In this first of three interviews, Major John Martin talks about serving as a current operations battle captain in the tactical operations center (TOC) for the 82nd Airborne Division in Kuwait and Iraq from February through May 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He discusses predeployment training and preparation, considerations for running the TOC, duties as a liaison officer, tempo on the staff, and working with a general officer for the first time. He closes by talking about the increasingly thorough process of integrating returning soldiers into their families.

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