Good day and welcome to Pitbull 214 Podcast, a podcast designed for veterans, their family members, friends, and really anyone that cares about vets. I am Rick Perales, an Air Force veteran, and I'm pleased to be your host for this program. I want to welcome everybody to the second episode of Pitbull 214 Podcast. The first episode about securing and safeguarding the DD 214 was received very well. I'm still getting comments about it. This program is going to be about transitioning from military life to civilian life, something that every military member is going to have to face sooner or later. Let me tell you just a brief little bit about Pitbull 214 podcasts. During my time as a commander, as a elected official, I saw so many programs, so many resources, so many organizations dedicated to helping our vets. The problem was our vets didn't know of them. They didn't see them. And in many cases, they could have been life-saving, made major impacts in the lives of those vets. So what I committed to do after my last term was to start a podcast that would help to introduce programs that might not be out in front that will help veterans to the veterans themselves. So like I said, last week was DD 214. Uh this week is about transition. I have several more already in the queue, uh service dogs, a number of other ones. What I'm asking of the folks out there, you folks, is the only way this is going to work and help our vets is we spread the news that we share it. You will see the YouTube address at the bottom of the screen, my contact information. Go listen, watch the first episode, put comments in, subscribe, but most importantly, share it. And share my videos with people on your own social media platform, veterans, people that care about vets. It'll be somewhat like a Ponzi scheme. You pass it on to a few people, they each pass it on to a few people, and before we know it, we'll be sharing it with uh thousands of vets and maybe more. Um I will tell you that even though I am in Ohio, finished up at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a lot of the subject matter will be leaning towards that. But this is a national program designed for all vets from all services. So as you pass the word, as other people review it, I want input on other programs out there that would help our vets. We're coming up on the holiday season, just past Veterans Day. Veterans become more vulnerable, like the general population in the holiday season. It's important for us to understand that and to support our vets more than ever during this upcoming season. And we we have probably close to 17 million vets out there now. About a third of them have some kind of service-related disability. The latest statistics show that we have about 17 vets committing suicide a day. We have thousands of vets that are homeless. Our vets continue to struggle. That's my point. And we need to continue to do what we can to help them. We can't rely on the government, churches, private organizations. We all have to step up, and that's what we're trying to do in this program. So please join me, uh pass the word and let me know any good ideas. So we'll be back after a break to welcome Colonel Cassie Barlow to talk about military to civilian transition. Thanks for being with us. Well, welcome back to Pitbull 214, a podcast designed for veterans, their family members, friends, and really anyone that cares about veterans. I am retired Air Force veteran Rick Perales, and I am your host for this program. Today's program is very important to everyone that served, because sooner or later everyone that serves is going to have to transition from the military to the civilian world. And we have a very special guest to talk to us a little bit about this, uh really a subject matter expert, Cassie Barlow. And she goes by either doctor or colonel. And before we get started, Cassie, congratulations to you and Tim. I saw the pictures. I know Emma got married, your daughter got married a couple weekends ago, and it looked like it was beautiful, and I know it was a very special event for the family. So congratulations for that and welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it, Rick, and thank you for for having me on today. I really appreciate it. It's a it's a joy, really, to share with veterans and with military who are preparing to be veterans maybe some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to transition, how to make that transition successful.
SPEAKER_01Well, you're the perfect person. I will tell the audience out there that I got to know Cassie as she was a wing commander, and I was either a county commissioner or a state rep, I can't remember. She was a wing commander here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is arguably one of the largest military bases that we own. And she just smoked it, decided to settle here in the Dayton area, Beaver Creek, and has transitioned into another job where she can use all the expertise and experience, education that she got from her 20 plus years in the military to help other military veterans. So, Cassie, that's kind of a lead-in. She's very I'll tell you this too, she's very modest. I'm asking her to tell us a little bit of about her background, who she is, how she got to where she is, so that you'll understand her point of reference and that that she does have uh a unique uh knowledge base to talk about military transitions. So, Cassie, tell us a little bit about yourself.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Thanks so much, Rick. So my humble beginnings started in Buffalo, New York, so go Bills. And I when I graduated from high school, I was looking for opportunities for scholarships, found an ROTC scholarship, and went off to Georgetown on this on scholarship and spent four years there getting ready to go into the Air Force, received a psychology degree at my time there at Georgetown. And when I graduated, went off to my first of 13 different assignments in the Air Force and started off as a behavioral scientist and ended up being sent to Rice University as for my PhD through the Air Force Institute of Technology. So through that, ended up as an organizational psychologist and really spent my entire career in organizational development and in workforce development, and really in building what I would say is building the next generation of Air Force leaders. So amazing opportunities there across the board at many different assignments. And when I completed my and and through that time as well, I was able, I was blessed to be able to serve as a commander multiple times, as a squadron commander, a group commander, and then also as a wing commander. So absolutely loved that time because I would argue that every day that I spent in the Air Force, I was able to utilize my my degree in organizational development and able to help my organizations that I was in and help airmen along the way as well. And when I say airmen, I mean big big A airmen that includes a lot of civilians as well. So when I finished my career in 2014, I decided to join a nonprofit that was all about workforce development and education. So helping, once again, the next generation prepare for what's next, prepare for their for their careers. And part of that preparation is working really closely with military members who are preparing to transition. So, you know, helping helping military members has become a big passion of mine. And I literally have read thousands of resumes at this point and helped helped thousands of veterans with their transition. And, you know, I've I've I've gotten good over time at knowing what works, what military members need to do, when they need to do it, and can really assist with that with that successful transition. And when I mean successful transition, what I mean is landing in a place that is a good fit for that person. That's incredibly important because that means that that person is not going to be leaving and having a really quick turnaround in within an organization because that's that's disruptive to the individual, it's disruptive to the organization, and really the the best result is finding an organization where there's a good fit and then being able to stay for as long as you want to stay and not having to leave because the lack of a fit.
SPEAKER_01Wow. That's a lot in a couple minutes. Like I said, it is. Cassie's humble. She talked about Rice. I know that she was inducted into the Rice University Hall of Fame. It just goes on and on. And as she transitioned out, we are so fortunate in my area, the Dayton area, that her her and Tim decided to stay here because she's gotten all kinds of acknowledgments from local groups and chambers and whatnot. As a matter of fact, she spent last Thursday and Friday at off site with my wife at a local community college presidential search. That's how much they respect what she knows about education and workforce. And we're just, like I said, we're fortunate that she uh stayed here and and she's decided to make this area and the state of Ohio better. And and I will tell you, I worked with Cassie when I was a state rep helping her to get some money for her workforce development and uh internships, and that was a joy. She's she's doing the right thing for all the right reasons, and and we appreciate that. So, with that, Cassie, let's talk about the transition. I don't know where you want to start, but I'm kind of thinking, start from the beginning, when someone's gonna get out, what should they be doing to get ready?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. So, you know, there are opportunities to get assistance with your transition now. It's actually congressionally mandated. All military members have to go through the transition assistance program. I actually encourage people to do that at least a year out. And you could even do it twice because that way you you know you're able to hear more and you're able to digest more. It's a lot of information in a very short period of time. So I encourage people to go twice if they can. And you're absolutely right.
SPEAKER_01Let me interrupt you. Are they similar for every service reserve and guard? Are they identical? Do they have to the c to cover the same issues, items at both on all levels?
SPEAKER_00They do, and it's and it's all because it is congressionally mandated. So the the the tap at every at every base around the country looks very, very similar. And you know, for our region of the country, I've been lucky enough. I mean, we serve a three-state region here at this at our local base. So I've been lucky to be able to work with all different services who are transitioning from from across those three different states. So you know, you're you're starting early is is step one. Don't wait until the last minute. So start as early as you can. And I I think there's some real soul searching that has to happen in that last year of service in terms of what is best for me at this stage of my life, and what does that mean in terms of, you know, maybe an occupational specialty, in terms of a for-profit versus a nonprofit versus maybe a government governmental agency. All of those things are things that people should be thinking through as they're working through TAP. And there's a lot of great resources on the internet to figure out what exactly the differences are from a for-profit to a nonprofit and a governmental agency in terms of quality of life. So that's step number one. Start early and then start doing some real soul searching on what's next. I will tell you that a lot of military members don't really recognize all of the amazing experiences that they have and the skill sets they have as they're going through retirement. So pull out all your past performance reports and your medals and your decorations and take a look at what are those skill sets that I have and what are how does that match? You know, clearly, if you're a logistician, you can go on the outside and you can be a logistician, right? If you're an engineer, you can go be an engineer. But what do you do, for instance, if you're an EOD guy, right? What do you do if you're a somebody like that? What do you do, right? And it's it's maybe not as easy as a easy as of a match on the outside. So it really takes you you really need to take it, take the time to break your your career down into skill sets. What are those skill sets you have and what careers on the outside can those skill sets apply to? So that's really that's really the part of, you know, all very much something that you need to do in the beginning. You can also find somebody in your in your region that will help you. Most regions have departments of veteran services that have specialists in transition that who will help you look at your resume and give you ideas on all of the different things that you can do.
