Ones Ready
A team of active duty Combat Control (CCT), Pararescue (PJ), and Special Reconnaissance (SR) leveraging our 69 years of special operations experience to make the next generation of operators smarter, faster and stronger than we ever were. We are the PREMIERE resource for all things Air Force Special Warfare. The Ones Ready Podcast is honest talk about what it is like to go from a know-nothing high school graduate to an elite Special Operator. We will cover important practices for success including physical training, nutrition, recovery, and mindset traits essential to any team. Join us in The Team Room to get all your questions answered!! With battle-tested operators from across USAF SPECWAR and far-reaching web of recruiters, subject matter experts, and friends, there are no questions we can’t answer- and if we can’t, we know exactly where to look. See you in The Team Room!Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the OnesReady team are those of the team and do not reflect the official policy or position of the DoD. Any content provided by our Podcast guests, bloggers, sponsors, or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign the DoD, any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone.
Ones Ready
Ep 563: The Air Force Told Her “You Can’t”
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
SMSgt Kristin “KP” Parks didn’t join the Air Force to be average. She joined to jump out of airplanes, solve impossible problems, and quietly build the backbone of Air Force Special Warfare.
From packing chutes on KC-135s to becoming the first female one-papa freefall jumpmaster, KP spent 27 years proving that mission support isn’t “support” — it’s survival. She helped build Combat Mission Support from scratch, shaped SWMS, ran joint logistics in live theaters, and was the kind of problem-solver who’d literally jump a part into the ocean if it meant keeping a mission alive.
This episode is about grit without ego. About being comfortable being uncomfortable. About how the best leaders aren’t loud — they’re lethal, steady, and always ready to fix what’s broken.
If you think operators do it alone, this one’s going to hurt your feelings.
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 From “Ones Ready” to Warrior
02:30 Why She Chose AFE (and Didn’t Look Back)
07:00 Pre-9/11 Air Force vs. The Real World
14:00 “You’ll Never Earn Those Wings”
21:00 Airborne School and Proving Them Wrong
29:00 Building Combat Mission Support from Nothing
37:30 The Deployment That Changed Everything
45:00 Jumping Parts into Warzones? Almost.
53:00 From Rigger to Strategic Leader
59:30 Advice for the Next Generation
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