Podcasts about Scott Air Force Base

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A conversation with Sam Eckholm '18 about his unique path and work to inspire the next generation of military leaders through social media and content creation.----more---- SUMMARY In this edition of Long Blue Leadership, host Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99, is talking with Sam about his journey from the three times he landed on the “footprints” on in-processing day through the challenges he faced as he learned to lead his peers, side-stepping career advice that might have left him in obscurity, his relentless perseverance pursuing his dreams, graduation in 2018, the history he's making now and Sam's continuing support of the Air Force Academy.     SOME OF OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Putting yourself in other people's shoes is big." "If you have an end goal in mind, it's not going to be easy to get there. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it." "What you see as a finished polished video, the behind the scenes is crazy." "Don't lose sight of that end goal." "Dig deep down and realize what you want. And just relentlessly go after that."   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |   LINKEDIN    CHAPTERS 00:00 - Putting Yourself in Other People's Shoes 21:13 - The Terrazzo Gap: Challenges and Perceptions 23:49 - Finding Passion in Clubs and Sports 27:40 - From Photography to Public Affairs 30:05 - Inspired by the F-22 Demo Team 31:00 - Pursuing a Career in Public Affairs 32:24 - Learning and Growing as a Young Lieutenant 33:22 - Challenges and Rewards of Public Affairs 34:22 - Maintaining Motivation and Finding Balance 35:44 - Leading Others and Finding Personal Outlets 38:41 - Transitioning to Entrepreneurship 41:49 - Impactful Moments and Inspiring Others 46:49 - Overcoming Challenges and Pursuing Dreams 53:31 - Supporting the Academy and Creating Impactful Content 56:19 - Final Thoughts and Message to Listeners   TAKEAWAYS  - Putting yourself in other people's shoes is important for effective leadership  - The Terrazzo Gap between intercollegiate athletes and non-athletes at the Academy is a unique challenge  - Being involved in clubs and sports at the Academy provides valuable experiences and friendships  - Passion for photography and social media can lead to a career in public affairs.  - Don't lose sight of your end goal and relentlessly pursue it.  - Advocate for yourself and trust in your own decisions.  - Creating meaningful impact requires hard work and dedication.  - Inspire others by sharing your journey and experiences.  - The Academy Blueprint program helps level the playing field for aspiring cadets.  - Expand your knowledge and learn from various sources of inspiration.  - Don't be discouraged by challenges and setbacks; they can lead to growth and success.   ABOUT SAM Deep down, Sam Eckholm always knew the Air Force Academy was where he belonged. As the son of an Air Force pilot and Academy graduate, he was brought up on the blue and silver. After graduating high school in Dallas, Texas, he followed in his dad's footsteps, attending the U.S. Air Force Academy as a member of the class of 2018. Following graduation, Sam was selected as a member of the F-22 Raptor Demonstration team, where he traveled the world as a Public Affairs Officer, documenting the 5th generation stealth fighter jet at air shows across the globe. After separating from active duty in 2022, Sam's passion for military service has not changed, but his ability to share that passion with an even larger audience has. His videos have accumulated over 100 million views online, with over 1 million followers across his social media platforms. Attending the Air Force Academy is what started it all, and Sam's goal is to help others achieve their dreams of throwing their hat in the air and graduating from the Academy. The Air Force Academy Blueprint is the culmination of almost two years of pouring his heart and soul into a singular project, and he can't wait to bring it to you. - Image and copy courtesy of Sam Eckholm CONNECT WITH SAM LINKEDIN  |  INSTAGRAM  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER   LINKS WE MENTIONED ACADEMY BLUEPRINT SAM'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL     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!          SAM'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL     TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS:   Guest:  Sam Eckholm '18  |  Host:  t. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Sam Eckholm Putting yourself in other people's shoes is big. It's kind of hard to remember that because you're getting information from your leader, right, your boss, they're telling you one thing, it's hard for them to see kind of two layers down how that's going to impact everyone else. So, I mean, I would always just try to put myself in other people's shoes. Okay, if I do this, what's that gonna… how's that going to make this person feel?   Naviere Walkewicz My guest today is Sam Eckholm, USAFA class of 2018 and Air Force captain turned full-time entrepreneur and storyteller, the third in his family's Long Blue Line. Sam is the son of a 1989 graduate and the nephew of a 1993 graduate. All three hail from Cadet Squadron 28, the Blackbirds. We'll talk with Sam about his Dallas roots to the day he stood on the footprints at the Academy. We'll ask him about how he made his way from the wing to the F-22 Raptor demonstration team, then public affairs, out of the Air Force in '23, and now an entrepreneur, content creator and social media influencer. Sam's father and uncle were his main sources of inspiration for becoming a member of the profession of arms. And he has stayed close to the Air Force and the Academy ever since. He leads hopefuls to reach for their dreams and shares his passion for all things Air Force with the world. As we move through the conversation, we'll talk about lessons he's learned in being a leader, and what advice he would give to those aspiring to become leaders and leaders who want to be better. Sam, I'm really looking forward to this conversation. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership and thank you for being here today.   Sam Eckholm Naviere, it's always great to see you. It's always great to be back at the best school in the world.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, it is. And I mean, I think what's so great about your story, Sam, and what's so unique for our listeners is they feel like they know you because you have such an incredible presence. But today, they're really going to get a chance to understand how you got here. And I think that's what's so fascinating for people.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, that means a lot. It's always fun to sit down and kind of talk a little bit more in depth. You know, with the videos I do, I'm trying to focus on highlights and showing some action and keeping the viewer's attention. But this is just kind of laid back.    Naviere Walkewicz  Let's talk and relive some fun, exciting , you know, stories from the Academy and beyond. Yes, this is about you now. So, you get to be the spotlight and I'm really excited to take everyone on this journey. So, let's roll it back a little bit. We'll start with a journey of Sam as a little boy, you know.  I know you shared you kind of grew up in Dallas after third grade. We had a little bit of a chat, but you did some bouncing around before that. Let's hear about your childhood.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, so my dad, an '89 grad, like you said went off to pilot training ended up flying KC-135s. So I was actually born at McConnell Air Force Base, right, and so Wichita, Kansas. Fun fact: little full-circle moment for me, I'm gonna' be headed out there in two weeks to do a KC-46 video with the unit there and first time I'll have been back since I was born. So that'll be really fun to see. But yeah, growing up I mean, I don't consider myself an Air Force brat because my dad did separate when I was young, but we bounced around every two years but Dyess McConnell, it was fun. Definitely have some early memories of him and his flight suit walking out on the flight line. And that probably sparked the initial interest in wanting to serve. I think I shoved that to a side for a little bit until I was a bit more mature and could realize what that actually meant. Kind of around the second or third grade, he got out, transitioned to the airline world settled on American Airlines, and moved to Dallas, Texas. And that's really where I call my home. That's where I grew up. And as you know, Dallas is a super not just for Academy athletes and future cadets. It's just seems like a hot hub, right, for a lot of people move there. So, I had a great experience. When it came time to applying to the Academy I knew I was going to have to have my ducks in a line because it's competitive. There's a lot of people trying to get in. But looking back I mean, I've been all over the world now at this point, but Texas always feels like home.   Naviere Walkewicz I love that you have your roots. So talk about what you were like as a kid. Were you really active in sports? Where are you — you kind of have the social media side, so, are you really interested in some of the dramatic arts? Like, tell me about what that looked like?   Sam Eckholm Yes, sports were always a big part of my family. My dad was actually a basketball player here at the Air Force Academy. My uncle played on the football team as well. So, they were huge athletes. I was always, growing up, I was playing tennis, basketball, golf with my dad, my brothers. I have two other brothers as well. We're all super competitive. Probably, I think what also helped me just realize the Academy was a great school because you know, what other college do you go into where everyone's so competitive and athletic, and sports are built into the curriculum? So yeah, I mean, I would say that was an important part of growing up. My dad especially instilled a lot of values he learned at the Academy in serving. And it's just so cool looking back now, because I didn't realize at the time what those were, and then you go through four years here, you go through five years active duty, and you're like, “OK,” that's why he was the way that he was. When I was actually here at the Academy, I had this mental checklist of stories, he told me, and I will try to like check them off as I also accomplished them. So, you know, his basic training experience, right? Him jumping off the 10-meter board and water survival; him going through survival training and getting some of that experience and jumping out of an airplane. It's really fun for me to experience those as well because those were the stories I had grown up with back home in Texas.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow. So, a house of three boys. Where were you in the lineup?   Sam Eckholm I was a middle child.   Naviere Walkewicz And so did your other brothers want to go to the Academy as well or that wasn't...   Sam Eckholm So my older brother Ben, he originally was interested. In fact, you know, he's only a year and a half older. So, we were only one grade apart. And I remember he went to one of those service academy, congressional just learn more about it, right. And he went with a couple of his buddies, and I think they turned him off from it, because they came back and said, “Oh, I ain't doing that. We're going to Texas A&M. We're gonna' have fun.” But I remember he came back and had this pamphlet he got from it. And I stole it from his bedroom. And then I started looking at it. And I was like, “OK, if he's not going to do that, I think this is something I want to do.” And we can talk more about that, obviously, but my brother did end up going a different route. He went to Texas A&M, not in the core there, just kind of a normal student. Little brother, he's like seven years younger than me. He was always interested in the academies, but you know, as he grew up, I think he navigated a little bit more towards another route as well. So, to answer your question, I was the only one who ended up going into an academy and serving, but they're still incredibly close to me. And I actually have this hilarious photo of my older brother. He came to visit during Parents Weekend. I was like a junior. And during Parents Weekend here at the Academy, my family would actually like stay at the Academy because all the other kids and their parents would go to Boulder, go to Garden of the Gods or the Broadmoor, whatever. And so, the Academy was completely empty. And so, it was kind of like this country club for my family. So, like, we would go down... And then you got like the golf course to yourself. You got these beautiful greens…   Naviere Walkewicz I could see you've got your stretch view…   Sam Eckholm Right, exactly. So, we would go down to like the athletic facilities and play tennis and just hang out and have fun. Anyway, there's this funny photo of my older brother. I gave him my PT uniform, the ringer tee and the shorts. And he like blended in as a cadet for the weekend. And it was really funny one day because retreat played and he was saluting. I'm like, “Well, they're gonna' think you're a cadet.” So, everyone's super close to me and the Academy, and they loved coming to visit. And I think in an alternate world, they would have all tried to come here too. But yeah, very close with the family.   Naviere Walkewicz That is outstanding. We love, hearing about the dynamics of kind of what your support network was like, what those influences were like in your life. You mentioned something about your dad sharing stories. What were those initial nuggets? I know you talked about the experiences they had, but what was he instilling with you and your brothers at that time when you were in those impressionable years?   Sam Eckholm Well, my dad is just one of the most like regimented individuals I know. He's very, very focused, you know. And now looking back, I think I just attribute so much from the Academy, and especially back in the '80s, you know, the way things were run and like how he did it, but you don't know that when you're a kid, right? Like, I heard the stories of the Academy. And I don't know, I think when I was young, I didn't think they were cool. And then as you get a little older, they are kind of cool, but you don't want to tell him they're cool, kind of like shove that in the back of your head. And then now I'm like, “Wow, that was really, really cool.” So yeah, I remember there was this photo we had in our house. I don't know if it was above our piano are just on some dresser and it was him in pilot training and his flight suit standing next to T-38. And I thought that was the coolest thing growing up. I mean, he looked like Tom Cruise from Top Gun. And so I literally to go to my room, I would walk past that every single day. And that photo is just like, I don't know, it's cemented in my mind of, “Wow, that was so cool.” And, you know, at the time, I did think “Hey, I'm going to be a pilot. I'm going to do this,” and learned obviously down the road there's so many opportunities to serve in the Air Force. But yeah, I mean, it was just such a cool thing to be able to say, “My dad went to the Academy. My dad's a pilot,” you know? Other people's parents, whatever they did, you know, still interesting. But to be able to say that was always so cool. I just wanted to be able to experience that, wanted to be able to do something different from my friends in high school, being able to have my dad actually, which I know a lot of applicants don't have someone who served in the Army. I'm trying to change that with the work I do to make everyone feel like they understand what they're getting into. But that was huge for me. And it was fun. I still remember I would text him through every milestone we had at the Academy, whether it was Recognition or Ring Dance or commitment. And he would kind of share where he was back then or a photo he had. And yeah, it was cool.   Naviere Walkewicz That's really beautiful. And, and it makes me think about how we capture now, and I think this might have been, this was happening during your class as well, but we had WebGuy, the WebGuy team actually capturing moments. And so, it's probably neat that he actually sees some of those while you're texting him. And those you know, those listening, the texting ability is not something we had back in the day when I was there. We just had the red phone booth to try to get your like five minutes to call.   Sam Eckholm I can't imagine that.   Naviere Walkewicz Yeah, it's wonderful. I think we preserve so much of the experience for our cadets.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, there's still a bit now where the family almost gets to feel a little bit of that assurance with us. Why are they still writing like letters home?  Pen to paper. Yeah, and you know, stamp. And yeah, WebGuy, I think was my mom's like, saving grace during basic as many moms out there. Yeah, shout out, Mom. I know you liked WebGuy. I always tried to smile when I saw a camera. So, she knew I was I could see how I was doing even though I sometimes was not that I was like, yeah.   Naviere Walkewicz So let's talk about life at the Academy. So, you were direct entry. Were you an intercollegiate recruit or just kind of in and started?   Sam Eckholm No, yeah, I was direct entry. I was very, very fortunate to get the principal nomination from my congressman who did that method out of Dallas. It was an incredibly competitive area. I mean, there were like 60 kids just from my area trying to get in and oh man, I was so stressed going in because I knew how bad I wanted it. I knew I looked great on paper. But the problem was 60 other kids also look really good on paper. So, the interviewer really helped me out there. I was able to talk about family experiences got the principal nomination, so I knew I was going to have my shot. So yeah, direct entry got here. And it's kind of funny because having a dad and uncle who went here, I thought I knew everything right? I had probably watched every single video and read every article, looked at everything on the Academy, I was obsessed. The second I got here, day one or Day Zero as they call it, like the bus ride here.   Naviere Walkewicz Tell me about your experience on the bus.   Sam Eckholm Oh, man, this is a lot different. Well, the bus is, I mean, I knew what was coming. I'd seen every single video, but it hits you different when you're there and they're screaming in your face. The footprints was really rough for me. I've told this story before, because then — I don't know what they do now — but they broke it up by your basic flights and your squadron. So, Cobras is what I was in. And so, all my future flight members were with me and we're on the footprints. And an upperclassman is — [there's a] crazy photo; I can send it to you guys — but just someone screaming at me, right? And I don't know what happened. But I think they lost track of me. So [I'm on the] footprints when the rest of my squadron was sent up the ramp to begin their in-processing, I got sent to the back of the footprints line to kind of do it again.   Naviere Walkewicz Really?   Sam Eckholm Yeah. And so, they did that for a few cadets. So, I got sent to do it again. And the crazy part is I went through that, I got sent a third time. But, and this is like the whole footprint spiel again. The whole “Get on attention.” So, I had like triple the footprints experience and then for the rest of the day because my squadron had already in process, I was so far behind. It was now like, “Are you lost, basic!” Like, I was that guy the whole time in the morning. So, it's just when I finally got there, at the end of the day, like to my squadron, I was already known and had the reputation, like the lost basic. You know it was for next six weeks, which turned into the next year, I was trying to get rid of that reputation that I was the lost basic, but hopefully now I've gotten rid of that.   Naviere Walkewicz All right. We'll leave that one alone. That's a fantastic story. Yeah. Wow. All right. So, let's talk about your life at the Academy. I know where you graduate from Squadron 28, legacy squadron, right? Let's talk about some of your experiences, both from the cadet perspective — athletics, academics, wherever you'd like to take us — but also let's weave in a little bit of some lessons you've learned about yourself during that time in leadership.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, I started out in CES-14 Baby Cobra. I don't know, I think what they're now doing like one and then three years. One and three. Yeah. I always knew that's what I wanted to do. Because like, literally, even when I was growing up, my dad had his A-jacket, and I saw the Blackbirds patch. And that was really cool. But yeah, I mean, my first two years were definitely different from my last two years, I always tell people, the first two years, I was discovering who I was both as a person but as a cadet, right? Like, you come in thinking you're going to do something and have a path and major in this and do this when you graduate. But it was so much information coming at me of here's what you can do, here are all the opportunities. And that's one thing, I'm really proud of myself for that — I didn't feel like I had to follow a certain path. You know, when I came in, I thought I was gonna' fly, I was gonna' be an engineer, I'm gonna' do this. And that's amazing for all the cadets who want to do that and are excited about it. But I knew I was excited about other stuff, too. You know, you mentioned kind of social media photography, that sort of stuff. I had that kind of in the back of my head, I just had to figure out a way how to make that work in the Air Force, right? Because I had no idea when I came in that was something you could kind of do. So the first two years were a lot of discovery, right? I did not, and this was kind of strategically, do any clubs or anything the first two years. I kind of regret that looking back, but I thought I just needed to be in the squadron with my flight. Versus now, I always encourage people at the Academy take advantage of the clubs, take advantage of the extracurricular stuff, because, I mean, you've formed so many friendships there.   Naviere Walkewicz I don't know if you agree, because you did a lot, right? And I definitely agree, I was not a recruited athlete. And so, I think I explored a lot of different lanes. But you know, one of the things that when you were talking, I was thinking about this, because when people see you and hear you now, you just have so much confidence. Did you always have that? Or is there a time when maybe that was not the case as a cadet?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, in high school, you know how it goes, right, you're at the top of the top in high school, especially someone going into the Academy. To go to the Academy., most students are presidents of their classes, or whatever. And so, you go from the top, and then you're dropped very quickly and humbled when you get to the Academy. So, I think I definitely lost a little bit of that. But then I built it back up. And I think that's kind of the goal of the Academy, right? They're trying to build back up leaders; you start as a follower. So, by the time I left, we can get to that, I was a squadron commander of CES-28. And that is, to this day, one of the most rewarding experiences. I learned the most about myself and talk about confidence. Getting up there every morning, talking to over 100 of your peers as their quote-unquote, cadet leader. I mean, that right there to this day, I'm like, if I can do that, and be able to tell other students my age, what they have to be doing, I can do anything.   Naviere Walkewicz Peer leadership is definitely a challenging type of leadership. What did you learn about yourself in that? Can you share a story where you're like, well, am I really cut out for this?   Sam Eckholm Well, it's hard because you have all different types of cadets, all different types of classes. Everyone has their thing that interests them. And let's be real, I mean, you're up here, right? You're not in the real Air Force, yet. You've been appointed this position. And so, some cadets are like, OK, come on. I mean, literally, two weeks ago, he was just, you know, Sam, and now he's like, oh, cadet first class at home squadron commander, cadet lieutenant colonel. So, with the younger classes, it's easier, because the rank structure, they kind of understand, but to your senior class, it's your peers. So, my mentality for that is that I was just going to try to be someone that everyone could relate to, that had everyone's best interest in mind. So, I would take so long for any decision or working with my AOC, just trying to advocate for what everyone wanted. I didn't see myself as higher, better, above anyone. It was just, I'm going to be the spokesperson for everyone. And I'm gonna' work as hard as I can to make sure everyone's happy. And I think there's a lot of lessons you can take from that approach. Of course, not every leadership position, you have the ability to do that. But at the Academy, I don't know, I think that was just a really cool opportunity to kind of explore and find out how that works. And I learned a lot from that. And because I've had opportunities to lead in my Air Force career and beyond, I still pull from those experiences. I'm like, “Well, this would maybe work here.” But yeah, I don't know. Did you have any opportunities to do the leadership stuff, the higher level here? It's so unique, there's nothing else like that.   Naviere Walkewicz No, it really is unique. And I think one of the things that, when our listeners are always looking for are those little nuggets. So you learn so much, you know. What is one takeaway from a pure leadership perspective that you could say, “I've leaned back into multiple times?” What would that be? Putting yourself in other people's shoes is big.   Sam Eckholm It's kind of hard to remember that because you're getting information in from your leader, usually from your leader, right, your boss, they're telling you one thing, it's hard for them to see two layers down how that's going to impact everyone else. So I would always just try to put myself in other people's shoes. “OK, if I do this,  how's that going to make this person feel?” But the other thing is you can never make everyone happy. And I had to come to grips with that. And that's hard for me because I'm the type of person — it like messes me up if I know someone's mad at me or upset or doesn't think I'm doing the right thing. But you learn real quickly, you grow up really quickly and realize that if 90% is good, I mean, that might even be because that might be the best 99 whatever number you want. 15 a year and I'm like, well, this is working. You can't make everyone happy. And I still struggle with that, because you want everyone to be happy, especially with what I'm doing now on social media, when there's millions of people watching what I'm doing, and you look at comments, and you're kinda' like, “Man, I tried so hard on this, and I could have done it differently.” But then if you change it for one person, and someone else isn't gonna' be happy… so thick skin, that's the biggest thing I had to realize I wouldn't be where I am today if I let that bother me. And I remind myself that that's better to be where I am today and have thick skin then be hiding in the corner because I was scared. I couldn't make everyone happy.   Naviere Walkewicz So that is a great lesson. Thank you for sharing that. So, the Academy was great. You had some wonderful leadership experiences. Can you share maybe one of your favorite things about the Academy while you were a cadet?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, well, you asked about clubs. Oh, and I mentioned I didn't do anything really the first two years, which is true. That completely changed. When I switched squadrons, I got super involved, still within the squadron, but also within the Academy. I was on the mock trial team. That was so fun. Gave me an opportunity to travel on the weekends. I ended up being a legal studies major because of that and really enjoyed just everything that came from that. You know, I love talking. I don't know if you knew that I love speaking and talking with other people, communicating. And in mock trial and legal studies, our exams were literally us standing at a podium delivering a fake appellate speech or like you're talking to a judge and that was really cool. And then being able to compete and travel by talking and being a lawyer was fun. And then I also had the opportunity to be on the women's basketball practice team, the scout team. So I was a basketball player in high school, not at the level they play at the Academy. But I was like, “Well, how can I continue doing this?” And so someone, one of my classmates, is like, well, the women's team they look for former high school players to come into rugby, the scout team, run their upcoming opponents' defensive and offensive plays against them. And I tried out for that and made it and that was such a blast. I never knew we do that. And I had a schedule. I was able to go down there — we got the merch, the swag bag. It was fun. So, I tell everyone I was on the women's basketball team. Some kind of laugh, but it was the most amazing opportunity I had. And there's so many things like that at the Academy. By the time I was a firstie — people ask if I had any experience with photography, video, social media while here. One answer I say is “I started the CS 28 Blackbirds Instagram account,” which is still running strong, right? But then I actually worked with my then-physics instructor to start a photography class for the Academy. So as part of the Fine Arts Department, is the first time it was ran. And it was an elective I was able to sign up for when I was a first-year. And yeah, I mean, we literally had like 30 cadets take this course and raised enough money that we were able to get everyone a camera. Our professor, Col. Maddox at the time, she's still in, but she was amazing. She taught us and instructed us because she had her own business doing wedding photography and stuff like that. And that was so cool. I remember going to class, it felt like I was at a normal school. I was taking a photography class. And so that was when I was graduating going into public affairs, as my career, realized that I'm going to keep this up. And it was just cool to be able to do something like that, that you don't think the Academy has. We've got some cool classes that you might not expect.   Naviere Walkewicz No, that's wonderful. And I think our listeners are really excited to hear that too. And before we go on to your career in the Air Force and that transition, I wanted to go back to a little bit about the intercollegiate experience because I think you have a really unique perspective, right? You are not a recruited athlete, but you experienced really diving into the Academy from that aspect. And then you got to have the schedule and understand the rigors of what our intercollegiate athletes experience and you will hear this term: “Teezo Gap.” What's your perspective on that? You know, for people that are just listening, I think that's a fascinating topic that we haven't really explored.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, was a cadet for the first two years not being an intercollegiate athlete, the Teezo Gap, as you mentioned, it's a completely different perspective. And I'll be honest, sometimes you buy into it, you're like, I mean, these athletes are having an easier — they get to go do this and travel and wear civilian clothes as freshmen with their team, you know, miss all the mandatory squadron events and the training sessions and so I'll be honest, you do have some of that perception. Now flashing forward, that completely changed when I got a taste of it. And this was a small taste of it. I mean, I was a scout team player. And it wasn't every day, I had to go down half the week because we had two different teams that did it. But even then, I can't imagine what they have to go through. Because you go down there, your schedule is modified to where you don't have afternoon classes. So, after lunch, you're kind of going down there. And then it is practice meetings, dinner, sometimes meetings again, and then homework, and then rinse and repeat. And at the same time, sure, maybe they're missing some squadron stuff, but you know what, they're not missing anything academically, that's the same. So I have so much appreciation for all of the intercollegiate athletes at the Academy and experiencing that gave me more of an appreciation. And I just, again, it's something you can't fully appreciate until you have done it yourself. But for those students that can be so successful on the field and then still graduate from this. I mean, I know I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. So, to answer your question, it is something that I think people who aren't aware, or who are listening and you know, might have that perception that it exists. I think we need to work to change that a little bit. Because these people are incredible.   Naviere Walkewicz And again, it's just I mean, you can probably share more. So, you went through that. Like, it's fascinating. I really appreciate you sharing that. Yeah. I think that's a wonderful thing for people to hear. You know, some of the perceptions versus realities. So, let's talk about when you were in the military. So, you graduated the Academy, what AFSC did you get? Yeah, so public affairs?   Sam Eckholm Yes. 35P1. When I was a firstie, I kind of knew I was going to not do the pilot thing. Multiple reasons. People asked me why. Couple: I wasn't even fully medically qualified at the time. I had some color vision stuff. Probably could have gotten a waiver for that eventually. But you know, there was a long process. So that's where I first started to think, “Hey, maybe there's something else I can do, too. I just loved being on the ground talking to people, there was more I wanted to do than just fly. And so, I was trying to find a career field that allowed me to still be around aircraft, still be bebop and buzzing around and doing my thing but also having an impact. So, after my sophomore year, when we went on ops Air Force, I went to Travis Air Force Base and part of that trip, I got to shadow the public affairs career field. And while I was there, I still remember the feeling of like walking through the doors at the PA building, which was right by the wing staff,. They had like a full suite of Apple MacBook computers, airmen on Lightroom and Photoshop and editing videos. The San Francisco 49ers were in town to do a base visit and PA was out there escorting them. I got to interview the commander who was about to PCS and write a story on him. This was all in the span of like three days. And I was like, “What other career field is there where you can do all of this?” It's like kind of a jack-of-all-trades job. And so that visit, I was like, “Wow, this is really, really cool. I want to do this!” Now the next part was like, “Well, how do I do this?” So, I came to find out there was only five slots. Since I've graduated, I've heard some years they have had no slots, some years a couple slots. So, I don't really know how it works anymore. But I would go up to Harmon Hall, literally every day the first semester of my first year, second of my two-degree year, and I would just talk with, then at the time Lt. Col. Allen Herritage, who is the PA director. Now it'd be like, “Sir, how can I learn more about this job?” I was like, “How can you help me? How can you help me get this?” It's all about connections. And regardless of whether or not that actually did help, I know two things are true. I went up there every day and I talked. And then I also got public affairs. So, I just, I worked really hard, though. I mean, I worked so hard in school, and I had a good class ranking. And that definitely helped me and just networking as much as I could to let a FPC know that this is something that I want. So yeah, I dropped public affairs. I was so excited. I remember our squadron put on this awesome AFSC drop release with Nerf guns and blindfold maze stuff. And when I saw that, I was like, “This is gonna' be fun five years, or longer.” Yeah, I didn't know looking back. I mean, you know, we can get into that too. But it's a career field that is fun for life and I'm so glad I got it.   Naviere Walkewicz Wonderful. So let's talk about that. And let's talk about that career field and some of your experiences both from the experience perspective, but maybe where there was some leadership lessons you took as a public affairs officer.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, well, I was kind of thrust right into it. So, I got stationed at Langley Air Force Base. I was, I think the only one from my class, maybe one other who even got sent there. So, it's not like pilot training or a lot. You know, if you got your buddies, it's kind of like a little reunion and you run it back for the next couple years. I was off on my own, so to learn quickly what life was like, to be just Sam as an officer, as a lieutenant, it's like the first week when I was out there we were doing unit PT with my PA shop, running around the base track, which those who have been to Langley, it's a beautiful ride on the coast on the running ground. It's amazing running the flightline. And out of nowhere an F-22 took off just full-burner. But it wasn't a normal takeoff. It started doing maneuvers and rolls and just putting on this spectacle of a show. I mean, my ears were like, “Oh my gosh,” and I turned to my boss at the time. I was like, “What is going on right now?” She's like, “Oh, Sam, that's the F-22 demo team. They travel the air shows around the world just like the Thunderbirds, and they put on shows and help recruit and they actually take one PA person from our office to travel with them each year.” It was at that second I knew that's what I want to do. That right there, is what I want to do. And flash forward a few months, the opening came up. I was completely inexperienced at the time, but I pitched myself and sold myself and the commander at the time, Lt. Col. “Loco” Lopez, who's now out in Hawaii, is the squadron commander for the F-22 unit. And he's been a big inspiration to me. I interviewed with him and I was showing him a YouTube channel. “Look, I can edit, see, like, I can take photos, look at my Instagram.” And he hired me in for the next two years. And every year I was like, “What is real life?” I mean, we were at shows all over the world. I went to Dubai, Singapore, Chile, Hawaii, I mean, Alaska, pretty much every base here in the U.S. got to meet my classmates who were stationed there, got to run all the social media, do all the videos for the team, the coolest jet in the world. It's the F-22 — blew up their social media, just made it my goal to do what I called “no life.” Literally, for two years it's all I did was live, breathe F-22 demo team, and just really wanted to give it my all. And that was so fun. Now to go back to the leadership side of things: Imagine being a butter bar, a second lieutenant now thrust on a team, which has national-media-level attention. I remember I was at a show in Chicago andI just got called in to do an interview because our pilot wasn't available. And I'm literally in front of thousands and thousands of people having to just talk about the Air Force mission and these high-level questions that I was like,”Oh my gosh,” so back to your question of being confident. Like, that's probably where it came from. I just had to learn and had to fake it ‘till I made it. But what a fun experience for a young lieutenant and just something I'll never forget.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow. Well, I think something I took from what you said as well as you identify very quickly, when there's something that you really want to do and you make a path to get there. And I think in your relentless pursuit, in a way that is really convincing. And I think that's a lesson right? You have to put in the work, you obviously can't just only be talk, you have to be able to show like, you can put some cred behind it. And I think that's a lesson where you're able to share with folks, “Hey, if you're really interested in something, go all in for it.” And to your point, “and then live it.” Yeah, do that. soak it all in. So I think that's really inspirational. Were there any tough times you had as a public affairs officer?   Sam Eckholm Tons. PA, it's not always the good side of things, too, right? We really exist for the most part for the crisis communication, right? When something bad happens, to communicate that as well. And so, it doesn't matter if it's the highs or the lows, you still gotta' get out there and talk to people and make things happen. So, luckily, when I was on the team, you know, we didn't have anything catastrophic, any mishaps like that, but I know people who have right I mean, [I've] had mentors, PA world or former Thunderbird PAs when they've had crashes and there's a lot that goes on there. So, we always have to be prepared for that. And even though I didn't have to necessarily be thrust in that environment, that's still on your mind, you just have to be prepared. Now, the other thing was just tough with being in this lifestyle for two years is that when you're constantly gone, so we are TDY I mean, like, literally 300 days a year. And so, it's hard to continue to have the same motivation every single day when it's just the same show, monotonous, like doing everything day in and day out. And I think that's a lesson anyone can learn in the Air Force or beyond, you know, because a lot of the times it, it is repetitive. So, I would always look for ways to make it not repetitive. And for me if we're going to a different show, as a photographer, videographer making content, I would always try to do something different. I would always try to focus in on a different element of the story. So instead of just focusing on the pilot in the jet every time, I would tell behind-the-scenes stories of our maintainers, of our aircrew flight equipment specialists, of the fans who came and traveled across the country to watch and, doing tours with them and I would arrange a ton of school visits and talk to Civil Air Patrol units in JROTC and really just focus on the community relations and the recruiting side of things. And there's a lot I had to work with and that was really fun for me to mix and match and that was the way I just stayed motivated and still had fun with it. And even to this day, I'm always trying to one-up the last thing I did and branch out and evolve and just make everything interesting. And I think the viewers kind of understand that and appreciate it. And that's always my goal is for no one to ever click on a video of mine or see what I'm doing and be like, “Oh, that's kind of the same thing.” I want it to always be exciting.   Naviere Walkewicz I can absolutely appreciate that. And it seems like that kind of pace is, I mean, how do you maintain that? So maybe my question would be for you, Sam, what is your outlet? Because if you live, breathe as a leader, right, if you you expect a lot from your people, and you always want the best and you want something new, how do you maintain that level of give? And so, what's your outlet?