This Memorial Day had me thinking back with gratitude on my father’s service in the military, and the legacy he built. I shot this interview to share at the opening of our team’s free movie night featuring the new Top Gun Maverick movie; and wanted to share it here on our website as well for your viewing pleasure!
Back in 1871 after going through ROTC, my dad was invited into pilot training school by the United States Air Force and went on to be an instructor pilot training in both the T 37 and T 38s. During the Vietnam war the Air Force was struggling to find skilled enough pilots to fly B-52s, and eventually tapped into its instructor pilots looking for talent. After flying a test run doing an air to air refueling exercise, he demonstrated greater skill than any of the other pilots and was reassigned to fly B 52‘s for the rest of his career.
My life has been shaped in so many ways I am sure I’m not even aware of, being raised by an instructor pilot. To this day you’ll likely hear me use pilot training analogies during real estate negotiations, and you might be the millionth person to ask me to stop saying yes ma’am/yes sir. But it’s deep in my blood and you’ll have to put up with it.--