Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mark 'Sluggo' Hasara. In the second episode about his military career, Sluggo talks about how systems had to be revised to suit the warfighting of Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror.

About 'Sluggo'Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hasara is a veteran of four wars and a KC-135 air refueling expert whose tactical and strategic knowledge have shaped the way air mobility operations are executed around the globe to this day.Mark was chosen as the Deputy Commander of the team creating the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 Weapons School—a PhD-level course on global air refueling operations that trains the best and brightest aircrew to think, fight, and win in the skies. Just eight days after 9/11, Mark deployed to the Middle East and began orchestrating air refueling missions for coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. His ability to plan and execute complex operations earned him the prestigious Air Mobility Command’s Tanker Tactician of the Year award in 2002.Mark’s expertise wasn’t confined to the cockpit. In 2003, he was handpicked to join the National Defense University’s Joint and Combined Warfighter School, where he taught U.S. and international military leaders the art of campaign and crisis action planning at the highest levels of command.In 2017, Mark published his acclaimed book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, giving readers a front-row seat to some of the most critical moments in modern air warfare. He also hosts the popular Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, where he takes listeners behind the scenes of military and civilian aviation’s most extraordinary events. Mark and his wife Valerie call the Salt Lake City area home.About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mark 'Sluggo' Hasara. In the first episode about his military career, Sluggo talks about training to be a KC-135 pilot and training other tanker pilots how to work with the U.S. Navy and his work amending tanker operations to support post-Cold-War operations.

About 'Sluggo'Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hasara is a veteran of four wars and a KC-135 air refueling expert whose tactical and strategic knowledge have shaped the way air mobility operations are executed around the globe to this day.Mark was chosen as the Deputy Commander of the team creating the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 Weapons School—a PhD-level course on global air refueling operations that trains the best and brightest aircrew to think, fight, and win in the skies. Just eight days after 9/11, Mark deployed to the Middle East and began orchestrating air refueling missions for coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. His ability to plan and execute complex operations earned him the prestigious Air Mobility Command’s Tanker Tactician of the Year award in 2002.Mark’s expertise wasn’t confined to the cockpit. In 2003, he was handpicked to join the National Defense University’s Joint and Combined Warfighter School, where he taught U.S. and international military leaders the art of campaign and crisis action planning at the highest levels of command.In 2017, Mark published his acclaimed book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, giving readers a front-row seat to some of the most critical moments in modern air warfare. He also hosts the popular Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, where he takes listeners behind the scenes of military and civilian aviation’s most extraordinary events. Mark and his wife Valerie call the Salt Lake City area home.About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Jerry 'Ribit' Merritt. In the third and final episode about his military career, Ribit takes us through his time in the adversary squadron flying all manner of fighters, his final tour on the Ike, and transitioning to the airlinesAbout 'Ribit'Jerry Darious Merritt attended North Carolina Wesleyan University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with a BA in Mathematics. Jerry was on the ‘67 and ‘68 Bishops basketball team and was President Class of ‘68.Jerry joined the Navy in October 1968 and reported for pilot training in January 1969. After earning his Naval Aviator Wings of Gold, he reported to Meridian, MS for Instructor duty until July 1972 when he was assigned F-8 Fighter training in San Diego, CA. He reported to VF-194, deploying on USS Oriskany in October 1973 to the Gulf of Tonkin in support of post-Vietnam Combat operations. Jerry completed the last F-8 deployment on the USS Oriskany in 1975-1976.He continued his Naval career and flew and instructed in fighter jets almost his entire career. The highlight of his career was his selection to Command Fighter Squadron 43 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach. Like Top Gun, flying A-4’s and F-16’s, their mission was to train F-14 crews in air combat maneuvering tactics.Jerry’s next assignment was Operations Officer aboard USS Eisenhower, CVN-69. He retired as Commander from active duty Navy in June 1990 after 21 years of service. He accumulated over 5000 flight hours and 350 carrier landings.After retiring from the Navy, Jerry was hired by American Airlines and reported to Dallas, TX for training. He flew Boeing 727’s, 777’s and MD-80’s, retiring as Captain in August 2006 after 16 years of service.Jerry was employed for 15 years by defense contractors as a consultant on the Fifth Generation Fighters, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.Jerry has been a volunteer with the National Park Service for 15 years, volunteering at the Wright Brothers National Monument in Kitty Hawk, NC, giving briefs on the history and operation of the Wright Flyer.Jerry and his wife DeDe Sens, NCWC Class of 1971, live in Currituck, NC.About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.