Brothers in Arms

Hauser Lake’s most famous Marines, Robert and Matt Shipp, were headed home for the holidays Wednesday. The twin brothers, and Robert’s wife, Dusty, were due at Spokane International Airport late Wednesday night. The men have been training at separate Southern California bases since spring, when they returned from their first tours of duty in the Middle East.

Here is a glimpse at some of the Marines serving with Cpl. Matthew Shipp in India Battery of the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment. The battery is based at Twentynine Palms, Calif., and began a tour of duty in Iraq in October. Lance Cpl. Stephan Bush, of Pennsylvania, has two brothers in the military, including an identical twin who recently finished a 15-month tour in Iraq. His older brother served on the USS Germantown with Matthew's twin, Lance Cpl. Robert Shipp. "We miss each other a lot," Bush said of his twin. His mother keeps three stars in her window to signify the service of her sons.

In early November, Lance Cpl. Robert Shipp began a seven-month deployment aboard the USS Germantown. He was among several hundred Marines serving with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Their mission is constantly in flux — they might be called upon to provide assistance after a tsunami or they could be sent to combat. When they're not involved in what the Marines call "a real world contingency," the men undergo training. Each day on the deployment is a bit different, but here is a glimpse at a day in late February when the Marines returned to the ship after spending nearly two months training in Kuwait. 0300: The Marines awake in their barracks in the desert of Kuwait, mistakenly believing this early hour to be the time to muster for the bus, which will take them back to the USS Germantown.

Robert Shipp and his twin, Matthew, were raised in a tightly knit family in a house overlooking Hauser Lake, Idaho. They have a younger brother, CJ, 15, who is a sophomore at Lakeland Senior High School in Rathdrum. Their big sister, Lacey, 23, helps her parents, Dennis and Leslee, run the family business, The Hauser Lake Resort. Lacey is also a senior at Lewis-Clark State College. In late October, two weeks before deploying, Robert married Dusty Smith, of Hayden, in a hastily arranged ceremony. Although the young Marine looks forward to reuniting with his twin, his new wife and his family, he has also found a new family within the 3rd Platoon of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "Marines give the brotherhood nobody else has," Robert said recently.