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
Be Like BG Palenske - Ep XXX
This episode is only available to subscribers.
Ones Ready MBRS Only
Exclusive access to bonus episodes!Peaches and Trent sit down with retired Brigadier General Tom Palenske, and this one turns into a masterclass on leadership without all the fake corporate nonsense.
Palenske walks through one of the wildest career arcs we have had on the podcast: Goodyear factory kid from Topeka, Army National Guard helicopter door gunner, warrant officer, Huey and Black Hawk pilot, Air Force officer, MH-53 pilot, CV-22 squadron commander, wing commander, deployed special operations leader, and eventually a brigadier general who still sounds like a normal human being.
He talks about what it was like flying the lead MH-53 during the rescue of then-Lieutenant Colonel Dave Goldfein after he was shot down over Serbia, why the MH-53 was the ugliest-coolest helicopter ever built, and why the CV-22 gets more hate than it deserves. He also tells stories about combat, fear, missiles, A-10s, fast ropes, and why sometimes the only plan is to press forward because the mission still needs doing.
The conversation also gets into the stuff officers especially need to hear: rank and competence are not the same thing, people do not work for you, leadership means removing obstacles, accountability does not require cruelty, and your job is to help people reach their potential.
Palenske also talks about suicide prevention, why airmen need more than one identity, how fellowship builds resiliency better than another useless CBT, why commanders should get out of their offices and talk to people, and why real connection matters more than another policy memo.
The episode wraps with his unexpected run for office in Kansas, his view of politics, his love for his wife Jaron and their family, and the one leadership lesson that keeps coming back: be good, take care of people, and leave a positive impact.
Links:
- OnesReady.com
- OperatorTrainingSummit.com
- palenske4kansas.com
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro and Ones Ready
01:05 - Be Like Tom
01:34 - ATACLETE and Partner Discounts
02:39 - Operator Training Summit Updates
05:55 - Retired Brigadier General Palenske Joins
07:34 - Why Airmen Loved Working With Him
08:27 - Rank and Competence Are Not the Same
09:20 - Enlisted, Officer, and Not Getting Weird
10:46 - Eight General Officer Counselings
11:53 - The Best Part of Being a General
13:25 - From Topeka to the Army National Guard
16:33 - Becoming a Helicopter Pilot
18:16 - Joining the Air Force
19:00 - AFSOC, MH-53s, and Combat Deployments
20:20 - Goldfein Rescue and the Distinguished Flying Cross
21:21 - CV-22s, Command, and Becoming a General
23:02 - Goldfein Did Not Know Who Rescued Him
26:02 - Missiles, Serbia, and Launching Without Perfect Comms
29:15 - The A-10 Debrief
29:53 - MH-53 Hovering and Fast Rope Abuse
31:26 - Why the MH-53 Was Ugly but Awesome
31:51 - In Defense of the CV-22
33:13 - The CV-22 Combat Story
36:28 - Mental Health Evacuations and Epic Fury
38:16 - Are Young Airmen Really the Problem?
39:48 - Training, Fear, and Combat Stress
42:12 - Stress Inoculation Matters
43:39 - Leadership Before Mental Health Referrals
45:19 - Retiring Into Civilian Life
46:05 - Running for Office in Kansas
49:23 - Politics, Factions, and Doing the Work
49:59 - Food Trucks, Slip-n-Slides, and Wing Culture
52:18 - Walking Around and Talking to Airmen
52:50 - Suicide Prevention Through Connection
55:38 - Let Weird People Find Their People
56:38 - Accountability With Compassion
58:56 - Failing Without Being Defined by Failure
01:00:49 - The One-Mistake Air Force Problem
01:01:30 - The Four DUI Joke
01:05:09 - Taking Care of Airmen
01:05:46 - What Actually Matters When You Die
01:07:04 - Jaron, Family, and Eating Indoors
01:08:26 - Pelenske for Kansas
01:10:16 - Why Can’t We Just Be Good?
01:10:57 - Final Wrap
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