WEBVTT 00:02.869 --> 00:05.170 This is the Science behind the Soldier , 00:05.179 --> 00:07.690 a podcast from the Combat Capabilities 00:07.699 --> 00:09.755 Development Command Soldier Center . 00:13.479 --> 00:16.139 Hey , so , uh welcome to our fourth uh 00:16.149 --> 00:19.719 podcast uh where we bring uh one of our 00:19.729 --> 00:22.659 teammates in . Uh and we kind of talk , 00:22.670 --> 00:24.781 uh get to know them a little bit , uh 00:24.781 --> 00:26.614 get to know what they do for the 00:26.614 --> 00:28.837 organization likes and dislikes , um et 00:28.837 --> 00:30.892 cetera and what they're working on . 00:31.049 --> 00:33.259 And so today , we're lucky , we have 00:33.270 --> 00:35.580 tosh with us uh from Airdrop , been 00:35.590 --> 00:38.500 here about 14 years in November . So , 00:38.509 --> 00:40.620 uh and I'm kind of excited to talk to 00:40.620 --> 00:42.842 him . I , I've , uh you know , I've got 00:42.842 --> 00:44.787 a little bit of experience with uh 00:44.787 --> 00:46.842 jumping out of airplanes . Uh And so 00:46.842 --> 00:46.819 this is always exciting to me and to me 00:46.830 --> 00:49.052 it's about safety and making sure we do 00:49.052 --> 00:51.108 the right things for our soldiers to 00:51.108 --> 00:53.219 reduce the risks that are inherent in 00:53.219 --> 00:55.552 this dangerous activity that we do . So , 00:55.552 --> 00:57.719 the first thing I'm gonna ask you , uh 00:57.719 --> 00:59.663 tas is , uh you know , why did you 00:59.663 --> 01:01.830 choose this career ? Uh And , and then 01:01.830 --> 01:03.663 also tell me a little about your 01:03.663 --> 01:05.830 background , right ? So , absolutely . 01:05.830 --> 01:07.774 Uh So good morning , sir . Um So I 01:07.774 --> 01:09.941 really chose this career . Um And it's 01:09.941 --> 01:12.052 been a good fit for me because it's a 01:12.052 --> 01:14.274 very challenging environment working in 01:14.274 --> 01:16.497 personal airdrop for the army . Uh It's 01:16.497 --> 01:18.552 really an opportunity for me to grow 01:18.552 --> 01:20.774 professionally and personally , uh it's 01:20.774 --> 01:20.589 really given me a lot of opportunities 01:20.599 --> 01:22.970 to do really amazing things that you 01:22.980 --> 01:25.091 really don't get an opportunity to do 01:25.091 --> 01:26.813 outside of uh our type of work 01:26.813 --> 01:29.036 environment . So , uh how I got here uh 01:29.036 --> 01:30.758 essentially , you know , um in 01:30.758 --> 01:32.480 undergraduate , I was studying 01:32.480 --> 01:34.258 aerospace engineering at Boston 01:34.258 --> 01:36.591 University . And right when I graduated , 01:36.591 --> 01:38.758 I had applied to a couple of aerospace 01:38.758 --> 01:40.869 engineering positions across the army 01:40.869 --> 01:42.924 and needed to reach out to me uh for 01:42.924 --> 01:45.036 some interest in the personal airdrop 01:45.036 --> 01:47.147 team . And to be honest at the time , 01:47.147 --> 01:49.258 the job sounded light years away from 01:49.258 --> 01:51.480 everything else that was on a table for 01:51.480 --> 01:51.239 me , you know , as far as like I could 01:51.250 --> 01:52.972 have been working on engines , 01:52.972 --> 01:54.917 satellites , rockets , that was my 01:54.917 --> 01:56.917 background , parachutes came out of 01:56.917 --> 01:59.050 left field and it was so intriguing 01:59.059 --> 02:01.392 that I just had to take the opportunity . 02:01.392 --> 02:03.503 I had to just take it , take a shot . 02:03.503 --> 02:05.726 Um And here I am about 14 years later . 02:05.726 --> 02:08.003 Yeah , it's a niche field . It's small , 02:08.003 --> 02:10.059 right ? I mean , there is not if you 02:10.059 --> 02:12.115 think about the just in the civilian 02:12.115 --> 02:11.910 side of parachutes , right ? It's not a 02:11.919 --> 02:14.252 large activity across the United States , 02:14.252 --> 02:16.475 right ? So , and then within the army , 02:16.475 --> 02:18.697 it's actually extremely small . Right . 02:18.697 --> 02:20.808 So , yeah , it's interesting that you 02:20.808 --> 02:22.752 didn't go into some other aviation 02:22.752 --> 02:25.086 aspect but you ended up with parachutes . 