Douglas Caldwell - Loan Officer - NMLS #1697500

08/20/2026

Music was always part of my Air Force story. 🎸

This picture takes me way back. (guessing 2002-2003)

That's me on the right, Ross on the left, and Joey hiding in the back. We were playing at a David Grant Medical Center picnic at Travis Air Force Base.

Judging by the picture, there's a pretty good chance we were playing Red House by Jimi Hendrix. 😂

Our hospital band was called...

Little Blue Pills.

Yes, seriously. 😂

Music was part of my life long before the Air Force. I started playing drums in the 5th grade, picked up guitar later, sang in choir, and even performed professional musical theater during high school with Diablo Light Opera Company in the Bay Area.

Once I joined the Air Force, music just came along for the ride.

I played in several bands, performed at bars, hospital picnics, parties, base clubs, open mic nights, and deployment talent shows.

My friend Ben Wass and I played in a few bands together at Travis. Wass was another guitar player who would also jump on bass or harmonica when we needed him.

Then there was Michael Capshaw, better known as CAP. He produced music for us, and we started recording at his house in a homemade sound booth built inside his pantry. Eventually that little pantry setup grew into InHouse Entertainment in his garage.

When I recorded my own music, I went by D Caldwell.

And music followed me on deployments too.

I usually brought a guitar or found one to borrow. Sometimes I even borrowed instruments from the chapel.

My deployment go to was probably No Woman, No Cry.

Music helped pass the time. It helped during difficult days. But more than anything, it helped me connect with people.

Some of those people are still in my life.

Some aren't.

But put on the right song and suddenly I'm right back there with them.

I don't play much anymore. My son has most of my old guitars now, but I still have my Takamine acoustic.

Maybe it's time to dust it off.

Veterans, what song instantly takes you back to a certain duty station, deployment, or group of friends? 🎶🇺🇸

08/17/2026

FHA and VA buyers, this may be your time to shine. 🏡

Remember when a house hit the market and there were 10 buyers fighting over it?

Multiple offers. Bidding over asking price. Very little negotiating power.

That's not the market we're seeing with every home today.

With more homes available and less buyer competition, some properties are sitting longer. And when a seller wants to sell, they may be much more willing to negotiate.

That's where FHA and VA buyers may have an opportunity.

Maybe you have the 3.5% down payment needed for FHA, but you're worried about closing costs.

Let's see if the seller is willing to help.

Maybe you're an eligible VA buyer who can purchase with no down payment, but you don't have a lot of extra cash available for closing.

Let's negotiate.

Seller concessions may be able to help with eligible closing costs, prepaid expenses, or even strategies to reduce your interest rate.

And here's the other advantage...

You may actually have a better chance to WIN the house.

Can multiple offers still happen? Absolutely.

But when there are fewer buyers competing for a home, you may have something buyers haven't had much of in recent years:

Negotiating power.

VA and FHA buyers should not automatically assume they need a huge pile of cash before they can start looking.

Let's run the numbers first.

And to my fellow veterans, I spent 20 years in the Air Force. I understand military life, and I understand the VA loan. If you have questions about your benefit, entitlement, buying with zero down, or how the process works, I'm here to explain it.

No pressure.

Just answers.

Thinking about buying? Send me a message and let's find out what your options look like in today's market.

Doug Caldwell
NMLS #1697500

08/14/2026

The Great Christmas Santa Heist 🎅🇺🇸🇬🇧

Al Udeid AB, Qatar. Christmas 2005. Somewhere in this very respectable looking group of medical professionals, a terrible idea was forming... 😂

It was Christmas in Qatar.

My British buddies Daz and Goody and I were hanging around the smoking area, watching movies, talking crap about the humidity, or maybe we had just finished our allowed three drinks for the day. Honestly, that part is a little fuzzy.

At some point, someone noticed the giant inflatable Santa on the other side of the compound.

And naturally, we came to the only reasonable conclusion...

Santa needed to be on OUR side of the base.

Were we stealing him? Absolutely not.

We were borrowing him.

Maybe it was for Christmas spirit. Maybe it was a show of dominance. Maybe it was just a really bad idea.

Either way, a mission was born.

I was assigned getaway driver.

Our getaway vehicle was an intimidating two passenger, white, stick shift pickup truck. 😂

A few brave souls piled into the back, and I drove our elite team over to the other side of the compound. I parked about 50 feet away near a bus stop and water drop off while the team moved in.

These guys disappeared into the night like special ops.

I watched a couple of them start cutting the ropes holding Santa down. Others were climbing up the side of the building like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

Everything was going according to plan.

Until...

The barracks doors FLEW OPEN.

People started pouring outside.

Our poor British troops were caught red handed. 😂

Suddenly, the Santa recovery team turned into an escape and evasion exercise.

They scattered.

Running.

Laughing.

Yelling.

Leaving Santa behind.

And then there was me...

Sitting in the getaway truck about 50 feet from the scene of the crime.

A few people approached.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are you part of this?"

Me?

Absolutely not.

"I'm just getting water for my dorm."

So I got out of the truck, calmly grabbed some water from the community pallets, loaded it into the back, and drove away.

😂😂😂

The Brits eventually made it back to our side of the compound, and we laughed about our failed mission all the way home.

Mission failed.

Memory activated.

Santa remained safely in enemy territory. 🎅

More than 20 years later, I can still picture the whole thing.

Deployments weren't always easy. You were away from family, especially during the holidays, and sometimes you found laughter wherever you could.

That night, we definitely found some.

Daz and Goody, if you're out there, I hope you remember this one the same way I do. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

Veterans, what's your funniest deployment story that you're actually allowed to tell on Facebook? 😂

08/04/2026

What's the best meal you ever had in the military?

Mine wasn't at a five star restaurant. It was at Camp Wolverine in Kuwait.

It was my first deployment, and I was there with some incredible people. Jeff Johnson and Alex became my workout buddies, and we were part of a roughneck group led by Chief Scott Nielsen.

We landed at Kuwait International Airport with orders to shut it down and help establish the Air Force hospital at Ali Al Salem Air Base. It was hard work. Thirty straight days of 12 hour shifts. We were unloading patients from aircraft, loading others for transport to safer locations, and doing convoy missions that were well outside anything we had trained for.

We lived in ten person tents. The outside temperature was well over 120 degrees. There was no air conditioning, just an Environmental Control Unit that cooled things down... if you were lucky. Most days, you carried a giant bottle of water everywhere you went, yet somehow I don't remember ever having to use the bathroom.

The days were long, but we always looked forward to three things.

A good workout.

An evening playing guitar.

And dinner.

Every evening we'd make the walk across the sand to the DFAC, trying to avoid those giant flies that seemed determined to carry us away. To this day, I still say Camp Wolverine had the best chow hall I ever ate at. If you know... you know.

Of course, military life wouldn't be complete without a little humor.

One day Jeff decided it would be a good idea to hide a carton of milk inside the plenum of our Environmental Control Unit to keep it cold. Then the ECU broke. We forgot all about the milk... until a few days later when our entire tent smelled like something had died.

Some memories make you laugh decades later.

Others remind you how simple life really was.

Looking back, I don't remember every mission. I remember the people. The laughter in a ten person tent. The late night conversations. The guitar music. The workouts. The friendships.

Those are the things that stay with you.

Veterans... what was the one thing you always looked forward to on deployment?

07/30/2026

Every once in a while Facebook reminds you of a chapter you almost forgot.

I came across the music video we made for Forever Again. It's a little time capsule from a part of my life that meant a lot to me.

Music has always been a part of who I am. I grew up singing in choir, picked up the drums in the 4th grade while living in Ventura, California, and eventually switched to guitar in junior high. Let's be honest... there were already way too many great drummers out there. Along the way I started singing, stayed involved in choir and drama throughout high school, and never really stopped performing.

The Air Force only added to that passion. If there was a guitar nearby, there was probably a jam session happening. I played at countless parties, formed more bands than I can remember, and had the privilege of playing with some incredibly talented friends over the years.

One of my favorite groups was Little Blue Pills, the David Grant Medical Center cover band at Travis Air Force Base. (Yes... the name was a play on Vi**ra. We worked at a hospital—we thought we were hilarious.)

Over the years I shared the stage with Erik, Joe, Ben, Steve Thomas (rest in peace my friend, also featured in the video below), Ross, Rod, and so many others. While deployed to Qatar, I played in a few talent shows. During a USO tour in the UAE, I even ended up on stage playing alongside a comedian. Those are memories I'll never forget.

This particular song, Forever Again, was written as a love song... maybe a wedding song... or something in between. The video was filmed during a real wedding and recorded by Mike "CAP" Capshaw, a fellow Air Force medic, rapper, and producer. We spent countless nights recording music in what we proudly called InHouse Studios... which was really just his garage. Some of my favorite creative memories came from that little studio.

Life has taken me in a different direction since then. These days my stage is usually an open house, a real estate office, a classroom, or in front of a camera talking about mortgages instead of microphones and amplifiers. But the love of performing, telling stories, and connecting with people has never gone away.

To everyone who listened to our music, bought a CD, came to a show, or picked up an instrument or recording device and created alongside us... thank you. You were part of a chapter I'll always be grateful for.

Until the red skies carry me home.

– Doug

This is a love song, wedding song or whatever you will call it. I w...

