Trajano trains for the army

Photo Credit: Alejandra Rosas

By: Jeannie Mai

As we grow older, the question that tends to come up the most is what we want to be when we grow up. Most children dream of becoming a firefighter or an astronaut.

At age 13, junior Leo Trajano dreamt of joining the army.

When Trajano was in the eighth grade, his family went on a Fourth of July trip to the Americafest at the Rose Bowl. He recalls “admiring” the military forces and marines booth. Trajano watched everyone attempt to win a prize and when he tried, he won a dog tag that he still wears everyday.

Trajano has talked to Sergeant Hayden Roe (an army recruiter from the Burbank Army Recruiting Office) at the career center the few times he’s been on campus. Trajano visits Roe in order to have his questions regarding enlisting, benefits, and requirements answered.

He plans on becoming a Unit Supply Specialist (USS). Some of the duties of a USS include “inspecting, organizing and installing supplies and equipment, working with unit level computers, maintaining an automated supply system for equipment and scheduling maintenance on weapons,” according to goarmy.com.

Roe has been recruiting for six years and has been in the military for a total of 20 years. He also visits other campuses such as Glendale and Crescenta Valley to “answer students’ questions and help stop misconceptions about the army.” He wants students to know that the army life is “different from what’s seen on television.”

When thinking of his future, Trajano “always admired how these men would risk their lives for their families and friends to serve their country” and “wanted to pursue a career that [he’d] feel proud of doing and that could be helpful to others.”

His family, especially his sister, Marilyn (’12), supports him through his efforts to pursue a career in the army. She feels it is important for her to support her younger brother because he is “doing what he loves.”

A few of his friends don’t feel the same way.

Austin Millera (’13) is “afraid for him” and wants him to “experience his life first” before he makes such serious decisions of leaving his family and friends behind to join the army.

Trajano fears that his biggest challenge will be the basic training, but feels he can persevere because this is something he really wants to do.

According to baseops.net, the US Army Boot Camp is “where the civilian recruit is transformed into a US soldier.” On the first day people arrive, they are given uniforms and personal equipment. Soldiers live in an “open-bay barrack” for nine weeks during basic training. The everyday routine begins at 5:30 a.m., with physical training such as jogging. The lengthy day doesn’t end until 9:30 p.m., long after multiple training sessions and “Drill Sergeant Time.”

In order to enter the military services, Trajano must pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a series of tests use “to determine the individual skills and abilities of personnel intending,” according to asvabprepinfo.com. He has been preparing himself for the test, which focuses on four critical areas—arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension and mathematics knowledge. According to military.com, a higher score on the test will better the chances of “getting the specialty/job and signing bonus” Trajano signed up for.

Even though Trajano is serious about joining the army as an adult, he still spends his free time enjoying his childhood. Trajano taught himself how to play the guitar in the eighth grade and has started to write his own lyrics and sheet music.

In 2008, Trajano and friend Patrick Kesachekian (’13) formed a band known as Thr33 Simple Words. They later brought in Jeremy Zadoorian (’13), Noah Zelezny (’12), and Patrick Tumbucon (’15), at which point Kesachekian left to focus on football. Currently, Trajano and Tumbucon are the guitarists, Zelezny is the drummer and Zadoorian is the lead singer.

Since then, the four members of the band have had little time to practice except when they participated in the 2011 talent show, performing a cover of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.”

Aside from being an active Key Club member, Trajano enjoys paintballing with friends and cooking for his family. He also is interested in photography in which he likes to take photos at “low apertures” and developing film photos.