Courtesy Photo | BM3 Brenda Bryant of USS Chafee (DDG-90) and ICFN Nathan Bryant of the USS Chosen...... read more read more
By Ensign Kristina Melendez
USS Chosin Public Affairs
Two siblings, Sailors aboard USS Chosin (CG-65) and USS Chafee (DDG-90), recently had the rare opportunity to have an impromptu family reunion at sea aboard the USS Chosin, Sept. 9.
The siblings, who hail from Wichita, Kansas, shared a special moment when Boatswain's Mate Third Class Brenda Bryant of Chafee stepped off a small boat onto the decks of Chosin, where she met her kid brother, Interior Communications Electrician Fireman Nathan Bryant.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime, absolutely amazing thing," beamed BM3 Bryant of the chance to see her brother. "To be able to see someone you care about this far from home is nice."
The close relationship shared by the Bryants had a lot to do with the meeting. Two years after watching his big sister leave to go to boot camp, ICFN Bryant followed suit and requested to be assigned to a Pearl Harbor-home-ported ship, so they could be close. But when Chafee deployed, and then Chosin soon after, the two figured it would be awhile before they saw each other again.
"I didn't expect to see her until after returning from deployment," says ICFN Bryant.
The two say they send each other e-mails three or four times a day. But when they learned that their ships would be operating in close proximity, they submitted request chits through their chain-of-command for a visit, and the reunion was approved.
"I'm happy about the support from both of our commands," says ICFN Bryant. The two were given an entire day to spend time together'something that does not happen too often for any Sailor on deployment. In the midst of high-intensity work schedules and watches, this was a much-needed break for both. The pair could be seen walking around laughing and ribbing each other in the usual brother-sister fashion throughout the day.
As BM3 Bryant left Chosin later in the day, her little brother jokingly called out, "You'll still be waiting on the pier for me when we get back from deployment, right?"
"Of course!" was the reply.
Chosin and Chafee are currently deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility to conduct maritime security operations (MSO). MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons, or other material.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2005 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 3062 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 292 |
| Downloads: | 85 |
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