By Staff
Feb. 26, 2002
Maj. David Allen Jr., formerly of Butler, Ala., has been selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel by the U.S. Air Force. It is anticipated that Allen will pin on the new rank in about six months.
Allen is currently assigned to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command located at Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. His current position is chief of the Air Force Materiel Command Liaison Office to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command.
Allen is the son of Rufus David Allen Sr. of Butler and the late Esther Allen. He is married to the former Dana Cooper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Cooper, also of Butler. The Allens have two children, Josh and Kate, and the family currently resides in Niceville, Fla.
Dwight Dyess of Hattiesburg, formerly of Meridian, recently retired after 30 years in the Mississippi National Guard.
Dyess, 52, is leaving the military with the rank of colonel as deputy commander of the 3rd Brigade, 87th Division. He has been awarded the Army's Legion of Merit.
He has served as a Green Beret and as commander of the Mississippi Rifles, the state's oldest military unit.
He is the son of Modena R. Dyess of Meridian and the late Lonnie S. Dyess Jr.
His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal and he is authorized to wear the Special Forces Tab and Master Parachutist Wings.
Dyess currently serves as president of the Hattiesburg division of BancorpSouth, and is active in community affairs.
Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Kenneth A. Jenkins has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
During the six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization, and customs; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training and special training in human relations.
In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Jenkins is the son of Phillip Jenkins of Meridian and grandson of Kenneth Jenkins of Prattville, Ala.