JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Twin sisters chose to spend their 80th birthday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to learn more about their family history.
Julie Brown Crabill and Suzie Brown Sichler were born at what was then Fort Lewis in December 1943. Their father, Lt. Col. Van Brown, was fighting in World War II. He sent home letters and even Nazi memorabilia but once he returned, he never talked about his service.
Brown Sichler said they wanted to learn more about their father’s military record.
“We wanted to see where we started,” said Brown Crabill. “And we never knew, and when we got interested in it, nobody was alive."
Meeting with Erik Flint, the director of the Lewis Army Museum, the sisters knew their parents met during the war, likely on base. However, all they had to work with were a handful of family pictures.
Flint said he's looking into Lt. Col. Brown's records for the twins. The sisters hope that will generate some stories they'll be eager to pass on to the next generation.
"It's really sad when you wake up and want it and nobody's around,” said Brown Crabill. “So this was our dream."
The twins said it’s especially meaningful to learn about their family history together.
"It's fantastic,” said Brown Sichler. “I want to cry. I remember when my mother in church would start crying. It was like, 'What's up? What are you crying about?' Now that I'm older, I realize these things mean things to you.”
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