WEBVTT 00:11.069 --> 00:13.236 Uh Ladies and gentlemen , I would like 00:13.236 --> 00:15.402 to introduce our keynote speaker , the 00:15.402 --> 00:17.569 Adjutant General , Major General Brett 00:17.569 --> 00:21.329 Docherty . Thank you . 00:24.840 --> 00:28.739 Well , thank you . Thank 00:28.750 --> 00:32.090 you so much . Appreciate that . 00:40.110 --> 00:42.166 Well , thanks . Uh Boy , I got a big 00:42.166 --> 00:44.277 old lump in my throat here . All of a 00:44.277 --> 00:46.388 sudden wasn't , wasn't expecting that 00:46.388 --> 00:48.443 video and uh all the participants in 00:48.443 --> 00:50.666 that . Uh Thank you so much for putting 00:50.666 --> 00:53.310 that together and uh this is just uh 00:53.319 --> 00:55.849 really a special evening and I'm so 00:55.860 --> 00:57.693 glad to be here and , and to see 00:57.693 --> 01:00.159 everybody here tonight . Um And with 01:00.169 --> 01:02.058 that , I'm gonna get on my script 01:02.058 --> 01:04.169 before I make a big mess of myself up 01:04.169 --> 01:06.319 here . So , so anyway , welcome . Uh 01:06.339 --> 01:08.510 It's been a while since our last 01:08.519 --> 01:11.129 Militia Ball and if you've forgotten , 01:11.139 --> 01:13.195 we had a few minor things get in the 01:13.195 --> 01:16.760 way . Uh global pandemic , widespread 01:16.769 --> 01:19.319 civil unrest , large deployments 01:19.330 --> 01:22.629 overseas wildfires , the longest 01:22.639 --> 01:24.790 activation of our state's emergency 01:24.800 --> 01:27.400 operation center in our state's history . 01:27.500 --> 01:29.500 You know , just a few little things 01:29.500 --> 01:31.556 like that , but we're here tonight . 01:31.556 --> 01:33.722 We're here now and uh vi golly , we're 01:33.722 --> 01:35.910 having a good time . I wanna thank the 01:35.919 --> 01:38.030 uh Militia Ball committee for putting 01:38.030 --> 01:40.252 this all together . And , uh , I'd like 01:40.252 --> 01:42.308 everyone who had a hand in tonight's 01:42.308 --> 01:44.620 event to just stand briefly so that we 01:44.629 --> 01:46.740 can thank you with a thunderous round 01:46.740 --> 01:49.599 of applause . Thank you . You guys have 01:49.610 --> 01:53.250 this question . Good job . 01:58.580 --> 02:00.747 And I know we're gonna be hearing from 02:00.747 --> 02:02.858 our band here a little bit more later 02:02.858 --> 02:05.024 tonight . But how about these guys ? I 02:05.024 --> 02:07.247 tell everybody , these musicians are so 02:07.247 --> 02:09.302 talented . They spend more time with 02:09.302 --> 02:11.302 the governor than I do . He , these 02:11.302 --> 02:13.469 guys , they play at every event at the 02:13.469 --> 02:15.636 governor's mansion because they are so 02:15.636 --> 02:17.858 excellent . So let's give it up for the 02:17.858 --> 02:16.490 band . 02:23.429 --> 02:25.720 So , as you know , I am retiring next 02:25.729 --> 02:27.951 month , it's , uh , it's hard for me to 02:27.951 --> 02:31.850 believe , but I am now 65.5 years old 02:32.160 --> 02:35.139 and I have to retire before I turn 66 . 02:35.149 --> 02:37.380 And the army physically throws me out . 02:37.389 --> 02:39.809 So that , that's what's going on . But , 02:39.820 --> 02:41.889 hey , don't feel sorry for me just 02:41.899 --> 02:44.066 because I've become a little bit of an 02:44.066 --> 02:46.288 elderly guy here . Ok . It's really all 02:46.288 --> 02:48.510 right . Everything is not that bad . In 02:48.510 --> 02:50.732 fact , I found that since I've become a 02:50.732 --> 02:52.788 little bit older , things are really 02:52.788 --> 02:55.010 starting to click for me now . Uh , and 02:55.010 --> 02:57.066 it , you know , kind of like my hips 02:57.066 --> 02:59.121 and my knees , my back and my neck , 02:59.121 --> 03:01.343 you know , everything is clicking right 03:01.343 --> 03:03.399 along and popping . But , you know , 03:03.399 --> 03:05.621 when I became the Adjutant General , 12 03:05.621 --> 03:07.677 years ago , Governor Gregoire said , 03:07.677 --> 03:09.788 General , never let a good disaster , 03:09.788 --> 03:11.732 go to waste . And her point was to 03:11.732 --> 03:14.309 always be efficient and to use each 03:14.320 --> 03:16.690 disaster that we had to learn and 03:16.699 --> 03:19.279 improve . And it's good advice . And in 03:19.289 --> 03:21.511 that spirit , I'm going to be efficient 03:21.511 --> 03:23.830 tonight and not let this militia ball 03:23.839 --> 03:26.006 go to waste . So tonight , I intend to 03:26.006 --> 03:28.460 wrap up my 12 year career as your tag 03:28.850 --> 03:31.190 and save you from a very long speech , 03:31.529 --> 03:33.830 uh , at the upcoming Change of Command 03:33.839 --> 03:36.006 and retirement ceremonies next month . 03:36.006 --> 03:38.117 And I figured that at least tonight , 03:38.117 --> 03:40.339 you've got a soft chair and hopefully a 03:40.339 --> 03:42.699 stiff drink as opposed to a bottle of 03:42.710 --> 03:44.710 water and a bleacher because that's 03:44.710 --> 03:46.821 what you're gonna get come the end of 03:46.821 --> 03:48.988 June , we're out on the parade field . 03:48.988 --> 03:51.154 So make sure you're enjoying the drink 03:51.154 --> 03:53.154 and the strap in because I've got , 03:53.154 --> 03:55.210 I've got some things I need to say . 03:55.210 --> 03:57.321 The bottom line up front is that I am 03:57.321 --> 03:59.919 very , very thankful and humbled by all 03:59.929 --> 04:02.839 of you . I am so proud of our team and 04:02.850 --> 04:05.020 while there are challenges ahead , I'm 04:05.029 --> 04:07.789 confident in your ability to handle 04:07.800 --> 04:10.089 whatever comes your way . And I think 04:10.100 --> 04:12.259 that your track record of success 04:12.270 --> 04:14.860 proves that statement . But hear me out 04:15.300 --> 04:18.440 as one agency wide team , we combined 04:18.450 --> 04:20.617 our military efforts with those of our 04:20.617 --> 04:22.910 emergency management division to 04:22.920 --> 04:25.029 successfully respond to numerous 04:25.040 --> 04:27.850 domestic emergencies including the 04:27.859 --> 04:30.760 COVID-19 global pandemic . Let's not do 04:30.769 --> 04:33.820 that again . Approximately a dozen 04:33.829 --> 04:36.709 major wildfires , the deadliest 04:36.720 --> 04:39.250 landslide in American history , two 04:39.260 --> 04:41.279 major train derailments , one with 04:41.290 --> 04:44.079 fatalities and several instances of 04:44.089 --> 04:46.609 massive civil unrest in Seattle , 04:46.619 --> 04:49.420 Tacoma , Spokane and Olympia , which 04:49.429 --> 04:51.920 involved nearly 2000 guardsmen . 04:52.329 --> 04:54.510 Another 400 we had to deploy to 04:54.519 --> 04:57.230 Washington DC following the January 6th 04:57.239 --> 04:59.450 insurrection and riot there . And 04:59.459 --> 05:01.660 despite our Rock Temple at home , our 05:01.670 --> 05:03.890 federal missions have never stopped . 05:04.019 --> 05:06.209 You know , over the last two decades , 05:06.220 --> 05:08.640 we've deployed more than 12,000 05:08.649 --> 05:11.450 soldiers and airmen including many in 05:11.459 --> 05:14.570 this room to garden spots like Iraq , 05:14.579 --> 05:17.369 Afghanistan , Syria , Kuwait , Jordan 05:17.380 --> 05:20.570 Horn of Africa , Bahrain , Ukraine , 05:20.579 --> 05:22.700 Poland , the Baltic , the southwest 05:22.709 --> 05:25.489 border , Cuba , Tajikistan , the 05:25.500 --> 05:28.100 Philippines , Kosovo , Qatar and 05:28.109 --> 05:30.450 Germany . I guess Germany wouldn't be 05:30.459 --> 05:32.626 bad . But the rest of that stuff , I'm 05:32.626 --> 05:34.792 not so sure about now , during my time 05:34.792 --> 05:37.390 as T A we mobilized more than 3000 05:37.399 --> 05:40.359 guardsmen onto title 10 active duty and 05:40.369 --> 05:42.839 successfully executed every mission 05:42.850 --> 05:45.510 given to us overseas and earned the 05:45.519 --> 05:47.910 praise of commanders downrange . 05:48.339 --> 05:50.117 Meanwhile , we strengthened our 05:50.117 --> 05:51.728 relationships with our state 05:51.728 --> 05:54.420 partnership partners . Thousands of you 05:54.429 --> 05:56.869 went to Thailand to support our 23 year 05:56.880 --> 05:58.980 partnership with the Royal Thai army 05:58.989 --> 06:01.559 and the Royal Thai Air Force and sent a 06:01.570 --> 06:04.890 strong deterrent message to China that 06:04.899 --> 06:08.290 we stand by our allies . On average , 06:08.299 --> 06:10.559 we conducted 20 engagements a year with 06:10.570 --> 06:12.880 Thailand since our relationship began 06:13.070 --> 06:15.640 in over 23 years . That's hundreds of 06:15.649 --> 06:18.320 engagements . We established a second 06:18.329 --> 06:21.459 partnership with Malaysia in 2017 and 06:21.470 --> 06:23.248 quickly developed a very strong 06:23.248 --> 06:25.750 relationship and unfortunately , when a 06:25.760 --> 06:28.200 Malaysian Air Force officer suffered a 06:28.209 --> 06:30.376 massive heart attack and died while he 06:30.376 --> 06:32.769 was here visiting us in Washington . We 06:32.779 --> 06:34.820 conducted the appropriate graveside 06:34.829 --> 06:36.662 service and buried him with full 06:36.662 --> 06:39.260 military honors while streaming live . 06:39.269 --> 06:41.213 That ceremony back to Malaysia was 06:41.213 --> 06:43.213 watched by the entire Malaysian Air 06:43.213 --> 06:45.325 Force . And I'll tell you , we earned 06:45.325 --> 06:47.047 the friendship of thousands of 06:47.047 --> 06:49.269 Malaysians on that day and I hear about 06:49.269 --> 06:51.436 it every time that I go visit Malaysia 06:51.769 --> 06:54.850 last fall , our sppf efforts culminated 06:54.859 --> 06:56.692 in an exercise known as enduring 06:56.692 --> 06:59.429 partners . We flew several of our KC 06:59.440 --> 07:02.910 135 tankers and 8 F-15s from the Oregon 07:02.920 --> 07:04.880 Air Guard all the way across the 07:04.890 --> 07:07.940 Pacific to conduct refueling operations 07:07.950 --> 07:10.190 with the Royal Thai Air Force . Our 07:10.200 --> 07:12.160 adversaries received a very clear 07:12.170 --> 07:14.269 message that we can just show up 07:14.279 --> 07:16.929 unannounced with a significant military 07:16.940 --> 07:19.790 capability . On top of that , we helped 07:19.799 --> 07:22.179 our own secretary of State stop cyber 07:22.190 --> 07:24.301 attacks in every major election since 07:24.301 --> 07:27.420 2018 and worked with us Cyber command 07:27.429 --> 07:30.480 and Microsoft to bring down a hostile 07:30.489 --> 07:33.100 Russian criminal attack against our own 07:33.109 --> 07:35.760 state networks . We supported hurricane 07:35.769 --> 07:38.070 relief efforts in Florida , Louisiana 07:38.079 --> 07:40.839 and Puerto Rico and sent 50 airmen to 07:40.850 --> 07:43.750 New Jersey to support operation allied . 07:43.760 --> 07:46.010 Welcome to bring people here from 07:46.019 --> 07:48.859 Afghanistan . We provided security 07:48.869 --> 07:51.160 support to a super bowl and sent 07:51.170 --> 07:54.010 communications teams and civil support 07:54.019 --> 07:56.359 team support to numerous presidential 07:56.369 --> 07:59.559 inaugurations . We also dealt with one 07:59.570 --> 08:02.829 stolen airliner two airspace incursions 08:02.839 --> 08:05.100 by Chinese spy balloons and a 08:05.109 --> 08:07.040 classified number of visits from 08:07.049 --> 08:09.329 Russian bombers that required our 08:09.339 --> 08:11.506 Western air defense sector to scramble 08:11.506 --> 08:13.339 fighters to protect our nation's 08:13.339 --> 08:16.359 airspace . Now , if that wasn't enough , 08:16.369 --> 08:18.690 at the same time , the Washington Youth 08:18.700 --> 08:21.380 Challenge Academy graduated roughly 08:21.390 --> 08:25.380 3600 cadets from that program , helping 08:25.390 --> 08:27.223 these young adults improve their 08:27.223 --> 08:29.446 educational levels and their employment 08:29.446 --> 08:32.020 opportunities . We even managed to keep 08:32.030 --> 08:33.929 this program going throughout the 08:33.940 --> 08:36.590 pandemic and you talk about resiliency , 08:36.599 --> 08:39.619 that program really has lived it . In 08:39.630 --> 08:41.852 addition to responding to emergencies , 08:41.852 --> 08:43.963 we're now better trained and prepared 08:43.963 --> 08:46.130 for them because they're going to keep 08:46.130 --> 08:47.686 happening . We built strong 08:47.686 --> 08:49.574 relationships between the state's 08:49.574 --> 08:51.574 emergency Operations center and our 08:51.574 --> 08:54.150 military joint operations center as 08:54.159 --> 08:56.710 well as between our agency and local 08:56.719 --> 08:59.570 and tribal governments and even our 08:59.580 --> 09:01.890 sister agencies . And I just want to 09:01.900 --> 09:04.067 say how great it is tonight to see our 09:04.067 --> 09:06.067 friends here from the Department of 09:06.067 --> 09:08.178 Health , the Department of Employment 09:08.178 --> 09:10.233 Security , uh and the State Patrol . 09:10.233 --> 09:12.400 And uh let's give it up for our agency 09:12.400 --> 09:14.178 partners who are here tonight . 09:15.289 --> 09:17.330 Everything we do is a , is a team 09:17.340 --> 09:21.229 effort . We developed contingency 09:21.239 --> 09:23.190 plans over the last few years for 09:23.200 --> 09:25.119 virtually every natural disaster 09:25.130 --> 09:27.909 imaginable , including our usual floods , 09:27.919 --> 09:29.789 fires and what we know is on the 09:29.799 --> 09:33.429 horizon . The earthquake in 2016 , we 09:33.440 --> 09:35.770 rolled two national level exercises 09:35.780 --> 09:39.130 into one and conducted Cascadia rising . 09:39.590 --> 09:41.757 It was so successful . We did it again 09:41.757 --> 09:45.250 in 2022 . In between , we facilitated 09:45.260 --> 09:47.093 the construction of two vertical 09:47.093 --> 09:49.359 tsunami shelters on our coast with a 09:49.369 --> 09:51.809 third one on the way in Westport . The 09:51.820 --> 09:54.049 only ones I'll point out in the entire 09:54.059 --> 09:56.450 United States . We are far more 09:56.460 --> 09:58.880 prepared for the inevitable Cascadia 09:58.890 --> 10:00.723 subduction zone , earthquake and 10:00.723 --> 10:02.890 tsunami than ever before . Even though 10:02.890 --> 10:05.112 we fully acknowledge that we have a lot 10:05.112 --> 10:07.223 of work to do and we better hope that 10:07.223 --> 10:09.223 earthquake doesn't happen , uh like 10:09.223 --> 10:11.919 tomorrow . So I used to joke about that 10:11.929 --> 10:14.151 with the governor . He told me that was 10:14.151 --> 10:16.318 my main job , keep the earthquake from 10:16.318 --> 10:18.485 happening . So I , I guess I might , I 10:18.485 --> 10:20.485 got a chance of getting out of here 10:20.485 --> 10:22.707 with that . Without that happening . We 10:22.707 --> 10:24.707 conducted table top exercises every 10:24.707 --> 10:26.762 quarter with federal state and local 10:26.762 --> 10:28.985 governments and our military partners . 10:28.985 --> 10:31.151 We built and funded a training program 10:31.151 --> 10:33.609 that prepares 200 soldiers and airmen 10:33.739 --> 10:36.609 every year to help fight wildfires in 10:36.619 --> 10:38.890 advance of the fire season's arrival . 10:39.330 --> 10:41.510 We now respond quickly before those 10:41.520 --> 10:43.520 fires get out of control . That's a 10:43.520 --> 10:45.489 huge step forward . We gained a 10:45.500 --> 10:48.039 reputation for having the absolute best 10:48.049 --> 10:50.440 cyber warriors in the nation and 10:50.450 --> 10:52.979 continue to grow that capability while 10:52.989 --> 10:55.200 helping the operators of critical 10:55.210 --> 10:57.349 infrastructure to include multiple 10:57.359 --> 10:59.460 power companies better defend 10:59.469 --> 11:01.358 themselves against an attack . We 11:01.358 --> 11:03.413 really kind of set the trend for the 11:03.413 --> 11:05.820 rest of the country in this area . We 11:05.830 --> 11:07.941 modernized and updated our ability to 11:07.941 --> 11:10.820 execute our critical missions against 11:10.830 --> 11:13.239 all odds . We were able to trade in 11:13.250 --> 11:16.309 some heavy armor and field , new modern 11:16.320 --> 11:18.487 strikers . Well , they weren't new but 11:18.487 --> 11:21.000 at least they were modern and , and 11:21.010 --> 11:23.380 that provides our state with hundreds 11:23.390 --> 11:25.840 of multi use wheeled vehicles with an 11:25.849 --> 11:28.354 enormous communication suite that is 11:28.364 --> 11:30.697 good , not only for military operations , 11:30.697 --> 11:32.308 but also in the event of the 11:32.308 --> 11:34.420 catastrophic earthquake . And besides 11:34.420 --> 11:36.531 that , it only made sense since we're 11:36.531 --> 11:38.531 co located at the striker Center of 11:38.531 --> 11:40.753 Excellence for the United States Army . 11:40.753 --> 11:42.864 So we're now finally part of the team 11:42.864 --> 11:45.229 there . We replaced the oldest ch 40 11:45.239 --> 11:48.109 sevens and U sixties in the entire US 11:48.119 --> 11:51.609 army with new fully modernized aircraft . 11:51.659 --> 11:54.679 And we gained a complete unit of uh 72 11:54.690 --> 11:57.500 Lakotas and secured a new permanent 11:57.510 --> 11:59.288 home for our aviation assets in 11:59.288 --> 12:01.399 Wenatchee . And that move is going to 12:01.399 --> 12:04.000 be taking place here fairly soon . We 12:04.010 --> 12:06.066 moved out of World War One and World 12:06.066 --> 12:07.960 War Two era buildings and the new 12:07.969 --> 12:10.239 modern brick and steel structures with 12:10.250 --> 12:12.083 the construction of the Aviation 12:12.083 --> 12:14.028 Readiness Center , the Information 12:14.028 --> 12:15.979 Operations Readiness Center , the 12:15.989 --> 12:17.878 Pierce County and Thurston County 12:17.878 --> 12:19.711 Readiness Centers , the Richland 12:19.711 --> 12:21.711 Readiness Center and the new Yakima 12:21.711 --> 12:23.711 barracks . And I can't wait to come 12:23.711 --> 12:25.545 back and see our new joint force 12:25.545 --> 12:28.179 headquarters building in 2026 . That's 12:28.190 --> 12:30.301 going to be here before you know it . 12:30.440 --> 12:32.551 And we're in the middle of uh getting 12:32.551 --> 12:34.773 ready to modernize our state's EOC with 12:34.773 --> 12:36.940 new technology that's going to enhance 12:36.940 --> 12:39.107 our ability to respond and recover and 12:39.107 --> 12:41.329 develop agreements that will provide us 12:41.329 --> 12:43.609 with an alternate EOC in Spokane . In 12:43.619 --> 12:46.229 the event of the big earthquake in the 12:46.239 --> 12:48.070 legislature , we built strong 12:48.080 --> 12:50.247 relationship ships and made tremendous 12:50.247 --> 12:53.059 progress from the days of 2010 . When a 12:53.070 --> 12:55.014 state representative asked me in a 12:55.014 --> 12:57.270 hostile tone of voice , why do we even 12:57.280 --> 12:59.280 need the Military Department or the 12:59.280 --> 13:01.502 National Guard anyway ? So that's where 13:01.502 --> 13:03.489 we started trying to get , get 13:03.500 --> 13:05.167 additional good stuff for our 13:05.167 --> 13:07.278 department and our agency . They were 13:07.278 --> 13:09.111 pretty skeptical down there . We 13:09.111 --> 13:11.056 secured legislation to improve our 13:11.056 --> 13:13.645 state's resiliency . We created a state 13:13.655 --> 13:15.604 authorized public assistance and 13:15.614 --> 13:18.284 individual assistance program to help 13:18.294 --> 13:20.765 people recover when fema assistant 13:20.775 --> 13:23.594 isn't available . If we , we added 13:23.604 --> 13:25.660 Cyber defense as a line of effort at 13:25.660 --> 13:27.771 the emergency management division and 13:27.771 --> 13:30.655 increased the size of E MD staff . We 13:30.664 --> 13:33.104 funded a better tribal outreach program 13:33.770 --> 13:35.937 and very importantly , we secured free 13:35.937 --> 13:37.937 hunting licenses for members of the 13:37.937 --> 13:40.070 National Guard and our State Guard . 13:40.200 --> 13:42.367 Yeah , that's what I'm talking about . 13:42.367 --> 13:44.533 Elk season is just around the corner . 13:44.539 --> 13:48.190 We got to get ready . And , uh , we 13:48.200 --> 13:50.256 also got going on the , the National 13:50.256 --> 13:52.869 Guard college scholarship program . The 13:52.880 --> 13:54.719 program is so successful . The 13:54.729 --> 13:57.260 legislature increased funding and 13:57.270 --> 13:59.630 expanded this benefit now to family 13:59.640 --> 14:01.862 members . That's huge . And this , this 14:01.862 --> 14:04.419 was only a dream back in 2012 , but we 14:04.429 --> 14:07.049 now have college education programs 14:07.059 --> 14:08.948 that can also help our families . 14:09.409 --> 14:11.131 Meanwhile , we doubled down on 14:11.131 --> 14:13.150 supporting our recruiters and have 14:13.159 --> 14:16.739 mostly maintained our strength , all 14:16.750 --> 14:18.694 our friends from the recruiting uh 14:18.694 --> 14:20.806 world . I know we're out there trying 14:20.806 --> 14:22.917 hard we're doing ok . We dramatically 14:22.917 --> 14:25.028 improved our retention rates by using 14:25.028 --> 14:26.972 volunteers for state active duty . 14:26.972 --> 14:28.799 Whenever possible , we provided 14:28.809 --> 14:30.920 employment to soldiers and airmen who 14:30.920 --> 14:32.920 lost their civilian jobs during the 14:32.929 --> 14:35.309 pandemic and have balanced the desire 14:35.320 --> 14:37.799 of guardsmen to serve with the need to 14:37.809 --> 14:40.031 quickly get them back to their civilian 14:40.031 --> 14:42.359 jobs and their families . Most 14:42.465 --> 14:44.445 importantly , we took care of each 14:44.455 --> 14:47.065 other . We built up our joint services 14:47.075 --> 14:49.445 support office , built a better sense 14:49.455 --> 14:51.344 of belonging through peer to peer 14:51.344 --> 14:53.844 diversity matters . Days , family 14:53.854 --> 14:55.905 programs , pair and a host of other 14:55.914 --> 14:58.325 programs . We built a culture of 14:58.335 --> 15:00.924 teamwork , respect , dignity and 15:00.934 --> 15:02.823 treating others how we want to be 15:02.823 --> 15:05.159 treated . Now , we achieved all of this 15:05.169 --> 15:07.359 because we tore down the silos within 15:07.369 --> 15:10.109 our agency . We created a one team 15:10.119 --> 15:12.286 culture instead of a bunch of separate 15:12.286 --> 15:15.229 self-interest camps . And as I depart , 15:15.239 --> 15:17.239 I hope you will remain committed to 15:17.239 --> 15:19.461 this approach . We are so much better , 15:19.461 --> 15:22.289 so much stronger when we work together 15:22.349 --> 15:24.669 and harness the brain power and talents 15:24.679 --> 15:27.250 of all 8000 people . That's an 15:27.260 --> 15:30.460 unstoppable force . And let me stress . 15:30.469 --> 15:33.260 I didn't do any of this . Ok . You 15:33.270 --> 15:35.520 accomplished everything . I just went 15:35.530 --> 15:37.789 for a run or a walk and came up with a 15:37.799 --> 15:40.530 bunch of crazy ideas . And I think that 15:40.539 --> 15:42.761 at some point people are actually going 15:42.761 --> 15:44.872 to go out and try to break my legs to 15:44.872 --> 15:46.983 keep me from coming . Up with uh some 15:46.983 --> 15:49.095 more ideas for you , but you took the 15:49.095 --> 15:51.261 good ideas , you made them even better 15:51.261 --> 15:53.483 and then we executed them . And so this 15:53.483 --> 15:55.317 team has accomplished a lot . So 15:55.317 --> 15:57.317 naturally I have some people that I 15:57.317 --> 15:59.483 need to thank . Uh , first of all , be 15:59.483 --> 16:01.650 my wife , Dolores for her patience and 16:01.650 --> 16:04.119 support throughout my entire 44 year 16:04.130 --> 16:06.359 military career . You