1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:11,740 --> 00:00:13,851 Well , hello , everybody . Welcome to 3 00:00:13,851 --> 00:00:16,018 the Spitfire podcast is our very first 4 00:00:16,018 --> 00:00:18,129 one that we're doing here a T three . 5 00:00:18,129 --> 00:00:20,520 32nd A , w uh , I'm Chief Master and 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,687 Dennis Schuessler . And today I've got 7 00:00:22,687 --> 00:00:24,798 one of our crew chiefs with us . Uh , 8 00:00:24,798 --> 00:00:27,050 Kristen Lyons , senior German type . I 9 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:29,227 met Kristen out on the flight line one 10 00:00:29,227 --> 00:00:31,116 day when I was spending time with 11 00:00:31,116 --> 00:00:33,282 Herman on a Saturday , which everybody 12 00:00:33,282 --> 00:00:35,282 knows I love to do , And I was just 13 00:00:35,282 --> 00:00:35,270 compelled by her story . And I wanted 14 00:00:35,270 --> 00:00:37,437 to invite her to this first podcast to 15 00:00:37,437 --> 00:00:39,492 spend a little bit of time with me . 16 00:00:39,492 --> 00:00:41,659 Eso welcome , Chris . And I appreciate 17 00:00:41,659 --> 00:00:43,826 you coming and do this with me . First 18 00:00:43,826 --> 00:00:43,810 off , why don't you just tell me a 19 00:00:43,810 --> 00:00:45,921 little bit about yourself ? Where you 20 00:00:45,921 --> 00:00:48,610 from ? So I'm from Tennessee . I grew 21 00:00:48,610 --> 00:00:50,721 up in a small town called Come Really 22 00:00:50,721 --> 00:00:53,680 Got and then lived outside of Knoxville 23 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,800 right before I joined . Awesome . Did 24 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,170 you come from a military family ? No , 25 00:00:59,170 --> 00:01:01,114 I'm actually the first adorning my 26 00:01:01,114 --> 00:01:03,480 military , so I had no idea what I was 27 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,210 getting myself into . But ever since I 28 00:01:06,210 --> 00:01:07,932 joined , I have family members 29 00:01:07,932 --> 00:01:09,877 following in my footsteps . That's 30 00:01:09,877 --> 00:01:11,932 awesome . What made you join the Air 31 00:01:11,932 --> 00:01:13,988 Force , So I joined because I didn't 32 00:01:13,988 --> 00:01:16,210 want to get stuck in Tennessee . All my 33 00:01:16,210 --> 00:01:18,321 life , I wanted to travel . See , the 34 00:01:18,321 --> 00:01:21,720 world also , uh , couldn't really pay 35 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,776 for college all by myself . I didn't 36 00:01:23,776 --> 00:01:25,970 think I'd be able to afford it . So 37 00:01:25,980 --> 00:01:28,260 that's the main reason why I joined . 38 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:30,609 That's awesome . And now were you 39 00:01:30,609 --> 00:01:32,609 stationed at besides , here in this 40 00:01:32,609 --> 00:01:34,640 wing ? I'm station in mountain Home 41 00:01:34,650 --> 00:01:37,040 Idaho . Yeah . During the Air Force to 42 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,207 see the world . Took it . Idaho . What 43 00:01:39,207 --> 00:01:41,373 a beautiful state , By the way , it is 44 00:01:41,373 --> 00:01:44,150 the first time on the West Coast . So 45 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:48,070 where you from ? S O I , uh , 46 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,080 was born and raised in California , 47 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,247 Oceanside , California . My father was 48 00:01:52,247 --> 00:01:54,860 a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton on 49 00:01:54,860 --> 00:01:57,650 DWI . Moved overseas when I was 10 to 50 00:01:57,660 --> 00:01:59,660 Manama , Bahrain , off the coast of 51 00:01:59,660 --> 00:02:02,750 Saudi Arabia on . Then we moved to 52 00:02:02,750 --> 00:02:04,861 Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , for a couple 53 00:02:04,861 --> 00:02:07,028 of years . So I spent my teenage years 54 00:02:07,028 --> 00:02:09,300 in Africa . My father was a Marine for 55 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:12,010 the ambassador , Marine Security Guard 56 00:02:12,010 --> 00:02:14,370 for the ambassador . After that , we 57 00:02:14,370 --> 00:02:16,780 moved to Albany , Georgia , where he 58 00:02:16,780 --> 00:02:19,630 spent his last two years on and then 59 00:02:19,630 --> 00:02:22,130 retired . And then we moved to Oregon , 60 00:02:22,140 --> 00:02:24,980 so kind of hard to claim one place . I 61 00:02:24,980 --> 00:02:27,091 love being a California boy because I 62 00:02:27,091 --> 00:02:29,290 love to surf . Um , but I actually 63 00:02:29,290 --> 00:02:31,940 enjoy the Northwest tremendously . So , 64 00:02:31,950 --> 00:02:34,117 Oregon , I was I was very fortunate to 65 00:02:34,117 --> 00:02:37,610 start high school , um , in Oregon . My 66 00:02:37,620 --> 00:02:39,620 Well , I got there at the end of my 67 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:41,787 freshman year , and then I was able to 68 00:02:41,787 --> 00:02:43,898 finish all my other years in one high 69 00:02:43,898 --> 00:02:46,009 school , which , as a military brat , 70 00:02:46,009 --> 00:02:48,231 that was That was pretty amazing . Um , 71 00:02:48,231 --> 00:02:50,453 so I claim everywhere , then . And what 72 00:02:50,453 --> 00:02:53,110 made you want to join ? Oh , that's a 73 00:02:53,110 --> 00:02:55,500 good question . I said I would never 74 00:02:55,500 --> 00:02:57,722 join the Air Force . I would never join 75 00:02:57,722 --> 00:02:59,889 the military at all . So I come from a 76 00:02:59,889 --> 00:03:01,833 very , very , very strong military 77 00:03:01,833 --> 00:03:04,000 background . My dad has seven brothers 78 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,000 and six of them served in the armed 79 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,620 services . One navy to army , the rest 80 00:03:08,630 --> 00:03:11,710 Marines . My grandfather was an Air 81 00:03:11,710 --> 00:03:15,160 Force Air Force officer , Um 82 00:03:15,740 --> 00:03:18,140 and so I didn't want to join the 83 00:03:18,140 --> 00:03:20,196 military . And I didn't want to join 84 00:03:20,196 --> 00:03:22,960 the military because I I had moved 85 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,960 around a lot as it is a child . And 86 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,571 even though those were great 87 00:03:26,571 --> 00:03:28,849 experiences , I didn't want to do that . 88 00:03:28,849 --> 00:03:31,127 I wanted to settle down somewhere . Uh , 89 00:03:31,127 --> 00:03:33,238 but I found myself quickly going down 90 00:03:33,238 --> 00:03:35,293 the wrong path after high school was 91 00:03:35,293 --> 00:03:37,349 getting into some trouble doing some 92 00:03:37,349 --> 00:03:39,516 really dumb things . And and so I went 93 00:03:39,516 --> 00:03:42,110 down to the recruiter's office and , uh , 94 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,231 slit an application across the desk . 95 00:03:44,231 --> 00:03:46,342 The funny thing is is Well , it's not 96 00:03:46,342 --> 00:03:48,120 funny . I couldn't join . I was 97 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,120 actually in a lot of trouble at the 98 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,009 time and didn't realize that that 99 00:03:52,009 --> 00:03:54,176 hadn't caught up to me yet . So , uh , 100 00:03:54,176 --> 00:03:56,398 the Air Force said , Sorry , can't take 101 00:03:56,398 --> 00:03:58,620 you on . That's when I first realized I 102 00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:00,787 have something called determination in 103 00:04:00,787 --> 00:04:02,898 me Once the Air Force told me No , we 104 00:04:02,898 --> 00:04:04,953 can't take you . I was determined to 105 00:04:04,953 --> 00:04:07,064 join the Air Force . Eso It took me a 106 00:04:07,064 --> 00:04:09,176 year and a half to get in . It took a 107 00:04:09,176 --> 00:04:11,287 lot of phone calls . It took a letter 108 00:04:11,287 --> 00:04:13,509 from my father . Uh , it took a meeting 109 00:04:13,509 --> 00:04:15,731 with the the the the Lieutenant Colonel 110 00:04:15,731 --> 00:04:17,731 that ran that area for recruiting , 111 00:04:17,731 --> 00:04:19,620 drove down from Seattle to have a 112 00:04:19,620 --> 00:04:21,676 personal conversation with me on the 113 00:04:21,676 --> 00:04:23,676 Air Force was kind enough to let me 114 00:04:23,676 --> 00:04:25,620 join with what they call it morals 115 00:04:25,620 --> 00:04:27,780 waiver . I couldn't have a security 116 00:04:27,780 --> 00:04:29,947 clearance for my first year and a half 117 00:04:29,947 --> 00:04:32,169 in the Air Force . It was pretty eso it 118 00:04:32,169 --> 00:04:34,169 was . It was pretty rough because I 119 00:04:34,169 --> 00:04:36,336 wasn't like everybody else . I was the 120 00:04:36,336 --> 00:04:38,502 kid that had to have somebody with him 121 00:04:38,502 --> 00:04:40,336 when he was doing maintenance on 122 00:04:40,336 --> 00:04:40,280 aircraft . I was the kid that couldn't 123 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,560 go and get certain briefings . Um , so 124 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:45,920 again , it was great , because it 125 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,680 really , really brought out that 126 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,902 determination in me I was determined to 127 00:04:50,902 --> 00:04:53,290 do . Well , you can't tell me . No , 128 00:04:53,290 --> 00:04:55,457 you're not going to tell me I can't be 129 00:04:55,457 --> 00:04:57,457 in this Air Force . And so you know 130 00:04:57,457 --> 00:04:59,623 something I proud pride myself on is , 131 00:04:59,623 --> 00:05:01,734 since I've joined the Air Force until 132 00:05:01,734 --> 00:05:03,790 now , uh , every opportunity the Air 133 00:05:03,790 --> 00:05:05,734 Force is provided to me has been a 134 00:05:05,734 --> 00:05:07,957 blessing . I look at it as a blessing , 135 00:05:07,957 --> 00:05:10,000 Andi , and I'm not gonna mess that 136 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,690 blessing up . And so So really , it was 137 00:05:12,690 --> 00:05:14,968 kind of a good thing they told me . No , 138 00:05:14,968 --> 00:05:16,746 I think if they would have just 139 00:05:16,746 --> 00:05:18,912 accepted me right away , I'd have been 140 00:05:18,912 --> 00:05:20,801 the knucklehead . I was in 19 and 141 00:05:20,801 --> 00:05:23,023 probably not done very well in my in my 142 00:05:23,023 --> 00:05:25,190 career . So , you know , we talk about 143 00:05:25,190 --> 00:05:27,301 discipline all the time . And I think 144 00:05:27,301 --> 00:05:29,246 that the Air Force is really truly 145 00:05:29,246 --> 00:05:31,301 embedded Self discipline in me . You 146 00:05:31,301 --> 00:05:33,301 know , I've had some had some rough 147 00:05:33,301 --> 00:05:35,357 supervisors that really , really put 148 00:05:35,357 --> 00:05:37,579 the whip down on me when needed . And I 149 00:05:37,579 --> 00:05:39,801 also had the supervisors that picked me 150 00:05:39,801 --> 00:05:42,134 up when I needed it . Most of those air , 151 00:05:42,134 --> 00:05:44,079 The best supervisors . Yeah , it's 152 00:05:44,079 --> 00:05:46,301 definitely they're scary . At first , I 153 00:05:46,301 --> 00:05:48,357 was terrified of my supervisor . But 154 00:05:48,357 --> 00:05:50,690 that's the main person I look up to now . 155 00:05:50,690 --> 00:05:54,650 Yeah . Yeah . Even though supervisors I 156 00:05:54,740 --> 00:05:56,700 I tend to stay away from toxic 157 00:05:56,700 --> 00:05:59,410 leadership and bad supervisors . 158 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,690 I think that I think that supervisors 159 00:06:03,690 --> 00:06:05,968 in general try to do their best . Andi , 160 00:06:05,968 --> 00:06:07,857 I could tell you that I've been a 161 00:06:07,857 --> 00:06:09,746 supervisor of many , and I've not 162 00:06:09,746 --> 00:06:11,912 always made the right decision or said 163 00:06:11,912 --> 00:06:14,200 the right thing . Um , but all those 164 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,850 times where a supervisor did do 165 00:06:16,850 --> 00:06:19,510 something to me that I internalized , 166 00:06:19,510 --> 00:06:21,840 you know , that bothered me or that was 167 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:25,290 not appreciated . I remember those two 168 00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:27,578 because I think they're just important . 169 00:06:27,578 --> 00:06:29,800 Is the good the good things that happen 170 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,022 to you , right ? Because when you go to 171 00:06:32,022 --> 00:06:34,244 a less , you're gonna start supervising 172 00:06:34,244 --> 00:06:36,189 Airman And that will be your first 173 00:06:36,189 --> 00:06:38,411 touch point with our young airman . And 174 00:06:38,411 --> 00:06:40,744 that's a huge responsibility , isn't it ? 175 00:06:40,744 --> 00:06:43,078 It is . I'm excited , but I'm terrified . 176 00:06:43,078 --> 00:06:45,078 At the same time , I wanna lead new 177 00:06:45,078 --> 00:06:47,356 airman just as I was led . Yeah , yeah , 178 00:06:47,356 --> 00:06:49,578 it'll be a scary time , but it'll be an 179 00:06:49,578 --> 00:06:51,744 exciting time . And , uh , I think the 180 00:06:51,744 --> 00:06:53,967 key is just to know you're not gonna be 181 00:06:53,967 --> 00:06:56,000 perfect and to be transparent and 182 00:06:56,010 --> 00:06:58,121 apologize when you do , say the wrong 183 00:06:58,121 --> 00:07:00,177 thing or make the make the mistake . 184 00:07:00,177 --> 00:07:02,399 Mark Walcott was very good at that , so 185 00:07:02,399 --> 00:07:04,510 I appreciate it . So , what do you do 186 00:07:04,510 --> 00:07:06,677 for the Air Force ? I'm a crew chief , 187 00:07:06,677 --> 00:07:09,010 so I do all the maintenance on the Jets . 188 00:07:09,010 --> 00:07:12,310 I launched the jets out . Recover just 189 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,420 overall . Make sure everything is good 190 00:07:15,420 --> 00:07:17,710 with the jet . Maintaining aircraft is 191 00:07:17,710 --> 00:07:20,060 pretty important . Exactly what do you 192 00:07:20,060 --> 00:07:22,338 do every single day when you goto work ? 193 00:07:22,338 --> 00:07:25,250 Besides the lawn tree cover aircraft . 194 00:07:25,940 --> 00:07:28,990 So usually when I'm in between goes , 195 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,920 I'm making sure my jets clean . Always 196 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,670 clean the tires , the windscreens , so 197 00:07:35,670 --> 00:07:38,760 they can see perfectly outside . Um , 198 00:07:38,770 --> 00:07:41,080 if I have extra free time , I'm like 199 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,120 cleaning up my forms , changing out 200 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,090 streamers just overall making sure my 201 00:07:46,090 --> 00:07:48,250 jet is clean . They always talk about 202 00:07:48,250 --> 00:07:50,510 having pride in your jet , which is 203 00:07:50,510 --> 00:07:53,030 cool to me . Toe Have my own jet with 204 00:07:53,030 --> 00:07:56,210 my name on it . So I want to make sure 205 00:07:56,210 --> 00:07:59,050 that it looks the best that it can . 206 00:07:59,940 --> 00:08:02,162 Yeah . You know , in my career , I grew 207 00:08:02,162 --> 00:08:04,162 up is a maintainer as well . As you 208 00:08:04,162 --> 00:08:06,329 know , I was a weapons , uh , airman , 209 00:08:06,329 --> 00:08:08,551 multiple airframes . But every airframe 210 00:08:08,551 --> 00:08:10,662 I was on I was always super impressed 211 00:08:10,662 --> 00:08:12,773 by the crew chiefs and how much pride 212 00:08:12,773 --> 00:08:12,480 they had in the aircraft that they 213 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,580 maintained . There's a little bit of 214 00:08:14,580 --> 00:08:16,524 competition out there between crew 215 00:08:16,524 --> 00:08:19,550 Chief says there is for sure . Eso I'm 216 00:08:19,550 --> 00:08:21,383 starting to notice . People like 217 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:23,807 putting like little stickers on like , 218 00:08:23,807 --> 00:08:25,920 the hub calves , like tryingto one up 219 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,910 each other like changing . Those are 220 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,380 all that . Yeah , but that pride and 221 00:08:31,380 --> 00:08:33,380 how well you maintain that aircraft 222 00:08:33,380 --> 00:08:35,547 translates into combat power . Right ? 223 00:08:35,547 --> 00:08:37,658 Every time I talked to the air career 224 00:08:37,658 --> 00:08:39,713 and you can see it , it's evidence . 225 00:08:39,713 --> 00:08:41,936 Every time they go to the step to their 226 00:08:41,936 --> 00:08:44,047 jet . There is a relationship between 227 00:08:44,047 --> 00:08:46,102 you and that . Aircrew isn't there . 228 00:08:46,102 --> 00:08:48,290 There is especially with like how my 229 00:08:48,290 --> 00:08:50,401 pilot was asking about , like , knows 230 00:08:50,401 --> 00:08:52,630 are and like the forms and all that it 231 00:08:52,630 --> 00:08:55,190 does give what ? The crew chief and the 232 00:08:55,190 --> 00:08:57,301 air crew of that jet When we're pride 233 00:08:57,301 --> 00:08:59,620 Thio , go to that jet for me tow . 234 00:08:59,620 --> 00:09:01,731 Launch it out and for them to get the 235 00:09:01,731 --> 00:09:03,953 fly it There's way more pride in that . 236 00:09:03,953 --> 00:09:06,064 It's pretty awesome . I heard I heard 237 00:09:06,064 --> 00:09:08,064 something about top fliers . What's 238 00:09:08,064 --> 00:09:10,287 that all about ? So that's when the jet 239 00:09:10,287 --> 00:09:13,630 has the least amount of 240 00:09:13,630 --> 00:09:16,860 gabs . And what's a jab . 241 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,710 So I gather is when something goes 242 00:09:19,710 --> 00:09:22,870 wrong , you know , we do like we're 243 00:09:22,870 --> 00:09:24,814 doing the best that we can for our 244 00:09:24,814 --> 00:09:26,814 maintenance . But sometimes there's 245 00:09:26,814 --> 00:09:28,870 always stuff that's gonna go room so 246 00:09:28,870 --> 00:09:30,926 there might be like a league or like 247 00:09:30,926 --> 00:09:33,037 something with the electrical part of 248 00:09:33,037 --> 00:09:35,203 the job . Might , like go bad all of a 249 00:09:35,203 --> 00:09:37,314 sudden so that causes them did not be 250 00:09:37,314 --> 00:09:39,203 able to use that jet , which it's 251 00:09:39,203 --> 00:09:41,203 normal stuff , so they had to go to 252 00:09:41,203 --> 00:09:44,950 another one . So for them to get 253 00:09:44,950 --> 00:09:47,240 top fire , you have to have the least 254 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,730 amount of gabs and your jet has to be 255 00:09:50,730 --> 00:09:53,640 flown the most . That's awesome . 256 00:09:53,650 --> 00:09:55,740 Competition drives greatness really 257 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:57,750 honestly So all the crew chiefs out 258 00:09:57,750 --> 00:09:59,806 there maintaining their aircraft and 259 00:09:59,806 --> 00:10:01,861 haven't , you know , trying to fight 260 00:10:01,861 --> 00:10:05,100 for that top flyer ? Uh , I saw a sign 261 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:07,322 out there . Is that what you guys got ? 262 00:10:07,322 --> 00:10:09,489 Now ? A sign saying it's the top flyer 263 00:10:09,489 --> 00:10:11,822 that sits in front of the earth . It is , 264 00:10:11,822 --> 00:10:11,230 which is pretty cool . Got people 265 00:10:11,230 --> 00:10:13,490 competing for it now . Yeah , that's 266 00:10:13,490 --> 00:10:15,730 pretty awesome . Hey , you know , being 267 00:10:15,730 --> 00:10:17,897 a maintainer in the Air Force , that's 268 00:10:17,897 --> 00:10:20,040 a lot of hard work . Um , did you see 269 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,207 yourself coming in the Air Force to be 270 00:10:22,207 --> 00:10:24,262 a maintainer , or did you have a new 271 00:10:24,262 --> 00:10:26,429 idea of what you wanted to do that was 272 00:10:26,429 --> 00:10:28,429 different than that ? So when I was 273 00:10:28,429 --> 00:10:30,596 first joint and I wanted to be medical 274 00:10:30,596 --> 00:10:32,810 So that's what I studied throughout 275 00:10:32,810 --> 00:10:35,088 high school before I joined , you know , 276 00:10:35,088 --> 00:10:37,254 I wanted to go into physical therapy , 277 00:10:37,254 --> 00:10:41,190 so I would I was going to join Thio , 278 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,840 kind of go down that same path . But 279 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,390 then , uh , my recruiter was telling me 280 00:10:46,390 --> 00:10:49,220 that it's hard to get into medical and 281 00:10:49,220 --> 00:10:51,442 all this other stuff , and I was like , 282 00:10:51,442 --> 00:10:53,498 All right , well , I want a job that 283 00:10:53,498 --> 00:10:55,609 travels a lot , and that's more hands 284 00:10:55,609 --> 00:10:57,776 on . So , like this stay busy . And so 285 00:10:57,940 --> 00:11:00,260 he kind of tricked me . He was , like , 286 00:11:00,260 --> 00:11:02,316 telling me like I'd get the fly with 287 00:11:02,316 --> 00:11:05,360 the Jets and all this other stuff which 288 00:11:05,370 --> 00:11:07,481 that was cool to me just to be around 289 00:11:07,481 --> 00:11:09,648 Jet . So I was like , All right , I'll 290 00:11:09,648 --> 00:11:11,648 take this . And then I got the text 291 00:11:11,648 --> 00:11:13,703 school and learned it was more about 292 00:11:13,703 --> 00:11:15,703 mechanics . I was terrified because 293 00:11:15,703 --> 00:11:17,870 I've never touched tools all my life , 294 00:11:17,940 --> 00:11:20,270 but I don't regret it at all . I 295 00:11:20,270 --> 00:11:22,159 wouldn't change it for anything . 296 00:11:22,159 --> 00:11:24,270 That's awesome . So you've been doing 297 00:11:24,270 --> 00:11:26,381 this for about three years now . Tell 298 00:11:26,381 --> 00:11:28,603 me what being a maintainer means to you 299 00:11:28,603 --> 00:11:32,370 in our Air Force . For me , it's 300 00:11:33,340 --> 00:11:36,040 all about having the people around you 301 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,020 toe help . My car said I was less 302 00:11:39,020 --> 00:11:42,090 confident and being a mechanic . It's 303 00:11:42,090 --> 00:11:44,440 about having those type of people thio 304 00:11:44,450 --> 00:11:46,561 give you the knowledge that they have 305 00:11:46,561 --> 00:11:48,820 and to show you like the right way to 306 00:11:48,820 --> 00:11:52,160 do things and your overall just 307 00:11:52,540 --> 00:11:55,820 working together just to get like like 308 00:11:55,820 --> 00:11:58,870 a jet up in the air , a car , just 309 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:00,658 anything in general , like it's 310 00:12:00,658 --> 00:12:02,769 something you can't do alone . Yeah , 311 00:12:03,140 --> 00:12:05,362 yeah , there's a you know , some people 312 00:12:05,362 --> 00:12:08,050 call it clicks , but really maintainers . 313 00:12:08,050 --> 00:12:10,070 That's a tribe , isn't it ? It za 314 00:12:10,070 --> 00:12:12,430 family . You know , the 20 something 315 00:12:12,430 --> 00:12:14,990 years that I was maintainer my fondest 316 00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:17,212 memories and the people that were there 317 00:12:17,212 --> 00:12:19,212 for me when I needed a most were my 318 00:12:19,212 --> 00:12:21,010 maintainer friends , peers , 319 00:12:21,130 --> 00:12:23,720 supervisors . It's a unique world to 320 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,942 live in . It's a very hard world . Tell 321 00:12:25,942 --> 00:12:28,053 me , Tell me what your daily hours or 322 00:12:28,053 --> 00:12:30,164 like being a maintainer , making sure 323 00:12:30,164 --> 00:12:32,276 that the wing here has the combat air 324 00:12:32,276 --> 00:12:35,720 power needed to do the mission . So so 325 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,776 are you asking like the hours ? What 326 00:12:37,776 --> 00:12:41,610 are your hours like ? So it's a lot of 327 00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:43,509 it's changed a lot because of the 328 00:12:43,509 --> 00:12:46,210 flying hours changing , but it's mostly 329 00:12:46,210 --> 00:12:48,380 all of us going out there making sure 330 00:12:48,380 --> 00:12:50,491 we have all this stuff to get the jet 331 00:12:50,491 --> 00:12:52,658 up in the air , and then whenever they 332 00:12:52,658 --> 00:12:54,602 come down , we're all helping each 333 00:12:54,602 --> 00:12:57,730 other out , like recovering BPO and all 334 00:12:57,730 --> 00:13:00,930 that . And then in between times , it's 335 00:13:00,930 --> 00:13:03,410 the family , like joking together , 336 00:13:03,410 --> 00:13:06,780 just like playing cards , anything just 337 00:13:06,780 --> 00:13:08,502 really getting that bond of us 338 00:13:08,502 --> 00:13:11,520 altogether . Yeah , long hours . You 339 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,853 really get to know each other very well , 340 00:13:13,853 --> 00:13:16,160 so it's a pretty unique tribe Hey , um , 341 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,351 so I know you said before you came in 342 00:13:19,351 --> 00:13:21,573 their force , you were looking at doing 343 00:13:21,573 --> 00:13:23,518 physical therapy . Kind of kind of 344 00:13:23,518 --> 00:13:25,518 found your way into this maintainer 345 00:13:25,518 --> 00:13:27,796 world . Do you see yourself doing this ? 346 00:13:27,796 --> 00:13:27,730 Ah , long term . You see yourself 347 00:13:27,740 --> 00:13:30,080 serving 4 to 6 years and and separating 348 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,024 with what ? Your goals . I can see 349 00:13:32,024 --> 00:13:34,660 myself doing this long term fourth to 350 00:13:34,660 --> 00:13:38,600 be my overall like career . I'm not 351 00:13:38,610 --> 00:13:41,070 too sure of just . But I can see myself 352 00:13:41,070 --> 00:13:44,660 staying and building my way up and 353 00:13:45,340 --> 00:13:48,920 just overall trying to make change in 354 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,760 the field if I can . That's awesome . 355 00:13:52,140 --> 00:13:54,251 Hey , I know I have no doubt . If you 356 00:13:54,251 --> 00:13:56,307 stick around this Air Force , you're 357 00:13:56,307 --> 00:13:58,473 gonna do great things on . Even if you 358 00:13:58,473 --> 00:14:00,584 decide to separate after your 1st 1st 359 00:14:00,584 --> 00:14:02,584 term . Thank you for your service . 360 00:14:02,584 --> 00:14:04,640 I've got a question that I'd love to 361 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:06,751 ask you and get your inside on . What 362 00:14:06,751 --> 00:14:06,550 are the things that you appreciate 363 00:14:06,550 --> 00:14:08,606 about the Air Force ? The leadership 364 00:14:08,606 --> 00:14:10,661 that would make you stay and want to 365 00:14:10,661 --> 00:14:13,650 serve 20 years ? I know for my 366 00:14:13,650 --> 00:14:17,380 leadership , they really they're the 367 00:14:17,380 --> 00:14:19,560 main ones that bring in that family 368 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,030 bond that we have with each other . So 369 00:14:23,030 --> 00:14:25,141 if I were to ever become a leader , I 370 00:14:25,141 --> 00:14:27,400 want that I want to bring that upon the 371 00:14:27,410 --> 00:14:30,860 people to this overall . Yeah , for 372 00:14:30,860 --> 00:14:33,350 sure . I know being , um , intent or 373 00:14:33,350 --> 00:14:36,490 nothing hurt more than working in a 12 374 00:14:36,490 --> 00:14:38,490 hour day just to have somebody come 375 00:14:38,490 --> 00:14:40,657 back behind me and tell me I didn't do 376 00:14:40,657 --> 00:14:42,879 it exactly right . You know , Q is very 377 00:14:42,879 --> 00:14:44,990 important for what we do , because it 378 00:14:44,990 --> 00:14:44,630 make sure we're doing quality 379 00:14:44,630 --> 00:14:46,850 maintenance . Uh , I don't think any Q 380 00:14:46,850 --> 00:14:48,850 inspector , you know , they they're 381 00:14:48,850 --> 00:14:51,110 just like us . They're maintainers . I 382 00:14:51,110 --> 00:14:53,332 don't think any Q Inspector wants to go 383 00:14:53,332 --> 00:14:55,388 out and fail anybody . Its's hard on 384 00:14:55,388 --> 00:14:57,443 their side to s . Oh , yeah , you're 385 00:14:57,443 --> 00:14:59,666 right . Leadership protecting airman is 386 00:14:59,666 --> 00:15:01,832 important . Knowing that there's trust 387 00:15:01,832 --> 00:15:04,110 in that relationship is very important . 388 00:15:04,110 --> 00:15:06,277 You know , I think when you have trust 389 00:15:06,277 --> 00:15:08,277 with your leadership , when they do 390 00:15:08,277 --> 00:15:10,166 have to be hard on you or correct 391 00:15:10,166 --> 00:15:12,221 behaviors , I think you tend to take 392 00:15:12,221 --> 00:15:14,388 that a little bit easier . Softens the 393 00:15:14,388 --> 00:15:14,300 blow a little bit because , you know , 394 00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:16,578 it comes from love . You know , I talk . 395 00:15:16,578 --> 00:15:20,150 Uh , General Conklin , I hosted a , 396 00:15:20,740 --> 00:15:23,470 uh , Janine Side John the other night 397 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:25,890 on she talked about her brother Lance 398 00:15:25,890 --> 00:15:28,001 piece I , John , who earned the Medal 399 00:15:28,001 --> 00:15:30,240 of Honor . Um , in Vietnam . And one of 400 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,440 the things you talked about is is if 401 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,607 you if you do things from the place of 402 00:15:34,607 --> 00:15:36,950 love , it can never be wrong . And so I 403 00:15:36,950 --> 00:15:39,006 think your leadership taking care of 404 00:15:39,006 --> 00:15:41,172 you and , you know they're taking care 405 00:15:41,172 --> 00:15:43,061 of use is showing you guys love . 406 00:15:43,061 --> 00:15:45,006 Exactly . And so they can never go 407 00:15:45,006 --> 00:15:47,339 wrong with that . Appreciate that . Hey , 408 00:15:47,339 --> 00:15:49,394 um , where do you see yourself in 10 409 00:15:49,394 --> 00:15:52,560 years ? Uh , so for now I see 410 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,550 myself definitely being a leader . Like 411 00:15:56,550 --> 00:15:59,050 how we were talking for this strong . I 412 00:15:59,050 --> 00:16:01,800 don't see many women , seven levels 413 00:16:01,810 --> 00:16:03,850 because I'm sure there probably off 414 00:16:03,850 --> 00:16:06,460 somewhere else at a different base . I 415 00:16:06,460 --> 00:16:09,350 definitely wanna be changed for that . 416 00:16:10,140 --> 00:16:12,196 From where I'm seeing , I wanna be a 417 00:16:12,196 --> 00:16:14,210 seven level . I wanna be like the 418 00:16:14,210 --> 00:16:16,660 flight chief . If I have to , one day , 419 00:16:16,660 --> 00:16:19,000 maybe a first shirt just somewhere in 420 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,770 the leadership , just to show the very 421 00:16:21,770 --> 00:16:25,170 few women that do come in that they can 422 00:16:25,170 --> 00:16:26,760 do Justus good as well . 423 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:31,496 One of the things you always hear me 424 00:16:31,496 --> 00:16:33,551 talk about is equality and providing 425 00:16:33,551 --> 00:16:35,773 everybody the opportunity to meet their 426 00:16:35,773 --> 00:16:37,996 full potential in our air force . So no 427 00:16:37,996 --> 00:16:37,960 doubt you're gonna you're gonna obtain 428 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:39,849 those goals that you have set for 429 00:16:39,849 --> 00:16:41,904 yourself in the next 10 years . Um , 430 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,062 kind of a hard question for you being a 431 00:16:45,062 --> 00:16:47,229 female in maintenance . There are very 432 00:16:47,229 --> 00:16:49,451 few of you out there . Uh , do you find 433 00:16:49,451 --> 00:16:51,562 that to be hard or do you Do you find 434 00:16:51,562 --> 00:16:53,618 yourself fitting in very easily into 435 00:16:53,618 --> 00:16:56,270 the into the trap ? So when I was new , 436 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,002 it was definitely hard . I was 437 00:16:58,002 --> 00:17:00,058 terrified . Like I said , I've never 438 00:17:00,058 --> 00:17:02,480 touched tools . So I was like , What ? 439 00:17:02,490 --> 00:17:04,657 What are all these guys going to think 440 00:17:04,657 --> 00:17:06,990 of me like I'm gonna be taken as a joke . 441 00:17:06,990 --> 00:17:09,360 And so I was terrified . But what that 442 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:11,800 family bond that we have , they can 443 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:15,100 tell when I get , like , hard on myself 444 00:17:15,110 --> 00:17:17,710 or down on myself about doing 445 00:17:17,710 --> 00:17:19,821 maintenance . And they're really good 446 00:17:19,821 --> 00:17:23,010 about , like , joking around and like , 447 00:17:23,030 --> 00:17:25,141 showing me that , like , I'm actually 448 00:17:25,141 --> 00:17:27,460 not as bad as I tell myself that I am . 449 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:30,830 So they make me felt like I feel right 450 00:17:30,830 --> 00:17:33,420 in every day . That's awesome . Yeah , 451 00:17:33,530 --> 00:17:35,752 one of the teammates , no matter what . 452 00:17:35,752 --> 00:17:38,980 That's great . You know , we've We've 453 00:17:38,980 --> 00:17:40,924 always got room to grow in our Air 454 00:17:40,924 --> 00:17:43,036 Force , and I think we're doing great 455 00:17:43,036 --> 00:17:45,147 things . You know , we have our first 456 00:17:45,147 --> 00:17:47,313 female chief master in the Air Force , 457 00:17:47,313 --> 00:17:47,160 she master of the Air Force . Joanne 458 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,120 Bass . Uh , phenomenal leader in our 459 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,342 air force . Hopefully , hopefully , one 460 00:17:52,342 --> 00:17:54,453 day soon . She'll be here in our wing 461 00:17:54,453 --> 00:17:56,620 and you'll get to meet her . I promise 462 00:17:56,620 --> 00:17:58,842 you to introduce you to her on . She'll 463 00:17:58,842 --> 00:18:00,898 talk to you about some of the things 464 00:18:00,898 --> 00:18:00,810 that she's gone through in her career . 465 00:18:01,050 --> 00:18:04,990 Growing up is a female . Um , what else 466 00:18:04,990 --> 00:18:08,370 you got for me ? Oh , so do you think 467 00:18:08,370 --> 00:18:10,314 you would have ever been a command 468 00:18:10,314 --> 00:18:12,370 chief at the wing here ? That's it . 469 00:18:12,370 --> 00:18:15,120 That is a good question . Um , the 470 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:18,200 answer is no , I didn't think I ever 471 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,760 would be , but yes , I wanted to be , 472 00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:24,130 um , like I told you when I joined the 473 00:18:24,130 --> 00:18:26,297 air Force , the determination I had to 474 00:18:26,297 --> 00:18:28,463 prove to the Air Force that the reason 475 00:18:28,463 --> 00:18:30,630 they needed to accept me into this Air 476 00:18:30,630 --> 00:18:32,797 Forces because I was a good person and 477 00:18:32,797 --> 00:18:34,741 I could do great things . And that 478 00:18:34,741 --> 00:18:34,670 drove the discipline that I had 479 00:18:34,670 --> 00:18:36,860 throughout my career . I set lofty 480 00:18:36,860 --> 00:18:39,510 goals for myself because of that . Andi . 481 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,631 One of the goals . And you hear a lot 482 00:18:41,631 --> 00:18:43,742 of Herman said . I'm gonna be a chief 483 00:18:43,742 --> 00:18:45,798 one day . I wanna be a chief one day 484 00:18:45,798 --> 00:18:48,076 and it's because we look upto Archie's . 485 00:18:48,076 --> 00:18:50,460 Um , you know , I can name every chief 486 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,610 that I've ever worked for 25 years . 487 00:18:53,620 --> 00:18:55,731 That's how inspirational they've been 488 00:18:55,731 --> 00:18:57,842 to me . That's the impact they've had 489 00:18:57,842 --> 00:18:59,960 on my family and my in my career . On 490 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:02,182 DSO . I wanted to be a chief , and then 491 00:19:02,182 --> 00:19:04,238 I wanted to be a command chief . And 492 00:19:04,238 --> 00:19:06,349 then I want to be chief master of the 493 00:19:06,349 --> 00:19:08,571 Air Force . I think it's healthy to set 494 00:19:08,571 --> 00:19:10,571 lofty goals for yourself and try to 495 00:19:10,571 --> 00:19:12,682 obtain them . Um , you know , at some 496 00:19:12,682 --> 00:19:14,904 point in our lives , you know , we talk 497 00:19:14,904 --> 00:19:14,650 about resiliency , and I think one of 498 00:19:14,650 --> 00:19:16,650 the things about resiliency is it's 499 00:19:16,650 --> 00:19:20,080 okay to fail . I think that the way we 500 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,247 build resiliency isn't by sitting in a 501 00:19:22,247 --> 00:19:24,524 classroom and talking about resiliency . 