02:25.086 --> 02:27.419 Uh , so awesome . And so , um , I guess , 02:27.419 --> 02:29.679 um , so talk a little bit about , um , 02:29.860 --> 02:32.082 you know , after you've decided to come 02:32.082 --> 02:34.193 here , you know , how that transition 02:34.193 --> 02:36.027 from college into the government 02:36.027 --> 02:38.249 workforce and then , you know , kind of 02:38.249 --> 02:40.471 that stepping stone to where to , where 02:40.471 --> 02:42.804 you are today , you know , through that . 02:42.804 --> 02:44.804 Absolutely . So , you know , when I 02:44.804 --> 02:47.027 joined , I actually didn't know much at 02:47.027 --> 02:49.249 all about the army . Um , coming from a 02:49.249 --> 02:48.940 purely civilian background . My , I 02:48.949 --> 02:51.116 didn't really have any family that was 02:51.116 --> 02:53.282 involved in the service . Did you grew 02:53.282 --> 02:55.393 up around this area or ? I grew up in 02:55.393 --> 02:54.940 South Florida actually . Really ? So I 02:54.949 --> 02:57.339 came to name for , uh , undergraduate 02:57.350 --> 02:59.294 and I ended up staying , my family 02:59.294 --> 03:01.406 still questions that decision to this 03:01.406 --> 03:03.406 day . I love it . But , yeah , I've 03:03.406 --> 03:05.406 been , uh , I've been still back in 03:05.406 --> 03:08.490 South Florida . Ok . Interesting . Well , 03:08.500 --> 03:10.556 I mean , it's completely different . 03:10.556 --> 03:12.722 Right . I mean , we got , I mean , the 03:12.722 --> 03:14.556 temperature up here a little bit 03:14.556 --> 03:16.778 different than Florida . But , uh , and 03:16.778 --> 03:16.720 it's a little bit more expensive . So 03:16.729 --> 03:18.896 I'm surprised that one . Yeah . So , I 03:18.896 --> 03:21.062 mean , but you decide to stay . That's 03:21.062 --> 03:20.740 awesome . All right . Well , take me 03:20.750 --> 03:23.028 through the rest of that now . So , um , 03:23.028 --> 03:25.139 you know , I , I joined as , uh , you 03:25.139 --> 03:27.250 know , what used to be the A S intern 03:27.250 --> 03:27.169 program back then . Now it's a career 03:27.179 --> 03:29.089 development program . So it was a 03:29.100 --> 03:31.399 progression as a , you know , GS 79 03:31.410 --> 03:34.360 1112 for me to first begin as a junior 03:34.369 --> 03:36.702 engineer , supporting projects to learn , 03:36.702 --> 03:38.869 what are the parachutes , what are the 03:38.869 --> 03:40.980 soldiers mission to understand ? Like 03:40.980 --> 03:43.091 what is it we're trying to accomplish 03:43.091 --> 03:43.080 here ? Uh And that was really my 03:43.089 --> 03:45.089 introduction to the fact that , you 03:45.089 --> 03:47.256 know , this job is purely about saving 03:47.256 --> 03:49.422 lives and enabling soldiers to do what 03:49.422 --> 03:51.145 they need to do uh in a really 03:51.145 --> 03:53.311 challenging environment . So I started 03:53.311 --> 03:55.089 as a junior engineer working on 03:55.089 --> 03:56.811 projects , slowly took on more 03:56.811 --> 03:58.645 responsibility to start managing 03:58.645 --> 04:00.533 projects . Uh And that eventually 04:00.533 --> 04:00.500 progressed to me taking on the role as 04:00.509 --> 04:02.676 a program lead . So I've actually been 04:02.676 --> 04:04.279 leading the development uh 04:04.619 --> 04:07.179 manufacturing testing , fielding and 04:07.190 --> 04:09.699 training of full parachute systems now 04:09.710 --> 04:12.339 across the defense department . Um Our 04:12.350 --> 04:14.660 work that I do with the patient systems 04:14.669 --> 04:16.280 is , you know , from an army 04:16.280 --> 04:18.336 perspective for our requirements and 04:18.336 --> 04:19.947 our needs in the operational 04:19.947 --> 04:21.836 environment . But I actually work 04:21.836 --> 04:21.829 closely with every single service out 04:21.839 --> 04:23.839 there because we have a very strong 04:23.839 --> 04:25.929 partnership across the dod as far as 04:25.940 --> 04:28.239 what we do . Um Common needs , common 04:28.250 --> 04:30.549 technical challenges . We also do work 04:30.559 --> 04:32.781 with other folks in the government such 04:32.781 --> 04:34.670 as , you know , uh NASA US Forest 04:34.670 --> 04:36.726 Service . Uh It's a really rewarding 04:36.726 --> 04:38.837 experience . Well , I think the other 04:38.837 --> 04:41.115 services rely on our expertise , right , 04:41.115 --> 04:43.281 expertise that you've amassed and what 04:43.281 --> 04:45.448 everybody else in the organization has 04:45.448 --> 04:47.559 amassed over the years . Right . It's 04:47.559 --> 04:49.670 like a one stop shop for all things , 04:49.670 --> 04:51.892 parachutes , right . Both personnel and 04:51.892 --> 04:51.345 cargo . We're kind of focusing on 04:51.355 --> 04:53.970 personnel today . So , um , all right . 