Major Matt Jordan, a member of the Arkansas National Guard, served as an Army fixed-wing pilot in Balad, Iraq, from November 2006 through November 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In this interview, he talks about preparing and deploying as a non-standard unit, the need for team-building in a scratch unit, the value of communications with similar units already deployed, and the types of high-profile missions they were called on to execute. He also discusses a mission for which the crew received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the contractor-only maintenance support they used, the challenges presented by personal security detachments, and their handoff with the 244th Aviation Brigade. He closes the interview by stating that the Army needs to increase its force structure, particularly with low-density military occupational specialties in the National Guard and Reserves.

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