In this two-part interview regarding his Global War on Terrorism deployment experiences, Major Jay Miseli discusses his service as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander for 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor - part of 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division - from April 2001 through June 2003. Initially Miseli deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Spring. He was given three months to complete predeployment training and requirements in addition to preparing the equipment for the movement over. They stayed in Kuwait training for six months and then redeployed in September 2002. After the reintegration period and block leave, he focused on individual tasks and rebuilding a strong family readiness group. Once they received the orders to deploy for a second time, they prepared for deployment by applying their lessons learned from the first deployment and made the movement over in January 2003. Miseli received the same equipment from the first deployment, which they greatly benefited from. Miseli talks about signing for the equipment, his three areas of focus and his main concerns before crossing into Iraq in support of what became Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the movement into Iraq, Miseli talks about the convoy being attacked and the supply shortages driving to their final stopping point at Khadamiyah District, Baghdad. Once the convoy stopped, Miseli's primary tasks changed and he became responsible for executing security, became the senior company commander representative, and was the initial person to meet a sheik or cleric at the gate of the US military compound. He interacted with the local population and several asked to be allowed to enter the compound because they thought a family member had been imprisoned there by Saddam. There was a US Army sergeant whose MOS was Arabic translator and he was used a lot before a pool of local interpreters was established. Miseli completed the handoff to the 1st Armored Division who had been held in Kuwait during the invasion and not brought forward until May 2003. After the handoff, they loaded their vehicles and convoyed back to Kuwait. Miseli flew back earlier than everyone else to be with his wife for the birth of their child. He also wrote a widely-read article called "The View From My Windshield: Just-In-Time Logistics Just Isn't Working," which was published in Armor magazine. He has noticed improvements made to the tables of organization and equipment. Miseli offers additional recommendations based on this deployment and how the family readiness group assisted with family separation.

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