TTPOA Podcast – Season 5, Episode 1

Guest: Kim Pastore ("The Beautiful Badass")
Date: September 1, 2025
Theme: Honoring the legacy of Officer George Pastore, surviving line-of-duty death as a spouse, the importance of SWAT and patrol training, healing, and building a foundation to support law enforcement.

Episode Overview

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, the TTPOA Podcast hosts welcome Kim Pastore—the wife of fallen Austin Police Department SWAT Officer George Pastore—for an open conversation about loss, resilience, and carrying forward a legacy. The discussion travels through Kim’s life with George, his transition from fire service to law enforcement, the tragedy of his line-of-duty death, her healing journey, and the birth of the George Pastore Foundation to advance training for police officers. This episode delves into the emotional complexity faced by surviving spouses, the culture of SWAT and police work, and how purposeful action can grow from grief.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting Kim and the Meaning of Remembrance

[01:42 – 07:10]

• The host recounts meeting Kim at a memorial march for SWAT and realizing the power of making the personal connection between fallen officers’ names and their loved ones.
• Kim shares how receiving tributes, patches, and kindness honors George’s memory and is meaningful to her and the wider circle of friends and teammates.
• Quote:
  • “All we want is for them to be remembered. It’s so beautiful that they’re honored that way.” — Kim [04:22]

2. Kim’s Background, Loss, and Resilience

[07:10 – 10:55]

• Kim details her and George's journey: from running a karate school in Florida, to his work as a fire lieutenant and paramedic, and their partnership in facing life’s challenges.
• She emphasizes the difficulty and contradiction of feeling gratitude for support that comes only because of tragedy.
• Kim describes the early days after George’s death—experiencing memory gaps, reconstructing events, and finding comfort in community support.
• Quote:
  • “Instead of ‘why me, why did this happen to me,’ it’s sort of like: What now? How can we move forward and heal and make sure he’s never forgotten?” — Kim [05:14]

3. Training, Mindset, and The SWAT Culture

[10:55 – 16:19]

• The hosts and Kim discuss the vital role of continuous, realistic training for officers’ confidence and effectiveness—emphasizing that training can’t prevent all harm, but is essential nevertheless.
• Kim recounts her civilian perspective on training’s purpose and its limits after a loss.
• Insight on how SWAT officers see their role, and the unique risks inherent in missions like hostage rescues.
• Quote:
  • “Without that training...you don’t even have to turn back and look...It’s all the training that gives us the confidence to run in there.” — Kim [08:37]

4. The Spouse’s Perspective: Parallels, Contradictions, and Communication

[12:41 – 26:52]

• Kim gives a candid look at what it means to be married to a first responder—the reality that the job must come first, balancing pride and fear, and how trauma touches families.
• The importance of spouses talking openly about the realities of the job, even discussing the possibility of line-of-duty death, is highlighted as a form of emotional preparedness.

5. George’s Story: Firefighter to SWAT Officer

[26:52 – 36:19]

• George’s impressive career: a firefighter/paramedic, karate instructor turned police officer—driven by a desire to serve and to “be the first guy in” during high-stress incidents.
• The challenges and culture shock George experienced moving from fire service to police, and then into policing’s most turbulent era during COVID and the 2020 protests.
• His dedication to seeking training, taking on extra shifts, and hustling to earn his place on APD’s SWAT Gold Team.
• Quote:
  • “He wanted to be all of it. He could put out a fire, save your life, and then get the bad guy.” — Kim [28:57]

6. The Night of the Tragedy

[39:29 – 47:01]

• Kim shares the harrowing timeline: George completes his shift, spends rare extra hours at home, then is called out as SWAT on a hostage rescue, his “Super Bowl.”
• Description of the incident: The suspect, heavily armed and prepared, ambushes the entry team. George is shot three times and dies instantly, fulfilling the oath “everyone goes home”—Kim references the protective tattoo across his chest.
• The difficulties for survivors: confusion of information, waiting, and the importance of closure in learning what truly happened.

