Bound by blood, service: Army, AF brothers meet while deployed after being separated for 10 years

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Scott Saldukas
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
COMBAT OUTPOST AZIMIJAN KARIZ, Afghanistan --  An airman deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. reunited with his brother when the missions of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army crossed paths here April 29.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Matthew Beck, 25 and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Beck, 35, had the unique pleasure of having family around while deployed to the remote location in Southwest Afghanistan.

Matthew, who is with the 577th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron Consolidated-Small Maintenance and Repair Team at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, and James, Bravo Company 1st Battalion 36th Infantry Regiment here, knew for a while they both would be deployed at the same time, but had no idea that supporting the overseas contingency would let them cross paths.

"My leadership brought up the idea that I may be able to see my brother, but it was no guarantee," Matthew said. "It just so happened that the COP my brother was at requested the assistance of our unit a couple months earlier to help with some life, health and safety issues."

Matthew and his unit travel throughout the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility to fix issues that may affect the health and wellbeing of personnel at installations lacking a civil engineer capability.

"Its kind of surreal," he said. "After all these years of being thousands of miles apart, we meet here, in southern Afghanistan."

James, a fire support NCO here, explained how after he joined the Army it was difficult to get home early in his career. Then after his brother joined the Air Force, it got even more challenging logistically, he added.

"You know, we don't do this for the money," the older brother said. "So starting a life, with a family and traveling from coast-to-coast isn't realistic for a young enlisted person."

While traveling can get expensive and creates difficult choices, one thing that was fairly certain from a young age, both brothers wanted to serve their country.

"My dad and his dad both served," Matthew said, who is deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. "Everyone in my family has either served in the military or in the police force so I think we both always knew we would be serving."

Growing up, the brothers said they did what all brothers do - wrestle, mess around and play with G.I. Joe action figures.

"I can remember James getting me in to G.I. Joe's when I was younger," Matthew said. "He was the one who started to teach me how to drive, too. He is 10-years older than me, so I always looked up to him and wanted to be like him."

His older brother moved away and joined the military when Matthew was 15. But it didn't change the close relationship the brothers had, he added.

"Him joining was probably the biggest factor for me to join," the Lemoore, Calif., native said. "I looked up to him and wanted to do good with myself too."

Even though military assignments had separated the two by many miles, they always stayed in touch, the big brother said.

"You know it's difficult making it work sometimes due to the distance, but we make it work, we are brothers," he said. "And even after this deployment and we both get back, we will keep in touch and hopefully get stationed a little closer together."

During the four-day trip here, the brothers did some catching up and had the opportunity to see each other's jobs and how they work in their respective environment.

"This has been an amazing opportunity for us," James said, who is deployed from Fort Bliss, Texas. "E-mail and phone calls can only do so much. It's amazing to see my little brother out here all grown up. He's a straight-forward, hard-working guy and I look forward to meeting up when we both get back to the states."

At the end of each day together, the brothers have each worked a 12-hour shift and continued the mission without skipping a beat. Not receiving any special treatment or time off during the visit, the brothers said they wouldn't have it any other way.

"There is a mission to be done," the brothers said in unison.

The next mission following their re-deployment is to ensure they stay in constant communications with each other and not let another decade pass by before seeing each other again.