Behind the Rack, Episode 01 – Dennis Wade, USAF, 1999–2008

[0:00] Apertura del episodio — la misión de Behind the Rack

Brian Lathrop: [0:00] This is episode 1 of behind the rack for those of you who don't know me my name is Brian Lathrop I'm an Air Force veteran with 21 years service that's 21 years of travel and adventure along the way I've had the opportunity to meet and serve with many amazing and that's where I got the idea for the behind the rack is my attempt to reconnect with veterans and reflect on their service I believe that every veteran is on a journey and through listening to their stories.

Brian Lathrop: [0:32] Of life before during and after service we can find the purpose camaraderie and pride we felt when serving my very first guest on behind the rack is good friend and fellow Air Force veteran Dennis Wade we've always had great conversations so I was honored when he agreed to be my first guest please welcome to the show Air Force Dennis Wade all right I think we're rolling so Dennis welcome to behind the rack thanks for coming on the show man how's it going Brian it's going good.

[1:15] Creciendo en la Marina: nacido en la Academia Naval, criado en el condado de Ventura

Brian Lathrop: [1:15] It's been a long time in the making yeah man dude we've been talking about this for a while so uh let's rock and roll all right um very first episode uh so thanks again for being my first guest I like it I like it I wanted to start out by just asking where were you born and what did your parents do for a living yeah man so uh I was uh actually so I was born at uh at United States Naval Academy so in Annapolis Maryland um.

Dennis Wade: [1:42] I think actually you and I went on a trip there and uh yeah checked out the hospital so uh that's kind of cool um but uh you know I only lived there for uh a few months um my father was a Navy Seabee so um he was stationed there at the naval we moved to San Diego sorry do I take that back uh Ventura County Oxnard California and I lived there for about 10 years or so I moved down to San Diego for a couple years.

Dennis Wade: [2:16] Then I moved back up to Oxnard where I kind of grew up most of my life I'd say um yep my dad was uh Navy CB spent 23 years in the Navy I want to say it was gone a ton my mother she was a child care worker so the child care up on base she did that for about 20 plus years as well too so okay yeah I came from uh both parents worked pretty much my whole life that's all I can remember dad was gone a lot.

Dennis Wade: [2:50] I mean he was gone I felt like it always seemed like it was my birthday like he missed probably I'd say at least five of my birthdays maybe more but yeah he was gone all the time so my mom was kind of the one all the time um up until he retired from active duty but yeah it was hard uh but it was good yeah so he was stationed at Oxnard yeah so there was a there's a Naval Base there called Port Hueneme uh right by.

Dennis Wade: [3:17] Literally just north of like the Malibu Santa Monica area okay about yeah about 45 minutes north of LA so not too bad uh just uh a huge naval Seabee base there so I grew up on I lived on that base for many years of my life and then once he retired we decided to stay there and um graduated high school there so yeah cool man I didn't realize you were a military brat yeah that's all I knew honestly growing up so all my friends growing up.

Dennis Wade: [3:46] Even my friends out of high school or in high school the majority of them their parents were military as well too um kind of that community so it was really it was really good it was good growing up uh being a part of the military so when did you first start thinking about serving I don't I don't even remember like going through high school I didn't even the military never even really kind of it never really crossed my mind um I thought I was gonna I played.

Dennis Wade: [4:18] Baseball throughout high school uh well yeah a little bit I played a little bit of baseball uh growing up I played baseball forever and I got to high school and just kind of lost interest but I always thought that I was going to play baseball in college and I thought I was to go to college right but I think when I got to high school and all the distractions started happening I put baseball on the back burner yeah I never really thought that I was.

Dennis Wade: [4:47] Going to be in the military I thought I was just going to go off to college and honestly I'd even think about it I literally when I was in high school it every day was just living in that day I guess you can say right never really thought about like my future going to college or going in the military or what I was going to do after right all I wanted to do is just hang out with my friends right so yeah it was never like.

Dennis Wade: [5:09] One of those things where I was like okay I'm going to join the military like this is what I want to do I want to join the military I was I guess I was always somewhat infatuated with the military anyway I always liked it um growing up on the on the Navy bases that I lived at one I was lucky to live in Miramar as well too where uh they used to have Top Gun back in the day right yeah so I'm talking like really cool.

Dennis Wade: [5:32] Top gun even on the movie you can see my dad's old work it's really cool yeah yep um so I always had like a thing for aviation as well too I guess yes I really liked it yeah yep really liked airplanes um but I never thought that uh you know I was gonna pursue it like in a career or anything like that so uh yeah I just never had an idea that I was going to join the military really yeah so when did it first start coming up for you.

[6:02] Una secundaria difícil, estudio independiente y un giro de último año

Dennis Wade: [6:02] I saw that like back then so this is like I grew up in the 90s right most of my school was you know throughout the 90s and back then you know my dad like I said was retired military he worked on base after my mom worked at the child care so not a lot of income right um and there's three of us so I saw that my I have an older sister my parents you know paid for her college right so I didn't.

Dennis Wade: [6:31] When I was getting a little bit older in high school I was like man you know I don't really want to put the burden on my parents right and you know once I uh once I go to my senior year I kind of kicked it in gear and was like okay what am I really gonna do right uh and at that time I was like okay I do want to go to but I was just trying to figure out ways I didn't have the grades I was terrible.

Dennis Wade: [6:56] In school I actually only went to a real I guess you could say a real high school my freshman year yeah I uh oh you figured this out yeah so yeah so kind of a quick background with that I guess you can say I uh so I went to a normal high school my freshman year and um in the second semester got into some trouble ended up getting kicked out of high school and I was still too young to go to continuation high school.

Dennis Wade: [7:27] They call it in California so I ended up having to do what they call independent study so home school so kind of like what the kids are doing I call myself the original homeschooler I did that for my sophomore year and half of my junior year until I was old enough to go to the continuation high school yep so it was essentially like adult ed type situation so I ended up going there and uh I finally kicked it into gear and actually graduated.

Dennis Wade: [7:58] Early um and that's when I started tossing up the idea because I not that I was I don't know I think I was just more of like a knucklehead in school you know um I always had like the smarts I was just lazy honestly like pure like just I had other intentions right instead of focusing on school and grades and future uh but so actually thinking about the military so it's a it's a funny story right so my uh one of my best friend.

[8:29] El reclutador entra: un turno nocturno en el Navy Lodge, tres amigos y un giro hacia la Fuerza Aérea

Dennis Wade: [8:29] Uh he so him and I worked together up at uh the Navy Lodge up on base so essentially you know billeting right what we call an Air Force he would work the night shift and I'd work day shift so what'd you do so I was the oh man how do I say it I was the jack of all trades master of none guy clogging toilets to have bugs too you name it that was my uh that was my journey that did not last very long at.

Dennis Wade: [9:06] No kidding we um my buddy's name is Arwen my best friend we still talk to this day him and I have just been through so much his girlfriend at the time had just broken up with him uh my girlfriend at the time broke up with me so we were kind of just both being lame and like dude this sucks we're sitting there and in mind it like he worked at night shift right so he would have to go to work at 10 o'clock at night till I think.

Dennis Wade: [9:37] Seven in the morning or so and then I would go to work at five o'clock in the uh me being the uh terrible person at the time and had zero responsibility I kind of would just go hang out with him sometimes not even go to work but anyway so this is like the true story so we're sitting there would be a cop a military police that would always come in to get coffee and uh one night he came in to get coffee he was.

Dennis Wade: [10:09] On the on the night shift and he no kidding came in started talking to us kind of told us his story about the military and how it like changed his life and so we're sitting there he leaves and I look at our when I'm like bro are you thinking what I'm thinking no way and uh we just kind of looked at each other and uh we had another friend by the name of Jesse um he wasn't he didn't work with us at the at the.

Dennis Wade: [10:35] Uh Navy lodge but anyways we get off work so sorry Arwen gets off work I was supposed to go to work that morning I didn't I called in sick new idea yeah so I had this new idea right so I was like hmm so uh as soon as Arwen got off work we called her our other buddy uh his name's Jesse hey man let's go talk to the recruiter and no kidding we went down that morning we were actually supposed to join the we were no kidding good job.

Dennis Wade: [11:02] Navy yeah we were going to join the Navy just because Arwen's father uh Jesse's dad my dad were they were all in the Navy right so we were like let's do it so we get there and uh my buddy arlen decides to tell everybody that he didn't know how to swim so first of all like we were just laughing you know we had no idea right so we end up um you know he was really embarrassed about it right yeah so he was like I don't.

Dennis Wade: [11:30] Know if we can talk to the Navy recruiter so I was like hmm and this is before like you could Google anything you know there's no cell phones or you know there's like this is there's nothing right so no kidding the Air Force is there like she shows up our recruiter Tech Sergeant fulton I'll never forget she shows up kind of not even in uniform you know just in civilian clothes and uh she's got like a huge like a big thing of coffee and donuts.

Dennis Wade: [11:59] And I'm like I kind of look at Jesse and Arwen I'm like are you guys thinking what I'm thinking like I can't remember I remember my uh I remember my dad always say you know like the Air Force always had a good and um they always took care of their folks you know so we just kind of like you know the light bulb came on and we walked into her office and no kidding man she honestly I want to say we were you know one of the best.

Dennis Wade: [12:28] Like easiest like um recruits for her because it was we were like let's do it like sign us up now before we back out we regret this was it the buddy system it was yeah yep so we all uh no kidding so that was I think that was like on a Monday or so um early in the week and uh by Wednesday um we went to go take our ASVAB so the three of us right so we all took our asvab we all passed.

Dennis Wade: [12:58] And um we wanted to let her know that we wanted to do the buddy system you know so the three of us can go um so we all went down to MEPS together the first uh the first time you know when you do the physical and um we all passed all that flying colors all that good stuff and got our jobs but the only thing was uh Jesse he had to leave a week before we did so uh that was kind of you know kind of a bummer.

Dennis Wade: [13:24] Um but uh he left the week before we did and I think I want to say it was maybe from the time we walked into the recruiting office from the time we left for basic training was probably six weeks maybe so we weren't kidding no I was like yes I told I told her when I was like let's not back out on this like let's do that we even told uh Sergeant fulton at the time we're like you better take advantage of this.

Dennis Wade: [13:53] Because I mean literally like his like I said his girlfriend dumped him my girlfriend dumped me right so I was like hmm what did the lodging office do when both of you left man dang what is her dad I cannot remember so the sad part was my dad worked there after right not it just did not look good man not look good at all but you know like I look at it now and it's funny because I you know I uh I tell people that.

Dennis Wade: [14:20] Story all the time of like man just this dude and you know what the crazy part is gosh it's been so I joined the military in September so 9 of 99. So yeah that's what I do in the military right and um I still remember to this day so gosh like 21 what 20 yeah 21 years ago now almost 21 years um the guy that we talked to his name was Steve Logue no kidding yep I still remember it to this day like I don't know.

Dennis Wade: [14:49] If this dude has like any uh knowledge of what his impact was yeah with me and with Arwen the military police the military police guy yes yeah yep and the crazy thing was uh he was trying to convince uh Arwen and myself to be um police officers right yeah um force you don't want to be security police right yeah um so at first like I told the uh Sergeant-fault my recruiter like hey you know I'll be a police officer she kind of gave me this look like.

Dennis Wade: [15:21] No bro like do not do not do security forces right she's like don't go open uh open general and don't go security forces so I was like okay cool whatever right uh so my biggest thing was I wanted to like go with irwin right like that was why like you know you know I wanted to go with Jesse like the three of us but we already knew um he had a good job that he couldn't turn down right okay so I ended up going.

Dennis Wade: [15:48] Um open um open mechanical I think it was and uh just so that Arwen and I can go at the same time right come to find out like the normal uh the Air Force sticks you where you want to go they gave me a job that was not what I expected but it was all good though yeah right yep yeah so that's kind of a quick nutshell of like how I decided that I was going to be in the military just not the normal story right yeah.

Brian Lathrop: [16:20] So did you get your job when you were in basic already yes yeah so uh my first actual job in the Air Force was uh Aircraft Armament Systems um something I got craftsman or something I can't remember right I was like man what is that like no idea right um come to find out like you know like you know the job descriptions they talk about like uh they talk about electrical systems computer aids and all these things right I'm like oh this is yeah I was like.

Dennis Wade: [16:52] Dude let's do this right like first of all you know I get to leave with my best friend and uh I get this cool job this and that right uh I get to work on airplanes which is cool you know come to find out you know like full circle I end up working on aircraft right which I always liked right so I look at it now and I'm like wow man they really do put you where they where they need you right I mean I didn't score.

[17:16] Sistemas de armamento aéreo: escuela técnica en Sheppard AFB, norte de Texas

Dennis Wade: [17:16] Like amazing on the asvab I did pretty decent but uh I get to tech school which was at Shepherd Air Force northern Texas where there was literally nothing out there I get there and come to find out that I was the dude that put ordnance on aircraft so I mean like I look at it now and man it was such a blessing to have that job one the people I love the people that I worked with the community is just insane like it's such a good community a maintenance community.

Dennis Wade: [17:48] So is it maintenance or is that ammo so it's mean it's no yeah so there's two and bro you want to make a weapons troop man okay so you're you're weapons I was yeah it's funny you say that so what a one of a guy asked me uh back home a couple weeks ago he's like your ammo I was like no bro definitely not ammo my tech school was longer but no man it was uh you know at first because they always tell you.

Dennis Wade: [18:18] Like hey get a job that will help you on the outside right so um and still to this day I tell people that you know younger dudes um guys or girls that are interested in the military they ask me like oh you know what should I do and I'm like make sure you know you get a job that's going to help you transition into the civilian sector if you decide to get out right it's so important super important right don't kind of don't.

Dennis Wade: [18:46] Go the route that I went I mean I was fortunate obviously but like the moment that you go open they're literally gonna stick you where they need you're you're just a number to them so um yeah it was you know it all worked out good for me um shepard uh I can't remember have you been a shepherd so I haven't no not shepherd man let me tell you how was it were you there in the winter uh no it was yeah actually I was I was there I got there.

Dennis Wade: [19:12] I want to say it was October of 99 towards the end of October of 99 and then I graduated tech school in February uh 2000. So I got to do the Christmas exodus went home you know tech school kind of really uh I met some really good uh dudes out there at tech school that I actually still talk to this day after graduating basic because um irwin ended up going to keister and then I went to shepherd it was like I was like oh dude this kind of sucks right.

Dennis Wade: [19:45] But I met some really good really good people out there that I had a great time shepard itself is just terrible like there's nothing there man it's just not a fun place to go to and it's just you know I think like the tech school environment not that I had a hard time with rules but you know when you over emphasize something um I felt like as an adult like it's just it was hard right that was probably my hardest thing um being there but.

Dennis Wade: [20:16] You know I just honestly I made the best of it yeah made the best of it met some great people um and then yeah I left there and I graduated from Texas school in 2002 I think it was oh sorry 2000 February 2000 so having a hard time with rules what about boot camp uh so you know boot camp man I was that dude that literally what was my I think my special job was like a shoe aligner right did you lay low I laid lower I laid left yes man I laid.

[20:40] Pasar desapercibido en básico: Lackland, listón de tirador, y una llamada a casa

Dennis Wade: [20:40] Low like I wasn't in the best shape not that I am now a shoe liner I like I was a shoe aligner um I remember one of one of my one of my friends actually had joined the Air Force before I did he was a year older than me and he was like dude just lay low he's like you're not trying to you I wasn't trying to win like you know honor grad or anything like that I literally just wanted to graduate right that's all I cared about was.

Dennis Wade: [21:07] Graduating um but yeah you know having obviously having my best friend there was just amazing right like the dude like he slept maybe three beds down for me right so I had the big yeah man having him there was like just definitely a peace of mind you know like I said back then you know in the in the late 90s there was no cell phones right so we literally had the phone call you know you put in the quarter and or you make the collect call.

Dennis Wade: [21:34] Did that choke you up on that first phone call no idea bro I told my mom and dad I was like I'm so sorry mom and dad I'm so sorry for everything I did I said please write me a letter every you know it's crazy because honestly man I think about it like because man I put like my parent you know not to get like too in-depth but like man I put my parents through so much right and when I was in high school and like.

Dennis Wade: [22:00] Man that one moment of like uh humility man when I called him I was like I'm so sorry like please forgive me for being a dummy um but you know I was lucky enough because I remember I remember to this day like man there were guys there that like their mom and dad they didn't answer their phones you know and uh like I said you know like if it's not like nowadays where everybody has a cell phone right I hear they get their cell phones.

Dennis Wade: [22:26] Yes yeah that's what I heard I know it's crazy right so uh yeah you know luckily I was fortunate enough to have them be there they answered it and from there it was like game on they spammed everybody with my address so and I was getting stuff yeah get letters um yeah it was cool man basic was it was you know it was it wasn't too hot in San Antonio at the time so which was really nice leaving in September that was the second time I ever fired.

Dennis Wade: [22:53] A weapon in my life uh the first time I was probably like 10 years old or so you know going out there shooting the at the time we were still shooting M16 rifle yeah so uh I shot that I actually got marksman which was great I'm pretty sure the dude next to me was shooting but uh got I got a marksman uh ribbon out of it and uh yeah man it was you know it was good um you know I think graduating basic training is one of those things that you'll never.

Dennis Wade: [23:23] Ever uh forget you know I think it's like something that is just uh like a life memory that you'll never forget right and for me I think the biggest thing was just seeing my parents because my mom and dad they came out for my graduation um so did arwin's parents so it was really cool seeing yeah basic was uh man I was that dude that just really laid low man that's good I wasn't the most in shape dude so uh yeah man you know I have my battles.

Dennis Wade: [23:55] I think the hardest thing for me was just um you know being away man just like right I was 18 years old and never really been away from my family so um yeah man it was it was good I dude I think at the time I don't know what it is now but when I went through it was like maybe six and a half weeks so nothing crazy right yeah definitely well that's cool so the basic going through with Arwen and yeah and so your tech school.

[24:21] RAF Lakenheath, Inglaterra: 494º Escuadrón de Caza, F-15s, y madurar en el extranjero

Brian Lathrop: [24:21] From shepherd where's your first duty station so my uh another one of those uh lovely Air Force uh we're gonna put you where we need you right so you know going through your tech you have the thing called your dream sheet right man it's not a dream sheet where did you hope to go so I was still homesick man like by that time in tech school I wanted to go to uh so I went out when I when I went through tech school.

Dennis Wade: [24:51] Uh for the weapons career field when you're in basic you don't know what uh what aircraft you're gonna put down right so I'm sorry that you're going to get when you find out your job then you get to select like your air that's right yeah based on whatever yeah so for me I had no idea right like I said I liked airplanes but I didn't know what really they you know what airplanes or what this and that so I just kind of put whatever down.

Dennis Wade: [25:17] On my uh on my sheet of basic training right so when I get to tech school I find out that I work that I was chosen to work on F-15s so uh you know with f-15s there wasn't really a lot of close bases uh to the west coast uh I put down Nellis go figure right yeah right now I put down uh I put down Dallas where else did I put down Mountain Home I put down edwards which wasn't too far away from where right well it was going to be.

Dennis Wade: [25:44] Um a hard one to get right um so pretty much all like west coast bases I didn't put anything overseas because I was like no way right so by this time like Arwen and Jesse had both graduated both of those guys get like stationed close to home I think uh really Jesse got like where did he go um not vandenberg okay yep so not too far away from uh from Oxnard and urban got uh dm so in Tucson so it's still an easy drive right so I'm like man my.

Dennis Wade: [26:18] Luck is in my core right man I want to get like nellis or you know somewhere man I remember still to this day walking downstairs and the assignments were out and mine said raf RAF Lakenheath I was first of all where's that at wow I have no idea where that is right again there's no Google right so uh my technical instructor says oh you're going to the to the UK I was like no kidding my heart was like crush man I was like no.

Dennis Wade: [26:48] Dude I did not want to go overseas like that's just like more time away from my family right and uh you know in tech school you have like the opportunity to like you know change assignments with somebody right you remember actually yeah yep so I started looking to that right with another dude in my class because uh I was like well if I'm going overseas and maybe I want to go somewhere I want to go like Japan right but uh he wanted to go to Europe so we tried swapping.

Dennis Wade: [27:15] It didn't happen I ended up going to like heath so okay yep so I got I got to like heath in uh February of uh 2000. Yeah wow lake and either so I haven't been over to like in either it was amazing really yeah so I got there I was 19 years old I just turned 19 in tech school uh get there and uh no kidding the first thing that I ever bought so I tell you I've been pretty lucky with having.

Dennis Wade: [27:48] You know friends and family or just acquaintances that have been in the Air Force right but one of the kids that uh one of the guys that I grew up with was actually stationed out there as well too so uh and we lived on the same street no yeah yep so it was good man uh his name is Tim um still keeping contact with him every so often too but uh so he found out that I was going to lego heath and I get there and.

Dennis Wade: [28:12] You know you get a sponsor and all that good stuff but uh I you know I got in contact with him and he picked me up from the airport and as a 19 year old the first thing I bought in England was a case of Bud Light just because just because right because you can right and it had to be butter it had to be Balad light so yeah the I can honestly say the first purchase of my life in the UK.

Dennis Wade: [28:41] A case of Bud Light at the shop at there so um yeah I uh my uh my squadron there I was in 494th Fighter Squadron amazing man you know I think about it now like how much like of an actual blessing it was to get stationed at lake and he because so many so many good things came out of it I uh it's so funny man I look at it now honestly because at the time when I graduated tech school like I said I had no desire.

Dennis Wade: [29:10] To go overseas right I just wanted to go home be closer to my family I could see him on the weekend right and I'll tell you what I cannot even imagine like what my life would be like if I'd never went to England so yeah it's cool man yep so from there I uh I spent two years over there and uh I ended up getting an assignment to uh so when you leave overseas you get what they call an equal listing so the Air Force.

Dennis Wade: [29:36] Drops what they call an equal listing I still think they have that um with assignments of your career field for you know overseas returnees right so my equal listing came out and um there was assignments to barksdale there was assignments to Luke I think it was like 14 or 15 that were open I was like oh dude I'm going to luke right like this is guaranteed Arizona down in Arizona yeah near Phoenix right I had some really good friends there that I was stationed with at lakenheath.

Dennis Wade: [30:03] And uh I was like I guarantee you I'm going to luke 16. Or I think of 14 or 16 positions right uh so it's kind of the same thing you fill out a dream sheet right with the equal listing that comes out what do you where you want to go so um there was I'm trying to think what else was there mountain home was there uh which is in Idaho and Hill right uh hill Air Force base which is in northern Utah so.

[30:28] Hill AFB, Utah: 4º Escuadrón de Caza, F-16s, y una 'joya escondida'

Dennis Wade: [30:28] I was like okay like I've had a great time this is my two years at uh at lakenheath um you know my time is coming up and then I uh put my list down I put if I put luke as my number one um nellis number two mountain home number three and hill Air Force base is number four okay and um turn it in and then within like two weeks some I get a call from the orderly room and hey yours your assignment's.

Dennis Wade: [30:55] Here and uh sure enough I got hill Air Force base which is northern Utah and I was like oh great again right like yeah I honestly had no idea because I didn't know anybody there again and I was like oh man it's going to be one of those things again right so I got stationed at hill in February or March of 2002 um and honestly the rest was history from there um I loved it I worked F-16s there I was in the in the fourth fighter squadron there.

Dennis Wade: [31:22] Um actually separated from active duty there in uh 2008 so um I went on a deployment there actually went on a deployment at when I was at lake heath as well too so uh actually went on two deployments at hill so yeah wow so back at lake india how was it being 19 over in the UK oh man were you driving yes I did so I actually had like three cars there and it's so funny like being overseas man especially when you're young um you know this is early 2000's.

Dennis Wade: [31:53] A clunker totally 100 dude one of my cars no kidding had a legit choke on it was a Volvo man we used to call the blueberries like this really old like two-door uh Volvo that maybe had like 40 horsepower nice it was terrible man um and you know it's it's a right side drive there right so um and all three cars that I had there um they were all a stick shift too right so you actually switch with your left hand right so um and the clutch.

Dennis Wade: [32:28] Is uh the clutch is normal yeah clutch and gas is normal yeah yep so that's normal um you know you drive on the opposite side opposite side of the road there um and their biggest thing I would say um driving-wise they don't really they don't have four-way stops there they have uh it's all they're bouncing yes yeah so no kitty I don't know what it was but I had I just could not understand it right that would trip me up being the right driving on the right side of the road yes.

Dennis Wade: [32:57] Yeah yep you're you're on your left side yes you're on the left side of the road right hand drive yes yeah yep and then going around going around right opposite way yeah it's the weirdest thing oh yeah it was so like I feel like and still to this day like so where I live at now like they're really they're really utilizing the roundabout okay right so and I see people like to this day they're so like flustered when they go around about right.

Dennis Wade: [33:25] So I always tell my wife I'm like I get it like I get it 100 like I understand I've been there you know but it's crazy because all you do is yield to the left like literally or you know opposite side when you're in the UK right so yeah man it's uh it was cool but yeah man you know spending two years over there I feel like uh the people that I worked with you know I lived in the barracks my whole two years there.

Dennis Wade: [33:52] I uh I so in weapons you work in a crew of three um you have a one man a two man and a three man um and you work with that crew it's the same crew um from the time that you get there tell you know if somebody PCSes or uh if somebody takes another job somewhere but you know for the most part you know daily duties you work with them right and I could not have like lucked out like I had such an amazing.

Dennis Wade: [34:18] Supervisor um an amazing two man and I was a three man um you know I feel like it was just uh it like all like the stars aligned for me there right like with the crew that I had from the squadron that I went to um from the experience that I got like I would just like think about it man like dang dude I'm 19 20 years old and dude this is just amazing right I mean there's times like you I would still you know get homesick.

Dennis Wade: [34:45] Or whatnot right but then everybody else did right so like literally you had like the people there to you know help pick you up and you know like I worked swing shift pretty much like my whole career there okay yeah so uh which was you know you worked hard on swings um the jets normally fly during the day and then uh come back broken and you fix them right so uh yeah man it was it was it was great man I think about it now and I tell.

Dennis Wade: [35:12] Like you know I tell my kids now like going there at that age was the greatest thing for me because it like made me grow up right like you know you learn responsibility so yeah that's cool it sounds like you were part of a good team 100 I know the camaraderie overseas yeah so good yeah 100 man and I uh you know um my friends there their family I still to this day talk to a lot of them that I was stationed with over there yeah that's good yeah.

Dennis Wade: [35:40] Yep so uh you know you know I kind of uh luckily for me I had a couple people that I went to tech school with get stationed over there as well and um you know we just uh man we made the best of it over there like it's it's a weird you know when I went to it was good and it was great don't get me wrong but I felt like being overseas just brought you like that much closer being at that age right I wasn't married.

Dennis Wade: [36:08] It was more of like just like the people that I hung out with like no kidding where my friends but also my family right because right man I missed everything over there I think I went home one time in the two years that I was at one time maybe yeah I think one time I was there for two years right yeah that's a big flight yeah to be coming back yeah yep so you know you just uh I feel like you just you.

Dennis Wade: [36:32] You really wanna makes you grow up and two it just opens your eyes to like because man like I never you know this kid from like southern California got to go to England and spend two years of his life over there and um it was great man I loved it absolutely loved it man yeah I didn't realize that you did six years that hill yes in Utah yeah yep so I did six years and all his weapons all his weapons yeah yep yeah yep so.

Dennis Wade: [36:59] Uh you know hill was a great assignment phenomenal um you know it was it was a different uh atmosphere there I guess you can say you know especially going from like the f-15 community to f-16 community um ops tempo like just crazy is that common to switch platforms it is yeah in our career field yeah because um especially on the fighter side um you kind of uh get you know the gist of how things work right okay um you know you just have to learn like.

Dennis Wade: [37:31] The different uh nuances of each area so you stayed within the fighter community yeah but you can go to the bomber community as well too you can go spec ops like you can go pretty much anywhere right so um yeah man I was pretty lucky to go from one fighter to another fighter and uh yeah it was great man um hill like I said it was it was good um you just we worked a lot at hill a lot long hours a lot of weekends.

Dennis Wade: [37:58] You know I just uh it just it got hard right yeah that's what I heard a lot yeah so I'm I was an honor is that what not oh yeah we call you yeah so being weapons crew you're working on the flight line so basically what everyone else in the Air Force that's not on the flight line yes it's known as the non honors right 100 right because let me tell you like working on the flight line can get brutal I mean yeah.

Dennis Wade: [38:27] So for instance you know we're down here at nellis right and it's 112 degrees outside right just because it's 112 degrees outside doesn't mean you cannot work right so and same thing up at hill um man the flight line is like right next to a canyon so the winds that come through there I remember one time like it was with the windchill factor it was like negative 26 outside right you don't mean anything you're still working right so um I think that's where the whole like nonner's.

Dennis Wade: [38:56] Thing came in right because yeah we're in an office yeah we worked man yeah so yeah man it was it was good like I loved I loved hill man it's it's home now like honestly I look at that place it's like home now because I've been there uh longer than I lived in California so yeah that's the way we are now with Georgia and we're realizing that wow we've been in our home longer than we've been in any other isn't that crazy yeah.

Dennis Wade: [39:25] I think about it now I mean like I honestly I think about that all the time now because man I swear like 2002 when I first got orders to I remember driving up I took leave from you know in route and um driving up from uh from California up to hill I was just like there's like mountains and it's beautiful right beautiful and I was like dang I got pretty lucky right to go from England to hill and I remember when I when I left my supervisor.

Dennis Wade: [39:52] One of the last things he told me was like hey you know hill's actually a hidden gem you know so uh and he was 100 correct on that yeah so I haven't been yet yeah that's right you didn't get to go out yeah you didn't get to go out to it yeah it's beautiful I love it so for your deployments yeah where are some of the places you went so my first uh my first deployment um was in 2001. So back then they.

[40:23] Operación Southern Watch: Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, tres meses en base austera

Brian Lathrop: [40:23] Uh right after 9/11 yes no sorry ray yeah it was right after was it yeah it was right after yeah um we went to uh no it was before 9/11. So gosh was it right before it was right before so it was probably the it was the year before that day okay we uh we went to Southern Watch um to al-jabbar air base Kuwait right so man I remember still to this day I was like I was still 19 at the time 19 or 20 or so.

Dennis Wade: [41:01] Going down there and like uh after the first you know Gulf War they had like Northern Watch in southern watch um and uh so we went to Al Jaber air base Kuwait and uh really young at the time and I'm talking like bear base um you know I it was kind of like the first like eye-opener to me of like what really happened you know in the Middle East and it was literally like um I don't know had you ever been to algebra before no I haven't.

Dennis Wade: [41:29] It's literally it's it's like a it's a compound you know it's a compound there's a runway there um we lived in huts and uh yeah it was kind of like you know there's all the signs of like do not walk here because of you know uxos and um I got like my flak vest my helmet and all that and you know not to say that I you know I wasn't infantry or anything like that right but as a mechanic right as a maintenance guy you're.

Dennis Wade: [41:56] Like right man why am I wearing this right yeah that had to be eye opening yeah it was a really kind of bear base it probably had yeah saw the c wire and that was kind of that's it that's it man yep that's it so uh yeah we uh we deployed there for three months um busy we worked 12 hours every day at the minimum six seven days a week we just you know there was nothing else to do right were really busy uh we actually made the news a few times.

Dennis Wade: [42:26] Because of how busy we were so yeah man it was definitely like to see the whole thing of like all the work and the training that we did prior and actually like see it in action yeah it was really cool you deployed with your team as a unit yes yeah as my squadron yeah yep as the 494th we uh we went there and uh got to do our actual job so that's great yeah man it was great dude we loaded some really.

Dennis Wade: [42:54] Really cool unique ordinances yeah I spent three months there and I've got I don't know how I got stuck on swings there too so but it was good though because I learned so much being there so yeah I did three months at that and then uh as soon as I got to hill I ended up going to northern watch kind of slash Enduring Freedom because we were supporting both and I went to Incirlik Turkey for that one and that was awesome too that was more like.

[43:27] Operación Northern Watch / Enduring Freedom: Incirlik Air Base, Turquía

Dennis Wade: [43:27] Man compared to like al jabber in Kuwait uh southern watch compared to um Turkey man it was night and day really a little bit more yeah yep business hours uh you could wear civilian clothes uh you could go off base um so I mean technically it was a deployment but I mean right yeah like it really wasn't man you can you could still drink alcohol there and uh you know it was gone right um but uh completely different um and I spent so that.

Dennis Wade: [44:03] One I did three months um it was crazy I literally got I got to hill in February I think I got you know did the whole end processing and all that good stuff got certified in April and then in May I deployed so it's quick be good to tie your purpose right in yes right into your job yeah so it made the transition and I was the new guy so I was uh I think no I wasn't I was a Senior Airman at the time still.

Dennis Wade: [44:29] And uh yeah you know just being the new guy there kind of didn't really know a lot of people but uh and you know our community was you know they're it's weird man weapons is just it's such a it's a great community right so you know they brought me in and yeah it was a great time man there's a good deployment um and then I also went to OIF in December of 05 May of 06. Okay yep so I went to balad air base for that one.

[45:00] Operación Iraqi Freedom: Balad Air Base, el CRAM, y 'Mortaritaville'

Dennis Wade: [45:00] Let me do some calculations December of 05 yeah yep May of 06. We have 06. So just under uh what was that oh somewhere else I was somewhere else then I was oh okay it wasn't blood until later we were there yeah yep so uh yeah that was my third deployment um that one was I would say of all the deployments definitely the most eye-opening um of uh how much like the bad guy doesn't like you I guess you can say right um.

Dennis Wade: [45:36] You know it wasn't a secret blood was the uh the nickname was mortaritaville right you know about it man yep you know all about it man so it kind of every day uh you know you get these things thrown at you that uh weren't nice right so did they have the crams there did dude so I went uh so on my deployment I went we call it advan uh you remember that right so like the first one to go you kind of you go there before the squadron.

Dennis Wade: [46:08] Gets there right yeah yep so I was on the advan team it was me and my crew I was already Staff Sergeant at the time and uh so my luck at the draw we get picked to go right so there was probably I think a total of like 18 of us that go there so we leave hill on a C-5 Galaxy right and uh I'll never forget it like I was sick had the worst head cold ever right oh ahead oh my gosh it was terrible.

Dennis Wade: [46:34] Man where's head cold ever I remember like flying to we were supposed to air refuel over the Atlantic but we something ended up breaking so we stopped in Gander went to we made it to Rota and I just remember landing and like I had the worst like sinus headache my ears wouldn't pop oh dude it was so terrible man and then uh we get uh we get to blood right before right before right before new year's I think I left the day after Christmas I think it was.

Dennis Wade: [47:08] Yeah I want to say it was the day after Christmas and then because we were all like excited because we still got there in uh in December so we got the tax free for the month yeah so you know uh you know how it goes man but yeah we get there and I get there before the squadron and um I think that next morning my second or my first day actual morning there like we get uh attack you know mortared and I was what in.

Dennis Wade: [47:36] The about during the Air Force man yeah this you know this ain't supposed to be happening right um anyways like that night Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) fired right man I was like what in the world is that you know you see the tracers and it's loud and oh my goodness man I was like what in the world did I get myself into right um but yeah man it was uh it was crazy I kind of felt like the season vet right because I had been there.

Dennis Wade: [48:05] Prior to the actual squadron coming in I was probably there for like six or seven days already okay so I was like man shoot on the season event man when everybody came you know because it was like the talk of the town right like oh you know all the mortars but like you know all everybody comes like oh man have you guys been murdered yet what was it like you know they said I was like oh man you guys are good man but yeah man I uh I stayed there till um.

Dennis Wade: [48:32] Until uh until May I actually came back I think a week and a half early prior to um main body I think uh that was kind of the reason why I got to go advan was because you know you have to do the full deployment right when my wife was pregnant with our yeah yep so the fact that and she was having some issues um you know with the pregnancy so uh the fact that I went avon um I got my time on station so they ended up.

Dennis Wade: [49:00] Sending me back about a week yeah I say about a week a week and a half before main body so yeah I made it back um I think I came back on a Sunday yeah I came back Sunday my daughter was born Thursday so oh wow yeah yep made it back made it back just in time man yeah but yeah man balad was you know you've been there man it was amazing the old green bean everybody remembers the green bean right the mango dude.

Dennis Wade: [49:24] I love the uh the mango smoothies man it was just uh you know it was it was life there man like that was uh that was it you know that when that time in 2005 it was more you know you know technology was a lot more relevant right so cell phones and morale calls and funny story like I don't know how she did it I have no idea how she did it but somehow my wife was actually able to call the weapon shop there really.

Dennis Wade: [49:53] Bro still to this day I don't know I don't know how she got these special hookups yeah she called and somehow got a hold of me and it was the weirdest thing ever man yeah weird weirdest thing ever but uh yeah man so yep and got back in May of 06 and that's when my daughter's born so yeah yep awesome so is that part of the decision-making process that has life changed and yeah you kind of started having your family.

[50:22] El nacimiento de una hija y la decisión de terminar el alistamiento

Dennis Wade: [50:22] And dude 100 bro you saw it was time to 100 percent prior to that man I was like I honestly thought I was going to be in the military my whole career like my whole 20 years right because dude I was man I was like I was that guy man I actually like took pride you know I dude I starched my uniform man my boots were like crazy yeah man I just uh you know I took pride in it man um even getting.

Dennis Wade: [50:51] Hammered on it working on the flight line never really that's true that is you know yeah because you a lot of the a lot of the people that work on the flight line they just they're like I don't care right like our uniforms are gonna get messed up anyways right because most of the time you change out into coveralls or you put Gore-Tex on depending on the weather or whatnot but you know I didn't really let that get to me man I was dude I was 100.

Dennis Wade: [51:14] Like iron my uniform every day shine my boots every single day and even like my troops too like I wasn't uh you know like uh like a better terms like an a-hole about it right I just told my guys like hey man dude let's take pride in this right let's uh let's be the best that we can be right and it showed man cause we won like a load crew of the quarter we you know we always like I said I was pretty.

Dennis Wade: [51:40] Lucky to always have like really good folks on my cruise so I made sure to like reciprocate that by making sure that you know they set the example like they had the image as well too that's cool so let's see so you were weapons your whole time in the Air Force in the active duty yeah so yeah it's kind of weird man how I got into it I uh I always knew that it was like the route to go so I would always.

Dennis Wade: [52:03] Kind of pick up things here and there right try to help out as much as I could in the shop while I was in because being on the flight line you're you're kind of like that just that bastard child we never really had it support we just had in-house right so you know in the in the office there's always that one computer nerd right always the one computer nerd right and they'd fix everything right so I always try to like learn as much as I can.

Dennis Wade: [52:26] Um and uh yeah man I uh I just picked up as much as I can and uh having like my background with like electronics in the Air Force like helped out as well too and I'm having a clearance obviously and um yeah man it was kind of the stars online man worked out good because I knew honestly the moment that I got back and like after my daughter was born I was like yeah like this is it for me right you know I'm gonna I'm gonna.

Dennis Wade: [52:54] Write out my enlistment um and uh just go from there I actually in 2004 I cross trained I guess for a little bit I went to uh fire school I was gonna be a firefighter really okay um but I broke my ankle really bad in tech school like really bad um and uh they ended up sending me back had like I had to have two surgeries on it and um you know my I think my time kind of just uh I got through my window.

Dennis Wade: [53:25] And they wouldn't let me go back in which was you know it was cool man because I guarantee you if I would have if I didn't break my ankle I would have stayed I guarantee I would have stayed in the military right so who knows where we would have been you know hindsight I always look at it as like man this is uh it was such a blessing that as much as it sucked breaking my ankle right that I ended up going back to hill and getting out of the military.

Dennis Wade: [53:46] And you know here I am now so yeah dude it was good man it was good yeah not a lot of people know about that man so have you uh kept up with people actually you have you've mentioned that you've been you keep up with people you've served with yeah it's it's a weird man I mean like you know I still talk to a lot of my friends like uh growing up with um but uh it's just you know it's really weird man I've been.

[54:12] El mentor que lo tomó bajo su ala: la transición a TI

Dennis Wade: [54:12] So lucky to uh have the people in my life from the military um you know whether they're my mentors or whether like I was their supervisor or whether you know we were just like co-workers right um I he you always run into you're always going to run into somebody that you know um that you either put heads with or you know like it's just it's weird man I've been lucky enough to like not have somebody really bad I guess you can say um and yeah.

Dennis Wade: [54:41] I still talk to a lot of them to this day you know and it's crazy now because a lot of the guys that I joined with are either retired which is crazy to think about right like man I still can't believe it or are getting ready to retire you know so a lot of them are like you know they've hit me up like hey how was the transition it's scary because it is right so and you're able to help yes yeah so that's like one of my.

Dennis Wade: [55:04] You know I was very lucky to have somebody um really take me under their wing he was in the military as well too he got out and he knew that I was getting out so he kind of took me under his wing and taught me a lot especially with it um so uh you know knowing that he took the time um you know like the guy never like once said you know this is what you need to pay me or anything like that he's like I'm just gonna take care of you right.

Dennis Wade: [55:33] So I made a promise to myself that I would do 100 the same thing to others like you know people especially on the weapons career field because you know we do get a lot of uh crap for like oh you're what are you gonna do right like how is that going to transition into like the civilian sector right working in the area exactly yeah yep so you know I kind of look at it as is like uh you know one of the one of the guys.

Dennis Wade: [55:59] Really helped me out so I feel like that's a thing that I love doing is like helping you know the guys that are getting out like hey I know the situation that year I've been there right and it's not like you go from like guarantee no matter what you know you're gonna get a paycheck every two weeks right um oh my gosh like man this is crazy right um so yeah you know there's always that anxiety of like uh okay how's this gonna work right.

Dennis Wade: [56:27] Um you know and I think a lot of it is it's like the drive so for me when I was getting out of the military I was like man I don't want to go like a lot of people will get out and you know go to the hangars over at hill and work you know and you know turn wrenches and all that you know I just didn't want to do that anymore right I felt like you know my time had passed doing that and um yeah man it was uh.

Dennis Wade: [56:48] You know it was it was a hard transition um but I look at it now and I'm just like man without that my buddy that helped me out man I you know it's crazy like I don't even know where I'd be at man honestly so you helped guide you into the it yeah 100 man so yeah dude I was so lucky and you know you know definitely having a clearance helped out a huge thing right because we know how much like how much of a pain it is right.

Dennis Wade: [57:14] So you know having that and uh just getting um to know people and um yeah man it worked out good so still to this day like I try my hardest to help as many people as I can that are transitioning just you know whether it's with a resume whether it's with uh you know uh certifications or just you know just general bsing with somebody that's nervous right getting ready to get out dude I love speaking to them just to kind of calm their nerves man because.

Dennis Wade: [57:43] Dude the anxiety is real when you get out man you got a family you got you know wife and kids that you got to take care of so yep that's really great I'm gonna I'm gonna try to take that away from the this podcast yeah um that keep in touch definitely with people from my past yeah dude it's huge man it's you at least for me right like I look at it now and I think back like in the last 20 plus years of.

Dennis Wade: [58:06] Of uh my somewhat of a military and even now as our team now we a lot of us are prior military uh man there's like that bond that broke on that you just can't you know what I mean like it's just you always look out for them right you know you're always going to have a thing for somebody that was in the military that you just kind of have this thing that you uh you know you look out for them right so and then like I said for me dude.

Dennis Wade: [58:32] That's all like my soul like mission in was just to help anybody out as much as I can right I had a few more questions I was thinking about ending with I wanted to know is there anyone that you served with that you would like to touch base with again that you haven't man um I would say you know it's kind of crazy uh when I went to tech school like I said I didn't um I just had a really sour taste in my mouth in tech school.

[59:08] Staff Sergeant Beaumar: el instructor de la escuela técnica que marcó la diferencia

Dennis Wade: [59:08] I don't know man I just didn't I didn't like shepherd right um it was like literally my first time being away by myself right because my buddy had left and um you know my uh my technical instructor there my first one in the basic course um at the time he was a Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant Beaumar um just a great dude and you know like Staff Sergeant beaumont yep great dude I felt like he was like one of those.

Dennis Wade: [59:43] Because you know man you go to tech school and it's like I was at the time I always kind of felt like some technical instructors were want to be ti's right like they had that you know like they were just like almost like they couldn't cut it out being a ti right so they're like ah man I want to be like this hard ass uh technical instructor right like well get out of here man you know what I mean like um and I was lucky.

Dennis Wade: [1:00:05] Because both of mine were not like that but yeah Sergeant Beaumar man he was just uh just amazing man just uh you know a good family man I was really young at the time and um I just kind of built like this bond with him and come to find out when I ended up going to hill um I had been there for a couple years he ended up PCSing there so he got out of uh instructing and went to hill so I got to see him for a couple years and he.

