Barbell Shrugged - Active Life Radio 12: SPECIAL EPISODE - Is the USA becoming too unhealthy to stay a military power? With Air Force Special Forces Lt. Colonel Heath Kern

Episode Date: October 4, 2019

Show Overview:  The United States makes up 5% of the world’s population and consumes 80% of the world’s pharmaceutical drugs. That’s a huge problem for the military, and for the country. Many drugs that are taken in the US are taken by children and adolescents. A percentage of those drugs are disqualifying for military service. Some of the drugs cause side effects that cause weight gain and lethargy which are also, ultimately, disqualifying for military selection. If we don’t get ourselves healthy as a Country from the youth on up, we face some serious problems. If the adults don’t lead from the front, the children will fall from behind.  Obesity, drug use, mental health disorders, and so many more issues plague our youth, and yet, in many ways, our military special forces represent an equal, opposite. The reverence that our Special Operators in the military are held in can make these extraordinary men and women seem virtually unattainably virtuous.  In this interview with Dr. Sean, Lt. Colonel Heath Kern breaks down what it takes to go from every day American to American Hero, and you might be surprised what he says.  US Air Force Special Ops Minute Breakdown: 0-10 - What’s at stake? 11-20 - The joy of living a life to your calling. 21-30 - Do different branches of the military get along? 31-40 - How do you reconcile wanting to serve and not wanting to need war to do it? 41-49 - What are we going to do about health issues facing the country? Please Support our Sponsors Organifi - Save 20% at http://organifi.com/shrugged Ned - Save 15% using the code “SHRUGGED” at http://helloned.com US Air Force Special Ops Work with an Active Life Coach: http://activeliferx.com/shrugged Find Dr. Sean at @DrSeanPastuch

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to Active Life Radio on the Shrug Collective Network. Today's episode, it's a special one. I felt really privileged to be able to give today's episode. It was almost a surreal experience. I had the good honor and privilege to interview Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns of the Air Force Special Operations to talk to him about exactly what does it take to be a special operator in the United States Air Force. How cool is that? This guy is out there recruiting people who want to do the most distinguished work in the world. And I got to spend an hour talking to him about it. Now, here's the thing.

I wanted this to be an interview that was different than most of the interviews that you typically hear with military veterans who we all have the most reverence for. I didn't want to talk to him about old war stories. I wanted to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Hearns about, excuse me, Kearns, about what it takes to be the kind of person who can do those kinds of things. And when I say those kinds of things, what I'm talking about is a man who could win the Bronze Star, have the Defense Meritorious Service Medal,

Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal. No big deal. I mean, what does it take to be that? And one of the things that I found to be the most interesting was that it's not what you might think. You know, we have a tendency as people to put individuals with this kind of success on a pedestal that feels unattainable. It feels like we couldn't possibly do that. But we can. All of us could have, or probably could have. It just depends on how badly we wanted it. And Lieutenant Colonel Kearns talks about that in depth on this episode. I know this is not what you guys are used to out of my Friday shows on the

Shrug Collective Network, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have this conversation with this kind of an individual. Now, as always, I want to make sure that we thank our sponsors for making this show possible. So first and foremost, Organifi. That's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com. Those are the guys making the powder that makes the drinks healthy and taste really good. You're tired of going to the bar the juice bar and spending three dollars on a green drink that tastes like the grass from your front yard well go to Organifi.com and get their green drink and mix that tasty powder with some water slug it down have yourself an awesome morning or take the turmeric tea mix it with some hot water and have yourself an awesome morning. Or take the turmeric tea, mix it with some hot water,

and have yourself an awesome evening. Whatever floats your boat, just make sure you use the code SHRUGGED at checkout for 20% off. This episode is also brought to you by Ned. HelloNed.com. That's where you're going to get your CBD and hemp products, the oil that goes under the tongue to help you relax and calm pain, reduce inflammation. The lip balm that's going to make your lips nice, soft, no chappiness.

And you know it's coming from the most natural products. You know these guys are looking for the organic stuff. And it's all going to be sourced and manufactured right here in the usa if you're listening from outside the usa they'll ship it to you use the code shrug to check out for 15 off once again i want to thank the united states air force for giving me the opportunity to speak with such a phenomenal ambassador, Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns, on today's Active Life radio podcast on the Shrugged Collective Network. With that being said, I'm going to get you guys right to it. All right.

Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns of Air Force Special Operations. I am privileged to be interviewing you today. Thank you for joining me on the show. My pleasure. Thanks for having me. It's my pleasure. I mean, this is I've always since I've been in like high school, enamored with the idea of the things that people can do in the military, especially at the highest level. You know, it's we look at these people kind of as the superheroes of our society. And I think that the mistake in doing that is that we place these individuals on a pedestal

as if it's one that is unattainable for the everyday person to reach. And I hope that that doesn't come across as a knock because it's meant to be a compliment. I appreciate it. I understand. Yeah, that's, it's something I, so my current job now is to focus on recruiting for all of special operations for the Air Force. And so had to do lots of kind of soul searching on how did I make it? How did I survive?

