Justin Garrett and Shirley Garrett

00:03 My name is Justin Garrett. I'm 20 years old today's date would happen to be the 22nd of June 2012 2013. I apologize and our location is Orlando Florida and I'm here today with my mom.

00:22 I'm Shirley Garrett. I'm 56. Today's date is June 22nd 2013. We're in Orlando Florida and I'm Justin's mom.

00:34 Justin why don't you start us off with the telling how you enter the military cuz I always think that's kind of cool and listed on February 3rd 2010. I went up to Maps at day and did all the little in processing stuff all the weird stuff to there. And then that's when I chose my job as a animal care specialist or a veterinary technician and, those signing bonus and all that stuff and

01:05 Rose my hand was my right hand and swore in and and then join a little bit about how you had the split kind of career to start with ISO since I joined in February I was in reserve mode until

01:25 Mayo yes, it was me. This was this was my junior year that I came in and in May when it was a summer between Junior and Senior year I went to basic training and I was the youngest person in the Battalion so I got tons of crap for that but

01:45 Then I came back after I graduated basic training went through my senior year of high school went pretty well. I would say and then after I graduated high school in 2011, that's when I went to Advanced Training.

02:03 You were deployed not too long after that weren't you? Yeah, I got I graduated from Advanced Training Ratatouille on September 30th, 2011 and 6 days after that on October 6th. That's when I got the order saying that I was being mobilized and at that point I was figuring it was Afghanistan is that cuz that's what I was told and in support of operation enduring freedom and soon after that. I started going to deployment training pre-deployment training in Fort Sam, Houston and Fort Dix, New Jersey.

02:45 And then we were mobilized on February 12th of 2012 to

02:52 Fort Lewis Washington stay there for a couple of weeks and then whenever to Kuwait

03:00 Do you remember anything special about your deployment or an event that you can think of or a story you can tell?

03:09 Well, it was hot.

03:13 As I got 230 a couple of days, but I do.

03:17 I have to say one of my most memorable things was for one working with my veterinarian my captain cap ciphers the really great guy and

03:32 Add the first day, we got there and my job and tell going to different camps to take care of the military working dogs or to euthanize stray animals. So the first day we were out we have no idea where we are or how to get anywhere when we had a general idea, but it's just no matter where you look if you got sand and it goes on forever psycare in the middle of the ocean except us an ocean of sand.

04:02 And this day we went out and it seemed like a pretty day or whatever or as pretty as you can get in Kuwait and the biggest Sandstorm while I was in country minus one other.

04:16 And then I must we were there happened while we were driving and it was terrible but it was an eye-opener because it I mean it kind of scared us cuz we're thinking we'll we're going to see this everyday now. This is what we're going to look at for 9 months. This is a lot worse than our pretty ladies. We got back home or any of them, but

04:40 We drove to the can't.

04:43 After we missed a turn and we were up near Iraq. We got to the border of Iraq before we realized we are going a little too far. So we turned around and eventually made it to the camp a little late to our appointment. You did a lot of driving. How many hours did you login hours? I couldn't tell you but I logged about 14000 kilometers. So calculate that back. It's like 10 or 11 thousand miles a lot of driving.

05:16 I also know that you did some good things in Kuwait while you were stationed there. Can you reflect on some of those things?

05:24 I went and did a lot of extra training and stuff than I needed to I don't have to do much other than take care of the dogs. But I like going to the explosives training and the bike training even if it means I'm going to get bit by a very aggressive dog. It helps them in the end. So I didn't mind doing that and I was just medical Hands-On on and also there was a point on the deployment where I attended a couple of civil engineering meetings to get some funding so we could get these dogs some sunshine over their entire obstacle course, the Saiyans pretty hot is hot and it's hot when you wearing boots so I can only imagine with their little with their paws. So we went through a couple of different ideas as to how to do it and after a couple of meetings we came to the conclusion that this big sunshade and my key role was to

