Bravo Zulu

In this episode I sit down with a U.S. Navy Commander (O5) and get his perspective on things happening in and around the Navy. What path he took in joining the military, how the global war on terrorism shaped and molded him into the officer he is now. We talked about the responsibility of being a Captain of a ship. Why Capt Crozier and LtCol Scheller were wrong in there actions, and how they are polar opposites. Lastly we touch on the CPO + Officer relationship and how it's presented from the Wardroom side of things. Enjoy.

Live stream talking about where we were on 9/11, what has transpired since. We talk some about disconnect between family and service members, was the war justified. 

Wrapping up this trilogy with some of everyone's favorite discussion. At the end of last week's episode, Nick asked CJ, "What was the hardest thing he struggled with during the Season?" What we talk about, you'll rarely hear out loud for everyone to hear. It's not all brotherly/sisterly love and respect. The process is flawed, and we share our experiences about it. From command eval rankings to Navy wide boards, there's always a good sea story that can be shared to bring your career and other's intentions into the spotlight. Vendetta's are real, but do you know how to spot them out? What are we looking forward to in retirement, as fathers out of the uniform. Raising young men, where are we misstepping, and how can we learn from our own childhood upbringing, to be better fathers for our own children. Enjoy!

Let's talk some street shit. Do snitches actually get stitches? Is there honor among thieves? We don't know, so we jumped into the Olympic pool of opinions surrounding Simone Biles stepping away from competition briefly. Was it more to do with her prescription drugs or everything else being talked about? When does a drug become performance enhancing? Was bootcamp as easy as we talk shit about? Or do we tell ourselves lies about how great of a little recruit we were. Enjoy!

Changed commands and got the "What are you?" question. I don't stay up on that soapbox for too long, jump off and into why the worst kind of people to work with are miserable people. Ones I've encountered lately, and why I won't be messing with them. After that, let's talk about parents needing "me/us" time without their kids, and why I think that's BS. Don't forget video versions of some podcasts episodes are up on the YT channel. Tap and swipe your way over there, hump the subscribe button, double pump the notifications for all alerts, and be a good friend and share the episode with your BFF. 

Welcome to Episode 50 of the BravoZulu Podcast!! I'd be lying if I said, "I never thought I would get this far." The only intention and purpose of this podcast is to keep going! Thank you all so much for tuning in, and sharing part of your day with me. You cannot fathom how much it means to me. With all that out of the way, Episode 50 was a banger!! Three and half hours of tequila induced conversation, spanning everything from bad jokes, Kobe, Simone Biles, prescription drugs, snitching, idolizing, TMNT vs Jurassic Park! That's just the beginning, so much packed into this 3 part series, be sure you don't miss any of the action!!

Nikki sits down in the studio to share her side of the story about switching college majors, and eventually how it led her to joining the Navy. Her experience of the family legacy, "mafia stereotypes" and overcoming it all. The differences in what she thought the Navy was like from being around enlisted family, compared to the real world Wardroom she had stepped into. Enjoy.

Today's episode features two families with a long and storied history of US Navy service. Two Dad's, years ago made the decision as Philippine nationals to follow a dream, and join the US Navy, to change the course of their families forever. Did they know it at the time? Probably not. But, their children's  own Naval careers' now prove it as they carry on the names of their fathers proudly. Not following in their footsteps or overshadowed by stories of grandeur, but blazing their own trails, making a name for themselves, as they carry out the legacy of service. 

Joined in the studio by James our resident MCU Movie Speculator and Comic nerd, we finish recapping the Disney+ Loki series. What we thought of Kang the Conquerors performance and where he's taking the multiverse. Is Blackwidow a top 5 Marvel movie? She was definitely better than Capt. Marvel. Who can lead a big time MCU movie, isn't a conversation anymore. Then we jump into some trailers of what's coming out soon, Shang Chi, Eternals, & Spider-man! 

A saying that is permeated throughout the CPO initiation season, "Once A Chief, Always A Chief"....though when asked, many would give a varying degree of what that means. Partly because it means something different to each Chief, and maybe no one truly knows? The most familiar would be the Chiefs that decide to turn in their Anchors for Bars, and join the Wardroom as Limited Duty Officers. In this episode I have two friends, both former Chiefs, who made that choice. We talk about what what it means to them when they hear, "Once A Chief, Always A Chief".