Brown Family U.S. Military Legacy
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Taylor Walker June 2, 2020
In 1986, Sid Brown was itching to leave the city of New Plymouth,
Idaho. With the financial burden of college heavy on his mind, he
met with an Air Force recruiter in Ontario, Oregon, and quickly
found himself in uniform, working as an F-16C weapons load crew
member at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
After nearly 30 years
in weapons and maintenance jobs, including five years as the 124th
Maintenance Group Superintendent at Gowen Field, Airman Sid Brown
became Command Chief Master Sgt. Sid Brown, state command chief,
Idaho Air National Guard. His legacy of service has trickled down to
his three children, Everett, Kassandra and Wesley, who joined the
Idaho Air National Guard, Idaho Army National Guard and U.S. Navy
respectively.
January 16, 2020 - Command Chief Master Sgt. Sid Brown, State Command Chief, Idaho Air National Guard; Senior Airman Everett Brown, Traffic Management Specialist, 124th Logistics Readiness Squadron; Seaman Wesley Brown, Hospital Corpsman, Wayne Caron Clinic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Cpl. Kassandra Brown, Ammunitions Specialist, G Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion,
proudly together in uniform ... saluting in honor of their military service to the USA. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from courtesy photos by Maxine May Photography)
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“It means a lot to me to have my children serving,” Sid said. “I
believe everyone who is able should serve in some capacity – even if
they don’t join the military – and I’m very happy they’ve all chosen
unique paths to do that.”
The first of Sid’s kids to join the
military was Everett Brown, a traffic management specialist with the
124th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Gowen Field. Now a Senior
Airman, Everett said the military is engrained in their family
history.
“We have a very long
bloodline of military in our family, all the way back to when they
stormed the beaches of Normandy, to Vietnam and the World Wars,”
said Everett. “The tradition has carried on from generation to
generation. It’s an established part of our lives.”
For
Everett, joining the Idaho Air National Guard was a way to honor his
father and the experiences he had as a child on Gowen Field.
“As a kid, I watched my dad come home from deployments and saw
the respect and pride he had and I wanted to feel that way,” Everett
said. “My dad has always been my hero and it didn’t matter what
branch I ended up joining, I just wanted to work hard the same way
he did.”
The day Everett left for basic training was the
same day his sister, Kassandra, enlisted in the Idaho Army National
Guard.
Cpl. Kassandra Brown is an ammunitions specialist in
the Golf Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion. Although she
wasn’t initially sure what branch she wanted to join, she knew the
military was where she belonged.
“Joining the military felt
like something I needed to do,” said Kassandra. “None of my friends
were surprised when I finally joined. I feel like I’ve always had
that decision in my heart.”
Kassandra said between the
conflicting schedules and excessive pride, there’s a bittersweet
feeling when it comes to having a family full of military members.
“I feel very proud of my family, but also scared at the same
time because you never know what will happen to them,” she said.
“But we all have cool stories to share. In our family you always
have someone to talk to. You always have someone to relate to.”
Everett and Kassandra’s brother Wesley, who joined the Navy in
June 2019, agreed that the support from their family is invaluable.
“They really understand what I’m going through, especially
my dad who has had active duty experience,” said Wesley. “He takes
time to answer all of my questions.”
Seaman Wesley Brown is
a hospital corpsman at Wayne Caron Clinic, Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina. Although his mom’s side of the family has a rich naval
history, Wesley’s motivation for joining the military had less to do
with his family’s history of service.
“I mostly wanted to
branch out from Idaho and experience the world through a different
lens than the rest of my family,” he said.
Regardless of
their selected branch or individual reasons for joining, Wesley said
the military establishes a common thread between him and his
siblings.
“I take pride in my family because we’re all doing
our part to serve our country,” said Wesley. “We come from a good
background with strong morals.”
Although Sid has decades of
experience and sits in a highly regarded position, he largely keeps
his influence to himself when it comes to his children.
“I
do my best to stay out of their careers,” Sid said. “Good, bad or
indifferent, it’s their path.”
According to a 2013 Pentagon
report, more than 82% of recruits across the Air Force, Army and
Navy have a family member who has served in the military. Whether
that’s the case or not for a military hopeful, Sid emphasized that
it’s important for parents to be supportive of their children’s
decisions.
“The military is a great career path,” he said.
“Your kids will learn new skills, get great benefits and a great
education, they’ll have to stay off drugs and they’ll potentially
see the world. Don’t be afraid. Don’t stifle their decisions.”
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