By Susan A. Romano, Air Force Technical Applications Center
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Dec. 27, 2017 — It is well
known that twins share a unique bond that transcends other sibling
relationships. It’s common for twins to live, work and recreate within close
proximity to each other throughout their lives.
But for one pair of Air Force twins, they’ve taken that
commonality several steps further.
Staff Sgt. Jordan Peterson and his two-minute-older brother,
Senior Airman Jarrod Peterson, are assigned to the Air Force Technical
Applications Center here. They are both web developers for AFTAC’s Cyber
Capabilities Squadron and share the same Air Force Specialty Code -- 3D0X4.
They in the same center, squadron and flight. They also sit within feet of each
other behind the secure walls of CYCS’s help desk.
And while the Petersons are fraternal twins by birth, their
physical traits are so similar that most people think they’re identical.
“One day I was talking to Jordan about a complicated work
order and we had a pretty in-depth conversation about how we could resolve the
customer’s problem,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Anthony Gerspacher, AFTAC web
designer. “Then, the next day, I went back to ask him a question about what he
had discussed and he just stared at me like he had no idea what I was talking
about. That’s when I realized I was talking to Jarrod!”
Joining the Air Force
The brothers, who hail from Jacksonville, joined the Air Force
in 2012 after discussing career options with their parents. “My dad thought it
would be a good idea, and my mother thought it was a great idea,” Jarrod said.
“My mom’s father and two brothers all served in the military, and I figured I’d
gain a lot of valuable experience in a real-world, structured environment.”
“We signed up together and had the same recruiter,” Jordan
said, “but we ended up a month apart in basic training. I remember the first
time I saw him at Lackland (Air Force Base, Texas). I was marching with my
flight -- just a silly trainee still in civilian clothes. And I saw this random
group of trainees in uniform.
“One of them seemed to be staring me down, and there’s
Jarrod, just standing there with this smug grin on his face while my flight
trudged on by,” he continued. “I tried to signal him with a slight head-nod to
acknowledge that I’d seen him -- you know, in a real cool, nonchalant kind of
way -- but I ended up doing this hard whole-body move. Thank goodness my MTI
(military training instructor) missed that!”
“Yeah, that was hysterical!” Jarrod said. “When his MTI
first saw me, he did a double-take and gave me this confused look as if he were
thinking to himself, ‘Hey, I know that kid,’ but he kept on going. I laughed to
myself when I saw Jordan’s in-cadence body nod!”
Earning Rank
For now, there is one indicator that makes it easy for the
untrained eye to tell them apart. Jordan sewed on his staff sergeant’s stripes
in February 2016, while Jarrod is patiently waiting for his line number to
arrive so he, too, can sew on his hard-earned staff sergeant rank.
“I’m older, I’m taller and I went to basic training a month
ahead of him, but he outranks me by mere months,” Jarrod joked. “Actually, when
he made staff, our leadership gave me more of a hard time about it than anyone,
and they were pretty relentless with the ribbing. So much so that Jordan didn’t
get to have as much fun with it. I felt kind of bad that his shining moment was
kind of taken away from him.”
The brothers have long been rivals since childhood, but
genuinely care about each other’s success.
“We have a lot of similarities and likes, but as we’ve grown
older, we seem to have settled into our own individual roles and don’t seem to
benefit from the constant twin comparison,” Jordan said. “We’re both married
with our own families and lives, but we still carve out off-duty time to hang
out, watch TV or game together.”
Still, the duo’s similarities are eerily ever-present.
“We often finish things at the same time with a very similar
results,” Jarrod said. “Just recently we took what’s called a Sec+ exam for IT
security certification, and we both scored a 790.”
Staying Air Force Until Retirement?
With a combined 10 years of service, the airmen are still
deciding whether or not the Air Force will be a full 20-year career for them.
“I’m still on the fence if I’m going to go the full distance
to retirement,” Jordan said. “Some days I look forward to starting a commercial
career, while others I look at the sense of belonging and camaraderie I have in
the Air Force, which pushes me towards staying in. Either way, I’m really proud
of what I’ve accomplished, so far.”
Jarrod echoed his brother’s sentiment.
“I’m on the fence, as well,” he said. “My future with the
Air Force truly depends on how much personal growth I see throughout my
experiences in the military. If the writing is on the wall to stay in, I will.
But if I think I’ll progress more on the outside, I’ll go that route.”
Jarrod added, “I think Jordan and I have had our twin moment
for now, so I can’t ask for more than that. But if the future holds another
assignment in the same location with my brother, I’d like to be surprised!”
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