U.S. Air Force Island Guy Shares His War Story

Interview with a Jamaican Serving in the U.S. Air Force

YAD (Dwight) [10:07 AM]:  So are you are you an American citizen? 

 
JA_USAirforce [10:07 AM]:  No.

YAD (Dwight) [10:08 AM]:  What country are you a citizen of?

JA_USAirforce [10:08 AM]:  Jamaica.

YAD (Dwight) [10:08 AM]:  But you are in the U.S. Air Force?

JA_USAirforce [10:08 AM]:  Yes.

YAD (Dwight) [10:09 AM]:  What made you join the U.S. Air Force?

JA_USAirforce [10:09 AM]:  The need to be on my own and to be free from parental pressure.

YAD (Dwight) [10:10 AM]:  When did you start living in the United States?

JA_USAirforce [10:10 AM]:  In 2000.

YAD (Dwight) [10:11 AM]:  And did you go straight to the U.S. Air Force?

JA_USAirforce [10:12 AM]:  After a few months. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:13 AM]:  At the time did you think there would actually be a war and that you may be deployed?

JA_USAirforce [10:13 AM]:  No, not till after 9/11.

YAD (Dwight) [10:13 AM]:  And then were you worried? Were you thinking that this might be more than you bargained for?

JA_USAirforce [10:14 AM]:  Definitely.

YAD (Dwight) [10:14 AM]:  Elaborate - what were you thinking?

JA_USAirforce [10:14 AM]:  That I made the wrong decision to join, and at the wrong time. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:15 AM]:  So were you eventually deployed? And when? 

JA_USAirforce [10:15 AM]:  Yes, in February 2003. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:15 AM]:  And where were you sent?

JA_USAirforce [10:16 AM]:  I was sent to Saudi Arabia and to Iraq.

YAD (Dwight) [10:17 AM]:  And how long was your deployment?

JA_USAirforce [10:18 AM]:  It was seven months.

YAD (Dwight) [10:18 AM]:  What were your responsibilities?

JA_USAirforce [10:18 AM]:  To build and maintain air bases. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:19 AM]:  Were you ever in the line of danger?

JA_USAirforce [10:19 AM]:  Yes! 

YAD (Dwight) [10:19 AM]:  Can you elaborate?

JA_USAirforce [10:20 AM]:  Being in a place where the uniform you wear makes hated places you in a CONSTANT line of danger! Not just from the war but from the nationals as well.

YAD (Dwight) [10:22 AM]:  I see. So what were you thinking while you were there? Here it is, you are a Jamaican citizen, but you are fighting a U.S. war? Or were you devoted to rid the world of terrorism and therefore fighting for Jamaica and the rest of the world as well?

JA_USAirforce [10:24 AM]:  If I were sent there right after 9/11 then yes. I would say so. However, I am still yet to understand the purpose or the sense it made regarding where and when we were sent- since we couldn’t catch the man we went after in the beginning.

YAD (Dwight) [10:25 AM]:  So basically you disagreed with the mission?

JA_USAirforce [10:25 AM]:  As did most of us, yes.

YAD (Dwight) [10:25 AM]:  Were there other Jamaicans there as well? 

JA_USAirforce [10:26 AM]:  I met one in the U.S army. We worked a few details together. I am sure there were others, but I just never crossed paths.

YAD (Dwight) [10:27 AM]:  So needless to say you are happy you are back in the U.S. Will you be redeployed?

JA_USAirforce [10:28 AM]:  Redeployment is a hot topic and will be hot till we rid ourselves of this republican President. Or until we get our asses kicked some more.

YAD (Dwight) [10:29 AM]:  (Laugh). So you don't know if you will be redeployed?

JA_USAirforce [10:29 AM]:  You never do until you do. There will only be rumors until it happens.

YAD (Dwight) [10:30 AM]:  Are there any perks for you having served in the U.S. Air Force and not being a U.S. citizen?

JA_USAirforce [10:31 AM]:  A few, such as college money, early citizenship, respect in the civilian workforce and good physical conditioning. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:32 AM]:  So these are enormous benefits? 

JA_USAirforce [10:32 AM]:  I don’t know what you consider enormous, (laugh), but to some they may well be. For me they are just perks which I worked damn hard to get at the cost of my freedom and peace of mind.

YAD (Dwight) [10:33 AM]:  But your principal reason for joining the Air Force was not for these benefits? 

 
JA_USAirforce [10:33 AM]:  My principal reason for joining was because I was being pressured by my mother. And I had to get away. I would not have joined if I were left alone. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:34 AM]:  When does your time in the Air Force end? Or is this going to be your career?

JA_USAirforce [10:35 AM]:  It ends in sixteen months. And if I have anything to say about it, it will be the end of it! 

YAD (Dwight) [10:36 AM]:  Well I am sure President Bush and the American people and Prime Minister Tony Blair and those that support him thank you from the bottom of their hearts.  And I want to thank you for this interview.

 
YAD (Dwight) [10:38 AM]:  Before you leave, what would you tell someone, a Jamaican U.S. Permanent Resident thinking of joining the military as a way out? 

JA_USAirforce [10:45 AM]:  No I would not recommend it unless it was their only option and even then, I would ask that they review their decision. 

YAD (Dwight) [10:46 AM]:  Ok! Thanks again.