Brandon Yund and Henry Carbajales

00:01 My name is Henry carbajales. I am 29 today is October 10th. 2013 location is College Park, Maryland my relationship to my partner is he is a fellow veteran and Buddy and BFF for life.

00:18 Ice, my name is Brandon and I'm 27 years old. Today is October 10th 2013. We are in College Park, Maryland. And Henry is my fellow veteran and Buddy for life.

00:39 All right. Well Henry was that you were saying you know, how about you really or you skinny people mostly is that like your metabolism doesn't go away. It's like how do you keep from gaining weight? Yeah, it's not fair. I guess. I haven't done PT since I left the Army, but I actually lost weight when I left the Army because I didn't use much I guess and all that army stuff and I guess I crap everyday I do miss. I guess you like a nice selection of food breakfast breakfast always scrambled eggs egg whites pancakes fruit cup lunch sandwich usually soup if it's veggie soup. I get that dinner anything for dinner.

01:32 Now it's ramen noodles. The child was pretty awesome cuz that you went in for breakfast and now I wear it was it was a civilian Cooks Cooks. But yeah, she's with always for Nationals and they were not sassy. I think they may be afraid of us. I don't know. I don't know they're working troom what steak and lobster every Friday surf and turf restaurant. I can pay for like fifty bucks or so if return I'd rather get their crabby surf and turf for free.

02:30 See what I?

02:31 Things bad guys knew when it was surf and turf day cuz we always go more turn on surf and turf day. No true. True.

02:41 Oh, I mean Henry, I don't know. That's why I'm mad at me and I look like a douche. So why not? It's like I don't have time for this. I'm sorry or like if they have ulterior motives is like really had to tell how it is now a compliment. No. No, I feel like it's generally there are people you don't get along with in the army or the Marine Corps I imagine but

03:25 I feel like you tend to lose a lot of the real assholes when you go to school because everybody everybody we are all cool. Not really any people that no one doesn't like everyone's friends. And how many are there for a purpose? I mean, we all are trying to get our ducks in order some better ourselves true.

03:51 That's very true. And a lot of my friends military friends that aren't even using their benefits. I'm like really dude. It's free money. I know it's crazy but free money the program like the GI Bill even stays afloat. It just has to be stopping money. But some of these guys don't use their benefits. So I was like, I guess maybe it's they can do it because so many people everybody puts money into the GI bill yet to be crazy not to and then only like a third of the people using maybe I don't know that's crazy bizarre, but I will teach their own.

04:26 Why did you enlist enlisted March 15th? 2003? I'm sorry. I had to wait a year because my parents were inside me everything there like nope, cuz I got you Mom and Dad.

04:49 I am listed in January of 04.

04:53 23rd of January my birthday was the 17th. My dad didn't want me to do it or my brother. I joined with my twin brother same time. We went to maps on like yeah like the 23rd.

05:08 And I signed up and I remember actually I think Nick technically didn't sign up until like the 25th because he couldn't pee in a copy was gun-shy. So the recruiter had like taking back like 2 days later to do it. And then he was able to like do as little raised his hand into his Polo thing that day, but I wish you let's just not the stuff. I guess you're not really but hold on to them until like right before you go do what you don't do it again. Then that's the way of like kind of get thinking of you really doing it for real. I think they just mentally tricking you that all men. I really did pledge. I got to do this or else something what battle happened to me, but oh, well, no, I don't think there's any repercussions if you like bail out of basic. They just give you like a failure to adapt have some like that and you still get your honorable discharge, whatever hurt you just pretend like it never happened. Maybe I don't know.

06:08 I was wondering I've seen a couple drop it was wondering. Oh what what happens? What do they occur classified? I mean some people can't do it. I don't I don't know.

06:18 How long were you in three and a half years about my contract was three years 17 weeks including the time in basic and AIT is part of your your contracts. They start attacking on extra. So tanker AIT. What's on-site unit training is no separate AIT do it all once it's like 15 weeks. I think it was so essentially yeah, they they stop including your training in your contract time.

06:50 Why doesn't he want me there? They can include I think a penny for the Marine Corps.

