Brothers reunite after 37 long years apart, find they live similar lives

It took 37 years, but the long wait was worth it in the end when brothers Raul and Louis Sierra finally reunited.
The reunion took place this month when Army Command Sgt. Maj. Raul Sierra returned from his nine-month deployment in Kuwait. His brother, Army Sgt. Louis Sierra, was waiting for him, and got a kick out of meeting his brother as an adult. "We're like grown men now," Louis told ABC News. "You're meeting a grown man, but that's also your blood brother."
The pair, along with another brother and a sister, last saw each other in Brooklyn in the 1970s. They were taken from their parents, who abused drugs and alcohol according to Louis, and all fell out of touch. Eventually, Raul began to find relatives, but no one ever knew what happened to Louis until around 2008, when Raul found him on Myspace. They made plans to meet, but deployments always got in the way until now.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After being away from each other for so long, they were surprised by how natural it felt to chat. "It was like talking to another Army buddy that I know that I hadn't seen in a long time," Raul said. "He's not just my brother in uniform. He's my brother-brother." Louis and Raul both hope to have a similar reunion with their other brother and sister, but won't focus on the negatives. "Regardless of what happened to us as kids, there's no on to blame here," Raul said. "I would trust him with anything now like I trust any of my brothers and sisters in service."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?
Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
By The Week UK Published
-
How Poland became Europe's military power
The Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 - 21 February
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published