibrio fra i principi cristiani per indirizzare la loro politica estera contro l'impero ottomano. Avvalendosi di abili e decisi esecutori come i nunzi Obizzo Pallavicini (1632-1700) e Francesco Buonvisi (1626-1700), il beato Marco da Aviano e altri, la diplomazia pontificia media e concilia i contrasti europei, pacifica la Polonia con l'Austria, favorisce l'avvicinamento con il Brandeburgo protestante e con la Russia ortodossa, difende perfino gli interessi dei protestanti ungheresi contro l'episcopato locale, perché tutte le divisioni della Cristianità dovevano venir meno davanti alla difesa dell'Europa dall'islam. E, nonostante gli insuccessi e le incomprensioni, nell'"anno dei Turchi" 1683 il Papa riesce a essere l'anima della grande coalizione cristiana, trova il denaro in tutta Europa per finanziare le truppe di grandi e di piccoli principi e paga personalmente un reparto di cosacchi dell'esercito della Polonia.L'ASSEDIOIntanto a Vienna, invasa dai profughi, si consuma la via crucis dell'assedio, che la città sopporta eroicamente. 6.000 soldati e 5.000 uomini della difesa civica si oppongono, tagliati fuori dal mondo, allo sterminato esercito ottomano, armato di 300 cannoni. Tutte le campane della città vengono messe a tacere fuorché quella di Santo Stefano, chiamata Angstern, "angoscia", che con i suoi incessanti rintocchi chiama a raccolta i difensori. Gli assalti ai bastioni e gli scontri a corpo a corpo sono quotidiani e ogni giorno può essere l'ultimo, mentre i soccorsi sono ancora lontani. Sollecitato dal Papa e dall'imperatore, alla testa di un esercito, muove a marce forzate verso la città assediata il re di Polonia Giovanni III Sobieski (1624-1696), che già due volte aveva salvato la Polonia dai turchi. Finalmente il 31 agosto si congiunge con il duca Carlo di Lorena, che gli cede il comando supremo, e, quando viene raggiunto da tutti i contingenti dell'impero, l'esercito cristiano si mette in marcia verso Vienna, dove la situazione è ormai drammatica. I turchi hanno aperto brecce nei bastioni e i difensori superstiti, dopo aver respinto diciotto attacchi ed effettuato ventiquattro sortite, sono allo stremo, mentre i giannizzeri attaccano, infiammmati dai loro predicatori, e i cavalieri tatari scorazzano per l'Austria e la Moravia. L'11 settembre Vienna vive con angoscia quella che sembra l'ultima notte e von Starhemberg invia a Carlo di Lorena l'ultimo disperato messaggio: "Non perdete più tempo, clementissimo Signore, non perdete più tempo".LA BATTAGLIAAll'alba del 12 settembre 1683 il beato Marco da Aviano, dopo aver celebrato la Messa servita dal re di Polonia, benedice l'esercito schierato, quindi, a Kalhenberg, presso Vienna, 65.000 cristiani affrontano in battaglia campale 200.000 ottomani.Sono presenti con le loro truppe i principi del Baden e di Sassonia, i Wittelsbach di Baviera, i signori di Turingia e di Holstein, i polacchi e gli ungheresi, il generale italiano conte Enea Silvio Caprara (1631-1701), oltre al giovane principe Eugenio di Savoia (1663-1736), che riceve il battesimo di fuoco.La battaglia dura tutto il giorno e termina con una terribile carica all'arma bianca, guidata da Sobieski in persona, che provoca la rotta degli ottomani e la vittoria dell'esercito cristiano: questo subisce solo 2.000 perdite contro le oltre 20.000 dell'avversario. L'esercito ottomano fugge in disordine abbandonando tutto il bottino e le artiglierie e dopo aver massacrato centinaia di prigionieri e di schiavi cristiani. Il re di Polonia invia al Papa le bandiere catturate accompagnandole da queste parole: "Veni, vidi, Deus vicit". Ancor oggi, per decisione di Papa Innocenzo XI, il 12 settembre è dedicato al SS. Nome di Maria, in ricordo e in ringraziamento della vittoria.Il giorno seguente l'imperatore entra in Vienna, festante e liberata, alla testa dei principi dell'impero e delle truppe confederate e assiste al Te Deum di ringraziamento, officiato nella cattedrale di Santo Stefano dal vescovo di Vienna-Neustadt, poi cardinale, il conte Leopoldo Carlo Kollonic (1631-1707), anima spirituale della resistenza.IL RIFLUSSO DELL'ISLAMLa vittoria di Kalhenberg e la liberazione di Vienna sono il punto di partenza per la controffensiva condotta dagli Asburgo contro l'impero ottomano nell'Europa danubiana, che porta, negli anni seguenti, alla liberazione dell'Ungheria, della Transilvania e della Croazia, dando inoltre possibilità alla Dalmazia di restare veneziana. È il momento in cui maggiormente si palesa la grandezza della vocazione e della missione della Casa d'Austria per il riscatto e per la difesa dell'Europa sud-orientale.

Roy Gregory had a chance to visit his son in Aviano, Italy the past couple of weeks. He managed to visit lots of cool places like Paris, Venice, Pula, Croatia, and more. Roy explains he had a great time touring around seeing the sites, but is happy to be home!

Roy Gregory had a chance to visit his son in Aviano, Italy the past couple of weeks. He managed to visit lots of cool places like Paris, Venice, Pula, Croatia, and more. Roy explains he had a great time touring around seeing the sites, but is happy to be home!

Today's story: F-35A Lightning II fighter jets deploy from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Un soldato, stanco di combattere e della guerra, disse agli dei che, se gli avessero fatto vincere un’ultima battaglia, avrebbe gettato nel fuoco tutte le sue armi e avrebbe iniziato una vita più tranquilla. La fortuna fu dalla sua parte: sconfisse un gran numero di nemici e il suo esercito ottenne una vittoria schiacciante.La sera, accanto al falò, il soldato buttò tra le fiamme la spada, lo scudo, l’arco con tutte le frecce e quante altre armi possedeva. Rimase solo la tromba, con cui suonava la carica. La tromba, spaventata a morte, gli disse: “Non buttarmi nel fuoco! Io non ho mai fatto male a nessuno: non lancio dardi né trapasso le armature. Ho solo chiamato a raccolta i soldati e suonato l’inizio di ogni battaglia, non merito di morire”. Il soldato pensò a quelle parole, poi la buttò tra le fiamme dicendo: “Tu sei molto peggiore di tutte le altre armi: non puoi fare del male a nessuno, ma il tuo suono rende gli altri malvagi e, a pensarci bene, uccide più di una spada e di una freccia”

(Cultura Cattolica) Dopo Lepanto continua la lotta tra l'impero ottomano e l'Europa cristiana. Ma questa volta la vittoria sarà decisiva, grazie all'abilità di un grande condottiero, Eugenio di Savoia, alle doti diplomatiche di papa Innocenzo XI e padre Marco d’Aviano e soprattutto all'alleanza delle grandi forze Europee unite nel nome della fede cristiana.

An Airman at Aviano, finds his family, through adoption.

A transportation Airman at Aviano delivers everything from equipment to people.

Liquid Oxygen allows pilots to fly at high altitudes.

The principal of Aviano's elementary school explains the importance of STEM.

An Aviano airman shares her body building experience.

On today's Air Force Report Staff Sergeant Traci Keller tells us about how airmen at Aviano Air Base ready themselves to deploy.