Siblings reunite while deployed in Afghanistan - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Siblings reunite while deployed in Afghanistan

With the help of their dad’s letter to a general, three Army siblings with Benton County roots were able to reunite recently in Afghanistan after a four-year separation.

The trio met last month at Forward Operating Base Salerno, in Khowst Province near the Pakistan border.

Biological brothers Sgt. Nicholaus Hale, 25, and Sgt. Adam Hale, 22, held a joyous reunion Jan. 6 with their stepsister, Capt. Rikki Salyers, 26. The Hales are infantrymen; Salyers is a member of the Indiana National Guard’s 4-19th Agribusiness Development Team. Salyers trained at Purdue for her deployment assignment.

“The reunion was unreal,” Salyers said from Indianapolis, where she is on leave until Friday. “Coordinating everybody and the travel was difficult.

“When you are in Afghanistan, you aren’t around family. Getting to be with family is unreal.”

Salyers said before the reunion, the most recent time the siblings had been together was four years ago when their parents flew them to Arkansas for Christmas.

Although they are stepsiblings, Salyers, a native of Oxford, refers to them as brothers.

“Technically they’re my stepbrothers, but I’ve never considered them that,” said Salyers, who works with the women’s outreach program. “We’ve been together since I was in fourth grade, so they are my brothers.”

The soldiers’ dad, retired Marine Steve Hale, lives in Sherwood, Ark. He wrote a letter to Army Maj. Gen. Daniel Allyn requesting the reunion of the siblings.

“I tried to connect the dots through official means,” Hale said. “I emailed the general (telling him) where the kids are generally. Within four days, they got the boys down to where my daughter is.

“My boys are on the Pakistani border at 16,000 feet, and there is nothing there.”

Steve Hale was raised in Oxford in Benton County. His parents, Jayne and Ray Hale, still live in Oxford.

“We’re proud of them,” Ray Hale said of his grandchildren. “Having three siblings serving at the same time in a war zone is notable, and the fact that they were brought together for a reunion is not only wonderful, but unusual.

“I’m glad Steve was able to get it done. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve seen all the kids. We get a call at Christmas.”

Steve Hale was deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired after 27 years and now works as a civilian master instructor and supervisor at Camp Robinson, Ark. He is with the hazmat Transportation Assistance Team.

The proud father said he naturally worries about his children’s safety in a war zone.

“But it’s different for me and my wife, Lora, who is retired Army. It is easier for us as veteran parents who have been deployed and have deployed children,” he said.

All three siblings attended Benton Central High School, but only Salyers graduated from the school (2001). Their parents moved to Arkansas when Salyers was at Purdue University.

She said the Salerno base was like a “resort” to her brothers.

“I’m fortunate that we have a PX, a dining facility and Internet access in our rooms,” Salyers said of her base.

“One of the really neat things is we have Skype, and I get to see my fiancé (Andy Mapes of Indianapolis) almost every day.”

Nicholaus Hale is married to Robyn. They have a 3-year-old son, Bryson. Nicholaus in on his third deployment overall and second to Afghanistan. Adam Hale and his wife, Jessica, have two children under 7.

Adam Hale was the last of the siblings to enlist. He remembers talking to his brother about going to see him during this deployment, but no solid plans were made. He said he hadn’t seen his brother and sister for a few years, “so it’s pretty cool to see them over here.”

The trio shared memories at the reunion and had many laughs.

Steve Hale said his children’s deployments are due to end by midsummer. Nicholaus’ tour ends in May, Rikki is finished in June and Adam will be back in July.

Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson of the 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs contributed to this story.