Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:25 | Coming back to civilian life, Zach Pena found his time at University of Tennessee to be a smooth transition. Coming back to civilian life can bring some hurdles but he was able to excel at his new challenges and came out for the best.
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While transitioning into Iraq from the States, Zach Pena had a lot to accustom to after he first arrived. Taking advice from some of the senior guys helped him to get a sense for the conditions they would be facing.
Zach Pena remembers some of the devastation and weapons caches filled with a huge variety of deadly items, from top of the line US TOW missiles to WWII hand grenades, that he saw in the Iraqi countryside. While patrolling the desert, anything goes and once things start to happen, your training immediately kicks in.
While at the hospital of Al-Asad Air Base, Zach Pena faced his first mortar strike. Since he was recovering, he had to think quickly in order to make it to safety. Once he returned to combat, they were doing a lot of vehicle checks and so he had a lot of interesting civilian interactions.
Zach Pena recalls his time in Iraq and feeling like he was ready to come home. He remembers coming home to a greeting from a lot of other veterans and feeling welcomed.
Zach Pena remembers growing up in a military family and experiencing 9/11 and feeling the desire to join the military.
Zach Pena tells about the type of machinery that he handled while training for combat. While transitioning to his next station, his company got sent out to the deserts of California.
Zach Pena remembers getting the call to go to Afghanistan after President Obama called for an increase in troops. While there, their duties were a little bit different but with a similar mission of securing the area.
Zach Pena remembers some of the most inventive IEDs that his platoon came across as they patrolled the Afghan desert. After one particularly hairy encounter in the desert, his platoon had to secure the area and make it back to safety.
Due to the prominence of poppy, Zach Pena and his platoon found many inventive ways that the plant was hidden. After he got a lower GI infection, Pena was almost unable to return home with his platoon, but fortunately mustered the strength to go home with his friends.
