Different paths, same goal: Brothers selected for Officer Training School
As an air traffic controller with the 48th Operations Support Squadron, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Benyamin Pimentel helps keep the Liberty Wing’s flying mission moving safely and efficiently. From the tower, Pimentel sequences arriving and departing aircraft, coordinating with pilots and other airfield agencies to maintain safe and orderly operations.
For U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Javier-Peralta, 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment inspection and repair noncommissioned officer in charge, where he contributes to the deep maintenance, rebuilding and certification of vital ground support systems for the Liberty Wing’s F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. His work helps ensure critical equipment is safe, reliable and ready to support aircraft maintenance and operations.
While their day-to-day missions are different, both brothers have built their own identities as Airmen and found their own reasons for serving.
“At first, I joined for school, but my deployments showed me that my true reason is about service and sacrifice,” said Javier-Peralta. “What we do keeps people back home safe, and we both get to allow our family to have a better life back in the States.”
Since enlisting, the brothers have distinguished themselves within their respective career fields. Javier-Peralta has led Airmen, conducted multiple quality assurance inspections and earned two Air and Space Commendation Medals during deployments. Pimentel earned Senior Airman Below-the-Zone, was selected for promotion to staff sergeant and was selected for Officer Training School.
Along the way, their relationship has continued to push them forward.
“We are very competitive, on everything,” said Javier-Peralta. “I think that pushes both of us to be better. There’s not a point in our life that we weren’t pushing each other to be the best we can be. We are proud of each other’s accomplishments, but once the celebration is over, it pushes us to achieve the same thing the other has just achieved.”
That competition has also come with support. Whether talking about work, offering advice or simply having someone who understood what the other was experiencing, serving at the same wing gave both Airmen someone to share their experiences with.
“The 48th FW shaped me,” said Pimentel. “This wing allowed me to develop myself, taught me how to be competitive and showed me that working hard can get me wherever I want to go. Being selected for OTS with my brother wouldn’t have been possible without our experiences at this base.”
When the opportunity to apply for OTS arose, the brothers pursued separate commissioning paths without knowing whether either would be selected.
“We applied at the same time,” said Pimentel. “We didn’t know if we'd be selected, let alone together, because the boards we applied to were different. I was selected at the wing-level and he was selected at the United States Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa level. The processes were completely different.”
For Javier-Peralta, the opportunity to attend OTS came through the Senior Leader Enlisted Commissioning Program-Officer. His selection at the USAFE-AFAFRICA level marked another milestone in his enlisted career and an opportunity to carry his experience into a new leadership role.
“I want to be someone that leads from the front,” said Javier-Peralta. “Someone who isn’t afraid to take on a challenge, but can also sit and do the task with my team so we can all achieve it together.”
For both brothers, their selections represent more than the next step in their careers. They reflect the growth they have experienced since joining the Air Force and the people who helped them along the way.
“We are so grateful to our senior leadership,” said Pimentel and Javier-Peralta. “All the time they put into us, making us better Airmen, better noncommissioned officers and better people. They put so much of their time and belief into us, we couldn’t have done this without them.”
From the family that shaped them to the separate paths they built as Airmen, Pimentel and Javier-Peralta have created stories of their own. Now, they are preparing to transition from enlisted Airmen to officers, carrying the experiences and lessons that shaped their careers into their next chapter of service.
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