Married Couple Assigned to JTF-DC reflects on dual-military family life

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tianna Wilson | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brady Clark and U.S. Army Sgt. Matilda Clark, both members of the West Virginia National Guard assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia, pose for a photo at Joint-Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington March 19, 2026. About 2,700 National Guard members are supporting the mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the District. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Tianna Wilson)  

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES

03.23.2026

Story by Staff Sgt. Tianna Wilson 

Joint Task Force DC

WASHINGTON- Staff Sgt. Brady Clark joined the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2017. Sgt. Matilda Clark joined in September, 2019. On October 4, 2019, less than a year after they met, Matilda and Brady got married in New Mexico just before Brady went on deployment. Brady originally joined the Guard to help fund the completion of his Bachelor’s degree. Matilda had planned to join in 2016, along with her high school best friend, but decided to go to college instead.

The Clark’s are currently assigned to Joint Task Force-DC in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful Mission. The Mission has been ongoing since August 2025, with a goal of helping make the District safer for those who live, work and visit. About 2,700 National Guard members are currently supporting the mission by providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department, Emergency Medical Services and other local and federal agencies.

When the two met, conversations about Brady’s military service were a source of inspiration. “After I met Brady in May 2019 he was already enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard,” Matilda said. “He talked about the benefits of the guard and how the guard had improved his career. It sparked the idea again of me joining and I decided to go through with it.” By January 2020, Matilda had enlisted as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst and left for Basic Training.

While time away from loved ones is always going to be difficult and can be inflated when communication is sparse, Matilda says that focusing on her own military training helped the time go by a little faster. Now that they are both fully trained, Brady says being married to someone who fully understands what life in the military is like is a positive thing both personally and professionally. “It's been really great serving in the Guard together. A lot of couples where only one person is serving can be difficult because the person not serving doesn't really understand the military culture or what it is we do on a daily basis,” Brady said. “We don't have to go through the trouble of explaining our days and the intricacies of military duty because we're both experiencing it.”

Matilda feels similarly, adding that the biggest challenges they encounter are drilling on separate weekends and coordinating pet care when they’re gone. “We have a house we've barely lived in and two dogs, Lando the Corgi and Kona the Great Dane, that we got early 2021,” Matilda said. “They have been our little fur babies and it's hard being away from them. Thankfully my sister takes care of them while we are away.”

Brady and Matilda agree that their relationship provides built-in mentorship opportunities for each other. They can simultaneously vent about stressors they may face and give each other relevant, informed advice when appropriate. “This makes it easier to understand what each of us are going through to provide both emotional and professional support,” Brady said. “It's great to have another experienced NCO that I can roll over in bed to and ask for help in navigating the challenges of leadership.”

The couple have always been in the same Squadron, but when they both became non-commissioned officers, they were placed in separate troops in order to maintain good order and discipline, and ensure they remain in line with Army regulations for married military couples.

They have gone on several missions together as a Squadron prior to their assignment to Joint Task Force-DC (JTF-DC), including COVID-19 response orders, hospital assistance missions, and corrections assistance missions. Throughout all assignments, they maintain a high level of professionalism, ensuring that their personal relationship doesn’t negatively impact their duties or performance. Their commitment to remaining professional has been the source of several funny moments over the years where others don’t realize the true nature of their relationship. “Something funny that always happens is that we get confused as siblings all the time when meeting new Soldiers,” Brady said. “This is a testament to our professionalism and military bearing in uniform, but it still confuses me when people ask about my sister and how she is doing.” Matilda echoed the sentiment saying “One funny story of being in the military is getting mistaken for siblings, although I don't see any resemblance. Many people don't realize we are married until they ask and we tell them.”

Along those lines, Brady says he and Matilda are very intentional in how they present themselves, and recommends all dual-military couples do the same. “Keep it professional. Understand that being married may give other Soldiers a certain preconceived notion about you and do everything you can to prove that wrong.”

When asked what advice they would give to other dual-military or prospective dual-military couples, Matilda discussed the importance of open communication and supporting your partner. “Advice that I would give is to always communicate. It's great to relate to both civilian and military life and talk through any issues,” Matilda said. “Always show support to each other and encourage growth in both career and life goals in general. It's great to share experiences and go through life knowing there's always someone there to pick you up when you need, listen and solve issues together, grow together, and much more. Always challenge each other while also being their biggest cheerleader.”

Brady had very similar advice, but added that it’s important to remember to leave work, at work, and remember that success should be shared, not coveted. “Lean on each other for both emotional and professional support. Learn how to "turn off" the Army mode when together and out of uniform,” Brady said. “Transitioning from duty hours to off-duty (married) hours can be hard to accomplish sometimes. Don't treat it like a competition and support each other when opportunities arise for promotions and or career advancement.”

Brady also had one final piece of advice for husbands across the force, delivered with a knowing smile. “Never forget that you may outrank your wife in uniform, but she always outranks you at home.”

For more information, contact the Joint Information Center at (202)-880-4267 or by email at mailto:[e-mail]. To view more imagery and news about this mission, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/jtfdc.

• Date Taken: 03.23.2026
• Date Posted: 03.26.2026 12:36
• Story ID: 561305
• Location: WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US