Father and son take Enlistment Oath together

  • Published
  • By Stacy Vaughn
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  A father and son shared a special moment together by taking the Oath of Enlistment during a joint ceremony March 19th in the 445th Airlift Wing Maintenance Group conference room.

Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Emberton, 445th Maintenance Operations Flight, was re-enlisting while his youngest son, 18-year-old Jacob, was enlisting for the first time. Col. Anna Schulte, 445th Maintenance Group Commander, administered the oath.

"I think it's great when kids decide to join the military when they get out of high school. The military gives them focus for when they start college, and the Air Force Reserves is a great place to start," Sergeant Emberton said.

Jacob will leave for Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in July. After BMT, he'll be assigned to the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. Jacob's main focus when he comes back from training will be his education. He'll be studying at Ohio University to be a pharmaceutical representative.

"The enlistment ceremony was a very special moment for my family and me. It was my first step into adulthood, and I'm hoping it was a step in the right direction," Jacob said.

The family is very involved with the 445th Airlift Wing. Sergeant Emberton's middle son, Staff SSgt. Timothy Emberton, Jr., an Air Reserve Technician, is assigned to the aircraft maintenance squadron.

"I'm very proud of Timothy. He's out 'where the rubber meets the road'. The last time I re-enlisted was with Timothy, who's been in the service for six years now," Sergeant Emberton said.

Katrina Emberton, wife of Sergeant Emberton and mother of both sons, said Timothy would have also been standing with his father and brother to re-enlist but he re-enlisted the week before due to a planned trip out of the country.

"I think it's awesome what happened today and that my other son just re-enlisted. I'm very proud of all three of them; they made the right choices," she said.

Tech. Sgt. Timothy Horgan, 445th Air Force Recruiter, has known the Emberton family for several years now. Before becoming a recruiter, he worked in the same office as Sergeant Emberton.

"Sergeant Emberton was a great supervisor to me during my time in the 445th Maintenance Operations Flight training office. I am honored that his son, Jake, was one of my first recruits. Jake is an impressive young man and will no doubt do great things during his Air Force Reserve career," Sergeant Horgan said. "I think it's awesome that Jake enlisted on the same day his dad re-enlisted. It will be a nice memory for them to share forever."

Both Colonel Schulte and Sergeant Emberton agreed that it's not rare to see relatives working in the same unit or in the same wing at a reserve wing.

"This was a very special occasion. In fact, it's very special as I did this last year with my son. It's great as I see the next generation coming in and even more special when it's from the same family. They've learned from their military parents, they gain appreciation, and they then carry on the tradition," Colonel Schulte said.