Banished Veterans - Part 1

Everything Is Stories

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.8 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At age seven, Hector Barajas crossed the Mexico border into United States as an illegal citizen. His family soon settled in Compton, California, where Hector encountered crime, gang violence, and racial division. Hector escaped the lifestyle by joining the United States Army as a non-citizen, becoming a medic for the 82nd Airborne Division. But personal problems soon led him to honorable discharge, prison, and deportation back to Mexico. In the first episode of this two-part series, Hector chronicles the humanity of being banished, and how he seeks to return to the country he once swore to protect. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Sontag Shogun. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Truth in matter was stories were everything and everything was stories.
0:07.0	Everybody told stories.
0:08.0	It was a way of seeing who they were in the world.
0:11.0	It was their understanding of themselves.
0:18.0	You know, I have a really bad memory.
0:23.6	I don't know if it's because of a, I'm a paratrooper.
0:26.6	And I had quite a bit of concussions and some other things.
0:29.6	I think some of my drug abuse also.
0:31.6	I don't remember too many things.
0:34.6	I just remembered going into the military.
0:36.6	I remember going to a hotel where they let you stay the night before and signing up.
0:43.3	My parents were happy because, you know, I was getting into trouble
0:48.3	and I wore the baggy pants and the shaved head.
0:52.3	So I went from that to wearing a green uniform and, you know,
0:58.0	having that sense of pride.
1:02.0	And I was going to start my new life away from everything.
1:04.0	I was going to have a GI Bill.
1:06.0	There was promises of citizenship.
1:10.0	I have the Humanitarian Award, Army
1:12.6	Accomendations, National Defense, a good conduct medal. The Humanitarian Award is from
1:17.4	Hurricane Fran, service ribbon for being in service, my airborne wings.
1:21.6	So I have various tattoos. I have a Compton tattoo.
	...

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