On today's episode of attention ALVA we'll be
speaking with a great leader and part of US military
history stay tuned You won't want to miss this
episode Hello everyone and thanks for tuning
into attention ALVA the podcast for the American
Latino Veterans Association We're super excited
to have you join us today I'm your host Danny
Vargas chairman and CEO of Alva in addition to
these podcasts where you get to hear from inspiring
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really helps with the algorithm So if you can
hit that subscribe button, we really would appreciate
it Now it's my pleasure to introduce our special
guest for today Olga custodio Olga. Welcome
Thank you for having me. Good to see you. My
pleasure I'm gonna read you by a real quick so
people know who it is that we're speaking with
Olga Custodio is a Latina military and commercial
airline aviation pioneer with over 40 years in
aviation. As the first Latina to complete US
Air Force undergraduate pilot training, she served
for 24 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Olga was also the first American Airlines Latina
commercial airline pilot and retired as a captain
with a 20 -year career. Now a STEM advocate,
speaker, author, and community leader, she advocates
for inspiring and empowering students, especially
underserved communities. to pursue STEM careers
in aviation and aerospace. Olga continues to
fly in general aviation. She lives in San Antonio,
Texas, military city, with her husband Edwin
of 51 years and has two adult children, Marcia
and Edwin, and one grandson Jedi. Congratulations.
Thank you. Thank you so much. I would also add
that Olga is a founding member of the Alva Advisory
Council. Thank you, Olga, for serving. Absolutely.
My honor. Appreciate it. And thank you for joining
us today. There is one other thing that we'll
get into later, but she's also a published author
that has a book coming out soon. So when it comes
to that time, I would love to hear more about
the book and the experience and where people
can get it. But why don't we start, Olga, by
taking a step back in time. And by the way, I
can't believe the numbers that I just read. Because
you look so young, my god. Well, thank you. What's
your secret? It's DNA. You have great genes,
yes. Your dad is 99, is that right? 99, and Borinqueneer,
still around with us. Phenomenal. I'll get into
that later about Borinqueneers. But I did want
to start by talking about your personal journey
growing up in Puerto Rico before you joined the
military and your school and all that stuff.
So let's take a trip back in time and get to
learn more about your upbringing. Right. No,
absolutely, absolutely. So I'll just get right
to it, I guess. So I was born in Puerto Rico.
My mom and dad, they're both from a small town
up in the hills called Corozal. And that's where
they met. And so my dad went off. He was in the
latter part of World War II and in the Korean
War. got married, mom and dad, and then had me.
I was born on the island. And about three months
after I left, and mom and I followed dad, and
we were with him the whole time until my brother
was born. He was the addition to the family.
But I wish I could have grown up in Puerto Rico,
but I did not. Being an army brat, I grew up
everywhere. in the U .S. as a small child. And
around, I guess, four or five years old, we moved
to Taiwan. From Taiwan, came back to the States
for a year or so, and then went to Iran, and
then we went to Paraguay. So I consider myself
a world citizen, if you will, because I was able
to experience all those different countries and
the cultures and the people. It was very hard.
just being an army brat, if you will. But looking
back, it was an experience that kind of made
me who I am today and my views and my perspectives
of so many things and the world itself. So yeah,
I think that was very influential for me. And
I'm grateful. even though at the time it was,
like I said, it was very hard, you know, being
an Army child and moving. But that taught me
a lot of stuff, you know, on how to adapt, how
to make the best of the situation at the moment
and seeing different cultures and people and
understanding what humanity is all about, I guess.
Of those countries, what was your favorite country?
I think Paraguay, only because I was older there.
Spanish was my first language, and we spoke it
at home all the time. But I think the fact that
in Paraguay I was able to learn how to read and
write it, which was great, because when dad retired
and we moved back to Puerto Rico right after
Paraguay, I went to school. I had never experienced
a different language school. Everything was Department
of Defense schools in English, which were fantastic.
I have to say that having the textbooks in English
in Puerto Rico, but having the class taught in
Spanish really developed that double sense of
being able to learn how to think in Spanish and
speak it and how to think in English and speak
it at the same time. So I wasn't, at first I
was translating, you know, how that was, you're
translating, okay, how's this word and that word.
