Michael Jordan's older brother is shipping out to Iraq.

Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Jordan has asked to stay in the Army for a year beyond his mandatory retirement date so he could complete a deployment to Iraq with the 35th Signal Brigade.

"We are currently at war," the older Jordan told The Fayetteville Observer. "We are doing things, and it requires leaders to do certain things. That's what I am, a leader."

The 47-year-old Jordan, who entered basic training in 1975 and had three assignments in South Korea, would normally start winding down his 30-year Army career in the spring.

His job is to help get the brigade to Iraq and back and provide communications for the 18th Airborne Corps.