From the onset of major combat operations in Iraq through his redeployment in June of 2003, Major John Cochran ran the current operations cell as the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment's assistant operations officer. In this first of two interviews discussing his Global War on Terrorism experiences, Cochran begins by talking about the movement of the regiment into theater and then moves into a detailed discussion of the regimental scheme of maneuver, including the initial crossing of the berm and the deep-attack strikes in support of the 3rd Infantry Division. He speaks to the nearly 96-hour "convoy from hell" from Kuwait into Iraq, their eventual stationing at Objective Rams and then the regiment's later movement to Balad. Cochran talks at length about the deep-attack mission from both a doctrinal and a real-world tactical aspect, relates a number of important lessons learned, as well as insists that "professional military education is absolutely the single most important thing we need to do in today's Army."

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