Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

As a general rule, taking action always beats inaction. At times we can all hold ourselves back inadvertently with analysis paralysis, where nothing gets done because of our overthinking.

The world of online scams is getting worse because the criminals are becoming more sophisticated. Their ability to mirror legitimate businesses as well as government offices makes these perpetrators a threat to everyone. As better online fraud-protection measures come to market, the scammers are also evolving in their mission of using creative deception methods to get innocent people to willingly part with their money in exchange for nothing. If you suspect a scam or phishing effort, it’s best to delete the suspicious message right away and not interact at all with the scammer.

The world of artificial intelligence has given birth to a new generation of robots capable of performing complex physical tasks. This trend now extends to the world of sports where robots can compete with each other as well as humans.

Attending college for the first time is a life changing experience. If you are new to this world, always remember why you are there in the first place. Don’t waste time and other people’s money being part of a new crowd that’s not going anywhere.

Meet an unknown wingman. He performed a lifesaving act. Unfortunately this teenager from the state of Tennessee is forced to hide his identity to keep evil from knocking on his door.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

A visionary is defined as a person with original and innovative ideas about the future. The man known as Fred Smith of the Federal Express Corporation was that, and a whole lot more. Along with millions of people around the world, both of your wingmen owe much of their success and life fulfillment to this great man that not only created the organization that invented overnight express delivery but also helped connect commercial markets around the world with each other.

The company now known as FedEx was actually a start-up company that barely survived, not that long ago. Following his service to America as a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot and Forward Air Controller during the Viet Nam war, Fred Smith began putting the pieces together of a fledgling operation that would in a short time, emerge as a global powerhouse that became inextricably tied to the U.S. as well as the global economy.

This risk-taker managed to stay in business by actually winning a little money during a card game in Las Vegas. He took a leap of faith and put all of his fortune on the line to see his dreams come true. This titan of industry who both wingmen had the good fortune to interact with, asked nothing of his employees, other than to do their very best to satisfy the customer. The contributions this man has made to the United States and the rest of the world are too long to list here. Suffice it to say, he was a shining symbol of American innovation enhanced by technological achievement powered by a solid team.

On the health front, for middle aged people there is good news. Once again, a particular pattern of exercise regimens has been proven to radically improve the heart condition of those who have been sedentary for an extended period.

United States Navy carrier aviation has changed radically from its earliest days dating back to the year 1911. But throughout all of the technological innovations during the last century, the primary method of successfully landing aircraft on moving ships at sea is fundamentally the same; it involves the extended tail hook of an airplane snagging a metal wire that has been strung across the width of the flight deck to make it stop.

Meet a wingman who sprang into action by using a technological innovation to save a child from drowning.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

Despite our best efforts, the messages we transmit to each other can be misunderstood. This may be especially true in close relationships when feelings and emotions enter into the picture.

The term poor college student has been an accurate description of the typical young person in pursuit of a higher education. But that is no longer true for a unique subset of college kids. Student athletes, who are highly skilled in a particular sport can now earn millions of dollars annually in exchange for a school and/or businesses compensating them for the use of their name, image and likeness. In particular, popular young student athletes can translate their skill and popularity into vast sums of money to promote some one else’s product or brand. Recent changes to NCAA rules and regulations allow direct payments with no fear of punishment. Institutions with large sums of money are more likely to recruit the bulk of blue chip athletes which may lead to greater athletic disparities between institutions based on the money they have available for payouts. One can expect that youngsters who show unusually high amounts of athletic prowess will be courted vigorously by those who wish to capitalize on their talent or skills in the making. The world invests heavily in sports. Consider the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team will be sold for more than ten billion U.S. dollars.

There are still good things happening in the world. In the future the development of artificial blood will eliminate the need for blood donations worldwide. To amply the fact that medical technology is growing by leaps and bounds, consider that the first successful bladder and kidney transplant was recently completed by a medical team that rehearsed for years to be ready for such an event in anticipation that such an operation would be needed some day.

There are many people who grow up without a father in their lives. Whether caused by death, divorce or other circumstances, such a situation may cause an imbalance in typical family life. Usually, not having a father in the house is seen as a negative life circumstance. However, despite the absence of a two parent household, it is possible to obtain a sense of balance from the efforts of the sole caregiver, usually a female if other positive male role models are somewhere in the picture.

Meet a selfless wingman who saved a life using a bucket, which in turn helped him achieve all that was in his bucket list, before he himself kicked the bucket.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

The future is not guaranteed. It is always good to have a plan for tomorrow, but it’s worth taking time to enjoy your life in the present.

Musical influences come and go, but the recent loss of one of the greatest American musical innovators of all time, Sylvester Stone, who led the group known as Sly to & The Family Stone has left the music world stunned. Featuring one of the first high profile bands, integrated in terms of race and gender, the group made a permanent imprint on the consciousness of young people as well as musical performers of their generation. In addition, the recent loss of another staple of American culture of the 1960’s and 70’s, Brian Wilson of the musical group The Beach Boys shortly thereafter, brought into focus the negative effects that drug use can have on the human life.

Artificial Intelligence, AI has become an integral part of daily life as a primary method of retrieval of information of all types. One of the drawbacks of this labor-saving technology is the tendency of students at all levels to allow the system complete certain school assignments, perhaps making written essays a thing of the past. The quick answer is to substitute written assignments with oral reports or examinations. The trend is most pronounced with college students in the humanities, but its improving technology may pose a similar problem in technical disciplines as well in the future.

Most people are aware that smoking is detrimental to human health. The trend towards smoke-free zones is expanding well outside of the United States and into other nations by government decree, to improve the health of their populations, particularly among teenagers. At one time there were ads in magazines and on television with people posing as medical doctors who actually advertised and promoted smoking for the general population.

Meet a wingman who developed his own program to eliminate the loss of life by drowning, by starting his own swimming program that has taught over ten thousand people how to swim with confidence and safety.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

In the final installment of their origin story, your wingmen, CDR Drew and Dr. Paul, discuss particular elements of their lives. The pair examine their station in life today. Throughout, they both reflect on the past to give a broader view of their approach to life based on the support and encouragement they received from their most trusted advisors.

Both wingmen have spent some time around individuals considered to be “rich & famous”. Separately, they have found that money alone cannot replace the benefits of good health and positive relationships with other people. Everything they achieved started with a good educational grounding. The common thread of academic excellence helped propel them both from relatively humble beginnings to a comfortable position later in life.

The reality of being married, with children, imposes certain lifestyle conditions on aircrew members anywhere in the world. As professional pilots they found themselves faced with some challenges that had to be overcome. These challenges or obstacles had to be properly managed in order to minimize family turmoil and provide a positive environment for their children to reach their greatest potential.

Having grandchildren has proved to be a blessing that has opened another portal in life. Through this gateway they have discovered new things in their newest generation, along with reflecting on some of the beneficial lessons they learned in the past.

The emphasis they place on health, nutrition and physical movement has benefits for us all in the long run. Those who dream may be visionaries, but dreams are not enough; without planning and taking action, nothing happens.

Even the wingmen, have wingmen. All of the shows relied heavily on the initial guidance provided by our trusted advisor, Mr. Matthew Bivins. Having graduated from the baby steps initially taken to get the production off the gound, it became time to get the assistance of a social media professional. Our show has been presented to the world under the guidance of our “main man in media”, Mr. Branden Gelinas of the Mystik Digital Agency. But for both wingmen, their greatest support and cheerleaders for their success came from those who were closest to them, from the very beginning.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

Returning from his latest adventure on the high seas, CDR Drew details the high points of his travels. The immortal phrase that begins with the words, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, would never been famous if not for the world-wide attention given to the competitiveness between combatants Muhammad Ali and his one time nemesis Joe Frazier. Those words coined by Drew “Bundini” Brown described the aura of combat psychology that surrounded their fight trilogy that captured the attention of the world.

The wingmen found themselves in the fortunate position of having one of the best jobs in the world when they were hired as pilots by a one-time fledgling company that eventually became a global juggernaut in the cargo industry, FedEx.

The life of an airline pilot has many advantages as well as unique challenges. The required time away from home can complicate many aspects of family life. The fact that FedEx initially flew entirely at night caused pattern changes in circadian rhythm that placed physical and mental challenges on crew members. It was essential that this disruption in sleep pattern had to be properly managed in order to maintain good mental and physical health

The relative seniority of each pilot is the overall determinant of schedule, salary, vacation as well other intangible benefits. Dr. Paul had the good fortune of being quite senior during his entire tenure at the company. CDR Drew maintained a relatively high seniority position by forgoing advancement to the position of Captain in order maintain control of his work schedule so that he could give his children his undivided attention during formative events in their lives.

Now retired, both wingmen remain on the quest to pass on a little of what they know, gain new knowledge and embark on new adventures. Perhaps one of their greatest escapades is doing the Wingmen Show podcast.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

A view of the expanse of a great ocean projects an image of peace. One should strive to be at peace and in harmony with one’s self image. True relaxation occurs when you can be yourself without fear of judgement.

When the wingmen went out on the high seas they found themselves in a foreign environment that literally became their home, away from home. The living situation alone while operating on an aircraft carrier is something one cannot prepare for; it’s totally different form of flying. The challenge of operating at sea in an unfamiliar environment that can include missions in or near to hostile territory is a challenge for anyone, and especially to those going to sea for the very first time. As in all things, after awhile this strange world of ship life while at sea, becomes routine as you adapt to the requirements of living in this new world.

While it is never covered in the movies or even Navy documentaries, a Naval aviator’s responsibility does not end at the conclusion of a flight. We also had “ground jobs” that involved taking care of a range of mundane and sometimes critical matters needed for our relative squadrons. There were many occasions when flying a particular mission was the easiest part of the day compared to some of the administrative responsibilities assigned to aviators that never seemed to end. Our annual evaluations, known at “fitness” reports covered a wide range of things, with flying being only one of them. Our fitness, as it were, was rated primarily on the jobs we had on the ground and not in the air.

Getting launched off of the deck of a ship becomes routine in a relatively short time. However, landing back onboard the always-moving ship brought a unique set of challenges during daylight hours and most especially at night in bad weather.

Through their deployments both wingmen experienced extensive operations over vast stretches of land and the great oceans without seeing a single sign of life or civilization and realized what it really means to be in a remote part of the world. While we were never forced to eject from our aircraft to stay alive, that risk always existed and was essentially the cost of doing business. While the risk was great, the reward in the form of the satisfaction from completing a tough job was even greater.

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you!

The Wingmen are a duo that constitute a team. Through our work and life experiences your two “favorite wingmen”, have been members of other teams whose mission required full participation and cooperation from all members to achieve a goal.

Although years apart, we both had the distinct honor of being selected to attend Navy Basic Jet training in remote parts of the United States that were nothing like living in the world of New York City.

Facing a variety of challenges, ranging from coping with a fast-paced and rigorous flight training environment, to facing instances of racial hostility, both wingmen had to insulate themselves from any and all outside forces and distractions that would interfere with them becoming full fledged Naval Aviators.

Although, they have been retired from the American arsenal of firepower, the A-6 and A-7 aircraft were mainstays of carrier aviation and power projection ashore. It was an honor to fly those vintage aircraft on land and especially at sea. As Commander Drew always says…..”there are only two types of pilots, those who land on aircraft carriers and those who wish they could”.