1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:05,820 --> 00:00:08,170 Hi , my name is Newton Chatter and I'm 3 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:11,289 with DL A public affairs and this is 4 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:14,550 the DL A rep . This is your opportunity 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,989 to get to know DL A people and DL A 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,409 programs on a more personal level today . 7 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:22,760 My special guest is Chief Master 8 00:00:22,770 --> 00:00:25,780 Sergeant Al Dyer . Hi , Chief , how are 9 00:00:25,790 --> 00:00:27,940 you today ? I'm great . Thank you for 10 00:00:27,950 --> 00:00:30,770 having me today . So for everybody , 11 00:00:30,780 --> 00:00:33,279 tell us your official title here at DL 12 00:00:33,290 --> 00:00:35,610 A . So I'm the command senior listed 13 00:00:35,619 --> 00:00:39,090 leader for the defense agency . And my 14 00:00:39,099 --> 00:00:41,619 role in here is to be the eyes and ears 15 00:00:41,630 --> 00:00:44,610 for the director . And the other thing 16 00:00:44,619 --> 00:00:47,520 is I want us to be ready . Uh Readiness 17 00:00:47,529 --> 00:00:51,470 is always at the top of my thoughts 18 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,389 for those of us who don't know at your 19 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,799 level , at your rank . When you know , 20 00:00:58,810 --> 00:01:01,389 you have to go to another assignment . 21 00:01:01,770 --> 00:01:04,750 Do you apply to other 22 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,269 assignments ? I got nominated from the 23 00:01:08,279 --> 00:01:11,069 Air Force to interview for this 24 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,519 position and there were four other 25 00:01:13,529 --> 00:01:15,751 candidates , one from each of the other 26 00:01:15,751 --> 00:01:18,029 services to include myself as well . 27 00:01:18,209 --> 00:01:20,279 And I actually did get an interview 28 00:01:20,290 --> 00:01:22,919 from Admiral Schobert . A couple days 29 00:01:22,930 --> 00:01:25,097 later , she called me and said , hey , 30 00:01:25,097 --> 00:01:27,319 I wanna hire you to come be my teammate 31 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,860 at DL A . So how long have you served 32 00:01:30,870 --> 00:01:34,379 in the Air Force so far ? I'm at 27 33 00:01:34,389 --> 00:01:36,809 years right now and looked like just 34 00:01:36,819 --> 00:01:39,041 yesterday I joined , I remember raising 35 00:01:39,050 --> 00:01:41,779 my right hand and here I am 27 years 36 00:01:41,790 --> 00:01:44,260 later . Still serving . Where did you 37 00:01:44,269 --> 00:01:46,380 grow up ? And what were you like as a 38 00:01:46,380 --> 00:01:48,325 child ? So , I hail from Memphis , 39 00:01:48,325 --> 00:01:50,779 Tennessee , home of the blues home of 40 00:01:50,790 --> 00:01:54,660 barbecue as a child . I was into a lot 41 00:01:54,669 --> 00:01:57,199 of different things . I was really into 42 00:01:57,209 --> 00:02:00,930 sports , uh really into music . What 43 00:02:00,940 --> 00:02:04,029 were your aspirations as a child ? Did 44 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,260 you know you wanted to join the 45 00:02:06,269 --> 00:02:09,240 military ? And how did you happened to 46 00:02:09,250 --> 00:02:13,009 join ? So as a child , um believe it or 47 00:02:13,020 --> 00:02:15,242 not , I wanted to be an architect . But 48 00:02:15,242 --> 00:02:17,649 a year before I graduated , my brother 49 00:02:17,660 --> 00:02:20,190 joined the Air Force and I remember 50 00:02:20,199 --> 00:02:22,440 hearing his stories while he was in , 51 00:02:22,449 --> 00:02:24,671 he was stationed overseas at the time . 52 00:02:24,671 --> 00:02:26,838 I remember hearing all the things that 53 00:02:26,838 --> 00:02:29,005 he was , you know , enjoying about the 54 00:02:29,005 --> 00:02:31,190 Air Force . Uh So as time started to 55 00:02:31,199 --> 00:02:33,421 come around for me to make a decision , 56 00:02:33,539 --> 00:02:35,428 I actually uh got in touch with a 57 00:02:35,428 --> 00:02:37,690 recruiter . Uh Tars Snyder still 58 00:02:37,699 --> 00:02:40,039 remember his name . And uh we started 59 00:02:40,050 --> 00:02:42,449 having some dialogue about what it 60 00:02:42,460 --> 00:02:44,793 would be like to be in the organization . 61 00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:47,539 Um So then , you know , things start to 62 00:02:47,550 --> 00:02:49,328 progress along the way and then 63 00:02:49,328 --> 00:02:51,770 eventually I um signed up , tell me 64 00:02:51,779 --> 00:02:54,440 about your father , did your father 65 00:02:54,449 --> 00:02:57,360 serve in the military and , and tell me 66 00:02:57,369 --> 00:03:00,330 about that . Uh So my father , he 67 00:03:00,339 --> 00:03:03,830 actually was drafted and actually did 68 00:03:03,839 --> 00:03:06,320 not finish high school . So we actually 69 00:03:06,330 --> 00:03:08,580 end up getting drafted , going to 70 00:03:08,589 --> 00:03:10,720 Germany and finish his high school 71 00:03:10,729 --> 00:03:13,169 degree there . Um serve some time in 72 00:03:13,179 --> 00:03:16,179 Vietnam . And then eventually after his 73 00:03:16,190 --> 00:03:18,880 service , he came back home , his time 74 00:03:18,889 --> 00:03:21,399 in the in the army was uh a lot 75 00:03:21,410 --> 00:03:23,960 different . You can imagine it was late 76 00:03:23,970 --> 00:03:26,850 sixties or early seventies is when he 77 00:03:26,860 --> 00:03:29,027 joined in and then being drafted , not 78 00:03:29,027 --> 00:03:31,559 being a volunteer . It was a little bit 79 00:03:31,570 --> 00:03:34,210 different for him . Uh He rarely talked 80 00:03:34,220 --> 00:03:37,059 about his experiences and , and being 81 00:03:37,070 --> 00:03:39,639 in the army . Um but he would always 82 00:03:39,649 --> 00:03:43,330 say , I wish my experience in the 83 00:03:43,339 --> 00:03:46,169 army was that of what you experienced 84 00:03:46,179 --> 00:03:48,309 in the Air Force . He must have been 85 00:03:48,889 --> 00:03:51,250 really proud of you as you started to 86 00:03:51,259 --> 00:03:54,259 grow in your career before he passed in 87 00:03:54,270 --> 00:03:57,570 2019 . I remember going to his house 88 00:03:57,580 --> 00:04:01,240 and there is a bio uh what we 89 00:04:01,250 --> 00:04:03,470 have that tells you about your entire 90 00:04:03,479 --> 00:04:05,929 career . He actually had it in a frame . 91 00:04:06,559 --> 00:04:09,479 So when everybody uh come over to the 92 00:04:09,490 --> 00:04:12,880 house , they could see that bio of me . 93 00:04:12,889 --> 00:04:15,979 And it was really , really sobering to 94 00:04:15,990 --> 00:04:18,212 hear , to see that . Who have been some 95 00:04:18,212 --> 00:04:20,212 of your mentors ? My dad , he was a 96 00:04:20,220 --> 00:04:22,609 great mentor . I've had several , 97 00:04:22,619 --> 00:04:25,459 several supervisors um both good and 98 00:04:25,470 --> 00:04:27,637 bad that kind of mentor me and , and I 99 00:04:27,637 --> 00:04:29,803 think that's important to know because 100 00:04:29,803 --> 00:04:32,026 some people can mentor you and them not 101 00:04:32,026 --> 00:04:34,359 know it in a negative way and you turn 102 00:04:34,369 --> 00:04:36,536 it around and make it positive without 103 00:04:36,536 --> 00:04:38,829 naming a name . Can you , can you share 104 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,850 something where it was a negative 105 00:04:40,859 --> 00:04:43,420 experience that you have spun into a 106 00:04:43,429 --> 00:04:46,040 positive experience ? Yeah . So my very 107 00:04:46,049 --> 00:04:49,459 first uh supervisor uh and , and I tell 108 00:04:49,470 --> 00:04:52,839 people it wasn't a bad supervisor , it 109 00:04:52,850 --> 00:04:55,559 