My brother Andrew and I are extremely close. When he enlisted in the Army, I felt a great sense of both pride and fear. I knew that he was doing the right thing by signing up to defend this country, but I was terrifed because I knew that eventually he would be going to war. He left for basic and AIT on my 25th birthday, and 1 year later, almost to the day, he left for Afghanistan.
After he deployed, I felt like half of my heart had been taken from me. Usually that analogy is from women whose husbands or boyfriends are gone, but it can apply to anyone, especially a family member you're extremely close to. It took me weeks to get used to him being gone. Thankfully things have changed a great deal since the war first started, and I was able to talk to him often, and even see him a couple of times via webcam.
He rotated home a few days before my 27th birthday this year in April, and it was the best present I could have received. He'll most likely be going back this coming spring. It never gets any easier watching my baby brother leave for war, but the pain is lessened knowing that he is fighting for our freedom!