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Before reporting to Air War College, Lt. Col. Dragos Stefan-Dogar was Chief of Dental Services at Whiteman AFB in Missou...
04/03/2020

Before reporting to Air War College, Lt. Col. Dragos Stefan-Dogar was Chief of Dental Services at Whiteman AFB in Missouri. Since arriving here, the Seminar 12 “finance guy” says he’s remained focused on gathering “pearls of wisdom in command and leadership from my peers and staff” and wrapping his brain around operational design (something he admits is not in his wheelhouse). If pressed for words of wisdom to the next class, he’d suggest they stay focused on the Google calendar two weeks at a time and adjust as necessary. Married with two young sons (and a dog), Dragos says his afternoon drive home to East Chase and frequent long walks were his go-to for decompression. Though he shared several other bits of personal trivia, the most interesting is his elaborate response when asked what his preferred last meal would be: “For appetizers, I would have beluga caviar, sashimi and double-fried buffalo wings. Next, Lobster Bisque. Followed by a medium-rare rib-eye steak with cheesy grits and sautéed broccoli and a Caesar salad. For dessert, tiramisu, chocolate cheesecake and an Italian Affogato coffee.”

Prior to Air War College, COL Terry Schooler was Deputy Operations/Plans/Training (G3/5/7) for Army Reserve Aviation Com...
03/31/2020

Prior to Air War College, COL Terry Schooler was Deputy Operations/Plans/Training (G3/5/7) for Army Reserve Aviation Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky. As an Army Reserve pilot proficient in rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, he says, “If I can start it, I can probably fly it. I might not be able to land it, but it’ll make for a great story.” For Seminar 12’s Tech Guy, AWC has been an opportunity to glean strategic perspective and acquire a large interservice/international network of friends. He and his wife Jeannie live in Deer Creek with their daughters Abigail and Emily (and two cats). To keep up with his schoolwork (pre-Coronavirus), he accomplished as much reading and writing as possible away from home or after the girls’ bedtimes. In addition to serving as an outside hitter for the Jim Thorpe volleyball squad and warming the basketball team’s bench, he unwinds with trips to the beach, an occasional bourbon and repeated viewings of his all-time favorite movie Pulp Fiction.

Seminar “Fantastic” Four’s Group Captain Ewejide Akintunde is a logistics officer in the Nigerian Air Force. Before repo...
02/26/2020

Seminar “Fantastic” Four’s Group Captain Ewejide Akintunde is a logistics officer in the Nigerian Air Force. Before reporting for Air War College, he was deputy director of procurements for Headquarters Nigerian Air Force in Abuja. Living in Montgomery with his wife Dorathy and their three boys Victor, David and Joshua, he says the entire family enjoys nature hikes and long-distance drives to see American sights. He values the knowledge, connections and lasting relationships he’s forged here and says he particularly enjoyed our SLPOA and NSDM course (Clausewitz … not so much). When he feels himself drifting off track, he says pumping up his spirituality with church and prayer always does the trick. His favorite vacation spot is Cancun, the leader he admires most is President Trump (for his doggedness and fearlessness) and his go-to karaoke jam is Luther Vandross’ “Dance with My Father.”

Before entering Cellblock 14, Col Tony McIllece was an operational law attorney for Headquarters USCENTCOM at MacDill AF...
02/09/2020

Before entering Cellblock 14, Col Tony McIllece was an operational law attorney for Headquarters USCENTCOM at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. Now serving as Senior JAG for the Class of 2020, seminar security officer and head honcho for one of the RSS trips to Africa, he describes his Air War College game plan as a careful balance between keeping up with the readings and consciously forging life-long friendships. He’s hunkered down in Prattville with his wife and kids, where he unwinds with board games, movies and soccer games with his aforementioned friends. While in the area, he recommends Auburn and Alabama sporting events and perhaps a trip to NASCAR’s Talladega Superspeedway. He says his all-time favorite movies are the Star Wars franchise, the last (non-AWC-related) book he read was Gordon B. Hinckley’s Stand for Something and his fave vacation spot is Brazil.

Though electronic warfare officer and A-10 pilot Lt Col Matthew “Dangle” Hanson says “gutting 100-150 pages of reading p...
01/24/2020

Though electronic warfare officer and A-10 pilot Lt Col Matthew “Dangle” Hanson says “gutting 100-150 pages of reading per night is not his style,” he truly values his Air War College experience. He’s established great friendships and connections he expects to last, is looking forward to a once-in-a-lifetime RSS trip to Turkey and Tunisia and anticipates an interesting follow-on assignment where he “can do meaningful work with good people.” In the meantime, he’s balancing the books with family and gym time (plus practice with the Jim Thorpe cycling team) and constantly reminding himself that assignments turned in at 2357 are still on time. The GSS member and FamCamp geobachelor heads to Florida most weekends to catch up with his wife Brynn and kids Evan and Linnea, so his recommendations and reviews of Montgomery hotspots are limited. “The Tuskegee Airmen Museum up the road at Moton Field is worth the short trip,” he says. “It’s a great reminder of how the Air Force led integration, that true patriotism is color blind but that we must still strive to be a more perfect union.”