was just absent . So I was kind of left 110 00:04:55,570 --> 00:04:57,670 out to do things on my own . And 111 00:04:57,679 --> 00:05:00,190 eventually , um I got to the point 112 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,290 where I was taking my , what we call 113 00:05:02,299 --> 00:05:04,899 our career development course . And I 114 00:05:04,910 --> 00:05:07,799 remember flunking that test when I tell 115 00:05:07,809 --> 00:05:10,489 you flunking it was bombed , but it 116 00:05:10,500 --> 00:05:13,440 really woke me up to realize that some 117 00:05:13,450 --> 00:05:15,890 of this I gotta do on my own . I have 118 00:05:15,899 --> 00:05:18,309 to make sure I'm doing this to better 119 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,399 myself . Is there a story or two you 120 00:05:21,410 --> 00:05:24,359 can share that's really stuck with you . 121 00:05:24,369 --> 00:05:26,536 You know , when you were overseas in a 122 00:05:26,536 --> 00:05:29,730 deployment ? I remember um I had uh 123 00:05:29,739 --> 00:05:32,320 one organization that I was a part of 124 00:05:33,269 --> 00:05:37,079 and this deployment where uh first 125 00:05:37,089 --> 00:05:40,049 encounter , I met this airman and 126 00:05:40,059 --> 00:05:42,950 inside my office , I always have a 127 00:05:42,959 --> 00:05:45,239 Tennessee flag and I remember him 128 00:05:45,250 --> 00:05:47,579 coming in and him making an immediate 129 00:05:47,589 --> 00:05:51,359 comment on my flag saying , oh , 130 00:05:51,369 --> 00:05:53,839 your team , you know , is not as good 131 00:05:53,850 --> 00:05:55,961 as they used to be . And , you know , 132 00:05:55,961 --> 00:05:58,072 they gotta do better . And I remember 133 00:05:58,072 --> 00:06:01,690 the look on my face thinking , wow , is 134 00:06:01,700 --> 00:06:03,980 this our introduction ? I remember 135 00:06:03,989 --> 00:06:07,709 getting so upset at myself thinking 136 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:09,942 like , why he is , you know , why is he 137 00:06:09,942 --> 00:06:12,980 introducing himself like this ? And I 138 00:06:12,989 --> 00:06:15,940 went TDY and I remember getting a phone 139 00:06:15,950 --> 00:06:18,790 call from my wing commander boss at the 140 00:06:18,799 --> 00:06:22,170 time and he says , um just wanna let 141 00:06:22,179 --> 00:06:25,880 you know sad news that airman . So and 142 00:06:25,890 --> 00:06:29,869 so has cancer stage four 143 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:31,991 and is pretty aggressive . So he's in 144 00:06:31,991 --> 00:06:34,102 the hospital right now . And before I 145 00:06:34,102 --> 00:06:37,200 could get back , my boss told me that 146 00:06:37,209 --> 00:06:39,098 they're sending him home to South 147 00:06:39,098 --> 00:06:41,829 Carolina because the cancer got that 148 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:45,570 aggressive . And about a 149 00:06:45,579 --> 00:06:49,480 week later he passed . And I 150 00:06:49,489 --> 00:06:53,070 remember thinking my only 151 00:06:53,079 --> 00:06:56,970 encounter that I had with him was that 152 00:06:56,980 --> 00:06:59,859 of a negative one . And I remember 153 00:06:59,869 --> 00:07:03,480 thinking I would never let my 154 00:07:03,489 --> 00:07:07,119 admiration of my team be bigger than 155 00:07:07,130 --> 00:07:10,470 somebody's life . So every time I 156 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,540 have any encounter with somebody , it's 157 00:07:13,549 --> 00:07:17,179 always , this could be my last , not , 158 00:07:17,190 --> 00:07:20,070 this is my first , but this could be my 159 00:07:20,079 --> 00:07:22,239 last . And I want them to remember it 160 00:07:22,250 --> 00:07:24,361 in a great way . And I wanna remember 161 00:07:24,361 --> 00:07:26,528 it in a great way . What advice do you 162 00:07:26,528 --> 00:07:29,390 give to young people who are thinking 163 00:07:29,399 --> 00:07:32,750 about joining the