ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — For Captain Jacob Mathis, serving at Robins Air Force Base was always a privilege. But a recent family discovery turned his assignment into something much more personal — a direct link to the base’s very beginnings.

Mathis, a South Carolina native and Deputy Chief of Advanced Programs for the 461st Air Control Wing, joined the Air Force after earning a master’s degree in leadership development and coaching college football for six years. The decision to serve, Mathis said, was inspired by relatives who wore the uniform before him.

“I had two great-uncles and one uncle who all served,” Mathis recalled. “Since I’ve gotten in, I’ve fallen in love with the service and what it provides. It gives you a sense of purpose that you can’t get anywhere else”.

But i

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