Major William Moen deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom as commander of Alpha Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. Having taken command in May 2003, Moen and his company experienced some soldier and leader turbulence in preparing for deployment in the fall of 2003 since the Army's stop/loss program had yet to take effect. This turmoil meant that the company deployed short of personnel and not completely trained against their mission essential task list. The engineer company's march up from Kuwait saw the unit separated from its tracked vehicles - armored personnel carriers, vehicle launched bridges and combat excavators - as the division had to line-haul these vehicles as far as Ramadi, Iraq. Working with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment initially, Moen's company supported the regiment as well as its parent engineer battalion and the maneuver brigade. Helping secure the forward operating base and establishing quarters while maintaining force protection occupied the engineer company's time. Operational missions included mine clearance, breaching and assisting in searches for weapons caches. The company was often on its own, however, necessitating coordination for fires, casualty evacuation and reaction force support. Moen's Alpha Company was eventually responsible for controlling 48,000 pounds of munitions and equipment. Task organization, constant communications coordination and equipment ingenuity (including bolting on "hillbilly armor" to thin-skinned wheeled vehicles) required incessant attention to detail. These missions also required the company to teach itself the orders process and push down preparation for combat tasks and inspections. Support for US Marine Corps elements around Fallujah and Al Asad provided a short course in interoperability.

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