09/04/2026
Two Soldiers. One hometown. Thousands of miles from home.
Maj. Kent Turner and Spc. Hannibal Hines both grew up in Lindsay, Oklahoma. Recently, they served together in Brunei during Exercise Pahlawan Warrior 26, a bilateral training event with the Royal Brunei Land Force.
Turner served as the Armed Forces Commander for the exercise, leading assigned U.S. forces and coordinating training with Bruneian forces.
Hines serves as a mechanic at home. In Brunei, he stepped outside his usual role and trained as a squad automatic weapon machine gunner. He learned jungle navigation, combat medical response and battle drills alongside Bruneian Soldiers.
Turner has known Hines his entire life. Hines grew up as a close friend and classmate of Turner’s son and graduated alongside him in 2025.
“As soon as I noticed that Hannibal was being attached to the 180th, I approached him and asked him to volunteer for this training exercise,” Turner said. “He did so without hesitation, not having a clue what he was getting himself into. I am very proud of not just Hannibal but how all of us represented Oklahoma.”
From Lindsay to Brunei, their story shows what makes the National Guard unique. Citizen-Soldiers bring their hometown roots, civilian experience and military skills together to serve wherever the mission takes them.
Get the link to the full story in the comments below.
