William Hocking sits down with his wife’s (Maria) uncle Vinny Rojo, an Air Force veteran of twenty two years, for a conversation about discipline, respect, and why the guy standing next to you might be the most important person in your life.
Vinny did not plan to enlist. He and two buddies were walking past a recruiting station at Borough Hall in Brooklyn when one of them said, let's go in and see what happens. The Air Force turned Vinny down that day. He rode along with his friend to Whitehall Street anyway, raised his right hand, and became the first of the three to serve.
He stayed in for twenty two years and came home a disabled veteran. In this episode he tells Bill what the Air Force actually taught him, not the version you read in a training manual but the real one. Why discipline is not about yelling. Why respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself. Why the guy standing next to you might be the whole point of the whole thing.
Bill grew up in the Vietnam era but never wore the uniform, and he says so. This conversation is his attempt to understand what he missed. Pull up a chair.
Tune in to hear what a lifetime of living and twenty two years in the Air Force taught Vinny Rojo about showing up for the person beside you.
Chapters:
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00:17 For more podcasts like this, check out
www.podcastsmatter.com.
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02:55 Named after a general in Spain
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03:15 Twenty two years of service and a lot of good people
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06:01 The guy next to you is the one whose life you trust
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09:02 You feel invincible until the service teaches you otherwise
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10:23 Respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself
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11:05 No regrets and a family that served
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13:11 Three friends, a recruiting station, and a walk to Whitehall Street
Episode 2