Adam Flechsig and Natalia Flechsig

00:01 My name is Adam. Flechsig. I am 35 today's date is June 21st, 2019 located in Marina, California, and I am being interviewed by Natalia.

00:15 I'm Natalia flechsig age 38 is June 21st, 2019. We're in Marina, California, and I'm interviewing my husband Adam flechsig.

00:28 So Adam tell me why did you join the military and specifically the army

00:34 I joined the military specifically.

00:38 Because I guess my grandfather.

00:42 Ted and Grandpa Jack we're both in so there was that connection. There was a connection with family already having the experience and then maybe you wanting to chase that experience and then also mainly

00:59 Doing something different than everybody else at the current time when I was living in Santa Cruz and just getting away from the norm of Santa Cruz life and just doing something on my own to test myself test my my limits. Are you encouraged by 9/11?

01:20 Not really because

01:23 I enlisted in 2008. So 911 was obviously 2001 there were.

01:29 Cuz there were times you can before

01:32 911 that at the end of high school in the 99 and 2000 when the Marine Recruiters overcome. I kind of you know get the Marine sticker by the buy into that, you know the propaganda and they all be cool to be a marine someday, but obviously that didn't happen but 911 didn't fully spark me to join cuz if it did I would have instantly within a year to gone but I waited but seven years to get into the fight so it had a little bit of play but mainly in the end it was

02:05 It's time to do this car was ever you like every two from 9 from 99 to 2008. Probably every two to three years. I kind of have the itch and then I was finally like okay, I got to go scratch the itch and you decided to join the Infantry. And because I thought that was the only job and so how did your friends and family respond to that and especially being from Santa Cruz city was totally shocked. I think all of my best friends Jason Jeremy Thomas, everybody was selfish. Nobody wanted to lose me. Nobody wanted me to leave in specially you join the Army and then won the Army and then to the Infantry because those are lemon trees pretty much one of the winner by Lakeside of the dangerous job that you can do so friends did not want me to go sad sad not you-know-what crying with her but sad and then y'all be so my parents like my dad.

03:05 I don't know if Dad ever told you that he offered.

03:09 He would fly me anywhere in the world to jump out of an airplane to do anything crazy that I wanted to do versus going to into the army. And then my mom knows my mom's my mom's she was shocked. So what was your basic training like?

03:29 It was hot and then it was cold for a while cuz I was Fort Benning Georgia home in the Infantry. Yeah, it was it was an eye-opener cuz I got there first. I forgot they're thinking I'm going to I'm going to Georgia in this fall and I never been to the South so it's just the south is always warm, which I found out two months later that it's cold as heck in Georgia. So there was one combating getting used to heat humidity and being put in a very strenuous place and then also then fast forward the month later to being still stressed out in high Tempo in the freezing cold, but all in all it was

04:11 It was a great experience.

04:13 I met I'm at Dan phone over there. One of my good friends that you know, I still keep in touch with and we went to the Old Guard together with

04:24 But it was it was a shock physically. I was pretty much ready for it for the most part. I was ready for it. But when you're getting smoked for the first time, you don't know what's going on. So I would I would close my eyes during flutter kicks and go to my happy place of like looking at Santa Cruz from like third the Third Avenue Cliffs just relaxing and then trying to relax my body while I have for the next 3 hours. I was getting my ass handed to me. So being 25 helps.

04:59 Having the older age

05:03 Mimi's

05:05 Keep my mouth shut longer and play the game more and not try to Buddy Buddy up with anybody else or the drill sergeants so that I could just sit back and Survey the scene during red phase and try to fly under the radar as long as possible so that I didn't have a miserable time because it already was miserable, and I don't want to make it anymore, but you know how it goes in the beginning. It's just Mass punishment, so it didn't know Matt no matter how hard I tried to fly under the radar. We still got messed up because of one other person and so basic training you went into the Old Guard. Can you tell us about the Old Guard and in your experience there from from basic Dan Bono, and I went to the Old Guard Maybe

05:55 Big six other guys

05:58 Yeah, 6 my my battle buddy know if I ever told you my battle buddy frisbee was he was the old guard as well to ever mention that to you as cool. Dude. What is the Old Guard is 3rd us Infantry Regiment the Old Guard. It's the Army's oldest active Infantry Regiment the dates back to the

06:26 Mexican-American War

06:28 It's it is the how is the saying how the guys dad you are the face of the army to the nation in the world is everything you do there. You're either in Arlington National Cemetery doing all the dignified burials of active-duty or retired soldiers and then any retirement ceremonies of Department of army all the way in 20 year old DEA ceremonies all the way up to four star generals getting retired. And then there's many other facets of it of wreck semi wreath-laying Missions at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier arrival Missions at the Pentagon or the white house and then many other specialty platoons two men on Soldier Continental Color Guard.

