:: Military Transition Specialist

I am a retired USAF Senior Noncommissioned Officer (SNCO) veteran who served for 24 years. I'm a good example of the unofficial moniker of USAF firefighters, "A jack of all trades...master of none."  A fateful encounter eventually led me to experience SR for myself, and with encouragement from my counselor have embarked to become a SR Practioner myself. I am grateful to have been on a different life journey since that fateful encounter, and appreciate being given an opportunity to learn more about myself and give back to those who also would like to experience a different and better life with SR.

Jerry Mazanowski retired from the U.S. Navy in 2003 after 20 years of service. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1980 with a Bachelors degree in Sociology. He joined the Navy through the Aviation Officer Candidate School program at NAS Pensacola, Florida in 1983, earned his Naval Flight Officer wings in 1985 and was assigned flying orders to the East Coast F-14 Tomcat community at NAS Oceana, Virginia. In 1987 he graduated from the Navy's Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). He earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies in 1995 from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

After retiring from active duty he began a second career with Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas as a Senior Systems Engineer in the Strategic Planning department, then a Senior Manager for Program Strategies in the Strategic Studies Group (SSG) and was responsible for  strategy and advocacy development, requirements assessments, and operational analysis for Aeronautic's fighter and transport aircraft. In 2007, he received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He later served as the Deputy to the Vice President of Aeronautics Strategy & Business Development & Director of the Staff; and finally as Director of U.S. Domestic Sustainment Business Development.

Mr. Mazanowski retired from Lockheed Martin in September of 2021. He currently resides in Southlake, Texas with his wife Gail. He is an avid supporter of The GallantFew and volunteers as a VetSTAR coach for both active duty and veterans seeking lives full of hope and purpose.  

Paula Morgan is the Founder and President of Twin Rotors Mission, a 501c3 Nonprofit assisting veterans, their families, active duty and first responders. She served in the Army National Guard from 1987-1991, working in the Signal Core as a Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Operator. She later transitioned to Active Duty Army, earning her Aircraft Crewman Badge as Avionics Mechanic where she performed her duties working on Chinooks, Hueys, Apaches, and Blackhawks from 1991-1995. Her time in service required her to maintain a Secret Security Clearance. Unique assignments afforded her the opportunity to serve 1 year overseas in South Korea. Special skill identifiers included Aircraft Survivability Equipment, Kiowa Warrior, OH-58D Qualified. In 1995 she was Honorably Discharged having earned numerous awards and ribbons to include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and the Noncommissioned Officer's Professional Development Ribbon.

She and her husband served on active duty together while stationed in Ft. Hood, TX. During this time, a CH47 Aircraft went down during a phase maintenance flight, killing everyone on board. It was the most gut wrenching experience they endured together. After she was medically retired from service, she continued to serve in the military community, and was recognized for her willingness to serve soldiers with great enthusiasm and cheerfulness. She Initiated communication with other military wives in planning and coordinating efforts such as planning funerals, seasonal parties, and other functions as deemed appropriate based on the community and program agendas. After her husband left service in 1997, their ties with the veteran community were severed. Paula was advised by Human Resources professionals to remove anything related to her time in service from her resume, and applications in order to secure employment outside of the military. She completed a dual Master of Science degree in Human Resources Development and Computer Resources and Information Management. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Programming. She has a minor in Psychology related fields which include Abnormal Psychology, Biological Foundations of Behavior, Fundamentals of Motivation, Developmental Psychology, and Technology and Social Process.

Despite all of these accomplishments she truly longed to be back in the military. Years later, in 2017, she and her husband would learn through the end credits of the movie, 'Lone Survivor,' that a buddy they served together with in South Korea had been killed in 2005 during Operation Red Wings. Following this discovery, she and her husband began exploring how they could reconnect with the veteran community. In doing so, a chest full of locked up memories resurfaced, opening old wounds as a result of trauma. Paula began to volunteer with GallantFew, Inc. in 2019. She has been and continues to be mentored by Karl Monger, the Founder of GallantFew. He is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, licensed as a Professional Counselor Associate, and is supervised by Dr. Summer Allen, LPC-S.

People who know Paula describe her as a creative, motivated, energetic, tenacious, and a trusted confidant. Through her nonprofit, she is passionate about her mission to the veteran and first responder community. As a veteran herself, and a spouse to a veteran, she understands how family dynamics play a critical role in the overall fitness of the family. She is afforded a unique perspective when it comes to the veteran community, families, active-duty military, and relationships. She is especially sensitive to those who once held, or continue to hold security clearances, but were never able to seek mental health care without potential repercussions. Although she didn't see combat, she served during Desert Storm (1990), the Persian Gulf War (1991), and in South Korea (1992). Her traumatic experiences exposed her to witness death, which eventually led to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and a loss of purpose in life. This is why one of the focal points of her nonprofit addresses mental health which offer alternatives to traditional mental health services, such as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. She has been working with other individuals of the military to develop a life coach approach to navigating life's challenges. Subconscious RestructuringTM is a program process which proves to have dramatic results in saving veteran lives. 

I am a 22-year combat veteran who understands the frustration, stress, and pain associated with military experience. My military career has provded me the opportunity to mentor, coach, and guide both professionally and personally on a daily basis. I look forward to working with clients to introduce Functional Emotional Fitness coaching methods to provide additional tools for future successes in all of life's endeavors!

                        1993-1995 Commander, 7^thSpecial Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina 28307

* Developed the long range goals, generated the operational plans, and managed the $11million annual budget of this highly selective 1,400man military organization, whose primary mission is training Latin American military and security forces. Saved over three million dollars annually in transportation costs through use of underutilized airframes for movement of training teams into Latin America.

1992-1993 Director, Training and Doctrine, JFK Special Warfare Center & School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina28307

* Managed the training strategy and doctrine development for the Special Warfare Center and School (Training included 43different courses, with an average daily student population of 1,250students.  Doctrine included 35separate manuals on topics ranging from the care and use of pack animals to military free-fall parachuting).

  * Developed a new Training Strategy for the Special Forces non-commissioned officers, which merged existing courses and presented critical instruction to a wider audience, while reducing overall costs.

1990-1992     Defense Attaché, US Embassy, Bogotá, Colombia, APO Miami 34038

 * Played key role in organizing the various elements of the US Embassy Staff to exploit, on short notice, the largest capture of narco-trafficking documents in Colombian history.

 *At the end of my tour in 1992 the Bogotá Defense Attaché Office was officially recognized by the Defense Intelligence Agency as the most productive and cost efficient of the 19 Defense Attaché Offices in the Latin American Region.

1986-1988 Commander, 2^ndBattalion, 1^stSpecial Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis Washington 98503

* Conceived, documented and sold the new operational concept for US Army Special Forces in the Republic of Korea, which better utilized Special Forces capabilities, while answering a critical need of the theater Commander.

* Developed, organized and implemented training programs that improved the NCO Skill Qualification Test scores by more than 20%, the most improvement of any Special Forces Battalion during those two years.

1984-1986 Chief, Operational Planning and Training Teams, Military Group,US Embassy, El Salvador, APO Miami 34003

* Working in Spanish, with Salvadoran national level authorities, developed, planned and presented training programs for the Salvadoran soldiers, sergeants and officers, and a self defense program for isolated rural villages.

* Generated and executed the plan for a $3million security upgrades of the Salvadoran national electric generation and distribution systems.

Earlier Military Experience -enlisted in the Army; a Distinguished Military Graduate from Infantry Officers Candidate School. Served two years as an Infantry Officer in the 101^st Airborne Division in Viet Nam. Served more than fourteen years in Army Special Operations units.  Honor Graduate from both the US Army Ranger and Special Forces Schools.

Education

1989            US Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Graduate level Executive Management Program

1983            Defense Language Institute at Monterey, California,  Spanish Language Course

1982            US Marine Corps Staff College at Quantico, Virginia, Graduate level Executive Management Program

1978            University of Southern California at Los Angeles, CaliforniaMasters of Arts, Educational Administration

1976            Saint Martin’s College at Olympia, Washington, Bachelors of Arts, Sociology

Post-Military Career Recognition

1996                        Selected as Distinguished Alumni Infantry Officer Candidate School

2013                        Selected as Distinguished Member of 506^th Infantry Regiment (Viet Nam Service)

Virginia native living in Raleigh, NC. Avid outdoorsman and conservationist, I enjoy spending time with other like-minded individuals, constantly learning, growing in my faith, and striving to be better than I was yesterday. Mental Fitness is key to a successful transition for veterans, and Burris Functional Emotional Fitness Training has been the best source of growth for me personally. At GallantFew, we live and teach the Fitness STAR(Self-training and Response-ability) mindset, meaning your success is related to the effort you put in.