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In the final installment of their origin story, your wingmen, CDR Drew and Dr. Paul, discuss particular elements of their lives. The pair examine their station in life today. Throughout, they both reflect on the past to give a broader view of their approach to life based on the support and encouragement they received from their most trusted advisors.

Both wingmen have spent some time around individuals considered to be “rich & famous”. Separately, they have found that money alone cannot replace the benefits of good health and positive relationships with other people. Everything they achieved started with a good educational grounding. The common thread of academic excellence helped propel them both from relatively humble beginnings to a comfortable position later in life.

The reality of being married, with children, imposes certain lifestyle conditions on aircrew members anywhere in the world. As professional pilots they found themselves faced with some challenges that had to be overcome. These challenges or obstacles had to be properly managed in order to minimize family turmoil and provide a positive environment for their children to reach their greatest potential.

Having grandchildren has proved to be a blessing that has opened another portal in life. Through this gateway they have discovered new things in their newest generation, along with reflecting on some of the beneficial lessons they learned in the past.

The emphasis they place on health, nutrition and physical movement has benefits for us all in the long run. Those who dream may be visionaries, but dreams are not enough; without planning and taking action, nothing happens.

Even the wingmen, have wingmen. All of the shows relied heavily on the initial guidance provided by our trusted advisor, Mr. Matthew Bivins. Having graduated from the baby steps initially taken to get the production off the gound, it became time to get the assistance of a social media professional. Our show has been presented to the world under the guidance of our “main man in media”, Mr. Branden Gelinas of the Mystik Digital Agency. But for both wingmen, their greatest support and cheerleaders for their success came from those who were closest to them, from the very beginning.

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Returning from his latest adventure on the high seas, CDR Drew details the high points of his travels. The immortal phrase that begins with the words, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, would never been famous if not for the world-wide attention given to the competitiveness between combatants Muhammad Ali and his one time nemesis Joe Frazier. Those words coined by Drew “Bundini” Brown described the aura of combat psychology that surrounded their fight trilogy that captured the attention of the world.

The wingmen found themselves in the fortunate position of having one of the best jobs in the world when they were hired as pilots by a one-time fledgling company that eventually became a global juggernaut in the cargo industry, FedEx.

The life of an airline pilot has many advantages as well as unique challenges. The required time away from home can complicate many aspects of family life. The fact that FedEx initially flew entirely at night caused pattern changes in circadian rhythm that placed physical and mental challenges on crew members. It was essential that this disruption in sleep pattern had to be properly managed in order to maintain good mental and physical health

The relative seniority of each pilot is the overall determinant of schedule, salary, vacation as well other intangible benefits. Dr. Paul had the good fortune of being quite senior during his entire tenure at the company. CDR Drew maintained a relatively high seniority position by forgoing advancement to the position of Captain in order maintain control of his work schedule so that he could give his children his undivided attention during formative events in their lives.

Now retired, both wingmen remain on the quest to pass on a little of what they know, gain new knowledge and embark on new adventures. Perhaps one of their greatest escapades is doing the Wingmen Show podcast.

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A view of the expanse of a great ocean projects an image of peace. One should strive to be at peace and in harmony with one’s self image. True relaxation occurs when you can be yourself without fear of judgement.

When the wingmen went out on the high seas they found themselves in a foreign environment that literally became their home, away from home. The living situation alone while operating on an aircraft carrier is something one cannot prepare for; it’s totally different form of flying. The challenge of operating at sea in an unfamiliar environment that can include missions in or near to hostile territory is a challenge for anyone, and especially to those going to sea for the very first time. As in all things, after awhile this strange world of ship life while at sea, becomes routine as you adapt to the requirements of living in this new world.

While it is never covered in the movies or even Navy documentaries, a Naval aviator’s responsibility does not end at the conclusion of a flight. We also had “ground jobs” that involved taking care of a range of mundane and sometimes critical matters needed for our relative squadrons. There were many occasions when flying a particular mission was the easiest part of the day compared to some of the administrative responsibilities assigned to aviators that never seemed to end. Our annual evaluations, known at “fitness” reports covered a wide range of things, with flying being only one of them. Our fitness, as it were, was rated primarily on the jobs we had on the ground and not in the air.

Getting launched off of the deck of a ship becomes routine in a relatively short time. However, landing back onboard the always-moving ship brought a unique set of challenges during daylight hours and most especially at night in bad weather.

Through their deployments both wingmen experienced extensive operations over vast stretches of land and the great oceans without seeing a single sign of life or civilization and realized what it really means to be in a remote part of the world. While we were never forced to eject from our aircraft to stay alive, that risk always existed and was essentially the cost of doing business. While the risk was great, the reward in the form of the satisfaction from completing a tough job was even greater.