General David "Jester" Smith

WEBVTT
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Oh my gosh.
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Welcome to the inaugural podcast of deep diving in the speakeasy.
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It's the pilot episode.
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It's with Justin and Barrett's pilot episode.
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And you know what?
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We spent, I think we spent two or three weeks trying to decide who in the Annual Valley that we know of would be the best fricking possible person to deep dive into their lives on.
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And to even kick this thing off with.
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Exactly.
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You know, and I've known this gentleman for a long time.
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And he is just absolutely amazing.
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And the stories we're going to hear, I'm sure, in this podcast are going to blow some people's minds.
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Great, great guy.
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Totally one of my favorite persons I've ever met in my life.
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And I'm not, I'm not, I'm sorry, I'm not BNS BSing you here, Jester.
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And he's got multiple names.
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He loves to be called Jester.
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That's his call sign.
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We're going to find out about that in a minute.
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But he's also Dr.
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David Smith.
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And that's pretty impressive because I'll never have the word doctor in front of my name.
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I might have I have Jackass in front of my name, and you got some names too, right?
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Justin.
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Hey you.
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Yeah, whatever.
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Please stop that.
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So so tonight we're well, I should say this afternoon, or whatever time it is.
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We're here in the speakeasy.
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That's the special part about this whole thing.
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It's a top secret place.
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We can't tell you where it is.
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The hint is it's somewhere in Southern California, but deep diving in the speakeasy is the name of our podcast, and we're so proud to have Jester, Dr.
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David Smith, say hi.
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Yeah, I'd love to say hi, but first I have to ask a question.
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Uh uh.
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Oh, we're in time already.
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That's not how this works.
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How did it possibly take you two to three weeks to come up with this conclusion?
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Okay.
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Actually, we flipped the coiners between you and uh that other guy that we can't that got just got arrested and shit.
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Sorry, but oh, I'm already cussing.
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No, you're it's our show we can do what we want.
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You were the first one, man.
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So we love you, brother.
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Nah, I'm uh I'm humbled and honored to be here.
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Happy to share a little bit uh from my past and hopefully talk a little about our collective futures.
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I I have a lot of questions about top secret stuff, so I hope you can answer those.
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Absolutely.
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Although I gotta tell you that when I left my prior job at Plant 42, they waved this black wand in front of my eyes.
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Oh no.
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And I had a little trouble remembering where I lived.
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You got men in black?
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I I think so.
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Okay.
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Oh my god.
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That's wow.
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Okay.
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That's funny.
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I didn't know that was a thing.
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It's a real thing.
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Oh, okay.
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It's a real thing.
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I don't remember.
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Okay.
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Well, it's okay.
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We'll work on it.
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Anyway, welcome to the uh inaugural podcast.
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Hopefully, this thing lasts for you know 20, 30 years and people.
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I don't have that much time.
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Oh, God.
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Okay.
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So uh we start off with kind of you telling us a little bit.
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We're gonna get into your whole life here, including I know your favorite person in the whole world sitting here in the background.
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Um, but we but before we start our podcast, we have two questions for you.
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Okay.
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First of all, um, you know, in the Speakeasy, we have it where we can smoke cigars.
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Would you like a cigar?
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You know, I think that would be advisable.
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It it it kind of frees up the larynx and allows effective communication.
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I'm I'm only doing this because I'm a servant leader.
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But you're not a medical doctor saying this that smoking cigars is good.
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Oh, uh I would not say that, but I will tell you my beautiful bride tells me that you might be a doctor, you're just not the kind that helps anybody.
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Okay.
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So cigar?
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Cigar.
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Absolutely.
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Let's get some cigars.
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Okay.
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And then we uh and then the other question is you know, we you you can have an adult beverage, you know, we're all adults here.
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Would you like to have an adult beverage?
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So I I think that would be appropriate, but let's let's keep it within the the spectrum of normalcy.
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So no more than seven.
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Okay.
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That's a fair number.
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Well, what what is your uh drink of choice?
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I think I'm gonna start off with uh a little cocktail myself here with a little bit of bourbon.
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That's a good one.
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Justin.
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Uh I'm I'm going to have a uh a bravery beer uh because you know it's my favorite brewery.
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Aren't they one of our sponsors too?
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Oh my god, you're right.
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Okay, bravery.
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Weird.
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Uh Jester, what are you thinking?
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Do you have a little still water, maybe something from Lake Palmdale?
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Uh we could we could arrange that.
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I mean, we have we have we have all these producers here in the room that can run over to Lake Palmdale and grab you something, but you know, I think I know what you like.
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I think it's a uh uh gin well a martini excuse me, a martini.
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And I've been lectured before by this gentleman about questioning what a martini is.
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Can you can you can you expand on that a little bit?
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So yeah yeah, it gets me on the journey of talking about my father.
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Oh good.
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Yeah.
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Uh he uh bartended for a long time at a couple of places that I guess are a little bit popular before he was drafted during the Second World War.
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So uh he bartended at a place in San Francisco, uh some you might have heard of, called the St.
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Francis.
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Oh yeah.
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And then he was offered a job while he was bartending there by a customer to uh come on down south to Los Angeles and run the bars and restaurants at a little place that today is called the Beverly Wilshire.
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So, Dad's philosophy There are two allowable martinis.
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Okay.
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A martini, which is made with gin and driver mouth.
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Yes.
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There are no dirty martinis, there are no right uh and then he said the one exception to that is you could have a vodka martini, replacing the gin with vodka.
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But he said, other than that, put a period at the end of that sentence because there are no chocolate martinis, there are no frappuccino martinis, there are no strawberries.
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That's total BS when you get into all these freaking fruity, crappy whatever.
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Yeah, I agree with that.
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I I I appreciate that you agree, Bart.
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No, it's it's it's it's gin and then okay, maybe vodka.
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There it is.
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So you want a gin martini.
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You want a you want a martini.
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That's right.
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And you want it, and no, obviously no dirty and dry, right?
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I I don't do dirty.
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Everybody does dirty.
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You get in you're in a safe space here, and you can admit things.
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It's okay.
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Okay, so we're so we have uh uh it's kind of cool.
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We have a uh part of the show here, part of the podcast is, and he's he's uh right over there, he's kind of hiding behind the bar.
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Hey, Buzz.
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And uh we call him we call him double lefty, and the reason we call him double lefty is he's got two left hands.
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Buzz, hold yep, see that?
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He's got two left hands.
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So uh can you get me a uh what'd you want?
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You wanted a just a just a bravy beer.
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Can you get me like a little uh just a shot of uh bourbon on the there you go.
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And for our wonderful guest here, we would like to have an actual dry martini.
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That's right, yeah.
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It's gin.
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Did you hear what he just said?
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Gin.
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Okay.
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So he's gonna have that for you here in a second.
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Okay, so now we've got and you got your cigar, right?
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You just lit up your cigar.
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And he's good to go.
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As a matter of fact, I tried to set fire to myself just a minute ago.
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Oh my god, did yeah, I see he's nobody watched.
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Nobody looked it up.
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He's literally Oh, okay.
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I'm not gonna say what he's doing with his left hand.
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Well, he I think he spilled spilled some ashes already on.
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By the way, ashes do not go into the martini.
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I hope not.
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That would really kind of suck.
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So, this is the way we start our podcast here here in the deep diving in the speakeasy, where we ask our guests if they would like to have a drink, which uh apparently we're all we're all getting them.
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Buzz is working on it right now.
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We'll have our drinks here in a sec.
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And the cigar.
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So now we can kind of get started.
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And I'm gonna toss it over to my uh partner in crime here.
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Are are we call what are we calling ourselves like the dive experts or the dive masters or something?
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We have you know, we're it's the first podcast.
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I think we're still working on that.
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I think we're still trying to figure out what we're calling ourselves.
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We know that we're gonna call the people that listen to this show the deep the deep divers.
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Yeah.
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We're gonna call them the deep divers, even though we technically are doing all the even though they don't know how deep we're gonna get into their lives and stuff.
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Yeah.
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We're still working on our on our monikers, but um So the Deep Diver, by the way, ordered a Bravery beer.
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Yeah.
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And I'm not a beer drinker, but I must admit, being active in the community here, I understand this brand name of Bravery Beer is sort of like the best in the Western United States.
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Yeah, some a lot of people would say that.
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Ah, okay, okay.
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I just it's very well known.
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It's very, very well known.
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Um so we are going to start uh kind of well deep diving into your life.
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By the way, Buzz Thanks, but yeah, here's your drink.
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There it is.
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All right.
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Yep, yep.
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Have a see what you think.
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Thank you.
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Is it good?
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Did Buzz?
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Give me a second.
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All right, give me a second.
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Let's make sure Buzz didn't screw this thing up.
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By the way, my whiskey's thanks, Buzz.
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I had to cleanse the palate.
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I had to cleanse a frickin' pallet.
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Do you feel your your larynx is now ready for the I I think questions?
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I think we're good to go.
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Okay, good.
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So uh the way we do this is we're going to basically uh deep dive into your life uh and what what got you to uh you know where you are at today.
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Um so what we would like you to at least start out doing is introduce yourself, uh, you know, give a quick uh breakdown of what you do, and then we are going to we're gonna Tarantino it and we're gonna go all the way back.
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Okay, so go ahead, introduce yourself, tell it tell us a little bit about yourself, and then we'll get going.
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Okay, that's a good question.
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That's a good question, right?
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Okay.
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Okay, was that it?
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And that's the end of the show.
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Okay, that's the end of the show.
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That was great.
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Electric interview.
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So uh Dave Smith, I go by Jester.
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I'm very comfortable with my call sign gesture.
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Feel free to use that or use whatever the heck you want.
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Uh currently, and hopefully for a long time in the future, I'm the CEO of the Mojave Urine Spaceport.
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I'm really humbled to be in that role.
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Uh my job as the CEO of Mojave Uran Spaceport is to take the crap out of the way of a group of true professionals that do the work every day.
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So I do shooter cover for a lot of good people so that uh the Aaron Spaceport can successfully provide living wage jobs for through 60 mission partners, about 3,000 personnel in East Kern.
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So uh where that grew from is I came into the Air Force uh way back in 1982.
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Came in, went through officers training school, got commissioned, got my butter bar on the shoulder, and uh went through and uh uh got into B-52 training.
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Uh flew B-52s kinda all over the world, but in the B-52 world, the world is the central part of the United States of America.
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Yeah.
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Because we had a thing going on back then called the PSYOP.
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PSYOP stood for single integrated operational plan.
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Okay.
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A nice way of the big war.
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Right.
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Uh the nuclear exchange.
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So if we were to pick a country at random, absolutely at random, let's say Russia.
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Sure, that's very random.
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Random.
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Very random.
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Uh if we uh were attacked by that country, we would strike back and and wreak devastation across that country.
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By the way, I need to caveat this.
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In all those bases with B-52s, we can't confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons.
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Sure.
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So uh they may or may not have been there.
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I'm not sure what we would have been attacking with if they're not there.
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Gotcha.
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But uh but yeah.
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Yeah leaflets.
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Sure.
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Uh yeah.
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Yeah.
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Uh so had the rare opportunity to do that for a while.
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Got in the uh test flight universe or after three years on an exchange tour with our remarkable soldiers in the United States Army at a little uh austere location called the National Training Center, Fort Irwin.
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And uh came over to Edwards, needed some test pilot crud on me, so they sent me to Mojave to National Test Pilot School, got that test pilot crud, ran the B-52 Avionics Midlife Improvement Program, eventually became the most hated person at Edwards Air Force Base.
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Okay, good congratulations on that.
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Thank you.
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Yeah, I was the uh inspector general.
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So it's kind of nice as the inspector general.
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If I took my family, say, to a little movie on base, how people would get up and move away from you in the theater.
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So it it was always wonderful.
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That meant extra room for the kids, yeah, popcorn, you know.
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Pop your feet up on the side if you wanted to.
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Yeah, it was special.
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Yeah.
00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:46.159
Uh did retire and uh move into civil service.
00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:51.600
And in civil service, I became the installation director of at Edwards.
00:14:52.240 --> 00:15:00.799
Uh sort of the guy who uh ran the air base side of that installation as a senior civilian.
00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:06.480
And then I had the very rare opportunity to go over and take over a little place called Plant 42.
00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:33.200
So let me let me just stop you for a second here because we are gonna really deep dive in, I believe, our second and quasi-third segments here, but I wanna I want to take you back because this is this is the point of this podcast, is to is to find out how somebody that has your street creds and everything you've done in your life, how you got there.
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.399
So let's just go way back.
00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:38.159
Where were you born?
00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:40.399
Kamsama, Japan.
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:41.360
Wow.
00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:53.840
Army family stationed overseas in Japan post-Korea and uh two military parents, well uh started as two military parents.
00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:58.000
Mom and dad were both lieutenants in the United States Army.
00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:03.039
Mom was a registered army nurse, a battlefield nurse in the Second World War.
00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.399
Wait, wait, your mom was in the military in the Second World War.
00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:09.200
Yes.
00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:12.799
Wow, that's that's incredible.
00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.480
Matter of fact, I have stories about her that maybe we'll get into later.
00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:16.879
Sure.
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:17.360
I don't know.
00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:18.240
I'd love to.
00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:22.559
But uh yeah, mom was a battlefield nurse in the European theater.
00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:34.000
And uh by a quirk of fate shortly after the end of hostilities in the Second World War outside of Nuremberg, my father came down with diphtheria.
00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:38.960
Now, let me tell you, dad hates doctors.
00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:43.759
And the idea of him going to a field hospital was just abhorrent.
00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:49.360
But he felt as bad as he could feel and he couldn't get his boots on or off.
00:16:50.320 --> 00:17:02.480
So he showed up at this field hospital ER and the doctor looked at him and yelled over as he tells the story to a Corman and said, Corman, lock those doors.
00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.400
This soldier has diphtheria.
00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:06.480
We're in quarantine.
00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:12.160
And his attending nurse was a young lady named Teresa Selyuzicki.
00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:17.680
And apparently she was a really good attending nurse because they got married.
00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.720
Now the world was different.
00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:24.480
I think we've improved a lot, but we're far from perfect.
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:34.559
Uh at that time when they got married, she was called in by her commander and informed that she's no longer an army nurse and she's no longer a lieutenant.
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.960
She is now an officer's wife.
00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.480
That's her job.
00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:41.279
Her job is to be a wife.
00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:44.160
Is there a W-2 you have to fill out for that?
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.160
Or Yeah, I don't know.
00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:49.119
But I gotta tell you, mom did not cotton to that very well.
00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:49.519
Yeah.
00:17:49.839 --> 00:18:00.240
Um, you know, she's highly trained and how do you get the word cotton in your vocabulary growing up in uh Hawaii, which we'll get to in a sec.
00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:08.640
Well, uh prior to coming into the Air Force, I had this job for a con company that's largely rooted in the south.
00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:15.839
It's it's the the corporate offices are in a place you might have heard of called Nashville, Tennessee.
00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:16.880
I've heard of it.
00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:21.200
But the actual company is rooted in a little town called Lynchburg, Tennessee.
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:21.519
Okay.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.319
Never heard of it.
00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:22.880
Yeah.
00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:26.400
So uh the company's called Jack Daniels Distillery.
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.519
Uh some of you heard of that.
00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:28.480
Never heard of that.
00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:28.960
Yeah.
00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:29.680
I have.
00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:32.319
Hey, Buzz, have we got any Jack Daniels over there?
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.200
Just asking.
00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:35.920
Oh, yeah, he said he's nodding his head.
00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:39.759
So you how did you get to frickin' Hawaii again?
00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:43.359
Like you're Well, I was born in Japan.
00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:44.160
Yes.
00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:48.400
Dad was stationed at Fort Shafter after that assignment.
00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:49.359
Which is where?
00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.160
On Oahu.
00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:51.920
Oh, this is on Oahu, okay.
00:18:52.559 --> 00:19:06.480
So uh we hopped on to an executive mission, an LST transport military, and uh the ship took us over to Pearl Harbor and dropped us off and uh Airbnb.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:08.720
Here we are in Hawaii.
00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.920
So how long were you living in Hawaii?
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:19.359
I lived in Hawaii until 1982 when I joined the Air Force.
00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:21.039
So how many years was that?
00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:25.359
So you're how many years were you in Hawaii?
00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:26.480
About 30.
00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:26.880
Wow.
00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:27.759
Okay, wow.
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:29.519
Round numbers.
00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:31.119
So are you a good surfer?
00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:34.160
I am a remarkable surfer.
00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:35.359
There you go.
00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:38.240
I am also a coward.
00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:39.920
What does that mean?
00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.039
What does that mean?
00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:44.880
Like if the waves are higher than one feet, you're like out of there?
00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.079
Look.
00:19:46.720 --> 00:20:04.000
Uh now don't let my beautiful bride hear this, but you can either struggle with large waves, reef formations, and sharks, or you can understand the fact that there's a lot of beautiful girls wearing small bathing suits on the beach.
00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:04.640
Sure.
00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.920
Now, now that's a decision that everybody has to make.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:13.759
And and militarily, I will tell you, that's a tactical decision, not a strategic decision.
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:16.559
Okay.
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:17.440
That's great.
00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:19.599
So do you speak a little Hawaiian?
00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:22.400
Because I know, I know, I know I I go to Hawaii personally.
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:23.920
He's Japanese, man.
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.039
He speaks Japanese.
00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:26.640
Yeah, I don't think he's do you speak Kune?
00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:27.519
Konichiwa.
00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:27.759
See?
00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:28.880
Okay, that's okay.
00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:29.440
What does that mean?
00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.319
How easy that was?
00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:31.039
What does that mean?
00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:31.519
What does that mean?
00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:32.079
I've heard that before.
00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:32.559
What does that mean?
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:33.279
Kunichiwa.
00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:33.680
Hello?
00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:34.400
How are you doing?
00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:35.359
Okay.
00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:40.240
How do you how do you order a beer, like one more beer in Japanese?
00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:42.480
Uh the way I do it.
00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:42.880
Yeah.
00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:44.640
I'd like another beer place.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:47.680
You just assume they all speak English, I guess.
00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:48.319
Okay, whatever.
00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:58.400
So my favorite little Japanese statement is uh simply Ichini Sanchi Goroku Ichi achi kuju.
00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:02.480
Does that mean I just poop my pants?
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:03.759
I need a new pair of underwear?
00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:04.400
What does that mean?
00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:09.920
It actually means one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.599
That's great.
00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:17.759
Well, now I know how to say the first ten numbers in Japanese.
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:18.960
Yeah, we just learned something.
00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.240
Yeah, I'll go back and listen to this like a bunch of times so I can pick that up.
00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:23.039
That's great.
00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:24.799
So 30 years in Hawaii then?
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:26.160
Round numbers, yeah.
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:27.039
Round number.
00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:29.440
You had a hell of a tan back then, right?
00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:30.880
Sorta.
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:36.640
And I pay the sins for that today, uh, but it makes my dermatologist wealthy, so that's good.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.079
Love it.
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:52.240
Was was uh being in the Air Force kind of always your thing like from like a young early age, was that always the goal, or was there something else that might have popped up and then going to the Air Force was just the next thing?
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:58.160
So I've got to admit, um, and okay, you know, this could be a character flaw.
00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:59.039
Uh
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.160
Wait, you have a you have a character flaw?
00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:03.680
Well, several of them.
00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:05.680
Okay.
00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:15.039
So I was offered a college ROTC commission when I w just started school.
00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:20.160
And to the chagrin of my parents, I turned it down.
00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:20.880
Okay.
00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:38.240
And I turned it down principally because although I was raised in a military family, and if you look at the and we don't have it here, I wish we did, but the little fifth grade, what do you want to do when you grow up picture that I drew of myself, it was of a soldier.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:44.240
So I I envisioned myself doing what dad did.
00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:45.039
Okay.
00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:51.839
Um in college, the Vietnam War was just ending.
00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:56.000
Uh the military was extremely unpopular.
00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:05.519
And although I will tell you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, even at that time, I thought the way our returning veterans was treated was disgusting.
00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:08.880
I will also tell you the military was not popular.
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.599
And I wanted to be popular.
00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:16.160
And I decided that the right vector was industry.
00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:29.440
And I got that job with that little organization out of uh corporate office Nashville actual location, Lynchburg, Tennessee, and I worked for Jack Daniels.
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:34.160
And uh one day got a phone call.
00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:40.079
Jack Daniels Distillery was bought out by a major liquor conglomerate called Brown Foreman.
00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:49.039
And I got a call from my bosses back at the distillery saying, Hey, we love you, you're a great employee.
00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:56.240
But the fact is with the Brown Foreman buyout, we're going through a corporate restructuring, a corporate right sizing.
00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:02.480
And oh, by the way, if you get that call and you're being involved in a right size, maybe it's not as right as you think.
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:10.240
So, anyhow, uh they basically said at the end of the fiscal year, your position's being dissolved.
00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:13.119
And we don't have a place to move you to.
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:18.000
So uh we're gonna pull all your quotas so you can do whatever you want.
00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:22.400
We're gonna let you make more or less money, do what you need.
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.119
We're gonna build a nice severance package for you.
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:26.240
We really like you.
00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:30.400
We'll give you great recommendations as you look for other positions.
00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:34.880
But the fact is, Jack Daniels and David Smith are gonna part ways.
00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:44.160
That day, and and and I'm careful not to proselytize, but I I do believe in certain things in my life.
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:49.680
I walked out to the mailbox and there was a brochure that simply said aim high on it.
00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:59.440
And I thought, you know, maybe a higher body is speaking to me and uh maybe I should listen.
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.759
So that day I joined the United States Air Force.
00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:05.279
Wow.
00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.480
Uh yeah, God bless you.
00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:11.519
He has, and thank you.
00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:12.160
Yeah.
00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:20.880
Wow, that that would that was literally the turning point in your life that changed your life like 180 degrees.
00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:23.119
And it was a 180.
00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:31.200
But uh but I should mention that uh Jack Daniels is a great organization and a great organization to work for.
00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:38.640
But if you think working for a major conglomerate like Jack Daniels i is a big party, you're mistaken.
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:44.640
Jack Daniels sends a fine sipping Tennessee whiskey.
00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:56.240
And if you are intoxicated, if you get a DUI, if you do something like that, you'll find yourself unemployed overnight.
00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:01.200
As a fine sipping Tennessee whiskey, they have remarkably high standards.
00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:11.200
And uh what's really clever about them with that severus package and everything, here they've got me still marketing for them, but they don't pay me anymore.
00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:15.680
And no more free Jack Daniels?
00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.599
Well, never got any of that.
00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:19.920
They're very careful about the product.
00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:22.880
That's incredible.
00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:23.599
That's incredible.
00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.920
Did you ever did you did you ever like see Jack?
00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:30.319
Uh or or sorry, Mr.
00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:31.039
Daniels.
00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:33.279
Was there actually a Jack Daniels?
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:34.000
I assume it's a good idea.
00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:34.720
There was.
00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:35.039
Yes.
00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:37.039
And he is long since passed.
00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:37.759
Of course.
00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:46.079
You know, he made the uh mistake of having problems opening a safe that had the old number seven recipe in it.
00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:55.920
And as the lore goes, he kicked the safe, injured his foot, got an infection that killed him.
00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.359
Wow.
00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:59.440
Well, it's the way that he wanted to go.
00:26:59.599 --> 00:26:59.839
Yes.
00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:01.519
I'm pretty sure.
00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:02.799
Fairly certain.
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:08.079
That's how I would want to go, is kicking the shit out of a safe and then getting an infection in my foot and dying.
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:10.640
And then drinking a lot of Jack Daniels to kill the pain.
00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:11.759
Yeah, why not?
00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:13.519
It's not that big of a deal.
00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:14.240
All right.
00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:15.359
Tell you what.
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.880
We've got more with you.
00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:18.799
Um we're gonna take a quick segment break.
00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:20.960
We're gonna come back and we're gonna deep even dive.
00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.279
We're gonna dive even deeper.
00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.160
Wow.
00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:24.880
But I wasn't.
00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:26.640
I've only had one beer.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:28.000
What?
00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:29.359
I wasn't done yet.
00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:31.119
No, finish your story, please.
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.319
I'm just messing with you.
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:38.240
I know you are, and I love it.
00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:42.000
Alright, guys, we will be right back and we'll uh we'll continue on.
00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:51.039
Alright, welcome back, deep divers to deep diving in the speakeasy buzz.
00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:54.240
Um, we're a little low on alcohol.
00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:57.119
Uh David, David, you want you want another drink?
00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:59.440
So I'm I'm very careful about that.
00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:01.039
So I think I'll have a glass of wine.
00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:04.079
You don't want okay, uh buzz one wine uh part.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:07.200
I'll take another uh whiskey there.
00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:07.759
Thank you, sir.
00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:09.759
I'm good right now.
00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:12.400
I'm I've been milking my my my beer this time.
00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:12.960
I'm listening.
00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:18.400
I'm like enjoying the you know exceptional bravery brewery beer.
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:20.480
But I like to I like to take my time with it.
00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:23.279
By the way, aren't they one of our sponsors on the show here?
00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:24.319
They are one of our sponsors.
00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:25.039
That's nice, yeah.
00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:25.519
Yeah.
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.400
That's good, man.
00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:27.839
Very, very lovely booty.
00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:30.079
I have yet to get a free drink there.
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:31.039
Jesus.
00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:34.079
Uh we can tell somebody about that.
00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:41.680
I think after this podcast, you're gonna be a celebrity more than more so than you are, and people are gonna literally come up to you at bravery and stuff.
00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:43.680
I said, David, I know the owner.
00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:44.319
Uh, okay.
00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:47.680
By the way, not a celebrity, Justin Airman.
00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:53.039
And and and FY FY Justin uh is my co-host.
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.319
I'm gonna I'm gonna from here on out, I've kind of got the flick.
00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:57.680
He likes to be called Jester.
00:28:58.319 --> 00:28:58.720
All right.
00:28:58.960 --> 00:28:59.839
I you know, let me know.
00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:02.640
I've only known him for 17 minutes, alright?
00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:03.759
Give me some slack here.
00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:08.720
I'm just saying Bart uh people call me Bart the fart, but I like Bart better, so just saying.
00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:10.960
No, I don't I don't call I don't call you that at all.
00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:11.680
No, you have.
00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:12.319
No, I haven't.
00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:13.519
I call you hey.
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:14.799
Hey! Oh, that's right.
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.160
Hey, that's somebody else.
00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:17.279
Go ahead.
00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:18.960
Alright, Jester.
00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:28.720
So uh we were uh getting into your uh very long and substantial career in the Air Force.
00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:31.440
Um let's go.
00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:36.240
So you left you left Hawaii after 30 years.
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:46.960
Was that was you were in the Air Force at that time, or were you going into where were you at in Hawaii?
00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:49.440
I was in a town called Kailua.
00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:50.400
Kailua.
00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:51.359
Kailua.
00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:54.720
Uh dad and mom had a house out there.
00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.480
Matter of fact, on the beach.
00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:58.400
It was tough living.
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:00.319
Somebody had to do it, right?
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:02.079
You know, living on the beach in Hawaii.
00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:02.880
Yeah, it's hard.
00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:12.559
Bus, can you get your violin out or and start playing like uh so you know I'm I want to take you back just a step.
00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:14.880
Something I probably should have clarified.
00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:15.519
Yeah.
00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:19.599
Uh mom passed several years ago.
00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:23.759
And uh she was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:24.160
Wow.
00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:41.279
Oh wow, full military honors, because at that point in her life, prior to getting asked to move on into a civilian life as a good officer's wife, the fact is she was a lieutenant in the United States Army.
00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:41.839
Right.
00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:47.680
And uh so she was interred in World War II battlefield nurse.
00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:48.480
Wow.
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:53.519
So I uh and I will tell you, mom never talked about the horrors of combat.
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:59.519
All she would say, and if I can get through this without crying, it'll be different.
00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:07.519
Uh all she would say is that the tough toughest job of an army nurse is to hold a soldier's hand on his last mission.
00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:11.759
Wow.
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:13.920
Damn.
00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:17.839
Not that that's man.
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.039
That's deep.
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:19.839
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:20.880
That's very deep.
00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:29.839
Well, there are a lot of people that make very rural sacrifices for this wonderful country, and there's a lot of people who try to help them along the way.
00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:31.359
Yeah, no, of course.
00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.880
What's your mom's name?
00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:33.680
Teresa.
00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.599
God bless Teresa, man.
00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:36.319
Thank you.
00:31:36.559 --> 00:31:41.279
That's that just warms my heart to hear that.
00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:57.200
That's I mean, it's sad, but the sacrifices she made serving our country, and uh and there's you know, every time I there's hardly any World War II vets even on this walking this earth anymore.
00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:02.400
And when I when I run across one, I'm just like, I just want to like give him a big hug and thank him.
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:03.359
It's like crazy.
00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:04.799
Yeah, people realize that.
00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:06.880
So can I give you a mom story?
00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:08.079
Yeah, absolutely.
00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:11.920
And this is allegedly true.
00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:19.920
Uh, you know, I mean, in military parlance, when we sit around over an adult beverage, we require 10% truth.
00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:22.079
There's a lot more than 10% here.
00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:22.559
Okay.
00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:31.039
Uh uh mom was just wrapping up her RN Nurse anesthetist training at Walter Reed.
00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:41.680
And there was in Baltimore, where she lived, a contest going on that I think today the closest we get is like America's Got Talent.
00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:46.640
And she loved to sing and dance, and she was a very, very lovely woman.
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:54.240
And uh she entered the contest, and the first prize was a screen test in Hollywood, California.
00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:56.000
And she won.
00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:56.960
Oh wow.
00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:04.000
And she was awarded a screen test in Hollywood, and when they presented her with the screen test, she said, Oh, I can't do that.
00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:10.880
I'm I'm I'm a soldier, I'm deploying to Europe, and I'm gonna take care of soldiers in combat.
00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:22.880
And so she turned down that potential different vector in her life because her lexicon was one of service.
00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:34.000
And an interesting part of her service at the end of the Second World War is she was the nurse assigned to the Nuremberg trials.
00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:34.799
Okay.
00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:38.799
So she cared for the prisoners at that point.
00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:44.400
Now, something she would say is no, she did not help Goring get his pill.
00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:51.519
But the reality was before we hung these guys, we had to take care of them.
00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:55.200
Wow, your mom was involved with that.
00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:56.079
Yeah.
00:33:57.920 --> 00:33:59.039
That's wild.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:33:59.839
Wow.
00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:01.200
That's wild.
00:34:04.720 --> 00:34:05.599
Dang, dude.
00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:08.159
That's that's mind-blowing.
00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:11.039
So transition that to humor.
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:30.159
Well, transition that to your I uh in then I can't let's let's hear it because you know me, I you and I have been friends for a while, and it's like my favorite fricking airplane in the history of the world is a B-52 bomber.
00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:37.280
Well, because it is the best airplane in the world, and it was built in 1952.
00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:46.880
Yeah, the first uh flight of the B-52 has nothing to do with its moniker, but the first experimental test flight, 1952.
00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:52.400
And it's amazing to think that we built a bomber in the late 40s, early 50s.
00:34:52.639 --> 00:34:53.519
It's still flying.
00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:58.400
Still flying, and it's gonna fly projected for another 40 years.
00:34:59.039 --> 00:34:59.760
Forty years?
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.480
And I'm taking book right now for going at least 10 years further.
00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:07.920
Does that mean I have to keep driving my Fort Penno for 40 more years?
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:10.320
Yeah, just don't get hit from behind.
00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:12.400
Yeah, the gas tape.
00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:19.599
How in the hell did you get Jester as a call sign and get into the B-52 bomber?
00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:22.159
That is what this segment's about.
00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:23.360
Go for it.
00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:33.599
So, Jester as a call sign, Bart, I love you like a brother, but you don't have enough alcohol in the speakeasy to get my call sign story out of me.
00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:35.199
Is it a top secret thing?
00:35:35.360 --> 00:35:37.199
Because remember, I told you I wanted top secret stuff.
00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:38.880
It's sort of top secret.
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:45.760
Actually, call signs are are not uh it's not like you walk in and say, Hey, I want to be called.
00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:50.000
Don't your compadres basically it's earned, yeah.
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:56.559
They do it, and there's a naming ceremony, and of course that's all cla highly classified too.
00:35:56.800 --> 00:36:02.960
But uh basically your peers determine what you should be called.
00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:07.599
And and and there's a lot of importance in that call sign operationally.
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:23.199
So if you're on the jet and things are going wrong, and we start calling each other Jester and whatever the other call signs are in the airplane, uh we know that we really need to listen.
00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:23.519
Yeah.
00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:31.519
And we're gonna work through this thing, and and it's it's remarkable how well the crew concept works.
00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:38.800
And your and your your compatriots were not fans of like Top Gun or anything, right?
00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:43.360
That damn movie came out quite a bit after I got my call sign.
00:36:43.679 --> 00:36:44.719
I'm just making sure.
00:36:44.880 --> 00:36:45.199
Okay.
00:36:45.599 --> 00:36:49.119
A pox on those people who stole my call sign.
00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:49.760
Okay.
00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:50.559
All right.
00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:54.000
Do you well you get royalties?
00:36:54.400 --> 00:36:55.360
I wish.
00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:01.840
So you had to have a college degree to become an officer in the Air Force.
00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:02.480
That's correct.
00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:03.599
And you went where?
00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:05.199
For college?
00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:05.599
Yeah.
00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:08.880
Oh, to Shamanade University in Hawaii.
00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:12.400
And I was dual enrolled at UH, University of Hawaii.
00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:15.440
Uh tough job again, but somebody had to do it.
00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:22.480
Uh Shamanad, by the way, has a bit of a reputation as a giant killer in the basketball world.
00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:22.880
Okay.
00:37:23.360 --> 00:37:33.199
So back when Ralph Sampson played for Virginia and they were number one in the nation and undefeated, they came out and played Shamanade for a warm-up game and got beat.
00:37:33.760 --> 00:37:41.840
So you know, it's just a little D3 school, but they're good people.
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:43.599
I enjoyed Shamanad.
00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:44.239
Okay.
00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:46.960
Interesting.
00:37:48.000 --> 00:38:01.440
So I I have had I have had questions because I I don't know anything about the ranking system in any military, really.
00:38:02.159 --> 00:38:16.639
Um can you for someone like me who does not know in what order some of this stuff goes or what is of importance, can you at least break down a little bit of what the ranking is in within the Air Force?
00:38:16.960 --> 00:38:17.360
Yes.
00:38:17.599 --> 00:38:28.480
So uh through officers training school, the goal is the gold bars, often referred to as the butter bars.
00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:29.679
Butterbar, okay.
00:38:29.920 --> 00:38:30.159
Right.
00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:33.760
Uh and that is the second lieutenant grade.
00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:40.079
And after two years as a second lieutenant, if you've kept your nose clean, you become a first lieutenant.
00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:46.800
After two years, you become a captain, and then you compete for the grade of major.
00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:58.400
After that, you compete for lieutenant colonel, and then you compete for colonel, and if you're remarkably fortunate, you compete for general officer.
00:38:58.719 --> 00:38:59.039
Okay.
00:38:59.840 --> 00:39:04.480
A lot of those sounded like they should be like reversed.
00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:11.599
It almost sounded like some of them like I thought always major was like up here.
00:39:11.760 --> 00:39:14.480
I thought that was like the the tippy top.
00:39:15.119 --> 00:39:16.159
And that's not.
00:39:16.480 --> 00:39:27.199
Yeah, so interestingly, in military lexicon, the term lieutenant means preparatory or getting ready for.
00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:39.280
So if you look at the general officer grades, you start as a general as a brigadier general, and in tradition, you're a general who ran a brigade.
00:39:39.519 --> 00:39:41.599
So you were a brigadier general.
00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:45.039
And uh then you become a major general.
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:47.519
After that, you become a lieutenant general.
00:39:47.679 --> 00:39:49.679
It seems odd that you're stepping back.
00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:53.760
Again, it's that preparatory term.
00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:54.480
Right, okay.
00:39:54.880 --> 00:40:00.800
Because you're a lieutenant general, because you're being prepared to become a full general, a four-star general.
00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:01.360
Okay.
00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:09.199
Is in four-star is like the maxed out that you can be, or under current guidance, yes.
00:40:09.440 --> 00:40:09.519
Okay.
00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:17.440
During the Second World War and shortly thereafter, we had a five-star general position called General of the Army or Admiral of the Fleet.
00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:17.920
Okay.
00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:21.280
Uh those grades are not used any longer.
00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:22.639
Why is that?
00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:26.239
Um, probably because of the pay grade.
00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:28.320
No, I I I don't know.
00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:47.440
Yeah, uh by the way, something to understand about the military in general is there's a remarkable amount of dedication among senior officers because if you think of it, a general officer probably hits the federal pay cap when they are a lieutenant general.
00:40:48.400 --> 00:41:04.800
And they stay in service and get promoted and get more work and more responsibility and more things to do, sure, but no more money because we've run out of that money, and uh uh you know, Congress sets the rates for all these things.
00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:16.320
And a general officer, a full four-star general, makes probably about what a uh junior VP at uh Ford Motor Company makes.
00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:28.639
So uh the reality is uh there are fiscal challenges out there, but the you know the country doesn't have unlimited proceeds, and I understand it.
00:41:28.880 --> 00:41:44.079
I I only say that not to compete for more salary for general officers, I say that to say at the end of the day, we have remarkably dedicated men and women serving this country and they don't do it for money.
00:41:44.320 --> 00:41:44.960
Yeah.
00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:56.239
So anyway, so we kind of skipped over this, but you you join the Air Force and then you work your way up as an officer, as uh you start off as a lieutenant.
00:41:56.480 --> 00:41:57.039
Second lieutenant.
00:41:57.360 --> 00:41:59.840
Second lieutenant, first lieutenant, uh eventually.
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:01.599
And then Captain.
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:03.280
Captain, and then Major.
00:42:03.599 --> 00:42:04.320
Major.
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:08.159
And then when you retired in the Air Force after how many years?
00:42:08.480 --> 00:42:09.280
Twenty-eight years.
00:42:10.079 --> 00:42:10.800
Twenty-eight years.
00:42:10.880 --> 00:42:11.840
God bless you, man.
00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:13.760
Thank you for your service to our country, man.
00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:17.840
That's that's you got out as I believe you told me a lieutenant colonel.
00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:18.559
That's correct.
00:42:18.800 --> 00:42:20.559
Which is pretty badass.
00:42:20.880 --> 00:42:22.000
I mean, you know.
00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:24.639
Now that I know the ranking system, yeah, it's pretty badass.
00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:36.000
And then you retired from the Air Force, and then you went into what to get to the be being called General Davis Smith.
00:42:36.320 --> 00:42:37.360
Talk about that.
00:42:37.679 --> 00:42:40.480
So um I had a rare opportunity.
00:42:40.639 --> 00:42:49.519
I was offered a commission with the uh California Guard, the State Guard, and uh a command billet associated with them.
00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:56.000
Uh but it's a part of the California Military Department.
00:42:56.079 --> 00:43:03.760
There are three legs of the California Military Department the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, and the State Guard.
00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:16.239
So I sit in the State Guard and I was humbled to be promoted in command to full colonel, and then a few years later was picked up as a general officer.
00:43:17.519 --> 00:43:25.679
I'm gonna pay uh Jester a a huge compliment, I think, his wife will agree who's in the audience here tonight.
00:43:27.280 --> 00:43:33.119
I have seen you at events here in the Antelope Valley where you are you are a rock star.
00:43:33.599 --> 00:43:35.039
We already said this.
00:43:36.400 --> 00:43:41.360
You still fit into your general uniform pretty nicely.
00:43:41.519 --> 00:43:42.320
You're damn right.
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:44.559
You know what you're not like sucking it up or anything.
00:43:44.639 --> 00:43:52.320
You're like, what the hell? 'Cause I know a lot of guys that get out of the military and they can't they could not to save their life put their uniform back on.
00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:56.400
Well, it's because my beautiful bride Denise makes sure I stay lean.
00:43:56.559 --> 00:43:58.880
I I think she'll pick me right to the curb.
00:43:59.199 --> 00:44:05.199
Or does she Does she constantly have to take your uniform to the tailor and have it like Oh no?
00:44:05.440 --> 00:44:06.239
She's laughing.
00:44:06.559 --> 00:44:07.599
No, that is not.
00:44:09.920 --> 00:44:11.519
God bless you, man.
00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:14.480
But um okay, so that's badass.
00:44:14.639 --> 00:44:23.599
Now, let's go back in time and tell me about the B-52 thing because, like I said, my favorite movie of all time is Doctor Strangelove.
00:44:24.639 --> 00:44:26.159
That's a documentary, by the way.
00:44:26.400 --> 00:44:29.119
Okay, it's a it is it's a quasi-documentary.
00:44:29.599 --> 00:44:34.159
I think the B-52 bomber is the baddest ass airplane ever built by the United States military.
00:44:34.320 --> 00:44:38.159
And like you said, it's still flying and it's gonna fly for 40 frickin' more years.
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:42.639
Also the most baddest assed uh group, musical group, the B-52s.
00:44:42.800 --> 00:44:43.760
Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.
00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:45.280
How did you forget about the B-52s?
00:44:45.440 --> 00:44:46.000
I don't know, man.
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:48.079
Should we play some B-52 music right now?
00:44:48.719 --> 00:44:49.119
Go ahead.
00:44:49.280 --> 00:44:51.039
Sing some B-52s right now.
00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:53.119
I yeah, no.
00:44:53.280 --> 00:44:54.159
Is it a Love Shack?
00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:55.039
Was that what Yes?
00:44:55.280 --> 00:44:55.760
The Love Shack.
00:44:56.000 --> 00:44:56.480
Rock Lobster?
00:44:56.639 --> 00:44:57.519
Yeah, we do Love Shack.
00:44:57.760 --> 00:45:02.079
No, anyway, so how did you get into the B and by the way?
00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:11.599
I you've told me I want to I still get on a B-52 and just walk around and see if it's the same thing with negative function, sir.
00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:16.159
So uh I don't know how you walk around a B-52.
00:45:16.239 --> 00:45:18.239
There's no place to walk around and crawl.
00:45:19.679 --> 00:45:21.920
It's a very, very compressed aircraft.
00:45:22.159 --> 00:45:24.480
There's there's very little room to win.
00:45:24.880 --> 00:45:26.000
Yeah, talk about that for a minute.
00:45:26.239 --> 00:45:36.400
So um I met with my recruiter at uh Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, uh setting up for this quote officer program.
00:45:36.960 --> 00:45:54.559
Uh because at that time, uh, other than going and enlisted, and by the way, I have nothing but respect for the enlisted force, uh, they are remarkable at what they do, those men and women who do the hard work, the wrench mending, the the backbone of all of our militaries.
00:45:54.960 --> 00:46:10.800
But I I went into the Air Force uh and my recruiter, and and by the way, there's an interesting thing about recruiters there's a way you can figure out when a recruiter is lying to you, and that's that his or her lips are moving.
00:46:11.360 --> 00:46:26.159
So uh uh the recruiter said to me, uh, because I had said that I was concerned about leaving Hawaii and wanted to come back to Hawaii and I'll join the Air Force, but I want to be in Hawaii.
00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:31.679
I was very rooted in Hawaii and the family, the Ohana was in Hawaii.
00:46:32.159 --> 00:46:34.559
And uh the recruiter said, no problem.
00:46:35.280 --> 00:46:46.480
We can guarantee you'll be back in Hawaii very quickly because uh you're gonna fly C-130s right here doing what we call satellite recovery out of hickam.
00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:56.800
And it makes sense for the Air Force to bring you back here because if you separate and you're in Hawaii, then the Air Force doesn't have to pay to move you back to Hawaii.
00:46:57.199 --> 00:46:57.760
You're here.
00:46:58.000 --> 00:47:00.320
And I thought that's a good plausible lie.
00:47:00.639 --> 00:47:01.760
Uh that works.
00:47:01.920 --> 00:47:12.719
And then when I finished flight school at Mayher Air Force Base, I was assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota as a bombardier navigator on B-52s.
00:47:13.519 --> 00:47:14.079
Nice.
00:47:14.480 --> 00:47:16.800
And I loved it.
00:47:17.519 --> 00:47:19.440
There there was sticker shock.
00:47:20.320 --> 00:47:34.559
I I I really thought I was getting something else, but I've got to tell you, once I learned the mission, once I met my crew, once I saw the combat effectiveness we did for the United States of America, I was all in.
00:47:34.880 --> 00:47:35.519
Yeah.
00:47:35.920 --> 00:47:42.159
That kind of changed like air warfare, that plane, did it not?
00:47:42.320 --> 00:47:49.360
Like it kind of like because it got into like like radar systems and like more advanced radar systems, I should say.
00:47:49.599 --> 00:47:53.760
Like that kind of like changed the whole air war air warfare a little bit.
00:47:54.159 --> 00:48:00.400
So to some extent, but at the end of the day, the B-52 is about combat effectiveness.
00:48:00.880 --> 00:48:05.440
The the B-52 has morphed and changed in what it did.
00:48:05.920 --> 00:48:12.000
Uh the days I was originally flying the B-52, it was a nuclear platform.
00:48:12.239 --> 00:48:16.480
Again, I can't confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons.
