EL PASO – Returning home after his combat tour as a Marine in Afghanistan, Andrew Jenkins wondered like many veterans do what civilian life would have in store for him.
He had two years of college before enlisting so he thought going back to school would be the wisest decision. However, as a Marine veteran, Jenkins is not the average student.
![andrew-jenkins-and-father A proud Andrew with his dad. (Guillermo Rivas/Borderzine.com)](http://borderzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/andrew-jenkins-and-father.jpg)
A proud Andrew with his dad. (Guillermo Rivas/Borderzine.com)
He found that his experience in the Corps had given him a strong dedication to succeed. He went from launching rockets in Afghanistan to going into business back home at the ripe age of 22.
Starting in business is tedious and difficult especially in a struggling economy, but he found a way around that.
He decided to start his transition by joining his father in the family trucking business with an eye on eventually taking it over. Now two trucks run under the Jenkins name and the business is steadily growing.
“The economy is not that good, but it was all right because we go all over the nation,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins says he practices “Corps values” – honor, courage and commitment – to face the challenge of starting in business without the backing of a large corporation.
He was born in San Diego, California to a sailor and his hard working wife. Andrew’s parents would soon prove to be his best network for starting in business.
Well before Jenkins was born, his parents tried a few times to start their own businesses and did fairly well, although a business was difficult to maintain since they regularly moved from base to base.
Jenkins grew up in El Paso and attended Franklin High School. Upon graduation he went to the University of Texas at El Paso for two years and then enlisted in the Marine Corps.
He said he enjoyed his time on active duty, but is in the process of being medically discharged for injuries he sustained while on deployment.
Although he is currently only in his third year of study, Jenkins did not hesitate to launch his business.
Taking inspiration from his parents, Jenkins decided to focus on Business as his major to make his studies work for him. His parents always told him to invest in his future, and Jenkins decided to take their advice. When his father first told him about the possibility of growing the family business, he immediately got interested in the challenge.
He began with the first step any successful trucking business needs to take – purchasing a truck. Looking in classified ads and online, Jenkins finally found one that was worthy of carrying the family name.
Having picked a truck to purchase, he used the last of the money he had saved while serving in Afghanistan as a down payment, figuring that what he earned with the truck each month would take care of the payments and then some.
Despite the travails of expanding the business in a weak economy, Jenkins continues to make all the right moves and success continues to truck his way.
Thank you for your story Guillermo, which speaks to what is possible for our veterans coming home after their service. There are many veterans in our UTEP student campus population. I know that others will read about your story and will be inspired knowing there are many possibilities for them. I look forward to you writing more articles on your work.
HooRah Devil Dog! God bless the Corps!