Virginia Siblings Make History As First Black Triplets To Join Navy.
Three Virginia siblings made history when they became the first Black triplets to enlist together in the Navy.
The youngest sibling, Adrion Sutton, was the first of the two brothers and sister, 20, to begin talking about joining the Navy back in high school – a decision to enlist that their mom and dad made years earlier, reports ABC’s GMA3, a spinoff of the network’s Good Morning America franchise.
“What motivated me to join was hearing my parents talk about how good the Navy was when we were growing up and seeing my dad come home from long months, not being at home and taking care of the family,” Adrion told GMA3.
Adrion and his siblings, brother Ayrion and sister Andrea, who are from Chesapeake’s Western Branch neighborhood, according to local station WKRG, didn’t first intend to enlist first, but says that’s what ended up happening “It was pretty much their idea, but I went in first, which was weird,” Andrea told WKRG.
Ayrion, Andrea and Adrion Sutton recently enlisted in the Navy together, making history as the first Black triplets to do so, the Navy Recruitment Office says. https://t.co/vQhtYFuzWz
— ABC News (@ABC) April 6, 2023
The triplets’ decision to sign up for the Navy also inspired their father, Andre Sutton, to re-enlist.
Andre and his wife, Tiffany Sutton, first met aboard the ship USS Arctic in 1999 a week before leaving for deployment. She spotted him while he was headed to the mess deck.
“I walked past him, and I thought I saw sunshine,” Tiffany told GMA3. “I even called my mom and told her I found my husband.”
Andre, an Allentown, Pa., native, joined the Navy to escape from the limited future he foresaw growing up in the projects.
“I love the people [in Allentown]. I love the town. You know, I’m grateful,” he told GMA3. “But that environment is not where I wanted to be in life, so I decided to go forward.”
He entered the Merchant Marine after serving a dozen years in the Navy. But Andre is going back into the reserves to “serve with my kids,” adding that his children “inspired me.” Currently, he works as a bosun for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command.
In February, WKRG reported that Ayrion was stationed in Norfolk, Va., and Andrea was at Oceana in Virginia Beach. At that time, Adrion had not received his assignment.
“If all of us were on a boat together, it would be really fun,” Andrea told WKRG.
