Photo By Staff Sgt. Terry Rajsombath | Warrant Officer Candidate Luis Salazar poses for a photo, Jan. 19., 2025, Cranston,...... read more read more
Growing up in West Warwick, R.I., Warrant Officer Candidate Luis Salazar, a paralegal with the Rhode Island National Guard (RING) had one goal: to become a police officer.
“I come from an immigrant family and wanted to give back to this country,” said Salazar. “So, serving and protecting as a police officer felt like the best way to do that.”
In 2016, Salazar enlisted into C Co., 1-143rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), in search of training to provide him a competitive edge in law enforcement.
“My recruiter convinced me that being a paratrooper would help separate me from other candidates in the police department,” said Salazar. “Plus, it would give me a break from the repetitiveness of being a police officer full time and then a police officer in the Guard.”
After three years serving in the infantry, Salazar began to question his career trajectory. The long hours and high operational tempo made it difficult to balance his military duties along with his civilian aspirations.
“I was working an overnight security job, falling asleep in class and began to question if I wanted to stay in the infantry for my entire career,” said Salazar. “One day I was looking at jobs online and saw that you could be a paralegal in the Rhode Island National Guard.”
Intrigued with being a paralegal, Salazar expressed his desire to reclassify within the RING to his chain of command. His leadership connected him with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office where he gained insight into the responsibilities of paralegals and the broader work of JAG personnel.
“At the time, a Casey Anthony documentary was all over the media which piqued my interest in law,” said Salazar. “I realized I was more interested finding justice through the legal courts than enforcing it, which would still work out because I knew I wanted to serve and help provide justice.”
This newfound understanding of himself and the career opportunities within the RING led Salazar to attend Fort Gregg-Adams, where he reclassified as a paralegal specialist.
While transitioning from the infantry to the legal field, Salazar realized that the infantry gave him the edge he was initially looking for, both in his career and in life.
“The work ethic, physical and mental discipline I learned in the infantry has helped me prepare for so many obstacles in life, including the Warrant Officer Candidate School,” said Salazar. “I know I can handle challenges and now I have a new goal for my career – Command Chief Warrant Officer for the Rhode Island [Army] National Guard.”
| Date Taken: | 01.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2025 16:24 |
| Story ID: | 489422 |
| Location: | RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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