MAJ Gregory Wallsten served as a liaison officer (LNO) with 3rd Brigade, 3rd ID and worked at the 42nd Infantry Division (ID) HQs in Tikrit, Iraq until taking command of HHC / 2-69 AR (3/3 ID) in Ba'qubah and Ramadi, Iraq during 2005 and 2006. He next returned to Iraq as an LNO with 3rd Brigade, 3rd ID to the 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad, Iraq in March 2007. In April 2007, he joined the III Corps- BOCAT during 2007 and 2008, both in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). His third tour, he was assigned to 3 Brigade, 4th ID as a Border Transition Team XO at Al Sheeb (Maysan, Iraq). In this April 2012 interview, MAJ Wallsten discusses the changing role of Armor in counterinsurgency (COIN) operations, the challenges of working as an LNO, and his personal experiences seeing operations from multiple levels. MAJ Wallsten concludes his interview with the observation, "The reality is, even within our own Army, when we judge other units, we can have harsh criticisms without the real knowledge of the threat. If Iraqi forces can match and defeat the threat they're facing, they're very effective."

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