ISIS Getting Closer to U.S. Military Base in Iraq
BALDWIN: Back to breaking news. ISIS militants are now in control of this Iraqi town just a couple miles, nine miles from this military base housing hundreds of U.S. military personnel and security officials tell CNN ISIS seized this town, al Baghdadi, earlier today and now they are getting closer and closer to this al Assad Air Base, nine miles west. And Army Specialist Joey Hurst was stationed in Iraq and helped build this base back in 2003, years before he launched his career here at CNN. This is the base that ISIS hat now encroached upon. They've taken the town of al Baghdadi. You got out beyond your Air Force base gates. What was it like?</s>JOEY HURST, CNN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: It was -- it was actually really, really nice. I mean the Iraqi people were really nice to us. This was as the invasion was happening. You could see the strong hold Saddam had on their country. Once we stepped foot over there and the Iraqi people realize that he was no longer in power, they would give us hugs and tell us thank you and tell us we love you, and it was tremendous support around the area. #; Now flash forward more than a decade later, we were talking before about your losing a friend, and knowing what you know now about everything you fought for and built, and now ISIS coming in, how does it make you feel?</s>HURST: I feel disenfranchised. I was talking with one of my old Army buddies I was in with. Like I said, I had a good friend that was killed when I was over there. You know, Brooke, I'll never forget that day. He died. And, you know, seeing that Humvee come back to us that had been hit with a roadside bomb and knowing that's where Sergeant Williams, you know, breathed his last breath here on earth. And we were towing it back at the palisades base. It feels safe and secure, but fast forward to 10 years later, it's going right back to where it was.</s>BALDWIN: Saddens you, frustrates you, angers you, all of the above?</s>HURST: All of the above. You know, I know that the Marines there, you know, are definitely willing to fight, and if it does cost them the chance -- you know, if they do have to end up paying the ultimate sacrifice, you know, it's really going to be hard on me, knowing that I had already done that 10 years ago and saw a good friend die because of it. You know, one of my oldest memories from al Assad was when we were cleaning out the Humvee that had just been attacked and hit with a roadside bomb. As we were getting all of the gear off of it and putting it in our storage units, there on the base, we were taking some of Sergeant Williams' gear he could no longer use because he lost his life.</s>BALDWIN: I am so sorry. Thank you so much for your service and thank you for talking.</s>HURST: Thank you.</s>BALDWIN: Joey, thank you.</s>HURST: All right. Thank you.