812
24
26018
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4e6f7fd817de0e748f30c0ee34532701.jpg
7fd27d0748c19f4adbd0ba07c2560f50
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PR9199.3.G615 H46 1904
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0371
Title
A name given to the resource
Hemming, the Adventurer
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of Hemming, The Adventurer, by Theodore Roberts, published by L.C. Page and Company, 1904. Unsigned cover attributed to Sacker.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1904
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bac78be02233b0c6042f952242044aab.jpg
15d28c87cc2140329d5bc698fb6cef6b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. QL791 R66 1904
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0374
Title
A name given to the resource
The Watchers of the Trails
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of The Watchers of the Trails, by Charles G.D. Roberts, published by L.C. Page and Company, 1904.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1904
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f4768c7a9331fd3b9b36a1840d8cc745.jpg
b147290aab9796ed7c2212fb20026c2d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS1536.D55 U6 1901
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0381
Title
A name given to the resource
Up and Down the Sands of Gold
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of Up and Down the Sands of Gold, by Mary Devereux, published by Little, Brown, & Company, 1901.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3a5619af022368acd29e1e29a1ea8735.jpg
2e3c4e33a0eee966ebc932a0f46ea53b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS2735.R57 M35 1902
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0383
Title
A name given to the resource
A Maid of Bar Harbor
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of A Maid of Bar Harbor, by Henrietta C. Rowe, published by Little, Brown, and Company, 1902.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1902
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/431921167df5befda484f26e5eb7d55c.jpg
e9c643ecf0067524a4e01ca1311ad48f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS2919.S623 I2 1898
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0400
Title
A name given to the resource
I Am the King
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of I Am the King: Being the Account of Some Happenings in the Life of Godfrey De Bersac, Crusader-Knight, by Sheppard Stevens, published by Little, Brown, & Company, 1898.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1898
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6a6f72e8d06ce3e0643794213cb252a7.jpg
acc8ff6cd70e4b6cc13bfdbbc464c577
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS3539.H87 M57 1901
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0402
Title
A name given to the resource
Mistress Brent: A Story of Lord Baltimore's Colony in 1638
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of Mistress Brent: A Story of Lord Baltimore's Colony in 1638, by Lucy Meacham Thruston, published by Little, Brown, & Company, 1901.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8684ed29d01cdb9aa9137c5fbc8dcf73.jpg
bb05a8aff4be873395a68a4b883ba59d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS3501.D388 F6 1903
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0425
Title
A name given to the resource
Florestane the Troubadour: A Medieval Romance of Southern France
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of Florestane the Troubadour: A Medieval Romance of Southern France, by Julia de Wolf Addison, published by Dana, Estes & Company, 1903.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1903
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d25b3e85b039bb15892fec772b0fab9.jpg
628840045bb703eb8b1b7df249571fa5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PS1085.B63 A88 1904
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01_Bindings0450
Title
A name given to the resource
At Home with the Jardines
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacker, Amy M. (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of At Home with the Jardines, by Lilian Bell, published by L.C. Page and Company, 1904.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1904
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4de332838e00fdd6418cbe9b2b4bc176.pdf
068496dd2ea14359ee77f06f15c14248
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Incunabula
Description
An account of the resource
The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1450/1500
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Incunabula Collection (DC-03)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
it
la
nl
de
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sphaera mundi
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03_A054Sacro1490
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sacro Busto, Johannes de, active 1230
Description
An account of the resource
Sphaera mundi by Johannes de Sacro Busto. Printed in Venice by Bonetus Locatellus for Octavianus Scotus on October 4, 1490. Quarto. [ISTC ij00409000]
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Venice: Bonetus Locatellus for Octavianus Scotus
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Astronomy--Early works to 1800
Language
A language of the resource
la
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
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application/pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1490
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection: QB41.S23 1490, A54
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/37a5177e6598ac978c311c2e936b33b0.mp4
2bf10666a5db77ee5c54fbf20e1bc848
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2bb8a5d7ba994f5f1ebe5bc4b4c7eab6.pdf
9a2d9095ca5809456f616ad14cdda1ec
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
Willie Saddler
(59:20)
Background information (00:10)
He was born January 11th 1928 in Columbus, Georgia. (00:17)
He relocated to Chicago, Illinois when he was 3 years old in 1931 (00:28)
His father worked for the police force as a plainclothes detective. (1:05)
His father was not very well educated for his position. (1:36)
They did not move very much, but after entering into high school his family moved
to different areas due to their uncle’s employment as a janitor. (2:23)
He attended high school at Tilden Tech. in Chicago from approx. 1942-1944 (3:20)
He graduated from Union high school in 1945. (3:35)
He liked going to school but he didn’t like being harassed by white children. (4:01)
The school he attended was integrated. (4:36)
During school everyone seemed to get along. (4:44)
He knew some information about the war from reading the paper and his job as a
paper boy. (5:54)
In 1945 he enlisted in the military because he thought the military would advance
his education and better himself. (7:40)
He worked at a post office in Chicago after high school for a short period. (9:21)
Basic training (10:00)
He enlisted with several of his friends who lived in his neighborhood (10:00)
He was sent down to Shepherd Field Army Air Base in Wichita Falls, Texas by train
(10:20)
When he took the troop train from Fort Sheridan, Illinois, the men of different colors
were mixed in the same cars. (10:55)
On the train there were several soldiers playing craps. (12:00)
Even when going through the South the soldiers were not segregated. (12:27)
Once off the train at Shepherd Field they were placed in a field and assigned to
platoons and barracks. (12:40)
The barracks were not segregated. (12:18)
He did experience discrimination from white soldiers throughout his military
career. (14:15)
Basic involved weapons training with multiple firearms including the M1 Carbine.
He also experienced an excessive amount of marching. (14:58)
Basic training suppressed individualism from other men. (16:30)
�
He feels that the drill sergeants were fair (given that they were drill sergeants.)
(16:40)
He stayed at Shepherd Field for approx 3-4 weeks. (1945) (17:58)
Next he was sent to Smokey Hill Army Base. (18:15)
Here he worked on packing parachutes. (18:33)
In order to be a parachute packer he was required to jump out of a plane himself
with a parachute he packed to instill the importance of doing quality work.
This was his first time in an airplane. He thought it was very noisy and it frightened
him. (19:30)
His unit had a mix of white and black soldiers. (20:10)
Next he was placed in Smokey Hill Army Air Base (Kansas.) (21:39)
At Smokey Hill he received shots to prepare him for the environments he would be
facing. He also had the opportunity to sign up for particular positions. (22:30)
He was sent to Europe as a replacement in other units. (24:10)
He took a plane from Smokey Hill Air Base to Europe were he would be stationed in
Germany. (26:08)
Service in Germany (27:00)
Once there, he was placed on assignment to clean up towns that were bombed or
attack and recover bodies. (27:08)
Graves that he saw to fit the amount of dead bodies were very large “as big as a
vacant lot.” (28:06)
This experience was very difficult and very different; however he did the task
without argument as it was a soldier’s responsibility to follow orders. (28:20)
Most of the men he worked with were American soldiers. (28:55)
He did visit the stockades. (29:19)
He mostly dealt with military personnel. Displaced persons were dealt with by the
nation's police. (29:45)
While here he did see many civilians and they interacted with them to get a drink or
a cigarette. (30:20)
There were some men who took advantage of this hospitality and indulged
themselves in the women and drink.(31:06)
His assignment required him to move 2-3 times a day however they always
returned to the same base. There they stayed in barracks. (32:14)
The barracks was a U.S. barracks and to him it appeared fairly new. (33:10)
After serving in Germany he was sent down to Italy where he preformed the exact
same task of cleaning up and body recovery. (33:55)
Another platoon was in charge of looking for unexploded bombs, mines ext. (34:36)
While in Italy he did have the chance to explore the countryside. The men in
particular wanted to find good food. (35:15)
Civilians were constantly trying to get food and cigarettes from him and others from
his unit. (35:55)
�
His Unit consisted of approx. 100 men. The unit was kept together for the entirety of
his time in Europe. (approx. 3 months) (37:27)
After finishing his service in Europe he took a plane back to Smokey Hill Army Air
Base where he received his discharge. (37:40)]
Service at Smokey Hill Army Air Base (37:27)
While at Smokey Hill he was able to go into town (Salina, Kansas) but the primary
mode of transportation was an unreliable buss system. (38:24)
While in town men would visit the USO as well as go to church. (39:20)
Of the men he served with some had been drafted and others had enlisted. (40:03)
He had signed up for 3 years of service however only served a little less than 2
years. He did this by giving up some of his pay that he would have received if the full
3 year service was completed. (39:30)
He exited the military in November of 1946. (39:40)
Once back in Chicago he joined the Army reserve. Here he fought brush fires.
(39:59)
Riot at Shepherd Field Army Air Base (40:00)
While he was at Shepherd Field Army Air Base there was a race riot.(41:35)
The riot was not on his portion of the base. (41:43)
The riot took place between white and black service members. (41:55)
In response to the riot, he and his unit were told to stay in their barracks and not to
come out until the base gave the all clear.(42:35)
A commander (a white man) spoke after the riot and stated that the men needed to
work together and that they should not be fighting against each other if they wanted
to be successful. (43:12)
He respected this because he believed the commander was speaking honestly.
(44:05)
He believed that this Commander was treating all members equally in spite of their
race. (44:28)
Post Military Life (45:00)
He left the military because he did not like the regimentation of the armed forces.
(46:29)
He believed the military taught him more common sense ad how to get along with
individuals even when he don’t like them (47:10)
After leaving the service he went home to Chicago and got married 3 years later
(approx. 1949)(48:03)
�
Once he arrived home he served as a security guard. (48:15)
He was required to have a car for this position. He was paid to protect the owner of
a food store. (49:10)
He stayed with this position until his grandfather gave him the impression that he
was capable of having a higher paying job. (50:20)
At the age of 29 he joined the police force. (1957) (50:58)
He stayed on the Chicago Police force for approx 30 years. (1987) (51:11)
He was in the police force when strong efforts were imposed to combat racial
discrimination. (51:30)
He served on the police force in 1968 during race riots. (53:19)
He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan due to his union with his second wife.
(55:12)
Because he left his home in Georgia at such a young age he was unable to recall very
much of what living there was like. (56:40)
He was impressed with the amount of accommodations (such as electricity and
plumbing) that existed in the north. (57:40)
He got his second wife pregnant while still married to his first. His second wife had
already had 2 kids. (58:00)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27_SaddlerW1175V
Title
A name given to the resource
Saddler, Willie (Interview outline and video), 2011
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2011-08-17
Description
An account of the resource
Willie Saddler is an African American veteran who grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II where he helped clean up and retrieve casualties from towns in Germany and Italy that were attacked during the war. He also describes early efforts at racial integration in the Air Corps.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Saddler, Willie
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
United States. Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Moving Image
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7bbe0514beb81b99536cb3fe801de259.mp4
0c402b55deb83744e8bd89acbb2f4119
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a51666068b59afd8ee830b49e51c389b.pdf
4b7a9a519875250b2dd2ee3bf04ef1fb
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
Ralph Hawley Safford
(00:59:57)
(00:14) General Background
• Born in Ionia county on July 14, 1918.
• His father was a farmer.
• He can remember helping his father in the fields.
• Drove a horse and buggy to school.
(19:55) Stock Market Crash
• Remembered his dad being upset at the news.
• Family fared well; they grew everything on their own farm.
(21:00) Graduation
• Graduated with a class of six people.
• Worked on family farm for a couple of years after high school.
(22:00) Diesel engine
• Participated in a diesel engine correspondence course.
• Had to go to Detroit for two months for practical education.
• Continued working on the farm until he was 21.
(23:55) Enlistment
• Enlisted in Grand Rapids, November 4, 1941.
• Joined the Air Corps.
• Sent to Detroit after enlistment for physical.
• He was then sent to Fort Custer for more medical training.
• Arrived at Keesler Field, a brand new Army Air Corps facility, near Biloxi
Mississippi.
(30:28) Keesler Field
• Brand new barracks that had no heat.
• Woken up at 3:30 in the morning and had five minutes to get ready.
• The men had to furnish their own transportation; there was no mass transportation
for the troops.
(32:28) Tape is stopped, begins in the middle of another story
(35:33) Air Corps Continued
• Serving at Keesler field when the news of Pearl Harbor came through.
• His friends and he were on their way to Mardi Gras when they heard the news at
the train station.
• The mood at Keesler field was very somber and routine after the attack.
• He attended classes on aviation and mechanics on the Keesler base.
• One of his instructors at Keesler field was his instructor in Detroit at the Diesel
program.
(45:00) Trip to the Northeast
• Once mechanical training was complete, they were sent to Buffalo, New York.
• Stayed in the Elks Club while in Buffalo.
�Went through Rolls-Royce plant to see how the engines were manufactured.
From there the men were shipped to Mitchell Field, Long Island, NY.
The men slept in an air hanger, during an Army enforced blackout.
Sent to Stratford, Connecticut to work on the air field.
The men were paid $21 a month.
Worked as a crew chief for a P-40 aircraft.
Ivan Sikorsky was doing experimental helicopter work in the same area the men
were serving. They were able to watch him do maneuvers most of the day.
Disc Two.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
(00:05) Connecticut Continued
• Served in Connecticut in 1942.
• Worked on P-47 in addition to P-40’s
• Sent to East Hartford Connecticut to learn about the P-47 Thunderbolt Engine.
(15:25) Queen Elizabeth
• The ship rode alone, without a convoy.
• The trip to England took seven days.
• Early 1943.
• Landed in Scotland.
(19:10) Scotland and England
• Landed in Scotland in a railroad yard in early 1943.
• Took train all night and stopped at Kings Cliff, close to Peterborough, England.
• Lived in small barracks with dirt floors, then found there was linoleum floor
underneath, cleaned it and had nice barracks.
• Were not affected by German bombing on Britain.
• Most of the planes were flying maneuvers at first, learning how to fly combat.
• Most pilots were in early twenties.
(29:45) Hamsworth and Boxstead Air Fields
• No heat in facilities.
• Close to English Channel, beginning combat maneuvers.
• Late 1943.
• Sent to Boxstead, even closer to the English Channel than Hamsworth.
• 44th maintenance crews, fixed planes that were too badly injured for combat.
• 61st and 62nd maintenance crews provided maintenance for combat planes.
• Planes out of Boxtstead airbase provided protection for bombers flying over the
channel.
(35:50) D-Day operations
• June 1944.
• Told to prepare the planes the day before the invasion.
• Had to paint all of the planes with “invasion stripes” of black and white in one
afternoon.
37:12 Break in Footage
37:15 After War
• Autographed photographs and met people.
�• Went to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to visit military museum.
(40:00) D-Day until the end of his service
• Stripes were used to identify “friendly aircraft.”
• Finished work at 11:30 p.m. the night before D-Day.
• 12:30 a.m. the men were woken up to ready the planes for invasion.
• 3 missions flew out of base on D-Day.
• Remembers the weather being bad, but better than days before it.
• Pilots would come back to base and tell mechanics about the fighting.
• Many of the planes would come back with skin damage, had to be repaired before
the plane went up again. The pilots would change from one plane to another while
one was being repaired.
• Stayed in Boxstead permanently until he left the war.
• Pilots from his airfield were held prisoners by Germany for about a year, until
Soviet soldiers liberated them.
(59:17) After his service
• Took the Queen Mary back to the United States.
• Sent to Fort Kilmer.
• Separated from crew at Indian Town Gap in Pennsylvania.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SaffordR
Title
A name given to the resource
Safford, Ralph Hawley (Interview outline and video), 2007
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Safford, Ralph Hawley
Description
An account of the resource
Ralph Hawley Safford entered the United States Army Air Corps shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was educated in mechanics and engine work and used this training to work on aircraft from the Army Air Corps. He repaired fighter aircraft in England, and was working during the D-Day attack.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer)
Collins, Carol (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Video recordings
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
United States. Army. Air Corps
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2007-05-22
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a896a9dcd799fdb8191255101595450d.mp4
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PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
Brian Sager
(40:42)
Background Information (00:22)
He was born in approx. 1978 and was raised in Brown City, Michigan, where he attended and
graduated high school. (00:22)
After graduating high school, Brian joined the Marine Corps reserve. (00:35)
At this time Brian was also enrolled at Western Michigan University. He thought the reserve was
the best way to start his military career and still reach his academic goals. (00:40)
He was to enlist in the Army before the Marines. He was convinced to pursue the Marines after
a recruiter visited his school. (00:55)
Brian intended to go into the Combat Engineers. (2:30)
Basic Training (2:53)
19 days after graduating high school Brian was sent to basic training on June 19th 1996. (2:55)
He attended basic training in San Diego, California. (3:12)
On September 13th 2006, Brian graduated from his Marine training. (3:35)
After Boot camp he attended Marine Combat Training (MCT) at Camp Pendleton California. This
training lasted 1 month. (3:45)
After MCT, Brain attended engineer school on in Courthouse Bay in Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina. (4:10)
The first weekend of January in 2003 Brian was informed that his unit had been activated. The
men were shocked by the news. The men were officially on active duty on January 13th 2003.
(4:54)
After being informed of his unit’s activation, Brian and his fellow men were given 4 days leave
before being deployed. (6:17)
The Men flew out of Camp Pendleton and arrived in Kuwait on February 8th 2003. (7:21)
The plane stopped in Finland and Germany before arriving in Kuwait. (8:00)
Service in Iraq (8:11)
Once stepping of the plane Brian first noticed the heat. (8:11)
After arriving, the men settled in while efforts were made to resolve the situation diplomatically.
The soldiers knew that this effort would not work. (8:57)
Brian’s unit was attached to the 1st Marine Division. (10:03)
On March 15th the men moved to Breach Point West along with approx. 30,000 Marines. (10:25)
The Marines thought that Saddam was to blow the banks of the Saddam Canal and flood the
southern portion of Iraq. Because of this the men came with easily accessible bridges and boats.
(11:00)
Invasion of Iraq (12:37)
The day of the first offensive the men spent preparing for the move. (12:44)
�
Due to the launching of Scud missiles, the men were warned 15 minutes prior to put their gas
masks on. The men were able to hear the missiles before they could see them. (13:15)
Patriot missiles eventually took out the Scud missiles before they reached the Marines. (14:15)
Brian was in a trench at the time of the attack. He fell asleep here until he was woken at 1 AM
by U.S. artillery fire. (15:15)
The men then traveled the rest of the night in trucks towards Iraq. The second night of the
fighting is when Brian crossed into Iraq. (16:04)
For the next several days, the men were confined to their vehicle. (16:34)
On the 6th or 7th day of fighting Brian approached Nasariyeh, Iraq. (18:07)
While traveling through Nasariyeh the men opened fire on a house after hearing fire. This was
the event that made the conflict seem very “real” to Brian. (19:18)
North of the Euphrates River, Brian had his unit assigned to make a highway accessible to both
military vehicles and supply trucks. A sand storm hit while doing this task. (21:47)
Due to lack of visibility, the unit was ordered to stand down for approx. 4 hours. (24:14)
At 11 PM the storm began to let up. At this time the bridge and road repairs were completed.
(25:13)
The Army requested an operational pause for 2.5 days. Shortly after moving Brian was tasked
out with building 2 river bridges over the Tigris River. (26:00)
One of the bridges put up was 155 feet long and designed to support an M1A1 Tank(27:46)
After completing the bridge and guarding if for a short period, the unit was retrograded back to
Camp Coyote. (29:00)
Men often encounter military men dressed in civilian clothes or rebellious civilians. (30:10)
On May 10th 2003 President George W. Bush declared major combat operation in Iraq. At this
time Brian returned to Kuwait because his unit was simply used to build bridges. (31:18)
The men stayed in Kuwait for 2 months before returning to California on July 3rd 2003. (31:38)
Life in Iraq (31:56)
After placing the bridge in the Tigris River the men had some down time. In this down time the
men played a lot of cards. The favorite game was spades. (32:04)
He was glad that he was never placed in high stress situation, Brian appreciates the service of
those who did. (33:12)
Life after Service (34:10)
The men did believe that the marines had “kicked ass.” In spite of this, he believed that the
nation lost sight of what the military did. (34:10)
In retrospect, there was no sound reasoning for the invasion of Iraq. (35:18)
He believes, at the time, that the invasion was needed, in particular to cope with 9/11. (35:26)
He found more support amongst fellow veterans than his non military friends after returning
home. (36:16)
In the Dominican Republic, Brian assisted in building bridges for humanitarian work. (37:00)
Brian’s unit received the Reserve Ribbon, Iraq Camping Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Ribbon
and National Defense Ribbon. (37:37)
Brian’s active combat contract was up when he was sent to Iraq. He chose to remain in service
because if he was to be sent into duty he wished to remain with his original unit. (38:57)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SagerB1366V
Title
A name given to the resource
Sager, Brian (Interview outline and video), 2011
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sager, Brian
Description
An account of the resource
Brian Sager, born in Brown City, Michigan, in 1978, served in the Marine Corps Reserve starting in 1996. After training in San Diego and at Camp Pendleton, California, he was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to train as a combat engineer, and then went home. He was still in the Reserves in January, 2003, when his unit was activated and sent to Kuwait. His unit participated in the invasion of Iraq in March, 2003, and built several bridges over the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers before being sent back to Kuwait and then home again. Since then, he has gone to the Dominican Republic to build bridges for humanitarian work.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Laciha, Tyler (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
United States. Marine Corps
Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2011-11-02
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b3da7aee9498b3ffb741cf8a70d9c103.pdf
ccf7c48236079bb78804af99739f6e42
PDF Text
Text
GEORGE
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Created 9/2/2020
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R-1 Low-Density Residential
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization)
Wyckoff, Mark A.
Description
An account of the resource
Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Michigan
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960/2023
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Comprehensive plan publications
Master plan reports
Zoning--Michigan
Zoning--Maps
Maps
Land use--planning
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-240
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Saginaw-Charter-Twp_Zoning-Map_2020
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Saginaw Area GIS Authority
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-09-02
Title
A name given to the resource
Zoning Map
Description
An account of the resource
The Saginaw Charter Township Zoning Map was prepared by the Saginaw Area GIS Authority on September 2, 2020.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Zoning--Michigan
Zoning--Maps
Saginaw Charter Township (Mich.)
Saginaw County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4dfeb904f3df17454d08f065df0ea05f.pdf
4456be4fd79341c3fff8e0ebd846c559
PDF Text
Text
CJ-JJ PPfYV/~
J f\LD J;\ N
POVV" - WOW AT THE SAGINAW CHIPPEWA
RESERVATION
INDIAN
~, '?LFASANT 1 1\1\r~H ,~Al\l
Friday & Saturday, June
24
&
25, 1966
Admission: $1.00 donation per car
The public is cerdially invited to attend the Strawberry
Festival Dance troupes representing the Council of the Three
Fires and other tribes will be participating in keeping alive
the traditional dances of aD.cieut days. Dancers will be in
their colorful costlUilEs. The beat (f the tom-tom will once
again be heard es the tribes are called together to participate
in this festival.
The Saginaw Chiprewa Tribal Council is sponsoring this
aarly summer ceremony.
Among visitors expected is a caravan of trailers from
western michigan.
,\
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Native American Publication Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Native Americans
Indians of North America
Anthropology
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals
Michigan
Description
An account of the resource
Selected digital surrogates of published and unpublished materials from the Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection dealing with different aspects of human culture and anthropology, with an emphasis on Native American people, events, organizations, and activities in Michigan. Includes newsletters, event programs, flyers, posters and other printed materials.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gillis, Edward V.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American Publication Collection (RHC-14)</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-02-21
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Relation
A related resource
Gi-gikinomaage-min Project (Kutsche Office of Local History)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-14
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1958-2000
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Source
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection, RHC-14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-14_chippewa-indian-pow-wow_1966-06
Title
A name given to the resource
Chippewa Indian Pow-Wow, June 1966
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1966-06
Description
An account of the resource
Chippewa Indian Pow-Wow flyer, Mt. Pleasant MI, June 24-25, 1966, collected by Edward Gillis included as part of his Native American publication collection.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council
Subject
The topic of the resource
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals
Indians of North America
Michigan
Michigan -- Grand Rapids
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/da66908e136d51dc4d79027a46e7e3d5.mp4
21f75a0ad3fef6089d6e16de01b97bf2
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ec871d930876ce3cc4f393ff2a481c2f.pdf
0204a1a3ed534e6dd5d1516f7f3bac43
PDF Text
Text
Saladin, Philip
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Name of War: Iraq War
Interviewee’s Name: Philip Saladin
Length of Interview: (3:05:31)
Interviewed by: James Smither
Transcribed by: Chelsea Chandler
Interviewer: “Okay. Start us off with some background on yourself, and to begin with,
where and when were you born?”
Okay. My name’s Philip Saladin. I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. January 19, 1982.
Interviewer: “Okay. Did you grow up there, or did you move around?”
Yes, I grew up, I guess, up to after high school in Bayonne, but I traveled back and forth. Had
family throughout the state.
Interviewer: “Okay, and what was your family doing for a living when you were a kid?”
When I was a kid, it was—I remember my mom being home and my dad working all the time,
and pretty much one of those families just parents working and…
Interviewer: “What kind of job did your dad have?”
Factory. Mom—And my mom worked—She eventually worked in a factory too, but a lot of the
time it was my mom at home. And then we had a huge family, though. I have five brothers, two
sisters.
Interviewer: “All right. Okay, and when did you finish high school?”
2001. (1:02)
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, and then what did you do when you got out of high school?”
I was playing football—I was an athlete—so I went to college. I gave that a shot. I lasted all but
a year, and then…
Interviewer: “Okay. What school did you go to?”
Western Connecticut State University.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Now how did you learn about 9/11, or where were you when
that happened?”
�Saladin, Philip
Oh, that’s a—I—That’s a good one. I remember that day like right now. I was in college. Was
driving to class. I had a morning class. I’m driving, and the news is already going. Something’s
happening, and I’m like, “Okay.” So I stop at the chow hall, get breakfast, and as I sit down, I
look up. You know, the image that everybody remembers—bam, second plane crashing—and I
was just like, “Okay. Something—” You know. “Something’s going on.” You get that feeling.
You just know it then. And I go to class. Five minutes into class, teacher’s like, “Everybody
leave.” So, you know, I go back, and I’m in Connecticut. My whole family’s in New Jersey,
so—And, of course, cell phone reception is out. I can’t get in touch with nobody, and so me and
a friend of mine was like, “Okay. We’re going to drive home this weekend.” As you imagine, the
bridge—Everything is just—Military all over, everything is shut down, and it’s like, “Okay. Are
we going to get home this weekend?” (2:15) But eventually they were letting traffic through the
bridge, and, you know—And I finally got home, but I—Crazy. One of the most imprinted
images of my [?]. It’s—Besides the airplane crashing—Is when I was driving over the George
Washington Bridge. You know, and I grew up there. I seen that image. Or I lived—My brother
has a house across the street. I could see the Twin Towers from his porch. Coming across the
bridge you just see dust, and it’s just—It’s—It was—I wanted it to not be real. I’m like, “No.”
This is, you know, one of those situations, and then, you know, weeks go by, a couple days go
by, whatever. And then it starts sinking in. You’re like, “Oh, wow. This is real.” And yeah.
Interviewer: “All right. Now I’m going to ask a side question. Your last name is Saladin,
which is of Arabic origin.”
Yes. Correct. Yes.
Interviewer: “Is that part of your background, or is it a black Muslim thing, or…?”
I think it’s—I’ve been trying to look into it a little more. My dad said that my grandfather is from
Egypt originally, but my mom and dad and all my family that I know are all from Dominican
Republic. So I guess my grandfather moved to Dominican Republic, met my grandmother—But
information about my grandfather is limited to none. My grandmother passed away, so it’s word
of mouth. And, you know, it’s not easy stuff to find, so—And then that was another thing. When
I went to Iraq, that was a pretty cool thing. Everybody saw my last name, and that—I got to find
some good information out there about that, so it was pretty sweet and interesting. And then even
as a kid growing up—When I was doing, you know, history at that time in grade school, they
were still talking about—I seen my last name in a book, and I’m like, “Oh, that’s so cool.” You
know, and then that kind of got my little bug going on that one. (4:04)
Interviewer: “Okay, but you didn’t really identify as Middle Eastern, per se, or Arabic
ever?”
No, I’ve never—You know, never—As a—Just—Only thing in common is just the last name.
Interviewer: “Right. Okay. All right. Now you don’t join the Army until sometime
afterward. So you go to college for a year, and that does not work out particularly well. So
what do you do next?”
�Saladin, Philip
Well, I always had the bug for the military. My brother was in the military during the initial—
The Kuwait—The invasion. He was there, and he did a small stint. He did it more for college
purposes, and then—But I just always had it, and then I tried to join when I was in college. But I
was still unsure what I was going to do, so I never fully committed. And then I left college, and I
became a car salesman out of everything. And I’m a car salesman. It’s about a year or so in—
maybe a little bit more—and, you know, it’s like I was bored. I just—It wasn’t what I saw
myself doing, it’s not what I wanted to do, and it’s—I say it’s funny. It’s a coincidence or
whatever it was. A friend of mine thought it was a joke. He had bumped into a recruiter in the
street. He’s like, “Yeah, I’ve got a friend who wants to join the Army.” He sends the recruiter to
my job. I guess he didn’t think the recruiter would show up. Sure enough, I’m selling cars, and
this guy’s like, “Hey, are you Phil?” And I’m like, “Yeah.” And I thought he was going to buy a
car, so I’m talking to him. Next thing I know, I’m like, “Sure.” I’m taking the test, I’m at MEPS
doing some paperwork, and then I got a date. And I was like, “Hey. I’m joining the infantry.”
Yeah, it was awesome.
Interviewer: “All right. Now as you were doing the testing and the paperwork and stuff,
were they asking you what kind of specialization you wanted or training or…?”
There was a—I had a—I really—I didn’t know much about the Army, or I don’t want to say I
was super into it. I knew about different jobs, but I was—I wanted to fight. I was just like,
“Okay. That’s what I want to be.” I sat down, and I’m sitting in the recruiter’s office. And this
guy walks by, and he has this badge on his chest. And it’s a Combat Infantryman Badge, and I
was just like, “What is that?” Dude’s like, “Oh, that’s a Combat Infantryman Badge. You get it if
you’re in the infantry.” And I was like, “Well, that’s what I want to do, so…” (6:18) And they
had this giant book of jobs. I took the test, and they’re all like, “These are all your jobs.” I was
like, “Is that one on there?” They’re like, “Yeah.” I was like, “I want that.” It was like, “You
sure? They’re—” And he was kind of trying to talk me out of it. He was like, “There’s so many
other jobs there.” And it’s funny. He even recommended to me. He’s like, “I’ve got a friend in
the Air Force that—I could get you into the Air Force, and you’ll probably like the Air Force
more.” And I was just like, “Do they have infantry?” He was like, “No.” I was like, “I don’t want
to do it.” So that was my mindset, and I guess it must have been—You know, high school—I
played football and wrestling, and I was just always that—Just had that—I guess, that mentality,
and, you know. And I went, and I initially joined the National Guard. And I’m in—And literally
three days into basic training I was like, “I want to go active duty.” I was like, “This is—”
Interviewer: “Okay, so initially when you sign up, you sign up for the National Guard, and
then one of the things they do with the Guardsmen is they then send them off for Army
basic training. But then, as a Guardsman—Okay, after that, you would normally go
home.”
Correct.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now—So when do you report for basic training?”
�Saladin, Philip
So it was September. I reported to basic training. It’s a little process. They flew me in. You
know, they flew me out to Georgia. In Georgia, you’ve got a whole bunch of brand new guys.
Don’t know nothing. They throw you in a school bus, you’re on a bus for a couple hours, and
then soon, you know—You’re, you know, pulling into a base. And then, “Hey!” You’re—
Interviewer: “Okay, so they fly you—Did they fly you to Atlanta?”
