dfd (Photo courtesy TK)
Our Stories
O ne of my biggest motivators was my mom, who first encouraged me to join the United States Army. My mom was an immigrant who worked in the fields and, years later, became a naturalized U.S. citizen. To her, a veteran was the most respected person in the United States, respected by all. Gender and race didn’t matter because it was their service that mattered. That’s what she wanted for me. One month after high school graduation, and all of 95 pounds, I enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17. It was 1990, and I had never left California. I had never been on a plane before. I headed to Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training. Then, to train as a medic, I was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. My dream was to be a nurse. Because I didn’t have any college, it was suggested that I could be a combat medic. I looked at the description and was really excited to go and do that. Our scope of practice is different in the Army. We can do tracheas. We can do tourniquets. We can do venous cut-downs if we need to. And in combat, there are no limits. So, my whole career was pretty much being in the field as a combat medic and medical health specialist, but also held positions such as squad leader, platoon sergeant, and trauma station sergeant. My first duty station was Flak Kaserne Augsburg, Germany. Then, I served at Fort Gordon, Georgia; Camp Casey, Korea; and Fort Hood in Texas.
Combat Medic By Livia “Livy” Jimenez Lazaro U.S. Army Sgt. First Class E7 Combat Medic (Retired)
Livia “Livy” Jimenez Lazaro Commander Don Diego VFW 7420 (2021–2025) (Photo courtesy©Livy Lazaro)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 9 – Proudly We Serve
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