Loading...

Media is loading
 

Description

Oral History interview of Christopher Miller. Interview conducted by Rodriguez, Natalie; Guincho, Courtney at Seminole State College - Altamonte Springs, FL.

Log

0:01-0:56 Childhood; 0:57-1:26 Reason for joining: 9/11; 1:27-1:43 View of military prior to 9/11; 1:44-2:17 Perfume/Cologne Business; 2:18-2:45 Parents Approval; 2:46-2:54 Joined to go into war; 2:55-4:54 Basic Training: foot injury; 4:55-6:02 First deployment in Iraq: Al Taqaddum, Habbaniyah, Ramadi; 6:03-6:39 View of Iraq prior to being there: went to save lives; 6:40-7:20 Prevent death by chemical warfare; 7:21-8:57 Massive desolation in Iraq; 8:58-10:26 The feeling of the soldiers going to Iraq; 10:27-12:10 Primary Job: Chemical Operations Specialist, Combat Engineer, NBC; 12:11-13:52 Communication with loved ones; 13:53-14:54 Day to day life; 14:55-16:38 Locals: Ramadi, locals liked the soldiers; 16:39-18:32 Soldier treatment of locals: not so good; 18:33-21:52 Accomplishments: rebuilding a school for girls; could not talk about most vivid memory; 21:53-23:44 First combat experience; 23:45-25:40 Fear: running out of supplies; 25:41-27:15 Injury: IEDs, brain damage; 27:16-29:23 After injury actions; 29:24-30:19 Coming home; 30:20-31:27 Adjusting to home life; 31:28-33:23 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Insomnia, New Years; 33:24-34:27 Got out of Iraq what he wanted; saved over 224 lives; 34:28-34:39 Government; 34:40-35:10 Presidential Administrations; 35:11-38:46 News Media: Soldier Behavior; 38:47-39:18 Orphaned children; 39:19-40:22 How Iraq change him: more cynical; 40:23-41:28 Misconceptions about the war; 41:29-44:15 U.S. involvement in Iraq; Afghanistan; 44:16-44:49 What he would like to see happen in Iraq; 44:50-46:24 Weapons of mass destruction; 46:25-47:29 What happens to the chemical bombs found; 47:30-50:20 Close to death experiences.

Date of Birth

1975-10-04

Place of Birth

Cape Canaveral (Fla.)

Gender

Male

Race

White - Non Hispanic

Home State

Florida

War or Conflict

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Status

Veteran

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

2001-09-29

Type

Audio; Sound

2008-03-06

Entrance into Service

Enlisted

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Unit of Service

72nd Engineer Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.

Location of Service

Baqubah (Iraq); Ramadi (Iraq); Mosul (Iraq)

Highest Rank

Sergeant; SGT

Prisoner of War

No

Service Related Injury

Yes

Battles

Battle of Scania; Battle of Baqubah; Battle of Ramadi; Battle of Mosul

Medals

Combat Action Badge; Army Commendation Medal

Achievements

Successfully brought all of my troops home alive in two deployments.; Saved the lives of 207 soldiers and 34 civilian local national interpreters during a classified event in 2007.

Note

Managed the day to day operations of more than 700 Soldiers as a Tactical Operations NCO.; Served with distinction during several classified events; Suffered a brain injury as a result of blast damage during last deployment, and am no no longer a member of the Army. Since then, have done remarkably well, according to my many doctors, in regenerating thought pathways, and stimulating regenerative growth in the brain to overcome the effects of these injuries by forcing myself to confront the blocks by re-attending school classes. My improvement level has been far above what was expected of me, and I am happy to share that.

City of Birth

Cape Canaveral

Country of Birth

United States

Interviewer

Rodriguez, Natalie; Guincho, Courtney

Interview Date

10-7-2011

Location of Interview

Seminole State College - Altamonte Springs, FL.

Subjects

Miller, Christopher L.; 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

Rodriguez, Natalie; Guincho, Courtney

Length of Interview

51 Minutes

Publisher

Department of History, University of Central Florida

Type

audio

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

Download Interview


Share

COinS