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Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
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This is a KU envy studios original program. You're listening to special programming sponsored by making moves life coaching services, the content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education
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you can save
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good day Las Vegas this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz and more. I got West keeping me on point and as you can probably tell, my voice is a little bit dry cuz I got my last round of chemo. And that stuff kind of drives you out and he encouraged me to drink lots and lots of water were so I've been trying to be a good patient with that want to once again say to the family of Jeffrey Walker foots condolences he transitioned. And we certainly hope that God was pleased with the work that he did while he owned this earth. And again, I served with Jeff for many, many years on new ventures Capital Development Corporation company with Ernest fountain is President and CEO for many, many years and we did a lot of loan packaging for all sorts of businesses throughout the Las Vegas Valley to include I think we did some also overnight County. But Jeff was a part of making that happen along with Dr. William H. Bailey.
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Ratio Lopez who also passed a few years back, but appreciate the opportunity to work with those guys.
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Birthdays, we do have a number of them this month to include KJ Herndon, grandson, and he is a baller as I've mentioned, so I hope you'll be able to get into if not a major college, Junior College and show his skills and he's a good student athlete, so not just about the ball and
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Clifton, Washington. He is birthday is also this month. He is a son of my deceased sister, Deborah tipo, Washington, and just wanted to wish those individuals a happy birthday. And finally as far as birthday is concerned, for this month, the month of June, and Drina Jones, he's
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marches and my niece, so happy birthday Andrina. And hope that you have a lot of fun and celebrating
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that birthday of yours also.
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Next month, next month, in a week or week or so, around, I forget the actual date. But we're gonna have Miss Anna Bailey for an entire show. And as we know, Miss Anna Bailey, I think she's like,
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I want to say the wrong number. But I know she's in her mid 90s and stealing control of a faculty. So she is very blessed in that way. In fact, she was in a show because the Santa Bailey was a dancer when she came to town here in Las Vegas and actually danced over at the Moulin Rouge. So looking forward to and I hope you guys will mark your calendar for us one of our 7am shows and I apologize because sometimes I come in without having all my information now No, we will do that show as far as preparing and taping it on the 18th and she will hit
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sometime the late part of June. So with that, we thank her so very much for green.
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Mr. Bryan Stevenson
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Yes, sir. Let me say this before you get started
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already. I met Brian many many years ago, I was really I think I was a training officer. And part of my job I asked the department if they will allow me to add recruiting into my ads my job description this issue because and then I tried to get them titled me as a recruit met officer needs to know you're gonna stay training off just add recruitment to your queue of things to do. So I met Brian out on out on a circuit out there at high schools and other speaking engagements. And his brother was always clean. And I forget your your colleague, you guys were always together. And I don't know if he's still around Vegas or not. But anyway, Las Vegas this is Mr. Bryan Stevenson. How you doing brother?
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All right very well. How are you?
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Man did the last round of my chemo. So I'm looking to
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to get busy trying
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To get yourself a man together. So look,
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please tell our listening audience, what branch were you in?
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Okay, I was with the United States Air Force. My first 10 years I was with logistics. And then I found my niche, which was recruiting service, which I served in Las Vegas for, well, I got here October, or I'm sorry, January 81. And I did very well in Las Vegas was good to me on a recruiting scene, as well as I was good to a lot of the people that I can help in the community. And I was so good. I finished top recruiter in the nation for non prior service, which are people coming out of high school. And they sent me to California after that for four years to recruit pilots and navigators for the Air Force, because, you know, San Diego, the Navy town, so, you know, my back was up against the wall. But once again, I was successful there. And I fell in love with Las Vegas, had a couple of daughters in high school here. So I decided I would come back to Las Vegas and make sure you know, they were successful. So that's, that's my story. And then, like I said, I stayed in until 92, which at that time, I retired, but I came back to Las Vegas, from San Diego, and, you know, continued recruiting until was time for me to pull shots.
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I did 20 Straight up, I finished a master sergeant.
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And then of course, you know, went on with my life and did a few things with the Clark County School District. But I never stopped recruiting. I'm always talking to somebody just like I'm talking to you today. If there's any young people out there that need somebody to talk to, or just ask them questions about what, what it's really like, I never lie to anybody. I used to take the young people out on the base, I would turn them loose. Why when they had a cup of coffee and told them, you ask these people, whatever you would like because of course Dave, I was a little older than the recruits I was getting. So I wanted them to talk to somebody their age and be able to, you know, get the real deal. So they want to, uh, you know, I used to tell them all of them. Look, I don't ever want to come up to you at a bar in a casino somewhere in here. You say your recruiter lied to you? Because I'm gonna let you get it straight from the horse's mouth. Wow, that was that's a great strategy. Man. One thing you know, I just got back from our car homes executive development institute house at Dillard University 33rd year, and I was able, you know, a health issue I was able to travel down to do what we call our the inaugural virtual wall of honor where we inducted.
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Romeo Spaulding former president of the IAB pff Dr. Carl Holmes, one of the co founders of the Institute and his wife, who were, they were very, very instrumental in keeping this thing propped up. And I can tell you that, excuse me, one of the things that I do, when I'm when I'm they're able to be full session, I go visit the students, you know, a lot of a lot of our staff members, they sit together, I try to spend a little time with them, too. But most important to me, is for me to get out there and interact with those students and find out what's going on in their minds. And that strategy, the strategy you had was send them out there to talk to people, probably their age, not like them look like others. But the bottom line, like you say they got a straight from somebody who was actively out there doing it. And you went and got a cup of coffee go here. Excellent. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, Dave, even some of the things I do now, you know, with everything that's going on in the world today, you know, some of the younger folks, they just the direction is not there for him. And just like I told him, I said, if you want to be a dentist, you're not gonna go and talk to a plumber, you're gonna want to talk to another dentists. So it's just like the young folks that you know, are looking at maybe, hey, you know, school is not working out for me, right? It's a good, good way to go with you. I'm not selling every one of them that go into, you're gonna have to stay there 20 years, like I don't retire, because it's not for everybody today, but it's the direction they can go to where they were, you know, who, what, what employers out here who's gonna pay for four years of your education while you're on active duty, for free, who's going to maybe come back out, you'll be able to purchase a home under the VA loan program, you know, just for doing your four years and you're out and they're gonna give you a trade day that you're gonna be able to convert to something out here in the civilian world. And I tried to instill that in them. And I mean, Dave, there's a lot of guys that you work with. There's the likes
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Some of my buddy that I hang out with on a daily Charles Silas, who did 10 years in the Air Force, I was his Air Force recruiter. Now me and him are hanging out. Like, you know, we've been knowing one another for 30 years. And I use I use these guys now it's even the young fellas out here to say, hey, this guy did this. He did 10 years he wasn't there for the whole 20 years came out. The Las Vegas Fire Department sucked him right up because they already knew what he had under his belt. Guys like Vic Thompson, I put these guys in the Air Force and just being that tell that story all of the time. And I know people get tired of hearing it. But me Vic Charles, we might be out somewhere. I go okay, this guy's these two guys are retired find them. And guess what? I was their air force recruiter. And at that time, Dave, back in Las Vegas. All I asked him to do was I said, just listen to what I'm saying. You don't have to do what I'm saying. But listen to me, you make your mind up. And both of these guys, Vic was a successful captain in a fire department after he got out of the Air Force. Charles was a retired engineer from the fire department. I got guys that were officers in the Air Force that are still in the area. So I mean, like I said, it's not for everybody day, but it's always an option that you have. And you know, when you sit around and say, Well, I don't know, you know what I'm gonna do? Another option for you. You know, let me tell you some Brian, again, I'm picking up the nuggets, you thrown out man.
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In my 33 years, what people you know, they was trying to determine how to have such great success. But what I did, Brian, if there was a job I was pursuing, as you mentioned with those young folks, man, I want to talk to them people. I ain't just read the job. I'm going I'm going to talk to somebody who's actually doing or have done the job versus sitting on my, on my butt. And you know, in thinking about what I think should be done without talking to somebody that's actually doing the work. You know, my buddy Jean Campbell.
