1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: H ruteful. If it doesn't work, you're just not using enough. 2 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: You're listening to self Rep Radio, special operations, military news 3 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:38,200 Speaker 1: and straight talk with the guys and the community. Hey, 4 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: what's going on? This is rad with another episode of 5 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: soft Rep Radio. And today my special talented guest is 6 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: Mike Lamonica, Chief Master Sergeant retired United States Air Force 7 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: Combat controller Halo scuba not just scuba combat diver certified. 8 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: I think I saw that, I think, and you can 9 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: correct me from on. And of course airborne goes along 10 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: with all those other things. So welcome to the show. Hey, 11 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: thanks for I appreciate you having me on the show 12 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: very much. Now I like to ask this of a 13 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: lot of my airborne questions. Here is, did you ever 14 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: have anything happened to you while you're jumping out of 15 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: an airplane? Like anything scary where you're like, why did 16 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: I do this today? Well? Yeah, I have you know 17 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: if you jumping of airplane is an unnatural thing to do. 18 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,960 Speaker 1: I've unfortunately flown in defenses at high rate of speed, 19 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: which was never fun. I spent a couple of days 20 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: in hospital after that. One of my jumps in combat. 21 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: When I left the aircraft, I had a piece of 22 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: gear shape glues and put me in a spin. So 23 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: I had to counter my spin while I was in 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: free fall, which was not fun, and it was we 25 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: had almost your illumination at night, So make arise fall 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: and flat and stable, countering my spin and keep my 27 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: eye on my team because you know, we had kim 28 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: light under bodies and that was a bit of a 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: sporting event in and of itself. So you hit the 30 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: ground and then your thoughts or what well, I mean, 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: it's uh, you know when when you're in free fall, 32 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,559 Speaker 1: you're moving a hundred twenty miles an hour with gear 33 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: like you got o two masks on, you got weapons, 34 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: you got all your equipment and hanging between your legs. 35 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: So really you're just trying to make sure you're flatt 36 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: and stable and in a good position to get with 37 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: your team so that when you open your parachute, nobody's 38 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 1: above you and you're not backsliding away from your team 39 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: and things like that. Once you get under parachute, everything 40 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: gets a lot better, right, Things slow down, You're able 41 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: to control things a little better, assuming your parachute opens 42 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: the way it's supposed to. After that, it's just looking 43 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: at your team getting behind somebody, you get into a 44 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: stack and you all kind of make your way to 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,399 Speaker 1: do ground together. So then you get on the ground, 46 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: you cokay, I'm here now the job starts. Right now, 47 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: I've got to pack up all my stuff and and 48 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: hide it because you can't to sleep stuff laying out 49 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: in the opening. You're not supposed to be there. You 50 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: get team together and you go move out to do 51 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: your mission, and you know when you get on the ground. 52 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: Different groups of people have different missions, right, So on 53 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: that particular mission, I was just some rangers and their 54 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: job was to pull security for what we were doing. 55 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: And then we had at uh eight coundback controllers and 56 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 1: a para rescuing with myself, and our job was to 57 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: survey a piece of dirt we airplanes we've never landing before, 58 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: to see if it could land air planes. So what 59 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: we're looking at is the geometry. You know, what's the 60 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: length of the run which with the runway, where the 61 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: heights of obstacles either on the INDAT or XFO path 62 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: and then stuff on the sides of the wrong ways 63 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: because you know, wings cooked stuff. And then we also 64 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: got checked the penetration, how how hard is the ground 65 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: can it withstand an airplane landing and the type airplane 66 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: we're trying to bring in. So you know, that's an 67 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: all night affair. We hit the ground, spent all the 68 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: time doing that and put all the information together and 69 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: we shoot up the headquarters. They do all the numbers, 70 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: come back and yes, year AP proved to land airplanes. 71 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: And then we go to hidesight sleep and the next 72 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: evening we've got land airplane. That's what we did. Wow, 73 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: that's very very very cool. And now you're like just engineering, 74 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: like for in the civilian world, you're really getting there. 75 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: You're checking the grating of the land, You're checking the 76 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: soil composite and like making sure and this is all 77 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: under combat stress conditions. With everything going on now, you 78 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: would probably have to go like say, if you're landing 79 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: like the C one thirty, which is you know, the 80 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: four propped aircraft for our listeners listening, you know that 81 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: usually so you guys jumping out of aircraft with what 82 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: if you if you have a lat of one of those, 83 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: how much of a runway do you need to you know, 84 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: estimate and like figure out what would you do on that? Yeah, 85 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,559 Speaker 1: So I mean there are minimum size runways for different 86 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: types of airplanes. So it's been a one kind of 87 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,239 Speaker 1: stuff have done this. So I believe it's feet length 88 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: and six for a sea on thirty. But that's just 89 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: the general shooting of the landing space, right. That doesn't 90 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: include there's spaces off to the lateral sides and then 91 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: approaching egress that have very specific requirements as well. So 92 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: to your point, we're doing some very technical work. It's 93 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: not just going out there sticking to figure. They're going, yeah, 94 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: the aland they're plane here, um, And every personal the 95 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: team has a very specific duty. And then you've got 96 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: to know somebody else's doub as a backup, right because 97 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: if you're going in with six kind of back controllers 98 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: and and that's the people who are doing the survey, 99 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: all takes is one got to go down and then 100 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: you can't do the job if if you don't if 101 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 1: you're not cross training each other's specific skills for that mission. 