DVIDS – News – Kansas National Guard is a family affair for Atkins brothers

There comes a time in a single’s life once they should determine “What am I going to do with my life?”

Morland, Kansas, native Shawn Atkins requested himself that query in 1996 and made the choice to affix the army.

“I struggled in my first yr of school and wanted a change,” mentioned Atkins. “The Military supplied each the chance to higher myself and to acquire some academic advantages.”

That call launched him on a decades-long profession.

“I initially spent 4 years on energetic obligation as an enlisted soldier at Fort Riley,” mentioned Shawn. “After that, I then transitioned to the Kansas Military Nationwide Guard for about eight years whereas I completed each my undergraduate and legislation levels, utilizing my schooling advantages to take action. Realizing I wished to serve full-time once more, I made the switch again to energetic obligation for nearly 13 years. The chance to serve full-time made it a straightforward resolution to return to the Kansas Guard as soon as once more. I’ve served over 26 years to this point — 18 energetic obligation, eight Nationwide Guard.”

That 1996 resolution additionally set off a sequence response in his household. His brother David enlisted within the Kansas Military Nationwide Guard in 1999 as a fight medic.

“I used to be not planning to affix the army till I noticed how costly faculty was,” mentioned David. “I signed up for six years considering I’d use the GI Invoice after which get out. I then did ROTC (at Kansas State College) and began to actually benefit from the service and the individuals I labored with.”

David’s schooling advantages helped pay his means by way of Kansas State College and later on the College of Kansas Faculty of Drugs.

Brother Casey adopted his brothers in 2004, enlisting as a paralegal his senior yr in highschool and going by way of the ROTC program on the College of Kansas, the identical program Shawn had accomplished simply three years prior.

“I positively noticed the monetary and academic advantages that the Nationwide Guard supplied each Shawn and David,” mentioned Casey. “The monetary advantages can’t be overstated. I used to be in a position to earn my undergraduate diploma with out accumulating any scholar mortgage debt. The Guard additionally supplied me with sufficient further revenue by way of scholarships and drill paychecks that I used to be in a position to make it by way of with out the necessity for any further employment necessities.”

Casey mentioned his Guard advantages additionally included tuition help throughout his graduate program, permitting him to finish his grasp’s diploma with little or no out-of-pocket bills. Now, all three brothers have attained the rank of Main within the Kansas Military Nationwide Guard.

Shawn serves full-time within the Workplace of the Workers Choose Advocate at Joint Forces Headquarters. Casey is the full-time govt officer of the 1 st Battalion, 108 th Aviation Regiment, whereas David is a standard Guardsman serving because the flight surgeon for the 1-108th. When not at drill or on energetic obligation, David has a full-time medical apply in Hill Metropolis, about 12 miles from Morland.

The Atkins household consists of two further brothers who didn’t select a army profession, however absolutely assist their siblings. Tommy, dwelling in Hill Metropolis close to David, is a Regional Supervisor with Ritchie Exploration, whereas Carter is a CPA with JE Dunn Development in Kansas Metropolis.

Though Shawn, David, and Casey every selected totally different army specialties, their duties have allowed for some interplay through the years.

“When Casey was the Bravo Firm commander for the 1-108th a number of years in the past, we drilled collectively usually,” mentioned David. “We had been going to deploy collectively in 2018, however he was transferred out of the battalion for a number of years. He’s now again within the 1-108th and presently the manager officer. Because the flight surgeon, I report on to the battalion commander, however Casey nonetheless tells me what to do.”

Every of the boys has seen obligation abroad, however by no means collectively. Shawn served in Afghanistan in 2010-2011, and once more in 2013, and Jordan in 2015. David deployed to Kuwait in 2013-2014 and Kuwait and Iraq in 2018. Casey’s deployments embody Kuwait in 2011-2012 and Afghanistan in 2014.

And though they don’t seem to be triplets, the brothers say they’re typically confused with one in every of their siblings.

