Photo By 1st Lt. Ashley Goodwin | U.S. Army Spc. Erin Towns and Staff Sgt. Joshua Towns, 1432nd Engineer Company, 107th...... read more read more
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KINGSFORD, Mich. – “The first time we met was actually at my first drill after advanced individual training,” said Spc. Erin Towns. “And it was Josh’s first drill back after his deployment to Afghanistan.”
“I’d say it was love at first sight for me,” Staff Sgt. Joshua Towns explains.
Erin joined the Michigan National Guard in 2011 as a combat medic and Josh in 2004 as a horizontal construction engineer.
Josh and Erin Towns married on September 19, 2015. Both are assigned to the 1432nd Engineer Company, 107th Engineer Battalion, Michigan National Guard.
Their unit is based in Kingsford, Michigan, and they just recently served in Washington D.C., supporting the U.S. Capitol Police as part of the Capitol Response II mission.
“I’m glad I got to be there with my platoon,” said Josh. “Being a part of the 1432nd has been a big part of my life and I couldn’t imagine being there without them.”
Erin added, “We did that as a team and did what we signed up for which is protecting America from its enemies, both foreign and domestic.”
Approximately 1000 Soldiers returned home to Michigan March 15, 2021, after supporting the Capitol Response II mission at the request of the National Guard Bureau and Capitol Police.
The Towns are born and raised “yoopers,” which means they are natives of the upper peninsula in Michigan. Having made a family and home in Crystal Falls, the two reflected on their time away from their two children.
“We had a little practice with being away because we were both activated on a COVID-19 mission last spring,” said Erin.
“This time it was better because we got to be together,” explained Josh. “We were working at opposite ends of the state during COVID-19. Not seeing each other and not seeing the kids was difficult.”
Having a family care plan is a requirement for both active and reserve component Soldiers. This document lists important information such childcare, school, medical care and family activities. This plan allows for an ease of transition when a Soldier is called to duty for any period of time.
When COVID-19 response missions started ramping up in Michigan, Josh was activated for ten weeks and Erin was activated for eight weeks.
“It doesn’t get easier to leave, especially since our daughter is old enough to understand,” said Erin. “But our support system is amazing. The kids spent time with both our families while we were in Washington, D.C., and the kids love their grandparents, so it made it easier for us.”
Both Josh and Erin have military in their family history.
“The military is what we have always known,” said Erin. “This is our family.”
Josh and Erin reflect on why they joined the military.
“To be 100% truthful, I’ve thought about why I joined so many times, and I think to myself ‘why did I,’” Josh said while laughing. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
“I always knew I was going to join when I was in high school,” explained Erin. “I wanted to do something else with my life and it helped me pay for college.”
They laughed together and talked about how the military will need to force Josh to retire because he does not plan to leave on his own.
“We all have good days and bad days,” said Erin. “But I have always based my decision to reenlist on the experience as a whole and who I serve with. It wasn’t my intention to retire, but here I am 10 years later.”
“Your first sergeants and commanders come and go. It’s the nature of command,” said Josh. “My advice to those coming up on reenlistment is to evaluate who’s to your left and your right. Those are the people who keep you going.”
Josh and Erin are not just there for each other, they care about improving military organizations from the bottom up. Leadership provides opportunity for all ranks to contribute, but Soldiers need to take the initiative.
“Don’t dismiss the opportunity to share in an after-action review. Use your voice to get something to change, at least at the unit level,” Josh explained.
This advice is not just for seasoned Soldiers or officers. Josh encouraged younger enlisted servicemembers to get involved in the process as well. “If you don’t speak up, leadership may never know what’s going on,” he shared.
Erin agreed, “This advice is what keeps us going strong in our marriage.”
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2021 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 393949 |
| Location: | KINGSFORD, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | CRYSTAL FALLS, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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