When Cheryl Rardin’s oldest son, James, told her that he wanted to enlist as a Marine, it didn’t catch her too off-guard. But when her second son, Matthew, came home with news that he had enlisted, it came as a complete shock.

“Matthew has always been the quiet one,” said Rardin, a Carrollton resident. “So for him to join the military was a surprise to us all.”

She knew that James had long shown an interest in the military. From a young age, he had always enjoyed putting together models, and most of them were of military vehicles.

“James had expressed that he wanted to get [to] Eagle Scout because the military recognizes that as an award of honor,” Rardin said. “He would graduate from basic training as a Private First Class, a rank ahead of the rest of his class.”

So both James and Matthew, graduates of NewmanSmithHigh School, earned their Eagle Scout recognition with Boy Scout Troop 121. James, 24, has been serving for 5½ years and Matthew, 22, for three years. Both are corporals.

Rardin said the Eagle Scout distinction apparently has helped them during their time in the military.

James is a crew chief for Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 and 2 on the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va. This is the only organization responsible for direct helicopter support of the White House and is the sole helicopter transport squadron for the president.

Matthew was most recently stationed in Kuwait, but the family is unsure of his current location because that information isn’t disclosed to civilians, including relatives, Rardin said. She knows that he works with expeditionary forces and is responsible for the protection of military workers on base.

Although Rardin said she has a hard time dealing with her two oldest children being in the military, she can’t be more proud of their accomplishments.

“When they first joined, the pain of the separation and anxiety of what could happen was tough, but you learn to deal with those emotions,” she said.

Rardin has two other children, a son, Andrew, 21, and a daughter, Marley, 18.

Rardin said Marley was probably most proud when she saw that her older brothers joined, but Andrew had a harder time dealing with it because he felt the pressure to follow in their footsteps.

“It gets really hard when we can’t just pick up the phone and call them,” Rardin said. “You just have to do a lot of praying that they are safe when you don’t hear from them. You have to give it up and give it over because it’s just out of your control.”

Jennifer Hall is Carrollton/Farmers Branch/Addison neighborsgo editor and can be reached at jhall@neighborsgo.com.