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Description
Oral history interview of Jose Belen. Interview conducted by John Grande at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL on July 18, 2017.
Log
0:01 Introduction; 0:30 Biographical information, parents' occupation, childhood; 2:20 Education before the military, family in the military; 3:10 Memories of 9/11; 4:25 Influences to join the Army and recruitment process; 6:02 Basic training; 7:18 Drill sergeants; 10:02 Graduation from basic training; 11:13 Advanced Individual Training; 12:35 Stationed in Germany; 14:09 Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd field artillery; 15:00 Lead up to deployment to Iraq; 16:25 Arrival in Iraq, encounter with Iraqi children; 17:24 How he and fellow soldiers felt about Iraq; 18:28 Consecutive combat for 14 months, R & R passed up to other soldiers; 20:30 21st and 22nd birthdays in Iraq; 21:05 Routine day in Iraq; 22:50 Good memories from Iraq; 24:07 The death of his best friend; 25:20 Frequency of combat in Iraq, volunteering for anything; 26:44 First experience with combat; 27:35 How his unit dealt with combat casualties; 29:55 Describing friends and peers; 30:25 Staying in contact with family; 31:44 Entertainment and Christmas in Iraq; 33:10 Decision to turn down SF position and leave the Army; 35:10 Returning home, feeling nothing; 36:30 Work with other branches of the military; 37:45 Promotion to Specialist and discharge from the Army, medals awarded; 40:00 Plans after leaving the Army, feeling out of place in civilian life; 41:40 Annual reunion for friend that died in Iraq; 42:55 Struggles with PTSD and raising awareness; 45:38 Quitting corporate career to speak and raise awareness for PTSD.
Date of Birth
1982-05-19
Place of Birth
Manhattan (N.Y.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Hispanic
Home State
New York
War or Conflict
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
2002-01-16
Type
Video; MovingImage
2005-01-16
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
1st Armored Division &Old Ironsides; 1ST Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment &Gunners
Location of Service
Baghdad (Iraq); Najaf (Iraq)
Highest Rank
Specialist; E-4
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Presidential Unit Citation; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Combat Action Badge; Marksmanship Badge; Driver and Mechanic Badge; Active Duty Army Minute Man Lapel Pin; Order of the Spur
Achievements
See video for details.
Note
Combat service-related injury- Severe PTSD. Awarded Army Commendation Medal three times. Awarded Presidential Unit Citation twice. Awarded Combat Spur with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Wear combat Patches (1st Armored division, 2nd Cavalry Regiment) and combat stripes.
City of Birth
Manhattan
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Grande, John
Interview Date
Summer 7-18-2017
Location of Interview
Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Belen, Jose; 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.
Transcript
Available
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Grande, John
Length of Interview
50 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 & University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Semester
Summer
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Belen, Jose interview" (2017). Veterans Oral Histories. 553.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/553
Transcript