Interview with Joshua Dillard, November 12, 2019

Partial Transcript: You go ahead and introduce your name, branch of service, period of service, and your rank.

Segment Synopsis: Dillard states that he is in the Army Reserves, mentioning that he has served since 2016 and was rank E4 before ROTC. He describes his reasons for joining the military and his experience in JROTC in high school. Dillard talks about going to Basic Training at Fort Jackson. He also discusses injuring his knee and going on medical leave.

Keywords: Delta Company; Tuskegee, Alabama; danger; drill sergeants; gender; gun safety; relationships; self-discipline

Partial Transcript: So what MOS? What was your job title when you got out of basic?

Segment Synopsis: Dillard describes becoming a 42 Alpha Human Resource Specialist after Basic Training. He discusses staying at Fort Jackson to complete AIT, mentioning how he enjoyed the increased freedom during the 7-week program. After AIT, he talks about attending TRADOC where he went to postal school.

Keywords: friendship; general battalion; marines; noncommissioned officer (NCO); platoon

Partial Transcript: Where did you go from there? Did you go to your first unit, or..?

Segment Synopsis: Dillard talks about joining the 461 Human Resource Company in Decatur, Georgia. He discusses the difference between the Reserves and TRADOC/active duty. He describes how the goal of the unit is to be deployable within 30-60 days which results in heavy readiness training. He also describes the difficulty of being a college student and Reserve soldier due to the monthly drills and annual training. He mentions that he will not deploy with his platoon because he contracted as a Cadet which makes his nondeployable.

Keywords: Fort Benning; education; guns; inventory; physical training; vehicle maintenance; weapons training

Partial Transcript: What brought you from basic training to University of Georgia?

Segment Synopsis: Dillard describes how he always wanted to commission as an officer and explains his path to becoming an officer. He discusses the difference between Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and his previous military experience. He describes how ROTC at Georgia Gwinnett College is a satellite of ROTC at UGA, but he says the distance results in poor communication. He talks about transferring to the University of Georgia (UGA) because of its political science department.

Keywords: cadets; education; law school; leadership; student

Partial Transcript: What is it like interacting with not just ROTC Cadets but students...

Segment Synopsis: Dillard describes feeling isolated from other university students due to their lack of maturity. He states that his experience in Basic Training made him more emotionally mature and gave him real world experience compared to other students. He discusses his friend and mentor from JROTC who enlisted and deployed to Syria where he died in a vehicle rollover. Dillard describes how being in the military means that he is affected by international and national politics.

Keywords: civilian life; danger; death; education; ignorance

Partial Transcript: So, what's your goals? Obviously you want to commission.

Segment Synopsis: Dillard describes how he is required to serve eight years in the army reserves where he wants to be in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG). After college, he states that he will join a regular branch of the reserves before attending law school where he hopes to be accepted into JAG and then go to JAG School. He says that service members should always build relationships with the people they serve with. He also urges non-veterans to understand the true cost of military service and support veterans.

Keywords: Adjutant General; Guarenteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD); Rules of Engagement (ROE); Standard Operating Procedures (SOP); The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG Corps); engineer; military justice; military laws; military lawyers