You know, what were some of the, you know, seminal moments of my training and, you know, when things could have gone wrong and just put a lot of analysis into kind of what, what makes us into what we, what we become. And it's, it's, it's pretty fascinating, just the kind of the journey that, that all of us have to take just because you come from, I mean, such unbelievably different backgrounds. But, but somehow there's that, there's somehow there's that one common factor that kind of unites them all to bring them to the point where you're able to accomplish, you know, some insane things on the battlefield. But everybody starts, you know, kind of starts in the same spot, you know, as they have to grow and kind of be molded by the challenges, you know, every step of the way.

Well, so when you say insane things on the battlefield, I don't need any really specific stories. But what I want to really be able to understand, not only from my perspective, but from our listeners' perspective, is how does somebody go from high school and maybe college, and then they're like, I'm not really sure. I'm not really sure exactly what I want to do. And I know that serving my country is something that's always been interesting to me

to, wow, I just, I just did something insane overseas that maybe saved the lives of thousands or millions of people back home. Yeah. How does that journey even start? Because I imagine, and correct me if I'm mistaken because I'm projecting, I imagine most people who you talk to don't come to you and say, Lieutenant Colonel Kearns, I've always wanted to be Air Force Special Operations. Right, yeah. Very few people know about us. it's sometimes uh by accident that they even realize that we're there uh just part of that that um quiet professionalism you know we

don't often talk about it don't you know aren't making all the movies and things and just kind of focused on the job um so yeah there's there's not a lot of folks that know about it and uh man it's it it's actually kind of it it's pretty interesting because we have, you know, we have some of our guys that are in training even before they enter the military. That's part of what we did to restructure, you know, how we prepare people for this is we start the process even, you know, so they haven't joined the military yet. They're still in high school. They're still working out.

And we bring former operators, former guys that did our job that now want to act as coaches and mentors and help them get ready for it. So sometimes when you first meet these kids, not at all any of the stereotypes you'd ever imagine, like smaller dudes, skinny build, pimples sometimes. I mean, they're not like these crazy force. And then you just know this journey will take place over time, that one day they will be the heroes that we know now. And it's crazy to, I mean, as an old-timer now, to look at these. How old are you, an old-timer? 37. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. Only in the NFL and Air Force special operations is that an old time right right yeah so i i went to i went to one of these development sessions and and i was watching um these kids and some of them were still struggling to to meet some basic physical fitness standards and and it was like there was still kind of i mean there's innocence obviously to it because they they don't know anything about it like. Like they're still just figuring all this stuff out. And I felt like, as I was seeing them, like, guys, like there is this whole world that you are literally one doorstep away. You're 10 feet from the door and you're going to step outside and you're going to see this unbelievable

world that you have no idea about. And you're not there yet. You haven't crossed that threshold. So you're just looking around and you're painted, you know, you're, you're texting your girlfriend and you're on social media or whatever, you know, you're just focused on your own little world and your world is about to just blow up into this just unbelievable adventure. And they're so close. And it's almost like, man, if I could just tell you, you know, just help you take that next step or just know what's at stake. You know, it's just, it's super exciting, but it's also, it's just crazy to see these young, young warriors that, that don't know. I mean, haven't been tested in that way ever before. So they don't even know it's inside them. And I don't know, because you can't tell, you can't see it until they, they go through that crucible. They go through that refining fire and be, and are forged into

these things. So I love the way you phrase that. I love the way you phrase they don't know what's at stake. I don't know how much you know about what we do at Active Life, but essentially the focus of our company is to help people get out of pain without going to the doctor or missing the gym. And we coach coaches and doctors on how to help their clients and patients. And one of the biggest issues that we run into with helping our clients, especially in the business side, is they're uncomfortable asking people to do things that would make them uncomfortable to do. So asking people for money, for return for their service.

And the biggest thing that we do to help them that gets them over it is help them to understand what's at stake if they don't. Yeah. So what is at stake for an individual who is considering going into Air Force Special Operations and is, you know, they're on the line or they're not even really thinking about it right now, but they know they want to do something bigger than themselves. What's at stake if they don't? That depends on that individual. You know, you don't, sometimes it's it's kind of interesting even just in the in the spartan uh culture you know the race uh series here we see a lot of a lot of folks that um some of them are you can tell they're they're a little dissatisfied

with you know the the job that they're doing the work that you know they they they played by the rules they uh followed the the american dream and they're doing their thing and they got you know got the house got you know all the stuff that they need to but then they come out to this this mountain you know and they keep coming out and and they look for harder and harder challenges um and it's so it's it's crazy to see like sometimes when people miss that mark um not not and it's not man there's any path in life. If that's their calling, then it's great. It's good, noble work, whatever they're doing.

