Twins train together in basic training

By Ms. Marie Berberea (TRADOC)August 28, 2014

Tandem training
Twin brothers, Pvts. Stephan and Daniel Self, stand ready for training at Little Chicago in their eighth week of Basic Combat Training. The D Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery Solders graduate Aug. 29 and will move on together in Advanced ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. -- Soldiers in D Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery were seeing double as Pvts. Daniel and Stephan Self entered Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill.

"They didn't notice right off the bat. Then they're like there's two of y'all," said Daniel.

"We weren't trying to get a lot of attention," said Stephan.

"But when you're a twin it's hard to fly under the radar," said Daniel.

Slightly separated, the Selfs were put in ajoining platoons.

"Originally, I was supposed to be in his platoon, but for some reason they didn't want us to be together," said Stephan.

"Let's say I get mad at him and I'm bay leader and then I put him on fireguard or something, or let's say I have a higher role than him or he had a higher role than me they didn't want the other to get jealous," said Daniel.

The two understood why they were split up, but it didn't keep them from congregating every chance they could.

"We still get to talk to each other. The only difference is we sleep in different bays," said Stephan.

Even when they don't get a chance to speak, they said they can read each other like a book.

"I look at Daniel sometimes and just bust out laughing because he just gives me a look and I'll be like, yeah, I'm feeling the same way, too, don't worry."

Their presence started a friendly rivalry among the platoons and left the Soldiers fighting to see which on had the "better" Self.

"At first I couldn't tell them apart," said Drill Sgt. (Sgt. 1st Class) Andrew Williams. "I didn't want one Self doing something and getting on to the other Self and he'd say, 'Drill sergeant it's not me.' And, then I go back to the other one and he's like 'Drill sergeant it's not me.'"

He said besides avoiding confusion, the drill sergeants separated them for their own good.

"When you put siblings together they're going to stay together. So if you separate them and put them in different platoons, I think they'll train harder. They took on everything quickly."

Daniel said he and his brother compete in everything they do and admitted his twin was beating him in physical training and basic rifle marksmanship.

"I'm going to say he won because it took me two times, but I ended up with a higher score," said Daniel, smiling at his brother.

Daniel also said he required more discipline in the start of BCT.

"For the first few weeks I did pushups every hour of every day, and then I finally straightened up a little bit."

"Daniel Self is a bit of a clown, but he's a hard worker," said Williams.

Army start

While most enter the military alone, the two thought of it as their next adventure. They also looked at it as a way to get out of their hometown of Wickett, Texas.

When asked how they ended up in BCT together Stephan said, "We just went to the recruiter, picked the same job and it worked out that way."

Daniel said the Army was something he had been looking forward to since his freshman year of high school, while Stephan was a little more reserved about the idea.

"I just told him let's go do it, and he's like OK. He's always got my back," said Daniel.

After BCT they will go to a 52-week course at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston to become medical laboratory specialists. Five hours from Wickett, they said they are relieved to be starting their military careers together.

While most Soldiers find their battle buddy along their career, the two said they have enjoyed that feeling their whole lives.

"Always having somebody there by your side always," said Stephan.

"You don't ever have to find somebody to talk to because always right there. You could sit there and talk about anything," said Daniel.

"You don't have to rely on anyone to help you out because you know you have your brother right beside you," said Stephan.