Husband takes care of sons while wife serves in Iraq
Staff reporter
Married couples don't always understand what the other experiences in his or her job. But when both spouses are in the military and have served in war zones, clearer understanding abounds.
Such is the case of Shad and Tracy Winter.
The Winters are staff sergeants in the U.S. Air Force, based at McConnell at Wichita.
Tracy currently is serving at Tallil Air Base, located southeast of Baghdad and southwest of An Nasiriyah in Iraq.
She was deployed May 2, and should return home Sept. 20, to stay for the time being.
From Doylestown, Ohio, she and Shad, a 1992 Marion High School graduate, met in the military and have been married for nine years.
"This is the sixth time we've been separated," said Shad.
Shad also has seen his share of combat.
He had been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait.
"The first couple of months go by fast," Shad explained, "but it drags after that."
Tracy is in accounting and finance. Shad is in services, and is in charge of an outdoor crew at a fitness center at McConnell.
When he goes home at night, he has two boys waiting for him — Cody, 6, and Justin, 3.
"The boys are doing OK," said Shad.
When asked where Mommy was, their response was "fighting the bad guys."
The boys get to talk to their mother on the telephone and through e-mail. Instant messaging is available for military families, Shad explained, where his parents, Earl and Joan Winter of Marion, and her parents can communicate with her.
Being "Mr. Mom" is something Shad has learned to do and enjoys.
"The boys help out quite a bit," Shad said, by unloading the dishwasher and folding the laundry.
Keeping busy also helps the time to pass more quickly. Cody played football and is starting to race motocross (motorcycles).
The family also enjoys boating and spends time at Marion County Park & Lake.
The family lives in Haysville, and both Shad and Tracy plan to retire from the military.
Shad, who has been in the Air Force for 13 years, will re-enlist in 2007. Tracy has been in for 10 years.
A promotion is in the works for Tracy, from E5 to E6 tech sergeant.
"She'll outrank me," Shad said with a smile.
When Tracy returns in September, the family will have a few months before Shad is deployed in December.
"I'm not sure where I'll be sent," Shad explained. He'll be setting up and maintaining camps, and assisting with mortuary affairs.
The reasons he joined the military were to be on his own and to have a job.
"I never was into school," Shad said. "Marion didn't seem to offer much for me (when I graduated). So I chose the military."
He's proud of his wife and knows his and her parents are proud of them.
Shad has an important reason to serve his country — his children.
"I'm trying to make it better for my kids," said Shad.
