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The color of my skin once again was an issue…

 

Learn more about PTSD from Jeffrey Jones (US Army, 1989-1994) and other Veterans who’ve been there: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/AboutFace

Transcript

You know, my experiences in the military

as far as dealing with racism
was when I first was deployed

to Southwest Asia, Camp
Doha, Kuwait, it was myself

and another black soldier, E-6.

And we went to the unit and
when we got to the unit,

they ran out and they
said, "Well, welcome.

We're glad you're here.

We've been waiting on our
generator mechanics.".

And they didn't ask us what our job was.

They told us we were generator mechanics.

And, you know, in hindsight,
I'm like, you know,

"Well, why would you assume

that we're generator mechanics?".

We were the people that
were going to be running

the telecommunications equipment,

one of the most important jobs there.

That's the job we actually came to do.

And from the time I got
there into the time I left,

it was the thing that reoccurred
when I was growing up.

The color of my skin
once again was an issue,

because let me tell you,
if I was a white soldier

and did what I did when I
was at Task Force Victory,

I probably would've got a Bronze Star.

If I was a white soldier.

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