CONCORD, N.H. –
Spc. Dylan Martel, a mechanic assigned to the 3643d Brigade Support Battalion, joined the New Hampshire Army National Guard to serve his country and do something meaningful.
He enlisted through a split training option his junior year at Concord High School in 2016.
Two years later his brother, Spc. Ryan Martel, followed the same path.
“I joined because he joined,” said Ryan, a truck driver with the 744th Forward Support Company. “I copy pretty much everything he does.”
Dylan is now 22 years old. Ryan is 20. The two-year age difference makes them competitive in everything they do.
Ryan explained that they always find competition in work, sports and the military.
“He’s better at PT than I am,” Dylan laughed in agreement. “But we’re both competitive so in the end it just makes us work harder and do better.”
In true younger brother fashion, Ryan said one unique perk to having an older sibling in the military is the ability to borrow missing uniform pieces.
“That is a bonus,” Dylan said. “It’s also cool to see your little brother do the same things you’re doing, if not better.”
“I am really proud of him,” he added.
The brothers, who live together in Concord, work as part of the state’s COVID-19 relief task force. Dylan is assigned to the Salem vaccination site and Ryan is with Task Force Distro out of the Concord warehouse.
“I get to see the big picture of the mission because I hear his stories when he comes home,” Ryan explained. “Now when I deliver the vaccine supplies I know how they use all of it.”
“It makes the job rewarding,” Dylan said. “He talks about how big the warehouse is, how much stuff they have, and how they deliver to all the different parts of the state. So when we get shipments at the vaccine site I know where it’s coming from and the people on the other side.”
Their mother, Denise Martel, could not be prouder.
“I love, love my boys,” she said.