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Oh, no, Jean very well. Yes.
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Just a quick, real quick story day.
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I met I was at a black suit nature camp out this weekend. And I was this gentleman came up and he was talking to us about different stuff. There is to do with nature and everything. Coming to find out this was Jane's nephew. Oh, yeah.
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Small words, just a small world, just how you can share with somebody you never know who you might be talking to. But I mean, this is how you have to communicate with people if you want to move on in life. Absolutely. If you will allow, if you will allow me just that. I gotta share just one one story with you, David, we have the time. But we got about a we got about a minute and a half. You can do it real tightly. Okay. But I had a young lady had a young lady here in Las Vegas who wanted to become she wanted to become a dentist. So she was going to Alabama State. She called me up on the phone one day from Alabama State. She's I said, Hey, run over to ROTC see if they'll still let you in the program. Well, anyway, she ran over there, they let her in the program. Dave, the young lady, they put her in the Air Force as a satellite officer. And she did that for about four years and then put in a request to become a dentist in the Air Force to see if she could get accepted in the program. She got accepted. Needless to say, this young lady is a full fledged major in the United States Air Force and one of the best dentists that they have in the Air Force. So it's just little things like that. All you have to do is just listen. And, and you know, ask the right people the right questions. And I'll give this invitation Dave, if you run into any of these young people that are thinking about it, or need some assistance and a little guidance day, feel free to give them my number, man, I'll be more than happy to just try to guide them in the right direction. Because this is what I do. That's my retirement job is helping people. Well, so I so much appreciate you, Brian. And I trust our listening audience do as well. We will get you back on because I knew I knew you could talk and I knew you could blow it away. But we'll get you back on because you're throwing out nuggets, man that's gonna help somebody. So once again, this is Veterans Affairs Plus, with the Master Sergeant Bryan Stevenson as I guess Thank you, Brian. All right, Dave. Thank you, man for having me. Sure.
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Bye, bye.
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Good morning. Once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host and as I mentioned, we'd have Mr. Ramon Savoy as a second guest on the show today. How you doing wrong?
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I'm doing fine, beautiful and blessed like yourself? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You know when I watch you up
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With those young folks the other day,
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I said I gotta get him on the show. So, prior to just jumping into the student program, tell our listening audience, where are you from? And how long it bakes?
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Well, originally, I'm from Harlem, USA. So that's New York City. And I've been in Las Vegas for the last 46 years now. Okay.
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So, any siblings?
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Oh, yes, I have
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two sisters. And I am the baby boy, what can I tell you? Oh, man, I know. That's why you've been so spoiled man. Because when we when you're the baby, you get spoiled and don't mess around house sisters, in charge anything, man, they gonna take care of a baby brother. So
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they did that. They did that very well. And they worked, they did make sure that I was taking care of. Absolutely, I know that you are the former owner of the Sentinel voice newspaper. Give us a quick background, I just think it's important to just bring it up to our listening audience. We have a number of people who are new to our city, but I think is important for them to know how important that newspaper was. And I'm seeing that from my perspective, I knew how important it was to our to our community.
Unknown Speaker 16:23
Okay, Dave, Allah would say, the Las Vegas Sentinel voice was the last black weekly publication in the state of Nevada. And it came to us to smize in the last week of the year 2018. So it's just over 10 years. And it was a pleasure. While being the owner and the editor in chief of the publication, the brain talk the news of a porns of what it took to make Las Vegas click and to give up perspective from the black community. So that the news, it was deserved on a local, state and national level.
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The pleasure to bring forth that information over the many years that I had ownership, which I acquired from the brown, in Ed Brown, and Lee Brown, those were the individuals that I picked the torch picked up the torch from to carry on and to enlighten the leading audience, and I'm forever thankful for. And Dave, you know, what's interesting? After all this time, I'm still and
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when you're gonna bring back the law?
