Air Force Reservist, Belgrade Native, Promoted To Air Force Colonel

October 18, 2023

GABRIELE PROMOTED TO COLONEL – Mandi (Jenkins) Gabriele, a Belgrade native, was promoted to Colonel on Sept. 20th, 2023 at the Pentagon in D.C. Here, Colonel Gabriele displays a photo of Jimmy Dale Jenkins, Vietnam Army Veteran, and her father.

Lieutenant Colonel Mandi (Jenkins) Gabriele was promoted to the rank of Colonel during a ceremony held at the Pentagon on 20 September 2023. Her new rank was presented and pinned on her uniform by her mother Rebecca Jenkins and supervisor O.J. Padeway as Major General Kenneth Bibb Jr., Deputy Inspector General of the Air Force, presided over the ceremony.

Colonel Gabriele is an Air Force reservist currently assigned to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she assists the Director with developing inspection policy, planning, and program evaluation to assess readiness, discipline, and efficiency in the Department of the Air Force. She has spent the last four years activated full-time serving in various active-duty assignments.

Colonel Gabriele received a direct commission into the Air Force Nurse Corps in September 2003. She has over 26 years of combined civilian and military nursing experience and has served as a clinical registered nurse in the Regular Air Force, Traditional Reserves, and Individual Reserves.

“I’m thankful for the promotion and look forward to continued service in the Air Force Reserve,” said Mandi. “I appreciate the support of my family and hometown friends who helped me along the way.”

Originally from Belgrade, Mandi is a 1993 graduate of Valley High School, 1997 graduate of St. Louis University (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), and 2012 graduate of Wright State University (Master of Science in Nursing Administration). She currently resides in the Washington D.C. area with her family.