Jeff Emanuel might seem like any other college student. Look more closely.

He has the usual laptop and book bag, but the 24-year-old also carries the stories and experiences of a decorated veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the bustle and hum of the coffee shop in the Student Learning Center last spring, Jeff remembered military service, spoke of his life as a student, and intently explained why community service is so important to him.

Jeff began his college career at Georgia Southern University in 1998, but part of him knew his priorities lay elsewhere. So, at the end of that year, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

“The perks were great,” he says, smiling. “You get paid to jump out of airplanes and scuba dive.” But beneath the humor lies the seriousness of a young man who excelled in Special Operations Tactical Air Control, one of the most demanding military assignments an enlisted man may choose.

Special Ops is a rigorous and demanding two-year course that includes learning Navy SEAL underwater operations, Special Forces parachute training, and Air Traffic Control School, among other courses. The attrition rate is a staggering 90 percent. The courses tested him beyond limits of what he thought he was capable.

“You know everything is going to end at some time,” he says. “You have to keep that in your mind. The reward for pushing beyond your personal limits is getting to know yourself. How far you can go and how you are likely to react in the most difficult circumstances.”

Jeff’s training was tested when he was assigned to two classified task forces responsible for the dramatic rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a Baghdad hospital and the arrests of former Iraqi Vice President Tariq Aziz and feared terrorist Abu Abbas.

“Can you tell me about the rescue mission for Jessica Lynch?” I ask.
“No ma’am,” Jeff says, smiling. “I can’t tell you any details. I can tell you she was in a hospital, and we went in and got her out safely. It was a heck of a morale booster. It was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II.”

Jeff returned to student life when his tour of duty was completed. After considering colleges in Baltimore and New York, he ultimately decided to come back to Georgia and attend the university in Athens.

“The academic differences [between the other schools] were negligible,” Jeff says. But Athens is smaller, so he felt he could be more involved in volunteer work.

While stationed in Korea in 2002, Jeff used his off-duty time to work as a fund-raiser and community volunteer, “greatly enhancing the image of the United States in Korea,” Maj. Warren E. Zelenski of the U. S. Air Force said. “Jeff is a natural leader who uses his personal time to help and serve others. He single-handedly organized and implemented English language classes for Korean orphans, recruiting and training volunteer teachers from multiple Army and Air Force units.”

Serving others “is in my blood” Jeff says. His grandparents were missionaries for 30 years, working much of that time in post WWII Japan.

“I like making a difference, doing for others,” he says. “For his work as a volunteer, Jeff has received UGA’s “Pillar of the Community” Student Leadership SOAR Award for 2004-05, Athens Rotary/UGA Rotaract’s Circle of Excellence Award for Worldwide Community Service, and the “Rotary Top 12” Award for academic and community achievement and service.

So, who are this young hero’s heroes?

“My parents,” Jeff says. “They are model servants.” His father, a graduate of the Air Force Academy and “the smartest man alive,” and his mother, an elementary schoolteacher, gave Jeff and his three brothers “unconditional love. You don’t realize that until you move [away from home].”

He credits McIntosh High School history teacher Joseph Jarrell for his choice of majors, classical culture. “He gave me an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about history and the classics,” Jeff says.

Jeff is double majoring in astrophysics. “I’ve always loved the stars,” he says. “I learned how to navigate using the stars in the military. I love taking on ideas that are bigger than me. Studying the stars—that’s the epitome.”

Jeff’s first year in college at Georgia Southern did not reflect his dedication to success that he exudes today.

“I didn’t fully appreciate the academic side of college life until leaving it for a while,” he said.