WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source
Why I Served: Michael Krueger
By Joe Kendrick
November 11, 2026 at 7:28 AM EST
Michael Krueger served in the Air Force for 21 years as a command-and-control officer, also known as an air battle manager, in Korea, Italy and the U.S.
Krueger encourages anyone interested in military service to pursue it as long as they have the right mindset, saying “It's not a good fit for everybody. You have to be adaptive. You have to understand that you're part of a larger organization and it can't be all about you.”
The following has been lightly edited for clarity.
Joe Kendrick: Could you start by giving us your name, where you served, what branch, what role?
Michael Krueger: Michael Krueger. Actually, I'm a native Charlottean. I served in the Air Force for 21 years. Retired back in 2012, and I was a command and control officer. The official title was an air battle manager.
Kendrick: Why did you serve?
Krueger: It was kind of a weird confluence of things. My dad was in the Air National Guard and wanted me to serve somehow. And I um felt like I needed to graduate college and do something bigger than myself rather than just go out and make a living making money for someone else. And serving my country was um the one way that I felt one of the ways I felt I could do that best.
Kendrick: If you had a message for veterans on Veterans Day or perhaps also for the public, what would you say?
Krueger: For the veterans, I would say that whether you retired or whether you separated after a few years, I would say you need to continue to live with the net giver mindset. And part of the reason you probably raised your right hand was to serve others and serve something bigger than yourself. And I would say once you're out that you need to actively continue to do that, whether it's serving the veteran community or serve another organization, but consider yourself and continue to be a net giver.
Kendrick: How did your military service benefit what you're doing now? And can you describe what that transition was like going backto public life?
Krueger: The transition was a little different. Everybody's transition is unique, I guess. But mine, I did command and control of airplanes and tactical control for the better part of 20 years. And the transition was one where I used some of the skills I learned during only a couple of assignments. It was more administrative staff work type jobs that I had skills that were transferable. And so the transition was interesting.
I ended up using those very small uh skill sets uh to get the job. I transitioned into a contractor position with one of the major banks here in Charlotte and was doing project and program management and reporting of the portfolio of projects. So it was not the command and control of aircraft that I transferred. It was some of the administrative and staffing and slide-building skills that I transferred relatively easily.
Kendrick: Where did you serve?
Krueger: All over. I did 21 years. I did half of that overseas. So, first assignment after I graduated tech school in Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, I went to Korea for two years. Then went to Aviano, Italy, for four years. Back to the States for three years. Served at Panama City again for two and a half years there. After going to a six-month school. And then, came back to Italy for four more years. Went to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama for a master's degree. Then went to Langley, Virginia for two years. Then out to Oklahoma City, where I commanded a squadron there for two years. And then back to Langley, where we retired in 2012. So about half and half overseas and then half stateside.
Kendrick: What can you tell us about what you've seen with veterans after their service? Can you describe some of the best-case scenarios that you might have witnessed or also some of the worst-case scenarios for veterans after they've served?
Krueger: I think the veterans regardless of their rank, the ones that have the toughest time transitioning are the ones that can't convert. I mean not converting terminology necessarily from commander to CEO, for example, but the ones that can't get out of the military mindset. They can't actively transfer skills and kind of fit in to the civilian culture as easily.
They feel like they should be able to do something similar to what they did in their service in the outside world. And that's not always the case. The ones I think who do really well in their transition are the ones who understand they go and get a little introspective. They ask the right questions. What do I really want to do? What skills do I really have? And how do those transfer to something that is actually out there? You know, you hear people talking about the square peg and the round hole.
People that just can't morph into the environment they're in. Which is kind of funny because we're always taught to adapt to the environment that we're in in the military. Because we're always in different places. So those that come out with higher expectations for where they're going to land, they expect to land in something commensurate with what they uh what they were doing when they retired. For example, the ones I have found that have the harder transition are the higher ranking individuals, officers and enlisted.
Kendrick: What should we know about what veterans face as far as challenges once they leave the military?
Krueger: It's that that's kind of a fine line. You don't want it to be a pity party. We are not like an upside-down turtle. We're fully capable of doing what we need to do, but we just need sometimes a little guidance a little focus, a little redirection sometimes of where you know where we need to look or what we need to do with our skills. For example, if we're doing job transition, it's, you know, it's not a pity party but we would like someone to help us translate, I guess, to the new environment that we're going to be moving into.
And then for the veteran, it needs to be one where you need to be receptive to that. assistance as well. And not be afraid to ask for it exactly what you need.
Kendrick: What might you say to someone who's and what might you say to someone who's considering military service?
Krueger: I would encourage folks to do it with the right mindset. It's not a good fit for everybody. You have to be adaptive. You have to understand that you're part of a larger organization and it can't be all about you. We would always have the mindset or the the in the leadership roles that I was in, we would try to have the mindset of of no one remembering where you fit in the organization. No, it was needs of the Air Force first in my case, then the needs of the organization, then your needs. Uh and they were a lot of times they would overlap.
