In this second interview regarding his Global War on Terrorism experiences, Major John Cochran discusses his January 2005 through February 2006 deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, during which he served as the chief of plans for the 12th Aviation Brigade and spent the majority of his time facilitating general support to infantry units throughout the country. Cochran also talks about opportunities he himself got to fly, an especially memorable troops-in-contact and medical evacuation mission, his work with US Marines, why he thinks the Army is not particularly expeditionary in nature, as well as his interaction with non-governmental organizations. "My experience was that they want everything they can get from you but they don't want anyone to know you're giving it to them," Cochran said. "That makes sense, because they don't want to compromise their neutrality or safety by appearing to be leaning towards one side of the other. On the other hand, in the end if the shit hits the fan, you're going to save them and they know that." Cochran also discusses the professional development he gained from working with such a wide variety of forces in a joint environment, why he'd much rather go back to Afghanistan than Iraq, and how he dealt with family separation during both of his tours.

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