Fort Bliss Monitor

Spc.Joseph Edmondson

Diego Soriano, center, poses with his mother and father outside their family home at Aero Vista as he prepares to report for basic training. Diego and his father will likely be united in Iraq after the younger Soriano completes his current Ranger training.

Military duty is way of life for USASMA family

Master Sgt. Troy Falardeau
USASMA Public Affairs

When Diego Soriano, an 18-year-old Army recruit, raised his right hand and took his oath of enlistment two weeks ago in front of the entire U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, his family looked on proudly in the audience. Moments later, his father Jorge joined him on stage and was promoted to the rank of sergeant major.

Although he was excited about being able to take the oath in front of an auditorium full of sergeants major, Diego said the highlight of this day was pinning the new rank on his dad.

“His promotion was a lot bigger deal than my enlistment,” he said humbly, proud to be following in his dad’s footsteps.

Although statistics are not readily available, an informal survey of current sergeants major taken on the day of ceremony revealed a large number are similar to the Sorianos – the military in many ways is a family affair. This is substantiated by an article in the June 2005 issue of Newsweek magazine that found about a third of Army generals have or have had children serving in Iraq.

For the elder Soriano, the tradition began with him. There were few other family members with military experience when he decided to join the Army in 1983. He had an uncle who served during the Vietnam War, but no other. It didn’t take him long, however, to change that.

During one of his first assignments, he met his wife-to-be, Dawn, in Germany, where she served as a cook. After three years, they married and she left active duty and gave birth to their first son, Mar. A year later, Diego was born. Throughout his career, Jorge’s family has traveled with him and supported the military.

Last year, that support took a major step forward when Mar joined the Air Force. He has been in Iraq since September where “he works on B-1B bombers,” Jorge said.
It didn’t take long for Diego to follow in his footsteps, too – although in his case, those steps will be in Army boots. Diego said he knew long ago he would join the military; he just didn’t know when. He didn’t know whether to join first, or go to college. Several months ago, he made a decision to put college on hold, and initially planned on joining the Marine Corps.

“He did a lot of research before he made up his mind,” said Jorge. “He probably read six different books about the Marines and their history – and told me he liked the fact that the Marines have a reputation of having a high esprit de corps. I was proud that he had decided to serve in the military.” The elder Soriano said he didn’t try to persuade his son to join the Army. He told him about his options in all the branches of the Armed Forces and let him decide.

“I didn’t think I would be able to change his mind,” said Jorge.

That changed when Diego met one of his father’s classmates in the academy, Sgt. Maj. Moises Martinez. He told Diego about his career in Special Forces one evening during dinner at the Sorianos’ Aero Vista home – and it piqued Diego’s interest. He told his father he wanted to learn more.

“After that conversation, he wanted to do research about the Rangers and their history,” said Jorge.

That research led Diego to the revelation that the Army could provide him the type of experience he thought he could only find in the Marines. Once he made up his mind to join, things began to move quickly. Diego met with a local Army recruiter, and within days a contract was signed. During the process, he took a test of his knowledge of basic military skills and aptitudes, and thanks to the knowledge he gained from exposure to his father’s service, he passed and was able to join the Army at a higher rank.

Diego left for his training at Fort Benning, Ga. earlier this month – two days after being interviewed. After he finishes basic and advanced individual training, he will complete airborne training and the Ranger Indoctrination Program. When all is done, he will be assigned to one of the three battalions in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Diego won’t be alone, though. During Christmas break last month, he met a high school friend from Alabama visiting El Paso. Diego’s descriptions of his upcoming training and assignment so moved his friend that he also decided to join the Army Rangers.

“I wasn’t trying to recruit him,” said Diego. “He called me when he got home and said he was signing up, too.” Like Diego, Josh’s father also serves in the Army.

Having a good friend with him is one of the reasons Diego gave the Army a second look. He told his parents a major factor in his decision was to be in a unit that sticks together – “a brotherhood, a camaraderie,” he said.

As his mother left the room, he continued, adding that she is concerned for his safety in his chosen career field. “The fact is that the war on terror probably played the biggest role in my decision. I remember 9/11 … my mom took me out of school that day. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were back then, but it wasn’t long before my dad deployed with Task Force 160th to Afghan-istan.”

Diego shared that his father will also leave his mother soon – to be released early from the Sergeants Major Academy to deploy to Iraq with a new unit – this time as a sergeant major.

“Chances are pretty good I will be in Iraq at the same time my dad is … as soon as my training is complete,” Diego added.

