Twin Commandos serve at Hurlburt

Senior Master Sgt. Cathrine Beck, HQ Air Force Special Operations Command/A7 program manager, repeats the enlistment oath during her re-enlistment ceremony in the back of a MC-130P Combat Shadow on the flightline on Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 21, 2014. Beck’s fraternal twin sister, Maj. Caroline Beck performed her re-enlistment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Krystal M. Garrett)

Twin Commandos serve at Hurlburt

Maj. Caroline Beck, 1st Special Operations Air Operations Squadron senior duty officer, and Senior Master Sgt. Cathrine Beck, HQ Air Force Special Operations Command/A7 program manager, pose for a photo May, 29, 2014 at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The fraternal twins are serving here at Hurlburt together. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Krystal M. Garrett)

Twin Commandos serve at Hurlburt

Published June 5, 2014
By Senior Airman Krystal M. Garrett
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

HULRBURT FIELD, Fla. -- After 20 years of service, fraternal twins Maj. Caroline Beck, 1st Special Operations Air Operations Squadron senior duty officer, and her sister Senior Master Sgt. Cathrine Beck, HQ Air Force Special Operations Command/A7 program manager, are both stationed at Hurlburt Field.

It was never their plan to be stationed together, nor did they think it would ever happen.

In 1994, when Maj. Beck decided to enlist in the Air Force it encouraged Senior Master Sgt. Beck to follow in her sister's footsteps.

"She finally made the move, so I figured I'd try too," said Senior Master Sgt. Beck.

After serving four and a half years as an enlisted security forces member, Maj. Beck received the Scholarship for Outstanding Airman to ROTC scholarship. She received Bachelors in biochemistry and commissioned.

During Maj. Beck's time in the Air Force she's had the opportunity to re-enlist her sister, three times.

"The first time was in 2005, we both happened to be [temporary duty] to Kirtland Air Force Base, N. M.," said Maj. Beck. "I was attending a simulator refresher course and Cat was there for the Non-commissioned Officer Academy."

The second re-enlistment occurred at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in 2009. Maj. Beck was stationed there and Senior Master Sgt. Beck was there to spend a couple of days with her sister after graduating the First Sgt. Academy, according to the twins.

The third and most memorable time was in the back of a MC-130P Combat Shadow here at Hurlburt on May 21, 2014.

Throughout their lives, they shared many experiences together, before and after joining the Air Force.

The twins recalled moments when people would confuse one sister for the other, and sometimes they used it to their advantage.

"We would switch classes in school just to see if anyone would notice," said Senior Master Sgt. Beck.

Not much changed after they joined the Air Force as the twins still had people second guessing who was who.

While deployed, Maj. Beck once thought she'd have to wear a sign that read, "I am not Cat", due to many RED HORSE members confusing them.

"We just like to have fun with it," said the twins.

Over the last 20 years, their careers took them in opposite directions with only brief reunions, but now the twins are fortunate to share the same assignment here in sunny Florida.