Brian Heitman
Who is Brian Heitman?
Brian’s journey in the Way of the Gun began when he joined the Ohio Army National Guard at age 17 with the M16A1 rifle, qualifying as Expert thanks to the steadfast training of his Drill Sergeants. He went into the Active Army at age 21 and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantryman. He deployed to Panama for Jungle Warfare School and then to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the first invasion of Iraq in 1991. After the war, he left military service, finishing his eight-year obligation in the Army Reserve.
Brian reentered active military service at Fort Campbell, KY in January 1995 and was assigned as an infantryman to the 101st Pathfinder Company. In January 1998, as a Sergeant, with Pathfinder, Jumpmaster, and Air Assault schools under his belt, he returned to Fort Bragg, NC and the 82nd Airborne Division. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and served as a squad leader, earning recognition for outstanding squad in several competitions.
Brian served a year in Korea in the 17th Pathfinder Platoon, transforming it from an administrative unit to a tactical Pathfinder unit, training closely with the Korean Army’s fledgling Air Assault and Pathfinder Brigade to ensure they were able to work harmoniously in the event of a war on the peninsula.
Brian returned to the 82nd Airborne Division in August 2001 and was serving in the Division Ready Force on 9/11/01,
meaning his unit was on call to deploy anywhere in the world without notice in 18 hours or less. At the time, he was one of only two combat Veterans in his company.
Kept in strategic reserve, the 82nd did not immediately deploy, and Brian was assigned as an instructor at the Advanced Airborne School to teach Jumpmaster School. When orders came to send his former unit to Afghanistan in 2002, he considered it his duty to be with his men, so he left the schoolhouse environment for war.
Brian deployed again to Iraq in 2003-04, and afterward was assigned back to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell. From there he deployed again to Iraq in 2005-06.
Brian was sent to Fort Hood, TX in 2007, deploying to Afghanistan in 2008-09, and Iraq in 2010-11. He retired from military service in January, 2012.
Since retiring from the Army, Brian has been involved with Church and School security, with Sutherland Springs and Sandy Hook being the major catalysts in that career move.
Brian has attended several shooting academies to increase and improve his skills, and became an instructor in order to pass on those skills to others. His goal is to instill in others the confidence and courage required to be a defender, a sheepdog protecting the flock.
