In this October 2012 interview, MAJ Richard Bell, US Army, Field Artillery (FA); discusses his deployment to Iraq as a battalion direction officer, fire support officer and assistant operations officer for 2-12 Field Artillery, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (ID) in 2007 through 2008 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Bell talks about his missions and operations while in country. He describes his living quarters and meals and notes the changes from his first deployment to his last deployment. He recalls a special memory in Hussoniyah and details his mission there. He describes the interaction he had with the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police and talks about how the Iraqis reacted to recommendations. MAJ Bell defines his battalion's successes and closes his interview by stating, "I learned not to necessarily think outside the box, but I realized how big the box was."

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