Tyrese Cook’s father left for basic training the day she was born. A sergeant in the Army, he served until he was medically discharged when she was 5 years old. Her early years were spent traveling for his assignments.
“I vaguely remember it, but I do remember going to school and learning German, and we were in karate. We got pictures of us doing that,” she said. “But the main thing I remember is traveling. My dad took us everywhere. Pompeii, France, Italy, all over Germany.”
Now her own family of seven (including two sets of twins!) is getting the same Army experience. Tyrese and her husband, Terry, a sergeant in the 2nd Infantry Division, HHBN Sisco Co., are in the middle of their third duty station.
And she doesn’t believe God placed their family in the Army life only to “survive it.”
“I really feel like He’s called us here to thrive in what we’re doing, and He’s placed us here to shine a light, for us to serve and to grow in places that most people, I feel like, are really afraid to go in this type of lifestyle,” Tyrese said.
Where it all began
The Cooks met in 2016 at a shooting range while attending a concealed carry weapons course in Cincinnati, Ohio. By the end of the night, Terry asked Tyrese out for dinner, and they’ve been together since.
“This beautiful face showed up and … then she came in the classroom and I saw her and I was like, ‘OK, I think I may have [fallen] in love,’” Terry said. “Like, man, she is beautiful.”
Two years later, the Cooks were six months into their first pregnancy. Terry, a former student athlete, was a CDL truck driver grappling with no longer being part of a team.
“For lack of better terms, it’s like you almost lose your identity because you’re not a part of an organization,” he said. “You’re not a part of anything. It’s just you out in the world by yourself now. You got to figure this out now. And I just had this longing to belong.”
Then one night after praying for guidance, he dreamt he was a drill sergeant speaking to a younger version of himself about joining the military. Tyrese was there, too, running around a track.
“I went to go talk to the recruiter as soon as I got home,” Terry said, “and the rest is history.”
Finding service through service
The Cooks have been stationed in Europe, Colorado and USAG Humphreys in South Korea. Throughout Terry’s assignments, Tyrese has immersed herself in the military community, which includes a passion for volunteer work that was initially shaped when the couple lived at Grafenwöhr, Germany. There, she was the Participation Chair on the Protestant Women of the Chapel advisory board — helping welcome newcomers into the community — and later serving as the treasurer for the SFRG of her husband’s unit.
Tyrese managed to excel in her education while overseas, too. In 2021, she began a Master of Social Work program with Northern Kentucky University. This offered another outlet to support fellow military families. During her internship, she completed hundreds of clinical hours at the Army Chaplaincy’s Family Life Center, providing therapy to soldiers and dependents. She also worked alongside the Family Advocacy Program (due to a licensing gap at the time) — assisting with training and internal projects.
But it wasn’t until landing in South Korea that her volunteer efforts really took off. She started a YouTube channel, AuthenticallyRe, that led to the family being featured on CNN. Tyrese launched a running group for stay-at-home moms to help them “find accountability, community, and fresh air through regular weekly meetups.” She was also able to bridge her professional and educational experience after joining the editorial team for United on the RoK, a magazine distributed to U.S. installations in the Republic of Korea, penning a monthly mental health column.
And this fall, the mom-of-five will be co-directing the only garrison-recognized homeschool co-op on post. All of these activities, she said, help her feel like she’s part of something bigger than herself.
“I feel like there’s just a beauty in it,” Tyrese said, “representing thousands of families who just serve so silently but powerfully, and hearing their stories one on one. It’s very relatable. And I feel like it’s more like grounding work.”
The cultural immersion for the Cooks isn’t just on Tyrese’s end. When the opportunity presented itself to learn taekwondo, Terry jumped at it.
“It kind of makes you more of an interesting person because you have more to bring to the conversation to talk to anybody about anything. So I was like, ‘Oh, I’m all over it.’ Plus, I learned some extra moves that add to my archive, you know, if something happens,” he said with a laugh.
Army brings history to life
The best part of Army life for the Cooks has been the travel and the experiences they’ve had along the way.
“Actually touching those things that we learned about in school books growing up — learning about the Berlin Wall and learning about the Eiffel Tower and then actually being given the opportunity to go and actually touch those things,” Terry said. “It’s been a hands-on experience, so we’re grateful for that.”
Tyrese’s work also gives Terry a different perspective on Army life and a chance to engage with other military parents.
“The person that’s really doing the real work and that’s carrying the load is the spouse that’s at home caring for the kids, cooking the meals, keeping the house clean, and protecting the kids and making sure everyone’s safe,” he said. “Even when we go off on those deployments or rotations, they’re left here to deal with everything.”
Their five children love the Army life, the Cooks said, even viewing Germany as “home” because they lived there for three years. And they’ve shown Tyrese the power of resilience.
“In my hard days, I look at them, their resilience, and it just reminds me, like, ‘OK, be strong. Your kids are strong. They’re not worried about it. We’re not worried about it,’” Tyrese said. “As long as they’re good, we’re good. I feel like they’re very happy kids.”
One of their oldest twins even “wants to be a soldier like daddy.” If she does choose to pursue Army life, Tyrese looks at it as continuing the legacy.
A life-changing experience
Joining the Army changed Terry’s life — and his children’s lives — forever. For anyone considering enlisting, his advice is simple: do it. For his part, he has completed his bachelor’s degree and been exposed to a myriad of cultures and military ranks.
“I’m a firm believer to get out of your comfort zone, you know, get away from even the city that you grew up in and go and meet some new people,” Terry said. “You’ll learn some new things, and it’ll just make you a better person.”
Plus, the Army filled the void he had been feeling without sports and put him in a position to provide for his family.
“I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio, where people [are] born here, they live here and they’ll die here,” he said. “I wanted to get out of that loop, and I wanted to go experience things like the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to be able to give [Tyrese] that experience again that she had when she was younger. I wanted to be able to give my daughters that experience and take them to these different countries and meet these new people and immerse ourselves in the different cultures.”
Keep up with the Cooks on YouTube and Instagram.
