In Tamaulipas, Mexico, three hours south of the Texas-Mexico border, six-year-old Liliana Chavez Uribe marveled at the sight of crop-dusters flying over her home and dreamed that one day she, too, could fly.
A short 18 years later, 2nd Lt. Liliana Chavez Uribe recalls the memory that propelled her ever forward, ever upward. She would fulfill her dream and go on to fly Black Hawk and Lakota helicopters, admitting that her accomplishments are far beyond what her six-year-old self could have imagined.
Despite the obstacles she and her family endured as immigrants during their journey, Chavez realized her dreams were more of a reality than she thought. “I came here as a permanent resident,” Chavez said. “My dad worked his butt off to get us all here the correct, legal way, and now I am a citizen.”
During her high school years Chavez discovered her love for the disciplined military structure when she joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She graduated flight school and Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape training (SERE) – A 21-day training requirement to prepare individuals to evade capture and survive extreme conditions while maintaining the military code of conduct.
Chavez credits her father’s work ethic as the reason she is driven to overcome the multitude of challenges she faced. He is the force that continues to keep her on track. “I always stop to sit down and think ‘would this make my dad proud?’.”
Regardless of the obstacles she has faced, whether it was getting through college, financial setbacks, discrimination or SERE, Chavez never saw failure as an option. Determined not only to reach her dream, she now inspires other girls to dream big.
Today, she is an Immigration Liaison and Planning Officer with the Washington National Guard where she meticulously plans and executes strategic initiatives. As a wife and mother she continues to break barriers and demonstrate that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
