Story and photo by Robert Johnson
Managing editor

Members of the 554th Engineer Battalion probably thought they were seeing double as two identical members of the unit re-enlisted during a ceremony, Friday.

Col. Tommy Mize, 1st Engineer Brigade commander, administered the reenlistment oath to Staff Sgts. Christopher and Michael Atenico, identical twins, before family and friends at the 1st Engr. Bde. headquarters.

This was not the first time the Atenico brothers had done something together for their Army career.

“We enlisted into the Army together in August 2000,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Atenico, Company H, 554th Engr. Bn. “We did basic and AIT right here at Fort Leonard Wood.”

“Then we were assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg (N.C.),” added Christopher Atenico, Company A, 554th Engr. Bn.

With a brief separation during their careers, both Douglas, Wy., native brothers found themselves back at Fort Leonard Wood together again in 2008, where they served as instructors for the U.S. Army Engineer School.

With wives, Rhiannon and Amanda, looking on, the two identical staff sergeants raised their right hands and pledged in unison another four years to Army service. However, the togetherness will come to an end this summer as Michael and Rhiannon head to Europe, and Christopher and Amanda travel to Hawaii in the fall for their next duty stations.

“With Chris and Mike assigned to opposite ends of the earth, I can imagine their vacation plans for the next few years will be set,” Mize said.

Christopher and Michael may be first set of twins from Douglas, Wy., to enter the Army, but they may not be the last. Both Christopher and Michael have a set of sons who are also twins.

“We both have three sons, and both have a set of twin sons,” Michael, the older of the two twins, said. “Chris’s boys are identical, and mine are faternal.”