THE
CALLING
Jennifer Liriano
When I was four, my siblings and I watched my dad try to take his own life right in front of us. The police were called and they rescued him. I grew up wanting to help people like my father, people who are suffering.
JENNIFER
Jennifer Liriano
My parents were first-generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic. We shared a three-bedroom apartment in New Jersey with ten family members. With my dad's struggles, my mom had to work sixteen-hour days. So I helped any way I could.
My neighborhood was tough. My friends got into a lot of trouble. I wanted to fit in. One time, I snuck out and stayed three days at a friend's place. When I came home, Mom wanted to teach me to appreciate the life I had by sending me to the Dominican Republic to stay with relatives for a year. I had no idea what to expect.
My relatives lived in a house with a tin roof. Tourists used to drive by and throw candy at us. Once, on a school field trip, I missed the bus back—completely stranded—and a stranger went out of her way to help me get home. I remember thinking, "No matter what, there are always good people in the world." And when I returned to the U.S., I knew I had to be one of those good, helpful people. I just didn't know how.
One day at school, I came upon an Army recruiter, and told him about my goals. He took me through all their different careers, and that's when it hit me. The Army is an army of good people. I knew what to do. Now I serve in a combat support hospital doing what fulfills me the most.
Jennifer Liriano
I'm U.S. Army Specialist Jennifer Liriano, and I answered my calling.
LIRIANOU.S. ARMY
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