Published: March 08, 2009 8:37 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
JC Interview Exclusive:
Capt. Eric Navarro, USMCR
Capt. Eric Navarro, USMCR
Capt. Eric Navarro, USMCR, was forever changed when this country was nationally assaulted in a brutal unimaginable cowardly crime against the citizens of New York City. The country looked in horror as countless of good Americans suffered at the hands of those terrorist attacks. From the ashes of 911, a hero was born. Capt. Eric Navarro, USMCR served over in Iraq for his tour of duty on a special assignment that prompted him to write about his experiences in his best seller book, GOD WILLING: My Wild Ride with the New Iraqi Army. We are very proud to bring you this exclusive interview of a son, a husband, a Marine, an author, and a hero. Enjoy!
Isaac: Captain Navarro, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to complete this interview with our online publication. I wanted to first thank you for serving and protecting our country. Elaborate a little about your upbringing in Brooklyn, New York.
Captain Eric Navarro: I was born in Brooklyn and lived there for about the first ten years of my life. My father got a new job and moved us to New Jersey after that. I never actually felt comfortable in Jersey. I had the city in my blood. I had grown up falling asleep to the blares of sirens and then I found myself surrounded by chirping crickets - a definite culture shock.
Perhaps because of this conflict, I found myself getting in some trouble going through high school and early college in NJ. (I'll leave those skeletons in the closet for now.)
The whole time I kept trying to get back to the city. I finally transferred from Rutgers to The New School here in Manhattan. After graduating, on the extended program (that is, taking many more than the usual four years) I got a job in advertising, not really sure what I wanted to do going forward in my life.
Around this time the dot come era arose and I got swept up into the excitement. I joined a start-up doing marketing for them. Less than a few months later, of course, the business went bust and I found myself with no job and living in an expensive apartment in NYC with a crazy roommate.
That is when September 11th happened.
Isaac: I read in your online bio that 911 was the main reason why you decided to enlist in the Marines. How did that moment change your life?
Captain Eric Navarro: This might sound strange, but I was not totally shocked that something like the terrorist attacks happened. I thought things were slowly building to something very terrible happening. There had been other attacks on US interests leading to September 11th. Plus, America had seemed to disengage from the world thinking after the Cold War history was going to leave us alone for awhile.
I remember thinking on that day "I knew it…I knew something was coming."
Now, that is not to say that those specific events were not truly life-altering for me. I distinctly remember things from that morning. I did not actually see the attacks but I ran downtown to see if I could help and saw the aftermath. I remember the nights and days after and the city was in shock. It was an incredible time.
For me, I had always wanted to go in the military but for many different reasons I never did. Without sounding too corny, once the events of September 11th sank in later that night, I felt an unspoken call…the call of my country…a wounded country….and she was calling for help in her time of need. I knew what I had to do and walked into the famous recruiting station in Times Square and said "I'm here to go to war."
Isaac: What was your wife and family's reactions when you stated to them that you wanted to enlist in the Marines? How has your family's support helped you personally?
Captain Eric Navarro: My family was not surprised by my decision. They knew about my previous desire to join. My wife, however, was in total shock. We were only dating at the time and I think when I first mentioned my decision she didn't believe me. But, soon she realized how serious I was. I don't think she understood all of my motivations for doing it.
I will say, though, that the fact that she stayed with me even after I left for basic training really showed me how much she cared for me. Then, she decided to move in with me once I was assigned to my next training center. It was this kind of commitment and devotion that lead to us deciding to get married.
Without the support of her and the rest of my family, I'm not sure I would be here today. When you are deployed, the thought of getting back home to see your wife and family is the major driving force to keep you going and to make sure you get through it all.
Isaac: What was the toughest part about basic training?
Captain Eric Navarro: In a sick sort of way, I love basic training. Now, I say that after it's over. When going through it, I had less kind things to say. But it was a truly invigorating experience. It was exactly what I thought it'd be - physically and mentally demanding, intense, and at times hilarious - everything you've seen in some of the movies such as Full Metal Jacket. I will say, though, that for officers, there is a different aspect where they expect you to be able to lead others and they force you to prove it. Also, if you can't hack it then you are gone. With enlisted men going through boot camp, they ultimately want you to make it through. With officers, if you are not worthy then that's that.
Having said all that, the most demanding part is lack of sleep. When you go on less than four hours of sleep every night for almost ten weeks, you truly get a measure of yourself as a man.
Isaac: You were one of the ten U.S. Marines who were assigned to live, train, and go into battle with more than five hundred untrained and novice Iraqi soldiers. Describe a little about what were your initial thoughts about receiving this mission. How has this experience change you and your opinion about us being over there?
Captain Eric Navarro: I was called into my Company Commander's office and told I was going to Iraq. That was fine. It was what I wanted. But then he told me I would be an advisor to the Iraqi Army and he didn't seem exactly sure about what that meant. That was a little disconcerting. I knew that the President and Secretary of State Rumsfield had been playing up the training mission, but I couldn't find anyone who knew exactly what the plan was to truly get the Iraqis up and running.
Nothing I saw during that tour changed this initial perception. There was clearly a lack of planning and the Iraqis themselves posed serious problems for our overall mission. They simply were not going to be capable of developing into a somewhat capable military in the near future. It would take many years, in my judgment, to have truly professional Iraqi Army. And, given the political climate, I wasn't sure we would be given that long to get the job done.
As far as how my experience during that first tour changed my outlook or opinion - I would say I was the typical gung-ho Marine Lieutenant heading into my first combat tour. And I came out proud of what me and my fellow Marines had accomplished, but definitely disillusioned about the Iraqis, our own leadership and even the American people.
I didn't think anyone - the politicians in DC, the Iraqi people, the American people and even our military leaders - none of them were being honest about what we were doing in Iraq and how long it would take to accomplish the stated goal of created a stable democracy in the heart of the Middle East. I had no problem with that mission. I think it made definite sense to try to change the region from the inside out. But we should have been more honest about what the costs would be and how long it would take.
However, do not take this to mean that I thought we should leave Iraq. That is absolutely not the case. In fact, I did not and still do not think we should ever leave Iraq. And my additional tour of duty only further convinced me that what we were doing in Iraq was having a positive impact on the Iraqis and the region.
Isaac: What do you say to those US citizens who think that we should not be over in Iraq?
Captain Eric Navarro: I would say that they really have no idea what they are talking about. The vast majority of Americans have had no involvement whatsoever with our war efforts. About 1% of our country's population actually serves in the military. Of that, even less serves in a forward unit in combat in the streets of the Iraq.
So to take what they see in snippets on TV and then put forth an informed opinion about such a complicated military and geo-political effort is just silly. There are plenty of military / foreign policy people that disagree with the Iraq War. That is a different story. There are definitely valid informed arguments on both sides of the issue. But there is no room at the debate table for people who have never studied history or served in the military or been involved with foreign policy in any way.
Also, to those that still to this day call for us to leave Iraq, I would just ask - when did we leave, Germany, Japan and Korea? The answer of course is never. We stayed in those countries, built permanent bases, turned the governments back over to the local people and forged stable, democratic allies for generations. That is exactly what we are doing in Iraq. During my last tour I saw a fledging government and economy taking root. The people had hope for a better future. And, if given the chance, I have no doubt we would succeed there.
Isaac: From your tour of duty over in Iraq, you were prompted to write your best seller book, GOD WILLING: My Wild Ride with the New Iraqi Army. What can readers expect to find in your book? What type of reactions have you received about your book?
Captain Eric Navarro: First, the book is by no means a best-seller. Unfortunately for me, I was still in Iraq last year when the book was released. I wish more people would have been exposed to it because not only am I proud of what I have written, but I think the story of my team of advisors is an important behind the scenes story that most Americans have never heard. I go into detail about the cultural aspects of the Iraqis and how they have impacted our mission. I tend to think that what I saw with the Iraqis also helps to explain our difficulties in relating with the larger Muslim world. Plus, I expose some of our own failings Americans in our approach to the Iraqis and the mission of developing their military and nation.
As to reactions, most people are shocked by the stories I have relayed. Again, no one talks about the down and dirty details of what have gone on and how the Iraqis are. As I mentioned before, people only know what the American press tells them on the TV and in newspapers. This is not the whole, true story.
There are those who have read the booked and been offended, which is something I expected. Many people do not want to hear the ground truth. They want to think that war is nice and clean and that people are all the same across the world. Sadly, this is simply not the way it is. And I welcome all of these reactions as proof that I have accomplished what I set out to do which it to inform people about some of the things that have been edited from the Iraq story.
Isaac: I read also in your bio that you received a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a specialty in writing. How did that degree help prepared you for writing your book?
Captain Eric Navarro: I've always been a writer, even at an early age. My schooling helped but to tell you the truth, my military discipline helped even more. It takes a lot of hard work to write nearly three hundred pages. And there are many times that you want to quit, but through discipline and persistence, I was able to get it done. Then it took even more perseverance to get the book published. In fact, Potomac Books, my publisher, originally rejected the book but I convinced them that I could rewrite it according to their standards. So, after they agreed to purchase the rights, I had to rewrite the entire book - a very daunting challenge. And I was getting ready to ship out on my second tour to Iraq. So I had to finish the rewrite before heading back. Not an easy thing to do.
Isaac: Captain Navarro, you have been a guest speaker at the Library of Congress and Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side in New York City. You have also spoken at other venues too. I actually saw one of the aired shows you appeared on C-SPAN's Book-TV last night; which prompted me to contact you for this interview. How has appearing on these various outlets helped you get the message about your book and your experiences out there to the masses?
Captain Eric Navarro: These speaking engagements have been great. I've been able to tell my stories and hopefully illuminate a part of this conflict that hasn't been spoken about before. Again, I don't think anyone else has spoken in such a raw, politically incorrect manner about what it has been like to train the Iraqi Army.
I also have enjoyed answering people's many questions during these gatherings. It's through the back and forth that everyone learns from each other. And I personally like to challenge people and their beliefs. I think a lot of people have been fed flawed information about this war and I love have the opportunities to share my own first-hand accounts to hopefully broaden their understanding of the conflict.
I just wish I could get on one of the big cable news shows to reach a much larger audience. I think people would love to hear what it was like for ten Marines to live with five hundred Iraqis.
Isaac: How has having an official website helped you personally and professionally?
Captain Eric Navarro: Again, timing is everything. I was not able to get my website (www.captainericnavarro.com) up in time for the book's release because I was still in Iraq at the time. Still I hope to use it as branding tool down the road and as a way for people to contact me with thoughts/questions. Plus, I will definitely be writing another book and it should help for that as well.
Isaac: What is next for Captain Eric Navarro?
Captain Eric Navarro: I am currently attending NYU's Stern Business School here in NYC and will be pursuing a career in Wall Street - that is, if it's still standing by the time I graduate.
Isaac: Final thoughts from Captain Navarro...
Captain Eric Navarro: Just want to thank you for taking an interest in me and my story. I hope people will read the book and be more informed about a particularly interesting and important aspect of our mission to build up the Iraqi Army and the overall country.
Keep in mind, whether you believed that we should go in to Iraq or not, if we do not succeed there we will regret it.
