HOMETOWN HEROES

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Two Bland County boys took roundabout journeys across the Atlantic Ocean only to end up together again as Michiganders.
It’s no surprise, though, that the pair of boys found their way back again to the same state.
After all, they shared a womb.
Of course Brandon and Brian Faulkner, 25, are no longer boys, but seasoned military men.
The twins, sons of Randy and Elizabeth Faulkner, graduated from Bland High School in 2000 before going their own separate ways.
Brandon decided on a military career right out of high school, joining the Navy in July 2000, according to a written personal statement.
Brian, on the other hand, wrote in his personal statement that he started going to Radford University after his high school graduation. In 2001, though, he too volunteered as a human resource specialist with the U.S. Army Reserve.
“Brandon joined before me and has earned rank very quickly, which pushed me to get the training I needed, and schools under my belt to catch him,” Brian said in an e-mail message. “It’s created a really competitive atmosphere between us which has pushed us to earn rank at an unheard of pace in anyone’s military career.”
Despite their competitive nature, the twins have remained close. Even being in different service branches hasn’t driven them apart.
“Since we serve in different branches of the military we get to talk about the differences of the two, and I’ve learned a lot about the Army from him,” Brandon said, also in an e-mail message. “We were pretty close growing up, and I do feel that the military has developed a different type of bond between us rather than just being twins.”
Although Brian started his military career a year later than Brandon, he already has seen two overseas tours of duty. About a month ago, Brian completed his second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and now is residing in Shelby Township, Mich.
“I love my job,” Brian said in an e-mail message. “As a human resources sergeant, I am responsible for a team of soldiers that provide a wide variety of services, particularly administrative services for soldiers and civilians. Not only do I get a chance to serve in the Army, but I provide a valuable service for the soldiers. The most difficult thing about my position is that it we are constantly dealing with soldiers and their problems. It’s never ending and this can become stressful.”
Brandon also has been on two international deployments. From December 2002 to June 2003, in support of the War on Terrorism, Brandon wrote that he visited eight countries and had nearly 30 port visits in Europe, the Mediterranean, Western Asia and the Artic Ocean.
During that time aboard the USS Arthur W. Radford, he earned the rank of second class petty officer. On his second tour, Brandon spent time from November 2004 to May 2005 on the USS Carney as the intelligence collection supervisor, and earned the rank of first class petty officer during that deployment.
“My job is extremely challenging,” he said. “Being in an intelligence field there is no room for mistakes. It is an extremely exciting field to work in because it is something that the average American cannot do. But the most difficult thing is the stress that is put on us for accuracy.”
Despite the pressure of the job, Brandon also emphasized that he has had many amazing experiences during his Navy travels.
His second tour allowed him to visit seven countries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions – including a memorable stop in Italy.
“Spending Christmas in Rome, Italy, I got to witness Pope John Paul II’s last midnight mass at the Vatican, a truly historic event that I was very fortunate to get to go to,” Brandon wrote.
In November 2005, Brandon began work as a Navy recruiter and is working at a recruiting station in Grand Rapids, Mich., and living in Sparta, Mich., with his wife, Becky, and his two dogs, Sully and Lucy.
He has received numerous recruiting awards and also is pursuing a business degree at Cornerstone University, a private Christian college in Grand Rapids.
“I’m a people person and I love talking to people,” Brandon said. “Recruiting is something that came natural to me and I’ve been pretty successful at it.”
With both of her twin sons back on U.S. soil, Elizabeth said she can fret about their well-being much less.
“I’m thankful that they’re home safely,” she said. “It was a tough ordeal.”
Elizabeth said she was able to make it through the hard days by relying on friends in the area.
“We had a lot of support from actually the whole entire community and we’re thankful for that, too.”
Brian said that the twins’ younger brother, Rob, has also enlisted and will leave for Navy training in January.
Like many of today’s military members, the twins come from a background of service.
Elizabeth said both her father and her husband’s father served during World War II.
“The military was something that I always wanted to do as a kid,” Brandon said. “Growing up I really looked up to my grandparents and the rest of my family members that served in the military. I heard the stories they told and it really encouraged me to be a part of the military. Also, growing up in a town like Bland I really didn’t have the opportunity to travel and I wanted to see the world and the Navy provided me that opportunity.”
Although the brothers reside in Michigan, Brian said he still feels a connection to Bland County. In addition to his parents, he said his sister, Sherri, and her husband live in the area and recently had their first child, Orion.
“I currently live about one hour outside of Detroit so one thing I definitely miss is the traffic, or should I say lack of,” he said. “And of course I miss the family…I make it home every chance I get, especially during college football season. Everyone who knows us knows our love for UVa football. That’s one time the family is always getting together.”
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .