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Brian Lowe stands along the sidewinder missile while in training/ Courtesy -
Brian Lowe was trained in B-52 bomber weaponry and the A-10 Warthog, pictured here/ Courtesy
North Hopkins' Brian Lowe's 'sense of fulfillment' led to service
Brian Lowe’s path to joining the military wasn’t exactly typical. It was something always on the horizon, he said, but going to college and entering the education field came first to Lowe.
As a new teacher and head coach at Sonora High School, “the timing never felt right,” he said. “Being an assistant coach at Lake Dallas gave me time to think about serving,” Lowe said. Then, two events deepened that sense of service.
On Sept. 11, 2001, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked, a time that “heightened his patriotism.” In 2002, Lowe, then teaching in The Colony, was involved in a major accident that broke his back, and he received word that even he recovered, his body might deteriorate later in life.
“That set the wheels in motion,” Lowe said. “I did everything in my power to serve my country before my body gave out. I’m the kind of person that if once you tell I can’t do something, I’ll do it anyway.” Lowe had a lifelong friend in the military, and having the knowledge of basic training’s intent to break down and build up a person helped him when he enlisted at the age of 30. “I knew to be confident,” Lowe said.
“The yelling and being under a lot of pressure didn’t bother me as much as some of the younger ones, although there were some who were better at handling it.” After basic training, he started technical school at Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB) in Wichita Falls, Texas, and then he moved to Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, Lou. where he worked alongside his friend.
“My ASVAB score was way up there, and that gave me some leniency on where to go,” Lowe said. “It was an opportunity to give my part back to my country and to be, using some sports terms, on the same team as him.” At Barksdale AFB, Lowe worked on the weapons troop for B-52 bombers, a four-man crew that would load bombs into the giant plane. His job was to talk the bomb to the bomber’s belly while it was carried on the jammer.
After eight years, all of them stateside at Barksdale, Lowe was discharged. “Serving fine-tuned my personality,” Lowe said. “It was also helped in serving in leadership roles. Leaving closed one chapter of my life but opened up more.” Lowe went go back to teaching and coaching, going from The Colony to Waskom to Marshall.
He earned his principal certification and served as an assistant principal at Marshall Middle School. He also served in administrative roles in Alpine, Winona and finally North Hopkins, where he was hired in 2017. He has recently earned his superintendent certification as well.
For Veterans Day, Lowe said it is a day when he will “commit to the mindset” he fine-tuned in the military, and he acknowledged he did not go into action while enlisted. Instead, Veterans Day is an opportunity to “pay homage to those veterans who served during grueling times.”
“I don’t want to compare myself to others,” Lowe said.
“This is a day to offer respect to others that had a harder pathway in serving their country. I want people to think of vets they know, especially those who have gone through tough times.”