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CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (11/5/2012) – One Marine never expected
his reunion with his brother would take place moments before an
operation over Helmand province, Afghanistan.
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October 31, 2012 - Captain Dustin Kerlin, pilot, Medium Tiltrotor
Squadron 161, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, recently reunited with his
brother, Lt. Col. Matthew Kerlin, deputy commander, Embedded
Training Team, 777 Squadron. Photo by USMC Cpl. Timothy Lenzo
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Captain Dustin Kerlin, pilot, Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161,
recently enjoyed flying with his brother while the two are deployed.
Dustin savored the rare moment when his brother, Lt. Col.
Matthew Kerlin, deputy commander, Embedded Training Team, 777
Squadron, arrived on Camp Bastion before the operation. Family
members do not often deploy together, and Dustin appreciated the
opportunity.
“Getting to meet up with my brother in
Afghanistan was the highlight of my career,” said Dustin. “It was
great to get to see him.”
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The brothers, from Albion, Ind.,
reunited on the flightline on Camp Bastion. It was a brief meeting
before a joint operation with the two units.
“I am thankful anytime I get to see a member of the
family,” said Matthew. “Even if it is for only 20 minutes on
a flightline in Afghanistan.”
The operation involved
transporting servicemembers into Helmand
province.
The brothers do not see each other often.
Their family is scattered across the United States making it
difficult to meet.
“It was great to see him,” said
Dustin. “My brother has always been a mentor personally and
professionally for me.”
Like many families, the
brothers picked up right where they left off. Even with
years between the last time they saw each other, it was easy
to be themselves with one another.
The rest of the
Kerlin family was shocked but pleased to hear the brothers
got to work together.
“Being dispersed across the
U.S. makes it even better when we have a chance to get
together,” said Matthew.
While the chance to work
together surprised the two Marine pilots, the fact that they
both chose to be pilots did not surprise anyone. Their
father had his private pilot's license. He took them flying
when they were children. This sparked their love for flying
at a young age.
“As long as I can remember, he would
take us up in his plane,” said Dustin. “We would fly low by
the house, do tricks like stalls and go to air shows.”
For the brothers, the experiences shaped their lives.
“He is the reason I am a Marine pilot, and it's also his
fault I am a helicopter pilot,” said Matthew. “Flying is his
passion, and his knowledge of military aircraft is
incredible.”
When Matthew was a young teen, he went
to a small airport with an old Bell-47, a two-bladed, light
helicopter. Matthew paid $100 and experienced his first
helicopter flight.
Whether it was Matthew taking
rides in helicopters or taking Dustin flying by their house,
the two Marines were hooked.
Now many years later and
thousands of miles away from their hometown, the brothers
got an early holiday gift. For one operation they flew
together, the Afghanistan skyline temporarily replacing the
Indiana landscape of their childhood.
By USMC Cpl. Timothy Lenzo
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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