Headshots for Army Veteran
“Once you meet another military person, you’re family forever. There is so much pride and camaraderie that comes from wearing the uniform.”
Earlier this year, I partnered with Portraits for Patriots to photograph Jose Maldonado, who was retiring after 30 years of military service. I asked Jose to share the advice he would give his younger self.
“You should have gone into the Air Force,” he joked. “Since I was young, I knew I wanted to go into the military and fly jets in the Air Force, but it didn’t work out like that. The day I went to see the recruiter at 19, the Air Force recruiter wasn’t there. But the Army recruiter was, and he showed a video of an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. It was off to Fort Knox, Kentucky.”
“My time in the military was full of wonderful experiences, but sometimes it was sad and frustrating. There were two major events that shaped my career: the collapse of the World Trade Centers and being assigned to a unit helping the NYC medical coroner office.”
“At the time of 9/11, I was in the NY Army National Guard and responded at Ground Zero. It was such an eye-opener and truly changed my life. After serving on the ground in NYC, I spent some time in Afghanistan in 2008.”
“In April 2020, at the end of my career, my unit (101 Signal Battalion / New York Army National Guard) was tasked with helping the NYC medical coroner’s office transport decedents. The mission grew, and we went into nursing homes and residences recovering nearly 21,000 decedents. We were able to help a lot of people during national disasters in NYC with our civil support operations.”
“I was also a member of the 369th Harlem Hell Fighters, the first African-American regiment during WWI. They served with a lot of pride and are one of the biggest Army units in NY state. I got to lead soldiers and meet a plethora of people from all walks of life, coming together to achieve a mission. I loved the structure and the numerous skills you build – like networking and problem-solving.”
“But I never once thought about what would happen when I got out or how my experience would be applicable in the real world. Now I’m looking to get into some line of work in operations for a logistics company, either in transportation or warehouse. I’m looking at retirement as a chance to slow down and enjoy life a little bit.”
Thank you, Jose, for your service and dedication. It was truly an honor to take your headshot as you head into this new chapter.