For Sgt. Frincee Prado, the Army is more than a career. As he sees it, “It’s a major opportunity to use your own personal skills, talent and passions to make a real difference in people’s lives at home and abroad.”
Prado has been a technical engineer with the U.S. Army Engineering team for four years. In that time, he’s been part of the design and construction of several Army projects across the country and abroad. He’s one of 12 soldiers starring in the latest installment of the Army’s “What’s Your Warrior?” campaign that aims to educate young people about the breadth and depth of careers in the nation’s largest military branch.
A native of the Philippines, Prado was determined to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a civil engineer when his family decided there were more opportunities in the U.S.
They immigrated in 2014 and settled in South Sacramento, where other family members lived. Prado joined the Army a few years later to continue his engineering education (the Army covers tuition) and secure employment. Almost 27, he earned his associate’s degree and will complete further schooling this fall.
Now stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., Prado uses his skills as a technical engineer on all kinds of tasks, including topographic surveying, drafting, blueprint creation, soil analysis and quality control on ongoing Army projects all over the world.
This year, he got the “once-in-a-lifetime chance” to portray the moniker of The Ground Breaker (technical engineer) in the Army’s “What’s Your Warrior?” marketing campaign, which showcases 12 of more than 200 career options currently available in the Army.
Other in-demand positions portrayed in the campaign include aviation officer, signal support systems specialist, microbiologist, infantryman, cyber operations officer, general surgeon, culinary specialist, intelligence analyst and more. Prado and his colleagues are appearing in print, online, TV and social media ads through April to discuss their Army experiences.
“Our success depends on our ability to attract the best and brightest our country has to offer, so it was particularly important for us to show more than just the diversity of Army careers, but also the diversity of the Army community,” former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy says. “Each soldier is a valuable contributor to the Army’s mission because of the unique backgrounds and perspectives they bring to Army service.”
Though he never misses a chance to come home, Prado loves his time in the service, especially the travel, education and leadership opportunities. He intends to stay in the military as long as possible to continue his personal growth and encourage others.
“I want to help my subordinates gain more experience through my experience,” Prado says. “I bring the confidence in team-leading that the Army taught me to my job every day.”
For information on Army service, visit goarmy.com.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
