Jeffrey Nagy and Andrew Nunn

00:01 Hello, my name is Andrew Nunn. I'm 29 years old today is the 17th of May 2013. We are at the Dougherty Arts Center in Austin, Texas. And I'm with my good friend Jeff Nagy know my brother Jeff Nagy and I am just nagging and I am 42 years old and today is the 17th of May and I'm in Austin, Texas, which I'd love to be here with my brother Andrew.

00:32 So

00:36 Who am I gif?

00:37 Who are you? Yeah, how do we know each other?

00:41 A good question I could go back.

00:45 To 2007

00:48 May I believe 2007 16 infantry? I showed up at the Aid Station. We're both Medics showed up at the Aid Station with all my gear. I believe you were a Corporal at the time. She's been several times throughout your career and I show up and I've got all my stuff some tennis rackets are there and this is all the formal introductions and I'm a specialist and you guys are looking at who's this fucking new guy sergeant major Cooper comes in and says who's fucking tennis rackets sergeant major Cooper the previous diploma before I got there. He was the command sergeant major in this time. He was just kind of the Ops sergeant major. So he was pretty chill guy good guy easy to talk to you, but he had a presence and he carried a command with him so that got everybody's attention and there's some scrambling and find out who's tennis rackets these were and I think I was in the NCO office getting the whole

01:48 Lecture on what 1/6 is and what I'm going to be doing so I had to run out stand at parade rest as you guys are watching me kind of run around and talk to Sergeant Major about my tennis rackets.

02:00 Yeah, that was funny. I remember you coming in that day. You were wearing a brown leather jacket looking like Tom Cruise out of Top Gun and I was like, who is this old guy The Specialist coming straight at AIT and everyone who comes out of Fort Sam Houston, no matter what their age they come out with like a different feel about them when they get to Germany or actually to a deployed unit. They have a different feel about that. I sent it on Jeopardy was an old guy to turn me off and immediately. I wanted to know who this guy was what it was but we didn't end up talking much. I was in Alpha company and he was and headquarters company. I was trying to get him over as one of my Medics he seemed more mature and like he had some life experience about him. I didn't know him yet. But already knew he is a good guy.

02:50 Yeah, I wanted to come over and remember that I was lobbying. Once I saw that working and headquarters company was really kind of an administrator for all I think they wanted me to just be there bitch because I was older College. I had a bachelor's degree in a chosen listed because I wanted to finish my Master's and not add time to my contract. So I wanted to experience kind of over to lead soldiers to so I wanted to get out and you were like my grabbing me. I remember that. I took me the First Sergeant's office and it was all set up. We're ready to go what the hell happened. It happened to zo and everyone. Yeah, I forget what happened. How did that like implode? I believe it was a combination of watts and Fernandez.

03:34 And whoever the maybe not first started Sager it might have been sergeant major Cooper. They're like people are trying to keep you in. Hhc. Basically, I think sergeant major Cooper understood your intentions the military and wanted to have more control to influence. You didn't want me to get blown up be like the weird Mason thing that was going on there at the time. Maybe you was trying to grab you into that. I don't know but you move really quick in the Army. So we're fast-forwarding about a year. We're in sadr City Iraq and

04:17 What were both stationed at jss Old mod, which is the former Ministry of defense for for Iraq, which I always think of one died. So I was tell people like my first place is the picture of Saddam Hussein shooting a rifle off the balcony and that's a common image that's in kind of the American psyche and that's what we were for. Whatever reason I don't know I think so. Yeah. Yeah, there are a lot of pigeons up there. I wonder if I spend a lot of time up there. Anyway, so were their what month was this? This is July know, this is earlier June. Yeah. Yeah. It was right after I'd come back to hhc from from Alpha Company and and you were already getting promoted to Sergeant. Yes, and I just got demoted from Corporal back to specialist. Yes. We did a role reversal. Yeah, it was interesting but then we were roommates and we spent a lot of time together and we got to know each other a lot better. Yes and

05:16 Ways that we probably never anticipated we'd ever get to know another not in that not in the don't like heterosexuality. Yeah confirm it. Yes. That's really what I think is is unique about the combat roles. It puts guys together and you have this one and I call it taming the terror. So you have the social group that we trained together we live together. And then once we get into combat and intense Rolex Otter City, very kinetic very dangerous that was bonds developed so quickly to tame the terror in the fear that I believe. It's a genuine friendship the way it's supposed to be that we don't experience out here very often. I know that that's what keeps us together not free drinks six of us at one point living an 8 by 8 room on bunk beds like

06:11 There's no way you can't get close to each other or absolutely hate each other. There's right. Like there's those are the only things that are going to happen that situation everyone other weapons around you don't want to hate each other even with the private Dixon who was a special kid.

