by Andree Niswander
Reporter
Hudson -- Within three months of each other, siblings Brittany and Brandon Bass were shipped out for military service in the Middle East.
Sgt. Brittany Bass, 24, a 2002 Hudson High School graduate, was deployed with the Ohio Army National Guard's 237th Brigade Support Battalion to Kuwait in March.
1st Lt. Brandon Bass, her 26-year-old big brother who graduated in 2000, was sent to Iraq with the National Guard's 371st Sustainment Brigade in June.
While Brandon was traveling to Iraq, his unit stopped near Brittany's Kuwait installation, enabling officials to arrange two visits for the siblings.
It was, "comforting to meet my brother's battle buddies and know he's with such a great group of soldiers," said Brittany in an Army National Guard press release.
Her brother is grateful to the fellow soldiers who made the meeting with his sister possible, Brandon said via e-mail.
"This is an experience that we can share for the rest of our lives," he added.
For the pair's mother and father, Hudson residents Janice and Bill Bass, knowing that Brittany and Brandon were able to see each other over there was nice, but having two out of their three children serving so far from home is difficult.
"There are a lot of sleepless nights," she said. "You just find yourself hoping ... that they're safe."
Brittany enlisted with the National Guard as a high school senior, while Brandon served with the ROTC during college and switched to the National Guard after being commissioned.
In civilian life, Brittany is a nurse at Akron General Medical Center and Brandon is employed as a mechanical engineer at Haas Door in Wausseon.
With Brandon just married to his wife Carrie in 2006, and Brittany recently engaged to Hudson native Jason Bucur, it was difficult for both soldiers to leave home and head overseas, said Janice, "but they are proud to serve."
Brittany was informed of her deployment right before Christmas 2007.
"I packed my duffle bags with tears in my eyes, leaving behind my family and nursing job. However, now that my deployment is ... half way over I can honestly say that this experience has been a blessing in disguise ... I am proud and honored to be serving our country and thankful for all those who came before me," said Brittany in an e-mail.
For the overseas soldiers' parents, thoughts of their two children are never far away, said Janice.
"We're both very proud ... because they both volunteered, but it's hard to have them away," she said.
E-mails, Web cam communications, letters and phone calls help to bridge the distance between family members, while weekly care packages to the siblings seem to be morale boosters, she said.
In addition to bundles from Mom and Dad, Brandon's wife sends packages to Iraq and Kuwait every week, and the soldiers receive lots of "goodies" from their older brother and his wife, Eric and Harmony, who live in Kentucky.
"Their support has been incredible," Brandon said in his e-mail.
Favorite care package items seem to be food and recent editions of their hometown newspaper, the Hudson Hub-Times, according to Janice.
"They just like contact," she said. "When they get care packages, they share with other soldiers who maybe don't get as much."
Brittany is serving with quick reaction forces and is expected home by January 2009. She and Bucur -- who lives in Hagerstown, Md. -- plan to marry in September 2009. The couple set their wedding date when Brittany was home on leave for a friend's wedding in June.
Brandon has begun a year-long tour that may see him home in time for Brittany's wedding.
"My brother and I talked about how much our deployments have made us realize how fortunate we are and how much we take for granted on a daily basis," said Brittany.
When family members are deployed, the whole family is affected, said Janice.
"It makes you really appreciate family," she said.
E-mail: aniswander@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3947