Brad

Brad Siek Today’s Surivior project Bronia Breker  I was born in ﻿a small town in Eastern Poland. In 1939, the war began with the invasion of the German army. Poland was divided into half, the eastern side to the soviets and the western side to the Germans. I enjoyed life under the communists. In June 1941 the Germans broke the pact and started to bomb the eastern side. The Russians retreated and the Germans took over. The Germans murdered two of my three brothers. The Jewish Ghetto was then set up. The Nazis would come into our town and start to commit random killings. To hide from the Germans we had to build a cave in our house. It had a large trap door and had two pipes for air circulation. The Nazis came to our house and we had to hide in the cave. They couldn’t find us but found the air circulation pipes. They blocked the air flow and we all fainted. My aunt had known about our cave and came afterwards to see if she could find us. When I was finally revived, I found that over 1,000 Jews had been killed including everyone else in the cave. A good friend Joseph still lived I the ghetto and helped me escape. He later became my husband. We hid in a barn that belonged to Joseph’s friend. He gave me a pencil and paper and told me to write about my thoughts and feelings. He was killed by the Germans so we moved to another farm owned be Joseph’s friend. The Germans moved to his house. Because of this, we had to move. We moved to another hiding spot in a potato cellar. In July 1944 the Russians liberated our town. I returned to my town and a friend of my father’s gave me a picture of my family. We moved to Canada and had two daughters. I have enjoyed my life since the War, but wish that the rest of my family could have survived to enjoy it too. 15 questions for my cousin who was in the war in Iraq 15 questions and answers.
 * 1) What was your first impression of Iraq?
 * 2) Did you miss your family?
 * 3) What was the weather like?
 * 4) What were the children like?
 * 5) Did you like your fellow soldiers?
 * 6) Did you form any relationships with the people there?
 * 7) Do you still see any of the soldiers you were with today?
 * 8) How did it feel to be back in America?
 * 9) How has the war affected you?
 * 10) Were there any animals there?
 * 11) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was your favorite job in Iraq?
 * 12) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What were some differences between Iraq and here?
 * 13) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the food like?
 * 14) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was your daily schedule like?
 * 15) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the culture like there?


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was your first impression of Iraq?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">I was very surprised. Our base was attacked on the first night, so it was a quick wakeup call of what it would be like


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Did you miss your family?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Yes. I missed my family a lot. I thought about them a lot.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the weather like?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">It was very hot and dry during the day. And carrying all of our equipment and backpacks didn’t help. At night it was very cold. I was there when it snow for the first time in a while. That was pretty neat.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What were the children like?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">There were very nice. The really enjoyed the candy we gave them. Sometimes they would bring us some of the food from their culture.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Did you like your fellow soldiers?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">They became family to me. We all relied on each other and had each other‘s back. We always looked out for each other.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Did you form any relationships with the people there?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Yes. I especially formed relationships with the children. They were very friendly, and we even played soccer with them.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Do you still see any of the soldiers you were with today?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Yes. I see many of the soldiers today. We will meet every once in a while. I’m hoping to spend a weekend with a couple of them in a few months.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">How did it feel to be back in America?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">I was overjoyed. I was glad to see my family again. I was also glad to be out of danger. I would finally be able to completely relax.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">How has the war affected you?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">I was very fortunate, for that I’ve not had serious injuries. I get headaches, but that’s nothing compared to what could have happened to me. I have become very grateful what we have and how safe our community is.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Were there any animals there?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">There were a ridiculous amount of dogs. They were everywhere. We had one stay in our compound for a while.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was your favorite job in Iraq?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">There really wasn’t a favorite job during the war. I really enjoyed my break times.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What were some differences between Iraq and here?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">There is a lot more technology here then there is there. The electricity is not always on. There are not that many plants there, it is mostly just sand.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the food like?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">It was mostly military food which was pretty good, but we enjoyed when were able to eat some of the native food because it was different.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was your daily schedule like?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">We went on many patrols; we would work on repairing the compound and resting.


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the culture like there?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">It was very different. The men were very high in the society, and the women wore veils. They didn’t seem to have as many things as we did. We are very fortunate.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">survivor script I am KC and I was deployed to Iraq during the war on Terror.<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> I was very surprised with my first day in Iraq. Our base was attacked on the first night, so it was a quick wakeup call of what it would be like. I really missed my family. I emailed them and sent them pictures all the time. It was very hot and dry during the day. And carrying all of our equipment and backpacks didn’t help. At night it was very cold. I was there when it snow for the first time in a while. That was pretty neat. The children were very nice. They really enjoyed the candy we gave them. Sometimes they would bring us some of the food from their culture. The other soldiers became family to me. We all relied on each other and had each other‘s back. We always looked out for each other. I formed many relationships especially with the children. They were very friendly, and we even played soccer with them. I see many of the soldiers today. We will meet every once in a while. I’m hoping to spend a weekend with a couple of them in a few months. I was overjoyed to be back in America. I was glad to see my family again. I was also glad to be out of danger. I would finally be able to completely relax. I was very fortunate, for that I’ve not had serious injuries. I get headaches, but that’s nothing compared to what could have happened to me. I have become very grateful what we have and how safe our community is. There were a ridiculous amount of dogs. They were everywhere. We had one stay in our compound for a while. Iraq was a lot different than America. There is a lot more technology here then there is there. The electricity is not always on. There are not that many plants there, it is mostly just sand. The food was mostly military food which was pretty good, but we enjoyed when were able to eat some of the native food because it was different. The culture was very different. The men were very high in the society, and the women wore veils. They didn’t seem to have as many things as we did. We are very fortunate.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">This is my cousin, KC, who survived being deployed to the war on terror. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">media type="file" key="survivor project revised 2.mp3" width="240" height="20"