This is Rodney Shields, company factotum, combat veteran, my father.
My biggest curiosity about my dad is how he came to earn a Bronze Star while participating in the United States' Middle Eastern military campaign. I am unsure as to whether or not he would tell the story in front of a camera, but that would be my goal. As the interviewer, It would be my job to generate a comfortable atmosphere. I would attempt to accomplish this with some less delicate and intrusive questions.
Rodney Shields was born September 21, 1953 to Wilbur and Ruby Shields. He has a brother and two sisters. His third sister died when he was younger in an unsolved suicide/murder mystery. He has always been a mechanical minded man as his brother and he started rebuilding a car at age 13. By age 16, the old Studebaker ran and this would be his first car.
He joined the Army in the early 1980's at the age of 29. He stayed in the Army for just over 30 years, doing several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He received the U.S. Bronze Star, an accolade awarded to distinguish servicemen for heroic or meritorious accomplishment. After retiring from the Army, Rodney took over a communications installation project for Lockheed Martin, and headed back to the Middle East as a civilian. After three years of civilian contract work, and seven total years in the Middle East, Rodney returned to Indiana. He now is a warehouse foremen at Morrison Industrial Equipment where one can find him rebuilding motors, fitting hydraulic hoses, or researching how to fix obscure forklift models.
Questions
(In no particular order)
As a traditional American meal enthusiast, what did you eat in the Middle East for seven years?
What were the circumstances surrounding you starting to rebuild a car at the age of 13?
Did you enjoy the mechanical aspect of building the Studebaker?
How did that process affect your mentality moving forward?
What is your knowledge into your sister's death?
What was your experience/outlook towards institutional learning while in school?
What is your outlook on your long transition from liberal to conservative political disposition?
How did time in the Middle East Affect this transition?
What are the circumstances surrounding being awarded a Bronze Star.
What does the Bronze Star mean to you?
My biggest curiosity about my dad is how he came to earn a Bronze Star while participating in the United States' Middle Eastern military campaign. I am unsure as to whether or not he would tell the story in front of a camera, but that would be my goal. As the interviewer, It would be my job to generate a comfortable atmosphere. I would attempt to accomplish this with some less delicate and intrusive questions.
Rodney Shields was born September 21, 1953 to Wilbur and Ruby Shields. He has a brother and two sisters. His third sister died when he was younger in an unsolved suicide/murder mystery. He has always been a mechanical minded man as his brother and he started rebuilding a car at age 13. By age 16, the old Studebaker ran and this would be his first car.
He joined the Army in the early 1980's at the age of 29. He stayed in the Army for just over 30 years, doing several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He received the U.S. Bronze Star, an accolade awarded to distinguish servicemen for heroic or meritorious accomplishment. After retiring from the Army, Rodney took over a communications installation project for Lockheed Martin, and headed back to the Middle East as a civilian. After three years of civilian contract work, and seven total years in the Middle East, Rodney returned to Indiana. He now is a warehouse foremen at Morrison Industrial Equipment where one can find him rebuilding motors, fitting hydraulic hoses, or researching how to fix obscure forklift models.
Questions
(In no particular order)
As a traditional American meal enthusiast, what did you eat in the Middle East for seven years?
What were the circumstances surrounding you starting to rebuild a car at the age of 13?
Did you enjoy the mechanical aspect of building the Studebaker?
How did that process affect your mentality moving forward?
What is your knowledge into your sister's death?
What was your experience/outlook towards institutional learning while in school?
What is your outlook on your long transition from liberal to conservative political disposition?
How did time in the Middle East Affect this transition?
What are the circumstances surrounding being awarded a Bronze Star.
What does the Bronze Star mean to you?
