This is an Old School GOP exclusive interview with two soldiers. One who is currently in the military and one who served in it in the past. The purpose is to tell their stories and opinions based on their individualized experiences in combat and in the military in general.
They were asked the same 10 questions with a few variations to make them compatible with time period changes, etc. Regardless of your opinion of the war (or America's past wars), the fighters themselves must be respected and this is their opportunity to tell their stories.
The first interview is with with SSGT Derek "AFLACK" Gray, who is currently in the Texas National Guard.
1.What branch are you in? When did you first enlist (month and year if possible) and how long have you been in it?
USAF, I first enlisted in October 2000 in the Texas Air National Guard, after 9/11 I have served on Active Duty Ever since.
2.Describe your unit, etc. Main duties and places of domestic station and foreign operation?
I am a member of the 147th Fighter Wing in Houston TX, a General Purpose F-16 unit. My Main duties is a 2w1 weapons mechanic. Provide Air Support on various domestic operations mostly training with Army Units. I am not at liberty to disclose areas of Foreign Operation but I will say we have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
3.Briefly describe your duties and your progression from where you started to where you are now (rank, etc.)
I am responsible for the Loading and Unloading of munitions both Air to Air and Air To Ground and maintenance of the weapons systems of the F-16, Launchers, Bomb Racks, M61A1 Gun. I enlisted as an A1C 1 level "technical skill of helper very low technical knowledge" and have progressed to a 7 level SSGT "Technical Skill of Craftsman I can do all the work unsupervised and can train lower skilled airmen".
4.Describe any "exciting" or interesting things that happened while you have been in your branch.
Working Close Air Support Alert over seas! We would launch F-16s on a moments notice to provide Close Air Support to "troops in contact". We would Scramble Jets with little to No Notice! One of these missions is the one that killed Abu Musab Zarqawi, and if I would have been in Iraq two weeks longer in 2006, I could of launched that Mission! Must to my dismay, I was already home and missed that opportunity!
5.What is your general opinion of the Iraq War, have you served and describe it?
My general opinion of the Iraq war is that it is an ESSENTIAL battlefield in the War on Terror! It is one THAT MUST BE WON! I have served in Iraq on three occasions and would do it again in a heartbeat! My role was as a weapons Mechanic and we provided close air support, strike and recon of suspected terrorist cells.
6.Describe any mistakes you think have been made in Iraq, if any?
I believe that most of the mistakes have been made are because of political correctness. The Media has under minded our mission from day one and because of the constant media attention, alot of the commanders have second guessed themselves because of the "hostile media"!
Now I believe we are on the right track and the results of the surge are breaking the back of the terrorist movement; and the Iraqi people believe in what we are doing and no longer worry about us abandoning them before the mission is complete!
7.Describe any positive things you think about the war effort?
I have seen it first hand on base in the hospital. Many innocent Iraqis were wounded by terrorists and the resolve of both the Iraqi's I have spoken too and wounded American soldiers is the same. WE MUST WIN AND ACHIEVE PEACE THROUGH VICTORY in a nutshell.
8.What do you think of the general "culture" of the your branch of service and describe it if you can?
Generally we all work together to accomplish the mission. We have high morale both at home and overseas. We are professional on the job but at the same time the NCO's (Non-Commission Officers) allow us to decompress and have a little fun without letting it get out of hand! I love the military and the experiences, even the bad ones have served to make me a better person!
9.If you could write military strategy for the United States, what would the general use and role of the military be?
I would rebuild the military to the "Reagan" military. One of high morale and high influence around the world. I believe we must contain our enemies and when we engage them, we should do it without any handcuffs to get the mission accomplished; in accordance with LOAC and Geneva Conventions. I would proudly fight in any war in which the final goal is peace and freedom for the captive nations.
10. Anything you else you would like to add, any good war stories showing valor, etc.
My experiences working in the hospital when off duty has been an inspiration! 90-95% of the wounded soldiers I have come into contact with just want to be "patched up and sent back to their men". Uncommon valor is a common virtue as much today as it was back in WWII.
SSGT "Aflack" is a host of THE WAR ZONE: Politics and current events from a soldiers perspective. www.blogtalkradio.com/warzone
Tune in M-F 8PM Central Standard Time
The second interview is with PFC Orville Hunter (Army-Ret.).
1.What branch are were you in? When did you first enlist (month and year if possible) and how long have you been in it?
I enlisted in the spring of 1941, during peace time, although we knew war was probably inevitable. I served until the end of 1946 in the 8th US Army/Air Corp
2.Describe your unit, etc. Main duties and places of domestic station and foreign operation?
I was a Private First Class (PFC) in the 8th Army and Air Corp [back then the Air Force wasn't a separate branch but part of the Army]. I signed up for service during the Spring of 1941 when I was 21 years old, I was stationed in San Diego when Pearl Harbor hit. I then was transferred to Iceland, where we had bases for our convoy supply and troop deployment routes to England. I then went onto England and from there I fought in Italy, France and Germany of course. We were air support for the Western Allies, did bombing raids over France, Germany, etc. and fought on the ground also.
3.Briefly describe your duties and your progression from where you started to where you are now (rank, etc.)
I had lots of duties during the war including assisting in combat and with supplies, reinforcing other US Army Units and more. I started of as a Private First Class and ended that way, I refused to accept any promotions because I didn't want to be a "decision-maker" who makes the decision that gets my men killed. I didn't want to have that guilt on my hands should it happen.
4.Describe any "exciting" or interesting things that happened while you were in your branch.
Around 2 weeks after D-Day, Hitler sent in his best General, Gen. Irwin Rommel to try to push us back off our positions on France's coast. During the German counterattack, a couple of Luftwaffe aircraft [German Air Force] were firing towards some brush that myself and others were hiding in and we shot down two of the planes coming straight at us, with bolt-action rifles.
Our unit also assisted during the last days of the "Battle of the Bulge". We also bombed German military targets in order to give some relief to the Soviet Union, the "Red Army" as they were called. We had many times where air craft would come back with holes in them, damaged, etc. but they'd make it, every time an air crew made it home it was an exciting time, we lived one-day at a time knowing any of us could die in the war.
5.What is your general opinion of the Iraq War?
I believe that is necessary to win, I don't want to see another generation of brave young Americans like Vietnam coming home knowing they fought in a war that was "lost". I am concerned that Iraq could turn into our version of the "Soviet-Afghan War" [1979-91] where we have a constant flow of suicidal enemies coming in to replace suicidal enemies who have died.
Only time will tell how it turns out, but I think it must be won, if for no other reason, so we can say those that didn't make it home along with those that did can rest in the comfort of knowing their generation fought and won the war of their day.
6.Describe any mistakes you think have been made in Iraq, if any?
I believe that it was improper to allow the "lawlessness" in the aftermath of the capture of Baghdad, the looting, etc. because it "set a tone" of lawlessness that has only escalated. I also believe that the President has allowed too much leeway for Iraqi politicians in the "sensitivity" area; its obvious that certain targets who have American blood on their hands like [Shite-Militant Leader] Al-Sadr are not being taken out due to political considerations. The US Army of my era wouldn't of allowed any of this.
Also I believe the President should not have publicly "shifted reasons" as to why we went in there, it takes away from our moral high-ground. I think the war has also been politically correct in some ways.
For instance, in the aftermath of WWII, some fanatical Germans would take shots at our soldiers, bombs would "mysteriously" explode, etc. and when we caught these illegal combatants, we put them in front of a military commission and with in hours they were in front of a firing squad. It squelched even the hardest of Nazi fanatics to calm down. These tactics are being denied our troops today because of political correctness, not because of any illegality of doing them.
I'm also concerned about the old "Yankee go home syndrome", we endured that in WWII, even in countries we liberated and protected. It shocked us when citizens we just saved from Nazi's would say negative things to us. It is pervasive today, even in our media and in the country of Iraq to some extent, and the longer the war goes with out clear victory, the more likely it is that mentality will become pervasive thought, and we'll be forced out. I also don't think the President managed the public relations, aka propaganda of the war very well, from the beginning. All wars must be sold to the public, or they won't last.
7.Describe any positive things you think about the Iraq war effort?
I've heard that the US Military is building schools, hospitals, gas stations, etc., I'm not a big fan of turning the military into a construction crew, but these positive things must be recognized. I also believe that the "surge" and especially the successful division of Sunni militants from Sunni Al-Qaeda members is working. Its the old divide and conquer strategy, its a tried and true method for these types of "non-front line" wars.
8.What do you think of the general "culture" of the your branch of service and describe it if you can (at that time)?
We all were initially worried about battle with Nazi Forces in Italy and France and elsewhere because they had a reputation for winning at that time and for brutality, we all worked as a team but most of us thought to ourselves that our main purpose was to get out of there alive, but as we saw we could defeat them, our confidence increased. We were like family in the 8th Army/Air Corp, and would do anything for each other, including and especially putting ourselves at risk in order to save others. I love all my brothers in arms to this day.
9.If you could write military strategy for the United States, what would the general use and role of the military be?
I would remove unnecessary bases overseas, especially the ones created after we won WWII and ultimately the cold war. Most of us who invaded Germany never imagined we would still have bases in Europe over 60 years later. It creates the "subsidization" of their defense, because they cut their forces, which take tax dollars, knowing the US is there to take care of their business. I wouldn't close bases in the United States, in fact I would increase them and expand the use of the military to border protection (which is allowed under the law, and clearly the Border Patrol is overwhelmed), we seem to care more about other countries borders than our own. I would limit the use of the military to essential foreign operations, those truly representing threats to our national security, including defending our chaotic borders.
I would also try to keep the war on terrorism abroad as a covert, undercover war using Special Forces, CIA and other military units so that we "blend in" with the population and can be more effective in rooting out terrorist cells.
10.Anything you else you would like to add, any good war stories showing valor, etc.
I'd like to express some regrets. I believe that FDR should have been more forceful with the Soviets rather than just letting them enslave Eastern Europe. I also feel some remorse for the civilians killed by our bombing raids at Dresden Germany. After the war we learned that it wasn't the "military target" Stalin said it was, he may well have tricked us and the British into doing his "dirty work" for him of liquidating that city (which was destined to be in Communist East Germany) of mostly civilians and potential opposition to a Communist Police State.
I feel we should of also bombed the Nazi death camps because our intelligence air craft picked up "strange pictures of railroad tracks" heading into what appeared to be prisons. By early 1942, we knew exactly what they were, and if we would have bombed the death camps, we could have slowed the Nazi death machine and instead of 6 million dead Jews, there may have been 2 million, or who knows, but I feel we should have tried to hit them being that the people there were condemned to death anyways.
Overall, we served proudly and honorably as do the young folks of today who serve.
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