In this June 2009 interview MAJ Shawn Umbrell discusses his 2006 deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Umbrell discusses his extensive pre-deployment training with Charlie Company as their commander and then just a few months prior to deployment he states that he changed command and took command of the headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) which is a totally different animal. Newly appointed to this position MAJ Umbrell does his best to continue the preparations for deployment, learns more about what his role as the HHC commander will be, and successfully deploys the company to theater. Once there MAJ Umbrell learns that he will be the acting FOB mayor as well as the HHC commander and he describes all the duties he would now be responsible for in that role. MAJ Umbrell talks about life on the FOB, how his Soldiers performed, and relates a story of tragedy when he discusses the unexpected loss of two of his Soldiers. MAJ Umbrell concludes his interview by stating that, "We need to get better at implementing our lessons learned that we derive from conducting AARs. We make it better but we need to continue to always do better."

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