A Hillsborough Township military veteran was welcomed back home by township officials at a recent meeting.
The Hillsborough Township Committee honored veteran Lt. Anthony P. Jenkins at a Feb. 11 meeting following a lengthy deployment.
Lt. Jenkins is a F-18 A/E Super Hornet Fighter Naval Aviator. He recently came home after a 295-day deployment on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which officials said is the longest deployment since the Vietnam War.
“Welcome Home Lt. Jenkins and thank you for your service,” Deputy Mayor Shawn Lipani said. “You have made Hillsborough proud.”
Officials also made a banner for Lt. Jenkins, which they said will be hung at the municipal building to honor him for his service.
Upon a proclamation reading by Lipani who honored the Hillsborough veteran for his service along with the committee members, Jenkins said he was happy to come back to his hometown.
“I have wanted to fly since I was about five-years-old, and it’s great to come back to Hillsborough,” Lt. Jenkins said.
The Hillsborough vet also provided some words of encouragement to youths in the township in pursuit of a life ambition based on his own experiences.
“I would just pass it to any youngsters out there that have a dream to stick with it. Anybody can do it, and I have hit a lot of speed bumps along the way, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world to do what I did.”
Lt. Jenkins is a lifetime resident of Hillsborough Township. He attended Woodfern Elementary School, Auten Road School, Hillsborough Middle School, and was a 2009 graduate of Hillsborough High School. He is also a parishioner at Mary Mother of God, Roman Catholic Church.
He was a high school varsity athlete, lettering in both football and lacrosse. He attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 2013 with a B.S. in engineering management. He earned his Naval Aviator wings in October 2015 at NAS Meridian and was awarded the “Golden Stick,” the highest aviation honor of his graduating class.