But it's when you see people that miss that call that said, man, I should have taken that risk or I should have stepped forward on it. Then they moved on in a path where their passion is not, where their heart is not in it and they're going through the motions. And so they keep, you know, dissatisfactorily looking and searching for that path or that other thing to, to kind of prove to themselves or answer that question that they, that they haven't been able to answer. So, so sometimes you just see the dissatisfaction of folks like, man, what am I doing with my life? You know, and I'm saying this is the only way that just, just knowing the, the thrill of answering your call and, and doing, you know, I'm not saying this is the only way that just just knowing the the thrill of answering your call and and doing, you know, so like I know there is nothing that I could have done that would have impacted the world in a more profound way than what I than I would have been chosen to do and and the the man that it's made me as a result of the good things and the bad things and and the challenges and the horrible things you wouldn't wish on anyone but knowing how that's that's prepared me and refined me and strengthened me to to continue moving forward like i don't

regret any of it and so it's like you know i have no idea what that person's path is i just see when they miss that call and then i see what happens when they find that call and that it's a right. It's the right thing. It's that passion. And they, you know, again, do amazing things. I feel like the thing about the military that is the most, I don't know, the most enticing to me, the most like it draws me in. It makes me just want to do, you know, I want to have it without having to do it. Does that make sense?

I never had the balls, if I'm being straight up. I never had the balls to be like, yeah, I want to be like Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns. And I just don't want to go through the boot camp, take all the risks, and then have to deal with the ramifications of bad things happening. Can you think back to a moment when you sat back or stood up or whatever it was, looked at yourself from the inside out and said, yeah, this all was worth it? Oh, man. I've had, it's almost maybe the opposite of that

in like those weren't, sometimes they weren't the most glamorous moments. Sometimes it was the worst moment and, and, and you still, and it's still worth it. Uh, there, there's kind of, there was a cartoon, you know, back before I joined, you know, so I had the opportunity to become a pilot in the air force if I wanted to. And I turned that down to do this job. What is, what exactly is the job you did? Uh, so I could have, could have been a pilot, but I, I am a special tactics officer. So I, I'm, uh, get to be the leader that's over all of the air force special operations. Um, so I got to do a lot of the same skills as, as the guys that are enlisted. Um, and I've gotten to deploy and do that same mission. And then I also step back now and lead folks through that. So that's a job that I got to do. But and you know scoffed up and i i had

a we had these like basically like pet rocks uh so they're like 30 pound rock 20 pound rocks that you have to carry and you paint you take everywhere with you and that's your like team spirit rock right and so i had a rock and i had my rifle and i had my rucksack big heavy backpack and i'm low crawling and i look up and i see uh an airplane take off from the runway and it's just you know screaming off into the sky and i look up and you know i'm take off from the runway and it's just, you know, screaming off into the sky. And I look up and, you know, I'm like, that could have been me up there. And I'm so glad it's not, you know, and it was just like, it just, you know, the, the joy of living life to your calling, um, in the suck, you know, you know, horrible event, you know, just, just getting

beat down, getting yelled at by an instructor in the, during the training pipeline. Um, but just still knowing like, man, this is where I want to be. Well, it's funny that you say that because when I talk to entrepreneurs about what they want to do, a lot of them were like, I'm just waiting to like, wake up and not have work feel like work. You know, I w I want to, I feel like I I've heard people say, when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I'm like, that's not true. Yeah. Work is always work. And it's about the moments where it's the days that you don't want to show up and do the job. It's, it's that you love it enough to go in and do the job well on that day that you can sit back and be like, yeah,

you know what? Today sucked. I still loved it more than doing anything else in the world. Yeah. So when you're in that moment in the military, crawling on gravel for a mile, carrying a rucksack, a gun and a stone, a pet rock that weighs 30 pounds and painted. What is it about something like that that makes you be like, yeah, I'm glad I'm doing this? Like, what was it about the calling that you felt that was so profound that that was enjoyable? Yeah. So I think, I mean, there is a, I guess there's a little bit of brain imbalance, chemical imbalance. And I give this speech to some of the races and stuff, where it's just like, you know, there's something wrong with you, and it's okay, you know, because it's wrong with us too, you know,

we're all, we're all wrong, you know, and it's, we, because we chose to be in this challenge, we chose this suffering, we could have chosen something easy or something peaceful, but for some reason, you keep coming back to this mountain and these challenges, and I think, so there's like, I don't know, answering that defect a little bit, you know, like answering that challenge and knowing that you're, you're doing something that most people can't do, don't want to do. And, uh, no, I mean, that's not like, uh, it's just a weird, it's a weird skill. Like I, I know not everyone, you know, it's just like, I was cursed with it, you know, like it it's, but just, it's, it's just like I was cursed with it, you know, like it's but just it's enjoying it. And then being with with other brothers that that that feel the same way and having that camaraderie to pull pull together and to continue pushing through anything and everything.

Just just to keep fighting and just to not be beaten, not be broken by by the situation or by the suck of it or that instructor that's trying to, you know, tear you down and build you up and all that. So you said, you know, that you were able to do something other people can't do. And I want to really dive into that a little bit deeper. How much of it, I mean, you've seen people, I imagine, in special operations wash out, not get through whatever the credentials were to actually become a special operations officer. How much of that was they couldn't and how much of that was they decided that they didn't want to anymore, that they just didn't want to endure this anymore? Yeah. Just about all of it is that they decided they didn't want to. I mean, there's some,

obviously there's some physical limitations, you know, things, some standards you can't meet physically. What's an example of that? Well, I mean, I struggled to run. I was a bigger dude, you know, going through, and I had to work twice as hard to run and meet the minimum for speed. So the worst we had to do was a six-mile run at a seven-minute pace. In boots? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. Yeah. But, I mean, man, there's lots of fast folks. I mean, that's nothing to them. But to me it was tough. A seven-minute mile for six miles is fast. Yeah. Yeah.

So that was a physical limitation, and I barely made it. I had to fight through that. So there are some hard lines there, but by far the vast majority, people can get to those standards. They can make it. It's just a matter of choosing if they want to keep fighting through those things, if they want to keep pursuing that. I think a lot of guys will tell you, like, I was just too dumb to quit.

Right. And it's just like the humble way to say it. The other, the other way is like your why was too powerful to be broken by whatever that temporary discomfort was. Right. So, so when you go through that and you come out on the other side, I think that there's this, there's a reverence. I mean, it least I feel it. There's a reverence for the man in the uniform, the woman in the uniform who went through the thing that, quite frankly, I wasn't willing to go through so that I can continue to do the things that I want to do without worrying about anybody telling me I'm not allowed to. That's what it boils down to.

Do you feel that every day? Or is that something that over time just becomes it's who I am? I don't often think about things like that. I mean, you recognize some ways that you're different, but often it's just the perspective. You just know some of the experiences change you over time. And so you recognize that you've, you've kind of, uh, your life has changed you in a way that you're still, sometimes you struggle to relate, you know, to other, other things. Um, so I noticed that changed, but no, I never, I never, we never feel like, wow, I'm a good, wow, I'm a good dude or whatever, you know, this is, you know, I've had this, I actually just, I just a good dude or whatever.

I've had this. I actually just had this conversation with one of my friends who earned the third highest medal for valor in the military. What medal is that? Silver star. Okay. And he, a very, very humble guy, just like all of them, and he was struggling with the recognition and he was struggling with the, the realization that now, because he earned such a high award, he's gonna have

to start telling a story. And that's like the last thing that any of, any of these guys want to do. Right. How'd you earn that? What'd you do for that? Right. Yeah. He, you know, he just, he just wants to be left alone and do his job.

Just a thing that happened that one day, and I just want to get back to work. So just kind of helping him process through that would be like, just because you did what you were trained to do, and you did what just about all of your other brothers would have done, doesn't mean it's not remarkable doesn't mean it's not like jaw-dropping amazing like it knowing you know knowing that what it takes to do that and knowing that man that's just i just i was doing training i did what anybody else would do like i was just doing my job like don't that can't take away from the fact that they're

just like quantifiably look at what you did Look at how many aircraft you controlled, how many bombs you dropped, how many bad guys you killed, how many friends you saved, how many wounds you withstood, how many hours you fought. Like all these things are insane. You know, how you were just injured. And a week later you got right back in the fight because you would, for the life of you, you would never be ripped away from that opportunity to serve along with your brothers like that's that's incredible you know it's it's hard for for guys to step back and see that in themselves because it's like man i just i did what any of us would do you know they can see it in other people but so so that i think they're so the answer is no

you don't you don't often feel that way you don't feel different about it you just recognize like man i was i just had a good opportunity to do my job. Do you see in other people at all – let me give you some context for this. When I'm working with somebody who is a young business owner or even an older business owner who's maybe just not gotten the success that they want and they're looking for some help there's a lot of noticing right away that they've set limitations on what their possible outcome could possibly be right they're already living in the story that's untrue about themselves because they've gone through experiences that make them believe that it is and i feel like when i walk around like if i walk into a restaurant there's a part of me that's like yeah 99% of people in this restaurant aren't willing to do what I did to build the

business that I built. I don't ever think of it. It doesn't ever come to the front of mind. I don't turn to my wife and be like, Hey babe, I'm a fucking stud just so you know. Yeah. Um, but do you, like, is that stuff in, is, does that ever relate to you or is that, is that just totally not on the radar for you? I, yeah, I mean, I think it comes back to like, you know, sometimes you can recognize there, there's some, uh, funny, like, you know, memes we pass around or something like there was a, it was a picture of a, uh, it was a Marine and he was like loaded. I mean, just with crushing weight, uh, I mean,

massive rucksack, you know, probably almost 150 pound backpack and a big mortar base plate, you know, all these big, you know, uh, weapons of war. And he was just like crouched over just, you know, just, just being crushed by the way, you know, and some long rock, you could tell he was just sucking at life, you know, just hurting bad. And it said, you know, some, it's something like, uh, you know, I, I heard, uh, you know, people were stranded on a cruise ship for three extra days, you know, all that must've sucked, you know? So, so you see, you see some memes and stuff like that where you're like, you know, you can, you can laugh at like, yeah, our perspective is different. Um, but I mean, not, not when it, I don't know, not when it comes to character assignments and things like that.

It's just, you know, I don't know. Okay. And did you enroll when you were, or unless I should say when you were 18? When did you get in? I went to the Air Force, the United States Air Force Academy. So I, at a college, or at a high school, I started college there, a four-year program. So, yes, at a high school and a college. That's why I say I was institutionalized for four years.

Right. Right. And so when you graduate there, that's, that's like officer school. Yeah. Right. Okay. Got it. So one of my, um, good friend of mine, I'm actually the goddaughter of the godfather

of his daughter, his firstborn daughter was a staff sergeant in the Marines. And he used to talk all the time about the difference between enlisted guys and the officers the college educated guys who came out and did this other stuff i guess that i'm not that well versed on where you can go in the military but apparently he was explaining to me that his ability to rise was different than the ability of someone who went to the college and went through the training there right right so what are relationships like in the military amongst people of different rank for example and then what are the relationships like for people of different branches like we we see the army navy game and it's cool because it's clear that they don't like each other on the field, but then it's also clear that they understand who each other are to each other.

So what is that like from your perspective inside of it? Yeah. So, I mean, the rank structure from enlisted to officer, it varies widely depending on sometimes the branch of service and the different jobs um so sometimes um you just different relationships are formed based on like proximity how often they need to work together um you know span of control uh i mean all of it's a mutual respect um and i think that's one one thing that that sets the american military apart from other sometimes other nations

is just that, that, that respect that is there, um, between all, you know, military professionals. Um, but that, that's one kind of unique thing about, um, Air Force Special Operations is that, that camaraderie and that bond is a lot tighter. Um, and so I've actually, I've stepped out of my community a little bit to do this job and the rank structure is, it, I'm, I'm reminded other cultures are different, you know, the military, you know, so it's, everyone's very, you know, all about sir and things like that. I'm like, Whoa, Whoa, stand down guys, calm down. I'm just, you know, we're just working together here, you know? And that's like, that's part of the,

um, when you, when you live together so closely on the battlefield, um, you, you form that brotherhood. And, and I, I, I, the way I believe rank is, um, my rank is, is, uh, a tool that I use to take care of my people and the mission. And, and so that rank is there for that. And I don't need the extra courtesies and, and, you know, uh, for me, you know, that, that would detract us from either taking care of each other or taking care of the mission. And sometimes that in different, different areas that can be different, but in special operations, because you're so close together, because you have to be that, that perfectly integral team, you need to

be able to, to, I mean, absolutely take care of every, every situation. Um, it's just a very tight culture and it's, it's pretty neat to just, just recognize, you know, everyone understands your role, you know, like we can be brothers and when I need to step out and they need to get in trouble, you know, cause they did something dumb. They know they did something dumb, you know, like we do it and we professional and we get back, you know, get back to it. So it sounds like it's much more a function of function than it is a function of status. Yeah. And yeah, when, I mean, especially when folks are rightly focused on their mission and their, you know, the what they're doing, then, yeah, it is. You know, sometimes people can, you know, get rank conscious and, you know, think that they're more than they're human.

But yeah. So so I'd like to learn more about exactly what the Air Force Special Operations does. I mean, everyone sees the movies. They think they know what a Navy SEAL does. I assume we have no idea what the Navy SEALs really do, but we watch the movies and we have an idea for what we believe it is. We think we know what the Marines do. We think we know what the Army Rangers do. I don't hear many people talking about Air Force Special Operations. I think the first time I ever heard of it was when I heard that David Goggins was that and a Navy SEAL.

Yeah. So why Air Force Special Operations and what does the job, and I know that you're going to say, well, you might say that there's many jobs. It depends on which one you end up doing, but what is the role of Air Force Special Operations? Yeah. So the Air Force Special Operations is a ground combat force that's focused on air power integration. So there are absolutely other ground forces and all the other branches, but none that focus so exclusively and integrating about taking all things in the air and making them work well with all things on the ground together. And so that's our main thing is uniting the power of the air with the ground scheme maneuver, what's required

for boots on the ground and making the mission happen where the people are. And the way that we do that is with strike access and recovery. Those are the main missions, you know, overall arching mission sets. So precision strike, strike mission is our ability to take out our enemies anywhere in the world. So that can be as low as kicking in a door and doing close quarter battle, taking out a guy, or it could be precision strike from controlling, you know, bombers at, you know, 60, 50,000, you know, feet and dropping, you know, 2000 pound bombs and, and, and doing it that way. Um, and, or, or launching, you know, uh, strikes in great distances away. Um, so it's a strike piece. Um, the access is our ability to get anywhere in the

world and project American, you know, political will, um, through military power. So, so that could be, uh, you know, so especially in the Air Force, that's our ability to get military assets anywhere. So that could be in the beginning of a war when we would take over an enemy airfield. Air Force Special Operations would be the first one there. They'd be jumping in with other, you know, Army Rangers, other brothers.