For the Soriano family, duty is not just a word, it is a way of life.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	Jan. 25, 2007

	Spc.Joseph Edmondson Diego Soriano, center, poses with his mother and father outside their family home at Aero Vista as he prepares to report for basic training. Diego and his father will likely be united in Iraq after the younger Soriano completes his current Ranger training. Military duty is way of life for USASMA family Master Sgt. Troy Falardeau USASMA Public Affairs When Diego Soriano, an 18-year-old Army recruit, raised his right hand and took his oath of enlistment two weeks ago in front of the entire U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, his family looked on proudly in the audience. Moments later, his father Jorge joined him on stage and was promoted to the rank of sergeant major. Although he was excited about being able to take the oath in front of an auditorium full of sergeants major, Diego said the highlight of this day was pinning the new rank on his dad. “His promotion was a lot bigger deal than my enlistment,” he said humbly, proud to be following in his dad’s footsteps. Although statistics are not readily available, an informal survey of current sergeants major taken on the day of ceremony revealed a large number are similar to the Sorianos – the military in many ways is a family affair. This is substantiated by an article in the June 2005 issue of Newsweek magazine that found about a third of Army generals have or have had children serving in Iraq. For the elder Soriano, the tradition began with him. There were few other family members with military experience when he decided to join the Army in 1983. He had an uncle who served during the Vietnam War, but no other. It didn’t take him long, however, to change that. During one of his first assignments, he met his wife-to-be, Dawn, in Germany, where she served as a cook. After three years, they married and she left active duty and gave birth to their first son, Mar. A year later, Diego was born. Throughout his career, Jorge’s family has traveled with him and supported the military. Last year, that support took a major step forward when Mar joined the Air Force. He has been in Iraq since September where “he works on B-1B bombers,” Jorge said. It didn’t take long for Diego to follow in his footsteps, too – although in his case, those steps will be in Army boots. Diego said he knew long ago he would join the military; he just didn’t know when. He didn’t know whether to join first, or go to college. Several months ago, he made a decision to put college on hold, and initially planned on joining the Marine Corps. “He did a lot of research before he made up his mind,” said Jorge. “He probably read six different books about the Marines and their history – and told me he liked the fact that the Marines have a reputation of having a high esprit de corps. I was proud that he had decided to serve in the military.” The elder Soriano said he didn’t try to persuade his son to join the Army. He told him about his options in all the branches of the Armed Forces and let him decide. “I didn’t think I would be able to change his mind,” said Jorge. That changed when Diego met one of his father’s classmates in the academy, Sgt. Maj. Moises Martinez. He told Diego about his career in Special Forces one evening during dinner at the Sorianos’ Aero Vista home – and it piqued Diego’s interest. He told his father he wanted to learn more. “After that conversation, he wanted to do research about the Rangers and their history,” said Jorge. That research led Diego to the revelation that the Army could provide him the type of experience he thought he could only find in the Marines. Once he made up his mind to join, things began to move quickly. Diego met with a local Army recruiter, and within days a contract was signed. During the process, he took a test of his knowledge of basic military skills and aptitudes, and thanks to the knowledge he gained from exposure to his father’s service, he passed and was able to join the Army at a higher rank. Diego left for his training at Fort Benning, Ga. earlier this month – two days after being interviewed. After he finishes basic and advanced individual training, he will complete airborne training and the Ranger Indoctrination Program. When all is done, he will be assigned to one of the three battalions in the 75th Ranger Regiment. Diego won’t be alone, though. During Christmas break last month, he met a high school friend from Alabama visiting El Paso. Diego’s descriptions of his upcoming training and assignment so moved his friend that he also decided to join the Army Rangers. “I wasn’t trying to recruit him,” said Diego. “He called me when he got home and said he was signing up, too.” Like Diego, Josh’s father also serves in the Army. Having a good friend with him is one of the reasons Diego gave the Army a second look. He told his parents a major factor in his decision was to be in a unit that sticks together – “a brotherhood, a camaraderie,” he said. As his mother left the room, he continued, adding that she is concerned for his safety in his chosen career field. “The fact is that the war on terror probably played the biggest role in my decision. I remember 9/11 … my mom took me out of school that day. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were back then, but it wasn’t long before my dad deployed with Task Force 160th to Afghan-istan.” Diego shared that his father will also leave his mother soon – to be released early from the Sergeants Major Academy to deploy to Iraq with a new unit – this time as a sergeant major. “Chances are pretty good I will be in Iraq at the same time my dad is … as soon as my training is complete,” Diego added. For the Soriano family, duty is not just a word, it is a way of life.