WEBVTT 00:00.340 --> 00:02.562 and Michael , my name's Gholston dart . 00:02.562 --> 00:04.284 And I work over at Cairo seven 00:04.284 --> 00:06.396 eyewitnesses . How's it going buddy ? 00:06.396 --> 00:08.451 I'm doing good . How are you ? I , I 00:08.451 --> 00:10.618 couldn't understand your name though . 00:10.618 --> 00:12.729 I apologize . No problem . You're not 00:12.729 --> 00:14.896 the first . The first name is Goldston 00:14.896 --> 00:18.670 Gulfport . Yeah . Last name Dark . 00:18.680 --> 00:22.480 Oh , Gustin Dark . That's 00:22.490 --> 00:26.090 close enough . First name 00:26.100 --> 00:29.020 Gholston . Anyway , I see here you're 00:29.020 --> 00:31.930 in uh , Qatar right now . 00:31.940 --> 00:35.420 Okay , tell me what you're doing over 00:35.420 --> 00:39.230 there . Um , well , our , 00:39.240 --> 00:42.620 our missions for the team is basically 00:42.620 --> 00:44.870 to set up interviews for soldiers that 00:44.870 --> 00:47.150 are deployed overseas . Um , and this 00:47.150 --> 00:49.317 has been the sole focus , not the sole 00:49.317 --> 00:51.483 focus , but the main focus in the main 00:51.483 --> 00:53.980 effort um , of what we do out here . Uh , 00:53.990 --> 00:55.870 we've done missions into Iraq , 00:55.870 --> 00:58.950 Afghanistan , Horn of Africa , etcetera , 00:58.950 --> 01:01.600 etcetera , etcetera . And basically 01:01.600 --> 01:03.680 what we do is we go out and identify 01:03.680 --> 01:06.460 soldiers who are , you know , 01:06.840 --> 01:09.960 willing to go and do this . And we set 01:09.960 --> 01:12.430 him up with newspapers , radio stations 01:12.440 --> 01:14.570 and uh , things of that sort . It's 01:14.570 --> 01:16.848 been , it's been a great time actually . 01:16.848 --> 01:18.903 Just got back from Iraq not long ago 01:18.903 --> 01:21.480 myself and it was a great experience to 01:21.480 --> 01:23.690 see the people up there and you know , 01:23.700 --> 01:25.910 I really enjoyed it a lot . Well , let 01:25.910 --> 01:27.966 me ask you this because , you know , 01:27.966 --> 01:30.077 certain things have happened over the 01:30.077 --> 01:32.021 past week that have really kind of 01:32.021 --> 01:34.243 changed the outlook . Certainly for the 01:34.243 --> 01:37.440 Iraqi government and for the Bush 01:37.440 --> 01:40.290 administration with the bombing and the 01:40.290 --> 01:44.130 death of Abu . Uh , musab al Zarqawi 01:44.140 --> 01:46.196 and the fact that they found so much 01:46.196 --> 01:48.307 information ? Some intelligence there 01:48.307 --> 01:50.750 at the site where he was killed , have 01:50.750 --> 01:52.890 you noticed a change in attitude from 01:52.890 --> 01:56.870 the people you've talked to ? Um well 01:56.880 --> 01:59.102 let me let me go to start with this . I 01:59.102 --> 02:01.324 actually drove through baqouba two days 02:01.324 --> 02:05.310 before Zarqawi uh lost his life and I 02:05.310 --> 02:07.477 thought that was really interesting in 02:07.477 --> 02:09.643 hindsight , but at the same time , you 02:09.643 --> 02:11.588 know , when I was in Iraq , it was 02:11.588 --> 02:13.754 amazing to interact with people . Like 02:13.754 --> 02:15.977 I was saying before , the Children were 02:15.977 --> 02:18.110 awesome . Uh almost everywhere I went 02:18.120 --> 02:20.231 there was , you know , there's little 02:20.231 --> 02:22.398 small pockets where there's probably a 02:22.398 --> 02:24.620 local leader or something like that who 02:24.620 --> 02:26.731 really kind of pushes his ideals onto 02:26.731 --> 02:28.953 the community in the area . But for the 02:28.953 --> 02:30.953 most part places we drive through , 02:30.953 --> 02:33.064 we'd see little kids running up to us 02:33.064 --> 02:35.176 all the time in our Humvees , just so 02:35.176 --> 02:37.342 happy to see us big smiles and I'd run 02:37.342 --> 02:39.564 up , I'd come out with my camera taking 02:39.564 --> 02:42.130 pictures and what they do is the kids 02:42.130 --> 02:44.352 would come up and be like Sura Sura and 02:44.352 --> 02:46.700 I finally figured out that picture um 02:46.710 --> 02:48.766 which was really cool and they would 02:48.766 --> 02:50.821 always be like , mr give me candy or 02:50.821 --> 02:52.932 something like that . So I think that 02:52.932 --> 02:55.630 the troops really do have a good kind 02:55.630 --> 02:57.519 of report with a lot of the local 02:57.519 --> 03:00.100 Iraqis . Um you know , there's there's 03:00.100 --> 03:02.390 still a lot of the old Saddam's regime . 03:02.400 --> 03:04.300 Uh you know , like his local 03:04.310 --> 03:08.240 uh there's how do I 03:08.240 --> 03:11.100 say this ? Yeah , some of the remainder 03:11.100 --> 03:13.290 of his , his regime still here and 03:13.290 --> 03:16.030 there . But I guess the point I was 03:16.030 --> 03:17.919 trying to , or the question I was 03:17.919 --> 03:20.030 trying to ask was you know , it seems 03:20.030 --> 03:22.252 like what's happened over the past week 03:22.252 --> 03:22.240 is certainly good for the U . S . 03:22.240 --> 03:25.520 Efforts over there . Um And obviously 03:25.520 --> 03:27.990 that's that's gotta put you know , I 03:27.990 --> 03:29.990 don't know , it's got to change the 03:29.990 --> 03:32.046 attitude of uh you know , are people 03:32.046 --> 03:34.420 over there fighting and give everyone 03:34.420 --> 03:38.170 more of a positive outlook . Yeah it 03:38.180 --> 03:40.124 really does . I think a lot of the 03:40.124 --> 03:42.460 people like I said I just got back from 03:42.460 --> 03:44.740 Iraq not too long ago . So since it 03:44.740 --> 03:48.740 happened um I you know I I've 03:48.740 --> 03:50.690 been more in transit than actually 03:50.700 --> 03:53.940 talking to soldiers but from the few 03:53.940 --> 03:55.996 days after I know people , there's a 03:55.996 --> 03:57.996 lot of surprise and a lot of people 03:57.996 --> 04:00.218 thought that you know it would help out 04:00.218 --> 04:02.273 a lot but the fight's definitely not 04:02.273 --> 04:04.384 over , you know um until until we get 04:04.384 --> 04:07.060 out the local thugs you know things , 04:07.240 --> 04:11.180 things are how do I 04:11.180 --> 04:13.402 say this , it's gonna be tough until we 04:13.402 --> 04:15.780 get out the local leaders and um really 04:15.780 --> 04:18.320 root out the roots of the insurgency . 04:18.330 --> 04:22.190 Um But I think the base of the goodwill 04:22.190 --> 04:25.340 in Iraq is definitely there . What tell 04:25.340 --> 04:27.507 us something that we normally normally 04:27.507 --> 04:29.507 don't get to hear about , something 04:29.507 --> 04:31.729 that you've seen that uh tells you that 04:31.729 --> 04:33.784 there is an improvement over there . 04:35.830 --> 04:38.310 Something that says there's an 04:38.310 --> 04:42.150 improvement um like I said 04:42.150 --> 04:44.800 I I thought it was great to interact 04:44.800 --> 04:47.750 with the locals . I definitely didn't 04:47.750 --> 04:49.806 notice that I went up to the kurdish 04:49.806 --> 04:53.570 region of Iraq and um I don't know how 04:53.570 --> 04:56.110 much of this , I can really say but the 04:56.120 --> 04:59.150 the security up there is great um 04:59.160 --> 05:02.080 the we don't really have to worry about 05:02.080 --> 05:04.910 much as soldiers as far as our well 05:04.910 --> 05:07.132 being up in the northern part of Iraq , 05:07.132 --> 05:09.430 you know that is a local kind of area 05:09.440 --> 05:12.860 and only 11 example , but further 05:12.860 --> 05:16.080 south , it definitely has its 05:16.090 --> 05:18.820 insurgency . But you know the troops 05:18.820 --> 05:21.600 are doing everything they can and and 05:21.600 --> 05:23.080 the I'm sorry 05:24.010 --> 05:27.440 um that's okay , go ahead . 05:29.560 --> 05:31.671 Troops are doing what they can , they 05:31.671 --> 05:33.782 definitely go out and work with a lot 05:33.782 --> 05:36.250 of the locals and uh one thing I was 05:36.250 --> 05:38.472 doing was working with the Iraqi police 05:38.472 --> 05:40.800 doing stories on them and they're 05:40.800 --> 05:42.689 really trying to make a stand for 05:42.689 --> 05:44.744 themselves . Um the insurgents , you 05:44.744 --> 05:47.078 know , they'll they'll attack the I . P . 05:47.078 --> 05:49.300 Stations . But what I see is the Iraqis 05:49.300 --> 05:51.411 really standing up for themselves and 05:51.411 --> 05:53.690 you know , just putting their life on 05:53.690 --> 05:55.857 the line to make a difference . Do you 05:55.857 --> 05:57.857 think eventually the Iraqis will be 05:57.857 --> 06:00.500 able to put together a police force and 06:00.500 --> 06:02.722 a military that can really take care of 06:02.722 --> 06:06.070 themselves . I really do . I think that 06:06.080 --> 06:08.302 I think that we are going to be able to 06:08.302 --> 06:10.247 help train them and I did hear one 06:10.247 --> 06:13.090 person say who who does train the I PS 06:13.090 --> 06:16.080 Iraqi police . Um they said that it 06:16.080 --> 06:18.247 sounded like they started out with the 06:18.247 --> 06:21.160 Iraqi army and over in Iraq and now 06:21.160 --> 06:23.271 they're kind of working more into the 06:23.271 --> 06:24.938 police and they're seeing the 06:24.938 --> 06:27.104 transition with the police about where 06:27.104 --> 06:29.327 it wasn't the same phase with the Iraqi 06:29.327 --> 06:31.271 army and uh and we're just handing 06:31.271 --> 06:33.438 stuff over to him as , as time goes on 06:33.438 --> 06:36.730 and I really do hope to uh to see the 06:36.730 --> 06:40.380 conflicts come to an end soon . Um and 06:40.380 --> 06:43.490 we hopefully leave Iraq with a uh , 06:43.500 --> 06:47.180 with the new ally . Okay man , I see 06:47.180 --> 06:50.550 here you're from Lynwood . Yes , I am . 06:50.550 --> 06:53.830 I really , I am from , when I went to 06:53.830 --> 06:55.719 high school , there have a lot of 06:55.719 --> 06:57.941 friends , my family still lives there . 06:57.941 --> 07:00.300 It's a great place , quite rainy most 07:00.300 --> 07:03.130 of the year , but you'd be right about 07:03.130 --> 07:05.241 that even today . Hey , well you want 07:05.241 --> 07:07.241 to give a shout out to some of your 07:07.241 --> 07:09.352 buddies and your family here ? Yeah , 07:09.352 --> 07:11.463 absolutely . Um I'd like to say hi to 07:11.463 --> 07:13.540 my parents of course . Uh Gary and 07:13.540 --> 07:16.960 Carol . Uh all my grandparents , my 07:16.960 --> 07:20.200 cousins be a lot to name names and 07:20.210 --> 07:23.370 uh so my friends brian says chris 07:23.370 --> 07:26.610 Bernard , I could probably go on , but 07:26.610 --> 07:29.570 that's definitely enough . Hey man , 07:29.580 --> 07:31.747 listen , thanks a lot for talking with 07:31.747 --> 07:34.460 us , uh appreciate your time and listen 07:34.460 --> 07:36.516 Michael , just take care of yourself 07:36.516 --> 07:38.627 and we'll see you back over here when 07:38.627 --> 07:40.849 you get back to , you know , um , we're 07:40.849 --> 07:43.016 supposed to be coming back probably in 07:43.016 --> 07:45.182 about a month or two , so , um , we're 07:45.182 --> 07:47.460 gonna be training our replacements and , 07:47.460 --> 07:50.220 uh , get the heck out of dodge . So 07:50.230 --> 07:52.452 looking , definitely looking forward to 07:52.452 --> 07:54.508 it . All right . Hey , listen , nice 07:54.508 --> 07:56.890 talking to you . Take care , and , uh , 07:56.900 --> 07:59.122 we'll see when you get back . Take care 07:59.122 --> 08:01.289 of . All right . Thank you very much , 08:01.289 --> 08:00.180 sir .