WEBVTT 00:00.660 --> 00:01.701 - So let's record. 00:01.701 --> 00:04.201 (funky music) 00:07.190 --> 00:09.680 So, my name's Tim Curry. 00:09.680 --> 00:12.210 I got about a thousand different call signs. 00:12.210 --> 00:13.780 Some people call me Beef. 00:13.780 --> 00:15.203 Some people call me TC. 00:16.300 --> 00:18.230 Little bit of background, a little bit about me, 00:18.230 --> 00:20.290 I grew up in a family of five kids. 00:20.290 --> 00:21.540 I'm the youngest of five. 00:22.540 --> 00:25.180 Mother's got a Irish background 00:25.180 --> 00:27.120 and my father's African American. 00:27.120 --> 00:29.170 From Seattle, Washington. 00:29.170 --> 00:31.870 So go Seahawks, hopefully there's some fans out there. 00:33.060 --> 00:36.950 And yeah, went to school there and high school 00:36.950 --> 00:39.904 and then headed off to college at the Air Force Academy. 00:39.904 --> 00:42.404 (funky music) 00:43.450 --> 00:44.860 Actually, that's a great question, 00:44.860 --> 00:48.500 'cause I think we all have a story of generally somebody 00:48.500 --> 00:51.210 or something we saw that got us to kinda investigate 00:51.210 --> 00:53.030 in going to the air force, writ large. 00:53.030 --> 00:55.940 I guess I have multiple somebodies when I think about it. 00:55.940 --> 00:57.460 My father served in the army. 00:57.460 --> 00:59.070 I knew nothing about his background, 00:59.070 --> 01:00.870 he didn't talk about it very much. 01:00.870 --> 01:02.780 And then I had a sister that went 01:02.780 --> 01:05.980 into the navy when I was in middle school. 01:05.980 --> 01:09.950 That impacted me significantly, I was sort of curious. 01:09.950 --> 01:12.090 And then I had a coach. 01:12.090 --> 01:13.610 Two coaches while I was at high school 01:13.610 --> 01:14.990 that really kinda solidified it. 01:14.990 --> 01:16.260 One was my basketball coach, 01:16.260 --> 01:18.650 he was in the reserves in the army. 01:18.650 --> 01:21.570 He went off to fight in Desert Storm. 01:21.570 --> 01:23.100 And then my football coach who I spent 01:23.100 --> 01:25.400 the most time with in high school. 01:25.400 --> 01:27.640 He was also my college counselor. 01:27.640 --> 01:30.760 He served in the marine corps as a pilot 01:30.760 --> 01:33.080 and he told me about the Air Force Academy. 01:33.080 --> 01:36.310 And so then I go, eventually get recruited 01:36.310 --> 01:37.681 by the Air Force Academy and go off 01:37.681 --> 01:39.722 to serve the air force that way. 01:39.722 --> 01:42.222 (funky music) 01:43.780 --> 01:46.370 Most interesting assignment, every one of 'em. 01:46.370 --> 01:49.270 I got a story for every assignment, to be honest with you. 01:51.900 --> 01:56.270 One that was very rewarding but also very tough 01:56.270 --> 02:01.070 was I was a aide-de-camp to the absent commander, the CFACC. 02:01.070 --> 02:03.790 At the time, it was Lieutenant General Goldfein 02:03.790 --> 02:07.570 who's now our CSAF, Chief of Staff of the Air Force. 02:07.570 --> 02:09.980 So we spent a year, I spent a year in Qatar, 02:09.980 --> 02:12.430 I lived in Qatar for a year as his aide. 02:12.430 --> 02:14.170 And you travel wherever he goes, 02:14.170 --> 02:18.270 all throughout the AOR, areas of responsibility. 02:18.270 --> 02:21.800 All throughout central command, up into Kazakhstan, 02:21.800 --> 02:24.360 up into Lebanon, down into Africa. 02:24.360 --> 02:28.310 I mean, all over the globe basically. 02:28.310 --> 02:29.500 Couple times, we got to come back 02:29.500 --> 02:32.110 to the United States too which was awesome to do. 02:32.110 --> 02:34.910 And you basically... 02:36.370 --> 02:38.750 You manage a schedule and you just take care of 'em 02:38.750 --> 02:39.960 and make sure that they're good to go. 02:39.960 --> 02:42.100 It was a great experience. 02:42.100 --> 02:44.110 Obviously, I got to do a lot with airmen 02:44.110 --> 02:46.770 but I also got to see every other service 02:46.770 --> 02:48.880 and allies and coalition partners. 02:48.880 --> 02:52.663 It was a very, very cool experience. 02:52.663 --> 02:55.163 (funky music) 02:57.970 --> 03:00.530 So my answer, my perspective, and I pause on that 03:00.530 --> 03:02.600 because I think about, you know, 03:02.600 --> 03:06.010 I feel like in your experiences and as you mature, 03:06.010 --> 03:08.010 that question would change over time 03:08.010 --> 03:10.690 and your answer will probably change over time. 03:10.690 --> 03:12.640 But right now, today as advice, 03:12.640 --> 03:16.770 when commander of a stateside base, 03:16.770 --> 03:21.313 I would say it probably has broadened my perspective, 03:22.730 --> 03:24.203 taught me more about people, 03:25.370 --> 03:27.450 how to relate to people, how to have empathy, 03:27.450 --> 03:29.090 how to care for people, 03:29.090 --> 03:30.810 how to hold them accountable 03:30.810 --> 03:33.810 how to inspire 'em, how to encourage 'em, 03:33.810 --> 03:38.510 through those experiences of the opportunities I've had 03:38.510 --> 03:40.580 to lead but also just the followership. 03:40.580 --> 03:44.820 I've had some fantastic bosses and commanders 03:44.820 --> 03:46.860 and just fellow airmen that I've worked with overall. 03:46.860 --> 03:49.120 So I, overall, I'd say it just has transformed me 03:49.120 --> 03:53.510 as a person, not even just as an officer. 03:53.510 --> 03:55.362 Hopefully in a good way. 03:55.362 --> 03:57.945 (groovy music) 03:59.550 --> 04:03.930 Just for me, I guess I'd say personally, professionally 04:03.930 --> 04:05.643 and as a vice wing commander, 04:07.210 --> 04:11.760 and all of those interact, I would encourage every airman 04:11.760 --> 04:14.830 or family member or civil leader, whoever's out there 04:14.830 --> 04:18.763 that engages with the war zone north in our wing, 04:19.640 --> 04:22.700 to really sort of partner with the wing leadership 04:22.700 --> 04:25.700 on their objectives and just determine 04:25.700 --> 04:27.870 what your giftings are and just plug it in 04:27.870 --> 04:29.330 and get after those. 04:29.330 --> 04:30.780 So really, we have three, right? 04:30.780 --> 04:32.580 You know, focus on mission-ready squadrons, 04:32.580 --> 04:35.590 develop our leaders and jointly overall 04:35.590 --> 04:37.820 and then finally, build the Global Hawk community 04:37.820 --> 04:39.710 of the future, I can get behind those, 04:39.710 --> 04:40.790 I've been doing 'em for a year 04:40.790 --> 04:43.560 and I actually absolutely think they're worthy objectives. 04:43.560 --> 04:45.080 So then what are my giftings? 04:45.080 --> 04:47.620 How can I, you know, park her in that one overall? 04:47.620 --> 04:49.990 Like I said, I'm a people person. 04:49.990 --> 04:51.410 And so, I think I will be able 04:51.410 --> 04:53.697 to hopefully relate to people. 04:53.697 --> 04:56.880 And that one thing I value in great leaders 04:56.880 --> 04:59.853 that I've seen before is people that actually listen. 05:01.290 --> 05:03.800 Take some time to listen to people. 05:03.800 --> 05:06.810 And then, not being afraid to take that information 05:06.810 --> 05:10.487 to my commander or up the chain to make sure that everyone 05:10.487 --> 05:13.530 and their families have the resources they need 05:13.530 --> 05:15.700 and that can get rid of barriers for people. 