As of 2017, approximately two million people currently serve in the U.S. military with millions of veterans serving before them in the several hundred year history of the country’s armed forces. All of these service members chose to don their respective service’s uniform for varying reasons. Many sign up to give back to their country. Others join for a steady paycheck, to learn a new skill, or for the numerous benefits such as medical and education, available to service members.
For some, they join to continue a family heritage. Such is the case for Marco and Ivan Kalkbrenner, two brothers who chose to continue their family’s legacy of service, following in the footsteps of their father and grandmother. Ivan is an Air Force staff sergeant currently assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, as a security forces member. Marco retired in 2017 as a master sergeant following 20 years of service, also as a security forces member.