Podcasts about Tinker Air Force Base

On this edition of the Tinker Talks Podcast, we're joined by the leadership team for Tinker's own 507th Air Refueling Wing, Col. Matthew Ghormley, 507th ARW commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Darren Wiseman, 507th ARW command chief. They spoke about the 507th's mission, vision, priorities, and what it means to be an Okie. The 507th will soon launch their own podcast, be sure to visit their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) to cast your vote for the future name. Voting closes Nov. 8, 2024. The 507th Air Refueling Wing is the largest Air Force Reserve Command flying unit in the state of Oklahoma. The 507th ARW reports to Fourth Air Force and performs daily missions both locally and around the world in support of Air Mobility Command and U.S. Strategic Command's national emergency war order requirements, operating out of Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Today, the Late Crew talks about how Starliner's return from ISS is set for Sept. 6 (08:06), NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore reports 'strange noise' coming from Starliner (10:20), the 310th Space Wing at Schriever prepares for inactivation (14:55), new Tinker Air Force Base motto immediately lampooned by airmen (29:52), 100,000 veterans who later qualified for VA disability benefits must repay old bonuses for leaving the military early (37:57), and the first time the American flag went into battle on 3 September 1776 (51:45).

Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks '96 discusses the absolute importance of standards and integrity in leadership, and how a new, more rigorous approach at the Academy will build that in to cadets making them Day-1 leaders. SUMMARY Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks, Commandant of the Air Force Academy, shares his journey from being a young man in Atlanta, Georgia to becoming a pilot and eventually serving as the Commandant. He discusses his experiences at the Air Force Academy, including basic cadet training and the challenges he faced. General Marks emphasizes the importance of perseverance, leaning on support networks, and maintaining high standards in leadership. He also reflects on the impact of the Academy on his personal and professional development. General Gavin Marks reflects on his personal journey and the impact of his wife on his military career. He discusses the importance of being adaptable and humble as a leader and the unique responsibilities of command. He shares his decision to return to the Air Force Academy and the changes he is implementing to better prepare cadets for the challenges of great power competition. General Marks emphasizes the love and passion that the leaders at the Academy have for developing future officers and encourages listeners to continue dreaming big.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "How you do anything is how you do everything." "There's always somebody better." "I want to make sure that they feel like they got their money's worth from a military development perspective or military training perspective."  "The leaders at the Air Force Academy, from top to bottom, love deeply, deeply love the institution, and are incredibly passionate about the development of these young men and women into officers in the Air Force and the Space Force." "Continue to dream big. Don't let anyone dissuade you from goals that you have. And as it relates specifically to the Air Force Academy, it is absolutely worth it."   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   CHAPTERS 00:00:  Introduction and Background 01:53:  Returning to the Air Force Academy 02:52:  Young Gavin Marks: Childhood and Calling to Serve 07:04:  Challenges and Growth in Basic Cadet Training 08:29:  Lessons in Leadership and Perseverance 11:45:  Choosing the Air Force Academy and Pilot Training 15:06:  Reflections on the Academy's Impact 20:52:  Leadership Experiences as a Cadet 23:43:  Lessons in Leadership and Perception 27:55:  Successes and Career Progression 32:35:  Meeting His Wife and Reflecting on Tinker Air Force Base 37:25:  Personal Journey and the Impact of Relationships 57:54:  Changes in the Life of a Cadet 01:05:48:  Challenges and Partnerships 01:09:39:  Rigor and Expectations 01:11:09:  Love and Passion for Developing Future Officers 01:12:34:  The Value and Worth of Attending the Air Force Academy   TAKEAWAYS The importance of perseverance, resilience, and grit in overcoming challenges, especially during difficult experiences like the Air Force Academy. The value of having a strong support network, including family and friends, to help navigate challenging times. The significance of leadership roles and experiences during the Air Force Academy in shaping one's development and future success. The Air Force Academy's focus on evolving its training and development methods to better prepare cadets for the challenges of great power competition. The deep passion and commitment of the Air Force Academy's leadership in developing leaders of character who are ready to serve their country.   ABOUT GEN. MARKS BRIG. GEN. MARKS' BIO Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks is the Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He commands the 4,300-member Cadet Wing and more than 200 Air Force and civilian personnel. He guides military, leadership, character development, Basic Cadet Training and Expeditionary Skills Training for the Air Force Cadet Wing in addition to providing facilities and logistical support.  Brig. Gen. Marks earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996 and his pilot wings from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1998. Brig. Gen. Marks has served as a T-1A instructor pilot (at both the undergraduate and graduate training levels) and flight examiner, an E-3B/C instructor pilot and flight examiner, an Air Force Intern, a staff officer on multiple joint staffs, and has commanded at the squadron and wing levels.  Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Director, Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.   Brig. Gen. Marks is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours in the T-3, T-37, T-1A, E-3B/C/G, RC-135S/U/V, TC-135W, OC-135B, and WC-135C aircraft.   - Copy credit:  AF.MIL   CONNECT WITH GEN. MARKS INSTAGRAM: @‌USAFACOMMANDANT     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. Gavin P. Marks '96  |  Host:  Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz 00:01 My guest today is Brig. Gen. Gavin P. Marks, USAFA Class of '96, and currently serving as the commandant of the Air Force Academy. This is his third command position since becoming a member of the Air Force. Gen. Marks was drawn to service as a young man in Atlanta, Georgia, and joined the Junior ROTC program in high school before coming to the Academy in 1992. After he graduated, he became a pilot and flew for 26 years, in addition to continuing his personal and professional development. In 2000, Gen. Marks graduated with distinction from Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. In 2015, he again graduated with distinction from the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. He has held command positions at the squadron and wing levels. His attachment to the Academy has remained strong, so much so that 20 years ago, he committed to returning and had been working his way back to USAFA when he was called to service, assuming his role as commandant in 2023. Gen. Marks, it is a pleasure. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Thank you for being here.   Brig. Gen. Marks 01:03 Thank you very much. It is an honor for me to be here. It really is.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:07 This is an exciting time for us, because especially for me, being a Class of 1999 — “Gold will shine” — I had to get that in there. We go back to Arnold Hall in Basic Cadet Training, when you were the commandant of cadets during Basic Cadet Training for us. So I remember you vividly as your taps from your shoes hit the floor in Arnold Hall. So this is truly a pleasure, sir, thank you.   Brig. Gen. Marks 01:29 It is absolutely surreal to be back, and especially during this period that we're in right now during Basic Cadet Training, and as I interact with basic cadets and the cadre, it's hard not to reminisce about that time. It's hard not to share stories as well. I'm careful that I don't inundate the cadets with my stories of when I was the Basic Cadet Training commander. But it's just it's absolutely wonderful to be back here. Yeah, really is.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:53 Well, we'll get to hear some of those, I think, you know, from your perspective, back then, and also, more recently, as we weave through this podcast. But really excited. And where we like to start is when we go back to young Gavin Marks. So Gen. Marks, tell us about what you were like as a child.   Brig. Gen. Marks 02:08 My mother would tell you that I was precocious, that I was inquisitive. I was very, very talkative as well. So I have an older brother, and we are the sons of two parents that have been married for 55 years, and that's important, because 55 years is a long time, and it taught me the value of being committed. It also taught me the value of what love really looks like, up close and personal as well. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, as you mentioned, so I'm a product of the South. I am a product of public schools, Baptist churches and Southern upbringing. So, I love sweet tea. I love this disgusting candy called Sugar Babies. And just about anything that you think of with regard to the South, you could probably say that that's pretty accurate as it relates to me and my personality as well. I call everyone ma'am and sir, regardless of rank, just based on my upbringing as well. I really would tell you that I got a calling to serve in the military by virtue of JROTC. I followed my brother into JROTC. We went to different high schools, and he enjoyed it, but it just wasn't his calling. I got involved in it and knew immediately that it was something that I wanted to do. I love shining my shoes. I love shining the brass belt buckle that I had on my trousers. I love marching. I love drill. I did Color Guard. I did Drill Team. It was wonderful for me. It was, I think, the thing that was missing in my life in terms of knowing what my niche was going to be. And so, my professor at that time in that particular JROTC program, I think he saw something in me, and he was the first one to actually bring up a military service academy. Prior to that point, I hadn't heard of anything about West Point or Annapolis or the Air Force Academy at all. And so, I took a trip with my father and we went out to all three and I can't swim, and so Annapolis was pretty difficult for me to wrap my mind around. West Point was too gray. You know, this is a 17-year-old at the time, or a 16-year-old at the time thinking these things. It's like, “Wow, this was really gray and dreary.” No offense to West Point. And then I got to the Air Force Academy, and I remember stepping off the plane and again, coming from Atlanta, Georgia, to see the snow-capped mountains, to immediately be able to feel the difference in the air, I knew that this was the place that I wanted to be. And so, I told my dad right then, as we stepped off the plane, I said, “This is it.” And he said, “What do you know about this place? You haven't even gone here yet.” But I knew, and the rest, as they say, is history.   Naviere Walkewicz 04:48 Wow. So, neither your parents served and your brother was the first kind of introduction to Junior ROTC. What was that like growing up without having that, in Atlanta, not having that military, I guess, presence around you, and you said that's what you learned was missing. But what kind of got you to that point?   Brig. Gen. Marks 05:08 So, I would say, just to be clear, so dad did not have a career in the military, but my father and my uncle both were drafted in Vietnam, and so to that extent, what I would say is, while there wasn't discussions or a lot of military impact in my household, I think, more than anything else, just through watching television, et cetera, there was something about the discipline. There was something about the professionalism. There was something about how revered those that are in service to their nation were in this country that really drew me to the profession of arms. It was just something about the fact that this is a career field. This is a profession that is extremely highly regarded across all facets of life, and I wanted to be a part of it.   Naviere Walkewicz 06:03 So, as a young man in public school, did you find yourself drawn to things, like, I started to think about programs that were like discipline-based, like taekwondo or sports in that manner. Did you have some of those experiences as young man?   Brig. Gen. Marks 06:16 I played — I ran track, following after my brother. My brother thrived in track and field. I followed him, and I absolutely loathed it. I was not athletically inclined, and try as I might, you know, I work out and I try to stay in good shape, but I would not call myself necessarily an athlete of the highest order by any stretch. And so that absolutely was an albatross around my neck coming to the Air Force Academy, especially during basic training, especially during Jacks Valley.   Naviere Walkewicz 06:52 Well, let's talk about that a little bit. Was there a specific instance in Jacks Valley where — because I feel like now you might be able to run circles around some of us.   Brig. Gen. Marks 07:01 Well, I will tell you — so, what I remember a lot about Jacks Valley, I remember the power-line runs. And back then we had the M1 Garand, 11, 12 pounds and we carried it everywhere. And it was heavy. You know, 12 pounds doesn't seem like it's heavy, but it's heavy when you're at port arms, and you're running for miles and miles on end, and the altitude, obviously, is vastly different. Jacks Valley is very dusty. You know, “Jacks Hack” is a thing. And so, all of those things, in aggregate, really caused me a lot of trouble. And so, what I remember is thinking often “I'm not going to make this. This is not going to happen for me,” in terms of graduating out of basic training, because I am falling behind in my runs, et cetera, et cetera. But I made it. I made it.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:56 I love that. And I think for some of our listeners, the key thing, even just in that one was, you know, you didn't give up. You recognized you just had to keep working at it, and you got through it. And you're now serving as a commandant of cadets. So, I feel like there's definitely a story here that talks about you and your grit and your perseverance and everything throughout these years.   Brig. Gen. Marks 08:15 The thing that I took from the Air Force Academy experience probably more than anything else — and there are several things that I took from it — is that this is a an incredibly difficult journey that is made better if you think about it from the perspective of just taking one step at a time every single day. Just show up, just show up, just be present, and that's 80% of it. If you just keep showing up, you are going to be OK. And so that was my mentality: They were going to have to kick me out. I was not going to self-eliminate at all. And so, no matter how slowly I ran back, then they were going to have to kick me out and I was going to keep showing up. The other thing is, I would say this: I had tremendous teammates. Our squad, well, in Jacks Valley, our flight, which became our squadron — we were so close, even back then. And if one of us was falling behind, “Come on, Gavin, let's go. Pick it up.” And that really helped a lot, because you didn't want to let your teammates down.   Naviere Walkewicz 09:22 So, we got a little glimpse of Jacks. So I'm just gonna' dial it back just real quick, back to the point where you said to your dad, “This is it. This is where I'm going.” So, what was that journey like from Junior ROTC to getting into the Academy? Because I think a lot of people want to know what that looked like for you.   Brig. Gen. Marks 09:38 So, I knew that from probably my junior year in high school that I wanted to go into the Air Force or to into the military. I didn't know which branch to be perfectly clear. So I applied to all three service academies. I applied to The Citadel and I applied to VMI and to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Those are all of the ones that I could think of at the time, and the visits helped a lot to crystallize in my mind what I wanted to do. But what really also helped was this fascination with flying. Originally, I wanted to be an astronaut, a dentist, a doctor, an actor, and so many different things when you're growing up, but the idea of flying was really at the forefront of my mind as well. I also knew I wanted to lead. And so, combining those two desires, it made sense to go to the Air Force Academy. And again, I couldn't swim. I tried as much as I possibly could to learn how to swim through the YMCA, et cetera. I'm a product of basic swimming at the Air Force Academy — twice. If I'm being completely candid with you and your listeners, if I could have swam at the time, it is likely that I would have gone to Annapolis, and it is likely that I would have been a Marine, because that is much more, at least in my thinking back then, in line with my personality. Because I am — I will just say the military pillar of the Air Force Academy was, as the young people would say, that's my jam, for sure.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:15 I can see that. While I appreciate that, I can see that. We're so glad that we were able to get you here at the Air Force Academy. So, let's talk about your time at the Academy. You wanted to be an astronaut. You turn the dials toward pilot. Let's talk about what that experience looked like.   Brig. Gen. Marks 11:30 So, the Academy was very, very challenging. What made it challenging primarily was the balance of so many requirements, and that's on purpose. It is rigorous on purpose because the profession of arms requires it, and the nation needs it, it deserves it. I wasn't prepared for it. High school — I wouldn't say high school came easy for me. I would say I did well in high school, and I did well in high school by virtue of cramming and by virtue of instincts. So, I came to the Air Force Academy not really knowing how to study. I didn't know how to prioritize tasks or manage tasks well at all. And the Academy humbled me tremendously.   Naviere Walkewicz Can you share a story about that?   Brig. Gen. Marks Oh, well, I would say this, and the dean, who I know has also been on the Long Blue Leadership podcast as well, she would cringe. So, I never got an F, I'm proud to say, but I certainly am on the team of Ds. I received a D in Aero, and, if I recall, Astro, civil engineering when we had that as a core as well. And that was an incredibly humbling experience for me, because prior to that point, I had never had anything in my career lower than a C in high school or anything like that. And so that kind of thing makes you think, “What am I doing wrong here?” And as you are engaged in that type of introspection, you're still having to get ready for the PFT, and you're still having to get ready for this chemistry test, and you're still having to shine your shoes and get ready for this knowledge test, et cetera, et cetera. And so it was just in my mind, based on my training to that point, not enough time in the day for the reflection that I needed in order to make some changes to my habit pattern. And you're just trying to survive, and you're just showing up every day, one step at a time. So that made it very difficult: the inability for me to study, to not know how to study, the prioritization of tasks. I loved the military piece, and I probably spent more time on that than I should have spent on other things.   My roommates would often comment on the fact that I would be shining my shoes for hours, and I would bypass the need to study until the last minute, until the test came. And that didn't work out very well for me. The other thing I would tell you is this: I wouldn't say that I got homesick, but it was a long way from home. It really was, and so going home really helped to fill my cup back up in terms of just being able to reacclimate with my family and those that were around me — extended family, church, friends, et cetera. It was a long way from home.   I developed a lot of great friends in my squadron. We were in the same squadron all four years, Way of Life committee, gospel choir at the time as well. And then this team of friends that I had on the Cadet Honor Guard as well. What an interesting year that was on the Cadet Honor Guard. But we became incredibly close, and they're still close to this day.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:47 So, I'd like to talk more about the Honor Guard, but before we get there, I think it's important for people to understand that when you find yourself in those tough situations in life and in experiences, how did you pull yourself out of that? You know, you obviously got through. So, something had to change. How did you maneuver that?   Brig. Gen. Marks 15:06 So, I will start by saying this: I talked to my parents a lot, and their support was incredibly helpful for me. They approached it from a different perspective. You know, I learned a lot of great things from both of my parents: hard work, my father's work ethic, my mother and unconditional love and what that truly means. And so, when I'm talking to my parents about the rigors of the Academy experience, my mom would say, “You know, baby you can just quit and come on home and go to Georgia Tech. It's right around the corner, and we'd love to have you, and you don't need this.” And my dad would say, “You better not quit. If you come home, it's for Christmas and you're going back.” And reflecting on both of those comments, my mother was basically saying, “No matter what, we're gonna' love you.” My dad was saying, “No matter what, you can do this, I know you can do it.” And the amalgamation of those emotions and those messages really helped me a lot. It let me know that no matter what, I have support, but I also have the confidence of my parents as well, that leaning on friends is — the friend groups that I talked about as well was really important. And then to a large extent, I would say this: The ability to dig deep inside and pull yourself up even when you are struggling, or even when you are faltering, to be able to show up the next day is really, really important, that grit, that resilience — the thing that we preach to our cadets about now we try to instill in them through the rigors of the Academy experience. It's really important. It's not only important at the Air Force Academy, it's important throughout life, because life obviously throws so many different curveballs your way, right?   Naviere Walkewicz 17:11 I appreciate that you shared that leaning into your support network, not only for their love and their confidence in you, but also it sounds like there was a bit of asking for help and what that was, and so I think that's important for people to hear too. While you are having to pull yourself up, there's no shame in asking for help along the way.   Brig. Gen. Marks 17:27 Not at all. And I would tell you, my mother has so many letters at home and letters that I don't even remember writing during my time at the Air Force Academy, where I was explaining to her different things that were going on that would bring a smile to my face now, because I would be shocked that I would have said these things to my mother or my father in terms of what was taking place and the help that I perhaps needed at the time.   Naviere Walkewicz 17:53 That's great perspective. So, you mentioned Honor Guard, and what an incredible year. I was not part of Honor Guard, but I did appreciate how they helped us stay militarily ready. What was that journey like for you?   Brig. Gen. Marks 18:08 Hard. It was very, very difficult. What I would say is this: So the Cadet Honor Guard attracted me because of the discipline that they had, that they have because of what they represented for the institution as well. These were the cadets that in every formation, carried our nation's flag. These were the cadets that were held up as the example of what a good uniform looked like and what military professionals should strive to look like and resemble and the precision with which they drilled was incredibly impressive to me. And so, when they had an opportunity to showcase what they were about to the fourth-class cadets at the time, so that we could show interest in different clubs, et cetera…   Naviere Walkewicz 19:02 Because you had to try out for honor guard. Is that correct, sir?   Brig. Gen. Marks 19:06 I'm trying to think if I would call it a try-out.   Naviere Walkewicz That's probably not the right word.   Brig. Gen. Marks I think it's probably one of the greatest examples that I can talk to about just showing up, which is to say, “Come one, come all, and there's going to be a lot of physical activity, a lot of running, a lot of drill work, et cetera, all meant to condition you and build your endurance for challenging times when you're in formation, and bad weather and things of that nature, because you know, when you're carrying the nation's flag, it's a no-fail mission, and you can't drop it. And it doesn't matter that it's 20 degrees and 50 knots of wind, you can't drop it.” And so how do I build that into you: the importance of what you're doing means to not only this institution, not only to the Cadet Wing, but to the nation as well? It was a grueling year. It was a hard year. And so I think we started probably with 70-ish fourth-class cadets, and our team ended up at the conclusion at about 16. And that was our team, and that was the team that we carried forth throughout the remainder of our time at the Air Force Academy. And again, I still stay in touch with them to this day. It was a fantastic group of people.   Naviere Walkewicz 20:35 That's incredible. So aside from Honor Guard and some of the time that you spent as a cadet, let's talk about your leadership as a cadet, because you've had multiple positions of leadership.   Brig. Gen. Marks 20:47 So, the two that resonate most with me right now, and that I gained a tremendous amount from — the summer leading into my two-degree year I was the Basic Cadet Training group training non-commissioned officer. That's a mouthful, and so the privilege of being able to, and I'm gonna' use air quotes, “greet” every new appointee as they arrived on the bus to the base of the ramp was given to me, and it was quite an honor. And so, I got to get on the bus and welcome every single basic cadet in the Class of 1998. I will never forget that. And then the next summer, I was the Basic Cadet Training commander, like you were talking about in your earlier comments,   Naviere Walkewicz I definitely recall that.   Brig. Gen. Marks I had a lot of fun, and beyond the fun that you have as cadre during Basic Cadet Training, I had a lot of fun in this regard. As the training NCO, seeing the progress, the development of the basic cadets from I-day, or from that first day of basic training, until the Acceptance Day Parade, if you will, or until we handed them off to the Jacks Valley cadre was something that I really appreciated, because it was very, very noticeable: the changes in drill, the changes in customs and courtesies, the changes in uniform wear, the changes in Mitchell Hall decorum, the changes in how they kept their rooms, et cetera. It was noticeable. And I really appreciated being able to see the fruit of the labor of the cadre. As the BCT commander in so much that you can learn executive-level leadership as a cadet, it taught me a lot about that. So this is the first time that I had an opportunity to conduct my own staff meetings, to build my own staff, to chart a vision, to set objectives, to hold accountable. It taught me a tremendous amount beyond the fun and the great memories of walking across the stage with my taps on during the Fourth of July at A-Hall, which I absolutely still remember to this day, I absolutely remember to this day. But both of those experiences are indelible for me at this point. And I talked to the BCT cadre about them now, because I want them to know that this time that they have is so precious, precious not only because of the memories that they're going to make, but precious because of the impact that they're going to have on these basic cadets. They will remember them forever. They will remember them forever.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:30 Truth. So, I think one of the things that is so unique about that: You said, it was the first time you had the experience of conducting kind of your own operations, or what that looked like, the battle rhythm, the vision. I think a lot of our listeners, you know, they look at you, you're a general, you've been a leader. You know all this. What are some of the things you learned about yourself in that experience that maybe you would share just some lessons in leadership in the early parts of your leadership journey?   Brig. Gen. Marks 23:55 So, I learned very early on, probably as a three degree, that standards really, really matter. It crystallized for me as a probably a three degree, and it just continued to resonate throughout the rest of my career that standards matter greatly in our profession, and perhaps across all walks of life. They matter because of the fact that if we allow someone to not be questioned about meeting standards, we will likely allow further deterioration down the road and erosion down the road, which could lead to catastrophic occurrences. And I've seen it in numerous instances, whether we're talking about accidents, aircraft accidents, whether we're talking about units that have toxic cultures. Because oftentimes it starts with the breadcrumbs that you can walk back to the erosion of standards. There's a line that I love in John Wick. I'm a big John Wick fan. The fourth movie, the bad guy, I don't remember his name, said that his father used to tell him, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” And that is so powerful to me. It is so incredibly powerful. “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I believe that. I truly, truly do. And I learned that for the really, for the first time, as a three degree. I would also tell you perception matters. And I learned that as a firstie as well. How you conduct yourself — as Patton would say, “You're always on parade.” It's important. And if your staff thinks that you are cutting corners here or showing favoritism there, whether that's true or not, it's their reality, and they are going to respond based on how they view their reality, how they view the world in that context. And so, I as a firstie through the experience of the BCT group commander, began to truly pay attention to what perceptions I was perhaps enabling. How about I put it that way? Those are two that come to mind in terms of lessons in leadership that I learned here at the Air Force Academy. When I talk about the idea of building a staff and running a staff meeting, they seem minor. Building the staff was important because it was at that time that I realized that while I may have some things that I'm pretty good at, there are a lot of things that I'm not, and I want to surround myself with people that are good in those areas that I'm not. And so I was very, very deliberate in who I surrounded myself with from a BCT group staff perspective. And then I would also say it's important to, especially when you walk into a group for the first time, to know what you're going to say, to have an agenda for how you want to run things. Because that first impression when you walk in as the leader, as the boss, as the commander, et cetera, it's gonna matter. It is absolutely gonna matter, and you will never have another opportunity to make a good first impression. And so, I could go on and on. I learned a lot from my experiences here in leadership at the Air Force Academy.     Naviere Walkewicz Those are excellent examples.     Brig. Gen. Marks That's why I wanted to come back. While I understood what standards meant and the importance of them as a three degree, I didn't fully put together the impact that the Academy had on me until I was a captain. Leaving here, probably like you and others, I drove away as fast as I could.   Naviere Walkewicz The rear-view mirror…   Brig. Gen. Marks Absolutely, and I told myself that I would never be back here.   Naviere Walkewicz Really?   Brig. Gen. Marks I really did at that time, because enough time hadn't passed to allow me to reconcile all of the wonderful things that had taken place in my development during that four-year period. And it wasn't until I was a captain that I realized that who I was as a function of the Air Force was in large part due to the development that I had received at the Air Force Academy. I credit my parents as well, for sure, but the Air Force Academy, for sure, had a lot to do with that, and I wanted to give that back to other cadets.   Naviere Walkewicz 29:03 Was that in a moment of reflection that you realized that, or was that — did something happen where you were like, “Wow, that's something that I kind of took from the Academy.”? How did you come to that realization?   Brig. Gen. Marks 29:15 I was having — a lot of positive things occurred to me in my career. At that point, I was having a lot of successes, and at some point, I thought about the fact that while certainly I am truly blessed, and certainly there is some luck that plays into that as well, I at some point, through introspection, just kind of look back on the journey that I had gone through from being the knucklehead kid from Atlanta, Georgia, to being this captain in the Air Force, and the metamorphosis that occurred and how that happened. And, so I can only attribute it — some of that, again, is the development over time, when your parents are teaching you things and instilling values and virtue into you, and at the time, when you're a know-it-all teenager, you don't think that it's sinking in, but it does, and it shapes you over time. So, some of it's that, but some of it was the Academy itself. I will tell you this: So, there was a program that I participated in as a junior, I guess, in high school, where I got to come to the Academy for an overnight visit. And I stayed with a cadet, and what I remember about that is this: So I think I stayed two nights. But the first night I went to a pay phone to call a friend, and there was a $20 bill at the top of the pay phone. And so, I went back to the room to tell the cadet, “Hey, somebody left some money there,” and he said, “Don't worry about it. Whoever left it, they'll remember that they left it there, and they'll come back and get it.” And I was bewildered. I was like, I don't understand how that's possible. OK, so the next night, I went to the same pay phone, and it was still there. And I was blown away, and I never forgot that, that this is a place where honor really, really matters. And certainly my parents have integrity, and certainly they, you know, preached and instilled those types of values, but here at the United States Air Force Academy, it was practiced every single day, and it was visibly discernible to me throughout all facets of the Academy experience that undergirding these, you know, push-ups that I was doing and this chemistry test that I was taking, et cetera, was this honor code and these core values that all of us together share. And I just absolutely love that. Reflecting on that over the course of seven years changed my life, truly, for the better.   Naviere Walkewicz 32:15 Thank you for sharing that story. And I actually got chill bumps just thinking about, well, I mean, but you're, right now, you can't think about a lot of places where you can leave something and it's probably still going to be there, or if it was identifiable, it would probably been returned. So, I think that is something we can be so proud of. So, you mentioned, sir, some of your successes. They were kind of, you know, happening outside of the Academy once you'd graduated. Let's talk about what your career looked like and what those successes were.   Brig. Gen. Marks 32:50 So, I was a casual lieutenant. And I guess the claim to fame that I have is that I was Gen. Lorenz's casual lieutenant. So Gen. Lorenz was the commandant immediately after I graduated, went on to become a four-star general, and he is still incredibly active here in the Academy community, and being his casual lieutenant, specifically, his special projects officer, was enlightening in a lot of different ways. Gen. Lorenz is a great leader. He's a unique leader as well. And I learned a lot from being in his space, being in his presence, and seeing how he conducted business. Interestingly enough, when you walk up to the office spaces of the Cadet Wing where my office is, in the hallway is a display of all the previous commandants and their biographies. That was one of my projects as a lieutenant, believe it or not, a long, long, long, long time ago. And so, it gave me an opportunity to be able to research all of the previous commandants to that point and see the commonalities between them as well. So I did that for a little less than a year, and then I went to pilot training. Pilot training was hard. Pilot training was very, very hard. In fact, I came back, if I recall correctly, either in the middle of pilot training or just as I was graduating to talk to the Cadet Wing, the Class of 1998 — one of the classes, '98 or '99 — invited me back to talk at M5.   Naviere Walkewicz I'd like to say it was us.   Brig. Gen. Marks I would like to say it was you all too.   Naviere Walkewicz Can I claim it?   Brig. Gen. Marks And you all gave me the bird, and it was wonderful, and I still have that bird in my office to this day. And I talked about how hard pilot training was, but maybe you'll remember this. I listed the top five hardest things that I've ever done in my life to that point, and I can't remember — I remember No. 1, but I can't remember the exact order, but it was something along the lines of the four-degree year, the entire cadet experience, pilot training, SERE at the time, and my four-degree Honor Guard experience was No. 1 for sure. But all of that to say, just being able to come back to the Academy was a tremendous honor, especially for this silly second, actually, I was a first lieutenant at the time. So went to pilot training and then was selected to be able to stay at pilot training and be an instructor. I went from Columbus to Vance Air Force Base and did that for three years in the T-1, which I absolutely loved. The T-1, that aircraft was probably, if I had the resources, if I was well healed, I would buy myself a T-1 and if I could afford the maintenance. I absolutely love flying that plane and enjoyed my time in AETC. And really, there's nothing special about me. When you enjoy what you're doing and feel like you have a passion for it, oftentimes you're going to do well. I think that's that holds true for just about anybody. I did pretty well in the T-1. After that, I went to an internship at the Pentagon, and so I was there on 9/11 and I got my master's in D.C., left there. After that, I went to Tinker Air Force Base. I did not want to go fly AWACS, and I love AWACS now, but I did not at the time. And I remember when I drove up to the gate for the first time after my year in D.C., and the Security Forces airmen that saw me at the gate asked me, “Are you OK?” just based on the, luckily, based on the look on my face after driving cross country. But what was special about Tinker is that that is where I truly learned, as I would call it, meat-and-potatoes flying, stick-and-rudder flying, no kidding, no thrills and frills. In the AWACS aircraft, you've got to know how to move that jet where you need it to move. You've got to know how to compensate for the aerodynamics of the roto-dome when you're refueling, you've got to know how to fly. And I so it was very enjoyable in that regard, and just being operational was enjoyable. Tinker, though, what I will always credit Tinker for is this: Tinker is where I met my wife.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:15 So I was gonna' ask when the magic happened.   Brig. Gen. Marks 37:19 Yeah, it happened at Tinker. We met through a mutual friend and so, interestingly enough, I always say that the two best decisions I ever made in my entire life, I show on my left and my right hand: my wedding ring on my left, my class ring on my right. Best decisions I've ever made for myself. My wife is retired Air Force 23 years, and she was a first lieutenant, I was a captain. We met through a mutual friend and became friends, and over time, over a period of about a year and a half, we started dating. I asked her to marry me after another year and a half or so, probably a little longer than I should have waited. So, I arrived in 2002, we were married in 2005.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:59 Was her uniform better than yours, sir.   Brig. Gen. Marks 38:05 Oh, goodness, no. So my wife, she will listen to this. My wife would tell you that she has had a wonderful 23-year Air Force journey. Started off with 13 years enlisted time and went to OTS, et cetera. My wife would tell you that I am, I think the term is, I am very “ate up” in terms of the military. Hopefully your listeners know what that means.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:32 Yes.   Brig. Gen. Marks She was not, at all. Not at all. That was not her personality.   Naviere Walkewicz They say opposites attract.   Brig. Gen. Marks 38:35 But I think really, more than anything, what I loved about her, beyond her candor and her honesty, was her compassion as well, her intellect, her ability to be able to see the world in a different way than I saw it — for us to respect each other's opinions about different things, for her difference of a net of opinion, but how she viewed the Air Force and her journey through the Air Force differently than I viewed mine. But we respected each other's nonetheless. And my wife is the reason why I'm still serving and I say that because of this, if my wife was not still in love with this Air Force journey, I would have stopped. I absolutely would have, because being married — and our family is, I hate to say it, is more important to me, truly it is. And so, I would have absolutely stopped. But she loves it. I loathe PCSing. Can't stand it. I'm in a great career field, but my wife loves it, loves the excitement, loves thinking about what's next. And so as long as she's enjoying it, I'm enjoying it too. Yeah, she's my best friend, my best friend for sure. So, we met after that, got married. Fast forward, I left Tinker and went to a Staff assignment in Suffolk, Virginia, stayed there for about three years, went back to the T-1 as a director of operations, a commander in the 99th of Tuskegee Airmen heritage. Then I went to National War College, went to Staff, went back to Tinker, 10 years as the vice wing commander, Offut as the wing commander, back to Staff again, and then here as the commandant.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:32 So, when did the idea trickle back to the mind of, “I want to get back to the Academy?” How did that come into play? Was that just a natural progression of your career? Or how? How does one navigate that?   Brig. Gen. Marks 40:43 So, it was at the time this realization that it had changed me so much and so positively. How can I be a part of another person's just incredible admiration for the experience and appreciation for the experience that they had while they were here? And so, I started investigating becoming an AOC, because at the time, that was where my status in life was in terms of rank, and was the most appropriate, if you will. It just didn't work out for me in terms of the timing.   Naviere Walkewicz 41:24 So, you'd already been looking throughout your career to come back.   Brig. Gen. Marks 41:27 At different points in my career, so about the seven-year point is when I said, “No, I would really like to go back and give back.” And now it's a function of trying to maneuver the timing and all of the other facets that make up an assignment and career progression to try to see how that could work. As an Air Force intern, that counted as my in-residence intermediate developmental education. And so, because of that, I was fast-tracked to staff immediately. And so, timing just didn't work in terms of that intermediate level, getting back to the Academy and making a difference. And so, the next opportunity for me was as a lieutenant colonel, because at that time, our group commanders were group AOCs and they were lieutenant colonels, the opportunity didn't present itself and command of a flying squadron did, and so I absolutely jumped on that with both feet. The idea kind of was off in the back portions of my brain after graduating from command and it didn't come back into the forefront until I got back to the Pentagon because I view the Pentagon as most people do. You know, it's a necessary evil. There is tremendous virtuous work that takes place at the Pentagon. It really is. And I certainly don't mean to poo-poo it. Staff work is important. It's necessary. I wanted to get back into, no kidding, base, desperately. And it had been 27 years-ish to that point. I'd come back for coronavirus. I was working for Gen. Brown and for Secretary Kim. I came back for corona and that was one of the first times that I had been back. And I knew I had to get back here. And interestingly enough, I brought my check to Doolittle Hall. I wanted to be a life member, and I had my $800 check in my pocket. My wife gave me permission, and I was like, “I'm ready.” And I'll never forget this. I don't remember who I talked to, but she said, “Hey, if you wait just a few more months, it'll be free for everybody.”   Naviere Walkewicz Membership for all graduates!   Brig. Gen. Marks I was like, “Sweet!” And then she happened to look at my ring, and she's like, “You got a chip on your ring. Why don't you hand that over to us? Your buying this ring came with a lifetime warranty.” And I was like, “This is unbelievable. This is like, divine intervention. I gotta get back to this place. I love it.” Yeah, I'm so happy to be back here.   Naviere Walkewicz 44:18 That is wonderful. So maybe before we go into arriving back here, kind of some of the surge of what that experience was like — what were some of the leadership nuggets, or the leaders that you worked either under with as peers, those you learned from that worked under you, that you kind of continued to evolve yourself as a leader. What were some of those that shaped you?   Brig. Gen. Marks 44:39 So, I think I will start with my time at Tinker as a flight commander. I think one of the things that I learned then was the importance of being credible in an operational flying squadron. Yeah. Your worth is, especially in a flying squadron, especially as a CGO, your worth is in how well you fly, speaking for pilots in that career field. And so, when you fast forward that to now, what I tell junior officers is this, “As a CGO, your No. 1 objective, your sole objective, is to be a master of your craft. Nothing else really matters. Being a master at your craft is the recipe for success, and if you are not able to do that, it is going to be difficult for you.” So, I learned that at Tinker Air Force Base, I would say, fast forwarding a little bit further to some of my Staff assignments, I would imagine, one of the reasons why I have never been incredibly fond of Staff is because I have — there has never been a good fit for me in terms of the staff assignments that I've been in. I could argue maybe the last one was perhaps, but where I'm going is this: It taught me the need to be able to be adaptable to learn as you go, to be open to learning, and to be humble enough to ask a lot of questions. And I think that that's a tremendous leadership trait to have, to humble yourself to your team, to come in and say, “I don't know everything. I don't know all that you all are doing.” Your stories even, “Please help me to understand. Please teach me.” So Staff, for all of the pains at times, really has developed me to have a better appreciation for that. I would tell you in command, “Oh, my goodness, command is all I ever want to do,” which is both naive and probably a very elementary way of thinking about things I just love command, and command has taught me so much.   Naviere Walkewicz 47:16 What do you love about command?   Brig. Gen. Marks 47:20 So, command is special because there isn't really, not really. There isn't period another position in the military where you are statutorily and regulatorily responsible for mission and people, nothing else. There is no other position in the Department of Defense military like command and to — especially at the unit level, the squadron level — to have such an immediate impact on mission like you are able to, as a squadron commander, and have such a positive impact, direct impact on airmen's lives. It is so incredibly fulfilling. And as you progress and command at higher levels, the direct impact on individuals lives lessens, but the direct impact on mission grows exponentially. I absolutely, not only that, but as you command at higher levels. While the impact, and I probably should have said it this way, the impact that you would have on so many individual airmen's lives' lessons, the impact that you can have on an individual airman's life magnifies based on rank. It is significant also. And I always — one of the things that I tell people all the time is the… it's an oversimplification, but the only reason to have rank is to do good, is to do good things, to make things happen in a positive way that affect positively mission and benefit airmen's lives. That's it. That's all. And if it if rank becomes something different than that for you, you are in the wrong business, or we've given it to the wrong person, if I'm being honest with you.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:11 Thank you for sharing that. So how did you find out that you — how did it work to become the commandant of cadets? Is that something that you're selected for? How did you find out?   Brig. Gen. Marks 49:23 So, I — well for your listeners, there's a dream sheet, if you will. We have a module that we go into and identify things, jobs, positions, perhaps even locations that we think that our skill-set matches up nicely for or that match our family circumstances, and in that module, I talked about the fact that I wanted to be able to give back to the Air Force Academy in this way. And talked about the fact that for 20 years or so, give or take, I have been trying to get back here to be able to have an impact. And I listed some of the things that I felt enabled me to have that type of impact. And then I got a call from the colonel's group or the general officer's group. I can't remember which one, probably general officer's group, that said, “Hey, the superintendent would like to interview you.” And I said, “OK, very good. I look forward to talking to a superintendent.” And what I will tell you is this: It is very difficult to prepare for an interview like that. Number one, you know, in the short amount of time that you're given to prepare for it. And then two, you just really don't know what you're going to be asked. And my knowledge of the Academy was very, very dated, you know, for 27 years ago when I graduated. But I said, “OK, let's go. Let's do it.” And so, I talked to him on the way home from the Pentagon in my car driving home, and we had a really nice conversation. And I remember parking in our driveway, and I remember staying in the driveway for about 15 more minutes as the conversation concluded, and I remember going into the house, and I remember talking to my wife, and I said, “You know, there are probably a number of people that interviewed, and they are, I'm positive, incredibly well suited for the position. There's always somebody better.” That's another great lesson that the Academy taught me, is there's always somebody better. But I said, “I think I feel like that went well. I don't know that I could have given any more to that interview.” Eventually, the superintendent made a decision. The superintendent had to vet that decision through higher levels as well. And eventually you come out on a list and it is announced that this is your next job.     Naviere Walkewicz That's how you found out? You saw the list?   Brig. Gen. Marks So admittedly, you know, birdies are talking to me ahead of time. But at the same time, you are just as a professional, more than anything else that is, that's meant to be private information for just and your family to kind of get your mind wrapped around those types of things. Because, as we've seen over the course of numerous years now, sometimes these lists come out later, and if you were to find out solely by that, that's not a lot of time to house hunt. That's not a lot of time to arrange schools. That's not a lot of time to arrange PCSing, you know, those types of things. So, and in this particular case, I needed to PCS from the Pentagon. I needed to perform a promotion ceremony. I needed to work a change of command ceremony here as well. And so, my wife and I joke, now this last move was the most difficult move we've ever, ever had, because I did all that in 30 days.   Naviere Walkewicz 53:27 Wow, it was a lot, but this was probably one that you were both excited for, not just her.   Brig. Gen. Marks 53:31 Oh, we were. The amount of YouTube videos that we watched in our household about basic training and about the Wings of Blue, just to get our kids excited about this, which is why, I mean — there is no excuse for not knowing what you're walking into at the Air Force Academy, because there are thousands of videos out there. Yeah, and so we were very excited, and the kids were incredibly well educated on what they could expect, everything from the wildlife that's on the installation, to the climate and the altitude, to what cadet life was going to be like. And so, we were really excited. And I remember — and because the kids had never been here at all, my wife and I had taken a trip here early in our marriage, our kids had never seen it and the excitement over the five days of driving was just really, really building up. And so, when we finally were able to see the big white box on the horizon,     Naviere Walkewicz Yes, the chapel-in-the-box.   Brig. Gen. Marks Yeah, when we were able to see that, and I was pointing to it as we were driving, they were just, they were just absolutely bubbling over with excitement. It was amazing.   Naviere Walkewicz 54:34 How did you feel when you saw it?   Brig. Gen. Marks 54:38 Very, very excited. A little overwhelmed. Also, I would tell you, I was really — I was both naive and I was also incredibly humbled and respectful of what I was walking into. Naive in this regard: I felt like, my goodness, I don't know that I've ever been more prepared for a position that I'm walking into than being the commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy. Because I graduated from here. I surely have to be well prepared and well suited. You know nothing about the inner workings of the Air Force Academy as a cadet. Nothing, nothing. And so, there was so much to learn about governance, not only that — I will tell you this: I had some troubles academically. I never had any run-ins from an honor perspective. I never had any discipline issues, either. And I don't say that to sound self-congratulatory. I say that to show my ignorance, because there were significant gaps in my knowledge and my understanding of how to manage the Cadet Wing, because I had never had any experience with honor, I'd never had any experience with discipline, and so I had to dive into those when I got here and learn that where somebody else might not have had to do that. Very respectful of what I was — the Academy is an incredibly special place. It is also, I don't say this, I don't mean this pejoratively, it is also a lightning rod for attention. There is always attention being drawn to the Air Force Academy and coming into the institution knowing that, it certainly had my attention up front, and I realized also that the opportunity to shape 4,000 cadets and to be able to be the one with a great, amazing team responsible for their military development, their character and leadership development, to ensure that on graduation they had achieved everything that they needed to do in terms of commissioning education to be responsible for their honor education, to be the one that is ultimately overseeing cadet life, it's an awesome, awesome responsibility, and I had a tremendous amount of respect for it when I came into the institution. So overwhelmed in that regard.   Naviere Walkewicz 57:22 I almost could feel through your eyes what you just expressed in coming back and seeing the Academy again and I think this is a wonderful time, because some of us have had the opportunity, whether it's been recent reunions, to hear you speak at reunion briefings, to catch a glimpse of you know, some of the changes or some of the things that you've brought back. Maybe this is an opportunity to share what's Academy life like now, but through the eyes of the commandant. What would you like to share with our listeners?   Brig. Gen. Marks 57:49 So, I would tell you and your listeners that the life of a cadet has changed and is going to change even more. So, I would start much more strategic and talk about this geo-strategically. Being in an era of great power competition, we recognize that because of who our competitor is, because of the advances that they have made, et cetera, it is incredibly important. It's critical for us to rethink how we do just about anything. Rethink how we train, how we develop, how we organize, how we employ force, how we sustain that employment of force, everything. At the Air Force Academy we're in a developmental business and so it's important for us to step back and ask ourselves, with no indictment on the past and the cadets and the lieutenants, rather that we have created and that we have graduated, but right now today, are we doing everything that we can to ensure that the lieutenants that we graduate are ready to lead on Day 1 and win ultimately, should deterrence fail in great power competition? In that deep dive, we have to explore some of the training techniques that we employ here and whether they are applicable on the outside and the force the greater force, or whether they are potentially creating a hazard of negative transfer, we have to ask ourselves whether some of the traditions that we enjoy, or that we have enjoyed here at the United States Air Force Academy, are appropriate for this day and age, send the wrong message, or are potentially harmful in terms of our culture and our climate. Deep diving into all those things, one of the things that I've come to the realization about is this: What I want to be able to do is ensure that a cadet that has graduated — and I know that I won't be here for four years, but assuming that I was — meeting a cadet on I-Day and walking with them through four years, I want to make sure that they feel like they got their money's worth from a military development perspective or military training perspective. And here's what I mean by that: Anecdotally, as I talked to cadets, hundreds of cadets, and talked about their journey at the Air Force Academy, one of the things that I found is that the institution and the curriculum challenged them as a four degree. I think that is universal. But I would also say, and I would imagine, that many of your listeners who are grads would agree that once you were out of your four-degree year, the institution allowed for it to be, if this was your desire, very easy for you to coast militarily, or, dare I say, potentially hide militarily. And I didn't want that. I wanted essentially the same level of rigor that is placed on you academically and the same level of rigor that is placed on you physically and athletically to be placed on you militarily. Said another way, the same sweaty palms that you get in anticipation of your GR are the same sweaty palms that you get in anticipation of your PFT. I want you to have an anticipation of your inspection, or an anticipation of your formation, or an anticipation of your knowledge test, et cetera, throughout your four years. And so, we have evolved our thinking and more importantly, our focus to developing across all four years with the same level of diligence and the same level of rigor that we placed in our fourth-class development. And so the moniker, or the catch phrase, the bumper sticker that we use is that we have transition from a focus on the fourth-class system, to a four-class system, where you can expect, as a rising three degree, or as a rising two degree, to be taught what we need you to do in terms of your military development, expectations and responsibilities, let loose to go practice those things, those supervisory skills, et cetera; assessed on those things, taught warfighting skills as well, that will prepare you for great power competition, et cetera, et cetera. And I can go into a lot more detail, but suffice it to say, this is a significant shift in how we've been operating, and it's a shift for the better, because this is what our nation needs. This is putting us in a better position to be ready on Day 1 to lead and to win on Day 1. So, I'm really excited about it.   Naviere Walkewicz That is exciting. Brig. Gen. Marks We're also bringing some rigor back into expectations about what it means to be a member of the Cadet Wing. So, in other words, we are increasing the number of formations. We are increasing the number of inspections. We are putting our money where our mouth is with respect to the fact that we say and rightly so, that we value character. We are now adding that too as a function of how we assess from a military performance average perspective, how we assess character, because it's so important, it's so critical. There are a lot of changes that are happening for the better, and these changes are going to affect not only the readiness of our cadets, but it's going to affect the culture of our Wing as well in a positive way. It's just going to take some time.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:04:00 That's outstanding. Do you see that trickling up as well into some of the officers that are involved in this, with you, and shaping the cadets — so the AOCs, also your AMTs, and how they're doing that? Is that part of this as well?     Brig. Gen. Marks 1:04:13 It is, and I'll be honest with you, I don't want to be short-sighted or to minimize the impact that the entire institution is going to have. Believe it or not, the touch points that our faculty have, our coaches and staff have, they are abundant, and we would be doing ourselves and our cadets a disservice if all of us in lockstep were — not attacking the problem, but weren't in this together in terms of this development and this approach that we're taking. And so we are. We absolutely are. The dean and I are classmates. We have a tremendous and positive relationship, same with the athletic director and the executive director of Athletics as well. And together we have coffee on a regular basis, and we share ideas and talk about our approaches so that we can together positively impact our cadets. So yes, it is an all-of-USAFA approach and an all-in approach.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:05:22 Absolutely love that. Well, I have two questions. I want to give them to you so you have a chance to think about. The first one being, you know, as a commandant, what keeps you up at night? I think that's something on the minds of our listeners. But then also, would you share maybe, what's something that you're so proud of that's happened since you've been here kind of under your leadership, and maybe something that you're not so proud of? And you can answer those however you'd like.   Brig. Gen. Marks 1:05:48 What keeps me up at night is the resilience of cadets. And let me explain that just a little bit. In no way is that an indictment of a generational thing; this generation of cadets is less. Not at all. It's me talking about human behavior and saying that our program is difficult, it's challenging, and individuals respond in different ways to that, and what keeps me up is an individual feeling like there is no way out. That bothers me a lot. It really, realy, really concerns me a tremendous amount. And so I spend a lot of time talking to our command teams about this and about the need for us to administratively ensure that we are being as efficient as possible when we adjudicate certain matters, because what we don't want to do is leave someone dangling in terms of decision making for months and months on end, because that exacerbates that problem and my concern. In terms of what I am most proud of — so, the jury is still out, but here's what I'll say: I'm very proud of a lot of things. I'm proud of the team we've assembled. I'm proud of the work that is being done at the Staff level. I'm proud of the work that our commanders and our AMTs are doing. Our commanders, our AOCs. I am also very proud of the partnership that we have across the installation. That partnership has enabled us to make a significant change to what is called the schedule of calls, the construct that defines how cadets, day to day, spend their time, essentially. We have made a significant change to it that enables us to provide a more professionalized delivery of commissioning education. It has allowed for us to provide some white space in cadets lives, significant white space. It has allowed for us to build in time for unit fitness. Unit fitness being the operative phrase there, because the unit is so important and developing that cohesion is so important. It ha

The mission of Air Force defenders, also known as Security Forces, involves much more than just checking ID cards at base entry gates. The 72 Security Forces Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base carries a wide range of responsibilities from defending the base, conducting installation law enforcement, handling combat arms and military working dogs. These defenders deploy globally to secure Department of the Air Force, joint service, coalition forces and their bases and assets under their protection. To recognize and thank our defenders, Team Tinker will take part in National Police Week designated as May 10-17. Several events are scheduled to observe Police Week including an opening and closing ceremony, bowling and golf tournament, ruck, defenders challenge and final guard mount. In the latest edition of the Tinker Talks Podcast, Lt. Col. Matthew Stillman, 72nd Security Forces Squadron commander, discusses more about the contribution of the 72nd Security Forces Squadron to Team Tinker, police week and improvements made to gate entry across the installation.

