|
Army Twins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Natives Serve In Iraq
(November 2, 2010) | 
|
|
|
Oct. 28, 2010 --
Pfc. Lane Higson and Pfc. Casey Higson, identical twins serving in Iraq with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The twins, natives of Myrtle Beach, S.C., joined the Army together and have not separated since. |
|
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Shortly after identical twins
Pfc. Lane Higson and Pfc. Casey Higson arrived
at Fort Riley, Kan., this spring, they went to
war.
The twins, natives of Myrtle Beach, S.C., joined
the Army just over a year ago using a “buddy
system” option, and together made it through
several grueling months of training. They
arrived at Fort Riley in March hoping to catch a
break after nearly a year of training, but the
Army had different plans. Their unit, the
Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry
Division, was deploying to Iraq, and the twins
were quickly processed, trained, equipped, and
on their way.
Looking back after nearly nine months of
deployment, the 28-year-old twins, (in twin-like
unison), said that they never expected to be in
Iraq, or the military for that matter.
“We do everything together, obviously, and we've
done lots, but we never thought we'd be doing
this,” said Lane.
Before they enlisted, Lane and Casey graduated
from East |
|
Carolina University with bachelor's degrees in psychology. They returned to
Myrtle Beach looking for work, and after two years of working odd jobs, decided
to give the Army a shot. |
|
“In college you couldn't get us anywhere near a recruiter, ROTC, or anything
like that,” said Lane, “but after a few years, we started to get interested in
the possibility of joining.”
“We thought we could join the Army in a mental health related field and help out
the troops coming home with issues like PTSD,” said Casey.
No positions were available, however, and the twins enlisted as communications
specialists – not quite their first choice, but they figured that after spending
a few years among the enlisted ranks they could transfer to the mental health
field with a little front line experience.
They have still managed to get some psychology related work in between their
normal duties though. Both sisters have taken turns working at the Taji Warrior
Resiliency Campus, a facility on Camp Taji designed to provide deployed troops
with access to mental health support and other tools to build their morale and
welfare.
“We're very lucky to get to work here,” said Casey. “We get to help people,
sometimes if it's just by talking to them.”
Some peers in their unit have named Lane and Casey the “double trouble,” which
fits, they said, because they are “like one mind in two bodies.” The twins'
similarity doesn't end at their uncanny resemblance, they said. Lane and Casey
earn the same Army physical fitness test score, eat the same food, read the same
books, and use the same words.
“Being twins is fun, and it's normal for us, we've been sisters our whole
lives,” said Casey. “I think that being in the Army, and especially being in
Iraq, has brought us even closer than we were before.”
The Higsons are scheduled to return to Fort Riley this March at the end of their
unit's tour. They will have a reunion of sorts before that, however, when they
meet their mother in Hawaii for mid-tour leave. | |
Article and photo by Army Spc. Roland Hale
Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
Comment on this article |
|