00:48:19.199 --> 00:48:22.239
But it is now a conventional workforce.
00:48:23.760 --> 00:48:40.880
And uh what we do in B-52s today in combat is pretty darn remarkable with what we do for that young eighteen-year-old soldier on the ground who maybe needs some close air support from way up high.
00:48:41.519 --> 00:48:50.719
And my respect for the fighter workforce is huge, but an F-16 runs out of gas over a target very, very quickly.
00:48:51.360 --> 00:48:56.480
A B-52 can only loiter until, you know, Thursday at three o'clock.
00:48:56.719 --> 00:48:57.280
Right.
00:49:02.159 --> 00:49:05.679
Well, um I I'm gonna I have a question.
00:49:05.840 --> 00:49:06.079
Yes.
00:49:06.400 --> 00:49:11.039
So, because I like to uh I like to check people's humble meters.
00:49:11.360 --> 00:49:11.679
Oh.
00:49:11.920 --> 00:49:13.920
Yeah, it's one of my favorite things to do.
00:49:14.239 --> 00:49:32.880
Um you have obviously had a very illustrious career in the Air Force, and you also have a very long list of accomplished accomplishments and awards uh that you have uh accrued over your time.
00:49:33.679 --> 00:49:44.960
Do you have a acknowledgement or a medal or award that meant something to you or was important to you?
00:49:45.119 --> 00:49:48.719
A lot of people, you know, I've asked, and they're like, oh no, I'm not doing it for the medals.
00:49:48.880 --> 00:49:50.079
But that's not what I'm asking.
00:49:50.159 --> 00:49:58.400
It's just was there something that you received or any type of acknowledgement that meant something to you that holds dear to you?
00:49:58.719 --> 00:49:59.519
Yeah, no.
00:49:59.840 --> 00:50:00.000
Okay.
00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:06.480
Uh so good question, Justin.
00:50:06.639 --> 00:50:07.119
Thank you.
00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:09.760
So not me.
00:50:10.239 --> 00:50:12.000
The crew I was a part of.
00:50:12.239 --> 00:50:12.559
Okay.
00:50:12.800 --> 00:50:14.079
So it's not me.
00:50:14.239 --> 00:50:15.039
It's a crew.
00:50:15.199 --> 00:50:15.440
Okay.
00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:18.079
It's six people on the jet getting stuff done.
00:50:18.320 --> 00:50:18.719
Sure.
00:50:18.960 --> 00:50:34.480
And uh the salient point I'm getting to is we had the rare opportunity to compete out of uh compete, excuse me, on a Fairchild Air Force base in a thing called Strategic Air Command's bombing and navigation competition.
00:50:34.800 --> 00:50:35.039
Okay.
00:50:35.760 --> 00:50:47.360
And in the history of bomb comp, uh no wing had ever won more than three of the eleven different awards that are presented.
00:50:47.679 --> 00:50:47.840
Okay.
00:50:48.400 --> 00:50:56.320
And we had the rare opportunity at a Fairchild with a remarkable crew that surrounded me and somehow kept me out of trouble.
00:50:57.280 --> 00:51:04.400
We uh we kind of swept the table at BombComp and we won nine of eleven of the awards.
00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:04.719
Okay.
00:51:05.199 --> 00:51:10.239
With the capstone being what's called the Fairchild Trophy, which is the best in the command.
00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:10.559
Okay.
00:51:11.360 --> 00:51:18.639
And uh that that particular event was recognized by our commander-in-chief at the time, it was Ronald Reagan.
00:51:19.280 --> 00:51:29.760
And in a speech in Spokane, he uh took the time to say in special congratulations to that crew from Fairchild Air Force Base that won bomb com.
00:51:31.840 --> 00:51:32.719
That was your crew.
00:51:33.599 --> 00:51:34.320
Our crew.
00:51:34.719 --> 00:51:36.000
Yes, amazing.
00:51:36.639 --> 00:51:39.679
When the President of the United States says something like that, wow.
00:51:40.159 --> 00:51:42.719
Yeah, very humbling experience.
00:51:42.880 --> 00:51:52.880
I was surrounded by five other guys that that did amazing work, and I got to be one of the six on the airplane.
00:51:53.840 --> 00:51:54.159
Wow.
00:51:54.400 --> 00:51:55.440
That's incredible.
00:51:55.679 --> 00:51:56.719
So I like that.
00:51:57.360 --> 00:52:09.440
Uh we're getting kind of close to the end of this segment, but um so how did your career in the Air Force kind of come to a winding kind of finish?
00:52:10.159 --> 00:52:19.599
So uh I was out there on that exchange tour with the Army as what's called an ALO an air liaison officer.
00:52:19.920 --> 00:52:38.480
So my job is to provide close air support for our amazing dynamic soldiers on the ground so that they would have uh airborne artillery, basically, available with great precision so that we don't have soldiers die in combat.
00:52:39.039 --> 00:52:40.719
We can take out enemy assets.
00:52:41.440 --> 00:52:50.079
Uh but I was in the capacity as an instructor there teaching the army how to use close air support effectively.
00:52:50.559 --> 00:52:52.480
So that was pretty remarkable.
00:52:53.199 --> 00:53:01.679
And I did uh 30 rotations in the desert with those amazing soldiers at the National Training Center at Ford Owen outside of Barstow.
00:53:02.559 --> 00:53:05.199
And uh i it it's tough work, yeah.
00:53:05.519 --> 00:53:06.480
It's tough duty.
00:53:07.199 --> 00:53:09.920
But it was very uh eye-opening.
00:53:10.719 --> 00:53:33.519
And uh note for me is the last time you come out of the range on your last rotation, you are given an opportunity to get on our radio channel and talk to all the other observer controllers, and you're an observer controller, and uh request what's called a call sign change.
00:53:33.840 --> 00:53:42.480
So your call sign will go, my call sign at the time was Raven Zero Two, and your call sign will be changed to Raven Zero Two Ancient.
00:53:43.519 --> 00:53:52.400
So you're always part of the Brotherhood Sisterhood family of the National Training Center, but you're no longer actively on the range.
00:53:52.800 --> 00:53:54.880
So I had prepared my little speech.
00:53:56.000 --> 00:54:01.599
And when I was ready crossing what we call the light line, when you're on the range, your lights are all off.
00:54:01.840 --> 00:54:06.559
When you go back into garrison, you turn your lights on when you cross the quote light line.
00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:31.039
And uh I keyed my mic proudly with my speech in front of me and I broke into tears and I couldn't read it because I realized that these soldiers worked so hard for this remarkable country that and in a small way I was a tiny part of that.
00:54:31.920 --> 00:54:34.719
And maybe we made our collective force better.
00:54:36.320 --> 00:54:37.119
It was hard.
00:54:38.639 --> 00:54:38.960
Damn.
00:54:39.599 --> 00:55:20.800
I'm literally looking at you right in your face right now and just seeing the the love you have for um No, yeah, you can all you know, and it's like I I I'll just say this real quick like the the the soldiers, the sailors, the Marines, they they they give each other crap, they they jokingly, but when when when when sorry, when the shit hits a fan, it's like no, we're we're we're a team, we're we're we're all together, and you know so I see it a bit like a family, and and I grew up in a family with with three brothers, and uh we squabbled constantly, but you pick on one of my brothers, you're picking up the same thing with the military.
00:55:21.519 --> 00:55:23.280
It doesn't matter what the branch is, right?
00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:24.239
Exactly.
00:55:24.800 --> 00:55:32.239
But yeah, you you get in a bar with uh some Marines and you're gonna you probably like you know make fun of them and stuff with their crayons and stuff.
00:55:32.480 --> 00:55:33.840
Oh no, they made fun of me.
00:55:34.079 --> 00:55:34.880
Well, they're gonna make it fun.
00:55:37.679 --> 00:55:50.079
So the the last day tell us about the last day of your career in the Air Force and how that felt to you and and how that how that even worked out.
00:55:50.159 --> 00:55:53.599
Like you just it's your last day, and you're just like, oh, see you later.
00:55:54.320 --> 00:55:54.800
How does that work?
00:55:54.880 --> 00:55:56.960
Yeah, yeah, so it was hard.
00:55:57.199 --> 00:56:02.800
Um I I was fortunate to get a Finny flight on an F-16.
00:56:03.599 --> 00:56:13.840
And uh so this was my send-o, and uh it it was kind of humorous because my beautiful wife was in the tower with my dad.
00:56:14.400 --> 00:56:22.159
And my dad was about ninety at the time, and my dad was having a little problem with the big tower binoculars.
00:56:22.239 --> 00:56:27.440
And if you've ever been in air traffic control tower, these binoculars are huge, right?
00:56:27.599 --> 00:56:31.920
They they these aren't the little handheld in the field guys, you know?
00:56:32.239 --> 00:56:37.039
And and here the uh tower controller is saying, Well, father's name is Gene.
00:56:37.199 --> 00:56:39.440
Hey, hey, hey hey, Gene, he's right over there.
00:56:39.519 --> 00:56:46.719
And my my father would look at a spot in the space, and then here he goes by, and he'd still be looking there, and he'd thought, no, no, no, no.
00:56:46.800 --> 00:56:54.880
You need to you need to turn your head, and and uh we were doing what's called a tower flyby, which frankly is a lot of fun.
00:56:55.039 --> 00:56:57.039
It's close to the ground and real fast.
00:56:57.199 --> 00:57:03.440
Yeah, and yeah, we we had the opportunity to go supersonic, which B-52 will not do.
00:57:03.679 --> 00:57:03.920
Yeah.
00:57:04.079 --> 00:57:07.920
Uh maybe it'll do it once as it's impacting the ground.
00:57:08.000 --> 00:57:08.400
I don't know.
00:57:08.800 --> 00:57:11.840
About eight, um you know me, I'm a pilot in air traffic.
00:57:12.159 --> 00:57:12.800
About eight four?
00:57:12.880 --> 00:57:17.920
What how fast are the point eight four Mach is limiting on a B-52?
00:57:18.239 --> 00:57:19.599
Okay, that's pretty fast, though.
00:57:20.719 --> 00:57:21.039
Okay.
00:57:21.599 --> 00:57:22.320
Sorry.
00:57:22.960 --> 00:57:23.599
Wow.
00:57:24.639 --> 00:57:26.079
So your last day?
00:57:26.320 --> 00:57:38.880
Yeah, so uh uh that wrapped up and uh getting off the airplane, having my bride and my dad douse me in cheap champagne and water and uh that sucks.
00:57:39.119 --> 00:57:39.920
Cheap champagne?
00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:42.320
They couldn't even like shell out for like some high-end.
00:57:43.440 --> 00:57:44.559
It was that cheap stuff.
00:57:47.199 --> 00:57:48.559
They're dumping it on the ground mostly.
00:57:50.079 --> 00:57:53.280
You're gonna get like dump hair and own to dump on the ground?
00:57:53.440 --> 00:57:54.239
He's getting cooks?
00:57:54.480 --> 00:57:55.440
Like, come on, man.
00:57:55.679 --> 00:57:57.039
I think it was Andre.
00:58:00.400 --> 00:58:02.159
Oh my god, that's all right.
00:58:02.239 --> 00:58:06.880
So you finish off your career with getting dumped with Andre on the tarmac?
00:58:07.119 --> 00:58:07.760
Yes.
00:58:08.000 --> 00:58:10.400
And then what did it feel in your heart?
00:58:10.480 --> 00:58:17.519
Like, my God, how many years have I dedicated my life to this this country, and this is my last day?
00:58:17.840 --> 00:58:18.800
Crazy, right?
00:58:19.039 --> 00:58:20.559
Yeah, it was a challenge.
00:58:20.719 --> 00:58:29.440
And uh we uh we relaxed at the club thereafter, and I I might have had an adult beverage that night.
00:58:29.519 --> 00:58:31.360
I'm not quite entirely certain.
00:58:31.519 --> 00:58:47.920
I uh uh there there was a very large reception prior to the flight that I I was so humbled to see that my teammates, uh even some of those guys from Fort Irwin came out and it was standing room only.
00:58:48.000 --> 00:58:59.119
It was just very, very humbling and uh also misplaced because never once in that bomber did I do anything without a crew.
00:59:00.559 --> 00:59:01.360
Never once.
00:59:01.679 --> 00:59:02.000
No.
00:59:03.119 --> 00:59:07.440
Well did you ever have the guy in the back say negative function, sir?
00:59:09.199 --> 00:59:11.760
No, you're going back to that documentary, Dr.
00:59:13.360 --> 00:59:16.400
If anybody's ever watched that movie.
00:59:16.719 --> 00:59:17.360
Oh man.
00:59:17.679 --> 00:59:19.199
Why do you call it a documentary?
00:59:19.440 --> 00:59:25.840
Uh it's just I I think what Peter Sellers and that crew did uh was pretty remarkable.
00:59:26.159 --> 00:59:26.320
Yeah.
00:59:26.480 --> 00:59:28.719
Well, Slim Pickens mostly on the plane.
00:59:28.880 --> 00:59:29.519
Yeah, yeah.
00:59:29.679 --> 00:59:31.519
The aircraft commander from hell.
00:59:31.840 --> 00:59:33.519
Uh who rode the bomb down.
00:59:33.760 --> 00:59:34.079
Yes.
00:59:34.320 --> 00:59:35.760
Somebody that blew up.
00:59:37.199 --> 00:59:39.840
Which I don't think really happened, but yeah.
00:59:40.480 --> 00:59:42.159
Yeah, smoothies and shit.
00:59:42.400 --> 00:59:43.760
All right, here's what we're gonna do.
00:59:43.920 --> 00:59:47.440
We're gonna take one more segment break and we're gonna come back.
00:59:47.599 --> 00:59:49.039
We're gonna finish up with Jester.
00:59:49.440 --> 00:59:51.679
Uh, we got some fun things planned for you.
00:59:51.840 --> 00:59:54.159
Um I know this was all boring.
00:59:54.320 --> 00:59:56.719
Um, but we got stuff planned now.
00:59:56.960 --> 00:59:58.480
Why do I feel very afraid?
00:59:58.719 --> 00:59:59.360
You should be.
00:59:59.519 --> 01:00:02.880
Alright, uh, we will be right back, Deep Divers, after this.
01:00:04.400 --> 01:00:05.519
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01:00:05.840 --> 01:00:14.639
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01:00:46.559 --> 01:00:50.239
Hey, welcome back to the uh this is so exciting.
01:00:50.320 --> 01:00:52.320
This is the best part of our show.
01:00:52.480 --> 01:00:56.480
Uh and uh I should say our podcast.
01:00:56.639 --> 01:00:57.920
We're podcasting here.
01:00:58.079 --> 01:00:59.039
In the speakeasy.
01:00:59.199 --> 01:00:59.840
In the speakeasy.
01:01:00.079 --> 01:01:01.360
In the seeker speakeasy.
01:01:01.599 --> 01:01:02.239
Deep diving.
01:01:02.400 --> 01:01:03.920
Deep diving into Jester.
01:01:04.480 --> 01:01:05.920
Jester, Dr.
01:01:06.239 --> 01:01:07.440
David Smith.
01:01:08.239 --> 01:01:09.360
I'm sorry.
01:01:09.679 --> 01:01:11.039
General Dr.
01:01:11.280 --> 01:01:11.920
David Smith.
01:01:12.239 --> 01:01:13.519
You have too many freaking titles.
01:01:13.679 --> 01:01:14.880
Have you ever thought about that?
01:01:15.280 --> 01:01:17.360
Yeah, so my daughter has a plan.
01:01:18.559 --> 01:01:24.480
My daughter has the plan that I should get a divinity degree so I could be the Reverend Dr.
01:01:24.719 --> 01:01:25.280
General.
01:01:25.519 --> 01:01:25.840
Oh.
01:01:26.000 --> 01:01:26.559
That's cool.
01:01:26.719 --> 01:01:27.519
That's one more.
01:01:27.679 --> 01:01:28.400
Well, like that.
01:01:28.559 --> 01:01:28.960
I'll tell you what.
01:01:29.119 --> 01:01:29.920
It's got a good ring to it.
01:01:30.079 --> 01:01:32.320
When that happens, we'll we'll invite you back, right?
01:01:32.480 --> 01:01:32.880
Yeah.
01:01:33.119 --> 01:01:33.679
Awesome.
01:01:33.920 --> 01:01:40.719
So our our the last segment of our podcast, which uh this is our first one, but yeah, it's it's the funnest one.
01:01:40.800 --> 01:01:44.320
So if you guys are still listening out there and nobody's fallen asleep yet.
01:01:44.639 --> 01:01:45.760
Yeah, yeah, probably.
01:01:46.320 --> 01:01:51.840
For the two or three of you that are still listening to this podcast, it's uh the my favorite part, I think.
01:01:52.079 --> 01:01:53.840
Although this is our first time doing this.
01:01:53.920 --> 01:01:54.159
Yeah.
01:01:54.400 --> 01:02:16.159
Anyway, so we are gonna um transition into the most I would say the most interesting part of uh my friend Jester's life as uh civilian, which this guy um when I first met him was like, I can't believe I'm meeting this gentleman.
01:02:16.239 --> 01:02:25.920
He's like, he's a freaking general, he's a freaking doctor, he's like one of the most famous people in the Antelope Valley, and so we're gonna hear that part of the story.
01:02:26.000 --> 01:02:30.559
And then we have this like quick QA thing at the end, it's kind of interesting.
01:02:30.719 --> 01:02:41.440
So, but what we want to do, uh by the way, um before we get into this, uh our friend Buzz was delivering drinks and spilled wine all over all of us.
01:02:41.679 --> 01:02:46.639
And uh are you Define all of us I think it just I think it was just one of us.
01:02:47.119 --> 01:02:47.840
Mostly you.
01:02:48.000 --> 01:02:48.639
Yeah.
01:02:50.719 --> 01:02:53.360
I am my own Cabernet Savignon right now.
01:02:54.000 --> 01:02:57.360
Don't don't don't try driving home tonight with well, I think your wife.
01:02:57.760 --> 01:02:59.280
Yeah, I'm gonna sit in the back seat for sure.
01:03:00.400 --> 01:03:04.559
Yeah, you're you're gonna get a instant DUI if you get pulled over and you got like wine all over.
01:03:04.880 --> 01:03:06.239
It's my first and only show.
01:03:06.480 --> 01:03:10.559
Yeah, but Buzz, you know, but he's got well God bless you, Buzz.
01:03:10.719 --> 01:03:11.519
You got two left hands.
01:03:11.599 --> 01:03:12.159
I get it, man.
01:03:12.239 --> 01:03:19.039
He was trying to do his thing, and it's like kind of got weird, and yeah, he flipped a glass of wine all over us and stuff.
01:03:19.199 --> 01:03:21.519
But anyway, Buzz is a very good year.
01:03:21.679 --> 01:03:22.079
Thank you.
01:03:23.920 --> 01:03:24.079
Yeah.
01:03:24.400 --> 01:03:30.559
So what the crowd didn't hear was Buzz said, Sir, I've never quite done this before.
01:03:34.159 --> 01:03:36.159
Anyway, we're back.
01:03:36.320 --> 01:03:39.519
We're back for the last segment of the podcast here.
01:03:39.760 --> 01:03:48.559
And we are, I mean, if if if we are lucky enough to have people like you on our on our podcast, we're gonna be a big hit.
01:03:48.639 --> 01:03:52.800
I mean, it's gonna be right up there with uh who's that guy, what's his face?
01:03:52.960 --> 01:03:55.519
The guy that's really famous and stuff.
01:03:55.840 --> 01:03:57.360
Um, you know, whatever.
01:03:57.679 --> 01:03:58.159
Never mind.
01:03:58.239 --> 01:04:00.159
We'll we'll be more we'll be better than that.
01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:12.239
So anyway, the way we want to finish this off is we we we want to really finish up the last part of your civilian thing when I met you, and which is amazing.
01:04:12.559 --> 01:04:14.239
And go for it, man.
01:04:14.400 --> 01:04:16.480
You got out of the Air Force, and then what happened?
01:04:16.719 --> 01:04:17.760
Life began, right?
01:04:17.920 --> 01:04:18.880
Yeah, life began.
01:04:19.119 --> 01:04:23.920
I was uh senior civilian for the Department of the Air Force, and I was humbled to do that.
01:04:24.079 --> 01:04:26.480
I mean, it was awesome, right?
01:04:26.639 --> 01:04:38.639
Uh I loved it, and then uh the rare opportunity came up to uh potentially go to Mojave Air and Spaceport and be the CEO of the Air and Spaceport.
01:04:38.960 --> 01:04:54.960
And uh it was a period of time in my life when there were some challenges going on with the Department of Defense at the time, now the Department of War, that frankly boiled down to a lot of bureaucracy on programs we were working on.
01:04:55.039 --> 01:04:58.559
And and and these are great people doing great things.
01:04:58.719 --> 01:05:03.920
I don't impugn them, but the bureaucracy sometimes gets in our own way.
01:05:04.719 --> 01:05:46.800
And uh I had the opportunity to go to Mojave and take that over as a civilian, and uh to live in that environment where things work very, very fast, very, very efficiently with companies like scaled composite, Strato Launch, BAE Systems, Northrop, uh National Test Pilot School doing things that DOD could DOW today could learn a lot from because if you look at scaled composites, they occasionally go from a blank sheet of paper to first flight in under a year.
01:05:47.760 --> 01:05:53.519
Whereas the old uh military lexicon is that maybe a ten to twenty year program.
01:05:53.840 --> 01:05:54.159
Right.
01:05:54.320 --> 01:06:11.760
You know, I mean when I came over to the flight test world, uh I learned very quickly in my In brief, uh, the guy that actually brought me in said, Jester, you gotta get used to this because uh programs that used to be turned in years, we're now doing in mere decades.
01:06:12.320 --> 01:06:16.960
And and it's true, yeah you know, we are slow, we're cumbersome.
01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:19.199
Uh we are getting better.
01:06:19.599 --> 01:06:23.039
Uh many of our new programs are making it better.
01:06:23.280 --> 01:06:31.039
But the opportunity to go to Mojave and literally run fast with scissors was exciting.
01:06:32.639 --> 01:06:34.800
It's always fun to run with scissors.
01:06:35.199 --> 01:06:35.840
Yes.
01:06:36.480 --> 01:06:39.199
I've been telling myself that for a very long time.
01:06:39.440 --> 01:06:44.639
I think Buzz was holding some scissors when he tried to drop off my tried to drown me in wine.
01:06:45.199 --> 01:06:46.079
Drown you.
01:06:47.199 --> 01:06:47.679
Buzz.
01:06:48.400 --> 01:06:55.760
Um so civilian life, life started, but so did maybe golf.
01:06:56.239 --> 01:06:56.960
How's your golf?
01:06:57.280 --> 01:06:58.639
How's your retired golf game?
01:06:58.960 --> 01:06:59.519
Wait, golf?
01:06:59.760 --> 01:06:59.840
Yeah.
01:07:00.320 --> 01:07:01.039
You play golf.
01:07:01.280 --> 01:07:05.039
I I don't know that you could say I play golf.
01:07:05.280 --> 01:07:12.800
Uh so I figured out a long time ago that the fun in golf was swinging the club and hitting the ball.
01:07:13.039 --> 01:07:14.000
That's the fun.
01:07:14.159 --> 01:07:14.480
Yeah.
01:07:14.880 --> 01:07:24.079
This ridiculous pro-philosophy that hitting it less than anybody else, in other words, having less fun than anybody else, is stupid.
01:07:24.320 --> 01:07:24.719
Right?
01:07:24.880 --> 01:07:25.360
You know?
01:07:25.679 --> 01:07:32.320
So I enjoy the fact that I get to hit the ball a hundred times in 18 holes.
01:07:32.559 --> 01:07:34.800
On a good day with a tailwind.
01:07:35.360 --> 01:07:39.519
Do you see somebody's face in the ball and then you just negative.
01:07:40.559 --> 01:07:41.679
I feel like that's a lie.
01:07:41.840 --> 01:07:42.320
No, no, no.
01:07:42.559 --> 01:07:43.760
Everyone does it, man.
01:07:43.920 --> 01:07:51.280
Everyone's got a little face that they'll put on there and they just I have enough trouble figuring out how to get the club face against the ball.
01:07:55.199 --> 01:07:55.840
Safe answer.
01:07:55.920 --> 01:07:56.320
I like to.
01:07:56.559 --> 01:07:58.400
Actually, have we ever played golf?
01:07:58.719 --> 01:07:59.360
We have.
01:08:00.320 --> 01:08:00.639
Okay.
01:08:01.440 --> 01:08:03.360
Did he beat you?
01:08:03.840 --> 01:08:08.480
No, we were at a tournament at the Antelope Valley Country Club together.
01:08:08.559 --> 01:08:13.039
Uh I believe sponsored uh by Lockheed Martin.
01:08:13.280 --> 01:08:14.960
God bless Lockheed Martin.
01:08:15.119 --> 01:08:15.760
Yeah.
01:08:18.079 --> 01:08:18.399
Okay.
01:08:19.279 --> 01:08:21.760
It was so memorable I don't even remember it.
01:08:23.439 --> 01:08:23.840
But no.
01:08:24.159 --> 01:08:26.880
That's why I'm saying he probably beat you and you don't want to remember it.
01:08:27.119 --> 01:08:28.159
Okay, uh, whatever, man.
01:08:28.319 --> 01:08:29.840
Golf, golf is golf, man.
01:08:30.079 --> 01:08:30.800
Golf is golf.
01:08:31.039 --> 01:08:31.760
Golf is golf.
01:08:32.239 --> 01:08:37.359
So that's the end of your career, like no, that that's up to date.
01:08:37.520 --> 01:08:39.600
Because you also were at plant 42, too.
01:08:39.840 --> 01:08:40.159
Right.
01:08:40.720 --> 01:08:41.279
2-2.
01:08:42.479 --> 01:08:43.760
No, 42.
01:08:45.039 --> 01:08:46.720
You were at plant 42, too.
01:08:46.800 --> 01:08:48.239
That my God.
01:08:48.880 --> 01:08:51.039
You were at plant 42 also.
01:08:52.319 --> 01:08:52.880
Yes.
01:08:53.119 --> 01:08:53.520
Yes.
01:08:53.680 --> 01:08:56.319
And that was another big part of your life, too.
01:08:56.560 --> 01:09:00.960
Because I was actually at the going away ceremony that they did for you.
01:09:01.199 --> 01:09:03.760
And uh, you know, you're you're so beloved in this community.
01:09:03.840 --> 01:09:05.199
It's like you're being so humble.
01:09:05.359 --> 01:09:13.279
You're such a humble guy, but you're you're like a rock star in this community, and you know everybody, and it's like, wow.
01:09:13.520 --> 01:09:18.079
So you also did Plan 42, so don't gloss over that.
01:09:18.319 --> 01:09:22.079
Yeah, if Plan 42 was a remarkable experience.
01:09:22.319 --> 01:09:28.800
The problem was coming home from work and having my beautiful wife look at me and say, How was work today?
01:09:28.880 --> 01:09:30.319
And I'd say, Fine.
01:09:30.560 --> 01:09:32.800
And she'd say, What did you do?
01:09:32.880 --> 01:09:35.039
And I'd say, I can't tell you.
01:09:35.520 --> 01:09:36.079
Oh, okay.
01:09:36.159 --> 01:09:37.520
That's why okay, all right.
01:09:37.600 --> 01:09:39.600
We'll skip over the plant 42 stuff.
01:09:39.840 --> 01:09:48.319
Which for people listening to this podcast, plant 42, and I know this is uh air traffic controller.
01:09:48.560 --> 01:09:49.199
Oh my god.
01:09:49.279 --> 01:09:50.399
Hold on, whose phone is that?
01:09:50.479 --> 01:09:50.960
Oh, it's mine.
01:09:51.039 --> 01:09:52.159
Hold on a second.
01:09:52.560 --> 01:09:55.920
Bart Annabeth Avery, I swear to God.
01:09:57.840 --> 01:09:59.520
Hey, if you need to take the call, go ahead.
01:09:59.840 --> 01:10:01.439
Yeah, you gotta step aside, man.
01:10:01.520 --> 01:10:02.560
You're you're you're busy.
01:10:02.720 --> 01:10:03.359
You're a busy man.
01:10:05.279 --> 01:10:06.399
Big important man.
01:10:06.640 --> 01:10:13.840
No, it literally, my phone starts ringing and says, like, oh, um, no, I can't even say it.
01:10:14.319 --> 01:10:15.279
It's classified.
01:10:15.520 --> 01:10:18.319
Yeah, I'm gonna just like you, it's classified.
01:10:18.479 --> 01:10:21.600
Anyway, so so yeah, no, Plant 40s used to.
01:10:21.760 --> 01:10:22.640
I uh I get it.
01:10:22.720 --> 01:10:31.039
But anyway, so you you had an amazing frickin' career, and now what we're gonna do, uh did we cover everything?
01:10:31.279 --> 01:10:34.880
If we didn't, you're gonna have the chance at the end to throw some other stuff in there.
01:10:35.199 --> 01:10:36.079
Yeah, you'll get a little segment.
01:10:36.159 --> 01:10:37.760
We got a little thing in there.
01:10:37.840 --> 01:10:38.560
We got a little fun thing.
01:10:38.640 --> 01:10:40.239
Uh we have we have some fun things.
01:10:40.399 --> 01:10:47.439
So this is the this is the five interesting things um about you that maybe not a lot of people know.
01:10:47.920 --> 01:10:50.159
Maybe even your closest people don't know.
01:10:50.960 --> 01:10:54.479
And you pre gave them to us.
01:10:54.640 --> 01:10:55.840
Pre-gave them to us?
01:10:57.439 --> 01:11:01.039
That might be a that might be a sentence that people say at some point in their life.
01:11:01.359 --> 01:11:05.920
So the first one is um this is weird.
01:11:06.239 --> 01:11:08.640
Stripper show at uh da da da da.
01:11:09.279 --> 01:11:11.039
Oh no, that's the that's the next guest.
01:11:11.279 --> 01:11:13.279
And I'm sorry, that's classified.
01:11:14.239 --> 01:11:18.399
There's more of that top secret shit that I'm just not gonna get any answers with.
01:11:19.119 --> 01:11:22.960
Okay, so we ask, I'm sorry, uh the stripper show, that was a joke.
01:11:23.119 --> 01:11:23.359
Sorry.
01:11:23.439 --> 01:11:24.159
Yeah, you know.
01:11:24.640 --> 01:11:25.359
Really, really funny.
01:11:25.520 --> 01:11:26.000
You know my simple.
01:11:28.319 --> 01:11:29.439
I know you can't stop.
01:11:30.560 --> 01:11:34.720
Actually, uh uh for those listening to the podcast, we have actually have an audience.
01:11:34.880 --> 01:11:37.199
We have an audience they're being very quiet.
01:11:37.520 --> 01:11:49.359
Uh, of course, uh our buzzer over there who buzz is like is he besides having two left hands, is he is can he what's the word we can't talk?
01:11:49.600 --> 01:11:50.800
You're deaf done.
01:11:51.359 --> 01:11:51.920
Is it mute?
01:11:52.159 --> 01:11:52.640
Is he mute?
01:11:52.800 --> 01:11:53.920
He is a mute.
01:11:54.239 --> 01:11:55.199
I think he's mute.
01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:56.319
Yeah, he never talks.
01:11:56.640 --> 01:11:59.119
We we always ask him a question, and he's like he nods at us.
01:11:59.359 --> 01:12:00.479
He just nods his head, and that's fine.
01:12:00.640 --> 01:12:00.880
Yeah.
01:12:01.039 --> 01:12:07.520
By the way, I need hey, don't spill wine, but I need another okay, he's yeah, some more wine.
01:12:07.600 --> 01:12:08.239
Okay, there you go.
01:12:08.640 --> 01:12:14.560
Anyways, so anyway, I got the thing here, and it's like, okay, so five questions.
01:12:14.720 --> 01:12:25.359
So we asked uh Jester before he came in here to send us some really interesting uh facts in his life that nobody knows, including his wife.
01:12:26.239 --> 01:12:28.720
She's she's glaring at me right now.
01:12:29.359 --> 01:12:34.319
Okay, uh they're all they're all they're all like uh nothing really crazy.
01:12:34.640 --> 01:12:38.000
So you were all Hawaii.
01:12:39.680 --> 01:12:40.960
This blows my mind.
01:12:41.199 --> 01:12:47.359
You were all Hawaii third place color belt, which I don't know what that means.
01:12:48.319 --> 01:12:48.880
And karate.
01:12:49.920 --> 01:13:02.399
Yeah, so uh again, uh remarkable experience to uh uh learn a unique art and science of physical combat.
01:13:02.800 --> 01:13:10.800
And uh I had the opportunity to be well coached and well trained, and uh in tournament in Hawaii got up to third place.
01:13:11.199 --> 01:13:31.920
Uh I think the judge on the last match might have missed a couple of my strikes that I did very effectively, but yeah, wound up in third place and uh and uh you know very humbling experience once again uh because great people doing great things, and I I was uh had the opportunity to do well.
01:13:32.239 --> 01:13:39.279
So if if if the three of us were to get in uh into a little like skirmish with you, you would just totally kick her ass.
01:13:39.520 --> 01:13:42.079
Yeah, I don't need to do that, but I will.
01:13:42.239 --> 01:13:43.760
Yeah, yeah, that's good to know, man.
01:13:43.840 --> 01:13:44.640
I mean, honestly, yeah.
01:13:45.039 --> 01:13:45.600
I'm terrified.
01:13:45.760 --> 01:13:47.359
I'm not gonna I'm I me too, man.
01:13:47.439 --> 01:13:47.760
I'm not gonna.
01:13:48.159 --> 01:13:49.439
Yeah, careful of the questions.
01:13:49.600 --> 01:13:51.600
Yeah, question number two shouldn't be that bad.
01:13:51.840 --> 01:13:54.159
Well, question Well is not even a question.
01:13:54.239 --> 01:13:55.920
This is a this is just a factual thing.
01:13:56.319 --> 01:13:57.520
It's a factual statement.
01:13:57.680 --> 01:14:09.119
So, and you touched on this before, but actually I don't think you covered it enough where Justin and I can really kind of go after it a little bit.
01:14:09.279 --> 01:14:21.119
So you said that you were you worked as a marketing agent, marketing agent, which means you never drank actually the product, but you were a marketing agent for Jack Daniels in Hawaii.
01:14:21.279 --> 01:14:23.359
And uh go back into that a little bit.
01:14:23.439 --> 01:14:26.079
I mean, I think you kind of glossed over it a little bit.
01:14:26.239 --> 01:14:30.000
Like to me, it's like you're working for freaking Jack Daniels.
01:14:30.159 --> 01:14:32.960
If I was working for Jack Daniels, and how old were you?
01:14:33.359 --> 01:14:34.800
You were like in your twenties.
01:14:35.359 --> 01:14:37.199
About 25 at the time.
01:14:37.600 --> 01:14:41.760
Okay, so were you like getting the free samples and stuff?
01:14:43.199 --> 01:14:44.399
Uh yeah, no.
01:14:44.560 --> 01:14:45.600
Uh yeah, no.
01:14:46.159 --> 01:14:58.800
But uh it they are actually a very remarkable company to work for, remarkably ethical, remarkably hard high demands on their employees, uh, remarkably high standards.
01:14:59.039 --> 01:15:07.119
Again, as I touched on earlier, they they revel on the fact that they're a fine sipping Tennessee whiskey.
01:15:07.439 --> 01:15:17.039
And if if you choose to be someone who uh wants to be a slithering drunk, you'll find yourself unemployed very, very quickly.
01:15:17.199 --> 01:15:22.159
Yeah, they have very, very high standards, and uh they're a remarkable company.
01:15:22.319 --> 01:15:25.119
I will tell you this about Jack Daniels.
01:15:25.359 --> 01:15:30.720
As I alluded to earlier, they said, hey, we're gonna do a uh severance package.
01:15:30.880 --> 01:15:31.600
They did.
01:15:32.239 --> 01:15:52.000
But kind of a cool thing is about a week before my commissioning in officers training school, before I earned that gold bar, that quote butter bar, uh So wait.
01:15:52.640 --> 01:15:56.239
The what the frickin' heck is the butterball?
01:15:56.560 --> 01:15:58.800
Okay, not butterball, that's a turkey.
01:16:00.479 --> 01:16:06.000
Bart, that's a turkey, a butterbar, Lieutenant Car Colonel, uh Lieutenant.
01:16:06.399 --> 01:16:07.439
Oh, I'm sorry, butterball.
01:16:07.760 --> 01:16:10.640
Okay, I I yeah I okay, my bad.
01:16:10.800 --> 01:16:11.199
Butter.
01:16:11.520 --> 01:16:16.479
I uh so Sandra and I, my wife, my beautiful wife, was also in the audience.
01:16:16.640 --> 01:16:22.640
We just did a while back, we had uh a butterball turkey turkey, so when you said that, I'm sorry.
01:16:22.960 --> 01:16:25.439
It's it's butter, it's butterball or butterbar?
01:16:25.520 --> 01:16:29.600
What is butter bar, a loot uh a gold bar, a lieutenant's bar.
01:16:29.680 --> 01:16:31.520
By the way, totally respectable.
01:16:31.760 --> 01:16:34.159
Uh no, they're I apologize.
01:16:34.239 --> 01:16:37.199
I I I think we are gonna have to cut this out of the program.
01:16:37.279 --> 01:16:38.560
I I I'm so embarrassed.
01:16:38.800 --> 01:16:39.359
What did I say?
01:16:39.520 --> 01:16:40.239
Butterball?
01:16:40.399 --> 01:16:41.439
Yeah, you did.
01:16:42.159 --> 01:16:42.800
Butterball.
01:16:43.760 --> 01:16:47.039
What's the freaking difference between a butter ball and a butter bar?
01:16:47.600 --> 01:16:54.800
Well, well, the butterball you put in front of you on a Thanksgiving table, the butter bar you pin on your shoulder.
01:16:54.960 --> 01:16:57.840
Uh I will never make that mistake again.
01:16:57.920 --> 01:17:00.800
I swear to you, I am so embarrassed.
01:17:01.119 --> 01:17:01.680
What did I say?
01:17:01.840 --> 01:17:02.399
Butterball.
01:17:02.880 --> 01:17:03.279
I'm sorry.
01:17:03.359 --> 01:17:03.760
Go ahead.
01:17:03.840 --> 01:17:04.000
Sorry.
01:17:04.800 --> 01:17:07.600
Anyhow, you you talked about Jack Daniels.
01:17:07.680 --> 01:17:09.600
Uh it it's an interesting thing.
01:17:09.760 --> 01:17:17.520
About a week before I commissioned, I got a handwritten letter at Officers Training School from the distillery.
01:17:18.239 --> 01:17:26.000
And and it was this is way before computer generation or AI, so it was actually handwritten.
01:17:26.319 --> 01:17:39.119
And in this letter is a handwritten note from the distillery that basically says we're we're here to congratulate you on becoming an officer in the United States Air Force.
01:17:39.439 --> 01:17:43.199
And here's a little something to just help you out as you get started.
01:17:43.760 --> 01:17:48.239
And there was a handwritten check from the distillery for$500.
01:17:49.359 --> 01:17:52.640
You know, they just uh it i it it's special.
01:17:52.800 --> 01:17:56.319
It's special for anyone to say thank you to you.
01:17:56.960 --> 01:18:00.399
And uh now here they are, dumb as a fox.
01:18:00.479 --> 01:18:04.880
They got me still marketing for Jack Daniels, and they're not paying me anything.
01:18:09.439 --> 01:18:14.000
By the way, they also gave me a one square inch piece of land in Lichburg, Tennessee.
01:18:14.159 --> 01:18:14.720
Oh, that's nice.
01:18:14.880 --> 01:18:15.840
How much is that worth?
01:18:16.079 --> 01:18:19.600
Oh, uh i I gotta tell you, I'm not gonna sell it.
01:18:19.840 --> 01:18:21.840
Uh-uh, I'll give you 50 bucks.
01:18:22.479 --> 01:18:23.760
Ain't gonna happen.
01:18:24.880 --> 01:18:27.039
Okay, so number three.
01:18:27.199 --> 01:18:28.239
Number number three.
01:18:28.560 --> 01:18:28.960
Number three.
01:18:29.359 --> 01:18:31.199
We have a music for this thing.
01:18:31.439 --> 01:18:41.359
So you now this one I think is gonna pique somebody's interest more than the butterball or butterball thing, whatever the LOS.
01:18:42.560 --> 01:18:43.520
Butterbar.
01:18:43.920 --> 01:18:47.520
I'll never make that mistake again, I swear to you, sir.
01:18:48.800 --> 01:18:54.000
You were a licensed pyrotechnician.
01:18:54.560 --> 01:18:57.439
Pyrotechnician in Hawaii.
01:18:58.399 --> 01:18:59.760
Yeah, so I was involved in the.
01:19:00.000 --> 01:19:01.279
What the hell is that all about?
01:19:01.600 --> 01:19:06.880
I was involved in an organization called the JC's, which is a remarkable organization.
01:19:07.039 --> 01:19:13.039
I mean, great leadership, learning, development thing for people getting into business.
01:19:13.840 --> 01:19:21.199
The paradigm back then is it was the quote junior chamber of commerce that was called the JC's.
01:19:21.520 --> 01:19:34.479
And uh one of our big events every year was a fireworks show done off of Flat Island in Kailua Bay as a donation to the community.
01:19:35.199 --> 01:19:38.640
So we would do a pretty cool fireworks show.
01:19:39.279 --> 01:19:44.239
Uh the problem was is we needed a pyrotechnician.
01:19:44.960 --> 01:19:56.960
I didn't even know what the heck that was, but we needed a pyrotechnician to sign for all the explosives because at the end of the day, these these fireworks are explosives.
01:19:57.680 --> 01:20:08.479
And so I had to go get licensed by the state so I could be the guy to sign for the pyro that we would then go out on Flat Island.
01:20:08.960 --> 01:20:12.560
Uh by the way, they don't do it on Flat Island anymore.
01:20:12.720 --> 01:20:15.039
It's now a bird sanctuary.
01:20:15.359 --> 01:20:23.920
Uh but somebody had to sign for those explosives so we could do this remarkable show for the community, and I became the guy.
01:20:26.399 --> 01:20:28.319
That's pretty that's pretty fucking cool to me.
01:20:28.399 --> 01:20:28.800
I don't know.
01:20:28.880 --> 01:20:32.880
That's I need to work with with fireworks legally.
01:20:33.199 --> 01:20:38.319
Uh i i i these things are basically mortar rounds.
01:20:38.399 --> 01:20:38.720
Yeah.
01:20:38.960 --> 01:20:41.520
I mean, they this is a big deal.
01:20:41.680 --> 01:20:42.000
Yeah.
01:20:42.159 --> 01:20:42.960
I mean.
01:20:43.520 --> 01:20:44.079
Yeah.
01:20:44.560 --> 01:20:46.560
You could you can operate them today, right?
01:20:46.720 --> 01:20:47.439
Uh absolutely.
01:20:47.760 --> 01:20:48.159
There you go.
01:20:48.399 --> 01:20:49.359
I'm the I'm your guy.
01:20:49.520 --> 01:20:51.039
You want to do some here tonight?
01:20:51.279 --> 01:20:53.279
Yeah, we can go up front and we can pop some off.
01:20:53.359 --> 01:20:54.560
I'm sure the neighborhood won't mind.
01:20:54.640 --> 01:20:56.319
We didn't put out any memos or anything, but yeah.
01:20:56.560 --> 01:20:59.680
Absolutely, but Buzz can Buzz could take care of that for us.
01:21:00.399 --> 01:21:03.680
No, he cannot explore faces off.
01:21:04.159 --> 01:21:04.800
My God.
01:21:05.039 --> 01:21:08.479
Buzz! The hell's up with us, spill in the water.
01:21:09.439 --> 01:21:10.319
Number four.
01:21:10.560 --> 01:21:11.600
Number four.
01:21:12.239 --> 01:21:17.840
You skip okay, this this tells me you are a frickin' smart guy.
01:21:18.079 --> 01:21:20.720
You skipped your senior year of high school.
01:21:21.039 --> 01:21:24.079
You skipped your senior hill uh year of high school.
01:21:24.239 --> 01:21:32.640
And you it's funny, he uh for for a guy to ski It's funny I'm reading this off the tax medicine.
01:21:32.720 --> 01:21:37.760
He said we spelled wind instead of went.
01:21:38.239 --> 01:21:40.560
So I'm not sure about a spell checker thing.
01:21:40.880 --> 01:21:49.840
You wind, you went direct to college and you study chemistry at age 16.
01:21:50.479 --> 01:21:51.600
What kind of chemistry?
01:21:51.840 --> 01:21:55.920
What w tell talk did you not go to your senior year?
01:21:56.000 --> 01:21:57.119
You were so smart.
01:21:57.359 --> 01:22:13.680
Well, I didn't go to my senior year, and um I was like, you were dating dating some girl or something, or what I wish uh but if I had to relook at various areas of my life that maybe I would have wanted to do differently, this is maybe one of them.
01:22:14.000 --> 01:22:16.800
So I I went into college at 16.
01:22:16.960 --> 01:22:18.720
I didn't fit in at college.
01:22:19.039 --> 01:22:23.039
Wait, you went to college at 16 or you graduated high school at 16?
01:22:23.199 --> 01:22:24.800
No, I went into college at 16.
01:22:25.039 --> 01:22:26.640
That's correct.
01:22:26.720 --> 01:22:28.159
I'm sorry, I gotta stop.
01:22:28.960 --> 01:22:30.960
Isn't that like unbelievable?
01:22:31.199 --> 01:22:33.680
Oh no, a lot of guys do it a lot younger than me.
01:22:33.840 --> 01:22:37.520
There's a whole bunch of Nobel laureates coming in at age 12.
01:22:37.840 --> 01:22:38.319
All right, all right.
01:22:39.039 --> 01:22:40.319
All right, general.
01:22:41.840 --> 01:22:48.000
But but the reality was uh there was a challenge there with maturity.
01:22:48.239 --> 01:22:51.279
So I didn't quite fit in in the college group.
01:22:51.439 --> 01:22:56.319
I no longer fit in with my high school group because I was now a high school student.
01:22:56.479 --> 01:23:08.640
Uh sorry, a college student, and my high school guys were having all these great parties and fun, and I was out there studying exams and doing lab work and a chemistry degree.
01:23:08.960 --> 01:23:11.920
Um I don't know, you know, history's history.
01:23:12.000 --> 01:23:12.159
Yeah.
01:23:12.479 --> 01:23:16.880
Um it just put me in an awkward place in my life.
01:23:17.520 --> 01:23:28.640
But the reality was uh I was given this opportunity and I decided the right thing to do is let's put the throttles against the firewall and let's move forward.
01:23:30.159 --> 01:23:31.199
Unbelievable, man.
01:23:31.279 --> 01:23:37.520
I'm telling you, like I grew I think when I graduated high school uh high school, I was like 20 or 21.
01:23:38.000 --> 01:23:38.880
Anyway.
01:23:41.199 --> 01:23:43.039
On that point, number five.
01:23:43.359 --> 01:23:47.920
Number five! Okay, this is this goes hand in hand.
01:23:48.079 --> 01:23:53.359
You were an adjunct professor at Cal State University.
01:23:54.800 --> 01:23:55.520
Bakersfield.
01:23:57.760 --> 01:23:59.199
I know it's a big word, Bart.
01:23:59.520 --> 01:24:00.159
It's kind of hard to do.
01:24:00.319 --> 01:24:05.760
Well, it could have been it could have been it could have been Berk it could have been it it it it just says C USB.
01:24:05.840 --> 01:24:08.159
I'm assuming it's Bakerfield, not Berkeley.
01:24:08.319 --> 01:24:11.680
Because I don't know if you're that much of a freaking smart guy.
01:24:12.000 --> 01:24:13.920
Uh yeah, okay.
01:24:14.079 --> 01:24:16.960
Let's just say uh C S U B.
01:24:18.239 --> 01:24:24.159
Uh you're an MB you're teaching MBA classes at Cal State University Bakersfield.
01:24:24.399 --> 01:24:27.039
I mean, that's wow.
01:24:27.279 --> 01:24:28.479
So I enjoy it.
01:24:28.560 --> 01:24:35.439
Uh the only reason I teach as an adjunct, I I basically am an academic prostitute.
01:24:35.680 --> 01:24:38.239
Uh if you pay me, I'll teach.
01:24:38.560 --> 01:24:43.920
So uh, you know, but uh I've never heard that terminology before until right now.
01:24:44.239 --> 01:24:55.840
But I will tell you in all seriousness, I've I've actually offered to uh teach for them pro bono, but rules in California is you can't do that, so I need to be compensated.
01:24:56.159 --> 01:25:06.239
It i i it it's pennies on the hour, but I love the opportunity to share, mentor, grow people in our society as a total.
01:25:06.399 --> 01:25:13.119
And if I can help people work towards their MBA degree, uh I'm just honored and humbled to do that.
01:25:13.359 --> 01:25:13.840
There you go.
01:25:14.000 --> 01:25:14.720
I like it.
01:25:14.960 --> 01:25:15.840
All right, Jester.
01:25:16.239 --> 01:25:18.720
This is this is this is the last call.
01:25:18.960 --> 01:25:19.279
Okay.
01:25:19.600 --> 01:25:20.319
The last call.
01:25:20.479 --> 01:25:21.039
The last call.
01:25:21.279 --> 01:25:24.239
Yeah, because we we've I I got another 45 minutes.
01:25:24.640 --> 01:25:29.920
No, no, but but but well the reason we call it last call is because Buzz leaves now.
01:25:30.239 --> 01:25:31.600
Yeah, he's off the clock now.
01:25:32.000 --> 01:25:34.640
He if you need one more drink, he it's last call.
01:25:34.720 --> 01:25:36.560
Do you need do you need are you good?
01:25:36.720 --> 01:25:37.920
I I'm totally fine.
01:25:38.640 --> 01:25:43.199
I'm a little worried if Buzz starts leaving, which is what he's gonna knock over next.
01:25:43.279 --> 01:25:45.359
I know freaking Buzz.
01:25:45.680 --> 01:25:48.000
I'm terrified to be quite honest with you.
01:25:48.159 --> 01:25:53.199
Um so in this segment, really quick, these are gonna be uh lightning fast responses here.
01:25:53.359 --> 01:25:55.520
Uh yes, exactly.
01:25:55.600 --> 01:25:56.640
Well, not so much.
01:25:56.880 --> 01:26:09.520
Um gonna we're gonna go through these lists of questions here, um, and then our final part is gonna be just for you to uh kind of if there's anything that you want to spill your guts on, you got a couple minutes to do that, but we'll get we'll get to that in a second.
01:26:09.680 --> 01:26:12.720
Um so first question on this list what's your go-to cocktail?
01:26:12.880 --> 01:26:25.359
I think we've already heard that, but well, I uh my wife, my beautiful bride Denise, makes the best beef eater martinis on the face of the earth.
01:26:25.680 --> 01:26:26.000
There it is.
01:26:26.239 --> 01:26:30.000
And when she greets kidney Bait Buzz, can you hang out for a second?
01:26:30.079 --> 01:26:31.520
I'm gonna have one of those.
01:26:31.840 --> 01:26:38.239
When she greets me coming home from a long day with the martini, it's very comforting.
01:26:38.560 --> 01:26:39.119
That's good.
01:26:39.279 --> 01:26:40.000
That's great.
01:26:40.960 --> 01:26:42.479
Uh question number two.
01:26:42.720 --> 01:26:45.359
What's your favorite sport to watch on TV?
01:26:45.600 --> 01:26:54.319
I like football, and I'm uh a bit of a fan of the uh remarkably unsuccessful Dallas Cowboys.
01:26:54.720 --> 01:27:13.039
Uh you know, as a matter of fact, I like the old joke about the Dallas Cowboys of the guy who passes away and he tells his wife, please, please, please, I want my pall bearers to all be Dallas Cowboys players so they can let me down just one more time.
01:27:13.920 --> 01:27:16.640
And as a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I appreciate that.
01:27:16.800 --> 01:27:17.119
Yeah.
01:27:17.439 --> 01:27:24.800
Um, if you could have a drink with any historical figure, alive or dead, doesn't matter, who would it be?
01:27:25.920 --> 01:27:27.520
That's an interesting question.
01:27:27.680 --> 01:27:31.359
I need to think about it for a second, but let me let me go with this.
01:27:31.600 --> 01:27:41.920
I I think General Patton from the Second World War won dad served in Patton's Third Army.
01:27:42.000 --> 01:27:42.159
Yep.
01:27:42.399 --> 01:27:42.720
Wow.
01:27:42.960 --> 01:27:51.439
And probably had something to do with the relief of some little city in Belgium called Baston at the end of the war.
01:27:52.079 --> 01:28:04.159
Uh but I I liked Patton's overall military philosophy of uh How do we effectively grow combat capability?
01:28:04.399 --> 01:28:08.000
And his mentality is soldiers do two things.
01:28:08.239 --> 01:28:10.479
They fight and they train.
01:28:10.640 --> 01:28:11.840
And I like that.
01:28:12.000 --> 01:28:14.479
If you're not fighting, you're training.
01:28:14.560 --> 01:28:14.800
Yeah.
01:28:15.039 --> 01:28:17.600
And that extends to anything we do.
01:28:17.840 --> 01:28:18.640
That's true.
01:28:18.880 --> 01:28:19.439
Good point.
01:28:19.680 --> 01:28:20.000
I like it.
01:28:21.039 --> 01:28:21.680
Next question.
01:28:21.920 --> 01:28:25.359
Who's your favorite musical artist?
01:28:25.840 --> 01:28:27.600
Oh, it's gotta be the Beach Boys.
01:28:27.680 --> 01:28:30.800
I mean, I mean, gotta be the Beach Boys.
01:28:30.960 --> 01:28:37.760
I I mean they were so charismatic in everything we did.
01:28:37.920 --> 01:28:49.199
And living in Hawaii at the time and that beach mentality and that that whole attitude of uh let's let's enjoy life.
01:28:49.600 --> 01:28:50.720
Wouldn't it be nice?
01:28:51.279 --> 01:28:52.239
Wouldn't it be nice?
01:28:52.479 --> 01:28:52.960
Oh my god.
01:28:53.039 --> 01:28:54.479
Yeah, I'm with you on that, brother.
01:28:54.800 --> 01:29:09.439
And frankly, that relates to my military background because if you do things well as a military, our public gets to surf, relax, and enjoy.
01:29:09.600 --> 01:29:10.720
And that's wonderful.
01:29:10.800 --> 01:29:11.680
That's what we're about.
01:29:11.920 --> 01:29:12.560
I like it.
01:29:12.720 --> 01:29:13.359
All right.
01:29:13.600 --> 01:29:16.560
Uh what's your favorite place to travel for a weekend getaway?
01:29:16.800 --> 01:29:18.800
So uh I'm not allowed to pick this.
01:29:18.960 --> 01:29:20.399
My wife picks this.
01:29:20.640 --> 01:29:21.279
That's fine.
01:29:21.520 --> 01:29:30.000
So uh she has told me that my favorite place to go to, and by the way, she's right, it was wonderful, is Bruges, Belgium.
01:29:30.880 --> 01:29:34.239
It is just a very, very special place.
01:29:34.880 --> 01:29:52.479
And uh when you think of this town in Belgium, and you think that even Hitler during the horrors of the Second World War did not raise Bruges because he thought it was simply too beautiful, is very special.
01:29:53.680 --> 01:29:54.159
Bruges.
01:29:54.960 --> 01:29:56.479
I love that one, man.
01:29:57.520 --> 01:30:08.560
If you were to host a speakeasy like this, where it's very top secret, and by the way, you're sworn to secrecy where we are tonight.
01:30:10.800 --> 01:30:14.239
What would be the secret password to get into the speakeasy?
01:30:14.640 --> 01:30:15.760
Oh, jester.
01:30:15.920 --> 01:30:17.279
Oh, yeah, of course it was.
01:30:18.399 --> 01:30:19.039
Next.
01:30:20.399 --> 01:30:25.520
You kinda you kind of fucked up there because now you just gave everybody the password.
01:30:25.760 --> 01:30:30.399
It's gonna be actually gonna be something like jester one or just exclamation point.
01:30:30.880 --> 01:30:32.720
Somebody just says it randomly outside the speakeasy.
01:30:32.960 --> 01:30:33.680
Oh, have you met Jester?
01:30:33.920 --> 01:30:35.119
Yeah, come on in.
01:30:36.000 --> 01:30:37.039
Um next question.
01:30:37.199 --> 01:30:39.920
If you can instantly master any skill, what would it be?
01:30:40.159 --> 01:30:41.359
Oh my goodness.
01:30:41.520 --> 01:30:45.680
I I I think I'd love to be better at people skills.
01:30:45.840 --> 01:30:52.000
I think I'm good at people skills, but I think people skills always have room for improvement.
01:30:52.239 --> 01:30:59.199
How I can grow and develop people in or outside of the military is my J O B.
01:30:59.920 --> 01:31:02.640
So I need to grow people every day.
01:31:02.880 --> 01:31:13.359
And any tools I can get to do that better, faster, more economically, is wonderful for the entire enterprise, whatever that enterprise is.
01:31:13.600 --> 01:31:14.159
I love it.
01:31:15.760 --> 01:31:16.880
Uh, we're almost done here.
01:31:17.039 --> 01:31:18.720
Hanging in there, brother.
01:31:18.800 --> 01:31:19.439
Thank you.
01:31:19.760 --> 01:31:27.920
What is something on your bucket list that you are determined to just cross off?
01:31:28.960 --> 01:31:30.079
Cross off.
01:31:30.640 --> 01:31:35.840
You mean a remote like I think the last one on your bucket list to do.
01:31:36.079 --> 01:31:36.720
Hmm.
01:31:37.119 --> 01:31:38.079
That's tough.
01:31:38.399 --> 01:31:41.680
Not like your hit list, like it's like a thing that you want to do.
01:31:42.399 --> 01:31:44.159
Not somebody that you want to.
01:31:45.199 --> 01:31:51.039
So uh it's simple, it's mundane, it's easy.
01:31:51.199 --> 01:32:03.680
Uh, due to some medical concerns of time, right now, my uh flight clearance from the FAA is in abeyance on a medical.
01:32:03.920 --> 01:32:06.800
And I've got an appeal working with the FAA.
01:32:07.119 --> 01:32:21.760
What I'd like to be able to do is is get in front of that forward facing window again with my hands on the throttle and push that jet into the air and and do that on my own.
01:32:21.920 --> 01:32:24.399
I'm I prior cleared to do that.
01:32:24.800 --> 01:32:28.479
By the way, total respect for the FAA and their rules.
01:32:28.640 --> 01:32:44.720
Uh I'm not complaining, but as we move on in life, I like the idea of looking out of that forward window of the aircraft versus being sitting in the back side of the aircraft looking out of the side-facing window.
01:32:45.039 --> 01:32:45.760
I like it.
01:32:45.920 --> 01:32:46.479
All right.
01:32:47.199 --> 01:32:48.159
Did I pass?
01:32:48.800 --> 01:32:50.000
Yeah, with flying colors.
01:32:50.239 --> 01:32:51.039
That's beautiful, man.
01:32:51.119 --> 01:32:51.520
I love it.
01:32:51.760 --> 01:32:55.199
Um what is the best concert you've ever been to?
01:32:55.600 --> 01:32:58.159
So there have been several.
01:32:58.800 --> 01:33:06.000
Uh, but I gotta tell you, a long time ago, I went to a Janice Joplin concert in Hawaii.
01:33:06.239 --> 01:33:06.640
Hell yeah.
01:33:06.960 --> 01:33:09.359
And that thing was amazing.
01:33:09.920 --> 01:33:20.720
Uh, that woman was a entertainer uh beyond the spectrum of understanding what entertainers are.
01:33:20.880 --> 01:33:22.399
She worked for that crowd.
01:33:22.560 --> 01:33:23.119
Oh yeah.
01:33:23.359 --> 01:33:24.239
Wow, man.
01:33:24.399 --> 01:33:25.359
I mean.
01:33:26.000 --> 01:33:26.880
Janice.
01:33:27.199 --> 01:33:29.439
No, I I grew up in that era too, man.
01:33:29.520 --> 01:33:31.600
It's like you saw Janice Chaplin.
01:33:31.840 --> 01:33:32.640
Oh, yeah.
01:33:32.880 --> 01:33:33.439
Wow.
01:33:33.680 --> 01:33:34.640
There it is.
01:33:35.279 --> 01:33:36.479
You got the last one, man.
01:33:36.640 --> 01:33:37.199
I got the last one.
01:33:37.439 --> 01:33:38.079
You get the last one.
01:33:38.159 --> 01:33:39.840
You're the honor of the last one.
01:33:40.560 --> 01:33:47.279
And then we're gonna we're gonna give Jester uh about 30 seconds or whatever we have last to finish off.
01:33:47.359 --> 01:33:49.760
Uh whatever you want to say, brother.
01:33:49.920 --> 01:33:52.880
But this is the hardest question I think we ask.
01:33:53.119 --> 01:34:04.319
And it's like, what's the best piece of advice you've ever ever received in your life, whether it's from your parents or friends or whatever?
01:34:04.640 --> 01:34:07.760
So uh I'm I'm gonna take this two ways.
01:34:08.079 --> 01:34:15.439
Uh when I was about a week short of commissioning to get that butterball, I I'm sorry, butter barb.
01:34:16.479 --> 01:34:16.960
Sorry.
01:34:17.119 --> 01:34:19.279
I apologize for the butterball thing.
01:34:19.359 --> 01:34:20.880
Um I'm a knucklehead.
01:34:21.039 --> 01:34:21.359
Yeah.
01:34:21.840 --> 01:34:36.640
So uh I'm an officer's training school, and I called my father back in Hawaii, who was a World War II battlefield commissioner, probably never saw anywhere inside of a college.
01:34:36.800 --> 01:34:53.920
I don't think he graduated from high school, but in the field he was commissioned based on his ability to lead, and he wound up making the United States Army an entire career instead of going back to the Beverly Wilshire or the St.
01:34:54.079 --> 01:34:54.640
Francis.
01:34:54.720 --> 01:34:58.159
He loved what he did, and he loved working with soldiers.
01:34:58.399 --> 01:35:08.000
And I asked my father, what do I have to do to be a success as an officer in the United States Air Force?
01:35:08.239 --> 01:35:11.199
Now, now you have to understand my dad a little bit.
01:35:11.359 --> 01:35:13.119
He's a very pensive man.
01:35:13.279 --> 01:35:23.359
You ask him a question, you might want to have a copy of War and Peace with you to read it while he thinks about his answer.
01:35:24.079 --> 01:35:26.560
Because he was a very pensive man.
01:35:27.359 --> 01:35:29.199
He fired back instantly.
01:35:29.359 --> 01:35:36.640
He said, You surround yourself with outstanding NCOs and you let them take care of you.
01:35:37.760 --> 01:35:41.359
And I I just believe that's absolutely right.
01:35:41.760 --> 01:35:43.600
I I believe he hit it.
01:35:44.079 --> 01:35:48.159
And uh I I will take they said it was a two-part thing.
01:35:48.479 --> 01:36:00.000
I will steal something from Michael Jordan in an interview where he was asked uh, you know, what what he does to be great on the court.
01:36:00.560 --> 01:36:03.760
And he said, It's not my job to be great on the court.
01:36:03.840 --> 01:36:07.520
My job is to make four other people great on the court.
01:36:07.920 --> 01:36:26.000
And in all seriousness, those methodologies have helped me to be a good teammate to great people around me that that have somehow humbly put me in the position I'm at at Mojave.
01:36:26.479 --> 01:36:27.039
I love it.
01:36:27.279 --> 01:36:28.159
That's great.
01:36:28.399 --> 01:36:29.119
I love it.
01:36:29.359 --> 01:36:30.000
Alright, man.
01:36:30.079 --> 01:36:30.560
This is it.
01:36:30.720 --> 01:36:35.840
This is your this is your moment to shine, even though you've been shining the whole entire uh show here.
01:36:36.079 --> 01:36:45.199
Uh so this is your moment to if there's something you want to plug, there's somebody you want to thank, or just something you want to say to the masses, this is your time.
01:36:45.439 --> 01:36:48.000
Uh you get let's give you a minute.
01:36:48.159 --> 01:36:51.520
However, whatever you want to say, whatever you want to do, this is your time.
01:36:51.680 --> 01:36:52.239
Go for it.
01:36:52.479 --> 01:36:53.279
Okay, honey.
01:36:53.359 --> 01:36:55.439
My my wife Denise is in the background.
01:36:55.600 --> 01:36:59.039
Can you bring out the 45 slides we have right now?
01:36:59.600 --> 01:36:59.840
No.
01:37:00.640 --> 01:37:22.000
Uh I I I think what capitalizes this all in a mentality, and and it it's humbling to me because I've been dealt with a great civilian workforce at Mojave, and my job there is again to do the same thing, create a great team, create opportunities for them to excel.
01:37:22.479 --> 01:37:36.000
But there was a day uh that I was flying, I was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, and what we would often do is go to Minot Air Force Base, where the B-52 simulators were.
01:37:36.560 --> 01:37:50.800
And uh we would do a lot of simulator training because apparently the United States doesn't want you to scatter nukes across the Midwest, you know, and and but we could do that in a training environment.
01:37:51.199 --> 01:38:05.279
And uh I I would often go there as a senior evaluator, what we call Stanaval, what civilians would call a Czech airman, and make certain people had the proficiencies to do their job.
01:38:05.600 --> 01:38:16.800
And I was leaving there in civilian clothes, and I'm on an airliner, commercial airliner, leaving my North Dakota, and a young man got on the airplane next to me.
01:38:16.960 --> 01:38:21.920
And and let me tell you, this young guy was some kind of excited.
01:38:22.079 --> 01:38:25.199
I mean, he'd come through a door in somebody else's push.
01:38:25.279 --> 01:38:26.800
He was fired up.
01:38:27.279 --> 01:38:41.359
And uh I happened to have the window seat in the front row, and he came over and he's gonna sit next to me, and he's looking out the window, and I said, Look, buddy, uh, i if you want the window seat, you can have it.
01:38:41.439 --> 01:38:44.399
I've seen my share of takeoffs and landings.
01:38:44.720 --> 01:38:46.399
And he said, Oh no, no, no.
01:38:46.479 --> 01:38:47.920
I'm just really excited.
01:38:48.000 --> 01:38:52.159
Uh you see, I'm going to Los Angeles for the Great Peace March.
01:38:52.239 --> 01:38:55.840
We're going to walk from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
01:38:56.159 --> 01:38:58.800
for world peace and nuclear disarmament.
01:38:58.960 --> 01:39:00.880
What do you do for a living?
01:39:01.279 --> 01:39:04.319
And I said, I'm a bombardier on B-52.
01:39:06.640 --> 01:39:10.159
And uh we didn't talk for the rest of the day.
01:39:11.199 --> 01:39:15.920
But but I will tell you, and as I mentioned earlier, I'm K careful.
01:39:16.000 --> 01:39:20.159
I try not to proselytize, but I choose to lead my life one way.
01:39:20.800 --> 01:39:30.399
And and I actually, on my own, prayed for an opportunity to maybe touch this guy at some point.
01:39:30.800 --> 01:39:49.199
And when we landed at our intermediate destination, he reached out to me as a very nice young gentleman, and he said, Sir, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, but it's obvious we have very different values.
01:39:50.479 --> 01:39:52.399
And that was the opportunity.
01:39:53.119 --> 01:40:00.800
The opportunity to shake his hand and say, You haven't offended me, but I need to correct you.
01:40:01.359 --> 01:40:04.239
You see, our values are identical.
01:40:05.199 --> 01:40:08.960
We both want world peace and nuclear disarmament.
01:40:09.840 --> 01:40:11.760
What's different is our commitment.
01:40:12.960 --> 01:40:20.399
You're willing to walk across the country for it, and the men and women of the armed forces are willing to die for it.
01:40:21.520 --> 01:40:23.359
So it's about commitment.
01:40:24.399 --> 01:40:25.920
It's not about the mission.
01:40:27.039 --> 01:40:48.960
And uh if I had to offer to this austere group here, humbled to be here with y'all, it's that if if there's a lexicon I take, it's that we have remarkably young people that do remarkably huge sacrifice for this country every day.
01:40:49.199 --> 01:40:55.359
And to be somebody that is somehow called a leader in that, I'm just humble.
01:40:59.199 --> 01:40:59.840
Wow.
01:41:00.159 --> 01:41:00.960
I like it.
01:41:01.199 --> 01:41:01.840
You know what?
01:41:01.920 --> 01:41:03.920
I I just want to say this, uh, Jester.
01:41:04.239 --> 01:41:08.479
It's like it's such an honor to have you as our first guest here on the podcast.
01:41:08.560 --> 01:41:21.600
And uh man, you're a good friend, and uh everyone in this community that knows you who's listening to this podcast is gonna like say, like, wow.
01:41:21.920 --> 01:41:23.279
It's a hell of an opening show.
01:41:23.439 --> 01:41:24.800
It's a hell of an opening show.
01:41:25.039 --> 01:41:25.680
I like it.
01:41:25.920 --> 01:41:28.239
Well, hopefully it's not the closing show.
01:41:28.560 --> 01:41:30.960
I mean, uh let's let's hope not.
01:41:31.600 --> 01:41:33.760
No, it's I think we'll be fine.
01:41:35.279 --> 01:41:37.279
All right, so how do we end the show?
01:41:37.359 --> 01:41:38.800
I don't even know how we do this, man.
01:41:38.880 --> 01:41:40.479
It's like you end it.
01:41:40.720 --> 01:41:41.279
We end it.
01:41:41.359 --> 01:41:42.319
Okay, so we end it.
01:41:42.720 --> 01:41:44.880
You you be the last one to speak.
01:41:45.119 --> 01:41:47.439
No, I want Jester to be the last one to speak.
01:41:47.600 --> 01:41:50.880
Say, like, please listen in and something like that.
01:41:51.680 --> 01:41:51.920
Okay.
01:41:52.159 --> 01:41:54.000
Do what he says, man, or else he's gonna get pissed.
01:41:54.319 --> 01:41:55.600
Do your disc jockey voice era.
01:41:56.479 --> 01:41:59.760
I'll do my best disjockey voice, which I don't have.
01:41:59.920 --> 01:42:02.479
Uh Bravery Brewery.
01:42:02.640 --> 01:42:03.920
Thank you for hosting the news.
01:42:04.159 --> 01:42:05.359
No, it's not Bravery Brewery.
01:42:06.000 --> 01:42:09.920
We try to keep we try to keep this the bravery brewing parts out of it.
01:42:10.079 --> 01:42:13.760
It's it's just two guys interviewing you, but anyway.
01:42:14.560 --> 01:42:16.880
Well, these two guys have humbled me.
01:42:17.119 --> 01:42:28.399
I I will tell you, yeah, we have very real sacrifices done by men and women every day, and we need to humble ourselves to that.
01:42:28.640 --> 01:42:30.479
Uh, how much time do I have?
01:42:30.560 --> 01:42:32.000
Can I do like 20 minutes?
01:42:32.880 --> 01:42:34.079
20 minutes.
01:42:34.880 --> 01:42:39.359
No, the the well, Buzz is already like passed down the floor, I think.
01:42:39.920 --> 01:42:40.399
Two minutes?
01:42:40.640 --> 01:42:40.880
Yeah, well.
01:42:41.760 --> 01:42:42.640
You were just given two minutes.
01:42:43.760 --> 01:42:44.000
Take it.
01:42:44.079 --> 01:42:45.119
It's a lot show.
01:42:45.760 --> 01:42:47.199
Excuse me, it's a first show.
01:42:47.359 --> 01:42:49.199
Don't say that segment of the first show.
01:42:49.439 --> 01:42:49.680
Take it.
01:42:49.840 --> 01:42:50.960
Good over to the board.
01:42:51.439 --> 01:42:54.079
So let's talk about a kid from Southern California.
01:42:54.399 --> 01:42:54.960
Here we go.
01:42:55.279 --> 01:42:55.840
You know what?
01:42:56.560 --> 01:43:07.039
Uh second generation Hispanic immigrant who joined our United States Marine Corps as an avenue towards citizenship for himself and his family.
01:43:07.199 --> 01:43:09.439
His name's Raphael Peralta.
01:43:10.159 --> 01:43:23.920
And my beautiful bride and I had the very rare opportunity to uh stand in for the Adjutant General of California at the commissioning of the early Birch uh destroyer Peralta.
01:43:26.479 --> 01:43:35.680
Raphael, as a young man, grew quickly in our Marine Corps and did great things.
01:43:36.479 --> 01:43:54.159
Uh he was horribly wounded in Fallujah, but when the grenade came into his battle position, he would not visit death on his marines and he huddled that grenade to his chest and he lost his life for this country.
01:43:55.199 --> 01:44:15.039
He is simply one example of thousands of examples, hundreds of thousands of examples of brave Americans that deserve so much more credit than I, who have who have paid remarkable sacrifice for this country.
01:44:15.840 --> 01:44:23.119
Uh Raphael, just a young guy who simply wouldn't let other Marines die that day.
01:44:23.680 --> 01:44:26.079
And okay, we named a ship after him.
01:44:26.800 --> 01:44:41.600
So uh I I I think I cannot give more credit than anyone to the methodology of where do we get such men and women?
01:44:41.840 --> 01:44:45.119
Where do we get them in this remarkable country?
01:44:45.439 --> 01:44:47.680
But they keep showing up every day.
01:44:49.119 --> 01:45:09.680
You know what, Jester, thank you so much for your passion in life and your passion for uh your service to our country, and I I can't thank you enough for being our first guest here on our podcast, and I think it's a big freaking deal to have you here.
01:45:11.600 --> 01:45:12.079
Oh yeah.
01:45:12.159 --> 01:45:16.720
No, yeah, I think that was I think that was a a beautiful way to end the first episode.
01:45:16.960 --> 01:45:17.760
Yeah, absolutely, man.
01:45:18.079 --> 01:45:18.720
Absolutely.
01:45:18.960 --> 01:45:19.520
Alright, man.
01:45:19.600 --> 01:45:28.000
Well Jester, thank you for for taking your time out of your uh very busy schedule for civilian life, right?
01:45:28.319 --> 01:45:29.520
To be here with us.
01:45:29.840 --> 01:45:33.359
Uh man, great first episode, guys.
01:45:33.600 --> 01:45:34.239
I loved it.
01:45:35.520 --> 01:45:36.479
Thank you so much.
01:45:36.800 --> 01:45:37.279
Thank you.
01:45:37.520 --> 01:45:38.479
Alright, guys.
01:45:39.119 --> 01:45:40.000
Join us again.
01:45:40.079 --> 01:45:43.039
We'll uh we'll have information out on our socials.
01:45:43.199 --> 01:45:45.840
Follow us on Instagram, deep diving on the speakeasy.
01:45:45.920 --> 01:45:53.520
Uh we'll let you know weekly uh when um our new guest is gonna be on uh and when shows are going to be releasing.
01:45:53.760 --> 01:45:58.479
Uh give us a follow, give us a like, and we will see you guys on the next.