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Kevin Collier [2007]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Afghan War, 2001-; Iraq War, 2003-2011
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 276th Engineer Company, 203rd Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy); Missouri Army National Guard
  • Location of Service: Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Camp Pelham, Korea; Anderson, Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; Monett, Missouri; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Alaska; Camp Virginia, Kuwait; Bangor, Maine; Camp Muleskinner, Baghdad, Camp Victory, and Camp Duke, Iraq
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/67727

View full service history

"I'm what they call a lifer I guess and she's right there with me." (Video Interview, 1:30:55)

Kevin Collier and his wife made a family decision in 1991 for him to join the Army Reserves to earn more money. In 2003, as a member of the Missouri National Guard, he was deployed to Iraq, staying through two unexpected extensions. Collier saw his men anticipate several times going home, only to be disappointed, and he struggled to maintain morale. He is also frank about how his military career affected his marriage; ironically, his deployment to Iraq served to strengthen the bond with his wife, with whom he was able to communicate via instant messaging and webcam. As of the time of this 2007 interview, Collier had re-enlisted in the Guard for another six years, and his wife had earned an award for her work with a military family support group.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Kevin Wayne Collier Collection

Names

  • Missouri State University
  • Collier, Kevin Wayne
  • Johnson, Julie A.
  • Susie Brown
  • U.S. House of Representatives/Roy Blunt
  • Bledsoe, Gabriel

Home State

  • Missouri

Headings

  • -  Collier, Kevin Wayne
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Afghan War, 2001- -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Location of Service: Camp Muleskinner, Baghdad, Camp Victory, and Camp Duke, Iraq
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Afghan War, 2001-

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 276th Engineer Company, 203rd Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy); Missouri Army National Guard
    • Location of Service: Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Camp Pelham, Korea; Anderson, Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; Monett, Missouri; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Alaska; Camp Virginia, Kuwait; Bangor, Maine
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1991-2007
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2007-11-09)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-11-09; 2007-11-09)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/67727

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Missouri State University, Kevin Wayne Collier, Julie A Johnson, Susie Brown, U.S. House Of Representatives/Roy Blunt, and Gabriel Bledsoe. Kevin Wayne Collier Collection. 1991. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.67727/.

APA citation style:

Missouri State University, Collier, K. W., Johnson, J. A., Susie Brown, U.S. House Of Representatives/Roy Blunt & Bledsoe, G. (1991) Kevin Wayne Collier Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.67727/.

MLA citation style:

Missouri State University, et al. Kevin Wayne Collier Collection. 1991. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.67727/>.