Major Matthew Scalia commanded Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry in Baghdad from May through September 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Scalia begins by noting that much of their predeployment training focused on stability operations, and was aided by the fact that many of his soldiers had served in the Balkans conducting similar operations. The arrival in Baghdad near the Martyrs' Monument was near sunset, the seemingly hostile environment with limited visibility making for a very tense arrival into their area of responsibility. Scalia's portion of Baghdad saw tracer fire in the sky every night, indicating a lack of law more than hostility toward the Americans. He notes that as time went on, his neighborhood calmed down, schools opened up, businesses increased, and there was even a nightlife. Scalia says that his company had great interaction with the local population, that it was the most rewarding part of the deployment experience, and that their interpreters played an invaluable role in bridging the gaps between them. He talks about the neighborhood advisory councils they assisted with, the election process they went through, and the massive turnout of people to these events. He especially noted that in one mixed neighborhood the Iraqis insisted on selecting religious representatives separate from the others because, "We are not Sunni. We are not Shi'a. We are not Christian. We are Iraqis right now," and provided him with religious representatives at a later date. Later, when speaking with one of his soldiers near the end of his enlistment who had grown disillusioned with their role in Iraq, Scalia reminded him of the good feeling they all had from helping with the elections, causing the soldier to reconsider and then reenlist. He states that the positive nature of the interaction between his company and the local Iraqis was quite beneficial to his soldiers, allowing them to see good come from their work on a daily basis. Conversely, those soldiers in the headquarters who did not interact with Iraqis very often were definitely affected by the media, often saying to him, "Please tell me it's going better than what I'm seeing on TV." Scalia closes by stating that his mid-tour change of command was unexpected, that he was not happy about leaving his soldiers, but also that it was a professional opportunity that he could not pass up.

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