It runs in the family

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

07.16.2021

Story by Spc. Madeline Fortune 

119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Father and son recount their experiences of serving together

The bond between a father and a son is a bond like no other; it is strong, unyielding and everlasting. But for Master Sgt. Jerry Hankins, from London, Arkansas, and Staff Sgt. Matthew Hankins, from Pottsville, Arkansas, they not only bond over their shared interests and family heritage; but they also bond over the commonalities of being Soldiers in the Arkansas Army National Guard.
Currently, this father-son duo is on a training mission at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana. JRTC challenges Soldiers through realistic, war-like scenarios that test their potential and tolerance to the fullest extent. When Soldiers are pushed to their limit through intense training exercises and deployments, they must rely on each other like family. And for the Hankinses, it is comforting knowing that family is actually there.
“When you endure something such as [JRTC], it does strengthen the bond,” said Master Sgt. Hankins. “When you endure together, and then after it’s over you can talk about it and reflect back on the hard times, the rough times and the good times, I believe it does bring us closer.”
Master Sgt. Hankins’s reason for enlisting in the military was to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a drill instructor during the World War II era at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Much like his father, Staff Sgt. Hankins’s motivation for enlisting in the Army National Guard was also family-driven.
“My inspiration for joining the military would be my father,” said Staff Sgt. Hankins. “He had deployed two times before I got into the military, and I kinda felt like he had done his time and served his country, and it was time that somebody else step up to the plate.”
In 2012 the Hankinses deployed together to Afghanistan for nine months with Alpha Company of the 39th Brigade Special Troops Battalion. Since Master Sgt. Hankins had deployed twice before deploying with his son, he said that the third deployment with his son made him think a little bit more about what the mission entailed and about the safety of the Soldiers.
“Even though we weren’t actually together through the deployment, [deploying at the same time] definitely helped get me through that,” said Staff Sgt. Hankins. “It kinda made the experience a little less frightening.”
When reflecting on their favorite memory of serving with each other, both Hankinses can agree that their deployment together was an especially noteworthy experience.
Master Sgt. Hankins recounts, “That trip home, for him to experience that feeling of coming home, was probably one of my favorite memories.”
Although the Hankinses enjoy serving together, they both agree that serving with family comes with its challenges. The biggest challenge is the expectations placed on Staff Sgt. Hankins.
Staff Sgt. Hankins says that meeting those high expectations was challenging, but it was because of those high expectations that he pushed himself to be the best version of himself possible.
Master Sgt. Hankins agrees that he’s held his son to a higher standard, but he also recognizes the importance of separating his own career with his son’s career. “I’ve had to learn to step back and let him be his own person.”
The Hankinses can both agree that there are many benefits of serving together as a family, but Staff Sgt. Hankins is especially grateful for the knowledge and experience that his father contributes to his military career.
“I always have a good mentor,” said Staff Sgt. Hankins “someone to always turn to, someone I can always trust to call.”
Master Sgt. Hankins says that another reward of serving together is being able to see family during long training periods, like what they’re experiencing right now.
Both Master Sgt. Hankins and Staff Sgt. Hankins agree that serving with family is a unique experience. When asked how they felt about the possibility of Master Sgt. Hankins’s grandchildren and Staff Sgt. Hankins’s children serving in the military in the future, they both agreed that they would support anyone who wanted to carry on the family legacy, but that they would not expect them to join just because their father and grandfather did.
“If one of my children wants to serve, I’d fully support them,” said Staff Sgt. Hankins. “But I’m also gonna leave that up to them. I think that making this decision has to be solely on that person, and you have to be 100% committed.”
Both Master Sgt. Hankins and Staff Sgt. Hankins are proud of each others’ accomplishments in the military, but there is something especially rewarding about seeing your son successfully following in your footsteps.
When asked if there was anything he’d like to tell his son about his career, Master Sgt. Hankins replied, “I’d tell him that I’m proud of him, to keep pushing, be the best that you can be, and the sky’s the limit. You can do whatever it is you set your mind to do. You can do it.”