Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Indiana National Guard Soldiers, Lt. Col. Dan Kozlowski and Capt. Rodney Gervais, pose...... read more read more
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- Some National Guard Soldiers say their units are like an extended family. For two Soldiers deployed to Iraq, and in Task Force 38, it is.
Indiana National Guard Soldiers, Lt. Col. Dan Kozlowski, and his nephew, Capt. Rodney Gervais, are in different sections of the task force, but they are both stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"I got off that plane in Iraq and there's my nephew, meeting me at 4 a.m. and saying 'Welcome to Iraq, Uncle Dan,'" said Kozlowski, the Task Force 38 staff judge advocate.
Kozlowski, from Indianapolis, mobilized with the Headquarters Company, 38th Combat Aviation Brigade in July. His nephew, Gervais, deployed to Iraq with Company C, 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment in March as the unit's commander. The two Indiana Guard aviation units are headquartered in Shelbyville, Ind.
"I figured it would be nice to meet and welcome him here," said Gervais, of Crown Point, Ind., on his uncle's morning arrival.
As the company commander he said he didn't always have a peer to chat with and found the position somewhat lonely. After his uncle arrived, there was a Soldier and family member he could lean on.
"It's good to have him here, to take my hat off and have somebody to talk to," said Gervais, a corporate aviation pilot in Indiana.
The two said that being here on base, while not quite like a family reunion, is good because of the familial connection.
"It brings a little of home here," said Gervais, "I looked forward to him coming here."
The two frequently had lunch or other meals together.
"He's always here if I need to go talk to him; he brings familiarity," said Gervais.
Even though the Army dictates mission and decides where Soldiers must go to serve their nation, a similar scenario happened five years ago. Both Soldiers were in Stabilization Force 15 in 2004 to help Bosnian reconstruction efforts.
Kozlowski agreed with Gervais that it is special to work alongside a family member while thousands of miles away from home.
"It's good. It's just like it's always been. Whether doing something in Indy, doing something in Lake County, doing something in Bosnia, doing something in Iraq; he's just always been there, part of the same family," said the loquacious lawyer.
In Bosnia Gervais, stationed in Sarajevo, was the pilot for NATO Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Virgil L. Packett, who, though now retired, serves as the senior mentor for Task Force 38. Kozlowski was stationed at Eagle Base, near Tuzla, and helped with the transfer from the American-led SFOR to the European-led European Union Force.
"We were closing down SFOR. It was a challenging aspect of that mission because of the property transfer to the Europeans," said Kozlowski. "My background is real estate, so this property transfer was very interesting."
The Guard Soldiers come from a family steeped in military service. Kozlowski's father and Gervais' grandfather both served in World War II, and Gervais' father served two tours in Vietnam.
"His dad is the reason why I joined the Army," said Kozlowski. Kozlowski, whose father died when he was 14, looked up to his brother-in-law and was a big influence on him.
"He picked up that role of father or big brother, what have you," said Kozlowski. "His experiences over there in Vietnam are the reason why I joined 30 years ago."
Gervais' father was an enlisted infantry Soldier with the 101st Airborne Division, and he received the Purple Heart twice.
"They sent him home after the second one," said Gervais. "But he's absolutely an inspiration to get through two tours there and accomplish what he accomplished."
Yet right now, uncle and nephew are writing the Iraqi chapter of the continued military family tradition. Gervais only has about three more months in his deployment. His uncle is scheduled about 10 more, but both are glad for the others presence here in the desert.
"It's good to have somebody to bend their ear," said Gervais of his uncle.
Kozlowski agreed.
"I've had a wonderful life. Deploying with my nephew twice, what's that all about? That's a blessing," said Kozlowski. "What a way to deploy, ya know?"
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2009 07:10 |
| Story ID: | 39530 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 579 |
| Downloads: | 248 |
This work, Uncle, nephew serve together, continue military tradition, by MSG Jeff Lowry, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
