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Anthony Cardoza, 23, of Jamaica, Queens participated in the Search & Rescue (S&R) operation that saved the life of the informant who identified the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein’s two sons: Uday and Qusay Hussein. 13 Americans died in the mission, and seven suffered injury. Anthony found himself in an military hospital for five and a half months following the ordeal. His life narrative is awe-inspiring and, in my humble opinion, there is much wisdom to be learned in listening to his story and other young veterans of the Second Iraq War.

I met Anthony in line at the Apple Store. The picture above was taken by a photographer based in New York as I spoke with him Wednesday afternoon. Anthony was the fifth person to arrive. He currently works as a manager at a fast-food restaurant, so after claiming his space in line, he started passing out packages of food he had brought with him from work. He and I became fast friends, and after a few minutes he disclosed a bit about his background in the Air Force. When I learned of his participation in the S&R Mission for the Uday/Qusay Informant, I felt compelled to take notes. When I asked him if he had interviewed with professional news organizations, he said, “No one from the press has asked me to tell my story.”

When the CNN crew arrived, I directed them to Anthony and encouraged them to enter into an in-depth interview with him. From what I’ve heard, they instead recorded a short video clip and asked him superficial questions related to his service.

I’m launching a new blog provisionally titled “Greetings, Stranger.” The first post will be the first installment of Anthony’s story.