FORT LEE, Va. (Nov. 30, 2017) -- With 70,000 military personnel and civilians training at the Sustainment Center of Excellence on a yearly basis, it is not an oddity to see twins and even triplets training together.
What is unusual is the presence of three sets of siblings training in the same military occupational specialty at the same time in the same battalion.
That is the situation at the 59th Ordnance Brigade’s 16th Ordnance Battalion. It has assigned one set of female twins and one set of male twins along with a brother and sister pair who are all training to be wheeled vehicle mechanics.
The Soldiers all said the presence of siblings makes for a much richer training experience.
“It’s really nice having someone to fall back on when you have a really bad day,” said 21-year-old Pvt. James Dongarra, Charlie Company, referring to his 18-year-old half sister Pfc. Nicolette Bailey of Alpha Company. “Nikki’s always had my back, no matter what.”
Dongarra, two weeks behind his sister during basic training and the current course, said their relationship is such that she helps to prepare him for upcoming academic and training events.
“I kind of have an upward advantage on things compared to everyone else,” he said, “because I was able to go to her and ask her questions about a lot of things she went through.”
Dongarra and his sister hail from Cleveland.
Pvts. Jacob and Andrew Strength – 18-year-old twins from Deatsville, Ala. – have been inseparable since birth. They saw firsthand the impact family separation on their fellow battle buddies in basic training and are glad they made the decision to train concurrently.
“In basic (training), it was always hard for other people who weren’t able to see their family,” said Jacob, who is assigned to Charlie Co. along with his brother. “So, every time I woke up and saw him, it was always a good sight to see because there was always somebody there for me.”
Although each pair of siblings expressed the advantages of training together, at least one thinks it’s not a feasible long-term strategy. The 18-year-old Cook twins from Johnstown, Pa., plan to go their separate ways from this point on after a lifetime of doing many things together. Ashley desires to earn a Ph.D. while her sister Haley has an interest in history.
“I want to study art history and become a museum curator,” she said.
Bailey plans to go into the medical field after fulfilling her obligation, and her brother has a goal of opening a substance abuse rehabilitation clinic “to save lives,” he said.
On the contrary, the Strength twins want to start an automobile fabrication business together.
| Date Taken: |
11.30.2017 |
| Date Posted: |
11.30.2017 16:15 |
| Story ID: |
256988 |
| Location: |
JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
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