WEBVTT

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I mean I'm sergeant brady smith are

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destined brady smith of bravo

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36 F . A . I'm from Pierre South Dakota .

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Well , I am the truck commander

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for one of the , the lead truck in one

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of the convoys that we have the patrol

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the pipeline area . And we partner with

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the uh with the Iraqi army , there's

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two Iraqi battalions that we partner

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with to safeguard the pipeline against

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insurgents in their activities . Uh

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Typical day , there's a

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series , uh there's a couple different

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patrol sets . So there's a series of

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different security measures that we in

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place and some , some days it's going

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up and down the pipeline . Some days

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was partnering with the Iraqi army to

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help them take

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over our mission . Uh So , so those are

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pretty much the two main things , but

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as we work more with the Iraqi Army ,

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they are taking a greater role , which

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means that eventually , maybe not this

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maybe after , you know , I'm in , but

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eventually americans won't have to have

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to take this role anymore . Um Well ,

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it's interesting because you get to see

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some different things and do some

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different things that a normal

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artilleryman in a , in a normal role

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would not be able to do . Um , I feel ,

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you know , you have to look a little

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bit , but there is definitely some

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importance not only uh for the people

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in just this region , but for Iraq and

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then uh you know , it expounds after

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after that . But yes , I think that is

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a very , very big deal , a

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big role that were fleeing . I would

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say that that

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I am helping this country get on its

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feet by helping

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an export oil to to get some some

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economic stability and hopefully

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one day that this will all be taken

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care of and uh we view Iraq is a

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first world country , a partner America

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and just you know they can enjoy their

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their coke and just like we do in the

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states the hard part there is a

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huge cultural um

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like a huge cultural

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difference and there it seems to

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be a lot of corruption in the system in

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like the very systems that

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where as you know if this stuff was

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having in America we wouldn't stand for

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it . You know , people would go to jail

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but here it's just it's almost an

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accepted way of doing things is

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backdoor deals and under the table and

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and everyone gets a little kick back

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and that is just really , it's hard

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to understand how huge it is . But

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another thing it's really frustrating

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because in America we won't have , we

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wouldn't have , you know , a lot of the

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problems would be solved if that wasn't

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the case . So just get that is the

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major hurdle those corruption and then

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the insurgency . Well me , I mean the

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number one thing to uh get

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over that hurdle is to identify it ,

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you know , and and totally understand

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it and right now uh I'm just trying to

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understand , I always knew about the

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curse people in their struggle for for

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wanting their own independence in their

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own country but being here uh increase

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cook and right there alongside the

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people . Um and hearing about the

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differences about how

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the Arabs and the and the Arabs

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and uh it's just Mhm .

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I guess I I understand the difference

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is more and you know that all they want

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all a lot of people around here do want

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is peace and it's just a matter of how

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they're gonna get it . And I hope that

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everything works out . And I do see you

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know uh I do see

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hope , I do see some hope it's gonna

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it's gonna take a long , long long time .

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But I do see uh that there will be a

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day that comes when

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Iraq is its own sovereign nation .

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Maybe Kurdistan will be its own

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sovereign nation but that all the

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people can live together in a piece

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just like um most of America does where

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we don't care about our neighbor um who

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they are but er I mean excuse me what

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they are but who they are . Well