Spc. Paulette Dabney (left) and Spc. Georgette Steele, twins from Chesapeake, Va., serving as Army aviation operations specialists in Iraq. The twins joined the Army together in 2008, and have stayed together since. Together they attended basic training, technical school, and are now deployed with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. As aviation operations specialists, the twins are responsible for tracking flights, communicating with aircraft, and keeping commanders updated. Photo by Spc. Roland Hale

Twin sisters serving in the Army have stayed together through months of rigorous training and are now deployed to Iraq with an aviation brigade from Fort Riley, Kan.

Spc. Paulette Dabney and Spc. Georgette Steele, natives of Chesapeake, Va., joined the Army in 2008 nearly on a whim, they said. Unlike most of their decisions (which are usually made in twin-like harmony), it was one sister who convinced the other to enlist.

“One day my sister just asked me if I wanted to join the Army,” said Dabney. “It seemed a little crazy, but I guess I’m the crazy one, because I went with it.”

The twins enlisted as aviation operations specialists and attended three months of basic combat training. After learning the basics of marksmanship, survival, and other combat skills, they were assigned to Fort Rucker, Ala., where they focused on technical training. Their journey continued together when they both received orders for Fort Riley and were assigned to the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.

The twins stayed in Kansas for about a year, during which Steele married a fellow soldier. But even after nine months in Iraq, they are still known as the “Dabney twins.”

“We get it all the time,” said Steele. “The fact that we’re twins doesn’t come up in conversation when we’re talking to someone new, and when they see us together they get pretty surprised.”

Since basic training, Steele said, the twins have managed to use their likeness for a little mischief. Most recently, Dabney took Steele’s place in a unit formation to see if anyone would tell the difference.

“Her company was having a formation, so we swapped out right before, name tags and all,” said Dabney. “It took them a few minutes, but after the formation they realized it wasn’t her.”

Looking back at their decision to join two years ago, the Dabney twins still the think the decision was a little crazy, but they have adapted to the Army life well. Both were promoted to the rank of specialist this October and are preparing for promotion to sergeant soon.

While they are both assigned to the eCAB, 1st Inf. Div., Dabney and Steele are in separate divisions of the unit. Dabney works in the brigade’s tactical operations center, and her sister works in the same type of office in one of the brigade’s subordinate units.

As aviation operations specialists they monitor flights, track the unit’s movements around the battlefield, and help commanders communicate between units. They work shifts of no less than 10 hours a day, sometimes working for months without days off.

“It’s been crazy for both of us, especially out here,” said Dabney. “There’s work to do every day, no matter what’s going on…one of the biggest positives is that my sister is out here with me. Sometimes we can work together, and she knows exactly what I do every day.”

“I’m glad I took her with me when I joined,” said Steele. “Without her this wouldn’t be the same. It’s nice to have your sister with you in Iraq.”

“You make friends pretty easily in the Army, but it’s another thing to have your sister with you,” added Dabney.

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Story by Spc. Roland Hale

Pfc. Lane Higson and Pfc. Casey Higson, identical twins serving in Iraq with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The twins, natives of Myrtle Beach, S.C., joined the Army together and have not separated since. Photo by Spc. Roland Hale

Shortly after identical twins Pfc. Lane Higson and Pfc. Casey Higson arrived at Fort Riley, Kan., this spring, they went to war.

The twins, natives of Myrtle Beach, S.C., joined the Army just over a year ago using a “buddy system” option, and together made it through several grueling months of training. They arrived at Fort Riley in March hoping to catch a break after nearly a year of training, but the Army had different plans. Their unit, the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, was deploying to Iraq, and the twins were quickly processed, trained, equipped, and on their way.

Looking back after nearly nine months of deployment, the 28-year-old twins, (in twin-like unison), said that they never expected to be in Iraq, or the military for that matter.

“We do everything together, obviously, and we’ve done lots, but we never thought we’d be doing this,” said Lane.

Before they enlisted, Lane and Casey graduated from East Carolina University with bachelor’s degrees in psychology. They returned to Myrtle Beach looking for work, and after two years of working odd jobs, decided to give the Army a shot.

“In college you couldn’t get us anywhere near a recruiter, ROTC, or anything like that,” said Lane, “but after a few years, we started to get interested in the possibility of joining.”

“We thought we could join the Army in a mental health related field and help out the troops coming home with issues like PTSD,” said Casey.

No positions were available, however, and the twins enlisted as communications specialists – not quite their first choice, but they figured that after spending a few years among the enlisted ranks they could transfer to the mental health field with a little front line experience.

They have still managed to get some psychology related work in between their normal duties though. Both sisters have taken turns working at the Taji Warrior Resiliency Campus, a facility on Camp Taji designed to provide deployed troops with access to mental health support and other tools to build their morale and welfare.

“We’re very lucky to get to work here,” said Casey. “We get to help people, sometimes if it’s just by talking to them.”

Some peers in their unit have named Lane and Casey the “double trouble,” which fits, they said, because they are “like one mind in two bodies.” The twins’ similarity doesn’t end at their uncanny resemblance, they said. Lane and Casey earn the same Army physical fitness test score, eat the same food, read the same books, and use the same words.

“Being twins is fun, and it’s normal for us, we’ve been sisters our whole lives,” said Casey. “I think that being in the Army, and especially being in Iraq, has brought us even closer than we were before.”

The Higsons are scheduled to return to Fort Riley this March at the end of their unit’s tour. They will have a reunion of sorts before that, however, when they meet their mother in Hawaii for mid-tour leave.

Story by Spc. Roland Hale
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Capts. Belinda (left) and Brenda (right) Trevillion, Sacramento, Calif., natives, take a break from their work Jan. 20 in the headquarters building of 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad

Like any other sibling rivalry, Brenda and Belinda might fight about anything – from hobbies, to clothes, and even answering the same question can send them into a fuss. But where their opinions differ, their appearance and shared work ethic make up for in similarities.

As twin sisters, both Brenda and Belinda Trevillion have spent most of their 25 years together. From going off to college to ROTC and into the Army, their goals and accomplishments both define and illustrate their dynamic bond.

Currently, Brenda is serving as the protocol officer for the secretary general staff, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. And just as her tour is coming to an end, her twin sister, Belinda, also a protocol officer assigned to the 1st Cavalry Div., is training with her as part of the official relief-in-place and the 4th Inf. Div.’s transfer of authority of the MND-B area of operations to the 1st Cav. Div., due to take place in early February.

Brenda and Belinda, Sacramento, Calif., natives, always planned to join the military. They can’t say if it was their father – a military presence in the household – or the idea of adventure the Army held. But together their ambitions grew and led them to travel across the country to attend South Carolina State University.

There, they met with an Army recruiter, who signed them into the ROTC program. Throughout college, they were like night and day. While Brenda studied business economics, Belinda tended to lean toward a more creative outlet and found she enjoyed fashion merchandising.

Living together for most of their lives, the battle of wits has always kept the Trevillions on their toes.

“We get along very well, but we argue like eight times a day,” said Belinda. “It gets to the point that we know what to say to make the other person mad.”

Belinda commissioned in May 2005 and Brenda joined shortly after in July. Once commissioned into the Army, the two were sent to different units – Brenda was assigned to 4th Inf. Div. and Belinda went to 1st Cav. Div.

Both sisters have held many positions over the last four years which have allowed them to build strength and gain leadership experience. They have been an unstoppable force within their respective divisions, where they both currently hold the same position, that of protocol officers.

Though it is obvious that they have certainly built a pattern between their two lives and careers, they never planned on having the same job in different units.

“Everything she does, I do; and everything I do, she does. It’s weird. You don’t plan it; it just happens,” said Belinda.

When it comes to ceremonies, protocol officers like the Trevillion twins are the executers for coordinating and organizing command group events, to include RSVPs, seating arrangements and catering.

“We support the commanding general and [other top leaders] in all ceremonies and special events,” said Brenda. “We all have different projects we are working on, such as commander boards, officer boards – we track all the book reports for the MND-B area.”

Being deployed for a second time, Brenda is relieved that she was able to see her sister, even though only for two weeks. During the previous deployment to Iraq in 2005 through 2007, even though Brenda was in Camp Taji and Belinda was in Camp Liberty, they were able to see each other during the Thanksgiving holiday, Brenda said.

Again, luck seems to be on their side. Once more, they were able to see each other, unfortunately just in passing, but the Trevillions maintain that it is a comfort nonetheless.

“I think it’s great to have my sister here,” said Brenda. “It’s like a comfort from home. It’s nice to have family over here with me, but it is also scary. It’s dangerous; you never know when a mortar is going to hit or a rocket is going to come in.

“It’s great that we are here together, but it will always be in the back of my mind. It’s hard because, yeah, we are together, but in a few weeks, I will be leaving her.”

Brenda said although the hardship in Iraq is tough, sometimes she feels as though it helped her to mature, like when she was a support platoon leader at Forward Operating Base Falcon for the first four months of the deployment.

“The opportunity to be here in Iraq as a support transportation platoon leader for combat logistics patrols has made me grow up. I was able to multi-task. I was able to step outside of myself with the help of the many NCOs,” said Brenda.

“There are a lot of NCOs and maintenance officers that really supported me and helped me become a better leader. You learn so much from your subordinates. For me, being in that platoon changed my life.”

Brenda finds reassurance in her hard work through the praise and endearments of her old platoon. She said the camaraderie of a team lifestyle and esprit de corps have been the most rewarding of experiences.

“The value of having the sisters together is they know each other so well there is a minimum amount of misunderstanding,” explained Spc. Kevin Harrelson, who also serves in the SGS, 4th Inf. Div.

“As twins, they have that knack for knowing what the other is saying without too much of an explanation. She cuts across the board, working with the NCOs and officers. She meshes well throughout the ranks and most definitely likes to speak her mind,” added Harrelson of Brenda.

In a matter of weeks, Brenda will have packed her bags and headed back to Fort Hood, leaving behind her twin sister. Even as the sibling rivalry rages, she said her hope for Belinda is that she excels and provides great support for her division.

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By Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger
Multi-National Division – Baghdad Public Affairs Office