[calm music] - Hello, I'm Nido Qubein, Welcome to Side by Side.

My guest today is a Marine who's gone from flight school in Pensacola, Florida to the National War College in Washington, DC.

He served in six combat tours and after retiring from the military, he now works as a leader for Lockheed Martin.

We're discussing a life of service to our great nation with Colonel Vance Cryer.

- [Narrator 1] Funding for a Side by Side with Nido Qubein is made possible by.

- [Narrator 2] Here's to those that rise and shine, to friendly faces doing more than their part and to those who still enjoy the little things, you make it feel like home.

Ashley HomeStore, this is home.

- [Narrator 3] The Budd Group is a company of everyday leaders making a difference by providing facility solutions through customized janitorial, landscape and maintenance services.

- [Narrator 4] Coca-Cola consolidated is honored to make and serve 300 brands and flavors locally thanks to our teammates.

We are Coca-Cola Consolidated, your local bottler.

[upbeat music] - Colonel Clyde, welcome to Side ny Side, I was in Washington, DC, sitting in front of a, sitting with an audience of thousands of people at the national event for the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans.

Some of the greats of America are inducted in Horatio Alger and then they announced your name and they announced your name in a unique way because you were a recipient of Horatio Alger scholarship and as an alum, they inducted you in the association.

You're the first alum ever and since then, the only one inducted, how did you feel that night and what is your relationship with Horatio Alger?

- Dr. Qubein, it's an honor to be here with you today and the Horatio Alger Association is just a tremendous group of patriots from across the nation and what they have done to build scholarship funds for those in need and for promising young men and women all across the US and Canada is inspiring.

For me, it really reaches home, as a young high schooler with, had really no plan to go to college.

- Except football.

- Except for the hope of a college football scholarship - Yes!

[chuckles] - So I had a couple of walk-on offers but that never materialized and so my plan was to in the Corps and so I would go to join the Marine Corps and earn a G.I.

Bill and come back and go to college but the Horatio Alger Association very late in my senior year offered me a scholarship, and I felt compelled to give that a go and give it a try and it made all the difference for me.

- Well and you have been a great example for so many other young people now with your own life and your own service and your own speaking around the country.

You're at Lockheed Martin now as a senior manager, what is it that you do there?

- So at Lockheed, I work for missiles and fire control, it's a separate business.

- That sounds scary and dangerous, missiles and.

- Missiles and fire control, it's a business area within Lockheed and so a lot of people don't know this but Lockheed is made up of several business areas, missiles and fire control, one, aeronautics is another, space is another and rotary mission systems and they all come together to provide advanced capabilities and technologies to the war fighter.

Lockheed, you think of it as a place of a bunch of old military codgers like me but it's really not, it's an engineering company and it is full of just the most talented engineers you've ever seen.

At all ages, they hire every engineer they can get their hands on and then they bring along a couple of us old guys that can translate what is it that the services are saying and what do they need into the technologies and the people that produce those capabilities and that's what I do.

I'm a liaison for missiles and fire control and aeronautics and the advanced development programs or the skunk works and for war.

- Tell us a little bit about your background 'cause it's quite interesting, you were born in Fort Worth and your mom got married when she was 15 or 16.

- 16, yes sir.

- And then got divorced a matter of few years later.

- Yes sir, so father was 20 mother was 16, neither with a high school education, married, three children, older sister, older brother and I and just had a really rough go of it and so we spent our time bouncing around between aunts, uncles, grandparents, I kind of landed with my grandparents on my mother's side and my grandfather, a World War II veteran and Merchant marine raised me, got me involved in sports, took me to school every day, was at every practice and every game and really just used the sports to discipline my life and to kind of give me some structure.

- And you were separated from your siblings.

- At times and so at different times we would be together and sometimes apart and so it was just kind of a catch as catch can with where we would be staying at the time - Take me there for just a moment, I think it's important for us to understand that in society, people have all kinds of stories, all kinds of backgrounds and therefore all kinds of challenges, and you've turned out to be a disciplined, successful human being and yet you has a very difficult upbringing as you've just cited, take us there, tell me about how you felt as you moved around, how you felt as you were separated from your siblings and I'm really interested to know what is it that compelled you to move forward and onward, Colonel Cryer, in such a way that allowed you to be the kind of leader that you are today?

- Well, I think that there are many families that can relate to these type of issues, so many single mothers out there today in society who are struggling in many ways and for my family, I remember the times that a church member would stop by with a bag of groceries unannounced or would bring Christmas and so it can't overemphasize for me the impact that that had, that people would pour themselves into our lives at a needy time and so I think there's a lot of families who don't have enough to eat, there are a lot of families that can relate to hard economic times or missing family members, to death or separation or other circumstances and so for me, it made me hungry, it made me want to.

- Hungry as in ambitious.

- Hungry as in determined.

- Ah, determined.

- And so, ambition for me, I think is, I guess I see that more akin to a pride element and so I kind of guard against ambition.

