WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Sometimes it really is a small world. A case in point is the 338's front office^Th Recruiting Squadron. Two high-ranking Air Force NCOs sit in this office. A year ago, these two gentlemen had no idea the other even existed. In retrospect, it is surprising that this was not the case.

Let's start with Master Sgt. Travis Parker, the production manager.

“I started here in 2005,” Parker said, gesturing vaguely toward the recruiting staff conference room. “I’m from Lima, Ohio, which is about an hour north of here. I had to come here for a waiver and an interview with the commander. So forward 18 years. I now work directly for this commander, not the same person, but in the same position. Same basis.”

And then there's Master Sgt. Todd Wireman, the unit's first sergeant.

“I came out of the Lima office in 2007 and took over the command post,” added Wireman, also sitting in the conference room. “That was my professional field. We were leaving with a two week old daughter and wanted to be close to family. My whole career I’ve been trying to get back here.”

Before this world contracts, the sergeants will abort their mission, starting with the 338th^Th The recruiting squadron is responsible for providing the Air Force with more than 100 qualified new recruits each month.

“We cover five states. We have about 49 recruiters,” Parker explains. “The unit itself consists of around 85 employees. And we cover most of Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, part of Illinois and West Virginia. So our mission is to inspire, engage and recruit the next generation of Airmen and Guardians. We’re also doing Space Force now.”

“They are gatekeepers to a person’s future,” Wireman said, describing the people whose morale, preparedness and well-being he is responsible for. “Recruiters are given the opportunity to ensure an Airman understands not only what it is like to serve in the best Air Force in the world, but also how difficult it is to get into the Air Force and meet those standards.”

“Our squadron primarily covers rural areas,” Parker added. “Attending secondary school is our livelihood. This squadron recruited more seniors and juniors than any other in the country. We are number one and therefore absolutely dependent on our school programs.”

Speaking of rural schools, let’s start with the miniaturization of the planet.

“I arrived here in January this year. I introduced myself to Chief Sergeant. Wireman and I noticed his office was decorated with Ohio State stuff,” Parker said. “So I thought, 'Are you from Ohio?' It is something like “a small town in the north”. I say, 'I'm from a small town in the north.' Where?' He said Lima. That’s where I come from.”

Lima, Ohio, is about 80 miles north of Wright-Patt. The two sergeants claim Lima because their actual hometown, nearby Cridersville, has fewer than 2,000 residents and you only have to zoom in a little on a web map to find it.

“He asks, 'Where did you go to school?' Because there are a dozen schools there. And I went to Perry High School. And he said, 'That's where I went to high school.'”

Perry High School is a grades 7 through 12 institution with a total enrollment of approximately 300 students. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Wireman graduated there in 2007. Parker graduated in 1999 so their paths wouldn't cross as teenagers, but this is where the globe gets tiny.

Amy Parker and Krista Wireman didn't go to the same high school as their husbands; However, they both attended nearby Allen East High School and Amy Parker's sister was Krista's best friend.

Wireman grew up on the Schooler family farm, located at the end of the same Schooler Street where Parker spent his childhood.

Wireman's aunt went to school with Parker's brothers. She is now the superintendent of the Perry Local School District.

And Parker's father and Wireman's grandfather are cousins.

The world has shrunk.

Yet somehow the sergeants were not aware that this shared world existed until they became counterparts.

“I joined when I was 25,” Parker remembers. “Basically, I came here with what’s called a guaranteed fit area. I ended up working in water and fuel maintenance for eight years. I was deployed every year. I missed the birth of my son. It was just stressful having two small children and missing so many birthdays. So I raised my hand and said, 'Hey, I'd like to volunteer for recruiting.'”

As luck would have it, Master Sgt. Parker's first tour as a recruiter was with the 338th^Th detailed to nearby Kettering, Ohio. He would eventually accept a second tier position with the unit at Wright-Patt before moving on to assignments in Texas and eventually Pennsylvania.

“I moved back here with my family because I'm retiring next year. I didn't know where I was going to be stationed, but luckily I ended up in Pennsylvania, which is a pretty manageable drive. I was only there for maybe a month and I got a call saying this position was open and would you like to take the position?”

Meanwhile, Senior Master Sgt. Wireman spent his early flying years with the goal of either making a career change or returning home.

“I was actually thinking about recruiting and wanted to raise my hand, but the command post was critically staffed and they wouldn't let you out,” Wireman remembers. “I participated in the Recruiter's Assistance Program every year because I could return home and work with recruiters. But here too, critically examined. I couldn’t leave.”

His PCS path led from Oklahoma to Maryland. Wireman almost broke up after ten years, but he persevered and eventually found his way back to Ohio and a new job.

“I love my career field, but we wanted to stay here. That was our priority. So I started looking for options that could potentially keep me here and First Sergeant was one of them. They were recruiting locally, so I put on my diamond and went to AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology). It was my first appearance as a shirt. Then I came here.”

In summary, two boys from rural Lima (Cridersville) with very close-knit lives grow up a mile or two apart, but are complete strangers due to an age difference. They both log in, perform tasks at multiple offices outside of their home, and only meet after a total of 36 years of service because they happen to be housed in offices next to each other at a recent job. A small world indeed.

“For me to be here. Unbelievable,” Parker muses. “I sometimes have to pinch myself when I pull into the parking lot because I was part of this unit for seven years. And I ended up meeting Sergeant Wireman. It was pretty remarkable.”

Master Sgt. Wireman agreed.

“Here I am. A senior sergeant, a senior sergeant, and we're deploying all these Airmen. And then here we are, two of us, in the top four spots of the same squadron that got us ahead. I got my nephew not too long ago “That's why he was here,” Wireman continued, pointing to his fellow Perry High graduates. “You notice how cool it is to have a full-circle moment like that.”

These full circle sergeants help more than a thousand young men and women discover their own little worlds every year. Anyone interested in starting a uniformed discovery can find their nearest Air and Space Force recruiter at https://www.airforce.com/find-a-recruiter.