"Anyone who tells you they are not scared is lying to you." (Video interview, 21:30)

Veasna Roeun

Veasna Roeun [detail from video] War: Afghan War, 2001- Branch: Army Unit: Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division; Connecticut Army National Guard Service Location: Bosnia; Laghman Province, Afghanistan; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia Rank: Staff Sergeant

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.