502 00:19:24,524 --> 00:19:27,550 I think it's bye bye by trying , 503 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,151 failing and picking ourselves back up 504 00:19:30,151 --> 00:19:32,207 and trying again . And so you know , 505 00:19:32,207 --> 00:19:34,373 there were There were two points in my 506 00:19:34,373 --> 00:19:36,540 career where I didn't even think I was 507 00:19:36,540 --> 00:19:38,429 gonna make chief on both of those 508 00:19:38,429 --> 00:19:40,590 situations were absolutely 100% my 509 00:19:40,590 --> 00:19:42,610 fault , things that I could have 510 00:19:42,610 --> 00:19:45,520 controlled and did not control . And so , 511 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,220 um , I was okay with it , though , 512 00:19:48,230 --> 00:19:50,174 because I was working hard . I was 513 00:19:50,174 --> 00:19:52,230 doing great things , and I was doing 514 00:19:52,230 --> 00:19:54,286 the right things . Um , and and then 515 00:19:54,286 --> 00:19:56,174 these two things just happened to 516 00:19:56,174 --> 00:19:59,550 happen , Uh , because of me . Um , but 517 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,630 fortunately there force , you know , 518 00:20:01,650 --> 00:20:04,090 saw Saw that saw it fit to promote me 519 00:20:04,090 --> 00:20:07,040 to chief , which is , you know , 1% of 520 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,100 the Air Force serves as a chief on then , 521 00:20:10,100 --> 00:20:12,267 of course . What do I do next ? Well , 522 00:20:12,267 --> 00:20:14,489 I want to set myself on being a command 523 00:20:14,489 --> 00:20:16,711 chief , so I set my sights , you know , 524 00:20:16,711 --> 00:20:18,878 100 m down the road at command chief , 525 00:20:18,878 --> 00:20:20,822 Um , being a command chief is very 526 00:20:20,822 --> 00:20:22,933 selective . And I honestly don't know 527 00:20:22,933 --> 00:20:25,100 if I'd be a command chief right now if 528 00:20:25,100 --> 00:20:27,433 it wasn't for General Kunkle . You know , 529 00:20:27,433 --> 00:20:29,767 General Kunkel and I had a relationship . 530 00:20:29,767 --> 00:20:29,290 He was my wing commander of mountain 531 00:20:29,290 --> 00:20:31,346 home where you're stationed at Hey , 532 00:20:31,346 --> 00:20:33,570 was gunfighter one there and I worked 533 00:20:33,580 --> 00:20:35,691 for him as his wing weapons manager . 534 00:20:36,410 --> 00:20:38,743 So in your three years in the Air Force . 535 00:20:38,743 --> 00:20:40,910 What's your most favorable memory that 536 00:20:40,910 --> 00:20:43,520 you have so far , so so far ? I was 537 00:20:43,530 --> 00:20:46,320 esta on my way here . So we stopped by 538 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:50,050 licking his And the best day was 539 00:20:50,060 --> 00:20:52,680 catching all the jets , and there was 540 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:54,680 only 10 of us . We were getting all 541 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,460 this stuff done like as fast and best 542 00:20:57,460 --> 00:20:59,627 as we could because it was pouring the 543 00:20:59,627 --> 00:21:01,950 rain . And then after all that , the 544 00:21:01,950 --> 00:21:04,061 day that we sent them all out to come 545 00:21:04,061 --> 00:21:06,030 here , that was This is my first 546 00:21:06,030 --> 00:21:08,197 appointment , my first time overseas . 547 00:21:08,197 --> 00:21:10,308 That was such a pride fulfilling just 548 00:21:10,308 --> 00:21:12,530 to send all those jets out the way that 549 00:21:12,530 --> 00:21:15,150 we did . That's awesome . All right . 550 00:21:15,250 --> 00:21:18,030 And what , Z For as long as you've been 551 00:21:18,030 --> 00:21:20,280 in the Air Force , what is the best day 552 00:21:20,290 --> 00:21:23,460 that you think I've got to That stand 553 00:21:23,460 --> 00:21:26,410 out to me ? The most one . I was a 554 00:21:26,410 --> 00:21:28,960 senior airman deployed to Al Jabar Air 555 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,930 Base in Kuwait . I was working armament 556 00:21:31,930 --> 00:21:33,874 back shop at the time . I was on F 557 00:21:33,874 --> 00:21:37,730 sixteens out of hill on , um , are 558 00:21:37,730 --> 00:21:39,920 seven level had gotten sick and had 559 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,410 been on quarters for 48 hours and the A 560 00:21:42,410 --> 00:21:46,280 10 unit . They're two individuals were 561 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,500 actually out on Marty at another 562 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:51,940 location maintenance team that had to 563 00:21:51,940 --> 00:21:55,060 respond somewhere else . And the 564 00:21:56,340 --> 00:21:58,430 the unit came in and they had a gun 565 00:21:58,430 --> 00:22:01,710 that was all jammed up , and they asked 566 00:22:01,710 --> 00:22:03,932 if I could help work on it . And I knew 567 00:22:03,932 --> 00:22:06,154 nothing about 8 10 guns . And if you've 568 00:22:06,154 --> 00:22:08,321 ever seen the gun on an 18 , it's huge 569 00:22:08,321 --> 00:22:10,480 on . I was so confident in myself . I 570 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,536 was a five level . I knew what I was 571 00:22:12,536 --> 00:22:14,758 doing . So I whipped out those toes and 572 00:22:14,758 --> 00:22:16,924 I started working on that gun and were 573 00:22:16,924 --> 00:22:19,036 able to get the gun turned . Uh , the 574 00:22:19,036 --> 00:22:21,147 gun had to wait till the next morning 575 00:22:21,147 --> 00:22:23,369 when the seven level could , you know , 576 00:22:23,369 --> 00:22:22,580 sign off on that . It was everything 577 00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:25,010 was done correctly . Uh , but that was 578 00:22:25,010 --> 00:22:27,121 a very prideful moment for me because 579 00:22:27,121 --> 00:22:29,288 I'd done something that was completely 580 00:22:29,288 --> 00:22:31,343 outside of my responsibility . But I 581 00:22:31,343 --> 00:22:34,390 knew I could help out the team , and it 582 00:22:34,390 --> 00:22:36,520 was really neat when the morning of 583 00:22:36,530 --> 00:22:38,697 their commander came in and he gave me 584 00:22:38,697 --> 00:22:41,100 a 2030 millimeter round that was all 585 00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:43,360 chromed out , and it was on a breech 586 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:45,249 bolt which is what carries around 587 00:22:45,249 --> 00:22:47,360 through the gun . And he presented me 588 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:49,582 this little plaque and and said , Hey , 589 00:22:49,582 --> 00:22:51,638 thanks . Thanks for turning this gun 590 00:22:51,638 --> 00:22:53,749 for us . Uh , I was not part of their 591 00:22:53,749 --> 00:22:55,804 unit . I did not know them on . That 592 00:22:55,804 --> 00:22:55,770 was very prideful moment for me . And 593 00:22:55,770 --> 00:22:57,937 it's one that just sticks out in my my 594 00:22:57,937 --> 00:23:00,103 mind of , you know , when we tell them 595 00:23:00,103 --> 00:23:02,326 into accelerator change or we tell them 596 00:23:02,326 --> 00:23:04,381 to proceed till apprehended . That's 597 00:23:04,381 --> 00:23:06,381 what I think of just Hey , I know I 598 00:23:06,381 --> 00:23:08,326 could do this . Uh , somebody will 599 00:23:08,326 --> 00:23:08,260 double check . My work is a seven level , 600 00:23:08,260 --> 00:23:10,482 but I know I could do this and help the 601 00:23:10,482 --> 00:23:12,660 team . The other thing that stands out 602 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:15,340 to me I'll try not to get emotional is 603 00:23:15,350 --> 00:23:17,870 you know , the day my son graduated 604 00:23:17,870 --> 00:23:20,230 basic training . My son is a staff 605 00:23:20,230 --> 00:23:23,010 sergeant at Kadena Air Base . I was a 606 00:23:23,010 --> 00:23:24,954 single father most of his life . I 607 00:23:24,954 --> 00:23:27,750 raised him on my own , um , from the 608 00:23:27,750 --> 00:23:29,861 time he was 18 months old , till till 609 00:23:29,861 --> 00:23:32,230 he joined the Air Force and tow watch . 610 00:23:32,230 --> 00:23:35,740 My son graduate . Basic training was 611 00:23:35,750 --> 00:23:37,806 pretty emotional for me , and it was 612 00:23:37,806 --> 00:23:39,972 two weeks before I deployed , so I was 613 00:23:39,972 --> 00:23:42,194 able to go down for his graduation . Of 614 00:23:42,194 --> 00:23:44,306 course . I brought all my dad and his 615 00:23:44,306 --> 00:23:46,417 brothers because they're all military 616 00:23:46,417 --> 00:23:48,810 retirees . Uh , and I've never seen a 617 00:23:48,810 --> 00:23:50,977 group of men cry so much , but way all 618 00:23:50,977 --> 00:23:53,090 cried quite a bit , but it was really 619 00:23:53,090 --> 00:23:55,312 inspirational . See ? You know , my son 620 00:23:55,312 --> 00:23:57,368 joined the Air Force all the times I 621 00:23:57,368 --> 00:23:59,650 was gone . All the times I work 12 hour 622 00:23:59,650 --> 00:24:02,080 days . All those times I missed a 623 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,720 birthday . I missed a school play . I 624 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,030 missed his musical . Um , he still 625 00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:09,974 thought so highly of the Air Force 626 00:24:09,974 --> 00:24:12,086 because he knows what kind of life it 627 00:24:12,086 --> 00:24:13,808 provided . You know , I got my 628 00:24:13,808 --> 00:24:15,863 education because of the Air Force . 629 00:24:15,863 --> 00:24:18,086 We've seen the world because of the Air 630 00:24:18,086 --> 00:24:20,086 Force on . Now my son is seeing the 631 00:24:20,086 --> 00:24:22,197 world . He's a cadena right now , and 632 00:24:22,197 --> 00:24:21,820 he's on his way to Spangdahlem , 633 00:24:21,820 --> 00:24:24,080 Germany . And so he's living his best 634 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,460 life s . So it's pretty prideful for me . 635 00:24:26,940 --> 00:24:28,950 Yeah , that sounds really amazing . 636 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:30,960 Yeah , well , that'll be you soon , 637 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:32,904 right ? Maybe one day you said you 638 00:24:32,904 --> 00:24:35,127 landed in Lake and Heath and loved it . 639 00:24:35,127 --> 00:24:37,127 So who knows what's next ? Mountain 640 00:24:37,127 --> 00:24:39,349 home , The lake and Heath . Hopefully , 641 00:24:39,349 --> 00:24:41,627 maybe somewhere overseas I'd love that . 642 00:24:41,627 --> 00:24:43,904 Yeah , that'd be awesome . Yeah , well , 643 00:24:43,904 --> 00:24:46,016 hey , Kristin . Thank you so much for 644 00:24:46,016 --> 00:24:45,510 spending time with me . This is our 645 00:24:45,510 --> 00:24:48,780 first spitfire podcast on . You were 646 00:24:48,780 --> 00:24:51,160 the first person when they approached 647 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,493 me and asked me if I would do these one . 648 00:24:53,493 --> 00:24:56,010 I love to talk , obviously . So it's 649 00:24:56,010 --> 00:24:58,090 super excited about that . But to I 650 00:24:58,090 --> 00:25:00,146 knew right off the bat who The first 651 00:25:00,146 --> 00:25:02,257 person I was gonna interview and that 652 00:25:02,257 --> 00:25:04,479 was you on . The reason is is because , 653 00:25:04,479 --> 00:25:06,646 like I said that first day , I saw you 654 00:25:06,646 --> 00:25:05,970 on the flight line sitting over there , 655 00:25:05,970 --> 00:25:08,520 working diligently on your forms on I 656 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,631 brought you an Oreo cookie . And then 657 00:25:10,631 --> 00:25:12,576 and then you showing me around the 658 00:25:12,576 --> 00:25:14,798 flight line , uh , to talk to all those 659 00:25:14,798 --> 00:25:16,798 maintainers out there to let me see 660 00:25:16,798 --> 00:25:19,020 what you guys do out there every single 661 00:25:19,020 --> 00:25:21,131 day . Uh meant a lot to me , but what 662 00:25:21,131 --> 00:25:23,298 meant more to me is the story you told 663 00:25:23,298 --> 00:25:25,576 me about how you joined this Air Force . 664 00:25:25,576 --> 00:25:27,909 What ? Your plans were prior to joining . 665 00:25:27,909 --> 00:25:27,420 And now what ? Your goals and your 666 00:25:27,430 --> 00:25:29,374 outlook on life is now that you've 667 00:25:29,374 --> 00:25:31,486 joined and you see a bigger , broader 668 00:25:31,486 --> 00:25:33,708 picture and your opportunities there so 669 00:25:33,708 --> 00:25:35,708 much greater . And that just really 670 00:25:35,708 --> 00:25:35,530 stuck with me . So thank you for 671 00:25:35,530 --> 00:25:38,380 spending to you with me . Thank you . I 672 00:25:38,380 --> 00:25:39,770 really appreciate this .