Voices of Our Veterans: Anthony Kriens | Kraus-Anderson

Veterans Day is the national holiday designed to recognize those who have served in the US armed forces. While the holiday is just one day out of the year, our active duty Soldiers, Guard and Reserve, and Veterans serve 24/7, 365 days a year, giving and receiving a lifetime impact for their dedication. Today Veterans comprise less than 10 % of the US population, with less than 1% of the US population in active military service; https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/05/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/ many Americans have little or no connection to a Soldier or a Veteran, making their contributions to our democratic way of life often difficult to fathom. This month we set aside time to talk with some of Kraus-Anderson’s Veterans about their military experience, what it means to them and how it shapes their approach to work, and what we all can learn from their perspective.

Anthony Kriens is an Estimator Intern at KA’s Twin Cities office.

You enlisted in the Army at just 18 and were deployed to Iraq from October 2005-July 2007, serving at Al-Taqaddam Air Base. What were your primary duties?

ANTHONY KRIENS: You’re going to read how much the Army loves acronyms.

I was actually 17 when I enlisted, I had to have my Dad sign with me since I was a minor. I went to Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. My primary military occupational specialty (PMOS) was 13F or also known as a Fire Support Specialist, which is part of the Army’s Field Artillery Branch. This job was known previously as an artillery spotter or forward observer. (FO) See more here. When we get deployed, we are like medics where we are a detachment. We train together at home or in cantonment – all of us 13F’s but when we get deployed we will get split up and attached to infantry units throughout as needed.

I got deployed once to Iraq, I ended up at a former Iraqi Airfield which was owned/managed by the Marines called Taqaddum, it was colloquially known to us as TQ. It was situated just outside of Habbaniyah in between Ramadi and Fallujah in the Anbar Province. My first couple weeks to about six weeks or so consisted of what we know as left seat/right seat rides. This military jargon is basically where we watch how the previous unit patrolled their area and did their job, and then they would watch us do it for them, so that we can take over officially and they can go home. After the so-called left/right seat rides, I initially worked in the Battalion Office (HHC 2/136 Infantry) and worked with Fire Support and Information Operations (S-3 & S-7) staff creating fire plans and other coordination with the Artillery Batteries and Infantry Mortar assets we had.

After that, I got attached to the headquarters company Sniper section. As exciting as that sounds, it was 99% gathering information, observing our area and killing time. We literally just watched cars go by on the roads that our convoys used. I would roll out with our regular infantry units and get out of the Humvee during one of their regular stops on their patrols and we would go for a walk and set up our observation point. (OP) Sometimes these OP’s would last longer than 24 hours, so bring water, food, etc. The weather was extreme with highs at about 115°+. You will get acclimated eventually, and as a Minnesota guy I remember shivering at night when the temp could swing forty degrees back in the seventies for a low.

During your time in Iraq you earned a commendation medal for meritorious service.  What are you proudest of about your time in the service?

ANTHONY KRIENS: I did receive the Army Commendation Medal for my time in Iraq, and I had no idea I had been put in for an award like that. I knew I was going to be awarded the Combat Action Badge (CAB) so we had a little formation (formations are how Army people stand in a grid/square in front of a ranking person) and I was called to the front for this award. I had never been recognized like this before and it was pretty surreal to be given an award like that.

Another good memory is that I also got to be on an Army recruiting poster in a partnership with the Minnesota Wild. That was my first and last time being a model. As a huge NHL fan it was so cool to be able to wander around the player’s only areas of the Xcel Energy Center.

I had to wear my best uniform, there was tons of cameras, there was people picking at my uniform and making it look the best, adjusting sleeves and kind of shaping it with the poses. Tons of photos, I had to hold a few poses. Being a model didn’t go to my head at all. Just kidding, I was insufferable. If you went to a game in around the 2010 season, my face would have been next to the Army promotional material you’d see around the concourses.

How long total was your time in the service?

ANTHONY KRIENS: I enlisted on a Friday the 13^th (yikes) February 2004, and served until May 2010. I came in as a Private (E-1) and left as a Sergeant (E-5). I was deployed once to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from October 2005 – July 2007.

We talked a little about communications technology during your deployment, at that time when smart phones were still on the horizon. Would you say a little bit about how you and your buddies were able to communicate to friends and loved ones?

ANTHONY KRIENS: Flip phones were the best money could buy at the time, if you’re old enough to remember I think the Motorola Razor was the industry standard. It would actually fit flat in your pocket! There was tons of hilarious junkware in today’s standards like palm pilots and blackberries. Any new laptop at the time had WiFi, but our internet networks did not. There was lots and lots of thumb drives for sharing files and good old-fashioned DVD’s for movies.

There was some exceptions but generally speaking the cellphone you brought with you from the United States will most likely not work. We had call centers and phone cards you would have to use to reach home. The service that I had at Taqaddum and when I was in Kuwait were really weird where if you said “Hello” it would take about 2-4 seconds for the other person to hear it. There was always a bit of confusion when you would call home and it was similar to talking on a walkie-talkie as you would have to wait for what you said to be received and then there was a pause because it took that much time for what they said to come back to you.

The internet access was very limited and extremely slow and expensive. Downloading just one song on iTunes would have crippled the internet bandwidth for the next 24 hours. Pre-Google-Owned YouTube or Ebaum’s World or whatever everyone else was streaming at the time was definitely not happening. I had a pretty good deal thanks to an interpreter I had in Iraq who was formerly a cable/satellite installer before the invasion. He was able to hook me up with what was like pirated Egyptian satellite TV and internet. Still super slow internet but way better than nothing and everything on TV was Bollywood or Arabic television but it was still kind of fun to watch and it was from the comfort of my conex box. Otherwise we had the classic Armed Forces Network (AFN) which would carry many shows like what we see here at home and lots of sports, especially NFL games. The time zone difference was extreme so if we were watching a Vikings game live, it was about 4am for us.

Whenever we had an emergency situation like if we came under attack or a soldier was killed in action, they (the US) would shut communications off. Internet and phone blackouts like this could potentially last days.

What did you gain from your military service? How have those assets helped you in your work at KA?

ANTHONY KRIENS: I used to more or less estimate for the Army’s field artillery. Range, direction and the corrections needed were all best guesses. I was their eyes and I would communicate with the fire direction center to get the munitions on target and where they needed to be.

I also think about the obstacle courses, especially the fun ones like how I used to rappel. Those long, long ruck marches. Some of the most intense and wild aircraft and helicopter rides when I was overseas. How I went from being so exhausted all day, every day in Basic Training to where I could barely do ten pushups at any time to just crushing it later in my Army career and almost maxing it out. Long distance running. Practicing shooting all of the time and being able to shoot an M-4 at an expert level. All of these were confidence-building.

After your military service, you worked in the construction trades and enrolled at Dunwoody College, which is recognized for being one of the best regional colleges in the Midwest for veterans. Would you like to call out how the college is supportive of veterans, either in your own experience or what you are aware of?

ANTHONY KRIENS: I felt like I wasn’t going back to school in this lifetime – and I was truly at peace with that. I had rationalized it where I was suddenly thirty-two years old already and I had missed that opportunity. I was thinking I would prepare ‘my next life’ to be able to do that.

I had some GI Bill remaining and my wife talked me into checking out Dunwoody College. I was skeptical at first but I would say their front office staff made it so it was almost effortless on my part. They took care of the complicated VA questions and the GI Bill stuff and I was able to go to school. I knew I made the right choice when at the first day, they said I am a Construction Manager now. Not sometime next year, or when I graduate. Now. That was the kind of ambitious message I needed to hear and I believed in it right away.

I’m a non-traditional student and I’m able to go at night full-time while working here and I was someone working as a tradesman before as a laborer so Dunwoody was a great fit for this ‘career-pivot.’ I feel like returning to school and Dunwoody offering the classes like they do at night was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my adult lifetime. I don’t know why I had written myself off like I did but I am glad I went back to finish my education. It’s never too late.

Many Veterans have been struggling with processing the events of recent weeks/months in Afghanistan. What advice would you offer to them?

ANTHONY KRIENS: You are not alone. Talk to your battle buddies. Now, more than ever is a great time to reach out and see how they are doing.

Are there activities or organizations you are involved in supporting Veterans? What would you like to share about these activities?

ANTHONY KRIENS: When I first returned to school, I wanted to be more involved so I became both a Student Ambassador and when I asked about the Dunwoody Vets Organization, they countered it with a question: Would I be interested in running it? The previous people that were running it had graduated or moved on so the group was sort of in a lull and they needed someone like me who was interested and willing to get something happening.

I had never run anything like that before so it was from square one. I started to have a monthly meet in the Veteran’s Center at school and get in touch with groups from MN DEED, the VA, and Battle Buddies USA. All great resources to help Veterans use their benefits, know what’s available, help with resume writing, or finding a job. I really liked how there was a sort of ‘cross pollination’ between the degrees at Dunwoody and we were able to network and get to know each other. The military is like a big fraternity. Everything was going great until like what happened with everyone else, COVID. It’s been a great learning experience though, and I’m happy to do it.

We are sort of back to square one this semester, which is fairly normal I think because people will graduate and move on from Dunwoody. Another veteran and I that I met this semester are looking to get it going again and we recently did a ten-mile ruck march in Anoka with a charity event hosted by 23^rd Veteran, which is a group that helps Veteran’s cope with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was a blast and we raised $1,700. Feels good!

Check out BattleBuddies USA on Facebook.

Anything else you’d like to say?

ANTHONY KRIENS: I miss my woobie.