Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Eric Wayne Cagle Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011; Operation Joint Guardian, 1999-
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment
- Location of Service: Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Iraq; Kosovo
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/43406
Eric Cagle enlisted in the Army in 1998 at 18 and by 2004, when he was sent to Iraq, he had already done tours of duty in Serbia and Afghanistan. On a day he was supposed to be on leave-he'd lost the time to another soldier-he was on a routine patrol in a Humvee when an IED exploded, leaving him with severe head injuries. He has nothing but praise for the treatment he received from the VA, from Walter Reed to the brain injury recovery unit in Palo Alto. During his recovery, he visited his old base at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he was surprised to find that a gymnasium had been named the Eric W. Cagle Muscle Factory.
Interview / Recording
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PlayAt Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, on 9/11; personal reaction; base locked down. 00:09:44.6 - 00:11:00.0
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PlayPart of a Rapid Deployment Force; sent to Kosovo with a month's warning for peacekeeping operations; finding corpses in a tree as a result of a land mine explosion; support from his parents for his decision to join the Army. 00:12:31.2 - 00:16:30.1
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PlayShipping out to Afghanistan; equipment left before they did; briefing on Afghanistan's history; first impression of Pakistan, where they landed: heat and dirt; communicating back home by phone; brought his own laptop and used e mail; receiving packages from home. 00:21:14.2 - 00:26:31.9
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PlayIn Iraq, advising other troops on how to build defensive positions; interacting with civilians; passing out food; population not appreciative of their efforts. 00:37:03.0 - 00:38:07.6
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PlayTypical day in country; frequent patrols; looking for people laying mines; down time in gym, watching movies; living conditions reasonably comfortable; in charge of making sure trucks were running. 00:40:29.6 - 00:45:43.7
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PlaySupposed to be on leave on the day he was injured but his R&R time was given to someone else; on a routine patrol in an armored Humvee; IED exploded next to his vehicle; doesn't remember but was told he got out of truck to check on his men; they noticed he was bleeding and he passed out; first woke up in Walter Reed; couldn't move his limbs and couldn't speak, so he was afraid; went to clinic in Minnesota for therapy; retired from military; praise for VA's treatment; in Palo Alto for further treatment in brain injury recovery unit; can't drive; plans to use GI Bill to get an education; suggests VA not keep patients in hospital rooms for long stretches, offer them independent living; keeps in touch with buddies, who are in Hawaii, where the Army has named a gym after him at Schofield Barracks. 00:46:05.5 - 00:56:46.8
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PlayHow he wants his service to be remembered; doesn't regret being hurt; better him than anyone else on his team. 00:58:40.8 - 00:59:15.7
About this Item
Title
- Eric Wayne Cagle Collection
Names
- Cagle, Eric Wayne
- VA Medical Center
- Miller, Harold L.
Home State
- Arizona
Headings
- - Cagle, Eric Wayne
- - Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Operation Joint Guardian, 1999- -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Iraq War, 2003-2011
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment
- Location of Service: Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Iraq
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1998-2005
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran was wounded on 10/14/2005 when he drove up to an Iraqi national guard compound in Huwijah, northern Iraq, a roadside bomb detonated, shredding one side of his Humvee.
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Operation Joint Guardian, 1999-
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Kosovo
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-04-03; 2014-09-26)
- Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-04-03)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/43406
Cite as
- Eric Wayne Cagle Collection (AFC/2001/001/43406), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video