Ribs are the reason I could never be a vegetarian! Today we are discussing The Highway 62 BBQ Competition in Nicoma Park, Oklahoma. Help raise money for a great cause while enjoying some of the state's best barbecue at Nicoma Park's annual Highway 62 BBQ Cookoff & Music Festival. Throughout this two-day event, teams of experienced grill masters will compete for the title of barbecue champion with their best brisket, ribs, chicken and small-bite appetizers. In between bites of savory barbecue, enjoy additional attractions like arts and crafts, vendors, inflatables for children and live music. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Nicoma Park Volunteer Firefighters Association. Enjoy this can't-miss fundraiser full of food and fun for the whole family in Nicoma Park this April. The city Nicoma Park offers a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere with friendly locals, ample outdoor activities and plenty of local businesses to explore. The town is conveniently located just minutes away from both Oklahoma City and Tinker Air Force Base, making it easy to access all the entertainment and amenities the larger cities have to offer. Residents of Nicoma Park benefit from excellent schools, low crime rates, and a variety of parks with trails for hiking, biking, fishing, and camping. With its beautiful landscapes, pleasant climate and relaxed lifestyle, Nicoma Park is an ideal place for families looking for a peaceful home. News Story from KOCO. Subscribe to the Only in OK Show. #TravelOK #onlyinokshow #Oklahoma #MadeinOklahoma #oklaproud #podcast #okherewego #traveloklahoma

Brig. Gen. Brian Moore, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, joins Mark Hybers, 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs, for the latest edition of the Tinker Talks Podcast. The Tinker Talks Podcast is a podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Moore began his career in the United States Air Force in the mid-90s. He has held positions at the wing, major command, air staff and joint staff levels, to include squadron, group, and wing command, and the vice commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command. In this podcast, Moore discusses his priorities, the future of the OC-ALC and what is behind 24 by 2024.

Col. Abby Ruscetta, the 72nd Air Base Wing Commander, and CMSgt. Jeffery Sipos, the Command Chief of the 72nd Air Base Wing, are guests on the latest edition of the Tinker Talks Podcast. The Tinker Talks Podcast, hosted by Mark Hybers, is a podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Ruscetta is no stranger to Oklahoma, being assigned to Tinker Air Force Base since July 2018 at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex before becoming Commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing in July 2023. Together, Ruscetta and Sipos discuss their background, priorities and everything Tinker Air Force Base in the latest edition of the podcast.

Dr. Christine Altendorf is the Director of Military Programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. An Oklahoman who earned undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral engineering degrees from Oklahoma State University, Altenforf is a recipient of the OSU engineering program's prestigious Lohman Medal. Altendorf visited the Tulsa District, USACE resident offices on Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Nov. 27 to tour ongoing and recently completed projects. Whether it's providing housing for military recruiters, remediating Formerly Used Defense Sites, or interagency engineering projects for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other agencies, the USACE Military Programs mission is robust and active in its support of federal and international activities around the world. During her visit, Altendorf sat down with the Corpstruction Podcast to talk about Military Programs, engaging the USACE workforce and attracting talent to the Corps of Engineers.

Tinker Talks celebrates veterans this year with a podcast honoring the service of Pete Piazza. Piazza served three tours in Vietnam. During his second tour, then-Staff Sgt. Piazza was NCO in Charge of the 3rd Security Police Squadron's “C” Flight Security Resupply Team at Bien Hoa Air Base, near Saigon. North Vietnamese forces launched a rocket and ground attack Jan. 31, 1968, as part of the Tet Offensive. Piazza drove through machine gun and sniper fire to resupply the defenders who were quickly running out of ammunition. After the officer-in-charge was killed, Piazza assumed command and rallied with his troops in a show of stamina and force while they counter-attacked during an eight-hour assault. The position was held and in the end numbers of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars in aircraft and supplies were spared. He received the Silver Star, the third highest combat medal given to an Armed Forces member for his heroinism. Piazza is no stranger to Tinker Air Force Base. He served here in the late 80s prior to retiring. In 2014 a gate was named in his honor. Piazza still gives to our Airmen, showing up to speak for the Airmen Leadership School classes as well as coming out to spend time with our active duty members. This is a longer podcast and we could have gone for hours. Have a listen and give us your feedback in honor of this great hero.

