Capt. Joe Espinal is from Hartford, Conn. He served as an active duty Field Artillery Officer from 2013 to 2018. He continues to serve in the Army Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) program as a Logistics Officer at the Pentagon. Before this assignment, he served as a Company Commander. 

He is a full-time student in his last semester at the University of Connecticut School of Law and will graduate with a Juris Doctor in January 2021. He graduated from St. John's University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. He serves on the City of Hartford Commission on Veterans Affairs which he leads as chairman. 

He has volunteered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and Army Partnership with Local Area Schools (APLAS).