Brothers in Arms, Brothers in Sigma Nu After working down the hall from each other for almost two months, it was a casual conversation about fraternity life and college days that led two Eta Iota brothers, Ihor Petrenko (Northern Arizona) and Jeff Jennings (Northern Arizona), to discover that they had missed each other by only a few years in the Sigma Nu Chapter at NAU. It wasn't long before they learned about a third brother, Coby Petersen (Northern Arizona), working in a similar role more than halfway across the country. All three men

serve as Battalion Commanders in the U.S. Army, were promoted to their positions within the last two years and hold the responsibility for training soldiers in mission-specific support skills related to military intelligence, aviation or field artillery.

Lieutenant Colonel Petrenko is an Army Aviation Officer for the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion at Ft. Huachuca (Arizona). His unit trains Imagery Analysts, Intelligence Analysts, System Maintainers/Integrators and Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) Pilots. They train some of the most sought after men and women who are fighting for the U.S. in the global war on terrorism, including the analysts who determine a complete intelligence picture to brief their commanders before going out on a mission. In his 20 years in the Army, Petrenko has served on various assignments throughout the world including Europe, Korea, Turkey, Iraq and several U.S. locations. Lieutenant Colonel Jennings is a Military Intelligence Officer in command of the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion at Ft. Huachuca. His unit is responsible for

training soldiers in specific military intelligence job skills. Human Intelligence Officers and Counter Intelligence Soldiers come to Ft. Huachuca for six months at a time for classroom and field training to gain the skills necessary to support commanders across the Army in human intelligence, imagery intelligence and counter intelligence. Jennings has served in Europe, Iraq and several U.S. locations.

Although they had met formally in May, it wasn't until July-when Jennings and Petrenko were standing at a dedication ceremony for a Buffalo Soldier monument at Ft. Huachuca-that the name of Sigma Nu was mentioned. Jennings recalls, "Ihor talked about his fraternity almost immediately after he took command in June, but I never asked which fraternity he was in." As they stood at the ceremony, it finally came out. Both were Sigma Nus and both had joined at NAU. Jennings shared that he had pledged in 1978, but left NAU in 1980. Brother Petrenko joined the chapter in 1986, missing him by just six years.

Surprised at the coincidence of working down the hall from a fraternity brother, Petrenko shared the news with other college friends and learned that Eta Iota brother Coby Petersen, who had introduced him to the Fraternity in college, is in command of a battalion at Ft. Drum in New York.

Lieutenant Colonel Petersen is a Field Artillery Officer serving as Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 314th Field Artillery Regiment. His unit is responsible for training soldiers in a full spectrum of skills in order to support the Department of Defense's pre- and post-mobilization operations. He has served in Europe, Japan, Turkey, Iraq and several U.S. locations.

Petersen and Petrenko first met in ROTC at NAU. Petersen pledged Sigma Nu in 1984, and Petrenko pledged in 1986. They have stayed in touch over the last 20 years and both were stationed in Germany at the same time in 2001-2003. Although Petersen and Jennings have never met, they are now connected through Petrenko, the Army... and Sigma Nu.

"It's pretty rare for three men from the same chapter of the same fraternity to be serving as Battalion Commanders at the same time," says Petrenko. It takes years to work up through the ranks in the Army, and many men leave the service before they ever reach the position that these three men have attained. "We've all put in our time-at least 20 years-and are in a position of proven success in our military careers. We've worked our way up, gaining more authority and responsibility with each promotion; and today, as Battalion Commanders, we are all managing a full staff and four or five companies underneath us," Petrenko explains. "It's a pretty unique situation that we all came from the same chapter," he says.

Jennings concurs. He says that he almost never meets a Sigma Nu. "It's been probably 20 years, since I've run into a Sigma Nu like this," he says about his conversation with Petrenko in July. "For us to be from the same chapter, working in the same building, 30-feet apart, it's unbelievable," he shares. His encounter with Petrenko inspired him to get back in touch a few guys he knew from his time in the chapter. He's visited the Sigma Nu website looking up names and attempting to make contact with brothers he hasn't seen for years.

Petrenko certainly wasn't keeping his Sigma Nu membership a secret. He even has his pin and membership certificate hanging on the wall in his office. "I had just never looked at it when I was there," says Jennings.

Friends and fellow Commanders, who now know they are brothers, Jennings and Petrenko are already planning a weekend trip across the state of Arizona to visit their chapter in Flagstaff to not only connect with each other but also with their shared experience as Sigma Nus.