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, well, kind of the first part of what you asked, I also had to realize that just because I'm this way doesn't mean everyone's this way, right? So, if you're a leader, and you are 100% committed and want it to be your entire life, that doesn't mean everyone's going to be that way. And I had to realize that because at times that can be frustrating, if you're leading a team and you're gung-ho about it, but like, OK, maybe they aren't, well, that's OK, you know, you need to, again, put yourself in their shoes and see what motivates them. And I learned that lesson as well, even back to when I was a squadron commander, I'd pitch an idea and I was so excited. And I can tell him that everyone's [not] gonna' be as excited as you, Sam. But yeah, my outlet, I mean, a lot of different stuff at the time, you know, I was just so excited about doing what I was doing. So as weird as it sounds, my outlet was my work. And that's something not everyone understands. But I actually felt depressed if I wasn't continuing to work, because I knew there was a time limit on how long I would have this opportunity. So, I was like, “Well, I'm going to keep working hard now.” And as I've moved on, I have found a healthy balance between work and other things. So, you know, friendships are incredibly important, especially other people in the space with what I'm doing, being able to talk with them and how they are handling stress levels. Because not everyone can relate especially to what I was doing and am doing. So other people in the space, in the industry, we're all dealing with the same things. So that's something I tell people all the time is, “Other people who are in your world — those are some awesome friendships you can have, because they understand what you're going through. Not everyone does.” That's a classic example of when people talk about the Academy, you go home on a winter break, none of your friends understand what you're going through. It's really, really hard, you know? Who does? Your classmates at the Academy. You go through that with them. And so that has been a huge thing for me: other people who have gone through what I have, like, we're in it together. And those are some times when I really feel like I can sit back, relax, and the stress is taken off.   Naviere Walkewicz Now that's really helpful. And I think I did chuckle in my head a little bit when you said, you know, “Actually, my outlet is my work.” But I think when you're doing your thing that you're wired to do and your passion, that makes sense.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, it's both fulfilling and exhausting. I mean, I love to travel to like, I do normal things as well. But in some way, even then I battled the whole, like, well, what can I be doing, especially when you're a full-time, have your own company entrepreneur. That was a huge adjustment for me. Because it's not like you have a salary job where there is some end at some point to kind of go home. It's like, well, you could always be doing more, right? You could always be working. And I've had to struggle with that sometimes, because it's like, I could keep working, keep working. So that's something I've learned and doing better at still to this day. But yeah, it's interesting.   Naviere Walkewicz So, let's talk about that transition. You know, you knew there was a time period on that F-22 demo team, and the PA role. But when did, you know, “I think I'm going to be moving out of this into my own kind of work.”   Sam Eckholm Yeah, so once I finished the F-22 team, I had to move on with my career. They don't let you do something in the Air Force forever, totally understood that. But I wasn't done personally inspiring, making content. I had developed kind of a following along the way of people who were just interested in what I was doing. So, I would kind of take my free time. I always made it my goal — I was like, I'm going to stay focused on the PA job. I never want anyone to be able to look at lieutenant at home and be like, “He's not locked in on this PA job. He's not focused. He's interested in these other things.” So, I would make that my goal. But my free time, my leave, my time on the weekends, instead of normal hobbies people do, I would make videos. That was my thing. And so, my next assignment, I went to Scott Air Force Base, I was 375 Air Mobility Wing, and that was a demanding and fun job. And I kind of still had this thing going on the side. It got up to the point where it's at the end of my Academy commitment, and I had a tough decision to make, right? I loved being in the Air Force. I was a captain at the time. I was excited. But as you rank up, you get more responsibilities, understandably, and I knew that I did not want to let that lack if I was going to stay in the Air Force. I did not want my airmen — I did not want people to think I was distracted doing something else. But I loved this other thing as well. So really, what I had to decide is, “Where am I having the biggest impact in the Air Force?” And as weird as it sounds, right, because you think of serving — most of the time people think like, in uniform active duty. Well, I think of service in many different ways, right. And I actually felt, and I know this is true, that I could serve the Air Force, the military, our country, better on the outside, continuing to inspire people by doing these videos, making this content, showing people what life was like, inspiring all these kids on the outside, being able to go at that with 100% of my time. And luckily, that wasn't just a personal decision I made. I was having conversation with like, the highest levels of leaders in Air Force recruiting and public affairs explaining this as well. And that's just what I decided I wanted to do. And it was scary. It's very scary going from a job, one that I had worked since I was a freshman in high school to get to in the Air Force, to now kind of giving that up to do this other thing. But we're really helping the viewers, it wasn't giving it up to me, it was just doing it in a different way. I would say I'm still connected now more than I was even when I'm in with what I'm doing. I'm not in uniform, you know, I don't have my CAT card anymore. But I am serving more than I ever thought I would be around the units traveling to bases every single week filming what I'm doing. So that's kind of what helped me make that decision. And it was the right decision. And to this day, the comments I see from kids, the people I've been able to help and resonate with, it's crazy. And it's something that probably wouldn't have been able to happen if I stayed in just with the amount of you know, stuff I would have had to do on the normal job side. Right?   Naviere Walkewicz Wow. So, you talked about impact. And that was really important to you. What's one of years or maybe a couple of your most favorite, impactful moments that you've had since moving into the entrepreneurial side of things?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, I mean, it's hard sometimes when you're like a video creator, because what you see is numbers on a screen, right? You see views, you see comments, which can be really inspiring too. But sometimes, you know, you miss the in-person interactions because you're traveling and it's the videos people see. But I always, even to this day, a couple times a year, I do like in-person events, I just went out to an airshow and was in San Antonio and I did a couple of these previous years. And it's a different feeling when you're out there. And there's tens, dozens of people, who are like literally waiting in line just to say hi, to take a photo to tell me that like, hey, these videos are the reason they want to join or have joined or have inspired them. It's crazy. And that to me keeps me going. And that was so, so impactful. And you know, I have a folder on my computer. On my phone I have like screenshots of all the messages I've gotten, because when I'm having a hard day or when I'm like, “Man, this is tough,” I can look back at those and be like, “Well, this is why it's all worth it. And this is why I do the things that I do.” And yeah, it's cool being a creator who's not just in it for themselves. And I try to tell people that really what I'm doing is to inspire other people. It's tough. It probably looks really cool when you see all the things I'm doing. And that is fun. But it is a lot. But I know the impact that's possible. I remember when I was a freshman in high school looking for content online, and there wasn't too much of it. And I wanted to change that. And I know Naviere, we've worked so much together and you've seen the stuff I've done and you know how much it means to me. So just being able to see and hear from people, it means everything.   Naviere Walkewicz Yeah, so what's your, is there a story, a video that you've done that just, it just kind of sits right into your heart like this one is just so special? I mean, we probably have so many, but is there one that you just feel has really resonated with, you know, youth or just that level of impact? Is there one you can speak to?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, well, I'll give, I'll give kind of two. So, one that is incredibly special to me in a personal way. I actually got to go back and do a video on the KC-135 and I brought my dad out there for that. Yeah, that was something I always wanted to do. And he's great. I was a little nervous. I was like, “How is he going to be on camera?” But he knocked it out of the park to the point where some comments were like, “He needs to come to every video like that. You need to take over the channel at this point. Everyone loves you so much.” But it was so fun. I mean, he studied for weeks on the facts of the aircraft. He was an instructor for the instructors at the schoolhouse. It took him a few minutes, but literally after half an hour, he knew his way around that aircraft so well and was teaching the current pilots out there some things that they didn't know. Anyway, so I look back — that video is like a full-circle moment for me. And that resonated with a lot of people too, who just enjoyed seeing my inspiration and have some people who look at me as their inspiration. Like it's just really, really cool to see outside of that. I mean, I would say a really personal project of mine was when I actually got to come out here to the Academy and do a complete tour of the grounds and the campus and facilities. With the audience I've been able to build, a lot of people know me as an Academy grad. And so they reached out asking me questions about the Air Force Academy. “What it's like to apply?” How they can get in. And it's hard to answer all of those questions because that's all I'd be doing if I did it. So, I was like, “Well, what's a way I can put this message out to everyone?” And so, you know, I worked with your team, worked with the Academy team, and we came out here for a week and filmed what I think is the most beautiful school ever. And I just wanted to show that and that video to this day is, I don't know, 1.2-something million views. And you go scroll through those comments, the amount of people who didn't know it exists — which probably sounds crazy to us, right? — that now know and can see all of these cool things you would have access to and can do if you're cadet, I mean, I think that video is going to have returns and just inspire people for years to come. That was such a big project I wanted to do to get back to my school and to show other people, “This school did this for me. You guys need to understand what it can do for you, too.” So, I'm really proud of that one. I have a lot of people reaching out to me about that still to this day. Every single week, you know, “Hey, Sam, I want to go here. I watched this video. How can I do it?” And I'm like, “Alright, well, let's talk. Here's what you need to start doing. You need to do this.”   Naviere Walkewicz I love that. So, it's really unique, your journey, right? Because you have been a leader of peers, of people, of airmen, etc. You've also been, I think, a leader of yourself, and you know, in part of how you navigate that. One of the ways I think our listeners really feel connected with our guests is, you know, life is pretty imperfect. What are some challenges you've experienced along the way in your life, just in your professional and personal life, that you have has felt as evolved you as an influencer as a leader, as someone who inspires you to share any with a group that makes them feel like, okay, Sam, I'm in? You know, I'm kind of like, Sam, you know, in some way, what would that be?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, I mean, like I said, it's one of the things I sometimes struggle with when you have an online presence is you kind of gravitate towards only showing the highlights. And that's just how the business works, right? I mean, I don't want to be putting out negative content all day. But then, you know, you're right. I mean, some people kind of see like, “Oh, everything seems to be going well.” I mean, that's not the case. Absolutely not, especially with what I was doing. There's a reason it's very hard to get into this space, especially being in the Air Force. I made some decisions that some might have said would hurt my career, right? Even going back to the demo team, that was a job that typically you don't do as a lieutenant, right. And I was told, “Hey, this might hurt your career going forward.” But I also knew that this was something I wanted to do. And I had goals in mind. And I was young and I just hated the idea that a decision I made when I was 23 years old would ruin my career. I was like, “There's no way that can be true. I'm so young, I've got so much opportunity.” And so, I'm glad I kind of listened to myself. And that was a big decision. But even along the way, making videos while being in the Air Force, I was writing the rules, because there weren't regulations for what you can and can't do. And I was having a lot of tough conversations with people. I'm like, “I'm trying to do the right thing here. You guys gotta help me, I see a lot of potential in this.” So that kind of lesson can be applied to, I think, anyone. A lot of people, I feel, want to do certain things or have dreams and goals. And neither one get talked out of it. To talk themselves out of it. Three, you just look at the negatives, and it gets in your head. And it makes it hard for people to kind of pull the trigger and do it. And I completely understand that. “Comfortable rut” — I kind of use that phrase — you get comfortable in thing and it's hard to break away from that. And so, I don't know, for me, that's the biggest advice I give people: If you have an end goal in mind, it's not going to be easy to get there. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right? I mean, especially being an entrepreneur. It's hard, it's a gamble, it's a risk. And you've got to prepare yourself. I never say, “Hey, just go take this without any plan or backup plan.” And I always had that in place. But you know, I guess I kind of am a risk taker in some world. And I know I have good intentions at heart. And I know what I'm trying to do. And I think that was really important is just having the backup plans, having a good background, having things set in place to where I'm able to do this and — I don't know, coming across as a good person has been huge. So, people hopefully watch my stuff and, like, “Sam's good. He's doing the right thing.”   Naviere Walkewicz So, I don't know, it's hard. If you have any specific advice on that, because you've done so much. But when people look at your stuff, hopefully you can kind of resonate and don't think it's all good all the time. But I think you'll come across as very approachable. I think it's lovely for them to hear in your own words some of the struggles that you have when you're thinking about your content when you're thinking about the delivery of it. They maybe don't get that glimpse, right? They just see the final product. I think it's good for listeners to hear that you've kind of had to advocate for yourself, trust in yourself. And I think you've shown a path of what belief and grit and, going back to your core of, “My intention is to create meaningful impact and do great things for our Air Force and for the future leaders,” right? I think you can always hang your hat on that with pride.   Sam Eckholm Yeah, and I always tell people like what you see as a finished polished video — like, the behind the scenes is crazy. It's like, cameras everywhere, months and months of coordination for the shots and for these approvals. We plan videos — like I'm planning now that you will see six months from now. That's how long it takes. And things change. When I first started out, and it was fun, it was a hobby, it was just what I was doing. And then now when it becomes like, a full-time job, and you have a team now I've got employees who rely on me, like things kind of changed with that. And, you know, definitely the advocating for yourself is something that sometimes hard to do. But it's, it's necessary. And so yeah, it's a lot of lessons I've learned, and I'm still learning. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna' keep going hard.     Naviere Walkewicz So, love that. So, your dad and uncle were inspirations to kind of get you into the profession of arms, the Air Force Academy, who inspires you now? Do you listen to any particular leaders? Are there books you read when you have time? You know, what, what kind of fills your inspiration bucket, Sam?   Sam Eckholm Yeah. You know, it's crazy. It sounds, there's not necessarily like a, like a one specific person who inspires me. And that's just because I try to consume so much different stuff and take the best from all of those. So yeah, I'm constantly learning, right? If I'm not creating content, I'm watching other content for inspiration, listening to a ton of podcasts, like this one here. So yeah, there's so much we can take from different people and different leaders. It is hard a little bit in my case to find someone who's exactly done what I've done. But there's a lot of people who have done other things and kind of made it, like Col. Kim Campbell, I've been listening to her actually, like what she's been doing with her Air Force career and then afterward and like, I've actually never met her.     Naviere Walkewicz You feel like you've met her, right?   Sam Eckholm I actually tried to. Same thing with Michelle Karen-Mace. You know, she's not Academy grad, but she's all over the world. And we did similar things in our careers. And so, she's been awesome to talk to as well, in pretty much any Academy grad. And that's something that I really enjoy. Being a member of the Long Blue Line, we come from the same roots. And everyone's very intelligent and understands things. And I've just been able to have so much support with what I've been doing through the grad network, especially when I go out to different bases and units like grads, like, “Hey, Sam, what's up? I'd love to work with you.” And that's been really cool. So, yeah, I mean, a ton of different inspiration from a lot of different people. And, you know, hopefully, I can eventually be that inspiration for someone else who wants to do something similar to what I'm doing. That's exciting to draw inspiration not just from people, but experiences. And what you see, just you're constantly looking for, yes, kind of pieces.   Naviere Walkewicz That's pretty special. So, you know, let's talk about right now what is, you know, how are you in support of the Academy through what you're doing? Maybe kind of share with our listeners what that looks like.     Sam Eckholm I'm always trying to further the Academy mission with literally every video I produce. I'm always doing something else. So I had the awesome opportunity to partner with Air Force recruiting and we did a six-video series exploring different aircraft, different career fields, — one of my favorite videos we did is actually went down and experienced Air Force Special Tactics officer training for a week in Hurlburt. And I was literally hands and feet behind my back bobbing through the pool like going through selection that normal people train for years for, I had like a week of advance to go out there and do that. So I tried to put myself in uncomfortable situations to show other people what that's like. It was extremely brutal. And I think there's more of that coming down the road as well. As you know, one of the huge goals was to give back to people trying to go to the Academy and honestly level the playing field in my mind with people who maybe don't have graduates or parents who went to the Academy and worked extremely hard work with you guys on the Air Force Academy blueprint program to just have a resource out there where anyone can navigate the Academy application can know what they need to be doing in high school, and to know what to expect once they actually get to the Academy too, and that's been incredibly successful. I mean, we have over 300 atudents enrolled — over two dozen who've been accepted this past class.   Naviere Walkewicz I was going to ask: Have you seen any of those come through?   Sam Eckholm Yeah, we have. Well, this will be the first year. so they haven't entered yet because we launched last August, right? So yeah, I'm excited. There will be a little mafia of Blueprint students here at the Academy as well. And like I said, that was something — you get so man

