Jose Franquez was born in Manila, Philippines, in 1997. His parents both worked for Continental Airlines, but his father was not a part of his life. He grew up as an “outdoorsy kid” who did not do well in school. His mother passed away when he was 15, leaving him and his older sister on their own. She was enrolled in college, and he dropped out of high school to begin working odd jobs. He wanted to attend the Philippine Military Academy, but his dual citizenship (his dad was American) prevented that, and Jose was not willing to give up American citizenship to join the Philippine Army. He came to the United States to live with an uncle in Florida, earned a GED, and was told that he needed to get a job. After Thanksgiving in 2015, he visited a Recruiting Office and enlisted in the Infantry. He remembers the physical aspects of basic training being the toughest and suffered shin splints during training. He was assigned to Mortars and has served at both Ft. Hood and Ft. Drum, enjoying the people, the atmosphere, and the small size of a Mortar Platoon. He notes that the most important aspect of his service are the relationships he’s formed and the people he’s met, stating, “This is the closest thing I’ve got to family, and I wouldn’t trade anything for it.”