Former A-10 pilot, Cowboy speaks at Pentagon

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON --  Chad Hennings knows teamwork. Chad Hennings knows mentorship. Chad Hennings knows success.

Chad Hennings also knows what it's like to fly an A-10 Thunderbolt II on a combat sortie, win three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and, most recently, speak with Airmen stationed at the Pentagon.

Mr. Hennings was the guest of Lt. Gen. Raymond Johns Jr., the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs. General Johns invited the Air Force Academy graduate to speak to members of the Air Staff March 27 about "challenges in life and managing stress" as part of the Air Force Wingman Day program.

"Back in January, I asked my staff what they wanted to do for Wingman Day," General Johns explained. "They suggested we get Mr. Hennings to come speak to us about how he's found success in life. After all, he's an accomplished Airman, a Super Bowl champion and a great motivational speaker."

Mr. Hennings, an Air Force Academy graduate, flew A-10s in the early 1990s in support of Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq before signing with the Cowboys as a defensive lineman. After nine years of playing professional football, he retired from the National Football League in 2001 and formed his own marketing and consulting company. He's also a motivational speaker and uses his experience in the Air Force and the NFL to talk to people about the importance of teamwork, mentorship and what it means to be successful.

"It's nothing new, but teamwork is absolutely essential to an organization," Mr. Hennings told the crowd. "To be successful as a team, everyone on that team needs to focus on accomplishing the team goals. With the Cowboys, on the field, we were phenomenal and it was an honor to be a part of that. But off the field, things started falling apart and that chipped away at our performance as a team.

"That's what tore us apart," he said.

In being part of a team, Mr. Hennings illustrated that everyone is a leader, if not by position, than by example. In addition, people need to know their role in fulfilling the organization's mission or goal.

"Leadership is a choice and it's essential to success," he said. "But success isn't necessarily measured by wealth or fame or social status. Success is all about balance."

Mr. Hennings went on to explain that success comes from balancing four things:

- Physical well-being - eating right, regular exercise, taking care of yourself
- Mental well-being - reading and continuing the learning process all through life
- Family - maintaining your relationships with your relatives and friends
- Community - giving back to the people in your neighborhood

To balance those four aspects of life, Mr. Hennings said he uses his faith as a"filter in figuring things out." He suggested that a person's spirituality, whatever it is, is an effective way to live a fulfilled life. And to figure that out?

"It's not easy to execute, but it's easy," he said.

After sharing his experiences and points of view on life, Mr. Hennings answered questions from the audience on a variety of subjects.

On why he didn't play professional football straight out of the Academy: "It was important to me to fulfill my contract with the Air Force and it matured me as an individual and I was a better football player later for it."

On feeling guilty about not being everywhere at once to help people at work when there are family commitments: "One of the hardest lessons to learn is how to say 'No' when there are things to do at work, but your daughter has a play that night. It's understandable that you want to serve and do what you can, but that's your daughter."

On playing with football legends: "Barry Sanders is absolutely the best running back. Ever."

Longtime Cowboys fan Lt. Col. Mike Bruzzini said he got a lot out of hearing Mr. Hennings speak.

"As a parent, I try to be a good role model for my children and raise them properly," Colonel Bruzzini said. "It was reassuring to hear from someone who's a role model on a larger scale and see him be so humble about it - things like the importance of character development and having a well-rounded vision in life. I really appreciated hearing his perspective."

For Tech. Sgt. Rafael Ruiz, it was great to see someone giving back to the Air Force.

"He's one of us," Sergeant Ruiz said. "He knows what it's like to go through what we go through, so there's a lot of credibility to his message. I liked hearing what he had to say about balancing things in life, like your loves, your work and your faith."

It's important to give back, Mr. Hennings said, especially with how much he got out of being in the Air Force.

"Mentorship has always been a big part of my life," Mr. Hennings said. "I've been fortunate in my success, and I've learned a lot. But I want to give that back to people and hope they can learn some of those things, too.

"One of my favorite things to tell people is that someday they're going to retire," Mr. Henning said. "You'll look around and say 'What did I do with my life?' and hopefully you've lead a good and balanced life and have something to pass on to the next generation. Your name and character and reputation are what real wealth is all about. That's what you leave your kids that's of real value."