Matthew T. Fritz

Matthew T. Fritz: Husband, Father, Retired AF Officer, & Saluki. Lifelong student of leadership. Thoughts are MINE. Join me at

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

"Hope creates insight.
Insight builds Confidence.
Lead with confidence!
-Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt
#AdvancedVectors

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

The military never required me to agree with everyone beside me. It required me to be worthy of their trust.

After 26 years in uniform, that’s one of the lessons I value most.

We came from different backgrounds, held different beliefs, and didn’t always see eye to eye. But when it mattered, we showed up for one another. Every time.

That’s something worth remembering this Veterans Day.

Our country doesn’t need everyone to think alike. It needs more people willing to work together despite their differences.

Perhaps the best way to honor our veterans isn’t simply to thank them for their service, but to practice a little more of what their service teaches us.

#VeteransDay

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Combat doesn’t make an aircrew proficient. It exposes the habits they brought with them.

That lesson stayed with me through 26 years in the @usairforce and forms the foundation of my article in the Fall 2026 edition of Airlift/Tanker Quarterly Magazine, published this week as the @AirliftTanker Symposium opens in Orlando.

“The Day Before the Mission” explores a challenge I continue to think about in my work at @cym_star: how do we give our Airmen more meaningful opportunities to practice when access to traditional training systems is limited?

Our best simulators are indispensable, but emerging technologies can make that training more accessible, effective, and relevant to the missions ahead.

Technology will continue to evolve. The fundamentals of readiness won’t.

When the nation calls, there is no time left to become proficient.

My article begins on page 7:
https://t.co/RfOWI77Csn

#AirMobility #MilitaryReadiness

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Spending this week in Orlando at @AirMobilityCmd’s Fall Industry Panels, where AMC shares its operational challenges and industry brings ideas and potential solutions to the table.

Having spent part of my @usairforce career leading requirements efforts at HQ AMC, it’s rewarding to participate in these discussions from the industry side today.

I’m presenting some of the work our @cym_star team has been doing to address a challenge I know firsthand as a mobility pilot: how do we give aircrews more opportunities to practice and sharpen their skills without always bringing them back to a large, fixed-base simulator?

More sets and reps. Training closer to the mission. Better use of the incredible training systems we already have.

The best innovations start with understanding the operational problem, not simply finding a customer for a product.

Looking forward to reconnecting with old friends, colleagues, and industry partners as we work together to strengthen mobility readiness.

#AirMobilityCommand #MilitaryTraining #DefenseInnovation #CymSTAR

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Year after year, we’ve been coming back to Old Tony’s on the Pier for Mai Tai cocktails. Excellent late afternoon way to relax

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Great way to spend an afternoon after all day in a conference. Having lived here once upon an assignment, we knew just the place to relax.

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Pretty sure Sedona has permanently raised my standards for scenery.

Wrapped up a fantastic week in Arizona with incredible red rocks, spectacular views, great food, and a Pink Jeep tour that gave the suspension (and my back) a workout.

Heading home to St. Louis with great memories and a few hundred photos.

Already plotting a return.

#Sedona #Arizona

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

A beautiful October day in New Mexico to enjoy the International Albuquerque Balloon Festival!
#AlbuquerqueBalloonFiesta

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

A day out in the sun today with the @AirliftTanker Huyser Chapter at Scott AFB, IL
@cym_star #CymSTAR

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

6/6 Today, I remember those we lost, those who answered, and the families still carrying the consequences. At 18,000 feet, I could see where the towers had been. Twenty-five years later, I am still trying to comprehend everything that was lost.

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

1/6 Twenty-five years ago today, I was home with my wife and daughter when we watched the second airplane hit the World Trade Center. Within an hour, I was with 50 squadron mates in the 350th Air Refueling Squadron, watching the towers fall as we went on alert.

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

5/6 An entire generation has grown up with no memory of 9/11. I wonder what our world might have been if it had been an ordinary Tuesday, and what the 2,977 people killed that day might have gone on to do.

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

I’ve joked for years that the last KC-135 pilot probably hasn’t been born yet.

At 70, I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s really a joke.

She continues to evolve, modernize, and serve.

Happy 70th to the mighty Stratotanker, and to everyone who has ever flown her, fixed her, fueled her, taught in her, supported her, or waited at home for someone who did.

Here’s to the next generation.

#KC135 #Stratotanker #AirMobility

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Yesterday marked 70 years since the first flight of the KC-135 Stratotanker.

For me, she’s never simply been an airplane.

I had the privilege of flying the KC-135 during my Air Force career and later supporting the tanker enterprise from the defense industry side.

A few thoughts on 70 remarkable years… 1/5

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

Seventy years of flying also carries a price that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Some members of our tanker family never came home.

Any celebration of this airplane’s remarkable history should include a moment to remember them, their crews, and the families who carried the loss.

They remain part of the lineage too. 4/5

[Matthew T. Fritz @fritzmt]

@nilegomez Well said!