Bio, via Politico:

The son of a lawyer and Protestant pastor, Brooks decided to join the Army when he was in high school in Cleveland. “I’ve always liked being a part of something that’s bigger than me,” he said. Although he was inspired by his grandfather, a patrol torpedo boat commander in the Navy, he enrolled at West Point. After graduating in 1997, he served in a variety of infantry duty positions as a platoon leader based at Fort Bragg, N.C. Meanwhile, he got married and had two children. Then came Sept. 11, 2001. “That changed everything,” he said. Brooks served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and then again in 2006. When he came back the second time, he started to think about the next assignment after command. He decided to apply for the Army fellowship in Cornyn’s office because he craved knowledge of policy, and the Texas senator’s views on the war aligned with his own. “The senator is a steadfast supporter of the troops and the mission,” Brooks said. “He knows a precipitous withdrawal would lead to chaos in the region. He gets it.” During his time on Capitol Hill, Brooks has been impressed with the political process. “The folks here have good intentions,” he said. “They’re trying to do the right thing.” He remembered the first time he went to the Senate floor with Cornyn to hear him speak about staying the course in Iraq. “That was the moment it struck me,” Brooks said. “The senator was translating the emotional investment I had in Iraq and was putting it to paper. He gave voice to my concerns.” Still, Brooks has no plans to stay in politics once his fellowship ends. “This experience has made me a well-rounded individual,” he said, “but my aspirations aren’t political. My passion is leading troops.”