Podcasts about cadets

The first wildfire survivor to start rebuilding her home in Altadena is full of optimism. LA County celebrates its first all-female class of formerly incarcerated firefighters. Los Angeles seeks solutions to keep free day care centers open. Plus, more. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!Support the show: https://laist.com

Battle Ground High School cadets Charlie Weiner and Jeremiah Norwood have been selected for the prestigious Air Force Flight Academy this summer. Learn more about this achievement and what it means for their aviation careers at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/sixth-year-in-a-row-bghs-cadets-earn-coveted-flight-academy-spots/ on www.ClarkCountyToday.com #localnews #ClarkCountyWa #BattleGround #AFJROTC #FlightAcademy #aviationtraining #youthachievement

What does it take to complete Canada's "Top Gun", the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course? What is it like to deploy to Bosnia or take part in the bombing campaign in Kosovo with real air-to-air and ground-to-air threats? What does it take to coordinate strikes in Afghanistan? How are we shifting from a counter-insurgency to peer-to-peer warfighting mentality? Today we have Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny, Commander of the RCAF on the show to discuss all these things and much more. Eric has 2900 flying hours, 2200 of which are on the CF-188 Hornet. He has been there and done that at the pointy end as well as from a command perspective. Join us today for a great discussion on his career as we lead up to a discussion on the RCAF as a whole!

What did it take to get the Pasisade Fires under control in LA County, California in the winter of 2025? How does aerial firefighting compare in Quebec and California? In this final part of our 2 part series on aerial firefighting, we sit down once again with aerial firefighter Pascal Duclos. Pascal has been fighting fires across Canada and the United States for many years, but this year he encountered conditions he had never previously seen. Tune in today to hear about bringing the LA County fires under control, as well as comparing firefighting in California and Quebec!

This is a conversation to kick off the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Retired U.S. Army Major General and history buff, Bill Rapp, drops some knowledge on how the colonies weren't exactly gung-ho for a full-blown revolution before April 1775. Turns out, they were mostly ticked off and feeling rebellious in response to intolerable British policies. But a tense situation and an itchy trigger finger set it off. The episode covers the action-packed Battles of Lexington and Concord, George Washington taking charge of the Continental Army, the intense Battle of Bunker Hill (which was actually fought on Breed's Hill), and the clever move at Dorchester Heights that sent the British packing from Boston. William “Bill” Rapp is a retired Major General of the United States Army with 33 years of distinguished service which included combat deployments in three wars, two Defense Service Medals, two Bronze Star Medals, Master Parachutist and Ranger tabs. He was not only a respected Army officer, but also a leadership developer who served as Commandant of the Army War College and Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point.  In over 42 months in combat, Bill led an airborne engineer company in the first Gulf War, commanded a 3,000-soldier brigade in the Iraq War, served as General Petraeus' personal assistant during the Iraq Surge, and commanded over 17,000 troops supplying all resource needs of the 160,000 U.S. and international force in Afghanistan in 2011-12. He also served as the Army's senior liaison to the U.S. Congress. Bill holds a PhD in Political Science from Stanford University and is the author of the book about the Boston Campaign of the American Revolutionary War titled Accomplishing the Impossible: Leadership That Launched Revolutionary Change. He now consults and teaches on leadership and is working on his second book on Sioux and Cheyenne leadership at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chuck thinks the service academies are going to have a tougher time than ever maintaining a high level of play in the new era of CFB. Chuck and Heath discuss the chain reaction still underway as a result of Nico Iamaleava's move to UCLA. Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer sizes up the Tigers latest portal acquisitions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. military teaches recruits to function together as a well-oiled machine—and for young people who dream of joining the most elite forces, it requires discipline, commitment, and loyalty, not to mention the courage to put yourself in harm's way for the greater good. For the ones with the deepest commitment, there has to be a fire in the belly that drives them to keep their eye on the prize, no matter what the risks. Most of the time this sets the stage for great achievements. But sometimes, the personality type that lends itself to flawless dedication can teeter over the line into feverish obsession. Where's the line? When you've cultivated a “failure is not an option” attitude your entire life, how do you put the brakes on when that determination starts to bleed into your personal relationships? Join us for the story of one of the most infamous killer couples of the 1990s: Diane Zamora and David Graham. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets go on sale February 7: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRESources:Blind Love by Peter MeyerTexas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth: https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-killer-cadets/A&E's "American Justice," 2000: "Duty, Honor, Murder"Follow us, campers!Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfirehttps://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/Facebook: True Crime CampfireInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=enTwitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfireEmail: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.comMERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

What was it like to deploy to Los Angeles and fight the infamous fires of the winter of 2025? What does it take to hit the fires with precision every time? How difficult is it to scoop from a heavy sea state on the ocean, or from tight quarters in a California reservoir? In this episode we sit down with aerial firefighter Pascal Duclos. Pascal has been fighting fires across Canada and the United States for many years, but this year he encountered conditions he had never previously seen. Tune in today to hear about what it takes to be an aerial firefighter, as well as fighting the fires of LA County!

Floresville High School's Air Force Junior ROTC cadets competed April 5 in the Hal Aaron Memorial Drill Competition in Austin and came home with several honors. The team brought home first place in Sabres Regulation Drill, second in Color Guard, and third in Mixed Physical Fitness. The teams are under the direction of aerospace science instructors Master Sgt. Manuel Gamboa and Maj. Morshe Araujo. •First-place Sabres Regulation Drill team — Joel Mora, Kaideyn Striegel, Maddison Prater, Cadet Commander Victoria Bauer, Callie Gurganus, Abigail Valdez, and Bently Roberts •Color Guard Team, second place — Paul Turner, Joshua Simmons, Ariel Casanova, and...Article Link

What modernization projects and new aircraft is the RCAF getting? Why does the RCAF need a warfighting focus moving forward? Major-General Chris McKenna has over 2600 flying hours and is currently the Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, or 1 CAD. In this episode we'll talk about the exciting new modernization projects and aircraft that are coming online in the near future (or are already here) like the MQ9B SkyGuardian and the CF35A Lightning, as well as the new focus on warfighting for the RCAF, with a particular focus on lethality, interoperability, and survivability. Finally, we'll take some questions from the audience! Tune in today!

Yesterday on The Conversation Hour we heard a first-hand account from a former police officer about the mental and emotional toll of serving in the force — and today and today Victoria's Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent has confirmed to Raf on Mornings that he will not apply for the top job reflecting on the demands of a 24/7 job. So what does it take to attract and retain new officers and how would you feel about your kids joining the force.Also in this edition of The Conversation Hour we talk what matters to young people in the upcoming election and ask just how effective are cat curfews.

What is it like to deploy as the Task Force Commander for a violent mission in Mali? What difficulties does working with the UN bring? What is it like to be the Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, or 1 CAD, and have 5 different official jobs? What modernization projects and new aircraft is the RCAF getting? Major-General Chris McKenna has over 2600 flying hours and is currently the Commander of 1 CAD. In this episode we'll talk about his time in Mali, his time as the Commander of 1 Wing and his current position as Commander 1 CAD. We'll also begin our talk about the amazing new modernization projects and aircraft that are coming online in the near future (or are already here)! Tune in today!

L'engagement des jeunes dans des activités éducatives et citoyennes est un enjeu majeur pour la société. Parmi ces initiatives, il existe un programme destiné aux jeunes de 12 à 16 ans qui leur offre l'opportunité de découvrir le monde militaire tout en développant des compétences utiles pour leur avenir personnel et professionnel : ce sont les Cadets de la défense. Avec : - Colonel Bertrand, délégué militaire départemental du Var - Georges Hubert, président de A.S.O.R. 44 - Association des Sous-Officiers de Réserve de NantesDistribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Madison Peele is an Assistant Sports Performance Coach at the University of Southern California. Peele joined the Trojans in 2022 where she works with the beach volleyball, women's tennis, women's water polo, women's cross country, and men's cross-country programs. Peele arrived at USC, after completing a Graduate Assistant position at Florida State University. She first began as a student intern coach in 2020 and before being promoted to a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach working with the Olympic sports. During her time as FSU she was also heavily involved on the sports science side of performance, serving as a graduate research assistant from one year in addition to working as a tactical strength coach with Florida State's ROTC program and Bravo Company's Cadets. She started her career as a student volunteer at East Carolina in 2019 and from there interned as a tactical strength coach at Fort Bragg assisting with the training for combat engineers, intelligence, combat support and the 1-7 air defense artillery Soldiers. Peele is active herself in and out of the weight room. She's lifts 3-4x a week trying out new exercises, methods, and programs, and runs 5-6x a week, trying to accomplish new challenges and goals she has set for herself, while balancing the rigors of the collegiate coaching schedule. She is an avid lifter and enjoys painting, surfing, and hanging out with her 2 dogs when she is not training in the weight room. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

What is it like to deploy to Kandahar City, Afghanistan with JTF2 as a young officer in the RCAF? What about to return flying the CH-147D Chinook? Major-General Chris McKenna has over 2600 flying hours and is currently the Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, or 1 CAD. In this episode we'll talk about his early flight training, his deployments to Afghanistan, as well as his time as the Commanding Officer of 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron flying the CH-147F Chinook. Tune in today!

If you're a homeschooling parent looking for a unique way to build leadership, confidence, and real-world skills in your child, you'll love learning about the Sea Cadets. Today we're joined by Rear Adm. Andrew Lennon, U.S. Navy (retired), Executive Director of Sea Cadets, to talk about why more homeschooling families are getting involved. Find the show notes at https://www.4onemore.com/304

What is it like to survive a mid-air collision with the Snowbirds? What does it feel like to join an Aurora crew on operations in the Mediterranean Sea for Op Sharp Guard? What does it take to make the jump from publisher to having an aviation podcast network?  Today, we sit down with renowned air-to-air photographer and publisher Mike Reyno to discuss his many adventures and experiences in air-to-air photography and beyond.

Ce nouvel épisode de "Brèves de Quartier, le podcast" poursuit ses balades au milieu des allées du festival Rue des Livres, qui s'est tenu les 15 et 16 mars 2025 aux Cadets de Bretagne. Jules et Gwellaouen sont allés à la rencontre de Johann Le Berre, illustrateur. Il a réalisé une bande dessinée aux Editions de l'Œuf intitulée "Tziganes, le paradis des yeux". Il contient un cd de musiques. En écoutant l'épisode vous découvrirez de quel groupe il s'agit.

Ce nouvel épisode de "Brèves de Quartier, le podcast" continue sa balade dans les allées du Festival Rue des Livres, qui a eu lieu les 15 et 16 mars 2025 aux Cadets de Bretagne. Anne, Nicolas M. et Nicolas G. sont allés questionner Alizée Gau et Leslie Tanguy, mais aussi une jeune libraire, Lisa, la fondatrice de Louison Carton, Lucie, et la patronne des éditions Touche d'Ancre, Aude. Bonne écoutée !

Ce nouvel épisode de Brèves de Quartier, le podcast est consacré à la 17e édition du Festival Rue des Livres. Elle a eu lieu les 15 et 16 mars 2025 aux Cadets de Bretagne à Rennes. Marius est allé à la rencontre de deux auteurs, Georges Guitton et Hugo Chereul, mais aussi d'un artiste Ar Furlukin et d'un festivalier, Jocelyn. Bonne écoute !

It was a night of glitz, glamour, and a masquerade for Floresville Air Force Junior ROTC members Feb. 22 at their annual military ball. The masquerade-themed event was held at the Floresville Event Center, hosted by Maj. (Ret.) Morshe Araujo, senior Aerospace Science instructor; and Master Sgt. (Ret.) Manuel Gamboa, Aerospace Science instructor. Floresville Mayor Gloria Morales Cantu was in attendance, along with Dr. Jason Gilstrap, Floresville Independent School District superintendent; and Floresville High School Principal Holden Barrett. The evening included a poignant POW/MIA ceremony, recognition of seniors, and the presentation of the corps' royal court. Court members include Jester...Article Link

Earthling and Venusian are marooned.Based on the post by x sociate23, in 3 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.Space Cadet Curt Cockman stood at rigid attention so that his commanding officer could conduct her rigorous inspection. Captain Bunny Bendover (pronounced Benover, for the D was silent;) was a stern but fair Commanding Officer. She also happened to be hotter than a coronal run around Sol.Tall, blonde and shapely in her silver Space Command uniform; she was a total dick magnet. She walked stiffly around the much taller cadet, eying his well-muscled physique beneath his skintight uniform. As usual, not so much as a hair out of place. At twenty-three and fresh out of the Space Ranger Academy, the ruggedly handsome Cockman was a poster child for that much venerated group of space-faring men and women.As the captain came to stand in front of him, it took all of Cockman's concentration not to look down at the mostly unzipped front of her waistcoat officer's uniform. The twin swells of her tits hung just below his gaze, which never wavered as she stared him down with her piercing blue eyes. It was no accident how she chose to wear her wardrobe. Nothing like a nice set of tits to test the discipline of a bunch of horny wanna-be spacemen."Present arm!" she belted out, her bosom bouncing slightly as she did so.The cadet whipped out his ‘pistol', for inspection, with military precision. The captain reached down, running a gloved finger along the shaft of the weapon. The white finger was free of smudges. Taking hold of the handle, she pivoted it from side to side to check for any unnatural curving. She lifted it up to check the magazine, tilted it down to check the sights. Satisfied, she knelt down and placed the bulbous barrel between her lips.Cockman closed his eyes as his superior's superb mouth began to 'check the charge on his ray gun'. Bunny Benover hadn't gotten the nickname of Cap'n Cocksucker for nothing. Cadets who came under her command would also cum on her command.Those in her unit said she found a penis preference for she would get their units "inspected" several times a week; and Cockman was one such enlistee. Her frequent fellatio fraternization was unofficially tolerated because she was the daughter of a well-known general. It was also a boost to morale and cadet recruitment. Many young men would sign on for a hitch, just for a chance at receiving a blowjob bonus courtesy of the busty blonde captain.Cockman chanced a glance down to watch the master a work."Eyes fwunt, Cabet!" she mumbled around her mouthful. For the next several minutes, the only sounds in the room were the ticking of a wall chronometer and sucking noises. At length she released him long enough to gasp out, "At ease!"Cockman went in parade rest stance with his feet shoulder-width apart, and hands clasped behind his back. Now they could both enjoy the inspection and he looked down. He was rewarded with the sight of her red lips raking down the length of his cock. She looked up at him, her blue eyes now twinkling with lust as she began to suck him harder, her cheeks hallowed and lips stretched around his girth. Her gripped tightened as she practically fucked her face with his cock. She backed off gasping, a strand of spit stringing from his tip to her lips."Enjoying your inspection?" she asked huskily, swirling her tongue around his head."Ye-Yes, Ma'am!" he gasped as she teased his tip."Well, I'm afraid this will be your last for a while," she sighed, sucking him for nearly a full minute before she continued, "You've been reassigned to a patrol squadron.""I understand, Ma'am," he answered, his voice a mix of excitement and disappointment. He had always dreamed of being a rocket pilot, but he was also going to miss getting his pipes cleaned on a regular basis."And since this will be our last session and your service..." she said, giving his cock an appreciative lick, "...has been exemplary, I've decided to give you a proper sendoff.""Not necessary, Ma'am. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve under your command.""Be that as it may, I believe you deserve a reward for service above and beyond the call of duty."Standing, she leaned up to shove her tongue in his mouth.To say that Cockman was surprised would have been the understatement of the twenty-second century. Despite the literal dozens of times she had blown him, she had never once kissed him or any other cadet, as far as he knew. Nevertheless, he responded as any healthy male would, by kissing her back, his hands encircling her waist to pull her closer.Her hands, meanwhile, reached to slowly unzip her tunic. When the zipper reached her navel, her sizable tits fell out of the flimsy garment. Breaking the kiss, she offered one to him and he took the ruddy nipple into his mouth, his tongue playing across the hardened tip. He reached up to caress and squeeze as he pulled more of her tender flesh in. Bunny ran her hands through his dark hair, moaning as he moved to mouth the other tit.Her manicured fingers tugged at the zipper of his jacket; he shrugged out of it as she fumbled with his belt, his lips still glued to her tits. His pants dropped in a heap around his heavy space boots. By now her tits were practically coated with his saliva, glistening in the bright overhead lighting.Pulling him up into a kiss, she quickly shed her own slacks. Cockman noted with a smile deep in the corners of his mouth that she had gone commando for the occasion as she shimmied her round ass onto the edge of the desk, a sweep of her arm clearing it so that she could lay back. Her legs spread out and up, invitingly; her hands rubbing up and down her inner thighs. Cockman could see she was already dripping as she addressed him."Drop and give me twenty, Cadet!" she said breathlessly.Cockman dropped to his knees, burying his face in her sex. He mouthed her puffy flesh, his tongue sinking deep inside her hole. She moaned, grabbing his head to force his face deeper. He began to finger her, first one digit, then two as his tongue slid across her clit in waves, pinging her radar over and over. His fingers hit her little red button and she howled like a 20th century air raid siren. Cockman kept going, his mouth and fingers flanking her trench line."Oh, God! Oh, eat my Twat, baby!" she hissed through clenched teeth, grinding her slit in his mouth. Her dirty talk turned him on and he redoubled his efforts, furiously fingering her, his teeth savagely pulling at her clit. She was writhing and screaming, cursing at him to eat her alive. At exactly the twenty minute mark, she commanded he stand down, her body still convulsing from his gratuitous feasting. She recovered, then sat up.As he stood, she leaned forward, and reached both hands around his neck then pulled him down to her, crushing her lips to his as she pulled him on top of her."Fuck me, Curt!" she begged. Cockman's arms were extended down to the surface of the desk. Captain Benover's legs were wrapped around his naked ass.Again, Cockman was surprised. He didn't think she knew he even had a first name, let alone what it was. He was also now fully aware of what it was he was being offered. As the name would suggest, Captain Cocksucker was pretty liberal with her mouth but was very conservative with her cunt. You could probably count on one hand the number of men who'd gotten to pound her Twat. Now Cockman was literally being allowed entrance into that illustrious group, and his cock stiffened further at the thought that he was about to bone the infamous Bunny Benover.He stood erect and slipped his hardness slowly into her soft folds, Bunny whimpering as he buried himself in her box. He began to pump gently, savoring her tight twat. His large cock seemed to stretch her hole as he stabbed into her a couple times forcefully. She pushed him back, now draping her legs over his shoulders as she sighed out a command."Double time, Cadet!"Grabbing her waist, Cockman began thrusting and was soon slamming into her, hard enough to make her tits bounce with each impact. He wrapped an arm around each thigh and used her legs to leverage firm thrust into her wet hot crotch. He spread her legs wide so he could look down, wanting a mental picture of his “Cockman's Brand Sausage” slipping into her sweet bun. The captain was grunting, squeezing and pinching her tits as the cadet bored her canal good.She pushed him off her and turned away. True to her namesake, she stood, then rotated and bent over the desk, reaching down to spread her labia with two fingers, signaling him for reentry. Cockman wasted no time in landing his missile back into her silo. Grasping her thick hips, he launched his warhead at her target repeatedly, tightly packing her torpedo tube for a good five minutes before fatigue set in.Feeling his cartridge firmly lodged in the chamber, he slowed his assault on her rearguard. He wanted to make this momentous mounting last. Bunny was wailing, his massive ICBM sending red alerts to her control center.After another ten minutes of giving her a D that was not silent, the urge to pop flare became too great. Per standing orders, he notified his C O of his pending need for extraction. Shoving him away, she slid off and sank to her knees, then spun around to swallow his now overly sensitive member. She slobbered his schlong, her blond head bouncing on his boner.Slipping off for a moment, she offered; "You wanna cum in my mouth, baby?" she cooed. It would be another first for Cockman."Uh huh!" he croaked, his legs trembling.She shifted into full slut mode, slamming his cock to the back of her throat. Taking hold of his ass, she gagged herself, coughed around his cock as it sank deeper still. He felt ignition, barely blurting out a warning as his booster rockets fired.Like the professional cocksucker she was, Bunny didn't bat an eyelash, sinfully swallowing his spaceman spunk. Cockman groaned as he emptied his balls into her guzzling gullet. Captain Benover slowly pulled him out of her throat just long enough to exhale, then draw another nasal breath. Then she pressed her mouth against his furry pelvis and took his rod beck down her throat again. This went on for a couple minutes, her tongue rubbing his frenulum rhythmically. She didn't cease her sucking until his thoroughly deflated dong fell from her sore lips.Cockman looked down at his cumslut of a commanding officer. A bead of seminal fluid trickled from her lips as she dreamily smiled up at him.'Man, the guys back in the barracks would never believe me', he thought to himself as she rose to kiss him full on the mouth. He could taste his jizz on her invasive tongue."Don't be a stranger, Cadet," she whispered, stroking his manhood once more.Cadet Cockman exited the office a couple of minutes later.A sandy haired sergeant sat in the anteroom. His hands shot from under the desk to hurriedly flip a switch on the vidphone on his desk. All the same, Cockman was still able to make out the split-second image of the interior of Bunny's office on the screen.'I'll have to ask for a copy of that tape,' he thought wickedly as he headed for the mess hall, suddenly ravenous.The Transfer.The reflective hull of the X-23 gleamed in the noonday sun as its launch platform was towed from the hangar, the parting doors giving the phallic-shaped spacecraft the suggestion of spreading the lips of a giant silver cunt. The ship measured sixty meters from tip to turbo booster, its fuselage nearly cylindrical for most of that length. Unlike most modern spacecraft, the X-23 was outfitted with a set of wings and tailfins. These would be useless in the airless vacuum of space but when combined with the powerful engines, the plane-like design would allow the craft to take off and land without requiring an orbital booster.It was also one of the first fighters equipped with a hyperspace drive. This addition meant that it could be more accurately classified as a starship, rather than a mere spaceship, since it could travel between distant stars without the need to be tied to a heavier cruiser or frigate.But the feature that truly made the X-23 stand out were the neat rows of studs along its fuselage. Each of these grapefruit-sized half spheres contained a small thruster and these could be fired in sequence to perform any number of precise maneuvers in the frictionless void of space. The egg-shaped cockpit where the two pilots sat only added to the ship's unofficial motto: 'Ribbed for her pleasure.'Cadet Cockman hung back a safe distance to watch the launch platform incline the craft to the required forty-five-degree angle. Soon it stood like a giant winged dildo ready to penetrate the wild blue yonder.Feeling a slap on the shoulder, Cockman turned to find Cadet Billy Haney standing next to him. The two had gone through the Academy together and Bill was now in charge of the ground crew for the flight squadron. It felt good for Cockman to know that his soon to be fighter was in good, if a bit neurotic, hands."How's it hanging', Cockman?" Bill said, shaking hands with the much taller man."Long, lean and to the left," Cockman deadpanned but then both of them burst into laughter at the inside joke."Ain't she a beauty?" beamed the other, gesturing to the ship. Cockman nodded knowingly."A fine ship if I ever saw one.""Ever fly her?""Only sim," Cockman admitted timidly."No worries, CC. She ain't much different from the twenty-two unless you count the jump drive. Besides, wasn't it you who bagged Sheila Neutrino our senior year? Anyone who can handle that hydrazine in heels can certainly handle this baby."Bill playfully punched in pal in the arm. The mention of Sheila brought up fond memories of giving her the 'Cockman Special' in the null-g simulator."Who's my co-pilot?" Cockman asked, shaking the image of zero-g jugs from his mind as a set of stairs was wheeled up to the spacecraft, "You met him yet?""Here she comes now, as a matter of fact," Bill said, staring at the far end of the tarmac."She?" Cockman asked, following his gaze.The approaching figure was still far enough away that the heat rising from the flattop distorted the image. As it grew closer, the curving waves stopped wavering and stayed curvy. She wore an outfit similar to Captain Benover but with the tunic fully zipped to the wide collar. In spite of that, the tight-fitting uniform could not conceal the fact that she was generously round in all the right places. She walked with a military cadence, her hips swaying and bosom bouncing slightly with each step. Cockman saw a cadet behind her nearly wreck the cargo mover he was driving, so intent was he in looking at what could only be assumed was a very nice ass.The advancing hottie was also different from Bunny in that instead of blond hair and tanned skin, this babe had blue skin and purple hair which was tied back into a tight regulation bun. A Venusian, Cockman realized. She had on mirrored aviators' glasses and as she neared, he peeped the lieutenant pips on her collar. Both he and Bill snapped to attention."As you were," she said as she reached up to remove the shades. The voice had an almost musical quality to it and Cockman remembered reading somewhere about Venusian vocal harmonies. He also noted that her fingers were partially webbed and had no nails. Her heart shaped mouth was as dark and full as a bushel of fresh blueberriesBut it was the eyes that really drew his attention. They were the type you got lost in, such a deep shade of green they looked like two emerald circlets floating in a clear blue sky."Cadet Cockman, I'd like to introduce you to Lieutenant  Eza LuNar," Bill said with the emphasis on 'nar', "She'll be your astrogator for the flight.""Ma'am," Cockman said, nodding. Those lovely green eyes looked him up and down, an unimpressed look on her bluish face."You are my pilot?" she harrumphed.'Oh boy', he thought as he said, "Yes, Ma'am.""How much flight time do you have, Cadet?" she asked indifferently."Over fifteen hundred hours, Ma'am." He wasn't about to tell her that some of that time was spent giving a new meaning to the term 'cockpit'. She eyed him up and down again, perhaps a bit differently this time, he noticed and then turned to Bill."Are we ready for a system check, Cadet?" she lisped."Ready as she'll ever be, Ma'am," he replied smartly.When the lieutenant turned her back of the pair to move towards the ship, Bill silently got Cockman's attention, making hour glass motions in the air with his hands as he mouthed the word 'wow!'. They followed after her and as they neared, Cockman spotted on the side of the cockpit a cartoon Venusian in a Pinup girl pose, riding side saddle on an even more conspicuously phallic shaped rocket. The string bikini she wore barely covered her overly large blue tits and she was winking suggestively as she saluted. He grimaced as he red the caption beneath: 'Feels so good even a Venus girl will like it!'Lieutenant  LuNar halted when she too noticed the caricature and glared at Bill, her green eyes sparking with anger."I'll have that removed at the next servicing Ma'am," he gulped."See that you do, Cadet," she hissed.They came to the foot of the stairs and Bill motioned for them to ascend. As was customary, the lieutenant went first with Cockman following a step or two behind her. He was okay with the arrangement since he gave me a chance to check out what was indeed a nice round ass as they climbed. Near the top of the stairs, the Venusian's heel came down on a smear of grease that had been carelessly left on a tread. Her foot slipped from under her and she fell back with a yelp of surprise.Cockman's strong arm shot out, catching the full weight of her beneath her shoulder blades, his left hand grasping the railing to keep them both from falling. Lieutenant  LuNar's flailing limbs wrapped around his neck. Their faces were very close and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment. From this close, he saw that her eyes were in fact not completely green but streaked with bands of gold. The pupils were also partially slitted, dilating as he looked into them."Tha-thank you, Cadet," she said breathlessly."My pleasure, Lieutenant."He smiled down at her and saw her skin darken, wondering if it were the Venusian equivalent of blushing. She seemed to all at once remember where they were and composed herself as Cockman helped her to her feet."See that you have these stairs cleaned properly, Cadet!" she yelled at Bill."Yes, Ma'am!" he replied with a crisp salute.Once the lieutenant was safely onboard, Cockman turned to Bill to wave farewell. The cocky cadet returned the gesture before leaning over to emulate the former's dramatic rescue, complete with exaggerated kissy faces and tongue action. Cockman just shook his head, giving his buddy the one finger salute as he ducked into the hatch.

In this special episode of Long Blue Leadership, we present our Long Blue Line Podcast Network coverage of National Character and Leadership Symposium 2025. ----more---- SUMMARY The theme for this year's symposium was “Warfighters to Win.” Cadets heard from leaders who model the warrior spirit of our Air Force and Space Force. Host, Ted Robertson, Multimedia and Podcast Specialist for the Air Force Academy Association of Graduates and Foundation, spoke with organizers, speakers, and panelists who came to NCLS from all across the military and academia.   OUR GUESTS FOR THIS EPISODE SEGMENT 1 Topic:  a look inside CCLD, the annual production of NCLS, and a preview of who is guesting in this podcast. Ms. Danielle Brines NCLS Program Director Dr. Michele Johnson NCLS Speaker Engagement Team Lead SEGMENT 2 Topic:  the thinking behind NCLS and how the Academy and cadets benefit and gain from the event and year-round programs. Dr. Doug Lindsay '92 Executive Editor, Journal of Character and Leadership Development Author, In Your Moment:  Mastering Your Leadership Thresholds    SEGMENT 3 Topic:  Sharing their journeys to careers in support of Strike Eagle Squadrons. 1st Lt. Gabrielle "DARE" Sutedjo '21 Intelligence Analyst for the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB supporting four Strike Eagle squadrons. Capt. Joel Zamot '18 Lead Weapons Systems Officer, 335th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB supporting four Strike Eagle squadrons.   SEGMENT 4 Topic:  Task Force Hope:  Crisis Leadership and Moral Injury Recovery. Task Force (TF) Hope equips participants with the tools to face adversity head-on, lead decisively through crisis, and recover with resilience from the lasting weight of moral injuries. Forged in the crucible of operational challenges, it embodies 14 years of relentless refinement, evolving from a 2010 Squadron Officer School (SOS) paper into a powerful SOS elective and further sharpened by the innovative rigor of the 2020 SOS Think Tank. Tested and validated by over 2,000 Air Force captains, three academic years of Air War College students and faculty, the 55th Operations Group Global Squadron Command Summit, and multiple Air Force, Army, and USSOF units, TF Hope empowers leaders to master their craft, make bold decisions amidst uncertainty, and outpace the chaos of crisis. The resounding feedback from participants underscores its impact: “Why didn't I hear this earlier in my career?” Col. Jonathan Sawtelle Founder of Task Force Hope Air Force Weather Career Field Manager at Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington D.C. Lt. Col. Brandon Murphy '07 Director of Operations for the 306th Operations Support Squadron at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Maj. Tara Holmes Chief of Cadet Development at the Center for Character and Leadership Development at the U.S. Air Force Academy.   SEGMENT 5 Dr. John Torres '82 Topic:  "No Excuses." Dr. John Torres is a self-described “Air Force brat” who graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982. His 32-year military career in the Air Force included active duty as a C-130 Hercules pilot and service in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve as a flight surgeon. His military service also included a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004, as well as rescue missions at the South Pole and in response to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Leveraging his combined medical and military experience, Torres helped establish training courses for NATO Special Forces soldiers to ensure a high level of consistency across various nations, languages and cultures.   SEGMENT 6 Topic:  Preview of our interview with the four winners of the Capt. Sullenberger Award for Courage. The podcast was hosted by Bryan Grossman, Association of Graduates and Foundation Senior Director of Communications. Publication is set for March 13-16, 2025. Capt. Claire Eddins, USAFA '18 Capt. Carla Nava, USAFA '18 Capt. Logan Cowan, USAFA ‘18 Capt. Kyle Abraham, USAFA '19, All warfighter graduates distinguished themselves in what has been called the largest air-to-air engagement in over 50 years when they helped turn away Iran's April 2024 attack against Israel. Their extraordinary airmanship contributed greatly to preserving regional stability, protecting Coalition forces, and saving countless civilian lives." Copy Credit:  USAFA Superintendent's Office     VIEW THE FULL VIDEO PLAYLIST OF ALL SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS           The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

Tune in to this episode for an exciting announcement about the podcast! Following that, we will sit down with renowned air-to-air photographer and publisher Mike Reyno. What is it like to work extensively with the RCAF conducting air-to-air photography with every Squadron in the RCAF? What does it take to get the perfect shot - and what gets you noticed by a publisher? We will talk about this and much more on today's episode of The Pilot Project Podcast.

In this episode, Payton and Garrett dive into the chilling case of Adrienne Jones, a teenager who vanished after sneaking out —only to meet a tragic fate. Links- NEW MERCH: https://mwmhshop.com Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/themwmh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murderwithmyhusband/ Discount Codes: https://mailchi.mp/c6f48670aeac/oh-no-media-discount-codes Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@murderwithmyhusband Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-dark/id1662304327 Listen on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36SDVKB2MEWpFGVs9kRgQ7?si=f5224c9fd99542a7 Case Sources- Oxygen.com - https://www.oxygen.com/prosecuting-evil-with-kelly-siegler/crime-news/diane-zamora-david-graham-murdered-adrianne-jones DailyMail.co.uk - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5987673/Woman-fatal-Texas-teen-love-triangle-loses-court-appeal.html DenverPost.com - https://www.denverpost.com/2008/02/10/former-air-force-cadet-expresses-remorse-for-1995-slaying-of-teen/ Murderpedia.org - https://murderpedia.org/female.Z/z/zamora-diane.htm NBCNews.com -  https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17965475 Sportskeeda.com - https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/who-killed-adrianne-jones-details-explored-ahead-people-magazine-investigates-id People.com - https://people.com/crime/diane-zamora-speaks-adrianne-jones-murder/ InvestigationDiscovery.com - https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/the-texas-cadet-killers-revisiting-the-adrianne-jones-murder TexasMonthly.com - https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-killer-cadets/ DallasObserver.com - https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/love-is-a-killer-6403303 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colonel Winton ‘Dip' Spiller comes to the podcast via a connection with Paul's dad Larry (Episode 9). Colonel Winton Spiller was born in Hanover, Virginia and grew up in the Richmond area, mostly on a farm in Henrico County. They talked about how he got his nickname Dip, what his schedule was like growing up on a farm and him remembering when they first got a television. Dip graduated high school and went to Virginia Tech and was in the Corps of Cadets. They discussed his likes and dislikes about being in the Corps at VaTech and how he became active duty United States Army after he graduated in 1960. Dip and Paul spoke about his thirty year career in the U.S. Army which included two tours of duty in Vietnam during the war. They discussed his progression through the ranks, his times in Vietnam as well as some of his state side assignments. They finished by talking about his four sons and his grandchildren.

What is it like to be an RCAF aircrew service couple? Paul is a CH-149 Cormorant pilot and McKayla is a retired ACSO who flew on the CP-140M Aurora. Hear all about their experience as a service couple from dating at RMC to the trials of being unmarried and long-distance, to finally the ups and downs of being a married service couple in two busy trades. Join us today on The Pilot Project Podcast to hear all about their story!