know , Dolores 16:06.369 --> 16:08.419 pinned on my gold bars as a second 16:08.429 --> 16:11.679 lieutenant in 1980 . And she will soon 16:11.690 --> 16:14.020 be uh p putting the retirement pin on 16:14.030 --> 16:17.140 my lapel . And during this entire time , 16:17.150 --> 16:19.206 she carried the full load of raising 16:19.206 --> 16:20.983 our two Children to become army 16:20.983 --> 16:23.599 officers and successful adults while I 16:23.609 --> 16:26.419 was away from home far too often , she 16:26.429 --> 16:28.485 stepped up during the most difficult 16:28.485 --> 16:30.820 times during my career and helped me 16:30.830 --> 16:32.941 honor and console the families of our 16:32.941 --> 16:35.340 fallen during the worst days of Iraq 16:35.349 --> 16:37.869 and Afghanistan . So sweetheart , thank 16:37.880 --> 16:39.991 you so very much . I love you and I'm 16:39.991 --> 16:42.530 working forward to finally having time 16:42.539 --> 16:44.761 to spend with you and our family in the 16:44.761 --> 16:46.928 years to come . And I'm fully aware of 16:46.928 --> 16:48.928 the very long list of projects that 16:48.928 --> 16:51.190 you've managed to put together for me . 16:51.200 --> 16:53.760 So I'll be strapping on the tool belt , 16:53.770 --> 16:56.570 gonna be great . And uh anyway , 16:56.580 --> 16:58.802 speaking of my family and our kids , um 16:58.802 --> 17:01.260 a lot of my family and uh friends 17:01.270 --> 17:03.326 surprised me by being here tonight . 17:03.599 --> 17:05.377 But , you know , they've always 17:05.377 --> 17:07.321 surprised me just by being amazing 17:07.321 --> 17:09.488 people and thanks so much to my family 17:09.488 --> 17:11.543 and friends for being here . It just 17:11.543 --> 17:13.432 means a lot to me to see you here 17:13.432 --> 17:15.488 tonight . Now , I also have to thank 17:15.488 --> 17:17.848 Governor Gregoire and Governor Inslee . 17:17.968 --> 17:20.079 I have truly been blessed to work for 17:20.079 --> 17:22.509 two extraordinary leaders who embody 17:22.519 --> 17:25.269 servant leadership . They consistently 17:25.279 --> 17:27.249 made decisions based on what they 17:27.259 --> 17:29.489 believe was the best to improve the 17:29.499 --> 17:31.277 lives of the people who live in 17:31.277 --> 17:33.388 Washington . And they pretty much let 17:33.388 --> 17:35.598 me do what I thought was best for the 17:35.609 --> 17:37.729 military department and there is no 17:37.739 --> 17:40.089 micromanaging going on . Uh , and I've 17:40.099 --> 17:42.099 just , I certainly appreciated that 17:42.420 --> 17:44.489 I've had four outstanding senior 17:44.500 --> 17:46.556 enlisted leaders to help me run this 17:46.556 --> 17:48.829 complex team . Command , Sergeant Major 17:48.839 --> 17:51.599 Sweeney , Chief Ty Van Chief Almond 17:51.650 --> 17:53.800 command , Sergeant Major Ecclestone . 17:53.890 --> 17:56.380 They all provided me with sage advice 17:56.390 --> 17:58.223 while making some very difficult 17:58.223 --> 18:00.483 decisions . And I just thank you for 18:00.493 --> 18:02.604 keeping me always headed in the right 18:02.604 --> 18:04.715 direction . That's a , that's a tough 18:04.715 --> 18:06.713 job . Sometimes I've had seven 18:06.723 --> 18:09.733 outstanding a tags , four amazing land 18:09.743 --> 18:12.042 component commanders and four talented 18:12.052 --> 18:14.772 directors of our joint forces and staff . 18:15.032 --> 18:16.983 So I figure that's 14 brigadier 18:16.993 --> 18:19.412 generals and one major general keeping 18:19.422 --> 18:21.644 me on the right path . I guess that's a 18:21.644 --> 18:23.816 pretty big job . So thanks to generals 18:23.826 --> 18:26.375 mcgonagall , Tuy Horn , Welsh Turner 18:26.385 --> 18:28.515 Dent Sellers , Groover Kelly Deer , 18:28.836 --> 18:31.375 Fowler , Linton Grin and Ay and 18:31.385 --> 18:34.206 Borchers . And , uh , also a special 18:34.215 --> 18:36.735 thanks , uh , to Major General Chaz 18:36.745 --> 18:38.634 Jeffries , who's here tonight for 18:38.634 --> 18:40.745 helping us with everything related to 18:40.745 --> 18:42.578 cyber . And he's really been our 18:42.578 --> 18:44.578 partner back east during this whole 18:44.578 --> 18:46.801 thing as a Washington guardsman . But a 18:46.801 --> 18:48.856 very special , thank you to Dan Dent 18:48.856 --> 18:50.634 and Gent Welsh who joined me to 18:50.634 --> 18:52.523 informing what I called the three 18:52.523 --> 18:54.634 amigos during those awful days of the 18:54.634 --> 18:57.160 pandemic and civil unrest . And we 18:57.170 --> 18:59.337 closed the office door , rolled up our 18:59.337 --> 19:01.569 sleeves and , and frankly , uh very 19:01.579 --> 19:04.020 frankly talked through every course of 19:04.030 --> 19:05.919 action that we faced during those 19:05.919 --> 19:08.410 several years of turmoil . And I owe 19:08.420 --> 19:10.829 much of my success to those gifted 19:10.839 --> 19:12.783 leaders . We really approached all 19:12.783 --> 19:14.895 those problems as a team . And if you 19:14.895 --> 19:16.728 take away nothing else from this 19:16.728 --> 19:18.783 presentation , teamwork is what it's 19:18.783 --> 19:21.006 all about . It's so much more than just 19:21.006 --> 19:23.228 one person . I'd also like to thank the 19:23.228 --> 19:24.950 professionals at our emergency 19:24.950 --> 19:27.283 management division led by our director , 19:27.283 --> 19:29.739 Colonel , retired Robert Azel . If I 19:29.750 --> 19:32.040 listed every disaster , emergency 19:32.050 --> 19:34.709 recovery exercise or planning effort 19:34.719 --> 19:36.886 that these folks have done in the last 19:36.886 --> 19:38.941 12 years , this speech would be even 19:38.941 --> 19:41.108 longer than it already is . And I know 19:41.108 --> 19:43.052 nobody's interested in that . We'd 19:43.052 --> 19:45.108 still be here at midnight . They are 19:45.108 --> 19:46.941 truly the unsung heroes of every 19:46.941 --> 19:49.469 