04:53.980 --> 04:56.202 Well , tell me a little bit what we are 04:56.202 --> 04:58.369 currently working on within , uh , the 04:58.369 --> 05:00.591 personal parachute realm . Absolutely . 05:00.591 --> 05:02.813 So , uh , right now I , I've taken on , 05:02.813 --> 05:05.040 uh leading the development program for 05:05.049 --> 05:07.160 a capability of the army has actually 05:07.160 --> 05:09.799 been seeking since uh 2002 . And that's 05:09.809 --> 05:11.753 for the development of a automatic 05:11.753 --> 05:13.642 activation device for static line 05:13.642 --> 05:15.809 parachutes . Uh And the whole point of 05:15.809 --> 05:17.809 this is that uh you know , you as a 05:17.809 --> 05:19.809 soldier , as a paratrooper , you're 05:19.809 --> 05:22.184 going through a very uh involved 05:22.195 --> 05:24.306 mission to get on board an aircraft , 05:24.306 --> 05:26.195 put on a parachute , you're going 05:26.195 --> 05:28.306 through a lot of sequence of events , 05:28.306 --> 05:30.639 uh ultimately to jump out of that plane , 05:30.639 --> 05:32.639 you're taking a risk , you're doing 05:32.639 --> 05:34.695 something inherently dangerous uh to 05:34.695 --> 05:36.639 get down to the ground and do your 05:36.639 --> 05:38.584 actual mission . So , with this uh 05:38.584 --> 05:40.751 capability that we're developing right 05:40.751 --> 05:42.917 now , the , the static line A ed which 05:42.917 --> 05:45.139 we call the sla the whole point of that 05:45.139 --> 05:47.362 is to deploy your backup parachute . If 05:47.362 --> 05:49.306 you find yourself in a malfunction 05:49.306 --> 05:49.160 incident where you're unable to pull 05:49.170 --> 05:51.392 your parachute or there's just too much 05:51.392 --> 05:53.337 going on and you just haven't that 05:53.337 --> 05:55.281 situational awareness to pull your 05:55.281 --> 05:57.503 reserve . Yeah , it's strange and , and 05:57.503 --> 05:56.809 you know , I first heard about this , 05:57.440 --> 05:59.440 you know , just from an engineering 05:59.440 --> 06:01.051 perspective , this is a very 06:01.051 --> 06:03.162 technically challenging uh problem to 06:03.162 --> 06:06.179 solve because of the , you know , one , 06:06.190 --> 06:08.301 the system that you develop has to be 06:08.301 --> 06:10.357 small , right has to fit into the cu 06:10.357 --> 06:12.700 current system . It has to uh be able 06:12.709 --> 06:14.765 to recognize that there's an issue , 06:14.890 --> 06:16.946 right ? That something didn't deploy 06:16.946 --> 06:19.112 correctly has to make sure that you're 06:19.112 --> 06:21.390 outside the aircraft . Uh uh it has to , 06:21.390 --> 06:23.557 you know , and then it has to activate 06:23.557 --> 06:26.540 uh 100% reliable . And so all those 06:26.549 --> 06:28.899 together make for a very challenging , 06:29.100 --> 06:31.390 I think again , uh from a technical 06:31.399 --> 06:33.510 perspective , uh issues to overcome . 06:33.510 --> 06:35.677 How did you guys do that ? So , uh the 06:35.677 --> 06:37.940 the the the management of this project 06:37.950 --> 06:39.894 has really been uh a really hybrid 06:39.894 --> 06:42.061 approach where we're really looking at 06:42.061 --> 06:44.117 all the resources available to us at 06:44.117 --> 06:46.339 the Soldier Center . We're working with 06:46.339 --> 06:48.506 academia , we're working with industry 06:48.506 --> 06:50.561 and we're working within the defense 06:50.561 --> 06:50.359 department to really make sure that we 06:50.369 --> 06:52.480 develop a solution that really meet . 06:52.480 --> 06:54.758 It's the full operational need of this . 