"At that moment, it didn’t quite dawn on me what I had just done. I didn’t think 'you just jumped into the battalion that’s going to be the first wave from the 82nd Airborne going into Afghanistan.'" (Video interview, 29:02)

Joachin Jefferson Marchand

Joachin Marchand at time of interview War: Afghan War, 2001-; Iraq War, 2003-2011 Branch: Army; Army Unit: Alpha Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division Service Location: Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Germany; Madrid, Spain; Ireland; Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Turkmenistan; Afghanistan; also: Iraq Rank: E-5

Joachin Marchand took his oath of enlistment on September 11, 2001, moments before the world learned about the terrorist attacks that occurred that morning. Having told his recruiter that he wanted to do “the toughest thing you’ve got” he wound up in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne a matter of months after enlisting. A few months after an eventful deployment to Afghanistan in which he experienced firefights, violent local politics, a leopard encounter, and a shot-down helicopter, his unit was deployed to Iraq. There he and his comrades found themselves embroiled in heavy firefights in Fallujah in late 2003 and early 2004 as that city contended with an increasingly violent insurgency. After guarding polling stations during his third deployment in three years, Marchand was relieved to leave the military and begin the emotional healing process from his experiences. Since leaving the Army, he has attained a master’s degree in public administration, served as a city councilman, and become active in advocating for social causes.