Major George Walter served as commander for the 173rd Combat Support Company out of Vicenza, Italy, and deployed in March 2003. Walter filled the role as the engineer advisor to the brigade commander. The company was comprised of one sapper platoon, one light equipment platoon, one Stinger platoon, short range air defense, a ground surveillance radar section and a maintenance section. A few months prior to deployment, the company completed the Combat Maneuver Training Center (CMTC) rotation conducting company- and battalion-level missions. The company completed additional training to further prepare them for their deployment. The movement over was complicated by Turkish refusal to allow them to enter through their port system resulting in the equipment and personnel being airdropped into theater using C-17s. Once they jumped, the environment presented a challenge because the ground was saturated with thick mud and it started to rain and snow shortly afterwards. Another complication was that not everyone jumped into the same location resulting in the company being much more spread out than desired. Once landed, Walter monitored and marked the routes around the airfield and would notify the commander if anything went wrong. He also walked the airfield to check its structural integrity and coordinated with the Air Force to get the airfield cleared for landing. Walter and the company worked closely with the Kurds to obtain material and other supplies they needed to complete their mission. They had 20 approved interpreters on call to assist in communicating when outside of the wire. Walter experienced some of the embedded reporters and had a mixed reaction to their printed stories. When Walter's deployment was over, in June 2003, he flew out prior to the rest of the company to assume the duty of aide-de-camp for General Tom Turner at the Southern European Task Force (SETAF).

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