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| The reenlistment took people working together in Kabul, Afghanistan; Washington D.C.; Rochester, N.Y., and Niagara Falls, N.Y. to make the teleconference possible. |
| By U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin T. Donde Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan |
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KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 28, 2005 -- A U.S. Army officer deployed here used video-teleconference technology Dec. 21 to re-enlist his younger brother in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
"It felt great to be able to re-enlist my brother from a combat zone," said U.S. Army Capt. Kevin A. Reynolds, communications officer for Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan. "It is always a privilege to re-enlist a soldier, but it is extra special when it is your brother." It took people working together in Kabul, Afghanistan; Washington D.C.; Rochester, N.Y., and Niagara Falls, N.Y. to make the teleconference possible Reynolds said. "My brother asked if there was anyway to return from Afghanistan to re-enlist him. That was never a possibility, so I suggested the teleconference," said Reynolds. |
| "It is a great honor knowing that he could have selected any officer for the re-enlistment, but he was willing to make the extra effort and coordinate to re-enlist this way," Reynolds said. Reynolds brother, Staff Sgt. James Maikranz, is a recruiter who has served for nine years and 11 months. He re-enlisted for another two years. "To have my brother be the officer to swear me in, re-affirming my oath of enlistment, meant the world to me," Maikranz said. "My brother has been my mentor," he said. "My future plans in the Army are to lead soldiers in every situation and give my soldiers the confidence and mentorship that my brother has given me." Reynolds said the Army has done great things for him and his brother. "Being able to re-enlist him makes me know that he will continue to reap the benefits of being a soldier while making the Army a better institution because of his service and leadership," Reynolds said. |
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