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Sgt.
David Haines, left, the Afghan National Army development chief,
Afghan National Security Force Development, I Marine Expeditionary
Force (Forward), and his twin brother Petty Officer 2nd Class
Michael Haines, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment,
reunite at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan on September 12, 2012. The
brothers, who are from Moscow, Idaho, are both on their first combat
deployment, and the first time they have been together in five
years, except for a few days during Christmas leave. Photo by USMC
Sgt. John Jackson
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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (9/12/2012)
While Sgt. David
Haines and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Haines do not necessarily
compete against one another, the 24-year-old twin brothers often
wrangle back and forth as if they are teenagers fighting for a Playstation controller. Whether they are trash talking about the
others military branch or arguing about dates of events, the
brothers playfully interact like adolescents still living together
on a daily basis.
Growing up, the Haines brothers had
different interests. Michael ran track, worked and even spent the
better part of a year living in Italy with his sister. David spent
his free time practicing the piano, playing in a jazz band and
taking drama classes at the local college. However, the brothers
have always remained close.
The two graduated from Moscow
Senior High School in Moscow, Idaho, during June 2006. After
spending a few months out of school, David knew he wanted something
different.
“I needed a change of pace,” David said. “My
brother-in-law was trying to talk me into the Navy, but the Navy
didn't really interest me. The Marine recruiter was right next door
and totally sold me.”
During January 2007, David left Idaho
to become a Marine, and his twin brother was thinking about doing
the same.
“I always wanted to join,” Michael said. “I had
gotten married right out of high school. When we found out that my
wife at the time was pregnant, I knew I needed to take care of my
family, and I could finally do what I wanted.”
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For the past five years, Michael and David have shared
two duty stations. However, they have not been stationed
together at the same time. The brothers have both been
assigned to units in Okinawa, Japan, and are both currently
assigned to units at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
David, the Afghan National Army development chief, Afghan
National Security Force Development, I Marine Expeditionary Force
(Forward), deployed from Camp Pendleton to Afghanistan during
February 2012. His brother, who is a corpsman, checked into his
current unit, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, during April 2012
and deployed to Afghanistan during the summer of 2012. This is the
first time the bothers have deployed to a combat zone and the first
time they have been together in five years, except for a few days
during Christmas leave.
“It's pretty interesting,” Michael
said. “We always kept missing one another at our previous duty
stations. It's pretty cool that we are here together though.”
Although being deployed in the same area is nice for the
brothers, David has found himself on the edge of his seat the past
few months.
“I was really looking forward to (Michael)
getting here, but to be honest it has made me a bit anxious,” David
said. “Being a part of the MEF and knowing about the kinetics in the
area and seeing casualty reports, I was always making sure it wasn't
my brother or his unit that was getting hit. It makes it a bit
different tracking those things, especially having your twin brother
out there.”
Michael is wrapping up his approximate 90-day
deployment and will be headed back to Camp Pendleton in the coming
days. However, until he redeploys, the brothers look forward to
spending some time together.
The two enjoy being a part of
the U.S. Armed Forces, and both are thinking about pursuing an
officer career in their respective branches. With 15 or more years
remaining in the military, it may mean many long waits before
uniting again, but the bothers will always remain close. The twins
will take whatever opportunity they have to talk to one another,
even if it is on the other side of the world in a combat zone.
By USMC Sgt. John Jackson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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