Major Steve Gilbertson was the aviation plans officer of the 3rd Infantry Division's Aviation Brigade when alerted for deployment to Kuwait and ultimately Operation Iraqi Freedom. Deploying first for Operation Desert Spring, Gilbertson went through a rotation at the National Training Center supporting an infantry brigade with the aviation task force. He arrived in Kuwait in early spring 2003 as the division fell in on elements that had forward deployed. Predeployment concerns had focused on dealing with the harsh desert environmental conditions as well as tactical considerations specific to supporting a close-in fight with Apache helicopters. Gilbertson found that his professional knowledge as an aviator was critical to his staff role as a planner in effectively leavening plans for organic aviation, based on aircraft capabilities and limitations, and units as well as battle tracking. The operational focus was on finding and killing targets in support of the division's maneuver. As the division drove forward to Objective Rams and the Karbala Gap, Gilbertson found himself attached where needed, from a tactical command post to the brigade headquarters and then on to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) with a brigade combat team. At BIAP, he ultimately took command of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment on 9 May 2003. The attack helicopter company Gilbertson commanded had fought hard during the division's move to Baghdad. Alpha Company's operational tempo slowed as stability and support operations became the division's primary mission. Gilbertson and his men flew reconnaissance and escorted medical evacuation missions, supporting both US Army and Marine Corps units. Maintenance was an ongoing concern due to the previously intense operational tempo and the toll taken on Alpha Company's helicopters. In the middle of June 2003, Major Gilbertson redeployed his company back to Camp Doha, Kuwait, to prepare their helicopters for movement and a month-long wait. Although there were some leadership challenges in maintaining morale in cantonment, an active family readiness group in the United States maintained a positive flow of support and information between Alpha Company's soldiers and their families. Gilbertson credits his battalion's and brigade's positive leadership for the unit successes in Operations Desert Spring and Iraqi Freedom.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited