WEBVTT

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Welcome to the Barnes flyover . This is

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your monthly update on all things 104th

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Fighter Wing . What's happening at

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Barnes Air National Guard Base and how

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they're making an impact right here in

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the community of Westfield . Whether

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you're here to learn something new ,

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check out what's happening , or just

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hang out and listen . This podcast has

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got you covered . Let's take off into

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today's episode . Johnny , Johnny , and

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he graduated this year . I can't wait

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to see what he's gonna be doing next .

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Um , so how are you ? How have you been ?

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I am great . Happy July . Happy 4th .

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Happy 4th , yeah , and it's been a , a

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hot and rainy 4th . Yes , very rainy .

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Um , what would you do ? What would you

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do ? You see any fireworks or anything ?

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No , I , uh , I have a dog now that's

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scared of fireworks , so I , I stayed

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inside huddling with the dog . Nice ,

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um , but just a lot of family time , a

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lot of Hanging out by my pool . So

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what'd you do ? I know you were

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catching golf balls . Yes , so I never

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do this , but I wanted to share this

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picture because it was the 4th of July

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in , uh , Plainville , Connecticut ,

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which is where I'm currently staying

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for the month . Um , that is golf ball

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sized hail . Um , as I tried catching

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it , but it , I didn't get to catch any ,

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but , um , yeah , that was scary . That

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happened , uh , on July 4th for about

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10 minutes . People were still shooting

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off fireworks despite . Baseball sized

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hail falling at their heads , but , um ,

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everyone's safe , um , so yeah , I

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wanted to share that because that was a

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fun experience and , um , I was just

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telling Pete this , I always wanted to

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be a tornado chaser , so my wife was

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trying to get the baby in the , in the

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basement , and I'm just out there like

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trying to record like , oh , there's

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gonna be a tornado . So one of our

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chaplain assistants , Carlos on base ,

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video or goes on Facebook and

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videotapes things a lot while he was

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camping this weekend and I watched his

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tent . Just like hang on by a pole . Um ,

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it was crazy . He , he was videotaping

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this tent just fly away and it did make

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it . Yeah , but we even had a , um , we

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had a tree fall down in the

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neighborhood and I helped my

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father-in-law get a , get a chainsaw

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and just get to work right away because ,

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uh , we knew that everyone's gonna be

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busy . There were sirens everywhere ,

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so it was a pretty wild day , but , um .

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We got through it . We're here . Um ,

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alright . So what , uh , what do we got

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going on ? We have a guest speaker

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today . Yes , we do . We have the great

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chaplain Trevoris Weaver here , um ,

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talk about all things that's been going

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on in their world and talk a little bit

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about the medical IRT , uh , TDY that

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he was just on and a lot of great stuff

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for that . Um , look to tease that and

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have him talk a little bit more about

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that . He's got a great background too ,

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um , how he came into the military ,

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what he does for a civilian job , uh ,

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his family , so he's got a unique story .

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I can't wait to hear about that . Um ,

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all right , well , let's go right into

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aviation history . Alright , let's jump

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in . We got a good one today . All

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right , July 8th , 1943 , US Air Force

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Colonel Malcolm C . Grow , the 8th Army

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Air Force surgeon , receives a Legion

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of Merit for developing the first ever

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flak vest for flyers called the M1

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Flyers vest . This was developed during

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World War II after a study showed that

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the majority of our pilot and bomber

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crews casualties were coming from low

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velocity shrapnel . Um , they decided

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that if they were to add more armor and

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metal onto the planes itself , it would

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make them heavier , compromising their ,

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their air superiority . So to fix that ,

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they put a 16 pound , um , flak vest

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on the pilots and bomber crews made by

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2 by 2 manganese steel plates . By

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January 1st , 1944 , so only like 6

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months later , over 13,500 have been

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produced . And then he later on became

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the first US Air Force general in July

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1 , 1949 . Surgeon General , yes ,

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thank you . And um let's see , the

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Legion of Merit was created in 1942 ,

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and only the Legion of Merit and the

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Medal of Honor are the only two

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military decorations that are designed

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to be presented and worn around the

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neck . Wow . So wow , those are some

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good fun facts , very cool achievement ,

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and he was the very first US Air Force

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officer to receive that award , so . Um ,

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Bravo Zulu . I know we don't say that

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in the Air Force , but Bravo Zulu to

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Colonel , uh , where do we say Bravo

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Zulu ? Coast Guard . Oh jeez , that's

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why I don't know . I wonder if the Navy

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does that . I think so . I'll have to

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ask Brandon . OK . All right , let's

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get into our community events that

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we've had this past month . So what has

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been exciting , and this is something

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that I , I didn't even know happened ,

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we had some leadership go down to

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Lockheed Martin Production facility in

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Fort Worth , Texas on May 27th , and

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they signed the F-35 fuselage bulkhead

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on an aircraft that we are going to be

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receiving , um . Uh ,

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Colonel Glass' signing the F-35

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fuselage bulkhead at Lockheed Martin in

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Fort Worth was an amazing experience ,

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and it marks a pivotal moment for the

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wing as we prepare to welcome our first

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F-35 jets . That was from our Colonel

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Glass , our commander . That was very

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cool . Just seeing them being able to

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see the entire production line and

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actually see the future jets that will

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be at Barnes . It's very cool .

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Something about a couple miles long

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this building is , it literally is a

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production line . It starts in one end

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and then it spits out an aircraft .

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It's very cool . So there's a story

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about that in our air scoop . Also on

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our socials , you can see that . So

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more in our , uh , community stuff . We

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had Smith Vocational came out here for

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a tour . They specifically were looking

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to see security forces and the fire

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departments . We had about 18 very

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excited students , um , just trying to

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see what their careers are that they're

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working on in school would look like in

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the , um , the real world . Yeah , and

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um , sorry to cut you off . Go ahead .

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I was just gonna go into the next one .

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You were the 10 no , I , I covered that

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tour and I , I gotta say they received

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an amazing tour between our security

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forces guys and our fire guys . They

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put on an amazing show . They got to

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see different equipment . They got to

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see a taser . They got to , they got to

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hold the jaws of life . They got to go

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into one of our fire trucks and shoot

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the water hose , and it was very hot

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that day . So , um , I was standing

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under the basically the mist the entire

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time . Trying to shield the camera away ,

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but no , they had a great time . Um ,

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it was a great tour . They feel like

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they got , oh , and they even tried on

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like hazmat suits and they're racing to

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try it on , so they looked like they

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were having fun . Yeah , that was a

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really fun tour . Good . We also , the

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Westfield Aviation Museum , if you're

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not familiar with that , that's in

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hangar 3 right next to us , uh , and

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they have their lobby dedicated to us ,

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um , as the museum for them . Uh , June

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13th , they had a free pancake

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breakfast , which also coincided with a

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community event . But at that pancake

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breakfast , uh , the 104th , me with

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public affairs , I was there answering

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some questions about noise in the area .

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What do we got going on with the

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aircraft ? What have our airmen got

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going on ? So most community events in

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Westfield , we try to attend so that

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you guys have another way to answer or

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ask questions and we can give you some

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feedback , um , or at least give you

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some context to what we got going on

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and what information we have and , and

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how you can find out more stuff . So

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then we did our IRT medical

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intervention training . Uh , readiness

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training . It was June 11th through the

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21st . It was the 34th year that we've

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participated in that in the birthplace

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of Mother's Day . Yeah , in , um , in

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the story , it'll say something about

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it's the birthplace of Mother's Day .

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Uh , we'll have to find out more about

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that . That came from Tech Sergeant

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Lonnie Peltz . She covered the event

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with , uh . Um , Airman First Class

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Elijah Harris was also there . You know

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what , I think our chaplain who's going

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to be on later might know more about

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that or maybe not . I'm not sure . Um ,

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but anyway , so they provided free

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medical care , dental , optical , and

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veterinary care to underserved

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communities in a North middle school in

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Henderson , Kentucky . And a fun fact ,

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our commander is from Kentucky . Oh ,

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cool . Yeah , I actually did know that .

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And , uh , I can't wait to hear more

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from Chaplin Weaver and all the amazing

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work that we did there . But just to

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tease it a little bit , I did pull some

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facts from the , um , story that Tech

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Sergeant Peltz wrote up on the overall

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mission at , uh , the IRT . A total of

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2,344 patients were seen ,

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441 animals to make a total of

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19,926 procedures to

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equal a fair market value of over

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$1.5 million . Melanie ,

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$1.5 million of just free care . And

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they've been doing this every year .

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This is the fourth year , the 104th

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that has been a part in that . Yeah ,

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and even breaking it down by type . I

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know we always say we're not gonna do

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math . I'm not gonna try and add these

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numbers . The numbers are in front of

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over 4000 medical procedures , over

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6000 dental procedures , and over , and

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almost 6300 optometry procedures . Wow ,

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that's awesome . So yeah , I can't wait

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to hear more about that story is also

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in our air scoop as well . Yes , make

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sure to check that out . So we also had

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our first ever Springfield Chamber of

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Commerce came to visit us on June 26th .

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They spoke with Colonel Glass about our

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importance of community support , and

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there was approximately 85 of them who

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have attended . So it was nice to be

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able to branch out outside of the

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Westfield Chamber that we usually have .

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This one was nice to see our , our

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Springfield partners . That was fun .

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Yeah , and , um , all of our

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barnstormers , they don't just work in

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Westfield , they don't just work in

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Western Mass , they work in Springfield .

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Work in Holyoke . They work all over .

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So it's great to reach out to these

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employers and these businesses because

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they're more than likely are going to

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be barnstormers that work there and

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just talk about how we can support each

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other . Right , right , correct . Also ,

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July 4th , our Colonel Reynolds ,

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deputy commander , spoke at the Spirit

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of Springfield event . Despite the rain

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and the hail and the wind , they did

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have their event and he did speak at

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that . And then we had 3 other members

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from the Wing , um , march in various

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parades around the state and also one

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in Pennsylvania , our own Elijah Harris .

