I spent the better part of 20 years thinking about landing jets on ships, preparing to land jets on ships, or actually landing jets on ships. During the day, this is the second most fun thing an adult can do, and most pilots can’t believe they get paid to do it. Conversely, there’s no amount of money that makes doing this in the dark seem worth it. That said, even in my relatively brief career, landing a jet aboard a ship at night became a lot easier thanks to various technological advances. …

At first glance, it doesn’t seem there’s much common ground between the National Football League and the high stakes world of carrier aviation. However, when it comes to winning, they share a lot.

Between 2005 and 2011 the New York Giants made five NFL playoff appearances and won the ultimate prize — the Super Bowl — twice. By any objective measure it was a good run for a storied organization. However, in the next eight years they made only one post-season appearance. Between 2017 and 2019 the team went through three head coaches and never won more than five games…

It’s difficult to find a pejorative that doesn’t apply to 2020. Some of the less explicit ones revolve around the wholly unpredictable nature of what the year’s thrown our way. Words like “unprecedented” and “unbelievable” have been tossed around quite a bit — and with good reason. And while we can all agree that this year has been tough, most of us haven’t been able to do what we’ve really wanted: shrug our shoulders and curl up under a blanket until January 1st. This is especially true for the leaders of our organizations, teams, and companies. When you’re responsible for…

Two weeks ago I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my professional life — I left my job. In the same one-hour ceremony I turned over command of “my” squadron, and I retired from the Navy. It’s the way I wanted it, and with each passing day I grow increasingly convinced that I made the right decision.

Before I rose to deliver my remarks, one of my long-time mentors spoke. He had many nice things to say — most were true. He pointed out that we’ll all take the uniform off at some point, and the…

I’ve held an incredible job for the past 15 months. Serving as the commanding officer of the finest jet squadron in the Navy has been nothing short of an absolute privilege. But, in a few days (and on schedule) I’ll relinquish command to a good friend — my executive officer. It’s not uncommon for officers in my position to get nostalgic as they near the end of their command tours, and typically these trips down memory lane focus on the good times, when things were easy and fun. But, the past few days I’ve been reflecting on a period of…

In the summer of 1984 I was a first grade kid living on Naval Air Station Point Mugu, just north of Malibu. At the time there was a test and evaluation squadron stationed there, and it was the first time I saw Navy jets. I had a great seat to a daily air show. I never got an opportunity to interact with any of the pilots, but I decided that they had to be pretty awesome and I was going to be one of them. …

This was originally written and published to Medium on July 21st, 2020.

I used to run a lot, and the more of it I did the further I started going. I used to say genuinely stupid things like, “oh, I’ve only got a 20 miler to do Saturday,” or, “if I do a marathon this weekend, then I can be rested to do another one next weekend.” Then I started running ultra-marathons, because like an addict, if some was good, more was better. I’d go run in the woods or up in the mountains for 8, 10, and 12 hours…

Our country is breaking. Some would argue it’s already broken. In certain regards both perspectives are probably right. What’s inarguable is that change needs to occur — and quickly. The road we’re on as a country leads nowhere good, and it’s not just Americans who will suffer if we drive off the proverbial cliff — the world will suffer. And despite how bleak the current environment is, change is possible. I know this because I witnessed proof of it last night.

I’m currently deployed (still) on an aircraft carrier at sea. Ceremonies and traditions that typically take on a bit…