What happened when an Asbury Park military member made an appearance on Family Feud?
ASBURY PARK - Everyone has a calling.
Maybe you're a shooting guard calling for the ball on the basketball court or an aspiring recruit being called to military service. Or, in the case of 2nd Lt. Tyshawn Jenkins, a public affairs officer with the New Jersey Air National Guard, getting a call from the Wounded Warrior Project to be on a special episode of the iconic television series "Family Feud."
That's the call Jenkins got thanks to his work on behalf of his fellow service members and veterans with the Wounded Warrior Project.
Jenkins is among a group of military service members featured on the Nov. 11 episode of the game show.
According to the group's website, the Wounded Warrior Project began in 2003 as a grassroots effort providing simple care and comfort items to the hospital bedsides of wounded service members returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, the organization has evolved to direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with various advocacy efforts.
Jenkins said he was called to serve, following in a family tradition. Both his grandfathers served in the military, one in World War I and the other in World War II, and an uncle served in the Vietnam.
"I was in college when I saw the towers fall on 9/11 and I was just really passionate about being able to give back in a different way. I felt like I had something to give. I just didn't know how," Jenkins said.
Jenkins, 40, graduated from Asbury Park High School in 2000.
He enlisted in the Air Force as an aircraft fuel systems specialist in 2010 after graduating with a degree in graphic design from the College of New Jersey. In 2021, he was inducted into the Asbury Park High School Hall of Fame.
In 2015, Jenkins was on deployment in Qatar and sustained a back injury while working on an aircraft.
"After I came back from my deployment, I was really messed up. I had hurt my back when I was deployed. I end up in a really bad situation. My marriage was in shambles, no one was there for me, and a friend of mine introduced me to Wounded Warriors Project," he said.
He always thought the Wounded Warrior Project was for veterans with debilitating injuries, but learned the organization served many military service members' needs.
He then started attending events sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project.
"I utilized that as an opportunity to live the group's logo. So, I went from being the one that was carried to being the one that carries because now I serve as a peer support group leader in the Philadelphia area," Jenkins said.
He runs a meeting every third Wednesday of the month that allows veterans to share their stories and experiences.
"In many cases, we have been able to save people from taking their own lives," Jenkins said, stressing the value of the organization.
His involvement led to the invitation to take part in a special military-themed episode of Family Feud.
"The overall experience was really great. For me, personally, I would've never dreamed I would be in that space, especially in that way to be able to support the Wounded Warrior Project because, again, that is where my heart is," Jenkins said.
The show will air locally on Friday, Nov. 11, on WWOR.
Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com @CharlesDayeAPP
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park NJ Air National Guardsman on Family Feud
