Family readiness--Bergan familiy soon to have four Airmen serving at 934 AW

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Saylor
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION --  
In 2009, a young man from Rochester, Minn., enlisted in the Air Force Reserve, joining the 934th Airlift Wing. He considered other branches of the military, but chose the Air Force Reserve to serve his country and take advantage of the benefits. In 2012, another young man from Rochester followed the same path, and joined the Developmental and Training Flight (D&TF) before flying off to Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland AFB, Texas. Until now, this was a fairly common narrative. In 2015, this became a far more unique story. Another young man, also from Rochester, joined the Air Force Reserve on his eighteenth birthday and became the third person in this story.

This tale is of interest for a simple reason: the three men described are all brothers from the same family. The Bergan brothers--Staff Sgt. Nathanial Bergan, Senior Airman Noah Bergan, and Trainee Andrew Bergan--have made the 934th Airlift Wing a family affair. They have also excelled throughout their young careers, as have many 934th Airmen, due to the significant influence of the D&TF. The D&TF provides instruction and an introduction to Trainees who are awaiting their departure to Lackland for BMT.

Airman Noah Bergan, 934th Civil Engineer Squadron, credits the D&TF with helping him to be named the top military honor grad at basic training, finishing as the top overall graduate of a pool of 740 trainees. "One of the best things the military has given me is a strong sense of leadership and direction," he said. After graduating from BMT and tech school, Noah is on course to finish his bachelor's degree in May 2016.

Staff Sgt. Nathanial Bergan, 934th Operations Support Squadron Intelligence Office, credits the D&TF with helping prepare both of his younger brothers. Sergeant Bergan did not go through the D&TF when he enlisted in 2009, but wishes he had received the preparation that the subsequent generations of Airmen did. To further advance the familial narrative of the Bergan brothers, Staff Sgt. Kendra Bergan, 934th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, enlisted on the same day in 2009 as her husband, Nathanial, and also continues to serve the Wing.  They married in 2014.

The youngest of the brothers, Trainee Andrew Bergan, recently enlisted on his eighteenth birthday and credits the examples shown by his older brothers as the primary reason he was interested in the Air Force Reserve. "The example they set has been really positive," he explained, "but it means I have big shoes to fill on base." Andrew will join the 934th Maintenance Squadron, the same shop his oldest brother, Nathanial, worked in until he cross trained into the intelligence career field. "They will take good care of him, but they'll have high expectations for him," Nathanial opined.

The D&TF helps Airmen learn critical skills before flying off to BMT, but Noah warns that it won't make BMT easy by any means. "There is only so much preparation you can do for BMT," he cautions. Working hard and focusing throughout the training is important; having the added advantages from D&TF can help to push Airmen toward the coveted Honor Graduate distinction. The first two Bergan brothers have achieved that distinction, and the youngest hopes to do the same when he flies to Lackland on May 22.