Brothers serve worldwide, together

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stephen Bailey
  • 301st Fighter Wing
FORT WORTH, Texas --  Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi's words "The quality of a person's life is determined by their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor" speaks true to the life of James and Daniel Dickey - two 301st Fighter Wing brothers. They started with a dream but have worked hard to now be at the top of their professions. 

There's nothing really unusual about two brothers serving in the same military unit, in fact, most would feel that a family bond would be a good thing. The only problem is that these two men have little in common; for them, the only connection to each other seems to be that they were born into the same family. 

Yes, you can call them brothers in arms and brothers in the flesh, and, although they both admit their military life has followed a certain pattern, their lives are in many ways different, kind of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. 

Maj. Daniel Dickey, 301st Maintenance Squadron commander, is a hard-charging, type-A personality ready to tackle the world at a moment's notice and according to him, not shy in expressing his opinion about a subject. 

His brother, James, scheduled to take command of the 73rd Aerial Port Squadron in July, takes a more low-key approach to things - he's a studier of history and one who tends to be more reserved in certain situations. Basically, he's a more orderly and 'think through things' kind of guy his brother said. But when it comes to what's important, both brothers agree it's the personal demand for excellence in them and for those who work with them. 

Both brothers have spent their entire military career in the Air Force Reserve starting as Airman Basic rank in their chosen fields - each one desiring great things for their future. Both receiving their officer commissions in 1997, the two promotions just months apart from each other. 

"When I was a young enlisted man in the Air Transportation field, I learned everything I could about my job," said James Dickey. "If you would have asked me early in my career if I expected to be an officer, let alone a squadron commander someday, I would have said no - but I worked hard and then the opportunities became available to achieve more. 

Our story is no different than the next person. We were two brothers who raised their right hand and took an oath to serve. We focused on whatever task was at hand and pushed ourselves to do the best job we could. That same opportunity exists for everyone." 

The two grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small family, their father was the only one with military experience that traced back to World War II when he served on the USS Saratoga. According to James, his family history also includes a distant relative who was assigned to the 1st New Hampshire regiment during the American Revolution and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. An interesting fact that James said Daniel probably doesn't know, he said jokingly. Daniel, also interested in military history, said he is fascinated and proud of his father-in-law, a retired tanker pilot. 

"When I deployed to Iraq for the first time in 2005 I had just made major, I stitched one of his original major oak leaves (from the late 60s) on the underside of my hat for good luck. His stories of flying back in the day and especially his experiences of surpassing the sound barrier in the F-86 leave a person literally on the edge of their seat wanting more!" 

The two brothers' careers have followed an interesting path of similarity though strangely diverse from each other. Most stories written of families stationed together include how they talk with each other, help each other on certain projects and even interact on a daily basis, but the Dickey brothers have really only been on one military event together these many years. That event occurred during a Junior Officer Leadership seminar where Daniel remembers an exercise in leadership and team building exercise at the base marina where one of them got thrown into the water! Never mind who it was, he said. 

The two Dickeys have had their share of deployments: James to Kosovo and Bosnia, Kuwait, Operation Iraqi Freedom and currently to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. 

"For me, my deployments are the most gratifying because its then that I can demonstrate what I've learned and fine tune my leadership skills. Deployments are where I feel the greatest sense of accomplishment." Daniel, as well, as seen his fair share of action including Operations Deny Flight and Decisive Edge at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Willka in 2007, a combined training exercise with the Chilean Air Force at Iquique, Chile. 

No doubt we are different in many ways, but we are proud of each other's successes Daniel said. "Our work goes beyond what we do, it's how we influence those around us. I measure my success or failure by how I connect with people. There is no better feeling than to have one of your troops stop you and say thanks for what you did for them, good or bad." 

Daniel's influence also reaches to his wife and three kids where he spends a good amount of family time including teaching baseball to his son, Matthew. James on the other hand is a single man who spends time researching history and tinkering with home repair. But the two do spend some personal time on similar off-duty activities. 

Two things we do have in common James said, cars and aviation. "He likes the fighters and I like the heavies! We both were active in the Sports Car Club of America when we were younger. In fact, Daniel still drives my first new car, a 1988 VW Scirocco with nearly 310,000 miles on its original motor. We also both enjoy spending time outdoors - he likes fishing and hunting while I enjoy hiking and horse-back riding." 

Certainly, life for both Major Dickeys has been filled with huge successes though separated from each other for much of it. And although they don't see each other as much as they would like, as brothers they have each been born with a fiery commitment that has ignited success within themselves and with those they serve. Certainly, those with whom they have come in contact would agree.