06:54.758 --> 06:56.813 Uh And what this actually does is it 06:56.813 --> 06:58.869 builds on previous successes here at 06:58.869 --> 07:00.980 the Soldier Center because um you may 07:00.980 --> 07:00.804 think that , you know , we're 07:00.815 --> 07:02.982 developing an electronic device that's 07:02.982 --> 07:04.926 gonna deploy a parachute , but the 07:04.926 --> 07:07.093 entire footprint of that involves also 07:07.093 --> 07:09.093 modifications of the para parachute 07:09.093 --> 07:11.315 design . Um This actually builds on the 07:11.315 --> 07:13.482 success of the T 11 Reserve single pan 07:13.482 --> 07:15.759 design to the Soldier Center developed , 07:15.759 --> 07:17.982 produced in house where now we have a a 07:17.982 --> 07:19.815 reserve parachute container that 07:19.815 --> 07:21.982 actually can accommodate a static line 07:21.982 --> 07:24.148 ad in there . Um That was a success as 07:24.148 --> 07:26.371 far as addressing risk to the soldier . 07:26.371 --> 07:28.537 So now we actually have a platform for 07:28.537 --> 07:30.648 future capabilities already available 07:30.648 --> 07:32.982 to us . So now with the the sideline ed , 07:32.982 --> 07:34.982 we've actually been funding some uh 07:34.982 --> 07:36.982 folks in the industry to developing 07:36.982 --> 07:38.759 solutions for us with different 07:38.759 --> 07:40.982 approaches because we know that in this 07:40.982 --> 07:43.204 very complex environment where you have 07:43.204 --> 07:45.482 very few seconds to make that decision , 07:45.482 --> 07:47.482 you know , the the fact that you're 07:47.482 --> 07:49.704 jumping at 1000 ft , you need to deploy 07:49.704 --> 07:49.619 a reserve parachute within a few 07:49.630 --> 07:51.852 seconds because you don't have too much 07:51.852 --> 07:53.963 time . Um We wanted to make sure that 07:53.963 --> 07:55.908 we took any and all approaches and 07:55.908 --> 07:57.963 consider them . So we've got um some 07:57.963 --> 07:59.797 partners in industry that have a 07:59.797 --> 08:01.908 certain set of approaches while we've 08:01.908 --> 08:04.074 been finding some other solutions such 08:04.074 --> 08:06.297 as machine learning integration , we're 08:06.297 --> 08:05.179 trying to really stay at the cutting 08:05.190 --> 08:07.246 edge to make sure that at the end of 08:07.246 --> 08:08.968 the day , the soldier gets the 08:08.968 --> 08:10.857 capability that makes their lives 08:10.857 --> 08:13.079 easier and safer . Yeah , and it's when 08:13.079 --> 08:13.000 you mentioned the time , right ? That 08:13.010 --> 08:14.954 sequence , it's so important . I I 08:14.954 --> 08:17.177 think that some people who have never , 08:17.177 --> 08:19.177 you know , uh donned a parachute or 08:19.177 --> 08:21.288 really don't understand what you guys 08:21.288 --> 08:23.566 do or what a parachutist does . I mean , 08:23.566 --> 08:23.540 once you go out the door of that 08:23.549 --> 08:25.799 aircraft , you know , it's a six second 08:25.809 --> 08:28.260 opening sequence for the T 11 . So that 08:28.269 --> 08:30.970 means six , you count to six , your 08:30.980 --> 08:33.091 parachute should be fully deployed at 08:33.091 --> 08:34.980 that time . Well , you've already 08:34.980 --> 08:37.091 dropped significant distance . So now 08:37.091 --> 08:39.202 you have to look at your parachute to 08:39.202 --> 08:40.924 make sure that it's , it's the 08:40.924 --> 08:43.091 envelopes completely , you know , open 08:43.091 --> 08:45.809 and everything is not tangled . And you , 08:45.820 --> 08:47.653 you have to do that in , in like 08:47.653 --> 08:49.598 microseconds because if it's not , 08:49.598 --> 08:51.653 you've got to then pull your reserve 08:51.653 --> 08:53.987 and that has an activation sequence too . 08:53.987 --> 08:55.987 And all of that is consuming time , 08:55.987 --> 08:58.209 which means distance . Uh and you , you 08:58.209 --> 09:00.376 know , you , you only have so much and 09:00.376 --> 09:02.709 so the ability to do that with a device , 09:02.709 --> 09:04.820 if a soldier is incapacitated , which 09:04.820 --> 09:06.876 happens in the T 11 . Can you talk a 09:06.876 --> 09:08.598 little bit about that like the 09:08.598 --> 09:10.764 difference from the T 10 to what we're 09:10.764 --> 09:12.931 seeing in terms of malfunctions in the 09:12.931 --> 09:15.098 T 11 ? Absolutely . So , um the legacy 09:15.098 --> 09:17.209 parachute systems that were in use by 09:17.209 --> 09:19.264 the US army , the T 10 parachute for 09:19.264 --> 09:21.376 about 50 years , um , you know , that 09:21.376 --> 09:23.042 reserve parachute had certain 09:23.042 --> 09:25.209 malfunction deployment characteristics 09:25.209 --> 09:27.264 where , you know , if you were gonna 09:27.264 --> 09:29.431 have a malfunction , it was gonna be a 09:29.431 --> 09:31.653 high speed malfunction . And you know , 09:31.653 --> 09:33.764 you didn't have as much decision time 09:33.764 --> 09:33.609 and the reliability of the reserve 09:33.619 --> 09:35.563 parachute maybe wasn't as there to 09:35.563 --> 09:37.397 address low speed and high speed 09:37.397 --> 09:39.739 malfunctions . What we achieve with the 09:39.750 --> 09:42.260 T 11 reserve capability is that the 09:42.270 --> 09:44.909 parachute can deploy in pretty much any 09:44.919 --> 09:47.030 condition . You'll find yourself in a 09:47.030 --> 09:49.141 low speed or high speed malfunction . 09:49.141 --> 09:51.308 It has the ability to get out there in 09:51.308 --> 09:53.530 the clean air inflate itself . But it's 09:53.530 --> 09:55.530 the success of that T level reserve 09:55.530 --> 09:57.475 still relies on you to deploy that 09:57.475 --> 09:59.641 reserve parachute . And that's exactly 09:59.641 --> 10:01.863 what we're targeting now is that now we 10:01.863 --> 10:01.570 have a capability as far as the 10:01.580 --> 10:03.590 parachute is better . We don't have 10:03.599 --> 10:05.710 certain types of malfunctions anymore 10:05.710 --> 10:07.821 that were very catastrophic . We have 10:07.821 --> 10:10.043 reduced those down to almost negligible 10:10.043 --> 10:12.229 percentage . The soldier is now safer 10:12.239 --> 10:14.572 inherently if the parachute is deployed , 10:14.572 --> 10:16.683 now we're targeting the last slice of 10:16.683 --> 10:18.795 the pie to make sure that the reserve 10:18.795 --> 10:20.795 is out there when it's needed . And 10:20.795 --> 10:20.169 we're talking about , you know , 10:20.179 --> 10:22.401 soldier exit the aircraft , but there's 10:22.401 --> 10:25.340 some potential he's entangled the riser 10:25.349 --> 10:27.460 or something and he can't even deploy 10:27.460 --> 10:29.516 his parachute . I mean his reserve . 10:29.516 --> 10:31.571 And so this would take over for that 10:31.571 --> 10:33.738 and deploy the reserve in an effective 10:33.738 --> 10:33.710 manner of allowing him to the ground 10:33.719 --> 10:36.010 safely . And the safety increases that 10:36.020 --> 10:38.187 we've achieved with the T 11 parachute 10:38.187 --> 10:40.187 system , the T 11 reserve parachute 10:40.187 --> 10:42.409 system , it's gone a long way as far as 10:42.409 --> 10:44.409 enabling the soldier , the airborne 10:44.409 --> 10:46.576 commanders to have that flexibility to 10:46.576 --> 10:46.215 do better mission planning , to be 10:46.224 --> 10:48.335 better ready for whatever the mission 10:48.335 --> 10:50.734 entails . Uh And , and what we see as a 10:50.744 --> 10:52.800 static line , a capability is really 10:52.800 --> 10:54.966 just giving that one commander and the 10:54.966 --> 10:57.133 soldier , just more flexibility , more 10:57.133 --> 10:59.244 safety so they can do their mission . 10:59.244 --> 11:01.355 And so where are we in that program's 11:01.355 --> 11:03.577 life cycle ? Right now ? On the ST line 11:03.577 --> 11:05.355 80 we are actually uh in source 11:05.355 --> 11:07.577 selection where we are actually doing a 11:07.577 --> 11:09.744 formal comparison of all the solutions 11:09.744 --> 11:11.466 that are out there , potential 11:11.466 --> 11:13.688 candidates . So we've put out um uh you 11:13.688 --> 11:15.800 know , a solicitation to the industry 11:15.800 --> 11:17.577 and academia to provide us with 11:17.577 --> 11:19.577 potential solutions that they would 11:19.577 --> 11:21.688 like to propose for this capability . 11:21.688 --> 11:23.911 We have validated requirements from the 11:23.911 --> 11:26.133 US army combat developer , the Maneuver 11:26.133 --> 11:28.022 Combat developer , uh integration 11:28.022 --> 11:30.188 directorate . So we are actually uh on 11:30.188 --> 11:32.244 the verge of awarding some contracts 11:32.244 --> 11:34.300 and we're gonna go into a very heavy 11:34.300 --> 11:36.244 test campaign where we're gonna be 11:36.244 --> 11:38.411 doing a lot of airdrop testing . We're 11:38.411 --> 11:40.411 gonna bring in all the stakeholders 11:40.411 --> 11:42.577 across the air force , the maintainers 11:42.577 --> 11:42.239 and operators to make sure that they 11:42.250 --> 11:44.361 get hands on with all these solutions 11:44.361 --> 11:46.417 and better understand what is in the 11:46.417 --> 11:48.583 realm of the possible . And eventually 11:48.583 --> 11:50.694 we'll down select absolutely get into 11:50.694 --> 11:52.861 production . It will be in the force . 11:52.861 --> 11:52.520 So now that's , that's absolutely 11:52.530 --> 11:54.752 fantastic . I mean , it is gonna change 11:54.752 --> 11:56.863 the fatality rate and the injury rate 11:56.863 --> 11:58.863 that we have right now for airborne 11:58.863 --> 12:00.863 soldiers . So , uh we thank you for 12:00.863 --> 12:02.919 that . All right , let's uh switch a 12:02.919 --> 12:02.840 little bit here . I want to talk about 12:02.849 --> 12:04.960 um you know , your work environment . 12:04.960 --> 12:07.182 Um You know , you don't just work uh in 12:07.182 --> 12:08.849 a building , right ? You have 12:08.849 --> 12:11.016 opportunities to go to the field . But 12:11.016 --> 12:13.238 so just kind of talk about , you know , 12:13.238 --> 12:15.405 you know , the space , the environment 12:15.405 --> 12:17.571 kind of what your uh the life cycle of 12:17.571 --> 12:19.682 your work is . Uh and the environment 12:19.682 --> 12:21.738 that you have to work within . Uh So 12:21.738 --> 12:23.849 what I'd say is uh this is one of the 12:23.849 --> 12:26.016 hidden gems of this career is that the 12:26.016 --> 12:28.238 work environment is not behind a desk . 12:28.238 --> 12:30.969 I am out there on the drop zone . I am 12:30.979 --> 12:33.146 interacting with soldiers face to face 12:33.146 --> 12:35.479 on the drop zone as they are , you know , 12:35.479 --> 12:37.646 coming down from C one thirties , I've 12:37.646 --> 12:39.868 actually , I'm in the aircraft , I'm on 12:39.868 --> 12:41.979 the ramp . Do you get a chance to get 12:41.979 --> 12:44.312 into the aircraft ? That's exciting . I , 12:44.312 --> 12:46.479 I've done a tandem job at the military 12:46.479 --> 12:48.646 Freefall school in Yuma , Arizona . Uh 12:48.646 --> 12:50.868 I've actually gotten trained in powered 12:50.868 --> 12:53.090 paragliding . So uh I do find myself at 12:53.090 --> 12:55.201 the forefront of getting the hands on 12:55.201 --> 12:57.312 getting dirt under the fingernails to 12:57.312 --> 12:57.010 really see what is this product all 12:57.020 --> 12:59.353 about and what do the users really need . 12:59.419 --> 13:01.641 I just appreciate that . Absolutely . I 13:01.641 --> 13:03.308 formed really strong personal 13:03.308 --> 13:05.308 relationships over the years . Um I 13:05.308 --> 13:07.475 it's one of the best parts of this job 13:07.475 --> 13:09.641 is that uh aside from the professional 13:09.641 --> 13:11.697 achievements that I've had is that I 13:11.697 --> 13:13.530 formed really strong working and 13:13.530 --> 13:15.419 personal relationships across the 13:15.419 --> 13:17.641 country . Uh This job really exposed me 13:17.641 --> 13:19.752 to people that I probably never would 13:19.752 --> 13:21.808 have run into just day to day . Um , 13:21.808 --> 13:23.975 and it's amazing , you know , I mean , 13:23.975 --> 13:26.141 haven't dealt with soldiers for a long 13:26.141 --> 13:26.070 career but when you see , first of all 13:26.080 --> 13:28.191 they volunteer right , to protect our 13:28.191 --> 13:30.358 nation , they volunteer to jump out of 13:30.358 --> 13:32.524 an aircraft and , uh , you know , when 13:32.524 --> 13:34.580 they , they get to meet someone like 13:34.580 --> 13:37.489 you who has , um , their safety in mind , 13:37.500 --> 13:39.611 I mean , you can see the appreciation 13:39.611 --> 13:41.722 level , uh , and the , you know , the 13:41.722 --> 13:43.944 energy that they bring , uh it's , it's 13:43.944 --> 13:46.056 kind of rewarding , right ? And , you 13:46.056 --> 13:45.890 know , from your self perspective that 13:45.900 --> 13:48.122 you're helping them achieve something . 13:48.122 --> 13:50.289 Um It's , I don't , you don't get that 13:50.289 --> 13:52.344 in every career . Absolutely , sir . 