06:24 The actual idea derived from the kennel master. I mean we all thought about it, but the kennel master thought of having some way to cool them down while I went and I found regulations stating that they needed some kind of shelter and we knew that in Saudi Arabia they had done they had immaculate

06:46 Sunshades and obstacle courses with turf

06:50 Super awesome, and we kind of wanted the same for a Kuwait mean I'll ask him wasn't going anywhere for a long time. So there's plenty of rotations the dogs. I saw three different rotations her dog fur dogs and their handlers so

07:08 We went to the meetings and we advocated it the best we could and we came to the conclusion of a half a million-dollar sunshade to be built. And as I was leaving they were getting the funds. So I have to go over again. Hopefully it's over there about the swimming. Did you have any hand in the air we did?

07:35 Where to pull on our base which was in a little refreshing.

07:41 But we had a lot of incidents with our working dogs having joint problem.

07:47 So to kind of neutralize that affect we

07:53 Develop the kind of water therapy. So we took the dogs to the pool that at night before they cleaned it and we would let them swim a little do we know these dogs don't know how to swim cuz I've never swim in their entire lives. So I'm in the water holding these dogs getting all scratched up and it was I wasn't smart enough to put on a shirt before I went in there. So I had no shirt on and I had a lot of scratches. I look like I got out of a saw movie or something that I mean it helped the dogs, at least I learn how to swim but we did have some dogs that actually have more Motion in their all their joints so mean in the end it I think it actually helped them so made us feel pretty again when we also had a really crappy Vehicles really bad vehicles to transport them from there.

08:52 There right there building on the base in kennels to the ECP in ECP is the entry control Point. That's where they guard and they search the cars. So to get there they have to drive their car and these cars have no air or the ones they had had no air conditioning and there was no tinting on the windows and these dogs are in the back and a metal cage.

09:18 So you can only imagine how hot it is. I got a

09:24 Got a heat measuring gun from the public or preventive medicine on the Air Force side so I could try to see how hot it was on the vehicle and just the outside was 150 when I open the door and got to about a hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit Fahrenheit. Is it I mean if it was Celsius happy crazy, but a hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit and it's just totally hot so count ciphers in myself began working on memos and trying to find the funds so we can get these guys some nice vehicles.

10:06 And we went all the way up through the air force chain of command and our chain of command to get the highest ranked so we could to sign this memo.

10:15 That way we can get this in a fact about two weeks later. We got two new Ford Explorers. I think they were.

10:24 All that got these are 2013 versions real nice tinted windows. Now, they had the best vehicles on base and everybody was jealous, but the dogs were riding getting so it's pretty cool.

10:39 You and Captain Captain Hook survivors had quite a lot of traveling together in and doing things know you are on call pretty much twenty-four hours a day. Is that right? Yeah. I got two in the morning a lot and really didn't have a set time to go in the office or the clinic.

11:00 I actually came up with my hours and counting cyphers hours considering our schedule for the day. I mapped out everything 2 days prior and then went over it again the day of we had calendars in our rooms and we have calendars in the clinic and tons of reminders and raden things everyday taking away things trying to make it as organized as we could.

11:28 And I mean, you don't know when you're going to get a call. We we had we had a couple of emergency calls and and there's always are scary my first night. This is after that horrendous Drive in the sandstorm. It was 2 in the morning and I got a call.

11:50 It was from one of our handlers and he said my dog can't walk. And so I immediately since I'm fresh out of training. I think the worst I think we've got a dog with a broken leg, you know, I think you know, the worst has happened. So I called Cam ciphers and I guess the signal didn't work or whatever but I couldn't get ahold of him. So I ran to his building knocked on his door and he still messes with me about it because he says I didn't knock hard enough, but I was in the building of officers and I really did not want to get in trouble on this night. So I've knocked and knocked and knocked he didn't come.

12:36 I said I got to go anyway, so I ran to the other side of the base where the clinic was unlocked it brought the dog in had the Handler pick them up put them on the counter.

12:49 And I did a quick physical on him.

12:53 And my conclusion was that I needed to splint this. So I got to stay in splint and some rap and I wrapped his leg up for it was a mobile. It couldn't move and

13:09 I I started freaking out of my Kylie what I'm going to do, give him some pain meds. So I gave him some pain meds some remedy L and and he took that with these cuz they're little chewables. I bet they taste good. He took that and

13:24 He's got the splint on then we're trying to figure out what we're going to do for the night. And I said well, if you take the first shift, I'll take the second shift and then I'll come in at like 5 in the morning to help you out. So put them in the kennel and he starts freaking out. So I got to eat collard Elizabethan collar. It goes around their neck and it just makes him look goofy. So they they can't get the mess up on the rap and stuff. So we gave him that and now he's looking pitiful inside the cage and put them in a small Berry kennel. It's like a little transport kennel versus his puge kennel.

14:05 And I came in in the morning check the mail and cats. I first came in on it sir. I can't get a hold of you last night and I end up telling him what it happened and he comes and looks at the dog. And the first question. He asked the Handler is your was is your dog is Spinner and Spinner is a dog that just spins Inside the Cage just they have their just bored enough to just spin in circles. Well, a spinner will usually hurt its rest. Yeah, so he spun around hurt his wrist but not anyting heard. It's just like if you hurt your ankle or whatever you walk out for a little long for a little while, you know, you can be resilient like that dogs are just as resilient.

14:48 So

14:49 He did that in the Handler said yeah, he's been ever since I got them.

14:56 And so he can ciphers admired my work. He said I'm glad it's wet or I'm glad if this was a real situation you would have wrapped it really well, but

15:09 That we took all the stuff off the dog walk perfectly. So

15:14 He gives me crap about that. But I feel like I took it to the ticket. The best way I can hear is very precautionary and it's

15:25 When you're fresh out of school, you know, no one things buy textbook is not the same as applying them suturing imaginary imaginary llegar a plastic leg in school is so much different than doing it in real life. But that kind of stuff can save a life so mean once you learn how to apply it you actually become better in your hands on is always so much bands on the so much better at it. It helps you develop a lot better and help my I mean help me feel more confident in myself and applying what I know.

16:07 Do that sir. You worked a lot with some of the Air Force guys. Do you have or even celebrated and partied with them tell us about something that you've done with the Air Force guys unique situation. I was Army on Air Force Base. There is only about three other Army folks on the entire base and they were all for my unit. So

16:33 We fell under the Air Force there. We had our army command. But while we're on the Air Force Base we fall under them and we do procedures buy them like if an emergency happens, we got it in.

16:49 So that we were under the medical group of the Air Force. So they help me out with doing x-rays because they had all the super super technology. We didn't have everything.

17:04 Cuz I mean, there's no need but we went over there. I did x-rays there Iran blood work there.

17:11 And

17:13 And we did most of our surgeries with us, but we got Hands-On from the some of the actual doctors from there to help us with the surgeries, which was very cool. But all their force was all my Air Force friends that I had their I'm still in contact with

17:31 And from there and I had the medical side and then so I'd only that but I worked with the Dog Handlers. So that's the security forces are the police side. So I had two different side. So whoever wasn't having a steak out that night or you know, having a party I go to the other or if I didn't want to hang out with them. I definitely got to hang out with them and that it created a very very positive atmosphere and there were times when I was able to coordinate the dog training because the Dog Handlers are just like a little puns.

18:12 They're they're not the top dogs are kennelmaster is like the squad leader. He he controls all of them and by the end we developed him into an actual squad leader instead of the individual handlers coming to us, but I will coordinate with the kennel master to get some of these medical folks to come over and do the bike training is everybody thought it was in same get bit by a dog. I mean that's that's soldiers and Airmen for you. We just want to get bit. That's how much we miss dogs. So anyway, I would coordinate it for him. And then you get the mix of medical and security forces. They never meet, you know, both of them think the other size of noxious.

