LCDR Matt Brink was born in Freeport, Maine in 1975. He enlisted in the Air National Guard in 1994 and transferred services to the Navy in 1999 as an Operations Specialist.

LCDR Brink first served on the USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) as Harpoon Engagement Planner, Tactical Information Coordinator, and Air Intercept Controller. There, he received a command advancement to Petty Officer First Class and later transferred to the USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75) as a departmental LCPO. He was board selected as a Chief Petty Officer in 2008 and completed a shore tour at the ARTC in Dahlgren, VA. 

Accepted into the LDO program in 2010, LCDR Brink received his commission as an Ensign. His sea tours as an officer include the USS Antietam (CG 54), USS Cowpens (CG-63), and USS America (LHA-6) as Air Defense Officer and Assistant Operations Officer. Ashore, he has served in various instructor roles with Afloat Training Group Mid-Pacific and Naval Information Warfare Training Group. He was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander in 2020 and completed his final tour, again at ARTC Dahlgren, in 2024. His personal decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (six awards), and various campaign and unit awards. 

LCDR Brink retired from the Navy in November 2024. He was hired as the Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) at James River High School NJROTC shortly thereafter.

Jerome E. Atger was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Jerome enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps where he attended Marine Corps Recruit Training at Parris Island, SC in November 2001. Private First Class Atger was assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot where he served as a Personnel Clerk at the Installation Personnel Administration Center in June 2002. Lance Corporal was later assigned to the Commanding General’s Building and served as the Protocol Coordinator for the Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruit Training/Eastern Recruiting Region. He simultaneously worked for the Commanding General and trained personnel at Marine Combat Instructor Water Survival Course until October 2005. Then, Corporal Atger served as the Assistant Executive Officer for the J-1 Directorate at U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL. Sergeant Atger also served as the Operations Program Manager at the Office of Defense Representative, U.S. Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica in October 2007. Sergeant Atger served as the Humanitarian Assistant Program Manager at the Military Assistance and Advisory Group, U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru in September 2009. Staff Sergeant Atger served as a Canvassing Recruiter at Recruiting Sub-Station South Dade Miami, FL in May 2012. 

Staff Sergeant Atger transferred to the reserve component, and officially began his career with the federal government as a Human Resources Specialist at the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Board for Correction of Naval Records in April 2015. He later transferred to the Department of Commerce to serve as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa in August 2020. Finally, the last position Jerome held as a civil service employee was as a Desk Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, Latin American and Caribbean Bureau in August 2022.

Simultaneously, Staff Sergeant Atger served as a Military Transition Counselor under the Marine for Life Program in Northern Virginia until April 2016. Then, Staff Sergeant transferred to the Selective Marine Corps Reserve, and he was attached to Company D. 4 th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at Quantico, VA in July 2016. Gunnery Sergeant Atger supported the J-7/9 Directorate, Exercises and Coalition Affairs by coordinating with Non-Governmental Entities to conduct operation efforts throughout the U.S. Southern Command’s Area of Responsibility. Jerome retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Component in August 2024.  

Gunnery Sergeant Atger earned his Masters in Arts degree in International Development from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in February 2021. Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.) Atger recently joined as Navy Junior Reserves' Officer Training Corps Instructor at James River High School, Midlothian, VA in August 2025.