From the PENTAGON on 9/11, to a life of serving CHRIST and OTHERS | with Mike Neri | Episode #037

⁣Mike Neri has a long record of service to the nation, his communities, and corporate and entrepreneurial organizations. A West Point graduate, Mike served in the Army on active duty for 12 years, attaining the rank of Major. He served in duty assignments and positions of leadership in the 1st Cavalry Division, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 10th Combat Support Hospital, and in the Department of the Army Staff in the Pentagon.

While on active duty serving in Colorado, Mike earned his MBA from Regis University. Mike transitioned to corporate America in 2004 and began a career in banking & financial services specializing in Fintech and Payments.

What defines Mike most is his care, love, and focus on his family.

The show starts with a reflection on how Mike and Jeff met in 2005 through the Christ Renews His Parish retreat at St. Thomas Aquinas in East Dallas. This proved to be a formative moment for Mike’s spiritual journey and his connection to authentic Catholic community for himself and his family.

Mike goes on to share the journey of his time in the Army and the various stages of his career and work while also raising a family. During his time serving in Washington, DC, Mike worked for a few years in the Pentagon and happened to be onsite during the attacks of September 11, 2001. Mike’s original office was in the direct path of the airplane that struck the Pentagon, and thankfully his office had relocated to the inner ring only months earlier for a renovation. This tragic experience of this event reignited Mike’s faith.

On Blessed are the Joke Makers, the Dudes must take on the persona of a hypochondriac to address the question, “What should I give up for Lent?”

This episode’s TBD question asks Mike and the Dudes to reflect on another major world event that they can recall during their lifetime other than 9/11.

For Reverse Simpsons, Jeff takes his co-hosts and Mike through a 3-question round of “Finish these lyrics” and you are encouraged to play along at home.