MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Isaac Smith, left, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Stewart Smith, right, sit in an APH-64D Apache helicopter Aug. 31, 2020, in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. (Courtesy photo)
By Sgt. David Dickson
2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — When the 11-year-old, identical twin Smith brothers saw their first helicopter static display, the boys knew they both wanted to fly.
Now both chief warrant officers four, Isaac and Stewart Smith are both flying helicopters for the U.S. Army.
Originally raised on a dairy farm in southeastern Idaho, the twins are the oldest of six children in a family with over 100 years of military service in its history.
At 17 years old, the twins joined the Army National Guard as cannon crew members and eventually changed jobs to ammunition specialists. They served together in the Utah National Guard for four years before attending warrant officer candidate school and flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Isaac Smith, left, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Stewart Smith, right, in 2003 next to an APH-64 Apache helicopter during a deployment. (Courtesy photo)
Isaac Smith chose to go into active-duty service while Stewart Smith remained with the Utah National Guard.
However, fate would intervene, and the brothers still ended up serving together.
Isaac Smith, an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter pilot and currently attached to 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, was deployed with Task Force Mustang in support of Operation Resolute Support this summer.
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Isaac Smith, left, and Stewart Smith, right, recreate a photo from 2003 next to an APH-64D Apache helicopter Aug. 31, 2020, in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. (Courtesy photo)
Stewart Smith, a AH-64D Apache helicopter pilot with 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, Utah National Guard, also deployed along with 4th CAB. While this was not the first time either has deployed, this was the first time the twins deployed together.
What makes this deployment even more special is that Stewart Smith had the opportunity to fly his brother in the Apache, a two seater aircraft. The chance for most people to fly in an Apache — other than Apache pilots — is a very rare thing.
Both twins are standardization pilots for their aircraft, which means they mentor and coach other instructor pilots on how to train new pilots, manage flight records and set and enforce the standards for their units.
This meant Stewart had the ability to take his twin brother for an Apache flight.
“It was one of the few times an Apache pilot has hoped nothing exciting would happen because it was Isaac’s first time in this particular airframe,” said Stewart Smith. “It was an awesome flight.”
Isaac Smith said he was left with a greater appreciation of the Apache and the pilots who fly them.
“I got to cross off two major bucket list items,” Isaac Smith said. “One: I got to fly in an Apache. Two: I got to fly with my brother as the pilot for the first time.”
After this deployment, Isaac Smith said he plans to retire from the military and return home to his wife and six children. He would like to pursue another career as an EMS pilot. Stewart Smith will return to Utah to his wife and four kids, resuming his job with the Federal Aviation Administration and continue his service within the Utah Army National Guard.