In honor of Veterans Day, we’re taking the opportunity to honor and recognize two of American Federal’s very own who served in the military. Michael Kjelshus, Ag/Business Banker in Grand Forks, and Brad Loween, Business Banker in Fargo, have a combined 37 years of service between two different branches of the US Military. Kjelshus served in the U.S. Navy and Loween in the Army National Guard. Let’s take a moment to explore the admirable military careers of these two bankers. 

Could you give us a summary of your time served? 

Kjelshus: “I enlisted in the Navy in May of 1988. I attended bootcamp at the U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. I then went to ‘A’ School in Millington (Memphis) Tennessee for Aviation Electronics. After training, I was stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA (in Puget Sound). The remainder of my time on active duty was spent maintaining and repairing the communication/navigation/radar weapons systems on the Grumman A-6 Intruder aircraft. Although stationed in the Pacific Northwest, we spent a lot of time in San Diego, either getting on or off whatever carrier my squadron was assigned to. My most rewarding and intense job was as a flight deck troubleshooter during day and night flight operations. Interesting ports of call included Honolulu (at least a dozen times), Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Rota, Spain. I got out of the active-duty Navy in 1996, and was in the Navy reserves from 1997 to 2004.”  

Loween: “I joined in October of 1996 as an enlisted infantryman. After 9/11, I extended my enlistment and completed ROTC in college to become a commissioned officer. After college, I completed Infantry Officer training and Ranger School, deploying to eastern Afghanistan shortly after. I was part of a small team in eastern Afghanistan that stood up the newly formed Afghan National Police force. After Afghanistan, I was selected to train units to prepare them for deployment, and following that was selected for flight school.  After a year and a half at Fort Rucker, I deployed to Kosovo as a Blackhawk Pilot. I flew Blackhawks in the North Dakota National Guard until I retired in February of 2018.”

What made you decide to enlist? 

Kjelshus: “I had just finished my sophomore year of college, so the immediate reason was for the GI Bill so I could avoid taking out more student loans. I also wanted to ‘see the world,’ which is why I joined Navy). And finally, the idea of serving my country and being part of something bigger than myself was very appealing.”

Loween: “My family has a long history of service.  My grandfather on my dad’s side served in WW2 and my great grandfather on my mother’ side served in WW1.  He was actually thrown into mass graves twice, crawling out the first time on his own, removed the second time because someone saw his hand move.  He was left deaf the rest of his life due to the concussion of the grenade that almost killed him.”

What is your best memory from your time in the service? 

Kjelshus: “While I enjoyed working hard and playing hard all over the western Pacific with navy buddies/coworkers, the coolest thing I ever saw was one day before flight-ops. The carrier came upon a “mega-pod” of dolphins that numbered north of 100,000 (someone’s estimate) and at least 5 miles in width. They swam in unison, next to us, and it’s just something I will never forget and couldn’t even believe what I was seeing.”

Loween: “My best memory is my time spent in Afghanistan with a close team dedicated to the mission and to each other.”

How has your time serving helped you in your career? 

Kjelshus: “My time in the service taught me how to work as part of a team, lead and follow with equal vigor, and to be accountable for your actions.”

Loween: “I would say the biggest part is taking things in stride. No matter how stressful the day can be, no one is shooting at me. Also, learning how to work with all kinds of different people from different backgrounds.”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

Kjelshus: “What makes me happy and gives me satisfaction is to work for a greater purpose. As bankers, I think we are very well positioned to help countless people realize their dreams and goals by sharing our expertise and helping them along the way.”

Loween: “There is a plan, though I’m not in charge of it!  Trust in yourself and have faith that you are heading to your purpose even if it takes longer than you expect.”

Please join us in thanking Mike and Brad for their service and saluting all Veterans!