[Explicit Content Warning]
In this episode, we talk to Wes Black, a veteran is suffering from extremely serious complications from burn pit exposure, yet still manages to keep a positive outlook.
I know I learned a lot by listening to his story and outlook.
Links and Resources
Vets who served in any of the following are eligible to be registered on the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry:
Check your eligibility and sign up here.
Scott DeLuzio: 00:02 Hey everybody, this is the Drive On Podcast where we talk about issues affecting veterans after they get out of the military. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzIo, and now let’s get on with the show.
Scott DeLuzio: 00:14 This is Part 1 of a two-part episode where I talked to Wes Black, a soldier who served with my brother in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We got to talking for over two hours and while it was all great stuff, I thought that it was a little bit long for just one episode. What we talked about was really good and so I didn’t want to cut out any of it. Instead, I’m going to break the conversation down into two parts. The first [of the] two here in just a second in this episode where we talk a lot about Wes, his military career and some medical issues that he’s going through. And the second will come out next week on September 3rd where we talk a bit about my brother Steven. Without further delay, let’s get on with the show.
Scott DeLuzio: Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into the Drive On Podcast today.
Scott DeLuzio: 01:00 My guest is Wes Black, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with my brother. Wes is here to tell his story about his time in the military and then serving his community later on as a firefighter and some of the struggles that he’s had along the way. Wes, I don’t want to give away too much information about you here; so why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and your military service and when you joined and all that kind of stuff, and then we’ll go from there.
Wes Black: 01:31 Yeah, sure. I enlisted in November of 2003. I was a student in Norwich University. It’s actually where I met your brother, Steve, the first time. Not 2003; I met him in 2004 but I enlisted in ‘03 in the Vermont Army National Guard. I went to basic training that following summer, came back, did another semester at college, and then we got the warning order that we were going to Ramadi, Iraq. So, we deployed January of ’05, went down to Camp Shelby. We did six months to train up and then I was in country June or July of 2005 in Ramadi, Iraq, and we served until June of 2006. [We] came back, I tried to go back to college; it didn’t work out for me.
Wes Black: 02:24 And then, I actually worked for the Vermont Army National Guard as active duty for specialized work. ADSW is what we call it. So, it’s a Title 32 order, so it’s like active duty, but it’s for a year-long term; what we would call a tour. So, I did that for a couple of years. I worked for the Army Mountain Warfare School as a supply person. I was helping in the supply room. Every once in a while, they let me sneak out and I’d kind of go up and help with training, setting it up and taking it down. But I was never an instructor or anything like that. And then I spent a little bit of time working for the unit when we were getting ready to deploy to Af...
