September 8, 2025 • 27 mins
What happens when veterans and first responders lose their tribe? Master Sergeant Chet Olesky knows firsthand the challenges of transitioning from military service to civilian life after his 20-year Air Force career working on some of America's most sophisticated aircraft. Now, as a guide with the American Warrior Association (AWA), he's helping others find healing, purpose, and community.
In this revealing conversation, Chet shares how AWA provides completely free five-day retreats for veterans, active-duty military, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and 911 dispatchers across beautiful locations nationwide. These faith-based gatherings combine outdoor activities like hiking, horseback riding, and fishing with powerful fireside discussions designed to address moral injury and provide practical tools for daily life.
The heart of AWA's mission lies in reconnecting warriors with others who truly understand their experiences. As Chet explains, "Military guys get along so good because we had to... You meet people from all walks of life, and then you go back home, and the same people that were there when you left don't look at things the same way as you do." This disconnect creates significant challenges, especially for first responders who might experience trauma during their shift and then need to return home to family life hours later.
From humble beginnings in 2018, AWA has expanded to offer nearly 50 retreats annually across California, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Georgia, and beyond. Their model of bringing veterans together in supportive environments is proving transformative, with many participants returning as volunteers to help others on their healing journey.
Ready to reconnect with your tribe or support those who served? Visit AmericanWarriorAssociation.org to learn more, apply for a retreat, or contribute to this vital mission helping America's warriors find their way home.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Larry Zilliox (00:00):
Good morning.
I'm your host, Larry Zilliox,Director of Culinary Services
here at the Warrior Retreat atBull Run, and this week our
guest is Chet Olesky.
He is with the American WarriorAssociation and he's visiting
the retreat this week and Iasked him to sit down and tell
us about the organization andthe amazing work that they do.
(00:23):
So, chet, welcome to thepodcast.
Thank you for having me.
It's a wonderful experience.
So if you would tell us alittle bit about your military
service when you joined, whatbranch you were in and how it
went for you.
Chet Oleske (00:40):
I started 18.
I went in the Air Force.
I entered to be a crew chief.
I started on U-2s.
Larry Zilliox (00:48):
Wow.
Chet Oleske (00:50):
I ended up going to A-10s, f-16s and then EC-130s
and then.
Ac-130 gunships, where Ifinished and retired 20 years.
Wow, in 21.
Yeah, I retired as a mastersergeant and had a pretty good
career, saw the world a coupleof times in Korea, some
Afghanistan, uae, europe and alot of states.
Larry Zilliox (01:14):
Yeah, sure, I just did an episode last week
recorded with Francis GaryPowers Jr.
Oh wow.
And he is actually the founderof the Cold War Museum which is
nearby and he's just a great guy.
We had a wonderful conversation, but I know you're quite
familiar with his father.
What was with the transition toall the different aircraft?
(01:39):
Was that out of necessity forthe Air Force, they needed crew
chiefs for different things?
Or did you just get tired of aU-2 and go want something
different?
Chet Oleske (01:50):
No.
So I started U-2s and back thenwe had a shred just for U-2s.
We were a 2A3X3J and we wereU-2s only.
It's a very small community,two locations, california and
Korea and then we had differentdeployed locations.
(02:11):
But once the Air Force saw thatwe couldn't just stay on those
two, they opened the shred to anH which was A10s and U2s.
So then the transition startedwith that, where people were
going to A10s from U2s and viceversa.
And then a few years later theykind of opened.
(02:31):
Once you became a seven level inas a crew chief, you could
pretty much go on anything.
It wasn't common.
Back then, I think I kind ofgot.
I was kind of at the beginningof some of these changes.
Um, my first duty station waskorea, which, uh, I had there
hadn't been a first term brandnew airman in korea and I guess
(02:54):
like 20 years or something andthere was like three of us we
were like the first ones.
So uh made it through that.
Uh, that was a tough base tostart, right.
It it's a cold place, isn't itPeople?
Larry Zilliox (03:05):
don't realize how cold it gets there.
Chet Oleske (03:08):
The climate changes in Korea is just.
I mean, summer, 100% humidityand it's like 100 degrees out,
and then the winter is negative,20 for four months straight,
raining monsoons.
I mean you get everything there.
So I went to A10s on my secondtrip to Korea and then I went
back to U-2s as a choice andthen I met my wife in Korea the
(03:31):
second time and she went toF-16s.
She was also a crew chief, sowhen we got married they moved
me to her.
So that's how I got to go toF-16s and then we were married
about five years and they did.
They took 607 level crew chiefsand took them from fighters to
(03:53):
heavies and I got selected inthat.
So it was.
It was a force retrain.
There was no tech school, therewas no nothing.
Larry Zilliox (04:01):
it was just you move to another airframe and go
out there and learn it that'sright which wasn't that
difficult like uh, they all gotwheels, yeah, they all got comm
gear, they all got engines yeah.
Chet Oleske (04:14):
So for me, going from fighters where crew chiefs
did a lot of the work uh,hydraulics, all that stuff but
then going to heavies where thecrew chiefs don't do as much,
you know, we had hydraulictroops, we had engine troops, we
had that actually, you know,did their stuff.
Larry Zilliox (04:32):
Yeah, you were more of a manager of the
maintenance program where FMSwould come in and do some things
and and uh well, I can tell youthat'm kind of envious because
those are all aircraft that Irarely saw.
I was in SAC, I was at Loringprison to death.
Then I went to Guam and all wehad were bombers and tankers,
(04:54):
yeah, and occasionally we'd getsome fighters that would roll in
, and we did have one U-2 oncethat we had to guard and they
stuck it in a—they were realnervous about it and it couldn't
be out where it could be seenby a satellite and all that kind
of craziness.
But yeah, that's quite aselection of aircraft.
(05:14):
Those are really cool planescompared to a KC-135.
