LIL Stories: Zachary Miller

I haven't posted an interview recently but I've been working on this one for a while. This AMAZING human has inspired me... and so many others... from the first moment I met him. We became friends through the Air Force Wingman Outreach program and finally met when we PCS'd to DM. He is constantly going the extra mile for our Airmen and he's not afraid to speak up when he sees something wrong. Always there to support Cheryl and me, he attended our LIL Acts Christmas Giving Dinner this year, and now... as he transitions to Civilian life after a pretty exhausting medical separation, we wish the best for him and his husband Austin! I know big things are in your future and we'll be cheering you on the whole way. So without further delay... I introduce you all to Zachary Miller:

1. Tell me a little bit about who Zachary Miller is!

I am a man who is for the moment serving his county, and proud to be doing it. I was raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, so I have a small-town mindset where everyone takes care of everyone regardless of if you like the person or not. When someone is struggling you help them out because, at the end of the day, everyone is human and makes mistakes. We are all just trying to live life the best way we know how. I have been in the Air Force for just about 13 years (August will be 13 years), and have been POL my entire career. My ultimate hope is that I can make it to 20 years and retire, however sadly with some medical issues going on, it looks like I will be getting out within the next month or so. I have been happily married to the man of my dreams for 5 and a half years now, and we have a beautiful family consisting of 3 dogs (two Shiba Inus and a Husky) and 2 cats.

2. What is your philosophy in life?

My philosophy in life is quite simple, and I briefly touched on it in the first question. Everyone is trying to live their life the best way they know how. It is important to remember that everyone is human and we all make mistakes. People are also NOT going to make the same choices that we would, and we should be fine accepting other people’s opinions and choices. Not one person should decide what is good for everyone, each person should have their own say on what makes them happy in life. If someone doesn’t agree with your point of view, that’s fine… there is no need to try and change their mind and have them view things the way that you view them. At the end of the day… we are all human and we all need things that may be different from what other people need. We should be able to come together as a group, community, nation, and planet to make sure that everyone is getting what they need at that moment… to live life and not suffer.

3. Why did you join the Air Force?

I joined the Air Force because I was living in a small town, dropped out of college, and needed to pay my student loans off. The gas station I was working at did not pay nearly enough to make my monthly payments and still have enough money left over to put into savings. I also had a huge sense of patriotism and I wanted to do my part in defending our great country… and make sure that my family and friends were safe from foreign threats.

4. What is something that has challenged you and how did you get through it?

When I initially thought about this question… I wanted to say that school has completely challenged me beyond belief. However, thinking about it more, my biggest challenge would have to be when I became NCOIC of the base Fuels Laboratory. This was my biggest challenge for several reasons. One, I had never held an NCOIC position before… and had no training on how to run an entire section by myself. And two, I only had 2 weeks of experience in the lab and that was my 5- and 7-level training.I overcame this obstacle by telling myself that I would become the most knowledgeable person who ever worked in the Lab at Davis-Monthan. I would epitomize the very definition of being a Subject Matter Expert (SME). I still have some things I need to learn… however, for the most part, I did a lot of reading when I first started and I feel like I have become one of the best NCOICs in the Lab in a long time. I also didn’t lose sight of the fact that I needed to also ensure the safety, well-being, and morale of my Airmen. I try to make sure they are taken care of to the best of my ability.

5. What are you most proud of in your career/life so far?

I would have to say receiving my degree after working toward that goal for a long time. I have recently graduated from my BA program with a degree in Psychology… which I am beyond proud of.

6. What is one piece of advice you have for younger Airmen?

In the military, you will always have your ups and you will have your downs. You will have great supervisors… and you will have horrible ones. On those days that seem to be “down” days, remember the up days and continue to push through… because as long as you get through them, you will be good. When you have those good supervisors, learn everything you can from them but remember you can learn from your horrible supervisors as well. I was told as a young Airman “You will learn how to be a great supervisor from your worst supervisor.” The horrible supervisors teach you what not to do/be as a supervisor… so when you DO become a supervisor, don’t lose touch with your airman self in that regard. Remember what that horrible supervisor did that you absolutely hated and make it a point not to make those decisions/choices yourself.

7. Who is someone you look up to and why?

Honestly, as cliché as it sounds, I look up to my husband. He doesn’t see it, but whenever he gets overwhelmed he manages to find some way to overcome it. He pushes through and gets the things done that need to be completed. He also ALWAYS has my back. I can be struggling and he gives me the little nudge, push, or motivation I need to get things done. He always seems to know when I’m having a rough day and he gives me the space I need… when I need it… or essentially tells me to snap out of it and push on.

8. What’s one book recommendation you have for the people out there?

I’m not actually a huge reader. I read my schoolwork, but never really read anything else past that. Occasionally I’ll read a magazine published by the American Psychological Association, but that is about it.

9. You started the Air Force Wingman Outreach program. What drove you to create the group that summer…. And how do you think that group has helped to shape you as a person?

Honestly as weird as this sounds, my heart was hurting. OUR Air Force lost more people to suicide that year, by August (if memory serves)… than any year prior. My heart hurt for the families of those lost and for the people who were struggling at that moment. Air Force leaders were attempting to find a solution, making mandatory briefings to go over suicide prevention and topics such as that to try to stop the climb in suicide. Their efforts were valiant, however, it was missing the underlying point. People felt like they had no one to talk to about struggles because they didn’t trust the people they worked with, and there was a huge negative stigma about mental health ruining your career. When I started the page… I just wanted a place where people could go and vent to get things out and find a fellow Airman that they could relate to, regardless if they knew that person or not. Someone who they didn’t have to fear being open and honest. Someone who was outside of their chain who could relate to what they were feeling and help them through their struggle without sending them to mandatory briefings, mental health appointments, and all the other stuff people who are honest with their chain are subjected to. My goal was to start a page that was empowering and not “hurtful” like other AF pages on Facebook… the ones that only make fun of people and/or organizations. I wanted somewhere people would feel safe being open and honest when they needed a wingman… someone to talk to.

To be completely honest, I almost closed down the page after about a week because it wasn’t getting any traction. I went to bed one morning, in my deployed location (I worked the night shift), and woke up to the page blowing up. When I went to bed there were roughly 40 people following the page… but I woke up and we had almost 600 followers. This helped me realize the NEED for the page and gave me the motivation to keep going. If it were not for my admin and moderator team, though, I would have sunk and the page would have gone under quickly. I didn’t realize how big it would become and I was quickly in over my head.

10. What is something you want to accomplish in the next year?

In the next year, I want to successfully transition from the military into civilian life. I would like to get accepted into a graduate program for clinical mental health counseling and start working more towards my dream of one day becoming a psychiatrist.