18:58 Even though they're of the same Branch. I know they got different jobs. They both think they're more important than the other but when they actually started getting together in the security forces see that these guys are tough enough to let their dogs by them, you know, they started bonding and then you've got more people talking to each other on the base and it's a lot better atmosphere when everyone's friendly to each other there are a couple of competitions there was some running competitions and they have some other kinds of competitions available. Do you want to tell some of the types of things to keep some of the soldiers interested and physically fit?

19:38 Well, I mean, they're all about being mentally and physically fit over there. It's always services for religion. So you can help yourself out mainly because to cope with some things you have to find some way to do it if you can't just go on with no reason.

19:59 But physically

20:02 They want you to talk not so they had all kinds of stuff. You have 5 case about every weekend. So I have a lot of 5K shirts and that was my incentive. I wanted more shirts cuz I didn't I don't like buying shirts, especially t-shirts that you can show what you've done. Right? Exactly. You know, that is it's a pride thing you you know, you wear the shirt around base and you know, you took part in that you were you did good, but I stepped it up one day it went on a half marathon.

20:42 I'm never doing that again. It was definitely a unique experience mean we I started out I had my playlist on my iPod and I mean you have to there's no way you can run that long without music in my book. I mean some people do but I'm not you left music. I love music. That's my motivator.

21:05 But did the half-marathon and I dated in 2 hours and 7 minutes, so it's pretty fast for my first time.

21:16 But I did stop once and it was to use the restroom. I should have done that before I started, you know, usually I do two mile runs 3 miles runs, so I'll eat an apple before for energy mean cuz you know, you need something. So I ate a little apple. Let hit me in about an hour and a half. So I had to stop and we got back on it and I still was able to get finished in a good time. I got a nice shirt. I like wearing that one.

21:46 But I wanted the other think they did other kind of relay race. I know they did a Bed Race where you dress up a bed. Okay, and do a little rice with it and that same day they did a battle rattle run. So basically that's where you wear your PT uniform your physical training uniform and you put on your helmet and your IV a or your iotv, which is your body armor.

22:14 And that is hard and they want you to run your or I think they did a mile and I think it ended up being a mile and a half to finish cuz it cuz it was a Air Force Base. Their PT test is a mile and a half. So we did a mile and a half in.

22:32 Are battle armor and I did it with my buddy Brian ratzlaff. He was one of the youngest of the Air Force on base so little young'uns running around but we came in pretty good place only ones that beat us where some are some fast big dudes. So they carry that weight like as a backpack.

22:53 But it I mean that kind of stuff is really good and not I mean I loved working with Air Force and working out with him. I thought Joint Force stuff is really good. I know you probably don't want to talk about it. But the one where the fighting one.

23:13 The wrestling one the baddest. Was it the M Mixed Martial?

23:22 Competition or the massage is the Army version of mixed martial arts and I went down to the main Camp of Kuwait. I can't pair of John to do the competition for combatives.

23:40 And I I did wrestling all throughout high school. So I have somewhat of a fighting background and I did come out as a basic training did well there. So I went to the combatives tournament tournament near just planning to do okay and wasn't expecting too much.

23:58 I go on my first match and I did what I told myself I never do again after high school, but I

24:07 Saw the guy and I figured this won't be hard underestimated your address to made in my opponent really bad and that ended up really bad for me and high school a couple of matches and it bit me in the butt on this one because we were standing up or you know doing little shots punch wise and then

24:33 Before I can even think I'm sorry if I get the giggles.

24:37 Before I can even think this guy jumps up.

24:42 And he wraps his legs around my head and my neck and he's got me in a triangle which is one of the choke holds and I've never seen this done from standing till it was done on me. And so I try to hold him. I can't get them off. I slam to the ground still can't get his legs off. So I tap will some people think if you tap, you know, that's you know, you could have last longer whatever I'm thinking. I'm not passing out before the rest of the competition. I don't want to know what you think. You look cool if you pass out. No, I'm not passing out today. I'm not going to look like a crazy guy on the ground Frozen. So I tapped out and then I had three more matches after that and I won all three of those that was good. It was good. I guess I didn't want to lose like that again. But I mean that night when I Skype my girlfriend and my mom I look like I've lost every match.

