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# Virginia National Guard Father, Daughter Deploy to Kosovo

By Capt. Rolando Sierra,138th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The military journeys of Virginia Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph R. Viera and his daughter, Staff Sgt. Kayla M. Jaeger, came full circle when they both deployed to Kosovo to support Operation Joint Guardian.

Growing up in the Bronx in New York is an experience Viera will never forget. It was rough growing up in an area where drugs were a catalyst on the streets — whether people used them or sold them. Viera lived in foster homes growing up and was a ward of New York state until the age of 18, when he joined the Army.

“I stayed away from gangs and drugs, a life many foster children live unless they have a way out. I avoided that type of life by joining the active Army,” said Viera. “The Army took me away from New York and allowed me to see a different side of life. It taught me discipline and [how to follow] orders; it gave me structure, which I needed during my younger years.”

At the same time, Viera’s future wife, Mary, was growing up in a small town south of Seoul, South Korea. In 1985, she was adopted and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Mary met Viera in Chester, a town near Fort Lee, where he was stationed. Like Viera, Mary also grew up without a mother and father. 

The couple married in Virginia in 1996 and had three children — Kayla, Sabrina and Joseph. In 2015, Kayla had Viera’s first grandchild, Elena.

“He has done an amazing job raising myself, my 23-year-old sister Sabrina, and 11-year-old brother Joseph,” Jaeger said.

After transferring to the Virginia National Guard from active duty in 1999, Viera pursued a career in law enforcement and attended the police academy to begin his civilian career. Following her dad’s footsteps, Jaeger joined the Army in 2010 and the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office in 2016.

“As a police officer, I have always said if it weren’t for the Army, I would have been in the back seat of a police car rather than in the front,” said Viera. “I am very proud of my oldest daughter for joining the military.”

Though they joined the military almost two decades apart, Viera and Jaeger deployed to Kosovo together for the state of Virginia in January 2022. It was Jaeger’s first deployment and Viera’s fourth — having deployed previously on a stateside mission and overseas to Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan.

“It is amazing to be able to say that my first deployment (is) ... in the same location as my dad,” Jaeger said.

“I have always viewed my dad as my role model and have always been inspired by his achievements and accomplishments, especially in his career,” Jaeger said.

As battalion command sergeant major for the 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Viera is his unit’s highest-ranking senior enlisted leader. As an intelligence analyst for the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Jaeger conducts daily intelligence analysis for senior leaders. Both are subordinate units within the Virginia Army National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division and support the same mission in Kosovo. That mission has been ongoing since June 11, 1999, when NATO intervened and instilled the Kosovo Force as its peacekeeping force in the region to end the Kosovo-Serbia war in the late ’90s.

Today, Operation Joint Guardian is NATO’s longest-running peacekeeping operation, and it takes place in the Western Balkans. Kosovo Force, or KFOR, is also NATO’s largest peacekeeping security force on the ground — roughly 3,700 troops from 27 nations.

“I think the most rewarding part of the mission of Operation Joint Guardian is seeing the effort of our work impacting decisions at the higher command level and [improving] the livelihood of [the people] in Kosovo,” Jaeger said. “For many of us, it [is] our first time being able to do our specific MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) and gain experience.”

Viera expressed his gratitude toward all the Soldiers he’s led during the operation.

“There are many things that I have found rewarding while on Operation Joint Guardian, but the most rewarding are the professionals that I work with every day,” Viera said. “Aviation is a family that works together to accomplish the mission. The pilots cannot fly without having their fuelers, maintenance personnel, operation specialists and other support functions. I am grateful to each and every one of them for pushing through all that we have gone through to get to this point.”

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