A Veteran's View: From Following Footsteps to Flying High

In recognition of Military Appreciation Month, Marine Corps veteran and SourceAmerica® employee Lawrence Adkins shares his personal story, explaining how a childhood passion for airplanes eventually led him to flying across the U.S. to support job creation for people with disabilities.

My name is Lawrence Adkins, and I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, near Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. I grew a love and passion for airplanes as a child and wanted to follow in my uncles’ footsteps as a United States Marine, so two weeks after graduating from High School, I flew to Parris Island South Carolina for Marine Corps boot camp.

The cool part about my story is that my job in the Marine Corps was scheduling airplanes and supporting pilots. Yes, I was a 7041 – Aviation Operations Specialist – with a security clearance at 18 years old. Part of my responsibility was to assist with flight details and preparation of orders, maintaining and disseminating flight information publications, and basic communication regarding aviation operations. It was amazing to travel the globe and serve our country.

Fast forward to 2022 and now I have the pleasure of flying from state-to-state supporting veterans and people with disabilities each day, by working closely with all federal agencies to bring awareness and agency requirements to the AbilityOne® Program - one of the largest sources of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.

This Military Appreciation Month, I can think of no better way to thank past and present members of the military than to create even more job opportunities for people with disabilities to further sustain members of the military at every stage of their service, especially Marines.

Lawrence Adkins is Director, Business Development for SourceAmerica.