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PHOENIX, AZ - Twin brothers Derick and Frederick Aidoo recently
pinned on the rank of master sergeant here. These literal brothers
in arms serve the state and nation in the Arizona Army National
Guard. According to their colleagues, they serve with two-times the
dedication, two-times the commitment, and two-times the honor.
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May 3, 2014 - Frederick and Derick Aidoo were recently promoted to
master sergeant. The twins joined the National Guard together 19
years ago and continue to serve side-by-side.
(Arizona National Guard photo by Air Force Capt. Matthew Murphy)
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Like many twins, the Aidoos have a tendency to finish
each other's sentences. About his service in the Guard,
Derick said, “The Army has kept me on track. It keeps life
on track with fitness and lifestyle.” Then Frederick said,
“It's a foundation. Something to tell your kids,” and Derick
again with, “about being a Soldier and proud to tell people
who you are.”
The brothers are also two-time combat
veterans having served in Iraq in 2004 and in Afghanistan
2010. While Frederick is an architect in his civilian life
and Derick is
a construction engineer, their military careers and training
are mirrored.
Chief Warrant Officer Hector Mendoza
deployed with the brothers to Afghanistan. Frederick served
as Mendoza's noncommissioned officer in charge. Mendoza had
an opportunity to observe the brothers in action. “If one
does one thing, so does the other. Their work ethic, their
fitness level, their commitment – it's exactly the same,”
said Mendoza. “Frederick worked with me and Derick worked
with another chief warrant officer. During the entire
deployment, the brothers worked nonstop and refused to take
a day off. I really admire them.”
Looking back at
their 19 years of service from when they joined in 1995, the
brothers chuckled over their memories of basic training and
AIT, or advanced individual training. Derick said, “The
drill sergeants didn't like us too much because they
couldn't tell us apart and we were in the same group. So if
they told one of us to drop and do pushups, the other had to
do them too.”
The Aidoos trained in supply and
logistics where Frederick currently serves as the operations
NCO/NCOIC for the 198th Regional Support Group and Derick is
the logistics support NCO. They speak in unison about their
love of the Guard and “working with the soldiers and helping
families. We've had good leaders and they pushed us to this
point. You have to have good leaders,” they said.
Capt. Edwin Longwell is the assistant plans officer for the
198th RGS and the twins' current supervisor. “The Aidoos
always see what needs to be done and they get it done. They
don't hesitate to take action and they don't hesitate to
speak up to help their chain of command. They are a cohesive
team and their performance is identical as they are,” said
Longwell.
Achieving the rank of master sergeant in
the Army is one rank short of the highest available. The
brothers have no plans to slow down.
“Having a
sibling join the Guard with you is a good idea. I can always
talk to him [Frederick] about the Army. We help each other
and we feed off each other and it motivates us,” said Derick.
“Now we just look at the next opportunity,” said Frederick.
By U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Murphy
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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