THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST

In this special presentation, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind ’91, USAFA’s 22nd superintendent, shares an inside look into cadet development and answers graduate questions. Hosted by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99, this episode dives into the Academy’s mission and how it is preparing our nation’s future warfighters.   FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest:  Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind ’91  |  Host:  Lt. Col. (Ret.)Navire Walkewicz ’99   Naviere Walkewicz This special edition of the Air Force Gradcast is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network, presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation. I'm your host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99. We're honored to feature the superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Class of ’91. In this presentation, Gen. Bauernfeind will share important updates on current initiatives and developments at our Air Force Academy. Following his remarks, he and I will sit down for a conversation, during which he'll respond to questions submitted by graduates in our alumni community. So now, without further ado, Gen. Bauernfeind. Thank you for being here, sir.   Gen. Bauernfeind Well, Naviere, thank you so much for allowing us to come and share our story of our wonderful Air Force Academy. And thank you as well to the Association of Graduates and the Foundation for all of the incredible support that we receive to develop our future leaders into the warrior leaders that we need on Day 1 in our Air Force and Space Force.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, we are grateful you're here, and we can't wait to hear what you're able to share with us today, sir, so we can jump ahead if you're ready.   Gen. Bauernfeind Wonderful. So I would like to share with you an updated mission brief of where we are going at the United States Air Force Academy. And during this time, I'd like to share not only our leadership team that's taking on the transformation that has been mandated, but also to update our alumni on our mission, our vision, our priorities and our mission sets, as well as talk about how we are creating warfighters, leaders of character and quality, and critical thinkers, and provide an update of how we are transforming this amazing institution to develop those warrior leaders that we need to keep our adversaries at bay. So as always, I'd like to start all briefings with a little video that highlights what our cadets are doing and our incredible public affairs team and video team put together the following video that shows what our cadets have been doing over the last six months... ...So you can see that our cadets have been absolutely busy over the last few months, and I can attest that this summer is they brought the problems up even more and are bringing even more energy to their training, their education, their development. But let me first talk about the amazing team at the senior leadership levels at the United States Air Force Academy, because we cannot do what we're doing without this incredible team. So first, we're welcoming reader Gen. Nicholas Evans as our new vice superintendent, coming out as the 18th Wing commander at Kadena Air Base, bringing a wonderful operational experience to bear, as well as academic bona fides to be our vice superintendent. Our command chief remains Command Chief John Alsvig and our commandant remains to be Brig. Gen. Marks and Col. Steve Hasstedt is our acting dean as we work to bring a new dean into bear. Ms. Gail Colvin is our stalwart chief of staff, with her wisdom from the Class of ’80 that keeps us moving forward. Ms. Jen Block is our executive athletic director. Mr. Nate Pine is our director of athletics, and our brand new wing commander, the 10th Air Base Wing, Col. Ahave Brown. And we all know that nothing happens at USAFA without the 10th Air Base wing providing the foundational support. But also Col. Taylor from the 306 Flying Training Wing, and Col. Silva is our space detachment commander, and it's important that we have all those leaders that are helping us transform USAFA. And to that transformation, we talk about our updated mission statement that was approved last fall. And that updated mission statement is that “USAFA’s mission is to forge leaders of character motivated to a lifetime of service and developed to lead our Air Force and Space Force as we fight and win our nation's wars.” And for the alumni, as we went through this mission statement development, we realized that there are many activities we take on at the United States Air Force Academy. There's education, there's training, there's motivation, inspiration, development. And we realized that we are taking the most amazing women and men from all four corners of this United States, and we're bringing them here as raw materials, and we are taking them through high-stress military, academic and athletic programs to forge them into something stronger than what they were when they showed up. And those are the leaders of character. We also wanted to make sure that we highlighted that it's about delivering a lifetime of service to our nation. It doesn't mean that every graduate needs to do 34-plus years in active duty like I'm currently doing, but continue to give back, whether that's in active duty, the Guard the Reserve, to your community in the defense industry, as an elected official or as a key supporter in our alumni networks — keep serving our nation. And then finally, an acknowledgement that we, alongside our teammates at West Point and Annapolis, have a very special mandate that we are developing those warrior leaders that will fight and win our nation's wars. While we hope that we will achieve peace through strength and deter our adversaries, we must always be ready when the nation calls and we will go forward and deliver victory for our nation. So it's important in our mission, but a mission will only take us so far. And the next step is acknowledging that we must have a vision. What is our North Star? And our North Star is we will remain and continue to be the nation's premier service academy. That we're bringing in rigorous, adversary-focused military training, military training that achieves a standard, that achieves a requirement, and not just training for training sake. But also maintain our level as a nationally recognized academic program with highly competitive athletics, and acknowledging that for us to deliver on those four, we must continue to sustain a world-class installation. But more importantly, continue to bring in professional and dedicated permanent party into our faculty. Our coaches, our headquarters, our installation support requires our outstanding permanent party. And so our vision moves us forward. And from our mission and our vision, we have established three key priorities, and those priorities will guide our decision making. But let me take your attention to the bottom first. The bottom is our foundational aspect, that we build all of our aspects upon our service core values of our Air Force and our Space Force of integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do, courage, character, connection and commitment. And those we build upon further foundationally to acknowledge that we are in the military and all aspects of military operations activities require a strict adherence to standard. What is the task that we are executing? What are the conditions on which we will execute those tasks? And what standards do we expect, especially in high end warfare, where our standards are so tight. We also acknowledge that what is special about us is our Honor Code. It is foundational to our character, and we'll talk more about that as we build upon this. But realizing that the Class of ’59 that established our Honor Code. It has been foundational to the development of our leaders of character and quality as a board, and then adding into the fact that leaders who built lethal warfighting teams — they do it from a position of respect and teamwork, that they take their team and they support them, they hold them accountable, but they push them to rise above what they could think they could personally achieve. And how do we build those future leaders that are going to take teammates from all four corners of this United States and make sure every single teammate is seen, heard and valued and can give everything possible to the mission at hand? And that leads us to our priorities. That our priorities are we are here to forge warfighters to win, to inspire leaders of character and quality, and finally, to motivate critical thinkers to adapt, because all three are important. And that takes us to our mission sets, because those three priorities span across everything we do in a cadet’s journey at the United States Air Force Academy. And the first is acknowledging the military training aspect. That military training goes beyond just learning how to put a uniform on, just how to march correctly, but also understanding how to operate inside of Air Force and Space Force norms and take on those military training activities that our Air Force and Space Force are taking on right now with Ready Airmen Training and the ability to execute agile combat deployment. And that's activities like being able to shoot, move, communicate, medicate and automate, but also acknowledging that we also must have that world-class academic program that challenges our future leaders not what to think, but how to think, and to do that from a warfighting-focused curriculum that is very STEM focused, but also leans in hard to how we can leverage the incredible intellect that these cadets are bringing in today and unleash them on some of the hardest Air Force and Space Force problems through our research programs as we lean into it. And then finally, as we talk about our competitive athletics, that athletics is a key aspect of the cadet’s journey, whether it be through our 30 incredible intercollegiate sports teams, our intramural programs, our physical education programs, or finally our physical fitness tests that demonstrate the warrior ethos that is being expected of a military service academy, and it's important that we look across those. But let me talk about a little further of our priorities from those three lenses. The first is the aspect of warfighters win, of how we're bringing in training such as shoot, move, communicate, medicate and automate. And I've heard some teammates are going, “Why are we doing this ground focused training?” And at the end of the day, it's not ground focused training, it's joint force training. This is where our Air Force is going. That we still need to be able to succeed in the air, space, cyber domains, but we must also deliver excellence in these domains. With shoot, I requested that all of our cadets now become qualified in their long gun, the M4, and their sidearm, the M18, every single year. So now they'll have the confidence of their weapons when they have to go forward into harm's way. The same with move and communicate. Can they understand the aspects of mission command, especially in future fights where we may not have the best connectivity with our highest headquarters? Will they understand commander's intent and still be able to generate the combat power we need to keep our adversaries on their heels? Finally, to medicate. Over the last few decades, we have benefited from the golden hour, where we had such dominance that when we had a teammate isolated or injured, we would have medical care a rescue capability to them inside the hour. Future battlefields will likely not give us that luxury. So we must teach our future leaders those advanced medical capabilities to take care of their injured teammates while they're continuing to generate combat power. And finally, as we have seen from the Iranian wars and the Ukrainian wars, automation is here and part of modern warfare. And so how are we going to bring automation capabilities to our future leaders so they can develop the new TTPs that we are working through. And again, thank you to the Association of Graduates and Foundation, because you all provided the seed funding for our first automation efforts this summer. So thank you so much. And let me dig in a little further on why warfighters win. And from our president and our secretary of defense, it has been very clear that they want us to establish peace through strength, that we must develop our ways in three areas: to restore the warrior ethos, to rebuild our military and to reestablish deterrence. And we have gotten that guidance very clear from our leadership, and we will prepare our future leaders in that mind. And we have added that over the last year by bringing in year round warfighting training. So not only during the summer periods, but also through the academic year, are we asking our future warrior leaders to take on the military mission, the academic mission and the athletic mission as we move forward. And as discussed, it is directly aligned to our Air Force with Ready Airman Training and our agile combat employment. And over the last year, we took our baby steps. We're not where we need to be, but I can tell you I'm proud of how far we've come, because we moved forward with energy and violence through the fall and spring culminating exercises. I'm proud of how far we've come, but now for this year, we're gonna enter into the walk phase, because we have more to go. And with that in mind, there's been conversations of recognition and promotion, and that is tied not only to our leadership development, but also to our warfighting training. And it's an acknowledgement that for every year you at the Air Force Academy, we are purposely developing you and increasing your capabilities. And so we are going to provide the expectations for your year, whether you're four-degree, three-degree, two-degree or first-degree — a firstie — and you must meet those training standards, and if you do not meet the training standards, then we are not going to recognize you for your past work, but if you meet our standards, then we are going to recognize you for the good work and promote you to the next grade. But the ultimate promotion being a Second Lieutenant in our Air Force and Space Force as it goes forward. Over the last year, there are teeth of this. We did have 153 cadets that were not recognized due to not meeting the standards, but we are now providing them the options over the summer and this fall to now meet the standards as we move forward. Also this year, focusing on warfighting, is acknowledging that we must arm the cadets to be the instructors. Last year, we did it very quickly. Now we're going to take advantage of our incredible cadets, just like our cadets do exceptional things — teaching each other how to fly, teaching other each other how to jump during our freefall program — but now we are working through the cadet warfighter instructor course, a beta course, where we will teach cadets to be those instructors inside of our squadrons in the academic year, to take on how to teach, how to shoot, to move, to communicate, automate and medicate. And we are one more week left in our inaugural cadet warfighter instructor course. I know we will learn much from this beta iteration, but I'm excited to see what we learned from this as we go into the academic year and unleash these cadets and train ourselves. We're also very appreciative from the Foundation for the establishment of the Institute for Future Conflict. And the Institute for Future Conflict has been around for a couple of years and has already forced us to focus and think differently. And I would offer to you the reason behind that is because they are focused on our adversaries. So I like to call them our adversary focused disruptors. They are going to bring ideas to bear that force us to change the way we develop our cadets for the future, because they're looking at what our adversaries are doing. And as such, we made the decision to elevate them into Headquarters USAFA, so they can have a wider impact, not only within the dean of faculty, but also within the Cadet Wing and the Athletic Department, so we can ensure that we are bringing those disruptive thoughts and putting them into in place so we prepare our leaders for a very uncertain world, to include bringing realism into the training that our cadets are taking on. We're also acknowledging academically, there's more that we have to do with our intellect. And over the last year, we have added three additional warfighting minors, one on quantum, one on aerospace materials, and we're in the final stages of establishing a warfighting minor on future conflict. Hopefully that we will be able to start providing that to our cadets over the next year, as we went into that so very excited to the growth in our academic options. And then finally, athletically, we're updating our PT standards, and we're adding additional PE courses for our future leaders. Our future leaders — we will increase water survival, especially when we look to the future and the regions where we expect to potentially have conflict, increased water survival is important — as well as increased combatives, and we're still in the final stages of planning of how we can bring a team focused final warfighting capstone physical education course that brings all of that physical education together for a team-focused event for our firsties, but still in the planning stages of that. And as discussed, updating our PT standards to align with our Air Force and our Space Force, with an acknowledgement that simply what we were doing is adding minimums to each of the caveats to ensure that you must pass each individual event while also meeting a score-based event as we move forward. Again, aligning with our Air Force and Space Force. Now, as we transform, it's not just about warfighters to win. It's also about leaders of character and quality. As I like to say, it's developing leaders who do the right thing the right way, even if it's unpopular, because we must have leaders that are willing to stand up and do the right thing for the formation. And we focused on that. We have focused on reinforcing standards and accountability. While initially it was permanent party coming in fairly strong to establish the standards and accountability, what we quickly saw from our amazing future generation was cadets going, “We've got this. We will establish it. We will uphold our standards. We will uphold our accountability.” And to me, that's very important to see that our next generation is taking ownership of that key leadership aspect, to even include honor. As many know, we had a pretty significant honor violation last year. The bad news is that occurred. The good news is it was the cadets themselves who came forward and said, “This happened, and this is our way forward.” As in all situations, though, anytime you point a finger at somebody, three fingers pointing back at yourself, we realized that institutionally, we had probably lowered the standards too far. We didn't expect enough, and we had parsed the Honor Code. And we made the decision to return to our roots and say, “No, the Honor Code is holistic. It will not be parsed.” But we do acknowledge that these amazing men and women that come from all four corners are coming to us in different stages of their character development, and so the sanctions that come from an honor violation for somebody with us for a few weeks or a couple months may be far different than the sanctions of somebody that are weeks or months out from commissioning and graduation. So ensuring that we have a tiered sanction system to deal with our honor violations. I'm very proud of the ownership that our cadets took with our honor system, and we are reinforcing their efforts as we move forward. We've also pivoted strongly to a four-class system. My observation was is through time at the Air Force Academy, we've ebbed and flowed from a four-class leadership development system to a fourth-class leadership development system. I would offer that we had gone to the point where the majority of training and focus was on the four-degrees, when we are blessed to have these our future leaders for 47 months, and we should be developing them the entire 47 months. And so we have developed the fourth-class leadership system, where for their four-degree year, we will focus them on being good teammates and followers. For the three-degree year, we will focus on them being good frontline engaged supervisors, two-degrees as team leaders and firsties as unit leaders, representing those roles in our Air Force from cadet squadron commander to DO, to executive officer, to A1 through A6 staff positions and flight commander and taking on those responsibilities. And again, just like we talked about work by training, there's assessment mechanisms for each of these that they must meet leadership assessments that will go into whether or not they are recognized and promoted to the next grade, as it moves forward. We executed the first year. Last year, I would offer that it was successful, but we've learned much from the process, and as we go into the second year, I think we're going to be able to go even further with our four-class leadership and development. We've also doubled down on discipline, that standards and accountability are important, and if you fail to meet our standards, then you must be held accountable, not only with punitive aspects, but also with rehabilitative aspects. It's a two-edged pincer movement as we went forward, and from my time at the Academy, I will offer to you, while I may not have enjoyed it at the time, I benefited greatly from both, because it forced me to reflect upon what got me in that situation and how I can take ownership of my own development as we move forward. So that is one of the aspects we return to. And then finally, for our National Character and Leadership Symposium: Let's focus on those character elements that we find through warfighting. And so last fall’s was focused on, how are we going to develop warfighters to win? And then for next year, we're going to focus on the courage required to overcome adversity in a warfighting environment. And so I'm very excited as we get the speakers identified for both the fall, a shorter fall iteration, and the normal spring iteration, sharing those speakers with the wider alumni environment. And then finally, talking about those critical thinkers to adapt. I jokingly tell our cadets that, since I was in the ’90s, we got to solve all the easy problems, and all that is left are all the wicked hard problems, but we need those critical thinkers to adapt, because they are going to bring the ingenuity, they're going to bring the innovation, and what I've challenged them is they also have to bring the courage to challenge the status quo. Too many times in our military, when we ask why we do something, if the answer is, “We've always done it that way,” then maybe we need to rethink and understand, are there better ways to do it? And I can tell you, our cadets bring that to bear. And so for this year, we're really focused on cadet empowerment and responsibility. Last year with the mandate, we moved very quickly, and we were more directive in nature. And what we heard loud and clear is that cadets hurdled over our expectations. What we heard loud and clear from them was, “We want to control the way forward.” And so how do we empower them more? And how do we make it clear that they are responsible not only for their mission, but their people? And adding to that of spending more time with them with these changes of why are we doing this change, and making sure that they understand the rest of the story. You may not always like the why, but if you have an appreciation of the why, its foundation will be able to execute mission command, because you now understand commander's intent, and you now can go, “I know the why. We can keep moving forward, because we can move forward with that.” We're also focusing on operationalizing all of the United States Air Force Academy, bringing that operational mindset to bear, from whether it would be establishing an A2 directorate in the headquarters and the cadet wing and in all cadet squadrons, and the DA2 director being our intelligence directorate, so that we can start to bring in classified intelligence briefings and give them not only to a permanent party, but to our future leaders. And we started that last January to great success, so that our future leaders can start to understand not only our and our allies capabilities, but our adversary capabilities and how we will conduct our joint warfighting aspects as we move forward. And it's important that we continue to bring in those operational matters so we prepare the cadets of today for the second lieutenants of tomorrow that can seamlessly nest in to how our Air Force and our Space Force operates. And that's a nicer way of saying is some of the USAFA unique things we've done— we probably need to think about how we're doing that in our Air Force and Space Force. We're also doubling down that cadet squadrons are the unit of action, just like it is in our Air Force, that the squadron is the unit of action. And it's tough at USAFA where you may prioritize your IC team, or your major, or your club, but at the end of the day, it's going to be the squadron that succeeds together as a team. And so we are focusing on making sure that we are reinforcing what the cadet squadrons are doing. They are going to go through their military training together. They're going to go through their culminating exercises together, same as recognition and promotion. And that's important as we focus on the four-class system of those teammates, followers, frontline engaged supervisors, team leaders, unit leaders, but also acknowledging that we must empower cadet leaders to own the responsibility of their units. And I recently sat down with cadet squadron commanders and their special staffs and said, “Congratulations, you're the cadet commanders. You are responsible for two things: your mission and your people. It's not just about marching at the front of a formation. It's about executing the mission you've been given, whether that mission be military, academics or athletics, and taking care of your people.” And as such, we have established special staffs inside of each cadet squadron, every wing in the Air Force, most groups and many squadrons have special staff to both support the unit, but more importantly, advise the commander, because the commander is the one who's ultimately responsible for their people. And so we are bringing cadet special staff — which they may not be the subject matter experts in equal opportunity, integrated prevention response, spiritual matters or medical matters. They are there to support the squadron, advise the commander and have that connectivity to our subject matter experts, whether it be our chaplaincy, whether that be our amazing medical group and cadet clinic, our amazing SAPR team and all the helping agencies across USAFA to make sure that we can support all of our cadets going through a high-demand developmental program at the United States Air Force Academy. And the twist on that is again, saying, “Commanders, you are the ones who are responsible.” And now let's give you the tools to be successful as the permanent party are there to advise and oversight, empower our cadets even more. And then the final one is a return to decorum training. We conducted a beta test last year to success, and now we're looking to see how we can bring forward that decorum training for the entirety of the Cadet Wing. I am not this is not a return to the days of wine pairings, you know, but it is an acknowledgement that as an officer in our Air Force and Space Force, when you go to events, you're not only representing yourself, you're representing your team, you're representing your unit. And what are those decorum skills you need to have at events so that you can develop networks with teammates that might be outside your normal operational circle, or how do you ensure how you engage with other teammates so you can learn more about the world you're in? And so it's important that we establish that decorum focus and looking forward to how we can squeeze that in into the complicated lives of all of our cadets as we move forward. And then, just to reinforce on the critical thinking, I've already talked about the three minors we added, but I'm proud to say that we're in close coordination right now with Gen. Tullos at Air University and about to sign the memorandum of understanding where we will start a beta test for offering master's degree classes at the United States Air Force Academy, with the long-term intent of offering master's degrees at United States Air Force Academy under the Air Force Institute of Technology certification. So we have much to learn, but the doorway is open, and I can tell you from looking at so many of our cadets that come in with 20, 30, 40 college credit hours already, I think we have cadets that are ready to take on that journey, and I look forward to giving an update on that after we get through some of our initial how does this work process. So just to summarize: Our mission, our vision, our priorities are delivering what we need. And it’s those warrior leaders that are ready on Day 1 in our Air Force and Space Force. And thanks to our amazing team, whether it be in the senior leader team, but more importantly, those incredible permanent party that are working long hours, whether it’s in Fairchild Hall, Sijan Hall, Vandenberg Hall, in the tunnels, in the heat plant, in the Child Development Center, down at Clune Arena, out in Jacks Valley — our permanent party are crushing it, and it's important because our nation deserves the best leaders that we can give the 330,000 airmen and guardians that are standing watch for our nation. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz Thank you for sharing the mission brief. I think many of us as graduates think we know what happens at the Academy, but you actually sharing what you accomplished in just a year is a bit mind blowing, sir.   