Veterans Oral History Project

1. Veterans Oral History Project A brief history of the Iraq War with focus on U.S. Army Veteran, Thomas Adam Summerford’s experience Interview conducted by Abbey Crocco

2. Meet Adam Summerford Born: September 14, 1984 in Florence, South Carolina Education: ROTC (in high school), Clemson (bachelors), USC (master) Family: Dad served in Vietnam (Army Intelligence Officer), Great Uncle in WWII (Marine), now has a wife and a four year old son “I was so young, didn’t know, I mean literally didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up. I had no bearing, I had no self-discipline...I mean, all I could think about after about a year or so was joining the military. And I ended up joining, like I said, after about - I did three, I think three semesters, and then joined the army at that point. “

3. History of the Iraq War 2003: George W Bush announces thatUnited States forces will invade Iraq → goal: destroy Iraqi WMD, end dictatorship of Saddam Hussein (leader of the Ba’ath Party), and disband Al-Qaeda terrorist group 2 Phases: The Invasion and the Occupation • The Invasion: called “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” U.S. and British troops invaded Iraq and defeated Iraqi military forces • The Occupation: U.S. forces occupied Iraq and entered guerilla-warfare period, Saddam Hussein captured and killed 2009: Barack Obama starts pulling American troops out of Iraq 2011: U.S. military declares end of mission, leave civil unrest in Iraq

4. Pre-Deployment • ROTC at Clemson, learned basic military training • ASVAB - armed services vocational aptitude battery • Fort Jackson (military entrance processing station - MEPS) • Bravo Company Second Battalion 58th infantry at Fort Benning • 15 weeks basic training • Kuwait • Acclimation training “Physically, some people didn't make it. Some people ended up getting hurt during training and washing out and getting separated from the military at that point.” “So, in the pre-deployment training, you do everything, like I said, from medical training to a lot of shooting, rifle qualifications - back to the basics of pretty much everything from the start.”

5. 1st Deployment • Baghdad, Iraq • Infantryman • Provided armored security and protection • Dealt with Iraqi military and police • Exposed to miles of potential ids and ambushes “On my first deployment, I feel it was a lot more dangerous. You're on the streets daily, just exposed to whatever is planted in the ground or whoever was looking at you out of the windows from these high-rise buildings.”

6. 2nd Deployment • An-Nasiriyah, Iraq • E6 Staff Sergeant • Presence patrol • Worked at night with white light or night vision to watch over an area for unfriendly activity “I was focused on a whole laundry list of different things on my second deployment because I was worried about four vehicles, twelve guys, x amount of equipment, the mission, the this, the that.”

7. Post-Deployment “It’s just something different. It's something that you are not experiencing here. I mean is it trauma? I guess it depends on the person ‘cause something could affect one person differently than it does another, you know? If somebody sees somebody get shot, is it going to affect me the same way that it does the next guy? I don’t know. Is it traumatic for him? Maybe. Is it traumatic for me? Maybe. “ I still do a lot of things like trying to avoid a crowd if possible or sitting with my back toward the door – sitting so you can face your back away from it, so you can see the room. Like you couldn’t get me in the chair if you tried (pointing to chair near door). It’s just things like that, that don’t go away.

8. Awards and Recognitions “Like I said I am most proud of my Combat Infantryman’s Badge. On my dress uniform it is a thin blue rectangle with a silver rifle, and the thing is backed by a silver wreath. It is a symbol of an infantryman who has been in combat – been in those life threatening, exchanging gunfire or explosions, whatever the case may be – it is something you can only earn in one environment.” “And the Meritorious Service Medal when I left, thanks to the officer who awarded me that. And a couple of them have significance to me for various things – like I said the honor graduate award when I went through training.”

9. Impact of Summerford’s Story What is Oral History: “Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through recorded interviews. An oral history interview generally consists of a well-prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their exchange in audio or video format. Recordings of the interview are transcribed, summarized, or indexed and then placed in a library or archives.” • Donald Ritchie, Doing Oral History Why It Is Important: • Provides a personalized experience to the timeline of events that occured • Because of the oral history interview, stories can now be passed onto future generations • Helps us understand individual experiences To hear the full interview: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6bqsgo90ovkfkoz/Audio_10_10_2018_13_03_40.mp3?dl=0