IN FOCUS: Staff Sgts. Brandon and Cody De Los Reyes Published April 22, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Kyle Brasier 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UT -- Public Affairs recently sat down with Staff Sgt. Brandon De Los Reyes and his brother, Staff Sgt. Cody De Los Reyes, both of the 67th Aerial Port Squadron, as part of its In Focus series, which shines the spotlight on the 419th Fighter Wing's outstanding Citizen Airmen. Staff Sgt. Brandon De Los Reyes Q: Where are you from? A: Chubbuck, Idaho. Q: How long have you been in the Air Force Reserve? A: Five years. Q: Why did you join the Reserve? A: My father has been in the Reserve or Guard for 32 years. He retired in January. It is always something that I wanted to do. Q: What is your Reserve job? A: Air Transportation. Q: What is your civilian job? A: I am a manager for UPS. Q: How do your two jobs differ and how are they alike? A: They are very alike because they deal with transportation. Sometimes I end up working an air ramp with UPS. It is all about moving things and logistics, so they have a lot in common when it comes to that. Q: What is the best part of your job here at the 419th? A: I like the sense of the accomplishment. I like feeling like I have participated with the effort. Q: Have you deployed as a reservist with the 419th? A: Yes. Q: Describe a normal day here in the Reserve. A: It usually starts with just laying out what we are going to do, what the plan is, accomplishing the training, preparing for any big events that are coming up, training the new troops, preparing for deployments, and then there is always a little physical training involved. Q: Did you receive any specialist training in the Reserve that has helped you in your civilian job? A: Absolutely, because both my civilian and military jobs deal with logistics - learning overall how the world moves things, whether it be by boat, plane, or truck, and understanding how to get things moved. The hazardous material preparation is very similar; they both follow the Department of Transportation rules. I do the same thing in my civilian job as I do in my Air Force job. Q: Do your civilian peers view you differently because you are a Reservist? A: I think so. Q: What are some of your goals in the Reserve? A: I am attempting to get my commission though the Deserving Airman Program. I graduated not too long ago with my Bachelor's degree. I want to take part in the educational benefits. I am working on my Master's degree. The big thing in the Reserve is that I want to contribute. I want to help. I am fairly patriotic; I believe in what this country was founded on and I think that those principles are very important. Whether it is full-time or part-time I think that everyone can contribute to that, if they have time and motivation. Q: What are some of your hobbies? A: I like to read, spend time with my wife and son, and I enjoy sports and the outdoors. Q: How has being a Reservist changed your life? A: It has allowed me travel the world. It gives me a different perspective on what it means to sacrifice. Staff Sgt. Cody De Los Reyes Q: Where are you from? A: Pocatello, Idaho. Q: How long have you been in the Air Force Reserve? A: Six years. Q: Why did you join the Reserve? A: My father was in the Reserve here at the 419th, school benefits, and I want to serve my country. Q: What is your civilian job? A: Right now I am a just a student because I am heading off to deploy. Q: What is the best part of your job here at the 419th? A: Great people to work with, great supervisors, great training, and just a chance to get out and see different things. Q: Have you deployed as a Reservist with the 419th? A: Yes, Baghram, Afghanistan. I was there for four and a half months. Q: Did you have any unique experiences deployed that have helped you in your civilian life? A: Oh yeah, lots. I have a totally different outlook on life. It kind of changes your perspective on almost everything. Q: Describe a normal day here in the Reserve for you. A: We come in and we usually get inspected on our hair and uniforms to make sure that everything is up to par. Then we usually do some training. For the last year and a half we just got done with an Operational Readiness Inspection and Operational Readiness Exercise. Now we are just getting ready to deploy. Q: Did you receive any specialist training in the Reserve that has helped you in your civilian job? A: Yes, hazardous material training and diving training that have helped in the outside world. Q: Do your civilian peers view you differently because you are a Reservist? A: Yes, I really think they do. I think they respect me a little bit more, and when they talk about the military in general, I always try to talk it up and say how it is a good thing, a good career, and a good thing for the family. Q: What are some of your goals in the Reserve? A: My goal right now is to hit Tech. Sgt. and when I am done with my degree, to get my commission, hopefully here at the 419th. Q: What are some of your hobbies? A: I am a boxer. I like to mess around with some goats; I have my land that I own. Q: How has being a Reservist changed your life? A: Completely, I don't know if I would have gone to school without being in the Reserve. I don't know if I would be as far ahead in life as I am right now with how it helps me set goals.