WEBVTT 00:00.240 --> 00:02.351 All right . Sounds like we're good to 00:02.351 --> 00:04.573 go . There's gonna be a little bit of a 00:04.573 --> 00:06.684 delay between you and I . So I'll ask 00:06.684 --> 00:06.090 you a question and if you'll just 00:06.090 --> 00:08.257 answer , but we are so glad to talk to 00:08.257 --> 00:10.370 you from Columbia , south Carolina . 00:10.370 --> 00:12.590 Where w I F I'm Hannah , nelson horn 00:12.590 --> 00:14.701 and it is so good to see you . I know 00:14.701 --> 00:16.868 the folks in some car gonna be glad to 00:16.868 --> 00:19.090 see you as well . Tell me about the job 00:19.090 --> 00:21.368 that you're doing there in Iraq . Well , 00:21.368 --> 00:23.423 there's 40 of us over here came from 00:23.423 --> 00:25.534 something uh , half of us are working 00:25.534 --> 00:27.590 with the Iraqi security forces . And 00:27.590 --> 00:29.757 the other half of us are uh backing up 00:29.757 --> 00:31.590 the counter fire sale , which is 00:31.590 --> 00:33.757 basically doing counter fire emissions 00:33.757 --> 00:36.210 and stuff of that nature . Be more 00:36.210 --> 00:38.860 specific as to as to the the actual 00:38.870 --> 00:41.092 action that you're in the course of the 00:41.092 --> 00:43.148 day Or are you actually on the front 00:43.148 --> 00:46.300 lines ? You see combat actions ? No , 00:46.300 --> 00:49.070 ma'am , thank goodness . Um , basically 00:49.070 --> 00:52.060 what we do is a lot of computer work 00:52.060 --> 00:54.710 really . We uh , we take acquisitions 00:54.710 --> 00:56.821 from around the country and we try to 00:56.821 --> 00:59.043 put accurate counter fire back on those 00:59.043 --> 01:02.400 point of origins . All right , tell me 01:02.400 --> 01:04.678 about counter fire . What what is that ? 01:04.678 --> 01:06.900 Help me understand what what it is that 01:06.900 --> 01:09.110 you're specifically doing ? Well , to 01:09.110 --> 01:11.277 make it simple , we get a mortar round 01:11.277 --> 01:13.630 shot at us and we shoot uh , shoot 01:13.630 --> 01:17.300 around back . Well , there you 01:17.300 --> 01:20.300 go . That loyal that down for me . Well , 01:20.300 --> 01:22.356 tell me about that . The other , the 01:22.356 --> 01:24.689 other folks who are wicked from Sumpter , 01:24.689 --> 01:27.260 are you in a specific regimen ? Yes , 01:27.260 --> 01:29.204 ma'am , we're actually helping the 01:29.204 --> 01:31.538 serving with the first cavalry division , 01:31.538 --> 01:33.704 um , the other guys that are here to s 01:33.704 --> 01:36.560 f with the Iraqi security forces , 01:36.640 --> 01:38.696 basically helping them get , helping 01:38.696 --> 01:40.918 them get their feet on the ground , you 01:40.918 --> 01:42.862 know , and teaching them personnel 01:42.862 --> 01:46.210 issues and things of that nature . How 01:46.210 --> 01:49.400 long have you been in Iraq ? Yeah . Uh , 01:49.410 --> 01:51.930 we got here on october the 21st . So 01:51.940 --> 01:54.273 what , five months and right at 10 days , 01:54.273 --> 01:57.750 nobody's counting the 01:58.140 --> 02:00.630 nobody's counting . How , how long will 02:00.630 --> 02:02.741 you be there ? And is this your first 02:02.741 --> 02:05.540 deployment ? Uh , this is my first 02:05.540 --> 02:07.540 deployment . And if everything goes 02:07.540 --> 02:09.707 smoothly , hopefully right at a year , 02:09.707 --> 02:11.660 give her tape maybe a month . 02:12.340 --> 02:16.080 And are you actually enlisted army 02:16.080 --> 02:18.660 or you part of the Army National Guard 02:18.660 --> 02:21.500 here in South Carolina . I'm actually a 02:21.500 --> 02:23.222 South Carolina Army . National 02:23.222 --> 02:25.278 guardsmen from some other out of the 02:25.278 --> 02:27.840 151 field artillery Biggie . Yeah . 02:28.440 --> 02:31.230 There , there has been a lot of stories 02:31.230 --> 02:33.341 in the media recently about increased 02:33.341 --> 02:36.240 violence in Iraq and many people in the 02:36.240 --> 02:38.296 media are calling this a civil war . 02:38.296 --> 02:40.518 From your perspective there , would you 02:40.518 --> 02:42.720 consider things improving or the 02:42.730 --> 02:45.690 situation getting worse in Iraq ? 02:46.110 --> 02:47.943 Well , I definitely don't see it 02:47.943 --> 02:50.280 getting worse . Uh , in my opinion , I 02:50.280 --> 02:52.610 would have to say it's improving . But 02:52.610 --> 02:54.666 to what extent , you know , the only 02:54.666 --> 02:58.000 time I felt that , oh my God , There is 02:58.000 --> 03:00.610 also a story in the media about the 03:00.620 --> 03:02.898 funding for continuing the war in Iraq . 03:02.898 --> 03:04.898 That there's a stipulation in there 03:04.898 --> 03:06.676 that , that the president maybe 03:06.676 --> 03:08.731 required to bring the troops home by 03:08.731 --> 03:10.842 March of 2008 . Do you think that the 03:10.842 --> 03:12.953 job in Iraq could be done by March of 03:12.953 --> 03:15.920 2008 ? Well , you know , uh , I guess 03:15.920 --> 03:18.590 that's well above my pay grade , but uh , 03:18.600 --> 03:20.822 you know , I have all confidence in the 03:20.822 --> 03:22.767 President of United States and I'm 03:22.767 --> 03:24.767 proud to serve for him . So I'll do 03:24.767 --> 03:26.878 what he needs . What do you miss most 03:26.878 --> 03:30.410 about home ? You have to save my wife 03:30.410 --> 03:31.966 and Children . Definitely . 03:33.980 --> 03:36.036 Do you have a message that you would 03:36.036 --> 03:39.820 like to send them today ? Yeah . I just 03:39.820 --> 03:41.987 like to tell them that I love them and 03:41.987 --> 03:44.490 I think about him every day and uh , 03:44.500 --> 03:46.722 hopefully it won't be too long and I'll 03:46.722 --> 03:49.530 get to see him . Yeah . Anything 03:49.530 --> 03:51.474 specific that you miss about south 03:51.474 --> 03:53.641 Carolina , Any gamecocks , football or 03:53.641 --> 03:56.470 barbecue ? Well , I'm more of a clinton 03:56.470 --> 03:58.637 fan , but uh , not to , you know , get 03:58.637 --> 04:01.380 anybody down , but uh , yeah , there's 04:01.390 --> 04:03.223 tons of stuff I miss about south 04:03.223 --> 04:05.530 Carolina , weather , people , friends , 04:05.530 --> 04:07.790 family . I mean , I could go on and on 04:07.790 --> 04:09.790 all day long about the stuff that I 04:09.790 --> 04:11.846 missed , but uh , I know it won't be 04:11.846 --> 04:13.957 long and I will get to see it again . 04:13.957 --> 04:16.930 Uh , we'll be sure until all of your , 04:16.930 --> 04:19.041 your fellow soldiers there that we're 04:19.041 --> 04:21.263 thinking about and praying for you guys 04:21.263 --> 04:23.486 back here in south Carolina . And we do 04:23.486 --> 04:25.541 wish you godspeed home . Thank you , 04:25.541 --> 04:27.708 ma'am . We appreciate it . Yes , sir . 04:27.708 --> 04:28.640 Thank you .