An Air Force Pilot's Post-Retirement Career Dilemma: A Job at a Big Bank or the Pilot of Air Force 2

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18 plus terms and condition supply. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. To search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Peter Braxton was the first military pilot in the air over the burning twin towers in lower Manhattan. It was his first day on the job, not long after he did multiple tours of flight combat in the Middle East and then retired from the Air Force. Here's Peter with the story about the phone call he received shortly after his retirement. You know I was a distinguished graduate and why didn't you fly F-15s or F-22s or F-16s and you're gonna remember I want to be a doctor a b this is before the war c I was homesick I wanted to go home I promise you if the closest Air Force base to where I grew up was a fighter base I would have picked a fighter I wanted to go home and I was happy with my choice until one day I was listening to this Israeli F-16 fighter pilot and he said well you know well why did I fly a fighter and he said because it was personal we were being attacked in my neighborhood and my sister was there and you can fly an F-16 across Israel in 22 seconds you know I mean that's how small the country is kind of width wise and you know for him it was personal and I remember thinking you know what if this was if this was a day after night if this yeah it's personal right I'm from New York and so an interesting story that I've told is is after I got out of the Air Force and I was fully out I was in business school I got a call from the Pentagon and the voice on the phone said hey this is Peter Braxton yes it is do you still have your uniform right yes I have my uniform it's been a couple months does it still fit you know I'm not sitting on the couch eating cheetos yeah I mean it still fits but you know everyone who's been in the military knows it's illegal you're not allowed to wear your uniform after you get out it's you know you can keep it you can't wear it and so this colonel said hey um can you meet me at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois and you know meet me Saturday morning 10 a.m at this building and I'm like is this you know this is my buddy's this is a joke it's another joke this is another you know who is this he's a colonel so-and-so and we'd like to talk to you and I was like okay the joke's on you like I'm not supposed to do this so I I'm out of the Air Force it's a Saturday I show up and it it was like a Jason Bourne kind of board room with a big long table and six colonels wearing full-service dress uniform which you know you don't see that unless you're at a funeral I mean at a funeral right so and so I sat down they said no you sit over there at the other end so I sat at the very end of the other table and they said at the other end that table sat like 24 people and proceeded to interview me for the job of Air Force Two this is Dick Cheney back in the day 2007 and that you know I mean I was a gentleman like I'm I'm out they're like we can change that with one signature and so I talked to them and and they kind of offered me but offered me the job just think about it talk to your family so I did I called my brother and he said Pete you know you spent all this time deploying and and you know getting into taking the GMAT and getting the business school and and getting out of the Air Force you want to go back in and this is the I mean it's the ultimate job right it's the ultimate it's like the Thunderbirds for heavy transport air-fueling jets so you know honored to be asked so I remember I got the job at Credit Suisse over the summer and you know they asked me not to shop it like don't go to don't go across the street to JP Morgan or Goldman and kind of like try to get a job just you know if you want the job take the job you don't tell us and so I remember saying I want the job and I went back to the president of the bank the managing director and I said sir I you know I had a question can I defer this for a year I need to go back and try to do this and he said you know congratulations that's an amazing honor but no you can't defer it you either take the job or you you have to give to somebody else I said okay no so I ran back and you know and I called the guys up at the Pentagon I said hey can I defer this for a year I'd like I spent all this time going to business school I got this job an investment bank I'd love to do that but I just need a year and then I can kind of like they're like no you you gotta either take the job you know now it's it's not an exploding offer but it's not guaranteed we just have this need and and so I kind of thought long and hard and I'd flown at that point I'd flown Donald Rumsfeld around in the KC-10 the KC-10 you know I would say by all intents and purposes the fastest jet in the world because we don't have to stop we can sustain 0.92 mach almost indefinitely if we have enough fuel and then we can get refueled and so I ultimately turned the job down and you know this is another funny true story my roommate from the Air Force Academy is currently the commander of Air Force One now I'm not going to say his name because he's not posting the stuff on social media and I don't think he really wants everyone to know you know that he's the 17th ever presidential pilot so he flew for Obama and then Trump and then now Biden and potentially whoever is either a reelected or elected next but he got the job and he's an outstanding American and a great aviator and a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler and a special thanks to Peter Braxton for sharing the story of the interview he got to be the pilot of Air Force Two after graduating with a master's of business and accepting a job offer at Credit Suisse which way did he go which should he choose well he chose in the end his future life as a civilian but what a job offer it was the story of Peter Braxton's first job after his military service here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here the host of Our American Stories every day on this show we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country stories from our big cities and small towns but we truly can't do the show without you our stories are free to listen to but they're not free to make if you love what you hear go to our americanstories.com and click the donate button give a little give a lot go to our americanstories.com and give from BBC Radio 4 Britain's biggest paranormal podcast is going on a road trip I thought in that moment oh my god we've we've summoned something from this board this is Uncanny USA he says somebody's in the house and I screamed listen to Uncanny USA wherever you get your BBC podcasts if you dare hello it is Ryan and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day couldn't we just to make up for things like sitting in traffic doing the dishes counting your steps you know all the mundane stuff that is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba casino Chumba casino has all your favorite social casino style games you can play for free anytime anywhere with daily bonuses that should brighten your day look actually a lot so sign up now at Chumba casino.com that's Chumba casino.com no purchase necessary this is Malcolm Gladwell from Revisionist History eBay Motors is here for the ride with some elbow grease fresh installs and a whole lot of love you transformed a hundred thousand miles and a body full of rust into a drive that's all your own brake kits led headlights whatever you need eBay Motors has it and with eBay guaranteed fit it's guaranteed to fit your ride the first time every time or your money back plus at these prices you're burning rubber not cash keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply