Matthew Dodsworth of Sherman, Illinois, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel during a ceremony at Camp Lincoln in Springfield March 3.
Dodsworth grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois, and is a 1999 graduate of Jacksonville Routt Catholic High School. He joined the Illinois Army National Guard as an infantryman on Jan. 20, 1998 and completed basic training in between his junior and senior years of high school.
“Joining the military is something I always wanted to do and the National Guard offered the chance to do that on a parttime basis. And the money for college didn’t hurt,” said Dodsworth.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. John’s College of Nursing and served as an emergency room nurse before becoming a full-time guardsman in 2007. He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from American Public University.
Dodsworth received a commission in 2004 through the Illinois National Guard’s Officer Candidate School. He is the Officer in Charge of the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Normal, Illinois, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the brigade.
Dodsworth lives in Sherman, Illinois, with his wife Courtney, daughter Norah and son Liam.