Mike Gravel and Joe Lauria Interview: A Political Odyssey

On Thursday, August 14th, Think Youth was honored to have Fmr. Senator Mike Gravel and journalist Joe Lauria on the podcast to discuss their book, “A Political Odyssey, The Rise of American Militarism and One Man’s Fight to Stop It.”

Co-hosted by Johnny Camacho, Elizabeth Cable, Jeff Pritchard, Mike Rushmore, and Dan Solis.

Special thanks to Seven Stories Press.

Episode 26 | [Download MP3]

Mike Gravel and Joe Lauria to join Think Youth for an interview.

Mark your calendars! Think Youth will be conducting what promises to be an exciting interview with Former United States Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate, Mike Gravel. Also joining us will be renowned investigative journalist, Joe Lauria.

Senator Gravel and Mr. Lauria will be discussing their book, “A Political Odyssey, The Rise of American Militarism and One Man’s Fight to Stop It,” which chronicles Senator Gravel’s life and career.

The interview will be published on Think Youth, both as an audio podcast and a written transcript, on Friday, August 15.

Al Gore Visits My School *updated*

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore came and spoke to my school today, and it was a very unique experience. Most of the talk was a Q&A with students asking questions and Mr. Gore giving long winded responses. Here are a few highlights from what he said. Read more

Fri. December 7th Live Podcast: Mike Connery Interview

We interview Mike Connery of FutureMajority.com as he discusses his new book, “Youth to Power” about progressive youth politics.

Co-hosted by Dan Solis and Mike Rushmore.

[Download MP3]

Fri. October 19th Live Podcast: U.S. Senate Candidate Andrew Rice

Andrew Rice, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State Senator, and now a candidate for the United States Senate, Andrew Rice is a true fighter for progressive values. He is interviewed on a wide variety of topics from the War in Iraq, to same-sex marriage.

Co-hosted by Dan Solis, Jordan Stearns, Johnny Camacho, and Henry Wincen.

[Download MP3]

Wed. October 10th Live Podcast

Frank Rich, NY Times Columnist and author of “The Greatest Story Ever Sold”. Co-hosted by Jeff Pritchard, Dan Solis, and Henry Wincen of 10 Minute Blitz fame.

[Download MP3]

The Sal Mohamed Interview Redux

Sal Mohamed on the campaign trail, solo. As you can see, he need a lot of help. So visit SalMohamedForPresident.org

Sal Mohamed told us about his plan for a “Timeshare Presidency”. That’s right! Billary Goreobama Bloombel for President!

Co-hosted by Dan Solis, Johnny Camacho, and Jeff Pritchard.

[DOWNLOAD MP3]

Wed. August 8th Live Podcast, Max Blumenthal Interview

From Wednesday August 8th 2007. Hosted by politically progressive teens, Dan Solis, Johnny Camacho, Theo van der Deer, Jeff Pritchard, Jordan Stearns, and KoKo Chassid.

We discussed, Rupert and Hillary: The Love Story, Money Talks: Where do the candidates get it from, and does it matter?, Does Obama Want to Invade Pakistan? and the AFL-CIO debate.

We also interviewed Max Blumenthal. Visit Max at his website, MaxBlumenthal.com

[Download MP3]

Max Blumenthal on the Think Youth Live Podcast Next Wednesday.

Max Blumenthal will be interviewed on the Think Youth Live Podcast next Wednesday August 8th at 5pm pacific, (8pm eastern.) You can listen in live here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ThinkYouth, or if you want to call in and ask a question, the number is (646) 478-4931.
Read more

It Was All Under the American Flag.

A True Account of a Vietnam Veteran and His Life.

“To My Grandmother With Love, Joe.”

When 19 year old Joseph Garcia decided to join the U.S. Navy he felt it would perhaps change his life for the better. He felt down and out of luck and in 1968 he said Vietnam “was the talk of the town” in East L.A. “It was all about who’s better, bigger, stronger, and the big one, smarter.” he said after explaining his reasoning for enlisting.
Early Life and Big Decisions

Born on January 27, 1950 in Hanford, California Joseph Garcia was “a good little boy” as described by his mother Alice Serrano. But she also said he was “muy travieso,” a Spanish term used to describe a very mischievous kid. His family moved in 1960 and he grew up in City Terrace, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California.

At the age of 15-16 he joined the local ‘Pomeroy Boys’ gang where he first got involved with drugs and crime. He was a “drop-out of [high] school…” and times were getting worse. The young troublemaker now felt that he needed to escape immediately. His personal life was getting to him. When asked why he made the final decision to enlist he said, “No money, no job, I hated my mom, didn’t have a dad, no clothes, shoes, teeth were rotting […] etc. etc.” Vietnam was a good way out. It was a way to stay out of jail.

It was February of 1968 and all of Joe’s friends were getting drafted to serve in the already unpopular Vietnam War. It was his time to decide to enlist. But this decision did not involve the input of his mother. On August 22, 1968 Alice was surprised to hear from her son that he was going to enlist and fight in Vietnam. This surprise made her cry. She felt that after supporting him as much as she could for so long she knew it was time to let go. She also knew Vietnam was a good way to keep him off the streets and out of jail.

His friend, known as Big John, drove him down to a Los Angeles Naval recruiting center on the same day. The original recruitment plan consisted of him and some of the Pomeroy Boys enlisting with him. But this buddy plan never came through and it turned out to be a one person plan. He stayed at the recruitment center from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fateful day’s events included mostly taking a test. Approximately 2 to 3 weeks later he found out that he was being accepted to serve in a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion. After feeling that he would never be anybody or amount to anything he said, “I was excited about even being accepted.” He went back to the Los Angeles induction center where he had a 6 hour physical and was immediately sent to Naval Station San Diego for training.

“I was excited about even being accepted.”

Naval Station San Diego is the largest naval base on the west coast of the United States. The 2 hour drive from Los Angeles to San Diego was the beginning of Joe’s life changing experience. There he spent 10 weeks in boot camp and survival training. After training he was able to go on leave so he visited his beloved grandmother and grandfather. After the 30 day break it was time for him to go to Vietnam. The date was sometime in June of 1969. His mother Alice and Uncle Felix drove him down to Edwards Air Force Base located on the borders of Kern and Los Angeles Counties. But Joseph Garcia and many others were just barely heading to Vietnam and he himself would not return until about two years later.

The Journey Begins.

Joe was enlisted to the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, a group also known as the Seabees. The unit was in charge of heavy construction and some manual labor. Seabees are usually involved in construction of roads, bases, and airstrips. In Vietnam Joe’s MCB 11 was third phase in fighting for the Navy, meaning that if the fighting got too tough for the first two phases he would have to fight. Luckily for him the opportunity never arose.

U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 Logo.

The same logo of Joe Garcia’s Seabee battalion. The logo commemorates the 1968 MCB 11.

The 18 hour flight from Edwards AFB to Da Nang, Vietnam in June was an exciting moment in Joseph’s Vietnam experience. He remembers the flight well and he especially remembers the excitement that filled the airplane. He was so excited about just being on an airplane that he said he “didn’t think about the future or the past.”

Map of Da Nang, Vietnam. Joe was stationed here during his entire service. The U.S. had a large military base in Da Nang during the Vietnam War.

The Navy men landed in Da Nang, Vietnam at 9:00 am. This was where Joe was stationed throughout his entire service in Vietnam. As soon as they landed and got off the plane they got mortared by Viet-Cong soldiers. He said as the first time he heard an incoming, “I knew it was death.” Luckily for him, death did not know him. They were immediately ordered to head to an underground bunker that could only fit about 20 people yet about 300 people tried to push and squeeze in. Surprisingly, his first injury was during this first mortar attack escape when he fell on his stomach and another Navy soldier stepped on his hand.

But perhaps Joe’s most vivid and powerful memory was while viewing “America’s ability to destroy something.” He was in awe of America’s military power and when he commented on this he said it “made me proud to be an American.” The enemies of his battalion were the civilians, the Viet-Cong, and the Chinese Red Army. And because he was part of a team he never really felt scared.

He was also impressed with the United States’ military techniques. But he also felt that when seeing America in action “your whole life depended on communication.” And once that communication was broken your ability to plan and attack was gone.

Another vivid memory of Joe’s experience in the Vietnam War was the harsh racism of the Vietnamese towards him and other non-white Americans that served in Vietnam. Of the 2.59 million men and women that served in the Vietnam War 170,000 of them were Hispanics like Joseph Garcia. Vietnamese perception of Americans was a white male that was out to harm or kill them. Joseph remembers the Vietnamese trying to run them over and spit at them. He said “To them an American was somebody white.” The Vietnamese had no idea of American diversity.

“To them an American was somebody white.” 

It Finally Came to an End.

No matter what you believe about the Vietnam War, be it negative or positive, is not important. The only important factor was these Navy soldiers and other American soldiers’ bravery throughout the war defeating who they were told to defeat without question.

Of the 1,100,000 people that died in the Vietnam War 58,148 of them were serving Americans. Joe himself killed only about 7 “underground” civilian soldiers during the whole war that he and his battalion felt threatened by. But deaths still affected him greatly; especially the deaths of American soldiers. He remembers one time while in Vietnam he saw a hangar full of dead American soldiers. His comment to the horrible sight was “There’s something about that courage.”

But in the end the Vietnam War proved to be mostly unsuccessful. It was not completely successful because the war ended with a treaty and disengagement of the U.S. in 1973. Joe was able to leave on August 24, 1970 “on a hot summer day.” He was released from Washington State Seattle Naval Hospital and later flew home. Besides the outcome of the war there’s no denying the sacrifice of the American soldiers that courageously served and died. Joseph Garcia was lucky to get out alive and move on with his life. He got married, had children, and even became a grandfather. Even though the thought that he survived the war never crossed his mind until many years later he now thanks God for letting him live through Vietnam. But as he said about the soldiers that did not make it was, “It was all under the American flag.”

The experiences Joe took from his service in Vietnam still affect him greatly even today. He turned to drugs and alcohol, and was diagnosed as manic depressive. Today he is now clean and sober from drugs and alcohol. He has been an AA member for “2 years plus.” He lives in Long Beach, California where he works at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Hospital as a Housekeeper/Decontamination Unit member where he helps sick and disabled fellow war veterans. He also enjoys playing the guitar, harmonica, and singing at family parties.

Joseph Garcia has had a tough life. He has made some bad decisions and some good ones too. But now he lives day by day thanking God. He now has developed a deep relationship with his mother Alice and family. His story is one of sadness and in the end acceptance for his life decisions which includes moving on with his life after war like so many other veterans have before and after him.

Joseph Garcia today at the age of 56 about 38 years after his Vietnam experience. His experience changed his life and made him the man he is today. He is a brave and strong guy.

Joseph Garcia (56) and his mother Alice Serrano (77) today. They have since developed a strong relationship since his experience in Vietnam. Even though memories of the past are never forgotten they never will be missed.

RARE INTERVIEW WITH Lew Rockwell

I recently interviewed author and Libertarian activist and co-creater of the mises institute
Lew Rockwell Read more