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Description

Oral history interview of Eric Autery. Interview conducted by Jackie Huss in Orlando, FL on Zoom on February 11, 2021. Interview topics include family background, impact of citrus farming growing up, basic training, advanced training, his reaction to 9/11, deployment to Uzbekistan, description of fuel pipeline, deployment to Afghanistan, differences between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, interesting plant life overseas, building of a pipeline from Kuwait to Baghdad, mental toll of being in the army, joining the Air Force, struggles with PTSD, joining the Army Reserves, wanting to make a farm, becoming involved with the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program, description of his work with the agricultural department of UF, description of his farm, the morals of his farm, his favorite crop to grow, and life lessons.

Log

0:00 Introduction; :59 Location and date of birth; 1:14 Discusses siblings; 1:36 Parent's lives and occupations; 3:13 Uncles and aunts served in the military; 3:47 Impact on farming and citrus picking on early life; 6:15 Education (school and life); 7:03 Reason why he joined the military; 8:03 Recruited in high school; 8:38 Basic training at Fort Jackson, SC; 9:13 Experience with basic training; 10:18 Basic units description; 11:10 AIT (advanced training) in Virginia; 12:00 Fort Wood Texas in the 4th Infantry Division; 12:30 Experience at Fort Wood; 14:48 Reaction to 9/11; 18:22 Deployed to Uzbekistan to train 50 soldiers; 19:19 Description of fuel-pipe system; 19:41 NTC in California preparation for overseas; 20:11 Experience in Uzbekistan; 21:50 Trained soldiers to help with fuel; 22:41 Return back to the states; 22:52 Deployed to Afghanistan a month later; 23:21 Anecdote of landing in Afghanistan and first experience in Afghanistan; 24:19 Built new fuel system and train others to maintain it; 24:50 Differences between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan; 25:27 Experiences with different branches of the military from around the world; 25:55 Joined the special forces in Afghanistan and helped train special forces; 27:26 Interactions with civilians; 29:13 Interesting plant life overseas; 30:05 Tried to grow plants in his tent in Baghdad; 30:52 Experience in Iraq; 32:30 Fuel Pipeline from Kuwait to Baghdad (500 miles); 33:41 Attacks while making the pipeline; 34:30 Gas masks problems and pressure on him; 35:20 Had to think without emotions during time overseas; 36:19 Awards received during service in the military; 38:02 Injuries he sustained during his service (physically and mentally); 42:14 Left the military and had trouble finding a job back home; 44:23 Joined the Air Force Reserves; 45:55 Struggles with PTSD; 46:16 Difficult transition from Army to Air Force; 47:28 Went to DC with the Air Force; 47:40 Not as motivated in the Air Force; 48:19 Limited himself with the Air Force and should have asked for help; 49:22 Left the Air Force; 49:53 Joined the Army Reserves and Human Resources; 50:56 Last experience in the Army; 51:17 Didn't like how he would just do anything; 52:58 Thoughts on war and his time in the military; 54:25 Homecoming and his family's reaction; 56:19 Transition into home life and struggles with mental health and his family; 57:50 Struggle with keeping jobs because of PTSD; 58:14 Wanted to make his own farm; 58:30 Contacted the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program; 59:40 Experience with his job with the Agricultural department at UF; 61:20 Description of his farm, farming techniques, and farming values; 65:31 Inspiration for the name of his farm; 67:08 Favorite crop to farm; 68:17 Life lessons; 70:30 Closing remarks; 72:21 End of interview

Date of Birth

1978-06-05

Place of Birth

Bartow

Gender

Male

Race

Black or African American

Home State

Florida

War or Conflict

Operation Iraqi Freedom; Operation Enduring Freedom

Status

Veteran

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

1997-06-17

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

1997-2003

Type

Video; MovingImage

2003-12-12

Entrance into Service

Enlisted

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Unit of Service

109 Qm Co. Ft. Lee VA

Location of Service

Uzbeckistan; Afghanistan; Kuwait; Baghdad

Highest Rank

E4

Prisoner of War

No

Medals

4 AAM, Brazen Star, COA, Good Conduct Medal

Achievements

I trained over 500 troops to safely and with accuracy buildup and produce fuel and transport fueld from Kuwait to Baghdad through the pipline system--first time this has ever been done over 500 miles. Building a fuel point on the Iraq and Kuwait borders with over 100 million gallons of fuel.

City of Birth

Bartow

Country of Birth

United States

Interviewer

Jacqueline Huss

Interview Date

2-11-2021

Location of Interview

Digitally via Zoom

Subjects

Autery, Eric; Operation Iraqi Freedom,1997-2003, 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

Huss, Jackie

Length of Interview

72 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

Spring

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