Kilts - Brothers-in-arms

Photo By Sgt. Scott Tynes | Sgt. Brett Kilts fires a Stinger ground-to-air missile at a drone during a pre-deployment live fire exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Oct. 8, 2015. (Mississippi National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Tynes,102nd Public Affairs Detachment/Released)  

FORT BLISS, TEXAS, MS, UNITED STATES

10.16.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Tynes 

102d Public Affairs Detachment

FORT BLISS, Texas – It’s common for Soldiers to refer to themselves as brothers-in-arms, but two Mississippi Army National Guard sergeants from Lake truly exemplify the term.

Sergeants Brandon and Morgan “Brett” Kilts serve together in Battery B, 1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and are currently deployed with the unit to Washington, D.C. Battery B is located in Forest with the battalion headquarters at Newton.

“It’s a good deployment and mission,” Brandon said. “It’s protecting our nation’s capital.”

Brandon, 28, is easy-going and talkative. Brett, 26, is quiet and more secretive. And yet, they say they are very close with similar interests. At a glance, it is hard to tell who is who.

“We really can’t deny each other,” Brandon said and laughed.

That closeness, they said, helps them cope with some of the difficulties of deployments, such as loneliness and separation from friends and family.

“When you deploy [with your brother], it’s like taking a piece of home with you,” the elder brother said.

It provided a lot of comfort to them during a deployment to Iraq in 2011, they said, but their mother, Angie Goodwin of Lake, was not thrilled to have both sons in harm’s way at the same time.

“It was pretty tough on the family, but we made it through,” Brandon said. “She didn’t like it at first, but she does now because she knows we will look out for each other.”

The Washington, D.C., deployment is Brandon’s third overall and second to the National Capital Region, including the unit’s last deployment there in 2008. Brett missed that deployment, so Brandon said he is looking forward to showing his brother some of the historical sites when they are not on duty.

Brandon enlisted in 2005 after graduating from Lake High School to take advantage of the educational benefits available to Soldiers in the Guard.

“A lot of our buddies from that area all joined,” the elder Kilts said.

Brett enlisted in 2006 after graduating from the same school. He admits the stories told by his brother and their friends helped him make his decision.

“I knew I wanted to do something in the Guard, so I joined the local Guard,” Brett said. “This is where all of my friends were going.”

He said he likes the opportunities to visit other states and countries.

“I probably never would have been out of Mississippi if I hadn’t joined,” Brett said.

Now, he is looking forward to serving with his brother while protecting the skies above the Nation’s Capital Region.

• Date Taken: 10.16.2015
• Date Posted: 10.16.2015 15:38
• Story ID: 179119
• Location: FORT BLISS, TEXAS, MS, US