| State Representative David Jenkins represents the citizens of House District 132, which includes portions of Coweta, Meriwether and Troup. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2020 and is currently serving his second two-year term in office. Rep. Jenkins's parents divorced when he was very young, and he grew up with a single-mom who demonstrated a strong work ethic and focus on family values. He worked on family farm property that raised several generations before him in Fayette County. From the Creek Indian Wars through the Civil War and beyond, Rep. Jenkins's ancestors were farmers and soldiers. Being part of this rural community gave him a sense of belonging that he remains connected to as he continues to build his future. After graduating high school, Rep. Jenkins enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a brief break from duty, he served as a Clayton County policeman where he had his first experience with the process of local government. He saw first-hand the challenges of his community and gained a sense of how local government can play a helpful role as well as the importance of government limitation. In 2000, Rep. Jenkins was accepted into the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program with the Army, after completing training, he was deployed as a Chinook helicopter pilot with the 101st Airborne Division to Kuwait for the invasion of Iraq. Over the next 14 years, he served in combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as the invasion turned to mission-building, he worked to improve Air Force operations and help Afghan soldiers improve their interface with American forces. While in service, Rep. Jenkins graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. During this time, Rep. Jenkins also met his wife, Cat, while they were both stationed at Fort Campbell. Cat served three combat tours during her career as well as working with the Kentucky Agricultural Development team, helping to improve the Afghan economy through farming practices. Rep. Jenkins and his wife were married in 2012. Rep. Jenkins attended Officer Candidate School, airborne school, air assault school and the Captain's Career Course and ultimately retired as a Captain from the Army in 2015. As he and Cat began the process of coming home, he discovered that Fayette County was no longer the rural farm community that he grew up in. Rep. Jenkins and Cat decided to settle in Meriwether County, where they established Jenkins Farms in Grantville and became a full-time farmer and a part-time pilot for the Coweta County Sheriff's Office. He then transitioned to full-time employment as a helicopter pilot with the Georgia Forestry Commission fighting wildland fires and then as an Air Ambulance Helicopter pilot, serving Coweta, Meriwether and Troup Counties. Rep. Jenkins and Cat continue to build their farm from the ground up, and they are both focused on service to their community. He is a Past Master of Tyrone Lodge #644, and is an active member of the American Legion in Greenville. He is also a member of the Meriwether County Airport Authority |