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So that was that . Um , I always love

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this part , a mutual aid . So story to

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come soon and more on that , and I'm

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hoping to have our firefighters on here

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and talk about this , but we have that

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mutual aid agreement in our town and

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surrounding towns where anybody can

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call their fire departments can call

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and ask for support . So it's a rundown

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of this . They did 5 in June 3 June

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they went to East Hampton , responded

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to a report of smoke showing . It was

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fortunately canceled en route . 8 June ,

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another East Hampton responded to a

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building fire . Our crews performed

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fire extension searches and

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subsequently transitioned to

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establishing water supply to support

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defensive tower operations . 12 June ,

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East Hampton again . Responded to a

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report of smoke 14 June Southampton

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deployed as the rapid intervention team

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for a residential house fire and 29

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June Westfield . They provided the same

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rapid intervention team standby for

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commercial building fire . And then I

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do have a quote from our Lieutenant Dan

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SD . Our personnel provided mutual aid

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to local partners on 5 occasions ,

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ranging from active fire ground

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operations and rapid intervention team

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support to standby readiness ,

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reinforcing our integration with local

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emergency services . I think that's

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great . That's a great quote . But

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every month , every month they're out

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there supporting our community . Just

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another reason why it's good to be in

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Westfield because you've got our base

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supporting you . And that was a busy

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June too , it seemed like . So everyone

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please stay safe out there , be smart

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as we approach the summer months that

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get hotter and yeah . So then we are

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moving on to base . What do we do on

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the base ? All right , so this one was

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a good one , the patient

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decontamination course . This was

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actually the very first time that the

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Air National Guard has ever done this ,

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um , at a remote unit or as a remote

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team . Which I think is really awesome .

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Once again , the 104th is paving the

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way for training , paving the way for

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deployable combat-ready airmen , um ,

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as we do . Um , all of the

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participating units that we had in this

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training , we had the 103rd Airlift

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Wing , the 114th Fighter Wing , the

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150th Special Operations Wing , the 158

12:03.214 --> 12:05.650
Fighter Wing , and the 1 and the 161st

12:05.650 --> 12:08.080
Air Refueling Wing . Um , a little bit

12:08.080 --> 12:10.302
about patient decontamination . It is a

12:10.302 --> 12:12.524
nineteen-person unit type code designed

12:12.524 --> 12:14.636
to decontaminate patients before they

12:14.636 --> 12:16.413
enter a medical facility during

12:16.413 --> 12:18.580
chemical , biological , radiological ,

12:18.580 --> 12:20.913
or industrial contamination events . So ,

12:21.159 --> 12:23.559
um , A1C Oz Captain wrote an amazing

12:23.559 --> 12:25.281
story on this with some really

12:25.281 --> 12:27.281
captivating photos that really just

12:27.281 --> 12:29.115
shows all of the great work that

12:29.115 --> 12:31.170
everyone did and all of the training

12:31.170 --> 12:33.115
that everyone received . And um it

12:33.115 --> 12:35.170
really is great to be able to host a

12:35.170 --> 12:37.392
training at the wing , not just for our

12:37.392 --> 12:36.909
own barnstormers , but for everyone

12:36.909 --> 12:38.965
else around just so we can all share

12:38.965 --> 12:41.131
our experience , share our knowledge ,

12:41.131 --> 12:43.298
and get better as not just as a wing ,

12:43.298 --> 12:45.409
but as a , as an Air National Guard .

12:45.409 --> 12:47.631
That's great and uh it looks like Chief

12:47.631 --> 12:49.576
Mudi said if we can get the region

12:49.576 --> 12:51.687
ready , we will be a better asset . I

12:51.687 --> 12:53.909
could probably quote Chief Muty on just

12:53.909 --> 12:55.909
about anything he says because he's

12:55.909 --> 12:58.020
such a fun guy , but uh , he is , yes

12:58.020 --> 13:00.076
he is yeah . So , we got , oh , so I

13:00.076 --> 13:02.131
know that , uh , I've been attending

13:02.131 --> 13:04.242
these . We've also got Bible study on

13:04.242 --> 13:03.969
base . Um , I don't know if a lot of

13:03.969 --> 13:06.191
you guys know about this , but it's the

13:06.191 --> 13:08.302
first time I've ever attended a Bible

13:08.302 --> 13:10.413
study on base , and it has to do with

13:10.413 --> 13:12.525
our wonderful chaplains . We have two

13:12.525 --> 13:14.413
full-time , we have one full-time

13:14.413 --> 13:16.469
chaplain and another chaplain who is

13:16.469 --> 13:18.580
available all the time for us , which

13:18.580 --> 13:20.691
has been amazing . So he's been doing

13:20.691 --> 13:22.636
Bible study on Tuesdays in the LRS

13:22.636 --> 13:24.770
classroom , about 45 minutes long ,

13:24.979 --> 13:27.719
lunch is included . It's very , um ,

13:28.460 --> 13:30.460
it's very informal , but you get to

13:30.460 --> 13:32.571
watch a video , you take some notes .

13:32.571 --> 13:34.904
I've actually been taking all the notes .

13:34.904 --> 13:37.127
And the handouts and sending them to my

13:37.127 --> 13:39.182
son on the navy ship because even if

13:39.182 --> 13:41.182
you only go to part of the class or

13:41.182 --> 13:44.164
like I jumped in on class 4 , I'm not

13:44.164 --> 13:46.331
sure how many sessions this is , but I

13:46.331 --> 13:48.553
had missed quite a few in the beginning

13:48.553 --> 13:50.553
and every class is very good . It's

13:50.553 --> 13:52.775
very good . So I would highly recommend

13:52.775 --> 13:52.614
going to these classes and it is Panera

13:52.614 --> 13:54.614
lunch too , which is always great .

13:54.614 --> 13:56.892
Awesome . All right , what else we got ?

13:57.890 --> 14:00.001
Coms dexterity training , I believe ,

14:00.001 --> 14:03.340
yes . So this was on June 6th , and the

14:03.340 --> 14:05.809
purpose of this was , um , really just

14:05.809 --> 14:07.809
getting comfortable and familiar in

14:07.809 --> 14:10.010
your mop suit . Um , it is very

14:10.010 --> 14:12.177
difficult to move around in a mop suit

14:12.177 --> 14:14.343
and , um , airmen don't always wear it

14:14.343 --> 14:16.566
on the , on the daily . So it's good to

14:16.566 --> 14:18.621
get training in that and making sure

14:18.621 --> 14:20.843
that you can still be dexterous and you

14:20.843 --> 14:22.954
can still perform all of your mission

14:22.954 --> 14:25.232
needs while you are wearing this heavy ,

14:25.232 --> 14:27.454
kind of hard to maneuver in equipment .

14:27.454 --> 14:29.177
So they did a lot of different

14:29.177 --> 14:31.066
exercises and just general things

14:31.066 --> 14:33.177
around the base while wearing these ,

14:33.177 --> 14:32.549
and it was a really cool experience .

14:32.669 --> 14:35.049
Um , A1C Elijah Harris took some really

14:35.049 --> 14:37.270
cool photos of that , which are on our

14:37.989 --> 14:40.156
Divids and social pages if you want to

14:40.156 --> 14:42.211
check those out , so please do . Did

14:42.211 --> 14:44.156
you ever do chem gear in the Coast

14:44.156 --> 14:46.211
Guard ? Not chem gear , but like the

14:46.211 --> 14:48.869
firefighting suits . I would always fog

14:48.869 --> 14:50.980
up my mask within seconds and I could

14:50.980 --> 14:53.147
never see anything . I don't know what

14:53.147 --> 14:55.313
I was ever doing wrong , but oh , I've

14:55.313 --> 14:57.480
got so many pictures of me in the chem

14:57.480 --> 14:59.647
suit and , um , the big black gloves ,

14:59.647 --> 15:01.647
and you can't , your fingers become

15:01.647 --> 15:03.869
massive . You just think of like that ,

15:03.869 --> 15:06.036
that big marshmallow from Ghostbusters

15:06.036 --> 15:08.091
like . You're just , you're just big

15:08.091 --> 15:10.313
and you end up taking and typing with a

15:10.313 --> 15:12.440
pencil or a pen and just going , it's

15:12.440 --> 15:14.607
just very tedious and you definitely ,

15:14.607 --> 15:16.919
I mean , it , this practice is what you

15:16.919 --> 15:19.030
need to do , otherwise you would have

15:19.030 --> 15:20.863
no idea what you're doing . Even

15:20.863 --> 15:22.697
talking on a phone or on a radio

15:22.697 --> 15:24.752
through the voice transmitter , that

15:24.752 --> 15:26.697
can be difficult , drinking , uh ,

15:27.000 --> 15:29.167
drinking water through your canteen in

15:29.167 --> 15:31.333
the dresser , it's just , yeah , I , I

15:31.333 --> 15:33.556
hated it . It's probably the reason I'm

15:33.556 --> 15:35.778
retired , but it's why they do it . All

15:35.778 --> 15:38.510
right , uh , another fun one that , uh ,

15:38.520 --> 15:40.631
story that's come out that , um , you

15:40.631 --> 15:42.687
guys are gonna hear about in our air

15:42.687 --> 15:44.798
scoop and then soon in the socials is

15:44.798 --> 15:46.964
that our airfield management rescued a

15:46.964 --> 15:49.020
junior kestrel , which is a falcon ,

15:49.020 --> 15:51.440
such a fun story . He was so cute . Um ,

15:51.559 --> 15:53.726
just a little bit about that . This is

15:53.726 --> 15:55.781
our birdie here . He does not have a

15:55.781 --> 15:58.003
broken wing . I thought it was broken .

15:58.003 --> 16:00.115
It was just kind of sprained . Um , I

16:00.115 --> 16:02.281
don't want to ruin the story for you ,

16:02.281 --> 16:04.503
but we had an airman give up her jacket

16:04.503 --> 16:06.726
so that the bird could be comfortable .

16:06.726 --> 16:08.734
And we have a part , we have a

16:08.734 --> 16:11.015
full-time USDA biologist assigned to

16:11.015 --> 16:13.255
the 104th fighter wing who we worked

16:13.255 --> 16:15.414
with . Um , another part of the story

16:15.414 --> 16:17.794
was a guardsman used their , uh ,

16:18.125 --> 16:21.830
experience and , um , Just people he's

16:21.830 --> 16:23.830
worked with in the civilian side to

16:23.830 --> 16:26.200
help out with this military side rescue

16:26.200 --> 16:28.478
of this bird . So good story coming up .

16:28.760 --> 16:31.559
Have we named the castor yet ? So they

16:31.559 --> 16:33.337
were calling him Private Ryan .

16:34.119 --> 16:36.239
Rescuing Private Ryan is what the

16:36.239 --> 16:38.599
airman was calling him . Yeah , and

16:38.599 --> 16:40.599
more to come on that . Um , I do

16:40.599 --> 16:42.877
believe he , the Falcon will fly again ,

16:42.877 --> 16:44.932
correct ? And it is a male . He is a

16:44.932 --> 16:47.043
male , and , uh , right now he's with

16:47.043 --> 16:49.320
Tom McCarty at a Massachusetts rehab

16:49.320 --> 16:51.570
facility . Uh , I can't remember the

16:51.570 --> 16:53.681
Conway math or I can't remember where

16:53.681 --> 16:55.903
exactly it is . It's in the story , but

16:55.903 --> 16:58.126
I did find out that a vet looked at him

16:58.126 --> 17:00.126
and he's good to go . He's eating .

17:00.126 --> 17:02.348
He's already eating mice , and he moved

17:02.348 --> 17:04.237
from his , uh , his own cage to a

17:04.237 --> 17:06.348
bigger flying cage , and he is flying

17:06.348 --> 17:08.514
with 3 other female birds , living the

17:08.514 --> 17:10.459
life . Yes , and he will stay with

17:10.459 --> 17:12.737
those birds until about October . Well ,

17:12.737 --> 17:14.903
they will , they will release all 4 of

17:14.903 --> 17:17.014
them together . Very cool . So yeah ,

17:17.014 --> 17:16.410
it's very cool . I can't wait to see

17:16.410 --> 17:19.359
that . Speaking of our fire department ,

17:19.489 --> 17:22.260
we had Chief Larry Buell retire after ,

17:22.530 --> 17:24.697
do you know how many years ? Uh , he's

17:24.697 --> 17:26.930
been here since 1986 , so it's 30

17:26.930 --> 17:29.170
something years , maybe 30 years , 30 ,

17:29.270 --> 17:31.410
30 years , 30 years . Wow , wow , and

17:31.410 --> 17:33.521
he's still gonna be doing even more .

17:33.521 --> 17:35.688
He's going to continue to serve as the

17:35.688 --> 17:37.799
deputy chief , deputy fire chief as a

17:37.799 --> 17:40.021
civilian technician , but The amount of

17:40.021 --> 17:42.243
impact that I can only assume that he's

17:42.243 --> 17:44.410
had in those 30 years is just , yeah ,

17:44.410 --> 17:46.577
I know everyone over there looks up to

17:46.577 --> 17:46.280
him . Uh , he's just got a lot of

17:46.280 --> 17:48.447
experience . He's a really great guy ,

17:48.447 --> 17:50.669
really great guy , and that was on June

17:50.669 --> 17:52.724
8th . And thank you for everyone who

17:52.724 --> 17:54.780
posted comments on the Facebook page

17:54.780 --> 17:57.002
congratulating him . We love seeing the

17:57.002 --> 17:59.058
support of all of our barnstormers ,

17:59.058 --> 18:01.113
all of our civilian personnel . Um ,

18:01.113 --> 18:03.280
love reading all those comments , just

18:03.280 --> 18:02.989
thanking him for his service and all

18:02.989 --> 18:05.100
his hard work that he's done . Um , I

18:05.100 --> 18:07.378
know he , we all greatly appreciate it ,

18:07.378 --> 18:09.545
so please keep those coming . And then

18:09.545 --> 18:11.600
we had some promotions . All right .

18:11.600 --> 18:13.433
Yeah , the Lieutenant Walker was

18:13.433 --> 18:15.609
promoted to captain on June 18th , and

18:15.609 --> 18:18.689
then on June 24th , after 13 years in

18:18.689 --> 18:21.250
service , Master Sergeant Jamie White

18:21.250 --> 18:23.417
commissioned . Joining the dark side .

18:24.050 --> 18:26.609
No , no , she's awesome . She actually

18:26.609 --> 18:28.276
has her own legal practice in

18:28.276 --> 18:30.442
Connecticut , and that's quite a story

18:30.442 --> 18:32.553
too if you guys have a chance to read

18:32.553 --> 18:34.665
that one , but after , you know , Our

18:34.665 --> 18:36.729
base has been very , is the history

18:36.729 --> 18:38.896
that I've known of this base . They've

18:38.896 --> 18:41.118
always wanted to see the members pursue

18:41.118 --> 18:43.285
education and reach their goals and do

18:43.285 --> 18:45.340
things , you know , just outside the

18:45.340 --> 18:47.562
box . So they've always encouraged that

18:47.562 --> 18:49.729
education and , and , and leadership .

18:49.729 --> 18:51.951
So she's going to do great in our legal

18:51.951 --> 18:54.173
office . I agree . And then we've got ,

18:54.173 --> 18:56.285
oh , we've got this one's a big one .

18:56.285 --> 18:58.340
cookies . The Girl Scout cookies are

18:58.340 --> 19:00.285
here . So , hey guys and gals , if

19:00.285 --> 19:02.340
you've ever been here when we've had

19:02.340 --> 19:04.507
Girl Scout cookies , there's no way to

19:04.507 --> 19:04.400
move around that wellness center . Um ,

19:04.469 --> 19:06.691
and from what I've been told , when you

19:06.691 --> 19:08.802
go to the wellness center and you see

19:08.802 --> 19:08.719
the amount of cookies we have , that's

19:08.719 --> 19:10.608
just , that's just a little bit .

19:10.608 --> 19:12.663
They've got a lot more . It's all in

19:12.663 --> 19:14.663
other areas of the base . So , um ,

19:14.663 --> 19:16.775
they do have daily limits on how many

19:16.775 --> 19:18.886
you can take . That's a daily limit ,

19:18.886 --> 19:21.163
not a per person limit , um , but Yeah ,

19:21.189 --> 19:23.356
they've got all kinds . I did find out

19:23.430 --> 19:25.510
they're no longer making the s'mores

19:25.510 --> 19:27.910
one . Oh , no one liked that 10 , I

19:27.910 --> 19:30.069
love that one . I loved that was my

19:30.069 --> 19:32.236
favorite cookie . I actually , I'm not

19:32.236 --> 19:34.347
a big fan of the rest of them , but I

19:34.347 --> 19:36.569
love the s'mores cookies . There is one

19:36.569 --> 19:38.569
that's like a brownie . It's like a

19:38.569 --> 19:40.680
fudge brownie one , and I crumpled it

19:40.680 --> 19:39.989
up over Fourth of July and made a

19:39.989 --> 19:42.270
chocolate trifle with it , um , and

19:42.270 --> 19:44.381
that was good . That was good , but I

19:44.381 --> 19:46.437
do prefer the s'mores . I'll have to

19:46.437 --> 19:48.770
grab my tagons . Yeah , yep , yep , yep .

19:48.770 --> 19:50.826
All right . And then we hustle , and

19:50.826 --> 19:52.937
after you eat all of those Girl Scout

19:52.937 --> 19:55.103
cookies , please make sure to join our

19:55.103 --> 19:57.159
barnstormer Run Club . Yeah , that's

19:57.159 --> 19:59.381
still going on . Doesn't matter how hot

19:59.381 --> 20:01.492
or whatever , um , there's an app you

20:01.492 --> 20:03.880
can get a hold of , um , Pat Guani and ,

20:03.920 --> 20:06.142
uh , take a talk with him about the app

20:06.142 --> 20:08.309
that they're using to communicate when

20:08.309 --> 20:10.364
and where they have those clubs . So

20:10.364 --> 20:12.531
again , I still want that patch . That

20:12.531 --> 20:14.698
is because that's a cool patch , and I

20:14.698 --> 20:16.920
joined just to get the patch . I mean ,

20:16.920 --> 20:19.031
there's an incentive there . So , all

20:19.031 --> 20:18.959
right , what do we got going on in the

20:18.959 --> 20:21.349
community ? Um , we're a little slower

20:21.349 --> 20:23.750
in West in July , but we still have the

20:23.750 --> 20:25.806
aviation museum , has stuff going on

20:25.806 --> 20:27.806
every month . Don't forget , on the

20:27.806 --> 20:29.972
weekends they're usually open . It's a

20:29.972 --> 20:32.028
free museum to go to . It's a living

20:32.028 --> 20:34.028
museum . And on July 18th , they're

20:34.028 --> 20:36.194
going to do hot dog days and burgers .

20:36.194 --> 20:38.306
And again , it's all free . So you'll

20:38.306 --> 20:40.528
see someone from the 104th there . Um ,

20:40.528 --> 20:42.361
lots of times we'll have swag or

20:42.361 --> 20:44.583
something for sale , but at a minimum ,

20:44.583 --> 20:46.750
public affairs will be there , just to

20:46.750 --> 20:48.806
answer some of your questions , tell

20:48.806 --> 20:48.625
you guys what's going on , and , uh ,

20:48.714 --> 20:50.936
give you someone to talk to in person .

20:51.180 --> 20:53.849
And then we have the restoration

20:53.849 --> 20:56.089
advisory board meeting coming up on

20:56.089 --> 20:58.770
July 23rd . Uh , it's available to

20:58.770 --> 21:01.349
teams on teams , and anyone can attend .

21:01.689 --> 21:03.930
Yes , so typically they are both in

21:03.930 --> 21:06.152
person and in teams . I believe they're

21:06.152 --> 21:08.263
always at the Westfield . I can never

21:08.263 --> 21:10.486
say this word . Athenaeum . Athenaeum .

21:10.486 --> 21:12.869
Thank you . Um , but for the July 23rd

21:12.869 --> 21:15.147
1 , it will just be on Teams . However ,

21:15.147 --> 21:17.150
um , you don't have to be a RB

21:17.150 --> 21:19.150
restoration advisory board member .

21:19.150 --> 21:21.317
Anyone can join that , just looking to

21:21.317 --> 21:23.539
know more about all of our conservation

21:23.539 --> 21:25.650
and environmental restoration efforts

21:25.650 --> 21:27.483
within Westfield in the , in the

21:27.483 --> 21:29.594
greater community . So if you want to

21:29.594 --> 21:29.430
learn more about that , there is more

21:29.430 --> 21:31.486
information on our website . Um , if

21:31.486 --> 21:33.750
you are just listening to us , um , it

21:33.750 --> 21:37.630
is 104fw.N.AF.mil , and then you're

21:37.630 --> 21:39.908
gonna go over to our environmental tab .

21:40.500 --> 21:42.389
Sounds good . Awesome . Alright ,

21:42.389 --> 21:44.500
what's going on on base ? We got some

21:44.500 --> 21:46.778
stuff on base coming up coming on base .

21:46.778 --> 21:48.944
This is a really cool one that we just

21:48.944 --> 21:51.167
learned about coming up , um , Exercise

21:51.167 --> 21:53.500
Cyber Shield 2026 . This is the longest .

21:53.500 --> 21:55.790
The largest and longest running DOW

21:55.790 --> 21:58.150
unclassified cyber defense exercise

21:58.150 --> 22:01.459
that started in 2013 . The mission

22:01.459 --> 22:03.930
overall is to develop , train , and

22:03.930 --> 22:06.050
exercise cyber forces and computer

22:06.050 --> 22:08.030
network internal defense and cyber

22:08.030 --> 22:10.290
incident response , um , all things

22:10.290 --> 22:12.401
that go right over my head . So thank

22:12.401 --> 22:14.512
you to our comms guys for knowing all

22:14.512 --> 22:16.679
about that . Um , and this year , over

22:16.679 --> 22:18.846
800 National Guard soldiers , airmen ,

22:18.859 --> 22:20.915
and civilian experts are going to be

22:20.915 --> 22:23.026
participating from over 40 states and

22:23.026 --> 22:25.081
territories , as well as 5 different

22:25.081 --> 22:26.692
groups from all of our state

22:26.692 --> 22:28.637
partnership program . Wow , I just

22:28.637 --> 22:30.748
posted on the socials about our state

22:30.748 --> 22:32.915
partnerships . Um , you guys will have

22:32.915 --> 22:35.137
to take a look at that video from the ,

22:35.137 --> 22:37.303
uh , US National Guard . Uh , Facebook

22:37.303 --> 22:39.415
and Instagram sites , but we have two

22:39.415 --> 22:41.526
state partners , Kenya and Paraguay .

22:41.526 --> 22:43.748
Uh , oh goodness , I don't remember the

22:43.748 --> 22:45.859
dates , but , um , yeah , we have two

22:45.859 --> 22:45.709
state partners , Kenya and Paraguay .

22:46.119 --> 22:49.140
Um , and yeah , that's awesome . Calm

22:49.140 --> 22:51.251
has been , been really doing a lot of

22:51.251 --> 22:53.418
stuff . They are , and , um , I cannot

22:53.418 --> 22:56.329
wait to write and make up the story or

22:56.329 --> 22:58.551
not make up , I can't wait to write the

22:58.551 --> 23:00.607
story for that , um , that should be

23:00.607 --> 23:02.829
available by our next podcast . So when

23:02.829 --> 23:04.996
we get to episode 15 , you guys should

23:04.996 --> 23:07.051
be able to check out all that we did

23:07.051 --> 23:06.969
there . So looking forward to that .

23:07.250 --> 23:10.050
And fun fact , if you , uh , catch our

23:10.050 --> 23:12.290
air scoop and you , um , read the

23:12.290 --> 23:15.589
history section . Um , I just reposted

23:15.589 --> 23:18.189
an article from 1996 . It was done by

23:18.189 --> 23:20.411
Master Sergeant Paul Broadus , and he's

23:20.411 --> 23:22.522
talking about the troubles to getting

23:22.522 --> 23:24.689
the World Wide Web brought to the base

23:24.869 --> 23:27.036
and that the internet provider at that

23:27.036 --> 23:29.147
time was Hanscom Air Force Base . And

23:29.147 --> 23:31.910
that Y2K was gonna end it all , right ,

23:32.069 --> 23:34.125
right . I remember that . I remember

23:34.125 --> 23:36.291
staying up till midnight going , we're

23:36.291 --> 23:38.459
still here . We didn't flip . Do you

23:38.459 --> 23:40.570
know what that's from ? Uh , no , the

23:40.570 --> 23:42.903
blip . The blip . No . Avengers . It is ,

23:43.859 --> 23:45.915
yeah , when they blipped . Oh , OK .

23:45.915 --> 23:47.970
And you know what , now that you say

23:47.970 --> 23:47.880
that , I got you . Remember the , yeah ,

23:47.979 --> 23:49.923
OK . Speaking of , I can't wait to

23:49.923 --> 23:52.146
watch the next Spider-Man coming out in

23:52.146 --> 23:54.312
a couple of weeks . I hear you have to

23:54.312 --> 23:56.479
watch so many videos or my husband and

23:56.479 --> 23:56.160
my son said you have to watch so many

23:56.160 --> 23:58.540
prior just to catch up . Yeah , that's

23:58.540 --> 24:00.484
how they get you . Yeah , OK . All

24:00.484 --> 24:02.429
right . What's this other one ? PT

24:02.429 --> 24:05.020
uniforms . OK . Information's on the

24:05.020 --> 24:07.410
SharePoint . You can order new uniforms .

24:07.449 --> 24:09.393
If you don't have any . The legacy

24:09.393 --> 24:11.393
uniforms are what we were currently

24:11.393 --> 24:13.560
wearing for PT and , uh , you can wear

24:13.560 --> 24:16.739
them until April of 2029 . Um , the

24:16.739 --> 24:18.850
difference between the legacy and the

24:18.850 --> 24:21.099
current , or the , the new uniforms is

24:21.099 --> 24:23.640
just the material . Uh , also , you ,

24:23.719 --> 24:25.941
it's mandatory to wear PT uniforms when

24:25.941 --> 24:27.997
you're taking an official test , and

24:27.997 --> 24:30.163
that starts October 2026 . Thank you .

24:30.163 --> 24:32.330
And even just to go back to our Barnes

24:32.330 --> 24:34.441
Run Club , I know with the , with all

24:34.441 --> 24:36.497
the new tests and things coming up ,

24:36.497 --> 24:38.552
it's gonna be ever more important to

24:38.552 --> 24:40.663
stay fit and stay . Combat ready , so

24:40.663 --> 24:42.830
make sure that everyone is taking that

24:42.830 --> 24:44.997
seriously and exercising . I gotta get

24:44.997 --> 24:44.770
better at myself , but we're gonna get

24:44.770 --> 24:46.714
there . I gotta join that run club

24:46.714 --> 24:48.770
actually to get that patch too . All

24:48.770 --> 24:50.714
right , on July 15th , we have our

24:50.714 --> 24:53.030
alumni dinner , and the cost is $22 .

24:53.130 --> 24:55.297
It's at the Pioneer Valley Club . It ,

24:55.297 --> 24:57.519
you do have to register by July 10th in

24:57.519 --> 24:59.630
order to be able to eat at the alumni

24:59.630 --> 25:01.797
dinner . Just know that if you haven't

25:01.797 --> 25:03.797
gotten your tickets , you are still

25:03.797 --> 25:05.852
welcome to come and socialize . Um ,

25:05.852 --> 25:08.074
this one , they're doing raffles . Uh ,

25:08.074 --> 25:10.297
they have alumni merchandise . You want

25:10.297 --> 25:13.219
to reach out to , uh , Lenn Fregon at

25:13.219 --> 25:17.459
413-589-9157 .

25:18.000 --> 25:20.880
Or Tom Sandville at

25:20.880 --> 25:24.819
413-433-2529 .

25:25.079 --> 25:27.170
And you can also email the alumni

25:27.170 --> 25:30.520
104th@gmail.com or always ask us . You

25:30.520 --> 25:32.687
can , if you have a question about how

25:32.687 --> 25:35.020
to reach them or what's going on , just ,

25:35.020 --> 25:37.187
uh , leave us a comment on the podcast

25:37.187 --> 25:39.298
or call the base . The public affairs

25:39.298 --> 25:39.069
office can always direct you to the

25:39.069 --> 25:41.180
right spot on that one . Yes . Yeah ,

25:41.180 --> 25:43.513
we got one more thing going on . Lastly ,

25:43.513 --> 25:45.513
if you have any interest in being a

25:45.513 --> 25:47.680
resiliency training assistant , um , I

25:47.680 --> 25:49.625
know I spoke with Michelle Tarka a

25:49.625 --> 25:51.736
while ago about the RTA program , and

25:51.736 --> 25:53.736
it's really beneficial , and , um ,

25:53.736 --> 25:56.550
anytime you can help foster resiliency ,

25:56.599 --> 25:58.821
it's gonna be a good thing . It's gonna

25:58.821 --> 26:00.932
be a great way to not just strengthen

26:00.932 --> 26:02.988
yourself but strengthen those around

26:02.988 --> 26:05.043
you and strengthen everything around

26:05.043 --> 26:04.869
you . So if you have any interest in

26:04.869 --> 26:07.091
being a resiliency training assistant ,

26:07.091 --> 26:09.202
um , we do have a , there is going to

26:09.202 --> 26:12.949
be a . um , the classes are being held

26:12.949 --> 26:15.949
at Westover . Sorry , the classes are

26:15.949 --> 26:17.949
being held at Westover and they are

26:17.949 --> 26:19.949
opening it up to us . It's from the

26:19.949 --> 26:21.939
27th to the 29th of July . Master

26:21.939 --> 26:24.969
Sergeant Chua is the contact , and that

26:24.969 --> 26:25.920
phone number is

26:25.920 --> 26:29.880
413-557-3642 . You

26:29.880 --> 26:31.936
can reach out to them if you have an

26:31.936 --> 26:34.213
interest in that . Thank you very much .

26:34.479 --> 26:37.160
Oh , this is , this is a good 10 yes ,

26:37.239 --> 26:40.630
and we do have with our new upcoming

26:40.630 --> 26:42.686
mission , we do have our new mission

26:42.686 --> 26:44.908
statement , vision statement , and wing

26:44.908 --> 26:47.130
priorities . Mission statement , if you

26:47.130 --> 26:49.186
are unable to see the graphic here ,

26:49.186 --> 26:51.297
forge combat-ready airmen prepared to

26:51.297 --> 26:53.297
defend our nation and employ lethal

26:53.297 --> 26:55.463
F-35 airpower . Vision statement to be

26:55.463 --> 26:57.241
America's premier combat wing ,

26:57.241 --> 26:59.130
projecting decisive , unrelenting

26:59.130 --> 27:01.241
airpower across the spectrum of joint

27:01.241 --> 27:03.130
warfare . And our wing priorities

27:03.130 --> 27:05.069
develop elite airmen , optimize

27:05.069 --> 27:07.125
readiness and lethality , strengthen

27:07.125 --> 27:09.347
our partnerships , and drive continuous

27:09.347 --> 27:11.680
improvement . So now that these are out ,

27:11.680 --> 27:13.847
we have the groundwork and the pillars

27:13.847 --> 27:15.902
to continue to find the , the way to

27:15.902 --> 27:17.958
execute our mission . That's great .

27:17.958 --> 27:20.069
That's great . I think we just have a

27:20.069 --> 27:22.236
couple of reminders . Uh , we have our

27:22.236 --> 27:24.402
adult MFLC military family life , uh ,

27:24.402 --> 27:26.513
counselor that's available , um , for

27:26.513 --> 27:28.847
virtual via video or by phone , um , Ms .

27:28.847 --> 27:31.069
Beth Lanier . And she is available by ,

27:31.069 --> 27:32.736
um , you can call and make an

27:32.736 --> 27:36.689
appointment at 304-544-8729 .

27:37.030 --> 27:40.189
You can also email her at Lanier , L A

27:40.189 --> 27:43.959
N I E R B2@

27:44.670 --> 27:48.079
Magellan Federal.com . And this is

27:48.349 --> 27:50.829
available to all of our members and

27:50.829 --> 27:53.390
adult family members from 25 May to 22

27:53.390 --> 27:55.612
August . That's a really great resource

27:55.612 --> 27:57.560
to have right now . A lot of stuff

27:57.560 --> 27:59.616
going on . And then , uh , one other

27:59.616 --> 28:01.838
reminder from our safety office is that

28:01.838 --> 28:03.782
we are in the 101 critical days of

28:03.782 --> 28:06.239
summer . So just remember all of your

28:06.239 --> 28:08.239
safety reminders , you know , don't

28:08.239 --> 28:10.183
stay in the sun too long if you're

28:10.183 --> 28:12.350
going out on the jet skis , you know ,

28:12.350 --> 28:14.406
if it's hailing on the 4th of July .

28:14.406 --> 28:16.461
But there is a checklist that safety

28:16.461 --> 28:18.628
has provided us , um , and it is gonna

28:18.628 --> 28:20.739
be in the air scripts , you can check

28:20.739 --> 28:22.850
that out as well . Everyone be safe .

28:22.850 --> 28:24.906
Yeah , so we are gonna take a little

28:24.906 --> 28:27.128
break and come back with our chaplain .

28:27.128 --> 28:27.880
Woo , yay .

28:32.500 --> 28:36.160
Look . At the same time .

28:37.219 --> 28:39.441
Better yet , run , run , go hit a lip .

28:39.839 --> 28:40.839
we do

28:59.199 --> 29:02.089
Welcome back . Welcome back . And this

29:02.089 --> 29:05.130
is our 104 Spider Wing chaplain Travose

29:05.130 --> 29:07.130
Weaver . Thank you for being here .

29:07.130 --> 29:09.297
Thank you . I'm excited to be here for

29:09.297 --> 29:11.352
sure . Yeah , so I , uh , I've known

29:11.352 --> 29:13.630
you since you've started with the unit ,

29:13.630 --> 29:16.390
um , and , um , what year was that ? It

29:16.390 --> 29:20.050
was in 2018 . It's hard to believe it's

29:20.050 --> 29:22.106
been that long . I'd love for you to

29:22.106 --> 29:24.290
tell us just a quick story of how you

29:24.290 --> 29:26.729
decided to join the unit . And then

29:26.729 --> 29:28.840
very quickly you were thrown into the

29:28.840 --> 29:31.050
COVID epidemic and you were on orders

29:31.050 --> 29:33.328
for that . Um , but let's hear how you ,

29:33.328 --> 29:35.383
um , you started your journey here .

29:35.383 --> 29:37.494
Yes , yes , most definitely . There's

29:37.494 --> 29:39.606
so much going on . I tell people when

29:39.606 --> 29:41.606
I'm when I'm wearing the the US Air

29:41.606 --> 29:44.569
Force military uniform , uh , I really

29:44.569 --> 29:46.736
think about my mother . I grew up in a

29:46.736 --> 29:48.847
single parent environment . My mother

29:48.847 --> 29:51.069
joined the Air Force , uh , she grew up

29:51.069 --> 29:53.920
in rural or somewhat rural southwest

29:53.920 --> 29:56.739
Georgia . And she was trying to get

29:56.739 --> 29:59.260
away from a difficult situation , if

29:59.260 --> 30:01.739
you will , and the military was her

30:01.739 --> 30:04.099
ticket out of a difficult environment ,

30:04.140 --> 30:06.380
a community that she wanted to get out

30:06.380 --> 30:08.699
of and and it ended up being the best ,

30:08.739 --> 30:10.739
one of the best decisions she could

30:10.739 --> 30:12.683
ever make . Your mother was in the

30:12.683 --> 30:14.961
military ? Your mother , single parent ,

30:14.961 --> 30:17.183
mom , Air Force , 20 year medic . Wow ,

30:17.183 --> 30:19.239
I never knew that . Oh , what a role

30:19.239 --> 30:21.461
model . So she was already a single mom

30:21.461 --> 30:23.795
and then joined . Yes , most definitely .

30:25.310 --> 30:27.390
So I , uh , she deployed at Desert

30:27.390 --> 30:29.989
Storm . During that time , I think she

30:29.989 --> 30:32.910
gave power of attorney to a friend that

30:32.910 --> 30:34.910
took care of us and I remember that

30:34.910 --> 30:37.077
that moment vividly during that time .

30:37.229 --> 30:39.469
So yeah , I , um , a lot of people

30:39.469 --> 30:41.413
don't know that , but yes , single

30:41.413 --> 30:43.469
parents can join the military , um ,

30:43.469 --> 30:46.000
but you do have to give up . Um , you

30:46.000 --> 30:47.889
have to give power of attorney to

30:47.889 --> 30:49.944
somebody to take care of your kids .

30:49.944 --> 30:52.000
It's also the same thing if you're a

30:52.000 --> 30:51.709
dual parent . If both of you are in the

30:51.709 --> 30:53.765
military , you have to give somebody

30:53.765 --> 30:55.876
power of attorney to take care of the

30:55.876 --> 30:57.820
children . That's , and she did 20

30:57.820 --> 30:59.876
years . Oh , I'm already so proud of

30:59.876 --> 31:01.987
her . Oh , and she was a medic in the

31:01.987 --> 31:04.153
Air Force , in the US Air Force . Oh ,

31:04.153 --> 31:06.320
that's awesome , yeah . So I'm so , so

31:06.320 --> 31:08.542
proud of her and Uh , to be honest with

31:08.542 --> 31:11.900
you , uh , I kind of had military as an

31:11.900 --> 31:14.390
option for , for in , in life , and ,

31:14.520 --> 31:16.631
but I didn't pull that card out until

31:16.631 --> 31:18.742
later in my upper 30s , and I thought

31:18.742 --> 31:21.030
I'm not getting any younger . Um , what

31:21.030 --> 31:23.489
would it look like to serve myself and

31:23.790 --> 31:25.957
kind of walk a little bit , experience

31:25.957 --> 31:27.957
a little bit of what my mother went

31:27.957 --> 31:27.530
through , and I think about her often .

31:28.069 --> 31:30.750
And I , I , I swore in and made that

31:30.750 --> 31:33.430
oath of office . It's just been amazing

31:33.430 --> 31:35.430
and it just seems like it's part of

31:35.670 --> 31:38.430
God's providence . Is your mom still

31:38.430 --> 31:41.189
around ? She is . Oh , I'd love to meet

31:41.189 --> 31:43.430
her today . Is she in Georgia ? She is

31:43.430 --> 31:45.541
Southwest Georgia , yeah , yeah . She

31:45.541 --> 31:47.763
might actually be coming to visit . The

31:47.763 --> 31:49.986
104th in the spring of 2027 . That'd be

31:49.986 --> 31:52.041
a great story . It would be . Oh , I

31:52.041 --> 31:54.319
would love to . Oh , I would love that .

31:54.319 --> 31:56.541
We do have , I don't know if you can go

31:56.541 --> 31:58.763
to the photos . We do have a picture of

31:58.763 --> 31:58.420
you when you swore in . There's you

31:58.420 --> 32:00.364
with your family and look at those

32:00.364 --> 32:02.309
babies . It's so cute . You have 4

32:02.309 --> 32:05.550
children . Um , we go back to the other

32:05.550 --> 32:08.229
screen . You have 4 children , 3 girls

32:08.229 --> 32:11.949
and a little boy . Um , so yeah , so

32:11.949 --> 32:14.390
then , um , your journey jumped in real

32:14.390 --> 32:17.510
fast . Uh , you got , um , you got

32:17.640 --> 32:21.270
ordered to support COVID mission . That

32:21.270 --> 32:23.437
was tough . That was about 1 year into

32:23.437 --> 32:25.270
it . That's about right . That's

32:25.270 --> 32:27.048
exactly right . That , that was

32:27.048 --> 32:29.159
challenging . It's funny . I , I work

32:29.159 --> 32:28.930
for the , I'm a civilian in the

32:28.930 --> 32:31.208
Department of Corrections , a chaplain .

32:31.208 --> 32:33.208
And the DOC and they uh asked us to

32:33.208 --> 32:36.170
remain home during the the onset of uh

32:36.170 --> 32:38.770
as COVID was hitting and um we had the

32:38.770 --> 32:40.937
pandemic , the surge . It's funny , so

32:40.937 --> 32:42.937
I'm at home , detached , you know ,

32:43.099 --> 32:45.920
told to stay home and then , uh , such

32:45.920 --> 32:48.031
is life of a guardsman , I received a

32:48.031 --> 32:50.253
call from the chief at the time and she

32:50.253 --> 32:52.729
said the situation at the Holyoke

32:52.729 --> 32:54.840
Soldiers' Home , that was the name of

32:54.840 --> 32:56.896
the facility at the time , is dire .

32:56.896 --> 32:58.951
There's no one there . And we need a

32:58.951 --> 33:00.785
chaplain . And I thought , oh my

33:00.785 --> 33:02.951
goodness , I've been told to stay home

33:02.951 --> 33:05.750
but the guard is telling me to go and I

33:05.750 --> 33:07.949
reluctantly , I admittedly I was

33:07.949 --> 33:10.109
dealing with a little bit of concern

33:10.109 --> 33:11.887
about what was going on , but I

33:11.887 --> 33:14.349
reluctantly agreed to go and uh I'm so

33:14.349 --> 33:17.229
glad that I went and that we had an

33:17.229 --> 33:19.562
amazing team , one of 4th and the other ,

33:19.562 --> 33:21.562
it was a joint domestic operation ,

33:21.619 --> 33:23.730
worked with other chaplains that were

33:23.730 --> 33:25.952
absolutely amazing on the from the army

33:25.952 --> 33:27.930
as well . Just ended up being a

33:27.930 --> 33:30.260
difficult experience but a learning

33:30.260 --> 33:31.982
experience . What an honorable

33:31.982 --> 33:34.149
opportunity to serve our veterans that

33:34.149 --> 33:36.149
were that we're dealing with such a

33:36.149 --> 33:38.260
difficult , difficult season in their

33:38.260 --> 33:40.371
lives . Yes , I agree . You mentioned

33:40.371 --> 33:42.427
what you do for a civilian . Tell us

33:42.427 --> 33:44.593
more about that . Yes , yes , yes . So

33:44.593 --> 33:46.260
I serve as a chaplain for the

33:46.260 --> 33:48.204
Department of Corrections . I'm at

33:48.204 --> 33:50.260
Shirley Medium Security Prison right

33:50.260 --> 33:52.316
next to Susan Baranowski . A maximum

33:52.316 --> 33:54.371
security facility . So I work in the

33:54.371 --> 33:56.538
medium security . Where is this ? This

33:56.538 --> 33:58.482
is in Shirley , right next to Fort

33:58.482 --> 34:00.593
Devens . Is it Connecticut ? It is in

34:00.593 --> 34:02.760
Massachusetts . Oh yeah , yeah . Wow .

34:02.969 --> 34:06.689
Um , so you also have a degree .

34:06.890 --> 34:09.057
Yes . What's your degree in , and it's

34:09.057 --> 34:10.834
a doctorate . Yes , yes , yes ,

34:10.850 --> 34:13.090
Doctorate of ministry and focused

34:13.090 --> 34:16.239
specifically in chaplaincy . Oh , OK .

34:16.719 --> 34:18.775
There's a picture of you there . Jay

34:18.775 --> 34:20.639
and I had to look up you learned

34:20.639 --> 34:24.580
something new today . I had to Google

34:24.580 --> 34:27.639
what does an octagon graduation mean

34:27.639 --> 34:29.695
for a doctoral degree . So every day

34:29.695 --> 34:32.280
you learn something new . That's

34:32.280 --> 34:34.439
amazing though . Yeah . And what kind

34:34.439 --> 34:37.419
of things do you do at the prison ? Yes ,

34:37.560 --> 34:39.449
yeah , so it's , it's interesting

34:39.449 --> 34:41.504
working in the prison environment is

34:41.504 --> 34:43.727
like being deployed . Except you get to

34:43.727 --> 34:47.120
go home every night . Um , and it , it

34:47.120 --> 34:50.219
really is a a grand opportunity to work

34:50.219 --> 34:52.497
with individuals that are incarcerated .

34:52.729 --> 34:55.719
Really it's , it's a door in a what

34:55.719 --> 34:58.540
would be an invisible world to most of

34:58.800 --> 35:00.967
those that are outside the the fence ,

35:00.967 --> 35:03.320
if you will , um , and so much of the

35:03.320 --> 35:05.949
ministry that takes place is uh is

35:05.949 --> 35:09.350
outside of Um , access to most people

35:09.610 --> 35:12.129
and I'm able to bring hope and uh share

35:12.129 --> 35:15.290
the gospel to those that otherwise feel

35:15.290 --> 35:17.512
the weight of rejection , the weight of

35:17.512 --> 35:19.568
guilt , the weight of condemnation .

35:19.568 --> 35:21.457
Maybe in some ways they feel like

35:21.457 --> 35:23.623
they're looked upon as just a number .

35:23.623 --> 35:25.679
Um , and then you have this chaplain

35:25.679 --> 35:27.846
coming in saying there's hope , saying

35:27.846 --> 35:30.012
there that this doesn't have to be the

35:30.012 --> 35:32.123
end , this doesn't have to be the end

35:32.123 --> 35:34.346
of your story , and you can reconcile ,

35:34.346 --> 35:34.300
you can seek out forgiveness , you can

35:34.300 --> 35:36.550
receive forgiveness , and that we've

35:36.550 --> 35:38.772
all fallen short , you know , we've all

35:38.772 --> 35:40.939
made mistakes and some of us have made

35:40.939 --> 35:42.939
terrible mistakes , we just haven't

35:42.939 --> 35:44.939
been caught yet and and such was my

35:44.939 --> 35:47.106
story growing up single parent . I was

35:47.106 --> 35:49.272
fighting , I had a bad temper and Um ,

35:49.272 --> 35:51.272
on the wrong track and really was a

35:51.272 --> 35:53.161
chaplain . There were a number of

35:53.161 --> 35:55.383
chaplains that invested in my life that

35:55.580 --> 35:57.747
that in a way they fathered me , I , I

35:57.747 --> 36:00.024
guess I could say in their own way and ,

36:00.024 --> 36:02.136
and now I'm one of them . And so it's

36:02.136 --> 36:04.191
great to see ministry take place not

36:04.191 --> 36:06.413
only at the DOC but the military , they

36:06.413 --> 36:08.413
work , they work so well together .

36:08.413 --> 36:10.524
Yeah , I remember when you were going

36:10.524 --> 36:12.580
through college , um , you're at the

36:12.580 --> 36:14.989
end and I remember you telling me that

36:15.330 --> 36:17.274
you wanted to be a chaplain in the

36:17.274 --> 36:19.679
prisons that didn't just hang out in

36:19.679 --> 36:21.901
the church . You wanted to be playing .

36:21.901 --> 36:24.123
Basketball with them . You wanted to be

36:24.123 --> 36:26.346
working out with them and you wanted to

36:26.346 --> 36:28.401
live like live with them , do things

36:28.401 --> 36:27.620
with them . You didn't want them to

36:27.620 --> 36:29.676
have to have a reason to come to the

36:29.676 --> 36:31.342
church to talk to you . Yes ,

36:31.342 --> 36:33.342
decentralized ministry . So is that

36:33.342 --> 36:35.453
what you're doing ? It is . It's very

36:35.453 --> 36:37.509
decentralized , such as the guard in

36:37.509 --> 36:39.231
the National Guard . It's very

36:39.231 --> 36:41.231
decentralized . In other words , we

36:41.231 --> 36:40.979
don't wait for people to come to the

36:40.979 --> 36:43.860
chapel to find the chaplains . We go

36:43.860 --> 36:46.027
out where they are . So it's very much

36:46.027 --> 36:48.760
embedded ministry and Um , and it's ,

36:48.879 --> 36:52.000
it's , it's amazing . I , I , I signed

36:52.000 --> 36:54.167
my letters . I had this statement that

36:54.167 --> 36:56.278
I make it into my letters that says ,

36:56.278 --> 36:58.333
uh , doing time with you , um , this

36:58.333 --> 37:00.556
idea that I'm not here just to clock in

37:00.556 --> 37:02.722
and out , I'm not here just to collect

37:02.722 --> 37:04.889
a retirement check , but , um , I look

37:04.889 --> 37:06.833
at this as a vocation , not just a

37:06.833 --> 37:09.111
position , and I'm doing time with you .

37:09.111 --> 37:11.167
I'm living with you . I'm in a sense

37:11.167 --> 37:13.333
I'm with them and Um , and they , they

37:13.333 --> 37:15.278
realized , ah , you're with us but

37:15.278 --> 37:17.444
you're not really doing time , but you

37:17.444 --> 37:19.778
know what , we appreciate the fact that ,

37:19.778 --> 37:21.889
um , That in another sense you really

37:21.889 --> 37:24.080
are with us and that resonates with

37:24.080 --> 37:26.191
them for sure . Yeah , that's so much

37:26.191 --> 37:28.358
of what you do with our base as well .

37:28.360 --> 37:30.582
You're , you're out . Our chaplain team

37:30.582 --> 37:32.693
is the best I've ever seen since I've

37:32.693 --> 37:34.860
been on this base , um , and I've been

37:34.860 --> 37:37.027
here for a while . They , you guys are

37:37.027 --> 37:38.804
just everywhere and involved in

37:38.804 --> 37:40.916
everything and you're so friendly and

37:40.916 --> 37:42.971
everybody's just , and you could see

37:42.971 --> 37:42.879
from all the pictures that we have here ,

37:42.959 --> 37:45.399
there's a smile on every face . Every

37:45.399 --> 37:47.399
picture we have of you , you've got

37:47.399 --> 37:49.510
this great smile , but I know Jay had

37:49.510 --> 37:51.732
some questions about some of the recent

37:51.732 --> 37:53.677
exercises you've done . Yeah , and

37:53.677 --> 37:53.530
before we get to that , I was just

37:53.530 --> 37:55.586
going to add on to that . Like every

37:55.586 --> 37:57.919
time that we speak or I see you on base ,

37:57.919 --> 37:59.919
you always have just such a calming

37:59.919 --> 38:02.086
demeanor , and it's very , it makes me

38:02.086 --> 38:04.409
just feel safer , and I feel like , you

38:04.409 --> 38:06.576
know , that's just directly correlated

38:06.576 --> 38:08.631
between like your civilian job and ,

38:08.631 --> 38:10.742
you know , potentially being deployed

38:10.742 --> 38:12.965
downrange where you need to kind of use

38:12.965 --> 38:14.965
those same skills and those , those

38:14.965 --> 38:17.020
same qualities . So that's , I think

38:17.020 --> 38:19.298
that's amazing . Like curio . But yeah ,

38:19.298 --> 38:21.409
um , we definitely want to talk about

38:21.409 --> 38:23.409
the medical IRT . I did tease those

38:23.409 --> 38:25.187
numbers before , 1.5 million in

38:25.320 --> 38:27.879
estimated care . Um , yeah , can you

38:27.879 --> 38:29.935
just talk a little bit about kind of

38:29.935 --> 38:32.046
what your purpose was there , kind of

38:32.046 --> 38:34.157
like what you saw , like all like the

38:34.157 --> 38:36.157
care that was provided ? Yes , most

38:36.157 --> 38:36.090
definitely . It was an amazing

38:36.090 --> 38:38.312
experience , the innovation , readiness

38:38.312 --> 38:40.423
training , and of course the chaplain

38:40.423 --> 38:42.590
we support number one readiness on the

38:42.590 --> 38:44.969
IRT . We support wellness , more

38:44.969 --> 38:47.229
specifically medical wellness as well .

38:47.610 --> 38:49.800
That side of force protection . We're

38:49.800 --> 38:51.744
there to advise leadership . We're

38:51.744 --> 38:53.967
there to collaborate with the community

38:53.967 --> 38:55.744
based on the regulation and the

38:55.744 --> 38:57.800
commander's intent for that specific

38:57.800 --> 38:59.856
mission . So we're there for that as

38:59.856 --> 39:01.967
well , and to take care of airmen and

39:01.967 --> 39:04.022
to protect their right of freedom of

39:04.022 --> 39:05.689
worship regardless of faith ,

39:05.689 --> 39:07.911
regardless of background , even if they

39:07.911 --> 39:10.022
choose not to , not to worship or not

39:10.022 --> 39:12.078
to practice , we're there to protect

39:12.078 --> 39:14.411
and support them . And so it was a very ,

39:14.411 --> 39:16.633
very amazing experience and interesting

39:16.633 --> 39:18.800
thing is , is that in another sense it

39:18.800 --> 39:20.689
is real world , it's a real world

39:20.689 --> 39:22.800
mission , but it also prepares us for

39:22.800 --> 39:24.911
what it would look like in a deployed

39:24.911 --> 39:27.244
environment , Oconnus more specifically ,

39:27.244 --> 39:29.133
and so it was , it was terrific ,

39:29.133 --> 39:31.830
tremendous opportunity . Yeah , that's

39:31.830 --> 39:33.719
just the volume , I mean , almost

39:33.719 --> 39:35.941
20,000 patients . I mean that's amazing

39:35.941 --> 39:38.163
and I spoke with Sheikh Muti about this

39:38.163 --> 39:40.330
and he would He would make a testament

39:40.330 --> 39:42.608
to say even when the doors would close ,

39:42.608 --> 39:44.941
that's not when the care stopped . Yeah ,

39:44.941 --> 39:44.939
you guys continued to work , you know ,

39:45.030 --> 39:47.252
doing all the paperwork and cleaning up

39:47.252 --> 39:49.308
and , and getting ready for the next

39:49.308 --> 39:51.419
day and then , um , yeah , that was a

39:51.419 --> 39:53.641
great , um , also you tell us about the

39:53.641 --> 39:56.260
Bible study classes . Oh yes . Oh yeah ,

39:56.379 --> 39:59.229
yeah . So , uh , so basically part of

39:59.229 --> 40:02.459
my role is providing , uh , or creating

40:02.459 --> 40:05.090
a space for people to connect with God .

40:05.459 --> 40:07.681
And whether they , if they choose to or

40:07.681 --> 40:09.848
not , it's totally up to them , but at

40:09.848 --> 40:12.070
their choosing , one of the ways that I

40:12.070 --> 40:13.903
fleshed this out was providing a

40:13.903 --> 40:16.015
morning devotional . We would do that

40:16.015 --> 40:15.780
each morning and the numbers would

40:15.780 --> 40:17.780
continue to grow , which was really

40:17.780 --> 40:19.947
neat , and we grew closer together and

40:19.947 --> 40:21.947
closer to God . We talked about the

40:21.947 --> 40:24.113
warrior ethos . We know from Secretary

40:24.113 --> 40:26.224
Heckseth , we understand there's this

40:26.224 --> 40:28.479
warrior ethos , the ethos of the

40:28.479 --> 40:30.368
warfighter . We hear this type of

40:30.368 --> 40:32.423
language , and I thought , what does

40:32.423 --> 40:34.146
that look like from a biblical

40:34.146 --> 40:36.146
perspective ? What does the warrior

40:36.146 --> 40:38.312
ethos look like biblically ? And so we

40:38.312 --> 40:40.257
unpacked that together , which was

40:40.257 --> 40:42.312
super neat . And then in addition to

40:42.312 --> 40:44.312
that we also had a Sunday morning ,

40:44.312 --> 40:46.669
Sunday evening service that we had and

40:46.669 --> 40:48.780
we had an incredible amount of people

40:48.780 --> 40:51.113
that showed up , even the OIC showed up ,

40:51.113 --> 40:53.225
hats off to Colonel Perazza , she was

40:53.225 --> 40:55.280
amazing . She showed up and we had a

40:55.280 --> 40:57.391
number of personnel that were there ,

40:57.391 --> 40:59.613
it was tremendous . But let me tell you

40:59.613 --> 41:01.891
this really quickly is that I think Uh ,

41:01.891 --> 41:04.058
as encouraging as that was , um , what

41:04.058 --> 41:06.113
really contributed to morale was not

41:06.113 --> 41:08.280
only that the spiritual dynamic of the

41:08.280 --> 41:10.520
IRT , but seeing medical personnel ,

41:10.850 --> 41:14.810
dental , optometry , audiology , I mean ,

41:14.919 --> 41:17.141
it was just absolutely amazing . One of

41:17.141 --> 41:19.197
the testimonies that came out of the

41:19.197 --> 41:21.308
IRT was one lady who had , you know ,

41:21.489 --> 41:23.711
tough stuff was going on with her teeth

41:23.711 --> 41:26.340
and And we restored her teeth and she

41:26.340 --> 41:28.500
said she cried and she said , I can

41:28.500 --> 41:32.500
smile again . oh my goodness , woo .

41:34.370 --> 41:36.969
So that's , I would say , incarnate

41:36.969 --> 41:38.858
they may not , the airmen may not

41:38.858 --> 41:40.802
realize it or not , the army , the

41:40.802 --> 41:42.802
airmen , navy sails sailors may not

41:42.802 --> 41:44.747
realize it , but that is a form of

41:44.747 --> 41:46.969
ministry . It's a form of incarnational

41:46.969 --> 41:49.080
ministry that I had to remind them of

41:49.080 --> 41:51.270
that matters . And we spoke a little

41:51.270 --> 41:53.492
bit about that once I saw you last week

41:53.492 --> 41:55.603
and you were saying that how It's not

41:55.603 --> 41:57.989
always easy for airmen just to see the

41:57.989 --> 42:00.100
immediate impact that they're able to

42:00.100 --> 42:02.322
make in their community . So for airmen

42:02.322 --> 42:04.545
to be able to , you know , actually put

42:04.545 --> 42:06.830
these numbers to actual paper or , you

42:06.830 --> 42:08.608
know , to actual experience and

42:08.608 --> 42:10.608
actually see firsthand . You know ,

42:10.608 --> 42:12.774
doing good in the community and having

42:12.774 --> 42:15.108
this impact on all these people's lives ,

42:15.108 --> 42:17.274
it's really amazing . Yes , yes , most

42:17.274 --> 42:19.739
definitely , and I think like for the

42:19.750 --> 42:22.290
one of the few times since I've served

42:22.469 --> 42:25.409
that I saw the way from my perspective

42:26.074 --> 42:28.834
How morale boosting that was to feel

42:28.834 --> 42:31.001
like wow , we're wearing the uniform ,

42:31.001 --> 42:33.112
we're contributing to life . Like the

42:33.112 --> 42:35.334
military is not just about , you know ,

42:35.334 --> 42:37.824
war , um , but it's about helping ,

42:38.004 --> 42:39.948
especially within the Air National

42:39.948 --> 42:41.948
Guard , it's there's a humanitarian

42:41.948 --> 42:43.671
component to it that that just

42:43.671 --> 42:45.893
encourages people . Right , yeah , it's

42:45.893 --> 42:45.844
all about when you're with the Air

42:45.844 --> 42:49.820
National Guard . So you also have the

42:49.820 --> 42:52.719
Bible studies on bass . So we're doing

42:52.719 --> 42:55.639
that . Um , Tell us how that got put

42:55.639 --> 42:57.861
out there . Yes , yes , yeah . Chaplain

42:57.861 --> 42:59.695
Karoo is absolutely amazing wing

42:59.695 --> 43:01.917
chaplain , and I've thought about doing

43:01.917 --> 43:04.028
a Bible study before , but I remember

43:04.028 --> 43:06.195
when Chaplain Carollo said Uh , if you

43:06.195 --> 43:08.306
want to do a Bible study , you know ,

43:08.306 --> 43:10.639
you can do it . It's like , oh , we can ,

43:10.639 --> 43:10.229
we can use to , we can do a Bible study

43:10.229 --> 43:12.451
and even have food , you know , furnish

43:12.451 --> 43:14.673
it , if you will , quote unquote , with

43:14.673 --> 43:16.840
food , you know , and , uh , so we did

43:16.840 --> 43:19.007
a Bible study , we've done it a number

43:19.007 --> 43:21.062
of times before , second one I think

43:21.062 --> 43:23.173
that we've done to the book of . Show

43:23.173 --> 43:25.340
and it's just amazing . It's amazing .

43:25.340 --> 43:27.229
We have from enlisted to officers

43:27.229 --> 43:29.524
coming , pilots and airmen , yeah .

43:29.764 --> 43:32.034
It's amazing . It's a great group .