Join us as we delve into the astonishing Illinois Triangle UFO sighting witnessed by multiple police officers on January 5th, 2000. This remarkable event features detailed testimonies and audio recordings that will leave you questioning everything you know about UFOs. Discover how a massive triangular UFO, equipped with all the five observables, moved silently and swiftly across the Illinois night sky near Scott Air Force Base.Published on 04 June 2024.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lehto-files-investigating-uaps--5990774/support.

1st Lt Evan Scott-Kristansen separated from the Air Force in 2007 under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.  He recently returned As an aero-medical evacuation flight nurse.  He shares his story with Megan Lynch.

Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre '96 opens up about how her leadership journey was transformed by a mis-step she once made that led her to introspection and clarity.  ----more---- SUMMARY Gen. Letendre and Doug Lindsay shared their insights on leadership development at the Air Force Academy. They emphasized the importance of resilience, failure, and mentorship in shaping effective leaders. The General highlighted the value of taking advantage of little opportunities and pushing boundaries, while Dr. Lindsay stressed the need for courage and finding one's voice in leadership. Both emphasized the importance of learning from failures and using them as opportunities for growth.   QUOTES "Little opportunities can become big opportunities, and you don't necessarily know what that big opportunity is going to be. And you don't necessarily recognize that the little opportunity that you have before you is one of those that's going to somehow blossom in the future." "You practice having that voice early in your career, you practice what it means to be candid, you practice what it means to speak up for the right thing. It doesn't actually get easier, just because you've got rank, it gets easier through practice." "You've got to find your voice. And oftentimes, when I talk to cadets, they're like, "Oh, well, easy for you to say, ma'am. You know, you've got a star on, of course, you've got a voice." But I think that unless you practice having that voice, early in your career, you practice what it means to be candid, you practice what it means to speak up for the right thing." "We want our grads to be better than we ever were. And I can say unabashedly that They are our second lieutenants who are graduating from this institution are better able on day one to take on the challenges that our nation has thrown at them." "I believe my role in our role as senior leaders at the Air Force Academy is to not necessarily predict the future with any certainty. I think I might know who our next adversary is going to be in in conflict. I do know, though, that it's going to be the mental agility in the capabilities and skill sets that we are providing both to our cadets, our first graduating class, but also something we talked about our second graduating class, which is those those faculty that are going to go back out into the Air Force and Space Force. It is that challenge of how do we help them be ready for whatever's coming their way? How do we future proof them?"   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |  LINKEDIN  |  EMAIL     CHAPTERS 00:00  Introduction and Background 08:16  Life at the Air Force Academy 15:22  Career Progression and Lessons Learned 26:17  Graduate Involvement and Giving Back 32:25  Leadership Lessons 36:58  Connecting with the Air Force Academy     TAKEAWAYS Little opportunities can become big opportunities, so take advantage of opportunities and do your best. Develop your leadership skills by finding your voice and practicing speaking up, even on small matters. This will help you gain confidence. Focus on developing leaders of character by setting a good example and lifting others up. The Air Force Academy is focused on preparing cadets for the future through experiential learning, research, and partnerships with industry. Staying connected to your alma mater through events and social media is a good way to learn about new programs and opportunities to get involved.     BRIG. GEN. LETENDRE'S BIO Brigadier General Linell A. Letendre is Dean of the Faculty, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. She commands the 750-member Dean of Faculty mission element and oversees the annual design and instruction of more than 500 undergraduate courses for 4,000 cadets across 32 academic disciplines. She also directs the operation of five support staff agencies and faculty resources involving more than $350 million. General Letendre graduated from the Academy in 1996 as a Distinguished Graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronautical Engineering. After serving as an acquisition officer, General Letendre became a judge advocate through the Funded Legal Education Program. She graduated from the University of Washington Law School with high honors and was named to the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers. She is barred at the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Permanent Professor and Head of the Air Force Academy's Department of Law. General Letendre previously served as a Staff Judge Advocate at Scott Air Force Base and also represented the Air Force in appellate review of all courts-martial as the Deputy Chief Trial and Appellate Counsel. Additionally, she previously served as the Legal Advisor for the DoD Comprehensive Review Working Group where she advised on legal and policy issues surrounding repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.” She also defended the Air Force in a range of federal civil litigation involving military personnel, served as Chief of Strategic Communication for The Judge Advocate General, and defended Airmen as an area defense counsel. - Image and copy credit:  USAF CONNECT WITH GEN. LETENDRE LINKEDIN  |  INSTAGRAM   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   OUR SPEAKERS Guest, Brig. Gen. Linell Leyendre '96  |  Host, Dr. Doug Lindsay '92     Dr. Doug Lindsay  01:34 My guest today is Brigadier General Linell Letendre, Air Force Academy class of 1996 and Dean of the Faculty. The general oversees 750 faculty members in more than 500 undergraduate courses for 4,000 cadets across 32 academic disciplines. She also directs the operation of five support staff, agencies, and faculties with attendant resources valued at more than $350 million. General Letendre graduated the Academy, with Distinction receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering. She served as an Acquisition Officer. She has been a Judge Advocate General and is barred at the US Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Washington, the US Court of Appeals for the armed forces and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Prior to her current assignment, she served as a permanent professor and head of the Air Force Academy's Department of Law will talk with General Letendre about her life prior to becoming a cadet and what her experience was like at the Academy as a cadet. We'll ask about the progression of her career from acquisitions, to the practice of law to the Dean of the Faculty. Finally, we'll ask the General to share some advice for leaders and a few takeaways for those who want to be leaders. General Letendre, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  02:47 Well, thank you, Doug. I'm excited to be here and I appreciate the invitation.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  02:51 Absolutely.  Well, let's kind of jump right in. Can you talk a little bit about what your life was like prior to the Academy and what it was like growing up with your family?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  03:00 Well, according to the cadets, that's talking about what happened in the stone age. But growing up, as a kid, I was not a military brat, but I was what we affectionately call a corporate brat. So we moved about every four to five years. With my father's job, he actually worked at the time for Rockwell International. And so as a family, similar to military families, we were pretty tight. I have an amazing younger brother named Paul. My parents, Dawn and Glenn. We did a lot of camping and hiking and enjoying being placed in a variety of states and places. What's interesting about a corporate brat versus a military brat, though is that you tend to enter into communities that aren't used to people arriving or aren't used to people moving in quite as often. And so I've actually found that my kids had a different experience, because they tended to be embraced by the military community. So that movement around kept us close as a nuclear family and just can't thank my folks enough for raising me with those those values - that belief in family, the importance of giving back to your community. I had a great childhood.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  04:25 And so with that kind of moving around, and I like that phrase of a corporate brat, right, because I think it allows us to think about that differently. Because we know the military moves around a lot, but we sometimes don't tend to think that other people do that as well. What were some of those influences that as you grew up that really had an impact on you? Obviously family was really important, but what else was there? Was it things you read, people you met experienced mentors, what was that part?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  04:52 I think that resiliency that you get when you're the new kid and it's October. I'm in class and you're going from algebra class to geometry class. And boy, you missed that first foundational set of proofs. And so that resiliency of, "It's going to be okay. Change is fine." You get uncomfortable with change of other things that kind of focused me. Yeah, you mentioned things that you read. We had different opportunities then. Each new library that we went to... My mom was a librarian. And so reading was vital, and something that was expected in my family. And one day in a new school, I walked into the elementary school's library, and I discovered a new section, it was called the biographies. And I decided in second grade that I was going to start with A and work my way through the alphabet, and was a little miffed when the librarian told me I could only check out two books, two books a week. So apparently, I was destined to be Dean at some point. But you know, what I learned from that is that by diving into others lives through reading their biographies, you learned as a young child that everyone comes from different experiences. Everyone has different challenges, and maybe yours aren't so insurmountable as you might think. And so I value that experience that I had, being able to move from community to community to to see different parts of the United States, and to really learn that people are people no matter where you're living.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  06:31 Those some great lessons, especially learning early on.  Were there any particular biographies that really kind of resonated with you that you kind of remember? Was it just the process of that discovery of people's journeys?    Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  06:43 Well, I will say I was a little keen on Amelia Earhart's biography. And so maybe that was an early indication that maybe someday I'd end up in the Air Force, although in second grade, I had no idea. And so those explorers, those people who are willing to push boundaries, to take risks, I've tended to be drawn to them a little bit more than others.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  07:06 And we'll come to that idea of kind of pushing boundaries and taking risks hearing in a little bit. So what was it that happened during that process that you said, Hey, this military thing might be okay, this Academy, that sounds like something? What was that process? Like, as you tried to think about what you wanted to do when you grew up?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  07:22 Well, I mentioned my dad worked for Rockwell International.  Believe it or not, he was in the automotive section. Not everyone thinks of Rockwell as building the space shuttle. But because he was in Rockwell, he got a model of the space shuttle, and he brought it home. And I was still in elementary school. I still have this model of the space shuttle. It has sat on my desk or in my office for my entire career as a reminder of what got it all started and, and as a kid I learned exactly how that space shuttle operated when the the boosters fell off. And that and the main engine, why they painted it and then didn't paint it. You remember all the changes that the space shuttle had. And that really got me started thinking about space. And as many little kids, I grew up deciding I was going to be an astronaut. And it was later at a corporate picnic that I ran into two high school boys. But they were probably at this point six years older than me. And they were going to this amazing thing called a service academy. One was going to West Point one was going to the Naval Academy. I had never heard of service academies before. We lived in East Tennessee. And I was like what are those? And then they started talking and I started researching a little bit. And, then, I was a smart kid. So I decided, "Well I don't want to go there. I want to go to the Air Force Academy." And so that actually from fifth grade on really became the dream for me that I wanted to come here to the Air Force Academy, major in astronautical engineering and then go on to be an astronaut. Well, I did the first couple and my study partner and classmate Jack Fisher, he did make it up into space. But I got to just watch him from with my two feet firmly planted on the ground.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  09:28 And let's talk about that a little bit. So getting to the Academy, that was where you want to go. That was kind of your vision you get here. Can you talk a little bit about maybe some of those highs and lows, lessons learned? What was that? Like, kind of now you're getting here, you're working along your path, your dream. And then all of a sudden, day to day life? What was that like? Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  09:46 Well, I think like many folks who arrive at the Academy, especially those of us who come from small towns, you are big deal, right, in a little bitty town. I came here from a different move. We were living in South Carolina at the time. Rock Hill, South Carolina. And when I got an appointment to the Air Force Academy, I mean, it was a high school assembly to hand me my appointment. It was front page news of the Rock Hill Herald. So it was a big deal. And then you arrive and, wow, you're with 1,300 other classmates. (1,300) is the size of our class when we started, not the size when we ended, but they were all big deals too. And it was humbling. It was humbling being around people who are just as dedicated, who had such amazing work ethic. And I can't say enough about my classmates from the class of 96. They're inspiring. They helped challenge you to be better than you thought possible. So we did have highs and lows. We had good times and challenging times. But through it all, we we bonded and we knew we'd be there for each other. You know, while I was at the Academy, I did a variety of things. You've already mentioned my major. But I was an instructor pilot, I was on the mock trial team, I got to participate in a number of leadership positions to include the spring semester Cadet Wing Commander, which was probably just the highlight of my time to be able to really practice leadership. How you mess up, how you get better, how do you inspire people. And I really credit the Air Force Academy for helping to round me out to provide those experiences where I was allowed to fail. But I was also allowed to pick myself back up to learn from it. And to move on.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  11:54 Going to that theme of resilience that you had mentioned earlier, is there a particular failure moment or time that you're like, "This is not who I want to be.", or, "This is not who I think I am." that you kind of caught yourself and allowed you to kind of move on to the next level?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  12:11 I'll give you a couple. One sounds little but I did learn from it. I was the cadet Wing Commander and the fourth class broke ranks and took the hill. And I knew that the then Deputy Commandant was going to be calling me up to his office asking why I didn't have control of the wing and etc., etc. And so what did I do beforehand? I called up the president of the fourth class, the class of 99. And I just yelled, and as I walked away I went, "Really? Was that, is that leadership? Is that setting the expectation that I want? Is that really how I'm going to behave as a lieutenant?" And it caused me to think about, we might need a different approach, we might need to think about how we develop fourth class cadets in a different way. And so I still remember that moment of, of being disappointed in myself, in my leadership approach. And I'll reflect on that sometimes of when things aren't going right. What are your obligations as a leader to set your people up for success? And it doesn't mean that you just pull them aside and yell at them. That's not how we work in our Air Force and Space Force today. Instead, we've got to set expectations. We have to hold folks and to accountability standards. But then we also have to understand why didn't we meet a particular mission set or a particular standard, and try to understand that a little bit deeper level. I'm just grateful that I had an opportunity to learn that, at least in that case, the hard way.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  14:13 Well, the hard way, but in a developmental way. Right? So being able to learn that now, like you said, until you got out on active duty and because when you kind of grow up in a system that becomes normal, right. And so, you know, had that been propagated forward that could have been, you know, the stakes could have been higher.   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  14:30 Absolutely. And it's one thing that I'm I'm so proud of where the Academy has come in and where we're also heading. I see our cadets today and I'll just flash forward a little bit. We'll get back to your questions here in a minute. But let's flash forward to COVID. We knew that we were going to be sending the upper three classes home. And my husband who's also a classmate, Greg Letendre, he knew that we were going to make this announcement. And I'd given him the exact time that he was allowed to contact our sponsor cadets. We had two sponsor cadets. They were sophomores at the time. Three-degrees. And he called right after he knew the announcement was going to be made and said, "Do you need a ride? What? How can we help? Do you need a ride to the airport." And each of those three degrees said, "No, Mr. Letendre. Actually, we need to take care of our four-degrees. First, we're going to make sure they're all set, that they've got either a ride home or a trip to the airport, then we'll worry about ourselves." That's where I think the Air Force Academy has made just incredible strides in thinking about that service before self that what it means to lift others as a leader of character. And boy, I think we've just made amazing strides. And I can't wait to see where the Academy heads from here.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  15:55 Yeah, that's a pretty humbling story. As you kind of sit back and go, "Wow!" Just for them to embrace that even early on. Right? It's three degrees (that) go, "I've got some ownership, not just of myself, but in the development of those that have been put in my charge." Right? That's a pretty amazing opportunity to get in there and how you feel a little bit proud also, right? And you'll be able to watch that go through that they picked up on that because we know not everybody graduates with that same depth of appreciation I think of, right? So, that's very cool. Yeah. So you went to the Academy, had a lot of success, obviously. And then kind of went into acquisition, which is a little bit different. And with your astronautical engineering degree. So you spent your first few years in operations, and then between about 1998 and 2019, focused on the area of law and practicing that and a lot of leadership positions. Could you talk a little bit about kind of lessons learned along the way, what you did and how that kind of set you up to be the Dean of the Faculty, which may not have been a career goal of yours when you graduated? Right?