Ready For Takeoff Podcast

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RFT 017: Interview With Blue Angel Captain Donnie Cochran

 When young Donnie Cochran was working the family farm in rural Georgia with his 11 siblings, military jets would fly overhead and inspire him to some day become a pilot. Naval ROTC and pilot training made his dream a reality, and he became an F-8 Crusader pilot.On his first deployment, a "6-month" cruise to the Med, he ended up circling the globe, gone for 9 months during the Iranian hostage crisis. There were more cruises, and more airplanes. A-4s, F-14s. And Donnie Cochran was selected to become the first African-American member of the Navy's aerial demonstration team, The Blue Angels. Several years later, he became the first African-American Leader of the Blues.After retiring from a distinguished Navy career, Captain Cochran had subsequent careers with UPS and Coca Cola in their Aviation departments. And now he's giving back to his community as a motivational speaker.Listen now to Captain Cochran's inspiring story, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio, and please leave a Review!Thanks!https://youtu.be/R6ILAID3uN0Captain Cochran's website: http://donniecochran.com/