"When someone asks me where I was stationed in Iraq," said Major Christian Teutsch, "it's hard to come up with an answer. I had 22 different command posts over the course of the deployment…. We were constantly being relieved, although we never relieved anyone. Wherever we went, we were always there first." In February 2003, Teutsch deployed to Kuwait in command of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and, upon commencement of hostilities the following month, led his air assault infantry company into battle. Initially delayed entry into Iraq due to sandstorms, "Once we finally got in," he explained, "we were in the middle of the desert, set up a perimeter and guarded the forward arming and refueling point for the helicopters doing the deep attacks, mostly Apaches. We were there for 17 days. Then we got called up to air assault in to help 3rd Infantry Division with seizing and clearing Saddam International Airport." Stationed first in Baghdad, Teutsch's company then spent the summer and early fall along the Syrian border, northwest of Tall Afar, conducting a convoy and area security mission and also "facilitating democracy and free trade." "My company sector was 1,600 square kilometers with about 45 miles of Syrian border and a population of about 100,000 to 120,000 people," he recalled, describing it as a "very peaceful area" populated mainly by Yazidi Kurds. After that, in November, Teutsch's unit was attached to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, headed south to Husaybah, and played a leading role in the conduct of Operation Rifles Blitz. In this interview, he also discusses a wide variety of intelligence issues, his work with Iraqi civilians and local leaders, the process of gathering battlefield lessons learned, as well as the limiting operational factor that was transportation. "When we were back in garrison at Fort Campbell, Kentucky," Teutsch said, "we had two Humvees and we only deployed with one of them. One Humvee is not enough, especially if you have 1,600 square kilometers and you're told you have to have at least three vehicles in your convoys." He also talks about his company's redeployment, the problems encountered concerning the battalion's taking of block leave, and also offers a wealth of insights into the "mech-light imperative" and some of the consequences of the Army's adoption and fielding of the Stryker vehicle.

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