Major Brian Pearl was a battalion operations officer and later the operations officer for the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. After deploying to Iraq in March of 2003, he was located in Al Kifl, An Najaf, Karbala, Iskandariyah, Baghdad, Al Mahmudiyah, and then in Mosul from 27 April until Jan 2004. Initially, the 101st believed that chemical attacks might be their biggest challenge, but once that threat decreased, sandstorms and communications were a much larger challenge. In both Baghdad and Mosul, Pearl's brigade transitioned to a stability and support role after clearing the cities. He speaks of the quick transition from combat to reconstruction. During the day, the brigade focused on rebuilding a functioning city while at night they focused on security efforts and counterinsurgency. The reconstruction projects included police stations, police academy, water facilities, electrical plants, local schools, local prisons, TV and radio stations. One of the largest projects was the police academies where Iraqis were recruited, vetted and trained. Pearl made an appearance on Iraqi TV to explain the Iraqi police and army recruiting process. This appearance was part of the 101st's Iraqi television campaign. Starting in July and August, the insurgency began to make its presence with car bombs. 2nd Brigade countered the threat through intelligence and active patrolling. His lessons learned include the ability of young soldiers to sway the fight based on courage and aggressiveness. He also encourages leaders to plan for every contingency and prepare their soldiers.

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