Major Deb MacKay, United States Air Force, served as the chief of intelligence, weapons and tactics for the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Jaber Air Force Base, Kuwait and Tallil Airbase, Iraq from February through August 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In this interview, MacKay talks about transitioning into a staff position where she was unexpectedly in charge, dealing with a dysfunctional support system, the huge difference in attitude between Active pilots and National Guard pilots, and the various talented enlisted personnel she served with on this deployment. She also discusses the challenge of move to and operating from Tallil Airbase, interaction with other services and other coalition partners, the "broken" nature of Air Force operations, and her contact with Diane Sawyer. She closes the interview by stating that deploying ad hoc units into combat is not a good thing.

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