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    Iowa family’s military service comes full circle

    Iowa family’s military service comes full circle

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Samantha Hircock | Maj. Brad Nolan, and 1st Lt. Cody Nolan, assistant operations officers with the 67th...... read more read more

    IOWA CITY, IA, UNITED STATES

    06.18.2020

    Story by Cpl. Samantha Hircock 

    135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

    What comes to mind when legacy is spoken of?

    For the Nolan family, of Clinton, Iowa, a legacy of service and accomplishment stands out. Maj. Brad Nolan and his son, 1st Lt. Cody Nolan, have been assigned together to Task Force East with the 67th Troop Command, one of the task forces formed so the Iowa National Guard can assist the state in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “I joined, like a lot of people, because I wanted to serve,” said Brad, an assistant operations officer with TFE.

    Brad’s father, Ed Nolan, served as a teletype operator in the Army, and his uncle was a Marine. So, joining the military as a young man was a natural choice, he explained.

    Brad joined right after graduating from Clinton High School, and headed off to Ft. Benning, Georgia, to train as an infantryman for the Reserves. He then married and started a family with his wife Sarah and served as a police officer.

    For Cody, also an assistant operations officer with TFE, his own father’s service was a big influence in his decision to join the military.

    “Growing up, I saw my dad in the military and as a kid you kind of want to do what your parents do,” said Cody.

    Yet, Brad said he offered as much advice as he could without trying to make it seem to his boys that military service was expected.

    “I never pushed it,” said Brad. “I tried to tell them that it’s more of an individual choice.”

    Still, in their own way, they’ve built on their father’s passions and achievements. Advancing his law enforcement career, Brad earned a criminology degree from Mount St. Clare College and then his master’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University.

    Brad’s youngest son, Connor, is pursuing a law degree at the University of Arizona and is interning with two law firms, while Cody achieved his degree in criminology from Northern Iowa University. Both sons have carried on their father’s dedication to service through law, and both sons have maintained a comparable work ethic.

    Brad took a break from military service while developing his law enforcement career, but rejoined—commissioning through officer candidate school—because he said he felt he had more offer, and he wanted to give something back as a leader to the service that had provided valuable mentorship to him as a young man.

    Cody had initially joined as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter mechanic, but desired to be a pilot. He attended the Reserve Officer Training Course at UNI and achieved his dream of flying after graduation.

    At the time of Cody’s graduation from flight school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, his father was a world away traveling across the Middle East as the commander of Company A, 248th Aviation Support Battalion. Living out of a ruck sack while trying to maintain command and control across nine countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Brad experienced his son’s proud moment via video chat and photos captured by his wife.

    Cody himself is scheduled to deploy, ready to leave his own boot prints in some of the same countries his father did, and he’ll be the one calling home to talk to his dad.

    “It's nice to have him to call when I have questions,” said Cody. “He has been through a lot of things that I’m doing now as a lieutenant, so I have a person who will answer at any time of day if I can't figure something out.”

    When they’re not flying, serving overseas or using their talents to serve their communities during a global pandemic, Brad and Cody enjoy playing pool in tournaments with their father and grandfather, Ed—who had played in tournaments for the Army in Europe. The three-generation team even took 3rd place at the Iowa State Pool Tournament in Des Moines.

    Cody and Brad’s relationship, like many fathers and sons, has deep ties to their favorite pastimes. Whether it’s a pool tournament, participation in events like Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, running marathons, or Brad wishing for protective equipment as Cody batted line-drives back to his father/pitcher in baseball practice—their bonds keep them moving, and moving keeps them bonded.

    “We have a great relationship,” said Brad. “It’s been awesome having my first opportunity to work side by side with [Cody] and to see that interaction, how he handles himself. I’m certainly proud of the job that he’s doing.”

    Brad describes the military as a place where a person can grow because it provides opportunities to get out of comfort zones that he said, too often, people stay set in. He is glad Cody took advantage of the opportunity for growth and proud that he demonstrates a willingness to continue to step up to that challenge.

    It’s that very willingness which means that Soldiers show up. They show up not only to battlefields far away but when they’re needed in their own communities and, to Brad, the vital logistical support of the Iowa National Guard in the state’s response to the pandemic can be measured in the dedication of leaders and service members, including his son.

    “I think they realize the impact that their actions are having,” said Brad. “You get the sense that they’re very proud to be serving the citizens of Iowa. I’m very happy to be a part of [the response to COVID-19] as well.”

    Brad and Cody have the unique opportunity to both demonstrate and share in a legacy of service, but at the end of the day, they said they enjoy spending time with each other.

    “It’s been good seeing my dad,” said Cody. “It's odd talking to him as a captain and not as my dad sometimes, though, so that took some getting used to. I have to remember the job we’re doing and the customs and courtesies of the Army even though he is my dad.”

    In being a son and officer at once, Cody does not disappoint.

    “I’m happy to be here with him,” said Brad. “I’m very proud of him.”

    Their work together is directly impacting the success of the initiatives set forth by the state. They and other members of Task Force East support the relationship between state agencies, explained Brad, as well as organizing transport of COVID-19 tests and providing the manpower needed to operate testing sites and call centers.

    After the need for the task force winds down and the nation reclaims a sense of normalcy, for Cody, it’s really just the beginning. He’s looking forward to the next step, hoping to use his degree and his military experience in the criminal justice field as he re-enters the civilian workforce.

    Brad will return to his work as a special agent with the Iowa Department of Public Safety in the intelligence division as well as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor who trains law enforcement agents for several state departments. He said he’s hoping to retire in another eight or nine years.

    “You never know what’s going to happen, though,” said Brad.

    Whatever happens, Iowans and Americans in need can depend on a Nolan to step up and answer the call.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.18.2020
    Date Posted: 06.19.2020 18:30
    Story ID: 372414
    Location: IOWA CITY, IA, US
    Hometown: CLINTON, IA, US

    Web Views: 423
    Downloads: 0

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