25:42 But I told you I was cuz of the velcro right? Cuz I use my head a lot. So the velcro on the uniforms kind of scrapes your face and scraped my pretty good. I just remember how funny when you were telling us the story about how you know, he was just standing there and all of a sudden he's around your neck and is how I described it. Tell him how we kept in contact because I know a lot of new things have come out for us to to communicate that previously we haven't had like in basic training we could only use snail mail which was the letter writing and then we were able to occasionally use the phone and some people did use cellphones. But then when we get when you get to Kuwait tell people what communication methods for used

26:36 Well, our main line of communication was Skype and we were blessed enough that I was in a better part of the Middle East. So I was able to Skype just about every day. Don't know what Skype is. Can you tell a little bit about it scarf is it's like a video conferencing call kind of deal you over the Internet over the internet use the base internet to call home and usually can have video but I are video it always freeze up because the connection with always go out cuz of Stan sandstorms so we would end up just using the audio which is still good and I don't have to see anyone to know who I'm talking to you and I'm just happy to talk.

27:30 Well, and I enjoyed occasionally seeing you and but definitely hearing was so much better and it didn't make the time so long your nine months was a long time for me to be away from my precious son my oldest but the Skyping really helped no matter how bad the day is a Skype call.

27:56 Could make it work break or break. I will say that Skype you do you still can get miscommunication from anyone so but it did help us and

28:15 I would say that a downside or hard-sided that is the time difference and we were on a seven or eight hour difference depending on what time you know, what time of the year it was. All right, so that I mean coping with that difficult because as soon as I'm off work you're getting up or vice versa, so it's being able to find the time to do that. And since I didn't have a

28:42 Like a locked on schedule and I could be anytime of the day that I might be able to talk and then you have to worry about your schedule. So having internet.

28:56 Being able to see you so

29:07 I have to say with the this deployment 9 months is a long time but being able to talk to Justin on a regular basis was so much easier. It really wasn't as difficult hate already, you know been away for a while with the basic training and which that I have to say was probably the worst of all of them because we couldn't talk on a regular basis. They weren't allowed cell phones. They weren't really, you know able to do any kind of Skyping kind of thing in the mail, you know, it was always so slow and you even are you worried about did he get all the stuff you needed? So I have to say the Kuwait time wasn't as bad as basic training basic training that time was harder.

29:51 9 degree

29:56 Communication wise

29:58 I'm trying to think. Is there anything else can you think of?

30:04 Sure.

30:09 You know, I think Justin can tell it a little bit better both my father and husband were in the military. My father was in the Army for over 30 years and my husband was in the military for 10 years and both of them were in the Army my brother retired from the Air Force. His wife is still in the Air Force, but I think Justin maybe could tell a little bit more about the the feeling is that

30:37 Well

30:40 I always pictured being a soldier.

30:44 And it's not as much about the status of being one, but I felt there there's honor and pride that really goes with being a soldier and not all soldiers will take it that way or any branch, but they might not take it that way, but you truly

31:06 Can tell when a soldier or an Airman or marine or sailor?

31:11 Takes pride in what they do because no matter what they're wearing if it's a swimsuit or officer uniform or you see him just walking down the street you can tell that they take pride in what they do and who they are because I'm not just a soldier when I'm in uniform. I don't just play dress-up. I try to carry myself as a soldier no matter where I'm at. No matter what uniform I'm wearing it. If that means being responsible. I can be that or just always being on hand. I I go to school at Auburn University and I take my CLS my combat Lifesaver kit with me everyday to school. I take it wherever I go and it's

32:01 So I'm ready to be able to be put into action if I have to because I'm not.

32:08 If something happens, I'm not going to sit back. So I want to be ready and I mean I've always felt the need to help some people. I've always been a Helper and the military's gave me that kind of thing to lay back on to give me the strength in the teach me skills that I can use forever mean saving a life is something mean not not many people can do and I always wanted to be able to help so that that does it also was thinking about your prize that you had and opa which two little bit about that. Hope all is German for Grandpa and

32:56 That was the best dude in the world. So that's my mom's dad and really cool guy and he died when I was young he gave me my first dollar so

33:10 I think it's for recycling recycling him and he would spray he dropped hands everywhere. And then I go around with him and pick him up like I'm cycling and then he take me down in his old truck which I have now and I would go drop them off and we got back to his house. He gave me my first dollar and whenever I see that picture makes me smile and

33:40 One of the things my mom sent me while I was overseas was his picture while he was in uniform.

33:47 And there's a pride I take with that because

33:51 I think of him and I think of the most perfect person in the world.

33:56 And that's the soldier I want to be.

34:01 I just wish I could have met him when I was older. I remember having that picture of you in the driver's seat. I mean in the passenger seat and open with his Western hat kind of straw looking hat and you know that the pride of going to the recycling place, you know to to get the cans recycled and get the little money for that. And then now that you have the truck. I mean, let's see that truck is over what 40-50 almost 50 years old and how it is sold. It's pretty old was a 28 30 40 years old already and Justin's fixing it up and is going to be driving it hopefully soon. It won't look pretty yet. But at least he'll have it running. So there's a pride in that I really

34:55 I can't even describe my pride for him. I carry his dog tag in my wallet every day.

35:02 And whenever I need encouragement, I will take it out and I'll hold it and I think

35:09 I try to make decisions that he would be proud of as well as my family, but

35:18 Now he's looking down on me.

35:35 I would think so.

35:37 I guess one of those funny moments. Well as we did x-rays on one of his dog's name is Bo if he would call him Bo its talk had to be part Great Dane. He's a big boy is over a hundred pounds. And after we get them done with the the x-rays and stuff we figured out he was dehydrated. So I did some fluids and I'm subcutaneously cyst under the skin and where you do that is in the back. So I got the nap of the neck sore after we did it it created this hump and this dog turn into a camel really fast and that was funny.

36:19 That mean dog Jack. I heard a little hesitation. There are taking a breath attacked with I usually don't have a problem with dogs that all they all come up to me and you know want me to rub on them and stuff. They have no problem even the working dogs.

36:42 Even the ones I said were aggressive. They weren't like Jack Jack wanted to kill me. He had it out for me when we had to take his blood. It took five people to hold him down while I took it. So he's a very tough dog. He was there when I first got there then he went home and as I was leaving he came back so mean as dogs are reused and he's a tough healthy young dog. So they're going to use him for a while.

37:15 Do you have one that they're not supposed to be sweet, but was there one may have been sweet? I like to borrow a feeling. Is that a big old goofy big dog? And he just wanted to play and his Handler would bring him over to the clinic a lot just to hang out. I talked with the Handler a lot and the dog is just be going and when I got a couch put in at the clinic my dog took up the whole thing. I'm sitting on the floor while his dog sitting on my couch. I wouldn't know tell him to get up there and you never know then. He's going to freak out on you is probably my favorite dog.

37:54 All right. Well is is that it?

37:57 Okay.

38:04 Me

38:07 I don't honestly know I've I used to dream about becoming a general and that

38:15 I don't know if that'll ever happen but I think that'd be really cool. I'm in a toss-up right now for rotc's if I want to stay with army if I want to or if I want to go Air Force it's a hard Choice both are great branches, but they offer different things so

38:38 I do not know if I want to stay in becoming officer and complete a career as a soldier or Airman or if I want to get out in the civilian World in.

38:50 Try to live life a different way. My only fear with that is that I can't

38:56 It won't mean the same to me.

38:59 I mean cuz I say I'm a soldier I put my chest out when I say it I'm proud to say it.

39:05 And I mean

39:07 Proud to be a civilian and didn't sound the same.

39:11 I don't notice, but I know even if after I get out I'll still be a soldier by mine, but

39:23 Don't know what the future holds. I love you Justin. I love you tomorrow.