During WWII, he trained for the US Army in Tuskegee, Alabama, and became a parachute rigger for the all-black corps of about a 1,000 pilots and 15,000 ground crew later renowned as the Tuskegee Airmen. He served as a company commander during the Korean War. His rank at retirement was lieutenant colonel. Between 1968 to 1986, he was the dean of university relations at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. In 2007, he was presented the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush. He attended the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama as one of the surviving members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.


His obituary from the April 6, 2010 Progress-Index (Petersburg, Virginia):

Lt. Col. Willie Edward Jenkins, 85, of Tallahassee, Florida, entered into rest on March 30, 2010 in Tallahassee with his family at his bedside.

Survivors include his daughter, Adrienne (Michael) Lucas; one grandson, Marquis Lucas; two brothers, Stephen Jenkins and Richard Jenkins; and four sisters, Helen Price, Rachel Daniels, Dorothy Rieux and Modesteen Davis. Col. Jenkins also leaves to mourn his loss a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and loving devoted friends.

The funeral service was held noon Monday, April 5, 2010, at the Bethel Baptist Church in Tallahassee. Interment to follow at Tallahassee Memorial Gardens.

Obituary courtesy of J.M. Wilkerson Funeral Establishment Inc., 102 South Avenue, Petersburg, Virginia.

***
U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records
Name: Willie E Jenkins Jr
Birth Year: 1924
Race: Negro, Citizen (Black)
Nativity State or Country: Virginia
State of Residence: Virginia
Enlistment Date: August 18, 1942
Enlistment State: Virginia
Enlistment City: Richmond
Branch: Air Corps
Grade: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months.
Component: Army of the United States
Source: Civil Life
Education: 3 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Electricians
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 71
Weight: 141