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Description
Oral History interview of Seth Williams. Interview conducted by Mussat, Abra at Veteran's Residence, Orlando, FL.
Log
0:20 Birth place and date; 0:30 Parent's birth location; 1:00 Amount of siblings; 1:15 Life before the military; 1:30 He joined the army; 2:10 Task of convincing his parents; 3:00 Grandparents feeling about his joining up; 3:50 Process of enlisting, recruiter in Sanford; 4:15 Chose the army over all other branches; 4:50 Grandfather's enlistment and how it motivated Seth; 5:35 Seth's departure; 5:50 Preparing for Ft. Benning; 6:50 Experience of heading to Sand Hill in Ft. Benning; 8:50 Life in bootcamp; 10:45 Graduation Day from bootcamp; 12:15 Cap to Buret ceremony; 12:35 Mother and girlfriend reunited with Seth; 13:10 AIT: Infantry School; 13:45 Airborne and ranger school; 14:00 Stationed in Ft. Benning; 15:50 1st deployment to Iraq; 16:35 Primary job was to escort his colonel; 17:15 Under fire in Camp Victory by Iraqi army personnel; 18:10 First time in combat; 20:25 Emotional response to combat; 21:30 Camaraderie between his unit; 23:50 Communication between his family and friends; 26:00 Food/goods on base in Camp Victory; 27:45 Leg injured by mortar in Baghdad, Iraq; 32:20 Experience in the Medical Center; 34:35 Sent back to the US to heal; 35:00 Chose to finish out contract with National Guard in Orlando; 35:15 First days as Sergeant in the National Guard; 37:25 Compared the features of the National Guard to the Army; 38:35 Finishing his contract; 40:35 Iraq's position on people visiting today; 42:00 Families reactions to him finishing his contract; 43:25 His adjustment to civilian life; 44:05 How his life has changed because he joined the army; 47:15 Life lessons learned from joining the military.
Date of Birth
1988-09-14
Place of Birth
Orlando (Fla.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Florida
War or Conflict
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
2005-12-21
Type
Video; MovingImage
2011-12-21
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
2nd Battalion; 2-124 Headquarters; 5th Platoon
Location of Service
Fort Benning (Ga.); Baghdad (Iraq)
Highest Rank
Sergeant; SGT
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Iraq Campaign
Medals
Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal; Bronze Star
Achievements
National Defense Award Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Award Ribbon
Note
Awarded Good Conduct Medal and Purple Heart twice.
City of Birth
Orlando
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Mussat, Abra
Interview Date
3-11-2013
Location of Interview
Veteran's Residence, Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Williams, Seth M.; Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives; Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 2001-present -- Personal Narratives; United States. Army
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Mussat, Abra
Length of Interview
48 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
video
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Williams, Seth Michael interview" (2013). Veterans Oral Histories. 181.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/181