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Marines

People on the Move: Staff Sgt. Stephanie Jacobs

15 Oct 2009 | Bob Fehringer

Work, PT, dinner, bowling, sleep five hours, repeat. 

"That's pretty much me in a nutshell," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Jacobs.
There is much more to Sergeant Jacobs, an all-source intelligence analyst for the U.S. Transportation Command, but she can't tell you about it. 

Seriously, Sergeant Jacobs, 25, joined the Air Force in Pueblo, Colo., in 2002, after her brother, Jason Zengerle, joined the Army. Since she said she had no future plans after high school, he suggested she talk with a recruiter. 

"I talked to an Air Force recruiter and was sold," Sergeant Jacobs said. "I left (for basic training) 12 days after I graduated from high school." 

Sergeant Jacobs was assigned to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Langley Air Force Base, Va., and Iraq before coming to USTRANSCOM three years ago. 

"My AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) applies directly to what I do here at USTRANSCOM," Sergeant Jacobs said. "My mission completely revolves around the intelligence requirements associated with the USTRANSCOM mission including threat reporting, political developments and global sustainment." 

Sergeant Jacobs enjoys the depth of her work at USTRANSCOM. 

"Here I get a global mission, and I get to look at everything," she said. "My goals now are to watch a whole country and see what it does and how that's going to change what we're going to do as a country. The grand scale of the mission at USTRANSCOM is absolutely amazing to me, and that I get to play a part in it." 

Sergeant Jacobs' enthusiasm does not end with her job. 

"I like being around the sister services, I've never been around any other service until I got here," she said. "It's enjoyable to learn what their traditions are and how they interact with each other. There's a lot that you can learn from senior Army enlisted or Navy enlisted that you maybe wouldn't catch from an Air Force troop. I learned what the Army brought to the fight and what the naval aspect is, the ships and seaports and things that I never would have thought about if I hadn't had the perspective of the Navy officers. It just broadens your horizons." 

Sergeant Jacobs says the only thing she misses at USTRANSCOM is being in charge of other Airmen. 

"At my last duty station I had at least five troops and was responsible for teams of Airmen," she said. "I miss having a brand new 18-year-old Airman come into the unit and being able to guide them on how be a good Air Force troop. I love being able to mentor the young troops, especially the ones that are not real gung-ho, but not bad, they just need a little focus. 

"I absolutely love the Air Force," Sergeant Jacobs added. "I'm going to stay in for at least 20 to 30 years." 

Off duty, Sergeant Jacobs enjoys helping her fellow workers meet PT standards, bowling, softball and spending time with her Air Force firefighter husband Staff Sgt. Robert Jacobs.

III Marine Expeditionary Force