JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Master Sgt. Frankie Jenkins stepped into his office at the 433rd Airlift Wing command post on July 29, just like any other day, until he received a text that his direct commissioning package had been approved.
“It was just a regular Air Force day,” said Jenkins. “I went to command post as Master Sgt. Jenkins and I left as 1st Lt. Jenkins… My recruiter texted me and said, ‘Everything has been approved. We can swear you in today.’ Uh, yeah! I'm on the way, not hesitating on this one, I'll be there.”
Jenkins’ journey from enlisted to officer may have seemed fast and abrupt, but his ascension was anything but quick. Despite many denials, it took years of schooling, officer boards, determination, and perseverance.
“It took about 450 plus days to actually commission,” Jenkins said. “I did it through the direct commission process. I called the recruiter, and we got started on a direct commission package.”
The Air Force offers a direct commission option for those in specific career fields, such as lawyers, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers.
Before Jenkins submitted a direct commission package, he went through multiple ‘Deserving Airmen Boards’ which give enlisted members the opportunity to interview and apply for open officer positions within their assigned wing.
“I went through two ‘Deserving Airmen Boards,’” said Jenkins. “I spoke with the Army Reserve. I spoke with the Army National Guard. I even spoke with the Air National Guard to look at commissioning with them on the second commissioning board.”
Jenkins was repeatedly turned down time and time again. One board member’s advice had a particularly strong impact on him.
“I remember a lieutenant colonel was in charge of the panel, and he said, ‘You should get another degree,’” Jenkins recalled. “I only had my bachelor's degree in psychology. So, he told me that I should get another degree. So, I did. I went out there, got my master’s degree in social work, and came back with a much stronger GPA. That allowed me to go the direct commission route. To direct commission, you have to have certain degrees, whereas if you wanted to do a standard commission, you could just do it with a bachelor’s degree. His advice is what pushed me over to success.”
Before becoming an officer, Jenkins served in the military for more than 14 years and attained the rank of Master Sgt. He initially joined the Air Force as an aircraft maintainer.
“I came in as a hydraulic troop, and worked on the great C-5 for many years,” recalled Jenkins. “I ended up having a shoulder injury, which put me in MOC (Maintenance Operations Center), and that shoulder injury actually changed the trajectory of where I was heading. I didn't even know what the command post was, I was just a hard-charging flight line guy, but being in the command post for a little while, I got to see exactly what they did, and I decided to apply for a job there doing that and learned everything that goes on in the command post.”
While serving as a maintainer and controller in the command post, he never lost sight of his dreams of becoming a social worker. His family initially inspired him to become one.
“Social work has always been a big thing for me. I was raised by my grandmother, and she was deeply involved in the church, and we were in a country rural part of Georgia. I feel like I first saw social work from her and her friends. Sure, they didn't have degrees and they didn't have titles, but that was the example. I moved towards it just based on that. I've always loved helping people.”
Despite the initial challenges in the commission process, Jenkins pushed forward. He applied for a full-time Air Reserve Technician job at the command post and also worked at a treatment center as a social worker.
“Laurel Ridge Treatment Center, for those of you that are not familiar, is a mental health facility where they send active-duty service members and veterans... It’s a wing full of military personnel. Once I began to work there as a social worker, I started to realize, I don't really need to do it in uniform in order to serve the people that I most want to serve. I can do it in this way. I did that for three years. That's what gave me more experience and strengthened my commissioning package. But at that point, I realized, I'm happy here. I can do this. I can do it in this way.”
Despite denials and being content with his present jobs, when he received the text that his direct commission package had been authorized, he did not hesitate to raise his right hand, take the oath of office, and be sworn in as a United States Air Force officer. Col. Jeannie Bisesi, 433rd Mission Support Group commander, officiated the ceremony.
Bisesi praised the newly minted 1st Lieutenant Jenkins and offered him advice. “What I tell my squadron commanders and my officers is the Benjamin Franklin quote about leadership, ‘No man is fit to command another who cannot command himself.’ In other words, you cannot hold other people to higher standards that you're not holding yourself to… And I've seen then Master Sgt. Jenkins, uphold the standard firsthand. I've seen him perform, and he's going to be fantastic.”
Jenkins’ diverse experience as a military leader, his education, genuine love of helping people, and overall tenacity resulted in a direct commission. He wanted to share advice with others who were struggling to commission or struggling in their military careers.
“You have to look at every day you put on the uniform as constructive,” Jenkins said. “One thing I like to tell my patients on the therapist side is that every day is a good day. Every day you have to find the good. There is good within your career. There is good within the choices that you made and how you got here… you shouldn't let anyone stop you from doing. You are going to have bad days, you're going to have bad supervisors, you're going to have bad supervision. These are things that should make you better... Road bumps are coming. Don't quit at all. You haven't failed until you quit… The only person that's stopping you, realistically, is yourself. If one door is not opening for you, go to another door, but you can reach your dreams. It's all about your tenacity and your willingness to drive forward.”