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CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – “We few, we happy few, we band of
brothers.” This William Shakespeare quote is literally true for two
sets of brothers in 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Pensacola,
Fla.
Brothers Spc. Micaiah Glover and 1st Lt. Elijah Glover;
and Sgt. Brandon Corey McAlpin and Sgt. Richard Kyle McAlpin provide
communication and signal support for the 31st Chemical, Biological,
Radiological and Nuclear Brigade, of Alabama and the 4th Military
Police Brigade, of Michigan for Vibrant Response 13-2.
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U.S. Army Spc. Micaiah Glover and his
brother 1st Lt. Elijah Glover, right, and Sgt. Brandon Corey McAlpin
and his brother Sgt. Richard Kyle McAlpin, all assigned to the 146th
Expeditionary Signal Battalion provide a Satellite Transportable
Terminal for use during exercise Vibrant Response 13-2 at Camp
Atterbury, Indiana on August 5, 2013. Vibrant Response is a U.S.
Northern Command-sponsored field training exercise for chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive
consequence management forces designed to improve their ability to
respond to catastrophic incidents. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alfonso
Corral)
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Vibrant Response, a major field training exercise, is
conducted by U.S. Northern Command and led by U.S. Army
North.
Approximately 5,700 service members and civilians from the
military and other federal and state agencies are training to
respond to a catastrophic domestic incident. As a component of U.S.
Northern Command, U.S. Army North, coordinates timely federal
military response to disasters in the homeland to help the American
people in time of need.
Elijah Glover, the unit's executive
officer and acting commander at Vibrant Response, treats his twin
brother in a professional manner. Micaiah addresses Elijah as sir,
and Elijah addresses Micaiah as Glover. Elijah leaves it up to the
noncommissioned officer counsel his brother if it is needed.
Micaiah said if he needs something for the field, he uses his
chain of command like any other soldier in the unit would. He
doesn't go directly to his brother.
“We still joke around and
talk about family matters every once in while if we have time during
lunch or before formation,” said Micaiah, a 25B - an information
technology specialist. Adding they focus on the mission while on
duty.
Micaiah installs, operates and performs unit
maintenance on multi-functional/multi-user information processing
systems and peripheral equipment and auxiliary devices. He's mostly
in charge of the internet networks inside a building.
Elijah
said it takes people a while to figure out that he and Micaiah are
brothers because of their professionalism.
The other set of
brothers are a little different.
Unlike the Glovers, they
are not twins. And they call each other by their middle names -
Corey and Kyle.
“NCOs are allowed to call each other by their
first name if they know each other and are the same rank,” Elijah
said.
“We work off each other's strengths,” said Kyle.
“There's some stuff I know better, and there's some stuff he knows
better. We work really well as a team.”
Corey, a 25S -
satellite communication systems operator-maintainer, is responsible
for lines of communication. He works mostly with line-of-site
communications. It's a truck that has an external wire that connects
to a 15- to 30-foot antenna. The line-of-site communications is
mostly there in case the satellite goes out, but also to help clear
disruption in communication.
Kyle, a 25Q - multichannel
transmission systems operator-maintainer, works directly on
equipment that communicate through more than one channel. He mostly
works with the Satellite Transport Terminal. As a civilian mechanic,
Kyle also is able to fix some of the unit's equipment when it goes
down - like the generator.
“Soldiers describe Corey as the
‘City Mouse' and Kyle as the ‘Country Mouse',” said Elijah. “You'll
be able to decipher the monikers in quick conversation. Kyle has a
distinct Southern accent and parables life in well-drawn tales.
While Corey prefers the tall silent persona.”
Elijah,
describing the McAlpin brothers, said “The Brothers Mac work well on
and off the proverbial grid; with one another, their leaders and
fellow NCOs and with their subordinates. These gentlemen command a
respect due any professional of their caliber.”
Elijah added
one final thought to describe the two sets of brothers: “During duty
hours professionalism with a mission focus is the personal creed of
all members of the 146th ESB family and the standard holds no
exceptions for those of blood relation.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Alfonso Corral
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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