Veasna Roeun
Roeun
Veasna
**
Afghan War, 2001-
Army
Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division; Connecticut Army National Guard
Staff Sergeant
Bosnia; Laghman Province, Afghanistan; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia
No
Veteran
"Anyone who tells you they are not scared is lying to you." (Video interview, 21:30)
Unsure of his direction in life, Veasna Roeun decided to join the Connecticut National Guard as a way to both continue his education and serve his adopted country; he had emigrated from Cambodia when he was young. Roeun eventually deployed to Afghanistan as a staff sergeant with the 29th Infantry Division, Army National Guard. Predominately based in Laghman Province in Afghanistan, Roeun and his unit conducted highly stressful missions, causing Roeun to consistently feel apprehension about the safety of his soldiers and the mission at hand. Like many people serving during conflict, Roeun suffered the loss of soldiers who had become friends, but also found joy in morale-boosting experiences with his unit. Describing his relationship with his military service as bittersweet, in his oral history interview, Roeun discusses the complexity of his feelings toward his adopted country.
Veasna Roeun [detail from video]
Twenty Years of Service: Post 9/11 Veterans
Roeun holding up rifle with bipod attached with Specialist Maggliocheti standing to his back left, both in a large tent
4/21/2006
Roeun standing next to Technical Sergeant Padieco, both in full gear, Afghanistan
2006
Roeun (standing center) posing with seven other buddies during explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Mehtar Lam, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
2006
Roeun on guard after the assassination attempt on provincial governor of Laghman Province, Afghanistan
2006
Men of 1st Squadron standing for a briefing with large mountains behind them, Afghanistan
2006
Third Squadron men staring off in the distance, one with binoculars, with American flag in forefront on military vehicle, Afghanistan
2006
Group photo of men of "Highland Raiders" - Detachment 1st Platoon, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division in front of Chinook helicopter, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan; Roeun is in second row, first on left
2006
Roeun standing at top of hill looking out, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
2006
Specialist Gaffey walking away from military vehicle with American flag flying above, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
2006
Roeun posing with group of buddies in t-shirt and shorts. Afghanistan.
2006
Roeun standing with Technical Sergeant Dacheco, and Lieutenant Kasai among other men, all in full gear
2006
Roeun (right) standing with Specialist Stephen Mondaca, Specialist Alexander, and Specialist Alex Riley in front of large boulders. Afghanistan.
2006
Roeun (fourth from left) posing with six others, all holding rifles and wearing sunglasses, on air base with Blackhawk helicopters behind them. Afghanistan.
2006
Roeun (left) resting with Specialist Alex Riley between two military vehicles under makeshift tent
2006
Roeun holding rifle with several others looking through their rucksacks, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan
2006
Jedi Knight arm patch on Roeun's uniform
2006
Unsure of what he wanted to do; wanted to travel; initially hoped to become a marine; friend shared that he could still go to school and serve with the National Guard.
Experiences at basic training; Roeun was smaller than average; seeing bigger recruits dropping out pushed him to make it through.
Description of Afghanistan and Bagram Air Force Base; the beauty of the country; impression that the base look impenetrable and secure; curious about number of military personnel on the base who actually see combat; talk about the variety of base amenities.
Internal and external stress in Afghanistan; feeling stressed about the mission; constantly concerned about the safety of people in his unit; issues in his own personal life; the priority of the mission and his soldiers while dealing with the external stress of roadside bombs and attacks.
Roeun recounting a highly difficult mission of escorting an Air Force colonel while eight car bombs were present; friend and fellow soldier who told Roeun he “felt safe out there”; that soldier and another friend of Roeun’s were killed during a mission; how the loss of those two soldiers greatly affected him.
Bittersweet feelings about the military; concerns about some Americans who thank him for his service because he is an immigrant and not white; how US presents democracy to other countries compared to how the US practices it at home.
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.67612/
DLC-AFC
2021-12-02
loc.natlib.afc2001001.67612