"There was only three attacks throughout the entire deployment where I actually had to engage the enemy.... And all three times it made me realize I am no Rambo; I'm more like Beetle Bailey." (Video Interview, 16:51)

James Joseph Maddix, Jr.

James Maddix [2005] War: Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 2001-present Branch: Army Unit: 146th Transportation Company, 7th Transportation Battalion Service Location: Michigan; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Carson, Colorado; LSA Anaconda, Iraq Rank: Sergeant Place of Birth: Sumter, SC

After serving on active duty with the Army and then several years with the National Guard stateside, Sergeant James J. Maddix, Jr., suddenly found himself on his way to Iraq. Married with two children, he was forced to close his business in Michigan and move his family before he left. Maddix deployed with the 146th Transportation Company which provided such materiel as food, ammunition and tires to the troops. On three separate occasions his convoy was attacked by insurgents. During the last attack, just outside Fallujah, he questioned whether he was ever going to make it home alive again to see his family. While Maddix speaks modestly of how spoiled he was, living in a two-man trailer equipped with a PlayStation, DVD player, microwave, and other modern conveniences, he voices his appreciation for those less fortunate who served before him.