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Combat pilot and leadership speaker retired Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman is the keynote speaker at the Legion’s 107th national convention in Louisville.

American Legion attendees of the 107^th national convention in Louisville, Ky., went on a flying mission inside the Kentucky International Convention Center on Sept. 1. The Legionnaires didn’t fly solo, however. Alongside the mission was their wingman, retired  Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman, a highly decorated F-16 pilot, Hall of Fame leadership speaker and best-selling author of “Never Fly Solo,” who served as the keynote speaker.

“We have to earn our leadership with patriotic wings every single mission, and it takes a team to do it,” said Waldman “The Wingman”. “We can’t win alone. While I may have flown 65 missions by myself in the cockpit of that sexy F-16, I was never flying solo. We always have our teammates. Not just the folks who are in the air but also the top guns who are often behind scenes, on the ground, who help us not only to survive but to win. And any person who served in this organization, any person who wore the uniform, and the spouses and children, you understand that as you fly through the turbulence of life, you’re not doing it alone.”

Waldman, who was recently a special guest on �鶹��ƵAV Tango Alpha Lima podcast, shared on the podcast and with the audience that he had a fear of heights and claustrophobia. Not ideal when you want to become a pilot. But he had to make his passion greater than his fear. That was Wingtip No. 1 he gave to Legionnaires – passion is greater than fear.

“I knew in order to fly, my passion had to be greater than my fear. I had to make a commitment to excellence. I had to do something uncomfortable,” Waldman said. “So for the next 12 or so years of my flying career, every single time I snapped into the plane to do what I love, more than anything else, I would deal with this fear and anxiety, panic, that threatened me. But I was doing what I loved, more than anything else, which was flying. I didn't quit. Because my passion was greater than my fear.

“When I strapped in to fly, I had to realize I wasn't doing it alone. I had men and women on my wing who I could ask for help, who could support me, fill me with courage. It’s what we do in our (Legion) posts every day. We can't be focused on the fear. We got to be focused on courage.”

Wingtip No. 2: Commit to excellence. During his first combat mission, Waldman shared that when enemy aircraft was approaching, his commander called out, “’Wingman, commit, commit,’” Waldman said, “which were the Air Force code words for push it up. We’re going full power. That conversation I had with my commander underscores why you’re in these seats – committed, dedicated.”

Waldman said as Legionnaires face the challenge to increase membership and “revitalize the American spirit and the Constitution which we all rose our right hand to serve, when you hear the ‘commit commit’ call from a teammate or a fellow leader in this room or maybe back at your posts, push up that throttle and feel passionate to serve them and win.”

Wingtip No. 3 Whose values are you shaping. “My favorite quote is ‘When you sip from the fountain don’t forget who dug the well.’ So who has dug your well? Whose well are you digging? And whose values are you shaping?

“In the words of the great General George Patton, ‘You’re always on parade.’ Everything you do, everything you say, how you show up to your meetings to the relationships that you’re garnering and forcing with that handshake. A future member of this organization is watching you. Are you pushing it up or are you pulling it back? That passion and drive is critical. Are you committing yourself to excellence? Are you emulating it every single day?”

Wingtip No. 4 Stay in communication. “You never know when you're going to say the three most important words in life. Those words are, ‘I need help,’” Waldman said. “Mayday, mayday. That’s a Legionnaire’s call to action.

“When we think of Buddy Checks, people need us to have their back and do check-ins to say, ‘Where are you at?’  Maybe there’s someone who you can lift out of the dungeon and connect with them. That’s what leaders do.”

Wingtip No. 5 Commit to courage. “If you hear the ‘commit, commit’ call from a teammate, a member of your post, maybe somebody in this room, and you have a choice to either push it up and execute the mission or pull it back, to stay in the hangar of doubt, MIA, missing in action, paralyzed by fear, or pushing up the throttle, or releasing the breaks, getting your butt airborne, knowing that you may get shot at, that's what we all understand this room. That service isn’t a byproduct; it’s a mindset of being committed to courage. To be able to take that leap of faith, and to perhaps step out of our comfort zone.

“We realized that that flag was symbolic of the sacrifices and what courage is all about, that we didn't turn away. Your courage is going to impact other people.”

Waldman’s next book, “Commit, Commit” is scheduled for release on Veterans Day. It addresses how he overcame claustrophobia and broke his fear barrier, the why before you fly, and “how relationships and faith and preparation and purpose can help lift you up in these times of uncertainty.”

“All the people who dug the well for this country, that’s who you are. Thank you for digging the well for our country, and for all that you do. I’m Waldo Waldman ‘The Wingman.’ It’s been an honor flying with you,” Waldman said.