BAGHDAD—Wartime service often separates soldiers from their families during the holidays, but when family members serve near each other in the war zone, holidays can still be family time. Two brothers, assigned to Multi-National Division - Baghdad and Multi-National Division - North spent Christmas together in Iraq after their units coordinated the family reunion.
It was not the first time that Capt. Jordan Enger, commander of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division got to see his younger brother during this tour. The armor officer from Houston, Texas, flew from Joint Security Station Istiqlaal to Combat Outpost Cobra Oct. 18 to administer the oath to his younger brother, Spc. Jared Enger, a cavalry scout in Troop C, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division who reenlisted for six more years of service.
"I'm really proud of him and what he's accomplished," Capt. Enger said of his younger brother. Spc. Enger feels the same towards his older brother. "I think he's a good commander, he really looks out for his soldiers."
With both brothers serving their second tour in the Global War on Terror, their family is evenly split for the holidays. They have no other siblings, and their parents back in Houston are glad that the brothers saw each other during Christmas.
"The Squadron commander and command sergeant major really worked hard to get him out here to JSS Istiqlaal," Capt. Enger said as the two brothers worked together on Christmas Day.
His participation in the squadron's activities did not end there, though. On his first night at JSS Istiqlaal, Spc. Enger accompanied his brother to the station's firebase, where he hung rounds with the mortar section during the unit's final planned fire mission of the deployment. The next day he boxed alongside other Troop A soldiers in the squadron's boxing tournament.
Opportunities to see each other have not been frequent. Both have now served in the Army, at different duty stations for several years. During their first tour, they only saw each other in Kuwait as they passed through the theater gateway, one heading into combat, the other on the way back to the United States. They are both optimistic, though, that the relatively small size of the armor branch will give them opportunities to serve near each other in the future.
Date Taken: | 12.25.2009 |
Date Posted: | 12.28.2009 08:57 |
Story ID: | 43198 |
Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
Web Views: | 401 |
Downloads: | 342 |
This work, Brothers reunite for Christmas, by 1LT Joshua Risher, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.