The son of a former Yankton South Dakota National Guard soldier is following in the footsteps of his father by becoming the newest member of the organization he once served. Connor Briest, son of Corey Briest, was sworn into the National Guard during an enlistment ceremony in Sioux Falls.
Connor enlisted in the same occupation and unit his father was in seventeen years ago, as an artillery crewmember in the Yankton–based Bravo Battery of the 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion.
Corey was severely injured during an IED explosion that also claimed the lives of several soldiers while serving on a deployment to Iraq in 2005. Despite his injuries, Corey made a remarkable recovery. Connor, who was just a year old when Corey was injured, grew up experiencing the challenges his father and family would face in the years to come.
Despite a traumatic brain injury that left Corey with limited mobility, vision, and speech, seeing his father’s resilience and call to service was a motivating factor for Connor to join the National Guard.
While Connor said he is excited to begin his service, his future plans also include attending Mitchell Technical Institute to be an electrical power lineman following his military training.
