Driving through the
gates at Andersen Air Force Base, someone could easily mistake the two airmen that
stand guard there, and it’s easy to see why.
Though not identical,
they could almost be the same person, but one has longer hair. They have the
same Washington state accent, stand at about the same height with little
difference in their features and they bear the same name on their vests.
U.S. Air Force Airmen
1st Class Colby and Travis Wakefield are fraternal twins who also are 36th
Security Forces Squadron entry controllers.
Although Andersen is
their first duty station, this is not the first time the Wakefields have served
together since beginning their military careers.
Travis and Colby both
signed up for security forces and left for basic training on the same day after
asking if they could go together. After arriving at Joint Base San
Antonio-Lackland, Texas, for basic military training, they found out they were
in the same flight. Together, they graduated and became airmen.
Once they reached
technical training, they found a way to become roommates. However, this is not
where their camaraderie was destined to end.
"After we had
been at tech school for a week or so, we decided to look and see where we were
going to be stationed," Colby said. "I looked first, and it said
Andersen Air Force Base. My brother decided to look next, and it also said
Andersen. We don't know how, but we got stationed together."
The brothers graduated
technical training and went home before reporting to their first duty station.
"It was easier to
come here, because I had my brother with me," Colby said. "We were
going through the same thing."
After spending the
first 18 years of their lives with each other, the brothers arrived here in
April 2014 to perform the same job within the same squadron.
The brothers currently
share the same work schedule, so their days off often coincide.
"We spend a lot
of our off time doing the same things," Travis said. "We play golf
and other sports with our squadron. We grew up playing a lot of the same
sports. We pretty much do everything together."
Having two airmen who
look very similar and share a last name can be confusing, so they were given
nicknames.
"We call Colby
'Regular Wakefield' and Travis 'Baby Wakefield,' because they were born one
minute apart," said Tech. Sgt. Alicia Goetschel, the 36th SFS flight
chief.
The twins are soon due
to find out where they’ll be assigned when they return from overseas, but they
hope it won't be the end of them working together.
"We were told
there's a possibility we could be kept together until we reach [higher ranks],"
Colby said.
They both agreed that
joining the Air Force was one of the best decisions of their life, and they
hope to continue their careers together wherever the Air Force may take them.
The Wakefields also
have an older sister, a mother and father who live in Washington.
"Every time I
call them on the phone to see how they’re doing, they always tell me the same
thing," said the twin's mother. "They tell me how happy they are with
joining the Air Force and how they are so proud to see just how far they have
come."
The twins aren't the
only ones who have pride in what they are doing, though.
"It's been a
blessing to have them stay together," the mother said. "It's also
comforting to us, too; I always find out what's going on from one of the boys.
We are so proud of them and all that they have accomplished."