Class of 2020 ... ready for your close-up? Complete and return the attached to awc2020pa@gmail.com. (To request the Word...
01/21/2020

Class of 2020 ... ready for your close-up? Complete and return the attached to [email protected]. (To request the Word version of this questionnaire, just send us a quick email.)

Lt Col Andie Mehes began her career as a fighter controller for the Hungarian Defense Force, then transitioned to intern...
12/13/2019

Lt Col Andie Mehes began her career as a fighter controller for the Hungarian Defense Force, then transitioned to international relations, then force planning, then operations. As she’s made her way in and out of these diverse areas of expertise, she says she often draws inspiration from her hero Margaret Thatcher, who she describes as “a strong and smart lady in a man’s world.” Here at Air War College, she says she appreciates the opportunity to deepen her strategic knowledge, learn more about different cultures and make new friends. To help manage the workload and the stress of separation from her husband Lenard and their two daughters, she relies on tai-chi, get-aways to Lake Martin and coffee (not necessarily in that order). Andie’s all-time favorite movie is The Godfather, her most recent non-AWC read was David Baldacci’s Long Road to Mercy and if she had to choose her last meal it’d be “my mum’s stuffed cabbage.”

Prior to his current role as AY20’s senior chaplain (and Seminar 14 project officer), Lt Col Rick Montoya served as comm...
11/08/2019

Prior to his current role as AY20’s senior chaplain (and Seminar 14 project officer), Lt Col Rick Montoya served as command chaplain for United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. “I have two lines of authority over me,” he explains. “The Air Force and my endorser, who certifies I am an ordained minister in good standing with the Southern Baptist Convention. Without their endorsement, I am no longer a chaplain in the Air Force.” Here at Air War College, the geobachelor says he has settled into a study routine at his Montgomery apartment and is taking advantage of opportunities to unwind with mind-clearing runs through the downtown area (carefully balanced with his quest for the perfect catfish and hushpuppy platter). His wife Tina and youngest daughter are in Florida; their oldest daughter lives in Colorado (with their first granddaughter!). When asked which famous person (living or deceased) he would most like to spend time with, he somewhat obviously responds, “Jesus Christ. Remember, I am a chaplain.”

Lt Col John “CZ” Ca****la Zielinski is in his element. “I love to learn and always will,” he says. “Debating big ideas i...
11/04/2019

Lt Col John “CZ” Ca****la Zielinski is in his element. “I love to learn and always will,” he says. “Debating big ideas is my happy place.” So far, he’s been able to stay at least a week ahead of his GSS readings at all times. That way, when he travels home to DC for visits with his family, he can turn off Air War College and be completely present with his wife and their 2-year-old son (he also has a son attending Colorado State University and a daughter who’s wrapping up high school in Monument, CO). The personnel officer and political affairs strategist’s most recent job was senior military assistant to SAF/AA at the Pentagon, but he says his best gig ever was as an Aegean Bronze Age archaeologist. “Nothing beats playing Indiana Jones on the island of Crete in the summer … excavating, surveying, exploring the Minoan civilization.” When he’s not reading ahead and deepening his understanding of grand strategy, CZ says his guilty pleasures are post-apocalyptic fiction and zombie apocalypse novels, Game of Thrones and the NBA.

Lt Col Dan Peisker, a maintenance officer in the German Air Force, is determined to maintain a healthy work/life balance...
10/27/2019

Lt Col Dan Peisker, a maintenance officer in the German Air Force, is determined to maintain a healthy work/life balance during his stint as an Air War College student. To do so, he consciously programs at least one social event into every week and leaves plenty of room for sports like soccer, running and hiking. Thus far, the Seminar 14 geo-bachelor has enjoyed daytrips to Lake Martin, Alabama’s highest natural point Cheaha State Park and Atlanta’s Stone Mountain, and he’s training for Jim Thorpe with the Class of 2020’s 5K and soccer squads. On the professional side, Dan says he plans to return to his Potsdam job with Joint Command Special Operations’ Department of Capability Development with a broader horizon for strategic leadership and improved English skills.

We're just going to leave this here.
10/22/2019

We're just going to leave this here.

As assistant deputy director of operations for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (in Quantico, Virgini...
09/25/2019

As assistant deputy director of operations for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (in Quantico, Virginia), Seminar 10’s John Massey manages day-to-day Critical Technology Protection and Industrial Security Field Operations. In other words, he's one of the key leaders responsible for reducing risks to our national security information. Upon graduation from AWC next year, he says he plans to bring his newly acquired strategic leadership skills to bear on his agency’s ongoing transformation, so he’s focused on making the absolute most of this opportunity. To do so, he says he’ll rely on the following habits: staying fit, eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep and leveraging the expertise of his seminar colleagues. When he’s not zeroed in on max professional development, though, you’re likely to find him road-tripping to the nearest beach or hunkered down in front of Virginia Cavalier football. WahooWa!

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