Maybe it’s because of their family legacy, maybe it’s a matter of patriotism and national pride, or perhaps it’s the benefits…but whatever the case, members of the Hiser family of Lovell are dedicated to serving their country in the United States Armed Forces.
Indeed, the Hisers could practically form their own squad. Six children of Roger and Janice Hiser of Lovell have served overseas in the military, and four will be deployed to the Middle East later this month as part of the massive deployment of Wyoming Army National Guardsmen – the largest since the Korean War.
In less than three weeks, some 941 soldiers from Wyoming will head to Kuwait as part of the deployment of the 115th Fires Brigade, said Deidre Forster of the Wyoming Military Dept. Public Affairs Office. The 115th will have command and control of some 2,400 soldiers from five states: Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Alabama and South Dakota. Wyoming’s contribution of 941 will include some “interstate transfer soldiers” from other states, Forster said.
Part of Wyoming’s commitment is a huge contingent from Big Horn County. Some 36 soldiers from Big Horn County are slated to be deployed, including an estimated 20-plus from the Lovell/Byron/Cowley area.
Among the 36 from Big Horn County will be twins Stacey and Steven Hiser, sister Natalie and brother Brian. An older brother, William, served in the Guard earlier, and an older sister, Teresa is a member of the U.S. Army serving in Germany. She served in Iraq in 2007-08.
The family sense of duty to country started with their father, Roger, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps (active and reserves) for 12 years, serving two tours of duty – during the Korean War from 1951-54 and at Camp Pendleton in California from 1958-61. Roger was a truck driver for many years, among various jobs, and the family moved from place to place until settling in Oregon, where they lived for 20 years. He and Janice, a paraprofessional at Lovell High School and Eleutian Technology teacher, raised 13 children – seven boys and six girls.
In June of 1993, the Hisers moved to Lovell from Philomath, Ore., near Corvallis, and in 1994, when he was an LHS junior, son William joined the National Guard. Daughter Teresa joined the Army in 1996, and Stacey and Steven joined the Guard in 1997, between their junior and senior years of high school. Natalie joined as a senior in 2001 and Brian joined in 2002 as a junior.
Roger Hiser said his kids have been interested in serving in the armed forces partly out of a sense of duty, partly because of the influence of each other and partly because of the benefits that serving in the military provide. With such a large family, it has always been up to the kids themselves to find a way to college, either through good grades that lead to scholarships or through other means, including the military.
William, for instance, now working as a high school history teacher in Rock Springs, was able to attend the University of Wyoming and earn his teaching degree because of his time in the National Guard. Some of his younger siblings will surely follow.
“Some people just aren’t ready for college after high school,” Roger said. “Some of our kids were, and some weren’t.”
“I asked William why he joined the Guard, and he said he felt like it was his patriotic duty,” Janice added. “He talked to the Guard and said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ He became an honor soldier during basic training. He was that serious and dedicated to it.”
“It all started out with William joining,” Steven said. “We saw the change in him, and the college money had a lot to do with it. It’s there for the taking.”
Added Brian, “I think it was because of 9/11 and they joined so I felt I could do it, too. If they could do it, I could do it.”

Although he was the last to join as the youngest member of the family, Brian was the first to be deployed, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom II from February of 2004 through April of 2005 as part of a Wyoming Army Guard security force for Iraqi officials.
The upcoming deployment will be his second, and this time he will leave behind a wife, Pamela, and their now nearly month-old baby, Jacob. Pamela will return to her family in the Bay Area of California during Brian’s deployment. An employee of Amcol International (American Colloid), he has taken an extended leave during the deployment.
Not long after Brian was deployed with the local Guard unit, Stacey, Steven and William were deployed with the 133rd Engineering Co. out of Laramie as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom III, working on projects in different parts of the country from October of 2004 through December of 2005.
That was the first time Roger and Janice had four kids serving in the war zone, and they said they came to appreciate the support for families shown by not only the local Family Support Group but also the Guard itself.
“We got three or four calls to see if we were doing all right during the last deployment and asking if we needed anything,” Roger said. “That was quite nice to realize there are people out there who are actually concerned. The Guard provides lots of help from counseling to legal help, if you need it.”
Steven, Stacey and Brian also said they felt the support of citizens back home, receiving care packages and messages of support during their first deployment.
“It always makes you feel good,” Steven said. “We feel that support.” Added Stacey, “Granted, some people don’t like it (the war), but there’s still support for us, especially in small communities. That shows their patriotism.”
All four of the family members will have to interrupt their lives to serve the year. Brian must leave his young family and his job at the bentonite plant, Steven will postpone his college education and Stacey leaves behind a plumbing business. Natalie worked for the Guard fulltime for five years and had recently been working in Oregon. She and Steven plan to return to school when they return. Stacey will pick up work on the Cattlemen Motel, which the family recently purchased, and continue with his plumbing business.
Steven will also leave behind a fiancée, recently proposing to Jaclyn Johnson of Houston, who is going to school in Salt Lake City.
In the meantime, the four siblings will be together, stationed in Kuwait and providing convoy security for the long convoys that take supplies into Iraq. Steven, Stacey and Natalie will be team leaders on Humvee three-man crews, and Brian will be either a driver or a gunner.
“The way we train, we all know each other’s jobs,” Steven said.
The 115th Fires Brigade recently went to Camp Guernsey for three weeks of pre-mobilization training and is scheduled to deploy on April 20, first going to Fort Hood, Texas, for about 90 days of training and then deploying to Kuwait.
A farewell ceremony is scheduled in Worland on April 18 at 1:30 p.m. at the Eagles Club, and a final farewell ceremony will be held in Casper at the Events Center on April 19 at 2 p.m. featuring Gov. Dave Freudenthal. Both events are open to the public.

Convoys from Kuwait to Iraq have about 40 vehicles, with Humvees interspersed throughout the long line of trucks, the Hisers said. Steven said that while soldiers had to fashion their own Humvee armor with sheets of metal during their first deployment, their new Hummers will be armored.
While deployed, Stacey, Steven and Brian will serve in the Second Platoon of Charlie Battery, Natalie in the Third Platoon, and they said it will be good to be able to keep an eye on each other.
“It makes life a lot easier over there, knowing what the other person is doing,” Steven said. “We’ll be able to see each other every day, and if issues arise, it’s easier to talk to a family member. We will all be at the same base.”
Added Steven with a twinkle in his eye, “She (Natalie) wouldn’t know what to do without us,” to which she rolled her eyes and replied, “Whatever.”
Stacey added that there is strength in familiarity among fellow guardsmen, as well, with many of their fellow soldiers having seen action in Iraq before. He added that the company has a good command structure, as well, in First Sgt. Tim Metro of Basin and in their commander, Capt. Glen Nicholson.
As for Roger and Janice, they are feeling great pride along with some apprehension, as well.
“It’s good for them,” Roger said. “We don’t want anything to happen to them, but they’ve got to live their own lives.”
He joked that the boys will really be missed around the house, especially since the family is working together on a major remodeling project at their home.
“We’re in the process of tearing up the house,” he said. “We’ve been without a kitchen for 2½ months, and we lost our living room yesterday. My main worry is whether they’ll be able to finish it before they leave.”
And then he added a serious note: “I just want them to return home safe.”
And successfully complete the family legacy.