Two new troopers follow their father into service with the Virginia State Police

Rob and Jon Black graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy last week

June 27, 2011|Joe Dashiell | Reporter

ROANOKE CO.,Va. —

It's not unusual for a son to follow his father into the family business, but what if it's two sons, and the father is a Virginia State Trooper? That's exactly what happened Monday in western Virginia.

When Rob Black first looked at the handbook for the Virginia State Police Academy he was concerned. "Saw that it was 37 long weeks," he said in an interview with News 7. "It seemed like a very, very, very long time away."

Now, he and his brother Jon are beginning their careers as Virginia State Troopers, following the path their father, Sgt. Bob Black, took 33 years ago. "It makes me very proud that my sons want to follow in my footsteps," Black told News 7.

Now 27 and 24, Rob and Jon Black have looked forward to serving as state troopers since they were young children. The brothers were members of the training class that graduated Friday at Virginia State Police Headquarters near Richmond.

"We've known since Jon was four years old," Bob Black told us. "He would wait until I parked the car. He'd come running out, jump up in the seat with me, grab hold of the steering wheel and say let's go get 'em daddy."

A family photo shows Rob behind the wheel of a parked cruiser when he was nine or ten. "Everybody knew as soon as we were born, we were going to be troopers," Rob Black said.

Both sons say they are proud to follow in their father's footsteps. "To be honest with you it feels great," said Jon Black. "I mean I can be out there doing what he did his entire career, saving lives and helping people."

On a day when the state flag was flying at half staff for a trooper killed in a traffic accident in King George County, the veteran was sharing advice with his sons. "Just remember, you're not invincible," Bob Black told his sons.

"We bleed. We cry. We laugh, but they're not invincible. If I can drill that point home hard enough and long enough, hopefully it will take effect," Black said.

The brothers believe they are well-prepared. They've already made their parents proud. Now they say they're focused on becoming the best state troopers they can be.

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