07:18 The drill team and

07:22 If it is on but bottom line you are there to strive for Perfection at all levels from your basic wear and appearance of the uniform to how you act tell you march to how whether you carry a casket shoot a rifle for the 21-gun salute or you're in the escort marching people to an element that you're mean. Your main focus is to leave a lasting very humbling and not homely but a very the highest impression on that family of that the Army respects their their loved one for their service and when is you doing as a

08:12 I was a initially I was a firing party in a firing party on the firing line during the 21-gun salute and then as I made Rank and experience, I became a firing party commander and we did anything from standard honors funerals to full honor funerals in Arlington National Cemetery funerals are retirement ceremonies that stand out to

08:41 Funerals

08:46 I never did any like hi. I did I did I lie buried some.

08:52 Who was it that there was a Senator or

08:57 The judge I don't remember that one was whatever. It was. Nothing crazy. Just a lot of people a lot of brass but not the ones I remember the most for the active-duty guys over Ki in active duty because

09:10 Most of time all the funerals you did or old retired guys, but you know, it's their time to die. Yes. It's sad you're there doing that so you can remove yourself. But when I was a kid that was kind of there like five of them that I did were you you take everyone seriously, but this one you can kind of relate more to because you could put yourself in that situation because of the age bracket and a c-note the we're both in the same War at that time. The one that stands out the most to me you actually was he was probably retired world war or Korean vet and only one person showed up to the funeral and this woman.

09:54 And it was it was we we are tucked away in the corner of A and C like over by where that you would Jima memorial was in that big clock tower that will give him the Dutch Clock Tower so tucked in this light tight like Little Valley area and it was quiet and there was like no foot traffic several some cemeteries was foot traffic. This place was already just off on its own and then this woman was the only one that was there and

10:23 As the firing party, we don't we cannot leave until the family members stand up and make movement towards their vehicle. And after she was given the flag and Arlington lady talked to her. She sat there and cried for like 10 to 15 minutes and we have to stand there. I like walks out in like yeah, it's sad but it's just it was just it was raw I was on and it was really it was just tough. It was tough cuz you can't do anything to help that individual yet said that somebody died, but just sitting there and watching somebody cry for like 10-15 minutes like that was that was pretty hard cuz nobody else is there besides that woman and and Arlington lady who always has to be present but we did General McChrystal is retirement, which was probably one of the worst train UPS train up. So I say rehearsals for 5 4 days and then the retirement ceremony on that Friday and it was the dog day of sun.

11:23 In DC and news 108 degrees without 306 without the heat index and so it was roasting and out of like 1,500 people.

11:36 In the regiment cuz it was full regiment for this cuz there's a high of money for start. Yeah, I like 15 people. I think 35 to 40 fell out meaning they couldn't survive being on the marks for the four hours in the heat. But luckily Bravo Company. We didn't have any fallout's so we are the champions of that one. But yeah, that was a rough one that was hot and we are as bad and they all invited us for beers at his place around Fort McNair after and you'll know it's a crapshoot and then it can happen so we didn't go there after cuz he had a keg and so after the Old Guard we PCS to Fort Lewis McChord and you deploy from there.

12:24 Sorry, can I ask what PCS is permanent change of station that when you move to a new location to change the station from your units, are you deployed talk about where you went? So we made the choice for me to re-enlist what even we weren't his very last minute.

12:55 That is reenlisted. I had decided to go in June so that change things and then you may listen screwed all go. So from DC. We went to Luis Yanez specifically re-enlisted for them because I knew they were going to have a deployment and I could get on it. So we made it just in time to Lewis. I reported October 11th, and I deployed I deployed December 11th actually two months on it. So,

13:29 Initially, it was just hitting the ground fast when I got the Louis. That's what I meant Richards Chris Richards soon as I hit the ground and we have only four range is left of just zeroing and just Katie fire two or three rounds like it was I was I came in on the back end of being an attack in sensuous attachment, even though it was actually a sign of that unit cuz I didn't do any of the train that but in doing the team liar fires qualifiers company platoon NTC like massive Light Brigade movements and stuff. So, yeah, I had to get in where I fit in real quick, but I think

14:21 Once again, my age helped out and being an E-5 Sergeant was was also beneficial for me and Chris took me under his wing pretty. Well. I just wanted to look like with a shaved head like total light.

14:37 He scared me at first for that way cuz he does rain to get his ranger. Scroll shave head. Big Burly dude ain't say a lot of first to me. You have an hour like super glue him very very good friends. So he which was good cuz it made me.

15:00 Stay straight and narrow not get too friendly out the gate with everybody once again be a fly-on-the-wall keep my head low. I got my team and then you know figured out who might my Jose were to get ready for deployment in that short amount 2 months round and say goodbye to you and we went to

15:23 RC South

15:26 Zabul Afghanistan, we were stationed at fob Wolverine and we worked out of fob Wolverine with our main Hub. And then the other fobs that we would bounce around 2 or father patchy fog lagman, Sweeney.

15:44 And I can't remember the thought I was out.

15:49 Route chicken or all the guys I can try that one. But yet so we are basically in the Southeastern portion of Afghanistan 1 major terrain feature away from the Pakistani border who went over the dog pass. You would go to Bob Sweeney from fob. Sweeney is probably about

16:14 50 klicks to the Pakistani border and that's what our mission was is there are there are there was a northern Supply route and a Southern Supply Route over the dog pass that the Taliban was using to smuggle in hme materials in into this a few of the valley was but they're ones their supplier their Supply Route so our job was to find them or have them find us and get rid of all the the potential IED making materials ever coming into the country to blow fellow soldiers up were NATO members up and how long

17:00 10 months

17:02 The 10 months. Yeah. So when you left I was pregnant and you were able to come back take your R&R about halfway through and you got two weeks off and you messed Jack's Birth by 5, but everything work out and you were able to come home for those two weeks and then you had to go back. Yes. So you left me home a newborn newborn for the next 5 months. How is that?

17:38 It was weird cuz we're the first cuz the first six months I had to walk around.

17:44 And just live day today and

17:47 Live to come home to see my newborn child in you. So that was that was weird. And then probably it was even worse obviously after R&R because

18:03 I delivered two week old son and you and go back into country and you know survive for five more months and is always one of the things like it's like is the next every step. I took Mike. Am I going to step on an ID or like these are written Hazard to vehicle going to be a blown up today? Am I going to not come home in like be able to

18:25 Continue to be a father continue to be a husband. That was really that was rough.

18:32 Did you almost feel like like maybe R&R wasn't worth it.

18:42 If you ever scared while you were deployed.

18:47 Oh, yeah, everybody is.

18:50 Yeah, you're scared all the time.

18:53 Cuz even going back to buy don't know.

18:57 Sing Jack and seeing you and then also like when he was home on our early everybody wants to see you. So besides is having a new child and like your parents came up. My parents came up and I got to go to baseball game with my dad. I got to be with Jack on Father's Day like so yeah. Yeah, you're scared of shit.

19:18 And now I was scared of shit and then that the dots.

19:23 The nature of

19:26 Of being the Infantry of being in the army of like going on a deployment like you though the cliche whole saying like, you know, if you're not scared are you know, you're taking place in your head. You need to be scared like you doing you scared because it keeps you attentive to what the fuck is going on on a daily basis on when you're running Mission so that you don't get complacent like yeah, you do get complacent like she got complacent sometimes but being scared. Yeah. Yeah. I was ya like you

20:02 Yeah, it was scared ya scared. So would you to play again? I got my one if you fun but no one like

20:17 Like yeah, like I don't want to like we have like our boys are growing up. Like I don't want to miss out on that like

20:24 Miguel

20:28 But yeah, you do it it's it's always like the the camaraderie that comes from deployment the the actions that you do and everything like yeah, that stuff's fun. But I wouldn't I wouldn't give it up for my family now cuz I don't want to like

20:46 I only go die like chasing another deployment and then I don't get to watch you know our kids.

