Published Sunday, January 19, 2003
Herald Staff Writer
Jeffrey Brugman and his father Karl once jumped out of a plane together.
"It was different," Jeffrey said. "He was standing at the door, turned around, gave me a smile and a thumbs up, and then jumped out."
The men are members of military Special Forces.
Master Sgt. Karl Brugman is a Special Forces/Special Operations Project Manager in the Army Reserve, assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. Jeffrey Brugman, who recently completed training, is a medical sergeant in the National Guard, where he is assigned to the 19th Special Forces Group in Columbus, Ohio.
The jump came when Jeffrey was in training, about to complete the parachute jump. The men were stationed together at Fort Bragg during the summer of 2002.
"My father pulled a few strings," Jeffery said, "and got on the same plane as I was. It was very strange seeing your father jump out of a plane in front of you."
Karl Brugman, of Windsor, Ohio, owns Greenville Homes on Hadley Road in Hempfield Township. For five years, he has managed the mobile home sales and mobile home park business. His wife, Janise, joined him when they married three years ago. Before joining the National Guard, Jeffrey also worked at Greenville Homes.
Karl has been on active duty at Fort Bragg since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
He enlisted in 1970 and went right into Special Forces training,
"I joined because I wanted adventure," he said. "Then the elitism of Special Forces got to me. At the time less than two out of 100 men could make it through the tough training. We were tougher than the Navy SEALS," he said.
Brugman was sent to Vietnam, and the experience had a profound effect on him. "I got to see why we are such a great country," he said, "and to see how bad some Third World countries have it."
The experience, he said, defined his service in the military.
"It's what being in SF is all about," he said, "helping others. Our crest says "De Oppresso Liber," which translates to, "From oppression we liberate."
After more than three years on active duty, Karl went into the Special Forces Reserves, and said he "fell in love with the idea that I could have a regular job and still serve my country."
At age 50, Karl said, "I still serve my country, do exciting things, and I still get to jump out of perfectly good airplanes."
"It's been a lot of lonely times," Janise Brugman said, "and a lot of times hoping that everything will be OK."
Mrs. Brugman said that after Karl got his post-9/11 orders, he had three days to report.
"Right after Sept. 11 happened, he told me, 'I'm going to have to go.' I didn't believe him."
In Karl's absence, Mrs. Brugman said, she manages the family business. They call each other often, she said, and she makes the 12-hour drive to North Carolina every month and a half.
"He really can't get away," she said. "So I go to him."
Karl has held his position as a Special Forces/Special Operations reservist attached directly to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command for more than 10 years.
"I travel a lot," he said. "More than that I cannot tell you. My wife doesn't know. I cannot even tell her."
Hearing Karl's stories inspired Jeffrey to join the service.
"I wanted a challenge in my life," he said. "I wanted to make a difference and serve my country."
Now, Jeffrey said, he has a few stories of his own to tell.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com