Please join your fellow Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors this November in recognizing and celebrating our brave servicemen and women and their families for National Veterans and Military Family Appreciation Month. We would like to take the time to honor them and their commitment and contributions in support of our military and our nation.
This month, we are honored to introduce you to two active military members in our community: Sergeant First Class Brian Jackson and Staff Sergeant Daniel Ervin. Both servicemen are proud Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) graduates who have chosen to raise their own families in our community while serving our nation.
Sergeant First Class Brian Jackson said that he knew he wanted to serve in the military from an early age. “I was a freshman at Marple when 9/11 happened, and I felt a duty to serve my country,” he explained. “When I was a junior in high school, I found out about a program called split option. I was able to complete Army basic combat training the summer between my junior and senior years.” After Brian graduated, he completed his job training as a military police officer, also known as a military occupational specialty (MOS).
“I fell in love with the service, and I knew I wanted to do it full-time,” Brian said. He went on active duty and was initially stationed in Fort Hood, TX. While at Fort Hood, he was deployed to Iraq to support OIF 06-07. “I was stationed at Camp Victory, Iraq, for 15 months.” When Brian returned home, he worked as a full-time police officer in West Conshohocken for two years, then decided to join the PA Army National Guard as a recruiter
responsible for finding qualified individuals and getting them through the enlistment process.
Today, Brian is a Sergeant First Class (SFC) in the PA Army National Guard. “I am a readiness NCO for a recruit sustainment detachment in Philadelphia,” he said. “After an individual enlists, they report to me, and my unit gets them ready to ship to basic training and their job training.” Brian currently manages over 450 Soldiers, and knowing that he has helped make a difference in each one of their lives is what he loves most about his job. “The ability to train and mentor young recruits is an amazing feeling,” he explained. “Other than being their recruiter, I am the first impression they have of the Army National Guard.”
Brian said that in the future, he plans on retiring from the Army National Guard and perhaps pursuing a career in real estate. “My military service has provided me with many different skill sets, so I have a lot of options.” Brian explained that when he was younger, he used to volunteer with the Broomall Fire Company and would like to return to that someday, but his work and family commitments are his priority.
His family includes his wife of 14 years, Jenna, his three children and their beloved family pup, Chewie. “Jenna is my rock and makes everything I do possible,” explained Brian. “She is an interventional radiology tech at The University of Pennsylvania Hospital and manages to hold it all together when I am away for work.” Their two active boys, Nick and Charlie, are in grade school at Culbertson Elementary and their daughter Lexi just celebrated her first birthday.
Military families know what it’s like to serve our country. Every day, they get up and support their service members, standing by and taking care of things at home during long trainings and deployments. They know the risks and sacrifices but accept this life of service for the greater good of our community and our country.
For Staff Sergeant Daniel Ervin, service to his community also began by volunteering in our hometown. In high school, he served as an EMT for Marple Township Ambulance, where his grandmother, Maryann Ervin, was a former president and also volunteered for the Newtown Square Fire Company.
And like Brian Jackson, Dan also grew up in our community and graduated from MNHS. “Brian and I actually were on the wrestling team together at Marple,” Dan explained. “I was a senior when Brian was a freshman, so we knew each other but didn’t cross paths again until I decided to join the Army.”
Dan graduated from MNHS in 2002 and then attended the Virginia Military Institute. He also trained at Delaware County Community College’s Municipal Police Academy, graduating in 2015. “I joined the PA Army National Guard in 2008, then graduated from basic training and Infantry school in 2009,” Dan explained. “After receiving the Distinguished Honor Graduate award, I attended Army Airborne School.” He began serving as an Infantryman in Bravo Company, 1st – 111th Infantry Regiment from 2009- 2012 before being selected into the company’s Sniper Section.
His next move was to attend Sniper School. He graduated in 2014 and became a Sniper Team Leader from 2014-2020. Dan explained that during the time between 2012- 2014, he also served active duty with the PA Army National Guard as part of the Honor Guard. “I had the honor and privilege of performing military funeral honors for over 1,100 of our state’s and nation’s veterans, including carrying William “Wild Bill” Guarnere, known from the show Band Of Brothers.”
Dan has been serving Active Duty with the PA Army National Guard for over 15 years and as an Army Recruiter in the Marple/Newtown community for three years. He said that in the future, he would like to continue his education and earn a Bachelor of Aviation degree and his private pilot license. “I have also been working as a Baseball Umpire for the past six years,“ Dan said. “In addition to the PIAA and many of our local Central League, PAC-10 and Interac League schools, I also umpire in local semipro and college club leagues,” Dan has the ultimate goal to work as an NCAA Umpire and one day officiate a College World Series.
Dan’s determination and drive toward his work and personal goals are undoubtedly admirable, but it is his commitment to his family and love for his community that matters most. “My wife Mandy and I love that our children get to grow up here,” he said. Mandy and Dan have two children: 10-year-old son Ethan and three-year-old daughter Dillyn and their beloved Golden Retriever named Cooper. “Everyone is so friendly and supportive,” Dan said. “Not a day goes by when I am in uniform that someone doesn’t stop to thank me for my service. Those kind words reaffirm my decision to protect and serve our nation.”
On behalf of your Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors, we thank you, Sergeant First Class Brian Jackson and Staff Sergeant Daniel Ervin, for your steadfast commitment to serving and protecting our nation. A strong military relies not only on your dedication but also on the support of strong families who share your mission. Thank you to all who serve and all who love those who serve.
Do you know a Newtown Square family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.
Publisher’s Note: While speaking with our two serving sergeants from Marple Newtown, after thanking them for their military service in the PA Army National Guard, I asked about the current benefits of service and I was mightily surprised. I must share what I think I heard are the benefits of being a part-time soldier in service to our country. With a commitment to “drill” one weekend a month, a week in the summer, and under possible paid deployment in time of need or emergency, not only does it include being paid “drill pay” at $300 per day to be a weekend warrior, and possibly more than double that per day if qualified, the college tuition benefits really stack up. First the PA Education Assistance Program pays PA Army National Guard soldiers up to 100% or $4,097 of tuition per semester, for up to 10 semesters at any one of several dozen PA colleges. (Many are within a two-hour drive, several less than an hour away, and one college, DCCC is right here in MN), Then, PA National Army Guard soldiers, like all other veterans, also get the $439 per month college stipend for 36 months under the G.I. Bill, while they are also able to apply for Federal Tuition Assistance for an additional $4,000 a year if needed, just like any college student. What! Then, when I heard there are also enlistment bonuses up to $20K, a paid $400K life insurance benefit and personal health insurance for only $50/month, I told Sarge “Stop, sign me up!” You guessed it. Bob’s too old. Look, the 80’s were good to me, but not that good! Find out if I got this right because there are probably even more benefits to joining the PA Army National Guard. Contact Staff Sergeant Dan Ervin at 215-880-6593, or email Sergeant Irvin at Daniel.J.Ervin@Army.mil.