A Military Family Affair in Ocean City

By MADDY VITALE Lt. Col. Tom Dahl, of the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing, does not tell his sons what he would do in any given situation. But the career military man from Ocean City could certainly give his sons, Charlie and Jeff, pointers on how to serve their country. Instead, Dahl leaves it to his sons to make their own way, their own choices, their own decisions. “I offer advice, only when they ask for it,” Dahl, 52, said Wednesday in an interview. “I think they both have the patriotic spirit. That was the major factor for them when they enlisted.” Senior Airman Thomas Jeffrey Dahl Jr., 22, who goes by Jeff, and his brother, Airman First Class Charlie Dahl, 21, are both Ocean City High School graduates. In just a few years in the military, they each have several military accomplishments to their credit. And like their father, they both served in Afghanistan. During a City Council meeting on Sept. 9, the father and his sons were recognized by the governing body for their service. The proclamation reads, “The entire Dahl family is an important part of the Ocean City community that made sacrifices at home during overseas deployments.” The ceremony also included proclamations from U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew and the state Legislature honoring the Dahls for their military service. “It was pretty humbling,” said Dahl, who, along with his wife, Jennifer, and sons, have lived in Ocean City for five years after moving from Somers Point. He noted that they first thought it was just City Council honoring them. Then they found out about the other proclamations from the state and Van Drew. “It was the trifecta of honors,” Dahl said, with a laugh. “It was appreciated.” He said that while he and his sons are humbled by the recognition, there are many other military families who serve the country. “There are husbands and wives. There are mothers, sons, fathers, and daughters,” he said. "There are many military families." Dahl, who joined the National Guard in 1987, was commissioned as an officer in 1996 and has remained in the military his entire career. He served in Afghanistan in 2008 and has been deployed overseas multiple times over the years. The 177th Fighter Wing is located in Egg Harbor Township and flies F-16 jets. (Photo courtesy of 177th Fighter Wing Facebook) His sons are traditional guardsmen at the 177th Fighter Wing and are called to duty regularly. But Dahl works in the 177th Fighter Wing full time. Every day he has a specific mission. “Our mission is obviously the fighter aircraft. To support that mission, we have a small city’s worth of support personnel,” he pointed out. “We have a community of doctors, lawyers, mechanics and food service employees, payroll people, where I work. We have a city all within the Fighter Wing.” Dahl said that the roles may be vast, but all of the employees at the 177th Fighter Wing have one main focus. “We have a broad spectrum of careers, but we are all focused on protecting our homeland,” Dahl emphasized. Jeff and Charlie make both of their parents proud, Dahl said. "Jennifer is immensely proud and fully supports any and all of their military activities and mine included,” Dahl said. He spoke of his son's missions. “Jeff was on his first mission at PNC Arts Center in Holmdel last year in February for the COVID-19 deployment,” he noted. “That was the National Guard response for one of the first testing sites.” Charlie spent several weeks in Washington, D.C., for Operation Capitol Response after the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. "He was mobilized when they called up all the guards,” Dahl said. “They patrolled around the Capitol building and around the White House.” Jeff is currently a junior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Charlie is currently undecided. “They are off orders and back to the regular lives,” Dahl said of his sons’ current status. But as he knows, that could change at any time, any moment. And if they get the call, they will go. Dahl's thoughts for those thinking about joining the military are this: “The career options are endless.”