WEBVTT 00:00.040 --> 00:03.350 uh Lieutenant , let me just begin by 00:03.360 --> 00:05.600 saying , we're so glad to see you alive 00:05.600 --> 00:09.100 and well and anxious for all of the one 00:09.100 --> 00:11.440 33rd to come home . You guys have done 00:11.440 --> 00:13.920 a tremendous job while there . Can you 00:13.920 --> 00:16.031 talk a little bit about the work that 00:16.031 --> 00:18.640 you're doing in Iraq and um what the 00:18.640 --> 00:21.910 unit has accomplished , we've been 00:21.910 --> 00:23.910 doing a lot of work up here . I'm a 00:23.910 --> 00:25.910 tune leader of a vertical uh combat 00:25.910 --> 00:27.854 engineer platoon , which basically 00:27.854 --> 00:29.910 means that we build things and we've 00:29.910 --> 00:31.743 built everything from schools to 00:31.743 --> 00:33.960 clinics . We've gone to villages , 00:33.970 --> 00:35.810 we've helped out a lot of small 00:35.810 --> 00:37.643 villages getting electricity and 00:37.643 --> 00:39.866 plumbing . Uh , we've also done work in 00:39.866 --> 00:43.040 Mosul . Um , currently that's where we 00:43.040 --> 00:45.000 are now . Uh , we've done a lot of 00:45.010 --> 00:47.066 things for force protection for both 00:47.066 --> 00:49.530 american and Iraqi soldiers . So we've 00:49.540 --> 00:51.762 we've certainly made our mark up here , 00:51.762 --> 00:53.929 the one 33rd then all over the place . 00:54.470 --> 00:56.930 So it's nice . We're going to leave 00:56.930 --> 00:59.041 here knowing that we've done a lot of 00:59.041 --> 01:01.410 things . Lieutenant . You guys have 01:01.420 --> 01:04.210 lived through an awful experience in 01:04.210 --> 01:06.321 the last few weeks and I can tell you 01:06.321 --> 01:09.050 here in maine people were heartbroken 01:09.080 --> 01:11.710 about what happened with the bombing at 01:11.720 --> 01:14.100 the mess tent . Can you talk a little 01:14.100 --> 01:16.210 bit about that and how the unit is 01:16.220 --> 01:18.220 doing ? And were you in the area at 01:18.220 --> 01:22.070 that time ? I was actually , I was 01:22.070 --> 01:24.810 in the mess tent when the explosion 01:24.810 --> 01:27.790 went off along with a lot of other 01:27.790 --> 01:31.700 soldiers ? It was chaotic , 01:31.710 --> 01:34.580 difficult experience to say the least 01:37.800 --> 01:40.022 thing when I , when I think a lot about 01:40.022 --> 01:42.356 it . The thing that really impressed me , 01:42.356 --> 01:44.467 uh , was the effort that the soldiers 01:44.467 --> 01:46.467 gave afterwards . We can tell right 01:46.467 --> 01:48.689 away those of us that were on the scene 01:48.689 --> 01:50.800 responded and we were trying to treat 01:50.800 --> 01:53.710 people and I was difficult , but it was 01:53.710 --> 01:56.440 only a matter of minutes before we saw 01:56.440 --> 01:58.607 other soldiers arriving from all parts 01:58.607 --> 02:00.718 of the base , heard the explosion and 02:00.718 --> 02:02.940 saw the explosion and were there . They 02:02.940 --> 02:04.996 had medical bags . Uh they were , it 02:04.996 --> 02:07.051 was amazing . And I saw a tremendous 02:07.051 --> 02:09.107 amount of main patches there , which 02:09.107 --> 02:11.910 was nice and really made me proud , a 02:11.920 --> 02:13.976 lot of guys in my opportunity . So I 02:13.976 --> 02:16.920 took some personal pride in that . But 02:16.930 --> 02:19.152 there's no there's no way to get around 02:19.152 --> 02:22.720 how tragic it was . It's a sad time . 02:22.730 --> 02:25.700 So , you know , we felt the same way 02:25.700 --> 02:28.260 back here in Maine . We uh , everybody 02:28.260 --> 02:30.371 here was just glued to the television 02:30.371 --> 02:32.410 sets for 48 hours watching what 02:32.410 --> 02:34.980 happened . And and I know it's more 02:34.980 --> 02:36.980 time and this is what's supposed to 02:36.980 --> 02:39.420 happen . But it was amazing how brave 02:39.430 --> 02:41.486 people were to run right into harm's 02:41.486 --> 02:45.350 way very much , very much . And 02:45.420 --> 02:47.531 you never know what with attacks like 02:47.531 --> 02:49.587 that , what would follow ? There's a 02:49.587 --> 02:52.800 lot of confusion , but in some sense , 02:52.810 --> 02:54.921 you hear a lot of these veterans that 02:54.921 --> 02:57.120 have been in other wars and they say 02:57.130 --> 03:00.550 that your training takes over . And I 03:00.550 --> 03:02.900 think that's true . I think that you 03:02.900 --> 03:06.320 saw 18 and 19 year old kids from maine 03:06.330 --> 03:10.080 uh administering first aid uh and 03:10.090 --> 03:12.423 it's tough to train something like that . 03:12.423 --> 03:14.280 But but it's just it was really 03:14.280 --> 03:16.447 impressive to see how they responded . 03:16.447 --> 03:18.613 I know it was difficult for the people 03:18.613 --> 03:20.750 at home talk to my family . Uh since 03:20.750 --> 03:24.090 then we're able to call home afterwards 03:24.100 --> 03:27.610 and I think we didn't know how much 03:27.620 --> 03:30.090 media new , it's really incredible how 03:30.090 --> 03:32.146 quickly you find out things that are 03:32.146 --> 03:34.510 happening here to us . And it's a 03:34.510 --> 03:36.343 blessing in one sense , but it's 03:36.343 --> 03:38.550 difficult for us because we're off and 03:38.550 --> 03:41.480 left trying to explain the people were 03:41.490 --> 03:43.546 not able to call because we're doing 03:43.546 --> 03:45.657 other things and we know that our our 03:45.657 --> 03:48.440 family homes nervous about that and 03:48.450 --> 03:52.260 that makes it hard . Right ? You're 03:52.440 --> 03:56.260 so right . One final question for you . 03:56.270 --> 03:58.492 We are all here hoping and praying that 03:58.492 --> 04:00.492 you guys will be coming home in the 04:00.492 --> 04:02.659 spring . Are you thinking about that ? 04:02.659 --> 04:04.881 And secondly , can you tell me what you 04:04.881 --> 04:08.530 miss the most about names ? We are 04:08.530 --> 04:12.380 thinking about it very much uh starting 04:12.380 --> 04:14.602 to see light at the end of the tunnel . 04:14.602 --> 04:16.790 Have the same the same thing . We have 04:16.790 --> 04:18.957 a lot of finished work that we're kind 04:18.957 --> 04:21.068 of focusing on right now . We're very 04:21.068 --> 04:23.012 busy as a battalion doing a lot of 04:23.012 --> 04:24.846 missions and I think that's good 04:24.846 --> 04:26.846 because it's helping the time go by 04:26.846 --> 04:29.340 quicker . What I miss most . I missed 04:29.340 --> 04:32.390 my wife paulina back in Portland , my 04:32.390 --> 04:35.070 daughter , anna who was born less than 04:35.080 --> 04:37.770 six weeks ago . It was able to get home 04:37.770 --> 04:40.360 on leave for a couple of days right 04:40.360 --> 04:43.120 after she was born . I miss my family . 04:43.500 --> 04:45.810 My father Roland's and Sanford and 04:46.020 --> 04:48.430 mother kitty in Cumberland . And I have 04:48.780 --> 04:50.724 I have a lot of family in Southern 04:50.724 --> 04:53.002 Maine and I just I just miss my family . 04:53.002 --> 04:55.002 So it would be nice to get home for 04:55.002 --> 04:57.113 that long trip . Well as I told peter 04:57.113 --> 04:59.224 Morrison we will be there with the tv 04:59.224 --> 05:01.224 cameras when you guys come home and 05:01.224 --> 05:01.010 we'll be hearing right along with the 05:01.010 --> 05:03.620 rest of them . We can't wait face and 05:03.620 --> 05:06.720 lobster . We . Well that's not us 05:06.910 --> 05:08.840 lieutenant . Thank you . Yeah .