Scott DeLuzio    00:00:00    Thanks for tuning into the Drive On Podcast where we’re focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community. Whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or family member, this podcast will share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And now let’s get on with the show. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Drive On Podcast. Today, my guest is Scott Harris. Scott is a parachutist, an army veteran, a businessman, and a motivational speaker. He’s also the author of the book Leap Forward, which we’ll talk about a little bit later in this episode, but first I want to welcome you to the show, Scott.  

Scott Harris    00:00:44    Well, thanks for having me, Scott.  

Scott DeLuzio    00:00:46    Yeah, absolutely. So, why don’t you give us a little more details about yourself, your background, what led you to join the army and all that kind of stuff?  

Scott Harris    00:00:57    Well, it’s kind of a different story.  I was kind of a misanthrope and as a kid, I didn’t fit in really well and I didn’t do particularly well in public school. I dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and joined the army in 1975. And this was not a popular decision in 1975, at the tail end of the Vietnam war. Basically my parents who had to sign off on this insanity and most of my friends didn’t really know what the heck I was doing.  I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made my whole life. It changed my whole life and set me on a great path, but that’s how I got in the army. And while I was there, I learned a lot of independence.  

Scott Harris    00:01:47    I learned a lot about myself and what I could do and things like that. And I started skydiving in the army, not as a paratrooper, but as a sport parachutist. I was stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. There was a sports parachute club on the base. And back then, there were a lot of sports, parachute clubs at different military bases. And they were supported by the military in that they would supply aircraft for us. So basically I got to learn to skydive and make a whole bunch of jumps while I was in the military at almost no cost to me. I had to pay a minimal fee to belong to the club.  

Scott DeLuzio   00:02:38    That sounds like a pretty great way to get into it if you’re looking at  

Scott Harris     00:02:42    It was great for me. And it was great for a lot of us. I almost re-enlisted just to keep up with that, just to keep skydiving and, and maybe ultimately try out for the Golden Knights, the Army’s demo demonstration team, but I thought better of it. I had a great time in the military. I learned a lot of things about myself. It changed my life all for the better. I learned lessons that I still employ in my life today, some 57 years later, but I had enough. The two years that I signed up for was enough for me. And I decided to get on with my life after that. So I didn’t stay in, just a skydive. I certainly kept skydiving. Now. I mentioned skydiving, a prominent subject with me and it’s very prominent in my book, but it isn’t. I don’t feel like it’s something that most people necessarily need to do in order to benefit from what I have to say about facing challenges and that sort of thing.  

Scott Harris     00:03:53    But it’s just where I learned to face extreme...