{"id":28131,"date":"2023-09-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28131"},"modified":"2023-09-21T06:42:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T06:42:07","slug":"mexican-american-officer-overcomes-challenges-and-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28131","title":{"rendered":"Mexican-American officer overcomes challenges and tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, stands in front of the Army South headquarters on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, September 12, 2023. Dupont overcame the obstacles of immigrating to the United States at 14 years old and the tragedy of losing her only son. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Taeckens, U.S. Army South)
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas \u2013 Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 planning officer, battled her whole life for what she wanted: her athleticism, her education, and her military service, but all the challenges she faced to forge her life couldn\u2019t compare to the trauma of losing her only child.<\/p>\n

Despite all of the adversity she encountered throughout her life, Dupont credits her family, upbringing and Hispanic culture for her ability to continue moving forward in life and persevere through it all.<\/p>\n

A farmer’s daughter<\/h5>\n

\u201cI was born in San Juan, Texas which is near the border,\u201d said Dupont. \u201cMy mom had me with a midwife and then crossed to Reynosa, Mexico, and that’s where I was raised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother, who had U.S. residency, crossed the border to give birth to Dupont and give her U.S. citizenship, which was a privilege her older siblings didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

The daughter of a family of farmers, Dupont is the fifth of seven siblings. She described her upbringing as humble with her mom cooking whatever vegetables they grew in their fields, and they wouldn\u2019t often have meat.<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, stands in a field of vegetables on her family farm in Reynosa, Mexico, January 1, 2019. Dupont grew up in Reynosa, Mexico where her family would grow various vegetables. \u201cI would go to school from 8 a.m. until noon, and after school and all day on the weekends I would go to work with my dad,\u201d Dupont said. \u201cDifferent vegetables, different seasons, selling the produce, we would work all year round.\u201d (Courtesy photo)
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\u201cSo, you get what you get,\u201d she said as a matter of fact. \u201cMy siblings and I shared beds and there was no air conditioning in our house, but we didn\u2019t know any different.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a young age, Dupont said her father instilled an unwavering work ethic in her and raised her to have values that she would later come to find mirrored the Army Values.<\/p>\n

She helped her father work the land, becoming disciplined as well as physically and mentally tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would go to school from 8 a.m. until noon, and after school and all day on the weekends I would go to work with my dad,\u201d she said proudly. \u201cDifferent vegetables, different seasons, selling the produce, we would work all year round.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at manual labor as a competition with her siblings, vying to be the best worker among them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of all of my sisters, my dad would wake me up because I wouldn\u2019t complain,\u201d Dupont bragged. \u201cI mean my sisters would work, but they would get tired. I just wanted to beat them and show that I was able to do better than them in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sparring spirit transferred over into athletics, where even after a long day of school and work, Dupont said she would find a way to play sports with her friends.<\/p>\n

She said they play any sport they had the resources for, playing baseball or simply racing each other on foot. Of all the sports they played, she loved soccer the most.<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, is shown in a childhood photo. Dupont overcame the obstacles of immigrating to the U.S. at 14 years old and the tragedy of losing her only son. (Courtesy photo)
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\n U.S. Army South Soldier, Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, G3\/5 plans officer, poses for a photo during a dance competition during primary school in Reynosa, Mexico. Dupont said that she competed in as many sports as possible, including baseball, track, soccer and dance. (Courtesy photo)
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\u201cWe would come home from work around 7 p.m., and right after that I would play soccer with my friends,\u201d she said. \u201cI was the one that had the ball, so they would always come look for me to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dupont said she would do everything possible to play sports or compete, like wear shorts under her school uniform just in case her friends wanted to play soccer, or even run track in her bare feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends found out I was good at track, but most of the time I only had my uniform and girly shoes,\u201d Dupont claimed. \u201cSo, I would just remove my shoes and run barefoot. Obviously, I was the only one who ran barefoot, but I was competing and winning!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moving to the U.S.<\/h5>\n

As Dupont grew older, three of her older sisters decided to move to the U.S. to attend school and work. At 14 years-old, Dupont had an opportunity to follow in their footsteps and moved to Edinburg, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived in December, in the middle of the school year, so they dropped me back one year, and then they dropped me another year because I was still learning English,\u201d she admitted. \u201cSo, I started in eighth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the two-year scholastic setback, Dupont said she took everything in stride and kept rolling along.<\/p>\n

She became a freshman in high school and luckily had her sister, who was a senior, to help her navigate attending school in another country.<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army South Soldier, Capt. Elizabeth Dupont (left), G3\/5 plans officer, appears in a newspaper clipping playing high school soccer. Dupont said she competed in as many sports as possible, including baseball, track, and dance, but her favorite sport was soccer. (Courtesy photo)
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Dupont said, along with her sister’s guidance, her involvement in high school sports was a huge help for her adapting to life in Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cSports got me through the challenge of adapting to American culture, because I was able to connect with other students through my athleticism,\u201d said Dupont.<\/p>\n

First-generation university graduate and ROTC<\/h5>\n

After overcoming the language barrier and culture difference of moving to the U.S., she decided she wanted to pursue a college education.<\/p>\n

She saw an opportunity to pursue her passion of coaching with a degree in kinesiology and pay for her education through the U.S. Army Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, poses for a photo during an ROTC field training exercise February 24, 2017. Dupont graduated at the top of her ROTC class and became the first in her immediate family to receive a college degree with both an associate and bachelor\u2019s degree in kinesiology. (Courtesy photo)
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\u201cI saw being an officer as simulating coaching but in a different spectrum,\u201d explained Dupont. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be a normal Soldier, but rather coach the Soldiers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She noted that she experienced barriers due to her race, ethnicity and accent, with other cadets criticizing her pronunciation and doubting her abilities, but when it came to the physical and mental aspect of training in the ROTC program, she said she was second to none.<\/p>\n

Dupont admitted that her humble upbringing came as an advantage especially during the field training exercises.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to most of the other cadets and most of them said they had an easy life, but I didn\u2019t and I\u2019m proud of that,\u201d remembered Dupont. \u201cWe got MREs and everyone was like, \u2018what is this?\u2019 But I just took what I could get, and when we didn\u2019t have air conditioning, I didn\u2019t make it a big deal\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont (middle), U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, stands in with her Family during her commissioning ceremony in Edinburg, Texas, August 23, 2018. Dupont graduated at the top of her ROTC class and became the first in her immediate family to receive a college degree with both an associate and bachelor\u2019s degree in kinesiology. (Courtesy photo)
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Dupont graduated at the top of her ROTC class and became the first in her immediate family to receive a college degree with both an associate and bachelor\u2019s degree in kinesiology and was commissioned in August of 2018 as a second lieutenant.<\/p>\n

She went on to attend the ordnance Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia and was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas for her first assignment as platoon leader of the fuel and water platoon with 501st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.<\/p>\n

Unimaginable loss<\/h5>\n

Dupont met her husband, Capt. Keith Dupont II, in October of 2018 and they eventually decided to start a family.<\/p>\n

In May of 2021 their son, Keith Dupont III, was born with a strong personality from the start, said Dupont, and she felt the purest love she had ever known.<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont (left), U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, and her husband, Capt. Keith Dupont II, stands behind their son, Keith Dupont III, at Fort Bliss, Texas, June 1, 2021. In May of 2021 their son was born with a strong personality from the start, said Dupont, and she felt the purest love she had ever known. \u201cHe was truly a baby that could light up any room with his smile and laughter,\u201d Dupont said. \u201cHe was attentive and had a curious mind, but sleeping was not his priority for fear of missing out.\u201d (Courtesy photo)
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\u201cHe was truly a baby that could light up any room with his smile and laughter,\u201d Dupont said. \u201cHe was attentive and had a curious mind, but sleeping was not his priority for fear of missing out.\u201d<\/p>\n

But one night when he was about three months old, her son suddenly stopped breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe started having breath holding spells, and his whole body would just turn blue or purple,\u201d said Dupont with tears in her eyes. \u201cI knew CPR and stuff so the first time it happened I started doing it, and he just gasped for air and came back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dupont and her husband brought their son to several specialists to understand and treat the symptoms as the spells worsened in severity and became more frequent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started to know when he was going to have the episodes, because as soon as he would start to get bothered he would have one,\u201d recalled Dupont. \u201cI would already be standing by the oxygen mask.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that after months searching for answers, doctors diagnosed their son with Gaucher disease.<\/p>\n

According to the National Library of Medicine, Gaucher disease is an inherited genetic disease that affects various organ systems and tissues, including the central nervous system. There are three types which vary in the age of onset and which bodily systems they affect.<\/p>\n

There is no cure for any of the three types, but there are treatment options for types one and three. Their son had type two which has no treatment.<\/p>\n

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\n Keith Dupont III, the son of Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, was diagnosed with type two Gaucher disease. According to the National Library of Medicine, Gaucher disease is an inherited genetic disease that affects various organ systems and tissues, including the central nervous system. (Courtesy photo)
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Over the course of 17 months Dupont said their son\u2019s heart stopped 12 times, and each time they were able to bring him back with CPR.<\/p>\n

But in January of 2023, their son passed away at 20 months old.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he passed we were in acceptance,\u201d she said solemnly. \u201cWe were hurting, but we knew it was best for him to not suffer anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coping and the future<\/h5>\n

Through all of the trauma and caring for her son, Dupont was able to complete the Captain\u2019s Career Course and promote to the rank of captain.<\/p>\n

She still remembers the pain of losing Keith III but is finding ways to cope like talking with her husband, doing fun activities with him and seeing a behavioral health provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s quite a sensitive topic still since it just recently happened, but my husband and I pull through every day,\u201d Dupont expressed with hope. \u201cWe kind of find that little peaceful moment with a workout or going out to see a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, poses for a photo in Portillo, Chile on August 29, 2023. Dupont participated and served as a unit public affairs representative during a 10-day mountain warfare training with the Chilean army and U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division. (Courtesy photo)
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On top of finding peace, Dupont said that putting life into perspective is important to pushing through trauma like she has experienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of this has made me stronger in the sense of just looking at things more positively,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m just taking it day by day, because no matter what life throws at you, you just have to adapt, continue training and just continue going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Capt. Elizabeth Dupont, U.S. Army South G3\/5 plans officer, stands in front of the Army South headquarters on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, September 12, 2023. Dupont overcame the obstacles of immigrating to the United States at 14 years old and the tragedy of losing her only son. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Taeckens, U.S. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28133,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28131"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28141,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28131\/revisions\/28141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}