Controversy & Clarity #5--Conner Fuller (Voices of HKIA Series)
In this episode, we discuss:
*Connor’s Marine Corps career before joining the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
*What his deployment was like prior to the HKIA mission
*The training Connor received in preparation for HKIA
*The organization of CLB 24
*Connor’s reaction to learning about the HKIA mission
*His understanding of the situation on the ground before arriving at the airport
*Connor’s first day at HKIA
*His reaction to learning that the Marines were working with the Taliban
*Processing evacuees and the challenges that arose therein
*Running logistics for the evacuation
*Leading Marines during the operation
*The role Connor’s leaders played at HKIA
*What Connor’s platoon was doing August 20-22, when the gates to the airport were closed
*The bombing at Abbey Gate
*Connor’s reaction to the death of Sergeant Nicole Gee
*The operations of Connor’s unit before it departed HKIA
*What Connor observed in his Marines after HKIA
*His advice to future NCOs on talking with and supporting their Marines after a mission as intense as HKIA
*The nations Connor served alongside at HKIA and how these interactions generally went
*Connor’s experience returning to Camp Lejeune
*Working with the State Department
*The MEU’s Female Search Team
*The effects of allowing Marines to keep their personal cell phones computers during the HKIA mission
*The roles that discipline and exhaustion played in the evacuation
*The most frustrating and rewarding aspects of the HKIA mission
*The actions of Connor’s platoon and CLB 24 that he’s proudest of
*The toughest decisions Connor made at HKIA
*Where he thinks he excelled as a leader and decision maker and where he fell short
*The lessons Connor learned from the mission
*Connor’s thoughts on the experiences of Dustin Casey, his cousin, at HKIA
*The one thing he wants Marines and other service members to know about CLB 24's actions at HKIA
*Connor’s advice for Marines transitioning back to the civilian world
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