my name is Terry holdbrooks I was
previously in the military and was a
guard in guantan Bay where I converted
to Islam prior to joining the Army I'd
usually hang out at a pool hall there's
a pool hall that I would sit and play
pool at for majority of the evening that
and drinking I was drinking very heavily
uh I joined the military and due to the
fact that I just I wasn't really going
anywhere with my life I wasn't content
and I I wanted to be more productive
than my parents had been kind of bring
some some pride to to the whole Brooks
Legacy we uh we flew to Ground Zero can
see Ground Zero that day was the last
thing we saw of America before we left
was Ground Zero I mean they really
drilled this um this intense necessity
of of hate and anger towards these
people and and who are these other 775
people I can't imagine there being that
many co-conspirators it just seemed kind
of ridiculous to me um and obviously as
time has shown we've sent 550 of them
home now
so they weren't guilty to begin with
they were always smiling they there must
be something in your faith or in your
life that that's lacking in mine cuz I'm
here and I'm not smiling every day but
you are that that's that's amazing you
know what do you have that I
don't more often than not the detes
prayer itself prayer call would be
mocked um what they'd be saying during
prayer would be mocked the Army doesn't
care it's just not a matter of concern
right we we don't need to be culturally
sensitive or culturally aware of of
these people I don't think they ever
thought that individ idual were going to
be talking with the detainees detain 590
the general um he was kind of a uh a
celebrity so to say he he would ask you
questions that would would probe
thinking it wasn't necessarily he was
trying to argue with you he would ask
you questions that would make you think
he introduced me very much to Islam he
he had a lot to do with my uh my
acceptance of Islam I said masah with
him and and he he congratulated
me I think it's very much possible to
fully adopt to Islam and to live an
Islamic life and to be a good Muslim and
at the same point in time be an American
one of the things I've noticed since I
convers with every door that I close
Allah opens a Better Door you I found
Islam in guano and that's not something
that I could ever ever find anywhere
else