Subject:  The Robinson Twins |
Author:
Whitt
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 17:48:14 04/19/05 Tue
Through a contact at the Clarion Ledger I got this article that Mr. R. L. Wallace(alias TANK when he was a star player at Itawamba Junior College back in the 40's) mentioned sometime back.
Publication=Clarion-Ledger; Date=14.03.2005; Section=Local; Page=1; Id=2005031414367934;--------------------------------Twins' paths converge again in MarinesBrothers, home from separate deployments, may serve together in IraqBy Lora Hineslohines@clarionledger.comNatchez twins Clint and Blane Robinson grew up doing everything together until their 2001 graduation from the Mississippi National Guard Challenge Academy at Camp Shelby."If they were fighting and their sister would take a side, they would get together and fight with her," said their mother, Cindy Robinson. "Even their little sister couldn't butt in."After graduation though, the inseparable Robinson twins briefly took diverging paths before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. One went straight into the Marines. The other went to work at a lumber company.After almost two years of separation, the twins, who both are corporals, got to spend a week together with their family.Clint Robinson, who is stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., returned home after a seven-month deployment to Iraq.Blane Robinson got a week off from his duty in Beaufort, S.C., to see his brother. Earlier this year, he returned to the United States following a year-long deployment to Okinawa, Japan. He returns to South Carolina today."It'll be a while before I get to see him again," Cindy Robinson said. "It's heartbreaking to let them go."She said she and her husband, Dorwin Robinson, were thankful to have their sons home at the same time."We make every minute count," she said. "This is the first time they've been home at the same time in one-and-a-half years."Clint Robinson always knew he wanted to be in the Marine Corps."I've always been fascinated with it," he said. "From the time we were kids and playing with G.I. Joes, I knew that's what I wanted to do."But Blane Robinson didn't immediately feel the same way. He worked for a lumber company and was promoted to supervisor before he changed paths."I had different goals in life," he said. "I liked the look and the image (of the Marines). I didn't have any interest in the military."Being separated from his twin, however, changed Blane Robinson's mind after his brother went to boot camp. For once, the twins weren't sharing the same experiences."I didn't want to sit there and 30 years from now wonder about 'what if,' " he said. "I'm not a what-ifs person. I just want to go out and do."The Robinsons are among at least four sets of twins enlisted in the Marines, according to the Marines Web site. It's unclear how many more there could be.One set of Marine twins has served in Iraq at the same time. The Robinsons could be there together, too.Blane Robinson expects to be sent to Iraq this summer. His brother could go back later this year.Both men work in aviation. Clint Robinson prepares helicopters and gear for duty. Blane Robinson orders helicopter parts and maintains budgets.The twins said they would be thrilled to be closer, even if it had to be in a war zone."You want to have someone to celebrate with you," Blane Robinson said. "We have never seen each other get promoted."Clint Robinson agreed."The hardest part is when I saw something that reminded me of old times," he said. "I'd go to pick up the phone to call (Blane) and realize I couldn't."The Rev. Aaron McGuffee, pastor of Cliff Temple Baptist Church in Natchez, said the twins always have been close and felt a duty to their parents. His impressions of them have been enhanced since they returned."There's a different spirit about them," McGuffee said. "They've grown. I guess it's not just the pride they have. It's the understanding of the meaning of life itself. They are more appreciative of things."PULLOUT QOUTE:"I didn't want to sit there and 30 years from now wonder about 'what if.' I'm not a what-ifs person. I just want to go out and do."Cpl. Blane Robinson of Natchez, about enlisting in the MarinesPHOTO CAPTIONUSMC Cpl. Clint Robinson (left) and his twin brother Cpl. Blane Robinson reunite at Jackson/Evers International Airport recently.Brian Albert Broom/The Clarion-Ledger--------------------------------Copyright 2005 The Clarion LedgerYear=2005; Month=3; Month=Mar; Day=14; Day=Mo; Book=B; Source=Staff; Byline=Lora_Hines;Aspect=Clarion-Ledger; Aspect=Local; Aspect=Mar; Aspect=Mo; Aspect=B; Aspect=Staff; Aspect=Lora_Hines;
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 