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  17:00 No, not at all. I will say though that when I graduated from the Academy, what I did know, really, as a result of being a soaring instructor pilot... So, I love to teach. I love to lead and I love to teach. And so that idea of teaching, I found there were lots of opportunities to do that along the way. Absolutely. I was, after I graduated from law school, I was able to serve in any number of legal roles, from trial attorney to appellate attorney, advising commanders, leading legal offices. But at every stage, no matter how large the leadership job became, what I found that I fell back to over and over again, were those teaching skills. And and whether it's describing a legal challenge and how a commander can take risks, where that spectrum of options are, and really thinking through to make decisions. Those teaching skills were fundamental to at least my style of how I approached the legal profession. I also got a chance to come back here as a captain and teach on faculty. And really, this notion of developing those who are also coming behind you. And, whether that was developing cadets when I was on faculty or later leading various legal offices and developing those younger JAGS and paralegals, that really was my niche. And, I end up, and a passion for helping to promote those who really are the future of our Air Force, and now the Space Force. And so it was through those opportunities, I think, that sealed the deal that when the role of permanent professor for law came open, I threw my name in the hat. And was so fortunate when I got the call from then Brigadier General Armacost, letting me know that I had gotten that job, and came out here to lead that department. And then to really start to give back to this Academy.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  19:18 That idea of I think, is very important, but a subtle one, that idea of, "We're not just leading our teams to be their best," and all that but also pouring into them the opportunity to kind of develop in that teaching skill to be able to kind of teach the teachers right to be able to kind of help do that. And how have you been able to do that kind of as you moved up, right, because sometimes as you know, move up in the leadership ranks, you lose that connection with kind of the front line and being able to really (be in) the classroom and being in there where the teaching really happens.    Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  19:51 Yeah, I think part of it is how you set that vision, that strategy for moving forward. I went through a great leadership program out at at Harvard. In fact, this particular class was taught by retired Brigadier General Dana Born, who asked us to think about your leadership mantra, you know, what is it about what you do, regardless of if they made you the Dean of the Faculty, or they put you in any job, either in the military or outside the military and, as I wrestled with that, I came up with mine. And it's, "blasting crews to future universes." This notion, or this idea that I'm not going to be alongside, whether it's my younger faculty or these cadets after they graduate, in that future universe, but what is it that we have to do to support them, to challenge them to inspire them, such that as they get to that future destination, that they're ready, and that they're equipped? I believe my role - our role - as senior leaders at the Air Force Academy is to not necessarily predict the future with any certainty. I think I might know who our next adversary is going to be in conflict. But the United States has been wrong before. I certainly don't know what strides the technology is going to take between here and there. I do know, though, that it's going to be the mental agility in the capabilities and skill sets that we are providing both to our cadets, our first graduating class, but also something we talked about our second graduating class, which is those those faculty that are going to go back out into the Air Force and Space Force. It is that challenge of, how do we help them be ready for whatever's coming their way? How do we future-proof them? And that's what I see my role as the Dean of Faculty.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  22:00 So, can you talk a little bit more about that idea? Right, so that first graduating class, I think that makes sense, right? That's sending the future officers out in the Air and Space Forces, but that second class as well, right, that those advocates, those champions of kind of not just learning, everything that we're trying to do? What does that look like in terms of you've got, you know, 750 faculty, we have 4,000 cadets, both of those components are very important. How do you really lean into that one about thinking about how we're sending our folks out, back to the service?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  22:35 Well, one of the ways that we do that is we've got a pretty clear mission statement. Now, at the Dean of Faculty, we support obviously, the Air Force Academy's larger mission, which is to develop leaders of character within the Dean of the Faculty that we believe our portion of that is to educate and inspire warfighter scholars. So this confluence of not just a warfighter ethos, but also the disciplinary and more importantly, the interdisciplinary understanding and expertise to be able to apply that to future conflict. And so when we think about graduating both of those classes, we have become very deliberate within the Dean of Faculty and really across the entire institution. And we are laser focused on that future fight. So, how do we do that? And this is where I think the Academy has changed remarkably, and I love talking to classes who come back for the reunions. What's fundamentally changed, I think, since our time at the Air Force Academy and now is that not only is that curriculum, laser focused on the future fight, this is experiential learning opportunities that we're providing that ability to take what you're learning in the classroom, and then go in and solving real world research problems that are helping the warfighter. The Air Force Academy, Doug, you may know, is the number one funded undergraduate research institution in the country, we do over $40 million dollars worth of research every single year. And that goes across all disciplines. And not only is that helping our cadets learn how to apply or to think through different, different challenges that the warfighters are facing. But it also helps our faculty that are alongside them who are working through those same very same research challenges. And so that's where we get this idea of graduating to classes, and how we helped to shape to focus that future fight both in and outside of the classroom.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  24:45 So as you think back, it must be kind of neat in your position now to think back to Cadet Letendre back in the day, to be able to think about the experience you had and how and how impactful that was for you. And now with the resources and the opportunity, the IFC and other things that are out there available to really help prepare cadets because it's not just about learning, but it's about learning how to learn, right, the whole process and being able to partner with other organizations, right, that's got to be pretty cool to see that transformation over time. Right?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  25:20 (It) is and I'll just give you a little example. You've probably heard the Falcon SAT program. Well, I actually worked on something that predated Falcon SAT. The first time that cadets were briefing me about the history of Falcon SAT, they didn't even include the work that my class did with with Falcon Gold. They've since updated the slide. But we were working with any number of majors from electrical engineering to astronautical engineering and mechanical engineering. But we had literally dusted off a closet that I think the mechanical engineering department loaned out to the Astro department, right? There's no such thing as a clean-room. We're working on the development of a very simple satellite that we thought we might launch on a high altitude balloon. Flash forward to today. Not only do we have investment from other DoD entities like AFRL, and Space Force, but we have profound investment from our graduate community that is making Falcon SAT the premier undergraduate institution that is not only designing, developing, building, launching, and then flying satellites, I only half jokingly say that the United States Air Force Academy has more satellites in orbit than most small countries, because it's true. And those satellites, these cadets, and those opportunities that they have to take what they're learning in the classroom to apply it. And then they're actually once in orbit, working some DoD missions as well. And it's been a remarkable operation to watch. And sometimes I just shake my head and imagine, boy, if only Jack Fisher and I could get back here, in this Astro lab, how much fun we would have.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  27:15 So you mentioned the graduate community, their involvement as well. Right? So we have other corporate entities and all that doing that as well. Can you talk a little bit about the value of that kind of giving back not just through supporting the academy, but that involvement, that active involvement in the learning process? And what that's like?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  27:34 Giving back is critical. I like to think of it as those those sparks that if you think about what venture capitalists do, right, they, provide a spark and whether that's through seed money to try something new and different, whether that's through expertise and the use of time and knowledge as a resource. That's where I've seen grads giving back to the Air Force Academy, in really a variety (of) spectacular ways, you know, from our Institute of Future Conflict to this Fall, where we're going to open up the new Madeira Cyber Innovation Center, which is going to revolutionize how we not only think Teach, but also research with respect to the cyber domain to the Martinson Honors Program, which is just a phenomenal opportunity for for our cadets who are at the the cutting edge of thinking about interdisciplinary work through an academic lens. We're working now on the potential to have that kind of investment in the Academic Success Center, to make sure that all of our cadets are able to take on our challenging coursework any number of ways that as I walk through the halls, as I walk through our research labs, as I talk to our faculty, or as I see cadets taking part in clubs and activities. NCLS, the Academy couldn't do what it does today without that support that we get, not only from graduates, but from foundations, as well as corporations around the world.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  29:19 So I appreciate that ability (to) have the opportunity to stay connected, right? So, it's not just kind of up on the Hill, it's being able to, you know, lots of opportunities and ways to serve and get back. And as you talk through those different opportunities and talk through about the cyber center, the IFC, the Martinson, all of that. It sounds like as we think about kind of the great power competition and what's going on that we're setting our cadets up for success in being able to be involved and in really help to influence that moving forward. Right?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  29:51 Absolutely. And we, want our grads to be better than we ever were. And I can say unabashedly that they, our second lieutenants who are graduating from this institution. are better able on day one to take on the challenges that our nation has thrown at them. And we need an institution that continues to not only rise to that challenge, but continues to change. That gets better over time. And that remains at this point laser focused on great power competition. And that's what I'm seeing, not just out of the faculty and academic staff in DF, but across the institution, our AOCs, our AMT's, our coaches, every one of us knows what our mission is, and, and the challenges that our second lieutenants are going to be facing. On day one, I couldn't be more proud of what this Academy is doing.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  30:45 And I think you hit on an important part there because as I think about my experience a few years before yours with True Blue 92, I have to put that in there, that ability to really see I think, people's place in the overall mission because I think previously there, it was really easy to kind of stay stovepipe, stay in your lane. Think about, okay, this is I'm just going to kind of be here to teach. But it seems like there's been a broadening of my purpose, right, as a person comes into the Academy, the permanent party, faculty, staff anywhere, to really say, I've got a place here, I know what my place is and I know how I contribute to the larger mission. Is that fair to say?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  31:23 Oh, absolutely. I think that's all wrapped up in our mission to develop leaders of character. And this notion and idea that I first have to live honorably, that's taking care of who I am. That's that honor code, that, that we all espouse to that in that integrity that we bring with us day in and day out. But then that next phrase, or that that leader or characters is that we need to lift others, you know, we lift all of those around us, because we know that if we don't get the best out of every member of our team, we're never going to get to the final stage, which is that performance piece, that ability to accomplish the mission. And, and so I think that leader, a character framework, which is helping us to really center, not just cadets, but permanent party, around one goal. And so you see that, and everyone really does understand how they're contributing to that overarching mission. And they're all in, right?   Dr. Doug Lindsay  32:27 And, what I like about that kind of orienting function of developing leaders of character, because it puts a responsibility on me to to go, "If I'm going to develop leaders of character, then I need to think about how I'm showing up as a leader of character and how I do that. So I can kind of model and orient as well. Right. So I like that. That kind of responsibility puts on me as a faculty or staff member to go, I need to make sure I'm showing up the way I need to so that I can help them show up the way they need to as well. Right. Absolutely.   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  32:57 And that is probably the part that that makes me the most proud as I wander the hallways or show up at a sporting event or, or watch our cadets engage in military training exercises. I'm not only seeing them live that day in and day out. But I see those permanent party who are setting that role model and example. Just across the board.    Dr. Doug Lindsay  33:24 Yeah, that's gotta be, yeah, very satisfying.   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  33:27 I have the best job in the Air Force, Space Force.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  33:31 So kind of wrapping up, can you maybe share it? Through the journey that you've had maybe some lessons, you've kind of learned about leadership along the way, obviously, you've been very successful at every level you've done. And that doesn't happen by accident. It doesn't happen without work. So what were some of those lessons that you learned along the way, whether it was early on in acquisitions, it was in your log, or now as the dean, that you'd like to pass on?   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  33:57 One of the lessons that I've learned is that little opportunities can become big opportunities. And you don't necessarily know what that big opportunity is going to be. And you don't necessarily recognize that the little opportunity that you have before you is one of those that's going to somehow blossom in the future. And so when I talk with cadets, I talk about, "Take advantage of the little opportunities, knock them out of the park." I'll share a little opportunity. I was legal counsel on on a case that had a potential to go to the United States Supreme Court. And I was brought in along I was a major. I was brought in with all of the Judge Advocate General's from all of the services. So these are two and three stars, who were sitting down with the General Counsel of the Department of Defense at the time, Mr. J. Johnson, who later became Secretary Johnson and head of the Department of Homeland Security And so they're having this conversation about whether or not this case should go to the Supreme Court. And and at the conclusion, Mr. Johnson passes around a memo and says, hey, does this need any editing? You know, is this what we want to send to the to DOJ, to the Department of Justice to the attorney general? And, and everyone around the table, except for me, nodded their head up and down. It looks great, sir. Looks great. And I looked at him like, this memo could be improved. And I started to edit it. And on the way out, I you know, I handed it off to Mr. Johnson's exec, and said, Hey, I think this could use a little improvement here and there, here's some thoughts. It wasn't about a month or so later, that I then got a call from my Judge Advocate General Lieutenant General Rives who said, Mr. Johnson wants that major. That major had the audacity to edit his memo to come and help serve as the legal counsel, as well, as one of the prime edit authors of the report regarding the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, I would have never expected that editing a little paper, or a memo would have led them to this enormous opportunity to work directly for general ham army four star as well as Mr. Johnson. And so I think those how you think about the little opportunities that then become the big opportunities is one leadership lesson that that I would pass along.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  36:30 And we could spend probably another couple hours unpacking that one, you had to have the knowledge to understand what was there. So there's a competence piece, but there's also a courage piece to kind of lean out a little bit when you're maybe outranked around the room. And everybody else is kind of saying, Yeah, this is the way to go. But you know that there's something else that's there, right?    Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  36:49 Yeah, and I think that leads maybe to a second leadership lesson is, you've got to find your voice. And oftentimes, when I talk to cadets, they're like, "Oh, well, easy for you to say, ma'am. You know, you've got a star on, of course, you've got a voice." But I think that unless you practice having that voice early in your career, you practice what it means to be candid, you practice what it means to speak up for the right thing. It doesn't actually get easier, just because you've got rank, it gets easier through practice. And so that's one of those lessons that we talk with cadets about all the time, how do they find their voice today, on the small things, so that when they need to have a voice on the big things, they've had some practice before.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  37:39 I love that idea of of practice, and kind of embracing the moment, right? We think a lot of times people make that mistake with leadership and think, "Well, I'm not in a leadership position. So I can't really lead.", and we know that's just not true. You can. So, that idea of learning your voice, learning to lead, just really taking advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you, so that you can then maybe down the road have the opportunity to get (better). So, I appreciate those thoughts in there, as we think about kind of people want to be connected. So, if the listeners want to kind of connect more, find out more about the Academy and what are some things that they can do to kind of connect more with the Academy and find out more about what's going on?    Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  38:18 Oh, absolutely. There's any variety of ways. Not only does our usafa.edu website contain information about all of our amazing programs and opportunities, from athletics at gofalcons.com, to what's up in the cadet wing, my amazing classmate and commandant, Brigadier General Gavin Marks, who is leading the cadet wing, but also any number of things that are going on on the academic side as well. Every department's got a website. They talk about their current curriculum, their faculty, the research that they're doing. You are also welcome to follow me on my LinkedIn site, or my Instagram page. The Supt. has an amazing Instagram page as well. Lot's of different ways through both social media as well as the internet to understand what we're doing. But I think one of the best ways is, come on back. Come back to your Academy. Come to a reunion, talk to a grad, talk to a cadet. Anytime I'm having a bad day, I pull a cadet aside and just chat for a few minutes. And believe me, it's gonna make your day.   Dr. Doug Lindsay  39:27 That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time, your your lessons, your leadership, your example and thank you for your time today on longer leadership.   Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre  39:35 Awesome. Thank you so much, Doug.     KEYWORDS cadets, academy, air force academy, faculty, leadership, opportunities, class, learning, dean, work, people, talk, graduated, challenges, air force, mission, leaders, number, space shuttle, future         The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

GUEST OVERVIEW: Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Davis is the Commander of the 932d Operations Group, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He leads a group of 225 military and civilian personnel in three squadrons and one flight. The group has two main missions: aeromedical evacuation and executive airlift. The 932d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron provides combat-ready medical professionals capable of evacuating ill and injured persons within 24-hours of notification. The 73d Airlift Squadron and the 54th Airlift Squadron fly Air Force Reserve Command's VIPSAM mission on four C-40C aircraft, providing world-class transportation for our nation's military and civilian leaders to destinations around the world.

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Political editor and presenter on TNT, Basil Valentine is a philosopher, poet, broadcaster, producer, political pundit, writer, musician, horse racing aficionado, prolific X poster (@says_basil) and regular contributor to SUNDAY WIRE WITH PATRICK HENNINGSEN. https://tntradio.live/presenters/basil-valentine/ https://21stcenturywire.com/sundaywire/ GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Davis is the Commander of the 932d Operations Group, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He leads a group of 225 military and civilian personnel in three squadrons and one flight. The group has two main missions: aeromedical evacuation and executive airlift. The 932d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron provides combat-ready medical professionals capable of evacuating ill and injured persons within 24-hours of notification. The 73d Airlift Squadron and the 54th Airlift Squadron fly Air Force Reserve Command's VIPSAM mission on four C-40C aircraft, providing world-class transportation for our nation's military and civilian leaders to destinations around the world.

Seth Smith is a retired Army Signal Warrant Officer who served 24 years. The majority of my career was spent at Fort Liberty but there were multiple overseas tours and deployments. Seth married his Command Sergeant Major's daughter almost 30 years ago, and have 4 children and enjoy calling North Carolina home. Jonathan Shores, Ph.D. has spent over half of his life working in higher education and has experience helping over 200 collegiate institutions reach record levels of enrollment, working both with and directly at numerous colleges.  He currently serves as the Chief Enrollment Officer and Executive Vice President at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky.   Dr. Shores is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, where he still serves in a reserve component as a Chief Master Sergeant.  In the Air Force he serves as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Air Mobility Command 4-star General at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.  He has been to over 40 countries and has deployed and/or assisted in support of Operation Enduring & Iraqi Freedom, Joint Forge, and Coronet Oak. Wisdom Imparted by Seth Smith --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vets2pm/support

Joining Tom and Megan are Maj. Julie Creech-Organ, 375th Healthcare Operations Squadron director of osteopathic education &  Lt. Col. Pamela Hughes, 375th Healthcare Operations Squadron military programs director both are at Scott Air Force Base on the recognition for the Osteopathic Residency Program.    (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team sits down to talk all things RAT with Col. Rick Kend, 375th Air Mobility Wing deputy commander at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, along with Lt. Col. Johnathan McGill, Mobility Air Force division chief at HAF/A3 in the Pentagon who oversees the RAT portfolio as part of his duties, and Bob Remey, HQ AETC Training branch chief, whose team has developed RAT training for the enterprise. The trio talk about the strategic why behind RAT training, how it works in concert with the five drivers of change, specifics inside the ready training areas, and a look behind how wings and major commands could implement RAT in line with the Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) presentation model and Agile Combat Employment. There is also a call for feedback from the field on how to improve RAT.

Every two years, the wing that runs Scott Air Force Base — the 375th — gets a new leader. Colonel John Poole has now been that leader for 81 days. St. Louis Public Radio's Will Bauer sat down with Colonel Poole and asked him about what his wing does on a day-to-day basis. (Rod Milam hosting for Wayne Pratt)

Colonel Willie Cooper describes his role at Scott Air Force Base and dives into a number of sports topics with Anthony and Jamie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel John D. Poole talks about what it was like to be an Aggie during Johnny Manziel's heyday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel Willie Cooper describes his role at Scott Air Force Base and dives into a number of sports topics with Anthony and Jamie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel John D. Poole talks about what it was like to be an Aggie during Johnny Manziel's heyday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of the Circuit of Success, Brett Gilliland interviews Jeff Eschliman, a veteran of 30 years of combat and corporate experience. Jeff shares his story of how his upbringing and military service shaped his leadership style and how he uses his mindset to overcome fear and anxiety. He also shares his tips on how to create a life of harmony in a chaotic world. https://youtu.be/ltbAofDwM9o Brett Gilliland: [00:00:00] Well, to the circular of success, I host Brett Gil, Gil, and today I've got Jeff Esman with me. Jeff, how you doing? Outstanding, sir. Awesome. Well, it's good to be with you today. Where are you? Where are you calling in from, from again? I forgot to ask you that. At Phoenix. Phoenix. Just got the phone, uh, CL client in. Yes. The desert's covered today. Don't I warm? It's, I bet it is warm, man. It's crazy, crazy there. I know, but they, but they always say it's a heat, right? Jeff Eschliman: High heat. It is. Definitely that so Brett Gilliland: is another. Exactly, exactly. Well, you are a guest that I'm excited to have on, on here today. You got, uh, uh, 30 of experience, experience from, uh, combat in Iraq. Uh, all the way corporate board boardroom, you're a sought laughter X for building and scaling results driven teams, uh, and your leadership style characterized by as bi personal development can, [00:01:00] can see and uh, tenacious work ethic, which I love. Uh, uh, so I'm excited to talk about that. But that, but if we can't, let's start with, what I always start with is what's made you the Manan you are today? No. You don't just, just go to Iraq in the boardroom and room and all the things mentioned, uh, without a backstory. And so I'd love to hear that. Right. Jeff Eschliman: It, it really starts, you know, from a pretty, I was pretty fortunate to have a great upbringing, folks that had instilled really good core values in me, but I was a little bit of a, a wallflower, uh, before going into the service. And when I went into the service, it was really, really life-changing for, for me. It took, you know, all those fundamentals that I've learned from my folks. And it really, it really shaped who I was going to be and then ended up being extremely pivotal through my entire leadership development and career. It, it, [00:02:00] it was really back to my, my father was a house here locally and so I grew up residential home job sites here in the valley and that's really where. I think those core values came into play with the leadership skills that I learned in the military. Brett Gilliland: Yeah. Did you know you wanted to go into the military an early age, or what, what made you join the Milit military? Jeff Eschliman: I, I just referred to it as a calling, so I, I felt something in, in my heart that said I wanted to serve and I, I didn't wanna do the typical four year stint. And so anything that you were gonna sign up for, at least in the Army in the era when I joined, had to be combat related. And my dad was a a US Marine Vietnam era, even though he didn't go to Vietnam. And he always told me either go in the Air Force or go in the Navy, cause he'll teach me something. And so [00:03:00] of course I joined the army. Because it was the two year stent and I figured, you know, I would, I would get what I was expecting out of it. Well, obviously I ended up getting, I ended up getting way more than, you know, what I had bargained for. But that, those experiences, Brett, that that was like the, The forge, right. Of shaping who my, or what my personality and characteristics would. Brett Gilliland: Yeah. You know, I'm always fascinated. I, I love the military. I'm actually, in fact, I, I can look right now from my view, my view here, see Scott Air Force Base, I can't see it cuz of the trees, but no, right where it's at. So we, so we have one of the, the biggest, best, best air forces in the country right here, up the road from my office and, um, But,

Second Lieutenant Dorian Neuendorf, the Flight Commander and Associate Conductor of the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois was our guest recently. She discussed bands in the military and the upcoming concerts in the St. Louis area, specifically at the Scott AFB Airshow on May 13 and 14 which will feature the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.[01:06] Return to Civility[02:01] Interview with Second Lieutenant Dorian Neuendorf-Part I[18:04] Saint Louis In Tune Information[19:40] Dred Scott Stamp Information[20:52] Interview with Second Lieutenant Dorian Neuendorf-Part II[25:49] More on the Scott AFB Air Show[27:49] The US Navy Blue Angels[29:46] How the Blue Angels got their start: Recorded Interview with Captain Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris[36:22] Saint Louis In Tune - stlintune.com[37:49] Dred Scott Heritage Foundation[39:07] Word of the Day[40:30] Celebrations in St. Louis[45:10] HumorThis is Season 6! For more episodes, go to stlintune.com#usairforce #usairforcebandofmidamerica #scottafb #airshow #blueangels

This edition features stories on an update on the closing of Manas Air Base, 603rd Air Control Convoy training, Adm. Mike Mullen touring Scott Air Force Base, Airmen providing basic dental care knowledge to children in Japan and an online system to help service members in moving. Hosted by Tech. Sgt. Kevin Dennison

Scott Air Force Base came up with a non-invasive way to deter birds from nesting near the flight line.

Jaimette McCulley, MS, RDN, LD/LDN currently serves as a Malnutrition Quality Improvement Coordinator with Morrison Healthcare located at BJC Healthcare in St. Louis, Missouri. In this role, she works with various team members across the system to improve identification, communication, and capture of malnutrition in hospitalized patients. Jaimette completed her bachelor and master's degrees at Eastern Illinois University, and her initial employment was at Scott Air Force Base as a civilian RDN working with military families in the inpatient and outpatient areas. She then worked as a clinical dietitian and nutrition support team member at Barnes-Jewish Hospital before moving to higher education at Fontbonne University. Join us as we learn about her quality improvement role and how accurate nutrition assessment paired with clear and concise documentation by RDNs improves outcomes. This episode is hosted by Christina M. Rollins, MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, CNSC and was recorded on 1/14/23.

The American military is providing weapons, supplies and humanitarian aid as the European country fights off the Russian invasion. Those shipments are coordinated by the U.S. Transportation Command headquarters at the military center in the Metro East.

Meet Father Stu--not the one of film and fame, but Father Stuart A. King, Ch Col USAF, a Catholic U.S. Air Force chaplain now serving at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father King shares how he started out as a Protestant minister only to find his way to the Catholic Church and priesthood.

Scott Air Force Base in the Metro East plays a critical role internationally, housing U.S. Transportation Command, which is one of 11 unified combatant commands. TRANSCOM is responsible for the logistical movement of troops and supplies for the country's military. The command's role has been on display recently, coordinating and delivering supplies for the war in Ukraine. STLPR reporter Eric Schmid talks with Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost about the TRANSCOM's work and future challenges.

The base houses the U.S. Transportation Command which moves equipment and people around the world. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost leads the command, which has moved close to 195 million pounds of supplies to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

Billions have been spent sending weapons and equipment to help Ukraine over the last 10 months. Sitrep hears from the logistics team at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois about how contributions from the United States reach Europe. The programme hears that lessons learnt from the evacuation from Kabul about information sharing have helped with their current Ukraine operation.And what advice are the Chiefs of Staff getting from their Senior Enlisted Adviser? Sitrep has spoken to WO1 Rick Angove about culture, training and the impact of the cost of living on forces personnel.

Billions have been spent sending weapons and equipment to help Ukraine over the last 10 months. Sitrep hears from the logistics team at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois about how contributions from the United States reach Europe. The programme hears that lessons learnt from the evacuation from Kabul about information sharing have helped with their current Ukraine operation.And what advice are the Chiefs of Staff getting from their Senior Enlisted Adviser? Sitrep has spoken to WO1 Rick Angove about culture, training and the impact of the cost of living on forces personnel.

In this episode, we discuss: Why over 12,000 people in IL called 211 last year How the United Way serves as community dispatchers to help connect people in need with services that can help them How the United Way distributes over $1,000,000/week in the St. Louis/Metro East area Wed, Dec 7th 8:30-4pm is collection day at the Chamber office for the  Annual Cookie Drop for the airmen at Scott Air Force Base. Thurs, Dec 8th @ 6pm is Pub table Historian at Gears inside Bike Surgeon Sat, Dec 10th 8am-11am is O'Fallon Police Dept's Breakfast with Santa. Admission is free.  Sat, Dec 10th 9am-noon is Shiloh's Breakfast with Santa. $5 admission.  Sat, Dec 10th 3:30-7:30pm Winter Market @ Ofallon Station Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Follow us because we love our troops and beating 101 Fastlame @RizzShow @RizzWow @MoonValjeanHere @Patrico1057 @ jeffburton1057 @KingScottRules http://www.1057thepoint.com/Rizz Book DJ DONUTS choosepatrico@gmail.com Check out Jeff's positive message clothing line BLINESTUFF.com Check out @FreeThe2SG and King Scott's http://TheBabyBee.com and Check out Moon's bands GREEK FIRE @GreekFire GOLDFINGER @GoldfingerMusic THE TEENAGE DIRTBAGS @TheTeenageDbags and www.moondropscbd.com Media

Colonel Jason J. Glynn is the commander of the 375th Mission Support Group, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., leading five squadrons totaling over 1,500 personnel. The group provides base support services to an installation workforce of over 13,000 personnel and 36 tenant units, including United States Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command, Military Surface Deployment and... The post Jason Glynn's Definition of Success Comes From His Military Experience “Success is Accomplishing the Goal” appeared first on The Circuit of Success with Brett Gilliland.

In this episode, we discuss: our love for Scott Air Force Base and our service members the Mobile Mechanic- the onsite car service that comes to you! Sat, June 18th 11am-4pm is the Strawberry Festival at St. Michael's Episcopal Church Wed, June 22 is Shiloh's Music in the Park with George Portz and his bluegrass band from 7-8:30pm Sunday, July 3rd is the City's Fireworks over O'Fallon at the Family Sports Park beginning at dusk. Monday, July 4th @ 8:30am is Bike Surgeon's Ride, White and Blue bike ride and brunch!  Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) was created to empower women veterans and military spouses/partners to find their passion and learn the business savvy skills necessary to turn an idea or start-up into a growing venture.(V-WISE) is a premier training program in entrepreneurship and small business management. V-WISE helps women veterans and female military spouses/partners find their passion and learn the business savvy skills necessary to turn an idea or start-up into a growing venture.With that said, I had the opportunity to meet with these amazing bosses at V-WISE Nashville and again during the recording of this episode to reflect on their experience(s) while attending this event.D. Rainya P. Miller - The managing partner and founder of the Consortium ofAccomplished Educators, LLC. She has over 25 years of experience in leadership,educating young children, mentoring at-risk students, mentoring new and veteraneducators, and coaching. Dr. Miller has developed the knowledge base and skillsneeded to develop educational programs, create environments of equity, fairness andaccess while establishing positive, lasting relationships. Through her work in educationDr. Miller provides actionable guidance to help others achieve their personal andprofessional goals while achieving the mission and goals of the organization.Zanetta Bryant - Affectionately called ‘Z' by her clients, Zanetta is an USMC Veteran and Family Nurse Practitioner. She is the Founder of Redefine by Z and a Certified Cosmetic Injector. After leaving service in 2007, Zanetta pursued schooling and a career in nursing. She is a graduate of Georgia College and State University with a Master's of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner.  After several years of primary care, hospital medicine, and a specialty in neurology, Zanetta decided to explore entrepreneurship.  She is excited to offer her clientele cosmetic injectables, medical weight loss management, and coaching services, just to name a few. She is passionate about helping others become better versions of themselves, boosting their self-image and confidence. Zanetta loves using her creative eye to customize each client's experience.Nadean Carson - Nadean is a self-professed stormwater nerd. She started working with stormwater compliance in the Air Force and quickly realized how important stormwater pollution prevention was to the ecosystem. During her military career, she focused on construction and other civil engineering operations duties. When she separated from the military, she initially worked as a Geotechnical Engineer (that is a fancy way of saying that she worked in dirt) but found her way back to her true love of stormwater management in 2014. She created a Stormwater Management division at a local engineering firm, focused on helping clients manage the stormwater regulations that affect their development, as well as ensure that the sites are limiting their contribution to Stormwater Pollution. She saw another stormwater need developing and decided to tackle it next. She started up Oya Construction as a way to properly install and maintain stormwater controls on construction sites, reducing the sediment deposition into waterways. She is passionate about keeping waterways clean and our environment beautiful. Nina Clark - Is a  portrait photographer located in Scott Air Force Base, IL.  She is deeply invested in creating an amazing experience for her client(s) and creating breathtaking portraits  to document this beautiful season of your life.  Nina offers on location and in home portrait sessions and uses a combination of digital photography as well as old school film photography.Support the show

Colonel Glenn Collins commander of the 932d airlift wing at Scott Air Force Base joins Carol Daniel and Tom Ackerman talking about the new movie Top Gun Maverick and if will draw people to want to become piolets just like the original movie did. 

Senior Airmen Thomas Tate, 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron, is our guest on Roll Call. Tate and Tech Sgt Ces White talk about Tate's Air Force lineage PEVs, and the viability of PEVs on Scott Air Force Base.

Spine specialist, Dr. Andrew Calderone shares a story of an active 63 y.o. male athlete with a condition called spondylolisthesis.  Dr. Calderone explains what this condition is and how he is treating this active gentleman. Meet Dr. Andrew Calderone Dr. Calderone is a native of Stuart, Florida and attended South Fork High School where he was a student in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and a member of the Men's Varsity Baseball Team. After high school, Dr. Calderone went on to study Exercise Science at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) in West Palm Beach, Florida. While at PBA, Dr. Calderone was also a member of the Men's Collegiate Baseball Team where in his senior year, was awarded the Male President's Award and named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, the first PBA baseball player in program history to receive this distinction. After college, Dr. Calderone was fortunate enough to play a season of independent professional baseball for the High Desert Yardbirds of the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs in Adelanto, California. Chiropractic Education and Training After his playing days, Dr. Calderone enrolled in chiropractic school at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida. In his final semester of chiropractic school, Dr. Calderone completed a 5-month preceptorship at Scott Air Force Base in Shiloh, Illinois where he completed over 700 clinical hours in the 375th Medical Group multidisciplinary clinic diagnosing and providing chiropractic care to active members of the United States Air Force, Military, and Navy. While at Scott, he also completed 250 hours and 150 musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound procedures. Dr. Calderone graduated top of his class with a perfect 4.0 GPA and received Summa Cum Laude upon graduation – the highest academic distinction. Why Chiropractic? Dr. Calderone first experienced the benefits and healing of chiropractic care at the age of 15, when he was diagnosed with a bilateral spondylolysis at the level of his L5 vertebra. At the time he was playing varsity baseball at South Fork High School in Stuart, Florida and was informed that this was a potentially career ending injury. He credits chiropractic care to not only saving his baseball career, but also keeping him healthy on the field for years to come. His experience as a patient of chiropractic drove him to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Calderone looks forward to giving back to the community that raised him and hopes to inspire the youth to pursue the chiropractic profession, the same way he was inspired by his chiropractic physician from a young age. In addition to being a board-certified chiropractic physician, Dr. Calderone also holds other professional certifications including: National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) COX Flexion/Distraction Technic Lumbar Spine Part I & II Selective Functional Movement Assessment Level 1 Functional and Kinetic Treatment with Rehabilitation (FAKTR) Rehab System RockTape FMT Basic and Advanced Taping Dr. Calderone is also a member of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA). Resources: performancehealthandchiropractic.com Find a Back Doctor The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

Author and theologian David L. Gray joins me for a discussion on the liturgy. In this interview we discus the various parts of the Mass and the meaning behind them. We discuss how to prepare ourselves for the Liturgy, nd what to do if we are not finding meaning in it. It is a very informative interview nd you will come away from it with a deeper appreciation and love for the Mass. #davidlgray #liturgy #catholic If you have not already, consider subscribing to David's Youtube channel  @David L. Gray  Check out David's website at www.davidlgray.info Checkout the book that David edited and is being released by St. Dominic's Media at https://www.saintdominicsmedia.com/shop/catholic-traditional-black-in-anthology-and-discourse/ About David (From his website): Born in 1972, David L. Gray is an American Catholic Theologian and Historian, and the President and Publisher of Saint Dominic's Media. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central State University (Ohio) and a Masters of Arts in Catholic Theology from Ohio Dominican University. His published work, ‘Inside Prince Hall (Freemasonry)' predates his conversion to Catholicism. He currently resides in the Greater Saint Louis area with his wife Felicia. They are active in the Queen of Peace Catholic community on Scott Air Force Base. David is an On-Air Radio Personality for the Guadalupe Radio Network ‘The David L. Gray Show: Voicing Truth and Reason‘, which airs every Wednesday on the global GRN at 4 PM CT. As a private instructor, David L. Gray is teaching courses in Catholic theology, liturgy, and history using a pedagogical methodology he has named, ‘The Dominican Way,' which focuses on a dialectic and contemplative approach and grounds all Catholic theological in the liturgy of the Catholic Mass, which is our highest expression of prayer and worship. In 2004, David had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ that moved me from the column of Agnostic to Protestant-Christian and later to Catholic-Christian, and on August 8th, 2006 was confirmed into the Catholic Church, taking Saint Joseph as his confirmation name.

Ep 278 | Aired 1/7/2022 Colonel Angela Ochoa is the Commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. As the installation commander, Col. Ochoa leads the "Home of Herk Nation." She works in concert with the 314th Airlift Wing (AETC), 189th Airlift Wing (ANG), 913th Airlift Wing (AFRC), and 29th Weapons Squadron (ACC) in all aspects of C-130 training. Additionally, Col. Ochoa is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the personnel who operate, maintain, and sustain more than 62 C-130 aircraft. The wing provides combat-ready forces to meet combatant commanders' requirements globally. She ensures support for combat, contingency, and humanitarian requirements around the world while providing for the health and welfare of more than 10,000 personnel and families at Little Rock AFB. Col. Ochoa was commissioned in 2001 from the Air Force Academy. Throughout her career, Col. Ochoa has flown in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support, Freedom's Sentinel, and Volant Shogun. She served as a Joint Strategic Planner, Joint Exercises and Training Division, Directorate for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C. Col. Ochoa served as an Air Force Fellow in the McConn Public Policy Internship at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington D.C. She also served as the advisor to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, for senior leader management within the command. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Vice Commander, 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where she led more than 3,100 personnel who provided aeromedical evacuation for patients, and operational support airlift for high priority passengers and cargo with a fleet of 14 C-21 aircraft.

On today's show, I was joined by Dr. Jeffery Nelson. We discussed all things hormones with a heavy emphasis on women's health. We talked progesterone, estrogen, thyroid and the biggest difference between synthetic and bio-identical hormones. Jeffrey S. Nelson, D.O., graduated with a B.S. in human biology from Brigham Young University and then received his D.O. from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Nelson completed his residency in Family Medicine at St Louis University Hospital in St Louis, MO and Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, IL. He practiced family medicine and aerospace medicine in Germany from 2004 to 2010 for the United States Air Force and managed the NASA space shuttle emergency medical response team in Europe. Dr. Nelson is board certified in Family Medicine. He focuses on evidence-based, preventative, anti-aging medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Nelson has five kids; four girls and one boy. His wife, Inga Nelson, is from Denmark and the family visits her home country every summer. In his spare time, Dr. Nelson enjoys skiing and hiking. FHC's Story Freedom Healthcare (FHC) was started in 2010 by Dr. Jeffrey S. Nelson. The Clinic was founded with the objective to provide a preventative and personal healthcare approach. Dr. Nelson's passion to provide evidence-based medicine brought Freedom Healthcare into fruition. Prior to the emergence of FHC, Dr. Nelson practiced family medicine in Germany. While he was in Germany, his mom told him about the innovative treatment of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Dr. Nelson later attended his first evidence-based medical education series on bioidentical hormones in 2008 by Dr. Neal Rouzier. At the conference, Dr. Nelson was shocked at the sheer volume of scientific evidence there was for bioidentical hormones. This information was not taught in medical school or residency. After the education series with Dr. Rouzier, Dr. Nelson changed his patients' treatments from synthetics to bioidentical hormones and all of them felt better.  Dr. Nelson continued to study bioidentical hormones and became an expert in this area of medicine. Freedom Healthcare continued to grow as patients saw incredible results through functional medicine and bioidentical hormones. In addition, Dr. Nelson's innovative approach to healthcare attracted other providers, who trained under him. Freedom Healthcare is now quickly expanding with locations in Layton, Ogden, and Sandy, Utah. However, FHC's passion for evidence-based medicine remains the catalyst for the Clinics' tenacity and success in the healthcare sphere.   Discount code: keynutrition for 20% off your first Legion order. Order Legion Supplements -> https://bit.ly/3mHRqYV   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

We have wanted to make this episode happen since the very beginning of Holding Short. NORAD Tracks Santa has been a part of our holiday traditions since we were both small. Cameron remembers gathering around the family computer with his family waiting for the dial up internet to load Santa's schedule for the night and Laura's mum decreed we HAD to have NORAD on. Join Laura as she learns about how the program keeps jolly old Saint Nick safe, and how it all started with a phone call 65 years ago. Our guest, United States Air Force 1st Lieutenant Sable Brown is currently serving as a Public Affairs Officer at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Public Affairs, and NORAD Tracks Santa, at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Sable grew up in Mascoutah, IL just a few miles away from Scott Air Force Base. She earned her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications TV and Radio Broadcasting from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2015. In 2017, Sable commissioned from Air Force Officer Training School as a 2nd Lieutenant. After commissioning she was assigned to the 12th Training Squadron at Randolph AFB, TX. She crossed into Public Affairs, completing Defense Information School training in March 2019. She previously served as the Chief of Media operations for 20th Fighter Wing PA at Shaw AFB, South Carolina until September 2020. To learn more about NORAD Tracks Santa, and to track Santa this year, visit their website at www.noradsanta.org/en/, find them on social media on Facebook @noradsanta, Twitter @noradsanta, and Instagram @noradtrackssanta_official, or download the NORAD Tracks Santa App!

2:00-2:30 - Presser regarding Mike Shildt 2:30 - Fast Lane reaction to Shildt firing 2:45 - Colonel Christopher Robinson on Scott Air Force Base's role in the Afghanistan extraction 3:00 - Former GM Jim Bowden on the firing of Mike Shildt 3:30 - Fleet Master CHief Donald Myrick on his tenure in the Navy, how the Navy shaped him as a man and getting into the military thanks to the buddy system 4:00 - The Gauntlet 4:15 - John Mozeliak audio on the philosophy differences with Shildt and the organization 4:30 - Mic Drop reaction to Shildt's firing 5:00 - Top 5 at 5 5:15 - Burning Questions about Mike Shildt 5:30 - Sports Six Pack 5:45 - Bet the Board

info@podcastone.com

Scott Air Force Base has many connections to the St. Louis region, including how it collaborates with the medical community. One initiative trains military medics in trauma care and another is a shared residency program at an area hospital.

David L Gray joins me today to discuss Critical Race Theory (#crt). We discuss how the theory developed and how it has been applied. David also discusses how the theory looks at everything through the lens of race and does not look at other factors to determine causes. David also explains how CRT runs contrary to church teaching and cannot fit into Catholicism. It is an interesting discussion. Learn more about David by visiting his website at www.davidlgray.INFO #davidlgray #crt #criticalracetheory #criticalracetheoryandcatholicism #whatiscriticalracetheory About David: Born in 1972, David L. Gray is an American Catholic Theologian and Historian, and the President and Publisher of Saint Dominic's Media. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central State University (Ohio) and a Masters of Arts in Catholic Theology from Ohio Dominican University. His published work, ‘Inside Prince Hall (Freemasonry)' predates his conversion to Catholicism. He currently resides in the Greater Saint Louis area with his wife Felicia. They are active in the Queen of Peace Catholic community on Scott Air Force Base. David is an On-Air Radio Personality for the Guadalupe Radio Network ‘The David L. Gray Show: Voicing Truth and Reason‘, which airs every Wednesday on the global GRN at 4pm CST.

David L Gray joins me today to discuss Critical Race Theory (#crt). We discuss how the theory developed and how it has been applied. David also discusses how the theory looks at everything through the lens of race and does not look at other factors to determine causes. David also explains how CRT runs contrary to church teaching and cannot fit into Catholicism. It is an interesting discussion.Learn more about David by visiting his website at www.davidlgray.INFO#davidlgray #crt #criticalracetheory #criticalracetheoryandcatholicism #whatiscriticalracetheory About David: Born in 1972, David L. Gray is an American Catholic Theologian and Historian, and the President and Publisher of Saint Dominic's Media. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central State University (Ohio) and a Masters of Arts in Catholic Theology from Ohio Dominican University. His published work, ‘Inside Prince Hall (Freemasonry)' predates his conversion to Catholicism. He currently resides in the Greater Saint Louis area with his wife Felicia. They are active in the Queen of Peace Catholic community on Scott Air Force Base. David is an On-Air Radio Personality for the Guadalupe Radio Network ‘The David L. Gray Show: Voicing Truth and Reason‘, which airs every Wednesday on the global GRN at 4pm CST.

In this episode, we discuss: Metro East Start Up Challenge- it's a business competition with a $10,000 cash prize for first place! Congrats to the VFW on winning several awards at the IL State Convention! The Chamber's military affairs committee delivers welcome bags to new Airmen at Scott Air Force Base. Family Friendly Triathalon in downtown O'Fallon, Sat July 10th, 9-11am Park Scrabble July 10-19th Yoga in the Park at Rock Springs Rotary Park, Tues/Thursdays at 6pm Dine to Donate at Peel in support of Special Olympics, Wed, July 14th, 11am-9pm Shiloh's Music in the Park with Short Mist, 7pm in the big pavilion Bike Crawl in downtown O'Fallon, Sat July 17th Saturday Night Fever @ 1818 Chophouse Follow us on Instagram @The618Now. Submit business updates, show ideas and events you'd like us to consider promoting to events@ofallonchamber.com. 