So, but I think Badawi was great because it was
South America, Hispanic culture, and kind of
similar to who we are and were at the time. And
amazing stakes. Oh yeah, no, the food was great.
I mean, we were so used to, this is a side note,
to having these awesome cuts of meat, carnivorous
person as myself, and potatoes and fresh vegetables
and all. We get to Puerto Rico and there's a
lot of rice and beans and a little chuleta. And
I'm like, where's the meat? So it was a change.
It was a change, but it was fine. And I was happy
to go to Puerto Rico and learn about my culture.
So that was a great opportunity for me. So where'd
you end up going to school? In Puerto Rico. So
university, yeah. Oh, I went to the University
of Puerto Rico. So when we got there, I had one
more year of high school. and I graduated high
school at 16 because of the Department of Defense
schools. I was able to have all my credits that
I needed to graduate. And so I went ahead and
went to college at that young age. So yeah, it
was interesting. And I still remember that the
college credit was $5. Wow. Not that nowadays.
No, no, that was just a minute ago, right? You
know, so a long time ago. So then after college
came the Air Force. So no. So when I went to
college, I had a plan. You know, I always tell
my kids when they would come up to me and say,
hey, I want to do this. I so so tell me your
plan. What's your plan? How are you going to
execute this? Right. And. So I had a plan. I
was going to get a degree in math, and then I
was going to go to the ROTC, join the Air Force
ROTC, and get my commission, and then serve my
country in the Air Force. That was the big thing
for me. But unbeknownst to me, I was rejected
because, and the commander never told me this,
women weren't allowed in the program. So that
was my first denial, rejection. And I say that
I was, I experienced discrimination without even
knowing it, you know? It was like, well, he's
an authority figure, right? The ROTC commander
said, I'm sorry, but you don't qualify and you
press on. So plan A becomes plan B. And I had
to kind of look for what I was going to do. So
I got into business, but I still did a minor
in math. And then from there, I started working
with, in my last year of college, working with
the Puerto Rico International Airlines. That
was the largest commuter airline in Puerto Rico
and in the world at that moment. and I was in
the accounting office. I worked for the controller
there. And that's where I met my husband. Wow.
Nice guy, by the way, madam. He's a great guy.
Thank you. Thank you. I like him too. You're
like, I think I'll keep him. Yeah, he's a keeper.
He's a keeper. But the interesting part is that
I had, I was in my fifth year of university because
they had to close the college down because the
students just had marches and all kinds of things
that were going on and they had to close the
university down for a semester. So it just pushed
me back. And I took my last night classes at
night and I was able to work full time. Fast
forward, met my husband. Three months later,
we're married, right? And I'm sure everybody
on the side was taking bets. Let's see how long
this lasts. But anyway, about two years in, we
sat down, decided, hey, let's consider joining
the military. My husband had three years of college
and he was thinking maybe that could help him
finish school. maybe a GI bill and that sort
of thing, sure enough. So we went to a recruiter
and I asked about both of us joining. Oh, they
said, absolutely. We took the AFOQT, got the
highest scores. And I knew that I was going to
be able to apply for an officer training position
because of my degree and the scores. But the
recruiter said no. My second denial. So I said,
fine. And he offered me to enlist, but that's
not what the plan was or my goal. I go, no, I
know I'm qualified for something more. I'm not
going to accept something less. And then my father,
while in the service, he tried as well to become
a warrant officer. And he had shared a story
with me that it was very hard once you're in,
to kind of break rank. And step up. So I remember
that. And I said, no, once I'm in that this officer
training school is never going to happen. So
I said no. But my husband joined. And I figured
I'd be just like my mom, military spouse, serving
as well and supporting him. And then off we went.
So he joined the Air Force first. Can I ask,
going back, why the Air Force? Your father was
Army. Right. Well, when we went on the assignments
and he was able to take us at every assignment
that he had, I saw the difference. Unbeknownst
to me, but I realized Army versus Air Force versus
Marine, Navy, I could see the difference of of
service and people and what they did and what
the mission was and I figured that the Air Force
would be a good fit for me. As an Air Force veteran,
I can tell you it's true and my Army, Navy, Marine
Corps friends are just jealous. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So yeah, they joke around like they We would
get everything and then it would trickle down
to the army and then it would trickle down to
the Navy and then the Marines would get So I
do want to get into your Air Force career But
I promised we'd go to talk about the boating
can ears and your father was a boating engineer
I'll share with you and I think I may have mentioned
this to you. We did a an awards event in New
York City in December of 2024 in Central Park
fantastic event, but One of the most moving moments
was we had a 94 year old Bronze star recipient
Korean War veteran Bonnie Kennear who we gave
an award to at the event and He had been prepared
to say a few words on receiving the award But
when I read his his bio and and his award nomination,
he got so emotional that he couldn't speak so
He started tearing up. I had to take him in my
arms. And it just led me to think that there
were so many of these folks that didn't get the
recognition that they deserved for the service
and sacrifice that they made. And so many of
them are passing away over time. So the least
we can do is to honor and recognize their service.
and make sure that everyone understands that
that was a period of time where that segregated
unit was discriminated against both in the military
and in broader society. So thank you to you and
your dad and your family service, because a sacrifice
like that is not just an individual sacrifice,
it's a family sacrifice. Yes, yes. And I think
everything they did and I was able to see the
documentary, which is Oh my God, you know, it
just overwhelms you sometimes to find out everything
that they went through. But I had the honor to
go with my dad to DC when they actually gave
out the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. And
to me, that was the best experience to experience
it with my mom. my dad and my husband went as
well as a family because he, you know, having
my husband served as well. So we were all very
proud of that moment, proud of the 65th and everyone
that was able to go and the families that were
there to support those veterans. But yes, you
know, and dad had the opportunity to travel to
Korea where they really appreciated you know,
everything that they did for that country. And
it brought my dad full circle. He kept saying
when I was there, everything was just dirt. And
when he went and he saw the metropolis that,
that is there, and it made him feel that everything
he did was not in vain, you know. Right. Exactly.
Wow. So, let's get back to you. Let's talk about
your service in the Air Force, which is such
an exemplary record and everything that you do
as the first Latina. Let's talk about how you
accomplished that. How did you cut through the
barriers and the obstacles to make that happen?
Well, I was in Panama on the canal zone with
my husband. He had got an assignment there. It
was just at that time, I worked for the Canal
Zone government and the Panama Canal Company
and in their equal opportunity office of all
offices to talk about, right? And so I learned
a whole bunch there and I started to figure out
what I was gonna do as a career. always knew
I would work outside the home. That was not an
option for me. I was a mom at the time. We had
a two -year -old when we moved to Panama. So
I was working outside the home. And I wanted
to see if I followed Edwin, where we would go.
I would still have some type of continuity for
career progression. And so I applied for the
Department of Defense. got a civil service job.
And I figured that that would be the best way
for me, you know, to serve and to have a career
so I could transfer to any other position wherever
they assigned him. So one summer, about a year
or so later, they had an open house. And here
is a booth. a guy in a flight suit standing behind,
had pamphlets and everything, and I'm trying
to inquire what he was trying to sell, right?
And sure enough, the Air Force was looking for
female pilot candidates. Right time, right place,
you know, me, I was like, that's it, that is
what I'm going for. And so the best thing is
I had already gotten a Department of Defense
job. and I had access to all the regulations.
And that is something I think that made a huge
difference for me because now I wanted to make
sure that I had all the information straight
from the regulations, black and white, that nobody
was gonna tell me otherwise that I couldn't,
I didn't qualify and what have you. So I went
ahead and researched all that. found a staff
sergeant whose additional duty was to recruit
high school students. He had never recruited
anyone for an officer slot. And so I told him,
no worries, let me help you help me. And we're
going to do this together. And that's exactly
what happened. He ordered all the tests, everything
I needed. I knew my minimum scores, what kind
of medical exams I needed. ratings as far as,
you know, physical that wouldn't qualify me to
to apply for a pilot position. And by that time
I was just determined, you know, if I'm going
to serve, that's what I want to be. I want to
be a pilot. You know, we had friends that were
pilots, navigators, Edwin worked at base operations,
airfield management. So we were around them all
the time. And I and I had a good sense of what
what that was about. Plus, my supervisor, where
I worked for the Department of Defense, it was
at the Howard Air Force Base, which is no longer,
right? That's where I was stationed. Oh, really?
Yeah, I was there for almost five years in the
80s. In the 80s? Yep. Right. Well, see, we were
there right before, like 78, 79? And I have to
say, the best food ever. Fresh seafood, all of
that. But anyway, I made sure that all the exams
and tests that I took, I was able to get, you
know, with the staff sergeant, everything together,
build a good package to send up to headquarters
personnel so it could meet the board. And working
at the air terminal, the DO was able to write
a letter and get a general endorsement for me.
And so it worked out. Little hiccup. We got word
that my package somehow had gotten ruined. And
so a call to the staff sergeant, he calls me
and says, hey, your package isn't going to meet
the board. I don't know what happened to it.
We didn't ask questions. What do we need to do
to make sure? So we had to redo a bunch of paperwork.
And it had to be there, like, within four or
five days. Wow. And from Panama. So luckily,
my husband working at base operations, he had
connections with the air crews that came in and
out. And he goes, hey, I need a favor. My wife's
package is supposed to meet the board. Anyway,
we can get this up there. And so one of the guys
that he would help out all the time, aircraft
commander, said, sure, what do you need? So they
called somebody at headquarters personnel said
you meet this aircraft at Kelly Air Force Base.
They're going to hand you a package and you're
going to take it up and it's gotta meet the board.
And so you know stars aligned everything. I met
the board and that December I got the letter
that I was accepted as a pilot candidate for
for the Air Force. Wow, that is huge. What an
incredible story so. Is the moral of the story,
you know, luck is one thing, but preparation
is at least as important as luck? How would I
say? You always have to be prepared. Always.
No matter what. And you just wait for that. How
would I say? Look for the possibilities and you'll
find your opportunity. That's right. There you
go. So that meant then OTS? OTS. So actually,
first I went to the flight screening program.
It's a program that you have to fly for about
20, you get 20 hours and it's a two -way interview.
The candidates get to see what the Air Force
is all about and the Air Force get to see what
the candidate's potential is to go through flight
training. And it's a really fast -paced program,
so if you can't keep up. you know a lot of people
don't make it or they don't like what they see
or the the training and how training pilot training
could be like so they um they say no they say
that um this is not for me and the candidate
has the option to um just say goodbye i'm out
of here i'm not gonna do this so So you did that?
Right. And then OTS? And then Officer Training
School, correct. So being one of the only females
at Officer Training School who was a pilot candidate,
during the flight screening, we got to wear flight
suits, right? So everybody kind of looked down
on us, like, who are these people? Right? And
so that was unique. at officer training school,
we got to wear these little wings that identified
us as pilot candidates. So it was good, but I
was able to find leadership positions within
the cadet program. And so the best thing was
once you became a cadet leader, you left the
normal dorm and you were able to go and hang
out with all the cadet officers, commanders.
We had a special dorm. So we kind of helped each
other and hung out like that. But it was a great
experience. I got my commission. And from there,
I went to Laughlin Air Force Base to start undergraduate
pilot training. My husband stayed behind. And
luckily, he was able to get a joint assignment
with me at Laughlin Air Force Base, him being
in airfield management. So that kind of worked
out for for that. That's perfect. So tell me
about that experience, the the flight training.
Well, the flight training for for me, you start
this was a year long program. You know, now pilot
training has definitely changed. They're trying
to shrink it down to six months and even further.
But I think they're realizing that some shortcuts
aren't the best, you know, with the new technology
and everything. But for me, it was a year -long
program. By then, our daughter was, when I started,
was four years old. And so we had that. and him
full -time Air Force, me full -time pilot training
student, my hours were pretty much 12 -hour days.
So sometimes it was hard to balance all of that,
but we made it work and we found our village.
But the first couple of weeks of physiological
training, taught us how to do parachute landing
falls. They put us in a hyperbaric chamber just
to make sure that, you know, we could with sand
know what our symptoms are if we lost oxygen
and that sort of thing. And then we started right
into the T -37, which was a twin engine jet equivalent
to the A -37 at the time is what they use as
a fighter. And then from there, that first phase,
we went to our second phase and they used T -38s,
which was an equivalent to an F5 fighter for
us to fly as well. That was my favorite airplane,
still is and always will be, is the T -38, supersonic,
you know, you have a G suit, you got your helmet,
your parachute, all of that. And I have to say
that parachute weighs a ton. But flying that
airplane was amazing. And they still use it.
They keep saying, we're going to retire the airplane,
but it's still there. So I was airborne reconnaissance,
right? I was a Spanish linguist. I spent most
of my life on a C -130. But almost 3 ,000 hours
on a C -130, but it's still one of the most capable,
durable airframes that we have. It is. And we
have our best friend, at that time when I was
applying, he flew C -130s. And that's where Edwin
was stationed. Before we went to Panama, it was
Little Rock Air Force Base, and that's where
they have the C -130s training. And I always
loved that airplane. Those assault landings and
takeoffs were amazing. And the flight deck alone,
all those windows that you have from up here
all the way down to your feet, just... I really
enjoyed it. But of course, when I graduated,
women weren't allowed to be in combat. So we
had that combat exclusion. And the only aircraft
that I could have flown was 141 and 135 and,
you know, I guess a small Learjet that Blue generals
around and and but I loved my t -38 and I did
so well in pilot training I top top 5 % I say
5 % I was like a top third in my class and I
got my fighter reconnaissance Rating in order
to fly the t -38 which is an equivalent of having
a fighter rating to go on and get a fighter aircraft,
but women weren't allowed at the time so I got
the fastest aircraft that a female could fly
at the time. So how many women were with you
in that class? So in that class, there was one
other female that was in the class, but on the
second week, she washed out. So she did she didn't
make it through the program. And and I always
say, you know, because when I graduated, I got
my rating. I became a T -38 instructor pilot.
And I always looked at students, I said, look,
you have to have at least 15 to 20 % of skills
and ability to fly an airplane. But the other
80 % is all motivation. If you're not motivated
enough, you're not going to make it through the
program. And that's what it was. So she wasn't
motivated. She was like, well, I just got this,
and this is fun. And I'm like, OK. So not only
were you the first Latina, you were probably
among the first. Females? Yes. Yes, absolutely.
There weren't that many of us. In fact, I was
the first T -38 instructor pilot female to go
to Laughlin and teach at Laughlin. And at that
moment, when I came back, they had just assigned
a T -37 female instructor to the other squadron.
So there were two of us in the whole base. Wow.
That's incredible. And being Latina, how did
that sort of aspect of your background and so
forth impact sort of the situation and the environment
around you? Well, I think it's West Texas, you
know, so very Hispanic. So to me, it was no big
deal. And I guess to most people, or it was probably
the way I. presented and projected myself. You
know, I mean, I knew I was different because
I was a female just because I was Latina. You
know, it was not something that I would say.
Oh my gosh, look at me. I'm Latina, but I was
very proud of the fact and everybody knew I was
and they knew I was from Puerto Rico and all
of that. And so West Texas and in Del Rio, Texas,
there were a lot of of Hispanics around. So it
felt very comfortable to me. And I just considered
myself one of, you know, of my peers, the same,
the female versus the male. That would, to me,
was the only difference because, you know, I
mean, the way I saw culture and heritage was
growing up in that, it's like, okay, you're Irish
or you're whatever, you know, you're different,
your culture is different, but we're all here
for the same purpose. So we're all together.
So that's how it was for me and anybody who tried
and there were instructors that tried to make
it very hard for me in training, even at the
flight screening program. There was an instructor
who did not give me all the tools that I needed
to do a certain flight and he failed me. But
I was much older then, you know, I was already
26 years old. So it's very, if you will, wise,
you know, and I knew how to advocate for myself.
and stand up for myself. So I went up the chain
of command and said, hey, this is what happened.
And made sure that I went through the cadet chain
of command and then the active duty chain of
command. And anyway, so they set the instructor
down with the contractor supervisor and everybody.
And they asked him, did this really happen? He
goes, yes. And he got fired. But I stood up for
myself. because you just can't keep quiet. You
can't people, you know, make you feel like you're
wrong because I already knew what I had to do.
So and then in pilot training, there was an instructor.
I always remember this. He looked at me very
early on. He says you're not going to make it
through this program. And I guess he helped.
light a fire under me, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm
gonna prove you wrong. So he thought he was trying
to get me to quit, but it was totally opposite
of that. It was like, oh yeah, watch this, I'm
gonna make it. Yeah, hold my beer. I love that,
yeah, hold my beer. I'll be back in a second.
