An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Vermont National Guard Logo News
Articles
News | Sept. 28, 2018

Meet Your Guard: SMSgt Jonathan Brownell

158th Fighter Wing

Name: Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Brownell
Military Specialty: 2S000 Logistics Readiness Superintendent
Years of Service: 27
Unit: 158th Fighter Wing Logistics Readiness Squadron
Hometown: Bellows Falls, Vt.
Current Town: Essex Junction, Vt.
High School/Graduation Year: 1990
College/Graduation: Vermont Technical College 1999 A.S. Electrical Engineering, Champlain College 2011 BS Software Engineering and Champlain College 2018 MS Executive Leadership

Q. Why did you join the Vermont National Guard?
A. I joined the Vermont Army National Guard in Westminster Vermont following in the footsteps of my two older brothers. I later joined the Vermont Air National Guard after the September 11th attacks in 2001.

Q. What do you do in the Vermont National Guard?
A. I am currently the Logistics Readiness Superintendent for the 158th FW.

Q. What do you do for civilian work?
A. I worked at IBM as a Senior IT Consultant for 16 years and joined the 158th FW fulltime in 2015 to assist with the base with its conversion to the F-35 airframe.

Q. What do you think is the greatest benefit of being in the National Guard?
A. In order to live life to the fullest, you must live with passion and serve a cause greater than yourself. I found that being a member of the Guard has afforded me the opportunity to serve my country and my fellow citizens. I am a servant to my neighbors, my family, and my fellow Airmen.

Q. How has being a National Guard member benefited you in your local community and job?
A. The Vermont National Guard has instilled a service before self-attitude that I hold dear to this day. The Guard has consistently challenged me at every turn and pushed me to achieve objectives that I never dreamt possible.

Q. What is your most memorable military moment?
A. The day I graduated from military boot camp at Fort Dix, N.J.. After several weeks of structured education both physical and mental, confidence in myself and my abilities came to life.

Q. How long have you lived in Vermont?
A. I am a graduate of Bellows Falls Union High School in Bellows Falls, VT. I have lived in Vermont my entire adult life, 39 years now.

Q. What is your favorite aspect of living or working where you do?
A. First and foremost I love Vermont. I have traveled to different parts of the county and abroad, but always look forward to coming home. As a squadron superintendent, I enjoy helping other Airmen realize their full potential and the amazing things they can accomplish. Watching our Airmen grow and achieve objectives never before imagined has been the most rewarding thing about my job.


Q. What has surprised you about the Vermont National Guard?
A. Having experienced tremendous loss in my life, the Guard was there to see me through. The sense of family and support was amazing, I never realized the impact the fantastic personnel would have on me.


Q. What is your favorite part about serving in the VT National Guard?
A. Service to the people of this great state is my favorite part of being in the guard. Certainly money is not a driving factor here for me, but knowing that I represent the citizenry of this state is the driving force that keeps me coming back.

Q. How many push-ups did you get on your last physical fitness test?
A. 52

National Guard News
Maj. Gen. Matthew P. Beevers, the acting adjutant general of the California National Guard, pins the rank of brigadier general to Brig. Gen. Marlena A. DeCelle's uniform at her promotion ceremony in Sacramento, California, Jan. 26, 2023.
Cal Guard’s 1st Filipino General Officer Promotes to One Star
By Amanda H. Johnson, | March 31, 2023
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Okinawa armory floor was crowded with uniformed personnel and people. Excited conversations echoed between the walls as all waited in anticipation for the ceremony to begin.A row of five flags...

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cody Hallas, 133rd Contingency Response Team, builds an Igloo in Crystal City, Canada. Hallas attended a five-day field training exercise during the Canadian Air Operations Survival training course.
Minnesota Guardsmen Train in Canadian Arctic
By Tech. Sgt. Amy Lovren, | March 30, 2023
RESOLUTE BAY, Canada - Two members of the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 133rd Contingency Response Team (CRT) flew to Resolute Bay to train with the Canadian military on Arctic air operations survival.U.S. Air Force Chief...

Master Sgt. Christopher Sehy, a recruiter with the Utah Army National Guard, embraces his wife, Crystal, as he receives the Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award from Maj. Gen. John Andonie, left, deputy director of the Army National Guard, during the Director’s Strength Maintenance Awards and Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 23, 2023. The conference brings together Army Guard recruiting team chiefs and the top Army Guard recruiters for training sessions and networking opportunities to tackle the challenges of recruiting.
Army Guard Conference Highlights Recruiting Tips, Challenges
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | March 30, 2023
NEW ORLEANS – Seven Soldiers stood on stage at the award ceremony, waiting to hear who had taken top honors. A drum roll built suspense in the darkened room as audience members shifted in their seats. The drumming reached a...

Warrant Officer Catherine Trujillo, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, in a UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter at Army Aviation Sustainment Facility, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., March 28, 2023.
Washington National Guard Pilot Fulfills Dream to Fly
By Joseph Siemandel, | March 30, 2023
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Catherine Trujillo had always dreamed of flying helicopters. At the age of 35, she thought she had missed her chance.“Along the way in life, I put my family ahead of my career. But when my youngest...

Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard and commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, pins the Alaska Heroism Medal on Cpl. Bruce Boolowon, the only surviving member of the June 22, 1955, rescue team March 28, 2023, in Gambell, Alaska. The Alaska Heroism Medal is the state’s highest award for valor during peacetime.
Alaska Army Guard ‘First Scouts’ Honored for 1955 Rescue
By Alan Brown and Balinda ONeal, | March 30, 2023
GAMBELL, Alaska – On June 22, 1955, two Russian MiG-15s from Siberia shot down a U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane flying a routine maritime patrol from Kodiak out over the Bering Sea. After it crashed in flames on St. Lawrence...