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Three brothers, Ethan, Jubal and Nathaniel Johnson received
orders to train at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, at the same time;
two assigned to the 361st Training Squadron and the other to the
366th Training Squadron.
August 3, 2016 - Three brothers, Ethan (left), Jubal (middle) and Nathaniel Johnson (right) received orders to train at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, at the same time; two assigned to the 361st Training Squadron and the other to the 366th Training Squadron. Ethan trained for Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Jubal for fuels and Nathaniel for egress systems. They all had the opportunity to stick together while at Sheppard and encourage each other to do their best. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle E. Gese) |
“We were really close growing up,” Jubal said. “We may
have picked on each other from time to time, but it was
never okay for someone else to push one of us around. We
would always band together and protect each other when one
of us was in need.”
Ethan was the first to join the
military, entering Army basic training in 2010. After five
years as an Army medic, he became anxious for more adventure
and strived for something new. In 2015, he decided to
transition to the Air Force to become an Explosive Ordnance
Disposal technician. It was then that his two younger
brothers pondered the idea of following in his footsteps.
Jubal and Nathaniel were working in the oil field with
little knowledge or expectation they would be joining and
forming their own band of brothers in the very near future.
“We were sick of working in the oil field,” Jubal said.
“I worked there for almost four years and I was talking to
Nathaniel one day and said ‘I'm really sick and tired of
doing this, I'm missing out on a lot of family time.'
Getting laid off of work was really the tipping point for me
that pushed me to join the Air Force.”
Both Jubal and
Nathaniel turned to the Air Force for the opportunity of a
more secure job without fear of being laid off. It also gave
Jubal an opportunity to spend more time with his family.
Jubal and Nathaniel received orders to train at Sheppard
just weeks after Ethan received orders for his preliminary
EOD training. Ethan training with EOD, Jubal training with
fuels and Nathaniel training with egress, all had the
opportunity to stick together while at Sheppard and
encourage each other to do their best.
“Having my
brothers here with me helped me ease into this training
environment,” Jubal said. “I didn't feel like going to eat
by myself, and when I didn't have anybody to eat with, it
was nice having Nathaniel around.”
Having his two
brothers here also helped introduce him to new people and
become a part of the larger Air Force family.
“I love
it,” he said. “Standing there and saluting while the anthem
plays and seeing all the other Airmen doing the exact same
thing, is really an amazing feeling. I know that no matter
where I go, I'll always be able to find a brother or sister
in arms.”
When their parents Debbie and Greg heard of
their news, they were thrilled and glad they could be
together during their time in training.
“I'm glad my
boys had the opportunity to be at the same base,” Debbie
said. “They're all going to go out in different directions
now. It was nice knowing that they could be there for each
other, encourage one another and spend some time together
before they had to go their separate ways.”
Debbie
and their family supported Ethan, Jubal and Nathaniel
throughout the entire process of sending them to basic,
Sheppard, and now their first assignment. She said they call
often and even made the trip across country on multiple
occasions to attend their graduation ceremonies.
“I'm
pretty excited about graduating,” Jubal said. “I'm ready to
get back home and see the kids again. My brothers and I
aren't much on goodbyes, so when we separated, we pretty
much just said ‘it's been fun, until next time,' kind of
thing. We're all excited to move on to our bases and make a
career out of it."
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kyle E. Gese
Air Force News Service
Copyright 2016
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