Dennis Wade: [1:00:28] Is uh he's a chief now um he's still in actually I think to this day I want to say um he's uh a chief the last time I saw he was like a chief for ACC headquarters or something so yeah man just a great dude man awesome guy um you know it's so hard man I've had so many good supervisors uh I always say that man I was so blessed for my Air Force career because I had like not that the stars.

Dennis Wade: [1:00:56] Always align for me but like you know I just felt like I always had the great supervisors great opportunities for me to excel always setting up for success um yeah man it was it was good it was great that's awesome uh this has been a great uh trip down memory lane dude I'm telling you I love it man yeah it's crazy man I love uh you know just being able to talk to you about like because man I feel like you know life is so.

Dennis Wade: [1:01:26] Like it's so quick right like right I think about it now like you just it just seems like yesterday when I when I joined the Air Force right um and I'm like man that was almost 21 years ago right and does not seem like 21 years right so it's good to like you know really reminisce and see about like I guess you can you know call the roots of where you know your career and your life started yeah um is there anyone that you would like to.

[1:01:55] Dedicatoria: el cimiento en casa

Dennis Wade: [1:01:55] This podcast to this episode uh so this episode you know uh probably I would say my wife man she's uh between like deployments um and having to like raise two kids while being gone um and never dude my wife has never complained ever you know about uh about like my career choices and the things that like I put my family through like when it comes to my career right it's a sacrifice you know I both know about that right I mean we're away from them right now right.

Dennis Wade: [1:02:39] So uh you know like having her as like the uh the um foundation back home like you know it's crazy it makes it easier for us to go on like you know even when we first got married right we like just got married and uh you know we decided to have a baby you know we didn't we didn't wait and um next thing you know right away sorry sweetheart you know like uh see you later right you know what I mean so um.

Dennis Wade: [1:03:11] And not once has she ever like complained man ever um so uh yeah you know I honestly like owe it all to her totally agree man yep military spouse oh dude that's the hardest job in the world man toughest job in the world bro we got it made man yeah and Dennis this has been awesome yeah man yeah thank you thank you for coming on the very first episode I uh I like I said it's crazy man we've been we've been talking about this um.

Brian Lathrop: [1:03:43] For quite some time now man and I'm glad honestly like I want everybody else to see like the heart behind uh your mission for this I did want to say one cool thing though so if there's one cool thing right in my time as being in the military um so when I was in England yeah again right everything cool happened in I won uh load crew I think it was luxury of the year actually with the yeah the uh of the of the uh.

[1:04:18] Una cosa genial: un vuelo de incentivo en un F-15E Strike Eagle

Dennis Wade: [1:04:18] Uh the base right so I was working I still remember this day man I was working at the uh we called it eor right it was end of runway so you would go out there for like a week at a time and we would love it right because it's like you're off the flight line all you do is arm and d-arm jets make sure that they're good to go right before they take off right so I'm sitting down there and uh it's funny because um.

Dennis Wade: [1:04:41] We were watching Chris Farley uh I can't even wrote it was like a Saturday Night Live but like old school vhs right the phone rings like oh can I need to speak to A1C wade like okay like this can't be good so I get on there and they're like hey uh you need to go to life support tomorrow morning you're getting an incentive ride like what like you're kidding me so uh I didn't I was like there's no way like something's gonna happen right.

Dennis Wade: [1:05:07] Uh I because you know like I said lo you know working on jets for two years and just growing up seeing them I was like dude this is going to be the coolest thing ever right so the next morning I get fitted for my flight suit my uh my g suit my helmet all that good stuff right uh and this was like a Wednesday morning and my flight was Friday um so dude I couldn't sleep man I was so excited dude like nervous excited all the above.

Dennis Wade: [1:05:31] Right um and uh yeah man so that Friday comes up and uh we did a four ship um it was me and uh three other dudes that got to go on the on the flight um dude probably the coolest thing I ever did in my life yeah dude flew not a lot of people can say but dude I actually flew the F-15E Strike dude I flew it for like a good solid 15-20 minutes like uh the pilot was like I knew him great guy dude yeah so.

Dennis Wade: [1:05:57] I knew him um it was his first deployment as well too and once he saw uh it was me that got it right he's like bro I'm taking you so I told him I was like dude I said this is probably once in a lifetime for me I let me have it man like give me the best ride like because you know right like what are you gonna get this opportunity again right did you get sick oh my goodness it was worse than uh drinking a.

Dennis Wade: [1:06:24] 24 pack of PBR dude so we uh you know we did the max climb takeoff which was just the coolest thing ever right and um started flying and uh you know next thing you know like you're supposed to look off at the horizon to kind of get your equilibrium normal right he didn't tell me that because he wanted to get me sick right man next thing you know I was like dude I don't know how I'm feeling right now man yeah like just not uh not feeling it man right.

Dennis Wade: [1:06:57] So I kick it up to 100 oxygen and next you know like I start to start throwing up where do you throw up so you get a bag so they give you like two bags right well it wasn't enough for me man dude I had it all over my flight suit so the funny thing is like uh there's a button that you could accidentally step on that like has like radio comms or whatever and uh the air I guess apparently the air traffic control.

Dennis Wade: [1:07:24] Like heard me throw we were like doing like simulating dog fighting against our wingman and uh like he's like pull right you see him right there at six o'clock I'm like dude it was the greatest thing ever man we uh and it was cool man cause like you know like we you know you don't always get that opportunity right yeah so all my buddies were down at ur when I landed we get down to the eor and um I like showing my trophy of like two bags of barf like.

Dennis Wade: [1:07:57] Did I had on my flight suit like oh yeah dude it was the coolest uh dude hour and a half I've ever had in my life really yeah man by far dude yep it was it was amazing dude yeah coolest story I've ever had done in the military still to this day even as a civilian like yeah dude yeah man amazing yep awesome that's a great way to put a cap on the yeah first episode yes yeah thanks again man hey from one veteran to another.

[1:08:30] Cierre: el Juramento de los Veteranos de Behind the Rack

Brian Lathrop: [1:08:30] Thanks for serving yeah dude and thanks for coming on the podcast yep love it hey everyone thank you so much for listening I want to leave you with the behind the rack veterans pledge if you know someone in your life that needs to hear it please pass it on I believe as a veteran I am part of an exclusive community and the best exclusive communities are the ones you had to do something to be a part of not pay to get in I believe as a veteran.

Brian Lathrop: [1:09:03] My military experience brings value to the civilian world I realize the parts of my service that May seem ordinary to me seem extraordinary to others and I believe as a veteran I am on a hero's journey and the things I've learned during service can bring value purpose and meaning to my life after service.