Becoming the Leader You Didn’t Expect to Be
AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast
- Published
- July 29, 2026
- Duration
- 39:21
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Aug 5, 2026
Discusses Not every Soldier grows up planning to serve. In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smi…
Summary
Not every Soldier grows up planning to serve. In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith sits down with Cadet Orion Van Buskirk, a junior—otherwise known as a “Cow”—at the United States Military Academy at West Point, to explore what it means to discover service along the way. Raised in Eugene, Oregon, with no military background, Van Buskir…
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Show notes
Not every Soldier grows up planning to serve. In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith sits down with Cadet Orion Van Buskirk, a junior—otherwise known as a “Cow”—at the United States Military Academy at West Point, to explore what it means to discover service along the way. Raised in Eugene, Oregon, with no military background, Van Buskirk initially saw West Point as an opportunity for a free education, a challenge and a different path from his peers. But what began as a practic