In this episode, we've lined up a trio of compelling guests to keep you informed. First, Congressman Russell Fry, representing South Carolina's 7th District, joins us to discuss critical topics, including the border crisis, Hurricane Idalia's impact on his district, and his bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act. Plus, we'll explore the latest developments in the Biden family investigations.Then, we'll shift our focus to New York's 3rd Congressional District with congressional candidate Kellen Curry where he discusses his bid to unseat incumbent George Santos.Lastly, friend of the show, Henry Olsen, a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, will provide insights into the ever-evolving political landscape, including his recent analysis of Trump._Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds-Congressman Russell Fry is proud to serve the Grand Strand and Pee Dee as their Representative for South Carolina's Seventh Congressional District.Russell is a true believer in the American Dream. Growing up he watched his parents work hard for every penny they earned, and since then Russell has been doing the same. He put himself through his undergraduate education at the University of South Carolina and law school at the Charleston School of Law, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association, helped the school achieve its American Bar Association accreditation, and also received the prestigious Civility Award. After this, he practiced law along the Grand Strand for over a decade.As an Eagle Scout, Russell shares the sentiment that “you should leave your campsite better than you found it.” Every day he strives towards a goal that  “we should leave our country better than we found it.” Growing up, he saw first-hand how government's actions directly affect families living paycheck to paycheck, and he is committed to fighting for those who don't always have a voice.Russell is a public servant and active member of his community. Prior to this role, he represented State House District 106 (Horry County) in South Carolina's General Assembly for seven years. He served as Chief Majority Whip, where he fought for lower taxes, less government, pro-Second Amendment legislation, and pro-life legislation. Russell also chaired the House Opioid Abuse Prevention Study Committee, which resulted in 18 policy initiatives being signed into law and record funding for opioid prevention, education, and treatment.Russell is a loving husband to his wife, Bronwen, and dedicated father to their son, James. The family lives in Murrells Inlet with their chocolate lab, Jasper.  -Kellen CurryAs a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy Kellen spent eight years on active duty delivering critical cyber security technology for our country's military and completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. After completing his Master of Business Administration degree at George Washington University, Kellen went on to work at J.P. Morgan's Corporate and Investment Banking Division in New York City. Kellen believes his extensive experience working in national security and in our national economy will serve him well in his bid for Congress. Kellen continues to serve our nation in the Air Force Reserves and is a student at Columbia University pursuing a Master of Science in Sports Management where he also volunteers with Positive Coaching Alliance, a non-profit organization which strives to create a positive youth sports environment in communities across the country.In his campaign, Kellen will be focusing on core issues including national defense in the face of rising global threats, economic insecurity due to persistently high inflation, increasing affordability on Long Island and raising the accountability bar in D.C. through ethics reforms.He will also be working to achieve what he calls ‘the gold standard of constituency services' which has been absent but is critical to improving the lives of NY-3 residents.-Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He was the Thomas W. Smith distinguished scholar in residence at Arizona State University for the winter/spring 2023 semester. Olsen began his career as a political consultant at the California firm of Hoffenblum-Mollrich. After three years working for the California Assembly Republican Caucus, he returned to school to become a lawyer. Following law school he clerked for the Honorable Danny J. Boggs on the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Dechert, Price & Rhoads. He then joined the think tank world where he spent the next eighteen years as an executive at a variety of institutions, serving as the President of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Vice President at the Manhattan Institute, and as Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He left AEI in 2013 to pursue a career in political analysis and writing at EPPC. During that time his work has appeared in variety of leading publications in America and the United Kingdom. He is the author or co-author of two books, “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism” and (with Dante J. Scala) “The Four Faces of the Republican Party”. His biennial election predictions have been widely praised for the uncanny accuracy, and he is a frequent guest on television and radio programs. Olsen regularly speaks about American political trends and global populism in the United State, Europe, and Australia.-TRANSCRIPTIONSam Stone: Welcome to another episode of Breaking Battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone. Our first guest up today, Congressman Russell Fry, represents South Carolina's seventh District. Prior to going to the US Congress, he represented the state House in South Carolina's General Assembly for seven years, served as chief majority whip. And Chuck, we always love Congress members and senators who have served in their local, state house or local government because you just get a perspective that Washington does not offer. So we're very excited to talk with him. He is a fighter for lower taxes, less government, pro-Second Amendment legislation and pro-life legislation. Chuck, if you're pro-life today, you've got to be fighting this fentanyl epidemic, this crisis that is tearing the country apart.Chuck Warren: 100%. Congressman, you have introduced a bipartisan bill called the Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act to learn more about how the fentanyl crisis is impacting America in South Carolina in 2021, you had 1494 deaths due to fentanyl. I mean, that's we can multiply that by 1020 because of the family members it affects, right? Their loved ones, things of that nature. What do we need to do to turn the tide back against this fentanyl crisis?Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, gosh, there's just a lot. And quite honestly, I don't even know that we have enough time in this segment, but we'll try. The first thing I think is and the first thing is you've got to stop the flow that's at the border. You've got to stop that. You've got to address that. But beyond that, what you have to realize is you need access to care. You need the ability of families to get the resources and the help they need. You need to strengthen law enforcement. And what frustrates me is this is the biggest one of the biggest health care problems that we have in this country. But beyond that, Congress doesn't know a lot about the impact on the economy, on the labor market, on housing, the impact on the Treasury, I mean, all these different things. And the fact that we don't know those frustrates me. I just got there. I'm like, wait a second, y'all don't know these data points that would help dictate good policy. So you got to stop the flow. But beyond that, you need to give lanes for recovery so that people can get back on their feet and get back to work, get back to being normal people. And fentanyl just I mean, we see it every day. 70% of the overdoses in this state are associated with fentanyl alone. And it's similar like that across the country. It's just sad to see.Chuck Warren: Well, what's so frustrating about this fentanyl crisis is a there is a role for government closing the border, finding out what these data points are, the things you're trying to investigate.Sam Stone: And pushing people into treatment.Chuck Warren: Pushing people in treatment. But what's also frustrating for me is just don't take drugs. I mean, you know, I mean, it's that's what's hard about it. Right? And so there's you know, the government has a role in this. And I don't want to pretend it does not law enforcement has a role in this. But there's also a lot of personal responsibility. And I think that's something the communities and churches I mean, the old Nancy Reagan slogan, just say no, which was mocked. I don't know. Maybe we need a campaign like that again.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, maybe. Look, and I do know that prevention for every dollar that you invest in prevention, you save, I think, $4 in health care costs and $7 in criminal justice costs. So the messaging, the PSA that people put out there, that that education component is just so big. And what's crazy look, I'm 38 years old and we all know people who partake in a little bit of marijuana or whatever. People just do that. And and in some states, it's allowed. Some states it's not. But you know what's crazy? They lived to tell the tale until recently. I mean, it's laced in everything. And that's the that's the crazy people don't go out and seek, you know, let me get some fentanyl. It's usually added into other things. And you hear about West Point cadets, you hear about students, you hear about just really everybody in all walks of life that have to deal with this. And they never live to tell the tale to get back on the recovery. So the prevention side, which you just talked about, that's critical to this.Sam Stone: Well, and and, Congressman, this is Sam. One of the things that so I've worked a lot with the city of Phoenix. And one of the things that that we know that I don't think the public is fully aware of yet is that Narcan loses effectiveness after a person has had to use it a couple of times. So the more the more someone has overdosed. And right now, we're keeping a lot of these folks alive by having Narcan everywhere. But there are limitations on that. And that's going to result in a increased death toll over time.Congressman Russell Fry: I'm right. Right. And you know what's frustrating to to that point, we just did this pilot program in South Carolina that I think other places can do. But say you say you overdose, you go to the hospital, you're recovered, you revive, you come around again, and you know what? You have this moment of clarity. At that point. A lot of people do, and they go, I need to get help. And so then they try to go get into a place to get help. And guess what? You got to wait two, three, four weeks to get into a place. Well, guess what? By that time, that addiction has already started to pull you back in and you're back doing the same thing you are again. What we've done in South Carolina, at least here locally, is fast track those people. So when these things happen. But that's one of those barriers to access that just when there's that clarity because everyone hits that point, when there's that clarity and you go, I need to get help, I need help, you got to wait around for 4 or 5, six weeks. If you can even get in somewhere.Sam Stone: You have to have help available right then and there, right?Congressman Russell Fry: So you need it. And if you don't have that peer to peer help, if you don't have, you know, medication assisted treatment or whatever, whatever options are out there, if that's not available to you, you're doing the same thing again. And you might not get a second, third and fourth chance in the future. You might overdose and pass away. And that's what we're seeing right now.Chuck Warren: With Congressman Russell Fry. He represents South Carolina's seventh district. You can catch this interview this weekend in Florence, South Carolina, on Am 1400 and of course, nationwide on other outlets. Congressman, have you talked to local law enforcement about this issue? And what are their what's their feedback to you?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, I have and unfortunately, in your listening area in Florence, there's a sheriff whose daughter just recently passed away from a fentanyl overdose. And so, again, it affects everybody, but they're seeing just the dramatic growth in it. Their officers are equipped with Narcan. They're seeing it. They're seeing the growth of this drug in rural communities, in urban centers, really everywhere. And it's and it's worse than it's ever been. So they feel frustrated. South Carolina did fortunately pass a law last year. I had when I was in the General Assembly, I was had brought it up. And sometimes these things take a couple of years to get done. But in this one, it just gives tools to law enforcement to be able to crack down on this, to be able to, you know, to unwind some of these some of these drug rings that are that are around. And so that's a big component to this, too. But they're feeling it and they see it every day. And they have to train their officers on how to deal with it because it's a dangerous substance that if it gets on your skin, one of their own might go down.Sam Stone: Yeah, we've seen that across the country with police officers who have been overdosed from from very minor exposure to fentanyl during their interactions with the public. So it's a huge issue. But Congressman, one of the things and I know you've been a big fighter for a secure border, but it seems like this is not a problem we're going to be able to address unless we start getting control of the border. And the data that just come out shows that not only are we not doing anything realistically to get control of the border, the problem is worse than it's ever been. Over 90,000 people detained by Border Patrol last month, you know, beating a May 2019 record.Chuck Warren: And that's who they.Sam Stone: Caught and that's who they caught. The fentanyl dealers are not the ones those are the ones who are turning themselves over to Border Patrol to begin the asylum process. The people were not catching are the fentanyl traffickers, the dealers, the cartel members. Right. How do we address this unless we start really securing our border?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, you can't. And that's been my message even before I got to Congress. And just doing dealing with opioids in the state level, you cannot begin to address the issue until you shut off the hose, until you shut off the flow. And it doesn't mean you can't start start trying and keep trying. South Carolina's always going to do that. Local governments are always going to keep trying to address it, but they're not in the position that the federal government is to deal with the flow. And when you have the administration touts the record amount of fentanyl that they've seized, that's great. But there's so much more that's coming through the border. We know that. We know the precursors, the chemicals are coming from China. We know that they're being manufactured. And just south we know that the cartels are shipping them up and they're not dummies. They will flood an area with 100 200 migrants and then two miles up the road, they'll sneak a you know, they'll sneak fentanyl across the border or, you know, human smuggling or human trafficking. They'll do that because all the resources are dealing with the 200 people that are just sitting there in this section of Yuma or wherever they might be. It's obscene.Chuck Warren: Well, with Congressman Russell Fry, you can get him on Twitter at Russell Fry, SC. Congressman, you you're your district was just hit by the hurricane. How is everybody doing? How's everybody coping out there?Congressman Russell Fry: I think okay. I mean, we were very fortunate. I mean, there was some tornadic activity up in the Cherry Grove section along the coast. And so you had some homes that were damaged. You have a road that that looks like it took some damage. But I would say overall, we were very fortunate. I think the storm, you know, there's never a. A great time for a storm to hit. But when it's low tide and the storm arrives, you don't have the storm surge. It was moving very quickly, so it didn't stay here long. You know, it rained five and a half, six inches, which is a lot. But it was able we were able to largely absorb it. So I think overall, we were very blessed in dealing with it. And so some some things to recover from, but not as bad as Florida and not as bad as prior storms in our area.Sam Stone: Congressman, we have just about two minutes before we go to break. And folks, we're going to be coming back with more from congressman here in just a moment. But one of the things I kind of Chuck and I have been kind of talking about these last couple of days watching this hurricane is that I think the almost every American citizen would would give thanks to God that this did not end up being a worse situation than it was, that it was not the catastrophe that was predicted. But what is kind of disconcerting to me is that it seems like the corporate media, the left media, even some Democrat officials, there was almost a palpable sense of disappointment that these two hurricanes that we've just had, the one on the West Coast and this one neither delivered the kind of catastrophe that that they almost seem to be hoping for.Congressman Russell Fry: No, it's it's it's wild. And they drive clicks and they spin up fear. We actually had some and I won't tell you who, but we had some news interviews that were canceled. And I just have to assume that it was it wasn't it wasn't chaotic enough for them. But regardless, I think I think you're right. And and it's sad to see people get spun up. We've been dealing with storms since forever. And in 1957, we had Hurricane Hazel that wreaked havoc. It was way before my time. But you talk to people, it was, I think, a Category 4 or 5 that hit this area directly. These storms are you know, they they are problematic. But what makes it worse is just the the doomsday scenarios from the media. People just need to be prepared. They need to listen to their, you know, their local local officials and state officials on how to deal with this. But then that's when FEMA comes in on the back end, is to help the recovery.Sam Stone: Yeah, absolutely. Breaking is going to be back in just a moment with more from Congressman Russell Fry.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms, Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful, high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making dream Homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone. We're going to be continuing on in just a moment with more from Congressman Russell Fry of South Carolina's seventh District. But first, folks, how's your portfolio doing? Been an up and down, another up and down week in the Biden stock market. What if you could earn up to a 10.25% fixed rate of return instead of taking all that risk up to 10.25% fixed? It's a fantastic opportunity from our friends at  Y refy. Check them out, invest, yrefy.com or give them a call at 888 y refy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you. All right, Congressman, before we went to break, we were talking a little bit about the issues with fentanyl, the border. And you mentioned that something I think a lot of people are becoming aware of is that the precursor chemicals for the fentanyl that we're seeing coming into the country for the meth, that is vastly more powerful than it was just a few years ago. That is coming into this country with the the tranq and other new designer drugs, the precursor chemicals are all coming to Mexico where they're turned into drugs. They're coming from China. What can we do to try to stop that pipeline?Congressman Russell Fry: Well, I think I think you've got to have a realistic one. I think that there are and we we saw this a little bit with with the Trump administration in the early stages. But you've got to stop that flow. You've got to be able to sanction those companies, stop the flow, take, you know, and look, China needs to be a willing participant here, too. And that's the frustration that I have right now, is that there was a there was an op ed the other day talking about fentanyl from a Biden administration official, but they never mentioned China. Well, they have a big role here. These chemicals are manufactured over there and they're shipped across to the cartels who put it all together and make fentanyl. And so they've got to be a willing participant. But you've got to have an administration that actually wakes up and says, we know this is coming from our southern border. We know the chemicals are coming from China. And up to this point, they're not really talking about that. And I think that's the big that's the biggest frustration.Sam Stone: You're asking Joe Biden to wake up. There's no evidence that's possible.Chuck Warren: I mean, look, if you're China and you want to hurt your competitor, I won't say we're there. Amy, let's say were their number one competitor. What do you do? You flood their country with things that will cause devastation, Right? It's an unseen war that.Sam Stone: Fentanyl, meth.Chuck Warren: Tiktok, it's not the same as firing a missile, but it has the same effect. All due respect.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, in a lot of these companies, too, I mean, they have multiple locations in different spots, right? I mean, they're just they're usually not just isolated in China. You know, these are big companies. And so they need to have some skin in the game. You need to be able to you need to be able to leverage influence there, maybe even tariff or sanction them. But at the end of the day, the flow, you know, China has a spot there. And you know what? Maybe there's there is a nefarious purpose behind this. I believe you're probably right about that. But there are ways to address it. And if they won't, then we need to there are other ways that we can force them to the table. And we need to we need to take a look at that. 300 Americans die every single day from this drug. I mean, it's just astronomical. And, you know, we've used the term poisoning because that's really what it is. It's not an overdose as much as it is fentanyl poisoning in our country. So pulling them to the table, even if they don't want to come, I think has got to be a priority of this administration.Chuck Warren: With Congressman Russell Fry of South Carolina's seventh District, you can join and help us campaign at Russell Fry SC.com or visit him on Twitter. Russell Fry, SC. First, I have two questions. First, is it true you're the eighth grade ping pong champion?Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, yeah. I still got the trophy. It wasn't it wasn't a participation trophy either. It was a real trophy.Chuck Warren: And and and the person you you, you beat, is that person still bitter about that or has he given up? Given up?Congressman Russell Fry: They probably given up. I don't know. Maybe they're bitter. I haven't talked to that person in a while.Chuck Warren: But, you know, I think I think we need a social media post with that trophy.Sam Stone: We'll be coming We'll be coming back with with more from from Congressman Gump here shortly.Chuck Warren: Exactly. All right. We have Hunter Biden and, you know, the press, which is gives the ultimate cover to the Biden administration. First of the laptop two years later, they admit it. Now we have all these alias names, 5000 emails and archives. Tell our audience what on earth is going on. I saw a tweet this morning. I just replied, The easiest way for Biden to solve this just release all the emails if there's nothing there. Right? I mean, just transparency. So tell people a little bit about it and what House Republicans can do to flesh this out more since the press is going to do everything they can to protect President Biden and Hunter.Congressman Russell Fry: Well, they're finally starting to pay attention. And I think that's maybe begrudgingly, maybe they don't want to pay attention, but they're finally starting to take notice of what's going on. But the new the new revelation, you know, look, Hunter Biden or Joe Biden had aliases that they used and that's what the Oversight Committee had subpoenaed. They used aliases, you know, Robin Wear and Robert Peters and, you know, different names that they would use. And so we subpoenaed anything that had to deal with those names or those email addresses. And again, it just shows a pattern of conduct with this family. You look at the text messages, you look at the emails, you look at the use of the term the big guy. You look at the 1023 that was released, you look at the the bank transactions and the money that flows from, at this point, four companies ultimately layered through kind of a series of money laundering actions and funneled into 20 LLCs that are all connected to multiple members of the Biden family. So this this again, just shows a course of conduct.Chuck Warren: And what people, family and what people don't understand is I own several companies, so I have various LLCs for various things. Correct. It takes a lot of work to manage 20 LLCs. You get filings, you get taxes. I mean, so this wasn't done just. To be. I mean, it was done more to be clever and hide something. They don't seem done.Sam Stone: Admittedly, they don't seem to have paid a lot of attention to the taxes part.Chuck Warren: No, but would you agree with that? I mean, doing 20 LLCs. I mean, it takes a lot of work.Congressman Russell Fry: Oh, it's a headache. And most of these LLCs were actually formed while Joe was vice president. That's that's kind of alarming. But to see and I think there was a quote in the 1023. You all have seen it. Your listeners have seen it as well. But it was toward the bottom. And the guy says it will take investigators ten years to figure out what's going on. And that's kind of proven true. I mean, we're on year I think, eight at this point, but it's taken that long because no one, DOJ and others didn't want to actually investigate this. But to when you're dealing with financial stuff, it's just so nebulous and it's hard to follow and it's hard to track and it's hard to keep people's attention. But there is enough smoke here that people realize what's going on. And I think that's why the work that we've done so far has been incredibly important on this and also why I think that this is headed toward an impeachment inquiry. It doesn't mean impeachment. You still have to do your homework and make sure you do your job. But at this point, there's just enough there. There's way more than enough to launch that process.Chuck Warren: We have about 30s left with you. Tell our audience, tell your constituents why you have faith in America's future.Congressman Russell Fry: Because I have faith in the American people and their resolve and their ability to take large amounts of information, synthesize them and make an opinion. We're seeing people wake up in a powerful way right now. And and it's not just Republicans. It's really everybody realizing what's going on. The people control this country. They always have. And they see what's going on is is, you know, shameful. But they're ready for for a better tomorrow.Sam Stone: Fantastic. Thank you so much, Congressman. We very much appreciate your time today. Folks, you can follow him. Chuck, what was that?Chuck Warren: You can follow him on Twitter, Russell Fry, SC, or you can also visit his website. Russell Frysc.com contribute, volunteer, get involved. He's doing the great work and help him out. Congressman, thank you.Congressman Russell Fry: Thank you all.Chuck Warren: Have a great weekend.Sam Stone: Folks, more from breaking battlegrounds. We're back in just a moment. Welcome back to Breaking Battlegrounds with the host Chuck Warren and Sam Stone. Big thank you to our first guest up today, Congressman Russell Fry. Fantastic discussion with him. And now we're talking to someone. Frankly, Chuck, I think this is going to be one of the most important congressional races for for Republicans in the country in this coming year. It's going to be close. Well, if you.Chuck Warren: Like honesty in public elections. Yes.Sam Stone: Yeah, Well, some of us still do. Some some of us believe in truth telling, even even on the air here where almost everyone else wants to lie to you. But, folks, we're not doing that. And that's why we have today Kellen Curry, congressional candidate running against Jorge Santos for New York's third Congressional District. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, one of those places where they don't take liars lightly and spent eight years on active duty delivering critical cybersecurity technology for our country's military. After completing two tours in Afghanistan, Kaelin went on to work at J.P. Morgan's corporate and investment banking division in New York City. Kaelin Curry, welcome to the program.Kellen Curry: Hey, how are you? Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be talking with you guys this afternoon.Chuck Warren: So tell us, what did the Air Force do to prepare you to run for Congress and to serve in Congress eventually?Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I think, you know, every every part of my experience in the Air Force was extremely positive. You know, the culture of serving the country, which, you know, is a culture that I come from my my you know, I'm a third generation veteran. My parents were public servants. Dad was a retired naval officer. Mom is a is a continues to be a decades long federal civil servant. And so just grew up watching them and and they both worked at Tinker Air Force Base right outside of Oklahoma City. And just, you know, I always wanted to have my own story of service. And so I think it was always in my future and going to the Air Force Academy and serving in the Air Force as an officer, you know, just the lessons of leadership, the lessons of of of being in a team and a group where you don't know who's who's a Republican or who's a Democrat, you just your mission focused. And that's the kind of perspective I bring to politics.Sam Stone: Kellen Considering especially mission focus, one of the things I like about your background, your resume, is the experience in cybersecurity. There are a few people in Congress, in the Senate who are starting to become more aware of that issue. But it's not an area where there's a lot of elected expertise. You talk about mission focus. How much do you think you'll be able to make that your mission to help educate your colleagues about the various issues related to cybersecurity on both sides of the aisle?Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I think the country has been going through and really all of society has really been going through a learning curve when it comes to cybersecurity. And it's really just a matter of how do we defend and safeguard the information that's that's on that's on our networks. And we're so we're such a networked people in in society today. And so, you know, the first and foremost is just, you know, your hygiene on the Internet. You know, when you use the same password for every website. I know some of us are guilty of that. I know I am sometimes, too. It seems like I'm.Sam Stone: Looking across at Chuck right now and laughing. Yeah.Kellen Curry: Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, we live in a in a culture in a society where you got to have a password and login for like everything you touch. And so, you know, that's the first and foremost. And then the other thing is that I think from a national security standpoint is that we just have to invest, we have to invest, and we have to nurture innovation. One of the best things about America is our is our innovative economy, and that flows into our national security. I mean, to the extent that we can nurture that, that innovation in the private sector and then leverage it to use in military applications is what my time in the Air Force was all about. And so, you know, like you said, being able to educate, you know, our lawmakers on how to procure those those technologies, how to make sure that we don't pass regulation, that that stifles that technology is really the biggest thing.Chuck Warren: What do we do about China? I mean, you were in the military, two tours in Afghanistan. What do we do about China? What do your colleagues you worked with, what what do people actually who defend this country think we should be doing with China? Yeah.Kellen Curry: Yeah. Well, first and foremost, we have to not overreact. China for sure is a is a near-peer competitor, as we say, in the military. And so they absolutely should be taken serious. But they have a lot of issues and challenges, social challenges on their end, you know, so so it's not like we're going up against an adversary that we cannot be successful in. I think, you know, going back to the innovative economy that I mentioned earlier, we have to make sure that we remain an innovative and capitalistic economy that can produce technologies of the future. You know, you think about you think about China, so much of what they want to you know, how they want to. Place American superpower is, is really through AI and quantum computing and biotechnology and these other things. So we have to continue to make those investments. We also have to do things. For example, the Merchant Marine Academy is located here in my district. And so when you think about how do we sustain naval power in the South China Sea, the merchant Marines are on the front lines of making sure that we're able to do that because they transport so much equipment and personnel into the South China Sea. So those are just a few things, a couple of things I would say. And then maybe the last is that we have to reinvigorate our all volunteer military force, which is at an all time low in terms of our propensity for people to serve.Sam Stone: And I want to talk more about that. And and the merchant Marine issue you brought up Kellen Curry. We're coming right back with more from him. He's running against Jorge Santos in New York's third Congressional District, breaking battlegrounds. Back in just a moment.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms. Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making Dream homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Moran. I'm Sam Stone. We're going to be continuing on in just a moment with more from Kellen Curry, congressional candidate running against Jorge Santos in New York's third Congressional District. But before we do, folks, how's that portfolio of yours doing? Are you making money in this stock market, this Biden economy working out for you? It doesn't seem to be working out for most people. That's why Chuck and I recommend you check out our friends and invest. Why refy.com Go to their website. Invest y refy.com Learn how you can earn up to 10.25% fixed rate of return. That's right up to 10.25% fixed. You can turn your monthly income on or off, compound it, whatever you choose. There's no penalty to your principal if you need to withdraw your money early. This is a fantastic opportunity. So check it out. Go to investyrefy.com or give them a call at 888 yrefy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you.Chuck Warren: Well, we're with Kellen Curry here. He is running for Congress in New York, three against Jorge Santos. And you can learn more about him at Kellen Currycomb. Sam wants to follow up with some questions on the Merchant Marines.Sam Stone: Go ahead, Sam. Yeah, so that's actually Kellen, thank you for bringing that up because that's actually something that hasn't come up here before. I know a little bit about it from a friend who went through the Merchant Marine Academy. But one of the big underlying issues to national security that I don't think most people understand is our ability to transport goods and troops in wartime crisis. And to do that, you need US flagged carriers and we don't have many of them. And that's a huge issue. And we don't have enough merchant marine sailors. And that's another huge issue.Kellen Curry: Absolutely. I mean, if you if you think about it, over 90% of the ships that come in and out of American ports are, you know, our foreign crews. And so you could expect that in a conflict that China, they will do all they can to put pressure on those foreign crews and on those host governments not to make good on deliveries to our ports. And we saw what can happen with this during the pandemic. You know, when store shelves went bare and, you know, the American economy was crippled, supply chains became dislocated. So we have to be able to continue our economy even if we do get into, you know, a a hot war, if you will, in the South China Sea with with China. But, you know, to your other point, the vast majority of the military's equipment and personnel actually moves on sea. And so we have to have that capability. It has to be something that's real and that's a deterrent effect and that China understands that we can sustain ourselves in a in a naval, you know, in a naval conflict or just a naval operation in in the in that region, particularly in the South China Sea. And so, so much of this capacity over the last, you know, three or 4 or 5 decades has really left our country. And it's it's been outsourced. And so we have to work and think about how we bring more of that capability back to America. You know, we've seen industrial policy in the microchip space, and we're going to have to do a industrial policy to bring the merchant marine presence back to our country, increase the number of sealift officers, the number of merchant Marine officers, which the Merchant Marine Academy produces. And this is you know, this is one of the crown jewels of our district. It's one of the crown jewels of the nation. We need a strong federal partner for that academy. And I look forward to being that in Congress.Sam Stone: You know, one of the things I think that's underreported also, we had a different congressman on our program. Hopefully you'll be joining him in office fairly soon. But one of the things he pointed out was China's aggressive efforts via both partnership and intimidation to essentially deny that chain of Pacific islands that the US used in World War Two to eventually get to Japan. But China realizes that that chain is is our ladder in a Pacific war with them, and they're really doing a lot to take it away. You talk about that ability to deliver equipment that becomes doubly critical in this situation where we can't count on our ability to fly troops and resources into those islands.Kellen Curry: Absolutely. Absolutely. And so much of so much of how we posture to be successful against China is really going to depend on our allies in that region to make sure that we have basing options, that we have places where we can stage and host our troops and our and our equipment in a way that that China can't can't penetrate. And so it's positive that we recently had a trilateral at Camp David with some of the nations there, mainly Japan and South Korea and America. Of course, Japan and South Korea have been, you know, at odds for quite some time. And so our ability to bring those nations together is extremely important. The administration just you know, we did a big bill out of the House that eventually passed the Senate and was signed into law to. To deliver more aid to Taiwan in a way that we haven't done in the past. And so I think the administration just released about two. 2 billion or so to make sure we operationalize that that that that legislation. So that's that's a good thing. I mean, one thing about America that's unrivaled is our alliances around the world. I mean, it's a tremendous source of soft power, the ability of an American president to pick up the phone and call somebody anywhere in the world. And, you know, eight, nine times out of ten get a favorable response is is really, really important. It's going to be important against against the fight against China. So it's good that we have an administration that recognizes that. And that's one area that I do support this administration on.Sam Stone: See, Chuck, I love it when we get congressional candidates and people running for office for the first time who can talk about this whole variety wide range of geopolitical issues, because that kind of knowledge. Kalen Curry that you're just displaying is is rare for people who are entering Congress. And folks, you need to check him out and follow him at Kellen Kellen underscore Curry on Twitter. You can go to his website. Kellen Curry.com Definitely go and check him out there and support this man because we need to bring we need to retain control of Congress. We need smart people there who can talk about issues like we've been talking about. And also we need to restore some integrity to this specific seat, because, quite frankly, Jorge Santos is an embarrassment to every Republican in this country.Chuck Warren: He's a bad Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live skit. Kellen, let me ask you this question. There's two reasons. There's a couple reasons why you said you were running for office besides obviously your service in the Air Force and your tours in Afghanistan. One was running against Jorge Santos because he's ineffective. But number two, you've cited Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan and you called it a disastrous withdrawal. Talk about it a little bit, what that meant to you and the people you served with over there.Kellen Curry: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was it was heart wrenching, you know, I mean, I spent two tours there. I worked, you know, actually I worked on an old Russian base we were embedded with with our Afghan allies working shoulder to shoulder. It was a very interesting unit. I was I was attached with, you know, we had actually bought about 30 helicopters from the Russians, actually when relations were good in the early 2000. And we were trying to outfit these with new armaments for what was essentially the Afghans, like 82nd Airborne helicopter unit. And so we were doing that work. My job was to do all we could to keep these things in the air and provide all the procurement necessary to do that and to teach the Afghans how to do that as well. And so, you know, you go through things like that. You travel the country doing that work, and then you turn on and you come home and you turn on CNN and you see, you know, people clinging from planes and just the chaos and certainly the 13 Marines that we lost. And there was just there was a better way to exit that country that did not leave, you know, America diminished on the global stage.Kellen Curry: And I think watching that, certainly every veteran that spent time there watching that and then, of course, you know, by going to the Air Force Academy, I had friends that went there that unfortunately did not come back home. And, you know, you internalize all that and and it moves you, you know, emotionally. And then you look over and you see we have somebody here in Congress who's just wholly unfit. And the fact is that our veterans and the American people writ large, they deserve the best leadership that our country can provide so that we can avoid those situations, but also so we can have trust that the agenda that our elected representatives are pursuing is, is the agenda of the people and not their own personal agenda. And so, you know, all of those things, I think moved me to to think about how I could serve again. And and this was something that that that came up. And I did a lot of the research and asked a lot of the questions and eventually got to the point where I decided to go for it. And here I am.Chuck Warren: Well, we certainly need more leaders like you in Congress and you've had some great life experiences. So, for example, you ran the 60m at the Air Force Academy. What did track and field teach you about leadership?Kellen Curry: Yeah, you know, I've always been active in sports. And I think, you know, for me as an athlete, you know, you've got mom and dad there to, you know, to make you into the person that that you that you eventually become. But but something happens in that relationship with coaches and with athletes that's just special. And it enriches the life of a young person. You know, Track did that for me. High school football did that for me. I still stay in touch with coaches from high school. Wait, what.Sam Stone: Position did you play? We got to we got to get the important stuff in here.Kellen Curry: Yeah, I was a I was a defensive back. I didn't have any hands, so I couldn't catch anything. So they put me on that side of the ball. But. But yeah, man, I enjoyed sports of all kind and just the relationship building. Being in the team building and in the lessons that you learn from those experiences, they just make you a well rounded person and and enjoy traveling the country and running track at the Air Force Academy. It was a real highlight for me.Sam Stone: All right. So so now we know you were a DB. So the important question becomes, are you a Deion Sanders DB or are you covering everybody, locking them up or are you Troy Polamalu? You're coming in there to knock their head off?Kellen Curry: I'm covering them up, man.Chuck Warren: Yeah, Yeah. You're a blanket.Kellen Curry: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I was only like £160 soaking wet, so there wasn't a whole lot of hitting I could do, but. But I could run and I could run and chase and cover folks. And so, so really enjoyed the ups and downs of what you learn in that sport and just in sports in general. So really enjoyed competing.Chuck Warren: You worked in investment banking after the Air Force One issue you're going to have to deal with when you're elected is our deficit in national debt are it's just not a path we can continue. What do you propose we do on it? How do we pay down our debt? How do we get our finances in order?Kellen Curry: Yeah, I think the first thing we have to do is we have to be honest with the American people about where we are. I mean, the fact is we're not going to cut our way out of this hole. We're not going to, you know, grow our way out of the hole in terms of, you know, achieving, you know, astronomical GDP growth rates year over year. I think in order to bend the curve on the debt, we're going to have to get away from annual deficit spending at some point. And and listen, we are transitioning right now from a low interest rate environment to a high interest rate environment. So the interest on the debt is going to become more material than what we've seen in the past, and it's going to create more pain. So, you know, some of the first things that I think we're going to have to do is we're going to have to get our arms around how do we make our entitlement programs more solvent. We know that Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, these programs are going to become insolvent here in the next ten, 15, 20 years. And so we've got to get serious about how do we restructure these things and do it in a way where Democrats aren't going to go out and say, oh, here comes the Republicans again. They're going to end these programs as you know it and all that. So so we have we need presidential leadership on this issue to move the country in this direction and get serious about it, because it will become something that that begins to crowd out what we can do in the defense space, the investments that we have to make there, and certainly the investments that we have to make on the domestic side as well. But but the entitlement programs is something that's going to be a forcing a forcing function that makes us get real about how we spend and how we allocate money. We definitely need more members of Congress who are going to hold the line on spending as we go forward here in the next several decades.Sam Stone: Kellen, we have only about two minutes left here before we let you go. What has been the initial response from folks on the ground there in the third Congressional District in New York? You know, as they're learning about you and that you're taking on Santos in this race.Kellen Curry: You know, it's been tremendously positive. I think a lot of a lot of what was in the trajectory of the Santos story, I think at this point here, you know, people on the ground are just kind of sick and tired of hearing about the guy.Chuck Warren: So.Kellen Curry: You know, they they are they are hungry for what comes next. We are the first campaign that's been out there on doorsteps and the reaction has been positive. They want to know who the candidates are, what they're talking about, what their ideas are for moving the district forward. And they're ready for the stain of of of Mr. Santos to be removed. And so I think at this point, we've all kind of learned our lesson, that we have to wake up and make sure we're paying attention in these elections, that we get out and vote and that we know who we're voting for. And so I think you're going to see a lot of people who are just excited about about doing that work as citizens and taking responsibility to make sure that they get to know the candidates. They're getting to know me. I think they like what they hear and what they see, and I think we're going to be successful here.Sam Stone: I love that folks. Thank you so much, Kellen Curry. We really appreciate having you on the program today. Folks. You can follow him at Kellen underscore Curry on Twitter at Kellen Currycomb. Make sure you tune in to breaking battlegrounds next week when we're back on the air. But in the meantime, we always have a little extra segment for our podcast listeners. Go to all your favorite podcast places, download us subscribe, and we'll see you next week.Advertisement: The 2022 political field was intense, so don't get left behind in 2024. If you're running for political office, the first thing on your to do list needs to be securing your name on the web with a your name Web domain from GoDaddy.com. Get yours now.Sam Stone: All right, Welcome to the podcast. Only segment of breaking battlegrounds. Folks. Thank you for tuning in as always. And special thanks to Congressman Russell Fry and Kellen Curry for their appearances today. Fantastic discussions from them. But now we're continuing on with somebody that, frankly, Chuck, I always loved talking to him more than almost any of our guests, friend of the program and repeat returning guest Henry Olsen, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Henry, thank you so much, as always, for joining us.Henry Olsen: Well, thank you, as always for having me back.Chuck Warren: Henry, Tell us about your new podcast, by the way. Let's get a plug for it. Tell us about it. Sure.Henry Olsen: My new podcast is called Beyond the Polls, and I interview leading election analysts and poll analysts every two weeks. And we talk about all things political. We talk about the Republican race and we talk about where Biden is. And I always have somebody from one of the key swing states in my segment called State of Play, where the person who's on the ground knows the state best can give you the lowdown. So it's every two weeks you can find it on all the podcast formulas.Chuck Warren: So since you've been doing that, tell us something that has stood out to you, talking to your guests, a little nugget that has stood out to you.Henry Olsen: The importance of what I'm calling the double doubters, that if you go back to 2016, the reason the polls were upended is that 18% of Americans didn't like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and they switched in the last week from being undecided or third party voters to backing Trump over 20%. My pollsters, analysts are telling me, are double doubters with respect to Biden and Trump. And that's before the mudslinging between them really starts in earnest. That sounds to me like if we do get the rematch that the polls suggest, we're going to get the same sort of late break that may confound the experts.Chuck Warren: So that perfect segue into your your column this week. Trump might have the lead in Iowa, but he has one big weakness. What is that weakness?Henry Olsen: That weakness is churchgoing evangelicals, that they are the group that has swung behind one candidate and propelled them to victory in each of the last three caucuses. Actually, the last four. They gave George W Bush a narrow plurality in 2000. And I spent a week there. And the polls say he's got a lot of support among evangelicals, but the people on the ground may be willing to back him, but they're looking around. They want to see is there somebody better, somebody who supports our values, supports our issues and doesn't have the baggage? Iowa evangelicals historically break late. They wait until the last few months to make a decision. So it's not saying Trump isn't going to win, but don't be surprised if you see them switch to somebody who they think can give them 80% of the fight with 10% of the baggage.Sam Stone: Now, is it just the baggage or are there specific policies that Trump is weak with them on? The one that popped to my mind was Covid and allowing the closure of churches. Is there something like that that's playing?Henry Olsen: I'll tell you, I was surprised in my conversations at the lack of policy disagreements. I would have expected more of the evangelicals to note things like that, but also note his backing away from a strongly pro-life stance, saying that the whole point of overturning Roe was to negotiate without saying what he actually stands for. I did not get that from anybody. I really got a question of that. His long standing concerns about his character remain. And the question of is this guy so tied down by his character and legal problems that he can't effectively beat Joe Biden. And they're really scared of Joe Biden.Chuck Warren: They should be. They should be. Let's do a little switch here and let's talk about the Hunter Biden stuff. Do you feel look, you're in D.C.. You're a columnist for The Washington Post. Do you feel what people call the legacy media is really starting to pay attention to this issue or are they still trying to just sweep it under the floor mat?Henry Olsen: You know, I would say it's between and it depends on which legacy media outlet you're talking about. There's beginning to be enough there, there. Right. You know, in the sense that you just can't ignore some of the things that are now being said under oath as opposed to things that were being speculated about or which relied on, you know, on emails, copies of emails found on laptops. And so I think we're only 1 or 2 revelations away. If those revelations exist of the legacy media actually having to pay much more attention to it. I think they're no longer in the sweep under the rug. They hope that it goes away. But if it doesn't, I think there's been enough there that they actually will have to turn their attention to it.Chuck Warren: Do you find any reasonable explanation why he would have 5000 emails under an alias?Henry Olsen: A reasonable explanation? Yeah.Chuck Warren: I mean, look, I mean, the easy way to handle this is just release them all. If there's nothing there, there's nothing there. Just make it transparency and embarrass the Republicans. That's an easy way to handle this, right? If there's nothing there.Henry Olsen: Yeah, well, I never want to get into the argument that stereotypically is offered by autocratic police departments. If you have nothing to fear, you have nothing to hide.Sam Stone: Guys, guys, I don't know this. I've got to say, this is like going when you've got this. This is like going to the ATM after 3 a.m. Nothing good is going to come from this. When you have fake email addresses and you're in office, nothing good is ever going to come from that.Henry Olsen: Yeah.Henry Olsen: You know, the thing is, I can imagine reasons you would want to do it like evade, you know.Sam Stone: Like did you see Gretchen Whitmer's guy communicating with her in Greek alphabet letters?Chuck Warren: Oh, that's cool.Sam Stone: To avoid FOIA.Henry Olsen: Yeah. No, I hadn't. I hadn't heard about that one. You know, just goes to show they all should have been watching Bill and Ted because I.Chuck Warren: Think there's.Henry Olsen: Greek alphabets when Bill interviewed Socrates. But.Henry Olsen: You know.Henry Olsen: I can imagine good reasons for 5000 emails under multiple aliases, depending who he's communicating with. But again, the thing is, at some point, we're going to find out at least some of them. And if they aren't benign, you know, like personal stuff, that you just don't want to have somebody you know, somebody who's you're concerned about hacking and they'll looking for the words Joe Biden. I could imagine that if you were a foreign government and you might want to have malware placed on Joe Biden's personal friends and anything that says Joe Biden gets sent to Beijing. Yeah, I can imagine that as a vice president and wanting to avoid things like that. But again, we'll see whether eventually some of these will be produced. May not be 5000, may be 200, maybe 500. And we'll see what they say.Chuck Warren: Interesting. If we wrap up here, anything you think we should be looking for here in news the next month or two? Something that's going to pop up that you feel we should keep our eyes on?Henry Olsen: You know, I think there's the usual, you know, who knows what's going to happen in the counteroffensive in Ukraine? Who knows what's going to happen with the Chinese economy. I would say, though, that, you know, the second debate is going to take place at the end of the month, September 27th, out at the Reagan Library. And it's going to be make or break time for some of these people. You know that the one in Milwaukee was really kind of first impression, kind of like speed dating. The second one is going to find out whether anybody wants to return the phone call. And so I think you're going to see a little bit more fire, a little bit more opposition. And it could be that somebody breaks out or somebody crashes to the earth.Sam Stone: I would like to see a couple more people drop out before then. I would narrow it to 4 or 5 maybe.Chuck Warren: I think what's really impressive is the cultural references Henry's used today speed dating and Bill and Ted. That's the most amazing thing of this aspect today. One last question. One last question, Henry. I think Republicans have a really good chance of taking the Senate. What are your thoughts?Henry Olsen: Absolutely. I think they should be the favorites. Even if Biden wins re-election. That has to do with the math. Yes. You know, so poll came out today or yesterday from a respected pollster showed Jon Tester only getting 43% against either of his opponents, Sherrod Brown. There's been polls show that Brown's in a neck and neck race. But the important thing is where is the longtime incumbent? And he's sitting at 45%, which is roughly around where a Democrat should get flip those two seats. The Republicans control the Senate. And then you've got all the other seats. This is a map that heavily favors Republicans. Joe Manchin haven't even mentioned him. You know, these are three states that Trump carried by between 6 and 30 something points. It's just hard to see where Republicans don't get those 2 or 3 seats. And then it's very hard to see how they would lose other seats that they hold given what are up to throw control back to the Democrats?Chuck Warren: Well, being a Republican, I have complete faith my party can blow it one way or another. So amen.Sam Stone: Amen. Our skills are legendary.Chuck Warren: Henry Olsen, thanks a million for visiting with us today.Henry Olsen: Thanks for having me on.Chuck Warren: Folks. This is breaking battlegrounds. We hope you've enjoyed this week's show and we'll be back next week. And if you can visit us at Breaking Battlegrounds or anywhere you find your podcasts. Have a great weekend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com

Unexplained deaths at Tinker Air Force Base.Help is coming for Afghan refugees in Oklahoma.It looks like we might have a soggy winter coming this year.You can find the KOSU Daily wherever you get your podcasts, you can also subscribe, rate us and leave a comment.You can keep up to date on all the latest news throughout the day at KOSU.org and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at KOSU Radio.This is The KOSU Daily, Oklahoma news, every weekday.

You're bacon me crazy. Today we are discussing The Seasoned Cafe in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Seasoned Cafe is a great choice for breakfast or lunch.  The portions are HUGE and their food is made from scratch.  Beware, your expectations for all future omelets will be much higher after trying one of theirs. Located just minutes from Oklahoma City, Midwest City holds the distinction of being the largest city in eastern Oklahoma County, as well as a proud neighbor of Tinker Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in the state. Tee off at the John Conrad Regional Golf Course, rated by Golf Digest's "Places to Play" as a four-star golf course, or cool off at the city's new million-dollar water park, Reno Swim and Slide. From classic car shows and military parades to Native American cultural showcases and local fare, Midwest City offers a myriad of exciting events and fantastic venues for making unforgettable memories. While exploring Midwest City, be sure to take a break with a water-side picnic at Lake Stanley Draper, which offers plenty of quiet spots for relaxing amid 34 miles of shoreline. News Story from KOCO. Check out the sponsor of our Show, Bravado Wireless. Subscribe to the Only in OK Show. #TravelOK #onlyinokshow #Oklahoma #MadeinOklahoma #oklaproud #podcast #okherewego #traveloklahoma

Guest host Andrew Moulton, former Superintendent for Educational Technology at the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education at Air University, speaks with MSgt Ja'Keith Robinson, First Sergeant at the 552nd Operations Support Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahama. MSgt Robinson shares his insights on how the U.S. invests in the enlisted corps through basic professional military education.

