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A father and son continued a lineage of service, at the top of Kleber Kaserne’s historic clock tower as Lt. Col. Brett Swanke, U.S. Army Europe’s Chief of Inspections for the Inspector General, promoted his son 2nd Lt. Braxton Swanke to 1st Lieutenant, Nov. 26.
As a military child claiming Killen, Texas, as his home, Braxton Swanke admitted that even though the military way of life was all he knew, he had no intention of joining.
“My mom was a drill sergeant, my dad also in the Army, but surprisingly I was not interested in joining the military,” Braxton said. “I spent two years as a nursing major, and quickly realized nursing was not for me. It wasn’t until I started attending the University of Texas where I had friends in Army ROTC and considered joining my junior year of college.”
Like his father, Braxton joined the military as a logistics officer after taking his father’s advice to choose a military occupational specialty that would translate into a great career outside of the military.
“Like any parent, I was concerned about my son joining the Army, but it was something he wanted to do, so I supported him,” the senior Swanke said. “I talked to him about the benefits and drawbacks of each of the branches and left it to him to make the final decision. I was of course happy that he chose logistics because, as I informed him, the Army is a great place to start, and I think logistics is an excellent career no matter where your path takes you.”
During the promotion ceremony, Brett Swanke shared with colleagues and friends what the opportunity to watch his son flourish in his military career means to him.
“It is a great pleasure of mine to see him grow as an officer and a man, to see him take on new challenges and strive to be the best he can be,” he said. “We are fortunate to be in the same area of operations, which allows me to see him quite regularly. I have seen him out on mission, and I know that he is working above his pay grade and accomplishing more than I was when I was in his rank and position.”
Following the example of his great-grandfather who served in the Navy during World War I, Brett Swanke joined the Army as an Army Reserve private first class in 1992. He achieved the rank of sergeant, before commissioning as a transportation officer in 1998.
“Braxton was in a position to see the Army provide me opportunities to enhance my career but it was up to me to make the most of those chances. I think he saw that with work and commitment it is possible to have a rewarding career.” Brett Swanke shared.
During Braxton’s promotion speech, he mentioned how his father’s career influence and professional know-how shapes the type of officer he is becoming.
“I call my dad all the time,” Braxton Swanke said. “There is a huge benefit to him only being an hour away in Wiesbaden and it is nice to be able to speak with a parent that knows exactly where I am in my career and how to guide my career progression. He’ll let me know when I’m doing something correctly or if I’ve messed up.”
Brett Swanke said he hopes commitment to military service can be a starting point for a wider discussion on public service.
“Not just for my own son but I hope that parents and their children throughout the United States have a discussion about the defense services as a great place to start,” he said. “I, like most people, never intended to spend so many years in the Army but I continued to be offered opportunities to promote and excel and I thought it was in my best interest and the best interest of my family to make the Army a career.”
