Photo By Spc. Patrick Connery | U.S. Army Pfc. Marisa Tate, a signal support systems specialist, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, poses for a feature photo at DIVARTY Headquarters on July 16, 2026 at Fort Hood, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Patrick M. Connery) see less
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FORT HOOD, Texas - Pfc. Marisa Tate did not join the Army because life had been easy.
She joined because it had not been.
At 33, Tate, now 34, had already lived through years of work, motherhood, sacrifice and responsibilities that often left little room for herself. A native of Abilene, Texas, and a mother of three, Tate had thought about joining the Army after graduating high school in 2010, but life moved in another direction.
“I had this idea in my head when I graduated,” Tate said. “But I decided to go ahead and just start working and making money that way.”
Then came motherhood. Tate had her first child at 20, followed by two more children in the years after. For more than a decade, her life centered on providing for them, protecting them and putting their needs before her own.
“Everything that I’ve ever done in my life has always been for my children,” Tate said. “I was just like, ‘What would it cost to be selfish just one time if I knew that it would benefit us in the end?"
That decision led her to the U.S. Army, where she now serves as a signal support systems specialist with 1st Cavalry Division Artillery.
The choice came with a cost as a single mother entering the Army.
“The biggest thing that I’ll say that I had to sacrifice was custody of my children,” Tate said while at basic training.
While at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Tate could only speak to her children on Sundays. Because they were in separate places, those calls became three-way conversations. She pushed through basic training and advance individual training while carrying the weight of distance, uncertainty and motherhood.
She also stood out.
After scoring high on her first Army Fitness Test, Tate said drill sergeants placed her in charge of the platoon and the bay. She had arrived hoping to blend in, but quickly became someone others looked to for guidance.
“I was just trying my best,” Tate said. “I wasn’t trying to be competitive with anything. I’m competing with myself.”
That competitive fire started long before the Army. Tate began boxing at 12 years old, using the sport as an outlet during a difficult childhood. Her coach became a steady presence in her life, training her from boxing into mixed martial arts and helping give her a place where she felt she belonged.
“It was just like wanting to be part of something, never really knowing where I fit in,” Tate said.
Years later, that same fighter’s spirit followed her to Fort Hood.
After arriving in January, Tate found her way back into boxing almost by chance. A conversation at the dining facility led her to Golden Gloves training on post. She showed up once and never stopped.
When Fight Night tryouts came, Tate made the roster. For the first time, after years of training, she stepped into the ring to compete.
Behind the scenes, she was not only a fighter preparing for a bout. She was still a mother, chasing her sons around, getting them snacks and helping them prepare to walk her out before the fight.
“I was so relaxed,” Tate said. “They were like, ‘Are you nervous?’ I was like, ‘No, I just got to being a mom.’”
Her sons walked her to the ring. Tate fought, won and stood in the center of the ring as her hand was raised.
“I heard PFC ... so I didn’t move,” Tate said. “Then it said Marisa, and I started jumping.”
Her sons joined her in the ring after the decision was announced. Tate said the moment felt almost unreal.
“I was like, “Is this going to end?”” Tate said. “‘I know it’s going to end.’”
The win meant more than a fight. She said it helped inspire one of her sons to stay with boxing after he had considered quitting.
“He was fixing to give up on boxing,” Tate said. “He’s just like, ‘I’m going to stick in it. I’m going to keep trying.’”
Tate said she knows people may see her size, her age or her background and make assumptions. At 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she has heard doubts before.
“Don’t doubt anybody,” Tate expressed. “You never know what someone is capable of doing.”
Today, she continues to balance her Army career, motherhood, boxing, softball and the personal battles that still wait outside the uniform. She said the Army has been a positive experience, even as she continues to navigate the challenges that come with being a single Soldier and mother.
“I still come to work, still put a smile on my face, still do my job, still take care of others and still help others, because that’s just who I’ve always been,” Tate said.
For her, the decision to join the Army was not just about changing her own life. It was about showing her children what can happen when a person takes a chance on themselves.
“One year later, my life’s already gotten better,” Tate said. “So it’s just like, what can happen in the next year?”
For other single mothers, older recruits or anyone questioning whether they belong, Tate’s advice is simple: listen to the voice inside that keeps saying to try.
“Don’t listen to anybody else,” Tate said. “If you have a thought, just go with it. Don’t listen to other people’s opinions. Stick to what you want to do.”
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