Father, son carry on tradition as officers in Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program

Friday was a special day for the Beck family. Siegfried Beck, a lieutenant colonel in the German Air Force, pinned the wings he received 31 years ago on his son.

Lt. Col. Beck and his wife flew to Wichita Falls for the ceremony.

Both men, Lt. Colonel Beck and son Tobias, a lieutenant, are products of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program at Sheppard Air Force Base.

The senior Beck graduated in 1990, and spent the years since flying the Typhoon fighter jet in hot spots like Afghanistan and Yugoslavia. He thinks his career inspired his son.

“He was always eager to fly. I think I inspired him,” said Beck, who has spent 37 years in the German Air Force. “He was a good student and always lucky. Everything worked out for him.”

Although he’s proud his son followed in his footsteps, he worries about him being sent into combat.

“Yes, I do, of course – and my wife, too,” he said.

The German officer and his wife, Gabriele, have a second son who opted for a career in IT rather than flying.

At 57, Beck has had a long air force career. Germany allows its combat pilots to fly until age 61, so he still has a few years ahead in the cockpit. He thinks his son will make a long career of it, too.

The lieutenant colonel says much has changed in the years since he was stationed at Sheppard.

“It was busy then, but it is much busier now. Except for ENJJPT, I don’t recognize anything – the simulators, the flight line.”

Tobias, 26, is single, but Lt. Col. Beck was married when he came to Sheppard. He and Gabriele lived in an apartment near Weeks Park. On-base housing was limited back then. Tobias is single and lives on base.

The couple, who now live in their hometown near Munich, enjoyed their time in Wichita Falls.

“We liked the malls and the restaurants and the shopping. My wife did the shopping,” Beck said.

The Becks will spend about a week in Wichita Falls after the wing-pinning ceremony, then they’ll return to Germany.

Tobias will follow soon to begin his career of flying the same troubled skies as his dad.