Sisters in arms: 5 sisters from 2 families graduate Marine Corps training together

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Five sisters from two families who joined the Marine Corps to honor their families through service to the country recently graduated training together.

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Ashley Valentine, 19, made a promise to join the Marines three days before her grandfather died. Her sister, Amber, 22, decided to enlist as well.

The pair relied on each other as they went through recruit training.

“I went through a moment during first phase where I received some bad news in a letter, and she was there to be a shoulder for me to lean on,” Amber said.

They will not be completing combat training together. However, after they complete it, Amber will work in the communications field, and Ashley will be certified as a motor transportation operator.

Maria and identical twin sisters Vanessa and Melissa Placido Jaramillo made a pact to enlist when they were young girls. The sisters were born in Panama and moved to Las Vegas. They are not sure yet what their military occupations will be. Melissa and Vanessa plan to pursue their education, and they all will become American citizens.

“We have an unbreakable bond,” Maria said. “We are always together, but we know how to live separately. I know that my sisters will always be there for me, even when they are not physically with me.”

Cox Media Group