MAJ Ed Vedder deployed to Iraq in support of OIF from August 2007 until December 2008 to COB Speicher, Iraq. MAJ Vedder, an attack helicopter pilot, deployed initially as the XO for 1-1 Attack and halfway through the deployment was sent to Fort Rucker, Alabama to learn how to fly the Black Hawk helicopter. He then returned to Iraq to be the S3 for 2-1 General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB). MAJ Vedder's deployment is unique in that he was able to fly not only attack missions with 1-1 ARB but also aviation support missions with the GSAB. In this February 2010 interview, MAJ Vedder discusses the importance of the pre-deployment training his unit received and the good handoff his unit had with the unit they took over from. He describes how they used the lessons they learned during that handoff to make an even better handoff for the 10th CAB who replaced them in 2008. MAJ Vedder concludes his interview by discussing the importance of the FRG and keeping deployments down to 12 months rather than 15 or more.

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