Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary S Eshleman | 200520-N-VS214-1002 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 20, 2020) Future Sailor Jake McKinney poses...... read more read more
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NNS) - Many service members regard their co-workers as an extension of their blood family. However, for Jake McKinney, a future Sailor out of Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Nashville, some of his future brothers in arms are his actual brothers.
Jake McKinney expects to ship to Navy Recruit Training Command in June with a contract to become an aviation electronics technician (AV). For Jake McKinney, the U.S. Navy is very much a family tradition. Not only does he have three older brothers who are currently enlisted, his father, Lee McKinney, is a retired master chief master-at-arms.
“I’ve always wanted to go into the military, ever since I was a little kid,” said Jake McKinney. “My dad would always come home, and I loved to see the camos he was in, and I loved to see my brothers come home in their blues. It made me feel like that was where I wanted to be.”
Even with a similar choice in careers, each of the McKinney brothers has taken a different path in their fields. Alan Shira, Jake McKinney’s eldest brother, chose the nuclear field and currently holds the rank of chief petty officer as a machinist’s mate.
“Well, both my dad and my step dad were in the Navy,” said Alan Shira, “so growing up I was certainly inspired.”
The oldest brother’s inspiration to join the Navy pushed him into the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). His participation in NROTC introduced his younger brothers, Aaron Dose, a Navy Reserve intelligence specialist third class, and Jake McKinney to also participate in the program.
Though he shared this experience with Dose and Alan Shira, Jake McKinney felt he was more like his other brother Justin Shira who is now an aviation warfare systems operator second class.
“Justin is the brother I was always closest to,” said Jake McKinney. “We always like messing with things together, and exploring mechanics and seeing how stuff works.”
“The kid can build anything; you can give him a bail of wire and bubble gum and he will build you a radio,” said Lee McKinney about Justin, “He tinkers; he is always making stuff. Jake’s like that.”
Even with all four brothers joining the Navy, Lee McKinney doesn’t believe he was the leading inspiration for their choice.
“I think Aaron joined for the college opportunities,” Lee McKinney said. “Alan and Aaron were always really book smart. They would always ask me about the places I’ve been,” Lee McKinney continued, “It became kind of a joke, when we would watch a movie they knew, I’d say ‘Yeah, I’ve been there.’ It wasn’t anything I talked about 24/7 though.”
“That was just what dad did for work,” said Jake McKinney about his perception of his father’s career. However, he always knew he would join the Navy. He explained how he has always been interested in airplanes since he was a child playing with model airplanes. He had a dream early on to become a Navy pilot, however, issues with depth perception shifted that dream to a more mechanical role, and his inspiration came from his family.
Along with their shared interest in careers, Jake McKinney, his brothers and his father all bonded over cars. It is these memories which McKinney feels shaped him into the mechanic-minded individual he is today.
McKinney said, “Growing up my dad used to work on race cars, and he would take me out to races and stuff and show me stuff on the cars. That really affected me and showed me that me and my dad had so much in common. That was the thing me, my dad and my brothers all focused on together.”
Lee McKinney also laughs at the similarities between him and his son. He thinks a Navy career is most suited for Jake and his need for discipline. He thought the same about himself when he was his youngest son’s age.
“If it wasn’t for the Navy I would have probably been in jail, probably arrested for racing,” Lee McKinney said.
Even with a deep-rooted family history in the branch, and Jake McKinney’s experience in ROTC, he still fears he will have to face major challenges, and he is worried he isn’t fully prepared with his knowledge of ranks and Navy tradition.
“My biggest challenge is to stay focused on what I really want,” said Jake McKinney, “I know the school is going to be hard on me, but I know if I stay focused, I can get what I really want and get the job done and have a good future in the Navy.”
Though there are likely many challenges ahead for Jake McKinney and his brothers, his father can’t help but feel a sense of Navy pride.
“I think the full story is about them and I am super proud of them,” said the retired master chief.
That feeling which is also shared by the younger McKinney, “My dad is my inspiration and I just want to make him proud.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 14 Navy Recruiting Districts and 12 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2020 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 370591 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 258 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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