SPEAKER_01Hey Cassie, let me interrupt you there. Go ahead. Good point. Good good spot. We are going to scroll Cassie's contact information, her email, and a website, and any others that she wants to put there. But but as she said before, this is even though it seems like we're s we're starting in Ohio, this is this is really for the benefit of all services throughout the country. So and she is very connected throughout the military. She's been to DC a lot. So even if you have a specific local issue, you might want to just say, hey, where should I start? And she can at least get you started in the right direction. So like I said, her information will be on a screen somewhere along this video. Please take it down and feel comfortable to give her an email or check out her website and and and get some help from her as necessary. Thanks, Cassie.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. No, I I think I want to talk a little bit about what the research has shown next in terms of what are veterans typically looking for when they get out, because there's been a lot of research done on this specific topic. So when veterans are getting out, they're looking at specific areas of the country based on what what type of job do I want? Where's my family going to be able to excel, right? And that relates to education. What type of education institutions are available? Both from, you know, obviously if you are retiring with a you know a young person in your household, you're looking good for good school districts. You're also looking potentially for good colleges and universities, because maybe you're going to go back to school. So you're looking for education. You're also something that that veterans also are looking for is a place where they can get good health care, whether that's from a VA system or just from uh from an area hospital system. So that's something else that that veterans are typically looking for. And then, you know, they want to stretch their retirement or you know, their medical disability as far as they possibly can. So they're looking for a good cost of living as well. And I've talked with many, many veterans about that comparison across the country and and where is where are the best places to settle with a good cost of living. And and these are all things that you can obviously in this day and age, you can find on the internet, you can do your research and look for places like like those that I just mentioned. So you're looking for places that have good job opportunities, you're looking for places that have good educational opportunities, and you know, a good education system. You're also looking for places with good health care, and then of course the cost of living. Those are all really important things as you get ready to retire. And, you know, you may be somebody that wants to retire out in the middle of nowhere. I've known, I've known those folks as well. Like they want to be in a very rural area. So these are all things that you need to sit down with a loved one and have those conversations. What type of work are we looking for? What is the culture we're looking for within a company? That is incredibly important. The number one reason why veterans leave their first employer is because of culture, a lack of culture fit. So it's important to do, as I mentioned, to do that soul searching, figure out exactly what you're looking for, and then start thinking about areas of the country. And and some veterans go back and but go back home, right? Because they want to be closer to family. So, you know, that's another that's another element that's part of the part of the decision in terms of where you want to settle.
SPEAKER_01And I will tell you this, Cassie, and for the listeners, when I was at the State House, I worked, we worked very hard with the Department of Defense. If you go to their website, they actually rank areas in the country the best the best basis to to live by. And they do it from all the criteria that Cassie just noted. And you don't have to agree with all of them. It kind of gives you a reference point for everything. You can find out where you, if you want to go to Arizona, you know, where they stand and you know, their grades for education, their grades for cost of living. Again, it's a point of reference, but at that point in time, what Cassie's talking about, that's really what you need to look at.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And and then there's some more, there's some more really important data on the fact that about 50% of vets say that the transition was more difficult than they expected. They expected it to be a lot easier. And then, you know, about s almost 80% of vets say that the transition was very stressful. So because it's it's just going through, I mean, you're you're very used to the military, you're used to the military packing you up, you're used to the military sending you to the next place and making it really easy. And now all of a sudden you have to interview for a job and you have to find the right place in the country and you have to look for a job. How do you do that? You know, those types of things. So it can be very stressful. And and it this is why it helps to start early, because it takes away some of that stress and it doesn't pile it all up at one at one point. And then there's about 60% that say that the transition took longer than expected. So really taking the time to, you know, listen very carefully at the transition assistance program and go, like I said, going more than once, I think, is really helpful to people because you hear different things the second time. And some people even take a loved one, they take their spouse with them because you're both listening for different things, too. That's what I've what that's what I've found. When I talk with spouses who have been through the transition assistance