TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- One is the older, “more mature” sister, freely giving advice and guiding her younger sibling -- even if she is only senior by about two minutes.
The sisters, two of a set of quadruplets born to Joanne and Reginald L. Brown Sr., are deployed here together from their home units at Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Airman 1st Class Lattrice Goldsby, a fire protection journeyman with the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, is the second born while Airman 1st Class Shawn Brown, a force protection specialist here, is the baby of the group.
Reginald Brown Jr. is the oldest and the only male of the quads while Jocelyn Brown’s birth falls between the two Airmen.
From the time they were born 21 years ago, the quads had never spent more than a few weeks away from each other. That changed when the two sisters decided to join the military.
Military service is not a tradition with the Brown family; so the Airmen said it was no surprise when their sister and the rest of the family were a little taken aback by their plans to enlist.
“At first it was a shock,” Ms. Brown said, “just the thought of them going into the military. Lattice and Shawn were very good students and always earned the better grades out of the quads; so I really didn’t understand why (they would join the military).”
Airman Brown acknowledges she was the driving force behind that decision.
“After I graduated from high school, I didn’t want to go to school full time anymore and thought by joining the military I could work and go to school,” she said.
Airman Brown’s plans swayed Airman Goldsby to join -- not for the schooling or the experience -- but because she “didn’t want Shawn to have to go by herself,” she said smiling.
The sisters signed up with the same recruiter in Frederick, Md., enlisting as open general candidates and went off to basic training together at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
There they were assigned to the same flight which made basic training easier, Airman Goldsby said, “knowing you were going through it with someone you were close to.”
After graduation, the sisters went their separate ways with Airman Goldsby heading to technical school at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, and Airman Brown moving over to another unit at Lackland for career training as a supply troop.
While in technical school, Airman Goldsby was notified she was heading to Kadena, and Airman Brown was destined for Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. Thanks to an assignment switch with another Airman, however, Airman Brown arrived at Kadena ahead of her sister.
It might seem strange to some to be stationed together and then deployed with your sibling in a combat zone, but the sisters said it seems normal.
“After everything else, having her here with me seems like the way it should be,” Airman Goldsby said.
Even though they are deployed together, contact is limited.
As a member of Tallil’s fire department, Airman Goldsby lives in a separate compound while her sister lives in the base’s tent city.
“We don’t get to spend much time together because I work long hours with force protection,” Airman Brown said, “but we get together for things like combat bingo or dinner. When I have a day off we spend time together too.”
Additionally, Airman Goldsby said she visits her sister in her tent when she is not working.
Airman Brown said she has always felt like the baby of the group.
“Lattice still tries to tell me what to do,” Airman Brown said. “It’s always been that way … she’s the more mature one and tries to put me in check … most of the time it works.”
“I do like to give advice,” Airman Goldsby acknowledged as the two sisters shared a look.
And, with both women deployed to a combat zone, Airman Goldsby continues to fill the role of “big” sister.
“I worry about her because you never know what can happen,” Airman Goldsby said. “In the back of your mind, you always think about it. It’s always good when I see her walking up the road.
“It means a lot being away from home and overseas,” Airman Goldsby said. “It’s good to have that face-to-face contact with your sibling. You know how they’re doing, and you can go check on them when you want to.”
Although they are thankful they are deployed here together, the sisters remember the two quads they left behind.
“Reginald doesn’t tend to worry so much,” Airman Brown said, “but Jocelyn, she worries.”
“She took it really hard when we left,” Airman Goldsby said of their sister. “The girls are very, very close, and we try to stay in contact with her often.”
“Being in Iraq at this time isn’t where we would want them to be,” Ms. Brown said. “There are a lot of things going on that scare me everyday, just thinking that my sisters are over there is even worse. I just pray everyday that they come home safely and they never have to witness the violence, abuse, hatred and sacrifices that are made.”
But, now that it has been some time since her sisters enlisted, she said it is obvious to her why they made the choice to join the Air Force.
“The military is helping them to achieve their goals,” she said. “I think it’s a great experience for them. They’re able to see how other cultures adapt and use the resources they have to survive.”