Juan Jacquez was born on April 19, 1947, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 9, 1967, and completed basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, in August 1967. Pvt Jacquez then served with B Battery Support Group at Fort Bliss before deploying to Southeast Asia in September 1968. He next served as an infantryman with 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry Regiment with the 4th Infantry Division in South Vietnam from September 1968 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam on May 11, 1969. After spending 1,417 days in captivity, SSG Jacquez was released from North Vietnam during Operation Homecoming on March 27, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and then served with the 62nd Medium Truck Company at Fort Bliss, Texas, until he was medically retired from the Army on December 26, 1973.