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# Deployed son carries on father’s legacy, commands same unit

By 1st Lt. James Mason,West Virginia Army National Guard

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - Many fathers can only dream that their children will follow in their footsteps. Col. Robert J. Kincaid Jr. turned this dream into a reality for his dad.

Kincaid Jr., the commander of the 111th Theater Engineer Brigade, is in the same spot his father was 18 years ago – commanding the 111th while deployed to the Central Command Area of Operations.

Retired Col. Robert J. Kincaid Sr. was the commander of the 111th Engineer Group during a deployment to the Middle East in 2003. Although the operating environment in the CENTCOM region is different today than it was 18 years ago, this father-son duo can be proud of the challenges they conquered.

“Pride is not a strong enough word to explain how I feel, but I would be proud of Rob no matter what he did.” Kincaid Sr. said. “Although we have a different command philosophy, my son is very capable and dedicated. He has developed a background of training to support today’s missions.”

As proud as Kincaid Sr. is of his son, Kincaid Jr. says he did not get to this point on his own.

“The reason I am in the Army is because he set the foundation for me to do it. I am so proud of what my dad did and accomplished,” Kincaid Jr. said. “My dad is one of the most versatile people I know. Eighteen years ago, when I was a lieutenant, I never thought I would be in the same position as him almost two decades later.”

Kincaid Sr. knows his son is capable of tackling the deployment challenges and the role of brigade commander on his own. Still, he takes every opportunity to encourage Kincaid Jr. and give him advice.

Since arriving in Kuwait in early April 2021, Kincaid Jr. has been a regular client in the brigade mail room. Kincaid Jr. says his father will typically write and mail him two to three letters per week. He jokingly says his dad sends him fragmentary orders, or FRAGO, a military order superiors give to subordinates to execute a mission.

“I love reading his letters,” Kincaid Jr. said. “I give him a hard time about writing me, but I know it is just the father in him trying to look out for me.”

And Kincaid Sr. loves writing him letters just as much.

“It started out with me writing him about what is going on back at home and little bits of information of experiences that I had while commanding the 111th,” Kincaid Sr. said. “It just evolved from there, and I continue to write him in order to relate to him and to expand his mindset because it allows him to see things differently.”

Kincaid Jr. concedes his father’s information is helpful and has allowed him to tackle some of the challenges he faced while deployed.

Despite the 18-year difference in the deployments and the different tasks at hand, many of the challenges they faced were oddly similar.

Both Kincaids were charged with overseeing engineer operations for the entire theater and moving troops in and out of different combat zones. Kincaid Sr. and his Soldiers were among the first troops to move into Baghdad, whereas Kincaid Jr. and his Soldiers were among the final wave of Soldiers to exit Afghanistan.

In addition to the operational challenges faced by both commanders, working with other units for the first time was a task both Kincaids faced.

“We had to work with over a dozen units throughout our deployment that had never previously worked together,” said Kincaid Jr. “It was a challenge getting them all to work in sync with each other. It is important to show Soldiers what right looks like, and I think we did that as a headquarters’ element.”

Kincaid Sr. faced similar situations.

“There was a lot of jealousy between the active Army and the National Guard units, especially at the lieutenant colonel and colonel levels,” said Kincaid Sr. “As a National Guard unit, you had to be better and prove yourself more every day. I had to protect my units, my people and our reputation constantly.”

With the challenges faced and the successes of both commanders and their units, the father-son duo agreed none of it would have been possible without the Soldiers’ dedication to the mission, the unit, and the West Virginia National Guard.

Less than 1 percent of America’s population has the opportunity to deploy and play a role in defending our nation’s freedom. Even fewer deploy multiple times with the same unit. There are five Soldiers in the 111th Engineer Brigade deployed who also deployed in 2003 under Kincaid Sr.

“I think it is an extremely unique opportunity to have served under the command, at the brigade level, of a father and son,” said Sgt. 1st Class Fredrick Miller, who deployed in 2003 with Kincaid Sr. and now in 2021 with Kincaid Jr. “I am honestly proud and honored to have served with both of them.”

“These folks were the best of the best in 2003 and still are in 2021. Way to go to every one of them,” said Kincaid Sr. “They are my children also. They are in my prayers along with everyone in the 111th Engineer Brigade every day.”

Kincaid Jr. owes much of the credit for his success to his father and his leadership, which he believes laid a strong foundation for them to create such a legacy.

“He started the success for them and we have been able to keep it running,” said Kincaid Jr. “This is such a neat linkage that we are both a part of and can actually talk about. Being part of a legacy is a great feeling and knowing that I followed my dad in that legacy is amazing.”

But Kincaid Sr. and Jr. agree this legacy is not just about them. It is also about their family, both their Guard family and their actual family.

“To everyone in the 111th, thank you for allowing me to ride along on this journey. You’re the reason the Theater Engineer Brigade is successful. All the credit goes to you for your hard work and investment. I just happen to be lucky enough to be with you,” Kincaid Jr. said. “To my wife, Chrissy, and children Patrick, Nate, Will and Lauren – thank you for everything. You are the reason I do this and without all of you there would be no reason to serve because all of you represent what I love about this state and country.”

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West Virginia National Guard

111th Engineer Brigade