Twins stick together, even on deployment

  • Published
  • By Capt. Shellie L. Russell
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  For the past month, people here have been seeing double but family and friends of Staff Sgts. Sharon and Lerinda Carle have been seeing double for 22 years.

Ever since these identical twins joined the Air Force two weeks after graduating from high school in Silverton, Idaho, their careers have mirrored each other. They went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, followed by technical school at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for their identical vehicle operator/dispatcher specialty.

After technical school, they finally did something different -- move apart. While Lerinda headed east to the 43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Pope AFB, N.C., Sharon took a hop across the Atlantic to join the 31st LRS at Aviano AB, Italy.

Although they kept in contact, it took a war to physically bring them back together. And, it is just like they were never apart.

“I remember when we first found out (Sharon’s) sister was coming in to replace us,” said 1st Lt. Gina Ortiz, executive officer for the 2632nd Air Expeditionary Force Truck Company and deployed from Grand Forks AFB, N.D. “It was right around the time we were sending our first group of troops home. We asked her if she would like to go home, and she said, ‘No! I want to be here for my sister.’”

Sharon arrived in Balad in late March following more training at Fort Leonard Wood and live-fire training in theater. Although she could have been assigned as an Airman-Soldier providing security for convoys, she is quite satisfied that her duties have kept her “inside the wire.”

“My family and fiancé are relieved,” she said.

This is Sharon’s first deployment to Iraq. The hardest part has been missing her fiancé, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey DesJardins, who is deployed to Afghanistan. They have been engaged since Jan. 22, but she has not been able to meet his family because her deployment training began in February. Lerinda has not met Sergeant DesJardins either. The first time they will meet may be at the wedding, which has been postponed until Lerinda returns from her deployment sometime next spring.

Lerinda is just starting this deployment, but she had already done a deployment in Iraq last year. The hardest part for her is missing her 2-year-old daughter, MaKayla.

“I worry she won’t remember me,” Lerinda said.

She missed MaKayla’s birthday during pre-deployment training this summer and missed her first birthday last year when she was deployed to Kirkuk Air Base.

The twins said they are interested in retraining. Do not be surprised to see this mirror image in the same Zip code again soon -- both want to get into the medical field and become nursing assistants.