One thing that my mother did, it was that she was faithful in getting us to church every week and getting us under the word and pouring that into our lives and that really gave me a foundation of principle and purpose and faith to trust that this isn't about my ambition, this is not about my personal goals or what I can achieve but that I'm following a Lord who has provided for me and has continued to make a way for me where I couldn't and opening doors I could not open.

- And you had six tours of service to Iraq, I believe, how did these principles that your mom taught you come alive in a moment of need in a war torn part of the world?

Were you scared?

Did you fall apart at times?

Did you talk to your comrades in a way that said, what do we do now or were you always clear on strategy and determined to move forward and even on the days that perhaps we're not quite that successful?

- It's really pretty simple, people, I think they watch maybe too much TV and the political banter back and forth of why we're in these conflicts overseas but for the young men and women who wear the sacred cloth of the nation, they are there for each other and so for me to continue to go back when, hey, you've had your tour, you could go do something else or maybe take an off tour, for me, as long as the Marines were walking the beat in Al Anbar, if I had an opportunity to go back I wanted to go back and I wanted to go back because when they call on that radio and they need your support, it's coming and so it's pretty simple, it's not a nice day when the Marines come to town.

- Really, what does that mean?

- It means they are.

- Serious business - A tenacious bunch.

- And so Marines do three things, they shoot, move and communicate and they do that to chase bad guys and tear up their stuff and so it's not a nice business but when that Marine makes that call on the ground, from the air, it's, you can bet it's coming, so we're gonna be there, we're gonna be there for them and the enemy is gonna have a bad day.

- How does, you're a person of faith as you've just outlined, some people, of course, don't like war, they don't like the fact that in a war you kill people and so on, how do you deal with that personally and emotionally and spiritually?

- So it's, I've observed this in others and so it's about your intentions and it's about the focus of obedience, obedience to duty and so for, the Marine Corps establishes core values of honor, courage and commitment and I can tell you that it takes courage every day to strap on that equipment and step across that threshold and get to go into harm's way and you do that out of a sense of duty and commitment to each other.

Again, it's not politics but it's a commitment that you won't let each other down and even at your own expense, you will be obedient in the task even if it's not a nice task, even if it's, brings death and destruction to our enemies, I will be faithful in that and I will be obedient in that and for me, that has been kind of the grounding that's allowed me to cope, if you will, with the harsh realities that we find.

- Forgive me if I sound ignorant and I don't mean to be disrespectful in any way, I'm just trying to learn from you, so are there times when people in the military, are there times when they politically or personally don't believe in the cause but they find themselves in it, how does a human being deal with that?

- So, by understanding that everyone, no matter where they are up to the president, even the president of the United States has a boss, right here the American people are his boss, everyone has a boss and appreciating that people above your station, above your position, they have a job to do that's different than your own and so there are many times that you may not have all the information and so that's the importance of knowing that our piece is to be dutiful and faithful and obedient in the task given.

Is it a legal, moral or ethical order?

If it is, I don't have to like it, execute, if it's not legal, if it's not moral, if it's unethical, then my duty is to bring that to your attention as my leader, to say, hey boss, healthy tension here, you need to hear this, this is what I'm seeing, this is what others are seeing and bring that to the leadership.

- Colonel Cryer, talk to me a bit about veterans.

Veterans in this country, we have Veterans Day, we honor veterans on Veterans Day, there other times that veterans may be forgotten, veteran families may suffer, children lose their mom or their dad, the system may or may not support them fully, what do you know about that and what are we doing about that?

- The last three administrations have made some significant headway with the veterans administration to support those who have separated from service or retired from service there but there still remains a tremendous need and so what people, take healthcare, for example, not politically but just for your veterans, your veterans either through the VA system or through TRICARE, either one, they at times struggle to get timely care that they need, so it's really a need situation and there's much more demand than there is service there to provide and so as it takes longer to get that service to them, the care that they need to them, many of them either pass or become a much degraded state for their health.

- What about the emotional, psychological, familial relations?

- And so that's probably the hardest part, it's the hardest part to quantify and it's the hardest part to meet the need because it's so personal and so you build a tremendous bond with the people that you go into harm's way with, that, closer than your family in some ways and as you separate from the service, it's not that you've lost that bond but you've lost the connection, the closeness of that connection.

We return to our home towns, we mobilize, move all over the country, take a job somewhere and you lose that intimacy.

What allows service men and women to do the things that they do is this system of responsibility and accountability and I think that's a key tenant for leadership everywhere, is to make sure they've put in place, no matter how high they elevate or rise and succeed but if they remove that responsibility and accountability, which in the service you have from your peer group and from your bosses, just through structure and so when you separate, you lose that connection and if you don't seek it, it's really easy to fall into a dark place and so that's, for those of us that have separated and have returned home, kind of pick your head up and look, actively seek those in need, service men and women or maybe just those less fortunate in your community.

- And of course you are now in a leadership position at Lockheed Martin, you're leading a group of people, you're a liaison in that area, what is it that see in today's leaders that is working?

What you see that you say, gosh, I wish they would learn this.

- Today's young people are often written off, they're written off, they're a little bit different, they're a little to themselves but I tell you what I like about them and I certainly saw this within the Marine Corps, in the small percentage of folks that join and serve and I see it at Lockheed as well and it, they are a committed bunch, they wanna make a difference.

They're not interested in your career track, they're not interested in kind of pampering you as a leader, they wanna make a difference and they.

- They wanna make the world a better place.

- They wanna make the world, they wanna have an impact, they wanna make the world a better place, they certainly do and they are committed to doing that and so if you stop and pay attention to their talents and their skills and you just begin to encourage and reinforce that, it's amazing how they come to life and really get energized about making a difference and when you can champion their ideas and then take and reflect that credit back down to the very lowest level possible, how that changes within an organization, so I think where leadership gets it wrong is that they focus too much up and what does my boss think, what will my boss say, what am I reacting to today within the circles of influence and not enough of just leadership by walking around, talking to their folks, getting their ideas and champion those ideas and encouraging those teammates to do great things.

- And help them achieve their goals, fulfill their needs, achieve their goals.

- And help them connect to the larger mission.

So they don't wanna just be working and doing a task, they wanna be connected to that larger mission and vision within the organization and so that takes just active participation and taking the time to get to know those individuals to do that.

- What are you proudest of in your life?

- That's a pretty easy for me, I've spent some time thinking about that and as there's inflection points in your career track or in your life where you can stop and reflect and as you do that, learn to encourage people to look down your wake, look back down your own wake of where you've been and look at the people that you've been blessed to just in some small way touch their lives and when you see them succeeding in their own right nothing you've done but in their own right, they're succeeding and they begin to influence others and give of themselves to not only the organization but to the people below them and to their peer group, those accomplishments are the most cherished, to see that success in those people that you shaped or mentored or touched in some small way and I know you've experienced that, just in the way that you mentor so many.

- So you're talking about planting seeds of greatness in the lives of others, encouraging others to do well.

What makes you, what are you concerned about?

About our country, about business, about young people, about any of those issues?

You mentioned healthcare is one area that veterans sometimes struggle with, what else are you concerned about?

- Concerned about the culture today, of just the lack of discipline within the culture.

The culture says to, you must find yourself and so for those of us that have been around a while and who know ourselves pretty well, he would say, I don't know that you wanna go there and so what I've learned through experience is to find, to truly find yourself, you have to empty yourself first and you do that in the service of others.

In the service of others, you learn a lot about yourself and as you learn at what you're gifted at, you can play to that and use that experience and gain and grow but you can also observe the talents and strengths of others and reinforce as we just discussed and encourage and pour yourself into the success of others, that's how you find yourself and I think that culture has kind of taken it and we have it backwards.

- More self-orientation versus other orientations.

- Which is a road to nowhere.

- Well, it's a question of, are you seeking happiness?

Are you seeking fulfillment?

Happiness could be had with temporary, immediate things, fulfillment is a much deeper feeling that resides in your heart and your soul as well.

- If your cup is full of garbage, you can't fill it up with things that are truly fulfilling.

- Yes, garbage in, garbage stays, wisdom in, wisdom stays.

We must be careful what we absorb in the circle of influence in which we reside.

What's next for you?

- I am just working opportunities at Lockheed, quietly, behind the scenes, to bring advanced capabilities to the war fighters so that on the next bad day, that the good guys have all the advantage they need and so for me, it's, the best part of my job is walking the halls at Lockheed and talking to the engineers and learning from them and just encouraging them in the great things that they do, that's the fun part and the business end is working through the bureaucracy of kind of cutting through all of the red tape to get things done and not to just let things take their own pace, if you will.

The war fighters need capability soon and that's really what we're focused in at Lockheed.

- You have children, yes?

- Yes, sir, three children.

- How old are they?

- Daughter 27 and sons, 24 and 22.

- And what did you tell them to do in life or to be in life that has paid rich dividends for them?

- I encourage them to chart their own path, to follow their desires, to study.

Daughter studied large animals science, she's raising with her husband a hundred head of cattle, a hundred goats in South Texas, so they're young ranchers, oldest son is in Denver, he's getting his master's degree studying international studies and language, he's studying Arabic and German.

He and his wife are both linguists, if you will and they wanna serve in the government and then my youngest son's at College Station as an aerospace engineer, he wants to design airplanes and work with him.

- It was a pleasure to be with you today, thank you for being side-by-side with me.

Colonel Vance Cryer, Thank you for your service to our country and may God bless you and your, all your goings and your comings, thank you sir.

- Dr. Qubein, thank you, God bless.

- [Narrator 1] Funding for a Side by Side with Nido Qubein is made possible by.

- [Narrator 2] Here's to those that rise and shine to friendly faces doing more than their part and to those who still enjoy the little things, you make it feel like home.

Ashley HomeStore, this is home.

- [Narrator 3] The Budd Group is a company of everyday leaders making a difference by providing facility solutions through customized janitorial, landscape and maintenance services.

- [Narrator 4] Coca-Cola consolidated is honored to make and serve 300 brands and flavors locally, thanks to our team mates.

We are Coca-Cola Consolidated, your local bottler.