FORT STEWART, Ga. - Brothers in Arms is a common turn of phrase when referring to fellow military members, however, for two Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, it has a much more literal meaning.
For Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento and Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento, both brothers from Modesto, Calif., there has not been much time the brothers has spent apart since joining the Army.
"We joined the Army the same time, went to Advanced Individual Training together, but the amazing part is we ended up in the same division, same battalion, same company, and until recently the same platoon," said Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento.
"Yeah, everyone we meet always asks us if we came in on the Army's buddy program," said Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento. "Even after we tell them no, they still don't believe us."
Both Edgar, 28, and Sergio, 25, grew up together in Modesto, Calif., along with their two older brothers and younger sister. However, while both had wanted to join the Army from an early age, neither brother spoke of their intentions to each other.
"We both wanted to be infantry Soldiers growing up, but we just never talked about it with each other," Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento said. "It wasn't until after going to community college just one day my Sergio calls me up asking for info like my Social Security Number and stuff. I had to ask him why do you need this stuff for, and he was like hey I'm joining the Army and thought you'd like to do it too."
"I called him basically right outside the recruiters office," said Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento, jokingly. "I just wanted to see if he'd be interested, and it turned out that it was something we both had been thinking about for a long time."
For Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento, becoming a combat medic was fitting after attending Junior College for Sports Medicine, however, Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento the choice to become a combat medic was for different reasons.
"I really wanted to be an infantry Soldier, but after talking to our oldest brother he told me find something with a transferable skill so I decided to go with Combat Medic as well," said Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento.
Recently both brothers participated in the battalions training at the National Training Center in preparation for the unit's upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
"NTC was actually a really good experience," said Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento. "We were both a little nervous about the upcoming deployment, but after NTC I think we're both excited about it."
Private First Class Sergio Sarmiento agreed.
"Yeah definitely NTC kind of gave us an idea of what the deployment will be like and it really helped work through those nerves about deploying," Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento said.
Even though the brother's Family has their concerns over the upcoming deployment, the support from each other and Family Members helps qualm everyone's concerns, Pfc. Edgar Sarmiento said.
"Of course our Family has concerns about the deployment, but they all gain strength knowing that we'll be together watching out for each other," said Pfc. Sergio Sarmiento.
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