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CMSGT, USAF Ret
BIO
Specialty: USAF - Gas Turbine Engine
Mechanic/Technician/Supervisor
P&W - Contract Field Service Representative/Engineer/Site Supervisor
Summary:
Following my assignment (3 years and 6 months) at Chaumont I returned to the states in 1959 to Amarillo AFB, Texas, to resume a role as Technical Instructor and specifically identified to develop the first military Jet Engine Accident Investigation Training Course. This course was attended by United States and foreign country military and civilian personnel. I remained there until early 1963 when I was contacted and asked if I would like to participate in a classified program which I immediately said 'yes' to.
This choice required reassignment to Edwards AFB, CA and support of the blackbird program which was an airman's dream come true. On arrival I initially worked in the main propulsion branch until my security clearance was processed and found then that my old acquaintance, SMSgt Allen T Hudson, had requested my participation based on his knowledge of my prior performance. Once my security clearance was completed I immediately began making weekly trips to Area 51 in Nevada and familiarization and training on the blackbird and the J-75 and J-58 engines.
I continued this schedule, leaving on Monday morning early and returning home Friday afternoon late for a year. And of course no one knew of my involvement - I became a professional liar. Then one day, the announcement by President Johnson of the SR-71 occurred and the blackbird rolled out of the hanger at Edwards. For the next five years I worked on the YF-12 and SR-71 aircraft at Edwards, progressing from a small secured jet propulsion shop in the main maintenance hanger to the dedicated new J-58 jet propulsion shop (our own facility).
By this time I had progressed from A1C at Sheppard AFB to SMSgt at Edwards, in eleven years. During the period with the blackbird I had been pretty much protected from reassignment because of my special experience identifier and expertise, however, in 1968 I was alerted that it was my time to serve in Southeast Asia. I spent the next year assigned to the 355 Tactical Fighter Wing at Tahkli AB, Thailand supporting the F-105 and B-66 aircraft.
Following that assignment I was surprised but not surprised that I was reassigned to Edwards AFB, again to the blackbird program. It was almost like I had not been gone. For the next three and a half years I supported the USAF and NASA and I loved every minute that I was around this very special aircraft, and I wasn't even flying it. I can't imagine how these guys that flew this aircraft must have felt - you talk about slipping the surly bounds of earth - they did it and smiled every minute of it I hope. I would have given almost anything to have done that.
I had been in charge of the Propulsion Shop and in 1971 was promoted to CMSgt. In 1973 operations had slowed down some and I received an assignment to RAF Lakenheath, England. Before I left I was honored when Fitz Fulton ask me to fly with him on the next YF-12 flight in a chase T-38. What a day. We took off, went around and picked up the blackbird on the take-off roll. We followed it as long as we could and then he said good-bye, see you in a while and off he went. We flew around for a while, and then picked the blackbird up again when he came back for refueling. Once refueled he again kicked in the burners and left us in the dust. We then landed. This was anticlimactic to my years on the blackbird and what an honor to fly with Fitz Fulton. Again, what a day!
My assignment to RAF Lakenheath was once again to the 48th
Tactical Fighter Wing (Statue of Liberty Wing), and the F-4 Phantom aircraft
with the J-79 engine. I left RAF Lakenheath in 1976 and was assigned to the Air
Force Inspection and Safety Center at Norton AFB, CA (San Bernardino, CA). I
retired from the U S. Air Force on 31 March, 1977. My son Don Jr enlisted in the
air force in that same ceremony, that same day, and began his long career in the
U. S. Air Force, first enlisted, then commissioned, which ended in his achieving
the rank of Lt Col and having been assigned to the Space Command for 21 years.
On 11 April 1977, I was employed as a civilian by Pratt and Whitney, United
Technologies. I then embarked on my new career still at the Air Force Inspection
and Safety Center, Norton AFB, CA (San Bernardino, CA) supporting the Safety
Division and MGen Merkling. In 1980 I was transferred to the Pratt and Whitney
plant in West Palm Beach, Florida, where I was charged with creating the Jet
Engine Technical Institute, a new training school for P&W engine maintenance
and troubleshooting, with courses designed to provide F100 engine training to
military and civilian (domestic and foreign) customers of P&W engines.
In 1986 I was ask to reopen the P&W office at PACAF Headquarters on Oahu, Hawaii. I departed PACAF in 1988 for Edwards AFB, CA as Site Manager to head up the Propulsion Shop for the YF-22/YF-23 Fly-Off. I remained there for five years. During that period I was also assigned the responsibility for supporting the NASA SR-71 activity and the U-2 activity in Palmdale, CA.
I left Edwards in 1993 to again support the activity at PACAF
Headquarters, Hawaii. In 1995 I left PACAF for a two year assignment to support
the Royal Saudi Air Force in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on F-15's. In 1997 I
returned to the P&W West Palm Beach facility assigned to the F-22 Raptor
program. This lasted for two years until my retirement in 1999. Since then we
have lived in Orem, Utah.
During these forty-five years (1954 - 1999) I have been blessed with a very
special and wonderful wife, Jennie, and mother to our five children, Don Jr,
Mike, Jeff, Tim and Jennifer, who were all involved and very patient with me
during the periods of blackbird support as well as other assignments of my
career. It is much easier for one to perform well when there is support from
their family and I had that every inch of the way.
A few experiences and memories:
NASA YF-12 PROGRAM
CMSgt Jenkins/Ray Young/Larry Barnett/Fitz Fulton
JENNIE R. AND DONALD L. JENKINS SR.
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