Air Force Reservist brothers reunited at Rodeo

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Andre Bowser
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  The Air Force's premier airlift competition has reunited two Airmen brothers after they were more than a year apart, including a deployment to Iraq, and miles of separation.

The siblings, who are reservists stationed on opposite sides of the country, were reunited at Air Mobility Rodeo 2011, the biennial international competition that focuses on mission readiness, including airdrops, aerial refueling and other events that showcase the skills of mobility crews from around the world.

The event, which lasted from July 24 to 30, brought diverse groups of Airmen together for a week of competition, and in the case of the two brothers, precious time to catch up.

Senior Airman Todd Tetreault, 30, a Reservist with the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., and an air transportation specialist with the 50th Aerial Port Squadron, reunited with his brother Senior Airman Nathan Tetreault, 26, a reservist with the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. Airman Tetreault is an air transportation specialist with the 42nd Aerial Port Squadron.

Nathan Tetreault said he hadn't seen his brother since before he deployed to Iraq for more than four months during the summer of 2010.

"I gave my summer to Uncle Sam," he said with a shared laugh with his brother, as the two reminisced about the last time they saw each other.

"We spent 24 hours in Las Vegas, and that was the last time I saw him before he left for Iraq," Todd Tetreault said. "We partied like rock stars."

They expressed shock that so much time had passed; after all, it was more than a year ago, in April 2010, since they'd seen each other, until the Rodeo.

While the two brothers grew up in Deerfield, Mass., their family is split between the two coasts, with half living in Northern California and the other half living in Massachusetts.
Nathan beamed the night before his older brother was scheduled to arrive:

"He's really a great guy."

And if imitation is the greatest form of flattery, Nathan admits he garners life inspiration from his big brother: Besides being aerial port reservists, both are theater majors in college and aspiring actors, and active martial arts practitioners.

Sitting outside of the Westover tent at Rainier Ranch, where all of the teams of Airmen from around the country and world unwind after the day's competitions, Todd summed up the obvious: "I definitely influenced him."

Todd, who served on active duty in the U.S. Navy from 2000 to 2004, said he joined the Air Force Reserve first in 2009, and encouraged his younger brother to do the same.
"I actually had to talk him into doing it," he said.

Nathan said he volunteered for the Rodeo competition and during a phone conversation with his brother, he asked if he would be able to drive up to Washington state from Northern California. Nathan said his efforts to reunite with his brother received a big boost from his Rodeo team leader, Senior Master Sgt. Michael Hamlet. "He started to communicate with my brother's unit, and helped make it happen," Nathan said.

Todd said it was a lucky coincidence that his chief at March is good friends with Nathan's chief at Westover, and that the two senior noncommissioned officers helped to make the reunion possible.

The two brothers said they hoped to share another Air Force milestone someday through their specialized educations.

Todd, who attends the University of California at Irvine and Nathan, a student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, are hoping their educations in theater will help them launch acting careers. The brothers said they plan to pursue their dream through the Air Force and through education.

The dream: To work for the Air Force Tops in Blue performance group -- a specialized unit that focuses on entertaining troops to encourage good morale and welfare.