So that's awesome. So that was, so 24 years in
the Air Force? Almost, yeah, almost. So what
were the highlights or lowlights? So I stayed
there at Laughlin as an instructor pilot because
I think because of my maturity and being a female,
I was able to work with the students who weren't
doing very well, the weaker students, and my
supervisor saw that. I was had different techniques
on how to get the students back up to standards
for the syllabus. And they noticed that. So they
recommended me to go to Randolph Air Force Base
to become an instructor pilot at pilot instructor
training. So I was teaching pilots to become
instructors in a T -38. And so I was recommended,
applied, and got assigned there being the first
female in that squadron as well. Wow. So, yeah,
and I really enjoyed that because, you know,
here, at least the pilots aren't trying to kill
you as a student, and they knew how to fly, you
know, so I just needed to teach them how to talk
and fly at the same time to be able to teach
students. So I really enjoyed that. And then
from there, I went back my last year and a half
to the flight screening program and became an
operations officer there overseeing the program
because it was a contract and it was in Hondo,
Texas. And we would supervise the contract, do
check rides, check out the... their instructors
and check out some of the students there. And
I had an opportunity to stand up an operation
at Emory Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida for
a summer. And so they selected five of us, not
from Randolph, but from different training bases
to make up this group to go out, check out the
Emory Riddle instructor pilots that they had
there on staff. So they could teach our syllabus
and fly the ROTC students during the summer.
So we'd get ROTC students coming in. We do flight
training with them. And then I think we had three
classes. So I went TDY from May to August to
Daytona Beach. Rough assignment. Rough, right?
So I rented an apartment and got my parents to
bring the kids to spend the summer with me there.
My husband came to visit once or twice because
he was still working. And he had gotten out by
that time. He had gotten out of active duty and
worked civil service. So he was doing that. So
in that trajectory of time, I assume you were
able to see more and more women. getting into
flight training. Right, but there still weren't
enough of them. Even though aviation for women
and Latinos is such a wonderful option for many
of them that are interested in doing it, and
I know you continue to advocate for that. So
after 24 years in the Air Force, you made a change.
Well, actually after eight years in the Air Force
active duty, I made a change So I transitioned
from active duty to the reserves, right? I Went
to officer training school for a bit a year in
the reserves and then I transitioned to headquarters
personnel So I worked at headquarters personnel
for the rest the remainder of the time 16 years
I worked at the Accountability and Readiness
Directorate there, which was incredible. At that
job, I experienced, I had to stand up alongside
the Red Cross when 9 -11 hit. That was something
else. But we can talk about that later. But I
was working for American Airlines. So I went
and I applied to fly for American Airlines. Well,
several airlines. But I settled for American
Airlines because right place, right time, felt
right, good fit. And it worked out. And I had
a 20 -year career with them. I stayed in the
reserves because my commitment was always to
serve and I wanted to finish what I started and
I did. So I was able to do that and anytime I
had a reserve duty, I would get time off from
work and be able to come back home and do my
duty time. And your airline career, 20 years
is such an impressive time to be a pilot. My
niece's husband is a pilot as well for JetBlue
after he got out of the Marine Corps. It's a
big transition, but it's still similar skills.
And it's just a different payload. Yes, it is.
I mean, how would I say anybody on board an airplane
aircraft is, and you know this, you know, safety,
paramount, number one. The mission, of course,
you know, Air Force versus commercial is you
get your passengers to their destination on time,
right? Depending on weather and any situation
that might arise. So I really enjoyed seeing
the people taking them on vacation or wherever
their destination was. I know when I upgraded
to captain, um, and when we still had time, because
now the flight schedules are really crazy. You
know, you jump into the flight deck, you get
the airplane ready, everybody's boarding, you're
doing your checklist, shut the door and off we
go and you land and Sometimes you never see the
pilot because they're picking up or doing whatever,
getting ready for their next flight. So they
don't say hello. They don't say goodbye. But
luckily when I upgraded, we still had a little
time to get passengers on board. So there was
one story where a lady was boarding my aircraft.
I was a captain at the time. And she looked very
confused. And I approached her and tried to welcome
her aboard. And I saw she was concerned. And
I asked her if anything was wrong. And she looked
at me and said, oh, you're the captain. And I
confirmed that for her. Yes, ma 'am, I'm the
captain. Welcome aboard. And I saw her concern.