13:52.344 --> 13:54.400 And , and I'd say like the rewarding 13:54.400 --> 13:56.511 part about this is the fact that like 13:56.511 --> 13:58.511 everybody that we work with has the 13:58.511 --> 13:58.429 same goal in mind . It's really about 13:58.440 --> 14:00.650 success for the soldier . Uh It , it 14:00.659 --> 14:02.881 really makes it easier to take on these 14:02.881 --> 14:05.103 challenges because I know that I've got 14:05.103 --> 14:06.826 the support of a lot of really 14:06.826 --> 14:08.881 dedicated folks behind me . Yeah , I 14:08.881 --> 14:10.603 would say that uh the airborne 14:10.603 --> 14:12.603 community is unique within itself , 14:12.603 --> 14:12.530 within the army is a very unique 14:12.539 --> 14:15.679 community that , uh is very focused on 14:15.690 --> 14:17.634 making sure that they do the right 14:17.634 --> 14:19.801 thing for soldiers all the time from a 14:19.801 --> 14:19.710 safety perspective . I mean , the whole 14:19.719 --> 14:21.941 army does that , but they take a , they 14:21.941 --> 14:24.108 take a very unique perspective on it . 14:24.108 --> 14:26.599 Uh , interesting group . Um So I wanna , 14:26.609 --> 14:28.665 I wanna pull the thread of something 14:28.665 --> 14:28.609 you said earlier , right ? So I wanna 14:28.619 --> 14:30.897 go back to when you first started here . 14:31.010 --> 14:33.177 I think one of the , one of the things 14:33.177 --> 14:35.343 that we try to do with new employees , 14:35.343 --> 14:37.566 uh , you know , it's , it's not hard to 14:37.566 --> 14:39.843 sell the mission that we have . I mean , 14:39.843 --> 14:42.066 like you just said , right . We , we're 14:42.066 --> 14:44.177 such a diverse organization and we do 14:44.177 --> 14:46.343 such great work , exciting work , uh , 14:46.343 --> 14:48.343 that you don't get somewhere else , 14:48.343 --> 14:47.340 right ? You're not gonna get that 14:47.349 --> 14:49.890 working for other firms . And so , but 14:49.900 --> 14:52.011 it's a high cost of living area . And 14:52.011 --> 14:54.500 so how did you , how did that get into 14:54.510 --> 14:57.299 your , um your decision process or did 14:57.309 --> 14:59.365 it like when you graduated college , 14:59.365 --> 15:01.365 you had this job , you came in as a 15:01.365 --> 15:03.698 probably a seven . And so , uh you know , 15:03.698 --> 15:05.929 even back then 14 years ago , Boston 15:05.940 --> 15:07.884 was still like extremely expensive 15:07.884 --> 15:09.884 place to live . It's probably worse 15:09.884 --> 15:12.162 today . Uh So what do you say to those , 15:12.162 --> 15:14.329 those young younger people that are in 15:14.329 --> 15:16.384 that period of coming from college ? 15:16.384 --> 15:18.273 Thinking about working here , but 15:18.273 --> 15:20.440 looking at , you know , New England is 15:20.440 --> 15:22.662 an expensive place . Yeah , I , I'd say 15:22.662 --> 15:22.260 that New England uh is definitely an 15:22.270 --> 15:24.548 expensive place and it was a challenge . 15:24.548 --> 15:27.309 I'll admit when I was at GS seven . But 15:27.400 --> 15:29.511 you know what , it really boiled down 15:29.511 --> 15:31.344 to is the opportunities that are 15:31.344 --> 15:33.400 available with this career path that 15:33.400 --> 15:35.567 really made it all worth it because um 15:35.567 --> 15:37.789 not only did I was , it communicated to 15:37.789 --> 15:39.844 me early and often once I joined the 15:39.844 --> 15:42.011 workforce here at the Soldier Center , 15:42.011 --> 15:44.233 but it's in action , I see it in action 15:44.233 --> 15:46.344 all the time is that we invest in our 15:46.344 --> 15:48.511 people to grow them . And and that was 15:48.511 --> 15:50.567 a huge , huge benefit to this , this 15:50.567 --> 15:52.622 career . So yes , the cost of living 15:52.622 --> 15:54.844 was higher , but I knew that I had more 15:54.844 --> 15:56.900 potential here , you know , with the 15:56.900 --> 15:58.900 Soldier Center , it , it definitely 15:58.900 --> 16:01.011 made it all worthwhile and especially 16:01.011 --> 16:00.229 to know that I have the flexibility , 16:00.239 --> 16:02.406 not just to , if I ever wanted to take 16:02.406 --> 16:04.628 an air drop , I mean , there's a lot of 16:04.628 --> 16:06.739 opportunities