102 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: But it was a great opportunity, it is once a 103 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: lifetime opportunity to do that in combat, um, and we 104 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time training just try to do it. 105 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: There's nobody else on the planet that does that. Especially 106 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: at that time. Since those days, there are other services 107 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 1: who other nations who stood a kind of that control capability, 108 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: but none of them have seven decades doing this. One 109 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: thing that was instilled I believe in your training from 110 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: my experience with you guys at the training grounds is 111 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: you're carrying a rock everywhere. You know, what you could 112 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 1: tell me about this rock that's so significant that you 113 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 1: know during training you have to carry a rock everywhere 114 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: and it can't be left behind kings telling about that. 115 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: That's right. So it's really attention to detail and teamwork 116 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,239 Speaker 1: so that that is absolutely a true statement at certain 117 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: portions in the pipeline, and the pipeline is a two 118 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: year training evolution, right the team picks out of rock 119 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: and you know, so what they what we typically did 120 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: is we take students down and you know, everybody go 121 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: grab a rock and they would come out. Some guys 122 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: graver a really small looks into what's coming in. You know, instructors. 123 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: The way we have one instructor to pick with the 124 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: final rock was and you know, they all came in 125 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: about the same south and then we gave them the 126 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: ground rules. This rock can never be out of arms reach. 127 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: This rock has to be with you everywhere you go. 128 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: Everybody has participation in this rock. So it's very much 129 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: team building, attention to detail. And it's funny, I spent 130 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,279 Speaker 1: three years as an instructor. By about the third class, 131 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: you knew when the rock was going to be out 132 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: of arms reach, like it was just it was just 133 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: a matter of time that it was coming. Say, you 134 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: became hyping the wear to it. And the students they 135 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: you know, they take ownership of it, right. They each 136 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: class has its own personalities. They painted the way they 137 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: want to paint it. They you know, they put names in, 138 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: dates and numbers and things that are meaningful for them 139 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: on there. So it's also i'd say part of our 140 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: culture if you want. So, you know, that's a stewary 141 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: you have forever. As a matter of fact, one of 142 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,039 Speaker 1: the students I had, he kept it for years and 143 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,720 Speaker 1: this is what he sent me about five years ago. 144 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: So it's got his class dyed on it, and he 145 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: has a cutter off this rock apart in me a piece. 146 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: He said, I've kept it ever since we graduated, and 147 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: I'd like you to have a piece of it because 148 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: you were one of our instructors. So again, it's part 149 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: of our culture. It's a it's a maybe not a 150 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: critical thing, but a unique thing that we do. Very 151 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: cool that you have that as I'm glad I asked 152 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: that question. That was just been up in my head, 153 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: so I just wanted to that's great, awesome, And now 154 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: just the rock is that supposed to be like a radio? 155 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: Is that you think sometimes could be like, don't ever 156 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: leave your radio behind because you're so important with the radio, right, Well, really, 157 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: I mean when we talk about the arms reach, that's 158 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: that's a weapons thing, right. You can never have the 159 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: weapons out of arms reach and unsecure unless you know 160 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: the codre tell you, okay, everybody stacking weapons and they 161 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: put them in a pyraod and they go off and 162 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: do their thing. But in general, won't you give your weapon? 163 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: You cannot have it our arms treat and at any 164 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: time more can it be unsecure? So the rock kind 165 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: of facilitates that. It also it makes things a little 166 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: more difficult. So we're in a six mile run and 167 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: you have a class of eight guys and they've got 168 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: to carry that rock with them, right, They've got to 169 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: pass it around. So there's a lot of communication and 170 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: coordination and It just makes things a little more challenging. 