And I said, look, if you don't feel comfortable
getting on this aircraft, you're more than welcome
to go back up the jet bridge. and talk to the
agent and see if they can rebook you on the next
available flight, which will be in an hour or
so to the same destination. But she just kind
of lowered her eyes and walked down the aisle
and went to sit down. But anyway, it was I'm
sure on the inside you were thinking something
else. No, I was like, wow, you know, I never
expected that. And and from a female, you know,
I could see that, you know, getting up. a man
on board and going, hey, you're the captain.
But it was like, come on, be proud. Cheer us
on. But I have to say that the flight attendants
who I flew with, any time they'd look in the
flight deck and they would see me, boy, they
defended me all the time. They said, she has
qualified to be there. She's worked hard. And
we only hire great pilots. So don't worry. move
along. But I would get these stories when we,
you know, land final flight of the day and we'd
be going to our hotel layover and they would
share those stories with me. So great, great
flight attendants. And I have to say male and
female, they were all very supportive. When I
first got there, obviously the captains that
they had, I called them crusty old captains.
They really didn't want us there. They didn't
know why that the airline was hiring females
pilots. And it was it was a different culture.
It took a couple of years for the culture to
change. But, you know, I wasn't going anywhere.
And I would look at those captains. I said, you're
retiring soon, so please get out of my seat because
I'm moving up. Get out of my chair. Yes, there
you go. I gotta love that. So incredibly fulfilling
career. You did so much in in your career, both
in the Air Force and and in the airlines. But
I think there's also a lot to be said for what
you've done in the community. So you've done
a lot of things in the community to help a lot
of people and a lot of many people just may not
know that about you. So why don't you share a
little bit about your community type activities?
No, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, I want to say
that even while I was still flying, I made sure
I was involved with my kids. My daughter was
in Girl Scouts. I would do that, especially for
the Girl Scouts, so they could see what that
was like. This is kind of interesting. So my
daughter's in middle school. I'm still active
duty pilot. One of her teachers finds out that
I am a pilot and makes a huge deal about it.
Oh, my God, your mother. So for my daughter,
that was normal. Like, yeah, every other mom
is a pilot, right? But it wasn't. And she didn't
realize that until her teacher said, oh, no,
she needs to come in and talk to the class. And
so that's kind of where my daughter realized,
wow, what mom does. You know, she knew it was
different, but she didn't know it was that different.
and unique. And so I went and started talking
to the class, and I got involved, like I said,
with the Girl Scout troop. And that just really
showed me the need to have female, strong female
leaders and professionals in schools and in groups
to make sure that they could see us and have
that little seed planted. So after I retired,
well, throughout, you know, I would go and speak
to troops, schools, community groups, and I really
enjoyed being able to show what the possibilities
were for females. And after I retired, I said,
you know what? I've got a blessed career, blessed
life. I mean, it wasn't easy, you know, you give
and take that personal and work balance, very
important. And I wanted to make sure that the
underserved community, especially people and
kids who are not around, especially aviation
and aerospace, have that opportunity. I want
to share that with them, open their eyes, and
let them know that that's always a possibility.
And I think the important part is that they are
smart enough and have the capability of achieving
this. And if it's not this, anything else. So
I push aviation and aerospace. I push STEM. But
whatever they want to achieve, I let them know
that it's doable. But they have to hang in there
and believe in themselves. And I think that's
the first step of knowing that we're all capable
of that, given the right environment. And I talk
about who they hang out with as well. So it's
not only Study, study, yeah, studies, education,
you know, education, and I always say this, education
and information helps you make better decisions.
But it's the people who you hang out with that
are gonna make that difference. So make sure
that whoever's around you supports what you're
trying to achieve. If you can dream it, you can
do it, if you work hard enough and persevere.
Exactly. And then I said, just put it out in
the universe. So tell everybody and anybody what
you want to do, because you never know who's
going to help you. So I continue to do that.
And right now I sit on several nonprofit boards
who advocate for aviation and aerospace, military,
civilian. we're doing the best we can in this
community. And now I'm a speaker, a motivational
and professional speaker. I speak around the
country with different colleges, universities,
and I have a couple of agencies that help me
get those contracts so I can share the story
and try and inspire others. And you have an event
coming up that you're going to. Yes. So next
week I'm going to attend the Women in Aviation
Conference. It's going to be in Denver this year.
We gather and it's international. I mean, there's
groups that come from Africa, from Australia,
Europe, from all over. And we gather there and
they're in all kinds of professions. So just
because it's aviation doesn't mean that everybody's
a pilot. So it's in operations, it's in maintenance,
just so many different. professions that you
can be. And that's what I tell kids. I said,
you don't have to be a pilot to be in aviation.
If you love what it is in aerospace, you can
be an engineer, you can be a lawyer, you can
be a medical person and still be involved in
aviation. So it doesn't matter what your career
path takes you. If you love aviation, you can
still be a part of it. Absolutely. You know,
a couple of years ago in In 2023, we had the
pleasure of giving an award to Graciela Tizcarino
Soto. And I know she's a big advocate for that
as well. She is. She's an amazing lady. To me,
she's the ever -ready bunny. Is that right? Yeah,
the energizer bunny. Energizer bunny. That's
it. And that lady is nonstop. You know, I see
her and I'm like, okay, slow down, Graciela.
You know, take it easy, take it easy. She's go,
go, go. And she's got three kids. And, you know,
I mean, amazing, amazing lady and, and an author.
And, and I, and I said, well, one day I'll write
my book. She goes, just write. just write, just
sit down and start writing. And I said, OK, so
I'd write little stories here and there and put
it all on paper. But I just never got the moment
or found the right time or right person to help
me do that. And luckily, if everything goes well,
I will be launching my book next week at the
Women in Aviation Conference in Denver. That
is fantastic. Congratulations, and author. Let's
hear about Flight Path of Fortitude. Yes. So
I think the best thing that describes this is
just different parts of my story put into different
chapters. I think this kind of is a kind of a
memoir for me. You know, I mean, at some point
I'm going to and like I said, to people, as long
as I have the energy, and I really can get involved,
and people still want to hear what I have to
say, I'm going to be involved with the community.
But I think it's time this book comes out so
people know the real me, my whole story, and
can understand why I have the perspectives and
the insights that that I do and that I share
with others where that came from. And it gives
me that fortitude. And that's the word I'm key
on. Obviously, flight path because we're in aviation,
right? But fortitude is a huge word. And I think
when I saw it and I talked to the editor, we're
trying to decide what title are we going to give
this book. And that just stuck with me. And I
think it disencompasses perseverance, resilience,
just everything. And I have a motto, and hopefully
I'm going to put it as an epigraph in my book.
And it's Quered es Poder. And I translate that
to where there's a will, there's power. And I
think that says it all. I love that. That's fantastic.
And is a book available for purchase yet? Not
yet. Not yet. We're still tweaking it. You know,
we're down to the wire and I just want to make
sure that everything gets done right. So fingers
crossed. We'll launch it next week, if not in
two weeks, but I will send out as soon as I know,
you know, where we're going to post it for purchase.
We'll get the word out, but just be on the lookout
for it. And we will amplify it for you, but in
the meantime, folks, be on the lookout. Flight
Path of Fortitude by Olga Custodio, wonderful
author. Olga, just to wrap things up, I can't
tell you how grateful we are for your time, for
your journey, for your service, for your leadership,
for who you are as a person, for serving on the
advisory council for ALVA and the support that
you've provided. With all that said, I know our
listening audience and viewing audience would
love to see if there's any pearls of wisdom that
you'd like to be able to share with them in closing.
Absolutely. Absolutely. It doesn't matter where
you are, who you are or what you're doing. Always
ask questions and keep learning. I love that.
Always keep. learning. I appreciate your time
Olga. Thank you again for joining us today and
on behalf of the American Latino Veterans Association,
thanks to all of you for joining us today. We
really hope you enjoy the content today. Please
join us for future webinars and podcasts and
please keep an eye out for information on upcoming
events by visiting our website alphavets .org
and following us on social media at alphavets.
Thank you again Olga for being our guest today.
And thanks again to our sponsors for these podcasts
and webinars, JP Morgan Chase, PMI, Wells Fargo,
AT &T, and T -Mobile. Thank you again for joining
us. And as always, be safe, aim high, and thrive.
See you next time. Thanks again.