Did your brother/sister/father/mother serve at the same time you did?

CPT Enrique M. — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 18:55:18 -0500

My younger brother of 6 years is in Active duty in the Air Force at UPT @ Columbus MS and now myself in the Army as a reservist. Lets just say the family get together will be fun now. Anyhow any of you had brother/sister or even parent serving while you were serving? Any experiences or stories?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 7:05 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:05:22 -0500

My father and I at his retirement ceremony. He retired this past October as a Command Sergeant Major.

Response by SGT John " Mac " McConnell made Jan 31 at 2016 7:16 PM

SGT John " Mac " McConnell — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:16:25 -0500

My older brother and I served in Germany. He was with 2/ 11th ACR Bad kissingen. I was stationed in Aschaffenburg with 1/7th INF. Of course as what GI's do on their off time. Go to Frankfurts Red light district.
That's when I seen my older brother walking down the strausse. He didn't see me. So I turned around behind him and jumped on his back. All his buddies and my buddies thought the fight was on ! Needless to say that was great night to remember... 11th ACR and 7th Inf. partying all as brother's....

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 31 at 2016 7:17 PM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:17:52 -0500

Yeah, my older brother joined the AFNG 4 years after I did. Now we might retire at about the same time; me with 27 and him with 23! And our dad did 25; 9 years before I joined.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jan 31 at 2016 7:22 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:22:10 -0500

I am the first USA soldier in my family CPT Enrique M.. My paternal grandfather was a lance corporal in the British Army in WWI and fought at Gallipoli, Turkey and in the trench warfare of France and Belgium where he was wounded.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 8:17 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:17:19 -0500

My father is now retired, but he pinned my E5 in Afghanistan in 2007.

My sister is a captain, my little brother is a medically retired E5; the 3 of us met in salerno, Afghanistan thanks to Gen Allen and BG Martin Schweitzer.

My cousin Eric graduated OSUT at benning while I was there. My drill, DS Connell (now KIA) got me on his graduation detail and I have pictures with him and my family while I was still technically in basic. B 2-58.
My entire family is in really but those are my in service highlights.

Response by GySgt Carl Rumbolo made Jan 31 at 2016 8:44 PM

GySgt Carl Rumbolo — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:44:36 -0500

My brother enlisted about 4 years after I did, and we served on the same duty station for a couple of years. When I came off the drill field a couple of folks thought it would be neat to put us in the same unit. I vigorously fought that - while it was nice for us to be on the same duty station it was better off all around to be in different units.

Response by SSgt Jamie Ritter LeBlanc made Jan 31 at 2016 9:56 PM

SSgt Jamie Ritter LeBlanc — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 21:56:44 -0500

My parents were both Marines, 2 grandfathers were Army, little brother in Navy, and myself AF. Uncles, nephews, and niece who've served. Many ancestors who served even going back as far as Revolutionary Soliders. It's in our American Blood!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jan 31 at 2016 10:31 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 22:31:20 -0500

I served in Viet Nam at the same time as my uncle and namesake. He was in Cam Ranh when I was outside of DaNang. Another uncle was also active duty Army when I was in, but our assignments never crossed paths. I had cousins serving at the same time (Army and Navy), and have nephews serving in the Army today that were too young to serve when I was in.

Response by SSG John McCammon made Jan 31 at 2016 11:00 PM

SSG John McCammon — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:00:44 -0500

My father was in the AF Reserve for 27 years, he was a medic and was lucky enough to be in Germany for a training event the same time I was about to head to Iraq the 1st time. So we got to hang out before my flight departed.

During the same deployment my younger brother joined the Indiana National Guard and he served 5 years until our grandfather (WW2 vet) passed away. He than took over the family farm.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 11:18 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:18:05 -0500

My brother went in about a year after me and did one tour. I was in Germany and he went to Korea. My mother was in when I joined and retired a few years later as a Master Sergeant. My goal is to catch her before I retire. Beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She didn't wear the diamond though, hopefully I will.

Response by Maj Kim Patterson made Feb 1 at 2016 5:24 AM

Maj Kim Patterson — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 05:24:10 -0500

CPT Enrique M. a couple of my inspirations from long ago.

Response by Maj Kim Patterson made Feb 1 at 2016 5:31 AM

Maj Kim Patterson — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 05:31:35 -0500

CPT Enrique M. I come a long line of warriors. My aunt was a commissioned Lieutenant in the USN in the Pacific as a nurse. My father, an USAF Colonel who gave 32 years from the early years of bombing Europe in WWII, to transport through Vietnam, was finishing his career and pinned his original butter bar on my shoulder. I was able to pin my brother's butter bars on him and he also went USAF. We lived close enough to see each other occasionally at the time. My uncle gave the USN 30 years. My son-in-law did multiple rotations in OIF/OEF and Afghanistan. Between the two men I married, a total of 45 years, USAF. I guess you might say it was a family business but we might skip a generation.

Response by MCPO Douglas Pennington made Feb 1 at 2016 7:05 AM

MCPO Douglas Pennington — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 07:05:40 -0500

Actually i had two brothers serve at the same time i did. AT1 T. Pennington and CWO4 B. D. Pennington. Both retired. My dad joined the Navy on July 4th, 1941, from that time until my retirement of 1 June 2004 a Pennington had continuously stood the watch. We were out of the military picture until my daughter IS1 B Pennington joined in 2010.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Feb 1 at 2016 8:36 AM

SSG Audwin Scott — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 08:36:18 -0500

I actually just found my biological father March of 2014. He is a retired Airforce vet and I am retired Army. So during some of that time I am sure we were both in service.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Feb 1 at 2016 9:34 AM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 09:34:26 -0500

I served at the same time as my middle son, for just shy of 1-year....it was interesting because during his OSUT we were both stationed at Ft. Benning and I had the opportunity to "check-in" on him at various times during the MOS portion of his training, which caused him a little bit of grief at times lol!. I retired 11-months and a few days prior to his 1-year mark, the above was taken during one of his "post passes" in my on-post quarters.

Response by LTJG Robert M. made Feb 1 at 2016 10:51 AM

LTJG Robert M. — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 10:51:49 -0500

No, I am the only one out of four who served.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 11:28 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 11:28:01 -0500

My brother is a LT in the USCG.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 4:19 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:19:18 -0500

I'm the oldest by a gap so I never got that opportunity or as of yet if its happens lol. My dad did serve in AF though and one of my uncles in the army so I feel like I did carry on some sort of military tradition.

Response by CPT Jim Schwebach made Feb 1 at 2016 10:18 PM

CPT Jim Schwebach — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 22:18:36 -0500

Three of the Schwebach boys served overlapping tours in Vietnam. I got there first and went to the Cav. My brother, Paul, showed up a couple of months later and scored an assignment in Saigon as a Finance guy. I signed a waiver to stay in the field and that insured he wouldn't be sent to the woods. He was serving in Oakland when I went back for my third trip. Before he separated our youngest brother, Jody, arrived in country. He was a 91B and, being young, horny and thinking he would live forever, wanted an assignment to a combat unit. But his big brother already had the waiver in place so he spent his year running a drug rehab clinic at China Beach. Altogether my folks had at least one son in country during the years from 1966 through 1970. During that time I only saw one of my brothers once. Paul met my plane when I came back from the hospital in Japan and we spent a couple of days together.
My folks had a three star Blue Star Banner that I have in my library to this day.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 10:13 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 10:13:40 -0500

My sister is serving with me for the past 8 years, I have been her mentor in many situations, my mother opposed to our decition to join at the beginning, but now she is our number one supporter, and a proud one, we both deployed, so have been double the worry for her.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 11:53 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 11:53:16 -0500

I served at FT. Bragg with my kid brother. He followed me in and I served as a grunt with the 2/505 PIR and he served as a parachute rigger. We are best friends and the time we served together only strengthens that bond!

Response by CSM Michael Poll made Feb 2 at 2016 1:28 PM

CSM Michael Poll — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 13:28:41 -0500

My Son did. 2005-2009

Myself 1989-2016

Response by CSM Richard StCyr made Feb 3 at 2016 9:16 AM

CSM Richard StCyr — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:16:02 -0500

My oldest son and I were in Iraq at the same time in 2003, and then at Ft. Hood at the same time. The funniest thing was that he kept getting e-mails that were intended for me, very important sergenty major stuff like; the motor pool had a truck with trash in it, the bridge company had an unsecure boat , and why a Soldier from the BN was at the PX without his headgear to name a few.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Feb 3 at 2016 9:21 AM

SSG Audwin Scott — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:21:24 -0500

Yes my father served in Airforce 69-89, while I served 86-06.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Feb 3 at 2016 11:34 AM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 11:34:54 -0500

I come from a Army family. My father and uncle were both in the Army. As well as both my younger brothers. One of my brothers and I served in Germany together. My youngest brother was in Basic when I got out. For some reason we never took a photo of all of us in our uniforms together. My nephew is a Marine and it was a fantastic experience attending his basic training graduation wearing my AF uniform. The Marines put on one heck of a graduation ceremony.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2016 1:06 PM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:06:24 -0500

no ... in fact .. I am the only one served in any form of military .... in my family tree... for the first time ever.

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Feb 3 at 2016 1:59 PM

1stSgt Eugene Harless — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:59:37 -0500

My Brother, Brother-in Law and Nephew all served in the Corps at the same time in the late 1990s.

Response by MSgt Richard Rountree made May 10 at 2016 10:19 PM

MSgt Richard Rountree — Tue, 10 May 2016 22:19:32 -0400

In the 1980s, both of my brothers and my sister plus myself, were in Europe at the same. One brother was a Navy 'Nuke' stationed somewhere in Italy (maybe Naples?), another brother was in the USAF at Rhein Main AB, West Germany, and my sister was in Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily married to a Navy guy. I was at Hq VII Corps/ALO at Kelly Barracks, Stuttgart, West Germany.