They'd be the first guys on the ground. And then they're the ones that set up the runway and then start bringing in lots of aircraft. So that could be in the beginning of a war or it could also be um for uh humanitarian disaster relief um so lots of missions you know haiti earthquake that was our guys were the first ones on the ground to start controlling all the air traffic um bringing you know uh thousands of pounds of aid in thousands of people out um and the last is recovery. So our ability to save anybody anywhere in the world. So that could be an enemy or a pilot that shot down deep behind enemy lines,

or it could be a lost hiker in Alaska that we can reach them, take care of them, bring them home to safety. So strike access and recovery. So there are Air Force special operators on the ground going into buildings. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. And so because we seamlessly integrate with all the other branches, all the other special operations forces,

we have to do everything that they can do and do it a little better sometimes to be allowed to be integrated into the team. The respect thing you're saying on that one, it sounds like. Yeah. So sometimes, you know, we will, our forces will augment other forces. So as an outsider, you have to show up and prove yourself in every aspect of, you know, soldierly, you know, capabilities. So you can earn, you know, the respect on the team so that then when they're in, you know, a battle and they need the air integration, that you're able to control that and bring that military force to bear.

So do everything they can do and then bring in all the air and all the big eyes. So with the radio, so we operate our M4 and our 5.56 bullets, or we can get on the radio and drop 2,000-pound bombs. So that's a big capability that you bring beyond what some of the other folks can do. I gotta tell you, there's just about nothing cooler than

seeing, hearing, and feeling a military jet ripping through the sky over your head. It's like, whoa! That is moving fast and that was loud and I felt it on the ground head yep it's like whoa and like that is that is moving fast and that was loud and i felt it on the ground yep so it's it's very very cool um you've been deployed i imagine yes okay so when you get deployed and go to a foreign country whether it's for a combat for

for a combat reason or for a rescue reason. What's different about the way that life exists than when you're at home and active duty? So when you're deployed, often it's kind of a simplicity of life because you largely are removed from the normal cares and concerns of life and you are exclusively focused on your mission. You obviously still have those tie-ins with home and you communicate it, but largely, depending on the mission, sometimes you don't have a lot of communication. So there is a focus on just being able to do life and death missions and to focus in on that. So I say sometimes like the closer you get to the pointy edge of the spear, the less bureaucracy

affects you, you know, like in the further, you know, further removed is where you get bogged down with lots of other restrictions and administrative things, you know, stuff that has to happen. But when it's, when there's not that sense of clarity of mission and sense of urgency sometimes people can get bogged down in some of those things so deploying you know when when when combat is uh is good and still intense you know focused you know the you can just focus on the mission and and less on some of the other things that would distract you and you know keep you busy bogged down with you know that's a how do you handle the the kind of dichotomy of everybody wants to be able to do what they need to do when called upon to do it but at the same time i've never spoken to anybody in the military who was like yeah i'm happy that we're at war having to kill bad guys

because like i would rather there just be no bad guys. That's at least that's what I've heard from most of the military people I've spoken with. How do you handle that? Like, it's a really interesting juxtaposition to me. Yeah. Yeah, it is, uh, you know, to, to be a professional and to, uh, to, to, to want to be excellent at your profession, at your trade. You know, you train very hard. You focus on becoming better every day, on, you know, knowing your job in and out, you know, to master that task. Ultimately, you know, you don't want to have to do it. Like on the big picture, you know, like you don't, I mean, you know, better than anyone, what the suffering of war and combat,

what that brings. But you're still a professional that is ready to do your job. And so it is weird. And I think sometimes think sometimes I think most of my, most of the guys I work with deal with it well, and they understand I'm not a, I'm not a warmonger. I'm not, I'm not seeking the destruction of my enemy in a vicious way, but I am seeking to do my job. And my job sometimes is to, to bring death to my enemies, to the enemies of the United States. And so that's, I'm a loving person. Like I have not, I don't, can't remember. I've actually been in a fight, you know, personally. But I have controlled bombs that, you know, have killed people.

And that I didn't have to do that with malice in my heart. It was my duty and it was taking care of my brothers and it was breaking, uh, the back of a government that was established to oppress its people and, and do some horrible and atrocious things, um, that I was still able to do that job without, um, making it personal sometimes like, and having that kind of that, that disconnection, that separation of understanding, you know, what I was doing was necessary and needed, you know, ordered by the people of the American public, you know, as part of our government, you know. Yeah. I have a friend and a staff member of mine who people who listen to this podcast have heard before.

