Major Jaren Price served with the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion as the assistant operations officer and later transitioned to the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2003 until February 2004. The battalion had completed several deployment readiness exercises prior to receiving orders to deploy, and Price made the movement over with the advance party. The battalion took equipment to supply the members deploying and did not fall in on any equipment once they arrived in theater. The battalion and equipment was staged at Camp New Jersey while they were monitoring other US forces in Iraq until they crossed the berm and moved to Baghdad and then to Mosul. While the battalion was in Baghdad, Price took command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company. As company commander, Price worked closely with the logistical aspect for the daily convoys and the logistics and supply function for the battalion. Price discusses the living conditions and how they were able to make improvements during the course of the deployment. The battalion had interpreters and a military linguist assist in communicating with local nationals while they were on missions and visiting villages. Once the company was established in Mosul, phone and internet lines were installed to allow soldiers to communicate with friends and family in the States. Efforts were also made to allow soldiers the opportunity to have a three-day pass. When it was time to redeploy, the company did not have a replacement so there was no handoff. Price offers his lessons learned and recommendations based on this deployment.

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