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Dean Baratta, Afghanistan [n.d.]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Afghan War, 2001-
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 1st Brigade, 8th Infantry Division; 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard
  • Location of Service: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Mainz, Germany; Bagram, Afghanistan
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/94042

View full service history

"After 9/11 just about everyone who wore a uniform wanted to do something, anything in order to have a part in what was going on." (Memoir, page 2)

Dean Baratta first joined the Army as an intelligence analyst in 1986, and was stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Cold War. After his initial four-year enlistment, he then spent four years out of the military, during which time he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Baratta joined the National Guard in 1995 when he realized that--much to his surprise--he missed the Army. After the attacks of September 11, 2001 he was determined to contribute, and volunteered to help guard airports. In June 2003 his unit from the Pennsylvania National Guard was deployed to Afghanistan, where they were responsible for base operations at Bagram Air Base. While in Afghanistan, Baratta endured the loss of a close friend, and experienced the frustrations of trying to ensure security at Bagram while simultaneously navigating local politics.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ Memoir: "War is Heck" ]
View 88 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 190 images in sequence.
[ Memoir: "War is Heck" by Dean Baratta ]

About this Item

Title

  • Dean Baratta Collection

Names

  • Baratta, Dean
  • Fowler, Carol
  • National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey (Center for US War Veterans Oral Histories)

State of Birth

  • NJ

Home State

  • PA

Headings

  • -  Baratta, Dean
  • -  Afghan War, 2001- -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Afghan War, 2001-

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 1st Brigade, 8th Infantry Division; 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard
    • Location of Service: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Mainz, Germany; Bagram, Afghanistan
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1986-?
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 11/30/2007)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 11/25/2007)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 11/29/2007)
  • Manuscript: Memoirs [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2003 - 2006)
  • Photograph: Digital print [0 item] -- Photograph (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/94042

Cite as

  • Dean Baratta Collection (AFC/2001/001/94042), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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:

Baratta, Dean, Carol Fowler, and National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey. Dean Baratta Collection. 1986. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.94042/.

APA citation style:

Baratta, D., Fowler, C. & National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey. (1986) Dean Baratta Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.94042/.

MLA citation style:

Baratta, Dean, Carol Fowler, and National Guard Militia Museum Of New Jersey. Dean Baratta Collection. 1986. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.94042/>.