You know, you could fit your needs into the needs of the organization, but I think the folks that come in with the wrong mindset, that they're going to try to come in and take advantage of all the benefits regardless of how that affects the organization or the bigger picture, I think, are the ones that are going to struggle. But the ones that can come in there and right off the bat figure out that you're part of a larger organization, you're a cog in a wheel. And that you are a critical part of that organization, but the needs of the organization, the larger organization, are going to come first.
Those folks will do well. But I think everybody needs to do something at some point that is larger than themselves. That serves the community, that serves the neighbors that they live with or whatever.
You know, my father-in-law just mentioned it to me when I got out of it when I retired. He goes, "For 50 years, I've worked for someone else, making money for somebody else." And he looked at me when I retired and said that, you know, I just I'm appreciative of the fact that you spent 21 years doing something not to make money for someone else and to do something for the for the bigger bigger than yourself.
Kendrick: What did we leave out? What might you like to add?
Krueger: I would say to all the veterans that are in transition in whatever stage that is right now, whether you're retiring or whether you're getting out after four, six, eight, 10 years, whatever, to continue to network actively and when you go to these networking events, I host a networking event in Ballantyne every month that I encourage folks to come to those events and go in there with a net giver mindset. Don't assume that you're going to go to a networking event and walk out with an interview or walk out with a job.
You need to go in there expecting to contribute to the organization, contribute to the function. And if you do walk out of some at a at an event with something, that's great. But don't be surprised if it's something different than you walked in there expecting to walk out with. Um whether it's a uh whether it's a job or whether it's another connection to do something that you like to do as a hobby, for example.
So that's, we've got lots of success stories in the networking breakfast that we host in Ballantyne of people coming in in transition, and they walk out not with an interview, but a good contact to go join the American Legion or get a cycle, you know, find a cycling club or whatever it is. It's not always the job that drives people to these networking events, nor should it be what they walk away with necessarily.
Kendrick: Where can veterans find out about that event?
Krueger: It is one of the events that's on the Veterans Bridge Home website. They have a great calendar of events. They have luncheons, coffees, beer calls, social events, networking events, things like that. But the best clearinghouse for all the veteran-centric events in the Charlotte area is the veteransbridgehome.org website. Because they've got a calendar on there with all the events that are out there. And some of them require RSVPs or some of them, like the breakfast, you can just show up to.
Kendrick: Michael, thank you for your service.
Krueger: Thank you. Thank you for having me this morning.
Krueger encourages anyone interested in military service to pursue it as long as they have the right mindset, saying “It's not a good fit for everybody. You have to be adaptive. You have to understand that you're part of a larger organization and it can't be all about you.”
The following has been lightly edited for clarity.
Joe Kendrick: Could you start by giving us your name, where you served, what branch, what role?
Michael Krueger: Michael Krueger. Actually, I'm a native Charlottean. I served in the Air Force for 21 years. Retired back in 2012, and I was a command and control officer. The official title was an air battle manager.
Kendrick: Why did you serve?
Krueger: It was kind of a weird confluence of things. My dad was in the Air National Guard and wanted me to serve somehow. And I um felt like I needed to graduate college and do something bigger than myself rather than just go out and make a living making money for someone else. And serving my country was um the one way that I felt one of the ways I felt I could do that best.
Kendrick: If you had a message for veterans on Veterans Day or perhaps also for the public, what would you say?
Krueger: For the veterans, I would say that whether you retired or whether you separated after a few years, I would say you need to continue to live with the net giver mindset. And part of the reason you probably raised your right hand was to serve others and serve something bigger than yourself. And I would say once you're out that you need to actively continue to do that, whether it's serving the veteran community or serve another organization, but consider yourself and continue to be a net giver.
Kendrick: How did your military service benefit what you're doing now? And can you describe what that transition was like going backto public life?
Krueger: The transition was a little different. Everybody's transition is unique, I guess. But mine, I did command and control of airplanes and tactical control for the better part of 20 years. And the transition was one where I used some of the skills I learned during only a couple of assignments. It was more administrative staff work type jobs that I had skills that were transferable. And so the transition was interesting.
I ended up using those very small uh skill sets uh to get the job. I transitioned into a contractor position with one of the major banks here in Charlotte and was doing project and program management and reporting of the portfolio of projects. So it was not the command and control of aircraft that I transferred. It was some of the administrative and staffing and slide-building skills that I transferred relatively easily.
Kendrick: Where did you serve?
Krueger: All over. I did 21 years. I did half of that overseas. So, first assignment after I graduated tech school in Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, I went to Korea for two years. Then went to Aviano, Italy, for four years. Back to the States for three years. Served at Panama City again for two and a half years there. After going to a six-month school. And then, came back to Italy for four more years. Went to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama for a master's degree. Then went to Langley, Virginia for two years. Then out to Oklahoma City, where I commanded a squadron there for two years. And then back to Langley, where we retired in 2012. So about half and half overseas and then half stateside.
