SERIES: FROM THE FRONT LINES Master Sgt. Brandon de Jong

Throughout his 20-year long Air Force career, Master Sgt. Brandon de Jong has moved and adapted to get the most out of the opportunities he is given.

His journey began shortly after he graduated from high school, when a family friend brought him out to the flightline at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek, Michigan, to show him the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

“From that moment, I was hooked,” said de Jong. "I thought, 'That's super cool,’ so I went Air Guard from the beginning.”

He then enlisted as an egress technician on July 11, 2006. In his role he learned the ins and outs of the A-10’s ejection seat system.

Shortly after his return from basic military training and tech school, the opportunity to deploy presented itself. To deploy, he accelerated his completion of the required on-the-job training and career development courses. By November 2007, he was headed to the Middle East.

“We initially landed in Al Asad, Iraq, and we were only there for about five days,” said de Jong. “Then the F-15s in Afghanistan had structural issues and were grounded, so they moved the A-10s to Afghanistan to do close air support.”

After supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008, de Jong returned to an uncertain future at Battle Creek. The Air Force was preparing to move the A-10 across the state to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Airmen were given the choice to relocate or retrain into a new career field.

De Jong chose to retrain in the air transportation specialist career field and join the newly established 217th Air Operations Group (AOG).

During this time de Jong met his future wife, Christena de Jong, who was considering enlisting. She would eventually join the same unit and their careers progressed together for the next decade and a half.

“I think it is beneficial to have somebody who understands everything, all the lingo,” said de Jong, speaking about their shared service. “You can talk about things and know that they know exactly what you are saying. It's relatable, which is far better than having somebody who cannot relate to the experiences you're going through.”

Since arriving at the AOG, de Jong has been a part of two subordinate squadrons, the 217th Air Mobility Operations Squadron and 217th Air Component Operations Squadron.

In 2011, he took a short notice tasking to support U.S. Air Forces Europe - Air Forces Africa in Germany for air operations over Libya.

“I was there for 60 days supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn,” said de Jong. “At the time, I worked in the Air Mobility Division, which is attached to the Air Operations Center.”

His career continued to see him return to Germany numerous times in support of various exercises.

The most recent support of a named operation was when he mobilized in 2021 to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, to support Afghan refugees in Operation Allies Welcome.

That year also saw a major shift in his career when he transitioned from being a drill-status guardsman to a full-time Active Guard Reserve (AGR) position.

“I was living in Cadillac at the time,” said de Jong. “My wife and I had our first daughter, and we realized that we wanted to be closer to family. Both of our families still lived in Battle Creek. The AGR opportunity came up, so I took it and it worked out great.”

Now, de Jong works as the air transportation planner within 217th ACOS A4 Logistics Directorate. He also serves as the unit deployment manager, unit training manager, and unit health monitor. After spending five years in his current role, de Jong is eager to see where his career takes him next.

“My story really is just taking the opportunities that were in front of me," de Jong said. "Showing up, doing the best job possible, and having the right attitude is what I try to do.”

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