7. Grieving, Healing, and Supporting Each Other

[50:41 – 79:00+]

• The complexity of grief: sudden loss, survivor’s guilt among team members, the need for open and honest debriefs, and how Kim has strived to set a tone of communal healing.
• The critical importance of support—both immediate (notification and peer/officer support) and long-term (maintaining bonds with the team, honoring rituals and memorials).
• Quote:
  • “What I wanted to know was: Did he suffer? ...The more you know, the less your brain runs wild.” — Kim [58:48]

8. Lessons for Departments & Officer Families

[74:34 – 78:43 and onward]

• Communication gaps, notification processes, bureaucracy, and the need for each department to proactively plan support and response for officer deaths.
• Encouragement for officers and families to have difficult conversations before tragedy strikes.
• Quote:
  • “If she asks for it more than 3, 5, 7, 10 times, chances are she needs it—or he needs it.” — Kim, on information and closure for survivors [59:23]

9. Finding Purpose: The George Pastore Foundation

[102:16 – 113:13]

• Kim started the foundation to honor George by supporting officer training, especially for those in patrol and under-served units.
• The foundation funds and sponsors training, offers grants, provides free classes, and tackles wellness—removing financial barriers to critical skill-building.
• Quote:
  • “It’s easy. He speaks through me. ...We don’t want funding to be a factor. I’ll just continue raising money for that.” — Kim [106:47]
• The Humble Warrior Games and other events raise community awareness and honor both fallen and active first responders.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have no idea what you’re actually marching for until you meet a spouse of one of these fallen officers.” — Host [03:55]
• “It’s not like, oh, well, next time this happens, Kim, we’ll be sure to take you… There’s no redo.” — Kim [61:47]
• “Anyone who’s gone through trauma—if you get around people that have experienced the same thing, you just feel understood. You don’t feel crazy.” — Kim [91:20]
• “There’s no pill for grief. You just have to feel it and move through it and put your feet on the floor every day and try to live the life that you’re meant to live.” — Kim [92:30]
• “You’re definitely kicking some doors down.” — Host [116:04]
• “If you’re marrying someone turning into something… Fire… Know that it’s very different.” — Kim [42:56]
• “If I prevent him from doing what he wants to do, what kind of man do I have? So it’s a conscious choice you make.” — Kim [43:36]

Important Timestamps & Segments

• 01:42 – Introduction to Kim and the memorial march story
• 04:22 – The meaning of remembrance and acceptance of honors
• 07:10 – Kim’s life with George pre-tragedy, foundation of resilience
• 10:55 – Training as both necessity and heartbreak
• 26:52 – George’s journey from fire to police to SWAT
• 39:29/41:29 – The incident: George’s final call and SWAT operation
• 47:01 – 55:38 – Funeral and the outpouring of support
• 58:02 – On closure, getting information, and survivor’s needs
• 61:56 – 78:05 – What helps a surviving spouse: support systems, communication, personalization
• 102:16 – The mission and offerings of the George Pastore Foundation
• 116:15 – Kim’s advice to spouses and summary lessons

Summary Takeaways

• Purpose in Pain: Through crushing loss, Kim has chosen to lead with action and service, channeling her grief into a foundation that makes a tangible difference.
• The Importance of Training: George’s life and legacy center on the neverending need for relevant, realistic, and accessible training for all officers—not just SWAT.
• Support and Communication: Survivors benefit from department preparedness, honest support, proactive communication, and sustained community connection.
• Every Journey is Unique: No two lines of duty deaths are the same—each survivor’s needs are personal, and healing requires individualized care and respect.
• A Call to Action: Officers and spouses should openly discuss the risks of the job and their wishes, while agencies must ensure protocols meet the real-world needs of their people.

Resources

• The George Pastore Foundation:
  jpastorfoundation.com — for free or grant-subsidized officer training, events, and more.
• Contact Kim/Participate: Officers and agencies (nationwide) can apply for training support and join the Humble Warrior Games or other events through the foundation.

Final Moment:
“You’re doing what [George] would want—all the training, all the passion, all the ‘everyone goes home.’ That’s how you honor him, and that’s how you build something good from tragedy.”
— TTPOA Host [Throughout]

For all first responders, spouses, and supporters: keep talking, keep training—and never forget who you serve beside.