What are the odds of twin brothers joining the Marines and both being deployed to Iraq? Pretty high, as it turns out - but what about the odds of a chance meeting between them ...
Lance Cpl. Scott Siska was in Kuwait on his way home to Camp Pendleton, Calif., with the Marine Corps' 1st Service Support Group after a seven-month tour in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Kevin Siska was headed into Iraq with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion's Company C, Weapons Platoon, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for a similar tour.
The brothers' mother, Carol Siska of Mantua, Ohio, said she had hoped her 20-year-old sons would get a chance to see each other while they were in Kuwait, but she knew the chances were slim. And they got slimmer and slimmer as Scott's return date kept changing.
"On (Scott's) deployment schedule everyday there were two groups that were being sent from his base (in Iraq) into Kuwait. First it was going to be March 5, and then it was going to be (a later date). You know, it kept fluctuating back and forth and changing," Carol said. "We knew Kevin was leaving (Camp Lejeune) March 7 and that he'd go right to Kuwait."
Scott had left a message on his brother's cell phone saying he had good news and bad news. His unit was finally heading to Kuwait but wouldn't be there until March 8. He figured he would probably miss Kevin.
As Scott tells it, his unit had finally gotten into Kuwait and took the opportunity during the brief stop to eat. He struck up a conversation with another group of Marines at the table. When he found out they were from Lejeune and what unit they were with, he asked if they knew "Siska".
"They looked at me, and they're like, 'You are Siska,'" he said. "They thought they were already talking to (my brother). They had no clue."
When they put two and two together, one of the Lejeune Marines told Scott to stay put.
Scott didn't quite understand why, but he stayed put. Shortly he heard the sound of feet running up behind him and saw the expression of the Marines sitting across from him. The Marine had gone to find his brother.
"I couldn't say anything," Scott said. "I was just totally amazed that he was there."
You can read the rest of the story here.
As wonderful as the Siska brothers' story is, here is another twist on twins. I give you the Hanson brothers - Cpl. Dustin Hanson and Cpl. Kyle Hanson. The Hansons are serving together at Camp Fallujah with Engineer Platoon, C Company, 8th Communication Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, where they are heavy equipment operators.
Looks like good things come in pairs - Semper Fi, Marines! |
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