program, they will they will say that they've heard they heard different things than the military member heard. And both of those things are important that they heard. And so having that conversation after the fact and saying, okay, you know, what did you hear? What did I hear? And then and what's next. I'll tell you the transition assistance program, I'm going to talk a little bit more about that, gives you a really good sort of pathway to success in the transition process. And it's a matter of really paying attention to that, taking it seriously. And, you know, it's it's very militaristic, right? It's very checklist oriented. Here's the things that you need to do to prepare. And I'll tell you, one of the most important things is making sure that you go through all of the medical processes as you retire. And meeting with the VA and meeting with the veteran service officer and going through your medical records and ensuring that you're filing for your I mean, you don't you don't know when you start the process if if you're gonna have a disability at all. But you've you've got to do that because that's what the VA is there for. The VA is there to take care of veterans who have served, and it doesn't matter what you did, it doesn't matter if you sat at a desk or if you if you carried a weapon, it does not matter. You need to go through that process. The VA pro the VA system is paid for veterans who are enrolled in their system. So regardless of whether you're a 10% veteran or if you're a hundred percent disabled veteran, it doesn't matter. You need to get enrolled and you need to you need to make sure that you're taking care of yourself and it because that's what you have earned through your service. And like I said, it doesn't matter if you're 10% disabled or a hundred percent disabled, it's really important to go through that process and and get the benefits that you have earned through your service.
SPEAKER_01Excellent points. And I'm thinking of so many tangents to that. What if your first job you go through all that and it's not a good fit? You know, then then what do you do? Or what if it takes too long? But let me say this, Cassie, we've reached our time, but I've got so much more to talk about. And I know you've only touched the tip of the iceberg. So what I'd like to ask is for our listeners to send me their comments, their thoughts, their questions. Let me gather those. And Cassie, if you would be so kind as to join us again when I have those sorted out, and we can address some of those and other things, maybe get to the next level that Cassie was trying to get to. Because again, you can't how much how long is the TAP program? Days? It's about a week. Yeah. Yeah. So we can't cover that in 20 minutes, but we can try to get the highlights as best we can according to what's important to you. So thank you, Cassie, and I look forward to getting back together again. Like I said, if if you enjoyed what we shared today, what Cassie shared, please uh get on our site on YouTube, and that'll be at the bottom, and pass it on to other vets, pass it on to other spouses, children, neighbors that that are concerned about their vet, in this case, concerned about their vet getting a job when they get out, because she said this before once, and I will tell you, I was stunned at how much I knew from the military that I didn't know I knew. When I became the mayor, my leadership just spilled out. And it and for people in the city, they thought, wow, you know, that but it was just every day for us in the the military. So you're worth a lot more than maybe you think. Um, and so I think listening to Cassie again and what we have to share could benefit anybody out there that's looking to transition. So, Cassie, thanks again. Congratulations on Emma, and we look forward to seeing you again.
SPEAKER_00My pleasure, Rick. Thanks for having me, and absolutely I look forward to the next step. Okay. Thank you. We'll be right back.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Cassie.
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SPEAKER_02World Win with the iconic show.
SPEAKER_01Well, welcome back. I can't again, I can't thank Cassie Barlow enough for uh joining us for this program on the very important subject matter of transition from military life to civilian life. As we talked about in the video interview, it's just too much to cover in one episode. So we will have her back very soon to continue that discussion and perhaps it may be even a third time to try to wind it up. There's just so much to pass along in so little time. So thank you again, Cassie Barlow. You will see at the end of this program before credits, I will summarize with the five main takeaways from my interview with Cassie Barlow. And hopefully that's five things that you can note and take away from this. Again, I want to say this will only work. This program will only be successful if y'all help me by sharing the podcast with other vets, with other people that care about vets. The YouTube address will be on the screen. My contact information will be on the screen. Please take a look. Please help however you can. I also want to note that next week we're going to have an interview from a vet who has a service dog through Pause for Abilities, a national program, and what that dog can do for that vet is amazing. And what that dog, those type of dogs may be able to do for other vets, some that you may know and love, could be life-changing. Hang with us for that. Like I said, like the episode and share the episodes with everyone else. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I look forward to 2026 sharing many, many programs and organizations that are helpful to vets, as well as some good war stories that will be informative and exciting to hear from the vets themselves. With that, thank you very much. God bless and hit bullet.