Colonel Mark Hurley was division support command (DISCOM) commander for the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 10 March 2004 until 9 March 2005, located in Taji about 30 miles north of Baghdad. Prior to deploying, Hurley had to establish a new forward support battalion to support the division's fifth maneuver brigade, which had been converted from division artillery. DISCOM soldiers conducted a river crossing exercise and convoy live fire/marksmanship training before leaving Fort Hood for Iraq. During the battle of Sadr City, insurgents on numerous occasions attempted, unsuccessfully, to cut the DISCOM's main supply route which extended from LSA Anaconda to Taji. Also, basic loads of ammunition for the 1st Brigade, which was in the fight at Sadr City, had to be replenished daily. Since the logistics structure of the Iraqi Army had been destroyed, the DISCOM became responsible for distributing captured enemy equipment to the new Iraqi National Guard. Training teams from the DISCOM also assisted members of the Louisiana National Guard 256th Infantry Brigade's support battalion in setting up their warehouse, computerizing operations and managing inventory. Due to the 1st Cavalry Division's expanded size, Hurley was forced to hire an Iraqi trucking company and to use Chinook helicopters to keep up with supply deliveries. Two convoys were ambushed, and Hurley began sending out three Avengers with every convoy and staggering departures to avoid establishing any patterns as convoys were always observed. The DISCOM used VSAT to send logistics requests by satellite, found tires and tracks to be the most used items, provided ice for soldiers and Marines during the battle of Fallujah, and transported more than 18,000 tons of captured enemy ammunition to Samarra for disposal. Hurley focused on the tactical aspects of logistics rather than strategic issues. DISCOM soldiers worked every day trying to make sure their fellow soldiers - the ones whom they supported - had enough of what they needed. Hurley is currently the chief of army maintenance policy in the Army G4 office at the Pentagon.

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