"I wouldn't trade any memory or episode in my military life and say I wouldn't do it again.

Everything you do teaches you and lets you become the person you are going to be."

~Thomas Fitzpatrick

Thomas Fitzpatrick's Story:

Thomas J. Fitzpatrick entered the Somalia War at the young age of nineteen. He chose to serve as a Marine because he wanted to be a part of the best. Throughout his time in the military, he served in many tours in countries, such as Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti and Japan. The conflict we focused on in our interview was the fighting in Somalia. This fighting in Somalia was named a "Conflict Other Than War" by the government of the United States. This is because the U.S. was already involved in other conflicts and to rule them all wars would cause a great deal of stress on the economy of the United States. While serving Somalia, Mr. Fitzpatrick overcame the challenge of being naive. He was faced with this challenge because he entered the war at such a young age. Although, he did not let his adolescence affect the level at which he fought. His hardwork definitely payed off and he eventually achieved the rank of Corporal. Mr. Fitzpatrick's line of work while in Somalia was with the 155 Howitzer Cannons. He would fire them and train with them daily. Not only did he work with the Howitzers, but he also would work at Mogadishu Airport. He said that there would always be Somalia children lined up against airport gates begging for money from the wealthy visitors. The citizens of Somalia were mistreated by their own government which led to poverty. The struggle to survive led to fights among people and gangs on the streets of Somalia. The death toll was so high that there was no place to bury the bodies. Mr. Fitzpatrick described how awful and gruesome it was to see all of the dead bodies improperly disposed of in the ocean. Mr. Fitzpatrick believes that all of the events and sights that he has experienced in Somalia and his other military tours made him who he is today. Looking back on the time he spent serving in the United States Marine Corp, Thomas Fitzpatrick has no regrets.