military , any of the 164 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,750 services ? And is there any 165 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,950 special or specific advice you 166 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:43,489 give to young African American 167 00:07:43,500 --> 00:07:46,619 males or females about , you know , 168 00:07:46,630 --> 00:07:48,686 joining the workforce or joining the 169 00:07:48,686 --> 00:07:50,852 military ? I think the biggest thing I 170 00:07:50,852 --> 00:07:52,963 always tell people is , uh , know who 171 00:07:52,963 --> 00:07:55,649 you are as a person first , you got to 172 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:58,309 learn who you are . As for the young , 173 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:00,679 you know , African American males and 174 00:08:00,690 --> 00:08:04,049 females out there . I know some of them 175 00:08:04,059 --> 00:08:06,450 come from difficult places but coming 176 00:08:06,459 --> 00:08:09,119 to the military or coming to the , the 177 00:08:09,130 --> 00:08:12,079 institutions that we serve as servants 178 00:08:12,089 --> 00:08:14,480 of the American public just realize 179 00:08:14,489 --> 00:08:18,140 it's bigger than you and being 180 00:08:18,149 --> 00:08:21,720 part of something so special will bring 181 00:08:21,730 --> 00:08:23,841 out the best in your . But it doesn't 182 00:08:23,841 --> 00:08:25,952 come without trials , it doesn't come 183 00:08:25,952 --> 00:08:28,299 without some heartaches and pains . And 184 00:08:28,309 --> 00:08:30,253 I always use this term pull as you 185 00:08:30,253 --> 00:08:33,409 climb as you continue to , you know , 186 00:08:33,419 --> 00:08:36,849 get success , pull somebody . What do 187 00:08:36,859 --> 00:08:39,460 you do for fun ? I am a gym rat . I 188 00:08:39,469 --> 00:08:42,159 love to get out and work out . I work 189 00:08:42,169 --> 00:08:45,349 out every single day . So believe it or 190 00:08:45,359 --> 00:08:47,526 not working out is pretty fun for me . 191 00:08:47,950 --> 00:08:51,559 I love music . And do you have , do you 192 00:08:51,570 --> 00:08:53,770 have kids ? I got two beautiful kids . 193 00:08:53,780 --> 00:08:57,609 I got my son Christian who is uh 24 and 194 00:08:57,619 --> 00:09:00,979 my daughter Cassidy who is 19 . What is 195 00:09:00,989 --> 00:09:04,359 your message to team DL A ? My message 196 00:09:04,369 --> 00:09:06,900 to team DL A is I'm here to learn , I'm 197 00:09:06,909 --> 00:09:09,419 here to learn from everyone in the 198 00:09:09,429 --> 00:09:13,109 organization . So now for just some 199 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,659 fun questions and this is , this is 200 00:09:15,669 --> 00:09:18,710 just answering one word , answer , two 201 00:09:18,719 --> 00:09:21,640 word answer , introvert or extrovert , 202 00:09:21,650 --> 00:09:25,429 extrovert , favorite sports . Team 203 00:09:26,609 --> 00:09:30,130 Tennessee volunteers , favorite sport . 204 00:09:30,940 --> 00:09:34,789 I love to watch football . I love to 205 00:09:34,799 --> 00:09:38,030 play basketball . What are the top 206 00:09:38,039 --> 00:09:40,640 three songs that you listen to on your 207 00:09:40,650 --> 00:09:44,559 playlist ? So I listen to John Coltrane . 208 00:09:44,570 --> 00:09:46,626 My favorite things is probably one I 209 00:09:46,626 --> 00:09:50,469 listen to quite a bit . I listened to 210 00:09:50,599 --> 00:09:53,260 William Murphy Everlasting Love 211 00:09:54,049 --> 00:09:57,869 and maybe another one 212 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,640 is Run D MC Walk this way . 213 00:10:01,969 --> 00:10:04,229 Thank you so much for being my guest 214 00:10:04,239 --> 00:10:08,070 today on the DL A rap and I wanna thank 215 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,469 all of you for joining us today until 216 00:10:10,479 --> 00:10:12,549 next time . Have a great day .