Human Resource Specialist, US Army
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Robert Morris University Oral History Center Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans Project Transcript of an Oral History Interview with DANIELLE MERCED CASTELLANO Human Resource Specialist, US Army October 12, 2016 Danielle Castellano (1984-), Oral History Interview, October 12, 2016 Biographical Sketch: Danielle Merced Castellano enlisted to the United States Army (2007-2011) and served as a 42A with the 82nd Sustainment Brigade. Castellano deployed twice to Afghanistan rising to the rank of Specialist. Topics Covered in Interview: US Army 42A 82nd, 101st, Sustainment Brigade Bagram, Afghanistan 2008-2009 Casualty Report Operations Haiti- Flight Manifestation Kandahar, Afghanistan 2010-2011 Post Office Job Security College Interviewed by Josh Caskey Transcribed by Nathaniel Mallery Edited by Adam Salinas and John McCarthy [00:00:00] JC: This interview is part of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Project undertaken by the Oral History Center at Robert Morris University. I am Josh Caskey and today is 12th of October 2016. I am joined by Danielle. Danielle can you please state your full name. DC: Danielle Merced Castellano. JC: And do I have your consent to interview you today? DC: Yes. JC: Alright. So, we’re going to start off with just a little bit of background about you. Let’s start with where you born and when you were born. DC: I was in born in 1984 in Plattsburgh, New York. I moved to PA before I was 3 years old JC: Ok and you ended up joining what service? DC: The Army. JC: And what year did you join it? DC: 2007. JC: And what recruiting station or region did you go out of? Was it in New York? DC: No, at the time I was living in Peters Township, it was a Washington county recruiting station. JC: Oh, it was ok. So, you moved to Pittsburgh and then you came out of Pittsburgh ok. And what rank did you get out at as? DC: E4. JC: E4 which is a Specialist ok. So, let’s talk a little bit about your whole enlistment process and your reasoning behind it. First, did 9/11 have any impact on your decision? DC: I’m not sure. I mean it wasn’t like the reason that I joined. It wasn’t solely because of 9/11. I think like since I was younger, I really thought I was interested in being in the military. I tried to join the Army at 16. I wanted to do Air Force, but the Air Force wouldn’t take me because I had two kids and that was too many dependents or something to get into the Air Force if that makes sense. So, I went to the Army and they didn’t have any problems and I liked the MOS that they gave me which was 42 Alpha. They were able to give me a security clearance and everything like when I joined so it was I think job security because I had two kids so, you know, I wanted something and then like I really liked the college idea because without it I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. I needed the job security so that I could get divorced. I was anticipating a divorce and I also needed something that would enable me to support my kids. [00:02:03] JC: Absolutely and that’s what you’re doing now. So, when you joined how old were your kids? Probably hard to remember 2007 and so how old are they now? I guess. DC: Yeah my daughter was born in ’01 and so she would have been, what, six? And my son was born in ’04 so he was like, what, three or four? Something like that. JC: Ok excellent. And did you have any history of family service? DC: No. 12/7/2018 (My biological father was in the military I don’t know what branch & he didn’t raise me. Also, my maternal grandfather was drafted into the military at some point, he did not talk about it a lot, he died when I was a teenager, so I do not have a lot of knowledge about that period in his life. My mom however had the horrible stigma of the VA that has changed drastically since he was involved with the VA.) JC: No, no history ok. DC: I mean one of my uncles was in I think the Navy, but it wasn’t something that I was familiar with like the military was completely foreign to me. The way of life was foreign to me. When I got orders to go to the 82nd I had no clue what unit that was, so I was lost. JC: So, it wasn’t like and it wasn’t a reason why you joined. DC: Yeah, no. JC: Ok, that makes sense. So, what did…what else attracted you other than job security? Was there anything that you knew about the military that attracted you to the Army? You said you initially went to the Air Force but… DC: Yeah but not really. I think I just wanted like the experience of like it looked like a cool thing to do. I played a lot of military video games; I was an active child so when I would see the commercials, I was always thinking that I could do that so I should. They show the commercials of the obstacle courses and crawling under barbed wire and stuff it looked like so much fun. JC: Yeah and like you said job security as well. So, you and you did two tours in Afghanistan. Is that correct? DC: Yes. JC: So, we’ll…we’ll keep this specific to Afghanistan. We won’t worry about what, you know, what you knew about Iraq. As far as your understanding of the war in Afghanistan or Operation Enduring Freedom, what did you know about it? Were you familiar with it? Would you see it on the news at all? DC: I thought I was. That was not the case because I was; I think like most Americans I listened to the news and I thought they were giving me the truth and telling me what was going on. I thought they knew what was going on and they really don’t. What they portray can be so far away from the truth I don’t even know how they get away with it. So, when I got orders to go to Afghanistan, I thought I had some clue. But the news and tv shows that were available to me at the time didn’t really prepare me so to speak about what was going on over there. In boot camp they tell you that you are going to deploy, and you are going to die. So, there are no “reality checks” until you arrive boots on ground. JC: So that changed. So, you… [00:03:46] DC: Yes, that changed drastically. 12/7/2018 When I first got to Bagram air base it’s like what you would see on tv about third world countries. The “airport” portion of it, I remember getting off the plane and standing in the air hangar waiting on everyone to gather together, figure out where we are going and everything. The walls were caving in, there was evidence all-around of war. Crack in the walls, portions of like ruins in the corners and stuff. That was an eye opener. It was night when we arrived, so we went to our rooms and slept until morning. JC: Ok we’ll get into that I guess later we’ll talk about how that changed for you but it from what you thought you knew had changed once you deployed multiple times. DC: Yes. JC: Ok. Interesting. So, let’s talk a little bit about your whole experience before deploying. Just talk a little bit about maybe your training. Some people talk their basic training, but you can talk about whatever you want as far as…. DC: Basic training was really nothing compared to going in the 82nd, because then you get your own training when you join the 82nd. like that was…where I was stationed. So, at first, I was in 1st Brigade and that was only for a few months and then I got transferred to Sustainment Brigade. And they had told me that it was because I was a female, they didn’t put me in an infantry unit so I couldn’t be in an infantry unit so that’s why they moved me. However, in 1st brigade was where I really learned most of my combat related skills. First thing, when they do PT in the mornings, they literally run 8 miles a day. No basic training can prepare you for that. I went to hand to hand combat training, we did so many combats related, house clearing types of trainings and learning how to use your surroundings for cover and stuff that they really don’t teach you in basic training. A good way to put it is that basic training teaches you the army way of life. It prepares you for your career. You get up, do physical training, eat breakfast, conduct personal hygiene, get ready for your day, go to training, have dinner, clean weapons, go to bed. So, it prepares you for doing everything in unison as a group. JC: So, you were with 1st and then you went to Sustainment Brigade, but it all fell under the 82nd. DC: Yes. JC: What were, what was your feelings about being with such a storied, iconic unit? DC: Well I didn’t really know they existed at first.