Be Like BG Palenske - Ep 613

Send us Fan Mail Peaches and Trent sit down with retired Brigadier General Tom Palenske, and this one turns into a masterclass on leadership without all the fake corporate nonsense. Palenske walks through one of the wildest career arcs we have had on the podcast: Goodyear factory kid from Topeka, Army National Guard helicopter door gunner, warrant officer, Huey and Black Hawk pilot, Air Force officer, MH-53 pilot, CV-22 squadron commander, wing commander, deployed special operations leader, and eventually a brigadier general who still sounds like a normal human being. He talks about what it was like flying the lead MH-53 during the rescue of then-Lieutenant Colonel Dave Goldfein after he was shot down over Serbia, why the MH-53 was the ugliest-coolest helicopter ever built, and why the CV-22 gets more hate than it deserves. He also tells stories about combat, fear, missiles, A-10s, fast ropes, and why sometimes the only plan is to press forward because the mission still needs doing. The conversation also gets into the stuff officers especially need to hear: rank and competence are not the same thing, people do not work for you, leadership means removing obstacles, accountability does not require cruelty, and your job is to help people reach their potential. Palenske also talks about suicide prevention, why airmen need more than one identity, how fellowship builds resiliency better than another useless CBT, why commanders should get out of their offices and talk to people, and why real connection matters more than another policy memo. The episode wraps with his unexpected run for office in Kansas, his view of politics, his love for his wife Jaron and their family, and the one leadership lesson that keeps coming back: be good, take care of people, and leave a positive impact. Links: - OnesReady.com - OperatorTrainingSummit.com - palenske4kansas.com Chapters: 00:00 - Intro and Ones Ready 01:05 - Be Like Tom 01:34 - ATACLETE and Partner Discounts 02:39 - Operator Training Summit Updates 05:55 - Retired Brigadier General Palenske Joins 07:34 - Why Airmen Loved Working With Him 08:27 - Rank and Competence Are Not the Same 09:20 - Enlisted, Officer, and Not Getting Weird 10:46 - Eight General Officer Counselings 11:53 - The Best Part of Being a General 13:25 - From Topeka to the Army National Guard 16:33 - Becoming a Helicopter Pilot 18:16 - Joining the Air Force 19:00 - AFSOC, MH-53s, and Combat Deployments 20:20 - Goldfein Rescue and the Distinguished Flying Cross 21:21 - CV-22s, Command, and Becoming a General 23:02 - Goldfein Did Not Know Who Rescued Him 26:02 - Missiles, Serbia, and Launching Without Perfect Comms 29:15 - The A-10 Debrief 29:53 - MH-53 Hovering and Fast Rope Abuse 31:26 - Why the MH-53 Was Ugly but Awesome 31:51 - In Defense of the CV-22 33:13 - The CV-22 Combat Story 36:28 - Mental Health Evacuations and Epic Fury 38:16 - Are Young Airmen Really the Problem? 39:48 - Training, Fear, and Combat Stress 42:12 - Stress Inoculation Matters 43:39 - Leadership Before Mental Health Referrals 45:19 - Retiring Into Civilian Life 46:05 - Running for Office in Kansas 49:23 - Politics, Factions, and Doing the Work 49:59 - Food Trucks, Slip-n-Slides, and Wing Culture 52:18 - Walking Around and Talking to Airmen 52:50 - Suicide Prevention Through Connection 55:38 - Let Weird People Find Their People 56:38 - Accountability With Compassion 58:56 - Failing Without Being Defined by Failure 01:00:49 - The One-Mistake Air Force Problem 01:01:30 - The Four DUI Joke 01:05:09 - Taking Care of Airmen 01:05:46 - What Actually Matters When You Die 01:07:04 - Jaron, Family, and Eating Indoors 01:08:26 - Pelenske for Kansas 01:10:16 - Why Can’t We Just Be Good? 01:10:57 - Final Wrap Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel...