Samantha Escamilla Fulfills Dream by Joining the Army

Story and photos by Janna Zepp

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche stated, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger,” and it is often true. Adversity breaks some people and motivates others. For Staff Sgt. Samantha Escamilla, 502nd Dental Company Area Support, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, a series of terrible tragedies challenged her to finally and successfully pursue the career of her dreams: serving in the U.S. Army.

As a child in Covina, California, Escamilla wanted to be a soldier. She loved military movies, especially ones that featured women overcoming adversity and going on to victory as warriors. A particular career day hosted at her school solidified her desire to join the U.S. Army. But it was not until a divorce, a job loss and losing her home set her on a course that turned her life around for the better when she enlisted into active duty on April 24, 2012.

“If all those terrible things could not tear my spirit apart, I figured the Army would be an excellent choice for me as a career,” Escamilla says. “It was a perfect opportunity for me to do what I always wanted to do.”

Now, Escamilla’s MOS, or military occupational specialty (a J-O-B in civilian speak) is primarily as a dental specialist and secondarily a parachute rigger. She’s a dental assistant and she packs parachutes for airborne operations. She readily admits that, even though she works in dentistry, she does not enjoy going to the dentist and recognizes when other soldiers are tense about getting dental work done. She credits her ability to commiserate about that painful common ground with other soldiers with helping them feel at ease in the dentist’s chair.

Packing parachutes for soldiers keeps her attention on the details, as a bad day at work for her means somebody gets hurt…or worse.

“I work to make sure there are no bad days for any of us,” she says, sighing.

When asked what keeps her passionate about being a soldier herself, Escamilla is effusive.

“I love what I do and I love the people I work with,” says Escamilla. “The discipline and camaraderie in the Army is what I love the most about being in the military. The discipline that comes with the physical demand of being a tactical athlete combined with the ‘tactful’ professionalism and service to our nation is one part. The other is the camaraderie because the Army teaches you to care for the person to your left and to your right, regardless of where they come from or who they are. All of this makes you a more intelligent leader and person.”

That esprit d’corps was a challenge to keep up during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she and her fellow soldiers found a way to maintain it in painting a mural on the wall for their office. Escamilla and her battle buddies discovered a mutual love of art and working together on the unit’s wall art was the perfect way to keep their morale up.

“Sometimes I think about becoming a tattoo artist,” she says. “Art is a great way to express yourself when words just aren’t enough.”
Escamilla’s other accomplishments include her family.

“I have two children: Presley is six and she loves unicorns. Cash is three and he is all about Spider-Man and throwing things,” she says, laughing.

Balancing family and career for a single mother is not easy, Escamilla cautions. She advises taking negativity and making it positive for a better outcome for yourself as much as possible.

“Don’t expect it to be easy or painless. Being a single mom in the Army is one of the hardest challenges, but challenges come and go. Current hardships will pass. Tomorrow is another day to be great and do your best by embracing the challenges life gives.”