I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

But I will bear true faith and allegiance to the sea that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that I will will inflate the lead discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

So help me God, so help me God.

Welcome to the Oath. I'm Chuck Rosenberg and I am honored to be your host for another compelling conversation with a fascinating guest from the World of Public Service.

This week my guest is Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot of U.S. Airways Flight 1549. In January of 2009, his Airbus A320 collided with a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport and lost power in both engines.

Thanks to the remarkable work of Sully and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, all 155 people aboard survived an emergency landing in the frigid Hudson River.

Sully was born in a small North Texas town, Denison. There, as a teenager, he learned to fly a single engine prop plane off a simple grass strip, a serious and talented though shy and introverted high school student. Sully was admitted to the highly competitive United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

And when he graduated in 1973, he received the Academy's prestigious Airmanship Award as its top flyer.

Sully flew the F4 Phantom Jet Fighter in the Air Force, acquiring thousands of hours of flight time, perfecting his skills, and honing his Airmanship.

That ability to feel the aircraft, to understand the environment in which it operates, to be situationally aware, to anticipate issues, and to solve problems.

Airmanship enables Sully to safely navigate his crippled passenger jet with 155 souls on board to a dramatic water landing.

Sully's story is a remarkable one. Humble beginnings, hard work, dedication, and a lifetime of experience and knowledge that helped him,

in a moment of unprecedented crisis, to solve one problem after another, step by step in 208 seconds to save the lives of his passengers and crew.

Captain Chesley, Sully Salenberger, welcome to the oath.

Thank you Chuck, it's an honor to be with you.

It's an honor to have you here, Captain. Okay, for me to call you Sully.

The whole world does, I think you should too. I will. Sully, you grew up in Denison, Texas near the Oklahoma border. Tell me a little bit about that.

You're right, we were just across the Red River from Oklahoma, stones throw, and I lived 10 miles outside a small town in Texas.

Turns out it was their birthplace of General Former President Eisenhower. A great place to grow up.

A wonderful childhood. I was born almost the exact midpoint of the 20th century. And so I grew up during the 50s and 60s.

It was a good place to grow up and a good time to grow up.

You know, I noted that General Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas. I had always associated him with Abilene Kansas, but I learned something in reading about you and Denison.

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