Brenden Gillespie is latest from Osmond to begin service to his country

OSMOND — Another Osmond youth has joined the long list of those from the community to serve their country by joining the military. A swearing-in ceremony was held Wednesday,

A swearing-in ceremony was held Wednesday, Feb. 24, for Brenden Gillespie, a senior at Osmond High School. Brenden enlisted to active duty in the U.S. Army, and will leave for Fort Benning, Georgia, after graduation from Osmond High School in May.

Captain Travis Hill from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Wayne performed the swearing in, in front of family and friends who could not attend the Military Entrance Processing Station (MPES) ceremony which was held at an earlier date.

Also present were Sergeant First Class Jake Maddox, Staff Sergeant Justin Colver, and Staff Sergeant David Hernandez, all with the Norfolk recruiting station, who all worked with Brenden throughout his enlistment process.

According to Maddox, “Brenden will attend Infantry One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning. After he graduates the military’s most difficult infantry training regimen, he will receive orders to his permanent duty location.”

Brenden’s family includes his parents, Christina and Mat Gubbels, and siblings Briah, 23, Bailee, 21, and Bradee, 16.

Christina stated that Brenden signed up for eight years, including six years active duty and two years in the reserves. Asked if she thought he’d make it a career, she said she thought he would, and said the recruiters agreed.

“He’s excited,” she said. All his teachers, back from when he was in kindergarten, have consistently told her that he said he wanted to be in the military, she added.

Brenden comes from a family with many members who have served. Christina’s father, Marty Gillespie, was in the Air Force and Mat’s father, Jerome Gubbels, was in the Marines. An uncle, David Gillespie, served in both the Air Force and the Marines. A great-grandfather, Dan DeBacker, served in the Navy during the Korean War, and a great-granduncle, Fr. Tom DeBacker, served in the Army during World War II.

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