Thriving in Chaos | Alex Pelbath | TEDxCharleston

NOTE FROM TED: This talk contains a discussion of military operations and only reflects the speaker's personal views and experiences. Some viewers may find elements of this talk alienating. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...

For some people in the course of their careers, chaos can be a “normal day”. Alex Pelbath was an Air Force C-17 pilot who saved untold thousands of lives during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. His talk centered on how to manage and work through chaos by determining the intent of orders and applying judgement to the application of your task. Using that judgement of intent to do the right thing can be applied to our daily lives – whether a parent, a business leader of military commander. Pelbath lists four key points that will guide us to success in the face of chaos. Colonel Alex Pelbath is the former Director of C-17 Special Operations at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. Alex graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2001 and spent over 20 years in the US Air Force. He amassed over 4,000 hours flying multiple aircraft, commanded several large organizations, and has multiple deployments supporting nearly all major military operations since 2001. In August of 2021 Alex was the Air Mission Commander and last aircraft off the ground during the final evacuation of military and civilian personnel from Kabul, Afghanistan, ending the United States’ 20-year war. For his role leading through the chaos of the evacuation he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the nation’s highest award for aerial achievement, and was the first ever recipient of the Sully Sullenberger Award for Courage.

Alex currently resides in Mount Pleasant, SC with his wife and best friend, Lynden, and their two kids Jake and Izzy This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx