Top-notch maintenance siblings stationed here

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melanie Holochwost
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Although they are not twins, people often confuse Tech. Sgt. Poun Thies, 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit assistant NCO-in-charge of aircraft section, for his brother, Tech. Sgt. David Thies, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flightline expeditor, and vice-versa.

It's pretty easy to do considering they look alike, have the same last name and rank, have similar personalities and can be found on the flightline.

"People who know my brother very well come up to me and talk to me like I'm him," Poun said. "We started to just play along and eventually they realize they are talking to the wrong Thies, which is pretty funny."

Poun joined the Air Force in June 1995 and talked his brother into joining about three years later.

"We grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and learned a lot about maintenance so it seemed like the right career field to go into," Poun said. "And, when David came to visit me at my first duty station, which was at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., I talked him into choosing the maintenance career field as well."

Being placed on the same jet and being stationed together were both random, the brothers said.

"It is nice working with my brother," Poun said. "At work, we often brainstorm ideas together to solve tough maintenance problems. Between the two of us, we can fix almost anything."

The Thies brothers are also highly respected NCOs in their field and have both won many awards including different levels of the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Thomas Barnes Award for crew chief of the year.

"I won base-wide at Luke in 2006 and AETC in 2007," David said. "Because of the AETC-level award, I was step-promoted to technical sergeant in 2008. Poun won four times at the squadron-level, twice at the major command-level and once at the Air Force-level in 2005."

David said it is very rare for brothers or sisters to be stationed at the same base, especially more than once.

"We were also stationed together at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, from 2003 to 2004 before we came to Luke," he said. "Neither of us requested to be stationed
together. It just happened that way."

Master Sgt. Thomas Lamb, 56th Maintenance Group superintendent, said he would like more Thies brothers at Luke.

"I think it's awesome they are both stationed here at Luke," Sergeant Lamb said. "I wish we could have four or five more of them. They have an extremely high knowledge in the maintenance career field and are always the go-to guys."