DIYALA, Iraq - "The best memory I had of my brother was going to the airport when he left to live with his dad when I was four," said Spc. Joshua Wagner, a cook from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

With his own father not around, Spc. Wagner was placed in a foster home for a year until he was able to return to his mother. After saying goodbye at the airport, the two brothers lost contact. Specialist Wagner spent the years afterward in and out of foster homes.

While he moved, his younger brother and sister were separated and Spc. Wagner did his best to stay in contact and support them through their difficulties.

"When my sister and then my mom started talking to my brother about a year ago, I got his information because I just wanted to know how he was doing," said Spc. Wagner. "I found out that he was about to graduate from college and he wanted to know what my time in the Army was like."

"At first I recommended he look into the Air Force, but I told him that with a college degree, being an officer [in the Army] would be great," said Spc. Wagner. "After a couple months he told me that he signed up, which made me really proud."

Since his brother's commission, a congressional appointment to an officer, the two have had plenty in common to discuss during their phone calls and e-mails.

"He has told me a lot about what he does, and though a lot of it is different because he's an officer, we still have a lot of things that we understand," said Spc. Wagner. "When he graduated [Officer Candidate School], we were kind of hoping he would get stationed at [Joint Base Lewis-McChord] so that we would get to see each other."

Instead, 2nd Lt. Wagner was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., with the 1st Infantry Division. That did not dampen their spirits though, because soon after he found out he would also be deployed to Iraq.

"When I found out he was coming here, I immediately went to my leaders to see if we would be able to meet," said Spc. Wagner. "I never thought that I would be in Iraq when that happened, but my command said they would definitely try to make it happen."

Second Lieutenant Wagner received a warm reception to the idea as well.

"My superiors basically told me that they would do anything I needed to make sure that he could come visit me, or I could go see him," said 2nd Lt. Wagner, executive officer for Echo Company, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st ID. "We even set it up so that I would be able to go see him in Kuwait before his brigade goes home if he couldn't come here."

With the approval they needed, the brothers simply had to wait for an opportunity to reunite. After working with his command, Spc. Wagner was able to pack his bags and take a flight to his brother's duty station at Contingency Operating Site Taji, June 18.

It didn't take much to get a smile from the siblings as they spent two days catching up on family, friends and work. Though it was only a short reunion, they were able to make plans for their next visit and agree to take a family vacation when they both return to the United States.

Now that the two have been formally reunited, this is just the first of their plans to stick together through the years to come. Soon Spc. Wagner will have a lot more to remember than just the day his brother moved away.