Christopher Kolakowski, director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and editor of Tenth Army Commander: The World War II Diary of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., joins the show to discuss the most senior U.S. officer killed by enemy action in WWII, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.  ▪️ Times      •      01:44 Introduction     •      02:15 In the shadows     •     03:53 Fathers and sons      •      06:28 Childhood      •      09:30 West Point Commandant of Cadets        •      16:03 Alaska '41     •      20:18 The Japanese threat      •      24:20 10th Army        •      29:03 Notes for an unwritten memoir     •      31:02 Operation Causeway     •      35:47 Okinawa     •      41:52 Attrition     •      43:50 Another Anzio?     •      50:57 Homeward bound Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Jim Jones has over 50 years of baseball coaching experience at the youth, high school, college, semi-pro and international levels. He served as assistant coach at Stanford University before becoming head coach at the University of Wyoming and St. Mary's College (CA). Presently he is retired from teaching, is assistant golf coach at Oregon Tech and is PastPresident of International Sports Group, Inc. In 1991, Jim began his international experience by becoming coach in residence in Czechoslovakia as part of a joint IBA-MLBI program. Following that “Lone Ranger” assignment, he served with Bill Arce as MLBI's Co-coordinator of Game Development in Europe. His duties there allowed him to over-see the selection and evaluation of Envoy Coaches assigned to various European federations as well as overseeing many of MLBI's winter coaches' clinics. When his MLB duties took him further away from the baseball field and into the administration offices, Jim decided he wanted to return to activities that allowed him to work directly with European coaches and players. That desire allowed him to take a new path in international baseball. Since that return to the field, he has worked with baseball federations in the Czech Republic, France, Spain, Holland, Croatia and Portugal. He has served as an instructor, manager and assistant coach at all levels from Cadets through the Senior level of play. At the 2006 European Baseball Coaches Association's winter convention, Jim received EBCA's Achievement Award in recognition of his work in European Baseball since the early 1990's. He also has received MLB's Julio Puente Award for his outstanding work as an MLB Envoy Coach From 2005 to 2009, Coach Jones worked with the Spanish Baseball Federation working with coaches and players in clubs and camps - as well as serving as the pitching and catching coach from the Cadet, Junior and Senior National Teams. Following his work in Spain, Coach Jones worked 5 years with the French Baseball Academies in Toulouse, Rouen, Montpellier, Bretagne and Talence, helping them prepare for various up-coming international tournaments. During June 2010, while back in the USA, Jim served as head coach of the Armed Forces team, US9, during an exhibition tour in Western Wisconsin. An additional international opportunity arose in 1998 when he joined with Bill Arce and International Sports Group to take over the administration of the winter baseball and softball clinics. The demand for coaching clinics remains high in Europe and ISG is committed to fulfill that game development need with the help of outside sponsorship. Jim served as ISG's president until he chose to step back on his administrative duties. He remains as an active board member of this important organization. Jim has had the opportunity to work with players of all ages and coaches from many European countries and Canada as well as staging baseball camps in New Zealand. These experiences combine with his USA coaching to give him a strong background to help game development programs in those federations desiring outside assistance. Jim and his wife, Sally, have two grown sons, Don and Mickey and a grandson Kalliah Creek

In May 1870, James Webster Smith arrived in West Point, New York, in the hopes of becoming the first Black cadet to attend the U.S. Military Academy. While facing West Point's famously difficult curriculum, he was forced to endure an onslaught of racial prejudice from his white classmates.Hundreds of miles to the West, the buffalo soldiers of the 10th Cavalry struggled to keep the peace in Indian Territory, as white merchants and thieves preyed upon Indian tribes. And in the sun-drenched Staked Plains of the Texas Panhandle, a routine mission turned catastrophic.Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FULL Spoilers for the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros! Cadets, welcome to Battle Brief! Mia, Karly & book bestie Gill are here to break down Onyx Storm, sharing their raw reactions to the book. But most importantly, it's time to break out the tin foil hats because it's time to theorize. What really happened in the missing 12 hours? Who turned venin? And what the literal f*ck was Papa Sorrengail doing? The girls somehow came out of this book with even more questions than answers (but did get a few new ideas about how to use an armchair.) May all our souls be commended to Malek while we wait for book 4.

What is it like to be in charge of the one of Canada's largest pilot training bases? What does the future hold for pilot training in Canada, and what are we doing now to ensure our pilots are the best of the best? Colonel Dan Coutts is the current Wing Commander of 15 Wing Moose Jaw. In part 2 of our chat with him, we will discuss current and future plans for pilot flight training in Moose Jaw, we'll talk about why he continues to pursue flight even at the rank of Colonel, and we'll go into some questions from you, our listeners. Tune in today!

Experiment: Letting things take as long as they take. Walking Zoey in the ice. "Time crunched athlete" sucks. Figure things out and take back your time! Mindfully doing things, like a Japanese Tea Ceremony. If you have to come in to work, check to see if your CEO is at his/her desk too. ;) Driving in the snow to work! (Rarity in Texas) Getting old sucks, but... Dream car - Toyota Land Cruiser (for the adventure offroad) Creating buffers around your time also protects yourself from yourself. Taking time to pause and think when leaving the house so you don't forget things. Visualizing your next workout, so you don't forget things and also mentally get started on it. I like exploring, hence why I like gravel biking and 4x4 vehicles. Thoughts on older Toyota Land Cruiser vs. modern 4x4 American truck with AWD. Slow living isn't just about protecting yourself from others, it's about protecting yourself from yourself! Doing fewer things, but doing them better. So you have to decide what's most important. Asking yourself who are you doing this for. You or somebody else? "Jeffing". So mindful, so demure. ;) Slowing down helps you to stop forgetting things for your workouts, especially gear and accessories. Some good responses when people push back against you slowing down. Daily reminders to walk slowly and don't talk to much in conversations at work. How I learned to walk slowly all the way back in high school from a powerful Senior. Learning confidence through Marine Corps military school, Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, nightclub bouncer, boxing... You don't need to "be Alpha" when you already have been through stuff and know yourself and your limitations and the limitations of others. Walking meditation is cooooooool. How to do it. Being slow has a calming effect on others. Went swimming after it was 19 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Cut it short due to starting to get hypothermia. There was room on that door! (Titanic). Taking the time to put things in the right place at the right time. Exercise is the foundation block that should be "non-negotiable" I let people pass me on the road so they aren't putting pressure on me to drive faster than I want. You want to get where working out is a habit that is harder to NOT do. "Rest and Digest" IS the state of Zen Flow. Habits where you don't have to think that much keep you in "Rest and Digest" mode. Stoicism is just being tough for being's sake. Gen X stories are true. I pee before driving anywhere so I can enjoy the drive. Do hard things on purpose when it's easy. Could Native shoes be the solution for wet feet getting to work after swimming? The art of keeping your shoes from stinking by showering in them and letting the soap help out. Fenix 8 has flashlight AND voice memos! Taking bike to the shop, drinking an Athletic Brewing Co. non-alcoholic IPA. Pretty good! Why diving watches make for great sports watches - the rotating timing bezel. We have hit "peak smartwatch" and now people want to go back to basics. Training totals for the week and CTL. I broke my chainring! Must be all the powah. Advancements in show making. Typical things to use diving timer bezel for besides working out.

PodChatLive 164: Sleep & ankle instability, floating toes & athletic performance, and running injury risk in military cadets Contact us: getinvolved@podchatlive.com Links from this episode: The relationship between chronic ankle instability and sleep behaviour Association Between Running Characteristics and Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries in United States Military Academy Cadets Relationship between floating toe score and performance in track and field athletes Hoka's First-Ever Dress Shoe Is Curiously Technical Djoker blasts ‘injury experts' in social media post, reveals glaring scan

Straight From The Admissions Office: Insider Strategies For College ApplicationsIf you're looking for helpful tips and insights for the college admissions process, check out my book by clicking the links below:

Spotlighting determination and joy, Lesley reminds us that the little wins we claim can inspire major change. From a female icon in motorsports to personal shout-outs for real achievements, Lesley celebrates life's everyday triumphs. Tune in for an uplifting mantra, stories of perseverance, and a call to honor even the smallest success. Get ready to embrace possibility and make space for what fuels your growth.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Highlighting a female kart racer challenging stereotypes.Community wins in achieving personal and business goals.Embracing the hidden hustle behind outward success stories.Lesley's personal birthday reflections on growth and gratitude.A simple mantra for releasing what no longer serves you.Episode References/Links:Freya Lally on Instagram - https://beitpod.com/freyaCHANI Deck of Plenty - https://chani.com/products/the-deck-of-plenty If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS!Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox Be in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates MentorshipFREE Ditching Busy Webinar Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Follow Us on Social Media:InstagramThe Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channelFacebookLinkedInThe OPC YouTube Channel Episode Transcript:Brad Crowell 0:01  Fuck yeah. Lesley Logan 0:02  Get ready for some wins. Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:48  Hello, Be It babe. It's my birthday weekend. Thank you for listening to this podcast. It's a birthday gift to me. And if you were like, oh my God, I didn't get her anything. You know what you can do? You can leave me a review. You can show this to a friend. You can send a win in to The Be It Pod. We can shout it out. You can just say, hey, my favorite episode was x. I love all that. I want to hear that. Want to celebrate it with you. Lesley Logan 1:08  All right, so we're going to celebrate someone who inspired me this week on the interwebs. This girl is so freaking cute. This is from F1 Academy. Freya Lally makes history as the first female driver to reach the Grand Finals, securing a top 10 spot in the British Indoor Karting Championship. Let me just tell you that Freya Lally looks like she's 10 years old and she might be. It says, "How do we fuel the future of women in motorsports? It starts at events like the British Indoor Karting Championship (BIKC), the largest single motorsport competition in the world, with over 5,300 participants across categories. This year, Freya Lally made history as the only female driver ever to reach the Grand Finals, securing a top 10 finish in the Cadets and earning a fully funded Club100 championship seat, the next step on the UK karting ladder.  Freya's achievement is a testament to the growing presence of women in motorsports, with female participation in the BIKC surging 400%. In our shared mission to accelerate gender equality, The Female Quotient and F1 Academy are sparking bold conversations and taking action. Let's come together to challenge the status quo and ignite change, on and off the track." This is so cool that I wish they had said how old she is. I swear to God, I'm not lying. She looks like she's 10 years old, and I freaking love it. You guys, it takes time to make some changes. And if you are sitting here listening to this podcast and being it till you see it, and you're like, there needs to be representation here. This needs to exist. I've got to create this thing because it needs to exist. Just know that absolutely you should do it. And it takes time. And something else that I really love is we're highlighting this girl and she's not necessarily the winner. She was just in the finals. And I think I'm gonna take back my (inaudible). She's in the finals. So often, if the person's not first place, we're like, whatever. It didn't change anything. No, it changes things when someone who's not usually in the top is in the top, and we take time to celebrate that. We take time to go, oh my God, it is possible for me to make change, for me to do something different. If you're a parent for your kid to be the first of 100 to do something. All these things are really, really, really awesome and possible. And you know, we got to celebrate what did happen. That's why this episode even exists. What did you do? Right? Lesley Logan 3:14  So speaking of what you did, here we go. Let's shout out some of our FYF people of the week. Kimberly Craig is an Agency member at one of my OG eLevate grads, and I just am obsessed with her. Happy FYF, it's my 50th birthday on Tuesday, and my sister and bestie made the day phenomenal. I felt so loved and celebrated the entire day. My sister and I got matching tattoos, and they are the epitome of us and our relationship. Cute, fun, silly and sentimental. My other tattoos are hidden, so it's out of my comfort zone to get it on my hand, but I love it, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. When we clasp our hands together, they're hugging. I don't have the pic for you for this. But I did see it and it's really cute. Little tattoos are hugging. I just did my first live virtual workout of my 50 Days of Pilates sessions this summer. In honor of my milestone birthday, I'm celebrating that with the people I have. Each live workout is making more than my magic number, which is awesome because I only charged $50 for it. I had a few people join live, including a new person who said she had no idea what Pilates was, but loved it. It was so much fun. This weekend, my son is racing his first pro motocross race, and so I'm going to cheer him on and celebrate. It's been a long road getting there. He's been running for 17 years, and was the last kid in every race for about 11 of those years. If that's not a testament to baby steps and perseverance, I don't know what is. It's a great reminder that just because it doesn't look like things are happening doesn't mean they aren't changing massively. So true for life, business and your Pilates practice, Holy freaking molly. I just want to say, you guys, I read this when, months ago, when it came in. We have, obviously, we have a few. We try to get a couple every week. So I don't ever want to skip over any so I want to get them to you. But sometimes they're like, and I did not realize that I picked the go-kart girl and the same guy as the motocross kid. But check these people out. Perseverance, yes, oh my gosh. Kim Craig, your wins are always fabulous and I would just love celebrating you and happy 50th birthday. On my birthday weekend. I know, we don't have the same birthday, but we're celebrating together now. Lesley Logan 5:01  Okay. Tania Tsiora, she is an Agency, ex Agency member, and I just loved working with her. She says hello, several new clients who started this week compared to last year's. Let's see how it goes and who stays the course. In half an hour, we have, in the studio, the first teachers practice, teachers from other studios. We will be four. I'm so excited, because yesterday, one more registered for the retreat next month in Greece. We have two more spots available. Also my win for this week, it's how grateful I am to celebrate one year in Agency with you, Lesley, Brad, Kirsten, Maya, Roxy, and all of you. And how much has this helped and guided me, for both myself and the studio to grow. You know, Tania, I love that you were able to take a moment to compare yourself to yourself and go wow, this week, this week, you got more new people than it did a year ago. In a week. These are the things we have to do, especially when working towards something, because we don't realize how we are always going up. It is always growing. It's just that sometimes you go down to go up, down to go up, down to go up, but you're going up. It's like the stock market, even when it crashes, it goes back higher, right? Like it just does that. So, at any rate, thank you ladies for sharing those business wins, those personal wins, the moments in between. Like we're not waiting for perfection before we celebrate around here. No, we are not. That is the 2025 thing. We do not wait until it's over to celebrate the win. Lesley Logan 6:18  So my win, I mean, I was born this weekend. No, my win is as I literally turned 42 this weekend, don't feel older. I feel more energized. I feel more supported. I feel calmer in doing less. I feel proud of doing less. And when people go I know you're so busy, I literally say I'm not that busy. It just looks that way. What do you need? And if I can't do it, I'm like, great, here's who you need to call instead. My win is that I hope that I am the things that I've heard women who, when they turn 50 and 60, say that they no longer do because now they're 50 and 60 and they're living their best decade. I have listened ladies, and I have learned. I have observed, and I'm doing it at 42 because why wait? So my win is I listened to my elders. I made those changes now. And truthfully, I refuse to buy into the I'm getting older thing, meaning that, like time is short on this earth, and I need to rush. I don't need to rush on anything. I get to sit here with you for a couple more seconds as we read the mantra for this week. Lesley Logan 7:24  So this is back from that CHANI Deck. I release what keeps me sheltered from life. I create space for what encourages my growth. I rejoice in the ways that life emboldens my best to come forth always. I don't know why. Lately, all the mantras have been like three sentences, but they happen. So here we go. I release what keeps me sheltered from life. You could just stop right there, like that could be maybe that's the mantra you need. I create space where it encourages my growth. Create space. You guys, just because it's January doesn't mean you have to set goals yet you'd be actually just creating space. I rejoice in the ways that life emboldens my best to come forth always. I'm gonna end with that one. One more time, I rejoice in the ways that life emboldens my best to come forth. Always, you guys, I'm rejoicing you. You're amazing. And please share this with a friend who needs to hear wins and inspiration that things are going well somewhere for someone, which means that it can happen to them. This is not the Pi of support. This is the infinity symbol. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 8:30  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 9:12  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 9:17  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 9:22  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 9:29  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 9:32  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

During this – his last year in office – Governor Glenn Youngkin has further defined his administration by appointing a new poet laureate for the state. She's a surprising choice with strong ties to the military and to science. Sandy Hausman has this profile.

What is it like to fly the CH-146 Griffon for 427 Squadron as it transitioned from a normal Tac Hel Squadron to being part of CANSOFCOM? What about flying in Bosnia, or being Special Operations Support in Afghanistan? How do you take 400 Reserve Tactical Helicopter Squadron and help prepare them for high readiness status? Colonel Dan Coutts is the current Wing Commander of 15 Wing Moose Jaw. In part 1 of our chat with him, we will discuss his early flying days, some of his deployments, as well as some of his leadership opportunities that prepared him leading up to his time as 15 Wing Commander.