06:54 Acting like big swing mechanics like a year. So they put in 4 years 5 years. Sorry and then like if it's something my job was as calm. So it was like three months of training for that. I still got to do for years. But I mean by the time I finally went to the fleet was like eight months in 3 years and 4 months. It's probably I was in rear D after about three months. I guess I deployed right away. It's like as soon as I got the eye with a basic been home for like 10 days at leave to unit that was deployed essentially and I was in the rear detachment for like

07:34 30 days and then they deployed me but do you have already been there for 9 months? So it was very short tour, but it was weird cuz

07:44 I feel like I went to the Super Bowl before I ever play in the regular season.

07:53 Nothing thing. I mean my training was in Twentynine Palms California or the stumps has people call it and then I was fortunate one tea bag track. Like a walk of shame. We did Japan like a week after the New Year. We were like already has been to Iraq. So I was like cool.

08:25 Worst part is I lied to my parents like yeah, Mom and Dad. I'm still in. Yeah, you know a Rex is really hot. She asked me that how you doing. This is really hot. She's like what you what you told your family that you you didn't tell him you were deploying and then I was going to Iraq. I guess you can fake that funk. Maybe I don't know they be like, how come you never call that whole month? I was there in Japan alike weeks really know each and every day. I mean we went to freaking was I cost a lot of money to call home because I was the youngest Marine for the new year. They DeVille RAV4 I4 the youngest Marines. I was like met this guy and then this other guy was just like three days older or 3-day dumber than mean both like a gift card to call home. So

09:25 Cologne that way it's expensive. I mean, yeah. Yeah. I know they used to give us like this.

09:32 Cameron worth it was like some sort of nonprofit.

09:36 Like the Red Cross or something to give us like five minute phone cards, and yeah when you're a five-minute phone call a month is not really long enough, but I mean, I feel like it was harder on my first tour, but by like 2007 there was like local Nationals had set up phone banks that were a little more reasonable. I think the AT&T trailers that we had a phone call. I don't know if I was supposed to make a phone call, but I wanted to call home to imagine.

10:30 Is like I remember we were there for 5 months and I had five legitimate showers like, you know, like turn the faucet have water pouring a turn off the faucet to stop the water 5005 months. Everything else was just like there's a bottle water. All right. You got it rough man. Where were you at the evening back in 04 and 05 we had like showers, but you know, it's actually my second so we didn't have a shower.

11:06 The shower trailer for kind of dangerous to Electric you stay so we are a little afraid of them sometimes will they were filled with like mother like the last ones are all filled up with water and salmonella.

11:17 Wear flip-flops man wear flip-flops like that sucks.

11:23 But I want a good tan I mean

11:26 What time we left it was it was cool cuz we will also Russians. I don't want to climb the John darms or whatever or something like that. I don't know. I never said I had like a goose march to them like that. If I could look at the weapon is real cool stuff. So how cool can I came back home since we had estonian's we saw sometimes they were crazy. My my driver swore that the Estonian stole his sunglasses. He was so mad at me. He liked with spread this betrayal against the estonians hundred meanest looking guy ever big dude, they were jacked, but I didn't do anything around and garden PX or something, you know.

12:10 Voice of strength to strength year was here but actually back like around the surge extended those guys to 15 months. I did a 15 month to worry 2006 to 2008 two Christmases. It overlapped on Christmas me believe that bullshit Midway through to the worst part was in everyone's wives and girlfriends do before they told us it was like on CNN like weeks before they admitted it to us. Remember I remember the moment exactly me and my my driver tomorrow is we're hanging out in like our Barracks room and he like came back from like the phone thing with his wife and he's like Heidi just told me that we are going to be extended three next for 3 months and I was like what and you know it all everybody found on the same day cuz we were on the fob and everyone's wise were like, will they call home when you went back to the flaw band?

13:11 It was wise or like you're being sending three months or whatever and were like what are you talking about? And then you know, we ask the CEO and he's like no. No that's not confirmed. But like we know it's happening everybody knows because it's all over the news that they're extending out and then finally like the brass admitted it like 2 weeks later by then. I wasn't news anymore. We already like pissed and over. It was like really do. You know like my face first to go man last know that was five months what mean that month. Alright my time. I kind of account when I was actually there's like five months second time 7 and then my last time was 9 so gradually increase the seventh month was fine because I was like from the very beginning of the poem at the last unlike the first one it was like Okinawa and then we're going to stay there and do training track.

14:06 The last one it was weird as like I had the colonel tell me sike. You know, how would you feel if I told me I can't really do much and he's like, okay, then never let you pass a message to everybody. It was so weird because I was in the COC feeling in my report for like the Convoy that that had to do and then he's like so I can ever give you that look like oh, what did you do? I'm like crap.

14:48 Tell it was weird how that turned out. I was like the first time we were told they extend but every time I'm like man can be as bad as Army, but your your life really bad cuz we had a mentor leave cuz it was a full year, but generally you'd want your Mentor believe in the middle. But because you know, everyone can't go at the same time mid-tour leave started three months in and went to 9 months. But so, you know a handful of guys went on mid-tour leave like 3 months in then we got extended to 15 months. So then they literally went a full year without like stepping on American soil. That's a that's a long time. Some of them had one guy his name was

15:28 Bowman and his wife was pregnant when he deployed so we can be tried to schedule his mentor leave so he would come go home right about when his wife was due and it worked out but that was why he went and like month 3 and then he didn't see his kid for like a year for humans is the Marines had it right? Cuz I feel like I read in a book that you can't maintain like that sort of battle tempo for more than like six months lent it and it does when I look back at some of the things that happened toward the ending of my gas. I'm glad we did it only like six seven months. They kept saying the exact same people is like, I know you hate me. I know you want to kill me, but I don't care anymore. I don't care that's funny. They would make us changed since I was in

16:28 Yeah, that was very distinct sectors wasn't like saying but they would they change their neighborhoods like three times during the tour. So we wouldn't get complacent. I guess I would force you to learn new things. Yeah, so like we start off and I remember the place was called. I probably shouldn't say it. But that was like pretty chill and then we went to some place that was super poor and had all kinds of nasty stuff going on and then we end up going to this other place like

16:57 I guess it was more Northeast out just outside of sadr city and that place had it going on.

17:03 But yeah, then did they put you guys in like firebases probably about three or four months and they decided that we should live among the people.

17:16 And we literally live in like a potato chip factory like in sector. We've always been doing that. We would like even my first appointment we would like occupy an abandoned building it within the city of a house. So, I mean I kind of like living within the people so I mean Americans with a gun I loved you before I guess they want to give us off the fobs cuz free much I feel like the entire Army Iraq was stationed on like a giant fob, you know, and then you would go out on Mission you would like to leave the fop but I guess they wanted us to have more like face FaceTime with people or they wanted us to be closer to stop when it happened. So they put us on my keys with operating.

18:01 They're called cops. I think company operating bases out in the middle of the I like yeah, we did it Timbuktu. And since I don't know I feel like actually made our job just like the harder outside right in there. And then we went to haditha Dam which was heavily was banned in so we took over and then from there the company's each like occupied in area than with an area the company split each platoon has its own. So it was like a lot of Sub sub section set fire Squad by Handel and then it was okay if we order I think my last appointment got weird because I'm in there was an accident where the entire platoon I got him to return helicopter mission. It was so weird and then we were alerted closing down like posts because we have the body system and I'm really busy and I already call it like, you know a few small excursions here and there but it was a crazy Health in we were spread and they're like

19:01 It's been here 3 months. Awesome. Thank you. What year was at? This was 2007. The only time we had the extra Manpower newbies large fries are always right then. I mean like I was a Communications guy for mobile mobile team, you know, what the 50 and all that stuff and they're like well as a Gunnery Sergeant he's like, well, I got to go home and his company cuz I got hurt while you're in charge you I'm like, what am I in charge when I'm not a infantryman by Trey was I well you weren't attached to mobile platoons before seeing other thing. I was like, yeah, but my job is ready to operate or not infantryman.

19:48 Make sure they took that really well. I don't got her. Everything turned out fine. Let me have to really think like you guys have a specialist or the other weren't worn off. So we have one of theirs but they're all helicopter Pilots mostly in like some weird motor pull people. We are the only one officer I had in my whole Battalion was as I remember his name. He was like a w45. He had the solid black bar in like I never barely ever saw him. I don't know who he did or what he like he was or what he did or anyting he was there. He's always hanging out with like the colonel that was it. Pretty much we have a recall on my Gunner has like a bursting Baki the he's a really bad ass dude. It's like he's the one guy you do not question. So when that happened when I got position he was like, you know, what cause I was I guess there's like every time you come home from a mission to come sweet to me. So this guy was teaching me weapon Conway procedures tactical disc.

20:48 I mean this guy was hard as nails and then everything you put up. That is like, I don't know either. I just have to because apparently I'm working under his boss and his job is to make sure his balls to say so it's like crap I had no choice. So I was fun. But what did you do? What every other person does is blow it all the way up purchases. Are you special big purchases? I made for each appointment. I already had a car I had for my first tour since I wasn't there that long I didn't say I would like a ton of money. So I bought I bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo for like four or five grand cash, but I was never like a sports car guy like all the other kids on Fort Hood so many Mustangs, but

21:39 350 Z's on my base first or the first two tours people re-enlisted and they really like 18 year old k98k guy only has an o-3 he would have been less and get a dk4l. Okay. How does it ATK and I'm doing the exact same job you are. Yeah. They had like crazy retention problems right around the end of The Surge there the tanker reenlistment bonus was 30 to 5, and that's crazy in my friend re-enlisted why I was like as down payment for a house, you know when I was like no, I'm I'm out of here, but that is that some incentive to stay Giants signing bonus. The bigger they were ridiculous. They were getting close to like $100,000.

22:39 For my MOS is it was like a dinky MOS? Apparently there's plenty of us to go around only got like nine K and then apparently did this. I don't know how I came out. I just came back from a from a mission first as I come to the office. I'm like, okay like would blow all their money in 1 week 2 weeks. Yeah. I ate my money, but it was over the course of like the year after I got out. I just didn't work for like about 9 months when you're not working.

23:18 You're a don't know you're not making money, but you just go out and spend money. So I think yeah, I'd probably ate most of mine and restaurants and I didn't buy anything too crazy. I bought like a

23:32 Quantico Guns by guns haven't bought a misfiring misfiring a weapon. I do miss it. I'm not going to lie. I do miss that online free ammo man in the army or the Marines I guess now, but I don't know. I'm grateful. I had a knock-on what happens if I had a ranch like random people as like as Captain is like this, I guess there is like don't be like me 15 years and I have nothing on your name. So we Tommy like finances how to save money song about money market waterproof or whatever everybody had and I've been fortunate to run into people that will teach me important things in life, since I got out. I got to like 2011 since then till now I've been living off of my GI bill in my savings.

24:22 So heading up to save for three years. I mean, I've been thinking like part time jobs here and there but I'm not like dying of hunger, I mean the kind of those suck but still not like completely die of hunger or anything like that. So expensive to live around here. I wonder how some of these guys is get by just on their GI bill cuz I don't think I could do it more than $600 a share. My mortgage is is sick. So I was lucky like I bought while I'm working but still down but I mean, I just didn't calculate that. It'll be this much harder to find a job in on my crap. I mean I started searching a year before I got out.

25:02 And then I just kept searching while my first start 2011 and 2013 that crap about my first car nice Volkswagen Jetta. You know, her name is Lisa. I miss her earrings, even though I know we're not supposed to wear earrings. But every time I got out on leave her on like Liberty try not to be military cuz people like kind of fish is another one of those definitely it's like military got no longer be a military guy outside and inside the town.

25:56 Is it bad to chew or they don't like you and then my third appointment? I bought myself like a really nice one of those watches supposed to believe that the technology industry. Just shake it in a graduate.

