WEBVTT 00:00.140 --> 00:02.307 and welcome to our feature interview , 00:02.307 --> 00:05.030 join us today from Baghdad . Iraq is 00:05.030 --> 00:07.197 Lieutenant Colonel Wayne skill . Thank 00:07.197 --> 00:09.419 you very much , sir for joining us this 00:09.419 --> 00:11.860 afternoon it will be with you . Mhm . 00:12.340 --> 00:14.507 So tell us I want to get right through 00:14.507 --> 00:16.507 now . You are from the Salem area . 00:17.040 --> 00:19.420 That's correct . And is this your first 00:19.430 --> 00:21.652 tour of duty in Iraq or your seconds or 00:22.440 --> 00:24.700 No ? This is uh this is my second time 00:24.700 --> 00:28.620 over here . Tell us what I 00:28.620 --> 00:30.787 want to get right into it . How is the 00:30.787 --> 00:32.676 morale ? And how do you think the 00:32.676 --> 00:35.100 mission is going there in Iraq ? Okay , 00:35.100 --> 00:38.660 I'll dress and ralph first . Uh I said 00:38.660 --> 00:41.330 morale is pretty high right now . Uh 00:41.340 --> 00:44.810 given uh pretty new getting back on the 00:44.810 --> 00:47.710 ground , but guys are pretty eager to 00:47.720 --> 00:49.810 do their mission and from what I've 00:49.810 --> 00:52.170 seen , uh you know , guys pretty 00:52.170 --> 00:54.680 mission focused and uh they're doing 00:54.680 --> 00:56.700 what they've been training to do . 00:58.740 --> 01:00.851 So tell us about the mission . Do you 01:00.851 --> 01:02.796 think that , you know , out on the 01:02.796 --> 01:04.907 street , you're out on the street and 01:04.907 --> 01:07.129 you're you know , you're with the Iraqi 01:07.129 --> 01:09.407 people ? How is how are they accepting ? 01:09.407 --> 01:09.190 You know , the american soldiers being 01:09.190 --> 01:10.350 there in Iraq , 01:13.040 --> 01:16.350 I think in a liar is they're very 01:16.350 --> 01:19.420 accepting . Uh you know , all things , 01:19.430 --> 01:21.597 all things are functional where you're 01:21.597 --> 01:23.430 at who you're dealing with . But 01:23.430 --> 01:25.990 certainly the Iraqi security forces and 01:25.990 --> 01:28.157 a lot of the people we we deal with on 01:28.157 --> 01:31.410 a regular basis are very supportive of 01:31.410 --> 01:34.150 the mission here . Uh I think everybody 01:34.150 --> 01:35.960 is interested in security , 01:35.960 --> 01:38.182 particularly within the city of Baghdad 01:38.182 --> 01:40.030 and everybody understands this 01:40.030 --> 01:42.950 cooperative effort to make that happen . 01:44.240 --> 01:46.240 Can you tell us that quickly , just 01:46.240 --> 01:48.351 what a day for you looks like they're 01:48.351 --> 01:51.760 in Iraq a day for me . 01:51.770 --> 01:55.040 Okay . Um , I'm the division engineer 01:55.050 --> 01:58.310 and uh my day starts 01:58.320 --> 02:01.500 uh generally with uh with morning 02:01.500 --> 02:04.660 update with the commanding general and 02:04.660 --> 02:07.570 his staff and uh , then depending on 02:07.570 --> 02:09.792 the day of the week and with the battle 02:09.792 --> 02:13.050 rhythm is , is going on , uh either 02:13.050 --> 02:16.840 meetings or coordination sessions with 02:16.850 --> 02:20.510 my staff or with the core staff . 02:20.520 --> 02:23.960 Uh , And then another update brief in 02:23.960 --> 02:26.670 the evening and then uh more planning 02:26.680 --> 02:29.890 uh , into the night , usually about uh , 02:29.900 --> 02:33.660 about a 16-17 hour day . So I wanted to 02:33.660 --> 02:35.438 ask you , you know , we're in a 02:35.438 --> 02:37.750 presidential election year and we have 02:37.750 --> 02:39.972 a new president that could be coming on 02:39.972 --> 02:42.028 board here very shortly . What would 02:42.028 --> 02:44.600 you say to the new president as far as 02:44.610 --> 02:46.777 the mission there in Iraq . Who we are 02:46.777 --> 02:49.054 we going to stay or should we pull out ? 02:49.054 --> 02:51.390 Or what should we do ? Uh , scott . 02:51.390 --> 02:53.570 That's that's not really a question 02:53.570 --> 02:56.670 that I can address . Uh , you know , 02:56.680 --> 02:58.624 your president is the commander in 02:58.624 --> 03:00.791 chief . And uh , we're in the army and 03:00.791 --> 03:03.250 we follow the chiefs guidance . 03:05.340 --> 03:07.340 So I'll hear , you know , we're out 03:07.340 --> 03:09.562 here in Oregon and , you know , we want 03:09.562 --> 03:11.729 to support you , what would you say to 03:11.729 --> 03:13.507 the residents of the Oregon and 03:13.507 --> 03:16.300 northern California as far as uh 03:16.310 --> 03:18.532 supporting the troops there in Iraq and 03:18.532 --> 03:22.410 also Afghanistan , I I think uh you 03:22.410 --> 03:25.030 know , we we get a lot of support uh 03:25.040 --> 03:27.540 from hometowns uh from across the 03:27.540 --> 03:31.180 country . And that support is very well 03:31.180 --> 03:33.458 received by the troops there over here . 03:33.458 --> 03:35.870 A lot of packages came in at christmas 03:35.870 --> 03:37.960 and there's some stuff coming in now 03:37.970 --> 03:40.790 with valentine's day and that helps out 03:40.790 --> 03:44.030 a lot . Uh guys really appreciate that . 03:44.040 --> 03:47.590 And so I think we see a lot of 03:47.600 --> 03:51.370 support coming uh from the States very 03:51.370 --> 03:53.592 good . How the , the infrastructure , I 03:53.592 --> 03:55.648 know that back here , stateside , we 03:55.648 --> 03:57.870 hear sometimes that there's some issues 03:57.870 --> 03:59.926 as far as like electricity and water 03:59.926 --> 04:02.203 supply there , specifically in Baghdad . 04:02.203 --> 04:04.259 Are those issues being worked on and 04:04.259 --> 04:06.810 taken care of ? Uh they are through a 04:06.820 --> 04:10.200 combination of , of efforts uh to the 04:10.200 --> 04:13.110 Iraqi government uh through efforts 04:13.110 --> 04:16.560 that have been ongoing uh since uh 04:16.570 --> 04:19.980 since shortly after uh the end of the 04:19.990 --> 04:23.220 end of the invasion stage and 04:23.230 --> 04:25.630 restructuring the country , rebuilding 04:25.630 --> 04:29.500 a country is a , is a many year process . 04:29.510 --> 04:31.680 Uh If you take a look back at the 04:31.680 --> 04:33.740 reconstruction of europe after World 04:33.740 --> 04:36.030 War Two . Uh to some extent , that's 04:36.030 --> 04:39.110 still going on today . So it's not a , 04:39.120 --> 04:41.009 not a quick process . It's not an 04:41.009 --> 04:43.270 instant process . It's one that will 04:43.280 --> 04:47.260 take some time . Has it been there 04:47.260 --> 04:49.482 most difficult mission with your career 04:49.482 --> 04:51.538 in the army . Has this been the most 04:51.538 --> 04:55.450 difficult mission ? I would say that 04:55.450 --> 04:57.672 they've all been uh different , they've 04:57.672 --> 05:00.710 all had different challenges . Uh , 05:00.720 --> 05:03.320 certainly this one has , has had , has 05:03.320 --> 05:05.660 come with a lot of them , arguably it 05:05.660 --> 05:07.771 has been the toughest mission , but , 05:07.771 --> 05:09.938 uh , there have been some other places 05:09.938 --> 05:12.049 and some other times that , uh , they 05:12.049 --> 05:14.450 presented their own unique issues . 05:14.540 --> 05:17.260 Each one is different . We learn a 05:17.260 --> 05:19.427 little bit from each one . Each one of 05:19.427 --> 05:22.510 these deployments would go over . What 05:22.510 --> 05:24.566 is your opportunity , sir ? You have 05:24.566 --> 05:26.677 55,000 square miles . 12 counties are 05:26.677 --> 05:28.899 listening to you right now . What would 05:28.899 --> 05:30.843 you like to say to the viewers out 05:30.843 --> 05:33.510 there from Baghdad Iraq ? Uh , I'd like 05:33.510 --> 05:35.510 to say thanks for the support . And 05:35.510 --> 05:37.750 we've been getting , uh , a couple of 05:37.750 --> 05:39.972 other things I'd like to say . I'd like 05:39.972 --> 05:41.972 to , uh , wish chuck Kerney and the 05:41.972 --> 05:44.306 coach of the Oregon wrestling team , uh , 05:44.306 --> 05:46.472 best of luck in his final season . And 05:46.472 --> 05:48.694 I'd like to say a lot of my parents and 05:48.694 --> 05:50.750 sale other than that , we appreciate 05:50.750 --> 05:52.861 the support . We get home . Thank you 05:52.861 --> 05:54.917 very much . Lieutenant Colonel Wayne 05:54.917 --> 05:57.028 skill from Baghdad Iraq and thank you 05:57.028 --> 05:59.194 very much sir , for your service . And 05:59.194 --> 06:01.361 please pass that word onto your fellow 06:01.361 --> 06:03.194 soldiers . We do appreciate your 06:03.194 --> 06:04.040 service . Thank you sir . Yeah .