DON’T SAY IT.
DO IT.
How National Guard Aviators Inspire Massif’s Combat-Ready Gear.
Commitment to Excellence
Born in the crucible of mountain search and rescue, Massif is a brand dedicated to building durable gear that saves lives and outperforms the competition. That sentiment is why we chose to highlight Oregon National Guard 1st Lt. Lexi McRobert—because it mirrors the attitude she brings to her work every day. She simply doesn’t hold back. Her unrelenting focus and drive have propelled McRobert to the top of her field as an aviator in the Oregon National Guard, just as our dedication to design, utility, and performance has elevated Massif to the top of ours.
From California Beaches to a life of Service
McRobert puts it best herself, saying, “You just have to want it bad enough.” This driving principle led her from the sun-soaked beaches of southern California, where she grew restless with her position as a junior lifeguard in San Diego, to the University of Oregon. There, she enlisted in ROTC, seeing in herself the potential to achieve ever loftier goals. She quickly realized she was more in her element during field training exercises, working alongside her peers and taking action, than in the confines of the classroom. “I really liked the leadership aspect of it…” Coming from playing on teams her whole life and drawing on her background as a lifeguard, McRobert said that serving “just felt right” to her and was a natural choice. Changing course from a path toward med school, she channeled her resolve into defining her own success becoming the best Medevac aviator she could be.

From the beginning, she impressed her superiors. “Captain McRobert was highly motivated,” said Aviation Safety Officer Dennis Cooper. “She came in here and flew as much as she could while she had to carry on a civilian career at the time.” Her extra initiative and dedication paid off when McRobert deployed to Iraq. Cooper continued: “We took her on this last deployment overseas and she was placed in a position of decision-making authority in the middle of Iraq and was managing a lot of aspects of the company. She really accepted the challenge and accepted the responsibility, and did great things for everybody in the company.”

Her ability to rise to challenges pushes her to strive for perfection every day she gets into the cockpit, whether she’s rescuing soldiers on deployment or working domestically to save embattled wildland firefighters and stranded climbers. She explains, “Excelling at critical tasks is everything. As an aviator, we are always going out there and refining, tweaking, and perfecting the job. You’re never going to be perfect at it, and it’s not accepting that as the answer. Like, I will be perfect at it and I’m going to chase perfection… It’s always tempting to sit down and rest when you’re tired or [to] just be a yes man or [to] tick the easier route. That’s why they’re easier. Right? But it’s that leadership and self-discipline and character that require you to self-monitor and make sure that you’re not cutting those edges or taking this safe, easy route every time. As a leader, that’s just not acceptable.”

Shared Values and a Common Goal
Here at Massif, we completely agree with 1st Lt. McRobert. We can rest easier knowing that if we were having the worst day of our lives on the battlefield or in the mountains, a pilot as capable and focused as Lexi McRobert would be coming to pick us up. That’s why we strive to build the highest-performance gear that works as hard for servicemembers like McRobert as she does to bring us home safely. She won’t cut corners, and we won’t either. We hope that our commitment to building the highest-performance gear for pilots and our other brave service members can positively impact their performance in the field and help them stay focused on the lifesaving work they do every day. We are proud to share the same values and are grateful for the opportunity to tell her story.
For a more in-depth look at Lexi McRobert, you can watch our full film Here.
For a look at a selection of Massif products specially designed with Aviators in mind, Click Here
More information about Massif, and our full line of cutting-edge and flame-resistant combat apparel can be found at https://www.massif.com/