26:18 It is as weird as by every time I drive my car is like my first appointment for my earrings my second plumber to come over my watch not there tomorrow. So I guess I still have my memories nice most of the guns. I bought I think I ended up selling later by different gun. I bought there's this place right outside of Fort Hood called Guns Galore and he was like the only gun shop near Fort Hood. It was crazy. It was Just Like a Pill Box filled with gun, like every inch of the wall is covered with guns, but

26:48 The Fort Hood Shooter bought his guns there and I know those four guys cuz they were friendly guys. I bought a lot of gun from but after my second appointment, I bought it already Cattleman. It's a replica 1873 Colt Peacemaker. This gun is badass and then I bought like an an SKS there and

27:07 Something else I think but then I ended up getting rid of them all so I could get a n a r I sold a bunch of them. Supposedly. My friend was a cop now tell me that then you a ours are completely different supposedly the the handle and a buttstock. Maybe the ink if you don't get one. Well, I mean, I forgot what day it was but either was October 1st or something. They don't make this remodel in the morning. She was able to buy one because he's a cop he got one right before they stop is pretty funny.

27:38 That's why I never pegged you for a gun guy never really a handful of guns and Guns Ivan AR shotgun. I mean none of it here though, because I live right on the border with the district in the gun laws are so tight that's not even worth the trouble of everyone in our just left the mall in Pittsburgh with like my brother and my dad when I go home I go shooting sometimes but it's definitely a hobby. I lost down here. Will there's everything shooting range shooting ranges out here? I don't know where but like I said like Mike on friends. They go shooting all the time. I was keep telling the bring me along since I miss Ms. Shooting like I I really do like like shooting

28:25 The only time I've been feeling it was a was with the US Marshals idunn internship with them and they let me go to the range with them. Hopefully, that's all right, but they had like a special police shooting range in like other people use a thing like Greenbelt just down the road from here, but it's not like anyone can just go pick it up, but that was super cool. But yeah, I know that's harmless. Yes have your phone in the back? Right? You know they do now Mike my tank actually didn't have it a phone in the back because I remember my first appointment there like I had to cuz I was calling. I had that little girl feels right and they're like right across got to run through all the vehicles are spray load their spread within a mile. They may have to load the crypto on all the radio radio. So I had to run all the way from one end and then make my way upload every every vehicle.

29:25 And they're like alcohol as I got to load the tank. I was like why you just tell me this when I was before I left I had to run back out. I remember running and I go over this burn just like the open today. I'm like crap I'm going to die so I can take at the door and he's like a fun of my thoughts are like going to the minors that is pretty funny. There's a phone in an actual M1 Abrams tank. Remember the tank. The phone was on the right side of it and then he's like I get in he hopped out help down. It's like, I don't know. I don't know how

30:25 Hours on end it so I can barely even move.

30:29 I have been over the steering wheel was in that thing. So it was pretty funny and he's like point of me with the radio with satellite and see me at to make sure I can load it. But I was pretty funny. That's funny. We loaded our own feels on our radios. I guess maybe they figure the Marines weren't smart enough money. We are we all did ourselves that, but I would give us give us the field but every every other tank and it's only and CD so we wouldn't we all act like every tanker is a really good radio operator cuz everything has two radios on it. No, but like what when the weekends cuz you we re put a fill every week and also you're literally out there for an entire week and I have all like cuz I have the master of all the upcoming two weeks. So what do you guys do when you guys are out there somewhere to bring us out and CD with a fill this is like two tanks.

31:29 I delivered tank. That's how I was like, all right, cool.

31:32 That's pretty interesting.

31:37 That's fine at us. Go on a tank though. It's kind of a we are the only tanks on like our side of the river in Baghdad. So I remember we drove into like the green zone once and was like being in a parade people like waving at us.

31:52 Every type of vehicle minus a ship going to be on a Chevy even if you do not want to cuz it's small and tight and cramped and there's nothing to do out there for 8 months at a time like yeah, but it's like the experience just like those Amtrak's and I know it sucks but it's just like quarter ride. That's funny. I went on one ship once when we my Brigade deployed to use to Katrina in New Orleans and there was a Navy ship like Doc there was the tortuga USS Tortuga, I think and they invited all the Personnel her to come on the ship and get like Chow one day. So it was really funny though. I was really taken by all the bells and whistles are there much more into like ceremony.

