Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:16 | They were the envy of everyone in the US military. Recon Marine Josh Ray Person and his unit were in Australia when the 9/11 attacks occurred and, before the year was out, they were among the first American boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Next stop, Iraq.
Keywords : Reconnaissance (Recon) Afghanistan Shawn Patrick Jim Mattis Iraq Kuwait flak jacket Humvee Josh Ray Person
Hailing from the middle of nowhere, as he puts it, Josh Ray Person set aside his idea of going to medical school when he started reading about special forces in an English class. Where do these guys come from? He started working out and running.
During training, Josh Ray Person was looked down on because he came straight from the School of Infantry instead of paying his dues as a grunt. Nevertheless he did become a Reconnaissance Marine and, by a strange chain of events beginning on 9-11-01, was part of the earliest deployment of troops to Afghanistan.
Driving the lead Humvee was exactly where Recon Marine Josh Ray Person wanted to be. His team was composed of men hand-picked by the team leader and in the back was an embedded journalist. He was about to get an eyeful.
It was memorable. Through the berm and into Iraq, driving through the desert at night. Recon Marine Josh Ray Person was at the wheel and he was also driving when the unit was later ambushed on a bridge. As the war progressed, he encountered many Iraqis who wanted to join in and kill Saddam. (Caution: strong language)
Josh Ray Person never intended to become a career Marine, but the events of his time in Iraq followed him to his life after the Corps. Evan Wright, a journalist embedded with his platoon, turned the events he witnessed into a book and a hit TV series called Generation Kill. (Caution: strong language)
Josh Ray Person describes why the Marines created their own Special Operations command, MARSOCC. It was because all Marines are equally worthless, a concept which he thoughtfully explains. He was able to enjoy a twenty year reunion with his buddies from 1st Recon thanks to the Warrior Reunion Foundation. (Caution: strong language)
It takes a lot of heart to become a Marine but it takes even more to become a Reconnaissance Marine. To endure the rigorous physical and mental challenges means you are one of the elite. This group of Recon Marines shares their personal stories of joining the Corps and how they came to Recon during a pivotal time in history. Part 1 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
As Operation Iraqi Freedom unfolded, the mission of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion was to draw out Saddam's forces and engage them while larger bodies of troops moved on Baghdad. With one Recon platoon, a journalist was embedded who turned their story into a series of articles, a book and an award winning Hollywood production named Generation Kill. Part 2 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
They thought it was over. In 2003 the men of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion stormed into Iraq during the initial assault. They returned home triumphant, mission accomplished. But then the word came that there would be an emergency redeployment. Saddam may be gone but the job was not finished and they were going to Fallujah. Part 3 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
