WEBVTT 00:00.040 --> 00:02.950 Okay , great . Alright . Private . 00:03.440 --> 00:06.130 Let's let's start with our things going 00:06.130 --> 00:08.241 over there for you personally today ? 00:08.241 --> 00:12.090 Yeah well I'm a couple of months in 00:12.090 --> 00:14.300 over here deployed in uh Camp Liberty 00:14.310 --> 00:16.199 so far . Things are going great , 00:16.199 --> 00:19.390 they're going smoothly . Um They supply 00:19.390 --> 00:21.723 everything we need over here with the M . 00:21.723 --> 00:24.220 W . R . It's uh like a rec center , 00:24.230 --> 00:26.230 they have everything there for us , 00:26.230 --> 00:30.130 pool tables and uh TVs so it's 00:30.140 --> 00:32.362 pretty good , we gotta catch super bowl 00:32.362 --> 00:34.529 pretty happy the new york giants won . 00:35.040 --> 00:37.660 And uh surprisingly they got a lot of 00:37.660 --> 00:39.827 little restaurants here like they have 00:39.827 --> 00:42.350 a taco bell and burger king so have a 00:42.350 --> 00:45.450 nice that's pretty cool . Why don't you 00:45.450 --> 00:47.600 uh just to kind of get people up to 00:47.600 --> 00:50.040 where you are ? I don't know if you can 00:50.040 --> 00:52.450 tell us exactly where you are but I'd 00:52.450 --> 00:54.561 like to know where you are in general 00:54.561 --> 00:56.561 and just kind of give us an idea of 00:56.561 --> 00:59.380 what your day is like . Oh well uh Camp 00:59.380 --> 01:02.660 Liberty is close to Baghdad in Iraq 01:03.140 --> 01:06.950 and uh a normal day for me would be a 01:08.340 --> 01:12.180 My 12 hour shift at night , get 01:12.180 --> 01:15.610 off sleep a few hours , go to the gym 01:15.610 --> 01:19.410 and uh just go sightseeing . There's a 01:19.420 --> 01:21.980 pretty interesting out here since all 01:21.980 --> 01:24.147 this was under the control of Saddam . 01:24.540 --> 01:26.596 They have a lot of big houses around 01:26.596 --> 01:28.818 here . Mansions and I like to just take 01:28.818 --> 01:31.040 a walk around here and just take a look 01:31.040 --> 01:33.670 at everything . Yeah it's safe enough 01:33.680 --> 01:35.791 for you to just walk around like that 01:35.791 --> 01:38.150 mm around this area . Yes it is , it's 01:38.150 --> 01:41.520 a it's a green zone , it's uh quite 01:41.520 --> 01:43.687 peaceful , you might hear a few mortar 01:43.687 --> 01:45.853 rounds , but uh it's not like it's too 01:45.853 --> 01:48.520 close . Well , that's very interesting 01:48.530 --> 01:50.474 to me . And because all we hear is 01:50.474 --> 01:52.697 everything is a disaster over there and 01:52.697 --> 01:54.697 you're on the ground there , you're 01:54.697 --> 01:56.752 telling me it's not quite that way . 01:56.752 --> 01:59.030 Yeah . Well it's just around this area , 01:59.030 --> 02:01.060 it's it's very safe but all right 02:01.060 --> 02:03.610 places , I can't say the same . Okay , 02:03.620 --> 02:07.170 uh private , How old are you ? I am 21 02:07.170 --> 02:09.420 years old . This is this is your first 02:09.430 --> 02:11.430 real adventure in life and you find 02:11.430 --> 02:15.040 yourself in Baghdad . Yes , it is . 02:15.050 --> 02:16.994 Well there you go . All right , so 02:16.994 --> 02:18.994 we're talking today about Operation 02:18.994 --> 02:21.217 Thank you . Which is an opportunity for 02:21.217 --> 02:23.383 people to support this group . Tell me 02:23.383 --> 02:27.190 a little bit about that . Mm . So 02:27.330 --> 02:30.610 again , we're talking today about 02:30.620 --> 02:32.676 operations . Thank you . Which is an 02:32.676 --> 02:34.787 opportunity for folks here to support 02:34.787 --> 02:36.842 the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan . 02:36.842 --> 02:38.898 Why don't we talk a little bit about 02:38.898 --> 02:40.898 what operation Thank you is and how 02:40.898 --> 02:43.630 they can get involved . Um operational , 02:43.630 --> 02:45.574 Thank you . I haven't really heard 02:45.574 --> 02:47.686 about it , but it sounds like a great 02:47.686 --> 02:49.797 idea . Um all the troops out here can 02:49.797 --> 02:52.019 really use uh everyone else's support . 02:52.019 --> 02:54.297 Um It really motivates everyone . Okay . 02:54.297 --> 02:56.463 Um let me let me let me ask you this , 02:56.463 --> 02:58.500 what uh what do you miss about home 02:58.500 --> 03:01.020 right now ? I know you miss your family 03:01.020 --> 03:02.964 and I know you miss your friends . 03:02.964 --> 03:04.964 Although it's just a little stuff . 03:04.964 --> 03:07.076 What do you kind of missed ? Mhm . Oh 03:07.076 --> 03:08.909 well uh other than my family and 03:08.909 --> 03:11.530 friends , I really can't say much . Uh 03:11.540 --> 03:13.762 The military over here they supply with 03:13.762 --> 03:15.984 us with everything we really need . And 03:15.984 --> 03:18.640 I wouldn't miss uh from home . Yeah 03:20.540 --> 03:22.707 they have all kinds of video games for 03:22.707 --> 03:24.762 us that we can buy at the P . X . Uh 03:25.240 --> 03:27.880 Yeah places to go . Like the N . W . R . 03:27.890 --> 03:31.100 Um Really ? Uh They're trying to make 03:31.100 --> 03:34.970 it uh trying to make it over here uh 03:34.980 --> 03:37.036 toward the where the stress level is 03:37.036 --> 03:40.450 very slow are very low and uh not too 03:40.450 --> 03:43.950 bad but uh how's the 03:43.960 --> 03:47.440 food ? Oh wow . The child whole it's 03:47.450 --> 03:50.670 it's great um Got everything we need , 03:50.670 --> 03:52.670 everything we want to uh everything 03:52.670 --> 03:54.660 from pop non alcoholic beer . 03:56.640 --> 03:58.990 Mm . Well that that sounds a little bit 03:59.000 --> 04:01.111 disappointing . You'd rather have the 04:01.111 --> 04:04.340 real one . Right ? Oh of course . But I 04:04.350 --> 04:06.690 can wait . That's the last thing we 04:06.690 --> 04:10.530 need is uh Inebriated private over here 04:10.540 --> 04:13.460 on the mission . Hey tell me about one 04:13.460 --> 04:15.516 of these missions that you do . What 04:15.516 --> 04:17.627 exactly do you do on these missions ? 04:17.840 --> 04:20.370 Uh Well uh my job is in communications 04:20.370 --> 04:23.090 and uh it's my job to maintain all the 04:23.090 --> 04:25.340 lines and uh make sure everything is 04:25.340 --> 04:28.160 transmitting . Well you actually go out 04:28.160 --> 04:30.104 in the field and you're carrying a 04:30.104 --> 04:32.640 radio or uh had a phone system then . 04:32.640 --> 04:34.751 Is it maintain communications between 04:34.751 --> 04:36.807 the group that's actually out in the 04:36.807 --> 04:39.830 field and the basis . Well my job is 04:39.830 --> 04:41.830 more stationary . I stay within the 04:41.830 --> 04:45.180 base and uh on my part I just make sure 04:45.180 --> 04:48.250 everything runs well and uh Mhm . Okay , 04:48.260 --> 04:50.482 I'm trying to picture this in my head . 04:50.482 --> 04:52.920 You gotta , you do a 12 hour shift 04:52.930 --> 04:55.041 basically in the communications shack 04:55.540 --> 04:57.596 to keep things going , communication 04:57.596 --> 05:00.290 line , that's pretty much it right 05:00.290 --> 05:03.580 there . That makes sense . Uh private . 05:03.580 --> 05:05.747 How how are the people that you've had 05:05.747 --> 05:07.747 over there ? Are they friendly ? Do 05:07.747 --> 05:09.969 they like us ? There ? Are is it as bad 05:09.969 --> 05:12.350 as we keep hearing ? It is ? Ah well 05:12.360 --> 05:14.920 all the nationals , they same , they 05:14.920 --> 05:17.270 seem friendly , they don't mind as much 05:17.270 --> 05:19.270 of all the ones that I met a really 05:19.270 --> 05:23.200 nice mm I can't really say any more 05:23.200 --> 05:25.311 than that , I haven't met so many but 05:25.311 --> 05:27.533 all the ones I met a really nice simple 05:27.533 --> 05:30.120 like oh probably a year , how long ago 05:30.120 --> 05:33.590 did you join the army ? It's going to 05:33.590 --> 05:35.820 be two years in july , well a couple of 05:35.820 --> 05:37.810 years ago you're here in Modesto 05:37.810 --> 05:39.866 California , you join the army ? Did 05:39.866 --> 05:41.977 you ever think that you would wind up 05:41.977 --> 05:45.170 on the ground in Iraq ? Yeah , always I 05:45.170 --> 05:48.260 was inevitable , it's always felt that 05:48.260 --> 05:50.610 is something that every able person 05:50.610 --> 05:52.554 should go through , you know serve 05:52.554 --> 05:55.760 their country , get back and uh 05:56.440 --> 05:58.440 this I'm pretty sure we're gonna be 05:58.440 --> 06:01.310 here for a while and I was I was 06:01.310 --> 06:03.421 inevitable and I'm really happy to be 06:03.421 --> 06:06.110 here and do my part . That's pretty 06:06.110 --> 06:08.166 cool . But you knew the day you sign 06:08.166 --> 06:10.388 the papers , it was inevitable that you 06:10.388 --> 06:12.554 would end up there . That's amazing to 06:12.554 --> 06:15.330 me how many you probably is as growing 06:15.330 --> 06:17.219 up here in Modesto . You probably 06:17.219 --> 06:19.274 didn't know a whole lot about Iraq . 06:19.274 --> 06:21.274 What what's the best part of Iraq ? 06:21.274 --> 06:23.441 What have you learned about the places 06:23.441 --> 06:26.210 because you just really like . Mhm wow . 06:26.220 --> 06:30.030 Um Kind of a tough question . 06:30.030 --> 06:33.420 Well it's a nice country from the 06:33.430 --> 06:35.374 people that I've met , Everybody's 06:35.374 --> 06:38.140 really polite so a little torn from war . 06:38.140 --> 06:41.280 But yeah I think it can get better in 06:41.280 --> 06:45.230 the and just build and grow 06:45.230 --> 06:49.080 and prosper and I'm people are great uh 06:49.090 --> 06:51.201 surprising . There is a lot to see if 06:51.201 --> 06:53.312 you go to the city , there's a lot of 06:53.312 --> 06:55.423 nice buildings and uh it's not as bad 06:55.423 --> 06:57.820 as people might think if uh they just 06:57.820 --> 07:00.860 give a chance . Is it a place that uh 07:00.870 --> 07:02.870 let's say 10-15 years down the line 07:02.870 --> 07:05.037 after retired for your military career 07:05.037 --> 07:07.148 and everything is peaceful and calm . 07:07.148 --> 07:09.314 Is it a place you'd like to go back to 07:09.314 --> 07:11.203 visit for vacation ? Mhm . Yeah . 07:11.203 --> 07:13.481 Actually I wouldn't mind all that much . 07:13.481 --> 07:15.703 Uh I would love to come back after some 07:15.703 --> 07:19.070 time and visit . Pretty impressive 07:19.080 --> 07:21.470 private . Don't you take an opportunity 07:21.470 --> 07:23.526 here to say hello to some family and 07:23.526 --> 07:25.859 friends back here in Modesto California . 07:25.859 --> 07:27.970 Oh sounds great I'd like to say hi to 07:27.970 --> 07:30.137 my mom victoria uh my sister nancy and 07:30.137 --> 07:33.670 uh the rest of my large family ? Hello . 07:33.670 --> 07:36.080 And uh I'm well and I hope everybody is 07:36.080 --> 07:38.380 taking care and I'll see you soon . You 07:38.380 --> 07:40.980 went to uh grew up here in a little bit 07:40.980 --> 07:43.036 about you . For starters you grew up 07:43.036 --> 07:45.050 here in Modesto California . That's 07:45.050 --> 07:47.217 right . And if you're all your life or 07:47.217 --> 07:49.750 you just you're kind of moving in and 07:49.750 --> 07:52.660 around California's Central valley uh 07:52.670 --> 07:55.280 Mostly in the Modesto area . Uh Series 07:55.290 --> 07:57.179 spent a few years out in Mexico . 07:57.179 --> 07:59.457 That's pretty interesting . I liked it . 07:59.457 --> 08:01.123 I guess that's where I got my 08:01.123 --> 08:03.346 adventurous spirit was from traveling a 08:03.346 --> 08:05.680 lot . I could pour from Mexico and kind 08:05.680 --> 08:07.847 of kept with me and I always wanted to 08:07.847 --> 08:09.680 go out and do something great . 08:10.840 --> 08:13.490 What motivated you to join the army 08:13.500 --> 08:15.611 knowing that you were going to end up 08:15.611 --> 08:17.333 in Iraq . As you said , it was 08:17.333 --> 08:17.250 inevitable . What motivated you to do 08:17.250 --> 08:20.840 that ? Yeah . Well really 08:20.840 --> 08:23.640 it's my belief that every young man 08:23.640 --> 08:25.807 should um serving to just give back to 08:25.807 --> 08:28.550 the country . It's uh I guess I 08:29.640 --> 08:31.930 just being a patriot . Really it was my 08:31.930 --> 08:34.950 motive . Yeah . Mhm . 08:36.540 --> 08:38.900 Okay so you graduated high school , 08:39.060 --> 08:41.960 what did you do ? Probably graduate 08:41.960 --> 08:44.250 what 18 , 19 million for two years ? 08:44.260 --> 08:46.482 You went straight from high school into 08:46.482 --> 08:48.649 the into the army , didn't you ? Oh no 08:48.649 --> 08:52.160 wait a few years , had many jobs . 08:52.170 --> 08:55.790 Uh And uh two years from graduating 08:55.790 --> 08:57.901 high school . I joined the military . 08:58.540 --> 09:00.596 Where'd you go ? Where'd you go to ? 09:00.596 --> 09:03.490 basic ? Oh poor Benning Georgia in my 09:03.490 --> 09:06.170 home in Atlanta , That's where I'm from 09:06.770 --> 09:08.980 Atlanta . Yeah you're interested . I 09:08.980 --> 09:11.202 love to visit . I hear there's a lot of 09:11.202 --> 09:13.536 subject out there , casinos and whatnot . 09:13.536 --> 09:15.647 It's pretty good . Alright let's talk 09:15.647 --> 09:17.869 about Iraq . Uh You said you've been in 09:17.869 --> 09:20.091 Iraq now I think you said four months , 09:20.091 --> 09:22.540 I think you said um going on three , 09:22.550 --> 09:24.717 going on three months you're there for 09:24.717 --> 09:28.670 how long Estimated time 09:28.670 --> 09:32.490 is ? About 15 months ? You figured out 09:32.500 --> 09:34.389 you figured out of getting into a 09:34.389 --> 09:38.290 little bit ? What's that ? Are you 09:38.290 --> 09:40.401 already figuring that that's going to 09:40.401 --> 09:42.679 get extended just a little bit ? No no . 09:42.679 --> 09:45.320 15 months is uh what we heard was a max , 09:45.320 --> 09:47.542 if anything we've heard it was going to 09:47.542 --> 09:49.764 be reduced but that's about it . Yeah , 09:51.040 --> 09:53.160 interesting . Okay you've got about a 09:53.160 --> 09:55.271 year left over there and that you get 09:55.271 --> 09:57.493 to come home at all during that time or 09:57.493 --> 09:59.660 are you just there for that whole that 09:59.660 --> 10:01.827 whole tour ? No . Yes we're allowed to 10:01.827 --> 10:04.049 go home for 18 days uh for out here for 10:04.049 --> 10:07.360 15 months . It's uh I'm waiting for it 10:07.370 --> 10:10.140 anxiously . When did they let you do 10:10.140 --> 10:13.540 that ? Mhm . Yeah . 10:14.240 --> 10:16.660 Uh Well I'm scheduled in May um it's 10:16.660 --> 10:18.820 coming up very soon . Uh Sure that I 10:18.820 --> 10:22.290 really would have imagined but any time 10:22.290 --> 10:24.290 I can get off and go home more than 10:24.290 --> 10:26.560 happy here go whenever they needed to . 10:27.640 --> 10:29.751 I remember that feeling very well now 10:29.751 --> 10:31.918 you know when you get home you give me 10:31.918 --> 10:34.084 a call over here and we'll have you on 10:34.084 --> 10:36.196 the air to . That sounds right . That 10:36.196 --> 10:38.418 will be a lot of fun . I want to talk a 10:38.418 --> 10:40.640 little bit about your M . W . R . Which 10:40.640 --> 10:42.584 stands for more morale welfare and 10:42.584 --> 10:42.360 recreation center that you have here . 10:42.360 --> 10:45.290 You said you've got a Taco Bell and 10:45.300 --> 10:47.300 some kind of pizza place there . Is 10:47.300 --> 10:50.050 that right ? That's right . I was quite 10:50.050 --> 10:52.272 surprised myself to find that we have a 10:52.272 --> 10:54.272 lot of comforts from home uh in the 10:54.272 --> 10:58.190 area . Um It's growing and uh I 10:58.200 --> 11:00.367 think a lot about the soldier nowadays 11:00.367 --> 11:02.970 it's a very nice . How are these things 11:02.970 --> 11:05.192 that are on the base basically or these 11:05.192 --> 11:07.303 things that are actually available to 11:07.303 --> 11:09.248 the local Iraqi populist as well ? 11:11.740 --> 11:15.300 I'm pretty sure they are . Um lot of 11:15.300 --> 11:17.133 national workers . I do see them 11:17.133 --> 11:19.740 hanging around uh all the shop pets and 11:19.750 --> 11:22.410 uh the burger king and uh I'm sure 11:22.410 --> 11:25.140 they're allowed to wow . Of course 11:25.140 --> 11:27.920 everyone's gonna eat . So we've 11:27.920 --> 11:30.198 introduced taco Bell to the world then . 11:30.198 --> 11:33.830 Huh ? Uh supposed to uh That's really 11:33.830 --> 11:36.300 cool . Um All right . How many how many 11:36.300 --> 11:38.250 guys ? How many how many american 11:38.250 --> 11:40.528 soldiers are on camp Liberty right now ? 11:40.740 --> 11:44.620 Mhm . Yeah . Um Really ? I can't 11:44.620 --> 11:47.290 really say there are plenty of us . So . 11:47.300 --> 11:50.330 Okay . Any others from your Modesto ? I 11:50.330 --> 11:52.163 mean you have Modesto friends or 11:52.163 --> 11:54.386 California friends that you hang around 11:54.386 --> 11:56.710 with as of it . I have not found any 11:56.710 --> 11:59.580 but uh I do here have a mutual friend 11:59.580 --> 12:01.524 out here . Uh I know somebody that 12:01.524 --> 12:03.660 knows somebody that's out here way 12:03.670 --> 12:05.892 that's the way it works sometimes . But 12:05.892 --> 12:08.114 then you end up making a lot of friends 12:08.114 --> 12:07.580 from the rest of the down the rest of 12:07.580 --> 12:09.747 the country and you expand your circle 12:09.747 --> 12:11.858 of friends don't you ? Oh of course . 12:11.858 --> 12:14.024 Uh My friends you make in the military 12:14.024 --> 12:16.090 are lifelong friends you form bonds 12:16.090 --> 12:18.560 that uh really don't make anywhere else . 12:19.240 --> 12:21.184 You will always have that . That's 12:21.184 --> 12:23.240 amazing part . What's the what's the 12:23.240 --> 12:25.296 most frightening thing for you while 12:25.296 --> 12:27.740 you're over there ? I'm sorry the most 12:27.740 --> 12:29.870 what most frightening what's been the 12:29.870 --> 12:32.037 most frightening thing that happens to 12:32.037 --> 12:33.759 you while you're over ? Almost 12:33.759 --> 12:36.910 frightening . Mhm mm . Yeah . Well I 12:36.910 --> 12:40.170 have to say uh it kind of rattled me 12:40.170 --> 12:42.281 when I first heard one of the mortars 12:42.281 --> 12:45.750 tape but apparently that's uh it's good 12:45.750 --> 12:47.917 I have good training so I can't really 12:47.917 --> 12:50.083 say that I'm frightened . Just more uh 12:50.083 --> 12:52.780 I'm well prepared . Good to know that 12:52.790 --> 12:54.957 that's the beauty of boot camp and all 12:54.957 --> 12:57.012 that training and go okay here's the 12:57.012 --> 12:59.179 here's the really tough question and I 12:59.179 --> 12:58.780 promise you will be the last one I'll 12:58.780 --> 13:01.100 ask which is you're going to leave 13:01.100 --> 13:03.267 there in a little over a year . You're 13:03.267 --> 13:05.378 going to leave Iraq , you're going to 13:05.378 --> 13:07.656 come home . You may or may not go back . 13:07.656 --> 13:07.600 Who knows what's going to happen and 13:08.030 --> 13:10.141 that's the one memory you're going to 13:10.141 --> 13:12.363 take from your time over there . That's 13:12.363 --> 13:14.530 going to stay with you for the rest of 13:14.530 --> 13:17.250 your life . Mhm . One memory 13:18.540 --> 13:22.460 I would have to say that that was 13:22.470 --> 13:24.470 my boots were over here in Iraq and 13:24.470 --> 13:27.860 that I did my part making history and 13:27.870 --> 13:31.650 uh very proud of that outstanding 13:31.660 --> 13:33.882 a private city here from you . And then 13:33.882 --> 13:36.049 when you get back here in May , if you 13:36.049 --> 13:38.271 would make sure you get a hold of us at 13:38.271 --> 13:40.216 K . F . I . V . And we'll have you 13:40.216 --> 13:42.438 injured for a whole show and we'll just 13:42.438 --> 13:42.160 we'll just talk about you in Iraq 13:43.440 --> 13:45.773 sounds here . I have a lot more sources , 13:45.773 --> 13:47.662 so I really appreciate it . Not a 13:47.662 --> 13:49.884 problem . Thank you so much . Private . 13:49.884 --> 13:51.996 I appreciate your time today . Okay . 13:51.996 --> 13:54.107 Thank you . Okay . Thanks a lot . Bye 13:54.107 --> 13:56.640 bye . All right . Thank you . Yeah .