Tomasz Gondek interview by Tai Pui Lun, 2013

Interview with Tomasz Gondek, US Army 2005-2009.

Topics covered: Branch of service and duty stations; Why join; Training and first duty station; Non combat duty - medals and citations, keeping in touch with friends/family; helping casualties - memories of sights / feelings; Good luck; Food and entertainment while serving; Promotion boards; Feelings about officers/soldiers, and relationships/friendships after service; Life after service- going back to school, veterans organizations; How service effected his life.

0:00 Introduction 0:40 Branch of service and rank 0:50 Duty stations 1:30 Basic background information 1:45 Reason on joining military 2:20 The place he was living at the time 2:35 The reason for picking the branch of servicce he did 3:05 His first day in service 4:05 Feeling of training 5:06 Training experience from boot camp 6:30 Things he remembered from training 7:33 Elaborate on his training, his first unit 9:00 Memory of arriving at duty station 10:43 Did not see combat 10:59 Medals or citations, his approach to it 12:20 Ways and memory of staying in touch with his family and loved ones - and the feelings of it 14:37 Memory of seeing casualties and death 15:35 Feeling of helping casualties 16:10 Things he did for good luck 16:57 Food when serving 18:04 Entertainment while serving - travel 21:22 Memory on unusual event, promotion board 23:08 Memory on photography 24:17 Feelings of officers and fellow soldiers 25:55 Relationship or friendship after service 26:54 Thoughts on keeping a personal diary 27:40 Memory of days after reserve 28:07 Things he did after service 28:42 Time to go back to school 30:48 Veteran's organizations 31:17 GI Bill 32:00 How service and experience affected his life 33:29 Things he wanted to add to the end of the interview