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In the Land of Two Rivers, Three Cousins Serve Together

By Cpl. Brian Reimers

Part One
In Their Own Words: News From Americans Fighting On the Frontlines
This article is part of a special series written by Marines stationed in Fallujah, Iraq—the city of mosques. In this story, you’ll learn about three cousins, all stationed at Camp Baharia. The word baharia is a shortened form of the Arabic phrase mushaat al-baharia, which means navy walkers, or, in this case, Marines. Fallujah lies 40 miles west of Baghdad in the al-Anbar province, a powder keg of insurgent and terrorist activity.

Camp Baharia, Iraq: Three Marines here don’t have to worry about missing their family while they’re deployed. They just packed some of their relatives along. Lance Cpls. Kenny P. Downey, Ryan J. Pugsley, and Joseph R. Pugsley are serving together with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5. They’re stationed together in Fallujah, Iraq.

“It is nice having all three of us here,” Joseph said. “Everyone says that the Corps is like a family. For us it is a reality.”

The trio hasn’t always been so lucky to serve alongside one another.

“It was a domino effect for the three of us,” said Downey. “I started my career in the Marines and the other two cousins followed in, one after another. It seemed like while one of us was going to boot camp, the next one in line was going to school, then off to our units.”

Growing up together as kids and meeting for family functions was always a priority. The day they all met as part of the “Few and the Proud” was a day that stood out in their minds. “I remember the first time we were all together as United States Marines,” said Downey. “The only thing I could say was, wow.”

Familiar company is reassuring to the three. However, it makes for a few tense moments throughout the deployment.

“It’s a Double-edge sword,” says Joseph. “While we are together on base, we can talk about family and joke around, but when we go out into the city it is just more to worry about.”

“You hear about things happening in the city, people getting wounded and convoys being hit and it makes you wonder if it is one of your family members,” added Downey.

Only two of the family members were scheduled to deploy to Iraq with the battalion, Downey and Joseph. That didn’t sit well with Ryan.

“I didn’t want to be the only Marine in the family at home,” said Ryan, the battalion’s optics chief. “I had heard the unit needed more optics’ Marines so I requested to deploy with them and it all worked out.”

Not only did deploying together work out for them, but so did living in the same area on base and talking about home.

“Who would of thought that we would live right next to each other as well,” Downey said. “Throughout the day we all go off to do our jobs and at night we all meet back up to be together.”

The cousins often find themselves mirroring things here that they do together back home.

“At times it’s weird,” Downey said. “The other day Ryan and I were sitting in the back of a Humvee talking about home, the same thing we do at home in the back of his pick-up truck—minus the combat gear.”

Cpl. Brian Reimers is a U.S. Marine and is stationed in Fallujah, Iraq.