One more of Josh Carter’s many friends, Fred Wellman of the Lincoln Project joins him today. Fred joined the Army partly because of a REALLY long family history. Going back to the 1640s to be exact with the French and Indian Wars - pre-revolutionary times! His father was a Marine in World War II and Fred wound up at West Point after looking closely at the Air Force Academy. He really liked the wide choice of majors offered and he was also a “sports guy” so West Point was a perfect fit. He always wanted to fly growing up and wound up flying Scout helicopters for the 22 years of service. There were surprises of course. At first, all the yelling offended him to the point of wanting to quit. Luckily, he wrote home first and the tough letter he got from his ex-Marine father telling him to stop whining and get his (!) together got him back on track. Flying Scout helicopters was most challenging but also the most fun and exciting. They’re single pilot craft and the pilots sneak up on the enemy and see things most others do not. Fred flew in Korea for a while where he really honed his skills. Because of the mountains and the fast-changing weather, pilots learn quickly how to handle their craft. He then wound up fighting the last battle of Desert Storm and afterward moved around other parts of the world, which he cherishes because of his sense of wonder. He settled his family in Georgia and joined the reserves. While running for mayor of his town, 911 hit and he knew he would be called up, which he was. But after three combat tours and wrestling with the PTSD that accompanies most military after that, Fred opted for the private sector. It was 2010-ish and although the economy was coming back, he was impatient looking for a job. However, at one interview with another ex-military pilot, the interviewer was candid. He said they already had a candidate in mind and urged Fred to start his own company. When Fred told him he had no experience, didn’t know how to start one and so forth, the interviewer looked him in the eye and said, “None of us knows what the (!!) we’re doing”, which stuck with Fred. On his way home, he thought of the name Scout Coms, told his wife, she made an office out of the basement and away he went. Almost broke when he started, he just got on the phone and started dialing for dollars. Luckily, veteran training was in great demand and the big PR firms were ready. That was a 10-year experience, then Fred reached out to a friend who recruited him for the Lincoln Project and now Fred works the political side of advocating for those who have served our military.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#108 None of Us Knows What the #! We're Doing - Fred Wellman, Lincoln Project

Veteran Founder Podcast