Lackland civilian wins DOD award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Streeter
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  Department of Defense officials named the 2003 Outstanding DOD Employee with a Disability Award during a recent ceremony in Bethesda, Md.

Raymond Jenks, an instructional systems specialist with the 37th Training Support Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is the winner.

“It really feels great to be appreciated, especially by your peers,” Jenks said.

The award turned out to be more than many people would expect, he said.

“I’ve heard from so many people at all levels,” Jenks said. “Things like this help recharge your batteries.”

After Jenks was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident in 1983, he spent a year in a hospital in Zanesville, Ohio. He then transferred to a spinal-cord injury hospital in Atlanta, where he entered an aggressive rehabilitation program.

After five months and hundreds of hours of rehabilitation, Jenks returned to Ohio. He coached the New Straitsville Eagles, and elementary school football team, while searching for a cure to his injury.

In 1987, Jenks underwent experimental surgery to restore muscle function to his extremities. The surgery was only minimally successful. He returned home to lead the Eagles through two championship seasons and to finish his college education at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

He graduated cum laude in 1994 and was recruited by Air Force officials through the Palace Acquire Program. Jenks’ career in civil service began later that year in the Advanced Training Technology Flight of the 37th TRSS.

Jenks is responsible for designing and developing computer- and Web-based training, said Lt. Col. Ronald Coleman, 37th TRSS commander. In addition, he offers a wide range of support to his peers and performs duties vital to squadron success.

He does all this with the aid of an electric wheelchair and Rajah, his canine assistant, Coleman said. In the office, Jenks uses a computer-input device accessed by a chin controller, which also allows him to answer and dial the telephone.

An adjustable desk allows Jenks easy access to his computer, where, using a mouth device, he developed Lackland’s first paperless computer-based Mentor Guide for more than 3,000 military and civilian supervisors, saving $69,000 per year, Coleman said.

When Jenks entered the hospital for a procedure on his spine, he finished a “hot” project from his hospital bed, allowing the project to be complete ahead of schedule, Coleman said.

Besides what he does for the Air Force, Jenks is an active member of the San Antonio community, Coleman said. Despite working, on average, 60 or more hours every week, Jenks volunteers at the University of Texas Health Science Center as an online spinal cord injury counselor and Web-content evaluator.

He participates in 15 to 20 charity car shows every year in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma and Louisiana to raise money for various organizations.

The DOD award is not what Jenks said he sees as his greatest accomplishment.

“(My greatest accomplishment) is getting to a point, following my injury, where I’m comfortable with myself and my abilities,” he said.