Soldier Siblings Serve Together
(May 6, 2010) |
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Army Pfc. Jessica Kimball and Army Pvt. Logan Yost pose for a photo
May 3, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Lightning in Afghanistan's
Paktia province. |
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PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, May 4, 2010 – Sibling rivalry
isn't a problem for a brother and sister from Collegeville,
Pa., who are serving a deployment here together.
“My brother was my best friend growing up; he was all I
had,” said Army Pfc. Jessica Kimball, 20, a mechanic
assigned to Company B, 82nd Division Special Troops
Battalion out of Fort Bragg, N.C. “I didn't have the
picture-perfect childhood.”
Kimball was 11 when her grandmother died, and she was placed
into her brother's family for foster care. She said her
brother, Army Pvt. Logan Yost, 21, an infantryman assigned
to the same unit, always took her under his wing.
Kimball said she planned to go to college, but couldn't
afford it. After hearing about GI Bill education benefits,
she decided to see a recruiter.
“The recruiter mentioned the opportunity to go Airborne,
[and] being of competitive nature, it intrigued me,” she
said. “I talked it over with |
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my brother. He did not want me to go alone, so we both joined the
Army together.” |
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After basic training and Airborne School, the siblings were
assigned to the same airborne unit. Soon, they deployed to
Afghanistan, where they have been on several missions
together and look out for each other.
“Sometimes we would be outside the wire for several days in
a row,” Yost said. “At night, we would all take turns
staying awake to pull security. When it was Jessica's turn,
I would go sit with her to keep her company so she wouldn't
be alone.” His sister returned the favor when it was his
turn for security detail, he added.
“I feel for anyone who has siblings in the military,” Yost
said. “We are lucky to have gotten stationed together,
because most of the time siblings get split up and sent
halfway around the world from each other.”
The siblings already were close when they joined the
military, they said, but their time in Afghanistan has made
their bond stronger.
“The deployment has brought us closer together,” Kimball
said. “It is like a hardcore friendship, and it is
comforting to know someone has your back in a foreign
country away from anything we've ever known.” | |
Article and photo by Airman 1st Class Laura Goodgame,
USAF Regional Command East
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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