07/27/2026

Who was your favorite leader in the military?

Before I answer, I have to say this. I was incredibly fortunate to serve with some amazing leaders throughout my career. Many of you left a lasting impact on my life, and choosing just one wasn’t easy.

If I had to pick one, it would be MSgt Ken Gestring.

I met Ken when my family and I arrived at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. He was my sponsor, and from the moment he picked us up at the airport, he made us feel welcome.

He had our billeting room stocked with food before we arrived. Over the next few days, he drove us around the base, introduced us to people, showed us where everything was, and helped us settle into a brand new country. He even took us off base to experience the local culture, introducing us to some of his favorite restaurants and places, including beautiful Kızkalesi, known as Castle by the Sea.

He didn’t just sponsor us. He welcomed us into his life.

Later in my tour, my young son had a medical emergency and returned to the United States with my family about six months before my assignment ended. Those last six months could have been some of the loneliest of my career, but Ken made sure I always knew I wasn’t alone.

Over the years, Ken became much more than my sponsor. He became my mentor, my golf partner, my teacher, and one of my closest friends.

Ken is also a Purple Heart recipient and a true American hero. Years later, while attending NCO Academy at Keesler Air Force Base, my class selected Ken as our Legacy Project. We dedicated a plaque in his honor that still hangs at the academy today because we believed future Airmen should know about the kind of leader he was.

This photo was taken at my NCO Academy graduation. Having Ken there to celebrate with me meant more than I can put into words.

Our friendship continued long after we left Turkey. Ken and his wonderful wife, Corina, attended my wedding in 2021. Watching our families grow has been a blessing. His son graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, and now his daughter is preparing for her own wedding later this year.

Thank you, Ken, for believing in me, investing in me, and showing me what servant leadership looks like. I hope I’ve been able to pass even a small part of what you taught me on to others.

Veterans, who was the leader that changed your life? I’d love to hear about them.

07/23/2026

I've been thinking a lot about my Air Force years lately.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share some favorite memories, people, places, and lessons from my 20 years in uniform. Some stories are funny, some are meaningful, and some may be a little emotional.

If you served, I hope you'll share your own memories in the comments. I'd love to hear them.

So let's start with an easy one.

Favorite duty station?

Without a doubt, Travis Air Force Base.

Travis was my first duty station after tech school. I completed my six week Phase II clinical training there, and before I knew it, it became home. I was stationed there from 1998 to 2007, then came back again from 2008 to 2011.

During those years, I worked in oncology, immunizations, primary care, flight medicine, labor and delivery, hyperbarics, and hemodialysis. I also had the opportunity to become an Independent Duty Medical Technician, a career that challenged me, humbled me, and helped shape who I am today.

I experienced some of the biggest moments of my career while stationed there. I was at Travis during September 11, deployed five times, and made friendships that have lasted a lifetime. There were countless rounds of golf, guitar sessions, basketball games, road trips, and conversations I'll never forget.

Every duty station gave me something, but Travis gave me the foundation for the rest of my career and so many memories I'll always be grateful for.

For my fellow veterans, what was your favorite duty station and why? I'd love to hear your stories.

07/21/2026

Almost ten years ago, I took off the uniform for the last time. In two years, I will officially have been retired for a decade. Time has a way of moving faster than any of us expect.

Recently, I lost a good friend, William, to a heart attack (front and center). Willie was only 49 years old. We went through tech school together, along with Angel, Bradley (back right), Tez, Clint, Woodhouse, Longhauser, and many others. Most of us were young men, with Longhauser keeping us all in line. We were just a group of 18 to 22 year olds trying to figure out life.

This was before social media. We lived in the dorms together, far from home, helping each other study, telling jokes, grilling on the weekends, and heading downtown in Wichita Falls, Texas, whenever we had a little free time. Back then, none of us could have imagined how quickly the years would pass.

As I get older, I realize that aging is not always easy, but it is a blessing. The memories, the friendships, and even the difficult moments stay with us forever. The faces may change, and life may take us in different directions, but the people we served alongside leave a mark that never fades.

To all of my brothers and sisters I have known along the way, even if we have not spoken in years, please know that I value the time we shared, both the good and the bad. For those I owe amends to, I hope you will accept this as a small step toward making things right. For those we have lost, know that you are still in my thoughts.

The journey continues for me, and I wish each of you success in life, love, and wherever your path has taken you.

And to Willie, thank you for the memories. You left us too soon, my friend. 🇺🇸

One day you are eighteen years old in the dorms with your friends, and the next thing you know, you're all looking back on a lifetime of stories. Time really is the one thing we can never get back. (Me, Brandley and Willie, Sheppard AFB 1998)

07/14/2026

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