Unknown Speaker 17:35
Well, you don't have to answer that I will, when we get some investors, some serious investors, because I still think there's a need for such a publication. But you gotta have investors, you know, these things don't just happen. And then the other thing is, as you know, I managed a number of campaigns throughout my, my adult life. And one thing I always tried to do was get some of them candidates to purchase some ad material in your newspaper, because this is this is huge money making time for any type of publication and you see all the ads running on TV. They also now with all the social media, they're hitting it out there. But
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that's what I got to say to y'all probably I don't know what your response might be, too. But I'd say, let's get some investment together. Yeah, I want to do some and you're serious?
Unknown Speaker 18:24
Well, you know, I would say, I would graciously appreciate that. And anyone that would want to come up with and make that a reality. We can sit down and talk about it. Because yes, there's a continuous need to pay for information, granite, there is social media. And there's many outlets and ways that that information is be disseminated to people. But I think there's something about touching paper, something about reading a paper, and not only establishment, the individual to read and paper, but to read books.
Unknown Speaker 18:59
To be, you know, familiar with that. Because as you saw when you inject as a guest speaker at unity circle for performance and visual arts the other day, the look on some bubbles faces us like this, kids in the dark. They just don't really know or have an idea. And I remember just the other day. Well, one of my speakers was was part of the National Action Network. So before I introduced that individual, I asked the students
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to who work for me with the Reverend Al Sharpton, and I didn't have one hand go up. So that can show you why we need to have something in publication and in a form to have these individuals because evidently, is not being taught at home, and it's not being taught at our school. Yes, sir. perfect segue into I know that you've been interacting in assisting Dr. Marsha.
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Robinson over at the Art Center. Tell us what is your role. And again, I love the way to us, I saw you up close and personal interact with these students. And sometimes, you know, you can tell when when the students feel a speaker, you can tell when they don't as well, they just disengage. But you had on popping, you gotta You made me start dancing. Yesterday, this brother is up here dancing man in front of his students, man. But it was a good day that day, even though I got a little bit of emotional man, because I I just know how important that is for the development of folks, when you talk about the Visual Performing Arts. I mean, there's there's so many different venues that want to be, because what is it the backstage stuff, the putting putting the props together, there are so many different things that one can do in that particular industry. And I can tell you that in the number of years as that program has been going on, it's been phenomenal in terms of teaching young folks discipline, whether or not they actually stay in the arts or not. I think they gain that discipline just by listening to you guys. And the people. And I noticed how you don't you got don't play, you know, you can't be just coming in here whenever you want to, we have a set timeframe, and you'll but need to be on time go Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 21:24
It's been 28 years that this program came to fruition, with Dr. Marsha Robison, at the helm of it at the West Las Vegas Art Center. And I'm thankful that I have been able to be a part of this program over the years, many, many years, and seeing the growth of this program. And it is to the astonishment that there are children of those that were some of the first to participate in the program. And when you see that it is generationally grown, and how that has affected their parents, enough to come back and say I want my child to also be part of this program. That is so enlightening. And that's so rewarding, because it shows how that past was influenced from the program. And it's not just the parents in the town. But there are several alumni student years that have come down to participate and ask, what could they do to be part of this program because it changed their life. Absolutely. As I tell those justice, you have my future in your hands, we have to be able to share with them their importance, that they're not just the student or the campus, our future leaders in our future activist, there are future for which we stand, and for which they stand on our shoulders. But we have to be able to pass up the phone and let them grab hold of it and run with excellent point. In fact, I told my board of directors of the call Holmes executive Development Institute, where I'm the president and CEO that not my health having anything to do with it, I will be stepping down in another year and a half, at the most, if not before. And I just know that my time has come in and I've been running it for the last six years, we a 33 year old program that helps folks move up through the ranks in the fire service. But at a point in time, even though I'm in I'm a member of various organizations call the bclc black chief officers IBP FF, International Association of Black professional firefighters, I'm also a member of what's called the Metro chiefs. These are major metropolitan fire chiefs from throughout the world, I pay my dues, because if I'm going to be leading a fire training type organization, I need to stay in tune with the various trends that are going on. So
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your point is so valid man that we have to pass the baton on, and not try to hang on forever, man. Because sometimes people get in, in charge of these organizations and their ego get in the way. And they won't pass on the baton to younger people. Crazy. Was it the same day, one of the things that I've recognized to to the many years here in Las Vegas, and I'm sure it takes place throughout America, and that it's not that I want to leave. But I still want to stay engaged because they need leadership they need they need to be able to speak to as they say the elders. That's right. That's right. You have the stance we have those things, those nuggets for which we want to share and may seem that take it to thinking that we're trying to control them. That's right, just trying to help them and guidance, because they become what I always say they are the Enlightened future. Yes, you know, you have to be ready and they have to be prepared, and it's up to us to give them as much ammunition be ready to fight that war. Because it's gonna be the
Unknown Speaker 25:00
That's exactly what it is, as you see the world and is it turning in? Right now? Absolutely. I know that one thing that I've told him, I'm not going anywhere, because my next goal is a starting alumni association with the purpose of one of the main purposes to run concurrent classes with, with the adults, which go down the first June of each year, and they're down fo five days of classroom. And for the most part they come in on Saturday and Sunday. So it's a program that we need the engagement of younger people. And I told them that I'm not going anywhere out. I prefer to also because we're going to establish an advisory board. And I love to be a part of that, but as the board, because we need to maintain the institutional knowledge that those as you mentioned, who've been around for a while, they have to they have a number of keys to things that are locked it that young folks haven't even even thought about crossing that bridge yet. So good work, man. Good work.
Unknown Speaker 26:03
Well, as you know, long as long as I haven't passed again, and in the same hours to speak, I would like to be part. I don't know how many times you hear it. But I always say, when somebody says you're retired, I said, I'm not. I'm not retired, and I'm not real tired. Gotta keep moving and keep being part of it. You know what I mentioned our former president of the IB pff. He was down and he did a Master's class with him. They videoed him being interviewed about an hour long. But the nuggets that this guy wrote Mr. Romeo spalling, throughout me, was just phenomenal. And it's important for us to capture the thoughts of those who have gone before us. And we are blessed. This man is 84 years old. His man is Chris. He don't you don't move, you don't move. You don't move as fast. And I also noticed, he was about 661, maybe six, two, I'm 581 only thing that God hasn't had me to do yet. It starts shrinking. And his brother, I can look him right in the eye. I can look at registrated. As I say, Romeo, you look like you your strength, man. He said, I have struck Washington, what are you talking about? It comes with with longevity in life, man, you don't maintain all those physical attributes that you have when you were younger. But hey, man, like I say, it is my intent. Whenever I get the notice on when the performance will be I certainly want to try and get there, even though it's gonna be tight for me, because I gotta go back, have some work done down south. And certainly, if I can be here, man, because you know, and, you know, everyone thinks that they are the ones. When I watched them put together a show and the kind of things that they they had in what I call the war room or the Situation Room. They only get thrown together, man. It's listed with rhyme and reason it rhyme and reason and flow. So with that, I urge you, brother to give us some closing remarks. We got a couple of minutes to go yet.
Unknown Speaker 28:09
Well, I would, I would, I would like to invite all your listeners to come out as well. And to see the program in this entirety. It's gonna take place on the last Saturday of July. And it's usually and I believe that that more than one performance will be taking place. But it will be at the West Las Vegas theater. And that's made me think that address for sure the address is 951. Westlake me Boulevard, and it's free. And it's something that we like to give back to the community. We also like to parents to see what their children were involved with for those last eight weeks, not only in a performing environment, but in their mentality in a mental environment, to see how their spirit has been uplifted. And this gives them a preparation to move right into the new school year, so that they have something that they can feel strong enough to know that this next year, it could be challenging, but they had something to fall back on because they were part of something that made a difference. And that's one of the things that's always great is that we can make a difference and that the shining light that I intend to continue to pass the torch and keep the flame burning. Thank you so much. This again was Veterans Affairs plus on any 1.5 Jazz and more we had the great Mr.
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Savoy, Savoy, Savoy brothers, a boy
Unknown Speaker 29:42
named Ramon, thank you so much, and we'll get you back on the show again sometime in the future. Thank you. Well, thank you very much.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai