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Every Memorial Day, BJ replays this episode to reset how he thinks about what it means to lead. Dennis Zilinski was his West Point classmate, swim teammate, and one of his best friends. Dennis was killed in action on November 19, 2005, at 23 years old.
In this conversation, BJ sits down with Dennis’s mother, Marion Zilinski (Mama Z), to talk about who Dennis was, how he led, and how his leadership continues to make an impact 20 years after his death. From his early instinct to serve and protect, to his decision to stay at West Point after 9/11, to the legacy his family built in his name, this episode is a reminder that real leadership shows up long before the title does. And its impact outlives the leader.
Topics discussed:
00:00 – What leadership costs when stakes are life and death
01:00 – Reading the foreword from The Strong Gray Line
03:00 – Why this conversation matters for Memorial Day
07:00 – Dennis the protector and the young volunteer
09:00 – Handling failure with maturity beyond his years
12:00 – The decision to go to West Point
14:00 – Why Dennis refused to leave after 9/11
17:00 – Leading among 4,000 future leaders at West Point
20:00 – Choosing church over the party on post night
23:00 – The generosity Dennis built into his will
28:00 – The night of the knock at the door
39:00 – Building the Dennis Zilinski Fun
40:00 – Dennis’s promise to go meet the parents
48:00 – How service dogs are saving veteran lives
55:00 – What Memorial Day is really about
Connect with Marion Zilinski: