Synopisis of oral history interview with Luis G. Arguelles.

              Video Log
Luis G. Arguelles
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S. Army
Born: May 24, 1979
Interview Date: December 22, 2009
Interviewed By: Eileen Hurst
Part I
00:00:07 introduction
00:00:51 highest rank was sergeant
00:00:56 was stationed at Fort Irwin, CA, and did one tour in Iraq
00:01:07 left priesthood to enlist; describes military service of his father, brother, grandfather, and other family members; had been living in New Britain, CT, at time of enlistment
00:02:15 explains his choice of joining the Army over the Marine Corps
00:02:52 went to Fort Benning, GA, for basic training in April 2003; describes 12-week basic training; describes Advanced Individual Training (AIT)
00:06:30 basic training group stayed together throughout training; it was roughly thirty people to a platoon, and four platoons to the company; three soldiers did not graduate, whose circumstances Arguelles describes
00:07:33 had three drill sergeants as well as individual instructors for certain types of training
00:08:06 graduated around August of 2003
00:08:26 was sent to Fort Irwin, CA, but did not know he would be deployed to Iraq; it was possible that he could have trained active-duty soldiers for the duration of his service
00:09:28 basic training group dispersed when basic training ended; lists possible destinations of graduated soldiers
00:09:58 was made an E-4 Specialist so that he could lead a small group of soldiers
00:10:40 remained at Fort Irwin until he had finished his military service; was discharged in May of 2006
00:11:00 had been at Fort Irwin for about a year before being deployed to Iraq in the summer of 2004; describes his feelings about being deployed
00:12:35 was deployed to Iraq in January of 2005; half of his thirteen month tour was spent in a camp in Northern Baghdad called Taji, the objective of which he explains; the rest of the tour was spent serving at Abu Ghraib prison, which he describes
00:13:21 first impression of Iraq; describes responding to alarms; describes “hillbilly armor” and his first mission, as well as his feelings about that mission
00:16:27 worked at headquarters and was 1st sergeant’s gunner at Camp Taji; explains his job
00:18:17 describes closeness of Iraqi culture, despite fortifications of Camp Taji
00:19:41 spent most time outside of the base; lists duties
00:21:33 describes weaponry used, the 240 machine gun in particular; explains why handguns may have been more intimidating to Iraqi soldiers than more complex weapon systems
00:23:02 was in Camp Taji for about six months, but also simultaneously served in the desert between Fallujah and Baghdad, Camp Gunslinger, or an old palace of one of Saddam Hussein’s sons