Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:50 | After his Iraq deployment, Andrew Witzel did what Marines like to do. He had a few drinks. Then he had a few more. Eventually, this would lead to him not drinking any more. At the time, though, he was lucky to get an assignment to Okinawa and then with a Marine Expeditionary Unit that would see him on a year long voyage around the Pacific. (Caution: strong language.)
Keywords : Andrew Witzel light armor Iraq Twentynine Palms CA drinking camaraderie Okinawa 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) USS Tortuga (LSD-46) Surge
Joining the Marines was his way out of the small Arizona town where he grew up. Andrew Witzel had a single father and three brothers so the Marine Corps may have been a little quieter. He was still in high school when the 9/11 attacks hardened his desire to become a Marine.
The rumor was that Andrew Witzel's company had been disbanded because the Marines in it were degenerates, but then there are a lot of rumors among PFC's. At any rate it was reconstituted in the run up to his battalion's deployment to Iraq. They stopped briefly in Kuwait, which he remembers as the hottest place on Earth.
During the Battle of Fallujah, Andrew Witzel's unit was tasked with securing the two bridges where a mob had lynched American contractors. Then, they set up a blocking position on the Fallujah peninsula. His light armored vehicle had already taken an IED blast before they got there and, before they would leave, it would take an even bigger one that nearly knocked it out of the war. (Caution: strong language.)
The men of C Company got a belated Marine Cops birthday celebration while refitting at Camp Ramadi. Even then, it was kind of an insult considering what happened with the awards handed out that day. Their new mission was overwatch on one of the big Iraqi highways, where there was a blind spot between two outposts. That was trouble. (Caution: strong language.)
Andrew Witzel got a lot of bonus money to reenlist. All he asked is to not be sent to Camp Lejeune. After a year, the Iraq veteran was deployed to Afghanistan, where he was stationed at a tiny outpost in the desert.
There was a bazaar in a village that was a Taiban stronghold and the Marines were ordered to shut it down. Andrew Witzel remembers that the operation was going well until a suicide bomber detonated his device. The casualties included Afghan children and a very close friend of his. (Caution: strong language.)
After his Afghanistan deployment, Andrew Witzel made the tough decision to get out of the Marine Corps. Returning to his home and starting post-service jobs helped him deal with his personal problems. Especially helpful were the jobs that dealt with helping fellow veterans. (Caution: strong language.)
Afghanistan veteran Andrew Witzel is not at all happy about the pullout from that country. How in the world would anyone want to be our ally? He feels remorse for the women and girls who are losing their opportunity to thrive in an open society.
