Three brothers reunite in Afghanistan: Siblings from Army, Marines hadn’t seen one another in years

Courtesy Photo | From left to right, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason M. Dexter, Gunnery Sgt. Eric M. Dexter, and Army Pfc. Richard M. Dexter reunite at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 27. The brothers had not seen one another in six years.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

06.27.2012

Courtesy Story

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - It’s hard enough for siblings in the military to see each other during holidays and family get-togethers, meeting up while deployed is nearly impossible. Three brothers serving in the Marine Corps and Army in Afghanistan got that chance the last week in June, their first chance to spend time together in six years.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason M. Dexter and younger brothers Gunnery Sgt. Eric M. Dexter and Army Pfc. Richard M. Dexter had the opportunity to reunite at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. They had not seen one another since 2006, at a family reunion in the mountains of northern Georgia.

Eric Dexter currently serves with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2, Richard Dexter is with Company B, 1204th Aviation Support Battalion, both deployed here to Bagram Air Field. Jason Dexter, a Network Management technician with the 230th Signal Company, is passing through on his way home after a nearly year-long deployment.

The three brothers come from a long line of civil service - their father, Robert Dexter, is a retired police officer, and mother Sylvia Dexter is a retired United States Postal Service employee. Another brother, Edward Dexter, is a Tennessee state trooper while younger sister Jennifer currently attends college.

Each came to be in the military in their own way. Jason Dexter explained his path to the military, saying “I enlisted in the Marine Corps for three years [after high school] and got out. Eight years later, I decided to join the Tennessee Army National Guard.”

Eric Dexter knew he wanted to join the military while he was still in high school, following his brother into the Marines because “the Marine Corps was the most challenging.”

Richard decided to enlist at the age of 32 in 2010 because “I always wanted to join the military and do my part. After 15 years as an electrician and starting my own business, I decided to join the Army National Guard.”

The three brothers in uniform have a combined 32 years of service in the military, to include eight deployments in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

The Dexter brothers all said that the time they spent together in Bagram was invaluable. They look forward to their return home, and plan on spending time with their families – Jason Dexter is married with two children, while Eric Dexter and Richard Dexter are each married with five children.

• Date Taken: 06.27.2012
• Date Posted: 07.10.2012 12:09
• Story ID: 91323
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF