WEBVTT 00:00.400 --> 00:03.460 To Lamy's 70th anniversary , 00:03.569 --> 00:05.680 celebrating launch Tools , Excellence 00:05.680 --> 00:07.800 in health care from 1953 to present . 00:08.500 --> 00:10.920 This is the LP D session . This is 00:10.930 --> 00:14.180 session number two . Um the exit for 00:15.119 --> 00:17.600 back to the room and to my right , your 00:17.610 --> 00:20.540 left bathrooms are out the hall of the 00:20.549 --> 00:22.690 the dining facility to the right 00:24.639 --> 00:27.840 today . We have the honor to welcome 00:28.149 --> 00:31.850 Donna Pratt us army sergeant who is 00:31.860 --> 00:34.500 going to be here discussing a lawyer 00:34.509 --> 00:37.389 testimony . She deployed to Iraq in 00:37.400 --> 00:40.580 2008 and worked in the army where she 00:40.590 --> 00:43.220 maintained weapons and equipment as an 00:43.229 --> 00:45.340 expression of her devotion to her job 00:45.340 --> 00:47.229 and country . She prayed over the 00:47.229 --> 00:49.396 arsenal and her fellow soldiers before 00:49.396 --> 00:51.650 each mission . Even while in severe 00:51.659 --> 00:53.881 pain , due to foot and ankle injuries , 00:54.599 --> 00:56.766 when several soldiers in the unit were 00:56.766 --> 00:58.710 injured by an improvised explosive 00:58.710 --> 01:00.710 device . The day after she was sent 01:00.710 --> 01:02.988 home for a medical , medical treatment , 01:02.988 --> 01:04.932 she became overcome with survivors 01:04.932 --> 01:06.877 guilt and a form of post traumatic 01:06.877 --> 01:10.290 stress disorder . She quotes it tore me 01:10.300 --> 01:13.449 apart . This one time . I wasn't there , 01:13.680 --> 01:17.230 someone got hurt . Donna says she came 01:17.239 --> 01:19.350 through our doors in our halls in May 01:19.360 --> 01:23.279 2009 and medically retired 01:23.290 --> 01:25.819 from the military . She's also quoted 01:25.830 --> 01:28.052 as saying , the wounded warrior project 01:28.052 --> 01:30.108 really kick started my recovery both 01:30.108 --> 01:32.108 physically and emotionally with the 01:32.108 --> 01:34.219 wounded warrior project . I have been 01:34.219 --> 01:36.279 in more places have done more things 01:36.290 --> 01:39.389 than I ever thought I could do today . 01:39.400 --> 01:41.319 I would like to welcome us army 01:41.330 --> 01:43.959 Sergeant Donna Pratt to the podium for 01:43.970 --> 01:44.860 her testimony . 02:00.599 --> 02:04.379 Yes . Yes , I am retired 02:04.389 --> 02:07.059 United States army Sergeant , Donna 02:07.069 --> 02:10.789 Pratt . But before I 02:10.800 --> 02:13.669 earned that awesome title , I was born 02:13.679 --> 02:16.750 to Sandra Farmer and Ira Farmer . 02:18.050 --> 02:21.610 These were my great parents . I grew up 02:21.619 --> 02:24.059 in the Midwest , Chicago , Illinois . 02:24.070 --> 02:26.970 Actually , I'm sure some of you heard 02:26.979 --> 02:30.699 of it . It is the place we call 02:30.710 --> 02:33.699 affectionately , the windy city . It is 02:33.710 --> 02:37.580 the home of Al Capone , a well 02:37.589 --> 02:41.070 known mobster , but I'm no mobster . 02:42.389 --> 02:44.470 I just love the rich history of my 02:44.479 --> 02:48.160 hometown . I'm from the city with the 02:48.169 --> 02:50.139 best deep dish pizza , 02:52.639 --> 02:56.479 the 2016 world series winning 02:56.490 --> 02:59.750 Chicago Cubs , the Beast . 03:01.039 --> 03:05.009 I go bears . Also second city 03:05.020 --> 03:08.539 improv comedy club that produce 03:08.690 --> 03:12.690 comedians like Dan Ackroyd . Um 03:12.809 --> 03:16.639 John Tina Fey and David Foley . 03:18.429 --> 03:21.119 Did you know they all start on Saturday 03:21.130 --> 03:24.910 Night Live ? All right . I was 03:24.919 --> 03:27.030 raised on the south side of Chicago , 03:27.660 --> 03:30.750 the inner city . My parents provided a 03:30.759 --> 03:34.619 loving home for 03:34.630 --> 03:38.500 me and my younger brother . We did 03:38.509 --> 03:41.699 all kinds of stuff together playing 03:41.710 --> 03:45.110 board games , doing 03:45.119 --> 03:48.770 homework . My mom in her early years 03:48.779 --> 03:52.210 was a seamstress and a tailor . She 03:52.220 --> 03:54.220 made most of our family's clothes . 03:58.449 --> 03:59.500 We looked good 04:02.460 --> 04:05.619 before my dad met my mom . He was a 04:05.630 --> 04:08.330 hard worker . He was drafted into the 04:08.339 --> 04:11.289 United States army . He was a great 04:11.300 --> 04:14.009 soldier . He fought in World War Two . 04:15.220 --> 04:18.410 And guess what ? He was here in Germany 04:19.748 --> 04:23.309 many , many moons ago . So , needless 04:23.320 --> 04:26.829 to say my brother and I , we had 04:26.839 --> 04:29.006 plenty of routine and structure in our 04:29.006 --> 04:32.500 home . Even though we had structure , 04:33.350 --> 04:35.339 my mom made things fun . 04:37.459 --> 04:39.929 She made sure that my brother and I 04:39.940 --> 04:42.339 stayed on the right path and always had 04:42.350 --> 04:43.683 good grades in school . 04:46.679 --> 04:48.846 Let me tell you another thing about my 04:48.846 --> 04:51.820 mom . She had a way of getting us to do 04:51.829 --> 04:55.109 our chores . She would trick us . 04:57.130 --> 04:59.500 She would like crank up the music , 05:00.149 --> 05:02.660 turn it on to like the hits of the 05:02.670 --> 05:05.589 seventies . My brother and I would 05:05.600 --> 05:09.390 dance , dance and 05:09.399 --> 05:10.429 clean away . 05:15.380 --> 05:17.670 She tricked us 05:19.350 --> 05:22.350 even when my brother and I were little , 05:22.570 --> 05:25.679 my dad , he still was a hard worker . 05:26.440 --> 05:28.607 He worked as a carpenter for the local 05:28.607 --> 05:31.019 bus company , the Chicago Transit 05:31.029 --> 05:34.329 Authority , but we just call it C T A . 05:36.220 --> 05:38.970 All right . So now this is the part of 05:38.980 --> 05:42.179 my story when I tell you how I got that 05:42.190 --> 05:45.929 awesome title . I know you're thinking 05:46.700 --> 05:48.811 it's because I've been speaking about 05:48.811 --> 05:50.970 so highly of my dad being a great 05:50.980 --> 05:54.839 soldier . Did I mention 05:55.679 --> 05:58.260 I had several uncles that were soldiers ? 05:58.910 --> 06:02.339 One of them even fought in Vietnam . No , 06:03.619 --> 06:05.730 that's still not how I got that great 06:05.730 --> 06:09.149 title . My oldest stepbrother , he was 06:09.160 --> 06:12.609 also a soldier and some of even my 06:12.619 --> 06:14.809 first cousins , they were in the 06:14.820 --> 06:18.200 military . I looked up to them all 06:22.149 --> 06:24.316 but having all the honorable family in 06:24.316 --> 06:27.440 history . That's not why I decided to 06:27.450 --> 06:30.959 join the army . I'm gonna give it to 06:30.970 --> 06:33.589 you straight . No chaser . 06:34.929 --> 06:37.899 I joined . After high school , I had 06:37.910 --> 06:41.329 three art scholarships . Three 06:42.570 --> 06:45.559 I decided art wasn't the career choice 06:45.570 --> 06:48.209 I wanted . So I didn't take any of the 06:48.220 --> 06:52.200 scholarships . I really joined 06:52.209 --> 06:56.170 the army to get out of my loving 06:56.179 --> 06:58.540 city of Chicago to make a better life 06:58.549 --> 07:02.380 for my nothing 07:02.390 --> 07:05.679 noble or pain for reasons . 07:07.230 --> 07:09.959 I am my first time for eight years . 07:12.489 --> 07:15.959 Don't laugh my first 07:15.970 --> 07:19.359 job . I was a graphic illustrator . Yes . 07:19.369 --> 07:23.359 Doing art . My unit , they 07:23.369 --> 07:26.140 drew some of the propaganda that was 07:26.149 --> 07:28.100 disseminated by the Air Force and 07:28.109 --> 07:29.942 efforts to stop the Desert Storm 07:29.942 --> 07:33.600 conflict before it started doing that 07:33.609 --> 07:37.429 eight year enlistment . I decided to 07:37.440 --> 07:40.609 get out right after . I just didn't 07:40.619 --> 07:42.175 think the army was for me , 07:44.209 --> 07:47.779 but that didn't end my army 07:47.790 --> 07:48.359 career . 07:54.940 --> 07:58.760 I got that awesome title of 07:58.769 --> 08:01.450 United States army sergeant . Don Pratt . 08:02.679 --> 08:05.429 Still not gonna tell you why I got that 08:05.440 --> 08:09.040 awesome title yet . I got out . 08:09.790 --> 08:13.470 Few years go by . We all know that bad 08:13.480 --> 08:15.440 thing happened 9 11 . 08:17.279 --> 08:20.970 Now I'm a little bit older . I 08:20.980 --> 08:23.630 wanna say a little bit wiser making 08:23.640 --> 08:27.209 better decisions . I felt compelled 08:27.429 --> 08:31.000 to reenlist . I went back in the 08:31.010 --> 08:34.280 military knowing I could possibly 08:34.289 --> 08:35.679 deploy , deploy to Iraq 08:39.830 --> 08:43.070 for freedom and the pride of my country . 08:44.299 --> 08:47.469 When I real enlisted , I got a new job . 08:48.140 --> 08:51.400 I was a sergeant . I maintained the 08:51.409 --> 08:54.010 arms room . I supplied fixed weapons . 08:56.219 --> 08:58.280 I prayed over every , every single 08:58.289 --> 09:02.000 weapon that left my arms room . I 09:02.010 --> 09:04.369 kept an adequate account of everything 09:04.479 --> 09:08.080 that came in and out . I took my job 09:08.090 --> 09:12.059 seriously . I had now become a 09:12.070 --> 09:14.559 proud member of the seven oh third 09:14.570 --> 09:17.039 support battalion from Fort Stewart 09:17.049 --> 09:19.760 Georgia home with Third ID . 09:22.099 --> 09:24.239 I was honored to be with a battalion 09:24.250 --> 09:26.940 that earned several military honors for 09:26.950 --> 09:29.061 his service on the war on terrorism . 09:29.409 --> 09:31.580 Getting the presidential unit citation 09:31.630 --> 09:33.830 for its service in the opening weeks 09:33.840 --> 09:36.062 and months of operation Iraqi Freedom . 09:37.820 --> 09:39.987 Shortly after I reported for duty with 09:39.987 --> 09:43.679 seven a third , we try , we deploy , 09:44.669 --> 09:46.891 I deployed to Iraqi Operation Freedom . 09:46.891 --> 09:50.469 Five , we were at forward operating 09:50.479 --> 09:54.340 base which is located south of Baghdad . 09:55.450 --> 09:58.010 Our mission was to support our mission 09:58.020 --> 10:00.450 as a support battalion was to aid and 10:00.460 --> 10:03.900 assist the 10th Mountain Division on 10:03.909 --> 10:06.409 their mission to eliminate our enemy . 10:08.270 --> 10:10.760 We offer support by bringing or fixing , 10:10.770 --> 10:14.510 we uh fixing vehicles . We brought 10:14.520 --> 10:17.119 food arms and even medical attention 10:17.400 --> 10:20.880 and supplies were needed . I went on 10:20.890 --> 10:23.001 several missions to aid 10th Mountain 10:23.390 --> 10:27.030 by supplying weapons and even ammo . 10:29.760 --> 10:33.559 I have some awesome and not so awesome 10:33.570 --> 10:36.619 memories . I can remember my first time 10:36.630 --> 10:38.741 going out to a little small village . 10:39.760 --> 10:41.969 They look like little castles 10:43.489 --> 10:45.700 even being here today . I still think 10:45.710 --> 10:49.109 they look like castles . I also 10:49.119 --> 10:51.619 remember seeing like my , the major 10:51.630 --> 10:55.440 sandstorm , the sand had begun to 10:55.450 --> 10:58.570 rise . It started approaching 10:59.489 --> 11:03.479 and the sky was beautiful . It was the 11:03.489 --> 11:06.380 best shade of purple I've ever seen . 11:07.570 --> 11:09.700 Yes , I got a chance to see beauty 11:09.859 --> 11:13.630 within chaos . I also 11:13.640 --> 11:16.599 saw plenty of things that I still can't 11:16.609 --> 11:18.331 bring my mouth to talk about , 11:18.820 --> 11:20.709 including the mission that got me 11:20.709 --> 11:22.919 medically evacuated and sent back to 11:22.929 --> 11:26.820 Germany right here where I 11:26.830 --> 11:30.289 stand today . I came here on a 11:30.299 --> 11:33.130 stretcher to be evaluated to see if I 11:33.140 --> 11:37.020 needed to have emergency surgery or if 11:37.030 --> 11:39.141 I can be sent back to my home base in 11:39.141 --> 11:42.549 Fort Stewart on that last mission 11:42.559 --> 11:45.020 before I got medically evacuated . I 11:45.030 --> 11:47.308 suffered torn ligaments , torn tendons , 11:47.340 --> 11:49.530 nerve damage to both feet and ankles 11:50.229 --> 11:53.669 and to top it off . I had tumors in my 11:53.679 --> 11:57.530 uterus coming back to the States 11:57.650 --> 12:00.719 when your unit is still deployed , it 12:00.729 --> 12:04.520 sucks . I was medically 12:04.530 --> 12:07.309 evacuated seven months into a 15 month 12:07.320 --> 12:10.669 deployment when I came back . 12:11.659 --> 12:15.640 I felt so I'm sure most of 12:15.650 --> 12:19.320 you know , here in this room when you 12:19.330 --> 12:21.969 join the military , you form a strong 12:21.979 --> 12:25.400 bond . So I felt like I was letting my 12:25.409 --> 12:29.150 team , my army family down cause I 12:29.159 --> 12:32.099 got taken out of the fight . I was 12:32.109 --> 12:34.960 depressed and on top of needing 12:34.969 --> 12:38.770 surgeries . So we in 12:38.780 --> 12:42.489 pain , I remember being in a wheelchair 12:42.500 --> 12:44.700 thinking life was horrible . 12:46.659 --> 12:49.820 I tried to stay positive but I could 12:49.830 --> 12:50.359 not . 12:53.549 --> 12:57.010 Things just to me seem like it was 12:57.020 --> 13:00.900 almost the end . I was put in the W T U 13:01.400 --> 13:03.400 which is the word transition unit . 13:03.940 --> 13:06.900 It's a unit to assist military 13:07.989 --> 13:11.919 while they're injured or ill . I had 13:11.929 --> 13:14.520 two surgeries on both feet and ankles . 13:15.229 --> 13:18.179 I had a full hysterectomy . I had , I 13:18.190 --> 13:21.309 had a , her surgery having all those 13:21.320 --> 13:24.280 surgeries . It took a long time for me 13:24.289 --> 13:27.979 to recover during my 2.5 years in a 13:27.989 --> 13:31.960 wheelchair . This is when my 13:31.969 --> 13:34.450 story changes . There's a military 13:34.460 --> 13:37.799 organization . I just wonder what 13:43.309 --> 13:45.365 ever ask me to join the soldier ride 13:46.270 --> 13:48.919 and if you've been listening a 13:49.219 --> 13:52.400 wheelchair . So I kindly declined . 13:53.609 --> 13:56.840 They didn't give up on me . I was told 13:56.849 --> 13:58.849 when the Warrior Project had a bike 13:58.989 --> 14:01.100 that would , they would adjust to fit 14:01.100 --> 14:03.429 my conditions . When the warrior told 14:03.440 --> 14:06.840 me about this bike , it's called a hand 14:06.849 --> 14:10.780 cycle . And 14:10.789 --> 14:13.039 the ride was like a multiple day ride 14:13.469 --> 14:17.419 experience when I went 14:17.429 --> 14:21.289 on my first ride . Truly , it was 14:21.299 --> 14:24.359 more than an experience . It saved my 14:24.369 --> 14:26.429 life . I found out about adaptive 14:26.440 --> 14:27.190 sports . 14:30.380 --> 14:33.020 And with that , I can say when the 14:33.030 --> 14:35.049 Warrior Project saved my life . 14:37.059 --> 14:38.948 When I got invited to that ride , 14:41.280 --> 14:43.739 there was another worry in my unit . He 14:43.750 --> 14:46.719 was about 21 . He was paralyzed from 14:46.729 --> 14:49.619 the waist down . I thought he would 14:49.630 --> 14:52.219 benefit more from the ride than I . So 14:52.229 --> 14:55.049 I asked , can he take my place ? 14:56.250 --> 14:59.450 But the great organization with the 14:59.460 --> 15:02.260 word project being , they let us both 15:02.270 --> 15:06.020 go . I know he and I 15:06.030 --> 15:09.000 both lives would change that day . 15:10.309 --> 15:13.599 I can speak for myself . It taught me 15:13.609 --> 15:17.530 new skills . It helped me begin a new 15:17.539 --> 15:18.706 life of confidence . 15:21.130 --> 15:25.070 Pride functions as a unit , no matter 15:25.080 --> 15:28.349 what your skill level , a 15:28.359 --> 15:32.080 family part of a unit , they left no 15:32.090 --> 15:35.599 one behind . At 15:35.609 --> 15:39.080 least when I went , 15:39.710 --> 15:43.080 I was able to see how I can be whole . 15:43.090 --> 15:47.000 Again . On that ride , I developed a 15:47.010 --> 15:50.289 model for myself , which is , I don't 15:50.299 --> 15:53.979 adapt to life . I make life adapt to me . 15:55.390 --> 15:58.500 I want you to hear it again . I don't 15:58.510 --> 16:02.369 adapt to life . I make life adapt to 16:02.380 --> 16:06.309 me . Let's , let's 16:06.320 --> 16:10.109 fast forward a little bit . I told you 16:11.190 --> 16:13.700 I got that awesome title . Retired 16:13.869 --> 16:14.869 United States 16:18.130 --> 16:20.186 after getting medically retired from 16:20.186 --> 16:23.469 the army . Now . Also 16:23.479 --> 16:27.030 proud of what was the beginning to be 16:27.039 --> 16:31.000 accomplishments with my new life ? I 16:31.049 --> 16:35.000 think I earned it . There's so many 16:35.010 --> 16:37.232 wonderful programs with wounded warrior 16:37.232 --> 16:40.070 project . I've been able to join in on 16:40.080 --> 16:43.340 several like project Odyssey . It's a 16:43.349 --> 16:45.929 program that's designed for veterans 16:45.940 --> 16:49.059 living with PTSD and other invisible 16:49.070 --> 16:52.210 invisible wounds . The program 16:52.219 --> 16:55.739 physically and mentally prepares you 16:55.750 --> 16:59.330 for life . They push you to the 16:59.340 --> 17:01.690 limits limits . You didn't even know 17:01.700 --> 17:03.033 you can do , you can do 17:05.369 --> 17:08.010 W W P helped me grow into the person 17:08.020 --> 17:11.619 you see before you , I was the shy 17:11.890 --> 17:13.540 inner city Chicago girl 17:16.489 --> 17:20.300 before you for not even 17:20.310 --> 17:23.239 being speak to two people . 17:24.010 --> 17:26.343 Now , I can speak to a room of hundreds . 17:29.000 --> 17:32.770 Being here today means a lot to me . I 17:32.780 --> 17:34.891 didn't even realize how much I needed 17:34.891 --> 17:37.300 this coming here through 17:40.000 --> 17:42.056 was the start of something I thought 17:42.056 --> 17:44.630 was bad . It was something I thought 17:44.640 --> 17:48.189 was going to end my life . Also , when 17:48.199 --> 17:50.670 I was in that wheelchair , they told me 17:50.680 --> 17:54.609 I would never walk again . As you see , 17:54.619 --> 17:57.630 I'm standing here before you today , I 17:57.640 --> 18:00.910 got my limitations , but I'd rather be 18:00.920 --> 18:03.339 here now than any place else in the 18:03.349 --> 18:07.319 world . I wanna thank you 18:07.530 --> 18:10.790 for having me and I really appreciate 18:10.800 --> 18:13.479 you listening and I'm that awesome 18:14.410 --> 18:18.400 retired United States army sergeant , 18:18.619 --> 18:19.619 Donald Pratt . 18:27.900 --> 18:29.109 Thank you very much 18:34.329 --> 18:36.385 as we continue our testimonies . I'd 18:36.385 --> 18:38.496 also like to welcome up to the podium 18:38.496 --> 18:42.000 and that's corporal Larson , his 18:42.010 --> 18:45.030 18th birthday less than a month after 18:45.040 --> 18:47.099 watching the events of 9 11 unfold . 18:47.260 --> 18:49.949 Mike Larson joined the marines , his 18:49.959 --> 18:53.790 high school on entrance on entrance , 18:53.959 --> 18:56.180 entrance test meant he could choose 18:56.189 --> 18:58.420 practically any job he wanted and he 18:58.430 --> 19:00.890 wanted to choose the infantry . He said 19:00.979 --> 19:03.280 they go where the action is . I want to 19:03.290 --> 19:05.849 go and fight just knowing wounded 19:05.859 --> 19:08.729 warriors project is always there . If I 19:08.739 --> 19:11.750 need anything has helped greatly , they 19:11.760 --> 19:14.430 have your back . They are there for you , 19:14.890 --> 19:17.001 Mike . I'd like to welcome you to the 19:17.001 --> 19:20.319 podium and welcome to the Thank you . 19:21.760 --> 19:25.680 Thank you . I run Mike Larson . Um 19:25.949 --> 19:28.005 I was born and raised in Florida . I 19:28.005 --> 19:30.282 grew up in , I was born in Gainesville , 19:30.282 --> 19:33.040 Florida . Um , my mom and dad moved 19:33.050 --> 19:35.250 down from Wisconsin to Florida . Um , 19:35.260 --> 19:37.427 we lived there about five years , they 19:37.427 --> 19:40.199 got a divorce and my mom met my stepdad 19:40.209 --> 19:42.042 there and we moved down to South 19:42.042 --> 19:44.540 Florida . So I grew up down there my 19:44.550 --> 19:46.930 whole life , fishing , um playing 19:46.939 --> 19:49.161 sports , doing all that kind of stuff , 19:49.161 --> 19:52.040 had a very active lifestyle . Um My mom 19:52.050 --> 19:54.479 had three kids is me , my brother , my 19:54.489 --> 19:56.680 older brother and younger sister and 19:56.689 --> 19:59.030 then my stepdad had three boys . We're 19:59.040 --> 20:00.969 all similar in age . My oldest 20:00.979 --> 20:03.146 stepbrother is about three years older 20:03.146 --> 20:05.479 than me . And then there's the next one , 20:05.479 --> 20:07.535 he's the middle one . He's two years 20:07.535 --> 20:09.368 older and then there's me and my 20:09.368 --> 20:11.368 younger step brother and my younger 20:11.368 --> 20:13.423 sister . So we had a big family . We 20:13.423 --> 20:13.189 were always together doing stuff , 20:13.199 --> 20:16.099 riding bikes , um playing football , 20:16.109 --> 20:18.430 all that type of stuff as kids . So we 20:18.439 --> 20:20.550 had a pretty big family . It was very 20:20.550 --> 20:23.150 competitive as , you know , the third 20:23.160 --> 20:25.271 in line . I was kind of in the middle 20:25.271 --> 20:27.271 of the whole pack . I always had to 20:27.271 --> 20:29.493 fight my way through everything , fight 20:29.493 --> 20:31.549 for food at the table , that type of 20:31.549 --> 20:33.716 deal . Um Fight , I always had to play 20:33.716 --> 20:35.827 like twice as hard because everyone's 20:35.827 --> 20:37.771 always bigger than me . So we play 20:37.771 --> 20:39.938 baseball or football . I had to really 20:39.938 --> 20:42.049 like to go the extra mile to overcome 20:42.049 --> 20:44.160 the they're all taller and bigger and 20:44.160 --> 20:46.271 faster , stronger type deal . So that 20:46.271 --> 20:48.439 kind of growing up , that kind of way 20:48.449 --> 20:50.560 always gave me that grit , that fight 20:50.560 --> 20:52.560 fighting can do type of spirit type 20:52.560 --> 20:56.280 deal . Um So one day when I was 17 , 20:56.910 --> 20:59.410 I was sick at home . My buddy was at 20:59.420 --> 21:01.489 home too . He usually drove me to 21:01.500 --> 21:03.611 school . He skipped school that day . 21:03.719 --> 21:05.650 Um , I was actually sick at home 21:05.660 --> 21:09.489 anyways , didn't skip school . But , um , 21:09.849 --> 21:12.182 so he called me up and he's like , Mike , 21:12.182 --> 21:14.349 what are you doing ? I was like laying 21:14.349 --> 21:14.109 in bed , I'm sick . He's like , turn on 21:14.119 --> 21:16.063 the TV . I was like , why , what's 21:16.063 --> 21:18.175 going on and he's like , just turn on 21:18.175 --> 21:20.589 the TV . So I got out of bed and went , 21:20.599 --> 21:23.040 turned on the TV . And I'm watching the 21:23.050 --> 21:25.030 news . It's like on every channel 21:25.040 --> 21:27.260 flicking through and it was the Twin 21:27.270 --> 21:29.750 Towers . The first tower had been hit 21:29.760 --> 21:32.380 and I was reading a little scroll , um , 21:32.390 --> 21:34.612 to figure out what was going on because 21:34.612 --> 21:36.779 it was just like smoke and stuff . And 21:36.779 --> 21:38.890 as I'm watching it , the second plane 21:38.890 --> 21:41.180 flew into the other tower and you could 21:41.189 --> 21:43.300 like , literally it was live . So you 21:43.300 --> 21:45.522 could see people jumping on the tower , 21:45.522 --> 21:48.189 um , to their death basically . And 21:48.219 --> 21:50.219 sitting there watching that , I was 21:50.219 --> 21:53.489 just in shock and kind of , I was sad , 21:53.500 --> 21:55.778 went through a whole range of emotions . 21:55.778 --> 21:57.778 I was sad , I would , I didn't know 21:57.778 --> 21:59.869 what to do and then I started to get 21:59.880 --> 22:02.209 angry watching it thinking about like , 22:02.319 --> 22:04.486 these are innocent people just sitting 22:04.486 --> 22:06.689 there at work and this is happening to 22:06.699 --> 22:08.921 them . They have to deal with this . So 22:08.921 --> 22:11.459 it stuck with me . Um And then the war 22:11.469 --> 22:13.469 kicked off and I was like , this is 22:13.469 --> 22:15.636 what I can do to help . I'm gonna join 22:15.636 --> 22:18.140 up . So I talked to my mom about , I 22:18.150 --> 22:20.310 kind of had a hint at hint to her at 22:20.319 --> 22:22.486 what I was getting at like , hey , how 22:22.486 --> 22:24.652 would you feel if one of us joined the 22:24.652 --> 22:26.763 military ? And she's like , no , none 22:26.763 --> 22:28.930 of you are going , you're gonna either 22:28.930 --> 22:30.986 get injured or you're gonna die over 22:30.986 --> 22:34.140 there . Um And that kind of stems from 22:34.150 --> 22:37.219 because her , my grandfather , he was 22:37.229 --> 22:40.660 in the navy um back in the Korean War 22:40.670 --> 22:43.199 which I found out later . Um He was a 22:43.209 --> 22:45.265 submarine , he was a corpsman in the 22:45.265 --> 22:47.880 navy . He uh he fought in Korea . 22:49.060 --> 22:51.171 They , I don't know where he fought , 22:51.171 --> 22:53.393 but I'm assuming as a corpsman , he was 22:53.393 --> 22:55.338 probably with the marines fighting 22:55.338 --> 22:57.504 frozen chosen or something like that . 22:57.504 --> 22:59.560 Um Came back stateside , he became a 22:59.560 --> 23:02.530 submarine or he actually was on the 23:02.540 --> 23:05.670 first submarine trip to Antarctica . So 23:05.760 --> 23:07.800 he was there named a mountain after 23:07.810 --> 23:10.770 himself was Mount in Antarctica . And 23:10.780 --> 23:13.189 that's him . Uh funny story with that 23:13.199 --> 23:16.560 is he some rich person paid him to 23:16.569 --> 23:18.736 plant a flag on a mountain in a , in a 23:18.736 --> 23:21.380 and he did it , he planted the flag , 23:21.390 --> 23:24.020 got the mountain named and came back 23:24.030 --> 23:26.141 and he gave him a different flag than 23:26.141 --> 23:28.197 the one he planted on the mountain , 23:28.197 --> 23:31.930 which I now have . Um So if anyone's 23:31.939 --> 23:34.217 related to that rich guy , let me know , 23:34.217 --> 23:36.989 got his flag . So I think that's where 23:37.000 --> 23:39.839 she was hesitant about it . So I waited 23:39.849 --> 23:42.290 at , I was 7 16 when the towers got hit 23:42.300 --> 23:44.189 and my birthday is October . So I 23:44.189 --> 23:46.356 turned 17 . I had to wait another year 23:46.356 --> 23:49.449 to come around and I enlisted on my own 23:49.479 --> 23:51.770 behind my mom's back . It's kind of 23:51.780 --> 23:54.890 funny because in high school I , I 23:54.900 --> 23:57.011 never really knew what I was gonna do 23:57.011 --> 23:59.520 up until that point . Um My step dad 23:59.530 --> 24:01.641 was a roofer . I did that with him on 24:01.641 --> 24:03.752 summers . It's a terrible job . Don't 24:03.752 --> 24:05.974 ever do it . Um So I knew I didn't want 24:05.974 --> 24:08.086 to do that . Everyone that's a roofer 24:08.086 --> 24:10.252 will tell you that too . This is not a 24:10.252 --> 24:13.530 career , don't do it . You do it for 24:13.540 --> 24:15.429 three months in the Florida Sun . 24:15.429 --> 24:18.050 You'll not want to do it either . Um So 24:18.060 --> 24:20.060 I was going , I drew for the school 24:20.060 --> 24:22.359 newspaper , I was an artist there . Um 24:22.369 --> 24:24.670 I like that , but there's not really 24:24.680 --> 24:26.849 any money in that unless you Walt 24:26.859 --> 24:28.859 Disney and you could create a whole 24:28.859 --> 24:31.081 theme park and stuff , but I'm not that 24:31.081 --> 24:34.109 talented . Um So I did auto , auto 24:34.119 --> 24:36.410 mechanics . They had a program in high 24:36.420 --> 24:38.599 school . I was pretty smart . I got 24:38.609 --> 24:41.140 straight A s few BS later on in high 24:41.150 --> 24:44.430 school . Um , so I entered this program 24:44.439 --> 24:46.969 where they trained . I went to my first 24:46.979 --> 24:48.979 year of high school . I did all the 24:48.979 --> 24:51.035 normal courses , knocked out a whole 24:51.035 --> 24:53.090 year's worth of academics . And then 24:53.090 --> 24:55.312 the next three years I could do half my 24:55.312 --> 24:57.479 school time at a vocational school for 24:57.479 --> 24:59.646 auto mechanics . And then I go back to 24:59.646 --> 25:01.757 high school for two classes . So as I 25:01.757 --> 25:03.479 was doing that at the time , I 25:03.479 --> 25:05.479 graduated that I was gonna work for 25:05.479 --> 25:07.829 Toyota as an auto mechanics until 9 11 25:07.839 --> 25:10.061 happened , which worked out too because 25:10.061 --> 25:12.172 I also worked at a car dealership and 25:12.172 --> 25:14.117 mechanics there . Told me the same 25:14.117 --> 25:16.061 thing the roofers did . Like , you 25:16.061 --> 25:16.010 don't wanna be a mechanic , don't do 25:16.020 --> 25:18.353 that . So I was like , all right , cool . 25:18.500 --> 25:20.599 And I'm glad today that I didn't do 25:20.609 --> 25:22.665 that because that is a miserable job 25:22.665 --> 25:25.660 too . Um It's just a lot of work and 25:25.670 --> 25:27.781 then they all pay you commissions now 25:27.781 --> 25:29.837 and you don't make any money for the 25:29.837 --> 25:32.209 work you do . It's not worth it . Um So 25:32.219 --> 25:34.229 18th birthday , I signed up for the 25:34.239 --> 25:37.959 Marine Corps . Um , good friend of mine . 25:38.069 --> 25:41.420 He had joined when I was 17 . He 25:41.430 --> 25:43.486 already was joining the Marines . He 25:43.486 --> 25:45.708 left the following summer , he actually 25:45.708 --> 25:47.770 came back . Um He was on recruiting 25:47.780 --> 25:51.319 duty in October at my high school and 25:51.609 --> 25:53.498 he , he never knew like , I never 25:53.498 --> 25:55.720 showed any interest or anything in it . 25:55.720 --> 25:57.776 So I walked up to him , I was like , 25:57.776 --> 25:59.998 hey , um , I wanna join the Marines and 25:59.998 --> 26:02.053 he was like , oh , good joke . I was 26:02.053 --> 26:04.387 like , no , I'm serious . And he's like , 26:04.387 --> 26:06.609 for real . And I was like , yeah , so I 26:06.609 --> 26:06.250 was like , because they have to recruit 26:06.260 --> 26:08.482 so many people or they're on recruiting 26:08.482 --> 26:10.649 duty otherwise they get in trouble and 26:10.649 --> 26:12.816 they have to get sent back . It's kind 26:12.816 --> 26:14.927 of like free leave you can use if you 26:14.927 --> 26:17.260 don't have the accrued leave . So I did , 26:17.260 --> 26:19.149 I went up to him . He finally , I 26:19.149 --> 26:21.371 convinced him that I was serious . He's 26:21.371 --> 26:23.704 like , all right , meet me after school , 26:23.704 --> 26:23.010 I'll take you over to the recruiting 26:23.020 --> 26:24.989 office . I go into the recruiting 26:25.000 --> 26:27.709 office and he's like , oh , I got a guy 26:27.719 --> 26:29.719 they want , he wants to join , they 26:29.719 --> 26:32.750 give you a , like a pre type . It's 26:32.760 --> 26:35.810 like a competency test . So I took that 26:36.270 --> 26:39.829 and I got like a 99 on it and he was 26:39.839 --> 26:42.117 like , wow , this is awesome . You did ? 26:42.117 --> 26:44.520 Great . And I was like , ok , cool . 26:44.530 --> 26:46.752 When do I pick my job ? And he's like , 26:46.752 --> 26:48.974 well , that's just a pretest you're not 26:48.974 --> 26:50.919 in yet . You used to have all this 26:50.919 --> 26:53.086 stuff we have to do . So I did all the 26:53.086 --> 26:55.270 paperwork and stuff , um , went back 26:55.280 --> 26:58.560 and forth with , um , um , 26:58.989 --> 27:01.260 and I , the recruiter , like , told me 27:01.270 --> 27:03.492 he's like , did you tell your mom and I 27:03.492 --> 27:05.714 was like , no , I did . And he's like , 27:05.714 --> 27:07.881 all right , I'll go with you . He came 27:07.881 --> 27:10.103 with me to the house and we told my mom 27:10.103 --> 27:12.159 or whatever , they signed up and she 27:12.159 --> 27:14.159 was all mad and crying and it was a 27:14.159 --> 27:16.326 whole ordeal . Um But he talked to her 27:16.326 --> 27:18.548 and I talked to her and she was kind of 27:18.548 --> 27:21.579 on board with it after that point . So 27:21.589 --> 27:24.890 then I did the was the next step . Went 27:24.900 --> 27:28.530 down to Miami Maps took that test . Um 27:28.540 --> 27:30.762 I don't remember what I got on it , but 27:30.762 --> 27:32.873 after I got done , the guy , like you 27:32.873 --> 27:35.040 can do any job in the Marine Corps you 27:35.040 --> 27:34.699 want with that score . So I was like , 27:34.709 --> 27:36.959 ok , cool . I wanna be infantry and 27:36.969 --> 27:39.136 he's like , do you wanna look at other 27:39.136 --> 27:41.302 jobs ? And I was like , no infantry is 27:41.302 --> 27:43.469 where it's at . It's what I wanna do . 27:43.469 --> 27:45.358 I wanna fight , I wanna be in the 27:45.358 --> 27:47.609 action and Marine Corps infantry is the 27:47.619 --> 27:49.952 best there is . And he's like , oh yeah , 27:49.952 --> 27:52.020 that's what I like to hear . He , he 27:52.170 --> 27:56.079 loves infantry too . And um , so I just 27:56.089 --> 27:58.256 did that . Didn't even look at another 27:58.256 --> 28:02.089 job . Um I spent that was in 28:02.099 --> 28:05.630 October . I didn't get my boot camp 28:05.640 --> 28:07.862 date . It was in July , it was supposed 28:07.862 --> 28:10.196 to be June . It got pushed back to July . 28:10.196 --> 28:13.979 Um , 2003 . So I was in a pool . 28:14.020 --> 28:16.420 You have to go like every week you have 28:16.430 --> 28:19.369 to go to the recruiting office and then 28:19.380 --> 28:22.560 you do running pull ups , sit ups just 28:22.569 --> 28:24.625 to get you prepared for Marine Corps 28:24.625 --> 28:26.859 boot camp . Um , and I did weight 28:26.869 --> 28:28.980 training in high school was one of my 28:28.980 --> 28:31.147 electives , um , because it was either 28:31.147 --> 28:33.410 that or band . So I was pretty good . 28:33.420 --> 28:36.040 Um , I had a pull up bar in my house . 28:36.050 --> 28:39.089 I was always doing pull ups . I did , 28:39.099 --> 28:41.321 uh , I think my record was like 40 pull 28:41.321 --> 28:43.543 ups at one point when I was young and I 28:43.543 --> 28:44.655 could do like two . 28:46.949 --> 28:50.010 But , uh , so I went to boot camp July 28:50.020 --> 28:52.930 2003 , which is the worst time ever to 28:52.939 --> 28:55.280 go to Paris Island in case you were 28:55.290 --> 28:57.949 wondering , I thought Florida was hot 28:57.959 --> 29:00.660 but summers in the swamp is just 29:00.670 --> 29:03.790 miserable , worse than roofing . Um , 29:03.800 --> 29:06.022 and then they have a bunch of bugs like 29:06.022 --> 29:08.244 we have mosquitoes , but they have seen 29:08.244 --> 29:10.430 police , they have big mosquitoes that 29:10.439 --> 29:13.609 make our mosquitoes look sad and sickly . 29:14.410 --> 29:17.300 Um , so that was a terrible experience . 29:17.359 --> 29:19.359 And then , um , nobody ever told me 29:19.359 --> 29:21.415 that the Marine Corps basically runs 29:21.415 --> 29:23.526 all the time . I thought it just like 29:23.526 --> 29:25.692 worked out . So they run a lot . We're 29:25.692 --> 29:27.803 talking about three miles a day every 29:27.803 --> 29:30.500 day . We're only doing calisthenics and 29:30.510 --> 29:32.621 that type of stuff . So , I was a big 29:32.621 --> 29:34.843 guy . I was like £200 when I went into 29:34.843 --> 29:37.359 boot camp muscle . I came out 100 and 29:37.369 --> 29:41.050 £40 . I was like a skeleton 29:41.760 --> 29:43.482 everyone thought I was sick or 29:43.482 --> 29:45.427 something like they don't feed you 29:45.427 --> 29:47.593 there . I was like , no , all we do is 29:47.593 --> 29:49.699 cardio all day long . Um , so I 29:49.709 --> 29:51.765 graduated boot camp . I think it was 29:51.765 --> 29:54.890 October . I came home for a month and 29:54.900 --> 29:57.329 then I went to infantry school . Also . 29:57.339 --> 29:59.283 The worst time ever to go to North 29:59.283 --> 30:01.228 Carolina . Toward the Marine Corps 30:01.228 --> 30:03.569 School of infantry is so I go to North 30:03.579 --> 30:05.801 Carolina . I think it was December . It 30:05.801 --> 30:08.489 was like November , middle November . I 30:08.500 --> 30:10.722 was there December , January , February 30:11.130 --> 30:14.189 and it was cold . I'm from Florida . I 30:14.199 --> 30:16.199 just did . The only other place I'd 30:16.199 --> 30:19.040 ever gone was Wisconsin in summer time , 30:19.699 --> 30:22.030 which is nice . It's perfect weather . 30:22.439 --> 30:25.150 Um , so my second state I ever visited 30:25.160 --> 30:27.493 was South Carolina , which was horrible . 30:27.493 --> 30:29.549 And I got to go to North Carolina in 30:29.549 --> 30:31.790 the winter where in Florida this winter 30:31.800 --> 30:35.430 is like 50 55 . Maybe the coldest it 30:35.439 --> 30:38.670 gets on . We have to do 30:39.469 --> 30:41.691 at school of infantry . You have to dig 30:41.691 --> 30:43.858 fighting holes and stuff . We did that 30:43.858 --> 30:45.691 in January , like second week of 30:45.691 --> 30:47.930 January . It was zero degrees outside 30:48.359 --> 30:50.470 and there's two , it's me and another 30:50.470 --> 30:52.526 guy in a fighting hall . They didn't 30:52.526 --> 30:54.581 let us bring any of our cold weather 30:54.581 --> 30:58.150 gear . So we're just in our B D US . Um , 30:58.550 --> 31:00.494 and that was it . I think we had a 31:00.494 --> 31:02.949 light fleece on no gloves , nothing 31:02.959 --> 31:05.400 else . Zero degrees . It's snowing . I 31:05.410 --> 31:07.632 was excited . I was like , oh , this is 31:07.632 --> 31:09.632 cool . I see snow . I've never seen 31:09.632 --> 31:11.910 snow before in my life . This is great . 31:11.910 --> 31:14.132 And I look over and my , the guy in the 31:14.132 --> 31:16.243 hall with me is like turning blue and 31:16.243 --> 31:18.466 he's like shaking . He ended up passing 31:18.466 --> 31:20.459 out and , um , he had to call the 31:20.469 --> 31:22.469 Corman , he got hypothermia . I was 31:22.469 --> 31:24.525 like , people were dropping left and 31:24.525 --> 31:27.670 right . So that was fun . Um , good 31:27.680 --> 31:30.890 intro into the infantry . So we did 31:30.900 --> 31:34.869 that . Um I left towards the end 31:34.880 --> 31:37.260 of your school of infantry training . 31:37.469 --> 31:39.469 You're mixed in with other people . 31:39.469 --> 31:41.691 Like a lot of them are reservists which 31:41.691 --> 31:43.580 I didn't know um when they finish 31:43.580 --> 31:45.580 school of infantry , they get to go 31:45.580 --> 31:47.469 home . So they were all like , oh 31:47.469 --> 31:49.580 whatever , getting ready to go home , 31:49.959 --> 31:52.130 there was six of us that were active 31:52.140 --> 31:54.307 duty out of , I think it was 30 people 31:54.307 --> 31:58.119 in my platoon . Um And for two or 31:58.130 --> 31:59.797 three weeks leading up to the 31:59.797 --> 32:01.963 graduation , they were like telling us 32:01.963 --> 32:04.019 that we're gonna go to Hawaii as our 32:04.019 --> 32:06.352 duty station . So we were super excited , 32:06.352 --> 32:08.463 super pumped like , yes , we're going 32:08.463 --> 32:10.686 to Hawaii . I was excited because I did 32:10.686 --> 32:12.741 not want to go to any place north of 32:12.741 --> 32:16.000 Florida . Um And two days 32:16.010 --> 32:19.510 before we were gonna , um we're gonna 32:19.520 --> 32:21.687 do our promotions , get our graduation 32:21.687 --> 32:24.680 ceremony , get out all the they called 32:24.689 --> 32:26.911 us formation and they're all laughing . 32:27.650 --> 32:30.560 They're like platoon sergeants and C O 32:30.569 --> 32:32.569 and stuff . They're all laughing or 32:32.569 --> 32:34.736 whatever . And then they come over and 32:34.736 --> 32:36.958 then they , they call us up and they're 32:36.958 --> 32:39.680 like , hey , Larson , all the other 32:39.689 --> 32:43.569 guys like , sorry , but your 32:43.579 --> 32:45.579 orders changed , you're going to 29 32:45.579 --> 32:47.801 Palms , California . And we're like , I 32:47.801 --> 32:49.968 was like , cool California . I'll take 32:49.968 --> 32:52.369 it . I like California now . 29 Palms . 32:52.380 --> 32:54.547 California is like the worst place you 32:54.547 --> 32:56.658 can ever get deployed to or stationed 32:56.658 --> 32:58.769 if you're in the Marine Corps . It is 32:58.769 --> 33:00.880 literally in the middle of the Mojave 33:00.880 --> 33:02.936 desert and there is probably 13 palm 33:02.936 --> 33:05.719 trees there . Um They call it 29 stumps . 33:05.729 --> 33:08.020 So we didn't realize that until we got 33:08.030 --> 33:12.010 there , which it was depressing . Um So 33:12.020 --> 33:15.569 yeah , six of us go over to 29 Palms 33:16.189 --> 33:19.339 and um get ready . We joined the fleet . 33:19.390 --> 33:21.569 Um Anything in the Marine Corps 33:21.579 --> 33:24.760 Infantry that's good comes with bad . 33:24.959 --> 33:27.181 So we get to the fleet and they're like 33:27.181 --> 33:29.403 welcome to the fleet and they just haze 33:29.403 --> 33:31.449 the out of us for like three weeks 33:31.459 --> 33:33.626 straight . We're just getting thrashed 33:33.626 --> 33:35.570 and we're cleaning . It's a lot of 33:35.570 --> 33:37.681 cleaning in the infantry . They don't 33:37.681 --> 33:39.959 tell you that in the recruiting office . 33:39.959 --> 33:42.180 Um we field day constantly . If we're 33:42.189 --> 33:44.411 not training , we're fielding , getting 33:44.411 --> 33:47.800 ready for inspections . So as the new 33:47.810 --> 33:50.069 guys to the , to the infantry unit , 33:50.079 --> 33:52.246 we're getting hazed , we were cleaning 33:52.246 --> 33:54.680 our rooms and going to formations every 33:54.689 --> 33:56.800 day . I was like , this is not what I 33:56.800 --> 33:58.578 signed up for . This is not the 33:58.578 --> 34:01.150 infantry that I wanted to join . Um , 34:01.849 --> 34:04.739 so anyways , we get , um , they tell us 34:04.750 --> 34:07.270 that we're gonna go to Iraq . Um , so 34:07.280 --> 34:09.620 we did four months of training leading 34:09.629 --> 34:12.629 up to our first deployment . We got 34:12.639 --> 34:15.669 deployed to Al Anbar province and a 34:15.679 --> 34:17.909 little city called Ari . It's on the 34:17.919 --> 34:19.939 west side of Iraq . It's near the 34:19.949 --> 34:22.699 Syrian Jordanian border . So we deploy 34:22.709 --> 34:25.370 there . Um All of our senior marines 34:25.379 --> 34:27.629 have never deployed yet . The only 34:27.639 --> 34:29.750 deployment they went to was Okinawa , 34:29.750 --> 34:31.861 Japan where they did jungle warfare . 34:31.939 --> 34:34.050 They were all super nervous , super , 34:34.050 --> 34:36.050 like you could kind of feel it that 34:36.149 --> 34:38.149 they were scared to be there and it 34:38.149 --> 34:40.629 kind of rubbed off on us as we looked 34:40.639 --> 34:42.699 up to them being junior marines or 34:42.709 --> 34:44.765 whatever . And you could see there a 34:44.765 --> 34:46.653 lot of hesitation , a lot of like 34:46.653 --> 34:49.290 timidness , which is , I hadn't 34:49.300 --> 34:51.244 experienced that yet in the Marine 34:51.244 --> 34:53.356 Corps , everyone's pretty assertive , 34:53.356 --> 34:55.578 they know what they're gonna do . Um So 34:55.578 --> 34:57.578 it made us all a little shaky and a 34:57.578 --> 34:57.479 little on edge . Luckily that 34:57.489 --> 34:59.656 deployment was , was pretty smooth for 34:59.656 --> 35:02.199 the most part . A lot of I E DS , um A 35:02.209 --> 35:05.239 lot of learning we did . Uh my first 35:05.250 --> 35:08.139 patrol , they made me point man , which 35:08.330 --> 35:12.260 was not the job I wanted . But um so 35:12.270 --> 35:14.449 the first patrol I ever did was at 35:14.459 --> 35:17.909 night time and first time ever using M 35:17.919 --> 35:20.639 B G s because in school of infantry , 35:20.649 --> 35:22.871 we were supposed to do with M B G s but 35:22.871 --> 35:25.699 they didn't have enough . So I never 35:25.709 --> 35:27.770 got them . So I'm navigating through 35:27.780 --> 35:30.070 the desert which was hilly and I'm from 35:30.080 --> 35:33.010 Florida where there's not hills . Um , 35:33.379 --> 35:35.268 and we were like , making our way 35:35.268 --> 35:37.830 around stumbling . We weren't anywhere 35:37.840 --> 35:40.219 near covert or anything . People are 35:40.229 --> 35:42.600 falling , you have rifles falling , 35:42.610 --> 35:44.777 tripping . It was a mess . You have no 35:44.777 --> 35:46.999 peripheral vision when you're wearing M 35:46.999 --> 35:49.221 B G s . So you cannot see like anything 35:49.221 --> 35:51.332 really in front of you . It's kind of 35:51.332 --> 35:53.443 like if you played Oculus or any kind 35:53.443 --> 35:55.554 of V R and you're like have it in the 35:55.554 --> 35:55.500 mode where you could see around . It's 35:55.510 --> 35:57.629 like that all the time , no depth 35:57.639 --> 36:00.949 perception . Um And one of my buddies , 36:00.959 --> 36:03.350 we were , we were making our way back 36:03.360 --> 36:05.620 to the to the gate . We kind of did a 36:05.629 --> 36:07.810 patrol outside of the wire and made a 36:07.820 --> 36:11.540 big loop and came back to the gate . Um 36:11.550 --> 36:13.494 And I was just walking , we're all 36:13.494 --> 36:16.209 walking in the line and my buddy that's 36:16.219 --> 36:18.689 behind me , he's like all of a sudden 36:18.699 --> 36:21.250 you just disappeared . What happened 36:21.260 --> 36:23.629 was I was walking straight and because 36:23.639 --> 36:25.972 I couldn't see down in front of me here , 36:25.972 --> 36:28.580 there was like a culvert ditch and it 36:28.590 --> 36:30.423 was like six ft down . So I just 36:30.423 --> 36:32.620 stepped and just face planted right 36:32.629 --> 36:35.949 into the bottom of the ditch . Then he 36:35.959 --> 36:38.292 saw it all of these N P G s like , yeah , 36:38.292 --> 36:40.070 you're just walking and he just 36:40.070 --> 36:42.292 disappeared and then he was walking and 36:42.292 --> 36:44.237 then he comes down in the hole too 36:44.237 --> 36:46.403 because I didn't alert anyone . I fell 36:46.403 --> 36:46.159 in there . I'm not gonna tell anyone 36:46.169 --> 36:48.709 else . They'll figure it out . It's 36:48.719 --> 36:50.830 like four of us ended up in the ditch 36:50.830 --> 36:53.052 and then finally the rest of the patrol 36:53.052 --> 36:55.219 stopped and waited for us to climb out 36:55.219 --> 36:57.610 of it . Um , so that was pretty funny . 36:58.090 --> 37:01.639 And then on that deployment too , 37:01.870 --> 37:04.540 they did the first Ripper Sweep , um 37:04.669 --> 37:08.669 which was initially we pushed from 27 37:08.679 --> 37:11.179 Fox company , which that's who I was 37:11.189 --> 37:13.860 with . They called us on , tapped us to 37:13.870 --> 37:16.820 go to Fallujah . So we geared up and 37:16.830 --> 37:18.886 everything , got all our Humvees and 37:18.886 --> 37:20.774 things like that and we pushed to 37:20.774 --> 37:22.886 Fallujah drove there . I think it was 37:22.886 --> 37:24.719 like an hour , 40 minute drive , 37:24.719 --> 37:26.919 something like that . Um I don't 37:26.929 --> 37:28.929 remember how long it was . It was a 37:28.929 --> 37:30.873 week long thing that we took to go 37:30.873 --> 37:33.149 there . They surrounded the city and 37:33.159 --> 37:35.409 everything they were there for . We 37:35.419 --> 37:37.586 were there for like three , I think it 37:37.586 --> 37:39.475 was about three days just camping 37:39.475 --> 37:42.280 around Humvees around the Fallujah and 37:42.290 --> 37:44.457 then they just called it off . They're 37:44.457 --> 37:47.360 like , no , go back . So we drove all 37:47.370 --> 37:49.949 the way back . Um We just dealt with a 37:49.959 --> 37:53.090 lot of I E DS and small arms fire type 37:53.100 --> 37:55.378 deal . We get a lot at that base there . 37:55.850 --> 37:59.110 We had uh shared it with the air wing 38:00.010 --> 38:02.510 unit there , so we had power intermit 38:02.520 --> 38:05.189 intermittently kind of went out every 38:05.199 --> 38:08.949 night but pretty uneventful there . So 38:08.959 --> 38:11.070 we come back to the States and that's 38:11.070 --> 38:13.479 when they push in and finally take 38:13.580 --> 38:16.949 Fallujah . We're um we do 38:16.959 --> 38:19.560 67 month deployments . You come back 38:19.570 --> 38:21.514 for six months and then you go for 38:21.514 --> 38:23.626 another deployment for seven months . 38:23.626 --> 38:25.626 So we had uh three weeks of leave , 38:25.626 --> 38:27.681 everyone weren't home . We came back 38:27.681 --> 38:29.850 and then they slowly work you up to uh 38:29.860 --> 38:32.120 full deployment strength . So we 38:32.129 --> 38:34.520 started training again to go back to 38:34.530 --> 38:37.159 Iraq . The Fallujah battle is going on . 38:37.169 --> 38:39.002 We're getting , you know , we're 38:39.002 --> 38:41.225 watching the news and stuff like that , 38:41.225 --> 38:43.113 seeing what's going on . We get a 38:43.113 --> 38:45.169 leadership change changes over every 38:45.169 --> 38:47.336 two years in the Marine Corps or after 38:47.336 --> 38:49.336 and before every deployment . So we 38:49.336 --> 38:51.502 have new captain , we have new platoon 38:51.502 --> 38:53.939 ss um new captain . We got , he's like 38:53.949 --> 38:57.459 really motivated gung ho guy . Um We're 38:57.469 --> 38:59.689 like , finally , we got the like good 38:59.699 --> 39:01.810 leadership . We're gonna do good this 39:01.810 --> 39:04.129 time . Uh We're doing all this extra 39:04.139 --> 39:06.250 training that he's like you guys need 39:06.250 --> 39:08.361 to be ready . You're gonna be the tip 39:08.361 --> 39:10.472 of the spear this and that . So we're 39:10.472 --> 39:12.695 doing all these like hard core training 39:12.695 --> 39:14.861 scenarios and stuff like that . We set 39:14.861 --> 39:16.861 up a Mount town in 29 Palms . Uh We 39:16.861 --> 39:19.139 were the first unit to actually use it . 39:19.139 --> 39:21.083 It's still there . Now , it's this 39:21.083 --> 39:22.917 giant mount training , uh mounts 39:22.917 --> 39:25.083 military operations on urban terrain . 39:25.169 --> 39:27.399 So it's like what you do in Iraq , go 39:27.409 --> 39:29.409 in buildings , that type of stuff , 39:29.409 --> 39:31.409 clear it , we help set that up . Uh 39:31.409 --> 39:33.520 We're the first unit to use it . It's 39:33.520 --> 39:35.742 still used there . Now , if you go to , 39:35.742 --> 39:37.909 um , you do mount training out there , 39:37.909 --> 39:40.076 that's the same facility . But when we 39:40.076 --> 39:42.298 did it , it was like five boxes stacked 39:42.298 --> 39:45.489 on top of each shell . Um , so that was 39:45.500 --> 39:47.389 pretty cool . We do all this cool 39:47.389 --> 39:49.689 training and then a month before our 39:49.699 --> 39:51.699 deployment , we find out that we're 39:51.709 --> 39:55.469 gonna go to Fallujah and our captain 39:55.479 --> 39:57.312 decides he doesn't want to go to 39:57.312 --> 40:00.770 Fallujah . So retires um instead of 40:00.780 --> 40:02.891 deploying with us . So we're all kind 40:02.891 --> 40:04.947 of upset again . It's like now we're 40:04.947 --> 40:07.239 going in to Iraq with , you know , 40:07.250 --> 40:09.306 unsteady leadership again . But this 40:09.306 --> 40:11.949 time , at least all of us young guys 40:11.959 --> 40:14.126 that were in the first deployment were 40:14.126 --> 40:16.330 now all now leaders , um senior 40:16.340 --> 40:18.451 leadership positions , team leaders , 40:18.580 --> 40:20.913 uh squad lead , some of the our seniors , 40:20.913 --> 40:22.913 the good ones that were there , the 40:22.913 --> 40:25.136 first appointment stayed in re enlisted 40:25.136 --> 40:27.247 and now there are our squad leaders . 40:27.247 --> 40:29.469 Um Platoon sert are all pretty good for 40:29.469 --> 40:31.580 the most part . So we were all locked 40:31.580 --> 40:33.760 in , excited and then we got a new CEO 40:33.770 --> 40:36.103 um and the officers in the Marine Corps , 40:36.350 --> 40:39.379 they can come from any other um M OS 40:39.389 --> 40:41.556 and work an infantry unit , leadership 40:41.556 --> 40:44.110 position . So this guy was from , I 40:44.120 --> 40:46.350 think like an S shop S two S3 , 40:46.360 --> 40:48.416 something like that , which was like 40:48.416 --> 40:50.638 paperwork , desk work type deal . So no 40:50.638 --> 40:53.620 infantry experience previously . Not a 40:53.629 --> 40:56.629 good start . We go to Iraq , go to 40:56.639 --> 40:58.760 Fallujah . We're stationed on the out 40:58.770 --> 41:00.937 like I think it's west outside part of 41:00.937 --> 41:04.310 Fallujah . Um We had black , there was 41:04.320 --> 41:07.100 an E C P which is an entry checkpoint . 41:07.439 --> 41:09.606 Um We worked traffic in and out of the 41:09.606 --> 41:11.772 city . There's like servant teams kind 41:11.772 --> 41:13.883 of like when you come up to your gate 41:13.883 --> 41:15.772 here to get on the base here . Um 41:15.772 --> 41:17.939 Little more rudimentary sandbags , sco 41:17.939 --> 41:20.106 bears that type of stuff . And then we 41:20.106 --> 41:22.217 had a dam that we worked as well . Uh 41:22.217 --> 41:24.495 We would rotate , we had four platoons , 41:24.495 --> 41:26.717 1st , 2nd , 3rd and a weapons platoon . 41:26.717 --> 41:29.050 Each platoon would rotate between those . 41:29.050 --> 41:31.540 We had two at black , one at E C P and 41:31.550 --> 41:34.659 then one at the dam at all times . Um 41:35.520 --> 41:38.040 Voting is coming up around . I think it 41:38.050 --> 41:40.879 was October , October 41:40.889 --> 41:44.040 2005 . Iraqis are getting ready for 41:44.050 --> 41:46.979 voting . So the battalion commander , 41:46.989 --> 41:49.045 it's like let's clear out the town . 41:49.045 --> 41:51.100 We're gonna do this big raid . We're 41:51.100 --> 41:53.322 gonna hit every , we hit every house in 41:53.322 --> 41:55.545 the whole town , outskirt of everything 41:55.545 --> 41:58.000 all at once . Um This giant operation , 41:58.010 --> 42:00.610 it was pretty cool . Um We had kind of 42:00.620 --> 42:02.676 did some training like that where we 42:02.676 --> 42:05.800 went with a whole company and we did 42:05.810 --> 42:08.050 like this big snake they call it and we 42:08.060 --> 42:10.060 just kind of went in and raided all 42:10.060 --> 42:12.227 these houses at the same time . It was 42:12.227 --> 42:14.338 really cool . So , that's what we did 42:14.338 --> 42:16.570 there . Um , our platoon , we did it , 42:16.580 --> 42:19.580 uh , no real action . Nothing too bad . 42:19.909 --> 42:21.631 Uh , found a few weapons , few 42:21.631 --> 42:24.239 explosives like that . Didn't take any 42:24.250 --> 42:26.250 real small arms fire , nothing like 42:26.250 --> 42:28.810 that . Weapons platoon was with our CEO 42:29.510 --> 42:31.969 um , they were securing a school near 42:31.979 --> 42:34.949 there and , uh , I , I'm in the humvee 42:34.959 --> 42:36.959 at this point because we're already 42:36.959 --> 42:39.070 finished . We hear we're all on the , 42:39.070 --> 42:41.237 on the radio and we hear our captain , 42:41.237 --> 42:43.237 this new captain or whatever , he's 42:43.237 --> 42:45.070 yelling at them to go in . And I 42:45.070 --> 42:47.237 recognize one of the guys on the radio 42:47.237 --> 42:49.348 who's telling to go f himself , we're 42:49.348 --> 42:51.459 not going in there . Um And then what 42:51.459 --> 42:53.403 happened was in the doorway of the 42:53.403 --> 42:55.626 school . They had put an I E D in there 42:55.626 --> 42:57.737 explosives that was gonna trigger and 42:57.737 --> 42:59.959 they had told him that and he was in so 42:59.959 --> 43:02.340 insistent that they go in there . Um 43:02.350 --> 43:04.461 But they wouldn't wanna go in because 43:04.461 --> 43:06.683 they're gonna get blown up and die . So 43:06.683 --> 43:08.517 the battalion commander ended up 43:08.517 --> 43:10.517 getting on the horn and told him to 43:10.517 --> 43:12.780 stand down . And uh so he got fired 43:12.790 --> 43:14.957 right after that . They took him off , 43:14.957 --> 43:17.439 put him in uh camp Fallujah behind it 43:17.449 --> 43:19.616 is in some , we saw him later . He was 43:19.616 --> 43:21.838 in a , like a trailer behind the door . 43:21.838 --> 43:24.439 He had like a little tiny desk . Um 43:24.449 --> 43:26.560 When , when you swung open the door , 43:26.560 --> 43:29.250 it would , it would hit his desk so he 43:29.260 --> 43:31.260 was on the no , no list for a while 43:31.260 --> 43:33.482 there . I don't know what ever happened 43:33.482 --> 43:35.538 to him , but I'm sure it was nothing 43:35.538 --> 43:37.760 good , hopefully . Um So we get another 43:37.760 --> 43:40.310 uh new C O in country there . It was 43:40.320 --> 43:42.389 the same type of situation . No , 43:42.399 --> 43:45.649 infantry experience . Very new . Um 43:46.120 --> 43:49.050 Never listened to a lot of orders . Um 43:49.300 --> 43:51.550 27 , you're getting a theme here . 27 43:51.560 --> 43:53.479 has a lot of bad leadership . Um 43:53.489 --> 43:55.750 especially the time I was in just poor 43:55.760 --> 43:58.899 decision making , things like that . So 43:58.909 --> 44:02.389 we get the new CEO um that was 44:02.399 --> 44:05.889 October November , December , 44:06.129 --> 44:07.962 November . We're , we're kind of 44:07.962 --> 44:10.185 working with them , figuring them out . 44:10.185 --> 44:12.351 We , we see , we know his flaws at the 44:12.351 --> 44:14.573 after like a couple of weeks , we could 44:14.573 --> 44:14.500 figure out what you're good at and what 44:14.510 --> 44:16.621 you're not good at and how we can get 44:16.621 --> 44:20.409 around uh working with you . But so 44:20.489 --> 44:23.449 what happened in November was they were 44:23.479 --> 44:27.280 the , um it was , were 44:27.290 --> 44:30.469 fighting at that point putting in like 44:30.479 --> 44:32.750 explosives in your O P S . So orders 44:32.760 --> 44:35.709 had come out O P S observation post not 44:35.719 --> 44:37.941 to reuse the same observation post more 44:37.941 --> 44:40.052 than once . If you do go back to that 44:40.052 --> 44:42.275 observation post , you have to sweep it 44:42.275 --> 44:45.959 with metal detectors . Well , um we , 44:45.969 --> 44:47.969 he ignored that . We always use the 44:47.969 --> 44:51.290 same P S which nobody liked . Um So 44:51.300 --> 44:53.522 we're doing patrols November , we start 44:53.522 --> 44:55.929 doing the platoon , the second platoon 44:55.939 --> 44:58.419 that was in black , they would go out 44:58.429 --> 45:01.370 for a week at a time and just do 45:01.379 --> 45:03.435 patrols . You would sleep wherever , 45:03.435 --> 45:05.820 take over a house , sleep on the roof . 45:05.830 --> 45:08.199 Um Because what they were doing was on 45:08.209 --> 45:10.879 the MS R that ran into Fallujah . They 45:10.889 --> 45:13.056 were planting I E DS at night time and 45:13.056 --> 45:15.530 stuff like that . So these patrols were 45:15.540 --> 45:17.707 set up to try to prevent that . We had 45:17.707 --> 45:19.929 to do observation posts on the roadways 45:19.929 --> 45:22.151 at night on the main MS R and there was 45:22.151 --> 45:24.318 only so many houses you can do there . 45:24.318 --> 45:26.484 So sometimes we would sleep in ditches 45:26.484 --> 45:28.651 and stuff like that in the desert . So 45:28.651 --> 45:31.610 we started that up um to last two weeks 45:31.620 --> 45:34.489 of November . Um That was us , that was 45:34.500 --> 45:37.300 my , um my platoon , we were all out 45:37.330 --> 45:40.459 with four squads at that point in time . 45:40.500 --> 45:43.550 I was a team leader , um training to be 45:43.560 --> 45:45.616 a squad leader as a lance corporal , 45:45.616 --> 45:48.409 which is unheard of . Um So I had kind 45:48.419 --> 45:51.149 of had my own squad and we were doing 45:51.159 --> 45:53.620 different operations . We were out for 45:53.639 --> 45:55.639 one week . We were supposed to come 45:55.639 --> 45:58.510 back in . Um They denied us to come 45:58.520 --> 46:01.350 back in because the other weapons 46:01.360 --> 46:03.919 platoon just came back in or whatever 46:03.929 --> 46:05.873 and they were tired . So we stay , 46:05.873 --> 46:08.199 stayed out an extra week , um doing the 46:08.209 --> 46:10.790 same stuff . We're just tired , there's 46:10.800 --> 46:13.078 no showers , there's nothing out there . 46:13.078 --> 46:15.060 Um It's hot in the day time , just 46:15.070 --> 46:17.389 exhausted . So we want to come back in . 46:17.399 --> 46:21.149 It's like November 30th 31st . 46:21.770 --> 46:25.270 Um , C L wouldn't let us come back in 46:25.419 --> 46:27.586 this point . We're in Flower Factory , 46:27.586 --> 46:29.475 which is Observation post . We're 46:29.475 --> 46:31.830 living out there . We took it over , um , 46:31.840 --> 46:35.199 from weapons platoon and 46:35.409 --> 46:37.889 December 1st comes , we want to go back 46:37.899 --> 46:39.899 again again . He said , all right . 46:39.899 --> 46:42.121 Well , we're gonna do a promo promotion 46:42.121 --> 46:44.010 ceremony first . Everyone got mad 46:44.010 --> 46:46.010 because why would we do a promotion 46:46.010 --> 46:48.121 ceremony in an observation post would 46:48.121 --> 46:50.288 just drive two blocks down the road to 46:50.709 --> 46:52.820 and do it there . It's not that big a 46:52.820 --> 46:54.987 deal . Most of the people were getting 46:54.987 --> 46:57.098 Wayne Coral , which is given to you . 46:57.098 --> 46:59.098 They had actually rated it like the 46:59.098 --> 47:01.042 month prior . Um So it was nothing 47:01.042 --> 47:03.459 special . No need to do it there . He 47:03.469 --> 47:05.636 insisted on it . Everyone's yelling at 47:05.636 --> 47:08.419 him or staffs are clay who was there . 47:08.429 --> 47:10.659 He's cursing them out and stuff on the 47:10.669 --> 47:12.780 radio like no , no , no , we're doing 47:12.780 --> 47:15.540 it . So it's night time . We got 47:15.550 --> 47:17.661 security set up . We're doing , we do 47:17.661 --> 47:19.828 the , he does the promotion ceremony . 47:19.828 --> 47:21.994 We're all together , which is stupid . 47:21.994 --> 47:24.106 You have 40 infantry marines standing 47:24.106 --> 47:26.272 in the middle of this flower factory , 47:26.272 --> 47:28.328 which is not a real factory at all . 47:28.328 --> 47:30.439 It's a brick wall , probably the size 47:30.439 --> 47:32.494 of a football field , maybe not even 47:32.494 --> 47:34.717 half a football field . Uh Just a brick 47:34.717 --> 47:36.828 wall that used to pound flour in it . 47:36.828 --> 47:39.050 And that's why it was called the Flower 47:39.050 --> 47:41.050 Factory . So we're in the middle of 47:41.050 --> 47:42.994 this standing there . Um He does a 47:42.994 --> 47:45.699 promotion ceremony , bunch of P F CS G 47:45.709 --> 47:49.300 L couple got that was a big deal . 47:49.699 --> 47:51.719 Um And when you get promoted in the 47:51.729 --> 47:55.110 Marine Corps , we wear um metal 47:55.120 --> 47:58.169 chevrons and they like to hit you on 47:58.179 --> 48:00.012 the Chevron and jam it into your 48:00.012 --> 48:02.389 collarbone . So we did all that to the , 48:02.399 --> 48:04.566 all the boots and the corals and stuff 48:04.566 --> 48:08.419 like that . Um , and then they're like , 48:08.429 --> 48:10.429 ok , go back . So I was walking , I 48:10.429 --> 48:13.149 took about six steps , 6 to 10 steps 48:13.219 --> 48:15.310 forward and I was going back to my 48:15.320 --> 48:17.949 humvee to relieve the guy that was in 48:17.959 --> 48:20.929 the turret providing security . Um , 48:20.939 --> 48:22.828 and I heard , hey Larson , I turn 48:22.828 --> 48:26.439 around and then just darkness like I 48:26.449 --> 48:28.699 don't know what the heck happened . I , 48:29.760 --> 48:31.649 and that's when the ID went off . 48:31.649 --> 48:34.229 Basically , I wake up , I can't hear 48:34.239 --> 48:36.750 anything . I can't see anything . I 48:36.760 --> 48:38.760 have no idea what happened . I just 48:38.760 --> 48:41.770 hear it ringing in my ears and I open 48:41.780 --> 48:45.570 my eyes and , um , I just can't see 48:45.580 --> 48:48.080 like there's all this sand in my eyes 48:48.090 --> 48:50.201 and it hurts like I'm blinking , it's 48:50.201 --> 48:52.760 hurting . Um , I , I don't know what 48:52.770 --> 48:55.048 happened at that time . I just wake up . 48:55.048 --> 48:57.048 I thought my grenade had went off , 48:57.048 --> 48:59.159 like maybe I pulled the pin or we got 48:59.159 --> 49:01.370 hit by a mortar . So I try to get up . 49:01.620 --> 49:04.919 Um , I'm like , trying to sit up and I 49:04.929 --> 49:07.040 couldn't get up . I , I couldn't move 49:07.040 --> 49:09.510 my arm . I couldn't move my leg . I can 49:09.520 --> 49:12.120 only move my left arm . So I was like 49:12.129 --> 49:15.419 freaking out . And um I just hear this 49:15.429 --> 49:18.500 voice and it was the last voice that I 49:18.510 --> 49:20.788 wanted to hear . At that point in time , 49:20.788 --> 49:22.788 we had this guy named Kimball Kimba 49:22.788 --> 49:25.219 from Oklahoma . I don't know about all 49:25.229 --> 49:27.396 people from Oklahoma , but Kimball was 49:27.396 --> 49:29.396 not the best representative of , of 49:29.396 --> 49:32.620 Oklahoma . He , every time we talk to 49:32.629 --> 49:34.629 him it's one word answers , maybe a 49:34.629 --> 49:36.629 sentence he says at the most and he 49:36.629 --> 49:39.570 mumbles it and he kind of like it out . 49:39.580 --> 49:41.802 He sound like the guy from Blade if you 49:41.802 --> 49:44.024 ever saw that movie , Billy Bob Thorn , 49:46.020 --> 49:48.076 Larson . Like , why did you join the 49:48.076 --> 49:51.719 Marine Corps ? Kill Bodies ? So 49:51.750 --> 49:53.972 when I wake up , I could finally like , 49:54.169 --> 49:57.840 kinda hear stuff I , I could kinda like 49:57.850 --> 50:01.310 see a little bit and I see Kimba 50:01.320 --> 50:04.290 face over my face and I was like , God 50:04.580 --> 50:08.209 it , this is the last verse I want to 50:08.219 --> 50:10.820 hear and I think I said it out loud . I 50:10.830 --> 50:14.810 was like , f Kim or something 50:14.820 --> 50:18.750 like that because like , uh immediately 50:18.760 --> 50:20.927 after one of my other buddies gray was 50:20.927 --> 50:23.038 like my best buddy . He like , pushed 50:23.038 --> 50:25.093 Kim aside and he was like , Larson . 50:25.093 --> 50:27.260 Are you all right ? And I was like , I 50:27.260 --> 50:29.482 don't know , I can't see anything . You 50:29.482 --> 50:31.649 got all the scene in my eye and he was 50:31.649 --> 50:31.159 like , can't move my arm or nothing . 50:31.169 --> 50:33.391 What the heck ? And he's like , I'll be 50:33.391 --> 50:35.558 all right and he like , poured a bunch 50:35.558 --> 50:37.502 of water on me , which didn't help 50:37.502 --> 50:39.558 because it was like drowning me . Um 50:40.610 --> 50:43.610 But I'm still messed up and then I 50:43.620 --> 50:45.787 can't move or whatever . I'm trying to 50:45.787 --> 50:47.898 figure out what's going on . Nobody's 50:47.898 --> 50:49.676 telling me anything . Um I just 50:49.676 --> 50:51.731 remember like every time I blink the 50:51.731 --> 50:55.179 sands digging into my eyeballs . Um 50:55.590 --> 50:57.590 and still trying to figure out what 50:57.590 --> 50:59.479 happened . Like , I'm , I'm kinda 50:59.479 --> 51:01.812 reaching around to feel what's going on . 51:01.812 --> 51:03.979 I couldn't feel anything . Um And then 51:03.979 --> 51:06.239 do Jordan , the Corman comes over , 51:06.399 --> 51:08.621 does some stuff and you're gonna be all 51:08.621 --> 51:10.621 right , like what he did was hit me 51:10.621 --> 51:13.939 with morphine . Um I remember laying 51:13.949 --> 51:16.282 there , it seemed like forever . It was , 51:16.282 --> 51:18.282 I think it was 15 , 20 minutes . It 51:18.282 --> 51:20.282 actually took them to get me in the 51:20.282 --> 51:23.399 humvee . Uh What happened was uh the 51:23.409 --> 51:25.879 rest of the , there was 10 , all 40 of 51:25.889 --> 51:28.879 us were in this flower factory , the 51:28.889 --> 51:32.429 555 millimeter artillery shells blew up 51:32.439 --> 51:35.409 which pressure plate activated a 155 51:35.419 --> 51:37.586 shells like about the size of my leg . 51:37.586 --> 51:39.808 Here , there was five of those buried . 51:39.808 --> 51:41.919 So it was a massive explosion . Uh We 51:41.919 --> 51:44.086 had one squad that was about two miles 51:44.086 --> 51:47.580 away uh doing the MS R coverage as 51:47.590 --> 51:49.701 well and he said they thought the sun 51:49.701 --> 51:51.701 rose , that's how bright it was and 51:51.701 --> 51:53.646 large of an explosion . It was the 51:53.646 --> 51:55.590 largest explosion at the time . Uh 51:55.590 --> 51:57.646 December 1st 2005 . So what happened 51:57.646 --> 52:01.530 was , um , we all got blown up . 10 52:01.540 --> 52:03.707 people were seriously , 10 people died 52:03.707 --> 52:05.873 in that explosion . But at that time , 52:06.209 --> 52:08.542 uh , the two Corpsmen we had , who were , 52:08.542 --> 52:10.765 there were trying to work on them . And 52:10.765 --> 52:12.987 the problem was they got blown up too , 52:12.987 --> 52:15.209 so they had to wake up and then realize 52:15.209 --> 52:17.376 what was going on and start working on 52:17.376 --> 52:19.487 people . So Doc Jordan , he got blown 52:19.487 --> 52:21.487 up , knocked out right next to me , 52:21.487 --> 52:23.598 actually woke up a little bit after I 52:23.598 --> 52:25.598 did . And when he realized what was 52:25.598 --> 52:27.765 going on , started going right to work 52:27.765 --> 52:29.598 on me and then moved on . Um The 52:29.598 --> 52:31.709 problem was two things why we took so 52:31.709 --> 52:33.876 long to leave one , they couldn't find 52:33.876 --> 52:36.320 stash a clay and two , the first 52:36.330 --> 52:38.560 sergeant , we had had no idea what to 52:38.570 --> 52:41.030 do . So he was just sitting there in 52:41.040 --> 52:43.320 shock and awe , like paralyzed , not 52:43.330 --> 52:46.850 able to talk or do anything . So , um 52:46.860 --> 52:48.916 they ended up like , finally I think 52:48.916 --> 52:51.027 someone slapped him or punched him in 52:51.027 --> 52:53.138 the face or whatever and just rounded 52:53.138 --> 52:55.193 everyone up . They loaded up all the 52:55.193 --> 52:57.416 people that they , that weren't dead to 52:57.416 --> 52:57.399 the Humvees . And we took off to 52:57.409 --> 52:59.699 Fallujah Medical uh Clay . 52:59.709 --> 53:01.931 Unfortunately , they found him . He got 53:01.931 --> 53:04.300 blown over the wall into the darkness 53:04.310 --> 53:06.739 and we found him like a couple hours 53:06.750 --> 53:10.189 later . So I go to Fallujah Medical . 53:10.739 --> 53:14.030 Um This sound like I'm conscious or 53:14.040 --> 53:16.262 whatever , talking , everyone's talking 53:16.262 --> 53:18.373 to me trying to keep me awake because 53:18.373 --> 53:18.080 I'm tired . I'm just like , I'm so 53:18.090 --> 53:20.257 tired , I've never been so tired in my 53:20.257 --> 53:22.379 life at that point . Um So everyone's 53:22.389 --> 53:24.556 talking to me , they're doing this and 53:24.556 --> 53:26.611 that . Get the Fallujah medical . Um 53:26.989 --> 53:29.679 They cut off all my and stuff like that . 53:29.689 --> 53:31.467 They go to work on me , they're 53:31.467 --> 53:33.745 stabilizing me . People just coming in . 53:33.745 --> 53:35.967 I can only see people over me . So it's 53:35.967 --> 53:38.078 like someone here , someone here this 53:38.078 --> 53:41.550 and that um , finally like , whatever , 53:41.560 --> 53:43.727 they're like , I think I heard someone 53:43.727 --> 53:45.838 say like , oh , I , I think we got it 53:45.838 --> 53:47.893 all or whatever and I was like , I'm 53:47.893 --> 53:50.004 tired , I'm gonna go to sleep and the 53:50.004 --> 53:49.810 guy's like , go , go to sleep and I was 53:49.820 --> 53:52.610 like , I'm going to sleep and that was 53:52.620 --> 53:54.731 it and I woke up , it was just in and 53:54.731 --> 53:57.090 out of it from that point on . Um , one 53:57.100 --> 53:59.800 point I woke up and someone told me , I 53:59.830 --> 54:02.120 think it was in Baghdad woke up in a 54:02.129 --> 54:05.979 room . Um , and it , it was an 54:05.989 --> 54:07.767 operating room . I think it was 54:07.767 --> 54:09.989 operating in the hallway or something . 54:09.989 --> 54:09.290 I don't know , there's all these 54:09.300 --> 54:12.070 doctors over me doing work on me and I 54:12.080 --> 54:14.191 was like , I gotta go pee and they're 54:14.191 --> 54:16.358 like , don't go pee . And I was like , 54:16.358 --> 54:18.770 I gotta go pee and I went pee . And so 54:19.530 --> 54:21.752 it was like a lady because she's like , 54:21.820 --> 54:22.820 because I got her 54:25.489 --> 54:27.600 so that I think they knocked me out . 54:27.600 --> 54:30.530 After that I woke up in a tent at one 54:30.540 --> 54:33.300 point somewhere . And all these , like 54:33.310 --> 54:35.532 people that weren't really that injured 54:35.532 --> 54:37.754 were there and they're eating pizza . I 54:37.754 --> 54:40.032 remember that because someone was like , 54:40.032 --> 54:39.540 you want pizza and they're just , like , 54:40.389 --> 54:44.239 nodded off again and then at some point 54:44.250 --> 54:46.528 in time , I guess they shipped me here . 54:46.528 --> 54:49.550 Um , I woke up here , I don't , I think 54:49.560 --> 54:51.782 was , I think it was in the IC U here . 54:51.782 --> 54:53.949 I don't remember that . I woke up in a 54:53.949 --> 54:57.929 big room . Um I couldn't , my arm was 54:57.939 --> 55:01.250 in a like stabilized . I couldn't move 55:01.260 --> 55:03.482 it . I think it was a big foam square . 55:03.482 --> 55:05.593 They put me in and it was like this . 55:05.593 --> 55:08.189 Um I had external fixator on my right 55:08.199 --> 55:11.340 leg and then I was in traction . So it 55:11.350 --> 55:15.139 was like up in the air and then my face 55:15.149 --> 55:18.260 was all charred . I had the sand blast , 55:18.270 --> 55:20.381 the blast hit me all on my right side 55:20.381 --> 55:23.000 here . Um And the sand like blast hit 55:23.010 --> 55:25.177 my whole face . So it was like half my 55:25.177 --> 55:27.232 face was black , kind of looked like 55:27.232 --> 55:29.343 two face from the batman comic book . 55:29.343 --> 55:31.566 Um , still have that sand in my lip and 55:31.566 --> 55:33.843 stuff like that . Um So I woke up here , 55:33.843 --> 55:35.969 Doc Jordan was here with me in one of 55:35.979 --> 55:38.929 our boots called Dion . They had minor 55:38.939 --> 55:40.772 injuries . Dion ended up getting 55:40.772 --> 55:43.760 shipped back . Doctor stayed with me um , 55:43.770 --> 55:45.979 until I left , uh , Walter Reed in 55:45.989 --> 55:49.830 February of 2006 . Um , but I remember 55:49.840 --> 55:53.540 here , I woke up at one point and 55:53.550 --> 55:56.379 then , um , I had no idea what happened 55:56.389 --> 55:58.389 at this point too . This is , I got 55:58.389 --> 56:00.445 here , we got it blown up . December 56:00.445 --> 56:02.510 1st . I think it was here , December 56:02.520 --> 56:04.798 10th , December 12th , that time frame . 56:05.320 --> 56:07.540 Um , so he , and then he told me what 56:07.550 --> 56:10.040 happened and I remember crying . I was 56:10.050 --> 56:13.860 sad . Um He's like , yeah , we lost 10 56:13.870 --> 56:17.659 guys and he told me who they were . I 56:17.669 --> 56:20.070 couldn't remember half of them because 56:20.379 --> 56:23.379 my brain got rattled . Um But it was 56:23.389 --> 56:26.510 upsetting to hear that and I think it 56:26.520 --> 56:29.199 was the next day we got interviewed by 56:29.209 --> 56:33.090 CNN here . Um on the news , 56:34.120 --> 56:36.176 they did a live broadcast which they 56:36.176 --> 56:38.398 confused me with Doc Jordan . Do Jordan 56:38.398 --> 56:41.790 is not a hard guy to recognize because 56:41.959 --> 56:45.159 he's a big huge black guy , bald and 56:45.169 --> 56:47.113 he's like really black . It's like 56:47.113 --> 56:49.520 Wesley Snipes kind of dark black . Um 56:50.189 --> 56:52.729 So I don't know why she asked us like 56:52.739 --> 56:54.906 10 questions . Each wrote down a bunch 56:54.906 --> 56:56.906 of our information . We go live and 56:56.906 --> 56:59.010 then she , she's asking me his 56:59.020 --> 57:01.760 questions , they have his name over my 57:01.770 --> 57:04.679 feed , my name over him and she's 57:04.689 --> 57:07.000 asking him my questions , asking me his 57:07.010 --> 57:09.020 question . It was a mess . I didn't 57:09.030 --> 57:11.252 find that out till later though because 57:11.252 --> 57:13.308 I don't remember doing the interview 57:13.308 --> 57:15.530 was on a lot of morphine at that time . 57:15.750 --> 57:18.110 So , uh my mom told me later , she was 57:18.120 --> 57:20.342 like , yeah , they didn't even have the 57:20.342 --> 57:23.179 right people . Uh Next big I did a lot 57:23.189 --> 57:25.411 of interviews here . I don't know why . 57:25.411 --> 57:27.411 Um Someone told me like , oh , it's 57:27.411 --> 57:29.467 just good to , to tell your story or 57:29.467 --> 57:32.429 whatever . Uh , next big guest we had 57:32.439 --> 57:36.370 here was the W W E and um , I 57:36.379 --> 57:38.820 met with a bunch of the wrestlers there . 57:38.830 --> 57:42.469 Um Triple H was the first guy I talked 57:42.479 --> 57:45.020 to . Um , they had some female 57:45.030 --> 57:47.340 wrestlers who I don't remember . And 57:47.350 --> 57:50.820 the big show came in , he was that , I 57:50.830 --> 57:52.997 remember that one because they had the 57:52.997 --> 57:55.219 big hospital doors here and he had to , 57:55.219 --> 57:57.441 like , duck down to come through . Um , 57:57.441 --> 57:59.219 um , and then he came over , he 57:59.219 --> 58:01.330 actually took our picture and we were 58:01.330 --> 58:03.608 on the cover of stars and stripes . Um , 58:03.608 --> 58:05.552 for that , I guess it's weekly . I 58:05.552 --> 58:07.774 don't know when it comes out . Um , and 58:07.774 --> 58:09.941 then Mick Foley , I talked to , talked 58:09.941 --> 58:12.219 to me for a while . He's actually like , 58:12.219 --> 58:14.441 graduated from an Ivy League school . I 58:14.441 --> 58:16.719 think it was Yale or one of those . Um , 58:16.719 --> 58:18.997 and he told me , well , he's like , oh , 58:18.997 --> 58:18.520 where are you going next ? And I was 58:18.530 --> 58:20.697 like , I don't , I don't know . And do 58:20.699 --> 58:22.866 Jordan was with me , he's like , hey , 58:22.866 --> 58:24.977 you're going to , um , National Naval 58:24.977 --> 58:27.255 Medical Center in Maryland . He's like , 58:27.255 --> 58:28.921 oh , he's like my old college 58:28.921 --> 58:31.032 girlfriend is a doctor there . And so 58:31.032 --> 58:33.032 if you get doctor . So , and so I'm 58:33.032 --> 58:35.143 like , I don't even remember the name 58:35.143 --> 58:37.199 right after he told me , um , he's , 58:37.199 --> 58:39.310 he's like , oh , if you could talk to 58:39.310 --> 58:41.421 whoever , um , tell her you met me or 58:41.421 --> 58:43.643 something like that , I was like , ok , 58:43.643 --> 58:45.755 um , which actually was a funny story 58:45.755 --> 58:47.810 because she was one of my doctors at 58:47.810 --> 58:51.199 Walter or Medical Center . Um , so that 58:51.209 --> 58:53.376 was cool . I met the commandant here , 58:53.376 --> 58:55.653 which I don't remember . He remembered , 58:55.653 --> 58:57.765 told me about it when I met him again 58:57.765 --> 59:00.870 in Maryland . Um Here though , the care 59:00.879 --> 59:03.820 was really good . I remember they , I 59:03.830 --> 59:06.330 have like the side nerve was taken out 59:06.340 --> 59:10.090 on my leg , nerve was taken out and 59:10.100 --> 59:12.211 they gave me this pump thing . It was 59:12.211 --> 59:14.433 like an experimental um pain management 59:14.433 --> 59:16.600 system or whatever . And it was one of 59:16.600 --> 59:18.767 the first people that got it here . Um 59:19.000 --> 59:21.056 I think it worked . I don't know , I 59:21.056 --> 59:23.278 didn't really feel any pain while I was 59:23.278 --> 59:25.278 here . So that was good . They also 59:25.278 --> 59:27.222 have me doing physical therapy and 59:27.222 --> 59:26.989 stuff like that while I was in the room . 59:27.000 --> 59:29.580 I remember that walking around , which 59:29.590 --> 59:31.812 I didn't do when I got to Walter Reed , 59:31.812 --> 59:34.034 I sat there for two months . So it took 59:34.034 --> 59:36.257 me about a month to learn to walk again 59:36.257 --> 59:38.257 after that . So I flew from here to 59:38.257 --> 59:40.368 Walter Reed or National Naval Medical 59:40.368 --> 59:44.169 Center to Walter Reed . Now , um did 59:44.179 --> 59:46.290 the same stuff there . I did a lot of 59:46.290 --> 59:48.123 surgeries I think I had about 20 59:48.123 --> 59:50.290 different surgeries throughout my time 59:50.290 --> 59:52.489 there . I had the largest piece of 59:52.500 --> 59:54.722 shrapnel they ever took out of a living 59:54.722 --> 59:56.833 person there . So I had that record , 59:56.833 --> 59:58.979 had the second longest surgery , um , 59:58.989 --> 01:00:01.045 that my surgeon had ever done in his 01:00:01.045 --> 01:00:03.959 career , which was 18 hours . Uh , they 01:00:03.969 --> 01:00:06.270 put a titanium rod in my femur . My 01:00:06.280 --> 01:00:08.899 femur had been fractured . Um , he's 01:00:08.909 --> 01:00:11.131 like , it'll be a two small incisions , 01:00:11.131 --> 01:00:13.187 about two inches big . One up high , 01:00:13.187 --> 01:00:15.353 one up low . And it'll be like an hour 01:00:15.353 --> 01:00:17.520 long surgery . It'll be super fast and 01:00:17.520 --> 01:00:19.919 nothing to worry about . Woke up . I 01:00:19.929 --> 01:00:21.985 think the surgery was like eight AMI 01:00:21.985 --> 01:00:23.985 woke up and it was like four in the 01:00:23.985 --> 01:00:26.096 morning or something like that or the 01:00:26.096 --> 01:00:28.262 next morning and I was like , what the 01:00:28.262 --> 01:00:30.485 heck happened ? He's like , well , it's 01:00:30.485 --> 01:00:32.919 complicated . Uh , I guess part of the 01:00:32.949 --> 01:00:35.060 inside of the femur , he couldn't get 01:00:35.060 --> 01:00:37.116 the rod in . End up having to like , 01:00:37.116 --> 01:00:39.969 slice my whole thigh and took all this 01:00:39.979 --> 01:00:42.090 work . He's like , yeah , we even ran 01:00:42.090 --> 01:00:44.368 out of your blood . I'm being negative . 01:00:44.368 --> 01:00:46.479 So it's kind of a rare type . I guess 01:00:46.479 --> 01:00:48.535 we ran out of your blood and we were 01:00:48.535 --> 01:00:50.535 just giving you plasma for like the 01:00:50.535 --> 01:00:53.310 last two hours . Um , but he's like , 01:00:53.320 --> 01:00:55.264 at least he got the second longest 01:00:55.264 --> 01:00:57.320 surgery . I have data record . I was 01:00:57.320 --> 01:00:59.487 like , cool . Um , while I was there , 01:00:59.487 --> 01:01:01.598 I met a lot of different people too . 01:01:01.598 --> 01:01:03.431 Um , President Bush I met at the 01:01:03.431 --> 01:01:07.199 hospital , uh , Alex Trebek Henry 01:01:07.209 --> 01:01:09.840 Rollins , I was a huge black flag fan . 01:01:09.850 --> 01:01:12.072 So that was cool . The person to meet , 01:01:12.072 --> 01:01:15.760 uh , left there got sent home , came 01:01:15.770 --> 01:01:19.649 back there to get , you know , orthotic . 01:01:19.659 --> 01:01:22.949 They actually saved my leg . Um , the 01:01:22.959 --> 01:01:24.792 doctor had said if it was a year 01:01:24.792 --> 01:01:26.515 earlier , they would have just 01:01:26.515 --> 01:01:28.626 amputated it right away . Um , he was 01:01:28.626 --> 01:01:30.848 like you could still amputate it if you 01:01:30.848 --> 01:01:32.737 want . But at that point , I just 01:01:32.737 --> 01:01:34.848 wanted to get out of the hospital and 01:01:34.848 --> 01:01:36.959 was tired of surgery and morphine and 01:01:36.959 --> 01:01:39.126 all that . So I kept it , but I had to 01:01:39.126 --> 01:01:41.459 come back to get an orthotic to walk in . 01:01:42.040 --> 01:01:44.290 Um , so I came back and I was there at 01:01:44.300 --> 01:01:46.300 Walter Reed National Human Medical 01:01:46.310 --> 01:01:48.421 Center for about another month . Um , 01:01:48.421 --> 01:01:51.600 so from May on , I was on my own at 01:01:51.629 --> 01:01:54.760 home . My unit , battalion commander 01:01:54.770 --> 01:01:57.750 called me like September and he's like , 01:01:57.760 --> 01:01:59.927 hey , Lance corporal Larson , how's it 01:01:59.927 --> 01:02:02.149 going ? I was like , good . He's like , 01:02:02.149 --> 01:02:04.149 what are you up to ? I'm like , I'm 01:02:04.149 --> 01:02:06.316 just at home . He's like , ok , like , 01:02:06.316 --> 01:02:08.538 are you coming back to the unit ? I was 01:02:08.538 --> 01:02:08.330 like , I don't know , you guys tell me 01:02:08.340 --> 01:02:11.780 what to do . This is 2005 , I guess 01:02:11.790 --> 01:02:13.957 they didn't . And that , that was like 01:02:13.957 --> 01:02:16.080 the first seriously injured me and my 01:02:16.090 --> 01:02:18.312 buddy Grady was first seriously injured 01:02:18.312 --> 01:02:20.423 people that they ever dealt with , so 01:02:20.423 --> 01:02:22.534 they weren't really sure what to do . 01:02:22.534 --> 01:02:25.560 Um , so I ended up getting retired in 01:02:25.570 --> 01:02:29.149 2006 from the Marine Corps . Um , 01:02:29.159 --> 01:02:31.510 floundered around for a while . Uh , I 01:02:31.520 --> 01:02:33.689 can't , I couldn't run at that point . 01:02:33.699 --> 01:02:36.070 The , I had this flimsy plastic brace . 01:02:36.310 --> 01:02:38.199 I usually went through them a lot 01:02:38.199 --> 01:02:40.366 because they're meant for like , older 01:02:40.366 --> 01:02:42.310 people , like , in their sixties , 01:02:42.310 --> 01:02:44.254 fifties . Me being a young guy . I 01:02:44.254 --> 01:02:46.310 would go through them , like , every 01:02:46.310 --> 01:02:48.421 month . Um , but there's not a lot of 01:02:48.421 --> 01:02:50.532 jobs I can do . It was infantry , had 01:02:50.669 --> 01:02:52.891 no real prior work experience . Usually 01:02:52.891 --> 01:02:54.947 infantry marines when they get out , 01:02:54.947 --> 01:02:57.002 they do police work , firefighting , 01:02:57.002 --> 01:02:59.113 that type of thing , which weren't an 01:02:59.113 --> 01:03:01.225 option for me . So I bounced around , 01:03:01.225 --> 01:03:03.336 um , doing a lot of odds and ends . I 01:03:03.336 --> 01:03:05.336 worked at Pizza Hut for a while . I 01:03:05.336 --> 01:03:07.502 worked at Sears . I sold insurance . I 01:03:07.502 --> 01:03:09.558 think I had like 15 jobs between the 01:03:09.558 --> 01:03:11.502 job I had in from when I got out . 01:03:11.502 --> 01:03:13.725 Eventually I got a job with the va they 01:03:13.725 --> 01:03:15.891 had a program where they hired wounded 01:03:15.891 --> 01:03:18.002 vets to do project management because 01:03:18.002 --> 01:03:20.280 it was a field that they were short in . 01:03:20.280 --> 01:03:22.502 So I T project management , information 01:03:22.502 --> 01:03:24.613 technology . So I went to a school in 01:03:24.613 --> 01:03:26.836 Maryland for two years , learned how to 01:03:26.836 --> 01:03:28.836 do it while I was there . I had met 01:03:28.836 --> 01:03:30.891 this army guy who was in the program 01:03:30.891 --> 01:03:33.002 with me and he's like , oh , have you 01:03:33.002 --> 01:03:35.225 ever heard of wounded warrior project ? 01:03:35.225 --> 01:03:37.280 And I was like , yeah , they call me 01:03:37.280 --> 01:03:39.447 every month and ask me how I'm doing , 01:03:39.447 --> 01:03:41.725 he's like , no , it's not what they do . 01:03:41.725 --> 01:03:43.836 That's wounded warrior regiment . And 01:03:43.836 --> 01:03:45.891 the Marine Corps has wounded warrior 01:03:45.891 --> 01:03:48.113 regiment , which they just call you and 01:03:48.113 --> 01:03:47.439 ask you if you're doing how you're 01:03:47.449 --> 01:03:49.505 doing . If you need anything , stuff 01:03:49.505 --> 01:03:51.449 like that , he's like , project is 01:03:51.449 --> 01:03:54.070 completely different . He's like , um , 01:03:54.699 --> 01:03:56.866 come to an event with me or whatever , 01:03:56.866 --> 01:03:58.866 see how it goes . So we went to our 01:03:58.866 --> 01:04:01.032 event . The first event I ever did was 01:04:01.032 --> 01:04:04.879 Chucky Cheese . It was good because I 01:04:04.889 --> 01:04:07.270 had a , a daughter at that time um when 01:04:07.280 --> 01:04:09.729 she was three , but he came along , he 01:04:09.739 --> 01:04:12.229 had no kids . It's kind of weird . Uh 01:04:13.060 --> 01:04:15.629 What's wrong with this guy anyway , so 01:04:15.639 --> 01:04:17.750 we were playing games . I was beating 01:04:17.750 --> 01:04:19.806 him out on this and that . Um and he 01:04:19.806 --> 01:04:21.972 kind of kept doing that with me like , 01:04:21.972 --> 01:04:24.139 oh there's this other event going on . 01:04:24.139 --> 01:04:26.250 Do you wanna come ? We did a bunch of 01:04:26.250 --> 01:04:28.417 Comic Cons in New York . Um stuff like 01:04:28.417 --> 01:04:30.472 that because I used to read comics , 01:04:30.472 --> 01:04:32.583 like I was an artist in high school . 01:04:32.583 --> 01:04:34.917 So I drew comic books , stuff like that . 01:04:34.917 --> 01:04:36.917 And he was into comics too . He was 01:04:36.917 --> 01:04:39.028 actually in Walter Reed Army Hospital 01:04:39.028 --> 01:04:41.250 at the same time . I was in uh National 01:04:41.250 --> 01:04:43.250 Medical Center . So we were kind of 01:04:43.250 --> 01:04:45.417 down the road . Um So he was always in 01:04:45.417 --> 01:04:47.417 the comic books . I had been in the 01:04:47.417 --> 01:04:49.639 comic books . He was like , let's go to 01:04:49.639 --> 01:04:49.580 Comic Con New York or whatever it was a 01:04:49.989 --> 01:04:52.540 event , we went out to meet all these 01:04:52.550 --> 01:04:54.550 celebrities , artists , things like 01:04:54.550 --> 01:04:56.661 that . It was a great experience . Um 01:04:56.661 --> 01:04:58.717 So I kept doing those type of things 01:04:58.717 --> 01:05:00.939 and before that , like , I had a lot of 01:05:00.939 --> 01:05:03.050 problems , I would just sit at home , 01:05:03.050 --> 01:05:05.879 drink all the time . Depressed , 01:05:05.889 --> 01:05:08.056 couldn't do anything , didn't wanna be 01:05:08.056 --> 01:05:10.222 around , people , didn't like people . 01:05:10.222 --> 01:05:12.278 Um Especially if you're from another 01:05:12.278 --> 01:05:14.445 branch because Rings are like almighty 01:05:14.445 --> 01:05:16.445 or whatever . We think we're better 01:05:16.445 --> 01:05:18.389 than everyone else , especially if 01:05:18.389 --> 01:05:20.500 you're infantry . Um So it's still in 01:05:20.500 --> 01:05:23.060 that narrow , simple minded mindset . 01:05:23.429 --> 01:05:26.899 Um So he and he was an army guy which 01:05:26.909 --> 01:05:29.020 first , I kind of didn't want to talk 01:05:29.020 --> 01:05:30.965 to him because of that , but doing 01:05:30.965 --> 01:05:32.965 those events and that type of thing 01:05:32.965 --> 01:05:34.965 with him kind of got me out of that 01:05:34.965 --> 01:05:36.965 funk , got me out of that groove of 01:05:36.965 --> 01:05:39.076 just drinking all the time . Uh Being 01:05:39.076 --> 01:05:41.159 less depressed and introduced me to 01:05:41.169 --> 01:05:44.600 this whole new mindset and , you know , 01:05:44.610 --> 01:05:47.250 view of , of people in general , not 01:05:47.260 --> 01:05:49.969 just other branches . Um And I kind of 01:05:49.979 --> 01:05:52.659 realized like everyone's pretty similar . 01:05:52.669 --> 01:05:55.340 We all had different experiences , took 01:05:55.350 --> 01:05:57.572 them differently but it all affected us 01:05:57.572 --> 01:06:00.649 in some way , shape or form . Um And 01:06:00.979 --> 01:06:03.219 there's different stages to that type 01:06:03.229 --> 01:06:05.451 of recovery and that type of thing . Uh 01:06:05.451 --> 01:06:07.396 Some people are still in the early 01:06:07.396 --> 01:06:09.673 stages . Some people are more advanced , 01:06:09.673 --> 01:06:11.896 uh things you pick up along the way . I 01:06:11.896 --> 01:06:13.951 kind of realize all that . Now I did 01:06:13.951 --> 01:06:16.639 back then . Um So it was really good . 01:06:16.649 --> 01:06:19.399 Um That's , that's how project like 01:06:19.409 --> 01:06:21.631 helped me out was going to those events 01:06:21.631 --> 01:06:23.860 getting out and about , um got me out 01:06:23.870 --> 01:06:25.981 of my depression , my drinking , that 01:06:25.981 --> 01:06:28.429 type of stuff and then made me like , 01:06:28.560 --> 01:06:30.919 change my view of people and have more 01:06:30.929 --> 01:06:32.929 respect for people and that type of 01:06:32.929 --> 01:06:35.159 thing . Um I've done other things with 01:06:35.169 --> 01:06:38.280 them . I've done Solder Rides , uh did 01:06:38.290 --> 01:06:40.623 Project Odyssey , which was really good . 01:06:40.623 --> 01:06:43.360 Um If you have PTSD , severe PST S D or 01:06:43.370 --> 01:06:46.110 any kind of PTSD um struggling with 01:06:46.120 --> 01:06:48.287 your emotions or things like that , do 01:06:48.287 --> 01:06:50.287 a project that will really help you 01:06:50.287 --> 01:06:53.500 helped me . I was pretty late , like , 01:06:53.550 --> 01:06:55.790 and I was pretty good with PTSD at that 01:06:55.800 --> 01:06:58.889 point . Um So I kind of went and saw 01:06:58.899 --> 01:07:01.810 how I used to be , there's people there 01:07:01.820 --> 01:07:04.379 that are all different stages . Um But 01:07:04.389 --> 01:07:06.278 you're able to help those kind of 01:07:06.278 --> 01:07:08.389 people like , hey , this thing helped 01:07:08.389 --> 01:07:10.556 me try this , that type of deal . It's 01:07:10.556 --> 01:07:12.611 very good . It's a week long thing . 01:07:12.611 --> 01:07:14.778 They usually take you someplace nice . 01:07:14.778 --> 01:07:16.722 We went to Hawks Cay in Key West , 01:07:16.722 --> 01:07:18.889 which is like super expensive resort . 01:07:18.889 --> 01:07:20.833 You can go fishing there , which I 01:07:20.833 --> 01:07:22.945 didn't get to do kind of bummed out . 01:07:23.600 --> 01:07:26.840 But um , so I've done that , those type 01:07:26.850 --> 01:07:28.739 of things with them that's really 01:07:28.739 --> 01:07:30.961 helped me . I've never really used some 01:07:30.961 --> 01:07:33.128 of the other ones but they do a lot of 01:07:33.128 --> 01:07:35.183 other great work . Uh Benefits , big 01:07:35.183 --> 01:07:37.239 thing . People use them for now . Um 01:07:37.500 --> 01:07:39.611 One of our buddies , they just helped 01:07:39.611 --> 01:07:43.110 him get 100% with the va so , and now I 01:07:43.120 --> 01:07:45.064 do this , which I never would have 01:07:45.064 --> 01:07:47.120 thought before . I it was , couldn't 01:07:47.120 --> 01:07:49.287 even like , uh Donna said , I couldn't 01:07:49.287 --> 01:07:51.398 even talk to two people , let alone a 01:07:51.398 --> 01:07:55.360 whole room full of people . So that's 01:07:55.370 --> 01:07:56.510 it . Any questions 01:08:09.939 --> 01:08:11.995 Donna and Mike ? I want to thank you 01:08:11.995 --> 01:08:14.050 from the bottom of our art for being 01:08:14.050 --> 01:08:15.939 here and uh presenting . Uh But I 01:08:15.939 --> 01:08:17.995 really wanna thank you guys for your 01:08:17.995 --> 01:08:17.649 service . I wanna thank you for your 01:08:17.660 --> 01:08:20.009 dedication . I wanna thank you . This 01:08:20.020 --> 01:08:22.020 is the most . I wanna thank you for 01:08:22.020 --> 01:08:24.020 those tests . Thank you very much . 01:08:24.020 --> 01:08:23.729 Let's do my 01:08:28.179 --> 01:08:30.401 um So that ends this session , the next 01:08:30.401 --> 01:08:32.235 session will happen in at 2 15 . 01:08:32.235 --> 01:08:34.123 That'll be uh command Major Clark 01:08:34.999 --> 01:08:37.148 presenting . Why does it matter ? And 01:08:37.159 --> 01:08:39.270 uh currently going over on the heaton 01:08:39.270 --> 01:08:42.338 is Major General David who will be 01:08:42.349 --> 01:08:43.909 there until 3 30 .