Major Glenn Mellor deployed to Iraq as signal company commander for 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in October 2003. They moved to Mosul where they replaced the 101st Airborne Division. It was a rough RIP/TOA as their brigade of 5,000 soldiers was replacing a division of 20,000 soldiers. He was responsible for maintaining communication capabilities along a 300-kilometer line of communications and was given the additional duty as the Mosul minister of telecommunications shortly after arriving. He met weekly with representatives from the Iraqi phone company, the fire company, the police force and ambulance service. He was tasked with improving the Iraqis' ability to talk to one another so they could more effectively respond to emergency situations. While there, he was able to equip the police force, and begin with the fire and ambulance services, with handheld radios. One of his biggest problems was once they were issued to the Iraqis, many of the police sold the radios for extra money, compromising the network. This really taught him how to manage a project correctly; however, he would recommend we bring in experts in the beginning to ensure its long-term continuity. He redeployed to the US in October 2004.

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