Being a service member is not an easy job. Imagine yourself in the military, all the traumatizing stuff you must go through.

All the people who take the risk to become a military member, police officer or law enforcement in general help us be safe and they take the courage to protect us while they risk their life.

Those brave people who can get killed anytime help us be alive, they go to work every day not knowing that it could be their last time they see their family.

I know a person here at Bowie High School who I admire. He worked as a soldier and police officer, and he is my law enforcement teacher, Mr. Jaquez.

Mr. Jaquez is a very reserved person, who mostly likes to talk about work and school with his students. He took the courage to tell me about his experience in the military and he got a lot to say, he opened himself to talk about it.

How many years were you in the military?

Mr. Jaquez said he was in the military for five years. He just decided to pick the five years because he knew that being in the military was not his dream job.

‘’Having a job that you don’t fully like makes life miserable,’’ he said.

Why were you only in for five years?

He liked it but when he first joined, he wanted money for college because he was in the navy, the navy helps them with their college tuition and helps them even more because they have experience in the ‘’law enforcement’’ community.

What was his job in the military?

He was a navigator, a navigator consists of aircrafts such as electronic warfare, surveillance, communications, and other weapon systems.

‘’It was the best part of my life I wish it never ended I was always full-on adrenaline,’’ Mr. Jaquez.

Why did you leave the military?

His contract of five years was over, and he decided to be a police officer like he always wanted. While he was in the military, he was also in college so when he left, he immediately joined to be a police officer.

‘’My life was barely starting, and my dream job was waiting for me,’’ he said.

Was it hard to leave your family?

At the time, he wasn’t married and didn’t have, so that was no problem for him. With his mom and dad it was not hard because his parents always supported him and they were happy because he was finally growing up and being an adult.

‘’I felt the support of my parents and that was all it matters,’’ Jaquez said.

Why did you decide to be a cop after the military?

When, he was little he always wanted to be a cop, being in the army was just an ‘’ opportunity’’ for him, technically it was a way to make his life easier because the army always supported him with collage, retired money, and to help him find a job after he was over with his contract.

How did you feel when you first joined the military?

He was nervous, he was happy that he took that big step to make his life.

What did you do in Korea?

Jaquez was a great navigator, so his sergeant sent him to Korea for about seven months. He liked it and it has been his most memorable experience.

‘’You get to live and learn about different cultures you also fall in love with a lot of places you get to visit, and it makes you to never want to leave,’’ he said.

What was your best moment in the military?

Everything, all the friends he made, all the experiences that you only get to live inside the military, and all the people you get to meet and all the places you get to visit.

‘’Every place I met every person everything was different while I was working and making money, I also got the time to meet and visit places,’’ Jaquez said.