USAF Thunderbird #1: The Air Force's top ambassador and warrior on life, loss, combat and more--John "Brick" Caldwell

Lt. Col. John "Brick" Caldwell is the Commander and Leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. I had never met Brick before this interview, but several pilots I've flown with have a tremendous amount of respect for him. After our conversation, I do as well. He is an accomplished warrior with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has over 660 combat flight hours, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and is a graduate of the USAF weapons school. He served for several years in the Air Force's Test and Evaluation Squadron, overseeing the latest fighter aircraft technology. He now leads the 130-person Thunderbird organization and flies the number 1 jet.Brick is a world-class professional who is also a great communicator. He talks about some emotionally difficult topics as well lessons he's learned along the way. I think everyone can take away something from this interview. Feel free to share this episode with someone who you think would benefit most. In this episode, we talk about, in order:His first passion for aviation (minute 0:00)Turning a dream into reality (minute 5:00)Lessons learned (minute 6:00)Deployment to Iraq (minute 07:00)Losing a friend in combat (minute 10:10)Taking enemy life (minute 19:15)Deployment to Afghanistan (minute 21:15)The mission he received a Distinguished Flying Cross (minute 24:00)Combat Lessons learned (minute 28:15)Test and evaluation experience (minute 31:00)F-16 Viper evolution (minute 37:15)Decision to join Thunderbirds (minute 41:45)Being Thunderbird #1 (minute 50:15)His crazy schedule (minute 53:00)Thunderbird debriefs (minute 57:00)Looking forward to most this season (minute 58:30)Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter Instagram-- @justinfighterpilotLinkedIn-- Justin LeeFacebook--@justinfighterpilotThis episode was edited by Trevor CablerIf you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

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*Ranked a "2019 Top Podcast* This is a podcast that brings transparency to top performers, careers, and topics. My name is Hasard Lee. I'm an active F-35 fighter pilot for the Air Force. One of the most important lessons I've learned is that you have to be selective with who you listen to--there's a lot of noise out there. The goal of this podcast is to find experts who are at the top of their field to share their insights based on credibility and experience. About the Host:"Major Lee has 9 years of experience flying both the F-16 and F-35. In 2016, he was selected as the 'Top Instructor Pilot of the Year' for the Air Force's largest F-16 Combat Wing. In 2017, he returned from Afghanistan where his squadron dropped the most ordnance since the opening days of the war. He's flown 82 combat missions and has 4 Air Medals."