Veteran's Affairs Plus W/ David L. Washington

Unknown Speaker 0:00
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Unknown Speaker 0:42
You can see what's going on what's going on? What's going on? Good morning, Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz ammo. I'm Dave Washington, your host I have a longtime friend Mr. Jim Yeager, who will be my first guest on the show this morning. He will come in shortly. But I want to once again announced that the black firefighters host a monthly mixer and again, contact Captain Lionel Newby and I don't have his telephone. Well, I do have it but I don't want to give it out of the just call down at Las Vegas Fire and Rescue and he'll share that with you. Also, I mentioned last week that excuse me, the condolences to the family of Miss Eva Whaley, Pastor Eva Whaley. Well, they had her services this past weekend, and they did a great job. Her family did her a great honor in the service that they had over one body Christian church. So we want to thank everybody for attending because she was a tremendous lady who in fact, she was not only the chaplain for one of the chaplains for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. She was also one of my five advisors, I had me an advisor team. GM just I know you listening, I had a team because you know, I kind of get a little while sometimes. So I have have people to kind of keep me on post. And she was one of those individuals. So I appreciate the time that she and I spent time together. And also, there was times when when you get jumped on in the press, that she would just out of the blue called and give you some encouragement. So I will miss her but just hope that God is pleased with the work that she did while here on this earth. I also mentioned at our last setting, we had a great Carl Holmes executive development EDR down at Dillard University. The first full week in June we have it each year. And in fact, guests on next week's show I'll have two chiefs. They were colleagues a man with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. This chief Eugene Campbell and Chief britrail Washington they will be guest next week. And we will talk about their activity as instructors also board members with the Carl Holmes executive development has to so I look forward to sharing that with you. Tony Marshall, our service officer remember, he has appointment times on Thursdays and Fridays down at American Legion Post team from one to five. And he also has another location which I failed to write down but it's two days a week from 10 to 3pm and Tony's contact number Tony Marshall again our service officer 301-537-9465. That's Tony Marshal Service Officer for American Legion posting. Once again, good morning and I have I failed to mention, excuse me. Last month, my middle grandson, KJ Herndon, I think he turned 16 or 17. But he's growing like a weed. In fact, I think he's about 6162 now and still growing and he's a pretty good basketball player. So happy birthday, belatedly KJ, and I hope I did mention destiny. Our granddaughter she was the last part of me was her birthday. But anyway, our first guest is again, as I mentioned longtime friend, Mr. Jim Jaeger. Hey, Jim.

Unknown Speaker 4:43
How you doing, Dave?

Unknown Speaker 4:44
I'm doing well. Just a couple questions for you to spend a little time together. I thought it would be important because you have been a guy who's been out there doing good things in our community. Tell our listening audience Jim, what branch of service Did you serve in

Unknown Speaker 5:01
Dave, I started my career in the US Army. I was drafted. That was back in the days when they had the mandatory draft and notifies at the beginning of my senior year of college that I would be drafted. And as soon as I completed my instructions, and am I 28 hours for graduation, they drafted me into the military.

Unknown Speaker 5:27
Wow. Interesting. You know, I was one of the last of the draftees in 71. In fact, they drafted as 100 out of the state of Nevada, my draft number was 77. I never forget.

Unknown Speaker 5:44
So it's interesting. You guys had draft numbers. We didn't have that this was May of 1966 is when I was drafted. We numbers we just simply, as soon as you reached 18, and met all the other requirements, you're, you're drafted immediately. It is mandatory that you sign that with a selective services board. And so it was it was an experience for me something that I had not planned on doing. But I stayed in the army for seven years and three months really, after that included one tour of Vietnam as well.

Unknown Speaker 6:33
Oh, you did? So you weren't a a career person with the 20 plus years?

Unknown Speaker 6:41
Oh, no, no, no. I, I, as a college graduate, they notified me that I could go to officers Candidate School, as soon as I completed my basic and AI D training in armor. And in May of 67, I completed the six month course, for officers Kansas School and those commissioned a second lieutenant.

Unknown Speaker 7:11
So well, what were you studying in college?

Unknown Speaker 7:17
Biology as a biology major. And my, my original intent was to go to dental school.

Unknown Speaker 7:28
Wow. That's interesting. Yeah. You know, you make certain assumptions about people always figured you to be to have been a career, military man. And you did, would you say, seven, seven years or so?

Unknown Speaker 7:41
Seven years of active duty. And then because I did go to advance officer school. I had at that time, decided I was gonna go for 20 years, but they said that I had to go back to Vietnam again. And that did not sit well with me.

Unknown Speaker 8:06
So do you not go back to No, I can appreciate that. I was fortunate. I was a Vietnam era veteran. And it was the war was winding down as I got drafted and I did not see service over in Vietnam, a legal career and highly Oh compound I was on. So what was your job? Jim? Well, in the military.

Unknown Speaker 8:28
In the military, I was the Armor Officer first. My first assignment after commissioning was as an executive officer in a training company at Fort Knox, Kentucky, then I was took over as campaign commander of a training company at Fort Knox, Kentucky. And my hearing sometimes was a little bit suspect because back then all we had was a piece of foam the stick in the ears when you're out onto the tanks, and they're firing. That was an interesting aspect. But after Fort Knox, I got drafted, I got sent to Vietnam. And I was originally scheduled to go there February of 69. But because my wife was expecting our first child, I haven't got that for 30 days and and so I arrived in Vietnam in March of 69.

Unknown Speaker 9:45
And what was your rank when you discharge?

Unknown Speaker 9:49
My rank when I was discharged, I was the captain. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 9:52
So first lieutenant, Second Lieutenant When you first

Unknown Speaker 10:01
get Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant will really do it drafty your private and that's it. And officers can just go you're promoted II five while you're in school and that vessel completion of that, then you become a second lieutenant event after that first lieutenant and Vietnam I sent you a couple of pictures. Looking at the first picture there is a vey I sent you was me getting my promotion to captain and being awarded a Bronze Star. Yes.

Unknown Speaker 10:43
And then you wrote in a helicopter over the hill with no

Unknown Speaker 10:50
as my that's a picture of my ride, no power steering, no air conditioning, no comfortable seats, machine gun a side and I had enough hours of combat hours of flying that I was also awarded an air mental too.

Unknown Speaker 11:15
So upon leaving the military, what did you do?

Unknown Speaker 11:22
Well, I was at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Dave, and I really didn't have I just knew I wanted to go into business, but I didn't know what elements of business I wanted to get in. So I went to New York, New Jersey and went to New York City, because I was at six. And my thing was just knock on a few doors and see what I could get. And I ended up being directed to a company called EDS electronic data systems, which was owned 100% by Ross Perot, a Naval Academy graduate and he also ran for president too. But I, me and a guy named Paul Rogers read only to black members of EDs staff at that time.

Unknown Speaker 12:19
Interesting. So how long would you stay with that group?

Unknown Speaker 12:25
I stay with them. Eds about three years I I'm from Fort Wayne, Indiana and my hometown, winning a national financial services called Lincoln national life at that time, I found out I was not in the military more. So they tried to get me to come back home to Fort Wayne, Indiana work for them. However, their their intention was to put me in human resources. And I wanted to make a little bit of money more money than him. So I ended up getting into an area of insurance call reinsurance working for a guy named Ian Roland, eventually, chairman of the board. And when we get National Financial Services, you say reinsurance. reinsurance. That's the insurance of insurance. If it's if you got your company A and company B and chair back start comes to us. And he wants a $2 million policy immediately. Well, US company can only accept X amount of that liability, say $1 million. Then you send the rest out for reinsurance along with the premiums associated with it. And I would pick up the other million dollars now, upon death or whatever it takes. The first company would pay out the full amount. So it's in the background. People don't even know about it. If you don't deal with two insurance companies you still want to get with the original insurance company. Insurance. Go ahead. Yeah, no insurance of insurance. That's reinsurance. Okay. Interesting.

Unknown Speaker 14:39
Ladies and gentlemen, if we were on TV, you would not believe what this guy looks like. Because if he told you his age ago, you're right. You're lying. Yeah, he's taking pretty good care of his body. He looks much, much younger than he actually is you guys because when he told me his age I was kind of fluid. I'm like, Are you kidding me? But hey, I appreciate you coming on the show any not not advice necessarily, but any suggestions you would make to a young man or woman out there that's kind of giving some consideration to military service?

Unknown Speaker 15:19
Well, it is saying, I am an active promoter, promoter of the military. Not everybody in the military gets into combat, and right now, the type of combat, if we were to ever reach that stage, it would be effective anyway. So my thing is, go to the military, if you don't know what you're going to do, you get three meals a day, and, and a cost plus a monthly paycheck. And then, the other thing is, if you want to get into professional services, such as love dental, medical sales, the military will assist you, as long as you've got the grades and can pass the MCAT the other professional requirements, don't be afraid. And the thing of it is, they all require five years of service that you complete your say, medical school.

Unknown Speaker 16:31
Any other closing remarks, and I appreciate again, once, once again, I should say that you were willing to come on and try to get you on last month, and you have an appointment that you didn't want to break, messing around with Dave Washington.

Unknown Speaker 16:47
Well, the thing of it is, I had cancelled it once before, so I just chose not to cancel. second batch. Although I was looking forward to coming onto your show. David,

Unknown Speaker 16:58
let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. What's your roll down at American Legion Post tn as we get ready to close out?

Unknown Speaker 17:07
Okay. My my job at post him is as Vice confer personalized commander at and the things that I do are to assist the commander. And also, I I take the time to read all the books that are produced by the National Headquarters because we are in fact, a we are in fact under the National American Legion. Okay. The difficult part of this is that because of the fact that the American Legion slash Veterans of Foreign Wars, the dirty floor has been in a neighborhood all these years there is a there is a strong, strong desire to keep it as a as a just a community bar is not the license. Does that make it a bar? Right? Right. Back American Legion.

Unknown Speaker 18:31
So you guys were able to get some kind of special designation, so you could sell some different memberships? Could you cover that real quickly? And yeah,

Unknown Speaker 18:43
it's sponsored membership. And the veterans themselves have to pay $30 annually for a for their membership. And we have a sponsor membership that costs $40 annually. And what this allows the community to come in and members who purchase the membership come in and they can bring in one person a day daily, who with them, and they can come in and enjoy things that are a lot cheaper than the regular bars and definitely this so is is a battle. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 19:31
Well, it's great that you had you guys had the initiative to try something different in new to give people a place to go in the neighborhood. So that's greatly appreciated. I trust by many to include myself because I have a number of friends who did not serve in the military and and thanks again for that advice as far as the three squares that one can get while in the military, versus those same three squares probably not as good of food because I was an Army cook but Another place is jail. So that's a better opportunity for for us as people. So thank you, Jeff. Excuse me. Thank you, Jim. And I look forward to getting you back on the show sometime in the future. We got to next guest is getting ready to come in. So thanks, Jim. Appreciate it, man.

Unknown Speaker 20:14
Take care. Hey, allow me the opportunity. All right. Take care. Bye bye bye.

Unknown Speaker 20:22
This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. We'll be back on the other side with our second just guess. Chief, gray. Ashanti gray

Unknown Speaker 20:49
once again, good morning, Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host. And I'm pleased to announce our second guest, Ashanti chief assistant chief shouty gray is on the line. Good morning to you.

Unknown Speaker 21:09
Good morning. How are you?

Unknown Speaker 21:11
I'm doing well. I'm doing well. Just pleased and happy that you were able to to get online with us today. Got a few questions for you, if you don't mind. And then I certainly want to engage you in your perspective on EDI this past past June if you're early Earlier in June, I should say. So where are you from? And how long have you been in Las Vegas?

Unknown Speaker 21:39
So I'm originally from San Diego, California. But I've been in Vegas since 2006. So about 17 years now.

Unknown Speaker 21:48
All right. Now Yeah, you're a member of Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. How long have you been a member there?

Unknown Speaker 21:55
16 years

Unknown Speaker 21:56
16. That is so ironic. I remember when I first met you had a meeting with Chief Buchanan and think Who else was there? Jean Campbellford. Chief Jean who else? Lionel Newby and the fire marshal.

Unknown Speaker 22:12
Cheap Nolan.

Unknown Speaker 22:14
She's Nolan was there. Anyway. Yeah. When you mentioned 16. I'm like, I've been retired 70. So I was just going out the door as you were coming in. So so what what got you interested in involved in the fire service.

Unknown Speaker 22:31
So actually, I didn't know what I was interviewing for with the city. Because the position was communication specialists. And it wasn't specific to fire like it is now. So when I came in for the interview, one of the simulations was I had to pick up the phone and take some notes. When I picked it up. The person was yelling on the other end. So I just proceeded with the test. And the HR person that was there, she paused the test. And she goes, Do you know what you're applying for? And I said, a communication specialist? And she goes well, yes. But that's for the fire department and 911. And then she asked me if I wanted to continue? And I'm like, Of course I do. And I ended up scoring number one in group one, and never looked back since.

Unknown Speaker 23:18
Oh, that is great. 16 years ago? Well, yeah, absolutely. So obviously, your career is moving along? Well, because as an assistant chief, you're over what areas.

Unknown Speaker 23:35
So my current areas are the communications. So combined Communication Center, which actually covers the most of the valley. And then I also have fleet and logistics. Wow,

Unknown Speaker 23:47
you know how things get moved around this interesting little bit of different from when I was actually there. But that's that's good stuff, I think you you will be rewarded by what you will gain knowledge wise in terms of your your position in the fire service.

Unknown Speaker 24:08
I'm sorry, cut out what was actually I

Unknown Speaker 24:11
was saying that it's a little bit different from when I was there. But certainly those things in those areas that you're responsible for you pick up a lot of good information, your knowledge base in fire service will grow tremendously and give you opportunity for for other movement, if you will.

Unknown Speaker 24:27
Oh, definitely, definitely the amount of things I've learned and you know, that I learned every day or a lot. And it just gives me more of an appreciation for the fire service and what we provide to the community and how the infrastructure of our department is so important because you know, when they go out there to serve the community, they need to have their resources they need to have their tools and they need to be at their best so we have to give them our best as as cheap in order for them to do that. Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker 24:58
You No, I started out kind of getting on guys about there being a little bit mean, if you will to dispatchers and I tell them look, I want that foolishness to cut out, cut it out right away, because we must understand that, in fact, I will continue to believe that paramedics and dispatchers are probably the two most stressful jobs in the business. And I say that because I know when when our guys were being mean to dispatchers, I tell them, Look, they are your link between additional resources and you need to treat them with dignity and respect at all times. And I know that's a tough job. And as you said, even even your testing process, somebody was screaming and shouting at you. And that's the kind of stuff you get when people call in here under stress. You know, they've lost probably the whole house or lost a family member. And they just lose it. I recall when I was think I was a staff BC overtraining. And they had a fire in my neighborhood. And I won't call the name of the young lady, but they call me over to see if I could, you know, get her to calm down because she was going off and, and they say, Oh, they brought your black belt over here thinking you can control all I can just laugh and I just look me, I'm here to help you. And please cooperate as much as possible. And I stepped up until the fire visit. I'll see you guys later. I'm sure it'll be okay. And it was when it was all said and done. But yeah, that's a stressful position. No doubt. So first year student at edX, give me your reflection, if you will, just give me some thoughts on that first year, share some of your, your, you know, respect to your experience there.

Unknown Speaker 26:45
So definitely didn't know what to expect, right? So I came with an open mind, I think that is always important. And going anywhere, I was ready to absorb whatever was thrown at me. And getting there. It was everything and more than I could have even imagined. I appreciated seeing people that looks like number one. Let's start there. That instantly gave us something in common. And you know, when you're when you're new to a place, you want to find someone you have something in common with. So that was great. It was nice to talk with everybody. It didn't matter if it was a first year. cell or an instructor or the president like yourself, Chief. It was it was just amazing to have the ability to socialize, connect with one another Ask questions, even debate, you know, because if you're not one, and I'm sure there's people from all different areas within the fire service. Oh, good. So your break, there was a cheat?

Unknown Speaker 27:50
You're breaking up a little bit. But let me say this to you as we prepare to close out. Would you recommend EDI to others?

Unknown Speaker 27:59
100%. And I'm gonna try to get some of our people, the more of our people there next year.

Unknown Speaker 28:03
Great, great. Well, we appreciate your time and certainly wish you well in your career development and hope to see you again at EDI next year. And we certainly will take that back to our board some of the thoughts that you shared with respect to the opportunity for folks to get together and talk offline if you will. So thank you, chief and best wishes always take care of yourself. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz and more. We had a little bit of technical difficulty. I know the chief told me she'd be moving around and I can hear that in her telephone line. So see you all next week. Have a great, great weekend.

Unknown Speaker 29:22
Smoking the tilde Hey, when they step on the way

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