across the portfolio as 16:06.739 --> 16:08.739 well . Yeah . No , I mean , and you 16:08.739 --> 16:08.719 know , when II I always try to win , 16:08.729 --> 16:11.340 you know , you start off you , there's 16:11.349 --> 16:13.516 a growth , right ? And things will get 16:13.516 --> 16:15.627 better . Uh But the opportunities you 16:15.627 --> 16:17.571 have here , you probably won't get 16:17.571 --> 16:19.738 other places . Well , look uh anything 16:19.738 --> 16:21.793 else uh you wanna hit me on before I 16:21.793 --> 16:23.960 kind of close out ? No , what I'd just 16:23.960 --> 16:26.182 like to highlight is that um you know , 16:26.182 --> 16:28.349 as part of like understanding how what 16:28.349 --> 16:30.682 it took for me to get to my career spot . 16:30.682 --> 16:32.793 Uh I am doing a lot of outreach right 16:32.793 --> 16:34.849 now uh with folks in academia . I've 16:34.849 --> 16:34.539 actually I starting my second year 16:34.549 --> 16:36.216 running a Capstone project at 16:36.216 --> 16:38.438 Northeastern University and that really 16:38.438 --> 16:40.493 is intended to really ignite some uh 16:40.493 --> 16:42.716 interest in our portfolio and get folks 16:42.716 --> 16:44.771 to understand that we are out here , 16:44.771 --> 16:46.938 you know , to understand that there is 16:46.938 --> 16:48.882 a lot of opportunities here at the 16:48.882 --> 16:48.580 Soldier Center . So , yeah , and we've 16:48.590 --> 16:50.812 had , you know , we've had some uh some 16:50.812 --> 16:53.034 loss in personnel that have been around 16:53.034 --> 16:54.868 for a long time . I met John and 16:54.868 --> 16:57.201 obviously left with years of experience . 16:57.201 --> 16:59.368 It's hard to fill those shoes . Um And 16:59.368 --> 17:01.534 so it's important to get people in and 17:01.534 --> 17:03.534 mentor them along to make sure they 17:03.534 --> 17:05.646 understand what we're doing and build 17:05.646 --> 17:05.280 that educational level and the 17:05.290 --> 17:07.819 experience level up . Um because it is , 17:07.829 --> 17:09.829 again , this is not , this is not a 17:09.829 --> 17:12.469 skill that is inherently within the 17:12.479 --> 17:14.146 civilian population . Right . 17:14.146 --> 17:16.201 Absolutely . And one thing I want to 17:16.201 --> 17:18.368 highlight , sir is that right now , uh 17:18.368 --> 17:20.479 it's a very opportune environment for 17:20.479 --> 17:22.590 us in the sense that there's a lot of 17:22.590 --> 17:24.701 interest and momentum for the army to 17:24.701 --> 17:26.868 modernize . We are really doing really 17:26.868 --> 17:28.868 important things right now . Uh And 17:28.868 --> 17:30.979 because this is a time for like folks 17:30.979 --> 17:33.035 to strike while the iron is hot , we 17:33.035 --> 17:35.146 want to get that talent in . We wanna 17:35.146 --> 17:37.257 make sure that folks understand , you 17:37.257 --> 17:39.535 know , what we can achieve here . Yeah , 17:39.535 --> 17:39.400 and I think from an airborne community 17:39.410 --> 17:41.632 perspective , right , we are looking at 17:41.632 --> 17:43.632 many different things , right , not 17:43.632 --> 17:45.521 just safety but potentially a new 17:45.521 --> 17:47.632 parachute uh to replace the T 11 . Um 17:47.632 --> 17:49.799 and then , you know , looking at joint 17:49.799 --> 17:51.688 operations with other countries , 17:51.688 --> 17:53.854 aircraft , making sure we can jump out 17:53.854 --> 17:55.910 of those Um , but there was a lot of 17:55.910 --> 17:58.132 momentum , I think you're right in this 17:58.132 --> 18:00.188 community that probably was stagnant 18:00.188 --> 18:02.354 for a little bit . So anyway , I say , 18:02.354 --> 18:02.040 look , I want to thank you for taking 18:02.050 --> 18:04.272 the time today to talk to me . But more 18:04.272 --> 18:06.383 importantly , I want to thank you for 18:06.383 --> 18:06.119 what you've done for soldiers because , 18:06.390 --> 18:08.969 um , every little bit helps , it makes 18:08.979 --> 18:10.923 our army the , the most lethal and 18:10.923 --> 18:13.146 protective force in , in , in the world 18:13.146 --> 18:15.257 and you are a part of that . And so I 18:15.257 --> 18:17.423 thank you for that . Thank you , sir . 18:17.423 --> 18:16.880 Right .