Yeah, we'd see the 141s come inall the time, but you know
there's nothing fancy about them.
Chet Oleske (05:24):
Yeah, I mean going from U-2s and then eventually
going to EC-130s with electroniccombat 130.
Yeah, like there's only oneplace that we have them, and
then going to AC-130 gunships.
You know like it's still asmall community so yeah Well,
there's not many of them.
Larry Zilliox (05:42):
Yeah, yeah.
So you're in and you're closingin on your 20 years, and so are
you planning on getting out, oryou, you want to stay longer,
or how was your transition?
What was that all about?
Chet Oleske (05:58):
um, I was from the get-go.
I wanted to retire, um.
So I think my goal was always20 years.
I had hoped maybe I was furtheralong in my rank structure, but
yeah, I didn't really want todo more than 20.
I wanted to do my 20 years andenjoy it and move on.
Larry Zilliox (06:19):
What was that transition like for you?
Chet Oleske (06:22):
I got kind of lucky , I think, think I mean covid
hit the world in 20 and changedeverything.
You know, at that time I was onac-130s, uh, section chief, so
I had like 150 crew chiefs thatwere for me and we went down to
a skeleton crew of like ninemaintainers or nine crew chiefs,
(06:47):
scheduled for a 12 hour shift.
So we had a night shift and aday shift and so we were running
18 guys for two weeks and thenthey would get time off and
another 18 would come Right.
But for that that whole time,out of the the 150, you still
have 130 guys that aren'tworking.
So, uh, and myself included, weall had to stay home.
(07:10):
Yeah, so it was.
They called me every day, had alot of phone calls every day,
and that was my job stillmaintaining EPRs, all that kind
of stuff, but we all kind ofworked from home, unless you
were on that 18 crew.
How long did that go on?
About eight months poof.
Larry Zilliox (07:29):
Yeah, that's like being in the middle of an ori,
non-stop yeah, god lord.
Chet Oleske (07:35):
so.
So we rotated guys out.
I mean there were some guysthat in that eight month like
they weren't good enough to bethe nine yeah, you know, on a
shift, so they had a lot of timeoff and stuff like that.
But so it kind of gave me agood transition from active duty
life to being with my familymore and settling in with that
(07:56):
Right and stuff being home,being present.
So it was a good transition forme, I think.
So it was a good transition forme, I think.
Larry Zilliox (08:03):
And so the organization talk a little bit
about what it is, what it does,how it came to be.
Chet Oleske (08:10):
Will Spencer.
He's a Navy SEAL, 30 years,wrote the program, came up with
the idea for the program.
We are American WarriorAssociation.
It'sAmericanWarriorAssociationorg.
You can go on there and checkthat out.
We are a faith-basedorganization for veterans,
(08:32):
active duty, police, fire, emts,even 911 dispatch can sign up
with us and go on a five-daytrip.
We have various locationsthroughout the country that we
go California, colorado, idaho,texas.
We got one in Georgia, we havea few more in the works and
(08:53):
stuff like that.
But we take somebody completelyfree to them.
We pay for a plane ticket andtheir stay, all their food,
everything.
It's a Monday through Fridaytrip.
Fly out Monday morning we allmeet up in an airport and we
shuttle to, to a ranch or wherewe're staying and yeah, and we
(09:17):
we try to teach them a littlebit about moral injury and and
which goes along with PTSD.
Try to give guys tools thatweek that they could put in
their tool belt and take homethat help them in day-to-day
life.
You don't have to have adeep-seated medical condition or
anything to go on these trips.
It is open to everybody thathas served and we just try to
(09:42):
give a guy a tool, if we cangive everybody a tool that week
that they take home, whetherit's journaling or or or what
have you, or maybe even just alittle closer to God.
That's a win for us.
And then they would travel backon Friday back to their home
and stuff like that.
We do a lot of places.
We do hiking, horseback riding,archeryery, fishing, stuff like
(10:07):
that outdoorsy.
Gotta get them away from theirphones and uh and away, you know
, just some peace and quiet.
Uh, throughout the week they'llhave hours a day to do whatever
they'd like.
You know a lot of places wehave cornhole.
Guys get together and it's justbeing around other veterans and
making friendships withlike-minded individuals that
(10:30):
helps them the most.
You know, sure, I am a leaderon a trip, but I am no means
like the expert, you know.
But we, we all learn from eachother and, and just throughout
the week, we have fires everynight that we sit around and
talk about, and that's where wekind of do our meat and potatoes
of the book that we give themand stuff like that.
They have about 30 minutes ofreading that they need to do
(10:52):
every day and then we kind oftalk about it in the evenings.
Larry Zilliox (10:56):
Do you find?
Well, let me just ask you thishow powerful do you believe it
is when veterans come and grouptogether and sort of
reconstitute that tribe thatthey miss so much?
Chet Oleske (11:11):
A lot of guys do and they get out of the military
and they go home right and noteverybody is from a military
town or whatever, or whateveryou know a lot of guys go back
home and they have nobody thatthey know that has seen or done
or, you know, been a part of thesame situation that they have
(11:33):
for however many years, whetherthey do six months and have a
medical condition get out orthey do 30 years.
You know like it's anexperience that they've done in
their life and and it's nice tobe able to connect and I think
that's why military guys getalong so good and it's nice to
be able to connect and I thinkthat's why military guys get
along so good and stuff, causewe had to.
You know, you meet people fromall walks of life and then and
(11:54):
then you go back home and thesame people that were there when
you left, but they don't seethe same, they don't look at
things the same way as you do.
Larry Zilliox (12:01):
Yeah, and I know there's a lot of veterans that
start to have issues becausethey may have believed that they
could create the same sort ofbonds that they had during their
time in service in the civiliancommunity.
And you just really can't.
I mean, the closest you'regoing to come is in public
(12:23):
service, such as firefighting orlaw enforcement, but even then
it's it's not quite the same.
No, um, I know I'm in touchwith people that I served with
40 years ago and, um, you know,we just talk and it's like I saw
him yesterday, yeah and uh, andit's just something special
(12:44):
about it.
Sometimes it's hard to describepeople.
To the program itself what doyou think is the most important
aspect of the program?
Is it the faith basedinitiative?
Is it the camaraderie?
Is it something else that youdelivered to them?
Chet Oleske (13:04):
I mean the faith is a huge part, the camaraderie,
getting guys together but kindof getting guys out of their
comfort zone, for them to openup and stuff like that.
You know, they're going to aplace that they've never been
before, in maybe a state they'venever been, and and stuff like
that.
And and just getting out there,we, we tell everybody on the
(13:28):
first night you've already donethe hardest part about this this
week.
Yeah, it's getting there, get,getting them on a flight to have
faith in us, that we're goingto be there and take care of
them for the week.
You know, like that's a bigstep for a lot of guys.
I mean, we've had a lot of guysthat don't show up and you know
.
But but for the most parteverybody shows up.
(13:49):
But they have the military guys, have these, these quests that,
like they, they have a plan.
If I didn't show up, you knowand I think it's the funniest
thing they're like we didn'tknow if this was really real.
You know, I was gonna, we werelanding in la and we had the
whole week planned out just incase you didn't show up and I
was like I told you I was goingto be here and so so it's.
(14:11):
It is kind of funny to hear someof the stories of what the guys
think about.
But that's that's the stuffthat was instilled in us in the
military and as a copperfirefighter like you planned for
the worst all the time and andstuff like that.
And then once I do pick them upand we're on the bus and we get
to the ranch and stuff, you cansee that like relief come off
(14:32):
them and then they have a good.
You know, when we first getthere on Monday night, it's
usually dinner, dinner time, andwe have a nice meal and then we
meet around the fire and youjust see guys really start
taking it in, then start takingit in then.
Larry Zilliox (14:43):
So when you do get together and the group
starts to open up, what do youfind are the issues that they're
dealing with the most?
Chet Oleske (14:53):
A lot of guys have.
You know, I mean with with thewars that we've been going
through.
You know a lot of guys havecombat experience that they have
dealt with.
But I see a lot of issuesrelating with their family and
and if they're done with themilitary or done retired as a
(15:13):
firefighter or cop or or what,what have you like it's
reintegrating back into to life.
You know, the cops.
I mean, it's so hard for them.
They work a eight, 10, 12 hourshift and then they have to go
right back home to their family.
You know a lot of military.
You're deployed for six, eightmonths, year, year and a half,
(15:35):
and then there's kind of thatyou get to just push it all down
while you're out there and thena year later then you have to
like whatever.
Larry Zilliox (15:43):
But you have time to work through it.
Yeah, you know, after yourdeployment you're going to be
with the family for months, yeah, whereas in law enforcement and
firefighters it's they're withthem for eight hours and then
it's a new shift, yeah, and anew set of craziness.
Chet Oleske (16:09):
Yeah, the integration for the police and
firefighters that, like you know, they could have seen a suicide
or, you know, had to shootsomebody or whatever happened
that day, and then go have lunchwith their wife an hour later.
You know it's like how do youdeal with that?
And then then try to act normal, right, so it's, it's a
difficult thing, um, it's just,but I think that's the biggest
thing that I've seen is it'sjust guys can deal with what the
(16:33):
job is, but it's trying to actlike a normal father or a normal
husband or son, daughter, youknow, acting like that after
what they've gone through youknow, is the biggest thing I've
seen.
Larry Zilliox (16:48):
How many are there in a group, a typical
group that you host?
Chet Oleske (16:52):
We've had groups as small as like eight, but
normally it's usually like 12 to16.
And that's including me, and Iusually have a volunteer.
Sometimes we have a chef withus depends on locations, stuff
like that but it's usuallyaround 12 or 13 is a normal
group.
So there'll be a couple, me andI usually have a volunteer that
(17:16):
has been on a program beforeand then they want to come back
to help others and stuff likethat.
So usually a couple of us andthen say 10.
Larry Zilliox (17:26):
And how many programs do you run, say in a
month or a year?
Chet Oleske (17:30):
So this year we have 25 men's trips and I think
22 women's trips, so we don't doany couples but spouses are
able to go.
They can go on a men's orwomen's trip.
We try to cover as many as wecan.
Larry Zilliox (17:48):
And for the female warriors, is it an
all-female cadre of mentors orcounselors?
Yes, I don't know what you allcall them.
Chet Oleske (17:57):
So we call them guides.
Guides because we're guidingthem through the information and
stuff.
Yeah, so there'll be.
Women's are just the same.
They usually have two or threeof them one guide and then
usually a couple of volunteers.
Larry Zilliox (18:13):
Wow, can a warrior go on a trip again and
again, or are they limited?
Yeah, like us, we have limitedresources.
We don't have families comeback unless they're invited by
another warrior.
Chet Oleske (18:30):
So yes, they can come back.
So, especially like we haveworked with Texas we're based
out of Fort Worth so we've beenkind of growing out of that and
working with the cities andstuff like that they can come
back whenever.
And then if you're a veteranand you say you come and you
(18:51):
want to come back next year, weask that you bring two other
veterans with you.
So if you can get two others tosign up with you, then you come
back the following year,something like that.
Larry Zilliox (19:02):
So do you have a lot of repeat customers?
Chet Oleske (19:04):
Yeah, so we have a lot of guys that want to
volunteer.
Our volunteer list is amazing.
I wish we could take morevolunteers back, but we try to
spread it around.
The guys go back.
I always need somebody and ifyou come back as a volunteer,
you know you're just trying toassist me with getting people to
talk.
Sometimes you know we'resitting to assist me with
(19:25):
getting people to talk.
Yeah, sometimes you know we'resitting around the fire and I'm
talking explaining some stuffand then waiting for people to
jump in and a volunteer can stepup and maybe tell a story.
That sparks somebody else totell a story, and stuff like
that so, yeah, is it hard to getthem to talk?
you know, I I mean me personallyI have a few tricks um a lot of
the places we go.
(19:45):
We have, like, usually athree-hour bus ride to get up to
the ranch.
I kind of put my headphones onand I sit up front with the
driver and kind of not payattention and I'm not trying to
be rude and I tell the guys oncewe get there.
But if I'm being the sitting inthe back with them, they all
start asking me questions aboutthe week.
Right, but if I'm up front notthem.
They all start asking mequestions about the week, right,
but if I'm, up front, notpaying attention, they all start
(20:06):
talking to each other andgetting to know each other and a
lot of times by the time we getto the ranch they're all
hugging and and brotherly loveand, and you know so, by the
first fire that night guys arejust waiting to tell stories and
talk about things.
So so I mean I mean I've hadgroups that it was like pulling
teeth, you know.
(20:27):
But then I've had groups thatlike I don't really have to do
much, like they're teaching eachother, you know, so it's pretty
cool.
Larry Zilliox (20:36):
So how does one sign up to go?
So, if you, go onAmericanWarriorAssociationorg.
Chet Oleske (20:43):
you can click there and you can see all about us
and then apply.
It's a real quick, fewquestions and then, once that's
submitted, we have a coupleladies that do intake interviews
and they'll call and they'regoing to ask you and just try to
get your background, just whatyou have issues with, or if you
don't have any issues, that'sfine.
(21:03):
Just trying to get informationon you and and and stuff like
that, and and we're going to getyou a plane ticket, get you
signed up.
we have the whole year scheduledout before the year, so we're
working on our schedulingprocess for 26 right now right
and and locations and stuff likethat, and then you know what
month you're able to go and thenget you on a trip and get it
(21:25):
all scheduled out.
Now some guys schedule outeight months away and they come
on a trip.
Some guys are like I want to goas soon as possible and we can
get them on a trip, usuallywithin a couple of weeks.
Larry Zilliox (21:37):
So is there a waiting list, or is there a
particular time of the yearthat's more popular than so?
Chet Oleske (21:42):
the beginning of the year is usually slow, yeah,
getting people signed up andthen summer is busy season.
We have a lot of trips duringthe summer.
It's easier for some peoplebecause their kids are out of
school and stuff like that yeahand then and then the kind of
the end of the year, you getkind of the the older crowd that
don't maybe don't have kids inschool and stuff like that, that
(22:03):
sign up big time well,listeners, the the web page is
awa-usaorg or g.
Larry Zilliox (22:12):
I recommend everybody take a look at it.
Uh, there is a donate buttonthere.
Yes, on the bottom.
We do take donations.
Yeah, yeah, where does most ofthe funding come from?
Chet Oleske (22:22):
we have, uh, three big fundraisers that we do.
We have a golf tournament, wehave what we call a hoedown.
It's a very nice fancy dinner,if somebody wanted to go to a
fundraiser.
They're in Texas.
Yes, okay, all those are out ofFort Worth, okay, oh.
So we have our.
(22:42):
Three big fundraisers are theHoedown, which is a fancy dinner
, in September.
We have a the Fort Worth Stockand Rodeo show.
That's in February.
That's a big fundraiser for us.
And then we have a golftournament, that's April, may
timeframe, all in Fort Wortharea, pretty big events.
(23:05):
And then we have grants.
We have expanded and we've hadsome people writing some grants
for us and stuff like that, butmajority of it is donated.
Larry Zilliox (23:15):
Where do you see the organization in five years?
So?
Chet Oleske (23:20):
2018, it started couple trips that year I'm
saying like three or four maybeand then I got into it in 21.
So COVID had kind of killed itand then we started getting
going in the summer of 21 againand that's I came as a
participant.
Now we're up to 25 men's andlike 23 women's this year, so
(23:47):
and we're we're only going to beexpanding more trips.
So you know, our team hasgotten bigger over the last
couple years and and we justkeep keep right in that ship
that way and and the more peoplewe can help, the better right.
Larry Zilliox (24:02):
So for the listener out there who's saying
why, why should I go to this?
What am I going to get out ofthis?
What's your answer to?
Chet Oleske (24:09):
that?
My answer is first off, you'regoing to get some camaraderie.
You're going to meet otherlike-minded individuals.
You might get closer in yourfaith and maybe pick up a tool
or two that you could use inyour day-to-day life.
And, not to mention, you'regoing to get some relaxation,
some of the most beautifulplaces in the United States and
(24:31):
some fun.
We're going to have some fun.
Yeah, you know us military andcops, fighter fighters.
We like to crack jokes on eachother.
We like to have fun, you know,and stuff like that, and there's
no short shortness of that, soI'll tell you that yeah, great,
well, listeners.
Larry Zilliox (24:48):
Uh, there you have it.
Um, visit the web page, donatewhat you can to help out.
Think about going on a trip or,you know, if you're you've got
a relative or a friend orsomebody who needs to go on a
trip.
Share the podcast, send them alink to the webpage and try to
convince them to sign up.
(25:09):
It's not going to kill them,it's going to help them.
And you definitely want toencourage your veteran buddy or
your relative who may be havingsome trouble with moral injury,
pts, just all the issues thatcome with dealing with the VA.
(25:31):
They just need a break and thisis probably the perfect
opportunity for them to get backon the right path, with people
who understand them and will behonest with them and will share
tools and information that helpsthem move in the right
(25:52):
direction and reclaim their life, so that they can be a better
husband, a better father, abetter friend.