emergency , quietly providing support 19:49.479 --> 19:51.589 to local emergency managers and 19:51.599 --> 19:53.670 incident commanders while the first 19:53.680 --> 19:55.736 responders and the guardsmen get all 19:55.736 --> 19:58.479 the press coverage . Robert , thank you 19:58.489 --> 20:01.349 for being the best master of disaster I 20:01.359 --> 20:03.750 could have ever hoped for . I am in awe 20:03.760 --> 20:06.050 of your quiet , solid , well informed 20:06.060 --> 20:08.410 leadership during so many stressful 20:08.420 --> 20:10.510 situations . And I figured they must 20:10.520 --> 20:12.631 have filled your veins with ice water 20:12.719 --> 20:14.941 when you became a fighter pilot because 20:14.941 --> 20:16.830 you were the coolest person under 20:16.830 --> 20:18.719 pressure that I think I have ever 20:18.719 --> 20:20.719 served with . I'm also proud of our 20:20.719 --> 20:22.608 Youth Challenge Academy under the 20:22.608 --> 20:24.608 leadership of Amy Steinhilber . And 20:24.608 --> 20:26.552 before her , Larry Pearce and Bill 20:26.552 --> 20:29.469 Pettit , they take in over 300 failing 20:29.479 --> 20:32.030 high school students per year instill 20:32.040 --> 20:33.762 in them discipline , respect , 20:33.762 --> 20:36.010 confidence and physical health . They 20:36.020 --> 20:38.180 help them advance nearly three grade 20:38.189 --> 20:40.729 levels in just six months and send them 20:40.739 --> 20:42.683 home to successfully complete high 20:42.683 --> 20:45.439 school . The cadre and staff there save 20:45.449 --> 20:47.282 hundreds of lives every year and 20:47.282 --> 20:49.171 provide our state with productive 20:49.171 --> 20:51.439 law-abiding citizens who understand the 20:51.449 --> 20:53.959 value of giving back to our community . 20:54.250 --> 20:56.306 So , Amy , many thanks to you Dennis 20:56.306 --> 20:58.900 Kirwood , Chris Acuna and your team for 20:58.910 --> 21:01.400 being models of absolutely selfless 21:01.410 --> 21:04.209 service within our agency . We have 21:04.219 --> 21:06.599 others that accomplish the amazing as 21:06.609 --> 21:09.130 if it were routine . Thanks to state 21:09.140 --> 21:11.609 finance led by uh Reagan Hess , our 21:11.619 --> 21:13.989 communications team led by Karina 21:14.239 --> 21:16.780 Chagrin Intergovernmental Affairs , led 21:16.790 --> 21:19.900 by Jim Baumgart State Human Resources 21:19.910 --> 21:21.854 and Federal Human Resources led by 21:21.854 --> 21:23.688 Jennifer Connelly and Tony Lee , 21:23.688 --> 21:26.680 respectively . Our it division led by 21:26.770 --> 21:30.479 TJ Reivich , our amazing CFMO led by 21:30.489 --> 21:33.430 Attica Wick , our J A who keeps us on 21:33.439 --> 21:35.839 the right track , led by Major Brian 21:35.849 --> 21:39.400 Chinchar , our IG the US PFO , led by 21:39.410 --> 21:41.550 Colonel Matt Cooper and our current 21:41.560 --> 21:43.790 senior army advisor Colonel Ben by 21:44.420 --> 21:46.642 thanks to you and those who came before 21:46.642 --> 21:49.030 you and for your outstanding leadership , 21:49.040 --> 21:52.660 creativity and hard work . And finally , 21:52.670 --> 21:54.781 well , not quite finally , but thanks 21:54.781 --> 21:57.270 to our dedicated soldiers and airmen 21:57.380 --> 21:59.520 who selflessly serve our country and 21:59.530 --> 22:01.849 our state , they never let us down . 22:01.859 --> 22:04.081 They drop whatever they're doing . They 22:04.081 --> 22:06.081 report , they go do tasks that they 22:06.081 --> 22:08.303 aren't even sometimes trained to do and 22:08.303 --> 22:10.415 they hit it out of the ballpark every 22:10.415 --> 22:12.303 time . I am just so in awe of the 22:12.303 --> 22:14.470 talented soldiers and airmen that make 22:14.470 --> 22:16.637 up this organization and my hat is off 22:16.637 --> 22:18.692 to all of them . They're just , just 22:18.692 --> 22:20.900 fantastic . Finally , I want to thank 22:20.910 --> 22:23.077 uh one person who has worked quietly , 22:23.077 --> 22:25.132 skillfully and professionally behind 22:25.132 --> 22:28.270 the scenes at building one for over 35 22:28.280 --> 22:31.410 years . She is the personification of 22:31.420 --> 22:34.390 selfless service , working 12 hours or 22:34.400 --> 22:37.619 more each day to enable the tag , the A 22:37.630 --> 22:39.741 tags and the chief of staff to do our 22:39.741 --> 22:41.640 important work . So , of course , 22:41.650 --> 22:43.872 everybody knows I'm talking about Kathy 22:43.872 --> 22:46.699 Sin . I often say that the organization 22:46.709 --> 22:48.931 is gonna be able to replace me and move 22:48.931 --> 22:50.987 forward without missing a beat . But 22:50.987 --> 22:53.280 when Cathy retires , we are all in big 22:53.290 --> 22:57.290 trouble . 35 years of institutional 22:57.300 --> 22:59.569 knowledge is virtually impossible to 22:59.579 --> 23:01.750 replace . So , Kathy , I know you're 23:01.760 --> 23:03.593 out there somewhere on behalf of 23:03.593 --> 23:05.760 General Barlow General Lowenberg and 23:05.770 --> 23:08.530 myself . Thank you so much . Now , even 23:08.540 --> 23:10.670 though she will not enjoy it , please 23:10.680 --> 23:12.630 help me give Kathy a huge round of 23:12.640 --> 23:15.030 applause to show our our thanks . 23:25.619 --> 23:28.390 Thank you , Cathy . And so now as I 23:28.400 --> 23:30.979 prepare to retire , I am both confident 23:30.989 --> 23:33.510 in you and excited for you as you 23:33.520 --> 23:35.798 continue to serve our state and nation . 23:36.239 --> 23:38.350 But let's be honest , it is not going 23:38.350 --> 23:40.572 to be a walk in the park . You're gonna 23:40.572 --> 23:42.859 have some challenges ahead of you . The 23:42.869 --> 23:45.060 Cascadia subduction zone earthquake 23:45.069 --> 23:47.125 will probably happen sometime in the 23:47.125 --> 23:50.060 next 50 years and we need to organize 23:50.069 --> 23:53.420 the nation to respond to it as well as 23:53.430 --> 23:56.020 build more tsunami towers and secure an 23:56.030 --> 23:57.808 East West highway to serve as a 23:57.808 --> 24:00.119 lifeline . Among many other important 24:00.130 --> 24:03.119 preparations , climate change disasters 24:03.130 --> 24:05.297 are going to increase in frequency and 24:05.297 --> 24:07.439 intensity . We already know this . We 24:07.449 --> 24:10.099 must be agile enough to mitigate risks 24:10.109 --> 24:12.810 and respond when we are needed . The 24:12.819 --> 24:15.420 threat from China must be deterred and 24:15.430 --> 24:17.859 our National Guard must be modernized 24:17.869 --> 24:20.609 as technology continues to advance . Do 24:20.619 --> 24:23.040 not let the Pentagon leave us out of 24:23.050 --> 24:26.140 that modernization . The combination of 24:26.150 --> 24:27.761 artificial intelligence with 24:27.761 --> 24:30.050 disinformation will challenge our 24:30.060 --> 24:32.800 democracy . Truth will be harder to 24:32.810 --> 24:35.910 find , know what is in the constitution 24:36.020 --> 24:38.920 that you are sworn to protect and hold 24:38.930 --> 24:42.069 tightly to your oath . Your loyalty to 24:42.079 --> 24:44.675 the constitution must be your compass 24:44.685 --> 24:47.094 to navigate these challenges . Never 24:47.104 --> 24:50.824 ever violate your oath . Steer clear of 24:50.834 --> 24:53.055 the echo chambers and social media 24:53.064 --> 24:55.915 algorithms that can sway your opinions 24:56.145 --> 24:59.165 and rise above the partisan mud fight 24:59.175 --> 25:01.214 that has become American politics . 25:01.949 --> 25:04.270 These challenges and more we can't see , 25:04.280 --> 25:06.989 won't be easy . I know you will rise to 25:07.000 --> 25:09.167 the occasion and handle whatever comes 25:09.167 --> 25:11.278 your way because that's what you do . 25:11.380 --> 25:13.489 My parting advice is to always 25:13.500 --> 25:15.489 anticipate potential threats and 25:15.500 --> 25:17.969 prepare for them in advance . It is 25:17.979 --> 25:20.170 much better to be prepared and not 25:20.180 --> 25:23.430 needed than be needed and not prepared . 25:23.900 --> 25:26.067 I have tried to live by this principle 25:26.067 --> 25:28.289 during the last 12 years that I've been 25:28.289 --> 25:30.344 your Adjutant General and I think it 25:30.344 --> 25:32.630 has served us well , as I said earlier , 25:32.640 --> 25:35.819 remember that you are a team , take 25:35.829 --> 25:37.996 care of each other and help each other 25:37.996 --> 25:41.589 be kind , be slow to anger and quick to 25:41.599 --> 25:44.349 forgive . Remember , good people can 25:44.359 --> 25:46.650 make dumb mistakes from time to time 25:46.660 --> 25:48.827 and then that stuff comes to my desk . 25:48.827 --> 25:51.329 That's not good . Listen to each other . 25:51.339 --> 25:54.540 Even if you disagree , respect each 25:54.550 --> 25:57.800 other . Compromise , build the team 25:58.380 --> 26:00.540 as we gather tonight , authoritarian 26:00.550 --> 26:02.449 powers are gaining strength and 26:02.459 --> 26:04.900 momentum . As our friends who are with 26:04.910 --> 26:07.069 us here from Ukraine tonight will 26:07.079 --> 26:09.760 certainly tell us these powers do not 26:09.770 --> 26:12.000 believe that our American experiment 26:12.010 --> 26:14.010 with democracy is going to turn out 26:14.010 --> 26:16.469 favorably . They do not believe the 26:16.479 --> 26:19.079 people can rule themselves and in fact , 26:19.089 --> 26:20.922 are working hard to see that our 26:20.922 --> 26:23.630 experiment fails . It is up to us to 26:23.640 --> 26:26.260 counter their malign efforts . We have 26:26.270 --> 26:28.310 to protect our hard won freedom . 26:28.479 --> 26:30.589 Maintain a strong deterrent to any 26:30.599 --> 26:34.310 attack , educate our youth and unite as 26:34.319 --> 26:37.310 proud Americans dead . Set on 26:37.319 --> 26:40.040 safeguarding our liberty . While the 26:40.050 --> 26:42.099 core strength of our nation is our 26:42.109 --> 26:45.349 individual freedom . It is tempered by 26:45.359 --> 26:46.219 brotherhood . 26:52.670 --> 26:55.270 We simply must remember that during 26:55.280 --> 26:57.469 this time of political polarization , 26:57.479 --> 27:00.819 brotherhood is what is needed . As one 27:00.829 --> 27:03.010 of our most revered national songs 27:03.020 --> 27:06.930 proudly proclaims America , America . 27:07.189 --> 27:10.640 God shed his grace on thee and crown 27:10.650 --> 27:14.449 thy good with brotherhood from sea to 27:14.459 --> 27:17.699 shining sea . May God bless all of you 27:17.709 --> 27:19.376 and may God continue to bless 27:19.376 --> 27:21.380 Washington and the United States of 27:21.390 --> 27:24.250 America . It has been an absolute honor 27:24.260 --> 27:26.482 to serve with each and every one of you 27:26.482 --> 27:28.890 and I'll be watching . Go get them . 27:28.900 --> 27:29.640 Thank you . 27:33.770 --> 27:34.770 Mhm . 27:38.359 --> 27:39.359 Thank you . 27:52.420 --> 27:54.587 So I want to get right to it today . I 27:54.587 --> 27:56.531 am pleased to announce that I will 27:56.531 --> 27:58.753 appoint Brigadier General Brett Doherty 27:58.753 --> 28:00.753 as the new Adjutant General for the 28:00.753 --> 28:02.976 State of Washington . Congratulations , 28:02.976 --> 28:01.920 sir . 28:17.469 --> 28:19.302 I've chosen General Doherty very 28:19.302 --> 28:21.358 carefully after much consideration . 28:21.358 --> 28:23.525 And I want to thank all the candidates 28:23.525 --> 28:25.747 who stepped forward for the post . They 28:25.747 --> 28:27.913 were absolutely top quality and I want 28:27.913 --> 28:30.247 you to know it was not an easy decision . 28:30.247 --> 28:32.469 And I also want you to know that says a 28:32.469 --> 28:34.580 lot that we have that tough choice to 28:34.580 --> 28:36.580 be made by a governor means we have 28:36.580 --> 28:38.802 highly confident and capable people who 28:38.802 --> 28:40.691 are here to step forward and take 28:40.691 --> 28:40.599 charge . 28:54.630 --> 28:56.880 I wanted an individual who fully 28:56.890 --> 28:59.469 understands the importance of teamwork 28:59.770 --> 29:02.359 that you're only as good as the people 29:02.369 --> 29:04.359 who are around you . And he fully 29:04.369 --> 29:07.359 understands that . Second , he is a 29:07.369 --> 29:10.530 skilled and experienced teacher , both 29:10.540 --> 29:12.930 as a member of the Guard and in dealing 29:12.939 --> 29:15.069 with young folks , that means he will 29:15.079 --> 29:17.190 help others , they will become better 29:17.190 --> 29:19.357 at their jobs because they will have a 29:19.357 --> 29:21.660 leader uh before them . By the way , 29:21.670 --> 29:24.219 he's as passionate as I am about our 29:24.229 --> 29:26.959 Washington Youth Academy , uh a legacy 29:26.969 --> 29:29.339 that General Lowenberg will have left 29:29.349 --> 29:31.359 that literally is saving kids lives 29:31.369 --> 29:33.459 every single day . And finally , 29:33.469 --> 29:35.599 General Doherty is the best kind of 29:35.609 --> 29:37.859 leader . He embraces the concept of 29:37.869 --> 29:40.689 servant leader . It's not a concept 29:40.699 --> 29:42.930 that is widely held in our country 29:42.939 --> 29:45.079 today . But what it means is an 29:45.089 --> 29:47.319 individual understands it . First and 29:47.329 --> 29:50.199 foremost , they serve the people who 29:50.209 --> 29:53.150 they are with , they serve the state , 29:53.310 --> 29:55.140 the people , they serve their 29:55.150 --> 29:57.261 colleagues , they serve their mission 29:57.400 --> 29:59.739 before they can be called a leader 30:02.949 --> 30:06.260 in all of them . You can see that a 30:06.270 --> 30:09.760 thread of compassion , care , 30:09.770 --> 30:13.430 concern and ultimately passion for 30:13.439 --> 30:15.383 helping the people of the state of 30:15.383 --> 30:17.449 Washington . I think really , that's 30:17.459 --> 30:20.780 fundamentally who he is . He cares , he 30:20.790 --> 30:21.846 cares for people . 30:26.689 --> 30:28.911 He's been the best boss I've ever had . 30:28.911 --> 30:31.133 Uh The last 12 years have just been the 30:31.133 --> 30:33.189 absolute highlight of my career . Uh 30:33.189 --> 30:35.270 He's been an awesome mentor , uh the 30:35.280 --> 30:37.920 patience that he has dealing with uh an 30:37.930 --> 30:41.219 agency , the size of this uh agency . 30:41.229 --> 30:44.339 Uh over 8000 employees . Uh He's just 30:44.349 --> 30:46.460 been an awesome leader and , and just 30:46.460 --> 30:48.516 been a true inspiration and , uh , I 30:48.516 --> 30:50.627 think we're all going to greatly miss 30:50.627 --> 30:49.800 him . 31:01.250 --> 31:03.361 I mean , there's videos of me running 31:03.361 --> 31:05.417 around as a four year old wearing my 31:05.417 --> 31:07.528 dad's , you know , BDU , uh , old BDU 31:07.528 --> 31:09.694 cap or old , uh , uniform in the woods 31:09.694 --> 31:11.694 playing around and stuff . So there 31:11.694 --> 31:13.583 wasn't really ever a point when I 31:13.583 --> 31:15.639 didn't want to be in the army . Um , 31:15.639 --> 31:15.479 and that's really directly influenced 31:15.489 --> 31:17.656 because of that . Um , but then once I 31:17.656 --> 31:19.822 joined , you know , once I got serious 31:19.822 --> 31:21.600 and was old enough to make that 31:21.600 --> 31:21.550 decision for real , um , you know , 31:21.560 --> 31:24.810 joining ROTC , um you know , that , 31:24.819 --> 31:27.099 that I was always asking advice mainly , 31:27.109 --> 31:29.109 you know , how do I deal with , you 31:29.109 --> 31:31.276 know , these weird situations or these 31:31.276 --> 31:33.331 weird people . Um And the , the best 31:33.331 --> 31:35.553 advice he ever gave me is stuff I still 31:35.553 --> 31:37.442 live by today . It's not military 31:37.442 --> 31:39.609 exclusive , which is , you know , care 31:39.609 --> 31:41.720 of all the people around you the best 31:41.720 --> 31:41.369 you can and , you know , don't worry 31:41.380 --> 31:43.550 about , you know , awards and e vows 31:43.560 --> 31:45.560 and things like that . Those things 31:45.560 --> 31:47.671 will all come out in the wash as long 31:47.671 --> 31:47.459 as you're taking care of the folks 31:47.469 --> 31:49.636 around you . Um And , you know , being 31:49.636 --> 31:51.913 a good peer and being a good uh leader , 31:51.913 --> 31:54.136 then everything else works itself out . 31:54.136 --> 31:56.247 And , you know , I , that's still the 31:56.247 --> 31:58.413 matra I try to live by today with , in 31:58.413 --> 32:00.413 the commercial world too even . And 32:00.413 --> 32:02.636 then I've had , you know , good success 32:02.636 --> 32:04.691 because of that . But being a humble 32:04.691 --> 32:06.858 leader , you know , I , I , you know , 32:06.858 --> 32:08.969 I was in the army for 10 years . Um , 32:08.969 --> 32:11.191 my favorite part about being an officer 32:11.191 --> 32:13.302 was taking care of my soldiers . Um , 32:13.302 --> 32:15.413 and it was because my dad gave me the 32:15.413 --> 32:17.599 skills to be able to do that and , and 32:17.609 --> 32:19.831 he was a father the same way . He was a 32:19.831 --> 32:21.969 leader in that everyone's voice is 32:21.979 --> 32:24.869 heard they're valued . Um , and I 32:24.880 --> 32:27.047 learned from him and those things have 32:27.047 --> 32:29.047 served me well throughout my entire 32:29.047 --> 32:31.158 career . He was just a huge influence 32:31.158 --> 32:33.380 for me in everything I've done . I've , 32:33.500 --> 32:35.780 uh uh minus , you know , uh not making 32:35.790 --> 32:37.957 major general or anything , but I have 32:37.957 --> 32:40.179 like , followed in his footsteps pretty 32:40.179 --> 32:42.346 closely and it's just because all I've 32:42.346 --> 32:43.739 ever wanted to do is be like my dad .