During his 2003-2004 deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major Eric Puls served initially as commander of the aviation aircraft maintenance troop in 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment (4th Infantry Division) and, later, as commander of Delta Troop, an OH58D air cavalry unit. In this comprehensive and highly-detailed interview, Puls begins by discussing his squadron's predeployment training, the movement of aircraft, vehicles and equipment into theater, his role as part of the advanced party, and all the myriad responsibilities he had in ensuring that the squadron's aircraft were fully mission capable. He talks at length about his troop's support of combat operations, about leapfrogging far and wide throughout Iraq, and he also shares his various colorful descriptions of Iraq, from the hellish landscape of the Iran-Iraq border to the "one big tank defilade position" that the country itself as a whole resembles. Additionally, Puls addresses numerous maintenance and other logistical support issues; talks about the continual leadership challenge of keeping his troopers focused and not letting them become complacent; his time as Delta Troop commander and the many different flying missions he got to go on; some important lessons he learned (some the hard way) in terms of dealing with squadron leaders; how one is physically and psychologically affected by combat; and also why he believes battle handovers need to be much longer. "You can't train how to look at somebody and know if they're a bad guy in 30 days," Puls said. "You can't do it. You don't have enough time." What's more, he explains why, in his estimation, the Army is making a mistake by getting rid of division cavalry squadrons. In closing, Puls relates the story of when an aircraft he was flying experienced a hydraulics failure and crashed, and how his fellow troopers rushed to his aid. About his tour in general, he said that, "Overall, it was probably the most fantastic experience I've ever had in my life. Not one that I want to repeat anytime soon, though. But it was cool, crazy and just chaotic all at the same time. Sorting through all that stuff I guess is why we get paid the big bucks."

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited