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Description
Oral History interview of Michael Sanderson. Interview conducted by San Juan, Jessica and Jackson, Sarah at University of Central Florida Library.
Log
0:04 Name; 0:08 Date of Birth, Place of Birth; 0:14 Activity prior to service; 0:20 Family Members in the service; 0:35 Reasons for entering the service; 0:51 Reasons for choosing the army, and military police; 1:15 Specialized training: Driving, sniping, entry; 1:40 Adaptation to military life; 2:07 Wars Served in: Operational Iraqi Freedom (served twice); 2:25 Long-lasting friendships formed during service; 2:44 Lack of effective communication with friends and family at home; 3:15 Emotions relating to combat casualties: anger, irritation; 4:13 Training on culture of Iraq; 5:00 Stationed at: Baghdad the first tour, By Karbala the second tour, Germany; 5:20 Sent to Virginia after being hurt; 5:24 Difference between Baghdad and Karbala; 6:12 Years in Iraq: 2 years; 6:23 Differences between Iraq and the United States; 6:50 Use of war video games to calm down; 7:08 What was learned about Iraq while there; 7:38 Most interesting thing that was seen in Iraq: Background of Saddam; 8:35 What was missed most about the U.S.: being able to drive for pleasure; 8:56 What is missed most about Iraq: the job, the company; 9:19 Job in Iraq: raid unit, military police officers, teaching Iraqi police; 10:55 Openness of Iraqi police to being taught; 11:37 Treatment by Iraqi civilians; 12:51 Opinion on Iraqi civilians, Description of them; 14:04 Free time activities: working out, working on truck; 14:34 Driver of the truck; 15:28 Dislikes about Iraq: getting shot at, lack of freedom, the rainy season; 16:56 Happiest Memory in Iraq: getting promoted, award for valor; 17:38 Humor and jokes between soldiers; 18:34 Effects of combat experiences: divorced twice, alcoholism; emotionally unavailable; 20:09 Misconceptions on the war in Iraq; 21:02 Opinion on prevention of the war; 22:20 Opinion on anti-war protests; 23:30 What they would have changed about their experience in Iraq; 24:12 Details of injury and that mission; 27:52 Visitors to the zones; 29:04 What was most different after returning – daily schedule; 29:51 Time it took to transition back to civilian life; 30:29 Difficulty with emotions; 32:02 What happened after the medical discharge; 33:01 Family's reaction; 33:30 Keeping in contact with service friends; 34:05 Opinion on announcement of the end of the war by the end of the year; 36:07 What he would like someone to take from this interview; 37:44 Thanking him and concluding the interview.
Date of Birth
1985-06-03
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
2003-01-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
2009-01-01
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
B Company, 787th Military Police Battalion; 92nd Military Police Battalion; 127th Military Police Company; 221st Military Police Detachment
Location of Service
Fort Leonard Wood (Mo.); Germany; Baghdad (Iraq); Karbala (Iraq); Fort Story (Va.)
Highest Rank
Sergeant
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
See video for details.
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
Orlando
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
San Juan, Jessica; Jackson, Sarah
Interview Date
10-24-2011
Location of Interview
University of Central Florida Library
Subjects
Sanderson, Michael T.; 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
San Juan, Jessica; Jackson, Sarah
Length of Interview
38 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, "Sanderson, Michael Thomas interview" (2011). Veterans Oral Histories. 82.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/82