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CAMP STRIKER, Iraq (June 30, 2008) - When terrorists attacked
the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, a high school student in New
Orleans knew he needed to fight back.
"I was 16 years old when 9/11 happened, and being the
hot-blooded person that I am, I joined the Army on my 17th
birthday," said Army Spc. Jontel Watson, a combat medic with 3rd
Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. "I graduated (from high school)
early and went to basic training in 2002."
Watson, who was raised in a military family, planned to join the
Army even before the events of 9/11.
"I was going to go to college and get a degree first," he
explained. "After I finished college, I was planning to come in as
an officer, until 9/11 happened. For me, it was the final nail in
the coffin toward joining. I was going to do it right away."
Watson graduated from basic combat training at Fort Benning,
Ga., and received the Soldier of the Cycle award.
"I felt proud; I felt unstoppable," he said. "I had just gone
through what people told me would be the most difficult place for
basic, and I came out on top."
Watson faced a major decision in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina
destroyed his family's home in New Orleans.
"I literally had nothing to go back to," Watson said. "My family
was safe, though. They left the city prior to the actual hurricane,
when the mayor ordered evacuation."
Watson was stationed in South Korea at the time and was given
the option of receiving a compassionate reassignment to be closer
to his family.
"My family is proud," he said. "They refused to receive
assistance from myself, the government or anybody; but as time's
gone by, they have improved and are once again doing well."
He spent another year in South Korea before receiving orders for
reassignment to Fort Campbell, Ky. Shortly thereafter, his unit
received orders to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
"When we came on orders to deploy here, I expected the worst,
Watson said. "I was expecting some adventurous stuff."
Stories told by servicemembers who had served multiple
deployments in Iraq cultivated Watson's expectations of what lay
before him. But he found that conditions have improved.
"I haven't had to work on one American soldier during this
deployment," he said. "I have, however, worked on a couple of
gunshot wounds and stab wounds [on local citizens and Iraqi
soldiers], things I have already seen before."
Watson said being deployed to this area of Iraq gives him a
positive outlook on the future. He's decided to shoot for a college
education when he leaves the military.
"I'm looking to pursue a degree in engineering, or maybe even
journalism," he said.
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