43:32.405 --> 43:34.405
Yeah , I really enjoyed it and it's

43:34.405 --> 43:36.645
only about 45 , rough , give or take 45

43:36.645 --> 43:39.804
minutes and um people really enjoy it

43:39.804 --> 43:41.804
and we're growing closer together ,

43:41.955 --> 43:44.290
growing closer to God . It's an amazing

43:44.290 --> 43:46.457
experience and thank you for coming as

43:46.457 --> 43:48.734
well . Oh , I know , I love it , and I ,

43:48.734 --> 43:50.846
I do feel guilty that I can't go more

43:50.846 --> 43:53.068
often , but I also am appreciative that

43:53.068 --> 43:55.739
I can show up when I can and still get

43:55.739 --> 43:59.179
so much out of it . Um , for those that

43:59.600 --> 44:01.600
You know , read their Bible and are

44:01.600 --> 44:03.656
interested in , in Bible studies and

44:03.656 --> 44:05.878
things like that . This is just a great

44:05.878 --> 44:05.760
opportunity to have for us , um , and ,

44:05.840 --> 44:08.439
and there's , we had almost 20 in one

44:08.439 --> 44:10.929
of your classes . So , uh , I'm not by

44:10.929 --> 44:12.929
myself with this . There's a lot of

44:12.929 --> 44:14.985
people who think the same way . Um ,

44:14.985 --> 44:17.020
yeah , so I appreciate that . Um ,

44:17.439 --> 44:19.550
let's see what else . Uh , we got any

44:19.550 --> 44:21.717
events coming up . Yes , I did want to

44:21.717 --> 44:23.939
put a quick plug in for clergy day tour

44:23.939 --> 44:26.161
and ask you a little bit about . I know

44:26.161 --> 44:28.383
last year we had a clergy day tour that

44:28.383 --> 44:30.550
was really effective that yourself and

44:30.550 --> 44:32.772
Chaplain John Kaolla did a great job in

44:32.772 --> 44:34.995
kind of hosting and organizing . Talk a

44:34.995 --> 44:37.217
little bit about Clergy day tour and um

44:37.217 --> 44:39.383
if someone is hearing this that thinks

44:39.383 --> 44:41.439
they might want to participate , how

44:41.439 --> 44:43.495
they can go about doing that . Yes ,

44:43.495 --> 44:45.606
yes , most definitely . Yeah , the uh

44:45.606 --> 44:45.489
the clergy day is very , very

44:45.489 --> 44:47.729
purposeful . We had a wonderful tour

44:47.729 --> 44:50.360
last time and it's really a way to

44:50.360 --> 44:53.000
bridge the relationship between the

44:53.000 --> 44:55.649
folks on base in terms of our military

44:55.649 --> 44:58.290
personnel and more specifically in

44:58.290 --> 45:00.457
terms of the work we do as chaplains ,

45:00.457 --> 45:02.512
the ministry we do as chaplains with

45:02.512 --> 45:04.734
the ministry . The great work that many

45:04.734 --> 45:06.790
of our clergy are doing as civilians

45:06.790 --> 45:08.957
outside the base as well . And so it's

45:08.957 --> 45:11.300
a great way to bridge that gap , um ,

45:11.330 --> 45:13.386
and so that's the idea and it really

45:13.386 --> 45:15.386
helps boost readiness , not just in

45:15.386 --> 45:17.497
terms of our military readiness , but

45:17.497 --> 45:19.719
what does it look like for our city and

45:19.719 --> 45:21.774
our town and our state to be ready ,

45:21.774 --> 45:23.830
God forbid , in case of some type of

45:24.290 --> 45:26.300
some type of event , the real world

45:26.300 --> 45:28.649
event that impacts the homeland and so

45:28.649 --> 45:30.371
it's very purposeful . It also

45:30.371 --> 45:32.889
demystifiess . Uh , what we do as

45:32.889 --> 45:36.209
chaplains , uh , inside the gate and

45:36.209 --> 45:38.265
what not just us as chaplains , what

45:38.265 --> 45:40.376
our airmen are doing , the great work

45:40.376 --> 45:40.330
they're doing , it gives an opportunity

45:40.330 --> 45:42.729
to meet the colonel and perhaps even

45:42.729 --> 45:45.340
Colonel Glass if he were available , um ,

45:45.449 --> 45:47.616
you know , they get the opportunity to

45:47.616 --> 45:49.671
possibly within reason they might be

45:49.671 --> 45:51.782
able to see the jets and , and , um ,

45:51.782 --> 45:53.850
and so it's amazing and , and so I

45:53.850 --> 45:56.320
think that for the clergy to be able to

45:56.320 --> 45:58.810
participate in this is is winsome for

45:58.810 --> 46:00.866
them . It gives us an opportunity to

46:00.866 --> 46:03.088
build that relationship with them , and

46:03.088 --> 46:03.030
they're able to inform their

46:03.030 --> 46:05.889
parishioners and their church members

46:06.189 --> 46:08.245
and hopefully in the future that can

46:08.245 --> 46:10.356
turn into a relationship where we can

46:10.356 --> 46:12.411
work together , not just in terms of

46:12.590 --> 46:14.757
some type of event that happens in the

46:14.757 --> 46:16.989
nation but even just serving the

46:16.989 --> 46:19.270
community and so forth because we wanna

46:19.469 --> 46:21.350
we wanna be a contributor to the

46:21.350 --> 46:23.350
community . It's not just us taking

46:23.350 --> 46:25.572
from the community but but contributing

46:25.572 --> 46:27.794
to the community and Um , we appreciate

46:27.794 --> 46:29.517
our clergymen . We need them ,

46:29.517 --> 46:31.572
especially as we continue to advance

46:31.572 --> 46:33.572
into the future . We , uh , we , we

46:33.572 --> 46:35.739
need a great working relationship with

46:35.739 --> 46:37.683
outside clergy . Yeah . One of the

46:37.683 --> 46:39.794
things I wanted to mention about that

46:39.794 --> 46:41.406
is that it's , isn't it your

46:41.406 --> 46:43.628
responsibility as a chaplain to be able

46:43.628 --> 46:45.699
to provide a resource and a contact

46:45.699 --> 46:48.020
regardless of their faith ? Yes . So ,

46:48.320 --> 46:50.679
You may be Protestant or someone might

46:50.679 --> 46:52.790
be Catholic , but if someone comes to

46:52.790 --> 46:54.957
you and says they're Jewish , you want

46:54.957 --> 46:57.068
to be able to give them a resource or

46:57.068 --> 46:59.179
somebody they can go to , even in the

46:59.179 --> 47:01.179
community , and that is part of our

47:01.179 --> 47:03.179
role , yep , yeah . And I know that

47:03.179 --> 47:05.401
we've had people assist on base as well

47:05.401 --> 47:07.401
when we haven't had that particular

47:07.401 --> 47:09.568
service . Yes , we have . We , we've ,

47:09.568 --> 47:11.735
it's been tremendous . We have Someone

47:11.735 --> 47:13.735
from the Massachusetts militia that

47:13.735 --> 47:15.901
comes in and leads our Catholic mass ,

47:15.901 --> 47:18.012
people , they love him , and which is

47:18.012 --> 47:20.068
amazing and even airmen can actually

47:20.068 --> 47:22.290
volunteer . And support with setting up

47:22.290 --> 47:23.957
for bass , setting up for the

47:23.957 --> 47:26.179
Protestant service as well , which is ,

47:26.179 --> 47:28.123
which is amazing for sure . Yeah ,

47:28.429 --> 47:30.651
right , yeah , so I believe that day is

47:30.651 --> 47:32.873
September 8th , and I want to say we do

47:32.873 --> 47:34.985
have spots left . So if you do clergy

47:34.985 --> 47:34.750
work and you are interested , please

47:34.750 --> 47:36.639
reach out to us or if you want to

47:36.639 --> 47:38.694
volunteer or anything , we'd love to

47:38.694 --> 47:40.750
hear from you , right , right . They

47:40.750 --> 47:40.629
also give you a little bit of a

47:40.629 --> 47:42.685
background on , on , like you said ,

47:42.685 --> 47:44.851
their role in the military . There may

47:44.851 --> 47:48.370
be some Uh , opinions or stigmas or

47:48.370 --> 47:50.370
things people might think regarding

47:50.370 --> 47:52.560
chaplains , and you get to answer all

47:52.560 --> 47:54.671
those questions of , of what you do .

47:54.729 --> 47:56.896
People may be against chaplains in the

47:56.896 --> 47:59.062
military , like how could you join the

47:59.062 --> 48:01.062
military if you're a chaplain , and

48:01.062 --> 48:01.010
then they'll answer all those questions

48:01.010 --> 48:02.954
for you as well . So that's a good

48:02.954 --> 48:05.310
thing . Any Strong bonds events being

48:05.310 --> 48:08.250
planned ? Most definitely . Alright .

48:08.639 --> 48:10.750
And this is actually big news because

48:10.750 --> 48:12.750
this is the first our audience will

48:12.750 --> 48:14.917
hear about this . OK , you are hearing

48:14.917 --> 48:17.083
about this and so , uh , at the end of

48:17.083 --> 48:19.028
September , we're doing a marriage

48:19.028 --> 48:21.139
family strong bonds event for married

48:21.139 --> 48:23.195
couples . Don't worry , for those of

48:23.195 --> 48:25.306
you that are single , I do have plans

48:25.306 --> 48:27.417
for our single airmen . And I do have

48:27.417 --> 48:29.528
plans for family events as well , but

48:29.528 --> 48:31.750
the first one we're doing at the end of

48:31.750 --> 48:33.806
September , I'm hesitant to give you

48:33.806 --> 48:35.750
the dates because I don't know the

48:35.750 --> 48:35.560
exact dates , but I know it's at the

48:35.560 --> 48:37.729
end . Uh , it's on a Friday evening ,

48:37.879 --> 48:40.046
Saturday and Sunday , ends around noon

48:40.046 --> 48:42.320
or so . We're doing a marriage event

48:42.320 --> 48:45.419
and more information to to come . Is it

48:45.419 --> 48:48.790
La Your Way ? Yes , I love that one . I

48:48.790 --> 48:51.270
love laughing away . Um , yeah , I've

48:51.270 --> 48:53.492
been to a few of them , and I feel like

48:53.492 --> 48:55.381
every , every time I go to them ,

48:55.381 --> 48:57.714
they're taught a little bit differently .

48:57.714 --> 49:00.048
So it's , it's definitely a reoccurring .

49:00.048 --> 48:59.750
You , you can go to it again . Yeah ,

48:59.909 --> 49:02.149
that's a good one . Cool . All right .

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I don't know . Is there anything else

49:04.850 --> 49:06.795
you think we should know about the

49:06.795 --> 49:08.961
chaplains or your office or anything ?

49:08.961 --> 49:11.017
Most definitely . Well , I first , I

49:11.017 --> 49:13.183
will say that um Chaplain C and I , we

49:13.183 --> 49:16.060
have been we we feel we often talk

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among ourselves and maybe at times

49:19.139 --> 49:21.780
there's almost a marveling that we

49:21.780 --> 49:23.780
don't have to , we get to be at the

49:23.780 --> 49:26.209
104th Fighter and we both , I'm sure I

49:26.209 --> 49:28.649
speak for him is that uh we do see this

49:28.649 --> 49:31.159
as a calling . On our lives for such a

49:31.159 --> 49:33.679
time as this and , you know , my life

49:33.679 --> 49:35.846
personally and my family and my wife ,

49:35.846 --> 49:37.512
we've been so enriched by the

49:37.512 --> 49:39.735
relationships that have been built over

49:39.735 --> 49:41.846
a number of years that have been that

49:41.846 --> 49:43.846
have been tremendous and so we want

49:43.846 --> 49:45.901
everyone to feel like free , we want

49:45.901 --> 49:47.901
all of you to feel free to come and

49:47.901 --> 49:47.479
talk to the chaplains , we're here for

49:47.479 --> 49:49.201
you regardless of your faith ,

49:49.201 --> 49:51.423
regardless of your background . There's

49:51.423 --> 49:53.590
no judgment , you know , we're , we're

49:53.590 --> 49:55.535
here for you and we really want to

49:55.535 --> 49:57.757
press into the idea that we're not just

49:57.757 --> 49:59.979
military personnel , we're our military

49:59.979 --> 50:01.590
community or a military base

50:01.590 --> 50:03.757
installation , but we are a family and

50:03.757 --> 50:05.979
we're here to be a support to you and ,

50:05.979 --> 50:08.146
and uh thank you for how you've been a

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support to us as well . That's Chris .

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That's awesome . I think that's it ,

50:12.368 --> 50:14.535
Jay . I think we're good . Um , please

50:14.535 --> 50:16.701
make sure . That you are smashing that

50:16.701 --> 50:18.923
like , subscribe , and comment button ,

50:18.923 --> 50:20.979
as I always cringily say , but thank

50:20.979 --> 50:23.035
you so much for joining us today and

50:23.035 --> 50:24.979
comments , yeah , we look at those

50:24.979 --> 50:26.757
comments . If you see us in the

50:26.757 --> 50:28.979
community , we love all your comments ,

50:28.979 --> 50:31.146
even if you're like , I recognize that

50:31.146 --> 50:33.257
voice , or , you know , so definitely

50:33.257 --> 50:35.257
come and say hi to us and uh yeah ,

50:35.257 --> 50:34.895
we'll let you know what's been going on ,

50:34.905 --> 50:37.127
and we look forward to the next month's

50:37.127 --> 50:39.183
podcast . We'll see you next month .

50:39.183 --> 50:40.183
Thank you .

50:48.030 --> 50:48.040
You .