This week, we go back to 2005, when a group of young Brits were chosen to be the first British tourists sent to space. But there was more to this adventure than they realised ... This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 03:38 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasDo Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Cadets_(TV_series)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i3O33KeG5g&list=PLAgjUkCrumNJCMFB0VGizdfF6Iq9Ki-kL&index=1https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/17/ipswich-we-have-a-problem-space-cadets-the-reality-show-that-never-left-the-groundSpace Cadets (2005) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim, Phil, Ian, & Libby are joined by Rep. Nancy Mace to discuss another fire erupting in California as the wildfire disaster worsens, Democrats blaming billionaires for the destructive LA wildfires, Joe Biden saying the government will cover 100% of the cleanup costs of the LA wildfires, and Trump planning to sign 100 executive orders on day one. Hosts: Tim @Timcast (everywhere) Phil @PhilThatRemains (X) Ian @IanCrossland (everywhere) Libby @libbyemmons (X) Serge @SergeDotCom (everywhere) Guest: Rep. Nancy Mace @NancyMace (X) Nancy Mace is a Republican U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district, known for being the first woman to graduate from The Citadel's Corps of Cadets program in 1999. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Co-Hosts Naviere Walkewicz and Wyatt Hornsby reflect on the leadership lessons shared by accomplished graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy over the first two seasons.   SUMMARY The hosts highlight key moments and insights from various guests, emphasizing the importance of personal connections, resilience, and the role of mentorship in leadership. They discuss the unique experiences of leaders like Coach Troy Calhoun, Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks, Nicole Malachowski, Madison Marsh, Lieutenant General BJ Schwedo, and Carl Falk, showcasing how their journeys can inspire others in their leadership paths.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is deeply personal and requires understanding your people.  - The importance of resilience and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.  - Mentorship plays a crucial role in developing future leaders.  - Building relationships is essential in leadership roles.  - Knowing your craft enhances credibility and effectiveness as a leader.  - Leadership is about doing good and positively impacting others' lives.  - Embracing vulnerability can lead to personal and professional growth.  - It's important to risk failure in pursuit of big dreams.  - Support from family and mentors can shape one's career trajectory.  - Leaders should encourage others to pursue their passions and dreams.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Celebrating Leadership Lessons from the Air Force Academy 02:11 Highlighting Coach Troy Calhoun's Leadership Philosophy 08:09 Insights from Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks 12:59 Nicole Malachowski: Overcoming Setbacks and Embracing Dreams 19:09 Madison Marsh: A Journey of Resilience and Purpose 23:27 Lessons from Lieutenant General BJ Schwedo on Future Conflict 28:23 Karl Falk: The Importance of Support and Grit in Leadership   ABOUT THE HOSTS BIOS LT. COL. (RET.) NAVIERE WALKEWICZ '99 Senior Vice President, Engagement With over two decades in leadership roles, my current focus at the Association of Graduates - U.S. Air Force Academy is fostering a robust network of 50,000+ alumni. This commitment involves igniting a culture of engagement and inclusivity, underpinned by a strong foundation in support of our Air Force Academy. - BIO COPY CREDIT:  LINKEDIN.COM MR. WYATT HORNSBY Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications | Executive Editor & Writer Wyatt Hornsby is passionate about developing marketing and communications talent and cohesive, high-performance teams. He is senior vice president of marketing and communications at the Air Force Academy Foundation and the Association of Graduates. He leads the work of the foundation and alumni association marketing and communications division, while also coordinating with various Air Force Academy offices, including Public Affairs and Strategic Communications. - BIO COPY CREDIT:  LINKEDIN.COM   ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest at: socialmedia@usafa.org TED ROBERTSON:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org  Multimedia and Podcast Specialist | LBL Podcast Network Producer and Editor RYAN HALL:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Assistant Director of Multimedia Production | LBL Podcast Network Director BRYAN GROSSMAN:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Senior Director of Strategic Communications and Publications | LBL Podcast Network Copy Editor WYATT HORNSBY:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org  Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications | Executive Editor & Writer | LBL Podcast Network Executive Producer   FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Co-Hosts:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99  |  Mr. Wyatt Hornsby Guests:  Coach Troy Calhoun '89; Brig. Gen. Gavin P. Marks '96; Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96;  2nd Lt. Madison Marsh '23; Gen. BJ Schwedo '87; Mr. Karl Falk '98, Mr. Ted Robertson    Naviere Walkewicz 00:20 Welcome to our Long Blue Leadership retrospective. We're celebrating our first two seasons and the countless leadership lessons shared by some of the most accomplished United States Air Force Academy graduates.   Wyatt Hornsby 00:31 Naviere, seasons 1 and 2 have showcased amazing leadership stories and takeaways. From the very start, Long Blue Leadership has given listeners an inside look at real experiences, insights and advice from seasoned leaders, as well as those just beginning their leadership journeys. These deep dives have explored how leaders not only face challenges head-on but also find ways to inspire and empower those around them.   Naviere Walkewicz 00:58 Yes, what really sets this podcast apart is the mix of our guests' perspectives on leadership. These discussions have touched on teamwork, perseverance, humility, excellence and service before self.   Wyatt Hornsby 01:12 In this edition of Long Blue Leadership, we're sharing a few of our favorite moments. Not easy, because there are so many. Plus, we'll give you a preview of Season 3, which launches soon.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:23 And so, without further ado, Wyatt, let's get into our Long Blue Leadership podcast.   Wyatt Hornsby Let's do it, Naviere.   Naviere Walkewicz Some of our favorite moments. This was not easy to do at all.   Wyatt Hornsby 01:33 Indeed, it was not easy. Two seasons — and Naviere, while we're at it, I just want to congratulate you; awesome job on hosting Long Blue Leadership, and also a little plug for our friend Doug Lindsay as well for doing a great job as host.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:46 It's been an amazing journey, and I think the biggest thing for me has been just being able to share some of the stories of our graduates. So, like we said, picking just a few of them was really hard, but it's been just a beautiful transformation of where we started and where we're going in Season 3.   Wyatt Hornsby 02:01 It's been wonderful storytelling, and I hope that our listeners have been able to take away some great actionable insights for their own leadership journeys, whether they're Academy graduates or others seeking to develop as leaders.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:13 I know I personally took some things away from all of these conversations. I think some of them we'll highlight today.   Wyatt Hornsby 02:18 Wonderful. Let's do it. Looking forward to it.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:21 So, I think you might have the first one you wanted to highlight.   Wyatt Hornsby 02:24 So Naviere, as we said, I mean, it's so difficult to find our favorites. I mean, there are just so many across seasons 1 and 2. But I'm going to tell you, I was so struck by Coach Troy Calhoun, Class of '89. That conversation was absolutely awesome. And a couple of things stood out to me, and we'll listen to a clip from our conversation with Coach Calhoun, but a couple things that stood out to me was, I think a lot of people, when they think about Coach Calhoun and him coming on to do a conversation, they're probably going to expect him to talk about the Xs and Os and strategy and how the Falcons are looking for the season. But in this case, what Coach Calhoun did was he came in and he talked about his own leadership journey all the way from the beginning growing up in Oregon. And I just think that throughout the conversation, we learned a lot about him as a person, his family, his formative experiences. And really what I took away from it additionally, was the unique importance of athletics at the Academy, and how Coach Calhoun and his program, like all sports at USAFA, are developing leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force. Just an awesome conversation.   Naviere Walkewicz 03:37 It was an awesome conversation. I think it really talks about — one of the things that stood out, I think, in the clip that you picked up is really about how he views leadership and taking care of people. Let's give it a listen.   Wyatt Hornsby Indeed.   Troy Calhoun 03:49 You need to be doing something that you love, that you're passionate about. And the other part is, again, just the involvement that you have with your people. And, you know, to get in there, literally, where you're hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. And I think sometimes, whether you're in a leadership role or maybe you have a certain rank, you think, “Well, I can't do that in order to maintain my distance professionally.” And I wholeheartedly disagree. I think you have to be able to operate from different perspectives as a leader. I think, clearly, you can still articulate and live the standards that are a part of your operation or your unit or your football program. But again, it's about people.   Naviere Walkewicz 04:46 Well said. It really is.   Wyatt Hornsby 04:47 Well said. Earlier in the conversation too, he had a point where he talked about three things, his philosophy of leadership. You talked to him about his philosophy of leadership. He talked about, as he said in that clip, being right there alongside your people. He talked about knowing your craft incredibly well — not just strategy, but also tactics. And as he mentioned in that clip really well, getting to know your people as humans and what makes them tick. It's easy to, listening to that conversation, it's easy to see why Coach Calhoun has been here for such a long time and been so successful as head football coach.   Naviere Walkewicz 05:25 I think one of the lines I remember him sharing about when we talked about leadership was — I think I asked him, like, “It seems like it's really personal,” and he says, “Absolutely, leadership is personal.” It's about being… understanding who, you know, what's going on in their lives, because if you can understand what they're going through, then you can help them through some challenges and move them to, you know, whatever everyone else is working through together. And so, I really appreciated that he talks about getting to know his people on a personal level, and he challenges all of his coaches to do the same. I think there was a point where he even shared that if he knew some of the team members better than the coaches did, then that was a problem, right? And so, I think he wanted to make sure that being a good leader is knowing who your people are and what they need.   Wyatt Hornsby 06:07 That's right. It's just so instructive and inspiring to those of us who are developing as leaders. And I mean, it goes without saying, college football is changing. It's changing a lot. But I think for Coach Calhoun, he just talks about, as you said, that importance of relationships. And amid all those in college sports, staying focused on the relationship aspect, getting to know his players and his coaches, and remaining hyper-focused on that mission, developing leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force.   Naviere Walkewicz 06:38 What was something that you took from that personally, that, you know, maybe has evolved the way that you lead or are thinking about leadership?   Wyatt Hornsby 06:46 You know, I'm developing as a leader every day. I've had some tremendous mentors in my life, but I really — I enjoyed what he talked about, about knowing your craft. I think that's really important, because I think it helps you build credibility with those that you lead. Of course, you can't know everything about everything that you lead, but knowing your craft, understanding not just the strategies and the tactics, and I think that helps you build credibility with your team and provide the right leadership to set the vision and the priorities for your team.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:21 I love that. I think what I took from that conversation was really about being humble. I mean, to be where he at is in his career, and I just felt across the table someone who was so humble in every day, learning from everyone around him and trying to really kind of give back in that way. That's something I always want to try and strive to do.   Wyatt Hornsby 07:41 I agree completely. And by the way, he talked about his younger sister, a 10-time all-American, which is pretty incredible. She's also an Academy graduate. And I think if I recall, he said that he looks up to his younger sister. So, I took that away, too. Just a humble, humble leader.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:59 I love that. Well, I'd like to go into one of my favorite moments, and it was with Brig. Gen. Gavin P. Marks, Class of '96, the commandant of the Air Force Academy currently. And this one was special for me, Wyatt, for multiple reasons. I have two cadets, as you know, that are going through the Air Force Academy under his leadership, but he was also my basic cadet commander. So, when I was at the Academy as a four-degree, he was leading us through Basic Cadet Training. And a funny story I'll share with you: When I was later in my career as a civilian working at Offutt Air Force Base. He was the wing commander at office Air Force Base, and I was working at STRATCOM, Strategic Command. I turned around a corner, and I immediately go, “Huh, Gavin P. Marks!” and he started laughing, and he goes, “What year are you?” And I said, “'99,” and he said, “It's good that you still remember my middle initial.” But it stuck out to me and then the funny thing after that, I said, “I never knew you had so many teeth,” because he would scare us. But the reason why this podcast was so special was because I think it brought me to a new level of understanding that — in remembering that we're all human right, and so we all have things that we go through. And so, to hear him from his humble days, talking about his mom, I really just enjoyed his perspective on, you know, his career, which wasn't necessarily a trajectory that he was planning. He certainly had some goals of he would love to have been the commandant at the Academy, but it certainly, you know — it kind of moved in a way that we'll talk about in this clip. And so, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on that conversation before we jump into the clip.   Wyatt Hornsby 09:35 He has extraordinary presence — Gen. Marks does. And it came through not just in the podcast conversation. We had a reunion, several reunions, where he provided a senior leader briefing, and you can just feel that presence and that commitment and that dedication to the USAFA mission. And I'm really excited to hear this clip and then also share another thought on something from the conversation that really stuck out to me as well.   Naviere Walkewicz 10:00 All right. Well, let's roll the clip.   Brig. Gen. Marks 10:03 But as you command at higher levels, while the impact — and I probably should have said it this way: The impact that you would have on so many individual airmen's lives lessons, the impact that you can have on an individual airman's life magnifies based on rank. It is significant also, and I always — one of the things that I tell people all the time is, it's an oversimplification, but the only reason to have rank is to do good, is to do good things, to make things happen in a positive way that affect positively mission and benefit airmen's lives. That's it. That's all. And if rank becomes something different than that for you, you're in the wrong business, or we've given it to the wrong person. If I'm being honest with you.   Naviere Walkewicz 10:55 What did you think about when you heard that?   Wyatt Hornsby 10:56 I am glad that he is the commandant of cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. And I think that I would go so far as to say that what he said there probably reflects how many Air Force — probably all — Air Force Academy graduates feel about leadership, that it's an opportunity to do good for other people, to improve lives, to move people forward, to elevate performance, to lift others. So, super powerful.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:24 I think what was also really great about our conversation was how he talked about the importance of family. And I think when you — sometimes when you think about a leader that's made it to such levels in their career, you think, “Well, it's career above everything else.” But he actually talked about how there are a couple of times when he might have retired had he not had the support from his wife and from his family. And I thought that was really insightful as well, where he really consulted them on some of his biggest decisions.   Wyatt Hornsby 11:52 That's right, perhaps his closest and most valued partners in life.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:56 Yes, I think that's something that our listeners can really value. I know I took that to heart as well, because while it is important, and obviously our professional lives are such a huge part of our lives, our lives are much more holistic than that, right? I think having your networks of support and leadership are really important.   Wyatt Hornsby 12:14 I agree. And Naviere, while we're talking about Gen. Marks too, I gotta put in a plug, and I know we're not gonna listen to this clip, but he told an awesome story about a $20 bill and the Honor Code.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes.   Wyatt Hornsby And as I recall, he really talked about how that was one of the experiences that made him see this United States Air Force Academy — it's a unique and different kind of place.   Naviere Walkewicz 12:38 Absolutely, and so if you missed that, it's a great time for you to go back to longblueleadership.org and listen to that clip in its full entirety.   Wyatt Hornsby 12:48 That's right. Let's talk about Nicole Malachowski, Class of 1996. This conversation — it was a recent conversation that you had with her — really stood out to me on a couple of different levels. Even as a child, she set her sights on what she wanted to do in life, which was to become a fighter pilot. She was focused on that, and at the height of her career, she had a very difficult setback that she spoke I thought very openly and vulnerably about. I just really appreciated that. But in this clip that we're going to play, Naviere, and I'd love to hear your reaction before our good friend, producer Ted rolls it, I would love to just hear your thoughts about this clip and just really important advice that a mentor provided to her at a key moment.   Naviere Walkewicz 13:33 I think you teed it up perfectly. I would say, from sitting across the table, what I felt when I heard that was just a sense of pride in remembering that we all bring something to the table, and empowerment in not being afraid to go forward with it. So, let's give it a listen.   Nicole Malachowski 13:51 I remember thinking, “Thank God I didn't put myself out there. Thank God, Nicole,” you know… now I'm a 30-year-old captain, so I'm still a young person. “Thank God you didn't risk failure. Who are you to think you could be a Thunderbird? Silly girl.” Right? And in that moment, the weirdest thing happened, and I tell this story on stage sometimes. The door opened to the Officer's Club, and in walked the wing commander, Brig. Gen. Mark Matthews. And in that moment, over walks my squadron commander, a wonderful man by the name of Dan DeBree. His call sign was “Trash.” Get it? Trash, debris. Trash walks over, super excited, very supportive of my application, and he's like, “Hey, general, did you know Nicole's applying to be a Thunderbird?” Man, I mean, you could have slowed down time. I was like, “Ix-nay on the underbird-tay,” like, “This is terrible.” Neither of these guys knew that I had removed my application, and Dan's standing there all proud. He's my squadron commander, supporting me — a great man, again. And Mark Matthews looks down at me, Gen. Matthews, and he goes, “That's great. How's your application going?” And I'm like — I looked at him, and here's what happened. I said, “You know, so it's hard to be a Thunderbird, but I probably won't get picked. They haven't had a woman, so I don't want to waste anybody's time.”   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, you said everything.   Nicole Malachowski I said it. I said all of it, and this is kind of an embarrassing story to tell, but I'm just, this is the truth, right? This is the vulnerable truth of how this happened. And he looked down at me, and I will never forget this, and I hope folks listening who have big dreams and gnarly goals remember this. He looked down at me and he said, “Nicole.” Actually, he said, “Fifi.” My call sign. “Fifi, nobody wants to lead a scripted life.” And he walked away and left me in extraordinarily uncomfortable silence. And those words, “…nobody wants to lead a scripted life…” have become my life's mantra. Every time I get the knot in my stomach that says that dream is too big or that idea is too innovative, don't rock the boat. I remember what he said, because those words, like, they lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders, told me it was OK to dream big. It was OK to buck the status quo. It was OK to be different. He was telling me it's OK to risk failure in pursuit of personal, professional growth. And it's not so much I think he's telling you and me to write ourselves into the script. What he was saying was, don't ever write yourself out of the script, and as leaders and teammates, don't you ever write anybody else or their wild ideas out of the script either.   Wyatt Hornsby 16:08 That is so powerful. I mean, I know that I have that inner critic, that voice that sometimes tells me, “Write yourself out of the script. You're not good enough. You're not going to make it. Why did you do that?” And probably a lot of us do. Naviere, what do you think?   Naviere Walkewicz 16:24 Oh, definitely. I mean, even up to that, she had had that voice in her head, and she shared, right before that clip, she finally got the courage to go into the group commander's office to submit that package. And, you know, the person working at the desk said, “Well, he really only has one, you know, one slot to give so we don't want to waste it on you.” And I think those very specific words make that inner voice, that inner critic, even louder and just kudos to the wing commander for really kind of right setting, I think a perspective that has clearly shaped her life.   Wyatt Hornsby 16:59 I agree completely. And we just talked about Gen. Marks and how he talked about doing good for others as a leader. And I think that's what we saw here with Gen. Matthews and the story that Nicole shared.   Naviere Walkewicz 17:11 Yes. There were so many amazing moments in her session with me, in her podcast, and so another one that I wanted to call out, because I think many may not know until they listen to her full story, but she actually battled a pretty critical, life-changing disease, and, frankly, she talked about resilience and how resilience is important, but really for her, it was about resurgence. I thought that was pretty powerful in that podcast as well. Did that kind of speak to you in any way?   Wyatt Hornsby 17:42 It really did. And I actually think it kind of goes back to “no one wants to lead a scripted life.” I don't think Nicole definitely had that in the script, her health challenge. But it came, and she spoke very honestly about it, about how difficult it was. She had some really, really difficult days, and she found a way forward. She wrote that new script for what she was going to do with the rest of her life. So, that moment really stuck out to me too. Super powerful conversation, and I got the sense too as I was listening to Nicole — and you did such a great job with that conversation — was that she knows who she is. You can tell that she has thought deeply about who she is as a person, as a leader, and she wants to go out and engage with and inspire other audiences and other leaders. So, really came out beautifully in this conversation.   Naviere Walkewicz 18:34 That was, in fact, I think one of her giving nuggets to others that were listening was really take the time to know who you are and know what you believe in, what you stand for, and then the rest kind of fills in the blanks.   Wyatt Hornsby Well said.   Naviere Walkewicz Well, the next one that I want to speak about is 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, Class of '23 and Miss America.   Wyatt Hornsby Miss America.   Naviere Walkewicz Miss America. Can we just say that? But what was so great about this particular podcast was, yes, she is Miss America, but we spent so much time getting to know her. And really, I think the depth of who Madison Marsh is, it really kind of blew my mind.   Wyatt Hornsby 19:11 Yes. And similar to Nicole Malachowski — Madison Marsh, she had something really difficult happen to her that she's going to go into in the clip that we talked about, and no one should have to go through what Madison did, but she found a way forward. And I think just her story is remarkably inspiring.   Naviere Walkewicz 19:33 I actually don't want to give it away. I think we should just roll the clip.   Wyatt Hornsby 19:35 Let's do it.   Madison Marsh 19:36 I basically printed out all of my essays that I knew that people had to submit in the past for the Academy. I did resumes. I came with my GPA, everything, and I walked right up to my congressman and I handed it to him, and I said, “I want to go to the Air Force Academy, and I want to be your nominee.” And I'm sure he was like, who's…   Naviere Walkewicz …I love every bit of this…   Madison Marsh So, I was very firm early on, and so we were able to start an incredible relationship with one another. And so, because I did that — I think that was maybe my junior year, early on in my junior year — when it came time my senior year, he fought for me all of the time to get my application in front of people, because I was his principal nominee, and we had a very, very special moment. So, he called me on Oct. 31 and told me that I had gotten early acceptance to the Academy, and so I got to tell my mom, and the next morning she passed away. So having an experience like that is — that's why the Academy and Congressman Womack are so special to me, because that was my dream for years, and my mom got to know before she passed away. And it's just everything happens at the right timing, and you never know until afterwards. And so, now I get to be here; now I get to wear the uniform. And even though she hasn't gotten to see it, she got to know about it. And it just because of those first instances where I marched up to him and I said, like, I want to be here. I got to have experiences like that. And now I get to have wonderful experiences of now serving post-Academy life.   Naviere Walkewicz 21:04 I mean, I think that clip still gives me feelings of in that moment where she shared that because I had known that her mom had passed away. But I think what was so powerful about her sharing that story was in the bit of, you know, believing in yourself, going full for something, and then having someone believe in you and champion you to the point where, when you actually get there, and having her mom spend that with her before she passed. I just — that moment was something really special.   Wyatt Hornsby 21:34 It really is powerful. It must have been an honor and a privilege to have been able to share that moment with Lt. Marsh.   Naviere Walkewicz 21:41 It really was, and I think her whole conversation — what really inspired me, first, the fact that she actually started a foundation in her mom's name, the Whitney Marsh Foundation, but also more so that it actually shaped how she was as a cadet. She talked about, when she had the opportunity to champion others, so, you know, as she progressed in her cadet years, she wanted to make sure that other cadets had someone that they could talk to, so that she would be a voice for them, that she would hear them, and she would see them. And I think that was really powerful, because sometimes she was saying how she had felt lost and how she didn't have that support. And so, she turned it around and made sure that she was that person for someone else.   Wyatt Hornsby 22:19 Another example, Naviere, of someone who uses leadership opportunities to do good for others.   Naviere Walkewicz 22:25 Absolutely. And I thought, what was also fascinating, as such a young officer, she also — to Nicole Malachowski's point — took some time to know herself because she had been groomed, or maybe not groomed is not the right word, but she had, since early times of wanting to go to the Academy, had thought, I'm going to be a pilot and had been working towards her hours and her private pilot's license to get to the point where she could go to pilot training and become a pilot. And said, “Maybe this, this isn't my trajectory,” and looking into policy and so I think to the point of knowing who you are and knowing what you know you're really passionate about. Also, to what Coach Troy Calhoun said, they all kind of weave together. I thought that was really powerful.   Wyatt Hornsby 23:06 Agree. I thought it was very powerful too. And I'm really excited — I'm sure you are too, and a lot of graduates — just to see what she does with her life. I think that she's going to do some great work, and I think we're going to continue to hear about the amazing work that Madison Marsh is pushing forward, whether it's with cancer research and treatments or some other very, very important, worthy cause.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:29 Absolutely. No doubt about that.   Wyatt Hornsby 23:32 All right. Naviere, this next one, this was early Season 1, and our friend Dr. Doug Lindsay hosted this conversation. Doug is Class of 1992. It really stood out to me, and it was a conversation with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) B.J. Shwedo, Class of '87. Remarkable conversation with the director of the USAFA Institute for Future Conflict about the role that graduates are going to continue to play in our nation's security.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:59 I agree. Gen. Shwedo is such a dynamic speaker, and every time I have a chance to hear from him, I learn something new. But maybe for the sake of our listeners, in case they haven't heard that one yet, can you talk about what the IFC is?   Wyatt Hornsby 24:10 The IFC is the Institute for Future Conflict. So, it stood up a couple of years ago at the United States Air Force Academy. And really the goal is to inculcate across the Academy — and I'm not going to do this justice the way Gen. Shwedo can — but to inculcate across the Academy a focus on preparing cadets for what they will be facing amid Great Power Competition and for them to be able to bring that holistic thinking and that multi-domain thinking to how to fight and win the nation's wars if they are called upon.   Naviere Walkewicz 24:45 It's pretty incredible, some of the things that our cadets are exposed to. I remember when I was a cadet, I couldn't imagine have been briefed by some of our combatant commanders and having top-secret clearance levels to understand, really, what the adversary looks like and what we're up against. But they're looking at it across all different domains, and it's preparing our soon-to-be graduates for what's up for them right after.   Wyatt Hornsby 25:11 That's right. And one thing I'll mention before we roll the clip: Like you Naviere, I've heard Gen. Shwedo talk. In fact, we've been in probably many of the same talks, and graduates respond so well to what he shares, and I think it just instills even more confidence in the mission and the priorities of the Air Force Academy. So, without further ado, what do you say we roll that clip?   Naviere Walkewicz Let's roll the clip.   Gen. Shwedo 25:34 What we got to do is make them aware of the environment we're dumping them in. And case in point, I have one cadet he raises his hand like, you know, “Hypersonic missiles — I don't understand what's the big deal about that.” And I go, “OK, well, first of all, yes, they're fast, but as you remember from Physics 110, a ballistic missile trajectory is all mathematics. That's how the Patriot works. Hypersonic missiles can maneuver. So, all your math is now dead,” and go, “Oh, by the way, when you look down the range and you see all those antennas, NORAD, for the most part, was looking up to the north, because the quickest way to get an ICBM to the United States was over the top. You can actually take a hypersonic missile, put it in a low-Earth orbit, and that attack will come out of Antarctica.” Same cadet immediately raises his hand and goes, “So the maneuvering, is that RF, command guy?” and he's immediately trying to get into it. And I'm like, “I love you, man.” Because honestly, when you start making them aware of the threats, they immediately start thinking countermeasures. So, from the leadership standpoint, they understand that piece.   Naviere Walkewicz 26:44 Yes, I think that is huge. And it really talks about understanding what you're up against. I think what I really loved about what Gen. Shwedo said, was having the awareness allowed for them to start thinking about countermeasures. And I think that really does translate to leadership. When you have awareness of things, you can make better decisions. You can think about how you take care of your people better. It just actually translates across so many levels of leadership. What do you think?   Wyatt Hornsby 27:09 I agree completely, and I think too, just spending time with cadets — you would know better than I Naviere, you have two up on the Hill right now — but so curious, so curious. And they're here for a reason. They had choices in where they could have pursued what they wanted to do after high school, and they chose the United States Air Force Academy because they want to serve our country and, if called upon, fight and win those nation's wars. And so, just kudos to the work not only Gen. Shwedo is doing, but the cadets too, who are just so curious and so responsive to that awareness and really thinking deeply and preparing themselves for what the world is confronting the United States and our allies with.   Naviere Walkewicz 27:53 Absolutely. I think, what I really appreciate about Gen. Shwedo as well is he's another graduate that's giving back to our Academy, right? He's facilitating all of these lessons. He's helping to really promote how we can do this better. But it goes to show how our graduates are really involved with our Air Force Academy.   Wyatt Hornsby 28:12 A lifetime of service. I think that's what Gen. Shwedo would say. He came back because he wanted to continue to serve.   Naviere Walkewicz 28:18 Yes, absolutely. Well, the last moment that we'll talk about — and again, this was so hard, because there were so many good ones — comes from Karl Falk, Class of '98 the CEO of Botdoc. And this one was special for me, not only because we were at the Academy together, but I didn't know him then, and I know him now as a parent of also a cadet at the Academy. And his story was so, so incredible. Because when you think of a CEO of anything, you think, “Wow, this person's so accomplished. They've done all of these things.” And, you know, they must be doing great, and he is, but it started from humble beginnings. And when you take the time to listen to his podcast, it will really kind of help you see that you can start from anywhere and achieve anything, just as he did. This particular clip I have picked for us to listen to, though, is about kind of having people in your corner, and when people recognize in you, maybe before you do, how they can champion you. Let's give it a listen.   Karl Falk 29:20 You know, being in Texas, there's more spotlight on football, and I had some very good coaches. My head football coach in high school, Coach Bubba Fife — everyone in Katie knows Bubba Fife — and even to this day, he's still involved in the in the school district. But he was a big advocate for me, with coaches that came by, and there's some stuff I didn't find out until out until later in life where, you know, back then, it wasn't common for the school to provide shoes and, you know, some guys had their own pads and stuff like that. And I remember my mom years later telling me that actually Coach Fife came to her with money and said, “This is, uh — get him some shoes.” Sorry. That got to me a little bit more than I thought it was gonna be. So, I guess what I can say is, there's been a lot of people, I'm where I'm today because of a lot of people throughout my entire life, and I have a lot to be grateful for. But I was very fortunate to have those coaches in my life because — there was actually a time, this is actually a crazy story. There was a time where — so, I was the big, fat tuba player too. So, I kind of did everything because I enjoyed it, but there was a point where I kind of had to make a decision, because I was actually the guy that was playing football, and then, you know, marching band and football, and that's really tough to do. And I had made up in my mind that I was going to quit football, and because, you know, I didn't have a dad around, and my mom wasn't really into sports, like, I am and my kids are now. And I made up my mind, so I went to talk to one of the coaches, Coach Schubert, and, and I told him, I said, “I'm gonna quit football and, you know, I'm gonna be in the band.” And, and he looks at me, he goes, “No!”   Naviere Walkewicz 31:22 Right there. Sometimes the best answer you can get from a boss or a mentor or anybody is, “no.” What do you think, Wyatt?   Wyatt Hornsby 31:29 And by the way, Naviere, I'm trying to figure out the logistics. How do you play football and participate in the band? I played football in high school. I just don't know how you do that.   Naviere Walkewicz 31:40 You probably didn't change your clothes. You probably wore your uniform, though.   Wyatt Hornsby 31:43 Oh my gosh, like, I don't even know how you do that. But no, this was an extraordinary conversation. And you know, one of the things I like about the conversations that you've led and hosted, Naviere, is really going back to the beginning. And my takeaway from that conversation with Karl and that clip that we just played: He's never forgotten where he came from. As you said, he's become very successful in life. He's done well for himself, but he's never forgotten where he came from and who helped him along the way. Sometimes, Naviere, it just takes a pair of shoes.   Naviere Walkewicz 32:19 Oh gosh, that conversation was like I was getting to know someone all over again, because I got to know him as a parent of a fellow cadet. Him and his sons, Alec and Arden, were cadets there at the Prep School, now in the Class of '27, but seeing him through his own eyes, it just opened up a whole new experience for me. And I think one of the things I appreciated about his conversation as well was he talked about some of the tough times in getting to be successful. And while, yes, he had those people in his corner that helped him get there, there were times when — I think he even said, you know, “I didn't pay myself, like we might have missed a meal so that my folks could eat,” when he was still building his business. And I think it talks about the grit and kind of hard work and perseverance it takes to become successful. So, while he never forgot where he came from, he also talked about kind of the path to get there, and just the resilience and all of that in that. And I thought that was a really powerful story he shared.   Wyatt Hornsby 33:13 Agree, and I would suspect that grit and that perseverance, those were formed early in life, but then also really developed when he was here at the Academy. What do you think?   Naviere Walkewicz 33:26 Agree. And I think, and we talked about the lifetime of service that our graduates live. His company has actually given back to the Class of '27 through various ways. And so, I think it really does kind of show how, you know, you never forget where you come from, and then when you can, you give in ways that are meaningful. I think that's really powerful too.   Wyatt Hornsby 33:44 That's right. Well, Naviere, that was an awesome conversation. I just so enjoyed revisiting those conversations, and again, just mad congratulations to you, and thanks to you and Doug for just doing such a great job. I mean, this was tough, choosing the conversations that we just talked about, because there are just so many great ones, so many great ones. And I hope that our listeners will go back and listen to those conversations from seasons 1 and 2. But while they're at it, also tell others about Long Blue Leadership. Help spread the word, because these conversations are really impactful.   Naviere Walkewicz 34:20 Absolutely, and we can really use feedback coming directly to us at socialmedia@usafa.org. That's a way they can directly let us know what they enjoyed, what we can do better and what they can look forward to in Season 3.   Wyatt Hornsby 34:32 That's right. I mean, the podcast space, it's competitive, and there are a lot of great podcast shows out there, and so we know we just have to continue to raise that bar and elevate what we're doing. So, our listener feedback is so important and just continuous improvement and excellence in all we do.   Naviere Walkewicz 34:49 Absolutely. Well, thanks. Wyatt. Well, before we share what's coming up in Season 3, we'd like to take a moment and thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. The podcast publishes Tuesdays in both video and audio and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org.   Wyatt Hornsby 35:11 Naviere, this was a real pleasure. I really enjoyed talking about these awesome episodes from seasons 1 and 2. And while we're at it, let's also thank our good friend Ted, who's done just remarkable work in helping to produce this show. And our listeners may not get to hear much from Ted, but he is behind the scenes doing awesome work on the show.   Naviere Walkewicz 35:32 He really is. Ted makes us look great, and when you say congratulations to me, it's only because Ted has been right alongside me all this way, and Doug, and anyone else that's been part of this podcast. It really has been us working with Ted.   Wyatt Hornsby 35:46 So, Ted, I'm going to put you on the spot. Share with us a little bit about maybe a couple of your takeaways from seasons 1 and 2, and what this process, what this experience has been like for you.   Ted Robertson 35:59 I can think about the first day I walked in the door, had my first eyes on the studio, and I'm thinking, “We're gonna have some fun here. We're gonna touch some lives, and we're gonna do some great things.” And it's been a real privilege to be a part of the communications team. And I talk a lot about the people that I work with, but Naviere, you've become a partner, and together, along with everybody else on the team, we're looking forward to bringing some more of these moments to our listeners and just sharing what leadership is all about. And we want to make it global. So, Season 3 coming and lots of great things to come in Season 3. I hope that sort of answers your question. The highlights for me are working with all of you.   Naviere Walkewicz 36:50 Aww, thanks, Ted. And speaking of what Ted was talking about, Season 3 is coming up. Should we share some of the amazing guests we're gonna have on the podcast?   Wyatt Hornsby 36:59 I think we should, Naviere, I mean, I am like you. I am so excited about Season 3. We've got some amazing names and Naviere. One of our guests is going to be Dr. Heather Wilson, Class of '82, 24th secretary of the Air Force. And she's also currently the president of the University of Texas, El Paso. So cannot wait to have the secretary — I don't know whether to call her Secretary Wilson or Dr. Wilson.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:23 I'm sure I'm going to find out, because I'm so excited to have that conversation with her as well.   Wyatt Hornsby 37:27 Likewise, and Naviere, I think also, we have a classmate who we're going to be talking to?   Naviere Walkewicz 37:31 Oh, we have a couple of classmates, actually. So, one of them, Joel Neeb goes by call-sign “Thor,” — Class of '99, Gold Will Shine — who has been a tremendously successful fighter pilot. He's authored some books, a former CEO, but he dealt with some very specific, I think, health challenges that shaped a new trajectory for him. And I'm not going to give it away. I think that's what they'll learn about in the podcast.   Wyatt Hornsby 37:56 I've had a couple of opportunities to spend time with Thor, and I'm excited about this one too. I think it's going to be an awesome conversation.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:03 Yes. And his is one where it really is about family too. I think we're going to hear some of that. And then my other classmate is with the FBI, so Mark McCulloch, Class of '99, and I think you've actually done a story on him recently on your team.   Wyatt Hornsby 38:17 I think we did a story on him in Checkpoints a couple of years ago, written by Jeff Holmquist. Yeah, I can't wait for this one too.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:26 It's amazing what Class of '99 is doing, but there's others. Who else shall we highlight today, Wyatt?   Naviere Walkewicz 38:43 We also have some young alumni, current board directors that will be speaking to. One of them is a Young Alumni Excellence Award winner, Emma Przybyslawski, Class of 2010.   Wyatt Hornsby 38:51 Can't wait to hear that one. And Emma — so she recently, as you said, received the Young Alumni Excellence Award. And I thought I knew Emma, and I learned a few things about her in our profile of her. So, that's going to be an awesome conversation.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:06 Can't wait to speak with her. And then Joe Bledsoe, class president for the Class of 2011, but also working with Gen. Shwedo right now.   Wyatt Hornsby 39:13 That's right. He's a fellow up in the Institute for Future Conflict. And again, just a remarkable graduate, a fighter pilot, really looking forward to that conversation. end of year. One other that I'm really excited about, Matt Kuta, Class of 2005 co-founder of Voyager Space and a former fighter pilot, really looking forward to that conversation as well.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:36 We have so many amazing grads to share stories with, and we could go down the list, but I think that's a good one just to, you know, whet the appetite. What do you think?   Wyatt Hornsby 39:44 I agree completely. I'm just excited about Season 3 and we'll get this going.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:49 Absolutely. Wyatt, this has been a blast. Thank you so much for joining me today.   Wyatt Hornsby 39:53 And thank you for inviting me, Naviere. This was a lot of fun.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:57 Absolutely, and we thank you for joining us as well. We can't wait to share our third season of Long Blue Leadershipbeginning this February. You can expect more compelling stories from outstanding USAFA graduates, each sharing unique perspectives and practical advice on overcoming challenges and inspiring others. With a mix of thought-provoking conversations and real-life experiences, Season 3 promises to engage, inspire and empower both seasoned and aspiring leaders alike. Visit longblueleadership.org for more episodes and to subscribe. Also, nominate a guest or send us your feedback at socialmedia@usafa.org, and finally, Long Blue Leadership is available on all of your favorite podcast apps. We can't wait to see you there.   KEYWORDS leadership lessons, season highlights, guest perspectives, teamwork, perseverance, humility, service, season three preview, Gavin Marks, Commandant of Cadets, Nicole Malachowski, Thunderbird pilot, tick born illness, Lyme Disease, Coach Calhoun, Falcons Football, Madison Marsh, Miss America, Karl Falk, Bot Doc, B.J. Schwedo, Institute for Future Conflict, leadership journey, character development, personal growth, mentorship, resilience, future conflict       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation  

