84.) Billy Cushing | Remembering K9 Kitt

Explicit content warning

10/26/23 • 44 min

-Billy Cushing is a 17 year veteran of the Braintree (MA) Police Department and the President & Founder of the K9 Kit Foundation
-He is a 2-time recipient of George Hannah Award for Valor among other honors and is a highly respected member of not only BPD, but the K9 community and the law enforcement field as a whole
-11 of his 17 years of service have been spent as a patrol K9 Handler, where he was partnered with K-9 Kitt. Tragically, on June 4th 2021, K9 Kitt made the ultimate sacrifice while apprehending an armed suspect in Braintree (MA). During this encounter, Billy was shot on 5 separate occasions alongside his fellow Officer Matthew Donoghue - who shot once
-In K9 Kitt’s memory, his started the K9 Kitt Foundation, 501(c)3 non-profit that connectis embers of the public interested in providing support to K9 Teams around the country who work tirelessly to serve communities and their front-line policing partners
Donate to the K9 Kitt Foundation:
https://k9kittfoundation.com/
Boston Magazine Article about K9 Kitt:
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2023/08/10/kitt-the-police-dog/

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83.) Wayne Sasso | O2X Cognitive Performance Specialist w/ Arlington County Police (PT 2: Mental Performance in Law Enforcement)

-Wayne Sasso is an On-Site Mental Performance Specialist and Program Manager for Arlington County (VA) Police Department. In his role, he applies his experience in Performance Psychology to support sworn and unsworn members of the department in the areas of performance improvement, stress management, leadership and organizational development.
-For over 8 years, he has been working in the human performance field with a myriad of populations. He comes to O2X from the ‘Optimizing the Human Weapon System’ program in Tucson (AZ), which provides fighter pilots with embedded physical and psychological support to improve readiness. It was here where was responsible for designing and implementing a psychological program that included a standardized curriculum, one-on-one coaching and cognitive training for A-10 Warthog pilots.
-Prior to that he worked as a Mental Conditioning Coordinator providing sport psychology services to teams and individuals at the youth through professional levels of sport. In this role, he helped athletes with performing under pressure, rebounding from performance errors and building awareness of the mental game. He is known for helping performers build self awareness and implement incremental changes to improve performance, consistency and quality of life.
-He received his Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University and Master’s degree in Counseling with a focus in Sport and Performance Psychology from Boston University
Wayne’s article 'Optimizing Mental Performance: The Importance of Mental Well-being in Law Enforcement':
https://www.o2x.com/mental-performance-in-law-enforcement/
FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness
Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com
Let us know what you think:
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IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f

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85.) Erik Melanson | United States Marine Corps Intelligence Officer + O2X Lead Instructor

-Erik Melanson is an O2X Lead Instructor who currently serves on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as an Intelligence Officer.
-He has spent the majority of his career in the special operations community, deploying in support of combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. While serving in Marine Special Operations Command or MARSOC, he was introduced to human performance. From that point forward, human performance and the role of the tactical athlete have been a staple in his life.
-In August of 2020 after returning from Afghanistan, he suffered a traumatic injury that left him paralyzed below the knee in his left leg. His doctors, surgeons, and rehabilitation team credit his physical and mental conditioning as the main reason he has been able to remain on active duty, and recover to the level he has from his limb salvage injury. It was during his time at Walter Reed that his passion for helping fellow injured and wounded individuals rehabilitate their body and mind really took off. He is a huge proponent of the mental health aspect of human performance and looks for every opportunity to break the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health and substance abuse issues.
-He’s a graduate of Norwich University, holds graduate certificates in leadership from Wharton and Harvard Law, an MA in Military Studies from Marine Corps University, and is finishing up his MA in Global Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness
Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com
Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f