05:15.700 --> 05:19.140 That, for whatever reason, either diminishes 05:19.140 --> 05:21.860 or keeps them from being able to do what they wanna do. 05:21.860 --> 05:23.990 Everybody comes in with big goals. 05:23.990 --> 05:25.850 And I guarantee most of them all line 05:25.850 --> 05:27.820 under the priorities of what we have. 05:27.820 --> 05:29.380 And then for some reason, there are barriers 05:29.380 --> 05:30.640 that get in between that. 05:30.640 --> 05:33.389 Hopefully I can be that guy to help out, to remove 'em. 05:33.389 --> 05:35.889 (funky music) 05:37.380 --> 05:39.470 I talked about a lot of positive things 05:39.470 --> 05:41.520 and that's generally who I am. 05:41.520 --> 05:45.620 But there's challenges and there's things that we need 05:45.620 --> 05:47.990 to refine in our life writ large, overall, 05:47.990 --> 05:51.060 as we approach each other personally 05:51.060 --> 05:53.370 and professionally as well. 05:53.370 --> 05:55.230 And so I'll give you some examples. 05:55.230 --> 05:58.260 So right now, we've seen some turmoil in our country 05:58.260 --> 06:00.370 with respect to social injustice. 06:00.370 --> 06:02.100 That's something that's near and dear to my heart 06:02.100 --> 06:04.410 and I think it's something I can play a role in, 06:04.410 --> 06:06.370 in this wing, writ large. 06:06.370 --> 06:08.700 It was not something we talked about significantly 06:08.700 --> 06:09.910 when I first got to this base, 06:09.910 --> 06:14.510 nor was the air force, DoD or the nation talking about it. 06:14.510 --> 06:17.250 So I would encourage airmen to have those discussions, 06:17.250 --> 06:18.920 to continue to talk about it, 06:18.920 --> 06:21.930 to extend grace to each other, be respectful. 06:21.930 --> 06:24.660 But don't stop talking about it 'cause that's how we learn 06:24.660 --> 06:26.550 to relate and hopefully move forward 06:26.550 --> 06:29.930 and have better understanding on a personal level. 06:29.930 --> 06:32.130 From a professional standpoint, I could tell you 06:32.130 --> 06:33.550 if you were sitting with Lieutenant Curry, 06:33.550 --> 06:35.220 and I remember doing one of these actually, 06:35.220 --> 06:39.140 when I was flying F-16s, I got back from my first deployment 06:39.140 --> 06:41.100 and they interviewed me. 06:41.100 --> 06:42.330 I did an interview. 06:42.330 --> 06:43.533 Don't go try to find it. 06:44.810 --> 06:47.450 But I was completely nervous and I didn't really feel 06:47.450 --> 06:49.920 like I had much expertise in the F-16, 06:49.920 --> 06:52.900 despite the fact that I had just come back from combat. 06:52.900 --> 06:57.220 So, my worry is to young people that are out there 06:57.220 --> 06:58.940 or even experienced people that are out there 06:58.940 --> 07:00.760 that feel like they may not know their job 07:00.760 --> 07:03.910 as well as they should, well then go learn it. 07:03.910 --> 07:06.760 Go ask people, don't be afraid to ask questions 07:06.760 --> 07:08.470 and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. 07:08.470 --> 07:11.570 Don't be afraid to go back and score yourself 07:11.570 --> 07:13.970 or ask for that feedback from your supervisors 07:13.970 --> 07:16.390 or whoever else it may be, or your peers, 07:16.390 --> 07:19.110 so that we can constantly strive to get better. 07:19.110 --> 07:22.400 Excellence is, it's a tough thing. 07:22.400 --> 07:26.120 It's actually very, very hard to achieve overall, 07:26.120 --> 07:27.910 but that's why we set the bar as high as we do, 07:27.910 --> 07:30.050 so that we're always shooting for that one. 07:30.050 --> 07:32.750 So those are a few things that I would add to it overall, 07:32.750 --> 07:34.230 hopefully to be an encouragement 07:34.230 --> 07:36.390 but also to say I haven't arrived. 07:36.390 --> 07:39.663 Still working on those things, socially and professionally. 07:40.860 --> 07:42.980 And so hopefully some people walk up to me 07:42.980 --> 07:44.900 and ask me some questions related to those 07:44.900 --> 07:47.052 or anything else that they wanna talk about. 07:47.052 --> 07:49.552 (funky music) 07:51.900 --> 07:55.780 What I can say is we are definitely in a period of... 07:56.810 --> 07:59.210 I won't call it uncertainty but transition 07:59.210 --> 08:01.220 for Global Hawk, writ large. 08:01.220 --> 08:06.220 It's no secret that there were some budget cuts 08:06.410 --> 08:10.110 associated with Global Hawk that were supposed to come down. 08:10.110 --> 08:11.990 They came down but they didn't happen. 08:11.990 --> 08:14.720 And right now, we don't know if they will or will not. 08:14.720 --> 08:17.170 One thing I can do, hopefully through this video, 08:17.170 --> 08:19.820 is let airmen know that aircraft have been retired 08:19.820 --> 08:22.010 since I've been in the air force and way back 08:22.010 --> 08:24.033 to the beginning of the air force. 08:24.950 --> 08:26.690 They get retired all the time. 08:26.690 --> 08:28.950 But airmen are necessary. 08:28.950 --> 08:30.930 So we're always gonna have a job. 08:30.930 --> 08:32.980 I wish we could get put out of a job, personally. 08:32.980 --> 08:33.990 You know, that there was peace, 08:33.990 --> 08:36.290 but that's just a reality of where we are. 08:36.290 --> 08:37.590 So hopefully, I bring... 08:38.930 --> 08:41.100 Can tell people that, you know, 08:41.100 --> 08:43.300 if it feels like there's an instability 08:43.300 --> 08:46.390 or well, are we really gonna have Global Hawk? 08:46.390 --> 08:47.830 Are we gonna have a base? 08:47.830 --> 08:49.610 This base is not going anywhere. 08:49.610 --> 08:51.400 Grand Forks Air Force Base will absolutely 08:51.400 --> 08:53.290 be here for the long haul. 08:53.290 --> 08:55.380 If Global Hawk were to go away, 08:55.380 --> 08:58.260 we get another aircraft or whatever mission it may be. 08:58.260 --> 09:01.040 If you're wearing Air Force on your chest, 09:01.040 --> 09:03.250 it honestly doesn't matter what aircraft 09:03.250 --> 09:06.030 are being flown at the base, it just doesn't. 09:06.030 --> 09:07.850 We now have a department. 09:07.850 --> 09:10.330 Department of the Air Force because we have space airmen, 09:10.330 --> 09:13.250 spacemen, professionals, that are up and coming as well, 09:13.250 --> 09:16.140 so people can get excited about that piece too. 09:16.140 --> 09:19.010 I think that we have an opportunity to kinda dabble 09:19.010 --> 09:21.310 in that one and get into it a little bit more. 09:21.310 --> 09:24.590 Overall, we have a relationship with Cavalier Air Station. 09:24.590 --> 09:27.150 They do great stuff, also for both the air force 09:27.150 --> 09:29.810 and the space force, writ large. 09:29.810 --> 09:32.610 So, I would be excited if I was an airman coming here, 09:32.610 --> 09:34.140 if I was one of their family members, 09:34.140 --> 09:37.890 if I was a kid or sibling or had some connection overall. 09:37.890 --> 09:39.680 I think the future's bright. 09:39.680 --> 09:41.290 It's primarily bright because of the people 09:41.290 --> 09:43.370 that are on this base. 09:43.370 --> 09:45.740 And I've felt that way throughout my career, 09:45.740 --> 09:47.400 every base that I've gone to is the reason 09:47.400 --> 09:50.000 why I've served for 21 years. 09:50.000 --> 09:55.000 I can absolutely say good things are coming. 09:55.177 --> 09:56.010 Yep.