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Elliot Ackerman at time of interview

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011; Afghan War, 2001-
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion
  • Location of Service: Iraq; Kunar Province, Afghanistan; Herat Province, Afghanistan; Paktika Province, Afghanistan; Farah Province, Afghanistan
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/108527

View full service history

"But then I remember September 11th happened, and everybody sort of knew--we'd all been put on notice that things were going on--and suddenly the potential that you would be seeing direct combat increased exponentially." (Video interview, 11:15)

Captain Elliot Ackerman remembers being a typical laidback "California kid" as a child, but by the time he entered college he was determined to become a Marine and serve in special operations. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 2003, his classmates lamented that they had "missed the war" in Iraq, but by the time they finished training, a virulent insurgency had developed there, and Ackerman found himself leading an infantry platoon in combat six weeks after graduation. He later served as one of the early members of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as a Team Leader, and deployed to Afghanistan in this role in 2008. After leaving the Marine Corps, he also served in the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming a successful author, and he has published several novels related to the experience of war.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Elliot Leedom Ackerman Collection

Names

  • Library of Congress
  • Veterans History Project
  • Huber, Andrew
  • Ackerman, Elliot Leedom

Home State

  • Washington (D.C.)

Headings

  • -  Ackerman, Elliot Leedom
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.
  • -  Afghan War, 2001- -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion
    • Location of Service: Iraq
    • Dates of Service: 2003-2011
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a rifle platoon command, Marine Special Operations team leader, and paramilitary case officer.
  • Afghan War, 2001-

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Location of Service: Kunar Province, Afghanistan; Herat Province, Afghanistan; Paktika Province, Afghanistan; Farah Province, Afghanistan
    • Highest Rank: Captain
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: Digital File [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2017-09-13; 2017)
  • Video: Flash Drive [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2017-09-13; 2017-10-13)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2007-2015)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004-11)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2017-09-13)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/108527

Cite as

  • Elliot Leedom Ackerman Collection (AFC/2001/001/108527), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Library Of Congress, Veterans History Project, Andrew Huber, and Elliot Leedom Ackerman. Elliot Leedom Ackerman Collection. 2003. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108527/.

APA citation style:

Library Of Congress, Veterans History Project, Huber, A. & Ackerman, E. L. (2003) Elliot Leedom Ackerman Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108527/.

MLA citation style:

Library Of Congress, et al. Elliot Leedom Ackerman Collection. 2003. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108527/>.