This is an amazing program andwe want to make sure that it's
around for a long time.
So go to the webpage, donatewhat you can and check it out,
(26:13):
learn all about it and, if it'sfor you even if you're not sure
if it's for you go ahead andsign up and somebody will call
you and you'll get a lot morebetter understanding of what it
entails and how it can help you.
So, chet, can't thank youenough for sitting down with us
today and telling us all aboutit no problem, it was a pleasure
(26:35):
.
Chet Oleske (26:35):
Thank you for having us.
Larry Zilliox (26:36):
Well, listeners, you can find us on all the major
platforms.
We are on YouTube and WreathsAcross America.
We'll have another episode nextMonday morning at 0500.
Until then, thanks forlistening.
Good morning.
I'm your host, Larry Zilliox,Director of Culinary Services
here at the Warrior Retreat atBull Run, and this week our
guest is Chet Olesky.
He is with the American WarriorAssociation and he's visiting
the retreat this week and Iasked him to sit down and tell
us about the organization andthe amazing work that they do.
(00:23):
So, chet, welcome to thepodcast.
Thank you for having me.
It's a wonderful experience.
So if you would tell us alittle bit about your military
service when you joined, whatbranch you were in and how it
went for you.
Chet Oleske (00:40):
I started 18.
I went in the Air Force.
I entered to be a crew chief.
I started on U-2s.
Larry Zilliox (00:48):
Wow.
Chet Oleske (00:50):
I ended up going to A-10s, f-16s and then EC-130s
and then.
Ac-130 gunships, where Ifinished and retired 20 years.
Wow, in 21.
Yeah, I retired as a mastersergeant and had a pretty good
career, saw the world a coupleof times in Korea, some
Afghanistan, uae, europe and alot of states.
Larry Zilliox (01:14):
Yeah, sure, I just did an episode last week
recorded with Francis GaryPowers Jr.
Oh wow.
And he is actually the founderof the Cold War Museum which is
nearby and he's just a great guy.
We had a wonderful conversation, but I know you're quite
familiar with his father.
What was with the transition toall the different aircraft?
(01:39):
Was that out of necessity forthe Air Force, they needed crew
chiefs for different things?
Or did you just get tired of aU-2 and go want something
different?
Chet Oleske (01:50):
No.
So I started U-2s and back thenwe had a shred just for U-2s.
We were a 2A3X3J and we wereU-2s only.
It's a very small community,two locations, california and
Korea and then we had differentdeployed locations.
(02:11):
But once the Air Force saw thatwe couldn't just stay on those
two, they opened the shred to anH which was A10s and U2s.
So then the transition startedwith that, where people were
going to A10s from U2s and viceversa.
And then a few years later theykind of opened.
(02:31):
Once you became a seven level inas a crew chief, you could
pretty much go on anything.
It wasn't common.
Back then, I think I kind ofgot.
I was kind of at the beginningof some of these changes.
Um, my first duty station waskorea, which, uh, I had there
hadn't been a first term brandnew airman in korea and I guess
(02:54):
like 20 years or something andthere was like three of us we
were like the first ones.
So uh made it through that.
Uh, that was a tough base tostart, right.
It it's a cold place, isn't itPeople?
Larry Zilliox (03:05):
don't realize how cold it gets there.
Chet Oleske (03:08):
The climate changes in Korea is just.
I mean, summer, 100% humidityand it's like 100 degrees out,
and then the winter is negative,20 for four months straight,
raining monsoons.
I mean you get everything there.
So I went to A10s on my secondtrip to Korea and then I went
back to U-2s as a choice andthen I met my wife in Korea the
(03:31):
second time and she went toF-16s.
She was also a crew chief, sowhen we got married they moved
me to her.
So that's how I got to go toF-16s and then we were married
about five years and they did.
They took 607 level crew chiefsand took them from fighters to
(03:53):
heavies and I got selected inthat.
So it was.
It was a force retrain.
There was no tech school, therewas no nothing.
Larry Zilliox (04:01):
it was just you move to another airframe and go
out there and learn it that'sright which wasn't that
difficult like uh, they all gotwheels, yeah, they all got comm
gear, they all got engines yeah.
Chet Oleske (04:14):
So for me, going from fighters where crew chiefs
did a lot of the work uh,hydraulics, all that stuff but
then going to heavies where thecrew chiefs don't do as much,
you know, we had hydraulictroops, we had engine troops, we
had that actually, you know,did their stuff.
Larry Zilliox (04:32):
Yeah, you were more of a manager of the
maintenance program where FMSwould come in and do some things
and and uh well, I can tell youthat'm kind of envious because
those are all aircraft that Irarely saw.
I was in SAC, I was at Loringprison to death.
Then I went to Guam and all wehad were bombers and tankers,
(04:54):
yeah, and occasionally we'd getsome fighters that would roll in
, and we did have one U-2 oncethat we had to guard and they
stuck it in a—they were realnervous about it and it couldn't
be out where it could be seenby a satellite and all that kind
of craziness.
But yeah, that's quite aselection of aircraft.
(05:14):
Those are really cool planescompared to a KC-135.
Yeah, we'd see the 141s come inall the time, but you know
there's nothing fancy about them.
Chet Oleske (05:24):
Yeah, I mean going from U-2s and then eventually
going to EC-130s with electroniccombat 130.
Yeah, like there's only oneplace that we have them, and
then going to AC-130 gunships.
You know like it's still asmall community so yeah Well,
there's not many of them.
Larry Zilliox (05:42):
Yeah, yeah.
So you're in and you're closingin on your 20 years, and so are
you planning on getting out, oryou, you want to stay longer,
or how was your transition?
What was that all about?
Chet Oleske (05:58):
um, I was from the get-go.
I wanted to retire, um.
So I think my goal was always20 years.
I had hoped maybe I was furtheralong in my rank structure, but
yeah, I didn't really want todo more than 20.
I wanted to do my 20 years andenjoy it and move on.
Larry Zilliox (06:19):
What was that transition like for you?
Chet Oleske (06:22):
I got kind of lucky , I think, think I mean covid
hit the world in 20 and changedeverything.
You know, at that time I was onac-130s, uh, section chief, so
I had like 150 crew chiefs thatwere for me and we went down to
a skeleton crew of like ninemaintainers or nine crew chiefs,
(06:47):
scheduled for a 12 hour shift.
So we had a night shift and aday shift and so we were running
18 guys for two weeks and thenthey would get time off and
another 18 would come Right.
But for that that whole time,out of the the 150, you still
have 130 guys that aren'tworking.
So, uh, and myself included, weall had to stay home.
(07:10):
Yeah, so it was.
They called me every day, had alot of phone calls every day,
and that was my job stillmaintaining EPRs, all that kind
of stuff, but we all kind ofworked from home, unless you
were on that 18 crew.
How long did that go on?
About eight months poof.
Larry Zilliox (07:29):
Yeah, that's like being in the middle of an ori,
non-stop yeah, god lord.
Chet Oleske (07:35):
so.
So we rotated guys out.
I mean there were some guysthat in that eight month like
they weren't good enough to bethe nine yeah, you know, on a
shift, so they had a lot of timeoff and stuff like that.
But so it kind of gave me agood transition from active duty
life to being with my familymore and settling in with that
(07:56):
Right and stuff being home,being present.
So it was a good transition forme, I think.
So it was a good transition forme, I think.
Larry Zilliox (08:03):
And so the organization talk a little bit
about what it is, what it does,how it came to be.
Chet Oleske (08:10):
Will Spencer.
He's a Navy SEAL, 30 years,wrote the program, came up with
the idea for the program.
We are American WarriorAssociation.
It'sAmericanWarriorAssociationorg.
You can go on there and checkthat out.
We are a faith-basedorganization for veterans,
(08:32):
active duty, police, fire, emts,even 911 dispatch can sign up
with us and go on a five-daytrip.
We have various locationsthroughout the country that we
go California, colorado, idaho,texas.
We got one in Georgia, we havea few more in the works and
(08:53):
stuff like that.
But we take somebody completelyfree to them.
We pay for a plane ticket andtheir stay, all their food,
everything.
It's a Monday through Fridaytrip.
Fly out Monday morning we allmeet up in an airport and we
shuttle to, to a ranch or wherewe're staying and yeah, and we
(09:17):
we try to teach them a littlebit about moral injury and and
which goes along with PTSD.
Try to give guys tools thatweek that they could put in
their tool belt and take homethat help them in day-to-day
life.
You don't have to have adeep-seated medical condition or
anything to go on these trips.
It is open to everybody thathas served and we just try to
(09:42):
give a guy a tool, if we cangive everybody a tool that week
that they take home, whetherit's journaling or or or what
have you, or maybe even just alittle closer to God.
That's a win for us.
And then they would travel backon Friday back to their home
and stuff like that.
We do a lot of places.
We do hiking, horseback riding,archeryery, fishing, stuff like
(10:07):
that outdoorsy.
Gotta get them away from theirphones and uh and away, you know
, just some peace and quiet.
Uh, throughout the week they'llhave hours a day to do whatever
they'd like.
You know a lot of places wehave cornhole.
Guys get together and it's justbeing around other veterans and
making friendships withlike-minded individuals that
(10:30):
helps them the most.
You know, sure, I am a leaderon a trip, but I am no means
like the expert, you know.
But we, we all learn from eachother and, and just throughout
the week, we have fires everynight that we sit around and
talk about, and that's where wekind of do our meat and potatoes
of the book that we give themand stuff like that.
They have about 30 minutes ofreading that they need to do
(10:52):
every day and then we kind oftalk about it in the evenings.
Larry Zilliox (10:56):
Do you find?
Well, let me just ask you thishow powerful do you believe it
is when veterans come and grouptogether and sort of
reconstitute that tribe thatthey miss so much?
Chet Oleske (11:11):
A lot of guys do and they get out of the military
and they go home right and noteverybody is from a military
town or whatever, or whateveryou know a lot of guys go back
home and they have nobody thatthey know that has seen or done
or, you know, been a part of thesame situation that they have
(11:33):
for however many years, whetherthey do six months and have a
medical condition get out orthey do 30 years.
You know like it's anexperience that they've done in
their life and and it's nice tobe able to connect and I think
that's why military guys getalong so good and it's nice to
be able to connect and I thinkthat's why military guys get
along so good and stuff, causewe had to.
You know, you meet people fromall walks of life and then and
(11:54):
then you go back home and thesame people that were there when
you left, but they don't seethe same, they don't look at
things the same way as you do.
Larry Zilliox (12:01):
Yeah, and I know there's a lot of veterans that
start to have issues becausethey may have believed that they
could create the same sort ofbonds that they had during their
time in service in the civiliancommunity.
And you just really can't.
I mean, the closest you'regoing to come is in public
(12:23):
service, such as firefighting orlaw enforcement, but even then
it's it's not quite the same.
No, um, I know I'm in touchwith people that I served with
40 years ago and, um, you know,we just talk and it's like I saw
him yesterday, yeah and uh, andit's just something special
(12:44):
about it.
Sometimes it's hard to describepeople.
To the program itself what doyou think is the most important
aspect of the program?
Is it the faith basedinitiative?
Is it the camaraderie?
Is it something else that youdelivered to them?
Chet Oleske (13:04):
I mean the faith is a huge part, the camaraderie,
getting guys together but kindof getting guys out of their
comfort zone, for them to openup and stuff like that.
You know, they're going to aplace that they've never been
before, in maybe a state they'venever been, and and stuff like
that.
And and just getting out there,we, we tell everybody on the
(13:28):
first night you've already donethe hardest part about this this
week.
Yeah, it's getting there, get,getting them on a flight to have
faith in us, that we're goingto be there and take care of
them for the week.
You know, like that's a bigstep for a lot of guys.
I mean, we've had a lot of guysthat don't show up and you know
.
But but for the most parteverybody shows up.
(13:49):
But they have the military guys, have these, these quests that,
like they, they have a plan.
If I didn't show up, you knowand I think it's the funniest
thing they're like we didn'tknow if this was really real.
You know, I was gonna, we werelanding in la and we had the
whole week planned out just incase you didn't show up and I
was like I told you I was goingto be here and so so it's.
(14:11):
It is kind of funny to hear someof the stories of what the guys
think about.
But that's that's the stuffthat was instilled in us in the
military and as a copperfirefighter like you planned for
the worst all the time and andstuff like that.
And then once I do pick them upand we're on the bus and we get
to the ranch and stuff, you cansee that like relief come off
(14:32):
them and then they have a good.
You know, when we first getthere on Monday night, it's
usually dinner, dinner time, andwe have a nice meal and then we
meet around the fire and youjust see guys really start
taking it in, then start takingit in then.
Larry Zilliox (14:43):
So when you do get together and the group
starts to open up, what do youfind are the issues that they're
dealing with the most?
Chet Oleske (14:53):
A lot of guys have.
You know, I mean with with thewars that we've been going
through.
You know a lot of guys havecombat experience that they have
dealt with.
But I see a lot of issuesrelating with their family and
and if they're done with themilitary or done retired as a
(15:13):
firefighter or cop or or what,what have you like it's
reintegrating back into to life.
You know, the cops.
I mean, it's so hard for them.
They work a eight, 10, 12 hourshift and then they have to go
right back home to their family.
You know a lot of military.
You're deployed for six, eightmonths, year, year and a half,
(15:35):
and then there's kind of thatyou get to just push it all down
while you're out there and thena year later then you have to
like whatever.
Larry Zilliox (15:43):
But you have time to work through it.
Yeah, you know, after yourdeployment you're going to be
with the family for months, yeah, whereas in law enforcement and
firefighters it's they're withthem for eight hours and then
it's a new shift, yeah, and anew set of craziness.
Chet Oleske (16:09):
Yeah, the integration for the police and
firefighters that, like you know, they could have seen a suicide
or, you know, had to shootsomebody or whatever happened
that day, and then go have lunchwith their wife an hour later.
You know it's like how do youdeal with that?
And then then try to act normal, right, so it's, it's a
difficult thing, um, it's just,but I think that's the biggest
thing that I've seen is it'sjust guys can deal with what the
(16:33):
job is, but it's trying to actlike a normal father or a normal
husband or son, daughter, youknow, acting like that after
what they've gone through youknow, is the biggest thing I've
seen.
Larry Zilliox (16:48):
How many are there in a group, a typical
group that you host?
Chet Oleske (16:52):
We've had groups as small as like eight, but
normally it's usually like 12 to16.
And that's including me, and Iusually have a volunteer.
Sometimes we have a chef withus depends on locations, stuff
like that but it's usuallyaround 12 or 13 is a normal
group.
So there'll be a couple, me andI usually have a volunteer that
(17:16):
has been on a program beforeand then they want to come back
to help others and stuff likethat.
So usually a couple of us andthen say 10.
Larry Zilliox (17:26):
And how many programs do you run, say in a
month or a year?
Chet Oleske (17:30):
So this year we have 25 men's trips and I think
22 women's trips, so we don't doany couples but spouses are
able to go.
They can go on a men's orwomen's trip.
We try to cover as many as wecan.
Larry Zilliox (17:48):
And for the female warriors, is it an
all-female cadre of mentors orcounselors?
Yes, I don't know what you allcall them.
Chet Oleske (17:57):
So we call them guides.
Guides because we're guidingthem through the information and
stuff.
Yeah, so there'll be.
Women's are just the same.
They usually have two or threeof them one guide and then
usually a couple of volunteers.
Larry Zilliox (18:13):
Wow, can a warrior go on a trip again and
again, or are they limited?
Yeah, like us, we have limitedresources.
We don't have families comeback unless they're invited by
another warrior.
Chet Oleske (18:30):
So yes, they can come back.
So, especially like we haveworked with Texas we're based
out of Fort Worth so we've beenkind of growing out of that and
working with the cities andstuff like that they can come
back whenever.
And then if you're a veteranand you say you come and you
(18:51):
want to come back next year, weask that you bring two other
veterans with you.
So if you can get two others tosign up with you, then you come
back the following year,something like that.
Larry Zilliox (19:02):
So do you have a lot of repeat customers?
Chet Oleske (19:04):
Yeah, so we have a lot of guys that want to
volunteer.
Our volunteer list is amazing.
I wish we could take morevolunteers back, but we try to
spread it around.
The guys go back.
I always need somebody and ifyou come back as a volunteer,
you know you're just trying toassist me with getting people to
talk.
Sometimes you know we'resitting to assist me with
(19:25):
getting people to talk.
Yeah, sometimes you know we'resitting around the fire and I'm
talking explaining some stuffand then waiting for people to
jump in and a volunteer can stepup and maybe tell a story.
That sparks somebody else totell a story, and stuff like
that so, yeah, is it hard to getthem to talk?
you know, I I mean me personallyI have a few tricks um a lot of
the places we go.
(19:45):
We have, like, usually athree-hour bus ride to get up to
the ranch.
I kind of put my headphones onand I sit up front with the
driver and kind of not payattention and I'm not trying to
be rude and I tell the guys oncewe get there.
But if I'm being the sitting inthe back with them, they all
start asking me questions aboutthe week.
