Several years back, I discovered I had two sisters and a brother on my birth Mother’s side. I discovered this years back after researching and meeting up with my birth Mother while in my 20s and 30s.
See, I was adopted at a couple of months old, coming from what Peggy, my birth Mother, led me to think were her many children all given up for adoption. I am the only known sibling to meet Peggy over the course of many years.
During that time, I had no idea about my sisters until 2014, when a new Ohio law opened up birth records. This paved the way for two of my siblings to be located. A couple of years later, Andrew’s daughter found me and Katie, my one sibling, through a DNA match online.
Join me Thursday as I chat with my brother Andrew, who has had an amazing life serving his country as a member of the National Guard and his community as a firefighter.
We’ll discuss what service means to him, how we found one another as adults so many years later, and what it feels like to be reunited with siblings you never knew existed.
Andrew Scott Monnin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1978, two years after I then raised in Toledo and Columbus.
He ran Cross Country in High School, then received a two-year associate degree from Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, Military Emergency Medical Services.
From that point, he worked as a firefighter and EMT for Harrison Township Fire Department in Dayton, Ohio, Oct/1999 through 2007.
In 2007, he moved to Colorado and joined the Wyoming Army National Guard in March 2008. In 2011, he deployed one year to Afghanistan with Wyoming Cowboy DUSTOFF, and served with 10MTN and 82Airborne CAB.
Andrew was awarded two Air Medals while deployed and later hired by the Thornton Fire Department in February 2012 as a Firefighter Paramedic.
In Jan 2019, he returned to Afghanistan with Wyoming Cowboy DUSTOFF as Platoon SGT, and served with 1ST Armored Division CAB. While there, he was awarded one Air Medal.
In 2021, he transitioned from FF/Paramedic to an Engineer/Driver at Thornton Fire Department. In January 2022, he was promoted to 1SG at the Wyoming Army Guard Unit.
He is married to a wonderful wife who continues to moonlight as ER nurse. He has three children, Jordyn 24, Asher 12, Brayden, who is 10. They enjoy running, bike riding, snowboarding and the Colorado Sunshine.
Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
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https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76