From September 2006 through September 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major Tracy Barker, an Army National Guardsman, served as the maneuver trainer on a brigade military transition team (MiTT). In this interview, he discusses his predeployment training at Fort Riley; the dynamics of having a MiTT made up of Active, Reserve and National Guard soldiers; working with the mostly Kurdish 3rd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division in Sulaymaniyah; later being sent to Baghdad at the direction of the Iraqi prime minister; as well as the full range of training and advisory functions his MiTT performed. Barker also talks about the brigade's personnel manning issues; assesses the overall training of the average Iraqi infantryman; and closes by characterizing his advisory tour this way: "I experienced the whole spectrum of human emotions during my year on that MiTT," he said. "There was the uncertainty and fear. At some times I couldn't stand my counterparts and at other times I loved them like they were my brothers. That's how I felt when I left."

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