32:44 In the Navy I think than a honey fell apart in the army during the War. I think I barely knew how to March because we spend so much time like deployed but we have like the silent drill team told you guys have time I got to yeah, it's like a detail though, like people they were like snatch guys up for like actual ceremony old like details and then they would like to do that for like a couple weeks or months even like the guys at Arlington. Those guys are like at Arlington National Cemetery therefore there for like a while when I get near the train up in a really good at it. And even like when we did funeral details back in Texas, they would like snag those guys up for a detail might be gone for like a month or something and that's all they do. So they were good at it. Cuz if you pick the average time a guy at a line company, he probably couldn't do all that any of that for shit, but I think you guys did a lot more.

33:41 That we had like this right dress stuff than we did. We had our own by important stuff in there. Like they were supposed to all three sets make it simple and as in training was but it's funny how they were they were on point. It was crazy is cool. I was watching to see them twice.

34:04 But that's interesting looks sharper than ours. I'll give you that. Good looking. Thank you.

34:28 Ugly I would say it wasn't real sharp-looking. Now. They switch to Blues. Everybody wears his blues and I think Friday because the Marine uniform look nicer, but you guys yet always got all the cool stuff first and I mean every game a hand-me-down after he has bro, It was taking a regular Humvee and just putting a piece of metal on the side of the door. I'm like really this is what we're riding in.

35:00 Or we had like we will rip out the the chair of the Humvee and put like a Kevlar sitting on it. I'm like this is what we have and then you guys will come in your upper arm Earth and a little joystick control them. Like what is also known as possible and 405 they were literally like the way the 117th with the armor kits on them. They were super underpowered because it had a normal sized Humvee engine it with all that extra weight, which was kind of bad like you actually couldn't Off Road in them. But then we my second were we all had they were the 11 for teens that were built to be up armored and they had a bigger engine them and they had you could tell the difference because the the new ones had a parking brake.

35:47 Are they had a park setting up to and then by the time we rolled around the 2nd or we actually had all had good Humvees as a feather yet. Had the better every time we did. I'm sure we did it and got the up armored version two unlike things ended up having those stupid joysticks that control the turret we can get replacement parts for them. When we first got there are mechanics order replacement parts for the crank gets that you could you in the head like a hand-crank on the turn they would spend it as opposed to just grabbing it in like twisting it and then by the time we got the replacement kits they were upgrading it to those electronic hits it with a joystick and then you just never got replacement parts for it. So hopefully they didn't break but they just leave it there when we handed over everything back to like a wrecking Army on like what do we do?

36:47 The other stuff cuz ya like I feel like the equipment was so jacked up after like ten straight years that almost wasn't worth bringing back. I don't know why I don't know. I mean how much weight do pause things changing putting more weight on top of it and then you're going through like terrenas like bump only the whole way for the whole time is like really obvious is going to break eventually our tanks were shot man because they weren't made for like a straight years worth of you set an alarm testing conflict there made for like a high-intensity conflict for like two months. So we put 10 years of operational time on a tank in like 1 deployment cuz you're traveling like

37:35 300 miles a day on pavement. When is that wasn't what they're designed for. You know, so our tanks the packs were bad. Like we were replacing track like once every 3 months you normally sings track in a tank like once every three years so and then it got to the point where we were damaging. I'm so heavily from different like roadside bombs and stuff. They're like guys your tank. We can't replace it. You're just going to fix it. And we would like to head sometimes major major like things to coat it out like a hole in it, you know, and they be like like we don't have new tanks to give you and I was like what cuz they've been here for 10 years, I guess so they didn't always take new tanks over with a unit they would like we would like adopt the tanks with you if it was there before us.

38:22 Sometimes they would I guess they were just give up on me and feel like we're heading out so it's just going to leave this part here and those guys can worry about it. Remember when we got our tax money second to work. They had left all the machine guns inside the turret but they were all rusted cuz I guess it Like Rain they said it rained so the only machine that's why we got him and were like, oh my God, and then you know it, you know, it wasn't terrible that I need with the tanks. I thought that was like actually like them but for some reason on that tour was all about my pay grade, but

39:10 We have about a minute left, really.

39:15 Say last more than

39:17 I appreciate your service Henry. I appreciate your service Brandon. I know why I'm looking forward to this beer. I am thirsty is my birthday. So it's like I told Henry I'd buy him a beer if if he came into this with me and get it done.