00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,944 Hello everybody and welcome to the first Avengers podcast from the showplace of the Air Force Joint Base san Antonio Randolph texas . I'm your host for this episode Jet era from the 3/40 flying Training group public affairs team . This podcast is dedicated to bringing Total Force tips and talks from subject matter experts and leaders throughout the Air Force that helped inspire and inform to kick this initial podcast episode off . We're first delving into the topic of identity specifically ours . So you get a better idea of who we are . But before we get started we have three guests with us today . So please tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and your role here at the 3/40 . Hello Avengers is Colonel Kyle squeak Goldstein um Commander of the 3/40 Flying Training group . This is Lieutenant Colonel john give me some Oh gee the 3/40 flying Training group XP Good morning , this is Chief Master Sergeant , Christopher howard . 3/40 groups SCL okay , well thank you again for joining us for our first question . The Air Force has such a rich history and along with that history comes the adaptation of call signs and nicknames . So could someone briefly describe how we became the Avengers . When we all first got here , we realized that the 3/40 is a whole um just didn't have that totem for us to kind of link around and I believe that was the challenge uh to you . Right , so to go find what , you know what , what are we , what is the 3/40 flying training group as a whole . Yeah , exactly . chief . So when Colonel drown and I got here , when kattegat here we both kind of noticed the same thing that we showed up and the patches were really cool with the all the units on the one circular patch , we're on the right shoulder , the one that looks like the old school rotary dial for , for those of us . Now I'm dating myself but we all wondered why we didn't have kind of an identity . So he and I went out and started looking at some information and I just did a quick google search and I found this guy named Dan Setzer and he made a website dedicated to his dad , his dad fought uh many wars back in the day and was actually in the 3/40 bombardment group . And when I was scrolling through this website I found a couple of images in particular one of a motorcycle and then another of a vehicle that had the word Avengers on it . So back in uh 1943 when the 3 40 bombardment group was commanded by by Colonel Mills , he was actually shot down on a mission and that was a very tragic day for everybody . It was described as the worst day in bombardment bombardment group history at that time . And so of course the mission had to continue , but the folks always wanted to figure out how how to name the bombardment group , what name would be appropriate . So they did a naming competition and in the end the name Avengers one out And so that name stuck with the 3/40 bombardment group . And then when that group was kind of dismantled and became Uh you know a different aircraft from the B-25 on two other other airframes the that title or that identity kind of went away and we decided to try and bring that back . So chief knowing the lineage , why is identity so important to a unit . Right ? So I mean when we talk about um you know that inclusivity right ? That that bonding piece , we always , we always talk about um the relationships right ? And what , what that icon really does for us is kind of puts a face to that relationship , right ? Some of that common bond , uh each unit has a unique mission , right ? There's different flavors of the same mission but they're all unique and the culture with each unit is unique in itself . So by you know finding that icon , you know , we go back through the lineage and we talk about you know Colonel Mills and we talk about the team there at the bombardment group coming up with the Avengers right ? All that was really is a bonding item . That that that symbol that says , okay , this is our shared experience . This is our shared identity , right ? This is something that we can all wrap around ourselves and say , oh were you an Avenger ? Yes . You know , were you a cobra ? Were you a gladiator ? Whatever it may be right ? Because then you can say okay I was part of that unique mission . So when we talk about RGs us and we look at the localities of some of these places right ? There's just an inherent experience that comes with that and that icon , that piece , that little piece right there make It's the difference of instantly understanding , okay , you have a shared experience , you have a shared identity which allows for us to break down some of those initial barriers , especially when it comes to communication . So like 10 years from now , there might be individuals that were Avengers today that are meeting new Avengers tomorrow and you're like oh you were an Avenger . Yes . Alright . Was this did you guys do this ? Did you guys do that ? What are their things or ? Hey how did you , did you go down to this place ? You know like when we talk about Del Rio we talked about columbus , you know those little haunts that we each have or the type of mission set specifically right ? When we get into some of the experiences with previous assignments right ? Um there's those things that define those moments so that I can instantly connect with you . Um it's no longer uh me , it's no longer you know chris is no longer jet is no longer whoever it's we are Avengers and that's important right ? Because that allows us to instantly identify friend from foe , right ? It gives us an opportunity to connect and then really open ourselves up and that bond itself leads to , you know , being able to do bigger things when we talk about the unit today , having that camaraderie allows for us to rally behind that icon and say this is us , we can have group pride , we can have um a individual voice or presence when we all do good um and it helps us rally around each other saying you're an Avenger , you're an Avenger , you're an Avenger and we are here today to make the Avengers that much better . Thank you again , Lieutenant Colonel Emoji , I had a question for you as well . I understand that you actually delved into the history of the Avengers . I know you were a big part in , in uh that initial concept and the draft for the the new Avengers patch that we are our unit now , Dunn's so what was that process like just putting that together ? Yeah , the process was really collaborative for lack