What is it like to fly a CF-188 Hornet? What does it feel like to break the sound barrier? How do our pilots stack up against friendly partners in exercises? How physically demanding is flying a fighter? Today we sit down for a chat with Fred "Penguin" Roy to talk all things CF-18. Fred is a former Reg Force fighter pilot who now flies as an airline pilot for Air Transat, while still flying the CF-18 as a pilot in the Reserve Force.

Join host Sarah Stewart and PIO Trooper Preston Cox as they speak with two of the cadets from the OHP 73rd Lateral Academy. The academy graduated just before Christmas 2024 and we spoke with the cadets about a month before graduation. All lateral academy cadets were already in law enforcement before joining OHP. Hear why they wanted to become Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers.

TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.livewww.flyover.liveTrey TrainorTrey TrainorTWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlaw TWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlawwww.x.com/txelectionlaw James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.Send us a message... we can't reply, but we read them all!Support the show► ReAwaken America- text the word FLYOVER to 918-851-0102 (Message and data rates may apply. Terms/privacy: 40509-info.com) ► Kirk Elliott PHD - http://FlyoverGold.com ► My Pillow - https://MyPillow.com/Flyover ► ALL LINKS: https://sociatap.com/FlyoverConservatives

Tonight at 8:30 pm CST, on the Flyover Conservatives show we are tackling the most important things going on RIGHT NOW from a Conservative Christian perspective!  Tonight at 8:30 pm CST, on the Flyover Conservatives show we are tackling the most important things going on RIGHT NOW from a Conservative Christian perspective!  TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONSERVATIVES SHOWS - https://flyover.live/show/flyoverTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONSERVATIVES SHOWS - https://flyover.live/show/flyoverTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTo Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To To Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To ▶ https://flyovergold.com▶ https://flyovergold.comOr Call 720-605-3900 Or Call 720-605-3900 Trey TrainorTrey TrainorTWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlaw TWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlawwww.x.com/txelectionlaw James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he praSend us a message... we can't reply, but we read them all!Support the show► ReAwaken America- text the word FLYOVER to 918-851-0102 (Message and data rates may apply. Terms/privacy: 40509-info.com) ► Kirk Elliott PHD - http://FlyoverGold.com ► My Pillow - https://MyPillow.com/Flyover ► ALL LINKS: https://sociatap.com/FlyoverConservatives

In this episode, Meghan Murphy speaks with Rep. Nancy Mace. Nancy has been the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2021, was the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program at The Citadel in 1999, she is a rape survivor and recently began speaking about having to escape domestic violence, forcing her to move four times in the past year. Last month, Mace went "Full TERF," introducing a resolution to ban males from using women's facilities at the U.S. Capitol. Just two days later, House speaker Mike Johnson announced the order, saying, "All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings – such as restrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms – are reserved for individuals of that biological sex." The Same Drugs is a fully independent, listener-supported, non-Russia-funded podcast. Please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supporting us with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, beco⁠ming⁠ a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or becoming a paid ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscriber on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can watch select clips and episodes of The Same Drugs on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Full videos are available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and to YouTube channel members. You can support The Same Drugs on Spotify by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠clicking the "support" button⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donate directly via Stripe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The Same Drugs is on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thesamedrugs_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Meghan Murphy is on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meghanemurphy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meghanemilymurphy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find The Same Drugs merch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fourthwall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-same-drugs/support

Nordo & John Kriesel chat with Lt Gen Steven Gilland, Army Superintendant, along with two of his talented Cadets, Mitchell Campbell and Kayla Teuscher!

Nordo & John Kriesel chat with Lt Gen Steven Gilland, Army Superintendant, along with two of his talented Cadets, Mitchell Campbell and Kayla Teuscher!

As a new boys basketball season begins across Frederick County, Thomas Johnson head coach John Manley is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast. Manley is the longest-tenured boys basketball coach in the county, having been the head coach at TJ for 17 years and on staff there for 22. He chats with host Greg Swatek about his longevity, what keeps him going in the job, how he has evolved and become a better coach over the years and how much longer he might keep doing it. He also talks about his team at TJ this season and whether he feels it can make a run deep into the playoffs. The Patriots share the same region (Class 4A West, Section I) with the reigning state champs in 4A, Frederick High. TJ nearly ended the Cadets' quest for a state title last season. The Patriots led by 14 points early in the fourth quarter before eventually falling in a regional final, 49-45. Plus, with the holidays approaching, how does a veteran coach handle all of interruptions of routine and habits that this time of year typically presents. Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss Linganore's 35-7 loss to Arundel in the Class 3A football state final last Saturday in Annapolis and offer a bit of a winter sports preview for county teams, particularly when it comes to boys and girls basketball.

In this episode of the Long Blue Leadership Podcast, Cadet First Class Andrew Cormier opens up about his inspiring journey from growing up in Massachusetts to becoming a squadron commander at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He reflects on the early influences that shaped his values, the value of community service and service before self, sharing the leadership lessons he's learned along the way.   SUMMARY Andrew also talks about launching his own podcast, designed to help fellow cadets explore their career paths and grow as leaders. Throughout the conversation, he highlights the importance of understanding diverse career opportunities, the personal growth that comes from podcasting, and the power of community engagement. With a focus on national pride and perspective, he emphasizes that true leadership is about serving others—putting the team first rather than seeking personal recognition.   5 QUOTES "It's not about you. It's not about you. It's about the team." "When you're a leader, it's your job. There shouldn't be any extra, you know, kudos given to you. Everyone has their own piece in the puzzle, and just because your face is more prominent than others does not mean that the mission is any less doable with like one piece missing or another piece missing." "I just really urge people to try to understand other people's perspectives and listen more than they talk, because those pieces for me, like I'm a Pretty staunch capitalist, but I recently bought the Communist Manifesto. I want to understand where these ideas stem from." "American ideals are amazing, and they need to be protected. And in order for me to have any say in that, I need to have skin in the game. And that's what I look at my service as is me gaining skin in the game." "It's not difficult, it's just super time consuming and kind of annoying. And so, I mean, it even like stays true to today, everything I have to do isn't necessarily difficult. I'm a management major. I don't know what the Astro or aero people are going through. I'm sure that's very difficult. But for me, it's more just like getting the reps in it, and it's very gradual." - C1C Andrew Cormier '25, October 2024   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK   CHAPTERS 00:00:  Introduction to Cadet Andrew Cormier 02:52:  Andrew's Early Life and Background 05:52:  Discovering the Military Path 08:46:  Community Service and Humanitarian Efforts 12:10:  Transitioning to the Air Force Academy 15:07:  Experiences in Basic Training 17:57:  Leadership and Followership at the Academy 20:47:  Becoming a Squadron Commander 24:11:  The Role of a Squadron Commander 27:12:  Starting the Podcast Journey 34:54:  Understanding Career Paths in the Air Force 39:30:  The Impact of Podcasting on Personal Growth 44:45:  Engagement and Value in the Cadet Community 52:36:  Navigating Post-Graduation Decisions 01:00:05:  The Importance of National Pride and Perspective 01:04:53:  Leadership Lessons: It's Not About You   ANDREW'S 5 KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS Leadership is not about you, it's about the team. As a leader, your job is to represent and protect your people, not focus on personal privileges. Seek to understand different perspectives and listen more than you talk. Don't take American ideals and freedoms for granted - they need to be actively defended. Balance future planning with living in the present. Don't become overly fixated on the future at the expense of enjoying the moment. Perseverance, critical thinking, and resourcefulness are key to success. Rely on these core strengths rather than trying to control everything. Diverse experiences and mentorship are invaluable. Seek out advice from those who have walked the path you want to follow, and be open to learning from a variety of backgrounds.   ABOUT ANDREW BIO C1C Andrew D. Cormier is a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, CO. Cadet Cormier is the commander of squadron 15, the Mighty War Eagles. C1C Cormier is originally from Fitchburg, MA and entered the Air Force Academy in June of 2021 following his lifelong passion to “serve others.” Throughout his cadet career he has held the squadron position of Diversity & Inclusion NCO and Spark Innovator, but on an unofficial level has hosted the “For the Zoomies” podcast interviewing over 75 officers to better understand their experiences in the Air Force for the sake of helping cadets make career decisions, as well as been a widely trusted barber in the dormitories. C1C Cormier plans to complete his Bachelor of Science in Business Management in May 2025. Immediately following graduation he intends to commission as a Second Leiutenant in the U.S. Air Force and become an Acquisitions Officer. - Copy and Image Credit: Andrew Cormier    CONNECT WITH ANDREW LINKEDIN  |  INSTAGRAM  |  TWITTER   RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  FOR THE ZOOMIES PODCAST with C1C Andrew Cormier   LISTEN NOW!     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS GUEST:  C1C Andrew Cormier  |  HOST:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz 00:00 My guest today is Cadet 1st Class Andrew Cormier, USAFA Class of '25. Andrew stands out among the finest examples of those who have taken the service-before-self aspect of their work as developing leaders very seriously. In Andrew's case, he helps and supports his fellow cadets by guiding them to their optimal career paths through the guests and their experiences on his podcast. This is a new approach for Long Blue Leadership, and one we think you'll appreciate, because we're looking at leadership through the eyes of one who both follows and leads, thriving in both spaces. We'll talk with Andrew about his life before and during his time at the Academy. We'll ask where he's headed when he graduates. We'll discuss the role he's taken on as a podcaster, and we'll ask how he's successfully led and followed. We'll end with Andrew's takeaways and leadership tips. Andrew, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here.   Andrew Cormier Thanks for having me, Naviere.   Naviere Walkewicz Absolutely. So it's got to be a little bit different being on the other side of the podcast mic.   Andrew Cormier Yeah, no, it's definitely interesting to be here. I've done a few before, but they weren't in person, and this was like the highest quality, so I have a little bit of imposter syndrome, not gonna lie.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh goodness. Well, we'll learn from each other, right? I think that's the best. We can always be learning; we can always get better. So, I'm excited to take in some of the things that you do as well. Feel really good about that. Well, one of the things we like to do on Long Blue Leadership is we rewind the clock a little bit. Some clocks are further rewound back than others, and so I'm really excited to kind of get to know. Where were you before the Academy? Where'd you grow up? What was life like?   Andrew Cormier OK, I'm not as chronologically advanced, like, relative to maybe my experience in high school. I grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, lot of pride coming from the East Coast. My parents, my dad, he worked as a general contractor, so I spent a lot of summers laying tile, you know, doing framing houses, all that sort of stuff, just like, you know, a general laborer. Honestly, just like sweeping up a lot of dust and mess, as he actually did all the hard work. And then I went to a tech school, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School. That's a mouthful, but I went there mostly because my brother went there. I wasn't a huge decision maker back then, like I consider myself somewhat now. And I studied machine technology, and working on metal pieces like running lathes and mill machines and electronic discharge machines, just to — I didn't really know what preparing for the future was like, but that was the kind of path I was on. But then, I grew up playing hockey and lacrosse, and I realized that I had an opportunity with that somewhat, and I was traveling the East Coast playing lacrosse. Think it was after a tournament in Ashton, Pennsylvania, me and my dad got a phone call from Coach Wilson, the Air Force Academy lacrosse coach, saying, “Hey, we saw you play this weekend. We'd love to have you out.” And so that's like a really quick rundown of where I come from, but I guess moral of the story: I really appreciate the background, the kind of blue-collar experiences that I've had when it comes to growing up in Massachusetts.   Naviere Walkewicz No, that's awesome. And I think it's, it's great know that you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, to work hard and grit. I mean, that kind of is also synonymous with hockey. I feel like you work hard, you dig. So let's talk about that a little bit more. Older brother then. So you're one of two? Any other siblings?   Andrew Cormier Yeah, just me and my brother.   Naviere Walkewicz OK, and so what was it like growing up with an older brother? You know, were you always the one that he got to test things on? Or what did that look like?   Andrew Cormier No, my brother — he's about three and a half years older than me, so we never really were in school at the same time. He was always, four grades ahead. So we went to all the same schools, but he was leaving just as soon as I was arriving. But no, he was a great big brother. I was more of like the wild child, me and my mom will sometimes look at the family videos, and it's me kind of just being this goofball, like not appreciating things, like complaining, whining, all this stuff while Zach's over here, trying to help me. Like, I remember this video: We lived in this house where the driveway was very steep, and so we would just like drive our little like plastic carts down the driveway right, and my brother was over here, like, trying to push me up the hill, and I'm over here, like yelling at him—   Naviere Walkewicz Go faster!   Andrew Cormier No, I was like, “Stop, Zach, stop!” Like, looking back, I'm like, wow, I was just a goofball. He's over here trying to help me, right? But no, he was. He was a great big brother. And to be honest, growing up, I consider myself to have, like, a really spongy brain in terms of, I want to learn things through other people's experiences so that I don't make the same mistakes myself. And so when I would see my brother do all these things, he got into lacrosse. I got into lacrosse. He went to Monty Tech. I saw what cool opportunities there were with that. I went there. And so it was kind of like he tested the waters for me, and then I ended up, following suit. And it's, it's kind of changed since then, I've come to a little bit more of like an independent person. But, you know, growing up, you kind of always look up to your big brother.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, I love that. And so, aside from being recognized through your lacrosse sport, how? How did the military come into play? Was that something always on the radar? Is it somewhere in your family, maybe not with your dad or your mom, but elsewhere?   Andrew Cormier Yeah, um, my family wasn't big on the military, not that — you know, we grew up pretty disciplined, but the on my mom's side, her parents are immigrants from Canada. There's not a whole bunch of military history there. But on my dad's side, my Pepe, his dad, was drafted for the Korean War, and so he did communications for four years, and then he got out. But beyond that, I mean, he passed when I was young, so I never really got to really — he never really had the opportunity to instill lessons into a sentient person, more or less. So, yeah, I felt more or less like I was doing this for the first time, like it wasn't a huge military thing. But in high school again, my brother, it was an open house. I was in seventh or eighth grade. I get brought to the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program at my high school. And I was really like, what's going on here?   Naviere Walkewicz In an excited way, or?   Andrew Cormier Kind of. It was more like, intrigued, not super— my first question after he gave his little pitch was, “So do I have to serve?” And he was like, “No, no, no.” And I was kind of relieved. So that's kind of my initial impression. I go to school, I'm not enrolled initially, and to be honest, I don't remember what urged me to enroll in the program, but I ended up enrolling. I loved it.   Naviere Walkewicz What year was that?   Andrew Cormier It was freshman year, so I did all three years, because I transferred to a different school my senior year, but I did it all three years, and I loved it, mostly because of the service aspect of it. We did a lot of — it wasn't like, I feel like ROTC, especially at the Academy, because, you know, if other cadets see this, they're probably gonna flame me for it. But this has, it has this perception of collecting badges and ribbons and, cadet general, all that sort of stuff. And that was so far from what my program was all about, we were doing a bunch of community service. Like, you know, in Fitchburg, we would go near the Boys & Girls Club and pick up trash in the area. Obviously, picking up the trash wasn't fun, but just like, going out and do something with your buddies on the weekend, that was fun. Countless Salvation Army collections, like we'd sit outside the grocery store—   Naviere Walkewicz Ring the bell?   Andrew Cormier Yeah, collect money. All those sorts of things were what really pushed me on. And then I think the culminating thing that really pushed me to want to pursue this was, my sophomore year, we did a humanitarian trip after Hurricane Harvey hit in Texas. So we went down to Wharton, raised a whole bunch of money, took 50 of the about 100 cadet corps, and we posted up in this Boys & Girls Club gymnasium, all on cots. We'd march to breakfast at Wharton Community College, and then we'd spend the day going back and forth in teams, in our vans, either bringing cabinetry to houses, flooring to houses, drywall to houses. And then we'd install it, because it was all flooded up to pretty much the knee from Hurricane Harvey. And so that week that we spent down there was super impactful to me, especially at the end. There was a bunch of little projects, but centrally, there was a big project, because this house was basically destroyed. And coming from a tech school, we have a bunch of plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers, all the all these different trades coming together, and they ended up doing something really good for this one family. And so they left for a week, and then they were able to reintroduce them on that Friday, and it was super heartwarming. I don't know how I feel saying that word, because I emasculated myself, but, that sort of feeling. It was like, “Wow, we really, like, helped a family,” and it was impactful to me. And so, you know, now at the Academy, I'm like, I haven't had time to do community service, and I feel bad about it, but that's kind of what really got me interested in it.   Naviere Walkewicz Well, I think it's fascinating how, you know, your ability — you worked with your dad, so I think you brought some of those skills, and then again through school. But I think a heart of service is kind of the theme that we're hearing early on in this conversation. What I think we're going to even talk about more. So you were discovered through lacrosse, the little — you went on a, probably an intercollegiate, tour of the Academy. And were you like, “Yes, this is it,” or was it still like a “Well…”   Andrew Cormier Yeah, so backtrack a little bit. My senior year I ended up transferring to Northfield Mount Hermon. It's a college preparatory school, so I was boarding there. And I say that because when I came here, I was really interested in old schools that have a lot of heritage, a lot of tradition. My school, it was like, I — all my fellow “Hoggers” are going to be disappointed that I forget the year that it was founded by Dwight L. Moody, but it's a very old school. Lots of traditions, a lot of fun stuff to like, you know, students are looking forward to and seeing what a lot of the freshmen had to do in my trip here, despite it being a relatively younger school compared to West Point and Annapolis, I was like, “That's cool.” Like, I like the hierarchy structure of it. I really like seeing it. The chapel was out, so I got to see, ya know, it was one of those sort of situations where I was really looking for a school that had fit the criteria of getting able to, you know, serve tradition. And I really wanted to play college lacrosse and at that time it looked like it was gonna fit those descriptions.   Naviere Walkewicz Yeah, so the Academy it was, and what was day 1 like for you?   Andrew Cormier 12:41 A few disclaimers: I want to say that, one, I didn't end up making lacrosse team, so I don't want to be, you know, claiming I made it and I didn't. And two, so…   Naviere Walkewicz …so let's pause there a second. So you were initially recruited, but you got and you had to do the whole application and get in on your own, because you ended up not being a recruited athlete?   Andrew Cormier Yes, and I got denied my first time.   Naviere Walkewicz OK, let's talk about that.   Andrew Cormier Yeah, so I, I applied Well, trade school, education, trade one week, education, other week. So you can see I might be slightly deficient in in certain academic realms. And so that's why I transferred to college Preparatory School, because I wanted to, you know, go all in on my academics, hopefully, you know, get me in. It worked in terms of really opening my perspective, but didn't work in terms of getting me into the Academy the first try, which I was initially a little bummed about, but now looking back on it, I'm like, that was, you know, the Falcon Foundation, shout out to him, or shout out to them, and Gen. Lorenz, everyone. We actually had the dinner last week that was super fun. But I didn't get in. But I got offered Falcon Foundation Scholarship, and I ended up going to again, picking schools off of tradition, Marion Military Institute, which is the oldest one on the list of options. And yeah, I went there for a year during COVID, and that's where I guess the gap is because I'm a Class — I was Class of 2020 in high school, graduating Class of '25, there's that gap. I hope I answered your question.   Naviere Walkewicz That's fantastic, actually. And, and I think for those listeners who may not be aware of the Falcon Foundation. You know, we have a number of different college preparatory, military preparatory programs that are affiliated with our Academy. And I think it's a wonderful testament to — you apply for the Air Force Academy. You don't apply for a preparatory school, but the Academy recognizes when we have areas that are maybe just under the cut line, but someone we're really interested in, and how do we get them there? And so I think it's fantastic that you were able to get a Falcon Foundation Scholarship. And I don't call that a gap. I call that just an extra year of preparatory So, yeah, it's wonderful.   Andrew Cormier I was definitely prepared more.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, OK, so you came in on day 1 feeling pretty good then, because, you know, where others might have been the whole basic training experience, just kind of, you know, knock their socks off. You're like, “All right, we know this military thing.” Is that true?   Andrew Cormier Yeah. And, I mean, I guess in terms of, I know how to make a bed, I know how to wear a uniform, that was less daunting. I'm a management major. I don't know what the Astro or Aero people are going through. I'm sure that's very—   Naviere Walkewicz I'm glad you put that caveat in there. OK.   Andrew Cormier Yes, I'm a management major. All the assignments are more or less easy, but it's more just like getting the reps in and it's very gradual. So I don't want this to make it sound like the Academy is easy by any means, because what's difficult about it is the task-saturation they have you doing. It's like stuffing 10 pounds of sand in a 5-pound bag, that sort of deal. That's where it's difficult, at least for me. And so coming into it with hearing those sort of perceptions, that's how I went into it feeling, and I was kind of right. I mean, basic training wasn't super rigorous.   Naviere Walkewicz You were fit.   Andrew Cormier I was, you know, I was able to memorize things.   Naviere Walkewicz Good, your mind is a sponge, so that was probably helpful.   Andrew Cormier Yeah, I had all my— my bed making skills were already down pat, so all the really tactical things were taken care of, and I understood that I was going to get yelled at no matter what. And coming into it with that, I was just like, OK, this is a game of attrition, and I just can't quit.   Naviere Walkewicz I love that. So how did you translate what you felt was maybe not as difficult and you saw others struggling? Have there been times where you've had to step up and take on a role of being more of a support or a leader amongst your peers?   Andrew Cormier Yes, of course. I mean, in my baby squad, we had — I wasn't the only, not only preppy, but also they call them prepsters. I was technically a prepster because I didn't go to the “P” but, you know, I was still did a prep year, and we had a prior enlisted person, and so the four or five of us had already seen all this stuff before. And when it came to studying the Contrails, showing people how to, you know, make their closet and all those sort of things. And also when it came to just being away from home, I had been away from home since I was about 17, and I got there when I was 19 or 20. And so acclimating to living away from home is kind of difficult challenge. And so just being there for the people that are like, “I miss home, I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss my home food” and all this sort of stuff. You know, there, there aren't a lot of opportunities for chit chat during basic training, at least towards the beginning, but towards the end, I'm like, you know, “You got this, let's power through.”   Naviere Walkewicz And yeah, I love that. So let's talk about, while you've been a cadet, maybe some of the ways that you've been a follower and some of the ways that you've been a leader, aside from the one you just kind of shared, what have been some ones that have stood out to you as you're continuing to develop your leadership skills?     Andrew Cormier 18:48 OK, following — very much freshman year you're following. Trying to think of some concrete examples. I think credibility, like understanding where you fall on the credibility hierarchy is somewhat a dictator, an indicator of where you should be in terms of leading and following, and I understood that relative to the rest of my baby squaddies, I might have been slightly above the average in terms of credibility, but in terms of the entire squadron, lowest of the low.   Naviere Walkewicz Tell me why. Let's talk about that. What do you mean?   Andrew Cormier Well, I mean, I remember freshman year when we were getting quizzed on our shoulder board rankings. It's a ground-cloud horizon, and freshmen just have the cloud because their heads in the clouds. They're, very unfamiliar with this place. And you know, it's true, not only do you not know what it's like to have a bunch of GRs in a week as a freshman, just coming out of basic training, but you also don't know what it's like to understand an organization. I didn't understand what a reporting structure like — you know, I didn't understand a lot of these intricacies, and I tried my best to have some humility and understanding that and just keeping my ears open for it. And with that credibility spectrum I was confident in the sense that I could be self-sufficient NS take care of what I needed to take care of on the academic front, the knowledge, the K-test front, athletic front. But when it came to, oh wow, I've never been in a 100-person organization before and at the bottom of it, this is a time to take some notes. I think that's definitely a theme's that's definitely followed through with the podcast especially. I kind of avoided giving a concrete example of the followership.   Naviere Walkewicz 25:00 You had mentioned you thought it was a whole bunch of KPP, so what is the role really like as a squadron commander?   Andrew Cormier 25:07 It's different than I thought it would be. You know, I think there's this perception of leadership at the Academy, amongst cadets, that leadership is land-naving through the athletic fields and like Jacks Valley. You know what I mean? Like, leadership is these super tactical things, like, how can you be as close to George Washington as possible? But, one, there's not many opportunities. And if you're doing that, opportunities for that sort of stuff, and if you're doing that stuff, you're probably not delegating as you should. And so I think the biggest takeaway that I've gotten from this position is like representation of your people and protection of them.   Naviere Walkewicz Talk about that.   Andrew Cormier 25:57 So even this past week — I don't want it to be tainted that he's a very good friend of mine, because I would have done this for anybody in my squadron. But he received some paperwork from somebody else, his supervisor. He works a group job, so the paperwork was coming from a wing person, and it was outlining how he had failed to do this and all this stuff, and then at the end, it had said something about his like, — I'm super cool. People mess up all the time. I mess up all the time. That's understandable. Mistakes are gonna happen. But the last paragraph rubbed me the wrong way, because it said something about his character, that, knowing him, well, I didn't really — it seemed very out of character. And so, you know, I've had cadet squadron commanders in the past that are just like, you know, hey, I'm going to trust everything that that the wing person said, issue all of the demerits, tours, paperwork that comes with the recommendation and leave it at that, but my attempt to really take this position seriously is to get the perspective of my friend, see what his opinion on it was like. Maybe let me gather a little bit more evidence. And upon doing that, the statement that was at the bottom of it was completely not apparent in the evidence. And this really raised an alarm for me, because if I weren't to do that, not only was it sent to me, but it was sent to permanent party. I'm like, this is, you know, kind of throwing some dirt on his reputation, and it's not true. And so what happened was I immediately texted the guy. It was cool. I worked with him over the summer on wing staff, and I went to his room, and I was like, “Hey, so, you know, just trying to get some understanding. I'm not here to press you about this, but I want to understand what's actually going on here. This is what is outlined in the Form 10. This is the evidence that I gathered from my friend, and they don't really seem to be congruent.” And then he starts giving his case, and I don't disagree with any of the things where he actually, you know, failed to do things. But then, when it came to the part about his character, he was like, “Yeah, so that's the issue. I did that out of anger of somebody else.” Because I remember seeing the group chat and the message was sent, and then my friend responded super politely, super respectfully, and then his co-worker was like, you know, kind of escalatory, aggressive. And then, as a result, both of them got negative paperwork. And I believe that only the negative character should have been put on his co-worker, not on my friend. And he admitted to that, and he was like, “I'm willing to walk that back, because it doesn't give an accurate representation of his character.” And so, you know, my friend was super appreciative, because, you know, we ended up having a permanent party conversation the next day, and we cleared everything up, and they were like, “Thank you for investigating this a little bit more. Because if you didn't, we probably would have just ran with the guy's recommendation and maybe thought a little bit less of him.” So, um, I guess when it comes to protecting my people, maybe that's now thinking back on it, maybe that's a first sergeant job to handle, like the discipline stuff, but maybe that it was my friend that took a little bit more ownership of it, and wanted to make sure it's correct. But that's more or less an example of protecting my people, or representing my people, I guess they kind of go hand in hand on. I guess, another note of protecting—   Naviere Walkewicz Or even what you've learned since being in the role of squadron.   Andrew Cormier 30:04 Yeah.   Naviere Walkewicz Peer leadership is hard, wouldn't you agree?   Andrew Cormier 30:04 It is very difficult. And I think maybe part of the reason why I was selected was because I have a relatively good reputation in squadron to be friendly. Last semester I was D&C. So, you know, I'm outside of the formation, making corrections –   Naviere Walkewicz What is D&C?   Andrew Cormier D&C: drilling and ceremonies. So I'm outside of the squadron making corrections as people are marching. And it's not an easy thing to do when it's somebody older than you as well. And I'm over here cracking jokes with them and making sure that I do it to everyone, not just certain people. I dig in a little bit more to my friends who I know can accept it, and then it might ease the tension of all the other people who might be not doing it right. And then I go talk to them, like, “Hey, chest up a little bit,” or, like, “'Fix your dress.” But yeah, I think that that was a big piece of me getting picked for it, because I have to uphold a standard, especially in today's Cadet Wing. I don't know if the listeners are privy to all the change going on in the Cadet Wing, but there's a much larger emphasis on standards. “Hey, I'm low key doing you a favor by correcting you so that you don't end up in a three-star's office.” And so as much as it's made cadet life as a whole, somewhat more difficult, it's made my job as a squadron commander, supposed to enforce these standards, a little bit easier, because they know that I'm not like the highest person that's like enforcing this. This isn't me power tripping. This is me trying to look out for people. That perception makes a big difference.   Naviere Walkewicz No, that's really helpful, and probably more than you thought we were going to be talking about, because you were probably thought we spending a lot of time talking about For the Zoomies, and I'd like to get there. So let's, let's talk about that right now. So, when did it start and why?   