Todd, Tracy and Matthew
pose for a family picture after Matthew enlists into the Ohio
Army National Guard.
Matthew Jenkins enlists
into the Ohio Army National Guard's HHC, 1st Battalion, 145th
Armored Regiment based in Stow, Ohio. |
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Story and photos by Spc. Brian
Johnson, Unit Public Affairs Representative
1194th Engineer Company
SALEM, Ohio—For many families, a weekend may consist of going to
the lake, shopping or family vacations. But for one local
family, weekends are taking on a whole new meaning.
Capt. Todd Winn is the commander of the Ohio National Guard’s
Chillicothe-based 1194th Engineer Company. His wife, Staff Sgt.
Tracy Winn, is a squad leader with the North Canton-based 1484th
Transportation Company. The couple recently welcomed another
family member into the military—Tracy’s son and Todd’s stepson,
Matthew Jenkins.
The Winn’s have three children—Joshua, who will be starting
college in the fall at Mount Union in Allianace; Rachel, who
attends Salem High School; and Matthew. Both Joshua and Rachel
are also considering entering the military.
Tracy said she and Todd met through mutual friends and she
learned about the Ohio National Guard through Todd.
“Todd was already in the National Guard, working out of the
Akron-Canton Armory as a crew chief,” Tracy said. “I didn't
really even know what the National Guard was at that time. I
just knew he was in the Army in some sort of capacity. I didn't
join until 2001—I just so happened to be at basic training
during 9/11. Todd encouraged me to join even though I thought I
was too old. He assured me that I would not have to go anywhere
unless of course there was an all-out war. At that time, he had
been in for 13 years and had no activations or deployments. What
were the odds?”
A second-year student at the University of Akron, Jenkins
enlisted into the Ohio National Guard as a forward observer in
the field artillery with the Stow-based Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Armor Regiment.
Military heritage runs deep on both sides of the Winn family.
Todd’s grandfather was in the Army and served in World War II,
and Tracy’s father and four uncles served in the Vietnam War.
Her uncle Mitch was killed in action.
Jenkins said he has felt the calling of military service for
some time.
“I didn't say anything to anyone because I wasn't sure,” he
said. “Now that I have enlisted, I am really very proud. I'm
excited to get to basic training.”
Jenkins said his parents were supportive, but surprised about
his decision.
“We did try to talk to Matt about joining the National Guard. He
wanted nothing to do with the military,” Tracy said. “We had a
recruiter call him and he was extremely upset about that. After
that, we didn’t talk about it again. That is why it was so
shocking when, out of nowhere, he decided to join. I doubt that
Matt would have known all the benefits that were available to
him by joining if it were not for Todd and I sharing our
knowledge about the Army National Guard with him. He is a smart
young man and I know he will do well in the military. He has
made good choices for himself thus far.”
Despite being well-informed of the many career choices available
to him in the Ohio National Guard, it didn’t take Jenkins long
to figure out which he wanted to pursue.
“When I heard about the job of the forward observer, I knew that
was the job for me,” Jenkins said. “My mom and dad did not have
a chance to guide my career path. By the time that I had told
them that I was considering the military, I was almost
enlisted.”
Jenkins’ stepfather said despite his surprise, he is proud of
his stepson’s decision.
“It's a difficult time for anyone who joins the service right
now,” he said. “We are at war and the possibility for deployment
is always there.”
Jenkins’ mother said, initially, she was upset.
“I know all too well the horrors of war having been deployed to
Iraq in January 2004,” Tracy said. “While I was there, we did a
lot of convoy escort missions all over the country. Todd helped
me to realize how supportive Matt was when I enlisted in 2001.
Matthew has always been supportive of my military decisions, so
I guess I will have to support his decisions as well.”
Jenkins wasted no time in enlisting once he made his decision.
“He called us on a Thursday evening and out of nowhere informs
us of his decision to join the Ohio Army National Guard,” Tracy
said. “We were both in disbelief.”
Jenkins met with a recruiter the following day and within a week
was in Cleveland at the Military Entrance Processing Station,
where he was eventually sworn in by his stepfather.
“It’s tough on dual military couples to have to drill at
different units and be gone at different periods of time,” Tracy
said. “I would have to say it’s even tougher when you both are
gone at the same time because there are children involved. Todd
and I were activated at the same time and it was hard. We are
fortunate in the fact that we have strong family support and the
kids have loved the fact that both of their parents are serving.
They have always expressed how proud they are. I’m not sure how
it is going to be for us now that Matthew has joined.”
Wearing the uniform and serving in a time of war has instilled
in the Winn family a profound sense of patriotism.
“Any Soldier who wears the uniform… and is willing to go to war
and possibly die while serving, knows what the meaning of
patriotism is,” Tracy said. “So I would have to say that being
patriotic is extremely important to us. We love America and love
the freedoms that we have.”
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