A Christmas tree sparkles in the living room of the Westell home in Brentwood, but no presents lie beneath it this year. Walt and Barbara Westell want only one gift: for their twin sons, each serving on a different front in the war on terror, to come home safe and sound. "We can't have anything under the tree," Walt Westell said. "We just don't feel right about it." Matthew and Michael Westell, the couple's only children, signed up for early enlistment in the Marines before graduating from Brentwood High School in 2003, when they were 19. Matthew now is stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, and Michael is in Johnstown, Cambria County, awaiting deployment to Afghanistan in January. Michael Westell said he and his brother talked about enlisting since they were little, but were newly motivated after the Sept. 11 attacks. "We both always wanted to join and to be Marines like our dad," he said. But if he knew then what he knows now, Matthew Westell said, he might not have enlisted during wartime. "It's really hard being away from my family and my brother, especially at Christmas," he said via satellite phone Thursday. Matthew said Ramadi had been quiet for a few days, but, "there's always something going on. We were in the chow hall yesterday and we could hear explosions." He's with the Marine Reserve 1st and 2nd Platoon Truck Company, based in Ebensburg, Cambria County. The weariness in Matthew Westell's voice belies his 20 years. Considering the close calls he's had in Ramadi, it's no wonder he's ready to come home. His parents said they believe Matthew must have a guardian angel. "Matthew was never lucky. He's always gotten the raw end of the deal," Barbara said. "He's always been the underdog." Perhaps Matthew stockpiled his good luck for when he'd really need it. Walt Westell told the story of Matthew's first near miss: Matthew was driving a Humvee on Nov. 5 in Ramadi, with four other men on board. Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew saw a black Mercedes coming toward him at high speed. He thought at first the gunner could see the Mercedes and would be able to tell if it posed a threat. But the car sped up as it got closer, and Matthew knew he had to do something; he was sure the driver was a suicide bomber. Matthew turned the steering wheel hard to the left and ditched the Humvee. The Mercedes exploded, killing its driver and two children by the side of the road. Matthew then had to drive the badly damaged Humvee -- with no brakes, no power steering and its windshield shattered -- to the infirmary 300 meters away. He kicked the driver's side door out, and drove hanging half out of the Humvee. All the men aboard the Humvee survived, because of Matthew's quick thinking. "I listened to the story, and when he was finished, I told him he was a hell of a Marine," Walt Westell recalled, shaking his head. Walt Westell said he tried to steer his sons toward the Air Force but never tried to talk them out of joining up. "I'm so proud of both of them," he said. "It's hard, though, because all their lives you do everything you can to keep them safe. Now, there's nothing we can do. It's totally out of our hands." The gunner on Matthew's Humvee, badly wounded by shrapnel from the explosion, still comes up to Matthew daily and hugs him. "He tells Matt: 'This is for my wife and for my son,' " Walt said. Matthew could be decorated for his actions, almost certainly a Purple Heart, since he was injured, and probably a medal for valor, his father said. "After you get that phone call and you know he's all right, people say, 'Oh, you must be relieved,' " Walt said. "But you're not relieved at all. You know the next time, the next day, he might not be so lucky." There was a next time, but Matthew was lucky again. Walt Westell said that about two weeks ago, a shoulder-launched rocket hit the cab of a truck Matthew had been sitting in moments before. The rocket didn't explode, but it destroyed the seven-ton truck. Now, the Westells hope a second guardian angel will keep an eye on Michael, as he prepares to ship out to Afghanistan. Michael, who is with the Marine Wing Support Squadron based in Johnstown, said this is the longest he's been separated from his twin. Hearing all that Matthew's been through makes it that much more difficult. "It's really tough," he said. "I'd rather be there with him, fighting along with him." Walt said he has mixed feelings when he listens to President Bush talk about the war. "I respect him as our president, and I agree with what he's doing. But I see him on TV sometimes laughing and joking, and I think if his daughters were over there fighting, he'd feel a whole lot differently," he said. "It's hard for me to get through a day and not think about my sons constantly, wondering if they're OK." He added that he has a new appreciation for what his parents must have gone through when he was in Vietnam. "At least we get to talk to Matt every so often," Walt said. "In Vietnam, we were lucky if we had a pencil and paper to write home at all." Both brothers worked part-time for Frank Doerr Trucking in high school. Michael Doerr remembered the Westell twins as "really good kids (who) did whatever you asked of them." David Papariello was the twins' guidance counselor at Brentwood High School. "It makes me proud to say I know them," Papariello said. "They're really decent young men." "They were both quiet kids, but always wanted to help other people." The Westells talk to Matthew about every five or six days, when he gets access to a satellite phone. Walt said he could tell his son was feeling homesick after talking to him Thursday. Waiting for the phone call from Iraq is always hard. "I get really anxious right around the fifth day, until I hear from him, because I know if I don't hear from him, I might be hearing from someone else with news I don't want," Walt said. Matthew said he doesn't think anything special is planned in Ramadi on Christmas. "Probably just the same old stuff. It's one less day until I go home." Last time he talked to Matthew, Walt asked his son if he needed anything. He choked up a bit, then smiled at his son's answer. "He said, 'Yeah, there is one thing: a plane ticket home.' "

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