Brothers... in arms and in life

  • Published
  • By Capt. Elizabeth Caraway
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
FORT WOLTERS TRAINING CENTER, Texas --  The military is often referred to as a family, but for Tech Sgt. Thomas and Timothy Sexton, 445th Security Forces, it's more than an analogy. The brothers have been in the same unit for nine years, navigating training, temporary duties, and a deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, together. They were here Apr 6-17 for Patriot Defender training, a sustainment training course.

Whereas Thomas knew early on that he would follow in his father's footsteps, it took Timothy a little longer to decide.

"I knew coming out of high school that I wanted to serve," said Thomas, who's been with SFS for 15 years. "My father was in civilian law enforcement and I've always wanted to be in Security Forces."

The brothers' father, a 27-yr veteran of the Army National Guard, passed away from cancer when they were in high school.

For Timothy, the decision took some soul-searching.

"After high school, I tried college and a few other jobs before Tom sat me down and talked me into [military service.] It's been a great decision for me," he said, adding that he's been fortunate enough to serve in Japan, California, and England.

Between unit training assemblies, Thomas is a civilian police officer for the city of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and Timothy makes parts for General Electric. The Reserves offers them the opportunity to work together, sharing knowledge and collaborating.

"It's awesome serving with my brother," said Timothy. "He's the first one I go to with questions."

The pair shared another military experience--deployment--from July 2009 until Jan 2010. While in Kirkuk, Thomas worked in the search pit, inspecting vehicles entering the base for dangerous and illegal items. Timothy worked in an observation post, listening and watching for threats to the base.

"It was cool that even though we were deployed," said Thomas, "we still got to spend holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's with family."

The pair also had the opportunity to spend some time observing one another on the job; Timothy worked the search pit with Thomas and Thomas spent some time in the tower with Timothy.

During the Patriot Defender course, Timothy has had a new role--squad leader--and Thomas, who's attended the training in the past, said he's been trying to take more of a mentor role, allowing the younger, less experienced troops to learn and practice their techniques.

Both spoke enthusiastically about the 445th SFS.

"I'm impressed by the enthusiasm, professionalism, and level of knowledge within the Security Forces squadron," said Timothy. "I'm really glad to be a part of it."