Yeah, so, I guess, depending on where you’re from—But everybody—The central, final airport
is Atlanta, and then Atlanta—They’ve just got the buses lined up, and then—And it’s weird. It’s
an airport within its own because you come in, you land, you do all the stuff, but that’s where it
ends. (8:04) As soon as you come out the check-in, it’s their own little area. You get your bags
and then straight to the buses, and it’s like you’re separated from everybody. And then, you
know, at this time you’re new, so you don’t know. The military still hasn’t kicked in, but in your
head it has. You’re—Well, you know, and then—So you’re there, and you meet people. You’re
on a bus, and they just drive it. And it’s—Tinted out bus, so…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now what base are they taking you to?”
Fort Benning, Georgia. I was going to Fort Benning—good, old Sand Hill—and you get there.
We first get to the reception. I think it was 150 or—No, that was my unit in basic. I—I don’t—
Whatever they called the reception in Benning. So we’re there. You’re there for a week
processing, getting your clothes—you know, everything—and just sort of waiting to get the—I
guess, the next class to open. Then, all of a sudden, bam. Your drill sergeant’s calling.
Interviewer: “All right. Now what kinds of people were going in when you did?”
Oh, it was a mix. I—When I tell you—I thought growing up in New Jersey in that area and New
York that I knew a wide variety of people. Oh, no. I got there, and it was just like, “Man.” You
meet—If you think of a personality, you’ll meet that person there. It’s every walks of life. It’s
interesting too at that time. What? 2005. I’m meeting people. They’re like, “Oh, you’re the first
colored person I’ve ever seen.” You know, and it’s interesting. You know, you don’t think that in
your head. You’re—You know, you’re—By this time you’re like, “Oh, yeah, everybody’s—”
You know, you pass them, but it was like,“Yeah.” It was like, “I’ve never—” And it wasn’t in a
malicious way. It was like, “I’ve never—” Like, “I’ve never seen somebody.” “Hey. What’s
up?” And then—But you discover so much stuff. That’s where I first found out about the
Confederate flag. (10:07) Me growing up from New Jersey—I see a Confederate flag. I’m like,
“Oh, that has to be something racist.” You know, so I see this kid. He’s got this giant, full back
tattoo of a Confederate flag, and I’m looking. And I’m like, “Great. This is who I’ve got to bunk
next to.” And the guy turns around, and we’re just staring at each other. And he was like, “I’m
not racist.” And I was just like, “Are you reading my mind?” I’m like, “Does it say it on my
head?” And he’s like, “You’re looking at my tattoo.” He’s—And I was like, “Okay.” And then
we started talking, and we ended up becoming best friends. We talked, he explained it to me and
everything, and I was like, “That’s so awesome.” Broke down to me how—“No, it’s like, you
know—We have our small, little community. This is what we believe in. This is what it’s about.”
And I was like, “This stuff is awesome.” And then you start meeting more people like that, and
then, you know—And then you also meet some special people. You’re like, “Wow.” Like, “I
�Saladin, Philip
know why you’re here.” And—But even those people—When you talk to them, you’re like,
“Yeah…” But then when you’re out there doing stuff, you’re like, “All right. Yeah.” Like,
“We’re all here for the—” At the end of the day, we’re all here doing the same thing. And it’s
weird how. It takes a little—Couple weeks, but once you’re in—How that brings you, you
know—Somebody—You probably just got into a fistfight two days ago, and the next thing you
know you’re sleeping in a muddy hole with him. Like, “Come on, dude. Get closer. Keep me
warm.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now what—So you do your battery of tests, and you’re kind of
sitting around. Do you spend—Now in that first week when you’re processing, are they
keeping you busy with one thing or another?”
They—Yes and no. It’s almost busywork. The physical training was minimal. It wasn’t a
scheduled—It was minimal. I think they purposefully feed you. They’ve got this—The lunch is
this great spread, you know. You’ve got your ice cream, snacks, and everybody’s in there eating
pizza. And I think they do it on purpose. Like, “Okay. Here. Enjoy this because, you know,
you’re not going to have this for a long time.” (12:03) So they—And me? I was—Knew a little
bit from, you know, just family and people I knew, so I was like, “I’m just going to, you know,
keep it easy.” I was already a little heavier—on the heavy side—so I was like, “I’m going to try
to—” So we’re doing that, and it’s a lot of class. You know, it’s like, “Okay. Come to this
orientation. We’re going to—” It’s a lot of like, “We’re going to read about this weapon system.
We’re going to teach you this. We’re going to teach the super, most basic basic of the basic
things that is not going to get your head chewed off when you first show up.” That’s it, and then
a lot of it was like, “Okay. Clean.” A lot of cleaning, sitting around. If you were sitting around,
be reading. Be—Just doing something productive was the thing. If we didn’t have nothing
scheduled, do something productive because then they’ll find something to do, and that was, you
know, what you wanted to avoid.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Now when you actually start the training cycle, now what
are you doing?”
Okay. Now it’s almost a crawl, walk, run phase. You start—Basics. You get to your room. “This
is your canteen. This is your canteen cup. This is your gear. It goes on your gear like this. This is
how you wear it.” So pretty much you first—The first week, I would say, is the standards.
You’re getting shown the standards. “This is how you have your closet. This is how you have
your bed made. This is how we expect everything to be.” So it’s a consistent drilling of, “This
is—” And then, after that first week, they kind of slack off a little bit, and now you’re a lot more
responsible for your stuff. Like, “Okay.” Like your shoes. “Oh. How come your shoes—” You
know. Then you start feeling the problems. Okay. Like, “You guys are not looking—” You
know. “You’re not keeping the standard.” We start doing the physical correctness and all that,
and then—But at the same time, you’re learning. You know, it’s like, “Okay. Here’s this rifle.
Take it apart and put it back together as fast as you can.” You know, some people do it in thirty
seconds. Some people do it in ten minutes. You know, it’s—But—And it’s like, “Okay. You
couldn’t do it in ten minutes. You’re going to start knocking out pushups.” Okay. Now you’re
like, “I don’t want to do pushups again. Let me get this together faster.” And—
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Okay, so you mentioned physical correction. They’re not hitting you, but—”
(14:03)
No, no, not like that. Physical fitness, I would say.
Interviewer: “You’re doing pushups and things.”
Yeah, and—But it, you know—In the moment, you’re like, “Ugh. Why am I doing this?” But
then now I look back. I’m like, “It worked. It definitely worked because, you know, you don’t
want to do pushups all day.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now, I guess, how hard did they ride you?”
At first, discipline-wise, they rode you. Because, you know, you came in there, you had this
street mentality, you know. It’s—So man, it was like, you know, “Head and eyes forward. Don’t
talk unless you’re spoken to.” Like, “I don’t want to hear a peep. You’re going to sit there for
three hours and clean your weapon.” Or, “You’re going to learn this.” Or, “You’re going to learn
how to read a map.” It was discipline. It was like when they say they break you down to build
you back up into a soldier, they—Yeah, they strip you from any ego you have. Everything is
gone. You think you’re good at something, or you know everything? No. It gets taken from you,
but then you just—Then you start learning everything, and it’s like, you know, you thought you
knew how to walk a certain way. You know, you come in there like, “Well, now I’m being
taught how to walk?” You don’t think that, but that’s how it is. Like, “No. Thirty inches. Hands
like this.” You know, and then—And at first you’re like, “I’m never going to do all this.” But
then you start seeing—Little by little, it just, you know—It starts clicking, and—But definitely—
The discipline is—The first three weeks it’s there. You have a constant drill sergeant with you at
all times. You’re never left alone. There’s a task always if—Even at nighttime. You know, two
people up. It’s always something. There’s always a task and purpose, and then every phase they
lighten up. But they always leave it hanging over you that they can bring you back to—They call
it “red phase”. That was like, “We can go back to red phase really fast.” And, you know…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now how long was the basic training itself?”
When I went, it was thirteen weeks and—It was either thirteen weeks or fifteen weeks. I want to
say thirteen weeks and five days or three days. Some weird thing like that. (16:09)
Interviewer: “Yeah. Okay. Now how large was the unit that you actually trained with?”
It was—in basics—a little different from the standard units, especially at Benning, because your
typical soldier goes basic one place and then specialty training somewhere else. In Benning, you
stay all there for the whole time, so we had, you know, usually a company. You have three
platoons. These companies were, you know, four, five, six. They were oversized, but it was
probably—It was Fox? We had—Oh. We had four platoons, so…
Interviewer: “About how big was a platoon?”
�Saladin, Philip
I want to say we had—What? We would say, in basic anywhere from forty—Between forty and
fifty starting, but then, as basic goes on, we—I think we graduated with maybe twenty something
people. We lost probably fifty percent of our class.
Interviewer: “Okay. Yeah, that is, in fact, where I was kind of heading with that line of
questioning. You get a lot of people who have come in and enlisted, but then an awful lot
drop out. Now what kinds of things knocked them out?”
It’s—A lot of stuff —Different kind of—One is physical. Some people get, you know, stress
fractures, break an ankle, something, and they’ll get rolled back. So they’ll just either get—
depending on how far along we were—So let’s say we were on week nine. Instead of them
getting thrown into week one of the next group, they’ll just hold them, recuperate them, and then
they’ll be able to start week eight or nine with the next group. But if it’s a discipline problem,
you’re going to week zero. You’re going to week zero no matter what. We had a guy—a week
before graduation—Guess where he went. Week zero. Because he went out on pass and got in
trouble, so—But then you have people that ran away, and that’s a whole other amazing thing in
itself. You’re like, “Why?” You know, we had a few AWOLs, and I’d say probably three or four
of them. But—And they would make examples of the AWOLs. It was—Because they would get
caught, you know, because you’ve got somebody in the middle of Savannah, Georgia who’s
from North Dakota or something. He’s like, “Oh, I’m going to run away and go somewhere.”
And you’re this private who—Everybody probably within two hundred miles can spot you. Like,
“That’s a private running away.” (18:24) And then you’ll see them two days later in the back of
an MP car, getting drove in, and it’s—But, you know, some of them got out. Some of them got
recycled.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now did some of them just quit?”
Yes, yes. You had people that just refused. Like, “No.” You know, and then it’s like, you know,
besides from physically grabbing them and dragging them out of the room, which, you know, the
drill sergeants can’t do—They were just like, “No. I’m not—I’m just—This is not for me. I’m
not doing it.” And then, you know, they’d—Somebody would come, they would take them, and
then we wouldn’t see them again. So I don’t know if they got recycled, they got sent away, or
what it was, but we had two people that—Then they call them, I guess, “failure to adapts,” and
they just ran them out. But…
Interviewer: “Right. Okay. Now how long do you think it took you to adapt? I mean, was
there a point when you kind of understood—while you were still in basic—what was going
on and just rolled with it, or…?”
Yeah. I would say—I thought it—For instance, it was almost a two-step process for me because
when I first got there I thought I knew it. I was like, “Okay. I’m just going to go, I’m going to
shut up, and I’m just going to do what I’m told. And I’ll survive.” And I was like,
“That’ll make me through it.” But, you know, they just had this thing of picking out the people
who were just trying to play the shadows and not get in trouble but not do too much, and that
was just what I was trying to do. And I had a drill sergeant that, you know—I guess he just
wanted to encourage me, and he would call me out now and then. He put me in a leadership
�Saladin, Philip
position, and, you know, I never—You know, I grew up in a city. (20:01) I had never held a
weapon, and I’m like, “Okay.” You know, I can’t embarrass myself right now, you know, so I
don’t know. So—And I failed. It was a—We were doing a—Almost a base operation, and I think
he knew it. I think he did it on purpose because he knew that I’d kind of been playing it back,
and I was doing just enough. So he put me in this position, and I completely dropped the ball. I
didn’t have my sectors of fire correct. It was—But he set me up. I—To this day, I say he set me
up, but it opened my eyes. And I was just like, “Okay.” And then he made me understand the
picture. Like, “Okay.” Like, “Yeah, you may know what you’re doing, and that’s it.” But he
showed me how everything was just—Came together, and then I was just like, “Okay.” Then that
kind of started that wheel rolling, and I was just like, you know, “Click.” And then it started
clicking and clicking, and I was—And I started looking at everything from more of a leadership
position and, you know, more than just being an individual person. When I saw it as a group—
And I’m like, “Okay. This is not just—” You know. “I’m not graduating.” Like, “The class
needs to graduate.” And things went a lot easier. And things went a lot easier, but I tell you what.
It was a process, and I’m kind of glad I went through it because I had to—It was a huge ego
check for me because I was like, you know, “I know this. I’m tough.” You know, whatever. It
was just like, “No, you’re not. You don’t know nothing.” Like, “Here you go.”
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, so you get through the end of this. Now do you stay at
Benning for infantry training, or where do you go?”
Yeah, so usually what they do is when you’re done with your—I think it’s the first three or four
weeks were considered the—Or six weeks were considered the basic training, and then we would
go—So instead of us getting shipped off somewhere else, our drill sergeant was like, “Hey.
We’re going to celebrate your graduation from basic training.” You know, and they were just
like, “Okay. Turn around. Hey. Guess what? You’re in AIT.” So we stayed in the same exact
place.
Interviewer: “Okay, so it’s Advanced Individual Training at that point.”
Yes, and then—Now that’s when it got fun. (22:05) The physical—And I don’t want to say it got
relaxed. It’s more, I think, we were just already conditioned, and we were—It felt easier to us, so
the PT was easy. We were to the point where we would go—On Sundays, it was considered our
downtime. We were doing PT on Sundays for ourselves, so we were—Physically, we were pretty
good, and then we started doing all the infantry tactics. Learning how to do ambushes, learning
how to react to an ambush, platoon attack, squad attack. You know, the infantry tactics—all our
battle drills—and that was the stuff where I was like, “Okay. This is why I joined.” You know,
we get to get—We don’t just have the basic M4. We get to put the little lasers on it and the optics
and throw the grenades and play with claymores, and it’s—And I’m like, “Okay.” You know,
and—But the—And as the ball was rolling, December came along, and in Benning, you get a
Christmas break. So it was—And you’re forced, so I was like, “Ugh.” So we got to home. It
wasn’t bad, but we got to go home for—It was two weeks, but when we came back, it was just
horrible because it was almost like you’re in the mood. You know, and you just got snapped, so
it’s not—You’re starting at week zero, but you’re not week zero. So that was an interesting one.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Okay. Yeah, so you get to relax for a little bit, and then have to snap back to
attention essentially and go back.”
Yeah, yeah.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now, of course, you’re doing this now at the end of 2006 and going
into 2007, so we’ve been in Iraq now for several years. To what extent was the training you
received geared toward the Middle East?”
Oh, it was—I want to say—I don’t want to say primary, or that was the sole objective. But it was
probably, say, eighty-five percent of the training because we still did out in the woods. Besides
urban training, we did other, you know, land nav and stuff like that, but there was a heavy
emphasis on urban combat pretty much. (24:04) Because Iraq was kicking off, and that was a
huge—And I think,—At that time was the—No. Was it—No, that was right before the—That
was a little bit before the surge, but the numbers in basic? It was mad. The drill sergeants. I
remember the drill sergeants saying a lot. Like, “The numbers are a lot higher, and they’re like
the summer’s when it’s the highest.” And the winter numbers were matching the summer. They
just had recruits flowing through there, so it was a little faster pace. But we got through a lot, and
it’s—And I liked it because I like that urban stuff. And we did—We ended up knocking out a
week of drill and ceremony. Instead of doing that, we got to do some urban tactics, which is
awesome. I’m like, “Who would rather not go clear a building than march?” You know.
Interviewer: “Okay, so they teach you sort of physically how to operate in an urban setting.
Do they give you any kind of cultural training or orientation?”
No, not in basic training. I don’t know if now they do that, considering how long we’ve been
there, but it would definitely be a—You know, a smart thing to do, but when I was there, they—
It wasn’t, you know—They—But when you get to your individual unit, they did that a little
more, but at basic it was more of a—Even in tactic-wise, it was the overall. They never got into
it, and they just, you know, maybe—Step A and B is the furthest they got. They never got too
deep into anything.
Interviewer: “Okay, so these are really still kind of combat problems for you. How to
physically fight in these different kinds of environments and what to do with the weapons
and maneuver.”
Yes, yes, yes. Mentally training how to enter a room and, you know, raise your weapon without
thinking about it. That’s just second nature. That’s the stuff they drill into you. Memory. Muscle
memory. Learn to keep your weapon on safe until you do this. That’s the stuff. The basics pretty
much.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now were your instructors people who had been to Iraq or
Afghanistan?” (26:06)
Yes, yes. I had one instructor. Great guy. He—I would say—I had three instructors. Two of them
were huge impacts that I still—And then one of them—He was actually—I’m pretty sure you’ve
�Saladin, Philip
probably heard of it. The—It was in Afghanistan. Battle of Anaconda, I think it was. Pretty
much—He was pretty much part of the Spearhead Force with the 10th Mountain Division, and
he was, you know, just—The training and tactics and the stuff he was telling us was just—I
loved it, and they—Of course, he would give us the stories too from his time, and, you know,
just the knowledge. And, you know, he would tell us like, “When I went through basic, it was
nothing like this.” You know, and then he had that experience, and I don’t know when he went
through basic. But he was—You know, he was a Sergeant First Class at that time, so he had to
have over, you know, ten, twelve years in the military. So—And I’m like, “ Man, this guy
knows.” And he’s telling me like, “Stuff’s changing.” And hearing that from him and just seeing
that they’re applying it to us—He’s like, you know, “Because this is how we used to do it, but
this worked for us when we was in Afghanistan. This was being—And turned into doctrine.”
And then it was good because I started seeing stuff like that flowing in as it went on. And more
of the drill sergeants were from combat deployments. You started seeing that, which was good
because when I get to units, I had stuff that some people were just like, “Oh, okay.” And it’s—It
helps you a lot as a private.
Interviewer: “All right. Now when do you actually finish then the AIT?”
I graduated—It was December—I think it was February. Yes, because I was in basic for my
birthday. I remember that. So February.
Interviewer: “All right. Okay, so February of ‘07. All right. Now do you get assigned to a
unit from there?”
I went actually back home to the Guard because they couldn’t do none of my paperwork while I
was still in. I had to report to my unit in New Jersey, and then I get to my unit in New Jersey.
(28:03) I was there maybe three months total, but the first day I get there I’m like, “I want to go
active.” Like, “Who do I have to talk to? Where’s the paperwork? What do I got to do?” You
know, I did everything I did, and, you know, just short of three months I was—I had my orders,
and I got stationed to go to Germany. Actually, I got to pick, so I picked Germany.
Interviewer: “All right. Why did you pick Germany?”
I thought—And I had some great places, but I was like, “I—It’s probably my only chance to go
to Germany.” My only other overseas choice was Korea. So I was like, “Either Korea or
Germany.” But I was like, “I kind of want to go to Germany first.” So that’s what made my
choice.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Now what unit do you join?”
I join the 1st Armored Division, 2/6 Infantry.
Interviewer: “Okay. The 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment?”
Yes. 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division out of Baumholder, Germany.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “All right, and how do they get you there?”
Flew. I felt like I was going through basic all over again. They actually flew me to South
Carolina, and I had to sit at the basic training reception. But I wasn’t a basic training soldier, so it
was weird because I was still technically this brand new private. And I’m walking around a basic
training place, and all the drill sergeants are looking at me. But I have a unit patch on, and
they’re like, “What are you doing?” You know, they think I’m faking or something. Ready to
start drilling down, and then I pull my orders out. I’m like, “No. I’m just here waiting for my
flight.” And it’s crazy when they see that you’re not a trainee, and you’re actually a soldier. The
attitude change. The drill sergeant was—And he actually just came from Baumholder. This one
drill sergeant. He was like, “Oh. You’re going to Baumholder? I know this place and that and
that.” So I was like, “Sweet.” You know, tension, relax, and then from Fort Jackson they flew me
to Germany. So I got to fly to Germany. I flew into—I can’t remember. It wasn’t Frankfurt. I
can’t remember the base. It was one of the larger ones
Interviewer: “But was it—It was a military base. It wasn’t a civilian airport.”
Yes, the military—No. Well, we flew into a civilian airport. Into Frankfurt International.
Interviewer: “Okay. That’s quite possible. Yeah.”
Yeah, and then, of course, they’ve got the little military section. We got on our buses, and we
went to this reception. (30:19) I don’t even remember where the reception office was, you know.
I just—First time flying that far out. You know, I was in another world. But we get there, and
then we get our orders to our individual stations because I knew I was going to Germany. And I
knew I was going to Baumholder, but that’s about the furthest you knew. Get your orders. It’s
like, “Okay.” Then you’re like, “Oh. I’m going to Baumholder, Germany.” Then you get split up
like that, you get thrown on the bus, and the buses drive. Stops at each base and calls out the lists
of names. “Okay. You get off here. You get off here.” I get to my—In Germany, I get to my
base. Get off. Of course, it’s a four-day weekend. They’re like, “Hey. Reception is not open, this
is your unit, somebody will meet you over the weekend, and if not, Monday morning show up
for PT.” And I’m just like, “Oh, yeah!”
Interviewer: “Did they give you a place to sleep?”
Yeah. They set me up. They brought me to my barracks and all that, and when I got there, one
of—They had an NCO assigned for me, you know, and he was like, “Hey.” You know. “You
came on a four-day. There’s pretty much nothing we can do.” It’s just like, “This is the base.” He
showed me around. We took a tour. Completely, you know, different world. I’m—I was what?
Twenty-three probably. I think I was. You know, and I’m just like, “Man.” It’s—I’m just—I’m
in Germany, and I just got this twenty-minute tour of this random base and—“See you Tuesday.”
And it’s Friday, and I’m—“Okay.”
Interviewer: “So how did you spend your time that weekend?”
�Saladin, Philip
I bumped into another new guy. We happened to get—They put two new guys in the same room.
Me and him were sharing a room, and we were just like, “Let’s go walk around.” (32:00) And
just walking around, we started meeting people, and it was like, “Hey. Yeah, you know, you
guys—You’ve got to go—You’ve got to stay in town. You’re like—” We were restricted to
posts and whatever, so we got to just hang out the first day. Then the second day we went out to
town. It’s really small. Baumholder. It’s small. That thing. That town. They call it the Rock. It’s
on top of a mountain or something but super small. So got to hang out. You know, enjoy the
weekend, and, of course, you know, Monday—Tuesday morning PT. Get up. You know, me?
I’m—I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking, should I say. Long four-day weekend.
Brand new private in Germany. I just had my—Too much fair share of my drinks. And we’re
running, and, of course—Company commander. We’re in formation. I’m, you know—I see a
couple of them—and in great part I’m cutting back and forth—but I show up to formation
Tuesday morning walking. And I just hear, “Sal!” Because they call me “Sal” for “Saladin”.
Because the Army is by last name. “Sal!” And I’m just like, “That’s the most familiar voice in
the world.” And it’s my bunkmate from basic. He’s like, “What are you doing here?” He’s like,
“You’re supposed to be in National Guard.” And I was like, “I told you I was going active. You
didn’t believe me.” And we got put in the same company. We were literally in the same unit, and
I was—Ended up being four, five more guys from basic, so it was great. You know, it was
euphoria. I was like, “I’m not alone.” But, of course, it’s like, “Let’s go for a run.” And my
buddy’s like, “Don’t worry about it. It’s going to be an easy run.” And I’m like, “All right.” And,
of course, I’m hungover. It’s just horrible and miserable running. Company commander walks up
to me. “Oh.” Well, runs up to me, should I say. We were running already in formation. We’re
probably on mile one or two. Early in the run. Company commander comes up next to me. “Oh,
so you’re my new guy?” “Sir, yes, sir.” “All right.” He’s like, you know, “You’re a good
soldier.” And chitchat. “Good soldier. Yeah.” We’re running. Then, next thing I know, he looks
at me. He’s like, “Oh. You were drinking.” And I was like, “A little bit, sir.” He’s like, “How
you could tell—” He just looks at me. He goes, “You’re about to throw up.” (34:03) And not two
seconds later—And he’s like, “Don’t stop running.” So here I am—the new guy—company
commander is running next to me, I’m throwing up—trying not to puke on him—and all he’s
saying to me is, “Don’t stop running.” I’m—And he doesn’t care. He’s running through my
puke. He—And I’m all worried. Like, “Oh my god. It’s the company commander.” You know,
I’m scared. I’m over here throwing up. I’m like, “I’m the biggest—” Whatever. And he’s just
like, “Hey. Welcome to Germany. Keep running.” But I didn’t stop running, and I guess he
ended up liking me. And, you know, I ended up becoming—I got picked up to go work for the
Battalion. You know, I guess they just saw me as a good guy, you know, and I rubbed them the
right way, I guess. And…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now initially when you got there, were you just an ordinary grunt at
that point? You’re just an infantryman?”
Yes. Yeah, just basic, general infantryman. No specialty training. Nothing. Just…
Interviewer: “Okay, and now how did they have a unit like that spend your time? So
you’re with a mechanized infantry unit, right? Because you’re with the Armored Division.
All right, so day to day when you’re on the base and on duty, what are you doing?”
�Saladin, Philip
So it’s—At this time we were actually—They were at the end phase of their recuperation from
that last deployment. That unit just got through a pretty intense deployment. They were in—They
were part of the attachment that was in Ramadi in that phase, and they lost a lot. So they were
just in the ending of it—of rebuilding—so we were at the beginning of the training phase. So—
But that first initial month was a lot of just maintenance—you know, maintenance of the
vehicles—and no assignments were really made. People were getting tasked out. They’re
reorganizing the task formations and all that, and at this time now they’re like, “Okay. We’re
picking who’s going where.” (36:07) So they got all the new guys, and it’s like, “Okay.” You
know. “We’re going to interview everybody.” I got interviewed. They chose me to go work at
the Battalion S3, and then it’s like, “All right.” But even then you’re still—You’re at the
Battalion S3, but you’re still doing everything else, too. So it’s like you’re still doing the line unit
training, so when they go out, you go out. So you have to do all the computer stuff, but then you
also have to go out, qualify with your weapons, and do all that. So—And at first I didn’t like it
because I was like, “Man. I’m a brand new private, and I’m sitting behind a desk.” You know,
and to me, it’s like that’s the worst thing you could do to a brand new infantryman. I was like,
“What? A desk?” But it ended up—It was pretty good. You—I learned a lot, and I lasted
probably—My first half of my career with that unit was in the S3 because we had—We ended up
getting a completely new chain of command, so, you know, all the—We were all new, from the
privates to the commander. Everybody. Sergeant major. The colonel. Everybody was new, so we
kind of just meshed instantly because we knew this was the unit that was—We were going to
deploy together. We were protecting—We were their PSD. Their Personal Security Detachment.
We knew that that was our job. That’s what we worked for, so, yeah, it was like, “We’ve got to
go do computer stuff.” It was like, “Blah!” But we got to do—We got a lot of perks of working
directly for the Battalion commander, and I was—You know, of course.
Interviewer: “Okay, but you were still doing some of the training and the exercises?”
Yeah, you still had to do it.
Interviewer: “So you’re still going in the field when they do stuff, and…?”
Yes.
Interviewer: “So you are getting some part of that at the same time?”
Yeah, it was—The only part we didn’t do were the larger maneuvers like a platoon or a company
maneuvers. Those were the line units, but as far as our individual training? Doing our mount,
which is the urban training? We still had to do all that. (38:06) We had our Bradleys assigned to
us. We still had to qualify with that. We had to do everything except for what an infantry
company would do. Our primary job was running the Battalion S3 and the security detail, so
while they were working on, you know, platoon maneuvers—“Oh, okay. We’re going to go learn
how to shut down this village.” We were learning how to escort the sergeant major through the
raid or the village or whatever it needs to be. It’s, you know—And my part in the whole thing—I
was enjoying sitting behind a desk, but I did get to go—The benefit was we would get to go
shoot, and it’s like we’ll have to go. And, of course, you have a couple hundred soldiers, so
there’s lines. You have to wait. “Oh, sergeant major’s here. Sergeant major doesn’t wait.” So we
�Saladin, Philip
get to go in front. So we train, and everybody’s miserable waiting. We do what we’ve got to do.
Qualify. “Let’s get back in the Humvees. Let’s get the sergeant major and the commander back
to the office.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now you talk about being in the S3, and so, for a civilian, explain
what S3 refers to.”
So the S3 is a mix of the command and the control. It’s just—It’s pretty much the overall
operations of what’s going on.
Interviewer: “Operations. Yeah.”
Yeah, the operations. And I—My specific job—I was running—They call—It was a computer
system, and pretty much just watching all the troops, learning—At this time I was still learning
it, so learning, you know, how to map. Read maps. You know, place the troops out in sector.
Identify. You know, so pretty much the AO. Can you—How to, you know—A private working
with the commander, controlling the AO, identifying—Commander comes out the office.
“Where is Alpha company?” “Sir, right here.” And it was like that. He asked a question. You
have to come up with an answer. I mean, it—And brand new private. But it was good because
you learn a lot as far as the overall picture. (40:01)
Interviewer: “Okay. Now how long did you stay in Baumholder before you’re deployed?”
We did a—It was a—Oh, man. It was under a year. I know that. I don’t know exactly because we
were doing a lot of training, but it was probably—Maybe seven months. Between seven months
and a year. That is the window I was there.
Interviewer: “All right. How would you characterize the morale in the unit at that point?”
Oh, it was great. It was—And I don’t know if it’s just because it was my first unit experience,
but everybody was—It was—You know, everybody was—Just good mood, and everybody—
Morale was up. You know, the command group. And I think it’s because they gave us a lot of
free time because we were doing so much training when it was like, “Okay. We’re not in the
field,” it was like, “Go, go.” We had a lot. I traveled. In that short window I traveled a lot. I—
And it—But if I wasn’t training—if I wasn’t in the field getting dirty—I was out. There wasn’t
no like, “Hey. Just—Let’s relax at home.” It was…
Interviewer: “Okay, so how far afield would you go when you were traveling?”
I—Sometimes we would get day passes if we were lucky. I went out to Paris for a weekend. That
was great. I went out to Munich for a weekend. So the longest you would get is a weekend pass
unless it was scheduled leave where we could—But the furthest I—Drive-wise, I would say was
probably France. I didn’t get too far. We were—We wanted to go to London one day, but they
denied that pass. It was too far of a drive, they said.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Yeah, it would take a little while. Okay. All right, and then the people in
Baumholder in that area of Germany. What kind of relationship do they have with the
American soldiers?”
Oh, amazing. These people were probably some of the nicest people I’ve met. It was—It, you
know—And you think too—Being brand new, you’re like, “Oh, these people. I’m not going to
be able to talk to nobody.” The whole town spoke English. You go—I’ll go to a bar, and they’re
like, “Hi!” And I’m like, “Whoa.” And—But it’s—They were really nice and super—They were
super tolerant and accepting. Because I tell you what, man. Some of the stuff them soldiers did in
that town. You’re—Houses on base are burned to the ground right now. (42:14) One year the
soldiers—They burned down one of the oldest buildings in the town—a historical building—and
apparently some soldiers did something. And it caught on fire, and I’m like, “How are we still
here?” You know, but very, very, very nice town. Very accepting. And the military’s really
intermingled with the town. I noticed a lot. When we would get there, the first three weeks you
would have to go to a German immersion class, so I got to learn how to speak German. And it’s
really—It’s—All the employees on the base are German. It’s a good relationship. It’s—I’ve, you
know—I had a better relationship there than I did with the people around Fort Hood, Texas, if
that says anything.
Interviewer: “All right. Okay. Now as you—Because, I guess, the Army works things in
cycles, so your unit is deployed. And then you’re kind of refitting, and then you gear up for
the next deployment. So there’s a phase there when you’re getting ready to go back to
Iraq?”
Yes.
Interviewer: “Okay, so now what kinds of things do you do?”
Now the training is picking up a lot more. You’re—You don’t have these month blocks. We did
a thirty-day, came back for a weekend, did a sixty-day training, came back, had a month off, then
deploy. So it was—And so now it’s like when you get your orders, that’s when it’s official. You
know, it’s game time. You’re packing, repacking, and then double-checking and repacking
again. It’s crazy how—And it—How they are with that. Meticulous. It’s like you pack
everything. It gets checked off the list. Then the next person comes. You have to take everything
out. It’s—But once you’re done with that part, and they put the seals on everything that’s
packed, you’d probably get a good two weeks before your time to deploy, depending on when
they take in the stuff. So it’s a good lull at this moment. You’re not training because all the
gear’s gone. (44:00) There’s nothing you can do, so at this time they give you downtime. But
don’t get crazy. You don’t have—You don’t get leave. It’s not like, “Yeah. You get to go home
for a month.” No, it’s—”We’re just going to relax.” So at this time everybody’s—The
somberness is kind of kicking in, you know. People’s like, “Okay. We’re going to war.” You
know, people start having that—Like, “Okay.” You know. Me and my friends—We kind of
celebrated a little different. We—It—We actually—This was—Kind of took us to Paris. We just
went. We were just like, “Well, we’re going to war.” And we heard all the horror stories from the
previous deployment. We’re just going to take out a $3,000 loan and go to Paris. And blew it in a
weekend. So it was three of us, so $9,000 between three privates in Paris before we go to Iraq.
�Saladin, Philip
You know, it was one of those—And it’s—I—It’s one of those nights I love. You know, it’s—
And—But that right there brought us—Gave us this—Us three—To this day, we still talk, but
man, we got so close that weekend. It was—You know, we bonded. It was almost—I don’t want
to say we knew we were going to die or something like that because I—You know, that cliché.
Like, “I’m going to go do this because I’m going to die.” No, but that’s how we thought. It was
like, “We’re probably going to die, so let’s just live this weekend like we’re never coming back
here.” And that was probably my second aha moment in the military where I honestly was not
fearing the deployment no more. It was just like, “Okay. Accept it.” It’s, you know—Faith is
here almost. It’s going to, you know—“If it happens on this trip, it’s going to happen.” Like,
“Why fight it?”
Interviewer: “Okay. Now what proportion of the unit that you were with at the time you
went had been on the previous deployment?”
In my specific company in the—Because I was in the headquarters company. We had—In my
platoon we had a pretty good—Seasoned guys. (46:06) And I’m pretty sure a lot of it had to
do—Because of the position we held. Was with the Battalion command group. But a lot of the
NCOs were, you know—Multiple deployments, you know.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, because, I guess, you mentioned that a lot of your command
group was new or at least—But they’re new to the unit.”
Yeah. New to the unit. Not as far as new as like new to the Army.
Interviewer: “Okay, but the men in the line companies. Did you have a fair number who
would have been the previous—”
Yes, we had a good—Lot of—A lot of the NCOs were from—And that’s the thing about
Baumholder. They retained a lot of their people, so a lot of the NCOs were from the previous
deployment. And even, you know—They had two deployments with that unit, but what—The
way they would do it is they would shuffle the companies. So you wouldn’t be in the same
company, but you would stay in the same unit. So that was—I think that was a good thing. A lot
of the—It was a lot of new privates too, but a lot of them saw that, you know, all our leadership
was seasoned. Seasoned people.
Interviewer: “Okay, and at this point now do they give you any kind of orientation for,
‘This is Iraq,’ or, ‘Welcome to the Middle East?’”
When we get—Well—
Interviewer: “Or did that happen only after you got over?”
Right before we went we would do a couple, little computer things. They make you do these
little classes where it’s—Try to teach you about it, but, you know, it’s check the box teaching. So
it’s not much. It’s like, “Here’s a pamphlet. Learn it.” Nobody. Maybe the command group,
but…
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, so you’re not touring mockup Iraqi villages or things like
that.”
Not yet. Not—We—To an extent, to your specific leader—your NCO—if you wanted to be like,
“Hey. Let’s put a sand table together—” If you had some leaders that were that, you know, ahead
of the game and wanted to do it, yeah. But a lot of that didn’t start until we got there.
Interviewer: “All right. Okay, so now you head over to Iraq kind of late 2007. Is that…?”
Yeah, it was around—I want to say—It was the winter. I know that because we left Germany in
the middle of a snowstorm, got to Kuwait, and it was hot. (48:09) And it was the most miserable
thing ever because I remember going on the bus on the plane. I’m like, “It’s so freezing.” And
when they open the bus, it just instantly got 120 degrees, and you’re just like, “Oh.” So like,
“We’re here.”
Interviewer: “Okay. You land in Kuwait. Now what happens?”
We land in Kuwait. We get to—We’re at the base. It’s a fast process. You get to the airport in
Kuwait there. You—It’s not like here. You get off the plane. You go into the terminal. No, in
Kuwait you get off the plane. You get on the bus. There’s no—You don’t even see the civilians.
It’s a complete police escort. It’s—And you get on the road, and it’s a hundred miles an hour
nonstop. It was—Each bus had two guards. Like, “Okay. Here.” You know, you got a full mag.
You just went from carrying a blank weapon to—“Okay. Here’s two magazines full of ammo.
You’re the guard for the bus.” I’m like, “Wait. What?” Like, “We’re not in Iraq yet.” So, okay,
we’re there. You got—And you’re flying down the highway. Police escort. Just buses zooming.
We get to the large base in Kuwait, and there’s when classes start. We’re there for about—Is it
two weeks? Fluctuates. A week. On return you might stay there for three weeks. Depends on,
you know, the movement. Whatever. But classes. It’s classes, classes. You’re doing classes on
animals. We literally had a class telling us not to fight spiders and scorpions. There’s so many
classes, from bombs to animals to culture. They really were—And, I guess, at this time it was the
whole—When...
Interviewer: “Was it the period of the surge or around then?”
Yeah, it was around the surge, but it was also when Petraeus—When they’re pushing the
whole—From the inside. (50:04) The COIN strategy that they were implementing.
Interviewer: “Well, that was part of the surge. The surge is sort of just adding—Was called
that because they added more men, but that’s what they were doing. They were sending
them into the local communities. Yeah.”
Yeah, and then that’s when they were teaching the more culture stuff. Like,“Okay.” Like,
“This—” You know. “This means this. This is what’s going on here.” Like, “Okay.” And then
they would try to teach more specific region. We were going—My first deployment we went to
southern Iraq, so it was like, “Hey. This is what the—Mostly population you’re going to
�Saladin, Philip
encounter. This is, you know, the lifestyle. This is do’s and don’ts pretty much of Iraq.” And
then do a couple more weapons training, weapons qualification, knock the dust off, make sure
everybody’s still good, and then—We were mechanized, so a good group of people had to drive
the Bradleys to the base from Kuwait into Iraq. But we were in southern Iraq, so it wasn’t, you
know, nothing crazy. But other people—Me? I was part of the advanced party, so I got to fly into
the base we were going to. That was pretty cool. It was in the night. It was—That was awesome.
Flew into a really small—It was a small—maybe three square mile—base. It was a COP, they
called it at the time. A Combat Outpost.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, and did you fly in a helicopter, or…?”
Yes, it was a Chinook they flew us in because it was—We stopped at three different bases, and,
you know, each group got dropped off at their little base.
Interviewer: “All right, and when you got into your base, now what do you see? What
happens?”
Oh, man. I’m not going to lie. I—The helicopter lands, ramp was open, so—But I got—I was
scared a little bit because it was nighttime. And they were dark conditions at night at this time
still on the base, so I don’t see nothing. You know, I’m coming off a helicopter. I’ve got a couple
guys there to greet me. “Hey.” You know. “Welcome to COP Carver. This is what’s going on.
Follow me.” (52:06) And you look around. You don’t see walls. So you’re like, “Am I out in the
open?” I, you know—I’ve never been on a—I’m a brand new private—never been here—so
I’m—You know, I’ve got my rifle. I’m like, “All right.” Wait—I’m waiting for the attack. I’m
like, “It’s going to happen.” And everybody’s like, “You’re all right. Relax. It’s cool.” And I’m
just like, “Okay.” So getting the tour of this small base, which you still—I don’t know what
they’re touring me because I don’t see—I can’t see nothing. And then they take us into the TOC.
“This is where you’re going to be working.” I’m like, “All right.”
Interviewer: “That’s the tactical operations center?”
Correct. I’m—They’re like, “This is where you’re going to be working.” So I’m getting familiar,
and, of course—Me—As a private, I go to where my job’s going to be. Who’s doing my job? A
captain. And I’m like, “This—” And the guy turns and looks at me. He’s like, “You’re doing
this?” And I’m like, “Yeah.” I’m like, “Great.” I’m like, “Great. This is the experience I wanted
on day one.” You know, and it’s—But, you know, luckily they were a great group of people.
The—It was the 3rd Infantry Division. We were replacing a great, great bunch of dudes. We
replaced them. I sat by this guy. I was there for a week before my unit came, so I sat every day. I
was next to this guy, learning everything, and it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. You know, I—But it
was—They had to give me that initial like—You know, like, “Oh, man.” But it was—That first
week was pretty smooth because it was more of shadowing him. Come in. Shadow for a couple
of hours. And it was twelve-hour shifts. It was twelve on, twelve off, twelve—So I would come
in maybe for three, four hours. The first day was an hour or two. Then I pretty much—The rest
of the day I’m, you know, sitting in my room, reading a book, or working out in the gym. And
that was my life for about a week.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Okay. Now—But you got a chance to see outside in the daylight?” (54:00)
Yeah. In the daytime, so—
Interviewer: “And was this basically just flat, open country you were in, or…?”
No. So we were—The terrain was flat. A lot of dust. Moon dust. Just this soft, powdery, red sand
that’s everywhere. And then we had about two or three square miles of the big T-wall barriers on
the outside with two entrances—a north and a south—and, you know, once I saw that, I was like,
“Okay, okay. There’s some order here.” It’s not Wild West. You know, you’re not going to have
a charge over the hills. But it was—And—But then, besides the base, it was clear all around it. It
was a previous chemical facility or something that got blown up, so it was half of a solid
structure standing, which they used as a building. To this day, I don’t know how it didn’t fall on
nobody, but hey, it worked. And then my first dinner in Iraq was—Well, breakfast or meal,
should I say, because I don’t even know what time it was. Was eggs and biscuits, but I called it a
soup. Because we had no overhead cover, and it was raining. So, of course—Me? I’m like, “I’m
not going to go inside. I’m eating.” I—“Welcome to Iraq.” You know, a plate of soup breakfast.
Interviewer: “At least it was raining.”
Yeah, the one time, and it was that—It was crazy. The two times I went to Iraq—I experienced
rain in southern Iraq for the first time, and then when I was in northern Iraq the second time,
snow. When I was up there, it snowed, and that was the first time in so long. And I was like,
“Hey.”
Interviewer: “Lucky you. Okay. Now you’re—Was there anything going on in that area
when you got there?”
It was a pretty—Before—The unit before us—They had some losses. It was a rough, little spot.
They were actually—That unit was the first unit to—American unit to step in that area. It wasn’t,
you know—And then we came in. They had—They just—In the middle of building of this base.
They still had, you know, Humvees outside. (56:02) They lost a couple people building the base.
It was a pretty rough spot. It was a stronghold for—At this time it was—AQI, they were called—
Al-Qaeda in Iraq—and this was—It was—They had a pretty good grip there. So we came in. We
had a lot of focus on capturing high value targets. That was our huge task force’s mission. We—
A lot of captures. We went on a few raids. We went on—Early on. Even when I got there—you
know, before the unit was even there—we’re conducting raids that I got to sit on the office on
and help coordinate and all that. And my unit—We finally come in. Get established in that area.
Probably about, you know, a few months. It’s just—It’s quiet. We’ve got, you know, one or two
arrests. You know, we’re trying not to come in and cause too much a commotion. We’re picking
up where the last unit left off. Ask, you know—Asking for aid, what you need for the town,
we’re establishing a—They got the little, I guess, town hall conference. Whatever you call them.
Getting that going. It’s going good. It’s about three months in, and that’s when we get our first—
Bam. Something happens.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “All right. Okay, so before we kind of get into this—So in those first few
months when things are quiet, are you going into any of the towns yourself or seeing any of
the Iraqis?”
Me myself at this time? I’m not. I’m still working in the TOC, but I’m having a—I know a lot of
what’s going on because of my position, and I’m interacting with a lot of the people. Because we
have a lot of people coming into the base. I’m—So I’m having a lot of interaction like that. I’m
seeing the town from our camera. We have the giant blimp watching everything, so I get to see
that. (58:02) So I’m seeing it from afar, but I’m seeing everything that’s going on. And it’s a
pretty—As far as conflict-wise, on each other. They—We had a—These—Constantly going after
each other in this area.
Interviewer: “So the Iraqis were going after each other?”
Yeah. Yeah, the locals. Just, I guess, power grab. Whatever. Whatever was at this time because
there was nothing…
Interviewer: “But your guys were kind of largely standing aside from that?”
Well, we were conducting raids. The—We were arresting—We had a few good raids under our
belts early on because this place was just rich with targets, so we had—But that was one of the
things. We went on all these raids and didn’t fire a single shot. It was good. We got—I got to go
on one actually with the command group. It was a nighttime raid—my first raid ever I went on—
and man, it was—The way it was done. The way it was conducted. We marched in at—Well,
that’s probably the walk thing. Nighttime. Cover of darkness. From a mile out, we cut all the
vehicles, we all walked in, and we essentially shut down a whole village. It was—So right when
we were about getting ready to enter the village on foot—Call up the trucks. The trucks drive in,
so by—When they hear the trucks, we’re already inside, so there’s no way to leave this village. It
was completely locked down. We—It had to be over fifty houses. Not a single round fired, and I
think we arrested three high value targets. It was—And then seeing it, it was amazing. It was—
Just how, you know—Just watching it. It was—It was organized chaos—is probably the best
way I could put it—because you’ve got doors being kicked in over here, you’ve got yelling over
here, you—You know, explosion on this road, but it’s still coordinated. And I’m sitting there
with the command group, and you hear it over the radio. Everything collapsing according to—
Like, “Hey.” You know—“This is our own phase line Alpha just crossed. This is complete.
We’re moving in here.” And before you know it, you know, systematically we just shut down
this whole town, arrested these three guys, and not a single round fired. (1:00:19) You know, and
that stuff just amazed me. You know. Me? I went in. I was like, “Okay.” You know. “All hell’s
about to break loose.” Well, you know, you think of the movies. Like, “Oh, you’re going to the
bad guy. Bombs are going to be blowing up everything.” But no. Just almost surreal, you know.
It was a real—That was a surreal moment for me.
Interviewer: “But they’re still kicking in doors? Or were there—”
Yeah, yeah.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “As opposed to just knocking and talking to people.”
No, no, there wasn’t no knocking. It was, “Yeah, you know we’re here.” It was, “Yeah, we’re
here. We’re coming to get you. We know you’re here.” And...
Interviewer: “ But nobody resisted?”
No, no, and it’s interesting because our own—We had two—Well, not two. Well, we had a
bunch of other, but as far as what we received—mass cal or something—none of them were on
operations. It was—It’s crazy. All the operations we did. Nothing. The first one we were doing a
town hall meeting. At the end of the town hall meeting, one of the members—a council
member—And I’m like, “We’re giving these people everything.” They ask for it. We give
them—We’re at this point where we just have a lot of money, I guess, and we just, you know—
We handed them tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cash. Like, “Here.” Like, “Let’s fix
this place up.” This guy comes out of the town hall meeting. He’s walking to his car. He pulls
out an AK and just starts spraying. He ended up taking out two of our guys, badly wounded our
interpreter, wounded one of our medics, but he got taken out pretty good. Pretty effectively, to
say the least. (1:02:00) But I wasn’t there. That one was—I was working at the TOC, and I had
the night shift. Got off the night shift, was going to my room, and I met my guy—one of my
guys that we lost—Well, not my guy. It was a friend of mine that we lost there. We were talking.
And it’s crazy because we were talking the whole time—
Interviewer: “Now was this someone who was there later, or…?”
Yeah, well, this was—I kind of, I guess—I jumped ahead of myself. This was one of the guys
that was—He was out there, and this was before they left. I just finished my shift at the TOC.
Now we had a little conversation crossing path. We talked for a while. He’s like, you know,
“Hey. You coming out?” But it was one of those more—He knew I was coming off shift. Then it
was a little—Almost a jive. You know, he knew I wasn’t going nowhere. So it was like, “Hey.” I
was like, “No.” You know, we talked—whatever—and we left, you know. It’s another routine
moment. We see each other every morning crossing paths. I get off work. He’s getting ready to
go do whatever he’s doing. And, you know, I go to my room, and then a few hours later, you
hear a different pace in people’s footsteps. (1:04:00) You know, you hear people walk because
there was a lot of gravel where we had our rooms to kind of keep the dust down. So you could
hear people walking, and you could tell. But this moment there’s just a lot of scatter and running.
You’re like, “Okay. Something’s up.” But you don’t know. I go out, and they already—They
were already back at this moment, so I go out. And it’s like, “Whoa.” I was starting to see.
Haven’t heard nothing yet. I’m just seeing stuff. I see the truck. Bullet holes. See some of my
buddies over there upset. I’m like, “Okay.” But I just instantly go to the TOC because we all had
designated jobs to do in situations like that. So that was our first incident. As far as my
recollection of it, it’s more of the office part from the debriefs. Putting together the stuff like that.
I don’t have firsthand knowledge because I wasn’t there. But, you know, talking to all my friends
you get a pretty good picture, you know, of—Because I had to sit there and listen to everybody
during their investigations and all that, so—Because of my position I held in the TOC, so…
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Okay, and was that sort of the first real sort of shooting incident that
happened while you were there?”
Yes, that was the—“Okay. We’re here.” You know. We had a few minor IEDs, but none against
us. It was always civilian stuff. We had a couple civilian—You know, local populace on each
other incidents. Nothing like that. That was our first—“Okay.” You know. “It’s real.” So…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now also when you were talking about the event when the shooting
took place, you talked about—And you’re—Because the officers are going in there and
basically handing out money to the Iraqis. And now what, as far as you can tell, was the
money supposed to be for?”
It was—They had—This was around the time they were setting up—We called them Sons of
Iraq. They were the names where—And they were pretty much allies we were getting, and they
were manning more in-depth checkpoints in the towns. You know, we would have a little—But
they were 24/7. (1:06:14) We would get the local—Pretty much it was better local militia. To put
it. I don’t know what they would call each other. And then the head Sheikh would come, have—
“Hey. I have fifty guys, and they’re willing to man checkpoints such, such, and such.” And we
would give them money, and then he would pay them. And that’d be their job, so we were—
Pretty much we were paying them, so—And the money, you know—It went, and it was
interesting to see because, you know, you’re just like, “Okay. I see the process.” Like, “Okay.
We’re paying them the money.” And then there’s always that thought. Like, “Are these guys
really getting this money?” You know, it’s—Because you give it to this one guy. He’s the head
of the town or whatever you want to call them, and then you’re like, “Yeah. I’m sure this guy is
probably…”
Interviewer: “Yeah. Well, there’s probably a certain amount of graft built into the
payment. I mean, there’s the assumption he’s going to keep some of it. On the other hand,
he’d have to pay the guys something if they’re going to—If he’s going to deliver. But yeah,
so kind of part of this sort of larger strategy to get into the community and engage it and
get people on our side essentially.”
Yeah, it was almost like buying a militia to our team. You know. Because I’m pretty sure a lot of
these guys were the guys we were fighting, you know, few—You know, throughout the time, so
it’s just like, “Okay. Hey. Let’s just do the smart thing. These guys are really—You know,
they’re here, want to protect their town, so okay. Let’s pay them to protect their town.”
Interviewer: “Okay, and were there any other kind of significant instances that took place
while you were still in the TOC, or does the other stuff get more interesting after you move
on?”
Well, there was a—I’m trying to think. There was one other incident, but it wasn’t no—We had
no casualties or nothing, but I remember because it was the day I was leaving to go on my R&R.
It’s like I’m in the TOC trying to get, you know—Get your last minutes of work in because, you
know, it’s—That’s how it is. And I’m sitting there, and as I’m getting ready to leave, it’s like,
“Oh. This truck got hit with an IED.” And I’m just like, “Oh.” And I’m like, “I don’t want to go
�Saladin, Philip
now.” You know, I’m like, “What’s going on?” So I’m halfway out the door. They’re like, “The
helicopter’s here.” And I’m just like, “No.” (1:08:12) So—But it ended up being—It was okay.
Just—It was—The truck is what got hurt. They were able to get up—leave—and then I went on
my vacation a couple weeks.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now do you get—Where do you go on the R&R? Do you go back
home, or do you…?”
You could actually pick where you want to go. And they’ll pretty much you give a plane ticket
anywhere in the world for your R&R. Me? I decided to go back home. Just wanted to go to
family, so went back to New Jersey, spent—It was—I think it was two weeks they gave us.
Spent two weeks home, you know. It was awesome, you know. It was the—Probably the best
two weeks ever.
Interviewer: “All right, but was it okay going back again? I mean, were you ready to do
that?”
It—I was, and I wasn’t. The whole time home too I was like, “Okay.” You know, in my mind
I’m ready. I’m like, “Okay. It’s my job. Let’s go do this.” You know. Like, “Okay. Let’s get
back.” When I get to the airport, and I check my ticket, it all hit me at one time, and I was just
like, “Oh.” And then my family’s standing there, and I’m like, “No.” You know. “Just hold it
together. Just hold it together.” And then they start crying. You’re like, “Great.” And then I
couldn’t hold it. I start crying, and I’m just like, “Oh, come on. Stop.” I’m like, “I need to get out
of here.” You know. I’m in uniform. But it was kind of—It was really weird because then I go,
and then they’re like, “Oh. You can’t leave until tomorrow.” So I got an extra day. So all that
huss and fuss, and then the next day I was like, “You guys ain’t even allowed in the airport.” I’m
like, “Just stay in the car. I’m out of here.” And I walked right in and left. I was like, “No. I can’t
do that again.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now when you got back again, did you go back to the job in the
TOC, or were you switching to something else now?”
That’s when the process started. So I get to the TOC, and it was pretty cool. I—My—One of
the—The Operation Sergeant Major walked up to me. He’s like, “Okay.” He’s like, “It’s your
turn to rotate to the line companies.” (1:10:07) Because that’s just how they do. They don’t want
to keep a private too long in the office because, you know—So—But he was like, “I would like
to have you with the PSD.” Which is—It was an attachment of—That was still responsible to the
command group, but they just didn’t work in the TOC. They did all the patrols and maneuvers,
so whenever the command group would choose the head, the higher-ups would go out and travel
any engagements. Because they would go out and meet with the locals, too. So they were pretty
much the headquarters line company, you could say. So they were like, “Okay.” Because they
had sent two of those guys down to the line company, so it was like, you know, “We need—” So
I was like, “Sure.” You know, I was—Not too many times the sergeant major’s like, “Hey. I
would like if you do this.” So I was like, “Of course.” You know, me? I’m like, “I’m not going
to say no.” So I was—I ended up staying in the TOC for two more weeks, and I think that was
the hardest part because if I would have went to the line company, I was gone that night. But he
�Saladin, Philip
was like, “You go to the PSD.” He’s like, “You’re going to stay in the TOC for two more weeks.
That’s just so we can get stuff rotated around.” Whatever. And it was so hard. It was—It’s so
there. I taste it. I was like, “It’s there.” And then finally, in that period, we had our second
incident while I was in the TOC still, so—And this one I was on the radio. Full from first contact
to the end out. And this one, I would say—The other one I knew the people a little more that
passed, and it affected me hard. But this one? I think it was because I was so direct with it. It hit
me a little bit harder, and I was just like, “Whoa.” You know, so then you’re sitting there on the
radio. It’s quiet. Afternoon, you know. Just—And then, all of a sudden, you know—“Troops in
contact.” (1:12:03) And then that’s the—And it’s like this is probably one of the loudest, most
organized rooms ever. Then, all of a sudden, it’s those three words. It’s just pin drop. Everything
gets quiet. The only person talking is the man on the radio and the man on the other end of the
radio, so that’s me. You know, I’m sitting here, talking to this guy, you know, and everybody’s
just there like the commander, sergeant major—Everybody’s looking, and I’m just like, “What—
” We’re talking, and it’s going. And you start seeing the situation start developing. I’m like,
“Okay. This is getting serious.” Start spitting up elements to go, and then you get the report.
“Such and such is down.” And then they report it. You don’t get the name. It’s like you get your
battle number, and I know the battle number because that’s part of my job. And I’m like, “Oh. I
know this person.” And that’s when—Boom, boom. And then, all of a sudden, everybody’s
coming back, and at this time the night—The morning shift—No, the night shift is coming
because I got switched to morning shift now at this time. So the night shift was getting ready to
come into the TOC, so my replacement comes. They’re like, “Hey. Man the radio. They’re
already off the area. They’re coming back. There’s no units out.” So—And then me? I’m like,
“What’s going on?” They’re like, “You get to go now to the aid station and direct the traffic to
the helicopter that’s coming.” Because I had the radio, so now I’m communicating with the
TOC, the helicopter, and the medics. And I wasn’t ready for this. I walk into the room to tell
them the helicopter’s coming, and I open the door. And I just see—It’s—I’m like, “Wow.” It
was—I don’t even know how to—It was—I’m lost for words. It was just one of those moments
where you just—“Oh my god.” And it just—It…
Interviewer: “So you’re seeing people with battle wounds?”
Yes, and being worked on. (1:14:02) And it’s just—You just see blood. And the first incident I
saw blood, and I saw the aftermath of the bad guy. That didn’t bother me. You know, he had
body parts coming—It was perfectly fine. I come here, I go in the room, and it’s blood and
somebody being worked on. And I’m just like, “Oh.” And it just—Everything just got sucked out
of me. It was like, “Wow.” Reality. And I don’t want to say “reality” because that sunk in a
while back, but it was just like, “Whoa.” Okay, so I’m—Snap to. I’m like, “All right. Bird’s
coming in. You’ve got five mikes. These people need to be there as soon as it comes.” They’re
finishing up. I’m on the radio yelling the time, and that’s my sole job. Is just stand there and yell
the time as loud as I can. Nothing else I’m responsible for, so I’m just—By minute, by minute
just counting it down, and it’s—I felt like it was forever. I—And then, next thing I know, it’s—
You know. “Helicopter’s thirty seconds.” And I look, and they’re on the table working on him.
And as soon as I tell them, “Thirty seconds,” they’re gone. I’m not even—I don’t even realize.
I’m—Just like, “Oh. I’m behind now.” So now, you know, we go out. We’re sitting at the
landing right outside the landing zone. You know, buddies there, and all you can do is look at
them. And it’s just one of that—Surreal moment. You’re just like, “Wow.” You know. But on
�Saladin, Philip
the upside of that, good friend of mine was there, and his actions—I’m telling you, man—was
just—And hearing it from everybody else that was there, I’m like, “I would have loved to have
been there just to see his maneuverability.” They were, I guess—They got ambushed from a
house or something—I don’t know the exact layout—but he was positioned in a point where he
had direct view and access of the house. (1:16:09) So these guys are under fire from a house and
pretty much an ambush. He just goes. You know, this twenty-something-year-old kid goes, grabs
a guy, and they just—headstrong—charge into this house. And he’s carrying a SAW—249
SAW—and they just head charge into this house and just light it up. And it’s—And everybody
was like, “Dude.” And it’s funny because the way everybody described it—It was funny. They
were like, “It was just like a movie.” And—Because you hear everybody tell you like, “Oh. It
was nothing like the movies.” And here everybody was like, “This is just like the movies.” Like,
“He just got up and went in that door, and it was so systematic.” And I was just like, you know,
“That was amazing.” You know, and I—Just to—That I heard that happen on a radio and then
hearing everybody’s accounts, I was like, you know, that’s—That goes to show you how in the
middle of all that you can still go and, you know, function. And I just thought the whole matter
that he did it in—And he was a specialist, too. Young. You don’t expect that from a younger,
newer guy, you know, but man, this guy—He—I was like, “Yeah.”
Interviewer: “Okay. Now you mentioned hearing a SAW, and a lot people won’t know
what that is.”
Okay. Yes. That’s a—It’s squad automatic weapon. It’s pretty much our machine gun for the line
companies. You know, you have your big ones on the trucks and that, but that’s more the
dismounted. You know, you’ve got your two riflemen and your machine gunner. He’s—
Supposed to say suppressive fire. That’s the guy. You usually don’t go into a building with a
SAW. If you go in with a SAW, he pulls rear security, covers the door for you, keep anybody
coming in or whatever.
Interviewer: “But it’s a lot of firepower?”
Yes. That is—They—It’s known for the—What we call in the line company the most mass
casualty producing weapon in the squad. And you carry the SAW. You hated marching with it,
but you love shooting it. (1:18:02) It’s one of those things. You hate having to be responsible for
it and deal with it, but I’ll tell you. When it came time to need the firepower, you were like,
“Yes.” Like, “I’m glad to be behind this one.” But yeah. That was…
Interviewer: “Yeah. All right. Okay, and, I suppose, in the meantime you’ve now had these
experiences, so if you’re going to be out in the field, and stuff will happen, you’re maybe a
little bit more prepared for that than you were?”
Yes, yes, and that I took to my—To, I say, my advantage. Being around the higher-ups and those
situations. And almost being out on every patrol without being out there because I saw it. You
know, and I just saw. And I got to see it from—As opposed to brand new private, you’re told,
“Hey. Go pull security. Cover this sector.” So that’s what you know. Me? I’m looking at it from
the bigger perspective. The tactical. I’m like, “Oh. I know why they’re here. Because they’re
securing this section.” And, you know, sectors of—So I get—So now when I go to the unit—No,
�Saladin, Philip
to the PSD. I’m not your average private. The squad leaders come in. They give us the report.
“Hey. Listen. This is what we’re doing.” In my head, I’m like, “Oh. I can see this whole thing
planned out.” I’m like, “Yeah. Okay. So we’ve got this.” You know, and then—And they loved
it. And that kind of gave me an upper hand because I always—I’m always picking at the
commander’s brains and stuff when I was in the TOC, so I knew a lot of stuff. I knew a lot of
formations, and I knew a lot. And it just helped me, and I became a team leader pretty fast. It was
within a month. I was already a team leader, which is…
Interviewer: “Okay, so when you’re actually out there in the field now—Now what does
PSD stand for?”
It’s security—Personal security detachment. Yeah, it’s—I almost forgot. I was like, “I can’t
remember.” It was personal security detachment, and we pretty much were assigned to the
command group. The sergeant major. The…
Interviewer: “Now a company commander?” (1:20:03)
No. Battalion. We were the battalion PSD, so we had the battalion commander, the battalion
sergeant major, the op sergeant major. And if we would have the supply officer or something like
that that had to go do a logistics run. Pretty much any of the officers in the battalion we were
responsible for.
Interviewer: “Okay, so you’re working with some of the same people you were already
working with, but now you’re in the field with them rather than—”
Yes, yes. Now I’m going out and doing the whole field engagements and—Because they would
go out and meet the tribe leaders and stuff like that, so now I was actually getting to go. And it
was really cool. I got to sit down on a lot of goat grabs, and that was—Oh, man.
Interviewer: “Goat grabs?”
Yeah, so that—My first experience of that thing too is for the books. So a goat grab—What
they’ll do is—The locals—They’ll get a whole goat, and they cook it. And they surround it with
veggies, fruits, and bread, and it’s just this giant platter. And they set it down, and everybody’s
just sitting in a circle. And it’s literally that. Everybody’s just grabbing at it and eating, and that’s
how, I guess, politics are done over there. You’ll spend three hours drinking chai and eating goat
and an hour talking about what you came to talk about, you know, so it was like there were times
we would have to go. And we’re pulling security for hours, and we’re just—And you look over,
and all the leaders are drinking chai and eating. And you’re just like, “Come on.” Like, “Really?”