“The most effective story I’ve is once I returned to the 1-108th after spending three years exterior the battalion in numerous assignments,” mentioned Casey. “Throughout my first drill again, a Soldier who I had beforehand deployed with twice approached me and began to ask me questions on a medical subject he was presently having. It took me some time to understand that he truly thought I used to be my brother (David), who on the time had been the battalion flight surgeon for six-plus years.”

Since coming again to the Kansas Guard in 2021, Shawn is routinely mistaken for Casey. “Emails are generally despatched to the flawed MAJ Atkins,” mentioned Shawn.

Regardless that their careers took them alongside totally different paths, all three males are proud to serve with their brothers and discover inspiration in brotherly rivalries.

“Simply normally, all of us need to be higher at what we do,” mentioned Shawn. “Having siblings which can be good at what they do is at all times a driving power. No one desires to be the dud brother.”

“I can’t actually compete with what Casey does within the helicopter or what Shawn does within the courtroom,” mentioned David. “Every of them has centered everything of their careers on the army, whereas I’ve balanced each my army and civilian duties. My focus is on taking good care of Troopers, however I’ve nonetheless had the chance to do some fairly cool issues. Shawn opened the door, exhibiting what alternatives had been accessible for Casey and I. We now have all benefitted from serving, with out query.”

“Competitors has positively at all times been part of our relationship,” mentioned Casey. “Attributable to our age now (47, 41 and 37), we just about persist with golf as our aggressive outlet. All of us have various levels of ability although, so we now have to get artistic to make every spherical fascinating.”

“Sharing the army reference to them has been particular,” mentioned Shawn. “Sporting the uniform with them is my best skilled honor, and it means lots to the remainder of our household, additionally. They’ve been nothing however supportive in all our army endeavors.”

“Phrases can not actually describe how proud we’re of all our sons,” mentioned Sam Atkins. “We now have at all times tried to be supportive of no matter our sons had been doing from highschool sports activities and different actions, to additional schooling decisions and profession paths. When Shawn first enlisted, we didn’t actually know a lot about army life. Through the years our understanding and assist of the army has grown. Subsequently, when David and Casey made the choice to affix, we knew what dedication and dedication was concerned.”

With that understanding of army life got here the sobering realization that it concerned a component of hazard for his or her sons, however that didn’t reduce the satisfaction they felt.

“‘Better love has nobody than this, that an individual will lay down his life for his buddies,’” mentioned Melissa Atkins, quoting John 15:13. “The American flag has an entire new which means when you’ve got sons deployed. We now have tried to assist their households as finest we may whereas our sons had been deployed abroad. Being the mother and father of army youngsters has been a real blessing that solely mother and father of army youngsters can know and perceive.”

“Regardless that we took totally different routes, all of us have made a profession out of the army,” mentioned Casey. “I sit up for progressing within the KSARNG alongside each of them.”

As household males — Shawn has three youngsters and two grandchildren, David has three youngsters and Casey has two — every saying they’d be supportive of any resolution their youngsters make relating to a army profession.

“My son has already expressed some curiosity,” mentioned Shawn. “It will be an unimaginable honor to serve with him in some unspecified time in the future. I’ll have the ability to higher help him in navigating his means by way of his profession. Within the Military, we’re all ranging from the identical place. The alternatives are there, you should be each disciplined and impressive sufficient to make the most of them.”

“The Guard has supplied me with a lot in my life that I’d suggest serving to anybody ,” mentioned Casey.

“I’d be extremely proud and, after all, just a little apprehensive if my children joined the army,” mentioned David. “It’s a very honorable occupation, however there are related dangers.”

“There’s additionally a sacrifice that should be made by our households. We every have a number of deployments and have missed some vital milestones for our kids. Becoming a member of, and even staying within the army, should be a household resolution.”

For the Atkins households, these household choices have served them, and the Kansas Nationwide Guard, fairly nicely.