20:54 No, graduate grade school now, you know, so I wouldn't I wouldn't I wouldn't do it again. I wouldn't do you think the climate changed you coming home? I don't think so, but I think you well.

21:12 I think maybe short on patience. Yeah. Yeah, cuz yeah, I'm short on patience now.

21:24 I think it was that way before that. I think I wouldn't put it to that I think.

21:32 I guess maybe it said I find combination of both.

21:36 That so tell us about your experience as a drill sergeant. How did that how did I happen if I stayed active duty?

21:44 I would have I still would have volunteered to be a drill sergeant on active duty. So now I'm a drill sergeant in the reserves. And so when we got off active duty and I made the choice to go to psyops First and that first.

22:00 Year of psyops. That was not my yeah being a drill sergeant was.

22:16 The choice was something I I I wanted to do I had to cuz

22:23 I am always enjoyed my soldiers. I always liked my Jose. I always enjoyed, you know bestowing my knowledge on them. So they could continue to take the things that I was given from my squad leaders and team leaders to give that which I gave to them so they can continue it on. So when you be become drill sergeant or you're just spreading the wealth to a shit ton more the soldiers, so it was an easy option to switch over from psyops to being drill sergeant and it's fun, being a drill sergeant on the trailer at home. So what's your favorite part of being in the army?

23:10 The army

23:15 The free trial

23:18 Yom Kippur Freetown my favorite part about being in the Army is

23:25 It it sounds selfish is to do something that nobody else that is only a small amount of people sign up to do because we are an all-volunteer army now, so I'm not to like stick my nose up in the air to anybody else like my best friend, but he had to say that like, yeah, I

23:50 I made the choice to be no test myself people test themselves in many different ways. But I guess for me like this was my ultimate test and I just I think that's what I enjoy about it and just being

24:08 A little bit everybody's different but just I don't know. I don't know how

24:14 Just while you're giving yourself to something bigger than just yourself as well. But I think a lot of people don't really look at it. Like I didn't look it at it when I initially went in that I'm giving myself up doing something bigger than myself. I'm just going to do something I want to do but like that's I think a lot of people on the outside of you that way but when you're the one just going for you, I like like you chose to me know.

24:43 Become a lawyer wall that's bigger than than yourself to like you're going out there serving the public and now it so this is just it's on a grand scale. But I don't I don't know I didn't I didn't I did not feel that way and nobody really does that's in the military. It's an incredibly Noble thing but it's also incredibly selfish because you are saying yeah, I'm giving up my freedom for something. I really want to do your favorite thing about being a drill sergeant.

25:34 Being able

25:38 Being able to just teach.

25:41 A civilian

25:43 And how to become a sold how to become a soldier showing them bring somebody in that doesn't know.

25:50 Is know how to pack a rucksack doesn't know how to fold. Their socks doesn't know how to put corners on their bed doesn't know how to clean a weapon doesn't know how to hold a weapon hold the weapon doesn't know how to ride horses and how to power their feet is not at either Boots doesn't know how to do battle drill 1 outfit doesn't know how to take care of Celeste like all that stuff truly like it just yet somebody that isn't that is greenish. It doesn't know anything and you

26:21 Get some mold them into a soldier that will hopefully take something from you.

26:29 And then just a little bit cuz they're going to they're going to get more from when they go from a drill sergeant to their unit.

26:37 And just laying that laying down that solid base for a civilian to become a soldier cuz I'm not I'm not saying like

26:47 Something I teach a Joe a Joe and basic they're going to remember for the the remainder of like that certain way cuz I don't rush it with my girls. I know their names. I barely remember Pataki and then I don't even know the warden was the other one. He was a soap talking more and that's all I really remember. I remember they yelled at me a lot. That's like you too, but you don't remember like the certain things cuz you're going to get that more from your unit. As you progress is a soldered because you're drinking from a fire hose for those LOL infantry Oso it was so you're just trying to use taking it all in but I that's yet just taking some some boy that doesn't know shit and just showing him the way and

27:38 Hoping they don't Roy Lee fuk up cuz then I need to get the fuck up some more of that kind of fun, but it's a children to join the military.

27:53 Our children

27:57 Yeah. Yeah, why not if they want to do it like I'm not going to want to do it do it. I understand the risks.

28:08 No, I just can't join the airforce.

28:12 Do they think they are forcing go fly a plane. Will you join the Airforce? You're working on a plane? Cuz he didn't go to college the song of the Advent now that if the boys want to do it by all means go ahead. So have you made some lifelong friends in army, they still keep in touch with

28:32 Yeah, Chris Richards who I guess I've made lifelong friends, but

28:42 Yeah there life on friends. But we we run it. We never really stays in contact much for being this massive digital age and social media like a lot of his don't have social media. We have each other's phone numbers, but nobody really liked it. I probably would talk to Dan Bono live and

29:04 Yeah, exactly, but you got together when it be there is there's that there's that that Bond that's deep that runs through me and probably

29:17 All the Mennonites from the platoon and other like Chris Malone Chris Richards. Damn Bono all those guys get back together with him at any time in not miss a beat like yeah, that's so there are a lot of lifelong bonds. You know with those guys that you you can't really get anywhere.

29:42 What about friends that you've lost?

29:45 Either

29:46 Infantry or unfortunately veteran suicide

29:57 Velazquez unemployment

30:01 Los Andreas Andres Perez who died in 2004 Townsend he passed away a young age 19 and then Nelson Nina bedoy. They also passed away with him.

30:22 Yeah, and then unfortunately.

30:27 Those deaths the other there are there rough there hard there. What was Unfortunately they can happen when you're deployed in an infantry on Infantry deployment. Like that's what everybody knows any other the weird ones are rough ones are all the guys that have killed themselves since we've been back feeling with like tile with his substance abuse. We got back and then just kill himself like a month ago.

30:57 Or even there there were some other guys that were not in the platoon but in the company that passed away 2 by killing themselves.

31:07 I don't I don't yet. That's still one of those things. They're trying to figure out right now for all US veterans and mental health.

31:18 Yeah, it's it's a shame that it continues to happen all the time, but

31:25 I guess he did that any.

31:28 That's where we do have to do more checking up on each other. Which would I don't do and other guys don't do cuz when you get out

31:37 Of the service Sushi when you're younger and you got a service in the only know that and then you're trying to re-acclimate back to the civilian life is a 2223 year old you're still not that old and I got in at 25.

31:52 Like I already did all that crazy shit me I get out 23, like you said a lot of years of wildness in front of you and if

32:00 You got all this mental Trauma from deployment and like like

32:05 Losing losing you're losing your first friend and then come back and you know come back to the States and your listen to people bitch and moan about certain things. And then you've you've been on a deployment where you seem more grave it go down then they have in their entire life. No small amount of time. They've been on the earth that you might turn to some vices that aren't going to do all for you overtime and spiral into a hole under stand about military life.

32:42 Anybody can do it.

32:45 Anybody can do it at any time in their life. Oh what 42 is the cut off so you can do 2:43, but you can do it at any time in your life, but it's

33:03 It's not all a bunch of.

33:07 Right-wing gun-toting conservative is out there. It's probably the biggest group of like the most even playing field of you know, whatever political affiliation you have. So everybody you can take people from off all the corners of the United States with their backgrounds. Our beliefs are religions and you can put them together and you can come together as a whole and cuz you all are working for one common goal. So it's not this place where every single person that wears uniform is this, you know bad.

33:46 That's all that's out there just doing the will of creating death and blowing stuff up. Like no people we're all individuals in our fingers and that's what makes the Army a good Institute in the institution like

34:05 Army needs all different kinds of people to make it where it's what makes it so great.

34:15 She doing it if you want to do it you do it I think any everybody everybody. Everybody should have some obligation to it.

34:23 Why not?

34:25 In my Gmail, I guess that everybody looks at everybody looks at the military. Like I did it's like the movies everything all it is is shooting and blowing stuff up on the others, you know, their civil Affairs. There's admin there's water there's still water treatment guy out there like their shit like that you can do so you just find a niche need to and you know, it gives you a little bit of

34:53 Just perspective perspective and being outside your comfort zone for little while and then you can just carry back home with your life. That's what we're doing. But we just made the choice to do it.

35:07 I just want to thank you for sharing these stories with me and I really appreciate it. I love you. I love you, too.