And—But we would benefit because they would come around, give us food and stuff like that
because it was a little bit more of a—I don’t want to say relaxed, but because we were with the
higher-ups who we were engaging with, we weren’t as much expecting—No. And I don’t want
to say expecting because we always were expecting, especially after the first incident. It was like
we were on high alert, especially that platoon, because, you know, we took the biggest casualty
of the deployment. But it was almost as opposed to if you go out on a raid, you’re pulling
security on that where you’re expecting it. These—You’re, you know—These leaders are
�Saladin, Philip
welcoming you into their house, and you don’t think this guy’s going to do something where he
got, you know, all of his kids and everybody just walking around open freely. (1:22:06) That
stuff you could pick on. If you go somewhere, and all of a sudden you notice all the kids are
running in the buildings, you’re like, “Okay.” You know. Like, “Let’s tighten it up a little bit.”
But if you got everybody running around, and you can notice the environment, you’re like,
“Okay.” You know. “I’m in this guy’s house. We have supremely overwhelming firepower.
We’re all right right now.” So—But we always had, you know, June 23rd in the back of our head
because it was just—You know, it was just an event. You know, it was—But it was really cool.
Got to experience it. So my first goat grab—“Hey. Here’s a plate of food.” I’m like, “Yes!” It
was so good. All of a sudden, I don’t feel well. I get dysentery, and we’re still about a few hours
left on out in sector. And I’m just like, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.” I’m
just—“Ugh.” I got so sick my—And it was—That was probably my first week. I don’t want to
say my first patrol but definitely my first week. It was—You know, now my impression is I’m
here with the commander—sergeant major—in his truck, heading back to base, and he’s like,
“What’s wrong?” And I’m on the floor like, “I don’t know.” You know, like, “I think I’m
poisoned.” But nobody else is sick, so obviously we didn’t get poisoned. But it was just like,
“Man.” And it was so bad, but couple days later, I was fine. And—
Interviewer: “Now did they treat—Did you get any treatment for it?”
Yeah, I—Yeah, they gave me—They had these pills. I don’t know—Remember the name of it,
but I was down for the rest of the day. It—Good thing. It was only a day. The next morning—Of
course, I didn’t have a choice. I had to get up and go out, but I was fine the next morning. But it
was—I was just like, “Whoa.” But I think it kind of helped me because every other time I ate
it—I didn’t learn my lesson. I went out and ate again, but I was fine every time. So I was just
like, “Maybe I just had to get used to it.” Because you get tired of the military food fast.
(1:24:06) You know, you get the same thing, and you’re just like, “Okay. You know what? I’m
going to try that meat on that plate.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now when you’re on a base like this, I mean, are they cooking any
food, or is it all MREs, or…?”
Oh, it’s—At this time—the early part—I say the—Probably eight months out of the whole time
we were there, we were pretty small. First, we had a little trailer. It was—They call it an MKT. I
don’t know—Mobile Kitchen Trailer. Yeah, so that’s what we had. So you had—It was enough
space for them to cook and you to walk through, get your food, and walk out and find a place to
eat. Because we were—Still had tents and our conexes, so, you know. And we never ate in our
rooms. Just no. You don’t want that. Critters coming in your room. So we’re eating outside.
Then eventually we got a bigger tent, so now we could actually—It was a—I forget what they
call them. A GP—A big, you know—So we had it in there. We got to set up in there. Had to
probably sit maybe a hundred people. Eat in there. It’s a lot better, you know, and then towards
the end of the deployment they got contractors. And they build this huge, nice facility, and I’m
like, “Of course. When we’re leaving.” And they get the private contractors coming in, and you
see all the—You know, the good food. You’re like, “Oh. They’ve even got midnight chow.” I’m
like, “I’m lucky if I, you know, ate twice a day. Now these—You go twenty-four hours and get a
�Saladin, Philip
meal.” But it was one of those things that was kind of glad. You’re like, “Oh. I see where it came
from.” But then it was like, “Whatever. I’m going back to America. I’m happy.”
Interviewer: “All right, all right. Now going to sort of take us now—So you basically got
just sort of this—You got into the first few months of your tour now, and now you’re going
into the rest. You’ll be there for fifteen. Now how does—What—Describe the kind—Okay.
Aside from going out and meeting with the local leaders and having goat grabs, what else
were you doing? What kind of missions would you run?” (1:26:09)
The operations tempos actually. It was a pretty high operation tempo. We had a lot of—In that
area there was a lot of targets—high value targets—that were wanted, and if we weren’t out
conducting raids to arrest people or kill or capture missions—I guess they would call them at that
time—we were securing. Doing—Pulling security for other units. Doing—And we had our
command group. They were out every day. If it wasn’t a key leader engagement, we were
attaching ourselves to a line company to go assist in whatever missions because it was—It
wasn’t a huge task force either, you know. We were—And our area was just two line companies,
headquarters company, and then another company got tasked out or attached to another unit. But
we had other small units attached to us, but for the most part it was just—Majority of the
missions was the two line companies, so we would go out and attach ourselves to them and go
off base. We—Majority was just a lot of arrests. We did—I couldn’t even tell you the amount of
people we—Even when I was working in the TOC, we had a lot. When I was out on the line with
the PSD, it felt like every other day we were going out, and if it wasn’t us, we were securing a
mission. A raid going on. And it was actually, you know, pretty impressive. All of—You—
Considering all of our incidents weren’t on raids. They were—Like that one. The second incident
we had. They were just doing a presence patrol. They were just walking around the town, you
know. Two minutes before that engagement, they were talking to a little kid on a bike. You
know, just neighborhood stuff. And out of all the raids we did—You know, high value targets. It
was, you know, some scary guys. (1:28:03) We were—We would go in expecting—Like,
“Something’s going to happen.” It was like, “Okay. We’re going to get contact tonight.” But
never. Not—It—They were all just good. And, you know, it’s just—They all went down. And I
wish I remembered how many we did. It was a lot. I think we even got recognized. Our unit got a
Presidential Unit Citation for that achievement.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now did you have any idea what sorts of people you were going
after?”
Yes, from—I knew that from my experience of being in the TOC and seeing, you know, the
paperwork. You’re like, “Okay. This target is wanted, suspected of IED making, kidnapping—”
Whatever crime. I saw all that, so—And then we would get told, too. Before the mission, you get
a mission brief. You get your package. It’s like, “This is what we’re going after.” Because even
though we weren’t the front line going in first to the house, everybody had to know who the
target was. You never know. They try to escape. So we could recognize. So you would study
the—You know, see them. Who they are. But it was—A lot of the times it was a lot of
information because it’d be like, “Okay. Look out for these vehicles.” And sometimes it was a
list of eight vehicles, and then you’d have these license plates. And then, on top of that, they
were written in Arabic, so you’re just like, “Okay.” Like, “If it’s the bad guy, I think we’ll know
�Saladin, Philip
by the time he gets to us.” So there were—But me? I just knew from working in the office, but
some of them were some real bad dudes. There was one guy we arrested, and he was known
for—I think he was responsible for—What was it? Not—Mass graves. Killing. Just killing a
bunch of people. (1:30:02) And, you know, we were like, “Okay. This guy’s going to go down
with a fight.” No. He’s—You know, and you see them come out, and you see these guys. And
they’re—I don’t know if they just—I don’t know. It was like you read these lists, and you’re
like, “This guy’s a real evil man.” And then when we come down on them, they were just like,
“Here. Just take me away.” And I don’t know if it was because they knew whatever it was at that
time. We had a lot of guys going in, coming out. I don’t know if just they knew that if they
waited out long enough, they might just get recycled through the system and released. Because at
that time there was the surge. Government of Iraq was still—Favorites were being played. You
know, such and such religions, people, whatever. However you want to look at it, we’re
getting—You know, like, “Oh. We don’t have evidence on this guy. You’ve got to let him go.”
And so it was a lot of that, too.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, and do you have—And were these, at least as far as you
could tell, basically local residents, or were there Al-Qaeda types from somewhere else?”
Oh, a lot—In this area, a lot of it was an influx of Al-Qaeda, and at this time—It’s when they
would call themselves Al-Qaeda in Iraq. AQI is what we knew them as, and then what was the
other name? There was another name they were transitioned to. I can’t remember. It was AQI
and then something. AQ—Something. Whatever. But we definitely had a few that were not from
that area because we—One thing that we had good was the unit before us—They were doing a
lot of civil, I guess you could call it. Investing on schools. They just got done building a brand
new school. So we kind of knew, but then you would tell. Like, “Okay.” And then you have a lot
of—It was—This part I was in southern Iraq, so this part was still very tribal. It wasn’t urban, so
you could tell. (1:32:01) But then you also have times where the Sheikh would come. “Hey. This
guy’s not from around here.” And then we would go, and then you talk to him. And you’ll find
out that this guy lived here thirty years ago, and he came and moved his family out. And he came
and took—So a lot of times that was hard because it was a lot of disputes like that, but there was
a few times where, you know, we would have—Like, “Okay.” You know. “We know this guy.
We’ve got the intel. This guy just came in. He’s hiding out in this area.” And those were the ones
that were a little more—Because this place before we came was a real, real hotspot for them. It
was a safe haven, you could say, because it wasn’t that far from the Iranian border, so they had
easy access. So it was a good hotspot for them. I think we were the second unit there from the
unit we replaced, so they had some good—And we had a few raids that actually Special Forces
Groups were conducting, and we had to pull security for them. And those were the ones where
we were like, “Hey. I notice that guy from a deck of cards.” So those were pretty cool ones. You
know, though, and—But we didn’t get to—I would love to go inside a building with them and—
But we just kind of were the outer security. We got to hear the chatter on the radio, and, you
know, it’s like, “Boom. You’re on target.” Next thing you know, they’re leaving in a helicopter,
and you’re like, “Oh. We got our guys. See you later. Thank you.” And stuff like that.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now how bad were the IED problems?”
�Saladin, Philip
That? For that deployment, they were a lot, but we had the engineers roadside. EOD. Their
vehicles—Oh, man. But they had the vehicles that were designed for it, but they went through so
many. We had—They would do route conditions—green, red, yellow—meaning, you know—
Green: safe to travel. And I tell you what. At least seventy percent of our area was red. It’s like
we could not travel because it was like you know you’re going to get hit if you go down this
road. And it was for the whole fifteen months. We had roads like that. And it wasn’t a
speculation. (1:34:05) It was like, “Okay. Route clearance is going to go down this road today.
This road is red. We’re going to expect to encounter, you know, half a dozen IEDs.” Sure
enough, two minutes into it—“Oh. We got our first IED.” And it was intense. That was a huge—
Especially because it was a marshy, swampy terrain, so it was real easy. And then we were
limited to our vehicles. We couldn’t use the big MRAPs all the time or the Bradleys. We were
confined to the Humvees, and we took the MRAPs out a lot because the IEDs were a lot. So we
needed the more protection.
Interviewer: “Okay, and explain what an MRAP is.”
So it’s a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. That’s what MRAP stands for, but it’s pretty
much a reinforced—if you want to think of it—oversized, mini school bus. The bottom is
designed to reflect explosions to the side. It’s a well-armored vehicle, but they are so big and
clumsy them things. It’s—Because it—They—High center of gravity. The slightest uneven
terrain that thing is bouncing, and you’re just like, “Oh, man. I’m about to roll over.” And that
happened often. That is—We got pretty good at self-recovering vehicles because them things—
as much money they spent on them—would just get stuck and for nothing. But they did good
against bombs, so you’ve got to give or take, you know. I wouldn’t—I’ll get stuck in mud and
not get blown up.
Interviewer: “All right. Did the overall rhythm or pattern of things change at all during
that year?”
Towards the end our—We noticed—Because we would get a lot of sporadic engagements with
the checkpoint personnel. And we noticed towards the end that died down a lot. (1:36:03) The
IEDs—That died down a lot, but I think it’s because we recovered a lot of stashes. We would—
Found so many caches. It was insane the amount of caches of IEDs we found. It was almost like
they had so many they just didn’t care. It was like you take a metal detector, walk outside, and—
“Beep!” “ Oh. Here you go.” It was insane. And that died down a little bit. The engagements
kind of started dying down, and I would say for the better part of the last four months it was just
nothing. It was pretty quiet, you know, with your exception of your local disagreements and that
stuff. But as far as against the coalition troops, it was—I don’t know if we just did that good of a
job, which I doubt because I kept in touch with people in that area after we left. And, you know,
there was—They still had the same stuff going on, but I—We did reduce it enough. It was—
Especially me going from the TOC and seeing it—It definitely—We definitely put a huge impact
in that area. I wouldn’t say an American solider is going to walk off the base and be perfectly
fine, but it was a lot safer than when we first got there, too. And I’m pretty sure, you know, it’s
just the gradual improvement, and I’m pretty sure—Who knows if I go there now, though? I
don’t know, but…
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Yeah, and that does seem to be part of a larger pattern that was taking place,
and so there was some progress being made at stabilizing things at least, which is sort of
what they sort of were supposed to do. And then it’s up to the Iraqis to clean up their act
after that. Okay. Did you get to know many of the Iraqis at all, or…?”
At this time—the first deployment—I did a little bit, but not too much for the simple fact of who
we were engaging with. We weren’t at this time—They didn’t have the whole—You had to be
with an Iraqi army and stuff like that. So at this time we were still independently operating, so
when I would engage with the locals, it would be more like the higher-ups. (1:38:10) So short
conversations with them. Stuff like that. So I never really—But I did get a feel for the
environment going out because you would notice enough the first few months going out. Just the
looks on their faces compared to the—Once they realize you’re—Okay. I’m actually here trying
to do something positive for them. You get the friendly waves. You get a smile. You’re like,
“Okay.” You know, you start noticing that. You’re like, “Hey. They like us.”
Interviewer: “Now did you have any Iraqis assigned to you as interpreters or whatever?”
We had interpreters, but at this time they were from the U.S. They were assigned. They came
over with us, and—Because we still didn’t have—The closest interaction with the locals were
base contractors. They would bring us, you know, whatever supplies or whatever it was we
needed, but that was—And even that interaction was minimal. If you wasn’t in charge of them,
you wasn’t talking to them.
Interviewer: “All right. What ability did you have to communicate with anybody back
home?”
That was actually pretty—They had a good setup. It wasn’t the best, but it surprised me. I was
like, “Oh. Maybe I’ll get a phone call every couple weeks.” But they had a pretty good, little tent
set up. It was maybe a dozen computers, a dozen phones, and you would go. But, you know,
it’s—The service—It wasn’t that—And then me? It’s funny. I was deployed for about six
months before I told my mom I was deployed, so you can imagine that one. And, you know, it
was one of those things. I would call her and be on the phone, and, of course, she’d be like,
“Where you at?” And I’m—You know, it’s like, “I’m out training. Bad reception.” And then—I
don’t know. I guess, finally, she caught on to it, and then I was like, “Well, I’m in Iraq.”
(1:40:00) And she was—So it was like that was a whole other—Man. And so all my friends
would make fun of me. Like, “So you were scared to tell your mom you was in Iraq, but you
wasn’t scared to go to Iraq?” And I was just like, “Oh. You haven’t seen my mom.” Like,
“That’s a different battle.” But the service was, you know, okay. It was—And then, plus, I tried
to keep communication minimum with back home. It was more of a personal thing. Just made it
easier for me the less I talk to them. It was just, you know, get through it. I wouldn’t be thinking
about home. It was just one of those things.
Interviewer: “Right. Okay. Now are there other particular incidents or impressions that
stand out for you from that first tour?”
�Saladin, Philip
On that tour? I don’t know. That was about the major parts of it, and, you know, besides the high
tempo of the tour, that was pretty much the peak point of it.
Interviewer: “All right, so then when do you rotate back to the States?”
So at the end of that, I went back to Germany. I was in Germany for about three months. You do
your whole—You know, just back to your unit. People start getting their orders to go to new
units. And right around the time they start restructuring that unit to—They were going to
Afghanistan. I had re-enlisted, and I got stationed in Texas. So I get sent to Texas, and I’m like,
“Okay.” You know. “I’m in a new place. Just came back from a deployment. I’m in Fort Hood,
Texas.”
Interviewer: “All right, so, roughly, when do you go to Fort Hood?”
It was around 2010. I want to—October, November-ish 2010.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right, and what unit are you assigned to now?”
In here I got assigned to Bravo Company 2/12 Cav.
Interviewer: “Okay, so 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry. And that’s 1st Cavalry Division?”
1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now the 1st Cavalry Division has been a lot of different things in its
history. It’s sort of Armored Cavalry in World War II. It was Infantry in Korea. It was Air
Cavalry in Vietnam. What was it when you joined it?” (1:42:12)
We were a cavalry unit, but the way they had it broken down it was like all of that because it was
a cavalry battalion—Brigade, you could even say. We were—But the battalion was comprised
of—What’d we have? One—We had two infantry companies, two tank companies, and then
Scouts, so it was—And the form of Scout—It wasn’t a Scout unit. It was just Scout in name. So
it was 1st Cav Division in historical context because it was no longer just a cavalry. They don’t
even—They didn’t even use the term “Cav Scout” no more. It’s just a Scout. You know, so it
was a kind of—Just a mash-up of everything.
Interviewer: “All right, so 2/12. Was that a line company or a Scout unit, or what was it?”
2/12 was the battalion. Our line company—We were Bravo Company. And Alpha Company.
Were the two line companies. And then we had three other companies, which were the support
companies.
Interviewer: “All right. Now did the unit have helicopters or vehicles or…?”
�Saladin, Philip
We had—We were mechanized, so we had Bradleys and Humvees. But the Division had the
air—You know, the helicopters division. All that was comprised under the Division, but as far as
our battalion was—Was just Bradleys and Humvees.
Interviewer: “Okay, so you’re mechanized infantry again, which is sort of what you had
been originally.”
Correct. Yes. Right back to it, and here—The interesting—Was here in Fort Hood—In Germany,
they kind of embraced a lot more of the mechanized role. It was like you were mechanized.
You—But they had the light infantry stuff they did. Because they did a lot of, you know, foot
marches. Lot of groundwork. (1:44:00) Same thing at Fort Hood, but Fort Hood—They were a
lot—The catch, I should say, was a lot more focused on the mechanized part. We did a lot of
dismounted tactics, but it was almost like they wanted to—We individually got our stuff, so we
got—I was mechanized, so it was like I got thrown into this—It was a sixteen-week course. Just
the mechanized crew. We had civilian contractors come in. It was almost a mini college
semester. It was—It was testing, learning the vehicle, operations—Everything you’re doing. And
then, once you qualify to be on that—and you’ve got to pass the test to qualify—then okay. You
are officially a Bradley Unit, so now we got attached to the rest of the company. And now we’re
working with the dismounts, and the Bradley has six or eight seats in the back. And we would
put our light infantry guys—if you want to call them—and we would combine our operations.
Mechanized and dismounts. And so it was kind of a little mash-up of light infantry and
mechanized without the full aspects of light infantry. We didn’t have no Airborne or none of the
stuff like that. It was like you was in a tank, Bradley, or the ground.
Interviewer: “All right, and how long did you spend at Fort Hood?”
I was at Fort Hood from 2010 to 20—Was it ‘14? 2014 I got out. I got out at Fort Hood, so 20—
So—
Interviewer: “Okay, but you had a second tour to Iraq?”
Yes, and that was another thing. I leave Germany. They’re getting ready to deploy. I’m like,
“Hey.” You know. “I just got out of a deployment.” I get to Fort Hood. I’m there three months
maybe—probably not even three months—and you start hearing the rumors. You know, the
rumor wheel’s— “Hey. We might be deploying. We might be deploying.” And I’m just like,
“Here we go again.” And then it comes down. Like, “Yeah. We’re going to—” We get thrown
into the training cycle, so we don’t get orders yet. (1:46:04) But you get thrown into the training
cycle, and then, from my experience—I’m like, “It’s on.” You know. Like, “Okay.” And here the
training tempo—And I thought Germany’s training tempo was intense. But here it was more
because in Germany we would have to travel out to the training grounds. Because the base we
was at was small, so we could maybe qualify with our rifles at the base and small tactics. But for
the larger tactics we would have to travel, and it was couple hours drive. And then you had to
maneuver a whole unit. Expensive, so we would do long trainings, but not often. Fort Hood—It
was medium training very often, so instead of going out for thirty days, we were going out for a
week or two, coming back for a weekend—three or four days—go out for a week or two. And
�Saladin, Philip
that was just the tempo for the better part—A better part of the next nine months because I was
only at Fort Hood for about just under, say, nine months before I deployed again.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now what rank were you at this point?”
At this point I’m a specialist, and I’m a gunner on a Bradley. We’re doing all our training. And
I’m trying to remember when was it that I came off the Bradley. So we do all the training, but
I’m—And then we do our major training, which is to either California or Louisiana. We go there.
I’m still mechanized at this time. Everything is set up, and then we get our—Oh. At this time we
get our orders. I remember. When we—Right before we go to Louisiana—Okay. Bam. Your
orders are cut. It’s set. You have your date. We’re packing bags. We’re training. Now it’s fullfledged operation tempo. Now we know when we’re going. We get back. All of a sudden, the
mission changes. It’s, you know—We’re pulling out. We’re giving them back the base. We’re—
Pretty much the transition phase. (1:48:02) So it’s like my first deployment was under the troop
surge under Bush. My second one was a transition under Obama. It was pulling out. So it was
like I got to see both ends of the beast. So I’m like, “Okay.” I’m—In my head, I’m—I was
interested for this deployment because it was like I wanted to see how this one was going to go.
Because—And they’re already telling us—It was like, “It’s not going to be heavy operational.
It’s more of advise. Assist. We’re standing back a lot this deployment.” So I’m—“Okay.” So…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now in the middle of that did you actually go to Louisiana?”
Yes, we went to Louisiana. We spent—Was it thirty days? We went twice. I’m trying to
remember. We went thirty days, came back for about—Little bit less than a month. Went back
out.
Interviewer: “Okay, so you go to a swampy state to train to go to Iraq?”
Yeah.
Interviewer: “Well, of course, some—You had a little bit of swamp in Iraq first time, but—
Okay, but was it at Fort Polk, or somewhere else?”
Yes. Fort Polk, Fort Polk. And they have the JRTC—the Joint Readiness Training Center—
there. Complete mockup town of Iraq except for Fort Polk is a million percent humidity every
day, but—And then that was our experience there. Did that for the next two, three months. Back
in that cycle.
Interviewer: “Okay. Yeah. Now you had mentioned something earlier about Fort Hood not
being one of your favorite places?”
No. No, it’s—I’ll say—I’m trying to see how to say this thing. Not in a way that I didn’t—That I
didn’t like the military. (1:50:01) But I didn’t like Fort Hood, how Fort—How the place itself
was ran because I felt it was—When I got there, I felt it was more of a corporation than an Army
unit, and I don’t know if it was because of the size. And Fort Hood does have a division
headquarters on it, so okay, you need to uphold, I guess, a better image because it’s a lot higher a
�Saladin, Philip
rank. I don’t know the reasoning, but in Germany it felt more military. You were in a military
unit. You did military things. Everything had a militaristic purpose. You get to Fort Hood. Some
of the stuff you do you’re just like, “No.” It’s a lot of just weird admin stuff, you know. It’s just
random. You get there. It’s like, “Oh. You have to learn how to do a PowerPoint slide on—” I’m
just trying to—One of the most random things like a PowerPoint slide on going out on boating
and barbequing for the weekend. I’m like, “You’re trying to tell me how to be safe barbequing
and boating, but you just gave me a gun and bullets and sent me to another country. And I had
not a single safety brief or a PowerPoint slide of how to not to do something.” You know, and
then it’s like at Fort Hood you’re told, “Okay. You can’t go—If you go on pass, you have to do a
course on or computer thing on how to drive. You have to rest every two hours.” Weird stuff.
But then we’re in Iraq. They throw you in an MRAP. “Oh. You have got to go drive for twelve
hours nonstop.” I’m like, “Wait. So it’s okay for me to do it over there when I’m in a lot more
danger, but if I want to drive home for the weekend and if it’s over three hours, I can’t do it
because I don’t have more than a day.”
Interviewer: “So there was a lot of chicken bleep.”
Yes, yes, and for some reason Fort Hood just felt like it was extremely good at that. And it was
everything, and it kind of—It’s just like, “Man.” It’s like, “Let us be Army. Let us do Army.”
(1:52:09) It was like they were so concerned with—“Okay. You need to go to the motor pool
and pick weeds out of rocks.” Like, “We have Roundup. Just let me go spray it.” But no. It’s
like, “Go get a group of guys and go pull grass.” And stuff—I’m like, “I could have been
teaching how to land-nav or read a map or doing something else, but you want me to go clean a
rock.” And it wasn’t that dramatic, but it was stuff like that where you were just like, “Why am I
doing this?” And, again, it was just that whole, I guess, bureaucracy of the big base, and it—And
that—It just kind of—It just took a taste out of my mouth and just—It just—And yeah.
Interviewer: “So going to Iraq then is a refreshing change of pace?”
Yes, it was. And I tell people that, and they look at me like I’m crazy. But I’m like, “I actually
looked forward to that.” And then, “Okay, besides the fact that I need to stay alive—which I do
that here too—that’s my only worry. Besides my Army stuff, which is almost instinctive
because—” But it’s like, “If I want a drink of water or Gatorade, I don’t got to pay for it. I just
go walk in the fridge and grab it. If I’m hungry, I don’t—I’m not worrying about my meal. I just
go walk in the building and get it.” But it’s so much simpler. It’s almost—It’s a primitive
lifestyle, you want to say, to put it—The simplest words. It’s like, “Okay. All we got to do is
worry about is eat and live, and that’s it.” And the stresses of war are—Yeah, it’s a whole other
animal, but the stress of life is not there. And it’s weirdly a great feeling, and you—At the
moment I didn’t notice that until—When I got out and I started—I guess you want to say—for
the better part of it being an adult, having responsibilities, paying, you know, mortgages and all
that. I’m just like, “Man. I was in Iraq. I just had to not get blown up.”
Interviewer: “Right. All right. Now what’s the process for getting you out to Iraq this
time?” (1:54:05)
�Saladin, Philip
So now this one was a little bit different because Fort Hood has their own—Pretty much is its
own mini country. Own airport. Everything. So all the staging we did in Germany last time—
Everything got done from Fort Hood. Loading up all the supplies, leave ahead of time, all the
vehicles—It was probably two months ahead of time. All the gear’s gone, so now we’re just
sitting and waiting. Formations every other day. “Bring all your gear. We want to make sure you
have it.” So, you know, and that stuff. Finally, we’re going. It’s the day we’re leaving. We’re just
getting on school buses and two minutes down the road to the airfield. And we’re sitting in this
giant gym, get loaded up in the plane, and the next thing you’re taking off. I think we stopped in
Ireland or something for a few hours, and then from there we went right into Kuwait. And this
time it was—Even in Kuwait I noticed a change because I get to Kuwait, and a lot of those
briefings it wasn’t like, “Hey. This is an AK-47. This is how you handle it. This is how you take
apart.” You know. Or, “These are IEDs.” It was more like, “This is the population in this area.
This is how you engage them.” Which is the right thing to do because okay, you don’t want to go
in there and just—“Oh. I’m going to destroy everything.” You know, you want to know that, but
it was a lot more of that than, “Okay. Hey. You’re going to a combat zone.” And then we get
there. It’s a huge base. The lifestyle compared to my first deployment—It’s night and day. This
was a—What—It’s an Iraqi airbase. I’m in northern Iraq in Kirkuk at this time for this
deployment. It was, I think, Kirkuk Air Base actually. Was where we were on. Really nice. Lot
of contractors. This thing was—We had, you know—For what it was, I wasn’t complaining.
(1:56:10) I was like, “Hey.” You know. “I’ve got electricity.” I had Internet in my room. It was
good, so hey. And the life—The living conditions was better. The food was better. By this time
contractors were well-established. You know, my first deployment—From having the showers
that were going to electrocute you to the second deployment—To you have some guy coming in
replacing all the napkins in the bathroom. You’re like, “Whoa. Okay.” So—But this deployment
was the whole—“Let’s be nice to everybody.” And it’s interesting because this deployment I feel
like I thought was the deployment—I was not more in fear for my life, but I was like, “If this is
the deployment, this is it.” Because it was every other—Probably every day almost we were
taking rockets incoming, and, you know, the first couple days you hear the alarm, you run to
shelter. Before the end of the first week, we would get rocketed, and I’d just stay in my room.
I’m like, “I’m tired of running.” I’m like, “Whatever.” It’s like, “If it’s going to hit, it’s going to
hit me playing video games.” And I’d just stay in my room, and that’s the mentality a lot of us
took. And I don’t know if it was just the infantry guys—that we took that mentality—because
you still had a lot of people around us that as soon as that alarm goes off, they scatter, you know,
in the wind. Me? I’m like, “I’m going to wait for first impact, judge from there, and that’s it.”
It’s—Because I was like, “I’ll be damned if I run out of my room and get blown up running to
cover when I was in cover.” But, you know, it was just one of those things, and then by the third
week we’re making fun of it. We’re—And I don’t know if it was because their rockets were just
so whatever. And I’m pretty sure they probably just lined up five rockets, launch, and forget. But
we would come outside, and rockets were coming in. (1:58:01) Me and my buddy would run
around. “The Russians are coming! Everybody take cover!” And then everybody’s like, “How
are you joking?” And we’re like, “Well, you can’t be serious.” It’s like, “I’m not going to—I’m
already stressed out.” It’s like, “I’m not going to go crazy worrying about some random rockets.”
And, you know, fortunately I don’t think nobody on the base—I think somebody got shrapnel,
but no casualties besides that. And it was small. We had—But it was a constant barrage the
whole deployment. Well over hundreds of rockets were fired at us.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “Now was this hill country you were in?”
It was pretty flat. They really, really, really urbanized our setting. The base was huge. It was a—
Half of it was—At this time half was Air Force, half was military, and Iraqis even had a little
part of it, too. It was a big base. And, you know, they would launch the rockets, and half the time
it was hitting random spots on the base. But we had a few times. We had one time. We’re driving
out, and rocket landed right in front—It was a dud. Just—And you hear the fin, and we’re just
like, “Wow.” That—And you know. And stuff like that. You’re like, “Hey.” But—And you
know. And that was the lifestyle there at that place.
Interviewer: “Okay, so what were you actually doing then?”
This—We were doing a lot of—They called it—We just did a lot of presence patrol. That’s
probably the best way to—We would do a constant presence out there. We were just constant. If
we—We would do forty-eight hour guard shifts with an Iraqi unit at certain police headquarters
and checkpoints throughout the town, and if we weren’t even doing that, we were literally just
driving around the town for twelve—Twelve-hour shifts you would just drive, and it was—I
think it was just drawing out the bad guys because it was a lot of rockets attacking at this time,
and we would—While driving out, the overall idea was to try to have a unit out of sector, so
when they would start launching rockets, maybe have a chance of being close. (2:00:09) Because
we could ID where they were being launched from from all the stuff we had, so, you know,
sometimes we would get a—“Oh. We’re right down the road.” And you’ll go, and it’d just be a
rail set up. So it’s like we could tell it’s a timer, and I don’t—My unit personally—We never got
to catch one of them, but we definitely found a lot, a lot, a lot of rockets and rails. And that was
just—By that time that was their thing. Just set rockets and go. There wasn’t—IEDs weren’t a
big thing, but at this—It was—Can’t—The—I think they’re called RKGs. They were handheld
IEDs that they would throw, and that’s what my truck got blown up with. This was this
deployment. And that’s another thing. We weren’t doing a raid. Nothing. We were—We just got
done with a presence patrol. End of our shift. No, we’re actually QRF. That’s the funny part.
We’re QRF, and we’re out in town.
Interviewer: “What is QRF?”
So quick reaction force. So that’s for—Let’s say a unit’s going out, and they get in contact.
We’re pretty much their reserve. “Hey. These guys are in contact. We’re going to come and
multiply the force and whatever has to be done.” The way you usually handle QRF—You want
to keep them stationed at a location. Us? The way they did it we would drive. We’re out in
sector, so it’s like, “Okay. We’re QRF. What happens if QRF gets hit?” And guess what
happened that night. QRF got hit. So we’re driving. It’s probably, you know, last—Towards the
end of our shift. We could see the base lights. Maybe a mile from the base. And it’s crazy. The
way I remember this story was completely different from my driver, and I didn’t notice until me
and him talked about it a few years later. (2:02:08) So the way I—The whole time I thought of it
I’m in the truck. It’s my driver, my truck commander, and then me. I was a squad leader at the
time, but I had—I was driving in the platoon sergeant’s truck, so he was the highest ranking
NCO. So he was the truck commander. Him and the driver in the front seat, have the gunner in
the middle standing on top, and it’s me and the squad in the back. You know, and I’m like,
�Saladin, Philip
“Okay.” You know. “We’re pretty close to the base.” And we stopped. Or, at least, I thought we
stopped. And next thing I know I was just—Just this real loud explosion and this—I can still
taste it. Just this funky taste in the air. It was just—I don’t even know how to describe it. I don’t
know. You know, it’s from the smoke system. I don’t know. It was just this weird taste. And
come to, realize, you know—“Okay. We just got blown up.” First thing I do is, you know, the
body check. I’m intact. That’s a good sign. Still could not really hear stuff. Everything was just
muffled. At this point I’m putting two and two together. I knew it was an explosion. You know,
you know, and I look over. My medic—He’s standing there. Everybody for the most part was
good. We—Our truck behind us—We push out of the kill zone, which is what you’re trained—
You know, if you get hit, you don’t want to stay in that spot. You want to try to push up, back,
wherever. Couple hundred meters out of the way in case it’s an ambush. You don’t want to stay
on the X. We push out. Personnel gets arranged. We call up. “Hey. We just got hit.” “Oh. We
need to spin up QRF.” We’re like, “Oh. We are QRF.” (2:04:02)
Interviewer: “Okay, so what condition was the truck in when it was hit?”
The truck—It was interesting. The truck was almost—I give a lot of credit to the truck because
this thing was—At first, we was like, “It’s immobilized.” We’re like, “It’s done. The slug
apparently—Because it was—The way this IED was—It’s a copper plate, and the explosion—
What it does—It melts that copper plate, so it’s pretty much molten metal just shooting towards
wherever it’s going. And where we’re hit in the truck was right between the driver’s seat and the
engine, so it just hit the perfect sweet spot where it—But it went—It was the craziest thing. It’s
this big diesel engine, and it went clearly through the engine. You could see the ground. So we’re
just—You know, at this time we didn’t know it was that bad. We’re like, “Okay.” You know, we
took the truck. So we hook it up. Well, they hooked it up. At this time I’m still—I’m in the back
of the other truck. I’m kind of dazed still a little bit, so I’m just—And I’m, you know—The
recovery operation is happening, to say the best, and then, all of a sudden, it’s—I remember this
because this got me so angry. We hear on the radio. The guy’s like, “Okay. We got our troop—
We self-recovered.” They was like, “We got the truck hooked up.” We pretty much just put a
tow bar on it to the truck in front of us.” We’re like, “We’ll just pull it out.” Headquarters comes
on the radio. “No. The next QRF just spun up. They left. Let them come and recover you.”
(2:06:00) You know, and it’s—You get that pause. Like, “What?” Like, “Is that what you’re—”
You know, and now I can—You hear people on the radio like, “What the eff are you talking—”
Like, “We’re not going to sit here and wait for somebody to come.” So that situation developed
to what it was. This whole time I’m in the back of the truck, and all I hear is, you know, F-bombs
and every other word you could imagine in the book because we’re sitting here still. And, you
know—But we just got blown up five hundred feet to our rear, and we’re just still here.
Eventually, the next—We had our sister platoon. Happened to be coming back from their shift
on guard from one of the checkpoints. They were like, “We’re out in sector. We’re here.” They
pulled up, load up the truck, and literally did exactly what we were doing. But, for some reason,
they didn’t want us doing it. We get back to the base, which is maybe five minutes. We go to
the—Automatically, everybody has to go to the aid station for evaluation. I get out of the truck.
I’m like, “Oh.” You know. “I’m fine.” I’m—Then, all of a sudden, I’m just puking my brains
out, and it’s just—I’m just like, “Okay.” It’s—I was—And then—And everybody’s being
checked out, and I’m just puking. And next thing I know it’s like, “Oh. You’re staying here
overnight.” I’m like, “For what?” I was like, “I’m just throwing up. I’m cool.” And no. So kept
�Saladin, Philip
me overnight. Me and my platoon sergeant got kept overnight. He got rocked pretty good
because he was in the driver’s seat, so he got—Good concussion. The blast of that concussion.
Because it was right in the—Directly—If we were going two, three miles an hour faster, he’d
probably be dead right now because he would have gone right through that door. But he was a
little bit more out of it for most part of the night. You know, wake up the next morning. We get
released. You know, it wasn’t nothing too crazy.
Interviewer: “Now did you get diagnosed with a concussion?” (2:08:01)
Yes, I got diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and pretty good one because I couldn’t go out
for, you know, I think—I forget. I think it was a week or something. And I don’t remember
hitting my head or none of that. I thought I recalled the whole thing good. You know, I’m telling
my story. I’m like, “Yeah. This is what happened.” I couldn’t be more wrong.
Interviewer: “Yeah, so what’s your friend’s version of it?”
So my buddy—He’s the driver, so I take his—You know, I was like, “Okay.” You know. “That
kind of makes a lot more sense to me.” Me? I was—My story—It was like we stopped at the
light. Whatever. He was like, “No. We never stopped.” He was like, “We were driving the whole
time.” And he was like, “We’re driving, I saw a guy at the corner, and I yelled to the gunner.”
He’s—I don’t want to say names because I just don’t want to put nobody out there like that. And
I haven’t talked to them to—You know, I let them put it out if they want to in the future.
Whatever. But he’s saying his name. “Hey! Two o’clock.” You know. “Somebody’s fishy there.”
Because he said he saw the guy look, turn back, and cross the corner. We’re coming up on the
corner, so he peeks. He said he seen him peek. The guy comes back, and that’s when he told him.
I don’t know if our gunner was sleeping, La-la land, what it was—Because then all I hear is,
“Oh, shit.” And, you know, my driver’s like, “I didn’t know what to do after that.” He’s—He’s
driving, he’s telling the gunner, the platoon sergeant’s like, “Oh, shit,” and he’s like, “That’s—
We got hit while we were driving.” He’s like, “We never stopped. The whole time we was
driving.” The part where we pushed through was right, the part that we couldn’t self-recover was
right, but we never—I guess we never got to the point where we were leaving with our vehicles.
(2:10:00) He said we were in the middle of setting it up, and then we got told, “Hey. Don’t selfrecover.” And apparently, our sister platoon was already there when we got told. You know, and
I’m just like, “Well, okay. Well, you know what—” I was like, “I knew this story completely
different. Me? I thought we was at—” I was like, “I thought we stopped.” And there’s this
bridge—this overpass—we always drove under, and I thought that’s where it happened. And it
wasn’t even there. It was quarter mile up the road. He was—I don’t know. I was like, “Didn’t we
stop at the light at the underpass? And that’s where we got—” He’s like, “No. We never stopped
at that light.” And I’m like, “I know.” That’s what was weird to me. He was like, “No.” He was
like, “We drove through, and it’s right when we got past the underpass at that store—” He’s like,
“This little restaurant—” He’s like, “That’s where it happened.” I was just like, “Oh.” And he’s
sitting out—And it was—I was just like, “That’s—” But it was crazy how I thought—If you
were to ask me—If that’s a report I gave—my debrief—I would have swore up and down that’s
what happened verbatim, and no. It’s—And I found that very interesting, you know. It was like
how? I don’t know if it was a coping mechanism that my body just went into, or maybe I just—
�Saladin, Philip
That track of period—I just lost it or whatever it was. But I just found it really interesting how—
That my perspective was completely different from his, and it was—I just found that interesting.
Interviewer: “Okay. Well, I mean, with a brain injury and a concussion and things like
that, stuff can happen, and the brain can actually fabricate memories in places. If there’s
something that’s missing, it will fill in the space for it. So who knows there? But yeah, so
very, very distinctive thing there. Okay. Was that really the only time that you kind of
came under fire or were that close to it?”
For that—For us, yes. For that—I’m trying to think. For—Yes, yes, yes, yes. I know that one
was—There was another story with another platoon that was pretty interesting. (2:12:02) It—I
say it’s interesting because the outcome—Nobody was hurt, but this guy—I think he was a brand
new private. He wasn’t in my unit—my platoon—but we had—We were going out on patrol, and
we come back. It’s a—It was a fairly large maneuver. We come back, and we’re going into the
base. And all you hear on the radio is, “Oh, chunk. I think I got shot.” You hear that. Okay, you
know, you’re—Everybody’s buckling down. We’re like, “Is there a sniper?” You know, because
we’re driving. You know, there wasn’t no gunshot, so nobody’s mind thought of anything. We’re
just like, “What? Wait. What?” So everybody—And then it’s like, “No, no, no. Not right now.”
And then—So okay. So we all come out the trucks, and the kid touched his vest. And his plate
was shattered, and take it off and check it. And he had a slug dead center mass in his chest.
Didn’t realize it. He was a gunner on a truck. Did not realize he got shot. And—But the irony
was he had a plate in his vest that he was supposed to switch out for the new updated ones. He
never did, so he got in trouble. So his plate saved his life that was supposed to be changed for a
plate that was supposed to save his life, and he still got in trouble because—But I just thought
that was—That was kind of interesting. You know, you took a round to the chest and didn’t—So
I don’t know if it was just that far away, but it—That thing right there was always—I was—Very
interesting to me. I was—And—But we never—I don’t think we was ever in a spot that that
happened. I don’t—So the real story—Who knows? You know, I’m—There’s my perspective,
but I just always found that interesting. Like, “Hey. You could say you took a round to the chest
and walked away.” (2:14:00)
Interviewer: “Yeah, and I suppose you were bouncing along on the truck. Might not even
notice the moment when the impact took place if it sort of was timed that way, and then
realized that you’re—The plate’s shattered. Okay. Now you’re—Are you now doing more
in conjunction with the Iraqis?”
Yes. At this deployment, it was hand in hand. We were to the point where every time we left the
base we had to have an Iraqi contingency with us. So whether it be the local police, military—
There had to be some kind of Iraqi force, and at first we were the lead. They would following.
Towards the end, they were the lead, so we pretty much were the supporting force. But that
didn’t always work out. There was one incident we were going on a scheduled raid. This was a
big maneuver planned. We show up to the Iraqi Army base. They decide to not show up for work
today. We get there. There’s one Iraqi guy there. It’s the chief. He’s like, “I don’t know where
my men are.” And I’m just—And company commander walks up to me. Grabs me by the
shoulder. He’s like, “Me, you, the chief, and this Iraqi. We’re taking point, and we’re going to go
in the building.” And I’m like, “Fuck.” You know, and me—And at this point—I’m a sergeant at
�Saladin, Philip
this point, so I was like, “Okay. I’ve got the leadership role. I have to assume my leadership
position.” So it’s me, two of my guys, two Iraqi guys, and, weirdly, the company commander.
You never see that. A company commander does not go on a stack on a wall into a building.
Sure enough, company commander’s like, “I’m coming in with you guys.” Me—as an NCO at
that time—I was kind of a little bit disgruntled because I felt like, you know, my power just got
snatched. And I was like, “Ugh.” But then I felt good. I was like, “He has trust in me. He’s going
to do this maneuver with me.” So I was like, “Sweet.” You know, and that one—We ended up
arresting some guy, but it was very interesting because our intel on that raid was—It was pretty
grim. (2:16:04) A few weeks earlier, another group had came in and got into a firefight. There
was—A Special Forces group came in and got into a firefight. The same exact area. And then we
show up to the base, and this Iraqi Army guy’s—Decide to call out. I’m like, “This—” You
know, the whole thing was just—It’s like, “Oh, man.” I was like, “This is going to be bad.” It
was nighttime. It’s two in the morning. It—The whole time I’m driving to this place my heart’s
jumping through my chest. I’m just like, “Oh my god.” I’m—I want to get sick at this point. I’m
like, “I want to be sick.” But you can’t, you know. But it turned out good. Went in. Simple thing.
Got the guy. I don’t even know if it was the guy we were looking for, but it was a guy we wanted
to arrest. Arrested him. Turned out good. Really long. Really, really, really long night, but it
turned out really good because, you know, nothing happened. But that was probably one of the
scariest—Because, you know, it’s in your head, you’re—All the calling cards for an ambush
were there, and, you know, at that time I’m—Yeah, I’m a fresh sergeant. I know enough, but the
overall picture—You know, who am I? I’m not going to be like, “Hey, sir. We can’t do this
mission.” He’s going to be like, “Yeah. Go. Get out of my face. Go get me some—A new
sergeant.” You know, but—And it’s—And it made you think, “Are we walking into it?” It
wasn’t—You know, it was—We benefited. Lucky. It turned out good for us. In our favor. We
got some great intel out of it, and it’s weird because I look back at a lot of this stuff. And I’m
like, “Man. All the times that it could’ve been—It was like it wasn’t.” And…
Interviewer: “Okay. Yeah. Now did you ever see the Iraqis function effectively?”
No. Just—Honestly, no. (2:18:01) One time close. We—And this was because we were just
sweeping a large field, and we had them online. And they were sweeping the field. That’s
probably about as effective—Like that. But there were other units that were pretty good. We got
to work a little bit. We were in Kirkuk, so we seen the Peshmerga Army and stuff like that.
Those guys are legit. Those guys—They know what they’re doing. There were small groups of
people that we didn’t work with directly that—They were functioning right, but—And that was
the thing with that area, especially in that Kirkuk area. Is you would have some units—You’re
like, “These guys [?] way—” You know, we would leave a checkpoint. Don’t even turn around.
Just don’t even look back. We just—“Adios.” Like, “You guys got this.” Another checkpoint—
You show up. You’re like, “Wow.” Like, “What’s going on here?” And—But we never worked
with one of the better units, should I say, or all the ones we worked with—They were small, and
I didn’t—Probably were—You met good people, but as far as tactically, no. I seen them shoot
themselves in the foot and try to say somebody shot them. Like, “No. It’s—No.” Like, “You
have well over twenty people here.” You know. “We know—” We could tell the difference
where, you know—Got shot. But that? I probably seen that about three or four times. Dude
shooting—And they just had this thing. They would rest their AKs on their foot. The muzzle.
Right on their toe. And they just loved playing with the trigger. They just always had their
�Saladin, Philip
finger—Always. And then it’s—You would think they would learn and—But never. It was just
like, “Dude. Just don’t play with it. Just don’t play with it.” And then that was a little big of a
problem. When we would stay on the compound with them, we put them—Unless you were
sleeping, we made our guys wear their full gear all the time. Because we slept in separate rooms,
so we had a little bit of control over the room. But if we were just walking around the area, it’s
like, “No. Put your gear on.” Like, “I don’t care we’re indoors.” Like, “These guys are too
reckless.” (2:20:07) And I don’t want to say it was just almost on purpose. Because they weren’t
dumb people. They just—Relax. Everything was like, “Meh.” Like, “If it happens, it was meant
to happen.” And when they literally say, “Everything is like that,” everything is like that.
Nothing is, “Hey. We’re on a schedule.” They’re just like, “It’ll happen when it’ll happen.” I’m
like, “No, no, no!” So—But it was interesting. That part was really cool. But met a lot of nice
people. But that mentality was…
Interviewer: “All right. Now, I mean, do you actually get to know any of these people at
all?”
Yeah. Yes, I—Especially in Kirkuk I got—And when we were staying—We would stay
overnight in the compound for a couple days. Of course, you’re going to develop a relationship
with them, and then my last name being Saladin—That intrigued them. Oh, man. That—I think
the first day they saw me, and they saw my name badge—it says, “Saladin”—they were—
Instantly just gravitated towards me. And we were talking, and it’s funny because I don’t speak a
lick of Arabic. And they’re just—And I’m just like, “I don’t know.” Then we had an interpreter,
and at this time our interpreters were actually locals. So he was talking, and then got to talking. I
can—That right there built me a real good relationship with them. They would be like, “Hey!
You want some of this, you know, bread?” And they would have their meal, and then they would
call me over. Like, “Hey! We got some—” You know, super nice, and I just—I was intrigued by
it, you know. Then I found out more. You know, they would tell me stuff about my last name
and the origins, and how he was from—He was Kurdish and all this stuff, and they were real
fascinated by it. And—But I kept the relationship there because we had a lot of other guys—
They would go friends on Facebook and stuff like that, but I was real sketchy about that because
at this time it was still—It was a lot of sketchy stuff going on over there, and a lot of the
interpreters—We would have to meet them out in the town and away. (2:22:10) Secluded areas.
They wouldn’t come to the base, or—Or they would get—You know, driving in the trunk of
somebody’s car and get drove onto the base because they were in—Living in that area. And if
they saw them—Like, “Oh. You’re working with the Americans?” You know, and it’s crazy
because at this time we were handing it back over to them, but compared to my first deployment,
I felt like the second one was more—I don’t want to say war zone or warlike, but it was because
we had—It was a lot more stuff like that. Our interpreter for instance. We’re over here sneaking.
Meeting this guy in the middle of this desert practically, climbing—With a full mask on,
climbing into the back of our truck, so we could go talk to somebody, and then dropping him off
miles away. It’s stuff like that, and then, you know—And then taking the rockets every night.
Some of our checkpoints or other platoons got in firefights, and I’m like, “When we’re here to
give you everything back and be nice, we’re getting a lot more attacked than when we were here
kicking down doors and taking you guys away.” And I know it was two complete—It was
southern Iraq and northern Iraq. Two completely different places. Maybe that had something to
�Saladin, Philip
do with it, but I just found that interesting that I felt like the combat intensity was more during
the drawdown than the surge.
Interviewer: “Yeah, so did you have much perspective in terms of thinking of the sort of
bigger picture of what was happening? You know you’re part of a drawdown, and do you
wonder, ‘What are these guys going to do when we’re not here?’” (2:24:05)
Oh, yes. That was a huge thing. It was—Just seeing how they operated already with us, it was
like, “Man.” Honestly, we were calling it. It’s—Knowing today what we know, it’s easy to say,
“Hey. I knew this was going to happen.” But we were saying it. We were like, “Man. This is not
going to turn out good because we’re just giving these guys bases and then the checkpoints—”
We start off with the checkpoints. We would—And we’ve put generators in these things. Air
conditioners. We took—We upkept them good—refurbished them—and, you know, come back a
week or two later, they’re stripped bare. Generator’s gone, air conditioner’s gone, everything—
And then it’s like, “Come on.” Like, “This is for you guys.” Like, “Now you guys are going to
be manning this checkpoint with nothing.” And one of them was completely abandoned. I’m—
So I’m like, “Okay. This is going to—” You know. And then we were giving them the bases,
too. The big bases we were shutting down. We actually were part of a big maneuver. We drove
from northern Iraq all the way to southern Iraq, and I forgot how they described it, but it was
probably one of the largest convoy maneuvers in Iraq besides the invasion. We were pretty—It
was—It was pretty much a whole base left at the one time, and we had all our vehicles
maneuvering from northern Iraq to southern Iraq over a—It was a three-day period, and it was
like, “If we’re drawing down, and stuff is this good—” We had fighter jet escorts, helicopters—
You know, each leg of the trip we were never unescorted by air support, and we’re this massive
firepower. (2:26:03) You got—It was well over a hundred vehicles. We’re armed to the tee, you
know, and—But I’m like, “So we’re giving this back, and stuff is so good. Why are we leaving
like this?” And everybody had that kind of feeling. Like, “Man.” Like, “We’re just giving this
up. We’re giving this up.” And then, you know—And then me seeing two—From two
deployments—None of these other people have way more deployments and a more intimate
experience in certain places, but I’m—I almost felt like that work—I’m like, “All that stuff is—
It’s done. It’s—It’s done.” Like, “This is the end. Is this the fruit of my labor? Is this it?” Like,
you know, “Blood, sweat, and tears. We’re just going to walk away?” But, you know, that’s what
happened, and then, you know—Then you look at the news, and you see the whole ISIS thing.
Kirkuk was one of the first places that fell. I’m—Got a little sick. I’m like, “I know this town.”
Interviewer: “All right. Now when you had that convoy—So were you leaving the base that
you had been on initially?”
Yes.
Interviewer: “And then do you set up a new base, or you just leave?”
No, we left the base and turned it over. We officially turned it over to the Iraqis, and then we
were traveling down to other bases that we had. And we would either grab an attachment with
us, and they would shut down, or they were probably still another unit there. But the main base
we were on—When we left, it was—“Okay. This is yours.”
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “And from there did you just go on and leave the country?”
Yeah, yeah. That was pretty much our trip home. The start of our journey home. Usually, they
were just throwing us on airplanes and flew us to Kuwait. It was like, “Oh. You’ve got one last
mission. You’ve got to drive all the way to southern Iraq.” Because we had to—We were turning
in the vehicles to the—I guess, the main logistic port or whatever, and it’s a lot cheaper to have a
bunch of people driving than it is to fly them down, so—And it—And that itself was an
interesting trip because we got to drive to a lot of towns in Iraq. (2:28:01) We drove through—
What’s Saddam’s hometown? I can’t—
Interviewer: “Tikrit.”
Yes, and the path we took—You see everything, you know, and I was sitting up front. I got to
see all that. Some of the stuff—You’re just like, “Man.” It’s mesmerizing, you know. You’re
like, “Wow.” These buildings. And even when you see the palaces, and you go—It’s just—Man.
But then you—So destroyed.
Interviewer: “Oh, so were the palaces impressive, big things, or…?”
Yes, to me. They definitely impressed me. I got to see two of them. I didn’t get to go inside none
of them, but it’s—Just driving by and seeing them, and then just the—A lot of them—I was
looking at—Of a lot like a historical, pure perspective. I’m like, “Man.” You know. “Thousands
of years ago, this was a whole—”
Interviewer: “Yeah, yeah. You were in Assyria.”
Yes. Yeah, and actually when I was in southern Iraq, the—It’s called the Arch of Keshra. The
Gateway to Persia or whatever. My base was right there. We were tasked with keeping that
place—whatever was left of those ruins—up. But that amazed me, you know. They were like,
“This is considered the cradle of civilization.” Like, “This was the—” They called it the Gateway
to Persia, and it was like, you know, “This is the old—Historical way.” And I was amazed. I was
just like, “Man.” Like, “This thing is—It’s older than this county that’s here protecting it.” Like,
“This—” And like I got to go to one of the shrines for one of—It was, I think, one of
Muhammad’s prophets or something. I forget who it was, but it was a really religious, super
religious—I got—And then I didn’t know—I don’t know a lot about it, but it was just being in
the presence of that and understanding the historical value of it. You’re like, “Man.” Like, “This
could have been where stuff started.” You know, like, “All this kind of stuff—” It was like, “If
you really look at it, it all kind of started right there.” (2:30:05)
Interviewer: “Is there other things that stand out or particular experiences or impressions
you had that you hadn’t brought in yet?”
From the last deployment, I would say significant events—impactful events—most likely not.
That was the major we covered, but everything else was more, you know, just the day-to-day
�Saladin, Philip
operations. My son was born during my second deployment. That—I can’t believe I missed that
out, but that was huge.
Interviewer: “Okay. How do you deal with that? I mean, are you able to communicate with
home and through the process—Or do you get to go home somewhere in there?”
Yeah. I don’t know if it was set up, or just a—Fortunate of events. Just managed to work the
way—Like this. But you get your R&R during deployment, and my R&R came up exactly at the
nine months. So I was like, “Okay. Yeah. I might be home to see my son born, or, you know—
Or he might be born, and then I get home.” So that’s when I’m there. It’s like, “I might have a
good chance to see him.” So I’m like, “All right.” I’m excited about that, and I get leave to go. It
was two days worth of flying. Just long. You know, just—Get off the plane. I’m like, “Okay.
We’re going to get something to eat.” She—Son hasn’t been born yet, so we go get something to
eat. Get something to eat. We go to the house, and literally right back in the car because she went
into labor. So it was like, “Perfect timing. Let’s go.” So my—It was a two-week long R&R. My
whole first week—well, five or six days—It was spent in the hospital. (2:32:01) Then got done
with that. Got to spend the next week with my son, so I got to—That was awesome, you know,
but on the other hand, my whole perspective just changed. It was like, “Okay. I’m going back.”
But now I’m—Everything I do I’m—I don’t want to say second-guessing, but I definitely was
more cautious. I wasn’t—As opposed to just like, “All right. Let’s go do this.” Now in the back
of my head I was like, “Okay. Let me just methodically—Let me—” Not methodically. I was
always a little methodically in planning, but this time I was, I guess, just being more redundant.
I—It’s weird to say—Because you’re being careful already because where I’m at in the
environment, but it kind of increased a little. I don’t know. It—I wasn’t all about myself, but this
kind of just brought it out more where it’s not just about me, I guess you could say. I was like,
“Okay. I’ve got to make it back home.” As before, I was like, “I would like to make it back
home.” This time it was like, “I have to.”
Interviewer: “Yeah. Well, it’s sort of a reason why at times different military organizations
wanted single men for certain kinds of jobs and things like that.”
Yes. I definitely see why that would be.
Interviewer: “Yeah. Now you’ve got different set of responsibilities there at that point.
Now—And so how far into that tour was that?”
That—And it was—That was right at the middle. It was—It—I want to say probably just
above—Just past six—Either at six months or just past. Right in that middle point. Not sure
exactly.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Now a different kind of question. How would you
characterize the morale in your unit on the second tour with the 1st Cavalry as opposed to
your previous one?”
I would say the second tour—The morale was—It was—As far as cohesiveness morale, we all
got along. We’re all really good. That was great. You know, our platoon—We were—Great
�Saladin, Philip
bunch of guys. (2:34:00) I was—That was my first significant leadership role in combat because
before I was just a team leader. This time I had the role of a platoon sergeant for a few weeks
because I was a senior staff sergeant. Just, you know—No, not staff sergeant. I was a senior
sergeant. I was—
Interviewer: “In the platoon, right?”
Yes, so we had—Our platoon sergeant was gone, so I got—I had to fill in that seat, so I did that
for a little bit. So I got a lot of good experience, and in that manner it was all—The soldiers were
good. A lot of young guys. They were, you know, just fresh, full of energy, ready to go, but this
was a different—Their perspective was—I guess what they thought they were going to go—You
know, they were like, “Oh, yeah. We’re going to war.” I don’t know if they were like, “Okay.
We’re going to go get into this shooting war.” They’re expecting intense firefights or what it
was, but I’m—And I told them. I was like, “Even in my first deployment where that was—Was
going on in a lot of parts of Iraq—That—For us, we didn’t see it as much as you would think,
even though we had some catastrophic events.” It’s like, “You didn’t—” I was like, “It’s not like
that. In other places I’m pretty sure many other soldiers experienced that.” I’m like, “From my
experience—” I’m like, “It’s not like that.” You know. “And if they do happen, matter of a
couple of minutes, it’s done. It’s not this, ‘Oh.’” You know. “You’re in a three-day firefight.”
You know, it just wasn’t happening at that time, so I think that kind of took away from them a
little bit because they kind of felt—I don’t want to say short-changed in the deployment, but as
an infantryman, you’re naturally looking for that. You join to be in combat. To go fight. That’s
what you want, and it’s like, you know, you’re letting them loose. Like, “Hey. Go.” But there’s
nothing there. You know, it’s just this constant defensive posture, and then you’re like, “Okay.
Why am I doing this? Why am I doing that?” And I think that was one of the hardest challenges.
Was being able to keep that morale up with those guys because all we were doing was just, you
know, driving around in circles pretty much.
Interviewer: “Yeah, but there were still people trying to kill you, but it wasn’t IEDs. It was
rockets.”
Exactly, but, you know, I understood that. I was—You know, but them—They were like,
“Nobody’s shooting. We’re not shooting.” (2:36:03) I’m like, “Okay, but you don’t need to be
shot.” I’m like, “I’d rather get shot than blow up.” You know, I was like, “You could fight back a
bullet.” I was like, “You ain’t fighting a bomb.” So it’s—But they didn’t see that perspective.
You know, they wanted to come and hunt the bad guy. You know, kick down—We were kicking
down doors, but it was—It wasn’t the movie scenes, I guess you could say. It wasn’t that, and
they were a little bit bummed about that. But they were still a great group of guys. Everybody
was always happy. I never had an issue with worrying about, you know—Like, “Okay. Is this
guy going to do something he shouldn’t do?” I never had to deal with that. Everybody was—
Great people. It’s a—And the environment was better, too. The quality of living. So I guess that
improved. You know, that helped a lot as opposed to if we were stuck in some horrible, little box
with nothing. Then maybe a different story. But yeah, quality of living was pretty good there,
too.
�Saladin, Philip
Interviewer: “All right. Now how much time do you have left on your enlistment when you
head back home?”
So I headed back home—I was about—Was it four years I had? Probably three or four years.
When I came back—So I was probably finishing the better part of three years left to my—
Because I don’t know—I was in my window I think in the next year or so where I could be reenlist, so I think I was at the three year mark because—It’s funny that question came up because
that kind of rolls into the next—My, I guess—I call it my next event in the military. We come
back. You know, now we’re just resetting. Doing normal stuff. Just qualifying with weapons.
Nothing intense or crazy. Just—Almost just your basic stuff, and then...
Interviewer: “Okay. Are you back at Fort Hood?”
Yes, yes. We came back to Fort Hood at this time. We—Getting all the new guys because
usually when you come back from a deployment, units get reshuffled. People leave. I stay at this
unit. We get a whole group of new guys in. Slowly building up to start getting to a deployable
force again, but that’s still, you know—We’re not on those calendars, so we’ve got a good
stretch of downtime. (2:38:02) I get orders, and it’s—My first sergeant comes walking down the
hallway. He’s just—All I hear is, “Saladin!” And I turn around, and I’m like, “Great. He has a
piece of paper in his hand.” I’m like, “What’s going on?” You know, that’s—Any soldier—You
hear your name, and somebody higher ranking than you with a piece of paper in his hand is
coming at you, you’re—You’re never thinking nothing good. Automatically, you’re like, “Wait.
What’s going on? I didn’t do nothing.” You know, so I’m—He’s like, “I’ve got a surprise for
you.” And he has a smirk on his face, and I’m like, “Great. I probably got some dumb detail I’ve
got to do now.” He’s like, “I’ve got you orders.” So I’m like, “Orders?” So I’m like, “Oh. Am I
going to a new unit?” I’m like, “Interesting.” So I’m thinking—He’s like, “You’re going to be a
recruiter.” And I was like, “Oh.” So yeah, and then he starts laughing. And I didn’t want to be a
recruiter. It just wasn’t my thing, but, you know, got my orders. Complete the mission. It’s
Charlie Mike. Okay.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now how do they turn you into a recruiter?”
So that’s the next awesome part of that. So you have to go to a school. So you do a bunch of
stuff, do a bunch of paperwork, get all your stuff ready. They ship you off, and the school was—
It’s a—This one—I don’t—There’s probably more or not, but the one I went to was in South
Carolina. It’s a bunch of—A mixture of different schools and basic trainees. A bunch of different
schools on that base.
Interviewer: “Okay. Were you at Fort Jackson or somewhere else?”
Was it Fort—Yes, it was Fort Jackson. Was it—Yes.
Interviewer: “That’s a big Army base in South Carolina.”
Yes, yes, yes. Fort Jackson. It was Fort Jackson because I remember I had to walk the first day,
and it was far. So get there. Get to the airport. I’m in Fort Jackson. I get dropped off at my
�Saladin, Philip
sleeping—And they’re like, “Okay. The school is down this road. Be there. Seven o’ clock in the
morning.” (2:40:01) “Okay.” You know. Get up at seven o’ clock. I get up early. It’s like I don’t
know nobody. First day here. So I just start walking down the road, and I’m like, “Where’s this
school?” It’s pretty early in the morning. You know, I gave myself enough time, but it was a
long walk. It was a few miles. I’m not sure. I finally get there, and I’m like, “Okay. I’m here at
the school. I’m doing everything I have to do.” And I’m—I don’t want to be here. You know,
that’s—I’m not hiding the feeling. You know—Well, I’m not showing it to other people, but
everybody that knew me knew I didn’t want to be there. So get there. First day. Meet friends.
Meet a bunch of people. Start doing classes. About three days in—I think it’s a month-long class,
too. I’m not—I don’t remember. But three days in, they come in. They go, “Everybody has to go
and do a one-on-one sitdown with a civilian doctor.” Okay. I get called up. It’s my turn to go. I
sit there. We talk for about two hours. Just asking me all these questions, you know, and, all of a
sudden, we’re done. We leave. Okay. Go back to class. Do everything I’m doing. And I actually
had to re-enlist to be able to go to recruiter school. I forgot to mention this. Because my
window—I was at two years, and you needed three years to be able to go to recruiter school
because you had to do a three-year commitment. So me? I was—I could’ve took the opportunity
and just got out of recruiter school. I was like, “No. I’m going to do the right thing.” I re-enlisted.
I was like, “I’m going to do it.” In my mind—Even though at this time in my mind I was—I was
still thinking I was going to be a lifer. I was going to do about twenty plus years in the military.
So okay. I re-enlist. Get everything done. Show up to class the next morning. I’ve got a yellow
slip on my desk. “Go see such and such.” Okay. Go downstairs. “You’re disqualified from
recruiter school.” So part of me is relieved. (2:42:01) I’m like, “Yes! I get to go back.” But part
of me is like, “Wait. What? What’s going on?” I’m—I was doing good on all my tests. I’m—
Every test I took I passed. Everything—I’m getting along. Everything’s good. There’s no strikes
against me. It’s like, “Yeah. This doctor said you can’t be a recruiter.” I’m like, “Why?” They
were like, “Oh. From your interview results, it says you’re not fit to be a recruiter.” It’s—I don’t
know. I was like, “What are you trying to say?” Like, “Am I crazy?” Like, “What’s going on?”
But that was the most of any information I got. Then they just call your unit. Get a plane ticket.
You’re out of here tomorrow morning or whenever it is. And I’m like, “This is crazy.” I’m—
And part of me is still upset, but I don’t know why. I’m like, “ I didn’t want to be here to begin
with.” I’m—But this person has no clue about anything I just did, what I’ve done, what I’m
going through, and I can’t be a recruiter? I’m like, “Who else would you want to be a recruiter?”
Like, “I’m doing everything that you’re recruiting people to come do.” And so I didn’t—I’m,
you know—“Whatever.” I ate it with a grain of salt. In the back of my head, now I’m like, “I just
re-enlisted. Ugh.” So I’m angry. I get back to Fort Hood. We’re in a training cycle, so I go
straight to the field. So I’m doing that. Training. Boom, boom, boom. Then, all of a sudden, I
have to go see some doctors. Doctors are like, “Hey.” And I guess I was referred to go see a
doctor earlier. I don’t know if I blew it off, or I just forgot. I say I forgot. They say I ignored
them. So I had to go, and then that kind of started my process of me getting out. That’s what I
call it at that point. That was my turning point because I started seeing—I don’t want to say—It
was almost like, “Oh. You should get out.” But it was like they almost make it to the point where
it’s like that because it’s—You know, you get limited to what you could do. They’re like, “Oh.
You can’t go out and do this no more.” Like, “You’re not allowed to do this no more.” (2:44:05)
And then it’s like, “Okay, so I can’t go train. I’ve got to stay here.” And so now I’m—Because
these doctors want to keep evaluating me and talking to me and all this stuff. I’m—“All right.
Whatever.” I’m doing everything they want to do, but I’m still training at the same time. Then,
�Saladin, Philip
finally, it just got to the point where I had a lot of physical stuff I was trying to deal with, and
that was just another headache on top of itself because they really wasn’t—It was more—You
know, my shoulder, for instance. I’m like, “Hey. This hurts.” It was like, “All right. Let’s go do
this.” It was almost like just keep putting Band-Aids on it, and I guess you could say I got tired
of it, which—I think that part was the worst because I was—I didn’t want to do it no more. I was
just like, “It’s not what I—” It wasn’t what I wanted. I wasn’t doing my stuff, and then at this
time the Army—The military itself was taking an interesting turn as opposed to when I first
came in. It was starting to be operated a lot more like a public corporation—business—as
opposed to an army. You’re training people to kill, but you want me to not discipline them when
they do something wrong? So it was just—It was getting interesting. You know, when I was a
brand new private, I messed up. I was going to sweat. You were going to learn. You was either
going to be strong or smart in the military, and that’s the way it was, especially in the infantry.
Like, “Okay. Your—” Your sole purpose of joining is to fight. But it’s crazy. You have—“Okay.
You can’t make them do more than five pushups no more.” So me—as an NCO, as a leader—I
got guys in there, and there are right ways of training, a right way to correct people and all that,
but your power was getting so limited. And it was getting to the point—I felt, personally—I
don’t know how everybody else felt, but personally, it was like the brand new privates were
having more power than the NCOs. (2:46:04) It was almost to the point if you made a brand new
private feel uncomfortable, you could get in trouble. They would report you to such and such—
AIG or whatever, whoever you want, whatever they were—and next thing you know, you have
an investigation on you because you’re supposedly, you know, mistreating soldiers because
you’re making them stay late. Because you’re making them mop the floors. Because you’re
making them do Army stuff. But apparently, the Army stuff is not good no more. So that was—I
was like, “I can’t do this no more.” I couldn’t—I was like, “I don’t—” I was done with all the
medical stuff too piling on top of me, and then you have these doctors telling me, “Oh. You
know, you should take all these medications. You—” And I was—And me? I felt perfectly fine.
Nobody around me thought I was—Issues. I was still training with my guys, leading them, and
effective, so I was—I was going through the ranks pretty fast. I made staff sergeant in what?
Five years? So—And I actually received my staff sergeant before I received my first evaluation
as a regular sergeant, so I think I was doing pretty good. And then just to get these civilian
doctors telling me that they think I don’t—I’m not mentally capable—or physically or whatever
they want to say—of doing the job that—I think that was my turning point because when that
happened, I was just like, “I’m done.”
Interviewer: “Okay. Now these civilian doctors—Did you have a sense of whether they
were psychiatrists or just regular doctors or…?”
It was a mix. I was seeing a little bit of both. I was seeing a psychiatrist, and I was seeing regular
doctors for physical stuff and stuff. And the physical stuff, I would say—Okay. Some of it was a
concern, but I still wasn’t being limited on my performance, I would say, at the time. I don’t
know if it was just what it was going on.
Interviewer: “Yeah, and do you know where the shoulder injury came from?”
That is the—I have no one event. (2:48:02) It could be a cumulation of events or something, but
it’s interesting because the doctor who looked at it—He tells me it’s one of the top ten worst
�Saladin, Philip
cases he’s ever seen, and I’m like, “Well, I’ve been living with that for so many years.” And it
was in the military, but that was one of those things, too. I was so focused on just doing my job
and what I had to do that all that stuff was secondary. I get up. My shoulder—Arm’s going numb
on me, but I’m like, “No. I have to go to work and make sure my soldiers are there and make
sure they’re taken care of.” And just—I think years of just throwing that on top of each other left
me to where I’m at now, but at that time I wasn’t thinking like that. At that time I was, you
know—“I’m a robot. I can do this.”
Interviewer: “Yeah, but you didn’t notice any one specific injury that happened. It’s just
that over time it accumulates, and whatever it was got worse. And you weren’t complaining
about it, so it wasn’t get treated.”
Well, I—Sometime—It got to a point where it was getting bad, and I started complaining about
it. But I didn’t want to take it to the point where they would—It would remove me from the unit
because honestly, if it got to the point—If I keep complaining, keep complaining, then they’d be
like, “Okay. So obviously, you can’t do this. So guess what? You’re not going to go train.
You’re not going to do—” And I didn’t want to do that at the time. I still wanted to be with the
guys and training, so I would’ve complained to tell them like, “Hey. I’ve got something wrong
with my shoulder. Could we look at it?” And that’s it. I wasn’t—It wasn’t every day I’m like,
“Hey. My shoulder, my shoulder.” I was just—I’d bring it up. “Okay. Yeah.” And then—Or I
would go, and they’d be like, “Hey. Just take a couple Motrins and some water. Keep it moving.”
Interviewer: “Yeah, yeah. Now did the psychiatrists think you had a traumatic brain
injury?”
I did have a traumatic brain injury. They were saying—They thought I had PTSD and—I forget
what they said. Not—Reintegrating. (2:50:10) They said I was having issues reintegrating, but
I’m like, “You spend a year in a country where everybody’s trying to kill you, it’s going to take a
little bit of time to adjust when you get back.” You know, it was like I’m laying in my bed at
night alone—apartment—and I hear a loud noise, for the last couple months I’m reacting. Of
course, I’m going to get up and react. And that was my thing. I understand there’s people who do
have those issues, but I felt I had it under control because I recognized it from the beginning.
Like, “Okay.” Like, “I notice I’m extra tentative. I notice I’m triple-checking my windows and
doors.” I noticed everything I was doing. It wasn’t like people are telling me like, “Hey. You’re
acting different.” It was like I was intentionally doing it, and I knew what I was controlling.
Controlling what I—I was purposely doing it, I guess to say. But they—I guess that wasn’t the—
I should—The way I should have been acting when I came back.
Interviewer: “Yeah, well, it looks like—Especially if you’re—Were you telling any of this to
the doctors? The psychiatrists?”
When they would ask me, I would tell them. Because I’m the type of person—I didn’t see it as
an issue, so I was like, “I’m not going to hide it all back.” I was like, “I’m going to tell you
straight up how I’m feeling. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh. Nothing’s going on.’ And
then, you know—” If I had something wrong, I’m like, “Hey. Am I extra aware right now? Yes,
I am.” But I knew why. I knew it was because—Okay. I just spent twelve months getting blown
�Saladin, Philip
up, and random rockets falling around me at three in the morning almost five times a week.
Yeah, I think anybody would be a little jittery, but…
Interviewer: “But at that point then they’re checking off boxes, and I expect that in the
Army any box ever checked off just follows you.”
Yes.
Interviewer: “And so these can accumulate, and they go, ‘Oh, okay, so he’s damaged goods.
So we’ll move him out or something like that.’”
And honestly, that’s how I felt. (2:52:00) But it got to that point where I was just—I’m just, you
know—And it’s funny because when I was in, I kind of saw that with soldiers prior. Got hurt—
whatever—and you would see them. As time would go on, you would know. You’re like, “Okay.
He’s about to get out.” Because you could kind of like just see the change in the person and
everything. And then when you’re on that side, you’re like, “Man.” It hurt. It was one of those
few moments that I said it hurt, and I was just like, “Man. I’m actually—” When I realized it’s
coming to an end, I was like, “Okay.” Then—And then I, you know—And then you start seeing
it, and you’re like, “Whoa. I’m not part of this.” They start going out, you know, and it’s…
Interviewer: “Okay. Now did they allow you to end your enlistment early, or what happens
to you?”
No. Well, that depends how it falls because if you get—Because the way I got out—They
medically retired me. So they do the process, and that can take six months, a year, two, three
years. It all depends on how fast the Army’s moving, how much paper you have, whatever
random unicorn reason the Army has that they—Takes them thousands of years. But mine was—
It probably took the better part of a year and a half to do everything, but you get the notice. I go
to—I had an appointment with one of the doctors. I go there. He gives me this piece of paper.
He’s like, “We’re starting your separation as of today.” And then I’m like, “Ugh.” You know,
it’s like, “Ugh.” Like, “Okay.” You know, and at that point I’m not going to say I was
completely against it. But part of me was upset because—I was like, “Okay. This is coming to an
end.” But then I was also like, “Whatever.” You know, it meant—It was my faith. It meant to
happen at that point. I was just like, “Whatever.” So—And then that’s where I was at there, and
then it’s just like, “Okay.” And then this time the union’s kind of picking back up because they
got—They didn’t come to orders yet, but I guess they were coming down on orders because you
started noticing all the restructuring and started putting together teams and everything. (2:54:12)
And me? I’m trying to get in there so bad. I’m trying. I’m talking to everybody I can. I’m like,
“There’s nothing you can do.” I’m like, “Come on. Just let me deploy.” I was like, “When I
come back from this deployment, I’ll get out. I’ll listen to whatever doctor wants to tell—Other
than—Let me just do this one deployment.” And I don’t know why I wanted to do it so bad. It
was—But—And in my head, I’m like, “You’re about to get out.” But in my voice I’m like, “I
want to go.” So—Of course, I didn’t go. They didn’t take me. I got stuck in an office. I was
the—They made me the Supply NCO, so I got to sit in a supply room for a few months and just
twiddle my thumbs and check the boxes off, you know. “Hey. Okay. Blah, blah, blah.” Go to this
�Saladin, Philip
appointment. Go to this meeting. Do what you’ve got to do. Then that’s—It was pretty much it,
so it was almost a slow Band-Aid. It’s just, “Shh.” And it—Ugh.
Interviewer: “Okay. Now when you come back from a deployment, do they make any effort
to sort of help you reintegrate?”
Yes. They have a thirty-day reintegration period. I—My first deployment, I swear, was a little bit
longer. Well, no. My first deployment was thirty days. I think my second one was a little bit
shorter, or it might have been thirty days. But they do have it. You’ve got to go to classes. I
know my first deployment. I know that one a little better, and I don’t know if it was because we
were overseas they did it like this. But we weren’t even allowed to leave the base. Curfew’s set
in. You can’t leave. You have to be at work, you know. I think the first few days you weren’t
allowed to drink. The rules come down. It’s just—You’re locked in. (2:56:01) But then as time
went on, we were allowed more stuff. In Fort Hood when we came back, it was a Friday, and it
was like, “Okay. Four-day weekend. See you guys Tuesday.” Monday. Whatever the following
workday was. But then when we came back, it was classes, orientation, just…
Interviewer: “Did any of that stuff do any good?”
Oh, man, I—Personally? Physically, I would say I saw—For your physical health, I saw a
purpose because they did all that too, and there they could—They’ll get a little bit more stuff, but
as far as, you know—Like, “Hey. Okay. You’re back here.” Social—No. It was more like,
“Okay. Welcome back to the Army. Blah, blah, blah. Don’t go out. Don’t drink and drive.” It
wasn’t—It’s not like what, I guess, somebody would think. Like, “Okay. Reintegration. They
must be like doing all this crazy, scientific stuff.” No. It was just a lot of just sit down,
paperwork, talk to doctors.
Interviewer: “Yeah. I guess I would expect something along the lines of just talking to you,
reminding you of the differences between the civilian world and the military one. Which
kinds of reactions and responses or things you might have are going to be normal and what
you have to watch out for or adjust.”
Yeah. You would think, but no. They—And if they did, I don’t remember. But I remember a lot
of it, and I don’t remember that part. You know, them saying, “Hey.” They do tell you—I’m
trying to think if there’s anything like that or something that was close to that. It was more
probably—This is probably more personal. More me because I got a lot of extra classes, I guess,
for my stuff. They were to teach you—They called it self-induced stress or real stress. Like,
“Okay.” They’re like, “Okay. You’re actually tensing up yourself. The situation’s not tense.”
(2:58:01) That was—But that was, I think—Not everybody got that. I—Yeah.
Interviewer: “Yeah, so some of it is they’re talking to you. But some of it—Kind of the
PTSD type symptoms and things and here’s what to watch out for and here are coping
strategies, or—”
That? Honestly, no. And you would think, especially at that time with everything that was going
on, they would have focused on that a lot more. But that was something—If you had a legit issue
�Saladin, Philip
going on, and then they took you—So you would get singled out and brought to a doctor and
then probably dealt with like that. But as a mass? Maybe now, but they didn’t have that then.
Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Okay, so when do you actually get out then?”
So it was 2014. I don’t remember the month. It was summertime sometime because I was in
Texas, and it was hot. I get out. I took about, say, three to five months—Just did nothing. I was
like, “I’m not—”
Interviewer: “Where did you go?”
I stayed in Texas, but I was like, “I’m not—” I went back to Jersey. I took a little road trip. I
drove from Texas to New Jersey. Just me, my son, and the dog. Just traveled. Just pretty much
saw family. I just didn’t want to do nothing. I was like, “I just don’t want no—” I can’t say no
responsibilities, but I was like, “I don’t—I want to be able to wake up and not be having a
timeline or a schedule.” Like, “I want to get away from all schedules possible.” And then—And,
you know, did that. After a couple months—I think it was three, four months—I went to school
because I got bored. I was so bored. I was like, “Okay. This is fun.” I was like, “I need to do
something.” And—
Interviewer: “All right. Now did you have money saved up from being in the Army, or…?”
I had a little bit of money saved up from being in. At this time, I was with my wife now. We
were together. She was way more financially conscious than me, so—She was in the military,
too. When we met, I was that guy—You know, like, “Okay. I got paid. Now—” Tomorrow wake
up. “I’m broke.” (3:00:06) But she reined that in fast, so when I got out, we were pretty—We
were okay, and then since I went—Since I always got the med board and all that stuff, I was still
kind of—I was still getting paid, and then I went to school. So I started bringing some income in
like that.
Interviewer: “Okay, and where did you go to school?”
I—My—Initially, I went to Austin Community College, and I got an Associate’s degree in
automotive technology. I wanted to work on cars—I love cars—which is crazy because my
initial entry—I was going to be a teacher. And I was like, “No. I want to go work on cars.” And I
went into the field. I was actually working at this pretty nice shop in Texas—you know, super
high-end shop, working with these cool cars—but my back and my shoulder catch up to me. And
it’s probably six months in, and I’m just like, “Okay. I’m hurting.” You know, but I’m—I
couldn’t see myself doing this and supplying for my family, and at this time my daughter was
born. Had a newborn at this time too, so it was just like, “Yeah. This is not going to work. I’m—
” You know. “I could probably do this job for another two years, and I’m not going to be
effective anymore.” So I went back to school, and—Well, actually, we moved to Michigan, and
then I went back to school.
Interviewer: “All right, so how did you wind up in Michigan?”
�Saladin, Philip
My wife’s from Michigan.
Interviewer: “Aha.”
Yes. I call it Southern Canada because it’s so cold. But I gave in. I fought the good fight. We
were in Texas for a while, but then she kind of hit me with reality. My son at the time was living
in Indiana with his mom. She was from Michigan. My family’s from New Jersey. We had
nothing in Texas besides Army friends who themselves were stationed to somewhere else and
leaving or getting out and going—So, finally, it’s like, “Okay.” You know. “I’m planning on
going back to school. Let’s just make the move now. Just in time for Michigan winter.”
(3:02:05) It was November of—Was last year or two years behind now. Just in time. So, you
know, I went from my Texas, beautiful winters to this. To real winters again.
Interviewer: “Oh, come on. It gets cold in New Jersey sometimes.”
Oh, yes, but Texas kind of babied me. I would go there. Have winter for what? A month? But—
And then it’s like, you know, I’ll be barbequing for Christmas. But it—I came back here. Then I
was like, “Oh, yeah. This is what winter feels like.” But it’s—You know, it’s good. It’s good. I
like it.
Interviewer: “All right. Now if you, I guess, sort of look back a little bit on the whole thing,
in the end, what do you think you took out of being in the Army?”
Oh, man. I took out so much. I would do it all over again. I say I wouldn’t change nothing as far
as my experience and everything. Maybe a career choice or a school or something like that I
would change, but I have no regrets. Maybe push myself a little harder in some things. Maybe,
you know—Who knows what could have happened? But it’s always easier to say, “Who knows,”
than at that moment. But I would do it all over. It definitely—I was pretty all over the place
before I joined. I wasn’t—You know, I wasn’t thinking of next month. I was—Whatever. I got in
the Army. The Army showed me to grow up. I—Responsibility. It definitely showed me how to
handle stuff. I definitely learned that, and, I guess, the best way I could put it is be a leader. But
I’d say the qualities like being able to listen to people, being able to talk to people, being able to
see things from a completely different perspective. As—One time—Even before I joined, I
would see something. I’m instantly—Be like, “Boom.” Make up my mind. I’m like, “Oh.” You
know. Like, “That’s a chair, and that’s it.” You couldn’t change me, but now I’m like, “Well,
that’s a chair. I could also use it as a stool. It could also be a fortified spot if need be.” (3:04:05)
You know, now I’m analyzing everything at—Which it’s a—It—I look at it as a plus—a good
thing—because I use it with my kids and everything and life in general. And I’m—Overall, I
would say, one of the—Personally, the best things I took out of it was I’m at peace with myself,
and I’m so much more accepting of everything. It’s a weird, weird way, but it’s just—Stuff that
used to drive me nuts before—I’m just like, “Well, I’m—I can’t do nothing about it no matter
how angry—Whatever I get to try to do.” It’s like, “It’s not going to change. It happened. Let’s
think about how to fix it if I don’t like it or how to make it better or just get away.” And it just—
The—It just took—Everything now was like that for me in life. It’s like everything is way
more—Even school. I went back to school. I joined the Army to, say, get away to—From
college. Is what I say. And I’m back here, but I see the difference of how I was in school then
�Saladin, Philip
and now. And I’m just like, “Wow.” If I had this brain back in 2004, who knows the
possibilities?
Interviewer: “All right. Now this tape is just about done, so we’re kind of going to—We’ll
close out here before we cut you off in a sense. But thank you very much for taking the time
to share the story today.”
Yes. Thank you. (3:05:31)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27_SaladinP2293V
Title
A name given to the resource
Saladin, Philip (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-02-12
Description
An account of the resource
Philip Saladin was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1982. He was attending college during the attacks on 9/11 and eventially joined the Army National Guard in 2005. While in Basic Training, he decided that he wanted to go on active duty, and was sent to Baumholder, Germany, where he joined the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division as part of the Battalion Headquarters S3 (Operations) staff. When it was deployed to Iraq, his unit operated out of combat operations post Capper, conducting patrols and raids targeting Al Qaeda leaders. His unit eventually returned to Germany, and Saladin was reassigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, in the 1st Cavalry Division. In 2011, his new unit was redeployed to Iraq where it conducted armored patrols and worked with Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Saladin suffered a traumatic brain injury when his truck hit an IED, but was able to remain with his unit and return with them to Fort Hood after the deployment. He was finally discharged in 2014.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Saladin, Philip
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American
United States. Army
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Veterans History Project collection, RHC-27
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401.
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d146c898117c632dd5251024feb1b875.pdf
e6a1c4cbec92397c6ee5d8223027d848
PDF Text
Text
Special Services
At
Salem Indian United Methodist Church
Novem.ber 28, 29, 30 and Decem.ber 1
Thanksgiving Thursday thru Sunday
Services at 7:00 p.nt.
Special Speakers:
Thursday -
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-
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-
Saturday -
Rev. Eric McDonald
Assistant Pastor at Pawating
Magedwin U.M.C.
Sunday
-
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Burnips
142 Ave.
Emmanual Onu
Student at Purdue University,
Former student at Moody Bible
Institute.
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Casey Church
Native American Candidate for
the Ministry
F riday
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Casey Church
Indian Corn Soup and Fried Bread Supper - Fundraiser
Saturday From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Proceeds Will Help Finance AN ew Pasonage Project
Everyone Welcomed
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Native American Publication Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Native Americans
Indians of North America
Anthropology
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals
Michigan
Description
An account of the resource
Selected digital surrogates of published and unpublished materials from the Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection dealing with different aspects of human culture and anthropology, with an emphasis on Native American people, events, organizations, and activities in Michigan. Includes newsletters, event programs, flyers, posters and other printed materials.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gillis, Edward V.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American Publication Collection (RHC-14)</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-02-21
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Relation
A related resource
Gi-gikinomaage-min Project (Kutsche Office of Local History)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-14
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1958-2000
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Source
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection, RHC-14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-14_gather-the-harvest_
Title
A name given to the resource
Gather the Harvest, November ????
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
????-11
Description
An account of the resource
Gather the Harvest flyer, Dorr MI, November 28 - December 1, ????, collected by Edward Gillis included as part of his Native American publication collection.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salem Indian United Methodist Church
Subject
The topic of the resource
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals
Indians of North America
Michigan
Michigan -- Grand Rapids
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8cac8360d2f1961f91444479fe63a412.pdf
e79faafd7d5a44c1d325606c1c564599
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Incunabula
Description
An account of the resource
The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1450/1500
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Incunabula Collection (DC-03)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
it
la
nl
de
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Glossae [folium 59]
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03_059Salemo1474
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salemo, Bishop of Constance
Description
An account of the resource
One leaf from Glossae by Episcopus Constantiensis Salemo. Printed in Augsburg by the Monastery of SS. Ulrich and Afra circa 1474. [GW M39747; ISTC is00021000]
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Augsburg: Monastery of SS. Ulrich and Afra
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Salemo, Bishop of Constance
Language
A language of the resource
la
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1474
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6d058545ad7a86dd198fc287cb2f160d.mp4
ef4576d2380d52264573b06515c0a3c3
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/051fa7119b591300fc0f9c4ec9302567.pdf
99cf515f66d55a3eb2ad7aa869187a09
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
John Salistian Jr.
(00:44:16)
(18:00) Detroit Michigan
• Born March 20 1947
• Remembers serial number, RA#16926237
• Father John Salistian
• Mother Mary Salistian
• Sister Diane Salistian
• John grew up in Warren Michigan
• Went to Warren Fitzgerald Junior High and High School
• (2:10) Played saxophone in the band-very interested in music
• John says his IQ 176
• Graduated with a 3.9GPA-didn’t study
(4:00) University of Michigan 1966
• Music Major
• John talks about his study habits and he bowled with his father on a league at 13 years old
(13:50) Army
• John joined the army to stay out of Vietnam
• Basic training was at Fort Knox, Kentucky
• Shipped to Fort Benjamin, Indianapolis Indiana played in the 74th Army Band
• Performed in ceremonies and parades while in the Army
• (16:05) Received orders to go to Vietnam
• Use to pay people to take his guard duty
• Didn’t like to eat in the mess hall-he says he would for breakfast but made his own dinner
(20:15) Came home from Vietnam
• John went back to the University of Michigan
• He said many people spit on him when he was there
• (22:20) Performed at Carnegie Hall in 1970
• Traveled around the country playing his saxophone with different symphony groups
• (24:40) Taught at the University of Michigan, Hilldale College, etc.
• John states he is penniless and destitude
• Has been with girlfriend Becky for 3 years
• (30:05) John is currently living at the Veterans home
��
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SalistianJ
Title
A name given to the resource
Salistian Jr., John (Interview outline and video), 2007
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salistian Jr., John
Description
An account of the resource
John Salistian Jr. was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He had a passion for playing his saxophone before the war and during the war. He enlisted to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam, and wound up being sent there anyway. He has never married and doesn't have the fondest memories of serving in the war. His reception on returning to college was also not a good one.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer)
Collins, Carol (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Video recordings
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
United States. Army
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2007-01-08
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/37776cacc9358e75b207f367cb4be5ad.pdf
eb01ab12faa6bb4934cb94cca2509fca
PDF Text
Text
����������������������������������
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Incunabula
Description
An account of the resource
The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1450/1500
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Incunabula Collection (DC-03)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
it
la
nl
de
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
De coniuratione Catilinae
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-03_A048Sallustus1492ca
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sallustius Crispus, Gaius, ca. 108-62 B.C.
Description
An account of the resource
De coniuratione Catilinae by Gaius Sallustius Crispus. Printed in Deventer by Jacobus de Breda not before November 16, 1492. Quarto. [ISTC is00088550]
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Deventer: Jacobus de Breda
Subject
The topic of the resource
Incunabula
Printing 1450-1500
Catiline, ca. 108-62 B.C.
Rome--History--Conspiracy of Catiline, 65-62 B.C.
Language
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
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1492
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Seidman Rare Books Collection: PA6653.A4 1492, A48
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2cb1840a3f0714068701b3bfa15069cd.m4v
ba7ebc3e344426bf3a930c631fc3eb05
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1706066f11a64ef74246842b31db307f.pdf
bf41fd65d91f578fc7e51644f0d80025
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Grand Valley State University
Veteran’s History Project
Korea
John Sampson
Interview Length: (01:07:37:00)
Pre-enlistment / ROTC (00:00:39:00)
Born in Detroit, Michigan on December 29th, 1942, meaning he was a “war baby”
(00:00:39:00)
He originally went to school in Detroit but his family ended up moving to Grosse Pointe,
Michigan because their house was in the middle of newly-constructed Edsel Ford
Freeway; from Grosse Pointe, his family moved to Birmingham (00:00:48:00)
o Sampson graduated from Birmingham High School in 1961 (00:00:59:00)
He went to college at Western Michigan University where he signed up for ROTC as a
freshman because students had to either take two years of ROTC or two years of Phys.
Ed. (00:01:02:00)
o At the end of the second year, he had to decide if he wanted to commit and
become an officer; Sampson did commit to going on to the advanced program
(00:01:18:00)
Sampson’s father was drafted to go into the service but the military would not allow him
to go because he was skill-traded as a tool- and dye-maker (00:01:42:00)
o Therefore, during World War II, his father was in war production, which included
machining B-29 bomb sights (00:01:51:00)
o As it turned out, Sampson’s father-in-law flew on a B-29 bomber and flew out of
Guam on one of the last missions over Tokyo in 1945 (00:02:01:00)
Before joining the ROTC, Sampson had given some thought to joining the military
(00:02:22:00)
o However, Army ROTC was the only program at Western Michigan; there was no
Navy or Air Force programs (00:02:25:00)
o Sampson enjoyed the ROTC and decided to go on and he was the first in his
family to go into the military (00:02:31:00)
o When he made the decision to continue, Sampson’s parents were very supportive
of whatever decision he made (00:02:41:00)
o Therefore, in his junior year, Sampson decided to continue in the ROTC, knowing
full-well that in the summer of 1964, he would have to do the ROTC summer
camp at Camp Funkston at Fort Riley, Kansas (00:02:49:00)
Sampson had no idea what would happen once he completed the ROTC training; when he
went to the ROTC summer camp, meet a captain who was a signal corps officer with a
history background and having degrees in History and Political Science, Sampson
thought that would be a fit for him (00:03:16:00)
o In the spring of 1965, before he graduated, the major in charge of the ROTC unit
wanted to change Sampson to either infantry, armor, or artillery (00:03:33:00)
�
When Sampson told the major why he selected signal, the major thought it
was a good reason, so he left Sampson alone and Sampson became a
signal corps officer (00:03:41:00)
The commissioning was done at graduation in Waldo Stadium and the keynote speaker
that day was Sargent Shriver, who was head of the Peace Corps (00:03:50:00)
After graduation, Sampson decided to go to graduate school, although he did not know if
it would work (00:04:06:00)
o He went anyway and the Army gave him a three-year deferment to go on active
duty so Sampson could go to graduate school (00:04:11:00)
o Sampson checked out different schools and ended up choosing the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst for a graduate program in American History
(00:04:19:00)
During the junior year of ROTC, Sampson was taking on responsibilities as an officer in
the unit (00:04:40:00)
o At the later part of their junior year, Sampson and the other men in the unit went
to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan for a weekend, where they did training
under senior supervision (00:04:52:00)
o In the summer, the men spent six weeks at Fort Riley with about fifteen hundred
other officers going through training; Fort Riley was the home of the summer
camp for the ROTC in the Fifth Army area out of Chicago (00:05:06:00)
The men did everything as basic infantry, including: guard duty, KP
(Kitchen Patrol) duty, went through different scenarios, group activities
where the men had to function as a group and activities where the men had
to make decisions based on past Army combat experiences (00:05:22:00)
The men also fired all the weapons and did all the things that they would
be expected to do (00:05:57:00)
It was really hot Kansas at the time; one day, at four o’clock in the
afternoon, it was one hundred and fifteen degrees in the shade
(00:06:03:00)
The men had different assignments depending on the week, based on a set
schedule (00:06:26:00)
Sampson meet people from all over the Midwest, including Nebraska and
the Dakotas; this was his first experience of what the military was really
like (00:06:34:00)
o The ROTC back at college involved the whole thing, including: instruction on
how to give presentations as an officer, marching, and classroom instruction
where the men dealt with weapons and logistics (00:07:03:00)
o The men were paid twenty-seven dollars a month as a stipend for being an
advanced ROTC (00:07:24:00)
During his senior year in ROTC, Sampson had to “double-up” in his second semester
because during his first semester, he student-taught in Allegan, Michigan (00:07:31:00)
o During the second semester, Sampson doubled-up his classes so that he could
graduate in June with his class (00:07:44:00)
Sampson never sensed the aspect of military discipline because the instructors took the
men through all the things that the enlisted men did, so the men understood about
�
cleaning the barracks, etc. and they knew what a private did; the men had a feel for the
enlistee (00:08:09:00)
o It was not that the men were better than the enlistees, it was that they understood
what the enlisted men did (00:08:33:00)
o Sampson believes one of the strong-suits of the military is they training the men
in a way that they understand how other people have to think and act
(00:08:39:00)
o Sampson does not feel that he got the standard drill instructor experience because
the officers and senior NCOs at the summer camp came from the university
settings and they understood where the men were coming from; they were not
people directly out of the field (00:08:56:00)
There was a different mindset with the instructors (00:09:22:00)
During the ROTC summer camp, the scenarios the men faced were based on previous
Army involvements from World War II and the Korean conflict (00:09:48:00)
o These were meant to show if the men were given scenarios and how they had to
react; the instructors then told the other members of the group how they were
supposed to act, which the other men did not know (00:09:57:00)
o There was a set scenario and each man was only given a select amount of
information and had to make decisions based on what they had at the time; they
never had all the information and they had to make the decisions (00:10:09:00)
o The men did the scenarios in 1964, which meant that the Vietnam conflict had not
mushroomed; there were advisors in South Vietnam, but not ground troops
(00:10:34:00)
Regular Army Training (00:11:01:00)
It only took two years for Sampson to complete his Masters, which was interesting
because the second year he moved into the graduate dorm at the university, his roommate
was an armor officer originally from Norwich University in Vermont (00:11:01:00)
o Therefore, there were two military officers in the same room on military
deferment (00:11:14:00)
When he graduated in June 1967, Sampson was given his papers to sign for his “dream
assignment” (00:11:21:00)
o Everyone had to sign up for a short tour-of-duty and at that time, there were only
two assignments on the paper, South Vietnam or South Korea; Sampson decided
he would like South Korea, although he knew nothing about it, because it was a
cold climate and he was from Michigan (00:11:31:00)
He signed up for South Korea and they told him that he would not be on active-duty until
March 1968, which meant that he had to find something to do (00:11:46:00)
o Therefore, Sampson became a temporary substitute teacher for a semester at the
sixth-grade level in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (00:11:57:00)
o At this time, Sampson went to see his roommate from college, who was down at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, because he wanted to know what his assignment was
(00:12:11:00)
Sampson knew that he was going to Fort Gordon, Georgia for signals
officers basic training for nine weeks and then on to Fort Monmouth, New
Jersey for signal officers communications centers operations training;
�
however, he did not know where the final base was because there was
APO for San Francisco (00:12:22:00)
The roommate checked the information out and Sampson’s assignment
was one hundred and eighty miles outside of Seoul in [Yong Ju] as a
“KMAG” officer, a job Sampson did not know about (00:12:42:00)
The roommate explained that “KMAG” stood for Korean Military
Advisory Group; Sampson was going to be an advisor for the South
Korean army (00:12:54:00)
When he made is decision about his “dream assignment”, Sampson had been so
enveloped in his graduate program that he did not look at one assignment or the other; he
just saw Korea and picked it (00:13:24:00)
o He had no feelings about Vietnam one way or the other (00:13:41:00)
o When he made his decision to go to UMass, there was not a large peace
movement on the campus; there was probably some but it did not affect the
people going to the graduate school (00:13:51:00)
Sampson served as a substitute teacher for about a couple of months, a couple of days a
week before he went onto active duty in March 1968 (00:14:24:00)
When he went on active duty, Sampson drove down to Fort Gordon, which was an all
new experience (00:14:29:00)
o Once he signed in, he lived in a barracks with the thirty-five other officers in the
class; some of the other officers were field-commissioned officers, some were in
the National Guard, and the rest were ROTC officers (00:14:41:00)
o The training lasted nine weeks; because he was a signals corps officer, Sampson
was considered a “combat-support officer”, which meant that half of the training
was infantry and the other half was communications (00:15:03:00)
o The training was everything from throwing hand grenades and firing recoilless
rifles off the back of jeeps to running a remote communications site for forty-five
hours (00:15:15:00)
o Fort Gordon was a unique experience because now the trainings was getting more
in-depth; the men went through a battlefield indoctrination course where they
would crawl on the ground over logs and barbed wire while live machine gun
rounds were fired over their heads in an effort to dissuade the men from standing
up (00:15:34:00)
o They were a class of thirty-five officers and next to them was a class of two
hundred raw recruits because there was also infantry training at Fort Gordon
(00:15:53:00)
Those were eighteen and nineteen year old kids who had no military
experience; the training was different for them as compared to Sampson’s
class because all the men in the class were college graduates
(00:16:04:00)
Mentally, Sampson was better prepared through maturity and other
experiences in life (00:16:30:00)
At that time, a number of the officers had been through law school,
which meant that there were men who had been through a large
amount of college; even the field commissioned officers had had
experience in the military (00:16:42:00)
�
A lot of the raw recruits were out of the mountains and had never
experienced those types of events (00:17:11:00)
o At that time, all of the officers in his class were white and a lot were from the
South although there were men from the North; the military tradition had a lot of
the men in the officer’s corps coming from Southern universities (00:17:33:00)
When he went into the military and was commissioned, there was not a
draft, so the men in the class came from all over the country (00:17:54:00)
The men got to the class based on education, willingness to serve and
overseas experience for the field commissioned officers (00:18:03:00)
There was not the diversity in 1968 (00:18:27:00)
However, from information that Sampson has gathered, there was more
diversity in the other parts of the army, such as infantry and armored,
because of quicker promotion (00:18:36:00)
The signal corps was a smaller operation; there were maybe two
signal corps generals and if someone wanted a military career, they
would go into a field where they would gain promotion faster
(00:18:43:00)
The military was an experience that Sampson wanted; when he started college in 1961,
he wanted to do four years of undergrad, get a masters degree, and a military commission
(00:19:09:00)
o It all played out that way but he had no thought of a military career; he liked
working with kids and wanted to be a high school teacher (00:19:24:00)
Fort Riley was a facility in which Camp Funkston was set up every summer to house the
ROTC, so there was a separate unit on the post and it was somewhat isolated
(00:19:45:00)
On the other hand, Fort Gordon was an active base; it had signal corps, MP school, civil
affairs school and some infantry training, so there was a different make up of the base
(00:20:04:00)
o At Fort Gordon, the facilities were barracks and nothing was air-conditioned; still,
the men learned to live with it and Sampson found the base very adequate for his
needs (00:20:25:00)
Following Fort Gordon, Sampson was going on to advanced training, although not all the
officers in the class were advancing to the next school; some were going to duty
assignments right away (00:20:57:00)
o Sampson went on to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, just outside of New York City,
where he went through communications operations center training; the training
was basically in the classroom because there is no pistol or rifle range at the base
(00:21:09:00)
o Some of the training was also working in classified, i.e. working with crypto
equipment; the men were locked in a vault room working with classified material
and special equipment (00:21:30:00)
Out of the thirty-five officer in the class at Fort Gordon, thirty were assigned Stateside
and then short-tour, which meant that they would be going to Vietnam; for the remaining
five, two went to Korea, one went to Panama, one went to Thailand and the final one
went to Germany (00:21:50:00)
�
Sampson trained to run a communications operations center, which included long-line
(telephone), satellite communication, dealing with classified information and
broadcasting; there was a range of types of communication and the objective was to run
the center, which was what Sampson was training for at Fort Monmouth (00:22:30:00)
o At the time, Sampson had been promoted to first lieutenant (00:23:06:00)
When he was at Fort Gordon, Sampson would go into Augusta, Georgia (00:23:24:00)
o Augusta was the home of the Masters’ golf tournament, so he drove past to golf
course to see what it looked like and he would go to church on Sundays; he could
get off the post and was not restricted (00:23:23:00)
o One unique situation at Fort Gordon was one night, when the men went to bed,
the next day, thirty officers were gone; the Army had shipped out (00:23:45:00)
The men were at the base when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
and because of the tension in the country, the Army shipped out the
officers to another part of the country (00:23:51:00)
This made the men realize they could be shipped out at any time
(00:24:05:00)
While at Fort Monmouth, the men had to live off-post because they did not have enough
housing for all the officers going through training (00:24:13:00)
o Sampson lived in Freehold, New Jersey, about a half an hour drive west of the
base, where he lived with three other officers; the four officers commuted every
day to the base and were off-duty every weekend (00:24:21:00)
o Sampson only went into New York City once; he had to get some information
because he know that he was going to Korea and he wanted to pick up some
books about Korean culture and language (00:24:48:00)
The military at that time, even though Sampson was going to be a KMAG
officer, did not give him a lot of information (00:25:03:00)
o While he was at the base, Sampson had to have his KMAG patches sewed onto
his uniforms, so he went to a lady who did that who worked just outside the base;
she had never seen the KMAG patch, a bell-shape with the work “KMAG”
underneath (00:25:15:00)
o Being a KMAG officer meant that Sampson had to get a passport, so he got a
quasi-diplomatic passport that did not cost him anything; he had a red government
passport which gave him quasi-diplomatic immunity (00:25:38:00)
Deployment (00:26:05:00)
Once finished at Fort Monmouth, Sampson was supposed to ship overseas by flying out
of Fort Lewis, Washington and McCord Air Force Base (00:26:05:00)
o He left Birmingham, Michigan, flew to Seattle, and got to the post; however he
could not fly out the next day because for some reason, the government had sent
his passport to Oakland (00:26:18:00)
o They had to ship the passport from Oakland up to Seattle because Sampson
needed it for going overseas; he had another day or two in Seattle, which he used
to take the bus to downtown Seattle (00:26:33:00)
o When he shipped out with his passport, Sampson went on a contracted Northwest
Orient Airlines plane with probably one hundred and sixty other servicemen; the
officers boarded the plane first and got off the plane first (00:26:50:00)
�
They flew first to Tokyo, Japan, where they refueled, and then flew to Seoul and Kimpo
Air Force Base, which was where the Seoul International Airport is (00:27:09:00)
o Sampson had no pre-conceived notions of Korea and no thoughts one way or the
other; This was his first experience being in Asia and being out of the country,
outside of going to Canada (00:27:39:00)
After landing, they took the men to the processing center and because Sampson had his
KMAG patches on, a sergeant in the KMAG detachment in Seoul saw him and brought
him into Seoul to find out where his duty was (00:28:01:00)
o This was when Sampson found out that his assignment changed; He was now
assigned to Eighth Army G4 because his slot was filled by a classmate who got
into Korea before Sampson (00:28:14:00)
o Sampson had to put in a bid for a room and because his rank was a captain, he
ended up being in a dormitory in the Young Song compound, the home of Eighth
Army, right next to Seoul American High School (00:29:19:00)
It was a brick dormitory just like any on a university and it was where
Sampson lived for the next thirteen and a half months (00:29:38:00)
Each man had his own room with a group shower and bathroom area;
there was also a Korean woman that cleaned his room every day
(00:29:47:00)
He paid her so many won (the local currency) per month but he
had to buy the soap and whatnot (00:30:03:00)
o Sampson found out that he was in electronics and communication G4, which was
commanded by a general (00:30:22:00)
The commander of logistics was a quartermaster colonel named James
Bond (00:30:33:00)
Sampson worked in a office with a lieutenant colonel, two civilians, and a
Korean secretary (00:30:57:00)
Near the end of his tour, they needed someone to replace another soldier in an office
down the hallway, so Sampson became head of an office and he had a sergeant working
as a clerk and they dealt with excess supplies out of Vietnam (00:31:14:00)
The military was shipping one million dollars in excess supplies from
South Vietnam up to South Korea for the 2nd [Battalion] of the 7th Infantry
[Regiment] (00:31:32:00)
During his first job, Sampson was looking at the flow charts of equipment and if there
was anything suspicious (00:31:55:00)
One time, Sampson was at a meeting on the other side of Korea and had to come back to
the post because he had to go out to depot command and get radios for the South Korean
Army; the North Koreans had just come down the east coast in Spring 1968
(00:32:03:00)
o The North and South Koreans got into a firefight and Sampson had to go and get
radio to send out to the South Korean forces (00:32:28:00)
o The men were not supposed to be out after midnight because of the philosophy
that one shot first and asked questions later; Sampson was a little nervous about
doing the job, but it was part of the military, so he did it (00:32:37:00)
At the time, South Korea was almost like a dictatorship; Park Chung Hee was president
and the government was very stringent and military controlled (00:33:13:00)
�
o The country was still picking itself up economically but the democracy that the
United States envisioned was not yet existent (00:33:30:00)
While he was in Korea, there were two divisions at the DMZ as part of I Corps and today,
it is still one of the most fortified areas in the world (00:33:39:00)
o There were a lot of concern because in Christmas 1968, the Pueblo crew came
over the “bridge of no return” from the North (00:34:07:00)
o There was shooting at the DMZ but a lot of people did not know about it; the
average loss was one soldier per day (00:34:39:00)
One time, Sampson was next to a captain who was on the DMZ and he
had lost four soldiers during his tour (00:34:49:00)
o The deaths usually did not come from North Korean infiltrations but exfiltrations
as the North Koreans tried to return to the North; the soldiers were looking North
and being shot in the back (00:34:59:00)
o They considered it a live-combat area and the soldiers on the DMZ received
combat pay just as if they were in Vietnam (00:35:12:00)
In March 1969, Sampson had gone to Hong Kong on vacation in which he had planned to
learn more about Asia when the North Koreans shot down a Navy reconnaissance plane
over North Korea (00:35:44:00)
o The Army called Sampson back to Korea, canceling the vacation, and the men
went into shifts of twelve hours on and twelve hours off (00:36:01:00)
o Sampson called his parents from Japan at a time when it took half an hour to
make a call just to reassure them; all they knew was that the men had gone onto
high alert (00:36:33:00)
o There is no natural barrier between the DMZ and Seoul, so if the North Koreans
came down, then they were going to go straight through Seoul (00:36:38:00)
The base had KATUSAs, Korean soldiers attached to the U.S. Army, and Sampson dealt
with them (00:36:59:00)
He did not have a lot of contact with different commands in the Korean Army; the only
real contact he had with Koreans was when he worked at the YMCA, which was where
the English club of Korean college students met (00:37:11:00)
o There were about thirty-five students, the upper level of Korean students, and he
got to know them and they would invite him into their homes, to the university
and on outings (00:37:35:00)
o The students did not talk a lot about politics; with the structure of government in
the country, the students’ goals were to learn more English, which gave them a
tool (00:38:10:00)
o Sampson learned that Seoul was the political and religious capital of the country
and people would go there for economic reasons; however, if someone learned
English, then they could leave (00:38:31:00)
The objective was to go from the country to the capital to overseas and
whether someone learned French or English did not matter (00:38:43:00)
o The Korean students knew what they were looking at and they did things to
protect their family; the family was the basic social structure and they never did
anything to ruin the image of the family (00:39:06:00)
Seoul American High School was a typical 1950’s / 60’s high school (00:39:34:00)
�
o A number of officers and civilians were stationed in Seoul for two years and when
someone had to live in Seoul for two years, they could bring their families with
them; these were the kids that went to the high school (00:39:44:00)
o At one time, the dorm that Sampson lived in was used to house the students
whose parents were stationed at Kunsan, south of Seoul; eventually, the Army
built a school in Kunsan so the students did not have to commute (00:39:57:00)
o Sampson did not have any contact with the American students (00:40:24:00)
One time, Sampson went with the Korean college students on a picnic to the mountains
(00:40:36:00)
o Other times, he went to the university for a play, to the home of a professor for a
formal dinner, and a James Bond movie which was in English with Korean
subtitles (00:46:45:00)
o The Korean language was interesting because it used a different alphabet from
Chinese or Japanese, which meant different characters (00:41:05:00)
o Sampson learned a little Korean, enough to use the local transportation so that he
could go to downtown Korea (00:41:15:00)
He was lucky because he is a Christian Scientist and there was a Christian
Scientist Church in downtown Seoul, so he went to services conducted by
a Korean and an Englishwoman (00:41:30:00)
o Sampson got out and did not stay just on the base; he also took some USO tours,
including going to a plastic flower factory and a car factory (00:41:58:00)
o He also took a course from the University of Maryland; the University had an
extension program in Korea with American professors and Sampson took a class
about Asian culture (00:42:21:00)
Sampson did not notice the damages from the Korean War but he did notice the use of
manpower; he would see Koreans walking down the street with an A-frame on their back
and a stack of materials fifteen feet high (00:42:56:00)
Sampson took a lot of pictures during his tour and he learned that photography was
something that eventually became normal for him to do (00:43:32:00)
For his trip to Hong Kong, he flew down on SAS (Scandinavian Airways) (00:43:58:00)
o When he went to the airport for the flight, the plane was sitting down in Taegu,
which meant that the flight did not leave on time; there was fog and the planes
would not fly up near the DMZ (00:44:13:00)
So, they left late and it rained during the entire flight; they landed at
Taipei to refuel and then went into Hong Kong (00:44:28:00)
o Sampson stayed on Kowloon and while he was there, he signed up for some tours;
he did a small bus tour of Hong Kong island, went to a pier to purchase goods,
etc. (00:44:34:00)
o At that time, Hong Kong was still a British colony and Sampson went to the
British PX to buy souvenirs (00:45:06:00)
o He enjoyed the trip and just wished that he could have gone back when the
weather was nicer (00:45:26:00)
o For the trip, Sampson worked with a lady who worked for the travel bureaus and
she helped set up the trip and rescheduled his trip to Japan (00:45:46:00)
�
Sampson had no idea what to do because it was both his first time out of
the country and his first time in Asia; he just wanted to see the country
(00:46:12:00)
Sampson’s trip to Japan was rescheduled to June and he flew from Seoul into Fukuoka;
he stayed there and eventually went over to Beppo by commuter train (00:46:40:00)
o Sampson was with JTB (Japanese Travel Bureau) and they helped him to get in
and out of different tours (00:47:01:00)
o He hooked up with the tour on Beppo and did some things there before taking a
cruise up to Kobe; the tour eventually bused over to Kyoto, the religious capital of
Japan, and they had a tour there as well (00:47:14:00)
o From Kyoto, he took the bullet train to Tokyo, where his travel agent had set up a
hotel; on different days, he had free time which he used to purchase more
souvenirs, which he sent back to Korea, and went to several different places on
tours (00:47:45:00)
While in Tokyo, he went to a show similar to the Rockettes (00:48:44:00)
Sampson maximized his time and really felt that he got a lot out of the trip
(00:48:57:00)
o All the souvenirs were sent back to Korea because whenever he left the country,
all his stuff shipped to the United States duty-free; if he shipped them, then he
would have had to pay money (00:49:08:00)
There were sixty-five thousand troops stationed in Korea while Sampson was there and
there was no thought of shipping any of them to Vietnam because Korea was also
considered a hardship tour (00:49:35:00)
o They would send soldiers from Vietnam to Korea for recuperation but never from
Korea to Vietnam (00:49:50:00)
Korea was unique because the was also a UN command next to where Sampson was
stationed; this meant that there was a UN officer that Sampson interacted with
(00:50:12:00)
Sampson was not really following the Vietnam conflict apart from the Stars and Stripes
newspaper (00:50:33:00)
o He gained news from home through letters because there were no telephones or email (00:50:41:00)
o Sampson was more worried about North Korea (00:50:56:00)
They went of field exercises, including moving the entire command south, which they did
once (00:51:03:00)
o Sampson did not always understand the protocol; he was learning as he went
along (00:51:23:00)
o They gave him a book with all the procedures he had to do as an officer but the
other stuff he just learned as he went along (00:51:36:00)
Sampson really enjoyed working with the Korean college students and he also bought a
few books on Korean history and read them, which was nice (00:52:07:00)
One event that stands out was in August 1969, they had reopened tour guides to
Panmunjom and Sampson had the opportunity to sign up; the tour was on a Sunday and
he had to go in uniform (00:52:17:00)
�
o Panmunjom was in North Korea, so the tour went through checkpoints and they
went to see where the armistice halting the Korean conflict was signed
(00:52:37:00)
o It was still an armed conflict because there was never a peace treaty
(00:53:03:00)
o Being on the grounds of North Korea and where an armistice was very special
because not everyone had ever been in the situation (00:53:12:00)
Around Christmas time, Sampson was able to do something that officers normal did not
get to do, he watched to a Bob Hope show on the television (00:53:37:00)
Return to the United States / Post-Military Life (00:54:04:00)
Sampson was supposed to leave Korea in the middle of September but his replacement
had not arrived (00:54:04:00)
o They asked him if he would extend his time for a couple of weeks and Sampson
said sure because he had no commitments back in the United States; his next tour
of duty involved a choice by him as where he wanted to go, either Fort Huachuca
in Arizona or back to Fort Monmouth and he chose Fort Monmouth
(00:54:18:00)
o He knew Fort Monmouth and he enjoyed being on the east coast (00:54:40:00)
During June, the Army asked Sampson if he would extend his tour for ninety days and be
promoted; he was going to get out in March 1970 but as a school teacher, March was not
a good time to get out, so Sampson said “sure” (00:54:53:00)
o Because he was going to be in the service for another year, Sampson was
promoted to captain (00:55:17:00)
While in Korea, Sampson was also the United Way collector of funds for the G4
(00:55:30:00)
o When he was asking for donations, Sampson met a sergeant who had been
stationed at a Nike missile base in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan during the
1950’s, only a mile away from where Sampson lived for five years (00:55:48:00)
o It was a unique situation to talk to someone who had been stationed near where
Sampson had lived (00:56:14:00)
He finally shipped out from Korea in October along with seven crates and a steamer
trunk of stuff (00:56:26:00)
o All the other stuff was sent to Selfridge Air Force Base in Mt. Clemens, Michigan
and it was trucked over to his home in Birmingham (00:56:41:00)
Sampson was not at home when it arrived and his father wondered what
he had been doing (00:56:50:00)
o He had gone on to his new station at Fort Monmouth and he wanted to teach at
the school but he did not have enough time left, so they made him the S4 of the
signal brigade, the logistics officer, which was an interesting job (00:56:55:00)
o This was the time when things were dicey with the public because of the situation
in Vietnam; the men were cautioned as to where they should wear their uniforms
(00:57:32:00)
o When he flew out of Korea in October, Sampson left at 10:30 in the morning,
local time, and arrived back in the United States at 5:30 in the morning on the
same day (00:58:56:00)
�
From Seattle, he got on a plane and flew back to Michigan and arrived at
6:30 in the morning, again, on the same day (00:58:24:00)
He had flown across the International Date Line; going to Korea, he lost a
day and coming back, he stayed on the same day (00:58:31:00)
There were a lot of protests going on at the time and the men did not know what the
statuses were of the different officers on the base (00:58:45:00)
o Sampson did not have any feeling about the protestors because he was about the
business he was in; being an officer meant that he was volunteer (00:59:20:00)
Because he was an officer, when the draft did occur in the 1960s, his draft
number was eighteen; if he was not an officer, he was going to be in the
service (00:59:29:00)
o Unbeknownst to him when he was getting out, Sampson had been an officer for
five years and he still had a year of service but he did not have to go to meetings
(00:59:52:00)
His commitment of active duty ended in June 1970 (01:00:04:00)
o The typical commitment for an officer is six years, so when they counted time in
grade and Sampson went on active duty in March 1968, he had been an officer for
two years and nine months (01:00:22:00)
The officers had to either be three years reserve time or eighteen months
of active duty to be promoted from their first grade to their second grade;
Sampson went from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant in June 1968 and then
to captain in September 1969 (01:00:38:00)
If he wanted to do field grade to major, then Sampson would have had to
go to career school, which included either having to go to ranger school or
jump school; Sampson had no desire to do either one because if he stayed,
then he would have to become a regular officer, not a reserve officer
(01:00:54:00)
o Three years after he got out of the service, when the Vietnam conflict ended, the
Army let go of nine thousand officers and at that time, the men did not receive
any type of pension from the military unless they had twenty-four years of service
(01:01:16:00)
Sampson checked out of the military when he wanted to (01:01:46:00)
o He was working at a summer camp at the time and he briefly looked at going into
military intelligence; it would have been a summer camp and then once a month
and was based out of Detroit because Sampson was teaching at Bloomfield Hills
at the time (01:01:55:00)
o He waited but eventually decided to go for a second masters because he could not
become a school administrator without a Masters degree in administration
(01:12:15:00)
Sampson taught at Bloomfield Hills for five years while doing an administrative
internship; he got a Masters in administration from Wayne State University and after he
had the degree, he was in the position to look for an administrative job (01:02:43:00)
o He eventually got a job as an administrator at East Kentwood High School, where
he spent the next twenty-seven as an administrator (01:02:58:00)
�
o When he moved to take the job in 1975, Sampson decided to go for a PhD in
school administration, which he got from the University of Michigan after four
years (01:03:08:00)
His specialty was facility planning, how to renovate and build facilities
and he believes some of this came from his training in logistics
(01:03:23:00)
o He enjoyed the job and working the engineers and architects (01:03:31:00)
o The total cost of his higher education was five hundred dollars for his PhD
because the GI Bill paid for everything else (01:03:42:00)
Because of his upbringing and the work ethic that his parents instilled in him and his two
sisters, the military showed him a certain type of structure and things that he wanted to do
and things he did not want to do (01:04:29:00)
o He felt that he had to give his best every day, no matter the situation was
(01:04:49:00)
o The training also taught him about computers which helped him get the job at
East Kentwood; at the time, they were going to computerized scheduling and
there were not a lot of people around who had any knowledge of computers at all
(01:05:04:00)
Sampson taught in what he considers two of the best school systems; both Bloomfield
Hills and East Kentwood were outstanding (01:05:45:00)
Being over in Korea did a couple of things for Sampson (01:06:03:00)
o First, it made him realize how hard people work to move forward (01:06:07:00)
o Second, he learned it was not whether he was right or wrong, it was just that
things were different over there (01:06:16:00)
o He also learned about a culture that was totally different from western culture,
such as how they communicate and relate to each other (01:06:30:00)
The opportunities that someone gets out of the service comes from how much they want
to give; a person can make it a great experience no matter where they are or they can
make it a disheartening experience (01:07:02:00)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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SampsonJ
Title
A name given to the resource
Sampson, John (Interview outline and video), 2010
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sampson, John
Description
An account of the resource
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942, John Sampson joined the ROTC while at Western Michigan University. Following graduation from Western Michigan and graduate school at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Sampson went through signal corps training at Fort Gordon, Georgia and Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. After completing his training, he shipped out to Korea, where he served in the G4 for Eighth Army, working with both the Korean and US military. Following his tour in Korea, Sampson returned to Fort Monmouth and served until March 1970.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
United States. Army
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
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Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010-10-28
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
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application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8e884dcc474af631fb8a9423ec1d7601.pdf
e63529b0bcc9c8db842c608ece6be351
PDF Text
Text
������
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ce89850311e3c4a5a839554e5a750c03.pdf
db5bbc4569ff53c8915415104d781140
PDF Text
Text
Abraham Lincoln.
The superficial reasoner and the hypercritic[?] will regard the just views upon the
Character of Lincoln as fulsome admiration of the dead, but the Student of history, and of
the agency of man in Creating it and he who watches the phases of human progress, who
Scans the Changes in the [?] thought which finds expression in the laws enacted for the
Advancement of national interests, and for the benefit of Communal meal, find in the
Study of the Characters of the men who impress their individuality, on their era an
interesting occupation. Such was Lincoln.
It is through the impress of mind on the natural things of life that beneficial effects ensue,
when the intelligences are rightly divided. It is through the calm, dispassionate Criticism,
the Exposition, so to speak, of the Philosophy in the actions of the individual that Greek
judgments are formed of his influence on his times and of the benefits that are to occure
[occur] in the future of the nation’s life.
Abraham Lincoln lived --- the type of a life devoted to the cause of human freedom, and
he died, a martyr to no insane folly revenging personal disappointments, but a martyr
upon the altar of human equity, before the law and made in his death a Sacrifice to the
principles of human freedom.
Mr. Lincoln stands --- the central figure in American history in the 19th Century, and his
martyrdom is the [?] of this era. Washington, in his relation to American history and the
cause of freedom is the Central figure of history in the 18th Century.
�But Washington represented the forces of human progress which marred against the
material interests of the dominant race in Colonial politics, in which the question of
human freedom so now [?] has no place.
The inherit rights which man to man, regardless of color, have to personal liberty, has no
place in the causes leading up to American Independence. In the above sense,
Independence was a mis-nomer, and its application was limited to questions of purely
material moments of a Socio-Political Character.
We intend no disparagement of Washington --- do not detract from the benefices of
humanity flowing from his trials, sufferings, courage, magnanimity, fulfillment and [?].
Under Providence he prepared the way for which Lincoln was to consummate. In the
parable the grain of mustard seed was to develope [develop] into the wide spreading tree
wherein the birds of the air were to find refuge.
The parallel is found in the humble, low born if you please, Child of the prisoner’s home
on the prairie, where under the tutelage of the flowers of the field, of the blue skies of
heaven, of the solemn music of the fresh, of the flights of the birds, he inhaled the oxygen
of freedom, and the instincts of humanity were slowly refined into that broad and
comprehensive patriotism which ranged[?] him on the side of the oppressed, newer[?]
him to the defense of the right, gave him the Courage of Convictions, the ability to
maintain them, and prepared him for that ultimate election of national dignity where he
became the exponent and the protector of the rights of man
�to full personal liberty before, under and to the law.
It was the seeds of liberty in the feelings of the individual that opened the living
exponents of the principles therein involved.
[?] to humble elation and Circumstance in life, informed with educational advantages of
any moment, Conscious of innate principles of right, it is well to note that under the most
adverse Conditions of life he developed these principles of Simple integrity, [?] and
maintained with high character for unquestioned honesty, which culminated in his
elevation to the highest dignities the public could bestow. Deceit, evasion, subterfuge,
equivocation or any other place of difficulty was foreign to his nature. He Seemed the
living exemplar of extreme truth. He was a man, with human foibles, human weaknesses,
and Conscious of the Affects of early education he made no pretensions to be other than
the man of Simple integrity.
Most men lead two lives. One before the world which judges them by what they see, not
going below the action to judge of the inducing motives, and the other, or inner life,
wherein they rest in the Knowledge of their new motives. But Mr. Lincoln was a
Character so pure and free from all ulterior intent that it may be said that he had no inner
life. Candor, honesty, integrity were transparent qualities in him & Seemed as if the [?]
impress of the truths which he drew from the fountains of nature in his youth so informed
his Love that his nature was guideless of ill intent, and in the seclusion of home, as in the
most exalted official elation, his native [?] stoid[?] forth,
�His personal integrity was so evident, Chicanery of whatever kind so foreign to him that a
guise was needless and impossible. The Republic, in him, recognized and honored
personal integrity. We do not know that he ever read Dean, who wrote,
“The worst of crimes believe it generous youth
Is to buy life by selling sacred truth,
Virtues’ the gem of life, the sage’s stone,
And life is death when honor is no more.”
But[?] we know that the sentiment Controlled his life, and though there may have been
uncouthness in person and of manner, none who sought him whatever the mission, ever
failed to be impressed by the dignity of the truth and Sincerity he expressed.
Magnanimity was a strong feature of his character. No one man in American history has
been [?] by political enemies, and no man has given nobler evidence of the truth. These
aspersions reached to his private as well as official life, and the shallow minds of many
pain to see the moral of an [?] anecdote was more potent often than the reasonings of a
lengthened argument. This trail was nobly exemplified in the Christian sentiment, “With
Malice towards none and with Charity for all,” a sentiment more broad in its application
than any recorded as being spoken by mortal man.
It Contained the essence of the sermon on the mount, and it was an essential expression
of the humanity within his Soul, for it was directed to those who sought the downfall of
the Republic.
Rare words, spoken in the horn[?] of the nation’s surest trials, when
�The ground was yet incarnadined with patriot blood shed for national defence, when the
wail of the widow and the cry of the orphan rose to heaven a protest against ‘man’s
inhumanity to man,’ when the moans of the wounded and the dying were almost ringing
in his ears, there came from him who stood the Central figure and the humanities[?] in
American history the golden words, “With Malice towards none and with Charity for
all.”
We need not review the progress of Mr. Lincoln as he endeared himself to the nation as it
strode on in the defence of human rights, nor to review the crowning acts of his life
expressed in the Proclamation of Emancipation.
That act, its antecedent causes and all relating to it an historical[?]. &[?] received the
economies of a [?] world and placed the nation on a pinnacle of honor unknown to
history.
He who desires to study a [?] character, in which the elements of truth, of personal
integrity, of inflexible honesty in thought, speech and action, of large hearted
benevolence, of the Christian sympathy and magnanimity are harmoniously blended, can
do no better than to Sit down and ponder the tributes of his memory and his worth as a
man, which are so [?] given by the representative world of thought in America, and
presented to the public, through the affectionate [?] of the friend and admirer, O.H.
Old[?], in the Lincoln Memorial Album.
From such study one will rise filled with a desire to emulate the virtues which gave
dignity to a true manhood.
�the Simplicity of his character is admirably expressed in the tribute of Mr. Frederick
Douglass, that “he was one who could take counsel from a child and give counsel to a
sage.”
The old man, scarred with the [?] of life’s conflicts, and the young man, bucking on his
honor for the strife of life, may each learn from these tributes what constitutes true
greatness in human character. The young man will learn the value and integrity as
essentials to success in life. The aged can retrospect their lives and be stronger through
the practice of these virtues, and one may all been witness to the truth which Abraham
Lincoln is a Standard of personal and morality, truth, honor and integrity; this profound
Christian magmamity, to his broad statesmanship, and gratitude will swell with such a
man was the Chosen instrument of Providence to [?] a Republic into a Nation the
cornerstone of whose [?] is Reckon from any form of human bondage, and they will unite
in pledging a sacred truth.
By all we have,
By all we are, by all we hope to be
To hold this heritage free --- this birthright bought with blood.
Norman D. Sampson
April 29, 1883.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Civil War and Slavery Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Slavery--United States
African Americans
United States--Politics and government--19th century
Description
An account of the resource
A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Lemmen, Harvey E.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1804-1897
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Format
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image/jpg; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
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Image; Text
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1804-1897
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-45_CW1-4436
Title
A name given to the resource
Essay on Abraham Lincoln by Norman D. Sampson
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1883-04-29
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sampson, Norman D.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
United States--Politics and government--19th century
Essays
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Washington (D.C.)
Description
An account of the resource
Essay on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln written by an admirer.
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Civil War and slavery collection (RHC-45): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b34a8730168e7e59e2069fac1e008523.mp4
925338af6360c452ddbb938aa03b89db
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2c577eb9ff46e906ed4fa418aa1c7637.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Korean War
Robert Samuels
Length of interview (34:05)
(0:12) Background
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan 1930 moved to Grandville, Michigan at age 10 (0:29)
Dropped out of high school during 10th grade year (0:46)
Not much recollection of World War II except it ending on radio (1:05)
Worked in construction building houses (1:18)
Joined Marine Corps with friend in 1948 (1:28)
Went to Detroit, Michigan to take a physical before joining (1:43)
(1:43) Active Duty
Took train to Parris Island, South Carolina for basic training (2:09)
Marine Corps buses picked them up from train station (2:30)
Right from the start, yelled at and had to hustle everywhere (3:06)
Didn’t know much about Marine Corps before joining (3:20)
Received weapons training and vigorous physical exercises (4:01)
Trained on M1 Garand rifle (4:20)
Pretty easily adjusted to training, got him inn shape (5:00)
Most of the soldiers were enlisted, not many drafted (5:35)
Sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for water training for six weeks (6:00)
Military Occupation Specialist (MOS) was water supply (25:06)
Learned how to distill salt water and purify fresh water (6:20)
Did several training missions, practiced amphibious landings (7:11)
Assigned to an engineering battalion at Camp Lejeune (8:30)
On free time went to Jacksonville, North Carolina; people didn’t like the marines (9:00)
When he joined the Marines were still segregated (9:10)
Started to desegregate the troops while there; had a black friend (9:55)
(10:15) Korea
In July 1950 told that they were shipping out to Korea (10:33)
With engineering unit until he arrived in San Diego, California (11:37)
Took sixteen days to arrive in Korea; was sea sick whole time (12:13)
Served with Easy Company 2nd battalion 7th Marines in Korea (13:38)
5th marines had landed first so there wasn’t a lot of resistance (14:02)
Always on the move, went to Seoul, Korea to run missions (14:30)
Shipped from Inchon to Wonsan, before heading to North Korea (14:41)
Marched all the way from South Korea up into North Korea (15:07)
Encountered minimal resistance along the way; took several weeks (15:48)
Arrived at Chosin Reservoir and dug in, outnumbered 15:1 (16:44)
Usually before firefight, they were bombarded with mortars (17:23)
Enemy mostly attacked at night; position didn’t hold (18:21)
�Received Browning Automatic Rifle when he joined Easy Company (19:04)
Had some trouble with the rifle, it would jam and have to be cleaned (19:26)
Company mostly held defensive positions against the Chinese (20:30)
Was close enough to Chinese that he could clearly see their faces (29:00)
Felt kind of sorry for the dead Chinese they were mostly children (29:15)
Chinese weapons were very different from the American weapons (29:45)
(20:35) Injury
Due to winter conditions, feet became frostbitten (20:41)
Had good medical care while injured (28:01)
A lot of guys in the hospital had legs taken off due to frostbite (28:34)
Flown out of combat to South Korea (21:03)
Went on hospital ship to Japan and then back state side (21:15)
Still had time to serve, chose to serve in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (22:06)
Served as honors guard for the dead being brought back (22:22)
Seeing all the dead bodies, wondered how he got out alive (23:07)
Barely saw civilian population or South Korean army while in Korea (23:47)
After Philadelphia, went back to camp Lejeune for water supply (24:50)
Stayed there for two years until his honorable discharge (25:33)
Asked to re-enlist for six more years; offered $6000 (25:35)
(25:45) Post Service
Discharged from the Marine Corps in 1952 (26:07)
Worked for a place that built baking equipment until retirement (26:40)
Moved back to the grand rapids area and stayed there for rest of life (27:11)
Hard to readjust to civilian life and took some getting used to (27:30)
Eventually got involved in veteran support groups (32:00)
Not many people were interested in his story and he kept it to himself (32:25)
Joined the legion post and then the Veterans Foreign Wars (VFW) post (32:45)
The Korean war is often known as the forgotten war (33:25)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
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1914-
Rights
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
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Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
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Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
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RHC-27
Language
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eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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SamuelsR1382V
Title
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Samuels, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2012
Creator
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Samuels, Robert
Description
An account of the resource
Robert Samuels was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1950 and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1948. He trained at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he learned water purification processes. When the Korean War started in 1950, he was sent to Korea and served as a BAR gunner with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. He served with that unit at Inchon and Seoul, and then in the invasion of North Korea. He fought in the Chosin Reservoir battles until he was airlifted out due to bad frostbite. He was treated in Japan and then sent back to the US, where he served out his enlistment in Philadelphia and finally back at Camp Lejeune.
Contributor
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Smither, James (Interviewer)
WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
United States. Marine Corps
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Language
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eng
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
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Moving Image
Text
Relation
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Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
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2012-05-17
Source
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<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
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application/pdf
video/mp4
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/03bd070f2750b6cf68aa08bf03fd59c9.mp4
d155022465b22c76d65b233c8d02b464
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fe272add63055ad91dbfee7f56cebb18.pdf
cd3503ab0ce0daeb4fd568b9123ba5da
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
Frank Sanborn
(00:44:22)
Hi, Frank, I am Charlie Collins and we are going to do an interview today with you
about your experiences during World War II but more especially we are going to
kind of review your whole life time.
So what is your full name, Frank?
Frank Earl Sanborn
Okay. When were you born? (1:39)
December 20, 1923.
So you was within five (5) days of being a Christmas present?
Right
Do you remember much about going to grade school?
Oh yes. Went I went to school we never got in trouble or nothing. We had fire drills and
so forth and I forgot what year it was we had one Christmas time, I don’t know if you
remember or not, the grass was green, no snow or nothing on the ground back in the
thirties it was.
Frank, where did you go to high school?
Detroit
Do you remember much about your high school experiences? Did you have any
special friends there?
Oh yeah.
What kind of clothes did you wear?
Well it was during hard times so we all wore hand-me-downs
Did you live on a farm or did you live in the city? (2:52)
I lived in the city. If I did something wrong my mother would use an iron cord and it
would bite too you know.
1
�As you went through high school do you remember any special occasions and things
that had happened, like maybe you got in trouble at school?
Oh I never got in trouble too much. My grandfather use to make a
and it was called white lightning you know and what happened one time was he was
making the stuff in the house it kept bubbling on the stove and finally it blew up and he
threw it out
…”oh we got you now!
Do you remember those days?
Yeah I remember those days?
I tell you people use to make home brew
that?
remember
Frank, as you graduated…did you graduate from high school?
Yes.
Did you join the service then? 4:33
I got drafted.
Well, when I was younger I worked at the CCC camp
back in 1937. I think it was. I
a worse outfit
first I worked on road, then
we use to fight forest fires and
you know what they use to do? If I guy
missed a
they would make you wait until supper and make you all sit at a big
table and the guys
what we use to do to the sea captain, we would eat and
when they blowed the whistle, if I was hungry, I would grab the first thing that I could
get. “I’ll break your arm, he says!”
Do you remember what kind of uniforms you wore at the CCC camp?
Oh something like Army almost but it had CCC on the side.
And where all did you go when you was in the CCC camp?
Michigan up there. It is about….it is by Whitefish Bay. You can’t swim up
there in the summer time, it is too cold.
Yes it is? 6:09
The water is about 40 degrees. I can remember we had a forest fire and we were on the
I was about fifty (50) miles from the Sault we didn’t do nothing bad. I served about six
(6) month in the CCC camp. I got out and I didn’t have any job. Finally a guy says,
heh…how would you like to work for me. I got a job as a plumbers helper. see. I can
remember a year or a year and a half, I guess, I don’t remember exactly I got my draft
2
�notice, see, and I told him those people that you know I have to
for a few
people. They said what do you mean…well, I got the draft to go into the service.
So what year was that Frank?
Oh…..I am not too sure but it was close to the 40s I guess.
So you were drafted before Pearl Harbor? 7:25
No…it was just about Pearl Harbor time.
So it would be just about 1941 then?
Yeah. Yeah…do you remember what Roosevelt said? I don’t remember the exact words
but he said
about the Japanese and
Muskegon
the kids all enjoyed it though
So where did you go to boot camp?
Ft. Bragg, NC, you know were you be a paratrooper. I wasn’t worried. I was never
afraid of heights.
So you trained as a paratrooper then?
For a while yeah. I use to
and finally they sent me to an ordnance school.
I use to handle explosives, you now. You want me to tell you how we used to
the
airplanes?
Sure? 8:43
This will make you laugh………we use to take an old mattress
said
that was no place for me to be so I got had to pull KP for several while then I got sent to
the infantry. I said brother, you did me a big favor you know that. Finally well I took
infantry training then and they fired live rounds over me…ya know that and I came back
to the camp where I was at overseas and I said hey, jerk, come here I want to talk to you.
He wouldn’t do it.
That was the Chaplain?
No….no…an officer.
????
Are you an ex-serviceman?
No? 9:53
Well anyway this one guy from he was mean he made my buddies go on the drill field in
90 degrees..95 …..wearing over coats and wool sweaters and all that stuff. I got mad and
3
�the next morning I said, “buddy your day’s coming!” He said, what do you mean? I said
you’ll find out. I got so mad one day
I beat the hell out of him…I did. I
don’t mean to talk that way but …heah I blew my top.
As you finished boot camp, where did you go then?
Well at the time, we went to New York for a while, you know…to school.
What school was it you went to in New York?
It was a trade school, it was communication and so forth.
You learned communication at the school?
Yeah. I could see the Empire State Building from and I went over there. Have you ever
been over there?
No.
That is a thousand feet I guess, and you could see a long way up there. You know this
building people thing when they put a building up it is straight, it has to sway a little bit,
you know why? Otherwise it would make it snap. I don’t because
It kept swaying back and forth than didn’t it? 11:39
Yeah you could see a long way up there. I was in one building in Detroit which was
about five hundred feet (500’) off the ground. I use to get up on a ladder and go up about
forty feet (40’) on the outside. I would make sure see and one morning I remember, my
foreman said to me, “What a beautiful morning.” I said “Yeah sixty mile (60 mile) hour
wind
and when I went up it almost sucked me off the building
I said I will go on home. He said No. After that…it made common sense you know.
And I was washing windows. Someone told me that someone passed me by and I said I
thought they did, but I wasn’t sure. I was up about forty stories up. Some guy jumped
out of the window and hit the sidewalk. I seen what happened. I had to go home that
day. I probably see he hit the cement about six (6) or seven (7) feet …I mean it took a
long time for them to get rid of him. I don’t want to tell you someone said
it turned your stomach.
After you went to school in New York, where did you go then? 13:28
Oh we went back to North Carolina for a while and then we went to New Mexico.
What did you do in New Mexico?
We were pulling guard duty and we were getting
4
�Did you know that when you go to El Paso Texas, it is about 90 miles..the elevation as
you are going along your ears start popping do you know that?
Yeah
People said…ahhh you’re crazy. I said I myself. In the summer time you could
in the summer it was nice but in the mountains
snow.
After you was in Texas, what did you do then? 14:24
Then they had us guard a field and he said I want you guys to go out in the field, way
…out about thirty miles…..and this guy and I ……. he was a coward I swear, do you
know why? There were coyotes out there howling at night………….I couldn’t even
Anyway, I told the sergeant I don’t want him out here with me. I said I didn’t get no
sleep.
Between him and the coyotes..you didn’t get any sleep……(laughing)
No I build a fire...what kind of survival training was that
After your training in Texas, what did you do then?
Well, we were getting our orders to go overseas then. That same sergeant he cried like a
baby. He says you guys hate my guts. I says, yeah. He told a major that these guys are
going to throw me out the window. We had orders not to
When you went over seas, how did you get there?
By boat.
Do you remember the name of the boat or ship? 16:03
All I can remember is it was a British ship. We shipped out of New York…near Staten
Island or some place out there ..or something. A lot of guys were worried. You know
what I told them?
What did you tell them?
I
Boy they looked at me…they could have killed me, I swear…throwed me over board but
you know what happened? We were over the water mark for two (2) weeks and we had
and you would never believe it we had burnt beans think that wasn’t tough
tomatoes and tea and bread
And that is what you had when you went overseas?
5
�Yeah.
Was the trip pretty rough?
Oh it was all right. No radio silences all the way across. No lights on at night. We had to
be careful you know. They could pick you off you know
Did the ship sail straight or did it go in a zig zag pattern?
17:20
I can remember one night we I didn’t know where I was going to go see well then we
went north and then I could see I told him that was Nova Scotia over there. How do you
now? I says, I know. We were about twenty miles out across the ocean we had a
escort us for a while.
Oh they did huh?
Yes We had a big convoy put together and then during the war time they had mines, you
couldn’t see ‘em maybe they were six (6) or seven (7) feet underwater with a big chain
and once and a while we had to shoot at it and blow it up.
You would shoot at the mines and blow them up?
Oh yeah….it had on the sides yeah….
Do you remember where you landed?
Liverpool England
You landed in Liverpool.
I don’t know exactly what time of day but ………we had to take some other training
again. I didn’t think of that. Well…we went on a train, I forget where it was …White
Cliffs of Dover, I guess it was. We were on a Navy ship a crossed the English Channel.
Okay 19:22
I think it was
So now as you was crossing the English Channel was that after “D” Day or was that
during “D” Day battle?
Oh it was after “D” Day….I mean…yeah.
So you arrived on the other side of the channel after “D” day. Where did you go
then?
6
�In the Battle of the Bulge, I served in that too.
You served in the Battle of the Bulge? Can you tell us about that. 20:14
It was winter time then, was it not?
Yeah. I can remember they had like a big hill we went along. Some of the guys got shot
like dogs, you know that. What you going to do I can remember one time I had
in the foxhole with me one time and I had an unusual circumstance. A guy asked me
“Would you shoot me and kill me?” I said, “no!” I just can’t doing it. I would be a
murderer. I would never forget it the rest of my life, you know that. I said, “Hear is a
gun, you do it yourself”…you know. I felt silly. I was liable to kill him. I would have
gotten a dishonorable discharge; I would have went to a federal prison.
That was in a foxhole in the Battle of the Bulge? He got injured bad enough that he
wanted to kill himself.
Yeah. I said you can shoot yourself ; I am not going to do it.
Did he do that?
No. He got better eventually. What got me is. We had a guy, I swear, I don’t care if I
went to France, Germany, England, or anywhere, well we had one guy who was a real
screw up, you know what he said?
What did he do? 21:56
He got in a fight and put somebody through a window and You know what I told him
I kinda looked at him in the face and I said …Oh no not again can’t you just stay out of
trouble one and a while?
Now during the Battle of the Bulge, what Division were you in?
It was the 101st.
Was that one of Rommel’s Divisions? [Ed. note: The interviewer really did ask this.
Rommel was a German general, not American, and was already dead by this time as
well.]
Yeah
So you went on that march with Rommel then in the Battle of the Bulge? Tell me
about that.
7
�We went on……it wasn’t no picnic you know….I just said to myself, why am I here we
had “K” rations and stuff you know and I see kids that were hungry over there and I gave
my Spam or something.
I bet that was food to eat then wasn’t’ it?
Boy that was rough to it. Actually you ate “K” rations. It was too bad, but if you had
You were in trouble.
You were in real trouble then….(laughing)
If you had false teeth, it would probably break ‘em.
Fortunately back then you didn’t have false teeth. 23:51
You know what we use to do. Before you go in …..a…combat, you use to pull your teeth
out, put then in a case….I didn’t see it but I heard about it. What they would do would be
to right away. Did you ever hear of that?
No I had never heard that. As you were in the Battle of the Bulge, where did you go
after that? Did you follow the march into Germany? Can you tell us what kind of
towns and terrains you went through?
I went to Cologne, Heidelberg and places like that.
Was you in the infantry at that time?
Oh yeah.
Did you go with the tanks and so on? How did you get to these places?
Well, I was a foot soldier.
You were a foot soldier.
Did you encounter any battles during that time in Stuttgart and those towns?
25:03
It wasn’t like in the west you know. Those guys were sitting ducks out there you know.
But we use to do over in Germany, we use to pull a raid up on then about 4 o’clock in the
morning. We would shake the buildings all down with heavy ammunition and guns. We
check all the buildings though. I can remember a guy was radio was come see…come
sah…come see….com sah……he said
After your travels in to Germany, do you recall the “VE” Day? Victory in Europe
Day?
8
�Oh yes.
Where were you then?
You was in Heidelberg at the time Germany surrendered?
Yeah and that was a beautiful feeling, you know that. Talking about “VE” Day, I can
remember I seen planes by the thousands.
So as “VE” Day happened, what did you do then? 27:01
Well we had occupation for a while then.
You stayed in Germany as an occupation troop?
Yeah
During the time that was going on, what did you do there?
Well, I use to cook for a while. I didn’t mind that. I use to say to myself, why did this
have to happen, you know. It was so bad, I seen kids eating out of garbage cans, you
know that. It touched my heart.
Yes it would, wouldn’t it?
Oh yes. I can remember some guys
We have a
We were standing around for a while. I told them, we’re not going to hurt you. They
thought we were all murderers, you know that. We did alone.
Do you recall where you were when the war was over in Japan?
28:32
I was in Germany.
You were still in Germany? Did you hear about the atomic bombs being dropped?
Well they told us. We didn’t know about it until afterwards. We all a couple of guns up
in the air and started shooting straight up, you know…..
Had a little celebration.
As the war was over and you were in Germany. How long did you stay in Germany
as one of the occupying forces?
About three ______.
9
�You stayed that long? During that period of time, what did you do?
Well, I learned a trade.
You learned a trade again? And what was that? 29:31
Well,
it was
During your occupation time, how did the Germans react and how did they treat
you?
They hated us for a while you know. I can remember some kids were over there fishing.
They use to use safety pins to catch fish. You know how we solved that?
How did you do that?
I threw four hand granades in the water and knocked the fish right out. If I tried that over
there they would probably throw me in jail, you know that.
They probably would, yes sir.
I can remember, they had down in the water, there was about three (3) bushels of fish
come up. The kids were grabbing them. Thank you…….I said sure. I don’t sound
you know that?
Frank, as you left Germany and came back to this country, do you remember what
year it was? 30:46
I can remember from Germany, I forgot what they were, we took a convoy it was a long
way over 200 miles and we went and it was clay and dirt and muddy. We got on the
boat and it was we could believe there was a storm blowing like a gale, we had to stay at
the dock for a week you know.
So you stayed right there at the dock for a week while you road out this storm?
Yeah and then one guy
Yes, it does get rough out there in a storm.
I can remember we went by Spain on one side and we could put fuel on the boat
it took over nine (9) hours to load the boat full of fuel
And what was it, a diesel ship. Was it a ship powered by diesel engines?
10
�I don’t know but that stuff was put was guess it is pre-heated. It took us all the way a
crossed the ocean for two weeks.
Now on your trip back a crossed the ocean was the weather after you road out the
storm smooth? 32:44
Oh some times it was smooth and sometimes it was rough you know.
Did you happen to get seasick?
No. I got bored one day and I says, I got tired of looking at the water so I went down to
the engineer room and helped them.
You helped them in the engine room.
You know what they said to me? What did they say? They said go get a nice meal,
take anything you want and they said, do you want a drink. I said I don’t drink. You see
when I ate the food sicker than a dog. And they wanted to give me
that tells you how much they drink. A couple of them
As you came back from Germany, where did you go then?
We went across the ocean and when I got back, it was the day before Christmas Eve.
You got back just before Christmas Eve. Do you remember what year it was?
No. I can remember……
How did the ship smell ..do you remember that? 34:24
No. you’d better get out of the way, you now what I mean
(did understand anything of this conversation)
On arriving back in this country, where were you stationed then?
We can into Chesapeake Bay then. I over the boat one day before that we had
inspection to make sure everything was okay. I made a pig of myself I had all the ice
cream, potato chips, I got sick out of it you know that.
You got sick on ice cream and potato chips.
They had a nice meal for us you know. A lot of guys got sick
Did you stay in the service then?
11
�No. they wanted me sign over. I told them I wasn’t home much. I got a job waiting for
me.
Now you went back then to Detroit?
Yeah.
And where did you live? Were your married at that time, Frank?
No. It was during war time, a lot of women wanted to get married to the guys while they
are in service. Do you know about that?
No tell me about it.
Well, if he dies, they get the benefits. I can remember Johnny he went. He went in front
of the firing squad and he told the guys, “Do a good job the first time.” It was heart
breaking you know.
I bet it was. 37:04
Some of the guys you know what touched me though, his wife went after all those war
years, she didn’t get a dime.
Really?
Did you hear about that? That was probably worth a million dollars.
But you didn’t get any of it? Why because on account of him?
I felt sorry for her. She didn’t live very long after that.
After you were discharged from the service and you came back to Detroit, what did
you do?
I use to be a plumber’s helper. I worked on these high rise buildings and I knew a lot
about car too you know. I never was lazy. I tell you what they keep you in the dark
about a lot of stuff, you know that.
Sure they do. Well they don’t want you to learn too much or you’ll get their job.
38:29
and ballcock. I needed a new ballcock, right? Well those two (2) take it off. You go to
the hardware store and get a washer for about fifteen cents (.15) and it would be as good
as new.
12
�There you go. During your time that you were in the service, did you make any
friendships that was lasting.
Oh yes, I can remember one time over in Germany when I was pulling guard duty, the
guys says, Heh… I said.He come on you seeso it was dark, I stood to one side where the
bushes were. I made him put up his hands and I says, “halt” I made him drop his gun. I
make him march to company headquarters. The sergeant says, ike hell… you’re a liar.
Heh, I never had no more trouble with that.
Yes, I bet you didn’t. After you were discharged and came back to Detroit, did you
see any of the fellows that you were in the service with?
Well there was some about ten (10) or twelve (12) years after the war time. I can
remember I was only out of the service not even a week or two (2), a guy tapped me
and you know what I did? I cold cocked him. I will tell you something else, I was
sitting with my mother one time. You know we had ice blocks behind the refrigerator
you know. And I forgot where I was at see, I got up. And and I told my mother I would
myself.
Did you join any of the veteran organizations after you got back? 41:02
Oh yeah…the American Legion.
How about the VFW?
No.
Just the American Legion then?
These guys that served in Viet Nam I think they got a raw deal you know.
I think they did too.
They called them baby killers and murderers and what have you. People use to spit in the
face. You ask the guys from Viet Nam
by the river
Did you take any schooling when you got back on the GI bill? 41:53
I worked on the GI Bill. Yeah. I got paid for that you know.
Sure.
I wasn’t sorry. I could show you some short cuts on math if you want me to.
Well, Frank, when did you get married?
13
�I waited a while. I was 35 years old…..
You were 25 or 35 years old? 42:27
35 and I tell you what, my wife was a nice person for a while. She got with the wrong
crowd. She started drinking. I was working washing windows and a man come over
there how come I didn’t get paid? I said, well I gave my wife the money
if you get your wages guaransheed I said fire me then. You now what I told my
creditors? I said, “If I get fired, I am not going to get another job and you’ll never get a
dime out of me.” So they went along with me. I worked two (2) jobs. I did pay them off
eventually. all before my name was mud. My wife caused me a lot of grief and hardship,
I swear. I had a little money in the bank and all. I said, I don’t want to know what she’s
got. Give her a chance….I gave her seven (7) changes. I couldn’t take anymore. I had a
boy and a girl. You now that she is sorry for what she did though. I beat the hell out of a
guy. I had to a lot of crap for her you know.You now I miss her. Her mother use to hen
peck her husband. You know what hen peck is you know.
Yes I do.
Frank, how long have you been in the home here?
About nine (9) years.
And do you like it?
Oh yeah, I made a lot of friends here.
You made a lot of friends here. 44:22
When some of the guys got sick and they choked, I helped them out.
Good. Well, Frank it has been an enjoyable time and we appreciate your efforts
and all the traveling we had to do this morning.
This makes me hungry.
Could I ask you a question?
Sure.
14
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SanbornF
Title
A name given to the resource
Sanborn, Frank (Interview outline and video), 2004
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sanborn, Frank
Description
An account of the resource
Frank Sanborn served in the 101st Airborne Division during WW II. He joined the division as a replacement prior to the Battle of the Bulge, and fought in that campaign and in Germany in 1945, staying on for some time in Germany as part of the occupation forces.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer)
Collins, Carol (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Video recordings
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
United States. Army
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2004-02-11
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0c4211f39b26763388ad5587637900c0.mp4
c1b1dab1286fd0b2039ff8e75ffdf500
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/09992aa20f82e1aae650d9b679016f42.pdf
9bbd4abb90909f788c4d169f5b25925d
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veteran History Project
Dr. Jack Sanders
(38:50)
(00:25) Introduction
• Born in St. Louis, Michigan
• Lived in Alma most of his life
• Able to skip to third grade because he knew how to read.
• Played football in high school
• Graduated high school in 1935.
• Remembers the Depression and beginning of FDR’s presidency
• Noted that FDR had development of B-24 bomber without any o.k. from
Congress.
• Immediate family did not suffer too terribly from Depression.
(08:35) Recollections of 1930’s
• Remembers reading translations of Hitler’s speeches.
• Notes that a normal high school graduate would not have known who Hitler
was in the late 1930’s.
• The 1930 census asked Americans have heard a radio.
• Very familiar with Civilian Conservation Corps efforts in Northern Michigan.
• Noted that the Works Process Association was a lifesaver for many men; his
high school received a new football field from their work.
• Left Alma to go to medical school at 19 years old in 1935.
(14:15) After College
• Dropped out of medical school after a few weeks.
• Taught high school in Vestaburg Michigan, at $900 a year.
• One of the first high school coaches to coach a women’s team.
(15:45) Pearl Harbor
• Joined Army Air Corps in June 1941.
• Instructing Air Corps trainees on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.
• Air Corps was part of the Army, there was no Air Force until 1947.
(17:05) Army Air Corps
• No one had any training at beginning.
• He had flying experience before joining corps.
• Had to acquire his own military uniform.
• He became an instructor immediately, joined on a Friday, and was instructing
by Monday.
• Before and during the beginning of the War, there were very few planes
accessible to the Air Corps.
• Most of his experience was in a B-17.
• He taught others how to fly, but never saw combat of any sort.
�He made several flights over the Atlantic to make deliveries of B-17’s to
Europe. He would drop off the plane and have to find his own ride back to the
United States.
• The planes had no ammunition or bombing equipment on the flight to London
to make room for the 500 gallons of fuel needed to make it across the Atlantic.
(26:02) Medical Training
• Because of his prior acceptance to medical school, they wanted to train him as
a medic.
• Army medical training let men have 4 years of medical school in less than
three years.
• Medical training occurred University of Michigan Medical School in June
1942.
• He was serving his internship at Ford Hospital after medical school during the
end of the war.
• The advanced medical program only produced medics for after the war, none
were certified by the end of the war.
(29:40) Service After the War.
• Rode hospital trains from one hospital to the next with patients following the
war.
• These trains would carry over 100 servicemen to military hospitals
specializing in their condition.
• The doctors had to keep patients who were destined for the Tuberculosis
hospital near Boston from jumping the train, because they did not want to go.
• The hospital trains catered to servicemen who had chronic conditions.
(38:50) Life after the Service
• Met his wife in Ann Arbor, after typing her thesis for school.
• Nine months later they were married.
• She passed away 14 years after their marriage.
• He had 5 children with his wife before she passed away, ages 9-14.
• Lived in Grand Rapids from 1947 until his wife passed.
• Moved back to Alma in 1959, became head of medicine at the Masonic
Home.
• Became a Mason in 1962 and was a master during 1964-5.
• Chief of staff at St. Mary’s and Senior staff at Butterworth and Blodgett
hospitals in Grand Rapids.
• One of the founders of Northwood University.
•
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Veterans History Project
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. History Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1914-
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
Michigan--History, Military
Oral history
Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American
United States--History, Military
United States. Air Force
United States. Army
United States. Navy
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-27
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SandersJ
Title
A name given to the resource
Sanders, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2007
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sanders, Jack
Description
An account of the resource
Dr. Sanders entered the United States Army Air Corps shortly before the United States entered the war. Due to his previous medical training, the Army sent him through accelerated medical school training. However, he did not graduate from medical school until after the war had ended. He served in medical hospitals after the war had ended.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer)
Collins, Carol (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
United States. Army. Air Corps
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Video recordings
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2007-06-29
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
video/mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives