Life as a soldier in Iraq - 2004-2005

The life and times of a soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom II (2004-2005)

Being a soldier is more than just combat. A soldier is still a human being and I tried to capture those moments that bring more of a human perspective to a combat tour. Those were the parts I prefer to remember when thinking about those days. This is original video I shot during my tour as an Infantryman in Iraq in 2004-05. We conducted full-spectrum combat operations in Baghdad. We did see combat, but the point of sharing is to show the other times... the human stuff. I was a 23 year old kid in a very dangerous place, but we were still kids. I'm not here to provide commentary about whether my experience was better or worse than others, it just was what it was. Enjoy!

I'm thrilled to see how many people enjoyed my last one. A couple thoughts to address your comments:

1) Yes, I'm still alive and doing well. No, I am not homeless! Everyone depicted in these videos came home and are living today. Most have successful lives, families, and are doing fine. Yes, we have all struggled in our own way with this experience and some more than others in the years that followed. Part of us will always still be there....

2) Yes our unit did lose people in combat. I chose not to share that aspect (or video of them) on this channel out of respect for their families.

3) This video was shot on a Panasonic mini-DV camera. I bought it at a PX in Germany in early 2004. Most phones didn't have cameras back then and Youtube didn't exist. I just wanted to remember my time there. I brought around 8 hours of footage home from the tour and it disappeared into my attic for over a decade. In 2016, I found the tapes and converted them for a computer. They are 100% real and original.

4) If you have judgements or critiques about us (you "keyboard warriors), feel free to comment. Just remember that you're only seeing little snippets packed into 15 minutes out of a whole year of experiences that don't begin to show the whole picture. Based on the comments from the last video, many of you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Remember the time frame here, a lot of things about both Iraq and the Army itself changed in the years that followed. I did a second tour in 2008-2009 and it was a whole different place by then.

5) Those of you who were babies (or not even born) when this happened but still have critiques about our combat posture.... you sound ridiculous. Seriously... especially when you relate this to your video games. Dude.....

6) Please keep your politics to yourself here, wherever you stand on the war. That is not the point of sharing these.

Finally: For the other vets who served, especially during that time, thanks for your service and I hope you're doing well today. Enjoy a little taste of the past!

Best wishes!

JD