LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Twin brothers and U.S. Army first lieutenants, Joseph and Joshua Mouré, natives of Covington, Ga., are both forward deployed to Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Joseph, about two minutes older than Joshua, is the fires support officer with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th IBCT, and Joshua is the liaison officer for 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th IBCT.
"It was nice always having someone there to hang out with," Joshua said, about growing up with a twin. "We always were on the same football team, baseball team, things like that," added Joseph. "We grew up playing war and stuff like that, so we decided, I guess, we'll make it a career," said Joshua.
The Mouré's parents, Joseph and Tammy Mouré, both served in the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army, and that was a factor in the twins' decision to join.
The twins joined the Georgia National Guard in 2006, attended the Georgia Military College, and were commissioned in 2008. They finished their degrees at North Georgia College and State University, where they met their wives, Abby and Ashley, who were roommates at the time.
Joseph attended the field artillery basic officers leadership course at Fort Sill, Okla., and Joshua attended the infantry basic officers leadership course at Fort Benning, Ga., After their training, they were both assigned to the 4th IBCT, also known as the Vanguard Brigade.
"Since Josh was going to be infantry, I figured he needed somebody to protect him," joked Joseph. "It's good being the fires support officer so I can call in air assets, artillery, and mortar fire to help out the guys. It's pretty interesting deconflicting and controlling those assets while the infantry are maneuvering around."
As a liaison officer, or LNO, Joshua is responsible for keeping communication and information flow between his battalion and the brigade. "As the LNO, I see what goes on at the brigade side, and I can help to translate down to the battalion, and vice-versa, so there's a clearer picture."
The Mouré twins said being misidentified can be a challenge.
"People come up and start talking to you, and you have no idea what they're talking about," said Joseph. "It gets old fast," added Joshua.
"It's always been a dream of mine to deploy, and I've always imagined fighting alongside my brother, so it's a unique experience for us to be able to be on the same FOB and contribute to the fight here in Afghanistan," said Joshua.
