Major Rich Garey deployed as the commander of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2003. He initially flew into Bagram and then moved his company to two firebases in Asadabad and Barikowt. While there, they did common presence patrolling, direct action operations, cordon and searches and raids. "We were offensive when we had the intel to drive those types of operations and we did stability operations in the local community where it was warranted and where funds allowed that to occur," he said. After two and a half months, he moved most of his company to Ghazni, his operational base for most of his remaining time in Afghanistan. His biggest lesson learned was how cultural implications affect operations. "They're not separate and they'll never be separate, especially when dealing with an insurgency."

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