close
close

Dad swears son in as third generation of family in military

Posted on by Sweet
Dad swears son in as third generation of family in military

On Nov. 4, Army Maj. Michael Liscano Jr. arrived at the University of Georgia to attend his son’s oath of enlistment ceremony. A second-generation Army tanker, Liscano wanted to appear as both father and tanker as cadet Michael Liscano III began the process of becoming the third generation of the family in uniform.

Liscano Jr. is set to retire from the military after 20 years in the Armor Branch and is well known on social media as “The Armor Major.” His short, often funny videos about life in the mechanized world of the military have earned him over 15,000 followers on Instagram.

The younger Liscano was being sworn in as an ROTC cadet at UGA. Liscano earned scholarship status after one year of participation in the program, which requires an enlistment oath in the inactive ready reserves. Normally, the oath would have been administered by his military science teacher, Lt. Col. Weston S. Layfield.

But Layfield instead offered the opportunity to the cadet’s father.

“We were both surprised. For me, it was like a huge honor. It was like a passing of the torch because my dad is retiring soon,” Liscano III said. “So I can carry on the legacy of Liscano in a way because my grandfather and my father were in the military. It was a huge honor, like my own father swearing me in.

Liscano Jr. arrived in his blue suit, with combat medals and ribbons for deployments that included Iraq twice, once in Afghanistan and once in Poland for Operation Atlantic Resolve.

“As soon as I walked in there, they were kind of picked up, and so was the military science professor,” Liscano said. “They finished the paperwork, and he came up to me and said, ‘Would you like to swear in your son?’ I said yes – it was really surprising – I was just going to be there as a father to support him.

Liscano Jr. then asked his son to raise his right hand and the two recited the enlistment oath. Liscano III is now the third generation to serve in the military. Staff Sgt. Michael Liscano, Sr., was the first to enlist in 1973 — a time of military service, Liscano Jr. said, when those who joined and society’s view of the military were very different of those of today.

“A family member said to me, ‘Why would you want to join an organization full of criminals who use drugs?’ “, said Liscano Sr.. “My dad said, ‘Well, what’s the difference between that and what I’m doing now?’ At least if I join the army I will have a future and I can better myself and get out of here and explore the world.

And he did, being stationed in Germany and South Korea. Liscano III said Liscano Jr.’s experience traveling the world with his father was the same example that inspired his son to continue his service in the military.

Michael Liscano Jr. and his 8-year-old son, Michael Liscano III, on a walk together. Photo courtesy of Michael Liscano Jr.

Liscano Jr.’s father was also present at his commissioning ceremony, pinning his son’s second lieutenant’s bars during a 2003 ceremony at Georgia Military College.

Liscano III said his father had long been his role model and mentor, helping him learn the basics of welding, from packing his backpack to mentoring his leadership skills.

“I grew up moving and seeing the values ​​of the military, especially when it came to my father being a great leader and standing with his men,” Liscano III said. “I want to embody that. I thought that hopefully one day I would be as good as him at leadership – he is the gold standard in my eyes.

The latest in tasks and goals