Scott Air Force Base swore in roughly 20 members of the new U.S. Space Force in February. The former Airmen are now called Guardians. They will remain at Scott for another 12-to-18 months before they transfer to an official Space Force installation.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Ellison, with the 126th Public Affairs Office, talks to the wing's Staff Judge Advocate, Lt. Col. Matt Goetten. Lt. Col. Goetten tells us why every member of the 126th should visit their office. Roll Call is the official podcast of the 126th Air Refueling Wing, Illinois Air National Guard, located at Scott Air Force Base. The wing flies the KC-135 Stratotanker to accomplish their mission of aerial refueling for U.S. and allied military aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard audio by Tech. Sgt. Brian Ellison)

In the course of 36 years as an officer in the US AIr Force, and a lifetime tied to service to the Nation, one learns a few things about leadership. Born to Lead GEN Darren W. McDew USAF - Retired  grew up in a military family. A child of the sixties, son of an Air Force Sergeant, McDew moved frequently and was “born and raised to be an Airman.” As he watched his father go to Vietnam, and as he saw the POWs return, McDew knew he too would pursue a military career. He secured an Air Force scholarship, and with some influence, applied to only one school - The Virginia Military Institute. Ever since, GEN McDew has sought to be a part of something bigger than himself.  McDew demonstrated talent early. As a cadet, he was elected a member of the VMI Honor Court. And he secured the job of First Captain and Regimental Commander of the Corps of Cadets in his First Class (Senior ) Year - a role once filled by George Catlett Marshall VMI '01. He was the first black cadet to serve in that role. Upon graduation and commissioning, Darren became an Air Force pilot and embarked upon what would be a stellar military career. His last assignment,  Commander of the US Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, included over 140,000 personnel from all branches of the Military, Guard, and Reserve as well as civilians.  But GEN McDew says his first command was his favorite - a C-17 squadron with 170 individuals and twelve aircraft, and a team that functioned at a high level because of the culture and the families who served alongside them.  Darren McDew is the ultimate team player who nurtures and leads so effortlessly, I think he'd blush to hear it said this way.  This podcast package is a dissertation on experience and lessons in leadership. GEN McDew, a self described introvert, has a comfortable and humble style that has served well from privates to Presidents. In this episode GEN McDew covered a wide range of topics and issues:     - Success and failure: Why you should “beware the tests” that life will place in your path, and thoughts on dignity, respect, Dixie and Rebel flags.    - Showing young people what success looks like, not telling them how to accomplish it, and the importance of making “bold, innovative new mistakes.”   - How “leading your peers” is often most difficult, requiring trust, character, and selflessness.    - How some jobs are “leading jobs and others are learning jobs,” and why it is important to know the difference.   - The importance of noble ideals, civility, and being a citizen soldier.   - Candid discussion about issues of race, the current turmoil, and how we need to lead the healing process. It was evident to many in 1982 that Cadet Darren McDew had the potential to do great things. This is confirmed today.  I cannot thank GEN McDew enough for sharing his thoughts and wisdom refined over a lifetime of service.  Nor can I adequately express my gratitude and good fortune to be able to say…  “This is Darren, my Brother Rat.” Check out this LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-mcdew-42362988/ Never miss a thing by subscribing to the VeteranCrowd Network- https://veterancrowdnetwork.com/

View the Video version of this Episode at: https://www.bryanvogt.com/what-are-the-three-top-reasons-to-live-in-ofallon/   Hi everyone! Thanks for joining me today for another episode of Ready Set Sold! Where we talk about everything real estate in the Metro East! We are located at O’Fallon Community Park in the heart of O’Fallon. And it is also my number one reason for living in O’Fallon! Having lived in the metro-east all my life this is definitely is one of my favorite parks. It hosts Swimming pool Ball parks Tennis courts And much much more. Pavilions that you can rent to host family reunions and the city also host many events here during the year! Reason #2 How close Scott Air Force Base is to O’Fallon! From your front door to your office door is five minutes away! I have the good fortune to work with 100’s and 100’s of military buyers and by far one of the main reasons they move is here is for that reason alone! Reason #3 The variety of homes that buyers have to choose from! Whether you are looking for a 4000 or even 5000 square home with a pool and finished basement and every other amenity you think of. It has it in spades! But it is also great for first time home buyers too! It has such a wide variety for them to choose also. And located in fantastic subdivisions also!   These are just three great reasons why O’Fallon is such a great place to live. Time doesn’t permit me to go into all the terrific schools the city has. And the fact it is 10 minutes from downtown St Louis or practically anywhere!   Those are my top reasons, but I am sure you have your own. I would love if you would drop below in the comment box why you think O’Fallon is such a great place to live!   Until next time! Make it a great day!

On this episode of Tinker Talks we sit down with four senior leaders to talk about leading through a pandemic, specifically COVID-19. Air Force Sustainment Center Commander, Lt. Gen. Gene Kirkland, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Commander, Brig. Gen. Chris Hill, 448th Supply Chain Management Wing Director, Dennis D'Angelo and 72nd Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, Col. Paul Filcek share thoughts, processes and conversations early in the pandemic and how the leadership team at Tinker has worked through the difficult task of balancing safety of the workforce while continuing our national defense mission. Several Air Force and Pentagon senior leaders have come to Tinker recently to get a first-hand look at how the complex and other units have adapted quickly and managed to prioritize safety while meeting mission requirements. The senior leaders in this episode talk about preparations early in the pandemic, and the critical communication across organizations up and down the chain of command as they prepared for the unknown. Lieutenant General Kirkland is the AFSC commander and is responsible for sustainment operations at Tinker, Hill, Robins and Scott Air Force Base as well as several geographically separated units around the globe. All in all there are more than 40,000 Airman under his command. Brigadier General Hill, the OC ALC commander overseas operations at the largest depot maintenance facility in the Air Force. He is responsible for about 10,000 personnel. The Air Force has warfighters downrange carrying out missions every day and count on General Hill's team to continue delivering assets to them. Mr. Dennis D'Angelo, the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing Director leads a team of more than 3,000 members and is responsible for supply chain operations at several bases and deals with all branches of the service. Keeping the supply chain moving is critical to the complex so that there is little to no disruption to depot operations. Col. Paul Filcek is the 72nd Air Base Wing and Installation commander. Col. Filcek is responsible for all the support functions and services on the base. He is also the decision maker on changes to Health Protection Conditions and what support services remain open, closed or change in operations. Changes or disruptions to support and service functions has an impact on all 30,000 plus active duty, reserve, civilian and contractors who work at Tinker. It also affects veterans and their family members who count on Tinker for services such as commissary and base exchange. Enjoy this episode as these senior leaders open up and share their thoughts and decisions as they lead us through a pandemic. For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 visit www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus Check us out on social media: Facebook and Instagram: @tinkerairforcebase Twitter: @Team_Tinker Until next time stay safe, stay healthy, treat each other with respect and have a great day and better week.

In this episode, Joe had the privilege of chatting with Ronnie Woods, a Senior Enlisted Leader in the United States Air Force, transitioning from the Superintendent of 375th Operations Group at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois to prestigious position of the Wolf Chief, Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 8th Fighter Wing in Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. They had a great discussion on the vital roles that empathy, humility and authenticity play in effective leadership. Ronnie's Book Recommendations: Start with Why - Simon Sinek | https://amzn.to/3ir6Lsb LLAMA LINKS Website: http://www.llamaleadership.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/llama-leadership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LlamaLeadership Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/llamaleaders/

Flute 360 | Episode 117: “Military Musicians with Senior Airman Claire Workinger” (52:13) In today’s episode, Heidi talks with Claire Workinger about her time being a Military Oboist in the U.S. Air Force Band. She goes into detail about the audition process, her experience with basic training, and advises those who are considering this career path. This series runs through the entire month of May 2020 and we hope that it is beneficial for you and, or your students. Episode 117 – Main Points: 1:06 – Contact: J&K Productions & Flute 360 Podcast 2:33 – Welcome & Introduction! 2:52 – Reference to Episodes 113, 114, 115, and 116 3:44 – Podcasts for Oboists 4:21 – Heidi: Please share with the listeners who you are and your musical background! 4:26 – Claire’s Answer 4:32 – University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA 5:00 – Marine Corps, USA 7:19 – Explore your musical career options! 9:19 – Band of Mid-America and Midwest Wind Quintet 10:31 – Question: What inspired you to audition for the U.S. Marine Corps Band & the U.S. Air Force Band? 10:40 – Claire’s Answer 13:51 – American University, Washington D.C., USA 14:15 – In the marching band, Claire played the flute & piccolo! 16:02 – Question: What was the audition process like and was a recruiter present? 16:15 – Claire’s Answer 16:18 – Marine Corps Boot Camp 16:27 – Air Force’s Basic Military Training (BMT) is typically 8.5 weeks long. 17:06 – Errata: AF units at BMT are called flights (not wings). 17:40 – Air Force MTI 20:05 – U.S. Navy’s Boot Camp 21:40 – Musical Chairs’ Website 21:59 – Question: What was your experience like in boot camp? What were the highs and lows? 22:20 – Claire’s Answer 22:31 – “Hurry Up and Wait.” – Military Quote 26:19 – Allison Wollam, flutist (E113) 27:27 – Parris Island, South Carolina, USA 29:07 – “How To Run On Sand” – YouTube Video 31:50 – Challah Bread & Grape Juice 33:17 – Question: What does your current schedule look like as a military band member in the U.S. Air Force? 33:23 – Claire’s Answer 38:10 – Air Force Social Media 38:55 – Band Directors through the U.S. Air Force Bands 40:18 – Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, USA 43:30 – International Relations: South Korea, Norway, Finland 45:48 – Question: What advice would you give to a musician who’s interested in this career path? 46:08 – Claire’s Answer 46:13 – “Take every opportunity that you can to play with other people!” – Claire 47:54 – Conclusion! 48:04 – Reference to Series 24 (E113-116) 48:34 – PICKS! 50:36 – Reference to Episode 116 with Sonia Dell’Omo! 51:00 – Bronze Sponsor: J&K Productions PICKS! Claire: Alexander Technique – Missy Vineyard’s Book Episode 117 – Resources Mentioned: Dr. Heidi Kay Begay’s Website Double Reed Dish Podcast Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, USA Flute 360’s Series 24, Episodes 113, 114, 115, and 116! Alexander Technique – Missy Vineyard’s Book Episode 117 – Sponsors: Gold Level: J&K Productions Bronze Level: J&K Productions

  View the Video version of this Episode at: https://www.bryanvogt.com/what-seven-great…t-air-force-base/ What seven great tips Military buyers should know when PCSing to Scott Air Force Base?   Stay tuned and I will give you that answer!   Hi everyone! First off if you are currently serving or have ever worn the uniform. I thank for your service. I also want to give a big shout out to the spouses! They do tireless work often after the home is purchased. Getting the kids enrolled in school, unpacking, finding the best places to shop and the list goes on and on! You work is invaluable. Thank you! So, you have your orders in hand and your report date set. Welcome! You will love it here! In my nearly 20 years in real estate. I have had the good fortune of helping 100’s and 100’s of military buyers’ success fully PCS to Scott Air Force Base! With all that experience. I have come up with seven great tips Military buyers should know when PCSing to Scott.   1. Choose an agent who has actual experience of working with the military. And understands the time restraints that Military buyers are under to buy their home. Also make sure that you have an agent that will show you homes in the entire metro east if you like. Instead of picking an agent that wants to dictate a specific town or two that they want you to buy in! And keep in mind you want to pick an agent that has had great success in not only helping military buyers buy their home. But also, has had great success in selling military buyers’ homes. When ever that time should come for you!   2. After choosing the agent. You want to block time out with them on when you are coming in. And be specific. For example. You will be coming in to look for homes on Friday the 23rd and you will meet at 10 am at the McDonald’s in Swansea. Saturday you will be starting looking at 10am. Or however many days you feel you need to buy your home. Why so specific? I can’t tell you how many times I have heard of Military buyers finding out the agent they choose couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to help them the whole time after the buyers were in town! Don’t let that be you!   3. Military buyers want to be pre-approved before you get to Scott. By being pre-approved you’re offer will be much stronger. There by giving you a better chance of beating out other buyers who haven’t been pre-approved. Your agent should have a list of top local lenders they can send you. That also understand the military buyers needs and working with your BAH!     4. Your agent should be sending you homes that meet the criteria you have given them. That way you can start sorting out the ones that really catch your eye! And put aside the ones that don’t. That way you hit the ground running when you come into town!   5. I always encourage Military buyers to start doing their research too. Going to city and towns websites that they have interest in. finding out what that community has to offer. Maybe parks, biking trails, schools or what ever you might have an interest in.   6. Consider using google earth. Many military buyers use it not only to view subdivisions that they may want to live in. But check out parks, shopping and even the night life that particular city has to offer!   7. Even thought most military buyers know this. If you need to sell your current house. Make sure you have that on the market so when you buy your home here. You don’t have to rush to put your house on the market!   So, who do you know in the military that you could share this valuable information contained in this podcast? Maybe you’re getting ready to PCS and you know other coming here too that could use this useful information? If you live in the Metro east already. Then I know you know someone in the military that you could share this with so they can have a great experience they deserve when moving to Scott. Or you may want to give them my direct line to call or text today 618-210-2451 So, they can get started on having a great buying experience when they come into Scott!   Until next time. Make it a great day!

David & Joe speak with acclaimed spoken word artist Marshall Davis Jones about his groundbreaking work Touchscreen, the intersection of tech & humanity, and the power of voice and paralanguage. Marshall Jones is a celebrated spoken word artist whose work is exploding around the world. His unique gift runs deep into the human experience, exploring universal themes that run the gamut from identity and culture to connection and technology. Marshall, who has performed for TED audiences in Montreal, Hollywood, and at the Scott Air Force Base, showcases his incredible work for audiences, collaborates with clients on incredible customized material, and speaks with passion about the creative process–something he understands like no one else. As a professional spoken word artist and dramatic performer, Marshall has been featured in two TEDx conferences, and has shared the podium with the likes of Marc Lamont Hill, Ambassador Andrew Young, Henry Louis Gates, and Simon Sinek. He has also performed at the Musical Instrument Museum, the Omega Institute, and at BBC World Service. --- Get in touch with Funny as Tech! Our relationship with tech is messy...let's discuss. On Funny as Tech, a comedian (Joe Leonardo) teams up with a tech ethicist (David Ryan Polgar) to tackle how emerging tech is upending the human experience. FunnyAsTech.com DavidRyanPolgar.com JoeLeonardo.com Info@FunnyAsTech.com

Follow us because WE DO BONUS STUFF TOO! @RizzShow @RizzWow @MoonValjeanHere @Patrico1057 @jeffburton1057 @KingScottRules http://www.1057thepoint.com/Rizz Book DJ DONUTS choosepatrico@gmail.com Check out Jeff’s positive message clothing line BLINESTUFF.com Check out Moon's bands GREEK FIRE @GreekFire GOLDFINGER @GoldfingerMusic THE TEENAGE DIRTBAGS @TheTeenageDbags

Southern Illinois is home to Scott Air Force Base. The military presence means there is a constant influx of families transferred to the base, and that means REALTORS® have to make sure they know how to meet the special needs of this group of homebuyers and sellers. Illinois REALTORS® talks with two REALTORS® who hold the Military Relocation Professional designation through NAR about what they do to make these moves successful. 

In a special Conference & Expo edition of the Illinois REALTORS® podcast, REALTORS® Angie Zahn and Steve Ellerbrake discuss how they help military families move and why the Military Relocation Professional designation has been helpful in their work near Scott Air Force Base. Later (14:50), REALTOR® Doug Hartman Jr. and Illinois REALTORS® Local Government Affairs Director Ron Deedrick talk about the pitfalls of so-called crime-free ordinances.  (Total runtime: 26:27)

Tom Cappelletti wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a child, but his first Air Force assignment was as an engineer. Yom spent three years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a Test Program Manager before getting an assignment to Undergraduate Pilot Training in the Reserves. After earning his wings, Tom flew the C-9 aeromedical evacuation aircraft, flying patients and their families to medical facilities all over the united States. He has landed virtually everywhere that has 5000 feet of concrete in the aeromedical evacuation role. Tom participated in the commissioning of a painting of the C-9 to hang at Scott Air Force Base to commemorate the aircraft. Tom became an airline pilot with a major carrier, and now flies the B737NG. His routes include Hawaii, Canada, and South America. Like every other pilot at his airline tom is ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operations) qualified. Tom has an eclectic collection of aviation memorabilia, books and prints, and has had many of the items personally signed.

Scott Air Force Base recently hosted a media day which allowed local media outlets access to the base and a first-hand look at Team Scott's flying mission.

The firefighters on Scott Air Force Base have a new way to battle aircraft fires. These trucks use UHP, or ultra-high pressure, systems that release smaller water droplets at much higher pressure than older firefighting systems.

Speakers: Cindy Presnell, Principal, Scott Elementary School, Scott Air Force Base, IL Judy Greer, Assistant Principal, Ellen Smith Elementary School, Conway, AK Gordon Goodman, Principal, Burwell Elementary School, Burwell, NE Transcript: Community Connections