Right, but if I'm up front notthem.
They all start asking mequestions about the week, right,
but if I'm, up front, notpaying attention, they all start
(20:06):
talking to each other andgetting to know each other and a
lot of times by the time we getto the ranch they're all
hugging and and brotherly loveand, and you know so, by the
first fire that night guys arejust waiting to tell stories and
talk about things.
So so I mean I mean I've hadgroups that it was like pulling
teeth, you know.
(20:27):
But then I've had groups thatlike I don't really have to do
much, like they're teaching eachother, you know, so it's pretty
cool.
Larry Zilliox (20:36):
So how does one sign up to go?
So, if you, go onAmericanWarriorAssociationorg.
Chet Oleske (20:43):
you can click there and you can see all about us
and then apply.
It's a real quick, fewquestions and then, once that's
submitted, we have a coupleladies that do intake interviews
and they'll call and they'regoing to ask you and just try to
get your background, just whatyou have issues with, or if you
don't have any issues, that'sfine.
(21:03):
Just trying to get informationon you and and and stuff like
that, and and we're going to getyou a plane ticket, get you
signed up.
we have the whole year scheduledout before the year, so we're
working on our schedulingprocess for 26 right now right
and and locations and stuff likethat, and then you know what
month you're able to go and thenget you on a trip and get it
(21:25):
all scheduled out.
Now some guys schedule outeight months away and they come
on a trip.
Some guys are like I want to goas soon as possible and we can
get them on a trip, usuallywithin a couple of weeks.
Larry Zilliox (21:37):
So is there a waiting list, or is there a
particular time of the yearthat's more popular than so?
Chet Oleske (21:42):
the beginning of the year is usually slow, yeah,
getting people signed up andthen summer is busy season.
We have a lot of trips duringthe summer.
It's easier for some peoplebecause their kids are out of
school and stuff like that yeahand then and then the kind of
the end of the year, you getkind of the the older crowd that
don't maybe don't have kids inschool and stuff like that, that
(22:03):
sign up big time well,listeners, the the web page is
awa-usaorg or g.
Larry Zilliox (22:12):
I recommend everybody take a look at it.
Uh, there is a donate buttonthere.
Yes, on the bottom.
We do take donations.
Yeah, yeah, where does most ofthe funding come from?
Chet Oleske (22:22):
we have, uh, three big fundraisers that we do.
We have a golf tournament, wehave what we call a hoedown.
It's a very nice fancy dinner,if somebody wanted to go to a
fundraiser.
They're in Texas.
Yes, okay, all those are out ofFort Worth, okay, oh.
So we have our.
(22:42):
Three big fundraisers are theHoedown, which is a fancy dinner
, in September.
We have a the Fort Worth Stockand Rodeo show.
That's in February.
That's a big fundraiser for us.
And then we have a golftournament, that's April, may
timeframe, all in Fort Wortharea, pretty big events.
(23:05):
And then we have grants.
We have expanded and we've hadsome people writing some grants
for us and stuff like that, butmajority of it is donated.
Larry Zilliox (23:15):
Where do you see the organization in five years?
So?
Chet Oleske (23:20):
2018, it started couple trips that year I'm
saying like three or four maybeand then I got into it in 21.
So COVID had kind of killed itand then we started getting
going in the summer of 21 againand that's I came as a
participant.
Now we're up to 25 men's andlike 23 women's this year, so
(23:47):
and we're we're only going to beexpanding more trips.
So you know, our team hasgotten bigger over the last
couple years and and we justkeep keep right in that ship
that way and and the more peoplewe can help, the better right.
Larry Zilliox (24:02):
So for the listener out there who's saying
why, why should I go to this?
What am I going to get out ofthis?
What's your answer to?
Chet Oleske (24:09):
that?
My answer is first off, you'regoing to get some camaraderie.
You're going to meet otherlike-minded individuals.
You might get closer in yourfaith and maybe pick up a tool
or two that you could use inyour day-to-day life.
And, not to mention, you'regoing to get some relaxation,
some of the most beautifulplaces in the United States and
(24:31):
some fun.
We're going to have some fun.
Yeah, you know us military andcops, fighter fighters.
We like to crack jokes on eachother.
We like to have fun, you know,and stuff like that, and there's
no short shortness of that, soI'll tell you that yeah, great,
well, listeners.
Larry Zilliox (24:48):
Uh, there you have it.
Um, visit the web page, donatewhat you can to help out.
Think about going on a trip or,you know, if you're you've got
a relative or a friend orsomebody who needs to go on a
trip.
Share the podcast, send them alink to the webpage and try to
convince them to sign up.
(25:09):
It's not going to kill them,it's going to help them.
And you definitely want toencourage your veteran buddy or
your relative who may be havingsome trouble with moral injury,
pts, just all the issues thatcome with dealing with the VA.
(25:31):
They just need a break and thisis probably the perfect
opportunity for them to get backon the right path, with people
who understand them and will behonest with them and will share
tools and information that helpsthem move in the right
(25:52):
direction and reclaim their life, so that they can be a better
husband, a better father, abetter friend.
This is an amazing program andwe want to make sure that it's
around for a long time.
So go to the webpage, donatewhat you can and check it out,
(26:13):
learn all about it and, if it'sfor you even if you're not sure
if it's for you go ahead andsign up and somebody will call
you and you'll get a lot morebetter understanding of what it
entails and how it can help you.
So, chet, can't thank youenough for sitting down with us
today and telling us all aboutit no problem, it was a pleasure
(26:35):
.
Chet Oleske (26:35):
Thank you for having us.
Larry Zilliox (26:36):
Well, listeners, you can find us on all the major
platforms.
We are on YouTube and WreathsAcross America.
We'll have another episode nextMonday morning at 0500.
Until then, thanks forlistening.
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