Andrew Cormier The reason changed over time, but I started it. I came out of CST, combat survival training, after my freshman-year summer. So it was approximately July timeframe. And I've always been an avid podcast listener. Loved hearing conversations, new ideas, learning, you know, while I just drive. I might think I'm a little bit more productive, like multitasking. And so I've always wanted to start one, but I wanted to be meaningful, not just me and my friends just yapping in some microphones. So what I did was, after freshman year, all of the fever dream of it was over. I could start projecting into the future, not just living in the present. I started projecting into the future, and I'm like, “Oh crap, I have an active-duty service commitment. I actually have to think about that decision for a little bit.” And I was scared because I didn't want to be a pilot. We had Career Night, which is one night every year, and then Ops, which was a whole year out. So I'm just like, I'm not the type to just sit back and let things happen to me. And so to address this issue, I went ahead and was like, you know, Col. Rutter. I went asked him, “Hey, is this feasible? What sort of problems you think I could run into? You know, like, PA, whatever?” And he was like, “Dude, go for it.” And so I started off just interviewing AOCs around base, getting — he was my first episode, talking about A-10s, even though I didn't want to be a pilot, you know, even though I don't want to do that, I'd like to learn more about it. Same thing, maintenance, acquisitions — being a management major was something I was very exposed to in the classroom, and then, you know, it just kind of like expanded. I covered a decent number of AFSCs, and then I started getting to the point where I had this better picture of not only what job I wanted, but also a holistic understanding of how these jobs and career fields intertwined, and it gave me a better picture of what the Air Force does as a whole. And so that was like a big learning piece for it, but it transitioned to, “OK, I don't want to just interview people and like, “Oh, this is what a maintenance officer does the entire time.” People get out after five years. And the reputation right now is that if you want to be a president, go to the Naval Academy. If you want to be a CEO, go to West Point. If you want to be a FedEx pilot, go to the Air Force Academy. And I heard that joke plenty of times, and as funny as it is, I'll admit it, I laughed at it, but like, I don't want that to be the perception of this place, because we produce much, much better leaders than just, pilots, not to poo-poo pilots, but like, CEO versus pilot, like it's, a different game. And so my idea was, how can I highlight that being an airline pilot, a cargo pilot, whatever it is, is not the only avenue to take after commissioning, what else can we do? And that's where I started picking up more perspectives, both on leadership, “What is it like to be a consultant?” I did, you know, definitely lean more towards things that I was interested in, but like equity research, private equity — all these different things, like podcasts, specifically about getting an MBA out of a service academy, all these sort of, like, super tangible things that, because I'm the target audience, I felt would, felt like it would resonate with the cadet wing, and so that was kind of like the motivation moving forward. And you know, it's had so many opportunities for me, like last week. Shout out Ted Robertson behind me, invited me to interview Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, and I'm getting all these super cool opportunities to expand my network and learn what it's like to do things at a more strategic level. And so it's been this really interesting, evolving project over the past two years, and I'll even share this little story. So this summer, I worked a cadet summer research program at Lockheed Martin in D.C. And one of the last days that we were there, they had this quarterly face to face, because it's a global, the corporate strategy arm is a global thing. So they have a like an in person thing every year — or every quarter. And how they started it was, we're gonna talk about just things that you've picked up, whether it's personal life, listen to a podcast, read a book that you wanna share with people. And so I was at the end of this big circle, and I was like, “What am I gonna say?” You know, like, all these people are spouting off this knowledge and wisdom, and I'm sitting here as this intern, trying to come up with something that would be useful to them, and then I actually started thinking. I was like, you know, this podcast changed my perspective on a lot of things, and I get a lot of praise for it, but as much as, like, you know, I acknowledge it was a good thing to help other people expand my own knowledge base of this, it had some downfalls and drawbacks as well. Namely, being I became super fixated on the future, and I was unable to really focus on the present, living in the moment like, get a little dark here, I was a little existential at certain points of time, because I was just constantly thinking future, and I'm like, What am I doing like right now? And it became like a frustrating thing for me, because not only was I interacting with a lot of older people, it was kind of making me feel unrelatable to my peers, and that was bothersome to me, because, you know, I never want to be perceived as this person who's a sycophant, like, just brown-noser and all that sort of stuff. And so it was definitely some drawbacks. And then I, like, brings me to the point of the reason why I started this was that fear. I started because I was scared of not knowing what the future was going to entail. It was this fear of uncertainty. And, you know, reflecting upon that I came into the Academy this, like this confident person and like, where'd that go? Am I not confident? Like the two things that I think if anybody can have will be successful in any realm of life, is perseverance and critical thinking. Those two things, in my opinion, will carry you anywhere. And I felt like I had those things, but I was just discounting them so heavily, to the point that I was like, I need to figure all this stuff out, or else I'm gonna be screwed, when in reality,why am I not just relying on these two things that I know, that I have, you know, maybe you can work in resourcefulness, but I have these two things. Why am I discounting those? And I think that was the big reflection point that I was able to share with the people in this room at this, you know — face to face. And I was like, you know, I had this really big pendulum swing to trying to control everything. And I really don't perceive myself to be a control freak. As, like, a micromanager. I think if you talk to anybody in the squad, they, they won't perceive me that way. But when it comes to my own future, like I want to — in the past — I'm trying to correct it. I'm still not perfect, but I was trying to correct for this. And I'm like, No, that's it's not right. That's not a long term, feasible thing I'm gonna end up burning out, never really living in the moment, never really enjoying things. And so, like that was a big learning lesson from this whole idea.   Naviere Walkewicz And you learned that when you're sitting in that circle, or did you learn that — was that when it kind of culminated into how you articulated it? Or had you already felt that way?   Andrew Cormier 41:40 The cadet experience, like I said, is very task-saturating, and so I never feel like I have a time to reflect during the semester. This was about July, like this past July, and so although I was working, it was like four day weeks, so I had a decent amount of time to reflect. I always treat my Christmas breaks and my summer breaks as points to reflect, and because that's the only time I have, like, the bandwidth to. And like that whole time period, like I was just so locked in on — like all this work I have my my notion planner and checking boxes, Life is checking boxes. And it took me, you know, shout out to Cylas Reilly, 100% because as much as we're different — like, he's much more, like, happy go lucky, like super high energy guy — being with him on the C-SERP at Lockheed, he, allowed me to put my hair down a little bit like, just take a little road trip, talk about stuff, not be so analytical about everything. And so I guess that's that point where — I had about month, because this was at the end of it. I was leaving the next day. And so we had about a month to talk about things. I had a month to reflect on it, and then this was something that was — like it had been the first time I'd ever put it to words, I'll say that. It wasn't the first time I was trying to process it, but it was the first time that I was putting it into words.   Naviere Walkewicz How did you feel after you said that?   Andrew Cormier Uh, slightly cathartic. I don't know it is. It's weird because as soon as you put something to words, then you can, like, I feel like understanding is like, if you can talk, if you can think about it, that's like, the lowest level of understanding. If you can talk about it, that's slightly higher. But then writing about it is the highest level. And so, like, I always keep a journal, and I've been trying to write about it, to put it into more concise words. But that was a big — it was kind of like a breakthrough of like, I'm having a higher understanding of this lesson that seems to be apparent in life.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow. And I think that's something that our listeners can — and those watching too — can really gravitate toward, because, you know, sometimes we get so caught up in the churn of the “what's next?” and the “do this” and “get here.” And I think an important lesson you just shared with us, and I love that you've learned it earlier on, is the key of reflection and really assessing “where am I?” and “how do I feel about that?” and “what's next?”. So For the Zoomies. Let's talk about that. First off, I mean, you've gotten a lot of praise for it, because they're fantastic, your episodes. What has the cadet wing — how have they embraced it?   Andrew Cormier 44:31 You know, I wish Spotify had a little bit better of the data. I can't attach an IP number to a listen. But to be honest, I was never looking for listens. But then as soon as I started growing, I'm, you know, a little bit more tied to it. It's kind of like seeing a lot of likes and stuff on Instagram or whatever.   Naviere Walkewicz Affirmations are wonderful.   Andrew Cormier 44:53 Yeah, but so I think it was received somewhat well. And I always try to add value to the cadet wing. Some of them I admit are a little bit selfish. They're mostly for me, like I really want to talk to this person. But then I had an episode with the Office of Labor and Economic Analysis about a change in how cadets were going to get matched their AFSCs, and I was thankful that — shout-out to Maj. Ian McDonald. He's the person who reached out for me. He is a representative from OLEA who was like, “Hey, I heard about your podcast. This might be a good episode idea.” And I'm like, “You're a genius. You're a genius.” And so we sat down — him and Col. Joffrion in the economic department. They were—.   Naviere Walkewicz Justin Joffrion?   Andrew Cormier Yes, classmate, my upper-classmate. He's '98.   Andrew Cormier OK, OK. And so we sat down and we walked through how cadets — because the initial, or I guess the legacy system, was OPA, your class, rank, your major, and then your preference. Those were the three things that would get put into this algorithm, this black box, and then you'd be spit out your AFSC. Now, and I think it's still in pilot. Maybe it's confirmed for a Class of '26 but at least for the '24/'25 those were, you know, where it was being tested, and it was much more like an open job market, where you actually able to submit a narrative about things that you projects that you've worked on, capstones, research that you've done, and it was super impactful. Because one, I really appreciate the new system, to be honest, because the military can be very — I've studied a lot of Austrian economics in my time, so I'm very of the mind, like, free markets, don't tell people what to do, like, they'll pick what's right for them. And so seeing this moving more towards a market structure, I was like, this is a good idea. But being able to share that with the Cadet Wing — that's the highest-listen episode, because I think it really, like, drives value. People don't want to, they want to know how the system works so that they can game the system. And one of my questions on the episode was like, “So, are you worried about people gaming the system? Because they know how it works?” And they're like, “Do it. We want you to get the right job.” And so, yeah, it's been super impactful to me that cadets valued the product that I put out there. And they would value it because it was useful to them. I wouldn't want it to be artificially inflated just for the sake of that affirmation, even though it feels good, but, yeah, it felt good to be able to contribute in that way.   Naviere Walkewicz I love that. So that's the most listened from the cadet perspective, what was been the most rewarding from the podcast seat, from your side of it?   Andrew Cormier Like, most rewarding in terms of—   Naviere Walkewicz Either a guest episode or just the experience of podcasts, okay, I'll let you take it where you'd like.   Andrew Cormier I have a lot of people pose this sort of question to me a lot about, like, who's your favorite episode? Like, who's your favorite guest? And, you know, they, like, kind of hint at, like, all, like, Gen. Clark, like, or anyone with stars was probably a really cool episode. And, you know, it is an honor and a privilege to be able to get an hour on their calendar because they're super busy. They're strategic thinkers. They don't usually have a whole bunch of time on their hands, but they were able to open up their calendar to me, and so it's an honor, and usually I do come away with a lot of practical knowledge from those things. I shouldn't say that those are always the most enjoyable. One of my favorites thus far has been with Julian Gluck, Cosmo. Because, you know, we sit down, same thing with Sam Eckholm, we sit down and we just — it is a little bit of yap-sesh, so maybe it's more for the people who are looking for entertainment than advice or information on the Air Force as a whole. But we just sit down and talk about cadet life. And I really enjoy the evolution of the Academy experience, year over year. And Sam Eckholm, being a relatively recent grad. Cosmo being — I think he's 2010, so it's like, you know, in these sort of 10-year chunks, and then even…   Naviere Walkewicz Is he ‘08 or ‘10?   Andrew Cormier He might be — in that timeframe. Yeah. And even Dr. Chaudhary, which was super fun, because for the first half of the episode, we were just talking about spirit missions. And so usually, with these senior leaders, it's more of “What's the strategic landscape?” “What can cadets take away from this?” But with him, it was like, you know, talking about chickens on the freaking football field and like, going up on Flat Iron. And so I always enjoy those episodes from a personal perspective of really having institutional pride, is seeing the evolution of this place and seeing the ebbs and flows of it. And it's like telling that — it makes me understand that the difficulty of this place and like the perception that the cadet wing is getting softer. It's not something that's been this ever since '59 it's been this gradual decline, persistently. It's a thing that comes and goes and honestly, we're more-or-less on an uptrend than not, relative to the adversaries that we're facing. So I guess that's a big piece of it is, as much as I really enjoy learning and getting different people's perspectives on, “Oh, what base should I choose given these goals?” Or, you know, “What does a maintenance officer do at Red Flag?”   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, oh, my goodness. Well, I think one of the things that you've highlighted in and this journey of yours is, yes, it's about impact. Yes, it's about, you know, taking care of one another. But there's also this intrinsic piece which is really about relationships, and that's what I hear when you talked about the ones that you really enjoyed most. I think it was that human connection. That's that thread that connects us.   Andrew Cormier Yeah, I think you hit the hammer on that thing. You know what I'm trying to say.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, no, I'm with you. So, Andrew, what's next for you? Upon graduation, we know you're not going to be a pilot. What are you going to be doing?   Andrew Cormier 52:29 I dropped 63 Alpha Acquisition Manager.   Naviere Walkewicz And that's what you wanted?   Andrew Cormier Yes, first pick.   Naviere Walkewicz So you gamed the system properly?   Andrew Cormier Yes. I gamed it properly, yes. And I think the narrative piece of it, I included how I went to Lockheed, and they're very — the project I was working on, was very acquisition-oriented, so I think I really put a lot of emphasis on, “Give me this.”   Naviere Walkewicz “I really, really want this.” I'm so happy for you.   Andrew Cormier Thank you. Thank you. But so we just put in base preferences. That was a pretty long conversation with a lot of people that I had to have.   Naviere Walkewicz Including Chloe. Is she…?   Andrew Cormier Yeah, no, she was the main stakeholder outside of me. We probably had three different conversations about it. I'd talk to her first, go get some other input from grads. Talk to her again, more input. Talk to her, and then finally, input. And so, you know, I talked to my sponsor, Maj. Bryce Luken. And the reason I talked to a lot of people that I wanted to be somewhat like, like, I envision myself as them somewhat in the future. You know, they're reservists, entrepreneurial, very like — not sit back 9 to 5, but how are we gonna, you know, improve national security and have our own spin on things, have autonomy over, you know, what we do and our time and so, like, those are the criteria over, like, who I was talking to, so I had a conversation with him. He's like, “You should go to L.A.” I'm like, “Air Force people aren't going to L.A. That's Space Force…” Like, Boston. And so he's like, “Dude, you should go to Boston, MIT, Lincoln Lab.”   Naviere Walkewicz Hopefully you talked to Cosmo as well.   Andrew Cormier I actually haven't, but yeah, I should let him know I ended up putting in Hanscom. But you know Col. Misha, I saw him at the Falcon Foundation dinner, Forrest Underwood. Yes, they were giving me the same like urging me go to Boston. You're a young professional who wants to get his hands dirty. Don't go to, you know, Langley, where — you know you can still be industrious down there, but you'll be under-resourced compared to if you went to Boston.   Naviere Walkewicz See, and that's great feedback that you know maybe others aren't thinking about in their decisions. So I think that's a really great process in the way you approached it. People that are in the ways of where you want to go. And also the important people in your life that you want to make sure stay important.   Andrew Cormier Yeah. I mean, at the end of every single episode on the podcast, I always ask for advice for cadets looking to pursue a similar path. Emphasis on “pursue a similar path.” I get a lot of advice, and not that I think anyone is, you know, basing their advice off of maybe an incomplete conclusion. But when you're getting advice, you really have to understand, what are what is their envisioning or like, how are they envisioning your outcome, and is their envision outcome the same as like, what you want? And so I think getting to your point, I really look — I got the advice. Same thing. This past Sunday, I called up Chase Lane, who went to Langley first. And I think that's why he really stuck out to me. But he urged me to go to Boston. And also, kind of like, walked me through. He's like, you know, Chloe works at Space Foundation. She really wants to be in the space world. And so, she's like, “Let's go to Patrick. Right near Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach.” Super cool location, you know. I mean, prayers out to the people in Florida right now. I hope that they're all right. But like, you know, that'd be a good spot. Uh, relative, you know, Boston, wet snow every single day. But you know, he kind of like, Chase, walked me through how I should approach a conversation like this. And so, you know, the other night when I sat down with Chloe, as much as you know, I want to value her perspective and wanting to value all inputs, understand where those inputs come from, and find a middle point, a middle ground for everybody, because the team won't last if we're only valuing certain inputs. And you know, it does take a little bit of convincing, but also more of like, open your eyes to what the opportunity really is. Are you making assumptions about this? Am I making assumptions about this? Let's clear those up. And so that's a sort of conversation that we ended up having. And, you know, she's on board with Boston now and so.   Naviere Walkewicz I think that's wonderful. I think communication is key. Luckily for you, you're big on communication, And no, I think that's wonderful for our listeners, even. You know, yes, there's probably times when you have to make a decision, there's a lead decision maker, maybe in in a partnership or in a relationship, but when you take in all of those perspectives, like you said, I think the end of the day, when you're coming to that decision, you're in a place of transparency and, yeah, you kind of go for it together. So I think that's great lessons for all of our listeners. Andrew, we're going to get to some of the key thoughts that you have, and I also would love for you to share, and you have a limited to think about this, but something that is, you know, unique to you, that you would love our listeners to kind of hear or learn about you. I think that's one of the things that we've been able to pick up in Long Blue Leadership, is it's kind of neat when people just know what's relatable or what they think is really cool. So, give you a second on that. But before we do, I'd like to take a moment and thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. This podcast publishes Tuesdays in both video and audio, and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to episodes of Long Blue Leadership at long blue leadership.org   Naviere Walkewicz 58:38 So Andrew, here we are, and we can go in either order. I think, you know, we always like to make sure our listeners kind of have a way to encapsulate the leadership lessons you want to leave them with that's close to you. But also just kind of, what's the thing you want to leave them with that's all about, Andrew?   Andrew Cormier It's weird talking about myself, to be honest, because I bet I'm always on the other side of the microphone.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes. It's much easier asking the questions.   Andrew Cormier Yes. I think one thing that I really wanted to talk about that I guess wasn't outlined in this, was the regular question of “Why'd you come?” versus “Why'd you stay?” And like I mentioned before, the service piece was why I came, but seeing how I haven't done community service really since high school, the reason why I've been staying is because American ideals are amazing, and they need to be protected. And in order for me to have any say in that, I need to have skin in the game. And that's what I look at my service as, is me gaining skin in the game. And, you know, I just, I am by no means a scholar of American history. Massachusetts Public Education did not teach me about the Alamo, unfortunately, so when I went to San Antonio for the first time, I was learning it. But what they did teach me was about our founding fathers. And, you know, being from Massachusetts, Plymouth Rock, it's where the Pilgrims landed, and what it really took for people to come across an entire ocean, fight tyranny. Like ask me, “How do you think I like my tea?”   Naviere Walkewicz How do you like your tea?   Andrew Cormier In the harbor. You know what I mean? Yeah, like, there's this sort of state and then largely national pride as — it's audacious what has transpired over the past 250 years, and I just want Americans not to take that for granted. I recently watched Civil War. Have you seen that movie? It's like, kind of a journalist's take on what would happen if, you know, states seceded. And it's like a, it's like a reminder of, “Oh, this actually happened. There was a civil war,” but like, you know, we were able to remand it, and like those reminders, tell me that this, this should not be taken for granted. And so, you know, with the kind of, like national landscape, the whole climate, I just really urge people to try to understand other people's perspectives and listen more than they talk, because those pieces for me, like I'm a pretty staunch capitalist, but I recently bought TheCommunist Manifesto. This is probably gonna get clipped or something, but I bought it, and I still haven't started reading it yet, because this semester's been crazy. But I want to understand where these people are coming from.   Naviere Walkewicz Critical thinking.   Andrew Cormier I want to understand where these ideas stem from. And I want to listen, and I want other people to listen as well. I want a more general understanding of the ideas that are guiding all of this change. What are they actually rooted in? And I think that understanding will make it much more clear as to like, a direction that we should all head in rather than, you know, all this public descent over very more or less menial things that are petty and not worth having the uproar that is ensuing. So I don't know, I guess. I don't know exactly where I was going with that, but my national and state pride gives me this urge to go, in some way, shape or form, defend these ideals and to encourage other people to look at — you know, I didn't mention a whole bunch about Northfield, Mount Herman, but I went to four schools in four years, Monty, Tech, NMH, Marion Military Institute and then here, all four different years, Massachusetts, Alabama, Colorado — in, you know, Massachusetts, my hometown, it's blue collar, NMH, super liberal. I was very international. I was in class with a Malaysian prince. I was exposed to very different perspectives there than I was when I was in Alabama. Here, there's people from all corners of the United States, and so there's this expanding perspective that allows me to be like, what we have here really shouldn't be taken for granted. I think I'm just beating a dead horse at this point, but I just really want Americans to think a little bit more and, like, listen a little bit more and understand a little bit more. I'm off my soapbox.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:04:27 I'm really glad you shared that perspective. I mean, I think it's an insight into you know, your deeper calling, and, like you said, why you stay but the threads of everything you've shared have played into that part of that of who you are at the fabric of Andrew. So, any additional leadership nuggets you want to leave with our listeners?   Andrew Cormier 1:04:53 I don't want to defer to other things that I said earlier in the conversation, but it's not about you. It's not about you. I have a couch in my room. It's like,   Naviere Walkewicz Tell me more about that.   Andrew Cormier It's a squadron commander privilege. I have my own room. I have all these like privileges. I have up top parking. It's very like ivory tower-centric. And that's like the perception of this. But it's not about me at all. It is about going and defending my friend. It is about when permanent party is directing frustration towards me, how do I not pass that frustration onto them? How do I make sure that the voices below me are heard. How do we reopen Hap's? Those are the jobs that are mine, and that involves no, like — it's my job, that I think that's the main thing. When you're a leader, it's your job. There shouldn't be any extra, you know, kudos given to you. Everyone has their own piece in the puzzle, and just because your face is more prominent than others does not mean that the mission is any less doable with one piece missing or another piece missing. So I guess it's not about you, it's about the team.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:06:23 So, For the Zoomies, just to kind of recap, where is it headed, and how can they find it, our listeners?   Andrew Cormier 1:06:33 Spotify podcasts, or Apple podcasts, I guess that's where you can find it. I'm not gonna lie; it's been on a little bit of a hiatus. I've been returning to posting, but had to give myself a break at the beginning of the semester. To be honest, I'm looking to just get to 100 episodes upon graduation and calling it a repository. I'm looking forward to some of the upcoming guests. I reached out to Gen. Mike Minihan the other day on LinkedIn, and he got back to me, and I was like, wow, so maybe he might be on the show by the time this is released. But yeah, I kind of want cadets to understand more. There's a lot of things that are advertised about pilots, but there's more out there. And I want this also be a testament of you don't need to do something in your extracurricular time that is an Academy club. Cadets can do their own thing. Yeah, I hope that answers the question.   Naviere Walkewicz That's outstanding. Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you want to share before we close out this amazing episode?   Andrew Cormier No, I think, I think I'm good. I've been talking way too long.   Naviere Walkewicz Well, it's that, well, we want you to talk because you've been our guest. But Andrew, it's been a pleasure.   Andrew Cormier It's been a really — I didn't say this in the beginning, but really, thank you for having me on. It means a lot to me that, you know, I'm the first cadet here, and I don't know what the plan is moving forward, but it means a lot to me that you saw enough in me to put me in company with all the other guests that you have on the show so far, and so I just hope you know it's pressure for me not to do anything to let you guys down.   Naviere Walkewicz Well, I think you being who you are, you've already not let us down. You're amazing. Thank you so much.     KEYWORDS Air Force Academy, leadership, cadet experience, community service, podcasting, military career, personal growth, mentorship, squadron commander, humanitarian efforts, Air Force Academy, leadership, career paths, podcasting, personal growth, cadet community, national pride, decision making, leadership lessons       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation