Photo By Spc. Leith Edgar | Detroit native Pfc. Michael Floyd, human intelligence collector and member of a...... read more read more
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By Spc. L.B. Edgar,
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD – He was born, along with seven other siblings, into the poverty of inner-city Detroit. His parents, addicted to drugs, were unable to care for him.
Consequently, Michael was turned over to foster care to be raised by the system at the tender age of eight. Few people would have given a child facing such an uphill battle much of a chance.
However in 1995 everything changed. The once seemingly lost child was found by the Floyd family, which adopted him and moved him away from the dangers of Detroit's mean streets to the relative security of suburban Michigan, Pfc. Michael Floyd said.
After graduating from high school, Floyd chose to follow in the footsteps of his step-father and brother, who previously served in the Army, he said.
"I wanted to help my country. That's a cliché answer, but that's the truth. I remember looking back when 9-11 happened. I was only a freshman in high school. I never thought I would be close to anything going on. Now I'm right in the middle of it," said the human intelligence collector and member of a tactical human team. "I just wanted to do my part. I wanted experience."
Following five months of advance individual training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and less than a year at Fort Hood, Texas, Floyd is experiencing the Global War on Terrorism firsthand. He is assigned to 1st Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, which supports 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
The team he is a member of runs source operations, gathers intelligence, interrogates suspects and tactically questions people. The mission of the team is to gather information for the maneuver unit, Floyd said.
Since deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August, Floyd has seen his fair share of action on the volatile streets of Baghdad.
"It's been a very trying seven months to say the least," Floyd said. "This place is surreal. Before you come over here you know it exists. But it really doesn't exist until you come over here."
Two months into his first deployment, Floyd was rudely awakened to life downrange when his convoy made contact with a roadside bomb, he said.
"It just made me open my eyes and realize we are really here now," Floyd said.
Fortunately no one was seriously injured. Though Floyd received the Combat Action Badge, he said he is grateful to not have paid much of a price for the honor.
For Floyd, like many Soldiers, doing his job tends to put him in harm's way. But military intelligence is something he enjoys, especially when he is successful, he said.
Best case scenario, under interrogation the captive suspect provides information leading to a weapons cache, kidnapping victim or more insurgents, he said.
"It feels good to really do your job. When you see the fruits of your labor that's when it really kicks in – you're playing a part in this war," Floyd said.
Though Floyd finds his work in military intelligence rewarding, being deployed for a year does have its drawbacks, he said.
"I'm newly married and my wife is pregnant with our first born, so that's been the hardest part – not being there for her," Floyd said.
As much as he can, Floyd puts his family first, he said.
When not being a family man or fighting terrorism, Floyd indulges in one of his many passions. His interests include sports, chess, reading, table tennis and billiards, among others, he said.
A consummate competitor, Floyd works out religiously and even fancies himself a so-called "gym rat," he said.
Upon redeployment Floyd plans on attending the Defense Language Institute to study Arabic or Farsi and wants to try out for the all-Army basketball team, he said.
When he becomes a noncommissioned officer, Floyd would like to put his combat experience to use and positively influence recruits as a drill sergeant, he said.
Even further down the line, Floyd is interested in returning to Iraq as a contractor, becoming a professional barber, fireman or police officer, or earning a business degree, he said.
For Floyd, the sky's the limit. But for now he remains grounded and is just trying to live one day at a time, he said.
The everyday indirect and small-arms fire Floyd hears serve as a constant reminder of the mission at hand. It's no wonder the family members who took him out of poverty are the people he looks to during the hard times, he said.
"I have a personal relationship with God, so I pray and I talk to my family when I can, just to hear their voices makes me calm down," Floyd said.
Not only does he find comfort in his family members, but his diligence downrange is inspiring them, he said.
"I used to look up to my big brothers," Floyd said. "Now they look up to me."
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2007 17:42 |
| Story ID: | 9406 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 214 |
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