Get to Know Your MI501st :: December, 2009

Rob Brang
Legion ID: 2280
Joined April, 2006

Robert Brang has been a fan of Star Wars since the first time he saw Return Of The Jedi at a Drive in with his mom and dad. Rob's dad would buy him the toys and his favorite one that he was given was Luke Skywalker.

"Up until 2 yrs ago I thought it was a rare item, since I had not seen any like it. It was then that I found out my dad could not find Luke, and got me a Battlestar Galactica Starbuck toy, took it from the package and told me it was Luke."

Rob's first run in with the 501st was at the Make-A-Wish Benefit Comedy Show in Livonia. It was an event for Katie Johnson and Rob's son Dylan who was 4 at the time, was a big Star Wars fan. In his own words, "I was telling him all day, that 'You better start being good, 'cause I know Darth Vader'. He did not see Vader or the TKs there and when we pulled in to the parking lot, we made our way to the front door. When Vader walked out, Dylan turned bright red and clung to my hand. That was the day, that I decided I wanted to join. For the next half a year, I would show up to events and get Dylan's pics taken with all the troops".

Rob's favorite events so far as a member have been the 2007 Thanksgiving Day Parade and various Motor City Comic Cons. In his own words, "Motor City is a fun time to hang out with friends and meet new ones from other Garrisons. It has gotten bigger with each year, and in 2010 I am running it for the 501st. I have big shoes to fill, as Jay Shimko and Dan Provost have done a great job over the past years." Rob says that joining the 501st has changed his life in many ways such as meeting "a ton of people that I hope to be friends with for a long time, even after my 501st days".

Outside of the Legion, Rob is a manager for a medical supply warehouse and lives in Livonia with his fiancee Diana (who is also a member of the GLG) and their son, Dylan who also likes to troop. Rob's hobbies include playing paintball (which he used to play competitively), airsoft and a little bit of gaming thrown in for good measure. Rob's accomplishments outside the 501st include being an Eagle Scout, a rank which only about 2% of all boys who join the Boy Scouts attain, and placing in the top 3 nationally with his paintball team.

View Rob's profile...