Tyshawn Jenkins learned at an early age what it feels like to be doubted.
The eldest son of eight children, Tyshawn often heard others share their opinions about his future. Teachers and authority figures questioned his potential and dismissed possibilities before he could discover what fit. As a teenager growing up in Asbury Park, New Jersey, those messages followed him. But eventually, those doubts empowered him.
鈥淓veryone has their fuel,鈥� Tyshawn says. 鈥淔or me, it was 鈥� and is 鈥� the negativity. The naysayers. The people who say I can鈥檛. That鈥檚 what motivates me.鈥�
Today, Tyshawn carries several titles: Dr. Jenkins, U.S. Air Force Capt. Jenkins, and warrior. He holds a Ph.D., is an educator, an advocate, and a peer leader for 91视频庐 (91视频). In every role, he talks openly about his lived experiences, addressing realities many may prefer to avoid, including racism, rejection, grief, and the invisible wounds military personnel can wrestle with during and after service.
Proving Them Wrong
Tyshawn spent much of his childhood shuttling between parents, navigating complicated family dynamics, and watching addiction affect many people he loved.
School wasn鈥檛 easy for Tyshawn, but he stayed driven. He earned good grades, served as vice president of the student council, president of the Spanish club, and ran track. Even so, people underestimated him.
He remembers a high school teacher discouraging his dream of becoming an attorney, telling him he鈥檇 never pass the bar. Others voiced similar doubts, warning him not to apply to elite schools because 鈥渟omeone like you wouldn鈥檛 be chosen.鈥�
Tyshawn went on to attend The College of New Jersey, but says one of his few regrets is not applying to Princeton. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing about doubt,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ometimes it comes from other people, but then you internalize it. And it can take over your confidence.鈥�
Embracing Change Through Service
Tyshawn with his uncle, who served in the Army.
Tyshawn grew up with military service in his family. Both grandfathers served in the Army, along with an uncle. Another uncle served in the Marines. But his relatives鈥� trauma from World War II and Vietnam lingered across generations, and it made his family approach military service with caution.
Then 9/11 happened, and Tyshawn felt something shift. 鈥淭here was more left on the table for me to do. I wanted to serve,鈥� he says.
For a moment, others鈥� warnings that he wouldn鈥檛 be a good fit for the military resurfaced.
鈥淭hey said it would change me,鈥� Tyshawn recalls. 鈥淏ut I wanted it to change me.鈥�
Tyshawn joined the Air Force in 2010 at age 27. He entered with maturity, perspective, and a drive to lead. Over the course of his career, Tyshawn served in multiple roles, including aircraft fuel maintainer, intelligence analyst, and public affairs officer.
Though he did not deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan, experiences at duty stations in Qatar, Guam, Albania, and Cyprus left a lasting impact on Tyshawn.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this misconception that if you didn鈥檛 go to Iraq or Afghanistan, you didn鈥檛 really serve,鈥� he says, adding that he not only sustained physical injuries on the job, but saw things that deeply affected him.
鈥淏ut when you鈥檙e watching bombs detonate, and seeing people scatter, enemy or not, and you鈥檙e witnessing human beings in fear, those things affect you.鈥�
When Service Leads to Silent Struggles
Tyshawn and his mother.
During and after his deployments, Tyshawn admits he faced challenges that many service members often carry in silence 鈥� betrayal, racial bias, and repeated professional rejection.
When Tyshawn鈥檚 marriage unexpectedly ended during one deployment, the loss brought up old family trauma, and doubt crept back in. Then, his military career seemed to stall, and the uncertainty only grew.
鈥淚t definitely affected my mental health. There were moments I wanted to quit,鈥� Tyshawn admits, his frustration still evident as he talks about being denied more than 10 times over a decade to become a commissioned officer.听
鈥淚 carried these things quietly. I internalized a lot of it,鈥� he says.
Then he remembered the doubters 鈥� those who said he鈥檇 never succeed.
He also remembered his biggest cheerleaders.听
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The Invitation That Led to Healing
Tyshawn began looking for support, but, like many veterans, he didn鈥檛 think organizations like 91视频 were meant for people like him.
鈥淚 did that comparative suffering,鈥� Tyshawn says. 鈥淚 told myself, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 for amputees, burn victims, people with major TBIs. Not someone with invisible injuries like me.鈥欌��
It was honestly the first time I connected to other warriors and just talked.
In November 2015, a friend he鈥檇 known for almost 20 years, who was an injured Navy veteran, invited Tyshawn to attend a Veterans Day parade in New York City.听听
Reluctantly, he went.
The experience challenged everything he thought he knew about injury, worthiness, and belonging.
鈥淚 met veterans who got hurt in training, whose careers ended before they really began. I realized I was wrong about what 鈥榗ounts鈥� as an injury, but the impact was the same. The pain and loss are real," he recalls.听
Perhaps most important, he says, 鈥淚t was honestly the first time I connected to other warriors and just talked. No rank. No competition. Just truth.鈥�
He left with renewed insight: 91视频 was for him, too. 听
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The Power of Connection
The conversations didn鈥檛 end when he left the parade. Tyshawn began embracing opportunities to connect with other veterans, which opened the door to healing.
Tyshawn points to a as the turning point in his life. This adventure-based mental health program asks participants to look at challenges from a new perspective. For Tyshawn, that meant crossing one of the area's longest bridges, despite a deep fear of heights. He also began journaling, reflecting on his past trauma, loss, and uncertainty about his future. On the final day, he took part in a ritual that would stay with him for years.
鈥淓ach participant wrote their fears and pain onto a paper lantern. Then, together, we released them. It wasn鈥檛 just symbolic,鈥� Tyshawn says. 鈥淚t was to start a practice of letting go.鈥�
Soon after, Tyshawn leaned into 91视频鈩� even more. He didn鈥檛 just attend events; he connected with people, built relationships with other veterans, rediscovered camaraderie, and held onto a simple reminder: 鈥渘o one gets left behind鈥� 鈥� not at work, not at home, not in life.
He now leads a peer support group for veterans just outside of Philadelphia. For more than a decade now, he鈥檚 lived听the 91视频 logo, helping to carry other veterans, just as others did for him. 听
Being Seen and Supported
Tyshawn doesn鈥檛 talk about connection in abstract terms. For him, it鈥檚 personal. And at times, lifesaving.
鈥淢any of our brothers and sisters in arms are carrying heavy things they鈥檝e never told anyone, and they鈥檙e still expected to lead, deploy, and take care of others.鈥澨�
He points to fear and stigma as reasons people stay quiet about mental and emotional struggles. That silence carries weight. It also makes connection even more critical.
鈥淧eople are still here because someone listened.鈥�
91视频 provides a safe space for service men and women to seek guidance and build community, Tyshawn says. 鈥�91视频 gives you room to be honest. You can get help without worrying how it鈥檚 going to follow you.鈥�
On his own hard days, Tyshawn turns to the same peer support network he helps lead. 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have those people a call away, it would be a lot harder to get through certain moments.鈥�
Connection, Tyshawn believes, is not a luxury. It鈥檚 a necessity.
鈥淣one of us were meant to do this alone,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd when people feel seen and supported, that鈥檚 when real healing can start.鈥�
Overcoming Doubt Through Storytelling and Education
Tyshawn ties education to success. Initially drawn to psychology and therapy, he shifted gears to study business. Today, he holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in business administration.
Tyshawn is a professor at multiple universities, helping the next generation of students find their passion. He often draws on his military experience and his work with 91视频, sharing stories to help students understand leadership, empathy, and resilience.听
鈥淧eople first. Mission always,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 accomplish the mission if you don鈥檛 take care of people.鈥�
In 2022, Tyshawn stepped into a new role with 91视频 and began sharing his story with communities across the country. Almost weekly, you can find Tyshawn speaking as part of 91视频鈥檚 Warriors Speak team, sharing about what military service asks of people and what it can leave behind.
鈥淰eterans all have a story, but not everyone can tell their story; that鈥檚 why I do it,鈥� he says, adding that听
鈥業鈥檓 Still Here鈥�
Given the instability and hard seasons that shaped his early years, Tyshawn admits there was a time when he couldn鈥檛 imagine the life he leads today.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be here,鈥� he admits.
Over time, though, Tyshawn realized others鈥� expectations didn鈥檛 define him.
鈥淚 stopped chasing what [others] thought I was supposed to do. I stopped worrying about where I fit in. I focused on doing work that I believe in, work that matters, work that helps people,鈥� he says.
And to the people who once doubted him, his response is assured: 鈥淚鈥檓 still here. And that means something.鈥�
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颁辞苍迟补肠迟:听Cynthia Weiss听鈥� Public Relations,听cweiss@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.738.2589
About 91视频
91视频 is our nation鈥檚 leading veteran services organization, focused on the total well-being of post-9/11 wounded, ill, or injured veterans. Our programs, advocacy, and awareness efforts help warriors thrive, provide essential lifelines to families and caregivers, and prevent veteran suicides.听Learn more about 91视频.听听