Boyd “Skip” Tackett III
Boyd “Skip” Tackett III joins Rush on Unfinished Business, the show for veterans pursuing new missions after the uniform and for the families and communities who stand beside them. Skip served as a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger, became a combat aviator, flew Apache helicopters during Desert Storm, and later returned to combat operations in Afghanistan aboard Russian helicopters. In 1985 his Kiowa helicopter crashed at about 70 knots, breaking his neck and leg, and his copilot pulled him from the wreckage. Nine years later, an Apache refueling fire burned 42 percent of his body. It took more than two years of rehabilitation before he could fly again, and he did.
The conversation goes behind those events: his willingness to accept responsibility for a devastating aviation accident, the years of rebuilding, the military friendships that endured, and his wife Doreen, whom he calls the hero of his story. Skip also talks about his son Keith, who died in 2024, the music that continues to honor his memory, and the book he is writing for his grandsons. Released for Veterans Day, it is a perspective on sacrifice that includes the families connected to those who served, with a message for veterans preparing for retirement.
In this conversation
- A Kiowa crash at 70 knots, and an Apache fire that burned 42 percent of his body
- Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and accepting responsibility
- Doreen, the hero of his story, and honoring his son Keith
- What veterans preparing for retirement still have ahead
Boyd “Skip” Tackett III
U.S. Army Veteran · Former Army Ranger & Combat Aviator · Author, Keynote Speaker
About the show
Unfinished Business is a podcast for veterans pursuing new missions after the uniform, and for the families and communities who stand beside them. Hosted by Eric Rush, The Conversation Architect, a Bronze Star combat veteran and the founder of Prime Pitch Podcast Network.