Gen. Bauernfeind Thank you. And I, at times, am concerned at how fast we are moving, but I also know that we must move this fast. The adversaries are watching us, and they are choosing when is the right time to test our nation. And so in order to achieve peace through strength, we must display that deterrence, that warfighting ethos, that warfighting capability. So we keep our adversaries waking up every single morning going, “Today is not today to test the United States.”   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, that is right on point. Yes, sir. Well, I would like to thank you in advance for taking on additional questions from our alumni and our graduate community. So if we might start, general, with some of the information across various channels that cuts about to our academics and the Department of Faculty, what would you be willing to share about the civilian workforce reductions and any next to the Academy's academic faculty?   Gen. Bauernfeind First and foremost, the reduction of civilians is not just civilian faculty. It's through all civilians at the United States Air Force Academy, and as we're tracking, throughout the entire Department of Defense. What makes it a little more challenging at the United States Air Force Academy is we have so many different civilian teammates, from firefighters to childcare workers to coaches to headquarters staff, personnel and faculty. And as we lean into the aspect, the conversations about all of our civilian teammates. The first challenge that we faced is historically, the United States Air Force Academy has been over our civilian paid budget, and we've received great support from the Department of Air Force to address our over execution. This year is a little different, and so that has to be a baseline consideration as we understand that— that we have to hire and maintain civilian teammates within the budget that the American public has given us as a lean forward. And to that point, thank you to the Association of Graduates and the Foundation, as well as other Academy-focused foundations that have provided volunteer and funded volunteer support to give us that additional margin of excellence that helps us mitigate this matter. With respect to fiscal year ’25, our Air Force is going through a reduction of civilian personnel to the tune of 5,000 billets. Of those 5,000 billets, the portion of the United States Air Force Academy was a part of was a 140 billets. And as we have moved through that reduction of 140 billets, we identified 104 billets as we went through our prioritization that were unencumbered or empty, but lower priority. Unfortunately, there are 36 billets that were encumbered, so someone inside of that billet as we move forward. And the goal with that is to continually work over the coming months of how we can move teammates laterally into open billets, either at the United States Air Force Academy or other locations. So we keep their expertise inside of the greater Air Force, Space Force enterprise, and our A1 team continues to work that aspect. But it's also making sure that we're being very clear with our teammates that when those billets become unfunded, at some point without funding, we're having to pay for that billet via other means. And so it's important for us to have frank conversations with our teammates, to say, “Update your resume. Start looking. At some point this will move forward.” With respect to our faculty members, 16 took advantage of the government's deferred resignation program, which was a well-funded early retirement program which allowed them to leave in the spring under and basically on admin leave and retain their pay to later in the fall/winter timeframe as that moves forward. We also had three that already had planned retirements, so they were moving forward. Unfortunately, we see a hiring freeze so no backfill. But also three whose terms are many of our senior faculty, our term employees, at the end of their term came. And so we have backfilled them with active-duty and Reserve military faculty to keep our academic progress going forward. And thanks to our dean and their team, they are, you know, quickly adjusting, but they are making the changes they need to ensure that we continue to offer the majors that we promised through the Class of ’26 and continue to offer the courses as we move forward. For the fall semester, in addition to the three minors we've added, we've also added four additional classes, and there are 10 classes of the 753 in our course of instruction, there are 10 that we will not offer in the fall semester, but we will continue to still move forward.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, thank you for that. You talked about backfills. Can you talk about some of the most important competencies for those instructors, as they were backfilling these positions right?   Gen. Bauernfeind As I testified to the Senate earlier this spring, the two most important things to me inside of our classroom is: One is subject matter expertise, and we value the subject matter expertise brought to us by our professors, associate professors, our assistant professors, our permanent professors, our senior military faculty, and the depth they provide, initially with a master's degree, but more importantly, those Ph.D.s that were an extreme depth of that subject matter expertise. But also as a military service academy— that operationally relevant experience, how do they apply what they're learning in the classroom into their futures in the Air Force and Space Force, whether that be in labs on operational units and future battlefields, and how they can connect that to the future. And we have many of our civilian faculty are also veterans, who are able to bring that strong connection to bear as it moves forward.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, you mentioned you were adding a couple a few minors. Have there been any majors that have been removed from the program, and has this affected our accreditation in any way?   Gen. Bauernfeind No, ma'am, no majors have been impacted during this time. Every single year, we go through a curriculum review, and we have a curriculum review committee where we will adjust as we move forward based upon guidance we receive from the Air Force and Space Force, but also what demand signals we're seeing from our cadets. You know what they're signing up for. But that is just an annual aspect to make sure that we have the right instructor core to support the curriculum we need to develop and educate our future leaders what the Air Force and Space Force is expecting. But zero majors have been eliminated from the United States Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz Thank you, sir for clearing that up.   Gen. Bauernfeind Oh, and accreditation. We're in a good spot with accreditation. We maintain continual conversation with our accrediting bodies, whether it be the Higher Learning Commission or several of the engineering- or STEM-focused accrediting bodies such as ABET, we're still in a good spot. In fact, this year, we just approved our quality initiative, which is a key aspect to sustaining not only our accreditation, but showing that we're continuing to improve ourselves, and that quality initiative will focus strongly on data science, throughout all of our curriculum.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. I think that's wonderful. I know a lot of graduates were, you know, maybe didn't have all the information, so I think that's wonderful that you just shared that. Something interesting you talked about your brief was some master’s, a beta testing for a master's program, working with AFIT. Can you expand a bit more about that? And then do you see the Academy becoming a five-year institution, or we will stay four years, 47 months?   Gen. Bauernfeind Right now, I believe that we will still stay a 47-month program because our academic program is 47 months; our athletic program is 47 months, and most importantly, our leadership development and military program is 47 months. For the AFIT program, the vision is — these amazing young Americans come in with so much academic credit. Many of them now are part of the Martinson Scholar Program. And thanks to Mr. Martinson’s great support, we have a program that can focus on them going even further. What we can offer them now, the majority are taking multiple majors and multiple minors. What if, in the future, you didn't want to do multiple majors or minors, but you want to go and start on your master's degree, which many other institutes of higher learning are offering in a parallel aspect? And so in conversation with Gen. Tullos, how can we start allowing cadets as early as their junior year start taking master’s programs and achieve what would be required? Initial assessment is we will have some that can probably achieve it in 47 months, but probably the greater group will need to stay the Academy for maybe six or 12 more months as a second lieutenant to finish up their AFIT courseware. So they would stop their 47-month USAFA program, but continue with their master's program in the classroom in Fairchild and finish out their master’s here. Is the vision— and we're working through this. I want to be very clear that this is beta. We have a lot to learn in this. And from my perspective, as I work with the Air Force to get greater support for this, this is going to be a strong cost saver for the Air Force. When our Air Force officers go to get master's degree, as a general rule, they are out of their operational career field for two years as they go to execute their 18-month AFIT program, plus two associated PCSs. Now we show not only a time saving, but a cost savings. And now these second lieutenants are entering, a portion of them, are entering their air force or Space Force with a master's degree. And it is not uncommon for many of our second lieutenants right now to even start their initial training, depending on what training is available until the spring of the next year after they graduate. So I see a strong promise, but we've got a lot of work to do to make it a reality.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, that's creative and innovative thinking right there. I think that we're very excited to hear more about that, especially as the beta testing moves forward. Sir, maybe we can move into the warfighting realm. Graduates have been very interested in the renewed focus on warfighting that you’ve taken over the past year. What recent programs or military training taking place at USAFA right now are really supporting this development of the warfighter. Ready to lead on Day 1?   Gen. Bauernfeind So I believe we've always had a strong foundation of warfighting training, whether it be our airmanship programs, our powered flight programs, our jump programs, our special warfare programs and basic cadet training and cadet survival. But we're building upon that, and we're adding to those as great examples. As discussed earlier, if we can fight for the ammunition, we will have every single cadet qualify on both weapons every single year. The Class of ’29 for the M18, the pistol, they qualified at a rate at about 65%. For the M4, the long gun, at a rate of 93%. I'm very proud of those numbers, because many of those young men and women— that was the first time they touched a weapon in their lives. And now, if they do it three more times before they graduate, those qualification rates are going to skyrocket, and they're going to have the confidence, when they deploy into harm's way, of their weapons. Additionally, thanks to the great work by the Cadet Wing, we have received 4,000 sets of chemical gear. And so not only in basic training, are they learning how to establish a forward operating base, defend it, but we're going past the days of where we walked into a tent, took our mask off and then dealt with the wonderful fluids that came out of our bodies. But now, going forward, to how are you going to conduct ATSO operations, or the ability to survive and operate in deployed locations with chemical gear on? And we're very proud to partake in some of that training with the basic cadets, and they are really taking to understanding what is required. And then the final aspect is, as discussed, the cadet warfighter instructor course, is acknowledging that to be really good at those items, we need some subject matter expertise. But the subject matter expertise required to lead, train and certify 4,000 cadets every year, we have to rely on cadet leaders, and as discussed, they're in the field as we speak in the inaugural cadet warfighter instructor course. And I look forward to seeing the feedback of how they will come back and do the squadrons. And tying that back to the cadets wanting more ownership of their training — the intent is 12 cadets inside of each cadet squadron that will now take on the responsibility through the academic year of that warfighter training that we will assess in the fall CULEX, and the ultimate assessment in the spring CULEX.   Naviere Walkewicz Sir, it really shows how you're building that expertise within the squadron to support the squadron commander so they really are taking care of their people. I think that's outstanding.   Gen. Bauernfeind And very excited about it.  And I just want to say thank you again, because it was due to the generosity of the Foundation that got us the seed to start the automation, with 29 Group 2, the smaller UAVs, as we see automation and all monitor warfighting, unleashing the cadets on how they're going to use those UAVs to defend their forward operating bases, to understand what's across the ridgeline as they move forward. And very excited to see where the cadets will take us in this, because I'm sure they're gonna be far more innovative than my generation.   Naviere Walkewicz Our generation, sir, yes, sir. Well, you talked about the four-class system and I think that was really relevant for our graduates to hear. How are cadets feeling motivated through this process? And have you seen them evolve over the past year since you started implementing that?   Gen. Bauernfeind I think the first aspect was— it took them time to truly understand what we were laying out as it went forward. And every year we do this, we will get a little more advanced at the end of the day. I think our four-degrees understood it. That was good. It was that they understood what it meant to be a teammate. What it meant to be a teammate, follower, and that was an easier aspect to develop them through. The team leaders at the senior NCO level for the two-degrees and the firsties as unit leaders, they started understanding that. The biggest challenge we saw was with the three-degrees. What does it mean to be a frontline, engaged supervisor? And we have to troop lead them through, “This is what it means to be a frontline, engaged supervisor.” That they are your subordinate. But to take best care of your people, you should know where they're from. You should know about their parents. You should know their dog's name. You should know where their birthday is. You should know when their next chemistry test is, when their next PT test is. And while you may not be able to tutor them on chemistry, you can gather and motivate them for, “Hey, if the PT test is three weeks out, let's go run together. Let's go get on the pull up bar together. Let's, you know, be engaged.” And the more you know your teammates, what I offer to you, whether it be in morning formation, noon meal formation, at the tables at Mitchell Hall, in the halls of your squadron, inside of 30 seconds you're gonna see your teammates, your subordinate, and you're gonna know if they're gonna have a good day or bad day, because you're close enough to know, just quickly, OK, they're gonna have a great day or something's going on. “Let's go take a walk. Let's figure out what's driving you down. And how can I, as a frontline engaged supervisor, start taking barriers out of your way?”   Naviere Walkewicz I mean, I can only imagine that giving them more pride, even now that they understand, “This is how I can be a frontline supervisor,” when you give us very specific examples. Well, if we might shift gears a little bit to admissions and graduation. Since we just had a class join us, and we had a class recently graduate, maybe you can tell us how the Class of ’29 how they're faring so far.   Gen. Bauernfeind The Class of ’29 are doing great. I am impressed by their professionalism. I'm impressed by their energy. And as you saw, as we just did the recent march back, they were loud and proud. That was really good as it went forward. And for the Class of ’29, I’m proud to report that they are faring very well. Just so everybody knows, we had over 9,000 completed applications. We offered 1,411 offers of admission, and 1,112 took the oath on I-Day as it moved forward. We had cadets from every single state and territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as 12 international cadets that joined us. Of those, 117 from Prep School came up the Hill. And then 76 are, you know, part of a prior Long Blue Line as it's coming forward as it goes. Of the Class of ’29, 55% were in the top 10% of their class, and 96 were all invited on varsity sports. Right now we are, as coming out of basic training, of 1,095 and during that time, they're still going strong. We did have some teammates that didn't have a full appreciation of what military life was, or may not have been as impassioned about the Academy as their parents, and so we've parted ways with a few small numbers. But during basic training, I can proudly say— we talked about the qualifications on the weapons, but also say they took their very first PFT test, and looking back over the last five years, they, on average, scored 15 points higher than the last five years. And that's a testament to two teams, I would offer to you, well, not only the cadets themselves, who had to do it, but all of our admissions team that's out there saying, “Hey, congratulations, you've been admitted. Start preparing now.” But also our athletic director, athletic department team that was out there giving them good, focused training to prepare them for those physical fitness tests. And they just took PFT No. 2 a couple days ago, and we’re accessing the data but all indications are it’s trending up.   Naviere Walkewicz No, yes, sir. Those are outstanding numbers. As a country, we're seeing admission rates and the challenge of getting the best of the best into the door, the fact that we had such wonderful numbers coming in, and we're attriting very low, I think it's something we should be proud of.   Gen. Bauernfeind I'm very proud of it, but acknowledge it's a tough— it's a knife fight to get the best of the brightest, and so thanks to Air Education and Training Command and Accessions Command, we are going to try a new marketing contract this year to further make sure that the amazing young Americans throughout all four corners truly understand the opportunity in front of them with the Air Force Academy, and make sure they're aware of it. So I'm excited to see how that marketing campaign goes to even up our numbers, even a little bit more.   Naviere Walkewicz Awesome. Yes, sir. Well, sir, in the realm of athletics, last year, you shared an emphasis for cadet support and participation at more of our athletic events. What have you seen come from that? And what can you share about athletics, intramurals most currently?   Gen. Bauernfeind It's one of our three mission sets: athletics. And it's not just for our IC athletes. I jokingly tell some of the teammates to say, “Tell me about a cadets life.” It's like, well, they have three full time jobs, a military job, an academic job and an athletic job, and they really get a bachelor of science in time management. And that's as we go forward. But I've asked the athletic department, you know, during COVID, our intramural program atrophied, and now we have to see, how can we really enhance our intramurals as it goes forward. But I'm especially also proud of our intercollegiate athletes, 30 intercollegiate programs. When we talk about the blood, sweat, tears, the hard work that our IC athletes representing 25% of the Cadet Wing — they are really jumping in hard. And my expectations as the superintendent is all 30 of those programs earn home field advantage. And so we've recently published an operation order to the team as we look into the fall sports. And the basic synthesis of it is, protect this house. We will come strong to all home events, and we're working through that aspect. And so as a whole, not only will we figure out how to be strong at all of our home events, whether it be, you know, this fall with women's soccer, men's soccer, cross country, water polo, volleyball and, importantly, football. And proud to report here at our AOG that the entire Cadet Wing will be marching onto the football field and protecting this house and our amazing stadium at home games.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, thank you for that. That's fantastic. Sir, you know, you can't come out of this Air Force Academy, this 18,000 acres of amazing Academy, without seeing some of the changes, whether it's facilities or capabilities. You know, of course, there are two questions we hear often about the chapel in the box. When will the chapel be done? And then also, you know, what about the visitor center? When can we actually get into it?   Gen. Bauernfeind No, those are two great questions, Naviere. First of all, I think that the box has become so routine there that we received a formal request from cadet. So how can we have a — no kidding — drive in movie theater screen? And the request came in at $300,000 so we thought the prudent action was, let's get the chapel done so we can take the box down instead of putting up a new theater. But right now, for our chapel, again, it is an amazing piece of architecture, and to maintain the historical relevance and the hard work that went behind it, it's going to take time. Right now, we're on schedule for 2028 and we are focused on making sure all the involved teams take every single day out and we can find out as soon as possible when we have any sort of deviation, so we can swarm it. And so as such, we hold monthly meetings with IMSC — the Installation Management Sustainment Command — Air Force Civil Engineering Command, the Corps of Engineers, to go through all of our military construction projects so that if something comes up, we are aware of it within days of the issue, and we swarm it together instead of letting issues boil for a long period of time. And so excited to get the chapel back open as such a spiritual icon of the United States Air Force Academy. And spirituality is so important to the holistic leader’s readiness— not just physical, mental, social, family, but also spiritual. And I think it will be important for that development. And then to the visitor center. We're on track to open up in May of ’26 before the graduation, and excited to finally open that visitor center and share with a much wider audience what all of our alumni and we know of the amazing story behind the Air Force Academy, all the amazing exemplars who have come from our Academy. And I will share with you, I'm excited to get a whole ton of young Americans inside the visitor center so they can start getting excited about being part of the Class of 2032, 2038 and beyond.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, they say things are worth the wait, good things are worth the wait, and I think the interactive displays that are gonna come with this are really gonna help people understand truly what our cadets go through.     Gen. Bauernfeind Absolutely. And thank you again to the AOG and Foundation. As money got tight, the Foundation came forward and we now have that beautiful glider, you know, in position that shows what all of our cadets are working through.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, our sole existence is to support the Academy, serve our grads and prserve the heritage. Well, sir, I’m cognizant of your time. We’re so grateful you're here today. Mind if I ask you one final question?   Gen. Bauernfeind Please do.   Naviere Walkewicz What's on your mind that you want to leave with our graduates to be thinking about when you think about our Academy and your vision and mission. What can you leave us with?   Gen. Bauernfeind I just want to thank the Long Blue Line. We are 55,000-plus strong. There have been so many of our alumni, every single one of us that have gone through this journey. And we're proud of this institution. And I just say, continue to support this amazing institution. Spread the good word of what our Air Force Academy is, because we want amazing young women, amazing young men that are in your communities, in your churches, at your work centers, to say, “Hey, have you heard about the Air Force Academy? That's the place for you, because our nation deserves the best.” And just a final thanks to the alumni, and as a superintendent, I'm proud to be in this position with my amazing teammates. And any alumni that wants to ask me, “What's the rest of the story?” I am always available. Please hit me up in the hallways, on the Terrazzo, on the field, and I look forward to your conversations.   Naviere Walkewicz This has been a special edition of the Air Force Gradcast. On behalf of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation, thank you for joining us. It's been a privilege to hear directly from Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind and to share updates and perspectives relevant to graduates across our Academy community. Thank you for your continued connection, commitment and support of our United States Air Force Academy. I'm Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99. Until next time.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

Lt. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers ’11 joins us from orbit! SUMMARY From cadet to astronaut, she shares how the U.S. Air Force Academy prepared her for life aboard the International Space Station, the lessons space learned in the space program about leadership and how viewing Earth from 250 miles up re-shapes one's call to serve.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/lt-col-nichole-ayers-11-a-falcons-flight-to-the-stars/?token=5d1407756889f6c8f0eb9639a1b1a1d2]  |  FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/lt-col-nichole-ayers-11-a-falcons-flight-to-the-stars/?token=5d1407756889f6c8f0eb9639a1b1a1d2]   COL. AYERS' TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Seeing Earth from space changes your perspective on leadership.  - The fragility of Earth inspires a desire to protect it.  - A lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut requires hard work and dedication.  - Teamwork at the Air Force Academy prepared me for life in space.  - Daily routines on the ISS are structured and focused on science and maintenance.  - Astronauts are normal humans, not just heroes in space.  - Quick thinking and calm leadership are crucial during space missions.  - Community support is vital for success in unconventional paths.  - Inspiring the next generation is a key part of my mission.  - Curiosity and exploration should be fostered in young people.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Journey to the Stars: Becoming an Astronaut 03:32 Life Aboard the ISS: Daily Routines and Responsibilities 07:23 Lessons in Leadership: Quick Thinking in Space 10:54 Observations from Above: Humanity and Resilience 12:10 Inspiring the Next Generation: A Sense of Purpose 13:17 The Long Blue Line: Community and Support     ABOUT NICHOLE BIO U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers is a trailblazing pilot, leader, and astronaut whose journey began at the United States Air Force Academy, where she graduated in 2011 with a degree in mathematics. An accomplished F-22 Raptor pilot, Ayers is one of the few women ever to fly the world’s most advanced stealth fighter—and she’s one of even fewer to command them in formation for combat training missions. Col. Ayers earned her wings through years of training and operational excellence, logging over 200 flight hours in combat and playing a critical role in advancing tactical aviation. Her exceptional performance led to her selection in 2021 by NASA as a member of Astronaut Group 23, an elite class of 10 chosen from among 12,000 applicants. As a NASA astronaut candidate, Col. Ayers completed intensive training at Johnson Space Center, which included spacewalk preparation, robotics, survival training, systems operations, and Russian language. Now qualified for spaceflight, she stands on the threshold of a new chapter that led her to the International Space Station. Throughout her career, Col. Ayers has exemplified the Academy's core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. Her journey from cadet to combat aviator to astronaut is a testament to resilience, determination, and a passion for pushing boundaries.   LEARN MORE ABOUT NICHOLE NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers [https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers/]     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES [https://www.longblueleadership.org/]  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS [https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/longbluelinepodcast] AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS   TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Lt. Col. Nichole "Vapor" Ayers ’11  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99   NASA  00:00 Station, this is Houston. Are you ready for the event?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  00:05 Houston, Station, I'm ready for the event.   NASA Air Force Academy, this is Mission Control, Houston. Please call Station for a voice check.   Naviere Walkewicz  00:13 Station, this is Lt. Col. Naviere Walkewicz. How do you hear me?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  00:17 Hi, ma'am. I've got you loud and clear. Welcome to the International Space Station.   Naviere Walkewicz  00:20 Welcome to a special presentation of the US, Air Force Academy, Association and Foundation’s, Long Blue Line Podcast Network. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99. I was honored recently to speak with a true pioneer, United States Air Force Academy graduate, accomplished fighter pilot, 2022 Young Alumni Excellence Award recipient and now NASA astronaut, Lieutenant Colonel Nicole “Vapor” Ayers, Class of 2011, Vapor joined us from the International Space Station orbiting about 250 miles above Earth. Her journey from Cadet to astronaut embodies the pursuit of excellence and the spirit of exploration that distinguishes the Long Blue Line. For this conversation Vapor and I explored what it means to be a human in the vastness of space, how one's perspective shifts when Earth shows up as a distant blue marble, and what her journey can tell us about courage, connection and the Future. Lieutenant Colonel Ayers, this is such an honor. So excited. Seeing Earth from space forever changes your perspective. How was the experience for you? And how has it changed the way you view your role as a leader?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  01:32 Yeah, you know, I think for everybody, the experience is slightly different. For me, seeing the earth from the Dragon window for the first time was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. And then seeing the Earth every day from the cupola and then the lab window that we have here, you know, you don't see country or state lines on the Earth, right? There's not like each state has a different solid color, right? There's just geography and just terrain. And so you get to learn the world all over again in terms of colors and textures and geography and water. You know, there's so much water on this earth, and it's hard to put it into perspective until you're actually looking at the Earth, and it's, it's something that has really hit me, because the Earth is so fragile. You know, we see these beautiful auroras, we see thunderstorms, we see different natural disasters, and it's really kind of made me want to take better care of this earth. And you know, when I get home, I want to just do things a little bit better and just take that extra step, to take my make my part in taking good care of this earth.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:38 That makes amazing sense. And, you know, I think it takes us to kind of your path to becoming an astronaut. Can you walk us through what that was like?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  02:47 Yeah, sure. So, you know, I was, I've been saying that I wanted to be an astronaut since I was little kid. And, you know, I always had an affinity for space and for the sky. And growing up in the Shuttle era, you know, as soon as I learned that you could fly the shuttle be the pilot. I was like, “Ooh, that's what I want to do.” And so, the very serious little Nichole set my goals really high and started working towards that path. And, you know, grew up right there in Colorado Springs, watched the Air Force Academy graduation, you know, and the Thunderbirds fly over every year. And it just kind of seemed like a natural path for me to go to the Air Force Academy, become a pilot and try to pursue the astronaut dream from the pilot’s perspective. So you know, I worked really hard, set my goals really high, and never got bumped off that path and was able to apply and actually get selected. And now here I am talking to you from the International Space Station.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:36 And it's pretty incredible being able to see you weightless there, and you're here in its full glory. It's pretty amazing. Can you, talk about your time at the Air Force Academy? Specifically, what foundational experiences would you say have really kind of played a part with your life in space right now?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  03:54 Yeah you know, I think the Air Force Academy, for me, the biggest part was just being on teams. You know, I played volleyball there. And, you know, I would say every Squadron is its own little team. And you know, as a four degree, you're there with all of your classmates, and you're going through training sessions together. And so being on these teams in different environments, and some austere environments and high pressure situations, and learning how to take care of other people in those moments, I think, has been huge in my path to getting here. You know, those, all those words speak truth here on the International Space Station, you know, we're in an austere environment. Sometimes we're under pressure situations, and it's just a few of us up here working together with the ground to make this International Space Station stay in orbit, to execute all of the science and the maintenance and keep it running and continue to learn everything we possibly can, both about space and about Earth in order to inform how we do life on Earth and how we get to the moon and Mars.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:47 Thank you. So maybe, can you share with us what your daily routine aboard the ISS is like...   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  04:53 Yeah, you know, it's not unlike yours. Potentially. You know, our schedule is pretty set to the ground team figures out about, you know, what science and what maintenance needs to be done, and who's going to go do it. We are scheduled from about 7:30 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening, and we get, you know, two to two and a half hours of exercise time so that we can maintain our bone and muscle and cardiovascular health up here. And then when we're not working out, we're, like, I said, executing science. You know, I'm surrounded just here in this module, every single rack has some sort of payload or science experiment going on, so we just kind of follow the schedule. We work with the ground team to figure out where the things are that we need, and the procedures and all of that. But it's not unlike life on Earth...   Naviere Walkewicz  05:37 Maybe a little bit different. What's the biggest misconception people have about life on the ISS, you think? And what's something that surprised you while you're being there?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  05:48 Man, you know, I've been asked this question before. I'm not sure if I know the biggest misconception. You know, I think that often people kind of put astronauts up on a pedestal, but, you know, we're just humans who like to do, like the work that we do. We're really passionate about what we do. We're good teammates. So we're just normal humans, and it's not the most glamorous job, you know, we do, you know, often wear diapers, or we're working really hard, or things like that. So, you know, just normal humans up here. I think one of the things that surprised me the most, I'll see if I can do this without bumping the Astrobee off the wall here. But for me, it took my brain a while to, you know, get used to seeing people on the wall, or, you know, our treadmills on the wall, or seeing people upside down, and there's no up and down in space. And so it took a while for me to get used to that, and for my brain to kind of remap what I consider up, down, left and right in space. And you know that people are just floating, and we get a float every day, I can let go the mic and talk to you.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:46 So we have a lot of cadets and young officers that listen to us. What advice would you give them in the dream of following in your footsteps?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  06:56 Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I love to preach hard work and teamwork. You know, find something that you really enjoy doing. You know, NASA needs, I studied math, right? I'm a pilot, but we need doctors. We need scientists, we need engineers. So figure out what you really enjoy doing, work really hard at that thing, and then go find a team you can be on, and figure out how to take care of other people, and figure out how, how you mesh in this world, and how you can and thrive in these small environments or austere environments with other people. So I love to just say, you know, work hard, be a good teammate, and everything will work out in your favor. I think.   Naviere Walkewicz  07:30 Can you share if you've received any valuable insights or advice from other Air Force Academy grads who were astronauts?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  07:37 Oh, yeah, I think tons, is what I would say, you know, Eric Kjell, and specifically Nick and Roger, who just recently flew and came back, you know, I think that there's been a ton of advice just in terms of of how we do life here on the International Space Station and how, you know, we're going to continue to explore on the Moon and Mars, and how we can share our story, and how we can share all of the science that we're doing. But I think one of the most practical things that I got was from Nick during the handover, when we, we had a couple days up here together, and he said, “Don't forget, you're still squishy.” You know, we're surrounded by a bunch of metal up here. Nothing is very soft. And so if you, if you get moving too quick, or you get too confident, it's very easy to stub a toe or hit something. And so we're still just squishy humans. And you know, if you take that one step further metaphorically, I think, you know, we're still just humans, and we make mistakes, and that's okay, as long as you can bounce back, and as long as you're not going too fast when you hit a handrail too hard.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:31 Absolutely. Well, you talked a little bit about the austere environment. What do you hope your mission and your story inspiring the next generation of Academy grads, especially those who feel called to serve in bold and unconventional ways.   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  08:46 Yeah, you know, I think the bold and unconventional part really hits me, because, you know, growing up during the shuttle era, and then I was at the Air Force Academy when the last shuttle flight flew. And you know, as you grow up, you say you want to be an astronaut, people often say like, Wow, that's awesome. And then when you become an adult, sometimes you don't quite get the same response, you know, sometimes you get a laugh. And so, you know, I would say that even if people don't believe you, or they don't necessarily support what you want to do, if you've got a goal or a dream, just continue to, like I said, work hard at it, you know, put your nose to the grinder. Get really good at whatever it is that you want to go do, and don't let the naysayers get you. You know, there will always be someone there who thinks it's silly, but you will always find someone who supports you. My old commander, Robin, again, he was the one who supported me and got me here, and he said, “Are you silly?” Like, why would you ever think that's silly, or hesitate to tell me what you want to do? So, keep talking about your goals, keep working towards it. And yeah, like I said, maybe someday you could be up here with us.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:44 Absolutely bold and unconventional, for sure. And speaking of such space missions demand precision under pressure. Can you share a moment, whether in training or on the ISS where quick thinking and calm leadership made a difference for you?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  09:57 Yeah, definitely. I think that I.... Actually, a great example is our space walk that Anne McClain and I did about a month and a half ago. You know, right in the middle of the space walk, the priorities changed and the game plan changed. And if you were just an onlooker watching, sitting at home watching, you may not have even noticed that. And I think that's a huge testament to our ground team and our flight director, Deanna Trujillo, for the day, you know, her ability to lead that ground team and change the game plan on the fly, and then get those words up to us through some calm loss and some other hardships that we were working through, and then for us, for Anna and I, to work together, both just the two of us out outside the space station and the vacuum of space, but also us with the ground to make that all look very seamless. We're very proud of how that space walk went, and our ability to kind of change the plan on the fly, execute, come up with new ways of doing things, and figuring out how we're going to leave the station in a good state, and also achieve all those objectives. So think that was we're actually really proud of the way that we, you know, manage all of those changes, and hopefully to the onlooker like yourself. It looks seamless.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:04 Absolutely and it kind of talks a little bit to what you said earlier about, you know, seeing Earth from a different vantage point and wanting to protect it. I'd like to actually ask you more about that. So can you share, from your vantage point what you've observed about humanity and the resilience as you, as you look on it, from us, from our perspective here on Earth, and you being up there,   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  11:24 Yeah, you know, I think that one of the biggest things that, you know, I mentioned the natural disasters that we see and, you know, and I feel a sense of duty to photograph and to try to document the things that just humans endure on a daily basis. You know, I talked about thunderstorms or landslides, forest fires, all sorts of things. You know, we see it from such a different vantage point up here. And, you know, knowing that there are people down there who are trying to survive, and knowing that those people will survive, and that we have an entire community that's going to rally around those people in those instances. And you know, just trying to do our part from up here and give, you know, that unique vantage point and give as much data and as much help as we possibly can. I think that's one of the biggest things that our world does well, is, you know, helping each other when we're in need.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:09 And Lieutenant Colonel Ayres, maybe you can share what's been the impact of this mission on your sense of purpose, and how do you think it will shape your next chapter when you come back on Earth?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  12:22 This is a great question. I've done a lot of thinking about this, you know, you know, finally achieving your childhood dream. What's next? You know, what do you do next? And I think for me, the biggest thing that I want to continue to do is just inspire the next generation. You know, all those little kids who say they want to be astronauts, and then they get laughed at as adults. You know, I think that's it's so important to just foster that curiosity and foster that sense of exploration. And really, you know, encourage the next generation to go do what they're passionate about, because we will always need someone in that niche thing that you're passionate about. And so helping people get there is, is really what I want to do next. And, you know, helping the next youth get to their dreams and their goals and continue to just build this society that continues to explore and as you know, especially as we go to the moon and onto Mars and we commercialize low earth orbit, I think there's so much that we can do. And it's I feel, again, a sense of duty to help the next generation do that?   Naviere Walkewicz  13:21 Well, we talk about the next generation and the long blue line being enduring. Is there anything else you'd want to share with Air Force Academy grads in general?   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  13:30 Yeah, you know, I think it might be a dead horse that I'm beating at this point, but the teamwork is so important. You know, just, just take care of the people around you. Make sure that you're always looking out for each other. You know, the long blue line is a very special thing to be a part of. And, you know, like yourself, you know, I met you a couple years ago, and it feels like I could just go, you know, hang out with you, have dinner, and we could pick up like old friends. And that's what the long blue line is all about. You know, having friends all over the world who can help you. You know, I got to hang out with Nick Hague in space, another member of the long blue line who told me I was going to be squishy. You know, things like that are just the unique moments that we have as Academy grads. You know, there's always going to be someone there who supports you and who loves you and who wants to see you be successful,   Naviere Walkewicz  14:15 Wonderful. Thank you so much for this time. There's probably so many more questions we could ask you, but I think the biggest one is just, you know, we would leave you with it's such an honor and a privilege to see you out there. We're proud of everything that you're doing, and we can't wait to see more of what you're able to accomplish while you're in space and when you come back.   Lt. Col. Nichole Ayers  14:34 Thank you so much. Like I said, so excited to talk to you today and to just share the experience and also, you know, have a have an influence on the AOG. I'm excited that the AOG is interested in space and interested in all of us who are out here. You know, again, the Long Blue Line is a really cherished and unique group to be a part of. So honored and proud to be a part of that group, and excited that I got to share a little bit of what we do up here with you guys today.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:02 Thank you so much for the time. Naviere Walkewicz  Well, before I close, I'd like to share what happened after the podcast. My cell phone rang, and I had a call from government, and I said, “Who could be calling me?” Well, I answered, and wouldn't you know 250 miles above the Earth, Vapor Ayers was calling me on my cell phone just to say what an amazing conversation we had. What technology we have, that she sounded like she was next door. It was an incredible opportunity for us to talk a little bit more about the podcast and highlight what you might hear in an upcoming Checkpoints article. So for now, I'll sign off. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99. Thank you for listening. This has been a special presentation of the US, Air Force Academy, Association and Foundation’s Long Blue Line Podcast Network. You can listen to this and all our podcast network programming at LongBlueLinePodcast.org once more, that's LongBlueLinePodcast.org   NASA  16:03 Station, this is Houston. ACR, thank you. That concludes our event.   KEYWORDS NASA, astronaut, International Space Station, Air Force Academy, leadership, resilience, teamwork, space exploration, inspiration, Earth       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

Season 3 of the Long Blue Leadership podcast is a wrap! From established national leaders to rising stars, this season features inspiring stories from U.S. Air Force Academy graduates. SUMMARY This season's guests included Dr. Heather Wilson ’82, former Secretary of the Air Force; Dr. John Torres ’82, NBC News Senior Medical Correspondent; Maj. Gen. Thomas Sherman ’95, Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and 2nd Lt.  Wyatt Hendrickson ’24, NCAA wrestling champion.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/leadership-elevated-a-long-blue-leadership-retrospective/?token=597cb091a9fecae916625c959ba2dd6c]  |  FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/leadership-elevated-a-long-blue-leadership-retrospective/?token=597cb091a9fecae916625c959ba2dd6c]    TAKEAWAYS * Leadership is about collecting tools over time. * Your identity is not defined by your profession. * Intentionality in actions leads to personal growth. * Leadership can be practiced at any level. * Admitting mistakes quickly is crucial for growth. * Respect and loyalty are earned through care. * Every moment is an opportunity to make an impact. * Legacy is built in real-time interactions. * Conversations can unlock deeper insights about leadership. * Sharing stories fosters connection and learning.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Celebrating leadership lessons from Season 3 03:07 Insights from Dr. Heather Wilson ’82 05:47 Chad Hennings ’88 on identity and leadership 08:55 Young leader Wyatt Hendrickson's ’24 journey 11:51 Jemal Singleton ’99, leading where you are 14:53 Emma Przybyslawski ’10 on leadership beyond the uniform 17:49 Dr. John Torres ’82, earning respect and loyalty 20:37 Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman ’95 on trust, courage, and legacy 23:47 Looking ahead to Season 4   ABOUT OUR HOSTS BIO's LT. COL. (RET.) NAVIERE WALKEWICZ ’99 Senior Vice President, Engagement With over two decades in leadership roles, my current focus at the Association of Graduates - U.S. Air Force Academy is fostering a robust network of 50,000+ alumni. This commitment involves igniting a culture of engagement and inclusivity, underpinned by a strong foundation in support of our Air Force Academy. - BIO COPY CREDIT:  LINKEDIN.COM MR. WYATT HORNSBY Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications | Executive Producer Wyatt Hornsby is passionate about developing marketing and communications talent and cohesive, high-performance teams. He is senior vice president of marketing and communications at the Air Force Academy Foundation and the Association of Graduates. He leads the work of the foundation and alumni association marketing and communications division, while also coordinating with various Air Force Academy offices, including Public Affairs and Strategic Communications. - BIO COPY CREDIT:  LINKEDIN.COM     CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org [socialmedia@usafa.org] Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org [Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org]  Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org [Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org]  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org [Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org] Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org [Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org]      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES [https://www.longblueleadership.org/]  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS [https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/longbluelinepodcast] AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Co-Hosts:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99  |  Mr. Wyatt Hornsby   Naviere Walkewicz  00:26 Welcome to our retrospective for Season 3. We’re celebrating the first three seasons of the Association & Foundation’s premier podcast and the countless leadership lessons shared by some of the most accomplished Air Force Academy grads.   Wyatt Hornsby  00:41 Naviere, in Season 3, we’ve showcased some amazing stories and takeaways that apply to life, both in and out of the military. From the start, Long Blue Leadership has given listeners an inside look at real experiences, insights and advice from seasoned leaders as well as those just beginning their journeys. These deep dives explore how leaders not only face challenges head on, but also find ways to inspire and empower those around them.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:06 These conversations are amazing. What really sets this podcast apart are how these leadership discussions consistently touch on teamwork, perseverance, humility, excellence and service before self.   Wyatt Hornsby  01:17 Well said, Naviere. And in this edition of Long Blue Leadership, we’re gonna respond to a few clips and share our own perspectives related to some of our favorite moments, and we’ll also preview what’s coming up in Season 4.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:30 Now Wyatt and I would be remiss if we didn’t share — listen, we could go on about every guest that’s on this podcast, because everyone is remarkable, but we’re just going to focus on a few of them. So let's jump right into some of our favorite moments from Season 3.   Wyatt Hornsby  Let’s do it.   Naviere Walkewicz  All right. Well, this first clip is someone that you’re going to recognize: Dr. Heather Wilson, Class of ’82. What an amazing graduate. And you know, when we think about what she’s accomplished — she’s a Distinguished Graduate, secretary of the Air Force, I mean, going on into Congress — she is a mentor for many. And this particular clip, she actually is referring to someone who’s been a mentor for her and being able to make an impact in his life. So let’s take a listen.   Dr. Heather Wilson  02:12 My grandfather was an aviator. He was also a mechanic. He could use any tool. I mean, he was just amazing with his hands. And I had learned a new tool in school, and I took out a piece of graph paper, and I drew a curve, and I said, “Grandpa, do you think you could find the area under this curve?” And he said, “Well, I’d probably count up the squares and estimate from there on the graph paper.” And I then I showed him something new, and it was called calculus, and it was the first time in my life that I realized I had a tool that my grandfather didn’t have. He had a high school education and had gone into the RAF during the First World War, and he was a great mechanic and a really good man, but I realized that there were opportunities for me that maybe my grandfather never had.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:14 What an amazing conversation with her. What did you think about that comment about the tool?   Wyatt Hornsby  03:19 That's very, very moving. You can see just what her grandfather, what he meant to her, and just to think about those experiences and how they informed and influenced how Dr. Wilson has been a leader to so many in Congress, as secretary of the Air Force and now as president of the University of Texas, El Paso.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:38 Yes. And when you go back to that conversation, I think she talks about tools in a toolbox, and she relates it to her grandfather and her dad, I think, as well. But she talks about the toolbox almost serving as — you never know when you're going to need a tool. So as long as you collect tools over time, they can make a difference. And so she likens them to the people in your life and the people who serve with you and under you and above you. But if you start to recognize the tools that they have, you never know when they're going to make a difference. And in her case, she was actually able to provide a tool like calculus for her grandfather.   Wyatt Hornsby  A great lesson.   Naviere Walkewicz  Yes, yes. So make sure you take a listen on that one.   Wyatt Hornsby  04:15 Well, Naviere, this next conversation I absolutely love — Chad Hennings, Class of 1988, who went on, I believe, to serve in the Gulf War, flew the A-10 before joining the Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboys. And I love this conversation. Chad talks in this conversation about who you are isn’t necessarily what you do. It comes from who you are from within. I just love this clip. Let’s listen to it.   Chad Hennings  04:41 One of the questions that I ask someone who is changing and transitioning in their careers, whether that be from professional athletics or from the military, I ask them, “Who are you?” You know, a lot of times they'll say, “I'm well, I'm Captain so-and-so,” or, “I'm a former F-16 fighter pilot,” or, “I’m a former running back.” I go, “That’s what you do. Who are you? What you do does not define who you are.” I mean, that's the thing that I think so many people need to grasp, is that their identity is not based on what they do. It's more of an inner pursuit.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:14 Well, I won't put you on the spotlight and ask you who you are, but I remember that conversation, and it was really quite a reflective one for me, because I remember, as he was sharing those things, I started thinking, “Well, who am I, you know, as a leader, etc.” So that was really meaningful.   Wyatt Hornsby  05:30 Indeed. I mean, all across our lives and careers, we do a lot of different things. We wear a lot of different hats at various points, and I think it’s hard, but I think it’s so meaningful to really reflect on your own personal values in determining really who you are from within. I just loved how Chad talked about that.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:50 Yes, that was just one of the lessons that he shared. And I think it really kind of goes back to understanding yourself and growing as a leader. So it’s certainly a wonderful conversation for those interested. Well, let’s take a visit to one of our younger graduates. Most recently, 2024 class, and his name is Wyatt Hendrickson, so another Wyatt here. Some might remember him as Captain America. I think he’s been called that lately, in the news, but known for just his accomplishments in the world of wrestling and what he’s continuing to go on, hopefully here in the Olympics. But this conversation really is about some real insightful moments that I think he’s had as a young leader, that he recognizes the importance of doing things for yourself. And some might first think, “Well, that sounds kind of selfish, right? You know, we're taught to be team members and team players and do things together.” But when we, when we listen to this clip, I think we understand why he talks about doing things for yourself. Let’s take a listen.   Wyatt Hendrickson  06:49 As a leader in at the Air Force Academy, I started going to these briefs, and I’m like, “You know, I’m not going to try to have the a bad mindset. I’m not going to show up here, just check a box. I’m going to show up here and try to take something from it.” So what I did, I bring like a notebook or a small little pamphlet, just to write notes. And everything you do, do it with intent. Don’t do it because you’re afraid of a bad result — you’re afraid of something here, there. Do it because you want to do it, and you have to decide you’re doing it for yourself.   Naviere Walkewicz  07:18 You know, what I really like about that clip is understanding that you have to do things for yourself and not others. And so I liken it — you know, we are parents, and at one time we are children. And so we probably did things. We do things as parents for your children. When you’re a child, you do things because you don’t want to make your parents unhappy, or you want to make your teacher proud or your coach proud. And I think he learned early as a leader that if you’re going to do something with intent, to do it for yourself. What do you think?   Wyatt Hornsby  07:44 That’s right. Being able to invest in yourself so that you can show up for others as well. And so I think when you really consider that, he’s really talking about a little bit of service before self within that as well. And I think it’s working out well for him. You know, he just pulled off, some say, the biggest upset in NCAA wrestling history. And I agree, we’ll hope that he gets to the Olympics. Just what a remarkable young leader and athlete.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:11 Yes, and what an exciting and engaging conversation that I hope you’ll take a listen to as well. There were some exciting moments in there that he experienced, I think. You know, with the president and, you know, just kind of reflective moments with his coach, but certainly a conversation that many will be engaged by.   Wyatt Hornsby  08:28 And when we talked to him, his life was very busy, and we just so appreciate him taking time to talk with you, Naviere.   Naviere Walkewicz  Yes, absolutely.   Wyatt Hornsby  All right. Naviere, this next guest I absolutely love — Jemal Singleton, Class of 1999.   Naviere Walkewicz  Gold will shine.   Wyatt Hornsby  That’s right, assistant head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, also coach for running backs for the Eagles. And this was such a great conversation. We were you were able to go to Philadelphia and sit down with Jemal and really hear his story and something — I mean, the conversation was just full of great insights. But one thing that Jemal said that I absolutely loved was, no matter where you are in your life and career, lead where you are. You don’t have to have a big team or direct reports, just lead where you are. So let’s listen to that clip.   Jemal Singleton  09:17 I think the biggest thing that you can do is lead where you’re at, and it doesn’t matter where you’re at. “Oh, well, I'm not the CEO,” or, “Oh, I'm not the head coach,” or, “Oh, I'm not the commander.” So? Leadership comes in a million different ways. And I truly believe that you know kind of what you do with the little things, is how you do everything. And if, in your position, whatever it may be — maybe nobody even works for you — you can still lead from that position. You can lead from that spot. And I think that's it. Don't be afraid to step out. Don't be afraid to be a leader in your own mind. It's got to start there. At some point, you keep honing those skills and then maybe you are going to grow. And then, hey, you have three people working for you, but you then be a leader at that point. And it’s kind of like what I mentioned earlier, about be where your feet are; lead where your feet are at.   Wyatt Hornsby  10:09 What a great insight. And I think that is just so helpful for not only people who are earlier in their career, and maybe they want to be able to grow as a leader. But also for leaders as well, in terms of how they instill in the people who they're privileged to lead, how they can continue to grow and advance.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Yes, what a great life lesson in general. I think sometimes we are so eyes forward on the next thing, that we forget to be our best at the present and the moment. And that was a really, I think, a key message that I took from that was, you know, when he says, lead where you are, you know, be fully present where you are, just like we are right now, reliving, kind of that moment with him. And so what an engaging and amazing conversation with Coach Jemal Singleton. Of course, being a ’99 grad, you'd expect that, but, you know?   Wyatt Hornsby  10:58 We wish him. We wish him all the best. What a run he's on right now. Congrats to the Eagles.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:03 Yes. And if I may just offer this: I did want to extend to the team with the Eagles — I mean, what a world class operation out there, to be able to invite us in and put us in their amazing studio to help us share the story that really goes beyond the football, right? It goes beyond the field and how they're doing things as leaders out there. So thank you so much for that amazing support. We really appreciate it. All right. This next clip, Wyatt, is someone that we know well. She is one of our past AOG board directors, Class of 2010, Emma Przybyslawski, also a Young Alumni Excellence Award winner for us, what a remarkable leader. You know, she served in the Air Force, in the special operations community, but also went on after the uniform to really kind of lead her team and her business. In this particular clip, she's talking about leadership outside of uniform. And I think it's important for our listeners to know that leadership comes in and outside of uniform, and so we want to make sure we highlight that. But this particular clip, she talks about getting to “no” as fast as you can — and that's an odd statement to hear, but I think it's really impactful.   Emma Przybyslawski  12:14 One of my key tenets is having the stomach to say, like, “Oof, this didn't work out the way that I wanted it to,” or, “Maybe we were wrong about that.” Step 1, right? Admitting the problem. Step 2 is then pivot, move on, let it go. Just let it go, and either take some great lessons learned from it — hopefully you do — or just bail on it and like, go on to something different. Get to no as fast as you can. Like, no is an OK answer, but man, let’s get there as fast as we can. Because the more time you iterate and waste on bad ideas that you don't know if they're bad yet, that they're going to be, the sooner you can get to no, the better off you are.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:59 I really like that, just because it's so different. I mean, it's a different perspective on being thoughtful. on resources and time and how you actually utilize all that as a leader and when you're making decisions that impact others. I just thought that was really insightful. What'd you get from it?   Wyatt Hornsby  13:16 I agree, and what I hear from that is integrity and discipline. No one likes to admit that they’re wrong. It’s not the most fun thing in the world, but what I heard Emma say was, “If we got something wrong, just admit it. Get there as quickly as possible, learn and move on.” So I love that leadership insight.   Naviere Walkewicz  13:33 Yes, and when you look through history and you think about, those greats, those innovators — but you know, over time, they failed because they failed to actually move forward or stop something that was no longer working. They just held on so tight. I think as a leader, it's important to recognize that. And her, as you know, such, I think, a young and enthusiastic and, you know, impactful leader realizing that it’s an important lesson I think we can all take.   Wyatt Hornsby  13:56 It’s easy to see, you know, when we hear Emma talk about leadership, it's easy to see how far she's come in life, and, you know, what she's been able to do.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:05 Yes, so make sure you listen to that. While she does talk about that outside of uniform, she does share some incredible stories while she was in the special operations community. I think our listeners will really enjoy learning some of that too.   Wyatt Hornsby  14:16 All right, Naviere, our next guest, Dr. John Torres, Class of 1982 — and that's a name that many of our listeners and viewers may be familiar with. Chief medical correspondent for NBC News. And I love this conversation. Dr. Torres was able to take time from his schedule and visit with us here in Wecker Hall. And really what he talked about, what I took away from this was that leaders earn respect and loyalty. They take care of their people, and they put their people really before themselves. So let's listen to this clip.   Dr. John Torres  14:47 Watching leaders and how they did things, both when I was here at the Academy and when I was in the Air Force and even through medical school, the doctors that were good and talked to people appropriately. The leaders that were good and they had the men and women following them because they wanted to follow them, versus following them because they had to follow them. And as you know, there's a huge difference there. And I tried to model myself after the ones who had people who followed them because they wanted to follow — they respected them. They earned that respect. They earned that loyalty. And to me, that was always an important thing. And so when I transitioned over to medicine, especially being a flight doc, I wanted them to do the things that medically were important for them because they wanted to, because they trusted me, and they understood that I was looking out for them and not just their career or not just their flying, but looking out for them and their families.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:32 I remember that conversation.   Wyatt Hornsby  15:35 Caring deeply about the person, and not necessarily what they — putting that before what they do.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:41 Exactly. That conversation went on because it was referencing the fact that, as a medical doctor in the service, you know, you had those that really wanted to fly like that was their calling. And when they had a medical issue arise, you know, Dr. Torres, because he led in the way that he did. He created that relationship and that trust, to be able to say, “This is what we're up against,” and, you know, to be able to make a leadership and a professional recommendation, and then that, you know, “I care about you as a person, so I'm gonna ask you to consider this,” even if it might be the hard decision that they'd have to make. And I think that that goes a long way for leaders, because sometimes we have to give bad news to our people.   Wyatt Hornsby  16:21 That's right, and really caring about those who were charged with leading and taking care of their best interests, sometimes having those tough conversations. But when we do that, when we authentically care about our people, they will respect us. They will trust and that's really what he was talking about. Powerful.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:43 I think we could probably both think about examples of leaders in our lives that maybe we didn't get the best news, but we always knew they had our best interests, and we would walk through fire for them.   Wyatt Hornsby  That's right.   Naviere Walkewicz  Yes, what a great conversation with an amazing speaker. You'll have to take a listen to the entire conversation with Dr. Torres, because his was really incredible. And the fact that he actually almost left the Academy, but stayed because of survival training. So you make sure you listen to that. All right. Well, this last clip we're going to visit is, gosh, I still just got goose bumps thinking about the conversation with him. It's a recent conversation with Maj. Gen. Tom P. Sherman, Class of 1995, the current vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy. And I could go on and on about, you know, the way he inspires through his words, but this particular clip, Wyatt, was one where he talks about courage, right? And when he recognized a moment in time. This is from a conversation with his AOC, back when he was a cadet at the Air Force Academy, and he had a moment of clarity.   Wyatt Hornsby  17:45 We've both had the opportunity to see Gen. Sherman speak, and just an incredible speaker and presenter — really gets to know his audience. So let's listen.   Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman  17:57 But I think really where the Foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form. So we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, “You know, hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that, you know, leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run. You know, putting iron on target.” And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space, but I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazine by an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling, and I have no idea who this person was, felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper — and this would have been the fall of 1994 — and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader. Commissioning sources: Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force: I need a leader.” Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office, that changed my life. And it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do what I was looking at inside myself like that became my charge.   Wyatt Hornsby  19:57 Naviere, I mean, as a graduate, how does that land with you?   Naviere Walkewicz  20:01 I have chill bumps right now, and it's not because it's cold in here, because it's not. I think you nailed it when you said he's someone who can really kind of inspire through his words. But you know, when I hear him say that, it makes me want to go back through the Academy all over again. I want to do it again to see if I can do it better. Because I want to be a leader for that airman and for anyone else that is serving alongside me, under me, etc. That's what I felt hearing that again.   Wyatt Hornsby  20:33 Yeah, and just from the whole conversation, I mean, that's really, I think that's the essence of Gen. Sherman's career, in my eyes, is that he has done everything he can to deliver or to develop as a leader and to be able to bring out the best in everyone who he has had the opportunity to lead and work with.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:51 One of my favorite moments in that conversation was about, you know, “What do you want your legacy to be?” You know, I think that was some kind of — that was maybe a way that I asked the question, and his answer was so unique, because he said, “You know, I don't really think about legacy, like, down the road.” He says — it's almost like he thinks about it in real time, and I'm paraphrasing, so you'll have to listen to the conversation. But he talked about, like, his legacy is when he makes an impact in every moment. So, like, this, you and I together, if I'm able to make an impact through our conversation, like, that's his legacy. And in off the screen, I didn't get to share this in our conversation, but my son, Arden, he's a cadet now, and when I told him I was going to be doing this podcast with Gen. Sherman, he had nothing but amazing — “Mom, I would walk through fire for him. He's so amazing. He's so inspiring.” And I shared that with Gen. Sherman, I said, “Well, you should know, sir, that you created a legacy with my son,” and it actually brought some emotion to him, and that that's who he is. I think that's who we want to be.   Wyatt Hornsby  21:52 Absolutely a remarkable leader and just an amazing episode. And hope that you all take the time to listen to it.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:00 Yes. So those were our highlights from Season 3. And like I said, we could go on about every one of our guests, because they're so impactful and amazing. And just — we take something from each of them.   Wyatt Hornsby  22:12 We did Naviere, and I want to just take a moment too, just to thank you for doing such a great job in Season 3. And just not asking questions, but just having conversations. And it's just easy to see that this just is kind of like a conversation over coffee, where you're just talking about leadership and really getting a sense of what their journey has been, whether it's been the good or the not so good, but just really finding out who they are authentically. So thank you, Naviere, just for leading those conversations.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:43 It's my great pleasure. I think some of the best work behind the scenes comes from this place of wanting to help share their story in a way that our listeners may not have ever heard before, and almost unlocking within them something that surprises themselves, about themselves, you know what I mean? Where they're actually like, “Wow, I'm sharing this,” and it's almost unlocking this new portal on leadership, on themselves. And so that's kind of how I always approach preparation for a conversation. And my goal is just to leave someone with something that really resonates with them.   Wyatt Hornsby  23:18 Well done, Naviere. And while we're at it, we're going to put Ted, our producer, our amazing producer, on the spot here. Ted, congratulations again on a great Season 3. And what are you — just any reflections that you want to share?   Ted Robertson  23:33 Loving watching Naviere grow and glow as a host — she's just my favorite person ever to work with, and thank all of you. This doesn't happen without a whole team committing time and resources and effort, eyes, ears, ideas. It doesn't happen without this group effort. It's a wonderful, wonderful place to be in. Speaking of places to be, you're going to talk about this a little later. Some listener feedback coming up next that Wyatt is going to tell you about. But we have the gift of a new studio that you're some of you are seeing for the first time inside of our new building that we can't wait for many of you to see. So thank you both for everything you do, your support, your encouragement and giving me this couple of minutes to share my thoughts with all of you.   Naviere Walkewicz  Thanks, Ted.   Wyatt Hornsby  24:23 Yeah. Thank you, Ted, again, great work, and we're just we're very grateful for all the heart and soul you put into Long Blue Leadership.   Naviere Walkewicz  24:31 Well, up next, Wyatt has some listener feedback to share with you, but before we do that, I'd like to take a moment and thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. This podcast publishes the first and third Tuesdays of the month in both audio and video, and is available on all your favorite podcast apps. Be sure to watch or listen to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org. Once more, that's longblueleadership.org   Wyatt Hornsby  24:58 And a note I saw from Allison D. in reference to Naviere’s conversation, particularly with Emma Przybyslawski. And this highlights how hard Naviere has worked and how well she has done as host of Long Blue Leadership. And I'll start with Allison's note to Naviere, and then I'd like to add some thoughts of my own. From Allison: “Just wanted to do a quick shout out to let you know that I've been listening to your interview with Emma P. and I thought you did a phenomenal job. Emma's willingness to share her perspective in experiences in such an authentic way was a testament to her. But I also wanted you to know that while I was actively listening to her responses, I was also blown away by your ability to follow up with each response with an insightful and natural follow up question. My brain was still digesting her last response, and I don't know how you were able to digest and formulate such an interesting follow up question in such a short amount of time. Well done, Naviere.”   Naviere Walkewicz  25:58 I remember that comment. What a special moment to get that from Allison. Thanks for sharing that, Wyatt.   Wyatt Hornsby  26:05 Our pleasure, and thank you again, Naviere, for doing such a great job as our host.   Naviere Walkewicz  26:10 Well, Wyatt, let's talk about Season 4. It's coming out. Yes, some new things. Do you want to talk about kind of where we're in right now? What to expect?   Wyatt Hornsby  26:17 We're going to be having 13 episodes. Ten are going to be Long Blue Leadership, and then two are going to be really developmental focus, special presentations. Can't wait for that. And then, of course, we'll wrap up Season 4 with a retrospective, Naviere.   Naviere Walkewicz  26:31 Oh gosh, it's going to be amazing. I think what we've learned from the past seasons are people really enjoy hearing the stories from graduates that they can connect with — some transformational moments in their lives. But really excited. We kicked it off here at the end of Season 3 will be coming from our new studio here in Wecker Hall, so they'll get to see the studio and really hear the stories from our graduates. Those are really influential and key leaders in their fields.   Wyatt Hornsby  26:56 I can't wait. And some of our guests — they’ll include academics, warfighters, general officers, business leaders, scholars, diplomats, entrepreneurs, policymakers and others.   Naviere Walkewicz  27:08 Yes, and you mentioned it, that kind of leadership. Those two special episodes on leadership, this focus on leadership, we're actually going to go to experts in a field. Maybe they're published authors, but they are going to be some real experts that help our graduates and our listeners hone in on their leadership development. So it's really going to give them some tactical and tangible things that they can do to improve on their own leadership.   Wyatt Hornsby  27:30 I can't wait Naviere, an exciting new feature on leadership as we just continue to elevate our game. It's going to be really great.   Naviere Walkewicz  27:37 It's going to be great. It's going to — that focus on leadership will kick off in October with our second one in December. Wyatt and I want to thank you for joining us today. We can't wait to share the fourth season of Long Blue Leadership with you. Starting this September, you can expect more compelling stories from outstanding Air Force Academy graduates. We like to keep the podcast conversations thoughtful and aimed at telling our guests stories as we explore their personal leadership journeys, their philosophies and their styles. Season 4 promises to engage, inspire and empower. Whether you're an aspiring, emerging or seasoned leader, visit longblueleadership.org for more episodes and past seasons, or nominate a guest or send us your feedback at socialmedia@usafa.org. Long Blue Leadership is available on all your favorites podcast apps.   Wyatt Hornsby  28:30 And Naviere, this was such a great conversation, and I want to encourage you, if you've listened to these episodes or you've watched and you were particularly inspired, please share across your social media channels, share with your friends and colleagues and family members, because we really want these conversations to be for anyone who's interested in developing as a leader, regardless of what career pursuit they've taken.   Naviere Walkewicz  28:54 We like to say “like, subscribe and share.” There you go. Well, I'm Naviere Walkewicz.   Wyatt Hornsby  And I'm Wyatt Hornsby.   Naviere Walkewicz  Until next time.   KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, mentorship, personal growth, teamwork, perseverance, service, identity, respect, legacy.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

What does it take to lead at every level and shape the leaders of tomorrow? SUMMARY Long Blue Line podcast host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99 sat with Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman ’95, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s vice superintendent, for a deep dive into leadership, humanity and building a world-class service academy. This episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned leaders alike.   SHARE LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/leadership-from-a-global-perspective-maj-gen-thomas-p-sherman-95/?token=98c1600cda62b3172c36dbe0011ffa33]  |  FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/leadership-from-a-global-perspective-maj-gen-thomas-p-sherman-95/?token=98c1600cda62b3172c36dbe0011ffa33]   GEN. SHERMAN'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is a human experience - focus on connecting with and caring about people.  - Love what you do and love the people you lead; passion inspires others to follow you.  - Embrace failures and challenges as opportunities for personal growth and development.  - Set the right culture and values within your team to build trust and mutual support.  - Be present and engaged with your team, understanding their motivations and experiences.  - Leadership is about more than rank or position - it's about earning genuine trust and respect.  - Invest time in understanding different generations, cultural nuances, and individual perspectives.  - Balance professional excellence with personal growth and life experiences.  - Support your team's development by providing encouragement and holding them accountable.  - Your legacy is built through individual interactions and the positive impact you have on people's lives.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Major General Thomas P. Sherman 01:29 Choosing Leadership Over Flying 07:23 The Impact of Mentorship and Values 12:46 Heritage and Evolution of Security Forces 17:43 Personal Growth in Aviano, Italy 24:17 The Importance of Work-Life Balance 29:50 Culminating Command Experience at Bagram 42:25 The Role of Family in Leadership 51:29 Continuous Self-Improvement as a Leader 56:27 Embracing Failure as a Growth Opportunity 01:00:06 Legacy and the Impact of Leadership   ABOUT GEN. SHERMAN BIO Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman is the Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is serving as the chief operations officer to the Superintendent and overseeing the Academy’s blend of military training, academics, athletics, and character development for cadets. Gen. Sherman commissioned in 1995 from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He built a distinguished career as a security forces officer. He’s held command at nearly every level. His key assignments include leadership of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB and critical staff positions at the Pentagon. In May 2024, Gen. Sherman was tapped to serve as the Academy's Vice Superintendent   CONNECT WITH GEN. SHERMAN LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-%E2%80%9Ctank%E2%80%9D-sherman-22227a133/]     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES [https://www.longblueleadership.org/]  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS [https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/longbluelinepodcast] AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS       TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman ’95  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:00 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99 today. I'm joined by a leader whose career has taken him from the flight line to the halls of Congress and now back to the very institution that launched it all. Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman currently serves as vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy, where he plays a critical role in guiding the development of our future officers and ensuring the Academy remains a world class institution for leadership, character and Day 1 readiness to win the future fight. A 1995 Academy graduate, Gen. Sherman has spent nearly three decades serving in key operational, strategic and command roles. He's led at every level, from squadron to wing command, and his assignments have included everything from nuclear security enterprise to homeland defense, policy development at the Pentagon, and legislative affairs at the highest levels of the Department of the Air Force. Prior to his role as vice superintendent, Gen. Sherman served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was a principal military assistant leading policy integration across joint staff, interagency services and combatant commands. He's perhaps best known in command circles for leading the 88th Air Base wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the largest and most complex wings in the Air Force, with a focus on people first, leadership and mission excellence. Gen. Sherman, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here too.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:32 It is great to be here. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:33 We're excited and we're going to dive right in, because I think what is so special for our listeners is really hearing these moments that have changed your life. I'd like to start at the Academy. You turned down a pilot slot. You were rated, but said no.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:48 Well, actually it was a little bit before that. You know, it's kind of interesting, because that was the draw that brought me here, is I just had this incredible passion to want to fly, and I love flying, and I truly enjoyed it, especially through all the different airmanship programs and things like and things like that we had here. The experiences were fantastic. But, you know, as I was starting to learn more about myself going through the Academy, I was starting to feel my heart getting pulled in a direction of wanting to really lead people and really spend a lot of time working with the enlisted. And I think that came from a couple different areas. I think it was some really unique exposure that I got during my ops Air Force time, which I went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during ops, and just had our action officer that worked this, I think just did a phenomenal job. And I really started getting pulled to what was then called security police. That is actually when Laurie and I got together and started dating, because Laurie is here in Colorado Springs, but she grew up as an Air Force brat. My father-in-law is a retired Chief Master Sgt., and so there was a lot of mentorship that was taking place around dining room table when I was a young cadet. And I think one of the things that her parents really taught me was just the value of the enlisted force, and so I was feeling my heart really getting pulled. And so obviously, there's a conundrum. There's a conundrum on what were the root desires that brought me here — what were the things that I was learning as a cadet, my joy of flying, and also, particularly the culture at that time, was that that was really the job that you needed to aspire to be, that was the expectation of cadets. And so then to really kind of run counter to that strong current was really kind of a unique, you know, almost unnavigated area, right? And so to really kind of take the story out to its next level is that I'd really gotten to a point where talking with people there — we hadn't had the AMT program, but there were these NCOs that were kind of tangentially attached to cadet squadrons. And so I got a chance to talk to one of the master sergeants that was there who was a maintainer by background. And I was kind of pouring my heart out to him on, you know, what had I been talking to him with my now in-laws, about where was my heart pulling me? And so he said, ‘Give me just a second.’ And he picked up the phone, and he called my AOC and he goes, ‘Hey, you're gonna be there for a little while.’ And this was a Friday afternoon. He said, ‘I got a cadet that needs to come talk to you.’ And he hangs up the phone and he goes, ‘Now you go tell your AOC what you just told me.’ And so I ended up going to my AOCs office that day, and we had about a two-hour conversation about this. I sat down and really, kind of took the time to explain to him what was I feeling, And obviously, I really try to see the best in people. And so I think from a noble place, he was doing his best to convince me that I was making a grave mistake. And went on to talk to me about what his concerns were, the career field that I was looking at, things along those lines. And we can save that conversation for another time, but I think really where the foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form, so we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, ‘Hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run, you know, putting iron on target.’ And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space. But I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden, I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazineby an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling — and I have no idea who this person was — felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper, and this would have been the fall of 1994, and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader.” Commissioning sources. ‘Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force, I need a leader.’ Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office — that changed my life, and it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do, what I was looking at inside myself, that became my charge. And so as we spoke, you know, 20-year-old Cadet First Class Sherman — I might have been a 21-year-old at the time — Cadet First Class Sherman pushed back on my AOC, and I said, ‘Sir, I disagree.’ I said, ‘I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy that that A1c is asking for on your cork board outside, because that's leadership in this Air Force.’ And so, to his credit, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to go think about this over the weekend. You know, think about what you're doing. Come back to me on Monday. No questions asked. I'll pull it if you want me to.’ And I left there, and I remember feeling like, not like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, but I almost felt like this sense of like, ‘Now I've got my purpose,’ because that little article has shaped me my entire career, and I mean to this day, and at a scale. You know, as a lieutenant, my scale is this big on what I'm affecting to help do and be what that A1C needs to a wing commander. I always keep it in the back of my head, and after all of these years, I am still thinking about, Am I doing right by that A1C that 31 years ago, felt so strongly about something that they wrote a note to Airman Magazine, and that became my charge.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:09 That is incredibly powerful. I'm a little bit without words, because I'm thinking about, first off, being brave enough to disagree with an AOC. I mean, I think that takes courage in showing your leadership there. Were you always like that? Have you always been someone that is steadfast in a decision and being able to kind of speak out?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  08:30 So I get that from my parents. And, you know, I grew up in Corona, California. My mom and dad are amazing people. And we didn't grow up with a lot of money, and we grew up from a pretty meager background, and my mom and dad had made a decision early on in their marriage, when they had my sister and I, that my mom was going to focus to make sure that Nancy and I got an education, and my dad was going to work as many jobs as he had to to put food on the table. And sometimes my dad was holding down three jobs to make sure that we had nutritious food to eat, and my mom was working miracles to make sure that we were fed well, but that also that she was dedicated and had the time to volunteer for things like PTA, being involved as a class volunteer, making sure that we were involved in things and had exposure to things that what they did was they also instilled in me this really strong blue collar work ethic. And it was this aspect of, if I just roll up my sleeves and put in the work, anything is possible. And so on that line, this young kid growing up with a West Coast father and an East Coast mother, and just this, really neat family background that things for me, that I believed in I would go after with all of my heart and soul. And so I found out about the Academy when I was 12 years old. And so, you know, when I at 12 years — we were going to a community event there in Corona, and there was an officer recruiter — Capt. Craig. was her name — and we started talking. She says, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about the Air Force Academy?’ And I said, ‘No, this sounds great.’ So from there, I just made this decision as a 12-year-old, and I worked all the way through junior high and high school to get here, because to go to your point like, ‘I made a decision, I'm gonna see this thing through.’   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Whoa. OK, so you knew you were going to the Academy before you graduated high school.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:35 Yes, in my mind, there was no other option.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:39 And so anyone in your family serve, or were you the first one in your family to serve?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:43 So I am the first officer and career member of the family. My dad was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1967 and stayed through Tet of 1968. I had an uncle, Harry Lee Schmidt, who was a C-47 loadmaster in World War II and Korea, and my grandfather was actually a part of the initial kind of what was the foundation of the OSS and the Navy doing beach recon on beaches in the South Pacific, prior to island hopping campaign and island landings. And so there was this real heritage of service, right? Just not career service. But even then, as a kid, I always had in my mind, ‘OK, one way or another, I'm going to serve, and if I do an enlistment and then go to college afterwards —' but I had this idea that, ‘OK, I'm going to serve,’ and then all of a sudden, this became this amazing conduit that got me here, right?   Naviere Walkewicz  11:38 And they also had ties to aviation. How did they feel about your decision, your family?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  11:43 It was interesting, because they knew how passionate I was about aviation growing up. I mean, we did not miss an air show at March Air Force Base, the Chino air show, which was planes of fame, which was all historic aircraft. I volunteered as a high school student to work there, and we helped restore airplanes with me and my friends. You know, it was interesting, because my parents were very supportive in ‘OK, where's your heart leading you? And, what makes you feel so strongly about this?’ Because when I first talked to him on the phone, I called him from Ramstein Air Base and said, ‘Hey, I think I know what I want to do in the Air Force. I want to go to security police. And my mom was like, ‘What's that? And, so, as time went by and I explained it, I think my parents probably all along knew that that was probably going to be a very good fit. And then after commissioning and at my first assignment, I think that they were certain of it, right? Yeah, they were absolutely certain.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:37 That is amazing. Well, I want to dive into this profession a bit, because it's interesting. You know, you've mentioned, when you came in, it was security police, and, security forces and you hear people saying defenders and peacekeepers. So there's this lineage and this heritage. Can you maybe talk a little bit about that and then maybe lead us into that next transformational moment that you might have had in this role?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  12:58 OK, I'm very proud of the fact that, you know, I am part of an ever decreasing group of folks that came in when we were still security police, and that was really still the peacekeeper days, because this was all kind of the follow on on the Cold War. The peacekeepers were our cold warriors and that was a huge part. Our defenders came in and really, that name started to really grow in 1997 when the name changed from security police to security forces, and we were actually going back to some of our heritage that was in Operation Safeside, which was the combat security police squadrons in Vietnam. So when you think about the courage that was displayed during the Tet Offensive at places like Tan Son Nhat that those were safe side warriors that were a part of these combat security police squadrons. And so the very — part of the lineage of the very beret, and flash that we have is actually a tip of the hat to the lighter blue berets, and that flash with the Falcon and the crossed runways that goes back, actually, to our Safeside heritage days. The beret goes back even farther than that. It goes back to Strategic Air Command, Elite Guard back in the 1950s. So it's this great lineage. And so, you know, for me, part of it was like when I got my first beret, wow, that meant something to me. And then, you know, as we then kind of transformed along the way, and this amazing career field grew, and the aspects of this air based ground defense, which was really, I would say, was kind of the draw that got me into wanting to go into security police, was I really liked this idea of, ‘How do we do base defense?’ The law enforcement side was intriguing to me, but it was based defense that just had me just had me captivated.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:44 And was that something that you found out early in your career? After you graduate the Academy, you're now in security police. Is that when you kind of realized, ‘This is where I want to go in, air, base, ground defense.’?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  14:54 It even happened at ops. So as we were spending time with the security police squadron, I ended up spending time with a captain who was heading up the Elite Guard, and there was an interaction we had as I was doing a ride along. He's like, ‘Hey, you need to come see me.’ And so I went and met up with him, and he took me around and introduced me to all of his airmen that were part of the guard. He knew something all about them. And then we went to his office and talked, and he had gone to Ranger School and Airborne and things like that, and said, ‘Hey, like, the future of the career field is actually us looking to the past.’ And really kind of got me fired up on what we call back then, air base ground defense. So when I got to McChord — McChord Air Force Base was my first duty station. And the great thing about going to AMC first is it AMC is a mobility — I mean, it is all about mobility and the operations associated with it. And so the first thing that that my task was as the second lieutenant in that squadron was, I was the air base ground defense flight commander. So that was, I mean — we would go out to Fort Lewis, and we would bivouac for days. And I had, you know, a 44 person team that was a base defense sector. I had specialized K-9 units heavy weapons. And back in those days, we had 81mm mortar teams and fire direction centers that we would set up. So I just got completely on board with the air base defense piece. And so that was that was very passionate for me, which then made the next step to Korea an absolutely logical next location, going to the wolf pack at Kunsan, not only getting a chance to then stand up Gwangju as a part of the first Air Expeditionary Unit to go back to Korea since the Korean War, but then doing the mobile reserve aspect of it. And it was just a great assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:40 Wow. So you were right in from the very beginning. You got kind of just into it all.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  16:45 So when we go back, when you were talking to me about, ‘Hey, when you make your mind up...’ So I had this five-year plan built out. And, you know, my five-year plan was ‘OK, I'm gonna do my first assignment at the first opportunity to PCS. I need to go remote. I need to go to Korea. And then, OK, how can I get another overseas assignment after that? And then what do I need?’ So the thought was, “Let me get to as many match comms as I can, as fast as I can in my career, and use that as a place — OK, because I want to build my experience base out. Because even as a lieutenant and young captain, I didn't want to come across as a one-trick pony. So my thought was, “Let me just get as much as I could under my belt early on.’ And so after I left Kunsan, I ended up going to Aviano Air Base in Italy, which, for me, when you look at like those moments in life that are transformational, this was transformational on a different level. You know, some assignments you go to are very much professional growth assignments. This assignment, for me, was very much a personal growth assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  17:52 OK, so tell me more.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  17:55 I mean, when you think about it, four years at USAFA, very uniquely focused on a plate that is overflowing with things that you need to get done. So you are, you're focused on, you know, everything from grades to military training to all of those things. And then I get to my first base, and I am just working, and I'm volunteering for everything, and we have got a heavy ops tempo of exercises and things like that. And my leadership was fantastic, because they were throwing me into every opportunity I could. And then, boom, I go to Korea, and that is a unique warfighting focused — and at Kunsan especially was heavily warfighting focused. So now all of a sudden I am spending really, when you think about it, the last almost seven years being uniquely focused on mission, right? And so I get to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and the first thing that happens is Operation Allied Force kicks off. So I get there in January, boom. Allied Force kicks off. I think it was in end of February, beginning of March. And wow, what? Again, what an amazing, mission focused experience. And then after we finished up Allied Force and the base returned back to more of its steady-state standpoint, it was the Italians that took me under their wings, that because I made a specific choice, because I grew up — my mom's side of the family are all Italian immigrants — and I was always at my Nonnie and Papa's house, and there was just a lot of that growing up, which is that whole, like, you know, West Coast dad, East Coast mom thing, but I didn't know, you know, my mom and her brothers never spoke Italian. And there was a lot of that, that thought back in those days that, you know, ‘Hey, we're here to be American, so we're going to learn English, and we're not going to speak, you know, the language that we came from,’ right? And so my mom and her brothers really never learned to speak Italian. And so my thought was, ‘Gosh, I grew up with this as such a strong part of my childhood that I need to put myself in a position where I can learn the language and start to kind of get an appreciation on the culture. Together.’ And so I specifically — and really lucked out on a location, but I was about 20 kilometers away from Aviano. I was in an amazing town. I was the only American living in the complex that I was in. So I was like, ‘If I'm going to learn, I need to just dive in the way that you do, in the way that I do, and just start learning.’ And so I ended up kind of building this support group of Italian families that all kind of took me under their wings.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:27 Wait, I have to ask you a question, because back when you're at the Academy, you said you spoke to your now in-laws. So was Laurie not a part of this?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  20:35 So Laurie and I, right. So that's an important part of the story. Laurie and I dated for two years while I was a cadet, and when I was in tech school, her and I made the very difficult decision — and as painful it was — to part ways, so her and I actually parted ways for a few years. I was single at the time. Laurie was still here in Colorado Springs, and I was getting a lot of assignments under my belt, which, to be honest with you, you know, in retrospect, it was very fortunate, because I may not have made the same assignment choices had I been married at the time. And because I wasn't married, there were no other variables that I needed to factor in, other than personal experience goals, right, that I wanted to play into, and so I could just put down whatever assignment I wanted, and that allowed me the opportunity to just focus on job. And while Laurie and I stayed in touch, and I stayed in touch with her parents over the years, I was in Aviano, and her and I were not together at that point,   Naviere Walkewicz  21:39 That makes sense. I was like, why were you alone in Italy?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  21:43 It's a fair question. But I also think that being single in that environment allowed me — and that's where I think it helped me develop as a person. And so there are a lot of, I think, really wonderful things that happened during that time, and that was because I was so uniquely mission focused. It was these, this amazing group of Italian friends together, that really kind of taught me about there, there's a time to relax, you know, there's a time to work, there's a time to relax, and there's also a real human need to enjoy life and enjoy time together, which is quintessentially Italian. And so, as my pool of this, these amazing people — that  by the way, for the last 25 years, we've been going to visit. It’s the same families that took me under their wings when I was a lieutenant, are the same families that were all tuning in as we were doing a live stream of me pinning on my second star. And so I've never been stationed anywhere else in my career where I felt more at home. And so I think this sense of like, ‘Wow. This like independently as my own person, this feels like home.’ And as time went by and I started to get an appreciation for actually things that were a part of my childhood. Because, you know, we would have these long, huge meals, we would spend four or five hours at the table as a family. And for me, this was all normal. Well, that was also a part of kind of normal Italian life and normal Italian culture. You're not going out to dinner with your friends unless you're investing at least three hours at the restaurant. But for me, this was all — this felt normal to me. And so it was about, you know, you don't need to eat your food in five minutes.   Naviere Walkewicz  So contrary to USAFA, by the way.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN You know, you don't need to chew no more than seven times and swallow. So it was about experiencing that, and learning even just some things that became personal passions. Like, you know, how wine is made and why wine pairing matters, and how is this process? And so all of a sudden, this personal experience — and I think growing as a human being was taking place there, and I was maturing as a human being because I had gotten all of this phenomenal job experience under my belt, but this was where I was growing as a human being. And you know what's interesting, as time has gone by, I have noticed just how impactful that time was, because there are things that I've noticed, even as a senior officer, that I feel very strongly about, that I don't think I felt as strongly about as a junior officer, and it was because of that experience, and it was the aspect of when people are on leave, let's let them take leave. There is a part of the human experience that you need to enjoy time with people that you care about, because what it does is you're not slacking off from work. You're not leaving everybody hanging. What's happening is that, because you're taking some time to just enjoy life with people you care about, when you come back, the restorative effects that have taken place because you simply breathe and you enjoyed what it was that you were doing and whatever your passion was, you know, unencumbered, you could enjoy that. And we all realize that there are times, especially as you get into positions of authority, that, hey, they're going to need to call you periodically. But what was interesting is that, especially, I mean, I'll give an example as a wing commander. As a wing commander, despite realizing how important that mission is and how big Wright-Patt was, we, Laurie and I took leave, and we took two weeks of leave, and we went back to Italia and visited our friends and enjoyed life, because the culture helps us to slow down. But what it also did is I gave my staff some parameters. ‘Hey, here are the things that I think are important, like on a scale of one to 10. Here are the things that I think are an eight. So an eight or higher, call me. Don't text me.’ I said, ‘Physically call me, because I will answer the phone knowing it's for — and then you have my undivided attention.’ But what it also does is it means that my vice wing commander who is there, that I am empowering my vice wing commander and showing to everybody else I trust this leader to lead this wing in my absence. And if it's something that really needs my involvement, they'll get a hold of me. But I think our junior leaders need to see that at the senior most levels, that I can physically trust and emotionally trust my vice, my deputy, to hold things down while I'm gone, and that I'm not irreplaceable, and that if I did my job as a leader, I set the conditions that allowed the wing to thrive in my absence, and didn't mean that the wing had to hang on every decision I made or every word that I said, that I set the conditions that allowed them to be successful and fostered the leadership that allowed them to lead in my absence. And I felt great while I was gone, because I knew the people that we had there, and I knew the investment that we made in them. So that was kind of a long, you know, trip around this…   Naviere Walkewicz  27:26 I mean, I think it was so powerful that you kind of learned that about yourself in Italy. And then would you say that there was anyone that you saw emulating that? Or was it just something over time, you developed this realization that you need to enjoy life and you need to allow people the space to do so.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  27:43 So I would say the people that I was emulating in that aspect were a lot of the families that were there. I have been fortunate that I have worked for some commanders who, at different times in their life felt the same way. Conversely, I also worked for commanders that did not feel the same way. And, you know, an interesting case in point on something that on an experience I had in a command bill and after I had left Aviano — this is when Laurie and I were back together; we were married at this point. I had a group commander that was frustrated about me taking leave and called me every day at 1500; every day at 1500 I got a telephone call. And you know what that does is now all of a sudden, you're eating lunch, and the clock is getting closer to 1500 and you start to get that knot in your stomach and you're like, ‘OK, what are we going to talk about today?’ And so, unfortunately you don't see some of the same appreciation for that across the board. So how do we deal with it? The best thing that we deal with it is that that's where the buck stops. We don't pass it down to our people. So after I got the call from him, I didn't call back to the squadron. I got the call from him. We went through the call, we answered the questions, and I didn't then immediately turn around and call back to my ops officer who was running the Squadron at the time, and say, XYZ. And we just left it there, because at that point in time, the bucks got to stop it at that point. So I think that that's kind of the, you know, the alpha and the omega of learning and then also having your own personal resilience and courage to say, ‘I accept that the buck stops here, and I'm not going to let this roll downhill to my people.’   Naviere Walkewicz  29:41 That's an excellent leadership lesson, because I was going to ask you, ‘What does that look like, and how would you how would you handle that?’ And so you went right into that. Thank you so much for that. So what has it been like leading security forces — defenders? What's it been like? Has there been a moment in time where — a particular assignment or something's really stuck into your mind or into your heart, because it's just really affected you?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  30:05 Absolutely. I will tell you, as we go back, as we were kind of talking about decisions that you make in your youth, and that critical decision that I made in the fall of ’94 I mean, I have worked with some of the most amazing people I've worked in my life. I have gotten a chance to go to places I never thought that I would see. And so, when you kind of roll up, I would say it was my final squadron command, and I would say that that was a real culminating squadron command. So I commanded four squadrons, and we command early, and we command often, and there's a lot of responsibility that that's placed on us as young officers to command as a young officer. And so having the opportunity to command two times as a captain, or one time, you know, as a major-select, then as a major, then as a lieutenant colonel. So that culminating command would have been Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in May of 2012 to May of 2013 and you know, it was interesting because all of my previous squadron commands had all been vested in either the contingency response or the kind of combat contingency environments. And it was almost like all of those were leading me to this moment. So let me just kind of set the conditions on what Bagram was like at that point in time. We had grown the squadron to about a 1,200-person squadron, huge squadron. And what we were also responsible for is we had taken over battle space ownership from the Army. So the Air Force was controlling 220 square miles of battle space throughout Parwan province, which is a huge. I mean, it's twice the size of Washington, D.C., if you want to try to give a comparison, more or less is fair to look at that level as just a huge amount of terrain in which our airmen were responsible from everything from humanitarian operations and goodwill outreach to engagements to literal kinetic action and combat in the battle space. And so a part of this culmination was, was an environment where as the defense force commander — as that squadron commander to them as a lieutenant colonel at that point — I mean how we are weaving ourselves into their lives, and how we are working with their section commanders, and how we're working and managing the value of our perimeter defenses with our teams that were going outside of the wire doing legitimate patrolling and engagement and things along those lines, was huge. And I think that that is an example. And when you look in the rearview mirror to say, ‘Gosh, now this, a lot of this makes sense, like all of these assignments, whether by design or whether by fate, somehow gave me an experience that at this moment, I needed it most.’ And I think, as I talk, we've really enjoyed being here with the cadets and talking to them about, how does a leader really develop trust, and how does trust really manifest itself? And so, through the time that we were there, and the engagement as their leader — not just the leader who's just simply circulating, because that's important, but they also need to see your decision making and your strategic thought. And how do you react under pressure? How are you reacting as we've got incoming in, and what do you do being the person in the joint defense operations center, helping to manage that, and how are you both taking care of people, and how are you managing mission? And they see that. And so I would say that the development of that level of trust, especially in an environment where you are literally dealing with high costs, is huge. And so I think there was one, situation that really rests on my heart that and I don't talk about this to give validation, but I think I talk about it on it's about how people connect, and why do I feel so strongly that leadership is a human experience, like this is a what we are doing as a human experience. And so I was retiring my chief. So I was asked by my chief at Bagram — this was some years later. He's out of the 105th Base Defense Squadron out of the New York Air National Guard, and him and I were a phenomenal team there. Dave Pritchard and I just made a great team. And so he was retiring, and asked me to come back and do his retirement. So we had done the retirement ceremony. We were at the VFW afterwards, having his after-party and so forth. And so I had gone into the bathroom for a comfort break and washed my hands and things like that. And I noticed, as I was kind of moving towards the bathroom, there was kind of a young man who was kind of floating. You know, floating around. And so I came out of the restroom as I was finished, and he was waiting there at the exit of the restroom for me, and kind of, you know, got in front of me, and he stood there, and he looked at me, and he goes, ‘Hey, sir, I just, I needed to let you know this, that I was one of the airmen in one of your patrols that got hit by an IED, and he said, your investment in us, and the words that you used and when you came to talk to us, and the faith that you had in us gave me the courage to go back outside of the wire when you asked us to go back outside.’ And so why that rests so heavy is when you think about what, what is the what is the con? The consequence there is that somebody believed in you so much that when you spoke to them and said the word, they were going to go back out and do it again, in spite of what had just happened to you. And I don't think there is any stronger level of trust that you can ask from somebody than to have one of those moments. And so that moment just resides very, very heavy on my soul, because I think it puts into real, tangible context, what is the responsibility of leadership? What is your responsibility of leadership?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 I'm letting that sit a little bit, because I can't even imagine the amount of feeling that you had first for him, the courage to share that with you. Because I'm sure that he really wanted to share that. I'm curious if you can remember perhaps, what he might have been referring to, like what you were sharing with the men and women there.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  37:02 So, you know, it was also a part of things that, in times after Bagram have really been used for me as a senior leader on why I reinforced the importance of values. And, this was one particular incident there that really comes to mind is, and I use this when I when I talk to people, because I again, it's the consequence, and it's why our responsibility as leaders to set the right conditions and culture and all of that is so incredibly valuable. And so I talked to people about a story about we had had a situation where we had some real destabilization in the battle space. There was a particular village that we were having some unique challenges with, and we were doing a lot of kind of battlefield shaping, and we were doing some particular village engagement, and the engagement just wasn't happening. And so we were now kind of starting to escalate our interaction with the village a little bit more and as we were doing that, we were now going to start doing more shaping operations. So it just so happens that one of these nights —this was in the late fall, early winter of 2012 — and we were sending one of our patrols outside to do some shaping and engagement operation there. But this was in the evening. This was a different aspect that we were working for this particular mission. And so mounted up that the airmen are ready to go. They're pushing outside, they're right on time, and everything is going according to plan, and they are getting close to what we call the objective rally point. So that was where they were going to rally up before they actually moved into the village after that. And so everything was going according to plan. And the only thing they needed to do before they got to the objective rally point was really kind of go down a small gully over a rise, and then they meet at their objective rally point at that point. And so teams are moving out. First truck over the rise, getting to the point. Second truck over, everything's going fine. Third truck over, fourth truck after that, BOOM, off goes the IED. And what had happened is, they were waiting for this opportunity, and they knew exactly what to do. And that is, if you hit the last truck in the movement, you've got three trucks that are gone ahead of time, and now we've got folks in a very precarious situation. And so what I talk to people about, when we talk about conditions and the real impact that a leader has, is I'll talk to them about who was in that truck, who was in that MRAP that we were sending down at that point in time. And inside that MRAP was the face of America. And the explosion was significant, and it did some considerable damage. It threw the engine out of it, penetrated the hole, ripped one of the doors off the side in the front. And so, you know, the truck commander was National Guard from, actually from Tennessee, and he had gotten injured, broken an arm because that door had peeled back. And as the door peeled back, his arm got caught and broke his arm. The driver, Asian American coming out of the state of California, active duty. He had injuries to his legs because of the penetration of the hole. We had a gunner up in the turret, African American female from the New York Air National Guard. She had a broken pelvis at the time, and she just stayed on the gun the entire time despite her injuries. We had our radio operator. European American female coming from the Midwest. She was actually Air Force Reserve. She had a case of TBI from the explosion, and she was still making calls on the radio. We had two of our riflemen in the back, both came from Hispanic heritage, one of them from Puerto Rican heritage, one of them from Mexican heritage. They were very fortunate that while they got tossed around the back and had some minor TBI issues, they were more or less bumps and bruises, and they were all by themselves. Yeah, because they were all alone, they were in the middle of Afghanistan, they had just gotten hit. And so for me, what's so important about that story is that if we did not set the right culture and the right values and the right expectations and be in a leader by example, and they were harassing each other on Bagram, and they were assaulting each other on Bagram, and they weren't respecting each other on Bagram, and they didn't care about each other on Bagram, they would have died out there that night. But they treated each other like a family, and they cared about each other like a family, and they took care of each other like a family that night, and they lived and they all came home. So for me, if we're going to talk about what is the true consequence of leadership — and I use consequence deliberately, because oftentimes that's used in a pejorative manner — but this is the true result of your actions, that if you don't set those conditions, then you are legitimately putting your people at risk. And so that whole experience at Bagram, and in so many ways that we all carry our scars and our bruises and things like that. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world, but that was tough. And I often describe it as a tale of two cities. You know, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:34 I think a lot of times, when leaders go through experiences like that, they have some more fortunate than others, but a support network. And I would guess it would be your family. How has your family played a role in these moments in your life, in helping you as a leader?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  42:54 So I will say it's primarily my wife. I have got this wonderful support of parents and my in-laws and so forth. And what's been truly fortunate is how close I am with my in-laws. Because when Laurie and I were dating while I was a cadet, anytime I had an overnight or weekend pass, I was over at her mom and dad's house and so I think that being married to somebody that has truly known you from the beginning, you know, where, whether we got a training weekend going on, or something like that, or I'm working first BCT or whatnot, that Laurie was a unique part of all of these things. And I would say that it has been incredibly heartwarming to watch her interact with the cadets here, because it's fun, because her and I do everything together. And so as we're going to events, I'll have a group of cadets that I'm talking to, and then I'll look over and Laurie's surrounded by a group of cadets who are asking her just very insightful questions about our experiences together, and ‘Was it tough sending them away on deployments?’ Or how, you know, in those tough times, ‘How do you how do you keep your marriage together?’ Just really insightful questions to ask, but she has just been so central to everything that I do. And so going back a little bit and talking about, like the strength of our relationship and how much that helps, we actually needed to have that breakup period as horribly painful as that was, and wow, was I carrying a torch for her all of those years. I mean, I remember, you know, as time was going by, I would talk to my mom, and I'd be like, ‘Mom, I just wish that Laurie could see the man that I become.’ But we needed that time because oftentimes, and what we found in ourselves, we didn't know it at the time, because you're living in your environment and you can't see it, right? Is that in youth, things are often absolutes. And you often will get to a place where you're starting your marriage, your relationship is growing. And if you start to talk about marriage, there are things that we have found were absolutes for us. You know, certain things that we did, how we practiced our faith. Did we open up presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but the expectation was somebody was going to have to give up their particular tradition to conform to the tradition of one of the spouses. And in your youth, that seems reasonable, and I think we needed that time to be apart, having had that time together at such an important time in each of our lives here. But we needed that time apart, because I think we needed that frame of reference as we grew as people into adults. Grew as young adults. And now all of a sudden here I'm getting multiple assignments, and now being thrust into leadership positions with accountability and authority, and then coming back to that, all of a sudden, you're realizing, ‘Gosh, the world just isn't always in absolutes. And maybe a marriage doesn't have to be zero sum, but maybe a marriage can be positive sum.’ And do we really have to make somebody give up something that is important to them, that is a part of their identity? Because somehow you feel like you have to conform your marriage into one side or the other. And so, I think for us that was that was so incredibly important. So to kind of get to that story is that, you know, I left Aviano and I went to Al Dhafra. I was in Al Dhafra actually for September 11. It was my first squadron command, but it was a squadron command I wasn't expecting, because I came there as a chief of security forces for about a 70-person security forces flight as a part of the 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 happens, and we went from about 400 people on Al Dhafra to about 4,000. And you know, U-2s came in, ISR platforms came in. Everything changed. And all of a sudden, this 70-person security forces flight that I had grew into about a 350-person security forces squadron. And AFSET said, ‘Hey, Sherman, you built it, you keep it, and we'll replace you with a major when you leave.’ And I was a six-year captain, and so then finishing up that assignment, and I got picked up for — there was a point to that story — but it was about coming back, is that, hey, I got these new, unique experiences that grew me under my belt. And then I came back to do an AFIT program at Cal State San Bernardino. And that was the moment that brought Laurie and I back together.   Naviere Walkewicz  In what way?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN And so, I had a health scare. Nobody knows what it was. We never figured it out. Doctors never figured it out. But it was one of those things, like, all of a sudden, I shotgun something out to everybody I knew. I said, ‘Hey, doctors are a little bit concerned, you know, keep me in your thoughts.’ And so Laurie, Laurie is like, ‘Holy cow, you can't just send a one liner and leave it at that.’ So she called my mom and dad and said, ‘What's his phone number?’ And so it started to turn into ‘Hey, give me all of your test results after you get it back.’ Then pretty soon we're talking a couple times a week, and then pretty soon we're talking every other day, and then we are talking every day. And the beauty of this was that we already knew each other, so we already knew what everybody's favorite color was — by the way, Laurie's is purple. We knew what music each other liked. We knew things about each other. And some of the things that actually drew us together when we were dating here was, you know, we had things like some common family traditions, like, you know, Italian fish on Christmas Eve and sitting around the table for hours and stuff like that were all things that we had in common. So we already knew that about each other. Now, her and I on the phone, we're getting into some real, like substantive discussions, children, faith. How do you how you raise children? How do you know, what are we going to do for different traditions? What happens if I have to take a remote; what does that mean? And so we were getting into these really, deep conversations. And, you know, I would come back from either class or then when I PCs to the security forces center out at Lackland, you know, I would come home from work, and this was in the old flip phone days where you had a battery that came off the back. So I would have one battery in the charger, and then I would have an earbud in, and I'd have the phone in my pocket. Yeah, and I'd come home and to call her, and we would just go throughout the evening. So I'm ironing BDUs at the time, shining my boots and stuff like that, and so, and we were just talking. And then we were just kind of like living life together. And, after that point, it became very clear that those two young people who sincerely cared about each other, now, each of us grew up and had experiences in a place that allowed us to really appreciate each other and really love each other. And you know, we were married just a little over a year after that. And it has been phenomenal, her support. And I think one of the great testaments to that was, 10 days after we got married, I went to Baghdad, but she's like, ‘I grew up in the Air Force. I know how this works. We're gonna move the house. I'll get the house put together.’ And she's also a professional in her own right, which is great. So she was working in a legal office here as a paralegal and legal assistant here in Colorado Springs, and has been a GS employee for the last 18-plus years. So what's great is she, too has her own aspect of service. What I love about it is that in the jobs that she's in and then the jobs that I'm in, we can talk shop, and then we cannot talk shop, right? And so she's the first person I go to if I have to ask a question, she's the first person that I'll go to say, ‘Hey, did I do that right? Or do I need to backtrack on that a little bit?’ Because she knows me, and she knows me completely, and that level of trust and love and faith that we have for each other has truly enabled me to be able to serve our airmen on a level that I don't think would have been possible without her.   Naviere Walkewicz  51:59 Would you say that she's had a role in your development as a leader, in the way that you lead.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  52:05 Oh, absolutely, absolutely, because, and I love it, because her experience as a brat and her dad as a chief gives her a very unique lens to look through. And so the advice that she gives me she can give me from her teenage self in some way, you know, from that experience, watching how her dad interacted with something or knowing her aspect about this. And then as she's developed professionally, working on the E-Ring at the Pentagon a couple different times, working for very senior leaders, knows how to navigate that space. So then I'll go to her for advice, like, ‘Hey, how did your boss handle something like this?’ ‘Well, let me tell you what, how we work through this...’ And so I would absolutely say that that Laurie has uniquely influenced and helped me to become the best version of myself that I can be.   Naviere Walkewicz  53:03 Wow. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about developing yourself as well, because one of the questions we like to ask is, what are you doing every day to make yourself a better leader? Can you share what that might be?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  53:17 I've said it a couple times during this: I truly believe that leadership is a human experience, so for me, it's about the interaction. And so oftentimes, advice that I've given to people — like there are amazing resources abound that can help people, give people leadership perspectives, and we can either learn it from history, or we can learn it through study. We can learn it through analysis. We can learn it through books. And I've always talked to people about use the external tools that help to grow you, but make sure that you're using it to influence the personality that you already have. Because oftentimes what happens is, is that people will have this really strong desire to say, “OK, I want to make sure that I do this right. And so in doing this right, let me make sure I've got my checklist, and so I'm going to greet them, I'm going to ask them how their family is, I'm going to ask them if the kid did all right in the baseball game. And I'm going to go through my checklist, and if I do that, I fulfill my leadership obligation.’ Now not everybody does, and I'm making generalities on but, but I think that there can oftentimes be the allure that when you are focusing on what may be the theory or the principle of the day, and not using it to supplement and grow and mature your personality, that there is a strong allure to want to wholesale replicate what it was that you learned, and you're doing it in a noble place. It's not nefarious. It's being done in a noble, genuine place. But there's that allure to say, ‘OK, good, I really like what I've learned. I'm going to do these things and step through.’ And so why I talk so much about the experience, and why I talk so much about the interaction, is that the more that you know the people that you may be influencing by just simply being there and understanding what that means. It means you're eternalizing the value of your presence. You're listening to their stories, and you're understanding for them, what are the things that are motivating them? What are the things that they value? Because each generation, each environment, each condition is going to require something a little bit different from you, and if you don't take the time to understand your environment or generation or cultural nuances or things like that on where you're at, then you are missing that opportunity to develop trust, where they start to believe in you as a person, and not just the rank and position that you hold, because they'll do the right thing for the rank and position that you hold. That's the caliber of people that we have in this Air Force of ours. They'll do the right thing. But if you transcend that in the fact that they believe in you wholeheartedly and trust you, oftentimes with their own lives, it means that you've invested something into them, where they truly know that you care. And that goes back to that A1C on the cork board that said, ‘I need somebody who cares about me as a person.’   Naviere Walkewicz  56:41 You know, as I think about what you've experienced through your career and the lessons you've learned, both professionally and personally, what would you say to yourself back then that you should be doing back then to get to where you're at now? Because we have listeners that are like, ‘What can I start planting today, that will bloom down the road?’   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  57:03 Absolutely. And so I think if I was to go back and put my arm around Cadet First Class Sherman, I think what I would do is — because it is, it is oftentimes easy to look in the crystal clear mirror of hindsight, right? But I think instead, what I would do is I would put my arm around him and say, ‘Keep following your heart and let the failures happen, because the failures are going to grow and let the stumbles happen and enjoy the triumphs with people and be appreciative for what got you there.’ And I think it would be more of the encouragement of like, ‘You have laid out a path for you take the path wherever it goes, the joy, the pain, the triumph, the failure, all of those things, because all of that helps to develop the leader.’ And oftentimes you want to go back and say, gosh, if I was going to talk to my previous self, then I would say, ‘Ah, don't do that one thing,’ right? But I'm looking at it saying that if I didn't do that one thing, then I'm not sure that I would be where I'm at at a time to make sure I didn't do that thing at a moment that was incredibly catastrophic. And so while we have this desire to want to prevent ourselves from the failure, I think that what we have to do is say you're going to fail and you need to fail, and it's going to sound — relish in the failure, because it is often emotionally troubling, especially those of us that come here because we are Type A perfectionist, and that's part of the draw of coming to this amazing place. Is there a certain personality traits that help us to be successful here, but not all of those personality traits make us uniquely successful in all situations outside, and so you've got to have that failure at some point in time. And the failure that you can get up and say, ‘OK, I did this. This happened. My soul is bruised. My ego is bruised. I may have to take a little bit of accountability for this. OK, now I need to have the courage to take the next step forward again.’ Because I could easily retreat back to a safe place, and I could become risk averse, and all that does is hurt the people around you. OK. I have to have the courage to breathe and take the step again and get back in there. So I would tell my — I don't think I would want to prevent myself from doing anything. I think even the growth that took place while Laurie and I were apart — and, like I said, that torch that I carried for her — I think if I had whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, just relax, you're gonna marry her.’ I think I needed that torch, because that in my own mind and my own emotion was me needing to become a better man, and so I think I needed to go through — like, sometimes you need the struggle, and sometimes the things that are most valuable are the things that you had to go through the struggle for, right? And I think that's where my blue collar ethics background comes in. It's like, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to work through the struggle.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:00:36 Wow. Well, we took a look back. I just want to ask you a question forward. So do you think about legacy? And what do you want your legacy to be? Is that something that plays in your mind as you wake up each morning or go to lead people?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:00:50 I think the way that I look at it is, I look at it in a in a different aspect, and the way that I look at it is in a very confined point to point. It's not about what is going to be Tom Sherman's legacy when he retires someday, but was that interaction that I had with somebody to give them some encouraging words when they fell down, did that matter to them at that moment? Because there are people for me in my failures that were commanders, that were leaders, that were mentors, that were senior enlisted, that, you know, grabbed that lieutenant by the arm and helped to lift me up. And their memories are etched in my fabric. And so I think that it's about that individual event that your legacy will live in the people in which you made a difference to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:01:49 Well, I'll share with you, I was telling my son — he's a cadet, a third-class cadet, actually, now he’s about to be a C2C — that I was doing this podcast with you, and he said, ‘What an incredible leader, Mom, he motivates me. He's so inspiring.’ So your legacy is already through my son—   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:05 Thank you! That means — thank you so much for sharing.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:10 —that you really made an impact. So we're going to get to your final thoughts here in a little bit. But before we do, I want to make sure that you know our podcasts publish on every second Tuesday of the month, and you can certainly listen to Gen. Sherman in any of our other podcasts on longblueleadership.org. So Gen. Sherman, what would you like to leave our listeners with today? This has been incredible, by the way. Thank you.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:32 I have truly enjoyed this, and it's just been — it was just wonderful having the conversation with you, and it's in real honor to be a part of this. I truly believe in what you're doing here.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:43 Thank you. It's my pleasure to help share your story and help inspire others. And is there anything we might leave with our listeners that that they can part with tonight?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:51 I think, for me, you need to love what you do and love I think, is one of the most powerful words in language. And I don't just say the English language. I say in language because of the strength behind the meaning and how wide the meaning can be impactful. If you love what you do, people will feel that your very presence will make a difference. They'll feel that if you love what you do, then you're being, you know, internally, inspired by the love that you have for what you're being a part of, right? If you love and care about your people, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth, because they know the passion that you have and the belief that you have in them. So I think that as we go back to these things, we oftentimes look at the terms of courage and love may seem diametrically opposed, and I would attest that you can be most courageous and that your courage will be most effective only when it's buttressed by the love that you have in what you do and who you do it with.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:08 Thank you, sir, for that. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:04:11 Absolutely. Thank you. This was a wonderful time. It was a real honor.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:14 Thank you. Well, until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Major General Thomas P. Sherman, mentorship, personal growth, security forces, work-life balance, family support, continuous improvement, legacy       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation

In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Dr. John Torres shares his inspiring journey from being the first in his family to attend college to becoming NBC's senior medical correspondent. SUMMARY Dr. Torres discusses the challenges he faced at the Air Force Academy, the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership skills, and the influence of his family values. He reflects on his unconventional experiences, including survival training and falconry, and how these experiences prepared him for a successful career in medicine and media. His story is a testament to resilience, curiosity, and the importance of mentorship in leadership. In this conversation, he shares his journey from dealing with hantavirus outbreaks in New Mexico to becoming a prominent medical correspondent during the pandemic. Dr. Torres discuss the challenges of communicating complex medical information to the public, the importance of empathy when delivering bad news, and the role of family support in his career. Finally, he emphasizes the need for continuous improvement in leadership and the value of instilling positive values in the next generation.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/survival-training-a-catalyst-for-leadership-dr-john-torres-82/?token=87baae78601101b48bd0b5724f8936a7] | FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//www.longblueleadership.org/e/survival-training-a-catalyst-for-leadership-dr-john-torres-82/?token=87baae78601101b48bd0b5724f8936a7]   DR. TORRES' TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Lead with empathy: Understand where people are coming from, recognizing that anger often stems from fear and underlying concerns.  - Communicate clearly: Break down complex information into understandable terms, whether speaking to patients, soldiers, or the public.  - Be willing to admit mistakes: True leadership means having the courage to acknowledge when you're wrong and take responsibility.  - Develop a "no excuse" mentality: Take ownership of situations, even when they're not entirely your fault.  - Build trust through peer-to-peer interactions: Treat people as equals rather than using an authoritarian approach.  - Continuously learn and adapt: Stay current in your field and be open to new experiences and perspectives.  - Support your team's individual growth: Encourage people to pursue their passions and provide guidance without pressure.  - Match your emotional delivery to your message: Ensure your communication is authentic and appropriate to the content.  - Lead by example: Demonstrate the values and work ethic you expect from others through your own actions.  - Focus on purpose over position: Leadership is about making a positive impact and helping others grow, not about title or status.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Dr. John Torres 02:01 Overcoming Challenges at the Academy 05:03 Discovering Leadership Through Survival Training 08:33 Influence of Family Values on Leadership 10:42 Unconventional Experiences at the Academy 13:41 Transitioning from Pilot to Medical Doctor 20:06 Lessons Learned as a Flight Doc 23:58 Becoming an NBC Correspondent 24:37 Hantavirus and Early Medical Experiences 26:00 Transitioning to Media: From ER to TV 27:23 The Pandemic: A Super Bowl for Medicine 29:05 Communicating Medical Information Effectively 32:29 Delivering Bad News with Compassion 34:41 Teaching NATO Special Forces Medics 37:02 Family Support and Legacy 39:58 Instilling Values in the Next Generation 41:56 Continuous Improvement as a Leader 45:52 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations   ABOUT DR. TORRES BIO Dr. John Torres ’82 is currently Senior Medical Correspondent for NBC News and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. With a career spanning more than 30 years in emergency medicine, military service, and national media, Dr. Torres brings a rare blend of clinical expertise, crisis leadership, and public communication to every role he takes on. Before joining NBC, he served in the Air Force, deploying to combat zones and responding to humanitarian crises around the globe. After retiring from the military, Dr. Torres transitioned to civilian emergency medicine and later began sharing trusted medical insights with millions of viewers through his work in broadcast journalism. On camera and off, he is known for making complex medical issues accessible and relevant, especially during moments of national concern like the COVID-19 pandemic. A seasoned leader shaped by experience in the field, the ER, and the newsroom, Dr. Torres exemplifies the values of service, clarity under pressure, and lifelong learning—principles he credits in large part to his upbringing in rural New Mexico, foundational Academy education and military experiences.   CONNECT WITH DR. TORRES LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-torres-797bb160/]       ALL PAST LBL EPISODES [https://www.longblueleadership.org/]  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS [https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/longbluelinepodcast] AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS:  Guest, Dr. John Torres ’82 | Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:11 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of ’99. In this edition of Long Blue Leadership, we're joined by someone whose journey is as inspiring as it is unconventional — Dr. John Torres, USAFA Class of ’82. You might know him as NBC’s senior medical correspondent, but long before he was delivering public health insights to millions of viewers on national television, he started military life as a young cadet at our Air Force Academy, navigating his own path of purpose and transformation. Dr. Torres story begins with life in a tight-knit Latino family with roots in northern New Mexico extending back to the 1500s, where he became the first in his family to go to college. He entered the Academy from a high school where gangs and drugs were common, but it was a structure at USAFA and one pivotal summer of survival training that lit a fire in him as a pilot. Dr. Torres discovered a calling beyond the cockpit, thanks in part to a chance conversation on a three-hour flight, leading him to medicine, where he would serve as a flight doc for more than two decades. Dr. Torres’ leadership story extends beyond the emergency room, whether mentoring NATO's special forces medics, stepping in front of a camera to deliver critical public health guidance, or reflecting on 43 years of marriage, he is fueled by his relentless curiosity about all things possible. I'm honored to welcome Dr. John Torres to Long Blue Leadership. His is a path that reminds us that leadership is a series of grounded values and bold steps. Dr. Torres, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Dr. John Torres  Thanks for having me here.   Naviere Walkewicz  Absolutely. We're really excited to jump in. And I want to go back to something we talked about. You were the first in your family to go to college. However, there was a period of time where you might have left the Academy. Can we jump right in there.   Dr. John Torres  02:01 It's actually pretty interesting, because intuitively, it doesn't make sense for anybody that went through it, but it was my first year as a doolie year, as anybody who's gone through the doolie year, it's a tough year to go through, especially— you come out of high school. I remember I had hair down to my shoulders, and you come in here, they shave it off right away, and your parents leave, and you're sad, and everybody's sitting there going through the same stuff, but at same time, you know, it's just a tough thing to go through. And so I went through that. I went through basic training, and I was kind of like, “I don't know if this is really where I want to be.” I started the Academy. I went to school, like you mentioned, a high school— it wasn't one of the best high schools in the country by any stretch of imagination. So when I came here, it was kind of an eye-opener, because I had— I was here with people who had gone to very good high schools, and so I was a step behind academically, so I had to catch up as well through that. And so that made it a little bit tougher. So not just physically, not just mentally, academically, everything was kind of, you know, just tough that year and something as a 18-year-old, you're not used to a 19-year-old. And so I started looking at other schools, thinking I want to leave. And I talked to my dad, and he was an amazing person. He's always been one of my heroes in my life. And my dad, surprisingly, didn't say anything. He didn't say, like, “You need to stay there.” You know, he was an Air Force— he retired Air Force, and you know, he really was proud that I was here, but at the same time, thankfully, he just said, “You know, you need to do what you need to do, and I'll back you regardless. I think you should stay there back regardless. But do me a favor, go through survival training. Go through SERE, because that will always stick with you for the rest of your life, whether you stay in the at the Academy or not.” And I felt like I owed him at least. I'm like, “Let me go through SERE.” Well, I went through SERE. I was the sixth, the second iteration of summer, and—   Naviere Walkewicz  03:39 And just a reminder, SERE is survival, evasion, resistance and escape.   Dr. John Torres  03:42 So I was the second iteration during the summer. You know, you have three weeks, three weeks, three weeks. It was the second three weeks. And so I went through SERE, and it's not fun, it's certainly not. And I grew up in the outdoors. My dad was a big hunter. We used to go hunting together, a lot of camping, you know. So I was used to outdoor things, but SERE is just a little bit different from that. Surprising though, I really enjoyed it.   Naviere Walkewicz  You enjoyed SERE?   Dr. John Torres  I enjoyed SERE, which is kind of bizarre. And when I went through it gave me that sense of accomplishment, that I had really done something. And I looked back and I said, “You know, I am in a lot different place than I would be even in this year I've been here — a little over a year. I think I'm gonna stay.” And so I ended up staying here at the Academy, and that just kind of set the trend for the rest of my life.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:27 I can't imagine anyone saying that they wanted to stay because of SERE, because of survival training versus, you know —that is unique in itself.   Dr. John Torres  04:35 It was just one of those things when you got through— and the Academy did this time and time again. And this led into other things in my life, where you push hard through these adverse situations, and it gives you that sense of accomplishment. “I can do these things.” And it taught me that I could pretty much do anything in life I want, and I did a lot of things that, like you mentioned, are a little less than traditional, and were not always easy on myself or the family, but with the backing of, in this case, of my parents, throughout the life of my family, you can do anything.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:03 Well, we're going to dig into that, but I want to ask you, was there a moment during survival training that you learned something about yourself? Because obviously it made you want to stay at the Academy and continue that journey. But was there anything you learned?   Dr. John Torres  05:14 You know, what I did learn— because you don't learn this in high school. You know, there were a few things. I was in different clubs and stuff, because even though the school I went to wasn't the best, we still had the different clubs and Honor Society and those kind of things. But I wasn't really a leader in any of those. I was just a participant in all those. Well, when I went through survival training, I found out that I was actually a leader in a lot of things. It just popped up. And, you know, I guess I could use the words “natural leader.” And part of it was, if you remember, during survival training, one of the things we had to do is, we had a rabbit, you end up having to kill the rabbit to eat the rabbit, to show you that you need to survive on these things, and it's OK to kill these animals to eat if you're trying to survive. Again, I grew up hunting, and so I'm used to hunting animals and cleaning the animals and butchering them down and those things. And so when we had the rabbit, I was with other people, and nobody wanted to do anything with a rabbit. And we even gave it a name,   Naviere Walkewicz  What was the name?!   Dr. John Torres  I can't remember— Oh, no, the name was Stu, for obvious reasons. Rabbit stew. So people were petting the rabbit, and then when it came time, they're like, “OK, now somebody needs to kill a rabbit.” They're all sitting there. So I said, “OK, fine, I'll do it, you know, give it to me.” I did that. And then, “OK, now somebody needs to skin the rabbit,” and they're all looking— I'm like, “Give it to me.”So I ended up gutting, skinning, killing the whole rabbit and all those things. And then when we did the hiking part of survival training, the evasion part, it was the same thing where I ended up leading the group we were with through a lot of the situations we were in, and so it just showed me that I had that leadership potential that I didn't know was there. And that was one of the things, I think, that clicked during that survival training.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:49 That's amazing. And you'd mentioned that your dad also served in the military. So talk a little bit about how he was a hero for you, I guess, in your journey as well.   Dr. John Torres  06:58 So he came— like you mentioned, I was the first one to go to any kind of college or university. He actually dropped out of high school when he was 15 because his mother had died earlier. His father died at that point. He had eight siblings, and he was trying to raise all this… no, I'm sorry, he had 10 siblings or 11 children. He was trying to raise all the children, so he became essentially their surrogate father. And the best way he could do that, that he thought, was to go into the military and then send a lot of his money back to help out the family. Very, very poor childhood. Very, very poor family. And so he was doing that and then he had us as a family. And so he was taking care of two families, working extra jobs, doing all these things. And yet he was super dedicated as far as the military went. And if you look — I ended up getting his military records to look at him a few years ago. And, you know, two Bronze Stars, recommendations everywhere. Everybody loved him. He took care of an orphanage when we were in Greece, and that's where I was born, when he was stationed there. And there's letters from the orphanage thanking him for taking care of them. I mean, this man did amazing amounts of things, and he did that. He grew up in a very adverse situation, a very harsh situation, and he overcame that. Never was bitter about anything. Always was looking at other things he could do, and always really encouraging. And us, his children, “You can do anything you want to do. You can be anybody you want to be. You just have to really put your put your nose to the grindstone and really do it.” And he was adamant about that, as far as, “You're not just— can you do anything you want to do, but you have to earn that ability to do what you want to do. You have to figure out a way to do that.”   Naviere Walkewicz  08:33 Wow. So his value is really aligned with the Air Force Academy and kind of the values that we are brought up through. Talk about your time at the Academy, because I like it. You use the word “unconventional.” Let's talk about a little bit of unconventionality at the Air Force Academy.   Dr. John Torres  08:48 So I went to the Air Force Academy. I was in 27th Squadron my first, my doolie year, and ended up going to 39th, the Jedi Knights the other years. And bizarrely— so, my roommates of the my doolie year ended up, one of them ended up being my roommate all four years, which is really unique. That doesn't happen. We ended up staying together, best friends. This guy is fantastic. And so, you know, we helped each other get through the whole thing, and you sit there the whole time, especially your doolie year, learning certain things about yourself. And one of the things that I learned, and I talked about here at the Academy a few months ago, is what I call the “no excuse” saying. And it's tough, because when you're growing up as a teenager, you're always like, you know, giving excuses for everything. You know, “Why'd this happen?” “Well, my sister did it and I didn't.” It wasn’t my fault.” And if you remember, at the Air Force Academy, anytime they would ask you a question, you know, “Why did this happen? Why did you do this? Why was that wrong?” Your only answer could be, “No excuse, sir” or “no excuse, ma'am.” You couldn't give an excuse. And at the time, I was like, “That's dumb, because I didn't even do it. My roommate did it. So I should tell them, my roommate did it,” and all that stuff. And then over time, I realized, especially when I became an upperclassman. But what that is doing is that is instilling in you the fact that, “Hey, I have to take responsibility for this. It might have been my roommate that did it, but I'm part of this room too. I'm part of this team. I need to take responsibility.” And so that just started the whole program of going through then when I was a freshman, you do intramurals and you look at other things you can do. I went and looked at Honor Society, and I did that for a little bit, and that wasn't really my cup of tea. Wasn't really something I wanted to do. And then I ended up— somebody told me about being a falconer, and I never really heard about the falcons. And so I went down there,   Naviere Walkewicz  And you knew not to hunt this one.   Dr. John Torres  I knew not to hunt. Exactly. So I went down there and I started working with them, and just fell in love with it. So I became a falconer while I was here as well.   Naviere Walkewicz  It's really competitive.   Dr. John Torres  That is very competitive, yeah, I forgot; I think there were 20 or 30 of us that started out, and they picked four of us. Yeah. And so in the first year, you're just taking care of the chickens they eat. You're cleaning up falcon poop. I mean, you're just doing the things that nobody wants to do. And every now and then you get to hold a falcon and learn about them, and then they pick the ones who are going to stay. And then you start working with falcons for the next few years. Fantastic. And that helped throughout my life as well.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:02 How would you say that that's helped throughout your life? I mean, what a unique experience. Would you say that that's guided you to kind of try new things, or has it guided you in other ways?   Dr. John Torres  11:11 Well, both. One, to try new things. Because, again, this falls into that thought of, “If I really want to do this, I can do it again.” There were so many people competing for it, that you just really have to make that extra effort. You really have to be consistent with what you're doing. You really have to commit and so I did all those things. Obviously, they saw that I was somebody who would do that, and they picked me. But the other thing it did, and like you mentioned, I've been a huge communicator the last 10, 15 years on TV, upwards of 10 million, 15 million people watching me, and it's a public health message I'm getting out there. So I have to be very accurate in what I say. I have to be very— you also have to be slightly entertaining, because people won't listen to you if you're dull, right? So you have to be a little bit entertaining, but you have to get the information across in a very timely fashion, and that's what falconeering taught me at the Academy. Because being a falconer, when you talk to people, you have to be able to elaborate on the falcon. And I distinctly remember this: Col. Schott, he was our AOC, and this is back in the ’80s. He— ’70s and ’80s. He— one time I was with the peregrine falcon that we had, which is an endangered species. And we had one of them, and the government let us have that one just to take care of it and raise it. And I was at a game with a peregrine falcon, and somebody came up to me, and I was a third-year, somebody came up to me and they said, “What kind of Falcon is that? And I said, “Well, it's a peregrine falcon.” They're like— we kind of stared at each other, like, oh, it was a family with kids. And they're like, “Oh, thanks.” And then they turned and walked away. And Col. Schott was with me. He came over, he's like, “You completely missed the boat.” I'm like, “What are you talking about?” He said, “You need to use that as an opening because they need to understand these falcons are endangered and all that stuff.” He said, “So let me show you how to do this and try it yourself.” And so what he eventually taught me is to use that as opening lines, but then to go ahead and get into, essentially, my spiel of things that are important for them to understand. And so somebody came up and said, “What kind of falcon is that?” You know, “This is a peregrine falcon, here's something you might not know. This is the fastest animal on Earth. They can dive at 180 miles an hour. But they're also an endangered species, so something we really need to take care of, you know, blah, blah, blah.” And just keep that dialog going as long as you can or as long as you need to, and not just answering the question with a simple answer. And so when I got into television, and especially since I give across medical information — which can be confusing and can be, even in some places, controversial — you learn, I learned from there how to adjust the answer to the question, but also getting in the information I think needed to be got in.   Naviere Walkewicz  13:41 Well, I certainly hope that the peregrine falcon details were not in Contrails. I didn't remember that. I learned something.   Dr. John Torres  13:48 Yeah, it's very fast. They're amazing.   Naviere Walkewicz  13:50 That's incredible. And that's— what a neat story to how that's actually led into the way you communicate. But let's talk about a day in the life now. So you're an NBC correspondent, you're a medical doctor. What's a day in the life like?   Dr. John Torres  14:01 So it changes depending on the situation. So if we go back a couple years during the pandemic, that was kind of, as somebody put it, that was kind of my Super Bowl of the pandemic. Because I was on every day. I think in the three years of the pandemic, I had a total of five days off because it was just a Monday-through-Monday-through-Monday kind of thing where you're just constantly on. My claim to fame is one day I was on 27 times, to the point where my producer, thankfully for my wife, she was there helping. She was part camera person, part, you know, helping me out with other things. And my producer would call my wife and say, “Get him a peanut butter sandwich. He looks like he's hungry.” You know, we have a minute and a half between hits. And so, you know, the pandemic, if you remember, things were happening fast and furious, and so I was always having to keep on top of the information, get that information out as accurately as possible. So that was the pandemic. Well, now it's gotten more relaxed, and so now the main thing I do is get on air. I have a studio in my house here in Colorado, and I'll get on air probably five or six times a week and talk about various medical things that are happening. Like, you know, recently with former president, Biden, and his prostate cancer. You know, get on and discuss why the PSA test might not have caught it. What does that mean? What does that mean for— and then I use that like I talked about with the falcon. I use that to give other people— “Well, here's what men need to understand, and the women in their lives need to understand about signs they could look at that might preclude them to going to, you know, might urge them to go to the doctor,” right? And so you learn these things as you go along. And right now, that's what I'm doing. I'm mainly focusing on whatever the news of the day is, and going ahead and getting on air and describing what that means for people, but describing kind of both sides of the story, because we found out during the pandemic that people want to hear both sides. They don't want to just hear me as a doctor telling them what to do. They want to hear the pros and cons to certain things, and then help them make a decision.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:55 Well, it's interesting how you became a doctor, because I mentioned in the opening that you were a pilot. So maybe we can visit that correlation, how that happened. Because, you know, you are unconventional. How did this come about?   Dr. John Torres  16:07 So I went to the Air Force Academy. And actually, it's interesting, when I went to the Academy, I wanted to be an architect, as bizarre as that can be. And mainly because when I was in high school, I had taken a drafting course, and I was like, “This is really fun. I really enjoy this kind of stuff.” And so when I got here, I'm like, “I want to be an architect.” And they're like— this is how little I knew about the Academy. They're like, we don't have—   Naviere Walkewicz  16:28 I was gonna say—   Dr. John Torres  16:30 We don't have architects here. So I was like, “OK, let me see what else I can do.” And then it was one of those things, “Well, everybody's gonna be a pilot, so I might as well be a pilot.” But I got my degree in engineering mechanics, and so I thought, “That's as close as I can get, and I'll go ahead and do the pilot thing.” So I did the pilot thing. I was flying C-130s at the time, and one of my fellow pilots, we were on the plane together. We're heading to the plane. He's got his helmet bag, and inside, I look at his helmet bag, and he's got a chemistry book in there. I'm like, “Dude, what are you doing with chemistry book?” He's like, “Oh, I'm studying for the MCATs.” And I'm like— this is how little I knew. I'm like, “What are the MCATs?” He goes, “It's the Medical College Admission Test.” I'm like, “What does that mean?” He goes, “I want to go to medical school and be a doctor.” I'm like, “What? You can do that?” He's like, “Oh, yeah, I'm just studying for it. I'll take the MCATs in another year or two.” And so we had a three-hour flight, and I just picked his brain about it and said, “Why are you doing this?” And then afterwards, over the next couple days, I'm like, “I'm as smart as this guy. I could go to medical school.” And so I started looking into it too. And then I made the huge step, which was talking to my wife about it. Because she was like, you know, “Are you going to go in the airlines? What are you going to do?” And she was 100% not even questioning. “If that's what you want to do, let's do it.” I said, “It's not going to be easy.” And you find out in med school that — for anybody out there who might think about going to med school or your kids are — it has to be a calling, because it's not easy. And my friends are all flying for the airlines, are making good money. They're having great vacations, raising family. I'm raising a family, but we're living in a, you know, 500-square-foot apartment. There's four of us, and barely living off loans. And so it's definitely a calling and I think the Academy helped me with that as well, of going again, that, “If I really want it, I really have to earn it.” But it's that three-hour flight with that fellow copilot that started the process.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:22 I'm curious. You said it really needs to be a calling. What was it about it to you? You hadn't thought about it before that flight.   Dr. John Torres  18:27 So the only thing— going back in my life, when I was in high school, again, this is at the high school you were talking about, I had a biology teacher that came up to me one day, and he said, “You're pretty smart. You should think about becoming a doctor.” And he's the only person ever to have told me that, and I had no idea what that really meant. And I was like, “Yeah, whatever.” When I graduated from medical school, I actually invited him to my graduation, and he came, and I honored him with the graduation. And so it was really neat, because he was the first one — a guy named Mr. Grabard — he was the first one to do that, to say anything to me, the first one to mention it. And so when I was— after the flight, I was talking to my wife, and it started going, “Wait, I remember him saying this. So he must have seen something in me. Maybe…” You know, I wasn't the best academic person at the Air Force Academy, but you know, then you come to find out that, hey, not being, you know, being kind of middle of the road at the Air Force Academy puts you at a pretty high status across the country compared to other colleges, and then when I went to apply for the Academy, I was surprised, and this is the first time I'd seen anything outside of the military that I was surprised at how well received having gone through the Academy was both the fact that academically, I'd gotten through it, but also the fact that they knew that that meant that, yes— because I would get through medical school, I would get through residency, and I'd be able to do what it takes to be a doctor. Because the last thing they want to do is bring somebody on board who, two years later, is going to quit, because that's a spot that somebody else could have taken.   Naviere Walkewicz  19:52 Right. Well, gosh, I mean being a flight doc, I mean you had some high-pressure moments. I can't even imagine some of the things you’ve experienced and seen. But, maybe talk about what you've learned about yourself in that period, or, you know, maybe the leadership journey in that space.   Dr. John Torres  20:07 Being a flight doc was fantastic, especially the fact that I had been a pilot before. And so, for those pilots that are out there, we used to always have a saying as a pilot, that when you go to the flight doc, the best you can do is break even, meaning the best you can do is come out the same way you went in. Otherwise, they're going to find something, and you're going to be grounded, and all these other things. And so I remember that, and when I was a flight doc, that pilots coming in, they tend to be a bit nervous, and they tend to be a bit skeptical, and they tend to hold back information, because, you know, they want to make sure they break even, they want to make sure they go back to flying. And so I would always talk to them about, “Hey, I was in your shoes. I fully understand. So let's talk about these things that we can talk about and freely. And if there's things you're holding back, as long as it's not endangering you, or you're flying, you know, I understand.” You know, at the same time, the hardest thing was to deliver news to a pilot that like, “Hey, we're going to have to, you know, ground you for a while, and this might be permanent because of some medical condition that came up. I fully understand, because I was in the same boat. But look also, at the same time, you can do other things in your life. You know, you don't necessarily—“ You know, like most pilots being, not being a pilot isn't the end of things, right? Even though you think it might be. And so it gave me that ability to discuss that as well.   Naviere Walkewicz  21:18 So would you say at that juncture— you're obviously a leader. Would you say that there's some of them are almost peers, or you're always kind of in a in a supervisor kind of role in that?   Dr. John Torres  21:29 As a flight doc— so I think you're in a peer position, and you should treat it as a peer position. Because if you treat it as a leadership supervisory position, then you're coming down. And it's the same thing now with medicine in 2025 versus medicine in 1960 or ’70. In 1960 or ’70, the doc was the authority figure. It was very uncommon for anybody to talk back to a doctor and say, “I don't agree with that.” What we've learned over the years that people want a discussion, they want a dialog. They want to make their own medical decisions which they should make. And it's the same thing here with being a flight doctor. Last thing I want to be is the authority figure that says, “Here's what you're going to do.” I want to be the figure that sits there with him as a peer and say, “Here's what medicine is saying. If we go down this avenue, this will happen. If we go down Avenue B, this will happen. If we go down Avenue C, this will happen. Which avenue do you think we should go down? You know, based on you and your life and your and where you are right now.” Because everybody's an individual; you don't know where they are in their life, and you want to make sure that you don't assume where they are in their life.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:27 Did you come into the role with that mentality and that way of communicating and working with them? Or was that something that you learned over time? Did you see that from another leader?   Dr. John Torres  22:37 No, I think it was a combination of the two. I think part of it was growing up, and again, with my father, always encouraging me to do things, and always encouraging me to make sure that— “There can be things that are going to be hard, but you can get through that, and you can earn that. And don't ever let anybody tell you you're not good enough, because you are, and you need to show them that. But you're also on— you're also taking on a bit of a different step than other people, because there are some racial components to things. And being Latino, you know, you tend— oftentimes you're a step back, and so you want to make sure that you're putting the best step forward.” And so going through life kind of learning that, but also watching leaders and how they did things, both when I was here at the Academy and when I was in the Air Force, and even through medical school, the doctors that were good and talk to people appropriately, the leaders that were good, and they had the men and women following them because they wanted to follow them, versus following them because they had to follow them. And, as you know, there's a huge difference there. And I tried to model myself after the ones who had people that followed them because they wanted to follow — they respected them. They earned that respect. They earned that that loyalty. And to me, that was always an important thing. And so when I transitioned over to medicine, especially being a flight doc, I wanted them to do the things that medically were important for them because they wanted to, because they trusted me, and they understood that I was looking out for them, and not just their career or not just their flying, but looking out for them and their families and their health in particular.   Naviere Walkewicz  23:58 Wow, you certainly led with compassion. So how did you get into becoming an NBC correspondent? Because, I mean, again, I'm just  trying to follow this road, and I have to, like, hop onto another track.   Dr. John Torres  24:08 Yeah, it's a very, very bizarre road. So when I was in the emergency room, I was working down in Pueblo, an emergency room there. This is in 2000 or 2001 and we had a hantavirus outbreak. And for those who don't know what Hantavirus is, it's a mouse-borne virus. The time when it was first discovered in the ’90s, had a 70% mortality rate. Now it's down to about 40%, so still pretty deadly. And so for those that recently remember the news, Gene Hackman’s wife, she ended up dying from hantavirus in Santa Fe, New Mexico. So it's very common. It's not common, but it happens in New Mexico. When I went to med school and residency, that's when they discovered the first cases. And at the time, we had no idea what it was. So, you know, being a resident, being a student, you're involved in a lot that's going on, especially being a resident. Ended up taking care of a lot of hantavirus patients. Well, when I was in Pueblo, again, 2000, 2001, we had hantavirus outbreaks, and you would get five a season, eight a season kind of thing. And we had a cluster of five, which obviously made the news. And so they kept coming to the emergency room, talking to us, and they wanted to talk to a doctor, and I was on shift, and all the other doctors, number one didn't want to be on camera. Number two didn't know anything about hantavirus, so they kept putting me in front of the camera. And again, doing the full circle. I would think back to my falconer days of like, “OK, how do I get this conversation across eloquently with good information and not just the answer, a yes or no answer?” And so I channeled that, and after about the fifth time, I said, “You know, I'm really busy here in ER, don't you have your own doctor that you can use?” And they’re like, “No, do you want to do it?” And I'm like, “OK, I'll try.” I was absolutely horrible.   Naviere Walkewicz  Oh my gosh. I can’t imagine you being horrible.   Dr. John Torres Unbelievably horrible. I would stumble, I would stop, I would freeze up at the camera. And then you learn over time that, hey, you know what they say: Just pretend like you're talking to a person. Don't pretend like you're talking to a camera. Pretend like you're talking to a person, and my thing is always, always, I would always sit there going, “OK, if I had somebody in my room, in the clinic room, and I was talking to him as a patient, how would I talk to them?” And so that's what I do on TV. I just talk like that. And so that started very sporadically, a station here in Colorado, and then it moved to a station in Denver, and then NBC saw me in 2015 they said, “Hey, why don't you come over here and try out, you know, just give us an audition.” So I went over there, did an audition. They're like, “We want you.” And I was like, “I don't know what that means.” And so it was full time. And then obviously, 2020, the pandemic broke out. And then that was super-full time.   Naviere Walkewicz  26:38 So going back to an earlier comment, you said it was like the Super Bowl for you at that that time during the pandemic. So oftentimes, and you know, in sports, the Super Bowl is like the highest and you strive to get back there. So what does that look like for you now? I mean, I don't think we want to go back to the pandemic. So what would the Super Bowl look like for you?   Dr. John Torres  26:57 Would never strive to go back there, but it was a Super Bowl, and the fact that it was it one, it brought a lot of attention to medical issues and medical concerns. Because up until then, we were kind of like a peripheral service for the media. If there was a big medical story, they would hit it every now and then, you know, this was happening every now and then, and I would go weeks without being on TV because not much was happening. Well, what happened is then— and again I'm using the Super Bowl analogy as more of the attention that it got; medicine became the focus. And so for two years of the three years, medicine was a sole focus. And we were, you know, the tip of the spear for media every day. Something medicine came out every day and every— the way it works, especially at the national channels, is they have different— they have, like, a biz, tech unit, a climate unit, a health unit, all these different units. And every unit would want some information about what the what medicine meant, like tech would want to know, “OK, what's happening with the vaccine, because it could affect the prices of the stock?” You know? The climate would want to know, is climate affecting the way that's spreading?” You know? And what does that mean? And so we were feeding in all this information and going on air and talking about it. And so after the pandemic, medicine still stayed in the frontier, in the forefront here. And so now it's one of those things, when you look at it, it's probably one of the— at least the top three, if not top two, of you know, they always want to know something about medicine, about health, and because people are very interested in their health. But it did switch things a little bit, because again, before it was more an authoritarian, “Here's what you need to know afterwards, during and afterwards.” It became more of a conversation of, “Here's the information — pros and cons — you're going to need to make a a decision. But the decision is based on information, accurate information, and for you, it might be different than it would be for me.   Naviere Walkewicz  28:43 So I'm thinking about you delivering this information to millions of viewers. I mean, just the thought of being the voice of information, and you know, the pressure — you're really focused on accuracy, but also helping them understand it, because medical terms can be very confusing. What is that like for you? Is that challenging? Or do you just kind of think about it as a one-person conversation?   Dr. John Torres  29:06 It's interesting, because you always go back in life to things that were turning moments in life. And like I mentioned, the turning moment was the copilot I was with, you know, being a falconer with that peregrine falcon. You know, these different ones that the high school biology teacher that was like, “You should be a doctor.” All these different things. Well, the turning point here is, essentially, you know, how do you end up looking at these things, and how do you end up talking about these things? And when I was in medical school or residency, I can't remember which I had an attending physician one time that would basically every four or five days during our— you do rounds. And so in the morning, you go in there and you do rounds, and you present to the attending— so you're just either the student or the resident, and you have this, you know, well-seasoned attending doctor who's been there on whatever round it is, and you tell them about the patient, the condition, here's the test you ran, here's the test you want to run, and here's what you think that we should be doing over the next 24 hours. And they critique you on it. And we can get back to this because it was interesting, because people were like, “You can tell you went to an Academy because of the way you handle this.” But one attending I had in particular used to say, “Today, pretend like I'm your 85-year-old grandfather. So explain to me like I'm 85 years old.” And you'd say something like— you know, like in medicine, if somebody has a fever, we said they're febrile. And we go, you know, “This patient is febrile, huh? Oh, I'm sorry, they have a fever.” “Oh, OK, you know, yeah, we're going to do this.” And so we'd have to— so I learned to explain to people on terms that they would understand, and not using medical terms, because it's its own dialog. It's its own language, yes. And so he was fantastic, because again, every time you used anything medical, he would just, “What? Huh? I don't understand.” And so you'd have to bring it to a level that they understood, meaning you had to talk to them, unlike physicians talk to each other. And so I channel that on air of like, “Let me explain to you…” And I try very hard not to use statistics or medical terms that somebody might not understand. Or if I do, I try to explain them as best as possible.   Naviere Walkewicz  30:59 What an incredible lesson. I mean, that's fantastic. I think listeners, in general, it can be across any kind of, you know, function or specialty, really, just think about how someone needs to receive the information, understand.   Dr. John Torres  31:13 Interesting side note is, when I was going through— so when you're going through rounds every night, oftentimes you get a physician who isn't the nicest person on Earth, and they'll yell at you, or they're yelling at you for right reasons, you did something wrong, and yell at you, and you do it right. Awesome. And there's usually four other either students or residents, on rounds with you, and they would yell at all of us. And one day, my fellow residents, or students, I can't remember where we were, they said— you know, I think it was med students. They're sitting there going, “You know, it's really interesting.” They said, “When the attending yells at us, you're the only one— it doesn't seem like it affects you at all. Everybody else is sitting there quaking in their boots, and you don't seem to— it doesn't seem to bother you.” And I said, “OK, here's the deal.” I said, “I went to the Air Force Academy.” I said, “I was yelled at by the best.” And so after a year, you know, a good, almost full year of getting yelled at, you get kind of used to it. And so this is nothing.   Naviere Walkewicz  32:06 That’s fantastic, that would indicate— that's great. Wow. So that's a really unique story. And how you share information, I'm really curious. How have you dealt with having to give sometimes negative or bad news, and still— you talk about being energetic and sharing information, but if it's not good news.   Dr. John Torres  32:29 So one of the things I learned a long time ago is you have to match how you're feeling to how you're looking. And so if I'm talking about a subject that's the death rate from breast cancer, I have to make— so one time somebody told me that they were… This is early on; this is back when I first started, you know, 15 years ago. They said, “You were talking about death rates from breast cancer, and you were smiling, and it was kind of creepy.” And so I learned at that point, I'm like, “You know that's true, because this is an audio-visual thing, and so the audio and the visual have to match.” And not that you're being fake, not just you're being incorrect, but just that you're being honest with yourself, and how do you feel inside? And so I try to get that emotion behind what I'm talking about as well, and make sure that if I'm talking about something that is not happy, that I'm not smiling and joking around. Definitely never try to be clownish. I might joke around a little bit, and I like, I love dad jokes, and so I'll joke around. I'll tell dad jokes. I'll tell those kinds of things. We do a program for kids, and I'll be with kids. I'm always joking around and keeping things as lighthearted— especially during the pandemic, because they were scared about a lot of things and trying to bring it to a level where, you know, like, the big question, you know, they said old people are gonna die. “Is my grandma and grandpa gonna die?” I'm like, “That does not mean your grandma and grandpa are gonna die. That just means that, typically, older people are the ones that are more likely to have issues from this.” So you just want to be careful around them, you know, that kind of thing. So you learn how to do that. And I also learned from medicine when I was doing the emergency room — because oftentimes you had to deliver bad news to patients’ families, you know, that the patient had passed away — and so I was always, at least in my mind, very cognizant of the fact that when I went in there, they're looking at everything. They're looking at me, they're listening to me. And this is going to be something that's going to be imprinted in their mind for the rest of their life. I want to make sure that I handle it emotionally correctly.   Naviere Walkewicz  34:26 Wow, the gravity of that for sure, you know. So talking about what you've had to do as an NBC correspondent, and then also we talked about, you're doing some training right now as well.   Dr. John Torres  34:37 I am. It's the other facet of my life I’m doing as well.   Naviere Walkewicz  34:40 And so the like a diamond, we just turn it, and let's talk about this side now.   Dr. John Torres  34:44 Now, my wife calls me the chameleon. “You're going out there, you're doing this.” So I teach NATO special forces medics and supporters of the medics. And so we go out there and we teach a lot of different classes. One of the biggest ones I teach right now is what we call an instructor development course, where I teach TCCC, which is tactical combat casualty care, how to survive on the battlefield. But I also teach them how to teach other people. So train the trainer method, but it's a trainer method for special forces, which is a bit unique. And the way they train people, in the way they get trained, because their hierarchy is a bit different, and the way you approach things are a bit different, and the things they care about, and more particularly things they don't care about, vastly different, because these are the ones that— these are folks, especially in NATO, and we're talking across all the countries of NATO that are out there — you know that nobody really knows about — are doing things that nobody really knows about, that are very dangerous, right? And so the these guys are very serious about what they do and how they do it, and they just want to know the information they need. They don't want to know the information they don't need, and they want to know how to use that to keep themselves and their fellow soldiers alive.   Naviere Walkewicz  35:52 Dare I ask how that came about?   Dr. John Torres  35:54 Oh, that came about, actually, at an Academy football game. So I was at an Academy football game — this is years ago — and I met this fellow doc, a friend of mine, and we were talking, and he said, “You know, I'm starting up this program teaching NATO special forces medics. I think you’d be a great teacher, especially being an ER doc. Do you want to do that?” And I was like, “Well, let's talk more about it.” And so we talked more and went out there, and we started this program back in 2010, 2011, and then just work this program through. And now we have a variety of courses we teach. I go out probably four or five times a year and teach different courses. And these guys, again, are phenomenal, because we teach medical planning, we teach tactical combat casualty care and how to instruct tactical combat casualty care. And the guys we're teaching are just amazing.   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 So yeah, one of the things you said earlier, I think it was during your 27 appearances in one day, your wife was bringing you peanut butter sandwiches. I would love to talk about the role of your family in all of these different experiences you've had in leadership and your impact. What's that been like for them?   Dr. John Torres  37:02 You know, one, it's been great, because they love the ride. They love going along. My wife's always like, “I'm just curious what's gonna happen next,” because I always take her everywhere with me. We always go together, and she's, you know, obviously, very, very integral part of my life. We got married right at the Academy, right after graduation. I met her at the Academy, and she went to the University of Colorado, and we met actually, in Monument when I was a junior, when I was a second-year. And then we got married after graduation, been married ever since. She went through all the pilot training with me, all the different assignments, you know, some good, some not as good as, you know, in the military, the deployments and everything. And then when I sat down and said, “You know, I'm thinking of going to med school.” She was like, 100% behind us. “Do it. Do what we need to do.” And it was huge sacrifice on her part. We opened up a couple clinics, and she was the business manager behind those, which is phenomenal. And the kids were behind us. They worked in there, and they did stuff. And the kids have never really been complaining about it. They've always looked forward to it. And now I see them as adults going through a variety of things themselves, where they keep looking for different adventures, basically. And I think that's part of, the way they grew up. And so now they're looking at it going, “Hey, I could do this.” And the mindset I always try to put in them and my wife and I together is, “If you want to do something, do it.” You know, the last thing you want to do is be 80 years old and going, “I wish I'd really done that one thing.” And so just do it. Life is short. Just make sure you do it. But could not have done it without the family. And can't overstate that. They are definitely the driving factor behind all this. And then when I went from medicine to NBC again, sat down with them and going, “They want me,” and my wife is actually the one like, “You're doing this.” And I'm like, “Well, I don't know if…” “No, you're doing this. You've been you've been talking about this for a while. You're gonna go.” And so, yeah, the rest is history.   Naviere Walkewicz  38:46 Wow. Well, we've seen the values passed on. Well, 300 years of your family, right? Extended family, through your dad into you. What would you say that the legacy, or maybe the traits beyond adventure have you shared with your children and that you're seeing through them now?   Dr. John Torres  39:04 You know, I think the biggest things are the one we just talked about. If you think you want to do something, you really want to do it, then go ahead and do it. Both my children are physicians now, and so they both— it was interesting, because neither one of them wanted to be physicians. And I think they didn't want to be physicians because they didn't want to be like dad, right? They wanted to do their own thing. And then partway through college, they both came to me individually and said, “You know, I think I want to do this.” I'm like, “Hey, if you do, like I mentioned, you really got to want to do— you really want to have to want to do this. You can't do it just on a whim, because it's going to take a lot of effort and a lot of work.” And they've seen that, but they're all happy where they are right now, which is great. The other thing I think I instilled in them is to, you know, essentially just be a good person. Be kind to other people. Always think about other people and where they are in life, and always realize that, one, as a physician, but also as just a person, especially as a father or husband or wife, that if somebody is coming at you angrily, or somebody is coming at you awkwardly, you think about where they might be right now. And my wife has a great quote I always attribute to her, because she used to always tell our staff this when we were had had a couple clinics, is people would come in, patients would come in angry and shouting and screaming. She was an elementary school counselor, and so one of the big things she learned, that she always instilled in us and me and the children is the outward expression of fear is anger. And so they're angry probably because they're afraid of something. And it could be they're afraid of the medical condition they have. The medical condition you might be telling them they have. The finances they have in their life, if it's not medicine, if you just meet somebody that you know, outside, you know, there's something in their life that's driving that fear, which is driving that anger, and so basically, give them a break. You know, it's easy to take a step back. And the other thing I've always tried to instill in them is, you know, two things. One is always, just take a breath. Don't knee-jerk react. Always just take a breath and take a step back and think about the things you're going to do. And the other one is realizing that tomorrow's another day, and tomorrow you can really think about what happened today and put it in a different perspective.   Naviere Walkewicz  41:11 That's fantastic advice. And I'm going to take that quote. I think that's wonderful. I really like your wife.   Dr. John Torres  41:16 Oh, she's fantastic.   Naviere Walkewicz  41:17 Yes. So one of the things we like to ask our guests is basically how you get better each day to be a better leader. So what are some of the things you're doing on a daily basis to be better?   Dr. John Torres  41:26 So one thing for medicine in particular, the one thing I do is, as you saw when I came in here, I'm on the phone. I'm looking because there's some committee meetings right now, medical committee meetings that might be important, might not, but I always keep on trying to keep in touch, or keep in touch with the latest news and the latest developments, especially at the higher levels of what's going on in the country, in research in the scientific field, because I want to make sure I get that information across as best as possible. And then just on a daily basis, just kind of look at where I am and what I've done, what I've talked to other people about, and where I want to go from here. And it's, you know— one of the big questions I get from people all the time is, “When are you going to retire?” And I'm 65 right now, and my answer to them is that, you know, I never want to be and, you know, some people can do this, and fantastic for them, they can do this, but I never want to be the person that's on my deck, in their chair, just staring out at the landscape and just sitting there going, “This is life.” For some people, fantastic. For me, I always want to be essentially paying it forward, giving it back, and talking to other people and trying to give them some information I might know, or at least help them get the information that I think they should know or might need to know.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:42 That’s fantastic advice. What might you share then that others can do as they're trying to aspire to become better leaders? What's something that they can do to get there?   Dr. John Torres  42:51 So a couple things. One is look at the leaders you have right now and see which ones you like and which ones you don't really want to model yourself after, because oftentimes it's pretty obvious. And the ones you like, just start looking at that and experimenting with a little bit and saying, “OK, in this case, you know this happened, let me tweak my answer a little bit. Let me tweak my approach a little bit.” And then one of the things that always— the other thing I always instill in my children is, and I got this from my father too, and my mother was— I call it the “Does this make sense?” rule. And so when things are happening, especially if you get some information that you're going to pass on to your subordinates, or you're going to pass on, in my case, patients or the public— always look, always take a step back, take that breath and go, “Does this make sense?” You know, does it make sense? For lack of anything else to say, you know, back when there were the theories about chips in the vaccines, you know, it doesn't make sense that they would put chips into vaccines. From an overall perspective, probably not. And so start looking at things like that and just taking a step back and saying, “You know what I'm about to do? Does that make sense, the information I got? Does that make sense on a basic level?” And if it I think it doesn't make sense, dig into it a little bit more, because it might but it might not, right? But at the same time, it gives you that step to go forward with it. And then, as a leader, always be willing to say, “I was wrong.” That's one of the toughest things. As a doctor on TV, I've had to do it a couple times. Always be willing to go, “Yeah, I was wrong. What I told you, what I said, was not accurate.” Or, you know, “I shouldn't have yelled at you guys yesterday for whatever I yelled at you for. That was incorrect; that was inappropriate.” But if the decision you made was wrong, if the information you got was wrong, just being able to say that and basically step up and go, “This one's on me.”   Naviere Walkewicz  44:44 Was that something you saw in someone, or you just learned that things went a little bit better when you kind of accepted that?   Dr. John Torres  44:50 So it was a combination of both. And this goes back to medical school too. The doctors that you really aspired to be like were the ones that were willing to sit there and go, “You know, I was wrong about what I thought you have. And here's what we're going to do now. Here's what I think.” And you sit there really going, “Wow, this is a tough thing to say,” especially as a doctor, because you're supposed to be this figure, like, you know, everything. And then I extended that into both television and my military issues as well, of going, you know, you see those leaders that are willing to go, “Hey, you know, I was wrong about the decision. Let's move on and do something correctly now.”   Naviere Walkewicz  45:24 That's fantastic advice. Well, we're going to get to your final thoughts here shortly, but before we do, I want to invite you to watch Long Blue Leadership on Tuesdays every month in both video and audio, and it's available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Be sure to watch, listen and subscribe to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org. So Dr. Torres, we've had an amazing time together, but I want to get some final thoughts from you. What might you want to share with our listeners that we didn't cover today?   Dr. John Torres  45:51 You know, I think the big thing is kind of summarizing what we did cover is that essentially, if you want to do something, then do it. The Academy— oftentimes, while you're at the Academy, you often question why you're there. After the Academy, you sometimes question, “Why did I go through that? All my friends went through fun stuff, and I didn't.” You know, that kind of thing. But I think you need to realize that that gives you that leg up in life. It gives you a different approach, a different thing you've done in life that other people don't do, and it gives you that confidence of like, “I can do these things. I can do anything I want to do, because look what I went through already.” You know, these other people that I'm a bit jealous of because they went to a regular university and they had a blast for four years and all that fun — they didn't have to go through these strenuous things I went through. They didn't have to jump through these hoops I went through. They didn't have to accomplish these things I accomplished. And so, you know, not that I'm a better person than them, but I've already proven that I can do these things and I can do the things I want to do. And I think that's probably the biggest thing. And then when you're out there and you're leading other people — because at some point in life, you will lead other people — remember the leaders that you really looked at and you really appreciate it, and use them as mentors, even if they're not here for how they dealt with things. And then just experiment around, experiment around a little bit, and if you have to pull back and say, “That's probably not the route to go,” then go somewhere else.   Naviere Walkewicz  47:11 Wonderful. Well, I'm not going to ask you when you're going to retire, but I'll ask you: What's next for you?   Dr. John Torres  47:16 So next for me is essentially just keeping up with this, you know, the NATO special forces training. We're actually accelerating that a little bit. TV, continuing to do that as well, and then hopefully read more books and just enjoy life a little bit more. Which, number one, I enjoy it phenomenally, but just take a little bit of a breather.   Naviere Walkewicz  47:35 Wonderful. Well, we appreciate you so much. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, thanks for joining us and until next time.   Thank you for joining us for this edition of Long Blue Leadership. The podcast drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on all your favorite podcast apps. Send your thoughts, comments and guest ideas to us at socialmedia@usafa.org, and listen to past episodes at longblueleadership.org.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Dr. John Torres, survival training, medical correspondent, family values, unconventional journey, overcoming challenges, mentorship, public health, Hantavirus, medical communication, pandemic, media, family legacy, leadership, teaching, NATO, bad news delivery, continuous improvement       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation