Keineil Lindner

Graduated Sentinel Specialist, U.S. Army
Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Support, Thomas Edison State University & Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification, Aviation Institute of Maintenance

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps and wanting to challenge himself both physically and mentally, Kieneil joined the U.S. Army shortly out of high school. He wanted to gain wisdom and experience that not everyone else is willing to seek and knew joining the armed forces would give him that adventure he was after. During his time with the Army, he deployed to Djibouti, Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and was able to see more of the world but it did not come without a cost. While in training, Kieneil suffered a chest injury that led to surgery post-deployment. What should have been a routine procedure resulted in the incision area becoming badly infected forcing him to undergo three additional surgeries before the procedure was successful. Due to the scars becoming infected, he was unable to perform his job as an Infantryman throughout the rest of his enlistment contract. He was awarded an honorable discharge and released from his commitment.

The injuries suffered have made it hard for him to do some of his daily life activities and took him quite a while to recover fully, but through the support of friends and family along with extensive physical therapy, Kieneil feels he has made himself stronger and has been able to get to a better place physically and mentally with the encouragement and support of those around him.

After making it through his recovery, he became an electrician to help support himself financially and ended up enjoying it so much, that he decided to combine it with a passion he has had for a long time, aviation. Kieneil decided aviation electronics is where he wanted to be, but most companies want you to have an Airframe and Powerplant Certification which led to him pursuing his certifications and AAS in Aviation Support to make himself more marketable. After doing research on programs and assistance for veterans, he found Sentinels of Freedom through Facebook and was accepted to the fall 2021 cohort. During his time, SoF has provided financial support and guidance, mentoring connections, resume-building assistance, continued education opportunities and tutoring support, as well as networking, and the customized support of a case manager while he pursues his educational goals.

Kieneil completed his AAS in March 2023 and passed his final FAA exam in April 2023. He has been accepted to Hampton University in Virginia where he will begin his Bachelor of Aviation Management in Fall 2023.

“I love that SOF is committed to helping veterans transition into a career and accomplish there [sic] educational goals. My experience obtaining my degree has been a very smooth and pleasant process all thanks to SOF. I am proud to say that I am a receptive [sic] of this program and couldn’t be more thankful.”
– Kieneil L.