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Episode 036 – CCT Kurt Buller | I Will Run Thru the Brick Wall First

September 4, 2017 By Thad Forester

Buller CCT

When this 5’3″ tall airman was denied a waiver to be a pilot, along with women and a male gymnast, he had to figure out something else to do.

23 years later, he retired from the Air Force’s elite Special Tactics community as a combat controller.

Kurt Buller said he has “the energy of a really tall guy jammed up in my little body.”  He’s a motivator and a leader.  You’ll hear his passion for excellence from the moment he opens his mouth.  When I asked him how he made it thru the grueling pipeline, he said “the team made me stronger.”  We also talked about the most difficult decisions he made as a leader.

He shares some nuggets of wisdom, such as:

  1. Our adversary (enemy) is very clever. The dumb ones got killed in first wave
  2. The enemy can’t duplicate our training and team mindset
  3. Get them the snorkel; a reference to Buddy Breathing in the water training portion of pipeline
  4. I may ask you to do hard things, but I will run thru the brick wall first

This interview was jam-packed with advice for being a leader and teammate.  And since he helped prepare AFSOC warriors for battle, he complimented the role of all battlefield airmen–CCT, PJ, TACP, and SOWT.  

Since his retirement three years ago, he taught JROTC and now has his own consulting company Intrepid Leadership Group where he’s still able to work with our nation’s elite warriors.  It allows him to spend more time with his wife and teenage boys while still doing something he loves.

Buller will fire you up.  I had a good time with this one and think you will too.

*Also, PTC is now on Patreon.  Please check out how you can help the cause so I can provide quality content. 

Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
http://www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

Rock Tune by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

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Filed Under: Patriot to the Core Tagged With: buddy breathing, fearless, intrepid, intrepid leadership, poetry in motion, sled dogs, special tactics

Episode 024 – Wayne Norrad, Godfather of Combat Control

March 20, 2017 By Thad Forester

CMsgt Wayne NorradToday we have the privilege to hear from one of the legends in the Combat Control field, Mr. Wayne Norrad.  Many listeners probably never heard of Combat Control (CCT) before Patriot to the Core.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll learn from Wayne that they are an integral part in most, if not all, of the major conflicts with which the US is involved.

First There

We talk about his participation in the Tegucigalpa Honduras hijackings in the early ’80’s, deploying to Panama with Delta Force, and the Air Force’s role in counterterrorism.  In addition: Operation Just Cause in Panama, being the first CCT with the advance party in Operation Desert Shield, and opening King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia. His team was in Cambodia in 1975 with no weapons or uniforms, therefore no way to defend themselves.  Norrad also shares the creation of Detachment 1 at Pope Air Force Base after the failed Iranian Rescue Mission.

Among the changes made since Norrad joined CCT:  PT test is much harder, and Combat Dive and Freefall schools are now required.  And a little trivia: they used to wear navy blue berets.  Now they’re red.

He has been instrumental in developing HAHO (high altitude, high opening) parachute tactics and integrating air/ground assets to safely and successfully employ joint special operations forces onto the battlefield.

Wayne Norrad also controlled the first fixed wing aircraft to land at Kuwait City International Airport.  And through some simple thinking, figured out how to keep his and his teammates fingers from going numb while parachuting.  This involved using their feet to steer.

Thanks to his efforts, today’s CCT’s can go in by any means to do their jobs (air, land, water).  They are a premier elite fighting force.

We definitely will have Wayne back to further discuss his experience in CCT, Combat Control Association and the Air Force Demo Team.

For more information, read this article written by Wayne Norrad, CMSgt, USAF (Ret) (beginning on page 19):

Special Tactics in Desert Storm

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

 

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Filed Under: Patriot to the Core Tagged With: 24 sts, arctic survival, cct, columbia, combat control, counterterrorism, delta force, drug lord, eielson air force base, fairchild air force base, HAHO, hijacking, just cause, king fahd international airport, kuwait, noriega, panama, pope air force base, special tactics, spirit 03, tegucigalpa

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