Kendrick: What can you tell us about what you've seen with veterans after their service? Can you describe some of the best-case scenarios that you might have witnessed or also some of the worst-case scenarios for veterans after they've served?
Krueger: I think the veterans regardless of their rank, the ones that have the toughest time transitioning are the ones that can't convert. I mean not converting terminology necessarily from commander to CEO, for example, but the ones that can't get out of the military mindset. They can't actively transfer skills and kind of fit in to the civilian culture as easily.
They feel like they should be able to do something similar to what they did in their service in the outside world. And that's not always the case. The ones I think who do really well in their transition are the ones who understand they go and get a little introspective. They ask the right questions. What do I really want to do? What skills do I really have? And how do those transfer to something that is actually out there? You know, you hear people talking about the square peg and the round hole.
People that just can't morph into the environment they're in. Which is kind of funny because we're always taught to adapt to the environment that we're in in the military. Because we're always in different places. So those that come out with higher expectations for where they're going to land, they expect to land in something commensurate with what they uh what they were doing when they retired. For example, the ones I have found that have the harder transition are the higher ranking individuals, officers and enlisted.
Kendrick: What should we know about what veterans face as far as challenges once they leave the military?
Krueger: It's that that's kind of a fine line. You don't want it to be a pity party. We are not like an upside-down turtle. We're fully capable of doing what we need to do, but we just need sometimes a little guidance a little focus, a little redirection sometimes of where you know where we need to look or what we need to do with our skills. For example, if we're doing job transition, it's, you know, it's not a pity party but we would like someone to help us translate, I guess, to the new environment that we're going to be moving into.
And then for the veteran, it needs to be one where you need to be receptive to that. assistance as well. And not be afraid to ask for it exactly what you need.
Kendrick: What might you say to someone who's and what might you say to someone who's considering military service?
Krueger: I would encourage folks to do it with the right mindset. It's not a good fit for everybody. You have to be adaptive. You have to understand that you're part of a larger organization and it can't be all about you. We would always have the mindset or the the in the leadership roles that I was in, we would try to have the mindset of of no one remembering where you fit in the organization. No, it was needs of the Air Force first in my case, then the needs of the organization, then your needs. Uh and they were a lot of times they would overlap.
You know, you could fit your needs into the needs of the organization, but I think the folks that come in with the wrong mindset, that they're going to try to come in and take advantage of all the benefits regardless of how that affects the organization or the bigger picture, I think, are the ones that are going to struggle. But the ones that can come in there and right off the bat figure out that you're part of a larger organization, you're a cog in a wheel. And that you are a critical part of that organization, but the needs of the organization, the larger organization, are going to come first.
Those folks will do well. But I think everybody needs to do something at some point that is larger than themselves. That serves the community, that serves the neighbors that they live with or whatever.
You know, my father-in-law just mentioned it to me when I got out of it when I retired. He goes, "For 50 years, I've worked for someone else, making money for somebody else." And he looked at me when I retired and said that, you know, I just I'm appreciative of the fact that you spent 21 years doing something not to make money for someone else and to do something for the for the bigger bigger than yourself.
Kendrick: What did we leave out? What might you like to add?
Krueger: I would say to all the veterans that are in transition in whatever stage that is right now, whether you're retiring or whether you're getting out after four, six, eight, 10 years, whatever, to continue to network actively and when you go to these networking events, I host a networking event in Ballantyne every month that I encourage folks to come to those events and go in there with a net giver mindset. Don't assume that you're going to go to a networking event and walk out with an interview or walk out with a job.
You need to go in there expecting to contribute to the organization, contribute to the function. And if you do walk out of some at a at an event with something, that's great. But don't be surprised if it's something different than you walked in there expecting to walk out with. Um whether it's a uh whether it's a job or whether it's another connection to do something that you like to do as a hobby, for example.
So that's, we've got lots of success stories in the networking breakfast that we host in Ballantyne of people coming in in transition, and they walk out not with an interview, but a good contact to go join the American Legion or get a cycle, you know, find a cycling club or whatever it is. It's not always the job that drives people to these networking events, nor should it be what they walk away with necessarily.
Kendrick: Where can veterans find out about that event?
Krueger: It is one of the events that's on the Veterans Bridge Home website. They have a great calendar of events. They have luncheons, coffees, beer calls, social events, networking events, things like that. But the best clearinghouse for all the veteran-centric events in the Charlotte area is the veteransbridgehome.org website. Because they've got a calendar on there with all the events that are out there. And some of them require RSVPs or some of them, like the breakfast, you can just show up to.
Kendrick: Michael, thank you for your service.
Krueger: Thank you. Thank you for having me this morning.