171 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: The only time that they don't carry it on runs 172 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: is but they're actually being graded on a run. Hey, 173 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: Friday is an evaluation. You go a six mile run, 174 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: you've got to run a seven minute pace. Nobody's carrying 175 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: the rock at that point. But all team events start 176 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: carrying it with them unless the cadre take it away 177 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: and say, hey, you can secure your rock and go 178 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: do your other stuff. It does a lot of things, 179 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: not at least in which is built character. Right, It's 180 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: everything is more difficult when you're carrying a rock with you. 181 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: I would imagine, Yeah, it's just gonna add that much 182 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: more awkwardness to the situation. They can't create a bag 183 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: or anything. They have to physically carry it, so it 184 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: just carry it. It has to always be handled, and 185 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: it's probably awkward. That's right, that's right. I couldn't tell 186 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: you where that that started. I know we've been doing 187 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,319 Speaker 1: it for decades, and again, it's just something that we're 188 00:08:58,320 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: doing it as part of the culture, and I think 189 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: everybody has fond memories of it. It's not fun when 190 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: you're running with it, but when you look back and 191 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: you a man, look at the things we did. We 192 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: we did all this hard stuff and there were times 193 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: we're out running six miles of the rock and you 194 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: carrying it on your shoulder and handing up to somebody else. 195 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: And it's pretty pretty intense, right. Is that what you 196 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: expected when you joined the Air Force was such intense 197 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: training and just going right at it because you went 198 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: straight from basic to pipeline, right, you were just good 199 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: to go. Yeah, it's yeah. When I joined I joined 200 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: the n there wasn't a whole lot of ability to 201 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: get information, right, you didn't have the Internet. So when 202 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: I tried to join the service, I was going to 203 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: go do special Forces in the in the Army. My 204 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 1: godfather was a Special Forces in Vietnam and I idolized him. 205 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: And you know, both my grandfathers were military vests. So 206 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 1: that's me with the path. And about a couple of 207 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: months before I was graduating high school, I was told 208 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: to be special Forces, you have to know another language. 209 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: But I didn't know another language, and there was no 210 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: way for me to look that up, so I just 211 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: believed what I was told. So, well, if I'm not 212 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: gonna do a special Forces, I'm not joining the Army 213 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: because I'm not gonna go. You know that the Army 214 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: doesn't have the best reputation, especially at that time. To 215 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: me and a buddy mine decided RATU of the Air 216 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: Force a couple of weeks before, and he bagged out 217 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: on me. So I just went in. I was gonna 218 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: be a cop for a couple of years. In basic training, 219 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: I learned about combat control and power rescue, and I went, well, 220 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: i'd be kind of cool. So I went and try 221 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: it out, and to my surprise, I got selected. At 222 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: that point, I said, well, let me just go do 223 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: this thing. I'll give it my best shot. And my 224 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: theory was just don't quit, you be fine, And that 225 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: worked out for me. I know, every day was a 226 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: difficult day, and I stayed there and ultfully graduated indoctrination course. 227 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 1: But to your point, nobody associates the Air Force with 228 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: that level of intense training right in New should day, 229 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: the Air Force typically doesn't do that, right. A lot 230 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: of people have very administrative jobs. It's very fighter pilot centric. 231 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: And you know for everyone fighter pilot, you telephone pole climbers, 232 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: they run a city. It's police. Yeah, like a city 233 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: with its whole administration behind the scenes, but it got 234 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,240 Speaker 1: Halo and the airborne. Yeah, and there's not a lot 235 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: of them. Like the Air Force has three thy people 236 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: between comeback control and Pariscue. There's nine dred of them 237 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: in the Air Force. Throw tax control party guys another Yeah, 238 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: so there's you know, there's not two thousand people do 239 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: this type of stuff in the air Yeah, it's not many. 240 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: It's like it's like half a percent. Yeah, it's pretty small. 241 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: But for me, it's why I was there. Like, I 242 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: didn't join the military to not go to war, right, 243 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: I joined to go go fight worters. So I actually 244 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: found my home there as by of fact. When I 245 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,959 Speaker 1: showed up to our initial course, I walked in and well, 246 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: this is where I below. These are the type people 247 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: I need to be around. Everybody was motivated, moving with 248 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: the purpose. I knew the training was gonna be difficult. 249 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: The instructors, while they were hard on you, they treated 250 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: you like an adult in the military doesn't always do 251 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,319 Speaker 1: that right. Sometimes the military just caddles everybody. So I've 252 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 1: really enjoyed the environment and that's what kept me there 253 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: more than anything, was the difficulty of it. Yeah, and 254 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: that special extreme athlete that's within you you know, And 255 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: I talked to a lot of guys like yourself, including 256 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: my father, who was a Green Beret, you know, constant 257 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: marathon runner, constant rock marcher, constant, you know, like, hey, 258 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: let me sit on your back while he does push ups, 259 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,560 Speaker 1: and it was no problem for him. You know, it 260 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: was just constant, constant, constant. So you know, to you 261 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: guys out there, that's for me to you, you know, 262 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 1: for all of your rucking and compression from your pls 263 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: and landing and constant you know training, and you know 264 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: you're I'm paying for it now. That's okay, right, because 265 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,319 Speaker 1: you got out about ten years ago, is that right? Yes, 266 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: So two thousand eleven is when I retired, Especially two 267 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: thousand and eleven, just about twenty four years in the 268 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:58,439 Speaker 1: entire time, you know, either in the pipeline trainee or 269 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: as a comeback controller. I loved it. I do do 270 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: it all over again. If I could read it in 271 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: my life and go do it all over again, I 272 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,719 Speaker 1: do it in ant a second. It was great. You know, 273 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be bringing on another guest here in an episode, 274 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 1: and he's he's now crossed over into m M A 275 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: and his name is Connor Matthews, Connor the Controller Matthews, 276 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: and I just want to give him a shout out 277 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 1: and just let you know you can cheer him on. 278 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: He's gonna be going into m m A. He's in 279 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: the m m A world right now. You happen to 280 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: run across him and all in the out there. Connor 281 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: Matthews the Controller. Yeah. I was just talking to Connor 282 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 1: last week. He's a matter of fact because as he's 283 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: you know, he spent the past three years really pushed 284 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: himself hard to get this opportunity to in the Contender 285 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: series for coming up in August um and I should 286 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: be wearing his shoe that yeah. Yeah. So he's actually 287 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: got to step away from his business a little bit 288 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: too to really focus his training. So the kind of 289 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: back Control Association right now is trying to raise some 290 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,199 Speaker 1: money to upset his costs to all he has to 291 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: do is focus on training for the next three months. 292 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: He's an intense young man and super proud of him 293 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: because nobody handed him this opportunity right he went he 294 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,599 Speaker 1: was a wrestling in high school. He joined therefore he 295 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: was a kind of back controlling for six years. So 296 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: that puts him at up twenty four years old getting 297 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: out and then he's starting his his climb into the 298 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: end of a at four. He's coming up on thirty 299 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: right now, and he's he's there, man, he's on the cusp, 300 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: and our job as a brotherhood is helping. He's five 301 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: and old, right exactly. He's a striker for sure, Oh 302 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: for sure. And I'm super excited to watch, you know, 303 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: and just support him in the corner and just you know, 304 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 1: I just wanted to give him a shout out because 305 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: this episode is about combat controllers and you know what 306 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: you guys are all about in that community, in that 307 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: brotherhood where you know you're supporting him, And I'm sure 308 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: you've got other guys out there that might just not 309 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: talk to anyone anymore and might just listen to this episode. 310 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: And you know, I'm sure that you guys are all 311 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: available for each other if anyone ever wanted to reach 312 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: out and say hi. You know that kind of attitude. 313 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: So I'm sure there is are you uh, tell me 314 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: about your Combat Controller Foundation please, so it's I'll talk 315 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: about both. So you mentioned, right, we've got guys who 316 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: maybe have gotten out and aren't even connected anymore, and 317 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: that's that's a very real thing, right, So we have 318 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: to Combat Control Association to help with that, and we 319 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: welcome any of the kindback controllers. If you're not a member, 320 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: go to Combat Control Dot Team. It's a website. You 321 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: can join the association and that's the way of getting 322 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: back into the fold, right. We send information out. We 323 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: actually have a board that represents you and we do 324 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: things like coach re unions and things like that. On 325 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: the other side of the house, we have to Combat 326 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: Control Foundation. We share our websites to the Combat Control 327 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: Foundation is also a Combat Control Dot Team, and the 328 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: foundation raises money to take care of people in our community. 329 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: You know, in this world and in special operations or 330 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: even when you start talking about infantry and things like that, 331 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: it's a dangerous place to be. Guys get injured all 332 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: the time, and and not only are they physically injured, 333 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: they come away with having seen things that most humans don't. 334 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: So our kindbat Control Foundation we post fundraisers and we 335 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: raise money so that we could take care of our 336 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: unique needs for our men and their families. We have 337 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: a lot of folks who are struggling with a lot 338 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: of things they dealt with over the past twenty years 339 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 1: of fighting wars right, Afghanistan started in two thousand one 340 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: and just ended in Right, that's twenty years of true story. 341 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: We had seventy guys in country the entire time, and 342 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: we we took guys virtually ran out of high school, 343 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: put them in a two year pipeline and it's six 344 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: months if they graduated there attached to a seal team 345 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 1: or a Special Forces team or a ranger team and 346 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: killing bad guys. That that takes a total of physically 347 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: and mentally. So our job is to raise money so 348 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: we can take care of all their unique needs. Very admirable, 349 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: very stressful. You know, you guys are again extreme athletes 350 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 1: getting spun up, shipped over to the conflict ready for 351 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: your mission. And then how many how many days is 352 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: a tour for you? Do you think doing combat controller stuff? 353 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: Is it a ninety day on an eighty days? Is 354 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: the full year? Like there is some only seventy of you, right, 355 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: like rotating, Well, there's more than seventy of us. We 356 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 1: always had seventy guys in theater. So in country fighting 357 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 1: in the Air Force, there's about four hundred of us 358 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,959 Speaker 1: any given time, and we always had a squadron in 359 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: Iraq and Afghanistan, and then as as those wing down, 360 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,199 Speaker 1: we had people in Syria and other places, right, and 361 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 1: then there's still the ploy there. They're on a high 362 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: oppos tempost. Who guys are gone somewhere between two hundred 363 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:32,439 Speaker 1: five days a year. A rotation was about seven months, 364 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: and what that looked like is you'd spend six months 365 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: training for it. You're talking to the guy you're going 366 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: to go over to place, so he's in country. You're 367 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 1: getting up to speed on all the things he's doing 368 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 1: a day to day to day basis, you understanding the 369 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: area he's in, the missions his team is doing. And 370 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 1: for that six months you're on the road training. You're 371 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,359 Speaker 1: getting all your jump calls, your dive calls, your j 372 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: tech quals, your airtraft control calls, all that stuff. You're 373 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 1: making sure you're ready to go so that the day 374 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,360 Speaker 1: you're ready to leave, you've got qualification. You didn't get 375 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: in country and you're there for another six months. So 376 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: for a year you're fundamentally on the road away from 377 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: your family. That's fundamentally what it looks like. And so 378 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: you have a very strong base, right, you have a 379 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: very strong support group on the home front that was 380 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: there and handled a lot of that hard work that 381 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: you were missing out on. Right, Yeah, it's I missed 382 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: the guys, I missed the mission. I don't miss beating 383 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: myself up if you will. But it's a tough job 384 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,120 Speaker 1: and we do have a good support network. I think 385 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: our units do a good job of taking care of 386 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: our our people and the families. They're just strong, right, 387 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: It's uh that the wives who marry conbat controllers are. 388 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 1: They're very strong people. When your husband's gone two hundred 389 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: plus days a year and over half that time, you 390 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: know that he's out fighting a war and athy can 391 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,479 Speaker 1: happen at any time. The ability to just do with 392 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: that is incredible on top of all the other mom 393 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 1: and dad stuff that you've got to do on a 394 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,879 Speaker 1: day to day basis. You know, we talked about preparing 395 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,400 Speaker 1: to go to war. They're kind of bat controllers. They're 396 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 1: not just training like their counterparts, right They they gotta 397 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: be able to do what the Green Beret or the 398 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: c or the s F guy does, but they're also 399 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: spending time training with the pilots. So we would line 400 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: ourselves up to deploy right now at the same time. 401 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,120 Speaker 1: So when I'll be in my training cycle and I'm 402 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: talking to a pilot at Analyis Air Force Base and 403 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: we're doing training missions together and we all deploy around 404 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: the same time, he's now the guy over top of 405 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: me when I'm in combat on the ground. So he 406 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: knows me by name. He knows that hey, Jack to eight, 407 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: that's Michael Monica, and he's more vested in it because 408 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: he knows who I am, and we have we've trained together, 409 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: so I understand what he needs. He understands what I need, 410 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,359 Speaker 1: and I can translate that to the ground force commander. 411 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: But we're in a heavy firefight and nobody at this 412 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: point is wanting to be nice. They're just saying, get 413 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,080 Speaker 1: me fucking bombs on target right now. I'm able to 414 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: translate what he needs to the pilot. Is that called 415 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: the pisto off grid? Yeah? It could be. That's right 416 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: toft grid, Yeah, just piss off. I had a friend 417 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: and a friend. I had an F six team colonel 418 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: and I had a friend who was a specialist hundred 419 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: seventy foard observer, and they were talking to each other 420 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 1: at an air soft war game that I was hosted, 421 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: and he's like, your ground control, he's like, and your 422 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: air power. And they just clicked right there at the 423 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,439 Speaker 1: air Soft game, and you would never have known that 424 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 1: you had this former colonel who had come out with 425 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: his sons to play air Soft. And then all of 426 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: a sudden, my buddy, who's home. He's like, round on back, 427 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:32,960 Speaker 1: let's play some more games, okay, And I was like 428 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,919 Speaker 1: the next together like, he's like, have you ever had 429 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: a piss off Grid? And I'm listening right and I'm like, 430 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: what the hell is piss off Grid? And he's like, 431 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: it's just where everything is piste off. I ain't got 432 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,960 Speaker 1: no rhymer reason, you know, just get rid of it. 433 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: So that's the story. That's where I bring that up. 434 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: That's pretty funny. There's a lot of unique language that 435 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: goes on between, you know, the pilots and the controllers, 436 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: just because they showing their communication is very quickly to 437 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: be able to make things happen fast. So it had 438 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: right it shortened, uh funny version of things. They say yes, yes, yes, okay, good. 439 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:08,479 Speaker 1: I just want to make sure that's but stuck up 440 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: in here for this very moment your story triggered. That's nice, 441 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: you're too cool, My folks is a Shawn Spoon, Senator 442 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 1: in chief of software dot Com. Just here to say 443 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: thank you for listening to the softwarep Radio podcast. We 444 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: sure appreciate you giving us your time. And here's a 445 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: special offer for you if you're a new member off 446 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: your annual membership to software just click the link at 447 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: the bottom of the page that brought you to us today, 448 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: and from all of us here at soft rep, thank 449 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: you for listening. It's combat controllers. What was someone in 450 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: high school right now who's just about to think they 451 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: want to join, you know, they would like to They 452 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: didn't realize that this special operations existed. Everybody always thinks, oh, hey, 453 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: you joined the Air Force, you're a pilot. You know, 454 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: that's always like a misconception of that attitude. They don't 455 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,199 Speaker 1: realize there's people who do prescriptions and you know, surgeons, 456 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: and you know the police department, the whole fired up artament. 457 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: What would you say to someone who's listening to this, 458 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: which you know they will be what's your advice for 459 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: this high school? Or was their boy scouts involved that 460 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: helped you keep you know, on the right path. What 461 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 1: do you think through high school kept you focused? Yes, 462 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 1: so I did all the wrong things, but I did 463 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: nothing to prepare. What I would advise a young person 464 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: today is, first off, go to your Air Force recruiter 465 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: and tell them what you want to do, and that 466 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: the Air Force has subcontracted people specifically through recruit for 467 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: coundback control. So if you get an Air Force recruiter 468 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: and say I'm gonna be a coundback controller, or I 469 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: want to be a pair of rescument, or I want 470 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 1: to be a tech paid tech air control party, they 471 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,360 Speaker 1: will connect you with one of those very specific recruiters 472 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: their liaisons and those folks will take you out and 473 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: give you a physical evaluation, tell you where you're we 474 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,199 Speaker 1: can strong, and they will work with you. So the 475 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: earlier you do that, you can be in tenth grade 476 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: doing that and they will work with you all the 477 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,639 Speaker 1: way to put where you ship off to the Air Force. 478 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 1: That's a great program that they have that absolutely was 479 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: not available when I was a young guy. I would 480 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: also go on to the Internet and just type it 481 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,920 Speaker 1: in and understand it right. So I get a lot 482 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 1: of phone calls where people go, hey, I want to 483 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: be in special operations. What do you want to do? 484 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,680 Speaker 1: And they go I just want to jump out airplanes, 485 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: and I go, well, they all jump out of airplanes, 486 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 1: but really the differences what do you do when you 487 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: get on the ground, right, coundbat controllers are aircraft controllers 488 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: could serve any land and land air survey airfields and 489 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: land airplanes, and drop out of para rescue and rescue people. Seals, 490 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: they do maritime interdiction. Army or special forces does far 491 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 1: the internal defense. So what's the job that really interests you? 492 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 1: Figure that out and then go for that thing. If 493 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 1: you want to be a condbat control the man, go 494 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 1: talk to recruiter. They look it up and get information 495 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:48,119 Speaker 1: about it so you can make a very informed decision, 496 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: right because like what you said earlier in our conversation 497 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: is you didn't really go when you went in for 498 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: like security forces or military police style of cossement and 499 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,880 Speaker 1: then you were kind of found out and probably basic 500 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,199 Speaker 1: like hey, who's your fastest runner? Or hey have you 501 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: guys ever thought about going through this course? And they 502 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,719 Speaker 1: probably introduced it to you and you were now aware 503 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: of it, right, because they will do that's. Yeah, there's 504 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: more information out there than than you can n Yeah, 505 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: like sears out there, those guys will come around to 506 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: your training class and talk to your instructor behind your back, 507 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: and they'll be like, hey, Bill, Hey Chris, who's your 508 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 1: fastest guy right now? They're like Mike, They're like, hey, 509 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: come here, Mike, we want to talk to you. Want 510 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: to eat bugs and grubs. Yeah, that is all very true, 511 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,640 Speaker 1: but it's I would recommend it as a great job 512 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: for anybody. Like you go in and you come out 513 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: with a lot of skills. At the very least, you're 514 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: an air traffic control qualified person. You've also done all 515 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: these great things and you've been selected and you've worked 516 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: through some very difficult stuff. The best thing about this 517 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,159 Speaker 1: community is the people you're around them. They elevate you. 518 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: They just make you stronger mentally, emotionally, physically, and so 519 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: coming into the special operations community that that is a benefit. 520 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: But for coundback control, when I look back in my career, 521 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 1: I felt like I was born to be a kindback control. 522 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: I could have gone and done some of those other jobs, 523 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: but maybe wouldn't have been as good at them. The 524 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: balance of difficulty and technical um and I got to 525 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,880 Speaker 1: work with everybody. Right, if you go Joint Special Forces, 526 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: you're gonna be part of an operational detachment. You're gonna 527 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:23,919 Speaker 1: work with that twelve man team all the time, and 528 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: that's who you got to work with. You become a 529 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: combat controller and you graduate and you're ready for work. 530 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: You could go with a combat control team to go 531 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: do stuff. You could be part of a team of 532 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,160 Speaker 1: Paris mean to go rescue people. You could be out 533 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: as a single person working with a Special Forces CEO 534 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,719 Speaker 1: marine team. There was a point where I was attached 535 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: to the British says they asked, and I was the 536 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 1: only American with them, len alone, the only Air Force 537 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:48,639 Speaker 1: guy with them, And you're giving a lot of responsibility 538 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: and you get challenged to solve difficult problems under pressure situations. 539 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 1: There was nobody else out there when I was with 540 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:56,880 Speaker 1: the Brits. Nobody could do what I did. That's why 541 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: I was there. So it brings a lot of red satisfaction. 542 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: You're not doing those types of things if you will. No, 543 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: that's very awesome. Yeah, No, that is kind of satisfying 544 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: obviously for you. You've been doing it for so long. 545 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 1: Obviously you are supposed to be doing that. So again, 546 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,680 Speaker 1: you know, you filled those shoes and those that are 547 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: behind you. You know, you've just left them a cool 548 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:21,080 Speaker 1: wake to follow so they can do their flipboard tricks. Now, listen, 549 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: I want to ask you a question from my instagram. 550 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: You're right, and I have a someone out here named 551 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,120 Speaker 1: Bragg at Conridge four seven too, I'm Cally. He says, 552 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: what was the scariest thing you've experienced doing while being 553 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 1: combat controller? Well, it's it's a fair amount, I would say. Um, 554 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: there was a mission I went on that I didn't 555 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,440 Speaker 1: think I would come back from. The mission. Profile itself 556 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,399 Speaker 1: was it was high off to it was very dark. 557 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,199 Speaker 1: We were going in on helicopters. We knew that they 558 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: could hear us coming in. The target we were going 559 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: after was high profile. If all the intelligence was right, 560 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,280 Speaker 1: I felt for sure my helicopter was gonna get shut down. 561 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: So for me, that was the scariest thing. It was 562 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: a come to Jesus moment. You know, I just sit 563 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: back and go, all right, you're gonna do this, and 564 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: you don't feel like you're gonna come back. So fortunately, 565 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: and unfortunately the intel wasn't good. Unfortunately because I got 566 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: to come back and I didn't get shut down. But unfortunately, 567 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:16,959 Speaker 1: you know, we went in and hit this target and 568 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,360 Speaker 1: what we thought was supposed to be there wasn't there. 569 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: But that, without a doubt, was the scariest moment in 570 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: my career. I've been on helicopters that were close to crashing, 571 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: but I didn't know it until after I hit the 572 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,600 Speaker 1: ground and the flight engineer said, yeah, we almost been 573 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:31,920 Speaker 1: in the set of that mountain. I said, well, I 574 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: don't need to hear that. I purposely wouldn't get on 575 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:36,399 Speaker 1: their HEADSETX. I don't want to hear those things, no, 576 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: because they they're chucking one about it. That's not funny. Yeah, okay, 577 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: like bro, the rotor went out, but we lived here, Like, 578 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: don't tell me this. I don't want to know this. 579 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: Any time that I I jumped, you know, I always 580 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: had that. You know, this is dangerous stuff, and I 581 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: was the guy who always practiced my procedures just to 582 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: make sure it I had my stuff down. And you 583 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,160 Speaker 1: know what that teaches you is, even when you're doing 584 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: risky things, control what you can control and mitigate the 585 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: risk as much as possible. But there are things that 586 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 1: can happen out of your control, and at some point 587 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: you've gotta be okay with that and that over time 588 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,199 Speaker 1: changes a person in a very positive way because you 589 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 1: then don't get wrapped around the actual about things that 590 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,840 Speaker 1: you can't control. But it is h the one mission 591 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 1: I was talking about that we'll call the scariest point 592 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: in my career, that was a life changing woman. That's crazy. 593 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,400 Speaker 1: I mean, like just the feeling of probably the I've 594 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,439 Speaker 1: been in a helicopter. I've not had a feeling like 595 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: it's going to crash though, so that would be you know, 596 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: just hold on. Huh, yeah, well that's secular mission. I thought, 597 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: you know, we were going to shut down. One of 598 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: the helicopters that was in our flight actually did crash. 599 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 1: The pilot absolutely said to everybody's life, he auto rotated 600 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: and landed in a ravine, and everybody's on a helicopter 601 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: could have easily died. Where he landed was between two 602 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: big boulders. He wore one of those. Everybody on there 603 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 1: would have perish. But man, he figured it out. He 604 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: did in quick order. And I have a teammates who 605 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: are a love today because of that pilot's exceptional skills. 606 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: Can you go into a Bronze star story for me? 607 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: I know you've got three clusters on that thing. Is 608 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 1: there anything you can tell me about one of those? Yeah, 609 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: So I wouldn't say there's necessarily a specific story. So 610 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: those were medals for tours that I did overseas. So 611 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: the first Bronze Star I got was for the initial 612 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: wave of people who went into Afghanistan in two thousand one. 613 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 1: So nine eleven, the towers get hit, Pentagon gets hit, 614 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: and the and the plane goes down in Pennsylvania. We 615 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 1: started training the next day for the target that we 616 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: were going into, and we deployed in early October, and 617 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: our first mission was October nine two one, and that 618 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: was a parachuting filtration into Afghanistan. I had about twenty 619 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 1: of my teammates there and about two hundred rangers that 620 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 1: went in with us, and we were over there for 621 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,520 Speaker 1: I think about sixty days. And in that time period, 622 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: I did three parachute jumps into Afghanistan. I did a 623 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: ten day reconnaissance mission and then uh A helicopter went 624 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: down in Afghanistan. I happened to be in an area 625 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,000 Speaker 1: where the rescue was happening, so myself and a couple 626 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,280 Speaker 1: of my teammates were part of the rescue package for 627 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 1: all that stuff was my first Bronze Star, so there 628 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 1: was no one single event for the Bronze Star. All 629 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 1: my other deployments after that were similar. You did it, 630 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 1: you know, six months worth of stuff, and the pilot 631 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: again and said all these things equal, this metal correct, Okay, 632 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: but still wow. I mean, you know those those Torribar 633 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: caves that were the very beginning and you know, trying 634 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 1: to work your way all around that mountainous region. You know, 635 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: where do you come from? Where where did you train at? 636 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: Versus where you got to? You know, like what was 637 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: the elevation? You know, I mean you had to get acclimated. 638 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: I'm here in Utah, so I know Doug Wag exists, 639 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: you know, that's right. For the initial wave, we were 640 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: at sea level, so we were training in North Carolina 641 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: at sea level. We were over and we were operating 642 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 1: at higher altitudes. My second deployment over there's really where 643 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: I spent most of my time, at the higher altitudes 644 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 1: of you know, anywhere between ten and fourteen thou feet 645 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,400 Speaker 1: depending on which mission we were going after. At that time, 646 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: we just started using these things called hypoxica machines, and 647 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: what they were was they were training evolutions you would 648 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: do with this mask on, and it would decrease your 649 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 1: oxygen to whatever altitude you wanted it to. So you 650 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:24,760 Speaker 1: can say, hey, I want to train like on that 651 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: ten thousand feet and train for an hour at that 652 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 1: At that level, it would help you produce the red 653 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: blood cells you needed to help carry oxygen. So we 654 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 1: did that for a couple of months before going over. 655 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: So every day I would do a level of training 656 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: on the hypoxical machine, but I was still at sea level. Um. 657 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: But that was that was a neat thing that the 658 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: military did. They went out and found this technology and 659 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 1: they helped us use it, because what's going on with 660 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: Nike or something come from. Yeah, you give from sea 661 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: level to about four thousand feet at bodroom, and then 662 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:00,479 Speaker 1: from there in twenty four hours you can be at 663 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: fourteen dozen feet. And that's what happened. If you've read 664 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: the book Alone at dawna that Dan Shilling wrote where 665 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: it talks about Roberts Ridge and where Neil Roberts was 666 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: killed and John Chapman earned the Congressional letal butter. They 667 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: literally went from about feet to about fourteen dozen feet 668 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 1: in less than twenty four hours. Your body is not 669 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,479 Speaker 1: equipped to do that, especially when the enemy has been 670 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: hanging out up there and they've got it set up. 671 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: They've been up there for months, right, so they're they're 672 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: used to that, they're ready for it. Uh, they're only 673 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: holding a defensive position as opposed to an offensive fight. 674 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 1: So I think we did a pretty good job of 675 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:37,520 Speaker 1: trying to prepare folks for that transition. But in the 676 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: early days that the first uh, the first deployment that 677 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: was immediately after nine eleven, none of us are prepared. 678 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 1: We were all out of breath. Wow, what amazing feats 679 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: you have completed. And you know, I know you're on 680 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: a time schedule, and I'm gonna give you some time 681 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: to prep for your next thing that you're going off 682 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: to do. You just jumped off of the last meeting 683 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 1: and got on with us. I really want to bring 684 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: combat controller awareness out there and let them know that 685 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 1: it exists in the Air Force. It's a very cool 686 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 1: special operations training. And you're talking to the man right 687 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 1: now that was instructor, I mean, you know, chief in 688 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,560 Speaker 1: the whole nine yards. So I want to say thanks 689 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 1: for you dedicating yourself to what you believed in to 690 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: do all these things. So Thank you so much for 691 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: being a part of our show. Tell me your website 692 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 1: one more time for the for the Foundation, please yes. 693 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: So it's combat controlled Dot Team. It's very simple. It's 694 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: typing in like that and it will take you to 695 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: the website that both the Association and Foundation are part 696 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:37,520 Speaker 1: of that same website. And you know, if you're inclined 697 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 1: to give, we're always collecting donations, so we take care 698 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: of our people. And if you're a former kind of 699 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: back controller and you're want to join the Association, we'd 700 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: love to have you back in the phone. There's nothing 701 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: like when you leave the community and then you start 702 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: feeling lost, then we're here. We want you all back 703 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 1: the best vintage that is to become a member of 704 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: the Association. Perfect, Mike, Okay, And with that, I want 705 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: to say thanks again to Mike Lamonica for coming onto 706 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: the show and having a great chat with Rad. And 707 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: I want to thank soft Rep has always for allowing 708 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,720 Speaker 1: me this opportunity to have this great show. So thanks 709 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,279 Speaker 1: to you for listening to soft Rep Radio. And my 710 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:15,920 Speaker 1: name is Rad and I'm gonna save Pete. You've been 711 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:17,920 Speaker 1: listening to self Rep Radio