For the Zoomies

Your host Andrew Cormier welcomes Col (ret) Darrel Whitcomb to FTZ. Col Whitcomb is a 1969 grad who flew in Southeast Asia as a forward air controller in the OV-10 aircraft. We touch on topics including what it was like to be in the first war USAFA cadets were a part of, strong and weak operational examples of leadership, and he even lets a few war stories loose. The views expressed are those of t...

Your host Andrew Cormier welcomes Col (ret) Darrel Whitcomb to FTZ. Col Whitcomb is a a 1969 grad who flew in Southeast Asia as forward air controller in the OV-10 aircraft. We touch on topics including what it was like to be in the first war USAFA cadets were apart of, strong and weak operational examples of leadership, and lets a few war stories loose.  The views expressed are those of the...

Host of FTZ Andrew Cormier sits down with 2011 Air Force Academy grad Chase Lane to discuss the ins and outs of management consultant. The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD or its components. Time Stamps (00:00) Introduction (06:25) What does a management consultant do? (10:57) Major Challenge/ Reward in the field (16:10) Where do you s...

Zoomies get ready for another installment of the show, today we welcome back the newly promoted Lt Col Ryan Rutter. Today, however, we aren’t talking about flying or the A-10, rather we will be discussing different financial tools and strategies available to military members. Please note that neither Lt Col Rutter nor I am formally educated on this topic and are not legally certified to give finan...

Zoomies! Welcome back to the second episode of the DFM series where we welcome Mr. Russ Long of Long Capture to the show. He is a 2012 grad who spent 5 years as a contracting officer and went on to separate and become the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company. Tune in for all the details, thanks for listening! The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views...

Zoomies! Welcome to part two of the recording with Maj Drew Whitmey. Make sure to listen through the first episode to bring context to the ideas discussed in this episode. In this episode, we discuss the rewarding and challenging parts of the job, as well as the decision calculus that goes into separating. Tune in for all the details, thanks for listening! The views expressed are those of the spea...

Zoomies! Welcome back to another installment, today we welcome the currently separating Maj Drew Whitmey to the show. He is an Academy grad that went on to fly the CV - 22 Osprey. He is also well known down at the airfield here at the academy as an instructor pilot. We touch on topics including what exactly makes the Osprey special, understanding the culture of resourcefulness within SOCOM, he tel...

Zoomies! Welcome back to a very special episode, today we welcome Maj Gen (Ret) Jack Catton to the show. General Catton is an Academy Grad from the class of 1976 and served an exemplary career. We touch on topics like what weapons school is like and what improves your chances of going, establishing doctrine for the new Information Operations career field, moving into the civilian sector after reti...

Zoomies! Welcome to the last episode of the Fall 2022 semester, today we welcome the one and only Col Douglass Wickert. He graduated from the Academy in 1995 and went on to become a test pilot, worked with DARPA, spent some time in the Pentagon, and is now a Permanent Professor in the Aero Department here at the Academy. We touch on topics including ways to become a test pilot and astronaut, how e...

Zoomies! Welcome back to another episode, today we welcome Maj Kristen Heiserman to the show. She graduated from the ROTC program at Colorado State and became a U-28 pilot. She then got the opportunity to become a speech writer and is now a fellow at the Institute for Future Conflict here at the Academy. We touch on topics like the mission of the U-28, the different ways you can become a speechwri...

Zoomies! Welcome to a podcast designed to help make your career decision a little bit easier. I am Andrew Cormier, a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in the Class of 2025. I have come to understand that there are very few resources catered to helping people looking to commission better educate their job decision. I created this published catalog of interviews with officers in order to...

Zoomies! Welcome back to another episode of the For the Zoomies podcast, today we welcome academy grad Maj Lauren Kruse to the show. She has lots of good to say about her time as a maintenance officer, including being involved with the maintenance weapons school. We touch on topics including balancing work, life, and even a master's program, gaining respect as a young Lieutenant, her experience ge...

Welcome back Zoomies to another episode of the podcast, today's guest is an academy grad and current AOC of CS-08, Maj Marcus Alvidrez. He started his flying career in the MC-12, then was moved to become an RPA pilot in the MQ-9 Reaper, switching from manned to unmanned aircraft. We touch on topics like the day-to-day and mission sets of RPAs, the morality and ethics of the job, misconceptions, an...

Welcome back to another episode of the AFSC Series! Today's guest is logistician and linguist Capt Mikhail Berlin. He was prior enlisted in the Army after moving to the US from Russia then commissioned into the Air Force and leveraged his knowledge of the Russian language to become a linguist alongside his trade. We touch on topics including the mission set of logistics, different levels of langua...

Welcome back to another episode of the For the Zoomies podcast, today we have another pilot joining to give some insight into what different missions look like as a fighter pilot. Maj Scott flew as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP), then moved on to fly F-15E Strike Eagles, then spent time as an A-29 pilot functioning as a Foreign Air Advisor. We touch on topics including how FAIPs are ch...

Welcome to the first episode of the For the Zoomies podcast dedicated specifically to the Department of Management here at the Academy. This new series intends to give current and future management majors a better understanding of what their careers could look like by interviewing management alumni. The inaugural episode features Finance Officer Lt Col Emily Bulger, we touch on topics including th...

Welcome to the tenth installment of the For the Zoomies podcast, today's episode welcomes Cadet Squadron Seven's Air Officer Commanding, Maj Alison Cruise who was a prior enlisted maintainer who after graduating OTS has spent her time as an Air Battle Manager. We touch on topics like places you could go, the different tracks of ABM including future changes, Red Flag opportunities, and lots more. T...

Welcome back, today we have a very special guest with a wide array of experiences in the Air Force. Col Joseph Dietz graduated from Texas A&M's ROTC program and went on to become a KC-135 Navigator then transitioned to piloting the F-15 E. From there he spent time in staff positions working with NATO, then later on in CENTCOM during the last year of the US presence in Afghanistan, and is now t...

Welcome back to another episode, today the interview is featuring a smaller emerging career field. Lt Col Matthew Linford gives us the lowdown on Information Operations through the lens of a prep school attendee and Academy graduate who initially worked in the behavioral science career field. We touch on topics like routes to becoming an Info Ops officer, different AFSCs you'll likely work with, a...

In the seventh episode, Air Officer Commanding of CS-23 the Barnstormers, Maj Dominique Zhong is welcomed to the podcast. She is a Force Support Officer who cross-trained from Cyber to help feed our force globally and she has much to share regarding her operational experience. We touch on topics like the deployed environment, different specialties within the job, protocol, and much more. Tune in f...

Episode 6 rolls in welcoming Academy grad intelligence officer Lt Col Walter Darnell. Today we touch on topics including new responsibilities with promotion, how family fits into the lifestyle, experiences in the joint environment, and much more. Tune in for all the details, thanks for listening! The views presented are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD or...

Welcome to episode 5 of the For the Zoomies podcast where I try to figure out what the Air Force has in terms of job opportunities. Today our guest is acquisitions officer Lt Col Matthew Ross. He is a prior Army enlisted Academy grad who is a proponent of solving operators' problems downrange. Today we touch on topics including being resourceful, customer satisfaction, deployments and TDYs, and mu...

In this episode, I welcome HH-60 Pavehawk pilot Maj Patrick Hussey to the podcast. Maj Hussey is a 2011 academy grad who went on to fly rotary wing aircraft and come back to the academy to teach history. In this episode, we touch on topics like HeloNext, working with Special Operation components, peacetime vs. wartime operations, and lots more. Tune in for more details, thanks for listening! The v...

Episode 3 rolls in with a Judge Advocate and current law instructor at the academy. Maj Allen Tate is a prior Army Enlisted Air Force Reserve JAG who is a strong advocate for critical thinking throughout the Cadet Wing. In this episode, we touch on topics including different paths to becoming a JAG, interesting cases he's dealt with, differences between practicing law as a civilian vs. in the mili...

The second episode of the For the Zoomies podcast brings another Air Officer Commanding from USAFA. Representing Cadet Squadron 15, the Mighty War Eagles, Maj Bart Dietrick, an Airfield Operations officer, sheds some light on his operational experience. We delve into topics like leading enlisted personnel as an LT, different assignments and bases you could go to with Airfield Ops, and unique leade...