In August 1968, in response to attempts by the then-leader of communist Czechoslovakia to institute reforms, the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded the country.
In Bratislava, the Strelka family—Kamila, a radio and TV personality; Ladislav, a pharmacist; and two-year-old Eva—prepared hastily to flee.
“My parents decided that they no longer wanted to live under a communist system. They wanted to live in the free world, and they wanted freedom and opportunity for their only daughter,” recalled Eva Strelka, now Jenkins. “So, one Sunday evening, my parents packed two tiny suitcases—one of which I still have—and we were able to walk across the border into Austria. The tanks were rolling, and there was not a lot of time to make decisions.”
The border closed shortly after the family crossed.
The family had no knowledge of English, virtually no money, and never had the chance to say goodbye to friends and relatives. Nonetheless, they persevered, eventually arriving in Toronto, where they lived for 10 years before immigrating to the U.S. and settling in South Florida.
Jenkins excelled in school— “I loved math, and I was pretty darned good at it”—and received an Air Force ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Miami. She had other options but chose Miami because it was not too far from the family’s Pompano Beach home and, more importantly, because of the opportunities the University presented her.
“It was a huge amount of scholarship money, [which] paid full tuition,” Jenkins explained. “Another benefit was a great job opportunity the minute you graduated, and, finally, it really fulfilled my desire to serve.”
Jenkins majored in mathematics, with minors in computer science and electrical engineering, explaining that these disciplines “seemed to fall nicely in line with what I enjoyed and what the Air Force was looking for.”
At the Rathskeller one day in March 1986, she met Robert Jenkins, whom she would marry after graduation. “I was in Air Force ROTC, and I told Robert, ‘Don’t worry, officers never go overseas—they normally stay stateside.’ Well, my first assignment was overseas. So, after college, we got married, and off we went and learned how to grow up really quickly,” she recalled.
With the education she received at the University and elsewhere and proficiency in multiple languages, Jenkins built a distinguished career in the Air Force in intelligence, surveillance, and national security strategy, with expertise in Central Europe, Russia, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Among her posts were Vice Commander of the Air Force Technical Applications Center, which monitors nuclear treaty compliance worldwide, and Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) for the Pacific Air Forces. Based in Hawaii, Jenkins, now a colonel, was the senior intelligence officer for more than 2,000 ISR personnel in the Pacific, covering 52 percent of the Earth’s surface. She also taught national security strategy and policy at the National War College in Washington, D.C.
Jenkins returned to the University to pursue a doctorate in international studies, which she received in 2003. “I had a wonderful opportunity to come back to Miami as a captain, before Katarina [her daughter] was born, to teach aerospace studies,” Jenkins said. “I decided I might as well get my Ph.D. because I wanted to achieve and expand my capabilities as an intelligence officer. The faculty, staff, and all the students welcomed me with open arms, and it was a wonderful experience.”
Jenkins’ dissertation examined the culture of national security in post-communist Slovakia, which became an independent country in 1992 after the dissolution of the former Czechoslovakia, and to which Jenkins returns regularly and where her parents are buried.
Throughout her military career and the postings in different locations in the U.S. and overseas, Jenkins and her family experienced the sacrifices that military families make to serve the country.
“My daughter went to at least eight different schools by the time she got to high school, and my husband spent many days driving her to and from school and other activities while maintaining his own executive career around the world,” she said. “It’s a huge sacrifice when the military member is traveling or working six or seven days a week.”
Jenkins also worked to uplift fellow female officers on various bases where she was posted. She set up groups called Lady Birds, after the eagle insignia worn by officers who achieved the rank of colonel in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, or Space Force, and captain in the Navy or Coast Guard.
“In the military as well as civilian sector, you would hear about the ‘old boys network,’ and I wanted to make sure we had a solid one for us,” she said. “We were there to show other women that you can rise to the upper ranks and we’re here to help, and to show others that there are women in these higher ranks.
“Many or most of my mentors in the military were men, general officers, and such, which is obvious because there are more of them. But we women need to help each other, and too often I saw more competition than collaboration and assistance. It’s so incredibly important for us to support each other.”
After retiring from the Air Force in 2017, Jenkins worked for several years at The Aerospace Corporation. This nonprofit corporation provides technical guidance on all aspects of space missions to military, civil, and commercial customers, including NASA, NOAA, and the United States Space Force. Now enjoying her second retirement in Coral Gables with Robert, who works in the risk management and security industry, Jenkins celebrated Katarina’s graduation from the U last year.
She remains passionate in her belief that when it comes to choosing a path in life, young people should set their goals high and not put limits on themselves. It’s a belief nurtured in a family that, one day 56 years ago, left behind all they knew in a bid for a life of freedom and opportunity.
“Others tell you what you can and can’t do,” she reflected. “My mother always used to tell me that there is no such thing as ‘you can’t.’ You absolutely can. You may run into a door that’s closed—go find another door that’s open. You may have an obstacle. You may have to overcome that obstacle. But that’s life, and you need to learn to be tough, resilient—and fun!”
