FORT LEE, Va. — The tradition of family military service can stretch back several generations.
Or it can suddenly sprout out of nowhere.
The latter is a fair description of what happened to the Mei family.
Army Pfc. Sam Mei, a 22-year-old budding car enthusiast, joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in February to jumpstart his career prospects. His two siblings were paying attention and quickly followed suit.
One, 21-year-old Jennifer, is training to obtain the same military occupational specialty - Stryker systems maintainer - as Sam, who recently graduated from the Ordnance School here.
A third sibling, 19-year-old Milton, joined the other two here also as an initial entry-training student. However, he opted to break the family's fledgling Stryker maintenance tradition to become a petroleum supply specialist - a course taught at the Quartermaster School here.
With two siblings still in training, Sam said he is cognizant of being seen as a role model.
"There definitely is a lot of pressure for me because I have to set the example for them," he said. "The way I look at it, I want everyone to succeed, so I have to succeed in the military as well as in life. I want them to follow in my footsteps. If they do and overachieve, that's fine, but if they don't, that's the issue I have to deal with as the oldest sibling."
Seizing an opportunity
The Meis' parents emigrated here from Vietnam in the early 1990s, Sam said. Ming and Lan made their home in Philadelphia and raised their children to be mindful of their perpetual status as family representatives. Fully aware of his role as the eldest, Sam was the first to research military service as a way to bolster his aspirations to become an auto mechanic. A cousin helped to solidify his decision.
"She is an [Army] aircraft mechanic, and she told me about all the different jobs, so I looked more into it and found it would be a good way for me to learn because I didn't have any mechanical experience," he said.
Sam chose Stryker systems maintenance because the 17-week course would be a great introduction to his auto mechanics career plans. Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Newman, the course's senior instructor, said the course covers basic mechanics and much more.
"We go over the automotive portion, which covers the engine, transmission, drive train, suspension, et cetera," he said. "In addition to all that, we cover the vehicle's armament - the 105 mm cannon Mobile Gun System, 120 mm mortars, remote weapons station and anti-tank guided missile."
Jennifer - who joined the National Guard in April, two months after Sam did - said her affinity for auto mechanics was not on par with her brother's, but she saw the detail-oriented course as a vehicle for self-improvement.
Developing discipline
"I wanted to learn more discipline," she said. "When I was at home, I wasn't responsible, and I was lazy. I told myself that I can't be like this for the rest of my life. I wanted to grow up to be the person I always wanted to be."
With some gentle encouragement from Sam - "You should just try it out," he said - Jennifer joined to improve her work ethic and to bolster her educational opportunities.
"Because I really wanted to go to college, but it was too expensive," she said.
Women make up a small percentage of Stryker maintainers, but Jennifer said she knew so going in, and the fact was reiterated later during training.
"We were told in basic [combat training] it would be harder to gain respect because [the occupation] is new," she said. The small number of females, she added, has not been a deterrent.
"I wanted something that was hands-on and face-to-face, and mechanics was one of the jobs that popped into my head," she said.
Sam, who graduated Nov. 22 and has returned to Philadelphia, said he plans to attend more auto-related courses and eventually own an auto mechanics-related business.
Jennifer, who is scheduled to graduate in March, wants to attend college and major in a medical specialty or continue to pursue a career in maintenance.
"I'm still undecided," she said.
Milton, who was not available for comment, is expected to complete the petroleum supply specialist course in January.