WEBVTT

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well , Sergeant Jonathan cahn from

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april in New Jersey , My part of Fox to

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25 here at Al Asad . This is my fourth

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activation and my third tour to Iraq .

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Upon receiving word that we were going

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to be deploying again as a unit , I

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chose to extend my contract one year

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and submitted reenlistment package . As

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a platoon sergeant , I felt a

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responsibility to my marines and

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consuming I enjoy the Marine corps and

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have a positive experience in my last

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deployment . I felt that I would come

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along at least one more time with my

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marines . I started out as a kind of a

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squad radio operator in Nigeria in 2003 ,

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kind of babysitting the city following

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the initial push through And in 2006 ,

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I volunteered to augment with another

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battalion in occupying Fallujah In Iraq

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in 2006 . That was 1 25 .

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That's completely different now that

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I'm here at a large base as opposed to

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a small fob walk around without a flak

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helmet or anything . During the daytime

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there's four hot meals a day . I live

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five minute walk from the swimming pool .

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I really can't say more than that . Set

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in between . And I have internet and my

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can an air conditioner and heater . It

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was basically what we made of it . We

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started out with kind of an abandoned

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textile mill , secured it , Jumping off

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of the back of five ton trucks . And by

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the end of it we had managed to , we've

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seen power and water restored in the

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city and as areas were able to get

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power and running water for lukewarm

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showers . Food was more or less what we

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got an MRI or a tray ration . The

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highlight was buying some sheep off of

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the locals and learning how to barbecue

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with sheep over a pit . I graduated

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from New Jersey Institute of Technology .

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I majored in it . Network security and

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I have a minor and applied physics

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mostly for the marines . When I said

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it's , there's no rush really to get

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out in the job market right now and

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give me some time to look for a job as

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well as continue to serve and be with

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my platoon . But the worst times always

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end up being the best times . I quote

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an old squad later . Mine is the more

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things stink now , the more miserable

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you are now , the more you laugh about

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it later . So I'd say any of the , any

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of the bad times in retrospect are

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always the best times complaining with

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your marines and sitting back and

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whining and telling jokes about it is

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probably all of them tie for being the

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best times . And tell me my mother is ,

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you know , very opposed to the war . My

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wife is supportive of me , Have a three

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week old son , uh , is that my

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family is kind of a mix across the

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spectrum . There just say merry

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christmas hunt and thanks for putting

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up with me and I'll be home in about

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four more months or so and mr , Michael

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there , I'll see in a little bit and no

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more silly costumes for the holidays

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once I get there .