Operation CREST from The 9:57 Project The 9:57 Project

Join Julia and Ava as they sit down with Colonel (Ret.) Craig Osborne. Col. Osborne was commissioned as an infantry officer by the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Illinois State University in 1989. He served on active duty for 30 years in a variety of command and staff positions in peace, peace enforcement, humanitarian, and combat operations. He first deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1991 as part of the lead task force in Operation Desert Shield and later served nearly five total years in combat as part of Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. During his service, Colonel Osborne commanded units ranging from platoon to brigade and served as a staff officer at the battalion, brigade, division, and combatant command levels in addition to an assignment on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. His awards and decorations include five Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with Star, the Ranger Tab, the Senior Parachutist’s Badge, and the Pathfinder Badge; he is also a recipient of the prestigious Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for the Army. Colonel Osborne has earned four master’s degrees and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Creighton University.
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The 9:57 Project is mobilizing Veterans to inspire the next generation. Learn more at www.the957project.org.

Join Eli and Rohan as they sit down with Senior Intelligence Officer 4 Alan Platt. Mr. Platt is a former Naval Aviator and retired senior CIA officer from the Directorate of Operations with a distinguished career in the Clandestine Service and proven record of integrity, achievement and excellence. During his twenty-five years of service with the CIA, he served in six field assignments, four as Chief of Station. He has been involved in several premier intelligence operations that contributed to national collection objectives and Covert Action goals, many in high risk environments. Headquarters assignments have included Executive Assistant to the DDCI; Deputy Chief, Special Activities Division, where he pioneered the Agency’s UAV program; and Deputy and Acting Chief, Counterintelligence Center, where he helped identify and bring to justice a CIA spy. Alan’s last assignment in the IC was Associate Deputy Director for Operations, NSA. Alan has been recognized with numerous awards for his contributions to US Intelligence, including a Vice Presidential Commendation, CIA’s Donovan Award, NSA’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Balkans Service Award, and upon retirement, the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. Prior to his CIA career, Mr. Platt was a Naval Aviator for six years. He received a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1969, and an MS degree in Aeronautical Systems Engineering from the University of West Florida in 1970, simultaneously completing Aviation Training and receiving his wings. He is married to Linda Buckley Platt, and they have two children, and three grandchildren. Alan and Linda live in Middleburg, VA, and are active in many community activities.
Learn more about The 9:57 Project at www.the957project.org.

Join Liz and Julia as they sit down with Lieutenant Colonel Steve Henderson (Ret.). Mr. Henderson is a Senior Data Engineer for the Defense Counterintelligence Systems Agency, where he leads the DCSA Big Data Platform team and advises on large-scale data initiatives. Steve has served as a senior data scientist and systems engineer in the commercial and military cyber operations communities, where he specialized in providing data science and data engineering solutions. This includes positions in Cyberspatial, Merck’s Cyber Fusion Center, Citigroup’s Global Cyber Fusion Center, USCYBERCOM, and the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Steve has recently held faculty positions at the United States Military Academy Department of Systems Engineering and in the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. Steve is also a 23-year Army veteran who served as an Apache helicopter pilot and Operations Systems Analyst (ORSA) all over the world.
Dr. Henderson earned a B.S. in Computer Science from USMA, an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona (UA), and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University. He lives in New York state with his wife Maria and enjoys traveling, learning new technology, and participating in church activities.
The 9:57 Project is mobilizing Veterans to inspire young people. Learn more at www.the957project.org

Join Julia and Ava as they talk with Lieutenant Colonel Aaron C. Teller. LTC Teller serves as the Force Protection Branch Chief within the Full Dimension Protection Division (FDB), Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) G-8. He most recently served as a National Security Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is a native of Hillsville, Virginia, and a graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. LTC Teller is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer and has served over 20 years in the Army. He has multiple deployments including to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
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The 9:57 Project mobilizes Veterans to inspire the next generation. Learn more at the957project.org.

Join Riley and Luke as they sit down with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Cooper. CW4 Cooper is a native of Hickory, North Carolina. He is the son of Deborah and Clifford Cooper. He followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps enlisting in the Army on August 13, 1997, as an aircraft electrician. CW4 Cooper's initial entry training included basic training, the aircraft electrician course, and Airborne school. He was then assigned to 2/82 AVN 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed with the 82nd to Afghanistan in 2002. In 2003, CW4 Cooper reclassified to Psychological Operations, attended the Special Operation Language Training for Persian Farsi and then assessed for the Psychological Operations Ranger Detachment. While in the Ranger Detachment, Mike served as a team leader and assistant detachment Sergeant. He deployed twice with Ranger Regt., once in 2004 and again in 2005. During this last deployment, Mike realized the impact he could have on mission success as a helicopter pilot. Shortly after returning from OEF in January 2006, Mike applied to Warrant Officer Flight Training. CW4 Cooper graduated from Warrant Officer Flight Training at Ft. Rucker AL. in 2008 as a UH60A/L pilot. He was assigned to 4-101, 159th CAB at Ft. Campbell, KY. where he qualified in the UH60M. CW4 Cooper deployed two more times with 4-101 to Afghanistan in 2008-2009 and in 2011-2012. He attended both the UH60L and UH60M Maintenance test pilot courses in 2012 as well as the Aviation Maintenance Officer Course. Mr. Cooper was then assigned to 2/82 AVN 82nd Airborne Division as a Maintenance Test Pilot. He deployed again to Afghanistan in his role as an MTP. CW4 Cooper then served as an Aviation Warrant Officer Advance Course Instructor on Ft. Rucker. During his assignment, Mike taught over 1200 Army aviators. Following that assignment Mike was assigned as the Quality Assurance OIC in 2-2 Assault Helicopter Battalion in Seoul, South Korea. After his stint in South Korea, Mike was stationed in Ft. Belvoir Va. as the unit's aviation maintenance officer and senior MTP. Currently, CW4 Cooper serves as the senior warrant officer advisory to the battalion commander in 12th AVN BN.
In concert with working as an MTP, Mike pursued his civilian education attaining an Associate’s Degree from Fayetteville Technical Community College. CW4 Cooper’s Warrant Officer professional military education includes Warrant Officer Basic Course, Aviation Warrant Officer Advance Course, and Warrant Officer Intermediate Level Education. CW4 Cooper has also attended Airborne, Jumpmaster, US. Army Recruiter Course, the Mobile Force Protection Course, and US Army Pathfinder.
Learn more about this program at www.operationcrest.org

Join Eli and Rohan as they sit down with Lieutenant Colonel Kate Clarke. LTC Clarke was born and raised in the small town of Macon, Missouri. In 2000, she graduated from Austin Peay State University and Army ROTC where she was commissioned as a second lieutenant. To date, LTC Clarke has completed twenty years of service to the United States Army, Missouri National Guard, and the United States Army Reserves with assignments in Korea, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. LTC Clarke is branch-qualified in Military Police and Logistics and holds a Master of Science in American History from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently, LTC Clarke continues her service in the US Army Reserves assigned within the Protection Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Washington D.C. Kate is an author with the publication in 2005 by Penguin Publishing of her memoirs entitled “The Heart of a Soldier.” She has been invited to speak at a variety of events across the nation and presently, Kate is in her final year of PhD work at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where she is completing original research on the American Revolution. When not studying or hiking in Scotland, Kate resides in Enterprise, Alabama with her husband Michael, and Border Collie, Hawkeye.