Twin brothers, Davin and Daniel Mayes, graduated from Fort Moore’s One Station Unit Training as U.S. Army Infantry Soldiers Dec. 1.
“I felt like it was right to do, to join, to learn, to give me a better building block … and learn discipline from the Army,” Daniel said.
Though their father served in the military, it was more than their family’s legacy driving the twins to raise their right hands.
When recruiters came to Daniel’s high school, he went right up to them and asked to enlist, a decision that would mean turning down two full ride scholarships to answer the call to service.
Given he was 17, Daniel required his parents’ signature to join. When he brought home the paperwork, his father, Dusty Mayes, looked at him and asked if he was sure this was what he wanted, Daniel said. His answer was firm, and his father took him to the recruiting station the next day.
Davin originally considered going to college following his high school graduation and reconsidered after weighing the difference in collegiate scholarships versus the GI Bill. When his brother’s recruiter approached him about enlisting, he decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Together, the two Booneville, Kentucky residents, went to the Military Entrance Processing Station the next week.
The brothers enlisted under the Army’s Buddy Program which allows up to four friends or family members to attend One Station Unit Training (OSUT), or Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, together and, following graduation, move to their first duty stations together.
“If you qualify for the buddy program, from the get-go … you have that second person,” said Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Hubbard, a drill sergeant with the twin’s unit, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Training Brigade. “You have that buddy – or your twin – to bounce ideas off of, to lean on each other through the process.”
To qualify for the program, recruits must agree on the same Military Occupational Specialty and training dates. The Mayes brothers decided on the Army’s oldest branch: the Infantry.
Daniel ultimately chose the Infantry to serve in a combat role. “I wanted to earn my paycheck, and earn the great honor of being Infantry, to call myself an Infantryman,” he said, and his brother agreed.
“There’s a lot of pride that comes with being in the Infantry,” Davin said. “My recruiter sent me a list of the available MOSs he had, and I was like ‘call me back when Infantry is open.’” He got a call back thirty minutes later.
Hubbard said it was interesting when the brothers showed up to their training unit together and no one could tell them apart. He said it was apparent the two leaned on each other for motivation, especially during long training days, and sparked competition to be better every day.
The 22-week OSUT transformation from civilian to Soldier is no easy feat. Trainees rely on their teammates for physical and mental encouragement along the way. Davin believes having his brother along the way helped the twins overcome adversity during training.
Sibling rivalry plays a role in their performance, too. “We argued a little bit, but he helps push me to do better, because I can’t let him beat me,” said Davin.
Davin and Daniel’s parents were just as comforted to have the two in training together.
Their mother, Jamika, was sad to see both of her sons go at first, but “knew that in times of need, as far as physical and emotional support, they would have each other,” she said. “They’ve always had each other.”
Day and night, the brothers trained side-by-side in the same platoon and even shared a bunk bed in the barracks.
“I knew, if nothing else, they had each other to their left and right,” Dusty said. “They do nothing crawling first. They do it at a full sprint or nothing at all.”
Davin and Daniel’s parents have already seen the impact of their training transformation. “They went from being my little boys in such a short amount of time,” Jamika said after seeing the twins at their 10-week mark for Family Day. “I see that they’re doing what they love and learning so much. I’m so proud.”
Looking ahead, Daniel plans to reenlist and extend his time in service. “I’m ready to get my Army career going. This is just the end of a chapter and the beginning of my Army career,” Daniel said. “I’m ready to progress from here. I want to go for some schools, rank up as fast as I can, be put in some leadership positions, and see what I can do.”
Davin is also excited to get his career rolling at Fort Stewart, Ga., where the brothers will soon head for their first duty assignment. He plans to take college courses throughout his enlistment and potentially participate in the Green-to-Gold, enlisted to officer, program once eligible, he said.
For those considering service, the Mayes brothers highly encourage taking the chance. “If you stay in there mentally, you’ve got it,” Daniel said. “If you’re considering it, do it, because it’s the best decision you will ever make in your life.”
Davin said you gain more brothers in training, and he knows those relationships will last regardless of where his fellow trainees will serve. “You live together for 22 weeks. You kind of just become one family,” Davin said.
“I came into the Army with one brother, and I’m leaving with forty-eight extras,” Daniel said. “We look out for each other, now and forever. Once a Soldier, always a Soldier.”
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