His name is Larry. And he likes to say that all and he he's an individual who's very capable of violence. He's peaceful. And he likes to say that all violence is just an expression of love. If there's nothing to love on the backside, there's no reason to be violent on the front side. Yeah. Does that resonate with you as somebody who has clearly put to utility more violence than a guy who maybe has punched a few people in the face? Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, it's, it's a great, it's great way to look at it. And, and it's also like,

this is, I think something maybe a little, little more unique about me than others is, you know, it's interesting. A lot of guys will say like, you have to be the type A personality. You have to be the meteor that, you know, takes over a room and, you know, does all that. And, and I've, that's never been me. Um, and so I often thought there was something wrong with me, you know, like, I'm like, oh crap, if that's the right type of leader, then I'm the wrong type and I need to work hard to fix it. And so I was uncomfortable for a long time, you know, just trying to grow into my skin and recognize like, this is me and I'm okay. You know? Um, but part of that just came from like, I don't have, like, I'm not, I'm actually not a very competitive person. Um, I would actually rather just play a game where y'all could win

than, than have to like dominate my opponents. And so that's, you know, I loved, I love wrestling, you know, because I could, I could master myself. Like it was about self-discipline and being the best that I could and then having that opportunity to, to, to test it against another person. But I didn't have to get myself raged, you know, do it it was you know i was listening to gospel music you know and i was listening to symphonies and you know i was calm and in a you know good centered place and then went out and did what i needed to do so you you don't you don't have to be a warmonger you don't have to be you know unsettled like you can be a professional and focused on what you need to do so i have a concern that i

want to ask you about and i would love for you to tell me that i'm wrong and that would be awesome but you might not you might say let him write and in that case good now we all know about it we have to do something to fix it my daughter goes to school she's four years old and when she gets to kindergarten next year it's going to be you know name brand lunches and phys ed once every six days and their recess instead of being just like go out play and let society tell you that you're not that awesome it's structured recess phys ed once every six days and name brand meals now i have a plan personally to change that in my neighborhood um but i don't know that every neighborhood has somebody who's going to change it in theirs and there's no evidence that i'm going to be successful yet are you seeing kids

coming up through the school system who are ill prepared to even be selected for special operations? Unfortunately, yes. And that's, I mean, that's all the military branches are recognizing this. There's just less and less people in America that are qualified for military service. That's crazy. Yeah, from heavy medications that they took when they were younger for, you know, whatever thing they got prescribed. Or just obesity or, you know, different things. And I mean, people still overcome that we've, you know, we've had some pretty crazy success stories of the kid that finally got that motivation and recognized, you know, hey, I want to change my life. But yeah, as a whole,

you know, that that recruiting is tougher nowadays, because there are there's just a smaller pool of people to pull from. So the i think from most people's perspective the primary job of the military is to keep us safe from foreign adversaries but there's also the domestic adversaries that you guys are supposed to keep us safe from and do to what responsibility to what level do you believe it's the military's responsibility to start to influence the way that we allow kids to be kids and to grow up and the health and the the awareness that needs to be in schools do you believe that the military has a role in that not not not in the the demise that we've seen in the ability for us to rebound in that when we look at the military budget in the united states it's huge and frankly i'm not

the guy who knows if it's even big enough or what. I don't read through the invoices. You know what I mean? But I don't think that there's any system, institution, whatever you want to call it, in the country that has more powerful influence than the military. Yeah. That's an interesting perspective. I hadn't really thought of it that way. Sometimes you do kind of feel isolated in your perspective as a military member. Sometimes people live on bases.

Sometimes they live overseas. Sometimes they are not interacting as much as everyone else does. We've not chosen to do that. We always chose to live in the neighborhood and go to a normal church and stuff like that, are not interacting, you know, as much as, you know, everyone else does, you know, uh, we've not chosen to do that. We always chose to live in the neighborhood and, you know, go to normal church and stuff like that, just to, to, you know, just stay with the, you know, a lot of people around us. Um, but I hadn't, I hadn't, I hadn't thought of it as the, you know, the military having a responsibility in that. Like, I think, you know, the, actually there's lots of apparel

we see walking around here and then, you know, with the, the race, you know, actually there's lots of apparel we see walking around here and then, you know, with the race, you know, the Spartan culture, there's lots of military influences on it, but it feels indirect. You know, it feels like that we've, you know, as we've been called to do things and fight and, you know, you hear those valorous stories that people are inspired by that and then they want to emulate it a bit. But that's not something that I've, you know, strived to share with others. It's just, hey, I'm doing my job and I'll keep doing my job. And if you want to make a T-shirt about it, you can.

I think maybe responsibility was the wrong choice of word. I more mean opportunity. Like, I feel like if I was with, if I brought you and like four of your friends to the school where my kid goes and says, Hey, Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns says we have to fix this. I feel like it would be like, okay, we'll do that then. As opposed to me walking in and saying, I want to fix it. I have a plan. And how do I help you guys get behind it? Yeah.

Okay. So the next thing I want to ask you about is really who should do it? You know, it's, I think everybody looks at these military heroes, right? Somebody would look at you and say, you're a recruiter. You have a decorated career as a serviceman in the United States Air Force, that's unattainable for me. And the reality is we were talking about before we got on the air is it's not. It's not unattainable for the average person. And we started the show talking about it, but I really want to get granular with it.

Who's the kid or the man sitting around right now who should be talking to somebody like you? Man, the one, I think, unique thing that we've been able to improve upon with some of the latest changes that we've focused on with special operations is recognizing this is not a sales tactic. If I can talk somebody through door number one, you know, when it's going to take, you know, a hundred doors to get through to make it to this,

like if I'm fighting to get them into that, you know, then they're not going to make it, you know? So the right person is the is the person that, that wants to, wants to, to, to achieve, wants, wants to do more, wants to impact the world around them, wants to, to be a part of that team, to be a part of something that's focused on, on a higher objective, just beyond themselves. It's the person that wants to be challenged. It's a person that wants to excel and has that little bit of that crazy gene, you know, that is dissatisfied with, you know, peace in their life, you know, and is looking for those challenges. But man, it's like, it's the people with the guts to try. And I think, you know, one thing that, you know, we need to do is to help them understand, you know,

the bridge is not so great. You know, the chasm is, you know, there's, there are steps every, every step of this way. You know, there's, um, we've, we built an entire system that, that is designed to give you every opportunity to succeed. Um, you still will face the crucible and you will face many crucibles and it will be very difficult. You know, it will take every ounce of your strength. Um, but we will get you there. You know, if your heart keeps fighting, um, you have a chance and, and, and to, to be able to do this. So it's not like, you know, there, there's not a magic, uh, a magic psych, psychological profile test we can give. There's, you know, lots of people try really hard on it. Uh, it's not, it's not, you know, like, Oh, it's iron man. He's going to show up. He's going to be the best ever, you know,

because lots of really powerful people fail really quick. And other unassuming pudgy, you know, sometimes, I mean, just people that just won't quit, just keep fighting, just keep pushing through, fighting for that next, you know, through that next step just to keep going. So, man, it's just like if you feel that call, then take it. Listen to it. Answer it, you know. through that next step just to, just to keep going. Um, so man, it's just like, if you feel that call, then, then, then take it, listen to it, answer it, you know, give it that shot. Um, instead of, you know, it's, ah, I can't be that. I can't be, I'll never be that, that like you won't, if you don't try, you know, take that first step and, and, and see how far it gets you.

And, and, you know, it may take you on a different path, but, but every step forward, you're going to, you're going to improve and grow. So take it it i love that i like that it's the way that you presented it for me the way i interpreted that was if you're the kind of person who is interested in challenge and feels as though there's something left for you to do at all times this there there will be no greater challenge there will be no greater challenge. There will be no greater accomplishment. And there will be no finish line to this one if you choose to go ahead and seek it out. And is that an accurate interpretation from my side? So I feel like I've learned a lot so far about the Air Force Special Operations, which frankly, I didn't know much about before we came in. I mean, I did some

research so that I would be prepared for this conversation. But is there anything that I didn't know much about before we came in. I mean, I did some research so that I would be prepared for this conversation. But is there anything that I didn't ask you about that you think it's important that we tell people listening to this so that they understand what the opportunity is, what's at stake, and what they need to tell the person who, maybe it's not them, but what do they need to tell to the person who maybe it is? Yeah. And I think just to hit up on just on that last topic again and just, you know, it's easy to look at that end result and think, you know, you can never get there. It's easy to hear the rap sheet and look at the rack of awards and medals and, you know, and think like, oh man, anyone that could do that would be this. And man, that's not me. I'm never be that. And it was just like, you don't know. You didn't see every step in this way has been a struggle, a trial. You know,

I've failed over and over again. I've, I've struggled. I've felt like an idiot. You know, I was too slow. I wasn't loud enough. I wasn't strong enough, you know, like over and over again. And, and some, somehow I'm still here. I'm still, I'm still doing it, you know, and you never know what that final thing is be. And you can never extrapolate and say, man, that, that person has altogether. Cause man, we're all, we've all just struggled to, to get, get to that spot. So it's just, man, you know, take that step, take just step. It can be you if you want it to be you. Just seek it out and fight for it. I love it. I appreciate you joining me today.

Absolutely. Thank you. My pleasure. Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kearns, thank you very much. If anybody wants to listen to this and they're compelled to get in touch with you, is there a way for them to do that through this show? Yep.

Airforce.com and slash special operations. Airforce.com slash special operations. That's right. Easy peasy. Yep. I'll take you down and let you see all the different careers and see some cool videos and stuff and follow us on YouTube know youtube and facebook and instagram awesome thank you so much thank you

well