The following is a group interview conducted with three former 1st Infantry Division soldiers concerning their experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sergeant Jason Bell served from February 2004 through March 2005 with Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, at FOB McKenzie in Ad Duluiyah. Specialist Brooks Vandekeere was a contracting liaison officer with 3rd Brigade in Ba'qubah (FOB Warhorse). Private Jonathan Fiore was a driver/dismount on a Humvee crew with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry, also part of 3rd Brigade, in the Muqdadiyah area. They begin by respectively discussing their predeployment training and then move into what their individuals role were during the deployment. Among the topics covered are the counterinsurgency effort, dealing with Iraqi police and other security forces, a variety of logistics challenges, working with Army Reserve units, the impact of improvised explosive devices and other insurgent means of attack, how the Abu Ghraib detainee abuse scandal affected their time in theater, their interactions with Iraqi civilians, the availability of interpreters, the prevalence of corruption, and how getting attacked on a daily basis required them to come up with a means to cope with what Bell terms the "Superman syndrome, where you just feel like nothing can hurt you because they haven't hit you yet." In closing, they all agree that taking advantage of every training opportunity is a must because, as Bell noted, "once you get there it's too late. You can't go back and retrain. You might be able to touch up on some things while you're there, but there's no second chance on training. It's your life and your battle buddy's."

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