Beneath The Uniform

The Logistic s readiness Squadron Commander, Lt Col James Vendetti, joins the podcast to discuss his career path- and experiences on deployment.

"The things that are so hard and seem so impossible are the things you are most proud of when you get to the other side."

Lt Col Vendetti shares his raw, honest experience of volunteering for a deployment, what happens when it is not at all what you though it would be, and how to deal with the mental struggles of being away from family and unsure of your job.  The hosts have a candid conversation on dealing with stress and knowing when to seek help. 

Chap D and Cap G welcome two women serving at the 109th.

Lt. Col. Ashley Fitzgibbon is the Force Support Squadron commander and CMSgt Karolyn DeVito is the maintenance groups superintendent.

They share their stories of how they came to the positions they are in today as leaders, some of the challenges they faced, and why is it important to for women to support each other on their leadership journeys. 

Maj. Jean Kratzer, an N.Y. Army National Guardsman, tells her story of trying to concieve a baby and her experience with miscarriage.  Capt. Gioia also shares some personal experience he has had with the topic. 

Who are Xiomara Diaz and Pete Gioia?

The hosts take turns interviewing each other to learn more about where they came from, what shaped them to be who they are today and why they do this podcast.

They also face rapid fire questions from each other and share their best pieces of advice!

TSgt Kayla Casey shares her experience with Postpartum depression and how she was able to seek help when she needed it the most.

Kayla shares what it felt like to have all of the feelings of anger, resentment and rage and the "fog" she was in for the first year after she had her daughter.  She gives honest insight to what it feels like to have postpartum, the sense of living a "double life"- excelling at work and no one knowing anything is wrong vs the feelings she had at home, what happened when the people she worked with found out she was struggling and the steps she had to take to overcome her depression.

She talks about the fear of losing her job for seeking mental health help and how a supportive supervisor helped her conquer that fear. 

Chap D and Capt Gioia welcome the 109th Airlift Wing commander, Col. Christian Sander to the podcast. 

Too often, the wing commander is someone that not many people know.  This episode gave the opportunity to open up and learn more about the background, upbringing and family of the Colonel. 

They also discuss some of the goals that Col Sander has as a leader and he opens up about some of the traits he wants to improve upon. 

TSgt Martin Allen is an air transportation specialist at the 109th Airlift Wing. 

He enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 18 to give himself a chance at a life different than the one he grew up in. 

During his time as a Marine, TSgt Allen experienced growth, leadership, camaraderie and trauma. He recounts some graphic experiences from multiple deployments as a combat engineer.

Chap D and Capt. Gioia discuss some the feelings of being numb to your environment, compartmentalizing traumatic experiences and as a leader, having to rise in face of crisis.

They also discuss what happens when you leave high stress, life threatening environments- the differences and difficulties that veterans can have when they enter the civilian world after service and how finding help can save your life. 

After joining the Air National guard, TSgt Allen admits he had some adjustments he had to make, making mistakes and learning from them and ultimately realizing that you are responsible for your own happiness. 

BTU episode 2 welcomes Command Chief of the N.Y. Air National Guard, CMSgt Denny Richardson. 

Chap D and Capt. Gioia sit down with the Chief to discuss his background, who he is outside of the uniform, the influence his mother had on him and what motivates him to be the leader he is. 

Stick around to the end for Chap D's rapid fire questions to learn some interesting facts and thoughts about the Chief!

Chaplain Diaz and  Capt. Gioia welcome Sarah Caterina, the Director of Clinical Services and Community Engagement at the  YWCA of Northeastern New York.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month so this episode is dedicated to a members of the 109th and her two sons that lost their lives to domestic violence.

The trio discuss the different types of domestic violence there are, how to identify them and what to do if you find yourself in a domestic violence situation. 

 Resources are given and Capt. Gioia shares some personal experiences he experienced as a teenager that didn't seem like domestic violence at the time, but later realized the unhealthy situation he was in.