Photo By Lance Cpl. Kelvin Clark | Lance Cpl. Jordan Hawkins, a communication navigation technician with Marine Fighter...... read more read more
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A brother knows everything about you: your strengths, weaknesses, secrets and the high and low points of your life. He has always been there for you. He will always have your back. Keeping this in mind may bring a Marine comfort while deployed.
Now, imagine how one Marine felt when he found out his brother would be right there with him on deployment.
Lance Cpl. Jordan Hawkins, a communication navigation technician with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312, is fortunate to have his brother, Navy Seaman James Hawkins, an electrician’s mate with ship’s company of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, with him during the Checkerboards’ seven-month deployment aboard the Truman.
James, 21, and Jordan, 19, both followed their oldest brother’s footsteps by going into the military; however, they went their separate ways when it came time to enlist.
“When Jordan and I decided to join the military, we joined with a group of our closest friends, and we all wanted something different for our lives,” James said. “Although it crosses my mind sometimes about wishing I joined the Corps, the Navy has been a great experience and has been a good stepping stone for me in my life.”
Even though they are different when it comes to which branch of service they raised their right hands for, James and Jordan have many similarities.
This is the first deployment for both of them, and they are both married. James has no children, but Jordan has a 2-year-old son and is expecting another in August.
“The Marine Corps has been good to me and my family,” Jordan said. “It has helped me get back in shape since high school, the financial benefits have helped set my family in place while I’m away and it has assisted me in being a better man.”
This deployment aboard the Truman affords the brothers the same opportunities they had available to them before they joined the military.
“I haven’t seen Jordan for almost two years because I have been on the ship, so every chance we get to interact with each other is valuable,” James said. “We catch up on the times we’ve spent away from each other, and we try and speak to our parents and families any chance we get.”
The two have had plenty chances to make up for lost time, as they are often found working out together in the fitness gyms onboard.
While being aboard the Truman gives these two brothers the chance to be with each other, when the deployment is over, their careers will take them down different paths.
According to James, he plans on finishing his contract with the Navy and wants to pursue a career as an architect. For Jordan, he intends on staying in the Corps and retiring.
“Jordan and I don’t compare ranks or our career choices because we know our lives are different,” James said. “The one thing I have been trying to instill in Jordan is to not let the deployment get to him and encourage his decision to re-enlist. I remind my brother to keep his head up and to stay focused on the big picture – namely his family.”
“I will always have his back. He’s my brother, and I will never hesitate to be there for him,” James added.
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2010 13:50 |
| Story ID: | 53640 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 160 |
This work, Brothers at birth, brothers-in-arms, by LCpl Kelvin Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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