WEBVTT

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okay

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on this week's episode of Baghdad 24 7

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we have full access to the data like

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the Commanding general , Multi national

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division Baghdad and the fourth

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Infantry Division . Major General Jeff ,

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you asked the commanding general in the

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stands on the sideline or on the

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field usually get up , we are in the

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morning and review what's going on

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overnight . I uh don't sleep a lot

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because I choose not to sleep a lot .

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Uh There's always a lot on my mind . I

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think that is the commanding general .

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I am the best intelligence officer in

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this division because I can get out

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five out of seven days a week in the

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front with the soldiers . I can choose

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where I want to go and I can pick up

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information . I can understand the

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nature of the enemy and what's going on

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our soldiers . Mind . That's what I do .

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We head out early , come back late five

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out of seven days a week . I don't

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think that there's any other way to

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lead in this environment . Some may

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think that with the different

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electronic sensors we have that you can

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sit back from a distance and the

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headquarters receiving assimilate

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information to make decisions . I

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disagree . I want to be underground and

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feel what the soldier field and do what

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the soldier does . That's what leaders

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do . And without that leaders can't

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understand the nature of the fight nor

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the nature of the soldier which is our

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credential in the building block of

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trying to get this mission done . We

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all get to huddle put our arms around

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each other because I want to be 11 and

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thought one in mind spirit and body .

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So we just kind of rock a little bit to

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the left , rock , a little bit to the

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right and I tell them what's going on .

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I share with them everything that's

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going on the last 24 hours because I

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want them to know what I know , remind

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them of the intelligence situation that

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we're going to face as we execute this

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combat patrol and I leave in prayer ,

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I'm married , been married . It'll be

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25 years here in june from Baghdad

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things . I spend most of my

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anniversary's deploy but my wife Diane

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is the blessing of my life . She makes

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me a better person each and every day I

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have two wonderful Children , teenagers ,

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Michael who's a junior and clean high

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school and a little girl , my Princess

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Megan who's a sophomore clean high

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school as well . And my little family

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would be quite honest with you is

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everything that I am . Everything that

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I want to be is at the heart and the

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soul of who I am . People are act ,

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they're good people , they're kind

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people , they've got heart , They're

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hardy people . They withstood years and

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years of Saddam and they didn't , they

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didn't fall over remain strong . Uh ,

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their comeback type of people that keep

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coming back . They live under some

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tough , harsh conditions . Both the

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average Iraqi in many cases water ,

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sewer electricity as a challenge that

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they have Children just like we have

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back at home . They have a culture that

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is timeless . They have much to be

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proud . Either live in the future for

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people just like you and I and my wife ,

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my kids , people who want a future ,

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they want something better than what

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they have and they're sacrificing just

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like the american soldier , an american

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family to achieve that . I think the

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loss of soldier affects everyone .

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There's a , it's a hole in the world

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that occurs . It can never be filled .

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Life is forever changed . When you lose ,

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a soldier has changed for the family ,

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the Children and their Children

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involved , the mother and father , the

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fellow soldiers , the communities .

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It's a loss of life that uh , because

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of the nature and heart of a soldier

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down the road would have meant

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mentoring and goodness to local

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community . So when we lose a soldier ,

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everyone loses like I said , the

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families , fellow soldiers , local

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communities and the heart of America .

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These are our nation's credentials Lose

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one of these beautiful young men and

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women . Life changes forever . So it's

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hard , never forget . So we know we

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must go on , but I know that the spirit

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continues to live on through us . I

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think every time that we lose a soldier ,

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that spirit of the soldier is

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whispering in our ear , you must

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continue . You must continue and that

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we shall and that we will do