Boise twins follow in their father’s footsteps by enlisting in the Idaho Army National Guard
By Christinna Bautista
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BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — Boise twins follow in their father’s footsteps by enlisting in the Idaho Army National Guard.
Sons Grayson and Riley,19-year-old twins, will attend basic and advanced training for the Idaho Army National Guard on Tuesday morning.
Serving in the military isn’t out of the ordinary for the Hicks family. The twins are following in their father’s footsteps, who is a director for the Idaho National Guard’s Human Resource Office and has served for an impressive 35 years.
Hicks is proud of the decision made by his sons to enlist. He didn’t want them to feel forced into it, as he was at age 17 by his father, who also served in the military.
“When I was young, that’s what my dad did to me. He brought me to the recruiter and said, ‘Hey, you need to sign up.’ I didn’t want to do that to my boys. And I want them to come to the conclusion that they want to do that,” said Jim Hicks, the twins’ father.
A huge reason why the boys decided to enlist in the Idaho Army National Guard is that they get to serve part-time, allowing them to go to college.
“I want to stick in Idaho a little longer before I branch out to another state or county,” said Grayson.
Grayson and Riley plan on studying cybersecurity when they return home. Both chose to enlist in the 1st of the 183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion and will serve as signal support systems specialists.
Their father advises them to learn to work as a team going through this next step in life.
“Motivate your team and help your section. Work as a team, be a follower, be a leader, but be a team and go forward with that. That’s the most significant piece of advice I gave them. I understand my boys well. They have all the skills, but that team effort is what is going to make them very successful,” said Jim.
Being twins, dad says they have done almost everything together, so it was no surprise enlisting in the military would be any different.
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