06:29 He had some problems but a push your button senior how to dial you up. He did he did I tried my best to help him when I was a team leader, but maybe I'm not good at helping people. I didn't try to help them.

06:50 Soy sauce after while old mod. I was in charge of the UCP guard. That was okay e p is entry control point for all you civilians who don't know our Dragon for a while and stay up all night talking about stuff talking about books talking about what we were reading. He'd make reading recommendations to me that the older wiser dude that he was over the radio sometimes position. We're obviously not supposed to be reading but right

07:29 You have yet to maintain some sort of tentative while you're up there.

07:35 So there is that and then we moved on to jss. Sadr City, then it got intense. Yeah, things things got bad for a little while.

07:47 You want to talk about that?

07:49 Yeah, I'm in Love Again the rules. It's just a lot of different roles. And that's what I really appreciate that we both really we were able to experience the different roles in American Experience combat. So you've got your line medic which is in charge, which is that with most of your career will yet and you're in charge of a platoon of soldiers you're their medical asset, but what was unique with solder city was that we use snipers in a way that have never been used before in the military at least the Army anyway and military activity. So they needed a medical asset and we would rotate sniper missions and in collecting intelligence setting up OverWatch as well as being in the forward aid station. So you and me, I believe we're probably the only ones that experience almost every single roll that American Experience in combat within that 14 months time. We hit all those rolls and that is I look back over that and I appreciate that experience was amazing because it wasn't just a single roll that way.

08:51 Yeah, I agree.

08:54 When was it November we should our first casualty together Sergeant Timothy Walker? Yeah. Yeah. That was I remember coming off of a mission. I came off of

09:09 Some routine OverWatch Mission. So 24-hour came back shower going to do a whole shower thing and I'm off now, so I got to work 24 hours ago that you're off 24 hours. So I'm off but I answered the phone in the Ford Edge station and it was Walker saying hey, who's this is so now she hates her what's up and starting work was in charge of combat stress. He was reservist. Right? I know you was Medical Supply from wasn't he's working with combat stress from the Ford support Battalion from 4th ID and taji. Yeah, right. So he called and said they were going to come in until first sergeant and I was in charge when it come in or going to do some stuff that nobody wants to talk to who is bringing in let me know and I was like, all right, cool. See you then and that was it and I went to bed and the next thing I know I'm getting woken up cuz I think I went to bed worked out. Whatever.

10:00 Came back, and I'm getting woken up at those casualties coming in yet. I was on extra duty at the time for punching Sergeant Latoya punching somebody yeah, we're punching things. He made some bad comments after my good friend barkowitz was killed and

10:21 I didn't even really say anything. I just punched him. Yeah. Yeah, he deserved it. So I got demoted again from specialist to private first class after being in the Army for 6 years at the time the reverse ladder you're moving down the ladder social commentary and then filling sandbags on extra Duty. Did you wake me up? We don't have woke me up. Now I ran straight to the ECP.

10:55 Are there there's like a small burst of gunfire like right after the after the initial stud nose often adjustments, maybe like 900 and the smoke cloud go up about five seconds after after I heard the blast and it's all right. Yep. That's that's not good. So

11:15 I dropped my shovel drop sandbag ran toward zzp.

11:19 Stop the first truck found which truck the Cavs. He was in ran inside of it and Sergeant Walker was just going down. He he was just like fully losing Consciousness and

11:34 I put pressure on his carotid artery and tried to stuff a caucus and dressing in there which is a special hemostatic agent is used in large volume bleeds.

11:48 And then

11:51 I kept pressure on his neck while the guys put them on the litter and got him in the a station in as soon as we got in there. I think Johnson or Thompson took over pressure for me know it was Johnson. Yeah, it was Johnson Johnson on it. And that was his first cash be ever end.

12:11 He was terrified. Oh sure. It's me Thompson. And you were also working on the on Sergeant Walker and we're all a little more calm and collected about it. Thompson and seen plenty of cavities for I add well we knew ya we all knew that he was not going to make it. I don't know. I still have doubts about that. Like he didn't have a face. Yeah for the most part of a face the shrapnel took his face off so we can have a face he was not going to survive that so I just can't see the quality of life that would have went with us and then there is the whole issue of our Battalion surgeon. It's time to an external n o that was a nightmare is Hannibal is making an incision to to do surgical strike fry and

13:02 I had just done a fast one which is a sternal interosseous injection, which basically means you're injecting fluids into the bone. Keep the pressure up. Yeah, and

13:17 Hehe, I think he pulled it out or he did something and stop the flow. And he was just making everybody nervous with profis doctors. They professed these doctors and I forget what the provider filling system yet to filling system. So he was a family provider. He'd never had emergency maskow who gained his his MD in the Philippines there? That's her. That's your neither here nor there, but it's just the experience and I on a lot. They're not tested so they come in and and were tested we know what we're doing in this environment. So, you know, they're the officer-in-charge. So I think you just made everybody nervous at that point when he was I know I just remember clearly distinctly that I just had a bad feeling that Sergeant Walker's pressure. We can find pressure. We are going to do a venous cut-down cuz we couldn't get a line in.

14:07 We tried them but there just wasn't anything going on. I moved over to the the warrant. Who was Ashen lost a piece of his shoulder broken arm in Rio soon. We're working him. He was conscious. He was just really concerned and scared summer working that and what was profound in that for me was his word. You know, again, it's so intense when you have these casualties come in, I think there's another casualty some shrapnel to the leg or something. So the driver that was in the third bed just the intensity of the moment you have all this going on and you have a profis doctor doesn't know what he's doing use.

14:44 Kind of rambling and getting in our way. We just wanted to leave it was really making that my patient this this warrant officer very nervous because I remember Colonel lamb came over and he was like when you do a chest tube and I'm like sir. I've checked there's no there's no wounds to his chest. Like when you do chest if you just kept saying chest-to-chest do is like there's no wounds to his chest and he's just freaking him out what the hell is going on, and I'm just too and I looked over at Sargent watts and finally intervened and grabbed him and said sir focus on this patient need to come back over to Walker.

15:23 Because I mean I have the patient he was going to do that. So we want to keep him, because this guy was at a point of shock to where he had a big his shoulder was gone. So summer we stabilized him and after was all done, there's kind of some calm and everything is stable. And yes Sergeant Walker was pronounced dead, but there was still some calm that was starting to come in this Warren officer had to steal this look of Terror in his face and I think I was over helping Johnson do a cut down to get IV access who's still wanted to show that we attempted some things for other soldiers when we take the body out. Obviously the sergeant Walker song.

16:12 I look over and it was must have been like an intuitive thing. So I just sent that I heard her mumbling during a lot of this my patient saying I can't feel my arm. I can't feel my arm. I can't feel my arm. He kept saying it over and over and over like you're good. You're good.

16:30 It's like all of a sudden just dawned on me. I turn I said Rios Shoney's got both his arms. That's what he wanted to know. Do I have both of my arms. So we pick them both up and once he saw his hands and he kind of way cuz I got

16:43 I got both my arms. That's what you wanted to know. I remember that it afterward is always really dead station is always such a tense situation cuz it's so small and it's so intimate. Yeah, you're only on top of your really on top of each other and it really takes every single hand. That's that's in the room 2 to do the job.

17:07 And then and then there's a situation where it was just the two of us and Sergeant watts is also in the room which one certain Gonzalez 27th 2 days after Christmas going back to hug you and me were able to experience some of the different roles. I think we are both coming off missions and everybody was out. We weren't really in combat operations at that time. I think you stop your kind of shaking hands kissing babies, rebuilding Paw Patrol Sea Patrol Kennewick policing. This happened in the drawdown of Bosnia and Kosovo as well. So they're still attacking there still some efps and IEDs going on in and

17:55 Do it again. Just a stupid Mission and that's what pisses me off about that one with Gonzales. We gotten complacent not so much complacent and he was he was pulled over because of a 50 cal Barrel.

18:09 That that was Captain bonnema was doing cuz we are kind of getting ready to leave. We're only a couple months 3 months from leaving and we were missing a 50 cal Barrel at hhc at JFS solder or we wearing it was at cop Comanche and I'll post write what you want to click 2 clicks down the road from you barely two kilometers. So I still remember.

18:33 I don't know if I would just overheard it or people talk and I can't remember how I know but he had demanded that they bring that 50 cal Barrel. He wouldn't take the