During his first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom - which is discussed in this first part of a two-part interview - US Marine Corps Major Daniel Coleman served as the logistics officer (S4) for 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. He begins by discussing the nature and scope of predeployment training his battalion received while stationed in Okinawa and then transitions to his movement into country, the process of getting married up with their equipment, the handoff with 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Mercury, located just east of Camp Fallujah, and the principal logistical challenges he faced in theater during his March through July 2004 tour. Of particular note, Coleman talks about his participation in April's Operation Vigilant Resolve, the first large-scale assault against the city of Fallujah and predecessor to the decisive Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr) in November 2004.

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