of a better term . I think everyone really wanted to get involved . Everybody wanted to see this patch made . So it was great from the Chief Takata to you Jet to me to some other designers , we had work outside the group . It was just a really collaborative effort and ultimately , I think the design really was Cata that came up with the B 25 edition for the Avengers a on the patch and that just hit a home run in my book and I thought from there , we needed to roll with it sir . I have a question for you um knowing your history um with the 3/40 was reading a couple articles when you were at the 39th as well . And what has being a part of this unit meant for you ? Yeah , it's like kind of a piggyback off what the chief was saying , the sense of identity is just a very deep uh human need , you know , And then when I was in the cobras down there , we we really wanted to create a brand and a sense of family around a name and identity , which like I said , is everything that the chief just said . And so I agree when I , when I got here to the 3 42 the group , there wasn't a rally cry for for a , a symbol . We could rally around and then give me an cat and chief and you you you guys all put together the Avengers . And honestly at first I was nervous that people would think of the movie or the comics or whatever and I didn't want that because I feel like it took away , we predated that to start with , you know , no copyright infringements going on here . Um so and I didn't want to take away from the men and women of the 3/40 bombardment group . Um you know , by putting us in that bucket with with the movie and stuff . Although it's it's a great movie , I'm not saying that . But uh I wanted to make sure that we were to to our identity and and so again , identity is is like Chief said , as soon as you have that and you're a part of a group , you feel like you're you have a family and the backing stuff . So you guys created that . The patch is wonderful . Um It's got history there , the B 25 . Um and I do I want I want to bring up a little story as as we're doing this , it's starting to bring more connective tissue between when we started up the 3/40 again in 98 you know , the gap years between when they shut down when they started up , we haven't really been able to reach back to the 3/4 bombardment group , but um just recently and hopefully we'll be able to get them on the show . Here is uh we talked to the original 3/40 flying training group Commander from 98 Colonel Collins . And he brought in , he went to Oshkosh this year and he just stumbled upon a 3/40 bombardment group , entire um tent city , I guess you will at at Oshkosh a huge display and I'm talking like , like it was back in World War Two and he sent me a picture like , did you know that this was even going on ? I had no idea . So there's , there's people reenacting uh 3 40 bombardment group every year at Oshkosh that we , we had no idea that was going on . So this is the kind of the , uh , the nostalgic stuff that I'm getting into now as I get older , I feel like uh this becomes more important to us as I was younger , you know , history and old people didn't , didn't , I didn't care much like most young people don't , you know , I don't know about , about the old people once you guys used to do , but as you get older , you start to really uh , respect what they did and get more interested in what it was like . And so I'm really excited as we're , I hope that we can connect with that with those people that each year set up this , I bet it's an acre and I would say it's an acre full , but an entire mock replica of , of what the tents they were living in and they dress in the World War Two stuff just like they used to , so it sounds like , sounds like a trip . Uh , and that would be wonderful . But um , so that's kind of where I'm excited about what you guys have done um , to give us a sense of family here . People identify as Avengers now on their emails walking around and it's fun and I think thank you guys for that . So thank you sir . Um , is there anything that I know we're gonna have a series of podcasts coming down the line now that we've kicked this one off . So is there anything before we depart that y'all would like to add ? I think I'd just like to piggyback on what the boss said , you know , when he was cobra one and I was a cobra with him . I had never seen a unit with that much family spirit . You know , you didn't feel like you were just another number . You were actually a member of the family and I think that was , that was key and still is key to today to making sure that one the mission gets done . But if you're , if you're happy , the mission just naturally happens , right ? The morale happens first and the mission happens later and you end up doing way more than you thought you could , you could even do . So , it's just an amazing feeling . And now to have that here at the group level with our own identity is amazing . And we couldn't have done that without his backing and the chiefs backing and cat and everyone else . So I just wanted to say thanks , I have to give the boss , you know credit because , you know , he was part of the brainstorming process , right ? So when we were sitting down , you was throwing ideas out , Oh yeah , this try that and uh , you know , it was a collaborative deal with with everyone to get to where we were at . Um , but I challenge all of our Avengers out there um , to embrace it , right ? Not because we have any kind of agenda with it , but by accepting it and being part of it , you help improve it , right ? Make it yours , make it your own and help us improve and , and grow um what the Avengers is going to mean and what the Avengers are gonna look like , help us define it , right ? Um we're still , we know that it has a lineage , right ? But when it comes to the flying training group , specifically in the Avengers , it's still young and it's a great opportunity for everyone to kind of , you know , meld into this and make the Avenger family um something that's gonna outlive all of us . Well thank you for your time and thank you for listening . Be sure to check out more podcasts as we delve further into the Avengers mission . As a reminder , you can follow your 3/40 Avengers on social media via facebook twitter instagram and youtube . You can also catch up on the latest news across the group on our website at www 0.3 40 f t G dot a f R C dot af dot mil from our entire 3/40 Avengers team . I'm jet and we'll catch up with you anywhere anytime