Kane brothers serve together at sea

It is rare to have sibling serving in the same branch of the military. And it is extremely rare to have such siblings serving at the same command, but that is what happened to David and Steven Kane.

These Michigan brothers may have joined the Navy at different times to pursue different career paths, but they ended up on the same ship — serving aboard the Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford in Newport News, Va.

David and Steven are two of the five Kane children, who grew up in Marshall after their family moved from California. Their father, Richard, owns Zarzuela restaurant in Marshall, while their mother, Martha, is a special education teacher in Battle Creek.

“We were always doing different stuff,” David said of his childhood. “My parents were definitely busy with all of us.”

David, the second oldest child in the family, enlisted in the Navy in 2002. He needed financial aid for college, and planned to return to school after four years.

This four-years-and-out mentality changed.

David became a corpsman, traveling the world on different carriers. He even served on the ground with the Marines during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I love the Navy,” said David, now in his 14th year of service. “I love everything I do. Now that I'm an independent duty corpsman, I have that much more interaction with the sailors. I'm actually providing medical care for them. I'm diagnosing diseases and treating severe wounds.”

His parents, who now live in Battle Creek, agree the Navy has been a good fit for David.

“He’s a very caring person,” Richard said. “He takes good care of people. (The Navy) has given him a way to do that.”

Steven enlisted in 2006, after seeking his older brother’s advice about paying for college.

“I wanted to get a new start, a new chapter,” Steven said. “I talked with my brother David and he said join the Navy for four years, so I did.”

“I'm incredibly proud that he joined,” David said.

Steven’s decision surprised his family, for he has always had his eye on his father's line of work – owning a restaurant.

Richard, however, was happy with his youngest child’s choice.

“I think it has given him a little structure that has helped him,” Richard said.

Besides, what is a navy ship but a large floating restaurant with thousands of faithful customers?

And, as his father says, they still “talk food”.

Steven became a culinary specialist, planning to return to college after four years. However, like his brother, he stayed. This is his 10th year of service. He completed a tour in Japan, married his wife, who also serves in the Navy, and had a child.

The Navy appointed Steven to the Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford three years ago. His shipmates became like family. A year later, his brother David arrived.

It was a pleasant surprise for both.

“Now we can say not only did we serve in the Navy together, but we served in the same command,” David said.

Although not a strict policy, the military rarely stations family members together.

“People try not to have siblings together unless they specifically request it or by coincidence,” said Ensign Cassandra Thompson. “I'm sure this one is where the detailers had openings on this brand-new ship and the both of them happened to fill those openings.”

The brothers appreciate this coincidence.

“I think it has made us closer, “ David said. “We now 100 percent understand what the other goes through because we are at the same command. We may not do the same job, but we see what the other has to go through on a daily basis. It's helped us support each other a little better.”

“It was nice that I could have another supportive hand here,” Steven said. “If something is not right, I can go to him. He's been in longer and he's experienced more. He's a higher rank than me so he knows more than I do.”

As for their shipmates, they rarely guess the two are related.

“They don't even look alike, quite honestly,” said Thompson. “Their personalities are so different. The older one is so measured. You can tell he thinks about things on a whole different level. And one of them seems to enjoy interacting with people more than the other. They're both good guys.”

The Navy expects to commission the Gerald R. Ford this year. Soon these brothers will be away from home, serving at sea. Together.