Category: Learning

Success in life is so much about essential choices, timing, and good fortune – especially when it comes to the people we surround ourselves with. 

I have been so blessed through these choices, some great timing, and good fortune in my life to have incredible wingmen, friends, and family.  They have made my life so much richer.  I remain so grateful for each of them and I have trusted many of them with my life multiple times. 

I have also made incorrect choices, had to adjust to bad timing and embrace misfortune.  Simply recovering from misjudged situations, motivations, or the intentions of others has contributed equally to my personal growth.

Every time I’ve had a less than optimum experience with a person or a relationship, I’ve learned something from the experience.  I didn’t ask the right questions, didn’t ask enough questions, didn’t check references, trust my gut, or I let emotions get in the way.  In retrospect, the clues were there and while these are frequently deep and painful lessons, I am wiser now and they happen with significantly less frequency.

I now think clearly and deliberately about the “wingmen” in my life.  These are without a doubt some of the most important decisions you will ever make.  Time is your most precious gift in life and choosing wisely with whom you will spend that time will make all the difference in your life.  It absolutely has for me.

Most importantly, do not ever forget that “wingmanship” is a two-way street. Deliver on your end every time – and if you don’t, own it and fix it.

The Author is currently serving as an active duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government.

I spend a lot of time with the teams I get to be a part of talking about the various ways to both approach, and solve, complex and wicked problems. Remaining focused on the issue at hand versus the emotions that can surround an issue is a lot of our focus.

As a teenager I remember first reading a book about Apollo 13. Apollo 13, Commanded by legendary Astronaut Jim Lovell, was the supposed to be the second moon landing. Not long after beginning the long journey to the Moon, Apollo 13 had a major in-flight emergency which immediately put the crews lives at risk. At that time, this was the most significant challenge NASA had ever faced during a flight.

Mission Control in Houston was instantly thrown into a confusing and chaotic situation which required immediate, and precise decisions, in order to save the crew. In what became a seminal learning point for me, legendary Flight Director Gene Kranz, while leading his team through the chaos of the initial reactions, paused, thought, and told his team… “work the problem people… work the problem.” And they did… and over the next few days managed to make thousands of correct decisions which resulted in Apollo 13 safely looping around the back side of the Moon and returning safely to Earth with all three crew members aboard.

I’ve adapted the concept that Flight Director Kranz took, as well as many other famous leaders in our history, and boiled it down to two simple words.. “Stay Frosty”.

I hope this approach helps you as much as it has helped me and others in our business.

Also check out Mr. Kranz’s book “Failure is not an option”. It is a great read.

The Author is currently serving as an active duty military officer. Any comments or recommendations on this post or on this site are solely my personal views and do not represent the position of any branch of the United States Government.

It is hard to believe that it has been 17 years.

This morning I woke up in Iraq.  I had a few minutes standing on a flight line with a group of US Army and US Navy Special Operations warriors.  Most were in their late 20’s.  Only two were in the service when our Nation was attacked in 2001.  All made the selfless decision to join our military knowing full well they were likely to go to war.

While we were standing on the ramp September 11^th came up.  I asked them where they were from, what their story was, and where they were that morning.  Some were at work on their first assignments.  Most were in school.

Then one of the Navy guys asked me where I was.  I told them I was in DC.   I don’t normally talk about 9/11 but I felt like there was some goodness in sharing with these guys.

I told them about the weather in Washington that morning – the clear beautiful blue perfect skies and the perfect temperature.

I told them about when, and how we found out the Nation was under attack – when our meeting was interrupted with the news.  How we moved to the room with the TV, and on seeing the first tower burning from the helicopter news camera… the size of the hole in the building… and then watching the second airplane enter the picture and fly right into the second tower.

I told them about the silence that seemed to last forever after the second airplane impacted… when in reality it was a few seconds…

I told them about a switch being thrown in the squadron as we started to react.

I told them about the Crew Chiefs, the Weapons Loaders, and the Support Crews responding… all the while in the distance they could clearly see the acrid thick black smoke from the Pentagon.

I told them about Brig Gen Dave Wherley, our Commander, and his unbelievably perfect leadership that morning… “I trust you, you will do what is right, and no matter what… I have your back.”.

I told them about Ben Sliney and his first day at work at the FAA supervising the entire U.S. airspace system and his making the decision to shut down the US airspace – no doubt saving lives.

I told them about NYFD Chief Pfeifer, the Fire Fighting Commander at the World Trade Center who’s Brother was also a Firefighter… and the Chief sending his Brother and his team up into the Tower never to return.

I told them about the Passengers on Flight 93, Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett and the rest of the passengers and the absolutely pure and perfect example of human sacrifice they made in the toughest of times… and for giving my Squadron the gift of not having to make the toughest decision of our lives.

I told them about the aerial refueling tanker crews that just magically showed up over DC and kept us airborne… and did in Afghanistan and Iraq, and still do today.

In the end, I guess I told them about the American spirit, our American will, and what it really means to be selfless.  In the soulful sadness of that day, there are so many incredible lessons that we all should learn from.

17 years is an incredibly long time to be at war… and we are still going at it.

Literally, as I write, America and our Allies and partners are still fighting the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and ISIS.

Is it worth it?  My answer… you bet your ass it is… so that our Children and our Children’s Children will hopefully never have to live through what our generation has.

May we never ever forget 9/11/2001 and the many examples of the American Spirit from that morning, and all the mornings thereafter in this longest of wars.  I know I won’t.

The dictionary defines a “legend” an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.

I’ve never met anyone who better deserves this title than LtCol Robert “Muck” Brown –  A-10 Attack Pilot, Husband, Father, Brother, Coach, Teacher, Mentor, Savior,  Leader, and Friend.

No one can forget the first time they had the honor and privilege of meeting Muck.   For me, it was walking down the hallway at the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, NV where he greeted me (a lowly F-16 student) with a kind smile and a look that said: “all will be ok young Jedi… just keep your head up and keep going”.

We talk a lot about Muck.

We talk about how unassuming he was.  How people often mistook him at first glance.  How he quietly approached the most complex situations and always quickly brought clarity and wisdom to some incredibly complex issues – in life, warfighting, and combat.

We talk about how his perfect way of communicating with people and how he could bring disparate opinions together against a common set of goals and objectives – perfectly.

We talk about him as a young A-10 pilot forging forward to improve combat capability throughout the entire joint community, and his lifelong commitment to protecting the guys on the ground.

We talk about how after the attacks on 9/11 he left a high paying airline job to come back in the military and take a non-flying staff job so that someone else could stay in the cockpit and take the fight to the enemy.

We talk about his time in Iraq in 2002 and 2003 when he was the link between the pilots in the air and the special forces warriors on the ground – and how both parties were so blessed to have him there.

We talk about how he was as a Husband and Father – showing those in his life what true love meant through some really tough times.

We talk about how he loved teaching: kids and warfighters, and his amazing way of adapting a lesson perfectly every time to the listener.

We talk about how he saved the A-10, working to inform policymakers and along the way saved countless American and coalition lives because of his work – all while fighting cancer.

We talk about his love for aviation art, and his incredible gifts with a #2 pencil, and how you can look back at his notes today and find pictures of P-40 Flying Tiger Warhawks in the margins.

We talk about what it was like to be in the room when Muck sat down behind a drum set… Perfect, complete, magic.

And… we talk about how absolutely wonderful it was to be a Brother and friend of Mucks.

Muck passed away on this day a few years ago after bravely fighting cancer.  We all miss you like crazy Muck – but the truth is that you are still here with us through the many gifts you gave us all and the incredible life you lived.  Tonight we will raise a glass, smile a bit, laugh, and most importantly remember you and the legend you are.