Video Log
Jared D. Taylor
Operation Iraqi Freedom
United States Marine Corps.
Born: November 7, 1978
Interview Date: September 2, 2009
Interviewed By: Gregg Cerosky
00: 00: 00 Introduction – Born in Clovis, New Mexico in 1978.
00: 01: 00 Enlisted in the Marine Corps. on May 19th, 1999 after attending college for two years at Miami University of Ohio.
00: 01: 30 Jared discusses what happened after he enlisted. Boot camp at Parris Island for thirteen weeks.
00: 02: 30 Forced marches story: Least favorite activity.
00: 03: 06 Jared still has a lot of friends from his time at boot camp.
00: 03: 18 Spent his first two years assigned to a Military Police unit in Ohio.
00: 03: 40 Three members of his boot camp group were assigned to Charlie Company in Connecticut the same time as Jared ( two years after boot camp).
00: 04: 16 First deployment was to Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras as part of an MP detachment. Tasked to work jointly with the Honduran Air Force ( Colonel Oliver North’s old compound in the 1980s).
00: 05: 35 Next assignment ( 2003) was on Navy ships that transported supplies between Crete and Kuwait.
00: 07: 00 Attached to Regimental Combat Team 5 in Fallujah, Iraq ( 2005), part of three companies in that area.
00: 08: 35 Tasked to police Fallujah, “ root out” insurgents and to “ change the “ hearts and minds” of the citizens so that they would support the U. S. and Iraqi troops’ efforts to secure that area.
00: 10: 10 Collateral damage a key component of the insurgent’s effort to destabilize the area.
00: 10: 33 Talks about the attitudes of the local Iraqi citizens: Three main “ attitudes”; want to kill you ( allied with insurgents); want the U. S. out of Iraq; or support U. S. efforts to make the country free and safe again – the “ draining of the lake story.”
00: 12: 10 The Marines focused on the second group: the ones who didn’t want U. S. troops there but may be open to changing their minds if they were convinced that it benefitted them to have the Marines there to help.
00: 12: 18 Biggest problem was the “ foreign fighters” coming in, mainly Al Qaeda in Iraq.
00: 13: 35 The “ rules of engagement” that the Marines were working with was like having “ one arm tied behind your back.”
00: 14: 12 The “ Sunni Awakening” story – the turn of public opinion toward the U. S. and Iraqi forces.
00: 15: 40 Training Iraqi Police and Army units. There were problems with the police candidates because some of them were supportive of the insurgents.
00: 17: 38 Attacks from the Mosque story. 00: 19: 15 Joint operations with the Iraqi Army were very effective. Iraqi Army was consistently attacked by the insurgents.
00: 20: 45 Jared explains how communicating with the local citizens was achieved.
00: 21: 00 One of Jared’s interpreters is now a U. S. citizen.
00: 22: 05 A majority of the Iraqi people were very friendly and generous to Jared and the U. S. forces.
00: 22: 55 The “ white sheet” story.
00: 25: 25 Learning how to cope with the horrors that he was exposed to on a daily basis.
00: 26: 50 Jared describes his relationship with his comrades – “ closer than family.”
00: 29: 22 Jared describes a “ typical day.”
00: 30: 31 Part 1 of interview ends.
00: 00: 00 Part 2 begins.
00: 00: 52 In their spare time, Jared and his roommate watched every season of the TV show “ King of Queens” and played Sony Playstation games ( Madden Football and Tiger Woods Golf).
00: 02: 40 The experience of wearing a lot of equipment in a very hot environment ( 120- 125 degrees Fahrenheit).
00: 04: 23 Jared discusses the preparations that the Marines had to go through prior to being stationed in Iraq.
00: 05: 25 Jared is still in the Marine Reserves and will be reactivated in 2010 to Afghanistan.
00: 05: 47 Life back in the U. S. after his deployment – attending CCSU and working for Stop & Shop as a security officer.
00: 06: 55 Currently attending Graduate School at CCSU and enjoys “ hanging out” with his Marine buddies. Hopes to work for the U. S. Government when he is done with Graduate School.
00: 07: 53 Jared shares his feelings about how the U. S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan are managed by politicians, are reported by the media, and are perceived by the U. S. public.
00: 10: 20 Jared talks about the loss of one of his buddies in Iraq – the “ kid with the grenade” story.
00: 11: 15 Jared talks about how his family felt/ feels about him being a Marine and the sacrifices the families have to make while the Marines are deployed in harm’s way.
00: 13: 46 Jared discusses his frustration with how the wars are reported and perceived by people he has encountered since he has been back in the U. S.
00: 18: 28 Future goals…
00: 20: 16 End of interview.