What did the teenage tornado say to his parents?  Nothing. He just stormed off. Today we are discussing the Twister Museum in Wakita, Oklahoma. Housed in the location office of the movie, this unique museum contains information and video on the making of "Twister" in Wakita. Visitors will find the original "Dorothy 1" from the movie, plus behind-the-scenes videos taken during the filming of the 1996 movie. See some of the debris used in the film from lamp posts to a bank door. You can find autographed photos and items signed by star Bill Paxton. Pick up a souvenir from the small gift shop featuring T-shirts, hats, stuffed cows and other items to commemorate your visit. Wakita is a town in Grant County, Oklahoma, and is notable as a location in the 1996 feature film Twister. Before the town's founding in 1898, there was a dispute over the right to name the town. The town's postmaster, and the owner of the first general store, and the town's first postmaster, believed it should be named Whiteville. Local Deputy U.S. Marshall Herbert John Green motioned for the town be named after a Cherokee chief of local significance named Wakita. Green and other local settlers wanted to name the town in the chief's honor because of a protective spell cast by the chief's tribe to protect the area around the town, between Crooked Creek and Pond Creek, from tornadoes for 100 years. On May 10, 2010, numerous tornadoes touched down in Grant County, causing significant damage near the Wakita area. However, the town itself was not destroyed. Wakita was the setting of a 1984 television commercial about DuPont's subsidiary Conoco using seismograph technology to search for oil. It was aired during the 1984 World Series. The voice over starts with, "Nothing much changes in Wakita, Oklahoma." News Story from KFOR. Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. Check out the sponsor of our Show, Bravado Wireless. Subscribe to the Only in OK Show. #TravelOK #onlyinokshow #Oklahoma #MadeinOklahoma #oklaproud #podcast #okherewego #traveloklahoma

THIS ISOUR

Legend says that a Bigfoot can grow up to 15 feet… but they usually just have two… Today we are discussing the Gasquatch in Idabel, Oklahoma.   For a Bigfoot sighting right from the road, head to Gasquatch in Idabel. Featuring one of the world's tallest statues of this legendary creature, Gasquatch is not your average highway stop. While you can fuel up and grab some of the best burgers and chicken-fried steak around, you can also view a collection of vintage cars and pickup souvenirs at this stop.  Order up a burger or your favorite diner foods from The Cave Cafe, then take a stroll through the on-site Phila Elite Car Collection Museum. Featuring approximately 15 vintage vehicles and a collection of old neon signs, you won't want to miss the muscle cars on exhibit. Pick up everything from souvenir t-shirts and stickers to stuffed animals and glassware in the Gasquatch gift shop. This Idabel pit stop is one you don't want to miss.     Discover flower power in Idabel, Oklahoma, the "Dogwood Capital of Oklahoma", where springtime tours showcase the area's champion blooming dogwood trees. See Native arts from Oklahoma and all over the world at the Museum of the Red River, where visitors can also view a dinosaur skeleton discovered in the area. Birders flock to the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, containing almost 6,000 acres of marshes and wetlands with nearly 300 species of birds, including the rare white ibis and wood stork.   Redbone Indian Tacos is a food truck based in Medicine Park, OK serving up Indian tacos, buffalo wings, and more. Available for events and catering.     News Story from the Daily Oklahoman   Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut.   Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City.     Subscribe to the Only in OK Show.   #TravelOK #onlyinokshow #Oklahoma #MadeinOklahoma #oklaproud #podcast #okherewego #traveloklahoma

48 Year old Denise Stice was a professional in her field. She worked as civilian on Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. In late November 2007, Denise would be murdered in a case that is still a mystery to this day. What happened to Denise and who killed this woman who seemed to have it all?   Send us your favorite cases at urdoingfineok.pod@gmail.com or hit us up on Instagram @ur_doing_fine_ok_pod

Imagine a world where the word "tornado" is banned from public weather announcements and tornadoes are considered unforecastable. This was not Bizzaro World, but the United States in the 1940s. It was thought the the mere word, tornado, would cause panic and the mass hysteria would cause more death than the tornado itself. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force forecasters were laying the ground work for the first tornado forecast after two tornadoes in five days tore across Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City. These two tornadoes were responsible for damaging or destroying more than 200 aircraft. Join Radar Contact Lost to learn about the two Air Force forecasters who created the world's first tornado forecast and the Air Force general who spurred them on. Learn why the U.S. Weather Bureau would not issue tornado forecasts and why they prevented Air Force tornado forecasts from reaching the public, and learn how the Air Force is preventing massive destruction such as the damage caused by the Twin Tornadoes of 1948. While you're listening, learn a little about Tornado Alley and even a little bit of tornado safety.

To Everyone's surprise, Journey's founding lead guitarist Neil Schon was born on Tinker Air Force Base, in Chasta's home state of Oklahoma. Neil plans to honor his home state by donating a Guitar to the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture. Chasta's Ex-Boyfriend and L&T Oklahoma Correspondent, Skeeter, reports from the scene to report on the significance of Neil's donation to Oklahoma Music History, and how much he DOESN'T miss Chasta (he does.) Follow Lamont & Tonelli:Website: http://www.landtradio.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lamontandtonelliTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/landtshowInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/landtshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To Everyone's surprise, Journey's founding lead guitarist Neil Schon was born on Tinker Air Force Base, in Chasta's home state of Oklahoma. Neil plans to honor his home state by donating a Guitar to the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture. Chasta's Ex-Boyfriend and L&T Oklahoma Correspondent, Skeeter, reports from the scene to report on the significance of Neil's donation to Oklahoma Music History, and how much he DOESN'T miss Chasta (he does.) Follow Lamont & Tonelli:Website: http://www.landtradio.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lamontandtonelliTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/landtshowInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/landtshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The official Run to Remember mobile app, powered by MidFirst Bank, puts everything you need to know about race weekend in the palm of your hand. This week, DJ Morgan of MidFirst Bank and Dustin Potter from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum first walk us through all the features of the newly upgraded app. Be sure to download it today.Then, find out how course marshals play a vital role during the Marathon, keeping runners safe and guiding them to the finish line. You'll hear from volunteer Chairman David Wood and Technical Sgt. Chelsey Coolidge, who is also an active duty member of the 72nd Security Forces Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base.Last, but certainly not least, hear from running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first women's Olympic marathon and widely regarded as one of the greatest female American marathoners of all time. She's back to share pro tips and tell us about running the London Marathon last fall, her first full marathon in three years. Listen to hear how she finished!Visit https://okcmarathon.com/event-information/app to download the new Run to Remember mobile app. And don't forget to delete the old version.Follow the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest marathon updates and visit www.OKCMarathon.com to sign up to run, volunteer or learn more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OKCMarathonTwitter: https://twitter.com/okcmarathonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/okcmarathon

If you're an Airman in maintenance, logistics readiness, civil engineering, or force protection, you can't miss this episode! We sat down with Lt. Gen. Tom D. Miller, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection. We talked about mentorship between officers and enlisted, the Basing and Logistics Enterprise Strategy, and how we must prepare for the future. Lt. Gen. Miller is responsible to the Chief of Staff for leadership, management and integration of Air Force logistics readiness, aircraft, munitions and missile maintenance, civil engineering and security forces. He is also responsible for setting policy and preparing budget estimates that reflect enhancements to productivity, combat readiness and quality of life for Airmen. He has served in a variety of leadership positions and has commanded maintenance squadrons in the United States and Iraq, a maintenance group in Afghanistan, a nuclear wing, an air logistics complex, and has served on the Air Staff and the Joint Staff. Before his current position, he was the Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

The Air Force Wingman Outreach Team sits down with CMSgt Schultz  - The Command Chief of the Air Force Sustainment Center. We have a candid talk about how to take care of our own Mental Health and how leadership can bring those tools to the workplace.  More on Chief Shultz: Chief Master Sergeant Robert C. Schultz is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, Air Force Sustainment Center, headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Chief Schultz is the senior enlisted leader and advisor to the commander for the center, leading 40,000 total force Airmen spanning three air logistics complexes, three air base wings, and two supply chain wings which operate from 26 locations around the world. Chief Schultz is responsible for ensuring the commander's directions are carried out to execute the assigned mission of providing mission-essential support to joint and interagency operations, allies, coalition partners, and foreign military sales partners to deliver combat power for America. Chief Schultz enlisted in the Air Force in 1996 and has an extensive background in the Air Transportation and First Sergeant career fields having served in the Pacific, European, and Middle Eastern theaters. He has deployed to various locations in support of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM, New DAWN, and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. Prior to his current position, he served as the Command Chief for the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

Welcome to this edition of Tinker Talks. General Duke Richardson, the Air Force Materiel Command, commander sits down with us during his immersion of Tinker Air Force Base to talk about a host of topics. Please remember to check out our socials: Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker Website - www.tinker.af.mil

When students go to obtain a degree in higher education, they expect that what they have studied and paid for is worth it all in the end. The goal is to have student success after graduation.No student would want to go through long hours of schooling and their degree not be accredited in the end.Herman Bounds, the Director of the Accreditation Group within the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education, is tasked with ensuring that the accreditation agencies are following the proper regulations so that higher education institutions are upholding the standards for the students.Join us as we discuss:Employer involvement with programmatic accreditorsHow accreditation agencies are conducting proper oversight of their institutionsThe steps to ensure a fair evaluation process for the institutions Check out the book Herman mentioned during the podcast:Winning in FastTime: Harness the Competitive Advantage of Prometheus in Business and Life See Herman's full bio below!Keep connected with us by subscribing to Accreditation Conversations on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Check out our website here.Herman Bounds is the Director of the Accreditation Group within the Office of Postsecondary Education. He assumed that position in February 2014 after spending two years as an Education Program Specialist in the Accreditation Group. Herman was the Deputy Director at the Aviation Career Campus of Metro Technology Centers, a career and technical education school district in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. While serving as the deputy director Herman played a major role with developing a first of its kind workforce development project which provided Tinker Air Force Base with approximately 1,500 credentialed aviation maintenance technicians. During his tenure as deputy director the Aviation Career Campus maintained a 90 percent graduation and placement rate average for the aviation maintenance technology program. Herman was active in the accreditation process at the state level and served on site visit teams for the State Department of Career and Technical Education. Herman was also a subject matter expert for a human factors study (Psychological Study of Aircraft Accidents) conducted by Federal Aviation Administration. In addition, Herman is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service.Herman has a MS degree in Aerospace Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University; and an Ed.S. in Education Administrator Leadership from Walden University.

Valley Farms and Brothers Mark Cannabis with owner Jeremy Freitas today on Dazed And Infused with Latham Woodward only on The Cannabis Radio. Jeremy was enlisted and served in the Air Force from 1995-to 2000. After basic training and tech school at Lackland AFB TX, he was assigned with the 31st Fighter Wing Aviano AFB, Italy. He was stationed there from 1995-to 1999 where he supported Operations Deliberate Force and Operation Allied Forces. Jeremy was then stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma where he supported the 552 Air Control Wing until his Honorable discharge in 2000. Jeremy contracted Lyme disease from a tick while participating in Air Force training exercises at Tinker AFB in 1999. Lyme is a very difficult disease to diagnose and it took Air Force Doctors about a year for them to properly diagnosed him. Jeremy was the first documented Lyme disease patient in the state of Oklahoma. Jeremy endured multiple rounds of treatments while on active duty and initially seemed to get better. He was recently confirmed to have Chronic Lyme Syndrome which includes symptoms of chronic fatigue, chronic pain, cognitive memory loss, and numbness of limbs.

Tornado Alley is that area in the United States that has more tornados than anywhere else in the world. Stretching from central Texas to Eastern South Dakota. Tornados are more likely in Texas and Oklahoma in the Spring, and then they are more numerous in the northern plains in the summertime. Fed by the contrast between moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and super dry air that blows down off the Rockies, and the contrast in temperatures between the ground surface and midlevels in the atmosphere, severe weather development is primed. This is most common in Tornado Alley, and more common in southern areas early in the season. Oklahoma's most active month is May, but March is the 4th most active of the year. Averaging almost as many tornados as July, August and September put together. It's not unusual then for tornado to strike the same part of Oklahoma more than once in March. But what happened on this date in weather history on March 25, 1948 was unusual. A tornado struck Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City destroying 35 airplanes. Just 5 days earlier a tornado had also struck the air base destroying 50 airplanes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Tinker Talks, 2nd Lt. Leyinzca Bihlajama sits down with Maj. Jason Bond of the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron and Flight Lt. Simon Bracewell, an exchange officer from the Royal Air Force serving in the 552nd Operations Support Squadron, during Red Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

In this episode of Tinker Talks, we sit down with Master Sgts. Daniel MacPherson and Kim Van Wormer, career assistance advisors from the Team Tinker Professional Development Center, and Airman 1st Class Lovely Mouton from the 72nd Force Support Squadron to talk about the importance of having a mentor, especially when it comes to retraining. This episode is full of valuable information Airmen need to know when they're thinking of retraining. Please don't forget to stay up-to-date with Tinker news and information: www.tinker.af.mil Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker

Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Commander Maj. Gen. Jeff King recently sat down with Tinker Talks to discuss his career, the OC-ALC mission and the innovative workforce. This is part one of a two-part conversation with the general.

In this episode of Tinker Talks, we discuss the Employee Enhancement Program with program manager, Wakita Oliver, and recent graduate, Josh Butler. This episode is full of valuable information on the program and how to self-nominate when the data call window opens. EEP is not just a program for someone wanting to be a supervisor, Oliver says. “I try to give you the opportunities to have conversations with people [in various areas],” she added. “Mostly the program helps people see how they personally tie to the mission, which can help them with their career progression. If I don't how I tie to the mission, what good is it to see where I can go next?” Butler said one of the benefits of EEP being able to take lessons learned from the program back to the unit and help co-workers expand their horizons. “Even if they're too terrified or if they don't get into EEP when they apply the first time, they still get those benefits because we organically take it back wherever we go,” he said. Participants in the year-long program participate in group activities such as base tours, meetings with senior leaders and community service projects. The program is open to civilians who are GS-09 to GS-12 (and their AcqDemo equivalents) and WG-08 to WS-14s (including WL/WS-09s) and who have completed three years of federal service. Get more information on Tinker Air Force Base, including details on the EEP data call, on social media and the base website: www.tinker.af.mil Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker Until next time, thanks for listening, thanks for sharing and stay safe out there and respect one another.

Here with us today on the United Voice Oklahoma Podcast is Darrell Davis, the recently elected mayor of Edmond, Oklahoma. Darrell is retired from a 35-year civilian career at Tinker Air Force Base, and sat on the Edmond City Council for 9 years. When he was elected Mayor of Edmond in April of 2021, he became the first black mayor ever elected in Edmond, and we are so excited to have him on the podcast today to share about his life experiences with us as he leads one of OKC's most notable neighboring cities.

Air Force Materiel Command's Connect program is an initiative to focus on building relationships. This month, we invited Chaplain (Maj.) Chris Reeder from the Tinker Chapel to join us on this episode of Tinker Talks to discuss the topic of Hope. The purpose of AFMC Connect is to help units invest in their collective success by providing the time, tools, and resources to enhance personal and professional performance. AFMC Connect allows leaders at every level to have active and sustained engagement with their people. This is not a “one size fits all” initiative, but rather it provides a standardized message with accompanying tools and resources to better assist in successful engagement. This is a holistic approach to strengthen resilience, reinforce protective factors and reduce unwanted behaviors through deliberate and meaningful personal and professional development. Focusing on our mission, building a shared purpose, and strong connections will aid in assisting our most vital resource, our people and create the AFMC We Need!

What began out of a tragedy has turned into a triumph for the young military members stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. Pam Kloiber, executive director and co-founder of the Team Tinker Home Away From Home program, recently sat down with Tinker Talks to discuss the program that pairs young service members with civilian host families to help alleviate the anxiety of being alone and far from home, often for the first time. On an icy Christmas Eve in 2011, two Airmen from the 552nd Air Control Wing were killed in an automobile accident in Oklahoma City. After a conversation with then-552nd ACW Commander Col. Greg Guillot, Kloiber had her marching orders and set out to create a program modeled after a similar one at the Air Force Academy. Over the last 10 years, more than 1,000 first term Airmen and Sailors have taken Kloiber up on her offer and actively participated in the program. Service members can become part of HAFH through several different avenues, Kloiber said. In addition to being linked with a host family, service members can attend a monthly life skills class through the “Empowerment, Enhancement and Education” initiative. Airmen looking for something to do over the holidays are welcome to reach out to Kloiber through the channels listed below. No commitment to join the program is necessary. For more information on the program, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TeamTinkerHomeAwayFromHome/ or their website at www.teamtinkerhomeawayfromhome.org. Airmen interested in the program can reach out to the career assistance advisors at the First Term Airman Center at 405-736-4959 or tinker.ftac@us.af.mil.

In this episode of Tinker Talks, we sit down with the Misty Feller, Tinker's new domestic abuse victim advocate to discuss domestic violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Domestic abuse does not discriminate,” Feller said. “People of any age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, education level and economic status can be a victim, or perpetrator, of domestic abuse.” If you are a victim of domestic abuse, call the Family Advocacy 24-hour hotline at 405-256-2825.

In this episode of Tinker Talks, we discuss diversity and inclusion with Jose Milan, chief of Tinker's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility office. Air Force Materiel Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr. has said he wants AFMC to lead the Air Force in having a diverse and inclusive workforce. That's where Milan's DEIA team comes in. This episode is full of valuable information on how to make our workspaces more inclusive. Like General Bunch said, diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to the success of the command. Please give it a full listen and tell a friend to listen. Please don't forget to stay up-to-date with Tinker news and information: www.tinker.af.mil Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker Until next time, thanks for listening, thanks for sharing and stay safe out there and respect one another.

Air Force Materiel Command's Connect program is an initiative to focus on building relationships. We invited Jae Grinston from the Diversity & Inclusion Office and Wakita Oliver from the 72nd Force Support Squadron to join us on this episode of Tinker Talks to discuss the topic of Outlook. The purpose of AFMC Connect is to help units invest in their collective success by providing the time, tools, and resources to enhance personal and professional performance. AFMC Connect allows leaders at every level to have active and sustained engagement with their people. This is not a “one size fits all” initiative, but rather it provides a standardized message with accompanying tools and resources to better assist in successful engagement. This is a holistic approach to strengthen resilience, reinforce protective factors and reduce unwanted behaviors through deliberate and meaningful personal and professional development. Focusing on our mission, building a shared purpose, and strong connections will aid in assisting our most vital resource, our people and create the AFMC We Need!

In this episode of Tinker Talks, host April McDonald sits down with the 72nd Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, Col. G. Hall Sebren Jr. Col. Sebren took command just a few short months ago, but has hit the ground running. He discusses his leadership approach and warrior mindset as well as top priorities. Remember to subscribe to this podcast and leave us feedback! And, how about a rating? Let us know how we're doing. Check out our social media sites: Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram @Team_Tinker on Twitter www.tinker.af.mil

Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command visited Tinker Air Force Base for a second time recently. This time around we had a chance to sit down with the General for a discussion on the 552 Air Control Wing, the critical missions performed by the men and women of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and more.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. visited Tinker Air Force Base August 9-10. During the visit, Brown met with Tinker AFB senior leaders to discuss the installation mission. Gen. Brown was also able to tour Tinker AFB facilities, including the Air Force Sustainment Center, the Oklahoma Air Logistics Complex and the 552nd Air Control Wing. Mrs. Sharene Brown, Spouse of U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., also visited Tinker, where she was able to meet with Air Force members across the base to discuss Air Force family life and the Key Spouse program.

Lt. Gen. Gene Kirkland, commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, recently sat down with Tinker Talks to discuss his Air Force career and his time as the leader of the AFSC.

Air Force Materiel Command's Connect program is an initiative to focus on building relationships. We invited Wakita Oliver, a master resiliency facilitator with the 72nd Force Support Squadron, to join us on this episode of Tinker Talks to discuss the topic of Character. Oliver teaches Profession of Arms Center of Excellence, or PACE, classes that concentrate on people leading themselves or others and on professional development. She said many of those classes encompass character as a whole. “Character, for many of us, is about talking straight,” Oliver said. “It's about having those difficult conversations when we need to have them.” Being respectful, showing transparency, admitting when you're wrong and making that wrong right and being someone who is loyal are all a part of what's learned through PACE and all have aspects of character in them, she said. The purpose of AFMC Connect is to help units invest in their collective success by providing the time, tools, and resources to enhance personal and professional performance. AFMC Connect allows leaders at every level to have active and sustained engagement with their people. This is not a “one size fits all” initiative, but rather it provides a standardized message with accompanying tools and resources to better assist in successful engagement. This is a holistic approach to strengthen resilience, reinforce protective factors and reduce unwanted behaviors through deliberate and meaningful personal and professional development. Focusing on our mission, building a shared purpose, and strong connections will aid in assisting our most vital resource, our people and create the AFMC We Need!

Welcome back for another episode of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Leadership Log podcast. It's our 50th episode and we're going to mark this milestone by talking about one of the oldest platforms in the Air Force's inventory, the B-52 Stratofortress otherwise known as the BUFF. For more than 60 years the BUFF has been an icon of global reach and central to the Air Force's ability to project power anywhere, anytime. And that doesn't appear likely to change anytime soon. Col. Lou Ruscetta leads the AFLCMC B-52 System Program Office which is located at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Ruscetta explains the BUFF's history since it was first acquired in 1947. The Big Ugly Fat Fella started flying in 1952 and the Air Force acquired the last airframe in 1962 and it has been a mainstay in the Air Force's bomber arsenal ever since. The BUFF is projected to be the Air Force's 1st-century platform with plans to fly it well into the 2050s. One of the reasons I became interested in joining the Air Force was hearing stories that my Uncle told about crewing BUFFs during Vietnam. We'd love to hear any of your experiences with the BUFF over the years. Thank you for coming along on this ride with us. We hope that you've enjoyed the first 50 episodes of the Leadership Log podcast. We're lining up some great topics to bring to you in future episodes so we really hope you'll stay with us. If you haven't already done so, then please consider subscribing to this series, and don't forget to follow and like us on our social media platforms. For more information on all things Air Force Life Cycle Management Center related please visit and bookmark our website at www.aflcmc.af.mil. If you have an idea for a future episode on a topic that would interest the Life Cycle Management Center family shoot us an email at aflcmc.pa.mediateam@us.af.mil. Until next time---stay strong, stay safe, and keep providing what warfighters need when they need it. For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil. Follow and like us on our social media channels for the latest information and news from programs across the center. LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/aflcmcofficial Twitter: @AFLCMCofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFLCMCofficial Instagram: @aflcmcofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzpbkmBDlq05aBqPYvcze3A History Office Twitter: @airpowercradle

Welcome to another episode of Tinker Talks. This episode we are talking about the Air Force Assistance Fund. Hardships happen to everyone and often times when it's least expected. The AFAF is a fund designed to directly give back to our Airmen. The fund raising drive is almost finished, but anyone can donate and give back year round. Information on how to donate through the website and text message will be found on Tinker's website: www.tinker.af.mil and also on the Facebook page - @tinkerairforcebase. also check us out on Instagram - tinkerairforcebase and Twitter @Team_Tinker Don't forget to subscribe and download. It helps this podcast reach more people to get the word out.

Tornado Alley is that area in the United States that has more tornados than anywhere else in the world. Stretching from central Texas to Eastern South Dakota. Tornados are more likely in Texas and Oklahoma in the Spring, and then they are more numerous in the northern plains in the summertime. Fed by the contrast between moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and super dry air that blows down off the Rockies, and the contrast in temperatures between the ground surface and midlevels in the atmosphere, severe weather development is primed. This is most common in Tornado Alley, and more common in southern areas early in the season. Oklahoma’s most active month is May, but March is the 4th most active of the year. Averaging almost as many tornados as July, August and September put together. It’s not unusual then for tornado to strike the same part of Oklahoma more than once in March. But what happened on this date in weather history on March 25, 1948 was unusual. A tornado struck Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City destroying 35 airplanes. Just 5 days earlier a tornado had also struck the air base destroying 50 airplanes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vince Howie, Vice President, CEO of ATS World Wide, ATS’s innovative solution, an electric-powered pull car/tow dolly system to move airliners on and around airports. The technology is safety-enhancing (will help reduce aircraft crashes) and environmentally friendly (it will help airliners save on fuel and significantly reducing carbon emissions generated at airports).Also the fact that ATS World Wide chose to develop and launch in the State of Oklahoma is an interesting story in itself. This oil and gas state has taken numerous steps to diversify its economy over the past 20 years and thanks to unique policies and measures, the state has become today a major center of excellence when it comes to general aviation, MRO and unmanned aerial systems. Prior to Vince becoming President of ATS World Wide, Vince was formerly the Director of Aerospace and Defense at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and prior to that was Brigadier General at Tinker Air Force Base where he led all logistic operations at the USAF’s largest MRO facility in the world. http://at-system.eu

Welcome to another episode of Tinker Talks. This episode features the commander of the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Col. Michael Parks. He is an active duty colonel commanding an operational reserve wing. Col. Parks talks about his career and how he came to be the commander of Oklahoma's largest flying wing. He also highlights what a Citizen Airman is and how they manage dual roles - citizen and Air Force Reservist. We also dive into the importance the reserve mission is to the Total Force. Ops tempo has been very high for nearly two decades and the highly skilled Airman at the 507th are critical to maintaining operations around the globe. Tune in and get educated about a little talked about, but incredibly important piece to the Total Force. For more information on the 507th ARW please visit https://www.507arw.afrc.af.mil/ And check out their social media: https://www.facebook.com/507ARW and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/507arw_okies/ Tinker Air Force Base website: www.tinker.af.mil Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase and Twitter - @Team_Tinker

Laurie Spadaro, director of the Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program and class of 2016, sits down with Ryan VanNoy, MBOE class of 2020. Ryan is a veteran who currently serves as supervisor for the Maintenance Analysis and Funding Team at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Listen to hear why Ryan chose to go back to school and how it's impacted his career, as well as his personal life.

On this episode of Tinker Talks, we sit down with Ali Kern, Family Advocacy intervention specialist, to discuss Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Every February, young people and their loved ones join together to bring awareness about the issues related to teen dating violence. The month-long campaign focuses on education to end the abuse before it starts. Teens who experience dating abuse are subject to long term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and violent behaviors. Statistics show that 1 in 3 teens will experience some sort of abuse before they reach adulthood. That abuse can be physical, sexual or emotional. Resources are available to learn more about combating teen dating violence. Visit loveisrespect.org, text LOVEIS to 22522 or call 1.866.331.9474. You can also visit teendvmonth.org or call the Tinker Family Advocacy Program at 405-582-6604. Don't forget to check out our socials: Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker Web - www.tinker.af.mil Stay warm and safe out there, treat each other with respect, and have a great week!

The KC-135 Stratotanker has been in service longer than most of us have been alive. Born out of the cold war need for nuclear deterrence the Air Force purchased 800 of the airframes from 1957 - 1965 in order to keep B-52 bombers airborne around the globe. We recently had the opportunity to chat with the senior materiel leader and Legacy Tanker Division chief Col. Mark Mocio about the challenges his team at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma face in keeping 60+ year old airframes in the fight. The plan now is to keep at least 75 percent of the current KC-135 fleet available for service to 2050 and beyond. Col. Mocio explained that the key to achieving that goal is in partnering with stakeholders throughout the Air Force and Industry, and in utilizing the robust weapons system integrity plan all working to solve tomorrow's problems today. For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil. Follow and like us on our social media channels for the latest information and news from programs across the center. LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/aflcmcofficial Twitter: @AFLCMCofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFLCMCofficial Instagram: @aflcmcofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzpbkmBDlq05aBqPYvcze3A History Office Twitter: @airpowercradle

Welcome back to The Shift, a podcast that's here to help you adjust to the new! In this season we will talk about new love, whether it be about the season of loving someone else or loving yourself. We'll talk about the X and O's, the yes and no's, “he loves me, he loves me not” or I gave it all I got. In today's episode, “If It Isn't Love” hear from two individuals who have managed to adjust to their new season of singleness after both being in serious long-term relationships. They will each discuss being with high-school and college sweethearts to now living as working young adults figuring out how to restart. Join your host, J. Camille, and reappearing guest, Darius Jones as they share their stories and the shift that takes place when your status changes from taken to single. Darius Jones is a native from Lawton, OK. He is a class of 2017 graduate from The University of Oklahoma where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering. Darius currently works as an industrial engineer for the engine maintenance group at Tinker Air Force Base in OK. Darius loves to lend a helping hand to those around him. He eagerly looks for opportunities to serve those in the OKC community through his church as well as programs that help underprivileged students. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends when he can. Hear them share their shifts today! Keep up with The Shift on social media: Instagram.com/the.shift.podcast/ Facebook.com/jcamilleproductions Become a Patron! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hello and welcome to another episode of Tinker Talks. This month we sit down with the 552nd Air Control Wing Command Chief, Kenny Mott to discuss violence prevention. Chief Mott shares a childhood experience dealing with violence in the home, how he overcame it and some valuable resources that helped guide him through those difficult days. Chief Mott opens up about this personal experience and resources available as a proactive approach to improving lives and raising awareness to those impacted by domestic violence or abuse. If you find yourself in a position where abuse is taking place, please reach out and seek help. Don't feel like you have to deal with this alone. Your First Sergeant or chain of command is there for support and help. Other resources are available: Military One Source - https://www.militaryonesource.mil/family-relationships/family-life/preventing-abuse-neglect/domestic-abuse-military-reporting-options YWCA Women's Shelters It's important to remember that violence of any kind is not acceptable. Take the steps to get to a better place. Please listen and share this powerful episode. Chief Mott wants you to know that help is available and your Air Force family cares. You are a valued member of the team. Thanks for taking time to listen to this episode. Be sure to check us out on social media: Facebook and Instagram: @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter: @Team_Tinker Website: www.tinker.af.mil Also, check out the 552 Facebook page @552acw Website: www.552acw.acc.af.mil/ Until next time, stay safe, treat each other with respect and have a great Air Force Day!

Welcome back for another episode of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Leadership Log podcast. This week we celebrate one of our own. James Tipton is the lead engineer for three B-1 ACAT III programs, and the software sustainment program at AFLCMC's B-1 program office located at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He was recently honored as a recipient of the 2020 Gears of Government President's Award for his innovative approach to the Air Force's B-1 Bomber modernization and sustainment activities. The Gears of Government Awards are designed to drive a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, which ultimately provides the federal workforce with tools and ideas to better serve the American people. The individuals and teams recognized exemplify the hard work and innovation essential to achieving the President's vision for a modern, effective government. Award recipients embody the values of mission, service, and stewardship, and their stories display the impact public servants are making across the government. Lt. Col. Timothy Jackson is the B-1 System Program Office deputy director. He remarked about the importance of Tipton's work. He said, "The B-1 is one of the backbones that Air Force Global Strike Command relies on every single day to continue meeting the National Defense Strategy. Individual contributors like Mr. Tipton who consistently go the extra mile and demonstrate daily dedication supporting the warfighter, are the keystones that keep the weapon system doing what the Air Force needs it to do to protect every American's civil liberty." "I'm honored to be recognized for this prestigious award," said Tipton. "This achievement I believe is really a reflection of the dedication and hard work across the B-1 division." For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil. Follow and like us on our social media channels for the latest information and news from programs across the center. LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/aflcmcofficial Twitter: @AFLCMCofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFLCMCofficial Instagram: @aflcmcofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzpbkmBDlq05aBqPYvcze3A History Office Twitter: @airpowercradle

In this episode of Tinker Talks, we discuss Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, which takes place every September. Last year the Air Force had a resilience tactical pause to focus on rising suicide rates in the Air Force. Capt. Andrea Krunnfusz, the director of Psychological Health for the 72nd Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, joins us to talk about programs and resources available to Airmen in order for them to seek help if needed. She also discusses the importance of coming forward if you're struggling and how to recognize co-workers who might be struggling with stress and try to get them assistance. This episode is full of valuable information, tools and resources. Please give it a full listen and tell a friend to listen. Recommend this podcast episode to a friend or family member. Help is Available 24/7: Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-2433 Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, Option 1; text 741741; veteranscrisisline.net Teen Hotline: 1-800-448-3000 LGBT Youth Hotline: 1-866-488-7386 Transgender Hotline: 1-877-565-8860 Free Crisis Apps: My3, VirtualHopeBox Support is also available through the Medical Group and Chaplains. Contact the Tinker Mental Health Clinic, 405-582-6603, to learn ways to improve your mental health and safety. NOTE: The discussion or posting of any of these resources or third party applications does not express endorsement by the U.S. Government. Please don't forget to stay up-to-date with Tinker news and information: www.tinker.af.mil Facebook and Instagram - @TinkerAirForceBase Twitter - @Team_Tinker Until next time, thanks for listening, thanks for sharing and stay safe out there and respect one another.

In this episode hear from two individuals who are fresh out of college, living the dream, and realizing that perhaps things aren't as they seem. See this is the part where dreams meet reality, where work overrules play, and you're just a young rookie trying to learn your way. Join your host, J. Camille, and special guests, Mytala and Darius Jones as they continue on from last week's topic and discuss the shift that takes place when you start a New Career. Mytala is a class of 2018 graduate from The University of Central Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She is a second-year teacher in the Oklahoma City area where she instructs students in the third grade. Mytala has a true servant's heart. In her downtime, she looks for opportunities to serve Jesus through volunteer opportunities with her church or in her community. She also enjoys spending time with family, friends, and traveling. Darius Jones is a native from Lawton, OK. He is a class of 2017 graduate from The University of Oklahoma where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering. Darius currently works as an industrial engineer for the engine maintenance group at Tinker Air Force Base in OK. Darius loves to lend a helping hand to those around him. He eagerly looks for opportunities to serve those in the OKC community through his church as well as programs that help underprivileged students. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends when he can. Hear our special guests share their shifts today! Keep up with The Shift on social media: Instagram.com/the.shift.podcast/ Facebook.com/jcamilleproductions Become a Patron! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein visited Tinker to see firsthand how the Air Force Sustainment Center is successfully performing depot operations during COVID-19. We also discussed diversity and inclusion in today's Air Force. The general was candid in his comments about where the Air Force stands and what the plan is moving forward. Links to General Goldfein's commentary, his Facebook Live town hall with Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright and PACAF Commander Gen. Charles Brown Jr.'s powerful Twitter message - Commentary: Unrest in America https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2206408/commentary-unrest-in-america/ Town Hall: https://www.facebook.com/USairforce/videos/264465691654314/ General Charles Q. Brown Jr. https://twitter.com/PACAF/status/1268794618461618177 The general also raved about community support, calling Tinker's relationship with Oklahoma the “Gold Standard.” This was a very rare opportunity to have a discussion with the Chief of Staff and one you won't want to miss. Please make sure to download and subscribe to Tinker Talks, leave us a rating and feedback. We really want to know what you are interested in. Check us out of social media - Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram and @Team_Tinker on Twitter. Also be sure to see our website for all the latest news on Tinker to include any updated news on COVID-19. www.tinker.af.mil. Until next time, stay safe, be thoughtful and take care of one another. Have a great day and a better week.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. This episode we talk about something that is vitally important, not just to Tinker Air Force Base but to every organization, logistics. Joining us on this episode is Brent Burgess, the 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron director. He's here to talk about how vital this organization is to Tinker and what they have been able to accomplish during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please make sure to subscribe and rate Tinker Talks. It helps us get the word out about all the great things happening here. Also, please leave us some feedback. We want to know what you think and what you want to see in the future. Don't forget to check out our website: www.tinker.af.mil and our COVID-19 site for information: https://www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus/ Also, like us on our social media sites: @Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram and @Team_Tinker on Twitter. Until next time, have a great day and a great week and stay safe out there.

Welcome to another episode of Tinker Talks. We continue our discussion of impacts due to the Corona Virus, specifically financial impacts and some assistance to those who have suffered due to the COVID-19 virus. With millions of Americans out of work, the financial impact has the potential to reach our DoD active duty and civilian personnel. In our first remote recording we sit down with Gia Easley from the 72 Force Support Squadron to talk about assistance if needed and to give some education and information about the Thrift Savings Plan. Please remember, if you are dealing with financial, physical or emotional stress due to the current pandemic, make sure to reach out and get the help and support needed. There are a lot of resources available to our DoD personnel. Please look to our website - https://www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus/ for information and helpful links. Also check out our social media sites: @Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram and @Team_Tinker on Twitter.

On this edition of Tinker Talks we talk discuss ways to communicate Coronavirus to your kids. What to say and do and how to keep them stress-free during these difficult times. We also discuss how to cope with anxiety and stress during this time. As this pandemic spreads the effects will likely take a toll on some. We will discuss ways that we can identify and help those in need. Today's discussion is with Capt. Andrea Krunnfusz Mental Health Element Chief, and Clinical Psychologist and Capt. Adrianna Harrell, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Family Advocate Officer in Charge. The Captain's from the 72 Medical Group give some sound advice on how to navigate these difficult discussions and times. This a very value-added podcast. They each gave some resources for everyone to use. NOTE: The posting of links and organizations below does not express endorsement by the United States Government in any way. Helping Agencies: Tinker Family Advocacy Program; Tinker New Parent Support Program (within FAP) Links/Articles: https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/Docs/latest_news/2020/Coronavirus_COVID19__Children.pdf https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/ https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/disasters/pandemic-resources https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/10-tips-for-talking-about-covid-19-with-your-kids https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html Fun things: https://loganhealth.org/prod/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/What-to-do-at-home-with-your-kids-during-COVID-2019.pdf Helping Agencies: Mental Health Clinic, MFLC (Military Family and Life Counselors), Chaplains Military OneSource: www.militaryonesource.mil (includes several COVID-19 and mental health related resources, tips, and tricks!) or #800-342-9647 Oklahoma 211: Dial 211, or visit 211oklahoma.org Inpatient Facilities: Oakwood Springs, Bethany Behavioral Health, St. Anthony's Veteran Crisis Line: #800-273-8255, Option1 -or- text 838255 Don't forget to check out our website www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus for all of the latest information you will need. Also check us out on social media - Facebook and Instagram - @Tinker Air Force Base and Twitter - @Team_Tinker

This edition of Tinker Talks focuses on COVID-19 updates and helpful information from our the Tinker Air Force Base 72 Medical Group. Joining us today are 72 MDG Commander, Col. Jennifer Trinkle, Public Health Emergency Officer, Col. Cindy Graessle, and Public Health Commander, Maj. Trinette Flowers-Torres. They give us some great information about the Coronavirus and Tinker's current status, with regards to health and operations. They also re emphasize the proper procedures and CDC guidelines on cleaning and taking care of yourself and those around you. For all the latest updates on COVID-19 check out our Coronavirus website at https://www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus/ and also stay tuned to our Facebook page. @Tinker Air Force Base. If you have medical questions please call the Tinker COVID-19 Hotline: 405-582-6297. Until next time stay safe out there.

This edition of Tinker Talks focuses on COVID-19 updates and helpful information from our the Tinker Air Force Base 72 Medical Group. Joining us today are 72 MDG Commander, Col. Jennifer Trinkle, Public Health Emergency Officer, Lt. Col. Cindy Graessle, and Public Health Commander, Maj. Trinette Flowers-Torres. They give us some great information about the Coronavirus and Tinker's current status, with regards to health and operations. They also re emphasize the proper procedures and CDC guidelines on cleaning and taking care of yourself and those around you. For all the latest updates on COVID-19 check out our Coronavirus website at https://www.tinker.af.mil/coronavirus/ and also stay tuned to our Facebook page. @Tinker Air Force Base. If you have medical questions please call the Tinker COVID-19 Hotline: 405-582-6297. Until next time stay safe out there.

Tornado Alley is that area in the United States that has more tornados than anywhere else in the world. Stretching from central Texas to Eastern South Dakota. Tornados are more likely in Texas and Oklahoma in the Spring, and then they are more numerous in the northern plains in the summertime. Fed by the contrast between moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and super dry air that blows down off the Rockies and the contrast in temperatures between the ground surface and midlevels in the atmosphere severe weather development is primed. This is most common in Tornado Alley and more common in southern areas early in the season. Oklahoma’s most active month is May, but March is the 4th most active of the year. Averaging almost as many tornados as July, August and September put together. It’s not unusual then for tornado to strike the same part of Oklahoma more than once in March. But what happened on this date in weather history on March 25, 1948 was unusual. A tornado struck Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City destroying 35 airplanes. Just 5 days earlier a tornado had also struck the air base destroying 50 airplanes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Air Force Sustainment Center is big business and on this episode we get an opportunity to sit down with the commander of the AFSC to find out what that means. Lt. Gen. Gene Kirkland, AFSC commander joins us to discuss topics such as how we are using innovation to keep our legacy aircraft in the fight and up and coming technologies such as predictive maintenance. This is an information packed episode that you will not want to miss. Please make sure to leave us a message and a rating. Subscribe and download our episodes. Follow us on social media @Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram and @Team_Tinker on Twitter. Also for AFSC specific news follow them on Facebook at @Sustainment and their website at www.afsc.af.mil. Have a great day and a better week!

Welcome to Tinker Talks. This episode we sit down with Col. Paul Filcek, the 72 Air Base Wing and Tinker Air Force Base Installation Commander for a candid conversation about privatized housing, big changes in the medical community, leadership philosophy and more. Col. Filcek walked into a high speed command just over six months ago and now takes some time to sit down and discuss what has been accomplished and what it yet to be done. Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and on Twitter @Team_Tinker. Please leave us feedback so we know what you think about this podcast or ideas of what you'd like to hear on future episodes.

Weather Flight Commander, Capt. John Martin takes time out of his buys day to sit down with us and talk about weather operations, it's vitally critical role to the mission and what it takes to become an Air Force forecaster. Air Force forecasters help leadership determine flight and base status depending on weather situations. No flight operations occur without a weather briefing to let the pilots and crew know what they can expect when in the air. Tinker Air Force Base, located in Oklahoma provides unique challenges for Air Force meteorologists, making this duty station a top choice. Don't forget to subscribe and download on Apple Podcasts and leave us some feedback. We want to know what you'd like to hear. Be sure to check us out on social media: @Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram, @Team_Tinker on Twitter. Also check out the Tinker AFB website for information and stories at www.tinker.af.mil.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. This is a podcast that discusses happenings behind the fence of one of the Air Force's largest bases. This month, we have a guest host on the show. 2d Lt. Ashlyn Paulson recently deployed with the 552 Air Control Wing for training missions around the globe. During a stop in Australia, she was able to sit down for a conversation with Flight Lieutenant Ryan Anderson, a flight Capt. aboard an Australian E7A Wedgetail. They discuss similarities and differences between the two aircraft and how critical training together has become. Enjoy this rare opportunity to gain insight about our partnership with a long-time ally. Please make sure to follow us on our social media sites: Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and Twitter @Team_Tinker. Also check out our web page at www.tinker.af.mil and don't forget to leave us feedback on how we're doing with this podcast.

Welcome to this episode of Tinker Talks. We are talking about energy awareness this week. You think your energy bill is high during the summer months? Imagine opening the bill for the largest industrial complex in the Air Force. Tinker Air Force Base used to be the #1 largest energy consumer in the Air Force. Generally being #1 is something to be proud of, but not in this case. Due to the hard work of many here at Tinker, we are now sitting at #4. That may not seem like much, but in terms of energy usage it's quite a victory. But not one to settle on. There is work to be done. This week we talk to the man who is responsible for energy usage and reduction at the largest consumer of energy on Tinker Air Force Base. Mr. Joseph Cecrle, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex energy manager has the daunting task of managing and reducing energy at not only Tinker Air Force Base's largest customer, but the largest maintenance depot in the Air Force. Energy might not sound like a fascinating topic, but check out this episode and listen to the passion and innovation by Mr. Cecrle and his team and it might change your mind. As always, please subscribe download and rate Tinker Talks. Leave feedback as we would like to know what you think about the podcast or something you might want to hear. Check us out on the socials - Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and Twitter @Team_Tinker.

This month we discuss a program that generates little conversation but plays a vital role to our mission success here at Tinker Air Force Base. They are the retired veteran volunteers. They are seen in the pharmacy or in the I.D. Card Office day in and day out, smiling, helping, serving. This week we are joined by Chief MSgt. (Ret.) Lorraine Caddy, the retiree activities office director. She herself has been serving in one form or another for more than 60 years. She discusses her active duty career, her role as a volunteer and director and how vital our retiree volunteers are to the mission. She also discusses Retiree Appreciation Day which is November 2 this year. This is a way to let the retirees know that they are still part of the military and see how much they are appreciated. The next time you see one of the many retiree volunteers Remember to say hi and thank one of the many retired veteran volunteers the next time you see them. Subscribe and download Tinker Talks and remember to rate us. We would also love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you want to hear or how we are doing. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and on Twitter @Team_Tinker. Also check us out on the web at www.tinker.af.mil. Until next time, have a great day and week.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. In this episode we have a conversation with Mr. Bob Amundson, the Civilian Personnel Officer with the Force Support Squadron. We discuss different types of careers available here and how to go about getting hired at Oklahoma's largest single site employer. Do you think STEM is the best or only career field here? Listen in and find out, you might be surprised. Tune in for great information from Mr. Amundson. Don't forget to subscribe and download and leave a comment or rating. We want to know what you want to hear. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and Twitter @Team_Tinker.

Want video? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeXBg5_c4VxGGR_kxMHb2wg Episode 4 brings discussion of The Collective, the new food hall in Midtown, as well as Plant the upcoming Parlor OKC. We also tell you a bit about the new Elevate professional development conference, give you an Innovation District update, discuss Paddlesports Retailer convention and the visitor economy, the new OKC Welcome Guide, and Sasquatch Shaved Ice. We end with some discussion of aerospace in OKC and Tinker AFB, and a few snippets of a recent interview with the new Tinker Base Commander Col. Paul Filcek.   Links, Chamber members and resources mentioned in this episode: Midtown dining new restaurant round-up: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/inside-okc/more-eats-in-midtown-a-new-restaurant-roundup/   The Collective: https://www.thecollectiveokc.com/ Plant: https://www.plantokc.com/ Central Exchange developers expected to open before fall: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/development/central-exchange-developers-expect-to-open-before-fall/ Elevate: http://www.okcelevate.com Elevate your workforce with the Chamber’s newest professional development event: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/events/elevate-your-workforce-with-the-chamber-s-newest-professional-development-event/ Land use and strategic development plan for Innovation District introduced: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/development/land-use-and-strategic-development-plan-for-innovation-district-introduced/ Innovation District supporters present MAPS 4 proposal: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/development/innovation-district-supporters-present-maps-4-proposal/ Paddlesports Retailer announces 2019 dates: https://sgbonline.com/paddlesports-retailer-announces-2019-location-dates/ Paddlesports Retailer: https://www.paddlesportsretailer.com/ Paddlesports Retailer 2018 show highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqc5R__YIzE&feature=youtu.be  Relaunched OKC Relocation website: http://www.abetterlifeokc.com New OKC Welcome Guide available: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/new-welcome-guide-available/ How Sasquatch Shaved Ice serves OKC by serving snowcones: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/inside-okc/how-sasquatch-shaved-ice-serves-okc-by-serving-snow-cones/ Sasquatch Shaved Ice: http://sasquatchshavedice.org/  Biography: Col. Paul G. Filcek: https://www.tinker.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/1869696/colonel-paul-g-filcek/ VeloCity interview w/ Col. Filcek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMBXXeB--Q&feature=youtu.be Cleared to land, Tinker prepares for KC-46 sustainment: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/cleared-to-land-tinker-afb-prepares-for-kc-46-sustainment/ Tinker AFB selected for B-21 Raider maintenance and sustainment: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/tinker-afb-selected-for-b-21-raider-maintenance-and-sustainment/ Celebrating the everyday heroes of Tinker Air Force Base: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/inside-okc/celebrating-the-everyday-heroes-of-tinker-air-force-base/   Tinker AFB: a look inside the fence line: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/tinker-air-force-base-a-look-inside-the-fence-line/ Sign up for a weekly VeloCity email to stay up on what’s going down in OKC: https://www.velocityokc.com/index.php?src=forms&id=enews&category=&email=EMAIL&submit.x=40&submit.y=28 Feedback: networking@okcchamber.com or Chamber social media (@okcchamber) - https://www.facebook.com/okcchamber - https://twitter.com/okcchamber - https://www.instagram.com/okcchamber/ - https://www.linkedin.com/company/greater-oklahoma-city-chamber/  

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Tinker Talks. This episode features the event coordinators for this year's 911 Run, Walk, Ruck. This year marks the return of the POW/MIA 24 hour vigil. Event coordinators, MSgt. Damont Cooley and TSgt. Hugo Perez discuss the event along with some new additions. This yearly event is in honor of those fallen during the 911 attacks. This year you will want to arrive early. Listen to the podcast to find out why. Please don't forget to download on Apple Podcasts, rate and subscribe. Ratings mean a lot to us - it allows us to determine if you like or do not like what we are producing. Also, we would appreciate any ideas you might have. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @Tinker Air Force Base and Twitter @Team_Tinker.

This episode highlights some of the hardest working members of the security forces team - The Military Working Dog. Join us on location as we sit down with SSgt. Desi Padilla of the 72 Security Forces Squadron to talk about his role as a handler and the training and relationship he has with his MWD. Please remember to download, rate and subscribe to Tinker Talks. Let us know what you would like to hear in future episodes. Follow us on social media - @Tinker Air Force Base on Facebook and Instagram and @Team_Tinker on Twitter. Thanks for joining us and have a great week.

Bryan Bradford is a certified health coach and nutritionist. He is also an owner of the Sunflower Shoppe. Sunflower Shoppe is a long tested pioneer of healthy grocery and supplement stores located in Tarrant County (Fort Worth) Texas. A US Army and Gulf War veteran, Bryan found inspiration to serve his fellow citizens by helping his family business become a stronger resource for health. Bryan joins the GCP to discuss the process of vetting quality products, the importance of certifications and COAs, the dangers of misinformation, bad labels and chemicals.The Sunflower Shoppe serves Tarrant and surrounding counties by having well trained staff, fully screened high quality products, and frequent open forum lectures to educate all of heir customers.https://sunflowershoppe.comhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-healthy-approach/id1444435104https://lovemytummy.com/spoonyhttps://gutcheckproject.comhttps://kbmdhealth.comAnd now an ad from dad save money on car insurance when you bundle home and auto with progressive what is this where did you get this I'm talking to you with the hair yeah where did you get this good stuff so that's another nearly solid stuff progressive can't save you from becoming your parents but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto progress casually intrinsically affiliates and other insurers discuss not available in all stricter situations all right it is August 1, 2019 this is episode 19 the gap check project with your host Dr. Ken Brown I'm Eric Greer what's up can August 1 August 1 does it give a final become summer here in Texas because it's been really mild it's amazing we haven't I don't think it officially which I think official temp records in our area By DFW airport I don't think they've officially recorded 100° day in all July which is amazing if you're not from Texas that does not happen often I was listening to a Jim Gaffigan set on the way over here we talked about living in the Midwest spring just it sometimes it did vanish like louts it's April it's 30° the next days like 90 music well there was spring on every thrill hot pocket juggling hey so it is it is August 1 and for all of the several hundred of you that wrote in to let us know that you have liked and shared get your project back to the month of July for the contest for the signature package from Dr. Brown being a month supply about trying to heal and keeping the CBD thank you thank you thank you so much for the help the growth the the spreading of the word all of the winners will receive an email by the end of this week we were advised not to read off your names here because we need to have your permission which kinda stinks but I really didn't think that that's being new to to podcast and that's why we have a producer to make sure that we don't step on her on her feet that way Ron is like now you gotta get that kind of in writing so you will be notified the good thing is is after all of the success of the present especially in the art inside we don't have five winners of six winners six winter so it's awesome that's over $600 worth of giveaways right there that you make available to everybody so thank you again to everyone we will have more contests and more chance to share more opportunities and incentives on the good stuff coming forward but what a great way to to roll into the summer so absolutely so you have is our guest today guest today is the great Brian Bradford from sunflower shop and some flower shop if you don't know you live here nor Texas you are missing out basically they are they are the pioneers especially here in Tarrant County so it started to bleed by his grandmother run by his father down in Fort Worth they've expanded now they get a gigantic store appear in Colleyville right off of the 121 and you've given to records – on a super impressed is super smart guys certified health Coach got his own podcast called the healthy approach former military veteran really knowledgeable and I've given two lectures at his store with great turnout like standing remotely like people really enjoy going to stores and hanging out little lecture I does the first time that I've had a differing age population right and you know we always hand out cards to see how people react to its first time I got like didn't understand a word like oh I need to remember not talking to healthcare professionals all the bad I want to like redo it for her to drag her house and be like when he does redo this or catch maybe a little science as well but was also pretty funny and some of those responses were great lecture and they circled one so they just backwards on the net on the numeric scale which I thought was funny that all the time whatever doing those online, root reviews through Keith world somebody will sit there and say you amazing that it save my life and the one you calm up joke hey kid you change that formula, ruining the curve yeah it's not first place any five stars is that's funny stuff well out Brian in his store there was so much more than store which is why were having him here they their pioneer in the community what does it mean to choose healthy foods to have supplements that mean something to have someone guide you to something that it's going to actually benefit you that's why they have such a good turnout whenever you went there to get those lectures these people the customers and the clients that they have their date they don't shop there just because it's convenient place to go to they go there because he getting information on how to live better yeah I can't wait to bring about article with him also trying to was NSF certified I do and the polyphenols have been shown to augment athletic performance correct by increasing nitric oxide an article just came out that's Asada warned athletes about rise in ligand role use so the Australian sports anti-doping Authority warned athletes less than a year ago the ligand role was appearing regularly in random supplements so people are putting this in ligand role is a storm a storm is a selective androgen receptor modulator it's a class of compounds that have very similar products or similar properties to anabolic agents have less androgenic properties and so athletes were using this started in the bodybuilding world and now it's ending up in all these supplements and people to realize it so you have these pro athletes that are being stripped of their titles and stuff like for instance Joaquin Noah tested positive for was suspended for 20 games the best ballplayer emits mixed martial arts athletes that have been find money and had to sit out for six months or so and they swear that they were taking it on purpose and it just shows I can't wait to talk to him about how he vets the different products ago in his in his store and how many NSF certified products he has and so on so because that is exactly why we go to the trouble doing NSF I think really be going to what's the nutrition oh were going to fencing and that that is at the house but on my dates incredibly that is the last week of October or the lastregardless it's a gigantic nutrition conference for our registered dietitians coming there they're basically the front line of how we are reaching so many people 100% not sure that Brian will talk little bit about that because I pretty sure they have registered dietitians startled yeah I know that he is a clinical health coach and not Kunkel nutritionist himself so so this is why it's so important that when you have a product that you can not only to help with bloating not only do we help with the note G.I. distress different things like that bacterial overgrowth SEBO but you know we can show that it's NSF certified you knew the polyphenols as a benefit for your athletic performance yet that is so important to somebody who's a nutritionist dealing with clients could be athletes college athletes Olympic athletes professional athletes even right now Lucas is up in Kalamazoo and he's playing at high level you start applying IETF's and they have banned substances that are actually listed there so just that it happens even a really early age so NSF certified optional until go to love my Tommy.com/spoony SP 00 NY and you get a really big discount on this in a minute challenge everybody to commit to do this because we want to get a little bit of a pusher and make sure that we start promoting the NSF certification the polyphenols and the overall digestive relief on your safety and your confidence is critically important you start whenever we started the company you made no bones about you want to make certain that you had a product that worked to make sure that she had a product was healthy it featured polyphenols but at the same time he didn't want cost to be an issue you wanted to be in excess or I'm sorry a barrier to accessing you also didn't want anybody to not be confident what they were choosing was it safe that's funny because eventually have to write a book about the whole process because like when I look back there are some really funny moments like for instance when we were trying to figure out how to get the we knew that Cabral chose you to be our main ingredient type so we contacted a company that we now work with regularly in the fantastic company but I got some terrazzo in the because I'm worried about everything so I better make sure that this is exactly exactly what it is so I called around if you want to hear something funny stay tuned so I called around and asking labs and the like now as it turns out there's only really one major deconstruction lab it's in Kansas I got hold of the owner and I was like hey I need you to freeze I was like no problem send me some of the bar can all do it I would send you some of the bark is a gas chromatograph on if we get one major spike reducing that's that but I can only do that to a comparison just you watch way too much CSI several white bags that tell us what that is but he comes back it is just like out goes actually we have to compare to get something no gas chromatograph it's it's a fingerprint of the molecule right and we did that episode on food pairing to remember that all yeah that was a gas chromatograph you look at different foods with similar gas chromatograph's and the aromas augment each other and as a way to do food pairing we do that we shut Patrick early on but this is this is an example so I send it to them and I'm like I got a flat on Argentina get some tree bark just go to chop it off and send it so that we went through a lot of trouble to make sure that it was everything was pure but I was the funniest thing you watch too much CSI well and and then beyond that whenever you and Brandy or step in interest to try it out because every single thing you've ever turned out the all of always put yourself through the test first and we learned that through without even knowing that but we learned that through Dr. Dryden right out of Kentucky he's a fantastic guesser neurologist full bird colonel I believe he's an obscure himself and we got to talking that there is a Helsinki rule that if the researcher is willing to do it to himself and it's not questionable or anything then essentially you're saying no I believe this is safe and here's my data with that so yeah everything that we've done it's always been on me and Brandy first so so did you have a brainy phone call one time we were at the time this two different types Toronto Roger Blanco and abrazo Colorado which one is in 20 oh Colorado so the blanket was much easier want to get that act as a molecule in the cold your Hindi which can be a stimulant and it's been reported to have different effects including improved sexual function and things like that but that's one that nobody can find in fact that was well when I did Melanie Avalon's intermittent fasting podcast is check that out right the first one I did it twice with over the first one I found her in website that she tried to make out trying to at home and it did work and work and we actually had a long discussion as well it's because it's a totally different type of molecules because it says Toronto doesn't mean that it's it's this dongle easy to get Colorado not not and so we got the Blanco we will try to dose it out what what we thought it would be to state that Brady had to go to a meeting and I dumped the rest on the sink night and then one of the employees came back say the sink stopped up like what I realize that did say it'll just congeal in water and I went so I called up I'm suggest our children water coke out of the once you have a bowel obstruction to have explained that but virtually nothing happened but I member when we first launched also so we called up with some abdominal pain and I worried I mean I took a bunch so I just ate a whole bottle just make sure wouldn't cause like an obstruction or anything patient call back on fine and hassle – it's going well I got time 60 capsules sit in my stomach let's see what happens you like a Kobayashi of the eating contest but that being said we did understand this is it that reckless we do understand the science of this the cool thing about these polyphenols is that they are poorly absorbed so they stay primarily in the small intestine and there have been studies that have shown that the blood levels are essentially negligible but then when they try and find it imprudent find less than 1% of the original molecule which means it's doing exactly what we needed to do goes through goes to the colon where your bacteria break it down into all these beneficial molecules like euro with and things like that which help with overall my coffee G cell turnover carrying a very antiaging then your Litton is if you done any research and you really try to figure out molecularly what you should be interested in your lesson should be of a good trigger word I think over time it's can be more ubiquitous or more prevalent as people begin to talk about what you can do to be as someone is actively antiaging I totally agree the only thing we were talking about this people become O'Brien the only thing that I don't like is that when this research happens everybody's trying to find their angle and so when Morgana was in town talking about this she's a PhD that we work with he we got to talk about the different metabolites in how people try to figure out how to make these metabolites and turn them into drugs or turn them into a new supplement and it just doesn't work that way mother nature knows how to do it just can't completely manipulated like that now you mother nature works in its whole form I made it we've seen that time and time again we we reference that with that even even marketed drugs that are trying to compete with over-the-counter supplements specifically melatonin we go back to the days of Rozerem when they tried to isolate and make this basically Roseann was post to be a super melatonin that was going to be 14 times the binding affinity of of endogenous or regular melatonin turns out it didn't do much anything you just separated a lot of bills that your wallet didn't sleep anymore it's me that's a bit that's frustrating to see this when we have a lot most pharmaceutical start from a plant-based something she made a Mormon weldment form and the agent Jacoby reductase inhibitors the cholesterol medications aspirin and most of them start or what GW is trying to do now with spinning down that CBD specifically doesn't work nearly as well they can charge you how much do we hear that someone is being charged I don't know exactly but it is tens of thousands is what I was told because it's such a rare orphan goes in orphan drug status duvet syndrome and Lenox Gestalt which is unfortunately a severe form of epilepsy in children small gripe and happened to notice that I didn't read this before did you know okay so upfront for those you who may not know whenever you have something it is prescriptive that may have addictive traits then the FDA technically awarded what they call a scheduled class and schedule class I they basically say highly addictive but has no medicinal purpose there's a handful of things that fall in their people usually a default say heroin etc. and you got to which is most of your potent opioid stent nail cocaine etc. have some medicinal use but could be highly abused or had abuse potential as always down to schedule control five I saw on the label for GW's new release that they have a C5 on there which it really hates schedule it's not addicted it's the most ridiculous FDA's allowed to call schedule five which is like drinking water right and then they had all that coming due or just talking six months ago were people being arrested and saying you can't do this it's addictive in all kinds are so much misinformation out there about CBD is think about that they're trying to trying to pair this this connotation it that there's a little bit of fear and if you understand scheduled medications are trying to say that there is an element of addiction associated with and I spun down CBD isolate its insane it is so now now they are there quite worried about anybody even coming close to pairing up a disease claim with the with CVD and this is from the same institution which has allowed the food products that you eat to be sprayed with with Roundup doesn't it does not there's just so there's so many things were heading and a lot of wrong directions which is why we like having just like Brian on we can talk about how shop like some Photoshop can really help out guide you in your food choices guide your supplement choices I mean just look at CB dealing one of the reasons why we teamed up KPMG health CBD we got that certificate of analysis we really want to make sure that you get what you're doing so CBD my wife she owns a wellness studio called body body balance wellness and its indicator and she has all kinds of different people to come to ask questions and she gets asked about CBD also just yesterday she came across an article where yet another celebrities endorsing the use of it so this is it coming for mazes and coming from my Dr. Brown but Michael J Fox is apparently become part of one of the CBD companies and specifically because of the effect that CBD is having the positive effect it's having on his Parkinson's which I found interesting but not surprising knowing how we think that the Indo cannabinoid system strikes a balance between our nervous and immune systems it does make sense knowing the Parkinson's has some elements of inflammation and a course you have the uncontrolled twitches and whatnot would ask which of course would be the your neurologic complex of our bodies, running out of control he's found some elements of improvement in his life by making CBD a daily part of it so basically treating CBD for him and in his words is a micronutrient oh really isn't what I was really really yeah me last week show we did brief we covered three articles but one of the articles we did cover was on the micro biome affects people with Lou Gehrig's disease and how the micro biome has anti-inflammatory markers which which does this order talk a little bit later about how complex these and a cannabinoid system really is and how a lot of things can be affected but that makes total sense and I want to see at some point that were having CBD catered to in you right have ready so scared to say diseases but CBD catered to something with a different terpene compound turbines are the essential oils in it or different flava noise component because we considered okay what are you looking for this for what I have I have a neurologic process I got MS I've got Parkinson's like the circuit we need something to cross the blood brain barrier more so let's try this particular one with a higher content that's right think the sciences had yeah and it's it's put the cart for the horse because you can't make your disease claims or if you like that but at least we can sit there and go okay this makes sense why that's actually happening you know if I was in Norway we can pull that off you what I'm say was that debt Texas oh yeah so today I learned on Reddit sounds good yeah that Norway people use the term Texas as slaying for crazy it doesn't hurt a person but a chaotic atmosphere or state of mind so saying a party was totally crazy in Norwegian would be debts of our help Texas which literally means it was Texas and I'm looking at the comments of those people from Norway going up we do say that is awesome I I think it is also the green to that point it would be that would be pretty pretty amazing what you know what Holly what what movie was that I think it was Independence Day when the aliens were coming down and they showed how different people were panicked but they paint over to Los Angeles and they were all going crazy and welcoming the aliens I could wait to be abducted it's almost like if you want to join us have like a weird connotation Los Angeles is kind of said yeah that's that you could say it's it's only Los Angeles or Texas is now apparently just wild crazy and wild about Israel so I'm not sure helping the families we have in no way right now but the now that forgot his name but my dancing partner when we are rude to the bathwater 000 she's Norwegian yes yes it is pretty nasty yeah he took control of the as a live band and had them play what he wanted them to play those Norwegians there so Texan yeah and I he was he was great he's hilarious so we now with Brian coming on here in our next half-hour old and have a good 90 minutes this guy this guy's got incredible experience long before he decided to get into running the DSM flower shop which he has your which we referenced in locations in Fort Worth often can't buoy your location appear in Colleyville and got another one it's a smaller version over on heritage trace the cool thing that I liked about it is as they've grown they just simply found that people looking for a local answer that has real guidance to get people into the store so what what you think it takes for a community that may be somewhat isolated to began to find out that they may have better access to this type of nutrition and where they don't to turn to just the Internet over the Internet away because if you look at like the span of where a lot of the healthy shots are its economy migrates from the west and Canada tapers down almost a a diagonal line into Texas and as you go to the southeast until you hit some some populate your supply. Parts of Florida you really don't see you don't see a lot of sunflower shops and stuff like that why is I've never really thought about him for when I imagine the West yes because that becomes her but Texas is really embracing it right now sure and a lot of people they want to go to their doctor and they want to talk nutrition and the doctor is busy doesn't have time doesn't maybe doesn't know a lot I freely admit that I'm continually learning more and more about nutrition little account locale even just think in your life how you changed your thought about what the importance of food is any outside of of medical school the growing up in Nebraska me going up in Texas at first I read anything much about us came home and ate and I have a lecture change my pocket I go to the convenience store and buy something but it's not like that it all for me anymore and then nowadays when we think of you'll you'll hear okay this year so-and-so is released the most obese states of the most obese cities are the least healthy whatever unfortunately this statement immediately comes to mind is first Mississippi or something like that and then it is quickly followed by Alabama Louisiana is a great topic to go over with Brian is a social economic is an education thing is it possible to eat healthy on a budget is it possible to to do all these things the highly processed foods that mean we talked about this all the time I think Netflix just has a new thing called fat something I'm seeing it and I'm assuming that either I was scrolling around with Carla try forgot something to watch and it does get into the fact that 30 years Gordon 1970 I think there's a 1.5 million Americans with diabetes I would like 30 million only some crazy jump that just happened under our noses and we didn't even notice it so that is really a lot to talk about the Bronx on policy bills I don't see the business side to see him as a healthcare provider how do we merge the two where would you go with it it's really really cool that's an unacceptable level and rate of growth is just not enough time for many people to have her since we said Carlsbad I'm sorry fat bad maple starter really double down on the carbs and you know the ass oil started taking place watch watch less which episode I really appreciate all the emails about Amsoil where you can guided some of those comments are pretty pretty funny white liquid and be back in just a moment with Brian Bradford of sunflower shop and that of course the healthy approach podcast we will see you here in just a expenses blue yellow pills to charge your sex life are you thinking about what we can promise you the same results for three paying $20 a pair for the other path you're getting taken to the cleaners same results for less than three dollars and $16 account for the same results right now for blue or yellow pills 23 and keeping more than hundred dollars our pharmacy prices right now your 40 4 PM and qualify for free setting over pain, right 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of course you are now the host of your I guess somewhat recently launched the healthy approach podcast have a healthy approach but because we distorted that your recently to sober try to get kick started to get into this environment this much you guys are that is awesome I know that when can I were talking last half-hour about whenever he came to do the two lectures up at some flower shop now a course your shop is necessary close to him because he's on the other side of the Metroplex right off shop there for years I was not surprised to turn out the first think and said it was that was amazing the engagement was real direct the room yeah well I think that is what's really cool so you actually have on the second floor a full lecture room old 80% 80 people comfortable 80 people I was just shocked both times I went completely packed and I what I like is the sense of community how a lot of people make this the regular outing they want to learn and you you help them learn and you were asking last half-hour how do we go about getting people to become healthier will it all everything comes on education but it does and that's what we pride yourself and as stump our shop is really trying to give people all the education and let people know who's in their backyard having a lot of people don't notice people like yourself who are open-minded to both medical and alternative nutrition and that's huge because people are seeking this information and people like you got Brown coming in and doing your speaking engagement such a blessing for a lot of people both certainly an honor in your you get out the community and you get to hear little bit what people are saying and after the Q&A is so long because people are questioning oh boy yeah and do that and then you start realizing oh my gosh there's some there's a little mismanagement going on out there know my doctor wanted you X, Y, and Z them like why we try to quit doing that in the 70s that's weird yeah it's about keeping up with the research and I know you're someone is a pioneer in that well the one thing that I'm like very open to I watched a Kimber what podcast it was a Freakonomics Freakonomics podcast had a whole episode on medical reversals and you realize I fully expect that what I'm doing today should be somewhat tweaked and could be a little wrong and may be misinformed just like retirement when white low-fat hi card we became sicker that's right and that was that will spread like crazy you know where people do this I was there is a podcast a listen to this morning holds all bones and it's the doctor that that kinda talks about medical misinformation possibly in her husband it's kind of funny and they were talking about alkaline water about how people want to drink alkaline water and she would just go back over the science of it they do a whole episode on medical reversals also and it's not necessarily that your doctor doesn't know what's going on because most of the time the doctors figured it out for instance when Eric was a drug rep for Xenical when they said that you could block fat and lose weight it didn't take long for the medical community to learn something yes they were introduced to add soil so as it turns out he created a lot of in a leakage of oil could you can digest your fats and yeah the warning was to wear white pants with that right warning on the bus that was at that was the corporate response type hands you're not sick it's completely natural that we can all just realize were losing weight is it's only then he is really only 20 years ago I mean that Danielle Ally still would like still out there as far as I know has everyone Walt Walmart had pallets about stuff like crazy has a fat blocker and that's not that's not the source of your problem it's it's it's it's it's unfortunate I did that start out with potato chips or something this night it did when Xenical was like will board this is not going to around let's just sell the which is still being treated so that both Frito-Lay and all the big giant companies they got it they called olestra olestra and everything in San Antonio was in medical school and a DJ on the edge I was driving and he was like Joe not eat these Doritos is horrified euro detailed graphic incidents about how it just he had no control the student realize was happening and is through upward summary stories about that yet people just started with potato chips on their people come in and say hey these things really upset me big time you know I need something else my bowels back in order again crazy what's crazy how fast they pass the buck to because it did start start off is the generic name orlistat and then they just barely tweak the name and called it olestra and move it into large consumables we just want warm at all now that is going down a surprise attack what you know with some flower shop I find it to be an incredibly awesome store and it was refreshing to me when I first did I discovered I was doing we had Dr. J. Anna was doing anesthesia with him that get here Bedford and then I drove along I saw some flower shop looks like a place I like to go to so did you think it was a floral shop though the very first time I didn't honestly I didn't really know I think this is right when the iPhone pretty much had made its way to me and I was googling a place to find a healthy snack and I was it down in Bedford and it came up with some flour shot you can with some flower shop and when I just sawed off in the distance a light I guess at that I'm headed now it's right but a course I yell or not that far from ignorant traditional big chain grocery storages setback behind you so I walked in and immediately I could say okay this place is different and and there's a reason why it exists and it's a lot because of what you talked about with the change in fat content and how people moved over eating different foods it forced people to have to find a different answer and so your grandmother and your dad started this several years ago in 1970 there was a reason they that long ago get into something like this and that is the aspect that it was considered broody right hours herbs and supplements go but no my grandmother started because her sister was dying of leukemia and just all the horror of course you know what treatments were like back in the 60s for the top of this you know Jesus was looking for better ways and she came across some of the pioneers like Adele Davis and Linus Pauling and so forth and said hey baby or something to this we need investigative mordant so that's really what she sold her moving company with that a moving company at the time sold but gamble everything on a subpar shop now why the name I can't tell you why the name all we know is that you love some flowers so is probably where it started out there but that's really work began in 1970 in Wedgewood Texas you know in Fort Worth area and then it grew to now where were at three locations three generations later my brother and two sisters now run the all three locations man it's in its awesome is something one of the things he jumped at me right away when I very first went in there so it was it was probably not inoculation into a store the sky like that and where you go to a big chain they have to identify if they identify the foods that are there okay and or and or non-GMO and rare we don't have to worry about that because everything and there's been vetted they're not going to put a crappy product in the store so first like the wonders of Abel that's okay this fits what I'm after so what what you think led her to decide you know what I don't like what's offered everywhere else and not only my going to open up my own I'm probably gonna carry a lot of things it really is not comfortable with or doesn't know how a lot about how did she decide and then you fallen your dad fall into the idea I like educating people want to know about the selection comes out that's where it really started was really based all centered around education okay no course we didn't know was much we do down today but it started with the education of just saying hey let's learn more about the body and how you know certain plants and herbs can interact with body the best we do back in the 70s is where she started but she wanted everything is clean as possible she didn't want anything to do with chemicals and in anything that's foreign to the body and spirit that way she was really want to keep things clean as possible now today health is relative to the person she notes that we got something with it for everybody what's good for one doesn't mean it's good for the next person and that's where what we pride herself and in consumer like yourself walks into the store we ask a bunch of questions we want to know little bit who you are where you're coming from what your mission goals are and so were gonna do our best to try to isolate you know even though we may have 20 different vitamin C's on the shelf which one is best for you everybody's a little different for each reason summary very first launched trying to heal and we were talking about where all that we wanted to take it just ideas how do we how do we let people here know I gained a whole new respect or what it takes to get into a repeatable store because we talked about trying to let some flower shop on the first longitude and yellow light well we need to see why you think it works what's the story behind it we had to submit all of our ingredients yell called back ask questions the exchanged information that way it was an easy and it was worth it so basically it filtered it keeps out the noise and it put innocently woke on this we think so but puts in the solid product that's available to your well beyond customers or clients well it's a reputation you know we we want make sure that when you're pick up a product simpler shot but it's a good quality product to the best that we can bet it yeah that's that keyword that because that's what ends up happening with that these big box when we we always reference the Wall Street Journal article that described how when they did DNA analysis then we show that 70 over 70% of the products that I have what was on the label a new study just came out on melatonin were the range from nothing to 500% of what was on the label and so it's still happening all the time all the thing it is it's all the time and here we get hit which all these companies are always want to come into the store and it's like you said it becomes low noise and you gotta be old have some kind of system to filter that down and figure out what what in the product is a good for you no good for you it's got her chip is attested for heavy metals in bold pollutants and all the toxins we get to know those things it's important to try to get the best quality product to the consumer and that's I mean what were talking about that I did want to hit on something so when somebody maybe doesn't have the will to say really air water like a really expensive so were an arrow on in LA ditto like celebrities like to go there and it's note similar to what you have but I think it's probably little pricier jurisdiction only mild horse so how do you that like this put this much work into it and still make it affordable so the people become in our system we got some great people the store really do know exactly what to look for what to ask for the questions that we need to know from manufacturers now on my side of things all even fly out to the manufacturing plants I want to see what whether sources are coming from how the processing is much as we can make sure that the bathtub is clean going to make sure the colloquy was possible Eric always there always places drugs and put one of my patients asleep that he just made that propofol this morning's bathtub the flash works real good you don't know you boys your insurance is bad little humor takes away the head to bad food helps everybody but it is it is it really boils down to the best quality get good there's a lot of junk out there there isn't special I know you're big on the CBD side I mean look how many CBD companies are just popping up left and right we get stores popping up all around us you know how are they now they really betting what their carrion and make sure it's good quality product is an unfortunate since this is just the just another thing that just cannot come in around in it we just have to do a lot of educated speaking of educating Brian whatever we do the show I was trying pull an article and now that you brought up CBD limits I about this article that is really interesting because it it hits home with me so dear have anybody comes and complains of the belly issues got issues that is not complaining about soil probably about 3040 times a day so in the this just got published in the Journal of pharmacologic sciences this looks at the role notes can be a really fancy title all eventually get to the point where it's like this is really what this means but it's exciting for me because it's in my world the role of cannabinoid signaling in the brain over Rex and grown induced visceral anti-nociception in rats fancy title basically what what's going on here is that if anybody's ever had abdominal discomfort you been labeled with irritable bowel syndrome then you know that you have what's called visceral hypersensitivity meaning what they have shown is that when people have got issues like bacterial overgrowth see Bo IBS irritable bowel syndrome that they can inflate a balloon in a normal person and this is been proven in humans and animals that one person at the same when one person like yeah there's a balloon in my rectum I can feel it at the other persons come off the table in pain because the direct correlation of the brought date of the gut brain access actually get that person to feel the pain more we call that visceral hypersensitivity so what they're looking at here is that these guys were looking at two hormones correction which is a fasting hormone and sodas hypo cretin to neuropeptide regulates arousal wakefulness and appetite Eric and I were doing a five day fast one time and basically I made my whole company do it in almost all of us like middle the night on day four day three I don't remember what it was but we were all up just run around wired wired yeah and that the old Rex and is this neuronal peptide which is kicking in man and it's because if you go a certain period of time an evolutionary standpoint it's time to go until something in feed go feed the village that's right and so this all wrecks and does that and what it also does which I was unaware of in this is it actually decreases your abdominal perception of pain very fascinating to me and then growling is the hunger hormone we always badmouth it but it actually also decreases the perception of abdominal pain as well so they were citing prior studies with this where this was new to me but we've got these two direction and grown which do this so now it's well known that CBD cannabidiol has been shown to also help with bowel hypersensitivity and it was I don't my practice as he does benefit all the time I put everybody on trying to in CBD and we just get overall benefit for whatever is going on does your belly feel that yes it does what we've always kind of thought will maybe it was an interaction with the receptor CD1 receptor is in anticholinergic the end of cannabinoid system is so complex would really, learning that attract what this article did is it really it was really cool it theorized that CBD had a direct effect on erection and growl and so they set up an animal an animal model to try and prove what they did is they took various rats and they had these pain perception techniques which were too cruel but not very nice either but everything I remember our animal study it's like doesn't sound Nido sound good to know they used a CD one and CD two agonist meaning they were able to give a molecule to turn on CD wanted CD to which are our Endo cannabinoid receptors then they used synthetic correction and growling to actually kick those out finally they had CB one CB two erection and relevant antagonists or blockers so what they did is they could turn your enter cannabinoid system on that you turn it off they could turn on your grill and anorexia and they can turn it off so first what they did is they blocked the CB one receptors and then they gave the hormones of erection and drilling next they gave a CB agonist with no hormones and then third they just gave the CB blocker less ICBM in the undercabinet system blocker and checked central rocks and Negron levels so what I thought is pretty interesting when the end of cannabinoid system of the CB receptors were stimulated this actually induced improved pain perception from colonic stretch so we have a mechanism of action we can't make disease claims but now we've got a study that proves that when you stimulate BCB receptors then they can tolerate more colonic stretch then the hormone effects were severely blunted when the CB receptors were blocked okay so when they gave Grell and Anil Rex and it didn't work unless you have proper CBD levels so basically we can say that that ECC has health is paramount to all Rex and a growl and performing their job absolutely this is the first time it's ever been associated that this would suggest that that the CB receptor CB wanted to be to they can actually mediate the correction induced effects on paint okay we have a mechanism of action that now says oh it's modulating this hormone that helps out a first time somebody's going to this depth what was interesting is growing was also blocked by CB to but not by CB one so it's just really complex okay they go down some rabbit holes I'm trying to really supply this but it is geeky geeky geeky science so what to suggest is that CBD is involved in the hormone benefits of pain relief in the bowel super interesting because many people believe that CB to is in the periphery but there were showing is it's also the brain affecting drilling that is amazing I know it's amazing because we we don't do complex but you don't want to simplify it too much ego this is all that we know so they're saying no there's a lot of CBT receptors in the brain and its regulating other peptides and hormones so this shows a very intricate interplay of the under cannabinoid system and how it can mediate central hormone effects so in layperson terms if you have hypersensitivity got it if you expect if you want these people that when you bloat it hurts really bad because we don't have pain receptors with stretch receptors so if you have bloating due to bacterial overgrowth or irritable bowel syndrome then you may notice an improvement through couple ways you can check the erection up by fasting so that was something else think about Mike that we should do more long fast right or prolonged style fast if you're low on your own endogenous Endo cannabinoids then taking CBD may increase these hormones get you back to balance and finally if you're not in balance than these other complex processes are knocking work as well so just really complex but I thought this was really interesting that I can say oh I have a reason why you feel better and you don't hurt as much when you're taking a good quality city Sony really I think the take away here is nothing in the body is is in a vacuum they long ago you use all connected everything's connect that's right and it's like whenever you take an ad and anti-inflammatory doesn't just go to where you heard it circulates everywhere you just notice that it's helping you or taking away the pain that Harry with the same thing is for the E CSR Indo cannabinoids system it all needs to be healthy and so balanced yeah it's all this really says is you have to have a healthy ECS if you don't want to have too much pain that's not what you're benefiting from you benefit from extra pain so Brian when I deal with doctors and I'm talking them especially traditionally trained doctors guess what neurologists intro medicine will be like how there's no science on Mike there is so much science I will ship every day there's so much but you gotta like knuckle down and read articles like that okay there's no science that says this cures this disease right but there is science it says on a cellular level this is happening which is probably why it might help or may help or could help or whatever term you want to use because unfortunately I think in traditional medicine which is why they go to sunflower shop to get some advice to get some education most of the doctors or just the busy the referring to either what was the last conference I went to which if you're been on its drug rep sponsored to the hilt and they're just kinda being detailed on what the last person can explain to them or their doing things out of habit so a lot of this there's not a lot of time to get really passionate about this one thing I will learn deep into it and then you start realizing I've got I've said this before but anytime you want any articles I've teamed up with a graduate student and we share this Mengele account we can love it me and I got we got over 10,000 downloaded articles I had to laugh because it's like you know I will never get through that now without talking like 1930 that's right I'm up to date stuff. He published all the time and people say unless it makes it to its sensationalized on good morning America or something most people don't ever hear about a lot of this cool stuff I'll call up some of the scientists and elders before that I read their article on like fascinated everywhere you go with it now oh they lost their NIH funding and they had to close the lab or whatever that but yet the research is just amazing and you know some far sharper lease we personally for sure we try to network with a lot of doctors because we know they don't get time to do those things and that's why were always trying say hey send them over here will educate him or not there to try to sell them something is not were not commissioned were not trying to push supplements on you were to try to educate you when the doctors don't have time to do that is like you said it's your busy the busy so it's important to really get as much education can that's what we pride yourself on our whole steps that way yeah it's the you know it's the frustrating thing to see somebody come in with a whole bag of supplements and it's all from Sam you know I worst enemy Dr. Alden Oprah every time they speak about a supplement we get a flood of people that come in the store and 90% of the time we got a tell of this is it for you this is they think it's a one-size-fits-all just because they said it and so it's a love-hate relationship is for sure but we have to really we turn people away more on supplements that are being touted or marketed from certain celebrities especially sure you know because it's not is not for everybody and that's what we want to make sure that was really one of the problems that we run into when we lots are trying to lose it is so different than the mechanism so unique very similar to the amount of knowledge people have a CBD that when we go to like we go to the IFN conference you know there's a lot of really good functional medicine manufacturers but they're just kind of moving around similar ingredients into whatever fancy name you have if you want a white label that's right so one of the big hurdles is to first educate will know this is the problem you have we can fix it because of this this is doing in a completely unique way and then know the answers I Marta I Marty on a probiotic I just spent 20 minutes explaining about it but I have a searcher to think about the early days of auction deal whenever we number the sum of the first marketing material was explaining what type of bloating because people didn't even understand say people several people didn't understand what we meant by this you true bloating and in and being mediated by methane production or whenever people thought that John Teal would cure all constipation we found that when none and it's actually permitting induced constipation it has actually nothing to do with opioid induced constipation so I think even so Dr. Oz had to go in front of Senate committee yeah yeah, taken to taking the task of blood very well they sure did mean it's sometimes they just talk I don't I really don't know how show operates you know how the elbows products get on the shows but well it's I think all of us in this room realize that like if you're a mean just talk about something so anybody is regular and I'm pretty sure I'm not wake up over the night before I sit with my kids on the bottom are then this morning going over articles which was about on the Reddit looking at the euro Denmark: brings Texas you know Dr. Rogers shows up and he's got people just himself in a dry Teleprompter so there poor guy I mean I know it's not like he has the time either to be reviewing all this literature and stuff that's true but you know it that's what sorta gives our industry a bad rap sometimes because now you got 50 people who were never taken are now taken something that they may really not need and that's technical subissues I get it so well so it's an educational issue I know exactly when Oprah or Dr. Oz says something because that'll be the first to be the 10th question I get that degree and I'm like okay Mike you have to watch the summer have to watch these episodes just so I know what that's what we have to do to get by customers in a day in the Nelson were on the watch Dr. Oz at night to figure out what he was saying and why you saying that word that information is coming from that's exactly right yet I am this celebrity status that will bring something that did to the taillight to the forefront and it happens in all industries all details before Michael Jackson had his issue with propofol I didn't have any patients who ever knew what in the world I was talking about but probably what would you say 25% 50% of the people that we have before I put them to sleep for the four procedure they say oh the Michael Jackson sauce every every day and it's not their fault but that's that's the impression that they got inserted that celebrity influence is real well they and it's not just that I mean there they sell advertising all the stuff so they don't just stop at the show me that he's got his magazine's gesture so this is a big massive machine I was talking to Eric before the sergeants I was in the middle of watching this Netflix special boot the big hacker something like that were chasing well it's it's all about how Cambridge America manipulative Facebook does is why Zuckerberg had to go in front of the Senate committee and all that right you just like oh my gosh we are just little ponds me to manipulate us in that so many different ways so many ways that's so true and that's why it really boils down we start our level is that our main goal is gotta be to educate the client you know as much as possible and you in the end of 5 to 30 minutes that we got spent time with them on the floors try to give as much that's really that's really what I want to get into is how the sunflower shop and stores like it because you we are just here in Tarrant County drink with the sunflower shop but we were talking in the last half-hour why is it that tell you he almost see from the West Coast and almost in a diagonal line down to Texas the proliferation of stores similar to yours and then we move over to the East a few states and just don't see them quite as much and it kinda correlates with where we say some of the worst health is found whenever we do no an analysis of which states unfortunates have the highest rates of obesity etc. there's there's a service that you're providing and a couple other industries are providing that are born out of the lack of good information in there trying to find good places to get good products on talk about whenever we get back your Brian I got to where he got what sunflower shop is doing to fill those holes in the community and foreclose out don't forget like and share a gut check project go to get check project.com you will go and connect us there let us know that you have liked and shared in course you can be entered into the next contest don't forget if you want this last month will be emailing you by the end of the week seen on this is the only 24 hour take anywhere platforms dedicated to food and fun clear spoony this hour from Townhall.com, the best way forward on healthcare Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says it's not the plan being offered by rival Pamela Harris there will your paycheck during last night's debate Harris criticized Biden healthcare blueprint for everyone in America you are in your own people people's access to healthcare in America running for president cover send candidates on the CNN stage last night 10 others debated Tuesday night Heritage foundation's Genevieve Boyd says there's one big issue working against any Democrat hoping to unseat Pres. from Mary Ron when people are feeling good about where they are what variables one. Building background want to be able to deepen their family the son of Osama bin Laden said to have followed in his late father's terrorist footsteps is reportedly dead I'm so bin Laden apparently killed sometime in the past two years one person was killed five others hospitalized following a massive explosion and fire in Lincoln County Kentucky overnight natural gas pipeline blew up a Navy pilot still missing after jet crashed during a training mission yesterday over death Valley search for the pilot continues on Wall Street to shower the Dow is off about 72 points the S&P ahead 11 NASDAQ up 66 more on the stories@townhall.com I never forgotten apparel is more than just a premium women's and men's clothing line it's a movement to remind us to where American-made and serve those who serve us our heroes never forgotten apparel gives 20% of their total sales to nonprofits that support homeless veterans and off-duty firefighters and 50% to individual veterans and firefighters in need nationwide checkout never forgotten apparel.com use promo code Matt and ATT and get 15% off your purchase why have thousands of aspiring authors teamed up with Christian faith publishing to publish their blog because Christian faith publishing is an author friendly publisher who understands that your labor is more than just a book we provide authors freedom and flexibility throughout the publishing process professional book editing award-winning design and some of the highest royalty structures in the publishing industry and is always you will retain 100% of the rights to your book I was looking to find a company that I could trust one that assisted in the editing process completely Christian faith publishing will publish market and sell your books in all major bookstores and online booksellers as well especially Christian bookstores call for your free author submission kit 800-978-4812 800-978-4812 800-978-4812 that's 800-978-4812 Dr. Kim Brown here a host of project with my cohost Eric Rieger I've seen in my practice that I'm trying to is a whole lot more than just a floating product yes it is a whole lot more than just exploding because of the polyphenols that you find in Alicante what are some of these polyphenols do these polyphenols help you have more energy and polyphenols are great sounds like it's helping a lot more people than just loading go to let my family.com/I start the second hour at episode 19 get a project with host Dr. Ken Brown Amir Krieger and we are doing today with Brian Bradford of sunflower shop real quick before you get too far don't forget love my Tammy.com/spooning pickup your own the 20 or you go to branch shop similar shop I challenge everyone to this challenging storm to shop and commit to go into some flower shop to go about trying to forgo to let my tummy.com/spoony is exactly right discount we got a little low show special get you can also like and share the program the podcast got check project.com and you can also find us at YouTube search get to project and you can go to the page and liking look it does look at Dr. Brown in the video you can even see that Brian showed up and much nicer clothes and waited for a coat restart episode wanted tuxedos and we've just gone downhill that's where your body right now – we got a costume shop three warrants and they came in just as a hot dog one time to find the episode that is now it is elegiac well I'm quite sure I hate to break this to we did a whole show and silicide and that he thought he was dressed as a hotdog the whole time flow show I was like you. It's it's about suicide yeah oh yeah I didn't know know know know like I could hear sound like and I could that could you not get I wait to hear Seneca to sound even when I'm still there which is which before we get into a lot of questions I have for you about how your journey with this and some Photoshop and how you help your community you know there's there's a lot of stuff there's a really good chance that psilocybin will be either a therapeutic drug or even over-the-counter product and not too long really things early oh there's some really cool research coming out mainly on depression opioids that comes thing for his part for your project we should hook him up with the Dennis even he would mean the applicable science from Hector Institute would be interesting I think in the chemical what was cool about you is that you're also a grocery store teacher so you do a whole show on sulci than the go does this habit you like jet Philip taken the lens billet portobello have a behind-the-scenes GMO products yet what we had we had a mushroom expert on cold Cooper read and he was describing how you can grab the and he was using the different terms of the mushroom and you can tell the silicide and content based on how it turns purple fastening really that is fascinating that I'm so into mushrooms right now not just the trippy mushrooms but how complex have been massive of a kingdom this is it so interesting he forages for mushrooms and he can say which ones are edible which ones are also all the so they don't become an oncologist or at least one professional trading the mycology acumen of exec with a yellow you're barely what he's referring to Dennis McKenna's a few years ago where pale you effectively showed up with microphones and just put them up in the air B&B that we are at just happen to be that the Godfather of psilocybin mushrooms who is a PhD in mycology really the him and his brother wrote a book on how to grow magic mushrooms when they were in college and it's like the Bible still so he hung out with us for like two hours we just did just geek out on mushrooms and fastening the therapeutic side of it that O'Brien was what is what really got my attention and before he came on to tell us even some of the cool stuff was just the data they had some hindrance to the blaze and is in Idaho and they had people smoking cessation for instance one but six months and 91% success rate what was even more astounding was it five years it's well over 60% smoking cessation 60% got really sick 64 – 16 change massive like that is massive like when we talk about the what's the drug that people take to get off that 00 Chantix Chantix that's like 35% at six months really that's what their standard is right now and this is studies are coming well that's the study of the half-truth Institute new studies are coming out of Johns Hopkins looking in the getting very similar results while it's just it just shows that there's a lot of things that we have left uncovered that's for sure and mother nature that probably could help with disease states and their doing the research on the witches are super exciting that it's very exciting survive for you to get where we are at some flower shop today you let us know you were born in Oklahoma they did what town and not a true okay those are unders six months I think you go to because by six so I can still consider myself to be a Texan guy yeah Dr. Tinker Air Force Base my guy was in the Air Force at the time house I was born there in Oklahoma think is $4.36 is what I cost him so to achieve better cost them a lot more later on their dad to remove the text structure that and gosh my background you want to know RB I got the military back in the know 89 to 93 is when I served as holes in the purse go for French Army nice Army yard mighty preservice appreciated the what got me interested I guess really in health of my first duty station was actually military intelligence duty station knew that from 89 to 93 9380 993 so a friend of Rich Hagedorn patriot leaders liquor with eight anyway they started a veterans organizations that are doing pure whiskey vodka held as we have heard okay I were just about hundred first airborne at that exact same time that really is I was and I was in college he was the was doing that one yeah well yeah you do the exact same thing that you did he was paratrooper that's awesome and I was a paratrooper I dumped more radio operator but I got to be stationed in the military told units not love the detective work oh I was there me all the information coming in trying to sorted and disseminate that to the higher command so forth that's what got me interested in going a I wouldn't mind being in the FBI one day guess what I really wanted to educate I think I've always want to be in law enforcement we are not but my second duty station was a medical and so actually when we went to the Gulf War I was in a medical unit we sort of picked up no bodies and things as we went through the way and love the medical side and soft like me don't want to do this so I set soon as I get the military I went through EMT school I went to the police academy and that's I was just driving that way to really be BBB FBI agent one day is my ultimate goal and then that God had other plans for me I guess in the your 9093 my dad was building the store in Colleyville and need some help putting up shelves and so what wells waiting to get on the four Police Department I went over there to help them out and I met my now wife at that point time to and so I had to make a decision on do I want to pursue the law enforcement career or stay with the store in that I actually stayed with the store and the way I look at though is that what drove me in the military of the military intelligence in the medical side it really shake need to become what I now call myself the body detective in the sense of saying instead of trying to catch criminals and investigate the criminal side investigating the body and that's where I turned that attention focused to so I'm in nerdy but hard to as well too I met you I guess you're the bigger nerd I get out I thought I was a pretty big nerd but other data

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, whose Oklahoma district includes Tinker Air Force Base and Fort Sill, said Wednesday that he will oppose the national defense because it doesn't include enough money and is being pushed through without enough Republican input.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, whose Oklahoma district includes Tinker Air Force Base and Fort Sill, said Wednesday that he will oppose the national defense because it doesn't include enough money and is being pushed through without enough Republican input. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. In this episode we sit down with the 448 Supply Chain Management Wing commander, Mr. Dennis D'Angelo, to discuss the supply chain's mission and how innovation initiatives and Art of the Possible successes are posturing them for the future. Whether you know a lot, a little or nothing at all about the supply chain's mission, this episode delivers something for everyone. Please be sure to leave feedback, rate and subscribe to the podcast. Leave us suggestions on story ideas you want to hear on future episodes. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Welcome to Tinker Talks. We were fortunate enough to catch up with F-16 Viper Demo Tream Commander, Maj. Garret "Toro" Schmitz and Crew Chief, NCOIC, Tech Sgt. Ryan Hutchinson during the 2019 Star Spangled Salute Air and Space Show at Tinker Air Force Base. The team discuss flying, maneuvers, training, recruiting and more. Tune in for a great conversation with the new commander and his crew chief. Don't forget to download, subscribe and leave us a rating. Feel free to send us comments or suggestions at 72ABW.PA.PubAffairs@us.af.mil and don't forget to follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram @TinkerAirForceBase, and Twitter @Team_Tinker. Follow the F-16 Viper Demo Team on their social media sites: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ViperDemoTeam.

This episode we sit down with the commander of the 72 security forces squadron, Lt. Col. Tyrell Mayfield to discuss Police Week and leadership. We discuss his personal philosophy on reading and how it relates to professional leadership skills. Thanks for taking the time to listen and as always please remember to subscribe and download. Check us out of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. We would also like to hear what you, the listener, would like to hear. As always, please remember to leave a rating as well.

This month we sit down with 72 Air Base Wing commander, Col. Kenyon Bell and discuss important construction updates including those that have impacted traffic. We also take a look at the "Big Rocks" coming in the next few months and hear about the commanders leadership philosophy. All this and more on this month's Tinker Talks. Please make sure to subscribe, download and "LIKE" us on iTunes, and feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you'd like to hear. Follow us on social media @tinkerairforcebase

Nearly 35 years ago, a contract welder dropped his torch in a jet maintenance facility at Tinker Air Force Base, sparking one of the largest fires in Air Force history. The fire became a case study for fire prevention processes and building codes for the Air Force. Garry Souders was the chief of safety at the base in 1984. He came to the StoryCorps Mobile Booth in Oklahoma City to tell his son John about that eerie day. This story was produced for KOSU by Rachel Hubbard and Dustin Drew, with interviews recorded at the StoryCorps mobile booth in Oklahoma City in early 2018. Locally recorded stories air Wednesdays during Morning Edition and All Things Considered on KOSU. Thank you to Phillips Murrah law firm for sponsoring StoryCorps' visit to Oklahoma City. Support this podcast

A podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Captured by the 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, this podcast shares stories, updates and insights on Tinker Air Force Base. Episode 4: New year, new you

A podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Captured by the 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, this podcast shares stories, updates and insights on Tinker Air Force Base.

A podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Captured by the 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, this podcast shares stories, updates and insights on Tinker Air Force Base.

A podcast dedicated to the latest events and happenings on one of the largest Air Force bases, “Tinker Talks” features various perspectives from the 5,600-acre installation. Captured by the 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, this podcast shares stories, updates and insights on Tinker Air Force Base.

Today's stories: Developing strategic leaders who can provide innovative solutions to complex challenges, drives Developmental Education for Officers. Also, "Trident Juncture 18" was NATO's largest exercise since 2002. 50,000 participants from 31 countries took part, including, for the first time, an E-3 Sentry Aircraft and crew from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

This week on the podcast, we've got our next installment of our Tentmaker's Interview Series! Join Andrew this week as he chats with Ian Boyes, an Electronics and Network Engineer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma who has some incredible opportunities to minister for Christ in his work, around the world, and right at home through many different organizations. This is another interview we believe you'll really enjoy! Plus, we've got our ScriptureFocus segment from the book of 1st Samuel, a "bonus" VersePic just for this week, and we'll even unveil our next VersePic as we start looking onward into the month of June. All that and more, on this episode of the Sharpening Character Podcast!

In This Episode Guest: John Gordon, Meteorologist-In-Charge NWS-Louisville and former Hurricane Hunter. Lightning Round: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Louisville Slugger Edition Titan U Minute with Chris Sanner: 3 Tips to Improve Photography The team discusses the increase in flood deaths and decrease in almost all other natural hazard deaths over the last 30 years. Wx Resources: We provide some great weather sites, apps and equipment Weather Fools: We share the foolish things people do in bad weather situations Listener/Viewer Comments and Questions What’s on our next show? Our Guest John Gordon, Meteorologist-In-Charge NWS-Louisville and former Hurricane Hunter. A 22-year NWS veteran, Gordon has held a variety of forecast and management positions in Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee. From beginnings as a meteorologist intern at the forecast office in Jackson, Miss., Gordon worked his way through forecasting and management positions with increasing responsibilities. He is also an aircrew meteorologist and mission director for Hurricane Hunter aircraft as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Park College of St. Louis University in 1986 and earned a master’s in teaching of geosciences at Mississippi State University in 2002. After spending a year at the Jackson office, Gordon served as a journeyman forecaster at the Springfield, Mo., office from 1994 to 1998, when he was selected as a lead forecaster at the Nashville, Tenn., forecast office. He served as meteorologist-in-charge of the Huntsville, Ala., office beginning in 2002, where he led the spin-up of the new forecast office until reporting to Louisville. Gordon served in the U.S. Air Force from 1986 to 1992, serving as a Wing Weather Officer at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., from 1986 to 1990 and as Team Chief at the European Forecast Unit in Germany from 1990 to 1992. As a member of the Air Force Reserve since 1993, Gordon serves as a flight meteorologist with the Air Force Hurricane Hunters out of Keesler AFB, Miss. Gordon flew six missions into the Category 4 hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2004 and has made more than 90 hurricane-penetrating flights since 1995. @mammatusman on Twitter Titan U Minute with Chris Sanner: www.TorndaoTitans.com WxResources Links Chris: SPC New HREF Model Kim: Breaking911 Nature on Twitter Brady: AviationWeather.gov ADDS METARs John: WKU's White Squirrel Weather John: Valparaiso University Meteorology Weather Fools Links Kim: Family Walks Into TV Weather Forecast John: Al Roker Being Blown Away Submit your questions or comments about this show to questions@stormfrontfreaks.com and we may read it on our next episode! Next episode (40), we’re setting you up with a holiday wish list. We’ll be reviewing and giving-away weather products from Eton, Sangean, GPX, Alex Brands and WeatherProShop.com. Also, we’ll share some great weather-themed drink recipes for the holidays! Credits Opening and Closing Music: Andrew Slotta

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM (July 13, 2016) A KC-135 crew from the 465th Air Refueling Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., complete an aerial refueling of a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet July 11, 2016 in support of Rim of the Pacific 2016. Twenty-seven nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. (U.S. Air Force video/Master Sgt. Grady Epperly/Released)

Video B-Roll of destruction in a residential neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma May 22, 2013. An EF-5 tornado struck the central Oklahoma town May 20, 2013. Produced by Staff Sgt. David Clark. Also available in High Definition.

Video B-Roll of destruction in a residential neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma May 22, 2013. An EF-5 tornado struck the central Oklahoma town May 20, 2013. Produced by Staff Sgt. David Clark. Also available in High Definition.

When you were a kid, did you ever dream of building a theme park in your own backyard? Maybe you turned an old wagon or a Big Wheel into the roller coaster of your dreams? This week on CoasterRadio.com, we'll be taking a look at three very different thrill rides that have been built in backyards across the world. We'll talk about a guy in Germany who has created his very own log flume. We'll also talk about The Blue Flash, a looping, steel roller coaster that was built by a gentleman in Indiana. But, one of our favorites is the 444-foot backyard wooden coaster built by Jeremy Reid. Jeremy was an engineering student at the University of Oklahoma and decided to use his knowledge of physics and mathematics to build his own coaster. After graduating from college, Jeremy worked for Arrow Dynamics before they merged with S&S. Today, Jeremy works as an engineer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. We'll have him on the show to find out all about his coaster and why he wanted to build it in the first place. We'll also talk about the recent down-time of Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka. Plus, we'll get into a brief discussion about whether or not there is a need for federal oversight of the amusement industry. We'll also play Theme Park Trivia and give one of our listeners a chance to win a Tomb Raider: Firefall Adventure Pack from Paramount's Kings Dominion. We'll also have a phone call from our first "celebrity" listener. It's all coming up this week on CoasterRadio.com!