{"id":254017,"date":"2024-08-12T00:29:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T00:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=254017"},"modified":"2024-08-14T18:24:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T18:24:19","slug":"marines-first-brothers-always-marine-promotes-twin-brother-during-15th-meu-deployment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=254017","title":{"rendered":"Marines First, Brothers Always: Marine Promotes Twin Brother during 15th MEU Deployment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PACIFIC OCEAN — <\/span><\/p>\n

Marines everywhere know that red binders on the first of the month means promotions. As Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Morelli read a promotion warrant aboard USS Boxer Aug. 1, it was a curious sight for those in the formation.<\/p>\n

When Morelli stepped in front of the Marine he was about to promote to the rank of sergeant, it was like a mirror. The nametapes were the same, the haircuts matched \u2013 and even their faces were identical.<\/p>\n

The Morelli brothers are identical twins, deployed together aboard the same ship while serving with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to promote him while we\u2019re both on the 15th MEU was a weird moment, especially because he promoted me to sergeant when he was originally transitioning out of the Marine Corps. It blew my mind.\u201d said Joseph Morelli, the communications maintenance chief assigned to the 15th MEU.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The pair enlisted in 2009 together, but now have a noticeable gap in rank \u2013 something that often causes Marines of the 15th MEU to do a double-take when they encounter the brother they haven\u2019t met. Since\u00a0they are identical twins, some may think Albert meritoriously jumped a few pay grades or Joseph was handed a serious demotion. The gap is due to Albert Morelli\u2019s nine-year pause in his active-duty career after one enlistment as a motor transport operator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI originally got out for my marriage,\u201d explained Albert Morelli, who left active duty in 2013 and now serves as an assistant patrol leader assigned to Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1\/5, 15th MEU. \u201cI wanted to stay in, but it was what I thought was best.\u201d<\/p>\n

The transition to civilian life was no easy task for Albert Morelli \u2013 he missed the Marine Corps, and especially being around Marines. When he saw his brother as a successful recruiter in Wyoming, it increased his longing to get back in the fight, as Marines say. Albert realized his desire to serve his country as an active-duty Marine had never left him.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone says if they had the chance they would get back in, but I truly needed to get back in,\u201d said Albert Morelli. \u201cEven the job I had wasn\u2019t enough for me. I visited my brother\u2019s recruiting station while he was playing a \u2018Life as a Marine\u2019 video and I had to put my sunglasses on because I started to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Albert was ready to reenlist. Over the previous three years, he had been enduring the lengthy and painful process of having a sleeve tattoo laser-removed to be eligible for reenlistment. By the time he was ready to swear his oath of enlistment again, he was only 12 days away from the age cutoff. However, with the help of his brother and multiple recruiters, Albert Morelli successfully rejoined the Marine Corps in 2022.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n A Brother’s Promotion<\/span>
\n Photo by Cpl. Luis Agostini<\/span><\/p>\n
U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Morelli, right, the communications maintenance chief assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, hugs Sgt. Albert Morelli, an assistant patrol leader assigned to Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1\/5, 15th MEU, following Sgt. Morelli\u2019s promotion ceremony aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean Aug. 1, 2024. Gunnery Sgt. Morelli and Sgt. Morelli, identical twins from Cheyenne, Wyoming, enlisted together in the Marine Corps in 2009 and are both underway aboard Boxer supporting the 15th MEU\u2019s routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy\u2019s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Agostini)<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This enlistment would be different \u2013 he was now an infantry rifleman \u2013 a role with far different responsibilities and expectations than his first enlistment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone told me I was dumb to try to get back in and that I couldn\u2019t do it,\u201d said Albert Morelli. \u201cThe only ones that supported me were my wife and brother. If I could tell anyone anything, it would be to never take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer.”<\/p>\n

As a result of Albert\u2019s persistence, commitment, and his unyielding desire for continued service, the Morelli brothers are now in a literal sense the closest they have been since they lived together in Wyoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have never anticipated us serving under the same unit and working on the same ship. The experience was weird at first, and there were a lot of moving pieces leading up to our shared deployment. It\u2019s awesome that it turned out like this.”\u00a0said Joseph Morelli, the communications maintenance chief assigned to the 15th MEU.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although the Morellis support different elements of the 15th MEU\u2019s Marine Air-Ground Task Force, the two support each other as they pursue goals and milestones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see him become a squad leader, and a platoon sergeant when he eventually completes Infantry Small Unit Leaders Course,\u201d said Joseph Morelli.<\/p>\n

Albert Morelli picked right up where his twin left off, sharing similar goals for his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s already well on his way to master sergeant,\u201d said Albert. \u201cWhatever he wants to do I know he can get out there and make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although these brothers-in-arms have demanding commitments while deployed aboard Boxer, they are still committed to finding time to spend together. The opportunity to deploy together is something they hope they don\u2019t take for granted as they serve with their military family and actual family.<\/p>\n

Brothers and Marines always, \u201cSemper Fidelis\u201d will forever mean something a little different to the Morellis.<\/p>\n

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PACIFIC OCEAN — Marines everywhere know that red binders on the first of the month means promotions. As Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Morelli read a promotion warrant aboard USS Boxer Aug. 1, it was a curious sight for those in the formation. When Morelli stepped in front of the Marine he was about to promote to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":254019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=254017"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254020,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254017\/revisions\/254020"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/254019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=254017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=254017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=254017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}