BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Joining the military comes with a guarantee you will be stationed in one of the hundreds of military installations around the world; being stationed with someone you know not so much. For the Isaac brothers, not only did they join together, but they have been on a three year military journey and haven't left each other's side.
Specialist Jonathon Isaac, Company C, 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); and Spc. Nathanael Isaac, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 101st CAB, 101st Abn. Div.; are both multichannel transmission systems operator-maintainers from Altoona, Alabama, and identical twins of a set of triplets, who have served within the same units together since enlisting in 2015.
Coming from a family of five brothers, they currently have an older brother serving in the Army, who greatly influenced their decision to enlist.
Jonathon Isaac stated that when he and his brother graduated from high school, they were unsure about what to do next. Their older brother, who had joined before them, had mentioned the many benefits the Army could offer them, so they decided to enlist and gain some experience.
They attended a trade school during their high school years where they learned various electronic skills and wanted delve deeper into that career path through the military. After taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, they chose the Military Occupational Specialty 25Q, which works directly on equipment that communicates through more than one channel and is responsible for the maintenance check of these devices and associated equipment.
"We wanted to get something relatively close to what we did before we joined, we worked with a lot of electronics," said Jonathon Isaac. "In a sense, the Signal Corps was closer to electronics than we figured."
Jonathon Isaac said that their recruiters gave them a list of options and 25Q was available to both of them. They chose the same MOS in an attempt to stick together for as long as possible.
"In high school, we dealt with electronics and electronic engineering," said Nathanael Isaac. "It only made more sense to at least further our skills in that career path."
The Isaacs attended Initial Entry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. The two served together at Camp Humphreys, South Korea and as their time was coming to an end, the brothers discovered they were both getting stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
"In our contracts, it said we were going to go to IET, AIT and our first duty station together," said Nathanael Isaac. "We weren't expecting to go to Fort Campbell together at all; it was really surprising."
In the summer of 2018, the 101st CAB was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan; potentially separating the brothers for the first time in their military careers. But as fate would have it, they got the chance to experience their first deployment together as well.
"I didn't even know that he (Jonathon Isaac) was supposed to be deploying," said Nathanael Isaac. "It's pretty cool knowing that he's in the same country as me."
Although they work at different Forward Operating Bases, the brothers communicate regularly and their shared MOS allows them to see each other while deployed.
"My brother has come to my FOB, and I have been to his," said Nathanael Isaac. "He visited for a couple of days to help me properly configure equipment that provides network access, imparting some of his experience and knowledge."
While they are deployed their brotherly-competition keeps their motivation and morale high as they try to “out do" one another.
"There's plenty of competition, like who is proficient in our MOS or who can make it to sergeant first," said Nathanael Isaac. "He's probably going to make sergeant first, but I’ll end up getting promoted as well and then we’ll be neck-and-neck again."
Jonathon Isaac said being deployed has given him the opportunity to earn the German Schutzenschnur, the German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship. And, he is currently working on getting promoted to sergeant.
During their service, the Isaacs have met most challenges with each other’s support, making their bond stronger. However a time may come when they will have to go separate ways.
Nathanael Isaac stated that serving together doesn't have a disadvantage. The only foreseeable challenge would be if they were to send them to different duty stations.
After three years, two duty stations, and one deployment, the Isaac brothers have managed to stay together a little while longer, as they are both projected to serve at the same duty station in Hawaii. They will also serve alongside their older brother, making their journey all the more rare and memorable.
"It's going to be nice, especially since I'll be close to family," said Jonathon Isaac. "It won't be as hard, my family will be just a walk away."
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