Week 4: Processing A Veteran

 Week 4: Processing A Veteran

This week on the Veterans History Project I began going through my list of  veterans to process And started with my last one before the break. Contrary to what you might believe, this project gets more older veterans than younger veterans. I'm not sure if it's the Orlando population or another unknown factor, but we are blessed to have an influx of Vietnam in Korea veterans to interview and capture their story.

A Brief Summary


This veteran that I began processing is different in the sense that he is the youngest that I have interviewed so far. During his service in the United States Coast Guard, Mr. John Doe rose to the rank of E-5 and served in a unit regarding Port Security in Iraqi Freedom. I was able to interview him and ask him a plethora of questions regarding his training and time in port security and how he was involved in Iraqi freedom. Our conversation was mostly based upon interactions he held with locals and even tourists in the area. You'd be surprised to know how many people choose to stay ignorant to the fact that they are entering a military zone. 

The Brutality of War: A Thought


 I think the one thing I'm beginning to take away from his interview as I compare them with previous ones that I have completed  is that the realness of War and conflict are not generationally based, but they are consistent and will continue to be consistent. It doesn't matter if it's a 70 year old veteran or a 22-year-old fresh out of the field veteran, both have seen the brutality of human nature. Sure, one might have fought with napalm in a jungle and the other against insurgents in a desert but at the end of the day, war is the simple pursuit of humans figuring out new ways to endure in conflict.  It's not exactly a light subject to discuss, but it's an important one to understand the lives and the impact that these veterans have on our country. I've mentioned it before again and again in previous posts, but the freedom we have today in our country cannot be taken for granted because of what these men and women have endured. 

Next week I hope to be able to discuss this case more closely and offer more details to the veteran in question. 

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