Meet Rick Crandall
In honor of Military Appreciation Month, meet Rick Crandall. Rick is an Air Force veteran, former radio host, teacher and the host of Behind the Wings® The Podcast.
Tell us about your military background.
First, I’m a military brat. I’ve always felt when you’re a family member of someone serving, you’re part of that service. Dad was in the Air Force and that took us to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, in the early 60’s and Germany in the mid 60’s, among other places in the states. I joined the Air Force shortly after high school graduation and was a radio broadcaster in Guam for the American Forces Radio Service. I then came home to Colorado and was stationed first at Peterson Field in Colorado Springs and then the U.S. Air Force Academy where I taught TV Production to Cadets. I was in six years and at that point figured with my time as a military brat combined with my own service I had been in long enough.
How does your military background shape your career today?
There is no doubt that my time in the Air Force led to my post-military career. Shortly after leaving active-duty I was hired by KOSI radio here in Denver, first as a part-timer and then full time where I eventually became morning show host on KOSI. I later became morning show host and program director for KEZW-AM 1430 for 30 years. The audience of KEZW when I started was largely WWII generation and my time in the service was a starting point for building a relationship with the audience. It was the most amazing career I could have asked for.
What was the most rewarding part about serving in the military? What was the most challenging?
The six years I was on active duty were all in “peace-time” so any challenges I had paled in comparison to what other generations of service members faced. For me the rewarding parts were the life-long friends I made and the opportunity to see places I would never have known otherwise. The adult I became was shaped by those early days on active duty and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Tell us about your role at Wings Over the Rockies.
I have the great fortune of being part of a very talented team at Wings Over the Rockies and I am grateful for that! As co-host of Behind the Wings® The Podcast with Wings’ President and CEO John Barry, I get to engage with some of the most fascinating people in the space and aviation world in conversations that I hope are both informative and entertaining. John and I have been fortunate to interview amazing guests on topics ranging from WWII to Mars and in the coming months we’ll be starting our fifth season of the podcast and I can’t wait to see what the team has put together for us to talk about next! Hear Rick in action on the podcast.