FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. — Many Soldiers, past and present, have followed their father's footsteps and joined the Army, keeping a tradition of service intact through the decades. But being able to serve alongside each other in the Army — let alone at a major Army Reserve training event — makes is an experience few will ever know.
Continuing this tradition are Lt. Col. John Knowles Jr. and his son 1st Lt. Justin Knowles, both part of Mohave Falcon 25, both able to serve together and share their collective journeys at the exercise.
For both, their journey has been unique. Knowles Jr., a veterinarian with 2nd Medical Training Brigade, Medical Readiness and Training Command, decided to enlist at the age of 47, an age most would consider military retirement an option.
“I’ve been in 15 years … I joined in 2010 when the economy was crashing and I was looking for a way to make ends meet; once I got in, I really enjoyed it,” Knowles Jr. said. “I developed a purpose I’d never felt before and stayed in.”
The decision was difficult for his wife, who had to adapt to this sudden change in lifestyle.
“I don’t know if she processed it at the time, especially on my first deployment which was more challenging than joining,” he said. “She thought the concept was great, but then reality hits and it’s much different.”
Knowles Jr. was able to direct commission as an officer, making his career path more straightforward.
Watching his father’s Army progression was an inspiration for Knowles, a military intelligence officer with the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, who admired his father’s tenacity to join the Army later in life and assert himself.
“Watching him progress and some of the opportunities he had definitely rubbed off on me,” Knowles said. “I joined to be part of something bigger, be part of a team and make a difference.”
Knowles Jr. gave his son advice before making the decision to join.
“I was honest with him and told him the pros and cons, things that he’d have challenges within the military,” Knowles Jr. said. “There would be things he thinks he can fix which aren’t always as easy as they appear.”
This didn’t deter Knowles, who went to Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, before completing Officer Candidate School, in Columbus, Georgia.
“I had two choices when I decided to join — I could wait two years to direct commission as a captain in Civil Affairs — or go the traditional route and go to basic training and OCS,” Knowles explained. “I was assigned military intelligence and have been in three years now.”
Knowles Jr. is proud of his son and challenges he’s overcome so early in his Army Reserve career.
“Honestly, the thing I’m most proud of are the challenges he’s overcome to be where he is,” Knowles Jr. said. “A lot of people would have quit, but he’s stuck with it, continued in difficult roles and responded well.”
“Justin’s mother is equally as proud and she gets a lot of pleasure from seeing us serve together,” he continued. “Everybody has those concerns when things get a little more serious and her concerns are always there.”
For both, getting to serve at Mojave Falcon is the icing on the cake.
“I love doing this which is why I’m still out here, if I didn’t it would be time to get out,” Knowles Jr. said. “It’s great to share some of your experiences with units that are getting ready to deploy, help guide them and keep everybody we’re supporting safe.”
Knowles concurs and said there’s nowhere he’d rather be.
“It’s an opportunity to get away from my desk, it’s fun, educational and lots of hard work,” Knowles said. “It’s something most people will never understand.”
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