Interview with Joseph Millunzi, January 14, 2019

Partial Transcript: Real easy first question, why did you join the military?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi discusses his hometown in California and how it was common option to join the military for many people. He talks about attending college for two years immediately following high school, until a sports injury damaged his knee.

Keywords: Marine Corps

Partial Transcript: So when you joined the Marines, walk me through the recruiting process, what were your expectations?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi describes his time as a Marine Corps “poolee”--a Marine recruit who has signed a contract, but has yet to leave for basic training. He discusses his initial goals of being a firefighter, but ending up with a job as an aviation ordnanceman. Millunzi talks about his experiences at basic training and his of military history.

Keywords: Camp Pendleton; Fire Science; Pensacola, Florida

Partial Transcript: So where was your first duty station?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi discusses his everyday activities at his military occupational specialty (MOS) as an aviation ordnanceman. He describes his deployment to Afghanistan and remembers the rigorous schedule of working on aircrafts.

Keywords: Arizona; Kandahar, Afghanistan; The Flying Nightmares; VMA 5-12

Partial Transcript: Are there any public misperceptions that you get about your military service?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi talks about decided to medically retire from the Marine Corps after having heart surgery to to install a pacemaker. He discusses leaving the military and applying to the University of Georgia, other schools in the southeast. He also talks about majoring in business management.

Keywords: Veterans Association

Partial Transcript: First, what was it like moving to Georgia?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi talks about being a non-traditional student and learning how to be in an educational setting again. He discusses how the military has set him up for academic success, noting the sense of purpose the Marine Corps provided. He describes experiences of talking about his veteran status with students and professors.

Keywords: University of Georgia

Partial Transcript: How did you find this space?

Segment Synopsis: Millunzi describes how he became involved with the Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC). He talks about how the SVRC helped him find a job at a dining hall on campus. He discusses being president of the Student Veterans Association at UGA and finding commonalities with other veterans. He talks about his future goals of pursuing an MBA and expressed admiration for the incredible achievements student veterans are capable of.

Keywords: food services