Deployed Brother, Sister in Arms Reunite at Southwest Asia Base
(June 17, 2010) |
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Senior Airman Timothy Thulin (right), 380th
Expeditionary Contracting Squadron is 1st Lt.
Barbara Sartin's (left), 963rd Expeditionary
Airborne Air Control Squadron, little brother.
Both Airmen are deployed to the same undisclosed
locaton in Southwest Asia, June 9, 2010. Photo by Master Sgt. Scott Sturkol |
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SOUTHWEST ASIA (June 14, 2010) - She's blonde. He's
brunette. She wears a tan flight suit. He wears a green
camouflaged air battle uniform. She's an officer. He's
enlisted. Despite these differences, they both have the same
exact shade of blue-gray eyes.
They're brother and sister and they are both deployed to the
same undisclosed base in Southwest Asia.
Senior Airman Timothy Thulin, 380th Expeditionary
Contracting Squadron is 1st Lt. Barbara Sartin's, 963rd
Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron, little brother.
"We see more of each other now than we have in the last six
years," said Thulin who is a contracting specialist deployed
from the 1st Special Operations Contracting Squadron out of
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
His sister Sartin is a navigator on the E-3 Sentry airborne
warning and control systems aircraft and is deployed from
the 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron out of Tinker Air
Force Base, Okla. |
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Although they are deployed from different parts of the
country, they were close growing up as the only two siblings
in their family. They spent much of their youth traveling
together as a family from base to base around Europe while
their dad was serving in the Air Force.
"Barb was a great older sister growing up," said Thulin, 25,
who joined the Air Force then convinced his sister whose 3
and a half years his elder, into joining.
Thulin said he wanted to follow his dad's footsteps - a
22-year master sergeant who eventually settled the family in
his hometown of Leslie, Mich., after retirement. Before
that, they grew up at Mather Air Force Base, Calif.; McGuire
AFB, N.J.; Sembach AFB, Germany; and Mountain Home AFB,
Idaho.
"Luck," is how they came to be here together again. "I was
tasked back in October for a six-month rotation starting in
May. I found out a few months before I left that my sister
would be deployed here as well," said Airman Thulin.
Even though they don't see each other that often due to
their schedules, they get to share some quality time and
some meals together periodically. Both say it is nice having
family here because it make things easier when you miss
home.
Being deployed overseas with a family member is uncommon. "A
lot of people are quite astounded that we got deployed to
the same location," said Sartin. "He [Thulin] has gotten to
meet a lot of the people I work with and the comment is
always, 'Is that really your brother.'"
But identical smiles and an unmistakable resemblance are
dead giveaways of their relationship.
Throughout their lives the sister, brother duo have done a
lot together, especially now that they are deployed within
the same wing. But there is one thing they still have not
done - exchange salutes.
"The opportunity has not come up yet," said Thulin.
Thulin said he's hoping to get commissioned in the near
future, until then, while he's deployed with his officer
older sister, he may get the opportunity to render her a
salute after all. |
By USAF Capt. Cathleen Snow
380th Air Expeditionary Wing
Copyright 2010 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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