Together with StoryCorps, WYSO invited community members to take part in One Small Step, a program that brings people from the region together for honest conversations with someone they have never met.
Today we hear from Kevin Price of Bellbrook and Rob Williams of Dayton. When they met at the WYSO studios last fall, they quickly realized they were both retired from the Air Force and had a lot in common. But with the “No Kings” rally just days away, their conversation turned to where they disagree, especially on Donald Trump. Rob begins the discussion.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Williams: So you teach people to fly?
Price: Yeah, I learned to fly in the Air Force and they made it easy to do a conversion from military instructor to civilian instructor. I had to take a couple tests and go see somebody, answer some questions, and here you go.
Williams: What planes did you fly on active duty?
Price: Started out in F-4s and then as a backseater in F-4s, and then went to the F-16 and did that for about 14 years.
Williams: On your bio, you said "passionate to serve and do your part to make the world a better place." So this weekend is a No Kings protest. And a few years ago, my daughter, she was going to go. And I said, absolutely not. I said I'm scared for you because things happen at those protests. She says, dad, if everybody were to feel like that, then where will we be? And I just wonder, what are your thoughts about the No Kings protest and what's going on right now?
Price: Yeah, my gosh, why do I even start, I'm gonna struggle for the words here because it's hard to think about this, but I think it's a reaction by a segment, and I'm just being honest with you here, a segment of our country who does not really embrace the fact that we do have a democracy, that we have a duly elected president, and when they try to characterize that president as a fascist and they use inflammatory language that leads to attempted assassination of him twice. You see that same kind of language that led to the Charlie Kirk assassination. That's where I have problems because the truth is not that he is trying to set up himself as a king or as a dictator. And in spite of all the efforts of the other side to characterize him as a criminal, again, let's be reasonable here. He's elected. And in spite of the characterizations of him, he is using our Constitution as it's written. I don't accept the premise, I guess, is probably a good way of saying it.
Williams: Okay, fair enough.
Price: But I would listen to what people have to say. You asked a question, I'm responding, so I'm very curious as to what your perspective would be.
Williams: He was talking about "warrior ethos," all those things the military does about how we are stronger, better, kill this and this and this. And I know warriors, I know some of them personally. They don't behave or talk that way. I know that. And when I saw him speaking to these people in the audience about that and I was really uncomfortable with it and I felt like the looks on the people's faces they were uncomfortable with it too. But they were stoic because that's what we do. But I struggle, I struggle with it.
Price: Well, clearly you and I share that passion for our country. And you're not going to rubber stamp everything I say. And likewise, we recognize we have some potential differences, but we're going to walk out of here and I'm still going to take you flying if you want to. I just really appreciate talking with you and glad that you're willing to do this at all.
Williams: I try to do something every day to make this spinning ball better in the little bit that I can. And that means getting outside my comfort zone. My buddies are asking me, "hey, you want to go out and do something after work?" I said, "I got an appointment over there at WYSO." And they're like, to do what? I'm like, well, we're going to do this. And they're like "you're always doing something weird, dude."
One Small Step with WYSO is produced by the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO. This series is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and presented by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
